//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Sins of the Mother // by Duffman18 //------------------------------// Author's Note: This is my first fic and I would appreciate constructive criticism. If you have any questions just comment or message me and I'll do what I can to answer you. Enjoy. Chapter 1 The fire of friendship lives in our hearts As long as it burns we cannot drift apart Though quarrels arise their numbers are few Laughter and singing will see us through We are a circle of pony friends, a circle of friends We'll be to the very end Twilight smiled as the song once again raced through her mind. It had been around two weeks since she had played the role of Clover the Clever in the Hearths Warming Eve pageant in Canterlot. The pageants had been a mainstay of her life ever since she was a filly, but there was something about this one that filled her with a passion she could barely contain. For the past two weeks she had been embroiled in her latest research project: an in-depth look at the historical events of the founding. Obviously, she already knew the story but she wanted to read the reports of the groups who found what had become Equestria, to see history through the eyes of those who had lived it and marvel at the grandeur of it all. Twilight sighed in wonder at the grand vistas and images that her vast imagination conjured up, allowing herself to be lost in it all. What came next should be obvious. “TWILIGHT!” The purple mare shrieked and jumped almost a foot in the air as the sudden noise broke her rapturous silence. Her horn lit up with magic as she spun wildly around, trying to identify the source of the noise. What she discovered was a small purple dragon wearing an exasperated expression standing not 2 feet away from her. “Spike,” Twilight groaned as she released her magic, “What have I told you about sneaking up on ponies?” Spike just shook his head. “Twilight, I’ve been calling you for the past five minutes. It’s almost time for your train to leave.” Twilight’s eyes shot open as she glanced over at her clock. “It’s NOON already?! Oh no, I’m late!” She had requested to visit the royal archives in order to further her research and Princess Celestia had happily approved her request, inviting Twilight to stay with her in the castle so they could discuss her findings at length. Gathering her saddlebags and some extra ink and parchment, Twilight raced out the door desperate to reach the station on time. “Bye Spike, see you in a few days,” she shouted over her shoulder as she bolted out the door and towards the train station. Hours later, Twilight stood before the great doors of Canterlot's Royal Archives. Flanking these doors were two of the royal guards, immaculate in their golden armor as they stood rigidly at attention, alert for even the slightest sign of trouble. At Twilight’s approach, the guards moved to open the doors for her. As she stepped through the doorway into the archives proper, Twilight could not help but marvel at the grandeur of the archives. Spotless shelves of polished wood reached up to the ceiling far above, filled with thousands upon thousands of books, scrolls, and papers dating back thousands of years. Along the side walls were finely crafted windows through which shone shafts of golden sunlight. A large smile spread across Twilight’s face as she strode through the maze of shelves to one of the oldest sections of the archives, her hoof steps guided by the experience of countless past trips to the archives. Upon reaching the section which contained the oldest historical records in the archives, Twilight lifted a dozen books and scrolls into the air and trotted over to a nearby reading table. As she carefully lowered her research onto the table, she noticed a pristine white scroll bearing the royal seal. Curious, Twilight levitated the scroll into the air and undid the seal with her seal with her magic. The note read “My faithful student Twilight Sparkle, dinner will be held in my quarters at 6:00 tonight. I can’t wait to see you there and discuss your findings about this exciting period in our nation’s history. See you tonight. P.S. Please try not to get too lost in your studies. Twilight quickly rolled up the scroll, giggling happily even as a slight blush came to her face. Shaking her head to clear it, she turned to the stack of books and scrolls in front of her with a determined look on her face, ready to delve into the exciting history of Equestria. She grabbed the book on top of the pile, entitled The Founders of Equestria: An In-Depth Study of The Founding and Its Leaders, and opened it to the first page quill and ink at the ready to record anything of value. “And so in this time did the founders of Equestria begin their exodus from the lands that had been the homes of the three pony tribes for countless generations. . .” “And so did these great figures reach the mid-point of their journey in which they reached an unusual rock formation of surprising size and age. . .” At reading this, Twilight nudged the book aside and let her head fall against the wooden table. “Ugh,” she groaned. “When I started this project I thought it would be exciting and shed a more academic light on that part of history. I didn’t expect. . . THIS!” Admittedly, she thought after a moment that was a bit harsh. There was quite a bit of relevant information put forward in this book, but it was buried in a sea of minutiae and pointless details that only made finding the pertinent facts a time-consuming and almost painful endeavor. Steeling herself, Twilight prepared to dive back into the old book, catching a glimpse of a nearby clock as she did so. “Hmm,” she thought to herself. “5:59. I didn’t think that I’d been reading for that long. . . OH NO!” Leaping out of her chair, Twilight ran towards the exit, desperate to make it to the princess’s room before she was late. As she dashed from the archives, she bumped into one of her precariously balanced piles of books in her haste. The stack leaned to and fore, the books and papers scattering themselves all over the table. Near the top of the newly made pile was a scroll yellowed with age that had slid out of the one of the older books in the stack. Written in large letters across the top of the unfurled scroll was written a strange title: Of the Scouting and Reclamation of Old Equestria. Princess Celestia, Regent of the Sun and one of the two rulers of Equestria, waited patiently in her room sipping from a cup of freshly-brewed tea. One of her ears perked up as she heard the sound of galloping hooves in the distance. With a smile forming on her face she called out “Guards.” The two royal guards moved swiftly into the room and stood at attention, “Yes princess?” they asked in unison. “Please open up the doors, and then you can consider yourselves off for the night. “Yes, princess,” they replied, moving to comply with her request. Just as they left their posts, Twilight barreled into the room at top speed almost running straight into a now standing Princess Celestia. “Oh Princess, I’m so sorry I was reading this book and it was kind of boring and I lost track of time and I had to run over here and. . .” “Twilight,” Celestia said a smile on her face, “Breathe.” Blushing, Twilight took a deep breath and sat down at the table in front of her. “Now, why don’t you tell me about your day while we enjoy this lovely meal?” So Twilight began to explain to the Princess about the book she had been reading. “And there were some really interesting facts; like that Commander Hurricane was a stallion not a mare.” Twilight rubbed her head sheepishly with her hoof. “It made me feel a bit silly about having Rainbow play him during the pageant.” Celestia let out a small chuckle, “Oh I thought Rainbow played the part well enough. At least she got the personality right. That reminds me, which book were you reading this entire time?” “The Founders of Equestria: An In-Depth Study of The Founding and Its Leaders,” replied Twilight. Celestia let out a slight groan at that. “That book is, dense, to say the least. I myself had a hard time getting through it. That author had a peculiar fascination with. . .” “Rocks,” Twilight cut in a smile forming on her face. “Among other things, yes,” chuckled Celestia. The rest of evening passed in a blur of good food and better company as their conversations lasted long into the night with the only break being when Celestia had to lower the sun. Eventually both noticed the time, and bid each other good night. As Twilight walked happily through the ancient stone corridors of the palace, a thought jolted through her mind and caused her to come to a sudden stop. “Oh no,” she thought, “I left those books out and all my stuff is still in the archives.” She started walking back towards the archives before realizing just how late it really was. “Are the archives still even open?” she thought worriedly to herself. “What if I get in trouble for going in there this late? No, I’ll just pop in real quick, clean up, grab my stuff, and leave.” With this issue resolved in her mind, she resumed her journey towards the darkened archives. When she reached the archives, Twilight let out a small burst of magic and quietly opened up the doors. Where in the day the archives were an open and inviting space they were a completely different world at night. Thick shadows lay across the thin paths between the monolithic shelves that in the darkness seemed to stretch up to infinity. Through the great windows lying on either side of the archives, weak beams of moonlight gave off the only true illumination. Twilight felt a slight shudder run through her body as she began to quickly retrace her steps from that morning. Soon she found herself back at the reading nook she had so recently been ensconced in. Walking over to the table, she let out a breath she did not even realize that she had been holding. “Calm down Twilight,” she told herself sternly. “It’s not like you’re breaking in. . . again.” After casting a small light spell, Twilight quickly got to work clearing the spilled pile of books that had consumed much of the table. She was just about to finish placing the books back into an orderly stack when she saw the aged scroll lying on the table. “That’s strange,” she thought to herself. Curious, Twilight levitated the scroll and unfurled it. “Of the Scouting and Reclamation of Old Equestria,” she read confusedly. Twilight's eyebrows furrowed as she leaned in to better make out the scroll's title. "Old Equestria...." she muttered, unsuccessfully picking her brain for any mention of the name before. Curiosity overcoming her, she carefully unrolled the brittle parchment and delved into the scroll's mysteries.... “And so it was that 200 years following the founding of Equestria a scouting party was formed with at least two ponies from each tribe to ascertain the condition of the land our race once inhabited and determine the feasibility of resettling our ancestral home. Shafts of daylight shone into the archives banishing the shadows in the wake of the new dawn. Though even the rising sun went unnoticed by Twilight as she continued to voraciously read through the ancient scroll. Her normally straight mane was in disarray with rough curls and stray hairs everywhere. Twilight’s eyes were bloodshot and her pupils had shrunk to pinpricks over the course of her intense study. However the daylight illuminated a feature that had remained unnoticeable in the dark of night. Her mouth was constantly moving, forming the word “no” over and over again. The cause of this was but a single name that stood out even on the faded ink of the ancient scroll. A name that shouldn’t have even existed yet in the annals of Equestrian history: Celestia.