//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3- By The Light of the Moon 
// Story: Only the Best, Only the Elite 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
//------------------------------//

Twilight closed her eyes once more and began to run through everything she knew, while simultaneously going through all the variables she didn’t. She had talked a big game but she genuinely wasn’t sure what to do. As the day passed, she stood stock still; lost in thought. Throughout the day she pooled every book she had ever read. And still, no answers came to her. What if it is impossible?
The hours ticked by, and still Twilight didn’t move. Celestia’s gaze never wavered either; the Alicorn could and would wait for an eternity to see results if need be. That is, as long as she got those results.  Twilight’s parents sat rigid in their seat, as did the testers; nopony daring to move until Her Majesty was satisfied. 
Behind her gaze, Celestia’s fire lay burning. Her expression gave nothing away, yet she was excited. Finally, a Unicorn with the same spark, the same passion as her. How long had it been? How long since her flame resonated with another?
The purple in Twilight’s fur painfully reminded Celestia of the Amethyst colored contact lens permanently embedded in each of her irises. The lenses she had been forced to wear to mask the crimson of her natural-born eye color.

***

Born an albino, Celestia’s fur had been white; without coloration. Her eyes upon opening for the first time had been a crimson red. To any of the unicorn families in Canterlot, Celestia would have been lovingly accepted without contest. However, Celestia’s misfortune was being born albino in a family of Nightmares.
The Nightmare is a proud and unfathomably powerful, magical Unicorn variety. Boasting an obsidian-furred body and a mane of blue flame. Their tails were forged of blue fire as well. The Nightmares had ruled the Royal Court for many millennia. Cold, and calculating; the nightmares took great stock in public image and would seek to be the best. At any cost.

***

How long has it been since you broke me, mother? Since you forced me to adhere to your standards; your will? Trying to shake the thoughts from her mind, Celestia caught a glimpse of the pink coloring in her mane, and once again, the past came back; unbidden by her.

***

The little filly Celestia had finally grown her mane and tail. A glorious moment for the Royal Family, for it symbolized the allowance into the Enchanted School for Gifted Unicorns. It would have been a very special occasion, if not for the fact both her mane and tail were like her fur; colorless.
 “Imagine, a daughter of my own flesh; without coloration? What joke of the grand cosmos is this? What a failure of creation, you are. I won’t allow it. Come here, Celestia.”
 As Celestia cautiously moved towards her, she found herself ensnared by the levitation spell holding her perfectly still. 
 “Mom what-”
 “Silence you little freak. You are no Nightmare, but at least we can make you somewhat resemble a normal creature.”
 With those cruel words, her mother raised her own forehoof and turned to one of the guards. Taking a deep breath, the Matriarch gave her orders.
 “I’m ready. At least this way she’ll have some form of the Nightmare bloodline within her.”
 Nodding, the guard used his magic to sever the tendon of the queen causing a spray of crimson red to come forth. The Alicorn didn’t bat an eye at the pain, as she used her own magic to fuse the rosy hue into the mane and tail of her daughter. Celestia screamed as her colorless mane and tail now turned a silky pink; now infused with the blood of her mother, forever.
 Celestia, hyperventilated with fear, when she heard her mom call out.
 “Hold still, child, That eye color needs to be corrected too. We can’t have any imperfections, can we?”

***

Touching a hoof to her eye in reflex, Celestia sat there watching Twilight and bitterly thinking about the crimson irises she possessed. The fiery red; permanently sealed away by the lenses magically infused within her eye. No imperfections. She thought sourly to herself. No mistakes. She stared at Twilight as the little filly now moved slowly around the table; each step calculated, without a tremor. Her eyes stayed fixed on the egg.
Celestia watched her antics in morbid curiosity. Have you ever sacrificed anything Twilight? Of course, you have. That naivety of a colorful, happy world. You’ve lost that, haven’t you? You know the pain of having your innocence torn from your soul; to know the cruelty of reality. Yet even now, you still have hope smoldering within you; as I once did. I’ve been in your horseshoes before, little filly. Unfortunately for both of us; life isn’t a fairytale in a storybook, is it?
Just when you think you’ve lost everything; life wrenches one more thing you treasure from your grasp. As Celestia caught sight of the shimmering blue within her own mane, she grimaced. Isn’t that right Luna?
The day had ended and the glow of Celestia’s horn signaled the rising of the moon. The moon that had once been the pride and joy of her little sister; now her eternal prison. Throughout the night, the testers and her parents slept in their seats, but Celestia didn’t so much as blink. 
She turned to look at Twilight’s mom and dad, thinking to herself in the silent darkness of the testing room. Your mother and father are like my little sister; gifted with a natural talent for magic. You and I though, we had nothing of the sort and through sheer determination, we succeeded, even when all others said it was impossible.
Turning to stare at the moon in the sky, a grim smile graced the Princess’s lips. Just like it was back then, right Luna? Magic always came so easily to you. Everything did, didn’t it? You had everything; everything you wanted you got...Including mother’s love. You were far stronger than I ever was, I guess I just hungered for the crown that much more than you. I can’t help but wonder sometimes little sister, what would you have done if you had known the outcome of our pre-destined fight?
A single tear rolled down the Alicorn’s face as she quietly pondered the events that led up to the night she sealed her sister away. The events leading up to the night she had seized the crown of Canterlot for her own. 
All the magic of you, mother, and countless others at my beck and call, and still; you remain lost to me. How long has it been? How long has it been since I called you my sister? Since I made the only mistake of my life? How long has it been, since mother turned you against me? Oh...What’s this?
Turning back to look at Twilight, the unicorn seemed to have formulated a plan. She had begun tapping the egg, with her hoof. Placing her ear to the egg in the pitch-black silence; Celestia watched her gently rap her hoof on the hard shell. She appeared to be listening for something particular within the empty shell. Now that is interesting, I do wonder what she’s up to. Going over every possible source she had ever read, seen, or heard of; Celestia had drawn a blank. This was something new to her, and her hunger for knowledge was beginning to rise within. Silently, she watched the curious little scene. What is she doing?
Twilight nodded suddenly as though satisfied, before backing away and once more closing her eyes to think. Inside the little filly’s mind, her thoughts ran rampant with everything she knew about Transformation magic. If there is air inside that egg, perhaps I can build the dragon from the air molecules itself. But it won’t be enough. I’ll need a few more things; things not inside this room. Hm…
The alicorn grew amused at the antics of Twilight over the next few hours. The little filly was trying secret little tests to determine things. Using her horn to cast a glow, Twilight seemed to be studying the room. Not just that, but she apparently was trying to exploit the dark room to try and fail for free; with no witnesses. What a bold one she is. Though at this rate… Celestia turned her head and stared at her parents as well as the testers for a moment. They’ll wake up and she’ll be caught. She doesn’t appear nervous though.
Even in the silence of the pitch-blacked room, Celestia could see perfectly, whereas Twilight had her little horn aglow while she ran her tests. She reminds me of you. She has your energetic excitement. Glancing back towards the window she noticed the moon seemed to glow brighter; or perhaps it was what she wanted to see.
You’re right, Luna. Just like when we were young. Let’s cause a little chaos; together. Rising, without a sound, Celestia slowly stepped towards Twilight; who had stopped in front of a supply cabinet. Twilight apparently was focusing intensely on the contents via an x-ray spell.
She was so focused she nearly jumped out of her skin when Celestia leaned down and whispered to her.
“Don’t move.”
Twilight whirled around, wincing and began stammering.
“P-Princess I-I-I”
“Shhh...It’s alright, Luna. Keep your voice down.”
Twilight froze. Luna? Who was Luna? 
“Sorry, Princess but I’m not Lu-.” 
In the glow of her horn Twilight saw a peculiar sight. The Princess stood there before her, but instead of her cold glare, her eyes were gentle and almost loving. Her normally fang-filled grin now showed a genuine smile. Twilight wanted to tell her the truth; she wasn’t this Luna, but she couldn’t do it. She looks so happy. I don’t know who this Luna is, but her smile looks so beautiful.
Twilight gave a little smile and gently spoke to her.
“How can I help you, Celestia?”
That’s not what Celestia heard, however. As she stared down at Twilight, she saw a small, eager to play, little filly with an obsidian-furred body. 
“Hey Celly, want to play hide and seek?”
She smiled lovingly down at her little sister. A tear slowly made its way down her cheek. She knew her sister was gone. She’d been gone for almost a thousand years, and yet, she saw her in Twilight. The hallucination faded away and once more there was Twilight; now concerned because of the tear. She’s just like you.
Taking a deep breath, she continued smiling and her voice wasn’t cold, but instead, it was rather warm; almost motherly.
“Tell me, have you given up?”
Twilight’s face took on a fearful expression. That fear, however, changed to surprise as Celestia spoke soothingly to her in a whispered tone.
“It’s alright, just tell me the truth.”
Twilight cast her eyes down to the ground as tears formed within her eyes. 
“I...I haven’t given up, I just don’t have a solution. I’m afraid to try anything. I only have one chance and then if it doesn’t work, I fail.”
Her tears began to fall as she hung her head in shame.
“I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to disappoint you again.”
Celestia was a bit taken aback by the comment. millennia of ruling the whole of Equestria had given Celestia more than ample time to perfect her royal smile. Her passive demeanor, however, had been shattered by that one innocent comment. Keeping her voice down so as not to awaken any witnesses; Celestia asked her what she meant.
“You don’t want to disappoint me?”

***

The rules of the test were crystal clear; no efforts may be attempted unless the testers bear witness. Both Twilight and Celestia were aware of this. Since the tester was sleeping the night away, the test was on pause for now. Twilight had taken advantage of the break to analyze her surroundings and figure out, mentally note, and organize every item's location. 
Twilight now knew every inch of the room she stood in, and every locker’s contents. Still, as intelligent as she was, she was still green in life experience. Luckily for her, Celestia decided to impart on her some advice. Advice, she would treasure; because it gave her hope.

***

Celestia stood silent for a moment before she turned to look once more at the moon. Her words were soft and took Twilight by surprise.
“Tell me, Twilight, what do you think it means to fail?”
The definition had been beaten into her since her first day.
“To not succeed.”
Celestia gave a soft sigh as she stared at the dark pattern on the moon; known to Equus the world over as ‘The Mare in the Moon. She shook her head.
“No. No, that is not what it means to fail. Later, I want the teacher’s name who taught you such a thing, they need a little re-education, I believe. No, Twilight-”
Turning back to the little filly, Celestia sat on her haunches and gestured her over with a hoof. Twilight walked over cautiously and gave a small squeak of surprise when she was grabbed into a warm hug. The Princess gently patted her mane with her hoof. Leaning down, she whispered to Twilight in an almost melancholy way.
“The real way to fail is to give up. You can try over and over, but only when you’ve given up have you truly failed.”
“But the test-”
“Why do you think I oversee each and every test in this academy; from a simple classroom presentation to graduation ceremonies? Why do you think a tester only fails when I say they have failed?”
“I-”
Celestia’s words were both comforting and chilling. Twilight could almost see the pain in her words.
“I made that rule because when the fire burns cold; when the test takers have nothing left to give, they refuse to try again. They refuse to go further. To better themselves. So, they start over. They still know they messed up, but perhaps they’ll try even harder when given a clean slate. And only when I see the flames within fade, do I fail them.”
Twilight wasn’t sure what to say; the Princess wasn’t known for her kindness, only her tyranny. Should she trust anything the Alicorn said? I shouldn’t but she seems so sad.
“Why the school motto?”
“The eyes of the world are always on Canterlot, Twilight. Every creature, every sentient being on Equus looks to the Unicorns for leadership. Only the Unicorns can control and manipulate magic. We can move mountains with just a little knowledge. We can cause the ground to quake with the sheer desire to do so. Most importantly however, Twilight-"
Gently nuzzling the purple Unicorn, Celestia gave a half-smile before finishing her words.
“We protect those that cannot protect themselves; we cannot afford a single mistake, lest the world takes notice. We must be only the best, only the elite.”
When she puts it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad. Is this really our Princess? The heartless demon we’ve all dreaded? The same Alicorn who ordered the Dragonlord to kneel before her or she would end his daughter’s life before his eyes; according to History of the Dragonlands, page 635? She doesn’t seem so evil after all, perhaps she really does care about us?
Celestia observed Twilight, the warm, comforting smile still on her face. She’s just like you dear sister… She could see it in Twilight’s eyes; a cinder within the flame of hope had ignited. A different kind of cinder; one of trust. Yes, sister, she is just like you...Easily deceived. Just one more push and the seeds of trust would be firmly embedded in Twilight’s mind. Now to ignite the spark.
“You say you don’t want to disappoint me? Then succeed; don’t fail. Don’t stop trying. You see, Twilight, I wouldn’t have allowed you to take this test, if I didn’t think you could do it.”
“You really think I can?”
Yes. That’s right; take the carrot. Good girl. See? I’m not such a bad mare, am I? You can trust me. I won’t hurt you. 
“I don’t think anything, Twilight. I know you can. And I know you will."
Turning her eyes once more to gaze upon the moon, Celestia thought about the night Nightmare Moon was created; her heart breaking once more.
No, I won’t hurt you Twilight, because unlike these other fools, you have something I need. I have no doubt you’ll hatch that egg come dawn. And when you succeed, the real lessons will begin.
A solitary tear slowly made its way down her face.
"Isn’t that right, Luna?"