“It’s a dare! You can’t say no!” Luna grinned at her sister.
Celestia wondered what she’d gotten herself into. This had started off as an ordinary birthday celebration, with the two of them together having huge amounts of fun and laughter going over old birthday memories, and making new ones. That and eating a LOT of cake.
Somehow it'd turned into a game of truth or dare, and Celestia thought she’d caught her sister out with a particularly unprincess like one; Go onto the balcony of the room, magic up a megaphone, and do a BELCH in her royal canterlot voice. The result had been near deafening.
She’d distinctly heard one of the guards outside drop a curse word, seconded by his fellow guard. Celestia had been stunned Luna had pulled it off, and her sister couldn't resist a big grin when she swanned back inside, and seen Celestias face!
NOW, she'd foolishly accepted a dare challenge from Luna. Who was bound to wreak vengeance for the belch. Sure enough..
“We dare you, dear sister, to bounce down main street on THIS!” she magicked up a pogo stick. Celestia's heart sank to the bottom of her gilded shoes.
“Oh sweet merciful me,” she said under her breath. She was on the verge of insisting no WAY was she going to do this, when she seen her sisters grin. Luna had the look of victory in her eyes. A sense of one-upmanship Celestia hadn't allowed herself to feel since their younger days reared its head, and she grabbed the pogo stick, making Luna’s grin grow wider...
Celestia raised her regal head high as she trotted to the gates of the castle, carrying the pogo stick with her. When she reached the gates, she mounted it, giving it a few experimental bounces before unbalancing herself and falling on her face.
“I’m fine,” she muttered, waving off a few helpful guards as she got up, staring determinedly at the pogo stick. “I’m going to ride this thing if it kills me.”
About an hour later, Celestia finally managed to keep her balance for more than three bounces. She looked up, ready to being bouncing across Canterlot, only to find a crowd of noble ponies staring at her.
This is going to be a press disaster! Why did I agree to this…
Celestia felt her concentration slip away from balancing, and tumbled once more from the pogo. “What are you looking at?” she groaned, rubbing her flank. Maybe it was time to cut back on her cake, after all. A diet… Celestia shuddered.
Immediately, the crowd of nobles dispersed, and Celestia gave a satisfied smile. That was easier than she expected. But then, to her utter shock and horror, they began to come back, each holding a pogo stick of their own.
So now she had a plethora of well dressed ponies keenly trying to emulate her. Some wore fancy dresses, that got tangled up in their hooves, upon their trying to balance on the sticks. Others seemed bizarrely good at it. Celestia herself narrowed her attention to practicing her own stability and soon was hopping circles round the courtyard, her mane billowing out behind her. She dismounted and walked to the gates, ordering them opened. Ahead of her, the street seemed to stretch on for eternity, gleaming and polished. Ponies nearby turned to look on hearing the gates swing open…
I will get you back for this Luna!! Celestia vowed. Her sister was up on the balcony. Twisting her head round Celestia could see her there, leaning over the edge and grinning widely, a telescope floating in front of one eye.
With a groan, Celestia once again mounted the pogo stick, and with a last farewell to dignity, sproinged off down the road.
Ba-doing ba-doing….hay, she was getting the hang of it! She began to speed up as her confidence grew…
Ponies stared in astonishment seeing the regal alicorn go bouncing by on a brightly colored pogo stick.
“Good day!” Celestia trilled as she bounded by, hoping at this speed they couldn't see how red her face was!
Up on the balcony, Luna was in stitches laughing. This was priceless….
Being dared to belch into a megaphone had been a tough one to do, but she’d done it! Albeit with the help of multiple glasses of fizzy drinks. She’d nailed it down to: drink as much as you can, as fast as you can, and let the noise commence!
She at last got her breath back and raised the telescope once more, doing a double take when she seen a small crowd of ponies following her sister...also on pogo sticks!
“This was not what we had expected.” she said to the empty room at last. But her sister was showing no signs of slowing...or falling over!
Luna had to admit, she was impressed!
Celestia was by now caught up in the unbridled silliness of the situation. Kids gathered as she bounced serenely by, their eyes full of awe and delight. They raced into their homes and came back with either pogos of their own, or a space hopper, and two even balanced together on what was clearly their older siblings skateboard.
Guards walking the street did double takes as Celestia bounded by, even managing a regal wave at the height of one bounce.
At last her target loomed, the end of the main street, never had it seemed to stretch on so far….
But just as the end loomed, disaster struck. The pogo caught in a crack in the paving.
“Oh ME!” she cursed, as she lost her grip and went soaring off the stick. She landed spectacularly on her face, spread-eagled, mane and tail flying around her before settling over her like a flowy blanket.
“OW” she remarked into the fluff of her hair.
“Your highness!” One of the nobles ran over, helping the groggy princess to sit up. She caught sight of herself in the window of a nearby shop. Her mane was in disarray, her crown had slipped half off her head, she looked a sight!
She surprised the concerned noble by uttering a loud laugh of amusement! She looked so comical...
Her spring-powered entourage came to a series of halts around her. The kids giggled and clapped, smiling up at the Princess, babbling about how cool that was! And asking was she OK after her fall?
“That's the most fun we’ve had in ages!” One posh couple declared to the Princess, sides heaving, manes mussy, but their smiles genuine.
“Agreed,” Celestia said, chuckling “it was my sister who gave me this idea!”
“Thou hath completed our challenge!” Luna suddenly appeared beside Celestia, a midnight blue pogo stuck under one wing “Care to race?”
Never one to back down, Celestia nodded.
Luna’s eyes gleamed with determination as the crowds back off to give the royal sisters plenty of room!
“Let's ride!” Luna bellowed in her royal voice, and at the signal from one of the guard, they bounded off. Celestia made a note to avoid paving cracks this time. Her sister started off straight, but had a bad bounce almost immediately, rocketing her sideways and she yelped as she tried to remain upright. However, she had over adjusted, causing another sideways bounce to launch her all the way to the other side of the street! Turning in mid-air, Luna bounced off the side of a shop, actually doing a flip before landing upright and continuing the race! However, Celestia was far ahead by this point. She kept herself from tilting too much by raising her wings to adjust the air currents, using her pegasus magic to create a slight wind to push her forward. Luna quickly began to catch up, her prowess showing as the distance between the two halved… But the finish line was rapidly approaching! Luna desperately tilted her pogostick forward, bounding forward, now only just behind Celestia! In a desperate bid, Celestia channeled more magic through her wings, creating a draft to push Luna back as well as push herself forward. The gates were right there! Luna actually passed ahead of Celestia, before her overenthusiastic bouncing hit a small rock and sent her careening diagonally.
“Yes!” Celestia cheered as she bounded through the gates.
“Drat!” Luna panted as she bounded erratically through the gate, still out of control, and in lieu of a graceful dismount, settled for falling off and getting back on her hooves.
“Luna wins!” a familiar voice declared.
“Eh?” Celestia and Luna both did double takes.
The voice belonged to a purple maned alicorn, who was standing just ahead of them, floating a book in front of her.
“Hi Princesses!” Twilight beamed. She was carrying a bag bulging with what looked like presents.
I forgot I invited her to have dinner with us! Celestia mentally facehoofed at her lapse in memory. Only my dear Twilight would be able to locate a rulebook on winning a pogo contest!
“How did we win? Sister beat us!” Luan pointed out. The nobles gathered round to hear what Twilight would say;
“Yes she did, but using any sort of magic is against the rules!” Twilight giggled, “that includes pegasus magic!”
Luna couldn't stop laughing. Celestia went red, but seeing a sparkle in Twilight's eyes she had to join her sister and her student in laughing her flank off!
“Looks like you are the victor my dear Luna!” Celestia hugged her sister.
“Best. Birthday. Ever!” Luna whooped, then all but pounced on Twilight, asking, “are those for us?” with the most delighted grin on her face!
“We should do this again your highnesses!” One of the nobles remarked. Celestia thought about it, then declared to the entire courtyard “in Honor of my Sister, i declare this day each year to be National Pogo Racing day!”
Luna was surprised, but pleased. She looked forward to challenging Celestia next year, hopefully she’d be faster and better by then!
The Trio headed inside to prepare for the evening, The two bigger alicorns carrying their now prized pogo sticks under their wings.
Luna hadn’t been lying, this truly had been the most fun she had in a long time! Who said that old people couldn’t be silly and have fun on their birthday?
Author's Note
This story is a collaboration between me (Dream Seeker) and Pixel_Spark. We hope you enjoy!
