Wise Beyond Her Years

by Pen Stroke

One More Tale

“... and, that’s why, I think we need to consider this a legitimate threat to the kingdom. And that, to exonerate her or to find out what she knows, we should speak with Zecora.”

Twilight stood nervously. It had only been one day since she and her friends had put together what they thought was the truth. A truth that seemed too much to believe. That their friend, Zecora, was part of the conspiracy. That she, like so many zebras in the past, was playing at some larger scheme and perhaps pulling the strings of Ponyville like a puppeteer with marionettes. It shed a harsh light on all the interactions they had shared and the help Zecora had given in more than a few situations.

It was painful to think that a mare she called a friend could do that, that friendship could be used for such a dark purpose.

Still, Twilight had done her best to separate her feelings from the facts and the theories she and her friends had built on those facts. She and her friends had spent the entirety of the previous day preparing. Then, after getting a good night’s sleep at her friends’ insistence, Twilight boarded the train that morning. She had traveled a few hours and waited even more, hoping to be heard. But finally, she had been given what she sought.

With the sun nearing the horizon, with the chefs of Canterlot Castle preparing for the evening meal, Twilight had her audience with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

The explanation had taken nearly an hour and had become something of a discussion. The princesses had asked questions, and Twilight had answered where she could. She never masked theories as facts, and she never interrupted the princesses. Sometimes, their questions seemed harsh, as if they didn’t believe her, but then there were moments where the princesses whispered to one another, sharing words Twilight could not hear.

Now, it was all laid out, and Twilight stood fidgeting in her hooves and wings, waiting as Celestia and Luna spoke quietly a few steps away. What would they say? For a moment she feared a similar reaction to when she told Princess Celestia of Nightmare Moon’s return. That she would be told to stop looking in her “dusty old books.”

That lead to greater fears that she and her friends were right, and that in the next few days something horrible would happen. Maybe the organization of zebras, or whoever they were, had found out about them? Maybe, when she returned to Ponyville, she’d find her friends and only a threatening note. Maybe—

“Twilight?”

She shook her head and turned to look at Princess Celestia. The princesses had come back over to her and were looking on with worried expressions, as if they had called her name a few times without her responding. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” Twilight had to fight the urge to add a bow to her apology. That wasn’t needed anymore. She was a princess too now, just like them.

“It’s all right,” Celestia said, offering a comforting smile. “I can only imagine that all of this has been a burden on your mind. Luna and I also want to commend you for being so thorough with your research.”

Luna nodded her head in agreement. “Yes. To find and flush out this pattern across the centuries is truly a testament to your abilities.”

Once more, Twilight had to catch herself to prevent a bow. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t have been able to be so thorough without my friends. Some of them literally went to the corners of Equestria to help me with this.” Twilight forced down a swallow as she focused her gaze on Celestia. “So, does this mean you want to talk with Zecora?”

Celestia gave no answer. Instead, she used a wing to motion for Twilight to follow her and Luna. The trio crossed the throne room, leaving a small crew of castle servants to start cleaning up Twilight’s research and visual aids. Twilight wasn’t sure what was going on, but she followed the pair all the same. They went through the back door to the throne room, a door Twilight had seen Celestia come out of many times but had never been through herself. And on the far side was a small room, with cushions, a coffee table, and what one might consider a calming decor.

“What is this place?” Twilight asked.

“A sitting room Luna and I use to take short breaks during our open court,” Celestia answered. She motioned for Twilight to sit as she and Luna took seats on two of the other cushions. “It’s far more convenient to have a place to rest this close to the throne room, and it allows us to be courteous to those who came to make a request. It would be rude to have the servants deliver a snack or beverage while somepony is trying to speak.”

Twilight nodded her head, understanding the simple utility of having a little break room for the princesses directly adjacent to the throne room. “But then why are we here?”

“We are here to discuss a few things in private, away from even the ears of the guard,” Luna said, even as a servant came into the room carrying a tray laden with a tea pot, cups, and some small pieces of carrot cake.

“What do we need to talk about?”

Neither Celestia nor Luna answered until the servant who had brought the tea tray had left. Celestia then locked both doors with a small flare of her magic while Luna worked to pour the tea. “Twilight, we agree that Zecora should be spoken to about her possible ties to this organization,” Celestia said. “But, before we seek her out, we feel you deserve to know something.

“Twilight, do you recall the little story I told you when Discord first escaped?”

“Yes, of course,” she said with a nod of her head. “You said that Discord was a spirit of disharmony. That he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness, making everypony who lived here miserable. But after discovering the Elements of Harmony, you combined your powers, rose up against him, and turned him to stone.”

“You were always a good listener, Twilight,” Celestia commended with a smile. “And the details of that story are very true, though greatly paraphrased. Truthfully, while Discord did spend a majority of his time in Equestria, the whole world suffered under his rule. I did not mention it at the time, since I felt bearing the burden of saving Equestria was more than enough weight on your shoulders.”

“But there is even more to the story than that,” Luna said.

“But why is it so important? What does it have to do with Zecora and the conspiracy?”

Celestia lifted her tea cup, not drinking but watching the liquid swirl within. “It is important because, along our journey to becoming alicorns, we were not alone. We were given guidance, much like I have tried to help you along your way to your own ascension.”

“Our guide’s name was Malewa, and we now believe she was a zebra in your conspiracy as well.”

Malewa told us stories of the lives Luna and I never knew. We were princesses before we were alicorns. We were daughters of Equestria’s royal family, and Malewa was the servant in the castle tasked with our care. We lived carefree lives, and she said we were loved dearly by all of our family, especially so by our mother and father.

We have no way to know if what she said was true, but... I remember that both of us found much joy in the thought of being princesses when we were young.

Yet, that life was nothing but stories for us. The only lives we knew back then were the lives we made in Cliff Wound. We lived with Malewa, considering her our mother despite the difference in species. We knew every street of that city back then. We played games. We had friends. Cliff Wound was our home.

It was a place just so full of life, filled to the brim with so many different creatures. Most were native species of Savannah, but there were others. There were griffins and ponies, deer and horses, and one cranky old moose who lived down the street. They were all brought together by the promise made by Cliff Wound that few other places could offer: safety from Discord.

But even with his looming threat just beyond the city, life was much simpler back then.

“Hurry, Celestia!”

A young Celestia panted a little as she came to the crest of a tall hill. Her mane was a solid, simple pink. There were no wings on her sides and no cutie mark on her flank. She was simply a unicorn filly, who was currently struggling to catch up with her slightly younger sister, Luna, who was bouncing at the top of the hill.

“It’s hard to go fast when I’m the only one carrying groceries,” Celestia said as she reached the top of the hill. She shifted and shook her back, getting the saddlebags filled with food from the market to rest more comfortably while Luna only carried a few things in her own, smaller bags.

“I’m helping!” Luna whined as the pair continued to walk, navigating a street they knew like the tops of their hooves.

“Carrying the carrots isn’t helping when I’ve got everything else.”

“Yes it is!” Luna chimed again, a playful debate between the sisters. “Hey, do you think mother will let us stay up and watch the tarp repair they're doing later?”

“Why do you want to watch that? They’re just patching the hole that opened last week,” Celestia said, her eyes wandering upward. Cliff Wound was a city hidden away from the rest of the world. The sheer cliffs on each side embraced and shielded the city while the tarps that were strung across the top and front of the adjacent cliffs hid them away.

The tarps were rooted to large stone structures and ran across the top of the canyon like stitches in a deep cut. The tarps themselves were magical in nature. They shifted to match the ground around the canyon. If the ground was polka-dotted, the tarp magically changed to be polka-dotted. If the ground was striped, the tarp became striped.

From a bird's eye view, it was nearly impossible to discern the canyon even existed. It was that accurate blending that had kept the city safe from Discord for over a decade.

“I want to watch the magic they use to patch the hole,” Luna said as she began to playfully jump between stones on the path. “That and Mother said we might be able to see some sky before they start working on the patch. Oh, I hope we get to see some stars.”

“What’s so great about the stars?” Celestia asked, continuing to walk normally despite Luna’s playful leaping.

“They’re pretty, and Mother says ponies used to be able to find their way around with them.”

“You used to be able to find your way with the sun too,” Celestia said, smiling along with her playful, verbal prod. “It always rose in the east and set in the west. What more would you need?”

“Mother says the stars would let you know almost exactly where you are if you studied them very carefully. The stars are prettier too. They can twinkle and they used to make constellations. The sun can’t do that, that’s why the stars are better.”

Celestia couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Whatever you say, Luna. Now, come on, Mother’s going to start to worry if we don’t get home soon.”

“I never thought that you two grew up back then,” Twilight said, too engaged in what she was being told to pay attention to her tea or square of carrot cake.

“We did not simply come into being, Twilight,” Luna said as she set down her own cup.

“No, I didn’t mean...” Twilight tripped over her words. “I just always thought Discord’s rule was... shorter than that.”

“It’s all right,” Celestia reassured Twilight. “From what I told you the day of Discord’s escape, it’s not surprising you believed his reign to be short. But the simple fact is that Discord ruled the world for roughly twenty five years before Luna and I overthrew him.”

“And you grew up during that time, in Cliff Wound?” Twilight asked. “Is that the same Cliff Wound Rarity read about?”

“Yes,” Celestia said with a nod as she used a small fork to pick up a piece of her carrot cake. “The ruins Rarity read about in that book comprised of the griffin general’s journals, those were barely older than Luna and I were back then. They held the great rolls of fabric that covered the crevice the city was built in. I don’t know who was the one that thought of such an ingenious cover, hiding from Discord in plain sight, but it worked. We were safe, and we grew up under Malewa’s care.”

“And when you grew up, that’s when you decide to come back to Equestria and take back the kingdom, right?” Twilight said, as if eager to hear of how Celestia and Luna had bested Discord.

“No,” Luna answered, shaking her head. “As we grew, we began to believe Malewa’s stories were simply that: stories. We would have been content never truly learning of our royal heritage or taking on those responsibilities.”

Twilight looked at the pair in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that they would ever not intend to be rulers of the kingdom. “Then... what changed?”

“We had dear friends,” Celestia said, a frown creasing her lips like there was a pain somewhere deep inside. “And we weren’t able to save them.”

Like Luna said, we had no interest in trying to overthrow Discord. To us, at the time, that was something the raiding parties might one day accomplish. They were the brave souls who dared to leave the safety of the village and venture out into the world. They brought reports from other towns and harvested from Discord’s chaotic flora and fauna.

We simply had enough going on inside Cliff Wound that we never had desire to look beyond. As we entered our teen years, Luna took on an apprenticeship with a local artisan. She was learning to craft such beautiful things. I enjoyed filling my private time reading whatever book I could get my hooves on, and contemplated becoming a teacher.

Yes, Twilight, I was once a bookworm just like you. Now don’t interrupt.

Now, while Luna and I didn’t wish to see Discord’s chaotic world, some of our friends did. Menboon, a giraffe, wished to gain the respect that came with leaving and returning to the village. He was a middle child from a large family, and sometimes struggled to get respect from his siblings. He sought to change that one day, and in the process made the biggest mistake of his life.

Nessa, my best friend at the time, she was the one that told us what Menboon intended to do. We raced to the outskirts of the village, to stop him. But we were too late. He had already left, going out into Discord’s domain alone, and with each passing second we feared he would never return. So, we did the only thing we could think of.

We went after him.

“Menboon? Where are you?”

Luna and Celestia stepped anxiously amongst the cluster of trees. Though, to call them trees was a bit of a stretch. No two were the same. One had a trunk made of water that flowed against gravity. Another had leaves that were like gummy candies. No two were the same, yet this was the intent. The trees had been taken from across the chaos warped kingdom of Savannah. The forest of chaos had been created to hide entrance to the sanctuary of order that was the village of Cliff Wound.

“Shouldn’t we go get Menboon’s parents, or Malewa? I thought she said you two weren’t even supposed to get close to the edge of town, let alone go outside.”

Celestia looked back, seeing her own friend Nessa following them out into Discord’s land. Nessa was a doe, a female deer, and was normally very sure on her hooves. She was agile, nimble, and could move like a feather on the wind. But outside the village, where the ground was like a bed covered in a soft quilt, her agility was stifled. Their hooves sank, making walking alone difficult.

“Something could happen to Menboon before they could get here,” Luna said. She stumbled ahead of the group, forcing haste out of her hooves on the uncertain ground.

“But where did he go?” Celestia asked as she scanned the horizon.

“He can’t have gone far,” Luna said, clamoring up to the crest of a nearby hill. “Menboon? Menboon! Where are you?!”

“Over here!”

The shout quickly spurred Celestia, Luna, and Nessa to clamor across the quilted ground. They began to scramble down the far side of the hill, but even as they ran the ground changed. The soft, plush quilting became hard, polished titles in a red and purple checkerboard pattern. The trio yelped as their hooves began to slide on the finely waxed surfaces.

Up and down, down and up they slid across the hills, shouting and trying to get their balance again. They only saw glimpses of their surroundings as the land seemed intent on sending them on a roller coaster ride. They saw the mountains that contained the village, and they saw the massive sheets of fabric that hid the valley. The fabric was already changing to match the land’s new appearance, and within a blink of an eye the valley’s covering was indistinguishable from the rest of the mountains.

A sheep of order hiding in the chaotic clothing of a wolf.

Finally, the trio came to a stop and struggled back to their hooves. They had been carried almost a mile away from the village, and Celestia looked back at their home while Luna scampered off to a nearby tree. It was wrapped in vines that looked like licorice, and had four, familiar, brown-spotted trunks.

“Menboon! Is that you? Don’t worry, we’ll have you free in a second!” Luna shouted.

“Be careful!,” he shouted back, his voice coming from the thick canopy of leaves that had enveloped his head and torso. “I tried to break off some of this vine to take back to the village, and it grabbed me.”

“Why would you come out here anyway?” Celestia scolded as she and Luna began to use their magic to pull and rip away the vines. “Did your brothers put you up to this?”

“N-no.”

The faltering in his voice was all Celestia needed to hear to know the truth. “Menboon, you have to stop listening to them. They tell you to do this kind of stuff just so you’ll get in trouble.”

“Hey, don’t be mad at Menboon!” Luna barked at Celestia. “You know how hard his brothers are on him.”

“I do know, and I can’t help but feel this is a poor way to avoid them. It’s dangerous outside the village. What if—”

Celestia suddenly felt a hoof over her mouth and glanced back to see Nessa had pounced on her. The doe had a panicked look in her eyes, as if any sound would bring their death. Then Nessa pointed skyward. Celestia and Luna looked up slowly, and their bodies tensed. The air in their lungs felt like stone and the blood in their veins like ice.

Flying, like a kite on an invisible string, was Discord.

“C-celestia, what do we—”

“Shhh,” she said, motioning for them to step back. They clung close to Menboon, trying to use the leaves encompassing him as cover. “Keep quiet and stay down. We’ll wait till he’s gone by and then go back.”

“What? No! We have to go back now before he notices us!” Menboon whispered, though it was obvious he would rather have shouted.

“We try to go back now, we could lead him back to the village,” Celestia said, trying to quell the tremor in her own voice. “He can sense when things aren’t chaotic. That’s how Malewa got us all out of Equestria. She let herself fall in some of his traps whenever he was close. The only reason he hasn’t noticed us yet is probably because Menboon got caught in this vine.”

“How do you know that!?” Nessa asked, leaning against Celestia as they all tried to crowd as close as they could together.

“Malewa told us, in case Discord ever did find the village. She said we had to run and stay hidden. I never thought we’d... Just stay low and don’t move. I promise, we’ll be okay if we don’t move. Yes... let’s... let’s make a game of it. We’ll have a little fun. The first person to move loses. I bet none of you can beat me.”

“Maybe it would be better if one of us lead him away,” Luna whispered. She had a forehoof lifted, as if she was already getting ready to run. “I could try to distract him.”

“No... no no no, that won’t work! He’s going to find us!” Menboon was beginning to hyperventilate and struggled against the licorice vine. “We have to get away. Get me out of here! We have to run!”

“Menboon’s right. He’ll turn us into puppets or clouds or... I don’t know! I don’t want to be chaotic. I like the way I am. I’m... I’m making a run for it!”

“Nessa, no!” Celestia shouted, but it was already too late. Bounding out across the ground, Nessa sprinted in the direction of the village. She slipped and slid occasionally on the still smooth, polished ground, but she kept her pace all the same. She was desperate. She was in a panic. She needed to get back to the village.

Her desperation was the tipping point for Menboon. Thrashing, he broke free of the licorice vine. The leaves dropped off in clumps, falling on Celestia and Luna. They reached out with their magic, tried to stop them, but again they were too late. Menboon was off, running after Nessa. Their single thought was to get back to safety, to get away from the danger of Discord.

And in their haste, they did not see Discord closing in behind them.

“He’s going to get them! We have to—”

“No! We can’t!” Celestia said. She grabbed Luna with her forelimbs, and pulled her sister to the ground. A moment later Celestia had covered them both with the broken pieces of the licorice vine. Perhaps it was a pipe dream to think that just covering themselves with the vine, when the trap was already disarmed, would save them, but Celestia held onto Luna all the same. She held to her sister, keeping her from chasing after Menboon. And, at the same time, she used Luna as an anchor to keep herself from chasing after Nessa.

“Let go, Celestia! We have to help them! We have to!”

“Quiet, Luna!” Celestia said, her magic glowing as she placed a silencing spell on Luna. “Just... just stay quiet and don’t look.”

But Luna did look. She and Celestia both watched intently, unable to look away and silently praying that their friends might get away. And for a moment, it seemed that they might. Menboon’s long stride gave him a bit of speed and Nessa was bounding more securely. It looked like Discord was having trouble keeping up.

But that was because he was slowing down.

Discord landed on a hill crest, a shirt forming around his torso as a large, heavy ball appeared in his claw. He took a stance, holding the ball in both his claw and paw. He took a few steps forward, walking on the tips of his lower claw and hoof. He then swung his arm, sending the ball rolling across the ground in the direction of Menboon.

The ball caught up and hit Menboon in the ankle, and, in a flash, his whole body came apart. He was tossed skyward, legs and neck separating seamlessly from his torso. They all changed shape, becoming bottom heavy pins that landed and spun against the ground. At the same time a big red “X” appeared in the air, as if on some scoreboard.

Discord was very pleased with himself.

Luna was now crying into Celestia’s chest, the silencing spell making her quiet but doing nothing to stem her tears. And Celestia held her, kept Luna hidden, but she kept watching. She should have stopped, she should have looked away. But... she couldn’t. Her eyes would not shift even an inch.

She had to keep watching.

Nessa had gained some ground when Discord stopped, but the spirit of chaos was catching up. He was laughing. Celestia could hear his voice on the wind, laughing the way only he could laugh. Laughing in a way that grated and scratched against her mind, making her want to scream out at him. She had to cast the silencing spell on herself, just to keep her and Luna safe.

Nessa bounded from the top of a hill, but her body did not drop back to the ground as it should have. Discord’s claw was glowing, suspending her in mid air. The pair were exchanging words. Celestia couldn’t hear what nor read their lips, but Nessa looked scared. She was thrashing, trying to escape, and Discord just seemed to be musing... as if trying to find his inspiration.

He then smiled. Celestia could see it, even from afar. He was smiling as he reached out and touched Nessa on the forehead. In a flash, Nessa’s legs had changed. Above and below her knee joints her legs were now coiled, and when he dropped her on the ground she began to bounce uncontrollably. Springs; her legs had been made into springs and now she couldn’t stop bounding, no matter much how she wanted to.

As Nessa suffered, Discord stayed and laughed. He laughed as Nessa bounded. He set Menboon back up and rolled the large ball again, knocking Menboon over and over again as if playing some sick game.

All while Luna and Celestia remained hidden, hoping beyond hope their friends were alright and that they themselves would not fall victim to Discord as well.

“Discord eventually left,” Luna said, picking up as Celestia lost the strength to continue the story. “We used our magic to help Menboon and Nessa get back to the village. Thankfully, with time and care, Discord’s magic can be undone. But it takes a very long time and nobody ever seemed the same afterward. Menboon walked much slower, as if afraid he would topple over at the slightest misstep. And Nessa, she didn’t bound around anymore like a deer should. She only walked.”

“Did they stay like that?” Twilight asked, wanting to know more but, at the same time, hoping she was not digging up even more painful memories for the pair.

“The wounds ran deep, but, once Discord was defeated, they did heal. We kept in contact with them over the years. Both of them lived full lives, and were able to bury what happened to them in the past.”

Luna took a sip from her tea before continuing. “But that day, when we returned home, we asked Malewa why. Why wasn’t anypony trying to stop Discord? Why were the village leaders letting him do stuff like that? And she told us it was because no pony could stand up to him. I remember Celestia screaming, saying there had to be a way. And I agreed with her. Neither one of us ever wanted to see anyone, let alone our friends, get tormented like that again.

“That’s when Malewa asked us a single question,” Luna said, her own voice growing a bit distant as she was caught up in the memory of that moment. “She asked that, if we could, would we stand up to him. She asked whether or not we were willing to try and fix the world or if we just wanted to let someone else to do it.”

“What did you say?” Twilight asked.

“We both agreed, without a moment’s pause, that, if we had a chance to stop Discord, we would try,” Celestia said, finally regaining her voice, though it was still weak and quiet. “And that decision changed the course of our young lives. The very next day, Malewa began teaching us and training us. She had us take lessons from almost everyone in the village. Fighting, tactics, magic, and so much more. Our lives became devoted to defeating Discord.”

“But how did you know you could beat him? Did you know about the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked.

“No, we didn’t, but looking back I have to wonder if Malewa did,” Celestia mused as she poured herself another cup of tea. “She reminded us of our heritage as princesses, but told us it wasn’t our lineage that would give us the strength to face Discord. We tried to pry more from her, to understand how we would have any chance of beating him, but she did not say. She only kept assuring us that we two represented the one thing that Discord could never defeat.”

“In any case,” Luna said, picking up the story. “Much changed after that day.”

For ten years we trained in Cliff Wound. We never got our cutie marks in that time, never had a chance to find what we were truly talented at. But that wasn’t so important to us. We knew our talents could wait until the day Discord was defeated, and Malewa assured us they would come in time.

We learned all there was to learn in Cliff Wound. Malewa got us lessons with unicorns, with earth ponies, with other zebra, with giraffes, and with so many who called the village home. By the time Celestia and I were adults, when we were in the prime of our once mortal lives, we were skilled in combat and knowledgeable in mind.

Finally, one day, we told Malewa this. We asked her what else we needed to finally face Discord. And her answer was simple. Malewa said we were still missing something. That, as two unicorns, Cliff Wound could never offer all the strength we needed to face Discord.

It was on that day that Malewa brought forth saddlebags she had kept packed for so long. It was on that day that Malewa told us that the last step of our lessons, the final piece we would need, lay beyond the town that had been our home and our world for all our lives.

It was on that day, with so little warning and no chance for good-byes, that we left Cliff Wound and walked straight into the chaotic world Discord had made.

“I have the firewood, or... at least wood I think will burn.”

Luna came into the small clearing that had become the trio’s camp. Only Celestia was there. Malewa was still away, searching for a source of water. In the meantime, her elder sister had prepared the camp in the chaotic forest they found themselves in. Their sleeping mats were laid out, and she had cleared a firepit in the ground which smelled and had the consistency of wet tea leaves.

Celestia used her magic to take some of the sticks Luna had scavenged, inspecting each one as she began to stack them in the firepit. “Are these branches made of... charcoal?”

“Yes,” Luna said as she took a seat next to the firepit. “I snapped them off of trees that had large, metal leaves that looked like a single wall of a cage. Some of the branches were even burning, cooking a mixture of vegetables skewered on sticks atop the metal leaves. It smelled... wonderful, to be honest. I bought a few back, if you wished to try one.”

Celestia shook her head. “I think I’ll wait to make sure Mother says they’re safe.”

“Is she not back yet?” Luna asked as she continued to pass sticks to Celestia to stack on the fire pit.

“We didn’t pass any clean water all day, and we can’t drink all that prune juice again or we’ll lose another day.” Celestia paused a moment to offer Luna a reassuring smile. “I’m sure Mother is on her way back. Don’t worry.”

Luna nodded, the fire sparking to life between them. The fire grew and, as it burned, changed hue. A side effect of the chaotic materials, the fire was like the northern lights before them, turning and dancing while still providing all important warmth.

“Have you given any thought to what Mother said the other day, about finding our virtues?” Luna asked as she settled in. She was truthfully thinking of Malewa, wondering if she was safe. The chaos of the world could swallow all three of them up at anytime, day or night, rain or shine. But she didn’t want to think about that, so she focused on something else. A tangent to the topic that plagued her thoughts.

“I have, and I think I know one of my virtues.”

“What is it?” Luna asked.

“Well, I was reminded of it earlier today when we traversed that swamp. We had to keep laughing the whole time, like the bubbles in the water and the trees, or the whole swamp would come after us. Remember what Mother did? She made it into a game. We tried different laughs, and even used our laughter to sing a song. She made it a game. She made it kind of fun, and it wasn’t as scary because of that.

“And, I think I have that virtue. The day we faced Discord, I tried to keep Menboon, Nessa and you calm suggesting a quiet game. It didn’t really work but I tried. Maybe I have a virtue of...”

“Playing games when you should be serious?” Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head. “No, playing games to make things... not so scary. To keep everyone calm, to keep ponies laughing and to keep the hope alive.” Celestia sighed and scratched her head. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just reading into this wrong.”

“No,” Luna said, reaching a hoof and gently placing it on her sister’s shoulder. “I like it. A virtue of... hope. Or maybe....”

“Laughter,” a voice said from the forest as Malewa stepped out of the gloom, canteens sloshing with clean water.

“An Element of Harmony,” Twilight whispered, her words feeling delicate on her lips. She was reminded so much of the journey she and her friends went on for the Elements. Those little moments, where each of her friends showed something special about themselves. A moment where their greatest strength, their virtue of friendship, showed through. “I had wondered... once or twice... whether or not you two had four friends who helped you or if you used the Elements yourselves.”

“It was the latter,” Luna said, the empty tea cups sitting between the three alicorns as the story outlasted their pot of tea. “The Elements were not going to be as strong with just the two of us, and that is likely why Discord’s state as a statue was not as permanent as we thought. But fate was not so kind to us, Twilight Sparkle. My sister and I could only rely on one another, and trust in Malewa’s word that we would be more than enough.”

“So what happened next?” Twilight asked.

“After traveling for two long months, we arrived at our destination,” Celestia said, her words carrying a whisper of the pain in the memories. “On that day, much happened. We found the Elements. We ascended and become alicorns. We faced Discord.”

“And... it was also destined to be the last day we ever saw Malewa.”