The Four Gifts of the Princess
The Four Gifts of the Princess
Once upon a time, when the world was still young, there lived a Princess of great wisdom, strength, and bravery. Her lustrous mane was like the sunset, her wings were wide and powerful, her coat and skin were soft and smooth, and her heart was filled with love for all of her subjects. In turn, her subjects loved her immensely, but her company was most often shared by her closest companions: an Earth Pony, a Pegasus, a Unicorn, and a Dragon.
One day, as the Princess travelled the land with her companions, she came upon a nearby kingdom and soon met its Prince. The Prince was so overcome by the Princess’s grace and beauty that he immediately fell in love with her.
“You are so exquisite, so radiant,” the Prince said, “that I will love you forever, should you keep your beautiful heart.”
The Princess was deeply touched by the Prince’s declaration, and she responded in kind. “Dear Prince,” she replied, “You do me a great honor. I would have you as my husband, if you would have me as your bride.”
“Alas, but I cannot,” said the Prince, “for I am unworthy of you. You are far wiser than I, so you should find somepony as wise as you to be your husband.”
“Nonsense,” said the Princess. “If wisdom will bring us together, then you shall have it.”
And at that, the Princess gathered her companions and set out to find wisdom.
Before long, the Princess came across a deep, dark cave. “Wait here,” she told her companions. “I shall see if what we seek is within.” And with that, she entered the cave.
At the end of the cave slumbered the Spirit of Strife, but as the Princess approached, he awoke. “Greetings, little pony,” he said. “What is it that you wish from me?”
“I seek wisdom for my one true love,” the Princess replied. “Do you have what I seek?”
“Indeed I do,” said the Spirit of Strife. “I will give your one true love wisdom. All I ask is that you give me your lustrous mane in exchange.”
“Then you shall have it,” said the Princess. And so she tore out her mane and gave it to the Spirit of Strife.
When the Princess left her cave, her companions were shocked by her bare head. “Princess, where is your lustrous mane?” they asked.
“I gave it to the Spirit of Strife,” said the Princess. “I may not be as pretty as I was before, but my Prince shall have wisdom, so it matters not.”
“Nonsense,” said the Earth Pony. “You shall have a new mane.”
Like the rest of his kin, the Earth Pony loved the land, but oddly enough, he loved the sea more. So he walked east to the Great Ocean and said, “Ocean, o Ocean, I humbly ask for a mane for my Princess.”
And so the Great Ocean drew forth seaweed and saltwater and fashioned a mane from them. “Take this mane to your Princess,” the Great Ocean said. “It may not be lustrous, but it will grant her great cunning.”
“Thank you, Ocean,” the Earth Pony replied.
“But take care,” the Great Ocean added. “The Spirit of Strife must never see it, or he will feel cheated.”
“Very well, Ocean,” the Earth Pony said. So he took the mane to the Princess.
“Thank you, friend,” the Princess said. She donned her new mane, then they all returned to the Prince. Already he looked much wiser, but when he saw the Princess’s new mane, he also looked troubled.
“Lovely Princess,” the Prince said, “what has happened to your lustrous mane?”
“I gave it away,” said the Princess, “so you could have wisdom. I know I am not quite as pretty as I used to be, but it matters not if you still love me. Do you still love me?”
“Of course,” said the Prince. “I will love you forever, should you keep your beautiful heart.”
“You do me a great honor,” said the Princess. “I would have you as my husband, if you would have me as your bride.”
“Alas, but I cannot,” said the Prince, “for I am still unworthy of you. You are far stronger than I, so you should find somepony as strong as you to be your husband.”
“Nonsense,” said the Princess. “If strength will bring us together, then you shall have it.”
And at that, the Princess gathered her companions and set out to find strength.
The Princess returned to the cave she’d seen before. “Wait here,” she told her companions. “I shall see if what we seek is within.”
“Before you enter,” said the Earth Pony, “you must remove your mane. The Spirit of Strife must never see it.”
“Very well,” said the Princess. She removed her mane, then she entered the cave.
At the end of the cave, the Spirit of Strife had fallen asleep again, but as the Princess approached, he awoke once more. “Greetings, little pony,” he said. “What is it that you wish from me?”
“I seek strength for my one true love,” the Princess replied. “Do you have what I seek?”
“Indeed I do,” said the Spirit of Strife. “I will give your one true love strength. All I ask is that you give me your powerful wings in exchange.”
“Then you shall have them,” said the Princess. And so she tore off her wings and gave them to the Spirit of Strife.
When the Princess left her cave, her companions were shocked by her bare back. “Princess, where are your powerful wings?” they asked.
“I gave them to the Spirit of Strife,” said the Princess. “I may no longer be able to fly, but my Prince shall have strength, so it matters not.”
“Nonsense,” said the Pegasus. “You shall have new wings.”
Like the rest of her kin, the Pegasus lived close to the sky, but oddly enough, she lived not in the clouds, but in the treetops. So she flew north to the Great Forest and said, “Forest, o Forest, I humbly ask for some wings for my Princess.”
And so the Great Forest drew forth gossamer and morning dew and fashioned a pair of wings from them. “Take these wings to your Princess,” the Great Forest said. “They may not be powerful, but they will grant her great nimbleness.”
“Thank you, Forest,” the Pegasus replied.
“But take care,” the Great Forest added. “The Spirit of Strife must never see them, or he will feel cheated.”
“Very well, Forest,” the Pegasus said. So she took the wings to the Princess.
“Thank you, friend,” the Princess said. She donned her new wings and her mane, then they all returned to the Prince. Already he looked much stronger, but when he saw the Princess’s new wings, he also looked troubled.
“Lovely Princess,” the Prince said, “what has happened to your powerful wings?”
“I gave them away,” said the Princess, “so you could have strength. I know I am not quite as strong a flier as I used to be, but it matters not if you still love me. Do you still love me?”
“Of course,” said the Prince. “I will love you forever, should you keep your beautiful heart.”
“You do me a great honor,” said the Princess. “I would have you as my husband, if you would have me as your bride.”
“Alas, but I cannot,” said the Prince, “for I am still unworthy of you. You are far braver than I, so you should find somepony as brave as you to be your husband.”
“Nonsense,” said the Princess. “If bravery will bring us together, then you shall have it.”
And at that, the Princess gathered her companions and set out to find bravery.
The Princess returned to the cave she’d seen before. “Wait here,” she told her companions. “I shall see if what we seek is within.”
“Before you enter,” said the Pegasus, “you must remove your wings. The Spirit of Strife must never see them.”
“Very well,” said the Princess. She removed her wings and her mane, then she entered the cave.
At the end of the cave, the Spirit of Strife had fallen asleep again, but as the Princess approached, he awoke once more. “Greetings, little pony,” he said. “What is it that you wish from me?”
“I seek bravery for my one true love,” the Princess replied. “Do you have what I seek?”
“Indeed I do,” said the Spirit of Strife. “I will give your one true love bravery. All I ask is that you give me your soft skin in exchange.”
“Then you shall have it,” said the Princess. And so she tore off her skin and gave it to the Spirit of Strife.
When the Princess left her cave, her companions were shocked by her bare flesh. “Princess, where is your soft skin?” they asked.
“I gave it to the Spirit of Strife,” said the Princess. “Nopony will ever want to touch me again, but my Prince shall have courage, so it matters not.”
“Nonsense,” said the Unicorn. “You shall have a new skin.”
Like the rest of his kin, the Unicorn had great skill with enchantment, but oddly enough, he preferred shaping metal to shaping magic. So he walked west to the Great Mountain and said, “Mountain, o Mountain, I humbly ask for a skin for my Princess.”
And so the Great Mountain drew forth black iron and brimstone and fashioned a skin from them. “Take this skin to your Princess,” the Great Forest said. “It may not be smooth or beautiful, but it will grant her great resilience… and it carries a potent enchantment. With the magic of this skin, your Princess can assume the appearance of anypony she chooses.”
“Thank you, Mountain,” the Unicorn replied.
“But take care,” the Great Mountain added. “The Spirit of Strife must never see it, or he will feel cheated.”
“Very well, Mountain,” the Unicorn said. So he took the skin to the Princess.
“Thank you, friend,” the Princess said. She donned her new skin and her wings and her mane, then they all returned to the Prince. Already he looked much braver, but when he saw the Princess’s new skin, he also looked troubled.
“Lovely Princess,” the Prince said, “what has happened to your soft skin?”
“I gave it away,” said the Princess, “so you could have bravery. I know I am no longer pleasing to the touch, but it matters not if you still love me. Do you still love me?”
“Of course,” said the Prince. “I will love you forever, should you keep your beautiful heart.”
“You do me a great honor,” said the Princess. “I would have you for my husband, if you would have me as your bride.”
The Prince was silent for a long while. Eventually, he said, “Thanks to you, I am wise. Thanks to you, I am strong. Thanks to you, I am brave. You have given freely of your body to make me a better pony, but that has made you better still. I can see now that I will never be worthy of you.”
The Princess’s face fell.
“But,” the Prince continued, “I can also see that your happiness is much more important than my sense of worth. If my hoof in marriage will make you happy, then you shall have it.”
At once, the Princess was overcome with joy. As she stepped toward her Prince, her new skin shimmered and changed. Soon, she looked exactly as she had before – lustrous mane, powerful wings, and soft skin.
“Oh, my Prince, how I love you!” she cried out, sweeping her one true love into a tight embrace.
Soon, plans were made for the wedding of the Prince and the Princess, and one summer’s day, they exchanged vows. At their union, their kingdoms merged, and the Prince and Princess took the titles of King and Queen. The ponies of the land rejoiced, and for seven days and seven nights, they celebrated.
Now, the sounds of revelry and merrymaking soon reached the cave of the Spirit of Strife, and although he tried his hardest to sleep through it, he could not.
“Blasted ponies,” he muttered. “What right do they have to be so happy? I need my rest!”
Grumbling, the Spirit snaked his way out of the cave to see what all the commotion was about. When he looked out and saw the new Queen – not shunned because of her hideousness, but somehow just as beautiful… yet more cunning, more nimble, more resilient, and more greatly adored – the Spirit grew furious.
“How can this be?” he roared. “You were supposed to be driven away, not embraced! But no matter – nopony cheats me and gets away with it!”
That night, while the King and Queen slept, the Spirit of Strife sent the bitter cold of Hatred to freeze them. The brimstone in the Queen’s skin kept her warm, but the cold crept into the King’s flesh and chilled his very bones. When the Queen awoke the next morning, she discovered that her husband was deathly ill.
The King fought back a terrible cough, then smiled weakly at his wife. “Lovely Queen,” he said, “I fear that death shall soon claim me. It seems that you shall not have me for your husband after all – at least, not for very long.”
“Nonsense,” said the Queen. “If health will keep us together, then you shall have it.”
And at that, the Queen gathered her companions and set out to find health.
The Queen returned to the cave she’d seen before. “Wait here,” she told her companions. “I shall see if what we seek is within.”
“Before you enter,” said the Unicorn, “you must remove your skin. The Spirit of Strife must never see it.”
“Very well,” said the Queen. She removed her skin and her wings and her mane, then she entered the cave.
At the end of the cave, the Spirit of Strife was waiting. When he saw the Queen, he became filled with rage, but he hid his feelings well. “Greetings, little pony,” he said. “What is it that you wish from me?”
“I seek health for my one true love,” the Queen replied. “Do you have what I seek?”
“Indeed I do. I will give your one true love health,” lied the Spirit of Strife. “All I ask is that you give me your beautiful heart in exchange.”
The Queen hesitated for a moment, unsure if she was willing to give up her love for the King in exchange for his life, but soon reached a decision. “Then you shall have it,” said the Queen. And so she tore out her heart and gave it to the Spirit of Strife.
At the loss of her heart, the Queen felt surprisingly empty. She could no longer hold her love, and a gnawing hunger took its place. But she ignored this and stepped out of the cave.
When they saw the Queen, her companions were shocked by the hole in her chest. “Queen, where is your beautiful heart?” they asked.
“I gave it to the Spirit of Strife,” said the Queen. “I may be unable to love anypony anymore, but my King shall have health, so…” She paused. “…so it matters not.”
“Nonsense,” said the Dragon. “You shall have a new heart.”
Like the rest of her kin, the Dragon had a love of treasure, but oddly enough, instead of hoarding gold or gems, she collected fine works of art. So she flew south to her cave, where she kept her hoard, and said, “Hoard, o Hoard, I humbly ask for a heart for my Queen.”
The Dragon’s hoard did not respond, because treasure does not talk. The Dragon could not help but feel a bit of a fool.
“Very well,” said the Dragon, “I shall find one myself.” And so she looked through her hoard until at last she came upon a green, glass vase.
“Thank you, Hoard,” the Dragon said, because even though it could not understand her, it always paid to be polite. Then she took the vase to the Queen.
“Here is your new heart,” the Dragon said. “It can hold your love for you, but be careful to avoid breaking it – sorrow or grief will make it shatter instantly.”
The Queen took the vase and placed it within her chest. Immediately, she could feel the vase fill with her own love, and the emptiness receded. She did not feel quite like she had before, but she thought it might be close enough.
“Thank you, friend,” the Queen said. She donned her skin and her wings and her mane, then they all returned to the King.
But this time, he did not look any healthier. When he saw the Princess approach, he simply looked troubled.
“Lovely Queen,” the King said, “your manner, your expression, your poise… They seem… different to me. What has happened to you?”
“I... I gave away my heart,” the Queen admitted, “so you could have health, but I fear it has not worked. I am sorry, and I hope that you still love me. Do you still love me?”
The King’s expression grew cold. “Of course not,” he spat. “I loved you for your beautiful heart, but you have thrown it away for nothing. Foolish mare, it seems that I was never worthy of you – I deserved better.”
And at that, the King died.
Sorrow and grief gripped the Queen’s artificial heart, and it shattered instantly. Her love fled, and the voracious emptiness returned with a vengeance.
“So, that is how things are to be?” the Queen snarled, her old form melting away to reveal the black, iron skin beneath. “Well, so be it! If I cannot give love away, and if I cannot receive it in return, then I shall steal it!”
For many years, the Queen preyed upon her subjects, stealing their love and turning them into twisted reflections of herself, until her glorious kingdom became a desolate wasteland. To this day, the Queen and her children seek out even more love to fill the bottomless hole where the Queen's heart used to be.
