The Element of Pride

by DragonShadow

A Hope Now Found

Chapter 2: A Hope Now Found

Princess Celestia stood on the highest balcony of the Canterlot Royal Palace, her brilliant snow-white wings spread out against the sky high above. The golden rays of the sun fading against the horizon nearly overpowered the golden glow of her horn as her magic weaved through the air, reaching not only to the sun itself, but also the moon which rose slowly in the opposite horizon. Her magic infused the two celestial bodies, dragging them across the sky. Once upon a time, she understood, this was something that happened by itself. Order was simply inherent in the land and the sky…

Then Dischord had come and broken the natural order of the universe. Now it was up to the two sisters of the day and night to keep time moving along as it should… or at least that was how it was supposed to be, she noted glumly as she, once again, gazed upon the soft silhouette of Nightmare Moon engraved upon the surface of the rising moon. It had been almost a thousand years since her baby sister had been corrupted by her own madness, yet the pain still had yet to fade. She began to doubt it ever would.

It only got worse as she realized that despite her best efforts to sway the flow of magic in Equestria, she’d been unable to create or find a pony capable of wielding the Element of Magic. Time was growing short. If she couldn’t find such a pony soon, Nightmare Moon would return, Equestria would be blanketed in eternal night, and they would all be lost forever in her darkness.

A grunt escaped her lips as a sharp surge of pain ripped from her horn through her mind, driving her to her knees as the magic aura faded. She fought back against the pain through gritted teeth, panting and fighting for control of her own magic for several moments before finally the pain began to subside and she was able to breathe again. Darnit, she thought to herself, these magic backlashes were getting more frequent, and more severe. Her powers as a Princess were great, but even she could only keep this up for so long. Time was running out for more than one reason.

Oh well, she thought glumly. One way or another, she wouldn’t be responsible for the sun and the moon for many more years.

“Your Highness.” Celestia whirled in surprise to see her Chancellor watching her from the doorway with a surprise, worried look in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Of course…” Celestia grunted and rose to her hooves, taking a moment to steady herself before turning back to him. “Merely a little lightheaded from the night air.” She flashed him a disarming smile. “Is something the matter?”

“We’ve had a potential student come into the Palace to take the entrance exam for your Magic School.” The Chancellor informed her. “She seems to have passed the entrance exam with little formal training.”

“Is that so?” Celestia’s eyebrows rose in surprise and interest. “I will see to her immediately.”

Celestia moved quickly through the halls of her school, making her way to the royal audience chamber. There she found some of her guards standing on either side of her throne, in front of which a small filly was waiting with wide, curious eyes and an eager smile. Celestia noted with some surprise that she already had a cutiemark on her flank, of a wand surrounded by a blue mist. Celestia knew exactly what it meant. Her gift was that of magic. No wonder she’d passed the test so easily.

“Greetings and congratulations, my little pony.”Celestia smiled and moved up in front of her. The young filly gasped and bowed respectfully at her approach. The baby dragon she’d hatched sat at her side, a small blue dragon with a long snout, sitting on its butt and looking at the world with all the curiosity and wonder of a newly hatched baby.

“Thank you, princess.” The filly rose to her feet again. “It’s an honor to be here.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Celestia smiled. “What is your name?”

“Trixie, Your Highness.” Trixie replied with an eager smile.

Celestia stared down at the young filly for several moments. She could feel the magical potential within her. It was fairly rare for a unicorn to be born with a gift for magic. Hatching a dragon egg proved one had the potential for great ability, but there were still so many other factors to be considered. Still, to do it with no formal training at all was quite remarkable, especially to have such energy left afterward. Indeed, the filly had a broad grin plastered on her lips with no sign of exhaustion. Could the Element of Magic have been born at long last?

“I look forward to seeing you grow and learn here with me.” Celestia welcomed her with a smile.

Trixie squealed in delight and bowed again quickly. “Thank you Your Highness! I’ll do my best to earn your attention!”

“I have no doubt you will perform admirably.” Celestia told her kindly. Trixie’s smile only widened as she stood up straight, her baby dragon and future assistant trying to eat its own tail at her side. Please, Celestia thought to herself. Let this be the unicorn…