“Princess?” the little purple filly whispered, wincing as she heard another crack of thunder outside the window.
“Yes dear?” Princess Celestia replied. “And remember, you can call me Celestia when we're alone.”
Celestia noticed Twilight was shivering, most likely a result of her fear instead of the temperature. The alicorn used her wing to gently tuck the filly into her side, blanketing her in the soft white feathers.
“Okay, Celestia? Why is there sometimes thunder at night?”
“Well my student, thunder is the sound that lightning makes, which is the flashes of light we see right before we hear it. The different charges collect in opposite parts of the cloud. When there are enough of them, we see a bolt of lightning flash between them, or even to the ground. It makes the air heat up, which is why we hear the sound. I think we have a book on thunder and lightning somewhere in the library... I'll have someone find it for you tomorrow.”
The candlelight flickered around the secluded corner of the library, bouncing shadows off the many books that were sitting on shelves, and on the floor from the recent study session. The power had gone out almost an hour ago, and while Celestia could easily use her magic to fix it, she enjoyed the mysterious glow of the flames. It gave the entire room a sort of surreal feel. It was also perfect for practising magic.
“Now Twilight, do you remember the spell I taught you this morning?” Celestia asked the frightened young filly to keep her mind off the storm. “The one that makes the tip of your horn light up?”
“Of course Pri- Celestia!” Twilight said eagerly, always happy to please her mentor. Closing her eyes in concentration, the little unicorn remembered what she had been taught and allowed the magic to flow through her. Every unicorn had a place inside them where magic radiated from. Despite the belief of many pegasi and earth ponies, magic didn't come from the horn. That was simply the tool they used to transfer the energy out of them. Magic was much more complex than that, because that one place happened to be different for every unicorn.
The first struggle a unicorn has is finding that spot. It can be literally anywhere, from their hoof to their cutie mark to even their nose. Once they find that spot they can begin to harness the magic from it, which is the next struggle they encounter. It takes a tremendous amount of energy every time magic is used, which is why it can take years and years of intense study to be able to perform the feats some unicorns can. It becomes a habit as time wears on, becoming an idle thought for spells used often, such as levitation. A new spell will be a challenge for even the strongest of unicorns, and especially for a filly that just learned it that morning.
From way inside the magic will flow,
Its path that only you can know.
The light that all ponies hold in,
Now shine outside, come from within!
The spell ran through Twilight's mind quick as a whip, and as soon as she finished it she felt that familiar tingling in the back of her head. It was the magic, her sweet spot, the place where the energy flowed from. It had been discovered by accident as per the norm. She had been reading on the anatomy of unicorns after she had bumped her head while playing with her brother. She was trying to learn the name of the bone where she hurt herself, and had been focusing on it an awful lot, when she felt that strange tingle for the first time. Her mind went back to the night she spent studying magic philosophy, reading about the so-called “magic point of origin”. It was seconds later that the page of her book had turned, seemingly all on it's own. A few moments later she realized she had found her magic sweet spot, and now from that spot the magic flowed through her horn, lighting the tip a brilliant white.
“I did it! I did it!” she chanted happily, letting out an adorable squeal of laughter that her mentor mirrored.
“Well done Twilight!” Celestia commended her. Their celebration was cut short however when there was a blinding flash of light and an especially deafening peal of thunder that left Twilight shaking in her skin. The light on her horn dimmed considerably until it went out, leaving the candles as the only source of light.
“Shh, it's alright my dear,” Celestia comforted her, resting her head lightly atop of Twilight's. “You're safe in here, I won't let anything hurt you. Shh.”
After a few minutes Twilight stopped shaking, lifting her head to look up at her mentor with fearful eyes.
“Can you t-tell me a story Celestia?” she asked quietly. “I don't want to think about the scary thunder.”
“Of course, which one would you like to hear?” the Princess asked kindly. The little filly thought for a moment, her nose scrunched up adorably.
“Can I hear a new one please?” she decided, her eyes wide and pleading. Celestia nodded and began riffling through her head, thinking back on the thousands of years worth of stories she held. She didn't want to tell Twilight anything that could potentially frighten her more, so she finally settled on a story she hadn't told to anypony, not for many, many years.
“Hundreds and hundreds of years ago in Equestria, ponies lived much differently. There was nothing to control the sun and the moon, and they rose and fell at random, sometimes refusing to change for days at a time. All the ponies who lived in that age had a very difficult time adjusting to the ever changing sun and moon. When the sun stayed out for too long, all the water would dry up. When the moon stayed out for too long, the plants couldn't grow and they wouldn't have enough food. You see, the unicorns, who used to magically control the sun and moon, grew accustomed to living amongst pegasi and earth ponies, working with them, not relying fully on their magic. Over time they forgot how to control them, and thus it was all by chance.
“The ponies all put up with this random schedule for a many years, but one fateful day, the moon would not go away! After a few days they all began to grow very nervous. Without the sun, how would they grow their crops? Without their crops, how would they get food? These questions spread throughout all of Equestria, and nopony seemed to have an answer. Days continued to pass, and the moon would not lower and make way for the sun. All the ponies realized they couldn't continue this way, or it would be the end for them all. In one final attempt to save all of ponykind, three brave young ponies decided to make the dangerous trek to the fabled Cave of Harmony, the same cave where the leaders of the three original nations had camped in through the snowstorm.
“The first was a pegasus named Freefall. She was the most daring pony you would ever meet. Nothing scared her, not even plummeting through the air near the speed of sound, just to pull up inches before the ground and go shooting past the cheering crowd. Her brilliant silver coat was recognizable all across the land. The second was an earth pony named Greenseed. He was a farmer, a real hard worker who spent his spare time tending to the crops of his neighbours who needed a little extra hoof. He was a rather laid-back pony, enjoying his relaxing days in the sun, and he hated to see the food supply depleting when he could be doing something about it.
“The third was a unicorn named Stella. She was said to be descended from Starswirl the Bearded himself, and yet she had shown little magic ability her entire life. Her skills rested in stargazing; she could use the stars at night to predict when the sun would next rise. She chose to go on the journey because the stars would not tell her when the sun would rise, but where, and that where happened to be the Cave of Harmony.
“Three weeks after the moon had appeared the sky and refused to leave, the three young ponies set off on their journey, having just barely met one another. For weeks longer they travelled, each using their own skills to aid one another. Stella read the stars whenever they stopped, making sure they were going in the right direction. Freefall would scout ahead for miles, darting there and back in minutes with her speed. Greenseed used his knowledge of flora to scavenge for what little food they could find when their personal supplies ran out. They all got to know each other very well, becoming close friends over their travels.
“Finally, nearly two months after setting out, they found the flag that the original three leaders had set down just outside of the cave. Knowing they were very close, they rushed to the cave as quickly as they could. Upon entering, they found it deserted, with no sign of anything that could possibly help them. They all sat down in the centre and wept together, crying for their families who would soon run out of the rest of their food.
“And then, the most magical thing happened. The friendship and emotion between all three ponies sparked that same reaction that had occurred all those years ago, between the advisers of the leaders. It is said that a blinding flash of light filled the cave, and when it died down the three ponies were gone! In their place were two little fillies, but they were unlike anything to have ever existed before. They bore the wings of a pegasus, the strong hooves of an earth pony, and the horn of a unicorn. One of them was white as snow, with a flowing multicoloured mane of many hues. The other was a deep blue, with a lovely light blue mane.
“They both knew what was going on the moment they awoke, because those two fillies were a combination of all three ponies that had gone on the long journey to the cave to save their kind. The two little fillies, the two alicorns, rushed out of the cave and into the sky. The littlest one with the dark blue coat summoned her magic from within to take control of the moon, and the other with the multicoloured mane used her magic to take control of the sun. Using their powers together, they forced the sun and the moon to switch places, bringing day to Equestria once again.
“They quickly returned to the village where the three ponies had lived, using their memories to tell about the journey and the bringing of the sun. The citizens of all of Equestria were so thankful that they offered full control of the sun and the moon to the alicorn sisters, who accepted and agreed to regularly change the two so the ponies could thrive as they once did. The citizens then named the two alicorns in honour of their new possessions. They named the little one Luna, ruler of the moon and the night. They named the other one Celestia, ruler of the sun and the day.”
“Celestia!” Twilight cried in understanding, a brilliant grin lighting up her face. “That's you!”
“Yes, that is the story of how I came to have control of the sun,” Celestia confirmed, a nostalgic smile appearing.
“But, who is Luna? Who's the other alicorn? You have a sister? You-”
Twilight cut off in a giant yawn, and the late hour becoming apparent to Celestia at last.
“That is a story for another night. For now, sleep my dear Twilight. Dream of the moon, and the stars, and the sun...”
