"This is incredible!"
A high pitched, feminine voice echoed through the white marble hallways of Canterlot, the excitement evident in the speaker's voice. That speaker, currently trotting along said hallways, was none other than the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle, the many times savior of Equestria and former student of Princess Celestia.
The look upon her face matched the sound of her voice, the exuberance so evident that even the normally stoic guards of Canterlot castle could not help but to crack a smile. What could cause such a reaction within the young princess? Simple: the promise of new knowledge, the promise of books even she had not read. For a scholar such as herself, this was a dream come true.
Twilight thought she would explode as she came closer and closer to her destination, an ornate door made out of a fine wood-likely mahogany-guarded by a white mare in bright red armor. The abnormally colored armor distinguished the mare as a member of Princess Celestia's elite solar guard, a unit tasked with guarding the Princess and all she held dear. This included Twilight's destination: The Princess' Personal Library.
Twilight came to a stop before the mare, an action that was obviously quite difficult for her. If it was not for the likelihood of being restrained by the guard, Twilight likely would have run right through the door by now. But alas, it was necessary to wait a few moments, something Twilight would put up with.
"Your Majesty," The armor clad mare said with a bow that caused Twilight to blush a bit. Being addressed by such a formal title was still rather new to the young Princess, and somewhat uncomfortable. " I presume due to your new status that Princess Celestia has given you access to her collection, but I still require the necessary documentation for you to be allowed to enter. My dearest apologies for such an inconvenience Princess."
"O-oh no, don't worry about it!" Twilight stammered out, a nervous look upon her face. She didn't want to make anypony feel as though they were bothering her. "I completely understand! Princess Celestia told me there were some...rather sensitive artifacts in there."
Twilight quickly hoofed over the letter given to her by Celestia herself. The guard took it, examined it for a few moments, then nodded in satisfaction, returning the letter to Twilight. As Twilight's hoof made contact with the letter, the guard leveled her with a gaze of utmost seriousness, speaking in a similar tone.
"Keep this in a secure location. Every time you enter this room, I or whoever else is standing guard will ask to see this letter. If you lose it you will have to ask the Princess to draft you a new one....though considering your standing I doubt that would be hard. Regardless Do. Not. Lose. This."
Twilight was slightly frightened by how serious the guard was. She knew that the library contained some rare artifacts that couldn't be found anywhere else in Equestria, but the way the guard was acting made it seem as though some of these items were dangerous. Celestia wouldn't keep such things in the heart of Canterlot Castle, would she?
Twilight shook herself from those thoughts as she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. The guard was holding the door to the library open for her, face a total mask of stoicism as though she did not just make that noise. With a blush and a quiet apology, Twilight cantered into the room.
~0~
'SLAM!'
Twilight jumped a bit as the door slammed shut behind her, but the irrational fear was quickly replaced with unsuppressed glee as she took in the space before her. Rows upon rows of shelves lined the walls of the room, filling a space at least three times the size of the old Golden Oaks Library and stretching up at least four stories.
Twilight nearly drooled as she took in the ancient manuscripts upon the walls, 'ooh'd and 'ahh'd at the various relics stored in glass cases throughout the room, and quietly examined the various paintings upon the few bare sections of wall that depicted various landscapes, scenes from Equestrian history, and ponies, some Twilight recognized, some she did not. All in all this library was just as amazing as she thought it would be.
"Ohh where to begin!" Twilight glanced around the room, trying to find something that caught her attention more than everything else, some jumping off point in this great room of knowledge. She was overloaded with choices, and just as she thought the decision would surely be impossible, she spotted something. A book with black binding trimmed with gold coloring was sticking just slightly out of one of the bookshelves as though someone was putting it away in a hurry.
'That must have been what Celestia read most recently. Well, it seems as good a starting point as any!' Twilight thought with a slight smile as she gripped the book in her magic, pulling it from the shelf and towards her. Bringing it up to her muzzle, she took in the cover of the book, the same color as the binding, with the title written in gold coloring on the front.
"The Princess," Twilight read, intrigued by the name. "Is it a fairy tale? Oh no matter, at least it's something to start out with. Now is there any place to settle down in here?"
Peering around the room, Twilight spotted a little nook in one of the corners, invisible if one were looking from the entrance to the library. Within the small corner was a pillow that would be perfect to lay upon as one read.
"A bit odd it's in a corner like this," Twilight commented as she trotted over to the little reading area. She paused for a moment as she reached it, unsure if it was okay to lay upon Celestia's pillow like this, before shaking her head and chuckling. "I'm sure she'll be fine with it....I hope."
As she laid upon the pillow all of Twilight's anxieties melted away. The pillow was as soft as a cloud, absolutely incredible to lay upon, and Twilight likely would have fallen asleep if she had been in any other situation. But this wasn't any other situation. She had reading to do.
Finally settled in, Twilight opened the book.
~0~
For The Princess
It is with unimaginable glee I, Heavy Crown, present this to you dear Princess. Some ponies pay tribute to one as great as you with gifts of jewels, gold, or any other manner of valuable things they believe will earn them your favor. But as I am not in a position to gift you with such things, I must settle with what I can give: knowledge. Knowledge, in my opinion, is more valuable than any material good, though I am sure this would be debated. And although I feel that it is foolish to present a being as wise and long lived as you with knowledge I am certain pales in comparison to your own, I am also certain you may find some use in this manuscript, perhaps in the training of diplomats or the such.
The knowledge I seek to impart pertains to a subject many ponies are familiar with although they do not realize it. It effects them every day of their lives whether they consent or not. That subject is power.
All governments, no matter how sophisticated or primitive, are ruled by some degree of power, and with this thought in mind it is perhaps wise to instruct rulers on the subject of power so they may strive to be as effective as possible in their position.
And so, with my knowledge of events both ancient and contemporary as my guide, I write this manuscript as a treatise on the various forms of power, the failings a ruler can commit, and, as mentioned before, on how to be an effective ruler.
~0~
"That was...unexpected" Twilight stated as she finished the foreword. A contemplative look was upon her face as she thought of the content. "A book on power and proper ruling. I've never seen such a thing before, though I suppose most ponies don’t have much need for it. But right now, " Twilight looked over her withers at her wings, a reminder of her new status as Princess. "I can't think of any book more applicative to my current situation."