The Little Things in Life

The Little Things in Life

Chapter 1: It All Has to Start Somewhere

"Celestia, appreciate the little things in life that make you happy, because sometimes those little things are all you may have.  They may be the only things that give you hope."

Those simple words from the old king of Equestria meant so much to Princess Celestia.  In fact, it was a phrase that she lived by most of the time.  It was one of the last things that her father had ever said to her.

There were many times in her life where it seemed like the entire universe was against her.  Sometimes the little things in life were the only things she could smile upon when all hope was lost.

As of late, however, life was full of many big things for the sun princess of Equestria.  She just enjoyed an amazing Equestria Games.  She watched Twilight Sparkle, her most faithful and beloved student, grow into a princess.  That same student then went on to defeat the most fearsome foe that Equestria had ever seen, Tirek, and in the process became the Princess of Friendship.  Life was now good, and it was full of big things that could keep her happy.

But on this night, Celestia was sleepless.  There was one little thing on Celestia's mind, and it drowned out all of the other big things that she could have been thinking about.  It was something that she wanted to appreciate, but it meant so much more to her, and it also brought pain along with it.  Even though it was a little thing, it meant so much more to her than all of the other big things that happened as of late.  It was a little thing that gave her hope; hope that something she thought was long gone could finally return to her again.

That little thing was an outstretched claw, wielding a bouquet of flowers, and a simple wink.

But why would something so small mean so much to the leader of a kingdom?  That's the exact thing that Celestia pondered on this night.  She had so many things to think about.  She could have thought about how her star pupil had grown so much in the last few years.  She could have thought about the massive victory that took place this week, returning the evil Tirek back to the pit where he escaped from.

But instead, the image of Discord winking at her while holding up flowers was what was on her mind.  In fact, she just couldn't get it out of her head.

It may not seem like much to anypony, but to Celestia, it meant the world.  That small gesture brought back many memories, both pleasant and painful.  It was something that spoke to her.

Discord was a unique creature.  He was smart and potentially capable of many great things.  On the other hand, he was also quite ugly, fickle, and capable of enslaving all of the kingdom very easily under his immense power.  But instead, even though he was tricked by the smooth words of Tirek, he was sorry for what he did, and asked for forgiveness.  And even after all he had done, time and time again putting others in danger, Celestia still felt the need to forgive him.  She still was willing to call him a friend.

Yes, the good ponies of Equestria were always quick to forgive.  But even then, after all Discord had done, many would probably wonder why anypony would forgive a creature like him.

Twilight Sparkle and her Ponyville friends knew somewhat of Discord's past, but not all of it.  There was a specific reason, unbeknownst to them, for why Celestia was always willing to welcome Discord to the good side.  There was a lot more to Discord's past than anypony else knew.  There was also a lot more to Celestia's past that nopony else knew.  Not even Princess Luna, Celestia's own sister, knew all the details.  There was something that Celestia and Discord shared together that nopony else still alive was aware of.  And that was the reason why Celestia would always be willing to forgive Discord.

After much thought, Celestia finally came to the conclusion as to why she was sleepless on the night of a day that was full of rejoicing.  It wasn't the fact that Tirek had been defeated.  It wasn't the fact that Twilight Sparkle now found out the true reason as to why she was a princess.  It wasn't even the fact that Celestia was able to eat all the cake she wanted to on this day.  The main reason as to why Celestia was sleepless was that she finally had some hope.

Discord was somepony full of mystery.  Even though hardly anypony knew what was in his past, Celestia knew.  Even though it was a long time ago, during her hard youth, Celestia knew what kind of creature Discord could truly be.  And the creature that Discord was at one point was the creature that Celestia wanted him to always be.  It was the reason why she would always be willing to forgive him, and it was the reason why she tossed and turned on this night, thinking of what was and what could have been.

Celestia knew that she still cared for him.  Being an alicorn, there weren't many ponies whom she could be friends with forever.  For many centuries, she watched generations come and go.  But Discord, being an all-powerful creature, was somepony who could always be there with her.  He could be at her side for centuries while every other pony would sadly die off.

But where did things go wrong?  Was it when Discord became evil, and Celestia and Luna originally turned him to stone?  Or was there something that happened much earlier; something that caused Discord to become evil in the first place?

Princess Celestia also knew that no matter how much evil Discord had caused, he had just as many reasons to be equally mad at her.  With Discord's pleasant gesture earlier in the day, there was still hope that a love long lost could be rekindled again.

And until Celestia had closure, sleepless nights could become the norm. She laid her head on the pillow, still restless.

Eventually, Celestia was able to fall asleep for the night.  The peaceful break that her slumber gave her was short-lived, though, as she awoke with a gasp at the sound of her screaming alarm clock.

The princess opened her eyes slowly and wiped them a few times.  She barely slept more than two hours, and even then, those hours felt like seconds.

After letting out a soft sigh, it was time for her to get to work.  The sky was still dark, and the moon was still out.  Luna would be lowering the moon soon, meaning that Celestia would have to perform her daily task as well.

The sun-princess went to her restroom to straighten out her mane, and then made her way to the tallest balcony of the Canterlot castle.  Luna was already there, waiting for her older sister to come.

As Celestia opened the door and stepped out on the balcony, she let out a yawn.  Luna gave her a peculiar look.

"Is everything all right, my sister?"

Celestia yawned again.  "Yes, Luna," she answered.  "I had some trouble sleeping, and I have a headache, but I'm fine."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the lunar princess responded.  "Is there any reason why you couldn't sleep?"

Celestia knew the reason why she couldn't sleep.  He was on her mind throughout the night.  But even though she trusted her sister and loved her deeply, Celestia just didn't feel up to telling anypony why she couldn't sleep at this time.

"It's nothing," the white alicorn answered.  "I guess today was just a really busy day.  My mind just didn't shut off."

"Well," Luna answered, "as long as you do your duty and raise the sun, I don't have any issues with you taking a rest during the day."

Celestia yawned again.  "We'll see, Luna.  I'm ready when you are."

Luna nodded her head.  The dark blue alicorn spread her wings and fluttered just off the ground as her horn lit up.  Celestia watched as the moon began to tremble slightly as Luna took control of it.  The princess of the night's horn now glowed brightly as she began to pull the moon down.  It lowered slowly, eventually disappearing over the horizon.

Celestia's time had come.  Her horn lit up in the usual yellow glow, and she looked down.  Spreading her wings, she hovered in the air, slowly raising her chin upward.  The sun started to peak over the horizon.  With another push of energy from her horn, she put the sun in its usual motion so that it would continue to move, giving the kingdom light for the rest of the day.

Her horn stopped glowing when she was finished, and she slowly lowered herself back down to the balcony, letting out another yawn upon landing on the stone balcony.

"Sister, I can stay up for a little while longer," Luna said.  "You can rest for a few more hours.  I think you need it."

Celestia thought for a second, coming to the conclusion that she wouldn't be able to function properly without proper rest.  "Thank you, Luna," Celestia answered quietly.  "I just need a few hours, and I will get back to my duties right away."

"That is fine," Luna answered.  "If you need anything, I will always be here for you.  And if you want me to read your dreams or your mind to help you figure out why you are troubled, I can do that as well."

"I appreciate it, Luna, but I think I'm fine for now," Celestia answered as she went back into the castle.  "I just need some rest."

Celestia made her way back to her bedroom, greeting the occasional members of her royal guard along the way, who were just starting their shifts for the day.  She entered her bedroom, closing the curtains in front of the windows, giving her darkness once again.

Celestia let out a sigh as her head rested on her soft pillow.  She slowly closed her eyes, and was able to fall asleep quickly.