How long a pony lives, few truly know. There are those who say Majesty is over a thousand years old, and those who say she is even older than that. Her birth is enshrouded in the legend of the birth of Ponyland itself: eons ago, there were six occult earthling ponies who inhabited a realm between the mortal world and what would eventually become Dream Valley. They lived in this realm for a very short time indeed, having been banished there because mortal Earth was unable to control their magical heritage. From this Middle Realm they were transported (through debated means) into another dimension where magic not only thrived, but was the norm. This dimension was henceforth known as Dream Valley. Here, they lived, building a kingdom of peace and wonder.
In the very center of this valley is the Lake of Origins. This is the birthing ground to which all the creatures of Dream Valley come each spring to welcome those who are born anew. The Ancients (as the founding six are reverently known) came one year to see if they had been gifted with any infants. Expectedly, there were none for them to call their own. They had turned their heads in dismay and set to return to their pastures when they heard her.
The faintest of whispers, a voice uttered so softly they weren't entirely sure they had in fact heard it, was calling to them. They turned their heads, suddenly, and then it was that they found her.
In the middle of the lake there had risen a great silver mound, reflecting perfectly the clear stillness of the water. Laying limp upon the mound was what appeared to them to be a shimmering mass of hair and white cloven hooves. Without looking at each other, The Ancients strode swiftly into the birthing waters and reached the center within seconds. They discovered that the whispering mass of glimmering silver was an unclaimed baby. She was shivering silently in the cool wind, attempting unsuccessfully to stand up.
The Ancients looked at her with great puzzlement- they had never seen such a strange looking baby in Dream Valley. When it became clear that the infant was not going to be claimed by an elder that day, The Ancients decided to take her to their home. As they formed a circle to gather the baby between them, she suddenly sprang forward, slipping off the mound and into the sparkling water, sending after her a large wave which managed to soak The Ancients. The Ancients recovered, they jumped down into the water to retrieve the baby when they pulled back in astonishment. Standing in the water was the baby, but she appeared not as she had before. The water had given definition to her form, and to the utter amazement of The Ancients, she had been revealed in her freshly watered state as a Unicorn.
The Ancients had heard there were unicorns in Dream Valley, but never had any one actually seen one. To have a newborn, unclaimed and unknown, was a remarkable occurrence, indeed! But what was to become of her? Surely, she belonged to someone? Or something? Some poor, innocent magical creature who had forgotten how babies were born in Dream Valley? If they did take her to their home, The Ancients risked the wrath of the Unicorn mother or father if they arrived later, and surely they didn't want that. No, The Ancients decided, this was not their place to intervene. The last thing they wanted to do was upset the natural order and mystical design of Dream Valley, and a group of banished earthling ponies raising a baby unicorn was simply unheard of!
Having agreed to leave the baby to be claimed by its ancestors, The Ancients didn't think it safe for the staggering baby to be left in the middle of a birthing pond, shallow though it was. They carried her gently to the shore, arranging a nest of soft leaves and petals for her in which to rest until she should be claimed. The Ancient upon whose back she was borne to the shore later said the newborn's body felt unlike anything she had ever known, as though it was somehow receiving and emitting a special energy which only something as magical as a unicorn could understand.
Thus the infant unicorn was lain on the shore for her first night's rest. The Ancients rode off quickly, looking back only once, but thinking deep into the night about whether the unicorn would be alright, and whether anyone would come to claim her.
The Ancients received word the following day that the birthing waters were completely deserted, and that someone had indeed come to claim the baby unicorn. Relieved, but a bit saddened, The Ancients carried about their day as normally as they could. Eventually, however, one confessed that she could not shake the thought of the baby out of her mind, and one by one the others offered the same testimony.
The youngest of The Ancients (who had carried the baby to the shore on her back) broke into a gallop across the valley, calling to her friends to join her in discovering what had happened to the baby. Amazed at her concern, the others called her back, but knew she would not return. Soon, all six were stampeding across the valley, racing toward the birthing pool, when among the deeply colored surroundings there came a flash of white light. Blinded, The Ancients careened to a halt, standing one by one. Blinking, and daring only to look towards the ground, The Ancients collected together, wondering what was glowing so brightly that they couldn't look straight at it. And then it ended- as soon as it came, it went. The bright flash had vanished, and The Ancients raised their gaze to greet what had forced them to stop.
It was her. Standing firmly in front of them, and more beautiful than anything they had ever seen, was the Unicorn. She looked to have grown considerably overnight, for she stood as though she knew where she was, as though she was home.
She looked directly at The Ancients, who were standing frozen in awe of what their eyes beheld. And then, as though they understood what the longing in her eyes was saying, they turned around, one by one, and walked home in silence.
It was a year later when The Ancients decided they must uncover the truth of the Unicorn's heritage, lest she truly did belong someone else. Unsure of where to begin their search for what seemed an impossible quest, The Ancients decided to seek out the Moochik, a retired war hero and magician who was rumored to have documented all the magical customs and traditions of Dream Valley. He would not be easy to find, as both he and his home (called the Mushrom) made themselves visible only to those whom they deemed worthy to observe them. But The Ancients were determined. The only way they would ever learn the proper way to raise a unicorn was from someone who understood magical creatures as comprehensively as the Moochik.
And so The Ancients set out with their special baby, roaming far beyond the rolling hills and pastures they had called home since they first entered Dream Valley. They spent all day examining every corner of every spot they came to, asking strange, magical creatures whether they knew where one would find the Mushrom, but few had ever heard of the Moochik, and even fewer were willing to divulge any information about him.
Their first night was spent near the edge of the valley, known as Shadow Canyon. This was the region of Dream Valley rumored to be the largest haven for the rarely seen unicorns. The Ancients had settled into a circle around the Unicorn when they heard a great thrashing in the nearby wooded area. It sounded like a giant bird was flapping its wings and singing at the same time. Then, almost immediately, the sound of a great stampede seemed to be coming towards them, but that too ended in seconds. And then it happened- the Unicorn stood up, baying to the starry sky, calling out in a language none of The Ancients had ever heard. Her mane and tail began to ruffle in the still air, moving ever slowly toward the sky above. And then it all came to a stop- her mane and tail fell back to the ground, her head lowered and her voice faded. And then she collapsed. As The Ancients raced toward her to help, the spot where the Unicorn lay erupted into a blinding silver light, driving The Ancients back behind their original resting spots.
Looming over them was an enormous cloud of white and silver which seemed to be lowering itself to the gound. As it came near the earth, it became clearer and more visible. The apparition had taken on the shape of what resembled a small house, but then seemed to become progressively smaller. Eventually, the great luminous form lowered itself completely to the ground, taking the shape and size of a below average-size mushroom. Quiet returned to the canyon, but the unicorn was missing. The Ancients set about to find her when, in the great panic of calling her name, one of them accidentally stepped on the mushroom that had come from the sky.
The ground exploded, toppling The Ancients to the ground. It took them a while to collect themselves, but when they did they were greeted with a most wondrous site: the tiny mushroom that had come from the sky had grown into a small village made up of buildings and houses in the shape of mushrooms. Astonished, The Ancients moved forward, their eyes searching for one of the inhabitants of this mushroom-sky kingdom to find out how it had come to be. But they could find no one. The entire village was deserted, with not a single soul to be found. The Ancients were about to leave when they heard a very small (but very angry) scream. The oldest of The Ancients had stepped on a mushroom, and it seemed to be screaming. The Ancients lowered their heads to the ground to better hear the screaming mushroom- it seemed to be saying "Pull me out! Quickly! PULL!" The Ancients thought it not good to disobey an angy mushroom, and quickly set to pulling the considerably large mushroom out of the ground.
After much tugging and biting, the temperamental mushroom had been successfully removed. Expectedly, it was not a mushroom at all, but rather a small, bearded figure no taller than three feet.
"Who am I? Who, indeed?! You know, I was just about to figure it out when I got sucked into that ghastly hole- can you imagine? It thought me a mushroom? Me, the Moochik, some grubby fungus-"
"You're the Moochik?" The Ancients blurted out in unison.
"I think I am. Yes, definitely, the Moochik is me- I mean I am the Moochik."
"What extraordinary good luck!" yelled the oldest Ancient. "We have been searching for you, but could not find you."
"I know. I am supposed to be on vacation with the Goblin Queen this very second, but something came up. Let's see- what was it again? Dead dragon? No, that's not it. I hope you all know how to give a proper dragon burial! Was it a dwarf rebellion? No, couldn't be. I don't see those little grubbers anywhere. Well, then, what was it?"
"Please, Moochik," pleaded one of The Ancients, "we've lost our baby unicorn and-"
"UNICORN!" yelled the Moochik. "That's it. Yes, that is most definitely IT!
"Do you know where she is?" asked one of The Ancients hurriedly.
"Do I know? Me, the Moochik? Why, silly pony, I know EVERYTHING. If I didn't, do you think they'd trust me with the greatest secret of Ponyland?"
"Ponyland?" said the youngest Ancient. "You must be mistaken- this is Dream Valley. There is no such thing as Ponyland. At least not around here, there isn't."
"Oh, listen to me!" giggled the Moochik. "I'm jumping ahead of myself! What you don't understand is that the baby unicorn that you have lost is Ponyland. She was not created from any maternal unicorn wish. She is the embodiment of your magical powers, and has come to establish a land in your name where your kind may live freely and peacefully."
"Our kind?" said one of The Middle Ancients. "There are but six of us, and we all live quite happily in the meadows near the foothills of Dream Valley. What is this unicorn come to do with that?"
"There may be six of you now," said the Moochik, "but soon there will be more. Hundreds more. Perhaps even thousands. Did you honestly ever really think your magical abilities could be contained in your six small bodies? Magic grows, just like everything else, but it can fade and die too, which is what the unicorn has come to stop. She is your future."
"Where is she?" pleaded one of The Ancients. "I want to know what has happened to her."
"You will find her when the time is ready. Now that my work is done, I must be going."
"But where will we find her? What if she's lost? What if-"
The Moochik stepped forward and beckoned her to stop. "Go home, little ponies, and meet your legacy." And with that he was gone.
The Mushrom, too, had vanished, and there was soon nothing for The Ancients to do but to return home where they would hopefully find their missing baby. They discussed in great length what it was the Moochik had meant by saying there would be hundreds (if not thousands) more ponies like themselves in the future. It made little sense to them, but they could not help but feel hopeful.
When at last they reached the foothills of Dream Valley they noticed that the valley seemed suddenly much deeper, and very much wider. It was nearly sunrise now and The Ancients were looking for a bit of rest. They steadily strode down the edge of the valley as the sunlight began to make their surroundings visible when they stopped and screamed.
In the very spot of their sanctuary was an enormous castle. It was so large that The Ancients at first thought it a side of the valley. The couldn't get a good look at it from where they were standing, so they ran around to the front where their drinking pond had become a large moat surrounding the castle. Unable to see what had become of their home, The Ancients stood in shock, unable to make any sense of what their eyes were telling them. The sun had almost fully risen and the castle was now clearly visible. It was unlike any castle The Ancients had ever seen. It was, to begin with, pink. Not a garish pink, but a soft, natural pink. The turrets of the castle were royal blue, and from them flown four white silk flags.
The Ancients were just about to try to jump across the moat when the enormous drawbridge began to lower. When it touched the ground, and the inside of the palace had been revealed, The Ancients gawked at what looked like a princess. Standing at the other end of the drawbridge was the unicorn, but not as she had appeared before. Her mane and tail were royal blue, with a single, silken streak of white in the middle of her mane. But there was no mistaking it- this was the unicorn they had lost, the unicorn they were told would be the guardian of their magical powers.
The Ancients raced across the bridge to greet the unicorn. To their surprise, she could now speak, and she riled away with story after story of what it was like to be transported back to Dream Valley with a castle in tow from the resting grounds they had staked out the previous night. She also revealed that she had been ordained ruler of Dream Castle (such was the castle called) by the Moochik and that she was to learn all the secrets and powers of The Ancients before she could begin to fulfill her duties as Majesty.
In time Majesty learned the ways of Dream Valley, and the mystical nature of The Ancients soon became a part of her being as well. She was raised by The Ancients with great love and wisdom.
Sadly, as Majesty rose to her regal standing, The Ancients began to fade away, for they had lived out their days as the founders of Ponyland. When their time in this world had come to an end, each was memorialized as a blue flower on Majesty's body, hence bearing tribute to the pioneers of ponydom.
As for The Ancients themselves, when they left Dream Valley it was through the Lake of Origins, for here it was that they had found Majesty when she was born. Their work done, they promised Majesty that they would send each year new members of the pony kingdom, building an empire of fabulously magical earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, among others.
And so they were gone. Alone, Majesty hoped fervently for new companions, and took in from her first visit to the birthing waters a tiny baby dragon no one seemed to want. Named Spike (because of his razor-sharp scales), he and Majesty returned every spring from the Lake of Origins with new ponies, beginning with a group of six that bore extraordinary resemblances to The Ancients. As time passed, Dream Valley was filled with the likes of Applejack, Moondancer, Sunlight, Starflower, and Cherries Jubilee, and many, many more.
All the unicorns, young and old, have special powers. What separates Majesty from the others is that she has access to the same magical abilities and can control the other ponies' powers should they get out of control. Baby Majesty, however, is having great difficulty in mastering any of the unicorn magic. While Babies Gusty, Windy and Skyflier have long since learned how to properly control the wind, Baby Majesty has only learned not to stand near large trees during wind storms. And, while Babies Moondancer, Glory, and Twilight have learned how to summon the stars in the sky, Baby Majesty has barely been able to muster enough courage to go out at night and look at the stars, being that she is very afraid of the dark.
Majesty promises, however, that her daughter will grow into a fine unicorn, and that her problems are perfectly natural: after all, none of the other baby unicorns are expected to have all the unicorn powers- they each have but one. Baby Majesty will in good time learn the magic of Ponydom. Until then, Majesty's reign has only just begun.
