Several years passed, and each year Celestia saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash at the Best Young Fliers' Competition. Whenever Celestia saw them, she encouraged both fillies to visit Ponyville as often as they could. Eventually, her persistence paid off as Fluttershy moved into a cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. However, Rainbow remained in her hometown. Celestia wondered if the Element of Loyalty might actually be working against her purposes.
Twilight advanced in her studies, outperforming her peers in every subject. She began to take on summer courses even though she was the last student who needed them. This left less time for socialization. Unfortunately, Minuette's birthday party was the only one she attended. Twilight continued to buy birthday presents for all of her acquaintances, but declared that parties were a waste of time. She also found every excuse not to travel to Cloudsdale or Ponyville. Celestia understood being a homebody, but this was getting a little ridiculous.
Celestia couldn't help feeling concerned. According to the prediction, Luna would break free from her banishment in only two years. Time was running out to bring all the Bearers together. If that weren't worrying enough, Pinkie Pie's updates stated that Rarity and Applejack still did not get along well with each other, despite Pinkie's best efforts. Fluttershy acted friendly toward Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack, but had yet to form close bonds with any of them.
What to do? Celestia considered summoning them all at once and telling them the truth. But what good would that do if they still did not become friends? Such a thing could not be forced, not even if the fate of the world depended on it.
Celestia grew a bit more optimistic when Pinkie sent word that Rainbow Dash moved to Ponyville, only a few months before the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. Predictably, Pinkie declared Rainbow to be one of her new best pals. Her letter brought a smile to Celestia's face. Perhaps everything would work out all right in the end. Spurred into action – to use an archaic term from the dark ages before she was even born – she visited Ponyville one final time before Luna's release, to make her preparations. Her plan was to send Twilight to Ponyville on official royal business, so that her student couldn't refuse. Celestia would put each Bearer in charge of organizing a certain aspect of the celebration – except for Pinkie Pie. Celestia had another idea for the Bearer of Laughter.
The Mayor of Ponyville was pleased with Celestia's plans. “You know this town well, your highness,” the politician told her at their official meeting. “I never would have thought to ask Fluttershy to provide music with her birds, but it's a lovely idea. And your other choices are excellent as well. I'm sure they'll all be honored to help organize the celebration. I'll tell them the good news.”
“I would like to tell them myself, actually.”
“Oh, they'll be so excited!” The mayor beamed.
“There's one more thing I need to arrange, Madame Mayor. My protege is coming to oversee the celebration a few days before my arrival. My nephew might come as well.”
The mayor gasped. “Prince Blueblood?”
“No, the other one.”
“Goodness, I didn't realize you had more than one. Well, I'm certain one of our citizens would be more than happy to let your nephew and your protege stay in their home.”
“What about the library?” asked Celestia, remembering the charming giant of an oak tree she had seen during her prior visits.
The mayor looked at the ceiling in thought. “It's interesting you should ask about the library, Princess. Our public library has a bedroom and a full kitchen. Our last librarian used to live there, but she's no longer with us.”
Celestia frowned. “She passed away?”
Shaking her head, the mayor said, “Well, nopony knows for certain. You see, two years ago, she left a note on the library door, saying that she had gone to the Castle of the Two Sisters to find the old books that were supposedly left there. If only she had told somepony ahead of time, we would have made sure someone went with her to protect her. It's dangerous for anypony to go into the Everfree alone, but especially one as elderly as our librarian. As it was, all we could do was send out a search party. Needless to say, the search came up empty. Her fate is still unknown. She could have been pulled into Tartarus for all anypony knows.”
At first Celestia wondered if the earth pony were joking or speaking in hyperbole. However, the mayor didn't have a hint of jocularity in her expression.
“Do you actually think that could have happened, Madam Mayor?” asked Celestia.
“It's unlikely, but it is possible, your highness. There actually is a portal to Tartarus within a day's hike from Ponyville, but it's in almost the exact opposite direction of the castle, so she had no reason to go anywhere near there unless she got lost. Poor old mare. Nopony has stepped in to fill her shoes since her disappearance. There's one volunteer who keeps it tidy and opens it up a few hours a week, but nopony seems interested in managing it full time.”
Celestia bowed her head. “What happened to your librarian is a tragedy, especially to think that it could have been prevented if only a friend had gone with her.” She swallowed a lump in her throat as the tale hit closer to home than she'd expected. “And it is a shame that you've been without a full time librarian for so long. But I believe my protege would love to stay the there for a few nights, if that's all right.”
“Oh, that shouldn't be any trouble. We'll have it ready in time for the Summer Sun Celebration.”
Once Twilight and Spike's arrangements were settled, Celestia went off in search for the five special fillies. She headed for Sweet Apple Acres first, where she'd drunk cider two years prior. The first pony she met there was Applejack's brother, Big McIntosh. Truthfully, she didn't meet him so much as frighten him away from the apple cart he was loading. The young stallion seemed even shyer than Fluttershy, but it was possible that he was simply intimidated by royalty. He returned in a minute or two with his sisters and Granny Smith.
“Howdy there, Princess Celestia,” greeted the matriarch. “Big McIntosh here told us you'd stopped by.” She reached under her shawl and pulled out a tiny jar filled with colorful jam. “We don't got no cider this time, but here's some o' last season's zap apple jam.”
“Why, thank you, Mrs. Smith!” Celestia wrapped the jar in her magic. “But you know, you don't have to give me something every time I come here.”
“Aw p'shaw. We wouldn't even have none o' these fine products if it wasn't for yer generosity to my family all those years ago. I just wanna show a lil' appreciation to ya.”
“That's very thoughtful. You are a national treasure, Mrs. Smith,” said Celestia, figuring there was no point in trying to argue with her.
“Aw, shucks.” The elderly pony's eyes lit up with pride, belying her modest tone.
Then Celestia told the Apple family about her decision to have the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. The four ponies' eyes lit up as they grinned.
Applejack reared up in excitement. “Yee-haw! We've been wantin' to host the Summer Sun Celebration for years!”
Celestia chuckled. “There's more. I would like Sweet Apple Acres to cater the event. You'll be compensated out of the royal treasury, of course.”
“This is so amazin'!” said Apple Bloom, who had grown a great deal in the seven years since Celestia had first seen her. “Weren't y'all sayin' earlier how we need to save up some money to pay for Granny Smith's hip surgery?”
The matriarch frowned. “I keep tellin' y'all I don't need no stinkin' hip surgery! My hips are as fit as they were on the day I was born!”
“Granny,” said Applejack, putting a placating hoof on her grandmother's shoulder, “we'll talk about this later, okay?”
“Well, okay, but I don't think there's anythin' more to discuss.”
Applejack turned to face Celestia. “So, we'll need to prepare enough food for, oh, about two thousand ponies?”
“You'll probably want to double that. I came to you because you're the only business in Ponyville that can provide both the quantity and quality of food I'm looking for. I'll let you keep record of the cost and you can bill the royal treasury the day of the summer solstice.”
The earth ponies exchanged smiles once more.
“That'll suit us just fine, Princess,” said Applejack.
“Eyup,” agreed Big McIntosh.
“We'll need to ask some of our kin to come over and help get it all done,” added Mrs. Smith, rubbing her chin.
“I reckon they'll wanna come for the celebration anyway!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “This is gonna be great!”
The corners of Celestia's mouth pulled upward. “There is one more small thing I would ask of you. Well, two things, actually. First, I want you to work closely with the other event planners to make this the best Summer Sun Celebration ever.”
Applejack nodded. “'Course we will. Who else have ya asked to help out?”
“Rainbow Dash for the weather, Fluttershy to provide music, and Rarity to decorate,” answered Celestia.
“Oh,” the Bearer said simply. She looked down and rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, no, I don't expect there will be.” Applejack kept her eyes on the ground. “Rainbow Dash has a bit of an ego, but there's good reason for it since she's really great at what she does. Our trees are lovin' the weather we're havin' since she moved in. I ain't talked to Fluttershy as much yet, but she's a sweetheart.” She paused. “And then there's Rarity. She and I have had our differences in the past, and she gave me the silent treatment for a while.”
Her little sister tilted her head. “Really? Why's that?”
“I think it was on account o' me missin' the play she made costumes for when we were fillies – when you were just a baby, Apple Bloom. I had told Rarity I would come see the show, but then I decided to stay in Manehattan with no real plans to come back. Didn't even write to none o' my family and friends here besides Granny Smith.” Applejack hung her head. “By the time I did make it back to Ponyville, the play was over, and things were mighty awkward between Rarity and me. Have been ever since.”
Her grandmother put her hoof on her shoulder. “Big Mac and I forgave ya long ago for leavin' Sweet Apple Acres for so long. But maybe Rarity needs to hear ya apologize. Did ya ever talk to her 'bout it afterwards?”
Applejack scratched behind her ear. “I tried to, once, but I don't know if she was really listenin'. 'Sides, I'm only sorry for not writing to her. I ain't sorry for missin' the play. I needed that time away to – well, to figure out where my place was.”
“Perhaps you could tell Rarity what you just told us?” Celestia suggested gently. “She may understand.”
The Bearer nodded. “I'll give it a go.”
Celestia beamed. “Wonderful.”
“What's the other thing you wanted to ask, Princess?” asked Apple Bloom.
“My student, Twilight Sparkle, and my nephew will arrive before the solstice to check on the preparations. I want you to give them a warm welcome.”
“Sure we will!” said Apple Bloom. “We'll invite 'em to stay for lunch or dinner or whatever meal is closest.”
“Darn tootin'!” Applejack ruffled her sister's mane. “We'll treat 'em like family.”
“I could not ask for better than that,” said Celestia.
She bade farewell to the Apple family and turned her attention to the translucent sheet of altostratus clouds. Being part pegasus, Celestia appreciated the nuances of cloud formations. She took to the air and searched for the now familiar rainbow mane. Before long she spotted an intricate cloud formation closer to the ground. Celestia realized that it fit the description of Rainbow's house from Pinkie's most recent letter. Pegasus-style cloud houses were still uncommon in Ponyville despite its decently-sized pegasus population. Almost all of the pegasus ponies lived in the standard wood and stucco homes on the ground. But since Rainbow had moved from Cloudsdale, she no doubt felt more comfortable living in a house made of clouds and water crystals. Pinkie Pie was more worldly than Twilight – admittedly a low hurdle to clear – but she had never seen a cloud building before. Pinkie was quite excited when the pegasus builders had constructed it, and she'd borrowed a balloon to fly up close to it.
Now Celestia wondered if anypony was home. She approached the house and flew around it. The architecture was quite whimsical even by pegasus standards – not at all like the utilitarian, durable buildings constructed by earth ponies and unicorns. A luminous rainbow streamed out of the domed roof, while liquid rainbows trickled down either side of the cloudscaping that formed its foundation. Flowing, naturalistic clouds had been artfully tacked to the outer walls of the three-story house, while leaving the classical scroll-topped columns visible.
It wasn't hard to see why the former rock farmer was impressed. However . . .
Celestia couldn't help noticing that several cloudscaping tools had been left lying in the middle of the cloud yard. She landed on the yard and picked up the handle of a cloud-smoother, looking around for a place to put it away.
“Princess Celestia!” A multi-hued contrail solidified into Rainbow Dash standing on the gray cloud surface in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see how you were settling into your new home and job, Rainbow Dash,” said Celestia.
Rainbow waved her foreleg at her home. “I'm pretty much all set up here. Fluttershy let me stay at her place until my new house was ready. I'm glad I can sleep on a cloud bed again. But it still feels weird to have this big house all to myself, with no one to help keep it up. Adulting is hard.” She picked up a cloud-shaver from the cloud ground.
Celestia inclined her head. “Yet you chose to leave the comfort of your parents' home.”
“Well, yeah. You've met my parents.” Rainbow started rolling her cloud-smother. “They're awesome, and I love them, but they can be kind of smothering, you know? Plus, Fluttershy made Ponyville sound so cool, I had to see it for myself.”
“Cool?”
“Yeah, every other week there's some kind of monster rampaging through the streets or a magical mishap that threatens everypony's lives and sanity. How exciting is that?” The pegasus dropped the tool and brought her hooves to her cheeks.
Celestia chuckled. “Well, I can't say you're wrong. And what of your job as a weather pony?” asked Celestia.
“That's part of the adventure. There's all these storms and wild weather systems that blow in from the Everfree Forest. It's not like controlling the weather in Cloudsdale. They make weather in the factory, like clockwork. Here we mostly stabilize the wild weather that comes our way. We have a guy whose job is just predicting what type of weather will come in next, can you believe that? He's wrong, like, eighty percent of the time,” she added, rolling her eyes. “But at least it's never boring. I pretty much work on call instead of having a regular schedule. Sometimes I have to drop everything to help counter a gust of wind or a hailstorm,” explained the Bearer. “We just now finished softening a cold front.”
“It sounds like you're adjusting well to your new role. Which is why I want you to keep the sky nice and clear for the Summer Sun Celebration,” said Celestia.
Rainbow's eyes sparkled as a grin slowly spread across her face. “We're having the Summer Sun Celebration here?” She spread her wings and flew in a loop-de-loop. “That's awesome! I've never watched you actually raise the sun before! And everypony will be able to see it because of me!” The Bearer held her hoof to her chest.
Then Celestia told her about sending Twilight before her, and asked Rainbow to give her a warm welcome.
“I'll treat her the same as my other friends,” answered Rainbow.
“I'm glad to hear that. Do you have any friends in Ponyville besides Fluttershy?”
“Yeah, I've made a few good friends here. Pinkie Pie really knows how to have fun and she loves my new house. Applejack loves a good, friendly competition, and she lets me eat apples from her orchard as long as I ask first.”
“That's good. Anypony else?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Not yet, but hopefully I'll make some more friends soon if work and catching up on sleep don't cut into my social life too much.”
“Well, it's interesting you should mention Applejack, because she's one of the other ponies I asked to help with the Celebration. Fluttershy and Rarity are also assisting with the planning.”
“I don't know who Rarity is, but that sounds great!”
“She's a unicorn who just opened a tailor shop called Carousel Boutique.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Rainbow, bringing her hoof to her chin in thought. “White coat, purple mane?”
“It's more of an off-white, but yes.”
“I've seen her around. I'm sure we'll make everything awesome for you. But, you didn't mention Pinkie Pie. Did you ask her to help out? Because, pro tip, she plans the best parties I've ever been to.”
Celestia smiled. “Pinkie Pie's role will be more behind the scenes. I have something special in mind for her to do.”
“Oh, a surprise! Gotcha. Say no more, Princess,” said Rainbow with a wink.
Next, Celestia visited Rarity's new clothing store. Of all the Element Bearers, Rarity was the most accomplished by economic standards. At only twenty years old, she had started her own small business from nothing but her own talents.
A bell tinkled as Celestia entered the shop.
“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is – Princess Celestia!” Rarity quickly bowed in front of her, looking as elegant as ever. “I can't believe it's you! What are you doing here?” She rose and gazed wide-eyed up at Celestia.
For both of their sakes, Celestia was grateful that Rarity kept better control over her starstruck reaction this time. “I've chosen Ponyville to host this year's Summer Sun Celebration, and I'd like you to be in charge of the decorations.”
“W-what?” She brought her hoof to her barrel. “You want me in charge of decorating one of the most important ceremonies of the year? Oh my goodness! I'm so flattered that you remembered my designs, although my expertise lies more in fashion. Still, I believe I can adapt my skills to décor.”
Celestia had thought about asking Rarity to design a gown for her to wear while she raised the sun. No doubt the Bearer would have been thrilled with the prospect. The problem with asking Rarity to make a dress was that Celestia wanted Twilight to check on Rarity's progress – and meet her fellow Bearer in the process. Twilight would have no logical reason for checking on a gown fitted especially for Celestia, but she would have reason to view and give her approval for the decorations.
“I know I can count on you to make the town hall look as lovely as your boutique,” said Celestia.
Rarity demurely fluttered her eyelashes. “I shall do my upmost to meet your high expectations.”
“Thank you. The royal treasury will compensate you for your efforts and materials.”
“Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of taking payment! Decorating for the Princess of Equestria is reward enough.” She crossed one foreleg in front of the other. “Although, perhaps you could promote my work among the nobility in Canterlot?”
“I will gladly do both. I'm paying the other event planners for their work, and I wouldn't want to shortchange somepony of your talents.”
“I see. Well, if you insist,” said Rarity. “Who else have you chosen to help with the planning?”
“Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack,” answered Celestia.
“Oh.” Rarity raised and then lowered her eyebrows. “Well, if everypony will be civil, I'm sure we'll get along just fine.”
“I hope there won't be a problem,” said Celestia.
“Problem?” echoed the Bearer. “There's no problem at all. Fluttershy is a dear! There was one time my little cat ate one of my ribbons and had – well, tummy troubles, and Fluttershy helped her feel better in no time. And Rainbow Dash is . . .” Rarity tapped her chin. “Well, she's very good at managing the weather, and she does have a certain flair. I'm sure we'll make it the best Summer Sun Celebration ever!”
“That's good to hear. But did you forget somepony?”
Rarity lowered her hoof to the floor. “No. It's just that Applejack . . .” She looked away, gazing out one of the windows. “I will stay professional, but Applejack and I have . . . difficulty communicating with one another. We used to be friends when we were little fillies, but then she left to stay with her aunt and uncle in Manehattan. I was designing costumes for a play that the other foals were putting on at the time, and I hoped Applejack would return in time to attend. She promised she would come see it, but she never did. She came home a few days after the play and didn't seem to care about it or my costumes or me at all.” The Bearer scrunched her muzzle and lowered her head as if she'd said more than she'd intended. “In retrospect, I suppose I could have asked Granny Smith for Applejack's mailing address so I could write to her and remind her of the play and how important it was to me. But she should have written to me, too. And she knew my address, so she had less of an excuse.”
“I can understand how that would make it awkward for the two of you to spend time together,” Celestia said sympathetically. “But for what it's worth, I spoke with Applejack about the possibility of working with you, and she mentioned that this was a sore point between you. She said that she wanted to talk it over with you. If you give her a chance to explain herself, do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive her?”
Rarity toed the floor with her front hoof. “If she's truly sorry, then I can forgive her. I've already acknowledged that I share a teensy bit of the blame. Perhaps I could tell her that as well.” Her eyebrows lowered with resolve. “Yes, it's past time we resolve this drama and put it behind us.”
Fluttershy was next. The Bearer of Kindness had moved into a charming cottage on the outskirts of town, unsurprisingly away from any close neighbors. Various animals followed her like shadows – among them was a white rabbit that seemed very unsure about Celestia being there. Fluttershy herself wasn't quite as timid as she'd been when Celestia had first met her as a filly, but that was a low bar to clear. She had also blossomed from a gangly youth into a lovely mare. It wasn't that the other Element Bearers weren't pretty in their own ways – they were, but Fluttershy was the most classically beautiful.
Celestia told her about the Summer Sun Celebration and how she wanted Fluttershy to provide the music with her birds.
“Oh, my! You want me and my birds to sing for you?” Her aquamarine eyes were enormous.
“Just your birds, if that's agreeable to you. I was hoping you could teach them to sing in harmony.”
“Oh!” Fluttershy's eyes softened. “It will be no trouble at all for me to teach the birds to sing for you.”
Then Celestia told the Bearer about the other event planners.
“I'm glad you chose Rainbow – I guess it's not surprising that you would. I don't know Rarity as well as I know Dashie yet, but she seems very nice, and she has a good eye for design. I don't know Applejack very well either, but the apples from her farm are delicious, she always seems to keep a cool head when everypony else is, um, stressed.”
“I'm glad you approve of my choices,” said Celestia sincerely.
The Bearer blushed and ducked her head.
“No, I mean it,” added Celestia. “It's great that you're getting along with the ponies here.”
“Th-thank you, Princess. I moved to Ponyville to be close to the animals and take care of them. There are so many species that I've never even dreamed of, like jackalopes and star spiders and platypi! But then I found out that the ponies are very nice too, and that made this town even better.”
After Celestia said goodbye to Fluttershy and headed toward Sugar Cube Corner, she realized she'd forgotten to advise her about Twilight and Spike. Briefly, Celestia debated with herself on whether or not she should go back and tell Fluttershy to expect them. She concluded that it probably wasn't necessary. After all, Fluttershy was the Bearer of Kindness, and she was getting along well with the other Bearers so far. Besides, Celestia had made certain to tell them all to work together on the event. Surely that would include sharing the information Celestia had given them.
Nodding to herself in satisfaction, Celestia walked up to Sugar Cube Corner and stepped inside.
“Welcome back, Princess!” Pinkie Pie sprang in front of her, a bit taller and stockier than when Celestia had seen her last. “Take a load off! Can I take your crown?” She held her foreleg toward Celestia. At least Pinkie didn't grab the regalia this time. Celestia did not know whether Pinkie was more mature or merely held back because the crown was on Celestia's head instead of floating in her magic. The latter was the more likely explanation, if the tone of Pinkie's letters was any indication.
Holding up her front hoof to deter Pinkie, Celestia said, “That won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer, Pinkie Pie.”
“You're welcome!” Then the Bearer put her front hoof to the side of her mouth and stage-whispered, “Did you get my note?”
Celestia nodded. “I believe I have a solution to the problems you pointed out. I've chosen Ponyville to host the Summer Sun Celebration–”
“Ohmygosh ohmygosh!”
“–And I asked the ponies you mentioned in your note to plan the event. That way they can work together and get to know one another.”
“Great idea! My mom was right: you are wise!”
“Thank you, dear. I know you are friends with Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, but I think it would be better if they spent time together without you as a buffer between them. They are already close to you – now they need an opportunity to grow close to each other.”
Pinkie's ears drooped. “Are you sure you don't want me to help plan the party? I guess I never told you this, but party planning is part of my special talent.”
“I'm aware of that, Pinkie Pie. That's why I have another job for you that is just as important.”
“Really? What is it?”
Celestia grinned. “You're going to throw a 'welcome to Ponyville' party for my student, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Ooooh!” The earth pony's ears perked up. “I love that job! Can it be a surprise party?”
“It certainly can.”
“Woohoo!”
With that settled, Celestia ordered the most expensive item on the menu and paid for it up front.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake were taken aback, as if they hadn't really anticipated that she would remember her promise.
“The seven layer cake!? It would take at least an hour and a half for us to make it!” exclaimed Mrs. Cake.
“That's all right with me. I have one more stop to make here in town, so I'll come and pick it up after I'm finished and take it home to share with my niece,” explained Celestia.
“As you wish, Princess,” said Mr. Cake with a nervous smile. “Any special occasion?”
“Who says you need a special occasion for cake?” asked Celestia. Nopony could argue with her logic.
After leaving Sugar Cube Corner, Celestia flew toward the library. She wanted to see for herself if it was a suitable home for Twilight. She did not need to ask where it was, for she had passed by it many times during this visit and many of her earlier day trips to Ponyville. Golden Oak Library was quite a distinctive structure, not just in appearance, but also in magical properties. Celestia focused her keen magical senses on the giant oak tree. It was full of earth pony magic that kept it healthy despite being hollow. Celestia circled in closer and saw a lightning rod sticking out of the tree's crown, most likely installed by pegasi, if she had to guess.
And then there were the books.
Equestria was a magical land where even seemingly mundane substances such as stone and air had thaumic power. But even more powerful than the physical forces were the intangible ones: emotions and ideas. And when emotions and ideas were written down, they were the strongest magic known to equines. And when the words were lined up and stacked and crammed together in a confined space, they tended to distort the very fabric of reality. This was true even of ordinary fiction and nonfiction books, but especially true of books that contained magic spells and techniques and theories and formulas and potion recipes. The result was that libraries were bigger on the inside than on the outside, and gravity tended to veer away from the floor and pull towards various bookshelves. Celestia had rescued many a student who had gotten disoriented and lost in the library at the School for Gifted Unicorns.
She alighted in front of the oak and observed all the details. Thick moss grew on the awning over the door, which had a lit candle painted on it, and to the left was a sturdy wooden sign with a picture of an open book and the library hours listed below it:
Mondays 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Celestia hummed to herself. That was short and sweet.
Dozens of honeybees buzzed around the flowers next to the sign, and wandered over to Celestia, who was as colorful as a flower herself. She idly swatted them away with her tail and glanced up. Ah, there was the problem. A large beehive hung from one of the great tree's branches. It seemed like poor practice to keep a beehive near a street where there was plenty of hoof traffic. It was a wonder nopony had relocated it. She hoped the hive wouldn't scare Twilight away. However, it was likely that her protege had never seen a beehive before, and if she knew Twilight, she'd find it more fascinating than frightening.
Celestia lowered her gaze and saw that on the other side of the door was a large wooden chest with a slot in the front, with elegantly painted letters:
Returns
In her honor
A lit candle that matched the door had been brushed onto the wood below the words. Celestia wondered if this was the librarian's cutie mark. She stared at it for a moment, worrying that Twilight's fate would be similar to the previous librarian's. What if she figured out that she must go to the Elements in the old castle, but didn't tell anypony where she was going? What if none of the other Bearers found out in time to go with her, or to follow and catch up to her? What if Twilight was eaten by a manticore or timberwolf or other wild beast? What if she somehow wandered in the wrong direction and actually did get pulled through the portal to Tartarus? What if she went the right way and found the Elements, but still failed to reactivate them because she was alone? What if she didn't figure out what she had to do to activate the Elements?
Celestia countered her anxious thoughts with hopeful ones. Unlike the librarian, Twilight was young and in her prime. Besides, there had to be a reason that Celestia felt an instant connection to the six fillies. It must have been because they were destined to use the Elements.
But, just to be certain, perhaps she could tell Pinkie to keep an eye on Twilight.
Celestia tried the door and found that it was locked, for it wasn't Monday. Rather than finding somepony who had a key, she simply teleported inside. As one would expect, the library had a very woody scent. The main room had ample floor space – more than enough for a meeting, or even a friendly get-together. Perhaps even a surprise party. If there was one party Twilight couldn't say no to, Celestia was certain that it was a party inside a library.
Smiling, Celestia browsed some of the titles that lined the curved walls. It was a fine collection for a town this size. Everything from cookbooks to magical reference guides were contained within a single oak tree. It would be a shame to keep it from the Ponyville citizens for six days of the week. Celestia was more determined than ever to see Twilight become this town's librarian – and perhaps, down the road, gain enough experience to take on a leadership role in Ponyville and beyond.
Celestia just had to trust that her pupil would know what to do when the time was right.
Yes, everything was in place. Twilight needed only gentle encouragement.
A few days before the summer solstice, Celestia decided that perhaps it was finally time to ease her student into learning the truth about Luna and the Elements of Harmony. She was still reluctant to do so after Sunset Shimmer's reaction, but time was running out. Either Twilight would be informed of the facts before Nightmare Moon's return, or the world would most likely fall to eternal darkness. So Celestia left a book titled The Legend of the Two Sisters on the shelf where the librarians set out their books of the month, front and center for everypony to see. Twilight wouldn't fail to notice it – unless, of course, another pony checked it out before Twilight saw it.
Next, Celestia wrote a letter, trying to predict what her protege's reaction to the legend would be. Her tone was as casual and light as possible – after all, if she fed Twilight's anxiety, it would be more difficult for the girl to make friends with the other Bearers. Celestia even told Twilight to stop reading those dusty old books. It was good that she had already read them, of course, but there was a time to stop reading and start doing.
Three days later, Celestia received a letter in a burst of green flames. It was Spike's writing, but Twilight's panic was evident through the words. She stated that Nightmare Moon would return in two days, which surely meant that something really bad would happen. Her reaction was very close to Celestia's prediction. Her student was right about one thing, however: there was no time to waste.
So when Twilight asked to see Celestia face to face, Celestia declined with the excuse that she was too busy preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration. She wanted to explain everything to her student, but there simply wasn't time. Celestia had already kept Twilight in Canterlot longer than she should have. Besides, she was still uncertain how her pupil would react to learning the whole truth. And so she wrote one last note:
My faithful student,
I will meet you in Ponyville on the summer solstice and we can talk then. For now, I need you to do this for me. I need you to make sure the solstice goes off without a hitch.
Yours truly,
Princess Celestia.
With a sigh, she cast the spell to send her note to Spike. Twilight would have to rely on her new friends, from that moment on. She did not need her mentor anymore – not as much as she once did, at least. Her student would find her own way, as all ponies did.