Twilight gazed out over the bustling city of Canterlot. She basked in the gentle morning light as Celestia's majestic sun crested the horizon and warmed her soul.
A small sigh escaped her lungs. As beautiful as it was, she could not deny that it had been the same sight she had seen every morning for the past thousand years or so.
It is so hard to keep track of time when one must live forever, she thought. It still pained her to think of her friends, though the grief had largely passed. She was glad for the company of Discord, Celestia, Luna and Cadence.
With a refined sense of habit, she levitated a tea tray which was laid out specially each morning and selected a pouch of chamomile. She dipped it in the hot water and began to stir. When she felt it brewed enough, she took a sip. She was given a small shock when the tea tasted nothing like chamomile, but instead like peppermint. She didn't feel like rebrewing the tea, so with a quick spell she changed the peppermint to chamomile.
She blinked. She had just performed a liquid conversion spell, an exceedingly difficult spell, like it was nothing. She thought hard to the days of her youth. She had struggled to perform even as simple a spell as an age spell back then. She blinked again. Age spells. Reserved for the highest level unicorns. She considered them simple?
She closed her eyes, tea forgotten. When was last time she had legitimately felt challenged by a test of magic? She cast her gaze far back into the past, but only one memory surfaced, the memory of her battle with Trixie. Had it really been that long?
She set down her tray and teleported into the main throne room. Another 'simple' spell, she thought. Princess Celestia was just setting about opening her Solar Court for the day. She smiled when she saw Twilight.
"Twilight, my dear, good morning. Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Celestia.
"Celestia, what is the most challenging feat of magic you have ever performed?" asked Twilight.
Celestia looked at Twilight with wide eyes. "Why would you wish to know that?"
"I was thinking about how easily I perform difficult spells, and how simple I consider them. Are there any more advanced forms of magic?"
Celestia regarded Twilight with curiosity. "If I had to guess, I would most definitely say that it was when Luna and I created Equestria."
"Created Equestria?" echoed Twilight.
"We didn't create the rock that made the base of Equestria, but we did craft the flora and fauna that inhabit it."
"Wherever did you find the power to do that? Did you make it from scratch? Did you need raw materials? Did you make the sun and moon too? Did you—”
"Twilight, calm down. All alicorns inherently possess strong enough magic to create life, though it is extremely difficult. We did make it from scratch, for the most part. We took inspiration from creatures of a different world when designing our ponies. We also based ourselves on them—before that we were merely balls of gas and heat in my case, and in Luna's case, rock and ice. We needed no raw materials. And as for your last question, we were the sun and moon, in simple terms," explained Princess Celestia.
"Interesting..." brooded Twilight. "All alicorns, you say? Does that include me? Would I be able to make a world?"
"Twilight, you can't seriously be suggesting—”
"Does it?"
The elder alicorn sighed. "Theoretically, yes, it does include you, Twilight. If you're looking for a magical challenge, don't you think that this might be a little bit extreme?"
Twilight ignored her. "Can you call the others to a meeting later? I need to make some plans."
Celestia sighed deeply and fixed her gaze on the ceiling.
"So why have we been called here, sister?" asked Luna.
"I think Twilight wants to tell us something," offered Cadence.
"I hope it involves chaos!" said Discord, rubbing his talon and paw together.
"I doubt it," said Luna, glaring at the draconequus.
The group was gathered in the conference room; a large open room with a long, horseshoe-shaped table in the centre.
"I don't know, Luna, Twilight's plans have really gone over the edge of the cliff of logic this time," said Celestia. "It was my fault, too. I let something slip, and now we have some, uh 'world-building' on our hooves."
"Dare I even ask?" deadpanned Luna.
"Whether or not you do, Twilight will tell you anyway. Here she is now."
Twilight strode into the room, carrying a stack of sheets and wearing a dark expression.
"Hello everybody. I was wondering, when was the last time any of you really felt challenged in the art of magic? I asked Celestia, and she told me that it was when she and Luna created Equestria. Luna, can you confirm this?" she asked.
Luna nearly fell off of her chair. "Good going, sister," she whispered in Celestia's ear.
"Can you?" asked Twilight again.
"I suppose, yes, I can. It was very difficult."
"Twilight, are you seriously going to do what I think you are?" asked Cadence, her face set in a small frown.
"How delightfully random and out of nowhere!" exclaimed Discord. He summoned a thermometer-like gauge out of thin air. "Where does it land on the chaos meter?" he asked. He watched as the gauge filled with bright blue liquid, until the ball of glass at the top burst in a shower of flower petals and bouncy balls. "My my, it's off the scale! Well done, Twilight, quite impressive," the draconequus remarked.
All four alicorns rolled their eyes.
"To answer your question, Cadence, yes. I do intend to create a new world. I'll watch over it, and make sure that it becomes as peaceful and prosperous as Equestria, if not more so," said Twilight.
"But, I need your permission to do so. I wouldn't want to go doing something you all disapproved of."
"Why do you want to try and do this, Twilight?" asked Cadence warily.
"Because I've gotten slightly bored with Equestria, and the other lands on Equus. I haven't felt challenged in years, and I can't even make new friends to help pass the time, because their lives end in the blink of an eye for me now. If I had something to do, something to focus on, I feel like I could become a better mare than I am now," explained Twilight.
"But you are already a mare among mares," said Luna. "Why do you feel the need to improve?"
"Like I said, boredom. That, and the fact that I haven't done anything worth doing in centuries. I want to do something important and memorable again, Luna. Once I have my new world created, I can set up trade with Equestria. Then we would both prosper," said Twilight with a smile.
"Sounds fun!" said Cadence. "Just be careful, ok?"
"I personally think you should go right ahead! Then come back and tell us all about how difficult it was!" said Discord.
Luna looked doubtful. "Are you still sure it is a good idea? The two of us working together barely managed to create Equestria. What makes you think that you alone could do much the same?"
"Belief, determination, and a lot of books," replied Twilight with a small grin.
"Somehow, I doubt that it will go as smoothly as you think it will," said Luna darkly.
"I say we hold a vote!" said Discord. "All in favour of Twilight's plan, say 'Aye'!"
"Aye!" said Discord and Cadence together.
"All not in favour of Twilight's plan, say 'Nay'!" said Discord.
"Nay," said Luna.
She turned to her sister, sitting a fair distance away from everypony else.
"Tia? You have remained quiet for quite some time. What say you in this matter?" asked Luna.
Celestia looked up from the ground she had been staring at. Slowly, she looked around.
She sighed, and spoke. "Aye."
"Thank you, Celestia! I won't disappoint you!" squealed Twilight, hugging the elder alicorn.
"And, Luna, I'll prove to you that I can do it," she added.
"I hope you do well, Twilight," encouraged Cadence.
All of those in the room converged in large group hug, with Luna getting caught unwillingly in the middle. Only Celestia hung back, staring into the distance at something only she could see.
Arrangements had been made for Twilight to begin her task. All had agreed that Twilight's new world should be close to Equus, so that it could benefit from the sun and moon, and keep a fairly similar day and night schedule.
Left completely unequipped, wearing only her boots, chest plate and crown, Twilight charged her horn. The public had been informed of Twilight's departure, and were sending her off from the very same balcony where she had first addressed the public as a newly ascended alicorn.
She had said her goodbyes. Now all that was left was to depart.
Casting one last look at her companions, Twilight's horn flashed brightly.
Twilight suddenly found herself floating weightlessly in a near empty black void. Soon, stars began to pop up around her. She turned, and saw a beautiful blue and green gem suspended in space. She smiled. She stared at her workbench, the empty space before her, littered with clouds of dust and gas, rocks hovering here and there. In the distance, she cold see an asteroid belt looping around a far-off gas giant planet.
Twilight smiled.
Twilight's Genesis Project had begun.