Maintaining Harmony

by DiabloGuapo

A Hisory Lesson

The six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony waited in the hall of the ruins for the return of Princess Celestia. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the sun was headed for the western horizon. The ponies were anxious for the return of the Solar Princess so that they can carry out their plan before the Kingdom of Unicornia could do anymore damage to Equestria.

The Princess appeared in a flash of sunlight. “It is done. I have sent to the guards back to Canterlot. I have also instructed the citizens of Ponyville to play along in case Blueblood sends more guards to investigate.”

“So when do we make our move?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“We should act soon, before anypony else is subjugated to Blueblood’s mind control,” suggested Rarity.

“Ah say we do it tonight,” Applejack declared. “No point waitin’ around while Blueblood makes a mess of things.”

“Not yet, Applejack,” corrected Princess Celestia. “We should wait a day. That way, the guards can tell Blueblood that they were successful and he’ll then move on to the next part of his plan. Whatever it maybe, it must involve sending the soldiers across Equestria.”

“It will be easier to sneak into the Palace if there are fewer guards around,” added Twilight Sparkle.

“Also, we might hear some news regarding Cadance, Shining Armor, and Spike.”

“Oh, I’m so worried,” fretted Fluttershy. “I hope they’re okay.”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” comforted Twilight. “I’m sure that my brother can handle two brainwashed guards.” While they were talking, Princess Celestia walked to the window to look at the setting sun. It was time. She reached out with her magic and lowered the sun beneath the western horizon. She then headed to the window on the opposite side of the chamber. The sky was dark, but there was no moon in the sky. She waited for a moment. She hoped that against all odds that her sister wasn’t really under a spell and would soon raise the moon, but she didn’t. With a sigh, Celestia reached out again with her magic and raised the moon over the eastern horizon.

“So what do we do until then?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.

“Charades? Twenty Questions? Tell each ghost stories?” suggested Pinkie Pie.

“How about a history lesson instead?” offered Celestia, still looking out at the moon. The group of friends looked to each other and then sat around the princess. “I’m certain you all are familiar with stories of the founding of Equestria, the defeat of Discord, and the rise of Nightmare Moon.”

“Mm-hm,” they all confirmed.

“This is how they all connect. As you know, Equestria was made when the three tribes unified, but do you know why the flag of Equestria featured Luna and me when we were not even born?”

“No, Princess,” answered Twilight.

“It is because Starswirl the Bearded and his successor, Clover the Clever, foresaw that the three tribes would unite and that two alicorns would bring harmony to the land. Princess Platinum of the unicorns married Commander Hurricane of the pegasi and became the first rulers of the Kingdom of Equestria. Not too long afterwards, I was born.”

“Woah, wait a minute,” interrupted Rainbow Dash. “Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane were your parents?”

“Correct.”

“Wow, I’ll never look at the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant the same way again.”

“Indeed,” agreed Rarity, remembering that she and Rainbow Dash played those roles in the pageant.

“Needless to say, they were quite shock to see that their child was an alicorn. At the time, an alicorn was something that only existed in prophecies. They were even more surprised when their second child was also an alicorn. Other pegasi and unicorns had foals together, but only we were alicorns.” Celestia paused and looked about the room. “We were born in this very castle.”

“You grew up here?” Twilight Sparkle asked in wonder.

“But, Princess. Why would anypony build a castle in the middle of the Everfree Forest?” asked Applejack.

“It wasn’t the Everfree Forest back then, Applejack,” answered the white alicorn. “Originally, my parents wanted to build the castle where the three tribes came together in friendship and drove away the Windigos, but the mountains were still far too cold to inhabit.

“Much had to be done under the reign of my parents to build a new kingdom. They worked very hard to provide peace and harmony for their subjects. My sister and I were taught by Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever how to be successful leaders and we discovered that we were indeed the alicorns they had foreseen. Ever since we were born, the unicorns began to lose their control over the sun and moon. One morning, they couldn’t raise the sun at all. I was a little filly back then, and I saw how worried everypony was. On an impulse, I reacted and used my magic to raise the sun. It felt so natural, so easy. It was like I was born to do it, and it turned out that I was. And that’s how I got my cutie mark.”

The listening ponies applauded the story, and Rainbow Dash cheered, “Alright, Princess!”

Celestia smiled a little bit, but she shushed them, “Wait, my little ponies. I’m not finished.”

“Funny, that’s how stories like these usually end, ‘and that’s how I got my cutie mark,’” commented Pinkie Pie.

“A few years later, the same thing happened with Luna and the moon. We were the alicorns of the prophecy, but our destiny still awaited us. After the passing of my parents, Luna and I were to be crowned the new rulers of Equestria. That is, until he came along.”

“D-discord?” asked Fluttershy. The Princess nodded in confirmation.

“He came and brought chaos and madness to the land. We tried to stop him, but he was too powerful. We were driven from our home, and he made the castle his own. We sought shelter in the mountains where the founders took shelter from the blizzard. We didn’t know it at first, but we were drawn there by something. In the caves, we found gems and crystals, but they seemed to radiate with a magic. It was the cavern where the Windigos were defeated. The magic that was summoned by the power of love and friendship of the founders was still there. The laughter from their jokes, the kindness that was shared between them, the generosity the leaders found, the loyalty of their followers, the honesty and trust they had in each other, and the magic of friendship the discovered together. My sister and I used our love for each other and drew strength from it. Using the crystals from the cave and the love in them combined with our own, we created the Elements of Harmony and used them to defeated Discord.” This was greeted with applause, but the ponies then continued to listen.

“However, the harmony we provided wouldn’t last forever. Even though Discord was imprisoned in stone, Equestria was still feeling the effects of his rule. The forest, for an example, was never the same. It became unruly, and we couldn’t restore order no matter how hard we tried. We had to abandon our home and build a new one. On the bright side, we were able to fulfill our parents’ dream and build a palace over the place where we discover the Elements of Harmony.”

“Do you mean Canterlot?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, and when we were finally crowned as Princesses of Equestria, we did our best to restore harmony to our kingdom. However, the ponies of the time failed to appreciate the hard work my sister did for them. Luna would raise the moon for them and create a beautiful night sky for them. She guarded them while they the slept, but they shunned her. They only saw me as their princess. At first, she didn’t mind it, but the years and years of neglect began to take their toll on her. It wasn’t long after we had defeated King Sombra that Luna began to change. She became resentful, sullen, and depressed. Many ponies, even within Canterlot, became ignorant to the fact that she was even the co-ruler of Equestria.” Celestia stopped her story for a moment. She closed her eyes and continued in a softer tone.

“I should have seen it coming. As her sister, I should have seen her pain earlier. By the time I tried to comfort her, she had fallen so far into despair that nothing I could say could bring her out of it. I tried everything to raise her spirits. I even held a festival in her honor. At first, it seemed to work. She was so happy that ponies were coming to recognize her and to see her raise the moon. She was beginning to act like the Luna that I remembered growing up with. The night of the festival arrived, but no pony came.” The ponies’ eyes filled with tears and their heart filled with sympathy for Princess Luna as they listened.

“Her tears of heartbreak became tears of rage as the darkness entered her heart, transforming her into Nightmare Moon. She vowed in her wrath that the sun will never rise again. I tried to reason with her, but she was too consumed by her newfound dark powers to be reasoned with. She returned here to make it her palace. I gathered the Elements of Harmony and came to face her. Once again, I pleaded with her and tried to soothe her anger, but she wouldn’t listen. I had no choice; I had to use the Elements and banished her in the moon.” This time, the six ponies held their applause. Instead, they silently cried as they listened to the tale.

“I returned to Canterlot to a cheering crowd. Their princess had once again saved them and restored harmony to the kingdom. They cheered and sang praises to me as I marched back to the castle in triumph. I put on a brave face for them, but on the inside…I hated them. I hated them all.” The six were too stunned to even gasp in surprise. “It was their negligence and ingratitude that drove her madness. It was because of them that I had to face the next one thousand years alone. Their simple minds couldn’t comprehend the burden of immortality. I watch over the years as my subjects are born, grow old, and die. Many of them were my good friends. I even lost my connection to the Elements of Harmony. They can never be wielded by one pony. They are Elements of Harmony. By nature, they can only be used by ponies that are in harmony with each other. Once I had used them against Luna, they turned into stone and the Element of Magic vanished for I had just lost my only friend. Once I was alone in bedchamber, I wept. I just lost my sister, and they made a holiday out of it. I have always hated Nightmare Night. To me, it was an insult to my sister’s memory. I thought that I would never be happy ever again, but something came to me; a prophecy.”

“On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars would aide in her escape,” quoted Twilight Sparkle.

“Exactly, my faithful student,” Celestia confirmed. “It gave me hope. Over the next thousand years, I developed a plan. I would find a pony worthy to bear the Element of Magic and would bring five others together in the spirit of friendship to be able to use the Element of Harmony to free my sister from Nightmare Moon.”

“But, Princess. How did you know it was me?” Twilight Sparkle asked her mentor.

“Do you remember your entrance exam?” Celestia asked, and Twilight nodded in response. “You were never expected to pass it. No pony was ever to pass it.”

“What!? B-but why was it the entrance exam?”

“It was an aptitude test to see how much skill little unicorn foals had in magic. I thought I could find the Bearer of the Element of Magic and train them as my personal student by seeing how much raw potential they had. However, you exceeded my expectations. No foal could possibly hatch a dragon egg, especially Spike’s, but you did.”

“What do you mean, ‘especially Spike’s?’”

“You see, Twilight Sparkle, Spike’s egg was a dud.” The ponies were shocked to hear this piece of information, but they were about to be even more astounded by what the princess said next. “Spike’s egg was abandoned by his mother for the embryo inside had no life inside it. Your magic gave him life and allowed him to develop into perfectly healthy baby dragon.”

Twilight Sparkle was speechless. She didn’t just hatch Spike, she gave him life. “So…so he really is…my son.”

“You are just as much his mother as the dragoness that laid his egg.” Tears of joy filled the lavender unicorn’s eyes. She had a son! She wanted nothing more to hold him in her embrace and to smother him with affection.

“Hey look, Shining Armor is coming!” announced Pinkie Pie as she noticed the stallion approaching from a window. As he entered the room, Twilight rushed to greet him.

“Shining Armor! You’re okay!” she exclaimed as she hugged her brother. He hugged her back, but could bring himself to smile. He gave his report to Princess Celestia on how Cadance was protecting the Crystal Empire and what they had learned from the guards. Apparently, Blueblood was indeed planning to spread his forces across Equestria to establish his reign as king after he believed the Elements of Harmony to be neutralized. This would leave Canterlot open for their planned sneak attack.

“Where’s Spike? Is he safe in the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked urgently. Shining Armor frowned at the floor. No.

“Twilight,” he said quietly. He still couldn’t bear to look her in the eye.

No. Not that tone. Her heart began to race.

“Spike…”

No. Oh please, don’t say it. Her breathing became heavy.

“He’s…”

No. No. No. No. No. Her throat tightened and her eyes burnt as she held back tears.

“He’s dead. I’m sorry, Twilight. I failed you.”

“No!” Twilight cried out in despair. It wasn’t fair! She gained a son just to have him stolen from her. She buried her head into his chest as she tried to pound her hooves into him, sobbing as she did so. He held her in his forelegs as she cried. Her friends watched in sadness, crying along with her. Pinkie’s mane flattened. Applejack held Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash just sat there, to stun to react. Rarity fell to ground, weeping. Princess Celestia tried to remain stoic, but couldn’t hold back the tears. “You promised me! You…you…promised…”

Comments

[DiabloGuapo]

Most of this chapter expalins my personal head-cannon.

[Carnation83]

Interesting head-canon.