A Royal Outing

Chapters

Little Cafe of Awkwardness
The Way Things Were
Tales of the Broken Heart
Dance Dance Monarchy!
Of Moons and Letters
A New Day

Little Cafe of Awkwardness

The first thing the two girls decided to do is head out into Canterlot using magical disguises. They didn’t want to be hounded by the paparazzi and adoring subjects. The last time Celestia had some time off and went out without a disguise she had a picture taken of her wolfing down a cake. She never did find out who Gabby Gums was, but she swore that the moment she found her she would give her the sternest stare she could muster (What, you think she’d send someone to the moon just because they took an embarrassing picture of her? Give her some credit). They shrunk themselves down a bit, changed their hair colors from rainbow and starry to pink and white, and decided to put on some dresses that would cover their wings. While they could have poofed away their wings they really didn’t want to do that. After all, it was always pretty painful taking them off and putting them on again. Celestia, while owning no clothing of her own, borrowed from her sister. Luna had actually become interested in the new types of clothing since her return to the throne. Before she had been sent to the moon most clothing was mostly dull colors and felt itchy. When she had returned and seen the wide variety of clothing on her return she knew that she just had to have some. She ordered different clothes from a variety of pony fashionistas such as Photo Finish and Hoity Toity and in her free time would try on the clothing and would pretend to be a model walking down a runway. This was done in secret so nopony would ever see it and make fun of her. She was aware that was she was doing could be considered silly for a princess to do.

After Luna was changed she was wearing an extremely formal piece with a red body and gold trim around its edges. It covered her tail completely and gave her the feeling of being an exotic pony in a ballroom that could draw the eyes of any colt onto her. “Hoity Toity’s Midsummer Fashions of last year. A classic,” the cheerful mare said as she swooned around the room in her dress. “How are you doing Tia? Have you found anything you like yet?”

“I think I found something,” she yelled out, followed by the sounds of fabric ruffling as it fit over the body. Luna could hear her sister’s trot get louder before she appeared around the corner of her walk-in closet. “So, what do you think?”

Luna was surprised at the dress she saw her sister wearing. Not surprised by how it looked on her as much as surprised that she had it. She knew each and every single article of clothing she had purchased and never saw that dress until now. She tried to get back on task quickly or else she feared her silence at her sister’s sight might come across as an insult. “It looks lovely. Simple, but functional. Much less formal than what I’m wearing though.” The fashionable sister looked at the dress and tried to figure out who could have made it by analyzing how the dress was put together. It was yellow dress with white trim on the openings and came with a pink sash. She could not figure out for the life of her who designed that dress. If anything she deduced that it wasn’t even a finished product. Whatever is was, Celestia made it work.

They headed off into town, quickly enough before the royal guards could find and accompany the princesses. The last thing Luna and Celestia wanted was for stallions to silently follow them through the entire day and ruin the atmosphere. Luna started talking once they had gotten off castle grounds and entered the city.

“So Tia, where should we go first? I know that you wanted to let me choose, but I’m still not too familiar with the locations in this city,” the younger sister said, adressing the older sister by her nickname. As she finished her sentence, both sisters heard a loud grumbling come from each other and remembered that neither of them had eaten that morning.

“Well,” started Celestia with her knowledge of the city, “I know of this little café that serves brunch. They have it all outdoors so we could enjoy the weather that the pegasi set up specifically for today.” The princess had actually called the weather patrol and let them know that specifically for this week for there to be no clouds of any kind that could cause a storm or even a tiny rainfall. She really wanted this day to be special. “Let’s go there!” As they trotted off through the city Celestia pointed out various shops and streets of local importance and prestige. She pointed out the Carneighey Hall of Business, the local bakery owned by Donut Joe, Mane Street, and Equeponymy Hall, the famous comedy building named for its most famous act dealing with the names of all the places in Equestria being pony-related. All of this was new and fascinating to Luna, who had never had the luxury of exploring her own city. The older sister wanted to stay away from the historical district today. She didn’t want to make her sister melancholy with memories of the past and how much things had changed.

They finally came across the café, The Rosewood, and both marveled at the rose gardens that surrounded the outdoor balconies and grottos. It was always a marvelous sight for the Solar Princess to see, and her sibling’s reaction to it all made it even better. When they entered the entrance for the building they were met by a griffon waiter whose cutie mark was a silver tray. Before Celestia could ask for seating for two the noble creature opened his mouth and spewed out what seemed like nonsense.

“Bonjour Mesdames. Combien seront assis aujourd'hui? “ Celestia had no knowledge of what the griffon had just asked her and just stood there for a moment. She’d never seen this waiter before whenever she had visited and was caught unprepared. “Eh bien, allez-vous dire quelque chose ou juste se tenir autour?” Luna stepped in and stopped it before her sister’s face could turn brighter than the sun.

“Pardonnez-moi ma sœur. Elle ne parle pas la langue. Une table pour deux s'il vous plaît.” Luna spoke the fancy language in a way that made her sister wonder if they were just starting to make up noises just to pull her hoof.

“Ah, Je craignais que j'aurais à vous deux pour rejeter un moment. Ce restaurant ne permet que commander de la nourriture dans la Langue du Griffon. S'il vous plaît suivez-moi à vos sièges.” As the griffon walked away Luna followed him, leaving Celestia clueless and realizing that they were being seated. She hurried up to them and wondered how she had never noticed this before. Then she remembered that each time she had visited the restaurant was as a Princess and that none of the staff actually spoke to her (also surprising was their lack of knowing the Pony’s language) and that she only ever ate what they provided her with, never giving her the chance to try and order for herself. As they were seated the griffon decided to spout out more nonsense to the princesses. “Maintenant, puis-je prendre votre commande?” he said. Celestia had decided to leave the talking to Luna, who still surprised her with her knowledge of foreign language.

“Nous allons commencer avec deux verres d'eau. Donnez-nous un peu de temps à regarder par-dessus le menu,” the Lunar Princess said with a grin on her face. She simply loved doing something that not even her almighty sister could. “I let him know that we’ll be having two glasses of water and looking over the menu. What do you usually have here?” She slid the menu over to Celestia and grinned when she saw the look of despair that spread over her face at the prospect of wondering what this strange assortment of letters meant.

“Lun- I mean Lulu, how do you know this language?” Celestia was lucky to correct herself before saying her sister’s name and possibly giving away their cover. The waiter came by and dropped off their glasses of water. Luna took a sip and enjoyed the cool, refreshing water before responding.

“Don’t you remember Tia? We studied that language a long time ago. We even helped them come up with new words. I’m guessing you’ve completely forgotten how to speak it, haven’t you?” Celestia looked embarrassed at this information, recalling a long time ago when she knew how to speak the language fluently. Since then she’d forgotten it, never having any use for it due to the reclusive nature of griffons and loss of contact with their kingdom. “I don’t blame you for forgetting. It’s been a while since we spoke it. The only reason I remember it is because while I was on the moon I used to repeat what I knew of the language over and over again so I wouldn’t forget it. Did the same with pony-speak as well.” Luna noticed that as she said this her memories on the moon had returned. She remembered the thousands of times she repeated those words and rules of grammar in the attempt to keep the knowledge from slipping from her mind during her isolation. Her smile started to fade and Celestia looked nervous and awkard.

They were saved only by the timely arrival of the griffon waiter. Celestia decided to just have whatever her fancy speaking sister ordered for her and hoped that she hadn’t pranked her and gotten her something with alfalfa in it. My goodness she hated that vegetable. The waiter soon came back with a tray containing two elegantly designed daisy sandwiches, complete with toasted wheat bread, three different kinds of lettuce and daisy, and a cup of sweet onion juice to pour on the sandwich. They both looked at their meals with delight and started to chow down, only realizing how hungry they really were. Luna later ordered dessert for the two of them, a plate of flan for each of them. Celestia didn’t even know that they had this dessert until this very moment! She appreciated her sister and her knowledge of foreign language and was about to let her know that when they were suddenly interrupted by a certain griffon.

“Voici votre chèque. Je reviendrai sous peu,” he said and then sauntered off. Luna looked as if she had just remembered something, causing her sister to ask what was wrong.

“I didn’t bring any money, and he just gave us the check!” she whispered nervously. “Did you bring any?”

“Oh buck no! I’m a princess! I don’t even remember the last thing I paid for.”

They both looked around nervously, trying to figure out their options. The older one was the first to break the silence. “We could run. It’s our only chance of getting out.” The younger princess tilted her head in agreement and they were just about to run for it when they saw nearly an entire company of guards enter the restaurant. There was no way they could get out now.

“We could teleport out,” offered the terrified Princess of the Moon, “but that would create a racket and the guards would surely spot our faces. I wouldn’t want to be on the run from our own guards. Oh Tia, what are we going to do?”

“We could just let the owner know that we’re the princesses. I’m sure they wouldn’t arrest us then, but then our cover would be blown. I wouldn’t want to see that story. ‘Princesses Abuse Royal Power and Get Free Lunch’,” Celestia said, thinking how Gabby Gums would lead the crusade to destroy her reputation, NEIGH, the entire kingdom, with her slanderous story. She wondered what they could do until a terrible, terrible thought came to her mind. “Lean closer Lulu. I have a plan.”

The sister now known by the alias of Lulu leaned closer to hear her sister’s plan and heard it whispered it into her ear. The amount of shock and horror on her face was equal to the feeling in Celestia’s stomach, but she knew there was no other way to avoid this without revealing who they were. When she was finished, Luna almost had tears in her eyes from the plan.

“Celestia, I don’t even-“ started the vulnerable younger sister before being cut off by her sister.

“No. Right now I am Tia and you are Lulu, and we are simply elegant high-class ponies who don’t have any money on us and need to somehow get out of here. When you aren’t royalty, sometimes you have to live dirty to get by.”

“But what if he sees our wings? He’ll know who we are?”

“Hopefully a blindfold it will work and he’ll go along with-“ Celestia’s explanation of her plan was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of the waiter, coming closer and closer with the expectation of receiving payment for the meal. “Alright my dear sister,” Celestia said with a tremble in her throat, “you know what to do.”

“Yes sister. It must be done,” and Luna hid the knife inside her dress.

“SWEET CELESTIA!” the princess cried out ironically, wondering how her name had become vernacular in pony culture. “What are you doing?”

“Wait, we don’t need a knife for the plan? I think I’m confused about what we’re supposed to do.” This was not going to go well.

“Listen up,” said the older sister quickly in her whispers. “What we need to do is-BEDROOM EYES,” and before the younger sister could react she saw the waiter appear next to them and her big sister giving the griffon the most alluring gaze she believed her sister could muster. Within a second she did just the same, hoping that whatever the plan was that it would work.

The griffon looked at both of the ponies for about 10 seconds, wondering what on earth they we doing just staring at him in this creepy manner. “Je ne sais pas ce que vous faites, mais je suis venu ici pour vous dire que l'étalon en blouse blanche a payé pour votre nourriture.” Luna was surprised and had a bright smile on her face while her sister was left confused.

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what’s going on. Did my plan work?”

“We don’t have to pay since somepony else has paid for us! What’s more, it was a stallion.” As Luna said this they both has a smile appear over their faces. Somepony was trying to woo them and paid for their food. “So who is our mysterious stallion? I’ll ask him in his language.” She then asked the waiter that question.

“Il est assis dans le coin vêtu d'une veste blanche sur sa blouse blanche. Je dois dire que c'est un étalon très bien,“ the griffon said, a smile appearing on his face that lasted until he walked away. Needless to say Luna started laughing at that scene.

“So which one is he?” begged the older sister.

“Well, the first thing is that your ‘bedroom eyes’ plan definitely would not have worked on that griffon for a very big reason. Secondly, he said that the stallion wore a white jacket and was sitting over there.” The sister pointed out to the corner that was indicated by the waiter and they both started to look around with smiles on their face, hoping to meet their savior. What they found not only shocked but surprised them.

“PRINCE BLUEBLOOD?!” they both yelled at the same time. There were so many reasons why this was so wrong. They saw a smug smile form over his face, feeling assured that he had just won over those two mares and would be having a wonderful time soon. The two princesses realized that they were about to have a big issue soon if they didn’t stop this soon. They went over to him and just as he was about to talk they gave him a familiar stare that he had seen in his time with Celestia and Luna. In just a moment he saw past the disguises and realized to his horror that he had just hit on two of his relatives. At the same time. What he found worse is that he actually felt conflicted about wondering whether it was really that bad to be attracted to his older relatives in that way. All of these were evident in his contorted face. Without even uttering a word both parties had been scarred for life.

The Way Things Were

An hour after leaving the restaurant Celestia finally broke the uneasy silence. “Well, that was horrifying. I don’t know what the next royal get-together will be like, but it certainly won’t be very comfortable.” Luna mumbled something in agreement, but didn’t seem to be focusing much on what she said. “Hey, Luna, are you okay?” Celestia was getting worried that her sister was so silent about what had just happened. She didn’t even laugh at the absurdness of the situation or anything. It was then that she realized that they had taken a different route through the city than the one they came through and were now in the historical district of Canterlot. This part of the city contained very old buildings, much of it now tourist destination rather than a place to reside. Here time seemed to be ingrained in the very stone of the buildings.

“Remember the baker that used to work in that little cottage that’s now a gift shop Tia?” Luna said, breaking her silence. “I remember that he would always make cakes that were never to fancy, but were always so delicious to eat. His favorite thing to bake was bread, mainly because of the way it make everything smell after it had been baked and how it was able to cool down just quickly enough that you could eat it soon after taking it out of the stove and it’d taste so delicious while warm.” Memories started flooding back to Celestia. It had been so long since she’d thought back to those times with all those other ponies if the past. So much had change. So much would always change.

“His name was Bread Bringer, an appropriate name for someone who loved his craft so much. I remember how he would hang out with Butcher Barry during their lunches and share some of their foods with each other. Barry was one of the few minotaur I ever met in Equestria. Bread would give him some of his bread and he’d use that with his meat wares to make a sandwich while Barry would give him some of his fine oats that he kept on himself that was usually used to feed the animals he would use for his food. He was always one to look past the obvious differences and focus on the being inside that mattered. Why, I remember that he would always give us a free muffin or other baked specialty he had for the day whenever we came to visit.” Celestia could feel the memories pouring out of her as she recounted those days gone by. They could never return, but it seemed like they would neither vanish as well.

“Well it’s obvious that he would give us something for free. After all, we are the princesses. To him giving us free food earned him popularity and publicity for his shop,” responded the Lunar Princess, remembering the past with trying to sugar coat it. To her the past was something that you never needed to say you were sad to see gone, but merely an event that happened. An event that would still haunt you through your life though and make you yearns for it in times of sadness.

“But that’s the thing; Bread never actually knew that we were royalty. I once asked him why he still gave us free food even though we could afford it and he said that he couldn’t help but give two very pretty mares something for spending the effort to always visit an old man. I said that I was pretty sure it was because we were royalty and his response was asking who we were related to and if we could put in a good word for him since a royal family member eating his food would probably boost his sales.” Celestia and Luna both laughed at the memory recalling that Bread wasn’t exactly the brightest coal in the stove.

“Tia,” Luna said in a serious tone, “what happened to Bread?”

“Well, from what I remember he married a Pegasus, Summer Skies if I’m correct, and they had three foals. One of those foals would end up being an ancestor of Donut Joe actually. Funny how things change and yet never really do.” Celestia pondered her own words as she realized that Luna would obviously be better to decide if that statement were true or not.

“Tia, am I necessary?” Celestia was confused by her sister’s statement.

“What do you mean ‘are you necessary’? Luna, I’m confused.”

“I mean, what am I doing here?! In Canterlot, in Equestria, in this time?! I’m a relic Tia! I feel like I’m always stuck in the past and feel like I won’t be able to move forward in time for everypony else and when I finally reach there they’ll all be gone!” Luna started breaking down at the sight of the familiar sights of what she considered her true home from a thousand years ago. The castle was merely where she lived, while here she was in her proper place in time.

Celestia knew that this would come at some point. She knew that her sister still had things to work out after her ordeal. What she went through isn’t something you can just blow off. She knew what to say for this moment. “Well, Luna, that’s not something you need to always worry about. I mean, look at me; I’m over a thousand years old and have barely been able to figure out what’s going on with all these celebrities and fashions and whatever else is popular these days. Some say that’s living in your own world while I would say it’s making your own life. You’re Luna, that’s who you are. You don’t need to be up to date on everything at every single moment. Why, I know of at least ten times where I asked my subjects how a musician was doing these days and if they’d released something new only to be told that they’ve been dead for over fifty years. THAT’S what not being up to date on things is. You get a fresh start and have the opportunity to see this new world with open eyes. That’s something I’d like in my times of doubt when it comes to ruling. Sure, you may sometimes say something that would now be considered incredibly racist like the infamous Zebra Dinner I had where I somehow managed to include every single racial slur into a single sentence and create several new ones while talking, but we all have to learn from them and change whenever it’s needed. That’s simply what life is; the only difference is that you felt it all at once.” Luna heard her sister’s words and knew at once that she was not alone in her struggle to fit into society, to be able to move along with the times. This brought a smile to her face. “And besides,” she continued, “you know much more about current fashion than I ever could. Imagine how shocked I was when I found out that you knew all these designers from modern day while I couldn’t figure out what clothing would clash. Hay, that’s one of the reasons why I’m always naked!” Luna couldn’t help but laugh at her sister’s statement. She always wondered why she never wore clothing, even when the elite of Equestria decided that it was the ‘proper’ thing for ponies of their stature. “Come on sister. Let’s not stick around here much longer. We still have a big day ahead of us and we shouldn’t spend the entire time stuck in the past.” Luna galloped to her sister’s side and they wordlessly wondered off, looking for a new adventure for the day.

Tales of the Broken Heart

As the two sisters entered Canterlot’s main plaza they noticed a group of colts hanging out around the fountain. They didn’t look like they were high-class ponies, but actually looked as if they were part of a fraternity that was visiting Canterlot. Celestia had a pretty big smile on her face and Luna just had to ask.

“Sister, what are you planning?”

“Remember how Prince Blueblood hit on us at the restaurant and even paid for our meal?”

Luna obviously remembered and gagged at the memory of that. “Yes, and I hate you right now for reminding me of that.”

“Well, that just gave me an idea with all these ponies out here,” the conniving solar sister said. “I think we should have a contest. See which one of us can woo more of these colts than the other.” Luna never understood what was up with her sister and her desire to get younger colts to woo her. She always seemed like she was just one push away from becoming like the infamous Catline the Great, the Queen of the Cat People who was rumored to have died while in the pleasurable company of several stallions.

“Sister, I don’t think we should lead these ponies on like this. After all, it’s not like we’ll be seeing them after this. What if we broke their hearts?” Luna always felt that romance and royalty would always conflict with each other since if one got in the way of the other the repercussions would always dramatic.

“Oh calm down sister! We’re just going to be flirting with them. Nothing too serious. You act as if they wouldn’t enjoy being hit on by two lovely mares. Now let’s get started!” Celestia trotted off to the group of mares, thinking how easy it would be for a mare like her with over a thousand years of experience dealing with other ponies and her current looks (she made certain to make sure that when she shrunk down she emphasized the right places). Her sister seemed a bit hesitant though and let her know that she would be changing into something more fitting for the situation. Celestia agreed to let her sister do that and thought that it would just giver her more time to woo them before her sister started.

“Hello boys,” Celestia said in her silkiest voice. She trotted over to them nice and slowly, giving them a good look at her as she passed by. “This is gonna be easy,” she thought to herself as their eyes went over her body.

“Oh, hello mam. Is there anything we can help you with?” an earth pony with brown fur and a buzzcut mane said.

“There certainly is. I’m looking for some ponies to show this girl around town. Would any of you mind helping out?” Celestia batted her eyes, certain that they were in the bag.

“Sure!” One of them said, causing Celestia to start chalking up the numbers of guys she’d wooed. “If you want tourist information, head down to the city planning building just on the intersection of Mane Street and Cloppington Avenue. They have maps and guides that’ll help you find wherever you need.” Celestia’s smile dropped from her face as she realized they couldn’t tell she was trying to hit on them. She needed to go to a more direct strategy.

“Would any of you fine gentlecolts care to accompany me? I’d love the company,” she was pretty sure that that line would be obvious enough to go them to go with her.

“Really?” one of them said. “If you’d like company my mom came with us on the trip. She’d never seen the capitol before and said she wanted to see it before she got too old. She’d be someone for you to hang out with and talk about things that you’re interested in.”

Celestia just stood there, mouth agape at the statement she had just heard. She had just been labeled as someone as old as their mother (to be honest, her actual age was much older than just a mother, but seeing as she went to the effort to change how she appeared that’s what bothered her). She was just about to leave when she heard several of the fraternity colts mumbling about a beautiful mare. She thought they were talking about her for a moment, but was suddenly crushed when she saw who they were talking about.

“Oh, hello there,” Luna said to the colts in a gentle manner. She had her hair style changed just so her mane slightly covered her face and had changed into a simple white dress. “Um, how are you colts? My name is Lulu, and I’m new here. Could you help guide me through town?” Luna then placed a small smile on her face and looked rather embarrassed when you did that. Pretty much all of the colts lost it at that point, one of them actually grabbing at his chest with his hoof. That smile was able to kill if done correctly.

“I’d like to help!” the one with the buzz cut screamed out.

“No, me! I’ve been around here a lot!” the one who offered directions yelled.

“Please pick me! I’ll take you anywhere you want!” begged the one who offered Celestia to go with his mom. The more they kept on asking her to go with them, the more her smile grew and enraptured them. Celestia couldn’t stand it and trotted off quickly.

“Sister, wait!” cried out Luna, leaving behind the colts as they were baffled that such a lovely mare was a sister to such an older mare. She found Celestia in an alleyway, finding her crying behind the dumpster.

“So, I guess you win,” the older sister etched out through her teary voice. “Guess you’re the better looking mare no matter what I do.” Luna didn’t know what to say at the sight of her sibling crying. She felt powerless at that moment, lost in thought of what she could do to help. Celestia was always good with helping her out whenever she felt sad and lonely, but she was the older sister. She was supposed to be good at those things. It looked as if the roles would have to change now in this time of need.

“Tia, don’t speak such nonsense. You’re one of the most beautiful beings in all of Equestria and, if I be so bold, the world. You don’t need the attention of three dumb colts to know that.” The younger sister was hoping that this would be enough to stop her sister’s sadness.

“You think that, but I don’t feel that way. I mean, do you know that no one has ever tried to hit on me? Absolutely no one. Not even a compliment on my looks from other stallions. I just feel ugly sometimes. Not even this more petite body could help me land a compliment. You on the other hand always received the glares and affection of the subjects, always getting letters professing how beautiful you are and how much it would mean to them if they could simply meet you face-to-face to see how lovely you were in person. I’ve only gotten paperwork.” Luna was stunned by what she had heard. Her older, perfect sister was was actually jealous of her? She always knew that she received a fair amount of compliments from colts and even mares, but she had assumed the same was with her sister as well. It had always been something that occurred naturally with her. Now she saw why Tia tried so hard with those colts.

“Well, sister, I think I know several reasons why that might be.” Celestia dried her tears and looked up to see what her sister was trying to say. “You’re held in such high stature by the people that such compliments might sound derogatory and be insulting. They might think you’d consider such compliments to focus on your looks and not your many years of leadership.” Luna felt like she was handling herself pretty well with this speech. “Also, remind too many people of their mothers,” was what the younger, and apparently airheaded, sister said before realizing the implications of what she had just said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” a confused princess asked.

“Well, you’re very caring for your people and always reassuring them that you’ll handle anything that’s beyond their grasp. You always stand up to your people in times of need and are willing to make personal sacrifices if needed. That’s the sort of thing that mothers do, and nopony in their right mind would hit on someone whom they felt was a mother-like figure.”

Celestia pondered her younger sibling’s words and felt calmed down by such a reasonable logic, but this left one question unanswered though, and she needed to ask it. “So why do they feel attracted to you then?”

The Lunar Princess giggled as she thought of all the times she’d been complimented for her looks and what the similarities were. She told her sister what she was sure was the answer. “Well, I don’t appear as motherly as you, rather an empowered mare who is competent in her decisions. I’m able to create an aura of mystery however by my association with the night and the exotic nature of my mane and coat colors that are not too common. While I am able to present an alluring aura of self-confidence though, I also appear as someone who is actually very shy and reserved, still trying to figure this world out.” She thought of what she had just said and found it very interesting that it was all coming out of her mouth. Until this moment she had never realized why so many were attracted to her, but this moment of clarity was enough for her to understand how other saw her. She looked down to see her sister now standing up and taking in the self-analysis.

“That actually makes sense,” the older sister said, eyes puffy from tears. The younger sister proceeded to nuzzle her sister, giving her a sense of security and the feeling of being truly wanted that she had desired to feel for so long. She had wanted to be loved by ponies in one particular way so much that she didn’t see the other way they had always cared for her: not as a lover, but a mother. “Besides, I’m already busy enough as is. I don’t need to worry about some creepy pony stalking me.” The two of them set off, leaving behind them several colts who will always be confused with what had just happened.

Dance Dance Monarchy!

Dance dance Monarchy!

It was about three in the afternoon at this point, and the unicorns that were left in charge of moving the sun were obviously doing their job well with the daylight becoming duller as twilight was going to set in within a few hours. The two sisters set off into the town center where a commotion was brewing. Ponies were gathering around what looked like a presentation performed by traveling showponies.

“Welcome mares and gentlecolts of Canterlot! Flim here, presenting you with a wonderful opportunity for each and every one of you to see! What we’ve done here is created a game that should provide endless hours of entertainment!”

Another pony came out of there locomotive machine, rolling onto the ground a two separate pads with nine hoof-sized buttons on each pad. Then there was a large screen that appeared which was connected to the pads by wires. “Flam here, presenting you with the newest game craze, the Competitive Dance Device! Have you ever wanted to challenge a pony in a way that would prove your superiority in athletics and dancing without having to deal with the arbitrary dealings of pony judges which was better? Have no fear! The Competitive Dance Device operates by presenting a series of directional arrows on this screen adjusted to be in sync with some of the most hip and jiggy songs out there and ponies get points by stepping on the corresponding panels at the proper moment when the arrow hit the marker. Points are calculated by how correct the timing is when you hit the panel with the correct button, how long you can go without making a mistake while dancing, and whether you hit a button at all. With the use of points, nopony will be able to argue with the objective evidence that you are the superior dancer! Now, who wants a go?”

Several ponies raised their hooves into the air, eager to try out this new game and boast about their scores to others. Two were selected to go up first, with the rest of the crowd sighing in resignation.

“Now no need to worry folks! Each of you will have the chance to play for the honor of earning high score. Just get ready to raise your hands and show us your most serious game face and you and another can be chosen!” As Flim finished his speech, Flam started up the device. A list of songs was given to the two ponies to decide what they would dance to with a chart listing the difficulty of each song. Soon a song was chosen and the game began.

As the royal sisters saw the two mares dancing against each other they became amazed at the game. A music box played the song and the arrows descended down the screen with the two competitors struggling to hit the buttons on time. At the end of the song the points were tabulated for each dancer and a winner was chosen. The two sisters gained the same idea at the same time.

“My dearest sister,” started Luna in a regal tone, “care to join me in this competition of dance with me?”

“Why, I would be most delighted to accept your offer,” Celestia said, copying her sister’s tone.

“Now, who has the most serious game face here?” Flim then scanned the crowd, looking at the faces of the ponies and trying to judge who would go up. While he looked through the crowd he came across two faces that had such expressions on them that he feared they would eat him if possible. “I choose you two!” he said as he pointed to the sisters. Their morbid expressions were soon replaced with faces of delight as they pranced up to the pads and looked over the songs on the list.

“Now let’s see. I think we should try something that’s not too difficult. What do you think Luna? Which song would you like?”

“I think I’d like ‘Parasprite Bite’ by Uncouth Elite. I personally like that song.”

“Alright then, let’s do it!”

As Celestia put in the song request, the music box started and the arrows started appearing on the screen. Luna was giddy at the chance to hear one of her favorite rock songs and be able to school her sister in a competition at the same time. As the arrows reached the indicator to let them know to step on that button, the lyrics started:

Mare you got me right in the heart

Got me right in the mind

Got me right in the soul

I’ve lost all control

It’s tearing me apart

You’ve got a really good grip

I can’t make a small slip

Nor do I think I want to

Slip away from you

This love is like a toxic poison (poison poison poison)

I feel like you’ve infected me

I can’t find the words for this (for this for this for this)

There’s only one thing this could be-e-e-e-e