The Crown of Night

by Daedalus Aegle

Prologue: Remembered.

"You wanted to see me, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, with a broad smile. She had been summoned to Canterlot for, the letter said, 'a chat', which according to Twilight Sparkle's experience meant that she did not need to worry about having to save all of Equestria from impending doom on this particular occasion.

Celestia smiled at the enthusiasm of her faithful student. "Hello, Twilight, so good to see you." The Princess rose from the Sun Throne in the great hall of Canterlot Castle and stretched her legs and wings. "How are things in Ponyville?"

"Everything's fine, Princess. The Apples are working on harvesting this year's crop, Rarity's boutique is getting lots of customers..." She ran down the list of everypony in Ponyville, listing their occupations and saying that they were doing fine.

"Perhaps you're wondering why I asked you to come here?" the Princess asked when her student was finished.

"Well... maybe a little."

Celestia nodded. "Come, walk with me."

Twilight fell in line beside her mentor and looked up at the giant Alicorn with the usual level of awe in her eyes that none but the Princess ever saw.

"You know the stained glass windows of Canterlot Castle," Celestia said.

Twilight nodded. "Of course, Princess. All the greatest moments in Equestria's history are depicted on them."

"Tell me, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said as they walked down the great throne hall, "Have you ever wondered why, of all the pivotal events that are commemorated in these windows, Star Swirl the Bearded is nowhere to be seen in them?"

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the beautiful images and considered the question. The hall was long, and the windows were many. Celestia Herself commissioned them when she thought it proper; when a terrible evil was defeated, when some deed upheld and strengthened the peace and unity of Ponydom. Twilight herself was there on one window, along with her friends; her brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadance on another; even her library assistant and honorary baby brother Spike was immortalized on one. And there were others beyond counting, commemorating past victories from before Twilight's time, events recent and distant, and some so ancient it seemed none but Celestia herself remembered their true meaning. But Star Swirl the Bearded was indeed nowhere on any of them to be seen.

Now that this was pointed out to her, Twilight was puzzled. It couldn't be that he was not important enough, that no great deed in his life was worthy of the honor. He was one of the greatest wizards ever to live, after all, even though nowadays it seemed like nopony but Twilight herself, and the royal sisters who had known him in life, remembered that he had ever existed.

"I guess it never really occurred to me, Princess," Twilight answered. "There are already so many of them, I never thought about what hadn't been included."

"Ah," Princess Celestia said, "but sometimes the choice of what we forget is as important as the choice of what we remember."

Twilight nodded, uncertain what her mentor was thinking. Twilight remembered Star Swirl's exploits very well, at least as much of them as were recorded in history. When she was just a filly Twilight had been given the biography of him written by his pupil Clover the Clever, and had devoured it, going back to it again and again. But none of those stories were memorialized in glass. "So why isn't he on any of them?" she asked.

"It's a difficult question to answer," Princess Celestia said. She halted under one window in particular, one that had always stood out for its humility in the splendor of the throne hall: the Broken Hall. No pony, and no other figure was depicted in this ancient and mysterious image. It showed only a chamber of stone, its walls broken and fallen, and beyond the walls a black night sky. "Perhaps I can explain it like this... Star Swirl did many great things in his life. But the greatest thing of all, was not one of his triumphs. The greatest of all his achievements... was his greatest failure."

Comments

[statoose]

This already sounds exciting!

[Lexiebommel10]

dun dun DUNNNNNNNN

[Paxwing]

Ooh! Sounds awesome! There really aren't enough fics that cover Equestria's history!

Book horse is pleased.