Cookies for Heaven

[letteropener]

Who: Princess Celestia
When: October 14-21st
Where: All around the Far Shore
What: Princess Celestia brings cookies and, perhaps more importantly, wellness checks to the temples of the Far Shore.


Two things circled each other in Celestia's mind, forming a taijutu symbol in the way each completed the other: A lot of people in the Far Shore really needed some personal attention, friendship, and care; and she had, thanks to practice and effort, gotten quite good at baking cookies.

So each morning, Celestia cheerfully moved dough into her oven on sheet after sheet, the entire kitchen in Inti's temple animated in golden light like Merlin himself had set it all to baking-- and each afternoon, Celestia took wing above the Far Shore, traveling from temple to temple to seek out the inhabitants therein.

So at some point, an alicorn will come knocking at your door, with a bright smile on her face and a basket of cookies floating by her side.

Comments

[purr_ince]

[His head tilts a little.]

You don't want someone to share your life with? Have ki-- um foals one day?

[Adrien can't imagine not wanting a family and a life like that.]

That's all I can ask for.

[letteropener]

[She smiles, gesturing with one hoof.]

It's quite impossible, I'm afraid. It's all right. I came to terms with that about eighteen hundred years ago. Occasionally I regret it, but even my life can't be perfect, can it?

[purr_ince]

Oh. I'm sorry.

[There's a sad little smile settled on his face. He doesn't want to pry or upset her so he's letting it drop.]

I suppose not but that does explain the temple to temple cookies and advice. It's really sweet actually.

[letteropener]

[Celestia chuckles.] I'd like to think I would do that sort of things even if I was happily married with half a dozen foals. But perhaps it simply comes with ruling a country for quite a while.

[purr_ince]

Well that's likely true! You're the friendly social type after all.

[Adrien is still not over the fact that she rules a country. He can't imagine that kind of pressure easily.]

Which do you like better? Ruling or being a goddess?

[letteropener]

[Neither could she, at first. She flipped. Literally.]

I was meant to rule. This is a vacation. They're both nice in very different ways.

[purr_ince]

So can I ask about back where your from? Are there people other than just alicorns?

[letteropener]

Alicorns are so rare we barely count, and it is fair to say that Equestria consists entirely of three types of ponies -- unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. Though we have many donkeys, some griffins, and even a zebra or two and a baby dragon among our numbers as well.

[purr_ince]

Oh. Neat! So I know unicorns have the horns, and I'm guessing pegasi have the wings - does that mean all alicorns have both? [He's a curious kid and he wants to understand about his new friend.]

Griffins and a baby dragon? That's neat. I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like that back home. You don't have humans there?

[letteropener]

Yes, alicorns have the virtues of all three types of ponies. Your deductions are all quite accurate - until I came here, I had never seen a human.

[Celestia is very happy to answer questions. She encourages them! Learning is quite important, after all.]

[purr_ince]

Really? Huh.. Interesting. Can I ask something kind of personal though?

[He gestures a hand to the sun shaped mark on her haunch.]

What's that?

[letteropener]

[She is frankly amazed at how few humans ask that, though she did eventually conclude after some thought that they must simply find an alicorn so remarkable on the whole that each individual oddity merited new special attention.]

That is my cutie mark. Every pony gains a cutie mark, as they discover the special talent that sets them apart from everypony else.

[purr_ince]

Cutie mark..

[He murmured softly before he grinned.] Huh! I wonder what mine would be if I had one. [He scratched his cheek considering a moment.]

What kind of cutie marks are there? Could they be weapons? Or would they just be other stuff like music notes?

[letteropener]

A pony who was skilled with weapons might very well have a weapon cutie mark, though in this day and age there are not too many of those, I must admit. But cutie marks can be any number of things. Musical notes are very likely!

[purr_ince]

I seem to do very well with swords, slimmer, flexible blades seem to be best. But I can use a staff too.

I guess it's just a matter of what's the most you thing, then?

[letteropener]

You can be good at something without it being your special talent, to be sure. [If that isn't exactly confirmation or denial, well, these things are complicated.]

[purr_ince]

When you say special do you mean like something only you can do? [Because that seems kind of vague and makes him curious.]

[letteropener]

Not at all! But it is something special to you that sets you apart. I am learning to bake cookies, after all, but I certainly can't compare to a pony whose talent is baking.

[purr_ince]

Huh well there's a lot of things like that. I guess it would hard to know what it would be. I bet it would be fencing though. That's something I like and am passionate about.

[letteropener]

Those are two very good indications! [Not perfect ones, but fairly reliable. Celestia can't help but laugh, though -- the point is so academic.]

[purr_ince]

[He's sipping at his lemonade flashing her a grin. He gestures with his glass after a moment toward her wings.] So what's it like to fly? Is it as fun as I suppose most people imagine it to be?

[letteropener]

[Wry amusement instantly becomes sincere delight, in her eyes and the perk of her ears and the twitches in her wings.] Oh, absolutely! It's absolutely delightful, and I am glad beyond words that I get the chance to so much here.

[purr_ince]

[Okay that's cute. He can't help the way his grin widens into a full smile at her obvious happiness.] Really? I'm sure that must be really something! The wind the freedom.

[letteropener]

Well. If you ever want to try... [Oh, her smile is definitely sly and mischievous now.]

[purr_ince]

Wait what? You could take me flying? Really?! [He seems absolutely giddy with excitement at the mere implication.] I'd love that!