Being a Princess wasn't always a simple task; how she did her duties was important.

Celestia sighed, levitating a quill, and began to write. Again.

'Dear, Starlight Glimmer...'

Celestia scrubbed her head, touching her crown, then posed her quill, gently; she couldn't get her priorities right. She knew that even as a princess with centuries of experience, she wasn't without fault, but if she even hinted at it, she felt like the consequences might be dire. Perhaps moreso than usual.

Strange.

"Cake." she shouted, loud enough for the guards outside to hear.

A moment of waiting before one left for the royal canterlot kitchens. Good, they did hesitate, as they should.

Celestia felt a tinge of guilt; she had promised Luna she'd stop doing this. She wanted to keep that promise for as many days as possible, but she also wanted to eat cake.

Cake. She needed cake to concentrate, and she needed to concentrate. Now.

Cravings aside, she settled down upon the mat, eager to end the process. This was her free time. She didn't want to waste it.

'Dear Starlight Glimmer...' she paused. What was she going to say? What could she say? A princess did not shirk her duties. Nor did she make false promises. Nor did she...

Celestia rubbed her head, again. She was playing Glimmer's game. She knew what she had to say, but at the same time, she couldn't convince herself it was the right thing. She didn't believe Glimmer would listen. Yet something told her that handling it the usual way might have consequences. And a princess's duty was to protect against,

consequences...

Celestia imagined herself slamming her head in frustration, but do that a Princess did not; she shook her head, tired.

Cake, she needed Cake...


*bump*

Celestia bobbed her head up. *bump*

*bump*bump*bump*

Celestia opened her eyes and leapt with uncommon strength, glancing at the door; she scuttled forth with both wings and legs; she seized the door and slid, horn swinging it open as she graced before it; her skills were regal, for she was an alicorn, and she could multitask...


Two guards, one open door, her mane discheveled. Zero cakes.

"Cake?" she asked, not tidying her looks.

The guard shrugged. "Sorry Princess, the kitchen does not have cakes."

Celestia nodded her head gently, smile twitching.

The guard shrugged, again. "Ah, actually, Luna arranged that..."

"Of course." Celestia said, eyes widening, closing the door halfway.

Celestia concentrated, thinking of cakes solutions to her problems.

The guards waited patiently, sometimes sending a glance.

Celestia adjusted her mane and crown, then opened the door fully again.

"What exactly did Luna say?" Celestia asked, her presence gentle, but royal.

The guards shrunk, hesitant. They glanced at each other in silence.

One of them stood up. "We were ordered to inform her of all cake activity, Princess."

The other spoke. "And the kitchens have been ordered to inform her of all cake related activities, Princess."

Celestia gazed silently as her ideas fell apart, one after the other; outdone by her own little sister.

"Thank you, my little ponies," she said, "please do not bother me further tonight."

"Your order, Princess." The guards bowed.

Celestia closed the door gently, and sighed. There were always guards who overdid it.

More importantly, she only needed to give an order, a single order. But if she did, Luna would come to ask why she had done so so early. Luna would ask why she couldn't wait until morning, again.

Celestia thought of just sleeping, or writing to some other pony, but she couldn't shake the sense of urgency.

Celestia looked at the window, big enough to fly through. She could use a simple disguise spell, stop at any place in Canterlot, or just visit the royal gardens. She could go,

eat anywhere, talk to anypony...

Celestia realised that she was not the best pony to convince Starlight Glimmer, yet knew not who else this Glimmer would listen to.

She thought of attempting to write again, she looked at her quills. Then glanced at her saddle-bags. She sighed. "I need fresh air" she told herself.

Celestia's magic grazed the room, sending various pots and quills and scrolls and books flying, flying to their rightful places. There were advantages to being an old mare, always putting things into familiar places; she was almost always tidy. Almost.

Celestia grabbed a cloak as she cast a familiar spell, and writhed slightly under the tingling sensation.

Gradually, her body shrunk, while her mane lost its magic and its colors, turning pink. She became normal sized under the illusion, but felt like a really big filly; she took off her royal garments, and stowed them away.

When the tingling left, she felt alive; she simply slid the cloak upon herself, wings snucking in perfectly, and took off through the open window.

Celestia scanned the perimeter as she flew, rapidly gaining in altitude. No defensive spells would stop her, but it wouldn't do to explain herself to a guard.

Once she was far away enough, she began to relax, breezing through the sky over canterlot. The air was cold, the stars were bright, and when she saw canterlot from above, she could swear it had grown. It was probably decades since the last time she had properly flown in the night.

Celestia wondered if she had ever told her sister how much she enjoyed this.

She looked down upon the city, so many places she didn't know, and so many that had dissapeared.

She remembered older days; when lighting wasn't so common, when ponies weren't so many, and when she would fly more often. And yet, she hardly passed more time with her little sister, back then. When was the last time they had flown together, not to get somewhere, not for duty or battle, but just to fly?

Celestia sighed. What was she doing? She recalled that pointedness in Glimmer's wording; that Celestia had banished her sister for the good of Equestria, and that ultimately, it had worked.

Glimmer's thesis was simple; someponies had too much power for their own good. Sometimes, it was better to confine these powers. Even lock them away, if possible.

An expression of absolute distrust.

The idea wasn't unusual, it was rather its application that was complex. But ultimately, Starlight advanced other ideas, ideas that came from her feelings and her reasoning.

In a nutshell, Starlight Glimmer promoted more drastic methods of control and education. "We control the weather, why not the ponies themselves?" was what Glimmer had expressed.

But Glimmer also stressed that Celestia, despite all her experience, had not yet proven the superiority of her position.

Essentially, Glimmer stated that someponies shouldn't be allowed the chance to even use their talents, yet Glimmer herself demanded...
the accomplishment of her wildest,

desires.

Celestia chuckled. Glimmer wanted to help Equestria shape up it's act, as if it wanted to already.

Celestia chuckled, sadly, as she flew under the night sky.

The night sky was beautiful, but part of its beauty was something only Celestia could see, at the cost of reminding her.

But Starlight Glimmer had done so already; a unicorn with some unique talent, somehow wounded and distrustful, demanding the most drastic things to display what she could do, while insulting her ideals with poison-tipped words, as if language were a weapon.

It was distressingly similar, but what hurt Celestia was how she realised it: would she have taken her sister's demands more seriously, had Luna expressed herself in letters? Would she have located the threat sooner?

She was after all, the Princess of Royalty; she payed due attention to such letters.

Celestia looked down upon the lights of Canterlot, away from the stars, and breathed calmly, cloak holding despite the wind. The wind was refreshing, but it reminded her, of just how rarely she went naked.

Royalty. Canterlot was the place for it. Celestia had passed countless moments of her life attending marriages she 'approved' of. There where many events she had to attend, but only so many where other ponies were in charge. Where she would bow and greet and pay respects to ponies who would pass before she ever truly knew them. The ponies would greet her as if she were special, different, and always would they watch their tongue. Even Luna did so.

And then there was cake. The only thing that didn't care who she was.

To be fair, cakes were most enjoyable, and even if she gobbled them up and covered herself in cream, nopony would dare mention it. Instead, it became tradition to reserve cake for the princess. A tradition both sad and delicious, as she sometimes indulged into forgetfulness.

Celestia let herself sigh as she commenced a dive. Such was the life of a Princess; you upheld your image and random ponies served you, but you so often had to mingle with those you would never know. Who would always greet you the in the same way, whether their days were good or bad. Celestia remembered how much young Luna had listened to her, following her in every word and every suggestion.

Ultimately, you banished her for the good of Equestria.

Celestia looked down as she fell towards the street, wondering how much it would hurt if she didn't break her fall; but she stalled gently before landing; she had no desire to hurt herself. She stood there for a couple of moments, lost within her thoughts. If Nightmare Moon had never been, perhaps her sister would have left for other lands, never to be seen again...

The truth was, Celestia didn't know if she could have done better. But was that a thing to say to Starlight Glimmer?

Celestia looked up upon the nearest building, and sure enough, she gazed upon a patisserie.

'Baking is like love — it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.' was written above the door.

Celestia entered the place, and a doorbell greeted her as she passed the door. She marched within the well-lit decor, gently experiencing the marble floor, and the smell of warm ovens and fresh carrots.

A violet-blue mare smiled at her, waving from behind the counter.

The mare was an earthpony, green and yellow mane reminding Celestia of a friend long past.

"How may I help you?" The baker asked in jovial accent.

Celestia thought of talking with the pony, but just shook her head.

"That one, that one, and that one." Celestia pointed, as she spoke in a light, whimsy voice.

The baker blinked for a moment, then smiled. "Do I know you?"

Celestia also blinked, then looked up, ensuring her horn was hidden with both cloak and mane. "I don't think so," she lied.

The baker started putting the cakes on a tray. "That's a lot of cakes for a young lady."

"I, yes it is." Celestia nodded, wondering how 'normal' her appetite was.

The baker hummed as she worked, and Celestia's eyes watched avidly. Most ponies where so free of etiquette, so joyful and fluttery, but if Celestia had been there as the Princess...


"That will be... 20 ah... Princess?" The baker smiled meekly, looking at something, then gazed directly at Celestia in a transfixed stare.

Celestia's confusion took a sharp turn as she saw the pony's look pass from her to something behind her, then back again. She tensed as somepony's breath fell upon her shoulder, "Sister?" then cringed at Luna's voice.

Celestia looked behind, slowly. Luna stared at her with narrowed eyes.

Celestia stretched a smile to relax her new tension, then sighed. She threw back her pink mane and her cloak, revealing her horn, then levitated the cakes above her. She would never hear the end of this.

Celestia walked past luna, sat at a table, silently, and started munching. Luna sat, and narrowed a glare, waiting to speak.

Celestia stopped eating immediately, wiping her mouth with a hoof. Rarely did she garner a glare, even moreso from her own sister.

"You can let fall the disguise, sister." Luna intoned.

"Yes" Celestia agreed with a smile. Putting aside her cloak, she focused, dissipating the enchantement with well-placed thoughts, feeling a faint tickle as it broke. Slowly, she grew back to normal; her mane became multicolored and ethereal, her body became larger, and the shop slightly smaller...

When the tickling was done, her mane was a flowing river of pastel colors, and she sat taller than even her sister Luna.

Celestia heard a pony gasp at the counter, and rolled her eyes in mild annoyance.

Luna slammed both hooves on the table, half tense, eyes narrowed at Celestia, then she relaxed, and her eyes softened, as if giving up; Luna's forelegs slackened, and her head fell upon the table, hooves set apart.

"What am I going to do with you, sister?" Luna mumbled.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was the same as with Glimmer; she knew what she wanted to say, and she thought she knew the pony enough to know what she should say, but she didn't know what to say.

And ultimately, she didn't want to make a mistake.

Part of her was at a loss.

Luna just layed upon the table in silent agony, and Celestia could no more than offer a comforting hoof.

Celestia approached, hesitant, then embraced her little sister. Luna hugged back and they sighed together, exchanging a candid embrace, surrounded by each other's warmth and...

the faint smell of baked goods.



"Celestia, sister" Celestia's eyes widened at her name.

"Why did you come here?" Luna asked, sheepishly.

"I was hungry," Celestia replied, as her worries came to doubt.

"You could have eaten at the palace, why?"

"I can't tell." Celestia loosened her hold, biting her lip. She really didn't plan on landing anywhere.

Luna broke off from the hug, and responded with sorrowful eyes. For an instant, Celestia thought they hid a spark of anger.

The thought struck her heart.

"Are you well, Luna?"

"I am fine, sister."

No you are not.

Celestia stood back and sat upon the floor, lowering to her sister's level, then she paused, a doubt falling upon herself. She offered a gentle pat to her sister's head. "You know you can always talk to me, Luna."

Luna remained without cheer, unimpressed. "You as well sister."

Ofcourse, Celestia thought, we never doubted such truths, did we?

Celestia looked around to locate the baker, who was tending to other things. Still, it felt like a bad place for her to speak of personal ires; Celestia wondered where Luna would prefer to go.

Ultimately, you banished her for the good of Equestria.



Moments later, Celestia was eating her cake, as Luna rested upon the table. Neither would speak until they left.

Celestia would have to remember to deal with this situation, perhaps she would ask Twilight for advice; another test? Twilight always seemed to love the attention.

---

Between generous bites of cake, Celestia tried to finish writing the final answer to Starlight Glimmer.

Celestia had wanted to tell Glimmer that she ruled with ponies, not over them.

'Dear Starlight Glimmer, Princesses are not that important. You have a princess complex.'

It fell flat. She'd just overreact. I'd be encouraging her.

'Dear Starlight Glimmer, you are right.'

And what? Invite her to the Grand Galloping Gala? She'd decline the invitation, or state how they are 'acting' for social power.

And sometimes she would be right.



Celestia let out a burp, the cake was good. But it didn't solve her problems. Celestia thought back at how much more cake was eaten when her sister was gone. Celestia thought of whether it was good for her to speak so little with Luna, and in such a distant manner. Celestia thought of whether she thought too much.

Celestia thought she had passed too much time around boring ponies, too much time as a royal princess; There should be more princesses.

Celestia glanced at her room; cake everywhere. Even the scroll before her had bits of cake upon it. Mmm... vanilla cream.

She lifted a hoof pointedly in the air; "no matter" she exclaimed. She lifted the quill and wrote a single sentence, a sentence to bind the future of all Equestria.

Dear Starlight Glimmer, sometimes things are nor always right, nor always wrong.

Such was cake.

Celestia thought of adding more, but that was it; she did not know the future, but she knew that certain things had to be learned through experience, not told. Hopefully, this would be enough.

Should I even sign this?

Celestia looked aside at her crown, her necklace and her shoes; she still wasn't wearing them. Royalty.

She sighed and scribbled a simple '~Tia' at the end.

Celestia flashed a spell, making the scroll dissapear, then doned her royal garments once again; putting on a crown, four needlessly pointy little shoes, and a somewhat comfortable horse collar.

She sighed in relief as she wore them, for the sense of urgency had diminished. The power of prophecy was disconcerting; you never knew what you did right.

Celestia picked herself up for one last effort to end a very long night. She wiped the chocolate around her mouth with a towel, then threw it away amongst the dishes. She shuffled slowly to reach her bed before dropping upon it, then she curled herself to sleep.

In a last thought of her worries, she wondered if she should investigate this Glimmer more thoroughly; this mare knew much about cutie marks, perhaps too much; another gifted unicorn, another name cast between light and darkness. But the bed was too soft and feathery, and her remaining worries were lost in dreams, forgotten until the sunrise...

Whenever she came close to having nightmares, she would move in her sleep, and her hooves would reassure her; they had the smell of Cake.