Her Sun, low on the horizon, pierced through the eastward windows of the private hall, the silken curtains that flanked each collection of panes glowing brilliantly. The marble of the pillars and the granite of the floor shined as if they had just been polished. Brass and chrome fittings around the room and dining table glimmered. Though, the brightest thing in the room was not the polished floors, chrome dining utensils, crystal drink glasses, or even her Sun beyond the window; the brightest thing was Princess Celestia’s smile.
She had been given a momentous task. A task she had not undertaken in many years. For the day, she was to watch over the future of Equestria. She had always tended to the present. Always protecting the nation and her ponies from evils or disasters. Always looking straight down rather than forward. Not today. Today, at the far end of the long dining table, eating the pancakes Celestia had prepared for her, sat a little Alicorn Celestia failed to take her gaze from.
A fork surrounded in a waving yellow aurora of magic clumsily cut down on the triple stack of syrup-soaked, powdered sugar-dusted, strawberry-topped pancakes, cutting off a triangular bit from the stack. That fork now hovered up, the filly’s expression turning to one of focus, her one eye closing and tongue sticking from the corner of her mouth as she took aim and stabbed down upon the bits. Celestia giggled, prompting the filly to peer up from her breakfast. The two stared into each other’s eyes for a time, Celestia’s smile only widening as a tinge of confusion narrowed the filly’s eyes and cocked her head.
“Enjoying your breakfast, little Flurry?” Celestia probed with a cheerful chime to her voice.
Flurry Heart’s head bobbed in affirmation, her lavender and turquoise mane dancing in the morning sunlight. “Yeah! I like pancakes!”
Celestia’s chest tightened. Her voice, so untarnished by the weathering winds of time. It was a sound so pure, the finest gold would have trouble holding a flame to it. Breaking their eye-contact, Celestia turned her gaze down to the nearly empty cup of orange juice beside Flurry’s plate. Her horn ignited with a yellow glow, the handle of a pitcher at the table’s center adopting that same glow as it gracefully rose and drifted to a position above Flurry’s glass, tilting and pouring a perfect amount of fresh juice into the crystal cup.
“Thank you, Princess!” Flurry beamed, smiling wide before taking a bite of pancakes.
Celestia laughed, dipping her head. “Y-You’re very welcome, little Flurry.”
~§~
Echoing through one of Canterlot Castle’s many winding halls was the unmistakable sound of the Sun’s Sovereign's hoof-falls. A hoof step heavy with time and age, weighed down by the happenings of eons. All who found themselves within earshot, however, found there to be something extra. Accompanying those hard hoof-falls were quick, light clops, ones that did not yet have the past bearing down upon them. For each hit of Celestia’s hoof came four from little Flurry.
Looking down to the filly, Celestia smiled as she observed her quick trotting, her mane and tail bouncing with each step, and her downy wings half-furled. The future always approached so quickly.
As if sensing she was being observed, Flurry turned her head up to gaze at Celestia’s towering figure, her eyes taking a moment to wander the Alicorn before returning her gaze.
“Where are we going?” Questioned Flurry, her expression one of slight apprehension.
Celestia chuckled gently, “I told you when we left the dining room! Do you not remember?”
Flurry looked away, her ears falling flat. “No… I forgot.”
Celestia’s giggle brought her gaze back up, the two staring at each other for a moment, Celestia holding her peace.
Flurry’s brow raised, “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing, little one,” Celestia looked forward, her smile wide, “Nothing at all.”
~§~
In the flowers and foliage, Flurry played. For now, Canterlot Castle's grand garden was host to neither botany nor wildlife, but the future of Equestria herself, something it had not done since Twilight’s youth. So similar, the two were. Insatiable curiosity, a heart of gold, and a smile that could pierce the darkest of thoughts.
Standing from the grassy patch she lay in, Celestia stretched her wings and took a moment to glance around the surrounding area, her gaze eventually falling on a single Royal Guard stood at the base of a statue some distance away. His posture was resolute, but his eyes did not aim forward, and his expression was not the firm, authoritative scowl he was expected to wear.
Just as she herself seconds ago had been doing, he watched Flurry with a gentle, almost loving smile, his mind just as lost as hers. He knew, just as well as she did, that the little Alicorn was the one who would be at Equestria's helm. Maybe not within his lifetime, or even his children's lifetime, but sometime in the distant future, that would be the case.
Letting her eyes wander back to little Flurry, who now had a rather beautiful bouquet gathered in her yellow magic, Celestia began her approach, Flurry only noticing once she had drawn close.
“What have you there, little one?” Celestia chimed as she knelt before Flurry.
Floating the gathering of flowers mere inches from Celestia’s face, Flurry smiled. “I made a bouket!”
Celestia laughed, leaning her head to the side to look past the posy, “Do you mean ‘bouquet’?”
Flurry shrugged. “It’s spelled like bouket…”
“Indeed, it may be spelled in such a way, but it’s not pronounced in such a way.”
Taking the flowers back to herself, Flurry stared at their pedals, “But, why is the ‘t’ silent?” she mused, prompting Celestia to laugh.
“I haven’t any idea, little one.”
“But, Mom said you know everything!”
Again, Celestia laughed, “I know lots of things, but not everything.”
“Like Twilight? She’s smart.”
“Indeed, she is smart.”
Flurry’s gaze was drawn from her flowers as she looked to Celestia, “I want to be smart like she is.”
Reaching out and placing her ordained hoof upon Flurry’s head, Celestia smiled. “In due time, you shall be. Maybe, one day, you’d like to be my student, as Twilight Sparkle once was?”
Her eyes lit up. “Twilight was your student?”
“Since she was a mere filly such as yourself, yes.”
“Is Twilight so smart because you were her teacher?”
Stroking Flurry’s mane a few times, Celestia shook her head. “While I taught her many things, the greatest thing I taught her to do was to learn from the past, and to not only understand it but to conquer it. The past and future are one in the same, and by conquering the past, you too can conquer the future."
Flurry looked down to her flowers, gazing at them for a moment before looking back up. Curiously, Celestia watched as she laid her bouquet down on the grass, trotting to her side and leaping upon her back.
“And what are you doing now?” giggled Celestia, craning her head back to nuzzle Flurry’s side.
“I’m conquering the past!”
~§~
Cautiously, Flurry Heart peered down from the cloud she and Celestia sat upon, her downy wings spread in preparation for an accidental fall. Below was Canterlot Castle, a place that seemed so small from so high up. She could cover the entire structure with just her hoof, and the Guards stationed at their posts were golden dots so small she could hardly make them out.
Standing back from the edge of the cloud, Flurry turned to Celestia, who sat a short way away, simply staring and smiling, as she had been all day.
“Is this what it’s like to be you?” Inquired Flurry as she dropped back to her haunches, wisps of cloud being tossed up from the impact.
“Wh-What do you mean?”
“Being really tall? When you look down, do you get dizzy?”
Celestia’s head rolled back, her front hoof stomping against the cloud as she let out a hearty laugh, “No, I don’t get dizzy when I look down! Though, my ponies do always seem so small.”
Flurry stood, trotting across the cottony sheet to Celestia, “I wanna be as big as you when I get old!”
Patting the filly atop her head, Celestia nodded. “And you shall, in due time. Savor your young years, for being my size comes with drawbacks.”
“Like what?”
The hoof that had patted Flurry’s head moved, now gently pressing down on her back, “I have to make sure I don’t step on little fillies trotting around beneath me!”
The two shared a giggle, Celestia’s hoof coming back to rest between her haunches, and Flurry taking a few looks around before gazing back up at Celestia.
“I’ve never been this far up.” she commented somewhat timidly.
“You have wings, do you not use them often?”
“Not really… I’m not very good at flying. Twilight says her friend is the best flyer ever, and she could help me learn flying better.”
Knowingly, Celestia nodded. “Rainbow Dash is the best flyer, indeed. While she can teach you much, the best way to learn is to practice,” Celestia tapped the tip of Flurry’s short horn with a hoof, “The same goes for your magic.”
“I’m good at magic! I can do things my mom says no other filly can do!”
“And she is very right. What you possess is a power many wish to have. You must be careful with it, and only use it for good, even when doing wrong seems right.”
“But, if doing wrong is wrong, how could it ever be right?”
The gentle smile tugging the corners of Celestia’s lips faded, her brow falling as she looked off to the side. Flurry waited with anticipation, staring at the Alicorn as she tried to brew an answer.
“I still do not know, Flurry.”
~§~
Celestia squinted as she looked skyward, her sun in a place she wished not for it to be in; it was in a descent. Towards the west horizon, it crept, something Celestia wished she could stop.
“Celestia, look!”
That little voice instantly warmed her heart. Looking back down into the Castle’s garden, Celestia watched Flurry trot her way, a Blue Jay trapped in her yellow aura.
“Now, why do you have a Blue Jay?” smiled Celestia, craning her head down to meet the filly eye-to-eye.
“I caught him! He was in that tree over there!”
Celestia glanced from the slightly shaken bird to Flurry’s bright smile.
“Do you have a plan for this poor little bird?”
“Nope! I just wanted to look at him.”
The spell disappeared, the Blue Jay squawking as he caught himself from the fall, his wings beating quickly to carry him away from Flurry as quickly as possible.
“And you wanted to show him to me, didn’t you?” Celestia inquired, kneeling to the grass.
Flurry nodded. Suddenly, an idea clicked in Celestia’s mind.
“You know, little Flurry, there is one bird that lives in this garden which surpasses every other bird’s beauty?”
Her eyes lit up. “There is?”
“Indeed. She is called a ‘Phoenix’, a grand falcon born from fire, and with a being of flame. As I understand, she is usually around this time of day.”
“Really?”
Smiling, Celestia nodded. “If you can find that Phoenix, I’ll give you a prize.”
Somehow, Flurry’s eyes lit up more, her smile wider than ever. “A prize!? Okay! I’ll find the Phoenix!”
With that, Flurry sprinted away, her wings spread excitedly. Giggling to herself, Celestia got more comfortable where she lay. A day of keeping track of such a little ball of energy had been quite the chore. Be it diving through clouds high above the castle, playing hide and seek in the throne room, or splashing around in the many fountains spread about the garden, the playing never seemed to end. This moment of refuge was a welcomed change.
It was hard to imagine such a little filly could have so much energy. Celestia had done her best to keep up, but the moniker of ‘too old for this’ gained more truth with each passing minute. Sending her on a chase for Philomena was, she hoped, a good way to burn off some energy. That old Phoenix was a cunning creature, one even Celestia had trouble pin-pointing sometimes. Wild goose chase wasn’t quite what she could call this search, but it came close.
“Celestia! Celestia!”
Celestia’s posture sunk. Watching the hedges Flurry had disappeared behind earlier, she awaited the filly to return with an annoyed Philomena held up proudly within a yellow field of magic, but instead, Flurry returned empty-hooved, her expression one of confusion.
“Yes, little Flurry?”
Embarrassed, Flurry turned her gaze down, her hoof rubbing against her foreleg. “What does a Phoenix look like?”
“Imagine a Falcon colored with the hues of fire. Her wings and body gleam in a red color that the roses in this garden could only ever hope to match and the long feathers of her tail are a golden yellow that glimmers with the brilliance of a sunflower. She’s quite large, too. Big enough to lift you from the ground.”
Flurry now looked frightened. “The Phoenix could pick me up?”
“If she wished, yes,” Celestia offered a reassuring smile, “I wouldn’t worry, however. Phoenixes don’t eat fillies.”
Her smile returned. “Oh, okay!” now looking a little bashful, Flurry looked to Celestia through her brow, “Do you wanna help me find the Phoenix? You know a lot about it.”
“If I helped, it wouldn’t be your search, now would it?” returned Celestia, prompting Flurry to put on a disappointed look, “But… I suppose I could come along and watch!”
Flurry bounced anxiously as Celestia got to her hooves. The moment she was upright, Flurry darted off towards a distant stone path, Celestia taking up a quick gait to try and keep up with her.
~§~
Standing on Celestia’s back as if it were the crow’s nest of a ship, Flurry peered over the shrubs, flowers, and tall grass in the garden searching for the elusive Phoenix. Celestia’s legs had begun to tire, not from supporting Flurry’s weight, but from supporting her own. The search had been on for what felt like a half hour, and even Flurry was showing signs of tiring. Or, maybe, discouragement. It was hard to tell.
“We’re never gonna find the Phoenix.” Flurry commented solemnly, hopping down from Celestia’s back.
Celestia remained quiet, her eyes locked with the Phoenix in question, who had just landed atop a statue depicting a fierce yet protective looking Luna, her stone wings spread wide and her front hooves reared up at the ready to strike any evil-doer.
“Oh, don’t be so sure just yet, little one.” Returned Celestia with a smirk, watching the unknowing Philomena as she preened her wing.
Seeming to have a total flip of mood, Flurry giggled, “You call me that a lot.”
“Little one?”
Flurry nodded, prompting Celestia to crane her head down to meet the filly eye-to-eye.
“Am I wrong in calling you that? You are little, after all.”
“I know, but it makes you sound old!”
Chuckling and bringing her head back up, her gaze returning to Philomena, “Well, one should act their age, should they not?”
Flurry held her silence, prompting Celestia to look down to her to find her eyes too were locked with Philomena, her expression one of near mesmerization.
“Is that the Phoenix?” Whispered Flurry.
Looking back to Philomena, Celestia hummed in thought. “I don’t quite know. It’s hard to tell from this distance. If you catch her, however, I can get a closer look.”
Shutting her eyes, Flurry’s horn came to life, Celestia watching as, moments later Philomena became encompassed in an aura of yellow magic very similar in hue to her own. As she floated up off the statue and towards Celestia and Flurry, Philomena looked around rapidly, her eyes eventually meeting with Celestia’s. She let out an annoyed screech, making Celestia giggle.
“Don’t complain to me, young lady, I’m not the one holding you!”
Floating down to Flurry, Philomena glared at the filly, who looked back with wonder.
“The Phoenix is big…” commented Flurry, noting Philomena was more than twice as tall as she.
“Indeed, Philomena is quite the creature. You can set her down now, Flurry.”
Flurry now looked up at Celestia as her magic released Philomena. “Philomena?”
Giggling, Celestia nodded, “Philomena, indeed! She’s my pet Phoenix!”
Looking back to Philomena, who simply stood before her, Flurry let her eyes wander the avian’s features. “Wow…” her eyes went wide in excitement as she quickly peered back up to Celestia, “Does this mean I get the surprise!”
“I suppose it does, yes…” Celestia paused, looking off to the side as she thought. She hadn’t actually planned on Flurry finding Philomena, or for that matter, Philomena showing up at all.
Flurry danced in anticipation, “What is it? What’s the surprise?”
For a moment longer, Celestia was quiet, but after a second, her eyes lit up as she brewed an idea, “Ah, your surprise! Well, little one, you’ll have to follow me for your surprise.”
A little confused, Flurry stood still as she watched Celestia turn and begin off down the stone path they had originally followed. She looked up at Philomena, who cocked her head curiously at the filly before her. To Flurry’s surprise, Philomena unfurled one of her massive wings, gently laying it over her as if it were a blanket. For a second, totally still, the two stood like that, Philomena being the first to move as she brought her wing back to her side, leaving Flurry to gaze at her in both wonder and confusion.
“Are you coming, little Flurry?” Called Celestia from down the path, snapping Flurry’s gaze to her.
“Oh! Uh, yeah… I’m coming!”
~§~
It only took a little rummaging for Celestia to find what she had been looking for. Within an old chest that had been converted into a stylish coffee table was where Flurry's surprise had been. With the items in her magic, Celestia closed the chest, turning to the filly sitting some distance away on Celestia’s big bed and held the surprise up for her to see.
“Books?” Flurry asked, cocking her head.
Celestia shook her head, making her way towards the cushion-like bed, “Not just any books, little Flurry,” she laid down beside the filly, placing the stack before her, “These are some of the books I used to read to Twilight when she was your age.”
Flurry sat up, eyes widening, “These are auntie Twilight’s books?”
“Indeed. I’ve kept them for a long time, and I think it’s time you have them.”
Levitating the topmost book from the stack, Flurry scanned its colorful cover, "Can you read them to me?"
Chuckling, Celestia draped her wing over her, "Can you not read yet?"
"I can read really good, but I like it when ponies read. Twilight reads to me a lot."
Giving her a re-assuring pat with her wing, Celestia nodded, "Of course, I can read them to you," taking the book Flurry had chosen, Celestia opened it to the first page, clearing her throat and pulling Flurry closer with her wing, "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land…”
“Is that you and Princess Luna?” interrupted Flurry, leaning closer to look at the illustration of the two young Princesses.
“That is, indeed, my sister and I.”
Flurry did a double-take, “Your mane isn’t pink!”
Chuckling, Celestia nodded, “This is when she and I were younger.”
Looking back to the picture, Flurry held her silence. After a second, Celestia cleared her throat once more, resuming her reading.
“To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects; all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful.”
Celestia paused, staring silently at the depiction of Luna. A knot tied tighter in her stomach as the seconds ticked by, her reluctance to continue growing. She took a deep breath, prompting Flurry to look up at her. The two shared a quiet glance before Celestia diverted her attention back to the pages.
“The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.” Her voice cracked a bit towards the end of her speech, her breaths becoming a little shaky. “As time ticked by, the younger began to feel more anger towards her sister and citizens, for they had neglected all of her concerns.” Again, Celestia took a deep breath. “T-The elder, so caught up with her own life, never listened to her sister’s problems, l-letting anger and jealousy take over…”
“That’s not what the book says…” whispered Flurry, looking to Celestia.
“T-The bitterness caused by the ponies who she had loved and trusted transformed her into a w-wicked mare of darkness…” Celestia drew in a sharp, shaking breath, her eyes locked with two words she wished didn’t exist.
“S-She… she vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. I… I harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom; the Elements of Harmony. Using… using the elements, I-I defeated my younger sister, never truly knowing the pain she felt, and b-banishing her in the moon, ripping her away from her home, family, and country."
The book fell from Celestina's magic, landing to the bed as she held back tears.
“Celestia, what’s wrong?” Asked Flurry with concern, placing her little hoof atop Celestia’s in an attempt to console her.
“T-This book, Flurry, it is my past. T-This book isn’t Luna’s past. What I told you is the true past, the past hardly anypony knows.” She closed the book, placing her hoof on the cover. “If you don’t conquer the past, what happens?”
“You… you can’t conquer the future.”
Quietly, Celestia nodded. The two stayed silent, Flurry staring at the book as she thought deeply.
“Did you lie in the book?”
Again, she nodded.
“But… lying is bad.”
“Sometimes, lying is the right thing to do.”
“But, if lying is wrong, and doing the wrong thing is never right… why did you lie?”
"Because, Flurry, sometimes the wrong thing is the only thing you can do.”
~§~
Celestia snorted awake as a hoof rocked her out of her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open to see Luna’s smile, her mane aglow with evening light.
“It seems you two dozed off.” She informed with a chuckle.
Celestia craned her head up, looking around before seeing that Flurry lay asleep beneath her wing. Groaning, she surveyed the books before her, seeing that she had fallen asleep in the middle of ‘The Timberwolf and the Three Little Parasprites”.
“Yes… it seems we did.”
“It also seems you two have grown quite close.”
Looking to the filly tucked in beneath her wing, Celestia smiled. “I think we have,” groaning, she stretched her forelegs, letting out a loud yawn, “I assume Cadance and Shining are here to get her?”
“Indeed they are. In the throne room for a good twenty minutes, they’ve been,” Luna chuckled, “T'has taken me that twenty minutes to find you.”
A little more awake, Celestia took her wing from Flurry, “Oh, goodness, I shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer, then,” She rocked the little filly with her hoof, getting a dismissive groan in return, “Come on, little one, nap time is over.”
Rolling Flurry onto her side, she was finally able to wake her, Flurry’s eyes fluttering open as she looked around. After a moment, her gaze locked with Luna, who offered a friendly smile in response to the scared look now spread over the filly’s expression.
“You’ve met Luna before, haven’t you?” Celestia asked, noting her fear.
Quietly, she nodded.
“Oh, I am sure she’s simply timid. T’has been quite a good while.”
Celestia looked back to Flurry, “Well, are you ready to go back home with your parents?”
Still looking Luna in the eyes, Flurry nodded.
“Then you should stop staring at Luna and stand up.” Celestia coaxed jokingly.
“Okay…”
With that, the two began getting up, Celestia making sure to collect the scattered books so Flurry could take them with her.
~§~
“I do believe I know why she is so timid around me.”
Celestia looked away from Flurry and her parents, who stood a distance away in the throne hall, to her sister, “And why is that?”
“You read her the book.”
Sighing, Celestia nodded. “That, I did. I told her the truth, as well.”
Luna pitched her brow. “You did?”
Silently this time, she nodded.
“Why?”
“W-Why?”
“Yes, why?”
Celestia blinked a few times. “I-I thought you wanted others to know the truth.”
Luna looked back out to the family. “She is far too young to understand. Why tell her?”
“She may be young, but she understood perfectly.”
Chuckling, Luna smiled. “You told her because there was a lesson to be learned, no?”
“That… that’s the main reason.”
Luna clicked her tongue, “The day you stop teaching lessons shall be the day the sun stops rising.”
Celestia chuckled, “Of course, it will be. I’ll be dead.”
The two shared a laugh, their attention going back out to the throne room as Cadance approached.
“Thank you so much for looking after her, Auntie.” Cadance stopped a short distance before Celestia, looking over her shoulder to Flurry, who was showing off her new novels to Shining, “It sounds like you two had a great time.”
“A greater time than you could ever fathom.”
The two Princesses shared a smile. “Good to hear, Auntie,” Cadance looked to Luna, “Maybe next time you’d like to sit for her, Luna?”
“My nocturnality might get in the way of such a plan. I doubt there is much need for her to be looked over while she sleeps."
"You never know, maybe she'd like to watch over the night with you!"
Smiling, Luna shook her hoof, “I maintain my reluctance. When she is older, however, I would be joyful to oblige. I could take her under my wing and teach her to dreamwalk.”
Nervously, Cadance chuckled, “I, uh, I don’t think she’s the type for it.”
Luna hummed, nodding, “Time shall tell.”
Clearing her throat, Cadance turned back to Celestia, “Again, Auntie, thank you for watching her.”
Stepping forward and wrapping a leg around Cadance’s shoulder to pull her into a hug, Celestia nodded, “Of course, Cadance. Thank you for coming to me with the offer.”
“Ready to go, honey?” Called Shining from across the throne hall, bringing all attention to him.
“Yep, I’m good!”
With a wave goodbye, Cadance trotted off towards her family, leaving Luna and Celestia at the foot of the throne podium.
“Teach her to dreamwalk, hm?”
Luna shrugged. “T’was worth a try.”