Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony, or any rights to the show, its characters, or any subject based on the show.
Note: This is my first story on the site. It's influenced by (not based on) some art I once saw, although I cannot find it now... Anyway, enjoy.
New Dawn
The illustrious halls of Canterlot Castle echoed with the clacking of Twlight Sparkle's hooves upon the marble floor. To Twilight, it seemed that the silence was deepened by the echoes, reverberating, pulsing until it was nearly unbearable. It was an odd sight to the young filly, that the castle was so devoid of life when only a few days ago it rang with the clamor of unicorns and pegasi, destroying and reconstructing the stained glass and alabaster pillars. The destruction caused by Discord was great, yet it appeared to be a trifling matter to undo that which he had waited a thousand years to commit.
The thought, although fleeting, seemed pitiful to Twilight, and a tinge of sadness racked her heart for a moment.
"Twilight Sparkle!"
The sudden, jarring voice of Princess Celestia broke through Twilight's daze like ice water upon a sleeping colt, and she started, tripping over her own hooves as she awoke from her daydream.
"Ah!" She squealed, falling face-first onto the marble staircase ahead of her. "Hello Princess..."
Celestia chuckled, lightly, regally. Twilight jumped to her feet, salvaging whatever pittance of decorum she may have had.
"Hey Princess! I see the working teams have done a fantastic job with the castle. Everything looks... well, normal. No dancing stained glass windows anymore."
Celestia chuckled again. Perhaps even giggled. Twilight beamed at her amusement.
"Yes Twilight, they have done a wonderful job. I'm glad that everything is back the way it should be. At least, it's almost that way." She nudged Twilight with her flank, and motioned towards the upper tiers. Twilight followed promptly, still beaming at her Princess's presence.
"Whaddya mean 'Almost that way?' Sure seems like the whole place is fixed." Glancing about, Twilight confirmed that the entire palace was intact and functional. Beautiful, too.
"What I meant was you're still here in Canterlot. After all this mess, I thought you might want to spend some time with your friends back in Ponyville." Celestia smiled faintly; a less observant pony might not have seen the smile at all. "I know what Discord did doesn't matter now, but I suppose you might have relished the time to make amends with the others."
Puzzled, Twilight turned towards Celestia. "We'll be fine Princess. We weren't exactly ourselves you know." Twilight smiled sheepishly; Celestia seemed to ignore it, so, crestfallen, Twilight continued. "We'll always be friends Princess. They said things they didn't mean, and so did I, but in the end, we'll always love each other. Nothing could take that away.
Stopping at the entrance to the tower study, Celestia smiled, her eyes shining. "It makes me very happy to hear that Twilight. If there was ever any doubt as to why you were chosen by the Elements..." Her voice trailed off, and she turned to Twilight. "Well, there never was any doubt in the first place now was there?"
At that, Celestia's horn shone, the evanescent light of alicorn magic alighting upon her brow, and the door opened itself. Twilight could only watch with mitigated awe; although she herself was a proficient magicker, there was something truly mystical about the magic of alicorns that no unicorn could replicate. Power, age, understanding; Twilight wasn't sure quite what it was that made the magic so captivating, only that it was special in some intangible and indescribable way...
"Twilight? Are you coming?" The Princess already lay upon her cushion, perusing through manuscripts and obligatory signings.
Twilight shook herself from her trance, embarrassed. Celestia seemed not to take note, so Twilight timidly shuffled into the enormous room, settling herself upon her own personal cushion. The seat was plush, stuffed with down from the illusive phoenixes of Equestria. Although painstaking to make, the Princess had made it expressly clear what the pillows were to be filled with, and none would deny her. A sense of guilty pleasure swept across Twilight as she sank into the cushion; Not only was the pillow incredibly comfortable, it had been made for her by direct orders from Celestia. A small part of Twilight felt almost boorish for idolizing the Princess to such an extreme; the larger part of her squealed with happiness, delighted that she would have so much effort ordered forth for her.
"Thank you for the pillow Princess..." Twilight muttered, languidly.
Celestia glanced up from her work, grinned for a moment, and returned her attention to an ink-splotched scroll. "You can nap if you'd like. I have a lot of work to do anyway. The castle may be fixed, but there's a lot of other things that need to be fixed elsewhere, and I have to see to most of it."
Twilight nodded, though she did not sleep. Instead, she deigned to admire the peculiarities of the room, where her Princess spent most of her "free" time. As humble and gracious as the Princess was, Twilight noted that she had a taste for excess. The walls were ordained with lavish tapestries of outlandish creatures and what she imagined were rulers from beyond Equestria. The bookcases lining the walls of the hexagonal room were filled to the ceiling with books outlined with gold filament, tomes that even Twilight had not perused, and the bookcases themselves were hoof-carved from the finest oak and mahogany. As she examined the room, it seemed to Twilight that, while beautifully made and lending of air of exquisite taste, the ornamental nature of the study seemed very... Not Celestia. From the crystal windows to the velvet rugs, Celestia's presence seemed almost as if it were isolated from its surroundings, buried amidst the abundance of scrolls and parchments. Twilight opened her mouth, as if to comment on her realization, when her eyes came to rest on the stained glass of Discord.
The design of Discord was simple enough: He stood, mouth agape in a half roar, paw raised and talon at the ready, as if to strike down an imaginary foe. His eyes were comically wide, as if surprised or immensely amused, as was his wont for much of anything. However, Twilight felt there was something different about the mural, slipping the grasp of her mind by mere tendrils of thought...
Discord was not encased by stone this time. The realization struck her like a hoof to the face. Why would the Princess have the window remade with Discord free? Discord, who almost successfully wedged himself between Twilight and her friends, and very nearly destroyed all of Equestria in the process, and here the Princess was, assigning an entire wall in his honor. Even more insulting to Twilight was his appearance; he almost seemed exalted, as if he were a proud lion, a figure of strength or greatness. As irritating as the entire depiction was, it was all the more frustrating that the Princess must have commissioned it, otherwise it would never have been rebuilt. The very notion brought Twilight to her hocks in outburst.
"Princess, why would you remake that?" Twilight pointed with her hoof at the far atrium.
Celestia began signing another parchment, focusing upon her work. "I had the castle remade exactly as it was Twilight."
Her easy dismissal annoyed Twilight. "Not exactly as it was. That one used to be different. It used to show how you and Luna defeated Discord; by turning him into stone. Now it makes him look like... like... Well, it makes him look good!" Twilight raised her hoof into the air, in a half-hearted display of outrage. As unhappy as she was with the mural, deep within herself Twilight knew she could never truly be angry with the Princess, because she knew Celestia always had reasons.
She just couldn't fathom what this one could be.
Celestia peeked over her work, giving Twilight an inquisitive look, then turned her head towards the mural, peering at it from behind three scrolls her magic held to her face. "Oh! We had it remade because of the nature of the piece. Luna and I thought it was best to change it from that old, ghastly image to something less, well, violent."
And with that, the Princess signed the parchments all at once, and continued her reading, leaving Twilight to her confusion.
Twilight rolled off the cushion, not yet done with questions. "But why have it all these years the way it was? It never seemed to bother you then."
"Discord's recent reappearance brought it to the forefront of my thoughts Twilight." Celestia casually remarked.
Still unconvinced, Twilight pressed on. "But it almost looks like you're honoring him Princess! Just look at it... He looks so... so... regal. You made him look like a king, when he almost destroyed everything we hold dear!"
Celestia lowered a document covering her face, her eyes slanted in obvious annoyance. "Please Twilight. I'm very busy."
Intimidating as the Princess was to Twilight, she continued, unfettered by Celestia's insistence. "If you really didn't want him there due to violence, you could have at least not remade it at all... Every other mural in this room depicts something heroic or remarkable, and then you have him! When we changed Nightmare Moon back into Luna, that's heroic! Or when Starswirl the Bearded created the omniamorphic spell, that was a breakthrough for magic-users everywhere!" She stomped her hoof for emphasis. "But Discord being Discord... I don't see why anyone would ever want him on their wall of heroes. He's not even worth remembering in my opinion-"
"He is worth remembering in mine." The Princess's quill pierced through the latest treatise she had been attending to, dripping black splotches of ink which soaked into her ornate desk. At that, Celestia released the scrolls from her magic, and they fell onto her desk into several neat stacks, those unfinished and finished paired together, with the ripped scroll on its own, ink bleeding into the mahogany beneath. "Twilight, I have asked you to stop, and, if you remembered your manners from foal's school, you would know that you are obliged to stop. But since you are so insistent on disrupting me while I am trying to put this kingdom back on the right track, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The door opened suddenly and forcefully, causing a gust of wind to scatter the scrolls on the Princess's floor, staining the red velvet with ink from the freshly signed documents. "I trust you can locate your quarters."
Twilight flinched, and backed away from the Princess. Perhaps provoking her with so little regard for her work wasn't such a great idea. Annoying the Princess at all wasn't a great idea, she mused. Her eyes downcast, Twilight turned towards the door, dejectedly shuffling her way out of the study. "I'm sorry Princess." she sighed. "I just don't know why..." Twilight paused, waiting. She could feel Celestia's eyes upon her, but when there was no response, she quietly exited the room, using her magic to close the door behind herself.
The books Twilight had brought along amused her for a time, but eventually even those became repetitive; she had read each at least three times before, so none were new to her. Soon she turned to browsing the castle. While she had been acquainted with its grounds due to her increasingly frequent visits, it seemed that there was always something new to be discovered every time. The castle itself felt eerily quiet and empty, so Twilight elected to explore the gardens and castle grounds.
While the gardens themselves were just as empty as the castle itself, they teemed with life of a different kind. The various birds of paradise chirped and paraded about, singing ghostly songs of which Twilight had never imagined, and when she turned to the origin of the music, it always seemed there was no source at all. In broad daylight, the music was comforting, noise in an otherwise noiseless field of flowers, hedges, intricate designs and statues. A cool wind blew, dun leaves gliding along its width, and the subtle fragrance of autumn filled Twilight's senses. Golden leaves crunched beneath her hooves as she traipsed along, and she was met with longing, longing for her friends back in Ponyville, and to be home safe and comforted. Perhaps she should go home, she thought. While leaving the Princess on a such a note left a bad taste in Twilight's mouth, she mulled over the thought that perhaps leaving Celestia for the time being would be the best decision. As it were, Twilight felt no compulsion to evoke the Princess's ire once again. Nor could Twilight summon the courage for a formal apology; it was not often that Twilight felt at odds with Celestia, and the very idea clenched upon Twilight's heart, and wrenched away any bravery she might have had.
However, Twilight knew she couldn't leave without letting the Princess know. It filled her with a sense of dread; the Princess may very well not care if she were to leave without her blessing, but Twilight dared not test her patience once again. Better to face her now than face her after offending her again later, she sighed.
The sun began to set over the distant mountains, lighting the distant caps ablaze with brilliance. If for nothing else, Twilight loved Canterlot for its stunning sunsets, and tranquil nights. Setting herself along the edge of a nearby overhang, Twilight watched, content for the time to observe the majesty of the sun and moon.
Twilight awoke atop the stone pillar with a shock. With a few quick glances around, she realized she had fallen asleep during the sunset. Hopping to the ground, she gathered her wits and legs and trotted towards the castle through the garden.
Many of the birds had since deigned to sleep, but a few continued their songmaking. Once-comforting music suddenly became eerie and threatening, and Twilight quickened her pace, determined to get to her room as quickly as possible. Canterlot nights may be beautiful, but they're much less scary with friends, she thought to herself, jumping as a blue and black hooded jay chirped at her.
As she neared the castle, the canopy above her broke, and she was left trotting through an open display of statues and hedge designs. While the moonlight was appreciated, the statues offered no better company than the songbirds. Winded, Twilight slowed her pace, and eventually settled upon a fast walk through the garden. She looked about at each sculpture, their faces forever frozen performing whatever famous act they were known for. She passed Starswirl the Bearded and stopped for a moment to bask in his magnificence. If ever there were a pony she loved more than Celestia, it was Starswirl, and, in a moment of clarity, she decided then that she would dedicate her Nightmare Night costume to him.
At the edge of the statue garden, Twilight stopped once again, but not to bask. Her eyes rested upon Discord's twisted frame, the last motions Discord had ever made frozen into place by the very magic she and her friends had wrought. The thought that she had effectively ended another being's life disgusted her, and she tasted bile on her tongue. She shoved aside the notion; it was necessary, and she did the right thing. Though she attempted to justify her actions and the actions of her friends, she could not help but feel remorse for the spirit. She could only pray that, in his imprisonment, he was at peace, as though sleeping.
Wrenching herself away from the statue, she began to run towards the castle walls, unwilling to spend another moment in the presence of her as-yet greatest enemy.
"Hey Twilight, what's the rush?" One of the guards yelled as she magicked the door open and ran inside. As her hooves hit the marble, the castle echoed and groaned, angry with her apparent disregard for the time. Her ears pinned back, Twilight ground to a halt, the harsh clack of her hooves against the stone only reinforcing the explosive response from the empty halls. She crouched, her senses pummeled by the lasting echoes, and she closed her eyes, praying they would stop. After what seemed an eternity, the echoes died, and Twilight stood timidly, a little abashed at her silly behavior. Just echoes, she reassured herself. As lightly as a pony can, she spirited herself away to her tower room, leaving the massive halls of the castle to their slumber.
Her room, large as it was, seemed small with furnishing considered. The bed, large enough for a couple and their pet manticore, took up a sizable portion of the far corner, and the nightstand was hardly a nightstand at all, having the size and girth of a full desk. Her working area, a large desk, was filled to the brim with blank papyrus and extra ink, along with a glass of quills for Twilight's pleasure. Although not as ornate as the Princess's private study, the room still teemed with luxury, far more lavish than even the wealthiest pony could afford in her hometown of Ponyville. All considered, Twilight found it to be no wonder that Rarity pounced upon every chance to visit the castle grounds; the entire estate was basically Rarity's desires and dreams manifested into tangibility. Seems the Princess and Rarity have something very in common, thought Twilight, giggling to herself.
"Oh, Princess...," Twilight sighed, resigning herself to the bed's comforts. "I hope you'll forgive me soon..."
"I already have Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight jumped, practically bumping her horn against the canopy of her bed, before tumbling off the side into a heap of blankets and wriggling movement.
"Princess! I-I didn't know you were right there..." stammered Twilight, blushing at Celestia's sudden appearance.
Celestia pushed the door open with her horn, and walked into the room, the smile on her face both weary and pained. "It is I who hopes you will forgive me Twilight." The Princess fidgeted, eying the golden hockplates she so famously wore. "I spoke out of anger, not towards you, but towards myself. I know you may think me incapable of lying, but I ask for your forgiveness now for lying to you..." A tear slid down the usually serene face of the Princess, and fell to the floor, slowly, as though time itself slowed to gawk at such a thing. The Princess, shedding even a single tear. Twilight was stunned.
"No one decided to change the mural. Whether Luna knows or not, I do not know, although I doubt it. I constructed the mural with my own magic, from crystals I had gathered on my own. It seems that I am the only one who cares to remember after such an incredibly long time... Eons Twilight. You will never understand what it means to live thousands of years, my pupil. Things are forgotten when you have lived for what feels like forever. But some things can never be forgotten. Love can keep the memory strong." Celestia slowly walked up to Twilight, her eyes hard and callous. "But sometimes, things can hurt you so deeply that it feels like you'll never really heal." Lowering her head, Celestia placed her horn upon Twilight's breast. "Right here, in your heart. Sometimes, something innocent makes its way to your heart, and becomes something else. It twists and corrupts, and it feels like the world is collapsing when you realize it. It's the kind of hurt that changes who you are, and never lets you forget."
Her horn traced along Twilight's breast, and fell as Celestia did, her head landing upon the satin bed covering. "It's been so long since I've cried Twilight. I had almost forgotten that I could. After a time, it feels that I'm the one who is stone, not Discord. I am glad to know that I can still feel..."
Celestia lifted herself, and looked at Twilight, her eyes glimmering with long forgotten tears. "Thank you Twilight. For everything."
With that, the Princess lifted herself from the floor, her wings beating gently as she stood. She turned, and with gentle effort, she opened the door to Twilight's room, her horn's light pulsing softly in the inky blackness of the night. As the door closed, her voice drifted back into the room, a barely audible whisper even in the silence of the moment.
"Come to the study tomorrow at noon."
And the click of the door lock signaled her departure.
Twilight reeled. Her mind raced, thinking of thousands of improbable scenarios, reasons, justifications for the Princess to behave the way she did. The hour was late, and the many duties of the Princess were taxing. Perhaps she was simply exhausted from the day's work? Twilight shook her head. The Princess had dealt with far more pressing matters in the span of hours. She had been hardened by years of stressful royal duties, and, to Twilight, there was absolutely no way Celestia had broken down from a large workload.
Hours passed, and Twilight stood stark still, dumbstruck, eyes fixed upon the single tear which had fallen. The moisture had long since evaporated, but she simply could not fathom that the Princess had confessed herself to her. It seemed impossible. Yet, Twilight's vigil was proof of the event. And as the black velvet night faded away, worry, genuine and all-encompassing worry began to take hold of the young pony. A baby blue hue began to overtake the blackness of the skies, and, as it had for every morning since time immemorial, the sun crested over the distant mountains, overtaking the stars and the moon with its brilliance. And still Twilight stood, unphased by hunger, thirst, or fatigue. Sustained by emotion, Twilight's worry only grew as noon drew near. Breaking through her petrified vigil, the filly slumped to her side, sinking into the embrace of the plush cushions. Their comforting hold went unnoticed; she felt no fatigue or notion of rest, and as the hour drew ever nearer to noon, the filly stood, pacing about the room, unsure of what to believe, or, more importantly, what to expect. Whatever it was that the Princess desired to divulge, Twilight could only guess.
As the time passed, and only minutes separated Twilight from her next encounter with Celestia, her worry seemed to effervesce, but as it melted away it gave way to something that crippled Twilight even more than her worry. As Twilight dragged herself across the atrium and down the staircase, regret began to take hold. Noon struck, and Twilight regretted having ever asked about the mural.
The gleaming white coat of the Princess shone as brilliantly as the sun itself, and somehow, seeing Celestia, glorious and composed as she always has been, steadied the nerves of her student.
"Hello Twilight. I'm... glad that you decided to come." Celestia smiled, a sad, deploring smile. It seemed so unlike the Princess, so profoundly against everything Twilight had once thought of the monarch that, for a fleeting moment, Twilight felt compelled to use her magic to force her to smile. The moment passed, and Twilight managed to quell her ridiculous desire.
"Hey Princess. I... didn't really think I had a choice, to be honest." Twilight smiled timidly. Celestia's visage seemed to soften, but seemed no happier than before.
"You always have a choice Twilight. That's a lesson I hope you'll live by. And even now, it's not too late." Her smiled seemed to broaden slightly, but that only deepened the sadness within. "It really is never too late. Will you stay with me and listen? I will think no less of you if you choose not to, and we can just pretend this never happened." Celestia silently chuckled, scarcely bobbing her head. "It's completely up to you Twilight."
Twilight hesitated. "Um... What are you going to say?"
"A story Twilight. A very long, very old story. One that you will never find in any tome, nor on any wall. It has not and will never be written. My sister, I, and scarce few others are the keepers of this story, and each of us has been affected by it in our own unique way. To put it simply," at this, the Princess genuinely smiled, momentarily, but genuine nonetheless, "...and in a way that may appeal to your better nature, it is knowledge that is available once in a lifetime, in a thousand lifetimes."
Twilight, captivated by the Princess's words, needed no greater incentive, her form bubbling with the obvious anticipation of this ancient knowledge. "Yes! Yes I'll listen Princess, thank you!" To think something terrible was going to happen! Twilight mentally kicked herself, scolding herself for her own stupidity. Practically jumping from excitement, Twilight caught herself at the stoic gaze of Celestia. "I mean... I am honored that you would impart this knowledge to me Princess. Thank you."
Celestia narrowed her eyes. "I understand your thirst for knowledge Twilight. But there is nothing happy about this story. I am glad for your genuine desire to listen, but understand that this subject is very dear to me, even more so than any others who know of this. You will never recount what is to be said here over the next few days-"
"Next few days?" Twilight started, surprised. "But... Princess, I was only going to be here until tomorrow."
"Did I not say the story was very long? It'll take more than one sitting to recount the entirety of it."
Twilight grimaced, obviously disgruntled by the time it would take. "Well... okay then. I'll send a letter back home to Spike and let him know I'll be a few days late..."
"I'll have one prepped and sent immediately." The Princess's horn shone, and a quill and parchment seemed to fly together of their own accord, dancing an awkward dance that only magic could create before the quill flew away and the scroll rolled unto itself. A seal jumped to meet the newly wrapped letter, and, with a blinding flash, the notice disappeared.
Twilight grinned. "Well okay then."
Twilight hurriedly jumped onto her cushion, and squirmed about until she found a position that was profoundly comfortable; she imagined she would be there a while, and she did not want to disrupt the story with her fidgeting. "I'm ready Princess."
Celestia settled upon her own, larger cushion, her wings tucked snugly into their folds. "Let us begin then."
"Twilight, you have heard before that I am a thousand years old, yes?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes Princess."
"Those rumors are actually untrue. I have lived for thousands of years, although even I could not tell you exactly how long it has been. I remember many things; It's a shame I can't remember my own age." Twilight stifled a giggle while Celestia sighed. Apparently the fact that she couldn't remember her age wasn't a joke at all; it really did disturb the Princess.
"The story I am about to tell you transcends the boundaries of Equestria, Twilight. Ask, and I will explain. There are worlds like you could never even dream of, beyond seas so vast that no pegasus could ever hope to fly across them and live. Equestria itself was but a thought, and existed within the minds of a few visionaries of our kind. Our world had no name. The only name we lived by was the Kingdom of the Alicorns. Things were... different, in those times. But all will be told in due course."
Celestia straightened herself, craning her neck slightly. "I shall begin as far back as I can remember. When I was a mere few decades old... how Discord came to be...-"
"Discord?" Twilight inquired? "What does he have to do with all this?"
Celestia set her eyes downcast. "Everything Twilight."
"Discord and the fate of the alicorns shall forever be intertwined. As I said, you shall know in due time. Now let us begin."
Author's Note: I hope whoever is reading this liked story. If you did, leave feedback! I'd love to continue, especially if people think this is worth the time. Let me know if I should continue on to chapter 1.