Princess Temporal let out a sigh as she left the throne room. After she had returned, she had been poked, prodded, scanned and studied by the royal physicians. They could not do anything about the black crystals on the horn -- as she had expected -- but otherwise she was fine.
After that came the matter of setting things in motion for the time being. The most powerful and talented unicorns were being sought out in order to handle the sun and moon until the princess was able to regain her magical capabilities. Paperwork for Fluttershy and her friends was started and being filed, making them official defenders of Equestria with all the benefits and responsibilities that entails. Additionally, the paperwork that gave Fluttershy rights of guardianship over Luna was being copied just in case there was a need to prove it.
Now that everything was taken care of as much as it could be for the time being, Princess Temporal had some moments to herself. She made her way up the tower, climbing up toward her room.
Standing in one of the halls was a dragon. Moving on all fours, he was not as tall as the princess, but his body was longer. The dragon's scales were purple in color, with a green underside and spines along his back. His green eyes focused on her as she approached. The large scaly wings gave a flutter against his side.
"So it has started?" the dragon asked, tilting his head. He moved to walk with her, walking a few steps behind.
"Indeed it has, Spike," Princess Temporal answered. "Although things did not go how I was expecting."
The pair of them continued through the hall and up toward the top of the tower.
"So does that mean you were wrong about her Element?" Spike asked.
"No. Well, not yet at least. For some reason, only one of The Elements was activated. When it did, the others scattered."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know," Princess Temporal answered, "but it has eliminated one of the possibilities that I had speculated on.
"By the way, Luna will not be attending classes with you for a while, if ever. She is going to be spending time in another town and hopefully making friends with ponies her own age."
Spike shifted, tilting his head to look at her from the corner of his eye.
"You're hoping that will prevent a repeat of the events you told me about?"
"Yes. Hopefully her developing a strong bond with other ponies and time away from her sister will prevent her from becoming jealous when they get older."
"Anything I can do to help?" Spike asked, getting a giggle in return.
"Sorry," Princess Temporal said with a smirk. "It's just that even after all these centuries, you still remind me of him."
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He gave a roll of his eyes. "Still?"
"Not at the moment, thank you," she said, becoming serious once again. "I have some things I need to take care of in my chambers. You go ahead and give Celestia her regular lessons. I will explain what is going on with her sister after."
"As you wish, your majesty." The dragon shifted, giving a bow. "If you need anything, let me know." With that, he got up and walked away.
Princess Temporal watched him go before going into her chambers, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes scanned the room, making absolutely certain that she was alone. Satisfied, she walked over to the wall that the head of the bed rested against. After looking around again, she slipped a hoof behind the headboard and pressed against a stone.
The fireplace swung open, revealing an additional room.
The princess entered the secret room and made her way directly toward the furthest wall where several posters had been attached. Her attention was focused on a particular one. On it were six ponies: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Included with each pony picture was the image and name of an Element of Harmony: Magic, Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Generosity. Written across the top of the poster was Theory #1.
Princess Temporal picked up a pen. Rearing up on her hind legs, she scratched the title out. With that done, she turned her attention to the other poster. Like the previous, it had pictures of the six mares placed on it. Five of them had question marks in place of the name of one of The Elements. The sixth was Fluttershy, who had "Magic?" written underneath.
On this one, the princess crossed out the question mark underneath Twilight's picture and wrote "Loyalty." Satisfied, she set the pen down and started for the doorway. Her movement slowed as she glimpsed at an old photograph in a frame. Her lips curled into a sad smile before looking away.
Princess Temporal left the secret chamber, shutting the door behind her with a press of a button. That was done, and it would still be a while before Spike was done with Celestia's lesson. The princess pondered going to the kitchen. After all, it had been a rather long day (two actually since it was well into the second), and a snack did sound rather nice. Maybe she would even make some treats to share with Spike, Cadence, and Celestia.