[Skype] Ask Princess Celestia Anything [Open]

[starswirlthebearded]

((due to the success of this, I'll do it again. I've just been overly busy lately. Also, due to the Q&A nature of this, I'll be doing it by exchange and this will be the opening post))

Princess Celestia: After much diliberation and discussion with her sister [that is to say her sister Luna insisted upon it], Princess Celestia, in a bid to improve relations and closeness with her subjects around Equestria put out a notification. This notification read

"Attention all residents of Equestria:

 

On the forthcoming Sunday, I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, will hereby open up to all mail from all subjects. The letters may ask me anything, and I shall answer to the best of my ability. I look forward to receiving your letters.

 

-Princess Celestia"

[starswirlthebearded]

Earth Writer: A letter, set in type rather than written:

 

"Dear Princess Celestia, Please forgive the unusual format, I'm testing the innovation of a colleague of mine.  To get to my question, do recall what it was like when newspapers and journalism in general first came to Equestria?  I've become interested in the early history of my profession, and I was interested in getting your perspective, as you would obviously have been high in the interest of the day's reporters.  

 

Yours respectfully, Earth Writer"

 

Princess Celestia: Princess Celestia took up her quill to send out a formal cursive response as she started to pen out a response.

 

"Dear Earth Writer, 

I thank you for your letter, and can say I do recall the beginnings of journalism. It was shortly after the invention of the printing press, which at the time was rather crude device using blocks and unicorn magic to make the machine go in a timely manner. Perhaps it is the thought of a simpler time, when tabloids were not something that could be found, or perhaps that the news was for the first time being widespread. But I can recall the first paper I ever saw, it discussed different cultures, a research piece, if you will, on the new species Equestria was in talks of peace with. This of course included Griffons and Zebra. The paper, The Canterlot Squire, which I'm sure you can find was later renamed to the 'Canterlot Gazette' spread and this novel new invention had found it's place in something other than literature. We had entered an age of more widely available information. And the news has not dissappointed since.

 

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia"

[starswirlthebearded]

Radiant Steel: Radiant Steel sighed as she looked over the letter she had written and then down at the wastebasket beside her filled with the thirty crumpled up prior drafts. She felt like an absolute fool, reading back the words to herself, but she still could not deny that she needed help. 

 

Upon hearing about the princess asking for letters, she had immediately thought to write, but had quickly reconsidered, thinking it an entirely silly notion. That same night, after a bout with insomnia, she had taken to her pen. It was dawn now, and finally she had a fully composed letter. She folded it and placed it in an envelope, briefly considered tossing it in the basket with the other but eventually stopped herself. 

 

She would send it later that day.

 

“My Most Eminent Princess Celestia,

 

There is a pressing question weighing on my mind constantly these days, keeping me from sleep and even at times interfering with my sworn duty. 

 

There is a stallion who has captured my heart. He is handsome, dutiful and of similar standing to me. Well, to be fair, I'm actually technically his superior by rank, but I don't see why that should be important.

 

He is friendly toward me, but his eyes and attentions seem to more readily travel only to mares who far outshine me both in terms of status and beauty. I feel inadequate. I don't have a lot of confidence for such things in the first place, and just watching him win smiles from such regal ponies makes me want to disappear. I am at a loss.

 

I was hoping that you, in all of your immense wisdom, might have some advice for me. How do I him to notice me? What can I do to make myself more appealing to him?

 

My love and gratitude are yours,

 

A confused, yet loyal retainer.”

Princess Celestia: Celestia expected to receive many letters when she opened up requests for letters. She never did expect to get asked relationship advice from someone in the REA. Naturally there were no laws against relationships in the REA, and most superior officers usually recommend not getting romantically involved, and perhaps they were right to a degree, but in her long tenure as princess, Celestia has seen both love bloom from such relationships as well as heartbreak, so she decided to give advice best as she could.

 

"Dear A confused, yet loyal retainer,

 

First allow me to thank you for your continuing service in protecting not only myself, but Equestria as a whole. It is that service that allows me to relax and take letters like this.

 

As for your question, there will always be a question of "this mare [or stallion] is better than me so why should he [or she] pay any attention to me?" And of course the answer is that you don't know. Not all qualities of a pony, griffon or zebra is readily seen superficially by their talents or by thier looks. And unfortunately these questions will always linger until you talk to them about your feelings. They may feel the same about you as a superior officer, in fact if they do, that fact is even more daunting to them. 

 

Now, since relationships between REA members is not disallowed, my best advice for you is to simply talk to them. Nothing can occur if you do not take that first step. And if it is indeed interfering with your work as you claim, I do suggest taking this first step sooner rather than later. 

 

Your concerned boss,

Princess Celestia

 

(PS: Don't you think this letter would have been better sent to Princess Cadence, whom is better known for love?)"

 

Celestia allowed her playful nature to come out at the end in the form of a post script, but the advice she felt was sound.

[starswirlthebearded]

Fleur de Lis: Fleur levitated the beautiful quill to her parchment and took a breath, writing her letter

 

"Mah Dearest Princess Celestia, Zis is Fleur De Lis and I am most troubled! You see  I am suffering from zhe judgement of other ponies! Without so much as speaking to me, zhey assume I am 1: Above zhem, or 2: a Horrid snob with no depth! It eis crushing to try and make friends but to only have all my efforts brushed off, or to have ponies act like I assume zhey are a lower form of life!

 

You have seen me, you 'ave been at a after gala celebration I have hosted, and o'w hard I try to interact weith all ponies! I am not sure how to handle zhe judgements, and even the zhe harsh glares given to me by Mares for doing leittle more zhan waving at a Stallion zhat I am fond of.

 

What can I do? I do not wish to change mou! I am not perfect but I do zhink I am a good mare, who does not zhink she is above others, how do I make other ponies not think of me as such? Or must I simply bare zhis  cross due to having a former Modeling career?"

 

After it was done, she sent it in, taking a breath and going to make herself a pot of coffee.

 

Princess Celestia: Princess Celestia received a letter from a pony she has often seen and has had contact with both in the most formal of settings at the Grand Galloping Gala and even an after party that Fleur threw one year that she could not attend. Her letter was rather disheartened at the letter, knowing that ponies should be better than to judge, but as one who was even on the receiving end long ago, and is even still sometimes on the receiving end when visiting forein lands, this letter was one that hit home especially close, and Celestia was even unsure if any advice she could give could help.

 

"Dear Fleur de Lis,

 

I am truly disheartened to hear that any pony could treat anypony so callously, however, as one who was once on the receiving end of such words and actions, I know it all too well to doubt your words. 

 

Every situation is different, and I can unfortunately only tell you what I personally did, in the hopes that it will help you. For me, it was shortly after my sister and I became the protectors and princesses of Equestria. While there were many who looked forward to the possible benefits, other saw me as some usurper who was jarring the delicately held balance just because of what I was and what I was given.

 

In the beginning I often faced opposition when I even I tried to quell the concerns and jeers from those who did not think I was whom I was, I was often brushed off. The one thing that made them change how I was seen, was to treat everyone equally, for you see, your actions will show more of who you are than your words. It will be a slow and arduous task, and even still, those that are obstinant will not yeild to your efforts. Some things you can do is do things outside what you normally do. Show ponies that you are a pony just like them, not just a pretty face. I had to develop a sense of humor to get ponies to loosen up around me, and I still do it.

 

There are many things you can try, whether it is picking up a hobby that other ponies would interact with you in, or frequenting places that you would not normally, even joining a club to discuss something you mutually enjoy with other ponies, like a book club, might help as well. 

 

I am sorry I cannot help more, I cannot decree that all my subjects treat everypony, griff, zebra with respect and dignity, I wish I could. You must find a way to force ponies to see past your exterior and see your heart, and I can tell you from experience that is easier said than done, but know you have my support and you may request my council again as needed.

 

Good Luck Fleur.

 

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia"

[starswirlthebearded]

Glimmer: Glimmer peered at the notification next to her apartment door and thought for a moment, then shrugged. Well, a letter to Princess Celestia. That could be fun, right? Writing a letter to the Princess and seeing what she wrote back? Well, yes that could be good. Only Glimmer really didn't need to write the princess a letter. What would she say other than 'hi'? The aspiring actress had no connection to the leader of the nation, nor did she ever hope to aspire to such things. Well, she did hope that one day the princess might see a play of hers. That would be for when she was famous of course. Still, the idea appealed to her as she headed into her already messy apartment. Wait, she did have a problem didn't she? Perhaps the Princess would be able to help? Perhaps not, ah well. She picked up a quill and a piece of parchment.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

 Hi there, my name is Glimmer. I am an aspiring actress living in Canterlot. I've been in several low end productions as well as appeared in one or two magazines as a model. My career is going well though I'm sad to say it's stalled a little. I don't have much money and I'm struggling to pay the rent as it is. I'm okay for the moment, but I worry about next month. I used to have a job as a waitress at a cafe in downtown, and while the money was okay there I could only barely make rent when I was working there. Worse, the time I spend working there will be taken away from the amount of time I spend looking for acting jobs and modelling jobs. I don't really want to go back to waitressing again, it'll be a total step back. Like, I'm at a point where I'm solely dependent on my acting and my modelling, I feel like going back to waitressing would be a step back. I hated it after all.

Should I hope my career picks up and focus all my energy into making it work? Or should I go for the more stable option and go back to waitressing, even though it'll feel like a defeat. I know you've never had to deal with money troubles. I think. It must be nice to live in a fancy castle. I can see it from my window actually. I want to be famous see, that's why I moved to Canterlot and why I try my very hardest to be a great actress. To have ponies like me and look up to me, it would be great. I know these things come with time, and effort. I'm more than willing to put plenty of both into my dream. It's my dream after all, right? I dunno, I just think I'm going to stop writing now. I guess it's just nice to get it off my chest.

Do you have any advice? Waitress or hope for the best and go for my dream? I'm sort of at a loss and I've been putting off the decision too long. 

Anyway, I hope you're well up in your castle. I wish you the very best and to thank you for reading my letter. I know my problems are small compared to some ponies, but they matter to me.

Thanks. 

Your Faithful Subject

-Glimmer"

The actress sighed and sealed the letter. She trotted over to the post box and posted it right away, then headed back to her apartment for a well deserved nap.

Princess Celestia: Celestia never expected the range of letters she would get from this. The newest was from an aspiring actress. This was actually the most straight forward letter she had recieved as well.

 

"Dear Glimmer,

Your problem is a very common one in acting, and one which is relatively easy to solve. But to start, I must say, do not do anything that you think will compromise your dreams. Doing so can only lead to regret and heartache in the future. 

 

The first thing I can suggest is looking for an acting agency. There you can find an agent who will seek out auditions for you to take. Especially here in Canterlot, there is no shortage of shows to audition for. Finding them is the job of the agent. Naturally they require a fee for their services, but I have seen many young actors and actresses get major roles because an agent helped them find it. The other thing, which is cheaper, is to join an acting guild. Acting guilds allow you more contact with other actors and actresses and gets you contacts which may lead to parts in plays. Either one of these options should help immensely. There is a third option, which many do not wish to take because it involves uprooting yourself entirely, which is to join a traveling acting troupe.

 

When you do find work, please send another letter letting me know the play and stage, and I shall certainly try to see you. Nothing makes me happier than to see one of my subjects suceed in what they love doing. And I can't stress enough once again, do not do something you will regret, things always have a way of working themselves out. If you do need to find another job to make ends meet, do not take one which you will not enjoy. I suggest trying to become a stage hoof at a theater if anything.

 

Good luck in your endeavors and I look forward to hearing of your success in acting.

 

Your Loving Princess,

Celestia"

[starswirlthebearded]

Lyra Heartstrings: Lyra Heartstrings smiled gleefully as she shoved her hastily composed letter into the mailbox, excited to see how the princess might respond.

 

“Heya Tia,

 

This is your pal Lyra! It's been a while. How you been? I've been awesome. I bought this pretty dress the other day from Rarity in Canterlot. Everyone else has one, I guess, but it's still nice and Bon Bon says I look good in it.

 

Speaking of which, Bon Bon was apparently lying to me about a lot of things, which I'm not sure how to feel about though I still love her lots and always will. Besides, I got her back pretty good so I think we're even.

 

Anyway, I heard you were doing this letter thing and I thought that was pretty cool. I knew I wanted to write you and ask something.

 

So, my question is this. Why do flammable and inflammable mean the same thing? 

 

Just thought you might know. 

 

Your friend always,

 

Lyra Heartstrings”

Princess Celestia: Celestia received a letter from an aquaintence she first met at a lovely litte stand at Ponyville's Running of the Leaves. A bubbly and energetic pony named Lyra whom never seemed to fail to put a smile on the princess's face. And this letter was no exception to that. In fact Celestia could not help but giggle as she read the letter from her. Naturally Celestia felt the need to at least somewhat reciprocate the tone, so she opened up in what was a very unconventional way for her...

 

"Hiya Lyra,

 

It is rather nice to hear from you. I'm doing rather well, with so many princesses to help me now it is much easier to take a step back and occasionally enjoy myself. 

 

I did notice many ponies wearing a particular dress, I believe it was called the Princess Dress from Canterlot Boutique, which is run by an aquaintence of mine, Miss Rarity of Ponyville. I'm rather happy that her business is doing well and that you bought one of her dresses. 

 

And I must say that is how friendships are. If you knew everything, it would be boring, don't you think? It is nice if you have someone to confide in, but sometimes there are things that you don't want anypony to know. So always try to be understanding of that, even though you did get her back.

 

And as for your question, that is a very interesting question. I even remember when inflammable was the more popular of the two words to use. To put it simply they come from two different, but similar roots. Flammable is actually from a Prench word, and Inflammable is from a Latail word. The latter word fell out of use when Prench became more widely known and used. They both had the same basic meaning in equestrian which is "in flame." 

 

I do hope that answers your question. 

 

Your friend,

Tia"

[starswirlthebearded]

Honeywing: Honeywing dipped one of the quills he'd had made from one of Glitzen's pinions that he'd donated and wrote out a rough draft of a letter. He had intended to come back and finish it later, but one of the dangers of working in an embassy's couriers' offices is that when somepony sees something addressed to an official, they tend to leave it unread and send it. So his letter was gone by the time he got back to his desk, already on the way to the Princess.

 

"Dear Princess Celestia, 

 

My name is Honeywing, and I'm proud to serve as a member of the Diplomatic Courier corps attached to the embassy. With some of the more recent developments, for instance, the Caribou nation and Yakyakistan both opening formal diplomatic channels, I wonder what your personal opinions are on the various nations near Equestria, and your hopes for future relations. Additionally, did you have any particularly tense situations when formalising agreements with any of our sister nations or sovereign territories, such as the deer, griffon, or diamond dog nations?

 

Sincerely and faithfully, Honeywing, Courier esq. 

 

PS. My father wouldn't let me get this letter out the door without asking about any unusual foods you enjoy that other ponies may not."

Princess Celestia: Diplomatic relations was something for the longest of times that Celestia handled herself. It wasn’t until fairly recently that she was able to have somepony else help with diplomatic relations on any considerable scale, like Princess Twilight helping with Yakyakistan. The ever changing climate of diplomacy in Equestria had Celestia ever on her hooves. 

 

“Dear Honeywing,

 

Diplomacy in Equestria has always been about peace above all else. Though I instituted the REA and heightened protection for Equestria, my goals were never to alienate any culture or race outside of ponies. There was never a time when summits were not had to normalize diplomatic relations between races from around the world. Even more than a thousand years of being princess, we are still encountering new nations wishing to develop diplomatic relations with Equestria. 

 

To be quite honest, even if I do not see eye to eye with each nation on their culture and how they handle themselves in public, I feel that every nation has something to offer when they open up diplomatic relations. The most worrisome was the recent Yakyakistan, which unbeknownst to me, almost landed Equestria into a full scale war. It is unnerving when the first thing you hear from a diplomat’s mouth is in essence “war was avoided, now we’re friends.” Each culture has exports they can offer us, and we can offer them the same, making a stronger global economy that is more enriched, by mutual respect and trade. The caribou nation is an interesting one though. From what diplomatic talks with the King, his daughter, the princess, Randgrid and the Jarl Sigrun, have told us, there are actually two factions of caribou. One wants peace, which is lead by the High King Havardr, and the other is lead by a caribou known as the Red Jarl, who seems to want nothing but war. That element is very hard to deal with, but the High King and Randgrid assures us that the Red Jarl is considered a traitor and they are seeking him as well. It is a very interesting time to be in. Even when things seem their worst, I believe that diplomacy and peace will ultimately win out.

 

I can’t really say much about Yakyakistan or the Caribou, as I’ve not personally been dealing with them. However one of the oldest relations was rather a difficult start, which was that of the one with the Griffons. We didn’t really see many similarities at all, and there was a time when we feared invasion from the Griffons. It was a tense time and it was unsure if war could be avoided. The REA was on high alert for months on end, fearing an invasion. It came to a pass where we had captured, who was apparently, the current king of the Griffons, King Grover. That seemed to be the last straw and we almost went to war on that day. However, I convinced him to have dinner with me in Canterlot Castle. I even ordered out all others from the room so we would be able to talk. I was able to convince him over dessert that war would not benefit anyone, and that a mutually beneficial arrangement could be made. The griffons were more technologically advanced, but we had access to gold and jewels on our land. So a trade agreement was reached. When the Kingdom collapsed and other oligarchies of griffons started up, the trade agreements seemed to hold as was considered normalized, even though some of those in places of power in the three ruling families did not fully trust Equestrians, they still saw benefit in alliance. And we are still there, so at times the relationship between the two seems uncertain. 

 

Continuing diplomatic relations is always difficult but often rewarding. I hope your work in the Diplomatic Courier Corps will continue to assist in the furthered diplomatic relations between everyone in this world.

 

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia

PS: As for foods I might enjoy that other ponies may not, the answer is rather wide, and it is largely due to the question you asked. Through the years of diplomacy and travels, I have been offered many foreign delicacies such as a variety of fish which are enjoyed often by griffons, or fufu from the Zebra tribes. Trying new things is always a joy though, even if I may not like everything, it is always wise to try something once, in case the result might surprise you.”

((Note: The princess's post script did not appear in the original RP due to reasons. I've added it since it answers something directly from the letter received))

[starswirlthebearded]

Pathfinder: The next letter the Princess received lacked all the finery and penmanship the Princess was likely used to. In fact, it lacked punctuation at times. And sense. And it was colored an odd purple-crimson that seemed to seep into a few of the sentences, blanking elements of the letter and making others harder to read. It was one of the most coherent letters ever written by Pathfinder.

 

“Hey hey hey hey hey Princess Celestia!

 

This is Pathfinder, your best forever adventure buddy! Well, maybe possibly not. That may have been a dream but they say the venom of the red recluse can make your visions seem as real as the most realest of life. So maybe our adventure together exploring the abandoned mines of Las Delgeldo was a figment of a fever dream or what have you. Please advise? Anypoop, not why I'm writing you. Not this time anyway. But I've got some serious questions that demand royal answers, and nopony else seems to be able to answer me and that is really super sad and frustrating and I don't like it much. I figured there are two ponies who could absolutatotally answer my questions and that's you and Snowfall buuuuuuuuuuuuuut I didn't tell her I was coming to the Caves of Concordant Visions beeecccaaaauuuussseeee I'm looking for a gem for heeeeeeer and I want it to be a surpriiiiiiiissssseeee

 

Sorry sorry almost lost track there a lot of blood rushing to my head right now haha. Anyway. First question. Why don't we republish all those cool spell books we find in caves anymore? Any time I find an ancient tome and hoof it off to Twilight or somepony else they always thank me, pay me, and then I don't see the book getting reproduced. I mean, that stuff is so cool that I'm sure lots of responsible ponies would want to cast all sorts of weird spells. Maybe just make it a holiday or something I don't be right back the bear is back

 

bear is gone I'm safe now haha. Anyway, I'm flying now and this brings me to my second point. Why don't we just gather up all of the clouds we can and create one super long rain chain and have it snake around Equestria? That would look really cool. And it would look like a snake! Hiss hiss! Imagine it! I don't have to because I saw it. A giant cloud spirit transformed into a snake and tried to eat me. Well, it worked but I got better! I was able to free the spirit from the clutches of a power crazy pegasi who called himself the dark lord of the Everfree. He also had a notebook of love poetry addressed to your sister. I've attached it for great laughs! Please, we all know your sister is secretly in love with Twilight. At least that's what the stories we write say.

 

Speaking of your sister,. Canterlot. Royal Archives. Why is the security so bad? I get in there alllll the time to find stuff I need. Now imagine I was a bad pony! Yikes! Speaking of bad ponies, could you turn Merlot into a statue? He always looks at Snowfall like he is super jealous. And he is an evil pony who does terrible things, but mostly that. And if you do turn him into a statue, could Snowfall have it? Speaking of stone, what is

 

oh sorry for that hahaha a golem is attacking me

 

okay safe now. Well the golem ate me. But I'll

 

I'm good now. Golems don't like being tickled. But now everything is purple. Anyway, what do you think of the hiring of Just Star to play Bravado in the upcoming Daring Do projector special? I think he'll do great!

 

Respectfully,

 

Pathfinder

Or maybe a Changeling who is really good at being me but probably just me”

Princess Celestia: Princess Celestia didn’t know what to make of the letter she had just read. She read it twice to make sure she read it right. She couldn’t make heads or tails of it. She had heard of this Pathfinder pony a few times before, she even had the REA investigate her at the behest of Dr Merlot. She started to understand at least slightly what Merlot was talking about… Regardless, this Pathfinder didn’t seem like a bad pony…. There was even a notebook attached with some entertaining love poetry about Luna enclosed. Celestia of course hooved through it and got a laugh. What made the letter even more odd is that the return address was that of Snowfall… And so she started writing her response with her trusty quill, not quite sure of what to write…

 

“Dear Pathfinder,

 

While I am certain that we have never actually met, I have been on many grand adventures in my long life. I’ve even been to other dimensions in my youth. Though even considering that, I cannot say that I’m an adventurer. Most of my adventures were during my quest for knowledge above all else. I felt no need for material possessions. 

 

As for the spellbooks found, most of them are republished in some form, after they are looked over of course. The spells that are deemed not dangerous are released to the public in books containing spells. The original texts though are usually kept in one of the three castle’s libraries. It is safer that way, as some of the spells are not to be cast lightly. If you were a student of aetherology, even though you are a pegasus, I’m sure you would find some of the spells from the books you personally found. 

 

Your next question would less be up to me, and more be up to the pegasii in Cloudsdale. In fact, I’m certain if you went to Cloudsdale and explained it like you did to me I’m certain they’d at least be open to hearing the suggestion. But I do not personally control the weather, only the sun and occasionally the moon if needed. Speaking of the moon I did read the love letters you wrote, and I may have to read some to my sister. I’m certain she would appreciate that. I thank you for that inclusion. Though I cannot say I’ve heard that she is fond of Twilight in that way, but if those are the stories you write, who am I to argue. I am not my sister after all. 

 

As for the Royal Archives it depends on what archives you are talking about. You were probably in some of the public archives or the ones available to magic students. There are other archives where the truly dangerous tomes are kept that are nigh impossible to access without clearance (and some magic available only to princesses). I do not think a bad pony, as you say, would be able to access those areas. As for Merlot, while I do not think he is exactly a good pony, he is not a bad pony either. He has given much to museums and educational facilities. He has also sold a lot of his findings for monetary gain, but he usually follows the rules of Equestria when doing so. I do not think he is at all deserving of punishment, least of all being turned to stone. 

 

I’m quite looking forward to the Daring Do projector special. The entire cast seems to be well done. I do believe Twilight herself was rather curious about it. We may even make it a princess outing when it is released. 

 

Good luck with your… adventures...

 

Best Wishes,

Princess Celestia

(Whom is most certainly likely not a changeling)"