Malefic Bonds

by Razalon The Lizardman

Celestia's Diary #1

The hidden study within the castle library opened and Celestia, looking weary and with bags under her eyes, entered. So much had happened during the past few weeks and it had taken its toll on the solar alicorn. She was looking forward to a good night's rest, but such would have to wait a few extra minutes.

Celestia trotted over to the dais in the center of the room and set the book she was carrying down onto it; it was titled, "The Journal of the Two Sisters". Summoning a quill and inkwell, she began writing on the book's first page.

7/20/01

This shall be my first entry in this diary We received from one Gossamer, the lead seamstress whom We hired to decorate Our castle. Upon my asking of her reason for giving Us this gift, Gossamer answered with the following:

"Giving unto others is something I take much pride in, your highness. The knowledge that a figure of such power as yourself makes use of my gifts makes me the happiest mare in Equestria."

Touched as I was by Gossamer's generosity, giving Us a diary was not needed as her decorations were top-notch and absolutely marvelous. Besides, my sister has no interest in writing within this book. Though, it would be unbecoming of Us to throw away such a thoughtful gift, so I shall make extended use of this diary. And my first entry shall be a recounting of all that has happened the past two weeks.

Luna and myself were ecstatic once the hired group of smiths, architects, artists and seamstresses arrived at the castle. The first thing I noticed upon greeting them was the sense of intimidation they all felt. This was not surprising, of course; having to decorate a castle inhabited by anypony of Our status would intimidate me as well. I did my best to reassure them all that Luna and I had faith in their talents to turn our drab castle into one with beauty second to none.

Though still nervous, the group immediately set to work drawing up plans for both the interior and exterior designs of our home. Both Luna and myself offered to pose for the team of seamstresses to help them in sewing our likeness into the tapestries currently adorning the castle's walls. Having to stand perfectly still, for several hours and with one foreleg raised was pure agony for us both. The end result was most definitely worth it, however; those images are truly a sight to behold.

As per Our instructions, the castle was split into two halves; one each for Luna and myself. My own half boasts a golden yellow color scheme like that of the sun I command, while Luna's boasts a midnight blue color scheme. This motif of Day and Night is present all throughout the castle, even on the support columns holding it up.

I find myself intrigued by the design choices of the artists in creating the various stained-glass murals throughout the interior. My own side boasts murals with more free-flowing, wavy patterns whilst Luna's boasts patterns more perpendicular-aligned. Perhaps the artists tried to create reflections of Our character traits in the murals. If this is true, then I know not whether to be flattered or concerned that I am seen as 'free-flowing'. Oh well, 'tis nothing worth worrying over.

On the subject of artistic designs, I must make mention of Solis' own contribution to his new home's appearance. I allowed him one decision as to the castle's appearance, and what he chose I find to be quite telling. Solis asked the group of smiths to construct several dragon statues to be placed around the castle's exterior. His reasoning was this:

"I oftentimes find myself relating more easily to dragons than ponies."

I can only agree. Like dragons, ponies know so little about Solis because he strikes fear and repulsion into their hearts. I sincerely hope to change this while he is under my wing.

I must also make mention that even now, as wondrous as the castle currently looks, it is still not finished. Though most of everypony whom we hired to help with the decoration has already left to return home, I requested a select few to stay behind for a special project of mine which I call The Organ to the Outside. It's purpose is little more than a personal amusement of mine, but I foresee a great need of such when the stress of ruling Equestria becomes aggravating in the near future.

Luna and I never truly lost the playful nature all ponies possess during foalhood by growing up. We have always loved playing games and experiencing thrills with each other. To this end, several secret passageways and entrances were built throughout the castle's infrastructure. No pony, not even the castle staff or Solis, other than Us knows of these quirks, and hopefully it stays that way. The knowledge that there is a secret corridor, or chamber, inside your home that only you know of is a great feeling, one which I cannot explain.

I love to duck behind the paintings, and though the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap door slide is Luna's favorite. All of these little quirks make me, and possibly Luna as well, feel like a little filly again. 'Tis a feeling that shall be missed in the coming years, but hopefully one which can be experienced whenever We manage to scrounge sufficient free time from our new royal duties.

I can hear Summer Scape calling to me. I shall end this first entry by saying if you are reading this, and not named Luna or Solis (in which case you should know better than to read other ponies' diaries; shame on you), you are hereby fired from service under her royal majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria.

I will know if you read this, believe me.

7/24/01

Soon The Organ to the Outside will be finished. I can hardly wait.

7/26/01

The Organ to the Outside has been finished. Finally. Now I can have some fun with unsuspecting staff. Though, I suppose I shall have to be careful as to who I prank, as they will suddenly be privy to the secrets hidden throughout this castle.

8/5/01

Luna has informed me of a new spell she is developing during our latest twilight hour meeting, one which will allow her access to our subjects' dreams. She plans to use it for quelling night terrors they experience, thereby endearing her to them. This is wondrous news, as Luna now has a way of interacting with our subjects in spite of her nocturnal sleep schedule. The sooner she finishes this spell, the better.

8/11/01

Luna and I are now properly settled into our roles as Equestria's rulers, to which work can begin on getting Equestria back upright and prospering. Today, Luna and I issued a decree announcing the new system of Court to all of Equestria. With it in place, ponies can arrange a meeting with either myself or Luna and plea for funds to a project which they believe will aid in Equestria's development for the better.

Citizens are required to provide their own transportation here, however, and given the castle's general isolation very few ponies will be able to make the trip. Factually, this shall limit the number of petitioners Luna and I must deal with, lest we lose our minds from the sheer volume of potential petitioners. Those that make the trip, however, will be offered lodging and food overnight so as to rest for their journey home.

This Court system is but the first step toward a bright future. Many harsh trials are to come, I am positive, but with Luna and Solis at my side they shall be overcome.

8/31/01

Now that Solis has fully adjusted to his new home and lifestyle, the time has come for him to start his political studies. Since Luna and myself are too busy to teach him ourselves, a private tutor named Rusty Quill has been added to the castle staff to educate my son on politics. Solis has taken his new studies in stride which I am proud of him for, as well as Rusty Quill for being respectful regarding Solis' eye deformity.

I can only imagine how Solis feels in regards to his new position as the son of royalty. Such a thought I am positive never crossed his mind before we met at Happy Heart's orphanage. Within the next few years he shall be ready to properly assist Luna and I in ruling Equestria. I must also credit him for adapting to his new position swiftly and without grievances. Few other colts his age I imagine could come to grips with such a sudden change so fast, but Solis has proven himself to be quite resilient. Such a quality is most useful in traversing the ever shifting political tides, and I hope to tap into the full potential Solis possesses to become an excellent leader alongside Luna and myself.

9/10/01

According to Luna, her 'dreamwalking' spell is completed and ready to cast. I can barely contain my enthusiasm for her accomplishment.

9/30/01

Lately, I have noticed that Solis makes himself scarce when We play host to Court petitioners. This does not surprise me in the slightest, however, as I am well aware of Solis' presentiments toward other ponies. I wrote last month of how resilient Solis is, and how such a quality would be vital to helping Us rule Equestria. Now, I realize, Solis needs assurance that with such authority he need not worry over ponies' prejudiced views toward him. If anything, they would kiss the very ground he walked upon. I wish that last sentence was entirely figurative.

At any rate, I have decided to set aside some time every day to bond with Solis. Hopefully, I can make him realize the importance of social interaction in life and politics. Additionally, a little one-on-one time between just us two should be healthy for our relationship.

Perhaps he will take to addressing me properly instead of by name. Such would be nice.

10/15/01

Luna regaled me with a most wondrous tale this morning. Last night, she entered the dream of a little colt named Ia Painta experiencing a most horrifying Night Terror. In it, she says, Ia was being tortured by nameless monsters with purple bodies, long pointy limbs, and which screamed loud enough to make one's ears bleed.

What happened next, and at this part I knew my sister was exaggerating, was that Luna dispelled each and every abomination with such vigor and ruthlessness that little Ia almost fainted within his own dream. More than likely, she simply cast a secondary spell to erase his mind of the horrid images. In another life, my sister was probably an actress; a self-indulgent one at that.

Anyway, what she said happened next just melted my heart. According to Luna, little Ia was quite enthralled by how Luna single-hoofedly eliminated the abominations. Deciding to have a little fun, Luna allowed Ia to return the favor by 'rescuing' her from a vicious, fire-breathing dragon of his own creation. She spent around a few hours playing with Ia inside his dream before leaving to search out more Night Terrors to vanquish.

I am very much proud of Luna. Such interactions with our younger subjects shall see to it that future generations hold us in the same high regard as their ancestors. Luna and myself shall be ruling Equestria for many years to come, and I hope to always be in the good graces of our subjects.

10/31/01

I am sweating even as I write this. One of the guards discovered the rotating wall in the inner courtyard, which he confronted me about. I told him it was built for emergencies, and he appeared to believe me. I made no mention of any other quirk We built into the castle. Hopefully suspicion does not arouse among the castle staff as a whole, lest the one source of amusement We have be jeopardized.

11/23/01

It has been nearly a month since I last wrote in this diary. Lately, I have been retiring to my bedchambers too ehxustead to right an inztaed flal I dozed off a bit there; I meant to say 'exhausted to write and instead fall fast asleep'. I was originally going to write of how Luna's fear of the Hall of Hooves has waned considerably, but I feel too drowsy to write in more detail, so I shall end this entry by saying I will write more sparingly from now onwards.

12/24/01

It is Hearth's Warming Eve, and even as I write this the sound of a hundred hooves stomping throughout the castle, finishing preparations for the celebration of Equestria's founding, echoes throughout the library. This shall be the first Hearth's Warming celebration after Discord's fall to which I, as well as everypony else, believe it should be naught but perfect.

12/25/01

It is Hearth's Warming Day, and a most joyous mood permeates the Castle of Everfree. From where I sit at the Grand Table, I can physically feel the uplifting spirits of everypony around me. Some chat, some gorge on their food when they believe neither I nor Luna is watching (not that I blame them; Cherry Cake's food is always to die for), and others still are, quite amusedly, well into their cups.

The only pony whom I sense no joy emanating from is Solis, who sits right next to me. To have anypony sulking on this day is unacceptable, so I will now ask my son what ails him.

It has been roughly five minutes since I stopped writing. Upon asking Solis why he was not making merry with everypony around him, my son said he was deep in thought about some things. When I asked him what these things were, Solis responded it was a secret for the time being. I tried pressing him a little bit more, but it seems my son is content to waste the day pondering rather than celebrating.

Oh well, only if he is sad should I worry.

1/17/02

I should have written this weeks ago, but at the time my sleep-deprived brain would not allow me to pick up a quill, and I forgot about this until just a few minutes ago.

The new year has brought with it a heightened sense of awareness among the general public. Specifically, the need to let the world outside of Equestria know that we are now free from Discord and safe to form relations with. It has been so long since Equestria held firm contact with the Gryphon Nation or the Crystal Empire; I wonder how things have fared throughout the world during Discord's rule?

Hopefully, we will learn soon enough. Luna and I have sent notices to every nation once allied with Equestria informing them of our liberation from Discord. We expect replies back before spring is finished. I pray to the Elements they will reciprocate our call for re-alliance.

2/28/02

Solis received flying marks on his economics test today. Even if he is indifferent to it, I am wholly proud of him.

3/19/02

Luna and I are currently riding the Royal Chariot to the village of Earth. There have been many reports of vicious roars sounding from the isolated settlement's surrounding forests. Coupled with this, the destruction of vast quantities of trees. Theories have sparked among the residents as to what haunts their home; windigoes, dragons, and even a long lost relative of Discord's are the most accepted.

Personally, I believe none of these are true. Windigoes, if they still exist even, do not destroy trees. If a dragon was at fault I would expect telltale signs of their fiery breath, like scorch marks etched into the ground, of which none have been reported. As to the last theory, I know not Discord's origins so whether he has family is and shall forever be unknown. I also doubt this theory is correct, but regardless, whatever terrorizes Earth is surely ferocious and powerful, to which We have brought the Elements of Harmony.

With luck, they will not be needed.

3/19/02 (evening)

Indeed, We are in luck; the Elements were not needed.

As it turns out, the beast which haunted Earth was naught but an Ursa Major. What one is doing within Equestria's borders, I will not pretend to know. What I do know, however, is that this one is pregnant which is why it caused such a disturbance to my little ponies. I suppose it is for the best that I adopted rather than birthed a foal myself. I shudder to think of what going through labor feels like.

The Ursa Major has been incapacitated and will be relocated to the Everfree Forest posthaste. From what I have learned of Ursas, Majors go into a centuries' long hibernation following birth, so this should be a suitable solution for the time being.

I shall end this entry saying that dealing with the Ursa has boosted public faith in Our rule, if the groves of ponies currently bowing before Us are any indication.

3/20/02

The Ursa Major has been successfully relocated to a cave within the forest. While Our little ponies are safe for the time being (assuming none venture off the path and enter the cave), I loathe the ear-splitting roars that are sure to come when the creature finally gives birth. I pray to the Elements that my soundproof barrier is strong enough to cover the entire castle.

4/13/02

Today is a very special day, for Solis is now 11 years of age. Despite this, Solis has made it clear he is not interested in celebrating his birthday. Though he refuses to say why, I assume it is because the knowledge that his life came at the expense of his mother's is not acceptable to celebrate over, which is understandable.

Still, I cannot imagine his birth mother would appreciate seeing her son mope like so. If anything, I imagine knowing her son is in the hooves of royalty and shall be given the best life possible makes her happy even beyond the grave. Still, it is Solis' special day, and so be it if he decides to waste it away reading books in his room.

6/1/02

At long last, replies from both the Crystal Empire and the Gryphon Nation have arrived. One response heralds pleasant news, whilst the other does not.

First, the good. The Gryphon Nation formed an alliance with the Minotaurs some hundred years back. This makes reconnecting with both easier for Equestria, for if one agrees than both agree. According to their response to my query asking for a re-alliance, both races want assurance that Discord is no longer a threat; only then will they consider re-opening ties with Equestria. I shall write back saying the accursed draconequus is no longer a cause for concern and that all races are safe within Equestria's borders.

The Crystal Empire, however, is currently in turmoil. The details are unclear, but it appears that their rulers fell victim to a sort of 'love poison' which rendered them incapable of ruling the country. The Empire is apparently going through a power struggle right now. I have already written back asking if Equestria might lend assistance to ensure the crystal ponies are safe and secure. Hopefully, this will help in re-establishing ties with our northern neighbors.

7/2/02

Almost an entire year has passed since Discord was cast down, Luna and myself became Equestria's new rulers, and I adopted Solis as my son. It feels as if all this occurred naught but a mere few days ago. Time during Discord's rule moved by at a snail's pace compared to now.

Many more years await Luna and I, and we shall meet their challenges head on with reckless abandon if need be.

9/15/02

It has been a long while since I wrote an entry, but only because little of significance has occurred since then. The Crystal Empire has answered back and have denied our offer for help. Why? According to the response, the turmoil has settled down and a new ruler by the name of Sombra has risen to replace the old ones.

Details were sketchy at best, but it does appear the Empire is no longer in imminent danger of collapsing. Also according to the response, the Empire is still recovering from its turmoil and will not be open to negotiations for some time. This is okay, as Luna and I have all the time in the world to wait. Hopefully, Sombra will see things Our way when said time comes.

As to the Gryphon Nation and their new allies, we have yet to hear back from them. It is quite frustrating that our lands are separated by an entire ocean, making travel between the two a tedious affair. Considering how long their first response took to reach us, I believe the next will arrive within the month, assuming those featherbrains still care for ponykind.

10/4/02

The Gryphons have finally responded. Apparently they care not for ponykind, for the response said nothing of re-allying our two countries, only a mere congratulation on finally overthrowing Discord.

Frustrated as I am of this development, We can always try again at a later date. For now, I shall concentrate both on being a good leader to Our little ponies and a good mother to Solis.

11/1/02

Solis continues to impress me. Every week I hear nothing but high praise from Rusty Quill regarding Solis' studies. No other pony, I believe, could take to learning politics as easily as Solis has. That said, I worry for my son in regards to his sociability. We have spent much time bonding, true, and Solis seems ever more respectful of my authority (though, he still refuses to call me by anything other than name), but aside from this he never gets out and interacts with anypony else. The castle staff make no ill onto him over his deformity, yet he cannot remember all their names despite having lived over a year in the castle.

I am concerned as to what will become of Solis when his studies are complete and he is meeting with foreign diplomats and such. As I have written previously, a good leader must be sociable in addition to being intelligent and crafty. Solis excels in the latter two, but shows no signs of care for the first. To this end, I have decided to force Solis to bond with some of the staff. Perhaps he and Captain Tricolt can go on an adventure together in the Everfree? Maybe Summer Scape would be interested in spending some time with my son? As long as Solis learns to open up to ponies other than myself, then I shall be happy.

And so shall he.

11/13/02

Solis has spent time with much of the castle's staff since my last entry, Tricolt and Summer Scape included. He complied with my request that he take some time to bond with ponies aside from myself, but not without some trepidations. Solis still holds distaste for figures of authority, to which I surmised he would get along well with the staff since they are not above him in this regard. This proved true for the most part; Solis did indeed show tolerance towards the various ponies whom serve Us. However, everypony reported back to me that Solis showed little interest in proper conversation. According to them, he would not look them directly in the eyes when talking and usually only replied to questions with quick, impatient responses, much like how he acted when we first met at Happy Heart's.

I feel it may be some time before Solis is ready to help me tackle the challenge of re-connecting with the outside world, for good social skills are needed when dealing with foreign dignitaries. At any rate, he will learn his lessons of respect for others alongside his political studies.

I have complete and utter faith in his potential.

12/5/02

As I write this I am struggling to contain my laughter. The most hilarious occurrence of a pony being well into their cups happened just an hour ago during supper.

Nightcanter, Luna's Guard Captain, had too much wine to drink and began flirting with my sister in front of everypony. It kept escalating until poor Nightcanter mistook a doughnut for a wedding ring and proposed to Luna on his knees. Needless to say, I had to use a silencing spell on myself to keep from bursting out laughing all throughout this scene.

While this happened, I observed the varying reactions from everypony else around the table. All the maids and remaining guards could do was stare in shock, jaws agape. Solis seemed to merely be confused as to what Nightcanter was doing, which has got me thinking about how I shall introduce him to the concepts of romance and intoxication. Certainly in a way better than what transpired at supper.

And at last, Luna. Oh, my dear sister. Never have I seen her more embarrassed than tonight. The expression on her face was golden as she blushed profusely in response to her Guard Captain's behavior and ultimate proposal. Forever shall I have the image of him holding out the proposed 'ring' to his princess whose cheeks are reddened like apples burned into my retina. I predict many uses of the flashback spell in the near future during Our twilight hour meet ups.

Regardless, a limit on wine consumption has been enacted to prevent similar occurrences. Hilarious, yes, but it is improper to have Our staff act in such a fashion, inebriated or otherwise.

1/1/03

Another new year dawns upon Us, and with it many changes are sure to happen both to the land of Equestria and to the ponies that inhabit it. To which I say, bring it on.

2/15/03

We are expecting the Ursa Major to give birth any day now. I am ready to cast my sound barrier at a moment's notice.

2/20/03

It finally happened. The Ursa Major has given birth. I was, thankfully, able to respond in time to its cries and raise my sound barrier before anypony's ears bled. Now the new mother will hibernate with her newborn for many years. Hopefully, when she wakes, the Major will not terrorize Our little ponies anymore.

4/13/03

Solis turns twelve today. Like last year, he wishes not to celebrate. I cannot help but feel he unfairly blames himself for the death of his mother. But as much as I understand his pain, such an attitude is unhealthy for a maturing young colt. Next year, I will not let pass such behavior.

6/1/03

Today Solis made a very unusual request to observe the Elements of Harmony. When I inquired as to why he wished to do so, Solis replied he believed studying the harmonic resonance between the Elements would aid him in a secret project of his. When I next inquired as to what this secret project was, Solis replied, "'Tis a secret; I cannot tell."

Such a response elicited a chuckle from me and I told Solis he needed a better reason to convince me. He merely huffed in response and exited my bedchambers. There comes a point in every pony's life wherein they learn not everything goes their way. Solis has indeed suffered a loveless first decade of life, but such a request requires good reasoning to make happen. I might have considered demonstrating the Elements' power if he let me in on what his secret project entailed. I am genuinely interested in what it could be.

6/6/03

I just ordered Captain Tricolt to take Solis on a little boy's adventure through the Everfree. My son has spent far too much time indoors lately, and with summer soon to be upon us, now is the ideal time for Solis to leave the confines of this castle and see the world proper. Solis resisted, of course, but my insistence ultimately won out and he agreed to tag along with my Guard Captain.

It is plain to see that Solis is afraid of the outside world. After having been treated like scum for ten years, and then to be treated with respect by myself and Our servants for the past few, it is understandable as to why he wishes to remain here. But Solis will eventually learn to let go of the past and judge others based on their own merit rather than others'.

In regards to being insecure over his deformed appearance, I have a trick in mind which might alleviate such insecurities. Though, I will wait until a more proper time comes before testing it out. Until then, I shall not force Solis to interact with Our subjects if he wishes not to.

12/7/03

It has been many months since I last wrote in this diary as I thought it had been lost. It was hiding underneath the Organ all this time. Had I not tripped over one of the supports I would never have found it. But now that I have, I can write about the arrival of a new enemy to Equestria; a centaur who goes by the name of Lord Tirek.

Lord Tirek and his brother, Scorpan, arrived together near the end of summer with the stated mission of reestablishing connections with Equestria following Discord's defeat. To learn that other countries would be willing to reach out to us filled me with joy, but it was not long before their true mission was revealed, that being to steal all the magic in Equestria for themselves. Whether they were given this mission, or if they acted on their own has not been answered, but maybe Scorpan was too distraught about betraying his brother to say which is true. I suppose that is understandable, and if he makes good on his promise to never again set hoof on Equestrian soil with ill intent, We can forgive him for his part in this crime.

As for his brother, the Tartarus Caves shall suffice as a prison so long as Cerberus remains vigilant. Whether We will ever forgive him as well is yet to be determined, but even if so, it shan't happen for many a moon.

More positive news regarding foreign relations is that another offer to re-ally with the gryphons will be attempted early next year. Additionally, We believe sufficient time has passed for the Crystal Empire to be recovered from its turmoil, so negotiations shall be attempted with Sombra and the crystal ponies around roughly the same time.

1/1/04

Yet another new year is upon Equestria, and with it comes another step towards realizing the future I have envisioned for this wondrous land I call home. With each new year that passes, the first thing I always think to myself is, 'What can We make of this fresh start? What new goals should We strive for? And above all, how can We ward off the allures of malice and greed that has corrupted the hearts of many once good rulers throughout history?'

I suppose this is self-indulgent to admit, but when I look upon Our subjects I feel little other than pity. While We possess the strengths of all three pony tribes, Our subjects are limited in their talents and must rely on each other for support. To have just one, let alone two ponies who possess all of magic, flight, and great strength in addition to power over the sun and moon, rule Equestria is undoubtedly a terrifying prospect. With such power at Our command, We hold the lives of everypony everybody in our hooves.

Thankfully, I have observed over the past few years that Our subjects are much more faithful to Us than they were at the start of our rule. For instance, just last week I paid yet another visit to fair Canterlot intending to tour Lord Pig Skin's crystal mine and possibly purchase a section of it for governmental use; the crystals hidden within possess attributes for which many productive uses exist. Upon just arriving in Canterlot I was greeted with smiling faces and thunderous applause; I am positive I visibly blushed in response. Meeting with Lord Skin, I was quite pleased with how understanding he was with my request and wasted no time in leading me to the mine's entrance. I explained the reasons behind my request during the tour, and all the while Pig Skin never showed any sign of fear or apprehension to the prospect of selling away part of his mine. Once the tour concluded, he promised to think about my request and deliver his response soon.

As it stands now, the campaign of befriending Our subjects has yielded very positive results, as indicated by numerous instances like the one described above. However, I am positive there are still pockets of apprehension within Equestria's population regarding Our rule. The path toward a wholly faithful Equestria is not yet complete, but progress is made with every act of kindness and generosity Luna or myself performs for our subjects. We will not fall to the same plague of corruption and selfishness that rulers throughout history have fallen to.

2/28/04

I have just sent another notice to the Gryphon Nation as well as the Crystal Empire asking for an alliance with Equestria. Assuming no catastrophes occur, We should receive a response from both within the next few months.

I pray that all goes well this time around.

3/15/04

Today it was discovered that not all of Discord's chaotic influence was purged from the land when We cast him down and restored harmony to Equestria. Solis and Tricolt came back from their latest bonding session through the Everfree yesterday looking the same as when they left. Today, both woke up anything but.

My Captain's mane and tail are replaced with (I am ashamed to admit, mouth-watering) sweet grass, while Solis' body weight doubled, making each individual step he takes a harrowing ordeal. When I asked them what might have happened in the Everfree to cause these symptoms, Tricolt said that the two of them had walked through a patch of what he calls 'chiming blue flowers'. I instructed him to take me to these flowers immediately.

When we arrived at the flower patch I studied the magical anatomy of them, only to quickly realize they were imbued with chaos magic, the very same which Discord employed. It appears even while imprisoned Discord is able to wreak havoc with Our little ponies. I immediately destroyed the accursed flowers and returned with Tricolt to the castle.

At this very moment, Our doctors are researching a possible cure for my son and Guard Captain. I have instructed the maids to bring Solis his meals in bed until he is healed and have postponed any and all Court requests until further notice. Hopefully, the effects of that vile plant are not permanent.

3/20/04

A cure has been found for Tricolt and Solis. All that is needed are a few simple herbal ingredients to mix up a potion that can undo the effects put upon them by the flowers. Many of them are not native to Equestria, however, but I recall seeing many of them available for purchase during my last trip to Canterlot. It should be a simple matter of visiting Canterlot, acquiring the needed ingredients, and returning here to make it for Solis and Tricolt, but there is something that worries me.

Our subjects look up to Us as beacons of hope and wisdom, I can tell. My concern is how their views of Us might askew if they knew I was looking to them for help in such an important matter as curing my Captain and son of their illness. I need not tell them, certainly, but it is not everyday that I stroll through the marketplace alongside commoners, purchasing goods. Sure, I have done it in the past, but only on the rarest of occasions.

I plan on going all the same, without a doubt. I just hope nopony gets curious regarding my purchases.

3/20/04 (afternoon)

Solis and Tricolt have been cured of the chaos flowers' effects. I am quite relieved.

4/13/04

Today is Solis' thirteenth birthday. The little colt I first met at Happy Hearts' years ago is quickly growing into a dashing young stallion. If only he was not still adamant about ignoring his birthday. I promised I would make him enjoy his birthday last year, and I have upheld that promise. I summoned Solis to the castle dining room this morning, a full spread of all his favorite foods waiting to be eaten on the table, an enormous banner stretched across the room, and everypony lying in wait to shout 'Surprise!' once he entered.

He seemed genuinely surprised, that much I am certain. However, after getting over his initial shock, Solis scowled and walked to the table, grabbed some food and stormed back off to his room. While everypony else merely tilted their heads in confusion, Tricolt and myself followed him; Solis has apparently opened up to my Guard Captain about his foalhood throughout their bonding sessions. When we tried talking to him, Solis screamed at us to go away. I knew my son would not be wholly welcoming toward a surprise birthday party, but I assumed he would at the very least join the festivities, unhappily or not, rather than retreat to his room in a huff. The two of us attempted everything we could to coax him into returning, but no matter what he would not budge.

Tricolt suggested we leave him be, clearly having given up, and for a brief moment I agreed that our efforts were fruitless. Then one last idea sparked into my brain, and I asked Tricolt to wait outside and make sure no one entered. He complied, and I was left alone with my son. I stood next to his bed, watching him eat the food he brought, never once returning my gaze. Eventually, he sighed and asked why I wanted him back so badly. I decided to throw the question right back at him and asked why he was so adamant to not celebrate his birthday. Solis must not have expected the question, for he blanked on an answer at first. The answer he gave, however, was different from what I assumed to be true.

According to Solis, birthdays are not in celebration of one's birth itself. Rather, they are conducted to celebrate the entirety of one's life up to such a day. To this, he believes a horrid life such as his is not worth celebrating. It took me awhile to give my own answer, but I told him that even if the first ten years of his life are not worth celebrating, the years he has spent living in Everfree Castle with me, Luna, Tricolt, and everypony else are surely worth it. Ultimately, he agreed to return and join the festivities, though his sour mood never did lift.

Perhaps it will lift over time.

5/21/04

It has been a while since I wrote an entry telling of Luna's exploits in the dreamscape. She has spoken little of her experiences as of late, and whenever she did it was often little more than a re-telling of her earliest stories of how she vanquished Night Terrors before playing with the foals whose dreams they plagued. This morning, however, her story had a vastly different ending.

Last night, she visited the dream of a filly named Apple Cross who was being chased by a ravenous manticore. As per usual, my sister vanquished the Night Terror and consoled little Apple. But unlike the early days of Luna's adventures throughout the dreamscape, Apple Cross asked for Luna to leave her dream as she wanted privacy. She was polite about it and still ever grateful to Luna for vanquishing the Night Terror, but all the same my sister was saddened that the little filly was not interested in playing with her. I offered her all of my sympathies, to which my sister brightened at least a little.

With all the pressure I constantly find myself under from ruling Equestria during the day, coupled with the task of raising Solis properly, I have found myself with so little time to bond with my own flesh and blood. Our twilight hour meet-ups are a bi-daily occurrence, and in that time we are only able to bond so much. Perhaps this will change over time.

I certainly hope it does.

6/10/04

I have received a response from the Crystal Empire, and it heralds good news. With their turmoil resolved, the crystal ponies have agreed to a meeting between Us and King Sombra. At long last, We can begin reconnecting Equestria with the outside world. All We need is to make Sombra feel welcomed and be wholly open to discussion. We have no way of knowing what his highness may want out of a supposed alliance between our countries, but We shall know sometime next month, when he arrives.

6/25/04

I have long wondered just what Solis does during his spare time. Whenever he is not under Rusty Quill's tutelage or bonding with myself or one of the staff, he is almost always in his room or in the library reading various books pertaining to magical theory like he used to do at Happy Heart's. I came upon him doing just this while browsing through the library today, except the amount of books he had on hoof easily dwarfed his usual amount. My curiosity piqued, I decided to join him to which he had no objections. I picked up a book myself and began faux-reading as I was more interested in observing Solis' behavior.

The emanations I felt from him spoke of everything I already knew he exhibited: determination, resolve, and unwavering focus in reaching a set goal. I felt something new this time; satisfaction. I decided to ask him what he was reading, to which Solis replied he was studying Starswirl the Bearded's famed amniomorphic spell. I have known my son to read up on many famed magician's feats, but Starswirl the Bearded was, to my knowledge at least, never among them. To know that Solis was studying the work of perhaps the single greatest magician to ever live did nothing except heighten my curiosity.

I then asked him why he was studying it, and that is when I saw something so fleetingly rare from Solis that I was sure at first my eyes were playing tricks on me; he looked up from the book and gave me a broad smile. I am sure my facial reaction belied no weakness, but my mind did a double take that left me utterly speechless. Solis stated he was taking inspiration from the amniomorphic spell in his development of a new spell which went one step further than Starswirl's. Whereas Starswirl's spell changes the cellular composition of living beings, Solis' would, according to him, 'tune the atomic bonds of an object with that of another, thereby bridging the two together as one, single object'.

Apparently my son exudes one other trait; ambition. To attempt designing a spell of such magnitude that it reaches further than even Starswirl's most famous work, Solis is either deceptively brilliant or in way over his head. I would never admit this to him, but given his inability to use unicorn magic I have doubts about his capacity to understand it enough to design his own spell, let alone one to achieve the effect which he described to me. Regardless, I am quite happy to see him hard at work doing something which he seems to enjoy, even if it amounts to nothing.

7/14/04

I have received word that King Sombra is now on Equestrian soil, waiting to be escorted to Everfree Castle. At long last, We shall meet with the esteemed ruler of Equestria's northern neighbors. I am debating whether to bring Solis to the meeting so that he may observe the negotiations to get an idea of what is expected of him once he completes his studies. If I allow him to join, I will give my present to help him deal with his insecurities. I shall have made up my mind later on. For now, I must prepare the Royal Chariot to fetch King Sombra.

7/14/04 (afternoon)

We have just arrived back at Everfree Castle with King Sombra. My impressions of the king are rather mixed. He is a gruff fellow, and his voice seems to always carry with it a harsh tone regardless of his feelings. We chatted back and forth the whole trip home, mainly in regards to how we returned order to our respective homelands. Sombra was very much interested in hearing about the Elements of Harmony, as well as how Luna and I came to wield both the sun and moon by our lonesome. I expected such questions, and gave him the proper answers in turn.

One question I did not anticipate, however, was in regards to Our ethereal manes and tails. The question of why We had them caught me off guard as nopony had ever questioned Us on them before. We are aware as to why We have them, of course; the magic flowing through Us is so plentiful that it needs a channel for release, which Our manes/tails act as lest We suffer magical sickness. The question made me feel uncomfortable, but I answered all the same. Sombra seemed particularly interested in learning about how We came to possess such power, but my growing unease prevented me from giving any more answers. I do not know why I felt this way as his curiosity was justifiable to an extent. Perhaps it is merely because this is the first time somepony has shown interest in Our physiology.

At any rate, negotiations between Us and Sombra will commence in a few hours. I asked Solis if he wished to join us as an observer, to which he replied he was uninterested. He is currently studying in his room while Luna and myself prepare for the biggest challenge of our rule thus far.

I pray all goes well.

7/15/04

A celebration is most definitely in order, for Equestria and the Crystal Empire are now official allies once again. King Sombra was very open to reason and understood the benefits obtainable from allying with Us. The coming years shall undoubtedly see broadened communications between our two lands, as well as a plethora of trade routes open up, among many other things.

All that remains now is to convince the Gryphons that Equestria is an ally worth having. I am worried that their failure to respond to my last letter indicates they are wholly uninterested as of now. If such is the case, hopefully their minds shall change upon learning the Crystal Empire has allied with Us. I will send another letter to them informing them of this along with yet another plea for open relations.

We are so close to repairing Equestria's relations with the outside world; to fall short after all of Our hard work is unacceptable.

7/17/04

Once again, We have sent a letter to the Gryphon Nation, asking for a meeting to negotiate re-opening ties with each other. Also once again, We shall play the waiting game for their response.

8/21/04

Rusty Quill has informed me that Solis has continued to receive flying marks in all of his studies. It will not be long before my son has finished and can ascend to a higher level. Namely, the one where I teach him how to properly communicate with Our subjects. While he is improving his social skills gradually, he still has much to learn before he can effectively help Us rule Equestria.

There is also the issue of insecurities regarding his deformity. While I have a trick to quelling them, I am also aware of some possible negative repercussions that could result from employing it. I shall have to think long and hard over how to best implement my trick so that these negatives are minimized.

Another concern of mine is the amount of time Solis spends locked up in his room, working on his 'tuning' spell. While I am happy he is doing something which he enjoys, a maturing colt such as him cannot spend all his time cooped up in one place. He needs to get out and explore the world himself rather than reading about it in books. And he must learn to do it on his own, rather than wait for me to force him to.

Perhaps I can find a common solution to both of the above problems.

9/4/04

I stated in my prior entry that Solis should not wait for me to force him to get out and see the world. I have since realized a little 'push' is needed to get him interested in traveling Equestria and interacting with Our subjects.

Tomorrow I shall be visiting Canterlot to re-connect with some old acquaintances, one of which being Happy Heart. I shall have Solis tag along; if he refuses, I will force his hoof to come. As for my trick to helping him quell his insecurities, I have decided to indeed employ it. It may backfire in the end, but I realize now that taking risks is something I must get accustomed to if I am to be an effective ruler alongside Luna.

I shall inform Solis of tomorrow's plan later today. Hopefully, he will act his age and not complain.

9/5/04

In an hour, Solis and I will leave for Canterlot. I am proud that my son acted mature and did not whine about revisiting the mountainside city where we first met when I told him yesterday we would be doing such. That is not to say he was entirely comfortable with the idea, and I do not fault him for being hesitant to return after the treatment he received from his fellow orphans at Happy Heart's. But then I unveiled my trick to help him quell his insecurities; a brown, ceramic mask I had custom made for him.

Solis was at first confused as to the mask's purpose, but after my explanation he visibly relaxed and much of his prior hesitations melted away like a frozen lake surface in the sunlight. By wearing the mask, he can not only hide his deformity, but also his facial expressions when in conversation. Such would allow him to react in any which way he pleases without it affecting ponies' impressions of him. But therein lies the possible negative repercussions I mentioned in my previous two entries.

I am very well versed in social behavior (I would be incapable of ruling properly if I was not), and as such I know that ponies need visual cues when in conversation to determine their recipient's state of mind. This cannot be attempted with a pony wearing a mask, and as a result ponies would be uncomfortable conversing with such an individual. However, I believe I have found a way to overcome this obstacle.

Over the years, ever since We began our rule, ponies have gradually come to trust and respect Us. My hope is that I can use this trust to help forge a bond between Solis and Our little ponies. By having him join me in the various meetings with my old acquaintances while wearing the mask, I believe I can accustom ponies to conversing with him despite not being able to see his face. Word will then spread of 'Princess Celestia's masked son' and how polite he was, and ponies will come to realize that Solis is every bit as deserving of their trust and respect as We are. In time, I hope Our little ponies may come to revere Solis equally as much as they do Us, regardless of his appearance.

Of course, this all depends on the results of this first outing. I pray that all goes according to plan.

9/5/04 (evening)

We have returned from Canterlot. As far as I can tell, all went well. Solis and I visited many ponies, some of whom he knew and some I knew. At every single get together Solis acted like a proper gentlecolt, though he did not exude much happiness the whole time, but such does not matter. Everypony we conversed with appeared to be indifferent to Solis' concealed face, but at the same time they were more interested with making idle conversation with myself rather than him. Some ponies did show interest in him, of course, such as Happy Heart. The pink mare did a fine job of conveying exactly how overjoyed she was to see Solis again after all these years, if the enormous bear hug she gave him is anything to go by.

Overall, I believe this strategy of using my relationships with Our subjects to help forge new ones between Solis and them is coming along nicely so far. I plan on making periodic trips to Canterlot in the coming months, and I will make sure Solis accompanies me every time. Eventually, he will be as revered by everypony as We are.

I am certain of this.

10/29/04

Solis and I made yet another trip to Canterlot today, this time more to casually stroll around the city and admire the beautiful scenery afforded to those living upon the mountain. To be honest with myself, it was the most delightful experience I have had since the start of Our rule. Nopony gave us even the smallest lick of trouble, and we were even gifted with a couple of chocolate squares by one of the street vendors. I must say, the sweets Canterlot ponies make are without a doubt the best I have ever had the privilege to eat.

Perhaps I should set aside some bits for more every so often.

11/3/04

We have just received a reply from Stirrope. The Gryphons & their Minotaur allies are at war with a clan of dragons of the serpentine variety. The messenger whom We sent can attest to this for he says he was attacked by a blue & black one upon reaching the Stirropean coast. Were it not for a couple of heroic Minotaurs whom were hunting down the winged serpent my messenger would most likely have been roasted alive.

As to what the Gryphons' current stance is on a possible alliance with Equestria, they have announced their acceptance of the idea but are much too preoccupied with combating the dragons to focus on peace talks with Us. I can understand and respect their reasoning wholeheartedly. So long as they are open to talks of allying with Equestria, We can wait some more time before reaching out to them once again.

12/25/04

Another Hearth's Warming is upon Us. And with it comes yet another attempt from the staff to locate the secret wine cellar in which We have hidden said liquid.

Oh, watching them scour the castle grounds in search of their beloved drink has me laughing my head off; 'tis a good thing nopony is aware of the secrets that permeate this castle's infrastructure, at least for the most part.

1/1/05

Another new year is upon us. It is only now that something of grave importance has caught my attention, whereas before I have been far too busy leading Equestria to a brighter future to notice: Solis remains a blank flank.

As everypony knows, Souls only appear when a pony discovers their purpose in life. While I have long since believed Solis was a late bloomer, never would I have guessed he would remain Soulless even at 13 years of age. To my knowledge, nopony is recorded history has gone so long without receiving a Soul as Solis has. Such a development both interests and concerns me.

On the one side, I am all the more interested as to what Solis' calling in life is. If he is meant to help rule Equestria alongside Us, then I suppose I should credit myself for unintentionally anticipating such. If this is indeed true, Solis' Soul should appear sometime following the completion of his studies.

On the flipside, however, I am concerned for Solis' emotional well-being. The little colt I adopted years ago had but one obsession, and that was to obtain a Soul. I remember how he would pour over every book he could find in the castle's library, looking for information pertaining to what makes a Soul appear. It is a phase all foals go through; even I myself at one time lacked faith that I would receive mine. Solis has since grown out of this phase, of course, but I am worried that he is hurting on the inside due to still lacking a Soul to call his very own.

I have considered consoling him about this, but I fear I would only be deepening the wound by doing so. To that end, I have decided only to act should it become clear to me that Solis is suffering from depression. I am no proper therapist, but if there is one thing I truly excel at it is comforting those who have despaired.

1/31/05

Solis and I have just returned from yet another trip, but not from Canterlot this time. Instead, we visited the historic city of Cloudsdale. I am ashamed to admit I got a good chuckle out of Solis' hesitation to step out of the carriage and onto the cloud surface, despite my very clear explanation of how the cloud-walking spell functions and that it is wholly trustworthy. Then again, I am sure many non-pegasus ponies would be scared to attempt cloud-walking their first time; tis only natural.

As for our visit itself, it was pleasant all around. The pegasi were very welcoming and, as in Canterlot, rather indifferent towards Solis' masked face. Once again, Solis was a proper gentlecolt and even managed to start a conversation with Captain Tricolt's older twin brothers, Silver and Iron Smith, on his own. I am glad that my son is warming up to Our little ponies and realizing that their friendship is worthwhile. With how influential the Smith brothers are among the pegasi, I think it is safe to assume Solis' good reputation, in Cloudsdale at least, is secure.

If only he could find joy in making friends with Our subjects.

3/2/05

Something has changed with Luna.

I remember in the early days of Our rule, during our twilight hour meet-ups Luna would regale me with tales of her experiences in the dreamscape, of how she would vanquish foals' Night Terrors, then play with them before bidding farewell in search of more. The way she told her stories with such gusto and passion delighted me and I always found myself looking forward to each and every morning to hear more. But such a time has passed, and now I find myself concerned for my sister.

Within the past year or so, I have noticed Luna's stories are not as plentiful as they once were, and what ones there are she tells without any of the excitement she once emanated. A few times she has mentioned that foals are more reluctant to have their dreams invaded than they used to be, but it should not be enough to put down Luna like she currently is. Like with Solis' insecurities, I am hesitant to pointedly ask my sister what troubles her for fear of touching upon what could be a sensitive topic, and I know Luna's insecurities are almost on par with Solis' in prevalence. I shall wait to see if Luna opens up to me regarding whatever issue she is facing.

4/13/05

Solis turned fourteen today. Oh, how the years fly by.

I remember what happened last year very clearly, and I am pleased to say there was not a repeat occurrence today. Solis, while still displeased that I took the liberty of organizing a birthday party for him yet again, did not complain and went about partaking in the festivities along with the castle staff. While I would prefer he was thankful for my attempts to express everypony's happiness for his life, I can wait for a time in which he has put the past fully behind him and embraced his life and what he can make out of it.

Near the party's end, however, Solis said something to me which, while I found cynical at first, I now find most interesting. The two of us were sitting at the dining table, munching on dandelion biscuits and watching the staff either chatting or dancing with one another, when Solis spoke up. He asked me what I thought about the idea that his misery resulted in the happiness of so many others, in specific reference to him not being happy celebrating his own birthday while everypony else was enjoying it. Like I said above, I accused my son of being cynical and refused to answer the question. Solis stated he only asked out of curiosity and went back to eating.

I was bothered by his question for a while, but now I am wholly curious as to what he was suggesting by it. I will not deny that what he says is true, how everypony other than him enjoys his birthday celebrations. At the same time, however, I truly believe that the castle staff are happy for Solis himself, rather than just for the festivities I arrange in celebration of his birthday. Perhaps he disagrees with this notion; I cannot know unless I ask, which I will not. Like with my sister, I shall wait and see if Solis opens up to me regarding this at a later date.

I must go now, for I hear Luna calling for me to lower the sun.

5/29/05

The time has come once again to reach out to the Gryphon Nation with offer of an alliance. Hopefully the featherbrains have overcome the dragon onslaught and are now in an ideal position to consider it at the very least. I hope beyond hope, however, that they wholeheartedly agree to the offer this time.

Only time will tell.

6/10/05

Today Solis and I visited another settlement, this time the village of Earth. I had not visited since the Ursa Major incident, but nevertheless everypony was wholly welcoming and, once again, indifferent to Solis' masked face. When I informed Solis of where we would be traveling, he seemed moderately delighted that our destination was predominantly earth pony-centric, which makes sense as he is one himself.

As for our actual visit, it was by all means a repeat performance of our last two: everypony was wholly welcoming, Solis was a proper gentlecolt, and I had a delightful time conversing with acquaintances I made during my last visit. I noticed that Solis did not emanate as much dread as he did during our previous trips throughout Equestria, though at the same time he was not truly happy to interact with Our subjects and forge blooming friendships with them. I do not expect him to be entirely open to the idea of befriending Our subjects straight away, of course, and it will warm my heart when such a time finally arrives.

7/24/05

Today is a very special day, for Solis has at long last completed his political studies. He received naught but flying marks on all of his final exams, and Rusty Quill says Solis is without a doubt suitable to be a third wheel in mine and Luna's rule over Equestria. I wholeheartedly agree, and I cannot wait to start putting Solis' skills to use as Luna and I desperately need more time to bond with each other.

Speaking of Luna, I learned the other day that my sister took it upon herself to travel to Cloudsdale and attempt chatting up some of the residents. To my knowledge, Luna has never before foregone sleep to leave the castle for anything outside of emergencies. Apparently, her visit did not go over so well with Cloudsdale's pegasi. While everypony was respectful of her like they are with me, they were more intimidated than happy to see their princess of the night walk among them, and nopony was particularly keen on chatting with her. She returned to the castle having gained nothing from her encounter.

What I am confused about, however, is why Luna felt she needed to do this to begin with. After all, her job of slaying Night Terrors should still bear fruit in building her good reputation with Our subjects, so there should be no need to mimic Solis and mine strategy to get in the good graces of everypony. I am all the more tempted to openly confront her on what is plaguing her mind these days, but I would still like to think my sister is mature enough to seek my council in such a matter.

I hope I am not overestimating my sister in this regard.

8/1/05

I have decided to introduce Solis to the difficult annoying infuriatingly maddening process of Court. With my son having graduated from his political studies, the time has come for him to gain first-hoof experience in the subject. Better he get accustomed to the madness associated with listening to the incessant whining of snobby nobles over the most meager of topics. He will accompany me during each Court session from here on out, learning the ropes as it were, and getting a proper feel for the decision-making We go through each time.

May the Elements have mercy on him.

8/2/05

Solis' first experience in Court has ended, and I am pleased that he stayed composed throughout the entire session. One thing I did not expect him to do was don the mask I gave him. When I asked why he brought it, Solis replied that he had 'grown attached' to it and decided to always wear it when in the presence of ponies whom do not live in the castle. I certainly did not object to this, of course, as I can only imagine how many times Solis' face twisted in disgust upon hearing a noble's complaint over the most ridiculous of things. Now I am jealous for my son, as keeping a straight face all throughout such torture is harrowing to say the least.

Anyway, Solis' first time sitting in on Court went well, and I know he paid close attention to all the proceedings. Someday, he will have enough experience to properly help Us in listening to Our subjects' petitions and decide which ones are worth endeavoring into. The thought of all three of us, Solis, Luna, and myself ruling over Equestria together is something I can hardly wait to happen.

9/14/05

I was genuinely surprised today on two accounts. The first was that Solis accompanied me while I was playing the Organ to the Outside during one of my brief periods of freedom. This is the first time he has done so; I had previously assumed he had no interest in music. As it turns out, Solis is actually very fond of music, though singing irritates him to no end. Pity, I was going to sing to him on his next birthday.

When I asked him why he wished to join me, Solis replied that he deserved a break from working on his 'tuning spell' and thought he would see what his 'dear old mother does in her free time'. And this brings me to the second account of how I was surprised, as that quote is the first time after all these years that Solis has referred to me as 'mother' and not 'Celestia'. When I first heard such come from his mouth, I almost fell out of my seat. Solis, however, only raised a brow in curiosity to my bout of clumsiness. He must not have realized exactly what he said, which indicates him calling me 'mother' was not by choice, but rather instinctual.

This actually makes me more happy than if he had consciously chosen to call me 'mother', as it indicates he truly sees me as such, even if subconsciously. I cannot help but feel proud to be as valiant in motherhood as I am in both government and battle. Truly, I chose the correct path laid out by destiny.

10/7/05

A most disturbing incident occurred during Court today. Luna, Solis, and myself were listening to Lady Melody drone on about how Equestria stood to gain much from a theater of musical arts or something of the sort when she began to sing the lyrics to an original piece I, unfortunately, was not able to learn the name of due to what happened next. While Luna and I listened with interest, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Solis was breathing heavily and had his ears folded backwards. I excused myself and Solis and led him to his room where I asked if something was the matter. He repeated what he had said a little less than one month ago about how he despised singing, and he did not want to hear any more.

When Solis had first told me that he hated singing I assumed it was little more than a minor nuisance to him, one which he could easily push through. After baring witness to his behavior in Court, however, it is clear that such is not the case. The emanations I sensed from him were of total, unbridled rage toward Lady Melody, and I fear had I not excused Solis from Court he would have lashed out at her. I had planned on singing to Solis for his fifteenth birthday, but it is clear to me now that such is a bad idea.

11/14/05

My concern with Luna has done naught but triple over the past few months. Now not only is Luna distressed during our twilight hour meet-ups, but she does not even spend the full hour with me anymore. More often than not she excuses herself before our bonding time has finished and without so much as a 'good day' or a 'sleep well'. I am heavily concerned for her now, but I still hope she will open up to me about whatever ails her. I shall wait another few months before forcing Luna to open herself up to me.

11/27/05

A response from the Gryphon Nation has been received, and it heralds splendid news! They, along with the minotaurs, have finally agreed to a meeting with Us for re-establishing ties with Equestria! The only part about this that makes me unhappy is the fact that We must wait another few months for Our overseas friends to arrive here. Aside from that, I am truly the happiest mare in the world as of now.

A round of the finest wine is in order for supper tonight.

12/25/05

Another Hearth's Warming is upon Equestria, and the emanations circulating around the castle air right now are entirely of happiness to the greatest degree. Such is largely due to my ever-increasing joy at the thought of finally completing the task of re-uniting Equestria with the outside world. The gryphons and minotaurs will arrive sometime early next year, and I have total confidence that all will go well like they did with King Sombra and the Crystal Empire.

1/1/06

A new year has arrived, and now We eagerly await a visitation from Our, hopefully soon-to-be, allies from Stirrope. I have also decided to include Solis in the proceedings. Aside from the incident with Lady Melody a few months ago, Solis has proven himself very patient and attentive in Court, and as such he could benefit greatly from a taste of high politics. My only concern is how the foreign delegates might react to having a masked pony attend the meeting; while Our little ponies have remained indifferent on the subject, I know not how gryphon or minotaur social customs would treat such an enigma.

I suppose I shall see when the time comes, which I imagine will be sometime before the end of next month.

1/28/06

I have just sent a message to the Crystal Empire to inform his highness King Sombra of the upcoming negotiations between Equestria and the Gryphon Nation along with their allies. Now that Equestria has an established postal route a reply should arrive within a few weeks rather than months. In the message I have included an invitation for his highness to join the proceedings, perhaps help convince the overseas delegates that they stand to gain much from allying with Equestria. Regardless, the negotiations cannot fail, as I sincerely doubt the gryphons will allow for another opportunity for Us to reconnect with them.

2/26/06

At long last, negotiations between Us and the Gryphon Nation along with their allies will begin. I am, however, surprised to have learned that the delegates from both the Gryphon Nation and the Kingdom of Minos are none other than Queen Ziz and King Cretan, respectively. I thought for sure they would send proper delegates to this meeting, but I shall not admonish them. All that matters is that they are here, and negotiations will be underway by tomorrow.

Unfortunately, King Sombra has elected not to participate in the negotiations. The reasoning he gave in his reply letter was that the Crystal Empire is content with having Equestria as an ally and no more, but that he did not oppose Our attempts to re-establish ties with the Stirropean countries. I suppose his help is not needed, however, as I am fully confident that the gryphon and minotaur royals will be receptive to Our pleas for a re-alliance.

2/27/06

Never before have I felt so offended as I did this morning during the negotiations between Us and Our royal ambassadors. The meeting started off without a hitch, to which I believed We were in the clear. Queen Ziz and King Cretan listened to Our plea for re-alliance and were satisfied with all the benefits We outlined in the drafted charter. They declared a re-alliance could be easily achieved provided one more condition was met. We asked them what this condition was, to which they announced confirmation of Discord's death was all they needed to sign the charter.

I was so caught off guard by their condition that my mind went blank for a couple of seconds. In hindsight, I know now why it did so; We were so close to completing the task of reuniting Equestria with the outside world, and yet the last obstacle was impossible to overcome because Discord is still alive despite being imprisoned in stone. I remember being ready to lie to their faces and say Discord had indeed been slain but Luna, as the Bearer of Honesty, beat me to it with the truth. I also remember, for a split second after she said it, that I reviled her which I am now ashamed to have done.

Queen Ziz and King Cretan asked if it was true that Discord is still alive, to which I explained the whole story of how We cast him down using the Elements of Harmony. I had hoped that their majesties would understand that even with Discord still alive he is no longer a threat to anypony after I finished my story. Such was not the case, however, and they went so far as to criticize Us for being 'too soft'. They stated any ally of theirs' should be willing to kill to protect them as they would themselves. They further stated if We were proper rulers We would have destroyed Discord's statue as soon as he was imprisoned to forever ensure his reign of chaos never again touched the land. I know both of Us were offended by this notion, and We could not believe how rude their majesties were in calling Us improper rulers. In hindsight, I was frighteningly close to using the Royal Canterlot Voice on them in response.

At that point, all seemed hopeless. Their majesties had essentially refused to sign the charter, and unless We could convince them otherwise my dream of allying Equestria with the outside world would never come true. At that point, I was about ready to agree to smash Discord's statue in front of them so they would have reason to sign the charter. But then Solis, my son, did something entirely unexpected and I was at first shocked in response. He slammed his hooves upon the table and challenged the gryphon and minotaur in their beliefs. He stood up for Us, saying that not only were their majesties wrong in saying We were 'too soft', but that We were crueler than even Discord himself.

Solis then beckoned everyone present to follow him. I was too shocked to object, and I found my hooves carrying me behind him, to which Luna and their majesties followed with varying degrees of reluctance. We followed Solis all the way to the inner courtyard where Discord's statue is located. My son proclaimed to the king and queen that if We were 'too soft' as they believed, than We would have indeed destroyed Discord's statue to kill him. By imprisoning him in stone instead, he said, We sentenced Discord to a fate worse than even death which was an eternity of conscience confinement. He finished by saying We were more cold and merciless than even they could hope to be, and that We were indeed willing to kill to protect Our allies.

As soon as Solis finished speaking, the king and queen declared they would make their final decision tomorrow before leaving for home. I do not know if Solis' words had any effect on their judgments, but I cannot blame my son if nothing has changed by tomorrow morning. We had failed on Our own to convince their majesties that Discord need not have died to be harmless, so nothing Solis had said can possibly worsen the situation. As of now, We can do nothing but hope that my son's words will convince their majesties to sign the charter.

All the same, though, I now find myself pondering the last thing Solis told them, that We would be willing to kill to protect Our allies. We have never had to as of now, and I pray to the Elements that We are never forced to make such a decision. But if such a time does arrive, I fear We may not be able to live up to such a claim. Hopefully, that fear is unfounded.

2/28/06

Words cannot properly convey how happy I am at this moment in time. Just minutes ago, Queen Ziz and King Cretan departed for Stirrope having made their final decision.

They signed the charter. Equestria and the Gryphon Nation are officially allies. After almost five years of vying the gryphons for an alliance, Our dream of reuniting Equestria with the outside world has been realized. And to think, my own son is responsible for making that dream a reality.

I just got done talking to Solis about how thankful I am of him for his help in convincing their majesties to sign the charter. My son, never one to shy away from a chance to be authoritative, gave me a short lecture on the importance of asserting oneself when faced with seemingly unbeatable opposition. While I was indeed attentive to him, I could not help but find amusement in Solis acting like he was my parent and not vice-versa.

At any rate, Our goal has been reached because of Solis. I can now say with perfect certainty that I chose the right foal all those years ago, and I am eternally grateful to have him as my son. All I have left to do is adequately show him my thanks, to which such an opportunity shall eventually come.

3/7/06

For the past week, I have been pondering what Solis' Soul could possibly be. he is still lacking one, and here I believed he would have received one after Our meeting with the Stirropean royalty. My son has consistently demonstrated superb talents in political dealings, from his studies to Court to the meeting last week, and yet he has not received a Soul after all. To see my son exhibit such talent that is not his calling in life leaves me both confused and excited; confused in that I am clueless as to what else Solis could be exceptionally talented at, and excited to see what such a thing ends up being.

Only time will tell.

4/13/06

Today is Solis' fifteenth birthday. To think, that the little colt I adopted almost five whole years ago is growing into such a dashing, smart, and very useful young stallion fills me with a certain sense of pride. I feel it is safe to say that I have succeeded as a mother. While it is true that Solis' insecurities are still present, I fully believe in a year or two he will readily take on all of life's challenges without me having to prompt him. He has definitely lived up to his potential as a leader, and soon he will be helping Us more frequently in ruling Equestria.

I can hear Summer Scape calling for me. I shall end this entry by saying I am both glad and a little surprised that nopony has discovered this secret room. Ah well, Solis' birthday celebration is already set up in the dining room, and I must wake the birthday colt to attend. Hopefully, he will exude more joy this time around.

Celestia ceased writing and set the diary down onto the dais. After that, she charged magic into her horn and teleported out of the secret room to meet with Summer Scape.

Comments

[Legion222]

This chapter seems to keep disappearing and reappearing randomly for me. Glad to have finally caught it at a time when I could read the whole thing.

I only really noticed one problem, which was over-and sometimes improper- use of "to which." Granted, I wasn't actively looking for mistakes, but that's all I saw.

Huh, I suppose this is the most efficient way to skip through five years worth of events while still hitting the highlights.

Now I'm wondering if, in this universe, Celestia decision to send Twilight to Ponyville was at all affected by her past experiences with Solis...

Anyway, good job. I await the next chapter.

Write on,
Legion

[Razalon The Lizardman]

3942367 Had a little trouble getting it to appear in the Latest Updates list. Eventually I just said 'screw it' and left it up.

Now I'm wondering if, in this universe, Celestia decision to send Twilight to Ponyville was at all affected by her past experiences with Solis...

Well, this fic is meant to fit into the show's canon, so yeah.