The Gift of the Founders
By Alaborn
A Jinglemas gift for Carabas
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Daring Do was retired.
No more travel to sweltering jungles and scorching deserts. No more abandoned temples where everything was in ruins save for the traps. No more rivals trailing her every step, looking to steal her glory. Just her, her writing, and a good cup of tea. And any travel to distant lands would involve giving guest lectures at symposia, nothing more.
That didn’t stop the rumors, of course. Her numerous contacts in universities and museums still had her ear, still passed on word about forgotten treasures and the mysterious benefactors willing to fund expeditions to recover them. And the rumors grew stronger. Some even claimed that Princess Celestia herself was interested in the recovering of one particular item.
But Daring Do was retired.
She sat at home, hooves on her typewriter, tea cooling off to the side. Just her, her writing, a good cup of tea... and a knock on her door.
Three short knocks, followed by one more, then two slow knocks. A code she shared with only her most trusted friends and advisors. Each knock had the slight metallic sound of a shod hoof. But something sounded off.
Daring Do assessed the situation. She mentally recorded the location of her hidden weapons, and noted two methods of egress should a tactical withdrawal be necessary. Then she opened the door.
The last pony she expected to see was Princess Celestia. Yet there she was.
“Good day to you, Miss Yearling. I wish to speak with you about a proposition,” she said. “Is that tea?”
And so Daring Do found herself sitting at her own kitchen table with one of the ruling princesses of Equestria, drinking tea. She felt horribly underdressed in her simple shawl, and she cringed to think what Princess Celestia thought of her simple herbal brew compared to what she was served at the castle. But as the princess set down her teacup, she maintained her standard serene expression.
“I thought you would have picked up by now the rumors of a lost treasure deep in the Everfree Forest,” Celestia finally said.
“I have heard the rumors, true. But that’s a rumor for someone else to act upon. I’m retired.”
Celestia chuckled. “Is that the third time you’ve retired? The fourth?”
“I mean it this time,” Daring Do said.
“If you are retired from the life of a thrill-seeking adventurer, I would hope you would still entertain a humble request for aid, as you have helped me many times before.”
Daring Do had often suspected that the rumors that led her to powerful artifacts that were a danger to Equestria and the entire world had their origins with Princess Celestia herself. This was the closest she’d ever get to admitting that fact.
“I’m listening,” Daring Do said.
“What I wish to be found is not something that is a danger to all. It is a small item, and its only value is sentimental. But it would mean so much to me were it to be recovered.”
A mission that didn’t start with cryptic clues and whispered rumors would be a refreshing change. “So what is it that you are looking for?”
“I do not know.”
It took all of Daring Do’s willpower to avoid facehoofing. “What can you tell me?” she said through gritted teeth.
“I do not know what it looks like because it was intended to be a gift, and the exact form of this gift was kept from me so that I may be surprised as well. It was an item that fit in a box no larger than my hoof. Know that it contained a bit of magic from Clover, Pansy, and Smart Cookie. Were I to see the item once again, I would recognize the magic. But all my attempts to divine its location have failed.”
“Magical divination is a poor substitute for hooves-on exploration,” Daring Do said.
“I agree. Thus, why I am here with you. Will you help me?”
“I will,” Daring Do said. “Now, tell me everything you can about what I’m looking for.”
Daring Do still considered herself retired.
Her familiar vest and pith helmet fit perfectly, but she was wearing them because they were practical, not because she was an adventurer.
At least this expedition was local.
Princess Celestia remembered keeping the item for centuries, treasuring it as a symbol of harmony and cooperation, hoping against hope that she would one day be able to give it. She lost track of it only after Luna’s descent into Nightmare Moon and the subsequent war that drove her from her ancient castle. The idea that a lost item was waiting to be found in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters intrigued Daring Do. It especially intrigued her because the castle had already been explored, and was in fact being actively rebuilt. That there was something left to be discovered was surprising, but only somewhat so. After all, it hadn’t been explored by the best in the business.
Ponies feared the Everfree Forest, but compared to the jungles of the Amarezon, it was a trot in the park. The worst the local reptiles could do was petrify you. She’d take that any day over being digested for all eternity by the two heads of an amphisbaena.
So, using common sense, she entered the Everfree Forest at dawn, followed the well-worn trail to the castle, and arrived in good time, with the most dangerous thing she faced being a pack of puckwudgies.
Daring Do took off her pith helmet and shook the spines free. They never should have gotten the jump on her. She looked at the now holey helmet. Well, at least she’d be able to strain her pasta in an emergency.
The Castle of the Two Sisters looked more like an archaeological dig than the abandoned temples she was used to. Scaffolding was erected in several places to aid with the restoration work, and several recovered items were in various stages of being cleaned and tagged.
Daring Do wandered the castle, getting a feel for the layout, looking for traps and places where she could be ambushed. Not to say that was always going to happen, but the traditional approach of swirling rumors tended to send word of these discoveries to the wrong ears, and... well, it always happened. But for now, she needed to find a hidden passage. And not the three she had already found; she could see they had been used before.
The wing of the castle that was once Princess Luna’s was her primary focus. If the item was lost during the rise of Nightmare Moon, then she would start there. Like the solar wing, the lunar wing featured numerous portraits and statues, all of the night princess. Daring Do looked down one corridor, where more statues rested in alcoves. One statue caught her attention. Its eyes had been altered to show the slit pupils of Nightmare Moon’s form.
She examined the statue in detail. She saw how it rested a bit higher than the others. She found seams in the floor. She poked and prodded until she found the hidden switch. The statue sank into the wall, revealing a hidden staircase.
The staircase descended into a rough-hewn corridor, somehow glowing with the light of the full moon. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she felt unnaturally heavy on her hooves. Daring Do flapped her wings, and succeeded only at fanning herself inefficiently, confirming her suspicion. Antimagic.
Figures. She finally makes it to the ruin without injury, and she still can’t fly.
The floor of the corridor leveled out, and then opened into a stretch of stone tiles, each engraved with images of suns and moons. She spotted small holes in the walls.
It was a trap.
It was not a very creative trap, however. Dastardly villains had had centuries to improve on their craft. So it was with confidence that Daring Do picked out a path of tiles that all showed the moon in front of the sun, followed it, and emerged unscathed.
She had to follow the path. There was no chance the trap wasn’t still active.
Beyond the trap, the corridor turned and opened into a natural cavern. Daring Do shielded her eyes. Even in the dim pseudo-moonlight, the room glittered. Gold coins and gems littered the floor, surrounding a pedestal upon which rested five spherical shapes.
She recognized the shapes immediately. They were the Elements of Harmony, or rather the form the Elements of Harmony had taken in the past. Which meant they were fakes.
She picked up a gold coin and balanced it on a feather. It was too light—most likely copper painted gold. She rolled a gem under her hoof and pressed down; it shattered instantly. Glass.
Why create such an elaborate fake? She tried to put herself into the mindset of Nightmare Moon. She knew that Princess Celestia had used the power of the Elements to banish Nightmare Moon, so it would make sense that Nightmare Moon would fear the Elements. Any time Princess Celestia spend trying to use the fake elements would be wasted, allowing Nightmare Moon to act freely. That would lead to the conclusion that the physical Elements weren’t present, and that they needed to be summoned.
Could Nightmare Moon have summoned them? If so, she could lay a trap by claiming to have summoned them. But then Princess Celestia could have summoned them herself, using her own connection to the Elements of Harmony. So she would have to prevent that.
She thought back to what Princess Celestia had told her, that the lost gift represented harmony. If Nightmare Moon had believed that to be Celestia’s tie to the elements, then she would have taken it first. And if it were kept in an antimagic zone, then that would explain why not even Princess Celestia’s magic could find it.
Daring Do looked at the pedestal, ignoring the obvious trap that was the fake elements. Her sharp eyes found a seam, and then the hidden switch to open it. It opened to reveal a hidden alcove, in which rested a box, no bigger than Princess Celestia’s hoof.
She pulled out the box, went to open it, and hesitated. Not even Princess Celestia had seen what was inside it, and so it seemed wrong to open it. But then again, this room was filled with tricks and deception. She had to open it to be sure.
That was her story, and she was sticking to it.
Daring Do looked upon a glowing amulet. It was clear crystal, with three elements sealed inside. A mundane quartz crystal, a sliver of ruby charged with magic, and the tiniest puff of storm cloud. As she watched, the cloud emitted a tiny spark of electricity, which struck the quartz crystal. It reacted, releasing a spark that flew to the ruby. The ruby glowed, and a mote of magic shot into the cloud. All the while, magic trickled from the three nodes to the amulet’s center, where the energy caused an etching of the original Equestrian coat of arms to glow.
She frowned. The amulet was beautiful, but it was just a perpetual motion machine, a foal’s toy. It wasn’t hard to craft a chain of actions and keep it moving forever by drawing upon Equestria’s ambient magic.
Daring Do started to put down the amulet, but then paused. She flapped her wings, again to no effect, confirming that she was still in the antimagic zone. That meant the magic in the amulet had persisted for a millennium... in an antimagic zone.
It had to be the magic of the Founders. Only the magic of those who had ignited the fires of friendship could persist in such circumstances.
With the amulet tucked safely under one wing, Daring Do retraced her steps, following the safe path down the corridor, climbing the stairs, and returning to the surface. She first checked to see if anypony was present, and then pushed the statue back in place, hiding the secret staircase once again.
When she reached the castle courtyard, Daring Do found Princess Celestia waiting. To her surprise, the princess bowed to her. “I came as soon as I felt the energies,” she said.
Daring Do returned the bow and presented the amulet.
Celestia took the amulet in her hooves, and then cradled it to her body. “I would like to thank you for recovering my lost Hearth’s Warming gift. I never had a chance to give it, but now that I finally do, I will not miss my chance again.”
Daring Do wrinkled her muzzle in confusion. The only beings as old as her were Princess Luna and Discord, and both had been free for several Hearth’s Warmings. No one else would be alive, not without a whole lot of magic.... Then she realized it. “Star Swirl. You meant to give to give this to Star Swirl.”
Celestia nodded. “Indeed.” She rose to her full height. “A. K. Yearling, as the great hero Daring Do, you have thwarted countless evils, all without a thought of compensation. Today, you indulged this selfish old mare’s wish, again acting out of the good of your heart. I cannot let your good deeds go unrewarded. Tell me what you would ask of me.”
“You’ve given me the idea for another book, and that’s more than enough,” Daring Do said. “But if you are willing, I wish to hear about why you commissioned this gift.”
Princess Celestia’s horn flared, and she summoned a table, two cushions, and a tea service. “Then sit down, for it is an enlightening tale.”
Two young alicorn fillies walked into a cluttered laboratory. There were tubes and flasks and reagents everywhere, but they were all covered with dust. The only part of the room getting regular attention were the three slate chalkboards, all covered in arcane formulae. And standing in front of them, as normal, was a gray unicorn wearing a bell-lined hat and cape.
Just like their last several visits, Star Swirl did not notice their arrival. Celestia and Luna looked at each other and nodded. “Good morning, honored teacher,” they spoke in unison.
Star Swirl jumped, the chalk and eraser falling out of his magical grasp. The eraser hit the edge of the chalkboard and released a puff of dust, causing Star Swirl to cough. He turned and stared at the fillies. “Yes?”
“We’re here for our magic lessons,” Celestia said.
“Goodness. Is it Monday already?”
“It’s Wednesday,” Celestia replied.
“We had your Monday lesson two days ago,” Luna added.
Star Swirl looked back at the chalkboard, and then at the two fillies. “Well, then, sit down.”
Celestia and Luna sat at their desks. Their lessons had become more challenging. Not because of the material, but because of their teacher. Star Swirl was frequently absent, traveling with his fellow heroic ponies, the ones everypony called the Pillars, to save the nation. To save their nation, Celestia reminded herself. The ponies of Equestria were looking to the two fillies to represent all the tribes equally, due to their heritage, but that meant learning the magic of the unicorn councils, the military strategies of the pegasus command, and the agricultural secrets of the earth ponies.
It was so much to learn, and it was made worse by Star Swirl’s lack of focus. Even when he was in the castle, he spent all his time working on this one new spell.
Star Swirl hadn’t started his lesson. His eyes were unfocused, meaning his mind was focused on that spell.
“Honored teacher?” Celestia said.
“Yes?” Star Swirl said.
“Last lesson, you were teaching us about teleporting objects and the arcane... uh... kittynic....”
“Arcanokinetic. The arcanokinetic matrix,” Star Swirl corrected.
“Yes, that,” Celestia said.
“We can’t get it to work,” Luna admitted.
“That is nonsense,” Star Swirl said. “You possess the ability to move the heavens, the very definition of what it means to have magic. You took control of the heavens when the greatest of all unicorns failed. All other magic is a mere whisper of the power you command.”
“But we can’t even move a feather from one point to another without holding our magic onto it!” Luna said.
“Then you need to practice more,” Star Swirl said tersely.
“Can you show us again?” Celestia asked.
Star Swirl harrumphed and turned to the chalkboard. He found one unused corner and wrote out a visual depiction of the arcane concept. There wasn’t much space, so his writing was very small. Celestia and Luna had to move closer to see.
“There. The principle is simple, and with your power, you should master it in no time. Now practice,” Star Swirl ordered.
The fillies practiced, but found no success that day, either. And Star Swirl was no help, either, as the old stallion was once again lost in the study of his new spell.
“It’s not fair,” Luna said to Celestia. “Why do we have to learn all this magic?”
“As representatives of all three tribes, it is our responsibility to understand them all,” Celestia said. “And Clover says nopony knows more about magic than Star Swirl.”
“I think Clover could teach us faster than Star Swirl,” Luna said. “Hey! Let’s find him!”
While Celestia was not in a mood to repeat her frustrating magic lessons, she did have to agree that Clover was a good teacher, during those occasions where he taught them in the absence of Star Swirl. And so they looked for the stallion, finding him in the library.
“Good day, princesses,” Clover said. “I don’t often see both of you in the library. Is something wrong?”
“We can’t make things teleport!” Luna said, and Celestia nodded.
“It is difficult,” Clover said. “You must visualize the movement involved, the start and end, and compress it all so that time is removed as a variable. That is the fundamental difference between telekinesis and teleportation.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. “That makes sense! How come Star Swirl didn’t explain it that way?”
“Because he never explains anything,” Luna whined. “He’s too busy with that stupid spell.”
Clover shook his head sadly. “He is. Never before has Star Swirl tried to create a spell and still not succeeded after all this time. I fear it is now an obsession.”
“What spell is so important, anyway?” Celestia asked.
“He is trying to understand you,” Clover said.
“Us?” both fillies said.
“Yes, you. Alicorns. How you can control the sun and moon without hurting your magic. How clouds bend to your slightest touch and plants thrive in your presence.”
“Pansy says it’s our special magic,” Celestia said.
“But Star Swirl says the only magic is proper unicorn spells,” Luna continued.
Clover shook his head. “I’m afraid that stubborn old stallion will never change,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Luna said.
“‘Sun and moon, stars and heavens, but above all, magic. These are the birthright of all unicorns.’ That is what we learned in the old unicorn kingdom. We no longer control the sun and the moon and the heavens. And to acknowledge that unicorn magic is the same as the magic of the other tribes? There would be nothing left of what it means to be a unicorn.”
Celestia and Luna nodded.
“Star Swirl is convinced that your magic is unicorn magic, just magnified,” Clover continued.
“What do you think?” Celestia asked.
“I know your magic is special. Because I’ve felt it.”
“You have?” Luna said.
“Yes. I tried, many times, to use my magic to drive away the cold. But it was not until that one night, deep in the cave, with the spirits of hatred surrounding us in their unnatural winter, that I felt something more powerful than my magic. I saw Pansy, saw Smart Cookie, and wanted more than anything to create a land that we all could call home. Together, we shared a moment in unity and drove back the ice of hatred. It is a unity that has taken form in you.”
“Can you teach that to Star Swirl?” Celestia said.
“Please?” Luna pleaded
“I’ve tried,” Clover said. He looked at the fillies, now imploring him with the watery eyes of a sad puppy dog. “No matter how much you plead, this is a lesson Star Swirl can only learn on his own.”
“Then teach him!” Luna said.
“Show him what you felt,” Celestia added.
“He would just tune it out if it came from me,” Clover said. “Wait a minute.” He thought for a moment. “With the help of Pansy and Smart Cookie....”
Clover concentrated, and arcane sigils floated in the air. At the center were three larger ones, which the fillies recognized as the symbols for unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony, arranged in a triangle shape. Magic swirled from one symbol to the next, forming a circle of energy that glowed brighter and brighter.
Clover let the image dissipate. He smiled. “Celestia, would you like to give your Honored Teacher a special gift this Hearth’s Warming?”
“Two months later, Clover presented me a box containing this amulet. But then, Star Swirl and the Pillars went off to fight a great evil, and never returned,” Princess Celestia said to finish her tale. Her eyes remained focused on the amulet crafted by Clover, Pansy, and Smart Cookie. “It is elegant in its simplicity,” she said.
“Do you think it would have worked? I mean, helped Star Swirl?” Daring Do asked.
“I do not know. When Star Swirl first learned his final spell had been finished by Twilight Sparkle, he said he never would have conceived that friendship was magic.” Celestia stood, and then twirled the amulet in her magic. “But as a friend, I believe that even an old pony like him can learn a new trick.”
Daring Do smiled as she stood. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the gift. I mean, how many ponies receive a Hearth’s Warming gift from the princess?”
Princess Celestia smiled. It was a smile that said she knew something.
When they stepped outside the castle, Daring Do saw a remarkable sight. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies had followed her here. But this time, they sat in a pile, wrapped up in ribbon, with a big bow on Caballeron’s head. The villain scowled fiercely at Daring Do and Princess Celestia.
“When I arrived here, I happened to see this motley crew,” Celestia said. “And I thought, what a wonderful gift for an active adventurer!”
“Retired adventurer,” Daring Do said. “I love it, Princess.”
“Happy early Hearth’s Warming, Daring Do,” Celestia said.
“Thank you, Princess.” Daring Do bowed, and then, with a tip of her helmet, took to the skies. The loveliest of holiday carols rang in her ears as she flew home.
“I’ll get you, Daring Doooo!”
Author's Note
One of the problems involved in writing a story set around the founding of Equestria is that canon details are hazy. When Celestia and Luna were born relative to the events of Hearth's Warming, the relative ages of Star Swirl, Clover, and the princesses, even the genders of the Founders.
And then there's the big one: exactly how long did Celestia and Luna rule together before Luna became Nightmare Moon? And when, during that period, did Discord rule?
