Shuffling the stack of papers in front of her one last time, Celestia sighed and rose from her desk, briefly glancing through the thick, tempered window. The sun was barely visible, its image highly distorted by the spelled glass meant to withstand the hardest abuse and assault. She felt that it mirrored her inner thoughts rather nicely as she turned and walked for the the door.
As she exited the study, two guards fell into formation behind her, silent and vigilant. “Princess Celestia!” She paused and turned, taking in the image of a unicorn running at full speed, a few papers floating alongside her. Celestia raised a hoof to stop the guards from moving forward as the mare slowed down, a slightly panicked look on her face.
“How many I help you, Primrose?” Celestia had a brow raised, curious as to what had stirred one of the many castle’s aids into such a worried state. “What is wrong, you appear to be quite out of sorts.” She smiled disarmingly, attempting to calm the flustered mare.
Primrose came to a stop a few feet shy of Celestia, pausing long enough to regain her breath. She breathed out and then brought one of the forms in front of her face. “Princess Celestia, is this correct? Princess Luna will be absent for the next month from Canterlot?” Her voice was hitched in a mixture of concern and worry, eyes darting over the other forms still in her magical grasp.
Celestia let out a throaty laugh, catching Primrose and her guards off guard. “Yes, that is very much correct,” she began with a large, faked smile on her face. “My sister has recently taken Twilight Sparkle on as a student, much like I had before her. However, her focus of learning can only truly be accomplished during the late evening and night hours. Being present in Canterlot all day and then going to Ponyville to accomplish those lessons would be extremely tiring.”
The form was moved out of Celestia’s face to be brought back to the small stack as Primrose’s breathing finally normalized. “Ah, I see…” She nervously shuffled her hooves as the realization of her approach entered into her mind and caused her to nervously chuckle. “So, I’ll just go on ahead and file these then… yes, filing needs to be taken care of.”
Chuckling, Celestia smiled once again and dismissed Primrose with a wave of her hoof. “Please, don’t let me hold you up. I’m certain that you have quite a few things to care of today, yes?” Primrose nodded in reply. “I wish you a good day then, Primrose.” Celestia waited until she could no longer see the mare before quietly laughing, a true smile gracing her face for a few moments. “Well, let’s continue on then,” she quietly mentioned to the guards behind her.
They continued to escort her around as Celestia navigated through the many corridors of the castle. Thanks to Twilight’s careful planning, the day’s workload was extremely light. Celestia sadly smiled at the thought, a phantom of her as a filly crossing her vision as an old memory was dredged up. She recalled that it was here in this very same hallway that Twilight had first mentioned her love of Daring Do.
“Princess, are you okay?” A guard’s voice snapped her from the memory as he entered her sight. She realized that she had come to a complete stop during her recollection, and Celestia quickly shifted her focus back to the present.
She smiled with a hint of embarrassment visible as she addressed him. “Yes, I do apologize. A thought came to mind, which made me remember something.” Humming, she tapped her hoof a few times against the stone floor. “You know, today was already an extremely light day, I think I shall postpone what little there was until tomorrow. Therefore, you two are dismissed. Please, enjoy the time off.”
Both guards gave a brief salute as their stoic and concerned expressions shifted to elation at the early dismissal. “Have a wonderful day, Princess Celestia,” they gratefully spoke in unison before turning and dashing off towards the barracks. She chuckled at their quickly retreating forms and changed her destination from the meeting rooms to a garden nestled away in the back of the castle.
On the way to the garden, she swung into a group of offices, her gaze fixating on one pony in particular amidst the bureaucratic chaos contained within the room. This was one of the few rooms within the entire kingdom of Equestria in which she could enter and be completely ignored, a fact in which she took delight in.
“Ah, Princess, what brings you by the crazy house today?” the pony whom she had gazed at greeted her, all the while continuing to shuffle papers around the desk. “It’s quite rare for you to stop by.”
Celestia chuckled at the scene while sidestepping to avoid an earth pony that had his face buried in a document as he nearly walked into her. “I just wanted to inform you that I will be taking the rest of the day off. I have a few forms that will need to be retrieved from my study, as there will be nopony to deliver them to you.”
Without skipping a beat as they continued their work, the pony nodded. “I’ll make sure they are retrieved, Princess. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, I’ve heard that it is particularly gorgeous outside today…” they trailed off as Celestia nodded her head and turned around to leave. Muttering to themselves, they returned back to their task. “Not that I would know, being cooped up in here.”
Navigating the castle’s halls, Celestia found herself bathed in sunlight as she entered the small and secluded garden. She paused and closed her eyes, deeply breathing in and enjoying the mixed scents of flower pollen and grass that hung in the air. Opening her eyes, she walked over to a small wooden bench and took a seat. Her wings slowly flexed open, each feather swaying gently in the small breeze present in the open-air garden.
Her thoughts began to wonder, subconsciously drifting towards the conundrum ever present in her mind. The only difference is that now Celestia found her thoughts settling on the strained relations between herself, Luna and Twilight. She had made many difficult choices during the thousand years without her sister, the hardest of which was ensuring that Twilight would receive as normal an upbringing as possible.
Once Luna had been freed, the emotion that she had found ruling over all others was one that she had not felt in a long time. Fear. For all the power she held, Celestia realized that everything truly dear to her could be as fragile as a house of cards. It had only taken one secret, although a large one, coming out to potentially bring the entire thing tumbling down. Sighing, she closed her eyes and drank in the sun’s warmth, doing her best to shackle the fear welling up within her once more.
“Aunt Celestia?” a familiar male voice rang out, piercing the relative stillness of the air. She jerked up and looked towards the speaker, spying a familiar face. “Aunt, do you have some time to spare?” Blueblood enquired, walking closer as she composed herself on the bench.
Celestia moved over slightly, patting the bench with a hoof. “Certainly, Blueblood… what is it that’s on your mind?” she politely asked, slightly concerned at his appearance. She had picked this garden for the sole fact that it was completely out of the way, and therefore she could be alone. For Blueblood to come here, it meant that he truly desired to speak to her as soon as possible.
Blueblood slowly walked to the offered spot and took a seat, turning his head to look at Celestia. “It all started yesterday, really,” he began, scrunching his brows in thought. “I felt… something, magical in nature, but I don’t really have a word to put to it. Then when I went to sleep, I had the oddest dream. It seemed more like a memory than a true dream though…” Blueblood trailed off, trying to sort the images in his head.
“Oh? While dreams are typically more of Luna’s area of expertise, I might be able to offer my assistance to you, Nephew,” Celestia warmly spoke, smiling at the welcomed distraction from her thoughts.
He scratched at the ground lightly before looking up to meet Celestia’s eyes. “It’s weird, I didn’t remember any of these… memories,” he hesitantly said, eyes filled with uncertainty, “but the more I think about them, the more that comes to mind. They are all of me and you when I was really, really young. Maybe about this high?” Blueblood brought his hoof out, holding it no more than a foot off the ground.
Celestia let out a small laugh. “Ah, yes. You used to scamper around the halls as if you owned them, guards hot on your hooves. You were quite the little terror when you were young.” She chuckled at the thoughts, and then paused as she remembered what else had occurred during that time.
Blueblood laughed for a few moments, a bright smile on his face. “Yes, I recall how it annoyed Cadance so much. Even though she was only a year older than me, she was already trying to play at being a foalsitter.” Laughing, he wiped a few tears out of his eyes. “But, there are a few memories that I hadn’t recalled until the dreams last night. Ones solely with you, Aunt…” he trailed off, steeling himself for the next words he spoke. “I was too young to know at the time, but you were pregnant, weren’t you?”
She briefly closed her eyes, recalling the memories in question. There were actually quite a few of them, as Celestia had spent a lot of time around Blueblood when he was young. “Yes, I was.” Even with her mood spiraling downward, she had to suppress a chuckle at the sight of Blueblood’s jaw hanging wide open, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. “Now now, Nephew. You should compose yourself, your look is quite unbecoming of a prince of Equestria.”
He violently shook his head to kickstart his mind, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. “That’s… why didn’t I remember any of those memories until last night? Do you… have any reason for that, Aunt?” Blueblood hesitantly questioned her, a look of confusion evident in his eyes.
Celestia internally sighed and came to the conclusion that it would be good to talk to somepony outside of those directly affected about this issue. “Yes, I do, and it seems like a fine time to explain why as well. It really began, oh, in the years leading up to Luna’s return.” She closed her eyes and spoke from her memory, the turmoil coming up alongside them. “I knew that the Elements of Harmony would be needed, and I was beginning to look for potential candidates for bearers. However, they truly are a finicky thing, and I had to pay particularly close attention as to who could potentially bear the Element of Magic.
“Aunt Celestia, what does this have to do with these memories being forgotten for so long though? I mean, for anypony who has truly thought on the matter, it is obvious that you would have to do that, otherwise who knows what Nightmare Moon would’ve done…” Blueblood shivered slightly as his mind drifted to the possible scenarios.
“Life finds a way to surprise everypony… even me, Nephew.” Celestia calmly stated, dryly chuckling. “I had taken a guard to my quarters a few times,” she paused, noticing the look on Blueblood’s face. “Oh, relax. No matter my power, I am still a pony with my own wants and needs, Blueblood.” she dryly stated, a small smirk on her face. “And this leads into the problem I faced.
“At the time, I was essentially married to Equestria. There was an enormous amount of weight on my shoulders, and I knew of Nightmare Moon’s inevitable return. I knew that my having a child would turn into a political storm, with the foal centered directly in the middle of it. So, I took measures that many would consider to be… drastic.” She stopped to rest her throat for a moment.
Blueblood sat there, processing what had been said thus far. After a period of silence, he finally spoke, quietly. “So… you have a kid, then? Where are they? What about their father?” he shot off the questions in rapid succession, the glint of curiosity in his eyes.
Celestia raised her hoof, stopping him from firing off any more questions. “Let’s take them one at a time, Nephew. For starters, her father passed away in the line of duty before she was even born. As for her birth, I used magic to hide it from everypony possible, and only had a single doctor who I fully trusted look over the pregnancy. You and Cadance were really the only ponies who found out about it, and that was unintentional.
“The drastic measures I took came into play shortly before the birth. There was a unicorn couple also expecting within weeks of myself who I had grown close to. After the birth, I made my daughter look like a normal unicorn, and then cast a geas.” Celestia coughed and licked her lips, the warm air and talking having dried them out. “That is why you had forgotten any memories associated with my pregnancy, I used old and powerful magic to block any memories associated with it or the birth to ensure she would have as normal an upbringing as possible, free of the trappings of the nobles and politics associated with them.”
Silence lingered as Celestia inwardly sighed, an invisible weight being lifted from her shoulders. “Why would you do that, though? Would the nobles and politics truly have been such a large impact on her life?”
Celestia let out a hearty, deep laugh, surprising Blueblood. “Let me ask you this, Nephew. Do you remember the events of the Grand Galloping Gala some five years ago? When a particularly snobby and high-class younger prince insulted certain ponies crucial to Equestria’s defense, and ended the night with copious amounts of cake on him?” Blueblood’s face turned even whiter than usual as he thought back to that dreadful night. She laughed, seeing that her point had been made. “Indeed. While you are a much more responsible stallion than that night, you had a long period of time where you believed you were truly superior than everypony else. I did not want that for my child, no matter how it might cost me in the long run.”
“I suppose I can understand that, Aunt. Those years were… well, pretty dreadful, to be honest.” It was Blueblood’s time to dryly chuckle, lightly shaking his head. “I was quite the idiot at the time, it took a lot for me to realize that. I can see why…” trailing off, he gulped once and asked the obvious question. “So, who is your daughter then?”
“Someone who you know quite well, actually. Twilight Sparkle.”
Spike opened the library door for the four ponies trailing behind him, grandiosely motioning with a claw inside. “Well, I don’t hear anything breaking or crashing, so after you guys,” he cheerily spoke, a smile on his face. As Shining entered the library, Spike chose that moment to yell inside. “Twilight, Luna, got some company!”
Shining shook his head as his ears rang, shooting a mirthful glare at Spike. He waited for him to enter and then briefly tossed a hoof over Spike’s shoulder, leaning in. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you back.” He pulled back and smiled as Luna came down the stairs.
“Thank you, Spike,” Luna warmly said before turning her attention towards the other four ponies. “Cadance, Shining, Velvet and Crescent… thank you for coming by. Twilight should be downstairs soon, woe to any who disrupt her while reading.” They all shared a laugh, which was interrupted moments later by a loud harrumph from the stairs.
“What, you can’t walk away from a book in the middle of a chapter! Especially when it’s the last one,” Twilight paused, taking in the gathered ponies and dragon in the entrance. “Uh… hi, everypony,” she quietly spoke, an uncertain look on her face.
Moments later she found herself surrounded on all sides by family, their faces overflowing with warmth and comfort. “Hey there, Twily,” Shining warmly said with a stupid grin on his face before wrapping his hooves around her neck. “Glad to see you looking good, Sis.”
Almost as soon as Shining’s hooves were removed from her neck, they were replaced with two pink ones as Cadance nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “Hey, Twilight,” she quietly spoke, warmth filling every syllable. She giggled, speaking rather loudly this time. “I see that Luna has been helpful… very glad to see that.”
“Cadance,” Twilight whined as they pulled apart. “Using your love magic is cheating, you know that!” Everypony laughed as Spike just rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. Twilight looked at her parents, both of whom had a hopeful look in their eyes. “Mom… Dad…” she hesitantly spoke, staring at both of them.
Crescent turned towards Cadance and Shining. “Would you two possibly keep Luna and Spike company for a few? Velvet and I would really appreciate having some time alone with Twilight.” Without any hesitation Shining nodded, although Luna raised a brow at his request. He turned and addressed her, a smile on his face. “Princess Luna, we’d just enjoy a chance to have some parent-daughter time and catch up on a few things, that’s all.”
“I see, very well then. We shall remain down here, you should have more than sufficient room in the bedroom upstairs,” Luna spoke, approval evident in her words. A hoof striking the floor drew everypony’s attention to Twilight, who had an annoyed expression on her face.
“Come on!” Twilight exclaimed as she rolled her eyes. “Can we please not talk as if I’m not here, just maybe? I got more than enough of that during school to last a lifetime,” Twilight finished, grumbling to herself. Luna laughed, an almost musical sound, as she leaned down and chastely kissed Twilight on the cheek. “Oh, fine then, I forgive you.” Twilight turned to Crescent and Velvet, a small smile stretched on her face. “Upstairs then?”
Velvet was the last to go up the stairs, pausing as she took the first step. Turning, she looked over to Luna. “Thank you for keeping an eye out for my daughter, Princess. It really means a lot to us.” She turned back around and followed Crescent to Twilight’s room. After she entered the room, a brief thought brought her magic to close the door.
Twilight saw down on the bed and let out a long and drawn out sigh. “Oh, Twilight,” Crescent started, slowly walking to the side of her bed as Velvet looked at the various books and items carefully placed on shelves. “Your mom and I love you, you know that?”
She moved over on the bed to allow Crescent room to hop up next to her. “Yeah, I know…” she drew out her words, understanding underneath them. He wrapped a hoof over her shoulder and nuzzled her. “Dad… why didn’t you or Mom tell me? All this time, and…”
Velvet’s attention shifted towards Twilight’s question. “Honey, you know better than us why,” she playfully chided as she continued to glance at the items and books from the corners of her eyes. “We tried, we truly did, but we couldn’t figure out any way around the geas. We tried to talk to Celestia about it, but she refused to remove it or tell you,” Velvet sadly chuckled, shaking her head. “It sounds silly, but I think she was afraid of the truth.” Before Twilight could question her, Velvet shook her head gently. “That’s just my thought, it’s up to her to tell you exactly why, Twilight. Besides, that’s not why we’re here.”
“Your mother is right, Twilight,” Crescent spoke as he began to rub her shoulder. “We came here to make sure you didn’t get any silly ideas in your head about us not being your parents or anything.” He mussed with her mane, lightly laughing as she squirmed under his hoof.
Twilight finally managed to knock his hoof away by jumping off the bed, glaring at Crescent the entire time. He retorted by sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry, then laughed. “Dad,” she whined, drawing out the single word. “You know I hate it when you do that to me!”
Velvet laughed, gently pulling a book off one of the shelves. “I think that’s the point, Twily.” She chuckled this time as Twilight whined again. “Knowing those things is only one part of being a parent, after all.” Velvet opened the book, smiling widely as she moved it in front of Twilight. “Remember when you got this?”
Her eyes darted over the title page of the book hovering in the air in front of her. Twilight quickly read the words aloud, a small, gleeful smile coming to her face. “To Twilight Sparkle, my number one fan. May every book be a new adventure! Signed, A. K. Yearling.” She took the book in her own magic, staring at the letters on the paper. “I remember when you gave me this!”
“Yes, it was your,” Velvet paused as she briefly closed her eyes, remembering the memory in question, “seventh birthday. While working, I got the chance to talk with her, and I remembered how much you enjoyed Daring Do. Imagine my surprise when I was able to get her to sign a first edition copy of the first novel.” She warmly smiled as Twilight put the book back on its shelf.
Crescent motioned for both of them to come and sit down on the bed. “We,” He began, briefly glancing at Velvet, “just wanted to let you know that no matter what, you are our daughter. No. Matter. What,” he heavily emphasized the last three words, strong conviction underlying each syllable.
Twilight sighed as her parents sandwiched her between them, memories of many evenings coming to mind as they spent time as a family, even after she had moved into the castle. She relaxed and rested her head on her mom’s side, sighing as the stress left her body. “Mom, Dad… thank you,” she weakly muttered, closing her eyes. “I’m just so scared about everything changing, and I don’t want it to.” Twilight opened her eyes and looked at the necklace hanging from her neck.
Velvet and Crescent both wrapped a hoof around her shoulders, turning to her and warmly smiling. “Change is a part of life, Honey,” Velvet mentioned, waving her free hoof in the air. “Things are always changing, although maybe not quite as much as this, but you just need to remember that no matter what, you’ll always have friends and family ready to support you. We’re not going anywhere.”
They sat there on the bed, snuggled up to each other and quietly talking, the important bonds of family being firmly established once more.
In the darker, less traveled sections of Canterlot, a single pony walked along a street underneath the pale moonlight. He was covered in a dark cloak, the only prominent feature visible the spiral horn emanating from his forehead. Pale blue eyes reflected what little light there was as he turned down into a little used alley.
Eyes filled with paranoia and disgust darted back and forth, concerned about the possibility that somepony unwelcoming might be lurking in one of the many shadows. He paused halfway into the alley, examining every nook and cranny. Satisfied that there were no prying eyes, a brief pale blue glow illuminated his horn as a lock clicked open. Shifting the focus of his magic, a door opened inward, and he disappeared inside.
The interior was much like the alleyway outside. Signs of obvious disrepair ran rampant, cracks in the walls, dust covering every surface within. The air had a musty smell to it, causing the pony to sneeze twice as they found a staircase leading into a basement. Using his pale blue magic as a light, he descended downwards, pausing at another door. Raising a hoof, he knocked twice, paused, then knocked another four times in rapid succession.
Moments later the door clicked, unlocked from the inside. It swung open, granting passage to the unknown unicorn. The interior of the basement was a stark contrast to the rest of the house, well-kept and faintly illuminated by candlelight.
“Why did you call me here, and at this time of the night?” the mysterious unicorn asked, his smooth voice filled with annoyance. “I detest this location as well, I hope that this is worth it.” He tapped his hoof on the ground, looking over at another, equally clothed unicorn.
“Oh, it truly is,” a female voice spoke, her tone a harsh, grating sound. “Word has already spread that Nox will be absent from Canterlot for the foreseeable future, at least a month. The official claim is that she is teaching Harmonia, whom she has taken under her wing, however…” she trailed off, humming slightly.
He scratched at his chin, humming in sync with his partner. “Yes, I can see why this might be important, however I do not think that it warranted such a last minute meeting,” he annoying replied, glaring at her. “However, since we are already here, we might as well discuss it.
“I have heard much of the same myself today, starting earlier this afternoon. That does seem to be the official reason being passed around, however,” he paused, letting his voice linger in the still air. “There are also rumors in the dark that there has been some sort of division between Lux and Nox, although I have been unable to find any firm evidence one way or the other.”
“Hmm, if this is true, it may present us with a unique opportunity,” she conspiratorially mentioned. “We will have to be careful, of course, so as not to be exposed, but many of our long-term plans could greatly benefit from this division if it proves to be true.”
“Indeed. Word is already spreading that Nox will be with Harmonia, leaving Lux alone. While it will be relatively easy to try and gain ground with Lux, we need more information on the Nox’s situation.” He clicked his hoof on the ground, clicking his tongue.
She nodded, absentmindedly playing with the hem of the cloak. “Indeed. It would be best to send an agent or two to further illuminate the situation. I’ll ensure that it happens,” she paused, scrunching her brows in thought. “I have just the two in mind. They’ll be dispatched first thing in the morning. Was there anything else?”
As she turned to leave, his voice halted her steps. “Wait,” he briskly ordered, a thoughtful sigh escaping from his muzzle, “there have been… rumors surrounding supposed events from roughly twenty years ago, maybe even more. There’s no more than a muted whisper, but it might be something big. If it’s proven true, it would greatly aid our cause with a little bit of… creative thought and action.”
The mare raised a brow and looked at him with curiosity-filled eyes. “Oh? Pray, do tell.”
“To begin with, you need to know what a geas is…”