Celestia and Luna
December 5th, 2012
I stepped forward and stopped for a brief moment, taking both of arms and placing one on each door.
“Showtime.” I said.
I slightly pushed on the doors and they opened all by themselves. I then gazed dead ahead and I could make out a tall white and a dark blue figure standing on top of a red throne. I began to walk and the doors closed behind me. To break the silence, I spoke.
“Hi there.” I said with hint of nervousness in my tone.
“Hello there, Caleb. Please come forward.” said a voice that was as soft as an angels.
I proceeded forward, taking in on my surroundings. Just like the ballroom, there was a red carpet that started at the door and ended at the throne while the floor and pillars were made of shiny white marble. What really caught my eye was the blue stained glass window that depicted the sun casting its rays upon planets that were from our solar system, or maybe this one. I was quite puzzled, but I kept it in the back of my mind for later.
As I got closer to them, they both began to descend from their thrones and on to the red carpet. Before I knew it, we were face to face. I could easily distinguish who was who from their appearance.
Celestia had a white coat and a large dazzling mane consisted of turquoise, light blue, and pink that undulated, or flowed slowly in wave-like motions. She wore a golden crown along with a gold neck collar, as well as gold shoes for her hooves. Her eyes were of magenta or pink, pretty sure it was magenta. Another eye catching feature is that she had both a large horn of a unicorn and these huge wings of a pegasus. Tall pony, too. Celestia was probably about seven feet tall from my best estimate, also including her horn.
Luna was the polar opposite of Celestia. She had much more darker colors while Celestia had brighter colors. Luna had a dark blue coat with a sapphire colored mane and a lighter edge that also flowed in a wavy motion. Her crown was pitch black as well as her neck collar that displayed a crescent moon. Just like her sister, she had both a horn and wings, but much smaller. Her eyes were kinda like if you threw turquoise and blue together and makes this greenish-blue. Luna was shorter that Celestia, she probably came up to around six foot-two.
But enough of the descriptions. When I was feet away from them, I got on my knees in respect for their presence. Celestia and Luna let out a soft chuckle.
“Rise. There’s no need for that, but thank you for your common courtesy.” Celestia said.
I got back on my two feet while screaming, “God dammit, Twilight!”, in my head.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Princess Celestia, the one who brings the light of the day.” Celestia introduced.
“And I am Princess Luna, the one who brings the darkness of night to Equestria.” Luna said, her voice being a bit more loud and stern rather than Celestia.
“As you know, my name is Caleb Barlow, the one and only human in Equestria.” I said.
“It’s such a great honor and pleasure to meet you, Caleb.” Celestia said.
“And the same to both of you.” I said.
Celestia extended her foreleg and I shook her hoof while Luna repeated her sisters gesture.
“Now if you’ll follow me, we’ve set up a little place down there where we can talk.” Celestia said, pointing at a circular glass table with three large chairs around it.
“Sounds good.” I said.
“So, Caleb, how art thou?” Luna asked as we walked
My mind quickly figured out what she meant by "art thou."
“I’m doing great, Luna, thanks for asking.” I responded.
“How’s life treating you in Equestria? It seems to be going well.” Celestia asked.
“You know, life is pretty good here. I mean seriously, on the first day I arrived here, I was offered hospitality by few kind Ponyville locals.” I said.
“Is that so?” Celestia asked.
“No kidding. And a couple days later, the entire village of Ponyville accepted me even though they don’t know much about me. At least I think they do.” I said.
“Well that’s wonderful news, Caleb! I‘m glad to hear that our subjects have treated you with kindness and integrity.” Celestia said.
“Aye. Tis an example of Equestria being the land of harmony.” Luna added.
Once we reached our the table, I took seat and realized it was the perfect size for me.
“How’s the chair?” Celestia asked.
“Very comfy and cushiony. Thanks in advance for thinking ahead of my size and all that.” I said while looking at the chair.
“You’re welcome.” she replied.
“Would thou liketh some tea?” Luna asked while heating a teapot with her magic.
“Yes, that would be lovely.” I said.
Luna then poured some warm tea into a cup and levitated it to me.
“Thank you, dear sister.” Celestia said as she received her tea.
I nodded my head at Luna while I was drinking, indicating my thanks.
“Caleb, tell me and my sister how you ended up in Equestria.” Celestia said.
“Yes, how did thee get here?” Luna added.
I placed my cup on the table.
“Okay. First of all, do you both know what portals are?” I asked.
"Yes." Celestia and Luna both replied.
“Good. Back in my world is a nation called Canada. They were creating some sort of.... contraption that could create portals to other worlds. And as you can see, the portal opened a doorway to Equestria.” I explained.
“But how did thee end up in the portal?” Luna asked.
“Being a smart human, I thought it was a good idea to stand out in the open while it hovered above me.” I said, sarcastically.
“Hovered above?” Celestia asked.
“Oh, right," I replied. "The contraption shot portal energy into the sky once it was activated, made all the clouds join together into this swirling motion and manifested a glowing blue center that acted as the portal.” I explained.
“I see.” Celestia said.
“After the portal was activated, it hovered all across the midwest section of America and who knows whether it’s gone or not by now.” I said.
“Excuse me for going off topic, but I’m supposing that America is thy country of origin?” Luna asked.
“You’re correct about that. The United States of America, to be exact.” I clarified.
“Really? Do you happen to have a leader of some sort?” Celestia asked with interest.
“Yep. His name is President Barack Obama.” I said.
“What is he like.” Celestia asked.
“Meh. He's okay, I suppose. I remember four years ago when he was president elect. He was all energetic and advocated that he was going to make change and hope for our country. The word hope was actually one of his most iconic slogans during the election of 2008.” I said.
“Barack Obama sounds like a very committed and hardworking leader.” Luna said.
“Has he succeeded in fulfilling his promise?” Celestia asked.
"Well, I'm not somepony who really likes to follow politics most of time, so I can't really give you an answer on that. Sorry." I said.
"That's quite alright." Princess Celestia said.
"But he does deal with a lot stressful stuff, that I can tell you. Making very important decisions on important situations, including not to plummet America into war, dealing with those who oppose America, and heck, there's even American's who hate him." I said.
"Really?" Luna questioned.
"Yeah, some do. I mean, you can't please everyone and not all leaders are perfect." I asked.
"Well, everypony is entitled to their own opinion, Caleb. Even though I have not met a subject who dislikes Luna and I greatly, I'm sure there are some out there." Celestia said.
"I suppose."
"So, thou said your president needs to sort out conflicts that could plunge towards war?" Luna asked.
“Yep. Have you both ever face an event that could affect the future of Equestria?” I asked.
“Yes. Me and my dear sister have faced problems that depended on the fate of Equestria.” Celestia said.
"Would you mind giving me an example? I'd really like to know." I said.
“Of course. More than a thousand years ago, Disco--” she said before I cut her off.
“Excuse me. Princess. A thousand years ago? You’ve reigned for that long?” I asked, surprised.
Celestia and Luna chuckled to my expression.
“Yes. 1,007 years to be exact while at 1,131 years old.” Celestia stated.
“Really? Wow.” I said in amazement.
“As you can see, both me and my sister art both Alicorns.” Luna said while tapping her horn and fluffing her wings.
“I’m guessing alicorns are immortal?” I asked.
“You’re right.” Celestia said.
“I have to say, you both look really young at the age of 1,131.” I said.
“Hm. Flattered. Thank you for the compliment.” Luna said.
“But anyways, forgive me for digressing from your story, Princess Celestia. Please continue.” I said.
“That’s fine. As I was saying, over a thousand years ago, Discord, the spirit of chaos, ruled over Equestria while creating unhappiness and unrest between ponies, causing many surreal events.” Celestia said.
“Could you elaborate on surreal events?” I asked.
“Take a structure being ripped from its foundation and spun around forty feet in the air for an example.” Celestia said.
“And do not forget about the ground being texturized into a checkerboard fashion.” Luna added.
“Well that’s pretty surreal. How did you guys stop him? Had to be quite an epic fight.” I said.
“Actually, it wasn’t a very eventful fight.” Celestia said.
I raised my eyebrows in interest.
“You see, we used the Elements of Harmony against him. The Elements of Harmony are artifacts that contain the most powerful magic ever known to ponykind if wielded properly.” Celestia explained.
“A power far greater than Discord?” I asked.
“Yes, even far greater than us.” Luna said.
“So, what happened to him?” I asked.
“Due to his ignorance to the elements, we were able to wield all six of them with minimal effort and casted him into a stone imprisonment.” Celestia said.
“Speaking of which, if thou look to thy left, you’ll see a stained glass of Discord in his true form.” Luna said, pointing at a stained glass window.
“You mind if I go get a closer look?” I asked while standing up.
“Go right ahead.” Celestia granted.
I then proceeded towards the towering stained glass window that depicted Discord himself, controlling a earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn with puppet strings as if they were under his control. Discord himself was a very oddly designed for a spirit of chaos. How do I say this…. he had a head of a what seems to be the head of a dragon, an antler on the top right, and some sort of jagged green horn on the top left of his head. His arms were from two different animal species; his left being a talon of a eagle and the right being a lion’s claw. The same goes for his legs, left being horse's leg and the right being a lizards with sharp nails. His tail looked like a red dragon's tail as well and his entire body being stretched out like a snakes.
“Quite the being, isn’t he?” Celestia asked.
“Very bizarre.” I replied.
“Caleb?” Celestia asked.
“Yes?” I replied.
“Has Twilight ever told you about the Elements of Harmony?” she asked.
“No, never. Why?” I said.
“I want to show you something.” Celestia said. Luna looked at her sister and nodded.
I then followed them further down the rows of stained glass windows until they stopped at a particular window that confirmed my suspicion. I looked up and saw a depiction of Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash firing these purple streams of magic at an Alicorn that looked just like Luna.
“Hey, that’s them! That’s Twilight and her other friends.” I exclaimed.
“That’s right. What do you think they’re doing?” Celestia asked.
“Well, they’re shooting lasers or magic at this alicorn--” I suddenly stopped when it all hit me.
Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were the Elements of Harmony.
“But how?” I mumbled.
“Luna.” Celestia said, indicating that it was her sister's turn to talk.
“When I returned from my 1,000 year imprisonment as Nightmare Moon, I threatened to spread eternal night across Equestria.” Luna began.
“That’s you, huh?” I asked.
“Yes. But believe me, I’m far from what I was than now.” Luna assured.
“While Twilight and her friends went on a journey through the Everfree Forest to me and my sister’s previous castle, each one of them demonstrated behaviors of one specific element that will stick with them. Twilight being magic, Applejack being honesty, Pinkie Pie being laughter, Fluttershy being kindness, Rarity being generosity, and Rainbow Dash being loyalty.” Celestia explained.
“That means all six of these mares are intertwined into the elements that lets them use the magic contained inside them?” I asked.
“Yes. All six have the capability to possess the most powerful magic of all. The magic of friendship.” Celestia said.
“Wow.... Sounds like friendship is magic.” I whispered, blown away from this revelation.
“Precisely.” Luna said.
“I mean, I had no idea about this until now. It’s so much to take in at once.” I said.
“We understand. Do you need a minute to process all of this information?” Celestia asked.
“Oh, no, no, I’m fine. But I have another question.” I said.
“What will it be?” Celestia asked.
“Where are the artifacts now? Are they inside Twilight and her friends at this moment?” I asked.
“It’s nothing like that. They’re stored here at the castle.” Luna said.
“Look, you can deny this request, but do you mind if I could take a look at them?” I asked, sheepishly.
“Hmmmm, I suppose. You seem very trustworthy.” Celestia said.
“I agree.” Luna said.
“Okay, you may. Follow us.” Celestia said.
I walked beside Celestia while Luna was on the other side of her. We exited the throne room and hanged a left. The guards who were guarding the door were now following us to our destination.
A minute later, we arrived at a door similar to the throne room, but a different color. Celestia opened it and the red carpet stretched along the entire room's length. I examined the stained glass windows and saw another copy of the Discord stained window and the one with the elements of harmony. While going further to the back of the room, I saw this huge door with a star in the middle. Actually, it looked like a elevator door if you looked at it more.
“Behind this door is where the artifacts are kept.” Celestia said.
“How do you open it? Do you press one of those gems right there?” I asked while pointing at a green gem attached to the doors border.
“Nothing like that. Here’s how it works.” Celestia said.
She leaned her head down and aligned her horn with a little hole in the middle of the star on the door. She activated her magic aura that basically acted as a key for the door. She pulled out and the lines that made the star were outlined with a baby blue glow. Each side of the door formed three circles and one on each side would light up simultaneously with the other until all were lit. All of a sudden, the entire door lit up with a nearly blinding bright blue glow which caused me to shield my eyes.
Finally, the door opened like a elevator and the room was nothing but the glow of baby blue. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a fancy-looking lockbox with gems engraved in it was placed on a stand. Celestia used her magic to levitate it in front of her.
“Inside this box contains artifacts that can create the most powerful magic of all. And for your own safety, I only grant you access to look, no touching.” Celestia said.
“Sure, no problem.” I said.
“Okay then.” Celestia said.
Celestia used her magic on the lock which made it click, unlocking it. The box opened up and there they were, the elements of harmony. One looked like a crown and had a purple star on top while the rest looked like necklaces. Upon closer inspection, I noticed how the star on the crown looked a lot like the mark on Twilight’s flank. The same also goes for the necklaces; one had a red lighting bolt that corresponds with Rainbow’s mark and another had a pink butterfly that goes with Fluttershy’s mark and so on and so forth.
"Amazing. So much power contained in something so small. Interesting how the symbols on the elements correspond with those marks on Twilight and her friends. Forgot what they were called though.” I added.
“Are you referring to a cutie mark?” Celestia asked.
“Right, that’s what they’re called. Aren't they supposed to represent what a pony's special talent is?” I asked.
“That’s correct.” Celestia said.
“So what happens when they get those? Are they stuck with that talent forever and determines on what their future will be?” I asked.
“That is exactly what it means.” Luna said.
“You sure catch on quickly.” Celestia complimented.
“Yeah, that’s me. Excuse my language, but that's gotta suck if somepony gets a cutie mark that they despise and be stuck with it for the rest of their life.” I said.
“Frankly, I agree on your statement. Some ponies can not be as fortunate as others," Celestia closed the case diligently and placed it back on the stand. "If you wish, we’ll head back into the throne room now.”
"Sure." I replied.
Celestia, Luna, and I began to walk across across the lengthy room back to the door. Once we exited the room, a royal guard stepped forward and alerted us of the time
“Excuse me, your highness', I’m afraid the time with our guest is over with.” he announced.
“Oh my, has it been that long already?” Celestia said.
“I know, right? Felt more like twenty minutes to me.” I added.
“Well, this is abrupt.” Luna said.
“If I’m on my way now, all I have to say is thank you for having me here Celestia and Luna. I had a great time learning more about both of you and Equestria's history. I hope I'll cross paths with you both again in my new life here.” I said.
“I wish the same for me and my sister.” Celestia said.
“And we both wish thee the best of luck as thee adapt to Equestria as well.” Luna added on.
“Yes, thank you. In that case, I best be going and let you guys get back to your princess duties.” I said.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Caleb. If you wish to check out the city, I’ll have a squad of guards follow you for your own protection.” Celestia offered.
“Yeah, that sounds great!” I said.
“Very good. Guards.” Celestia called.
Four stocky guards walked over towards Celestia lined up vertically.
“Yes, your highness?” one guard asked.
“You four are assigned to protect our human friend. Keep your eyes peeled for anything that may seem like a threat or suspicious. You are authorized to use forceful apprehension if absolutely necessary.” Celestia ordered.
“Acknowledged,” the guard responded, turning towards the other guards. “You got that, colts?”
“Yes, sir!” all three responded.
“Farewell, Caleb.” both Celestia and Luna said.
“Thanks. Nice to meet you both.” I said, shaking their hooves.
“Follow us to the exit.” one guard instructed.
While we began to walk away, another important thought came to mind.
"Princess Celestia, wait!" I yelled.
Celestia turned her head in response to my call.
"Yes, Caleb?" Celestia asked.
"I must know something. Something that has been on my mind since I first got here." I said.
"What will it be?" Celestia asked.
"Since you've been around in Equestria for quite some time, I know you'll be able to answer this question." I said with a pause.
Celestia tilted her head to left a little.
"Have humans ever laid dormant here in Equestria?" I asked. "Please give me your best answer."
Celestia's eyes shifted towards the ceiling as she thought for a second.
"If they have, it would be an extraordinarily slim chance. It was a very long time ago before Equestria was even created." Celestia said.
"Please continue." I said.
"If I remember correctly from a story I heard about hundreds of years ago, it involved some sort of creature that could walk on two legs. They were considered threats to pony's and were outcasted from society." Celestia continued.
"What happened to all of them?" I asked.
"From what I remember, they were wiped out from the cold winters that the Windigo's brought to Equestria." Celestia said.
"Windigo's?" I asked.
"Windigo's are spirits that follow pony's that would constantly feud with each other, and the negative effect would be a winter casted upon the specific ponies." Celestia explained.
"So, these things froze to death?" I asked.
"Yes. It was something that they could not adapt to, creating their mass extinction from this world." Celestia said.
"Dang, that's pretty sad." I said.
"Agreed," Celestia replied. "Is there any other questions that I can answer for you?" Celestia asked.
"No, that'll be all. Thank you very much for this answer." I said.
"You're welcome. Now, I must get back to my royal duties." Celestia said.
"I understand. Goodbye, princess." I said with a wave.
I then regrouped with the guards and began to walk again. I went to turn my head again and Celestia was gone.
“Phew, that was nerve wracking at first.” I said.
“Meeting them for the first time?” one guard asked in a deep voice.
“Yeah. I was worried i’d screw up and make everything awkward, but it went better than I expected.” I admitted.
“I can tell they both liked you, Celestia was very forward in giving me the order to protect you.” a grey guard said.
“Yeah, I noticed that too. Probably just being all serious so that you’ll get the message.” I said.
“Most likely.” another guard said.
With that, we exited the castle and I hopped back into the carriage once again.
“Where to?” the carriage puller asked.
“Just take me around the city so that I can sight see, i’ll let you guys know when we can head back to the train station.” I said.
“Alright. Two guards on each side of carriage and remember to keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.” the puller reminded the guards.
With that, the ride began.