And They Shall Not Call Thee Princess

“And They Shall Not Call Thee Princess”

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction by Wertyla

Chapter One: “O, What a Fool Thou Art”

The sky was a dark, ominous gray over the whole of Equestria, the wind howled in the trees and sheets of rain poured from the heavens onto the land below. It was late, some time after sunset, so the inhabitants of this land were all safe and cozy in their beds, with doors locked and candles snuffed. All were asleep but two sisters, who were two princesses, the most important beings in the country, or so they proudly proclaimed to their subjects. The younger one, Luna, an elegant sapphire blue alicorn with a mane made of stars, was off on her nightly duty, to spread pleasant dreams to the ponies resting in the houses below Canterlot Castle. The elder, Celestia, a swan-like figure in radiant white with a mane of flowing pastels, should have retired for the night, but had instead decided to take a relaxing stroll through the hallways of her vast palace.

Canterlot Castle glowed from within, a beacon of light high on a mountaintop that would have inspired awe in any pony who would care to glance at it from their window. Celestia delighted in projecting this motif. Her subjects must see from her and her living place only light, no darkness. They would expect nothing less from her as their deity, for she was the sun incarnate. She was not only their leader, but their supreme goddess, and although they did not pray to her, her name was only invoked in the greatest reverence. Though she did not create this world in which she reigned, all beings in it bowed to her. She had lived for over a thousand years and was confident that she was immortal and would rule forever.

She could not see all, however, and on this very night failed to notice a lone, haggard figure making its way steadily up the rocky, winding path that led to the castle. The pony was a withered old unicorn mare, so dry and gnarled that she looked practically mummified. A few locks of snowy white hair peeked out from under the hood of her thick black cape. She appeared feeble, and trembled with every step she took, and yet the wild storm raging around her did not seem to deter her in any way. For her, it was as though there was no foul weather at all. The mare moved at an unnatural speed. It took her mere minutes to cover a distance that should have taken weeks. She stood boldly at the gates of Canterlot Castle and cast a shrewd eye at her surroundings. Guards were on their watch at the usual places, and yet they did not see her. She was only seen when she wished to be seen, so to them, she was invisible. This did not satisfy her, however. Hers was a mission of the utmost significance and delicacy, and she did not feel that she could take even the most minor of chances. All risk must be eliminated.

“Thou stayest awake to earn thy keep,” came her quiet chant, “but thou growest weary and must sleep. Go lay down thy tired head, be as senseless of the world as one who is dead.”

Without a sound, the guards began to nod and sway, finally giving in to the magic that was overcoming them and falling unconscious at their posts. The old mare smiled at how easy it was to bend these ponies to her will, and laughed that they did not even know what hit them. She slipped past with no trouble and silently pushed the castle doors open. Light flooded out onto the dark entrance where she stood, and she stepped into it. Now to find Princess Celestia…

Celestia gave a heavy sigh, no longer content to pace up and down the magnificent marble floors of the halls and gaze at the ornate, hoof-crafted tapestries decorated with her mark. She entered the Starswirl Royal Library. Her currently most faithful student, one Twilight Sparkle, whom she had honored with the title of Princess of Friendship, was extraordinarily fond of books, so much so that Celestia would surround herself with them simply to see what all the fuss was about. She sat upon a velvet cushion and used her magic to levitate a book at random from the tall crystal shelves and open it in front of her. She read calmly for several minutes, and then something odd happened, which gave her a start. Words began to move on the pages, swirling and melting together until only two appeared. The book now read, “Look up.” Celestia gasped and lifted her head.

“I demand an audience with the princess,” the old mare said coolly, staring Celestia directly in the eye. A smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth, and as she noted the sun princess’s look of terrified astonishment, she could not help but laugh again. It was a coarse cackle that chilled Celestia to the core. “Do not seem so disturbed, Celestia. The common folk hath observed and expected that their leader showeth no fear. Thou art she, art thou not?”

Celestia rose, every muscle tensed. “Guards!” she called in a clear, powerful voice.

The old mare did not flinch. “Surely one as mighty as thou needeth not protection from a simple pony such as me?”

“Who are you and how did you get here?” Celestia boomed. Her horn lit up in a golden glow as she prepared to strike at any perceived attack, but this magic faded in an instant. What? She thought, how could this be? I have more magic than any unicorn or alicorn in Equestria!

The mare looked smug. “I prefer to answer thy questions in reverse order. It was simple to get here. Thy guards slumber. They hath proven themselves weak. Perhaps they ought to lose their positions, or possibly their heads. It hath been many centuries since thy last execution, hath it not, Celestia? Art thou growing soft? Too tender to reign as thou saith?”

“Times change, my mysterious intruder,” Celestia growled, “and with them, I change.”

“Very little, I see,” the mare replied. “Only enough so that thy subjects do not question thee. Thy punishments hath grown lenient, for thou saith thou art merciful. Still, thou livest as thou always hast. It hath been always for thee. This was promised to thee from thy birth.”

“You delight in archaic language and cryptic speech, but whatever point you are trying to make you are failing in showing to me. You have still told me nothing about yourself. Speak clearly, you hag, or begone!”

“When I considereth thee, I asketh of myself, ‘What significance hath I? What significance hath any being in light of such supremeness?’ I come here not to speak of myself, but only of thee. Thou art a divine being, all-powerful and almighty. Thy dominance in the world of ponies hath spanned over a millennium. Thy very presence causeth the strong to grow weak in thy honor, and all enemies tremble before thee. Thou hast known nothing else, and thou hast become complacent on thy high and sparkling throne. Thou hast never cast an eye upon a creature that hast not heard of thee, and thou hast banished or destroyed all who would not submit to thee. Thy will is law. To question it is heresy. This hath been thy life and thy everlasting legacy.”

“Surely you have not come here just to give me praise.”

“I needest not, Celestia. Thy subjects hath done so countless times. I desire to remind thee, o mighty being, that thou art a pony. Thy memory is as clear as thy crystal in matters of state, but in remembering thyself, thou also forget. Thou knowest in full measure what aspects of thyself command worship and love from all those who adore thee, but thou must know that thou art imperfect. Thou art blind not only to thy flaws but to the struggles of those simple, common ponies thou may deign to call thy loyal subjects. Thou acknowledgest their presence, but thou dost not know them. Even thy own sister, who hath spent a thousand years banished from them and thee, is more aware of their way of life. She gazeth into their dreams, but thou knowest nothing.”

Celestia’s cheeks burned with anger. She felt oddly ashamed, but could not identify precisely what she had done to cause this guilt. The princess convinced herself that this old mare was full of nonsense, charging her only with vague criticisms that could not possibly be proven. This pony was clearly a threat to her and to the Equestrian state, and must be dealt with in the proper fashion. Celestia calculated her moves. Her magic would not come to her defense, which greatly disturbed her. How did the hag gain the ability to disable one who must wield many times her power? In the many ages of her reign, Celestia had never seen anything like it. Was this form only a disguise, a glamour designed to fool her into thinking that her foe was benign? Was this pony some villain she had battled with before?

“Reveal yourself, you wicked spirit!” she cried, desperately attempting to hide her growing anxiety. A drop of sweat ran down her brow. “What are you, a demon? A beast long since banished to the darkest depths of Tartarus?”

“If I camest to thee from Tartarus, Celestia, wouldst that not indicate a weakness in thy security? Of course, I hath already shown that there is. Thou seemest powerless now, but all the more when I am finished with thee.”

The old mare grinned malevolently, flashing her yellowed and worn teeth at the princess. Her horn hummed like the rumbling of the thunder outside and exploded with energy, suddenly bursting ablaze. She would take joy in this, the fulfillment of her grand plan, the most important moment of all, the casting of the spell that would change a goddess forever. The fire roared above Celestia’s futile protests and crept slowly forward. The princess turned and made a break for the door, but the flames surrounded her, sealing off any escape route she may have had. She spread her large, luxurious wings and rose off the floor, but quickly choked on the thick, black smoke that swallowed her air.

“You will never get away with this!” Celestia coughed. “My sister… my guards… my most faithful student… Tartarus, even my niece… They will get you. I will not die, but I will be avenged!”

The mare replied calmly in a magical chant. “Thou art correct that thou wilt not die. Of my reasons to do this, to kill is not why. Mine is more hellfire than fatal blaze. ‘Tis meant to show thee the error in thy ways. O, what a fool thou art; I open thy eyes! Thou shalt receive an unpleasant surprise! I giveth not death, but a different life. Thy existence shall be with poverty rife. The moon shall still glow and thy precious sun shine. To live amongst thy ponies, this fate is thine!”

Celestia screamed as the rising inferno enveloped her. She could feel the heat eating away at her very being, melting her royal gold and jewels off of her body and nipping at her horn and wings. She felt suffocated, her speech stifled, and heard one last thing before her world faded completely into darkness. The old mare chattered with a victorious air, and let loose another cackle into the princess’s weary ears.

“One thing else that I may warn thee,” she taunted. “I hope that thou shalt look upon this as what thou calleth a ‘vacation’, and as well a ‘learning experience’. Thou shalt encounter many ponies different from thee, and yet quite alike… and they shall not call thee ‘princess’!”

With that, everything was gone for Celestia.

END OF CHAPTER ONE