//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Test of Time: Arc 1: Awakening 
// by NoPonysLand 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4 – Spring
Sunday, 23 June 1003
Spring expelled the cake and frosting from her mane and coat with a quick fastidiousness spell, turning to face a startled and cake covered Celestia, Luna, and either Cadence or Twilight(given her size and apparent age, she guessed it was likely Twilight.) Her blast spell had destroyed about half of the cake, obliterating most of the side facing the others. Spring had made sure to target Celestia's voice. She reached out a hoof, sampling some of the cake from the wall. “This is quite good. Thou shouldst commend thy baker.” She paused for a second, then continued. “Whilst I hast thy attention, wouldst anypony care to explain to me this 'princess' business? Ye dost rule thy nation, dost ye not? I would hast thought thee wouldst be'st queens.”
Celestia and Luna continued to stand there, stunned and staring at her with blank expressions. Twilight, that is what she would call her until otherwise indicated, was already snapping out. Spring saw her eyes move, taking in information, formulating conclusions. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened.
“Spring...”
Spring was impressed. She could not have seen her before, and must have pieced the information together based on written descriptions and poor black and white illustrations. In only seventeen seconds to boot. She would have to be careful around Twilight.
Twilight's comment seemed to break Celestia and Luna out of their stupor. Hesitating, they bowed before her. “Well met, Spring.” Celestia's came out half choked, though Luna managed well. Spring was, at this point, unsurprised to see Twilight follow as well, her execution flawless – though, of course, she had used the wrong greeting(1). Spring was fairly certain that she had done so on purpose, to gauge her reaction. After three seconds, they rose, and Spring bowed to them.
“Well met, Celestia, Luna.” Spring said, flitting her eyes to Twilight for a second, watching for her response. She did not make one. “Though, really, must we return to the old formalities, given the circumstances? I wouldst be'st surprised to find ye hadst used them in nine hundred years. Hast they not been replaced by a modern version?” Spring smiled, though none of the others were. “Oh, but now is not the time to talk of such things. It is thy 1150th birthday, Celestia! Thy kingdom should be in revelry! Thee hast grown so much since I saw you last.” She turned to Luna. “And thee as well.” Her tone darkened. “Thy seal hath stolen from me your childhoods.”
“How... how can you be here?” Twilight asked, her eyes taking on a slightly disturbing look. Celestia leaned down, whispering something to Twilight which Spring could not hear. Twilight looked surprised, then nodded, and looked back to Spring, though she did not say anything more.
“Celestia, let her speak.” Spring chided, turning to Twilight. “I do apologize about Hoofany. The guards initiated the attack, not I.” Twilight looked shocked.
“How did you know I was there? We've never met before.”
“I saw thee whilst I was fleeing from the scene.” Spring said. “Thee wast in flight, heading for the building. Tell me, did thee happen upon a white unicorn with a blue mane, by the name of Rarity?”
“Yes, I did.” Twilight looked at her curiously.
“Is she alright? I hope she did not come to any serious harm.” Spring said. “We had an interesting night together, and I didst nay wish her any harm.”
“Running Waters...” Twilight muttered under her breath.
“I see then that she must be fine, if she wast asking about me.”
Celestia looked at Spring hard. “What have you done in Hoofany? And why haven't I been informed?”
“Well, um, I think that might have been Pinkie Pie's fault.” Twilight said. “She knocked out the telegraph lines between Ponyville and Hoofany when she stole the train. If the Fillydelphia/Hoofany line was also damaged, well, there would be no connection between Hoofany and Canterlot.”
“Pinkie Pie stole a train?” Luna said, turning her attention to Twilight for a second before remembering Spring's presence.
“Later.” said Celestia, silencing Twilight. “We have more serious business to attend to.”
“Thou dost indeed.” Spring said, settling herself in a chair. She looked around the room, taking in the lavish decorations and distasteful displays of wealth and power, though to be fair, she had seen worse. The layout of the table caught her eye. “Oh, wast thee in a council of war? I dost hope I hath not endangered thy strategy.” She paused, replaying the memory in her head. “No, thee said it was a game. Ignore me.” Twilight looked at her funnily. Spring sighed. “I dost nay expect thee to actually ignore me, just disregard my last comment.” She turned to Celestia. “Is she always this literal?”
“You were ambiguous.” Twilight muttered.
“Twilight...” Luna said softly. “It would probably be a good idea if-”
“Oh, off her!” Spring said, eyes glinting. “She is capable of fending for herself, is she not?” Spring turned her attention to Twilight. “So, what art thou, exactly?” She peered at Twilight curiously. “Thee art in control of power, I canst feel it, but thou share not the blood of Eris(2). How didst thee come upon thy wings?”
Twilight blinked. “How could you tell?”
“Thee holds thyself in a rote manor, not a natural one. Growing a horn shouldst not hast effected thy form in the way wings might.”
“Right...”
Spring turned her attention back to Celestia and Luna. “Art thou so desperate for companionship that thee wouldst surround thyselves in such facsimiles of immortality? Thee couldst hast left one of us unsealed, Celestia, if thee truly wanted.”
“I am not a facsimile!” Twilight said, indignantly. Spring found it rather cute. “I'm an alicorn, just like you! I may be only twenty-one years old, but I-”
“Dost thee hast the blood of Eris?”
Twilight faltered. “Well, no, but-”
“Didst thee receive thy power through magical means, not by blood-right?”
“I suppose so, but-”
“Then thou art a secondary power.”
“I am not! I connected to your stupid alicorn-”
“Twilight, that's enough.” Celestia said coolly. 
“No, no it's not!” Twilight seemed angry. “Why does everypony cut me off! Am I not allowed to speak my own mind?” She waved her hoof in Spring's general direction. “She bursts in here and you do her favors. I, your personal protegee-”
“So that's what they call it now.” Spring muttered.
Twilight pressed on, not letting Spring's comment derail her. “-should at least be allowed to defend myself from accusations!”
Spring was beginning to find Twilight's impertinence tiring. Before she could comment, however, Celestia pursed her lips, then spoke. 
“Twilight, I think it would be best if you left.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia cut her off before she could begin. “Twilight, leave us.” She put force behind her last words, giving clear indication that she was not open to debate. Spring could tell that Twilight was hurt and angered by Celestia's words, but she simply nodded and left the room.
When Twilight had exited the room, Celestia's calm and forceful air evaporated instantly. She looked at Spring, fear clearly visible in her eyes. She was shaking slightly. Luna also slumped, though she did not seem nearly as effected as Celestia. She had always been the more level headed of the two, Spring recalled.
“What do you want?” Celestia said, her voice, despite her body language, still clear and strong.
“I want to celebrate my daughter's 1150th birthday, that is what I want.” Spring said, walking over to Celestia and hugging her. Celestia took it quite well, though it was awkward, given that Spring was almost forty centimeters shorter than Celestia. “The last time we did this, I still hadst to lean down to thee.” Spring said, a smile coming to her lips.
“That was a long time ago.” Celestia said stiffly. “Over a thousand years.”
“Less then forty for me. Thee mayst hast sealed me for 981 years, but for me it was naught but a long sleep. I felt but six hours of time pass.” Spring paused. “And even forty is too long. What made thee hate me so, Celestia?”
“You know the answer to that.” Celestia said coolly. Spring sighed.
“I see that my time away hath not engendered any love betwixt us.” Spring smiled weakly, though her heart was not in it. Even after what she had done to her, Spring found herself unable to truly hate Celestia. She still saw the small filly whom she had raised, whom she could make laugh and cry and give protection. Where had she gone wrong?
“You came here for a reason.” Luna stated simply, looking at Spring. “What business do you have with us.”
“I wished to reveal myself to thee.” Spring said, pausing. “Now that I have returned, there art changes that shalt occur.”
“Do you intend on taking over the world?” Celestia said, her eyes flashing. “You may find it much harder to control then you are used to.”
“I enjoy challenge.” Spring said, her voice no longer containing any of the warmth with which she had started. “Besides, it is hardly as if I shalt be forcing my will upon its people directly. Ruling is not my style.”
“This is just like you. You justify your actions by saying that you don't want direct control, when what you really mean is that you don't want direct responsibility.” Celestia said, beginning to pace. “You want the power of the world at your command without having to deal with handling the details! You treat the ponies and griffons and zebras like toys, to give you what you want with no effort!”
“Canst thee say thee art truly different?” Spring waved her hoof, encompassing the lavish room they were in. “Thee hast a nation at your beck and call! In direct control, all relying on your favor! Thee sleeps in rich silk sheets; thee keeps more gold on thy mantelpiece than most ponies earn in a lifetime. Thy comforts are not won by thyself, Celestia. I never hadst such lavish rooms, nor surrounded myself in such gaudy treasure as this. I didst hast servants, but they numbered, save twice, three or less. Thee employs almost one hundred personal servants, another thirty for thy kitchens, and two hundred besides to keep your precious castle looking beautiful. Thee hast a pony who's only job is to make sure thy regalia is shining well. And thee accuses me of treating mortals as toys!”
“At least I own up to my ambition! When I lead my country astray, I don't duck behind another thrown, laughing as the mortals attempt to pick up the pieces! I hold myself responsible to my actions, and their consequences!” Celestia barked, anger slipping into her voice. 
“Hold thyself accountable! Oh, how very noble of thee. I suppose that thee keeps a list of thy activities, to present before an international counsel for punishment.” Spring paused, giving Celestia a chance to respond. When none came, she smiled. “No, then? What a paragon thee must be, giving self chosen penance for the things thee considers thee hast done in ill. Dost thee skip a meal after thee hast taken land for profit? Nay, perhaps a lash for each hundred you displaced. Thee art fair, after all.”
Celstia's gaze burned with anger, her positioning becoming hostile.
“Thee must realize, Celestia, that all intelligent beings hold themselves accountable, at least in their own eyne. That is the purpose of guilt. I am, to myself, as beholden to my actions as thee presumes thyself to be.” Spring turned to face Celestia's gaze head on, staring deep into her eyes. “Dost thee hast the right, in full, to determine if thy own perception is true?”
“Her actions show her worth!” Luna cried. Spring was taken aback by the sudden force with which she spoke. “It is not she who judges history, Spring. Under her guidance, the world has been in a golden age for nearly four hundred years! The terms of the mortals, not us! Ponies and griffons are at peace, Spring, under negotiations which Celestia presided over.”
“Forsooth!” Spring exclaimed,  looking at Luna dubiously. “Griffons, at peace? Their language dost nay hast a word for peace. The closest they hast translates to 'Not-primary enemy.'” Spring looked at her. “I can see it in thy eyes that thee art telling the truth. Still, it is hard to believe.”
“Of course it is, for you. You never understood the power of harmony.” Luna said, her voice full of venom. “For you, the concept of a powerful, kind leader is as alien as the as the bottom of the oceans, as unfathomable as the concept of infinity! You can't accept that we aren't putting up an act. You deem it impossible to maintain control through love and trust, because you never could! You can't accept that where you failed, we succeeded!”
Celestia found her voice again as well. “You may not have surrounded yourself in wealth, mother, but you kept it in amounts which make even my fortune look like pocket change.” She spat, her tone dark and strong. “You played sadistic games with mortals for fun, burning towns at your whim, just because you felt like it. You destroyed civilizations, broke cities, and ended cultures, all towards your greater agenda. I might shower myself in the toil of mortals, but you shower in their blood!”
“Thee accuses me without base.” Spring replied calmly. “It is true, I hast done these things. But my life stretches over six thousand years. Thee says that I hast ended civilizations? Thee art correct, I hast done this thrice. But thee must admit that thy own nation required the fall of a proud civilization itself, the Benzic empire, which was at that time nearing two thousand years of existence. In one thousand years, thee hast done as much as I dost in two thousand. Thee says I break cities, and thee art correct again. I hast been the direct cause of the fall of nearly sixty cities in my life. But thee rules a nation, Celestia, a nation which was much smaller when I left. Attributing the fall of only one in four of the cities which must have fallen in the interim to thee, the number amounts to seven; adding the four which I saw you burn in your crusade, eleven at least thee hath taken. Thee, like I, art responsible for one in every century of our lives. As for ending cultures, thee hast missed thy mark. I hast never, to my knowledge, targeted one particular demographic or culture to the point of complete destruction. Unless some of those who were foolish enough to attack me happened to be the last of a people, I hast not done this. I know not of thy activities during the last thousand years, but, given that thee rules a nation, it would seem likely that some once great culture hath crumbled before your expanding borders. I know not for sure, however. Still, we are, at best, even. Thee shouldst not be so hypocritical with thy accusations, Celestia. Such words only can engender resentment. Thee wast always a diplomat, Celestia. I expected better from you. The truth, whilst it still mayst cause strife, can also change minds.”
“Well... I...” Celestia became flustered. Spring grinned.
“An added benefit of truth, it seems, is its irrefutability.”
“That would be the case,” Luna commented drily, “if you had spoken to her query. You have always been good at wordplay, Spring, and this has been no exception. Celestia's point, and mine for that matter, was not one based in numbers. It is understood that, in six thousand years, there may be a time where what would normally be considered excessive force becomes simply required. These are not what we speak to. We speak to your habit of playing with ponies, of killing for fun and sport. It is not the army's you've killed which make you different to us, Spring. It is the individuals.”
“We all hast bad days.” said Spring. “Sure, mine might come more frequently than most, but they art less severe as a consequence. In spite I killed less than three ponies a year on average. Another two a year for those who defiled my works. In my life, then, you can attribute thirty-one thousand deaths which would fall into thy category of 'individuals'. Of the two billions who lived during my lifespan, that is but fifteen percent of one percent of one percent. More ponies hath died by lightning than my actions(3).”
“That's exactly it. You don't even get it, do you? No one here is under the illusion that you couldn’t be a lot worse, Spring. That's easy to see, as we're alive to talk of it. You could, unhindered, kill all intelligent life on the planet in a decade. No, it's not that you couldn't be worse, it's that you don't understand that you're bad at all. Yes, Spring, you are less fatal to an normal pony then lightning,  but you still kill five ponies a year! Just because you don't do anything statistically significant doesn't mean you're not killing ponies for spite!” Celestia said, exasperated.
“You hast done the same.” Spring said. “I hast seen thee kill for petty insults on many occasions, even for such things as looking at thee funny. Thee plays these games as well.”
“That...” Celestia looked down. “That was a long time ago.” She stared at Spring. “I've gotten over it.”
“Thee art so quick to forget what the past was like, Celestia. It mayst be the case that, hadst I lived through another millennium of change, I wouldst too think in the way you dost.”
Luna shook her head. “Not so. I, as you may remember, was sealed away with the nightmare one thousand and three years ago.”
“I dost.” Spring nodded. “Though I fail to see the connection.”
“That's because, as far as you knew, Celestia's seal should have released after fifty years.”
“Yes. Was it not so?”
“I only got back three years ago.” Luna paused. “So, as you see, we have a specific case study for this. Celestia, have I, to your knowledge, killed anypony since I’ve returned?”
“Not that I am aware of.” Celestia said.
“Not particularly surprising to me.” Spring said. “She was not inclined to do so before, either. Celestia, thee wast the one whom I tagged, not her.”
“I grew out of it. By three hundred.” Celestia said darkly. “You're 6250 something, and we're still waiting.”
“6253, and I dost nay believe thee for a second. Sure, thee mayst hast stopped getting thy own hooves dirty, but thee employs a trained guard in times of peace. They art being used for something.”
“What? No!” Celestia glared at Spring. “They serve to protect and defend, not attack.”
“Wouldst thy pet agree, I wonder?” Spring quipped. “I wouldst hast preferred it if thee hath not dismissed her. Her insight wouldst hast been very useful, here and elsewhere.”
“My... pet?” Celestia seemed confused for a second, before realization crossed her. “You mean Twilight.” Celestia's tone dropped, and a growl began to build in her throat. “She is not my pet. She is my student.”
“Dost thee care for her?”
“Of course!”
“Dost thee try to keep her happy, healthy, and beautiful?”
“Yes! I would never do anything less for somepony who I took under my wing.”
“Didst thee keep her near thy person, feed her, clothe her, and dost what thou thought wast best for her, even if she disagreed?”
“Always.”
“Didst thee adopt her?”
Celestia hesitated for a second, before replying. “No.”
“Then, if she is not thy adopted daughter, what wouldst thee call somepony thee hadst kept and taken care of besides a pet? Didst thee not treat her as such?”
Celestia's glare intensified. Spring began to feel uncomfortably warm, like she had been standing still in the summer sun for a little to long. “No. She is an intelligent being, never a pet.”
Spring simply smiled. “I fail to see any counter-evidence, Celestia. Thou canst glare at me all thee likes, but thy argument wilt not get any stronger.”
Celestia continued to glare, then sighed. “This is pointless.”
Spring nodded. “Agreed.” Then, quietly, “Thou hast no points. How easily you let your pets fall.”
“Say that one. More. Time.”
“How easily you let your pets fall.” Spring said, loudly.
“I warn you, Spring. Call her a pet once more...”
“Touchy, Celestia? What, art thou worried that I mayst hast a point? I'm hardly passing judgment,” Spring said coyly. “as I also was fond of keeping mortal pets. And she is a very cute one. I wouldst hast loved to hast her. If thee dost nay want her, I wouldst be more than willing to-”
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE IS NOPONY'S PET!” Celestia shouted, involuntarily switching into her projection voice(4), her anger fueling her magic. Spring's hooves slid almost two centimeters below her from the force of it, her eardrums popping. She thought Celestia might have continued to speak after that, given that her mouth continued to move, but all she could hear was an dull ringing. Spring's body heated up, going from uncomfortably warm to near burning levels. Celestia did fall silent after a few seconds more, her face flush with anger. Spring took the opportunity to cast a healing spell on herself, restoring her hearing.
“I canst see thee hast a strong opinion on the subject.” Spring felt her ear, her hoof coming back with some blood.
Luna sighed. “Why do you insist on continuing to prod at each other! You, we, are all acting like fillies. What possible reason do we have for continuing this conversation! Nopony is going to get any information from it.”
Spring sighed. “My words wast in jest. Truly, I wished to show that we wast not so different. It seems, however, ye refuse to see it this way. I wouldst hast much preferred not having to fight ye.”
“You don't, you know.” Luna said. “Really. If you leave us alone, we certainly won't initiate.”
“Again, I dost nay believe thee. Thee initiated the first time, if thee recalls.”
“Spring, what possible reason could we have for trying that now?” Celestia said, her eyes locking Spring's. “We already have what we want. Last time, we had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Now we have everything to lose and nothing to gain. There is no reason for us to try anything with you.”
“And every reason for me to try something.” Spring said, her tone becoming dark for the first time. “Ye took everything from me. My status, my following, my friends, my wealth, my power, and my time. All of it. I was on top of the world, Celestia, Luna. And ye took it all from me. Ye sealed all twelve of us, sealed us for all time, because ye couldst nay hope to kill us. I set up a world order which lasted thirty-five hundred years. And you, Celestia, relentlessly tore it down. Thee wast smart, turning us against each other as you did. I commend thee for that. Thee found a new technique with that unicorn pet of yours, and thee took advantage of his skill. Again, a commendable move. Thee hast proven thyself a formidable opponent.”
“I always chalked up my victory to luck, more than anything else.” Celestia sighed. “Without Blueblood and his seals, I have no doubt that you will defeat us handily.”
“Then dost thee agree to join me?”
“Do you plan on re-establishing what you lost?”
“Yes, I dost.”
Celestia sighed. “Then there is no way I can accept. Your world order provided what the time it found itself in needed. I'll even agree that you did more good than ill, in the long run. But it's been replaced, and the replacement is better. I won't let it return to the way it was back then. We've made too much progress in the past thousand years just to turn back now.”
“Of course thee thinks so. Thee art in charge of thy new world. Wast thee not in control, thee wouldst not care for the current system, as much as thee hated my old. It is in our nature to seek power.”
“No. It is in our nature to seek harmony.” Luna said, though her voice was beginning to become frantic. “We are creatures of harmony, and seek control. This can be achieved by power, but also by providing guidance and acting compassionately towards the problems of others. You don't need to keep the world in check with an iron hoof to make it safe anymore, Spring. That was the biggest discovery of the past thousand years. The power of friendship can change the world.”
Spring couldn’t stop herself. She just broke out laughing. She tried to speak, but when she opened her mouth, her laughter increased. “The...” She wheezed. “The power... of friendship? Oh, that is a good one. Hast thee considered becoming a comedian?”
“It's not ridiculous!” Celestia said. “The power of friendship has saved the world more then once in the past three years alone!”
“Oh, it's not that...” Spring shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye. “I am very familiar with the magic of friendship. No, it was thy assertion that such a discovery was the biggest in the past thousand years. We've known that working together works for, oh, twenty thousand years now, ever since the first pony got together with her friends to protect themselves in the night. We know of the power of friendship, and know it to be weaker than the maxim of force.”
“I've build an empire on love and trust!” Celestia cried. “I have acted with nothing but kindness for eight hundred years, and have reaped incredible rewards! I don't contest that your way works, but ours does as well. Perhaps it's time for a change.”
“I hast no doubt that when thee extends the hoof of friendship to the mortals below you, they roll over themselves to lick it. Thee art a goddess, Celestia. The only physical god on Equis for nearly one thousand years. Though you mayst want nothing more than to treat them with kindness, and believe me, I dost think thee truly wishes this, your power comes from their fear, not their love. Thee wast the undisputed master of the world for a millennium. Even if thee didst not intend it, there is no way this fact hast not effected the decisions of the ponies below you.” Spring paused. “I can tell that thee art very invested in convincing me out of my course. Thee wilt not succeed. You see, Celestia, you misunderstand me. I dost nay deny that your way couldst work. However, the more powers that loyalty hath to be split between, the more unlikely such an equilibrium couldst be reached. My way works well, and I know it. I hath used it to command the world for six thousand years. I will succeed in recreating it.”
“You will find the world unwilling to accept such a background interference. The nation states of the modern world are far more organized than you are used to.” Luna said.
“They never exactly enjoyed it before, either.” Spring quipped.
“I deny that my rule is based in fear.” Celestia said, anger creeping into her tones. “Perhaps it was at some point, but that time is long gone. For forty generations, I have shown nothing but kindness to my people. Whatever may have been their initial reason for following me, now they love me.” Celestia took a page from her desk. “Look at this, if you don't believe me.”
Spring glanced at the paper in Celestia's hoof. “I hast seen it.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Read it, please.”
Spring sighed. “I dost nay see why thee art trying so hard to convince me of this. If thee truly felt that my comments wast false, thee wouldst hast no reason to prove otherwise.” Still not taking the paper, Spring looked directly at Celestia. “The paper is from your year 1000 census. On the page is your approval rating, set at 99%. The page is hoof-written, and not by you. In the corner there is a small logo and the words 'master copy' in the corner. As somepony gave you this master copy, I can assume that they were working inside of your direct control, making the data far more likely to be biased.”
“Right, eidetic memory(5). Almost forgot about that.” Celestia muttered.
“Dost thee defend the creditability of this page?”
“Yes, I do. The census is an unbiased data collection agency.”
Spring smiled. “Good, this works well. Tell me, Celestia, how doth a 99% approval rating feel?”
“It feels good. It feels like a job well done.”
“Oh, really? And I suppose thee sees nopony in strife in thy streets? Nopony who feels the economy just a little too hard, nopony who canst not move up in life because of misinterpreted legislation, not even anypony, anywhere, who just feels rebellious, in your entire nation?”
“Well, I’m sure that there are a few, but-”
“I hath been to one of thy towns. I hath seen thy citizens, Celestia, and far more than one percent have grievances. This rates not those who are loyal, but those who like thy current policies and decisions. A seventy percent approval rating is very good, Celestia. An eighty, never achieved by mortal leaders in my knowledge. Ninety is a paradise. Ninety-nine means that either the data is inaccurate, or nopony feels safe enough to acknowledge their grievances.”
“But... no. You're wrong.” Celestia said, her voice beginning to shake. “I refuse to believe that. Anypony is welcome to address me with any problems. I take time to listen to my subjects, to help them, to guide them. I'll agree...” she paused, took a breath, then continued, much stronger. “I'll agree that ninety-nine is likely inaccurate, but only because the question is ambiguous. My people are not afraid of me.”
“Whatever helps thee feel better.” Spring smirked. “Who am I to undermine a pony's source of solace?”
“Who are you to...” Celestia started, incredulously. “Who indeed! Nopony but a self important, worship hungry, friendship needy, earthly, greedy, half baked excuse for a goddess would do so! Which is exactly what you are!”
“Worship hungry? Says the pony who hath her talent(6) marked on every official paper from here to the sea on both sides!”
“Your talent is marked throughout the world as well!”
“That was the choice of the mortals, not my directive. Thee forces thy will upon them. Thee makes them love thee, bow before thee, give favors onto thee!”
“You know nothing of my actions! You've been free for how long?”
“Three days.”
“And you think, in that time, you can figure out all that I have done, to review in its entirety all of the one thousand year's you've missed!”
“I certainly hast done well enough to put arguments over thee!” Spring shouted, anger beginning to enter her voice as well. “Thee art far more transparent then thou wishes, Celestia!” The air in the room began to simmer with power, the aura of the three goddesses beginning to interact violently, forming visible nimbus’s around them.
The three sat there, looking at each other. Nopony said anything for fifty seconds. The silence was palpable. Whatever happened next, they knew, could very well shape the future of their world. Three goddesses, locked in silence, none ready with a reply. Spring could almost hear her own pulse.  Then, right as Spring was about to leave, Celestia began to giggle. She stopped almost immediately, seeming confused at herself. Luna let out a snort. Spring broke down fully first, the others following suit.
“This... is just ridiculous.” Said Celestia. “Us just... sitting there... staring....”
“Listen to us, arguing like little fillies.” Luna said, being the first to recover. “Our subject may be far more important than any school foals trouble, but in the end we are simply engaged in an eloquent and verbose version of the tried argument of “I'm right, you're wrong”.”
“I know. We art getting nowhere with this. It is obvious that neither of us will convince the other; that is how it shouldst be, each backed with at least one thousand years of experience. Yet, we art still all intelligent beings. We shouldst be able to come up with some way of avoiding killing each other.” Spring, getting back to her hooves, helped Celestia to hers.	
“Okay. No more talk about personal feelings. Just the events.” Celestia cleared her throat. “Right. Okay.” She turned to face Spring directly. “Why are you here? Really, I mean.”
“Well, verily, I art curious about the princess thing(7).”
Celestia gave Spring a look.
“What? I am!” Spring looked at the two for a few seconds, then sighed. “Alright, fine. I came here to surprise thee and, in a perfect world, convince thee to join me. Whether thee wishes it or not, I dost plan on reclaiming what was mine.”
“If you threaten the balance of the world, we will try to stop you.” Luna stated, calm and strong. “Anywhere you attempt to assert control, we will be there. Anytime you try to gain allies, we will stop you. We will not permit you to destroy what we've built.”
“I canst nay say that I shalt not try.” Spring said, then paused. “But thy words hath changed my immediate plans. I will seek to see more of thy world before simply asserting myself. Perhaps I canst find another method. This is, of course, not promise, but... I will think on it. I dost promise not to harm thy citizens if they dost nay harm me.” She cleared her throat. “I hath already taken at least one life in Hoofany, a Golden Leaf. She hath been greatly insulting to me. However, I dost swear that I shalt not harm anymore of thy people for insults. I canst control myself.”
Celestia sighed. “That you have already killed is not a fact which engenders trust in my heart. Still, your honesty is something. And, I suppose, so is your willingness to talk. Perhaps we can still avoid conflict.”
Spring, opening a door, stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot. It was still the middle of the day, the sun only a third of the way through its track from noon to set, warming her with its light. She opened her wings, feeling the wind blow through her feathers, and turned back to Celestia one last time. 
“I certainly hope so.”
Then she dived off the edge, gliding into the distance, her body silhouetted by the sun as she flew upwards and away from Canterlot.
She had some thinking to do.


End Chapter 4