Faust
The pain was gone again and Twilight found herself, standing, if one could call it that, on the astral plane, feeling peaceful and restored. She knew that what standing in this place between dimensions meant, she had died again, extremely painfully as Chrysalis drained her of her life and power. She had lost track of how many times it had happened but had come to look forward to these moments of death. The plane was simply and expanse of white nothingness stretching out into infinity a least each time in the past. She was standing in a green field this time, the warmth of her mother’s sun on her face. A very familiar, very large tree stood in the distance, the Library, her Library. She galloped excitedly towards the open door. “I must be dreaming. She must not have killed me that time. She must have,” she told herself.
“Luna?” she called looking around the reading room of the library, “Trixie?”
“I’m sorry Twilight they cannot travel to the astral plane,” a soothing motherly voice said from the kitchen. “Why don’t you come in here and join me for some tea.”
Twilight cautiously walked towards her kitchen afraid of what she might find. “The skeletal pony of death could be there waiting to take me into the afterlife for good this time,” she thought.
But, instead of a pony of nightmares, a white alicorn with a fiery red mane sat at the table pouring two cups of tea. Twilight recognized the alicorn from the picture hanging in her aunt’s room, Faust.
“Queen Faust?” Twilight said before being taken into a hug. “What are you doing here? And Where is here?”
“I know what’s happening to you Twilight and I wish I could help you, but I cannot intervene on the mortal plane,” the alicorn said. “So, I created this place for you to be comfortable and thought it would be a good place to get to know my granddaughter,” the alicorn said smiling down on the lavender mare.
“What? I’m not your granddaughter,” Twilight said.
“Well, you are and you aren’t,” she said taking her seat. “Why don’t you sit down and have your tea. I think it’s getting cold.”
Twilight sat and contemplated contradicting the most powerful alicorn in the universe, the one who created everything, but figured what else could happen to her she was already dead.
“You majesty,” Twilight began sitting in a chair that felt as familiar as her own. “I know that Celestia tampered with my memories, that she stole my life and did who knows what to my actual parents.”
“I see,” the alicorn said then took a sip of tea, “and how did you come to this conclusion.”
“Discord said some things,” she began.
“Well, he’s been a pain in my flank since the beginning, and I mean the beginning,” the white alicorn said with exasperation, “Why would you put faith in what a trickster like him says?”
“Because Luna helped me confirm it,” Twilight said, “We went in to my mind and found all these memories of another life.”
“I see,” Faust said. “Well you are right and you are wrong.”
“What?” Twilight asked. “Everything I’ve discovered says Celestia took me from my family and brainwashed me into being her daughter. Well come to think of it her tool. I think of all the times she sent me out in to danger to protect the kingdom and all the times I went because it was my noble responsibility as her daughter. I fought all her battles for her when she couldn’t or should I say wouldn’t. I’m like I said not a princess just the pawn of a selfish mare.”
“I would never call my daughter selfish, weak at times, yes, but not selfish,” Faust calmly defended. “I think it would be best if you were shown a different Celestia than the one you are used to, Celestia that breaks my heart.”
The oak walls of the library began to fade and slowly disappear as Twilight found herself standing in an open field. She smiled as she watched a pair of squirrels chase each other from tree to tree. It seemed that one of them had an acorn and wasn’t willing to share. The one with the nut darted two and fro avoiding the other until...
-Boooom!-
Twilight and the squirrel jumped at the sound of the explosion. The woodland creature was too startled to do anything more than dig a hole and bury the seed before running off to look for cover.
“I always wondered how that got planted there.” Faust said stepping up next to Twilight.
“What was that?” Twilight asked looking around for the source of the explosion.
“Celestia,” the red mane alicorn said.
“Celestia?” Twilight asked, “Where are we?”
“I think the more appropriate question is when we are,” Faust said in a tone Twilight had heard countless times from Celestia.
“Okay, when are we?” Twilight corrected her question.
“We are in Ponyville or what will be Ponyville in several centuries. See there, see Canterlot in the distance, or should I say what will be Canterlot,” Faust pointed with her wing. “We are by your counting the first day of the Celestial Monarchy.”
“You mean the first day of Nightmare Moons banishment,” Twilight put into perspective.
“Or for my daughter the first day of her own nightmare,” Faust added her own thought.
“So she decided on the first day of her sister’s banishment that she starts construction of a new capital,” Twilight said in disbelief.
“No, she is grieving,” she said looking at the destruction in the distance. “The only thing she can beat and pound in frustration with all her might as a normal pony would a pillow is a mountain.”
Twilight stood silent. She had never seen Celestia loose her temper, ever, and here she was carving away half a mountain in anger.
“She hid herself away up there on that peak to be alone and grieve the loss of Luna, it was the highest place she could find, the closest place to her sister. Her solitude lasted about 50 years before ponies decided the princess had not chosen to get away but had picked out a new capital and had terraced mountain for construction,” Faust chuckled at the assumption of the ponies.
The sky filled with another flash of brilliant light and Twilight squinted and shielded her eyes. She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by ponies all looking toward the same direction. The brilliant white marble of Canterlot seemed to radiate its own light even with the stars still filling the night sky. A wooden stage had been erected a unicorn in a circular ruffled collar stepped forward.
“One hundred years ago a great menace threatened the land of Equestria, a tyrant that wished to drive shroud the land in complete and eternal darkness. A nightmare had taken hold of Equestria and taken hold of many of its ponies. The night turned neighbor against neighbor for as the world cooled so did our hearts. The terror spread through the land as the plagues visited the good ponies, without the light and warmth of the sun the plants began to die and we began to starve, the sickness began to spread through the weakened heard, the pegasi became too weak to fly and the weather became wild, for a fortnight we hid in our homes and prayed for the sun to return and destroy the nightmare. Yes, we prayed my ponies, we prayed to the goddess of light and harmony to deliver us. We watched the sky light up as the battle raged and our princess, the Great Goddess, the sun incarnate, destroyed the foul creature and bid the sun to raise again warming our hearts and restoring harmony. So, to commemorate our deliverance and the victory over that nightmare I give you her Royal Highness Princess Celestia,” the pony finished and stepped to the side of the stage as a thunderous applause of hooves shook the ground.
Twilight stood in awe as the Princess took the stage. Celestia looked proud and powerful and ageless. The princess wordlessly closed her eyes and began to float her wings spread and as she rose into the air so did the sun, spreading the dawn over Equestria. The ponies in the crowd ooohed and ahhd as the warmth of the light spread over them.
Celestia said nothing as she descended to the stage and quietly walked off back into the castle as the crowd went wild.
“Was that the…” Twilight began.
“The first summer sun celebration, yes it was,” Faust said.
“That was amazing,” Twilight smiled.
“Yes, it was amazing she did It at all,” Faust commented.
“Really,” she said.
“Let me show you,” Faust said the crowd began to fade and the walls of a castle chamber began to appear around her. She recognized the royal quarters, and the large heaving white lump on the bed as Celestia.
“The show was excellent your majesty,” a blue manned pony said. “We have done well creating this new cult.”
“I don’t want a new cult,” she spat.
“Oh, yes you do. Do you want the ponies of Equestria to remember what really happened? Do you want them to realize an alicorn can go mad,” he said. “How long would it be before they came for you if they learned it was your sister? If they learned that you didn’t actually destroy her but simply banished her. They would riot if they knew it wasn’t this Nightmare Moon, but Luna.”
“Do not speak her name,” Celestia said getting to her hooves and glaring at the robed pony.
“Oh, I won’t as long as you keep doing what you are doing,” he said. “We noble unicorns will continue to gain power by controlling the cult and will remain at the top of the pony pecking order.”
“Get out,” she said. “Get OUT!”
“Very well your majesty,” he said trotting out the door, not caring one bit for the distressed princess.
Celestia tears streaming down her face looked over a small portrait sitting on her dresser. “I’m sorry Luna,” she said. “I took no joy in that. The only way to save you is to hide the truth, to hide you.”
Twilight couldn’t help but cry as she watched the broken alicorn weep on the cold stone floor.
“She dissolved the cult about 100 years later,” Faust added as the image faded.
“What is this supposed to do?” Twilight asked through her tears.
“It is to help you understand,” Faust said, “Understand your existence.”
The scenes began to change rapidly, the only subject matter was Celestia, she was unchanging as an immortal is, but her mood, Twilight could sense her mood through it all as they traveled through time. She was lonely; she was completely and utterly alone. She saw glimpses of her with some of her students but none that truly involved any affection. She spent every night alone. She spent every day alone yet surrounded by courtiers. The great perfect Celestia was bone crushingly depressed and somehow through Faust’s magic Twilight could feel every agonizing moment.
Celestia stood in the throne room as a mare and stallion stood before her. The couple had the nervous look of common ponies that had never been in the throne room before, none the less in front of the princess. The couple lay prostrate on the carpet, and Celestia was annoyed for this reason, Twilight could still feel her. But, the monarch’s mood changed rapidly as she noticed the bundle nestled in the mare’s saddle bag. The happiness that Twilight felt wash over her was infectous, causing her to grin and feel giddy. She watched the golden aura of the solar princess surround the swaddled colt and lifted him in front of her. The mare’s eyes widened with fear, that is until she noticed the smile on the princess face as she nuzzled the foal. “Who might this be?” Celestia cooed.
“Li-li-light Dancer, your highness,” the stallion spoke up.
“Now, Light Dancer, what have you come to ask your princess?” the imposing alicorn asked sitting back on her haunches as the foal giggled.
“We’ve come to ask for your blessing to be placed on our foal,” the stallion asked standing from his prostration and pressing against his mate’s side giving her some comfort.
The princess didn’t really do anything special, her blessing was more ritual than magic, she merely made her horn glow brighter than normal and touched it to the foals head. She smiled back at the parents who were beaming with pride and relief as she levitated Light Dancer back to the forelegs of the earth pony mother.
“Thank you, your majesty,” the mare said.
“I hope you and your family have a happy long life,” the princess said standing and stepping back up to the throne.
“We wish for you and your family to as well,” the stallion said, not realizing the common considerate words, began to wash away the princess joy.
The calm cool façade of the princess returned as politely nodded dismissing the couple and awaited the next petitioner.
The scene changed again and Twilight found herself standing on a cloud overlooking Canterlot, it was a bright and sunny day, and families were playing in one of the public gardens. She caught a glimpse of Celestia casually flying over the city. She circled the grounds and came to rest on the same cloud as Twilight and Faust and watched the families spend the day together.
“They didn’t realize what they said,” Celestia spoke aloud to herself. “They were just being genuinely polite. So, why did it hurt.”
“Tia has always talked to herself, it helps her figure things out, but you all ready know that don’t you Twilight?” Faust said.
“Yeah, I kinda do the same thing,” she replied with a chuckle.
“You could have foal, what’s to stop you, you’re the princess. Oh yes, Tia you could find a nice stallion and get knocked up. The nobles would love that,” she continued her private exposition. “I could adopt, maybe take on a student and mentor them. No, they would always see me as ‘the princess’ they would never truly see me a mother. I just want a family. I just want to be loved and share my love with someone completely. I just wish…I wish I had foal of my own.”
Twilight could feel the longing in Celestia as she looked down at the garden, then the princess took off to glide on the wind once again.
“She was so lonely Twilight, she was so lonely with a heart filled with so much love and no one she could truly give it too,” she Faust said.
-Boooooooooom!-
A sound followed by a colorful shockwave ripped through the air shattering windows all over Canterlot. Twilight braced herself for the impact, but it passed right through her. She watched in horror as it struck the Princess, Twilight screamed watching the white alicorn glow white hot generating her own shock wave of light before seizing and falling to the ground. “Its alright Twilight,” Faust said with a calming hoof placed on the younger alicorns shoulder. “The events have already happened we are just witnessing them.”
“What happened to her?” Twilight said as she watched the princess struggled to get to her hooves and shake the cobwebs from her head.
“A sonic rainboom,” Faust said.
“But that means…” Twilight jumped when a third explosion rocked Canterlot as the windows in the School for Gifted Unicorns exploded outward and a purple and green dragon burst through the roof.
“Yes, this is the day you got your cutie mark,” Faust interrupted. “But, as you saw the rainboom didn’t just affect you and your friends Celestia was affected as well.”
“What happened to her?” Twilight asked.
“She doesn’t realize it but she changed the fabric of reality with a simple wish and the unexpected magical jolt of a sonic rainboom,” Faust explained.
“You mean…” Twilight tried to put together.
“I mean you entered the school with two very nice unicorn parents then the rainboom and the deep seeded wish for a foal to love altered the world,” she explained, “Her wish was granted twice.”
“But, what about my parents? Could you?” Twilight asked.
“No, not even if I wanted to. You have impacted the world too much. To undue this would undo so many other events,” Faust explained.
“But, what happened to them?” she asked.
“You mother never married, but she went on to have a very successful career as a writer,” Faust answered. “You father, well was your, father and had his life tragically cut short.”
“But, why me?” Twilight asked.
“The universe answered a true heartfelt wish by finding the most magical, most loving, most amazing mortal pony in history a pony who regardless would have had an unbreakable bond with my daughter,” Faust tried to explain. “I’m telling you Celestia is your mother in every sense of the word. Her magic flows through you, her love raised you and no amount of magic in this world will ever or can ever change that.”
“I think I understand,” Twilight tried to sum up. “I was born of love.”
“Yes,” Faust said. “So remember her love for you is greater than the rules of the universe. You being trapped in a changeling cave will do nothing to stop her from finding you.”
“I know,” Twilight smiled.
“You are my granddaughter, biological or magical, and you will survive this,” Faust said leaning down to nuzzle her.
Twilight felt at peace and calm for moments until the shocking pain of her body reanimating screamed and she found herself once again chained in pain in a cave but this time she felt loved more than anything she could hold on to the love.