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// A Day of Things Big and Small 
// Story: The Twilight Years 
// by Kendrick 
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	It has been a long an interesting day.  So many things happened I hardly know where to start.  None of them are of great consequence, but they all meant a great deal to me.  I have been fortunate so far.  In all the time I was reading Twilight's letters there never seemed to be a lack of excitement here.  You wouldn't think that such a small village would be able to generate so much uproar, but it surely can.  So far there has been little happening that would compare with the excitement of past events.  Which is fine with me!
I must certainly say that Twilight couldn't have made a better situation for me if she had been trying.  After so many years answering to “Celestia” it has taken some adjustment learning to answer to “Twilight.”  Fortunately, her habit of walking around Ponyville reading a book as she walked has proven to be a most useful cover for this.  Everypony simply assumes I'm too engrossed in my book to hear them if I don't answer right away.  Currently I have been reading Crabapples Guide to Organized Management.  Apparently Mayor Mare has come to rely on Twilight as a community organizer of sorts.  While I haven't had any trouble mastering any of the spells Twilight had come to be known for (with much help from Spike I might add) organization wasn't ever my strongest suit.  I've always had sompony to deal with those details for me.  Like Twilight.  
I was reading the chapter on proper delegation (oh my, I'm starting to sound like her these days!) while on my way to the farmer's market and Applejack was forced to yell three times before I realized she was calling for me.  It was somewhat embarrassing.  When I apologized she just chuckled and said, “Don't you worry about it, Sugarcube.”  While she may not be the most demure pony I know, she could certainly teach everypony in Canterlot a great deal about being gracious.
Apparently Apple Bloom and her friends decided that they needed to try and get their cutie marks in inventing.  I have no idea what they were trying to build but it somehow involved a great number of parts from the Apple family cider press.  Normally Applejack and Big Macintosh are able to tend to the equipment themselves, sometimes with a bit of help from Ironhoof, a local blacksmith.  Ironhoof was busy, however, and the fillies had done quite an impressive job on the press.  I'm not sure what a cutie mark for causing trouble would look like, but with those three we may very well find out soon.  I don't think anypony in town has been safe from them!
I spent the rest of the morning using my magic to repair and reassemble the press for them.  It wasn't raising the sun, but it was certainly satisfying to have used so many different spells in concert and complete such an intricate task.  There is a satisfaction from a job done skillfully that is entirely different from just wielding power.  That drive of Twilight's makes more sense to me now than it did before.
Then I got a visit this evening from Princess Luna.  It was good to see her again and compare notes about our new lives.  She still had the impulse to act deferential to me.  She's doing better, but that's a habit that she is going to have to break!  Celestia is already anxious to step down.  My predecessor did not choose very wisely in selecting her as a protege.  She is a nice enough pony, with skill and ability in abundance, but she doesn't have the temperament for the job.  Luna is afraid that she will want to step down before a suitable protege is found and trained.  While I sympathize with her, I am no longer in a position to do anything about it.  She fears that a return of Nightmare Moon may be required.  I would hate to see that happen, as I know how heavy the burden of reigning alone would be while "Nightmare Moon" is banished.
I offered to help in what small way I can.  Spike and I are going to begin researching ways to modify Twilight's memory spell to not only cause recall of a recipient's own memory, but to transfer memories between ponies.  That way the years of training and preparation can be cut down once a protege is found.  I hope I am up to the task.  Research is yet another area where the original Twilight's abilities are much greater than my own.  She will be a great Celestia when her time comes.  But I must admit, it feels good to have an important task to complete.

- Twilight Sparkle