History Lesson
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood in the door way too their family’s treasure chamber. Their faces were hard to read, some where between anger that their ancestral home had been broken into by their most valued subjects no less, and nostalgia of being home again.
“We're Sorry Princess Celestia if we had known this was your home we would have never broke in.” Twilight Sparkle said her hart trying to beat its way out of her chest. Winchester stood next to Twilight staring at his princesses like he was staring at his own doom.
“Yes very sorry.” Rarity said fearing for her social standing as much as her own fate “please don’t throw us in the dungeons.”
Rainbow Dash hovered just off her white coated friend's shoulder, the Pegasus’s rump still had no feeling. “please don’t banish us ether.”
Fluttershy felt like her hart was about to burst as she squeaked “please don’t banish us then throw us in a dungeon in the place you banished us too.”
“OR EXECUTE US.” Applejack blurted out shaking so violently that her hat was about to fall off. The look on Winchester's face was making the normally calm pony nearly as nervous as Fluttershy.
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down as she mumbled incomprehensibly her lips and tongue completely numb. The Princesses and the pink mare's friends all stared at her completely confused. Pinkie sighed and looked at Spike with her big blue puppy dog eyes, the nervous dragon sighed and said “She said please don’t banish us, then throw us in a dungeon then have us execute in the place we were banished too.”
Princess Celestia was almost dumbstruck by her subjects fears. She looked to her sister, Luna was equally confused. The princess sighed and said something to Luna in a language only she understood. She looked back her subjects with a gentle smile. “girls I’m not going to banish you or throw you in the dungeons, and I’m certainly not going to execute any of you. I can't blame you for your curiosity.” the ponies all looked greatly relieved, although Winchester was still standing at attention.
“knowing Twilight it would have only been a matter of time before she came here.” Luna added looking at the young unicorn, Twilight blushed.
“indeed.” Celestia said looking at her student with pride. Twilight smiled but her joy disappeared when her teachers face turned from prideful to very disappointed “however there is the Fact that one of my knights put my most valuable subjects into danger. That is something that I’m very upset about.”
Winchester stood even more rigid then before “the hydra was an unforeseen danger that I dealt with as swiftly as possible.”
“indeed.” Celestia said looking from the Knight to Pinkie who averted her eyes nervously “however.” the Princess said turning back to Winchester “there were dangers you were aware of and still brought the bearers of harmony here.” she looked at Rainbow Dash.
Winchester swallowed “you are right my princess. I willing excepted any punishment you deem necessary for my actions.”
before the princess spoke Rainbow Dash spoke up “um your highness.”
“yes Rainbow Dash?” Princess Celestia replied her voice more like a mother then a ruler. Luna mean while was looking at some of the history of the walls.
“i-um.” the stunt flier was fairly nervous but she felt she had to say something. “its not all Winchester's fault. I kind of jump in with out thinking and well yeah hehe so he cant be blamed for me rushing through all the traps and stuff cause I did it before he could stop me.” she guessed the goddess ruler of all pony kind some how already knew some of what happened. the other mares added their own thoughts to why they thought the stallion did his best to make it safe. Spike blurted out that Winchester wanted to use him to test the traps.
Celestia took it all in and contemplated everything. “very well, Winchester your punishment will be this.” she looked down at the stallion who tried to stand straighter. “you will play no part in the slaying of the hydra and your involvement with it will here by be wiped from your records.”
the six mares and the baby dragon were more confused now then they had been in a while. How could that be any type of punishment they thought, however Winchester looked like the princess had just stabbed him in the hart.
“As for the rest of you.” Celestia joined her sister in examining the walls. “you all shall be punished as well, nothing too bad. a history lesson is all.” white alicorn sighed “Yes Winchester you may join us. ” now it was Rainbow Dash's to look like she had been stabbed. Pinkie Pie wasn’t too trilled about a having to take a quiz, school work had always been something that the pink pony had never really enjoyed. Fluttershy and Applejack were confused to why a History lesson was punishment. Rarity was indifferent. While Twilight Sparkle and Winchester were thrilled.
“Dear sister how is a lesson punishment for your most faithful student.” Luna asked trying hard not to smile.
“well.” Celestia replied hiding her own smile by facing away from her subjects “well, at the end of the lesson there will be a quiz and she'll fail it.”
Twilight's hart all but stopped at the word fail. Luna hid her smile with her wing as she came to the defense of her young subject and friend “dear sister do you not think that is far too curl.”
Celestia looked back to her student, the lavender unicorn was on the verge of a panic attack. “perhaps maybe she will just have to get the second highest score.”
the princess looked at the symbols on the wall and motioned for her subjects to join her at one in particular, when Twilight had finally stopped hyperventilating she joined the others at Celestia's side.
Luna stood next to Celestia as the large white alicorn cleared her throat and spoke “Have you ever wondered why my sister and I are called princesses?” she smiled at her 'students' as they murmured about never really thinking about.
“because Queen Celestia simple dose not roll of the tongue as well Princess Celestia dose?” Rarity answered louder then the others. Drawing nothing but raised eye brows. The princesses both nodded nether of them had ever thought about it like that. Both the princess's looked at their knight wanting his answer.
“you are goddesses my princess you may have us call you what ever you want.” Winchester answered like a good knight should.
Luna glared at the knight while Celestia said “Winchester the Writer you are far more inquisitive then that.”
the knight sighed “i often wonder it. you are the holy monarch of our kingdom after all, but I never felt it my place to ask.”
the princess nodded then looked to her best student “Twilight do you have an answer?”
Twilight blushed “i never really thought about it.” she looked up at her mentor “maybe you didn’t want to sound like the queens from before Equestria.”
“those tyrants were horrible I hear.” Celestia said “and all are good guesses. However the answer is much simpler and yet more complicated than that.” she turned to the wall and the one of the symbols began to glow. colors swirled in the air in front of everypony for a few seconds then became a stain glass style image of white alicorn with a rose red mane and tail, she wore a gold crown a top her head. “our mother was queen of the alicorns and by all rights one of us should have been crowned queen after her passing but something about it would have never felt right.” Luna nodded.
the mortal ponies looked at the picture in awe. “that said I was never suppose to be a leader, Luna was the one destined for the throne.” Celestia smiled at the reaction of their subjects.
“it is true.” Luna said with a nod, she couldn’t hid how amusing her subjects were “as soon as I was changed back into, well my self my dear loving sister dropped most of the day to day runings of Equestria onto me once again.” Luna looked up at her older sister with a smile.
“well politics were your specialty dear little sister.” Celestia smiled back then turned to her students “mine was teaching. When I was younger I was always on the path to becoming a..... teacher, I believe is the closest translation.” the princess of the sun looked at the princess of the moon for help.
“i believe you are correct, although it seems that priestess is also close as well.” Luna replied.
Celestia nodded “yes and dose anyone have a guess to what my specialty was going to be?” being the subject of one of her own lessons felt very strange.
“magic.” Twilight said raising her hoof with a big smile on her face.
Rainbow Dash hovered next to Applejack and whispered “teacher's pet.” both the mares giggled drawing a glare and a shush from Twilight.
Celestia giggled before she said with a big smile “very good Twilight.” the unicorn beamed at the praise. The Princess smiled and continued “a couple of thousand of years ago.”
“two thousand five hundred and eighty three to be more precise.” Luna clarified.
“yes thank you.” Celestia looked at her younger sister with a smile she guessed Luna wanted to help teach. “it was a time before great city’s or massive castles, record players and even indoor plumbing. Most ponies were lucky if they lived in a straw hut. Although the odd rich unicorn would build a monument to their egos or a pegasus warlord would make a fortress of clouds.”
“we Alicorn's lived among the trees.” Luna cut in, Celestia allowed her sister to set the mood. “the only buildings we built were our temples. We built ours under ground so not to damage our forest.”
“yes.”
“this swamp was once a beautiful forest with the tastiest berries and the tenderest leaves. We slept on the soft grass under stares and moon.” Luna said looking up at the impossibly high roof.
“you do love the moon.” Celestia said smiling, however Luna ignored her.
“living the way we did is why the true story of harts warming eve isn’t as hart warming as the story suggests.”
“yes but.” Celestia said wanting to get back on track.
“so much death.” Luna said starring blankly into the distances remembering the stories her father told them.
“Luna!” Celestia raised her voice to get her sisters attention.
Luna blushed “sorry you remember how vivid father like to tell his war stories.”
“yes they were not appropriate for bed time.” Celestia shivered at the memory.
Winchester made a mental note not to tell his war stories to his foals, if he ever had any. Celestia shook her head to clear her thoughts. “now where was I? Oh yes it was in this time, I was about your age Twilight in my last year of school, and in fact I was already teaching some of the foals classes.” the Alicorn thought back to her first students and tear formed in her eye but it soon disappeared.
“school was done for the day and I had decided to take a walk through the woods.” Celestia continued “it was a beautiful spring day, the afternoon sun was shining through the trees just so perfectly romantic that if I had met a single young stallion I would have.......started courtship with him right there.” Celestia rolled her eyes seeing the look on Luna’s face.
“sadly that is not what I met among the trees.” Celestia said as she moved to a symbol a few paces down. The symbols glowed revealing a familiar picture of the mismatched master of chaos. “the dark god Discord.” the princess's students gasped. “he stepped out from behind a tree far too small for him to hide behind. He tempted me with flowers and nice words. He said he could show me the world in a whole new way.”
“what did you do.” Twilight Sparkle asked the others nodded, Pinkie's numb tongue flapped around wildly. Winchester quill dances over his note pad.
Celestia sighed and looked at the image of Discord “i didn't give in to the demon's temptations. i ran back to our family and told them of the danger.” she looked to Luna to see if she had anything to add. Luna had decided to bow out of telling the story for now. “father searched forest, but the demon was gone.”
“but alas that was not the last we saw of Discord.” Celestia moved to the next image. “i told you before what Discord did with the little ponies. How his fun was torture for them.” Twilight and her friends nodded reminding what they had been told. “My father as high king wouldn’t stand for it. It was bad enough that the demon was ruining the lands of the other ponies, but we alicorns were not exempt from Discords games. So my father gathered all the alicorn warriors in land and marched on Discord.” Celestia stepped to the side allowing the strain glass like image to unfold into rows and rows of alicorn's standing in formation some wore ancient armor and others carried weapons. At the front of the formation was the white and red Alicorn that the group reconsigned as Celestia and Luna’s mother. Beside her stood a large blue Alicorn with a black mane and tail. Celestia stared at the image before her, she was starting to regret this lesson.
“what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked anxious for the rest of the story.
“Discord showed no mercy.” Luna said taking the darker part of the story for her sister. “those that were lucky enough he simply took their horns or wings or both. While others became the demons and beast that we later imprisoned in Tartarus. some just cease to exist.” the princess sighed “But that was not the last of Discords punishment for our kind.” Luna stopped and looked at her sister.
“What did he do?” Rarity asked just as eager to know as the others.
“he broke the world.” Celestia said in a a dark tone. She looked at her subjects “i am starting to regret this lesson, likely it has a happy ending.”
“sort of.” Luna said.
“that was just one dirty chapter of this story and it has been wiped away.” Celestia replied with a slight smile before she sighed.
“it is more like a scar on my hart that will never fade.” Luna spoke more to herself then anypony as she stared at the sword on Winchester's back. Twilight Felt that the princess of the moon was talking about more then just becoming Nightmare Moon.
Celestia gave Luna a loving nuzzle before she continued “Alicorns are superior to the other pony kinds in many ways.” she looked at her subjects, trying not to belittle them. “we are as strong as earth ponies, can fly like the pegasi and are as magical as any unicorn.” the sun princess explained.
“however we can't adapt to the changing world like your kind.” Celestia moved to the next image that showed Discord laughing as he stood over the world, he clawed at the ground turning the green grass black. “the dark god Discord brought forth drouth and famine, rainforest became deserts. Our lush forest became this dank muggy poisonous swamp.” Celestia looked to the next image that showed her mother with eyes closed and wings around an earth pony, a Pegasus and a unicorn “for twenty years we watched our mother try and hold civilization together, she lead even on her death bed. Whiles Others banded under a together under the banners of other lords, holy ones and clan leaders of all types and races. My mother ruled with love and compassion where the others were more curl and harsh. Forcing those under them to fight for their place.”
“thank your holy manes they were lost too history.” Winchester blurted out the mares quickly piled on him so their princess could continue.
“when our mother finally succumb to disease, Luna and I decided we had to find a way to stop Discord instead of trying to just survive under him. Ten years we searched for a way to defeat a god like Discord, sickness nearly took me twice. I almost lost Luna three times” Celestia looked at her students “we discovered the elements of harmony but we had no way too find the chosen too weld them.”
“that was very discouraging.” Luna added.
“yes.” Celestia agreed “but we didn’t give up. Even as our race dwindled down till Luna and I were the last of the alicorns.”
“but what about Cadance?” Twilight asked.
“a genetic fluke brought about by relationships of the past.” Luna explained.
“oh.” Twilight Sparkle replied.
The sun goddess cleared her throat and continued “through ancient teachings we learned to beat a god we had to become gods. scrolls older then our ancestral home spoke of the celestial bodies of our solar system granting their controllers god hood. But to control them we would have too rip them from Discord's grasp.” Princess Celestia's voice was becoming more intense as she held out her wings “in the midst of a fever dream we did just that. We heard the demon's angry yell all the way here. As the power of the sun ran through me I felt strength return to my sickly muscles my mind cleared with the knowledge of the universe. I was filled with an indescribable power. I have no doubt in my mind that the same thing happened to Luna, because for the first time in months she had the strength to stand.” the younger sister nodded. “but in the time it took for use to ascend Discord found us. The scares of our battle can still be found across the land.”
“wow.” Rainbow Dash said with wide eyes “a fight between gods would be awesome to watch.” Applejack and Winchester agreed.
“it was not enjoyable to be apart of.” Celestia insisted, Luna agreed whole heartily. “we inherited some skill in battle from our father but none of his enjoyment of it.” she sighed as she added “the witnesses did say that it was impressive how we drove him off.”
“why didn’t you press your advantage and take the demons head.” Winchester asked without thinking. Twilight's hart skipped a beat she had never spoke or heard any one speck to the princess like that.
Celestia was unfazed by Winchester's question “because Winchester the writer there were more important matters to attend too.” Celestia answered.
“of course my princess your wisdom is infallible.” Winchester replied with a bow.
The sun goddess continued with her wings held out wide “we breathed life back into the land like the all mother did under the watchful eye of the creator many eons ago. We ended the droughts and storms that ravaged the lands, But alas we could never truly fix all of what Discord had broken.”
“there are still places in the world that show the signs of Discords influence.” Luna Explained “in places like the ever free forest.”
“so that’s why the plants grow with out being tended to.” Applejack said.
“and the weather is so random.” Rainbow Dash added.
“don’t forget the animals.” Fluttershy exclaimed, she epped and hid behind her mane when the every ponies attention fell on her. “they um they take care of themselves.”
“its unnatural.” Twilight finished.
“yes.” the Princess of the sun agreed “which is why when we had to fixed what we could before we could use the elements of harmony to defeat the demon.”
“the arrogant fool believed we could not defeat him, so you know what he did.” Luna said upset by the memory “the bastard began to sing.”
“so that’s why he looked like that when I saw him in the garden.” Fluttershy commented.
Celestia nodded “after that we set about helping restore the civilized world to order, of course the ponies were our priority. We decided the best action was to rule together as the princesses of the sun and moon.”
“for a time Celestia and I were the only defense Equestria had.” Luna continued allowing her sister to catch her breath. “but with the near constant threat of the centaurs we needed an army and thus we created the guard to help us in defending our subjects and lands. Tartaus was built soon after that to hold the monstrosity that Discord had created as well as a few dark gods of old that we defeated.” the moon princess's tone grew bitter as she continued. “but as Equestria grew so did the threats that’s rose up against it. Celestia and I had to be in more places then just where we happen to be. So we sot out the best and bravest warriors the guard had to offer and made them knights gave them gifts, graced them with power.” there was something that made it hard for her to talk about this.
Winchester looked at Luna worried as he asked “do you not approve of us my princess?”
“no no its not that.” she sighed “its just-”
“a story for another time.” Celestia cut in hoping to avoid the darkest part of the story. the princess of the sun smiled at her subjects. “it is time for the quiz.” Twilight Sparkle smiled from ear to ear with quills and papers floating around her. Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy stared at their excited friend until Rarity reminded her that she wasn’t going to get a perfect score. Winchester made notes on Twilight's face when her excitement deflated like a balloon. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked less then pleased to have to take a test.
Spike started to sneak away only to have Celestia call “Spike where do you think your going?”
“oh um uh I thought.” was the only sound that the baby dragon could make.
“take your seat.” Celestia said with a smile, Spike sighed and found a seat with the other giggling students.