The two wended their way through the castle to the throne room. It had only been about four hours since Amethyst had cast the spell in her original timeline, though for her it had been nearly nine months spent in the earlier timeline. The purple mare expressed some trepidation outside the doors leading to the chamber.
"Relax, Ammy, she'll be happy to see you've returned -- she's going to want to know everything that's happened. How long has it been? Do you know?" the librarian asked, giving a small grin.
"I don't know exactly -- I think it's been eight months or so. I just hope she doesn't get too angry with me."
The doors were opened and a smiling Solar Princess warmly beckoned the two unicorns to her side. Upon seeing Amethyst a bit taller, she raised an eyebrow, but smiled just a tiny bit wider.
"Amethyst, I would like to know what has happened -- Twilight says you disappeared on her when you cast that time travel spell. I distinctly remember telling you not to do so -- but at the very least, you have returned. Where did you go?"
The purple mare related her entire tale, though the three of them retired to the dining hall after Luna had raised her Moon. When she discussed events in the future timeline, the teacher and her student were quite shocked to hear about Luna's death, expressing deep consternation over that matter. The Alicorn then swore an oath to protect her sister at all costs to prevent such a tragedy from occurring. The conversation continued over dinner and lasted almost until midnight as both Twilight and Celestia had many questions for Amethyst.
"I have some questions of my own, your Majesty," she stated. "I had been searching for a particular book in the Archives for about a month before I started my pizza business -- then on a hunch, decided to revisit the Archives during the Gala and discovered the book had been replaced. I would like to know who had it and why it was missing in the first place."
"Perhaps you should ask my counterpart in the other timeline -- is it possible for you to return to that timeline?" the Alicorn asked.
"I placed a trace on Twilight's magic signature in that timeline, as well as one on her future timeline," the purple mare grinned. "Which means I can travel to either one to get information."
The librarian's face lit up brightly. "Wow! I'm curious to see what I look like in the future! Princess, would it be possible for me to accompany Ammy when she returns there?" she asked, beaming a big smile. The dark purple mare frowned at her housemate, shaking her head.
"Twilight, you would cause a paradox by doing so. I forbid such a journey," the Alicorn replied rather tersely.
"Twi, I can cast a glamour on you to illustrate the aging process, if you're so inclined," Amethyst offered.
"Okay, but make sure it's not permanent, please!"
The purple mare lit her horn, glowing with a pale yellow aura as she cast the illusion spell on the librarian. Upon finishing the spell, she conjured a small mirror so Twilight could see what changes might happen.
"Oh ... my ... Celestia! I'm ... OLD!! AUUGH!" she exclaimed in disbelief. The purple mare removed the glamour and Twilight heaved a heavy sigh of relief upon seeing the aging removed. "If that's what I look like in twenty years, I'm going to really hate getting old!"
"My dearest Twilight, I can prevent that from happening to you," Celestia offered, smiling warmly. Initially, upon seeing the glamour, she had chuckled softly at her student's reaction to seeing herself aged 20 years older.
"How would you go about doing that, Princess?"
"There is a certain spell Starswirl was working on before he passed away, but never completed it, nor did he find out how to make it work properly. If you use the Elements of Harmony in conjunction with that spell, you may receive a very special blessing if it's completed correctly," she explained.
"I'm very curious to know about this spell, Princess!" she exclaimed, just barely containing her excitement.
"Um, Twi, that spell might turn you into an Alicorn -- might wanna be careful about that," her housemate chided. The Solar Princess glared daggers at the purple mare, her eyes flashing a bright red for a split-second. "Just kidding! Please, if you're curious about it, I'm sure Princess Celestia would be more than happy to give you the particulars on that spell. Since I'm not an Element Bearer, I have no business interfering with the process or trying to learn it myself." Turning to address the Alicorn, she bowed deeply before her once again. "Your Majesty, I apologize for my ... carelessness."
"Accepted, Amethyst. Please do not attempt to discourage my student from additional knowledge or lessons. Her curiosity is something I admire."
"And mine has been proven to be counter-productive at times, and often serves as a further illustration of irresponsible behavior and poor judgment on my part. Yes, I've heard it before, your Majesty, and once again, I'm sorry for disappointing you. What is it you desire of me? Shall I clean the bathrooms with a toothbrush for two weeks again? Or am I to mop and wax the floors of the Dining Hall and Ball Room every night for the next month? What is my punishment this time?"
"Amethyst Shadow. I am not punishing you for your behavior or judgment. Truthfully, from what you've told me about your travels in the other two timelines, you have suffered enough. There is one thing, though -- I would like to taste your pizza recipe," the Alicorn mused, smiling softly.
"Yes, your Majesty. I shall need to see if your kitchen has the necessary ingredients for me to make it."
The Alicorn smiled warmly and led Amethyst into the kitchen behind the dining hall. Twilight followed as well in order to satisfy her curiosity.
"You've always told me about pizza, Ammy, but I've never tasted it -- at least, not the way you've described it!"
The purple mare chuckled as she rummaged through the cupboards and pantry to find what she needed. She checked the refrigerated coolers for cheese. After finding what she needed, she prepared a pizza in much the same fashion as she had in the previous timeline, cooking it the same way. The Solar Princess and the librarian wanted to sample it immediately after it was done baking, but Amethyst stated that eating a pizza right out of the oven would burn their mouths. Their impatience was exacerbated by the inviting aroma of the pizza, but they did their best to wait until it had cooled off a little.
Needless to say, they were quite impressed with the flavor.
"Now I see why your business was so good," Celestia chuckled.
"I didn't know you could make food this good!" Twilight added.
"All you need are the right ingredients," the purple mare stated nonchalantly. "Thanks for the compliment, glad you like it."
"So, Princess, about that spell you were telling me?" the librarian asked, smiling widely.
"If it's not too much trouble, your Majesty, I would like to return to the previous timeline in order to get the answers to some questions which have been nagging at my mind since I returned. I have taken the liberty of placing a trace on Twilight's magic signature in order to return to this timeline. I won't be gone long, I promise."
"You have my blessing, Amethyst. You may not have much time, though, so please be swift," the Alicorn admonished softly.
The purple mare lit her horn once again and disappeared in a brilliant flash of white light and and orange POP. She reappeared in the kitchen, having returned to the previous timeline, though it was mid-day and quite a few ponies were going about the business of preparing food for the rush of ponies trying to get lunch. Amethyst quickly excused herself and trotted towards the throne room, hoping to meet up with the Princess of the Day.
She reached the doors leading to the chamber fairly quickly and asked one of the guardsponies standing in front to let her in. The doors were opened and the purple mare trotted directly to meet with the Alicorn, who gave her a puzzled look.
"Amethyst? What brings you back? Certainly you discovered the missing book -- I noticed this for myself," she stated with some puzzlement.
"Pardon my intrusion, your Majesty, but I had a few questions I would like for you to answer. Was that book in your possession the whole time I had been searching for it?"
"Yes, Amethyst, and for that I apologize," the Alicorn replied, lowering her head and ears.
"Why? Did you know about my human ex-wife returning?"
"Yes -- I had an inkling something serious would occur, though her arrival was ... unexpected. I can't exactly predict the future, you know!" she chuckled.
"So what about the pizza? Did you let me set up the business in an attempt to keep me occupied long enough for her to get here?"
"That is correct, Amethyst. I deliberately had my chef mis-make the first pizza you tasted as an incentive for you to show me what you were capable of doing. I must admit, your recipe is quite tasty," she offered, smiling warmly.
"I don't know whether to feel offended or appreciative. I suppose you needed to keep me here, I guess. So what about my pizzeria? Is the manager I hired still running the place? What about my daughter? Is she still here in this timeline or has she returned to her original timeline?"
"So many questions, Amethyst! Yes, your manager continues to run your pizzeria and is doing quite well. Your daughter and her biological father have made a new home for themselves in Manehattan -- they are quite happy and do not wish to see you again, I'm sorry to say. I must apologize for carrying through with your request, though once I again I must reiterate my desire to find that answer myself. My question to you is this -- how did you manage to return to this timeline?"
"I placed a trace on Twilight's magic signature, using it as a temporal locus for this specific timeline -- I have likewise place a similar trace on her magic signature in my original timeline as well as Galaxy's original timeline. I would like to apologize for having left without saying good-bye to you or Twilight or her friends, your Majesty."
"Truthfully, Amethyst, I admire your magic skill in being able to cast such a complex spell with such ease. In a way, I am rather envious of this skill and would desire to learn it myself. Perhaps in future I might be able to visit you in your timeline," she mused softly.
"I'm just curious to know why you used me in the fashion you did, your Majesty."
"I know you must return to your original timeline shortly, Amethyst, so I shall answer you truthfully. No matter how many of me or my counterparts you may encounter, please remember this -- I have been alive for a very long time -- many centuries have passed before my eyes -- I have seen many ponies live and die as they age before my eyes -- there is very little I have not seen nor heard through my many years. There are certain things I do to ease the burden I bear as the Solar Regent of Equestria, the Protector, Princess of the Day -- or whatever other title you wish to bestow upon me. Let me answer your question with a question of my own: let us suppose you could live for fifty or sixty centuries -- what would you do to keep your mind occupied, to keep yourself from becoming so bored as to allow your power to corrupt your spirit, your soul? What would you do in order to maintain some semblance of sanity? Perhaps if you contemplate those questions and ponder their significance more deeply, you might find an answer to the question you have asked me.
"Please remember, Amethyst, that I do these things not out of spite nor boredom, but that I place the utmost importance on the safety and security of my little ponies. I love them dearly, just as if they were my own children. This is why I sometimes express disappointment in your actions, as you have a tendency to act without considering the consequences of those actions. I do not expect you to be perfect, Amethyst -- I just request that you display a greater sense of responsibility before making hasty or irrational decisions. I see within you great potential and it is my desire to see that you achieve it -- perhaps you may find my concerns to be troublesome, but please remember that even though you are not one of my little ponies, I love you as though you were. Granted, I have witnessed even my faithful student display such behavior, but she has learned from her mistakes. I would only hope that you do your best to follow her example of learning from your mistakes. It is my sincere desire to see you reach your full potential, so please try to be more understanding of me."
The dark purple mare hung her head and ears. "Yes, your Majesty. I appreciate your honesty and kindness, though words cannot adequately express the level of respect and admiration I have for you. I must admit that my resentment of your actions was based on ignorance, and for that I apologize. Without further ado, your Majesty, I believe I must take my leave and return to my original timeline, as your counterpart in that timeline informed me that my time was short. Thank you once again for your compassion."
The Alicorn smiled very warmly and embraced the purple mare with her right wing. "You are forgiven, Amethyst. Please, you are welcome to return whenever you wish. I am pleased to know you have learned this lesson as quickly as you have. Now, go, Amethyst, be happy and take care of yourself. I look forward to meeting you once again."
Amethyst bowed to the Alicorn and lit her horn once again, disappearing as she had before as she cast the spell to return to her original timeline. Now standing in the throne room, a great assemblage of ponies had gathered for a momentous occasion. Many ponies stood with poles bearing banners with Twilight's cutie mark adorning them.