"Sorry, Pinkie." Twilight began. "You know I'd love to, but Princess Celestia called me to Canterlot."
"Aw, come on, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie pleaded as she climbed up onto the counter. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Cake's ten year anniversary! They're my bosses and my second family, they deserve only the best!"
"I know, Pinkie, and you know I'd love to be there to celebrate, but my duties as a princess have to come first." Twilight explained as Pinkie's hair drooped and she turned her eyes downward. "Cheer up, Pinkie. I might make it back in time before the party starts."
"I hope so..." Pinkie sighed. "Why'd Princess Celestia call you up, anyway?"
"She's meeting with the Changeling emissaries, tomorrow, and she wants me to be there. She says it'd be a great learning experience when dealing with other nations, let alone other species." Twilight said.
"But that sounds sooooooooo boring!" Pinkie groaned.
Twilight Sparkle gave a little chuckle and a shake of her head at her friend as she used her magic to fluff up the pink pony's hair once more. "Usually these things are very boring, but we haven't heard anything about Changelings since the wedding, a few years back. The fact that they're willing to talk diplomacy after what happened says a lot about them."
"Yeah, show's that they're not a bunch of mean ol' bug butts." Pinkie Pie said with a slight glare.
"But, more importantly, it shows that they trust us enough to come out of hiding." Twilight noted. "If I were in their horseshoes, after what happened, I'd expect Equestria to hunt us down until they found us, then who knows what would happen."
"Why would we hunt down a bunch of scary bug ponies?" Pinkie Pie inquired, quizzically.
"Because they impersonated, imprisoned, and attacked royalty, for one." Twilight stated as-a-matter-of-factually. "But that doesn't matter. Sorry, Pinkie, but I need to get going if I'm going to be well rested for the meeting, tomorrow."
"I understand..." Pinkie sighed with a half-hearted little wave of her hoof. "Don't let the bug ponies bite!"
"It's so good to see you, again, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Celestia said as she bent her head down to nuzzle the young alicorn.
"I missed you, too, Princess." Twilight replied into the nuzzle. "Sorry I'm so late; the weather ponies forgot to mention they were brewing a storm between Ponyville and Canterlot."
"That's quite alright." Princess Celestia chuckled as she lifted her head. "Although, truth be told, I'm rather glad you arrived late. There was a slight... Miscommunication with the Changelings, earlier. Nothing to be worried about, the matter is resolved and everypony is fine."
"They're already here?" Twilight asked.
"Indeed, and they made quite a mess of the guest chambers." Celestia explained with a little chuckle as she began slowly off down the hallway with Twilight in tow. "But I'm not one to judge, especially now."
"Who all is going to be there?" Twilight asked as she sped up slightly to pace the princess by her side.
"You, Luna, and myself, of course." Celestia explained as she nodded respectfully at a pair of guard who stepped aside to salute as the pair slowly made their way down the castle hallway. "Your brother, Captain of my guard, Nighteye, Captain of Luna's Guard, Queen Chrysalis herself, her two bodyguards-"
"Bodyguards?" Twilight interrupted.
"Do you honestly expect her to have this meeting with open hooves?" Celestia mused as they turned a corner. "No, she still dislikes me, and I don't blame her, but I do not expect her to trust when I say she has nothing to fear while she's here. In fact, I doubt she's comfortable even sleeping in this castle."
Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it with an understanding nod of her head.
Princess Celestia cleared her throat, quietly, before she continued. "The Gryphon ambassador, Stormfeather, will be there, as well as Princess Cadance and her Captain of the Guard; I don't think I've met him, yet."
"Why doesn't Stormfeather have a bodyguard?" Twilight asked.
"The Gryphons you've seen are only commoners, if you'll excuse the term." Princess Celestia answered. "Gryphons of their army and those that serve the King, directly, are of a much larger and more fearsome breed, although I've heard that, when drunk, they're just jolly fluffy birds."
Princess Celestia gave a playful wink down at her student, who in turn gave a humorous snort that dissolved into soft giggles before the pair halted just before a corner.
"At the end of this hall is your old room. I figured you'd prefer it but the guest chambers, as you know, are right across the hall." Princess Celestia explained. "I'd understand if you wanted to sleep somewhere else, tonight."
Twilight gave a little shiver at the information before carefully peering around the corner to catch a glimpse of the side of a black figured in sickly green armor, who turned its head to face Twilight while giving a menacing glare from behind its hazy blue nictitating membrane.
"Don't worry, Twilight. They won't hurt you." Princess Celestia explained. "They're under strict orders from their queen, and she knows what could happen if a fight is started."
"I-I don't want to be rude..." Twilight began. "Would it seem unprofessional if I slept somewhere else?"
"I wouldn't hold it against you, and I doubt that Chrysalis, let alone her guard, know that your old room is in the same hallway." Princess Celestia chuckled. "Come, I've prepared 'the library canopy' in case you changed your mind."
"Oh my gosh..." Twilight groaned as she pressed her face into her hoof. "I thought you'd forget about that!"
Princess Celestia gave a hearty laugh as they continued down the hall and towards the Royal Archives. "How could I forget about 'the library canopy'? You had an entire book fort in there! Of course, when I remade it, I didn't use books, but it's still in the same place."
"I don't even remember how I got up there, as a filly." Twilight said with a little smile. "There's no way I could have unlocked the door to the second floor, and I don't think my magic was strong enough to teleport, then."
"You and I remember filly Twilight so very differently." Princess Celestia joked as she nodded to a guard beside the tall red-wood doors, who nodded in turn and pushed them open.
Twilight stepped into the room before Celestia and held her chest out as she inhaled deeply. "I'll always remember this smell, though. The smell of ancient knowledge and books from as far back as Hearth Warming Eve times."
Princess Celestia gave a little 'hmm' sound in acknowledgement before clearing her throat. "Try to get some rest. I know how you love to read before bed, but you have a big day, tomorrow, and I need you well rested, as well as presentable."
"I will, Princess." Twilight promised as she began to make her way towards the stairs to the second floor. "Good night."
"Good night, my faithful student." Princess Celestia replied, before stopping her hooves and turning her head. "And Twilight? Never grow up."
Twilight smiled warmly at Princess Celestia, who did so in kind, before shutting the library door behind her.
The young purple alicorn took another deep breath to bring in the familiar scents before using the moonlight that shone through the giant glass windows to ascend the stairs, where she found a comfortable looking bed underneath a tattered old cloth, which in turn sat below one of the many windows.
Twilight wasted no time in snuggling under the covers; murring softly at the memories that came flooding back into her mind as she looked out the window into the Equestrian countryside as it bathed in soft moonlight.
Twilight Sparkle's life had changed so drastically since those years. New places and friends, new adventures and lessons, but at its core, things stayed the same.
And, as she turned her head to scan the shelves for an interesting book, Twilight hoped that they'd always stay the same.
"Golden Crescent, Diary of." Twilight Sparkle said, to herself, as she used her magic to pull the book from its spot on the shelf and lazily drag it onto her chest. "I wonder what they did to earn a spot in the Royal Archives."