Destruction and Rebirth

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep...

I found myself dizzily swimming into the world of full wakefulness away from my dreams. As my alarm clock went off, I wondered why I had bothered to set it in the first place. I was finished with my courses for the year and wouldn’t be going back for another few months. My thoughts continued along this line until I realized that I had work to get to.

There were times that I really hated having my job. Accepting additional hours wasn’t much better, but at least the pay made up for it. Or at least that’s what my dad had always said. With a lazy burst of effort, I managed to haul myself out of the bed and onto my feet.

After checking that all was well, I headed out of the house for my car.

The weather was awful. This wasn’t particularly uncommon where I lived. In England, it rains most of the year, except when it’s cold enough to snow. However, it was raining unseasonably harder today than it was supposed to. In spite of that, I still managed to get into work on time.

When I got there, most of the staff were ready and waiting for me to give them my briefing. Throughout my life, I always wanted to lead. Being a leader meant you were in charge and got to make the important decisions. So I tried at every opportunity to get leadership roles, but not matter what I tried, I hardly ever did. At school, it was either the popular students that got the roles or it was the students who didn’t speak up. In both scenarios, it only lead to problems. The popular students, while charismatic, often lacked humility and intuition, meaning that many projects were lost. The quiet students, while usually being more intelligent and creative, lacked the charisma or the ability to inspire others, so while they had good ideas and plans, they were usually ignored. When I tried to help or get a project on schedule, apart from a few examples, I would always get told off by the teacher.

Regardless of people trying to stop me from taking leadership roles, I always put my hand and I always tried to give it my all. Any chance I would get, I would take.

As it so happened today, one such chance arose

Almost as suddenly as the rain had started, a dispute broke out in the store. Several customers were getting angry about something or other, and, if history was any judge, arguments would start to break out between the customers and the staff. The day being bleak enough without some sort of altercation, I stepped in to diffuse the situation before it could gain any steam.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I stated in a loud and clear voice, making certain that I had their attention, “please just bear with us for a moment. We apologize for any confusion that has occurred and ask for a little patience so that we can address the problem as quickly as possible.”

The customers were pacified, but I knew that it was a temporary fix, at best. Taking the involved staff to the side, I quickly learned what had started all this.

Recently, we had started to sell these select products with a selection of vegetables included, one of them being a honey-glazed ham. Apparently, people saw the possibilities with this; it quickly became one of, if not the, most popular items we sold. So much so that the deli shelves had run empty and there weren’t any in their usual spot in the back.

I didn’t facepalm, but only just. Really? I thought incredulously. This much fuss over a ham? However, I quickly reined those thoughts in. They weren’t helping anyone, and besides that, maybe this would be the only high point these people would reach today.

Acting quickly, I asked three of the team to check the big coolers in the back to see if there were any more in there. The rest, I split into two groups: the first to inform the customer that the ham was not the only item that was included in this deal and to try and persuade them to alter their selection, the other to inform the customers that each of the items could be bought separately and prepared at home.

As each team went about their tasks, the customers were served in an orderly fashion. Some of them were understanding enough to alter their choice, and the rest were dealt with in a civil manner. It turned out that, while we did have some in the back, a good portion of the customers had to be satisfied with getting each individual item. It wasn’t ideal, but it was acceptable.

After the whole ordeal was over, the department manager came over to me. If the popular students lacked intuition and the quiet students lacked charisma, our manager fell into the former category. Had a good voice and was able to inspire people, but lacked the intuition to make the tough decisions in high stress situations. It seemed that I had managed to annoy him with the way I handled things.

“Mind telling what that was about?” he said “You are not the manager, kid, and if you keep pulling stunts like that you never will be. Focus on your job, don’t try to do mine.”

Then he walked off and I sighed. Just like with the teachers back in school, I was yelled at for helping. It didn’t matter though, because I would keep fighting for manager roles and leadership positions, even if it wasn’t “by the book”.

As work progressed into the day and got quieter, my mind started to wander. Somehow I always pictured my life being different than this: more exciting, more colourful. Maybe it was because, when I was younger, I had always imagined the world to be different than it was. As I got older though, I learned that it simply wasn’t so. In that moment, it seemed as though someone had let the colour out of the world all at once. And days like today made it seem especially dreary.

After being thanked for my work, I clocked out and decided to head home. With the weather being as bad as it was earlier, I made certain to go exceptionally slow to avoid any accidents. However, I found that my mind still wandered to my thoughts from earlier. I began to wonder if I should just accept life as it was, in all of its dreariness, or make efforts to change it.

As I was crossing an intersection, a truck approaching me from the other way lost control. The roads were too slippery from the rain for the driver to stop. All I could do was watch helplessly as he blared his horn with the truck heading straight at me. A sound like a buffalo stampede crashing into an iron door filled the air, and I was killed.

Surprisingly, everything seems a lot more peaceful when you're dead. The thing that was the most eerie about it was the absolute silence. There wasn’t a single sound, almost as though I had been submersed into a watery cocoon. Much to my own surprise, I managed to remain calm, despite everyone else around me frantically screaming at the carnage that lay in the middle of the road. Gradually, I felt myself rising from the scene, watching as the figures below me were eventually reduced to blurred smears.

It seemed very welcoming, almost soothing. So I closed my eyes and waited for new life of eternal bliss

“Is this really how you want things to end?” a powerful and authoritative female voice asked.

I opened my eyes to see that someone was moving in front of the light. I couldn’t make out any features, save for a beautiful shadow. It seemed to have the body of a horse, yet the neck of a swan. However, it also had a horn and a set of large wings. I was in so confusion and awe of this differently strange creature that words simply failed me.

“Answer me,” the voice said again, “Is this really how you want things to end? With you accomplishing nothing?”

That snapped me back to reality faster than anything. It was true; I hadn’t a legacy worth bragging over and would soon become nothing but dust in the ground. As I abandoned my state of awe, I shook my head vigorously.

“Good,” the voice said approvingly, “because such a fate would simply be a waste of your talents. I come from a land where such talents will be exceptionally useful in the times to come. The only remaining question is: are you willing to embrace it?”

After the sensation passed, I tried opening my eyes to see what had happened, but I couldn’t. They wouldn’t respond. Was the creature just some post-death hallucination?

Am I still dead? I thought. I don’t know. I don’t feel dead, not that I would really know what that felt like. If this is what it’s like to be dead, then being dead sucks!

Then, I felt something at my side. Wait.... I’m moving, but how? I’m not moving my limbs!! What’s going on? And why do I feel so cold?!

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. You are the mother of a handsome colt,” said a new voice.

Your Majesty? Colt? What’s going on? I thought, slowly getting more and more panicky.

With the cold feeling still there and my thoughts going haywire, all I could really do was cry. As I cried, I felt someone poking and checking things that I couldn’t see. Soon enough, however, I felt something soft wrap itself around me, restoring some of the warmth. While it did help somewhat, it did very little to stop my crying. That changed as soon as I felt someone else take hold of me, giving me even more warmth. It also seemed to be trying to soothe me with soft humming and small caresses.

After managing to calm down a bit, I attempted to open my eyes again. While I did get better results this time, my eyesight still had to adjust to the normal luminosity of the light-bulbs. My pupils were still used to the glorious holy light of recent departure.

When I finally opened my eyes fully, I took in my surroundings. I could make out two figures here with me. One was dark blue with a horn and a pair of wings, much like that deity figure from earlier, with a mane that shimmered like a blanket of starlight. Although she had the air of someone very powerful, she looked at me with obvious fondness and love.

I moved my eyes to the other figure, the one holding me. This one was pure white and looked older than the other one, but not by much. While she also had wings and a horn, her flowing mane was colored with several gentle hues of green, blue, pink and purple. Much like the previous figure, she was also very powerful and important. However, there was something about the white one that made me feel safe. I wasn’t sure what it was, since I had never met the creature that was now was holding me, but there seemed to be another part of me that told me that she was there to protect me. That she would cause me no harm.

Although tears were streaking her face, she was smiling when she spoke. “Hello there, my foal,” she said softly. “I am so happy that you are finally here.”

My foal? I thought. What does she mean by that?

I didn’t get any time to figure out, though, because she brought me closer to her and began nuzzling me. I was expecting for this to feel weird, considering my current state of mind, but instead, it was actually very comforting. It was as though all the fear I had been feeling before was gone. I nuzzled back and smiled at her, prompting her to give me a kiss on my forehead.

“He’s adorable,” said the dark blue figure. “What will you name him, sister?”

“I have thought about it for a while; before now, it was thought that alicorns could not breed. When I found out that I was pregnant, the whole kingdom rejoiced, and the light I once though lost returned to me, so I will my foal as such. Hello there, Mythic Light.”

So I'm a pony now?

View Online

One thought kept rolling around in my head. One singular thought. It was all I could think about while everything else was going on around me.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!?

I wasn’t in any kind of state to do anything further on this though. I was still in the white figure’s arms and the room was quite loud with the chatter of doctors and the figures from earlier. Lacking anything else to do, I decided to have a look around at my new surroundings. The first thought that struck me was that my wish for a world with more colour had finally come true. Even the hospital room I was in had more colour in it than most places I had seen in my previous world.

Hospitals in my old world were very dull looking places; all very clean, sterile, and ironically, lifeless. This one however was much different. While it did have the same colour scheme as the hospitals in the previous world: uniform white with dark blue stripes along the wall; the room had a much more inviting feeling to it. It almost seemed to have a personality to it, more vibrancy with a weird undefinable charm to it that almost made it not like a hospital room at all.

Looking out of the window gave me a similar feeling. I could see rolling green hills dotted with trees. Flowers of bright colours were planted everywhere. Even the sky was a perfect light blue color with a few white fluffy clouds floating through.

I wonder what clouds are really like? I thought. Maybe I can eat one? Would it taste like candy? Or maybe I can jump on one!

I froze, that had been a weird thought coming from me. It sounded like something a toddler would say, which is why I found it very disturbing floating around in my head. Mentally putting that aside for later, I continued to look outside.

All in all, it was a much brighter and more beautiful world than my previous one. A world that almost seemed to encourage exploration and I loved looking at it. Another thing that caught my attention was the sun. Normally, looking at the sun was very bad idea, but something about it interested me. I reached out, wanting to touch it.

“Awwww, how cute!” the dark blue figure said, standing behind me, “Look at him, Celestia. I think the little prince of the sun wants to touch and move the sun!”

Celestia?? I thought That’s an unusual name, but at least I have a name I can work with. But what was that other thing? Move the sun?? How would I do that?? And what do they mean by ‘prince of the sun’??

Celestia chuckled. “I think he’s a little young to be trying that, Luna. However, if my little Mythic Light wants to learn when he’s older, I can’t think of a reason why he shouldn’t.”

There’s that name again. Mythic Light? Does everybody in the world have a pretentious name? Where am I? WHAT IS GOING ON???

I needed some time to think, some time away from all the attention. Then, as though responding to my thoughts, I let out a loud yawn.

“Aww, I think my little one needs some rest,” said Celestia, before giving a yawn herself.

“You both need rest, sister,” Luna replied, “It’s been a tiring day for both of you.You two rest and we will see that you are not disturbed.”

With that, everyone left the room except for Celestia and myself. I couldn’t help but notice that as the doctors left the room, they all bowed with mutterings of “Your Majesty”.

Wait, Celestia is Royalty? I thought. So that makes me a prince! That’s cool! I always wanted to be royalty!!
I noticed a changing of movement as one of the nurses stayed behind to help Celestia move me into a crib set up at the end of Celestia’s hospital bed. She quickly tucked me in, bowed, and left the room. I felt something warm and soft, I assumed it was Celestia’s hand, gently rub my back.

“Sweet dreams, my little Mythic Light,” said Celestia, before gently kissing me and lying back on her own bed and quickly falling to sleep.

Once I was sure everything was quiet, I opened my eyes, which I had shut after the nurse had tucked me in, and began to think.
OK I thought I am not going to panic. I am going to take stock of what happened, but most importantly, I am going to stay calm. I died. Oh well. Could have happened to anyone. Everyone, in fact. Now I have been completely reborn, thanks to that deity lady, so it’s not like I can complain now. I’m in a hospital, that’s where babies are born. It makes sense. I have white skin, that makes sense. The lady who was holding me was white. It seems that I have kept my ginger hair from the previous world. That’s cool.

I looked up at my hair and saw that there was something different about it.

I now also have blonde hair? A little odd, but hey, it’s a nice touch. I don’t know what my eye colour is yet. I haven’t seen a mirror, but that can wait.

I felt movement near my butt, so I turned my head and saw...

I also have a tail now. I thought, before freezing and turning again, more slowly this time. I also have a tail..... Ok! Now that’s odd. But hey, maybe it’s a costume that they put me in during that bit on table when I couldn’t see. Feels real though. Kinda like these wings.... on.... my..... back.

I tried to reach out for the wings, hoping it would prove my theory that this was a costume until I stopped and looked at my hand.
Why do I not have fingers!!! I thought, looking again at my hand. My hand... No it’s not a hand! It’s a hoof!

My eyes widened. I started swaying around trying to keep myself calm and, in my swaying, I slammed my head into the side of the cot.

Owowowowow! I thought searching with my hooves to find the bump, then as my hooves crossed my head forehead I felt something. Man I must have hit my head harder than I thought. This lump is huge! Wait a sec... It doesn’t feel like a bump. Its too pointed. Almost like a horn... AHHHH!

My thoughts escaped through my mouth as I screamed. The foal side of me took over and I started crying again. I felt myself being lifted and found myself back in Celestia’s arms

“It’s ok sweetie,” Celstia said, gently rocking me in her arms, “It was just a bad dream. Mummy’s here now.”

I started to calm down, thanks to her gentle rocking. She then started nuzzling me, which made me giggle and nuzzle her back. Looking at Celestia, my new mother, everything I had heard or seen since waking up lined up in my head and my body inspection had knocked them over like a set of dominoes. I wasn’t human anymore. I was a pony. The deity had said that a change was need, but I didn’t expect to change species. Then again, I was the one who dreamed of a new world with a sense of purpose, so, once again, I had no right to complain.

Suddenly, a nurse burst into the room with a worried expression.

“Forgive me, your majesty, but I heard screaming. Are you and your foal ok?”

“It’s ok,” said Celestia soothingly, “My foal just had a little nightmare. Both Mythic Light and myself are fine.”

Then there was a rumbling sound. Both Celestia and the nurse looked at me and I looked away, embarrassed. Celestia chuckled.
“It seems that my little one is hungry. I will have to fix that.”

The nurse nodded. “Very well. I will give you your privacy. If your majesty should need anything, please call for us.”

As she left the room, Celestia put me down beside her on the soft bed. Lifting her rear leg, she revealed two teats. My eyes widened in surprise, to which Celestia giggled.

“Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you feed,” she said, her horn glowing with a golden light. I was wondering what she was getting at until I saw that same golden aura around me. As it lifted me towards her, I gasped in surprise at exactly the wrong moment as her nipple entered my mouth. I tried to get my mouth off, but then I felt a squirt of liquid enter my mouth.

And you know what else...It was probably the sweetest thing I have ever tasted in my life! (Well, second life, but you know what I mean.) It tasted like ice cream, strawberries, and white chocolate all mixed together. After that initial taste, I continued to nurse from Celestia until I was full.

Upon finishing, Celestia picked me up and gently tapped my back with her hoof. After three or four good pats, I let a small burp.

“There now Mythic, feeling better now?” she asked in a motherly tone, gently nuzzling me and causing me to giggle again.
I smiled back at her because it was true. I was feeling better. Even with my initial confusion on my new life, this new world had already made me happy and being near my new mother felt really good. It was clear that she loved me and wanted to protect me, so I decided that I would not struggle against her. I was still confused about how she did that levitating trick earlier, because magic in my old world could only be performed by actors.

I guess magic is real in this new world, I thought. I wonder if I am able to do it to?

Just then I felt something itch at my nose and I let loose a large sneeze. A burst of golden energy came out of my horn, bouncing across the room for a while until my mother brought in under control.

“Wow!” she said in a hushed tone, “You have very strong magic, little one.”

THAT WAS ME!?! I thought, suddenly getting panicked again. However, my body, deciding that it has had enough excitement for one day, let out a loud yawn.

“Awwww!” Celestia cooed, “I’m guessing that we are both still in need of rest. Let’s get you back in your crib.”
With that, she lit up her horn again and levitated me back into the crib. After tucking me in, she then leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“Sweet dreams, my little Mythic Light,” she whispered, gently caressing my face. I fell asleep under her gaze, safe in the knowledge that she would be there to protect me.

As I drifted to the realm of the unconscious, I caught a glimpse of the Deity watching me.

“As one life dies, a new one is born,” she said cryptically, “Welcome to our world, little prince.”

A Royal Foal

View Online

I awoke to the sound of the door opening and closing. “Hello, Tia,” Luna’s voice replied. I guess it would be Auntie Luna now, I thought whimsically.

“Luna,” Celestia (Mother, I mentally amended) greeted
.
“How is Mythic?”

“Sleeping like an angel,” Mother replied, giving my head a gentle stroke. I felt Auntie Luna lean over to get a better look at me. Figuring this would be the best chance I had to learn anything about this place, I kept still and hoped they would still think I was asleep.

“He’s beautiful,” Luna whispered almost cooing, “he looks just like you.”

“I think he favors his father more than I,” Mother whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Luna must have noticed.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Lulu. It would probably help to talk about it.”

I heard Auntie Luna shift her posture, probably to a sitting one. Would they sit on chairs like we did on my old world? I thought.
Not wanting to miss anything, I pushed those thoughts aside and listened.
After a noticeable pause, Luna spoke again.

“Who was he? You never spoke of him much.”

I felt Celestia smile a bit. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I knew. “His name was Golden Sword,” she replied after a moment.

“Was he that white unicorn stallion with that nervous habit of rubbing his scratching his ears and a sandy blonde mane? The one you made Minister of Magic?”

Mother chuckled quietly at Auntie Luna’s description. “That was him.”

“How did you two meet?”

“How did we meet or when did we fall in love?”

“The former, Tia,” Luna replied, failing to hide her own amusement.

“When I became aware of him, he was a only magical theorist with unshakeable determination and ideas for the future. When he applied for the position of Minister of Magic, the only trait he had in his favor was the fact that he had no ties with Canterlot’s elite.”

“So he caught your attention right away?” Auntie Luna asked with a hint of smugness in her voice.

“Of course,” Mother answered unashamedly, “You know what topic he chose to discuss with the selection board? The effects natural magic has on the world.”

“He actually chose to discuss, to a magical board no less, that if ponies didn’t take care of the natural processes of the world, then magic would do it itself?” Luna asked incredulously.

“He did,” Celestia said, with no small amount of pride, “even using the fact that you and I do not constantly use our magic to move the sun and moon as an example.”

“And the board didn’t manage to refute him?”

“He managed to dismantle every argument the board put against him, even going so far to state that he could find irrefutable proof given more time. However, what truly struck me as remarkable was the fact that he presented it with so much enthusiasm and determination. It was like watching Twilight learning a new spell.” They both shared a giggle at that. Who was this Twilight that they were talking about? Making a mental note to explore further into this, I continued to listen.

“Naturally, the board labeled the matter ‘Under-analysis’ and swept it under the table. They only agreed to his appointment because nopony else was half as brilliant as he.”

“So how did you know that...?” Luna let the question hang in the air.

“He was my special somepony?” Mother asked. Luna must have nodded because Mother spoke again. “At the time, I didn’t. When it happened, he was discussing the advantages of enchanting horseshoes with permanent cloudwalking spells to boost tourism for cloud cities.”

“That would appeal you, Tia,” Luna replied teasingly.

“It wasn’t my fault that you couldn’t keep up in ‘Magical Application’ class,” Celestia retorted.

“Moving on,” Luna prompted.

“Well, when we had finished for the night, I had accidentally knocked the tray holding the tea over. When we both extended our magic to catch the tray and our eyes met, the entire world seemed to fade away. When I stared into his golden eyes, I realized that
there was nothing else in the world I wanted to do. Then I realized that every feeling I had towards up until that point had been love.”

“Oh, Tia,” Luna replied her voice breaking slightly, “that is so romantic!”

“When I realized that he loved me too, it was the happiest moment of my life.”

“Do NOT leave out any details!” Luna replied, excitedly but quietly.

Much to my own surprise, I also found interest in this topic. If I have a father, then where is he?I wondered. I quieted my thoughts, intent upon finding out.

“Well, I had asked him if he had ever been in love before. He told me he had, but he could never have a relationship with her. When I asked him why, he told me it was because she was important and probably wouldn’t give him a chance anyway. He looked so nervous it was absolutely adorable!

“When I asked him if she was pretty, he told me, ‘She’s like the sunrise in the morning.’ When he realized what he had said, he blushed in embarrassment. When I asked him if it was me, I will never forget what he told me.

“‘It's true, Your Highness,’ he said, ‘I love you. I love everything about you: your compassion in court with all of your subjects, not just the nobles, how your eyes sparkle like jewels during the late part of day court, how you inspire passion wherever you go. It was the reason I became a minister. You gave me hope that even a nobody like me could be important. And when you asked me here for private discussions, I felt excited because I got to spend time alone with you. So yes! I LOVE YOU, PRINCESS CELESTIA!’

“When he said all that, I was shocked. In all my years of ruling Equestria, nopony had ever said those words to me nor with such conviction. If that wasn’t a confession of love, then nothing is. What I didn’t expect were the next words out of his mouth."

“‘And now you probably never want to see me again,’ he said with resignation in his voice, ‘so, I bid you farewell, Your Highness.’ It wasn’t until he started to walk to the door that what he had said finally hit me."

“‘Wait!’ I cried after him, causing him to stop in his tracks. ‘You can’t go...because...I love you too.’ When I saw him turn around, his eyes and mouth wide with shock, I found I couldn’t stop talking. ‘Yes, I love you. I love the way your confidence and the way it projects onto others; I love the way you speak, both in court and in private; I love the way your golden eyes shine like the sun. You make me feel more important than I am when you visit me for these private sessions. And I don’t care what others will think of it. I
love you and I don't care who knows about it!’

“After I said that, I felt lighter. It was as though a tremendous weight had been lifted, one that I hadn’t even known was there until it was gone. Although, even though I had said it and had meant every word of it, it still didn’t feel like it was enough. Acting more on instinct than anything else, I reached my hoof forward and pulled him into a kiss. Any trace of surprise that he had melted into bliss as he relaxed and returned the kiss. Eventually, our need for air surpassed our need for intimacy. But, it didn’t matter: this was love and we both knew it.”

“What happened after that?” Luna asked, obviously excited at hearing this.

“After some stammering about calling me by my name, we spent the entire night in each other’s company.”

Auntie Luna sighed contently. “How could you keep something like that a secret?”

“It wasn’t easy,” Mother admitted, “I had no desire to keep it secret, but he feared the political consequences that such a relationship could cause. In the end, I consented because as long as we were together, it didn’t matter.”

Silence stretched between them for several moments before Luna spoke again. “So, what happened to him?”

At this question, the room seemed a bit cooler. “Luna,” Mother replied, “if it’s all the same to you, I’d just as soon not talk on that.”
I heard Luna rise and walk over to Mother. “When you’re ready,” she replied quietly, “In the meantime, you should probably get back to sleep. You and Mythic have a big day tomorrow.” With that said, she left the room.

I heard Mother lean closer to the crib and nuzzle me a softly. “Don’t worry, little Mythic Light,” she whispered, “I will always protect you, no matter what. You are my life’s treasure and I will make sure you are safe, warm, and loved.” I felt her presence move, but not before I felt a drop of liquid on my face.

After a minute or so, I heard relaxed breathing coming from where she laid. I stood up on my hind legs, using her bed to help keep
my balance, while I looked at her. She seemed smaller somehow, more vulnerable.

I was sure of one thing: she helped me when I needed it and I wanted to help her. The only problem was with the execution of this feat. I wasn’t even sure how I was gonna reach her. Feeling slight movement at my sides, I glared irritably at the intrusion. I facepalmed myself mentally, neglecting to remember my wings.

How do you work these things? I thought vainly. In my old world, I never had to learn how to use wings due to never having them. Oh, well. There’s always a first time.

Focusing all my willpower together, I tried to force myself to move my new appendages. When I felt them move, I closed my eyes and willed them to move faster. I was starting to get tired before I felt the crib beneath me fall away. I just kept focusing on moving my wings until I was certain that I make it to the bed.

That was until I felt my wings give out and started plummeting towards earth. Bracing myself for impact, I felt myself land with a soft whump. Opening my eyes, I noticed I made it on the bed. Grinning at my good fortune, I slowly made my way up the bed to Mother’s head.

When I got there, I couldn’t help but notice the trails of slightly damp fur around her eyes. She seems so lonely, I thought sympathetically, just like I was. Feeling a state of kinship, I began to nuzzle her just as she had with me earlier. She opened her eyes to look at me and smiled softly. She wrapped her fetlock around me, pulling me into her body for a hug. She even went a step further and wrapped a wing around me, slightly tickling me with her feathers. I nuzzled into her side, feeling both of us relax enough to fall asleep.

I woke up in Mothers arms, finding her still asleep. As much as I wanted to stretch myself a little, I loathed to wake her up. Fortunately, the situation resolved itself when she opened her eyes and smiled down at me.

“Hello, my little foal. Did you sleep well?”
When I smiled my answer at her, she nuzzled me causing me to giggle. A soft knock interrupted the silence and a nurse appeared at the door.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” she said softly, “I’m pleased to say that after running both your and your foal’s charts, there have been no complications. You can both leave the hospital when you are ready. Princess Luna has taken care of most of the paperwork and and the royal guard is ready to escort you.”

“Thank you. Would you send them in, please?”

The nurse bowed as she left the room. Mother kissed my forehead as she placed me down on the bed. After a short knock on the door, two strong stallions wearing sturdy and well made armor entered the room carrying a decent-sized chest between them.

“Your Majesty,” one of them said in a deep strong voice that matched his appearance, “we took the liberty of bringing your regalia with us.”

“And the new item I requested?”

“Finished last night, Your Majesty. We’ve included it along with your regalia.”

“Thank you. Would you excuse us while we prepare?”

They both bowed to us as they left the room.

“Stay there, sweetie. After Mommy puts on her regalia, she’ll put yours on.”

Any thoughts I had were interrupted as Mother rose from the bed and walked over to the chest. This being the first time I’ve seen my new mother fully, the first thing I noticed that she looked remarkably like the deity figure that brought me here in the first place. Running a close second was the fact that she was very beautiful. Her coat was as pure white as freshly fallen snow with a long, flowing, multi-coloured mane. However, what stood out the most the sun tattoo on her flank.

“Looking at Mommy’s cutie mark, are we?” she asked, startling me a little. She smiled though and continued. “Well, a cutie mark is the symbol of what makes everypony special. My cutie mark represents my status as ruler of the day and the princess of the sun. I wonder what your cutie mark will be.”

So I get a cutie mark, I thought. Guess that makes sense, if Mother and the other ponies get them.

“I’m done, darling,” she said, turning to me, “Now, how about we do yours next?”

I saw that her regalia consisted of a golden tiara with a jewel the same colour as her striking eyes inset in the center. She wore a gorget that matched her tiara perfectly along with golden shoes that complimented the ensemble perfectly. Seeing her in her full regalia not only made her look more beautiful than she was, but also made her look every bit the ruler that she was.
From the box the guard had brought in earlier, she lifted a small circular crown. It was made of gold, much like hers, but had a topaz inset in the center instead.

“I had it made especially for you,” she replied, placing the crown gently upon my head. I noticed a faint glow coming from it as Mother’s grip on the crown released. “The jewel has been enchant so it glows when it rests upon the head of a true ruler. You will meet the ponies that helped make it. Perhaps I am prejudiced, but I think it suits you. It also goes very well with your eyes. Now, would you like to get out of this stuffy hospital and go outside?”

Eager to see the world outside the windows, I nodded emphatically. Being a bit too eager with my nodding, the crown I wore slipped and fell over my eyes. Mother chuckled as she lifted it back to its original resting spot. “Shall we then?” she asked, lifting me onto her back and left the room. In addition to the guards from earlier, Auntie Luna was there along with a white stallion with a horn in his forehead wearing regal purple armor.

“Hello, sister,” Auntie Luna replied smiling.

“Luna,” Mother replied, nodding. “Mythic, this is your Aunt Luna, You met her earlier, remember.”
I smiled and nodded that I did. Before anyone could say anything further, a few flashes from outside interrupted the meeting. Upon seeing that, Mother sighed.

“It seems as though our citizens are ready to greet us,” Mother replied, looking as though she wanted to be anywhere else.

“Don’t worry, Princess,” the unicorn stated, “The Royal Guard will see that no harm befalls you or the Prince.”

“I have no fear of that, Shining Armor,” Mother replied smiling again, “but, do relax. This is a joyous day. Mythic Light, this is Shining Armor. He’s Captain of the Royal Guard, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and your uncle. Uncle Shiny, say hello to my son.”

He shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the name ‘Shiny,’ but smiled as he approached anyway. Getting a better look at him, I could see why he was the captain, he was tall and well built, the other guards giving him a wide berth out of respect. However, in spite of that, he seemed like a really friendly guy. I could tell that by the goofy smile he had on his face.

“Hello, Prince Mythic,” he said, bowing slightly.

I smiled back at him, my crown slipping back over my eyes. He put it back, smiling sympathetically. “Just between us, I never got use to the crown put on my head either,” he whispered, adding a wink. Right then, I discovered that I liked him.
Uncle Shining turned back to Mother. “We should get going, Your Majesty.”

“Of course. Lead on, Captain.”
As we walked, I noticed that guards lined the hallways. As we, they saluted their armor catching the gleam of the sun as they moved. Uncle Shining’s purple armor didn’t though.

Why is his armor purple when the others have shiny gold? I thought. Realizing what had just passed through my head, I blinked. WHY DO I KEEP HAVING THESE STUPIDLY SIMPLE THOUGHTS?! IT’S LIKE I’M A CHILD! Blinking again, I looked at my small legs. I guess I just answered my own question, didn’t I?

Walking out of the hospital, the brightness of the light stung my eyes hey met. After my eyes adjusted, I was immediately assaulted by the tremendous roar of applause and the flashing of many lights. Although Mother used her wings to shield me from the flashes, the noise of the cheering caused me to bury my head in her mane in an attempt to muffle it.
I had seen many royal ceremonies in my old life. Normally, they were grand events like the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth or weddings. This however surpassed them all. Comparing the two worlds, what I was hearing here made the applause from the old world sound like an army of crickets chirping.

I guess this was due to the fact that aside from being celebrities, the royalty of my old world didn’t do much of anything aside from the odd charity event or sports demonstration. Here, however, the royal family seemed to be a pretty big deal. And now, I was a part of it. I tried to bury my face deeper in her mane.

The funny thing was I never really had any problems with stage fright, but this kind of attention was something else. It was almost too much for me to bear. Before I could cry at the sheer helplessness of it, Mother turned to comfort me murmuring gently that everything would be alright. I relaxed a little, but still remained in Mother’s mane.

Eventually, the noise died down and I sneaked a peek out of Mother’s mane. She had apparently refolded her wings allowing me a good look at the populace and they at me. I saw that entire crowd consisted mostly of ponies, each one of them smiling at me as though I had appeared simultaneously in a basket full of newborn kittens. Realizing that they were all looking at me, I buried head back in Mother’s mane. This action elicited a general reaction of ‘aww’s’, cooing, and the occasional remark like: ‘He’s so adorable.’, ‘Looking at his eyes is like looking at two golden suns.’, and ‘I really like his mane!’

Daring another peek, I noticed that we were in a some kind of city. The buildings in it were monstrously tall, or at least they seemed that way seeing as how the smaller structures were at least four storeys tall. It was a grand city that seemed to shine a brilliant white. It had all the hallmark characteristics of a fantasy city, including plenty of purple pointed towers and regal medieval building designs.

As I had another look at the ponies in the crowd, I noticed that this world was not only a lot more colourful than my previous one, but it had extended to its inhabitants as well. They were all sorts of colours, each with a different color and styled mane. Some of them had horns and some had wings, but none of them had both aside from me, Mother, and Auntie Luna. Looking around further, I noticed I was wrong as I saw two more ponies with horns and wings approach: one was lavender and the other pink.

As they approached, i managed to get a better look at them. The pink one was taller and had purple, pink, and yellow toned mane and tail. The lavender one was slightly smaller and had a deep violet mane and tail with a pink and purple stripe running down the center of them. When the guards let them through, I knew they were important.

“My dearest Cadance and Twilight,” Mother said, “may I present my child, Mythic Light. Mythic, allow me to introduce to you your Aunties Twilight Sparkle and Mi Amore Cadenza.”

The two of them bowed their heads politely. I cocked my head to the side, wondering why I had so many aunties suddenly. In my old life, I only had one and now I have three.
“Don’t bother with my full name, little Mythic,” the pink one said, “Just call me Cadance. Everypony else in our family does.”

I nodded in reply, uncertain I could even remember, let alone pronounce, mi amowotsit cahoosit.

Auntie Cadance beamed at me. “Might I say that you are very dashing for a young foal?”

I felt myself blush at her compliment, it being the first time I was sincerely called ‘dashing’ from one of my aunts. Most of the time, compliments like that were used to hide the fact that I needed a haircut or something like that.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Mythic,” said Auntie Twilight, “I’m looking forward to the day when you are ready to learn spells.”
Briefly, I wondered what this pony was talking about. Then I remembered the moment in the hospital when I discovered that magic was real here. Remembering that, the prospect of learning to do stuff with magic not only sounded fun; it sounded awesome!

“Ready to meet Equestria, Mythic?” Mother asked. I looked out at the ponies and nodded hesitantly, gulping as I did. Mother then approached a podium set up near the hospital entrance, the rest of the royal family surrounding her.

“My dear little ponies,” Mother announced to the crowd, “today marks a very special occasion, not just for myself, but for all of Equestria. It was long thought that Alicorns were never meant to bear children. However, today, I am proud to present my son as an example that all things are possible. He is the beacon of hope that new generations will be able to share the peace and wisdom that we enjoy.”

When it hit me that she was talking about me, I felt a cold solid weight hit me in the stomach. In my old world, I was lucky if someone greeted me in passing. Here though, I was considered their hope of the future. When I saw the way that the crowd listened to Mother in awe, I hid my face back in her mane.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you my son, Mythic Light!” I felt her turn so that her side faced the crowd. I don’t know if it was because my child-like instincts were kicking in again or if the realization that I was in a world that was completely alien to my own came to me, but I was terrified. Vainly, I tried to bury my face deeper into her mane.

“There’s no reason to be scared, my little foal,” Mother whispered soothingly, “You are surrounded by ponies who will love you, support you, and defend you. And, as soon as we are done here, we can head home to the castle.”

Hearing those words, l felt myself relax. When I peeked out of her mane, I found my mother smiling at me fondly in a way that only mothers could manage. As much as I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t want to let Mother down when she was counting on me either. And, I had to admit, I was excited at the prospect of exploring the castle I would be living in. Summoning every ounce of courage I had, I pulled myself out to face the crowd.

The silence was so thick you could have cut it with a knife and served it on plates. I could feel as every pair of eyes in the crowd met my own. After the initial wave of panic hit me, the crowd entire crowd rallied into a cheer that assaulted my ears again. It was as though every important figure in the history of ever had appeared instead of me. The pressure of the noise and the situation getting to me, I hid back in mother’s mane. The crowd quieted into a second round of collective ‘aww’s’ that managed to be even louder than the first. I felt the soothing touch of Mother’s nuzzling as she said the words, “I’m proud of you, son.”

My discomfort forgotten, I looked out of her mane to see her eyes looking at me proudly glistening with tears. Feeling so touched at these words, I nuzzled her back smiling and not caring who was watching. I didn’t even flinch at the noise when a chant rose from the crowd.

“LONG LIVE PRINCESS CELESTIA!! LONG LIVE PRINCE MYTHIC LIGHT!!”

Welcome to Equestria

View Online

A minute or so after the chanting had started, Shining Armor and the guards escorted Mother, my Aunties, and myself into a nearby carriage. The carriage was regal looking with it’s cream white coat lined with lined with gold trim, amethysts, and Mother’s cutie mark emblazoned on it. I didn’t get that good a look at it seeing as we were rushed inside of it with the door closing behind us. The interior was covered with a royal purple material.

Once we were inside, Mother put me down on a seat next to the window and strapped me in. I guessed the seat must have been set up for me because the seat was high enough for me to be able to see out of the window. “There you are, darling,” Mother cooed, “From here, you can see our little ponies and the rest of Canterlot on way home.” After making certain that I was secured in the carriage, we started to moving forward.

As we were rolling along, I looked out seeing the cheering masses much closer than they previously were. Seeing as the windows were rolled down, I could hear them as well as see them. In addition to the cheering they did, I could also hear the mares as they cooed lovingly at me. Although I was much calmer about the number of ponies outside, I still occasionally hid in Mother’s mane at the oppressive number of the crowd. Every time I did though, the mares in the carriage were quick to join in the cooing of the mares outside.

“No matter how many times he does that, it doesn’t stop being cute,” Auntie Cadance said after the third time. She reached over with a wing and tickled me in stomach. I laughed loudly and vainly flailed my limbs about trying to stop this onslaught. After an eternity of about five seconds, she stopped and leaned over to kiss my forehead. Feeling myself blush again, I reached out with a hoof and stroked Auntie Cadance’s face, evoking yet another round of cooing from the mares in the carriage.

Looking back outside, I noticed a lot of fillies and colts in the crowd waving at me. After a second of confusion, I remembered a form of greeting that was similar to this in my old world. I lifted my own hoof trying to imitate the crowd, but being a foal, I almost fell backwards in my seat.

After two or three times of trying and failing, Mother approached and took my hoof into hers.

“Like this, sweetie,” she said softly, moving my foreleg back and forth slowly. After a moment or two, she released my hoof and I was waving back all by myself. This act was met with another round of smiles and ‘aww’s’ from the crowd.

I had to admit, seeing and hearing that made me happy. Back in my old world, I would do all that I could to help people. It was often why I was called on so much when I was in the university. And, as scary as the thought of being royalty was, I was happy that I had the chance to help these ponies for the better.

Rounding the next corner, my hoof and jaw dropped in unison. In my old world, the birth of new royalty was generally a big deal. The media built it up and made it so you couldn’t walk down the street without hearing about it and every move the new royal made for the next few weeks. However, I had one thing that they didn’t have:

A HUGE PARADE!

The street was showered in a rain of confetti and streamers as we passed by. A pony wearing shades with a spiky two-toned blue mane and tail performed loud pulsing music while dancers performed in time. Vendor plied their trade by selling various goods to the crowd. I thought the crowd back at the hospital had been big, but this was awe-inspiring.

While we were traveling along I noticed several buntings and banners stirring about in the wind. On them, I saw a sun that looked remarkably like Mother’s cutie mark and underneath was the mark that looked like a partially blacked out moon. Surrounding the marks were two ponies that appeared to be chasing them, one light and one dark, and seeming to form an almost complete circle. In the distance, I saw a bigger flag in the distance sporting the same insignia.

Guessing that was this country’s flag, I took another closer look at it. As my eyes widened in surprise, I checked Mother and Auntie Luna to see if my guess was correct. Seeing Auntie Luna’s crescent moon cutie mark, I knew my guess was correct: The ponies on the flag were Mother and Auntie Luna! If they were on the flag, they truly were important monarchs. Suddenly, my new friend came back for a visit: Panic.

Before it could build any steam, I noticed a few ponies approaching the guards. Curiosity taking a hold of me, I noticed that the ponies gave the guards brightly wrapped parcels that I recognized as presents. The guards then had the presents placed into a cart that followed behind us, already two-thirds of the way full.

“What are you looking at, honey?” Mother asked, drawing my attention away from the scene. Unable to do anything else, I pointed at the cart. Mother chucked at my response and answered, “Just a guess on my part, but I’d say they are presents meant for you.”
My eyes widened at the response, unable to wrap my mind around what was occurring in front of me. I couldn’t fathom the love the depth of love that these ponies were showing me, to my family. Here, not only was the royal family alive and playing an active role in this society, but they were also greatly loved and respected. I was greatly loved and respected. I hadn’t even done anything yet and these ponies loved me enough to go through all this.

In spite of that revelation, my spirits sank. The closest I had ever gotten to a leadership role was my job in middle management. Only about twelve people at time were affected by my decisions.

Here though, thousands if not millions would be looking to me for leadership. An entire country would be counting on my decisions, hoping that I made the correct one. It was a frightening thought, one that made me want to crawl in a hole somewhere and wait until all this was over.

As though she had been reading my thoughts, Mother unstrapped me and lifted me into her hooves. She turned me so that my eyes met hers.
“Mythic Light, do you want to know why I gave you that name?” she asked, her voice soothingly calm, “You see, for the longest time, Alicorns were thought to be unable to get pregnant and have children of their own. When I found out that I was pregnant with you, I was at a low point in my life. Perhaps even my lowest. But you filled my life with the hope that things could and would get better. It was if my dreams had come true all at once.

“When it was announced that I was pregnant with you, the whole kingdom was filled with a joy that almost equaled my own. You were the light that lifted the darkness of our lives.

“Perhaps, you will rule in your own right one day and if you do, I know that you will even manage to outshine me.”

I felt my eyes water at her words, knowing that she believed them as she spoke them. They were the words I needed to hear, that someone (or somepony I mentally checked) had complete faith in me even when I had doubts believing in myself. That even in the darkest of times, one light, tiny though it was, could make the difference.

She even made me fall in love with my name. At the time I heard it, I thought my name was pretentious and conceited. Now, I couldn’t imagine being called anything else. It made me want to be even better than I was.

And with a few choice words, my mother accomplished all that. I reached out wanting to hug her, wanting to show her that I would try to make good on all the faith she had in me and to thank her for removing the overwhelming fear and confusion I felt earlier. As though sensing my desires, she held me close as I tried my best to return her embrace.

“Okay, sweetie, we’re almost home. Mommy will show you to your room and, if you’re good, we will open some of your presents.”
I clapped my hooves in excitement, causing the crown I was wearing to fall over my eyes again. Of course, another round of cooing filled the carriage as Mother fixed it and placed me back into my seat. As we rounded another corner, I felt my eyes go wider for what must have been the umpteenth time today.

The castle was massive! Huge towers with multi-coloured roofs jutted up around the grounds. The architecture was like nothing I had ever seen before, except for maybe inside a fantasy novel. It even seemed that some of it hovered in place, making me wonder how that worked.

Well, I thought, this world is filled with magic, so I guess that explains some of the wonders of this place.

As we drew near, the portcullis opened up and revealed the interior of the courtyard. I felt confident that I was ready to face this brave new world. Just then a thought occurred to me that I was ashamed of myself for not having thought before.

I am no longer the man I was in my old world, I thought excitedly, This is the second chance that most people don’t get. I made a lot of mistakes in my previous life. So many errors that could have been easily fixed, but I didn’t. Now I can take the knowledge I gained in my old life and put it to use here. To do so many things better than I did. This is my chance to actually be important and to do some genuine good for this world.

I felt the small grin I was wearing grow wider. Deity lady, if you can hear me now, thank you so much for this chance to make it work.

That's Prince Mythic Light to you!

View Online

The door opened as the carriage came to a stop at the entrance of the palace. Anticipation was building in my chest as I gazed up at the large front doors.

This is it, I thought, My new life as a prince begins. Man, I really wished I could talk right now.

“Come along, sweetie,” said Mother, unstrapping me from the carriage chair and placing me on her back. “It’s time to go inside.”

I clung onto Mother’s back as the massive doors opened and two guards came to escort us inside. They bowed to us with Mother giving a polite nod back. As they led us through the grand foyer, I noticed that the interior of the castle was just as impressive and colourful as the outside. A long red carpet stretched up a flight of stairs, tapestries lined the walls, and all along the back wall were stained glass windows: One of the sun and the other of the moon. I realized that they were dedicated to them, but I couldn’t figure out why.

Inside the room were other ponies, all in rows with smiles on their faces. I didn’t get why they were there at first, however I noticed that they were wearing uniforms. I guessed that they were staff members. All types of ponies were there: Unicorns, Pegasi and ….. normal ponies…. they must had have some sort of classification but I couldn’t think of one.

“Welcome back, Princess Celestia,” said the servants, in the kind of perfect unison that somehow only servants could get right. As I looked around, I saw that many of the female servants were making cutesy smiles while resisting the urge to coo at me. Considering that I was at the age of adulthood when I died, I was wondering whether or not I should be insulted by this behavior. Fortunately those thoughts vanished when I remembered how rare I was to this society. Instead, I chose to stay hidden in my mother’s mane.

“Thank you all for your kind welcome,” said Mother. She turned to look at me as I stayed hidden in her mane. “Come on out, my little foal. It’s alright.”

Deciding to take her word on that, I slowly lifted my head out of her mane and looked at the staff members. After they had all finished their collective “awww,” some of the female servants gathered around. One of them started gently stroking me along the back while the rest started cooing at me and congratulating my mother.

“Mythic,” said Mother, “there is somepony very important I want you to meet.”

Mother turned so I came face to face with the pony that she was referring to. It was a unicorn mare, quite tall for a pony. She had an orange coat and a light red mane.

“Mythic, this is Sunbeam,” Mother said, “She, along with her mother Sundancer, have been my personal maids for quite some time now. She is going to be your nanny and is one of the most trusted ponies working here. I trust her to look after you when I cannot.”
I noticed that Sunbeam was blushing a lot when Mother was praising her. When Mother was finished, Sunbeam came forward and bowed her head to me.

“Prince Mythic,” she said, her voice shaking slightly, “Let me say it’s an honor to meet you. I hope that you and I can become good friends.”

She was clearly nervous from the way she spoke. It was also clear to me that this was an enormous responsibility and, although she looked as though she could handle it, the gravity of the situation had recently come down on her. I tried reaching out to her with my hoof, but I was too far away. Mother clearly saw what I was doing and moved me closer so I could reach her face. Sunbeam looked at me as I smiled at her, giggling softly. Sunbeam brightened up and smiled back at me, stroking my mane.

“Well, the little prince already seems to have learned compassion to all ponies from his mother,” a new voice commented.

Mother, myself, and the assembled servants turned to see another servant come towards us. She was an orange pony with a dark red mane. Considering her resemblance to Sunbeam, I guessed that this one was Sundancer

“Ah, Sundancer,” said Mother, confirming my theory, “It’s nice to see you.”

“Your Majesty,” said Sunburst, giving a bow, “May I say congratulations on your foal? Unfortunately, I am afraid that your presence is needed. Some of the more high ranking nobles wanted to meet you and your foal in person.”
Mother gave a heavy sigh. It was clear to me that Mother wanted to save this for later.

Pushy nobles, I thought I barely been alive for two days. I wanted to open my presents! Is that so wrong!?! Once again, the new foalish side of me took control as I finished my thoughts.

“The nobles that are gathered… Is he along with them?” asked another voice. Everyone turned around to see that Aunties Luna, Twilight, and Cadance had just entered the room. It was Luna who posed the question.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Sunburst, “Prince Blueblood is among them.”

Everypony in the room gave a collective groan. It seemed that whoever this Blueblood guy was, he hadn’t earned himself many favours with the staff members or the other royals.

“Out of all the ponies in Equestria, why did he have to be here?” Luna asked rhetorically. “He’s been against Mythic ever since Celestia told us she was pregnant!”

“I tried to keep him away from the proceedings, Your Majesty,” said Sunburst, “but he was so insistent that I couldn’t stop him.”
“It is alright, Sunburst,” said Mother, giving a small sigh. “I knew this would happen. I don’t know where he has gotten his grudge against my foal, but I will face him and any detractor of Mythic Light just the same.”

I looked up at Mother’s expression and it was a face of bravery and strength. It was clear that while she was a much loved ruler, given the fandom outside the hospital; it became clear to me that she was also more than ready to stand her ground against those who came against her. Another thought hit me though, if what Mother said was correct.

What did I do to annoy people....ponies.... already? I thought

“Anyway, since they are here, I should meet with them,” said Mother, “And I think it would be a good experience for Mythic to see what happens in the day court. Shall we Mythic?”

I nodded. It would be cool to see day court, whatever that was, even though I still wanted to open those presents. With that, Mother and I, followed by Cadance, Luna, and Twilight made our way down the hallway to a set of huge doors. They opened up and I was, once again, shocked by what I saw.

It was a throne room. The whole of my house in the previous world could have fit in it, including the garden. Maybe even the neighbour’s houses as well, which would have made the annual water bomb fight more interesting.

The floor was white marble with classical style pillars placed along the walls. In between these pillars on both sides of the room were beautiful stained glass windows depicting various events. Mother saw me looking at all the windows.

“When we have more time to ourselves, Mythic,” Mother whispered, looking back at me, “I will show you all the windows and tell you what they mean.”

I was disappointed. I wanted to know more about them now. They looked a lot more interesting than having to see some noble ponies.
I tried another tactic. I rubbed my head against mother’s back, whined softly and made my eyes as big as I could muster. In the old world, my kid sister had used this technique pretty much every time she wanted to get something.

Mother sighed and smiled. “Ok, I will show you what one of the windows means, but then we have to meet the nobles.”

I brightened up. Mission accomplished!

“Oh, and one other thing Mythic,” said Auntie Twilight, “If you’re very good, I’ll introduce you to some of the ponies in those windows.”

I blinked confusedly. Some of the ponies in the pictures are still alive? As I looked around, I noticed two pictures that confirmed her story. One was Auntie Twilight looking regal surrounded by magic while the other featured six ponies blasting a pitch black pony. The purple one in the centre looked like Twilight, so I guessed that her story could be true.

“Anyway Mythic, here is the one I want to show you,” said Mother, causing me look at where she was pointing with her hoof. The window in question was incredibly detailed, a white and dark blue pony were flying around a sun and moon against a blue background. I realised that this was the flag on the buildings we passed when in the carriage.

“This is the symbol of our country, Equestria,” said Mother, a small hint of pride in her voice. “Before Luna and I came to power, ponies were ruled by a powerful tyrant called Discord. He ruled over Equestria by keeping things in a state of unrest and chaos. Luna and I decided to take a stand against Discord and found the tree of harmony. The tree granted us the Elements of Harmony, which we used to imprison Discord, and give control back to ponykind.”

“Yes, yes. And it suits you very well, auntie,” said a posh voice.

We all turned to see a white pony coming towards us. It was a stallion with a blonde mane and blue eyes. His cutie mark, as Mother had called the weird tattoo on everyone’s flank, was a compass like symbol without the circle. Considering how the servant ponies gave him a wide berth as he passed, I guessed that this was Blueblood.

“Hello, Blueblood,” said Mother, being cheerful about seeing him.

“So, is that the newborn prince?” Blueblood asked, not bothering to mask the contempt in his voice.

“Yes, this is Mythic Light,” Mother replied with pride.

I looked at Blueblood and it didn’t take me long to see why ponies hated him. The accent wasn’t the problem. In the old world, there were plenty of examples of it. It was his tone and expression. I had done nothing but cry, giggle and wave ever since I came to this world and yet he looked down at me as if I was the dirt underneath his foot....hoof... I really had to start remembering that I was a pony now.

“Auntie, this is a travesty.” Blueblood said, “There is no reason why I should allow this. Your foal was born from a pony that was of common blood. Are you seriously suggesting that this foal, of all ponies, could rule Equestria? It’ll be a laughing stock!”

OK. It’s official. I hate you too, I thought. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be my former self so I could punch him a few times. Luckily, Auntie Luna stepped in, looking like she had a few choice words to say.

“HOW DARE YOU?” she roared, so loudly that I hid under Mothers’ mane, “Mythic Light has more right to rule Equestria then you will ever have, Blueblood. You best remember that. Also, Golden Sword has more nobility in him than you ever will. You speak of ponies being common and needing to address you as a prince, when you yourself treat them as if they were the dirt beneath your hooves.”

Golden Sword, I thought. Where is he? What could have happened to my father?

Something else took priority over that thought. I wanted to make Blueblood pay for his words and the smug elitism almost literally dripping from his ears. I felt something surge inside me. It combined with my anger to make a tangible force, raging to come out. I soon remembered the magic horn on my head and hatched a plan. Maybe I could force it out if I let it. I pointed my horn at Blueblood and let the force grow inside me. My horn lit up softly, but it wasn’t enough. I tried pouring more of my energy into it, but nothing happened.
I need one more push, I thought Something to tip it over the edge. Come on, Blueblood! Say something stupid!

“It doesn’t change facts,” Blueblood stated, “Golden Sword was a commoner. He should have never been allowed into the day court. The fool got what he deserved.”

That did the trick. My anger surged again. I may never have met him, but no one has the right to insult my father like that. I felt a familiar feeling pass through me and, with a sneeze, I let loose a blast. It wasn’t strong, but it was enough to take Blueblood by surprise to the point where he couldn’t dodge it. The blast didn’t hurt him, but seeing his shocked face and the state I left his mane in was enough of a victory for me.
Then something else happened. That feeling wouldn’t die down and another blast came out of my horn. Then another and another, each one hitting the walls and the floor. Ponies had to dodge each blast by jumping out of the way. I tried to stop it, but it didn’t listen to me. It was happening all by itself. I grew scared, thinking it would never stop.
“Celestia!! Mythic’s having a spasm!” yelled Twilight.

Mother immediately threw a shield around us both in order to prevent anypony from getting hurt . She then threw another one around my horn in order to try and stop me. The blasts were still happening inside the shield, but they could not break out. Mother started gently stroking me and spoke quietly.

“Mythic, I know you’re scared, but don’t worry. We can fix this, but you need to calm down. Mommy’s here and she’s not going to let you get hurt. I am here to protect you, now and forever. Magic is a scary thing when it’s like this, but you can learn to control it. For now though, you just calm down.”

Mother’s soothing voice helped a lot as I closed my eyes and willed myself to take deeper breaths. She then started humming a tune into my ears. The force inside dulled down and, eventually, the blasts stopped. The force was completely gone.

I opened my eyes to see my mother, almost to the point of tears but with a smile on her face. She lowered the shields and I looked at what I did. Thankfully a lot of my blasts didn’t hit anyone and most of them were caught by Auntie Luna, Auntie Cadance, and Auntie Twilight, along with several other Unicorns. However, Blueblood did get hit by a few of them. While they didn’t hurt him, per se, they did leave him with a ruined mane and in a curled up position on the floor. I giggled. It was funny to see his mane ruined like that. Auntie Twilight came over to me.

“Are you ok?” she asked, with a worried expression on her face.

I nodded, so much so that my crown came over my eyes again. She lifted it up and smiled at me, coming closer. “I’ve wanted to do that as well,” she whispered, “I can tell our magic lessons are gonna be fun.”

I nodded at her, wanting to learn how to control that magic.

“I hate to interrupt,” said Blueblood, coming off the floor with an angry expression, “but Mythic attacked me! Look at what he has done!!!”

“Well, given how you insulted him, I’m surprised he didn’t do more,” said Auntie Luna, looking over and winking at me. I smiled back.

“That’s enough,” said Mother, in a loud and clear voice. “Blueblood, you are already on thin ice with us and what you have done here is pushing it. Consider this your final warning. If you so much as think that Mythic is unworthy or do not properly address my child as Prince Mythic Light, His Majesty, or His Highness; I will see to it personally that you will be thrown into the dungeon and have your title as prince revoked. Do you understand?"

Blueblood was stunned. “I am your nephew!” he roared “You can’t do that to me!”

“Both Luna and I can easily tear those bonds apart, Blueblood,” Mother said, her voice deliberately calm. “You are hanging by a thread. One wrong move on your part and I will end it. And if you ever insult Golden Sword or my foal ever again, I will see to it that it you are banished from Equestria. Now leave.”

With that, Blueblood stormed out of the throne room. I clapped my hooves together and giggled, soon after everyone was doing that for Mother.

“Well now, Mythic,” she said with a calming sigh, looking back at me and smiling once more, “Shall we greet our guests? I’m certain the rest are very anxious to meet you.”

Meeting the Nobles

View Online

I recall asking myself if the ponies here used chairs like we did on my old world. The answer was both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ While they did use chairs, they were certainly nothing like they were in my old world. Here, the seats was much wider and it sat closer to the floor than like the chairs I knew. This made sense, seeing as how ponies wouldn’t sit like people do.

Mother’s throne sat on a raised platform one would get to by walking the stairs that led up to it. The portion of floor leading up to it was covered in a red carpet with two maroon stripes along the edges of it. The throne itself was gold covered in red fabric on the backrest and the seat. All in all, it was a very regal looking throne.

And I was sitting in it, resting between my mother’s hooves.

Mother was the picture of serenity with Auntie Luna running a close second. Auntie Cadance seemed relatively peaceful, save for when she was sneaking glances at me, scrunching her nose or winking when she did. Auntie Twilight seemed to be having trouble at first, but after a while she eventually calmed.

I, on the other hand (or was it hoof), was trying to keep myself from fidgeting about too much. It wasn’t easy, given my recent dealings with Blueblood. I began worrying that maybe all the nobles were like Blueblood. However, that was running a poor second to what really had me worried.

I used magic twice since coming here. The first time was an accident in the hospital. The second time was in the hall and I couldn’t control it. I remember Mother saying that I had strong magic in the hospital, so what would happen if it just went off again? What would happen if it went off and hit someone by accident. I felt a part of myself want to bury myself in Mother’s fur and cry, a prospect that was becoming more and more tempting as the seconds passed. Fortunately, they took my crown off so I wouldn’t have to worry about it falling over my eyes for a while.

However, my thoughts were interrupted by a gentle pressure on my horn. I looked up, seeing Mother placing a kiss on it. “Don’t worry, little Mythic,” she said softly, “Magic spasms rarely happen and never for very long. Besides, even though your magic reserve is bigger than most pony’s your age, the amount of damage you could do is minimum.”

My eyes widened. It was becoming scary how she could do that. Smiling, she continued.

“And besides, I’ve seen the itinerary. Everypony seeing us today were the most supportive ones when I told them about you.”

I felt myself relax a little. I thought about all the ponies that I had seen and met and so far only Blueblood acted like a jerk. In fact, most of the ponies I’ve seen went out of their way to make me feel welcomed. Seemed these nobles at least deserved a chance. It was the least I could do.

The sound of a cleared throat brought our attention back to the throne room. Standing in front of us was a charcoal grey mare. She had a black mane that was tied tightly into a bun. She wore a white blouse with a lighter grey vest over it. She carried a clipboard and a ‘no-nonsense’ expression.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty,” she replied respectfully, “Your guests have arrived.”

“Thank you, Raven,” Mother answered cordially, “Would you show them in?”

Raven nodded, making a gesture to the guards at the door. The guards opened the door, revealing two ponies standing at the entrance. They entered at a dignified pace, allowing me to take in their features.

They were both white unicorns, but that was where the similarities ended. The stallion’s features were angular where the mare’s were rounded off. Also the mare’s figure was lean whereas the stallion’s was muscular.

The stallion had piercing blue eyes that seemed to take in everything at once. His wavy blue hair was styled so not a bit of it seemed out of place. He wore an expensive looking suit consisting of a jacket, a waistcoat, a shirt, a bowtie, and a monocle. No trousers though, but from what I’ve seen no one wears them. This allowed his cutie mark to be visible, an image of three golden crowns. All in all, he seemed rather imposing.

The mare however was shockingly beautiful. In her graceful state, she seemed to practically glide across the carpeted floor. Her two toned pink mane and tail seemed to flow from her head rather than grow from it. The eyeshadow she wore made her pale purple eyes stand out all the more. Her cutie mark consisted of three stylized lilies, two purple and one gold.

Wait a second, I thought, Makeup and clothes? Trousers nonexistent? This place seems to get stranger by the second.

Suddenly, I became aware of the fact that the mare was staring at me. Her eyes locked onto mine, making me unable to look away from her. After a second or two, she smirks then winks at me. With that one action, she made me feel as though she had caught me doing something unseemly towards her.

“Your Majesties,” a voice called, “Presenting Grand Duke Fancy Pants and Grand Duchess Fleur de Lis!”

Hearing the name, I quickly stifled my laughter. Fancy Pants??? I thought, Really?! What bet did his parents lose?

Any thoughts along these lines were cut off as Fancy Pants spoke in a posh and elegant tone, both mare and stallion bowing their heads. “Your Highness, it is good to see you well.”

“As it is you, Fancy,” Mother said in a jovial tone, “Please, come and meet my son. Mythic, these are Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis.”

The feeling of discomfort and inadequacy returned and brought reinforcements as they approached the throne. Being unable to tear open a hole in the time-space continuum and pull it close after me, I simply sat there trying my best not to tremble. I felt the brush of Mother’s hoof on my back, but it didn’t help.

When they towered over me looking at me, I felt an almost kin-like feeling of sympathy for every worm I ever used for bait. They both leaned in closer, Fancy adjusting his monocle in his magic. Not having any other means of defence, I closed my eyes and braced myself for the worst.

“I say,” Fancy stated, “he is a dashing rascal, isn’t he?”

I opened my eyes, seeing Fancy smiling genuinely at me. All at once, all the fears I had slowly started to dissipate into nothingness. That was until I felt a pair of hooves gently rubbing my cheeks.

“He’s the handsomest little colt I’ve ever seen,” Fleur said, her voice more elegant and posh than Fancy’s.

I felt myself start to flush at their compliments. The fact that Fleur was petting me in several places while cooing at me wasn’t helping either. If all the nobles are like this, I think I’ll be alright, I thought.

“Not that I am not glad,” Mother said in a knowing tone, “but surely Canterlot’s most prominent elite have more important things to do than to schedule a meeting to see my foal.”

Canterlot? I thought Is that what this place is called? Oh sweet deity lady, if every town in this world has a horse pun name...Wait a minute, didn’t Mother call this land I’m Equestria outside the hospital? Oh boy, every town has a name like that, don’t they?

“Nothing more important,” Fancy replied, his tone growing sad, “however there was another matter we’ve come to see you on. Sadly, it wouldn’t wait.”

Fleur was in the process of rubbing my belly, an action that was inexplicably causing my tail to wag. Hearing Fancy speak, she gave a sad smile at having to stop. She gave my nose a nuzzle with her own before she and Fancy descended the stairs a few steps.

“First, allow us to apologize for having to do this so soon after coming out of the hospital,” Fleur stated, her voice chiming as clearly as a bell’s, “but we thought it would be better if you heard this from us.”

“Heard about what?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Much to my own surprise, Fancy looked uncomfortable. “Do not misunderstand, most of the nobility are very pleased about your son, however…”

“Some of the more snooty members of the canterlot nobility felt obligated to give their opinions on the matter,” interjected Aunt Luna.

“Not how I would have phrased it, but accurate,” Fancy admitted, his expression stating that he didn’t want to be saying this, “A few of them have voiced concerns that, now your foal has been born, your effectiveness in court would be diminished.”

“Not that we believe that for a moment,” Fleur stated, giving me another wink.

“However, there are enough nobles who agree that it might be a possibility to contest the issue.”

As much as I hated to admit it, those nobles Fancy was talking about did have a point. There were some women back in my old world who were unable to raise a child and keep a career. However, my old mother was able to raise me while keeping her job, so it wasn’t impossible. I looked up at Celestia, knowing that if my mother were able to do it, my new mother could as well.

“If it makes you feel better,” Fancy continued, “the majority of the nobleponies believing that are minor barons who haven’t been nobles very long.”

“I wonder why that is?” Twilight asked.

“Some ponies develop bad attitudes once they get power,” Luna answered solemnly, “Sometimes, it stems from bad childhood experiences, other times it was in their nature the entire time. All the same, those bad attitudes can be a pain to deal with.”

If it were possible, I would have agreed with her. A wiser man than me said that ‘Power tends to corrupt.’ Seems like some things never change, I thought with a note of sadness.

“That may not be the case with all of them,” Cadance replied, whether for my benefit or Twilight’s I couldn’t say, “Some of them may just be being manipulated or misled. Sometimes, others are just willing to go along with the crowd.”

“The more influential nobles agree with us and fully support you and the little scamp,” Fancy stated, giving me a smirk, “In fact, some of them were in the crowd.”

“I thought I saw a few of them out there when we came by,” interjected Aunt Twilight.

“I was certain that I noticed Countess Golden Harp giving some presents to the to the guards,” said Aunt Luna.

“In any case,” Fleur continued, “all the nobles would like to meet the prince at the earliest convenience.”

“We shall deal with this in due time,” Mother stated, using her formal tone, “In the meantime, inform the nobles that they shall meet Mythic once he is settled in the castle.”

“Of course,” Fancy stated, turning to me, “Prince Mythic, a pleasure making your acquaintance.”

Unable to do otherwise, I smiled in response.

Fancy gave a regal bow. “My wife and I wish congratulations on your foal’s birth and are glad we could join on this great and joyous day.”

“Thank you, Fancy Pants,” Mother answered, causing me to stifle a giggle. I couldn’t help it, the name ‘Fancy Pants’ was funny.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Fancy stated turning to leave.

“Thank you, Your Majesty” said Fleur de Lis, turning to me, “Au revoir, little prince. I hope to see you again soon.” She blew a kiss to me, turning to follow her husband out of the room.

I couldn’t see myself, but I could feel my face burning and was certain my coat turned to a light shade of pink.

“Awwwww!” Aunt Cadence said, confirming my suspisions. She lowered herself so that we were eye to eye. “I think there’s a certain foal here that likes Lady Fleur de Lis,” she said, her tone stating how cute she thought it was.

Glancing about the room, I noticed that the eye of every mare was me. What was worse, all of them had cutesy smiles upon their lips. Even the professional Raven was looking at me like she wanted to pinch my cheeks as Fleur did. Feeling my blush intensify, I tried to hide behind Mother’s legs, eliciting yet another round of coos from the mares.

Raven cleared the air by clearing her throat. “As charming as that was, there’s still one more guest wishing to see you. Countess Golden Leaf is waiting to see you.”

“Why is she coming in?” Aunt Luna asked confusedly.

“Only way to find out, Lulu,” Mother replied, stroking my mane, “Show her in, Raven.”

The doors opened to reveal a yellow coated mare with blue eyes. Her two-toned mane of blue and red and tail were neatly trimmed. Her gait wasn’t as refined as Fleur’s or Fancy’s, but it was respectful just the same. She bowed before the throne.

“Good afternoon, Golden,” Mother said, “What bring the head of the Royal Treasury up here? Surely not a lack of funds?”

The mare chuckled at this. “Nothing like that, Your Grace,” she said, her tone and voice sounding a touch more rural than Fancy’s or Fleur’s voices were, “I got elected to tell you that the governmental staff wish you and your foal our congratulations.”

“Well, that was sweet of them and you,” Mother said, her tone more jovial than it was a second ago. “Mythic, this is Countess Golden Leaf, the head of the Royal Treasury. She has worked very hard to achieve her status in the palace.”

“Geez Your Majesty,” she said blushing, “I didn’t do all that much. Besides, Golden Sword made…” She covered her mouth, realizing what she had just said. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she added hastily, “I didn’t mean to dredge up the past.”

“It’s alright, Golden Leaf,” Mother said consolingly, “Both you and Golden Sword worked very hard to achieve your positions. You are both examples of what ponies can achieve if they work hard towards their goals. I would not trade that for anything in the world. Besides,” she looked down at me, “even in the darkest times, there is a spark of light.”

While she was looking at me, I noticed there was more than sadness at the mention of my father’s name; there was also a sense of pride. It seemed to be contagious, because I was also proud of him. From what I had heard of him, Golden Sword was a brave, diligent, and intelligent pony who loved my mother very much. Why shouldn’t I be proud of him? Thoughts along this line ceased as my foal body decided it had enough and let out a yawn.

“Sorry Golden,” Mother said chuckling, “my little one has had an eventful day and seems to be worn out. I do apologize for this.”

“It’s fine, Your Majesty,” she said with a smile and a wave of her hoof, “I got friends with foals, so I see this sort of thing all the time. Besides, I said what I needed to. Best wishes to you and the kid.” With that, she left the room with no further ado.

“Seems that spasm earlier tired you out, my little light,” Mother said, lifting me in her magical grip and placing me on her back, “I’ll take you to the Solar Chambers where you can rest peacefully. Can you three handle things until I get back?”

“Of course, Tia,” Aunt Luna replied, Cadance and Twilight nodding their consent. With that Mother left the room through a side door.

I tried keeping track of all the twists and turns as we passed through in the halls, but was unable to with how tired I had gotten. Instead, I thought about everything I had learned about Golden Sword. Given everything I had heard about him from Golden Leaf, Aunt Luna, and Mother, I had more questions than I did answers.

However, something else was obvious about him: Mother had been immensely proud of him. It was obvious that Mother was upset about whatever had happened to him, but every time somepony spoke of him, her eyes lit up. I didn’t care what Blueblood had said about him. From everything I heard, he was a fine pony and if he wasn’t here now, there was a perfectly good reason for it.

Of course, all this left me with a huge legacy to follow. With Mother’s and my Aunt’s status as royalty and what he was able to accomplish, I knew I had a long way to go to measure up. However, I wasn’t worried. What Mother had told me earlier was still ringing within my ears and my heart and I was determined to do my best, for better or for worse.

Father, I thought, my eyelids slowly closing as sleep overtook me, I don’t know where you are, but I am going to make you proud of me. I only hope I can live up to the example you and Mother set for me.

Meeting with the Goddess

View Online

As mother walked towards the solar chambers, the place I assume that mother called where she rested during the night, something had occurred to me. I had been so caught up in the actions of the day’s previous events that I had overlooked an important question. At the time I hadn’t given it much thought, but now that I was focused on it, I realized its magnitude and importance. More than that though, it stuck with me like that niggling doubt you get on an important day that must be perfect otherwise it turns horrible:

Why me?

Why am I getting this new life and purpose? I wasn’t that important in my old world. I was a section-coordinator in a supermarket, one of probably millions around the world. My decisions only affect the other 12 members of staff and now, when I get older, I will be governing a country with thousands, if not millions of ponies watching my every move. Why made that deity lady choose me? She probably would have had greater success with finding someone like a president of the supermarket chain I worked at or maybe someone from the government. You know, somebody who actually had experience in governing the lives of millions of people at a time.

“Mythic,” Mother said softly, jogging me out of my train of thought. I looked up at her to see her smiling at me, “We are here.”

Looking around the room, I saw it like every other room I had seen so far was huge. The room was an inviting shade of purple with banners of the sun dotted around the place. Finely crafted white wooden furnishings sat immaculately on the finely carpeted floor, like the vanity mirror, the table and Mother’s four poster bed, which also had fine purple drapes hanging from it. However, what confused me was the fact there was a wardrobe present. Or it did until I remembered that Fancy Pants was wearing a suit, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that mother had some nice dresses that she put on for special occasions. Although from what I had seen, clothing in this world was entirely optional.

The only other thing to stand out from the trappings of the room was a white cradle at the end of Celestia’s bed. Like the rest of the furniture, it was white yet it had yellow sheets laid upon it rather than mother’s purple. At one end of it, it had a sun emblazoned upon it with the letter ‘M’ placed directly in its center. Were I to look upon the other side, I would feel fairly certain that I would discover the same insignia placed upon the other end of it.

Seeing that made me wonder how much planning went in when it came to my birth. I never had a child in my previous life, mainly due to my inability to be able to afford to take care of one properly so I really didn’t have any kind of frame for reference. However, going by the reception I received from the population, I judged that planning must have started from the very moment that mother announced her pregnancy to Equestria.

I was interrupted from my contemplating when Mother used her magic to place me into the cradle. Using her hooves, she lifted the blanket around me and tucked me soundly in. Looking down on me, she smiled in that motherly way, undoubtedly thinking how cute I looked. She then leaned down to place a kiss behind my horn and between my ears before nuzzling me.

“Sleep tightly, my little dawn,” she said whispering, beginning to rock the cradle gently to and fro.

I have to admit I always thought the idea of rocking children to sleep seemed a little silly, but now that I was on the receiving end of it, it was surprisingly soothing. I found my eyes begin to fall heavily, my final sight being my mother smiling upon me as I drifted into slumber.

I remember reading something once about lucid dreams, dreams in which the dreamer is aware that he/she is dreaming and can control it. I never experienced one myself, but finding myself floating as I was in that blueish space, I couldn’t think of anything else it could be. After a second or two of this, I found the color began to shift to a much darker shade of black. I opened my mouth to yell something, anything really, but my voice merely came out sounding as childish gibberish.

“Hello there, little one,” a kind, yet powerful voice said from behind me. It had a motherly tone to it, but it wasn’t Mothers. Yet, I recognized that voice from somewhere. After a second of recollection, I realized who that voice belonged to. It belonged to her! The Deity!

I turned around to the source of the voice to be greeted by the vision of millions of stars greeting my vision. As I began to wonder if the voice had only been in my head, several of the stars began moving to some focal point in the sky. It seemed for a second as though they had planned on forming a massive supernova, but that thought was quickly snuffed out when they flashed in a brilliant explosion. When I managed to open my eyes again, I felt my mouth drop open at what I suspected to be the Deity’s true form.

She revealed herself as an alicorn with a shimmering white coat that would’ve put Mother’s to shame. Her mane and tail seemed to be a combination of Mother’s and Auntie Luna’s, the orange and purple coloring seeming to shine as it reflected the stars around us. Her wings were perhaps the most impressive, seeing as they were not only much larger than any I had seen so far, but were also tipped with bright billowing flames that never seemed to waver. As her two shimmering eyes met mine, a gentle smile rose from her lips.

As I was staring at her, I realized that she was tall. Not that surprising really, seeing as I was still in a child’s body, but looking at her I realized that she was even taller than Mother was. Looking over her, I noticed her cutie mark was a supernova placed in the center of a spiraling galaxy. Seeing all of that, I had no trouble believing that she was the very Deity lady that placed me here in the first place.

“I assume by your slack jawed expression that you’re more than a little surprised to see me again,” she said, her voice seeming to echo in the nothingness. Although now that I heard it again, perhaps voice was the wrong word choice. It sounded more akin to something powerful, like a raging storm or a powerful earthquake. It wasn’t until about three eternal seconds later that what she had said hit me.

I blinked a few times, realizing that I was obviously staring and quickly sought something else to do. Snapping my jaws shut, I quickly bowed to her, my nose nearly touching what would’ve been the floor had there been a floor to touch. I heard her chuckling at my display.

“Raise your head, little one,” she said, not bothering to mask her amusement, “Although I do appreciate the gesture, it’s not necessary.”

As I raised myself from genuflecting, I felt myself visibly relax. However, I felt myself shrink as she gazed at me. Somehow I could feel her gazing into my soul. Granted, she had already seen my soul, for lack of a better word, but it was still eerie. However, her smile seemed to widen. “I must admit, you turned out better than I thought you would.”

I opened my mouth to speak again, however it merely came out as gurgling. My face dropped into a scowl. My chance to finally ask what had been on my mind and I couldn’t even participate in it. There were simply no words adequate enough to describe how frustrating that was.

“My apologies,” she said, her horn alighting in an orange aura, “I forgot that you were unable to speak. Fortunately, I know your mind is still as sharp as it was when I found you, so we’ll use that.”

I found my head was being surrounded by that same aura before my ears were filled with a popping sound. I looked around, not seeing anything different about… well anything really. “So, what happens now?” a childlike voice filled the air. After a moment of shock, I found myself asking, “Is that my voice?”

“In a manner of speaking,” the Deity replied chuckling behind her hoof, “You see, that is what you will sound like when you do start speaking. And it happens to suit your personality and cuteness very well, darling. I understand you go by ‘Mythic Light’ now.”

I nodded my reply, still getting use to the shock of my ‘voice.’ Her smile seemed to widen. “It fits you well,” she stated approvingly.

“Who...who are you?” I asked, still getting used to the sound my thoughts made. After a day or two of almost complete silence, the idea of my thoughts making sounds was a bit jarring.

“I doubt you could properly pronounce my true name,” she stated, straightening herself out, “However, for the sake of convenience, you may address me as Faust.” Her demeanor seemed to shift, becoming more business-like. “I understand that you had something you wanted to ask me?”

I felt my spirits drop as my thoughts from earlier began to take root once more. “Yes, I do,” I replied, looking at my hooves, “Why did you choose me for this destiny? I mean I know I’m not anything special. I was just a lowly worker in a supermarket chain, one of perhaps thousands the company employed. Any decision I made only affected perhaps a dozen people at any given time, and even then anything I decided could be overturned by the higher management.

“Now, practically overnight, I became heir to a kingdom, where thousands, if not millions, of ponies will be affected and I have the final say. I mean that is a huge responsibility and, personally, I can’t understand why you would pick me for this when there are plenty of other people better suited for it. So, why pick me over someone like a president or a prime minister?”

The second I saw Faust’s eyebrow raise, I immediately regretted asking. I mean she was generous enough to give me a second life and here I was second guessing her. What if she took it the wrong way? What she decided to send me back? Would that even be possible? And if it was and people thought I was a zombie, would they freak out and kill me again?! And if they did what would happen to me then!?!

Before anymore thoughts along those lines could continue, I felt something soft pull at my right side. Looking at it, I saw a white wing draped at my side, the tips of flames far from my flesh. Looking to my left, my eyes trailed up to Faust’s face as she smiled fondly down at me. “Do you really think I’d send you back just after bringing you here?” she asked in a knowing tone.

“You heard all of what I was thinking earlier, didn’t you?” I asked, mentally facehoofing myself.

“Yes, I did,” she said more softly, the hint of a smirk in her voice, “and I promise, you have nothing to fear from me.”

I felt myself relax as she said that. For some strange reason, even though I felt she could probably destroy the whole of reality with little more than a thought, I felt comfortable around her. It only increased as she tightened her wing around me, the warmth of her radiating into me as she leaned closer to speak.

“To answer your question: it’s true,” she said, leaning closer as her voice dropped, “I could have picked one of those kinds of people for this task, however one of the problems with that is those persons you suggested oft times are slow to respond to any given situation outside of what they consider normal. To them, leadership is more of a chore than a talent, whereas you are different. You have the instincts of a true leader and have displayed talent far surpassing your ‘qualifications’ as you put it. Here, let me show you.”

As Faust’s horn lit once again, I was temporarily blinded by another flash of light. Upon its return, I found myself in a classroom. There were people, actual human beings, gathered around a table and arguing over some documents.

“Do you recognize this?”

I was about to respond I didn’t until it hit me that I remembered some of the people at the table. Seeing as this was the case, as well as the fact that they failed to react to the pair of ponies in the corner of the room, I realized this was some kind of memory viewing or specialized time travel.

“This is my old classroom at the university,” I replied, my thoughts heavy with nostalgia. What I saw next made me actually gasp audibly.

A tall, thin, ginger haired young man entered the room looked upon the scene and shook his head. I could live for a thousand years and still be able to recognize my old human self. As soon as my old self had set his stuff down, he (or is it I) strode to the table and did the only natural thing: got everyone’s attention.

“Hey, hey!” he said, managing to catch the eyes of the arguing parties, “Let’s all take a breath and calm down. Now, what’s going on and how can I help?”

“I remember this,” I said, still stunned by what was playing before me, “A friend of mine was doing a film project and it started going downhill. People started quitting, interviews were being cancelled left and right, and the whole production was becoming a giant mess.”

“Indeed, so what did you do?” Faust asked, undoubtedly knowing the answer as well as I did.

After I had heard about everything that had happened, I had offered my services as a producer on the film. I remember working for weeks, through the night most of the time, in order to get things done. I managed to get the crew organised into roles that would better suit them and made certain that the equipment was properly handled and everyone was trained to use it correctly. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of hours I spent arranging interviews and doing various odd jobs making sure that everything was on schedule. More often than not, the crew started calling me the ‘glue holding the project together.’

Two months later, the film had been completed and the hard work had not only received top marks from the lecturers, but somehow managed to receive a prestigious award from an established film festival. I don’t remember much about the festival itself, but I do remember how much it had meant to my friend. Upon receiving the award, my friend gave a small speech about how much of an honor it was, yet it was the last part that surprised the audience the most.

“...Out of everyone who helped on this project, the one who deserve the most thanks is my best friend,” he said gesturing to me, causing the whole of the audience to turn in my direction, “He basically put this entire project back on track when it was in near ruins and made the project what it is today. He took on the brunt of the project and the complaints and never asked for a thing to do it. He is truly the person that should be up here today and I can’t thank him enough for all of his work.”

As the crowd was led into a round of applause led by my friend, I remember feeling self-conscious as it was directed at me. I had nearly forgotten about that whole ordeal, it was just another project to me. However recalling it now, a small smile crossed my lips.

“You didn’t have to get involved in your friend's film,” Faust stated, pulling me in closer with her wing, “You could have easily turned away and minded your own business, but you didn’t. You displayed a sense of charity, compassion, and devotion to your friend. You inspired others during every stage and showed great ability in dealing with problems. In participating in that project, you showed many qualities that a good leader should have.”

My expression grew thoughtful as I processed what she said. As I did, my smile grew wider. However, I was brought out of my thoughts as she spoke again.

“However, this is but one of the reason I chose you. Here is another.”

The scene changed to a drastically different setting. In front of me was a crashed boat somewhere in the middle of a rainforest. For the second time today, I was shocked for this was a memory that I recalled all too well.

At this time, one of my science classes was in botany and during the semester, an opportunity for a trip to Ecuador came up. It was a unique opportunity to see those exotic plants growing in their natural state. Naturally, I practically jumped at the chance.

Everything had been going fine until about a week before the expedition ended. Somehow, the guide had lost control of the boat and crashed it. Next thing anybody realized was that the entire group was stranded in the wilderness with our only mode of transportation useless.

Naturally, that’s when everything went sour.

A few of the members began arguing, namely on who was to blame for the current situation. Mostly everyone else stayed out of it, sitting on whatever there was that wasn’t covered in mud and doing their best to stay unnoticed. After a few minutes of this, just about when it was getting ready to come to blows, I finally lost it.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I roared, the area becoming deathly quiet around us. As all eyes in the area became trained on me, I was doing my best to maintain control on what little temper I had left. After a moment of calm breathing, I finally managed to regain control enough to speak again.

“Look, I get it. Our boat just crashed and right about now we all wish we were somewhere other than here. However, fighting amongst ourselves isn’t going to help anything. Accidents happen, they’re a part of life. It’s how we react to them that determine what kind of people we are. I don’t know about all of you, but I am not going to wait around here to die. Between all of us, we have the skills, training, and equipment to get ourselves out of this mess. So, who’s with me in getting back home?”

Everything went silent. Had there been a pin handy, you could’ve heard it drop. I wasn’t sure how long it lasted until pretty much everyone there agreed with my sentiments and finally got active.
After gathering anything useful from the remains of the boat, it was simply a matter of following the river to our final stop. It was difficult traveling and the terrain was against us every step of the way. I don’t know how I managed to keep that group going in spite of how scared it undoubtedly was, but I did. I wrote it off as them knowing as well as I did that if they gave up, they wouldn’t see home. It wasn’t until two grueling days of intensive hiking in the Ecuadorian humidity that we finally saw the end of our expedition.

Once we were in the safety of our destination and happily eating something without the possibility of unexpected animals joining for dinner, I got called to the administrator's office. Turns out the accident was caused by the boat’s rudder getting caught in the riverbed due to an unseasonably dry season. The guides both admitted that had it not been for me, the group would undoubtedly be stuck in that rainforest for a lot longer than two days.

Not only had I received a hardy handshake from the administrator, one of the guides gave me his armband. “Take it,” he insisted, “you more than earned it. Keep it as a souvenir, if nothing else.”

Once class was back in session, I was a big deal for about a week and a half. Even managed to get a special decoration from the university along with a certificate. At the time I had shrugged it off, but looking back on it, it was perhaps the proudest moment of my life.

“I could bring up another dozen more examples, but I doubt that it’s necessary,” Faust said, the scene shifting back to the starry night, “With every challenge that came up, you showed compassion, benevolence, sincerity, and courage with your words and your actions. It is for these reasons, in spite of all the shortcomings you believe you have, that I chose you for this.”

I moved my hoof to my eyes to wipe the tears that threatened to fall as she pulled me even closer. “To you, leadership is a second instinct and I will have need for a leader like you in the future. For now though, you are still young and have much to learn about the world and yourself. When the time comes, I have no doubts that your talents will shine like your namesake and that you will do great things in the future.”

I could not measure the amount of worth those words filled me with. “Thank you, Faust,” I said, sniffling slightly, “Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome, little prince,” she said, releasing me from her prison of feathers, “Now, it is about time for you to return. I know not when we shall meet again, but know that you are never far from my thoughts.”

I nodded in understanding. She took several steps away from me, her head shifting slightly as though in preparation for a spell. I was ready to return when a sudden thought entered my mind. “Mind if I ask you something else?”

Faust’s eyebrow lifted, as though she weren’t certain to be amused or slighted. “I shall make an exception this one time only,” she said, her tone leaving no room for question.

I nodded that I understood, as I stepped forward and prepared my question. I was taking a big chance asking this and I knew it, but I had to know: “Faust, are you Celestia’s and Luna’s mom?”

She blinked. Twice. Her face remained frozen until she broke into a fit of giggling that made me think of preteen girls in a schoolyard. If I hadn’t been seeing it myself I wouldn’t have believed it.

“Oh, you are an absolute darling,” she said, merriment in her voice, “However, that’s a story for another time. Farewell for now, Mythic Light.”

My eyes were filled with a bright light and before I realized what had happened, I had returned to my crib. It was still dark as I searched about the room, but I did notice my mother grooming herself at her vanity mirror. When she noticed I had awakened, she smiled at me as she approached.

“Good morning, my little foal,” she whispered, as though she were hesitant to break the spell of silence over the castle, “I hadn’t expected you to be up this early. However, it does allow for a unique opportunity.”

Her horn was lit in a golden aura as she lifted me from the soft caress of my blankets, and placed me upon the safety of her back. She strode gently to the balcony, the slight chill of the night wind at our coats as we exited the bedroom. She glanced to a tower to her left, causing me to look and see Auntie Luna upon her own balcony. She nodded her acknowledgement to us, Mother doing the same as they turned their attention to the horizon.

Luna’s horn lit in a sapphire aura, the moon moving in accordance. This was the second time was witnessing the impossible. I saw my own, seemingly fun-loving Aunt Luna moving the moon with little more than her mind. It was truly awe-inspiring.

However, that was merely the prelude to what followed.

Mother’s horn lit once more in her golden aura, her eyes closed in concentration. As she did, the sun rose in response. As the aura intensified slightly, the sky was filled with the reds, oranges, and golds of the dawn. I felt my eyes widen, my eyeballs threatening to fall from their sockets. It was in that moment I knew that Mother hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest when she said that she moved the sun.

However, what truly surprised me the most was how normally Mother seemed to act. To her, it didn’t seem any more of note than a stroll through the garden. It seemed that my mother was one of the most powerful being in Equestria.

Slowly my shocked face widened into a face splitting smile. Seeing the sun rise as it did gave me new perspective. I did truly belong here and nothing would change that. This was a chance to truly make a difference, to rectify any mistakes of the past, and to help the ponies of my future kingdom. In that moment, I believed I could be a great leader.
That was before my weariness began to overtake me once more and I yawned, slowly sinking into the almost unyielding softness of Mother’s mane. I tried to keep my eyes open, but they also rebelled against my wishes. The last thing I remember was a soft kiss at the tip of my horn as I heard a soft whisper

“Sweet dreams, little foal.”

Heroes of Equestria

View Online

When I woke up, I was back in my crib again with mother looking down at me fondly. I didn’t know how long I slept but considering the sun was higher in the sky, it was clear that I was asleep for a few hours.

“Hello again, my little foal” Mother said, nuzzling me and picking me up out of the crib. After she fed me, a bird cry rang out and I turned to see a beautiful red and orange bird fly towards us. Mother raised one of her legs and the bird landed gracefully on it.

“Hello there Philomena, my pet” Mother said, before turning to me “Dearest Mythic, this is Philomena, my precious pet phoenix. Philomena, the is my foal, Mythic Light”

My eyes went wide when I heard that Philomena was a phoenix, the colour scheme definitely matched that of one however I was still in awe of the bird. Then I thought again about how I was living in a world run by ponies and that both Unicorns and Pegasi were not only present in this world; but also commonplace. Putting all that into account I had lost the right to be surprised at mythological creatures yesterday.

Philomena came down from Mother’s leg and began looking me up and down, it was clear to me that Philomena was the main attention of mother’s eye before I came along. I knew personally from experience how new children caused people to lose interest in their pets. Just ask my rabbit when I was the only one who fed it when my sister was born. I was expecting Philomena to hate me, but to my surprise she flew on to my shoulder and rubbed against my face.

“Aww” Mother cooed “I think she likes you Mythic. Anyway, we have a big day ahead of us. There are some special guests coming to see you.”

Upon hearing her words, I became worried. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be more nobility. While the nobility I had met were nice ponies, memories of Blueblood and my magic spasm still lingered in my mind.

“Anyway, it’s time to meet our guests” Mother said “Don’t worry my little foal, if any magic spasm should happen, I will be there to stop it.”

After that, she got up from the bed and lifted me onto her back. As she walked through the castle, it gave me more time to admire the architecture and furnishings of the castle. As I had noted previously, both the city of Canterlot and the castle were based on fantasy style architecture, but there was a difference between seeing it on television or video games and actually living in it. After saying hello to Sunburst and Sunbeam, mother made her way to what I recognised as the throne room.

Stood there were six ponies, one of which I recognised as Auntie Twilight. The other five were completely new to me, one thing they all shared was they were all female. There was a white unicorn with a curled purple mane and wearing blue eye make-up, she reminded me a lot of Duchess Fleur de Lis. There were two pegasi, one of them was yellow with a pink mane who seemed a bit nervous about something. The other one was Cyan with a rainbow mane and she oozed an air of confidence. The other two had no wings or horns, so like before with the servants I wasn’t sure what to call them. One of them was Pink with a pink poofy mane that seemed like she was struggling internally to stay still. The other one was orange with a blonde mane, which was covered by her Stetson style hat. I couldn’t help but giggle as I saw it.

Out of all the brands in all of the old world that would transcend dimensions, Cowboy hats would not be one I would have picked.

Now that I was thinking about it, another thought occured.

So if Cowboy hats exist in this world, does this mean there are actual cowboys… cow-ponies in this world? Why does this make so much sense and yet so little sense at the same time?

As we approached them, all six of them bowed to us.

“I thank you all of coming.” Mother said, before turning to me “Mythic Light, these six ponies are some of the most important ponies in Equestrian history. They have saved myself and Equestria on numerous occasions. They each represent one of the six components of friendship and have formed a council in which to spread friendship’s power across Equestria. They are Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.” She said they’re names while pointing to them.

After looking at the six again and looking back at the stained glass window that I saw before, I realized that these were the other ponies that Auntie Twilight mentioned before.

“Hey there, Prince Mythic” cooed Pinkie Pie “You are so super cute!”

She started tickling me and try as I might, I couldn’t stop giggling as she did. After she stopped, i couldn’t help but think:

A pink pony named Pinkie Pie… A bit on the nose isn’t it.

“Well how’d you do, Prince Mythic, a pleasure making your acquaintance” Applejack said, tipping her hat at me and I couldn’t help but smile.

She even has a southern accent I thought That’s awesome

“I have to say...” said Rarity, in a rather posh accent, “Speaking solely from how you look, Prince Mythic, you are just simply divine.”

No wonder she reminds me of Fleur de Lis I thought.
“Heya, Prince Mythic.” said Rainbow Dash “Just you wait, when you can get old enough, those wings will let you fly all over the place.”

I looked at her then at wings, which fluttered a little bit. Then a huge smile burst on my face, because of top of learning magic, I was going to be able to fly.

“Hello there, Prince Mythic” said Fluttershy “It’s great to finally meet you. You are very cute.”

She seemed more nervous than the others about meeting me. I still smiled back at her which did get a smile back from her.

“Now, my precious Mythic” Mother said, getting my attention “In my eyes, these six ponies represent the very best of Equestria and they have proved that through that shows of valor and numerous feats of courage in times of the greatest darkness. However, my favourite feat from them is how they have shown comradery between the three pony races. They have shown how Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth ponies can work together in harmony....”

So AppleJack and Pinkie are classified as earth ponies? I thought To be fair, I can’t think of a better name

“I’ll probably tell you this again when you’re older but I feel it’s good to let you know now.” Mother continued “We are what is known as Alicorns and as such, we have the powers of all 3 pony races. The strength and fortitude of earth ponies, the speed and agility of pegasi and the control of magic prowess of unicorns. However, while we have all this power, we have a much bigger responsibility, not only to ourselves but to all other races. Part of that responsibility is that we must learn about each pony race and how they use their gifts in conjunction with each other to form the country we know today.”

Mother pointed a hoof at Twilight “Twilight here was my most faithful student in magic. Just before you were born, she asked me if she could mentor you the same way I mentored her. In all honesty, there is no pony else that I would have teach you.”

Twilight blushed under Celestia’s words, it was clear to me that mother’s approval meant a lot to her. I was excited to learn magic under Auntie Twilight… but before any of that I would have to learn how to walk again.

“In time, I hope you will learn from all ponies about Equestria and it’s workings. Sometime’s it will be difficult and frustrating and you will have to be patient. I know patience is never an easy skill but know that every day, no matter how small the lesson you learn is, you will get one step closer to becoming a true prince of Equestria.”

I felt my eyes watering under her words. She had so much faith in me and she was willing for me to study under such incredible ponies… it almost made me feel I wasn’t worthy for this treatment. Then another thought came:

Maybe I’m not worthy now, but everyday I will give it everything I have to one day be worthy of the amount of love these ponies are showing me. This is my second chance at life… I will not let it slip through my fingers...hooves… whatever, the point is that I have this chance to proof my worth and damn it, I’m gonna take it.

Then Raven and Sunbeam entered the throne room.

“Sorry to disturb, your highness” Raven said “But day court is about to start”

Celestia sighed “I thought I had more time, oh well, duty calls.” she turned to me “Please forgive me my foal but my attention is needed in court right now, but I will be with you soon. Sunbeam, could you take Mythic up to the nursery, I believe he would find day court incredibly boring.”

“Of course, your highness” Sunbeam said, levitating me off mother’s back and onto her’s “Shall we go play, sweetest prince?”

She started walking away from the throne room, mother waving to me as we left.

My time will come

View Online

It had been a couple weeks since I was born and I was starting to get use to my new life. Well as much as a former young adult human could get used to being in the body of a foal prince in a world run entirely by horses. Over the last couple of weeks, I came to sorely miss the simplest things from my former life; things I never even thought about. One was the ability to walk. Every so often I would try to stand up but my legs were too weak to hold me up for more than a few seconds before I would fall. While Mother, Auntie Luna and Nanny Sunburst would either laugh it off or coo at me for being cute, it was rather disconcerting to think how much I would have to relearn. If anything it would probably be harder for me considering I was now dealing with four legs, not two.

The ability to talk was another thing I was sorely missing. Not that I was a very social person in my old life, but just being able to say “hi” to ponies was something I missed. The nursery that I went to when mother was doing day-court was the palace nursery, where the children of the servants and various workers of the palace played. All of them were older than me so mostly they either cooed at me or just played with others. I longed to just say “hi” back or just be polite to them would mean so much to me. Luckily that wouldn’t be harder to relearn unlike walking.

It wasn’t just that I missed these old abilities I had, it was all the new ones I would have to learn as well. Having a horn meant I would have to learn to control and effectively use magic, having wings meant I would have to learn to fly and just being a prince in a monarchy that was in charge of things conjured up all sorts of horrible lessons I would learn in my head. Dancing through the political minefield that was the nobles, while also maintaining the kind of regal bearing, stature and command that the kings and queens of the medieval age lived and died doing. It was a chilling thought.

But while I thought about these things, another thought came to me.

I am no longer the shift supervisor, nor am I the young man who had no power. I am now Mythic Light, the Prince of Equestria and son of Princess Celestia. I must not make the same mistakes in this new life, I have the chance that people often only can dream and wish about. Not only will I learn all these new skills and be a worthy successor to mother, but I will also outshine her, break free from her shadow and soar. This is my second and last chance, let’s make the most of it.
It was these words that kept me patient, enjoying the luxuries of princedom and the care and attention that others gave me. My time would come, I would make my mark on Equestria but for now I must watch and learn. The patient hunter gets the prey.

As another day rose and after mother fed me, she looked down at me fondly.

“Today is a special day, my little light.” Mother said “It is a special holiday for Equestria and you and I need to get ready for it. This means we need to visit Rarity!”

I beamed up at mother, looking forward to seeing Rarity again. I had learned that it was her that created my crown due to her ability to find gemstones. With that, mother lifted me onto her back and headed for the door.

Mother exited the castle and, with guard escort, headed for the carriage.

“Your highness” A voice went and both mother and I turned to see an older unicorn couple. The male was white with a black mane and the female was red with a sandy mane. Judging by their clothes, a smart suit and a shimmering white dress, they must have been ponies of wealth or prestige.

A couple of the guards came closer, as if preparing to block them from getting any closer to mother.

“There is no need for that.” Mother said firmly to the guards “These are the parents of former minister of magic and close friends of mine. Let them pass.”

The guards nodded and assumed their original positions, always keeping a close eye on the couple.

Wait I thought They are father’s parents? So these are my grandparents.

The unicorn couple moved closer and bowed before mother.

“Your highness,” the male went “I apologize we couldn’t come to you sooner and especially considering how important today is, but this was the soonest date we could get to you.”

“I understand, Azure, it is important that Mythic meets you.” Mother replied before turning to me “Mythic, I would like you to meet your grandparents, Azure Craft and Onyx Sword.”

Onyx came over to me with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. She reached a hoof out and I let her stroke me.

“Hello there, my precious grandchild.” She said “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

I looked up at her and smiled back.

“Our reason for seeing you, your highness is two-fold.” Grandfather Azure said “One, to finally meet Prince Mythic and secondly, to give him a present.”

A present I thought, wondering what it could be before the he lit his horn and revealed… a large book. While I didn’t think it was interesting, clearly it was worth something considering I looked up and saw mothers shock in her eyes.

“This book…” She said after regaining her senses “Golden sword talked about it numerous times. I thought it was lost when he died.”

“That is what we originally thought,” Grandfather said “However, when we went to his house, we found it hidden in the secret place. If he has talked about it with you, then you know how important this book is to us and our family. The reason we now give this book to Mythic is because with Golden Sword now… departed, this leaves his child… your child, the sole heir to our family’s most treasured possession. It is his right to have this book and we would sleep easier at night, knowing that that the next generation of our family has it.”

I listened intently, looking at the book. Without even looking get a chance to look at what was inside it, I could feel the weight of the legacy it held. It was clear to me that both my grandparents had spent many a night talking about passing it on to me. Well, just like I wouldn’t let father’s legacy down, I wouldn’t let my grandparents or my ancestor’s legacy down.
“Thank you, Azure.” Mother said, taking the book from his spell “I promise you, when Mythic Light is of age, he will keep this book and treasure it, just as you have.”

Grandmother smiled “You have no idea how much those words mean to us, your majesty.” She said “Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Now, we will not waste anymore of your time. We must be going, thank you again and farewell my grandchild.”

She reached over and nuzzled me before walking off with grandfather.

“Please, take this up to my quarters.” Mother said to one of the guards, who saluted and took the book and walked back to the castle. Mother then started walking with the rest of the guard troop to the carriage. All the while, I couldn’t stop thinking about the book. What was in it? What secrets did it hold? Did father write in it? As these thoughts raced around my head, I had to fight to bring myself under control. Now was not the time to think about that, my time would come when I would read that book but not now. For now, just as I had thought earlier, just sit back, relax and learn. My time will come.

Sunrise

View Online

“Here we are, my little light.” Mother said “Welcome to Ponyville.”

The carriage landed in a small rustic looking town. It reminded me a lot of medieval buildings you saw in textbooks. Timber frames with wattle and daub walls, topped with hay ceilings. Keeping with the medieval style of building I had seen in Canterlot. I made a promise to myself, once I learned how to walk and fly I would explore all of the cities in Equestria and learn what I could about them. The only time I truly paid attention in classrooms back in my old life was during Humanities. Learning about different cultures was incredibly interesting for me and now I was in a new world with more cities to see, ponies to meet and landmarks to visit. Everybody (or Everypony I mentally amended) needed a hobby and exploration could be one of mine.

The guards opened the door and mother stepped out with me on her back. There were many ponies running around, getting things prepared. I remembered that today was apparently a special holiday for Equestria so clearly last minute preparations were going on and it was evident that the stress of this event was getting to the residents. I couldn’t blame them, during special events at my store chain everyone worked themselves ragged to get ready for special events and holiday deals.

As mother walked, I noticed a huge crystal tree with a castle sitting on top of it. It looked a little jarring to see a crystalline structure like this in the middle of a rustic town such as this, so I wondered why it was there.

“That, Mythic Light, is Auntie Twilight’s castle.” Mother said “If we have time before the celebration today, I’ll show you it.”

Auntie Twilight lives there? I thought. That’s pretty cool, I wonder what kind of stuff she deals with. Mother has the day court so what does Twilight do?

Mother kept walking until she reached a multi-coloured tent-like building. There was a sign on top of it with the buildings name, The Carousel Boutique. Inside the boutique, the interior was almost entirely pink with touches of yellow, orange and white throughout. There was private changing rooms of to the side, a centre stage flanked by three mirrors and various mannequins wearing beautiful dresses and suits lined the room. In the middle of the room, placing some materials on a table with her magic, was Rarity. She noticed us entering and immediately bowed to us.

“Welcome to my boutique, your majesty.” Rarity said

“It’s good to see you again, Rarity.” Mother said “Thank you for taking this on short notice.”

“To make an outfit for the sweet little prince for his first summer sun celebration? It would be my honour to do this.” Rarity replied.

So this holiday is called Summer sun celebration? I thought
“A prince of the sun born in the summer months, just before this glorious day.” Mother said, looking down at me fondly “It feels quite poetic. Anyway, my foal and I are ready, where do you need us?”

“Just over to the stage please, I need to take the prince’s measurements.” Rarity said, guiding us over to her mirrored stage. “Can the prince stand on his own power yet?”

“Only for a few seconds or so.” Celestia responded “He tries hard but he just isn’t strong enough yet.”

I blushed heavily under both mares cooing gaze. If it was one thing I wasn’t looking forward to with this rebirth was all the cooing from parental figures and other adults. Unlike last time where I was indeed too young to remember any of it, with my previous life’s adult brain and memory intact, it would be something I would be enduring for years.

One of the prices of I have to pay I supposed. I was the one who asked for this so I can’t complain.

“That’s fine. All I need is just a minute or so.” Rarity replied, lighting up her horn and bringing forth a tape measure. “If you could just please hold him still so I can take his measurements.”
Celestia nodded and light her horn. I was levitated from mothers back to a standing position on the stage. Mother didn’t let her magic go, holding me in that stand position. As Rarity’s tape measure circled me, measuring everything from my body length and leg length to both of my wings length and my complete wingspan. While their magic to them must have been unimpressive or just mundane, I was completely enraptured by it. The greatest magicians in my old world could only dream of doing this. What truly made it special though was that this was not a trick, no Harry Houdini illusions, no Apollo Robbins sleight of hand, just honest to goodness magic. Soon I would get the chance to learn it as well.

“Ok, that’s everything.” Rarity said, jotting down the last measurements.“Once again you honour me with this request, your highness. To be the first designer to create an outfit for the prince and the first male alicorn, it’s a tremendous honour you grant me.”

“You are welcome, Rarity.” Mother said “I have seen your inspired works on numerous occasions and felt it was right for you to design this outfit for Mythic.”

I beamed up at Rarity but their last couple sentences made me think.

I’m the first male alicorn? I thought Let’s see. There’s Mum, Auntie Luna, Auntie Twilight and Auntie Cadance, oh and Faust as well. All alicorns and all female. Uncle Shining doesn’t have wings, nor does Cousin Blueballs and nor did Dad. Guess that means I am the first, that’s cool.

Rarity laid a cushion down and mother placed me on it and placed a blanket over me. Mother lent down next to me.

“I am very proud of you, my little light.” She said “You were so well behaved. Now just relax and get some rest, you’ll need to be up late tonight.”

She lay her wing over me and gently kissed the back of my head. I was looking forward to this Summer sun celebration so I allowed myself to slip into slumber, wondering what this kind of celebration would entail.

I didn’t know how long I slept for, but when I woke up I saw mother and Rarity over a sewing machine, presumably making the outfit I would be wearing. Lacking anything else to do I decided to look at the other dresses I could see in the store. Even though I barely cared about fashion in my previous life, it was very clear to me that Rarity was extremely talented. I could imagine nobles like Duchess Fleur de Lis wearing these dresses to formal parties and such. While I pondered on all of this, there was a knock on the door.

“That must be Sweetie Belle and her friends.” Rarity said. “Since you are here, your highness, they will probably want to meet the little prince if that’s alright.”

Noticing that I was awake, mother lay down next to me. “That’s fine Rarity, I think it would be nice for Mythic to meet them.”

Rarity lights up her horn and the door opened with three young fillies ran in. One was a unicorn with a white coat and two-toned pink and purple hair, one was a earth pony with a yellow coat and red mane, tied by a large pink bow and the other was a pegasus with a orange coat and a purple mane. As they ran in, I noticed their cutie marks were all virtually identical, a three-toned shield with a individual mark in the centre. They noticed who was in the boutique and immediately bowed to mother.

“It good to see you three again. Congratulations on your cutie marks.” Mother said, to which the three fillies blushed. “Now, allow me to introduce my child, Mythic Light. Mythic, this is Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”

The trio slowly approached me, as if they were about to take on a feat of daring. They then slowly broke out into smiles and said in unision:

“SO CUTE!”

“Glad to meet you, Prince Mythic! My sister said you were cute as a button!” Applebloom said, in a southern drawl that made me immediately think of Applejack.

So they’re sisters. That’s cool. I thought

“I wonder what his cutie mark is going to be?” Sweetie belle said

“I bet it’s gonna be awesome and we should help him find out!” Scootaloo replied to which mother chuckled

“I think Mythic Light is a little young to be thinking about that.” Mother said “But once he’s older, I see no problem with having the Cutie Mark Crusaders help him find out.”

That made me think. What would my cutie mark be? Obviously I was going to get one because every other pony I had seen did but it’s shape and meaning were complete unknowns. From what I remembered, mother said that it would reflect my true talent. Well the goddess brought me here because of leadership talents but how do you represent leadership as a mark? Not to mention, the other Alicorns were leaders but did not have marks representing symbols that would assume leadership positions so why should I assume mine would be?

“Pardon me.” Rarity said “I just finished the Mythic’s outfit.”

“Thank you Rarity.” Mother said “Let’s see it.”

Rarity lit her horn and there was a bright flash of light. When my vision was restored I felt like I was wearing something and a mirror was brought over for me to see. I was wearing what I could only describe as a prince’s suit, the kind worn by princes in fairy tales and royal weddings. The main colour was blue with a white sash. The sleeves and collar were golden with Equestria’s symbol on the collar. The CMC immediately went into a round of “awws” while mother held me close.

“You look absolutely gorgeous, my little light. Just missing one thing.” she said before bringing out my crown and placing it upon my head. The topaz inset began to glow once again. “There, now you are ready for the celebration.”

This is really me? I thought, looking myself up and down in the mirror.

“Thank you once again Rarity for handling this.” Mother said before placing me on her back. “Mythic and myself have a few things to do before tonight comes, so we must get to that.”

“Of course, your highness.” Rarity said before coming over “It was wonderful meeting you again, Prince Mythic. I will see you tonight.”

I blushed under her kind words before mother headed out of the boutique

***

A few hours later, I was on Auntie Twilight’s back, waiting for mother to begin the celebration. Mother had taken me to Twilight’s palace where the other heroes were and, after another round of cooing over me in my suit, I was allowed to rest until late. It was nighttime and everypony was up, including other foals. According to what I heard, everypony stayed up on this one night of the year to watch mother raise the sun. I remembered when mother showed me how she raised the sun before, so I wondered what made this particular night so special.

“Watch closely, Mythic.” Twilight said, clearly very excited “This is going to be amazing.”

I smiled back at her. We were all outside Twilight’s palace and there was a genuine buzz of excitement going through the gathered crowd and it was hard not to join the crowd. Then a older looking mare with a grey mane and a light brown coat walked in front of the palace.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts.” she said, in a loud voice “As Mayor of Ponyville, it is my esteemed honour to announce the beginning of the summer sun celebration. In just a few moments, we'll begin our celebrations of this, the longest day of the year.”

So, this is Summer solstice? I thought Geez, the people of the old world usually didn’t care about these sort of things. Maybe ponies do something different I haven’t seen yet, will be cool to find out.

“...and now, it is my pleasure to introduce to you...” the mayor said “The co-rulers of our land and the princesses of sunlight and moonlight, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

A massive cheer rang out from the crowd as mother and Auntie Luna appeared in front of the palace. Over my brief life, I had gained a lot of respect for mother as a ruler. It wasn’t just her stature though, it was the way she carried herself. No matter where she was, hers was a presence to be felt and respected. There was no doubt in my mind, she was a ultimate package for a leader.

Mother and Auntie Luna lit their horn and slowly unfurled their wings and started flying upwards. As they rose, the moon lowered and the sun rose with her and when she reached the height of the star at the top of the castle, the sun rose beyond the castle and bathed the land in its glorious light. The crowd roared with applause and I can clapped my hooves. As mother descended, I couldn’t be prouder to call myself her son.

Now this is how you start a holiday.

At the Ascot

View Online

As I woke up to see mother’s sun once again, I heard voices from outside the room. One of them I recognised to be mothers. Curious, I stayed as quiet as possible and listened in. My legs were still too weak to carry me, otherwise I would have gotten out of the crib and leant close to the door.

“Your highness, we were thinking about what we discussed about Prince Mythic meeting other nobles and an opportunity has just presented itself to us.” Went the voice, which I recognised as Duke Fancy Pants. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I remembered that name.

“I still can’t believe they are judging my foal right now. He’s barely 3 weeks old and yet they’re judging him like he’s fully grown stallion noble. They also insult me for thinking I cannot run this kingdom, despite ruling it for longer than any of them have been alive.” Mother said.

Yea, you tell them mum I thought

“Your frustration is well warranted, your highness.” Duchess Fleur de Lis said “We share your opinion of these atrocious rumours spread by minor nobles. As we say though, there is a way have the prince meet nobles and dissuade any rumours in one fell swoop.”

“How?” Mother asked.

“Well, The Ascot, your highness.” Fancy pants said.

I was confused by what Fancy Pants had just said. I knew of The Ascot, back in my old world it was one of most famous horse racing courses. It also had a long history with nobility, wealth and social status with many patrons, even to this day, donning the traditional black and white garments. This lead me to my confusion, if ponies are the ruling species of this world, or at least Equestria, who does the racing or more importantly what?

“As you know, your highness, The Ascot is one of the most important dates on the social calendar for many Equestrian nobles.” Fleur de lis said “Any noble worth their social status will be there. The rumours about your abilities being weakened were all but quashed with your rather spectacular showing at the summer sun celebration. Now, if Mythic were to appear at the Ascot as our guest, it will continue to show that you are not sheltering him away and that you fully intend for him to be a social prince.”

“I see…” Mother said “It is an interesting thought and if it puts an end to these ridiculous rumours, at for a little while, then let’s do it. I have governmental duties on that day so I cannot attend but I will make sure that Sunbeam does. Just promise me that no matter what, Blueblood is not allowed near Mythic. Blueblood never misses the Ascot and I don’t trust him near my child after his outburst.”

“Of course your highness.” Fancy pants said “We will make the preparations for Mythic. We promise that the prince will have a splendid time. We thank you once again for hearing us out.”

With that, I heard hooves moving and then the door opened and mother walked in. She knelt and smiled at me.

“Good morning, my foal.” she said. “It seems you’ll have something to do this weekend.”

I smiled back at her, looking forward to my first social call as a prince of equestria. Thankfully, I would be with Sunbeam so while I was a bit sad that mother couldn’t come with me, it was nice to know that I wasn’t going to be alone. Besides, mother was an ruler of this country so it wasn’t like I could blame her for that. Something she had though, caught my attention:

They also insult me for thinking I cannot run this kingdom, despite ruling it for longer than any of them have been alive.

What did that mean? and how old was mother? I couldn’t speak so I couldn’t ask and even if I did, I had too many awful memories of asking women that question in the old world. While I certainly wouldn’t ask up front, I would have to try a different tact.

A few days later I found myself back in the blue suit I had been wearing for the summer sun celebration, on the back of Sunbeam and being accompanied by Duke Fancy Pants and Duchess Fleur de lis towards a massive stadium. Both Fancy Pants and Fleur put on their best clothes for the occasion and even Sunbeam had a magnificent dress on. As they walked towards the stadium, the weight of this day began to start hitting me. My former father used to talk my ear off about first impressions in regards to everything, from introductions to interviews.

Now more than ever, I realised just how important that this would become. For many nobles, this would be their first time ever seeing me and even though I was foal, some of the more petty nobles would take this as their first introduction to me, if mother’s words from a few days ago were to be correct. This always happened to me when big events such as parties or interviews happened, and all the regular emotions came back to haunt me. Unlike the summer sun celebration, mother wasn’t here and that combined with this new foal body, those emotions were increased tenfold.

“Excited, little prince?” Duchess Fleur de lis said, “I remember my first ascot.” she sighed with a dreamy look on her face. “You’ll have fun, trust me.”

I looked at her confident demeanour and couldn’t but feel that she wouldn’t lie to me about these things. Maybe I was overreacting to this and it would just be a fun event for me and prove that mother wasn’t hiding me away. After all Sunbeam was here too, so I didn’t have reason to worry. Apart from one thing.

Blueblood.

From what I remembered from Mother’s conversation, he never missed this event and just even thinking about him being next to me with no mother around was scary. Although, Sunbeam was here and if Blueblood tried anything, mother could potentially continue with her threat about removing him from the royal family. Considering how little I was, I would have to rely on the fact that Sunbeam and the others would protect me from him.

Instead of going into the main entrance, which was already developing a large queue, our party took a detour round to the side where a unicorn guard stood beside a velvet rope. The guard levitated the rope away and allowed us to pass. The party made its way up the stairs, finally reaching the top to reveal the private box. It was clear that it had been specifically tailored for nobles and rich ponies, with its comfortable looking red chairs and extensive buffet table. From where we were in the stadium, we had a great view of the track. What also showed that this was a private box for the rich was the ponies that currently occupied it. Heads held high, posh sounding accents from the conversation I could hear and the attire was incredible posh suits and dresses, similar to what we were wearing.

It was definitely a place of high wealth and status. I began to understand what Fancy Pants had said about this being a massive social call. Dancing the minefield of other nobles while keeping a noble bearing on your own, it had to be difficult.

A large number of the present nobles noticed our party entering and immediately gathered around us. Many noticed me and after getting over their initial shock at my presence, they started talking in excited tones.

“Welcome young prince, welcome to the ascot.”

“You were right Fancy Pants, Princess Celestia would allow her son here. It’s good to see the young charge amongst us.”

“Welcome your highness, a pleasure to meet you.”

Though it was hard to see, I could see Sunbeam rolling her eyes.

“He’s just a foal, he can’t understand you.” She said, under her breath.

I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit. Oh yes I can, Nanny Sunbeam I thought.

Fancy Pants cleared his throat. “While some of you already know who this child is, allow me to formally introduce him. The first born foal of Celestia, the first male alicorn and the proclaimed prince of the sun, Mythic Light.”

The nobles bowed to me before rising up and the conversations continued. Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis directed Sunbeam to the nearby seats near the front, where Sunbeam sat down and placed me between her hooves. From what I could see of the track, and seeing a parade of ponies below, it seemed that horse racing was the same as the old world, just without jockeys. It did make me wonder though…

“Here is program for you, Sunbeam.” Fleur de Lis said with a smile “Maybe you and the little prince would like to place a bet here and there.”

I looked towards Sunbeam’s flank and saw the bit purse that mother had given her. It was clear that if we wanted to, we could play.

“I’m not much of a gambler…” Sunbeam said “But, it doesn’t mean we can’t play a couple of times, does it Mythic?”

I beamed at her. While I wasn’t a gambler myself, if Sunbeam was going to play, I would play to. I looked at the program and, sure enough, the ponies all had ridiculous racing names. I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked down the list. Some things never changed, no matter where you were. Out of all the things he had seen so far, I was glad that this stayed the same.

Blueblood was on the other side of the private box, surrounded by a few friends, looking upon Mythic Light with a constant scowl.

“You’ve been looking at the foal as if he’s about to kill you.” went a voice and Blueblood turned to see one of his friends, Radiant Jewel, strode towards him. The beautiful mare had an ruby coat and a white jade mane.

“Let’s just say I’m not too fond of my new cousin.” Blueblood responded quietly.

“Blueblood…” she started “He’s a foal, he doesn’t have any control over magic, show me the foal who does.”

“While that particular incident I will not forget but something different crosses my mind.” Blueblood said “I’m fine with auntie having children, in fact I am very happy that she has that opportunity, but why did she have to pick Golden Sword, of all ponies to be with?”

Radiant Jewel rolled her eyes “He may have been a commoner, but he was well respected in these circles. You’re acting as if your mother found a homeless pony to have a child with. I can’t believe you are not seizing the opportunity that has been presented to you.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow as Jewel continued.

“Unlike you, Mythic Light has a direct line to the throne. If Celestia should fall, Mythic Light will be looked upon to take charge along with the other princesses. But that is an unlikely event. In any case, he will need direction and guidance from us, the nobles, on how to play the political game. As a family member you are closest to show him the ropes, as it were. This is a chance for you and it’s slipping, don’t waste it.”

Radiant Jewel then walked over to Sunbeam and Mythic Light, where she introduced herself. Blueblood thought about what she had said. Her logic was sound, Mythic Light would need teaching about politics and apart from his two aunties and Cadance, he was the closest. If he apologized, maybe Auntie Celestia would let him show him the noble hangouts and how to act like a proper noble of Equestria. A smile started appearing on Blueblood’s face. There was a chance that he could earn forgiveness and give himself a powerful new ally if this worked out. In fact, it was a brilliant idea. Mythic Light was young and impressionable and with the help of his noble friends, Blueblood could mould Mythic Light into a noble pony grander than anypony before.

Perhaps I was wrong Blueblood thought Mythic Light, you could be an ally to me after all.

The First Few Steps

View Online

Mother’s face.

I would remember the expression mother had for the rest of my life. It was as we were returning from the Ascot and I, with Sunbeam’s help, had placed a few bets… and made some gains. The bit purse was now 3 times the size as it was when they left the palace and now, seeing mother’s shocked look was enough to send me into a laughing fit.

“But…you…and…how?” Mother was trying to find the words to express her shock as she took what happened. Sunburst was beside her, just as shocked as mother was.

“I don’t know how to explain it, your majesty.” Sunbeam said, desperately trying to find the right words to say. “Prince Mythic just pointed at racers and he kept winning… this lead to the main event where I got caught up with the little one’s enthusiasm and bet the entire purse on the race… and we won.”

Mother had recovered her composure as Sunbeam explained. As she digested the information, a smile appeared on her face as she levitated me over to her.

“It seems luck favours you, my little light.” She said “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be there with you. I wish I could have seen their faces as well.”

You have no idea, mom I thought before yawning and started to close my eyes.

“You’ve had enough for today, haven’t you?” Mother whispered before turning to Sunbeam “Thank you for attending in my place, Sunbeam. It does mean a lot to me that you were able to do this. Your actions today will be justly rewarded.”

“It was a pleasure, your highness.” Sunbeam said before yawning herself.

“It seems that you need rest as well, my daughter.” Sunburst said “I’ll help you if there is nothing else her majesty requires.”

“Don’t worry about me, Sunburst. I will be putting Mythic to bed and wondering what I shall do with his take from the races.” Mother said, taking the bit purse from Sunbeam. “Tend to your child and good night.”

“Thank you, your highness. Have a good night.” Sunburst replied before helping Sunbeam down the corridor towards the servant’s quarters. As she headed up to the solar quarters, I grew sleepier and sleepier. As mother placed me in my crib and started rocking me, the last thing I looked at was the book that my grandparents gave me. So many questions still surrounded that book and if mother had her way, I wouldn’t even look in that book until I was much older. That was fine though, all I could do was speculate and looked forward to reading it. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

“That’s it, little light, you can do it.” Mother said, using her wing to help me back onto my hooves.
Mother and I were in the royal gardens outside the castle. The expansive grounds were home to many a wondrous sight, including many beautiful flowers and trees bearing fruit, statues depicting various ponies with various talents and its own private maze. I vowed to myself that I would conquer that maze when I could fully walk. Currently, mother and I were in her private sanctuary, a calm and peaceful place with more beautiful flowers and a stream running through it.

Mother was laying down next to me as she used her wing to stabilize me. Day court wasn’t on today so mother had decided to take me into her sanctuary and teach me how to walk. Progress had been slow as often I found myself forgetting that I had four legs instead of two. I often fell on my face as I forgot to move my back legs. It was rather sad when I thought about how much I had taken walking for granted in my old life and made me wonder how horses and other four legged creatures in the old world got around so well.

No matter how many times I fell over or my foal body and mind was going to make me cry, mother was always there to help me back up and calm me down.

“Don’t cry, my little sweetie…” Mother said, bringing me close to her with her wing. “You are doing so well. Very soon, you’ll be walking around with me and your friends in the nursery. I look forward to that day.”

She smiled down at me in that motherly way I had seen her use with Twilight and Cadance. It did make me wonder if they really were my aunties or if mother had simply said that in order to make easier for me to understand. Twilight especially seemed a lot younger than mother, and shorter. Cadance was older and taller than Twilight. The one thing I could be sure about was that Luna was my auntie, considering mother kept referring to her as “sister”, but where did that leave the other two?

“Why don’t we take a break for now?” Mother said, snapping me out of my train of thought “Its round about time for your nap anyway.” She wrapped her wing around me and started humming a lullaby. There, nestled between mother’s wing and her body, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I found myself laying a basket with yellow sheets and pillows. I looked around and saw mother at the gate of the sanctuary talking to Auntie Luna. I wondered what they were talking about, from the looks in Auntie Luna’s eyes, it was a light hearted chat between sisters. Still, I was curious and wanted to know more. Slowly, I stood up and took a deep breath.

I may be an adult human in a foal’s body but so help me I will master the art of walking. How am I supposed to be the great and magnificent prince I am expected to be if I can’t walk! I thought

I moved forward with my front left hoof, then followed with my back right one. I kept thinking back to what I had seen other ponies do and how mother had been trying to teach me.

When you walk with your front hoof, the next one to follow is the opposite back one. I thought.

Slowly, I inched forward with my walk cycle. A smile started to form as it started clicking into place. I was walking! On four feet! I was so excited that I almost fell over again, just catching myself.

Focus Mythic!I thought Focus on reaching mother. You can do this.

Hoof by hoof, I moved forward, constantly thinking of the order. Front left, back right, front right, back left. It would take a while for this to become muscle memory but from here, it was a strong start. As I walked closer, I could pick up what Mother and Auntie Luna were talking about.

“...are going as planned for the galloping gala, sister.” Luna said “I’m not sure we can rely on Discord again to make some ‘entertainment’ like last year. Some of the nobles are getting antsy.”

Mother sighed “I know, Luna, but the Gala is just so boring…” she moaned. “I love my little ponies, I honestly do, but how they look forward to the gala each and every year just escapes me.”

Luna laughed “Oh sister, a lot can happen in a year. As we’ve seen very recently, great evils can attack Equestria and threaten our citizens. On a personal level, a filly’s or colt’s life could change dramatically in a year… much like yours with the birth of your foal. Some ponies look upon the gala as they do Hearth’s warming eve, a day they know is set in stone and they can look forward to. I think you and I can agree, a night of peace and party doesn’t go amiss every now and then.”

Mother nodded “Yes Luna. You are right, if the populace wants me to continue this day for them, then I am more than happy to keep it going. I think a part of me would also miss it if it were gone. Seeing the CMC last year was one of the most adorable things I have ever witnessed.”

“Speaking of adorable things…” Auntie Luna said, noticing I was right near mother’s back leg and winking at me “I think somepony needs your attention.”

I nuzzled mother’s back leg and she looked down in shock to see me. Then she broke out into a massive smile and knelt down to hug me.

“Look at my little light! Walking by himself… I am so proud of you.” Mother said, in between copious amounts of kissing which caused me to giggle.

“Maybe he’ll be ready to walk alongside you in time for the Gala, sister.” Auntie Luna said, before kneeling down to hug me.

“That would be lovely…” Celestia said “But right now, just seeing him walking is enough… now can you do more, little light?”

She helped me turn around and I slowly started again, carefully remember my steps. I didn’t know what this “Galloping Gala” was, but if I could make it on all four hooves it would be an accomplishment for me. My judgement of mother’s conversation was that many more ponies would be there and it would be my first chance to see them. As my old father once said, I would only get one chance to make a good first impression, so I better make it a good one.

I am Mythic Light!

View Online

I was calming down after another magic spasm, my third in the last week. Mother had placed me in my crib and as I slowly fell asleep, I could hear mother’s and auntie Luna’s voices.

“I'm worried about these spasms, Luna.” Mother said “Of course spasms like this happen to all unicorn foals but the frequency has me worried.”

“Well that might be an unfair comparison, Celestia.” Auntie Luna said “Mythic is an alicorn and apart from us, Equestria has never seen such a phenomenon. Your little one’s magic is already stronger than that of newborn and toddler unicorns. Who knows how many spasms he may have before his magic settles.

Mother sighed “You're right Luna. What Mythic needs right now is to be surrounded by the ponies that care for him. Like any unicorn parents we need to ride this out."

“I just wish there was some way we could help him more than that.” Luna said “If only I could remember how we were raised or how we dealt with this, but for the life of me I cannot remember. I feel so useless.”

“Luna, you are a wonderful Aunt to Mythic. Once he is more grown, I bet he will seek you out for comfort and wisdom as much as myself. Do not beat yourself up about not remembering, it was so long ago that I can't remember it myself. Even if we could remember, I doubt it would help Mythic much, there is no uniform way of getting a unicorn through their spasms, so all we can do is help Mythic ride this out.”

I heard a deep sigh of resgination come from both of them and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. I was causing all these issues and I didn't know how to do stop them.

Why can't I control this magic?! I internally yelled Faust, what am I doing wrong?

Just then, Mother entered the room with her maternal smile and lay next to me, rocking the crib slowly with her wing.

“Sweet dreams, little prince.” She said before kissing me on my forehead. As my eyes shut, all I could think about was what am I doing wrong and how could I fix it.

I opened my eyes to see the same turquoise coloured realm were I met Faust. I looked around but couldn't see the goddess anywhere, but something felt different about this visit to her realm. I stood up, confused at two things. One, where was Faust and two, why was I standing so high up?

I looked down and saw, to my shock, that I was in my human body. My hearted started racing as I saw my former body, all normal and not in a mangled mess from the crash.

What does this mean? I thought Have I already failed? Is Faust going to send me to earth and into my grave? No, she said I had a whole life to live and I haven't done anything to fail her yet. What the hell is going on?

I kept hoping that Faust would show up and explain what's going on, but minutes on top of minutes passed and the realm was deathly silent. With no other ideas, I did the only thing I could think.

“Faust!” I yelled “Hello? Anyone? Somebody please help me! What’s going on?”

From above a door materialised in the air before landing some distance in front of me. Faced with no other options, I slowly walked towards the door.

What are you afraid of? Went an ethereal sounding voice and I looked around, searching for the source but found nothing. Now, constantly looking over my shoulder, I continued my way to the door. The ethereal voice kept talking:

What keeps you from accepting your fate?

Do you fear yourself?

What does a dead man have to fear?

The questions kept coming, the voice had no malice behind it but I felt a chill run up my spine with each question. Finally, I reached the door and pulled it open, only to be blinded by an incredible light.

When the light subsided, I looked inside the room and was shocked by what I saw. The room was split in half, like two seperate rooms had been fused together. One side was my old bedroom, painted light blue and decorated minimalistically with white furniture. On the walls and on shelves were pictures and items I had collected from various times in my life. My eyes were immediately drawn to the statuette from the film festival and the red armband from the rainforest.

The other half of the room was a nursery, coloured yellow and white. The furniture was made for an infant and there was only one picture in there. A picture of mother with me on her back from the Summer Sun Celebration.

Why are you so afraid? A familiar ethereal voice went and my heart rate spiked.

“Whose there?” I said and then, rising out the crib was a small white foal. It turned to face me and I recognised it immediately.

“You are…” Mythic Light said “Well the foal side of you anyway.”

I backed up, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. How could Mythic Light be looking at me when I am Mythic Light?

“Don’t be scared.” Mythic Light said jumping out of the cradle “I’m not gonna hurt you because I am you.”

“This can't be real.” I said, shakily “You are not real, this is all just a dream.”

“Looking at one’s self can be really scary when you don't like what you see.” Mythic said “Must be really scary considering what’s happening with you.”

“What are you saying?” I asked.

“It’s simple…” Mythic said “You are not Mythic Light. You look like him and you speak like him but that doesn't make you him.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed “What gives you the right to say that?”

“Well the answer lies in the questions I asked you. You claim to have accepted your new role in the universe but you and I know the truth. There is a massive part of you struggling to accept the reality. You cannot accept the fact you died that day.”

I gulped and my heart rate accelerated.

“That's not true. I stammered “The old me is dead and the only thing left is…”

Mythic Light screamed before his wings stretched out and he flapped down. He launched into the air while the resulting air wave pushed me backwards onto my behind.

“DON’T YOU DARE LIE TO ME!” Mythic roared, with the authority I thought only Faust could use “If you truly accepted your new role then why are you so scared? Why do you think your magic spasms are so scary and frequent? It's because your mind and soul are constantly at war with each other about what you believe is right and what's actually right!”

After he finished he took a deep breath and landed on the ground. I sat there, in complete fear. The being facing me was Mythic Light and he was correct about everything. I was scared and had been since my arrival.

“I’m sorry” Mythic said, looking like a child who was being punished by his mother “It's just, you know it's true and I want to understand why. Please answer my question this time. Why are you so afraid of me and what is your new life?”

I felt tears prick my eyes as I slowly stood up. For the first time in what felt like ages, I could finally get what was in my chest off.

“You want to know why I'm scared?” I asked “It’s because of all that.” I pointed towards the adult half of the room. “Everything I ever said and did. All I learned and achieved is there. My finest moments of my old life. I didn't have the best start or the best life, but it was my life damnit and I made what I could of it. Now, if I accept you, accept Mythic Light as my new life… it will be like that was all for naught. Like it never happened… Like I shouldn't have bothered.

I sank to my knees, tears running down my face. I couldn't hide anymore, I couldn't make excuses anymore. I felt something rub against me and saw Mythic Light rubbing his head against my body.

“Thank you for being honest.” Mythic said, comfortingly. “But you know that's not the case. Faust chose you, chose us, for this role because of those very achievements and those memories. How you fought from the bottom of the world to make something of yourself. Especially considering what happened between you and your mother…”

I recoiled slightly. I didn't like talking about my original mother, for reasons I wanted to keep properly buried.

“...But that's why you love Celestia so much.” Mythic said. “Celestia is the mother you wish you had originally. She's a completely different species to what we were originally and yet you love her so.”

I nodded.

“Also, look at this..” Mythic said pointing at the picture of the summer celebration. “You created that picture. You were happy and decided to keep it here. It is your memory, just like everything in this room is. You can keep all the memories of your life and accept your life here. After all, everyone believes you'll be a great prince one day.”

Suddenly images of Celestia, Luna, Twilight and her friends, Cadance and Shining Armour, Fancy and Fleur de lis appeared. They were smiling at me and I felt… happiness and self assurance. For the first time, I stopped saying my old life was over and started believing it.

As I smiled, the nursery started to overtake the adult room. The room became a full nursery but the trophies and pictures of my old life, remained in place.

“Thank you.” I said “Thank you showing me this.”

“Of course!” Mythic said “Now speak along with me. I am Mythic Light…”

“First born son of Celestia and Prince of the sun.” I continued before joined together.

“We came to be at one of our mother’s lowest points and gave her light. One day, as we grow up, we will produce a light so bright, it will be legendary.”

A bright light encompassed both Mythic and I and when I opened my eyes again, I was back in my foal body, but it felt different from before. It truly felt like it was my body, it felt like the true home of my mind and soul. Above I saw Faust with a motherly smile on face. I raised my wings and bowed deeply to her.

“You have done well… Mythic Light, Prince of Equestria” She said “Now go, go and become what you are meant to be.”

I nodded and closed my eyes. No more doubt and no more pain. I am Mythic Light!

At the Gala Part 1

View Online

Author's Notes:

Dear Readers,

I am deeply sorry. I cannot believe it has been 7 months since I last wrote a chapter. You all have shown great compassion and patience in the past but this was crossing a line I shouldn't have crossed. I have a a**hole to you all and all I can ask is that you can forgive me for this stupidly long wait.

Times have been difficult for me, at work and at home. I found myself in situations I never wanted to be in and all I wanted was to just close off everything, for a period of time I stopped writing for everything I did. Now that my life is finally calm and it is now a new year, I consider this the best chance I have at continuing the story that you all and I love so deeply. It is time for the sun to rise and this time to stay up.

Updates to the story will be coming every 2 weeks from now on. That is my new years resolution to you all. I thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy my latest chapter.

Kindest Regards
Tornado Blitz

“Hold still, little prince.” Sunbeam said, keeping my wings still as she scrubbed them “The Gala is this evening and you must look your best.”

I pouted, it wasn't my fault that the brush tickled when it passed through my feathers. I was in the royal bathing chambers as myself, Mother and Auntie Luna were being prepared for what the servants had called the biggest event of the year. The Grand Galloping Gala.

From what I heard from the hushed whispers of the servants and what the fellow ponies in the daycare had said to each other, this was the biggest social event of Equestria. Bigger than The Ascot, bigger than The Summer Sun Celebration, there was no event like it.

As such the servants had been working themselves hard for weeks getting everything ready. When it came to today, they seemed particularly excited and after catching glimpses of the hard work they had put into the event, I couldn't blame them, I was like that whenever I completed hard and time consuming tasks in the old world.

So here I was, trying to remain still while the servants groomed me, which was becoming increasingly hard to do considering how ticklish my wings were. A pegasus maid came over to help Sunbeam.

“If I may,” She said, taking the brush from Sunbeam and gently continuing the work. The tickling stopped and I was able to hold myself still, “You see, Sunbeam, pegasi wings are incredibly sensitive to washing techniques such as this, even full grown pegasi have trouble with it. It’s even worse for foals as even simply touching them with your own hoofs can cause reactions.”

I wished I could thank the maid for her work. The wing sensitivity was a huge pain for me, but I guessed that this was the price I paid for being able to fly. Soon, after I was sure every hair in my mane was checked twice to be perfectly in place, the preparations were finally made.

“Ready for this, my little light?” Mother asked and we started walking together towards to grand hall. I was happy that I was able to walk alongside mother for this event, though I had to walk many more steps to keep up with mother’s and Auntie Luna’s elegant stride. Both of the were the picture of regal elegance. Mother’s dress connected to her regalia and was a mixture of white and yellow with purple jewels hanging of the cape. Auntie Luna was wearing a purple dress with clouds and stars and a yellow trim and hem. All three of us were wearing our crowns and I mentally prepared myself for what would be the biggest test yet for me.

I may be a foal but every eye in the room will be on me and mother, especially greedy nobles wanting a chance to get ahead. Well, I would not let that happen. I will not make mother look weak or make me look unfit to succeed her. This will be my moment.

As we approached the hall, trumpets started playing.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” An announcer said, “May I present the Royal Family of Equestria.”

All the ponies assembled began looking up the staircase, awaiting our arrival.

“Presenting, her royal highness, the Princess of the Night and joint ruler of Equestria, Luna.”

Auntie Luna walked down the stairs to a round of applause from the ponies in attendance, she waved and nodded towards the ponies.

“Presenting, her royal highness, the Princess of the Sun and joint ruler of Equestria, Celestia and his royal highness, the Prince of the Sun and recognised heir to the throne of Equestria, Mythic Light.”

Following mother, I walked down the stairs to applause from the crowd. Following mother and Auntie Luna’s example as I best I could, I nodded to the others, not without eliciting some cooing looks from the crowd. Fleur de lis was in the crowd and I saw her blow a kiss in my direction.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” Mother said “I welcome you, once again, to the Grand Galloping Gala. On this night, ponies of all walks of life come together to share stories, have fun and remind ourselves that for all the darkness in this world, there is always light and friendship if we look for it.”

The ponies all clapped before dispersing to their own conversations as music started playing. From that moment on, I stayed by mother’s side as she greeted guests. I kept to myself as ponies greeted mother, nodding like my mother when they addressed me and while it was painfully dull, I vowed that I would stay by mother. Then some ponies who caught my eye came up to mother.

3 unicorns approached mother wearing white cloaks. Alone it wasn’t too interesting but the symbol on the cloaks made me double take. The symbol of the 12 pointed star with a scepter and sword crossing over it. That same symbol was on the front of my families book.

“Thank you for inviting us, Princess Celestia.” The front pony said, a purple unicorn with black raven mane. Her smooth voice for some reason sent a chill up my spine.

“You are welcome, Amethyst. I hope your research is going well.” Mother said, smiling.

“Some of the more ancient rituals of magic are harder to decipher but we are making progress. However, that is not our purpose tonight.” Amethyst said before kneeling down to me. “Greetings to you, my prince. It is truly an honour to finally meet you. I am Amethyst Arcana, I along with my fellows once worked for your father.”

I stood there, wide-eyed. These ponies worked with dad on magic? That was amazing and I wished I could ask them what he was like.

“It is truly a wonderful sight to see Golden Sword’s legacy continue. Maybe one day you will become a research in the ancient ways like he was.”
“Oh not him as well…” Mother groaned, “I’m sorry Amethyst, but I’ve had two students and my foal’s father completely obsessed with studying magic. There is more to life then reading books.”

I couldn’t help but giggle.

“I completely understand, your highness.” Amethyst said “I just extend the invitation to him. Should he grow and wish to learn, the guild and I would gladly accept him.”

“I will keep that in mind, Amethyst. Enjoy the party.” Mother said and with that Amethyst and her cohorts bowed before walking away. I felt mother’s hoof pull me closer.

“I don’t know what I do if you became like Twilight… No, I will not allow that to happen, I will make sure of it… Oh hello Twilight, how has Ponyville been?”

I had no clue about what mother was talking about but the incredulous look on Twilight’s face told that it was clearly an experience that was funnier in hindsight.

That Amethyst pony though. She knew my father and clearly continued his work of understanding magic with great passion. Maybe she knew some things that even mother didn’t know about dad. Either way, She still gave me chills for some reason, I would have to watch out for her in the future.

The night however was still young and there were plenty more ponies to meet and greet. It made me wonder who else I would meet tonight.

***

Off to the side in the shadows, a chimera like creature was observing Princess Celestia and Mythic light.

“Ah, so that’s the human soul that was brought over into this realm.” It said, “I think it’s time that the little prince and I met.”

The Prince and the Draconequus (At the Gala part 2)

View Online

At long last, the final guests of the gala were greeted by Mother and I, meaning that we could stop standing at the top of stairs. I experimentally moved my legs and could feel the strain of standing.

“Oh sweet mother, I felt that would never end.” Celestia groaned before smiling down at me, “Let’s go get something to eat and sit down, my little light.”

I followed mother into the main hall where ponies were dancing. Alongside the dance floor were rows of tables carrying all sorts of dishes. From what I had overheard from the servants, dishes from all across Equestria had been brought here for this event and it showed. Salads with every possible vegetable, bologna sandwiches, various cheeses, olives and party foods, oatburgers, various drinks from fizzy to alcoholic and more desserts than I had ever seen in my life. Apparently Applejack and her extended family were well renowned for their varieties of apple sweets and deserts and all I wished was that I could sample them all, but I wouldn’t have time or stomach for it tonight.

Since ponies did not eat meat, that meant bacon was permanently off the menu and while a part of me was trying to make me remember we asked for a second chance at life, another very large part of me was about to burst into tears over it.

After Mother loaded up two plates, we sat down near the back on some cushions to enjoy our food. I watched as mother used her horn to magically lift some food to her mouth. I looked at an apple on my plate and thought that I could try that as well. Trying to remember what I did against Blueblood, I concentrated on the apple and began thinking of lifting it… but nothing happened. Next I screwed my eyes shut and thought even harder about lifting the apple… but nothing happened. Then I started staring at it as hard I could at the apple, thinking about lifting it harder than anything else in my life… and a yellow glow surrounded the apple and it lifted off. My eyes widened.

“Are you trying to lift this, my little light?” I heard mother say and I looked up to see it was her horn lit up. “Awww, It’s alright little one, when you’re older I will see to it you have the finest tutors in magic, including Twilight. While her studies go into the extreme, I can’t think of a better pony to teach you how to use magic.”

I smiled at mother as I started eating the apple. Once again, I gave silent thanks to Faust for giving me this chance; for giving me a mother that genuinely and truly loved me and was already planning to give me the best she could offer me. I couldn’t deny that all thoughts of my old mother were already fading from my mind as while she had treated me like an accessory at best and dirt at worst; Celestia treated me like her whole world.

From here, sitting with my mother, eating wonderful food and watching the spectacle that was the gala, I began to understand what Auntie Luna had said about ponies loving this time of year.

After eating and dancing, the party spilled out into the royal gardens, which were still incredibly beautiful even at night. As I sat on a cushion, a firefly flew in front of my face. As it swayed to and fro in front of me, my foal instincts took over and I started to chase it. I eventually came into a clearing and suddenly the firefly I was chasing disappeared. I froze as I looked around, suddenly realizing how dark it was and that I couldn’t see mother or anypony else.

“Really? I didn’t expect you to fall for that one.” A dark voice went.

I spun around as I saw a massive amount of fireflies. The fireflies came together to form a tall creature that took on an appearance all its own. The creature was multi-coloured with oddly shaped and sized limbs with yellow eyes and red pupils. If I was my adult self I may have found him goofy but in my foal state, he was the scariest thing I had ever seen. I opened my mouth to scream but it was quickly silenced by a pacifier from the bizarre creature.

“Ah ah ah, we can’t have that.” It said mockingly, “You and I need to talk, so how about we you agree to be calm and talk… fair?” It offered its hand to me but I slapped it away and spat out the pacifier.

“Like hell am I gonna do that.” I yelled and then stopped. I had just spoken but this body hadn’t allowed me to talk before “How did you do that?”

“What a mouth you have.” The creature said, conjuring a roll of tape “I surprised your mother allows you to talk with that mouth.” The creature disappeared and reappeared behind me. “You should consider being nice to me… maybe an invite to your birthday party or two?”

The creature conjured a desk with me sitting on the chair with a load of letters. It was there, written on the invitation in front of me, that I learned the creatures name. Discord.

“You’re Discord?” I fretted, trying to get away from the creature but he simply teleported behind and blew a party horn in my face.

“And he’s absolutely correct, tell him what he’s won…” Discord said, prancing around like a gameshow host. “However that’s not the reason for you to be nice to me. It’s that I know your secret.”

I froze, “What do you mean by secret?” I asked.

Discord quickly looked around before reaching in close and whispering.

“I know you’re a human.”

I felt a lead ball drop in my stomach. It knew. Suddenly a thousand worst case scenarios starting playing out in my head. I didn’t even want to think what would happen if this chimera told mother about this.

“How do you know that?” I whispered frantically. Discord just laughed.

“I live in the space between dimensions, I know everything that passes through around here.” Discord said “Especially when Faust decides to send a soul through the divide when Celestia became pregnant.”

“You can’t tell anyone that I was a human.” I said

“Why not?” Asked Discord, teleporting around the area.

“Because it’s a secret.”

“Well I like telling secrets.”

“Well this one you definitely can’t tell… Please you can’t tell mum, I don’t want to lose this as well.”

I felt the tears well up as I sat back to start crying. Discord looked down at me with sympathy and conjured a tissue.

“Listen, I’ve turned over a new leaf recently, earned a good reputation with your mother and others, so how about we play a game?” Discord said, conjuring an hourglass. “If you can give me a reason why I should keep your secret before the time runs out, I promise that I will never tell a soul about what happened. Your time starts now.”

The hourglass turned and my mind started racing. The usual myriad of ideas I had wouldn’t work against Discord. He didn’t need power, he didn’t need clearing for any crime nor did he need or want for anything if he could just conjure anything he wanted. The seconds ticked by and I started growing angry with myself… but then, I had it.

“You have nothing to gain from telling ponies about me.” I said and Discord stopped the hourglass, confused.

“Pardon?”

“You said it yourself, you said that my soul came into this world when mother got pregnant. I’m more pony than human, so telling anyone would be pointless. Also, you turned over a new leaf recently and you are good terms with ponies, including my mother. Why would you intentionally hurt her by telling her that secret? Nobody with good intentions would make someone unhappy like that.”

A slow smile crossed Discord’s face. “Well played, Prince Mythic Light, well played.” He snapped its fingers, making the hourglass disappear. “At least Faust brought over someone with at least some intelligence for whatever purpose she has for you. I will not tell anyone about your last life or cause any harm to you… other than a few tricks here and there.”
Then his face became serious “But I warn you, if you think about causing harm on this world or hurt a certain pony I care for greatly, I will show you why I am called Discord. Are we clear?”

I gulped and nodded, too scared to speak. Discord leaned close before recoiling with a smile. “Wonderful! Now we better get you back to the party before somepony notices you are gone.”

Discord clicked his fingers and I found myself teleported back on my cushion before chasing the firefly. I tried speaking but my mouth wouldn’t work, I guessed it was just a charm Discord put on me.

“There you are, my little light.” Mother went, coming over to me “Right where I left you. Come on now, it’s time for bed now.”

Mother lifted me onto her back and started walking towards the palace. As I watched the ponies around me, I saw Discord at the back, winking at me, I waved goodbye as I watched it take an umbrella and start flying away.

Now that’s just showing off I thought before curling up on mother’s back.

Plans for the Future

View Online

Luna made her way through the solar chambers, preparing for her nightly duties. The Gala was still in full swing downstairs and Celestia was still entertaining the remaining nobles and would be for the next few hours. Luna felt some sympathy for her older sister, having to deal with mostly boring conversations with nobles who will probably be back tomorrow complaining about a new issue they have in day court.

As Luna passed Celestia’s chamber, the door was ajar and she could hear whimpering noises. Luna looked inside and saw Mythic Light in his crib, tossing and turning. She entered the room and lit her horn, preparing one of her calm dream spells. Once the spell was ready, a line appeared between her horn and Mythic’s horn. Mythic stopped tossing and began to sink back into his crib, Luna kept the spell going until Mythic’s breathing had calmed down. Her work complete, Luna kneeled down beside Mythic and tucked him back in.

“Don’t you worry, little Mythic.” She whispered. “I will protect you during the night.”

She couldn’t help but smile as she looked upon the little prince. His magic spasms had become much less frequent and his going stronger everyday. Very soon, Mythic would be moved into his own nursery in the Solar Chambers and Celestia had been hard at work creating one for her son.

“I wonder what you will learn first?” She whispered “Will you learn to fly or will you control magic? Your potential is endless, little light.” Luna turned to see Golden Sword’s book. “...and what is written in this book? Celestia said that Golden Sword’s family has hidden it for years. Why?”

Luna heard a set of hoofprints and the door opened to reveal Celestia. It was clear she was tired from all the socializing and just wanted to spend the rest of her night in peace.

“Luna, what are you doing in my room?” Celestia questioned.

“I heard Mythic struggling in his sleep so I calmed him down.” Luna replied and Celestia looked upon her foal with a maternal smile.

“I’m glad he’s able to get some sleep, the partying can get rather loud.” Celestia said.

“Speaking of, Glad that is over, sister?” Luna said as Celestia took off her dress with her magic and flopped on her bed, the magic that kept her mane flowing faded away and she lay there for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to compose herself.

“9 hours…” she finally said “They have been at it for 9 hours and only now is it over. This may be a new record for them.”

Luna couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t lie and whine to me sister. I can tell you had fun…you enjoy yourself when these events come around, don’t you?”

Celestia removed her mane from her eyes and looked up at Luna with a smile. “Of course I enjoy myself at parties, Luna, but I am not a young college filly… I cannot go 9 hours at parties.”

If Mythic Light had not been sleeping in the room, Luna would have fallen over laughing.

“Oh please, Celestia.” Luna said “As if stamina has ever been an issue for Alicorns. It’s only recently that you truly took mother’s lessons about restraint to heart.”
Celestia and Luna chuckled softly.

“Besides that… I think it was good night for my little one.” Celestia said, moving down her bed to look at Mythic Light, sleeping peacefully.

“I swear some of the mares were just waiting for permission to cuddle him.” Luna replied “A wonderful night for the prince.”

Luna looked up to see Celestia looking upon her foal with a mix of pride and concern.

“I know that look, Celestia.” Luna said “What’s on your mind?”

“I’m worried, Luna, worried about Mythic’s future.” Celestia said and Luna was gave a confused look.

“With the greatest of respect, how?” Luna inquired “You’ve planned for practically everything, Tia. You have Twilight teaching Mythic magic, Rainbow Dash teaching him flight, he has all 4 Alicorns able to guide him in the ways of royalty and Sunbeam to care for and nurture him when you cannot. Not to mention the many other plans and established mares you have prepared.”

“Luna, name the one common trait that all those ponies you mentioned have?” Celestia said.

After Luna thought about it for a moment, realization crashed down upon her.

“They’re all mares.” Luna said.

“Exactly.” Celestia replied “For all the great teachers that Mythic has, all their combined experience and talent, plus two immortal family members in us, he has no stallion influences. No matter how much we can teach him, a mare cannot teach a colt to be a stallion, only others can do that.”

“So what are you saying Tia?” Luna inquired.

“I’m saying that Mythic is going to need a father figure, or at least a stallion close enough to him to act like one. Currently Mythic has none and unless a responsible choice is put in place, Mythic will search for his own answers and I dread to think of what would happen there.”

Luna started to imagine Mythic going to Blueblood for advice. She visibly shook at the thought.

“I don’t want to think about it either. You’re right, plans need to be put in place.” Luna quickly said “In fact, I have a few ideas already.”

“The thestrals?” Celestia asked and Luna nodded.

“One of the most important lessons Mythic must learn is that Equestria is not just Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies, there are many different kinds of ponies. The thestrals tend to have larger families so there are plenty of Thestral fathers that can provide Mythic positive influences.”

“I like your thinking, Luna. No matter what though, all choices for figures like this must be agreed upon. I won’t allow any negative influences to come before my son.”

“No arguments here, but…” Luna stopped before continuing “How’s the search for Golden Sword? It’s his foal, he should have the honour.”

Celestia looked away, batting away a tear “Still no results. I would go myself and search for him but I dare not leave Equestria or my foal for an extended period of time. I will not abandon Mythic unless absolutely necessary.”

Luna nodded, “I will put the word amongst my soldiers. For now though, I will let you and Mythic rest.”

“Indeed… thank you Luna, for everything.” Celestia replied as Luna left the room. She glanced at Mythic, still sleeping peacefully. “Don’t you worry, my little light. I won’t allow anything to harm you. Golden Sword is always with you, even if he’s not here to watch you grow. I will find him and we will be a proper family.”

Memories of Gold

View Online

Princess Celestia stretched as she got up from her throne, another day of court had finally ended.

“That’ll be all, Raven. Thank you for your work today.” Celestia said. Raven gave a nod of approval before heading off. Celestia began heading to the gardens, her day was not over yet. Princess Luna came from down the stairs, preparing for night court.

“Another outdoor meeting, sister?” Luna said with a knowing smile.

“A princess duties are never done Luna, you know that.” Celestia replied.

“Of course Celestia, but you seem to be working harder during the night lately.” Luna said “Wouldn’t happen to do with certain minister of magic now would it?”

Celestia turned to her sister, smiling. “That is my business Luna, I shall see you later.”

And with that, Celestia headed off for the gardens.

***

As she lowered the sun, Celestia looked towards the gate of her private garden. She knew he would be late, the ministry of magic often delved into ancient magic that required translations of dead languages. Then, as the sun lowered beyond the furthest hill, the gate opened and Celestia stood up to greet her guest.

“Welcome my dear Golden Sword.”

There, still wearing the robes of the ministry, stood her secret love. The tall unicorn gave a deep bow to her.

“Thank you Prin- I mean, Celestia.”

Celestia chuckled. “Well, at least you caught yourself this time.”

Golden Sword blushed as he made his way to Celestia, who had prepared a picnic by the stream.

“Thank you Celestia, I’ve barely eaten since breakfast.” Golden said, wolfing down a sandwich like a starving pony.

“That is something I’ve been wondering about.” Celestia said, taking a sandwich for herself. “Do you and your researchers even eat during the day? Twilight visited you recently and was shocked.”

“We don’t do it on purpose!” Golden retorted, “Amethyst, Emerald, a bunch of others and myself, we all bring food in the mornings, hoping that we can get a couple of rituals done and get a lunch break.”

Golden stood up and looked towards the moon with a sad face.

“But try as we might, the ancient world of magic is a cruel and unpredictable mistress. She plays her constant tricks and causes countless delays and re-trials of the same rituals. Eventually, we look over to all our food and we’re so tired from our work, we shove it aside and continue until we finish our research.”

He turned to Celestia, who smiled knowingly and fell to his knees in front of her, tears falling from his eyes.

“...And we do it all for you, oh Princess Celestia. We do it so we can further our understanding of the ancient world so we can help the ponies of today and tomorrow.”

Celestia rolled her eyes, “Oh darling, you are such a drama queen. Is that passion and constant re-testing the reason why your mane ends are burned?”

Golden felt the ends of his sandy blond mane, which were charred black.

“Today’s rituals involved a tribe of fire sorcerers from the dark age… there were complications… Luckily, I got away with a few singed hairs whereas Scarlet suffered some serious burns, so that’s why I was late.”

“I understand darling, I hope that poor mare is alright.”

“She should be fine, our medical team says she should be back at work in a couple of weeks.”

From there, the conversation drifted from work to other topics as Princess Celestia and Golden Sword eat dinner together under the moonlight, it was nights like this that both of them wished would last forever.

***

On one particular night, Golden Sword brought a book with him. It was large brown book with the symbol of Golden Sword’s family emblazoned upon on it. This wasn’t the first time Celestia had seen it; during Golden Sword’s interview with The Board of Magical Research and Affairs, he had used it to show his research regarding the natural magic of the world.

“Golden, what is that book you keep with you?” Celestia asked.

Golden stiffened and inhaled a breath through his teeth. He looked at Celestia with confliction in his eyes.
“Do not get me wrong, Celestia. I love you but this book-” Golden started before Celestia cut him off.

“If it's like that Golden, then I do understand.” Celestia replied, Golden looked down at his book before once again looking at Celestia.

“No, if I cannot tell you, Princess Celestia, of all ponies about this book, then who can I tell?” Golden said, “Before I can explain what this is, I need to explain something else. Please tell me if the following names ring any bells; Angel Dust, Shining Scale, Brave Lance and Arcane Wing.”

Celestia’s eyes opened wide in surprise, all of those names had been ponies of high importance and power in their own times. Angel Dust had been a minister of her court… nearly 700 years ago.

“Yes I know of those names… how do you know them, Golden?” Celestia asked and Golden smiled, pride filling him with confidence.

“They are all members of my family, I am their latest descendant.” Golden said. “My family moves in and out of the circles of power when it desires to. The family has always held magic as something to marvel at, something to be inspired by and most of all, to be studied. We have wandered from place to place, following stories and legends, learning about magic. All of their findings of all of my ancestors have been written and rewritten into this compendium. It is our treasured secret and has passed down from child to child ever since Angel Dust wrote the original book to pass to her son. It has gone from parent to child to eventually my parents and then to me and I will, eventually, bestow it upon my future children with what it contains but also a warning of the power it could hold.”

Celestia thought back on all the names that Golden Sword had mentioned. All of the history of those ponies, all of their legacy… in one book. It was a sight to behold.

“I understand why you keep in secret Golden Sword.” Celestia said “I promise that you that I will not reveal this information to anypony. Your secret is safe with me.”

Golden visibly relaxed, “Thank you, Celestia, thank you so much.”

“You are welcome, dear. However…” Celestia said with a knowing smile. “You said passed down to your children. Do those children involve an alicorn?”

Golden blushed so hard his coat turned pink. “I-I-I d-do-do… I mean, can-can you have children, P-Princess Celestia?”

Celestia looked down, guilt and uncertainty filled her. Alicorns were immortal beings and she did have a mother… but she didn’t know if she could bear children of her own. Her mother had even said that hers and Luna’s birth was not a normal pony one.

“Golden Sword… I have a seen a lot over the years. I believe that anything is possible, given the circumstances. So, I’m not saying now, but maybe down the road…”

“I would love to.” Golden said, a bit too quickly and Celestia chuckled.

***

“Later this week, in the spirit of better understanding the principles and advancements of magic, the various great mages of our neighbouring countries and allies will be meeting in the Zebrica plains.” Celestia announced, her throne room filled with her various ministers and high ranking members of court. “To this important event we send our own minister of magic, Golden Sword, as Equestria’s representative. On behalf of royal family and Equestria, we thank Golden Sword for his efforts and we wish him the best of luck at the conference.”

A round of applause started as Golden Sword approached the throne, wearing the delegate purple robes. He bowed to Celestia before facing the crowd.

“Equestria has always been at the forefront of magical research and our understanding of magic is the envy of the world.” Golden said, clearly excited about the event. “Ever since my appointment, I have been proud to be involved with that effort thanks to the fantastic team I have with me in the research team.”

Golden looks to his team who were in attendance. “I wish to thank them as well for their hard work and determination on our projects. It has been difficult at times and very painful but we have made it worthwhile… and managing to keep all of our limbs intact.”

The research team openly laughed as Celestia rolled her eyes.

“I give my humblest thanks to the Princess and my fellow ministers for trust me with this assignment. I will return with greater understanding and renewed vigor for my research. Thank you friends, thank you everypony.”

The minister's gave another round of applause and the conversation quickly returned to other governmental matters. After the meeting was over, it was already getting late in the day, soon the only ones left in the throne room were Celestia and Golden Sword.

“A fine speech you gave today, Golden.” Celestia remarked. “Your research team seems very excited for this.”

“As am I, Princess.” Golden replied. “To be able to talk to other high mages from other countries and discuss our research is a dream come true for me.”

Celestia couldn’t help but roll her eyes again. “I swear, if I left you and Twilight Sparkle in the same room together for too long, you’d lock yourselves in a library and would never come back from discussing magic.”
“While getting that chance would be wonderful…” Golden said “If that were the case, that would mean I could never be with you again… and I don’t want to happen, my love.”

Celestia blushed, Golden seemingly always had the right words to say.

“Well then, Golden. Since this will be our last night together for some time, will you spend it with me?”

Celestia winked at Golden and he immediately understood what she meant. After blushing, he smiled at her.

“It would be an honour, Celestia.” He said and with that, Celestia led him away from the throne room and up to the Solar Chambers.

***
With each passing day, Luna was getting more and more worried for her sister. It had been 3 weeks since Golden Sword set off for the conference and he was supposed to have returned by now. Then the news came back to Equestria, Golden Sword and indeed many of the other delegates had gone missing. While the search was ongoing, they had turned up no results.

Despite everything, Celestia still came to day court and kept that same regal radiance that she had maintained over 1000 years of ruling Equestria. While she had other ponies thinking she was fine, Luna wasn’t fooled. Gone was the outgoing and dutiful Celestia and in her place stood a near broken mare who often spent all of her free time in her room. She could tell her sister was in pain and no matter what, Luna refused to allow her sister to suffer in silence, not after what happened the last time. So on one fateful night, when day court finished, Luna approached her sister as Celestia headed up to the Solar chambers.

“Celestia… if you want to talk about it, know I am here for you.”

Celestia sighed and smiled at her sister. “There is nothing to discuss Luna. I am sure Golden is fine and I just have to be patient.”

Celestia tried to walk past but Luna blocked her path.

“Don’t give me that, Celestia.” Luna retorted. “Golden Sword has practically disappeared and there is no results from any of the searches. That would break anypony. You may be able to fool other ponies but you will not fool me.”

Celestia expression suddenly darkened. “Choose your next words carefully, Luna. I am in no mood to be lectured.”

“We both know where bottling up our emotions leads, sister.” Luna implored, “Please Celestia, let me help you.”

“LUNA!” Celestia roared and silenced her sister before taking a deep breath “I appreciate your offer, I truly do… but I just need some time to think about what I can do.”

With that, Celestia brushed passed Luna, her head down. Luna couldn’t help but shed a tear; her dear sister Celestia, for all of her power, wisdom and experience, could be so blind to those around her.

You may not want my help, Celestia. Luna vowed But I will save you from yourself.

Celestia collapsed on her bed, not even bothering to remove her regalia as she started sobbing into her pillows.

Oh my darling Golden Sword, where have you gone? Celestia thought, eventually crying herself to sleep.

***

Celestia was surrounded by a dark forest, the trees bunch so tightly together that the sky was barely visible. She could hear rustling around her. Celestia turned to face the noise, her horn glowing.

“Who is there?” She commanded.

You cannot save him a voice went and Celestia was caught off guard.

All of your power and you cannot help him It continued and Celestia quickly turned around trying to face where the voice was.

You are weak! It finished and suddenly hundreds of pairs of glowing eyes peered through the dark foliage, constantly repeating You are weak!

“That’s not true… I will save him!!” Celestia roared, firing a blast at the eyes, which dodged out of the way.

Well then The voice went Why don’t you try…

“CELESTIA!” a voice screamed and Celestia recognised it instantly as Golden Sword’s. She dashed through the forest, following the source of the voice. She burst through the trees to find a cliff edge blocking her path and a deep ravine. On the other side of the ravine was Golden Sword, his horn covered with a magic blocker and dark figures pushing him towards the cliff.

“Hold on Golden!” Celestia roared, lifting her wings to fly. Suddenly, two dark vines wrapped themselves around her wings, preventing her from flying. Then more dark vines came from the forest and wrapped themselves around Celestia’s limbs, pinning her down to cliff. She tried desperately to use magic but the vines prevented her from firing even the simplest of spells.

“CELESTIA!” Golden scream as the dark figures were done playing around and pushed him into the ravine.

“GOLDEN! NO!” Celestia screamed unable to do anything but watch her lover fall to his doom. Then, A blue aura appeared around Golden Sword and he stopped falling. The sky turned dark as a bright moon appeared in the sky and Luna came from on high.

“Foul demons of the dark.” Luna yelled “As long as I live, you will never hold sway in my sister’s dreams. Her horn then erupted into a bright flash and a powerful blast slammed into the forest, a boom like the crashing of worlds. Celestia found herself free and the forest gone. Luna then turned her attention to the dark figures and using similarly powerful magic, she destroyed them.

She flew down to Celestia’s cliff side, placing Golden Sword down beside her.

“Luna… Thank you…” Celestia said, calming down.

“It is alright, dear sister.” Luna said “I told you that I would help you, even if you wouldn’t ask me to.”

With those words, Celestia could feel tears breach her eyes and soon she knelt at the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh Luna… The nightmare is right.” Celestia moaned. “I cannot save Golden Sword from what has happened to him and I can’t even save myself from my own nightmares… I truly am weak.”

Suddenly, Luna stomped her hoof to the ground, getting Celestia’s attention.

“Celestia, if you were weak, then how did you manage to rule Equestria for 1000 years by yourself!!” Luna roared. “How dare you insult yourself and everypony that looks up to you by calling yourself weak?”

Luna’s anger faded and she knelt down to her sister with a smile.

“Dear sister, do you remember those 1000 years you spent alone? You never forgot about me and nor did you allow my name to disappear from history. You took up an unenviable task of ruling our kingdom alone and you did it with grace and with wisdom and when I returned, you helped me come to grips with the modern world and atone for my sins. You have been there for me for countless years and now… I will be here for you.”

Celestia looked at her younger sister and for the first time in weeks, she gave a genuine smile.
“Thank you, dear Luna.” Celestia said and the sisters embraced, the nightmare over.

***

The next evening, Celestia was alone in her room, preparing a spell. Something else had been bothering her recently. She had been having bizarre cravings and certain unspeakable areas had felt tender. Celestia hadn’t been feeling ill but she need an answer. She closed her eyes, slowed her breathing and her horn started glowing. The spell began probing her body, checking everywhere. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…

Thump, Thump

Celestia stopped, around her abdomen and focused deeper.

Thump, Thump

There it was again, a heartbeat. But it wasn’t hers. It felt small… like… like…

It hit Celestia like a blast from a water cannon and she placed a hoof on her abdomen. She was pregnant… with Golden Sword’s foal.

***

Celestia arose from her slumber, tears in her eyes as a range of emotions filled her. So much had happened and so much had changed. Despite all that happened, Celestia was determined to find Golden Sword and find out what truly happened on the plains of Zebrica.

Small breaths caught her ears and she looked over the edge of her bed to see Mythic Light, still sleeping in his crib. She smiled at her foal, it was partly thanks to him that she felt as good as she did. When Celestia’s world was at its darkest point since Luna’s banishment, it was her foal who gave her light.

She rose from her bed, preparing to raise the sun for the next day. She turned to her foal.

"My little light, you shine everyday I see you."

A quiet moment with Mother

View Online

Dear Princess Celestia,

I wish I could provide you with more information regarding the incident however I currently have nothing new to tell you. My top shamans and enchanters are working over every detail to find any clue about the missing mages. Please know that when I when they find something, you’ll be immediately informed.

I do hope that the friendship between our two countries can remain strong and healthy despite this incident. The bond we share is something that my citizens and I treasure highly and we don’t wish to jeopardise that under any circumstances. I believe you are that Ponies and Zebras are stronger together rather than divided.

On a happier note, we wish congratulations on the birth of your foal. We hope that Prince Mythic Light grows healthy and strong under your care. We also, at your discretion, would like to invite you and the prince to the plains so he can see our culture.

I hope to hear from you soon,
Yours Sincerely
Amaziah, Ruler of the Plains

Celestia re-read the letter twice, sighing. She had hoped that new details would come from Amaziah about Golden Sword, but still nothing to report. Perhaps Amaziah does know something and doesn’t want to reveal because he’s afraid of her response?

Celestia shook her head. No, she could allow herself to think like that. Amaziah was many things, but a liar was not one of them. Nor would she break off Equestria’s relationship with Zebrica. Ponies and Zebras were better together than divided.

“Not good news?” A voice went and Celestia to see Luna in the doorway.

“Nothing new yet, Luna.” Celestia replied, lifting the letter over to her sister. “I do not blame Amaziah, there are ancient magics at work on the plains that not even the Zebras understand. I am willing to be patient and work with them to bring back Golden Sword and the others.”

“Well one good thing came from this letter.” Luna mused, “Another invitation for Mythic to another kingdom. What is that…Seven?”

“Twelve.” Celestia replied, pulling out a box of letters with locations ranging from Prance to Saddle Arabia. “I received a couple from Gran Caneighra and Rustallion a few days ago.”

“Impressive.” Luna said “Speaking of travel, you and Mythic are soon to take a trip to the Crystal Empire, are you not?”

“Yes we are, Luna.” Celestia said, “Should be a wonderful visit for Mythic. It will be the first time he will meet Flurry heart. But while we are gone, I need you to finish the project. Everything else is coming, it is up to you now.”

“Be at peace, my sister.” Luna reassured. “All will be finished before your return. Raven, Sundancer and Sunbeam is providing their expert support as well.”

“Excellent.” Celestia said. “Now if you excuse me, I shall retire for tonight and prepare for travel. Good night, dear Luna.”

“Pleasant dreams, dear sister.” Luna replied, heading for the room in question.

Oh little light. She thought Have we got a surprise waiting for you.

***

I had expected to be going up to the solar chambers but strangely, why Nanny Sunbeam was carrying me towards the gardens. As we approached the door, Mother strode in from the other corridor. No matter how many times I saw it, her stride and stance made her look like a goddess in my eyes.

“There’s my little light!” Mother cooed, lifting me over to her with her magic and placing me on her back. “How’s he been, Sunbeam?”

“A joy, your highness.” Sunbeam replied. “Nopony has a problem with Prince Mythic, a pleasure to be around.”

Mother looked upon me fondly. “You make me so proud, don’t you.” I blushed and mother looked at Sunbeam. “Thank you Sunbeam, that will be all for tonight.”

“As you please, your highness.” Sunburst said, curtseying and heading to the servants quarters.

“Now, Mythic Light…” Mother began, looking at me fondly. “Before I take you to bed, I wanted to show a very special place.”

Celestia opened the door and headed out into the gardens, past the hedge maze and past her private garden and started heading downhill. I had never gone this far out before, not with mother or even Discord when we talked. Then I saw where mother was heading; towards a lake with an island in the middle. The island had a small grove upon it. As she reached the edge, Mother lit her horn and I felt magical restraints around me.

“Don’t worry, my light.” Mother cooed. “I won’t let you fall in.”
It was then I realized what she was going to do. Without hesitation, Mother entered the water and when it came up high enough, she started swimming through it, her magic keeping me in place on her back.

Even her swimming technique is beautiful I thought as I watched her. In fact, everything about Mother was beautiful in my eyes. Her grace and elegance, the way she walked and how she held herself, even how she was when she played with me. She reminded me of a maiden from a song I loved back in the old world.

Truly she was both fair and handsome, with a neck just like a swan, all that was missing was her hair to be tied up and hanging over her shoulder with a black velvet band.

As the water became shallower, Mother stood up and walked into the grove. At the center of the grove was a small pool. Steam drifted from the water and up towards the heavens.

A natural hotspring? I thought. The lake mother just swam through was warmer than I expected.

“Time for a bath.” Mother said, before lifting me off her back and standing me up on the side of the pool. As she entered the pool, I noticed a smooth rock platform underneath the water. Once Mother had settled into the water, she turned to me and tapped the platform. I gingerly put one hoof forward and touched the water’s surface. The sting of the hot water hit me immediately and I pulled backward.

“It’s OK, Mythic.” Mother said softly. “Nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a little hot water.”

I slowly moved forward again and put my hoof in the water again. With mother helping me, I entered the water and relaxed.

“Well done, darling…” Mother cooed and she started tending to me only a mother could. Her gentle touches and cooing almost brought me to sleep. I pulled my hoof up trying to reach her… but all I managed to do was splash her.

She stopped for a second before a mischievous grin emerged on her face.

“You cheeky little…” Mother said as she gave a small splash back. The battle was on, both sides unrelenting in the splash war, vying for dominance. Eventually mother won out but I was had held my own against her and that was good enough for me… for now.

Mother took me out of the pool and we lay beside it, drying off.

“My little light.” Celestia cooed. “This was my favourite spot when I was pregnant with you. I could come here and relax, alone with you. Sometimes I felt you kicking inside me and I just knew you enjoyed the time here just as much as I.”

As soon as I was dry, Mother drew me closer, right next to her belly. I felt so warm and safe next to her as I listened to her heartbeat. As my eyes began to close, I felt mother drape her wing over me and she started singing a gentle tune. I smiled and curled up near her. I may have had another mother before, but in my heart, Celestia was my only mother and I loved her like only a child can.

She was my mother and I was happiest when I was near her.

Gears in Motion

View Online

Author's Notes:

Hello everyone!

It's been a long while. I hope you have all been well. I am so happy to be writing again after so long but things in my life have finally calmed down. I've got a new work schedule, a new way of looking at my life and following this schedule has given me enough time to writing on a semi-consistent basis. The two weeks per chapter rule is now in effect and will be the pattern going forward.

Further more, since some people have asked me via messages about this. Yes, Prince of the Sun will continue past the series finale. I am not quitting the fandom after the series concludes and will continue writing here for as long as I can. I love the community that has been built here and I want to continue being part of that.

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you for keeping with this story despite its long hiatus, your messages and comments have kept me going in a lot of crucial ways. Bless you all for being such amazing people and I hope you continue to enjoy my work.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Enjoy the chapter everybody and keep being awesome

Tornado

As Celestia rose the sun, she made her way quietly out of the castle, her precious child Mythic Light was snoozing on her back. Today the two of them would head to the Crystal Empire to meeting Shining Armor, Cadance and their daughter, Flurry Heart. It would be the first time that the two youngest alicorns would meet and all the parents involved hoped that the two would become firm friends very soon. A squadron of guard ponies were waiting outside, preparing the carriage for the royal family.

“All set, my sister?” A voice went and Celestia turned to see Luna next to her, coming down from her tower after lowering the moon. Celestia noded.

“Everything is ready, I can’t wait for Mythic and Flurry to meet. I hope all goes well on your end.” Celestia replied, looking down at Mythic with fondness

“Do not worry, Celestia.” Luna said, “I will make sure everything is ready for your return.” She reaches over and kisses Mythic Light. “Farewell for now, my sweet nephew. Have fun with your cousin.”

Mythic Light stirs a little before settling down. The carriage door opened and Celestia entered the carriage. The two sisters waved goodbye as the carriage rolled away and as soon as its out of sight, Luna turns back towards the castle, it was time to begin her work. In the solar chambers, Celestia and Luna had been working on a new nursery for Mythic and wanted everything to be perfect for him. Already, they had caught Mythic trying to get into the room on four separate occasions.

“Curious as a kitten, that’s what he is…” Luna sighed, entering the room in question. Sundancer was already there, arranging the furniture. Luna looked around the room, a calm sky blue colour was the main colour on the walls and ceiling. A sun was painted on the ceiling looking down on a grassy green carpet covered in butterflies, breezies and other cute animals. A Toy chest and various other playthings were already in place.

“If all else failed, Sister, you could go into interior design.” Luna mused as Sundancer noticed her and bowed to her. Luna waved to her as she continued looking around. Her eyes eventually settling on the new crib. It was a larger version of the one in Celestia’s room now with soft blue drapes covering it. The crib was also specially enchanted to gently rock whenever Mythic was awake or when Celestia was near. It was truly a nursery fit for a prince but Luna felt just a little more could be added.

“Sundancer…” Luna started, “Do we have any more colour change paint? The stuff that the astronomers use in their observatory?”

“I believe so, your highness.” Sundancer replied, “Do you wish me to fetch them?”

“Please do,” Luna said and Sundancer headed off, “My sweet nephew… I just want to add a little something to make this room perfect.”

***

Her work in the nursery complete, Luna started wandering the castle. Due to Celestia’s absence, daycourt was suspended until her return which left Luna alone to do what she wanted until sunset and night court. While she wandered, her thoughts kept coming back to what she and Celestia discussed at the Gala. It was vital that they put positive stallion influences in Mythic’s life, whatever disagreements the sisters had they both agreed on this point:

A mare cannot teach a colt how to be stallion

Those important lessons could only be taught by other stallions. Shining armour was a good start but as the joint ruler of the crystal empire, he would be too far away to help Mythic on a day to day basis. Luna has her own plans to help with this scenario but a few more options wouldn’t hurt.

As Luna walked, she came across The Royal Guard training grounds. The guards were lined up and at attention in front of Lieutenant Watchful Gaze.

“At ease, troops.” Watchful Gaze said, “Thank you for being present for these proceedings. It is my honour and privilege to announce the new Captain of the Royal Guard. This pony has earned not only distinction within the ranks of the Equestrian Military but also the recommendation of Shining Armour himself. Please welcome the new captain, Fortress Warden.”

A tall, grey unicorn strode forward, wearing the purple armour that Shining Armor once donned. Watchful Gaze handed him the helmet before saluting him. Luna looked on with interest, Fortress Warden had gained quite the reputation in the army. Shining Armor and Fortress Warden served in the same military unit and while Shining had left the military early to pursue the royal guard, Fortress remained. His records were exemplary, in 7 years of service he earned 3 Medals of Valor and a Pink Heart of Courage. When it came to selecting a new captain of the guard, he was the obvious choice. As Fortress turned to the guard, they saluted him.

“At ease, Guardponies.” He said, “First off, I wish to thank my old friend, Shining Armor, for his recommendation to this post. He has placed great trust and faith in me and I strive to live up to his recommendation everyday that I am here. I also wish to thank Princess Celestia for her approval. I think I speak for everypony gathered when I say that acknowledgement and approval for the princesses is worth more than any medal or any prize we could be awarded in life.”

There was a general murmur of agreement from the assembled guards. Fortress then cleared his throat for attention.

“With all this being said…” he said, setting his eyes on the guards. “Things need to change around here and they need to change now. The royal guard has become the butt of jokes amongst some of the populace for our failure to do our job. The Tirek incident, The Everfree forest calamity, the Storm King Invasion, the theft of the time scroll and the two changeling invasions. Not a pretty sight.”

With every incident Fortress brought up, various reactions came up. From scowls at their new commander to hanging their heads in shame, it was true that the guard had suffered some bad years lately and being reminded of all the invasions would tick anypony off.

“But… I do not blame you for any of what has happened.” Fortress continued. “Nor do I blame Shining Armor for any of it. You all fought bravely and valiantly against forces whose powers you couldn’t possibly imagine. In fact, I hold myself guilty for many of these invasions. I served on the border posts with my unit and yet we allowed both of the changeling invasions to happen on our watch. I was angry at myself for allowing invaders to reach the very heart of Equestria without even a fight. Now though, I am no longer angry and I can see it in your eyes as well, you want to make sure it never happens again.”

The ponies looked up and started nodding.

“You want to get stronger, tougher and ready for anything that they will throw at us. You want to do it not to restore your own personal honour, but the honour of the royal guard. You want to make the public to believe in you again and you want to make Princess Celestia proud of you.”

The ponies started getting rowdier, cheering the commander.

“As the captain of the royal guard, I will do all I can to make those ambitions real. Starting today, the sun has risen on a new dawn for the Solar Guards. All those in favour of embracing that new dawn, let me hear you!”

“HOORAH!” The guards shouted in unison, as if infused with new energy. As they cheered and readied themselves for new training, Luna smiled upon the display. Fortress Warden was everything he was said to be, perhaps he could be a good father figure of Mythic. The new captain looked to see her and saluted her. Luna nodded as she headed off, they both had other duties to attend to.

***

Luna sat in her office in the Lunar Chambers, awaiting her guest. It was time to put her own plans into motion. One thing Mythic was going to learn very quickly was that there was more to pony kind than just Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies. While the other races Mythic would be introduced to as part of his education and royal duties, it was important that he became familiar with Luna’s personal guard and subjects, the Thestrals. Not only that, but since the Thestrals tended to have large families, Luna could kill two birds with one stone and find a suitable for Mythic to look up to.

“Your highness, Black Rook is here to see you.” The familiar voice of Raven went.

“Thank you Raven.” Luna said and the door opened to reveal the Thestral guardsman. Black Rook walked inside and saluted his ruler.

“Your Majesty, I have come as requested.” Black Rook said and Luna nodded.

“Thank you for coming at such short notice, Lieutenant.” Luna replied. “We have much to discuss. Your family has served my sister and I for a very long time, correct?”

“We trace our roots back to the original Full Moon Brigade, your majesty.” Black Rook said “We are proud of the fact that we have been useful to the royal family for so many years.”

Luna nodded. One thing she would always be thankful to Celestia for is keeping the Thestrals safe for 1000 years. It would have been so easy for her to just let them rot alongside their fallen leader, to shoulder the blame for her previous actions. Celestia wouldn’t allow it to happen, she protected them from persecution and allowed them to thrive without her.

“You should be proud, Black Rook, you and your family have been treasured guards for all that time. I believe you are a father yourself?”

“3 Children, your majesty. Two colts, one filly.”

“Wonderful to hear,” Luna pondered, “Now the reason I have asked you hear today is that I have an important task for you.”

“Whatever it is, I will give it my all, your majesty.” Black Rook expressed. Luna couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Do not worry, it is nothing as dangerous as you might be thinking.” Luna started. “As you know, my sister has recently given birth to a child. My precious nephew, Mythic Light. One thing that my sister and I agree on is that he will need proper guidance in his life and the thestrals will be a large part of it. The differences between Equestria during day and during the night are many and it would be good if my nephew had someone dependable like you to teach him about these things.”

Luna stopped hear to let her message sink in. The look on Black Rook’s face told her the entire story. He knew exactly what she was asking him to do and didn’t know how to respond.

“I wouldn’t give this task to any thestral, Black Rook.” Luna said, getting his attention. “I am giving you this assignment because I believe I can trust you with it. Your loyalty to my family has been unwavering and I fully believe that you could give my nephew the guidance that he will need. The amount of lessons and history your family alone could teach him alone is worth me asking this of you. I will stress that you can absolutely say no to me and you will not lose your position. So I ask you one more time, will you accept this task?”

Black Rook shifted awkwardly, clearly feeling the weight of the task his princess had just placed on him.

“I will have to talk with my family about this, your majesty, but I will accept this task. I will not fail you.”

Luna breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Black Rook. I am truly relieved to hear you say that. I know you will succeed in this task.”

Black Rook blushed under the princess’ words.

“Its funny you should bring up a task like this your highness. I believe someone in my family is going to be over the moon with this.”

***

As the carriage trundled through the streets of Canterlot, the city was waking up to start their day. Shops were opening up and Pegasi were arranging clouds in accordance with their weather schedule. The carriage stopped outside one of Celestia’s favourite bakeries to grab the freshest bread and cakes for the journey ahead. Unbeknownst to Celestia, on top of a nearby building, a thestral girl watched the carriage. As the carriage rolled along the girl sighed.

“Aww, there goes the little prince off on an adventure.” She said, “Hope you have fun wherever you go, my prince.”

“Do you enjoy making me worried about you, Black Rose?” A voice went and the Rose turned to see her mother landing beside her. “Why must you always disappear like that?”

“I just wanted to watch the carriage go by, is that so wrong?” Black Rose retorted, “I’m not gonna be able to see the prince for a while so I wanted to see him off in my own way.”

Rose’s mother sighed, knowing that there was no negotiating with Rose over this matter.

“Just please, leave a note so I know where you’ve run off to or at least talk to me about this?” she said “I don’t mind you flying around Canterlot but if you could just casually say ‘going off to see the carriage go by’ you know would I accept that.”

“Yes Mama.” Black Rose said, genuinely feeling sorry for making her mother worry. Rose’s mother gently stroked her daughters mane.

“As long as you understand this time, that’s all that matters.” She said, “Now come along, there are important matters we must get to.”

“Okay!” Black Rose said, looking back to watch the carriage disappear beyond the buildings. “See you soon, Mythic Light!”