Memories Best Left Forgotten

by Valtyra

Chapter 1: Arc 1

"Nothing of value is gained from remembering the past – except maybe the ability to imagine the future." - Mahazo "Grand Elder"

---

Celestia walked into her quarters. 'Stupid nobles,' she mumbled as she threw off her golden shoes then levitated her tiara and breast plate off and onto their pedestals. She sighed, shook her head and wandered over to her desk.

Celestia sat down on her worn-down wooden chair, its frame creaking under her weight. She had been meaning to replace the old thing, but something always seemed to distra–

-tap tap tap-

Celestia groaned. 'If it's another snob...' she mumbled. Celestia rose from the chair, it eased back into position with a silent thank-you. She wandered over to the door lazily. The day had been long, and sometimes even living deities need a break.

She gripped the handle in her golden magic and pulled the door open. Standing at attention was a young cadet, wearing the normal guard uniform of golden armour over his body. No more than seventeen, she thought, looking him over. She couldn't see his cutie mark as the armour hid it, but she was sure it would be something like a shield or a sword. Too many shield cutie marks.

She looked him over. He stood ever so taller than most of the ponies she had met that day and had a much leaner build than them as well. His brown mane was off to one side and his tail was cut short as was the norm in the Equestrian guard.

The guard turned and presented a package to the princess. She levitated it out of his jaw and gave her thanks. The guard blushed, nodded and the princess dismissed him. He turned and trotted off; turning the corner at the end of the hall.

'He seemed cute,' Celestia muttered, not bothering to check if any pony was listening. She paused, shook her head and continued walking; the light flush fading from her face.

She made her way back over to the desk and sat down. The wind ruffled the curtains, causing the coat on the back of her neck to stand on end. She slowly turned around, glancing at the window with a suspicious eye.

'Lulu...?' She called out expecting Luna to jump out and scare her like old times. Fortunately for her this was not one of those times; only the curtains moved in the moonlight.

That was rather ominous, Celestia thought, getting up from the chair.

Celestia walked over to the curtains, reached past them and closed the window. 'Better,' Celestia said. She leaned back and turned around, only to come face to face with her sister.

'He's taken, you know,' Princess Luna whispered, causing Celestia to jump in shock. 'Has a foal as well,' Luna grinned, tilting her head to the side.

'Damn it Luna, don't jump out and scare me like that.' Celestia walked over to her bed, her embarrassment fading from her face with every step. 'I was only thinking out loud.' She sat down, the covers crinkling around her body.

Luna strolled forward and leaned down so that her head was next to her sister’s, 'Oh, I know what are thinking about when you are alone...' She whispered with a sly grin.

Celestia blushed, 'N-not that kind of stuff Lulu.' Celestia turned her head away, the heat of her face causing her to lose track of her thoughts.

'Please,' Luna rolled her eyes, 'I've seen your dreams, and I know what you desire . How long has it been?' She laughed into Celestia's ear, causing Celestia to push her away. 'Don't worry sister, I jest.' She turned around and trotted to the door. Just before exiting, she turned around with a grin, 'you should have seen your face though, priceless!'

Celestial threw one of her pillows at her, but missed as Luna ducked out through the door. 'Urge, I swear one of these days,' Celestia huffed and rolled her eyes, but her face took on a small smile. She had missed the playful banter she and her sister had thrown at each other before Luna’s departure; even now she was planning on some way to get her own back.

Celestia levitated her pillow back into place on the right side of the bed. She lied down and levitated her package over, placing it gently on the bed. She eyed it suspiciously. There was no return label and nothing seemed out of place; all in all a normal package. But something seemed off; like a little itch right in the place you couldn't reach, or a fly you couldn't swat away.

It made the Princess frown, she rarely came across things that made her feel that way; they always ended up in trouble, and she has made a rule of never purposefully looking for them. Unfortunately, there are always loopholes in every rule and she couldn't help but be curious about the contents.

She tore the top off, frowning slightly when no bubble wrap was found, every pony likes bubble wrap. She emptied the contents onto the bed. Two things fell out, a letter and a diary. ’Strange, who would send me a diary?’ She mumbled as she brought the letter up, it’s rough, slightly browned, aged surface threatening to tear under her delicate magic. She opened it and began reading.

"Dear Princess,
If this package has found its way to you, then you have my deepest sympathies for Princess Luna. I'm sorry you had to do what you did...
I hope that things work out for you two, it's very hard to get any news out where I am in these troubled times.
I have been tasked, in my final hours to store my knowledge. The elders gave me a choice, so I chose a diary. This was created especially for you, it holds all my memories and knowledge. Hopefully the spell embedded in the book is still active. Do not misunderstand, this is not intended as a joke, but merely to educate you for the future. There are dark things coming for Equestria, and after, the world at large.
I give this as a gift, so that you may remember me even as insignificant as I was.
Your undying and always faithful subject
Sure Fire."

Celestia folded up the paper, taking care not to damage it. She put it back in the envelope, then placed that back in the package. She levitated the diary over, she now knew what that nagging sensation was; it was the feeling of high level magic. She usually got it around Twilight, when she was about to perform a spell for her.

She held it up into the light of the candle, the shadows flickering off the leather bound cover. Her eyes glanced over the many scratches and oddly, burn marks. She flipped it over, finding an ornate symbol on the back.

The buckle shimmered in the light and Celestia turned the diary to see. It wrapped around the book from the left side of the cover to the back, locking it firmly in place. It’s gold covering out of place on such an old book. It brought a frown to the princess’s face. ‘Somepony must have tampered with the book,' she muttered under her breath.

Celestia turned the diary so that the cover was facing her. She cast a scan spell to see if there was any pony that would interrupt her; mainly her sister. Satisfied, she tried to open the book. However, it didn't budge. ‘Stuck?’

She checked the package again, and sure enough a tiny key sat at the bottom of the box. Unlikely to be found if one wasn’t looking. She levitated it out as it was too small to be picked up by hoof or mouth. She gently placed it into the hole in the centre of the cover and turned.

-CLICK-

The cover flew open. Silver light poured out, bathing the princess and blurring her vision. ‘Wait!’ She shouted, before the feeling of weightlessness set in, making her stomach feel funny, and her head woozy; she always hated that feeling.

‘Ugh,’ she groaned. She felt like she did the morning after the return party for her sister. After calming down enough to think straight, she opened her eyes and gasped. Everything surrounding her was white. It made her feel so insignificant. She spun around, hoping there was something, anything to help her get her bearings. When she found none, she began to increase the speed of her search, until she broke down; a few tears floating away from her eyes.

‘Hmm, Alicorns act particularly frightened in the void...’ The voice seemed to echo from everywhere and nowhere all at once; almost as if it was inside the princess’s head.

‘Who’s there? Show yourself!” Celestia shouted, frightened. ‘Where am I?’ She asked, unable to find the source of the voice.

‘You are... in the void,' It replied, ‘my own creation; although I take no responsibility for the actual spell.'

‘W-who are you?’ Celestia stuttered, still unsure of what was going on. ‘And where is the v-void?’

‘I was placed here by Sure Fire as a way of guiding you to your destination. She wants nothing else than for you to succeed,' The voice responded, ‘the void is inside the book; think of it as a waiting room of sorts.’

‘O-okay... What does she want me to succeed at?’ Celestia questioned, not really understanding what was being asked of her.

‘You will need to learn about her past, so you may be better prepared for the future. I hope you read the letter?’ It questioned, a slither of hope appeared before it disappeared just as quickly.

The princess nodded, ‘Yes, I did. It didn’t mention that this was to happen though.’ She remembered what the letter said. Something was wrong though, she was an Alicorn; it was debatable that she was one of the most powerful creatures on the planet. If something was strong enough to pull her into the "void", then she would know about it or at least heard about it from somepony...

‘ others have said the same thing... ’ the voice mumbled, ‘Yes, my master is used to being subtle. She sometimes doesn’t know when to stop. Not to worry though, this part will mostly be painless...'

‘Wait...mostly!? W-what’s going to h-happen!?’ Celestia asked, getting increasingly nervous about the whole ordeal, ‘Take m–'

‘I’m sorry Princess, I’m not allowed. You have to complete the diary.’ The voice interrupted, its tone sounding rather regretful; knowing what she was going to ask. ‘Get ready.’

A bright light filled the Princess’s vision, blinding her and causing her groan in frustration. She felt a surge of adrenalin travel through her body, then pain... indescribable pain; it was almost as painful as her first drinking game against Applejack. She really regretted that night.

As the pain faded, her senses started to return slowly. Her hearing was the first to return, bringing with it the sounds of ponies arguing.

'What do you mean “no”!? After all we've been through!?' The voice of a stallion, he sounds distraught, grief spilling over in his voice.

'I just can't... He'll be safer here, than with us.' A mare this time, she sounds less upset but seems to be the leader.

These faded in and out, each time bringing waves of nausea, threatening to push Celestia back into unconsciousness. Touch returned shortly after, letting her feel the soft cotton wrappings that she was wrapped in; quite tightly in fact.

-knock knock-

The sound of hard wood being pounded against filled her hearing, it hurt, but the endured seeing as she couldn't see anything and it appeared she couldn't move either.

'I can't believe we're doing this...'

The mare clicked her tongue and tutted, 'This will be a new start for all of us, alright?' She paused, the sound of hoof steps reached Celestia's ears. 'Alright?'

'Yeah, I guess...'

Her sense of smell returned, although Celestia wished it didn't. The aroma that made its way into her nostrils was far worse than something she would have imagined in this scenario. It smelled like a foal’s dirty diaper, but...

Celestia's sharp mind, honed from thousands of years of leadership and practice put the pieces together. This was obviously Sure Fire's memory; his very first.' The voice said that she would have to go through the memories, but not the very first one and in order...

She tried calling out, or saying anything at all, but her body’s underdeveloped voice box decided to just gargle instead and she ended up coughing.

'Come on, we better go before the sister sees us.' The mare's voice was filled with urgency.

'I want to say goodbye. Please, at least let me have that...' The stallion sounded regretful, but at least he still cared; something Celestia had seen plenty of over her life.

'Alright, be quick though...' The mare sounded nervous now.

Hoof steps came closer. They stopped beside her head and the feeling of lips making contact with her cheek was felt. 'I'm so sorry, I never meant for this...'

He leaned back, turned and walked back to the mare, 'Happy now?'

'Not at all,' she stated bluntly.

Hoof steps slowly faded from earshot as Celestia's sight returned; albeit a bit fuzzy. From what she could make out, she was just inside the main foyer of some house.

She couldn't move much, but she managed to crane her head up to see the door open. What walked out wasn't a pony nor a gryphon; what walked out was a creature that Celestia had only heard about in stories: Elks.

'Impossible...' Celestia thought.

Elks hail from the land of Cervidas, they come in two races as opposed to the ponies three; winged and not.

The elk picked the basket up, its antlers glowing a light blue causing Celestia to shut her eye from the glare.

'Now what kind of parent would leave you all alone out here...?’ The cow whispered. She brought her muzzle down and nuzzled Celestia's forehead, brushing her mane. 'And still so young...'

Celestia tried talking again, but coughed and wiggled inside her basket.

'Be still young one...' the cow soothed. She brought the basket in, closing the door behind her and walked across the cool dirt floor.

She levitated Celestia out and placed her down on a wooden table. 'Now, to see if you are well young cow.'

'Cow? I'm one of them!?' Celestia shouted in her head, getting increasingly frustrated that she couldn't use her voice.

The cow loosened the bundle Celestia was in and after, unwrapped it. She moved it off to the side, placing it back in the basket and took a long hard look at the calf in front of her. She gently tilted her from side to side, to check for any signs of neglect or harm.

Celestia tried to wriggle free and away, but was thwarted by the cow clutching her with surprisingly soft hooves; much softer than pony hooves.

Unfortunately while Celestia couldn't talk, she could still do one thing that foals and calves are good at: crying.

Celestia cried, causing the cow to pause and stare blankly; her ears flipping down to avoid pain.

'Do not worry calf, I mean no harm.' The sister said, looking worried. But soon she collected herself and brought her head down, nuzzling Celestia on the cheek.

Within seconds, Celestia stopped crying. 'T-that... Was rather soothing,' she said in her head.

After a quick examination which Celestia had not expected, the sister seemed pleased and soon wore a pleasant smile. She looked into Celestia's eyes, tilted her head and spoke, 'I think I will name you, Sure Fire...'

'So I guess this is the start...' Celestia casually thought to herself as she felt tired and yawned cutely.

The sister giggled, 'I'm sorry young one, and I must be keeping you up. I will put you down for the night.' The cow levitated Celestia onto her back and walked over to a door. She opened it and walked into another room, much the same as the last one, but as Celestia's vision improved, she could actually see now.

The room she was brought into had bright whitewashed walls. A series of beds were lined up in rows along the walls and each one had an occupant. The sister pulled up alongside a bed and nudged it, waking the occupant up.

'Sister... What time is it?' A cow's voice sounded out from under the covers, a large amount of fright or tiredness crept into the tone.

If the sister heard it, she made no indication but instead replied. 'Rise Green, you are needed.'

A head popped out from the sheet. It had two small antlers, surrounded by a sea of light blue mane. The eyes were the features that stood out, they were like two emeralds. They had a certain sparkle that Celestia had only seen a couple of times before in her life. 'Needed? What for...?' she trailed off at the end, seeing Celestia on the cow's back.

'Let us talk in my office, we have some things to discuss. May she sleep here while you are gone?' Waiting as the young cow left the warmth of the bed and straightened herself out.

'Of course sister.' She said timidly, watching as Celestia was lowered onto the bed before being bundled up again in some small blankets. Green couldn't help but sigh at the sight of Celestia yawning again, but soon shook her head and turned to the sister.

The sister walked away after nuzzling Celestia's cheek; Green following close behind. Celestia tried to look about some more, to get a better picture of where she was but fatigue overwhelmed her and her eyelids closed, seemingly of their own free will; soon she was fast asleep.

Celestia opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. Around her bed were dozens of Elks, all staring at her. She blinked a couple of times, eliciting one cow to mutter "Awe".

Celestia tried to move, but was reminded by the 'restraints' that she was still bundled up. One of the various onlookers noticed and untangled her from the covers.

Celestia stood up weakly, her legs threatening to buckle under her. She stretched and tried moving about. As she got close to the edge of the bed, she was gently nudged back, stopping her from falling off. She was surprised to find her legs begin to feel stronger.

The sister from the night before entered the room and paused. She studied the young spectators and asked, 'What are you all doing?'

The group turned around and stared at their caretaker, 'N-nothing ma'am... I mean, w-watching the new-born...'

'Alright, but I have to take her to get signed in and spend some time with Green.'

'Awe,' a couple of them groan out, 'can we play with her after?'

'We'll see, she has to bond first. You all have chores to attend to anyway. The sister replied, causing more of the groups to moan in protest, bit slowly the group disbanded, leaving Celestia and Sister alone.

The sister bent down and picked Celestia up, placing her on her back. 'Won't be long until you will be talking back like them... Oh how I miss the silence...' she muttered, giving a private chuckle.

The two left the sleeping quarters and travelled down a long hallway, lined with various images. Celestia viewed them with intrigue, this was first hoof knowledge of elk culture; she felt so privileged to see this. Oh how Twilight would die for a chance like this.

Thinking of home left her feeling down, 'What must they be thinking... I'd guess I'm either comatose, and my mind is literally in the book or this is a magic induced dream-state; neither sound particularly pleasing...'

The sister had stopped to open a door and quickly resumed her pace, they walked into a small square courtyard. It was lined on each side by small groves of intertwined vines growing along fences. Above them stood the second level of the orphanage, its many windows overlooking the yard. Under hoof was a loose gravel path that ended with a circle of grass, its edges barely touching the vines.

Two benches sat in the centre, one being taken up by Green, the other sat empty waiting for Sister. 'I am sorry I'm late, the others were helping Sure to walk.' the sister apologised.

Green's ears perked up, she turned her head around and smiled when she saw Sure Fire, then stuttered as she turned to Sister, 'I-it's no problem...'

'Kind as always, I’d expect nothing less...' Sister praised, 'You understand it's a large responsibility?' she continued as she sat Celestia on the grass and sat on the second bench herself.

Green nodded.

'Good, being bonded means you have to look after her, through good and bad, even if you fall out.' Sister explained.

Green nodded again, getting a determined look on her face, 'I understand, I remember what you said last night and gave it a long think through. I'm ready.'

Sister smiled and motioned for Green to sit next to Celestia. Once Green was there, she leaned down and touched each of her antlers to each cow. They glowed, a light blue aura flowing from the bases down the lengths and over the two cows. They glowed briefly, then the magic cut out leaving Celestia in a state of confusion. She didn't feel any different...

Out of the blue, Greene's voice popped up in Celestia's head. 'I don't feel any different... Maybe it didn't work, maybe I wasn't good enough...' on the outside though, Green seemed calm, giving away nothing of her inner thoughts.

'I doubt you will feel anything different for a few weeks, especially since Sure Fire can't talk yet. Being bonded means a special attachment for the rest of your lives.'

'Y-yes ma'am.'

'Good, now return to your quarters. Complete any tasks you may have, we will talk later.' Sister said while standing. She levitated Celestia onto her back and walked off down one of the four hallways, leaving Green to her thoughts.

Celestia was brought through to a room that looked much like her own study back in Canterlot. It had a large sized bed on side of the room, up against the wall. A small desk, with chair; covered in papers and documents. A wardrobe, which had hundreds of pictures of different cows and bulls, towards whom no doubt Sister had taken a liking to.

The floor, instead of being dirt or gravel, was hardwood, the clip-clop of her hooves a painful contrast to the peace that the courtyard held. A small window sat behind the desk, overlooking a garden. This one looked like it hadn't being attended to in a very long time.

Celestia was levitated off Sister’s back and onto the bed. 'I'll put you here for now... I have some documents to sign and update...' Sister muttered before going over to the desk, pulling out the stool that was sitting underneath and started work on some documents.

Celestia sat on the bed watching her, slightly being reminded of herself. It wasn't long before Celestia buried herself into her work when she sent Luna away, some part of her knowing it wouldn't help but she didn't want to think about what she had done 'less she would have done something she would regret.

She had of course became more laid back now that Luna was back, they often went around and spent a lot of time together. Many would argue that they spent too much time, but Celestia would argue back that they needed each other to balance out. You can't have day without night.

Sister turned around, moved over to the bed levitating a small box and some parchment. 'Ok, now hold your hoof out.' Celestia did as she was told, much to the surprise of the sister, who only chuckled and took hold of her hoof. She flipped the top off the box, revealing that it contained ink and dipped Celestia's hoof inside. She took a hoof print on the paper and wiped off the excess with magic, then turned back to her desk and carried on working.

---

Eight months later:

Celestia pushed the covers off her head with a small groan. She had just woke up and was feeling a bit groggy. Sister had started her on a set of medicine, a couple of days after she arrived, to help her heal her voice. A little while after that, her legs had strengthened enough to actually walk about on her own, unfortunately she still wasn’t able to talk and had gained a reputation of becoming moody at random times.

‘Urgh, I never realised my sun was so bright in the mornings...’ She thought to herself, silently chuckling. She got out of bed and trotted along the rows, seeing a couple of calves were still sleeping with their covers over their heads. At least they get some rest.

Celestia trotted past a trio of calves who nodded, ‘Hello Sure, want to play with us?’ One of them asked.

Celestia shook her head and gave an apologetic look.

‘Oh, alright... well, we’ll see you later.’ They turned back to each other and shrugged.

Celestia moved away and trotted out of the open doorway into the lobby. She saw Sister and a strange bull talking at the bottom of the stairs to the second floor. The bull nodded, turned towards Celestia and smiled, before walking away down a side passage.

Celestia turned back to Sister, a small smile on her face. Celestia trotted up to her and waited for her to say something. Time ticked by as Sister watched the bull walk off; only after he turned a corner did Sister notice Celestia.

‘Oh, hello Sure Fire. I didn’t notice you there...' She slowly muttered as a small blush began its way over her cheeks. ‘How are you? Could you try to say something.' every day since giving Celestia the potion, she had been trying to get her to say something so that she could gauge the effects and how she's healing.

Celestia tried to form a word,. ‘Hello.’ the sound surprised both of them, it was a little higher than Celestia's old voice, so it she jumped a little, not expecting something like that. For the first time she had been able to say something.

Sister grinned, ‘Wonderful!’ She shouted, becoming the centre of attention of quite a few calf wandering about. ‘Every elk, gather around.’ She announced and soon a large group of elks were in a circle around Celestia, ‘Go on, say something.’

Celestia scanned the group, most of the first floor residents had turned up and even some of the second floor as well. Her ears turned back, unable to find Green. She looked at Sister and sighed, 'Hello!'

Celestia walked through the hallways of the orphanage being greeted with congratulations, but otherwise ignored, for the most part. Although it was still a little weird not raising the sun, not being bowed to or, hell, losing her wings; she was getting used to it.

She passed a set of windows that looked out towards the courtyard, bringing back memories of being bonded with Green, it was there she saw Green. She smiled and took off down the hallway as fast answer legs would allow. She bounded through a set of double doors, down the stairs, narrowly missing a set of loitering Elks, and round a corner.

She rushed outside, the warm air feeling sticky under her coat from all the running. It was uncomfortable, but not terribly.

Celestia walked up behind Green, lowered her head so that it was just beside her ear and whispered, 'I *cough* can talk now...' just barely squeezing the last bit out without coughing.

Green jumped up and gasped as Celestia moved around the bench to sit next to her. She grabbed a hold of Celestia, pulling her into a hug and squeezing the life out of her.

'When? Why didn't you tell me sooner?' Green asked, excitement rising. She could now talk with Sure Fire, coming up with stories, or gossip.

'I... met Sister...' She said, just about.

'Oh, never mind, at least you found me now.' Green replied. 'I missed her first word...'

Celestia could almost feel the mixture of emotions flowing from her thoughts. Fortunately, millennia of training has helped her keep her emotions contained, she often needed that when dealing with important ponies.

But this wasn't a pony... This was a different species. She had looked after Celestia since she was put into Greens care, the day after she had arrived. She changed her, washed her and to Celestia's amusement, played with her; there was no need to keep them bottled up from her.

Celestia felt guilty, mainly from the fact that she had kept her thought private, even though she could read Green’s like a book, 'A change from the bonding...' Celestia thought.

"Bonding" as the Elks put it, means the joining of two fates, or emotions. This usually occurs with an elk of sufficient age and a young, usually new-born.

The bonding process is always the same, the two antlers of the "Bonder", are used to join the pair together; like tying two threads together.

The result isn't usually known until the new-born has grown. Most results are increased affection for each other, some limited telepathy where the two's emotions can be felt by each other.

In rare cases; the two, while having the usual results, can also be bonded right down to fate. This was both in a literal and metaphorical sense.

Celestia decided that while she's with Green, she'll be more open and honest. 'I guess a thousand years really did put a damper on things...'

'Green,' Celestia said, making Green look up from tracing the grass edge, 'We can talk like this...'

Greene's eyes flew open. To Celestia's surprise, she didn't run away. Instead she said, 'It was the bonding, it has to be.'

Celestia nodded, 'Do we tell any elk?'

'That's creepy...' Green shook her head, 'We better not, no elk will believe us anyway...'

'Okay. Is it okay if I talk like this? My throat is still bad.' Celestia asked.

'I don't mind. Green replied smiling.

The two friends sat in the courtyard for hours, talking about various subjects. From stories to favourite foods, everything was discussed.

The two laughed, stopping when Celestia coughed, reminding her to take it easy, while also reminding her of the time. ''We should get inside...' Celestia said, looking up to the sky to see ominous dark clouds. ''No doubt we've missed dinner.'

Green's smile dimmed, she liked the food that Sister makes. ' Alright, you can get ready first. I'll be in bed after.'

Since the day that Celestia had arrived and subsequently been placed in the care of Green, she had slept in the same bed. Sister thought it would help them bond, plus help with the whole situation.

It did help them bond, but to Celestia it was more. It reminded her of the times where Luna would rush into her room scared of some silly monster under her bed.

Celestia pushed herself of the bench, stretching her legs and arcing her back, feeling it pop multiple times.

'I wish you wouldn't do that, you know how it makes me feel.' Green scolded, shuddering as she looked away,

Celestia giggled softly, ''Sorry, I'll try to remember next time.'

'I hope there won't be a next time.' Green replied, turning back and blowing a raspberry.

Celestia rolled her eyes and walked off, 'Don't take too long.' she mentally shouted.

She pulled open the set of doors leading into the lobby with her hoof. Her magic not having developed yet to do it for her. She looked about not seeing any elk. 'Hmm strange...' she thought as she walked towards the door leading to the shared quarters.

She could hear noises from inside, which wasn't an uncommon event, even at night. But what seemed strange was that the sounds seemed badly hushed, as if they were trying to keep quiet from someone, but failing.

She hesitantly pushed the door open. She was about to stick her head inside, but life had taught her not to do that. Especially when Pinkie Pie is about.

She shook her head at the reminder of that pink ball of energy and threw caution to the wind. If there was something she would do differently now, it was be less cautious and more impulsive.

She pushed the door open. Her eyes were filled with white light as all the candles in the room were magically lit at the same time. 'Surprise!' a crowd of Elk shouted as they jumped up from behind various objects.

Celestia tried to look shocked and apparently it worked. She jumped as she heard a familiar voice from behind.

'Had you fooled.'

Celestia turned around, seeing Green standing in the doorway looking at the crowd apprehensively.

''What's this for?' Celestia asked, turning back around to the crowd.

''This is for your first word. Come on, you didn't think our family would do nothing?' Green thought back.

The question brought a realisation to Celestia's mind. These Elks were her family now... While Luna was her biological and Twilight, her adoptive family, these elk were here for her now and even if they were some elks memories, they seemed real enough for her.

Sister took the outward silence as a Cue to speak up. 'This is your party Sure. It's for you saying your first word.' Sister walked up to Celestia and leaned down, nuzzling her on the cheek. 'I'm proud of you, those lessons really paid off.'

Every couple of days Celestia and Sister would have a small "get together" and she'd teach Celestia words. What she didn't know was that Celestia was a multi-century year old Alicorn and she already knew how to read, pretty well actually.

Celestia looked up and smiled with barely restrained tears. She wiped them away with a leg, sniffing a couple of times.

Green moved forward to Celestia's side, 'This is from every elk.' She levitated out a box from somewhere and presented it to Celestia whose eyes widened at the sight.

''You all shouldn't have...'

'Now, don't say no. Because we have all agreed extra chores to be able to get this for you.' Green replied. She placed it in front of Celestia and waited.

Celestia lifted a hoof and started to carefully unwrap the present. She finally got the paper off and opened the box. She opened the box, the sight of what was inside made her giggle.

She pulled out a ticked that on one side said, "One week of no chores, well done." the other was blank except for the names of every elk in the room.

''Pretty good right?' Green thought, receiving a small nod from Celestia.

''What chores did you agree to?' Celestia asked curiously.

''Looking after you, obviously.' Green replied giggling; the elks in the room looked at each other.

‘Alright every elk, bring in the food.’ Sister shouted. A couple of elks left and levitated in a selection of food and drink, ‘Go on and have fun, I have to leave for a little while. I’ll be back in a bit though’ Sister whispered to Celestia; slipping unseen out of the room.

‘Huh, oh well...’ Celestia thought as she trotted forward with Green by her side. ‘Thank...you...’ she struggled to say.

A bull trotted up to her, ‘Hi sure, I’m glad you like it.’ He said smiling.

Celestia looked him over. She was sure she had seen him around, but never had the time to know his name... Fortunately, Green was there for her.

’His name’s Bronze Dagger. He’s got his own room on the second floor.’ She thought; even she hadn’t seen this particular elk much, he seemed to keep to himself for the most part.

Celestia nodded and looked up to him. ‘It’s *cough* nice.’ she whispered out.

Green turned to him, ‘What have you been doing, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you around here.’

‘Oh, I’ve been given an apprenticeship at the new “Gemclod” blacksmiths. Dirty place, but good pay; the owner is nice as well.’ He replied, a hint of red making its way under his dark brown coat.

‘OH, some elk has a crush...’ Green sung, making Bronze’s face become even darker.

‘No, she’s just... nice.’ He replied, unable to keep eye contact.

‘Alright alright, I was only teasing.’ Green turned to Celestia, ‘Would you like to see it tomorrow? I have nothing else other than look after you, so we can walk into town... now that I think about it, you’ve never been...’

’That sounds good, what is it called?’ Celestia asked, turning to Green.

’Buckingshire. Gemclod is right in the centre, next to the river.’ She replied.

‘Okay, I’ll just leave you two alone...’ Bronze whispered causing Celestia and Green to turn to the empty space where Bronze was.

The night went on a lot like that, meeting various friends and others that they had seen around, but never had the pleasure of actually talking to. After a couple of fun filled hours, the party-goers decided it was late enough to turn in for the night and sleep. Celestia and Green helped with the clearing up and soon they found themselves in bed, slowly falling asleep.

The next day, Celestia was woken up by Green exiting the bed. She got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. She came out a little later and stretched. Seeing Celestia laying there she whispered, ‘A little early for you to be up?’

Celestia shook her head and yawned. Green walked over and got into bed, pulling Celestia closer and nuzzling the top of her head. Celestia’s antlers had begun to grow. Right now, they were small nubs that could be compared to mosquito bites, but in ten or so years, they would grow out to full size.

Celestia squirmed, ’Where did Sister go yesterday?’

’I don’t know, we should see in a bit... it’s so nice...and...cosy...’

A scream from outside startled them awake. Three elks rushed into the room. The first was a bull and behind him were two other elks; one cow and another bull. ‘Every elk wake up!’ He shouted.

Green shot out of bed, nearly tripping over the covers and galloped up to him. ‘What’s wrong? What was that shouting about?’ She asked, all hints of nervousness gone.

‘S-sister has b-been...’ The cow stuttered out... while shaking. The bull beside her held her and turned to Green.

‘We found her, in her office.’ He whispered grimly, ‘She was murdered.’

Some of the elks in the room broke down in tears, others held strong and trotted past the group to see for themselves. Green turned back to Celestia, ‘Stay here.’ She ordered.

Celestia nodded and stayed put. The group rushed out of the room with Green in the lead. Celestia could see that she was taking charge of the situation and silently envied her. Before, when she was Princess, she would have Twilight and her friends go and fight her battles and that led her to become lazy.

‘If only I had magic... or something... Wait, I do...’ Celestia thought to herself, ‘I have centuries of knowledge and experience.’ She rose and jumped off the bed, causing a few elks by the door to look her way.

One cow walked over and leaned down, ‘Sorry Sure you have to stay here. It’s not for calves to see...’ She looked away and wiped a few tears from her eyes, ‘Now, go back to bed and I’m sure Green will be back to talk to you.’

Celestia huffed and turned back. As soon as the cow turned to walk back to the door, Celestia rushed past her and ran into the lobby. The cow gave chase, but Celestia lost her by jumping through an open window, through the courtyard and through the doors leading to Sisters room.

She neared the room and could hear crying. She placed her ear next to the door to see if she could hear anything else. She could hear Green giving orders to elks.

Celestia moved back and around the corner as the door opened. Out of it came three Elks each galloping down the hallway and out of the door. Thankful that none of them saw her, she turned round the corner and into the room.

Inside, Green was still inspecting the body. Sister was beside her chair, ink poured out over the desk and spilling onto the floor, mixing with her blood. It always saddened her when her subjects died, but seeing a family member like this just made her angry.

Celestia walked forward next to Green. Green turn and gasped, 'You shouldn't be here!' she shouted, ignoring the tears spilling out if her eyes.

'Sorry, I had to see for myself.' Celestia replied. She saw a trophy that one of the calves had made for Sister. It read, "To mother, you are the best."

It lied on the floor next to Sister's body. Its edge stained red with her blood. 'The weapon,' Celestia thought, stopping it from being heard by Green.

Celestia looked around the room, various books and items were strewn about. It seemed that a struggle took place here.

Green was already moving to push Celestia out of the room, trying to cover her eyes at the same time. 'Please, don't make this any worse than it is...'

'She's my family too, I loved her as much as you!' Celestia shouted, causing Green to pause, 'I mean, I still do..."

Green's ears flattened and she pulled Celestia into a hug. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't want to shout.' She then pulled back and said, 'You can see her once she's been moved. Okay?'

Celestia thought about it. On one hoof, she didn't want to upset Green and possibly any elk else, but she did need to examine the room. She decided she would have to come back later, once Sisters body's been moved; hopefully without any elk cleaning up.

'Alright, I'm sorry too,' Celestia said. She was pulled into another hug, with Green nuzzling her. 'Can you walk me back?'

Green put her hoof to her chin and looked away in thought, 'Okay, we should get you back to bed anyway. It's still early.'

Celestia nodded; actually feeling a little tired, and followed Green out of the room, forcing herself to not turn back at the last second.

The two wandered back on relative silence, the only noise were the crying of Elks in the rooms that were open. 'Who's going to look after us now?' Celestia asked, unsure of the future of the orphanage.

Green looked down at her, 'I don't know, maybe some elk will be sent in. If not, then...'

'Then what?' Celestia knew what would happen, she had seen it done plenty of times over the years. Most surprisingly in the upper class parts of Camelot, where the nobles don't want an "eyesore", as they would put it. They just didn't want anything to ruin their precious view.

'Then... It's best not to talk about stuff like this. I'm sure everything will be fine,' Green replied, smiling down at Celestia. It made her feel guilty for even pretending not to know, and subsequently asking about it.

'Oh, okay,' Celestia said, nodding.

They neared the shared quarters and picked up their pace. They walked in to a multitude of questions ranging from, "What happened," to, "What's going to happen to us?"

Green sighed and walked over to the bed, picking up Celestia and tucking her in. She kissed her on the head; something she had never done before and walked out of the room with all of the other Elks, to answer their questions.

Celestia lied there in bed, slightly stunned by how quick the last part happened. This must really be hard on her if she's kissing instead of simply nuzzling...

Fortunately for her, a few minutes passed and Green walked back into the room, sighing heavily. She walked over to the bed, pulling the covers slightly and entering. She snuggled down and pulled Celestia into a hug, like always.

Celestia turned around, worried for her soul-mate and kissed her on the cheek. Green tightened her hug; not enough to hurt Celestia though. She loosened up and Celestia turned back.

Just before Celestia was about to nod off to sleep, she noticed that Green was shaking slightly. She listened and heard her crying. Trying not to wake any elk up.

She lied there listening, as the emotions flowed off Green and into herself. Little by little the feelings of pain, and not being able to do anything, changed.

They turned into rage and anger. Celestia, for the first time actually wanted to cause physical harm to whoever did this; to whoever took a family member from her.

Green seemed to calm down after twenty minutes or so, meaning that Celestia could finally get some rest. Her mind may be a multi century old Alicorn, but her by was only a month old, at most.

Elk biology is much faster compared to ponies, they grow faster, but once they reach maturity, they live for anywhere between one hundred and fifty and two hundred years.

At around ten, they stop growing until thirty where they will have a growth spurt and their magic will increase slightly.

Celestia awoke to Green in the bed, still holding onto her. She didn't actually mind it, in fact she often preferred it compared to the lonely nights alone in the castle, where her only friend was a good book and a large glass of red wine.

She gripped onto Greens hoof and hugged it, feeling the emotions. Green was dreaming but she could still be read like a book and right then, she was scared, most likely for the future of the orphanage and likely for the two of them as well.

Celestia looked outside, and seeing it was still surprisingly early, pulled herself out of bed. She struggled not to wake Green for what she was about to do.

She walked over to the bathroom door and gently pushed it. Celestia walked through and turned the tap; so a little trickle of water was flowing then proceeded to wash her face, and clean her teeth.

Celestia turned the tap and walked out of the room, but not before checking if Green was awake. Peeking through the half-open door, Celestia could see that she was still very much asleep, but she had started to cry again; this time, without any elk to hold onto.

Feeling horrible for leaving her friend and bonded to cry alone, Celestia tip-hoofed over to the door to the lobby and opened it.

Walking through, she could see the stark contrast between day and night in the orphanage. Even though it was technically early morning, no elk was about and time itself seemed to stand still, making the whole area feel out of place.

Celestia travelled down a hallway and through the double doors leading to the courtyard. As she passed through, the plants didn't seem as green as yesterday; the small insects having flown or scurried off somewhere else giving, for Celestia, a much needed silence to the courtyard.

She moved past the area and through the next set of doors, having to push slightly harder this time. She managed it and fell onto the ground at the last second with an audible *oomph*

She picked herself up, gave herself a pat-down and sighed. She stared at her objective; no doubt it would be locked by now; unless the police here were worse than their pony equivalents.

Celestia walked forward and tried the doorknob, 'just to be sure,' she told herself as she retracted back after the failed attempt at opening the door.

She looked about for another entrance, then remembered that the windows in Sisters office were still looked big enough for her to fit through.

Turning around, Celestia backtracked down the hall and back out into the courtyard, turning right, instead of left and through a similar set of doors, opposite from where she came in from.

She heard the wooden door close behind her with a slam. It was too loud for her liking, but she didn't have time to cover all of her tracks, as much as she'd like to.

This section was the only part of the orphanage she hadn't been to. It was normally off limits to calves, and it was responsible for all of the orphanage documents.

The hallway she was in, had the floor made out of wooden planks that looked to be bleached white. The walls was a beastly wallpaper with small doves on, that Twilight's friend Rarity would have thrown a fit over.

Celestia ignored all of that and travelled forward, then down a side passage, not ten hooves later. She followed that to the end and out of the fire exit. Outside, she looked around for the windows to Sister's office.

The garden itself wasn't taken care of very much, with the whole area off limits to calves and young Elks, this made it difficult for the elder residents give it the attention it deserved, often disregarding the jobs altogether.

Celestia found the Windows after a little searching and pulled one open. Luckily Sister left one lock unlatched before the incident.

She pulled herself into the room, falling onto the floor again. She picked herself up and noticed a cold sensation under her hooves. Lifting her front hoof up, Celestia saw she was standing in the puddle of blood.

Suppressing a scream, and trembled as she waited for the feeling to pass. Minutes went by as Celestia finally felt calm enough to carry on.

There was nothing she could do but keep the blood on her hooves as wiping them with anything could destroy evidence.

She went about the room, looking at various pieces of furniture and items. Remembering the times she had in here with Sister.

Her eyes landed on one item, a small scarf that Sister had brought back from a trip to Buckingshire. She was so happy when she came back, but wouldn't tell any elk why.

Then there was the bull that was here yesterday, Sister couldn't take her eyes off him, until her was gone.

Maybe there's a connection... That's it, I have to go into town.

Celestia scooped up the scarf and wrapped it around her knock, berating herself for not bringing a container. She walked towards the door and unlocked it.

Opening it, Celestia made sure to lock it again, before closing it, so it doesn't look like any elk tampered with it.

She remembered the blood on her hooves and looked down. Slightly relieved that it was dry at last, she walked out into the courtyard and found a small puddle, and washed off the excess blood.

She chuckled for a second, imagining if any elk saw her; a calf washing blood of their hooves. She finished washing the blood off her hooves and trotted over to the doors, and inside.

From there, Celestia had to make a decision. Either find some way to get to Buckingshire, or stash the scarf somewhere and hope Green takes her at a later point.

She wasn't sure which was the better choice and went with her instincts. She chose to leave a note for Green and go straight to town, to try and find the bull.

She knew this would be a hard task, both to find him, and to check if he did kill Sister. But she also knew that if she didn't, or couldn't she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

She was normally the one to give out punishment, when she was an Alicorn. Holding herself above every pony else. But now that it's happening to her, it made her feel so very small.

Celestia walked over to the quarters, fearing Green would be up, but surprisingly she wasn't. She was still fast asleep, with a ray of sunlight threatening to travel over her eyelids and wake her up.

Celestia knew she would have to move fast, so she hastily wrote a note saying: "Gone to town, come pick me up." She placed it on Green's pillow, so she knew she would get the message.

Celestia rushed out of the room as fast as possible, while still being careful not to wake any elk up. She was on a mission now, any interruptions to it would cause her to rethink what she was doing.

She trotted forwards towards the front door with haste, she had to figure out a way to get to some place she'd never been, never seen and barely heard about.

The only things she'd heard of it were from Sister, when she went to town for her, "trips". Now Celestia had to find out what she was doing and how that strange bull was in on it.

She wrapped the scarf tighter, hoping it would stop the icy chill that haunted her every time she thought of leaving Green to deal with this whole mess, alone.

Pulling the door open, Celestia scalloped forward towards the front gate. She reached it in little time and examined the black iron fence that surrounded the orphanage.

It seemed that the two and a half metre tall fence would stop her dead in her tracks, until she saw a small opening at the bottom; too small for normal sized elk, but suspiciously perfect for her.

She kicked her back legs and squeezed through the gap. On the other side Celestia pulled at the scarf, once again feeling the chill; this time for real.

The sun was still low in the sky and frost had arrived in the night, coating everything in a fine layer of ice. It made the path slightly dangerous to walk on unaided. Luckily Celestia decided it would be safer to travel next to the path, in the bushes, to avoid detection; lest any elk decides to take her back to the orphanage.

She silently scolded herself for not bringing any clothing for this kind of weather, but decided not to go back as it was too late.

Celestia rushed as fast as her hooves would let her. Soon enough, after half an hour, she reached the end of the path and made it to what looked to be a small T-junction in the road. The sign in the middle read, on the top arrow pointing south, "To Arrowsmith. 23 Mi."

The one just below it, pointing north read, "To Buckingshire. 4 Mi." She looked down the road and if she squinted, Celestia could just about see the town.

She galloped in the direction, generally keeping out of sight of any potential passer-by. A few minutes later, she saw the first few travellers on the path.

Stopping, she examined them. She'd only known the Elks from the orphanage, so seeing Elks from outside was exciting.

There were two travelling together, one bull and one cow. The bull was fairly built, having a dark Blue coat and a light green mane. The cow was small, but carried herself with confidence, she had a white coat and black mane. They were obviously a couple, Celestia knew this by the way their tails intertwined, and much like her ponies would. Behind them, they pulled a small cart full of produce. Fruits, vegetables, everything a farm would normally grow.

After a few minutes of waiting, the pair moved on, leaving Celestia alone again and free to carry on towards the town.

Seeing as it was only four miles, Celestia made it there before the sun rose too high. The frost had begun to melt, giving the surrounding area a fairy-tale glow.

Celestia made it to the tree line, separating the fields from the town. From what she could see, it looked to be a normal town, albeit fairly large, comparable with Canterlot... If it wasn't on a mountain.

Most of the buildings were made from either wood or brick, the only difference being that the roofs were flat. Giving different sections of the place, different heights. There was a wall around the middle of the town, obstructing her view of inside.

Celestia spotted one of the many roads leading into the town and made her way inside, she averted her gaze as she passed a few citizens. Either they didn't see her or they didn't care, because they didn't do anything and continued to talk to each other as they walked down the street.

Celestia carried on towards the centre of the town, hoping to find something to help her know where to start. Fortunately, she found a newspaper sales-bull standing on his box shouting, 'Come one, Come all, Read all about the king's illness!'

She walked up to him. Clearing her throat to get his attention and coughed out, 'Where... Find... Maker?' she held up the scarf tm and showed it to him.

He looked it over and thought for a second, 'That'll be Fine Wares New stock, he's on the east side.' he spoke with a thick coltish accent.

Looking around, Celestia's ears dropped. She looked back up go the bull. He rolled his eyes and sighed. 'Come on, I'll take you there. This place is dead anyways,' he said, mumbling. The elk got down off his box and held his hoof out, 'Hi, my name's Fast Sell, nice to meet you.'

Celestia took his hoof and shook it, 'Name...Sure Fire...' she choked out, coughing at the end.

Author's Note:

Hey everypony. I'm quite proud of myself for doing a 10k chapter X'D

it's my first, but not my last. I'll be updating the story once each chapter gets to 10k, and only 10k. But unfortunatly, I don't know when my editors will be on to help me with this. I'll do my best to find any mistakes etc.

If anyone finds anything, please point them out and i'll be sure to remember not to make them again.

Also, any critisism is welcome :)