I was trotting back and forth in the middle of the place gardens, worried about this meeting with Twilight Sparkle, who was now a princess, and that she would see through my disguise. I looked at myself in the fountain nearby, reviewing my reflection, took a hoof, brushed it over my mane, and adjusted my regalia. I then returned to my little tea party, which was quite simple, with a quaint little metallic garden table and small porcelain tea cups set up in the royal garden. I gave everything a look over to make sure it seemed perfect. So I decided to relax and sit back with a nice cup of tea in my hooves and sipped it, thinking about how I would deal with things if she did find out.
But then she saw the young princess fly over, and with a smile, a gust of wind hit her, and the violet alicorn cried as she slammed into the dirt and grass. I squeaked out in surprise, ran over, brushed the dirt from Celestia's former student, and cried, "Are you ok!?".
Twilight groaned as she slowly got up on all fours, spat out some grass, and said, "Sorry, Princess Celestia, I'm still getting used to flying."
"That's completely understandable. Next time, I can get you a chariot?"
"No, it's okay. I need the practice." She threw up her wings and added, "It just doesn't sit right with me still."
I couldn't help but nod in agreement and said, "Oh, I agree it is quite the experience, but it still feels awkward sometimes."
Twilight looked somewhat surprised by the response, "I mean, you've had them for a thousand years at least, right?"
I went wide-eyed for a second, realizing what I just said, cleared my throat, and said, "Well, yes, that's true, but I also seem rather unsure of them as you are. I mean…how often have you seen me fly?" I insisted, quickly covering up what I had said.
Then the mare continued, "Well, I have to say there is something odd about you. I must admit I was rather surprised you invited me to a tea party."
I nervously trotted backward and then asked, "I see, and is that something that Ce-I mean we would do?"
The alicorn tapped a hoof to her chin, then said, "Well, we technically had a tea party back when you visited me with your pet phoenix…" Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she continued, "Before Fluttershy and I kidnapped her."
Despite not being present, Princess Celestia did give me her memories, and I seemed to be able to not only remember the event but myself being worried about Philomena and then being relieved and amused that Twilight and Fluttershy went out of their way to care for her. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Right, I remember that."
Twilight then bowed and replied, "It's still an honor to invite me to a tea party, even if this is informal."
Still feeling uncomfortable about ponies bowing wherever I go, I waved a hoof then quickly said, "No need for that; please let us be informal; Faust knows I need a break."
"Understandable, Princess Celestia; I heard about your victory in passing those new tax reforms."
"Please, Twilight, just call me Celestia."
"Right, guess we can skip the formalities."
Twilight then sat across from me, and we both took a minute to sip our tea and snack on the small coffee cakes. As Twilight took a moment to gulp down her cake, I sat back and sipped some tea, trying to maintain my regal. She asked, "So, what exactly did you want to talk about?"
I blinked, opened my mouth, gawked, as this was mostly Princess Luna's idea, and realized I didn't know what to say or do. But I had to remain regal and keep my composure. I cleared my throat and said, "Well, I, um? I wasn't sure; maybe I think I just wanted to catch up."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that is all."
Then the mare continued, "Well, I have to ask: Are you feeling okay?"
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I did my best to respond. "Yes, I'm fine mostly…is there any reason you would ask that?"
"Not saying anything, you just seem more…I don't know…have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Well, I have been busy with things in general. Been trying to deal with a bunch of tax reforms now; I can finally relax a little."
"That sounds wonderful! I read over the reforms and saw how you will help ease taxes for produce, which will help families like Applejack."
"Yes, but I had to balance it out and make sure that some of the richer ponies were paying their fair share, but I don't want to bog down our talks with politics."
"Oh, it's no problem; I love talking about politics, science, magic, or just about anything!"
I felt abit embarrassed that she would feel this kinship with me like a relative, making me feel more uncomfortable. "uh ok, sure, um…well, do you wish to talk about anything in particular?"
"Well…ok, I've been meaning to ask…how exactly did I become an alicorn?" she threw up her wings, "I understand I unlocked my potential after going through a trial, but is there more to this than getting wings?"
I paused, blinked a few times, and then realized I didn't know how she became an alicorn; even with Celestia's memories and knowledge, she didn't fully understand either. I then continued, "I do not know. If I am being fully honest, sending you that spell was a gut instinct."
"Was sending me to Ponyville also just a "gut" instinct?"
My cheeks flushed pink, and I paused, gathering the information like I was some machine as I replied in how she would, "In a sense, yes, I believed you would find friends and unlock the elements of harmony. Luckily, you did, or I would have been sealed away, and Nightmare Moon would have taken over."
"Of course! I just am surprised you're so…well…"
"Well, what?"
"So different from how I imagined you being. My entire life, I saw you as this almost godlike creature who would be so refined and beyond reproach. But as I got to know you more, it seems you're so…"
I sat there wondering what she was going to say; so what? So different? So, unlike how Princess Celestia should act!? I sat there just wondering what Twilight would say, and then she said, "So normal."
I once again was taken back by what Twilight said, "normal." that was something that I had never thought of myself from the day I took this job, and yet…from the actual princess' memories, she always was trying to present herself as this untouchable goddess to garner trust. But she was always somewhat goofy and uncouth and sometimes didn't always adhere to royal etiquette. Seeing I was acting like the princess made me feel even more at ease, and then I replied, "Well, you see, there's more to me than what meets the eye."
Twilight finished eating the last pastry and then said, "Well, that's a relief; I guess what I'm about to ask you is somewhat unorthodox."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, you see, Cheerilee has been begging me to set up a "story hour" with you, and I need your help with the foals wanting to see you read a story to them."
"Me!? She wants me!?"
Twilight nodded, rubbed a hoof down her face, and continued, "Yes ... I know you're busy, and I wouldn't ask…"
I got rather excited, flapping my wings, then exclaimed, "What are you talking about!? That sounds like so much fun!"
Twilight looked up, surprised, "you mean that?"
"Of course! I've taken hundreds of pictures with foals, but I don't think I've ever done a story hour before?"
Twilight beamed a smile of pride as she pressed hoof into her chest, then proclaimed, "Well, lucky for you, I've done a few, and I can take you through how to have a successful story hour and handle rowdy foals.":
"Well, I am taking some time off for myself; we can start today if you wish?"
Twilight got up, took out a scroll and quill, and said, "Well, before we get carried away, let's write a letter to Cherrilee and make it official!"
"Of course!" I then wrote down an invitation to Cheerilee to schedule a story hour with the princess, and then after jotting down my signature with a flourish, Twilight rolled it up, and I stamped it with my sigil. "Once you have a date, we can start training."
I rose up and helped Twilight from the table. "That sounds like a plan! Now, are you sure you can fly back to Ponyville?"
The alicorn flapped her wings and shrugged, "It's ok; like I said, I need to get better. I have a few training sessions with Rainbow Dash scheduled."
I felt somewhat embarrassed, but as a former unicorn and despite having Princess Celestia's memories and experiences, I still had trouble using my new appendages. I then whispered, "Actually, could you pass a message to Rainbow Dash."
"Of course!? What do you want to say."
"Um..could you ask her to help train me in flying? I need to get better at it myself."
Twilight paused, looking abit surprised and confused, then said, "Well, I guess I don't see the problem... I'll pass the message along."
The violet alicorn then waved a hoof and flew off into the air. As I watched her pass, I wondered how this story hour would go and if this was a good idea in the first place.
A few weeks had passed, and I was now in Twilight's library looking over a ton of flashcards she had laid out on a table and reading them over as I was preparing for the "story hour" we set up with Cheerilee.
Twilight was trotting back and forth as she gave me some last-minute notes. "OK, so let's go over everything before we begin. First of all, do you have the story ready?"
Celestia picked up the Daring Do picture book and said, "Yes, Daring Do and the Raiders of the Lost Cart."
"Good, now remember, when you read to foals, you must be energetic and engaged. Make sure to flip the book towards them so they can see the pictures."
"Right, we practiced that a few times."
Spike nearby groaned, "Yes, we have!"
I couldn't help but blush and whisper, "Sorry, Spike."
"It's ok, princess, but you definitely owe me a few gems," Spike grumbled.
"Also, when a foal asks questions, ensure they raise a hoof first and try picking on shy ponies first."
"Understood."
"But to ensure we're on time, try to save questions for breaks and at the end of the story."
"Right, we'll give two ten-minute breaks, and um…just clarifying these foals are toilet trained?"
"Yes, they're not babies, though they might try holding it in during the story, so if somepony really needs to go, let them go and wait until they return."
"Right," I wrote down, "keep in mind for emergency potty breaks."
"Also, remember that foals don't like sitting for long, so they might get fidgety if things get rowdy. I suggest we get Cheerilee to come help settle them down."
"I believe that covers just about everything."
Twilight smirked, seeing how nervous I must be looking, and asked, "Are you scared of some foals?"
Despite being the actual princess, Celestia would be more collected. My true nature spilled out as I said, "What, no, of course not! I fought all matter of monsters; I can handle a few foals for an hour."
Twilight nodded, "OK, just let me know when you need help, and if this is too much for you, let us know."
"I will, thank you, Twilight."
I then rose, gathered the flashcards, and tucked them under a wing. I fixed my regalia, took a deep breath, and trotted off with Princess Celestia's former student, following her to the schoolhouse.
At Cheerilee's schoolhouse, I was a bit stunned by the dozens of foals all sitting on a mat, with Cherrilee getting excited rather suddenly as she bowed and cried, "Princess Celestia, it is an honor you coming here!"
"Oh please, no need to bow; I came to have fun. Let's just all relaxase."
"Of course, we have everything set up in the back." Cheerilee then escorted me to the back of the room, sat on a comfy beanbag, and turned to the dozens of foals, who were all bouncing around me in excitement, asking me questions or just complimenting me on how beautiful I was.
I was already feeling uncomfortable and held out a hoof, then replied in my most maternal tone, "Please be patient; we'll have plenty of time for questions; please settle down."
There were a lot of awwws, and then one colt raised his hoof politely and pointed at him. "Yes….um?"
"Pipsqueak,"
"Yes, Pipsqueak?"
"I just have to ask, can Princess Luna come and do a storytime too?"
I almost let out an annoyed laugh but held my composure as I was doing this "story hour" because of her, and despite enjoying this, I couldn't help but get back at her and say, "Oh, most definitely, maybe she can do a sleepover with you all at the castle."
"Yay!" the foals all started shouting in unison, and soon I was being bombarded by hundreds of questions. It took a few minutes for Cheerilee to settle the class down.
I then pulled out the storybook and started to go over the tale of a simplified version of the one from the novel. But I did my best to sell myself as Daring Do racing against Calaberon for the mystical lost cart that was told to be made of pure gold. But as the story went on, I stuck to Twilight's notes, letting foals use the bathroom throughout; it didn't take long until Twilight was pointing a hoof at a clock overhead, and we took our first ten-minute break. I laid back and realized my heart was racing; this was quite an undertaking. My biggest worry is that I'm acting too much like North Star and not like Princess Celestia. But from the smiling and chatty foals, things seemed to be working out. Then I noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders rushing over, all wide-eyed and looking utterly adorable. I stood up abit straighter, and as the orange-coated pegasi raised a hoof, I pointed at her and asked, "Yes…"
"Oh, sorry, my name's Scootaloo."
"Scootaloo, yes, what's your question?"
The three fillies all looked at each other nervously, and then Scootaloo continued, "Is it ok if we ask you a personal question?"
I paused, unsure at first, but couldn't see its harm and said, "Of course, what is it?"
Then, the three blurted out in unison, "We've been meaning to ask how you got your cutie mark!?"
There was silence, and I was taken aback by the question and had to dig through all of Celestia's oldest memories; it was like swimming through a deep fog, and I saw Celestia as a filly being told by Starswirl he wanted to take me to perform some test…. He then took her to some unicorns who were in charge of raising the sun and then gifted her with their power. Then I tried repeatedly for months…years went by, and I failed every time…then there was a specific memory the day I earned my cutie mark.
I was suddenly transported to an ancient castle foyer decorated with rich tapestries over the stone. I was no longer the tall, powerful-looking alicorn; now, I was in a much smaller body and had looked up at an old unicorn wearing a dark blue wizard's hat. His blue coat and gold eyes glared at me as he scolded me for not being able to raise the sun. The old pony was getting on my nerves, and I wanted to snap back several times. But my body would not listen to me. In fact, it felt like I was just a passenger in a ride as Celestia acted out this "memory."
"Celestia, you must be taking these studies seriously! If you want ponies to take you seriously, you must prove yourself!"
I glared back at him, angry, and shouted, "I am! I'm doing my best!"
"Try harder! You must be able to raise the sun; it is your destiny!"
"Destiny this destiny that! That's all you care about! What if I don't want it to be my destiny? What if I don't want to be a princess!?"
"Then you're your parents' sacrifice will have been for nothing! And all will be lost!"
Tears filled my eyes: parents whom I never met and who long passed before Luna and I could remember. I wiped my face and snapped, "anypony can raise the sun; it's not that important for me to be able to do it."
"It's more than that! You are destined to be the ruler of the three tribes and shepherd the ponies into a new era of peace."
"Ugh! Are you even listening to yourself? I don't want that to be my destiny!" I ran off, bursting out from the castle doors and into the woods.
Hours went by, and as I ran, I looked up at the sun, hating it with all my heart, as I seemed to really hate having this "destiny." I wanted to be a baker; I loved cake and wanted to learn to make it and spread joy like Mrs. Puddinghead does. Instead, I was forced to learn how to be a princess form from Princess Platinum; I was taught how to eat properly and be polite, how to ball dance, geopolitics, and the history of the three tribes. All of it was so boring and infuriating, and I hated it. Luna seemed to do much better with the lessons, even mastering the "Royal Canterlot Voice." Maybe she could be the princess. I would gladly give her all the duties and responsibilities for princesshood, and I can go learn and be a baker. However, my train of thought was broken as I heard crying and ran over through the woods. I gasped to see an odd creature, one that was an amalgamation of various beasts. I was scared at first, but its kind eyes turned towards me, and then it raised a claw at me and snapped, "Who are you!?"
I raised a hoof and cried, "Wait, stop! I don't mean you any harm! I'm Celestia."
The creature looked me over and then asked, "Celestia… you're a creation, too?"
"Creation!? No, I'm… I'm…" I paused, unsure if I should say I was a princess raised in a castle. "I'm no pony."
I then reached out to a hoof, helped him up onto his stubby legs, and got a good look at him, seeing that one was a dragon's claw and the other a goat's hoof, seeing that his right arm was a lion's paw and the left an eagle's talon. As a guard, I remember seeing this creature in the castle garden when it was much older, and I remember when it broke free and reigned chaos in Ponyville. Discord is what this monster was called.
The second I realized who he was, I honestly wanted to tell the creature to "buck off!" seeing it was a danger to everypony. But I wasn't in charge as my body did things independently, and I was once again reminded that I was merely a passenger as I asked with a kind smile, "What's your name?"
The creature turned to me with a distrustful look, but as it wiped its eyes with a claw, it mumbled, "M…my master called me Discord."
"Discord!? That's a cool name; what are you?"
“Master told me I was a dra-dracon…drag…no,dracconequus.”
"I never heard of that before? Do you have a place to stay?"
Discord shook his head, and then I sighed, seeing I should be getting back to the castle, but I felt the fear of Starswirl finding out I had snuck some unknown magical creature into the castle. But my desire to help this poor thing seemed to override any sense or logic and said, "come, I'll let you stay at my place."
We spent a few hours trudging through the woods, and it was now rather dark, with the foliage blocking the moon's light, and I had to light the tip of my horn to illuminate our path. The forest was growing cold, and I saw the little stubby creature shivering; he looked so alone, so scared. I feared asking where he came from, and at this point, I just wanted to make sure he got somewhere safe. Then, I felt an icy chill crawl up my spine. I looked around and saw, by the dull moonlight, a pony made of shadows forming. I remember fear growing through me, and then I told Discord, "Get behind me!" The creature ran behind me, and I looked behind me to see he listened, and then he tried snapping his class tendrils, sprang up, and wrapped around himself as he kicked and whined, "No, not me!"
The creature of shadow then lashed out at me, shooting a beam of magic at me, and I was hit with pain; it felt like an icicle was stabbing me and making me feel even more scared with every instinct telling me to run for my life. Turning back to Discord, I saw he was tied up and crying in fear and pain. I realized if I ran, this "pony of shadows" would kill this poor creature, and I could not let that happen. I then remembered a spell that could help, and with all my might, a yellow bubble shield came around us. I ran over to Discord and used my teeth to bite through the vines, and then, as he got up, he whispered, "Thank you, sorry for being a burden. Stupid chaos magic doesn't listen to me sometimes."
"It's okay, but what is that thing!?"
"I don't know! I'm not from here!"
I cried out in pain as the shadow creature blasted waves of cold, dark magic against my rather pitiful magic bubble. We had to do something! I looked back at Discord again, who was just sitting down and weeping, "Just do it; let it get me. I…I don't want to live anymore."
That look, the look of despair and desperation, made me realize that is what a lot of ponies in Equestria are feeling hopeless, lost, and alone. I…I had to help even if it met sacrificing everything I had, who I was; maybe…maybe it'll suck, but if I could make Discord smile, perhaps I can do the same for the rest of the ponies.
I looked back at the pony of shadows glaring at me with this deep, sated hatred. I knew deep down also that this creature wasn't after Discord, no..whatever this thing was, it wanted to kill me; if anything, I should be the one saying sorry to him as I was putting Discord in danger! I then turned to the sky and threw out my wings. I took Discord by the claw, and as my bubble shield broke, I flew as high as I could, grunting as I lifted the young dracconequus into the air and the cold shadows reaching for me. I lit my horn, then gasped as the sun rose and the cold, dark shadows began to sizzle and burn away. I looked down as I watched the creature scream and dissipate, and Discord held onto me, looking relieved to see he was safe. As we landed, I was panting hard as my wings felt so sore, and my forehead throbbed from using all that magic. Discord got up, wiping the tears from his eyes, then asked, "uh…did you have a sun on your butt before?"
I blinked, turned around, and my mouth dropped upon seeing my blank flank now had the picture of a sun on it. Excited, I started to bounce up and down, running over to Discord and squealing, "It's my cutie mark! I finally got my cutie mark!"
I blinked and then realized I was once again back in the schoolhouse with dozens of foals sitting around me looking excited and the Cutie Mark Crusaders all looking at me, waiting for an answer to their question. I gulped and quickly said, "Well, I uh…I was a young filly who was told I had the potential to raise the sun by Starswirl, so a long time ago, I went to the unicorns who had the duty to raise the sun and moon every day and night and then tried, and I due to some unusual circumstances I uh raised the sun!" I then pointed a wing towards my butt. I added, "then this appeared on my flank."
The story got a groan from the foals as it wasn't as exciting as they thought. I wasn't lying per se, but from the memories, I felt that keeping out specific details was something the real Princess Celestia would want to keep hidden.
Apple Bloom then added, "Oh, so…your story sounds a lot like Twilight!"
I had to think again for a second and remember the story of Twilight earning her cutie mark. I nodded in agreement, "You're right. The moral is that you shouldn't let failure bar you from succeeding. Learn from your failures, and I'm sure you will reach your goals."
"That's cool, I guess," Scootaloo grumbled.
"That was so cool! I'm glad you didn't give up; then you wouldn't be a princess!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.
I couldn't help but agree with the little unicorn and said, "Yes, you're absolutely right."
As the foals returned from the bathroom, I spent more time talking to them and talking about how earning a cutie mark would come in time to help the "blank flanks" feel good about themselves. Then we returned to the book, and as I finished the story, every foal clapped and cheered. Then I got up and trotted through the foals, giving a bow as I left feeling rather happy at how well the story hour went. As I left the schoolhouse, Twilight trotted over towards me and sighed, "That was nerve-racking, huh?"
"Yes, but I feel we did a lot of good; I think I really inspired them."
Twilight looked up and asked, "Just one question: was that story about who you got your cutie mark true? It seemed rather vague."
"Well, I believe so…it was a long time ago, and I must admit the memory is rather blurry, but overall, it was the truth." I then reminisced about the young Discord and the mysterious pony of shadows and added, "To be honest, I don't think telling the foals some details was appropriate."
"Well, regardless, it was a nice story…and it's great to get to know you more. Despite being my former mentor, I don't know you all that well."
I couldn't help but feel abit saddened by what Twilight said, and it panged me knowing that she would learn that being a princess is a hard road. That means a lot of self-sacrifice, more than most could handle. But that conversation should happen with her and the true princess Celestia, not a nopony screw-up like me. I turned towards her and then said, "I…I believe one day we can talk about my past and the path you're about to go on. But that will have to wait for another day."
"Of course, you must be exhausted."
"I am rather energized; that was a lot of fun. Thank you, Twilight; I would not have considered doing this if it weren't for you. I need to do this more all across Equestria."
I then took off and flew back to Canterlot, feeling proud of myself as I sailed through the air and wondering what else was in store as being the Princess of Equestria. I also thought about diving into Princess Celestia's memories and wondering how much I'd learn about Celestia herself as well.