Act I: Ascending Star

Chapter 1: Opening Book

"Equestria under Discord; what a frightful place. So long as I shall live, it is my duty to ensure history never repeats itself."

-High Princess Celestia, Personal Journals (Vol. 2)

Date: 14 Apr. 1749 (Unified Imperial Time)

14 Apr. 2975 (First Age of Equestria)

Place: Discord's Capital City of Eridian

"It's your move, sister."

Celeste Albright was fully aware that it was in fact her move. She had been puzzling over the arrangement of the chess board in front of her for five minutes already. At the moment, it was set like so:

|** |** |** |** |BR |** |BR |Bb |8
|BQ|BK |** |** |BN |** |** |** |7
|** |** |** |** |** |** |Bp |** |6
|** |** |Wp |**|BN |** |** |** |5
|** |** |** |** |** |** |** |WQ|4
|** |** |** |** |** |** |Wp|** |3
|** |WN|Wp|**|** |** |** |** |2
|** |WK|** |** |WR|**|** |WR|1
|a *|b *|c *|d *|e * |f *|g *|h *|

Celeste's White King was well-defended on the near rank, and her sister's King was vulnerable, as her other pieces were scattered about in a seeming mess. Her bishop, especially, was stranded in a corner, unable to give any real support to the formation. Checking the board over a final time, she reached out with her hoof, and manipulated the White Queen onto h7. Satisfied, she sat back with a small grin. Now that the knight was blockaded protecting the King, her sister was quickly running out of options.

When Claire immediately charged the Black Queen down to a1 and stated "Check," in a satisfied tone, Celeste had to put in an effort resisting the urge to raise her hoof to her forehead.

"Seriously," she began, exasperation clear in her tone, "you're not even trying anymore, are you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Claire asked innocently. "I checked you. Isn't that the whole point of the game?"

Standing up and indicating Claire's Queen, Celeste continued to berate her sister. "Yes, you checked me. Now what am I going to do? I only have one move: to capture your queen like so," she stated as she executed the capture. "Now you've gained absolutely nothing, and lost your queen. It's no wonder I always win these games, if that's how you think!"

Coming around the table to stand beside her, Claire was still smiling. In the flickering light of the room's lone candle, it would have been difficult for most ponies to ascertain the intent in her eyes, but Celeste had known her sister for years, and could read her innocence like a book. "Come now sister, it's only a game. I play it to have fun, just as you should. Do you want to continue?"

Walking away from the low table to the room's only window, Celeste cast one look over her shoulder. "If you're not even going to try to challenge me, then what point is there in continuing?" For a moment, she held Claire's gaze, then her younger sister turned her attention to putting away the chess set. Celeste spent the time surveying the view from the open window.

The room that she shared with her sister occupied the second floor of a roughshod hovel on one of Eridian's low and dirty side streets. The winding, pitted dirt road that serviced the dwellings here ran for about a mile before dead-ending in one of the city's many plazas. Looking out the window now, Celeste could see that the ponies living in this section of town were mostly out in the street, doing whatever they could to survive, whether that meant scrounging or begging for food, or attempting to barter what possessions they owned for the necessities of life. In that sense, she and her sister were lucky. They had their own ways of obtaining food and drink, though they might not have been particularly honest. In Equestria, one did whatever had to be done.

Turning back inside, she could see that Claire had set the chess set aside in the dim corner where they kept such pleasantries. Besides the small table and two chairs that they had been seated at for the game, the room also contained each of their sleeping arrangements, and an improvised kitchen area. Overall, about a hundred square feet of living space, enough to get by with, but not nearly enough for real comfort. Not that either Celeste or Claire really cared. It was all that they had ever known, and they did at least have each other, which was more than most ponies in Eridian could claim these days.

For the moment, the room's only source of illumination was a single, flickering candle on the kitchen countertop. It was the middle of the day, or at least the middle of what semblances there were of "days" here in Equestria, but in Eridian none of that mattered. At all hours, the sky above the city was obscured by a thick wall of swirling grey cloud, the work of Discord's magic, or so everyone said. Because of this, the streets of Eridian were held in a state of permanent twilight. So ponies made their own time, as well as they could. The way that Celeste and Claire defined a "day" was just as likely to be completely different from the way their own neighbours did it.

Finally, Celeste's gaze fell back onto the form of her sister, who was rummaging through their supply of foodstuffs in back, likely looking for a snack before work tonight. Casually approaching Claire from behind, she spoke over the rustling in the closet. "Could you pass me out an apple, sister? And take one for yourself as well."

Claire emerged holding a trio of fruits, passing one to her sister, and taking a large bite from one of the others, causing several drops of juice to run down her lips and onto the floor. With a sigh, Celeste worked the other apple free from her sister's hoof and tossed it back into the pantry. "Just one is all for now, I'm afraid," she said to Claire in a stern voice. "We'll need two for the shill tonight, and who knows how much more if you screw up again like last time."

With an indignant glare, Claire wiped her face with the back of her leg. "It was just two apples! And we came out four ahead of what we needed besides!" Taking another bite, Claire relaxed against the counter. "But did you see the look on that colt's face when he won? Oh, it just melted my heart! For all you know, he could have had a family to feed."

"Well, we can't be bothered to go around seeing to the needs of every pony in Equestria, now can we?" was Celeste's cold reply. "Since it looks like I'm the only one here looking out for us first, tonight let me decide who gets to win, alright?"

Claire acquiesced with a nod, but Celeste knew that the issue was far from settled. She resolved to watch her sister very closely tonight, to make sure that no profit was unnecessarily lost. Moving off to look over the city again, Celeste allowed her gaze to rise up over the low roofs of the city, and pass out into the horizon. Far beneath Eridian's mountain perch lay a country of green fields and running streams. Nonetheless, life out there was just as lawless and unfortunate as it was here. She wasn't being callous in looking out for herself first. If she and Claire had been able to make a larger difference, do something meaningful in the broader scope; she wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity to help. But as it stood, the problem was simply too large for either of them to face. What good would a few apples do to help a population of millions?

As she stood looking out the window, an apple core passed several inches over her head, sailing out into the street before rolling a few yards down one of the worn pathways. Behind her, Claire climbed into her bed for a few hours of rest. Celeste, though, stayed awake for several minutes more, to think.

---

The shill was late, so Celeste and Claire had to stand together on tonight's street corner for several minutes just waiting for him. After a couple of nights spent plying their trade in the general vicinity of their residence, tonight Claire had voted that they strike out somewhere new, so as to attract some fresh eyes. The square where they now stood was in an upper ring of the city, though of course it was just as dim and decrepit as the rest. The only difference here was that if one looked up, the crooked and twisted spires of Discord's castle punctuated the sky. Built from grey, unadorned stone, the towers of the tyrant's seat cast themselves round each other in a chaotic tempest of style and design. Indeed, any attempt to discern an overall theme in the architecture left an observer only more confused than when they started.

The self-styled High King rarely left his quarters within the castle, but his power and presence could be felt throughout Equestria all the same. Ancient history told that once, Equestria had been a peaceful land. The three pony tribes had lived in harmony with each other, governed by an equal triumvirate of representatives. The ascendance of Discord had changed all of that, and now all of ponydom knew only fear and uncertainty. Even as the two sisters waited now in the plaza, lightning flashed in the distance. Just another one of the King's mood swings.

Finally coming to the conclusion that it was late enough to start even without their shill, Celeste motioned for Claire to set up their apparatus. It was a simple enough deal: one square table, three inverted cups, and some small trinket (tonight a small rock) to serve as a marker. The game was as old as the hills of Equestria, and was usually a fair way to spend one's time when among friends. It was only in the presence of a skilled practitioner (that role here being filled by Claire) that it became a reliable way to earn a living.

Technically, "Fool's Paradise" (as it was colloquially referred to, though Celeste preferred the rather less pejorative "shell game") was a confidence trick. Thus it was at the very least highly unethical, and probably would have been illegal in a more civilised society. Eridian, however, was about as far from civilised as a society could get, and so the two sisters were free to pull their con on anyone ignorant enough to fall for it. Of course, Celeste didn't put it quite that way when she thought about it to herself. To her, they were doing what was necessary for their own survival, just as any pony would do.

As mentioned, Claire was the one with the fast hooves. Contrary to some popular beliefs, a well-run shell game did not require a trick table or other subterfuge. Instead, it was all a matter of having someone on hand that could be deft enough with the cups. Celeste's participation in the endeavour was to act as a hook, luring potential marks into the game and watching over things to make sure they stayed under control. Usually, there would be one or two other shills present to create an aura of reputability, but tonight the two of them were being forced to go it alone.

Not that Celeste found it difficult to gather a crowd. Equestrian ponies were unique creatures in several ways, but one of the most interesting of these was that despite all that they had been through under Discord, they maintained an outwardly trusting demeanour. Celeste grabbed onto that naïveté and milked it for all it was worth.

Striding out in front of Claire's table, Celeste stood tall and let her voice carry out over the area. "Who's feeling lucky? Want to turn one apple into five, two into twelve? With one simple pick you could be set for a week!" Zeroing in on a reasonably-well dressed colt just off to her left, Celeste approached him with a jovial grin. "How about you, fine sir? Have time for a simple game to make your fortune?"

Celeste's smile was disarming, and she could tell that he was seriously considering it. Taking the initiative, she led him over to the table, where a small crowd had already gathered. As she approached, Celeste knocked on the table twice. She could see the acknowledgement pass immediately over her younger sister's eyes. Let him win once to hook the crowd, then run him 'til he's done. Claire returned a slight nod.

Turning to face the crowd, she kept up the enthusiastic grin, as well as a calm and level voice. It was time to seal their interest. "It's a simple game, ridiculously simple really. One stone, three cups. The stone goes into one, and around it goes." As Claire began shuffling the cups, Celeste turned to address their mark. "Now sir, I shall ask you one simple question: where is the stone now? Even shot at success, and we'll pay 2-1 odds. That sounds like a winning proposition, does it not?" She noted nods at her question from the crowd. Indeed, tonight was going to go well.

Ten minutes later, the two sisters were doing a roaring trade. Although perhaps "trade" wasn't quite the right word, since the apples were only really flowing in one direction: out of the hooves of the willing marks and into the stash in Claire's saddlebags. Now all Celeste had to do was stand at the curb side, stopping the occasional passerby to keep the crowd going.

There was another factor at work in increasing the spectacle, that being the sheer visibility of the two sisters themselves. The striking opposition of their appearances conspired to make them stand out in any crowd. Celeste's strikingly white coat and flowing mane served as a counterbalance to Claire's penetratingly dark visage. For that matter, the two of them stood out biologically as well. The "winged unicorn" sub-species, of which both Celeste and Claire were members, was exceptionally rare among the pony tribes, although not altogether unheard of. It was told that the third Triumvirate of Equestria had been composed entirely of alicorns, owing to the fact that they could be produced by any mixed-race marriage (and in rare cases, even pure earth pony marriages had created alicorn offspring). They were only rare because the three tribes kept a certain distance and distrust between them. Sure, they were all one kingdom, but marriage was a different story, especially where the proud unicorns and stubborn Pegasi were concerned.

And so, standing with wings outstretched and horn raised to the heavens, Celeste made a mystical sight on any street corner. It was more than enough to cause ponies to stop and talk, and from there most simply strayed into the crowd afterwards.

Since the business of drawing ponies in was mostly taking care of itself now, Celeste busied herself watching over the crowd. Every so often, she would give her sister a slight nod, indicating that the current player should be allowed to win, so as to keep everyone hooked. But even if a mark won once, Claire was never, ever, to allow one of them to leave while up on the House.

When a young foal came up to the table, Celeste could tell immediately that he brought some trouble with him. Dressed in only a tattered felt cap, the light green child had a pair of large blue eyes that turned the heart of any pony that looked into them. She could tell immediately that Claire was touched by the image. She cast her sister a fiery glare over the crowd, very clearly intimating that he was just another mark, but it was obvious what Claire planned to do. When the foal laid his solitary apple on the table, her sister shuffled the cups around, gazing into the eyes of her customer the whole time, as if trying to tell him where the stone was by telepathy.

Celeste knew that she had to do something before Claire screwed them both over. Jostling her way through the crowd, she got to the table just as the cups were coming into their final resting positions. Sure, they would only be paying out two apples to this particular foal, but there were other bets on the table too, and those would take a much more sizeable chunk out of their payday.

Coming abreast of the table, she roughly pushed aside the cups, leaving the bets open. Addressing the crowd, she spoke quickly. "Sorry folks, that's all for tonight. There's rain on the horizon, and we need to get out of here to keep our equipment dry. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we'll be around again soon. Have a good night." She felt a sharp jerk on her shoulder then, and found Claire's earnest eyes waiting for her.

"Are you serious right now?" was all that her sister said to her.

"I'm certainly not going to let you or your silly ideals get in the way of the success of our operation," Celeste replied with a sharp whisper. Seeing that the young foal was still standing in front of the table, she tossed him back his apple. "Sorry kid, but we're all done for tonight. Run along now." As she busied herself folding up the table and securing their takings, Celeste did not notice Claire slipping the foal three more apples from the saddlebag.

---

Of course Claire did end up telling her sister about the extra payout later. It just wasn't in her heart to keep a secret, especially not from her big sister.

"You have got to be kidding me right now." was all Celeste would say as the two trudged home under the weight of their haul. "Don't tell me it was the eyes that drew you in, because if so then he could have used those eyes to beg and borrow his way to half the apples in Eridian. Meanwhile, you almost lost us more than a dozen of them. That's more than a day's worth!"

Claire skipped along in front of her sister, seemingly oblivious of both the weight on her shoulders and the indignation in Celeste's eyes. "You know what, sister? You worry far too much. Save a thought for some other pony's problems for once. Even a small act of kindness is important to some pony, right?"

Celeste could only gaze at the ground for a long time. "If I do not worry for us, who will?" she finally said. "You can go about your own little crusades of kindness if you want to, just know that the expenditures will come out of your share."

That night, as the two of them prepared to sleep, Claire whispered a final time to her elder sister. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

Embracing her younger sister for a moment, Celeste spoke softly. "We're sisters, Claire, and you're all I've got right now. You know I could never stay mad with you. Just let me do the worrying for the both of us."

"Goodnight, Celeste."

"Goodnight, Claire."