I remember how it all started,” smiled Celestia, looking up at Discord. “That day… it was the day when we were young and summer was in full bloom… and it was the day my brother came home…
The sun had just risen above the mountains as the rays pierced through the thin blinds of the young mare’s room. A young Princess Celestia rolled in her slumber, her eyes clenched against the morning’s rays. But there is little she can do to combat it, for the more she fought off waking, the brighter and more irritating the light seemed to get. She finally gave up, her eyes shooting open as she slumped out of her bed.
“Damn the sun…” she muttered, yawning loud and obnoxiously as she brushed her long pink hair out of her face. Celestia took a seat at her makeup desk, examining her reflection in the mirror. Her fair white coat was clumped and matted. There were knots and frayed hairs in her mane and she had a pair of dark bags under her eyes. “I look like a disaster,” she mumbled to herself as the assortment of brushes began glowing with her own colour of aura. The brushes started to levitate as some began brushing her mane, while others started to apply makeup in a choreograph dance of beauty. The princess looked jadedly into the mirror as she started to become more presentable. In all honesty, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and pray the sun sizzled out.
But she had plans and responsibilities that day, plans that required her to be aware of her surroundings. After the brushes finished their duties and the princess was primed and picture perfect, she got up from her desk and head out of her door and into the stone hallway of the castle.
She wandered through the straightforward and easily navigated corridors of the castle, running into the odd guard patrolling the hallway. They would greet her with a ‘Princess’ or something and she would sigh or roll her eyes in response. It always felt so forced when they greeted her, like they would be sent to the moon if they didn’t greet her or show her respect or something. It honestly got quite annoying after a while so she had stopped responding with words. Except for the odd time when she would tell a guard to go buck himself, but she only did that if she was in a particularly bad mood. Today she was bordering on that thought.
When she finally made it to the kitchen, breakfast had already been served.
“Nice of you to join us.”
Celestia sighed. “Morning to you too, mother…”
Sitting at the head of the breakfast table was a tall, white, and proud looking alicorn mare, her dark amber hair bobbed just above her eyes, pulled back slightly by the golden tiara that laid upon her head.
“I see we woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” her mother said, her brow just slightly slanted with disappointment.
“Well, I was having a wonderful dream until you woke me up,” Celestia grumbled. “Did you have to raise the sun so early?”
“I raise the sun every day at the same time,” her mother replied. “It’s not my fault you choose to dwindle into the late hours of the night.”
“Whatever,” droned the white princess. “I need to talk to Luna about getting blackout curtains. Where is Luna anyways?”
“Probably still asleep.”
“Oh sure, she gets to sleep in,” Celestia muttered. “Because that’s totally fair.”
Her mother sighed, placing a forkful of fruit down onto her plate from her mouth. “Celestia, how many times must I explain this to you? Your sister is destined to take over the lunar duties and you the celestial ones,” she said. “It’s what I’ve decided and I would like for you to stop complaining about the matter. If it’s so difficult for you to get up then go to bed earlier.”
“Why bother? I’m up now.”
Her mother was just about to say something, but the door of the dining room swung open as a young blue mare walked into the room. Princess Luna’s eyes were barely open under her messy blue mane and she seemed to stumble a bit when she walked. She was still in her pajamas and was clinging to a small starry blanket, dragging it around with her.
“What time is it?” she yawned. “I dozed off at around two in the morning… oh, hey Mom, Tia.”
“Hey brace-face,” smiled Celestia wickedly. “What’cha doing up?”
“Don’t call me that, cake-flank,” deadpanned Luna, gritting her teeth to show off the silver wiring between them. “I’m exhausted but I couldn’t fall back to sleep.”
“Luna,” sighed her mother. “I know it’s difficult to change your sleep pattern in such a drastic way but I had hoped you would have slept for a little longer.”
“Sorry mom…” Gloomed the dark blue mare, bowing her head in shame. “I was just too tired… and now I’m sort of wired.”
Her mother sighed. “What am I going to do with you two?”
“You could have us switch,” said Celestia. “It’s obvious that Luna doesn’t want to stay up all night and I hate waking up in the morning.”
“The answer is no,” their mother said. “It’s what has been decided since the days of your births and reassured the day your destiny became clear.”
Celestia took a look at her flank, seeing her ‘destiny’ plastered to the side of her thigh. “Stupid butt tattoo.”
“Cutie mark,” her mother corrected. “It’s something to be proud of, Celestia. You and your sister have a very special destiny and I’m doing everything in my power to help you.”
“Whatever,” muttered Celestia.
“I’m getting tired of that tone, young lady. A princess does not say ‘Whatever’ like that.”
“Whatever.”
“Queen Faust!” a voice echoed from beyond the doors of the dining room. An armour-clad stallion rushed into the hall, breathing heavily as if he just ran across Equestria. “Queen Faust, we have a message… for you… it’s quite urgent.”
“Let me see,” Celestia’s mother said, getting up from the table to receive the message. She unfolded the letter and quickly skimmed through it, her expression never changing. “Hmm… thank you for bringing me this,” she said, giving the letter back to the guard and turning to her daughters. “Finish up breakfast and be ready to leave in ten minutes. We’re going to the train station.”
“Why?” asked Luna, trying her best not to collapse into her oatmeal. “What’s at the train station?”
Faust smiled, which was something that wasn’t seen very often by her daughters. “Your brother is visiting from the Crystal Empire, and I would think you’d want to greet him.”
“Curator’s coming back?!” gasped Celestia. “Like, right now?”
Her mother nodded and Celestia beamed. Out of her entire family, her older brother Curator was the only pony she liked. He was always there when she needed him and was always able to make her smile, even in the worst of times. It had been one of the worst days of her life when he had gotten married and moved to become king of the Crystal Empire.
But that didn’t matter anymore. Curator was coming home. Right now.
“C’mon everypony!” Celestia squealed, shooting up from the table and almost spilling her breakfast. “Let’s go!”
“Coming, Tia…” yawned Luna, “Let me just… just…” her voice started to trail off as her eyes grew heavy. “What was I doing again?”
“Brace-face, let’s go!” growled Celestia. She grabbed her little sister’s collar and started dragging her down the hallway, navigating her way to Luna’s bedroom and threw her in. “Get out of your PJ’s and get ready to go, dork.”
“Stop calling me that,” mumbled Luna, slamming the door in her sister’s face.
Celestia just brushed it off as she walked back to her room to get ready. She and Curator hadn’t been able to talk for almost four years. The last time they had a conversation was after his wedding day. It hadn’t been the most endearing or interesting conversation they’ve ever had, but it was still special to her.
She rushed into her room, rummaging through her wardrobe for something nice to wear. Pink dresses, red dresses, green dresses, white dresses... nothing good to wear. It was a useless endeavor, so in the end she decided to just go au naturale.
*****
Canterlot was a lot different back then. Instead of being perched on the side of a mountain, it was nestled in the light treelines of what would one day become the Everfree forest. Celestia, her sister, and their mother were being escorted through the shanty city of Canterlot. Her mother had always insisted on being guarded at all times, which was odd considering that Faust was the single most powerful creature in Equestria, and the idea that they needed bodyguards seemed a little redundant.
And Celestia hated them with a passion. “Mother, do we really need all these ponies to protect us? It’s ridiculous…”
“We have many enemies, my daughter,” Faust said. “And I will not gamble with any of my family’s safety.”
“But who’s dense enough to do that?” asked Celestia. “If anypony was dumb enough to attack you, you could just turn them into snowflakes or blow their heads off.”
“That’s not how it works, Celestia,” said her mother. “As a Goddess, I cannot intervene unless it is of the most crucial nature. If I were to solve everypony’s problems with magic, they would become too reliant on me and it could have disastrous results on the world as we know it.”
“So you’d let me die? Nice to see you care mom,” muttered Celestia sarcastically.
“I didn’t say that,” replied Faust. “I only stated that I have rules to keep the balance in check.”
“Whatever,” said the young princess, looking past the guard and to the ponies going about their day. Ponies of all shapes and sizes working at their jobs, most practicing a trade that was printed clearly on their flank. They seemed so… happy, doing their mundane work all day. How could a pony be so content with what they were branded to do? Did they ever wish to do something else with their limited time on earth? What if that shoe cutter wanted to be a dancer, or the florist dreamt of being a metal smith? She did not understand why they were happy, but it was something she envied terribly.
“Are we there yet?” yawned Luna, her starry blanket wrapped around her back like a cape as she stumbled through the streets. She was still exhausted and probably on the verge of collapsing. “I can’t sleep with all this… light.”
“Patience Luna,” said her mother. “The train station is just up ahead. We’ll be there in moments.”
“Why couldn’t we just teleport?” asked Celestia. “It’d be a lot easier.”
“We have legs for a reason,” said Faust.
Tia mouthed something out of the view of her mother’s eyes, she never did approve of mocking and using her name in vain. But after that she kept her mouth shut till they all reached the train station.
“Do you see your brother’s train?” Faust asked, her imposing figure was more than enough to see overhead of everypony. “I can’t see it? Do you think that there was some sort of delay?”
“Wow, mom, I’ve never seen you like this,” said Celestia. “It’s as if you actually cared about somepony.”
Faust frowned. “I love and care for all my children and subjects.”
“Then how come you don’t recognize your own son?”
“Curator!” cried Celestia, turning around to see her older brother standing within the crowd of ponies. Curator in many ways resembled his mother, a taller white alicorn with a maroon coloured mane, but he had more masculine features and bright golden eyes. His sister lunged at him, wrapping her arms around the brother she had missed so dearly. “I’m so happy to see you again!”
“Hey, Tia,” chuckled her brother, “Nice to see you too.”
“How come you haven’t come to visit?!” barked Tia, her tone changing from happy to irritated. “You said you’d come and visit me!”
“Heh, sorry about that,” laughed Curator nervously. “Would you forgive me if I said I was really busy?”
“Hardly.”
“Celestia!” barked her mother. “Mind your manners. And Curator, it’s so wonderful to see you again.”
“Glad to be back mother,” he said, parting with Celestia to embrace his mother, much to Celestia’s dismay. “Sorry I haven’t visited like I promised.”
“Understandable, you have a lot of duties to attend to now…” sniffed Faust. “My little colt is all grown up.”
“What the hell is this?” wondered Celestia. “Mom… are you crying?”
“Hardly,” she said, resuming her normal blank expression. “I’m just happy to see my son again.”
“Thanks mom,”said Curator. He looked down to Luna, who was still drifting in and out of consciousness. “Hey there Lulu, when did you get the wires?”
“A month ago…” she pouted. “They say I have an overbite and have to wear this for two years…”
“Ah… well, it looks good,” said Curator.
“I look like a dork.”
“Maybe, but a cute dork,” smiled her brother, tussling her mane up a bit.
“Curator! Can you please help me with the bags?” a voice called out. Walking towards the group of alicorns was a sparkling pink mare, her deep purple mane shone like glittering amethyst and her eyes like diamond. She was definitely a crystal pony and she had something strung on her back. “There you are, sweetie. I thought I lost you in the crowd.”
“Sorry, honey,” apologized Curator. “Symphony, you remember my sisters, Tia and Luna, right?”
“Of course,” she said. “It’s so good to see you again, and you as well your majesty.” Symphony bowed in the presence of the amber-haired goddess. “It’s always a pleasure Queen Faust.”
“At ease, Sweet Symphony,” said Faust. “A queen has no need to bow in another’s presence, not even mine.”
“You’re too kind,” smiled the crystal pony, getting back up. “Oh, I almost forgot! We have something very special to show you. Curator, could you be a dear and—“
“I got her honey,” said Curator, his horn glowing a bright yellow as the strange bundle was lifted off of Symphony’s back. “Mother, sisters…” he gently placed the bundle in his arms, it was something wrapped up in a blue blanket. “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
He uncovered the little baby foal nestled in the blanket. She looked barely a month old, her candy-coloured mane still short and messy, her eyes clear as gems, and her fur as smooth as a polished table.
“She’s adorable,” sighed Faust. “My little Cadence…”
“Wait, does this make me an aunt?” asked Celestia. “I feel old…”
“You two had sex?!” gasped Luna, looking at her brother and his wife. “That’s… eww…”
“Luna,” droned Curator. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“But you’re my brother…” she yawned. “I don’t think I’ll ever fall a… fall a… fall a…”
The little princess eventually collapsed under her own exhaustion, curling up into a little ball on the ground, her blanket cuddling her up even tighter as she slipped off into dreamland. After waiting several moments to see if Luna was asleep, Faust picked her up and laid her on her back.
“Sleep, little princess,” she whispered. “Till the night dawns once again. Let us return to the castle now. Curator, Symphony, you will accompany us of course.”
“Yes, mother,” said Curator, putting Cadence back into her carrier on Symphony. “Lead the way, it’s been awhile.”
“Very well,” nodded Faust. “Guards! Back to the castle.”
The rows of guards who had been waiting patiently shot up to attention. “Yes, your majesty!”
As the guards began to take their formation, Curator nudged Celestia. “Follow me,” he whispered, ducking into the crowd of ponies, making sure he kept his head low. “Well? Aren’t you going coming, little sister?”
He didn’t have to ask, any excuse to ditch her mother and spend time with Curator was good in her books. Celestia kept her head down as well, making sure that her mother or any of the guards didn’t see them slip away.
“Do you think mother saw us slip away?” asked Celestia when they were in the clear.
“Of course she saw us,” smiled Curator. “But she won’t do anything about it. It’s the best and worst thing about mom; she has too much other stuff to deal with.”
“Yeah, like dictating my life,” mumbled the young princess.
“Hey, it can’t be that bad,” replied Curator.
“Trust me, Curator,” she bluntly pouted. “It’s bad. Ever since this stupid sun showed up on my ass she’s been ‘Celestia do this, Celestia do that. Celestia, that’s not a way a princess’s supposed to behave’. It never stops!”
“Well…” hummed Curator, trying to find the proper way to put the idea that was forming in his mind. “It’s just… mom’s way of saying she loves you. You got to remember that she is the supreme goddess and creator. My theory is that she doesn’t want to make any pony feel isolated or like they’re getting special treatment, so she adopts the personality of tree bark.”
Celestia started to blush a little, before breaking out into laughter. “Why do you always know how to make me smile?”
“Because it’s what I do best,” he grinned.
“And that’s the thing, Curator,” she said. “You’re incredibly funny. The funniest pony I know. You could have gone on to be a comedian or an actor, but instead you became king of the Crystal Empire.”
“Yeah, I’m not really seeing what you’re getting at.”
“What I’m getting at is that you never had a choice in the matter,” Celestia said. “You had to be a king because that’s what your cutie mark told you to do, not because you wanted to.”
“But I like being king…”
“Well, I don’t like what I’m supposed to do,” she said. “I don’t want to have to raise the sun every day for the rest of my life and I don’t see how it’s fair that we can’t change our minds after our cutie marks show up.”
“Tia, our cutie marks are a symbol of who we are and what we’re good at,” said her brother. “It’s not set in stone… just your fat butt!”
“Screw you, nerd,” giggled Tia, playfully punching her brother. “I don’t want to be happy right now.”
“I think you’ve put way too much thought into this,” said Curator. “Hey, you know what will cheer you up? Let’s go to that old cake shop where I used to sneak you and Luna to.”
“You mean Cakes R’ Us?” gasped Celestia. “I haven’t been there since… well, since the last time you took us there. To be honest I haven’t gotten out of the castle much.”
“Mother?” he asked.
“Mother,” nodded Celestia as the two started to walk into town. “I’m telling you she dictates my life.”
“She’s just trying to help you,” Curator said. “And yeah, it does come off as tyranny but she really is just trying to help you with your royal duties because, despite what you may think, she ain’t going to be around forever.”
“If we were only so lucky…” she muttered. “I just feel so trapped all the time. Like this whole place is a giant cage and I’m stuck in it.”
“Let’s just get that cake,” said Curator, trying to change the subject. “You still like angel vanilla?”
“I mean look at these ponies, Curator,” Celestia said. “They’re all ignorant to the fact that they have no free will. The brand on their flanks will always drive them in life and they can never escape from it.”
“Or did you like black forest cake?”
“I don’t want that! I don’t want to be a princess!” yelled Celestia. “I don’t want to raise the sun or the moon. I don’t want to have to be a queen and rule over nations or ponies. I don’t even want to live in a castle; I just want to be in control of my own destiny! I just want to be free!”
“MARE’S AND GENTLECOLTS!” a highly energetic voice laughed above the crowds of ponies. Celestia and Curator both looked around in confusion.
“What was that?” asked the young princess.
“I think that it came from over there…”
Her brother pointed to a strange stage set up in the middle of the streets. There was a group of ponies gathered around, looking with curiosity and awe at what could happen on stage. Was it a show? A sales pony? A thousand questions ran through the crowds head when a single barrel rolled onto the stage. It stopped when it reached the center and just sat there for a few moments.
“What in Equestria is going—“
“PONIES OF CANTERLOT!” the same voice narrated. “YOU’VE SEEN THE MAGIC OF UNICORNS, THE TRICKS OF A PEGASI, AND THE FEATS OF THE EARTH PONIES… BUT BE PREPARE TO BE SHOCKED, AWED AND POSSIBLY HAVE YOUR MINDS EXPLODED WHEN YOU WITNESS THE AWE-INSPIRING POWER OF THE GOD OF CHAOS!”
The barrel on stage exploded in a puff of green and yellow smoke and confetti. Ponies gasped in shock from the sudden burst of colour. From the mist of the smoke the most peculiar thing emerged. It was not a pony, in fact that she wasn’t even sure what it was. It looked like a long brown snake with a bunch of mismatched limbs and other body parts. It had arms of a lion and eagle, legs of an alligator and a bull, and horns of a goat and deer. His tail was red and finned like a serpent and he had a pair of wings; a mismatched blend of a bird and a bat. But it was his face that really caught her attention. It looked like a stallion’s, but with the strangest, most alluringly bizarre eyes she had ever seen.
“What is that?” she whispered to herself, captivated by the odd creature.
“Yes, yes, yes!” The strange thing smiled, his one large fang pushing past his lips as he talked. “It is I, The Great and Powerful Discord!”
And that was the first time I saw you, and I remember how your very sight fascinated me. I would not have called it love at the time, though. I was just a young girl who found an interest in the most peculiar creature... How was I to know that it would blossom into so much more? I wonder... what if Curator and I didn’t sneak away from my mother? Or if we had not gone down that road? Or a million other possibilities. Would we have ever met? Would any of this happen?
Would I have ever fallen in love?