A Collection of Headcanons

Chapters

Princesses Celestia and Luna
Discord
The Late Mr and Mrs Apple
The Sirens
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza

Princesses Celestia and Luna

How did Celestia and Luna come to be, when they seem to be the only ones of their kind? Who were their parents? How are they immortal? And why are there other Alicorns that are not immortal?

After the Founding of Equestria, the three Pony tribes lived peacefully and harmoniously. They had banished the Windegoes from their new land, and tensions were no longer high in this era of content. They worked together. Each morning the Unicorn tribe pooled their magic to lower the Moon and raise the Sun, and vice-versa in the evening. Each days the Pegasi tamed the skies and wrestled the clouds to provide rain and snow. Each day the Earth Ponies tended to their fields, to grow their crops.

In the North, a group of Earth ponies who had deserted the Old Land long before the rest of the tribes, were cultivating their new city, the Crystal Empire. The Crystal ponies were as happy and as content as possible, even if, because they had not helped light the Fire of Harmony, their hearts held a darker streak. They were still happy, and not usually hostile to other types of ponies.

But that is a tale for another time.

Equestian society was calm and peaceful and content. The three tribes worked long, hard, satisfying days in the fields and skies, and the Fire of Harmony burned fiercely and brightly in their hearts, banishing the Windigoes from their lands and souls.

And thus was the Age of Peace.

Until he arrived.

A spiteful spirit said to have been sprouted from the pits of Tartarus. Legend states that his cruel and cold nature brought him to be pitied on by a powerful Zebra priestess, who gave him a heart. Whether or not this old mare's tale was true, he was not a being of evil. He never used his power for death, and he killed none. He was a chaotic entity of greed and hunger for power.

And he took over the peaceful country. The land was young and naive, it's inhabitants even more so. Through tricks and manipulation and gained control of those who lived in the land and over it. He took the throne and he reigned supreme over Equestria, as Discord, Lord of Confusion. He made the clouds out of cotton candy, and made them rain chocolate milk. But life was miserable for Equestria.

And thus was the Age of Chaos.

But he made one fatal mistake. He allowed day and night to exist co harmoniously, and therefore allowed something to happen, something that spelled his downfall. He allowed the sun and moon to rise together. He allowed the sun and moon to converse, to talk, to communicate, for the first time in aeons.

Sister Moon and Brother Sun pitied the creatures who suffered so terribly. For the first recorded time, their lights shone together as one. They concentrated said light, focusing on a single point in the Everfree Forest. Because their light shone together, and it was not an eclipse (which occurred when either Brother or Sister grew jealous and tried to shine out of turn) the light was the Light of Harmony. The Light was concentrated on a young tree sapling, barely more than an apple in height. The Light fed this tree, and it grew to become the Tree of Harmony. Six jewels would grow on this tree, six forces for good and order. Brother and Sister knew, however, that this would not be enough. These jewels, these Virtues, required those of a strong and hopeful heart to weild them. In this time of misery, such hope did not exist among the mere mortals.

They were weak from casting the Light upon the ground, and were more like physical, soulless objects than the Gods they truly were. They had nowhere near the energy to defeat Discord, despite having the hearts to do so. So instead, Brother and Sister had each a child. The same hearts, but stronger.

"Let them fly, so that they may talk to us in hours of direst need." Said Sister Moon, giving them magnificent wings of dawn pink and midnight blue, like the Pegasus ponies that had once tamed the sky

"Let them have powerful magic, so that they may move us how we were meant to be moved, without assistance." Said Brother Sun, giving them horns like those of the Unicorns who had kept them in place for all the centuries, and a near unparallelled magical power.

"Let them be kind and strong, so that they may walk among those whom they shall rule over, as much as they shall fly above them." Said Sister Moon, giving them hooves like those of the Earth ponies whom they wished to save.

"Let them be ever-young so that they may, like us, be constant forces for good and order." Said Brother Sun, making them beautiful and strong.

"I will take the younger." Said Sister Moon, "I will teach her how to guard the night, and the dreams of those who sleep in it." She took the younger child, "Her name is Luna."

"Then I will take the eldest." Said Brother Sun, "I will teach her to rule fairly and wisely, to tread the path of the Light of Harmony." He took the elder child, "Her name is Celestia."

Many years passed, Brother and Sister training each child to be a warrior for good and order.

"There will come times when your magic and hearts are not enough." The children were told, "in those times, you will find new warriors upon whom you can bestow the same gifts we have given you. But unlike you, these warriors will not be ever-young. This gift is only for you, our children, not for others, no matter how worthy." Brother and Sister meant the half-alicorns. The Warriors of Order who would live natural lives. In modern Equestria, there are currently two. Mi Amore Cadenza, who represents a Love so pure and gentle that she was bestowed upon her the magic that made her a True Warrior. And Twilight Sparkle, who represents such a true understanding of Friendship that she was given the wings that allow her to soar across the land she calls home, and protect it.

Then one day, their training finished. The time came. The Celestial Daughters were ready to face Discord, ready to halt the Age of Chaos. Brother Sun's light guided them to the Tree of Harmony, where six jewels waited. These six jewels marked the virtues that each Warrior of Order must hold dear. These were the Virtues of Order, but were more commonly known as the Elements of Harmony. Five were actual virtues; the sixth was the means by which the Virtues' power was wielded.

The Celestial Daughters readied themselves, preparing for the Battle of Harmony.

The battle was strange but nonetheless fierce. Eventually the Sisters managed to defeat the so-called Lord of Confusion and casting him into a stone likeness.

And thus was the Age of Harmony.

But as with all things, evil rose once more. For Order does not mean no evil, it means balance between good and evil. The Celestial Daughters were a means for restoring this balance, but now the scale was tipped too far once more, only the other way.

And so, fate caused a mysterious vapour to capture the heart of the Moon Daughter.

The vapour made the Moon Daughter angry and jealous, so much do that she refused to stand in what she thought was a shadow.

Then one day, the vapour took fill hold of the Moon Daughter, and she was transformed into a semi-sentient creature, who, today, is known as Nightmare Moon.

And thus was the Lunar Rebellion.

Terrified for her sister, the Sun Daughter sought consort with her Father. Brother Sun told her that her own magic was not strong enough to separate her sister from the vapour's dark heart. And so, Sister Moon, Brother Sun and the Sun Daughter formed a plan.

Using the Virtues of Order, the Sun Daughter banished creature from Equestria, sending it to Sister Moon. Sister Moon then spent the next one thousand years slowly prying her daughter from the vapour, peeling off and healing the stains that the dark magic had left on her daughter's soul.

And thus was the Time of Celestia.

Despite her power, Sister Moon could not separate the vapour from her daughter physically. That was a task that only the Light of Harmony could complete, and the only object that wielded the Light were the Virtues.

Warning the Sun Daughter, Sister Moon returned the creature to the Earth. The creature rose up, mad from its imprisonment and the Moon Daughter's attempts to pull herself free. Horrified by what it had become, the creature retreated to the castle where the Celestial Daughters had been raised and trained by Brother and Sister.

Prior to this warning, the Sun Daughter had been training a student to wield the Virtues. The student was not aware of this, but that was nonetheless her destiny. The Sun Daughter had been visited in her dreams by her Father, and been told that this purple Unicorn was destined to be a Warrior of Order, along with five others, who would show themselves in a time of direst need. The six of them were destined to be the new Wielders of the Virtues, to restore Order to Equestria. The wheel had once again turned full circle. As was the natural order, the time for chaos was over, the time for Order was begun.

The Wielders were carefully coaxed by the Sun Daughter into following the creature that had once been the Moon Daughter to the Everfree. During this journey the five other Warriors proved themselves worthy, as well as assigning themselves to one of the Virtues.

Eventually, they battled the creature, and won. The vapour was destroyed, and the Moon Daughter finally broke free. Alas, she was powerless and weak, looking as she did when first created, rather than when she was bestowed upon the Earth to battle Discord. The Sun Daughter arrived and comforted her sister. And the two consorted with their respective Mother and Father together for the first time in one thousand years. The Moon Daughter's power was restored, and she returned to her post of guarding the dreams of her subjects.

And thus began the Celestial Restoration.

Discord

The draconeqqus has always been a character of interest for me - where did he come from? Why was he not evil evil? This is my take on what happened:

There are many levels to Tartarus, some are reserved for the foulest creatures that a mind can comprehend, others are so horrific that a simple equine or human brain cannot even fathom the true evil that lurks there.

And then...there's Discord.

As is the way of Life, there are Times for Chaos and Times for Harmony. After the incident with the Windigoes, the three pony tribes were united (one sect of the Earth ponies left to make their own tribe, but that is a tale for another time). They lived peacefully and harmoniously.

And the wheel of Time turned on. The Time for Harmony came, occurred, and went. The Time for Chaos was upon Equestria. Fate allowed Discord to break free of his imprisonment, and he made his way to the surface world.

But when he emerged to the surface, his heart was cold and sealed away - as is the case with many of Tartarus' prisoners. When he reached the surface he was cruel and uncaring. His sense of humour was more sadistic than one might care to admit. However, he was fairly easy to defeat. This was before the Princesses of the Sun and Moon, this was before the Simultaneous Rising. The pony tribes battled the foul creature, and he eventually slithered away into the Everfree forest - which, back then, was much larger, and much more dangerous.

When living - rather gloomily - in the forest, a Zebra Priestess came across him. At first, she was fascinated by how effortlessly he transformed what was around him - not before expressing her fury at nature's bastardisation by his hands. Then she pitied him, how cold and unfeeling he was towards all that came near him.

So she approached him.

She did not befriend him, of course, befriending a creature that cannot care is impossible. But she cared for him, giving him shelter and food - for he could not easily conjure up such objects. There was no love in this agreement - she would house and feed him, provided he not use his magic on any of her herbs and potions.

One day, the Priestess' pity grew too great to bear, and so she resolved to solve the problem. She took from her store a bud of Heart's Desire and fed it to the creature. Heart's Desire is a very interesting plant, for if one's heart is unfeeling,, how can you desire something? The answer to this question is quite simple: you don't.

But when given Heart's Desire, you are allowing your heart to open up and tell the universe what you want. So the Heart's Desire thawed and revitalised the heart of the creature. Discord was discord.

The Preistess saw her mistake at once.

For now that he had a heart, Discord was much more creative in his magic, and much more cunning. His heart had freed his imagination, his creativity, his wits. He was now a far more wily foe.

This time, the Elements were needed, for now he was far more cunning, and a great deal more difficult to control. The pony tribes found that he easily outwitted them. However, eventually, Discord made his fatal mistake: the Simultaneous Rising. The Daughters of the Sun and Moon were created, trained, raised and sent to the aid of Equestria. Armed with the Virtues of order, they fought the twisted subjects of his seemingly harmless and somewhat amusing reality. The battled with the Lord of Confusion. He was turned to stone, sealed away forevermore.

And so the Time for Chaos continued on without him. The Empire fell, Nightmare Moon came, and then, finally, blissfully, the Time of Harmony once again shone upon Equestria. For one thousand years, life continued on, and ponies forgot Discord, and Nightmare Moon, and the Empire. All but the now lonely Daughter of the Sun.

But, such things are only temporary, and can never last.

The Time for Chaos reared it's ugly head once more. First Nightmare Moon returned, but she was defeated by the Sun Daughter's student and her Warriors of Order. Then Discord, but he was also defeated; by the same Warriors, no less. Then the Queen of the Changelings and her Swarm. Once again defeated. And the Shadow King, Sombra.

All these foes and more were defeated, but Equestria was ragged. It's powers in constant danger and it's subjects even more so. The Time of Harmony once again shone upon the nation, and it was welcomed perhaps too much - Equestria was close to breaking point.

The Sun Daughter feared for her sister, her student and her subjects. So she vowed to stop this constant battering of her country. But as is the way of Order, Harmony cannot rule forever, just as Chaos cannot either. The only way to stop Equestria from breaking during the Chaos, to prevent Chaos ruling completely, was to allow Chaos to co-exist with Harmony. That way, Equestria would remain more or less peaceful. But for this to happen, she would need the God of Chaos on her side. And for that to happen, she would need a very special, very yellow, very soft-spoken, very kind mare.

I expect you know the rest.

The Late Mr and Mrs Apple

A short(ish) biography of Applejack's parents.

Sweet Apple Acres.

A pillar of familiarity and pride among all of Ponyville's inhabitants. A source of the best apple-based food products around, and the place to go for apple cider, be it alcoholic or not. One of the main reasons for The Silver Horseshoe's popularity in Equestria is because it is the only establishment in Equestria that has a near constant supply of Apple Family Cider.

Of course, a few decades ago, Sweet Apple Acres was not called Sweet Apple Acres. It was called Apple Acres Farm. Owned by a Mr Alexander Apple.

Alexander was not an only foal. He had two sisters; one older, one younger - both by two years; and an older brother - older than Alexander by five; so three years older than his eldest sister.

Jonathan Apple (the aforementioned brother) though a skilled applebucker, had found his talent in charity. He travelled Equestria along with his friends, helping homeless ponies, healing sick ones, and feeding hungry ones. So he had left the farm after earning his cutie mark, bid goodbye to his loving family, and set off in his journey. He wrote to his little brother often, and there was no hardships in their relationship.

There was, however, a considerable amount of tension between Alexander's oldest sister, and the rest of the family. Calvados Apple had not found such a...selfless career. She had been ashamed of her family's unglamorous lifestyle, and so had left for the high-life in Manehattan as soon as she was old enough. She had apparently settled in very well into the life of a Manehattan mare; including finding stallion by the name of Sunstar Orange. Sunstar was a rich, well-mannered pony whose family owned a large orange production company. However, Alexander sincerely doubted that Sunstar had ever seen an orange orchard. The first letter any of her family had received had been a few months after she had left, telling them all that she had earned her cutie mark; it was for oranges. Calvados hadn't written since.

So, with both of his older siblings gone, the upkeep of the Apple Acres Farm fell squarely on Alexander' shoulders. He didn't mind. Unlike Jonathan and Calvados, Alexander had always loved farm life. He supposed that, in a way, Jonathan had too; for Alexander had never seen his older brother look discontent on the farm. But charity had been his true calling.

It had been no surprise, however, when Alexander got his cutie mark, and it turned out to be for apples. The same went for his youngest sister, Ginger Gold. Alexander was very proud to be the stallion who was to take care of the farm, very proud that his parents trusted him. Ginger helped out on the farm too, obviously, but Alexander could sense that she yearned for more. In a few years, she would move to Dodge Junction, and a few years after that would aid some other ponies in the founding of Appleloosa. Ginger Gold was an Apple, but an Apple that yearned for adventure. In that way, she was remarkably like her oldest brother.

When Jonathan had left to go make Equestria a better place, he had been fifteen. Calvados had been twelve, Alexander had been ten and Ginger Gold had been eight. He had left with a large group of his friends, all of whom had similar views. Among them was an Earth mare by the name of Charity - she came from a "very giving family (she had called them nutcases), but had left them to pursue a giving life that didn't result in living in near poverty. She was just as generous and charitable (no pun intended) as her family, but wanted a little more for herself in life; a little more adventure. She later became Jonathan's wife, and the mother of his two foals.

Four years later, when Calvados was sixteen, she threw a tantrum. Her biggest tantrum ever. Her screams shook the farmhouse's foundations and rattled the windows.

"Why can't I go to Manehattan?!" she cried furiously at her mother, "John left! And he was younger than I am now!"

"Calva," Alexander's mother said calmly, "John was with friends, they are a large group, and this was when he had earned his cutie mark. His calling was charity work." Calvados, though sixteen years old, still had no cutie mark. On her sixteenth birthday only a few weeks ago, sh had finally snapped, and decided that she had no mark because farm life was not for her.

"But what if my calling lies in Manehattan?" Calvados spat at her mother, "What if my calling isn't some dirty farm-mare job?"

Hazen Apple pursed her lips. "Well." she said tightly, "If that's how you feel, and you're perfectly sure that a dirty farm-mare job is not for you, then who am I to stop you leaving?" Hazen stepped aside to allow her oldest daughter to pass and climb the stairs to pack a bag. By this point, Jonathan, or Alexander or Ginger Gold would have been crying for forgiveness at calling their mother - a proud, hardworking pony - nothing more than a dirty farm-mare.

But Calvados was not Jonathan, or Alexander, or Ginger Gold. Calvados was Calvados. She walked past her mother proudly, packed a bag in moments and was out of the door without so much as a goodbye. The last words Calvados said to her mother were,

"Don't expect any letters."

The instant the front door had closed, Hazen Apple had broken down in silent tears. Spencer Apple, her husband, had comforted her. As had her remaining children. But Calvados Apple had been lost to the family from that moment.

Calvados saw her mother only once more before she died. At the birth of Jonathan's son, Taylor. She had made peace with her parents and family then, but she remained adamant in staying in Manehatten, and still didn't write. The relationship was mended, but still distant. But it was better than a broken one, because, by the time that Charity gave birth to Jonathan's daughter, Katy (when Alexander was twenty-one); Hazen had passed away.

Alexander's father, Spencer, lived for a few years more, but not many. Alexander and Ginger Gold looked after him as best they could, but he had been an old stallion even when Jonathan had been born. He died three years after his wife - when Katy was two. At which point, the twenty-one-year-old Ginger Gold left Apple Acres Farm for Dodge Junction. She wrote often to her brothers, and sometimes visited Alexander. But for the most part, the stallion was on his own.

One year after Ginger left, Alexander was twenty-four and running Apple Acres Farm single-hoofedly. He kept the farm afloat by employing young colts and mares who had earned their cutie marks (by Equestrian law, you cannot employ a pony who had not earned their cutie mark) but were unable to find work.

One day, he was walking through town to drop off an apple-pie batch that had been ordered by his good friend, Carrot Cake. Carrot was opening a bakery - he planned to call it Sugarcube Corner. Alexander admired his ambition, but doubted that the shop would last for long. Alexander had the same thoughts about Carrot's latest marefriend, Cup Cake. I give it five months, he thought, but said nothing, because both were very nice ponies.

He was unloading the wagon in front of the half-decorated bakery when he first saw her.

Albany Sweet.

Albany Sweet was the only foal of Jonagold and Maigold Sweet. Her father had recently died, so she and her mother (who was now going by her maiden name of Smith) had moved to Ponyville for a change of scenery. She was twenty-three, and very, very pretty. She had a beautiful, sunset-orange coat; golden-orange eyes, and a curly golden mane. Her cutie-mark was a slice of raspberry pie - she was a baker.

And she happened to think that Alexander was very handsome. He had a light-yellow coat - so much so that you could barely see the trio of white freckles on each cheek - sap-green eyes and a rich orange-and-red-streaked mane (in fact...the orange in his mane was pretty much the same hue as that of her coat). His cutie mark was a shiny red apple with a bite out of it, and as for the worn Stetson hat upon his head...it couldn't possibly look as good on anypony else.

So when Albany was having a little map trouble, she decided to ask him.

"Excuse me, sir," she said in a friendly voice. Alexander's heart did a little leap as he realised she was talking to him.

"Please, call me Alexander, ma'am." Albany's heart fluttered when she heard his gorgeous Southern accent. She giggled, somewhat involuntarily.

"Only if you call me Albany." she replied sweetly.

"Albany..." Alexander said her name slowly, "That's a beautiful name." he gave her a crooked smile, "But only fittin', Ah suppose. A beautiful name for a beautiful mare."

Albany giggled again, "You're too kind, Alexander." she told him, and he shrugged. Albany smiled and pulled out her map, "I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find Apple Acres Farm? I hear they have a position there."

Alexander's face split into a blazing grin, "Not only can Ah tell you where it is, Ah know the owner." he told her,

Albany's face lit up, "Do you think he'd let me work there?"

Alexander paused, "Ah don't know." he said, "Give me one moment." he stepped to the left.

"Hey, Alexander," he said to the thin air next to him, "Ah met this mare earlier, and she was wondering if she could get a job down at your farm." he then took two steps to the right, took off his hat, and turned to face the thin air again; he was conversing with himself.

"Well, hey, Alexander!" he said to himself, "You met a mare who wants work, huh? Is she pretty?"

He stepped to the left and replaced his hat, "Very." he smiled, winking at Albany, and she laughed, "Have you got a job opening?"

Alexander took off his hat again and stepped to the right, "Ah think Ah do." he said, "Tell her to come by later." he then put on his hat again and turned to face Albany. "Ah think the owner likes you."

Albany was laughing, hard. She wiped her eye and grinned at Alexander, "Well, aren't you a charmer!" she exclaimed, "When can I start?"

"Right now, if you like." Alexander said, "Ah could use a little help unloading these pies."

After she aided him with the pies, and introduced herself to the Cakes, Alexander later took Albany back to Apple Acres Farm and showed her the ropes. When she accidentally mentioned she had no home, he insisted she stay in the farmhouse. Her mother too, as the farmhouse had five bedrooms. Albany turned out to be a very talented applebucker, but her real expertise was for cooking. She made the best apple pies that Alexander had ever tasted.

By the time Alexander was twenty-six, he was married to Albany. It had been quite literally love-at-first-sight, and in honour of their union, Alexander had the farm re-christened as Sweet-Apple Acres (eventually, however, the hyphen was dropped for simplicity). They were a happy couple, and they worked hard on their farm, which was their baby.

But by the time he was twenty-seven, he had a real baby. A colt, to be exact: MacIntosh Apple. There was no prouder father anywhere, for MacIntosh looked like a dependable, strong and capable colt, who would grow to be a great stallion; of that, Alexander was sure. For the first few years of his life, however, he was known as Little Mac due to his endearingly scrawny build.

"Aw, ain't he a cute one?" Maigold cooed at the little colt. Alexander gave a small laugh,

"Just you wait, Maigold." he said, "Mah brother Johnny was a right lil' thing when he was a young'un. But look at him now, he's huge. Ah'll bet mah hat that MacIntosh turns out the same."

A few years later, MacIntosh was given a little sister. A sister with her father's eyes and her mother's coat. Albany was so overjoyed to have a daughter that she genuinely cried when she was born. MacIntosh was confused, at first by this strange creature, but grew to love her.

"Little Mac?" Albany said softly, "Come say hello." MacIntosh - who was nearly three at this point - had been poking his head around the door of his parents' room. He hadn't been allowed in for days, and he had barely seen his mother at all. His curiosity had finally gotten the best of him today, and he had finally taken a peek. He was surprised to see that the only apparent difference was the large cot in the middle of the room, and that his mother no longer had a very round stomach. His mother was gently waving him over to the cot that she was stood beside.

Tentatively, Macintosh crossed the room and poked his dark red head over the edge of the cot. His head cocked in confusion, one ear flattening, the other standing upright.

"What's that, Mama?" he asked, his big green eyes gazing in wonder at the tiny orange bundle in the sheets.

"She's not a that, Little Mac." Albany smiled, "She's a she." And 'she' began to stir, mumbling. Albany reached down and picked up hr little daughter, rocking her softly and humming.

Macintosh nodded. But he still looked confused, "Who is she?" he asked.

Albany chuckled, "She's your little sister, Macintosh. You're a big brother now." she continued rocking the baby. The confusion on MacIntosh's face vanished with a large grin. He sat down quickly on his parents' bed and held out his forehooves.

"Ah wanna hold her!" he grinned. Albany smiled warmly.

"Okay," she said, "But you'll have to be very careful. She's only little."

"Don't worry, Mama," he promised, "Ah will." and he took his little sister in his forehooves and held her close. She gazed up at the strange red creature with eyes as green as his own.

"What's her name?" he said, his voice excited and calm all at once.

"We haven't named her yet." came his father's voice, and MacIntosh looked up to see Alexander come in. "But do you have any suggestions."

"How about Apple Jam?" MacIntosh said excitedly, "Then she can be AJ for short."

Albany made a face, "Definitely not Apple Jam." she told her son, "Besides, there's no such thing as apple jam."

"But Ah like the 'AJ for short idea'." Alexander added, putting a hoof around his wife. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck affectionately. MacIntosh made a face.

"Ignore them," he told his little sister, "They're just being gross because they're adults."

Alexander chuckled at this comment and Albany 'awww'ed. Both of them smiled at their son.

"I know..." Albany said softly, "How about Applejack?"

"Then she can still be AJ!" MacIntosh grinned.

"I like it," Alexander said, "I think that's perfect: Applejack Apple."

MacIntosh smiled and looked down at his little sister. "Hey, AJ." he said quietly, "Ah'm your big brother, MacIntosh. But you call call me Lil' Mac if you want."

The baby filly's cooed happily. Alexander chuckled, "Ah think she likes you." he told his son, ruffling the orange mane that matched his daughter's coat.

Unfortunately, this is where Alexander and Albany's story starts to sadden. Five years on after the birth of Applejack, Albany was once again pregnant, and gave birth to a second little filly, one whose coat matched Alexander's and whose mane matched MacIntosh's mane. By this point, the young stallion was eight, and he was close to earning his cutie mark. Applejack was five. Both were fascinated by their newest little sister, who was called Apple Bloom.

Only a week after Apple Bloom's birth, Alexander received a letter in the mail. He could hardly believe his eyes when he read the cursive script.

Dear Alex,

Calva here. I daresay you're surprised to see that I'm writing, huh? I know, I wasn't expecting to write either, but I felt that you needed to know this: Sunstar proposed!

I know, I know. I'm thirty-nine years old, it sounds silly, but he decided that "marefriend" was too informal for what he had, so soon I will be Calvados *Orange*. And, even though you don't approve of the life I have chosen, you are still my little brother, so I'd like you to come and attend the wedding. Bring Albany too, she's a darling.

Give the children my best, and I really hope to see you soon.

Love Calva.

Alexander gaped. Calvados was inviting him and his wife to his wedding? It was incredibly kind of her, for she almost never wrote. In fact, this was the first he had heard from her in six years. She wasn't even aware of Apple Bloom.

"We have to go." said Albany, reading the letter of his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Alexander asked her, "We haven't heard from her in years - and little Apple Bloom-"

"-Will be fine." Albany calmed him, "My mother is still perfectly capable of caring for the children, and she'll have Little Mac and AJ to help."

"Darn tootin'!" Came Maigold Smith's voice. Of course, everypony had been calling her Granny Smith since MacIntosh had been born, "There's still plenty of life in these bones!"

Alexander chuckled, "If you're sure, honey." he said to his wife, "The wedding's the day after tomorrow." Mail from Manehattan often took about three days to arrive in Ponyville. And that was if it was first class.

"Which gives you whippersnappers just enough time to get there, if you leave on the first train." Granny Smith pointed out. And when neither made inclination to move, she nudged them. "Go on, git! Pack a bag, get some rest!"

Alexander and Albany laughed, "Okay, okay, we're going, Mama." Albany said, "But you should get some rest too." she pointed out, "AJ and MacIntosh are bad enough, but with another baby? You'll need your sleep whilst you can get it."

Granny Smith smiled, "Ah know, Ah know." she said, "Come on, we're all gonna need some shuteye."

And so, very early the next morning, Albany and Alexander bid goodbye to their three children, told them they loved them, and left for Ponyville train station. Granny Smith took care of the children for the next three days quite happily. On the fourth day, she expected that Alexander and Albany had been held up; for they had yet to return. On the fifth day, she began to worry. On the sixth, her worries turned to fear. On the seventh, her fears came to pass. The train that Alexander and Albany had been taking back from Manehattan...had crashed. There had been six survivors of the seventy ponies that had been on that train.

Alexander and Albany weren't one of them.

The Sirens

Among other things, I like to think this clears up the continuity errors shown in Hearths Warming Eve where Equestrian lore comflicted, time-wise.

Long ago, after the fall of Discord, but before the Lunar Rebellion, there was a Unicorn wizard named Starswirl the Bearded. He was a master of magic, skilled in even the most complex of areas; from potion making to alchemy, from charms to rituals. He was a teacher, a student, a healer, an armorer. But there was one magic that he never understood.

Harmony.

Or course, most ponies know this nowadays; how Starswirl allowed his studies to get the better of him, how he refused to make any social connections. The closest thing he had to a friend, to family, to anything, was his apprentice, Clover the Clever.

In the dark time where the Empire was falling, where the Sisters of the Sun and Moon were fighting a long and terrible war against the Shadow King, Sombra. It was a war that lasted many years - but of course, to such power of the Sisters, to such darkness of the Shadow, it felt like mere hours.

But during this time, Celestia and Luna placed care of the land in the hooves of their subjects. At first, there was concern for the Alicorns. Then there was fear. And before long, the ponies began to mistrust other tribes as the time since their Princesses' departure lengthened.

And of course, everypony knows what happened next. The Windegoes came.

When the Wingdegoes were defeated and purged from the land, from the new Equestria, ponies began to learn that harmony was the only way forwards. When the Princesses returned, they were heartened to see that their subjects, albeit with a false start, were happy and prosperous together. Life was good.

But the Windegoes were smarter than anypony gave them credit for. They plotted for another way to feed, to grow, to strengthen. They decided that, if they could not find disharmony to feed upon, they would make some.

And so, the Sirens were created.

Beautiful equine creatures, but their appearances were squandered compared to the melody of their voices, the majesty of their song. The Windegoes had decided that, the best way to create disharmony, was to wheedle in, feigning harmony. Feigning harmony through both kindness, and music. Then, seeds were planted. Seeds of mistrust, of annoyance, of hurt. These seeds prospered and grew, and the Sirens succeeded in growing strong, and came close to conquering Equestria. They grew powerful, so powerful, and there seemed nothing that could stop them. Even the kind and good Princesses were powerless to the Siren call.

But one pony was not.

Starswirl, because of his refusal to befriend, saw the world with clear eyes. He lamented at the sorrow and anger before him, he cursed the Sirens, and realised that he was only free of their spell because he had no friends to argue with. he had been a neutral being, with only Clover as a companion; Clover who cursed and screamed at him when he came near her notes, lest he "steal them from her". Never before had Starswirl been so miserable. His freedom was not a blessing, but a badge of shame. Look at this stallion, it said, look at how he is so alone, that there is no harmony to turn into disharmony, see him for his loneliness, for his solitude.

And that was when he realised just how important Harmony was. How key, how vital, to the natural order.

So, he summoned the Sirens with his most powerful spell, to the Cavern of Worlds. Inside the cavern was a shining slab of glittering crystal, one that led to another world when the Time was Right. In the years to come, a vain and ignorant Unicorn would discover the Cavern - for it was little-known - and have it fashioned into a fabulous mirror, and remain ever clueless to its power until she lost her manebrush through it one morning.

But Starswirl summoned the Sirens to the Cavern, and though he knew the Portal was closed, he bound them with their own power. But alas, this did not leave enough magic to forcefully open the Portal. As such, when it finally did open, and the Sirens were locked on the other side, Starswirl did so at the cost of his life. For a soul is the most powerful piece of magic there is.

Celestia never forgot his sacrifice.

And because of Starswirl's sacrifice, the Sirens fell through the Portal and into a strange world. But they were not aware of this. For one thousand years they lay dormant, like sleep without wake. An in-between state of life and death. They were first awakened when a young Sunset Shimmer ran away to their prison world, and they woke, enraged, to find themselves powerless and banished. Over the coming years, they cultivated what little power they had left and tended to them. The power, in turn, twisted their souls. But the final step came when Twilight Sparkle defeated Sunset Shimmer, and unleashed the most powerful Equestrian magic that the Sirens' world had ever seen.

I expect you know the rest.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza

Why is Cadence the Crystal Princess? We clearly hear a stallion call her that, but if the Crystal Empire's been gone for one thousand years, how is she the Princess?

The Crystal Empire was taken over by a cruel Unicorn King. His motivation and how he came to be is a long and winding tale, and not for now.

But he was not the rightful heir to the Crystal throne. No, he was a dictator King, one who murdered the Crystal Queen and exiled the Crystal Princess after she rejected his hoof in marriage. He himself was not a Crystal pony - rather a half-breed between his Crystal mother (whose tragic death only fed his rage) and a Unicorn father who he never knew. His life of shame and isolation because of his heritage had frozen his heart as solid as the ice of the North. Bitter and cruel, he took over the Empire, ruling with an iron hoof, and taking the Crystal ponies as his slaves. They had not taken part in the lighting of the hearth fire when Equestria had first been founded by the three pony tribes; the Crystal ponies still had a darker streak in their natures, one that had inadvertently caused the Shadow king to become as cruel as he did. He had run away as a foal, and discovered the Shadow Crystal, black and wrong-shaped compared to the light blues and pinks of the Empire, the Shadow Crystal was an object with a mind of its own; a dark desire for destruction. It took over the Unicorn foal, twisting him and taking control of him, causing him to become Sombra, the Shadow King.

Upon being exiled, the Crystal Princess had fled the cold, bitter North of Equestria, and found sanctuary in a village. She captured the heart of a young Pegasus colt, rightly named Crimson Dusk, for his coat was a delicate pink, his mane a deep rose streaked and with rich purple. The Crystal Princess' crystalline coat was gold, as was her shimmering, curled mane, and her eyes were a vivid violet. He was entranced by her shimmering coat, and she was mesmerised by his kindness. The two fell in love.

But then, news of her beloved Empire reached the ears of the Crystal Princess. It came to her attention that Sombra had taken over the Empire. The Crystal Princess wept for her subjects, and vowed to do anything in her power to stop him. She begged for the assistance of the Alicorn sisters, and they accompanied her, sensing both the Crystal Princess' devastation, and the dangerous limits and source of Sombra's dark power. Leaving her winged lover, with the promise that she would return, the Crystal Princess returned to her Empire.

The Alicorn Sisters did their best to try and stop the Shadow King, but he was too powerful. The Crystal Princess chose that moment to step up. She vowed that she would distract him, whilst the Sisters cast a spell to banish the Shadow King's dark magic from the Empire. She entered the Crystal Palace and confronted the Shadow King. She spoke of once close friends, lost mothers and desire turning hearts cold.

She begged the Shadow King to stop his magic, to free her subjects and to learn forgiveness, but he merely laughed. Then, he sensed a disturbance in his magic, and he realised that the Crystal Princess had returned to call his downfall. Outraged, he decreed that if he could not have the Empire, then nopony could, and vowed to destroy it.

Desperate, and without much power of her own, the Crystal Princess called for the Sisters to save her Empire. Desperately, the Sisters entered the Shadow Palace and battled the Shadow King. It was a long, hard, dire battle, but they won, and they turned the Shadow King into the very name he had taken - shadow, locking him away in the icy heart of the North, just as the Shadow had locked away a once-kind foal in an icy heart of his own.

The Empire was another story. The Sister's only just managed to get themselves out before the Empire vanished. Now, it was nowhere to be seen. Sombra had cast a spell to destroy it, and though it had gone wrong, it was a truth that would not be revealed for many centuries to come. But the great amount of destructive magic - both light and dark - had caused it to be banished, sent to an Ethereal Plain. The only things to escape were the Sisters, and a tiny fraction of the Shadow that had taken over Sombra, Shadow which had touched upon the Moon Sister during the battle, Shadow that would grow and manifest to do to the Moon Sister what it had done to the Shadow King.

Unfortunately, the banishing spell had done the same with the Crystal Princess, for she had not been able to get out in time. However, even if she had, she wouldn't have. She made a vow to protect her subjects, and though her heart pined for her Pegasus lover, she stayed stoic and proud, trying to aid the Crystal Ponies in repairing their hopes, and keeping them safe. But all she was met with were blank, confused stares. The magic of the Sister's and the Shadow King had had terrible effects on their minds, they would remember nothing of a time before Sombra, nor of this in-between period, until Sombra was destroyed once and for all.

He was, eventually. By the Light of the Crystal Heart. But that was over one thousand years in the future.

One thousand years passed for Equestria, but only one passed for the Empire.

The Shadow King was gone, sealed in an icy prison. But soon, the spells the Sister's had cast on him - the ones that turned him to shadow, began to work in his favour. He found that he was able to escape his prison, and did so, manifesting as a dark, haunted mist. He was annoyed at having been beaten, but satisfied that he had won the battle for the Empire.

He was also satisfied that he had the Crystal Princess with him. He taunted her, telling her stories of her childhood, of her mother, of how her Pegasus lover would be long dead by the time she escaped. What the Princess didn't know, was that the Shadow King meant the time difference. The Crystal Princess thought Sombra meant to escape and torture him.

The Crystal Princess eventually came to realise that she was pregnant, pregnant with the Pegasus' child. She did not know that time was passing much fast outside of the Empire, that her Pegasus was long dead. She gave birth to her daughter, a tiny pink Pegasus with a tri-colour mane and tail, made of both colours of her father's mane, and the colour of her mother's. She also had her mother's eyes. The Crystal Princess named her for the two things she loved most in the world; music, and love itself. Two un-taintable manifestations of affection, and the two things that reminded her of her lover, back in Equestria. Cadenza Mi Amore.

The Shadow King was outraged.

He held a personal distaste for the child, as well as disgust at the idea of a Crystal Hybrid. There had been only one Crystal Hybrid before, and he had despised it powerfully. He made to kill the child, but the Princess intervened. Desperate to save her child, the Crystal Princess used the last remaining magic inside of her to send her daughter far away. To this day, nopony knows how the Princess did it, but she did do it. But at a grave cost; this spell cost the Crystal Princess her life.

The Pegasus foal was later found outside of a rural Equestria village, about two decades before the return of the Empire. Because of her un-crystalline coat, nopony knew of her royal, Crystal heritage, but her tri-coloured mane was marveled and envied by many. She was raised as a normal Pegasus, and later as an Alicorn Princess, Guardian of Love in the same way that the Sisters were the Guardians of the Sun and the Moon. She never truly realised that she was made Crystal Princess by rite of birth, and not simply because the Crystal Ponies had needed a ruler.