Princess Platinum sat upon her throne and smiled at her subjects. These were the proud members of her tribe, the ponies she was fortunate enough to call her kin. Of course, that included Pegasi and Earth Ponies as well, now, but nothing would ever match up to the bond she shared with her fellow Unicorns. Every day, massed before her at sunrise and sunset they came to work together and raise the sun and moon, as they had done for time immemorial.
It was a beautiful, if straining ritual, and the highest point of pride for every Unicorn. For while the Earth and Sky would still exist and function without the guiding hooves of the Ponies of Sky and Soil, the Sun and Moon were solely at the beck and call of those of the Stars. It was why, even before their unification, they were regarded as royalty.
Platinum stepped up from her throne and nodded to the musicians, who began to play on their brass. She lit her horn and focused her magic, and her subjects followed suit. The tug of the heavenly bodies resonated in each of their horns like a strong, musical note, one to match the hum of the trumpets.
She closed her eyes with the other Unicorns, and as one they tugged.
"So we are in agreement, Chancellor?"
Commander Hurricane paced back and forth in the small room. Already a groove was worn into the floor from her heavy steel armor and horseshoes. Though Equestria was peaceful, the Pegasi were still proud warriors and Hurricane would not be seen in public unadorned.
Chancellor Puddinghead, on the other had, had eaten her hat in the earliest celebrations. She now only wore a simple formal outfit. The Earth Pony nodded vigorously.
"Completely. If we are going to act as one people, we need to act as equals. It is important, though, that we handle this with..." She searched through a pile of notes before picking one out. "...with tact. We cannot make the Unicorns think we mean to fight them, we have to make them understand what we're feeling." She turned and looked to Smart Cookie in the corner, who nodded a silent nod of approval. The notes were helping.
Hurricane nodded solemnly. "Agreed. That sort of tension is what led us to the state that attracted the Windigoes in the first place. The Unicorns may be prissy and self-absorbed, but I believe it was one of them, Starswirl, who noted that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. However cowardly they may be, they are wise enough to at least hear our request out."
She sighed and looked out the window at the clouds rolling in a beauteous orange and purple as the sun set and the moon rose. She felt the wind tugging at her feathers as the cooler air began to roll in.
"Which is vital, because we need their help to realize it."
Princess Platinum steepled her hooves and hummed. Clover the Clever stood beside her and began to review the papers handed to them by the other leaders of the Triumvirate. Platinum, Hurricane, and Puddinghead all sat at a triangular table with their most trusted advisers by their sides. In a way, the advisers were more leaders than the ones they advised, but the three kept their titles to save face - No Pegasus would follow Private Pansy, no Unicorn would accept Platinum handing her crown over to a new bloodline, and while the practical Earth Ponies might accept Smart Cookie over their current Chancellor as long as she did her job well, there had been so much change as of late that any more might make them angry.
The Princess looked over at Clover, who looked up and bit her lip wordlessly. Platinum rubbed her temples before looking up to the other four in the room.
"...I'm afraid we can't do it."
Hurricane growled and slammed her hooves on the table. "Ponyfeathers! Everything we just discussed was about how we needed to be equals, and even I admit the incredible power of combined Unicorn magic! You can do it and you know it."
Clover held up a hoof and received a nod of approval from her superior. She cleared her throat.
"Perhaps a better way to put it would be that we can, but we're afraid that the Unicorns as a whole won't."
Puddinghead blinked and tilted her head. She turned to Cookie. "I don't get it?"
The younger Earth Pony rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "I think I do. What you're saying is that, even though you two agree, you don't think you'll get the other Unicorns to go along with it, right?"
Platinum nodded. "Thank you, Smart Cookie. Yes. You see, I understand that the power of raising the sun and moon is a great one, and one that dwarfs the two of you. It is not fair, and unbecoming our alliance. But," she sighed. "that difference has been a point of pride for Unicorns for as long as anypony can remember. They will not give that up easily."
Clover pitched in. "And to add to that, what will we - that is, the Unicorns - have left on the magical bargaining table if the sun and moon are taken off?"
Hurricane blinked. "Are you bucking kidding me? You can shoot lasers outta your heads!"
Platinum turned red at the language and fanned herself. Clover blushed but continued. "That is only the most skilled and powerful among us, and even then it is no match for a properly trained Pegasus. Unicorns are versatile, but the strength in our magic lies with our talents, and you know we are not great fighter or farmers - we are mostly artisans and scientists, with hardly a mage among us. Ponies like Starswirl are few and far between."
Pansy spoke up, a rare occurrence. "I see. It's too strong, but it's all you have. It's not fair to have that, but it's not fair to make you give it all up, either."
Hurricane grunted. "So, we need to find something to compensate you for giving up your place in the world. Because peace isn't enough."
Platinum sighed. "It is for me, but for the rest of us...the notion of giving up our heritage for 'peace' will only incite war."
Clover hummed. "Perhaps if we find someway to make the power still feel like it belongs to the Unicorns, but not being directly under our control as it is now. Perhaps if the lode was located in a primarily Unicorn city, or was somehow attributed to them..."
Smart Cookie stepped up. "That still gives you all the ability to change or end it at will. We need something impartial, that can't be influenced or controlled by anypony, or at least any one group of ponies."
Platinum nodded. "Agreed, but I haven't the foggiest on how to do that. Any ideas?"
The silence hung in the air for several minutes before Clover jerked upright and whispered into the ear of her Princess. Platinum blushed, and then brightened, then blushed even deeper.
Clover finished and looked expectantly at her fellow Unicorn, who bit her lip and looked from side to side, sweating slightly. After a moment of anticipation in the eyes of the others, she sighed and nodded. Clover smiled and put her hooves on the table to speak to the others.
The idea was a good one.
They agreed.
Platinum was afraid.
She looked out over the crowd of Ponies before her, hundreds of every race.
She was not afraid of speaking - that was her gift. She could work a crowd till the day she died; it was in her blood.
No, she was afraid of what she was going to say.
She looked to the Ponies who stood immediately beside her. Clover had helped her write what she was about to say, had helped her rehearse it. The Commander and Chancellor had been there to offer support, each in their own way. Cookie and Pansy had both offered silent embraces of encouragement before they had taken their places onstage as well. And, by some miracle or perhaps just the importance of what was to happen, Starswirl had dragged himself out of his laboratory and dusty old books and sat beside the members of the Triumvirate. Whispers circulated in the crowd - there wasn't a pony who hadn't heard of the reclusive conjurer and his achievements.
Platinum gulped and looked away from the powerful stallion and to her good friend. Clover smiled and nodded. It was time.
The Princess cleared her throat and stepped forward. The crowd hushed.
"My fellow Ponies, we come to you today to speak of peace. The time we have experienced here in Equestria has been beautiful beyond all measure - the soil is rich and the skies are pure. Our civilization is thriving, and all here can attest to the goodness of this land and the peace that has come with it." A sussurus of agreement carried for a moment before Platinum continued.
"But this peace will not last, not as things are now. There was peace like this back in our Homelands, but we became divided. For survival we must cooperate, each kind must play their role. But the role of the Unicorns, in bringing about Day and Night, while noble, is too great to be borne by us. The Sun and Moon hold too much sway in the way lives are lived, so much more so than the weather brought by the Pegasi or the farms tended by the Earth Ponies.
"But it is unfair to the Unicorns to take this from them, for by comparison our other trades are frivolous. If we are to keep our position as it stands, our Pegasi and Earth Pony brethren will come to see us in fear and resentment, and the Windigoes will surely come once more. If we are to give this power up, we will be seen as weak and useless. The Triumvirate has decided on an alternate path, with my blessing.
"There is likely not a Unicorn among you who does not know that I have turned down every suitor who has come my way, against the wishes of my Sire, rest his soul. The truth is that I do not wish to wed, I have no interest in the matter. But true also is that the crown needs an heir, as much as our nation needs peace.
"We have discussed at length with Starswirl here the power of combining the magic of the Ponies of Star and Sky and Soil, and with great focus and time and power he believes it is possible to use them together. We have already summoned the most talented Unicorns, the strongest Pegasi, and the sturdiest Earth Ponies to aid in this task. If all goes as planned..." Platinum faltered a bit, but Clover steadied her with her hoof and she pressed on. "If all goes as planned, by the next moon our nation will have not only a greater chance at peace, but an heir to the throne. No longer will the Pegasi and Earth Ponies need to fear the power we hold over the Sun and Moon, and the Unicorns shall have lost nothing but the burden of working at sun rise and set daily just to ensure that it does so. "
The crowd roared, though Platinum could not hear if it was anger or applause. She merely closed her eyes and waited to continue.
"The Princess or Prince we shall bring you shall not be a Prince or Princess just to the Unicorns, but to all of Equestria. All seven of us here gathered shall raise him or her together, so all three Tribes shall have their influence. The arrangements have been made. We will begin at sunset. I ask for your blessing, or barring that, your trust. May you walk with Harmony." And with that she turned away and left the stage. The crowd erupted as the other leaders followed.
"Are you all ready?" Starswirl spoke, his voice raspy like a page of the tomes he would lose himself in.
Platinum shifted and looked around. She was surrounded by powerful Unicorn Mages and scholars, battle-scared and war-honered Pegasi, and some of the sturdiest and proudest looking Earth Ponies she had ever seen. Across the circle of runes from her stood Clover, who smiled nervously. The members of the Trimvirate had been arranged in a six-pointed star. Starswirl had insisted upon this, for they had been "touched by the fires of Harmony and the structure will need that stability." Platinum did not understand it, and was not sure if she should be unnerved or consoled that neither did Clover.
Slowly she nodded in turn with the others. Starswirl grunted and walked carefully into his rune circle.
"I am going to explain what we will be doing beforehand. This is a complicated spell. You all know how to tap into your Magicks, even you Pegasi and Earth Ponies, and to channel them, yes?"
There were nods, most of them slow and uneasy. Starswirl glared.
"When you do your work, flying or farming or fighting, you are using your Magicks. The fire in your blood, find it. You can all do that?"
The nods were more confident this time. Starswirl grunted in approval. "Good. First, the Earth Ponies will need to tap into their inner fire. When I signal you, direct it into the node located directly in front of you. It is the circular swirl on the outermost ring of your own. Try to focus on your connection to life and the living, and do not stop. This is vital.
"Next will be the Pegasi. Much will be done between the Earth Ponies and your part, so be patient and wait for my call. On the signal, you do the same, but focus on your connection to the wind. There is a node in front of each of you as well - focus your energy there.
"Then will come the Unicorns. You will notice you have two nodes in front of you - one spiraling clockwise and the other counter. First you will need to focus on your connection to the sun, then channel your magic into the spiral spinning clockwise. Wait for my second signal, then focus on the Moon and channel into the other.
"This spell will take a long time before your parts are through, and even longer for it to be fully complete. Any who wish to stay and observe the progression is welcome as long as they do not interfere. Interference could be catastrophic. However, once I tell you to leave the circle you must leave immediately. Are you all prepared?"
The whole circle nodded, a few vocal affrimatives were given as well. Starswirl nodded once more. "Another thing: stay quiet once I begin. Incantations play a role and silence is necessary." The room fell dead silent.
The mage waited a moment before he began speaking softly to himself and walking around the circle. Platinum could not understand a word he said when he passed her by, but on the first full circle he light his horn and tapped a place on the edge. The runes began to glow and spread out like spiderwebs as he walked. On the second pass by the whole circle was lit in a soft white light. Platinum was enraptured.
He tapped another spot once he had completed, then gently tapped the Earth Pony who stood there. The Stallion jumped slightly but quickly regained his composure and placed both his hooves on the node and closed his eyes. The node began to glow green and spread the color throughout a series of lines. Starswirl continued this pattern till every Earth Pony had their hooves to the node and their eyes closed. Starswirl continued chanting and circling, touching his horn to key points.
He made several circles around again. Platinum lost count somewhere after seventeen and realized she had no idea how much time had passed. She pushed the thought out of her as she saw him signal the Pegasus who had been standing next to the first Earth Pony to be triggered and watched as the Mare spread her wings out wide and pressed her hooves against her node, filling it with a pale blue light. She watched him go around again, until every Pegasus had added their blue energy to the spell.
She was surprised when the mage moved immediately to the next Unicorn, expecting another long gap. She watched as the Unicorn set her horn alight and sent a small beam of golden light into the appropriate node. She realized she would be last, and watched as every Pony but herself contributed their share to the glowing rune. She realized as he neared her that she had been holding her breath. When he tapped her, she tuned into the Sun and felt it moving upwards. It was sunrise.
Have we been here all night? I'd think I'd feel more tired than this... She let her worries fade away and focused on the golden warmth of the sun. If there were problems she would have noticed by now.
The warmth of the celestial orb seeped through her and into the node and into the rune. She felt the sun follow the projected path across the sky, she felt the heavy clouds that passed in front of it and faded into vapors under the heat, she felt the rays fall upon hungry leaves and fields and crops and be soaked up. She had never felt so connected to the great ball of fire before. She was lost in the sensation until she felt the gentle tug downward of sunset, and a gentle tap on her shoulder that was Starswirl signaling her to switch her connection to the Moon.
She did so hastily and almost forgot to channel into the node. Nothing exploded, thankfully, and once she had assured herself that it would not do so she let herself fall into the silver grace of the Moon. She felt the chill and loneliness of night, the emptiness of the sky and the quietness of the land below her. She felt sadness creep in as the night took hold, for she felt not a pony under the silver light.
But then she saw the stars; oh, the stars! She saw them twinkle and dance around her, like giggling children. She let them play about her like fireflies or a magnificent dress. They swarmed her and she swam through them and grew to know each one by name. Never had the night felt so alive.
But then the horizon tinged and the stars faded. The Moon sank lower and Platinum felt other Unicorns began to tuck it away for the day, and gathered herself back once more. She opened her eyes and saw the myriad of magical threads laid out before her glowing in shades of blue and green and silver and gold. It was brilliant. She saw Starswirl signaling each pony quickly, but quietly, to leave with a tap on the shoulder and a jerk of his head. Her turn came last, and she saw incredible tiredness in his eyes.
As she left the room she felt her knees fall sore and stiff. She wondered again how long they had been down there - at least twenty four hours.
She saw Clover hanging back for her and took the offered support as they walked away.
She wondered how long till it was finished.
Starswirl looked at the glowing spheres hanging in the air above the circle he had worked and tended for the last month. He had expected, had worked towards just one. There were two.
This was odd. Starswirl did not trust odd things. He generally poked them until they stopped being odd, at least to him. Some ponies said this made him odd. He didn't feel like poking himself, though, so it didn't matter.
He looked to the Triumvirate, who had been summoned behind him. All six of them were there, waiting expectantly. He sighed. He did not trust the spheres, but he could not poke them. There was too much at risk. He would have to ignore the oddity.
"I am about to unlock it. If all goes well, it will go as intended. If it does not...Are you sure you can handle what may come out?"
Private Pansy turned pale but nodded with the others. Hurricane stuck her chest out. "That's why I'm here, sir. In case what comes out is hostile. I have a full Legion of Pegasi warriors ready just in case."
He looked to the others. Smart Cookie and the Chancellor seemed steeled for whatever was to come, though both were eyeing the orbs with interest. That was a good sign, at least.
Clover was enraptured, visibly nervous but excited at the same time. She was a good student, he was proud. Though he would never say such a thing.
Princess Platinum seemed paler than ever, her eye glued to the two orbs circling each other. She had nodded though. Starswirl closed his eyes. He could understand her reaction..
He bent down and lit his horn. Inches away from the runes he spoke.
"Lux y Obscura
Solem y Luna
Puerum de Caelum
Terrae
y Stella
Quaeso tantum Halitus!"
He tapped his horn on the ring and the whole began to glow with blinding light. It merged and expanded into and as an orb, upward till it encased the spheres that had been floating above it. The Ponies shielded their eyes.
The burning ceased, and Platinum lowered her hooves. A crater sat where the rune circle had been, smoking gently. She ran up to the edge where Starswirl stood, looking down and in. He was grinning a lopsided grin. She followed his gaze.
In the center of the crater were two fillies, one with a coat white as snow and a mane pink as roses. Curled up next to her was one much smaller with a coat of dark blue and a head of light blue hairs. Both sported not just a horn, but small, delicate wings. She turned toward the mage with mouth agape. Her friends rushed up and looked in. They all were silent, struck with awe.
Starswirl, however, started laughing furiously.
"Congratulations, your Highness! It's twins!"