“Well, what did you think was going to happen?” Light Fantastic chuckled as she applied antiseptic to Radish’s cuts in her living room. “She’s an immortal alicorn princess. If she took ten steps a day, she’d have more exercise than you’ve had in a lifetime.”
“I’ve taken more than ten thousand steps, Fan.”
“You sure? You can borrow my fit-bat. She’ll count them for you.”
“I was just trying to get something nice for you on Hearts and Hooves.”
“You know I don’t care about that kind of girly spa stuff.”
“Every mare should get treated like a princess sometime.”
“Well, now that means being bashed to the ground and dragged through thorns. How do you come up with that stuff?”
“A chupacabra cornered me in a ravine one time. It only gave up on me because I was hiding in some briars. Still a lot less scary than Celestia.”
“It’s okay, we can do Hearts and Hooves the day after. The candy will be marked down, anyway.”
“Belated discount candy. What a boyfriend I am.”
She pulled up his foreleg and examined his bruises. “You should have had these looked at in the palace infirmary.”
“I couldn’t. Celestia was in there. For a long time.”
“You put Celestia in the hospital? I’ve got to do something with that.”
She added a note to a large, messy notebook on her desk. Her doorbell rang.
“You expecting anyone?” Radish asked.
Light trotted up to her door and put her eye to the peephole. She turned to Radish. “Honey, I think it’s for you.”
She opened the door. Princess Celestia was there. Her left eye was bruised and her coat was still stained with brown and orange splotches. Radish’s heart stopped.
“Good evening, Miss Fantastic. I am Princess Celestia.”
“No shit.”
Celestia’s eyes widened, then twitched in pain. “May I have a word with you and Radish?”
“Come in, ma’am,” said Radish. He crawled off the stool and kneeled. “I beg your forgiveness.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I, however, have spent the day apologizing- to the Wagoners, to the Plains Rangers Admiralty, to Luna, to the palace staff, to the girls… all much easier than this. I’ve been thinking all day of how to apologize to you. I can only tell you that I’ve never been so disgusted with myself.”
She kneeled on the floor. “Please. I beg your forgiveness.”
Radish approached her. “It was an official match. We both agreed to take whatever knocks the other dished out.”
“I initiated the match in anger. I still have issues over my failures at the wedding. I should have explained that rationally, instead of bullying you into a fight.”
“I accepted your challenge of my own free will.”
“But the things I said…”
“I said things, too. It was just bluster. Normal part of competition.”
“We both know that’s not true. We meant every word we said.”
“Well, I was unfair about a lot of it.”
“And I was thoroughly cruel.” She bowed her head. “I am sorry, Radish. I don’t deserve you as my guard, but I beg you to stay, if only for Luna’s sake.”
Radish held out a hoof. “I accept your apology. Please, just get off the floor.”
“Thank you, Radish.” She let him help her up, then she held out a small gold envelope. “Here. Two all-day passes to the royal spa, as promised.”
“Ma’am, you won the match fair and square.”
“Actually, I did not. Do you remember when I dumped the hourglass onto you?”
“She did what?” asked Light. “You didn’t mention that part.”
“As Twilight was quick to remind me,” said Celestia, “one of the rules is that a participant forfeits if they-”
“-interfere with the official timekeeping device,” Radish said with her.
“You knew?”
“I didn’t want to win on a technicality.”
“You did, just the same. Thus, I’ve arranged a whole day for you two, if you’ll accept it.”
“Yeah, we will!” cheered Light as she grabbed the envelope. “You won, Rad! My boyfriend, the princess-slayer! I’ve got to do something with that!”
She added to her notebook. Princess Celestia looked over her shoulder and saw what she was working on. Light was sketching a mock wrestling poster advertising Celestia’s and Radish’s bout. It showed them squaring off against each other in dramatic, fearsome poses. She had given Radish a wrestler nickname: “Nightmare Root”. She had scrawled and scratched out several wrestler names for Celestia: Solar Flare, The Sunisher, Dawncracker, and more.
“You work quickly,” Celestia said.
“I’m going to sell these posters in my shop. I’ve heard photos of your match are already making a killing.”
“Light!” hissed Radish.
“I deserve every bit of that humiliation,” said Celestia, ruefully.
“Nah, princess,” said Light. “The ones selling the best are the ones of you looking badass- bruised, disheveled, but fierce. The public loves that its princess can take a physical beating and still keep coming. You looked wild, like a force of nature! Trust me, if ol’ Chrysalis saw photos of you like that, she’d wet her exoskeleton and run back to the badlands.”
Celestia looked at the sketch again.
“Let me know when these are ready for sale. I would like one.”
“You bet.”
“But these nicknames for me…”
“Yeah?”
“Anything but Daybreaker, if you please. That name is a sore spot for me.”
“I didn’t like it anyway. How about, ‘Princess Pain’?”
“That’s what Luna used to call me. It will do quite nicely.”
A timer in the kitchen went off.
“Oh good,” said Light. “Go ahead and grab yourself a plate, princess.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Dinner’s ready.”
“You want me to stay for dinner? I don’t wish to impose.”
“You choked out my boyfriend in your garden. How much more imposing can you get? Rad, get some wine.”
Celestia walked to the table to find that Radish had pulled out her seat for her.
“Oh. Thank you, Radish.”
She sat down. Radish poured her wine, and she took a sip.
“This is Hinterland Riesling!” she gasped.
“You like it?” Light asked.
“I drank it all the time when we were establishing the Hinterland villages.”
“Wow, that was a long time ago, huh?”
“Honey,” said Radish, annoyed.
“I’m not ashamed of my age,” said Celestia. “Yes, I’ve seen a lot of fine vintages come and go. The royal sommeliers don’t like Hinter vinters. They say it’s too pastoral for royalty.”
“‘Hinter vinters’,” laughed Light. “I like that. I say, screw those rules. Who even comes up with them?”
Celestia drank her glass. She smiled as the notes danced across her tongue.
“Indeed. They predate even me. Why should we live by the prejudices of long-dead ponies? May I have- thank you, Rad.”
She drank from the newly-filled glass.
“Hey, you called him ‘Rad’,” Light pointed out.
“Uh, heh,” laughed Radish, nervously.
“I suppose I did. We are off the clock, after all.” She took another sip and leaned back in her chair. “And Radish and I have always had a rather… informal relationship.”
“So I’ve heard,” Light said with a snort. She served dinner- stuffed peppers with refried beans. Celestia took a bite.
“You’re quite a chef,” she said. “This is fabulous.”
“Oh, come on. You don’t have to do that,” said Light, rolling her eyes.
“Well, then, could you pass the salt?”
“Sure.”
“Princess, are we really okay?” asked Radish.
“Oh, you two are far from okay,” laughed Light.
“Light, stop,” warned Radish.
“Celestia, seriously. I have to know- what is it with you and Rad?”
“Light!”
Celestia swallowed, then finished her glass again. She looked at the bottle on the table.
“May I?”
“All yours,” said Light, waving a hoof.
She poured herself another drink, swallowed it in one gulp, and put the glass back down.
“The truth is, Radish… I hate your cutie marks.”
He looked down, saddened.
“I have since the beginning. I hate my expression on them. I hate the way it looks like I’ve totally lost my senses. I hate the submissive pose- like I’m surrendering to you. But what I really hate is that, whatever magic forces in the universe are that create cutie marks, whatever cosmic artists there are that draw them… just see me as… that.”
She refilled her glass.
“I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into Equestria for millennia. I never asked for any thanks, I never wanted statues built in my honor, I never wanted my face on stamps. I believed working for the greater good of ponykind was its own reward.
“But then one day I’m faced with that. The universe had slapped a mocking image of me on some boy, ruining his life and reducing mine to parody. Is that how this universe doles out its rewards? Is that really the thanks I get?
“Radish, I know it’s not your fault, and that’s part of the problem. You’re the medium by which the world has chosen to insult me. Every time you walk by, every time you salute, every time you achieve success in my name, it’s just another reminder of that insult.”
She drank more.
“Celestia,” started Light, “why not see it as a compliment? I think it’s hot.”
“Light, would you just zip it?” snapped Celestia. Light gasped in joy to see her princess like this.
“You know, you two really are the perfect pair. You,” she said, pointing to Radish, “are way too reverent to me. And you,” she said, pointing to Light, “are too irreverent. You just make jokes so you don’t have to have any empathy for anyone’s pain. Well, guess what, Light? I feel pain. I’ve felt it every day since I met your boyfriend. He’s like a little piece of sand in my eye that won’t come out.”
Celestia looked at the bottle. She took it and chugged the dregs. Light Fantastic squealed with delight. She sped off and returned with another bottle. Celestia held up her glass, and Light poured it to the brim. Radish shook his head at Light. Light grinned and nodded her head at him.
“You know what’s most galling, Radish?” continued Celestia. “You’re just so nice. Life dealt you a nasty kick to the face right out of the gate, but you just keep galloping forward, like the universe doesn’t hate you. I hate and love that about you.”
“Ah, thank you, ma’am.”
“‘Ah, thank you ma’am.’ You see how he treats me? The fawning obsequity? He says he doesn’t want to fuck me anymore, but you can tell he does.”
Radish gasped. Light held her hooves to her heart and giggled.
“Princess, would it just solve everything if you and Rad just did it tonight?”
“LIGHT!”
“Oh?” asked Celestia.
“You’re here. He’s here. This isn’t going to go away. Would you just like to take him up to the bedroom and go crazy?”
Celestia looked at Radish. Radish held his breath.
“I-”
“Well, too bad!” said Light, putting her hoof around Radish. “He’s mine now. You had your chance.”
Light kissed Radish’s cheek hard. He couldn’t help but smile and snuggle into her. Celestia narrowed her eyes at Light.
“Tell you what,” said Light with a smug grin, “if I die before him, then you can have him.”
“Are you sure of that arrangement?” said Celestia, leaning in close to Light and sneering. “Suppose you don’t live… very… long?”
Light leaned right into Celestia’s face. “I’ve faced art critics more intimidating than you.”
“I’ve faced cragodiles with better manners. And teeth.”
The two mares stared each other down. Then they both fell back into their chairs, laughing.
“The truth is, Radish,” said Celestia, wiping her eyes, “you’re a wonderful stallion, but you’re just not my type.”
“Oh,” said Radish, frowning.
“I bet I know your type, princess,” said Light.
“Oh? Do tell,” Celestia said.
“Discord, right?”
Celestia made a series of disgusted spitting noises. “Ugh! I’m sick of that rumor. Have you ever even seen Discord?”
“I’ve seen the statue.”
“Oh, he’s much worse in the flesh. He looks like ten different animals had a one-night stand, and then an eleventh came along and threw up on all of them. He’s the throw-up.”
She looked up at the kitchen ceiling.
“You hear that, Discord? You’re the throw-up! And I hate the beard, too! I know he can hear me.”
“Wow,” said Light, laughing. “So what is your type?”
Celestia sat back, looking at her glass. She held it close to her heart, and raised her eyes at them. She cracked a slight smile.
“I like nerds,” she said, gently.
“Really?” asked Light, flapping her wings excitedly. “What kind of nerds?”
“Oh, you know. Reedy. Shy. The kind that was always a friendly, if quiet, fixture of your study group. But one day, he asks you to meet with him alone, and you can actually see him screw up every last ounce of courage he has, just to ask if you’d save him a dance at the upcoming gala. And you agree, simply because you never cared about galas or who you dance with at them.
“The kind of nerd Luna says is beneath you. But the next day, you hear hoofsteps in an out-of-the-way room of the school, and when you investigate, you see him with a pile of instructional books and charts, and you realize he’s teaching himself how to dance, just for you. And for the first time in your life, you actually get excited about a dance.
“So you go, and when he steps forward, the lights dim and the music changes to your favorite piece. Because he’s the kind of nerd who’s always been so kind to others, that they’ve come together to make your dance, and your dance alone, special. They put a spotlight on just the two of you, and they’ve even trained the fireflies in the lanterns to pulse along to the music.
“So you start dancing, and you can’t help but notice just how perfect his movements are. You can scarcely keep up. And as you twirl, you can see that everyone else is staring at you in awe, and even Luna is looking on with envy in her eyes.
“And when the gala is over, he takes you to a part of town you’ve never been, to a stand selling a food you’ve never tried, and the two of you sit in his cart, sharing the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted while staring up at the stars.
"Then you take him to a favorite spot of your own, a secluded grove by the river. And you share the first kiss of your life that ever made you feel really, truly cared for. And then… you discover that there can be more to making love than just simple physical pleasure. There can be a real, tangible happiness formed by two hearts beating as one. And as you hold each other in bliss, he tells you he wishes that moment could last forever.
“That’s when you take a long, hard look at the road ahead, and realize that being a princess means your days and nights will be too full for dancing to fireflies ever again. You’ll have to split your heart evenly amongst millions, and you can’t just give a bigger sliver to one, or you’ll never stop yourself from devoting more and more of yourself to him, until there’s none left for the rest.
“And as you woefully say all that, he says he understands. He doesn’t even try to fight you on it. He’s just glad he had this one perfect night with you.
“Then you realize it’s time to raise the sun. But this time, you don’t want to. You want this night to go on and on for the two of you, the rest of the world be hanged. And by that admission, you realized you’ve lost your argument for yourself. The next day must come for all, no matter how perfect the night was for two.
“So he kisses you, and calls you a nickname that you’ve never been called before, and will never hear again. You raise the sun through your tears. And you fly home, just holding onto all the beauty and pain of that moment, knowing that you will relive it with every sunrise from then on.
“That is the kind of nerd I like. That is the icy void I carry in my heart that no one has ever filled. That is the memory you declared you could compete with, Rad, all those years ago. It’s not your fault, but you are the romantic rival to the happiest and saddest night of my life. I will guard that memory with every beat of my heart, until my heart stops beating.”
Radish and Light held each other and nodded. Celestia stood up, and hugged them both goodbye. She walked out into the night, giving a last wave to the couple.
She took a long, silent walk through the emptiest quarters of Canterlot, stopping in an obscure plaza in an ancient part of town. A small, moss-covered fountain in the center was bubbling out a weak stream of water from its base. She used her magic to pull off the moss, and cleaned the central figure of the fountain to a moonlit shine. She stepped back to admire it.
It was a worn statue of a unicorn. He stood on a pedestal, bowing, extending his hoof in polite invitation to dance. She sat before it and closed her eyes, gently swaying to a song only she could hear. Blocks away, a clock tower chimed midnight. She opened her eyes and smiled.
“Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, my love.”
Is it just me, or is everything a back handed compliment to Radish? I dont quite like how he is just sitting there and taking it.
An interesting exchange, but now it leaves an even bigger question mark around his cutie marks.
I still ship radish and luna im not gonna lie chief
Edit: Just realized, I really don't like Light Fantastic at all
Just going to sit back and let the other commenters do their thing. I have popcorn if anyone wants some.
11424940
Im very vocal may I have some popcorn
The best chapter to really close the story
I'm surprised they couldn't hear Luna's chewing-out.
Gotta wonder if Radish is the reincarnation of Celestia's dead lover, and the Cutie Mark Creator(s)/Tree of Destiny(a.k.a. Harmony/Universe sought to bring them back together?
Light so funny, radish so polite, celestia drunk as hell
Does this mean that this story will be ending soon?
11424967
I dearly hope not.
But I notice you've asked this about multiple stories.
Why trying so hard to end it?
11424939
Yeah, their relationship is not going to last.
11424967
11424977
The story will not be ending soon.
Now that slacking on solo governing coming closer - with acclimation of Luna, promotion of Cadence and Twilight's ascention - Celestia could find in herself considering alloving herself to have something more than one cherished memory, to give herself a chance to give finding another love a chance.
Technicalities:
Technically, opening lower section of hourglass doesn't disturbs timer - because it doesn't matter where exactly sand goes to. If air pressure inside and outside of hourglass is the same of course and there's no strong winds that would locally disturb air pressure.
Technically, Radish should have been disqualified for weapon using. Using natural acid is no better than using poison joke, oak plank from destroyed bench as a club or wrap barbed wire around one hoof and press it against opponent's throat.
It was evident that there would be apologies. It is evident that Celestia's issues still burden her and, if they would continue to accumulate, there could be other slips.
Also, is it true that there's still no Luna merchandise?! If so, it's a crime of not pursuing this opportunity to popularize Luna and increase income to the treasure. And badass Celestia merch too should be for sale.
11424961
Oh my God that makes so much sense!!! So much!!!
I can't believe I didn't even think of that!!
In vino veritas. Poor mare.
11424961
Even if he was, I would still not want him with Celestia. Celestia has proven herself to not be good person, let alone a good partner.
11424994
Part of me as a person that has empathy wants them to work out.
Part of me realizes none of this is real and I want these two cartoon characters to bash faces together due to chemistry. They have such outstanding chemistry
First off, unknowingly or not, thanks for the birthday gift. Ending that last cliffhanger and not ending on another is the best thing I could have asked for.
Anyways…
Huh, well, former lover was on my list for why Celestia might have issues. Was not expecting them to be so self imposed that she never even let herself have that first love beyond a single night. She’s still lying to Radish and maybe even herself whether she realizes it or not, though… Before the fight, that bit with the hot chocolate was not just a Princess and her guard. You don’t share hot chocolate and a bench like that if trying to maintain a professional relationship. She really needs to make sure Radish realizes that even if she doesn’t want a lover, Radish is arguably as close as she ever lets ponies get from the look of things.
I hope that Celestia’s former lover isn’t Starswirl.
11424996
When Celestia punched the latch on the bottom bulb, she jostled the remaining sand in the upper bulb, affecting its natural flow.
Canterbury Rules define a weapon as any solid object wielded by hoof, tail, or mouth. A liquid already which is already present in the area and then soaked into a combatant's coat doesn't meet the definition.
Luna has only permitted her likeness to be used on dignified merchandise- commemorative plates, coins, and stationary. None of the T-shirts or plushies.
God, Light is just the best. She found someone she cares deeply for, and won't shut up about it. It's adorable. Cele X Rad shippers btfo
11424995
Yeah. We're only in the middle of season 3. We haven't gotten anywhere close to the end, yet.
11425005
They were both students of Starswirl.
11424999
Not a good pony? She literally chose to seal her heart off and deny herself any form of love for over a thousand years because she’s so overly focused on doing what’s best for all her subjects that she sees taking one as a lover and being happy as something she’s not allowed. Her treatment of Radish is literally an exception and not the rule—all caused by his damn marks. The fact she hates his marks is a situation neither of them seems to like very much, either. It goes against the very moral of the story she just gave them for her to like one pony less because of his marks in the same way that loving one pony more was unacceptable to her, after all, and I imagine she knows and realizes that.
Whether she would be a good partner is up for debate, but a good pony? She is still the Celestia from the show here. Radish just lets us see things about her the show never could give us.
I know one stallion perfect for Celestia… Spats it just makes sense after all he went through trying not to date a major character to only end up with one in the end
Come to think of it, didn't Shining Armor place bets on the Root vs. Celestia fight? As the one who helped train Celestia to wrestle, he must have known the rules as well as Twilight and Root did, so he must have already known that Root had won on a technicality. I wonder how he felt about that? Did he keep quiet and hoped that no pony would find out, or did he start forking over the bits since he knew his genius sister was in the audience? Either way, Root has a whole new reason to be popular...at least for the ponies who bet on him, that is.
Well. Would you look at that. Celestia is a Pony after all.
Some people are reading way to hard into her Cruelty to Radish.
Radish is still her friend. More or less. But the thing about our friends is that we know exactly what hat it would take to hurt them.
I wouldn't want to hazard a guess as to what it would be. But I suspect Twilight or Luna know three sentences that would destroy Celestia.
And Celestia did the most normal thing in the world. She was angry. She was hurt. Humiliated. And She lashed out at someone she normally cares a great deal for. Cutting him in the way that hurt the most. Because when you're in pain, when you are spiralling , a surefire way to feel like you still have some measure of control is to turn and hurt someone else. It's why when we are angry, we snap at our loved ones. Burried resentments and grudges come spilling out.
Celestial would never blame Radish. She knows her feelings of humiliation and anger have no outlet. Have no reasonable course. so she burries them and pretends they aren't there. That she's above it.
But of course the thing about anger is that when we are angry we don't feel reasonable.
Everyone has been thinking about how Radishs Marks affect him. Even Celestia. Use she just expected to ignore them? Reciprocate them? Be flattered at the most blatant fetishisation of herself? Why shouldn't she feel outraged? Why shouldn't she be upset? Because it might hurt Radishs feelings, that she's not so above it all as she pretends?
This was a very realistic, very human depiction of someone who's very used to putting the wellbeing of others ahead of herself. Celestial wants one thing: for this whole business to just go away. It's one more thing to deal with and she's over it.
Angry, upset, humilated, ashamed and still clearly with PTSD over facing the first credible threat to her life in 1000 years, She finally acted like a (deeply flawed) ordinary person and just lost it. And is still putting out the fires.
Was it cruel and unpleasant of her? Yes. Was it out of character for her? Yes. People act in ways that are out of character when under extreme pressure, anger of emotion.
Some people are acting as though this version of Celestia is a horrible person. She isnt. She is a good person, who has, despite being a good person, nevertheless behaved in a horrible way. Exploring the reasons that a Good person might act out, and behave in a manner contrary to their nature is what makes it interesting. It's not recharacterizing her as cruel. It is signalling her fragile emotional state.
11425007
As I said, technicalities. Arbitrary.
If hourglass is magically wielded or enchanted by Celestia, it could be more unmovable than entire Canterlot in courtyard of which this hourglass could have stayed since even earthquake wouldn't disturb it.
If this is definition, then Celestia could have covered her body with concealed (paralyzing poisoned) steel barbs before starting and it would be fair fight by those rules. One hug, no matter whose, she wins.
No plushies?! She's a coldhearted monster!
Hey now.
Oh come on.
11424939
Based Lunaroot shipper.
Aw, she's not that bad. Maybe her anti authoritarian streak will rub off on him some. He could really use a bit more backbone when dealing with ponies in positions of authority.
11424961
That's one hell of a cutie mark to get them back together with.
11425007
Tsk. Luna plushies would be the perfect gift for foals who have nightmares or get scared at night, I bet they would have been especially helpful after the changeling invasion. Someone should really talk to her about that.
11424942
Don't scare me like that. I had to go back and double-check to make sure the story wasn't marked as complete.
11425021
So much of this. Like, I’ll admit that I gave Celestia too much credit and thought she worked past her hatred of Radish’s marks around the time she said she wanted to try doing things as friends and that this fight stemmed from other issues, but like, its freaking Celestia. I don’t get why so many readers were villainizing her for this. She is not meant to be the villain of the story, and though you could maybe argue that she’s an antagonist, antagonists are very rarely cut and dry. We just have a very hard time getting information on what lies under her picture perfect princess mask because the story is from Raddish’s PoV not hers.
11425027
That is just asking for some colt or filly to get a Luna themed cutie mark.
Well. Not what I was expecting. Not what I was hoping for either. But this is probably better. Keep it up!
11425037
Many loves to hate and villainize her in general. Overwhelmingly many compared to those who villainize Luna or Twilight. Why? They'll find why. Be it her being main authority, her manipulating things and ponies, her neglecting Luna or even making Twilight alicorn. There may even be excuse that there just should be a villain. And whose candidate is most juicy and not that emphatisized?
11425038
Honestly that sounds like it could be a pretty fun side plot.
11425038
It is miniscule cost for all the good that would those plushies do.
Well, that seemed ... therapeutic. Glad they finally sat down and talked.
i now understand celestia's side of things better, but i feel that still doesn't entirely make what she did okay, but im glad she owned up to it.
im absolutely ecstatic that LF was okay with what was gonna happen if celestia actually had won. she's truly the best choice for radish, even greater than celestia is for him.
speaking of which, of fuckin course celestia forfeited through a previously unmentioned technicality. part of me thinks that just adds a slight bit more insult to radish's physical and mental injuries. he went through his employer's enraged breakdown, got his ass handed to himself, and yet, even after all the emotional and mental abuse during the fight, he still wins. as if the whole incident didn't completely change their relationship for the worse(work-related or otherwise).
but this kinda is the best possible resolution for this entire fiasco, isnt it? a formal apology, some informal goofing off, and some insight into celestia, with LF almost fully taking charge of the three-pony hangout that night.
if there's a good end, i hope it's something to do with Radish's cutie mark changing to something more wholesome and he spends the rest of his natural life with LF. its what i feel he deserves. maybe even something to do with starlight glimmer in the season 5 arc?
Stop, and how exactly Light knows where is changeling secret base? Isn't that even existence of changelings were unknown untill very recently?
11425107
The palace put out press releases with everything they know about changelings. Chrysalis mentioned coming from "badlands" while taunting the captive Cadance.
11425037
The reason as to why readers dislike Celestia is that she mistreats Radish.
The first example is her playing with Radish’s emotions by making him ask her out on a date and then instantly rejecting him. The second example is the insults, demoralization, and public humiliation inflicted on Radish during the fight. The third and final example is one that is slowly and subtlety being conveyed and that is Celestia doesn’t want Radish, but has a problem with him moving on to other romantic interests.
Essentially, Celestia can be summarized as a person who abuses others and then gets upset when said others no longer entertain her abuse.
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That is two examples of Celestia not being perfect with one singular pony against basically every example the show gives us of her being a paragon of pony society in the show. That does not, a bad and abusive pony make. Again, she is still Celestia, regardless of her problems with Radish’s cutie mark. At the very beginning of the story, she tried to give him an out—basically warned him and tried to shoo him away so neither of them would have to deal with this. She could have refused adding him to the royal guard, and she certainly had no attachment to him then so her accepting him only really added more to her pile, but she said nothing cause it would have destroyed Radish to hear the flat out truth that she hated his marks then. She probably couldn’t bring herself to because even though that might have been good for her, she likely felt it was unfair to him, so she let him join and even let herself grow closer to him—close enough to let her mask start to slip—but that didn’t change her irrational hatred for his marks, because why should it? She knows he is not defined by his marks.
I really don't get this chapter. During the fight it was made very clear that Celestia was being mean and hurtful, not just trash talking. I can see Radish bending the knee anyways--obedient to the end--but when Celestia was describing her own situation, opening herself up and explaining herself, light was giggling and cheering? While Celestia quickly started angrily drinking? Naw, I don't buy it. I may be misinterpreting it, but in my head light would've slammed the door on in Celestia's face, chewed her out, or growled like a defensive dog the whole time. Instead she just thought it was a good fight, and thanks for being flawed?
It just didn't feel like it followed the previous chapter.
Well I’m glad that that problem solved itself…mostly.
Honestly, I can’t think of a better description for Radish. He got possibly the worst Cutie Mark one could get stuck with just short of being an FO:E one, gets sent on life-threatening missions regardless of whether not they were even supposed to be life-threatening, got into two different overly-violent wrestling matches that he had no chance of winning, has/had a CO that supposedly holds/held a slight grudge against him for possibly muddying the “image” of the Royal Guard, is potentially being targeted by Chrysalis’ Second-In-Command, and got into a massive Insult-Off with his own Princess.
And yet, he marches on like the steadfast soldier he is, because he knows that despite the bad hand he’s been dealt, he has friends and family worth fighting for, and an oath he’s sworn to serve Equestria and the Princesses not matter the cost, and he’ll never let his Cutie Mark drag him down like it did before.
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She wasn’t giggling and happy at the fight or the story. She was having the time of her life over the fact that Radish drove the picture perfect monarch into a drinking fit and rubbing just about everything she could in Celestia’s face all as she played the part of a perfect host and marefriend.
The story made it very clear her and a bunch of her friends are anti-authoritarian. Seeing Celestia humbled and knocked down so many pegs to mortal pony standards is like christmas for her. Shes gonna be able to brag to all of her friends that her boyfriend literally drove Celestia to drink multiple bottles in a matter of minutes, and that Light herself burned Celestia so good that Celestia growled and threatened to cut her life short.
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To add onto this, Celestia states that she doesn’t hate Radish as an individual, and that that’s what really gets under her skin about this whole ordeal.
The Cutie Mark that Celestia despises more than anything else, something she considers a cosmic mockery of her accomplishments and the sacrifices she’s made throughout her entire life, and it’s stuck on the Pony that she can’t bring herself to hate on a personal level because he’s done far more than what’s been asked of him as a Royal Guard, serves her with as much unflinching diligence as Shining Armor and Barrel Roller, played a core role in helping her sister readjust to the modern world, and to top it all off he’s too damn nice.
Celestia considers Radish to be a loyal soldier and a wonderful friend, but slapped on him is something that she considers to be a cosmic affront to her very being, and that’s what torments her about Radish and their relationship.
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It would be nice if she wasn't been hold to her own standards. Courtyard clean, kitchen clean and laboratory clean hold their own standards of cleanness for a reason. Celestia holding her perfect image for a reason. I don't get why people would be antiauthoritarian if they don't have reason to believe that any authority works against their interests and well-being. Except stupidity, i.e. youthful rebellious nature.
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Welp, I called it. One chapter where apologies are made, and I doubt we'll see more fallout from it
Sunburst better watch out he her type