//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Unexpected Visits // Story: Legacy of the Sun // by IceColt //------------------------------//         The Present “Dear Princess Celestia, I write you to report that things are advancing well in Ponyville. We’re making steady progress and there have been no—” “By Starswirl’s beard, what ungainly appearance your table offers! Trixie is appalled!” “...almost no unpleasant surprises. The magister has arrived just earlier today and is anxious to start working. He’s... as usual. I look forward to meeting you at the Summer Sun Celebration. Your faithful student, Twilight Spar— hey, don’t touch that!” Spike’s quill hesitated just in time to prevent the misplaced ‘hey’ from forming on the paper. The baby dragon looked at Twilight. Her glare pierced Trixie, who had picked up one of the documents on the table with her magic. Trixie sighed and put down the sheet.          “Such hostility! Has the famous Twilight Sparkle’s hospitality been nothing but a deception?” “As if you have the right to complain about any deception,” Twilight grumbled. She nodded towards Spike, who returned it and scribbled the last missing letters on the paper. “Besides, since when did I ever tell you anything about my hospitality?” Trixie gave Twilight a smile that made a vein pulse on her temple. “Please. Nowadays, a pony can not move two cities without hearing of the fabled Twilight Sparkle’s feats and talents.” Twilight opened her mouth to tell Trixie that she of all ponies should know better than to trust mere rumors, but then she just sighed. “What do you want, Trixie?” The azure stage magician gasped and put her hoof against her chest. “Want? What a foul word to use. Why, The Great and Powerful Trixie simply desired nothing more than to let an old friend bask in her glorious presence.”          “Well then, congratulations, you achieved it,” answered Twilight as she walked towards Spike and took a look at the letter herself. “Now get out.” This time, Trixie’s surprise wasn’t acted. “Get out? But I can’t— Erm, The Great and Powerful Trixie wanted to say that she couldn’t possibly leave so suddenly after arriving at the home of one of her oldest and greatest friends in Equestria!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh.” “‘tis the truth!” exclaimed Trixie. Her indignant gaze quickly wandered to the ceiling, however, when it met Twilight’s unbelieving stare. “...and the Great and Powerful Trixie may have also wanted to ask for your assistance.” Twilight’s other eyebrow rose up. “Wait...you want my help?” Trixie curled her lips. “If this is the word you wish to use. Anyhow, Trixie’s generous and magnanimous nature has led to her being loved by ponies far and wide—” Twilight snorted in disbelief, “—but because of Trixie’s great incapability to just ignore somepony else’s suffering, her monetary belongings have shrunk to nought—” “I’m not going to give you money.” Trixie smiled condescendingly. “Poor foolish Twilight! The Great and Powerful Trixie is far above asking somepony for moneyed assistance! Trixie—” “You can’t stay here either.” “What?!” Trixie’s haughty demeanor disappeared immediately. “Why?!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Because every time you show up, problems start to appear, and I really don’t have time for more problems.” “But I’m your friend!” “First off, I never said we were friends, I said I forgave you. Those are two different things. Second, I have to help prepare the Summer Sun Celebration. I already got enough problems on my hooves, even without you popping up again. Next thing I know you’ll cause a real Ursa Major to show up here!” Twilight’s voice had become harsher than she had intended. The stress of organizing everything, losing the list and having Stone Quill watch over her shoulder for the next few days had really started to pile up. She would’ve felt guilty, if she didn’t know that Trixie couldn’t be hurt by anything anypony else besides her said. “...alright.” Or not. Twilight blinked, completely taken by surprise by this reaction. Trixie all the while gave a deep sigh and nodded. “Trixie understand.” She turned towards the door, hanging her head dejectedly as she slowly walked towards it as if it was her march to the gallows. “You have much on your hooves right now, Twilight Sparkle. You’re a hero to Equestria after all. How could a simple, unimportant street performer like Trixie possibly be worthy of your friendship, or even your time? Trixie apologizes for holding you up like this. She’ll try somewhere that is more of her level. Maybe a sewage pipe, or a cardboard box in some alley.” Trixie sighed deeply. “Don’t worry, Trixie will never bother you again.” Twilight didn’t know how to react. She knew that Trixie was most likely just trying to play her, but she would have to lie if she needed to say that it didn’t affect her. Seeing Trixie so crestfallen wasn’t something she had expected. Besides, how much could it hurt to just try to take care of her problems? You already know how much, Inner Twilight replied. Unfortunately, other ponies’ problems was one of the things where Twilight’s emotions triumphed over logic. Twilight gave a deep, defeated sigh. “All right, I’ll see what I can do.” Immediately Trixie spun around, the gloom around her cast away like a dirty rag, a big grin on her lips. “Such generosity! The Great and Grateful Trixie knew you would find it in you to give her a roof for the night.” Twilight flicked her ear in irritation. “I didn’t say I would let you stay here.” Trixie’s grin faltered. “But you said—” “I said I’ll see what I can do. Those are two different things.” Then she turned to Spike. “Alright, send it.” Spike ignored Trixie’s enquiringly raised eyebrow, gave Twilight a playful salute and sent the rolled-up letter away with a breath of green flames. Twilight gave a satisfied nod. That was one problem less, time to to take care of the next one. “Look, I need to take care of a lot of things,” Twilight levitated her saddlebags towards her as she spoke to Trixie, who stared at Spike with mouth agape. “I can’t have a houseguest added to that list. I’ll ask around, see if I can find a place for you. But I can’t promise anything, okay? Trixie?” She turned towards the azure unicorn, who had remained motionless and still stared at Spike with utter disbelief. “Did you understand me?” Trixie blinked, then shook her head hastily before nodding just as quickly. “Of course! The Great and Powerful Trixie was just, er—” “Great,” Twilight cut her short, already walking towards the door. “I’ll be gone for a little while. You can stay here until I come back, but don’t touch anything! Understood? If there is anything, just ask Spike, he can help you.” Trixie nodded again, her confident smile now returned to her lips. “The Great and Heedful Trixie understands completely. Do not worry, Twilight Sparkle, you will not regret your kindness!” “I do already,” Twilight muttered under her breath as she opened the door and went outside. Trixie, meanwhile, retained her broad grin even as the door snapped shut. That had gone all right, had it not? Sure, Trixie might have not received the all-encompassing pardon she had hoped for, but having Twilight advocate for her was just as good. The possibility that Twilight might not find a place for Trixie to stay didn’t enter her mind even for a second. After all, this was Twilight Sparkle, four times savior of Equestria, they were talking about here. What pony would be in their right mind to refuse a request from her? Made certain of her rescue through this line of thought, Trixie gave a happy, little hum as she turned around, only to find herself face to face with a very skeptical looking baby dragon. Trixie’s musical expression of happiness stopped immediately. She returned Spike’s stare warily. “Err, yes? Is there something the Great and Powerful Trixie can help you with?” Spike squinted his eyes. “I don’t trust you.” Trixie blinked. “Pardon?” “I said I don’t trust you,” Spike repeated. “Last time you came back, you enslaved all of Ponyville to cater to your every insane whim and exiled Twilight. But now you’re reformed and are just looking for a place to sleep? I don’t believe that for a second.” Trixie stared at Spike. Then she smiled. “Oh poor, foolish infant draconus tyrannus. Your loyalty to Twilight Sparkle makes you wary of the truth.” Trixie rose up to her hindlegs and spread her forehooves, making her star-studded cape fly. “But fret not, for it is as it seems. The Great and Powerful Trixie has, indeed, returned as a friend, and not as a conqueror!” Spike’s expression remained unchanged. “Uh-huh. Right. I’ll still keep my eye on you. And if there’s just a hint of a possibility that you’re causing trouble, I’ll tell Twilight.” Back on all four of her hooves, Trixie shrugged. “Do what you must. Trixie will prove her redemption through her actions then. She— is that an Everfree Bookworm?!” Spike turned around to follow Trixie’s outstretched hoof’s direction. There on the ground, just a few steps away from him, lay the insect, a dark purple caterpillar for a novice. Usually indigenous to the Everfree Forest, the Everfree Bookworms periodically tried to make themselves comfortable in the towns on the forest’s edge. Twilight had always been very careful, borderline paranoid even, to make sure not even one of the sneaky insects made it into the library. Seeing the bookworm blissfully chew on what looked like the remaining half of a page, Spike now understood why. “Damnit!” he cursed as he walked over and picked up the bookworm by its tail. The insect gave a small shriek of surprise, causing the tasty paper treat to fly from its mouth. “What are you doing here?” Spike asked as he raised the wriggling bookworm to his eyes. “Didn't Owlowiscious eat you?” Then, however, something else caught his attention. “Oh no,” Spike whispered as he reached down one more time and picked up the remains of the paper. “What? What’s wrong?” Trixie asked in an alarmed tone while her eyes darted back and forth between the bookworm and the piece of paper. “It’s Twilight’s list. It ate it,” Spike groaned. “And that’s...bad?” Trixie inquired cautiously, now her gaze fixed on the wriggling bookworm while an expression of badly-hidden panic spread on her face. “Very bad,” confirmed Spike. “By Celestia, she’s gonna rip my head off!” “Very bad?!” Trixie echoed. “Then why didn’t you watch out for bookworms more carefully?! Aren’t you her assistant?!” “I did!” Spike replied, panic causing him to turn aggressive, “I took care of all the precautions! It was just that there was this jar full of these in a closet. And I didn’t want to go all the way to the Everfree Forest to set them free, so I thought I could feed them to Owlowiscious. Birds eat insects after all, right?” “Owls don’t eat insects! They’re predators!” Trixie said, her voice now growing louder with panic as well. “Besides, bookworms have no natural enemies outside the Everfree Forest! There isn’t a bird in all of Ponyville that would eat them!” “I didn’t know that, okay?! I—” suddenly, Spike paused. He stared at Trixie. Then his eyes narrowed. “Hey, wait a minute. How come you know so much about bookworms anyway?” “What?!” Trixie sounded indignant, but there was also a hint of guilt in her voice. Spike probed further. “Now that I think about it, there was a time when Twilight and I had to do an extra careful clean-up and that’s when I found all these bookworms, so I put them in a jar.” Suddenly his eyes went wide. “Wait a minute...” He pointed accusingly at Trixie. “That was right after Twilight defeated you in the magic duel!” Trixie’s eyes started to shift nervously. “S-So? The Great and Guiltless Trixie does not see a connection there at all. It’s not like she went into the Everfree Forest to catch a bunch of bookworms, just to put them in Twilight’s library because she knew how much Twilight loves her books.” “Oh come on!” “Besides,” Trixie went on, now pointing accusingly towards Spike herself, “you were the one that thought owls ate bookworms! If anything, this is your fault!” “What?!” Spike sputtered, trying to ignore the sting of guilt, “This is ridiculous!” “At any rate,” Trixie continued, her voice becoming a little bit calmer, “‘tis undeniable that great harm has befallen Twilight Sparkle’s property and that we both have played our part in it, unwillingly or no...but that does not need to concern Twilight.” Spike’s eyes widened. “What? I should lie to Twilight?!” Trixie clicked her tongue. “Lying is such an unkind word. The Great and Sagacious Trixie merely suggests to not accost our already troubled, mutual friend.” “Not a chance! I won’t lie to Twilight!” “Then perhaps you will be all too eager to recount the tale of how your lack of knowledge caused the sacrifice of Twilight Sparkle’s precious list?” Spike thought of Twilight, how stressed she had been since the letter announcing Stone Quill’s arrival. He imagined how she would react if she found out that hours of work had went down the drain because of his carelessness. He shuddered. Trixie smiled triumphantly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is happy to see that Tiamat blesses even her most estranged children with wisdom.” “Whatever. I’m still gonna keep an eye on you,” growled Spike as he gave Trixie a withering look. Trixie’s smile persisted. “Sure, sure. By the by, it’s chewing on the page again.” “Ugh!” --- Standing besides a door, Swift Wing began to really miss the observatory. Many guardponies didn’t like the shift, since nothing ever happened there, but for Swift Wing that was the beauty of it. He didn’t have to do anything, just stand there for a few hours, spend some time with his best buddy, Fire Ember, and shoot the breeze. The only other interaction they ever got were usually the princesses and both of them were very kind, understanding ponies. Sometimes, Celestia would even come down the observatory, just to have a little chat with Swift Wing and Fire Ember, and Luna had even played dice with them once. Swift Wing sighed as he remembered this placid life, when a soft harrumph brought him back to the present. Swift Wing blinked and looked around, noticing a criticizing side glance from Moonbeam. Swift Wing grimaced. Didn’t she ever relax when standing guard? After all, they were in Ponyville! Who in their right mind would attack somepony here? The mayor of Ponyville’s office being in the same state as half an hour ago was proof enough. The several file drawers were still lined up on the walls left and right to Swift Wing, the curtains still wide open so that the sun could shine through the windows opposite of the door, and Magister Stone Quill was still absorbed into the weighty tome that lay on the mayor’s writing desk. A brief glimpse on its cover before the opening had revealed the words ‘Census - 1002 a.Dscds.Fl.’ to Swift Wing. The mayor herself was also present, pacing back and forth on the other side of the desk, occasionally shooting a nervous glance in Stone Quill’s direction. “I must say, I didn’t expect the official from Canterlot to come by so suddenly,” she said with a small laughter as she kept walking from one wall to the other. Stone Quill didn’t look up. “Hm.” “If I had, I would’ve prepared a bit better of course,” Mayor Mare continued, glancing at the numerous health style magazines strewn about the tabletop. “Hm.” “Not that I’m not usually prepared! But visits from Canterlot officials deserve special attention. By which I don’t want to imply that my usual amount of preparedness is below canterlotian standard, just—” “Could you hoof me a pen and paper?” Stone Quill cut her off. Mayor Mare halted in her trot and blinked confusedly, staring at the magister whose eyes remained on the tome’s pages. When no reply came, however, he looked up. “Now.” His steely tone made Swift Wing shudder. He was glad that it wasn’t him who Stone Quill gave his attention. The less fortunate Mayor Mare shrank back under the magister’s stern look, hastily nodding in reply. “Yes, of course.” She immediately spun around and began darting through the room to look for the requested items. As Stone Quill returned his gaze to the book, Swift Wing eyed him curiously. He didn’t know the elderly unicorn long enough to know for certain, but ever since Stone Quill had taken a look at the list of visitors, his attitude seemed to have changed. After his exclamation to have discovered a certain wordsmith, Stone Quill hadn’t offered another word of explanation. Instead, he had taken a direct course to the city hall, had well-nigh kicked down the door to the mayor’s office and demanded to see the list of current residents here in Ponyville. Swift Wing’s first belief, that this perusal would be just as brief as the one at Sugarcube Corner, was then quickly proven wrong as Stone Quill continued to spend the last half hour on flipping through the book and reading each resident’s name with utmost care. Swift Wing didn’t have a habit of questioning his superiors, but he couldn’t help but wonder what the holdup was. The orange tinge of the sunlight shining through the windows revealed that it was already late in the afternoon and Stone Quill still had to visit the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony, as he had promised them to do so, or rather, threatened them with. Yet the old magister remained motionless, not showing any hurry when Mayor Mare hastily placed a piece of paper and a pen beside the tome. Instead, his eyes remained on the tome’s pages for one more moment, before he carefully picked up the pen with his mouth and, still looking inside the book, began to write. Swift Wing blinked. Mouth? Wasn’t he a unicorn? Another soft “ahem” cut his wondering thoughts short and when Swift Wing looked to his side, Moonbeam was once again giving him a rebuking look. Swift Wing furrowed his brow. “Oh c’mon, what did I do wrong this time?” he whispered. At first he thought Moonbeam hadn’t heard him, as she turned his head to look straight ahead again, but then she answered. “You were staring at him.” “What?” Swift Wing had difficulties to keep his voice down. “But that’s exactly my job!” “Your duty,” Moonbeam emphasized, “is to protect the Magister. Not stare at him like he’s doolally.” Swift Wing fell silent. He simply stared at Moonbeam. Then a small smile formed on his lips. “Doolally?” Moonbeam didn’t look at him. Swift Wing, however, wasn’t that easily discouraged. “Did you seriously just say ‘doolally’?” For an uninitiated, Moonbeam would have looked as stoic as the personal legions of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were rumored to be. Unluckily for Moonbeam, Swift Wing was a Royal Guard himself, so the ever-so-slight twitching of her brow showed him that she heard him. Swift Wing continued. “What, do you also need somepony to blow on your hoof when you stubbed it somewhere? Do you have a pet blankie that you take everywhere with you?” Moonbeam’s corners of her mouth sank, causing incredulous glee to bloom on Swift Wing’s face. “Oh my god, you actually do.” The glare Moonbeam shot at him locked his tongue immediately. “You’re being very unprofessional,” she hissed, “stop acting like a foal and do your job!” Swift Wing nodded, exerting himself to stifle his grin as he tried to regain a serious expression. Moonbeam turned her head back to the front, a slight ‘hmph’ escaping her lips. Her soft murmur which came a moment later was barely audible. “And it’s called a security blanket.” Stone Quill looked up when boisterous laughter exploded from the entrance. Swift Wing was bent over from laughing, leaning at the wall to not fall over. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t hold himself back, not even Moonbeam’s withering look changed anything about that. This was just too rich! “Enjoying our assignment, are we?” Stone Quill’s icy voice cut off Swift Wing’s laughter immediately. Hurriedly, the white pegasus raised himself up again, any kind of grin or smirk wiped off his face. His hoof shook slightly when he raised it to salute. “No Sir! I mean, yes Sir! I mean—” Stone Quill impatiently waved his hoof. “Just do your job, Private,” he grumbled as he rolled up the paper with a hoof and picked it up with his mouth to put it in his saddle bags. Swift Wing gulped and nodded silently. Had he dared to look to his side, he could have seen the hint of a smile on Moonbeam’s face. “Thank you for your cooperation, mayor,” Stone Quill then said as he walked around the desk, without even looking in Mayor Mare’s direction. The grey-maned mare nodded hastily. “Of course, Magister,” she said as Stone Quill walked through the door, “Whatever I can—” The door fell shut. “...do for you.” “Where to now, Sir?” Moonbeam asked, her voice even and without any hint of the embarrassed anger she had shown just seconds ago. Stone Quill’s reply came without hesitation. “The library.” Swift Wing raised an eyebrow, but didn’t dare speak up. Luckily for his curiosity, Moonbeam was just as puzzled. “Sir, may I remind you that you still need to ascertain the process on the festival preparation?” “No you may not,” replied Stone Quill curtly and began to walk faster. Swift Wing dared to give a quick glance to the side. He grinned again. “Now who’s looking at him like he’s doolally?” he whispered. Moonbeam’s response were once again words Swift Wing would have never expected from her. “Shut up.” --- Walking down the hall, Luna let her Royal Canterlot Voice resound from the walls. “We wish to speak with you, Magister Stone Quill.” Amidst several guardponies bowing deeply before their princess, stood the elderly magister, none of the reverence the others displayed found on him. Only a sly smile danced around his lips as he slightly nodded his head. “How can I help you, Princess Luna?” Luna’s expression remained calm. She wouldn’t let herself be provoked by his mockery. “We wish to inform you of some changes concerning your involvement in the Summer Sun Celebration.” She turned towards Shining Armor who stood beside Stone Quill, saluting her. “Captain Shining Armor, we ask of you to task your best guardponies with the protection of Magister Stone Quill.” “As you wish, Your Highness!” Shining Armor replied. “Oh?” The surprise in Stone Quill’s voice didn’t match his sly expression when Luna turned back to him. “To what do I owe this concern for my safety?” “We merely wish to protect our subjects from any mad villains that may cross their paths.” Although her words were polite, the cold edge in Luna’s voice betrayed her true intention to the magister. Not that she wanted to hide it. He should know what she thought of him. Trickery and hiding in shadows were his and his ilk’s way. Yet Stone Quill’s smile didn’t disappear. “I see. May I make a request then?” Luna’s eyes narrowed. The desire to deny him any right to speak was great, but she didn’t want to betray her scorn for him in front of the guards. Not too much at least. “Speak.” Stone Quill nodded, a bow more out of mockery than earnest respect. “May I ask for protection not only from the Royal Guard, but also your Night Watch? I would rest easy with knowing that both the royal legions' eyes rest on me.” The request caught Luna unprepared. More security for him? What was he planning? Luna eyed Stone Quill distrustingly, but no hint of the magister’s true intentions could be discovered in his expression. Maybe it was a challenge instead of a ploy? Was he daring her to set her legion upon him, mocking her for hiding behind Celestia’s guards? Luna’s eyes narrowed. If he wished to provoke her, then so be it! “Very well. We shall grant you this request.” A devious shimmer entered Stone Quill’s eyes, as he shot a quick glance in Shining’s direction. “I am in your debt.” Luna nodded curtly, then turned towards Shining herself. He wasn’t there. Luna blinked, then closed her eyes and shook her head. Shining was still missing when she opened her eyes again. Confused, Luna began to look around. The guards had now disappeared as well. She was completely alone. Except for Stone Quill. “Yes.” Luna spun around. The elderly unicorn’s expression had changed. His eyes, before only shimmering deviously, were now burning brightly with gleeful madness. A large, manic grin spread on his lips, the corners of his mouth stretching unnaturally far. No, Luna realized, not stretching. Cracking. Fine fissures had spread from his grin towards his ears and were now reaching towards the rest of his face. Cracking and crunching sounds filled the air as Stone Quill's face fissured more and more, like the eggshell of a birthing chick. Luna took a step back, staring at Stone Quill in horror. The cracks started to spread faster, ran down Stone Quill's neck and spread all over his body. Luna shook her head in voiceless fear. She knew what was hiding under the shell, but she had nothing to prevent it. “I am truly in your debt.” Another, distorted voice sounded under Stone Quill's usual one. It was escaping from the cracks in his throat, awaking old memories in Luna's mind. Memories of snow, a village, and her sister, whose pink mane was stained with blood. She remembered screams, fire, and saw a pure-white alicorn with a golden glowing mane stand on a balcony above Canterlot, laughing his insane glee out into the world. “You know what I think?” Suddenly, every sound was muted. The cracking had been silenced, Stone Quill's voice was vanished. Only the words coming from behind Luna were audible. The Princess of the Night turned around. Her eyes grew wide in disbelief when she saw a familiar stallion stand behind her, his light brown coat brushed clean and his lime-green mane well kempt. He smiled at her, a smile of understanding and compassion. He bowed towards her, a secretive shimmer in his eyes as he whispered towards Luna. “I think Celestia is just afraid. Afraid that you'll be a better ruler than she could ever be.” Luna rose up with a gasp. She panted heavily as she looked around the room. It were her chambers, just as they had been when she had fallen to sleep. The dark blue curtains were pulled in front of the windows, blocking out the late-afternoon sun except for a small line that had sneaked its way through. Her bed was in a state of disarray, her pillows thrown about and her sheets kicked away, signs of a restless sleep. There was nopony else in the room. Luna sighed and and closed her eyes again as she slumped back. How disgraceful. The Princess of the Night, being kept awake by a nightmare. There would be quite some questions if the ponies of Equestria would learn of this. A slight breeze made Luna shudder. She lazily opened one eye and raise a foreleg towards it. It was covered in sweat. Luna sighed again and shook her head. She should know better than to dwell on the past. As if on cue, Stone Quill's sly grin appeared before her inner eye. Luna curled her lips. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of getting to her! Stubbornly, Luna rolled around and pressed her eyes shut, determined to take the sleep she wanted. Memories be damned! “You know what I think?” Luna's brow twitched and she rolled to the other side. “I am in your debt.” Luna clicked her tongue in frustration and rolled on her back. “I would rest easy with knowing that both the royal legions' eyes rest on me.” Luna rose up with a frustrated groan. She surveyed the room, finding very little to occupy her with. Bored and sleep-deprived, Luna stared at the small line of light the sun drew in her chamber. “Stone Quill doesn't mean any harm, far from it.” Her sister's words echoed in her head. I'd say robbing me of my sleep counts as harm, Luna considered with a scowl, remembering too late that she had been determined not to let Stone Quill getting to her. After all, he was hardly alone in her dream. “You know what I think?” A shudder overcame Luna, although no breeze had tickled her. The thought of sleep had now completely left her. Luna stood up from her bed and made her way to the door. It wouldn't be that long until she would have to raise the moon anyway, there certainly had to be something to pass the time with until then. Her gaze wandered to the line of sunshine on the ground again. Maybe she should see what her sister was up to. Having found a concrete goal, Luna nodded happily and walked outside. Immediately, she was greeted by her guards. “Your Highness!” Luna smiled and nodded. “Golden Ax, Silver Ax. We are glad to see you in high spirits.” The two thestrals bowed their heads as they realigned their leather wings on their flanks. “We hope you have rested well, Your Highness?” Golden Ax inquired as the two guards raised their heads and followed Luna down the hall. Luna opened her mouth to tell of her rude awakening, but then stopped. There was no sense in worrying her guards. “We have, and now we wish to visit our sister.” She didn't notice the glance Golden Ax and Silver Ax exchanged with their cat-like eyes. “Your wish is our command, Your Highness.” The rest of the journey was spent in silence. Golden Ax and Silver Ax swiveled their heads from left to right, eying every corner with distrust, while Luna once more attended her memories. The visions of the past were still haunting her mind, trying to wedge themselves in front of her inner eye again. They hadn’t been thought of in a long time and now they demanded more forceful than ever the attention they had been denied for years. It wasn’t easy for Luna to fight them off. Faint voices whispered at the edge of her consciousness, sounding just as alive as they had a thousand years ago. “You know what I think?” “Princess Luna?” Torn out of her thoughts with just two words, Luna looked up. She blinked in surprise when she saw the entrance to Celestia’s chambers before her. The pure white marble double doors brandishing a stylized golden sun in their middle made a mockery of the word “chamber’s” cozy ring, but this was not surprising. Celestia’s chambers were just as private to her as the throne room and if anypony felt homey in them, it were the nobles, who visited the sun princess by the hour for meaningless petitions and even less important squabbles with other nobles. This late in the afternoon, however, no members of Canterlot’s high society were present and the space in front of the double doors was occupied by only two royal guardponies. One of them had taken a step forward and was looking at Luna uncertainly. Luna returned his gaze, blinking in surprise once more. “Fire Ember?” The dark-coated unicorn gave a small, albeit confused smile and nodded. “Er, yes, it’s me. How can I help you, Princess Luna?” Luna only looked at him perplexedly in response. Ever since Swift Wing had been commandeered to accompany Stone Quill to Ponyville, his colleague had vanished from his post at the observatory. Meeting him so unannounced at her sister’s chambers was quite a surprise for Luna. Unfortunately, this was neither the place nor the time for any questions about Fire Ember’s misadventures with the Royal Guard’s duty roster. A small smile was all she allowed herself upon seeing her friend and dice partner, before she took on the serious expression that was expected of her as a princess. “We appreciate your offer, Private Fire Ember, but no assistance is necessary. We merely wish to visit our sister.” “Oh.” The small smile vanished from Fire Ember’s face. “I see.” Slight uncertainty snaked itself behind Luna’s regal demeanor. Had she acted too estranged? Fire Ember, however, did not look at her dejectedly. In fact, he didn’t look at her at all. Instead, his eyes wandered to the other guardpony on the other side of the double doors, who had remained silent and unmoving. “Well, Princess Luna, you see—” “Her Highness wishes to not be disturbed.” The strict, military voice cut through Fire Ember’s incertain mumblings with ease. Luna turned her head to the other guardpony. The white coated unicorn had a large frame, easily towering over his dark-coated colleague and Luna’s leather-winged escorts. His mane was completely hidden under his golden helmet and his face bore a stern expression of somepony that took their profession very seriously. “She has retreated to her chambers for an early rest.” “Oh,” Luna replied. The guardpony’s behaviour threw her off a bit, although she was more surprised at Celestia retiring early than at the white-coated unicorn’s brisk tone. “Then we shall—” “You should be more aware about who you are addressing,” a voice growled from behind. Luna and Fire Ember turned their heads. Golden Ax and Silver Ax regarded the other guardpony with hostile stares, Golden Ax being the one that had spoken. The guardpony, however, didn’t even turn his head. “My orders are to protect my princess’ privacy, no matter who may appear.” Golden Ax stepped directly in front of the guardpony, anger burning in his eyes. “My mistress is just as much your princess as Celestia is. I advise you show the appropriate amount of respect,” he snarled. “My oath is towards the Lady of the Sun, therefore my loyalty lies with her first and foremost.” Slowly the guardpony turned his head to look Golden Ax directly into his eyes. His gaze was ablaze with rancour. “And it's me who will advise you to show the appropriate amount of respect.” His voice became a dark grumble. “Call my lady by just her name again and I’ll teach you respect with my bare hooves.” Luna was baffled. This belligerence between the two stallions had come completely unexpected. What was happening here? As much as Luna appreciated Golden Ax standing up for her, the readiness for violence that was mirrored in his expression disturbed her. It was just as much of a surprise though that the guardpony not only reacted to this hostilty, but even adapted it. Suddenly, Celestia’s voice came from behind the door. “Who is out there, Corporal Alabaster?” The sound of the sun princess’ voice silenced the two stallion’s growling and snarling immediately and made them stand at attention. The guardpony, who apparently was this very Corporal Alabaster, turned his head. “Your sister wishes to see you, Your Highness.” “That would be Princess Luna then, right?” Alabaster froze up even more. “Yes, Your Highness. I mean, sorry, Your Highness. I mean—” “At ease, Corporal.” The smile on Celestia’s lips could easily be heard. Alabaster paused, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. “Princess Luna wishes to see you, Your Highness.” Celestia’s reply came without hesitation. “Well then, send her in. I do imagine the assistance of her watchponies would be most welcome too, wouldn’t it?” The aversion could be seen on Golden Ax’ and Alabaster’s face in equal measure. “By your orders, Your Highness.” He then turned to Luna and bowed deeply. “You may enter, Your Highness. I apologize for my inexcusable boorishness.” The smile Luna gave in response was a bit shaky. She raised a hoof in an abashed gesture. “No apology necessary. We understand you only wished to fulfill your orders.” Alabaster’s strict military training could not keep his eyes from widening while he stared at Luna, but the Princess of the Night had already turned to Golden Ax. “Golden Ax, temper your enthusiasm. While we appreciate you defending us, such hostility is not what we wish to instill in our Night Watch. You are protectors and shepherds, not enforcers.” Golden Ax lowered his head. “My actions have shamed me and worse, you, my mistress. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.” Luna regarded her escort sternly for another moment, then smiled. “Raise your head, Golden Ax. No punishment is necessary as no harm has been done. However, we wish of you and Silver Ax to assist these brave guardponies in their duty while I remain with my sister.” Even with Golden Ax facing the floor, Luna could see his curled lips. “It shall be done, Your Highness.” Luna nodded. That would have to do. She would just have to trust that their loyalty was stronger than their desire to enforce respect for her. She then turned to Fire Ember, who had watched the entire spectacle silently. “We trust you to keep the peace here, Fire Ember.” “Me?” Fire Ember stared at Luna, then at the three other ponies, Silver Ax and Golden Ax regarding him with envy and Alabaster eyeing him with suspicion. He looked back at Luna, opening his mouth to protest, but then just gave a sigh. “I’ll try.” “And we know you will succeed.” Luna gave him an encouraging smile. At last, she turned towards the marble double doors. One of them glided open surprisingly silent under her magic and she entered Celestia’s chamber. One last sentence waved after her before the door closed shut behind her. “So...anypony up for a game of dice?” As Luna looked around, she couldn’t help but admire once again how Celestia managed to turn these chambers into her private rooms and a smaller version of the throne room at the same time. The walls were pure white, draped with vine red tapestries and impressionistic paintings of Canterlot. Beneath them, several also white sideboards lined up against the wall, a bit too many to be countable on first sight, but also not too much to clutter the room. The floor, which was comprised out of argent glazed tiles, was mostly covered by a thick carpet of the same color as the tapestries. When one entered the room, like Luna just did, they found themselves on the start to a short, narrow path on which they needed to ascend three steps to get towards the center of the room. There, a low table presented itself for the new arrival, several seat cushions placed around it to offer a seating opportunity. Normally, the table was empty except for a vase filled with flowers placed exactly in the middle. As Luna slowly walked closer, however, she saw that the white tabletop was cluttered with paper. Some of it was pristine, while most of it was filled to the brim with lines and lines of Celestia’s scriptum magicae, and in some cases already rolled up and bound with a red band which bore the royal seal. Others were folded and placed into envelopes which were neatly stacked at one corner of the table. Celestia, sitting on the table’s other side and framed by a large window which allowed the late afternoon sun to shine inside, let her quill rest and looked up to give Luna a welcoming smile. “Hello, Luna. What brings you here?” Luna stood in front of the table, nervously shifting her weight from one hoof to another. It had seemed like a good plan to visit Celestia, but now that she stood in front of her, Luna couldn’t honestly say what she even wanted here. Finally, she gave a shrug and a sheepish smile. “It is nothing. I merely felt somewhat languid and hoped to dispel it by visiting your, dear sister.” Celestia’s scrutinizing raised eyebrow was mitigated by her small smirk. “Well, feel free to stay.” Luna didn’t hesitate to take Celestia up on that offer. Suppressing a relieved sigh, she rested her haunches on a seating cushion opposite of her sister. The smirk remained on Celestia’s lips for a few moments longer as she looked at her sister, then disappeared when she lowered her gaze and picked up the quill again. Curious, Luna watched as the feathery writing utensil’s tip danced over the white paper. “What are you writing?” “Congratulations letters for a continued peaceful rule,” Celestia answered, without looking up or halting the quill. Luna raised an eyebrow. “Should you not receive them instead, my sister?” Celestia smiled at the letter she was currently writing. "I usually don't get any from those I am writing to.” This caught Luna’s curiosity. She leaned forward and slightly craned her head, but Celestia’s writing was unreadable from upside down. It took a short moment for Luna to realize she could just as easily take one from the stacked letters and read the recipient. She sat upright again and picked the envelope from the top with her magic. Levitating it towards her, she turned it around to read the backside. A moment later both her eyebrows shot up and she lowered the letter to stare at Celestia in disbelief. “The zebrican tribes?” Celestia briefly glanced towards her sister, her smile growing wider while she kept writing. “Well, they are equines and therefore technically my responsibility under the First Equestrian Contract of Unity.” “I sincerely doubt the nomads share your viewpoint, dear sister.” “Most likely. That does not mean we shouldn’t be polite to them.” Luna opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Arguing about it wouldn’t do much and her curiosity was occupied by something else anyway. She put the letter towards the zebras down next to the stack and picked up the next envelope. This time, just one eyebrow rose up. “The same counts for the horses from Saddle Arabia then?” Celestia gave Luna an innocent look. “Surely there is no harm in keeping my friendship with Grand Sultan Pharas alive, is there?” “Surely,” Luna replied, her eyelids drooped. Ignoring the sarcastic tone of Luna’s voice, Celestia just smiled sweetly and returned her attention to the letter before her. Luna’s eyes narrowed. Any noble might have believed their princess, but Luna knew her sister better than anypony. Celestia wasn’t one to send formal letters of congratulation just for the sake of friendship and a formality. There was more behind this. Her curiosity strengthened by suspicion, Luna placed the letter addressed towards Grand Sultan Pharas on top of the one for the zebras, and levitated the entire rest of the stack to her. She quickly surveyed envelope after envelope, her eyes growing wider with each new recipient she read. At last, she put down the bundle of letters. There was still surprise easily discernible on her expression, but now a note of caution had snuck in there as well. “Tia, what are you doing?” Unaffected by Luna’s worried tone, Celestia kept on writing. “What do you mean, Lulu?” “These letters!” Luna knocked on the bundle with a hoof. “I do not know the content, but the addresses are more than enough to worry me already! The Fencelands Demesne? The Grpyhonian Confederacy? The Qilin Empire? You even wrote a letter directly addressed at the Calipha! Tia, you know how irascible the gryphons can be when it concerns the sphinxes.” “I’m sure Lord King Answald won’t declare war on Equestria just over a friendly letter for his ‘guests’.” Celestia finished her letter with one last forceful swing of the quill, then put the writing utensil down beside the paper. She briefly surveyed the writ, before giving a satisfied nod. Filing Celestia’s carefree dismissal of the gryphon ruler’s possible reaction for later, Luna gave the finished letter a wary look. “And who, pray tell, is this one addressed to?” Celestia lifted up the letter with her magic. She folded it two times and then carefully slid it into an empty envelope. “Sharrum Ziadros.” Luna struggled to keep her surprise from raising her voice’s volume. “The dragon king?” “The very same.” Luna stared at Celestia, who seemed to take no note of her sister’s shocked expression. Instead, she picked the quill up with her magic once more and wrote the recipient she had named on the envelope’s backside. A thousand exclaims and arguments shot through Luna’s mind as she watched Celestia levitate the inscribed envelope to the side. Why search the contact now, after a thousand years? Didn’t she remember how they had refused their help during her march on Canterlot? What if the dragons saw the friendly letter as a sign of weakness? Finally, one made it past her lips. “I fear you will be most hard-pressed to find a mailpony who will carry this letter all the way to the southern mountains.” “Oh, don’t worry. I have my ways to make sure it reaches the Sharrum.” A playful smile danced over Celestia’s lips, only to disappear again when she turned towards her sister. “I know what you are trying to say, Lulu, and if I’m honest, I have to agree with you.” A sigh escaped Celestia as she contemplated the letters. “Equestria has existed in its perfectly safe bubble for a long time now, by remaining quiet and turning a blind eye to the rest of the world. Taking up communication with the other nations will most likely irreversibly destroy this state.” Celestia paused. It would have been the perfect opportunity for Luna to speak up, to encourage Celestia to just let Equestria’s silence persist. Yet she did not say anything. She quietly sat on her cushion, awaiting her sister’s next words. It was the first time since her return that Celestia spoke to her of such matters. The first time that her elder sister opened her mind to her. Finally, Celestia continued. “And that is why this is necessary. The mindset of splendid isolation is too far spread in Equestria. The world around us is moving, ever changing, while our nation has remained almost completely stationary for a thousand years. This needs to change.” Celestia lifted her head, looking Luna directly in the eyes. “I need to change this.” Luna silently returned Celestia’s gaze. She felt that her sister was waiting for her response, and it made her heart beat heavily. This was not merely Celestia explaining Luna her plans. This was not the elder sister presenting her strategies to the younger one so she could follow them to the letter. No, for the first in a long time, Celestia was awaiting Luna’s honest response, wishing her support. Luna set her wings. She shifted her weight from one hoof to the other. Her thoughts were racing just like her heart, while her eyes were transfixed by Celestia’s stare. She felt completely unprepared for this. What should she say? This was far beyond any petty domestic dispute. Her first decision which would carry weight could change Equestria’s fate forever. Was she truly ready for this? She was a princess, yes, but that was honestly just a title. She had barely been back for three years! Even before her exile, she had just listened to others, only occasionally offering an idea which went up for a debate. What made Celestia believe she knew better than her? “Why?” Luna spoke without thinking about it. The sound of her voice surprise her, but she didn’t stop. “Why do you need to change this? Why now?” Celestia kept eye contact with Luna one moment longer, then looked down. Her eyes trailed over the table top covered with letters and paper, until they finally came to rest on one specific writ. A soft smile appeared on Celestia’s lips as she reached forward with one hoof and touched the paper gently. “Because I owe it a certain pony and her friends to give them an Equestria they deserve.” Luna looked at the writ. Its curled ends revealed that it had been rolled up before. A familiar script trailed its way across the paper, although once again it proved to be a difficult read from an upside-down viewpoint. The familiar signature spelling “Twilight Sparkle”, however, was easy to recognize, even from Luna’s vantage point. The Princess of the Night let her gaze wander from the letter to her sister. Seeing Celestia smile like that made something unwind inside Luna. It was a relief to see, that even after a thousand years, she had still retained the ability to smile and care for other ponies. As well as confide in them, as Luna had just learned first-hoof. Luna contemplated her memories of the dream. Should she do what Celestia had done? Maybe it was not necessary to carry such worries alone. Maybe she could rely on others instead of fighting her demons alone. Cautiously, Luna opened her mouth. Suddenly, Celestia’s smile vanished. She raised her head. Luna had heard it too. The familiar and yet entirely alien sound. It was merely a whisper on the wind with the demanding force of a tidal wave, softly fleeting and impossible to ignore. Celestia heaved a sigh and rose up. “I’m sorry, Luna, but I have to go.” “Oh no, do not worry. I understand,” Luna hastily replied, waving her hoof as she stood up. “It is about time I attend to the moon anyway.” Celestia nodded, although she still looked apologetic. A sad smile briefly flashed on her expression. “Another time then, sister.” “Yes, another time.” Luna returned the smile, then turned around to walk towards the exit. At the double doors though, she shot a worried glance backwards. Although she had heard the call rarely, she knew it well. And it had always meant nothing but trouble. “I hope the spirits are gentle to her,” she whispered to herself as she opened the door and exited the room. --- Celestia saw from the corner of her eyes how the doors closed behind Luna. She had been certain that her younger sister had wanted to say something to her, but anything had been cut short by the beckon. “Impeccable timing as always,” Celestia spoke under her breath as she walked towards the window. The sun had nearly set by now, hints of the night already creeping over the horizon. It sometimes surprised Celestia herself how casually she controlled the sun’s trajectory now without actually paying any attention to it. Things had been so much different a thousand years ago... Celestia allowed herself to observe the sun - her sun - for a little while longer, before turning to the current task. She slightly bowed her head forward until the tip of her horn touched the glass surface. A high tone sounded in response, followed by soft ripples spreading over the window. It took only a moment, then Celestia raised her head again. She breathed deeply one more time, then stepped through the window. The glass parted around her like a curtain made of quicksilver, enveloping her form and easily letting her pass to the other side. When Celestia had completely stepped through, she was nowhere to be seen on the window’s other side. Instead, Celestia found herself in a large, rotund chamber. There was no decoration of any kind, the walls were naked and her hoofsteps echoed from a cold stone floor. Two large pillars, each left and right from Celestia, were the only things in the room. And the golden construction. It resembled an orrery on first sight. Six large, concentric rings floated in the middle of the room, varying in size from center to the outer edge. The air vibrated with each powerful swing of the constantly rotating and spinning rings. Their speed remained constant, the outer ones being slower than the faster ones, which resulted in each ring traveling the exact same distance at the same time as the other ones. In each ring was a hole at some point in their form, which made sure they could swing past six floating orbs that were strewn around the orrery in a seemingly random pattern. Each of the orbs glowed in a bright white light, pulsing softly as the rings spun around them. Finally, in the very center of the entire construction, was another orb, larger than the other ones. It glowed brighter than anything else, making it impossible for Celestia to look directly at it. Standing in front of the strange construction, Celestia waited. Finally, a voice sounded. It boomed throughout the room, devoid of any hints to its gender and natural authority carrying it. The floor shook under Celestia's hooves with each syllable and the marrow of her bones trembled under the sound of the voice, as it came down upon the alicorn like a hammer. “Celestia of Canterlot.” One of the six smaller orbs pulsed in accordance to the words, lighting up with every pronunciation and dimming with every pause. “We have awaited your arrival.” Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head respectfully. “How can I help you, Spirits of Harmony?”