In the city of Manehattan, Equestria, there was a toy factory that made pony shaped filly sized plushies, toy trains and action figures among other things. The ponies there worked hard and supervised that each toy they made was perfect. If a toy was imperfect, it was to be discarded and forgotten. To make sure none of them went out, there was a special box at the end of each production belt with an alarm that went off if an imperfect toy went through the box. The workers had not heard any of the alarms go off for as long as any of them could remember. An imperfect toy was that rare.
One day, however, as the workers at the plushy department were doing their job, they all suddenly heard a sharp noise coming from the end of the production belt. The alarm had gone off and the plushy that came out of the box was immediately taken off the production belt. The plushy was an orange colored earth pony with a light yellow mane and tail. The stallion who took it went to a chute and, without any second thoughts, threw the first imperfect plushy that had appeared after such a long time, into it.
Down below was a dark storeroom. It was full of various toys that had been made in the factory and then discarded for been imperfect. From the large pipe on a wall, a single pony shaped plushy appeared and bounced from different toys until finally landing next to one of the walls. All was quiet once again. From the single window in the storeroom one could see the beautiful night sky filled with stars and the moon. But they weren’t the only ones in the sky that night. A shadow was moving in the sky, closing in on the storeroom’s window. The shadow turned out to be a mare with a dark blue coat, wings and a horn. Her mane and tail looked like the night sky. As she reached the storeroom window she looked inside. After looking around a bit, she saddened.
”It looks like we cannot use any of these either.” she said. ”I have looked everywhere.” She sighed and looked down, but upon doing so she saw something. ”Hm? What is that?” She went in through the window and looked at the filly sized plushy closely. She then smiled. ”This one… is perfect.”
The mare stood up straight and closed her eyes. Soon her horn began to glow and light filled the dark storeroom. The plushy was surrounded by small stars, blinking around it. The stitches slowly disappeared, the mane and tail began to look more natural and the eyes changed. The light died down and the mare opened her eyes. On the floor she saw a filly rubbing her eyes.
After rubbing her eyes, the filly slowly opened them. Her eyes had yellow irises. She looked around a bit in confusion until finally looking up and seeing the dark blue mare in front of her. She suddenly felt apprehensive of the mare and tried to back up only to hit on the wall.
The dark blue mare gave a gentle smile. ”Do not be afraid, young one. I will not hurt you. ”
The filly slowly calmed down, keeping her eyes on the mare. She slowly opened her mouth as if trying to speak. Eventually she found her voice. ”Who are you?”
”My name is Princess Luna.” the mare said as she approached the filly. ”It is a pleasure to meet you.”
The filly looked at Luna with confused eyes. She looked at her own hooves and then at herself. ”Who am I?”
Luna just smiled. ”You are a pony, a young filly. As of yet, you have no name.”
The filly kept looking at herself, taking in what she had heard. After a while she looked at Luna. ”Why am I here?”
Luna looked at the filly for a while before answering with a somewhat serious expression. ”You are asking a question many ask at some point and it has many answers, but is usually hard to answer.” She then looked through the window and at the sky. ”You could say you are here so I could find you.”
“Why?” the filly asked, looking at Luna in wonder.
Princess Luna looked at the filly. “I would like to take you to see my sister. I believe she has been looking for somepony like you.”
“Why?” The filly asked. “What does she want from me?”
“That is not for me to say, young one.” Luna said. “But you have nothing to be afraid of. My sister, Princess Celestia, is a kind and wise ruler. She has ruled this land, Equestria, for a very long time.”
The filly looked uncomfortable. “She sounds like a very important one. What makes me so special that she would like to see me?”
Luna smiled. “Many things, young one.” She then lied down. “You have the greatest gift anypony can have: the gift of life. You live, you listen, you feel and you think. And those are only a fraction of what makes you special.”
The filly looked at her hooves again. “I don’t feel like I’m anything special, Princess Luna.”
“We shall see if you say the same thing by the time this night is over, young one.” Luna said. “Now come. I shall take you to see Princess Celestia.”
The filly hesitated for a moment but then slowly went and climbed onto Luna. After making sure the filly was comfortable and secure, Luna stood up and slowly rose up from the floor, flapping her wings, flew out of the same window she came in from. The filly got scared when she looked down, seeing the ground suddenly far below them
.
“Do not look down, young one, less you want to fall.” Luna said, noticing the filly whimpering a bit. “Hold on tight!”
The filly felt the wind on her as Luna continued flying, still feeling a bit scared even after following Luna’s advice. At the same time she was enchanted upon seeing the night sky, the moon and the stars. There were so many stars.
“Beautiful, is it not?” Luna asked, noticing how much the filly was turning her head while watching the sky.
The filly couldn’t look away from the sky. “Yes, it is.”
Princess Luna smiled. She knew that the filly was no older than several minutes. Everything was new to her. Luna’s smile faltered a bit then she saddened.
“You are like a newborn foal and already a heavy burden is about to be bestowed upon you, little filly.” Luna thought.
***
In the distance, Luna saw her home. It seemed like it shone in the darkness of the night even though all the lights were out. She felt the filly moving on her back.
”What is that, Princess Luna?” the filly asked.
Luna smiled. ”That, my little pony, is Canterlot. It is the capital of Equestria and the place where I and my sister rule our land from. It is also where we are going.”
The filly couldn't believe what she was seeing. A city built on the side of a mountain. Tall buildings and towers that got bigger the closer they got. It felt overwhelming.
”It's... beautiful.” the filly managed to say.
”It is, young one.” Luna said. ”Celestia built it as a beacon of hope so ponies could see it from far away and never feel lost. However, it is not perfect.”
”Why not?” The filly asked. ”It looks and sounds like it.”
Luna was silent for a moment. ”You will see soon enough.”
As they got closer to Canterlot, the filly saw how the stars and even the moon began to disappear behind the mountain and the tall towers. It felt like a shadow had landed on them. Luna flew upwards towards one of the towers. Now seeing the city up close the filly was absolutely amazed.
”We have arrived.” Luna said as she began to slow down and landed on a balcony of one of the tall towers.
The filly leapt down from Luna's back and onto the floor. She began to look around and saw the vastness of the land, this land called Equestria, which reached as far as the eye could see, maybe even further. The view was breathtaking.
”Come, young one.” Luna said upon seeing how enthralled the filly was. ”My sister is waiting for us.”
The filly looked at Luna and just nodded. She followed Luna inside, trying to keep up with her as she hadn't really walked at all. Once inside the filly couldn't help but look around. The walls were tall, filled with decorations and paintings and the ceiling was far above them. The filly looked down.
“This place is so big I feel overwhelmed, Princess Luna.” The filly said.
“Yes, this place can have that effect on some ponies.” Luna said, looking at the filly. “One can easily get lost in this place if you do not know the way.”
The filly looked forward and saw two ponies standing in attention in front of a door. As she and Luna got closer, she could see these ponies looked different. Their appearance sent shivers down the filly’s spine as she looked at the ponies’ wings and the eyes.
Luna stopped in front of the two ponies and looked at them. “We have arrived. Is my sister still in there?”
“Yes, Your Highness!” One of the ponies, a stallion, said.
“Good.” Luna said as she turned to look at the filly. “By my permission, this filly is allowed to enter.” She looked back at the two ponies. “Guards, open the door.”
“Yes, Your Highness!” The other pony, also a stallion, said as he took out a pair of keys and opened the door.
Princess Luna nodded and looked at the filly as she began to walk inside. “Come, young one.”
The filly followed Luna inside and noticed they were descending. Her ears perked up upon hearing the door behind them close, their path now shown by torches on one side of the wall. She looked at Luna. “Who are those two?”
“They are my personal guards, young one.” Luna said without turning her head. “It is their duty to protect Equestria from any threats. My sister has her own guards.”
The filly looked down, trying to get down the stairs, while thinking Luna’s answer. She didn’t have much time to think as they soon came to a door. Luna knocked on it three times.
“It is I, dear sister!” Luna said.
After a while the door opened, but the filly saw nopony behind it. Instead she saw various equipment and containers with liquid in them. She saw Luna enter and followed her. The filly didn’t even wonder what was in all those glass bottles and vials for she had no idea. Instead she looked forward, feeling nervous about meeting this Princess Celestia. Luna turned left at one of the many junctions of the room and upon following her, the filly stopped. In front of her she saw a tall pony with a pure white coat. The darkness in the room seemed to suddenly subside. The filly felt like the mare in front of her radiated light just by simply standing there. The mare was taller than Luna and also had a horn and wings. As the mare looked at her and Luna, the filly felt like she couldn’t move.
Princess Luna stepped closer to the mare. “I have returned, dear sister, and I believe I have found what you have been looking for.” She then stepped aside and pointed at the filly.
The white mare looked at the filly with keen eyes, making the filly feel like she was been examined very thoroughly. Soon the mare smiled. “I see.” was all she said before looking at Luna and nodding to her. “She is perfect, sister. Good work finding her.”
The filly could see Luna form a smile and nod her head. The white mare’s voice sounded so soothing and kind. She felt unsure what to do in front of a mare that felt like she could blind anypony that simply looked at her. In her mind, she realized that this must be Princess Celestia.
“Approach, my little filly, and stand before me.” Celestia said.
Her voice was still so kind and soothing that it didn’t feel like an order. Still, the filly approached Princess Celestia slowly. As she was right next to Luna, she stopped and stood, looking at Celestia in the eyes. The filly felt so small all of a sudden and felt fear.
Princess Celestia lowered her head and gave a gentle smile to the filly. “You have nothing to fear here, my little filly. Do you know who I am?”
“Y-you’re Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and Princess Luna’s sister.” The filly answered, trying to calm down.
Celestia nodded. “Do you know why you are here?”
The filly looked at Celestia for a while before answering. “All I know is that you have been looking for somepony like me.”
Princess Celestia’s smile faded a little and raised her head. “I see.” She then turned to a table with various glass bottles and vials containing various colors of liquid. The filly now noticed a cauldron that had been behind Celestia. “Tell me, little filly, what do you think of Canterlot so far?”
The filly looked at Celestia in wonder. “It looks beautiful, Princess Celestia. It seemed to shine far away in the night.”
Princess Celestia took a vial containing red liquid with her magic and looked at it. “Hmm… Yes, it is as you say, but there is much more to the city than that. On the outside, Canterlot is a very beautiful city that shines like a beacon to all who see it from far away.” She then walked to the cauldron and dropped red liquid into it. “But the truth is much darker than that.” She began to stir the content of the cauldron with her magic moving a ladle. “There is a lot of injustice in the city. My little ponies have been victims of multiple series of crimes and are suffering.” She stopped stirring and turned to look at the filly.
“Then why not order your guards to protect them?” The filly asked. “As I understand, they are supposed to protect Equestria.”
Princess Celestia shook her head. “Because there are not enough guards to protect everypony. These crimes are not only committed in Canterlot, but all over Equestria. We have managed to stop some of them, but there are simply too many crimes to stop.”
The filly saddened. “Why is it happening? Why are so many crimes been committed?”
“We do not know, young one.” Luna said. “There have been crimes in the past, but those were usually committed out of desperation to survive. These crimes, however, seem to be committed with malevolent intentions. So far nopony has been hurt, but we fear it will only be a matter of time before that happens.”
The filly did not know what to say to all that. She could not imagine a reason why anypony would commit such acts, possibly hurting others who could not defend themselves. “Why tell me all of this? What is it you want me to do?”
At this, both Celestia’s and Luna’s expressions turned to serious. “Equestria is facing a crisis, my little filly.” Celestia said with a somewhat saddened voice. “The ponies need a protector, somepony the innocent can rely on, a champion of justice.” Celestia looked at the filly straight in the eyes. “That somepony is you.”
The filly went wide eyed. “Me!? What can I do? I can’t fight against crime. I’m only a small filly who’s just learned how to walk.”
Princess Celestia smiled. “Would you want to be able to help them? All of them? Would you want to be able to save them from evil? Save their lives?”
The filly looked at Celestia, her mouth open, unable to say anything. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Why me?”
Princess Luna looked at the filly sadly. “We want somepony young, pure and… innocent. You fit in those categories, young one. However… we will not force you to do this. You can walk away, if you choose to do so. We both know this is a big responsibility we are asking of you, but we are cornered.” Luna was quiet for a moment. “You have heard our request and our cause. It is time to choose, young one. Will you help us or not?”
The filly looked at both Celestia and Luna silently for a while. She remembered what she had seen during the flight with Luna. Everything she had seen of this magical land called Equestria. And it was in danger.
The filly shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Why would anypony want to harm this land and its citizens?” She then stood up straight. “I don’t know how you expect me to protect Equestria, but I’ll do it.”
Princess Celestia smiled. The filly could swear she was radiating brighter than ever right then.
Luna instead just nodded and turned to look at Celestia. “Is it ready, Celestia?”
Celestia looked at Luna and nodded. “Yes, it is, Luna.”
They both walked right next to the cauldron on the opposite sides and just stood there, looking at each other for a while. They both nodded at the same time.
Princess Celestia then spoke. “For as long as time itself has existed, there has been light and darkness. These two are inseparable. Where there’s light, there’s darkness, and vice versa. Now the forces of darkness are threatening to overrun the light. In this time of crisis, a champion of justice will be born.” Both she and Luna then looked at the young filly. “Step forward, champion!”
The filly suddenly felt very nervous, but she walked closer to Celestia and Luna and stopped right in front of the cauldron.
“For this brave soul we will bestow a great power along with great responsibility.” Luna continued as Celestia took the ladle out using her magic and levitated it in front of the filly. The filly hesitated for a moment, but then drank the content. “May you always use your powers for the good.”
Suddenly the filly lowered her head, breathing heavily, almost gasping for air, yet not feeling any pain.
“Be the beacon of light for the souls that cry out for help!” Celestia continued.
A very strange feeling began to boil and the filly raised one of her front hooves, touching under her throat. She hadn’t even noticed she was sweating.
“Be the sword that will cut through darkness!” Luna continued.
She was gritting her teeth. She wanted to rip something off. She rose and stood on her rear legs and put her other front hoof under her throat too. She almost felt like she couldn't breathe.
“Now reveal who you are and carry your name with pride!” Celestia continued, her voice echoing in the room.
Suddenly a lightning strike could be heard and on the floor there was an orange coat lying and on it stood the young filly, wearing a red costume with a yellow and white insignia of an arrow pointing down in the middle and a yellow belt. A cape with the same design as the costume with white borders floated behind the filly.
Princess Celestia smiled at the sight.
“SuperMare.”
Author's Note
I am actually not sure what direction I'll take this story at the moment. It's also very possible that I'll be unable to update frequently.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
