Quicksilver awoke with a start when he felt his pillow shift. He reached over, wrapping his forelegs around it to keep it in place. Hmm, he thought. My pillow is bigger than I remember, and it feels kind of furry and warm. His eyes shot open when he heard a musical laugh. Holy Faust! his brain screamed. I'm still with Princess Celestia! I fell asleep in her bed last night!

"I'd like to stay here, too," Celestia told him gently. "But it's time for me to raise the sun."

"Gahh! I'm sorry!" exclaimed Quicksilver, letting the princess go.

Celestia laughed as she got to her hooves, and Silver realized incredibly belatedly, that she wasn't wearing her regalia. The princess ruffled her wings as she made her way to the huge balcony on the other side of the room, opening the large glass doors with her magic. She glanced back at Quicksilver. "Would you like to watch?" she asked.

"Sure!" he replied, getting up, excitement clearing the drowsiness from him, and following her outside. Canterlot was still covered in the darkness that precedes dawn. The moon was hanging just above the western horizon, waiting for Celestia to return it to its resting place. He watched in awe as Celestia's horn was surrounded by her golden magical aura, and the moon very slowly sank beneath the horizon. The sky was now completely black, devoid of the light of either moon or sun.

The consort watched as Celestia closed her eyes, a smile spreading across her muzzle. He turned his attention to the East and could see as the sky began to lighten, a deep orange spreading over the black outline of the city in the distance. The orange glow grew brighter, until it was joined by yellow. He could see the top of the sun slowly cresting the horizon. He was just barely aware of Celestia spreading her great wings as the sun rose, adding shades of pink to the morning sky. As it rose higher, Celestia flapped her wings and rose slowly into the sky, spreading her forelegs as the sun climbed into its place, the sky turning shades of pale blue and gold.

"Ahhh," breathed Quicksilver, amazed. He had seen the Summer Sun Celebration once as a colt, when it had taken place in Cloudsdale. He remembered sitting on his father's shoulder. He was on one shoulder, his sister on the other. They had been toward the back, and while he could see everything, Celestia herself was too far away for him to see her clearly. "That was amazing," he breathed as Celestia's hooves touched down on the balcony.

"I admit, I was showing off a little," Celestia said, blushing faintly.

Quicksilver had never seen Celestia blush like that before, and he thought it was really cute. "That was beautiful," he told her. "I never imagined I'd get to stand next to you while you rose the sun."

Celestia laughed lightly as they returned to her bedchamber. "I'm sure quite a lot has happened in the past two days that you never imagined you would do," she said lightly.

"That's true," he admitted. "I never thought I would uh...sleep in the Princess's bed," he said, making her laugh again. His face grew hot.

"You were a very considerate bedmate," she complimented. "You didn't try to steal the covers, and you stayed on your own side of the bed." She was grinning at him as she said this, making him flush again. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Did you?" he asked, remembering breakfast the day before, when she'd said she didn't sleep much.

"I did," she said with a smile. "I must admit, I hadn't slept that well in quite a long time."

"Well, I doubt I had much to do with that," he said.

"Mm. Perhaps, perhaps not. I just know that aside from waking up as I normally do to check on the moon, I slept through the night," pointed out the princess.

A knock sounded on the door, drawing Quicksilver's attention, but before Celestia could say anything, it opened, and in poured a veritable fleet of attendants. "Good morning, Your Majesty," they all chirped as they came in.

"Good morning, ladies," Celestia said with a smile as Quicksilver watched, wide-eyed. They didn't seem to pay him any mind as they flocked around the princess with a basin of water, brushes, jars and other implements for grooming. "Thank you, everypony, but I think I'll have my consort attend me today," she said gently.

The attendants must have been used to their princess tending to her own grooming on occasion, because they all bowed, left the implements, and departed as quickly as they came.

Quicksilver gaped at the sight. "Do they do this every morning?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," Celestia said with a musical chuckle. "It's their belief that I shouldn't have to do such mundane things as brush my own mane," she explained. "Would you care to attend me, Quicksilver?" she asked.

"Sure, but uh...you'll have to tell me what to do," he said uncertainly.

"I'd be happy to," Celestia assured him. She beckoned him to follow her to her vanity, where the attendants had left everything.

She first dipped her hooves in the basin of water a few times. Curious, Quicksilver leaned in, only to have her lightly splash his muzzle playfully. He drew back quickly, snorting, but detected the subtle scent of honeysuckle.

"First, I wash my hooves," she said in a sing-song voice. "Then, I wash my face." She levitated a hoof-sized, soft-looking white facial sponge, dipping it into the water and allowing it to draw in the moisture, before squeezing out the excess. Then, she gently scrubbed her face, starting from the base of her horn and moving in downward circular motions towards the jaw, before lifting the sponge and repeating until she had made it to the long arch of her neck, making sure to avoid all sensitive areas, like her eyes. She also cleaned her ears with a fluffy-looking cotton ball.

"Here's where you come in," she said, picking up a heavy-looking ceramic jar with her magic and taking the lid off. She floated it under his muzzle, and he saw what looked like coarsely ground oats mixed with various herbs and powders that he didn't recognize on sight.

"What do I do?" he asked, looking at the oats and sniffing them. "You want me to rub you down with breakfast?" As he looked more closely, his nose detected what his eyes had at first not seen. It smelled like milk and honey, like something he had eaten recently, and he vaguely wondered if this was what happened to the food when it didn't get eaten. He remembered seeing the butlers removing the platters from the dining hall after his first breakfast here in the castle. He quelled thoughts of eating it off of her, and blushed, not so much out of embarrassment, but more sheepish at how his thoughts wandered, especially because he knew Celestia was aware of the fact that his mind had totally gone south.

Celestia laughed, finding his nescience rather adorable. "You don't eat it, silly. The oats draw out the oils and dirt, the fats and proteins from the powdered milk help to make the coat glossy, and the honey is antimicrobial, not to mention soothing."

"And yummy," he added.

Celestia bopped him lightly on the muzzle. "Focus now," she chided. "Take some in your hoof," she instructed. Quicksilver complied. "Now rub it into my coat in a circular motion, starting at my neck, and work your way down."

"Like a dry bath?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Celestia cheerfully, pleased at how quickly he was catching on. She stood still for him as he rubbed the oats into her coat, his touch gentle, but firm.

For his own part, Quicksilver was thinking about how this was the first time he was really touching her quite deliberately. She twitched reflexively in response to his touch, and he could feel the muscles beneath her coat, strong and firm. He thought about how alicorns were generally considered to have the defining traits of all three tribes; the wings of the pegasi, the magic of the unicorns, and the strength, endurance, and general physical prowess of the earth ponies. He was amazed at how strong she felt, for being so slender.

He worked downward, pausing only to get more oats from the jar that Celestia levitated for him. He vaguely remembered his mother teaching him how to do this, but he was just a small colt when she passed away, and he didn't remember much about it. He was amazed that royalty did such things, too.

"What are you thinking about?" Celestia asked, as she had noticed his movement had slowed somewhat.

"Oh...I just...remembered my mother teaching me something like this, but I don't remember much about it," he replied. "I was kind of young when she died."

"I was young when my parents died," she told him solemnly.

His ears perked at the revelation. "Really? I mean, no offense, but it's kind of hard to imagine you even having parents."

She laughed in that musical way he liked. "It was a very, very long time ago. It fell to me to care for my sister. I taught her how to do this," she revealed.

"My sister took care of me," he said as she spread one of her great wings so he could get her coat beneath it. "She was a few years older. My father cared about us, but he wasn't really the nurturing type."

"Mm," replied Celestia. She closed her eyes, enjoying Quicksilver's ministrations, using the pleasant sensation of him rubbing the oats into her coat to stave off the memories she would rather not think about right now.

As though sensing this, Quicksilver worked in silence, kind of transfixed with the motions of his hoof, until he realized he had reached her rump. "Um...can I touch here?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, looking back at him with half-lidded magenta eyes.

He proceeded, tentatively at first, his face flushing. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed, but he couldn't help it.

"You can press harder," Celestia said, her voice tinged with amusement. She felt him press harder, resuming the gentle, firm pressure he'd used elsewhere. She was glad she had already spread her wings for him, because she wouldn't have to worry about them betraying her, and hummed pleasantly as he rubbed the oats into her flank, enjoying the sensation.

"And here?" he asked softly, just barely brushing her cutie mark.

"Y-yes," she replied, her voice catching a bit in her throat, despite herself.

He rubbed the oats inward, toward the center of the sun mark on her flank, and she bit her lip, feeling warmth spreading through her. Her cutie mark was particularly sensitive, and she liked being touched there.

He moved around to the other side, blushing as he rubbed his princess's generous rump. Having it in his face was also presenting problems, and he struggled to keep his wings under control. I'm just a very healthy stallion, he reminded himself. What stallion wouldn't feel like this in my position?

He couldn't help but feel grateful when he finished though, working back up along her sides and up her neck.

"Very good," cooed Celestia. Quicksilver wondered if he was imagining the hint of flush in her cheeks.

She presented him with a hard-bristled brush and told him to now brush the oats out. With the brush between her and his hoof, Quicksilver felt a little less self-conscious, and it suddenly wasn't quite as intimate. Come on, he told himself disgustedly. She has other ponies touching her rump every day. But what was that smell? It was warm, like butterscotch, and it pervaded his senses. It was heady and musky, and it made his vision blur a bit around the edges.

Aware of the scent, Celestia flushed, glad he wasn't in the position to see her face, and fibbing for his benefit, said, "That's just the smell of the mixture when it gets warm from the brushing." She knew this wasn't the time for such things.

"Oh, okay," he said, almost sleepily. He felt his belly clench in response to it, and wrote it off as hunger pains. "It smells nice."

Once he had brushed the oats out, Celestia gave him another brush. "One more time," she said, the corners of her mouth upturned.

Quicksilver complied, taking the second brush, which had softer bristles. Before he even started, she found a comfy patch of carpet and lay down so her belly was exposed to him.

"Brush my belly?" she asked altogether too innocently.

"Uh...of course," he said, trying not to let his voice waver.

He found the fur along her belly to be very soft and fine as he brushed her gently. He didn't go as firmly as he did with the rest of her coat, knowing how sensitive the belly is in general.

"Mm," she hummed, quite obviously enjoying herself. Her eyes were closed and she had to keep her tongue from lolling out of her mouth. She loved having her belly rubbed, but that wasn't typically something she could ask her attendants to do, and what Quicksilver didn't know wouldn't kill him.

Quicksilver tried to tell himself it was stupid to be nervous about brushing her. Eventually, he'd be touching her much more intimately. Maybe he was embarrassed because despite the (mostly) non-sexual way he was touching her, it still turned him on. His mind was getting the better of him.

She rolled back to her hooves when he was done with her belly. If she noticed how it was affecting him, she didn't say so, which he was grateful for.

Brushing her definitely gave him a chance to appreciate her form, though, and mostly without making him feel indecent about it. She was slender and graceful, and she literally didn't move a muscle as he attended her, once she got used to him. Sometimes, a sigh might escape her, but hey, he liked being brushed too.

She accepted the brush from him with her magic when he was done, laying it carefully on the vanity, and said, "Thank you, Quicksilver."

"You're welcome," he said sheepishly, his whole body feeling flushed. "Is that all?" he asked, seeing that there were still a few jars, hoof-trimmers, and other implements that he eyed nervously.

She giggled as she brushed her own mane, which seemed to snap and crackle with its own energy as she ran the brush through it. "Yes, just a few finishing touches," she assured him.

He watched as she picked up a dainty-looking porceline jar from the vanity, and applied a pearlescent pinkish-looking scented mineral powder to her coat, which, if the brushing hadn't made her coat look smooth and shiny, the powder made it shimmer in an almost otherworldly manner.

"You look beautiful," he breathed, and she favored him with a dazzling smile.

"Thank you," she replied. "I still need to preen my wings," she said.

She picked up a case and unrolled it over the top of her vanity, revealing all manner of feather picks and wing combs. He'd heard you could get such a preening at a salon or spa, but he preferred preening his wings himself. He didn't like the idea of having strangers touching them, especially because when he was a courier, particularly, his wings were his livelihood. He had a hard time trusting somepony else with them.

To his relief, Celestia preened her own wings, using the picks and combs with her magic while he watched. She was very careful about it, making sure her feathers were straight, and picking out any loose ones.

Her grooming done, Celestia stepped back over to the vanity, where Quicksilver saw her crown and torque resting on a pony bust. Her golden shoes were arrayed neatly before the vanity, and she stepped into them carefully. The torque was next.

Quicksilver watched, feeling like there was some sort of ritual or ceremony to the way she put on her badges of office. He could almost feel the weight of them. It was like without them, she was free, and now that she was putting them on, he thought it seemed as though she was preparing herself, saying the oath of her office mentally. She put the crown on last, and she levitated it carefully onto her head, resting it near the base of her horn with a sort of sense of finality. Her expression was serious and somber as she checked herself in the mirror to make sure it sat straight.

As she turned to face him, he couldn't help but think that now, she looked every bit the ruler that she appeared to be in the posters and photos he had seen of her. It was strange to him how the regalia made all the difference. She was beautiful and regal without it, but with it, she was no longer Celestia the pony; she was Celestia the ruler. It was hard for him to think of her as both his sovereign and the pony he had snuggled beside last night.

"Aren't they heavy?" Quicksilver asked, his hoof unconsciously touching his neck as though an invisible torque rested there. Just watching her put it on, he could almost feel the weight of it on himself.

"They are quite heavy," replied Celestia. "It has always been my belief that a ruler should never wear her crown easily. It serves as a reminder as to the weight of the office I hold."

"Hmm," replied the consort, mulling it over with a touch of sympathy. He had never thought about that. It was interesting to him that her regalia served to remind her of her duty to her kingdom, a constant reminder that she carried with her through her whole day, but they were also badges of her office to remind others that she was their ruler.

Before he had actually met Celestia, he had never really thought about the government or the way her rule affected her kingdom. He had always known her as a just, benevolent ruler, but he never really considered how the decisions she made as ruler of Equestria affected him, personally. "You've worn them a long time," he observed.

"I have," agreed Celestia. "I have become accustomed to their weight, just as I have become accustomed to the weight of my responsibility to my subjects."

"Isn't it hard?" he asked. He was still quite hung up on that. He knew she had ponies that helped her run the kingdom, but all of the final decisions were hers to make. He couldn't fathom shouldering that kind of burden himself, and she had been doing it for well over a thousand years.

Celestia laughed. "At times. I have set up the government in such a way that I am little more than a guide. I believe in allowing my little ponies to figure things out for themselves."

Quicksilver grinned. "Like a teacher," he said.

"Or a mother," Celestia added, also smiling. "You should come to court sometime," she suggested. "You could see me 'in action,' so to speak."

"I'd love to. If Gilded Bracer lets me," he said, remembering that he was supposed to be training with the bat pony.

Celestia laughed. "You don't think he'd let you see your princess in action?" she asked playfully.

"Uh...I guess he probably would," he replied, now that he thought about it.

Quicksilver wished he could just stay with her all day. He loved being in her presence, feeling the warmth that seemed to radiate from her very being, but he knew Bracer would be looking for him soon. "I should get going. Gilded Bracer said he'd be coming for me before breakfast."

Celestia nodded her understanding. "Yes, I should be going, as well. I have an early meeting to get to." She approached him and lowered her head to nuzzle him. "Have a good day, Quicksilver. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Okay," he agreed, nuzzling her back, taking in her sweet scent as much as he could, so that he could carry her with him throughout the day.

With that, they parted.

Quicksilver went back to his room and took a quick, cold shower. He was still feeling the effects of his proximity to Celestia, and while he vaguely thought that she had done all of that on purpose, knowing how it would affect him, he was also glad she had, because at the very least, it had its intended effect of making him feel that much more comfortable with her. He flushed as he remembered his hooves touching her rump, and that scent he had smelled from her. He wasn't so naive as to really think that was just the herbal mixture.

He wished he had a little more time to himself as he showered quickly, expecting Bracer to knock on his door any minute. He was feeling a bit unfulfilled, and a little frustrated that he didn't have time to take care of it.

He was just drying his coat when the knock came. "Just a second!" he called, hastily tossing the towel over the rack and trotting out to his sitting room. He opened the door, seeing Bracer in his silver armor standing on the other side, regarding him with his usual dispassionate gaze.

"Come," he said.

Boy, would I like to, Silver thought, flushing a bit, but he complied, shaking a bit of moisture from his mane as he shut the door and followed the former guard.

Bracer walked silently, as he usually did, and Quicksilver noticed how even his hooves didn't make much of a sound, despite his silver shoes. He couldn't help but be a little creeped out by the bat pony, but maybe that was just an instinctive reaction to how different he was.

"Tell me what you've learned about military history," Bracer said as they made their way to the moon side of the castle.

His brain screeched to a halt and tried to turn over, but it was like an engine trying to start in the cold. "Well, uh, you didn't tell me what period I should start from, so I started from the Celestial year of peace, after the defeat of Nightmare Moon," he said nervously, his brain having had finnaly switched gears after a moment.

"Very well, the military, such as it is today, did not truly exist before Nightmare Moon's defeat," Bracer replied.

"Uh...why not?" asked Quicksilver.

By now, Bracer was getting used to Quicksilver's inquisitive nature, but he found the pegasus to be easily distracted, and teaching him was like trying to catch a bird. "The Royal Guard existed as a means to protect the princesses, but Equestria was a small kingdom, compared to how it is now.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took a much more hooves-on approach to defending their kingdom, and Equestria wasn't really large enough to be considered much of a threat to either the dragons, or the griffons, and the sea serpents who live along the coast were always peaceful and friendly toward us."

"Princess Luna?" asked Quicksilver. He remembered hearing about a Princess Luna mentioned briefly in history class.

"She and Princess Celestia ruled Equestria together, in harmony, before Nightmare Moon was defeated," explained Bracer. "Celestia was responsible for raising and lowering the sun, while Luna was responsible for the moon." Bracer was being vague on purpose, since he knew Celestia had likely not mentioned Luna to Quicksilver. He wondered if the consort would be bold enough to question her about it.

For his part, Quicksilver was thinking about what Bracer had said, his brain processing the facts. "So, wait a minute," he said, stopping in the middle of the hallway. Bracer came to a stop and looked back at him.

"Something doesn't add up here. You have Celestia," he said, holding up his right forehoof. "Then you have Luna." He held up the left forehoof. "And you have Nightmare Moon." He looked back and lifted one of his hind-legs, wobbling on the other one, and using his wings to keep himself balanced.

"Are you really counting on your hooves?" asked Bracer, regarding him disdainfully.

"Shut up! I'm overwhelmed here! Don't judge me," retorted Quicksilver. "So, Celestia, Luna, Nightmare Moon." He put his left foreleg and his hind-leg back on the ground, leaving his right forehoof."Celestia. What happened to Luna?" he asked.

Bracer rolled his eyes and deigned not to answer him. He started walking again, making Quicksilver hurry to catch up. "After the defeat of Nightmare Moon, it suddenly came to everypony's attention that there may be those that sought to overthrow Princess Celestia. That was why the EUP was formed," he continued.

"All of those facts just swim around in my head," Quicksilver said as they walked through the hallway that connected the sun side of the castle to the moon side. It's like an eclipse, he thought. "I'm not trying to be petulant, but why do I need to know this? I'm not really going to be a guard."

Bracer stopped so suddenly that Quicksilver ran into him and fell to his rump. "Maybe not in name, but if you want any respect from the members of the Royal Guard, you must become like them. You will be with the princess much of the time, and you must be able to protect her, or at least not be a liability if something were to come up," he said.

The pegasus got up, rubbing his rump. "I understand all that, but why do I need to know military history? Do I get cred with the guards if I know it, or what?" he asked.

Bracer gritted his teeth and ground out, "Princess Celestia herself says that knowing history is important, lest we be doomed to repeat it. The military as it exists now is there for two purposes." Bracer sounded frustrated as he said this.

"I'm about to get the condensed version, aren't I?" Quicksilver asked.

"Yes," snapped Bracer. "It may be the only way to cram it through your thick skull."

If this wasn't normal for Bracer, Quicksilver might have been hurt that the bat pony was, essentially calling him stupid. He just didn't understand the point of all of this, but he figured it had to be important, if Bracer was trying so hard to get him to understand.

"The military, such as it is, exists for two purposes," repeated Bracer. "The first is to protect our borders. It has not been necessary for our military forces to actually fight anyone in a very long time, but having them there shows that we cannot be easily invaded. The second purpose is protecting the princess. When Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon, everypony was spooked because they discovered that threats could come from within." Bracer said.

"From...within," Quicksilver repeated. He was more confused than ever. He knew there was some essential information here that Bracer wasn't telling him, especially when he didn't answer him about where Luna had gone.

Bracer started walking again, and Quicksilver hurried after him. "Study history," he advised. "It will help you with your job."

The bat pony led them out to a courtyard that was lush with dark green foliage. It was almost like a rainforest. The trees and vines grew so thick, they almost obscured the sun. All that could be seen of it was bright sunbeams that struggled through the thick foliage, but there was still quite a lot of open space.

"In days past, a guard had to always be prepared," Bracer said. "Pegasi guards often carried blades concealed in the feathers of their wings." He produced a bundle wrapped in cloth, and Quicksilver came closer to see as he began to unwrap it.

"Whoa," he said, as the blades Bracer was referring to were revealed. They were varying lengths, some as long as the long primary feathers of a pegasus's wing. They glinted in the sunlight, obviously still very sharp, and barely thicker than a feather.

"I may teach you how to use them, later. For now, we need to get your body honed," the bat pony said.

They did a brief warm-up, trotting around the courtyard to get the blood flowing, and flexing their wings. Quicksilver was still a little perturbed by the strangeness of Bracer's leathery bat wings, but even he had to admit, they had a certain grace.

To his surprise, Bracer did the exercises with him. Once their muscles were warm, they began to stretch, Twisting their torsos so their left wings touched their right hindhoof, and vice-versa. They did sit-ups, and while Quicksilver found Bracer's pace a little brisk, he did his best to keep up.

In between sets, they trotted around the courtyard, and Quicksilver could feel sweat dripping down his neck. It was no more than an hour past dawn, but the midsummer morning was warming quickly, and the thick foliage of the courtyard made it humid.

Bracer, despite himself, seemed a bit impressed with the way Quicksilver was keeping up.

"I might not have been fit enough to join the Wonderbolts," he told the former guard as they did wing ups, face-to-face, forehooves crossed behind their backs, hindlegs extended out behind them, so their wings were all that held them up, "but I had a pretty physically demanding job. I spent all day flying around Canterlot, and I needed speed and endurance."

"I see," Bracer said, his eyes narrowing as he watched as the pegasus's wings flexed under his body weight. The bat pony got to his hooves and went around to Quicksilver's side. He took a hoof and pressed down on Silver's back. The pegasus grunted, slowed a bit by the additional weight, but he took it in stride easily enough. "Alright then," Bracer said. He spread his own wings and flapped once, getting just high enough that he could settle on Silver's back. He kept his wings spread and flapping gently so he wasn't putting the whole of his body weight on Silver's back.

He could feel the perspiration on the pegasus's back and his muscles as they contracted beneath his hooves, and Silver grunted again. This time, his wings trembled a bit as they struggled to hold both his own and about half of Bracer's weight. To the bat pony's surprise, the pegasus kept going.

The additional weight was obviously difficult for him, and Quicksilver panted softly as sweat beaded on his brow, ran down his temple, and he watched it drip into the dirt beneath him.

"Not bad," Bracer said, putting a little more weight on the pegasus. To his surprise, Quicksilver didn't complain, and he didn't stop until his wings trembled and finally collapsed, sending both of them into the dirt.

Silver lay on the ground, panting and wheezing, his flanks heaving from the exertion. His wings felt like they were made of jelly.

"You're dismissed," Bracer said, leaving him there.

"What...did I ever...do...to him?" panted Quicksilver as Bracer departed. He felt like Bracer found his very existence offensive, and yet, he was the one who had volunteered to help him. "I don't get him," he decided.

Once he'd recovered enough, he stood and trotted around the courtyard to cool down, slowly decreasing his pace to a canter, then a walk as his body gradually cooled and his heart rate lowered. There was a little stream running through the courtyard, which he found by listening to the sound of the water. He took a little birdbath, using his wings to scoop up some water and sprinkle it over his head. He felt a bit nauseous, but that was probably due to the intensity of the exercise, and the fact that he hadn't eaten anything beforehoof, as Bracer had suggested he should.

Quicksilver had a much easier time finding his way to the sun side of the castle this time, as he had paid more attention when Bracer led him through before, even as they had been talking. He didn't have to wander around like he had yesterday, and he found the dining room easily enough.

When he got there, he found Celestia just getting started on her breakfast, three giant slices of French toast, scrambled eggs, and hay hash-browns. "How did your training with Gilded Bracer go?" she asked as he sat to her right at the table.

"I don't know," he confessed. "I'm not sure if he's doing it to pick on me, or if he really wants to help me. I have no idea what he thinks about me! Did he really volunteer to help me, or did you ask him to?" He pulled food his way without even paying attention to what he was taking. His stomach was rumbling hungrily, and everything looked good.

"No, he did volunteer," Celestia assured him as she poured maple syrup on her French toast. "To be honest, I do not know his intentions, either, but I believe he truly wishes to help you," she said, but Quicksilver noticed that she didn't quite meet his eyes as she said it, as though unsure herself.

"But I obviously frustrate him! I'm too chattery, and he thinks I'm a weakling. I talk too much, I ask too many questions, I'm too eager," he complained, pushing the small pitcher of syrup around the table with his hoof.

"And I find all of that to be very endearing," Celestia told him, using her magic to pluck the syrup pitcher from his grasp and replaced it with a bagel from a small platter in the middle of the table.

Silver rested his cheek on the table. "I don't even know why it bothers me so much," he said, apparently having not noticed what the princess had said, and lifting the bagel to his mouth and taking a bite. "I mean, I should just accept his help, and it's his own problem if he doesn't like me."

Celestia laughed. "You are a very friendly stallion, Quicksilver. Am I wrong to assume that it's always bothered you if you thought somepony didn't like you?"

"Well, yeah," he sighed. "I always try so hard to be nice to everypony. I guess...maybe I don't understand how somepony couldn't like me...or I'm afraid that they say things about me behind my back."

"Those may be valid fears, but why should it matter if somepony doesn't like you?" she asked gently, regarding him with her large pink eyes.

"Because I like everypony," he sighed.

"That is one of the things I like about you," she told him soothingly. "You are very loving."

"Like you," he said, lifting his head off the table so he could look at her.

"Yes," she said, a gentle smile on her muzzle. "I think, perhaps, Gilded Bracer may be jealous of you. He was like you, in some ways, when he was younger, but things have happened that have made him perhaps, a little jaded. He's lost some of the enthusiasm he once had. Perhaps that is why he both wants to help you, and why he finds you so frustrating."

"Hmm," Quicksilver said. His hooves were on the table, and he lowered his head so his chin rested between them, rather cutely. His stomach protested loudly, causing a sheepish grin to spread across his muzzle.

Celestia giggled, and piled eggs, hay hashed browns, oat sausage, and another bagel on his plate. She poured him some hay juice, since he seemed to like it so much, and tied a napkin around his neck, perhaps a little tighter than she meant to.

Quicksilver looked down at his plate, his eyes widening at all of the food that was suddenly in front of him. "Wow, that's a lot of food," he remarked, making Celestia laugh. She had given him a portion that was perhaps, better suited to a pony of her own stature, but she was concerned for him.

Satisfied with Celestia's answer about Bracer, his mind switched tracks. He started eating his breakfast, not paying attention to what he was shoving in his muzzle. "So, I was wondering something," he said, his words muffled, as his mouth was full.

Celestia laughed at his utter lack of decorum. "Yes?" she asked cheerfully.

"Am I getting paid for this?" He swallowed. " I mean, living in the castle is really enough for me, but it would be nice to have some spending money," he commented as he shoved more food in his muzzle. His eyes watered as he bit down on something spicy. "Agghh...hot!" he exclaimed, spitting the small, bright red chili back onto his plate.

Celestia giggled. "Garnish," she said innocently, a hint of amusement in her voice, and merriment twinkling in her eyes.

Quicksilver drank half of his hay juice, trying to cool the spice spreading across his tongue, but it only made it worse. Celestia, feeling sorry for him, added some sour cream to his eggs.

"Try this," she suggested.

Desperate for anything that would cool the fire spreading through his mouth, Quicksilver licked the sour cream, his ears drooping as the spice gradually receded.

"I apologize," Celestia giggled, not sounding entirely apologetic. "I didn't realize how spicy that little pepper was."

"It's okay," Quicksilver said, drinking the rest of his hay juice. "I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to spicy food."

"Me too," confessed the princess.

Silver's ears perked. "You are? But you're...you're the sun! How could you not like spicy food?" he asked, shocked.

She giggled. "I just have no taste for it," she said. "Don't tell anypony my secret," she said with a wink.

"Your secret's safe with me," promised Quicksilver solemnly. The effect was ruined by the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"To answer your question, though," she said as Quicksilver resumed eating, this time, paying more attention, in case there were more peppers among his breakfast. "You will be paid 500 bits per week," she told him cheerfully.

Quicksilver nearly choked on the hay juice he'd been drinking. "500 bits per week?" he repeated. "That's more than double what I made at EPS!"

"What you do for me is very important," she told him. "You deserve to be well-compensated, as what I ask of you is not easy."

He looked at her wide-eyed. "That's still a lot. I mean...I don't really need much."

"I insist," Celestia said firmly.

"Okay," he said slowly, not really wanting to argue the point with her. He wondered if he was technically a government employee, if his pay would show up under 'Royal Messenger,' and other such inane thoughts as he resumed eating. He knew he shouldn't eat so much. His stomach was already getting full, but the food was so delicious, and he couldn't stand the thought of wasting any of it, even though he knew he couldn't possibly eat it all.

Celestia had left the dining room when her secretary came for her. "Meet me in the courtyard before sunset," she said as Quicksilver watched her go, chewing on his oat sausage thoughtfully.

"Okay," he agreed distractedly. He yelped when she nipped his ear as she departed.

"Someone's feeling amorous today, Your Majesty," Celestia's secretary commented as they departed together.

The princess giggled. "Yes, in fact, I'd like some champaign and chocolate-covered strawberries delivered to the garden gazebo by sunset."

"Of course, Your Highness," the secretary giggled. The feeling was quite contageous, especially because it had been so long since anypony had seen their princess like this.

Quicksilver's ears perked as he heard this, his eyes widening from the implication. He ducked his head, thinking he might need another cold shower.

In her absence, it was like the room got dimmer, as though clouds passed over the sun. He grew a little melancholy, his thoughts darkening a bit, straying back to something that had been bothering him.

She's heard all about my problems, he thought, but she still hasn't told me any of hers. I'm supposed to be supporting her, not the other way around.

He thought about all of the conversations he'd had with Celestia already. The only one where she'd even gotten close to telling him anything was their talk in the garden on his first night at the castle, and this morning while he attended her, but she had stopped that conversation pretty quickly.

He pushed his plate away and rested his chin on the table, thinking. Bracer had said she must have already trusted him to some degree, since she chose him as her consort, but she still wore that mask of perfection with him. She never told him what she was thinking, or how she was feeling about...anything. "There has to be some way I can get her to talk to me," he said to himself, not even noticing when a unicorn butler came in and cleared all of the food and dirty dishes. "But...how?" he wondered aloud.

He thought of Bracer's suggestion that he study history. That would certainly tell him a bit about Celestia's past. Quite a lot of Equestria's history was centered around her.

"Arggh! I can't think in here!" he exclaimed. He got up and decided that maybe he should go for a walk. He had plenty of time until he was supposed to meet Celestia at sunset, so he should be able to think of something between now and then, right?

He trotted out of the dining hall, forgetting to pay attention to the guards, but nopony accosted him or even bothered him as he headed through the castle. He decided he didn't want to go through the front gate, but he stopped at his room and grabbed his messenger bag. That way, he reasoned, it looked like he was out, doing his job.

Quicksilver had left the castle through the Moon Gate. He figured he wasn't going anyplace in particular, anyway, but he found it easy enough to reach the main thoroughfare from where he ended up.

I never realized how crowded Canterlot could be, he thought, as he joined the throng of ponies going about their business, and avoided being hit by a cab that was passing by. The earth pony pulling it shook his hoof at him and shouted, "Watch it!"

He wandered about, just taking things in and thinking. He thought it seemed like one of the things that seemed to be weighing heavily on the princess was the rift that apparently existed between her and her sister. She was kind of vague about that whole topic, he thought. She said her sister was gone, but she didn't say where, and she said herself that few knew she even had a sister, he thought. But what happened to cause this rift? Are they fighting? What are they fighting about? How long has Celestia's sister been away? He groaned.

Even as he was thinking, Quicksilver was paying attention to his surroundings. He didn't want to crash into anypony, or get hit by any cabs. That's how he spotted her. She was a lovely unicorn mare, tall, slender, with a white and pink mane and tail. She had lovely lavender-colored eyes, and a pure white coat. She looked like she could be Celestia's...sister, he thought with dawning realization. That had to be her! There was such a strong family resemblance.

What should I do? his brain screamed. Surely, Celestia would know if her own sister was in Canterlot, he reasoned. Then again, I wouldn't know if my own sister was in Canterlot, he thought. Not if she never...told me! That had to be it! Celestia's sister was right here, in Canterlot, but she never told her! All they had to do was be brought together so this rift could be healed!

"Hey!" he exclaimed, galloping over to her. The mare's eyes widened as he ran over to her, and she took a surprised step back. "I know you don't know me, but you need to know that your sister loves you very much, and whatever happened between you, it can be healed!"

"Excuse moi?" said the shocked unicorn mare. "I do not know what you are talking about. I do not have a sister," she said in a heavy Fancy accent.

"Yes, you do!" Quicksilver insisted. "She misses you very much! She's at the castle, waiting for you!"

"Who are you?" demanded the mare. "I am an only child!"

"I'm a friend. All I want is to help," said the pegasus earnestly.

"I say, what is all of this commotion?" A large unicorn stallion, who had just appeared out of nowhere, for all Quicksilver knew, demanded.

"Fancy! This stallion is crazy! He keeps insisting I have a sister!" the mare exclaimed, seeming relieved at the intervention of the stallion, who regarded Quicksilver with monocled blue eyes. He wore a fancy suit, and his blue mane was done very neatly. He had a small mustache.

"Fleur doesn't have a sister," the stallion, who Fleur called Fancy said bemusedly. "You must have her confused with somepony else."

"B--but she--she ah...looks so much like...ah--somepony I know," Quicksilver stammered lamely.

"I assure you, Fleur is an only child," Fancy said. "I should know, I'm her husband." He took his monocle off with his blue-tinted magic and polished it on his jacket.

Quicksilver, realizing he'd made a huge mistake, was beside himself with embarrassment. "I--I'm so sorry," he stammered. "I--I'll just go."

"Yes, you do that, before we call the guards," Fleur said, sticking her snout in the air and sniffing, even as she hid behind Fancy.

Quicksilver turned tail and ran, almost getting flattened by a cab in the process. He didn't even look back as the driver planted his hooves in the ground to stop it, and he didn't even hear the shouts of the driver or the occupants. He'd never been so mortified in his entire life.

That's why you don't jump to conclusions, stupid! he scolded himself. Sherclop Holmes would have known that wasn't Celestia's sister. She wasn't even an alicorn! Does that even run in the family? He wasn't even paying attention to where he was running. His face, from the tips of his ears to his neck, was burning with hot embarrassment.

He finally stopped when he found himself in a park. This time of day, it was abandoned. He allowed himself to catch his breath and sat in the grass, hot tears of embarrassment stinging his eyes. All I wanted was to help, he thought, hanging his head. All I want is to be a good consort, but how can I, if she won't even let me in? He felt a tear slide down his cheek and watched as it dripped to the grass beneath him.

Ever since he agreed to be Celestia's consort, his whole life had been turned on its ear. His old life wasn't much, but it wasn't complicated, either. He'd had a job that maybe he didn't love, but he was good at, at least one reliable friend, a place to live...he might have been lonely, and at the rate he was going, he would have never had a marefriend. "Who needs a marefriend?" he asked. "Mares are complicated. They never say what they think. Lightning always said what he meant and meant what he said. Who knows what's going through a regular mare's head, let alone hers!"

Celestia always seemed happy, or at the very least, content, but he had seen another side of her that night in the garden. She had looked so sad, like all the weight she carried would break her one day.

"Maybe I should just tell Celestia I can't do this, and go back to my old life," he said, looking down at the green grass between his steel gray hooves. He didn't know how he'd ever thought he could do this. Between Bracer getting on his case all the time, and Celestia not allowing him to do his job, he thought he might be better off just going back to being a courier.

He couldn't help but think of the last three days, though. He had been sick of his life as a courier, and he hadn't even realized it until he was given another opportunity.

Dealing with Bracer could be difficult, but he felt like he was meant to be a part of the bat pony's life; and Celestia...He thought about sleeping beside her last night, about the time they'd spent together, about attending her this morning. It had only been three days. Consort or not, she wasn't just going to spill all of her life's biggest regrets on him right away. He'd have to be patient. She obviously had many burdens.

He looked up at the grass surrounding him. He could see how it shone in the sunlight as the wind blew through it, and saw very distinctly, a rainbow in the way the light reflected from the thousands of blades. Maybe it was the dew, still clinging to the grass from the early morning, reflecting in the sun, or maybe it was some kind of trick of the light, but he felt his heart lift, somehow.

Quicksilver scrubbed his tears away with his forehooves. "Buck up," he told himself. "The things you deal with every day is nowhere near as tough as what she deals with, and she does it with a smile on her face! You've only known her three days. You're still getting to know her, and she's still getting to know you. She'll talk to you, when she's ready."

The consort took a deep, steadying breath. "It might be hard, but you agreed to this. She asked you for your help. You might not know why, but she chose you, Buddy. You can't just turn your back on her."

He stood up and looked into the bright blue sky, now feeling the sun's warmth on his back once again. He spread his wings, stretching them out to the sky. "I can do anything I put my mind to," he assured himself. "Maybe Celestia was right. Maybe it wasn't my destiny to be a Wonderbolt. I don't know if it's necessarily my destiny to be a consort either, but my life led me to this. I need to trust in myself."

He flapped his wings once, powerfully, so it all but flattened the patch of grass he'd been standing on, and he was airborne. He rose high into the sky, basking in the warmth of Celestia's sun and the coolness of the breeze through his mane. He whooped as he flapped his wings to build up speed, flying straight through a small, solitary cloud, grinning as drops of moisture beaded on his face and he flapped them in a spray from his wings.

He climbed higher, higher, until the air was cool, and a little thin, and the world was small and indistinct beneath him. Canterlot was little more than a smudge. He thought of all those ponies, just going about their lives. Fancy and Fluer would probably forget about him. It really wouldn't matter that he'd so thoroughly embarrassed himself.

The gray pegasus pulled his goggles out of his messenger bag and affixed them over his eyes. He angled himself downward, and he snapped his wings closed. He began to fall, picking up speed rapidly. "Yeah!" he shouted, his voice lost to the wind. He watched his descent carefully, and just at the right moment, he opened his wings, gliding through the air until he skimmed just inches over the ground. He could almost feel the tips of the tall blades of grass grazing the fur of his belly.

He eventually slowed and came to a landing, finding himself outside Canterlot. "Woo!" he exclaimed, invigorated by the freefall.

He shook his mane and ruffled his wings as he closed them, and flopped down on the grass. He rested his cheek on his forelegs. "My life isn't simple anymore," he said, plucking a blade of sweet grass with his teeth. "But it'll be more rewarding, if I stick with it." With that, he closed his eyes and dozed in a field of grass, the breeze blowing over him, the sun enveloping him in its blanket of warmth.

Quicksilver woke, his head raising from his forelegs as he checked the position of the sun in the sky. He didn't know how long he had napped, maybe a couple hours, but it was only early afternoon. He made a lunch of the grass he was laying in, savoring its warm sweetness, and found a small brook to drink from.

"I'd better get back to the castle," he told himself, taking off. It seemed the weather team brought in a few clouds while he was sleeping, but they were fluffy and white, and there weren't too many of them. In fact, it seemed somepony had considerately put a cloud over him to keep him from getting toasted in the sun.

He flew at a more gentle pace, still coming down from the adrenaline rush from his dive.

He landed just outside the no fly zone, nodding to a guard patrol as he entered. They returned his greeting, and Quicksilver could have sworn one of them winked at him. Strongbow! he realized. He grinned back at the white, blue-eyed pegasus guard.

The consort decided to walk back to the castle, since it wasn't too late yet. Maybe he had gone about the whole sister thing the wrong way. He remembered his talk with Bracer, and how the bat pony mentioned that Celestia had ruled alongside a princess named Luna. He facehoofed inwardly. Luna must have been the sister. He knew Celestia meant "sun" and Luna meant "moon." Was it such a stretch of the imagination to think that the sun and moon could be sisters?

I should have gone straight to the library, he realized as he trotted down the cobbled street. He was passing some shops that mostly specialized in baubles and trinkets, and something caught his eye.

He trotted over to a display and saw what it was. "Wow," he breathed. It was a beautiful crystal sun brooch. He imagined Celestia must have had thousands of trinkets like these, but the way the light hit it and made it sparkle so brilliantly reminded him of her. It even resembled her cutie mark a little, but it wasn't.

He went inside, noting that the shop was "Sun Salutations." Huh, that's a coincidence, he thought.

He asked the shopkeeper how much the brooch cost.

"200 bits," he replied.

"200 bits!" he exclaimed. That was a week's pay at his old job. He went into his messenger bag and found the bag with his money. He still had last week's pay. "I'll take it," he declared, tossing the bag onto the counter. Now that he made so much, and it was all expendable income, it wasn't like he needed to hoard his bits.

The shopkeeper weighed it, and nodded. "It's yours," he said, taking the brooch from the display and wrapping it carefully for him in tissue paper, and boxing it.

"Could you wrap it?" Silver asked. "It's a gift for somepony."

"Certainly," replied the shopkeeper, an older blue stallion with glasses perched over his muzzle. He wrapped the box in brown paper, and tied it neatly with a bit of twine.

"Thanks!" Silver exclaimed. He carefully grabbed the small package by the string with his teeth and tucked it carefully in his messenger bag.

"You're welcome. Have a pleasant afternoon," the shopkeeper replied.

"You too!" Quicksilver said as he left the little shop, not noticing the shopkeeper putting a brooch just like the one he'd just purchased in the display, and trotting toward the castle.

As he approached, Quiksilver saw a huge group of Neighponese tourists gathered around, all taking pictures of the magnificent structure, chattering furiously to one another. He trotted across the drawbridge, shaking his head and grinning. Tourists, he thought as the guards on the other side let him in.

He found his way to the library easily enough, and as he headed to the history section, he saw a familiar lavender unicorn. He trotted over to her and said, "Hey, Twilight."

She looked up from the huge book she was reading, startled. "Oh, hello, Quicksilver," she greeted.

"You must spend a lot of time here," he observed.

"Oh, yes," the lavender mare replied. "I have some homework from the princess that I'm working on," she said distractedly. "Actually, I was wondering something. You told me yesterday that you're the royal messenger, but I did some research, and Princess Celestia hasn't had a royal messenger in over a millennia. She sends her messages by phoenix fire," she said matter-of-factly.

"Uhhh, that's right," he hedged, wondering if Celestia had counted on her protege going to such trouble. He didn't even know what he was going to tell her. He couldn't just tell her the truth.

Twilight saw his messenger bag slung about his barrel. Her eyes went from his bag back to his face. "Oh! Were you out on a delivery?" she asked.

"Yeah. Uh...Princess Celestia decided that there were some things that required a um...more personal touch. You know, a message can be more meaningful if it's delivered by hoof," Silver said, making things up as he went along.

"Hmm. That makes sense, I guess," she said a little suspiciously, raising a hoof to her chin in thought. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked, apparently deciding that he had answered her well enough, for the time being.

"Well, uh...I was actually interested in learning more about Equestrian history before the Celestial era of peace," he said.

"Oh? Is this a personal interest?" Twilight asked.

"Well, yeah, it doesn't have too much to do with my job as royal messenger," he said, rubbing the back of his head with a forehoof. "It just uh...seems like nopony really talks about what it was like before Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon."

"That's true," agreed Twilight. "But that was almost one thousand years ago. Nopony but serious historians really think of that particular period as being relevant."

"But we still talk about the founding of Equestria and the defeat of Discord," protested Quicksilver. "And all of that happened before Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon. Why is Discord a historical figure, and Nightmare Moon is nothing more than an old mare's tail?"

"That's actually a good question," Twilight said thoughtfully. "This year's Summer Sun Celebration will commemorate the thousandth year since Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon. It's actually surprising that nopony is making much of a big deal about it," she pointed out.

Quicksilver nodded eagerly.

"Maybe we could find something to explain this," Twilight said, closing the huge tome she had been perusing.

Twilight and Quicksilver spent quite some time looking for anything useful. "I can't believe there doesn't seem to be much of anything that talks about Nightmare Moon, aside from mentioning that Princess Celestia defeated her," sighed Twilight. The two of them were surrounded by an impressive stack of books they had flipped through and discarded.

"Do you think Princess Celestia doesn't want anypony to know what really happened?" asked Quicksilver, sitting on his haunches.

"How could you even suggest that?" demanded Twilight. "Princess Celestia values knowledge, and she's the one who told me that learning history was important, or it would be doomed to be repeated!"

"Shh!" urged Quicksilver, looking around anxiously, as though expecting a librarian to jump out from behind a bookshelf and scold them. He was surprised though, at how Twilight had said the exact same thing Bracer said this morning. "There's got to be something here," he said to placate her.

They looked a while longer, until Twilight came up with a book titled A Brief History of Equestria. "This might have something useful," she said, flipping it open.

It turned out, a brief history of Equestria was a very brief history. It basically summarized all of the major events in Equestrian history.

"Here, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeat Discord," Twilight said thoughtfully, her hoof pointing out the passage, complete with an illustration of the two alicorns firing a brilliant beam of rainbow light at the god of Chaos. She flipped the page, which showed an illustration of Celestia and Luna being crowned the rulers of Equestria.

"Wait, what happened between the coronation and Nightmare Moon's defeat?" Twilight asked, pointing out that there was at least a decade-long gap in the narrative.

"That's not important to me," pointed out Quicksilver. He pointed to an illustration of Celestia with a tiara that was different than the one she usually wore blasting the same rainbow magic she and Luna had used on Discord at Nightmare Moon. The tiara seemed to have a star-shaped gem on top of it. "Flip the page," he said.

Twilight, with a look of trepidation, did as Quicksilver asked. Celestia stood alone with her usual regalia, the sun and the moon behind her. "That doesn't tell me any more than I already know!" he exclaimed in frustration.

Twilight looked back at him, her eyebrows arched over her amethyst eyes in confusion. "What are you trying to find out?" she asked.

Quicksilver debated about whether or not to answer her. He was already displaying far too personal an interest in this, and he didn't want Twilight getting any more suspicious than she already was. She had already shown that she doubted his story that he was really the royal messenger.

"I'm just interested in the whole legend of Nightmare Moon," he said. "I can't seem to find it anywhere. We have two holidays centered around her; the Summer Sun Celebration, which celebrates her defeat, and Nightmare Night."

"Pfft. Nightmare Night isn't anything more than a children's holiday," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but holidays usually have something that they commemorate in history. Everypony knows that the Hearth's Warming pageant isn't how Equestria was really founded, but it commemorates the actual event," he pointed out.

"That's true," Twilight said, raising a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "But why are you so interested in Nightmare Moon?" she asked.

"I just want to know how the legend came about," he told her. "I never realized that the Royal Canterlot Library was open to the public, so when I came here yesterday, I got to thinking that if anyplace had a truly accurate historical representation of the legend of Nightmare Moon, the Royal Canterlot Library would."

"That's what you would think," Twilight said, using her magic to pick up all the other books they had sifted through and return them to their proper places. Quicksilver was relieved that she had, because he thought if the librarian had to re-shelf all of those books, she'd probably have a fit. "Is it okay if I take this?" she asked, holding out the last book they found.

"Yeah, it pretty much just says what I already know," he replied.

"Thanks. It's getting late, so I'd better go," she said, looking up at the windows just barely visible over the towering bookshelves.

"Yeah, I've got to be going too," Quicksilver said. "Thanks for your help, Twilight. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime," Twilight said. They went to the end of the aisle together, Twilight levitating the book in front of her with her magenta magic.

The two of them parted ways there, Twilight trotting off, and Quicksilver walking more slowly in thoughtful contemplation. He knew Twilight was right, it was absurd to think that Celestia had intentionally suppressed the real story of Nightmare Moon, but it was the only explanation he could think of.

He glanced out the window, seeing that it was getting close to sunset. He wanted to go freshen up before he met Celestia out in the courtyard tonight, so he headed back to his room.

Celestia was seated at her desk in her study. She had adjourned court a little earlier than she had anticipated, because she found herself distracted today, and it wasn't fair to her supplicants and petitioners to not give them her full attention. She was drinking some calming lavender tea with lemon peel when the door to her study flew open. Her eyes widened in shock as Twilight Sparkle marched in.

"Are you keeping me out of the loop?" she demanded, floating a book under her teacher's muzzle. It was open to the pages that showed Celestia and her sister's coronation and her defeat of Nightmare Moon.

"Excuse me?" Celestia asked, startled.

"Nightmare Moon!"

Celestia's eyes watered suddenly. Distracted by Twilight's declaration, she had just taken a rather large sip of tea. Caught off-guard, she swallowed it in one searing gulp that burned her throat. "What?" she rasped.

"How come your Royal Messenger is so interested in ancient pony history, and you haven't even assigned me to look into it?" she demanded.

Celestia arched an eyebrow at her best student. "I haven't assigned my Royal Messenger, or my protege to look into it," she pointed out. "As there's nothing to look into," she said with a tone of finality.

Twilight's eyes widened and she flopped to her haunches. "But he was in the library this afternoon. He was looking for books about Nightmare Moon. Why would he be so interested in history, if it wasn't from you? He said it was a personal interest, but for some reason, I don't think he was telling whole the truth," she said.

Celestia took the book from Twilight in her magical grasp, looking at the pages. "I don't know why Quicksilver would be so interested in Nightmare Moon," she said, trying to modulate her voice, but Twilight thought she sounded kind of strained. "Twilight, thank you for telling me about this," she said, returning the book to her student.

Twilight knew by the tone of her voice that the conversation was over. Her ears flicked back, and she felt deflated. All of the passion fled from her at the abruptness of it, and she wondered if she had crossed some sort of line, without realizing it. It was unusual for Celestia to ever not answer one of Twilight's questions, but she got the distinct feeling she shouldn't press her about this.

Twilight took the book. "It is the one thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration," she pointed out, feeling as though she had sort of thrown Quicksilver under the wagon.

"It is," agreed Celestia, but her tone of voice didn't tell Twilight anything.

"I guess...I'll go now," Twilight said hesitantly, cowed by the change in her mentor's demeanor, but not yet deterred from looking into this on her own.

Celestia saw the determination lingering in her protege's eyes. "Yes. Alright. I'll see you tomorrow," Celestia said, a bit of her usual warmth returning to her voice. "Speaking of which, since you seem to not be feeling challenged enough, I'll have some assignments for you then."

Twilight brightened up and blushed a little, and instead of detecting the subtleness of Celestia's "punishment," she felt as though she was being recognized for her eagerness to learn. "Okay! I can't wait! See you tomorrow!"

She had played straight into Celestia's hooves, and with any luck, she would be too distracted to look into this further, at least, not until Celestia was ready for her to. This would have to be addressed, of course, but she had anticipated having a little more time to prepare.

Although she was smiling, her heart felt heavy, knowing this would be one of the last times she would see her protege like this, unburdened by the responsibilities that she would soon be placing upon her. She thought with relief of the book she had placed in her desk drawer that very day, and that Twilight hadn't found that one yet.

She would have to have a talk with Gilded Bracer and Quicksilver later.

The lavender unicorn left Celestia's office, and turned to trot back to her observatory. Unheard by her was the heavy sigh in her wake. Something had just happened, but she didn't know what. She looked at the book in her grasp. "Nightmare Moon and the Summer Sun Celebration," she said to herself.

Quicksilver returned to his room and took a quick shower, taking a little longer under the cold water. He thought of everything that had happened today. "Bracer was trying to tell me something with his little military history lecture," he said to himself as he allowed the cold water to wash over his head. He spread his wings a bit, ruffling them as the water hit them. "There was Celestia, Luna, and Nightmare Moon, but somehow, Luna disappeared after Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon." He thought a moment, and his eyes widened. "Is it possible that Luna was Nightmare Moon? Luna was the princess responsible for the moon." All of the hints flashed in his mind, storybook style, and he groaned, only partially because he had gotten some stray soap in his eye.

"I can't believe I didn't see this sooner!" he exclaimed, rinsing the soap out of his eye. "If her own sister was Nightmare Moon," Silver breathed, "It's no wonder Celestia wouldn't want anypony to know what really happened."

He got out of the shower and flapped his wings a few times to shake the water from them, then dried himself. He made sure his mane was neat, and put on a little cologne. That was the only explanation that made sense, he decided.

He left his room and trotted out to the courtyard, holding his package by the string in his mouth, his ears perked excitedly.

He found Celestia wandering near a hedge. She had taken off her golden shoes, and was walking bare-hoofed in the soft summer grass. She had been feeling particularly burdened since her impromptu meeting with Twilight Sparkle, and wanted to feel more free.

She looked up, her brows furrowed at first, as though she had been deep in thought, but as he approached, and she noticed his cheerful demeanor, her expression softened, and she smiled. "Hello, Quicksilver," she said. She couldn't punish him for his nature, when she was certain Gilded Bracer had intstigated his impromptu investigation, the likes of which had even inspired the ever-studious Twilight Sparkle to join in.

"Hello," he greeted, keeping his teeth clamped on the string. "I got you something," he said, laying it at her hooves so he could talk.

"Oh? A gift?" she asked, surprised and delighted, picking it up with her magic. "Should I open it?" she asked, tilting the box a bit as though wondering what it contained.

"Yes," replied Quicksilver eagerly. He felt almost like he had as a colt when he gave his favorite teacher a gift. He watched in anticipation as her magic untied the string and very carefully unwrapped the box. "I hope you don't already have a hundred like it," he said sheepishly as she lifted the lid.

"Oh, Quicksilver, it's beautiful," she breathed as she levitated it out of the box. The brooch caught the rays of the setting sun, scattering rainbow-colored sparkles over the grass.

"I saw it when I was out in town today, and it reminded me of you," he said.

"It's very lovely," Celestia said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, just near his ear, making it flick and sending a shiver through his entire body.

"You're welcome," he said, his face flushing in pleasure as Celestia carefully tucked the brooch back into the box and closed the lid. She tucked it very carefully beneath her wing, and it was immediately swallowed in her fluffy down.

"Walk with me?" she asked.

"Of course," Quicksilver replied.

As they walked, she felt like she had been a little brash, telling her servants not to bother with the champaign and her plans at the gazebo, but her conversation with Twilight earlier had shaken her and weighed heavily on her mind. It brought everything with Luna and Nightmare Moon to the forefront. She had her plans in place, and she knew it was happening, but she had been putting it off. What Twilight had said earlier made her realize that the time was drawing steadily nearer, and she didn't want to let her student go just yet. She was also afraid of what might happen if things didn't go as she had planned.

The sun lowered until it was resting just at the horizon, like the moon had when it was waiting for Celestia to lower it. Her horn flared and it began sinking behind the rooftops of Canterlot. The clouds in the sky were painted in red and orange, the sky alight in pink and purple.

"That's just as amazing as when you raise the sun," he told her.

She smiled warmly, his presence drawing her back to the here and now. "There's no particular ceremony to it," she explained. "I don't even have to raise the sun from my balcony, though I prefer to."

"What does it feel like?" he asked.

"I'm not sure that I could explain it," admitted Celestia thoughtfully. "The sun is a part of my being. I can feel it when it's time for me to raise or set it. It 'tugs' at me. The sun is patient, wise, and warm. It always goes where I tell it to, and it never resists me. The moon can sometimes be a little more like a child. When I lower it before dawn, it's like I'm putting it to bed, and it's tired and willing, but when I raise it at night, it's excited and free-spirited," she said with a laugh.

"I never thought celestial bodies could have a personality like that," chuckled Quicksilver.

"I think I sort of give them a personality to make them more relateable," she said. "It's sort of a feeling, or an impression. Like I said, it's hard to explain," she told him.

"That makes sense," he said, though he didn't fully understand it. That was something he supposed you really had to feel for yourself to understand fully. The sky was darker, now that the sun had set.

Celestia turned her head toward the East and her horn flared again. Very slowly, the pale yellow orb of the moon ascended.

"I went out into town today," he said once they resumed walking. "I had been thinking of our conversation on my first night here...about your sister," he said, drawing a look from her, and her ear flicked back a bit, warily. "I saw this unicorn pony that I thought looked like you...and I wanted to help so badly...I kind of embarrassed myself."

"You mean Fleur-de-lis?" Celestia asked, sounding both amused and mortified.

Quicksilver nodded, blushing furiously at the memory. "I told her her sister missed her, and she should come back," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. As much as he had told himself Fleur and Fancy would probably forget him soon, he was still deeply embarrassed when he thought about it, so much so, that his chest felt tight.

"Oh, no," breathed Celestia.

"Yeah, her husband came over and they insisted she was an only child, and I realized I'd made a terrible mistake," he said. "I was so embarrassed...I kind of thought about quitting."

Celestia's eye twitched as she thought, What a horrible day. Maybe I should have kept the champaign.

Silver felt something warm against his back, and, not realizing he'd been looking down at his hooves the whole time he was telling her this, he looked up to see that Celestia had brushed his back with her wingtips before draping the magestic, feathery appendage over him.

"You thought about it?" she asked gently.

"Yeah," he said, his eyes meeting hers. "I want to help you...that's my job, right? I've told you my troubles, but you haven't told me yours...and I realize we've really only just met, but it's my job to help you bear your burdens, right?"

"Yes," she said softly, her voice aounding a little pained.

"I know trust comes with time. Bracer told me that when we talked yesterday. But the thing with your sister...you seemed so sad. I decided I couldn't just abandon you. You chose me for a reason, and I know that when you're ready to talk to me, you will," he said.

"Perhaps I do need a little push," she admitted. "I've grown so used to not telling anypony about my problems, that it's become something that is...difficult for me.

"I know, but..." He straightened. "You don't need to be alone anymore, Celestia. I know you barely know me, but you chose me because you knew I would listen to you...that I wouldn't judge you, and I never will! I might not know you well, but I'll always be loyal to you, and I'll never leave you, no matter what," he said earnestly.

She bent her head to his level so she could nuzzle him. "That's a big promise," she told him, the weight of the years in her voice. "I've done things...that are truly terrible, that I am deeply ashamed of. It's hard for me to believe that if I told you about them, you wouldn't judge me."

"I can't judge you," Quicksilver told her. "I talked to Shining Armor last night, when he brought me back to the castle. He told me that he's seen how you've sacrificed for the good of your kingdom. Anything you've done, I know you've had to have a reason for, and you may not have liked it, or wanted to do it, but you would have done it for the sake of your ponies."

"That is true," she conceded with a bow of her head.

She looked up and locked eyes with her consort. "Twilight Sparkle came to me this afternoon. She told me you had taken a sudden interest in Nightmare Moon."

Quicksilver nearly stopped in his tracks, so surprised was he that Twilight would have told Celestia he'd been poking around in the library. I should have been more careful around her, he thought, but he hadn't expected her to go galloping straight to Celestia about it.

"Who told you about Nightmare Moon?" she asked gently, not sounding angry.

"Gilded Bracer," he admitted, ducking his head a bit, his ears back. He felt a bit like he was tattling, and he was almost positive the bat pony was going to find out about it, that he was going to pay for saying something.

"I had a feeling it might have been him," she sighed.

"He was having me study military history...as part of my training," he explained hastily. "I've always known that you defeated Nightmare Moon, but that was a thousand years ago...so most ponies think of her as an old mare's tail...a boogeyman to scare their children with, but he mentioned that before you defeated Nightmare Moon, you ruled with Princess Luna."

"Yes," she confirmed, but she waited for him to go on.

"Well, I'm a little slow sometimes, so it took me a while to realize...that Luna was Nightmare Moon...and Luna was your sister," he concluded.

Celestia stopped and hung her head. "Yes. It's all true," she said, her voice sounding heavy with remorse. "I haven't even told Twilight about Luna. It is my greatest regret...both that she became Nightmare Moon...due to my own actions, and that I was forced to banish her."

"You banished her?" he asked.

Celestia nodded. "I wielded the Elements of Harmony...the greatest weapon Equestria has, against my own sister, who helped me use them to defeat Discord. The power of the Elements sent Nightmare Moon to the moon...and there, you can see her, even today," she said, turning her head and glancing up at the moon with its unicorn head over her shoulder.

"The mare in the moon," he said, following with his eyes to the pale yellow orb hanging pregnant in the early evening sky.

"Yes. I have spent the last thousand years trying to figure out how to end my sister's imprisonment," she said. "Soon, my plans will either succeed, or they will fail. It has caused me excitement, and a great deal of trepidation."

"You bear it well," commented Quicksilver softly. "I wouldn't have even known if you hadn't told me."

Celestia gave him an ironic smile. "When one has ruled as long as I have, one learns to school her features, to maintain composure, no matter how one feels inside," she said. "It seems, lately, there have been chinks in my armor. I am afraid I gave Twilight quite a fright this afternoon."

"But that's what I'm here for, right?" he asked.

"You really think no less of me, knowing I banished my own sister? That I may have had a part in her transformation?"

"I can't judge you for things I can't hope to understand, and I have a feeling it would take a long time for you to tell me the whole story," he said. "Nightmare Moon threatened your kingdom, your subjects, and you had to banish her to stop the threat. That's the way I understand it."

"Perhaps I was right to choose you," she said, embracing him, neck to neck. He stretched his head up to nuzzle her jaw.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you," he told her softly.

With that, the two of them headed to dinner, leaning against one another.

Celestia had returned to her study after she and Quicksilver parted for the evening, her plans thwarted.

She sighed and eyed the crystal decanter resting in its place on a bookshelf near her desk, thinking of its precious contents, then shook her head. No, she needed a clear head tonight. She still had thinking to do.

She was truly touched by the gift her consort had brought her, especially since tonight, it was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the dark clouds.

He was right to assume that many ponies gave her gifts in order to win her favor, but they were often extravagant and expensive, and despite being the ruler of a kingdom, that wasn't the sort of thing she valued.

She retrieved the little box from beneath her wing, smiling as she opened it to look at the glittering brooch within. She valued Quicksilver's gift far more because of his thoughtfulness, because he had gotten it because it had made him think of her.

She placed the box open upon her desk, nestled against the lid in such a way that it was propped up, catching the light of the embers dying in the hearth.

She was ready to call it a night, but she still had to speak with Gilded Bracer. Better to get it over with now than to put it off, she had decided.

She looked up when she heard a knock on the door, after which it opened, and the bat pony himself entered her study.
"You summoned me?" he said with a perfunctory bow. He had been in her service long enough that he knew she disliked such formalities, but he still felt as though he should afford her the respect her office demanded.

"Yes, I did," she replied. "Please, come in."

Bracer, who had stopped just within her doorway, entered the room when Celestia beckoned him, stopping before her desk.

Celestia regarded him thoughtfully and he felt the ripple of her magic as she cast the soundproofing spell. Right then and there, he knew they weren't about to have a pleasant chat and catch up over tea.

He had changed so much from the stallion she had known. She had known him since he was barely more than a colt. "I heard you've given my consort a history assignment," she said without preamble, knowing Gilded Bracer preferred to get straight to the point.

"I did," replied the bat pony.

"What are you up to?" she asked him. "What are your motives?"

If Bracer was surprised by this line of questioning, or her bluntness, he gave no indication. "I simply wish to put him in a better position," he replied evasively.

"Whatever for?"

"To serve you, of course."

Celestia sighed. "You have been gone a very long time, my friend. Much has changed during your absence."

"I know," he said, bristling a bit at her comment. "I've been spending a fair amount of time in the library myself. It's quite fascinating. Ruling, as always, suits you well."

"That is beside the point."

"Your Highness, as always, I serve the crown. The things I told him are things he deserves to know, especially given the events that are already being set in motion," Bracer said evenly. He hardly blinked as he regarded her with his slitted, catlike eyes.

"I have a feeling there's more to it than that," Celestia pointed out.

"There is. You need to wake up. You've had a thousand years to plot and plan, but the time of Princess Luna's return is at hoof. You seem to be ignoring the whole issue."

Celestia didn't allow her feelings to show on her face. She felt an angry flush rising, but she quelled it. She was too experienced at this game, but Bracer knew her well enough that he knew he had touched a nerve.

"I would appreciate it if you would allow me to tell my consort things on my own time. No hints, no insinuations," she said evenly. "Preparations are being made, and my plans had been set in motion, long before you even returned."

She regarded him coolly, but the room felt warm from the energy rolling off of her. "You may be loyal to my sister, Gilded Bracer, but you still serve the crown, and for the time being, that means you serve me."

Anger flashed in the bat pony's eyes, but his expression remained calm, as ever. Celestia wasn't the only one who could wear a poker face. "If you are going to take full responsibility, will you offer me recompense for what happened to me in the course of my service to the crown?" he demanded. He thought he had her cornered. How could she repay him for something she had nothing to do with?

"That matter will be addressed in due course," Celestia replied evenly. "In the meantime, however, I have an assignment for you. It would benefit the both of us greatly, and If you do this thing for me, I will forgive your transgression."

Bracer's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise, caught off-guard. "What would you ask of me?"

"It seems you are not the only one who has returned. I need you to look into this matter further, and confirm its validity."

Bracer was taken aback by this order, to say the least. Were there more like him? More who, like him, were returning at the strengthening call of their mistress? He schooled his expression, but a bead of sweat collected on his brow. "Are you certain that's wise?" he asked solemnly. The shadows lie in shadow for a reason.

"As I said, my plans have been set in motion. I will not allow Nightmare Moon to use you again. My offer would extend not only to you, but also to however many of you there are as well; a place here at the castle, protection, and a chance to return to service." She looked down. "I do not know how much of this information is credible, but if it is true, I cannot approach them. They will not trust me, but they followed you, Bracer. You must be my ambassador."

"And if I refuse?" he asked incredulously.

Celestia looked back up at him, her eyes flashing. The way Bracer had challenged her reminded her of somepony else from her past, whose dark mane and eyes had matched his dark soul, and glittered like the swirling, starry night. She corralled her thoughts back to the present.

"When you entered my service, you took an oath to me, Gilded Bracer. You swore your life to the crown. Breaking that oath is treason. Must I really remind you? When you came back to me, I offered you my trust, and you offered me your service." Her voice was sharper than Bracer had ever heard it, and he reflected, not without due surprise and begrudging respect, that she had changed in the time since he had last seen her.

"I will uphold my vow to you, so long as you uphold your promise that you just made to me," Bracer replied, not allowing his surprise to show.

"Good."

The bat pony turned to leave.

"Bracer," she said, and he turned to face her again. "I am truly sorry for all that has happened to you. I know my words mean nothing, that they can't change you back, but I will do everything in my power to repay you for all that you have sacrificed."

Bracer bowed his head, then looked back up at her. "I will always be loyal to Princess Luna, and by extension, to you. Nothing you can do can possibly repay me, but I accept all that has happened to me in the course of my service. The others...some of them may be harder to convince."

"You must do everything you can, Bracer," she said. He detected a plea in her voice.

"I will give you that," he promised.

She placed a plain-looking piece of parchment on her desk between them, sliding it forward to him. "Your assignment," she said. "The first might be the easiest, as it's somepony you knew well."

Although her words were vague, his eyes flashed in recognition as he took the parchment and glanced at what was written on it. He slipped it beneath his breastplate, nodding once, a mask sliding over his features to conceal his shock. The name written on the parchment was like a ghost from his past.

"I trust you will continue your lessons with Quicksilver, so as not to further his suspicions."

"Of course." He didn't wait for her to dismiss him. The conversation was over, and Bracer left.

Celestia sat back with a sigh. She had been planning and preparing for a millennia, but Bracer and his brethren were a variable she had not accounted for. Since she was accustomed to being several moves ahead in the game, this frustrated her. She wasn't sure she would be able to repay any of her sister's guard, and that worried her, because she couldn't have them running around Equestria unchecked.

She sighed once more and got up. It was out of her hooves now. She had to rely on Gilded Bracer, and although she was certain she could trust him, she felt uncomfortable with this variable she had no control over.

When Quicksilver went back to his room that night, his mind felt heavy. He meant what he said about not judging Celestia. "She needs a friend," he told himself. She needs somepony to talk to. She's good at hiding how she feels, but I feel like there's a deep sadness inside her. She'll do whatever she has to for her kingdom, but I think she sacrifices some of her own happiness in the process, he thought. She was one of those ponies whose own happiness can't compare to the happiness of others in their own mind.

He went into his room and got ready for bed, glad he had gotten her to open up, at least a little. Maybe she would realize soon that she could talk to him. He climbed into bed sleepily. I'll have to ask her where these feathers come from sometime, he thought. His eyes snapped open when he thought they might be harvested from pegasi. He envisioned pegasi all being herded into a rainbow colored building where fears and horrors came true. That's ridiculous, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

This one was delayed a bit, as my girlfriend kept "distracting" me.

As always, I credit her with helping me add more depth and informing me of when I'm being too redundant with certain words. Hope y'all liked it!

The chapter name is from the song 'Complicated Questions' by Finger Eleven, which I think would be quite applicable from Quicksilver to Celestia.