//------------------------------//
// A Good Heart 
// Story: My Brave Pony: The Heart of the World 
// by Scipio Smith 
//------------------------------//


A Good Heart


 

Twilight was a little surprised to arrive at the palace and be told that Princess Celestia would be receiving her not in the throne room, as was usual, but rather upon the western balcony of the Great Tower, the tallest edifice in the palace and, indeed, in all of Canterlot. It was not a place to which she was a stranger - she and Princess Celestia had spent a great deal of time there when Twilight was a filly studying at the princess' hooves - but more recently she had met Princess Celestia in the throne room, or else Celestia had come to Ponyville to speak with Twilight upon occasion. They hadn't sat out on the balcony like this in quite some time, not since Twilight was a much younger mare.
Nevertheless she still remembered the way just fine, and the guard at the bottom of the winding, crimson-carpeted staircase up the tower knew to admit her. Twilight climbed the winding staircase that coiled like a serpent around the gleaming white walls of the tower, her hoof-falls echoing up and down the spiralling stairs, climbing upwards, always upwards for some time before finally arriving at the balcony in question. The next guard who stood before the purple curtain separating off the balcony from the stairs – said curtain rippled a little in the morning breeze – stood aside to let her pass without a word.
Twilight's horn flared with a lavender light for one brief moment as she pushed the curtain aside, at least enough to admit her small body. She felt the breeze kiss her coat as she stepped out and onto the balcony, the sunlight falling up on her face brightly enough to make her flinch from it for a moment.
The balcony was as white as the tower, a large rounded area jutting out of the rising edifice, lined by a rail supported by what looked like teardrop-shaped pearls, though they were of stone as much as the rest of the balcony or, indeed, the rest of the tower.
Princess Celestia sat near the edge of the balcony, her wings tucked in at her sides, her mane of many colours streaming out to her right as the wind tended in that direction. She was sat at just such an angle that, as she stepped out from behind the curtain and onto the balcony, Twilight could catch a glimpse of her face, which bore a great sadness the source of which Twilight knew not, as though the princess were oppressed by many memories she could not vest herself of.
"Princess Celestia?" Twilight ventured.
Princess Celestia became aware of Twilight's presence on the balcony, and instantly her look was transformed, as though she had put on a mask to hide her sorrows and become once again Twilight's teacher and mentor, the wise and gentle princess of Equestria whom no ill-thoughts or dread concerns could touch. Since Twilight had grown older, Princess Celestia had upontimes allowed her student to see her in a less than infallible light - most notably when Discord escaped his confinement - but for some reason she was not willing to do so now. Twilight could only assume there was a reason for it, and a good reason at that, into which it was not her place to pry with thought or word.
In any case, Celestia smiled down at Twilight she climbed to her hooves, a smile as warm as any that she had smiled, and her voice was suffused with as much warmth and tenderness as it had ever been as she said, "Twilight, welcome."
"Princess Celestia," Twilight replied, with as much warmth in her own voice as she trotted forwards, her hoof-steps tapping lightly upon the balcony. "Thank you for agreeing to see me so quickly."
"Not at all, it's always a delight to see you again," Celestia said, and as Twilight approached she bent down to drape her long and graceful neck across Twilight's body. Her coat as soft to the touch, and warm; it felt safe, like this, it had done ever since Twilight was a little filly. And ever since she was a little filly she had always felt as though their embraces ended too soon. "I am glad that you have found your own path," Celestia continued. "But I cannot pretend that I don't miss having you here with me in Canterlot." The smile remained upon her face. "Do you remember when we used to sit out here, and you would watch me raise the sun and then we would have breakfast together."
Twilight nodded. "I always thought of that as a special treat from you."
Princess Celestia chuckled. "It was no less a treat for me, I assure you." She turned away, and sat down once again by the edge of the balcony.
Twilight came to stand beside her, before she sat down herself; she was not nearly so tall as the princess was, but she could see sufficiently clearly over the balcony rail to appreciate the stunning nature of the view spread out before them. Not only Canterlot but all the vast spread of Equestria beyond lay before her gaze, growing smaller and smaller like a filly's toy as it receded far away. She could even see Ponvyille, the road and the rail line running away from the city and towards the smaller town and out beyond. It was so small, and yet the little rustic town at the edge of her sight - the sight of which she had never remarked upon when she was young - seemed no less beautiful to her now than all the spires of Canterlot that gleamed effulgent closer to her gaze.
"You see Ponyville?" Princess Celestia asked. "I confess, when you were young my gaze would often turn that way myself, as I..." she trailed off.
Twilight looked up at her old teacher, a frown creasing her features. "Princess Celestia?"
The smile died on Princess Celestia's face. "So," she said, her voice becoming a little more grave than it had been a moment before. "You wish to seek for the Heart of the World."
"You know of it?"
"I am familiar with the tales that are told of it," Princess Celestia replied.
"They're a lot more than just stories," Twilight said. "Aren't they, princess?"
"You are not the first to think so," Princess Celestia said. A sigh escaped her lips. "Twilight Sparkle, I must confess I wish you would not walk this path."
Twilight blinked. "You mean... you don't want me to do this? But why? Or why not? If the legends are true then whatever the Heart of the World really is promises to be an immense discovery and even if it is just a legend then..." Then I will be extremely disappointed. "I don't understand."
"You are not the first of my students to become obsessed with the legend of the Heart of the World," Celestia told her, in a voice full of melancholy. "The first was a young mare named Sunset Shimmer-"
"Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight repeated, cutting the princess off.
Princess Celestia looked down at her. "You know the name?"
"I've heard it," Twilight said. "Lightning Dawn, he told me that he had a sister - an adopted sister - named Sunset Shimmer who was - who claimed to be - from Equestria."
Princess Celestia's eye - the one that was visible as she looked down at Twilight - widened; Twilight thought it was possible to see a spark of hope begin to glimmer there. "Could it be?" she murmured. "Sunset Shimmer was the name, you are certain?"
"Yes," Twilight said. "Although... I don't know how it's possible that they could be the same mare. How could this Sunset Shimmer, or any mare from Equestria, come to New Olympia?"
"I am not certain," Princess Celestia replied. "And part of me thinks that you should not give me hope, but another… another would rejoice to know that she yet lives, and hopes that she has found her path, wherever she is now."
"Who was she?" Twilight asked, her voice soft.
"My student," Princess Celestia said. "She was gifted, ferociously intelligent, driven, determined." She smiled briefly. "She was very much like you, Twilight, in a great many ways but different in one very important respect: she was ambitious, relentlessly so. And in the pursuit of her ambitions she lost her way; I tried to counsel her against allowing her ambitious and her desires to poison and to dominate her, but by the time I realised the extent of her difficulties it was too late. She had become… I had no choice but to send her away."
"Send her where?"
"Not to another world," Princess Celestia replied, a touch of amusement entering her voice for a moment, however brief. "But Sunset became obsessed with the legend of the Heart of the World; you will be aware from your own studies that it would bestow its blessing upon zebra emperors in ancient times. It was in search of such a blessing that Sunset set out to find the Heart, believing that it could grant her the destiny that I, as she saw it, sought to deny her. She never returned, and indeed I have had no word of her in years though I have sent envoys and searchers to the zebra lands in search of answers. One of my search parties disappeared also, led by a mare you are not unfamiliar with: Dawn Starfall."
Twilight sucked in her breath through her teeth. Yes, she remembered Dawn Starfall; she did not remember her fondly, by any means - she remembered the way she tried to bully Twilight, the way that she had turned up at Twilight's door one day claiming to be her sister, the way that she had made school unbearable for a brief period before Princess Celestia noticed and kicked Dawn out. Yes, she remembered Dawn Starfall. "Was she looking for Sunset Shimmer or the Heart?"
"Both, I believe," Princess Celestia said. "Dawn had always idolised Sunset, though Sunset never treated her with anything more than a benign contempt, and she was hurt by Sunset's disappearance, more hurt than she affected to be by far. At the same time I think she hoped the Heart, in all its wisdom, could give her the answers she was looking for. Perhaps. I am not sure even Dawn knew what she hoped to find if she found the Heart of the World. But she sought it out and, just like Sunset, she was never heard from again." Princess Celestia bowed her head, her visible eye closing for a moment. "Now do you see why I am afraid? Why I would rather you did not embark upon this path?"
"I do understand," Twilight replied. "But I'm not Sunset Shimmer or Dawn Starfall. I have five good friends who have never let me down and I know that they're not about to start now. With their help I know that I can make it there and back again, just like I knew that we could stop Discord. Princess Celestia I swear to you: you won't lose me like you lost Sunset or Dawn."
Celestia turned to look at her. Her mane covered one eye, and Twilight thought that Princess Celestia might prefer it that way, because the other seemed more moist than usual. "Can you be certain of that, Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight hesitated. "No," she admitted. "I would have to be a prophet to be able to say for certain. But I know my friends, I know their quality; I know that we can do this, together. Just like that I know that I have to try."
"For Lightning Dawn?" asked Princess Celestia.
"For him and for Krysta," Twilight replied. "They saved my life, I can't just write them off. I owe it to them both to at least try and find them. I feel... I feel as though if I don't do this, go on this journey, then I'm not sure if I'll ever find another way."
Princess Celestia looked down on her, and it seemed to Twilight almost as though fear and pride were warring in Celestia's eyes. "Even more than your skill at magic," Princess Celestia said. "It is your good heart, so full of kindness and generosity and all other virtues, that makes me proud to call you my student. And is that good heart, even more than the bonds you have forged with your friends in Ponyville, that has led me to put my faith in you when Equestria's needs were at their greatest. How can I refuse to put my faith in you now? As you so rightly point out, you are not Sunset Shimmer or Dawn Starfall; you are Twilight Sparkle, and you have proven yourself greater than I had any right to expect."
Twilight felt a slight flush rise to her cheeks at Princess Celestia's effusive praise. "Then, you mean-"
"If this is the course your heart is set on, I will not stand in your way," Princess Celestia declared. "But I hope you will forgive me for imposing one condition upon you: the journey which you propose to undertake is difficult, and may be dangerous; therefore, I would like to assign one of my guard, whom I will choose, to accompany you and your friends upon this quest."
Twilight nodded. That was not something that she had expected, but she saw no reason to object to it. "Very well, Princess Celestia. When you've chosen-"
"I will send them to Ponyville to meet with you immediately," Princess Celestia said.
"Okay," Twilight said. "Thank you, Princess Celestia. Thank you, for letting me do this." Lightning, Krysta, I'm on my way. Just hold on a little longer.
Celestia smiled at her, as she bent down and kissed Twilight gently upon the tip of her horn. "Go with good fortune, and my blessing, my faithful student. Go, and come back soon."



Celestia lingered on the balcony after Twilight had departed, sitting and staring out across the city and the land. Her city. Her land. But in truth she barely saw it; instead she saw two mares in her mind's eye, two mares who possessed their fair share of faults or more, but two mares whom nonetheless had possessed their share of virtues too. Two mares whom she had come to care for deeply, and who had both come to care for her, perhaps too much. Two mares who had loved not wisely but too well. Two mares she had lost to the allure of the Heart of the World and all it promised.
Was she soon to lose a third? Would Twilight Sparkle join Sunset Shimmer with her mane like fire, and Dawn whose mane had looked like maypole bunting?
No, Twilight is neither Sunset nor Dawn. She will not fail as they did.
She will not be lost as they did.
I hope she will not.
Although a part of me wishes that she would fail, so long as she returned here afterwards.
She felt the tap of hooves landing on the balcony behind her.
"Luna," Celestia murmured. "You're up late."
Luna proved the truth of that by yawning as she came to stand beside her sister. "Why did you let her go?"
"I don't recall asking you to eavesdrop on our conversation, Luna," Celestia said, with a touch of sternness entering her voice.
"Nor would I have, concerned thy conversation aught else but the Heart of the World," Luna replied. "Why did you let her go?"
"What else could I do?"
"You could have stopped her with a word."
"And she would not have understood why," Celestia said. "She would resent me for it."
"Then tell her the truth," said Luna.
"What truth?" Celestia asked. "That we once consulted with the Heart of the World? That we might be the last mares living who did so?"
"The truth that there is a reason it closed off its heart," Luna said. "A reason it was allowed to be forgotten, its exact location lost, its very existence faded into myth. A reason we no longer like visitors from other worlds. Forgive me sister, but I do not understand. The risks you take, the secrets that you keep."
"What should I do instead of keeping secrets?" Celestia asked. "The truth destroyed both Sunset and Dawn; my ambitions for them bloated up their pride, swelled their egos and fed fat their faults until they fell from all I hoped they could become. I ruined them, two good and wonderful mares destroyed by me. If Twilight has not suffered the same fate it is because my plans, my hopes and my intentions for destiny I keep them all a secret! I keep my secrets, so that she can live her life ignorant and unaware of all of them."
Luna was silent for a moment. "And the risks?" she asked. "If Twilight should make contact with Jupiter or Saturn then... who knows what ill may befall us here."
"I do not, nor will I pretend to," Celestia replied. "But Twilight is not us any more than she is Sunset; after but a few days Lightning Dawn had renounced the ways of Olympia and wished to dwell as one of us... with her. It may be she can succeed where we could not."
"Is that what you hope?"
"It is... a possibility I am willing to entertain, if a meeting of our peoples should come to pass."
"And you are willing to risk the future of Equestria by such a possibility to come to pass?" Luna asked.
"Am I willing to risk Equestria upon the light that shines from Twilight's virtues?" Princess Celestia mused, a trace of amusement in her voice. "Why yes, sister, I do believe I am."
“Sister-“
“Can you deny that she is worthy of such trust?” Princess Celestia asked. “Can you deny what she has done?”
Luna looked away. “Thou knowst that I cannot, nor do I wish to do so.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Luna, I know that you have learned to speak in a more contemporary fashion than that. I know that because Twilight taught you so.”
Luna pouted, looking far younger than her years, reminding Celestia almost of when they had been little fillies. “It is an aid, sometimes, in keeping a distance from you.”
“And why should you want to keep a distance from me?” Celestia asked.
“Because you chide me well,” Luna admitted. “I know Twilight’s quality; I know it as well as you, although for quite different reasons. And yet… the quality of a mare… it is a little thing on which to hang a realm.”
“Twilight and her friends wield the Elements of Harmony, our greatest weapon,” Celestia reminded she who needed little reminder. “What do we do, but hang the realm upon the quality of six mares?”
Luna frowned. “I love you, sister, but there are times I fear I do not understand you.”
Celestia chuckled. “Perhaps you are right, Luna; perhaps Twilight is making a mistake. But even if that is so then it is not my mistake to allow her a mistake. If I did not allow my little ponies to try, to dream, even to fail, then… then I would be a tyrant, and all of our care and caution would be for nought and we would be no better than those we would keep away from paradise. Do you understand now?”
“You are saying that you would rather fail in a good cause?”
“I suppose you could put it thus,” Celestia replied. “Certainly better that, than to use wicked means for a good end.”
“Perhaps,” Luna murmured. “You think the end will be ill, then?”
“I did not say that,” Celestia reproached her gently. “I have faith in Twilight Sparkle, just as I always have. Now, if you will excuse me Luna, I must find Captain Armor, and discuss with him the selection of a suitable guard.”