Do you remember when...
Celestia
“Well. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” I asked.
Sunset looked down, but said nothing in response. I raised a brow and continued, “You know that the restricted section is off limits. How many times have I told you that you are not ready for that kind of magic?”
The indignant unicorn filly turned her head and huffed. “I’m ready for whatever I want to be. You don’t know that I’m not. I’ve never tried it.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Always so difficult.
“Fine then, have it your way,” I said, pushing open the library door. “Follow me, Sunset.” I took a grand total of four steps before I realized there were no other hoof steps echoing off the castle walls. Sighing, I reached for my magic, then draped it over the little rebel before continuing onward.
“Hey! Don’t you put your filthy magic on me! Let me go!”
Another deep sigh, and I add a little pressure to the muzzle of my captive.
“Mmm mmm mmh!”
Ah, peace and quiet. The lack of protest as we made our way down the hall, whether or not she was willing, made me wonder if she’d finally given in. She should know that there is no way out of this, yet I somehow can’t believe that she would give up trying to escape. I turned my head to check on her just in case, and oH GODDESS SHE’S TURNING BLUE! I let go of the pressure on her muzzle, and just as quickly, she gasped for air.
“UWAH! Are you TRYING to kill me!?”
Embarrassed, I turned away from her and put on an indignant face of my own. “That depends. Do you plan on cooperating now?” I opened a single eye to see her face go white and felt a slight smile creep up my lips. “Oh? I haven’t heard an answer.” Keeping up the façade, I applied the slightest pressure to her muzzle again and then she threw her hooves up.
“Alright, alright, I give up! I’ll write the paper! Goddess. Just don’t… suffocate me again. Geez.” Satisfied with that, I set her down and let her follow me back to my chambers of her own accord. The marble halls of the castle walls in the golden twilight hour, have always been my favorite. The wash of gentle yellow, red, and orange always made the cold stone look warm to the touch, even if it never was.
With Equestria in times of relative peace, and things seemingly settled down, I was beginning to feel antsy. Nothing has happened for over a century now. Nothing at all. We’ve just had prosperity, and I’m simply waiting for the day it comes crashing down like a ball through a window. Specifically the stain-glass one in the throne room that needs to be replaced thanks to somepony playing where I told her not to. The next Summer Sun Celebration would be the 987th. The Elements’ power on Luna were weakening, Discord seems to have more energy to him every day, and there’s an ominous feeling coming from the empire again.
I could never deal with all three of them alone, and one of these days, I might have to. I need… help. I need somepony who can fight alongside me when things take a turn for the worse, and all I’ve had for these last thousand years has been me, myself, and I to combat the dark forces that want to consume my little ponies. It’s draining, and I’m loath to admit it, but I’ve grown weary. Another night, another vision of things that might come to pass, another day without sleep.
We arrived at my chambers after the long trot, this self-confident filly breathing hard just trying to keep up with me. Ten years old, believing the world will one day fall into the frog of her hoof, and incredibly talented. That was Sunset Shimmer. I pushed open the doors and flicked a spell at the fireplace to set it ablaze. She always loves to see the flames go up, but she was angry with me, so she tried to hide that little awed look she gets when I do it.
“Well, go on,” I said, nudging her forward a bit. She groaned, but complied anyways. Little hooves pitter-pattered promptly to my writing desk, and with a little effort, she managed to make it into my chair. Quill in magic, fresh parchment in front of her, she cracked open the tome and began transcribing. For a minute. Then she stopped and let her face fall on the hardwood with a rather loud thud. Oh, goodness, don’t hurt yourself.
“Ugh, do I have to?”
I sat down on the bed next to her and nodded. “Well. Yes, you do.”
The golden filly rolled her head to the side so she could sic her best puppy-dog eyes on me. “But I’m so bad at this! Starswirl’s writing is so messy, and I don’t always know what words mean what, and why do I even have to translate any of this anyways? Can’t you do that?”
I thought on that for a moment. “Well. I suppose I could. However, if you can’t do it, then I’ll have to find somepony who can. Maybe somepony who’s more appreciative of her position? Or even his position. It could be anypony really, but they too will have to translate this into modern Equestrian.”
That made Sunset scrunch up her face. “Really?”
I nodded. “Really. It’s very important that whoever I choose as my apprentice can read and understand Old Ponish. I suppose it doesn’t have to be you. If you want your freedom, take it. Wouldn’t be hard to… call your parents, afterall.”
I pursed my lips and leaned in, but as expected, Sunset blew a raspberry and set her face away from me, but still on the parchment. “Ha! Good luck with that. They wouldn’t take me back even if you paid them.”
The sad truth in that statement was that she was right, but I wasn’t about to give her that. “I don’t know… I do have quite the number of bits at my disposal after all. Everypony has a price.”
“N-no they don’t! My parents… they… they wouldn’t!”
I let myself crash into my pillows and crossed my back hooves. “Are you sure? They certainly didn’t seem to have any qualms giving you away. Those ponies sure did like their bits from what I remember.”
Sunset sat up and put a hoof under her chin. “Yeah, more than they ever liked me. Ya know, that reminds me. Why am I here, anyways?”
“To translate Old Ponish and Starswirl’s horrendous writing. I thought we went over that.”
Sunset shook her head and finally looked me in the eye on purpose for about the first time today. “No, not that. Why am I… here?” she motioned to the room. “In the castle, with you. I wasn’t worth anything to anypony before. Just another thing my parents could throw money at to solve their problems. Nopony wanted me or needed me. Why do you?”
I sat up, took the little filly in my magic, and then brought her into my lap. Did your mother ever hold you? Is that why you’re like this? Or was it worse? “Sunset, do you know what a pleasure it is to have you around?”
She blinked. “Uh. No?”
“Truly, it is. How many times have you threatened to overthrow me now?”
“At least twice… I think.”
“Twice indeed. How we laughed and laughed.”
“Well, I wasn’t laughing.”
“It was comical, really. The last time somepony close tried to overthrow me, I wasn’t nearly so nice.”
“That was your sister, right? The uh… the Moona pony?”
For a second, Celestia tightened her grip on the filly. Has it been that long? Have ponies truly started to forget? Or am I the only one who remembers now? It’s been nearly a millennium since then. How could they remember?
Sunset tapped on my forelegs. “P-princess! I p-promise I’ll do the paper, can- I need- Air!” Again, I released the filly from my grip. You can’t keep forgetting your own strength Celestia, really. It has been a long time, hasn’t it?
“I’m so sorry sweetie, that wasn’t on purpose.”
She gasped for air and shook her head. “Really!? That’s twice today! Why?”
“Because I need help!”
She squinted at me. “You’re choking me… because you need help?”
I waved a hoof and shook my head. “Oh, no, those were both accidental, I promise. You are here, with me, because I need help.”
“You? The Alicorn Princess that controls the sun and has the firepower to melt away a mountain? You need help?”
I nodded. “I do. One of these days, Sunset, things from my past are going to come back to bite me. One of these days, things I’ve just wanted dead and gone… will return and try to do the same to me. And when that happens… I don’t think I’ll be able to stop it alone.”
Sunset scrunched up her face. “And you think I can help with that?”
I nodded again. “Sunset, you are a very talented pony. You might not realize it, but you have potential in you. More than your parents, or your peers, or anypony could know. One of these days, I think you could possibly become…” my replacement “… very, very powerful. Maybe even more so than me. If the day ever comes that I need help, I’m hoping that I’ll have… you, to rely on. At least, that’s what I’m counting on.”
She leaned back into my chest and stared up at me with those big, turquoise eyes of hers. For once, she was being genuine with her feelings and showing me that little face of awe she gets when I light the flame. “You really think I could be like you?”
I smiled as best I could and stroked her mane. “I do.” Then, I picked her up and set her back in my chair in front of the parchment. “If you can read and write in Old Ponish. But that requires understanding, and understanding comes from a proper translation! Now then, get to it.”
Sighing, Sunset picked up her quill. “I guess… if this is what it takes…” she shook her head. “Well, here we are again.” Nib to page, Sunset started to write, far neater than Starswirl ever did.