//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: To Be a Princess // by SpiffyPony //------------------------------// "Dear Princess Celestia," read Celestia as she opened the latest letter from her favorite student, Twilight Sparkle. As she read on, today she was entertained by the elaborate and crazy story of Pinkie Pie's latest party, thrown this time for her tiny pet alligator, Gummy. While Twilight and her friends didn't send her specific friendship reports as often as before, Twilight still made a point to write to Celestia whenever she had the chance to inform her of the daily surprises and adventures of life in Ponyville. In so many ways, Twilight reminded Celestia of herself at that age: smart, resourceful, but with the weight of responsibility and expectation on her shoulders beginning from the moment her unique cutie mark appeared. Celestia, along with the rest of the world, expected great things of Twilight - Celestia's expectations perhaps a bit more specific than the others - largely without Twilight's acceptance. Sure, Twilight had always wanted to learn from and impress her mentor, but she had no way of knowing what trials lay ahead. Because of this, Celestia was glad Twilight had discovered and learned from once of the most powerful types of magic of them all: the magic of friendship. Through this particular branch of magic, Celestia was confident that Twilight would succeed where she had not. She had never been encouraged to establish any particular relationships with her subjects, nor to do any more than duty required of her. Perhaps this was the reason for her great downfall; she had to teach herself to find friends in the ways her own mentor likely frowned upon. But she ended up where she wanted to be, right? Would she take any of it back? Maybe not, had others not been wounded in the wake of her failure. She could not dwell on this any longer, though. What had happened surely happened for a reason, and all she could do was make sure that Twilight did not fail in the same way she had. As she dwelled on the power of the magic of friendship, it crossed her mind whether it had the power to possibly undo the damage. It had returned her sister to her after so many years, so maybe part of the problem had already been repaired. Celestia was forever indebted to Twilight and her friends for this grand service, but would it be possible for them to succeed again using a different approach? The first time they had, things hadn't turned out how she secretly hoped. The second time the Elements of Harmony had been used, there was no grand rehabilitation, no rainbow of magic to destroy the madness within. Celestia stepped up from her place by the fire where she read Twilight's letters and peered across the gardens with a sigh. Maybe you are already too far-gone for friendship to make a difference anymore, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and composed herself. Twilight wouldn't think this way. She wouldn't just give up when something important to her was at stake. She would continue trying different solutions until something finally worked. There had to be something. Maybe it was the manner of reformation that didn't work last time! She supposed that you couldn't just shoot everyone with a magic blast of friendship and assume they would turn good again, as Luna had. Perhaps a more direct, kind approach was needed. But while she had complete faith in Twilight, she didn't expect her to automatically see where Celestia's ideas were coming from. Kindness...what about Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness? Celestia smiled widely, rushing over to her quill and ink to send a letter to her dear student. If anyone could be trusted with this task, it would be Fluttershy. And maybe Twilight would gain even more confidence in the magic of friendship, assuming this little plan of hers worked. Maybe Celestia herself would gain more confidence in it, as well. ~  ~ "Oh...alright. Frienship is Magic!" Celestia could hardly believe her ears when she heard these words. Fluttershy had succeeded! No Elements of Harmony, no specific magic of any kind needed. Sometimes, apparently, all that is needed is pure, honest kindness. But while Discord did seem to accept her friendship and learned something from the experience, he still did not seem to remember everything. He would be a gentler spirit, using the magic only he knew so well in the service of good, but not in the same way as before, in a way only Celestia remembered. This was a step in the right direction, but she would still have to keep searching for the perfect fix, if such a thing existed. "See? He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him," Fluttershy said with a smile, gesturing to her new friend. Celestia noticed as she turned away that Twilight and her friends smiled awkwardly. There was so much that they didn't know, that none of them knew, that she struggled to keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks. "Now that you have seen what the magic of friendship can do, Discord, I believe it is time we found you somewhere else to stay. Perhaps somewhere outside of the castle?" Celestia suggested, regaining her composure. "Oh, that would be just lovely, Celestia," he over-exaggerated. "As much as I grew fond of the palace gardens, a change of scenery would be ideal." Celestia smiled. "I assumed as much. Luna and I have set aside a plot of land near Ponyville in which you will be free to...design...to your heart's content, as long as you don't start encroaching on Ponyville, of course." "I can assure you that will not happen! Not with my new, dear pony friends watching out for me, that is," Discord said, glancing at the ponies around him. "Now, I have so much to do. So much to design!" He snapped his fingers and disappeared, then reappeared suddenly. "But I will be sure to have a house-warming party when everything is perfectly chaotic. Perhaps you will assist me in the plans, Pinkie Pie? I never have been one for plans." "A party?!" Pinkie Pie said, likely about to burst with ideas. "Yes! We must have balloons and cake and I'll invite everyone in Ponyville and you, Princess, and there'll be chocolate milk with whipped cream!" "I certainly have the party in the right hands - er - hooves," Discord said, ready to snap his claws once again. "Arrivederci for now, my little ponies! And Celestia." With a snap, he disappeared. The ponies went over to congratulate, apologize, and cheer for Fluttershy, except for Twilight, who walked over to Celestia. "Princess, I'm glad everything turned out fine and Fluttershy was able to befriend him as you planned, but there's something I have to ask," Twilight said. "Why? Why did you want us to reform him, and why now? You were fine with him being in stone for a thousand years, and then suddenly you want us to make him a good guy? I feel like there's something you're not telling me." Twilight paused to consider what she had said. "Not that you aren't allowed to keep things private! But since he'll be here living near Ponyville now, I don't think it's too much to ask for some information." Celestia sighed and looked down with her student with concern in her eyes. She had never shared much of her past with anyone, some of it not even with Luna. Twilight had become more than her student, though. They had reached the point where she saw Twilight as her own daughter, someone like her, someone with whom she could confide anything. Maybe it was time to share her past. No, not quite yet. She would let the Equestria Games pass and then give Twilight her final test, to see if she truly was ready. If she passed, and Celestia was confident she would, then she would tell her everything." "I agree that you are entitled to the information, my dear student. When the time is right - and I believe that time is very soon - I promise to share with you everything I know about this situation." "When will I know the time is right?" Celestia kneeled down and gave Twilight a hug. "Trust me, you will know." With a final wave to Twilight and her friends, she flew to her chariot and began her journey to the castle. She had a lot of preparations to attend to. Now where did Luna put Starswirl's book? ~  ~ A few days had passed since Twilight's coronation, and Celestia still could not remember a moment when she had been more proud. Twilight had passed her final test with flying colors, and now Twilight herself was flying. She had rose to become an alicorn, just as Celestia had many years ago. Yet, this coronation was a far more pleasant experience. To Celestia, Twilight appeared truly happy and honored to be bestowed upon such a privilege, not becoming a princess just because it was her duty. Maybe it had turned out so well because the coronation had been a surprise, not something she had been prepared most of her life openly for, or perhaps it was because Twilight was simply a better pony than she. Or maybe it was the pleasant state of Equestria and its subjects that embraced her with open hearts. Whatever the reason, Celestia couldn't help but let loose a few tears and smile every time the memories of Twilight crossed her mind. As Celestia reminisced while sitting upon her throne, the doors opened and two guards stepped in. "Princess Twilight to see you, Your Highness," the guard announced. The two stepped aside, revealing the figure of Twilight. Celestia stood up quickly, eager to greet the new princess. She was still getting used to seeing her former student grown and with a new set of wings, but inside, she was the Twilight she knew and loved. "My dear, Princess Twilight," she emphasized. "How good to see you! Have your new wings been treating you well?" "They have, Princess! Mostly..." Twilight chuckled. "Rainbow Dash has been giving me some lessons, but I still haven't completely gotten the hang of it." "Yes, it's not really something you can learn from a book, is it?" Celestia said, remembering her own flying lessons. Now that was an interesting experience! "No, I guess it's not. But I did find this wonderful book, The Physics of Flight, and it has helped me calculate how much force I need to apply to fly properly. The hard part is actually accumulating the proper force... "But that isn't why I'm here, Princess. I have passed your final test and, as you said yourself, I am not your student in the same way as before. Is this the time you were referring to when you promised to share everything with me?" Twilight said, confident in her judgement. Celestia considered her day's schedule. She wanted as much time as possible to spend with her former student and didn't want to be interrupted with pesky appointments. She couldn't remember exactly what she had planned for the day, but whatever it was, it couldn't be any more important than what she had to share with Twilight. "Guards, I would like you to cancel any meetings or appointments that I have for the day and ensure that Twilight and I are uninterrupted unless it is something of the upmost importance," Celestia commanded. She then turned to Twilight. "Yes, this is the time. We should go somewhere more comfortable, for I have much to share with you." With a final salute to the guards, Twilight and Celestia walked to her private reading chambers beside her throne room. She sat down and encouraged Twilight to follow, even though she was in awe of this room of Celestia's that she had never seen before. Twilight shook her head, and then gave all of her attention to Celestia. "Now, where to begin? Well, I suppose I first should show how similar my situation began compared to yours. How my life changed completely the day my cutie mark of the sun appeared..."