Celestia's Birthday
Luna sat on the couch in the ballroom of the ancient castle and watched her mother use magic to put up hundreds of decorations at once. Today was Celestia’s birthday.
“Mommy! Can I please help decorate?” Luna begged.
“I’m sorry, honey, but I already finished with the decorations,” her mother said. Luna sighed.
“There has to be something I can do to help!”
“Why don’t you make sure Celestia doesn’t come in here before her party is ready?”
“Mommy, can you please tell me about the ‘big surprise’ Celestia is getting?”
“Luna, you tell Celestia everything. If I tell you, you’ll tell Celestia.”
“No I won’t!”
“Please go make sure Celestia doesn’t leave her bedroom.”
“Yes, Mommy,” Luna said with a sigh. She jumped off the couch and trotted to Celestia’s room. She pushed open the door and leapt onto Celestia’s bed. It was much bigger and comfier than Luna’s. Celestia was laying on the floor reading a book in front of the fireplace.
“What are you reading?” Luna asked.
“A book,” Celestia said. Luna rolled her eyes.
“How can you be so calm? Don’t you know what day it is?” Luna asked.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s Saturday,” Celestia said.
“Common, you can’t say you’re not the the littlest bit excited about your birthday party. If it was my birthday, I’d be bouncing off the walls!” Luna exclaimed. She bounced on Celestia's bed as she said so.
“I just have more important things on my mind than my birthday.”
“Like what things?” Luna was always wondering what her sister was thinking.
“Oh, just stuff.... Important stuff.” Luna rolled her eyes again and stuck out her tongue.
“Like what? Your boyfriend?” Luna joked. This made Celestia mad.
“Discord is not my boyfriend. He’s just..... a friend.” Celestia said quickly.
“Oh, common! We both know you like him. And he’s the spirit of chaos. You’re not even supposed to be talking to him! If I was you, I would consider the next time I sneak out of the castle to visit somepony Mommy would kill me for if she knew I visited him an important thing,” Luna said.
“I don’t think about that stuff, Luna! Get out of my room!” Celestia said. She closed her book and turned to face her sister. “Now!” she added.
“You hate me!” Luna accused.
“I don’t hate you, but I still think the ponies I hang around is none of your business!”
“What? You can’t blame me for being curious about your love life.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t have a love life! Now, get out of room this instant and stop bothering-” Celestia stopped talking when she heard her mother calling her. Celestia gave Luna one last glare before putting on her perfect little filly face and trotting out of her room. Luna followed.
“Surprise!” Luna and Celestia’s parents cheered when Celestia entered the ballroom.
“My, my, my! I truly am surprised!” Celestia said. Luna rolled her eyes for the third time. She knew the real Celestia. The Celestia that screamed at you if you said the wrong thing. The Celestia that wouldn’t let you in her room. The Celestia that always disappeared when anypony but Luna was near. Not this perfect pony who everypony else saw.
"Happy birthday, darling!" Celestia's mom said as she gave her a tight hug.
"Thank you, thank you, everypony," Celestia said. "You didn’t need to go through all this trouble for my little ol’ birthday. This is the best birthday ever! Now that I'm older, I-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the annual best birthday speech again. Hurry up and see your presents!" Luna said.
"Luna!" Her mother snapped. "Don't interrupt Celestia. If you can not show that you're mature enough to handle yourself, you will not be allowed to celebrate your sister’s birthday and will be sent to your room."
"Oh, Mother, thank you, but it's fine. Luna is just a little filly who still hasn't learned the difference between right and wrong. Now, where was I? Oh yes! Now that I'm older, I am more-"
Celestia did her fifteen minute speech that she did every year.
Luna impatiently waited for it to end and for Celestia to open her presents. Luna knew they were Celestia's presents and not hers, but Luna loved the opening of presents! The tearing of paper, the untying of ribbons, the anxious waiting for your Mommy to get a knife and open the taped up box for you, it was so fun! Even if she wasn’t the one doing it. Luna also was excited for Celestia to see the wonderful present she made her. Luna was sure it was better than all of the other presents her mother got Celestia. It might even be better than the ‘big surprise’ her mother wouldn’t tell Luna about.
“So, Celestia, what do you want do you want to do next? Presents? Cake?” The girls’ mother asked.
“Presents! Presents! Presents!” Luna said. Celestia ignored her.
“Cake sounds good,” Celestia said. Luna glared at her. She knew the only reason Celestia said ‘cake’ was because Luna wanted her to say ‘presents.’
The girls’ mother used her magic to open the doors of the ballroom bringing in an enormous, chocolate, triple-tier cake. It was Celestia’s and Luna’s favorite kind. The magnificent cake reminded Luna of the sad little cake she got last year. The plain, square, marble cake with white frosting, yellow sprinkles, three candles and the words “Happy Birthday, Luna!” on it in blue frosting. It’s not that it was a bad cake, but next to these delectable monster, it was a just a little crumb.
“Wow! That cake is bigger than me!” Celestia said. “Isn’t it great, Luna?”
“No,” Luna said flatly.
“Luna, if you don’t want any you don’t have to eat it.”
“Fine, I’ll eat it! Just... Whatever.” Luna was about to take a big bite out of the cake.
“Luna! What are you doing? Be civilized. We have to cut the cake, and before anypony gets any cake we have to sing to your sister and let her blow out the candles. And remember, Birthday Girl get’s the first slice,” Luna’s mother said.
“Fine,” Luna through gritted teeth.
“Let’s sing to Celestia everypony!” Luna’s mother said. Everypony started to sing.
“Happy B-”
“Luna, you have to sing too!” Luna’s mother interrupted. “Let’s start again.”
“Happy B-”
“Luna, sing with feeling! It’s your sister’s birthday! One more time everypony!”
“Happy Birthday to you,” everypony sang.
“Bravo! Bravo! That was wonderful singing!” Celestia cheered when they finished.
“Pfft,” Luna said as she rolled her eyes again. Something about Celestia always made Luna roll her eyes a lot.
“Make a wish and blow out your candles!” Luna’s Mother said. The cake was surrounded by candles. There was at least 50 on each tier!
“Don’t blow out the candles the same way you did last year!” Luna told Celestia.
“It’s Celestia’s birthday and she can blow out the candles however she wants,” Luna’s mother said.
Celestia smiled The Smile. It wasn’t just a smile; it was The Smile. The Smile made Luna want to blow up and kick her sister in the face. Everypony thought The Smile was adorable. Luna knew what The Smile really meant. It meant, “Haha, in your face, Luna! I get to do what I want, and what I want is to make you mad. Feel the burn!”
Luna growled a little as Celestia began blowing out candles her way: One by one. Celestia’s way went like this: She would scan the whole cake until she saw a candle she wanted to blow out. Then, she would think of a wish for a few minutes. Next, she would dramatically take a deep breath and slowly blow out the candle. Finally, everypony cheered. Then, she would start all over again. It was a tedious process that required all of Luna’s effort to not blow all the candles out to hurry up the process.
After waiting for Celestia to make a wish and blow out each candle, it was time to cut the cake. Celestia’s mother used magic to levitate a knife and cut the top tier of the cake. Of course Celestia got the biggest and first piece. She took a bite and chewed slowly.
“Oh, this is magnificent!” Celestia said. She ate the rest of her slice.
“Would you like another piece?” Celestia’s mom asked.
“No, thanks. I’ve been trying to lose a little weight,” Celestia said.
“Jeez, Celestia, you’re just a filly!” Luna said.
“A skinny filly,” Celestia said.
“Would you like some cake?” Luna’s mother asked Luna.
“Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” Luna said. Luna’s Mother gave her a slice of cake. Luna opened her mouth wide and ate the whole slice in one, big, messy bite. Luna’s mother gave everypony else their cake, and then, cut a slice for herself.
“Would you like to open your presents, now?” Luna’s mother asked Celestia after everypony finished their cake.
“I suppose,” Celestia said.
“Finally,” Luna muttered.
“Luna, don’t be rude,” her mother said.
“Mommy, how come you, Celestia, and I are the only ones talking? There are like two hundred ponies here!” Luna asked.
“Wherever are the presents?” Celestia asked.
“Over there,” her mother said as she motioned toward a table with one giant present on it.
The present was as big as the table and was covered in pink wrapping paper and tied up with a big yellow ribbon.
That must be the ‘big surprise’ Luna thought.
Celestia trotted over to the present, untied the ribbon, tore the wrapping paper off and opened the box. Luna looked over her shoulder. She could hardly wait to see what the ‘big surprise’ was. The box was empty except for a little piece of paper at the bottom that said:
Dear Celestia,
Congratulations!
This will be the most important birthday of your life!
Love, Mother and Father
“That’s it?!” Luna exclaimed. “That’s the big surprise you kept talking about!”
“I’m confused,” Celestia said. “How is this my most important birthday?”
Her mother smiled. She was hiding something behind her.
“Hey, what’s that?” Luna asked when she noticed there was something behind her mother. Her mother turned around and held up the most beautiful crown Luna could have imagined.
“Celestia, I think you’re old enough to have this,” Celestia’s mother said. She set the crown on Celestia’s head. Everypony cheered loudly.
“Wow!” Celestia exclaimed.
“You’re old enough to be Princess Celestia, and all your subjects will refer to you that way. You are in charge of Equestria second to your father and me that is,” her mother said. Luna stood frozen. Her mouth was wide open.
“Thank you,” Celestia started to cry tears of joy. “Thank you so much! This is the best birthday anypony has ever had!”
“B-b-but.... But what about me?!” Luna asked.
“What about you?” her mother asked.
“Don’t I get a shiny crown too? Aren’t I princess of Equestria too?”
“It’s not your birthday,” her mother said. Luna started to cry tears of sadness.
“Will I get to be pincess on my next birthday?”
“No, you have to be a certain age.”
“What age?” Luna asked. Her mother ignored her.
“Princess Celestia, you are a very responsible pony who obeys the rules. I’m sure you’ll be a great princess,” her mother said.
“She is not responsible! She does not obey the rules! She is dating Discord! Every other night she sneaks out of the castle when you’re asleep and she goes and visits him!” Luna screamed.
Luna’s mother looked from Celestia to Luna and Celestia again. Luna looked victorious even though she still had tears coming out of her eyes. Celestia looked shocked. She was going to kill Luna when the party was over.
“Who’s Discord?” Celestia’s mother asked.
“Ugh! That dreconequus who you told us we’re not allowed to even talk to! Celestia’s dating him!”
“I am not! I haven’t seen him since the day I met him! And that’s Princess Celestia to you, Luna!” Celestia said.
“Sorry, Princess Trollestia!” Luna said.
“Take that back Poonu! Celestia said.
“No! You can’t force me!”
“Actually, I can. I have authority over you because I have the birthright, and I’m princess!”
“That’s enough!” the girls’ mother said. “Luna, apologize to your sister!”
“But she-”
“Now!”
“I’m so sorry your highness,” Luna said sarcastically.
“Now, go to your room!” Celestia said.
“No! I-”
“You heard her, Luna,” her mother said.
Luna trotted out of the ballroom with tears flowing from her eyes. She knew Celestia would be let off the hook without a single punishment. When Luna got to her room, she slammed the door shut and crawled under her bed. She grabbed the present she made Celestia for her birthday.
It was a beautiful, shimmering, glass sun about the size of an apple. It took Luna months to make. She had to go through tons of books and find out how to make glass sculptures.
Luna looked at the fragile, glass sun in front of her.
“I hate you, Tia!!!!” she screamed as she threw it on the ground. It smashed into tiny little pieces.
When I’m princess and we have equal authority, you’re going down! she thought.
That day was the day that ruined the rest of Luna’s birthdays. Every year, Luna would wait anxiously for her party to start. As soon as everypony finished saying “SURPRISE!” Luna would ask to see all of her presents immediately. Every year she was disappointed.
Finally, one year she got her crown. She was so happy! Her sister wasn’t above her anymore. Nothing could ruin her day. Except for what her mother said next.
“You’re now Princess Luna and all of your subjects will refer to you that way,” she said. “You are in charge of Equestria second to your sister, father, and me.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Luna said. “Say that again.”
“You’re now Princess Luna and all of your subjects will refer to you that way. You are in charge of Equestria second to your sister, father, and myself,” her mother said.
“Are you saying that pig, Celestia, is still over me?!” Luna shrieked.
“Well, she does have the birthright,” her mother said.
“How dare you!......My crown isn’t even have as big and shiny as Celestia’s! You love her more!!!” Luna cried as she galloped out of the ballroom.
That was the last day Luna celebrated her birthday. For a few years after that, when everypony would yell “SURPRISE!” Luna would say, “No.” Then she would walk back to her room and lock the door. After a few years, everypony stopped trying to throw Luna a birthday party. She never went to Celestia’s birthdays either. She never went to any parties at all. In fact, she never even left her room in the daytime. That’s why Luna is Princess of the Night, that’s how Celestia’s birthday party made Luna antisocial, and that’s why we didn’t see Luna at the Grand Galloping Gala.
The End
