Princess Celestia sat by herself on her throne. Usually, she would be working on some paperwork or discussing some mundane business with representatives from Canterlot. But today, she had nothing to do at all. It was impossible for her to deny the truth: she was bored out of her mind.
She got off her throne and paced around. As the leader of Equestria, it was very rare that she had a day to herself. Even then, it’s not like she could just roam the streets of Canterlot by herself like a normal pony. She thought about how she would spend this day, but nothing came to mind. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
Then, she got an idea. She walked back over to the throne and levitated a small bell with her magic. She rang it and a few seconds later, a white unicorn mare with a necktie and clipboard walked into the throne room.
“You called, your highness?”
“Yes, Raven. I’m thinking about inviting a friend over for lunch. Can you double check if I have anything on my schedule today?”
Raven Inkwell looked at the clipboard she held in her hoof and shook her head.
“Your schedule is completely clear, Princess. Should I ask the chefs to prepare you some food?”
“Yes, please. And let me know when he gets here, so we don’t get disturbed. I had a special location in mind for our lunch.”
Raven nodded and left the throne room. Celestia walked out of the throne room and through the castle halls to her bedroom. She sat down at the desk near her bed. The princess levitated an ink quill and wrote a letter.
As she finished writing her letter, she put the letter in an envelope and stamped a seal with a golden C on it. She opened a small letterbox with a small swirling portal in it. She put the letter in the letterbox and closed the cover. She smiled and squealed excitedly to herself, clearly excited for what she had in store.
The princess sat in her room, brushing her mane. She looked at the door eagerly. There was a knock at the door, which Celestia answered quickly. A chef from the castle’s kitchen held a picnic basket in his hooves and gave it to Celestia.
“We stuck to some of the usual for a picnic, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy them! You can’t go wrong with a PB&J!” the chef exclaimed. Celestia thanked him for his hard work and sent him on his way. Then, Raven walked past the chef and nodded at the princess.
“He’s ready for you, your highness. We had him wait in the private lobby so no one saw him.”
Celestia and Raven walked to the private lobby and opened the door. Raven closed the door and pointed to a figure sitting on a couch. He took notice of Celestia and got up to greet her.
Before Celestia stood a tall human with black hair and a comforting look on his face. He was muscular but not overbearing. Most notable was the outfit he had on. It was a blue body suit with red trunks and a golden symbol resembling an S on the chest. Celestia beamed with joy as she met the heroic man’s gaze.
“I’m glad you got my letter, Superman!”
The man spoke with a gentle but powerful voice.
“Come on, Tia. You know you can call me Clark when I’m off duty. Besides, I wouldn’t miss this for anything!”
The Man of Steel and the Princess of the Sun shared a short but gentle hug. Raven smiled fondly at the scene. Celestia levitated the picnic basket to Clark, who grabbed it with one hand.
“Shall we?” Clark asked.
“Of course!” Celestia responded. She looked at Raven reassuringly. “We’ll be back soon, I promise!”
Celestia lit up her horn and enveloped herself and Clark in golden light. She and Clark had disappeared before Raven’s eyes! Despite being a little worried where they had gone, Raven stayed calm and sat down on the couch. She picked up a book on the table and read it contently.
In a flash, Celestia and Superman were no longer in Equestria. In fact, they were no longer ON Equestria; they were on the moon! Celestia thanked her late mother for providing the moon with a breathable atmosphere. Both the hero and the princess walked a few feet before settling down on one specific spot. Clark reached inside the picnic basket and pulled out a large blanket. He placed it down and the two sat down on the blanket.
Before Celestia stood the planet she had loved and adored, Equus. Stars shone across the cosmic sky, with the light of the sun casting its brilliant light on the planet below. Clark pulled out a PB&J from the basket and took a bite out of it. Celestia did the same with a different PB&J.
“So, Clark, how has life been treating you? Has anything noteworthy happened since we last spoke all those years ago?” Celestia inquired.
Clark swallowed his bite and looked at Celestia.
“I would say a few things of note happened! But to be fair, everyday is interesting for me!” Clark joked. Celestia giggled at his response.
“For one, Lois and I got married a while ago!” Clark showed Celestia the golden ring on his right hand. “I could not be happier to spend the rest of my life with her!”
Celestia smiled and hugged Clark happily. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you two!”
“Thank you, Tia. I wish you could have been there for the wedding. Bruce wanted to go all out and spend millions of dollars on it, but I insisted it be a simple ceremony back in Smallville. I still remember the smell of the sunflowers and the feeling of the gentle wind as I saw Lois walk down the aisle.” Clark sighed happily.
“The league’s done a good job recruiting new heroes and protecting Earth from any potential threats. Diana’s making an effort to do more street level hero work, Oliver and Dinah opened a nice little flower shop, and Wally’s just as chipper as always!”
“What about Bruce?”
“He’s still a bit of a grump but he’s been spending more time with his family. I’ve enjoyed seeing his son Damien spend time with Jon.”
“Jon? Who’s Jon?”
“My son, Jonathan Kent! I named him after his grandfather and I could not be more proud. Maybe he’ll take on my mantle one day!”
Clark took a sip of water and looked at Celestia.
“But enough about me, what’s happening with you?”
Celestia took a deep breath in and out. “Quite a lot. But I’ll give you the shortened version. Luna is no longer Nightmare Moon, my pupil Twilight Sparkle gained an amazing group of friends and became a princess, Discord got reformed, and Equestria was saved by Twilight and her friends multiple times over.”
“That definitely sounds like a lot. Maybe at some point, you can introduce me to Twilight. She sounds a lot like yourself! Though maybe not as brilliant!”
Celestia blushed at the compliment. She thought to herself before turning to Clark.
“Clark, how do you deal with…all the powers that you possess?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean that, everywhere I go, ponies look at me as more than just their leader. To them, I’m a goddess, the princess of the sun. But I know that having that responsibility is not easy. I have to remind myself that I am still a pony like everyone else. When Canterlot was invaded not that long ago, I allowed myself to be defeated so that others could protect the kingdom. Some of my people have begun to resent me, and see me as weak.”
Celestia folded her ears down.
“I hold my power back so that Twilight and her friends can learn a valuable lesson and protect Equestria. Because I know the power I possess is dangerous. I fear that one day, an enemy will come that Twilight can not defeat, one that rejects friendship and is too vile to redeem. What if I have to step in and fight this enemy myself? What if…I lose control?
Celestia got up and looked at Clark, visibly upset.
“I control the sun itself! Any potential threat to Equestria could be vanquished in an instant! But who am I to decide who deserves to live and who deserves damnation? I will not risk the idea of taking someone’s life when I could have saved them! Never again!”
Tears welled up in Celestia’s eyes as she sat back down.
“Never again.”
She wiped her tears away. Clark placed a comforting hand on the princesses’s shoulder.
“I understand how you feel, Princess. When you live in a world of cardboard, holding back becomes a necessity. But the way I see it, your power comes from something else: hope. The hope you inspire in others, the hope of a better tomorrow, the hope that someone on a dark path will turn towards the light and start the path of redemption. The advice you give to anyone who needs it is stronger than the force of a million suns.”
Celestia smiled at the Man of Steel.
“Hope and friendship are strong enough to overcome any obstacle. I would not be as strong as I am today without my friends. I am just as much Kal-El of Krypton as I am Clark Kent of Earth. You are stronger when you have friends and family to help you. Maybe you could talk to Luna about this?
“I think that would be wise. Thank you Clark!”
“The pleasure is all mine, Tia.”
The two shared a warm and friendly hug as the sun shone on the moon’s surface.
“We should head back soon. Thank you for this lovely lunch, Tia.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to give Raven a migraine.”
Celestia laughed a little at her joke as Clark gathered up the supplies and put them in the basket. Celestia took one last look at the planet below and smiled warmly, before teleporting herself and Clark back to Equestria. The future may be uncertain for Celestia, but she was glad she had friends to rely on, even if they came from the most unexpected of places.
