Friendship is powered by Harmony, but a Hero is powered by Spirit
Before Nightmare Moon returned, before even twilight became Celestia’s prodigy, the princess was visited during a night of harsh sobbing at the memories of her banished sister. It was a young colt that came into her chambers and gave her comfort that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
This colt would become something much more afterwards. He’d become Celestia’s new adopted son, Twilight’s first childhood friend, the migraine of many snarky nobles and high class citizens, a famous explorer of the unknown, a warrior and protector for the innocent and defenseless.
But most of all...he would become the Unbreakable will of Equestria that will never yield to evil and the corrupted.
Canterlot, the capital of Equestria. The land of ponies and the three different races Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth ponies. But not just home to the elites of society, but home to also their royalties. Said example is the beloved ruler Princess Celestia, a pony with traits of all three races into one type, an Alicorn. The Princess of the Sun has ruled her kingdom for over a Almost a thousand years after the defeat of her sister Princess Luna after her transformation into her corrupted form, Nightmare Moon.
But right now we go to the late night of the Canterlot castle, the home of Celestia, after the longest day of the year. The Summer Sun Celebration, the yearly event of Nightmare Moon’s Banishment to the moon. But while the ponies all celebrated this day joyously after Celestia’s rising of the sun, The was one that always felt nothing but despair and loneliness at this day, the very Princess that they praise and cheer for everything.
After some rapid movement, the view now changes into the deeper hallways of the royal castle, where in-front of a large pair of wooden doors with the symbol of the sun marked onto them, is where one can hear the whimpering and sobs of a single pony.
“Luna...I’m sorry...I’m so sorry sister, come back please...” the regal voice of Celestia cried out inside her personal chambers in anguish and sadness. Her larger then the average pony body laid on her massive circular bed with the soften blankets and cushions made where her large wings spread out covering the rest of the furniture her body didn’t already cover.
As she cried with flows of tears endlessly running down her face while her eyes were closed, she didn’t see the doors to the chambers opening slightly. Her sobs muffling the sound of soft hoofsteps against the floor as they got closer to the princess. A soft gasp escaped from her sobs as a small hoof pressed a tissue into her face soaking up the tears on it while her magenta eyes opened up at the contact.
“Are you okay” a young male voice asked softly as Celestia lifted up her head before looking down at the own of the voice.
Infront of her was a young Earth Pony colt with a white fur coat with light blue fur around his hooves and muzzle, his matted and wild silver mane that looked like it never seen a comb while it reached down to the back of his neck with his tail matching the color of his mane as it hung down past his blank flank in straight but lightly matted style. What was most catching were his eyes that were not one solid color. The right eye was a bright crimson red color while the left was a soft deep sapphire blue as they looked at the princess with concern behind them as a box of tissues rested next to him.
“Y-Yes I’m...” Celestia gasped and held back a sob as she took a deep breath to calm herself infront of the young colt before looking back at him “I’m fine little one. But what are you doing here? More importantly, HOW did you get in the castle?” She asked lowering her head down to meet him at eye level.
“Oh! I climbed in from window after making a latter from some old blankets I found!” He replied with no sign of remorse of fear at being questioned of his presence “I always wanted to explore the castle! It look so big and fun to explore inside!” He exclaimed with a wag of his tail and excitement in his voice making Celestia let out a small giggle at his response.
“But...I actually came here tonight because I saw during the sun rising you looked...sad” he said looking down at the floor before back up at the princess at his last word making Celestia’s eyes widen in surprise. Nopony has ever noticed the sadness behind her smile and regal tone of voice, not even her strict and attentive secretary! But this young unknown pony figured it out in a heart beat! “I wanted to come to help cheer you up so you can give ponies real happy smiles!” His face grew a large toothy grin to the princess.
Celestia lets out a small gasp at his sincerity behind his words and smile as her own hoof pressed against her chest “oh...that is so sweet little one...” she said with a growing smile, using her wings to wipe away her tears as she gazed upon the colt “what is your name little one? I’m sure your parents are going to be worried about their little colt gone in the middle of the night”
“I dunno! All I know is my name is Hiro Tagares!” He said with a shake of his head, his smile never leaving even as he said the next words “I don’t have any parents either. I’ve been living in this nice collection of boxes I found in the alleyways”
Celestia felt her heart twist as her blood felt a little cold while her eyes went wide in horror. This young colt didn’t have parents or a home!? But he kept giving out the bright smile full of warmth despite his situation almost all other ponies would be left in despair or coldness!
“You...you don’t have a home?” She asked getting a shake of his head in response “no parents?” Another shake. A second later the young colt was suddenly lifted up in golden light before being pressed against Celestia’s right side while her right wing dropped over him in a warm feathery blanket “you’re not going out in the cold night on my watch! You’ll stay with me tonight little one!” She said with a serious look to the little pony. Like hell she was going to let a child out to sleep in some ally after just helping her!
The young colt, now known as Hiro, blinked at the sudden seriousness but gave a small shrug and yawn as he felt slumber slowly consume him as he nestled against Celestia’s bed and her wing “Okay...nice big lady, goodnight” he said in a soft tone as his eyes slowly closed.
Celestia grew a soft smile as she lowered her head to give the young Hiro a small kiss on his forehead “call me Celestia, and goodnight my little pony” she said before lowering her head down next to his while closer her eyes
“Okay, Celestia” he mumbled back while nuzzling closer to her making her smile grow larger.
“Celestia?”
“Hm?”
“Why were you crying?”
“Oh, I was remembering my little sister. She...left after we had a big fight”
“Oh...I hope she comes back soon so you can make up”
“I hope so too. Now please, sleep tight...my little Hero”
In the massive library of the Canterlot Library, one of the many tables for visitors to use to sit and read was littered with multiple stacks of different books, tomes, and scrolls were scattered all over the table as one sole occupant was reading their heart out in a exceptionally large book. The reader is a young lavender coated unicorn filly with dark purple hair with a streak of pink in both her mane and tail with her eyes matching the same purple pattern as the rest of her body. On her flank was a magenta six pointed star with smaller white stars around it almost as if the larger star itself was sparkling.
“What are you reading?” A white coated leg with a blue colored hoof pressed against her shoulder as a young male voice whispered behind her. The filly lets out a yelp as she jumped up in fright going up five feet into the air while her four legs all straighten out in different directions. A shushing sound came from the front desk of library where and old gray mane having mare was as she glared in there direction as the filly landed back in her seat.
“Sorry!” She whispered out loud enough for the librarian to hear as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. All feeling of it left a second the librarian turned back to the front as the filly glared angrily at the source of the voice behind her. Purple eyes licking onto mismatch red and blue ones as she spoke “Don’t sneak up on a pony like that! Who are you!?”
“Sorry, you just looked so focused that I had to do it” the mismatched eyes’ owner said closing them for a second as he chuckled softly, stepping back a foot as the filly sees a white coated colt her age with blue fire around his muzzle and hooves while his silver mane was wild and looked unkept in comparison to her straight kept mane while a smile was painted on his face while he looked back at the filly “I’m Hiro Tagares! What’s your name?” He asked looking at the filly with curiosity and excitement behind his eyes.
The filly calm down as he gave him more a suspicious look “I’m Twilight Sparkle” She said before puffing out her chest in a hint of pride as she continued “personal student of Princess Celestia” she looked at Hiro, expecting shock and/or surprise at the news. But she was the one with a confused look as his face never changed except with a slightly bigger smile.
“Oh yeah! Mom told me she found a new student a while ago!” He said with a nod to her while he looked her straight in the eyes “nice to meet you Twilight!”
“Wait, is your mom some super important pony to the princess? Like a personal guard?” Twilight asked with a hoof raised up in confusion. Hiro’s reply was a shake of his head as her hoof slightly shook “personal chef?” Another shake of his head was his respond as her hoof shook more “Advisor?” Head shake “p-personal secretary?” a fourth head shake “s-secret long lost twin sister from the Dragon Lands?” She asked again with a higher pitch voice.
“That would be cool but nope! My mom is Celestia!” He said with a wider smile on his face showing teeth as alarm bells rang through twilight’s ears. Her horn sparking as her eyes went wide as plates with pupils shrinking to pea size.
“WHAAT!?” She shouted with a jump out of her seat going up a couple feet, another shush came at her from the library while she landed back down before putting her hooves against his cheeks while her nose pressed against his looking him dead in his eyes “how can you be Celest-“ her voice was muffled as Hiro stuffed his hoof into her mouth.
“Easy, I’m not supposed to tell other ponies yet” he whispered looking at the library who glared at the two for a second longer then he liked until she reluctantly returned to her duties. Looking back at the filly infront of him their eyes locked once again “okay, I’m gonna pull away my hoof. Then we’re gonna go to a more quite place to talk. Okay?” He asked her as she gave a slow nod in return “Okay. Let’s go” he said before pulling away his hoof. Wrapping a leg around his the two dashed off in a blur of purple, silver, and white.
“Children these days” the librarian said with a click of her tongue and shake of her head
*Hiro’s Room*
“HOW!?” Twilight finally shouted out as the two sat in the large bedroom of Hiro, the walls covered in posters and different toys covering the floor, the most noticeable being a wooden sword leaning against his bed. The unicorn filly sitting infront of Hiro as she rapidly shook his shoulders “how. how. how. How did you become Celestia’s son! When!?”
“I-I-I’ll te-e-e-ell you, ju-u-u-ust stop shaki-i-ing me-e-e-e!” Hiro exclaimed as his head shook along with his shoulders.
“Oh! Sorry” Twilight said with a sheepish grin as she lets go of him, his eyes swirling around for a moment before he shook them straight before chuckling at her.
“It’s fine, you’re fun!” Hiro said making her cheeks grow small blush as he smiled at her “but anyways, it happened a month ago...” he explained about exploring the castle after the Sun Celebration, hearing Celestia’s crying, before entering her chambers and help the princess calm down and telling her about his orphaned homeless background. Twilight nodded at first as she listen but her jaw slowly dropped while her eyes widened at his story telling “...then the next day she let me stay in the castle and we got to talk and played a lot. A week later she showed me adoption papers, then she became my mom!” He said with a bright smile to Twilight as she was speechless.
“He’s...been alone? For how long? Twilight thought to herself as she stared at the smiling colt infront of her, tears welling up in her eyes before suddenly a hoof was on her shoulder.
“Hey, why are you crying?” Hiro asked with a concern look to her.
“Why am I? Why aren’t you!?” Twilight exclaimed pushing off the hoof and points at him with her own “how can you be smiling and happy after being alone for who knows how long!?”
“Well...because I don’t really remember much about where I’m from for starters” Hiro said scratching the back of his head with his hoof “but...I never really felt the need to be sad, mostly cause that would mean I didn’t wanna be happy. If I let myself be sad then I’ll never think about fulfilling my dreams and end up just sulking in the castle. Even though there’s so much of Equestria I wanna go see when I get older! I’m gonna go become a big Adventurer and see everything this world can show me!” He exclaimed standing up right before throwing up his forelegs in the air while standing on his hind legs before smiling down at twilight “Don’t you have a dream?” He asked the unicorn filly With a smile of determination. A flash of silver shined in his eyes.
Twilight blinked at him as she feels a spark of excitement ran through her she never felt before while growing her own determined smile before standing up “that’s right, I do! I’m gonna become a super smart scholar, and learn everything I can about magic and more! I’ll become a master of magic even better than Starswirl the Bearded!” She exclaimed proudly with her hoof stuck out as her horn sparked in magic.
Hiro stand on all fours again before going over and grabs the wooden sword. Looking back at twilight with a excited look in his eyes “then come Mighty Mage Twilight! Let’s vanquish these evil foes that threatened Equestria!” He exclaimed motioning to the different toys and figures around the room.
Twilight gave him a challenging smirk as her horn starts sparking again “Of course Fearless Adventurer Hiro! Let’s get them!” She exclaimed before they laughed together, running around the room attacking the ‘evil foes’ with swings, tackles, and some levitation spells.
Outside the room Princess Celestia was smiling to herself as her ear pressed against the door to her recently adopted room “I’m so proud of you two, my dear student finding a friend outside of her studies and books. My sweet little Hiro having someone to play and spend time with” she whispered to herself before pulling away and walks down the hallway “Perhaps I can make those little ones something to eat? I’m sure the chefs won’t mind breakfast for dinner!”
It was a bright and shining morning in the Canterlot castle. More than normal as Celestia was happily humming in the dining room with her dear sister Princess Luna enjoying a small lunch and tea. A month ago during the summer sun celebration she sent twilight to oversee, her faithful student not only met five ponies that would be her close friends but also would become the Bearers of the ancient artifacts she used long ago to banish Nightmare Moon, the Elements Of Harmony. With the magic of the Elements, Luna was freed from the darkness of Nightmare moon and reunited with Celestia who welcomed her sister back with tears in her eyes and a large hug.
“Luna, I know I’ve said this possible a lot this past month but...I’m so happy to have you home again” Celestia said stopping her humming as she floated a teapot over to Luna’s cup to refill it.
“It is quite fine dear sister, as we have said before we art thrilled to be back here with thou” Luna replied with a nod and smile to her sister. Her natural dark blue coat and ethereal purple starry night mane finally recovered within the time in the castle. Her eyes moved to see a silver mist of magic floating into the room from the window before gathering together infront of Celestia, transforming into a rolled up scroll “A mystic fire message? It didn’t seem like one from thy pupil’s dragon”
Celestia used her magic to levitate the scroll while unrolling it, Reading the contents for a moment and smiled bright at this “oh this isn’t from Spike, it’s from my son! He’s returning from his journey outside Equestria!”
“Ah, your child. It makes sense for thy son to use mystical messaging” Luna replied with a nod before closing her eyes while sipping her tea. A second later the sound of glass breaking can be heard while Luna’s eyes snap open before spitting her tea out to the side at a unfortunate guard standing by the wall “THY WHAT!?” She yelled out making the room shake from the volume of her voice.
Celestia hummed as she and Luna walked through the galant halls of the castle while multiple servants were heading towards the ballroom by the Princess of the Sun’s orders to prepare it for her son’s return. “Thou truly have a child sister!?” Luna exclaimed in wide eye shock as they walked side by side “but thy never mentioned him, a-and who is thy suitor that managed to bed with you after a thousand years!?”
“Luna, I never met any stallion or got married.” Celestia said with a smile to her sister as they walked into the ballroom with the guards opening the doors for them. Tables were set around as plates were carefully placed onto them while they took seats at nearby ones as she continued “I met Hiro when he was a young colt who snuck into the castle to explore it. He found me during a...unpleasant episode of sadness after the Summer Sun Celebration and he managed to lift my spirits by just being there and talking to me. Even after talking about with a smile how he was a orphan living in the streets with nothing to him but his name not even memories of his family or home”
Her words at the end caused Luna to gasp with her hoof in a silver shoe raised up to her mouth “he spoke of such sincerity despite his own misfortune and dreadful circumstance?”
“I don’t even think he wasn’t even aware how bad it was. He just kept smiling and soon later told me about one lesson he always seemed to have memorized before I met him” Celestia replied before pushing her hoof clad in a golden shoe against her chest “No matter what challenges you face in life, or what ever goals you wish to obtain. Always put your heart and soul into it and you shall never feel sadness. ” she finished before looking at Luna with a smile “I always liked that saying, and it’s helped me a lot since then to give the courage to keep onward”
“Such mighty words from a pony so young” Luna said with a small smile to her sister before frowning and looks down at her hooves “does...does he know about us?”
“Yes he does Luna. I told him about you after the adoption”
“But! But what if thy son despises us, or is disgusted of us!?” Luna said looking at Celestia with a look of worry and concern. The hoof of her sister was placed gently against her cheek.
“Lulu, I can say for complete certain that Hiro will ecstatic and happy to see his Aunt Luna back home” she said softly with a warm smile to her sister making the smaller alicorn grow a small smile in return.
The moment was promptly ruined as the two turned to see the head Chef a unicorn rush out from the kitchen with his large chef hat on while holding up a rolling pin in a dark yellow aura around the item "where is that little thief?" He said looking around angrily.
"Chef? What's going on?" Celestia asked looking over in confusion at the pony who looked back at her in slight surprised before bowing to the princess.
"Princess! I'm terribly sorry but while we were finishing up the meals, some pony snuck in and snagged off with one of the plates!" He exclaimed before they all went silent upon hearing the sounds of munching.
Turning their heads they see a stallion with a white coat with blue around his hooves and muzzle with a wild silver mane that naturally moved on its own moving like flames instead of the ethereal like the princesses munching away to a stack of waffles and berries, a large silver halted doubled edge sword the length of his pony body while as wide as his forelegs with light blue and white metal sheathed looking like a second layer to the blade stuck to his side with a leather strap around his chest, his left shoulder and foreleg entirely covered by silver and gray armor while a few noticeable scars are seen on his body, one on his right hind leg and three on his left side almost like claw marks with another faded cut under his right eye. On his flank was a cutie make of a long sword surrounded by a bright blue flame.
"There he is! That's-"
"Hiro!" Celestia interrupted the chef as she trotted over to the stallion with her smile growing bigger at the sight of the stallion.
Hiro blinked has his left blue and right red eyes looked over at the princesses coming towards him "oh, hey Ma!" He said with a large smile and wave with his cheeks stuffed with food.
“I’m so glad to see you home” Celestia said as she wrapped her long front legs and large wings around Hiro who happily returned the gesture with his unarmored leg “what took you so long? You should’ve been back two months ago, not three!”
“Sorry, But I got side tracked over in the Dragon Lands when I found a hidden labyrinth inside this huge ravine!” Hiro said with a chuckle as they released each other before scratching the back of his head with his hoof “then I found this Griffon bandit camp on my way back and had to take care of those guys. Then there was this necromancer with them who-“ he was cut off when Celestia covered his mouth with a hoof as she giggled.
“You can tell me all about it more after we ALL enjoy the food the chefs made” she said before looking over her shoulder as Luna carefully walked over to the pair “besides, there’s somepony I really want you to meet”
Hiro tilted his head curiously before looking over at the Moon Princess as she stood next to her sister “greetings Nephew, we are princess of the moon, thy mother’s younger sister, Luna and-“ she started before helping when Hiro was suddenly infront of her and wrapping both forelegs around her slightly larger body and squeezed.
“It really is you! I heard during my way back home that you came back! I always loved the stories Ma told me about you!” He exclaimed with a big smile as he looked at the shocked princess infront of her “I always wanted to meet you! Welcome home Aunt Luna!”
Luna fell silent for a moment at his actions and words. He had no signs of wariness or fear, only happiness and joy while his mismatched eyes looked back into her lighter shaded blue eyes.
She grew her own smile as she wrapped her legs around Hiro in a shared embrace while her head rested on his right shoulder “Yes, We too are happy to be home. Thank you dear nephew” she said softly as her embrace got a bit tighter as she spoke.
Celestia’s smile grew bigger as a small well of tears grew in her eyes at the welcoming embrace her son gave to her sister “We all really are sister. Welcome home Hiro” she said before joining in the hug as her wings wrapped around her two precious family members.