Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto

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"Do you trust me?" Celestia asked to the pony, after he'd expressed perplexity at the concept of following a bird. He hadn't expressed it too vocally in full, but she was experienced enough to read his expression and body language and infer what his words didn't carry completely.

"Of course," he answered, almost without needing to think, and part of the worry seemed to melt out of his face.

Celestia pitied his foolishness, but was glad to be of relief to him, even if his ideals were misplaced. Hopefully, in time, he would learn to look to better ponies the way he looked at her. For that moment, his trust was useful, and make use of it she would. "I trust Philomena," she said. "I would trust her with my life if necessary. She has lived with me longer than any other pony alive when she was born has lived for at all, and I believe her wise and intelligent beyond what her appearance may convey at a first glance." Good company, she'd given herself. A bird in place of friends of her own kind, one that couldn't even talk back to her. Maybe that last part was the reason for it, though. "She is, besides, the one who has led me to you and to your colleagues here before you. I believe we can and should follow her guide. Do you trust me?"

Somewhat to Celestia's displeasure, even if of course she didn't show it, the stallion seemed reinvigorated by her words more than anything else. "I do," he said with a smile on his face, then he nodded to her and stepped back to go talk with the other guards following behind her.

Celestia was left almost alone, guiding the group as she kept her eyes on Philomena. Almost. Paper Letters was still at her side, presumably to protect her if something happened. But he did not speak much, and at times it was like he wasn't even there. Once Celestia could even swear she'd lost him, only for him to be there at her side a moment later when she looked there again. It had to be her nervousness, she'd reasoned.

At that moment though, he strangely became very noticeable. He was shifting around slightly, almost shaking but not quite frequently enough to classify as that. Celestia was so distracted by that she at first didn't even notice what was causing it, until she looked ahead again and saw the silhouettes of several ponies faintly visible in the distance. Confident that Philomena wouldn't lead them to a group of enemies, she called out to them. "Hey! Over here!"

The ponies stopped, and turned towards them. Some began to walk. Rainbow Dash was the first to reach them, flying quickly across the distance separating the groups. "This way!" she called, then she lowered herself to the ground in front of Celestia. "Your sister is safe," she said. "I'm glad you are too."

Celestia felt a weight fall off her heart. "Thank you," she said with a nod. Looking ahead she saw Shining Armor and Cadence there as well, and saw that Paper had already reached them and was talking with them. She turned back to the ponies she'd led there and saw them smile, then she slowly stepped aside and, with as much dignity as she could conserve, she ran to the other group to search for Luna.

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[Speckle]

A brief rewind, it would seem.
Paper Letters remains perplexing.