//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1:22 - Royal Procession 
// Story: Camaraderie is Sorcery 
// by FireOfTheNorth 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1:22 – Royal Procession


The Ponieville druid circle was assembled in their customary clearing in a small wood outside the town. The group was seated in a circle, each of them upon a stone they had brushed the snow from with their simple robes. Attention was on Fluttershy as she relayed what she’d seen on her recent trip to the south Equestry Valley. When she finished, there was silence; things were just as they were elsewhere in Equestria. Ponies trampled the wilderness for their own purposes, with the blessings of monarchs, the only ones with the power to stop something like this.

“Your observations are appreciated, but nothing we couldn’t learn from the druid circles of those areas,” a mare with twigs sticking out of her mane said, “Your frequent absences are troubling. This is the fourth time this year that you’ve left the area for reasons unrelated to the land’s welfare. It makes some question your devotion to your responsibilities.”

“Silence, Gleswig, you speak out of turn,” the hierophant shot the mare down, “Of those of us here, only you doubt Fluttershy’s resolve. Is it not apparent to all of us that, rather than neglecting her duties, she only fulfilled them with more dedication? The beasts under her care have flourished, and if this change in Fluttershy’s behavior has brought this about, then I wholeheartedly welcome it.”

“Hierophant Creeping Moss,” Gleswig addressed the circle’s leader, “Do you truly think it is such a good idea for her to spend so much time with other ponies outside the circle? One of them is a sorceress, and not one friendly to our cause.”

“Twilight Sparkle is my friend,” Fluttershy spoke up in her defense, startling the circle, “She may not understand our ways, but that does not stop me from speaking to her about them.”

“See?” Creeping Moss laughed, “What you see as a barrier is a benefit. Having the ear of a sorceress is quite useful. She is also quite highly placed, the protégé of Celestia herself.”

“I doubt she truly listens,” Gleswig snorted, “Just like her mistress. The illustrious Matron of Sorceress has forbidden any druids to speak with her while she is on her procession through her lands, after all.”

“The procession,” Fluttershy said softly, the blood draining from her face, “Pardon me, but I really must be going now.”

Without another word, the druidess abandoned the circle and took off in the direction of Ponieville. After a few minutes, she remembered that she could fly, and the circle saw her in the distance as she rose over the treetops.

“There she goes again,” Gleswig sighed, and this time found she was not alone.


***


Nine days earlier, Celestia had departed Cant’r Laht with a veritable army of wagons and retainers. She’d headed north first and visited the Hill Kingdoms, where she’d met with the three surviving kings of the ten who’d originally pledged fealty to her in exchange for protection from the Kingdom of Manehattan. While she was there, she’d also acted upon the information received from Twilight Sparkle while still in her mountain city and given Trotstagor’s commandant a firm lecture on when it was appropriate to issue warrants that allowed soldiers of an unfriendly nation to march across her lands unimpeded. Through good fortune (and some planning by King Hadish’s officials) she also met with a delegation from Manehattan there and worked out the ransom terms for the ponies still kept in Ponieville’s dungeons.

Leaving the Hill Kingdoms, she’d struck out south, stopping in Ponieville before the march westward to the White Tail Woods. The procession was currently in Ponieville, its wagons filling the courtyard of the Mayoral Keep. If somepony attacked the town today, the citizens would find it difficult to retreat behind the walls that had been built just for that purpose. However, only an utterly insane pony would think it a good idea to attack while the most powerful living sorceress was here in person. The keep’s great hall was filled with a lively feast, for Celestia and her attendants to mingle with the local ponies of importance. At Celestia’s table were seats for the Brave Companions, but not all of them were filled yet.

Fluttershy was not the only Brave Companion late to the party. Knowing that Celestia and her companions would not arrive early in the morning, and that Mayor Mare would take up the first few hours of her visit, Rainbow Dash had decided to pursue a monster-hunting contract that morning. Unfortunately, it had taken longer to kill the fiend than she’d expected, and had left her covered in mud. That would be no way to appear before the sovereign of these lands—even if Hunters were subjects of no nation, it would be incredibly rude, and if Celestia didn’t berate her for it, then Twilight surely would—so she had to clean herself and polish her armor before making her way to the Mayoral Keep. She nearly made it into the keep before she was distracted.

“Whoa, that’s some fine craftsmareship on those swords,” she addressed Celestia’s royal guards, who made the mayoral guards standing near them look incredibly pitiful in comparison, “The smithies of Cant’r Laht must be incredible! Who does the work? On the swords, I mean; not that your armor isn’t great too, but plate isn’t really my style.”

“I don’t know. What are the castle smiths’ names?” one of the guards asked his partner, who shrugged.

“Fine, I’ll ask somepony else,” Rainbow Dash said, half-running, half-flying into the Mayoral Keep.

Fluttershy landed in the Mayoral Keep’s courtyard, navigating the maze of wagons and carriages. Celestia’s guards crossed their swords in front of the doorway as she tried to enter. Fluttershy was stunned into silence for a moment before motivating herself to speak up. I have to get in.

“Excuse me, I need to enter,” she said timidly.

“No druids allowed,” one of the guards said, lowering his sword, but his partner pointed his blade at the druidess.

“No, but I-” Fluttershy said.

“Begone, or we’ll use force to drive you off,” the guard warned.

“What is going on here?” the voice of Twilight Sparkle came from inside the keep, and the sorceress appeared through the doorway.

“Just a druidess trying to force her way in, no doubt to speak to Celestia about banning fishing and logging,” the guard said as he snapped to attention.

“This is Fluttershy,” Twilight said plainly, and the guard looked stricken.

“My profoundest apologies,” he said, bowing before Twilight and Fluttershy in turn.

“Come on Fluttershy, everypony else is here,” Twilight Sparkle said, leading her into the keep, “I was beginning to worry. What kept you?”

“The Ponieville druid circle was meeting, and I completely lost track of time,” Fluttershy apologized as they made their way through the halls and up the stairs to the great hall.

“Oh, maybe … if you could … go easy on some of the heavier druid stuff with Celestia,” Twilight said uncomfortably, feeling guilty about asking something like this of her friend, even if she had as little love for the topic as Celestia, “Not to discourage you, it is just that … well, Celestia is not very receptive to such things. It's just that I was really hoping she would approve of all my friends, and I am not sure what her reaction to druid petitions will be.”

“Of course, Twilight, I’ll just talk with her about my work caring for the creatures of the forest,” Fluttershy promised, having already intended on taking that exact course of action, “I never expected you to be so worried about such a thing. After all, Celestia has met us before.”

“Yes, but that was only briefly, at the celebration following Nightmare Moon’s defeat. She has heard the stories that have spread across Equestria about us, of course, and I have been sending her letters the past several months, but she has not yet had a chance to truly sit down and get to know you,” Twilight disclosed as they entered the great hall, “I know she trusts my judgement, but still, she has been my mentor for the past twelve years, and she is also the greatest living sorceress. I just want her to like you all.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine, Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her friend, “It’s not like this is a formal event like the Grand Galloping Gala, right? Just an informal visit.”

Twilight Sparkle was still worried. Sure, things weren’t as serious as a banquet or summit, but in her mind the only informal event with Celestia would be a personal meeting in Cant’r Laht Castle for a meal, as she had done many times under the great sorceress’s tutelage. A feast in the great hall of the Mayoral Keep with several Cant’r Laht and local nobles in attendance was not Twilight Sparkle’s idea of informal. It didn’t help that Cant’r Laht’s matron of sorceresses was seated in the place of honor at the head of the great hall. The large, high-backed chair was theoretically reserved for her when she was in attendance, but Twilight could swear she’d seen Mayor Mare using it on occasion.

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy took their seats at the head table, and the sorceress observed the plight her friends were in with alarm. Rarity sat with an empty area in front of her, having waved off all attempts by servers to bring her food, for fear that it would spill on the dress she’d designed herself for the occasion. Applejack was also not eating, but for a far different reason. The farmer was usually not worried about performing in social situations, but she was seated across from such a regal and legendary figure that she was paralyzed with anxiety about making the wrong move. Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena were quite the opposite. The Hunter leaned back and forth in her chair as she tossed daggers in the air to demonstrate her skill, rousing the noblestallion across from her from his boredom when one of the blades landed between his plate and goblet. Pinkamena tore into her food with gusto, throwing all manners aside. Twilight was horrified, but Celestia watched with a slight grin as she ignored Mayor Mare’s explanation to her about how it had been her plan that had dispelled the recent situation with the Maneahattan soldiers.

“So pleased you were able to make it. Fluttershy, is it?” Celestia asked as she turned her attention from the ravenous bard to the druidess, and Mayor Mare gave up on speaking to the sorceress until she was through with the Brave Companions.

“Yes, your Grace,” Fluttershy said nervously, hoping that she’d chosen the correct form of address.

“I’m sure Twilight has told you I have little time for druids, but don’t think that I have anything against you,” Celestia said, “You must understand, I have been around for a very long time, and it’s tiresome to be repeatedly told that ponies must change their ways or we’ll bring about the end of our world. Intense heat, intense cold, drought, famine, floods, pestilence from the Sun, they have no shortage of ideas for how ponykind’s imposition upon nature will inevitably lead to our destruction, but it has been my experience that nature continues to live on much as it always has, sometimes struggling, sometimes flourishing, but generally ambivalent toward ponies and their role in the world.”

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said, looking down at her food.

“As I said before, though, I have nothing against the druids, especially since you do play a role in caring for the local ecosystem and the creatures within it,” Celestia went on, assuring the druidess that she was not the enemy many of her kind considered her to be, “I know that caring for lesser creatures is no easy task. I fill that role myself to a degree, even with my other duties and responsibilities.”

A squawk drew the alicorn’s attention upwards to the creature perched on her chair’s back, which Fluttershy had been staring at since it had arrived a few seconds earlier. It was a bird of some sort, or had been at one time. Feathers covered its body in patches, and the exposed skin looked sickly, flaking, and cracked. It almost looked like bird had been half-plucked and half-roasted by a gryphon before escaping. The bone structure was also off for a bird, and it looked to be having a hard time keeping its head up.

“Ah, Philomena, I was just talking about you,” Celestia addressed the pitiful creature, “Whenever possible, I try to tend to her myself.”

“Oh …” Fluttershy said, not knowing what else to say. What happened to that poor creature? Did Celestia do this to her? Should I say something? Can I say something? What if Celestia took her in after some terrible accident? It would be rude to accuse her of mistreating Philomena if she was only trying to help. Still, it’s obvious that she’s not caring for her as she should. Should I say something? Celestia is so busy, maybe she doesn’t mean to neglect Philomena, but she should know that she is. Yes, I have to say something. 

Fluttershy was working up the courage and just beginning to open her mouth when one of Celestia’s officials—a fellow mage—approached her and urgently whispered in her ear. Several nobles (and Mayor Mare) strained to hear what was said over the noise of the feast. As close as Fluttershy was to the ancient sorceress, the only phrase she was able to discern was “our spies in Zebrikaania.”

“Right now?” Celestia asked in a hushed tone, “Can I not contact her after the feast?”

“She seemed quite insistent, and she wanted you to be the first to hear the news,” the sorcerer said seriously.

“Very well,” Celestia said with a sigh before turning back to the Brave Companions, “I am afraid we shall have to cut this meeting short. Important business calls for my attention, but I hope to speak with you all again before the summit.”

The nobles (and Mayor Mare) stood as Celestia left the table, and the Brave Companions followed their lead. Applejack finally got to eat, now that the pressure was off, but most of the other guests began to depart now that the guest of honor was absent. Twilight Sparkle heaved a sigh of relief that no disasters had occurred during this first semi-official meeting between Celestia and her friends. She would continue to stick around and be at her mentor’s side, but the other Brave Companions were leaving the feast. Fluttershy had vanished without a trace extraordinary quickly, probably anxious to be free of such a large crowd of ponies. Accustomed to avoiding her fellow ponies, the druidess could be extraordinarily stealthy, and nopony noticed her leaving with Philomena tucked under her robes.


***


She didn’t keep the bird cooped up forever, of course. Once they were outside of town and past the homes near the walls, the druidess let Philomena perch on her back. Perch was a bit of a loose term, though, as she didn’t seem to be very good at balancing, and Fluttershy had to use her wings to even her out more than once to keep her from falling off. Everypony was in Ponieville, hoping to catch a glimpse of Celestia, so Fluttershy didn’t encounter anypony else on the way to her home. Nopony knew that she’d just stolen the pet of the most powerful mare in Equestria, but that wasn’t what Fluttershy was concerned about.

With Celestia called away suddenly, the druidess’s mind had seen no other course of action. Philomena needed her help, and that was that. She would nurse the bird back to health and return her to Celestia when that was accomplished. Twilight had shared the path of the sorceress’s procession, and she would be passing Ponieville after her trek through the White Tail Woods before heading south to inspect Appleoosa, and then again on her way back to Cant’r Laht; Fluttershy could return her pet on either of those occasions. Celestia might even thank her, and if she didn’t, then that was too bad. The aged sorceress had barely spared Philomena a concerned glance, and no self-respecting druidess could allow neglect to go on while an animal was in such a sorry state. If Celestia wasn’t going to care for the bird, then it was her duty to do it for her.

Once she’d returned to her home, she set Philomena down near her fire to allow her to warm up after the cold trek. The bird proceeded by immediately walking into the fire and sitting down. Fluttershy was aghast, and she swiftly pulled her from the flames, nearly burning herself in the process. Philomena’s feathers were singed or had burned off completely, her legs were charred, and her exposed skin looked worse than ever. Clearly, she was going to require constant supervision, and the druidess wondered if she was in such a sorry state because she harmed herself like this often.

Keeping Philomena close, Fluttershy searched the few books she had for descriptions of the bird’s affliction and a remedy. However, nothing turned up, so she had to do things the hard way. Using her years of knowledge from tending to woodland creatures, she tried every remedy she could think of. No matter what she tried, though, Philomena continued to get alarmingly worse. Whatever she had, it was eating away at her rapidly, and there was nothing Fluttershy could do to stop or slow it. The bird developed a cough and began hacking up blood. Her feathers fell out or curled up like dead leaves. The skin beneath continued to crack and ooze pus. She eventually refused to eat or even drink anything that Fluttershy offered her in an attempt to make her better. The druidess tried to use her talents to convince the bird to do what she wanted, but the dying creature stubbornly refused.

She considered reaching out for help, from the other druids or from Twilight Sparkle, and that’s when it dawned on her that she may have made a mistake. Snatching away Philomena for her own good was something that had seemed reasonable, and the other druids would probably understand, but would Twilight? Fluttershy had the feeling that her sorceress friend would probably see this as nothing more than theft, as well as something that would give Celestia another reason to dislike druids (even if she claimed she didn’t). She had taken Philomena without asking, after all, but it had seemed right in the moment, and the bird truly did need help that Celestia couldn’t provide. Something told her that wouldn’t be enough of an explanation, though, for either Twilight or Celestia.

A knock sounded on her door, and she hid Philomena in a basket. She had no idea who her visitor could be, since ponies rarely made the trip out here to see the druidess, at least not since Trompe L’oeil had been in town. Before she could open the door, her guest let herself in.

“Oh good, you’re home, Fluttershy,” Applejack said as she trotted through the doorway, “I’m glad I checked here afore lookin’ through th’ woods for y’.”

“What do you need?” Fluttershy asked, puzzled. Applejack has never visited me before. 

“Twi’ is tryin’ t’ round up th’ Brave Companions, an’ you’re th’ most important part,” Applejack said, motioning for the druidess to come with her.

“Me?” Fluttershy asked, glancing back at the basket and Philomena as she resisted leaving, “Why would I be the most important?”

“Celestia’s pet bird has gone missin’ an’ we were hopin’ you could use your skills wi’ animals t’ … locate … it …” Applejack trailed off as she noticed Philomena flopping around in her basket, “Is that what I think it is?”

“Celestia’s pet bird Philomena?” Fluttershy said sheepishly, “Yes?”

“What is it doin’ here?” Applejack exclaimed, “Th’ royal guard is turnin’ th’ town topsy-turvy lookin’ for that thing!”

Philomena finally succeeded in freeing herself from the basket and waddled straight toward the fire again. Fluttershy swooped in to stop her, only to be bitten on her foreleg, which Philomena then jumped over to reach the flames. The druidess pulled her from the fire a second time, batting at the flames and causing more feathers to drift off and skin to peel. Grimacing, she carefully put Philomena back into the basket.

“Fluttershy, what’re y’ doin?” Appeljack asked, though the question seemed more directed at the course of action she’d taken in stealing Celestia’s bird than at saving her from the fire.

“Just look at her, Applejack. She was in such a terrible state, I couldn’t just leave her,” Fluttershy said, staying near the basket this time in case Philomena tried another escape.

“She’s none o’ your business!” Applejack said shakenly, “Your job is t’ care for wild animals; carin’ for that one is Celestia’s responsibility.”

“Well, she hasn’t been doing a very good job then. Just look at her!” Fluttershy said with conviction that surprised even herself, “Celestia is obviously too busy and distracted to take care of her pet, so I stepped in.”

“No no no no no, this is not good,” Applejack said in distress, before really taking a look at Philomena, “Good heavens, she looks worse’n before!”

“Nothing’s working,” Fluttershy admitted, “But I’m sure if I keep at it, she’ll get better soon.”

“Did y’ consider maybe that somethin’ happened, an’ that bird’s recoverin’ from it, an’ Celestia knows what she’s doin’ an’ how t’ help, but she can’t since y’ took her away?” Applejack asked with a barely controlled voice.

“No, I didn’t consider that,” Fluttershy admitted, biting her lip as she thought about the possibility.

“O’ course not, y’ just wanted t’ help,” Applejack said with a sigh, “Okay, here’s what we do. We’ll bring th’ bird back t’ Celestia, but there’s no need for y’ t’ tell her that y’ took it in th’ first place.”

“Why not?” Fluttershy asked.

“Do y’ have any idea what Celestia might do if she were t’ learn y’ stole from her? Obviously she cares about that bird a lot too, if she’s ordered a search for it,” Applejack said, “Celestia is a great ruler, an’ a heap of a lot better’n most o’ th’ others, but she still has a reputation. I’m talkin’ about whole towns destroyed in anger.”

“Celestia wouldn’t do that to Ponieville,” Fluttershy said, “Would she?”

“Well, prob’ly not,” Applejack admitted, “But she could still punish y’ for stealing her pet. I hear th’ dungeons o’ Cant’r Laht are quite expansive.”

“I don’t know …” Fluttershy said uncertainly, “I don’t think that Celestia would do anything like that. As long as we bring back Philomena and explain …”

The druidess looked around frantically as she realized that, during her conversation with Applejack, Philomena had silently escaped her basket. The druidess and Applejack rushed around her home, looking for the bird, but she was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of her until they found a tunnel in the wall that hadn’t been there before. Somehow Philomena had managed to burrow her way outside.

“Oh no! She’s loose!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Phew, maybe somepony else will find her,” Applejack said with relief.

“Not if she’s dead!” Fluttershy said, whirling on the farmer, “She seems to get herself into all kinds of trouble, and with nopony to look out for her, she could get seriously hurt or killed before somepony finds her!”

“Oh, I see what y’ mean,” Applejack said, remembering how Philomena had hopped into the fire earlier, “You’re right, we’ve got t’ find her an’ bring her t’ Celestia afore somethin’ bad happens.”


***


Finding Philomena would have been a nigh impossible task, had the ground not been covered in snow. Though she was a bird, she’d lost too many feathers to be able to fly and left a clear trail for the two ponies to follow. It was surprising how fast she’d been able to move, though, as there was no sign of her no matter how fast Applejack and Fluttershy pursued her footprints. The druidess cringed whenever they came a across a fresh patch of feathers or peeling skin, and she was aghast when they found a particularly bad collection in a copse. It looked like Philomena was eager to part with life, as she’d scraped herself badly against a withered tree, leaving behind feathers, flesh, and not a small pool of pus and blood.

They continued to pursue the trail, that at least led toward Ponieville and not the Everfree Forest. Applejack began to hope that maybe somepony else would find Philomena first, but she was also worried about how much damage the poor bird was sustaining. She wasn’t unfeeling toward the bird, but she didn’t care about its welfare in the same way that Fluttershy did. Applejack was no druidess, and her primary concern was that they both keep their heads, or at least their freedom, both of which were in jeopardy if Celestia found out that they were responsible for the death of her pet.

“There!” the farmer shouted out as they neared town and she spotted Philomena.

The bird was floating upside-down in the icy river, bobbing under a bridge as Applejack spotted her. Fluttershy took off immediately, flying over the river and swooping low over its surface. The bridge didn’t pass over the water with much room to spare, and Fluttershy had to slow her pace or risk falling into the frigid water herself, and she carefully flapped on, watching Philomena float farther away.

“Don’t worry! I have her!” Applejack shouted to the druidess as she galloped across the bridge and waited for Philomena to appear on the other side.

When she did, bobbing toward the shore, Applejack snatched her out of the water. She was incredibly cold, and Applejack feared she was dead, but then the bird burst back to life with a hacking cough. Philomena gave Applejack a dirty look before pecking her until she released the perturbed creature. Giving a squawk of defiance, Philomena ran toward Ponieville’s palisade, somehow managed to scale it, and darted across the spikes that ran along the top.

“Philomena! Get down from there before you hurt yourself!” the druidess ordered, pursuing the bird after extricating herself from the bridge.

The bird somehow managed to avoid Fluttershy’s swoop in to grab her and took off through Ponieville’s streets, which were not covered in snow. She wouldn’t leave as clear a trail, but Ponieville wasn’t that big, and Fluttershy winged her way up into the sky to get a good view of things. If only she had a Hunter’s eyes like Rainbow Dash, she’d be able to spot the wayward bird easily, but that would’ve required her to complete her Hunter training. She flew a little lower, restricting her vision to only part of Ponieville but increasing her chances of catching something in that part.

There! Philomena was perched on the peak of a roof just off the town square, next to the buildings that had burned down two weeks ago. The square was currently full of ponies, all searching for the bird that was right above them. Following Fluttershy through the streets below, Applejack emerged and joined the crowd. The Brave Companions were all here, the mayor and her guards were here, and Celestia and her guards were here as well.

Fluttershy thought about what Applejack had said. Would Celestia really do something terrible to her just because she’d taken her pet without asking? There were plenty of rumors and stories about the ancient sorceress, and not all of them could be untrue. She wouldn’t harm one of the Brave Companions, the ponies she’d been sending on quests to aid her for the last eight months, though, would she? Fluttershy didn’t know, and swooping in to grab Philomena would make it impossible for her to avoid the sorceress’s attention. Once she had it, she wasn’t sure she could lie about taking the bird.

In the end, the decision was made for her when Philomena jumped off the roof and dove for the charred and splintered remains of the shops below. Fluttershy dove into action, swooping toward the bird to intercept her before she impaled herself. She wasn’t as fast as Rainbow Dash, but she would be fast enough to save this creature from the grisly death she seemed to desperately desire—she had to be. Of course, a druidess diving from the sky while yelling that she’d save a bird from falling drew the attention of everypony in the square, but she hardly noticed, so focused was she on attaining her goal.

That goal then literally burst into flames before her eyes. Before she could reach Philomena, the bird spontaneously combusted, the gaunt and sickly flesh burning away in a matter of seconds, followed by the disintegration of her bones. Watching something so inexplicable and horrible happen before her eyes threw off the druidess’s focus, and she crashed into a wall before falling into the ruins of the burned shops. Her cloak and robes protected her from the sharp and splintered posts that would’ve killed Philomena had she not burst into flames before hitting them, and she came to rest among the charred remains of the shop while Philomena’s ashes rained down around her.

“No no no no no! How could this happen!” the druidess exclaimed as she jumped to her hooves and began rooting through the ashes, trying to distinguish what had once been part of the building and what had been Philomena. It was a futile effort, but Fluttershy wasn’t thinking clearly. She’d seen some strange things in her lifetime, but for a bird to spontaneously combust was too bizarre for her to wrap her head around. Why had it had to happen right before she was about to be saved? It didn’t make any sense! Fluttershy tore through the ruined building looking for an explanation until she was covered in soot, but still nothing made sense.

“What is going on here?” Celestia demanded authoritatively, and Fluttershy stumbled out of the rubble. There was nothing left to do but to face the music and bear whatever the matron of sorceresses had in store.

“I’m terribly sorry, your Grace,” Fluttershy said with her head bowed, as much to show respect and humility as to keep the sorceress from seeing her tears, “I just wanted to help, to care for Philomena since she looked to be in such a wretched state, so … I took her. I didn’t ask, I just did it because I wanted to help. But—sniff—I didn’t help at all! Now she’s dead—sob—and it’s all my fault!”

When Fluttershy looked up, she saw the alicorn looking down sternly at her. Twilight Sparkle stepped forward and looked like she wanted to say something, but Celestia blocked her with her foreleg, and the sorceress stepped back. Without a word, Celestia stepped past Fluttershy and into the burned-down shop, looking around at the scattered ashes.

“Come now, Philomena, that really was a terrible trick to play on somepony with such a kind heart,” Celestia said sternly to the empty room, and Fluttershy turned around in puzzlement.

Specks and patches of ashes around the room and on Fluttershy’s robes began to glow slightly and drifted in an invisible wind into a pile in the center of the room. Somehow, Fluttershy knew that this pile was Philomena’s remains. Sparks danced over the mound, and the glow brightened as the pile shook and grew, then became still again and returned to normal ash. A rustling revealed that something alive was within the pile, and a small, red chick poked its head out before crawling from the ashes and shaking itself off.

“What? What happened?” Fluttershy asked in a daze, “Where did that bird come from? What about Philomena?”

“This is Philomena,” Celestia said as she picked the chick up off the ground and deposited it on her back.

“Did you … bring her back to life?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly, feeling it was a bit rude to ask if the Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht was breaking the fundamental rule of magic and practicing necromancy.

“No, she did that herself,” Celestia said, brushing off the offense, “Philomena is a phoenix. All phoenixes, as part of their life cycle, must from time to time die in fire and be reborn from their own ashes. I must admit that they do look rather pitiful when they are preparing to die, and I would not fault you for thinking that she needed help when you saw her. You must realize though, that there was nothing you could have done to help her on her way.”

“Yes, your Grace,” Fluttershy said, “I tried everything, you know, but I suppose this could’ve been avoided had I just asked you about her and not assumed the worst.”

“I see,” Celestia said, “You were afraid to call me out for mistreating Philomena?”

“I … yes,” Fluttershy said, taken aback by the sorceress’s bluntness.

“Not to fear. Yes, I am ruler of these lands, the most powerful living sorceress, the Protector of Ponieville, Queen of the Ivory City, Guardian of the Sun, and the titles go on and on and on and on,” Celestia said wearily, “But I am also the mentor of Twilight Sparkle, and the six of you with her are very special ponies. I am Twilight’s sovereign as well, but there is no need for such formality between the two of us, or with any of you Brave Companions, if that is what you choose to call yourselves. I want you all to be comfortable around me, and not to see me as some mythical figure you mustn’t dare be yourselves around. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, your Grace. I mean, I’ll try … Celestia,” Fluttershy said.

“Good. It’s a hard transition, I understand,” Celestia said with a slight smile.

I’ve been around for so long—too long, really. I’ve been the central figure of Equestria, around which everything turns, whether some ponies like it or not, for a thousand years. What will they do without me? Will they know how to go on? I haven’t much time. I must get my affairs in order. The Dominions of Cant’r Laht must be strong and united, even without me, so I go on this procession, even if the cold only aggravates my condition. Equestria must be strong and stable, so I’ve called a summit, to which everypony who wars on each other will attend, and hopefully will not tear Cant’r Laht apart in the process. The summit must succeed. Equestria must go on without me. 

And Twilight … there’s so little time to prepare you for what’s to come. It must be you who bears the heaviest burden, and I curse myself every day that I must force this upon you, before you have the time to become accustomed to the changes that will bombard you constantly from every direction. At least you will not be alone. You will have the company of these friends to support you, as I once had my sister. I hope that you do not fail as I did …