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           A Different Kind Of Princess Celestia           
                    -by Mystic Sunrise-                    
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                         Chapter 2                         
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Chapter 2
With an annoyed sigh, Rose slipped her crown off her head and plopped down onto her bed with a huff. It was days like this that she wondered why she had ever agreed to this.
Even with her earth pony stamina, she was exhausted. Igniting her horn, Rose started a fire in the fireplace. The warmth helped her to some degree, but not as much as it usually did.
"Why did I ever agree to be Celestia?" She grumbled to nopony in particular. There was no answer, and it made her heart clench with the silence.
There hadn't been an answer for five years.
Velvet had finally succumbed to her age not long after she had passed the role of Celestia to Rose. While the magic she had once held had kept her alive and spry for longer than either had expected, the time had finally caught up with the unicorn.
And it was days like this that Rose missed her more than ever. Not just as a friend, but for her counsel as well. Who better to advise the new Celestia than the old one?
Her other advisors were competent in their own way, but none had known this burden, as well as Velvet, had. Now Rose was all on her own when it came to things like this.
Her efforts to get Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns changed to a school for all ponies were being denied at every turn. The E.E.A. did not seem to have a problem with the idea.
But the Canterlot Elite was being particularly obstinate, saying that it was a tradition that the school only be a unicorn only school and that she was spitting on its role.
Rose rolled her eyes at that. She didn't have a problem with what the school was. But it was out of date now as it stood. Finding the next Element of Magic was one thing. But it stunk of tribalism for her.
And if there was one thing Rose hated more than anything, it was something from the Three Tribes Era. She had gotten quite a bit of it when she had first come to Canterlot. A Pegasus in a unicorn city tended to stand out.
It hadn't helped that the last three to bear Celestia's name and all she was, had been unicorns. The memories hoofed down to their successors didn't really reveal why that was. But Rose had been glad to break that cycle.
At times like this, Rose wished she could go to her family or friends for help. But she couldn't. For all intents and purposes, Rose Petal had vanished from Equestria five years ago, tasked with something from Princess Celestia herself, that nopony could ever know of.
To her family, she might as well have been dead. And Rose hated every second of it. She longed to tell them, to share her secret with them, and quit hiding behind this mask.
But even she knew what that could unleash. If word got out of who and what Princess Celestia really was, Equestria would be thrown into chaos, and who knew what could happen then.
Rose sometimes wondered if whoever had created the regalia she wore, had known of what it would do to the pony who wore it. She couldn't get an answer from the regalia itself that was for sure.
Nothing in it had ever said of where it came from, who made it, or even if Celestia had ever been a real pony herself. If she had been, had she ever known what would happen to those who bore her name and powers?
Had she even had a choice in the matter? Rose hoped she'd had. She couldn't bring herself to think of Celestia ever being that cruel. But she had been wrong before.
And that brought her mind back to another thing she had begun to notice, as she pulled herself onto her bed and looked down at the collar and shoes she wore.
Maybe it was a side effect of having worn them for so long now, but the regalia had begun to feel more and more like a natural part of her body. Rose didn't know what that could mean, or even if that was normal. She had never thought to ask Velvet about it.
Oh sure, she could take the regalia off fine, and nothing bad had ever happened because of it. But every time she did, it felt like removing a piece of herself. She felt naked without the full ensemble. Even raising and lowering the sun had become more and more natural for Rose.
"Is this normal?" She asked out loud. "Am I supposed to feel like this? It feels right all the same. Did the others ever feel like I do?"
No answer came, but her regalia seemed to glow a bit brighter for a moment, as if in confirmation. Rose rolled her eyes at the thought. It was probably just a trick of the light.
Igniting her horn, she slipped the collar off from around her neck before settling it down on her nightstand, allowing her to be her Pegasus self once more. The shoes she kept on for the moment. Rose liked the sense of height and majesty it gave her.
With a sigh, she stood up once more. Sleep would not come easily to her tonight it seemed. She had too many things on her mind, and her patience was beginning to wear thin on it.
Rose hated having to do it, but if the Canterlot Elite kept up their whining and complaining, then Princess Celestia would put her hoof down, and remind the lot of them who the ruler of Equestria was, and why she allowed them to exist at all.
She giggled at the thought. It almost made her wish they would continue to do so. She hadn't exercised her full powers and put ponies in their proper places yet. Maybe it was time Rose Petal stopped playing nice, and become Princess Celestia more and more.
If she was going to be in this role for a long time, then Cosmos dammit, she would not let her first few years in the role be known as the time she rolled over and listened to a bunch of backward idiots. The thought alone made her giggle like a school filly.
Maybe it was time to set aside Rose Petal and be Princess Celestia.
Author's Note
So I have come to a decision. This will not at all follow what the prequel story did for many things. Twilight Sparkle will eventually learn the truth of course.
But the leadup, and the outcome, will not be the same. This is now an Alternate Universe take on the original story.

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                         Chapter 3                         
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Chapter 3
"... Therefore, let it be known and proclaimed that the School for Gifted Unicorns is now and forevermore, Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Ponies. Signed by Celestia Sol Invicta herself on the twenty-third day of the Eighth Month in the year of our Lady, 720," the Royal Herald finished.
Silence reigned throughout the Throne Room, all the ponies of the Canterlot Elite that had been invited to hear the announcement staring in open mouth shocked at what they had just heard.
Princess Celestia herself had a rather smug grin on her face at the reaction, a sight few had ever seen her with. Even the few who had seen it before found it odd to see it now.
The dam finally burst as everypony in the crowd spoke up, all trying to be heard over the others. "This is an outrage!" One mare said as she turned to look at the unicorn at Celestia's side. "Chancellor, surely this is against the law?"
Ivory Fire, Chancellor of the Equestrian Education Association, shook her head. "While it is unusual for this to happen, there is in fact no law or regulation that forbids it. I, for one, am glad of the change."
That caused another stir in the crowd. "But it has been a tradition since the founding of the city-" One stallion tried to interject.
Celestia shook her head. "A tradition that has served its purpose. Unicorns will not be excluded from the school, and all current students will continue their studies. But the time has come for a change."
One mare, who had remained mostly calm during all of this, finally spoke up. "But why now? If I may ask?"
Celestia smiled at her. The Sparkle Family was one of the few she considered true friends of the crown. "Tradition is only good when it serves a purpose when it helps move things forward. But when it becomes a lock on advancement, when it promotes stagnation instead of progress, then it is no longer worth keeping around. I have seen that recently with the School."
That seemed to bring the mare around, but most ponies were still angered by the proclamation. "This is an outrage! Parents will here of this, and they-"
Before the stallion could finish though, Celestia teleported so that she was now standing in front of the crowd. Her expression had turned dark. "And what, by the Destroyer, are you going to do about it? Or would you like me to bring Her into this? I'm sure Cosmos would just love to know why I would bring something so small like this to her attention."
That shut everypony up, as the room around them darkened at the mere mention of the Unmaker. A being that all knew wasn't known for her mercy or restraint. A being that stood so far above even Princess Celestia herself, as Celestia did to most ponies.
It wasn't called the Scar of the Destroyer for nothing, though some had tried to call it Ghastly Gorge to try and not think about what might have really created it.
Celestia leaned down until she was nose to nose with most ponies. "And if none of you still don't like the change, then you should remember whose name is on the School. So I am officially exercising my royal prerogative to not give a flip if you don't like it. Am I making myself clear?"
Everypony nodded, doing their best to not gulp in fear at seeing Princess Celestia so upset. One by one, they began to file out of the room, muttering and arguing among themselves, until only Celestia, Ivory, and two members of the Corona Guard remained.
Ivory nodded as Celestia returned to her throne. "I must say you handled that pretty well, Rose."
Celestia smiled as she ignited her horn and removed her crown, transforming back into Rose Petal. Ivory Fire was one of only a very few, outside the Corona Guard itself, that knew the full truth of Princess Celestia. A secret that they have sworn the most binding oaths to never reveal to others.
Rose stretched her wings for all they were worth. "Oh man, that felt better than I thought it would. It was nice to put those brown nosers in their place."
Gleaming Shield chuckled. "I was hoping mom would say that. She has never been a fan of how the School was unicorn only."
Rose giggled. Gleaming Shield was the First Born daughter of the Sparkle Family. Unlike others in the family though, she had never entered the School when given the chance, instead, joining the Royal Guard, eventually rising through the ranks to join the Corona Guard.
"I'm glad someponies were happy with the idea," Rose said, as she picked up her schedule for the rest of the day. "And yes, I did mean it when I said I'd take this all the way up to Cosmos."
Ivory and Gleaming shuddered. Just hearing that name was enough to make them feel queasy. Nopony knew why it had that effect. But it was the same for all that heard it. Except for Rose Petal, it seemed, and the same might have been saying for those that came before her.
Pearl Rose, the other member of the Corona Guard in the Throne Room, still had one question though. "And what of only mares in the Royal Guard?" She asked. "That has been a thing from the very beginning. Do you plan to change that as well."
Rose shook her head, as she levitated her crown back onto her head and became Princess Celestia once more. It was at this moment that Ivory took her leave, for she still had much to do to prepare the School for the changes that were soon to come. "I don't have plans to change that at the moment. Boys have an annoying habit of letting any power you give them go straight to their heads. I will not risk that here. Not yet."
Pearl and Gleaming shared a look. "Does that mean you might change something about it sometime in the future?" Pearl asked, her wings rustling at the thought.
Princess Celestia shrugged. "Maybe at some future time I will change something about the guard. But that day is still a long way off. I will concentrate on the here and now before I worry about the future."
Author's Note
So. Just to clear one thing up about Equestria's geography in this universe. Ghastly Gorge isn't like we saw in Season 2. It is more like an actual scar on the land itself, and not a feature that formed normally.
Nothing lives in the gorge. Heck. Very few even go near it. Not even dragons will fly near it, hence why the Dragon Migration flies over Equestria as it does.

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                         Chapter 4                         
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Chapter 4
Rose closed the book in front of her with an annoyed sigh. "This is stupid. There has to be something around here that explains who and where Celestia came from."
With a flick of her horn, Rose sent the book back to its place on a bookshelf. It joined a long list of books that hadn't helped her in the slightest. Was it too much to ask that there was something on the subject?
Apparently so, Rose thought, as she thumped her head against the desk. So much for a relaxing evening after a day of court. She would be up all night at this rate. And tomorrow was the Entrance Examinations at the School for Gifted Ponies.
She couldn't stay up all night. She would never be ready for that if she did. And with her changes to how the school operated, Rose wasn't about to be anything less than her best for the big day.
Canterlot was already in an uproar about it. She wasn't about to add to it by not being her absolute best. Which was in part why she was looking for anything on Celestia's history.
Rose had always wondered about who and where Celestia had come from. Was she ever a real pony? Who had made the regalia do what it did? And if Celestia had been real, and she had created the regalia, why?
And was the same true for Luna as well? Luna's part was unknown, at least, until the banishment ended in two hundred and eighty years. Rose was more than happy to wait on that one. She had no plans for how things would go that far in the future. Not yet anyway.
So here she was, looking through every book in her study for something on Celestia and her history. With no luck so far, and Rose was beginning to think she would never find anything on the subject.
The Castle of the Two Sisters might contain something. But Rose wasn't willing to go there just yet. Not until she had exhausted all her chances here. But it was looking like she would have to go out to the old abandoned castle.
And if Rose was being honest with herself, she was rather excited about the idea. The Everfree Forest was the most dangerous place in Equestria. It would really give her a chance to cut loose and see what she could really do as Princess Celestia. No more of this holding back nonsense.
Rose had lost count of all the ponies she had wanted to vaporize since she had taken the mantle. Maybe this was what Velvet had felt like when she was her age.
She giggled like a school filly at the thought, her hoof kicking the back of the desk as she did so. With a click, a panel popped out, catching Rose by surprise as she pulled her hooves back and looked at it in shock. When had that ever been there?
Rose gave it a look. "Why is there a secret compartment? Why didn't anypony tell me there was a secret compartment?! Why didn't Velvet tell me?"
The compartment, perhaps wisely, chose not to comment. Rose snorted in annoyance, but she quickly noticed what was hidden inside the compartment. Igniting her horn, she pulled the object out and gasped at what was revealed.
A rather weighty tome floated in her magic. If Rose had to guess, there were well over three thousand pages to the book, and that was just the best guess. A leather brown cover held the pages, and while the back was unadorned, the front contained a stylized image of an alicorn in flight. It almost looked like Princess Celestia. But that couldn't be right.
Could it?
Holding it in her magic, Rose watched as a slip of paper slid out from underneath the pages. As softly as she could, she set the tome on her desk and picked the note up. Her eyes glistened as she looked at what was written. It may have been a long time. But she knew that horn writing anywhere.
To my Dearest, Rose.
If you are reading this, then I am dead, and the Mantle of Princess Celestia has been passed to you. I am sorry that I could not answer all of your questions. There was never enough time to give you everything you wanted to know. Though I wanted to with all of my heart.
I know you must have questions about Celestia. Was she ever real, was she the one to create the regalia and what it does, and why would anypony do so? I know this because I too had the same questions when I inherited the Mantle, as has every mare that has worn the regalia.
While I could not tell you everything, this tome will answer all of your questions. Contained within these pages is the complete history of Princess Celestia and the mares that have worn her Mantle. From the very beginning to the day you inherited its legacy. One day, too, your name and all you have done and all that you will do as Princess Celestia will be added to this tome.
I pray to the Mother of Life that day is far in the future, though. You are too smart and capable to let your reign be so short.
I'm sorry that I never told you about this. But I did not know of it myself until several years after I became Celestia. The same will probably be true of the mare than inherits the Mantle from you.
I hope that it gives you the confidence and pride that it gave me. Knowing all that came before me was a great help to me during the darkest of time. May it be the same for you. And may your reign be long and prosperous.
With Love. Velvet.
Rose wiped her eyes, not bothering to hide her tears. Just hearing anything from Velvet again was a boon to her. She still missed the unicorn even now, many years after her passing.
Putting the note aside, for now, Rose looked again at the book. Now that she knew what it was, she could see that the cover image was indeed Princess Celestia. But who wrote it? Or did it write itself? Spells for that sort of thing were known. But she had never seen them before herself.
Shaking her head, Rose pushed the thought aside and smiled. "Well. No time like the present," she giggled.
Making herself as comfortable as she could, Rose opened the tome to the first page and began to read.
Author's Note
First off, I need to thank Angel Midnight for the awesome new cover art. Much better than the old one that I was using for sure. Now onto the fun stuff though.
The next chapter begins the history of Princess Celestia and the mares that have worn her Mantle. Not all of them of course. This story would never end if I did every single one of them.
Who was at the very beginning though? That's for me to know, and you to find out. I might even ask Angel Midnight if she wants to do more for the story.

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                         Chapter 1                         
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Chapter 1
With a heavy sigh, Princess Celestia trotted into her Private Chambers, not even bothering to acknowledge the two guard ponies standing on either side of the door.
Neither of the two mares commented on the sight. Being a part of the Corona Guard, Celestia's elite Inner Circle of the Royal Guard, they saw more of her than most ponies did, and were used to the sight by now.
Even if they seemed to be more frequent than usual recently. But it was not their place to ask or question their princess, even if in private they did wonder about some of the recent swings in their princess' mood.
Inside the room, Princess Celestia visibly relaxed as she slumped down onto her bed in a very un-princess like fashion. Not that she cared what others would think if they saw her like this. Only one ever did.
"You really must work on your manners princess. What would others think if they saw you like this? Think of the scandal."
Celestia rolled her eyes at the mare who had just entered the room from a side chamber. Venerable would not do the unicorn justice for how old she looked. Her blue coat and blond mane had faded much, but her horn still glowed strongly as she lit a fire.
Celestia stuck her tongue out at the mare. "You're the only one who sees me like this. I'm tired of being Princess Celestia today. They can kiss my sun adorned flank if they don't like it."
The older mare chuckled. "And that is why I chose you, Rose. I was much worse when I was in your shoes. So was the pony before me for that matter."
Celestia sighed as she stood once more and ignited her horn, removing her crown as she did so. As she did, her mane shortened and lost its ethereal qualities and turned blue. Her white coat faded to a toy-store pink, and her sun cutie mark vanished, leaving a red rosebud in its place.
Next came her golden chest piece from around her neck. As it came off, the horn disappeared from her forehead. Now standing where Princess Celestia once stood was an unusually tall Pegasus mare.
Rose sighed as she flexed her wings. It was nice to be able to take those pieces off. She was still getting used to all of this and what it meant for her future. The shoes she kept on for now. She rather liked being this big if she was being honest, as she gave her companion a look. "I don't know how you did this for so long."
The other mare giggled. "Long experience dear. You will get used to it in time. We have all said the same thing at one time or another. I used to say it all the time when I first took on Celestia's role."
Rose snorted. "I can't see you ever saying that. You're always so calm and collected. I'm kind of jealous."
The mare smiled as she placed a hoof on Rose's leg, the best she could do when her companion was this tall. "One day, you'll look back and laugh at how silly you're being at the moment. You're doing fine so far."
Rose did smile at that. It always felt good to hear that. Especially on days like today. "Thanks, Velvet. I needed that."
Velvet nodded. "Any time dear." Her expression soon fell, however. "It does get easier I promise. It took me many years to get used to what I inherited. But I had help then, and I will help you for as long as I can. However long that might be."
Rose nodded. She knew what Velvet meant. "And I'm glad you're staying. I need all the help I can get right now. Now I remember why I hate politics so much. I'd almost say I'd rather face down Nightmare Moon."
Velvet frowned. A part of her hoped that Rose would not be the one to be there when Nightmare Moon returned, and another part of her hoped she would be the one to welcome Luna home again to Equestria.
Too many Celestia's had passed since that night in the Everfree Forest centuries before. Someday, someone would be the one. Who was anypony's guess. The lifespan of the one who worse Celestia's face varied between those who bore the regalia.
Velvet herself was going on three hundred years old right now, and two hundred and eighty of those had been spent as Princess Celestia. The mare before her though had only been Celestia for only a century or so.
But Rose was still young though. Her Pegasus heritage, plus the magic of the regalia itself, would hold off old age for many years yet. And then there was always the chance that Rose would take her relationship with Celestia across the final step and break the cycle, to do what no other pony before he had.
Become Princess Celestia permanently. The option was always there for the mare to permanently bond with the regalia. It would remove the need to find a successor when old age finally caught up with them, as it always did.
Velvet well remembered when the offer had been made to her. And for a time, she had seriously considered doing so. She had enjoyed her time as Princess Celestia and what she had done for Equestria. But in the end, she had said no. It had been at the moment that she had started to look in earnest for the one who would one day take her place.
Assuming Rose did not go crazy from all that rested on her shoulders now, the same offer would be given to her at some point. Velvet had faith Rose would not go off the deep end, but the possibility was always there.
Luna had, of course. But whether it had been Luna herself, or the pony who bore her regalia, nopony knew for sure. One did of course, but he couldn't be asked. Not while on the moon like he was.
Author's Note
Done with Ocalhoun's permission. This is more of a prequel than a sequel to The Clothes Make the Mare though. I liked the story too much to leave it alone.
So here I am. Right now, I'm not sure whether this will 100% follow the original's track, with Rose Petal passing the role of Celestia to Twilight, or not.
But that is for the future. We'll stick to the past for the moment. I have plans to show Velvet's time when she inherited Celestia's role, as well as Rose's. And several other ponies further back.