The RCC Volume One: The Fall of Harmony

~Every journey must start somewhere. Whether at the end of another or out of sheer ambition and the determination to find and discover something new. Even sitting back to read a book can be a great adventure in and of its own right. The question is: are you ready to begin yours?~

If Celestia’s sun was inspiring in its majesty, Luna’s night was soothing in its tranquility. It made for the perfect time for one to hole up in a nice, quiet room by candle light and hunker down with a thick tome brimming to bursting with the epiphanies and knowledge of those who’d come and long since passed before.

Twilight settled into her chambers on just such an evening, carrying with her the intent to finally finish reading the study of time travel theorem that Star Swirl himself had written ages past. Since her coronation, the newly crowned Princess of Equestria had found herself with less and less time for her favorite hobby; a much disconcerting prospect.

Her life had become a daily routine of: wake up. Brush and style her mane for proper form. Don her regalia. Attend the morning meal to sit with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna before Celestia took charge of the day and Luna bedded down. Listen to the happenings of the Lunar Courts to gain insight into what some of the noble households were proposing to the Lunar Princess.

After that, she would attend classes for precisely four hours and thirty minutes in preparation for her coming royal duties before attending the Solar Court with Princess Celestia...once again to prepare her for that as well. She most likely would not hold a court of her own...but would be expected to sit in for either Princess should the need arise.

Once the Solar Court was ended for the day, she would attend dinner as Celestia would inform Luna of the daily activities and proposals of the visiting nobles and dignitaries whom preferred to sit in with the Princess of the Sun.

Then...and only then...could Twilight retire to her chambers to pursue her own personal activities.

Twilight removed her crown and collar, setting them on their respective pillows atop a vanity before shaking out her mane lightly. Her horn lit as its magical aura extended to a brush, running the toothed tool through her multicolored locks smoothly. One hundred precise, relaxing strokes to her mane and tail later, the brush was back down on the vanity stand within a millimeter of where it had come from, and Twilight was on her way to her favorite throw pillow; a heavy leather bound tome in tow behind her in her magical grip.

Nestling down into the pillow, the alicorn princess sparked her horn once more and rifled through the pages to where her bookmark lay buried, deep into the ancient and mystical text.

“Your Highness!” A loud rapport echoed through her room from the door as it was knocked upon.

Twilight jumped with such a start that she nearly tore one of the pages from the book before releasing her magic’s hold upon it. Mane and tail once again in shambles, having frizzed out in her surprise, Twilight stood with a quiet groan and moved slowly to her chamber doors.

Opening the door quickly, she had to duck an incoming hoof as the Night Guard on the other side of the door made to knock again.

Eyes wide at his mistake, the guard took a few paces back and quickly dipped into a respectful bow. Had he gone any further in his embarrassment...Twilight might’ve guess he’d been trying to dig a hole in the stone floor with his snout.

“Yes? What can I do for you...uh…” She fumbled about for the stallion’s name. Even though he’d been assigned to her as one of two evening guardians since her coronation, Twilight still had a minutely hard time remembering his or his companion’s name.

“Opteris, Milady.” He spoke quickly.

“Right. Opteris. Sorry.” She rubbed her head abashedly.

Opteris remained nose to the floor, only daring to look up at her quickly for a moment.

“Oh! Of course! You may stand and present yourself.”

Even though she couldn’t stand the thought of other ponies bowing to her, Twilight struggled to get used to having to excuse others for doing so. It was, as she thought, yet another one of the more distasteful parts of her new title.

“Yes my Princess.” He rose and snapped to a sharp salute. “Please do pardon the disturbance, but Her Majesty Princess Celestia respectfully requests your presence in her private study, as soon as you are able to attend, Milady.” The bat-winged pony paused momentarily; as if he wanted to say more.

“Is there something else?” Twilight asked. She watched the guard fold his ears back, trying to suppress what appeared to be an abashed smile growing on his face.

“She does however insist that you needn’t rush, and that you not worry yourself over any possible mistakes or derelictions in your actions, duties or studies throughout the day.” Opteris added the last sentence with only the barest detectable hint of amusement as he watched Twilight’s face sink into disbelief.

“She actually said that last part? Word for word?”

The Lunar Guard could only nod. To his credit, he managed to not crack a smile at Twilight’s look of bemused incredulity.

The young alicorn sighed.

“Well...at least she’s in good humor it seems.”

“Quite, Milady.”

Twilight put a hoof to her head before regaining her composure. She turned on the spot and levitated her regalia to her once more before extinguishing the candles in her room.

“Very well. Shall we go then?” She only asked out of politeness...knowing full well the guard would not let her wander anywhere alone. She might be a powerful alicorn now...but there had been those who were against the new addition to the already strained Royal Diarchy. Some who might be more inclined to use...unpleasant methods to show their distaste.

The guard snapped to and spun around quickly, taking point down the corridors of the palace.

Twilight cantered at an even pace behind Opteris, quietly pondering the meaning of the summons when another thought quickly struck her.

“Opteris...where is your other half?” She asked, knowing that the guards always worked in pairs.

“Shroud is at present...in the infirmary, Highness.” The lunar guard replied.

Twilight stopped for a moment.

“Is she alright? I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

Opteris nodded his head quickly.

“It is nothing to be concerned over. The foal simply missed her mark when attempting to land the other night after patrol duty.”

Twilight caught up again and stared down at the stallion...and then back at her own wings. They still seemed so foreign on her, as did the fact that she was being lead down a corridor of the palace by a pony who’d willingly sacrifice his own life for her if the need arose.

“I can sympathize with that.” She sighed, flexing her wings slightly.

Too many things had happened too fast. She’d concluded that the day after ascending to the crown. It seemed like one occurrence after another in rapid succession. First; the spell that had switched all of her friends Cutie Marks. Then, it had been the transformation upon the completion of her spell that had fixed all of that.

Next had been the coronation, and her first address to the citizens of Canterlot.

The ball held in her honor had come and gone without too much incident...but it had still left her head spinning.

Two months later and she seemed like she was still trying to catch her breath from the initial spell backfire that had caused it all.

Her mind was so caught up in these thoughts that she didn’t even realize they’d reached Celestia’s study. So...as one can imagine; it was much to her surprise when she went tumbling head over hooves over her escort. They both crashed to the ground with a loud clatter of armor and jewelry...a tangle of hooves, manes and metal that took a moment to untangle.

“Sorry! Sorry!” She exclaimed as she tried to extricate herself from her guardian. “That’s my fault! Are you okay?”

Opteris nodded as he slowly stood up, replacing his helm atop his head and readjusting his armor to sit snugly again.

“No damage done, Milady.”

As Twilight rose up and gathered her crown back to her head, Opteris knocked on the door to the study. Inside, a muffled chuckle was heard as though its owner had tried to hide it.

“You may enter.” Princess Celestia’s unmistakable melodic voice rang out.

Together, Twilight and Opteris pushed into the study of the ruler of all of Equestria.

“Your Majesty. Presenting Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The lunar guard bowed deeply before stepping back, allowing Twilight to enter proper.

No matter how many times one might enter the private study of the Princess of the Sun, there was always something new to discover. Floor to ceiling book shelves lined two of the enclosure's walls, towering a startling twenty two shelves above the ground. A fireplace sat behind a large ironwood desk, a mystical fire always burning brightly inside of it to keep the room at a pleasant temperature. Odds and ends sat neatly in their very own private locations throughout the room as though they belonged nowhere else in the world.

And there, with her mane blowing in a wind only she might ever possibly feel; Celestia sat behind the ironwood desk that seemed to tower with both books and paperwork. An amused grin sat daintily on her muzzle as she watched Twilight step forward past Opteris. She rose and moved around the desk to greet her former student.

“That will be all, Esteemed Guardian. You may leave us.”

Opteris snapped a sharp salute before making his exit. Once the door was closed, Celestia pulled Twilight into a hug and sat down next to her.

“Some trouble out in the corridor, Twilight?”

The younger alicorn blushed minorly, scraping at the carpeted floor with a hoof.

“Just a little lost in thought.” She replied.

Celestia gave a knowing nod before returning to the pillow behind her desk. She sat poised and elegant, graceful as the dancing morning light across the Equestrian countryside...and even though Twilight had been in her presence countless times before; she was still in awe of the refined way that the elder princess carried herself at all times.

“So…;” Twilight began as Celestia resumed what she’d been doing before they’d entered, “...you wanted to see me for something, Princess?”

“How have your studies been?” Celestia asked without so much as a glance at Twilight.

Twilight, for her part, sat down and took a deep breath.

“Well...to be honest, I’m not sure. I still feel so out of place with all of this.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “How do you get used to ponies who you once had coffee with, or maybe a friendly lunch...bowing down to you and looking for guidance?” She sighed. “It just feels so weird.”

Celestia spared an upwards glance at Twilight, a careful questioning look flashing across her gaze.

“You will adjust in time. However, you didn’t quite answer my question.”

Twilight nodded.

“I suppose they could be better. I feel like I spend more time learning about proper etiquette than I do about the things I should know. Like...what happened before and after the Discordian Era? What laws did they have back then, why were they put in place and did any survive to our time? And how did the royal line descend through the ages to what it is today? Were there always Alicorns like us...or was it just Unicorns in the early days? So many questions.”

Twilight sighed heavily. She paused for a moment to think before continuing.

“I do rather enjoy the historic economics lessons from Penny Pincher, though if you don’t mind my saying so: he’s a bit more…,” She fumbled momentarily, looking for the right word, “...desegregate with his opinions on the Treasury’s practices than I might have expected."

The Princess of the Sun raised her head at that, a quirked eyebrow covering for a smug smirk.

“Is he really?” She chuckled lightly. “No matter. What I’m more interested in is how well you’re adapting to all the new information being presented to you. It is quite a bit to take in; even for one as studious as yourself.”

Twilight shook her head dismissively.

“Not at all, Princess! There is a lot out there that I still need to learn, and a lot more that I want to learn. It’s only taking time to get used to it all. I wish there was a way for me to experience it first-hoof, you know?”

There was a brief moment of silence before a motion out of the corner of Twilight’s eye drew her attention as Princess Luna separated herself from a shaded corner of Celestia’s study. The Princess of the Night moved without sound, almost gliding across the floor.

“We are pleased to hear thou art taking well to thy studies, Twilight.” Luna gave a gentle smile in acknowledgement of the newest addition to the crown. “We had been meaning to check in sooner with thine progress...but sadly Our duties do not permit much in the way of leisure time.”

The dark princess settled down next to Twilight on a cushion of cloud that appeared seemingly just as mysteriously as Luna herself had, materializing out of thin air beneath its user.

“Do you have what I asked of you, sister?” Celestia tilted her head at Luna.

“But of course. It was a bit difficult to locate after Our absence as time had changed the landscape. But it still lay where We had left it, if not now a few lengths under the stone of a mountainside.”

While amused to find that Luna was still having a difficult time breaking away from the traditional Royal Pronouns at times, Twilight was now more focused on what it was that Celestia had asked Luna to find.

As she watched, a small piece of stone materialized from Luna’s mane of stars, drifting slowly to Celestia in the grip of Lunar magic. Once it was exchanged between magical fields, Celestia brought it close for inspection.

It appeared to be a minute fragment of a gemstone. What kind, Twilight couldn’t be sure without further inspecting it. It was a teal blue in color, however, and was finely polished to a glossy sheen. Had Spike gotten hold of it, it most likely would’ve been devoured instantly...or maybe after a few moments of ogling and childish giggling. Either way; the gemstone wouldn’t have had a prayer of escape.

“The reason I ask you, Twilight, is because I wonder if you might undertake a new method of study, to better and further your understanding of Equestria and how it has grown into the nation it is today.” Celestia spoke slowly and deliberately.

Twilight searched her mentor’s expression for any telling hints as to what the Solar Princess might have in mind, but could find little in the way of any clues.

“What kind of method? Won’t the classes be enough?” Twilight asked, only to quickly add: “Not to question your choices, Princess! I mean of course, if you think I could better benefit from a new means of study, then I wouldn’t have a second thought!”

Celestia’s muzzle broke into another soft grin just then as she once again stepped out from behind her desk to sit with her sister and Twilight.

“Weren’t you the one who was just saying that you weren’t learning the things you wish you could?” She asked teasingly.

“Well...yes. I mean that...I know I’ll learn them in time...but I thought it might be a good idea to learn them sooner rather than later...in case I need the knowledge for...oh…” Twilight sighed in exasperation. “I’m going in circles, aren’t I?”

Luna chuckled at that.

“Do not concern thyself Twilight. The fact that thou worriest about these things now is a good sign. It shows the real care of a ruler for her country and its ponies.”

Celestia nodded at that.

“Tell me Twilight. Do you know what this is?” She gently transferred the gemstone into Twilight’s magical grasp for further inspection.

As Twilight checked it over, she noted the uncannily polished sheen to the stone; one not capable through typical magics. The stone appeared to have been polished with dragon-fire, its precision flawless and craftsponyship unmatchable. Such stones were a rare find indeed, especially one this large. It was at least a quarter the length of her horn and just as thick as the base of the magical conduit.

“No...but I can definitely tell that it’s been dragon-forged.”

“Thou art correct, Twilight.” Luna spoke up, gently taking the stone from her. “This is what is known as a Memory Stone. The dragons of old required a way to pass on their histories and lineage by means that did not involve writings that others could read. During...darker times…”, she flinched at that, “...when they sought to remain undiscovered, they would imbue these stones with the entirety of their memories.”

“This particular stone however, is special.” Celestia interjected. “This one predates even myself. It goes back to times even before I can remember. As fate would have it, it happened upon our hooves one year shortly after the first defeat of Discord.”

“Since then, We have collected a number of these stones in order to preserve the memories of dragons who have come and gone. Typically, they’re all kept safe. Locked away in a vault deep inside Mount Canterhorn.” Luna smirked. “But this one required a very safe hiding place. One not so conspicuous...just supposing that somepony might go looking for it.”

Celestia stood and circled the room once, pacing in light thought as she kept her gaze on Twilight. The young alicorn sat in awe of the tale she was being told, raptly listening and absorbing every single detail she could.

“While I hate to task you with another assignment on top of your current load...it is the duty of a Princess to know her country, inside and out. To know its people and their traditions. To understand the very living core of a nation.” Celestia spoke once again with a set edge to her voice. “So it is with something of a rather immediate note that I hereby place the rest of your studies on hold for the time being.”

Twilight’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“But Princess! What about the economics classes? The etiquette class? Not that I particularly enjoy that one…” she mused momentarily. “But surely you can’t mean I just drop everything at the crack of a whip?” Twilight nearly gagged on her own words the second she realized what she’d said.

Fortunately, Princess Celestia shrugged it off without so much as batting an eye, looking towards her sister for the approval she didn’t need...but wanted none the less.

Luna merely nodded.

Celestia stood tall, wings slowly rising out to their maximum extension as she spoke.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, Adjudicator of the Day and Evening Stars, it is your royal task now to take this stone and learn to feel to the heartbeat of your nation. It calls for you to hear its pleas. To listen to its stories. To stand within its most painful memories and to guide it through them. Just as I and my sister did when we first discovered these stones.”

Luna stepped next to Celestia, a calm, serene look upon her face.

“Princess Sparkle, thy nation calls to thee. Wilt thou heed its cry for justice? To weigh its guilts and desires? Or wouldst thou leave it to flounder in its own past, doomed to be carried on by one whom wouldst not give it its due motion on the stand?”

Twilight stood, highly confused by everything that had just transpired in the last few moments. Her mind was spinning at the possibilities...but also at the yet unanswered questions.

“I don’t understand.”

That stopped the sisters in their tracks.

“What is not to understand, Twilight? Is it such a complicated task that thou, one of the brightest of my sisters long line of students, canst see what this means?”

Twilight shook her head.

“No. It’s not that, Princess Luna.”

They waited silently for Twilight to gather her thoughts, both unsure of what would come next from the former unicorn.

“For one...you said this particular stone was older than either of you. Yet you also said you’ve already done what you’re asking me to do. If that’s the case...why isn’t any of what you’ve seen recorded in the Encyclopedia Equestria? Where is all the pre-Discordian History?”

“Twilight; surely you know by now that some knowledge when shared unwisely is dangerous.” Celestia leaned down, lowering her posture as she came to meet her prized pupil face to face. “Some things are better left unspoken of until the right moment. Remember the Alicorn Amulet your friend Trixie received?”

Twilight nodded.

“Quite the evil piece of work, it was.” Luna practically spat. “But...it wasn’t always the way it is now. We understand that thine Zebrican friend, Zecora, is keeping an eye on it now?”

“Yes, Princess.”

Celestia smiled again.

“Would you believe that the Alicorn Amulet was once used for good? That it helped to conquer enemies of the state before Equestria was even a nation?” She asked.

Twilight’s eyes went wide as her former mentor chuckled, sitting down in front of her desk again.

“It is yet another artefact that is much older than we.” Luna added. “Some ponies seem to forget that we were not just created from the fabric of time and space. We were once simple ponies like they.”

“Just like you were, Twilight.” Celestia nodded.

“Well...I suppose that’s not hard to believe.” The young alicorn agreed. “I admit, I often forget that too. It seems to hard to think of you as regular ponies.”

It was Luna’s turn to laugh this time.

“Twilight...thou speakest this as if it t’were a burden. There is nothing wrong with being a simple pony. We ourselves often think of those days fondly. T’was a simpler time with problems just as great as those we face today. But they were happy times...even in their darkest hours.”

“In any case...this stone will help you understand a great many things. But it will not be the only one. There will be many others like it that will lead you to a great many discoveries for yourself.”

Twilight stared almost blankly at Celestia.

“What will they to, exactly?”

“All I will tell you is this: take this stone and follow your heart. The rest will become clear in time. You have five days to prepare for your departure. Use them wisely.” Celestia rose as she gave Twilight a comforting nuzzle to the neck. She then looked to Luna, whom passed Twilight the stone. With that, Celestia exited the study, leaving Twilight alone with Luna.

Luna studied the young Princess with a careful eye, watching her momentarily as if to see what would happen next.

Twilight, to her credit, was already mulling things over in her head. She held the stone in her magic, studying it over and over as hundreds of thoughts and theories roared through her mind like manticores on a cold, unsettling evening.

“Twobits for thine thoughts, Twilight?” Luna asked.

Twilight snapped her head up, looking ready for it to just about fly off her neck.

“Huh? Oh. Sorry…” She bit her lip. “It’s a lot to think about. Imagining learning all of the things I’ve wondered about. Getting to know how Canterlot came to be in the first place. Things like that.” She returned her gaze to the stone. “But how does this thing even work?”

“Just do as our sister hath said. Take the stone...and follow thine heart. For thou...the stone wilt do the rest.” Luna nodded. She too began to make for the door, not bothering to return to the shadows.

Twilight stood with the stone in her magic and followed, meeting with Opteris in the hall. Together, the two of them returned to her chambers.

~D.W.~

In the meanwhile, however...Celestia and Luna had retreated to the throne room.

“Do you think we’re doing this too early, sister?” Celestia asked as she sat high on the dais, gazing out the stained glass windows at the kingdom below the mountainside.

Luna shook her head.

“Nay sister. Thine student is well versed in magic and is as bright as thine sun and our moon combined. She will be fine.”

“I just pray that she’s ready for it, Luna. We at least had a few years under our regalia before we found out about the stones. We’d had time to grow into what we were becoming. Twilight’s still new to all of this; even if born to a Noble house.”

“Relax, dearest ‘Tia. It will be hard on her. But tis a lesson that must be learned for one’s self.”

Celestia cracked a small grin and chuckled.

“Speaking of lessons...I think we need to make more time in your schedule for the language tutor. You’ve relapsed into your old speaking method rather grandly this evening.”

Luna opened her mouth to reply...but shut it again after failing to find a counter-argument.

“Perhaps thou art right. We...I mean...I do find this modern speaking a bit easier on the tongue. It is less...strenuous.” She struggled to stop herself from reverting to Olde Equestrian.

Celestia rose from the dais, motioning for her sister to take her place as the doors opened to the throne room for the Evening Court to begin. Already, ponies were filing into lines outside the main entryway awaiting their turn to speak with one of the crowned sovereigns of Equestria. Eying the growing crowd, Celestia gave a quick wink to Luna

“Looks like it’s going to be a busy night.” She spoke softly before making for one of the rear exits. She never saw the smile that broke out in exuberant amounts on Luna’s muzzle.

“Indeed it does, dear sister. Indeed it does.”