Equus Equilibrium

Stories come and go and the history behind them simply vanishes as time goes on. But some stories stay with us, even if we didn't know it. Seeing the ponies go about their daily lives without a care in the world brought a smile to even the coldest of hearts. Celestia, considered to be the main ruler of the grand country of Equestria. Along with her sister, Luna, Celestia reigned over her ponies with a gentle hoof and an even gentler smile. The sun is meant to be a beacon of hope, one that Celestia looks up to with wonder each and every day. It was not always as it is now. The world was once ravaged by war, deceit, and all manners of unspeakable evil. War corrupts all that it touches and no matter how long you avoid it, its effects can be seen and remembered for almost all of eternity. Just as you cannot completely wash away the light, you cannot simply brush away the darkness. It resides within us all, waiting to take control when we're the most vulnerable. Then again, the light does the exact same thing. It is a never ending cycle, really. Equus seemed to be on a roll here with this prolonged peace.

Celestia's mane whipped across her face due to a heavy gush of wind, snapping her away from her deep thought. She glanced down at the dark streets below, barely illuminated by the moon's rays. With a final smile to the few ponies still awake down below, she turned around and entered the door behind her, leaving the balcony empty once again. She crossed the carpeted floor with no haste, as her duties were completed for the day. Well, all save for one of her biggest, and most recent duty, to have ever graced her life. Her daughter, whose name was Melody, had been born eight years ago. She had always planned to have a daughter or son for the longest time, but she never had the time to settle down. With the world as peaceful as it is now, it seemed like the perfect time. The joy of having a foal to call your own was a feeling next to nothing. Though, she considered the ponies of Equestria to be her children, Melody was something else entirely. Melody was everything that Celestia cherished in this world.

Celestia had fashioned the room next to her own to be made into a foal's room when she had found out about her. She stopped at the door that sat next to a recently-installed fire place, her smile widening as she grasped the handle with her magic. With a turn of the knob, the door slowly swung open to reveal a bouncing filly upon a queen-sized bed. The filly's eyes widened with joy at the sight of her mother, almost immediately jumping down from the bed to assault the older mare with hugs and kisses. Celestia laughed and returned Melody's love in full. Melody liked to do this sort of thing every time they met each other in the same room after being away from each other. It was a small phase the filly was in, but it was a phase that Celestia loved.

Melody was a snow-white filly with a sparkling blue and white mane that flowed, just as her mother's did. The filly's pretty, green eyes were always filled with wonderment and curiosity of the world around her. Her hooves tapped the ground lightly, as they always did when she was overly excited. Celestia didn't think that Melody knew about that habit because she always seemed surprised whenever it was pointed out. Looking into her daughter's eyes, Celestia could see herself as a young filly. It was like looking into a mirror everyday that had a mind of its own.

Melody's backed off a bit, giving her mother some room to breathe, "How was work, mommy? Did you have fun?"

Celestia walked over to the bed and sat down, levitating her daughter next to her as she did so, "Oh, things were interesting and fun as they usually always are," she looked down at the small filly with a slight grin, "but I did come across a dragon. Can you guess who I saw today?"

Melody's face lit up with excitement and she started tapping her back hooves against the princess's thighs, "Did you see Spikey? Are Twilight and Spikey here?"

Celestia giggled a little and patted Melody's head, "Yes, Spike and Twilight are visiting the castle for a couple of days. Rarity came along, too, but the others stayed in Ponyville. Oh, I remember when you and Spike used to play together... you were both so cute!"

Melody deadpanned at Celestia, obviously not amused by being called cute, "I am not cute, mommy!" she brushed a bit of her mane away from her eyes, grinning a child-like grin as she did so, "I'll have you know that I am beautiful and sophisticated."

Celestia laughed at that, realizing what Melody was doing later than she would have liked, "Blueblood would be offended if he found out that you were impersonating him, Melody," she went on the mutter under her breath, glancing away from Melody, "Then again, when isn't he offended by something?"

Melody didn't seem to hear the remark about blueblood, or if she did, she definitely didn't show it, "I'll talk to them tomorrow... but right now, I'm really sleepy. Can you tell me another story, mommy? Something you haven't told me before?"

Celestia thought for a moment, wondering what story she hadn't told her daughter yet. After so many years, trying to be original was a tad difficult. She looked down at her expectant daughter, wondering if it was time to pass down one of the most ancient stories ever told. But was she ready for such a story? It didn't seem like something you'd tell an eight-year-old. Then again, Celestia was only six when she heard this story, and she turned out pretty good. She looked up and out the window for a moment, knowing that this might take a while.

Celestia looked back down at her daughter with a motherly smile, "I'd like to tell you a story passed down to me through generations of different alicorns. My mother told me this story and her mother told her about it. Her mother's mother's mother lived through this period of time. It is said that without these events, Equestria would have never been created. I would like to tell you about the Equus Equilibrium. You haven't heard of this, have you?"

Melody shook her head, child-like curiosity pouring into her eyes, "No, mommy, you haven't told me about the Equus Equil-... wibium..."

Celestia chuckled at the way Melody pronounced the last word, shaking her head, "No, honey, it's equilibrium. Equus Equilibrium. You know Equus obviously, but equilibrium is a fancy way of saying that things are in perfect harmony... balanced."

Melody said equilibrium a couple more times until she got it right. Celestia wished that she had birthed a foal sooner... this was a treasure unlike any other. She moved her daughter and herself to sit further up on the bed, sitting up against the headboard, using the pillows as cushions. The little filly was doing her hoof tapping thing again, obviously excited to hear mommy's story.

Celestia brought a hoof to the filly's head, brushing her mane gently and slowly, "The story begins long before Equestria was made... back when Earth ponies, pegasuses, and unicorns didn't like each other for their differences. Well, most of them anyway. There were towns and cities here and there that accepted everypony for who they were. This was long before the great ice storm that brought the windigos. This was known as the time of Grand Exploration. We didn't know much about our continent and the continents out at sea. We were still finding our way in the world, still curious about what was on the other side of the mountains, and the mountains after that. Back then, there were different countries for the three different pony races. Along with the other countries for different species as well. The countries didn't really like each other... but they tried to tolerate each other's presence in this world as best as they could. Unfortunately, war was inevitable and the countries waged it for hundreds of years. Twenty years before the end of these wars, a small colt was born... according to legend, he was just as cute as you, Melody."

Celestia tapped Melody's nose for added effect, making the small filly giggle, "This colt would bring about a change that is still seen to this day. The Equus Equilibrium. Arguably the most important event to ever occur in this world's history. But let's start when the colt was born, shall we? It was a dark and stormy night, filled with dangers of many kinds. In the middle of a prairie, there laid a solitary barn... red against the blackened night. Through the roar of the wind and rain, and the crashing of the lightning, a small cry of an infant could be heard..."