She could still hear the sounds of the party going on back in the gardens. Through the walls of the hedge maze, Celestia could hear Luna booming that there was only ten minutes left, and asking for the next barrel. She would be perfectly happy for the next few hours, and Pinkie Pie had the party well in hoof, leaving Celestia free to quietly slip out of the open spaces of the gardens and into the hedge maze.
She came here, every now and again, when she wanted to be alone, wanted to escape the rush of the court. Never for long, but just to make sure that she didn’t forget.
Celestia turned a corner, tracing the route from memory. Fireflies gathered around her, buzzing and glowing like little lanterns. More than a few landed on Celestia’s back, and she let them stay there until they took off on their own.
She turned the last corner of her route just as Luna shouted out the five minute warning. As she crossed into the open space that her path had lead her to, she shuddered as an invisible field crossed over her. As an experiment, she attempted to fire up her horn, but the spell fizzled out before it could get anywhere, and Celestia nodded to herself, satisfied that the ward was still in place.
Most ponies knew that many of the statues in the Canterlot Gardens had meaning-only Discord had been imprisoned there, because Celestia wanted to keep an eye on the statue, to watch for any signs of the god of chaos breaking free. However, the statues that rested within the maze held special significance to Celestia, as they were all statues of ponies that had had an impact upon her, one way or the other.
However, the one she was visiting today was special. It depicted a pair of alicorns, two earth ponies, a pegasus and a unicorn. In turn, she brushed a hoof over each, her golden shoe scraping at the rough, unpolished stone, and a wave of sadness threatened to engulf her for a moment.
She allowed herself a sad smile, and didn’t even turn when Luna landed next to her.
“That’s cheating, Luna, flying in,” said Celestia.
“We did not wish to waste time walking,” said Luna, a slur in her voice, “The Pink One makes glorious punch. It has alcohol.” Luna paused to look at the statue. “We do not recognise any of the ponies on here. Sister?”
“These are my first friends,” murmured Celestia, “These are the ponies who helped me shape Equestria into what it is today.”
Drunk as she was, Luna did not miss the unspoken ‘after I banished you.’ She draped a wing over her sister.
“I would like to meet them,” she said.
And Celestia began to talk, and Luna listened.