Nearly a month since the ‘laughter’ incident had passed before Solaria had learned something entirely unexpected about the ponies in the hidden village, at a celebratory event that the commoners called a ‘party.’
Solaria nearly tripped over the galloping herds of foals more than once as she made her way over to the familiar cloaked shape of Lulu. “What is the purpose of this event? I know of no significant event that requires such a gathering,” she asked as she surveyed the anarchy of the scene. A significant number of adults had apparently found time to leave their usual work to attend, and were all helping set up decorations and conversing with the others that were present.
“Cloudy and Skipper got their marks!” Lulu said, as though it explained everything. “And Pansy’s mark changed entirely! We used to have a party once a year to celebrate whenever ponies got their marks or whenever they changed, but I think it’s because of you that we have the chance to celebrate early this year!” The scarred unicorn’s wide smile was visible from the folds of her cloak.
Solaria had thought to inquire further, but something Lulu mentioned gave her pause. “Because of me? Why do you think that?” There were no parties while I was on the throne…
“Because of your mark!” Lulu exclaimed cheerfully. “You showed up, and then you were such a hard worker that the field crews could take breaks! Everypony’s also talking about how everything is starting to thaw out, which means the sun’s slowly coming back, which means that the field crews have even more free time to help everypony, which let us have this party!”
The thaw… that isn’t possible! Solaria stretched her senses to the heavens and celestial body that she controlled, and she nearly stumbled with the shock of her discovery. It’s moving closer to the planet! I still control the orbit, but the distance is resisting my commands. Traveller… your end shall be slow and painful once I recover from your curse. Despite the well-worn nature of that particular oath, there wasn’t nearly as much fire in it as before. While it is frustrating to lose even a modicum of control… this change is tolerable. It will make the work of the villagers easier.
That idle thought caused Solaria’s gaze to drift to the rest of the gathered ponies in the village square. Many of the adults in the square were either in the process of shedding their heavier clothing or already down to little more than a vest. The foals were almost entirely devoid of clothing as they galloped playfully about the square.
“Lulu, why don’t you spend time with your peers?” Solaria asked with an honest note of curiosity coloring her question. “I have noticed that the ponies here congregate into groups based on similar interests, age groups, and work environments. It seems odd that you would almost exclusively stay with myself or Starswirl.”
The foal’s smile fell just a little bit before she explained. “Well, the other foals think I’m… spooky. I mostly stayed indoors until Starswirl taught me a detection spell that let me feel stuff around me. I think my eyes, and not needing to see ponies to know where they are, makes them scared. Some think I’m some sort of ghost, I think.” She hesitated for just a second before continuing in a rush, “They aren’t mean or anything. Nopony has teased me after I learned how to create homing snowballs with telekinesis and an attraction spell!”
The image of Lulu surrounded by dozens of snowballs, punishing her enemies like a miniature version of Solaria herself was enough to make the disguised alicorn smirk. “They do not appreciate just how great you will become, Lulu. They will learn the error of their ways, in time.” The smile on her face slowly faded as well as another question came to mind. “Lulu, why don’t you shed that heavy cloak, at least? You must be rather warm under it.”
The happy expression on the foal vanished completely before she lowered her head to vanish within the shadows of her hood. “I can’t,” she said in a quiet voice.
“Why can’t you?” Solaria asked curiously, but no response came from the cloaked filly. She didn’t press the issue, as Lulu had continued to shrink into her cloak. Instead, Solaria took the opportunity to review some of the conversation that she had with the filly, and she nearly facehoofed when she recalled something interesting that had been glossed over. “You mentioned that this party is to celebrate those who receive their marks, but you also said that some… changed?”
“Yep! Some ponies that already had their cutie marks before, but they started to change!” Lulu explained excitedly, once again showing the good cheer that Solaria had come to expect. “It’s becoming rarer, and Starswirl thinks it’s because whatever magic governs the marks is finally settling down. Anypony that already has a mark would have changed by now, and anypony who doesn’t have a mark yet gets all these really amazing marks!”
How many times can a single filly shake the foundations of the world I’ve tried to build here? It must be deliberate! Solaria sighed in defeat. She cautiously began to inspect the ponies assembled in the square, and had to resist the urge to facehoof at her lack of perception.
More than a dozen ponies milled about the square, and now that she looked more closely, Solaria couldn’t help but notice the variety of the different flank marks present. While some of the expected marks were present, such as marks related to agriculture or physical labor for the earth ponies, they were easily matched by the number of those whose marks were... unique. A pegasus with a close-cropped mane and an hourglass mark conversed with Smart Cookie and Clover, whose marks appeared similar to their namesakes. Two of the most active foals in the clearing held a bouncing rock and a cloud. Even Pansy possessed a nonsensical mark of what appeared to be bubbles.
What do they mean!? Solaria screamed inwardly. The immediate implications were nothing short of staggering. The mark system was designed to provide purpose for everypony! How does this village function without clearly defined roles!?
Her attempts at making sense of the situation abruptly halted as she caught sight of a familiar peaked hat in the window of the common hall. Solaria took a steadying breath and asked, “Lulu, I’m going to go talk to Starswirl for a bit, alright?”
“I don’t know how much talking you’ll do, since he said he was studying. He never wants to talk or do anything when he’s buried in his books,” Lulu explained grumpily.
“I’ll come back out once I’m done with Starswirl, then maybe you can show me this fabled food called ‘cake’ that you love so dearly?” Solaria offered, and the filly grinned widely with anticipation. With the young one suitably uplifted, the disguised alicorn made her way through the crowd and entered the common hall.
Starswirl had commandeered a corner table, and all manner of written material was scattered around him. Scrolls and books were stacked in the other seats around the table, and every inch of its surface was covered by at least three layers of unfurled scrolls, minimum. The unicorn himself was seemingly lost deep in thought as he stared down at his work. His concentration was so complete that he didn’t react in any way when Solaria approached and looked over his shoulder at his work.
The spells and matrices laid out on the table were wildly complex and went far beyond the simple manipulation of the local environment that the majority of spells entailed. One incomplete spell caught the disguised Solaria by surprise, as it laid the foundation to undo the rigid control that she had instigated for the marks that the tribes were given. “Ah…” she said as comprehension finally struck her.
Any further inspection was interrupted as Starswirl nearly jumped out of his chair and whirled about before he caught sight of the mare behind him. “Sun above, child! Were you never taught to not sneak up on anypony? It’s been a few years since the fall, but some of us still have reflexes meant for battle. You could get hurt!”
The disguised alicorn floundered momentarily at being caught red-hoofed. She tried several times to explain, but stopped when Starswirl let out a sigh and smiled. “I apologize for raising my voice toward you. I would have thought you would be outside with Lulu enjoying the warmer weather?” the stallion asked as he cast a glance toward the papers on the table, then back to Solaria. “On that subject, I don’t suppose you know anything about why the weather is acting so?”
“No, I don’t,” Solaria said. Perhaps too hastily, however, as Starswirl’s eyebrow arched up towards his hairline. Without missing a beat, Solaria continued, “Though you are correct in that I do have a question. Lulu was just explaining the purpose of this gathering, and the marks that some of the ponies have don’t… they are not the typical marks that I would expect to see on the pony that bears them.”
Starswirl held Solaria squarely in his too-knowing stare. After a moment, the stallion nodded. “I suppose that’s to be expected. What with the cold weather, everypony has been too bundled up for you to see some of the changes that are taking place. You’re familiar with the typical marks that show up on each race, yes? And I imagine Lulu’s explanation only gave you more questions?” When the disguised alicorn nodded to both questions, he mimicked the gesture before pausing to collect his thoughts.
“Clover was the first, from what I’ve been told. Don’t tell me you thought a trio of clovers was a normal mark for a battle magi before Solaria’s absence?” Starswirl began, and a small smirk spread when he caught sight of the flat look she gave him. “Regardless, he was left to die after a skirmish and fell unconscious. When he awoke, he was in the care of our dear Cookie. Just between you and me, he said that when he opened his eyes and saw that mare for the first time, he felt that his rotten luck had finally changed. And when he was finally able to leave that bed, his mark had changed as well. Ever since then, he abandoned his old identity in favor of the one he has now.”
But… that… that makes no sense! If you have the power to undo the binding mark, why bother with something so meaningless as a lucky symbol? Solaria asked herself silently. “I’m not certain I understand. You were able to undo his mark, but--”
Starswirl raised a hoof. “I suppose I should be impressed that you were able to deduce that much from my incomplete notes, but you’re only partially correct.” The unicorn looked down at the aforementioned notes and shuffled them into the bottom of the stack. “I was researching for a way to break the mark system to free us from Solaria’s caste system when I became aware of Clover’s curious development. Soon after, the foals coming of age started getting their own marks that were far from the normal ones we were expecting.” He turned back to Solaria and let out a helpless laugh. “It seems that the mark system has broken itself. If marks are changing on their own, then it seems rather silly to develop a spell to force the change.
With his explanation apparently complete, Starswirl paused to give Solaria another one of his suspicious looks. “I’m afraid you’ve piqued my curiosity, Sunny. It is well within your rights to refuse my question, but I feel compelled to ask: Is your mark the one you’ve always had?”
“Y-yes! Of course it is!” Solaria asserted with as much confidence she could fake, though she withered under the weight of Starswirl’s stare. Does he ask these questions because he does not know the answer, or because he does? she thought, and a small amount of panic began to enter her thoughts.
“Yes, I imagine so,” the stallion said with a nod as he released Solaria from his visual grip. He again sat at the table and began to pour over his notes. “We’ve only been seeing this phenomenon for a couple of years, with a hooffull of foals and younger ponies to base our studies on. It’s nothing concrete, but there does seem to be a correlation between the marks that appear and the traits that the mark-bearer possesses. It all somehow ties back to the five… but five isn’t enough, is it? There’s something that’s missing.”
With the stallion’s gaze no longer upon her, Solaria once again stepped forward to look over his shoulder to inspect his work. “The five? Is this related to the traits you mentioned some time ago? Honesty, loyalty…” Her words gradually drifted off as she tried to make sense of at least a dozen spells that were partially finished or in only a theoretical stage. Time travel, unlocking true potential, translation and interpretation spells, plus the mountains of research on something called ‘the Elements of Harmony’ covered nearly every page in front of him. Unfortunately, any further inspection of the elder unicorn’s work was interrupted when the door flew open with a BANG.
“Sunny! Sunny! You’ve got to try this, it’s delicious!” Lulu shouted as she galloped up to Solaria with a plate of the mythical ‘cake’ being pulled behind her with telekinesis. Without any prompting, the cake was nearly flung into the disguised alicorn’s face. It halted an inch in front of her snout before hovering there patiently.
The filly seems to be quivering with anticipation for me to try this ‘cake.’ Perhaps I will humor her on this to see what excites her so, Solaria mused to herself as she took a nibble of the offered sweets. Then another nibble. Then a bite. Then a larger bite. “Lulu, tell me… is there more of this ‘cake?’” she asked as she finished off the last of what the filly had brought her.
“Yes, there is! But we have to hurry before it’s all gone!” Lulu confirmed happily before whipping around and bolting out of the building. “Because the crops turned out so well, they’ve got all kinds of awesome flavors and toppings! Like strawberries, and…”
Solaria trotted in the filly’s wake with a smile. Any concerns about just what Starswirl was planning were placed a distant second priority to securing more of the sweet confection that the mortals had apparently been hiding from her for all the years of her rule.
Placeholder!
Edit: Special thanks to all my editors who worked -really- fast to get this done! Also, because I can't have two windows open on my laptop and look at them both, I'm going to give a specific shout-out to Setokaiva who has joined the editor staff!
Also, THE CAKE IS A LIE.
6013032 Nuuuuu, you lured us with Cake! You fiend!
...(not) magic?
And so began Celestia's cake obsession.
I see true dilemma of this story.
This is so awesome!
This is like reading a story where Conan the Barbarian is learning to be Harry Potter.
The cake scene might just seem like a cute little tidbit, but if you think about it, it's so much more meaningful than it seems at first glance. What is cake? It's food, yes, but one that goes beyond the usual purpose of just sating hunger. It is sweet. It is delicious. It's a bit of a treat, and mostly made for happy occasions, to celebrate. It's colourful, decorated and many other things that seem unnecesary for it to suit the primary purpose of food: to sate hunger. Tasteless but hearty bread would sate hunger just as fine as cake would, so one could argue there is no need to make cake when much simpler bread will do and will be made much faster. Solaria taking a liking to cake, desiring more of it, marks the subtle beginning of a far more significant change in her.
Before, in her world view, everything needed to have a purpose, a purpose related to keeping the machine of society running properly. Anything that didn't fit that, she didn't understand, because it seemed so illogical. It is very much like how a computer running a society would react. The computer would be just as confused as Celestia as to why these ponies are unhappy with just bread and want cake. After all, does bread not sate their hunger? A computer has no concept or understanding of flourishes. Of fun and of the whimsical.
That Solaria in this chapter has taken a liking to cake, to something that by its very nature is needlessly complex and goudy for simple food made to sate hunger, shows how ever so slowly and subtly, she is thawing out. Her mind is opening up, she begins to understand some of these strange, illogical concepts she is presented with (concepts she never would have even come in touch with while seated on her throne). Slowly, she is becoming more of a pony rather than a biological computer. Baby steps, of course, but significant nevertheless.
Well, that, or I'm reading way too much into what was supposed to be just a cute little moment.
Similarly, I think the concept of ponies being thankful towards her for her work so their own load is lightened and they can engage in more fun and 'unnecesary' actions, is just as strange to her as the concept of cake. I don't think Solaria was ever truly, genuinely thanked for anything, not on a personal level. I don't think that ever really mattered to her before, either. Gratitude was not needed to run the machine. It is interesting to see how she tries to cope with these feelings. I'm sure ponies have been dissatisfied with her actions before in her life, but a pony being so grateful to her for doing something, grateful on a personal level, that they would like to give her a big hug, for example? Pretty sure that never happened, just as I'm sure she'd be as baffled by it as she was by laughter.
hey Arad love the story so far, and keep up the hard work dude.
And thus began Queen Solaria/Princess Celestia's long (and during that one 'incident' that will not be named during the year after Discord's reign, some would say 'torrid') love affair with that most holy of baked goods: the cake!
A decade after hostilities with the alien invaders officially ended, Jeane Pierre Bossen, a young French diplomat's son (on a dare from some friends) boldly proclaimed in the presence of Her Royal Majesty "Let her eat cake!" While gasps of indignation were heard from the patriotic French delegation for the utterance of such words of disrespect once said by the long dead Marie Antoinette, Princess Celestia knighted the youth right there on the spot for saying such a wondrous phrase (and then proceeded to reward him with the universe's most cuddly hug).
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Doubtless the first taste of Cake was the point of no return :)
5973688 Actually, when she yelled "concubine", Solaris wasn't referring to herself for a job position. She was actually trying to figure out what Smart Cookie's relationship was to Clover, and had practically tuned out everything else around her as she contemplated before she shouted out loud what she thought that relationship was (since she didn't have a concept of "husband and wife" at that time).
And thus began the downfall of Solaria and the rise of Celestia, the Unstoppable Sweet-tooth, Terror of the Bakery, the Unending Gullet, Conqueror of the 38-Layer Mascarpone.
fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/098/b/4/princess_celestia_and_her_cake_by_johnjoseco-d4vgx0w.jpg
She had her cake and ate it too.
Wait, the cake developed telekinetic powers and offers Lulu as sacrifice?
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Whoops, left-over artifact of me tweaking the wording in that sentence!
Starswirl's interactions with "Sunny" are very well done, the tension in between the friendliness is palpable. Ah... and the cake moment. A pivotal point, beautifully set up.
I love this story.
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You have a broken link, there.
Congratulations, Arad. You've managed to write a Tyrantlestia story that I don't hate with every fiber of my being. Bravo.
Cakelestia:
[youtube=_JUCfX1P1ik]
Right, I'm moving this from 'tracked' to 'favorites'.
I love the character work you're doing here but also the world-building. The idea that cutie-marks were originally designed to force a caste system and then broke free of their constraints, the reason Starswirl started to research and then abandoned a cutie-mark changing spell, and many other details create a world that feels like a natural expansion of canon.
The idea that cake is the first true step in breaking Celestia of being cold? Ahh. So, so incredibly fitting. And the idea that thousands of years later, cake reminds her that, oh, yes, there is a reason these mortals are wonderful as they are? I love this tale.
Alright, the doctor said my heart has suffered irreparable damage from Lulu's adorable nature. So, to keep my body from keeling over at the mere mention of that plucky blind unicorn, they had to give me this:
i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab302/Church0/XCOM%20-%20Secondary%20Heart_zpsctlzchde.jpg
For the amount of meld and Muton Elite corpses it cost, this new heart better work.
Now, let's do this!
1. Of Cutie Marks and Sunny Skies
So, Starswirl was seeking a way to end the caste system of the marks only to find them changing of their own accord. It could be glitches in Solaria's system that have popped up without her authoritarian control, but there's probably something more to this.
Remember how Starswirl said there was a magic developing among the villagers that felt natural? What if Solaria's mark system wasn't all her doing, but rather a vast manipulation of the magic inherent to all ponies? It would probably explain the conflicts among the three tribes and the ponies on an individual level. They might feel what they're destined to do, but the modified marks of Solaria's system compel them otherwise. Think of it like Twilight casting Starswirl's unfinished spell in "Magical Mystery Cure" but with Solaria as the caster. She knows she's modifying the marks and destinies to fit within her system, but she has no inkling of what it'll do to pony-kind in the long run.
And now, without her to maintain control, their true cutie marks are returning, complete with hourglasses and nonsensical bubbles.
Seriously, though, what kind of destiny could Pansy and his descendant Derpy have that is symbolized by bubbles?
2. Starswirl, Magic and Science and the Elements
Seems like Starswirl, not Solaria, is the one who is most interested in unlocking the power within the Elements of Harmony. The old wizard might see them as a means to protecting the future of Equestria should Solaria return, but I'm betting our dear Sunny will get in his head about who the "real" threat to Equestria is. Combined with the other spells he's got in the works (translation, time travel, ascension) I'd say he's been building up quite the war chest.
On a similar note, I'm wondering if this story's conclusion will, in fact, be the factual ending of the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant. Sure, Hurricane, Platinum and Puddinghead are petrified, not frozen, but we've seen the Elements break that enchantment with Discord. I could actually see Solaria (now calling herself Celestia) reviving the three with Luna's help in an attempt to embrace her new identity as a benevolent ruler. Of course, she'll also go on to conceal her past as well. To quote Evey Hammond's father in V for Vendetta:
I guess this would make Solaria both the greatest artist and politician on her planet.
3. Spooky Lulu
Even in a village where all are welcomed there is still fear of the unknown. Case in point : Lunar Lullaby. I'd wager she's concealing some truly ghastly scars and disfigurements beneath her cloak, and probably not just burns either. Combined with her adapted magic that senses her surroundings and you can see why young kids (and even adults) would be weary of her. Even if they understand her abilities are her means of living an active life, she'll still be given that "other" treatment.
This will probably become more tragic when Solaria embraces her as a sister and gives her alicorn status. "Luna" will have a restored body and expanded powers, but she'll probably retain some of the mannerisms and traits of her time as a blinded filly. She'll prefer the night because she has known darkness for most of her young life. She'll expand her magic senses even further, walking among the thoughts and dreams of all ponies. She'll try to be as kind and loving a ruler as her big sister, Celestia.
But the stigma of the night and the unknown will still carry over. And we all know what nightmares will come from that.
But that sad tale of the future is countered by :
4. DELICIOUS CAKE!
i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab302/Church0/Cakelestia%20in%20Kill%20la%20Kill_zpsx1wofwup.png
First laughter and now cake. Solaria is getting a crash-course on this mortal thing called "frivolity." Even the most well-structured of lives need some spontaneous joy now and then to keep things interesting. Otherwise, you risk ending up like the Q in Star Trek. An entire god-like race that came to a literal stand-still, never deviating the slightest from their directive or trying new things because they'd already done everything.
Discord's perpetual state of chaos isn't ideal, either. Sure, he breeds creativity in other races he encounters at astonishing rates, but he also sows the seeds for their destruction. Hell, he meddles in any organized system just because it exists. Methinks Twilight needs to give both Celestia and Discord a lengthy report on the benefits of harmony and balance. While wearing Psi Armor and uber-charged by an Ethereal Device just for good measure.
P.S. - Solaria might love cake now, but give her a few hundred birthday parties. That candle schtick is gonna get old real fast.
i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab302/Church0/Celestias%20Birthday%20Cake%20Misery._zpspww3knzt.jpg
Cake-lestia is the bestia, as I always say.
And was Lulu's wearing of a heavy cloak in all weather a hint that she's already an alicorn?
Somehow I can see why.
Hah, so Solaria created the mark mark magic as an automatic caste system, and over time it morphed into what we see in the show. Complex systems like that spell must be do go their own way sometimes, especially in a land where the virtues of the Elements are a signficant magical constant.
And then Solaria eats all of the cake and is transformed instantly into the Celestia we all know and love.
The start of a LEGEND. Of cake!
An hourglass mark, unique? Oh, just you wait Celestia.
I wonder what Solaria's reaction would be when she finds out her rule made cakes a rarity.
"This cake,I like it...ANOTHER!"
So, a lifelong addiction was formed. Celestia found it in her heart to forgive Luna for this; after all, the benefits were so much greater!
Star Swirl's comments are interesting. Is this Discord's work? Is he slowly leaking out chaos and thus undoing the rigidity of Solaria's ordered world? Or it simply that natural Harmony is fighting against Solaria's attempt at total control and this would happen anyway, no matter how hard she had tried to prevent it? It will probably be a growing puzzle for her that there are clearly forces in the universe that she cannot control and are beyond even her wisdom to understand. It is a humbling thing to know that, no matter how hard you push, the universe will always push back and much harder.
The Sixth Element is, of course, Magic, symbolising the unifying power of Friendship. I wonder when Solaria will realise this and realise just who is meant to be its Bearer?
That was great I like how you introduced Celestia's cake addiction I WANT MOAR SOON! If that is alright with you.
Now that's a wham line!
6013032
Actually, the Cake is a Pie.
(Specifically the Cheesecake, which is technically a type of Pie)
Took me some time but I finally have begun to read this story. And it was good. Looking forward to more.
Celestia has discovered cake! Confectionary will never be safe again
6013248 INB4 someone writes a fanfic where Celestia is actually a comp... oh wait, a dozen or so people already did that.
Talk about your defrosting ice queens.....
Oh mein gut! That cover gave me artistgasm! I love Ice/cold element horses!
Better start reading!
6013032
Dayum! Good job ^^ http://www.equestriadaily.com/2015/06/story-celestia.html
I see what you did there, having Starswirl leave a cutie mark changing spell unfinished, which would cause problems far later down the line for six certain ponies (or it would if stardust didn't take a different approach to how Twilight became a princess).
I've got to say, I'm interested in how you depicted Celestia/Solaria. My biggest question is though, how much has she really changed over the years? It's like she's learned to work around the problems, but in a lot of ways, I feel that she's not had as much a change as heart as simply learning better ways of working w/ her subjects.
Discord implies that if she was unrestrained, she'd return to her old ways, and her thought process in Mente Materia also seems to suggest the same. The only thing beside her discording is that her feelings towards Twilight in which she was truly wrathful and close to going spare; I'm not sure if you're including the canon depiction of Celestia v. Luna 1000 years ago in the Stardust-verse, but it seems to me she's closer to Twilight than her own sister. Part of me is deeply curious if Twilight would ever learn the truth, such as its buried, and how she would react ...
No! You know not what you do!
...And from this day forth the bakers of Equestria shall lament, for the one known as Lulu created a monster.
6015831 Thusfar, I'm thinking it's a hint that she's missing most of her hair and wouldn't be able to fend off the cold, even if it's not as cold as it was.
Guess I'll find out if I'm wrong soon enough.
a battle magus OR a battle mage…magi is plural.
I'll be honest, when Lulu first mentioned the cake, I didn't give it a second thought. Then she presented some to 'Sunny', and I knew where it was going... So it begins...
This looks bad for our queen. It looks like the mortals have found her one weakness! Cake!
And thus celestia's crippling addiction to cake was born.
6799130
That was Monday...
7113976
Id argue its more of, people, children especially, fear and mock that which is differnt and they dont understand.