//------------------------------// // This chapter is brought to you by foreshadowing // Story: Growing in Time // by Evilyoyo //------------------------------// “That was a great job tonight girls!” Twilight cheered as she and the others headed to the back of the stage. “I think it went even better than last year!” “Oh thank you, darling!” Rarity giggled as she pulled off her Princess Platinum crown and the heavy purple cloak. She flipped her mane, somehow still flawless after hours of acting on the stage with a crown. “It really was our best show yet wasn’t it?” “You think the princess will let me keep the armor this year? As a reward for being so awesome as the commander ?” Rainbow Dash struck a pose as she looked herself over in the mirror. The shining black and gold armor were rather fetching on her, Twilight had to admit. Pinky Pie gasped, “Oh Oh! Can I be Puddinghead all the time!?” Unlike everyone else, she hadn’t started to take off her costume and was instead bouncing from dresser to dresser. How she managed to do so without knocking anything off was a mystery that Twilight would not try and solve. She was in too good a mood. “Sorry girls,” Twilight shook her head with a tired smile. “ The costumes belong to the Royal Canterlot Playhouse. I don’t think they'd be too happy to part with such expensive outfits, not during the Hearth's Warming season.” This wasn’t the only play the playhouse would be putting on, after all, it was going to be performed at least three more times tomorrow on Hearth's Warming alone. “I sure don’t want this thing,” Applejack grumbled as she pulled her vest off. “This darn overshirt thing itches something fierce!” Twilight winced as she watched her friend tug on the costume, they were top of the line but that didn’t mean all of them were comfortable. Poor Applejack had it the worst, the sleeves on her costume were made of some kind of shiny cloth and to make it worse Applejack was somewhat…..large compared to the actor that played Smart Cookie. The playhouse had just replaced the Smart Cookie costume and probably wouldn’t be too happy about Applejack stretching it out. “Applejack please do be careful,” Rarity tutted from her dresser. “Twilight is right after all. These are exceptionally well made and we wouldn’t want to give them back in disrepair.” “Then they should have given her a bigger costume,” Rainbow laughed. “ Did you guys see the mare that usually plays Smart Cookie? AJ is like twice her size!” “And just what in tarnation does that mean-” Twilight shook her head with a fond smile, she loved her friends dearly but they were a bit much sometimes. She was well-practiced in tuning them out at times, with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie as friends it was a skill that was sorely needed, though poor Applejack was getting roped in at the moment. With one ear keeping track on the conversion behind her she turned around to her dresser. Her Clover the Clever costume was thankfully the simplest out of the six and since she owned it, as the playhouses weren’t made for an alicorn’s wings, she just had to pack it away in her bag. Twilight ran her hoof over the dark gray cloak with a frown, still somewhat displeased with it. The cloak hadn’t been hard to make or rather it hadn't been hard for her to ask Rarity to make it. Though it had been a little hard to get Rarity to not ‘improve’ it too much. So the cloak was of course well made and while it was a bit flashier than the ratty cloak Twilight had worn last year it was still an overall pretty simple gray cloak. She was happy with the enchantments she had placed on it, no one in the audience could tell that she was hiding her wings under it and she didn’t feel trapped under it either. Yet she was still dissatisfied with it. Twilight knew she was a perfectionist, she always had been and would always be and it wasn’t that there was a flaw in the workmanship but it was more that she was unsure how accurate the costume was to history. When she had made her Star Swirl the Bearded costume a few years ago for Nightmare Night she had researched the details for days. It hadn’t taken her long because there was so little about Star Swirl but rather the papers and books written about him were staggering in both amount and conflicting facts. Some conflicting information she understood, things like his date of birth and early life were to be expected since so little information was saved during the Era of Storms but even later on in his life, the facts were somehow well known enough to be written about widely and yet very conflicting. If she hadn't had the deadline of Nightmare Night she would have probably spent who knows how much time combing through all of it. Even after all that, her costume had been easy to make historically accurate, there were three statues of Star Swirl in Canterlot alone! His image was everywhere, with good reason this is Star Swirl after all, but the great amount of knowledge about him had made the research for this costume more confusing. When she realized that she would need to make her own Clover the Clever costume she had been rather excited, a reason to research was always nice and Clover the Clever should have been easy. As one of the Founders of Equestria, there should be plantly of information on her. Yet Twilight found that this wasn’t the case. All information on Clover was second hoof at very best but most were third or fourth. There was nothing from when she was alive, no birth date or death date was known. No murals or statues existed and it seemed like they never had. The very oldest written records of the Founding of Equestria only listed five members and had made a point to say Princess Platinum was alone. There was no unicorn named Clover listed as being in service to the Princess during that time and Star Swirl had never mentioned her in any of his works. Yet Clover had to exist or she wouldn’t have such a big part in the story of Hearth's Warming. It was true that each town and city had its version but Clover was always the one that tried to bring the others together and afterward cast the Fire of Friendship spell. The Canterlot version of the play was said to have been performed unchanged every year since the death of Princess Platinum and it had Clover as a founding member. The only written record she found from anywhere near that period about Clover was the surviving parts of Princess Beryllium’s diary. Even that had her only mentioned passing. How could there be so little information on such an important figure in Equestrian history? Honestly, there is a reason why her least favorite subject was history. You can’t test history and every pony could try and tell the same story and each would be different because each saw it a different way. When she had written a history paper in school she’d go back to the raw material. Birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, surveys, housing records, medical, employment, court records but it was always fragmented and incomplete because it didn’t tell you who the pony was or how they lived. If only she had more time, there was so much more research to be done! She was going to be in Canterlot for a few more days, she could always use the library here. Surely there was a book or two that she had forgotten about? “Twilight, are you alright?” Twilight jerked her head up in surprise making poor Fluttershy jump as well. “Oh, I’m sorry Fluttershy,” she said a little embarrassed. “I guess I got lost in my head again.” “Is it your dinner with the princess?” Fluttershy asked. She was already free from her armor, she wasn’t a fan of it like Rainbow Dash was. “You did seem a little nervous about it….” She winced around her smile. Twilight hadn’t forgotten about that, her inner schedule would never allow her too, but she had pushed it to the back of her mind. She knew that there was no reason to be nervous about the dinner, they have had private meals together more times than she could count. Maybe it was because sharing meals was so rare now? It seemed like the only time Twilight got to see Princess Celestia was when something broke out and was trying to enslave the world or something. Or maybe it was that she was an alicorn now? Afterall Twilight hadn’t seen the Princess alone since she’d gained her wings. Even when Celestia had come to see her she hadn’t come to Ponyville alone, all three princesses had come. Cadance had been so excited for her and had promised to write to her often about what to expect since Celestia and Luna’s ‘change’ was so long ago. Luna had given her tips for flying and wing care but Celestia had simply told her that she was proud. That had made Twilight’s heart fill with joy yet it had faded a little after the group had left because how was she going to do compared to them? She couldn’t control the sun or the moon, she had tried as a filly multiple times, and she really couldn’t do love magic. That type of magic has been banned from her home all together after Smarty Pants. Twilight shook her head, no need to go down that rabbit hole right now. “No, no it’s not that,” She told her friend. “It’s the cloak….” Fluttershy looked unsurprised as she nodded with a reassuring smile. All of her friends had heard, maybe more than they had wanted, about her failure to have a historically accurate Clover the Clever costume. Well historically accurate as possible since she doubted that Clover’s cloak had the same enchantments that her’s had. “Why don't you ask the Princess during your dinner?” The amount of knowledge that Princess Celestia had…..The thought had occurred to her a few times during her quest for her research. She could only wish that she could one day know half as much. No doubt that she would know more about the topic, Clover would have still been alive during the beginning of the Classical Age and even if Princess Celestia had never met the unicorn she should have at least heard about her but…. Twilight shook her head, “Princess Celestia told me once that she didn’t like answering questions about the past. I think she’s afraid that ponies wouldn’t try to search for history if they could just ask her.” “Hey Twilight,” Applejack cut off Fluttershy before she could answer, “you still staying here in Canterlot for a couple of days?” She now had her trusty hat back on and looked relieved about it. “I’m not sure how long yet,” Twilight nodded with a smile towards Fluttershy. “I wanted to stay as long as my brother but Shiny refused to have a set day for him and Cadance to head home.” She rolled her eyes, her brother was so annoying sometimes. You would think becoming a prince would make him appreciate a good schedule but if anything he was now worse about it. It was going to be good to see him, while he was getting better about writing her letters he was still rather poor at it. It was too bad that he and Cadance couldn’t make it to the play since their train had gotten in late. “Oh dear, I didn’t know you were staying in Canterlot,” Rarity said as she finished making sure that everyone had put away their costumes properly. Having worked around high-end clothes herself she had warned all of them how much care they needed. “I do wish I could stay for a few days but Sweetie Belle and myself have plans with my parents and I can’t very well miss out on Hearth's Warming.” “Awwww I didn’t know you were staying in Canterlot either,” Pinkie Pie pouted as she slowly stopped bouncing. As far as Twilight knew she hadn’t stopped since the play had ended but somehow the earth pony had already taken off her Chancellor Puddinghead costume and packed it away. “I didn’t bring your and Spike’s Hearth's Warming gifts!” “Sorry girls, I must have forgotten,” Twilight sighed. “ I got so sidetracked by my Clover costume and then trying to plan around Shiny’s fear of planning that it slipped my mind.” Now she felt bad about it, she hadn’t told any of them besides Applejack and the only reason she had known was that she had asked if Twilight had wanted to come over on Hearth's Warming for lunch. “You aren't staying long though right?” Rainbow Dash asked. She shook her head, “Probably not. Spike and I should be back in Ponyville in a couple of days.” The young dragon had already left the playhouse, her parents had offered to take him home after the play so she could head to the castle for her dinner without backtracking to drop him off. No doubt he was looking forward to spending some ‘guy time’ with Shining. When Twilight looked at the clock she winced when she saw the time. Must have zoned out for a while, but thankfully the Playhouse was close by the castle grounds. “Sorry girls but I have to get going. I’m meeting the Princess for dinner tonight.” “Of course darling,” Rarity pulled her into a quick hug. “You must not be late on our account. Go along we’ll see you in a couple of days.” After quickly saying goodbye to her friends, and promising to go to Pinkie’s ‘Welcome home/Happy Late Hearth’s Warming!’ party, Twilight headed to the castle. She hadn’t been there yet during her visit, she and the others only had time to grab a quick bite to eat before they had rehearsals at the playhouse. She also hadn’t seen either of the Princesses yet. Celestia rarely went to see the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant, Twilight figured that it was both because she’d seen it too many times and being too busy. As far as Twilight knew Luna hadn’t seen it at all since she returned. She pondered that thought as she walked through the bright lamp lined streets of Canterlot. Luna could have the information she needed on Clover but then again her banishment could have fallen around the Frozen Age and she would have missed the whole thing entirely. Then again Luna had seemed to have known about Star Swirl enough to appreciate that her costume had been historically accurate on Nightmare Night so chances are she would know about any apprentices that he may have had. The Guards, a Night Guard and Day Guard since it was just after sunset, nodded as they opened the doors to the castle for her. They didn’t offer to guide her through the castle and whether that was because of her wings or that they remembered her from when she used to live there, she didn’t know. She had lived most of her life around the Day Guard and even she had a hard time telling them apart but offered a smile as she passed. As always she took a moment to look at the artworks that lined the hallways, Princess Celestia changed them around often and Twilight rarely saw the same one more than once. Paintings of landscapes and grand armored ponies were the most popular but she could tell that Princess Luna now had a hoof at picking out what went on the castle walls. She paused at one painting after all Princess Celestia would have never put up a painting of what appeared to be a…. Rave? And a rather inappropriate one at that. “Luna picked it to spite one of the nobles because he insulted her sense of humor. Why it had to be so close to my rooms instead of hers is something she refuses to answer.” Twilight jumped in surprise, having not heard Princess Celestia behind her. “Princess!” She quickly went in for a nuzzle and a quick hug. “I’m sorry, I’m not late am I?” “Not at all,” Princess Celestia’s smile was warm and Twilight felt her own grow at the sight of it. “ I was finishing up with Luna, she wished to join us but I’m afraid that she has a rather busy night planned.” “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Princess Celestia opened the door to her private set of rooms with a waving hoof to stay her guards from following. It always gave Twilight a little bit of trill when she was allowed inside since these weren’t like the throne room where ponies got to see their princess in action. Being allowed in here meant that she had Celestia complete trust and it brought back old memories of her reading aloud to the Princess when she was a filly. “I told her that you would likely be having breakfast with your parents,” the older mare told her as they settled down at a small table that the Princess kept in her study for meals. “ And that, of course, Cadance and Shining Armor will no doubt take up much of your spare time.” “I’ll have to find some time to meet with her but it will be nice to see them both again,” Twilight agreed. “ It’s only been a few weeks since the coronation ceremony but I’ve missed them.” The princess nodded with a small smile, “You’ve said that your brother still hadn’t gotten a hoof on writing letters?” She sighed, “He’s better now but since at his worst he didn’t tell me that he had been dating, then got engaged to and was marrying my old foal-sitter until almost the last moment…. I don’t think he could have gotten worse.” “Is Cadance writing to you at least? She had mentioned you a few times in our own letters.” Celestia’s horn glowed as she brought her tea set over to them. Twilight liked coffee more but had never and would never tell that to her mentor, she loved watching her prepare their tea too much. Celestia’s magic was so powerful but she never once had lost control of it. Watching the Princess use magic was like seeing a master artist using a brush. “Oh yes, plenty.” Twilight nodded but then winced, “As much as she can. Running the Crystal Empire takes up a lot of her time.” “I’ve heard as much.” The princess’s horn glowed softly as she heated the tea kettle. “She is doing a fine job, Luna and I are thinking of visiting soon.” The soft glow of Celestia’s magic was truly a comfort and as the princess lowered the kettle and it faded Twilight missed its glow. “Wait both of you at once?” Princess Celestia smiled at her and Twilight felt her heart start to beat just a bit faster. “Why not? I am allowed to leave, aren't I? While I do dislike leaving Canterlot I thought now that there was another princess around that Luna and I could go somewhere together. ” “Of course you can- Wait what!” Twilight gasped as she realized what the older pony had meant. She jerked up, bumping the table and almost knocking over the tea set. “Me?!” The soft laughter should have made her feel better but instead, her face heated up. She was glad her fur was darker than most and usually hid it well, though the amount of heat she felt may have caused her to blush so much that the other mare could see it. Her mentor would never laugh at her but she was still embarrassed at her outburst. “Yes, you Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia took a sip of her tea, a sly smile over the rim. “I thought it would be a nice practice for you.” “I-I can’t rule Canterlot! What if there is a law that needs to be changed? Or- Or the changelings attack again? What if there is a revolt !?” “And when was there a revolt in Canterlot ?” The princess asked. She knew what the other pony was doing. This was an exercise that they had done many times when Twilight was younger. When her mind started running like this being asked the right questions could help her calm down. Celestia was, of course, rather good at it and normally this question would have helped as Twilight would have not known the answer right away and would have needed to look up the answer. But she had just spent the last week or two studying very early Canterlot history. “Early Classical Era!” Twilight answered quickly. Her breathing picked up but she stopped herself from jumping from the table and pacing around the room. “Known as the Winter Revolt most sources place it around the year six but that and the death toll is unconfirmed. Most place the death toll from a few dozen to nearly a thousand. What is confirmed was one of the most well-known deaths of the revolt, Prince-” “Twilight,” said her mentor in what she called Celestia’s Stern Princess Voice. She usually only used that when speaking with nobles that had dragged on too long. Or when Twilight had gone a bit too far inside her head. “I would like you to take a few deep breaths for me please.” There was no honest need to tell her, she could already tell that she was losing control and had started to take the deep breaths needed to calm herself down. It may have been some time since she’d last had a freak out like this but she was well practiced with it. After a moment she slumped down, not wanting to look the other pony in the eye. “I can’t,” she softly repeated. Her voice broke, “I-” How disappointed she must be. Twilight was supposed to be a princess! An alicorn like Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, not somepony that couldn’t do what was asked of them. She knew that she had grown since she’d started to live in Ponyville but actually ruling? Where she’d have to handle so many different ponies at once and anything could go wrong at a moment? No way, give her a crisis to handle or anything she could plan for. Something her friends could help with. But ruling in Celestia’s name, and part Luna’s as well? No, there were simply too many things to go wrong and with the princess’s name at risk she couldn’t dare. “If you truly do not believe that you can,” the Princess Voice was gone and was replaced with soft words, “ I will not be disappointed Twilight. Ruling, even for a short while, is hard and I would never, ever, think any pony less for not wishing to do it. Having said that; I also believe that you can, if not now then soon.” She said nothing, not wishing to argue with her Princess but unwilling to agree. Twilight had saved Equestria many times but this was different. Knowing that she was a princess now was one thing, she’d been the Element of Magic for years now and that hadn’t done anything to her life and deep down she thought becoming a princess would be the same. This was her first step in becoming more and it wasn’t a step that she could take easily. “You’ve faced so many dangers Twilight Sparkle. Dangers that threatened not only Canterlot but Equestria as a whole. You’ve saved countless lives more than once, my own included. You, my most faithful student, are the brightest mare in all of Equestria and I do not doubt that I would not be making a mistake in placing Equestria in your hoofs.” Another blush spread on Twilight’s muzzle and she hoped that her dark purple fur hid it from the older mare. “I-I…. Thank you, Princess,” she finally muttered with some embarrassment. “That’s a huge honor.” “Ah,” Princess Celestia chuckled and a smile that would have looked like a smirk on a less refined pony graced her lips. “I’m sorry, you are right of course but I don’t know if you will still believe that once you deal with the nobles.” Twilight didn’t bother to hide her wince, her dislike of the nobles of Canterlot was well known between them after all. “It’s a shame that I can’t just close the Day Court,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe some of them won’t come to bother me since I can’t make any laws without approval.” “You can’t?” The Princess tapped her hoof to her muzzle with an over-drowned face of confusion. Twilight’s heart dropped. “If I’m remembering the laws right; any princess can enact and change any laws in her court, as long said changes don’t interfere with the council’s legislative acts.” With no shame Twilight let her head hit the table, only mindful to make sure her horn didn’t hit the wood. “I’m a princess now,” she muttered to the wood. “Yes, you are.” Her mentor leaned over and nuzzled her up to better speak with her. Twilight’s blush coming back full force. “Don’t worry, I will not be throwing you to the throne tomorrow. I was thinking that you could sit with me once or twice a week at my court until mine and Luna’s trip. It would not be for a few months, once spring is settled at the least.” “Oh,” Twilight sighed in relief. “That’s much better than what I thought.” Of course, she wouldn’t just toss her into ruling and run out the door, this was Princess Celestia. In all the years she’s known her she’d only taken a few days off and very rarely closed her court outside of holidays. Finally, she was beginning to see the upside of this huge responsibility. Not only was she going to be taking notes for hours but it would be with Celestia! Sure the annoying nobles would be there but she had so much practice ignoring them that they bearly mattered. The time she spent with her mentor was so rare now that spending time with nobles was a small price to pay for it. “I’m going to need to pick up some ink,” she said with excitement. “Oh and more parchment!” The princess sipped her tea, “I’m sure Silver Parchment will be glad to see you again. You made up half her business here in the castle.” “Note-taking is very important to learning!” Twilight defended herself with a grin, finally at ease. This was her mentor, after all, a pony she’d once spent more time with than anyone else. While she probably would never be completely at ease with the Princess, she had to be careful to not embarrass herself, it was still so nice to speak with her alone and without danger. “You were the one that told me that!” “So I was,” she agreed. Her horn lit up again to pour herself another cup of tea. Twilight own was still mostly full but she didn’t bring attention to it. “ May I ask why you knew the answer to my question so quickly? I hadn’t thought that you would know the answer, you hated early history.” “I didn’t hate it,” the younger pony protested. “I would never hate any kind of knowledge, it was just how subjective it was.” “Yes, I remember the letters that your teachers at the academy sent me over your essays.” Somewhere a small tiny part of Twilight will continue to be angry over those letters that Mystic Chronicle had written for probably forever. So what if Twilight had ripped into the most well-known history sources in many of her essays! If the sources contradict each other than they should not be used, how was she supposed to know that Mystic Chronicle ancestor had written some of them? “It was because of the pageant,” Twilight told her before she started that old topic again. She shook her wings, “I needed a new costume since the playhouses didn’t fit. I wanted the most accurate costume possible so I brushed up on my early classical history, for all the good that did me. I couldn’t find too many sources or even one clear unbiased image that dated from that time. ” “You were Clover the Clever were you not?” “Yes and I thought since she was both Star Swirl’s apprentice and Princess Platinum's advisor that it wouldn’t be hard to find an accurate costume but instead the only thing I found was a couple of mentions in Princess Beryllium’s journal !” The Princess tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in thought. With a tap of her hoof on her chin, she said to herself, “That can’t be right, surely there is more than that.” “Not that I could find. I wrote to the castle library but all of the books there used the same confiting sources that my own did.” An actual frown graced her mentor's face, a rare sight to see. “That won’t do at all then. The next time I have a spare moment I will have to look through the old vaults, maybe see if I can find something to share with historians about her.” “You knew her Princess?” Twilight asked carefully. It was considered impolite to ask the princess who they once knew. Her parents had drilled it into her head when she became her student, it was the fastest way to get Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to become upset. Or as upset as Celestia became, Luna had made it well known about her displeasure on it. “Yes I did,” the Princess answered slowly. Her eyes were staring off into space, and her brows lowered in thought. “I remember hearing about her coming to court after Princess Platinum took her in. That had caused such a ruckus at the time since she wasn’t noble but Platinum insisted that her talent was too great to waste just because she didn’t have a lineage.” “That seems nicer than the Platinum in the Hearth's Warming pageant,” she noted. She knew that the pageant wasn’t completely accurate, at the least of this was that years had been compressed to fit it into one play. That Platinum had been a better person didn’t seem like too big a problem. Not wanting to let this opportunity pass she asked, “What was she like ? For someone that took part in the founding there is so little about her.” Twilight was surprised, and a little worried that she had overstepped, when the frown on Celestia muzzle grew. “No, it had been after the founding.” Her own muzzle dipped into a frown now. “But-” she started carefully to not offend, “But she had to be part of court before the founding. Every play has her making the trip as Platinum’s advisor and then casting the Fire of Friendship spell.” She thought back to the records of the Founding, few as there was. There weren't many from that long ago, many things were lost over the years, journals lost to fires or paintings to floods. Almost nothing besides spoken words, like stories, myths, and spells, from before the founding existed at all. It had always been a matter of debate which Hearth’s Warming was the most right since each city had different versions. Yet the Fire of Friendship, though the spell itself had been lost to time, was in all versions that she knew of and Cover always helped cast it. The image of the fiery purple heart littered much of the early kingdoms artwork that still existed, it was part of what marked the classical age. Yet she found that few works showed Cover at all and instead usually depicting a group casting the spell with one being a gray hooded unicorn that could have been her but they were never in the spotlight. It had only been in the later renaissance when the images of a tattered cloaked Cover started to appear font in center. Celestia laughed softly as she shook her head. “Yes of course,” she said. “Forgive me Twilight I must be misremembering it. Luna and I hadn’t been in Equestria during the actual Founding after all. I must have heard of her when we had visited Canterlot before they had left on their journey.” “You hadn’t?” “No, or else we would have stopped them before they attracted the Windigos.” The princess laughed again and her eyes softened. She leaned in as if sharing a secret with her, “I was a little upset over the whole thing, to be honest. It had been the first time we had left the area since we settled our castle. She had convinced me soon after we banished King Sombra that the tribes would be fine while we traveled. Imagine my surprise when we returned to hear that not only had the three tribe leaders almost died from Windigos but they had formed a stable union after almost three hundred years!” Twilight almost reached for her saddlebag, wanting to take note of everything her mentor said, not an uncommon feeling around the older mare but this wasn’t a topic they shared often. Her heart swelled at the thought that Celestia was sharing her past with her willingly and not because danger was coming around again. “The castle in the Everfree you mean?” “Yes, though it wasn't called the Everfree at the time of course-” Hours they talked, long after they ate the wonderful food brought to them and after the following dessert. Celestia told her stories from years past, light-hearted stories about how this captain of the guard had done this or this ambassador had done that. Twilight told her how things were going in Ponyville, little things that had never made it into letters because Twilight hadn’t thought her Princess would care to hear it but she told her now and Celestia never looked more interested. It was only once Twilight glanced out the window and saw Luna’s moon high in the sky that she realized just how long they had been speaking with each other. While she loathed cutting the dinner short, though now it could be called a midnight snack, she knew that the princess would have to be up at first light. Well actually before then since Celestia brought said light. “I hadn’t realized that it had gotten so late,” she said with disappointment as the stared at the moon outside. “Hmm?” The mare in front of her blinked in surprise before she looked as well. “Oh my,” she laughed. “It has gotten quite late, hasn’t it? I’m sorry I kept you.” “Oh no, I don’t mind!” Twilight rushed to reassure her. “I’m the one that wanted to talk about old magic theory after all. If anything I should apologize to you since you have to be awake earlier than I do.” “Lack of sleep is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if the reward to speaking with a dear friend,” Celestia said as she and Twilight stood from the table. And it was then that she finally felt the late hour. Late nights weren’t as common to her in the years since she moved out of the castle, too many plans with her friends to stay asleep all morning like she once had. But the aching feeling in her knees and the way her eyes dripped weren’t something she missed. She spoke around the yawn fighting it’s way out of her chest before she could overthink it, “ We should do this more often.” Her mind caught up with her tongue and her face blushed once again. “I mean I know that you are busy, but-” The nuzzle to her neck silenced her ramblings. “We should! After your Hearth’s Warming is over, come to visit me hmmm? Luna, Cadence and I always spend the evening together and although I invite your brother, he never comes.” She whispered in her ex-students ear and said with a chuckle, “I believe he is afraid I will embarrass him.” The blush darkened from the feeling of her mentor so close to her but Twilight fought on. “Cadence did tell me some horror stories from when they started dating,” she pointed out. The princess did love to tease and once Shining was out of his armor and off duty all bets were off. “But I’ll get him to come, my family is usually done in the afternoon so it shouldn’t be a problem. I doubt he’ll be awake when I get there tonight but I’ll ask him first thing.” Celestia’s head tilted and the way her mane followed after, flowing in the solar breeze like it always did, made Twilight’s exhausted brain want to giggle. “I believe that my niece told me that they are staying at your parent's home are they not? I hadn’t thought you would as well.” She glanced at the clock and the late hour that it showed and shook her head, “Are you sure you wish to travel through Canterlot at such a late hour? I know that it isn’t far outside the castle walls but perhaps you should consider staying the night here.” “It’s fine Princess,” Twilight reassured her with a smile as she picked up her saddlebags. “I used to walk there at night all the time before I moved into the castle remember.” A stern look appeared on the older ponies face, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips. “I hope it wasn’t too late since the library closes at sunset.” So there were times that Twilight wanted to read more books that night than books she could carry. Right before it closed she’d simply take as many books as she could, read them in the hallway that the library was in and drop them into the book return until she could carry them home. Instead of answering, as her mentor would probably give her that mix of pride and disappointment that came with the times when she studied too hard, Twilight nuzzled up to her to say goodbye. “I’ll be fine Princess, I’ll see you tomorrow!” “Good night Twilight.” The young mare almost skipped down the empty darkened halls she was in such a good mood. It truly had been too long since she had been able to spend time with her princess. Before her coronation, the last time they saw each other had been with the Discord and the princess had left so- Twilight froze suddenly, her eyes wide. Her Princess? At once her blush re-turned full force. “It’s nothing,” she muttered aloud to herself. “Come on Sparkle, you can’t do this again.” As she made her way through the castle, nodding in greeting to the few Night Guards she’d seen, Twilight grumbled to herself. She was tired and it made her frustration build more than it would otherwise. How many times would she have to get over this crush of hers? It was such a foalish thing that seemed to happen again and again. Crushing on her teacher as a foal was expected but even though it pained her a little, the princess wasn’t her teacher any longer and this crush wasn’t something she wanted. The stone halls turned into stone cobble houses and Twilight barely noticed, her hoofs carrying her as her mind wondered. A small part of her wanted to argue that by all right Twilight had a chance now. She was a student no longer and instead of an alicorn and a princess of Equestria. But the princess was….more than just a princess. This was Princess Celestia, who raised the sun each day and ruled over Canterlot longer than many dragons had lived. She was the unrivaled paragon of beauty and magic, untouchable in ways no other mare besides Luna could hope for. Most importantly she was the mare that sparked her love of magic and learning all those years ago. Twilight knew that she had worth, she was the element of magic and princess of….something. “But I can’t compare to her,” she muttered with a roll of her eyes, already tired with herself. With long used practice, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. No way she would let this affect her meeting with the princess tomorrow. She finally turned down the cobbled road that led to her parent's home. It was close to the castle, thanks to the fact that her family was a rather old one. Rarity had been upset to hear that she was technically a noble and her friend had demanded to know why Twilight had kept it from her. In all truth, it wasn’t something that affected her much in her day to day life. Her family had never been a very high powered one and all it meant was that she’d had an ancestor that had enough bits at one point to buy land in Canterlot and build a home. As tried, and with the good mood from her dinner gone, the walk to said home seemed so much longer than it did when she was a foal. Why was it taking so long? Once again Twilight froze in the middle of the sidewalk, groaning aloud at her thoughtless. “You have wings,” she slapped her forehead with one. “This whole walk could have taken five minutes instead of twenty!” She raised them carefully, still a little unused to it even though Rainbow had been teaching her, and pushed off with a powerful downward flap. She caught herself and while her flight path was wobbly Twilight thought she was doing rather well. However less than a minute into the flight, and thankfully before she gained too much speed or height, her chest tightened up enough that her wings slapped closed to clutch to her sides, throwing her to the ground. With a grunt, she tumbled on the stone but the tightening in her chest only grew, spreading to the rest of her body. Her breath froze in her lungs, her legs clamped close to her body, and at once all she could move were her eyes. Suddenly her horn lit up, shining almost enough to blind as she began to cast a powerful spell without consent. The spell was not one that she knew, the magic complex and powerful. The power that poured into it only grew as the magic at the tip of her horn built and built but she was unable to dispel it, her body and her magic unresponsive. After a moment the spell was, leaving her pretty drained but she still had enough that she could begin to build power and dispel whatever it was controlling her. It was for nothing. Before she could do anything there was a flash of light and for long moments all Twilight could see were bright waving colors, like Rainbow Dash had given her a front-row seat to her Rainboom. The colors flashed by too fast for her to be able to tell them apart. Was she being moved? The power taken to cast this spell was great, more than what a normal pony would have been able too. If someone was moving her and they had enough power to control her magic…. No. She would not let whatever this was keep their control over her. Her magic would not be used by some villain. Mixing magic was dangerous and she had no idea what trying to break this spell, whatever it was, would do. But she had to try. Twilight pooled every bit of her magic, every last drop of power she had and more that she only had begun to grow since her coronation. Whatever this was, whatever monster or villain had tried to take her would no doubt fall to her and her friends. As the colors begin to slow down around her and with teeth clenched grunt, Twilight used all her power to teleport home to Ponyville.