Chapter 1 - The Truth
Edited by Ultra1437
Celestia sighed heavily, the fur on her chest lowering slightly as she did. She stroked her forelegs together, her lower lip tucked in between her teeth as the sound of her quill scratching across the surface of a parchment entered her ears. She finished off the letter with her signature and sent it off in flames, watching the embers flying to the open doors of the balcony and disappearing into the skies. The hardest part now was waiting.
Celestia waited for a long time. Patience was a virtue, and she embodied it almost to perfection, although in this case, it is one that she dreaded. Oh she had a very long time to think about it. It was a long time, but eventually she came to accept it. However that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be concerned about it. Her wellbeing was on the line, but that wasn’t what she was worried about. No, not at all when it came to her citizens. What worried her was the reaction of a pony that was very close to her heart and what her ultimate decision would be in the end. Of course, Celestia knew she would accept the choice, but it wasn’t going to come easy.
Celestia’s shoulders tensed tightly as she heard a knocking on the door. Shifting on her bed, Celestia turned towards the door to the halls outside. She couldn’t be here already, could she? “Come in.” Celestia let loose the breath she was holding in when she saw it was just her beloved sister. “Oh Luna, it’s you.”
“Indeed, sister,” Luna said as she nodded to the two guards that opened for her in appreciation. They closed the doors when she stepped inside the room. “Were you expecting somepony else?”
Celestia suppressed a giggle as she soon found Luna’s precious blue eyes staring at her own. “Nothing escapes your sight, do they? Between the two of us, you were always the sharper one, the sword.”
“And you’re the bulwark that protects all. The mighty shield of Equestria,” Luna said, smiling back. It faded as quickly as it came. “Today... is the day, isn’t it?”
Silence was a very welcome guest, making itself very cozy for a minute that felt like an hour. Celestia’s eyes were locked onto the sheets of the bed as soon as Luna mentioned ‘today.’ Even so, she could still feel Luna’s eyes staring at her. After a while, Celestia said with a sigh, “Yes, today is that day.”
For a time being, the both of them said nothing until Celestia felt Luna wrapping her in a tight embrace. Celestia didn’t hesitate to return the favor, nuzzling her white cheeks against her sister’s blue fur.
“You’ll sorely be missed, dear Tia.”
Celestia could feel wet tears falling on the back of her neck, and soon her own tears were welling up as well. “I know, Luna. I know.”
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Twilight could feel her wings jumping in anticipation, although she restrained them well. It had been a while since Celestia invited her to have a conversation face to face. Numerous possibilities strolled around within her mind. What was so important that Celestia had to speak with her right away? Was there a new threat on the horizon, or was an old one returning? Whatever the case may be, Twilight was absolutely prepared to face it. She even brought two saddle bags of history books just so she could prep on it. Knowledge is power, and Twilight knew it all too well.
Entrance to the castle was easy as Twilight was a very well known face around Canterlot. Who wouldn’t know about Celestia’s beloved student? Of course, everypony was getting used to the fact that she is now the Princess of Friendship, but it still didn’t change the fact that almost every citizen in Canterlot recognized her. That includes the Royal Guards as well, who nodded to her politely before opening doors for her. Eventually she reached her ex-mentor’s private studies and knocked on one of the doors.
“Come in.”
The guards stationed on either side of the doors opened it for her. Twilight quickly walked in. “Princess Celestia, I came as soon as possible,” she said, smiling brilliantly at making good time.
“And I’m glad you did,” Celestia smiled back, “for we have much to talk about.” She nodded at the guards, giving them the signal to close the door. “I assume you’re thinking about why I called you here.”
“As always,” Twilight nodded. She started pulling out books from her saddle bags. “So what do we got? Is it a new one or an old one?”
Celestia blinked in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
Twilight looked up from her books and stared with widen pupils before immediately flustering. “Oh I’m sorry! I thought there was going to be a villain so I thought I would bring some history books on Equestria’s past enemies and read up on them so I know what I’m facing against and– ”
Twilight stopped as she heard soft laughter coming from Celestia. “Oh Twilight do not fret. I just thought that we could have... a nice cup of tea together.”
If Twilight didn’t hear Celestia’s hesitation in her voice, she didn’t show. Although, it didn’t appear that Twilight noticed. “O– oh! Well I guess I brought these books for nothing.”
“Um, how about you put them over there for the time being while we wait for the tea to arrive?” Celestia asked, pointing at the desk where she usually signed paperwork and such.
“Alright.” Twilight repacked the books and gently laid the bags next to the desk with magic.
Celestia slid off her bed and sat over near the fireplace, where a fire was burning brightly. Twilight followed and settled on a nice cushion. They both sat in silence, with Twilight looked towards Celestia in silent admiration. Reflecting in her violet eyes was Celestia, a prime role model of benevolence and wisdom, as well as everlasting. In Celestia’s eyes were only the orange embers dancing above the fire, until she noticed Twilight smiling at her. She turned away from the fire and gave back a small grin of her own. Twilight blinked in surprise. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now she noticed there was something a little off with the solar alicorn. Was it the slight slouch to Celestia’s usually chiseled posture, or the hint of water building up in the corners of her eyes?
A knocking on the door interrupted the moment. In came in a unicorn maid, levitating the steaming tea with her on a silver platter. “The tea, your majesty.”
It took a moment for Celestia to focus. “Oh yes, of course. Leave it over here.” The servant did as she asked and left with nothing more than a courteous bow. Celestia poured the tea in two small cups and lifted one for Twilight. She took it in silence. “Longjing tea, imported straight from the Dragon Well.”
“The Dragon Well? From Harasia?”
“In the Zhejiang Province, if I remember correctly. The hares make their tea quite well.” Celestia paused to take a small sip before talking again. “You know, it is said that drinking from the Dragon Well for your entire life will indubitably prolong it to the point where you will even greet your great-great-great grandchildren face to face.”
“Is it true?”
Celestia uttered a soft laugh. “Well it’s certainly fun to tell the story behind the saying, but that can be told another day.” Twilight’s shared in on this laughter as well, but then immediately dropped soon after Celestia did. Her smile was no longer there, and instead was a sorrowful frown. “Twilight... what do you think of the sun?”
The question threw Twilight off. Her lips and tongue were struggling to find words. “I... huh? I’m not sure why... well I suppose the sun is warm and hot. It provides light and life to all the stands under it. It’s a very important aspect of life to everybody.”
Twilight smiled once more, forcing it this time, in hopes that it would reach Celestia and make her smile again. It failed. Instead, it ushered a deep sigh from Celestia’s lungs.
“I will not deny that the sun is important, but its significance does not exist for only one reason.”
Twilight’s frown turned from sadness to confusion. “Huh? What do you mean?”
Celestia didn’t respond for a while and had turned her attention towards the fire. When she faced Twilight again, the bright shine in her eyes was dimmed. “Twilight, what do you think of me?”
Twilight really had no idea what to say. Well, she actually did, but she wasn’t sure if they were the right answer. Regardless of the possible outcomes, she said them anyway. “Well your brilliance shines like the sun you wield, and your compassion for others shows no bounds. Your wisdom is clear and thick, and your beauty is unmatched.” Twilight blushed as she added the last tidbit.
“That is very kind of you to say that.”
“I’m only speaking the truth.”
Celestia had the small luxury of smiling again, this time for real as she saw Twilight grinning with pure glee. It was short-lived as she was reminded of why she had called her here today. She looked back to where the doors to the balcony were open, and saw the sun slowly crawling down the sky.
“Twilight, do you know the history of the sun and those who controlled it?”
Twilight looked over to where Celestia’s gaze led to. “Well if I remember correctly, the sun was controlled by the Unicorn Tribe long ago, way before Equestria was formed. Upon Discord’s arrival, he hooked it away from their hooves and used it as his toy. Afterwards, you and your sister came and defeated him. Upon seeing your strength, the unicorns decided to relinquish their previous control of the sun to you.”
“You are close to the truth.”
Twilight’s eyes widened and she quickly looked back at her. “Wait what?”
Another deep huff was let loose. “Twilight, would you like me to tell you a story about the sun and the little mare who would later inherit it and its burdens?”
Twilight almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. From the sounds of it, it seemed like Celestia was going to... “Yes, I would love to hear your story.”
Celestia nodded slowly. “Thank you, Twilight.” Her gazed drifted back to the fire. “I suppose I should start right from the very beginning, when everything was dark.”
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Nothing was the only existence, and existence was only nothing. This was the way everything was in the beginning. Then a colossal being came, from who knows where. No one knew where this large being came from, for there was no one around to see her come.
From her breath came the first two of the elements: the Earth and Air. Small bits of her earth spread across the space, growing bigger with every inch they traveled. They grew to titanic proportions until they rivaled the size of her, creating planets and moons. The air from her breath surrounded most of these enormous orbs of rock and dirt, wrapping them in their warm embrace. She was satisfied with what she saw, but then grew sad because they were lifeless.
From her eyes fell many tears, and from the tears was created the third element: Water. They carved out rivers in the planets, bowled out seas, and soon life blossomed from the once dead soils. There was one more missing element however. One that would change the universe more than the last three. From the depths of her soul, the goddess sang a song. One that shined as bright as her spirit. From her soul came forth the last element: Light. The light touched a tree on a world and the tree burst into flames, inheriting the light, becoming the first fire, and bringing beautiful colors to the universe.
The Light from the tree’s fire was powerful and mighty, extending its reach across the many worlds around. The moons of the planets would see the flames’ Light and reflect it, making the light go even further. Soon the Light touched everything there was possible in the realm, and the goddess smiled. However, not all was well.
From the darkness, a great evil stirred. This evil did not cause any trouble before the goddess’ arrival, for it was content with the quiet nonexistence of the universe. Once the goddess changed the universe, it became furious. From the evil’s fury spawned an extension of itself that would take the physical form of a titanic snake and become the second god of the universe. His name would be Apophis, his name meaning ‘chaos,’ ‘serpent,’ and ‘evil’s destruction,’ and a destiny was given to him. For as long as he lived, his fate was to swallow the first fire and plunge the universe into darkness once more and kill all.
Apophis’ path started slowly as he ventured towards the fire from the dark edges of the universe, eating moons whole in his path as their reflected the light he hated so much. With each moon he ate, he grew stronger. Knowing she had no choice, she went out to battle with the great snake, doing her best to beat him down. Not every battle ended in a victory, and from those losses she suffered great wounds that made her weaker. It certainly slowed Apophis down, but it did not deter him.
From their last battle, the Goddess ran away with a ruined, weakened spirit. The snake had traveled far and was getting closer to the flame. In desperation, she descended down to the planet that housed the great fire to make her final stand. Apophis ripped apart the clouds as he descended down on her, his presence placing great fear into every living thing around. He knew the goddess was very vulnerable and prepared to perform the final strike. Believing she was going to die, the goddess began to sing, wanting to give the universe one last beautiful thing before she died to the darkness.
Just before Apophis would sink his fangs into her heart, the fire behind the goddess roared greatly, shooing away the great snake with its increasing flames. The flames grew brighter and stronger as the goddess continued to sing, seemingly responding to her. On her final note, the fire glowed white hot and from its center burst forth two great beings, the first two alicorns. One was a male, and the other was female. They have heard the plight of the goddess in her song, and came to lend their aid to her. The alicorns were strong as gods and flew up to challenge Apophis with their strength. Apophis was not prepared and was defeated from their first fight, their hooves, wings, and magic sending him hurtling towards the nearest moon. Surprised to be licking wounds, the snake retreated, but would soon return once he has regained strength.
This cycle repeated for many years, soon growing from a battle of gods into a war of gods. From the dark scales of Apophis spawned a great many of his dark minions and children, performing the dark biddings of their evil lord. The denizens of the planet have watched the battles waged on and knew that the two alicorns would not be able to fight the evil god and his legion of dark warriors. Agreeing to lend their help, the people fought back the darkness with the alicorns to protect the Light. For the time being, both sides struggled to gain an advantage. For every victory the warriors of Light secured, they lost to the warriors of Dark the next time around.
The male alicorn knew this could not go on forever as lives on their side were lost while the dark legion of Apophis were forever existing. They were not like the mortals, and could regenerate and heal their own wounds. They were not living things, and did not follow the same rules of existence as those of Light. Wanting to end the war, he came up with an idea.
He went back to the first fire, where the tree was still standing despite years of burning. By the tree was the goddess, where she was still recovering from her last battle with Apophis. He shared his plan with her, asking for her help as he could not do it on his own. She agreed with no hesitation and lent him the little power she retained. Even though it was still a little, it was still a bit bigger and brighter than the male alicorn’s. With their magic combined, they summoned forth the power of the great fire and from its flames were birthed stars. As the plan was the male alicorn’s idea, he became the first avatar of our sun.
The stars spread forth across the universe, providing light everywhere. Angered by this show of power and light, Apophis went for the nearest one and attempted to swallow it. The ball of boiling flames, however, was surprisingly much too hot for him and scalded his forked tongue black as that star in particular was enhanced to be even greater than its brothers by the goddess herself. With Apophis occupied, the male alicorn strengthen the might of the star with his magic and caused it to grow bigger. The fire melted past Apophis’ scales and in a twist of irony, swallowed him in its fire. The male alicorn knew the sun wouldn’t be enough to contain the snake forever, though. Apophis would sooner or later break through its flames and come back more ferocious than before. Somebody needed to watch over the sun, to control it, to make sure Apophis never breaks free.
With one more flash of his magic, the male alicorn entered the first fire, allowing the flames to burn away his essence. The fire took his tribute and with his soul, the fire sent it skyward, wrapping his might around the sun and making the first Sun Seal. But that was not all, for somebody still needed to control the sun. The sun needed an heir, a master. The female alicorn could not uphold the responsibilities as she was weak from the war and had her hooves full with controlling the moon, which controlled the great seas and the future of the universe. The first goddess could not take the responsibilities either, for she was also weak from the war. However there was one such being that could inherit the sun, for you see, the female and male alicorn had two children. Their son’s name was Solaris, and to carry on the legacy of his father he agreed to become the next sun avatar. Upon doing so, he became the Heir of the Sun, one who shall inherit the burdens and responsibilities of controlling our star. For the next thousand years, the minions and children of Apophis disappeared slowly and soon, peace seemed to have come at last.
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“Well, almost anyway,” Celestia said with a giggle. “Some of his children were still around and causing trouble, but they were dealt with long before my time.”
“I see,” Twilight laughed along, although not so much as she would like. “So this Apophis and the sun he is sealed in. Where is it?”
Celestia sighed heavily. “Well Twilight... there’s no easy way to say this. The sun Apophis is jailed in is actually the one that hangs over our head each and every day.”
Twilight’s eyes widened and she shouted, “What?! Our sun?!”
“Yes Twilight. The very thing that provides our planet light.”
Twilight’s head felt scrambled. She looked at the sun and tried to see if there was anything different about it. It didn’t seem like it. It looked just the same as she had seen it on the day of her birth, as well as every single day after that. There couldn’t be a snake inside the thing that provided warmth and light to their world, a snake bent on returning everything to darkness, right? But then again, Celestia would never lie to her, would she?
“There... it’s all very hard to believe, princess. I mean, an evil god inside the sun that wants to kill us all? Seems a little farfetched.” Twilight nervously laughed. Celestia only stared at her. “There... really is an evil god in there, is there?”
Celestia nodded. “That’s right.”
Twilight softly smiled again. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about him getting out right? I mean, that Sun Seal isn’t going to break anytime soon. It sounds very powerful from what you told me.” Celestia didn’t answer. Twilight’s smile went away slowly. “Princess?”
“... Twilight, I’m so very sorry to tell you this.”
“W– why? It was a nice story,” Twilight said, trying to smile again. An empty feeling was starting to form in her chest.
“Twilight, the Sun Seal isn’t all-powerful or eternal. Every day the Seal gets weaker and weaker as Apophis bangs away at its wall of flames. It will not last forever unless... ”
“Princess Celestia?” The white alicorn looked away from the flames and towards Twilight. “Whatever happened to Solaris?”
“... The children of the first two alicorns, Solaris and the Lifemaker, they had children as well together. However instead of having a son, they had two daughters. Regardless of the fact, Solaris and the Lifemaker were very happy with their family. That happiness didn’t last, however.”
Twilight rubbed at her chest. She could feel her lungs getting more tense. “What do you mean?”
“Solaris, he could feel the Sun Seal getting weaker every day he retained control of it. Apophis would torment him in his sleep as he was a part of the sun and thus, a connection would be formed between the God of Evil and the Heir of the Sun. Controlling the sun exerts a lot of energy from the Heir, and Apophis wasn’t making it easier for Solaris. Eventually if left to be, Apophis would break through the Seal and later, the sun itself.”
The silence was heavy after Celestia finished that last sentence. Everything felt dazed for Twilight, although she tried to ignore the feeling. “So what did he do?”
Celestia could no longer meet Twilight’s eyes. “He... he didn’t have a choice. Not even the cries of his daughter would stop him. He was very devoted to his people, and would do anything to protect them.”
“Princess? You’re crying.”
Celestia choked a little between her words. “Solaris... knowing there was no other choice, he performed a ritual that hadn’t been done for at least thousands of years. One that would ultimately cost him his life. Sacrificing his essence to the first flame, he rose up to the heavens above and strengthened the Seal like his father did before him. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was one that would buy the universe a lot of time. He did it for the greater good.” She took a deep breath and calmed down. Celestia could feel her tears being wiped away as Twilight held up a soft cotton cloth to them with her magic. “But of course with him gone... somebody had to take his place as the Heir of the Sun.”
Twilight’s magic failed her, dropping the napkin to the floor. “You mean... ”
Celestia sniffed and swelled her chest with air, as well as a little bit of pride. “That’s right. I’ve taken the responsibilities of my father and became the next Heir.”
“That’s... wow,” Twilight said, her breath shaky. All her respect for Celestia felt even stronger. “That’s amazing, Princess Celestia.”
Celestia dropped her head. “It is, but... actually I’m sorry again, Twilight. I haven’t told you the full truth.”
“W– what do you mean?” Celestia didn’t say anything. The empty feeling in Twilight’s heart grew larger. “Celestia... when was it you inherit the sun?”
“... I couldn’t bear the idea of my father going. In defiance, I said to him that I didn’t want to become the next Heir, hoping he would stay. I didn’t care about what would happen if Apophis escaped from his prison. I wanted father to stay with me as long as possible. But he couldn’t. Seeing he had no choice, he passed on the title to the unicorn race, hoping they would be able to upheld the burden together.
“They did, but it caused a divide among the pony race, splitting them into the Three Pony Tribes as you know them from history. The unicorns grew prideful and arrogant of their newfound power, being able to control the sun. The earth ponies didn’t much care for it, and the pegasi didn’t like this and tried to show their own might through military strength and weather control, something the unicorns couldn’t truly grasp. They were able to control the sun, but only because the title of being Heirs of the Sun gave them that power. Names are a powerful form of magic, Twilight. One that I had hoped to teach you one day.
“Either way, this divide caused quite a bit of chaos and eventually drew the attention of the windigoes and eventually, Discord himself. They drove them away from the original land of the ponies and managed to pull together thanks to the wisdom of Clover, Smart Cookie, and Pansy. But the recombined strengths of the Three Pony Tribes wasn’t enough face against the windigoes and Discord. I’ve... ran away the before, but I wasn’t about to let the ponies fall to the chaos of the spirits. Luna and I returned to the ponies before it was too late, and we’ve managed to defeat the windigoes and Discord, but only barely.
“The War of Chaos and Harmony was a brutal one, Twilight. It took a lot of energy out of Princess Platinum and her Heirs of the Sun as the chaos of the war somehow made Apophis stronger. Platinum told me how she was having increasing nightmares every night during the war, and that a terrifying great snake would cause her agony and swallow her each time. Luna tried her best to alleviate her troubles, but it wasn’t enough. Apophis almost drove Platinum mad. When she was just on the edge, she begged me what she should do to make him go away.
“Unicorns... weren’t meant to inherit the sun in the first place. They were capable, but Apophis was a powerful force to be reckoned with. Platinum and her Heirs of the Sun had strong spirits, but they could not live forever. When I told her of my true identity and my relationship to my father, she understood what needed to be done, and I was ready. She ascended up to the heavens to strengthen the Seal while leaving me down on the earth, making me the next Heir of the Sun.”
Celestia looked directly back to Twilight’s eyes. “It has been more than a thousand years and my time is running out. I haven’t been able to find a potential suitor who could help me sire a child of my own. Another alicorn couldn’t be born... but a Bearer of the Element of Magic? One who has the potential to ascend to alicornhood due to being the most powerful magic user ever born? It... was a gamble. I’m sorry Twilight, I truly am, but you would have to be the next one who would inherit the sun.”