Interview with an Alicorn
Foreword: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust.
Interview with an Alicorn
By M1Garand8
Good Morning to You
Celestia settled herself on the long curved red couch that dominated the center of the stage. The stagehand who had escorted her there gave her an okay sign and moved off. All around her, the studio crew hurried about, making sure everything was setting up smoothly.
Off to her right on the couch, the two hosts sat together, going over their notes. A couple of makeup artists hovered around them, checking and making sure their makeups were touched up. Celestia’s ears twitched to alertness when one of the artists broke off and approached her. She was a lady in her late-forties, clearly a veteran who had served many a newsperson and celebrities. The artist didn’t even bat an eye at a sapient pony.
“Hold still ah,” she said, raising a brush.
Celestia closed her eyes and held stock still as the artist touched up her foundation. For the life of her, Celestia never knew the reason for the showbiz’s obsession with makeup—somehow the artist even found a color that accentuated her pristine white coat. How, she would never know. She never had makeup until this instance.
Soon, the artist was done, apparently satisfied with her handiwork. Celestia flashed her an awkward grin as the artist moved off towards the backstage. The other artist left as well, leaving Celestia and the two hosts alone. Celestia fluffed her wings and wiggled her rump, settling further into the couch and draped her pink tail over a leg.
“Two minutes!” the producer called out.
Suddenly, the laptop on the small oval coffee table was very interesting to Celestia. The attention of the three cameras zoomed in on her felt like a heavy weight upon her withers. Why did I agree to the interview?
Her mind flashed back briefly. She was six again, trying her hardest to hide in the shadow of the tall, dark haired woman exiting the Supreme Court as the reporters beyond the police cordon snapped photos and shouted questions at the top of their voices. The woman—her now legally appointed mother—held her head high and answered the questions in concise and straightforward answers. Never once she yelled at or disparaged the reporters. She merely raised her voice to be heard over the din, projecting an aura of confidence. It was something Celestia admired about her.
Celestia took a breath and released it. Just be like mom and you’ll do fine, Xiaoyang. The rising panic inside her dissipated and the weight on her withers disappeared.
The chatter of the hosts stopped and they faced the central camera. Stagehands made last minute checks, pointing out and straightening any last kinks in the host’s attire and hair and then scattered. Celestia shot one stagehand a nervous glance when she arranged her tail so that the end fell nearly straight off the edge of the couch. The producer counted down the seconds in hand signals. When the signal reached “one”, the anchorwoman began:
“Good Morning to You, I’m Shuhui.”
“I’m You An,” the anchor continued. He turned to his partner. “Singapore is a country of immigrants. When Sir Thomas Raffles established modern Singapore in 1819, our ancestors have immigrated from all over the world and now we are a multi-racial, multi-cultural nation.”
Shuhui nodded. “And fourteen years ago, we became an extraterrestrial…” She turned to You An. “No, multi-terrestrial country?”
You An smiled. “Multi-terrestrial is correct. But given some sources, it may actually be multi-dimensional.”
Shuhui shook her head in mild disbelief. “Wow, that’s a little tough to wrap around! However, she is currently the only proof that life exists elsewhere from Earth.”
“And she caused quite the media uproar when she appeared in public,” You An added. “A living, breathing alien in our midst, it had to be.”
Celestia felt an awkward smile creeping onto her face.
Now, Shuhui looked brimming with enthusiasm. “For fourteen years, she had avoided the media and has now finally agreed to an interview! Okay, I can’t wait anymore!” She waved to Celestia. “Please welcome Celestia Liu Xiaoyang to the show!”
That was her cue. The weight reappeared briefly, but another breath banished it. Celestia straightened up just a hair, putting a neat little smile on her face. “Good Morning to You,” she said.
“Good Morning to You!”
“Good Morning to You.”
You An and Shuhui answered in unison.
Shuhui leaned forward. “Now, tell us a little about yourself.”
“I’m twenty years old and a Freshman Digital Arts and Animation undergraduate student at DigiPen Singapore. Also,” Celestia waved a hoof at yourself, smiling, “I’m apparently a talking pony from… somewhere.”
The three of them chuckled.
“I noticed that your Chinese name… it matches the mark you have on your hips,” You An spoke up when the laughter died down. “Is there any significance for the name?”
An image flashed in Celestia’s mind. It was a couple of months after the trial now and she sat in silence on the flat’s balcony, looking towards the dark eastern horizon. She didn’t know why but she always awoke without fail before dawn. She was always drawn to the rising sun. She liked staring at it as it slowly rose higher and higher into the sky.
This morning wasn’t any different—Celestia sat on the balcony, the cold tiles not bothering her the slightest. One thing that did bother her was the sun. It was slow this clear morning. How she was aware of that fact, she didn’t know. She just knew. She had to do something.
Slowly, Celestia got to her hooves. The horizon of deep blue hadn’t change color in the meantime. Taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes, she felt a pressure built at the base of her horn. It soon grew to encompass the entire length of her horn. The darkness became suffused with red as a light blossomed.
Her wings flared. Vaguely, Celestia got the feeling that she was floating and as soon as it happened, it was over. Her hooves clattered on the tiles of the balcony. When she opened her eyes, the horizon was a gentle blue, the sun almost fully out of the horizon. A warm sensation flared on her rumps. Frowning and looking over her shoulders, Celestia’s eyes widened as an image of a stylized sun sparkled into existence on what was once pristine coat.
Celestia blinked once. Then twice. There was no alarm rising in her, just an odd feeling of satisfaction. She felt oddly complete. A rising squeal broke the silence of the morning. A heartbeat later, Celestia realized it was her voice. Mother and big brother are going to freak out at this!
You An and Shuhui were looking very attentive when Celestia finished.
“I understand that ‘Xiaoyang’ roughly means ‘one who knows the sun’.” You An turned to Shuhui. “Isn’t that right?”
Shuhui nodded. “For those particular characters, yes.”
Celestia chuckled. “That was my big brother’s idea. Since I had ‘raised the sun’—” she waggled her forehooves. “—and therefore I must know a lot about it and the name stuck. My mother even got it registered on my identification card.”
“So you mentioned an elder brother. What is he like?” Shuhui asked.
“Fun, playful and always teasing me, like all big brothers do,” Celestia said.
“What? Doesn’t he do any Big Brother Duties?” Shuhui prodded.
Celestia could hear the capital letter thudding into place. “Oh, he does. You should have seen him when I first started schooling…”
Celestia liked the school field. That was natural for her—she was a pony after all and ponies liked wide open spaces to gallop in. So there she was, galloping in utter abandon after she had her quick meal at the canteen. It was great to out of the crush in the school building. The only thing she couldn’t do was to roll on the grass. Dirtying her uniform was a big no-no. Mother would be so mad…
As she ran, there was a sudden sharp pain on her flank. Over the noise of the wind, she heard a rock thudding and rolling on the grass. She didn’t pause in her gallop. Soon, there was another sharp pain, this time on her shoulder. She skidded to a stop.
“Hey go back to the zoo, freak!”
Celestia frowned. A couple of schoolgirls around her age of seven stood off in the edge of the field. They were a splitting image of each other: twin braids, immaculate white blouse emblazoned with the school crest and green skirt. Celestia recognized them: they were the Leong sisters. Their parents were rich and they were total brats. Constance Leong stood to the left, juggling a rock in her hand. Sneers adorned both faces of the twin.
“Yeah, pets shouldn’t be attending school!” Candice Leong called out.
Celestia narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
The sisters gasped. “It talks?!” They said in unison and broke out in guffaws.
Celestia huffed. Then she took a breath. Mother says there is no advantage in fighting bullies, no point in giving them more things to pick on. She turned and trotted past the girls. It was a mistake.
Candice scowled. “Hey, don’t ignore us!”
A sharp jolt of pain shot up her back when Candice grabbed and pulled hard on her tail. Celestia gave a wordless yelp. Her left hind leg shot out on instinct, knocking the hand off her tail.
“How dare you hit my sister?!”
Constance snapped up the rock and flung it. Celestia turned around just the rock bounced off her forehead. Her hoof went up and came off spotted with blood. Pain and dizzy chased each other. Celestia wobbled on her hooves. Vaguely, she registered the shocked faces of Constance and Candice.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” a voice roared.
Celestia turned around and stumbled. A lanky boy two years her elder caught her. His face was blurry—Celestia couldn’t seem to focus her eyes but she could tell that he was furious.
“Big brother…” Celestia said.
“Which one of you did this?” Zhiyang asked in a dangerously low voice.
Constance and Candice looked at each other, turned tailed and ran.
Celestia held up a hoof. “Don’t chase them…”
Zhiyang’s arms closed in on Celestia and lifted her off the ground. “Let’s get you to the nurse.”
“That sounded pretty bad…” Shuhui said.
Celestia gave a wan smile. “Luckily, I didn’t need stitches for it and Zhiyang never stopped escorting me during recess until he went on to secondary school.”
“It’s hard being the only sapient pony on Earth…” You An said.
Celestia nodded. “It is, but my family is very supportive. They’ve helped me a lot.”
Everyone glanced at each other, pensive for a moment before Shuhui piped up:
“Well, let’s not talk about sad things. Here’s a question everyone’s dying to ask: how did you and your adoptive family met?”
A hoof shot up to Celestia’s mouth. “Oh, that’s a simple one: my big brother found me in box.”
You An and Shuhui sat up on the couch.
“Wait, like a box of kittens?” Shuhui asked.
Celestia nodded. “At least according to him. I was asleep the entire time…”
Celestia stirred. Slowly, her eyes cracked open. She found herself lying on a soft, thin flora patterned mattress. Where am I? Shakily, she climbed to her hooves. She was in a room of some sort, made of painted over large bricks. A bed dominated the wall behind her. To her front was a beige door that loomed large on her. A long desk lay against the wall off to the side of the door. Various toys in a material she didn’t recognize lay scattered across the room floor.
The door was closed, the knob higher than Celestia could reach. How did I get here? What happened? Celestia settled down on the mattress on her stomach. Her head followed suit, resting on the mattress. She rubbed a hoof on her chin and racked her brain. My name is… Celestia? And then her mind was blank, nothing else formed in her mind.
Celestia sank into the mattress. Why can’t I remember anything? Tears welled in her eyes and sniffled. Before she got long into her sobbing, however, the door opened. Her ears pricked upright. Her eyes widened when a lanky, bipedal creature entered the room.
It was a strange looking creature, with a flat face, small black eyes, small pointed nose and a flat and yet stretchy mouth. Short black hair topped its head and it wore matching white clothing with a cartoonish brown bear pattern. Its small eyes were wide in surprise.
“You’re awake!” it spoke in a low voice that marked it as a male.
Celestia scooted back. “W-what are you?”
His jaw dropped. “Wow, you can talk?!”
The sudden shout made Celestia flinch. “Y-yes?”
“Wow, this is cool!” He stomped forward, kneeling down in front of Celestia.
“Um, what are you?” Celestia repeated.
He was taken aback for a brief moment. “Oh, I’m Zhiyang! What’s your name?”
“Um, Celestia…”
Celestia froze when Zhiyang wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
“Wow, a talking horsey, this is the best thing ever!” he said.
You An and Shuhui were laughing at the end of Celestia’s recount. “That’s so adorable!” Shuhui wiped a tear off her eye.
Mild heat blossomed on Celestia’s cheeks. “It took me a few days to realize that they didn’t mean any harm. Though Mother initially wanted to send me to the SPCA… until she heard me talk.”
The hosts sobered up immediately. “I have to reiterate: living on Earth as the only sapient pony is difficult,” You An spoke up. “You are a very brave and determined young lady.”
Celestia inclined her head. “Thank you.”
Shuhui raised a finger. “Alright, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, released two years ago, it depicted you as a princess of a faraway magical kingdom, ruling alongside your sister Luna. What are your thoughts on it?”
Celestia burst out laughing. “I… I have very mixed feelings about the show.”
“Oh, how so?” Shuhui asked.
“There are people out there who are wondering if the whole thing was real. I’m guessing that they hoped that you really were a lost princess from another dimension,” You An added.
A bemused looked crossed Celestia’s face. “On one hand, I’m very flattered that Lauren Faust did a very successful children’s show with ‘me’,” she waggled her hooves again, “in it. On the other hand, I have been bombarded with emails by tons and tons of fans and it gets… overboard sometimes.”
“Oh dear, I hope you haven’t been harassed. I’d like to think that you had your bellyful when you were six, isn’t it?”
A wan smile appeared on Celestia’s face. “Thankfully no, a few American tourists recognized me but it’s always hard to tell whether because I was a sapient pony or because I was 'Princess Celestia' and yes, I did had had enough of reporters when I was six.”
You An nodded. “So do you blame Lauren for your current ‘fame’?” he asked.
“No, no! I’m very flattered…” Celestia said. “I admire her a lot and in fact, she’s my inspiration to become an animator.”
“Really?” Shuhui asked. “What’s your favorite show that she produced?”
“Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.” Celestia smiled. “I love the characters and the stories.”
“I see. Do you know any fun things about her?” Shuhui asked.
Celestia brushed a hoof on her chin. “I actually met her several months before Friendship is Magic aired. We ended up… asking autographs from each other.”
You An and Shuhui chuckled. “I didn’t know she was a fan of you,” Shuhui said.
“Neither did I. I was more than a little shocked and confused when she asked for my autograph.” Celestia blushed. “She said I was inspiration for her as a strong, determined female character.”
“You are, and don’t ever let others say otherwise,” You An said.
“Thank you…” Celestia said softly.
Shuhui nodded agreement. “That’s all we have for time. Thank you very much for coming on our show, Xiaoyang.”
“You’re welcome.”
Author's Note
My Little Dashie was one of the first MLP fanfics I've read when I first got into the fandom, before I even heard of fimfiction.net. As a emotion-y, feel-y story, I think it did do its job. Not superbly well but it did its job. I enjoyed it and it still holds a small place in my heart.
I have chosen to write in a "interview" format, like Erin Olsen/Sunflower's interview in Sunflower - Side Projects did, mainly because plenty of readers have read My Little Dashie and I do not want to rehash its format, slotting in Celestia instead of Rainbow Dash.
Also, you guys may have noticed, the names here can be a little difficult to pronounce as Celestia in the story had landed in Singapore (no, not China, that's a different country). With a Chinese majority population, Chinese names abound and even Celestia has one, since she was adopted into a Chinese family. Here is a list of the names written in Chinese characters (Hanyu Pinying on the left):
- Celestia Liu2 Xiao3yang2: 刘晓阳
- Liu2 Zhi4yang2: 刘志杨
- Fang1 Shu2hui4: 方淑惠
- Lin2 You3 An1: 林友安
- Leong (Hokkien): 梁