The early morning sun shone into the windows of the library, where Twilight Sparkle had already begun her work for the day. Spike, on the other hoof, was still fast asleep in his small basket next to Twilight’s bed.
There was much work to be done; many books were recently returned and needed to be reshelved. A large pile of books from Twilight’s research also laid in the middle of the floor. Usually it was Spike’s job to reshelve those.
“Spike! Time to wake up! There are tons of books that I need your help reshelving,” Twilight shouted up the stairs.
“Ugh, come on Twilight... it’s so early!” Spike moaned.
“You always wake up this early!” said Twilight as she trotted over towards the kitchen to make breakfast for herself.
By now, Spike had exited Twilight’s room and stood at the top of the stairs. “Oh, right.”
Spike, still in a sleepy daze, slowly stumbled down the stairs.
“I’ll get started... on that... right away.”
Later that day, Twilight was sitting at her desk next to the window in her bedroom. She was deep in her research, and Spike was on the home stretch of rearranging the many stacks of books that littered the floor of the library.
The young dragon took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Twilight, do you have to read so many books at once, or could you give a dragon a break for once?" He went back to placing the books onto the shelves without waiting for the unicorn's response.
"Oh, Spike. You know I have to keep my mind sharp. You never know when what you read in a book could come in handy." The unicorn's horn began to glow as she used magic to turn the page of the tome that sat in front of her.
Spike muttered to himself while re-shelving a particularly large book on the principles of rainbow magic. Twilight couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but she was sure it was something akin to “Stupid books, who needs ‘em?” She giggled quietly at her assistant's banter.
The sun was starting to set, inducing a smile on Twilight’s face, as it marked her favorite time of the day. In fact, she was named for it: twilight, the time when both night and day are present. She had loved to watch the sunset ever since she was a little filly.
Spike climbed up one of the many ladders that rested against the numerous bookshelves in the library. He had a stack of three books balanced on one of his claws when he suddenly felt a message coming from Canterlot.
"No, not now!" he cried out.
Spike quickly tried to make his way down the ladder before it was too late, but he only made it halfway. The young dragon let out a cough that sent him, and the books on his claw, crashing to the floor.
"Aw man..." There was another cough which was quickly followed by a belch and, in a puff of smoke, a rather large scroll appeared in the air above Spike.
"Oh, a message from the princess!" Twilight let out an excited gasp. She trotted over to Spike and paid him no mind as she levitated the scroll in front of her.
The unicorn raised an eyebrow as she examined the scroll. It was larger than any of the others the princess had sent before. In addition to its size, it was marked with two seals: one depicted the sun, the other, a crescent moon. The parchment itself was decorated with gold leaf around the edges, "Wow, this seems important. Not that any message sent by Princess Celestia is ever unimportant." Twilight was unsure why she felt the need to explain that.
Spike stood up and rubbed his lower back with one of his claws, "What does it say, Twilight?"
There was a pit in Twilight's stomach as she looked at the rolled up scroll. "I don't know... I'm nervous to open it."
The dragon's tail bounced as he walked over to his friend, "Well, it can't say anything bad. I mean, you haven't done something to make the princess mad... Have you?"
Twilight’s head tilted upward as she thought. "No, I don't think so..."
Spike looked at Twilight and shrugged. "Then open it."
Twilight's dark mane bounced when she nodded her head. "You're right, Spike."
The purple glow around the scroll increased in brightness as Twilight unraveled it with magic. She moved it closer to her face and read it aloud.
"To our dearest subject, Twilight Sparkle. We hope this letter finds you well. You are summoned to the royal court at sunset in three days. A chariot will arrive to escort you just before sunset. Sincerely, Princesses Celestia and Luna, Rulers of Equestria."
A whistle rang forth from Spike's mouth. "Wow, this seems like a big deal. That's a pretty fancy scroll for just a summons."
Twilight re-read the letter, wondering if she missed something. It was odd for the princess to send her such a short message, and even more strange for Princess Luna to send her one. Not much had been heard from her since the NightMare Moon incident, other than her visit to Ponyville on Nightmare Night.
Whatever was going on, Twilight was sure it was important.
"I'm sure I’m overreacting. We've been here for almost a year; maybe they want me to report on what I've learned in person?" She looked at Spike, hoping he would reassure her, but the little dragon only shrugged.
Twilight rolled the scroll back up and laid it on her desk next to the book she was reading. "Well no sense in worrying about it for now, right?" She went back to her studies, but the unicorn found it hard to keep her eyes from wandering to the scroll every now and then.
For five minutes Twilight tried to study before she let out a sigh and opened the scroll again. "Maybe if I read it one more time..."
Spiked placed a claw over his face and let out a sigh. "Oh, Twilight."
It had been three days since the letter from the princesses had first arrived, and now Twilight was waiting for the chariot to come and take her to Canterlot. She had spent the last few hours of the day making sure that her mane and coat shimmered.
"I don't know what you're so worried about, Twilight. You need to calm down." The young dragon placed a claw on the unicorn's right foreleg to comfort her.
"You're right, Spike. I just need to relax," said Twilight with a grateful smile.
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to relax. It was working until she heard the signature sound of two sets of hoofs and a cloud chariot touching down just outside the library. She nearly jumped out of her skin and immediately the tightness she had felt in her chest returned with a vengeance.
"Calm down! You got this. Remember, you're her favorite student. Now get going, you don't want to keep the princesses waiting."
Spike slapped his claw against her flank. Instead of causing her to get moving like he had planned, the action earned the dragon a death glare that was only slightly less scary than Fluttershy's infamous ‘stare’. The baby dragon quickly pulled his claw back and nervously twiddled his thumbs. “Sorry...” he said with a nervous chuckle.
The purple unicorn took another deep breath, "Alright, I can do this. Spike, if I don't return by tonight, Rarity said you could sleep over at her house if you like."
A massive grin covered Spike’s face. "Alright. Take your time Twilight, you don't want to rush these things. Whatever this thing is..."
Seeing her friend and assistant so excited helped Twilight relax.
"Wish me luck!”
In front of the old tree that housed the library, there was a chariot with two white pegasus stallions. They each wore ornate gold armor that covered most of their bodies, including their cutie marks.
"Good afternoon, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Are you ready for your trip to Canterlot?" the pony closest to her asked in a deep voice.
Twilight nodded and cantered over to the chariot. She took a moment to take in the regal-looking cart, noticing It was decorated with gold and silver sun and moon crests. The moon crest had once again been adopted as a royal symbol since Princess Luna had returned to the throne. Twilight smiled when she remembered how happy Princess Celestia had been when her sister was freed from the darkness that had gripped her heart for a millennium.
Her mane shifted back and forth as she shook her head to clear her mind and get back onto the matter at hoof. She climbed into the chariot, and once she was safely on board the two stallions began to gallop to gather speed before taking off.
Equestria looked breathtaking in the late afternoon light as the sun completed its journey through the sky. The bright light that bathed the land was slowly fading to orange, and the ponies below, which looked like little more than ants from up high, were beginning their evening rituals.
With the two strong pegasi pulling the sky chariot, it was not a long flight to Canterlot. The carriage touched down in the main garden outside of the royal palace just before the sun had completely set. Twilight took in the sight of her former home, and her mind wandered back to the long afternoons she had spent reading in this very garden. Many unicorns and pegasi were moving about and enjoying the flora. Not many earth ponies lived Canterlot; it wasn't that they weren't welcome in the capital, they were just a hard working-class folk who didn’t exactly appreciate the glamour of a large city.
Twilight withdrew herself from the chariot and thanked stallions that had brought her here.
"Thank you both for your time."
The one who once again found himself closest to Twilight responded, "Not at all, Miss."
Twilight blushed lightly at being called “Miss” again. It had been a while since anypony called her that. The two pegasi took off again; no doubt they still had much work to do before the day was over. Once they were out of sight, Twilight found that the pit in her stomach had formed again. She gazed upon the large, ornate doors that lead to the main court of the two alicorn rulers of Equestria.
She slowly made her way to the threshold and the tightness took a hold of her chest once again. 'Come on Twilight... It's nothing, just calm down....' Twilight found talking to herself did her little good. When she arrived at the gateway, it opened of its own accord. The two pegasi guards that stood on either side, who looked almost identical to all of the other guards, announced her entrance in unison: "Presenting Miss Twilight Sparkle, favored student of Her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia, savior to Her Royal Majesty Princess Luna, and wielder of the Element of Magic."
The unicorn's cheeks grew red at the introduction. "Well, that doesn't sound like the way they would welcome someone who is in trouble to the court...," Twilight let out a small sigh of relief.
As the large door's closed quickly but silently, Twilight took in the sight of the court. Adorning the wall were large banners marked with both the sun crest and the crescent moon crest. Other than that, the room was rather empty. At the end of the hall, Twilight could see the princesses sitting on their thrones. Both of their horns were glowing as they simultaneously set the sun and began to raise the moon.
The young pony looked on in awe. Even in all of her time spent with the Princess, she had never actually seen the process of controlling the sun and moon. In fact, as she looked around the room, she noticed only the princesses and herself were present. 'Am I the first pony to see this?' she wondered to herself as she silently watched the ritual. Both of the princesses sat with their eyes closed, deep in concentration.
Once both of the celestial bodies had been set on their paths, the princesses opened their eyes. Twilight felt slightly sheepish as both of their gazes fell on her. However, most of the tension she felt quickly melted away when they both smiled at her.
"Twilight, my dearest student, why are you standing so far away? Please come closer." Celestia's gentle voice filled the hall as she beckoned the unicorn to her.
In response, she quickly rushed so that she was standing before the twin thrones, one white and lined with gold, the other black and lined with silver. She knelt on her forelegs and bowed her head to the Princesses. "Your Majesties, it is an honor to be here."
"Rise, dear friend." Luna's voice held a timid tone to it, but still commanded as much respect as her sister's.
As Twilight stood once again she blushed at being called a friend by the princess of the night. She nervously avoided eye contact with both of her alicorn rulers.
"I can tell you are unsure of why you have been summoned. To enlighten you, the three of us must take a walk to a long forgotten part of the castle." Celestia rose from her seat as she spoke. She was quickly followed by her sister.
They both began to walk towards one of the many exits of the royal court. "Please follow us, Twilight," said Luna.
As she cantered behind the royal sisters, Twilight's mind began to race. What could be going on? First they summon me here, and now they take me to a secret part of the castle? Also, they call me here at a specific time which just so happens to be when they are changing the sky a ritual that, to my knowledge, I'm the only pony other then the princesses themselves to witness. Something is going on. This is no simple visit.
The corridors of the castle seemed a lot more empty than they should have been. The stone walls echoed the sounds of all three sets of hoofs colliding with the floor. The relative silence caused Twilight's anxiety to return.
The princess of the sun sensed the anxiety coming from her student and decided she would try to lighten the mood up. "You know, Twilight, I do enjoy your reports on friendship. They have shown me that you are learning even faster than I ever imagined you would."
Twilight relaxed a little. "Thank you. I'm glad I haven’t disappointed you."
The princess shook her majestic head. "You could never disappoint me, my student." She turned her head back and smiled as she maintained her stride alongside Luna.
After a long walk down progressively more and more dusty corridors, the three of them arrived at a large set of doors. They were decorated with beautiful carvings of alicorns of all different colors. On the left door, a large golden sun caught the eye. In the same spot on the right, a silver moon was present.
"Stand back. It has been a long time since this door has been opened." Luna's warning was spoken softly.
Twilight did as she was told and stepped back a few steps. She watched as the princesses nodded to each other and their horns began to glow. In response, the sun and the moon on the doors started to shine brightly. A loud creaking noise came from the door, and the sun and the moon slowly began to turn in opposite directions. The sound of a long-forgotten locking mechanism could be heard shuddering to life for the first time in over a thousand years. With one last thud, the doors slowly began to open, and a large plume of dust rushed out into the hall where the three stood.
Everpony erupted into a coughing fit. In between coughs, Luna managed to speak. "We... should have... remembered it would do that." Finally, the coughing stopped as the air cleared. With clean air once again entering their lungs, Twilight and the Princesses proceeded into the expanse of the room.
Once they were all inside, the door quickly slammed behind them and could be heard locking again, which made Twilight quite nervous. However, when she gazed around the room, she found it absolutely breathtaking. It was a grand hall, much larger and more beautiful than the main hall she knew in the castle. The floor was covered in a long red luxurious rug, made from silk of the finest quality.
But what truly caught her attention were the statues that took up the majority of the floor space. There were at least a dozen of them, each a statue of an alicorn as big as Celestia, if not bigger. The next things to catch Twilight's eye were the paintings behind the statues. They depicted all three races of ponies, each looking similar to the alicorn statue in front of them.
"What is this place?" Twilight’s mind was swarming with ideas. To her knowledge, the princesses were the only alicorns in all of Equestria. The other portraits in this room seemed to contradict that.
"Be patient, my dear. The time for answers is near." Celestia comforted her while they walked towards the end of the ornate statue room.
The paintings seemed to get newer and newer the closer they got to the end of the long hall.
"The room you are standing in is the Hall of Rulers Past. Very few are allowed here, Twilight Sparkle." Luna spoke as they reached the end of the hall.
What Twilight saw next made her gasp. Two statues directly in front of her stood side by side. One was of Celestia, the other of Luna. But what was truly shocking was the painting that hung behind it. A white unicorn with a prismatic mane and tail was smiling with a pegasus hovering just above her.
"Is... Is that you?" Twilight stammered as she tried to cope with the implications of what she was seeing.
The princesses looked to each other and nodded before turning to the shocked unicorn, whose mouth was ajar.
"Yes it is, my dearest student. That is from a time long past, before we were given the power over the sun and the moon." Celestia's words echoed throughout the ancient hall.
"W...why are you showing me this?" Twilight stammered as she tried to figure out what was going on.
"The time for that answer is not now. But soon, My faithful student. Do not worry. First we must tell you a tale of how one is chosen to rule Equestria. And even more important, we must reveal the truth of your lineage to you."
Twilight gazed up at her mentor, a bewildered expression plastered on the young Unicorn’s face.
“M—My lineage? Why would you need to speak to me about that?”
“Our lineage, Twilight.”
Twilight glanced over at Princess Luna, who had the same resolute look on her face, before turning back to Princess Celestia. The student was too perturbed, however, to respond.
“Twilight, what do you know about your family’s history?”
Twilight looked down at the cold stone floor, her mind now warped around her mentor’s statement and question. Was the Princess suggesting their family histories were analogous?
Eventually, the Unicorn found the nerve to respond to her diarchs. “My parents are Unicorns who were, like me and my brother, born and raised in Canterlot. I don’t know much about my grandparents or further generations, since they passed away before I was born.”
Celestia smiled. “My dear student, your lineage is one of more importance than you have been told.” She peered at the statues surrounding the three. “In fact, your ancestry is more crucial and esteemed than all others in Equestrian history. One that we both share.”
Twilight gazed at Celestia and Luna, then around at the magnificent statues surrounding her and the princesses. Each clearly had the wings and horn of an Alicorn, and each was adorned with a majestic crown similar to Celestia’s and Luna’s.
The sudden overwhelming realization hit Twilight abruptly. However, the mare still couldn’t grasp how or why it was possible, thus dismissed it immediately. “Princess . . . are you saying that we’re . . . related? Surely you aren’t—”
Celestia smiled. However, it was Princess of the Night this time who stepped forward and interrupted. “Precisely, our young subject. Thou art descended from the ancient and pristine royal Canterlot bloodline. Thou hast more importance than thou perceivest, Twilight Sparkle.”
The Unicorn collapsed backward onto her hind legs, her mouth hanging open in awe, her eyes fully dehiscent. Even though her considerable intellect had arrived at that conclusion already, her mind still could not comprehend it.
Eventually, Twilight regained her composure. “B—But how? My parents aren’t royalty; they’re just regular Unicorns. And so am I!” Twilight grinned sheepishly. ”I’m just a regular old Unicorn. Do I look like I have wings?” The Unicorn glanced down at both her sides. “Nope! No wings! Nothing royal about me!” she said frantically.
Twilight stood on four legs, and spun around to face the opposite direction of the princesses. Though it was hard for the intelligent and sedulous mare to believe her wise mentor was capable of constituting such an obvious mistake, however that was simply the only logical conclusion.
She began to stagger towards the exit, the half-cocked grin still on her face. “Thank you for the nice statuary tour, princesses, but I have much studying on friendship...”
The diarchs stared at one another and rolled their eyes. Celestia tapped her hoof with much chagrin. “Twilight Sparkle! You return and face me this instant!” she commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.
The Unicorn froze. Now contemplating the raw impudence of her actions, she lowered her head, and slowly turned and sauntered back in her mentor’s direction. Without a word, Twilight returned to her previous spot and looked up at Celestia.
“Good. Now Twilight, as my sister was saying, you are directly descended from me and from her, in addition to all the previous rulers of Equestria, whose sculptures you see in this room.”
Twilight shook her head. It made no rhyme or reason to her. “But, princess, how can I be descended from you? I’m a Unicorn! Don’t I need to be an Alicorn like you and Princess Luna to be considered royalty?”
Celestia glanced to her right at the two Alicorn statues directly adjacent to the three. “My most faithful student, could you please remind me the names of the ponies these statues depict?”
Celestia’s student studied the statues for a couple of seconds. “Princess, you already said that was you—”
“Precisely, Twilight. Now, could you please tell me who is depicted in the painting situated on the wall between the statues?”
Twilight moved a few steps over in order to bring the painting into her own line of sight. She was startled upon gazing at it a second time, since she had nearly forgotten it was there. The painting illustrated two ordinary mares, a Unicorn and a Pegasus. The white Unicorn stood in front of the royal Canterlot palace, her long, pink, flowing mane billowing majestically in the wind. A Pegasus mare with a deep blue coat and mane hovered directly overhead, her mane flowing in a similar fashion to the Unicorn’s. The Unicorn’s and the Pegasus’ cutie marks were identical to Princess Celestia’s and Luna’s, a magnificent sun and a crescent moon respectively.
“No,” she responded breathlessly. The similarity was undeniable. Though the princesses had already acknowledged the identities of the ponies, it hadn’t really sunk in yet, having arrived in the midst of an overwhelming rush of information.
“Are those mares really you and Princess Luna? But . . . how?”
Luna raised a hoof in the direction of Twilight. “Verily, Twilight Sparkle, ‘tis a picture portraying our persons, but it dates back two millennia ago, before we embarked on our journey—”
Celestia turned to face her sister and raised a hoof as well. “Luna, we’ll get to that soon, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. I’m sure this is already very shocking and confusing for her.”
Twilight, in fact, was more perturbed than ever. All this talk about her possibly being royalty, the princesses not being Alicorns at one point, and a mysterious ‘journey,’ was quite distressing to the poor mare. “But . . . I’ve read you were always Alicorns.”
Celestia turned to face her befuddled pupil again. “My most faithful student, my sister and I were not simply born Alicorns, and none of those who came before us were either.” She began to slowly trot further down the hallway, and Twilight followed. Luna, however, remained behind.
Celestia gazed up at the paintings of other Alicorn monarchs from a time long past. “Each and every one of us was born to ordinary pony couples, as it were, and all began as any one of the three pony races. As you discovered earlier, I began life as a Unicorn, and Luna as a Pegasus. And we were raised as such. Just like you Twilight, I seemed to have a great aptitude in the skill of magic.”
“Equestria was once ruled by several Alicorn rulers. At one time, with the exception of me and Luna, every Alicorn in this hall reigned over this land as equals. Each had an individual responsibility—to raise the sun and moon, for instance, or to create laws, or to keep the peace in Equestria. The list goes on, but you get the idea . . .”
Celestia stopped, staring up at one Alicorn statue in particular. “This Alicorn here, a stallion by the name of Prince Incantus, was the monarch who discovered my magical potential and brought me under his wing, just like I did with you, Twilight.”
Twilight studied the Prince’s statue. He was a very large, robust stallion, similar in appearance to Applejack’s elder brother Big Macintosh. “Princess, you said each Alicorn had a different job. What was his?”
“He was in charge of the education of ponies across Equestria, and was the dean of the School for Gifted Unicorns here in Canterlot,” rendered Celestia in a proud tone.
“So why did he choose you to be his personal student?” Twilight placed one of her front hooves over her mouth, and shot a frightened look plastered on the Unicorn’s face. “Forgive me princess, I didn’t mean to suggest you weren’t worthy of such an honor, as I’m sure you most certainly were.”
Princess Celestia chuckled, “Oh Twilight, there’s no need for an apology, everything is quite alright. But as I was about to explain, my exceptional magical talent was not his only rationale for selecting me, as that was not my only rationale for selecting you.”
If Twilight wasn’t flabbergasted before, she most certainly was now. She had never read in any book about a ‘Prince Incantus’ or any other past Alicorn before. Very little was known about the pre-Draconequian era and war over two thousand years prior, and Celestia revealing that the Unicorn’s magical talent wasn’t the only reason for her being chosen was like icing on the cake.
“My most faithful student, do you recall Luna declaring your descendance from the royal Canterlot family?”
Twilight gazed down at the stone-cold floor, deep in thought. Suddenly, her head shot up in the princess’s direction. “Yes, princess, I do. But how can that be?”
“There are many descendants of the royal family, and the mark of descendance is something only an Alicorn can detect. I am not sure to whom you are descended from, but I felt your royal heritage the first day I laid eyes on you at that entrance exam.
Celestia once again stared up at the Incantus statue. "Only a member of the royal family can become an Alicorn. However, nearly all spend their entire lives as normal ponies without discerning it, very few branches know such as my nephew Prince Blueblood, who is emphatically not qualified. Only a very select few are considered qualified for the journey, and even fewer succeed. None, in fact, have succeeded since Luna and I claimed the throne, but I foresaw the potential in you as a filly, and you have accomplished far more than any other student I’ve had in centuries past. That is why Luna and I have concluded that you, Twilight, are truly ready.”
Twilight’s eyes grew wide, slowly beginning to understand. “Your majesty, are you saying you want me to join you and Princess Luna in Canterlot? To rule Equestria as an Alicorn? And I have to go on this journey in order to do so?”
“Yes, my student. One cannot simply ‘become’ an Alicorn, one must prove their worthiness. You must first embark on a quest, a sort of test to prove your worth. You must seek out a wellspring, one that shall grant a royal member the title of Alicorn should you discover its splendor.”
“Where can I find it? And do I have to do it alone? Oh, Princess, this is too much for me to handle!”
Celestia placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I know, my student. I recall feeling completely overwhelmed when Incantus delivered me the same revelation. But he wouldn’t have if he didn’t truly believe I was ready. The same goes for you, Twilight Sparkle.”
A small grin grew on the Unicorn’s face as she peered up at her mentor.
“‘Tis not a journey for the feeble-minded pony.”
Twilight and Celestia turned their heads to acknowledge Luna had approached them.
“Thou shalt face unimaginable physical and intellectual hardships whilst on your quest to find the Wellspring of Immortality, as I, my sister, and all other Alicorns did so long ago. We cannot reveal to thee the location, only point thee in the correct direction.”
“As much as I would like your way to be easy, everything my younger sister stated is true. I will be honest, Twilight, this journey will test you to the fullest of your abilities.” Celestia glanced over at Luna. “However, you may bring one companion to help you along the way. One that you feel will benefit you the most. In my case, that was my younger sister.”
Twilight stared up at Celestia, then over to Luna. “What direction? Why can’t you just tell me? Who should I choose? Are you saying whoever I choose will become an Alicorn like Luna did? How am I descended royalty?” Twilight placed her front hooves over her eyes. “I don’t know!”
Celestia cantered past the Unicorn in the direction of the exit. “Relax, my student. I believe this is enough information for today. More shall be revealed in the morning, after you divulge into dinner and a good night’s sleep.”
Without another word, Twilight nodded and followed Celestia past the statues again, before exiting the chamber. Luna, however, remained behind.
“Princess Celestia, what happened to all the other Alicorns?” Twilight asked as they ascended the stairs to the dormitories. “I thought they were immortal.”
Celestia stopped. Sorrow masked the princess's face, appearing as quickly as it was replaced with her subtle, usual tranquility. “That is not important at this moment, Twilight. It is a story for another time. Right now, you should be deciding who you believe should accompany you on the journey.”
That was one of many things that troubled the Unicorn at the moment. Whom should she choose?
