Something was not right in her private chambers.
Celestia strolled down the hallways of the palace as quickly as decorum would allow. She began to mentally run down a list of what could have set off her magical wards, each new thought putting her further on edge. The servants were under orders not to enter but it had happened with new help. She could deal with that with a simple but firm admonishment. It could also be one of the noble's pets wandering in, which happened once every few years. Sometimes a stray cat, dog or bird managed to wind up inside the room. Shooing the animal out would be enough to deal with the problem.
But those were the benign ideas. It didn't take her mind long to come up with worse ideas. It could be some crazed petitioner who didn't like waiting for their appointment with her in Day Court. The intruder could even a reporter. Both would be ejected in fast order and they would find themselves barred from access to the Princess and the Palace of Canterlot. Maybe even a threat of banishment…
Then the thoughts turned sinister in Celestia's mind as she rounded a corridor to her own quarters. Her guards had fallen in beside her sometime in the march down the hallway; quickly picking up on her distressed condition.
They would be useful if whatever was intruding in her chambers was a danger. A deranged or unstable pony could be there. Every year there was at least one who attempted to injure or immure her, for purposes ranging from curosity at alicorn powers or for goals such as ransom of the crown. It could be assassins from the gryffin kingdom or even raiders of the diamond dogs for some of her court jewels and special gemstones that she held in trust. Any of these were distinct possibilities and her mind prepared strategies for each and every one.
At the door Celestia paused a moment to collect herself and then pushed it open with her magic. A frown set on her face as the two guards looked in.
A dozen possibilities had crossed her mind as to who could be in her room and set off the warning spells. A dozen situations, each more unsettling than the last. But the most childish and silly idea, and therefore most likely, hadn't crossed her mind.
"Twilight Sparkle?! What are you doing in here on my bed, young filly?"
The two guards exchanged amused glances as Celestia stepped into the room. The little purple unicorn looked up from whatever had her attention on the bed, pupils dilating rapidly in fear as she realized just how much trouble she was in.
Celestia turned to the guards still standing at attention by the door. "You may go, guards. Thank you for your assistance, but I think I can deal with this trouble myself."
"Yes, Your Highness. Don't be too hard on her!" Spoke one of the guards, both grinning. They each let out a little chuckle at the filly's expense for being caught with her metaphorical hoof in the cookie jar. As they left, the door magic itself closed.
Celestia regarded Twilight as she turned back to the bed. Twilight was sometimes much too curious for her own good. It was proof enough that the filly was now laying on Celestia's bed, reading a book from her personal archives without permission. There wasn't a malicious or mean bone in the filly's body; but she couldn't get away from this unpunished. On top of that was the question of what had brought Twilight into Celestia's chambers in the first place. She was well aware of the rule forbidding her to come in without Celestia's express permission. Certainly she couldn't be in here just out of curiosity. Twilight was often in the rooms with Celestia as it was so there should have been no novelty factor in her breaking in.
The quiet and thoughtful look on Celestia's face, mildly disapproving, made Twilight shrink back away from the book. She hunched her shoulders and curled her tail around herself. "Am I in trouble?"
"Yes you are, little filly," Celestia said softly. From Twilight's tone it was apparent she was already running down possible punishments in her mind. Celestia couldn't help take pity on the child; shaking her head and letting out a soft smile. "I should have guessed you'd be in here, Twilight. Scoot over," The princess ordered as she walked gracefully up to the bed and then, in a most un-princess-like manner, flopped out atop the covers. The force of her large body on the pegasi feather mattress caused Twilight to bounce slightly; elliciting a little squeal of delight from her as she landed. But before she did anything else Celestia fixed Twilight with a look. "Now what brought you in here? You know this room is off limits without me."
"P-Princess, I… I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to but I just was trying this spell I learned in class today, and it was this magic sensing spell to tell if there's magic around!" Twilight began to babble, lower lip pouting in fear of punishment. She obviously was worried she would be in quite a bit of trouble and was telling all she knew. "And then I felt this weird pressure, and it wasn't like all the different magics we sensed in class, so I wanted to find it and see what it was, but I couldn't locate it, and then I tried harder and harder, and I felt it in your room, and came in just to see what it was, but it was this book and I wanted to read it and see why it was so magically weird. I'm sorry Princess, please don't be too mad!"
During Twilight's high speed recital of her crimes Celestia's vision had drifted to the book on the bed. Her mind locked up for the barest of moments before looking at Twilight once more. How had the child sensed the unique properties of this book? Even her best court mages over the years hadn't been able to detect the uniqueness of the tome, on the rare occasion she had taken it out of the bookcase in her private rooms.
Celestia looked at Twilight cooly. Twilight flinched at this in preparation for a scolding. Her expression turned puzzled however when Celestia shook her head and let the frown turn into a soft smile. "Do not worry young Twilight. You are in trouble, but not vastly so. I can understand now why you came into my room but it is still wrong to come into my room without asking. So here is your punishment. Tomorrow I want you two write me two scrolls of parchment. On one I want you to tell me why it's wrong to go into someone's room uninvited and how you'd feel if someone went into your room and played with your things without asking. On the other I want you to write about why you weren't patient and ask to find out what you were sensing, instead of asking me."
Not one, but two punishment letters impressed upon Twilight that she was still in a lot of trouble. Twilight had never had to do two scrolls ever before when she'd misbehaved. She shrunk into herself and opened her mouth to speak. A soft squeak came out. "O… okay P-princess. I'm sorry."
The filly turned towards the door. She had taken the receipt of her punishment as a dismissal from Celestia's chambers. Therefore Twilight was surprised when she heard Celestia's voice as she reached the edge of the bed.
"Twilight… Do you want to know about this book?"
Celestia smiled as Twilight stopped in shock and turned around. "Yes yes yes!" She said, quickly darting back across the bed with her hooves wobbling on the uneven surface.
"Lay down here with me and I'll tell you about it," the princess ordered. The filly came forward and settled down between Celestia's forehooves, just like when they read stories together.
Twilight looked up at Celestia curiously. "So… What is this book, Princess?"
The princess deflected that question with one of her own. "Have you ever forgotten your memories, Twilight?"
"I… guess so," She said after a moment. "I forgot where Miss Smarty Pants was that one time. So I bet I forget other things too!"
Celestia chuckled. Twilight sometimes forgot lots of things that weren't related to her magical learning. This was just another adorable reminder of how unique the filly was.
"Well, you can forget things like where miss Smarty Pants is or say, your homework... However," Celestia said, "Alicorns like me do not forget. Our memories store everything. Sometimes those memories can be pretty hard to have to remember. I know you've seen some of the older members at Court getting that distant look sometimes, when they are thinking about the past." She spoke softly, still keeping her attention on Twilight and not the book before them.
"But you never seem to do that, Princess!" Twilight exclaimed.
The princess nodded, her mane falling down alongside her neck as she did. "Very good, Twilight. I do not, and there is a reason for that, even though I have many many memories. That is all thanks to this book."
Both ponies gazed at the tome on the bed. It was very large. Large enough in fact for the filly to lay top with only having the tips of her hooves hang over the edges. The sides showed it was nearly as thick as one of her legs as well. The cover was a dark mahogany stained with with fancy little swirls, stars, and suns burned into it at random intervals with magic. At the very center in a soft golden color was a metallic embossing in the shape of Celestia's cutie mark. The edges of the pages seemed to glow gold, and the lines were so thin from page to page that it seemed to be one solid mass rather than a stacking of parchment like most books.
With their eyes on the book Celestia murmured to Twilight, "No one else knows what I am about to tell you. You are the only pony to ever sense its magic, aside from a Princess. This is because it is my magic that protects it."
"YOUR magic?!" Twilight said, her jaw opening in a gasp. "But… but… how'd I sense that?!"
Celestia smiled, her eyes filled with warmth as she looked down at Twilight once more. "It's just further proof of how special you are, my little Twilight. Hush now, for this next part is important, and I want you to listen well."
Twilight immediately resettled her haunches, shifting on the bed to make sure she was comfortable. With that done her gaze drifted back up to her Princess.
"The memories of a Princess like me never fade," She repeated. "And memories cannot be destroyed, only… misplaced. So Alicorns put their memories somewhere special. I put my memories in this book."
"Your… memories?"
"Yes. This book holds my memories. It holds them safe for me so that I don't get lost in the past, remembering things. It keeps them alive and special," Celestia said. "And it keeps the events and the ponies of my past alive as well, in its pages." The book was essentially a part of her. She hoped Twilight would understand that, though she doubted that right now the little filly would realize the full implications of what was being imparted to her.
"How does it do that?"
Celestia smiled. "Every now and then I come in here and spend some time casting a special spell that lets me put my memories in this book." A barest wisp of her magic made the book flip open. Pages whipped by fast enough to make a breeze that blew into their face, before it settled open at a random page.
There were no page numbers. The book was enchanted to bring out whatever memory Celestia needed. It was a special spell tied only to her and had taken over fifteen years to craft and cast the complex spellwork. But it would last an eternity, and fifteen years to an immortal is a drop in a bucket. On the pages itself was a crisp, black cursive writing flowing gracefully from line to line. Additionally, here and there were little illustrations of ponies, of buildings, and of scenes. One of the most dramatic and special parts was that on top of the visual elements there was also subtle smells wafting from the pages. The soft scent of earth came from a picture of a field. Where there was a fire, a hint of smoke in the air. And at the picture of a cake… well, it was enough to make her mouth water.
Twilight's jaw was hanging open again. "These are… your memories?" Twilight asked incredulously, leaning forward to read some of the passage before her.
"Yes," Celestia said. The passage spoke of a party, long and long ago, at the celebration of an earth pony's birthday. She had attended because this was the grandchild of an old, old friend. "Each of these pictures, these words, and the smells… I hope you noticed the smells… is something from my past."
A troubled look crossed Twilight's muzzle, and she looked up at Celestia. "Princess?"
"Yes Twilight?" Celestia asked.
"Just how old ARE you?" The filly asked.
The princess grinned. "Oh, about 743,269 years, but who's counting?"
The look of shock on Twilight's face was so great that Celestia burst into laughter, laughter that was soon joined in by the high pitched giggles of Twilight. Celestia wiped a tear from her eye, grinning as she flung it away with her hoof. "Oh, Twilight, thank you for that."
"You don't look THAT old!"
That just set them off laughing again.
When the laughter finally died down, Twilight looked over the book. A frown covered her muzzle and she appeared deep in thought. Celestia saw no reason to interfere with her thinking, knowing that when the filly came up with her question she would ask it.
The silence stretched on for a few minutes. Finally the filly looked up at Celestia. "Princess… if your memories are in this book… will I someday be in here?"
Celestia stared at Twilight. At first she doubted Twilight understood the significance of that question, but maybe she shouldn't be so surprised. The child was unusually clever, sometimes too clever… and while the full impact of that question may not be yet understood by her, Celestia knew she had best answer truthfully.
"Someday, Twilight, someday far, far in the future I hope, yes… a part of you will be placed in this book. The part of you that lives in my memories." Celestia felt it prudent at this part to leave out that when this happened, Twilight would be erased from her mind as a living memory, something that could no longer be felt or relived with quite the same sensations. The thought of already contemplating Twilight becoming a member of the book of memories, as she called it, unsettled her. Someday this surrogate daughter, a position none before her had ever held, would be nothing but a story on a page in the collection of her life.
Some of these thoughts must have leaked past the facade she had put on for Twilight, because the filly nudged at one of the forehooves beside her. "Princess?"
The princess shook her head slightly to clear it of the unhappy thoughts. "Yes?"
"If I'mma be part of this book someday… I want my stories to be the best ones in it! Can we do that?"
The fervent tone and honest desire made Celestia's heart pound and tears leap to her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't get the words out at first. When she finally could speak the words were choked. "Yes Twilight… we can… and I know you'll make the most amazing stories for the book of memories."
"Yay!" The filly seemed happy at this and her attention to the book to look over one of the pictures, particularly, the one of the cake. This gave Celestia a chance to recompose herself.
An internal pressure told her it was time to set the sun. In the fading light her horn lit up and began to move the sun below the horizon and bring out the moon. In reality the task of raising and lowering the celestial bodies was far less dramatic than she made it out to be at the solstice celebration, but Twilight had learned this secret long ago. The one thing she did know, as the light faded and darkness crept over the chambers, was that it meant her bedtime.
"Aww…" Twilight said as she looked out at the balcony. "Do I have to go to sleep now?"
"I'm afraid so, Twilight, and you still have two letters to write me tomorrow!" Celestia reminded her. Both ponies stood up and hopped off the bed, making for the door. "I'll come read your bedtime story, Twilight."
"Princess?" The filly looked up hopefully. "Do you think that maybe instead of Daring Do tonight you can read from your book to me? About that cake?"
Celestia thought a moment and then smiled. "I don't see why not," She said, her magic picking the book up off the bed and making it follow them to Twilight's room. As she closed the doors to her private chambers behind her, Celestia had the amused thought of how her most precious posession was now becoming a bedtime story for an eager and talented young filly.
Amazing how Twilight was already living up to her desire to have the best stories for the book of memories someday.