//------------------------------// // Rebirth // Story: The Book of Prophecy // by TheBlox //------------------------------// “Twilight, we did it!” she could hear a familiar voice echoing in the back of her subconscious mind. Twilight was in an odd state that she had never experienced before; she knew she wasn’t awake, but she could hear voices, as if she was on the brink of dreaming. That one voice; it was Pinkie Pie’s. Hearing it made her warmly smile in her sleep. “Aw yeah!” Rainbow Dash’s voice chanted to her. “Just like old times!” “We knew you had it in you,” she heard Fluttershy’s calm voice, and it made Twilight feel at ease with herself. “It’s great to have you back, darling!” Rarity proudly spoke to her. “Nothin’ can stop this herd!” Applejack’s echoing voice exclaimed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Drifting in and out of consciousness, Twilight kept hearing the voices of her friends. They comforted her, and cleansed her of her self doubt. And finally, she slowly opened her eyes. To her surprise, she found herself lying down on a surface of soot. Feeling the ground beneath her, she was quick to sit up. Her ears perked, and she turned her neck to examine her surroundings. The grey, stone and dirt terrain she was sitting on spread far across each horizon. The sky was black as night, without a single star. With how lifeless and bare the place was, typically a pony would feel lost and scared. However, this wasn’t the case for Twilight. To her, it was a relief; a miracle to be standing on land again. Her jaw hung open at the mountainous sight. “Did… did I do this?” she murmured to herself in question, admiring the landscape that had appeared from nothing. Her eyes trailed slowly across the world that she had created with the spiritual assistance of her friends, using the harnessed elements of the Tiara of Harmony. Floating downward from above the dumbfounded alicorn, a new page from the Book of Prophecy gracefully swayed through the air, and gently rested at her hooves. She looked down and saw it there. When she reached down to get it, there was a rushing wind that picked up the paper, and blew it away. “Oh, no!” She spread her wings and chased it. Soaring through the air in pursuit of the fourth page of the Book of Prophecy, it twisted and turned around corridors of rocks. Flying low to the ground, Twilight nearly crashed into the sides of these tall posts of stone as she swerved between them. The paper then lifted skyward with the wind. Twilight grit her teeth and ascent after it with her forelimbs reaching out to grab it. Snatching it out of the air, she idly hovered there and took a relieving breath. High above the grey landscape, Twilight held it up to read it, eagerly awaiting what the next page of the Book of Prophecy had to say. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Look below you at what you have done through the magic of friendship. You see, Twilight, your friends are still alive—they live in you. Your friendship will always be united; death can never separate your bond. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Twilight looked below at the world from her elevation at the world she had created with the Elements of Harmony. Her eyes wandered. Though it was grey and dull, it held so much mystery, Twilight could see promise in it. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The world you have created is only a mere demonstration of your power. And yet, in the name of Friendship, you are capable of so much more, to an unfathomable degree. It’s time to do your part now, Twilight. You know what you must do. It’s time to be the Princess of Harmony. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After reading that page, Twilight could feel a sense of pride. Carefully, the lone alicorn slipped the paper in between the pages of her journal to keep it safe. Glancing at all the far corners of each horizon, she began to envision what it would be like if it was anything like Equestria—green plantlife, sunny blue skies, singing birds… living ponies. The endless possibilities inspired the Princess. Her mysterious eyes slowly widened, and she fell deep into thought and wonder. Looking up at the black, starless void beyond her newborn world, she slowly furrowed her eyes, and she frowned with determination. Gritting her teeth, she lit up her horn, and began chanting out into the darkness. “Pinkie Pie! Applejack! Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Rarity!” she called out the names of her friends into the darkness. “I know you can all hear me!” A tear trickled from her eye, and she leaned forward, proudly and strong. “Let our elements unite again!” She pointed a hoof at the world she created, and streaked it across the land to gesture at everything. “Let our friendship shine over this empty place! It’s time to put the stars in the sky!” With her intentions announced loudly, expressing no doubt, she pointed her horn and tiara skyward. Concentrating hard, her horn illuminated brighter. Then her tiara began to hum. “Yes, that’s it!” she shouted to the open void proudly, “Let’s give it all we’ve got! And no holding back!” Clenching her teeth, she pushed her magic, and sparks began to fly from her horn. The gems on the Tiara of Harmony once again lit up with colour. Sparks of energy emanated from her body, and she continued to push harder. Wincing from the immense power, she kept pushing. “Focus!” she yelled, “Concentrate!” She cringed from the pain and had a hard time keeping her head up. “F-focus!!” Feeling herself struggle, she began to limply lose strength, and in the midst of her weakening state, she felt a warmth in her heart. Her eyes widened; it was as if she was lent a hoof, like she was lifted up. “Don’t give in, you’re doing wonderful! Keep it up!” Rarity’s voice rang in her mind. “W…what?” Twilight turned her neck, and she could see transparent images of her friends holding her up beside her. Her eyes lit up with glistening tears, and she could express no words. “We’re here for ya!” Rainbow Dash chanted to her, holding her up with the others. They all had determined grins on their faces. “Let’s do this, together!” Applejack shouted. Twilight nodded, and she nearly sobbed. “Yes!” she yelled, determined, and looked back up at the empty void, fully renewed. “Yes, we can do this! Let’s light up the darkness!” “We believe you in!” Fluttershy cheered her on with the others. “Go, Twilight, go!!!” Pinkie shouted. The Tiara of Harmony illuminated brightly with a full spectrum of colour, and a vibrant humming sound of pure magic emanated from it. Her horn glowed bright and powerful, and determined to keep going, she pushed herself harder. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!” Screaming into the void, there was a sudden twinkle in the distant, empty void. That one speck of light in the black sky heightened her motivation to an extreme level. Pushing her magic harder, and with the help of her friends, more stars began to appear in the sky, one by one. The Princess of Harmony had a wide grin on her face as she accomplished this feat with their help. “Yeeeah!!” Rainbow exclaimed proudly. “Do more!” Pinkie’s voice rang loudly. More stars appeared with several pops, filling the sky with glowing sparkles. Brighter and brighter, the atmosphere began to light up the dark world below with its glittering twilight. Until the Princess of Harmony became too exhausted to push any further, and her beaming horn faded back to normal. Gasping for air from using so much energy, she descent to the ground to catch her breath. Then from the grey rocky floor, she looked up at the sky. Yee’ha! That’s the way to do it! Good job!” Applejack’s voice cheered for her. “It looks fabulous, darling!” Rarity said with excitement. “They’re like diamonds in the sky!” Admiring the work she had done with their help, she grinned happily at the beautiful starlit sky. Slowly, the world she was designing was coming together to a way she could see fit. You should get some rest, Twilight,” Fluttershy suggested, “You look like you’ve drained nearly everything out of you.” Twilight didn’t have to be told twice. She was exhausted. She turned where she stood to face her friends, but they were now nowhere to be seen. Their transparent images had disappeared. “W-where?” She gasped and spun around, searching for them. “Where did you go?!” The lonely alicorn was frantic, and desperate for a friend. Beyond her, all she could see was the barren rock and grey soil. She could do as much to this world as she wanted; she could fill it with plants, she could fill it with colour. But even if she did all that and more, she knew in her heart it would never replace her old home. Sitting on her flank, her ears fell back, and that forlorn feeling came back again. Slowly looking back up to the starlit sky, she exhaled a deep and desperate sigh. Gritting her teeth, she refused to believe that those images of her friends that she saw were mental displays in her head. “My friends,” she cried to the heavens, “Thank you for everything. You’ve really always been there for me, and you’ve all given me so much to be thankful for.” Lowering her head, she murmured silently. “But… who am I going to share this place with?” Her eyes wandered, and tears started to trickle down her cheeks. “I’m all alone. I know you’re there for me, but I… I’m still, so alone…” She waited for a response, but their voices were unheard. Her loneliness was simply because she was without a live, physical pony. How was she expected to live up to her destiny—whatever it was—without anypony to share it with? It was painful to think that the only thing she had to talk to were voices in her head emanating from hallucinated depictions of her friends. Although, it was nice to finally be able to speak to them again after so long, even if it was just through images projected from her mind. Resting on her haunches, Twilight breathed silently through her nostrils, and she quietly cried to herself. Looking up and around her from where she lay, she cringed at her empty world. There was nopony there. It was just her. Every visible horizon had nothing in it. Just rocks and dirt, the wind, and the voices in her head. Lifting her wing, she levitated her journal to lay it before her. With her magic, she opened it up, and pulled out the loose pages of the ancient book she found. Letting out a quiet exhale, she read the pages to herself again. Specifically the phrase, ‘keep it together.’ Her ears fell back, and she slipped the pages back into her journal, and closed it back up. Looking up again to the sparkling twilight in the sky, the alicorn took a long glance at her conjured atmosphere of stars. Her eyes wandered, and she lowered her head onto her front limbs. Sleep was going to be difficult with so much turning in her mind. Trying to rest, she continued to think of her old home. She began to think of how peaceful it was, and realized just how much she had taken for granted. She had everything anypony could ever ask for in Equestria; a bright and beautiful kingdom, a cozy home, friends who loved her… But she was never happy there; she could never let go of her friends’ passing. She continued to neglect what she had, and never took her role as Princess seriously. Celestia made her a Princess for a reason. Why that was though, she still failed to understand. “Ngh…” she muttered and stood up. “I’ll never sleep.” Trying to take her mind off of everything, she took a walk. Trotting beneath the stars, she strolled through her grey, empty world. Turning her glances in every direction, she tried to appreciate the place. However, it was hard to. Nothing was alive; nothing was moving. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ For hours she walked, trotting aimlessly in this empty land. She created this place; but why? Celestia had always taught her that there was a reason for her existence, and there was a reason for everything else that had ever happened. “What is my purpose…?” she pondered to herself. “Through the magic of friendship I had created all this, but how am I supposed to appreciate it?” She stopped to look back to the sky. Then some tears began to trickle from her eyes again. She grit her teeth, and she sniffled to herself. Then, something twitched inside of her; something snapped and she furrowed her eyes, furiously. “Why did you send me out here all alone, Celestia?!” she screamed to the heavens, stomping a hoof into the dust beneath her. Her voice was angry, but she tried not to be. “Why…?” she whimpered and slumped to her haunches. Then uncontrollably, she began to sob. “There is nopony here! Nopony to share this with, nopony to be my friend!” She hiccuped and lowered her head into the dirt. “Nopony… to love me, nor to love.” Gasping for air as she cried, she pounded the ground a couple times. “It’s not fair. Why is this happening to me? Why am I all alone out here?!” Gritting her teeth, she stood strong and angry, and she conjured some magic in her horn. Then she pointed to a rock, and fired a violet missile spell at it. “AAAHH!!” The spell struck the boulder, and it exploded into rubble. “I can’t take this anymore! I’m going to go insane out here!” She turned where she stood, and continued to shriek at the heavens. “Wha… what am I here for? Who am I here for?!” Spinning in place, she lurked at every horizon, looking for something significant. There had to be something that wasn’t nothing. “What is out here for me?!” She looked back up to the stars. “Talk to me!” she yelled to her friends, “Please, tell me! If you’re really, really out there, do something!” She let a long and frightened weep. “I’m scared! I’m so scared! I-I don’t want to eternally be alone out here!” Turning her head to look through her tear-filled eyes, she searched for signs. For something; for anything. Even another page of the Book of Prophecy would be something, but there was nothing. Panicking as she spun where she stood in a desperate search, she suddenly halt where she was. Before her, a few meters away, was a very unique rock. It was the boulder she had shot with her spell; it had crumbled away into the shape… of a small pony. It wasn’t perfect; in fact it had many jagged edges. But the outline… there were the legs, there was a its head with ears and a snout, and all its other significant contents were together in one beautifully shaped piece of stone. “It… it’s a filly,” she murmured to herself, suddenly feeling warm in her heart. Astonished by the statue, she looked up to the sky with a heavy heart, and then back to the incomplete stone filly. She didn’t understand why, but she felt she had to do something. Illuminating her horn, she felt inspired. “My friends…” she whispered and a smile found its way back to her face. “Help me finish this. I must do this.” Then with her motivation heightened, she very gently cast a beam of magic from her horn and into the surface of the stone like a laser. Nibbling her bottom lip, she carefully carved away at it with precision, and with care—small section at a time. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Twilight spent hours carving away at the statue, shaping it more evenly and smoothly, cutting away any excess stone. Concentrating on the head, she chiseled away at it with her magic, forming its eyes, and perfecting its ears, and she left a cone on its forehead to give it a horn. She formed its snout, and gave it nostrils and a mouth. She was so focused on shaping the rock into a filly, she had forgotten to even be sad. It was as if instincts had told her to finish it, and that nothing else mattered at that moment. Working her way down the statue’s back, she carved out its haunches, and evenly curved its flanks and limbs. There was enough excess rock on its shoulders that she was able to chisel out wings—so she did just that. Taking her time, she spent more hours on shaping it to fit the image of a pony as closely as she was able. Chiseling the feathers in the wings, she gave it detail. Carving a spiral in the horn, she gave it character. There wasn’t enough stone in the incomplete statue to give the filly a mane or tail, but she kept pressing on. Working her way down the figure’s limbs, she gently shaped out its legs, taking her time to ensure it was perfect at all angles. She chiselled all the way down to the base of its hooves. Until finally, after countless hours of work, she was finished. She was mystified by her own creation. Sure it was stone, but it was so perfectly shaped, she could’ve sworn it was looking straight back at her through those colourless, grey eyes. Letting out a sigh, she sat there, admiring her work. The filly alicorn that she had carved out of a rock was incredible, but she couldn’t seem to smile regardless. It wasn’t alive; it was just as faux as the voices in her head were. With nothing more to do, she exhaled through her nose, and she lifted the Tiara of Harmony off of her head with her magic. “Here…” she whispered to the statue as if it was a living thing. “Maybe this will suit you.” Hovering it above the statue, she slowly placed it down upon the filly’s head in the attempt to give it more character—to make it seem more like a living pony. With half a smirk, Twilight tried to stay positive and whimpered at the small pony statue, “You look… just like a Princess.” She stared at it for a very long time. The more she watched at it, the more saddened she felt that it wouldn’t move, or look back at her in response. The loneliness in her heart grew stronger yet again, and she knew that she was trapped here without a walking, breathing, living pony to be with her. A being with a mind and a soul. Looking into the soulless eyes of her creation, she felt the desperate need for the lifeless pony statue to talk to her. Tears in her eyes, she made eye contact with it, inches from its face. “Please,” she cried. She bowed her head, and her glowing horn sparkled against the sculpture. She closed her eyes, and focused all her will into the lifeless model; hoping, wishing that it would ignite a spark. Nothing seemed to be happening, but she didn’t stop trying. She held onto the spell, believing in every ticking bone of her body that it was going to work. A part of her mind kept telling her that it was just a statue of dust and stone, that nothing was going to come out of it; that you can’t just bring something to life with magic. But that part of her mind was completely ignored, and with love in her heart, she wrapped her hooves around the statue in an embrace as she continued trying to bring it to life. “Please, please come to life,” she whispered to the sculpted rock. Opening her damp eyelids, she looked back into the eyes of her creation. “Please…” After her silent weeping, there was then a sudden crackling sound that emanated from the Tiara of Harmony. She watched in suspense as the five gems that were within the crown illuminated and separated from the tiara. They hovered up into the air, leaving the gold tiara on the statue’s head, and then they began to spin around Twilight and the pony sculpture. Twilight was confused, and she watched the gems rapidly spinning faster and faster, forming a sphere of colourful magic, with her and the statue in the center. She turned back to the filly alicorn in her arms, and she thought for a second, that she saw a hint of colour in its iris; a touch of purple. She was mystified by this, and kept watching as more and more evident purple appeared within its eye… and then the stone filly blinked. A shiver was sent through Twilight’s spine when she saw her creation in her arms wake up. It blinked again, making her gasp and weep. Tears of joy trickled down her cheeks as the alicorn foal before her slowly gained more colour as the elements of harmony spun around them at an increasing pace. Then from upon the filly’s head, a glow of pink magic flowed with the wind forming a curtain of mystifying hair, followed by a swaying tail to match. The alicorn mare’s jaw hung open as she looked down upon the filly in her grasp with adoration. The foal’s ears twitched, and she went in motion. Then the spinning gems surrounding them came to a sudden halt, and they dropped into the ground. The filly swayed to the side, and tilted her head quizzically, looking back at the sobbing Twilight Sparkle. “Why are you crying?” the foal in her arms asked her. “Y-you speak,” Twilight exclaimed aloud, “You... see me.” She was wide-eyed and found it difficult to say much else. “Um, yeah?” the young one replied, tilting her head in question. Twilight’s lips trembled, and she burst out sobbing. “Oh Celestia, she’s so beautiful!” she wept, and she sat on her flank while holding the live filly close to her. The immense loneliness that she had felt had suddenly evaporated. At the corner of her eye, she saw one of the gems from the Elements of Harmony. She turned to look at the gem, and then turned her neck to see the other four that were lying around her in the formation of a circle. Her jaw slowly lowered at the realization; this foal was a gift. A gift from her friends, formed from the Elements of Harmony through Twilight’s spark of magic, the birth of this live alicorn was made possible, for the sole purpose so that Twilight could have somepony to watch over in this empty world. Her lips trembled, and she lowered her head over the filly’s shoulder, and continued to cry. “Oh, thank you,” she whispered in a flutter, “My friends, thank you so much…” “You seem happy,” the child observed her behaviour. “Are you happy?” “Uh?” Twilight snapped out of it, holding the alicorn at a better distance so she could look her in the eyes. “Yes, I am,” she replied in a whimper. “That’s good,” the young alicorn exclaimed with a bright and adoring smile. “It makes me happy that you’re happy.” She then tilted her head in question. “Um, who is Celestia?” Twilight’s ears twitched, acknowledging that she spoke Celestia’s name before the child. “Oh,” she murmured, “Celestia is, well… she’s my um…” “Is that my name?” the filly asked her. “I like that name.” The question caused Twilight to momentarily freeze. It took her a moment to register the question, but she smiled and nodded happily. “Yes, I like that name, too,” she agreed, officially naming the filly after her former mentor. She gently placed the child down on the ground, and the young Celestia stood at her hooves, beaming up at her adoringly. “So, what’s your name?” she asked Twilight with sincerity. “Oh,” Twilight paused briefly, then cleared her throat as she attempted to introduce herself. “Well, uh… my name is…” In the middle of announcing her name, Celestia interrupted her answer with another question. “Are you my mother?” The question sent a chill down Twilight’s spine. Looking down into the filly’s innocent eyes, she could see the hope the child had for a good answer to that question. But how could she answer it? She’s never been a mother before, and wouldn’t know the first thing about parenthood. However, with the circumstances considered, she could feel a heavy weight in what her response was going to be. Twilight created this child. Yes, with the help of the Elements of Harmony and through the magic of friendship, but all the same, she ignited the spark to create this foal from mere stone. Then as if through sheer instinct, Twilight gave her response. “Yes,” she said in a warm and accepting voice, “…Mother.” Celestia giggled happily in response to Twilight’s answer, and she skipped up to her and hugged her right leg. The moment Celestia came in contact with her in this affectionate way, Twilight felt a sudden surge of heavy responsibility rushing through her. The realization toward what had just happened lit up her eyes with both nervous fear and blissful joy at the idea of being a parent. With her free foreleg, she placed her hoof around the child’s shoulders in a comforting manner, and her eyes wandered with many thoughts burning through her mind. “Oh, goddess, I really am a mother…” she whispered to herself at the epiphany. She let out a small breath of laughter, and looked back down to the child with a beaming smile. She couldn’t seem to figure it out, but she knew in her heart that she had never been happier in her entire life than she was right then. Releasing Twilight’s leg, Celestia began to turn where she stood with mystified expressions. She trot the other way a few feet and stopped, standing tall and alert, with her ears perked. She was examining the world they were in. “This place is really big,” she said with admiration. She then turned back to Twilight, still smiling as bright as ever. “Is this place ours?” “Uh… yeah,” Twilight replied, nodding contentedly. “Woooah,” Celestia said and turned to look beyond the horizon again. “Lots of… uppy and downy things.” Twilight burst a giggle in response to that. “Those are called mountains,” she corrected the filly. “Oooh.” Celestia nodded. “Mountains,” she repeated, carefully trying to say it right. Glancing at her surroundings, she soon looked up. Taking a seat on her blank flank, she pointed skyward. “What are those bright, tiny polka-dotties?” The mother alicorn snickered and squinted joyously at the filly. “Those are stars.” “Huh.” Celestia blinked, then looked back down at the grey landscape. She turned back to Twilight and tilted her head with a grin. “It would be easier to see everything if there was a much bigger star up there, don’t you think?” “Uh?” Twilight fumbled her words in response to that. For a filly so young, she was certainly wise with her observations. “Yes,” the mother agreed and nodded. “I bet it would.” With that said, an idea struck the elder Princess. With a smile, she lowered to her haunches so she was eye level with the child. “Hey… Do you want to make one?” “Make a big star?” The foal was ecstatic. “Yeah! How do we do that?” Twilight placed a hoof on her chin. “Well, it won’t be easy. First, I will need to teach you how to use magic.” “Magic?” Celestia tilted her head and her ears twitched. “What’s that?” Twilight took a moment to think about how to define it to a filly new to it. “Well… Magic is what makes up all things.” She cleared her throat as she tried to explain it. “You and I each have a horn on our heads.” She gestured to her own horn. Celestia watched Twilight, and then she went crosseyed to see her own. “Oh!” the filly exclaimed cheerfully. “Hehe, yes. Now, if you concentrate hard enough, you can feel a sort of… pulsing energy.” “A pulsing energy?” Celestia questioned, and tried to focus on her horn. Then after only a few moments of concentrating, there was a sudden bright spark that flickered at the tip of her horn. “Oh!? What was that? That was cool!” Twilight giggled and clunked her hooves together to applaud the filly. “That was very good for your first try! Good for you, Tia!” “Tia?” Celestia tilted her head. “Oh, it’s just a nickname for you.” Twilight said, “Or do you prefer Celestia?” “I like Tia,” Celestia replied with a grin. “Kay, so to do magic, I just… kinda do this…” She then went right back into practicing it again. Concentrating, she managed to fully illuminate her horn in mere seconds. Twilight was left dumbfounded and in awe toward how fast Celestia was learning. She had never seen a filly learn spells so quickly, and she already figured out how to use a spell to cast light. “Wow, I’m very impressed,” Twilight exclaimed proudly, and then noticed Celestia’s horn was getting brighter. “Tia… Tia, how are you…?” “This is easy,” Celestia said, and she tried something else. Focusing on a stone, she lifted it with ease in an aura of magic. She turned to Twilight with a wide grin. “Mother, lookie!” Twilight’s jaw was hanging wide open. Little sense could be made from how powerful Celestia was for her age. This was her very first time casting magic, and she was levitating rocks with ease. And on top of this, she could even control it at her will. Celestia then tried lifting several rocks at a time, and hovered them around in the air in golden auras. After proudly watching Celestia for a few minutes, it suddenly made sense to Twilight. It didn’t need explaining; Celestia was simply born from the most powerful magic in existence. It was clear to her that all of Celestia’s power had come from the Elements of Harmony upon her creation. “Let’s make that big star now!” Tia suggested, putting the rocks back where she found them. “Wh... Now?” Twilight raised a brow. “But, you’re still just learning… Creating that star will be very difficult; you may not be ready just yet.” “How am I supposed to know if I am able to do something if I don’t try it?” Celestia grinned. The foal’s optimism was unquestionably powerful. Twilight smiled at her filly with proud admiration, and she nodded. “Well, okay, if you’re up for it. Are you sure?” “Yea!” Tia cleared her throat and trotted up close to Twilight to nudge her. “But, em... You’re going to help me, right?” Twilight giggled and knelt down beside her. “Of course.” Celestia beamed. “Okay! Now, let me try something.” Bowing down, she illuminated her horn again, and concentrated. Twilight at first stayed back, and watched the filly push her magic out of her horn with full determination. At first, nothing very big was happening. But then there was an ignited spark at the tip of Celestia’s horn, which hovered a few inches from her head. Twilight’s jaw hung low as she kept watching, and that tiny sphere she formed from a mere spark began to grow before them. “Oh my!” Twilight was absolutely awestruck. “Tia, that’s incredible!” “Oaah! Oh, this is hard!” Tia whimpered, feeling overwhelmed by the bright sphere she was creating. “Ahh!” “Here, let me help you,” Twilight whispered and leaned in to help Celestia control the spell. Together, their combined magic assisted the sphere of light to grow. Both smiling and reveling over their expanding golden light, they lifted it up into the air. Slowly it ascended into the sky as it grew, and they raised it higher and higher to join the stars. As it rose higher, the black atmosphere slowly faded into a brilliant cerulean blue. They held onto it for several minutes, helping it grow, until there was a point it was giving off a comforting heat. The warmth soothed the two ponies, and once it was big enough, they released it to remain afloat in the sky. “You did it, Tia!” Twilight was mystified by the child’s capabilities. “I am astonished that you can control your magic so well…” She tilted her head. “You are so young, Tia, this… this is beyond anything I have ever seen in my life.” Celestia shrugged with a beaming smile. “Well, you helped!” she replied modestly, and then looked back up into the blue sky to admire her large sphere of warm, flaring light. “It’s so pretty,” she murmured. Twilight smiled. “Yes, it is. You did really good…” she calmly said, “I’ve seen something like it before… A wise Princess once built one, just like it.” Celestia looked up at her creation with a bright smile. “Let’s call it the Sun.” “The… Sun?” Twilight felt her heart skip a beat when the child gave the large light in the sky the same title as her former mentor did. Dumbfounded, she looked down to the foal, who smiled back up at her. Celestia nodded to the title she gave her shining creation, and in her moment of admiration toward her sphere of light in the sky, there was a faint glow on flanks that Twilight noticed at the corner of her eye. She was quick to look and witnessed the foal gain her cutie mark, and when the image appeared on her flanks, the sight of her talent symbol caused Twilight to gasp with an immense epiphany. It was the sun—Princess Celestia’s sun. Every detail about it was the exact same cutie mark that her former mentor had. Tia acknowledged Twilight eyeing her flank in shock, and out of curiosity, she looked at it herself. “Woah…! What is it?” She was mystified by the image of the sun that magically appeared out of nowhere. “Well, it’s… called a cutie mark,” Twilight slowly explained to her. Watching over the little alicorn, the answers were beginning to come together. Her eyes wandered, and slowly widened as a great epiphany came to her. “O-oh my Goddess,” she stuttered, and her eyes widened with the impossible realization. “Was I… Was I sent back in time?!” She was so overwhelmed she could hardly believe the reality, but it began to make sense. This filly had to be the very same Celestia she knew back in Equestria. That portal that she was hurled through when she entered the Door of Prophecy sent her into the past. And just now, she had witnessed the birth of Princess Celestia—and she was her mother. But, why would Celestia from her original timeline never tell her she would be sent into the past if she went through the Door of Prophecy? Why did nopony ever know about Celestia’s mother? If Twilight was the reason for life’s existence in Equestria, why did she never even know until she made this time jump, terraformed the land, put the stars in the sky, and created Celestia herself? “This cutie mark is neat!” Celestia beamed. “What does it mean?” Twilight looked at her in awe, and felt nervous to speak to her. “It’s because… you’re the Princess of the Sun.” “Huh?” Tia tilted her head. “I’m a Princess?” “Yes…” Twilight nodded, still dumbfounded and finding it nearly impossible to believe the reality. “You are Princess Celestia…” Looking up at the Sun that Celestia had created, she acknowledged something floating through the sky down toward her in a spiraling motion. The silhouette of the object became clearer when it got closer, and she found it to be another page of the Book of Prophecy. Reaching up to grab it, she caught it out of the air. She nervously hesitated at first, but she then held it up, and read it to herself. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Now, you understand. You, Princess Twilight Sparkle, wrote these very words in your journal—the Book of Prophecy. And you and I are the very same pony, but from different timelines. You were never told of this, because if you knew, it would break history’s balance. Equestria would not have been born, because if you knew how much responsibility would rest upon your shoulders, you would have refused to set hoof in the Door of Prophecy, and thus you would have never gone back in time to fulfil your destiny. If you were ‘told’ what to do—if I revealed your task to you in the very beginning—the flow of time would not have gone naturally. This had to be discovered all on your own, otherwise creation would have been by force, and not by the magic of friendship. As a result of this, you are in fact, Princess Celestia’s Mother. Be proud of that. One day, your future, younger self will be born, and she will follow the same path you did. She will be ascent into an alicorn Princess, and she will open the Door of Prophecy to return to the very beginning of time to rewrite history like you are doing right now. Being sent to the past, you have formed a perpetual time loop. You came back to write history how it was meant to be, so that Equestria could have life in it. The Door of Prophecy was created with a lock spell that only I could open. And my prophecy foretold that you would be able to open it, too, because the Pony of Prophecy is the same pony that created the door. Born as a common unicorn in your original timeline, you grew wise and old enough to become an immortal Princess, to fulfil your destiny… to rewrite history. And now it’s time, Twilight Sparkle, to understand your destiny. You know what you must do. Unfold history, and give birth to our world in all its glory! And always remember, your friends are forever there to guide you.