Princess Celestia opened her eyes and took a deep breath as the warm rays of her sun washed over her. Yes, they washed over her implying that the sun was already high in the sky, which it was. Normally such an action would have required her direct involvement, as it was her primary job to raise said sun after her sister lowered the moon, but today was not a normal day.
Today was her birthday, and as such, Luna had been the one who had raised the sun on this particular morning.
Celestia smiled and snuggled deeper into her sheets. It was her birthday. If she wanted to she could roll over and go straight back to sleep, but she mused that as wonderful as it would be, sleeping the entire day would waste it. A quick glance at the alarm clock resting on her bedside table, which she had taken great pleasure in not setting the previous night, informed her that it was half past noon, and the day was at its zenith. Yes, it really would be too great a missed opportunity if she simply closed her eyes and went back to sleep, as tempting as the idea was.
After a few more moments of relaxation, Celestia sat up in her bed and leaned her back against her headboard. Even if she wasn't going to go back to sleep, a few more moments of rest wouldn't hurt. She would just a few simple minutes to plan out her day before getting ready for it. Her gaze trailed over to her word-a-day calendar, which still showcased the previous day's word. Misoneism. The hatred or dislike of what is new or represents change. Celestia ignited her horn and gently tore the page away, revealing the similar one underneath. Xanthippe. A scolding or ill-tempered mare. Celestia amused herself for a moment as she recalled a few mares whom she had met over the course of her long life to whom the term "xanthippe" most certainly applied, and cataloged the word in her mind for later possible use, should the occasion ever arise for her to use it as a retort.
Celestia shook her head and pushed such thoughts aside. The calendar certainly held important information, but the definition of xanthippe was the third most important thing on the page; the second being a crude drawing of a scowling pegasus mare to drive home the meaning of the word.
The first was her birthday. It even said so in black bolded letters on the page under the date.
Princess Celestia's Birthday
Being the now diarch of all of Equestria meant that precious few facts about her were kept secret. One of the facts that was not a secret was her birthday. The ponies of Equestria learned the date of her birthday almost as soon as they learned who she was, or what date Hearth's Warming Eve was. Celestia supposed that it helped her little ponies connect to her on a basic equine level. After all, knowing that she was once a little foal like they, and thus had a birthday must have made her seem less imposing. All the better, as far as she was concerned. She had always hated how they had seen her as some goddess, a goddess though she may be.
So, would there be some massive celebration in the gardens? Would the citizens of Canterlot pull out all the stops to throw her the grandest party the world had ever seen? Would she enter wearing the latest grand dress that had been made for her by the greatest fashion minds in all of Equestria to rambunctious applause to see her student and her friends standing in front of a gargantuan table loaded with extravagant gifts and a massive, ornate cake?
No.
No there would be no massive party celebrating her birth, save for maybe among the small groups of ponies that viewed her as a religious figure. No lavish gown, no line of guests wishing her a happy birthday, and no spending the day with other ponies in general, save for one: Luna, her sister.
Once, long ago, Celestia had taken to the throne of Equestria, and had to learn the nuances of the job rather quickly. There was very little margin for error in the early days, when Discord had just been defeated and harmony was being restored to the land, so she had to establish certain rules for herself. One of those rules was knowing which obligations of hers were real and which were imaginary. Raising the sun? Real obligation. Holding court? Real obligation. Making sure that her ponies were well fed, protected, and housed? Real obligation.
Allowing her subjects to throw her a large party to celebrate her birthday when she really wished to spend the day with Luna just to make her subjects feel a little better about themselves? Imagined obligation.
Around the third year of her reign, Celestia realized that if she didn't take time for herself she could go mad, and not the typical "I'm going to wear my tiara around my tail" kind either that she felt like getting when the nobility decided to act up at the worst possible moment. No, more like the "I'm quitting and never lowering the sun again" sort of mad, and that would get all sorts of ugly. So, in response, she set aside times for herself; moments that she was to have to do whatever she desired, even if that was wear her tiara around her tail and jump up and down on her bed. Her birthday was one of those times. For a few years she had experimented with letting her subjects throw her a party, but after four such parties she realized her heart wasn't in it, and into the mental category of "imagined obligation" that idea went.
But enough of thinking of that, Celestia decided, it really was time to get up and actually go meet up with Luna. The day would be over before anything happened to her at all at this rate. Igniting her horn once more, Celestia rolled her blankets off of her body and slid out of bed. She bathed in the perfectly positioned beam of warm sunlight right at the hoof of her bed, and smiled, stretching her legs and her wings for a moment before going into her bathroom to complete her morning routine. After that, it was off to the throne room to begin her birthday celebration with her sister.
Most days, the throne room was representative of everything boring about her job. Sitting for hours on end listening to ponies ramble on about tax reforms or whether or not they should grow more wheat instead of apples was a necessary part of ruling a nation, but it could get dreadfully tedious at times. So, that is why the birthday on the year of Luna's return, her sister had suggested that they hold their private celebration in the throne room to keep them from completely resenting it. Celestia had to admit, it was quite a good idea, and one she had implemented at the next opportunity.
As Celestia walked down the hall to the throne room, she was greeted by any passing staff with enthusiastic calls of "happy birthday," which she returned with a greeting nod and a word of thanks. It was only a short walk to the throne room from her room, and within a few minutes, she was igniting her horn and throwing open the floor-to-ceiling double doors that led inside.
Despite the fact that it was her birthday, she was not expecting to be blasted in the face with two barrels of a confetti cannon, and grabbed by the hoof and pulled inside. Such was the force of the hoof pulling her that she lost her balance and fell to the floor with a resounding crash. For a brief moment, she began panicking. The confetti completely obscured her vision, and the mystery pony who had pulled her inside had rather surprised her. However, everything was cleared up with a simple use of the Royal Canterlot Voice from the mystery pony, as most things tended to be.
"HAPPY ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETEENTH BIRTHDAY TO THEE, SISTER!"
Celestia barely had time to shake some of the longer strands of confetti out of her mane to restore at least some of her vision before two powerful hooves wrapped around her barrel and gripped her in a crushing hug.
"THIS IS THE MOST JOYOUS DAY OF THE YEAR, SAVE FOR MY BIRTHDAY, HEARTH'S WARMING EVE, DISCORD'S DEFEAT, MY RETURN FROM THE MOON, AND NIGHTMARE NIGHT!" Celestia felt Luna nuzzle her cheek. "TODAY IS A DAY FOR CELEBRATION!"
Celestia gasped for breath as the power of Luna's hug constricted her ability to breathe. Still, she couldn't begrudge her sister's excitement. She had been looking forward to this day since... well, her last birthday had ended. She gave a weak chuckle and tried to wiggle out of Luna's grasp.
"It's... nice to see... that my birthday is... so high on your list... Lulu, but..." She tried pushing Luna's hoof away from her body. "Can you... let me go? Can't... breathe!"
At once Luna's forelegs released Celestia, sending her crashing to the floor once more. "FORGIVE ME, TIA WE... er..." Luna cleared her throat. "Forgive me, Tia. We were excited, that's all."
Celestia chuckled and waved her hoof in the direction of Luna's voice. "Think nothing of it, Lulu." Celestia pushed herself up to her haunches and violently shook her head to clear it of the confetti. Even so, she suspected she would find a few stray pieces in her mane in the shower the next morning. With most of the confetti out of her mane, her vision was no longer obscured, and she was able to see the throne room for the first time. The room was completely decorated for her party in a manner that gave her reason to suspect that Luna had employed the services of a certain pink earth pony. Colorful streamers decorated the ceiling and columns. Her golden throne was decorated with dozens of helium filled balloons, and Celestia was amused to see that such was the amount of balloons that her throne was levitating a few inches in the air. More balloons dotted the throne room and were generally tied to the backs of the few chairs that were placed inside. A long table decorated with a golden tablecloth was loaded with all of Celestia's favorite food, and capped off with a triple-layer strawberry frosted vanilla cake that Celestia suspected was filled with raspberry filling. Her favorite. Against the wall behind the table was a mountain of gifts, all wrapped in bright wrapping paper.
Celestia smiled and looked over at Luna who had eschewed her tiara for a paper party hat bearing her cutie mark. With a burst of her magic, Luna flicked the tiara from Celestia's head, sending it clattering to the floor, allowing her to put a party hat bearing Celestia's cutie mark on her sister's head.
Celestia snorted and levitated her tiara with her magic. "You should be more careful with my tiara, Lulu."
Luna blew a raspberry and waved a hoof. "A pox on that notion, Tia. Your tiara is one of the most magically protected objects in the kingdom. A single collision with the floor with not do it harm."
Celestia frowned, but decided to drop the matter. It was unimportant, as her tiara had suffered no damage. She levitated the crown over to the table and gently laid it next to the plate of assorted vegetables.
"So..." Luna sat down next to her sister and giddily rubbed her front hooves together. "What shall we do first, hmm? Tis your day to do with as you please."
"Hmm..." Celestia tapped her lower jaw thoughtfully, dislodging yet another stray piece of confetti. She scanned the throne room, looking for whatever struck her fancy for the moment. "Well, I think that we should load up on food and then open gifts." She turned her attention to the rather formidable pile of wrapped presents. "If we're going to have time to do more throughout the day, it would be best to get started on those first, agreed?"
"A capital suggestion." Luna stood up and extended a hoof to help Celestia to hers. The two walked over to the large table and collected paper plates, themselves decorated with Celestia's cutie mark, which they proceeded to load with food. Once they had everything they wanted, they levitated a chair for themselves over to the pile of gifts.
"Okay..." Celestia set her chair on the floor and sat down on it. "Let's see what we have here."
"Likely attempts to get into your good graces by giving you extravagant bribes from ponies who know thee little, Tia," said Luna as she sat on her own chair. She snorted and smiled at the pile. "They get more extravagant every year."
"Some of them are nice, Lulu," Celestia said with a shrug. She popped a cucumber slice in her mouth and scanned the pile a she chewed, looking for which one she wanted to open first. She eventually settled on a square package wrapped in purple wrapping paper. "Okay, this one is from...." She smiled when she read the card. "Twilight!"
"Excellent." Luna scooted her chair closer to her sister. "What book hast she given thee this year?''
Celestia frowned as she started to undo the wrapping paper. "Now, now, Luna, Twilight may have an affinity for books, but that doesn't mean that she's as one-dimensional as that. Why, two years ago she gave me a collection of all of the essays she had written me when she was my student living in Canterlot, along with many personal annotations regarding her thoughts on the marks I gave her. It was wonderfully sentimental."
Luna chuckled. "Yes, We remember that one. It was a scrapbook, was it not?"
Celestia smiled again and nodded. "Yes, it was in a scrapboo..." Her smile faded when she realized what Luna was getting at, and she gave her sister a faint scowl. "As I was saying, as much as she loves them, she is not completely centered on books."
The wrapping paper fell away revealing a plain white box. Celestia used her magic to remove the lid and peered inside for a few moments before placing the lid back on the box and gently putting the box on the floor. "Very well. Onto the next gift."
"Nay, Tia. What did the box contain?" A hint of a smirk played at Luna's lips. "Pray tell, did it contain a book?"
"No," Celestia said perhaps a little too quickly. "But it's a joke between Twilight and me. You wouldn't understand what it is."
"Oh?" Luna leaned forward in her chair to get a better look at the box, while Celestia leaned to the right to block Luna's view. "Because We believe that your aversion to letting Us know the contents means that it contains a book, correct?"
"It's not important, Luna," Celestia insisted. She levitated another gift over to her. "Let's just move on. Don't you want to know what's in these other ones?"
Luna tried moving her head to see around Celestia to look at the box, but Celestia kept blocking her view. After a few moments of this, Luna sighed and nodded. "Very well, Tia. Continue on."
"Thank you." Celestia used her magic to begin untying the bow that the package was tied with. "This next one looks like it's from... hey!"
Before Celestia could do anything, Luna ignited her horn and levitated the package over to her. Celestia reached a hoof out to stop her, but Luna had already taken the box in her hooves and thrown the lid off. "Let's see what book Twilight Sparkle has given..." Luna's eager grin faded, and was replaced with a confused frown. She reached into the box and when she pulled it out, she had a piece of string threaded around a small seashell in her hoof. She looked over at her sister, who gave her a smug smile.
"I told you, Twilight is capable of giving more than just books as gifts."
Luna scowled and gently placed the seashell back inside the box. "Thou beguiled us with your subtextual actions, Tia!'
Celestia chuckled and took the box back from Luna. "Did I? Well, whose fault was that?"
Luna grumbled something unintelligible for a few moments before glancing back at the box. 'We do not understand the meaning of the seashell, sister. It seems rather simplistic, yes?"
"I told you, Lulu, it's a joke between the two of us."
"Oh? What joke?"
This time Celestia's smug smile fell, and she turned her gaze to stare intently at the gift in her hooves. "Er... thatshe'scapableofgivingmorethanbooksasgiftsmovingon."
"What was that?"
"Nothing." Celestia glanced at the card taped to the package. "This next one is from..." Celestia squinted at the writing on the card for a few moments before sighing and facehooving. "Aepnet."
"The Griffonian emperor?" Celestia nodded and Luna leaned away from the package. "Shall we have the castle mages check it for anything unsavory?"
"It's a thought, but..." Celestia clicked her tongue and began tearing off the wrapping paper. "He's not that dumb as to attempt to harm me in my own palace."
"We are unsure, Tia," Luna mumbled. "He can be very foolish."
Celestia nodded and opened up the box that was covered by the wrapping paper. She looked inside and promptly facehooved. "What?" Luna asked. "What this time?" Celestia tilted the box in her direction, allowing Luna to look inside. Luna herself facehooved and shook her head. "Only him."
"Only him," Celestia agreed. She put the lid back on the box and set it next to Twilight's gift. "Okay. What next?"
* * * *
As the hours went on, the pile of gifts grew steadily smaller. A few gifts in, Luna had the idea of writing down the gifts and the givers to keep track of all of them. True to Luna's guesses, most of the gifts were from nobles attempting to get into Celestia's good graces, though some had at least a little thought put into them.
Finally, there was just one gift left. A long package wrapped in simple brown paper. Celestia illuminated her horn and levitated the package over to her. "Okay, this last one is from..." She turned the package over, expecting to find a card on it, but found instead that there were no identifying marks of any kind on it. She frowned and tilted her head. "It doesn't say."
"Indeed?" Luna leaned closer to examine the package. "Could it be dangerous?"
Celestia put more power into her horn, and a beam of magic enveloped the package. After a few seconds, the golden beam turned a light green and Celestia shrugged. "Well, it doesn't contain any poisons, explosives, or any other substances that could kill me by opening this." She began tearing the wrapping paper off. "I see no harm in opening it. We can figure out who it's from later."
Within a few seconds the wrapping paper was worn off. Unlike most of the presents, the gift inside was not placed inside of a box, meaning that Celestia and Luna found out what it was right away.
Celestia's frown deepened as she examined the contents. "It's..."
"A stuffed squid," Luna finished.
So it was.
"Not a small one either. It's almost as large as I am." Celestia ran a hoof down the side of the squid. "It's quite soft. Maybe it's meant for me to cuddle?"
Luna scoffed and crossed her forelegs. "Cuddle a stuffed squid? Who ever heard of such a thing?"
"Who ever heard of a stuffed squid to begin with, Lulu?" Celestia poked at one of the longer tentacles. "It's—"
The second her hoof made contact with the tentacle, a noise like somepony gargling water emulated from the squid. Celestia, despite herself, gave a small yelp of shock and dropped the squid on the ground. Luna was off of her chair in an instant, pointing her horn at the plushie as though it was going to strike at any moment. When it just laid there and did nothing, as even real squids are apt to do, the two goddesses relaxed and stared down at the toy.
"What... what was that noise, Luna?"
Luna frowned and poked the squid. "We are unsure, Tia. We are aware that with some stuffed animals it is possible to enchant them to make the noise that the real life animal makes. Was that what that was?"
"Do squids even make noise?" Celestia lifted the squid into the air with her magic again. "If so, is it really that one?"
"We are unsure, Tia," Luna admitted. "We are not dear Fluttershy, and thus have a lesser knowledge of animals than she, but We would surmise that being a... squid, and a sea creature, it is silent as it does... whatever it is a squid does?"
The two princesses stared at the floating squid, which itself was completely still. It really was a good representation of a squid. From what the two could tell from pictures, whomever had made it had gotten the color down correctly, as well as the basic anatomy. The glass eyes were as cold and blank as a real squids.
Yes, it was definitely a squid.
"Er... Tia."
Celestia's gaze flickered over to her sister. "Yes?"
"What do squids do anyway?"
"Hmm..." Celestia tapped her lower jaw with her hoof and went back to staring at the squid. "I'm not really sure. They float, and eat and... well, if this is an accurate representation of a squid, they make a noise like a pony gargling water." Slowly Celestia reached her hoof out and touched the tentacle that she had before. Just like the previous time, the noise emulated from the squid. Being prepared for it, neither princess flinched back. "Yes, it does seem like it's supposed to be the noise a squid makes, if indeed a squid makes a noise."
"Bloop, maybe?"
"Maybe."
"Hmm." Luna looked down to the wrapping paper and levitated the remains over to her. "And there was no note? No card? Nothing of that nature?"
Celestia shook her head and poked the squid's tentacle again. "No. Nothing like that."
"Then who gave this to you?"
Celestia shrugged. "No idea."
"It could have been Sultan Mesud." Luna dropped the wrapping paper and levitated the list of gifts over to her. "This does mesh with his particular brand of humor."
Celestia continued staring at the squid for a few more moments before slowly shaking her head. "No. No, I don't think so. This doesn't seem Saddle Arabian. Besides, he gave me the mini champagne fountain, remember?"
Luna raised an eyebrow and flipped a few pages of the list over before nodding. "Indeed. Thou art correct. However, that leaves the mystery of who the giver really is!"
"Mhm." Celestia poked the tentacle yet again, triggering the noise. For the first time, a hint of a smile played at her lips. She poked it once more.
Luna tilted her head at her sister. "Dost thou appreciate the gift, sister?"
"Well, Luna, it..." Celestia shrugged with her wings. "It's rather silly, isn't it? I like silly. When was the last time I received a stuffed squid as a gift?"
"When was the last time anypony anywhere received a stuffed squid as a gift?" Luna deadpanned.
"Precisely." Celestia poked the tentacle again. "It's a completely unique gift. I received a champagne fountain exactly four hundred and ninety three years ago the year they were invented, but this..." Celestia levitated the squid over to her and wrapped it in her forelegs in a gentle hug. "I have to know who gave it to me. I have to know who made it."
"Well, then... take it to Day Court on the morrow," Luna suggested. "Tis possible somepony will recognize it, or even come to the palace looking to claim credit for its giving."
"I'm fine with the idea." Celestia's smile widened. "I think it would also make court more tolerable if it was there, and if I find out who sent it, all the better. If not, we can ask the staff if they know who delivered it."
Luna gave her own wing shrug. "The gifts were delivered to the throne room by the time We had arrived, so We cannot say when the squid made its entrance. It could be the Element of Laughter. She did participate in the decor."
"It is within the bounds of imagination, though I suspect that a gift from her would involve more confetti explosions." Celestia affectionately patted the head of the squid. "I think I'll take him to court tomorrow and see if anypony claims credit for it. I'll be sure to let you know if I find out."
* * * *
After the mystery of the squid, Luna and Celestia had resumed the party by delving into the cake. It was the only time of year that Celestia allowed herself to have as much as she wanted... other than Hearth's Warming Eve, and Luna's birthday, and the Summer Sun Celebration.
So she ate a lot of cake, but she felt that she deserved it for being a steady ruler for all of Equestria.
The day went splendidly for the two sisters, and they spend most of it playing games from their foalhood such as chess, checkers, and Candyland. However, all good things must come to an end, and the hour came when Luna had to lower the sun and raise the moon. After a few more hours, the clock in the castle struck midnight. Celestia's birthday was over.
Luna had denied Celestia's requests to help clean up the mess the two of them had made, part of the party did, admittedly, involve a food fight, and so Celestia was able to go straight to bed. She slipped Twilight's gift around the squid and balanced the stuffed animal on her back for the journey to her room. Once she reached it, she took a quick shower, set her alarm clock, and went straight to bed.
Just like the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year, Celestia was woken up by the sound of her alarm clock screeching in her ears. The sun goddess groggily opened her eyes and shut the clock off. She slowly slipped out of bed and walked over to her nearby window. She glanced over to a nearby balcony and saw Luna standing on top of it, her horn illuminated and the moon lowering in the sky. Celestia smiled and lit her own horn. Slowly the sun began rising over the horizon, bringing light throughout the land of Equestria.
Celestia took a deep breath and relished in the clean, crisp morning air. It was rejuvenating for her, and helped keep her awake. Day court started in an hour and a half, so she needed to get ready.
After her morning routine and breakfast, Celestia found herself on her throne, waiting for day court to start. As promised, her new stuffed squid rested against her throne, plainly visible to any pony who would walk into the room. If the mystery pony who sent it came today, he or she would be able to see it, and likely be able to guess that Celestia was attempting to discern his or her identity.
Well, it was time to begin court. There was no way she could find out if nopony was allowed in. She turned to her lieutenant of the guard and gave him a single nod. The guard, who had been staring in bewilderment at the squid, noticed just in time that Celestia was trying to get his attention, and saluted her. He motioned for his subordinates to open the doors.
The moment the doors opened, Celestia heard the chatter of dozens, if not hundreds, of ponies, all waiting to see her. She smiled as they began to file in, but it faltered ever so slightly when she saw who was coming in first.
"Princess Celestia." The noble, a rather pompous fellow named Count Vichy from Baltimare, usually came to court to vie favors from her. He was the very definition of a brown noser. Celestia, not wanting to be rude, returned his customary bow with a tilt of her head.
"Good morning, Count Vichy. How are you this fine day?"
Vichy chuckled and rose to his hooves. "Oh, I'm splendid, Princess Celestia. I have you to thank for that. You bring the life giving sun to our land each and every day. I must say, it was particularly magnificent yesterday. No coincidence that it was your birthday, of course."
Celestia nodded. "Well I'll tell Luna that you liked it. She was the one who raised and lowered the sun yesterday. She wanted me to have a day off."
Count Vichy's pompous smile flickered when he heard that Luna raised the sun, an action not unnoticed by Celestia. She did not feel that it was worth commenting on, so she let the action pass.
Count Vichy cleared his throat and his smile returned. "Er... yes, Princess Luna. How splendid. She did a marvelous job. Er... by the way, did you get the gifts that I sent you?"
"Oh I most certainly did!" Celestia said. "Free dining for six months at both of the restaurants you own. What were they, the Mauvaise Nourriture and the Gwenwyn Bwyd? I'll have to partake at my earliest convenience."
"How wonderful!" Vichy cried, stomping his hooves. "I look forward to seeing you there."
In your dreams. I got sick the last time I ate at the second one. Not being able to say that out loud, Celestia opted for her trademark serene smile and a nod. "So, what can I do for you?"
"Well, it's interesting that you should ask that," Vichy said, taking a step towards the throne. "You see, I was on my way to Manehattan when I... I..." Vichy's smile faded once more, and his gaze trailed away from Celestia down to the stuffed squid. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Er... Princess Celestia? Is that a stuffed squid leaning against your throne?"
Celestia's smile widened, and she let out a small chuckle. "Very astute, Vichy. That is indeed a stuffed squid."
"Oh?" Vichy blinked twice and took another step towards the throne to examine the squid further. "Er... what is it doing here?" His eyes widened when he realized that he was questioning Celestia, and he quickly took a few steps backwards. "N-not that I'm questioning you, dear Princess Celestia, but it's just that it's most unusual to have a stuffed squid... anywhere. I've never seen one before, especially not one almost as large as you."
Later that day, Celestia would consider whether or not she should have said the next words out of her mouth, but at the time they were too good of an opportunity to resist, especially for somepony like Vichy.
"Are you calling me fat?"
Despite the fact that Vichy's fur was dark blue, Celestia could swear that he went as white as she was as he stuttered unintelligible words that were probably denials and apologies all in one. Meanwhile Celestia continued to smile serenely at him. After a solid minute, she raised her hoof, which caused him to stop speaking. "No offense taken, Vichy. Do not worry yourself about it. However, yes, I do have a stuffed squid plushie that I received for my birthday, and I am unaware of who gave it to me."
"Really?" The pony behind Vichy in line moved to the side to get a better look at it. "Somepony gave you a mystery gift... of that stuffed squid?"
The words were like a dam to the ponies waiting, and before Celestia or the guards could do anything about it, everypony who had heard the noble who had spoken rushed to the throne to see the squid. There were many noises of admiration, confusion, and even amusement, but none of the ponies who lined up to see the squid claimed credit for giving it to her. Celestia scanned the throne room, hoping to see anypony that looked like they were pleased with themselves that their gift was going over so well, or any other nonverbal indication that they were the gift giver, but she could see none.
Eventually the hullabaloo died down and everypony lost interest in the squid for the time being. Having said that, Celestia began to suspect that the Equestrian toy scene would suddenly boom with toy squids. The newspapers were doubtlessly going to herald them as her new favorite animal as well. Philomena would be jealous.
With that bit of excitement passed, Day Court went on as normal. She heard proposals, requests, and the like. Every now and again some new pony would compliment her squid, but none of them ever claimed credit for it. After six hours of court, she was still no closer to finding out who had given it to her. During her lunch break she had asked the staff about it, and none of them knew anything.
Finally, the last pony who wanted to see her left through the double doors, and Celestia officially informed her guards that her court was over. She sighed and looked down at her stuffed squid. "It seems your original owner will remain a mystery, my friend." She reached down and poked the tentacle, and smiled at the noise the squid made.
Just as she was about to stand up and leave court for the day, she heard the sound of hooves growing louder. She looked up and saw Prince Blueblood coming through the double doors. She smiled at him and stood up off of her throne. "Good afternoon, Prince Blueblood. What brings you to my throne room?"
Blueblood sighed and, like so many ponies before him, glanced over at the stuffed squid. "I heard that you had brought a stuffed squid that you had received for your birthday to court. I wanted to see if the rumors were true."
Celestia smiled fondly at the squid. "Indeed they are. When I received it, I didn't discover who had sent it to me. I was hoping that I could find out by bringing it to court, but I didn't."
"Indeed?" Blueblood slowly walked over to the squid and stopped just in front of it. He stared down at it and sighed once more. "It's a dreadfully silly thing, isn't it? But... you like silly, don't you?"
With that, Blueblood reached his hoof forward and pressed the tentacle that triggered the gargling noise. Celestia's eyes widened. "Prince Blueblood. Are you the mysterious pony who sent this to me?"
Blueblood grimaced and flattened his ears. He mumbled something that Celestia couldn't quite make out, and averted his gaze to the floor. Celestia smirked and put a hoof on his shoulder. "There's no shame in it, Blueblood. I really do like it. I'm curious, though. Why a stuffed squid? I have to admit, it is unlike anything I have ever received before."
Blueblood's ears slowly perked back up, and he glanced up to his aunt. "It's... silly, really, but as I said before, I know you like that. It's the whole idea." For the third time, Blueblood sighed. "It was a month ago. I was trying to figure out what to get you for your birthday. You threw a garden party that your student and her friends just happened to be in Canterlot for. The pink one. Pinkie Cake, or whatever her name is, she was bouncing around and... not to offend your student, but I rather saw her as a nuisance. But I remembered how you laughed when she dipped an hors d'oeuvres in chocolate and bounced it off the wall like a hoofball... somehow. You said later how silly it was, and how the castle needed more silly in moderation."
"So you gave me a stuffed squid?"
Blueblood nodded. "I knew right then and there that my gift to you had to do with that statement. So I went to a toy shop away from the castle. I'd heard from rumors that it sold oddities. I found that... and knew."
"I see." Celestia walked a step closer to Blueblood and sat on the floor next to him. "So why didn't you put your name on the wrapping?"
Blueblood quietly groaned and turned his head farther away from both Celestia and the squid. "Because... because I didn't see it as very dignified. Not very royal of me to do." He glanced over at the toy and grimaced. "I mean, I don't particularly care for it. It's too silly for me. I mean, that noise. I don't even think squids make that noise, or any noise in general, but... I knew that you would like it, and in the end, I suppose that's all that mattered to me."
A great rush of maternal affection coursed through Celestia, and she hugged Blueblood with her wings and forelegs. Blueblood tensed up, surprised by the embrace, but after a moment he relaxed and sat down to return the hug. Celestia gently nuzzled the top of his head. "Thank you, Blueblood. It's just the perfect amount of silly."
"You're welcome, Auntie Tia. Happy birthday."
Author's Note
Just a for fun story. My next one-shot... not so lighthearted, but this one I hope people enjoy.
