“That’s, Uh, Mighty Interestin’, Celestia.”
Every mouth in the throne room kept suspended after joining together in a shout of surprise, each and every one of their owners still reeling from the sudden reveal of an illegitimate son to their treasured ruler, who never confirmed such allegations besides her current niece of love who ruled the Crystal Empire.
Finally, it dawned upon Celestia the servitude of the error she just made, as her motherly rage had utterly obliterated noble mask she wore to conceal such emotions in the attempt to judge every affair objectively.
But nothing in the world could conceal a mother’s concern for her kids.
“You’ll...have to forgive my outburst...” The Princess leaned back from the fashionista and turned away, taking the calming breaths necessary to adapt back her mask. “It worries me if there were a...fight, between the six of you. Any lingering malice in any of your hearts could jeopardize the function of the Elements of Harmony.”
“E-Especially if the other two Elements aren’t conscious of using their magic.” Applejack recoiled at seeing all of the attention of the room was on her, feeling the dread of asking the question everybody else wanted to hear. “An’ I know time here is of the essence...but Princess Celestia, what did you mean when you said Spike was your son?”
“Exactly that my dear little ponies.” The alabaster horn charged up with a golden aurora, infusing itself with an amnestic spell before discharging it a thin-wide beam that swept across both sides of the red carpet where the Elements stood. “Let’s allow that to be a secretly solely between the five of us, okay?”
Before the four friends even had a chance to question what their ruler had meant, each of the guards assigned to the room fell over to their sides; the metal of their armor clanking against the ground as their eyes had already shut close.
“Don’t worry, my magic won’t affect you.” The last particle of golden aurora dissipated from the Princess’s horn as she walked across the red carpet. “The guards will awaken any second now, so our conversation will have to continue like Applejack’s joke from earlier.”
“I still don’t see how joking about Rainbow Dash being in trouble could be funny whatsoever.” Fluttershy followed after the Princess just as her friends were doing the same, while the familiar clanking of metal returned.
The group decided to continue to leave Fluttershy in her haze state with expressions of dread, while Celestia unleashed yet another call that had all of her guards back on their hooves. “ATTENTION!”
Every member of the Royal Guard currently awakening abandoned their confusion as to why there were currently awakening in order to take a stance and salute their Princess. Content that she had everyone’s attention, the Princess carried on with the orders. “Platoon one is responsible for guarding the throne room as well as to pass off the message of my departure if Princess Luna should ever return. Platoon two will follow me out the city and secure the circular platform.”
Not a single protest came from any member of the guard as they dispersed into their proper roles, some taking their proper place in the throne and guarding it with their life, as the others held the throne door open and followed the Princess and the Elements out.
“I’ll cast a brief scanning spell on the surrounding area the moment we reach outdoors.” The Princess tried keeping one eye on her loyal subjects, and the other acknowledging anyone or thing that came her way. “It should be able to discern streaks of magic powerful enough that only Twilight could hope to cast, that is, if she’s used any magic yet on the dragon.”
“Uh-Huh, right Celestia.”
“I’ll then lure the dragon back into the circular section of the city and restrain him with my magic. From that point, the six of you should hopefully be able to use the Elements of Harmony on him, sealing him into stone that will shatter against the mountain as he falls along its length.”
“That’s, uh, mighty interestin’, Celestia.” Applejack quickened her pace to keep next to the longer strides of the Princess. “But we were kinda hopin’ that you’d tell us a bit more about that mother, y’know, from the family that was surprised she had kept a son hidden from everyone?”
“Are you kidding me?” Celestia looked down to the cowpony trying not to break her poker face, but couldn’t help from narrowing her eyes. Too much of her motherly energy still coursed from the revelation of her son running away for her to return to Princesshood just yet. “You’d rather hear about a story that you could hear at any time, rather than the plan that could save your friends now?”
Celestia heard approaching footsteps to the left of her, earning her gaze as she watched Rarity come up next to her as well. “Quite frankly, Princess, you can tell us this plan once we’re outside. Our imaginations will be too focused on this turn of events to properly focus on the battle at hand, so it’s best if you just get it out of the way, as it were.”
The Princess sighed at the truth behind her young pony’s words. “I wish you Elements were more respecting of royalties privacy’s and informing mother’s when their child has run away.”
“But Spike didn’t run away,” Fluttershy interjected as she came to Applejack side as well, trying to keep awake at the same pace as her head continuously bobbed. “He got tired of Ponyville and wanted to go on some adventure to become a better drake. He was very nice to me before he left, though I wish I had done more for him.”
Celestia held her tongue at seeing the frizzled mane and black bags of her poor Element of Kindness, who, despite shifting between the waking world and the dreamscape, still managed summon any lingering energy to defend her friend.
“Be that the case, Miss Fluttershy.” Celestia looked away from the pegasus and to the oncoming hall, hiding an eye underneath her mane as a slight blush crept onto her cheek. “A not informing his mother about leaving the home she left him in the care of not only counts as running away but as well as breaking a mother’s heart.”
Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity all suffered a pang in their heart from hearing their Princess’s more sensitive side that laced her words with an extra dose of cuteness that was beginning to overload their systems.
Pinkie finally hopped up next to Rarity’s side, bouncing at the same speed as their pacing. “It still sucks that Spike was nice to Fluttershy when he left, but when it came to us, all we got were frowns!”
Impending doom filled the air of the following corridor that the five turned onto two; the Princess clashing her purple eyes in a deep stare against the blue ones of the party pony. “Care to explain why my dear Spike would be offering any of you girls frowns?”
“It’s a long story, Princess.” Applejack gained the same stare from the mother that wasn’t currently her princess, trying to keep her own eyes afloat above the tension of the stare. “One I promise to tell ya’ honestly once you tell us just what your connection to Spike is.”
Applejack suffered under the weight of the stare that question just how far her resolve went, question if she really thought had the will to truly question her ruler just like any other pony. A smile stretched across the soft white lips as the stare loosened.
“It feels like it happened so long ago.” Celestia faced the upcoming doors at the end of the hall while feeling the breeze of gallop against her fur. “There was once this empire of dragons who gave me one of their eggs in a last resort to preserve the nature of their species, which soon fell days after my departure. Back at the castle, I questioned destroying the egg then and there, for not only would it be a grave threat for Canterlot to have an intelligent dragon walking around, but one who was conceived by one of the Great Dragons.”
“Great Dragons?” The elements muttered the line simultaneously.
“Listen to my tale of motherhood first, my little ponies, before extracting the small details that comprise an even sadder tale.”
The four friends nodded, tilting their heads to brace their eyes for the oncoming light shining through the opening door. The red carpet underneath their hooves transaction into the cobblestone the grounds outside the castle were known for.
“I conceded to destroy the possible threat that could endanger the lives of the ponies whom I both care and rule for, but when it came time to physically smash the egg to ensure no remnants could still be hatched, I found myself unable to charge up the spell.”
The broken link of Elements of Harmony listened both to the ruler’s and mother’s side to the tale, not daring to interrupted as they kept at the same pace of the storyteller through the field that covered the ground between the castle and to the walls that saw out to the city.
“I did what all other arrogant ponies did when they are too weak to solve a problem: I pretended like the egg never existed. Locked away with other harmful remnants of magic, I would sleep as often as I could to wipe away any lingering feelings or connections in my sleep to it. Only, in my dreams, I would often find myself cradling this cute, purple little dragon between my hooves, falling love in love with a creature that was not of my own.”
The guards atop the wall turned around to the sound of the oncoming hoofsteps, coming to salute the second they caught sight of their Princess and began at once to start opening the gate.
Celestia softened her voice as she continued the story, bowing her head closer to subjects she loved enough to entrust them with this personal story. “That period remains the sole time I was grateful that Princess Luna had been banished to the moon, for that would’ve been the only way to keep her from peeking in on my embarrassing dreams; the dreamscape being the only place I could let my feelings and emotions fully flourish.
“I felt something more than just love, as thoughts of the dragon when he was hatched caused my heart to beat even faster. I was in love, but I didn’t truly know what that meant.”
The Princess kept quiet as she rose her head before the shooting guard, walking past them without so much as a nod as she began down the concrete stairs that led yet to another wall, the final one that gave way to the city streets.
“I devised a plan that would allow for the egg to be hatched, as well as all the members on my board happy. We would host a special test for those who excelled on the entry exam to my school for gifted unicorns, that would see them using all of their amassed magic to hatch the egg, possibly revealing the physical embodiment of magic.”
The five reached the bottom of the staircase with the four smaller mare’s ears erect to pick up each syllable of the story, not daring to think or have an opinion as to fully intake the treasured story from their Princess.
“I became excited for every graduating class of my school for the selfish reason of a new potential class taking the exam. Sure enough, after years and years of waiting, a certain lavender unicorn came and hatched my previous little egg. Not only did I have a treasured student and a dragon to look forward to caring for, but I also had secured the beginning means of restoring my sister.”
Applejack rushed on ahead to hold open the wooden door that led out to the streets of Canterlot, many of them existing at different ends of the castle. Everyone passed through the door and amassed on the street, ready to hear the ending of the story and what was to be done in the present.
“The dragon was solely in my care and there would be no arguments about him staying in my living quarters. On the first night, held had no fear in looping his small arms around my snout and pulling my closer to his belly, as my hooves once again came to cradle him, except it was really happening this time. Somehow, a connection had been made in our unconscious states, as he experienced the same dreams as I and loved me enough to be his mother.
“A dragon loved a pony enough for it to be his mother.” Celestia wiped away the droplet responsible for signing her eye. “That pony love that dragon so much for her to adopted him as her son, and for the first time in that pony's life, she was able to go home afterward to someone that saw past her royal mask and merely wanted to play and cuddle with the mother hidden underneath it.
“That pony was able to express herself and share all of her feelings and emotions with the dragon, and he too, would to the same.”
The four friends stood in awe underneath the shadow of the great ruler, privileged to of heard a story from the side of the Princess they never expected and warmed to know about the story of the drake that they never had once questioned.
“I’m...I’m not quite to say after hearing that story, Princess.” Applejack had taken off her hat and cast her eyes downward. “I didn’t know you and Spike had such history, and truth be honest, I feel bad about never asking about it. I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you that Spike was goin’ through a bit of a phase.”
Celestia sighed as she lowered to the ground, placing her hoof on the chin of the cowpony and raising it back up. “All is forgiven in the moment, Applejack. But I do wish to hear more about my son once this situation with the dragon is over, preferably, over tea.”
They didn’t know why, but the ponies all shared a quick giggle.
“It’s quite wonderful to hear that Spike had such a caring mother,” Fluttershy said, managing to stay awake for the duration of the story. “I’m sure if we remind him of the good times you’ve had with him, then maybe, he’ll stay when he comes back to town.”
“Hopefully he does, Miss Fluttershy.” Celestia looked to the platoon of Guards filing out on the street into a line, awaiting orders from the Princess that addressed each and everyone one of them with her eyes. “Guards!”
“Yes, Ma'am!”
“Squad A will be responsible for clearing the streets of Canterlot and ensuring every pony and stallion are secured safely in their houses.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
The aftermentioned squad shuffled out onto the streets to comply with their newest order.
“Squad B will be responsible for escorting the Elements you see before you to the circular platform of Canterlot!”
“Understood!”
Squad B flew forth and surrounding the remaining Elements, protecting their fur from even the oncoming breeze.
“Squad C.” Celestia unfolded her wings and looked up to the mountaintop, charging up her horn with a golden aurora intent on scanning the surrounding area. “You’re with me in locating the Princess of Magic and the Element of Loyalty.”
“Right!”
The princess offered once last glance at the ponies had been willing to listen to her story. "Remeber, Elements, that no matter what you may see or hear, you must wish no ill-will toward this dragon. Any malice will taint the Elements of Harmony, and won't work in saving Cantorlot!"
The four friends nodded as they watch Celestia and her guard break off into a gallop, their metal clanking as they took to the winds and soon disappeared past the wisps of the clouds. The Gaurd responsible for the Elements began to lead them to the platform that served as their objective, keeping a constant eye out for any surprise threats. In the center of the group, a certain pink mare couldn't’ help but begin to chatter.
“I wonder if we should’ve told Celestia about that green storm instead of getting caught up in her story?”