A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction by Solaris. Everything except Harmonic Song copyright Hasbro Inc.
Princess Celestia awoke with a feeling of dread. It was that day of the year. Her birthday, though the term “birthday” was inaccurate, as nopony, not even Celestia herself, knew when, or even if she was born. Throwing off the covers with a sigh, she walked to her bathroom and drew herself a bath. Settling into the hot, steaming water, she thought about the day to come.
“You’re a big girl, Celestia. It’s just one day. Just smile at everypony, eat a slice of cake, and then you’ll be done,” Celestia thought.
Celestia had never liked her birthday. She just felt it unnecessary. For the rest of Equestria, however, it was a national holiday. Celestia had been their benevolent ruler for as long as they could remember. They saw it only fitting to honor her with a celebration. As she rose from her bath and toweled herself off, she heard footsteps outside the door. Her adviser, Harmonic Song, had come to prepare her for the day. Opening the door, she was greeted by a humongous smile and a cup of coffee that she handed to Celestia.
“Good morning, Your Highness, and happy birthday, might I add!” said Harmonic Song, her grey fur stretched around her face in a smile. Atop her cherry-red mane sat a small, colorful party hat.
“Thank you, Song,” Celestia said with a slight twitch, “What’s the day look like?” Celestia asked with a sip of the coffee, and started towards the royal dining hall. Without a doubt, Harmonic Song had the entire day planned out. In fact, her adviser reminded her of her student Twilight Sparkle. The two were both very fond of their schedules. Sure enough, Harmonic Song produced a list and began to read.
“First off- Breakfast. The very finest Prench toast, with a side of eggs and a glass of orange juice. Simple but delicious. After breakfast, the Elements of Harmony shall arrive and you’ll raise the sun. Once that’s over with, the party can begin.”
Celestia sat down at the long table. From the kitchens, she heard the familiar sound of somepony with a Scottish accent berating the staff. A yellow pony in a stained chef’s apron hurriedly rushed out of the kitchen with a silver platter. He placed it in front of the Princess with a slight bow, and ran back to the kitchen. Celestia’s mouth watered as she looked at the plate, and she dug in enthusiastically. No matter how bad the day might be, the royal kitchen staff never disappointed. She vaguely noticed Harmonic Song chattering away in the background about the attendance of the Canterlot elite, but Celestia didn’t care. She wanted to enjoy her breakfast while it lasted. Far too soon, though, it was over.
Noticing that Celestia was finished, a servant came and took Celestia’s plate, and she rose from the table. She waited for a moment as Harmonic Song appeared with the Elements of Harmony. She put on a smile as Twilight Sparkle approached her.
“Thank you all for coming,” said Celestia. “It means more than you realize. “
“Happy birthday, Princess!” said Twilight, with similar exclamations from her friends. “I’m sure you must be so excited!”
"Oh Twilight, you have no idea,” Celestia said with a fake smile.
“Well, Princess, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to keep everyone waiting. There must be hundreds of ponies down there!” At this, Celestia gave another small, unnoticeable twitch.
“Of course, Twilight. Let us not tarry.”
Princess Celestia and the seven other ponies walked back down the hallway towards her chambers as she steeled herself for the events to come. She stopped before the large double doors leading to her balcony. Harmonic Song noticed this, and asked, “Something wrong, Princess?” concern in her voice.
“No, Song. Everything is just fine.” the Princess said. Putting on a brave face, she took a step forward and opened the doors.
The sound of all the cheering ponies below was deafening. Celestia looked out across the city in awe. Twilight had been wrong. There were thousands of ponies in the streets below, from all across the country. Ponies from Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Stalliongrad, Baltimare and more were in attendance. Even though she hated her birthday, it was warming to know that they were all there because of their love for her.
“Thank you all so much, my little ponies. You have no idea how happy it makes me that you have all come here for such an occasion,” said Celestia, and she meant it. “Let’s start the day, shall we?” and again, the sound of all those ponies cheering was loud enough for Celestia to feel. With a look of determination, Celestia set about raising the sun.
The crowds grew silent as a magic glow surrounded Celestia and she flew into the sky. All of the lights in Canterlot were extinguished. For a short moment, there was nothing but the light of the stars and the moon. Then, a faint, barely perceptible glow appeared in the east, across the valley below Canterlot. The first rays of light streaked across the sky as the moon lowered behind the mountain. In a few moments, several more streaks hit the top of the tallest towers of Canterlot Castle, where crystals had been strategically placed, creating a rainbow aurora around Celestia and the castle. The ponies below were breathless. In one final surge, the sun crept above the horizon and illuminated Princess Celestia herself. Her pearly white fur shone brightly, whiter than the purest diamond. The thousands of ponies below broke into cheers and stomped their hooves. Celestia gently touched down again, and saw Harmonic Song and the Elements beaming at her. Pinkie Pie cheered wildly.
“Wow, Princess, that was beautiful!” exclaimed Twilight.
The ponies below had turned their ravenous cheering in to an organized chant, and now spoke as one. “Princess, Princess, Princess!” they cheered.
As Celestia looked out upon all the ponies, the ponies who loved her, she decided that maybe birthdays weren’t so bad after all. Suddenly, she heard a commotion behind her, and saw Pinkie Pie wheeling forward what looked like a fire on a cart. It was only until Pinkie exclaimed, “Just wait until you try the cake, Princess!” that she realized it was a birthday cake, decorated with thousands upon thousands of candles.