...Or Is There?
It was early in the afternoon as most ponies went about their daily business in the bustling city of Canterlot. Others merely basked in the sunlight, the ultimate display of their rulers’ mastery over the world. For thousands of years now, the Sun and the Moon only rose because the princesses willed so. Across Equestria, even in the most remote towns, anypony could just look up and know they too are part of something greater, guided by benevolent and nigh omnipotent leaders.
Though, at the moment, instead of guiding the celestial bodies or watching over the nations’ many problems, one of these powerful creatures was preoccupied with something much more mundane. Deep in the palace gardens, hidden from the uncountable amount of decisions and issues of the world that would undoubtedly assault her once more when she left, Princess Celestia was making tea. Boiling water was an easy spell, even for lesser unicorns, so by all means the princess could have finished the whole procedure with less than a flick of her horn. Yet, here she was, carefully measuring the ingredients and slowly raising the temperature, until the water was just hot enough for the flavors to manifest in a way that hit the spot perfectly.
Suddenly Celestia’s ears perked up, as she heard the clopping of hooves behind her. Without saying a word or even turning around, she continued to pay attention to the small kettle in front of her. The trotting slowed down and eventually came to an awkward halt. For a moment neither of them said anything.
“Princess,” said Twilight, finally breaking the silence. “I came as soon as I could. Is there a problem? Do I need to do something for you?”
The tiny kettle whistled cheerfully, which signalled to the princess that it was about time to pour the water. Using her magic, she gracefully placed two cups in front of her and filled them almost to the brim with black tea. The brew’s scent was faint, yet quite pleasant. With a small and satisfied nod, Celestia finally turned around to greet her student.
“It is very nice to see you, Twilight. Please be at ease. I just want to spend some time with my most faithful former student,” she said with a smile and levitated a cup to Twilight, who took it into her own magic.
The princess grabbed two pillows and set them on the ground. She beckoned Twilight before sitting on one.
The two mares sat next to each other in silence. The princess stirred her tea idly, while Twilight watched the beautiful garden in front of them. Her mentor had always paid special attention to this corner of the castle and it really showed. Flowers from all around the kingdom bloomed around them, showcasing the many colors and varieties Equestria was blessed with. A few finely groomed trees and carefully mowed trails of lawn broke up their massive patches, which gave the garden an appearance that both felt natural and befit a princess. As Twilight was about to ask her why she wanted to meet alone, Celestia suddenly sipped her tea, which, to Twilight’s horror, was still almost boiling hot.
“Princess!” she gasped. “Are you alright?”
“Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” she asked innocently, through her sly smirk implied she very much understood.
“The tea... did it not burn you?” The lavender alicorn’s voice was brimming with worry and confusion.
To her surprise, Celestia began laughing. It was a gentle, yet playful laugh, which quickly died down.
“Ah, forgive me,” she said apologetically. “I just really wanted to pull this trick on somepony once.”
Twilight’s expression quickly changed between several emotions. Relief, an annoyed frown and then finally wonder.
“Was it an illusion? Do you know a spell that can teleport liquids without the usual flash of light?” Twilight furrowed her brows in thought, then her eyes shone up again. “Did you invent a new spell to make yourself fireproof? Imagine if we could teach that to fireponies!” She could barely contain her excitement at the possibility of learning a new spell.
The white alicorn just laughed again, but this time she didn’t sound nearly as joyful as before.
“Oh, Twilight. This is why I’ve chosen you as my student and this is why Luna and I decided to make you a princess. Even now, you’re not mad at me, despite the fact that my joke came at your expense. Instead it only made you motivated to learn for the benefit of your future subjects.” She looked away. “Sadly, however, my answer is both much simpler and much more complicated than what you’re expecting. It is also the real reason why I called you here today. I didn’t cast any spells. Insignificant temperatures like this merely have no effect on me.”
“I... don’t understand. Do you mean us, Alicorns, cannot get burned?” Twilight asked and tentatively sipped her own tea. The hot liquid promptly singed the top of her tongue, causing her to yelp and quickly yank the cup away from her mouth. “Evidently not,” she croaked with a frown.
“No. This is something that goes beyond mere alicornhood.” Celestia shook her head. “What do you think about ants?”
“Ants?” The question’s suddenness took Twilight by surprise. “Umm, I’m not sure. I’m not really a big fan of insects.”
“Let me be a bit more precise. How do you feel if you accidentally step on one?”
“Bad, of course. Even if it is such a tiny creature, it didn’t deserve having its life taken away.”
“But do you really grieve for it? Or do you merely just feel bad?”
“Well, I get over it pretty quickly, of course. It is just an ant after all.”
Celestia sipped from her cup again and twirled the liquid inside her mouth for a few seconds before she continued. She spoke matter-of-factly, without the slightest hint of humor in her voice.
“That is how I used to feel about ponies.”
“What?” Twilight couldn’t believe her ears. How could her mentor, who’s beloved by tens of thousands say such a thing. Before she could ask her to clarify though, Celestia spoke again.
“Luna and I weren’t always like you see us now. Have you never really considered it odd, how we have so many celebrations, yet not a single one about the founding of the diarchy? Hearth’s Warming Eve celebrates the foundation of Equestria, yes. The Summer Sun Celebration honors us as the masters of Sun and the Moon. Yet you never-ever hear about how and when Equestria came to be ruled by us, do you?”
Twilight squinted her eyes as she recounted every single historical book she read. She could recall numerous legends about the deeds of the princesses and even more valiant battles and negotiations that ensued the survival of the nation, yet it was as Celestia said. She couldn’t remember a single mention of the kingdom’s roots. Seeing the realization dawn on her face, the princess continued.
“After we came into existence, my sister and I travelled all over the world in search for meaning and, admittedly, fun. We fought creatures your mind couldn’t even comprehend and saw the founding and death of many civilizations, but nothing could really satisfy us. Eventually we grew bored of our travels and that’s when we stumbled upon the ponies. They were a trifling nation. Poor, ill and so insignificant that the question was less about if they would fall and more about simply when. Seeing their pathetic way of life, Luna and I came up with a new game to play. It started as a joke, really. We decided to become queens of this anthill and we would stop at nothing to raise it to heights they could never even dream of.”
Twilight recoiled from the unexpected words out of the princess’ mouth. Still, she had to make sure this wasn’t merely a misunderstanding. Deep down, she hoped it was.
“So you helped them?” she asked. Her voice was flat.
Celestia closed her eyes and sighed.
Twilight suddenly noticed that the air suddenly became far warmer than before and as she looked at Celestia, her mentor’s body began to shine brighter and brighter. Twilight had to put a hoof in front of her eyes, just to be able to tolerate the brightness. Then, as quickly as it came, the blinding light died down and Twilight slowly lowered her hoof. Sitting beside her wasn’t the same alicorn anymore.
Her mane and tail - those gentle, ethereal rivers of pastel colors - were now trails of fire, which aggressively lashed towards the skies. Her simple, golden regalia was replaced with the finely crafted armor of a conqueror. Her eyes, which were like two deep, calm, pink ponds, became miniature suns, burning with a piercing, orange flame. Her pillow ignited below her and the grass around her withered and died from the sweltering heat.
“No,” she said calmly. “We subjugated them,”
Twilight dropped her cup, which broke to pieces with a loud crack, and jumped up. She ignited her horn and raised it against the creature who now sat in front of her.
“Who are you? What did you do to my teacher?” she yelled.
“Twilight,” the flaming equine said quietly. “I am your teacher.”
Twilight took a step backwards, still training her horn on her. She did not fire.
“But... I don’t understand. You cannot be the princes, she would never say such things! Why did you become like this?” Twilight almost chocked on her words as tears streamed from her eyes. The nightmarish alicorn turned to face her fully and flashed a toothy grin at her.
“Become? You are mistaken. I am merely showing you my true form.” The being laughed with a voice that emanated malice and great power. “Are you perhaps scared of my appearance? Or maybe the fact that your perfect princess isn’t so perfect after all?”
Twilight’s mind blanked out. She was looking for words she couldn’t find. She felt like the mare’s orange eyes bore deeply into her soul.
“Who are you?” was all she finally managed to utter.
“Why I am your dear Princess Celestia, of course!” replied the other with mocking innocence. “But before I took on that name, I was known as Queen Daybreaker. Nightmare Moon and I ruled over the ponies for centuries with an iron hoof. Through our efforts and their sacrifice, we raised Canterlot, expanded our territories and elevated them from the mud. We put Equestria on the map.” Her voice brimmed with pride. “Many died of course, but even more of our enemies. The surrounding nations learned well just what it meant to face the unmatched power of the Sun.” She said with a smug grin. “Especially those nosy Changelings! Too bad a few of them survived in that damp pit of theirs.” She laughed again. “You should’ve seen what the Badlands originally looked like. What a beautiful oasis... but nothing a few thousand degrees can’t handle.”
“You’re a monster,” Twilight whispered.
“I will have you correct that,” the queen said with a scoff, though her voice lost most of its edge. “I was a monster. What I’m showing you right now is myself at my worst.”
She held a hoof out and pointed around herself in a sweeping motion. “You may have noticed that things are quite different nowadays.” She then continued in a less boisterous voice.
“Eventually we couldn’t help ourselves, but see our little ponies as more than playthings. I guess this is where that ant analogy breaks down.” She chuckled a little. “Unlike an insect, ponies were capable of melting even our hearts eventually. Not only did they toil valiantly even though we knew no mercy, they also constantly surprised us with their kind spirits and hope, even in the face of our absolute terror. It happened far later than I’m happy to admit, but we finally began to understand and appreciate just how much they were capable of, if only they weren’t squashed under our hooves.” She sighed and looked at one of her armor-plated hooves.
“Once we were certain that Equestria would last, we began the slow process of reforming everything.” As Daybreaker spoke, her voice slowly became softer and softer and her flames started to burn in different colors. “We threw away our original forms and adopted ones that the ponies wouldn’t be afraid of anymore.” The fire turned into strands of mane, which hung in the air, then slowly began their ethereal flow. “We abolished the many cruel laws we ourselves put in place.” The intensity of her eyes faded and patches of pink mixed into the orange. “And, once everything else was set into motion, we finally relied on the one thing we always had a limitless supply of: Time.” The princess once again looked like she always has. “I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying. It heals all wounds.”
She ignited her horn and the grass around her sprang back into life. The pillow too, which by this point was nothing more than a pile of ash, suddenly morphed back to its original form. If anypony arrived now and looked at the princess, they could easily have believed that nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Twilight, however, could hardly stand straight. She felt like she had been hit by a train.
“Is what you’re saying really true, Princess?” Twilight asked in disbelief.
“I’m afraid it is.” Her mentor stared at the ground.
“Why did you tell me all this?” Twilight’s voice rose quickly from a whisper into a scream. “Why couldn’t I have lived on without this knowledge?”
“As a lesson and as a warning,” Celestia replied quietly as she forced herself to look at her former student. “Eventually you will inherit much of our power and all our responsibilities. Perhaps not tomorrow, nor in the next few years, but it will happen.
“Until then we might be able to help you learn the ropes, and your friends will surely be there to guide your heart for a while; but for one reason or another, eventually there will come a time, when you will stand alone.” She paused for a moment and looked deeply into her pupil’s eyes. They still glistened from tears. “And when that moment comes, you will need to find your own balance in leading this kingdom. Ruling is not unlike the Sun itself: If you encroach on the ponies’ life, they will suffer from your power. But, if you become too distant, they will inevitably lose their direction in the dark.
“Even with all the policies and lawmaking, you will be the absolute ruler of this kingdom. If you truly want something, not a single soul in Equestria, no, the whole world, will be able to say no to you. They won’t stand a chance. If you aren’t careful and your self-control slips, you might begin appreciating how we used to do things back then. After all, it was all so simple: no politics, no silly nobles, who scheme for their own benefit or act with incompetence. When we ordered something, it happened. Because if it didn’t, someone would have swiftly lost their head.
“Such control and certainty is intoxicating. Especially if you can justify it by claiming you’re doing it for the greater good. Yet, if you ever step on this path, you will become what we used to be. A queen, perhaps, but one that merely rules over an anthill.”
“But then why would you even give me all this power?”
“Multiple reasons, but the main one is because we are tired. Remember, to us this all started as nothing more than a game. We raised quite a nice kingdom, I admit, but we were never meant to be chained down for so long. We atoned for our sins by leading ponykind into prosperity for thousands of years, but now Luna and I both long for our freedom once more.”
Twilight took a deep breath and sat down again. She wiped her tears away. Even though the Sun still shone as warmly as ever, she shuddered.
Moments passed. Eventually Twilight spoke up.
“Princess?”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“Do you regret what you did back then?”
Celestia didn’t reply immediately. After taking a deep breath and shrugging a little, she replied.
“Every single day. I could say we merely acted out of our nature or that we did not know better, but that is no excuse.” She hung her head and looked away. “We were monsters, just like you said.”
She chuckled bitterly.
“Even just pretending to be my old self again made me feel great pain. Still, I’m more than happy to bear such discomfort for a moment, if it helps you understand the full weight of my words.”
Hearing this eased Twilight’s aching heart a little, but one single question still remained.
“What will happen if I become a monster?”
To her surprise, the princess smiled at her. It was a gentle and warm smile, without the slightest hint of worry.
“This is the second reason we are confident in giving you our power. Anypony can get corrupted if they have too much, but you have proven again and again that you only want to use it for the benefit of others. Sure, your journey wasn’t without its own obstacles and setbacks, but you have persevered and now you’re here. After all, you and your friends were even able to snap my sister out of her attempts at returning to the old ways.” Celestia intended this as half-joke, but Twilight didn’t smile.
“Are you two going to become mortals once I have become the ruler?”
Celestia laughed.
“You do not have to worry about that. You merely inherit a piece of our full potential. When the time comes, we will return to our old ways of travel, but we will neither perish, nor forget about you.”
Hearing these words, Twilight broke down again.
“Princess, I’m terrified,” she sobbed, her words hardly comprehensible through her ragged breaths. “I don’t want you to leave! I’m not ready yet!”
To Twilight’s surprise she felt a wing drape over her as Celestia pulled her closer to herself. The princess’ body was warm, but nowhere near as hot as before. Twilight slowly stopped shuddering and leaned into the comforting warmness.
“Oh, Twilight, how could we leave you right now?” she said softly. “Such matters will not even be discussed again, not until you are fully prepared. And even when we eventually have to leave, it will not be a goodbye forever.” The princess’ sly smile returned. “We will return to visit and compare notes from time to time.”
Twilight couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. Though her tears have stopped flowing, her mind was still racing from the revelations she was given. Her entire world flipped upside-down today, yet the birds were still chirping and the flowers were still blooming. She knew that even if it was going to take her a long while to properly process all this, time would heal these wounds too. And in time, she would be ready not to repeat her mentor’s mistakes.
“Now then,” the princess spoke again. “How about we have a proper cup of tea?”
It continued to be a warm day, but to ponies all over the kingdom, the Sun seemed just a bit more pleasant than usual.