The Grass Is Always Greener

by AverageUser

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1096

Two ponies living vastly different lives dream of living like the other

Two ponies living vastly different lives dream of living like the other

Published 2025-01-17 00:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2025-01-17 00:50:00 UTC

Princess Celestia

The sun rises by her own magic, a duty Celestia has performed countless times before. Her horn glows with ancient power, illuminating the room with a soft, golden light as she completes the daily ritual, her eyes heavy despite her millennia of practice. The dawn paints her pristine white coat in hues of pink and orange - a breathtaking sight that lost its wonder ages ago.

In her ornate chambers, she prepares for the day with mechanical precision. Each movement is measured and practiced as she adjusts her golden regalia and styles her flowing, ethereal mane. The mirror reflects exactly what her subjects expect: a perfect, immortal princess. She stares at her reflection, wondering what it would feel like to simply be ordinary, to brush her mane without worry of maintaining an image for all to see and respect.

The morning brings a procession of petitioners through her grand throne room. Noble ponies bow and scrape, treating each word from her lips as gospel. She maintains her serene smile through farming disputes and trade negotiations, though she yearns to speak freely, to joke and laugh without the weight of a nation hanging on her every word, without her smallest choices having spanning consequences if she lapses for a single moment.

At midday, she stands at her tower window, watching the ponies below go about their lives. A group of friends shares lunch in the castle gardens, their laughter floating up to her balcony. How she longs to join them, to shed her crown and simply be another face in the crowd. Instead, she returns to her throne, maintaining her distance, as she has for thousands of years and she will for thousands more.

The afternoon drags with endless meetings and decisions. Each choice she makes will echo through history, affecting countless lives. The responsibility suffocates her. She envies those who can make mistakes without kingdoms falling, who can learn and grow without the burden of perfect wisdom expected of an immortal princess.

As evening approaches, she reviews reports from her advisors, new faces carrying the ghosts of their ancestors in their features. She's watched generations of families live and die, each one a reminder of her eternal solitude. Sometimes she wonders if the pain of losing everyone she loves is worth the grand purpose she serves, the faces blurring together year after year she wonders if how long until she forgets the ponies reporting to her now.

When night falls, she completes her cosmic duty, lowering the sun for her sister's moon. In her private chambers, she finally allows her perfect mask to crack. The grand bed feels too large, the silence too deep. Her immortality stretches before her like an endless road, promising countless more days exactly like this one.

Sleep comes slowly to the eternal princess, bringing dreams of simple pleasures and mortal joys. In these precious moments of unconsciousness, she dreams of being just another pony, free from the weight of being ruler over the land of thousnads.

Dewdrop

The sun rises over Ponyville, moved by distant magic Dewdrop can only imagine. She watches the golden light filter through her threadbare curtains, another ordinary day beginning just as hundreds have before. The dawn paints her small room in weak shadows - a sight she's grown tired of seeing. The air smells faintly of old wood and lavender, remnants of a sachet she hung months ago. It doesn’t help much.

In her modest bedroom, she prepares for work without much thought. Her mane refuses to cooperate as she hurriedly brushes it, her coat still bearing marks from yesterday's sleep. The mirror shows exactly what she fears: just another mortal pony. She stares at her reflection, dreaming of how it would feel to wear a crown, to be extraordinary, to have servants ensuring every hair falls perfectly into place. To look perfect and ageless every day over the years.

The morning brings a steady stream of customers through the small shop. Regular ponies haggle over prices and complain about quality, treating her with casual indifference. She maintains her retail smile through inventory counts and shelf stocking, though she dreams of holding court, of having her words carry weight and meaning beyond "Have a nice day." Her hooves ache, her mind drifts, but she keeps working as the hours crawl by.

A midday, she stands behind the counter, watching the castle in the distance. A group of nobles passes by outside, their fine clothing and confident bearing marking them as ponies of importance. How she longs to join them, to don fine silk and walk those crystal hallways. To be worry-free and important. Instead, she returns to restocking shelves, maintaining her mundane existence, as she will for her brief lifetime. Her longing tightens in her chest, a dull ache she can’t quite name.

The afternoon drags with endless trivial tasks and minor decisions. Each choice she makes will be forgotten by tomorrow, affecting nothing of importance. The meaninglessness suffocates her. She envies those who can make decisions that shape history, who can learn and grow with the luxury of immortal time to perfect themselves.

As evening approaches, she counts the day's earnings, serving customers whose faces blend together in their sameness. She's watched the same ponies come and go each day, each one a reminder of how little impact she'll leave on the world. How little she matters compared to the princesses of all of Equestria.

When night falls, she completes her closing duties, locking up as the moon rises by Princess Luna's will. In her small apartment, she finally allows her customer service smile to fade. The single bed feels too empty, the silence too ordinary. Her mortality looms before her like a closing door, promising too few days to make any real difference in the world unlike some.

Sleep comes quickly to the weary mare, bringing dreams of grand purposes and immortal glories. In these precious moments of unconsciousness, she is a princess, free from the weight of being nothing special.

Author's Note

This is a really short story that I just thought of because it popped in my head, I may completely redo it when I have more time but I 100% knew I would forget if I dident post it, im never good at making lists :twilightblush: Sorry if parts of the story feel a bit disjointed, I finished the story at only 800 words so I had to figure out where to throw an extra 200 words in here to hit the 1000 word min