Twilight was studying Genealogy. Namely, she was trying to find out three things. Spike's origins, her greatest ancestors, and…Celestia's parents. No pony had ever come close to solving the mystery. But the young alicorn was hopeful. Piles of unread and discarded books mingled in ginormous stacks.
Twilight trotted to her bookshelf, but as she retrieved a book, she revealed Pinkie hiding in the shelf
"Watcha doin'!?" Twilight gasped with surprise.
Pinkie laughed. ""ahhh" yourself! But that doesn't answer my question, silly!"
Twilight took a breath. "Just some Genealogical research."
Spike explained and and Pinkie took a scroll from the bottom of the pile.
"Maybe you should take one from the top." Twilight flinched, expecting the unsteady pile to collapse, but Twi's perplexing friend managed to keep it from falling.
Pinkie unscrolled the longest paper EVER. swiftly reading as she unraveled it.
Just as she exited the library, Pinkie gasped. "WHAT!? This is the most amazing thing ever!" Twilight looked at Pinkie through the window. "Why didn't you tell me how amazing this is? Geneology is better than cotton Candy on top of a Chocolate water fountain! You'll never believe who this says I'm related to!" Pinkie grabbed the scroll and ran away. Twilight rolled her eyes.
Not twenty minutes later, Rainbow Dash crashed through the closed window.
"Rainbow dash!"
"What? I didn't even say what I wanted yet…"
"I just fixed that window for the third time-"
"Three isn't bad."
" Third time this month."
"Oh…" Rainbow paused as Twilight teleported the broken glass away.
"This is why the glazier is on speed dial nowadays." she sighed. " What do you want?"
"Well, really, I just wanna know what this mess is. My request could wait till later."
"Can,"
"Hmmm?"
"My request can wait till later."
"Eh, whatever. Celestia tell you to read a bunch of books again?"
"Actually, I'm researching genealogy right now." Rainbow opened her mouth to ask, but twilight beat her. "The study of Family History."
Twilight went back to reading. "Sooo, who are my ancestors?" Twilight, the question loving mare she was, was actually intrigued by her friend's query. She trotted to her shelf.
"No, no, no, YES!" She galloped back with a scroll, unveiling a large family tree. At the bottom, Rainbow Dash and her sister firefly lay in small pictures. Above were a myriad of pictures filled with pegasi. "Wow. According to this, you're a pure pegasi."
She zoomed over watching twilight skim the names. "Oh, wait, I was wrong. This says you had an earth pony ancestor a long time ago."
"Who was he?"
"It says his name was Alistair. He married a pegasus named Lyna Mah…that's confusing. Maharil, Mahariel. They're at the top of the tree."
"Cool." she tried leaning against the stack of books, causing a domino effect. Twilight whimpered.
She sighed at her destroyed work. She took a scroll and quill, then swiftly penned a letter about her inconclusive tests. Her reply made Twilight interested again.
Dear Twilight,
I'd forgotten that you were studying my history today.
I meant to tell you I wanted you here in Canterlot to see me
today instead. Bring Rainbow Dash with you
.
Twilight glanced at Rainbow, " I guess it's convenient you're here…" she mumbled.
"That letter seems convenient." Dash pointed out.
Twilight simply shrugged. "But it's the princess's word."
A few hours later, Twilight and Rainbow got off the train and into Canterlot.
"You know I never really liked coming here. Too many snobs interested in their own fortune." Rainbow huffed.
"Remember that I lived here most of my life. If you look in the right place, you'll find kind ponies." Rainbow sighed as the two began trotting to the castle.
Celestia greeted the two kindly. She finished her writing and led the two to her room.
"Take a seat, both of you." her voice was calm, but had a slightly aggressive tone.
"I'm sorry." she said. "This is just something I'm not comfortable with speaking of. It's been a long time since this matter has touched mortal ears. It is not a public discussion." Celestia turned to the guards. She nodded, and the guards bowed and walked away.
"Rainbow Dash. Do you know of Alistair and Lyna?"
"I learned about their existence about five minutes before you told us to see you. Why?"
Celestia looked through the window thoughtfully. "They're the reason I'm here, ruling over everyone." The two were silent as pride crept through Rainbow.
"Twilight have you ever heard of Darkspawn? Perhaps Gray Wardens?"
"N-no. Why? Should I have studied them at some point?"
"No, Twilight. I'm not surprised. Many years later after their time, it was resolved to wipe the whole thing from memory. We may still have had the circle of Mages if it weren't for that..."
" The circle of What?" Rainbow dash was confused.
Celestia looked to Rainbow. "Long ago, Unicorns weren't as…"accepted" as they were now. Twilight, remember the nightmares you had as a filly?"
Twilight nodded. "You told me if the nightmares offered me anything, refuse. They never did, but I was still wary."
"You had an abnormally strong amount of power in you, so they tried connecting to you in your dreams. Still, they weren't nearly as bad as the nightmares unicorns had long ago." Twilight shuttered at the thought of nightmares worse than hers.
"Settle in," Celestia told them. " It will be a long story,"
My name is Lyna Mahariel, I am a member of the dalish pegasi.
My story is one of loss
and of love
and Archdemons.