While many ponies were thrilled that the storm brought forth from the Wendigos and the shared racial conflicts had come to a conclusion, there were others who still felt trapped in an endless winter. With the different kinds of ponies divided by mistrust and anger, and the snow separating the rest, it wasn't uncommon to hear stories of parents whose foals had succumbed to illness, hunger, or simply the harsh conditions.

Though there was little that could be done to console the grieving parents, it lent new perspective for the rest of the newly formed Equestria that family, particularly that the connection between parent and foal, was absolutely precious and deserved to be recognized. On March 21st, in the year of 1BC98, Newborn Celebration Day was declared an official holiday, exemplifying that indeed, life itself is worthy of a celebration.

She had to admit, when Scootaloo had chosen Newborn Celebration Day, she was expecting an overly sentimental and boring holiday that consisted of parents coddling their foals on a day in a way that was not dissimilar to how a birthday would be celebrated. Instead, she discovered a holiday that was filled with curious intricacies that even Twilight Sparkle did not even know.

Though the census systems in modern times are much more integrated and generally considered more efficient, centuries following the implementation of Newborn Celebration Day had a more regimented approach to their calculation. On Newborn Celebration Day, many towns and villages would gather at the town center, and with appropriate fanfare announce the added population brought forth from the new additions to families. Though they were not celebrated, additional settlers that had made their home within the settlements were also added to the registry at this time.

"...Census calculation, page 14," Scootaloo mumbled as she scribbled the factoid onto the scratch paper that held the outline of her project. On any other given project, she would simply have tried to remember it to place on the presentable piece later, but such an approach was deemed unacceptable by her current tutor.

"It's important to keep track of everything you think will be important. You never know when you may need to call back upon it," Twilight explained as she thrust the paper and quill towards Scootaloo. The pegasus was reluctant at first, but relented when she realized that without Twilight, she wouldn't be able to even do her project. She didn't have any of the materials to decorate the poster, or even the posterboard itself. On top of that, Twilight had promised to help with her schoolwork, and Scootaloo was more than ready to recognize that Twilight was probably much more knowledgeable about the best way to complete a presentation, and that following her lead was the best choice.

The history of foal showers is often the subject of vast debate. Many speculate that the tradition of bestowing gifts and supplies to parents originated as part of the Newborn Celebration Day festivities, while others insist that the practice was exercised independently on a case-by-case basis even before the holiday was created. While documentation indicates that a large annual foal shower was indeed held on Newborn Celebration Day to accommodate the 11 month gestation period, the earliest record of an individual foal shower was the widely publicized scandal of a wealthy mare throwing a foal shower that both her husband and lover attended, each claiming ownership of both the foal and the family fortune in the year 1CE04. Both sides seem to support their respective theories - the smaller, tight-knit communities of that era often shared the responsibility of raising one of their youth, so the notion that an entire community would contribute to a foal shower is not out of the realm of possibility. However, the ponies who often led more private lives and preferred to avoid townsfolk (some would argue that post-unification discrimination played a part) were still shown to have held foal showers within a circle of close friends and family around this time. It is, however, universally agreed upon that foal showers are an integral aspect to Newborn Celebration Day's history.

"You know, I guess I never thought about where foal showers actually come from," Twilight mused as her magic enveloped a pair of scissors. The blades tore through a sheet of light blue construction paper in a perfectly straight, perfectly measured line. "But now," she added as the the 12 by 12 inch square detached from the rest of the sheet. "Now, I know!" She levitated the paper onto the poster board, the edges flush.

"Same here," Scootaloo said as she flipped through the pages, looking for another section with bold letterhead. Perhaps she was just unlucky, but the pages she glimpsed all bore the same, medium-small text. Scootaloo didn't really think much about foal showers period up until today, barring hearing about one on occasion from some of the other colts and fillies at school. For just a moment, she wondered if her parents had a foal shower for her when they discovered that her mother, whomever she was, was pregnant. As Scootaloo worked her way backwards through the book, she very much doubted that was the case. Finally, and thankfully, she found another section that looked to be of interest.

"...Names, page 32." The words appeared on the page as Scootaloo was speaking them through a mouthful of feather.

Though some pony families (typically those of a noble or esteemed lineage) would share last names, most ponies were simply given a name, congruent or otherwise from their estimated talents. Foal showers were often the time when expecting parents, with the help of their friends and family, would come up with a name that could effectively continue the typical family naming schema. Around 03CE, it was customary for parents to announce the names of their expectant children to accompany the number on the settlement population registry.

However, in later years, it became more and more of a societal norm throughout Equestria that the names of ponies, both young and old, align with either their cutie mark or profession. The amount of cases increasing through the social service systems shortly after ponies earned their cutie marks prompted for either a simpler method to change their name, or a more accurate one given to the foal at birth. A method was devised so that, on Newborn Celebration Day, parents could opt for assistance in naming their young by participating in a ritual known as "The Princess' Blessing." Participating parents would submit their names to the mayor or leader of the cities, who could then proceed to send the list of names to Princess Celestia*. Within several weeks, one of the parents would often, usually after waking from sleep, have a near prophetic idea of their foal's cutie mark, and choose a name accordingly.

Of all of the facts that Scootaloo had read about the holiday, this one was the most interesting, yet also the most outlandish. How hadn't she heard of this? She flipped to the next page eagerly, hoping that there would be more to learn.

As the population grew, and the towns and cities grew busier, the efficiency of the Princess' Blessing grew less and less each Newborn Celebration Day. Many ponies would often cite their dreams and experiences after submitting their names as "nightmarish", and dubbed the event as "The Princess' Curse". Coupled with the pressure from a rising number of concerned parents that insisted "knowing the future of your foal is a disservice to the meaning of parenthood," the amount of participating cities that offered the option dropped to a very small amount. As the prominence of official Newborn Celebration Day celebrations waned around 08CE, town leadership had ceased with presenting a list of names altogether, with the name-changing process becoming much more streamlined acting as a sufficient replacement.

However, The Princess' Blessing is still available for parents to utilize, provided they are aware and wanting to participate. Requests can be formally submitted through the local social service program, through a letter addressed directly to the governing princess, or with an actual audience if available.

*At the time of this publication, Princess Celestia is currently the only governing royalty recognized in Equestria. However, during the centuries prior, any royalty in a governing capacity was capable of administrating the Princess' Blessing, gender notwithstanding.

Scootaloo skimmed over the section again, checking the pages to see if there were some that she had missed. Nope. 32 and 33. She thought the concept of the Princess' Blessing fascinating, but the passage did a rather poor job of explaining how it actually worked. Normally, she wouldn't bother with fact-checking when a simple bullet point would suffice, but when she was working with a notoriously studious princess, Scootaloo felt obligated to -

Wait! Of course! Scootaloo thought. Twilight's a princess, she'll know how it works!

The alicorn looked up from the light pink paper she had just glued to the folded quarter of the posterboard opposite the light blue square, her hooves pressing down on the sheet as a small glob of white glue squeezed out from underneath.

Scootaloo looked back at the passage, as if to check once more if any explanation had revealed itself. "How exactly does 'The Princess' Blessing' work?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo replied, sliding the book across the table towards her, Twilight wasting no time in magically lifting the book towards her own curious eyes. Scootaloo felt even more perplexed and skeptical of the notion of a procedure by which parents could magically see their foals future, especially if Princess Twilight Sparkle of all ponies had never heard of it!

"...I've never heard of it," Twilight said as she lowered the book to the tabletop, keen to avoid placing it upon the project. "I don't know."

Scootaloo imagined that Twilight was not used to uttering that phrase, and no sooner than the princess finished it, she had vanished in a flash of magenta light. A pop sounded from behind Scootaloo, causing the youth to jolt upward in her seat, though thankfully remaining in the chair rather than on the floor following Twilight's previous teleportations. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Twilight had already begun to pore over not just one, but two volumes.

"How did I miss this?" Twilight asked aloud, her eyes scanning left and right at a remarkable speed, practically blurring as her head shifted between the two books. "...I'm a princess, for pony's sake! How do I not know about The Princess' Blessing?" Scootaloo almost felt bad for bringing the subject up upon seeing Twilight's frantic disposition.

"Twilight?" Scootaloo turned around again as she heard Spike voice an evidently shared concern. "Twilight? Is everything okay?" The dragon scampered towards the table as Twilight continued muttering under her breath.

"...It's a good thing that Scootaloo asked about it - what would have happened if somepony actually needed my blessing? How could I tell them I don't know about my own blessing?"

"What happened?" Spike inquired, jumping into the chair opposite Scootaloo, looking over the unfinished posterboard for a clue of some sort.

Scootaloo looked back and forth between the dragon and alicorn, trying to think of how exactly how to word it. "I uhh... I asked her a question."

Spike's grinning expression turned into one of surprise as Twilight made a loud exclamation of discovery.

One of the books landed in front of Scootaloo, the text upside down, but in front of her nonetheless. As Scootaloo rotated the book, Spike raised his voice. "What's going on?"

Twilight answered with a question of her own as she skirted up alongside the young pegasus. "Spike, have you heard of The Princess' Blessing?"

"Neither did I, not until Scootaloo asked me about it," Twilight explained. "Apparently, it's a part of her holiday, where a princess can somehow tell what an unborn foal's talents will be. From that knowledge, the parents can come up with an appropriate name to match their cutie mark or ability."

"That's just it. I don't know how to do it, Spike," the alicorn said exasperatedly, tapping the book that Scootaloo was currently buried in. "Not yet, anyways. That book there says;"

Though rumors persist about Princess Celestia's (and her late sister, Luna's) ability to influence dreams and induce visions, Princess Celestia explains that they do not possess the gift of foresight to render 'The Princess' Blessing' possible. Rather, she would consult with a group that she refers to as the 'Cabinet of Seers,' whom could allegedly predict the future.

"...predict the future,'" Scootaloo read aloud, turning the page. Unfortunately, the snippet that seemed to bear relevance was just that - a snippet. "So..."

"How exactly does a piece of furniture help with naming your foals?" Spike asked bluntly.

"Not that kind of cabinet, Spike," Twilight giggled. "In this case, a cabinet is a group of advisers that leaders of groups refer to for making important decisions that will affect a lot of ponies."

"So then, who are the Cabinet of Seers?" Scootaloo asked aloud, scratching her head with her hoof. "And how do they see into the future?"

Twilight walked back to the bookshelf, levitating the book (named Politics of a Princess) back to it's open slot. "One piece at a time," she said as she resumed scouring the bookshelf. "Now, we know to look for the Cabinet of Seers. Thing is, I don't know exactly what they would be classified under. Political science, maybe, but this doesn't really sound like a science..."

"Always a puzzle," Spike sighed, moving to the non-fiction bookshelf adjacent to Twilight to help search. Meanwhile, Scootaloo was herself occupied with the search - she had read the words "Cabinet of Seers" before. She knew she did, only she couldn't quite remember where she had seen it. It couldn't have been too long a time ago -

"What about Times and Traditions?" the pegasus suggested. "I swear I remember them being mentioned in there when I picked Newborn Celebration Day."

"That actually makes sense, given the connection between that holiday and the Princess' Blessing - Spike, do you remember where-"

The thick volume thudded on the increasingly crowded tabletop. "Way ahead of you, Twilight," Spike answered with satisfaction. With pep in her step, the alicorn nestled in between Scootaloo and Spike, and the book cover illuminated inside a translucent envelope of purple.

"The contents say... Cabinet of Seers, page 88!" Twilight announced, the book practically whirring as she manipulated it to the page indicated.

A slow frown slid across the faces of all three curious readers as they read the meager passage together, Twilight Sparkle leading the narration.

The Cabinet of Seers are often associated with Newborn Celebration Day via "The Princess' Blessing". During the festivities, prospective parents could submit their names to participate, and sometime afterwards, would be granted lucid insight as to the prospects of their foals. Most often, this was used to fall in line with the increasingly common expectation of a ponies namesake fitting their description, talent, profession, or cutie mark. The Cabinet of Seers is purportedly only available for consult by Equestrian royalty in leadership positions. Not much is known about the Cabinet of Seers outside of this, though several retired secretaries for Princess Celestia claimed that the centuries long streak of peace following Nightmare Moon's emergence was made possible with their insight, helping to reinforce the need for secrecy and exclusivity as a prevention for potential misuse. However, in the case of helping with name-selection, Princess Celestia insists that she would be happy to oblige any parents who are interested with a consultation on their behalf.

Though still available, the advertisement of The Princess' Blessing itself has largely diminished in recent years following the protests of groups of concerned naturalist parents, citing...

Twilight stopped reading aloud for a moment and, based on what Scootaloo could interpret from the rapid movement of her eyes, looked to be scanning ahead.

"What's it say, Twilight?" a riveted Spike asked, trying to read the text at a most peculiar angle.

"The rest is the same information about the blessing, nothing new about the Cabinet of Seers," Twilight exhaled. "Well, that was disappointing." Because the rest of the content concerning The Princess' Blessing was probably new to Spike, he inched the book closer to himself and continued reading on his own.

"I'll say," Scootaloo nodded in agreement. "So, should I put the blessing in the project or not? I'm not entirely sure how I'll be able to explain it to the class if anypony asks, and..."

Her thoughts turned to how she would react if she suddenly heard of a method by which to tell the future from one of her classmates. Of course she would have questions! How it works, and who it works on. Did it need to be an unborn pony, or could anypony have their future discerned, regardless of age? She could just imagine the looks on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's faces if she could effectively end the trio's fruitless crusade for their cutie marks with the knowledge of exactly what their special talents were. Those essays that Miss Cheerilee loved to assign asking "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" would be a breeze. Scootaloo could pay for the rest of her house with a sure-fire lottery win, even with the assuredly erroneous price hike, and she could even afford proper furnishings for it to boot!

"I might hold off on that particular piece, then," Twilight advised as she continued browsing the shelves. "There's nothing worse than doing a presentation when you don't know all of the particulars. I'm sure you remember my cutie mark story, when I was at Princess Celestia's school for..."

Scootaloo waited for Twilight to finish as she resumed her perusal of Life Itself: A Celebration. After a few seconds of silence, time enough had passed for Scootaloo's memory to recall that particular tale.

"That was the dragon egg thing, right?" Scootaloo asked. "Matter of fact, isn't that where you got Spi-"

"Spike, I need you to take a letter," Twilight insisted as she walked away from the bookshelf to the center of the room, wherein she began to pace the floor in a circle. Scootaloo guessed that this was not an uncommon occurrence, as Spike was prepared with a quill and scroll only a few seconds later.

"Wait, what's going on? A letter to who?" Scootaloo asked as her research came to yet another distracted halt.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight announced. "All of those books we read mentioned her, even the short one about the Cabinet of Seers. Certainly, she'll know how they work!"

Spike made a clicking noise with his tongue, the previous quandary solved with such an obvious solution. "Of course!"

"Alright," Twilight said slowly, the gears within her head likely appropriating an adequate way of addressing the subject.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

Today, while assisting a student with a research project, we came across two terms that neither of us were familiar with; The Princess' Blessing, and conqueren concurre also the Cabinet of Seers. After some research, we couldn't really find out how the process, particularly the Cabinet of Seers, worked. If it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps explain how exactly the foresight described is possible? In the event of somepony else inquiring in the future, I would like to be able to answer with confidence!

Still your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

"That ought to do it," Twilight nodded with a smile as she read over the letter, giving it back to Spike. The dragon rolled the scroll into a small cylinder, inhaled, and in a flash of fiery green breath, the letter vanished into a puff of green smoke that seemed to home in on the open window next to the door.

"That's a pretty neat bit of magic," Scootaloo said to Spike as she watched the green haze vanish into the blue skies above Ponyville. There wasn't a cloud in the sky today, thanks to the efforts of the weather team.

"Just basic dragon magic," Spike said. His voice seemed like it trying to disguise how happy he was that somepony was impressed by brushing his feat off as no big deal. "Believe it or not, dragon's breath has a lot of properties to it other than just burning stuff..."

Scootaloo continued to look out at the sky. The letter was no longer visible, but she still continued to stare. Her mind drifted once more to the thoughts of her presentation, to The Princess' Blessing and to the Cabinet of Seers. Sure, they could see a pony's special talent, but what else could they see? According to Times and Traditions, their foresight could evidently stave off conflict and ensure peace. From something as specific as a cutie mark to something as widespread as potential war - if that foresight could see an upcoming war, it had to mean that the Seers could look beyond a foal in the womb! It had to! And if that foresight could see beyond that...

Scootaloo vaguely heard Spike continue to carry on about the less-than-incendiary virtues of dragon breath as an idea formed in her head.

What if that foresight could show more than just a special talent? Or what if it could show something less? Something basic. Something as basic like, say... an earth pony being blessed with the strength to tend to the land, or a unicorn being gifted with the magic to raise the sun and lower the moon, and of course...

...a pegasus, granted the power of flight, to soar through the skies and keep at bay the darkening clouds.

"...I've heard that dragon breath can also be focused to have healing properties, but I wouldn't test that unless I knew for absolute sure that it would work," Spike chuckled at his own joke, the laughter faltering as he noticed Scootaloo's less-than-lively reaction.

"So what happens next?" Scootaloo blurted to Spike's face. "Like, when do you think Princess Celestia will reply to that letter?"

"She's a very busy pony, as you can no doubt understand," Twilight answered. "She'll answer when she's able to, I'm sure."

"I just... I just really want to know if and how that whole Princess' Blessing and Cabinet of Seers thing works. It seems really cool," Scootaloo shrugged.

"Well, I for one am glad that it sparked a thirst for knowledge in you," Twilight beamed while Scootaloo nervously chuckled with a flushed face. "But I agree - the whole theory of being given a name that you eventually grow into is certainly a fascinating one. What do you think, Spike?"

Scootaloo found herself nearly falling out of her chair for the second time that day as Spike answered, not by speaking, but by unleashing a brilliant green flaming belch. As she recovered from the shock, preparing to offer Spike a well-earned hoof bump, she discovered the cause of it. A scroll emanated from his open jaws, tumbling to the tabletop before catching on what seemed to be a red ribbon and a small golden emblem keeping the scroll tautly coiled.

"Is that it? Ooh! What's it say, what's it say?" Scootaloo had both hooves on the table, the filly looming over the letter in anticipation. The purple aura of Twilight's magic surrounded the letter, and it floated towards the alicorn, unfurling as it did so.

"Calm down, Scootaloo!" Twilight laughed. Once Scootaloo had settled back in her seat, the princess cleared her throat, and read the letter out loud to her captive audience.

Dear Princess Twilight,

It is so nice to hear from you again, and I am glad that you brought The Princess' Blessing up. I meant to tell you shortly after the coronation, but I am not surprised that you discovered it - you have always been diligent in everything you do, so I expected nothing less from your royal duties. Should anypony from Ponyville ask for your blessing, I agree that you should be aware of how to answer, and know what to do next.

However, the process by which the blessing works, namely the part that the Cabinet of Seers play is very difficult to describe. I think it would be best if you were to come to Canterlot, wherein I would take you to see the Cabinet of Seers myself. I know this probably isn't the answer you were looking for, but I am certain you will understand after your meeting. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Princess Celestia

P.S. I am very proud to hear that you are taking time to mentor Equestria's youth - I only wish that I had more time to do so these days.

As she finished reading the post script, Twilight had the faintest hint of a grin on her face. But after she placed the letter back onto the table, it had changed into a more perturbed, almost annoyed, expression. "Well, I guess that's one way to find out how this whole thing works, but it doesn't really help us with the school project at the moment," she said, turning to face Scootaloo with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo. I wasn't expecting that."

Scootaloo, meanwhile, was not nearly as disappointed as Twilight seemed to be. "So they're real? And you get to meet them? That is so cool! What are you gonna ask about when you see them? When are you going to see them?"

Twilight looked down at the inexplicably excited filly with wide eyes. "I don't know when I'm going, and I don't know if I'm going to ask them anything! I'm mainly just concerned with learning exactly how everything fits together."

"I wasn't planning on it," Twilight answered. "Princess Celestia obviously knows how best to consult with them for the big things in Equestria, and nopony has asked me about The Princess' Blessing yet... other than you, of course," she explained with a wink.

"Oh... right," Scootaloo replied blankly. "I guess that makes sense." The filly focused her attention once again on the book in front of her. For somepony who seemed to love learning as much as Twilight did, this seemed like the chance of a lifetime! How could she of all ponies simply not have any questions other than the rudimentary "how do you do what you do?"

She noticed that Twilight was standing perfectly still, staring at her, analyzing her. It was the exact same knowing stare she had used during breakfast, right before she assured Scootaloo that she hadn't mentioned her plight to Cheerilee.

It didn't take long for Scootaloo to reply, as the answer to that particular question was burned into her mind even before she had discovered that somepony would actually be able to give an answer. Ever since she first saw one of her classmates flying elegant loops around each other during recess, while her wings simply buzzed and barely held her aloft.

"Still wondering what your cutie mark is gonna be?" Spike interjected from behind the letter that he was examining again. Twilight shushed him, but not before Scootaloo did so first.

"No!" Scootaloo cried. "I don't care about my cutie mark-" she covered her mouth with a hoof. " I mean - please don't tell Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle I said that! I - I do care about my cutie mark, and I know that I will eventually get it, but that's not what I meant. I know you'll probably think it's silly, and that I'm worrying for nothing, but I would ask - I'd ask..."

The words were caught in her throat. Scootaloo had asked this so often to herself, but it was always silent. The last time she had asked it aloud, it was to Rainbow Dash.

At the time, it was worded differently, and much more negatively, but the meaning was essentially the same. The uncertainty in those words made Scootaloo's eyes tear up before, and this time was no different. Scootaloo cleared her throat.

A far cry from the intense stare from before, both Twilight (and Spike) were uncomfortably avoiding eye contact with Scootaloo. The young pegasus wiped at her eyes, tears forming just like the last time she pondered her doubts aloud. She sighed deeply, and gazed blankly out the window again. Not a single cloud in the sky.

Scootaloo's ears flicked as she heard Twilight's voice, and she spun around, two fresh tears having rolled down the sides of her face. "That's it. I just want to know if I will be able to fly. I don't care if I will or - or if I - if I won't. I just want - I need to know!" She blinked and held her eyes closed as the alicorn's hoof touched her face for the second time that day, gently rubbing up and down her moistened cheek. Then it stopped, and Scootaloo opened her eyes. Without even realizing it, one of her hooves had reached to meet Twilight's, holding it in place against her face.

"You really do want to fly, don't you?" Twilight asked as she followed Scootaloo's previous gaze to the brilliant blue sky outside of the window.

"Of course I do," Scootaloo sighed. "But I would rather focus on learning to do something new instead of just wasting time doing something I should know how to do... but can't."

"Not in the slightest," Twilight answered with a soft chuckle. "You don't think I was worried when I heard I was going to be attending a school for gifted unicorns when I felt I could barely do simple magic?"

Scootaloo let go of the princess' hoof, her hoof dangling down by her small, folded wing. "That was different, Twilight. You can do magic, you just didn't know it yet. Not until Rainbow Dash came along," she added with a feeble smile.

"And maybe," Twilight replied, her hoof swapping from Scootaloo's cheek to the top of the filly's unkempt purple mane. "Maybe you can fly, and you just don't know it yet."

Scootaloo silently nodded her head, that nagging uncertainty betraying her action.

"If it's simple as asking a question and getting an answer," Twilight started as she stood up, her hoof leaving the top of Scootaloo's head. "Then I will ask this Cabinet of Seers for you. If I can't find out, then... there's always Rainbow Dash, right?"

The mare gasped for air as Scootaloo practically choked Twilight in as powerful an embrace the filly could manage, Scootaloo's tiny forelegs wrapping around the base of her neck in a hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Scootaloo squealed, earning a delighted laugh from both Twilight and Spike. Her head resting on Twilight's shoulder, Scootaloo sighed deeply, and loosened her grip.

"Oh?" The surprised Twilight asked while Scootaloo pulled herself away so that she could look directly at the mare's face.

"Yeah," Scootaloo mumbled, suddenly less sure of her new found demand. "I need you to promise me that you won't... that you won't plague-placat-"

"Promise me, Twilight," Scootaloo pleaded, her voice cracking as she practically glared at her.

Twilight looked curiously into Scootaloo's eyes. Rarely had she ever seen such raw vulnerability expressed at odds with an equal measure of pure ferocity.

Scootaloo & The Cabinet of Seers

by HMXTaylorLee

Some Origins of Fire