The first stars of night sparkle in the twilight as Princess Celestia sets the sun and Luna raises the moon over the horizon. Soft orchestral music from the party inside floats out to them where they stand side by side on the balcony above the gardens. For a moment Luna allows herself to sway and hum in time with the cello and smile to her sister. Celestia looks skyward with her own smile, breathing easy in the moment.
Truly, this is a day worth celebrating. For this is the day Twilight Sparkle received her crown. She passed Celestia’s test and proved her worthiness. She is now an Alicorn.
Hoofsteps on the stone behind them causes them both to turn, finding the newly minted princess emerging from the ballroom in her pink and yellow dress.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I have so many questions!” Twilight’s voice is full of energy, bordering on giddy.
“As I knew you would.” Celestia laughs gently.
“Already? Do you not wish to acclimate to your new body?” Luna blinks and tips her head to the side.
“That’s actually what I want to ask about.” Briefly she flares her new wings, eying the vibrant purple feathers. “There’s so much I don’t know about Alicorn physiology.”
“I’m a little surprised you didn’t check your library first.”
“Well, I did.” Twilight blushes just a little. “But I don’t actually have anything on the topic, and there wasn’t really enough time before the ceremony.” She turns her eyes up to Celestia’s face, smile beaming. “So I thought I should ask the undisputed experts on the subject.”
“I would be happy to.” At this from Celestia, Twilight nearly bursts into excited squees.
“Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere a little more private?” Luna eyes the festivities just inside the ballroom, and the attending party-goers who may overhear.
“More private? Why?”
“My sister is right, much of what we have to say is something of a secret.” With this Celestia leaps over the railing and hovers over the garden a ways off.
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“Come along, Princess Sparkle.” Luna then follows her elder sister, leaving Twilight on the balcony alone. The two Alicorns wait there while Twilight first sets her forehooves on the railing, and then glances again at her wings. She gulps, loudly enough for both of them to hear it, and the jumps into the air. For a moment she hovers somewhat unsteadily, and then cautiously flaps her way over to the other two.
Celestia and Luna lead her to a gazebo far enough into the garden to afford them some privacy before setting down gently on the grass. The music from the party can still be heard, but they won’t be listened in on out here.
“I, uh, don’t have any experience landing yet.” Twilight hesitates while the other two set down gently.
“That’s alright, you’ll learn soon enough.” Celestia gestures for her to join them, Luna patiently wait in silence.
Twilight slowly lowers herself towards the ground. Just as she puts her rear hooves down she lands on the hem of her dress, pulling sharply on her wings and sending her plummeting face first into the grass. She groans from where she face-planted, more embarrassed than injured.
“I think we’ll leave that one out of the histories.” Celestia giggles lightly as she helps Twilight back to her feet. Once Twilight has straightened out and then folded her wings they all sit down on the cushions surrounding the table to talk.
For a moment they are silent. As the two princesses wait, Twilight sways slightly from side to side, visibly considering what to ask first.
“Well then, ask your questions.” This little push from Luna is all she needs.
“Am I going to grow taller?” Twilight nearly bursts. “Do my feathers grow back if I lose any? Do they share the same physical characteristics as bird feathers? Have my bones reduced in density to help with flight?” The questions come too fast to answer.
“Bone density?” Luna’s confused response goes unnoticed by Twilight as she continues her inquisitive barrage.
“Is my mane going to start animating the same way yours does? Are my eyes going to change shape? What about eyelashes, am I going to sprout more?” Her continual queries leave little room to respond, as she doesn’t even leave room for breath before launching into another. Celestia laughs aloud, not even this stops Twilight. “Are my hooves even still made of keratin?”
“Princess Sparkle, enough!” Luna can only stop the onslaught by forcing Twilight’s mouth shut with her own hoof, scrunching up the smaller Alicorn’s nose in the process.
“Oh, Twilight.” Celestia lets her giggles subside. “We can only answer one question at a time.” Luna releases Twilight, who opens her mouth to speak. Then she pauses, considering her choice of the first question carefully.
“I suppose I should ask the big one first. Am I immortal now? Un-aging the same way you two are?” She meets the eyes of Celestia first and then looks to Luna. The two sisters glance at each other, and then Celestia nods for Luna to answer.
“No.” This simple one-word answer almost hits Twilight like a brick, and she flinches as her mortality is confirmed. “Perhaps we should clarify.”
“My sister and I are not immortal. Not really.” Celestia slowly shakes her head. “It is true that we have not grown old in the same way as most ponies do, but we do age. Slowly, albeit. A thousand years ago, when I sealed Nightmare Moon, I was an inch or so shorter.”
“In time, we will grow old and die, as all living things do. It may be millennium more, but we will fade. In truth, the secret of our seemingly eternal youth is a mystery even to us. We suspect it has something to do with our connection to the sun and the moon.”
“Really? Is this the secret you mentioned?”
“One of them.” Luna nods.
“There are more?” Twilight blinks.
“Several. I expect you will realize them yourself as we speak.” Celestia falls silent, and Twilight considers what she said. The smaller pony looks down at her hoof for a moment and looks up again.
“How different am I now? From other Unicorns?”
“How different do you feel?” Celestia laughs softly as Twilight flares one wing to look at it. “Other than the obvious, of course.”
“I don’t really feel all that unusual. Excited to be sure, maybe even giddy. I can’t tell if I’ve changed other than my wings.”
“That is your answer.” Luna nods.
“What? I don’t understand.”
“Twilight, we can’t tell you how much you are going to change as an Alicorn, because we don’t know how much you were going to change as a Unicorn.” Celestia waits for a moment before continuing as she gathers her thoughts. “From a strictly biological standpoint, an Alicorn isn’t all that different from any other pony. Being transformed into one is unlikely to have significant changes other than wings.”
“Or a horn and magic, for a pony who was not a unicorn before ascension.”
“Although it wouldn’t surprise me if you grew a bit taller, you are still young.” Celestia brushes one hoof down Twilight’s mane and smiles supportively.
“But then… what about magic?” Twilight flips her gaze from one princess to the other, and then back. “Historical records show that every Alicorn who has ever existed has been one of the most powerful spellcasters to ever live!”
“Think harder, Princess Sparkle.” Luna frowns.
“What do you mean? This is a known historical fact. I could name a dozen books which mention them off the top of my horn.”
“You know there has never been a single naturally born Alicorn. Each and every one of those great wizards and sorceresses were Unicorns before they were Alicorns.” Celestia sighs heavily and looks up at the sky. “Even us.” They fall silent for a long while.
“You’ve never talked about that. It’s so easy to forget that you were a Unicorn first.”
“In time our story gave rise to the legend of the incredible power of the Alicorn.” Celestia sighs again. Twilight’s eyes sweep side to side as she considers this.
“Which brings up another question. Just how powerful am I now? Do I get my own star or another celestial object?”
“If you really want to move stars about, there is magic that can accomplish it.” Celestia waves an arm across the sky. “Although there isn’t much of a point, other than drawing your own constellations.”
“This will also earn you a flood of angry letters from astronomical societies.” Both Celestia and Twilight affix a curious eye on Luna, who squirms slightly. “Better to just leave the heavens alone.”
“As for the limits of your powers as an Alicorn. I am afraid I cannot answer that.”
“You can’t?”
“When you first came to study with me, I saw in you an aptitude for magic I have never seen before. As I taught you and watched you grow, I knew you would be one of the best. I cannot tell you just how far you can push your limits because I don’t know.” Twilight blushes under Celestia’s praise. “I have no doubt you will push them quite high.”
“That said, there are still some changes that are more quantifiable. Alicorns posses the endurance of the Earth pony, and this means you can expend more energy than before you start to feel the exhausting effects of magical overuse.” As Luna explains, Celestia nods. “If your normal pool of energy were comparable to a pond of water, and each spell a bucket of water taken from it, then you can imagine now that the water would be deeper. You may also discover that your strength returns somewhat faster than before. Although, you may not notice this unless you pay close attention.”
Twilight looks up at the sky, imagining the possibilities, and then the moon draws her attention. It brings to mind a question she had long been unwilling to ask.
“So… I never would have asked this before, it was something I didn’t think I had any right to know… but now…” she pulls her gaze back down to the two princesses before her, “just how powerful are you two?” Luna opens her mouth to speak, but Celestia holds up a hoof to stop her.
“Before we answer that, one moment please.” The princess of the Sun closes her eyes and focuses for a moment, the air shimmers slightly, and a faint pulse of light runs across the ground and through the trees. Celestia lets out a held breath and relaxes. “I’m a little rusty at that spell, it’s been a very long time since I’ve had to use it.”
“What was it?”
“I was ensuring no pony was eavesdropping. What we are about to say is another one of those secrets, perhaps the most significant one we may say tonight.”
“Had you asked this even a few days ago, I wouldn’t be willing to answer.” Luna nods. “But now you are one of us, and you should know.”
“It is difficult to measure exactly how powerful any given spellcaster really is. By the maximum force they can exert? Maybe by the most difficult spell they know? Even by the number they know? Compared to the average student of magic, we are far greater.”
“If we were to compare ourselves to Starswirl the Bearded, we wouldn’t come close to matching him.”
“Well, that’s not a fair comparison! Starswirl was the greatest wizard to ever live.”
“I know. He instructed us the same way I have for you. As for our greatest feats of magical strength… I would be forced to say our daily raising of the sun and moon.”
“Really? I know it’s significant, but a group of Unicorns working in concert can achieve the same thing. It’s how the sun was raised in the time before you claimed that duty.”
“In that case, I would say we are each about as powerful as a group of Unicorns working together.”
“That sounds about right.” Luna nods. Twilight rapidly calculates the available force a group like that could output, and frowns.
“That can’t be right. You two have been responsible for some of the most significant feats of magic.”
“Oh? Have we now?” Celestia giggles. “Think about it, Twilight, what were they? How did we accomplish them?”
“Let me think…” Twilight taps at her chin briefly. “Your defeat of Discord, obviously. Victory over King Sombra. The banishment of Nightmare Moon, no offense, Princess Luna.”
“None taken, it was quite impressive.”
“I can think of a few more. And… you did almost all those together, or by using the Elements of Harmony.”
“Correct.” Celestia nods. “The great majority of our magical feats were done by working with each other, or with the aid of an artifact of some kind. Often both.”
“Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?” Something sinks in Twilight’s gut.
“Several times during our reign we encountered Unicorns of immense power we could not match by ourselves. Fortunately, Starswirl was our friend and teacher. Sombra was not.”
“Consider in our very recent history, when Queen Chrysalis invaded.” Celestia looks away, unable to meet Twilight’s gaze in shame. “I was unable to defend our city, and she was able to overpower me with relative ease. Even considering the power she drained from your brother, I should have been able to stop her.” She sighs and returns her gaze to Twilight. “In fact, I should think that you might be the stronger between the two of us.”
“You’re joking!” Twilight gasps, unwilling to even entertain the possibility.
“Well, maybe not at this moment, but with a few more years of practice you very well might.”
“I regret to inform you that we are not as powerful as our reputation would lead you to believe.” Luna speaks, drawing Twilight’s attention. “During our long reign, we have at times been hailed as heroes, as great sorceresses, and rarely even as goddesses. History has recorded us as much more impressive than we really are.” Her somber words are met by Celestia placing a wing around her younger sister.
“Do you understand now? Why we keep this secret?” Celestia is equally somber.
“I think so.” Twilight nods slowly, her eyes on the table between them. “If it got out that the renowned Alicorn princesses were not as strong as believed… it would invite threats and challenges. Enemies previously wary of your power would emerge and threaten Equestria more directly.” Something in her voice leads Luna to believe the small Alicorn doubts their prowess.
“Do not think us helpless, Princess Sparkle.” Luna hardens her voice, and Celestia releases her. “Just because we are not as omnipotent as Discord does not mean we are weak.”
“A thousand years is a long time to gather new skills and spells. I may be a little out of practice in a straight fight, but I’ve got plenty of tricks you’ve never seen. I have, after all, protected and guided Equestria for a millennium.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t doubt it. It’s just, sort of a lot to take in.” For a long moment, silence lingers after Twilight bows lightly to them. Luna looks to her sister, and they share a nod.
“I am sorry to dishearten you further, but we have one last secret you must be aware of.” Luna speaks first.
“What do you mean?”
“Think back on what all we have told you tonight.” Celestia takes over. “Imagine all the consequences of this knowledge.”
“There’s a lot to think about.” Twilight stands and even starts to pace. “So, you aren’t as powerful as the legends portray… Alicorn’s don’t differ as much as I previously thought… You can’t say how much I might change…” She stops pacing and looks up at the sky. “It’s not all that hard to give a pony wings, I’ve done that myself.” Twilight returns to the table. “The spell can be tricky, but with some practice, I think most spellcasters could pull it off.” The princesses wait for her to finish. “But it’s not the same as a true Alicorn. For one, the wings are temporary. For two, the spell I know doesn’t grant Pegasus wings, but butterfly instead.”
“You are correct. There are other spells which can give cloudwalking to non-Pegasus creatures as well. That one in specific tends to be more effort than is usually worth it.”
“Now that I think about it… there are a number of transformation spells which can permanently alter a creature’s biology. Wait…” Twilight’s eyes go wide. “Alicorn biology isn’t significantly different than a normal pony…” Her wings start to shudder. “You can’t be serious!” She slams her hooves on the table, nearly shouting. “The magic that creates an Alicorn is just a spell?! A spell any Unicorn can learn?!”
“Yes.” Celestia and Luna both nod solemnly.
“But… but! It’s supposed to be special, a transcendence! Alicorns are the peak of pony existence! It can’t be just a spell!” Twilight’s breaths come in short shallow gasps as she nearly hyperventilates.
“Calm yourself, Princess Sparkle. Cease your shouting.” Luna glances back over towards the castle, afraid somepony at the party might overhear her.
“Twilight, please, listen to us.” Celestia even places a hoof on her shoulder to steady her. “The spell itself can be learned, it is magic just like any other.” She leans in close to Twilight, meeting her eye to eye. “However, it is not just a spell. There is so much more to it. To be an Alicorn is to be one of the few special ponies, one who guides and leads with wisdom and grace and strength. One who has earned this right. We are not special because we are Alicorns, we are Alicorns because we are special.”
“You said it yourself, throughout the centuries the few who became Alicorns have been some of the most influential to our history and culture. Some, we ascended ourselves. A few discovered the secret on their own, without any influence from us.”
“A small number of powerful wizards, I don’t doubt, knew the spell and chose not to make the transformation of their own accord. I can only guess as to why they would make that decision. It’s possible they figured out how little they would gain and decided it wasn’t worth the effort.”
“Why?” Twilight looks up into her mentor’s eyes, begging. “Why is this so secret? It could change everything.”
“Yes, it would.” Luna nods, sadly. “The three races of pony have thousands of years of history and culture. If we were to reveal that everypony could become an Alicorn, can you imagine the chaos?”
“It would create an artificial fourth pony race, one which might see itself as superior to the others. Surely you remember the story of the founding of Equestria? The disputes between each pony race believing themselves better than the others nearly destroyed our world. I, we, spent too long trying to teach Equestria that all three pony races are equal to lose it all in a heartbeat.” Twilight continues to consider, a thoughtful frown on her face, seemingly unconvinced by what Celestia has said.
“Does Cadence know about all this?”
“Yes. I told her not long after you moved to Ponyville.” Sensing a retort, Celestia continues before Twilight can interrupt. “I was waiting until I believed she had matured enough to understand. I ascended her while she was still very young and I didn’t want her exposing any of this by accident.” Something about how she said this heckles Twilight.
“What about the spell, does she know it?”
“Not as far as I know.” She shakes her head. “I told her if she wanted it I would not interfere, but I have not provided it to her myself.”
“You call is an ascension, even as you tell me it is possibly available to everypony. It’s not fair. How can you do that, isn’t it a contradiction?”
“I suppose I should explain in greater detail. Yes, I turned her into an Alicorn. This is not the ascension I was referring to.”
“Princess Sparkle, she was ascended to being a princess. A cultural and political centerpiece. Being an Alicorn and being a princess are not inclusive to one another by default.”
“It is as Luna says. Princesses are a social construct, Alicorns are a physical one. We gave her a crown, and a horn to go with it, not the other way around.”
“Then… if I asked for the spell… would you give it to me?” At this Celestia and Luna pause and share a long look, reading each other's emotions and thoughts in each other’s faces as they have learned over many years of practice. It is Luna who speaks first.
“In your current state? No.” She immediately holds up a hoof to hold back the smaller Alicorn’s protest. “At this moment you are emotionally unstable. You aren’t thinking clearly and liable to make a poor decision. I don’t care how articulate you think your argument will be. You cannot have the spell at this time.”
“I don’t hold it against you, it is simply too much to have taken in all at once. Give it a few days, think over what we have said.” Twilight seems unmoved, fidgeting as she tries to gather her thoughts. “When you have had time to process this, ask again.” Celestia smiles down at Twilight, hoping to ease her anxiety. “We might answer differently.” Twilight still seems uncertain but says nothing. “On that note, I think it would be best if we end this conversation here. These thoughts will only lead us down the path of what-ifs and what might, and we can worry about that later. Tonight we are celebrating.” Celestia stands and ushers Twilight back towards the castle. “Go back to your friends, Twilight, they are waiting for you.”
“But before you go.” Luna stands and follows, speaking again before they can get far. “We need you to promise us you won’t reveal any of these secrets. Some of them are quite sensitive, as you observed, and even we can only guess how far the consequences would go if revealed.”
Twilight stops walking and turns to face both of them. She looks up at Luna, and then at Celestia, and silently looks over at the castle nearby. She takes a deep breath and then nods.
“Alright. I promise I won’t say anything. You’re right. Some of what you’ve said is really important.” She sighs. “I don’t agree with keeping the Alicorn spell so hidden, but I’ll defer to your greater experience for now. Sometime in the future we’ll have to talk about this again.”
“That is all we’re asking tonight, Twilight.” Celestia drapes one wing over Twilight and pulls her close to hug her. “Thank you.” The taller princess releases the smaller and points to the party. “Now, you go have fun.” Somewhat slowly, still obviously thinking all this over, Twilight returns to the celebration. Once she is out of earshot Celestia lets out a heavy sigh. Luna glances at her out the corner of her eye.
“Something bothers you?”
“Actually, I do have something I need to say.” Celestia returns to the gazebo, gesturing for Luna to take her seat again. “While we’re out here sharing secrets, I have one you need to hear.”
“Something you haven’t shared even with me? Now I am curious.”
“Twilight clearly thinks this isn’t fair, keeping this whole thing secret. She’s right.”
“I know. I even agree to some extent, but our history is clear. A fourth pony race created by magic would be a disaster.”
“That is the crux of it, isn’t it? That Alicorns are created, not born. I came to that conclusion many centuries ago. So I set out to change that.”
“What do you mean?” Luna blinks.
“Eventually the secret will out. Someday, we will make a mistake in our judgment or somepony will reveal it. I have been preparing for it. Quietly, over the years, I have been trying to add Alicorn bloodlines to the Equestrian population.” Luna narrows her eyes as Celestia speaks.
“Do I need to meet any nephews or nieces you haven’t told me about?”
“What? No!” Celestia laughs softly. “I have no children. That is not what I meant. I have slowly been creating more Alicorns, hoping they would intermingle with the rest of the population and introduce the right mutations that would cause Alicorns to be born naturally. Despite a number of Alicorns raising children, it hasn’t happened yet.”
“You wish to see Alicorns as a natural fourth race?” Luna blinks, confused.
“Yes.” She nods deeply. “Right now, an Alicorn is a position of privilege. However, if any pony can give birth to one, then it will become fair, a random chance just like any other race. Pegasus, Unicorn, Earth pony, or Alicorn, and safely out of any one pony’s control. As it should be.”
“That is quite the ambition.” Luna nods, approvingly. “I suspect Princess Sparkle would approve.”
“Oh, this I plan to keep quiet. Let it seem to happen without my influence.” Celestia giggles one more time. “Besides, I get the feeling she might get too overzealous and try to help a little more directly than might be healthy for her. She gives me more than a little hero worship, and she might take my hopes for a suggestion or an order.” Luna laughs openly for the first time tonight. “I would rather she make her own decisions for what family she wants.”
“I see.” Luna looks up at the moon for a moment, deep in thought. But then it passes and she turns her attention back to Celestia. “That’s certainly something to think about. For now, however, I think it would be best if we rejoin the celebration. Today we few are one more, and that is cause for joy. We can be serious tomorrow.” Celestia laughs at this and nods.
“Besides, I would like some more cake.”
