Giving Love a Helping Hoof
Chapter 7
The six golden chariots receded into the bright blue sky, winging their way towards an unknown future. The royal sisters watched them go, each thinking their own private thoughts. The two stood there for some time, gazing into the sky, looking out over Canterlot. It was surreal, sometimes, to look out over the young ponies, and try to imagine each of their lives, their worries, their fears. Almost too much to imagine, and Luna didn't like to if she could help it. Eventually, the younger Alicorn started moving from hoof to hoof, looking to Celestia and back into the castle.
Celestia herself simply stood there, perfectly still, her slowly waving mane the only feature betraying her as a living thing and not part of the castle statuary. Less often than she would care to admit did she have time to simply stand, and think, and watch. Of course, she had more time to herself these days, what with Luna taking more and more of her royal duties back again, but still... Nothing gave her joy quite like seeing the ponies of Equestria living their lives, the ups and downs, losing, winning, laughing, loving. It was at these times that she thought her deepest, most private thoughts, the thoughts of Tia the sister and not of Celestia, the Princess. It was also at these times that she felt the weight of her age pressing down on her. Immortality, or at least an inability to age and die, was a curious thing. Celestia had always tried to avoid thinking about it; it tended to give even one such as her a headache with its technical impossibility. Yet she and her family were living, breathing examples that it worked. As to how it worked... Well, that just made her feel old again.
And she did. At that moment, with Luna at her side and the Elements dwindling in the distance, she felt old. So incredibly old. She'd made so many mistakes, so many things that could have been done differently, that could have worked differently... Standing by her side was one of her greatest failures. Freshly imprisoned in the Royal Gardens was yet another. If she were to keep count, the single most common phrase to pass through her mind would undoubtedly be 'What if?' Millennia of memories, countless ponies, good and bad. Had she been the right ruler for them? Had she done her best? Every mistake was a crack in the armour that shielded her from insanity, a window into the world of failure and misery. The very magic and longevity that caused her family to become the caretakers of Equestria also caused such a high rate of insanity in her bloodline, leading to so many needless deaths... So many lost lights. Every mention of her father, every recollection of his cheesy grin and booming laugh, was a test of her resolve. She had passed it today, more from a lack of choice than anything else, before Luna and the Elements. But Sun and Moon... When they had lost him, a victim of his own mind, and so soon after Mother... Celestia often wondered if that was what had started her sister's long, slow descent into Nightmares.
At that moment, with the weight of her crown pressing down on her, with the weight of her age and her memories and her powers, with the weight of a billion ponies and more, with the weight of grief and with the weight of a nation, with the weight of the sun itself pressing down upon her, Celestia found she couldn't hold it in. Her knees buckled, her head spun, her vision swam. She almost fell. Hot tears started leaking down her face.
The Alicorn suddenly reached out and grasped Luna, pulling her into a fierce embrace. She held the Princess of the Night tightly, and buried her muzzle in her waving, star-studded locks.
“I love you Luna. I love you very, very much.”
…
Though Luna was still shooting Celestia odd looks, the sisters eventually retired to their chambers to discuss the day's events.
“Alright Tia,” started Luna, completely at ease in the privacy of their sanctum. “Spill it. What are you up to?”
Celestia was very glad she had gotten her minor breakdown out of her system; it made this all much easier.
Easier... But not quite easy.
“Luna, you know I have made many... mistakes, over the years.” No one knew Celestia better than Luna, and she could tell just how much pain was hidden in that slight hitch in her sister's speech. “So many issues that could have gone either way... But to this day I know my single biggest mistake and regret.” Luna leaned forwards, nodding encouragingly.
Celestia sighed. “It is a shame that you are not going to agree with me, but you still have some growing to do, my little sister.”
Luna, as most siblings would, bristled at being spoken down to like that. “Growing?! I'm thousands of years old Celestia; you've been there to count them! How could I possibly not understand your mistake, whatever it is?”
In contrast to her sister's agitation, Celestia calmly moved across the room, her horn aglow as she removed her crown and ceremonial trappings. Moving slowly and easily, she settled down onto her bed, across from Luna's. “You know as well as I that we age differently to the mortal ponies, Luna. By the standards of Alicorns, you are close, but you are not quite a mare yet.”
Luna snorted indignantly, “Hmph!”, and looked away. Most annoying was that Celestia was correct.
The Princess of the Sun sighed and looked up, gazing at some ineffable thing beyond Luna's comprehension. “Luna, what have I always said is the greatest power, gift and curse?”
“Love.” She didn't have to think about it, the answer was automatic. Celestia broke out that old chestnut at least every other week. Her tone must have carried more of her thoughts than she intended, as Celestia laughed drily.
“Yes, love.” She looked back at Luna. “You have probably heard it enough that you don't think about it anymore, but I truly and deeply mean that when I say it. No magic is more powerful, beautiful and terrible than love. It can elevate the most simple of ponies to the highest of heights... And it can tear them right back down again. You know this.”
Luna shook her head, no. Celestia looked at her in mild disbelief.
“You truly do not know the powers of love? Mother and Father never told you?” Again, Luna shook her head, more intrigued now than anything else.
Shaking off her surprise, Celestia said, “Very well, I shall give you the abridged version, as the sands of the hourglass dwindle.” Settling herself comfortably, Celestia cleared her throat. “This is the story, or at least the outline of the story, that Mother and Father told me when I was a foal, and asked them why we as Alicorns were so different. Where did we come from?”
The Princess of the Night sat at rapt attention, completely focused on her sister. She had not even been aware this information existed, story form or no!
“In the beginning,” began Celestia, closing her eyes, “And I do mean the very beginning, there was simply a land and a sea. Nothing else. No hills, no valleys, no rivers, no mountains. No trees. No animals. No light. No life. Except for one.” Celestia spoke softly, as if this story was very dear to her... Likely it was. Luna had to crane her neck to hear.
“He was an Earth pony, and he was the first pony. The original pony. The pony. And his name was Sol.” The Alicorn said this in a whisper, and Luna realised she had just been told one of her family's most private secrets. “He lived entirely alone, in the dark, with no friends and no enemies. Nothing. Just him. And yet, he loved.”
Luna blinked, already confused. “But Tia, there are already holes in your story a million hooves wide! Where did Sol come from? What did he love?”
Celestia smiled softly, instantly easing her sister's consternation. “Those are two questions that I do believe every Alicorn to ever live has lost sleep over. But back to the story...” She coughed into her hoof. “Sol was filled with love, irrational, unconventional, and entirely unconditional. Over time, it changed him. Each day he arose, stronger, faster, more powerful. Eventually, he found that through his own willpower, he could create the smallest amounts of light. Just enough to illuminate himself and a small area around him, but it was enough.” She smiled. “He loved what he saw.”
“As his love grew, so too did his powers, each day allowing him to see further and further, lighting up more and more of his world, until eventually he found he couldn't see darkness anymore. No matter which direction he looked, no matter how far he galloped, there was only light, and beauty. So... he galloped. For days on end, the light never failing as his magic sustained it, travelling the length and breadth of the land. Finally, he came to the ocean. Sol had known only hard, unyielding earth his entire life, however long it had been. The ocean was simply another miracle for him to adore. Fighting his own trepidation, he trotted right up to the waters edge, and got the fright of his life as he saw another pony looking back at him. A pony with a horn glowing like the sun.” At this, Celestia laughed, loudly. “It took him two weeks to figure out it was his reflection.”
Luna giggled.
“He stayed by the waters edge, unsure of what to do with himself. He had been everywhere, done everything. His light touched the horizon. What was there left to do? So he let the light fade a little, just enough to see, and slept. When he woke, he saw yet another surprise waiting for him in the water: the pony looking back at him now had a pair of wings. Again, another week to realise it was his reflection, each day finding himself growing larger and larger.
“Over time, he learnt how to use his wings, move them around, finally to flap them properly. Eventually he found he could use them to leap great distances, even to hover. So he began to wonder: why not fly? For months, maybe years, Sol tried to teach himself every subtle aspect of flight, learning from scratch as no pony has ever done since. He had all the time in the world to do it, so each day he picked himself up and kept going. Finally, he was powerful enough, and confident enough, to fly the length of the ocean. So he did. But then what?
“He had crossed the lands. He had crossed the seas. What was there left to do? For eons he was alone, always considering, thinking, where he could go from there, his powers stronger each time he awoke. One day, upon seeing his reflection in the water once more, he had an idea, the perfect solution to his problem, the fruit of his musings: why not try to make another pony? A friend, a companion, a playmate? Someone to explore the mysteries of life and the universe with?”
“But,” interrupted Luna, wonderment in her voice, “He couldn't do that, right? Sol couldn't create life. That's impossible, even by Alicorn standards. Creating life from nothing simply can't be done.”
“Exactly,” agreed Celestia, nodding. “So he didn't create it from scratch, he used himself as a guide. Using his own body as almost something of an instruction manual, Sol focussed all of his powers, unimaginable even when compared to our own combined abilities, on creating just a single pony. Suffice it to say...” Celestia grinned at this. “He overshot his target a little. When Sol opened his eyes and looked up, he saw a hundred ponies, of all shapes and sizes, stretched out before him. His jaw dropped, it was all he could do to stay standing. None of them had wings, or horns, but they were ponies! Living breathing ponies!
“And so he set to work caring for them, teaching them, changing the shape of the land itself to suit them. They felt hunger and thirst as he did not, so he altered the water to suit them. He used his own life force to fuel the creation of plants, and trees. The ponies, under his guidance, planted them and cared for them, cultivating a garden, then a copse, then a forest. They built a village, played and danced and laughed, and everything was good. That is, until one day, when a very small problem appeared.”
“Yes? What was it?”
Celestia smiled warmly, a loving, calming expression. “...a Foal. Suddenly, following one of the mares around everywhere she went was a little filly. No pony knew quite what to make of it, least of all Sol himself. He certainly hadn't made her, so where had she come from? All of the ponies of the village looked upon Sol as a leader, almost like a father, so the mare eventually came to him for help. He learned of what had happened between the mare and one of the stallions, and he smiled. He smiled so brightly that it was too much for the other ponies, his light burning brighter and brighter. So he cast his light out, into the heavens, where it sits even today. At that very moment, the secrets and power of love and life were passed on, and King Light, the first Alicorn and the giver of light itself, was born.”
...
For a long time, both sisters sat silently. Luna finally spoke up.
“Wow.”
Celestia nodded her mute concurrence. Even now, the story gave her tingles.
“Love... created everything...” Luna's face scrunched up as she tried to wrap her head around it. It was no use. “I don't get it...”
“In truth, Luna,” whispered Celestia, leaning closer, “Neither do I!”
Both of the Alicorns fell back laughing at the silliness of it all, revelling in the moment. This was life! This was all that their ancestor had struggled to create!
Celestia calmed as she recalled the other half of the story. This would not be so fun.
“That, my dear sister, is the power of love to create. But love can also destroy...”
Luna fell silent, listening once more to her sister. This was turning out to be quite the discussion!
“When you were just a little filly, there were only five Alicorns left. You, I, Mother, Father, and one other. He was the last of his family and indeed the last Alicorn not of our line. His name...” Celestia smiled deeply, looking away. “His name was Harmony, the guardian of magic itself.”
Luna almost shot to her hooves. “Harmony! As in 'Elements of'?!”
“Yes, the Elements of Harmony. He actually created them, using his own mastery over the arcane, harnessing his own feelings towards the ponies we watched over, towards us, the closest thing to a family he had, but mostly...” Celestia trailed off. Luna was stunned to notice she was blushing. “But mostly harnessing his feelings towards me.” She sighed. “Harmony loved me.”
Luna gasped, shocked at the scandal of it. “But how could that have been acceptable? Wouldn't you two have been related?”
Celestia shook her head. “No, our families had divided generations and generations ago. His feelings towards me were perfectly acceptable.” Her blush deepened. “After a time, so were my feelings for him.”
Jaw dropping, Luna said, “You fell for him?!”
Looking into the middle distance once more, Celestia nodded. “Completely, head over hooves in love. It was perfect. It was beautiful.”
There was an awkward silence as Luna worked up the courage to ask the next question. “What happened?”
For the first time since beginning their talk, Celestia looked truly saddened, and Luna immediately regretted asking. “Sister, if you don't wish to discuss it...”
“No.” Celestia drew herself up. “You need to know. You have a right to know.
“Over time, our love grew, we became closer and closer. Mother and Father actually began whispering of new foals, if you can believe it. But as time passed, things between us... changed. Harmony changed.
“At first, we had bonded over our love of the ponies we cared for, earth, unicorn and pegasi. He had even crafted the Elements after some of the best traits we saw among the mortal ponies, though he couldn't resist making his own Element, magic, the most prevalent.” Celestia's features shifted into a wry grin. “He always was a little self-absorbed, but I loved him anyway. Despite that though, his favourite Element had always been laughter.
“Over time, as Mother and Father passed more royal duties on to me, our time together grew less. Though he was magic itself, a powerful being, his family had long since split off from royalty, not wishing for the responsibility. He accepted our growing separation with good graces... or so I thought.” Celestia’s gaze lowered as she sighed. Making a visible effort to collect herself, she continued, “His love for me became... almost too strong, overbearing. He couldn't bear to part with me. His love began to consume him. I tried my best to help him, but I had so little time to devote to it. So...” She sighed. “So he began to play little jokes on the ponies to amuse himself. Nothing catastrophic, simply little jests, toying with them. But eventually they grew worse. He used his magic more recklessly, more irresponsibly, every day. And it changed him.
“Each time I saw him, he looked like a different being. I've always wondered when it was he was an Alicorn, and when he became something... else. Soon, his tricks escalated. He truly came to be a danger to the mortal ponies. I left my duties with Mother and Father for a day, and went to see him, to hopefully put all of this behind us.
“But he had grown bitter, and angry. At that point he-” She stopped, her voice cracking. Even now, after so, so long, it still hurt. “At that point he didn't love me anymore. He wasn't the Harmony I loved. He had become the very embodiment of everything he ever wasn't, everything we had ever stood against. He had become Discord itself.”
Luna truly jumped to her hooves, disbelief etched into every line of her body. But she knew Celestia couldn't be lying about something like this. This was... amazing! Astonishing! Utterly, completely and totally unbelievable! “You... You almost had foals with Discord!?”
Celestia nodded miserably, her wings drooping. In the distance, echoing off the halls of Canterlot, could be heard the faintest clattering of hooves.
The younger Alicorn managed to sit back down, still shocked. “What happened?”
“We fought,” muttered Celestia, “We fought for days and nights on end. Sometimes with words, sometimes with spells, sometimes with our bare hooves. Or whatever he had by that point.”
Luna was fascinated. “How did you win?”
Celestia laughed, loudly and completely without humour. “Win? I don't think I won. If I had, Harmony would be at my side, and I would be telling this silly story to our foals. No...” She shook her head. “I didn't win.”
The echoing hoofbeats continued to grow louder, though still just barely under the notice of both Alicorns. They seemed to be drawing closer. “Well... how did you imprison him?” pressed Luna, stunned at all of the day's new developments. “The legends say that both of us used the Elements of Harmony, but I've always known that wasn't the case.”
Celestia surprised her yet again. “Actually Luna, in this case the legends are surprisingly accurate. It took the Elements, my power and yours to overcome Discord. At one point I managed to distract him long enough to wrest the Elements from his grasp. The Elements, as you know, are powered above all other things by love. At first I thought I'd simply taken his weapons away, that I'd never be able to use them, as he had taken my love with him, and destroyed it when he turned into... that. But he made the mistake of threatening you, my darling little sister, and that was all it took. All my feelings, all my love for you.” She smiled, and reached out to rest her hoof on Luna's. The two sisters shared a moment together.
“It was more than enough to activate the Elements, so I directed their power towards him... And froze him. I couldn't destroy him, I just couldn't, so I locked him away for millennia.” Her gaze wandered over to the window, looking out over the Canterlot gardens. “I still wonder, sometimes.”
Finally, Luna happened to notice the echoing of hooves on masonry in the distance. “Sister, do you hear that?”
Celestia either hadn't heard her or had ignored her. “When I locked Discord away, his final act was to take a part of the Elements with him, something that he has long since destroyed. He took their love away.”
“'Their love'? Is that even possible?”
Celestia shrugged. “He was magic itself. Even I don't know all of his secrets, the extent of his might. But in any case, the Elements were a shadow of what they once were, now drawing on the love inherent in a pony to power them. That is why the Elements themselves have been manifested so little over the centuries; they require not only the trait for which they are named, but powerful love to work. I have only ever been able to use them once since, they are just too painful a memory for me.
“So I have had to call upon other ponies to use them. It has not always been easy, and there have been some less than perfect matches, but Equestria has survived. However...” Celestia drew a shuddering breath, and Luna moved to comfort her. This was obviously a very powerful moment for her. “Every pony that has ever manifested the Elements, and that includes myself, has been unable to maintain love. Marriages have ended, coltfriends and fillyfriends have scattered, even some families, though thank the Moon and Sun that those are less frequent. Over the years, I have been forced to bar so many ponies from love... Too many.”
Now the hoofbeats truly were recognisable, their staccato rhythm the background noise to Celestia's confessions.
“And now, I had to do it to Twilight and her friends as well... My prized pupil. I couldn't. I wouldn't. I had to draw the line somewhere. So I studied. I studied for hours, days, years, always learning, always seeking. Finally, I thought I had what I wanted.”
Luna, scarcely daring to breath, simply asked, “What?”
Celestia turned her head. “A spell. A spell inspired by King Light, using the ancient magical laws, and brought on by Discord, the avatar of magic itself. A spell to create love.”
The hoofbeats seemed to be in the very hall outside now, but Luna couldn't have cared less if they were thundering around her skull. “To create love!” she exclaimed in awe.
“Yes,” nodded Celestia, “To create love. Those stallions are the products of it. They are not from another world, universe, dimension, or any such nonsense. If such a thing is possible it is beyond even Discord. I had them brought into being, created them from the very sympathy of our current Elements. They are copies of each other... But not quite. They are all still independent, living, breathing ponies. It is my deepest and most sincere wish that they all find love with each other, and break the curse of the Elements. In fact, I have done everything in my power to make it so.”
“But... but this is astounding!” Luna was absolutely gobsmacked, stunned at everything she had heard, her mind running itself ragged trying to comprehend everything. She settled upon the first question she could think of. “How do you even know it will work?”
For the first time since the Elements had left, Celestia truly smiled. She smiled widely, and Luna felt her sister's glowing, golden presence return. For all her talk of Discord stealing her love away, she certainly seemed to be filled with it.
The older Alicorn stood and moved toward the door. Only then did Luna notice that the hoofbeats no longer sounded, having stopped directly outside.
“Because, my dear Luna,” smiled Celestia, turning a loving gaze towards the door. “I tested my spell on someone else first.” She opened the door.
A glorious figure stood on the other side, towering over even Celestia. Before Luna's completely stunned gaze, he stepped a pristine white hoof, clad in glittering, golden armour, into the room.