Deep Blue

by Ice Star

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Original Character
Length: 2354

When some of the stained glass windows at Canterlot Castle are destroyed, Princess Celestia must find an artist to replace what was lost.

When some of the stained glass windows at Canterlot Castle are destroyed, Princess Celestia must find an artist to replace what was lost.

Edited and proofread by Cynewulf. The cover art has been edited by me. Buy this story! Contribute to the TVTropes page!

Published 2020-07-06 21:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-07-06 21:50:01 UTC

Let the Century Pass Me By

To the Current Owner of Celestial Glory Glasswares
457 Brights Brightly Boulevard
Cloverleaf District of Canterlot, Canterhornshire
Equestria

May 12th, 237 Solar Reign

To Whom It May Concern,

Her Eternal Highness, the Sun Goddess, and Morning Star, Princess Celestia has a great need for fine working stock. A most unfortunate accident has transpired upon the sacred grounds of Canterlot Castle. Such senseless loss has brought the spirit of our almighty Princess down. In Her great wisdom, She has decreed that the craftsponies of Canterlot all be given the very invitation thou readest now. In thine own two forehooves, thou clutch a scroll that could bring thy humble craft to the greatest of places.

Every recipient of this letter was found because the Glass-Workers Guild of Canterlot was required to present Her Most Benevolent Highness, Princess Celestia with the record of all their artists. Each of you has an equal chance at garnering Her favor and having your work displayed in the House of all Houses, none other than the grand halls of Canterlot Castle itself!

All who clutches a copy of this very letter are merely given one requirement. That is to present a sample portfolio of the best of thy stained glass designs, selecting what is the most likely to please Her Highness. That which She proclaims to be the best of them all will be paid handsomely and given great rewards for thy service to Our Princess, Sun, and Stars. Submissions are to be mailed to the address of Canterlot Castle, specifically under the care of Mulethilde Marginalia.

Gloria Celestia. Long may She reign.

Penned by the hoof of Mulethilde Marginalia, Humble Servant and sole secretary to Her Royal, Esteemed, and Eternal Highness Princess Celestia, the Light-Bearer, Kindest Heart, Sun, and Morning Star who is Most Harmonious. Approved by Her Most Gracious Highness and stamped with her seal bearing the Eternal Crown.

To the Current Owner of Celestial Glory Glasswares
457 Brights Brightly Boulevard
Cloverleaf District of Canterlot, Canterhornshire
Equestria

May 12th, 237 Solar Reign

To Madam Rosie Tint of Canterlot,

Thy entries among the dozens that were required of the glass-maker populace stood out. Their colors were all gayly done and displayed great instances of positivity and heroics in line with the moral sense of this nation. The Princess held great admiration for the name of thy shop alone, and all the honor it brings to Her.

For thy efforts in creating art that serves others, the Princess has graciously chosen thee to be the next to have thy work housed in the timeless castle She calls home. Her Highness wishes for me to writest thou that there is none but thee for the task since the original artist of the castle’s first windows has long since been lost to the ravages of seniority. He is feeble and lost in the memories of youth, still thinking that he is a spry young stallion who shall spend the next few decades crafting the splendid First Set of windows of Canterlot Castle. He is caught up in stories long since told of how the castle will have no peer, and how its likeness had not ever been seen before.

Due to these somber circumstances, it is thee who have been asked to bring the Goddess joy, goodmare. Thou do uplift Equestria in thy craft, and there is nothing more than that to be desired from a craftspony such as yourself. Please continue to address thy next correspondence to Her Highness’ secretary, though thee are to begin writing directly to the Princess Herself. These letters have reached the point where no amount of dictation can account for the clarity of receiving Her orders directly from their esteemed source.

Gloria Celestia. Long may She reign.

Penned by the hoof of Mulethilde Marginalia, Humble Servant and sole secretary to Her Royal, Esteemed, and Eternal Highness Princess Celestia, the Light-Bearer, Kindest Heart, Sun, and Morning Star who is Most Harmonious. Approved by Her Most Gracious Highness and stamped with her seal bearing the Eternal Crown.

To Our little pony, Rosie Tint of Canterlot,

We are afraid that the events at the most recent Grand Galloping Gala have resulted in the extremely unfortunate vandalism destruction to part of Our still-young castle in Canterlot. The events that transpired led Our much-enjoyed First Set to be melted by the magical surge of a particularly unruly youth attending the Gala. We had commissioned those fine panels o’er two centuries ago, when We had moved Our nation’s capital here and had Our castle built, this city renewed, and debuted the Grand Galloping Gala that Our little ponies do love so much.

Had the damage been less extensive, it is possible that Our servants or hired repair-ponies could have saved the lovely designs. We are afraid it could not be so, and We waste no time dabbling in the obscure magical arts and stuffing Our muzzle in texts of dull and frustratingly precise arcane craft! Such a selfish, stuffy way to squander one’s time when it is not necessary! We had found Our windows in varying states of disrepair, and I am afraid to say that no sorcerer We could bring before the ruined hall had the most delicate skill or artistic ability to repair and remake Our iconic imagery.

We must admit that though art is still at the level of decor in Our heart, We shall miss some of the sights. The mighty, unbreachable walls of Old Canterlote immortalized — ha! — in color was a fine installment, though the sight of Us soaring above the city walls with Our horn ablaze was far too aggressive a sight. To see Us poised alongside ballistae and Drangonsneeze frozen in autumn hues as a reminder of all the early enemies Our small kingdom has faced. Without the mosaics of Us with the laborers of the city’s old mines of these mountains and Our peace summits with the buffalo chiefs to the wild southern lands, how are Our ponies to remember all they have put into this kingdom alongside Us?

In the aftermath of this unfortunate event, We were extremely pleased upon discovering that thou are a craftspony of great skill and are often willing to take up commissions of great difficulty from residents in the Canterhorn Range region. This alone has made thee a subject of Ours worth great attention aside from the nomination of thy portfolio.

As such, We have included the designs that have been drafted for the new windows, which are to be unveiled at the next Grand Galloping Gala. Should this not prove enough time for the panels to be completed, thou will be compensated for however long an extension needs to be. While most of the windows in the throne room are to be replaced with plain glass with much better enchantments laid upon them to prevent further mistreatment and accidents. There were a few spots We wished to reserve for special designs. The special some-stallion at Our side has suggested We bring more art into Our life. Few original windows that did survive do not look as pleasing to Us, for they were the few plainer patterns among normal windows.

Fine portfolio aside, We have heard that thou are the most skilled craftspony in Canterlot for this kind of labor. We have also learned that thy family has resided here when the fair city that exists today was the unsightly stone sprawl of Canterlote, as it was known when it was the chosen city of the unicorns of the then-united tribes. Any kind of reply, written either to myself, or better yet, one of the castle servants detailing whether thou art able to take this job is patiently awaited. We understand how greatly intimidating writing to Us is.

H.R.H. Princess Celestia

Your Most Esteemed Highness,

It is an honor for a mere mortal unicorn mare like myself to have the privilege to lend my talent to a mare and ruler as great and divine as Yourself. Since I was a filly, I have dreamed of getting the chance to see Your royal self, and to speak with You under any circumstances is to defy every dream I have ever had. This is beyond the capacity of my own meager imagination. Your dawns and sunsets are beyond anything my small skills could ever capture, though I assure You I have had no other inspiration in my whole life.

The designs that You have had the royal artists draft for me are superb. Each highlights a glorious act of heroism to dazzle all of Equestria. No mind could have dictated anything more perfect than what Your own could order. Never have my eyes seen came glasswork captured so beautifully in horn-sketches by those who were not glass-smiths themselves. Your command over these artists is awe-inspiring and the talent You can command from those who serve You is an art in itself. I, too, which to know the art of servitude to the Sun by lending You the talents I have been blessed and marked with, Your Highness.

No words from a mortal like myself can convey the full scope of my excitement at the prospect of crafting them as receiving a letter from Equestria’s princess.

I only have one question about the designs that I have viewed with the utmost care. It is solely the product of my ugly and unrestrained curiosity that I dare ask You, the greatest of the divine, anything. Please pardon me for asking anything that may be beyond my humble mortal understanding. Your Highness, it as simple a mare as I ask You this: what is the blue Alicorn for?

Within the carefully drawn frames of these masterpieces that have yet to be, I see the events of the false king and draconequus’ torment of Equestria. What troubles me is the one that comes next, showing the monster’s defeat. This is not because I am troubled by seeing the one who brought misery to my ancestors fall — ‘tis no great loss. I want to show the vanquishing of monsters and the power of Your Harmony. There is just a sight that troubles me greatly when I go over these plans, and I am led to believe that somepony might be trying to make a fool of You, who cannot be made so, by sending me erroneous design plans.

Every proper Equestrian, young and old, know that You alone are responsible for defeating each and every one of the all-too-real monsters who seek to make a mockery of goodness, destiny, and Harmony. Of You! None shall rise against You, my Princess! Thus it is fitting that despite Your modesty, all our stories be about You and Your good deeds. For it was You who we all owe from leading us out of the frozen wastes, You who kept us unified when the United Triarchy fell, and You alone who wielded the unrivaled Elements of Harmony to seal the draconequus in unbreakable stone! Princess, You are our Hero of Heroes, and what I see before me appears to diminish from Your glory as the one who beats back all darkness, dangers, and differences, O Slayer of Mooncalves and She Who Makes the Night Pale and Powerless. The stars and moon themselves are weakened by You — praise the heavens for that — and still, I think I spy a foul, foreign shade! Alongside you, there is an Alicorn of deep blue that looks so frightening and dark in nature, especially in contrast to your presence, O Goddess of Light, She Who Pales the Night.

May I inquire as to what purpose this second figure could serve, if they are somehow not an error? Is this dark entity supposed to be the fabled some lost evil? If so, why do they have a shape of a god and why are there no blue Alicorns in the history books? Why do none speak of any blue Alicorns? Is this terrifying night-beast with eyes as malicious as stars’ light but a visual representation of some daemon that only Your eyes can see? Or am I looking upon the representation of the Reaper spirits who collect souls to be judged and that no mortal knows the sight of?

Though it is not — nor would it ever be my place — within my station to suggest anything to You, I think that if this is meant to be a caricature of evil, more ferocity could be added beyond the telltale dark color.

I will take up this job for you and make this my masterpiece just for You, Princess. Even if I am not meant to be told the purpose of the strange, dark Alicorn that finds itself here. I have the papers softly locked within my desk so that I, Your loyal subject and servant, do not lose something so precious as words penned by You, the Princess of Princesses.

Gloria Celestia. Long may You reign.

Rosie Tint of Canterlot

Author's Note

I found this in one of my old notebooks. While there wasn't a date on the original draft, it did contain other stories (and some outlines) that were typed shortly after I initially wrote them down. The stories in it that were complete and posted shortly after I typed their second version up from the original handwritten ones were:

Wishing Werelights

Misery is Company

Atelophobia (outline only)

The Storm Dancer

Love❤Less

Nopony's Daughter

...So, based on the dates those stories were published, this has been lying around since 2017! Wowza, how time flies!