//------------------------------// // Golden Crescent, Diary Of // Story: Memoirs // by Darkswirl //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle lazily blinked as she stared out of the window next to her temporary bed in the Royal Archives. She was tired, yes, and she knew that she had to be awake for the meeting, but it was more than the squeaky wheels of the librarian's cart as she made her rounds through the bookshelves that kept Twilight awake. Her mind was swarming with thoughts and theories, questions and qualms. Did Queen Chrysalis really come to Canterlot for help? Was she just here to make trouble? Perhaps she was only here as a distraction, or to get a better layout of Canterlot for an attack? Twilight sighed to herself and shook her head clear of such a silly notion. Princess Celestia had always taught her to try and give ponies, no matter what they had done, the benefit of the doubt. "Hate cannot drive out hate, Twilight. Only love can do that." she'd always say. Still, she felt uneasy around Queen Chrysalis, and she doubted that would ever change. Princess Celestia was right: Chrysalis had too much pride and hate in her, and it dripped from her tongue with every word. Twilight just couldn't shake that there was much more behind that than what Princess Celestia would tell her. A short series of knocks sounded from the door leading up to the second floor, rousing Twilight from her thoughts and bed. "Princess? I need to make my rounds, upstairs, if you don't mind." the librarian called. "Of, course, sorry!" Twilight replied as she tried to tidy up her bed as much as she could before the elderly, light-brown unicorn mare with a short white mane reached the top of the stairs. "It's quite alright, Princess." the librarian explained with a smile. "I just wanted to make sure you were decent before I came barging up into your 'room'. At least you aren't making forts out of books, anymore." Twilight gave an awkward laugh as the librarian pulled an empty cart from a side room before slowly wheeling it along the bookshelves; her old yet keen eyes scanning for any missing or misplaced books. "I remember when you used to come up here, years ago. I'd find you with a big book on the floor in front of you, and a dictionary and thesaurus. Every time you came across a word or event you didn't know, you had your snout pressed into the other book as fast as you could so you could figure it out." the librarian remembered with a chuckle. "Oh my gosh." Twilight smiled in embarrassment as she turned her head away. "I must have ruined so many books because I couldn't get them up onto the tables." "Oh, you dented quite a few, but nothing that these eyes and hooves couldn't fix." the librarian reassured. "What book are you reading, this time?" Twilight Sparkle gave a short little chuckle as she levitated the book in her magic; bringing it close to her face to study the cover. "The Diary of Golden Crescent." Twilight explained. "Oh, that's a good one." the librarian explained with eyebrows raised; impressed. "She used to be one of Celestia's students, just like you, a few hundred years ago." "What did she do to earn a place in the Royal Archives?" Twilight asked as she began pacing the librarian as she made her rounds. "I mean, Princess Celestia must have had hundreds of students ever since she started taking them, but there's only ten or eleven books from her students." "Well, most of them either retired to a quiet life style after their time with the princess, were banished for straying into illegal magics, or passed away due to magical mishaps or wars at the time. Equestria wasn't always this peaceful, you know." the librarian explained, before she paused to pull a book from the shelf and carefully place it on the cart. "As for what Golden Crescent did to earn her book a spot, here... Why would I ruin a perfectly good story, especially for you?" Twilight Sparkle gave a defeated shrug at the librarian's answer. "It's just that I really want to read it, but I'm so busy right now, what with the meeting between nations." "The changeling Queen, right? That mean looking bug pony?" the librarian asked. "Yeah. Her name is Queen Chrysalis." Twilight explained, before her mind began to trail off. "How many of the books in this library have you read?" "I started managing the Royal Archives when I was about twenty-two." the librarian replied. "I'm seventy-two, now. Technically, I've read roughly... eight hundred and twenty nine? Twenty eight? But the librarians before me have always written summaries on the books that they've read, so I've just read those for the books I wasn't interested in. Why do you ask?" "It's just... Queen Chrysalis. She puts herself out as one way, but Princess Celestia says that, deep down, she's another way." Twilight explained. "I'm just trying to figure out what's really going on inside of her head. What she wants, what she's willing to give, why she's so hostile, you know?" The librarian gave a knowing little smile as Twilight explained her plight. "So you came to me because you think I'm good at figuring out characters." "Yes?" Twilight answered, with a sheepish little smile, hoping that it was not rude of her to have assumed such. "I'll need to know more about this Queen Chrysalis, and I won't get the transcripts from the meeting until the meeting itself is long since passed and the text is cleaned up and ready to be published." the librarian explained. "Well, she's the Queen of an entire nation, so you can guess how much stress that she's under. Princess Celestia says that changeling share a hivemind, so that could add a lot more stress, but she always talks fondly of her 'children', the changelings. She says children like she gave birth to each and every one, herself, so perhaps changelings lay eggs?" Twilight explained. "I don't know. But every time she talks, you can hear anger and pride with every word. It's like those are the only emotions she feels." The librarian did not say a word as the wheels on her cart squeaked softly while they turned, before they stopped completely. "Please keep in mind that I'm not a psychologist. Reading characters in books and reading ponies in real life are two very different things. Characters in books are predictable because you can go back and read to see how they got to this point. But memories can be obscured, and not everyone has experienced those memories." "What do you mean?" "This Queen Chrysalis has had something very big and very bad happen to her. From what you've told me, she loves all of her kind very much. I'm sure, in the right circumstances, she'd be willing to give her life for her children. Everything that she does is meant to protect them. That's the pride. But I don't know why she'd be so hostile, especially since our first contact with the changelings started with an attack by them." the librarian mused. "She's angry, yes, but she's angry at somepony in that meeting room. I can't imagine at whom, or why, however. If there's anything in this library on changelings, I haven't found it. There's no history or record on them." "What about the Canterlot Vaults?" Twilight asked. "Aren't there hundreds of ancient books and scrolls down there?" "Yes, but the librarians of the Royal Archives have always made copies for public use of what's down there, save for the books on necromancy and other such things. The books down there are just the originals." the librarian explained. "Believe me when I say that I sincerely doubt there is a single book, scroll, or loose page in regards to anything about changeling history." Twilight sighed softly in defeat as she slowed her pace. "Well, thank you for your help. Do you know what time it is?" "One o'clock; you have an hour before lunch." the librarian replied, offering an apologetic smile, before leaving Twilight behind with the fading sound of slightly squeaky wheels. "An hour before lunch." Twilight mused, to herself, as she settled onto her bed. The afternoon sun shone through the window in the Royal Archives, keeping sleep from the purple pony, who instead decided to roll over with her back to the window as she levitated the book up onto the blankets. "Golden Crescent, Diary of." Twilight Sparkle closed out the world beyond the book as it began to swallow her whole, once more. The squeaky wheels faded away as Twilight's imagination conjured the voice of a soft spoken mare to read the words from the pages before her. Twilight made a mental note to come back to those five pages at another time, silently cursing herself for being on a schedule as she quickly turned five pages ahead. Twilight Sparkle moved to turn another page before she realized that a series of loud, slow knocks were sounding from the door leading up to the second floor of the library. "Princess Twilight? Lunch is being served." "Horse apples!" Twilight whispered harshly, under her breath, at herself as she hurriedly closed the book and cleared her throat "Be right there!" Dear Diary, I did it! I actually got into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! Wow, what a mouthful! I'm already packed, but I don't leave for Canterlot until next week. I'm so excited, I don't know how in the world my mother expects me to sleep; my hooves are shaking as I write this! Luckily I'm holding the quill with my magic, so writing isn't a problem! I can't even think right, my mind is racing around in excitement! ME, just a seventeen year-old unicorn nopony, got into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! Wait until that dumb bully Ironside hears this! Goodbye, Tall Tale, hello Canterlot! Tried sleeping, couldn't. No surprise, there. I wonder what Canterlot is like? I've heard ponies tell stories about it from when they went on vacation. They say it's going to be the biggest city in Equestria when it's done being built. Some say it's the biggest city, already, even though it's not done. Bright Eyes got a telescope for Hearth's Warming Eve a year ago, and he let us see the castle all the way from Tall Tales! It's not much, so far. Just a few towers and three or four bigger sections. I hear that the surrounding streets have sprung up with a few houses, but mostly it's shops. Looks like Canterlot might be more of a trading hub than a capital. I wonder what the school is like. I've heard that most of the students that do graduate end up taking a government role. Head Mage/Wizard to the Throne, Disciple to the Head Mage/Wizard, Minister of Magics, or any of the 'slots' within the Ministry of Magic. I wonder if they get to choose? I'd rather not spend the rest of my life investigating foul use of magic with the Ministry... But still, even if we do get to choose, what do I want to do? I use to think I wanted to join the Equestrian Army, but my mother would kill me before the Dragons do. I don't know... I still have a few years to think about it - four, to be specific. Dear Diary, Might have made a bad move at school, today. Rubbed it in Ironside's face that I got accepted into Princess Celestia's school, but all he did was grin and laugh. Turns out that just means, for the next week, he wants to bully me twice as hard as a 'going away present'. Dear Celestia, what did I do to deserve this brat? I took a walk in the woods, after school to calm down. Made sure Ironside thought I went home. I've been careful about that ever since he and his jerk friends pelted me with stones from the bushes one day on a walk. I come to the woods to relax, damnit... Anyway, calmed myself down and listened to the wonderful sounds of nature. It's almost Autumn, and the leaves are starting to brown. A squirrel bounced up to me, so that was nice. Just the little things, but it still made me feel good. Only six more days... Dear Diary, There's so much to write about, I may have to take up tomorrow and the day after's pages! The sky chariot flew in right on time, and I hugged and kissed my mom for as long as I could before the guards said they were on a schedule. Two more kids to pick up before noon, and I was only the third one! I tossed my bag in the space under the chariot with the others and could barely stop shaking as the guards flew off with us! It was terrifying, it was exciting! We were flying just below the clouds. A few more feet and I swear I could have reached up and touched them! But the guards told us to stay seated and hold onto the rails until we landed. Didn't want to break the news to Princess Celestia that one of the students she accepted wouldn't be making attendance on account of being dead. On the ride to Yanhoover I met Starlight Sprinkles, a light blue-coated mare. She seemed really excited, too, but also really confident. She said she came from Las Pegasus, and that her mother and father were actors! I'm glad Starlight isn't like a lot of the snobby rich ponies I've heard about. I really hope Canterlot isn't like that, either. I also met a gray-coated stallion named Musical Glory. He had this cute little blue bowtie, but he was so shy and nervous that all I got out of him was his name. He seems nice, and he's kind of cute. We picked up Velvet Magic in Yanhoover. I already don't like her. She's this white-coated mare with a black mane. Her parents escorted her out of the house when the chariot landed, and they took one look at us and snorted in disgust. She still got on the chariot, but she sat as far to the edge as she could so that she could be the first one off when we landed, if only to get away from us, faster. She's one of those rich pony types I was talking about... But I guess Salty Shores made up for it. We picked him up in Manehatten before we made a beeline for Canterlot. He's an eccentric stallion with a dark blue coat and a reddish-gray mane. Just looking t his mane makes me tilt my head, no offense to him. It just looks like one of those colors that shouldn't exist, but you don't feel good or bad towards. Anyway, he comes from a family of fisher, yech. But, apparently the Gryphons up north pay good money for Equestrian fish. I guess they don't get many fish up north, or they have trouble holding fishing poles with those talons. Salty Shores is really friendly, too, and he likes to sing. He sang us a fisher tune his father taught him, but it was pretty raunchy, but still funny. I don't remember all of it, but it went something like "the Captain said/fear not me lads/you all can come with me/I live just 'round the corner/and you all can stay for free/but when the Captain's wife awoke/upon the break of day/they say that you could hear her wailin'/clear to Horseshoe Bay! That's all I can really remember, but it had us laughing in tears by the time he had finished. Velvet Magic was the first one off when we landed, but the guards made her stay close to us so she wouldn't get lost as we were led onto the castle grounds and into the school. The castle grounds alone were amazing! I saw pegasi construction teams flying around overhead as they worked on the rest of the castle, I saw earth pony gardeners planting all over the place and setting up statues; there was even this one beautiful statue of a mare standing on he rhind legs with her head and one hoof to the sky holding up a crescent moon. I wonder were these sculptors find their inspiration. We didn't have time to sight see, though, and we were herded into one of the larger buildings attached to the side of the castle with about twenty other students. Almost everypony was talking amongst themselves, getting to know each other's names and stories and generally making friends and being happy, if not loud, until the guards quieted us down as Princess Celestia came into the room. I've seen her in paintings and had her described to me, before, but seeing the Princess of Equestria right in front of me made me shiver. Not in fear, I don't know why I shivered. But she was amazing! Her smile was so loving, and her voice matched it as her eyes twinkled over all of us. She greeted each of us, individually, by name! She welcomed us all to the school and explained that, from time to time, she'd be sitting in on some of the classes to see how we were developing. She cared about each and every one of us, you could tell from the way she talked, and yet we had never met her up until now. It was a magical experience. I'll write more, but it's 'lights out' time, now, and I don't want to make a bad impression my first night here!