Celestia smiled to herself as she read the letter that'd just manifested itself before her. Her excitement getting the better of herself, she quickly gripped the letter in her magic and hastily unfurled it.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
It would be an honor to spend the weekend with you and Luna helping reorganize the royal library!
Of course, I can't help but wonder why you wouldn't want Spike or the girls accompanying me. They would all be willing to help.
Anyways, I'll be there before nightfall!
~Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Rolling the letter up, Celestia put it with the rest of the letters she received from Twilight. Celestia left her office and started for the library. It was time she made preparations.
Once she was there, she unfurled her wings and ascended from the floor in silence. Quickly finding her way to the upper floor, she scanned the different isles until she came to the psychological magic section.
She landed with grace and closed her wings. Her horn came to life, causing books to come off the shelves and float around her. As she checked the covers and checked their names, she began organizing them alphabetically.
Eventually, she came across a book that didn't belong there, and so she began her pile of books to be sorted later on.
As time passed, she couldn't help but wonder where Twilight was. It was nearly time for her to go lower the sun.
She sighed and found a stopping point. The higher two shelves on one side were nearly bare and towers had erected around her. She teleported a short distance as to not disturb her organization before turning away and leaving the library.
Luna was already waiting for her on the balcony. "I'm glad to see you're here just in time, sister."
"When am I ever late?" Celestia challenged with a smirk.
"True enough," Luna said, before stepping aside to give Celestia the room she needed.
Celestia stepped forward and gazed out over the crowd that had gathered below. She opened her wings and lifted herself into the air with her forelegs risen to the sky.
The crowd below began to cheer as Celestia's horn lit up, she slowly lowered her hooves and eventually landed. The sun followed her downward motion as it descended from the sky, finally disappearing as Celestia's horn touched the balcony floor.
A cheer rang out as Celestia stood straight and stepped aside, giving Luna the room she needed to raise the moon. Celestia watched as Luna kneeled down, touching her horn to the floor. As she concentrated, Luna’s horn began to glow before she opened her wings and rose into the air. As Luna did this, the moon peeked over the horizon and slowly began to move into the open sky.
Luna opened her eyes as the crowd began to cheer, watching as she stopped mid-air. The magic that surrounded her horn grew stronger as Luna swung one of her hooves up into the air. Stars immediately began to appear in the night sky. As Luna swung her other hoof into the air, several of those stars shot across the sky before disappearing into darkness.
The crowd roared with pleasure as the princess landed and smiled back to her sister. Celestia returned her smile. “I’m glad to see that they’ve taken a liking to you.”
“As are we! It makes us feel very happy to see them, and hear them here tonight!” She made the sound of what could only be described as a dog toy before taking a deep breath and waving to the crowd below.
Celestia stepped forward and stood next to her sister. She raised a hoof and waved before turning and walking back inside. Luna followed her and giggled. “Everything alright, sister?”
“Huh? Oh yes, don’t worry about me. I’m just thinking,” Celestia said with a yawn. “I’m also a bit tired, but it’s time I reorganize the library, it’s been quite some time since I last had the chance.”
“Well, if Twilight doesn’t manage to show up and help you, feel free to call me over,” Luna said before turning and leaving the room. She was heading to the court chamber. Many of Canterlot’s elite would come during the day, however, the club owners and other recreationalists of the night come here at night for their court meetings.
With a sigh, Celestia made her way back to the library. Twilight should have been here by now. As she opened the library door a book flew at her, but she caught it in her own magic.
"Sorry!" chimed a distraught Twilight Sparkle. She was standing near the middle of the bottom floor with books floating towards her from the first four or five isles to her left. They filtered past her so she could read their titles before being sorted into their proper categories.
Celestia smiled and stepped forward, helping her by sorting through the last four or five shelves to their right. "I'm glad to see that you made it. Though, I do hope that you'll let me know when you arrive next time."
"I'm sorry, Celestia. It's just that I was running late and you were busy. I figured you would, well, come back here once finished."
Celestia smiled, watching Twilight work from the corner of her eye as she continued sorting the books. Celestia accidentally sent a book labelled "History of the Manehatten Project" on top of one of Twilight’s stacks which were meant to be literature books.
Twilight stopped her stream of books and picked it up. She Looked at the Princess and then to the book again. "Wouldn't this belong in the History section?"
"Oh yes, of course," replied Celestia before turning to the purple Alicorn. "However, there was no Manehatten Project. That piece is fictional, based on what could have come from the project. It was canceled before that book was written."
Twilight looked at the cover then opened it and flipped through the pages briefly. It was definitely a fictional story. "So it’s historical fiction, still the wrong pile." She smiled and placed it on top of the correct pile and continued her work.
Celestia felt her chest tighten as she watched her former student work. So much more confidence flowed off her than when she had first visited the castle with her parents all those years ago.
Focusing on her task again, Celestia started sorting the History books into an alphabetical order into the shelf. Twilight had started doing the same until the two of them finally finished reorganizing the bottom floors shelves.
Twilight sat down next to a pile of books she had collected for herself. "Can we take fifteen?" she asked with a huff, slouching into her seat and allowing her wing tips to touch the floor.
Celestia nodded and unfurled her wings. "I'll return in a moment. I happened upon a book you may find of interest."
Twilight rose a hoof and waved without turning to look at the Princess. Instead, she pulled the top book off a pile, flipped it open and began to read.
Celestia silently rose into the upper tier and returned to the stacks she had been sorting. One book, in particular, was set aside for this purpose. Memories and Minds: Alteration Magic.
Picking it up, she quickly flipped through the pages until she found the spell she would need. Quickly scanning the page, she marked it with a blue ribbon and flipped it closed.
Silently returning to Twilight's side, she laid the book on the table next to the one Twilight had been reading. "You may find this of use in the future."
Twilight smiled up at Celestia before closing her book and pulling the new one forward. Celestia walked around the table to stand next to her. She watched as Twilight read the cover and made a small squeal of excitement. Twilight cocked her head back. “Alteration magic? Minds and memories? So this book is filled with spells that affect a pony’s memory and perception?”
“Precisely. I’ve marked a page, it’s one of the easier spells in the book and it’s safe for me to demonstrate on you,” Celestia said, grasping the book and flipping it open to her blue ribbon so Twilight may read. "It's a temporary spell that only lasts as long as its caster channels the spell. As soon as the channel is broken, the spell will erase every memory, thought and emotion that occurred proceeding the moment the spell had began."
"It's an interrogation spell?" Twilight asked as she read the page.
"Yes, that's it's ideal use," Celestia said with a smile. “Would you like a demonstration? It's harmless, but I would like you to express how you feel after the spell ends. Here is some parchment as well as a quill. Feel free to write yourself a note, and sign it."
Twilight nodded in understanding and wrote down a short sentence recapping the spell and it's purpose, along with the question she was asked to answer. "I'm ready," she said, looking up at her mentor. Her wings had folded back to her sides and her eyes were wide with anticipation, a small, sweet smile curving the corners of her lips.
Celestia nodded and levitated the book out of the way. Her horn came to life, filling the room with a warm golden glow. "It's done. Once this glow leaves, you won't remember anything from this point on."
"Okay? Well, if it's any correlation... I don't feel any different. Except a little warm fuzzy feeling," said twilight as she wrote down her sensations.
"Twilight, I have something I want to speak to you about while this spell is active." Celestia sighed and looked for a response.
"What is it, Celestia?"
"I..." She shook her head in a futile attempt to clear her mind. "I've waited a very long time for someone like you, Twilight. I've been waiting and longing for companionship for far too long. I want you to know that I love you, Twilight."
"Princess..." Twilight quietly whispered as her eyes fell back to the paper in front of her. "You used this spell in order to gauge my reaction... You're afraid that if I were to know this that it could ruin what we have..." Twilight crumpled the paper in her hooves and threw it across the room. "Celestia, you know I'm logical, you know I'm understanding, and you know I wouldn't tell a single soul of your feelings, no matter who they are towards. I'm sorry, Celestia, but I don't share the same feelings..."
Celestia's wings drooped slightly from her sides, but her stand didn't shift and her expression didn't change. Her eyes held all the devastation she could handle but she denied her body the allowance of a breakdown. "As I expected... Twilight, the reason for the spell is so there will be no awkward moments between the two of us from this moment onward."
Twilight nodded and the golden glow faded as Celestia let the spell die. Twilight's expression changed to one of confusion. "Will this spell have any side effects?"
Celestia silently sighed before speaking. “Actually, it’s not worth the demonstration You can test it on Spike once you get back to Ponyville,” she said, feeling her stomach begin to swirl.
As the younger alicorn moved the book to the top of her pile, she quietly yawned. Celestia gave her a calm smile. “I believe we’ve done enough for one night. You may return to your duties in Ponyville.”
“What about the second floor?” Twilight asked as she began to sort through her own books as if nothing had transpired.
Celestia quietly sighed again as she turned towards the entrance to the library. “I’ve already sorted half of the shelves. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.” She paused and looked back at Twilight. “I’ll speak to Luna and have a pegasus carriage prepared for you. Feel free to browse for a few more books.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said as she began to read one of the books from her new collection.
Celestia nodded and dismissed herself, leaving the filly to her books and the light of her own horn. As soon as the door was closed, she looked at the guards in the hallway. “Make sure she doesn’t leave the library until a carriage is prepared for her departure. One of you go prepare a carriage for Ponyville.”
“At once, Your Highness.” They gave simultaneous salutes.
“She isn’t a prisoner. Be sure to attend to her needs until then.” Both guards nodded before going their separate ways.
Celestia allowed her wings to drop, and her chin to hang lower than normal. She quietly paced her way through the castle, allowing everything and everyone to blur past her. Maids, servants, and advisors tried to stop to speak with her but she ignored them. Eventually she came to the entrance to her sister’s sleeping chamber, which was where she would have gone after her court had closed.
She didn’t bother to knock on the door, suspecting that Luna would be asleep… She pushed the door open, quietly slipping through and closing it without making a sound. Luna was curled up on her bed with the moon glowing through her window, illuminating the room’s walls with the stars of her mane.
Celestia sat down next to Luna’s bed and watched her sleep. As her mane flowed through the air, the stars that reflected onto the walls moved as if they were alive... Flowing across the walls with a silent peaceful grace.
After a short while, Luna stirred in her bed. Her position shifted and her eyes slowly cracked open for a moment before closing again. She stretched her legs out in front of her before giving a loud yawn. At this point, she noticed that Celestia was sitting nearby. "Oh, hello sister. Is everything alright?"
Celestia held back her tears by closing her eyes and facing away from her sister. "Well, I now know there is no chance of a relationship between Twilight and I."
"How do you know?" Luna asked, shifting her position so that she was laying on her stomach with her front hooves on the edge of her bed.
“I used the temporary memory spell.”
Luna quietly sighed to herself. “Not as you may have hoped, I presume?”
“It was as expected, sister.” Celestia looked up to meet Luna’s eyes and saw that her sister was crying as well.
Luna stood from her bed and moved closer to her sister, wrapping her hooves around Celestia’s neck. “Not all dreams are meant to become reality… but there is still a very long time for a love to be found. Twilight Sparkle still needs you to be her teacher, she still needs your guidance and love. Even if she doesn’t know how you truly feel, she’s still young and you may still have her in due time.”
Celestia pressed her cheek against Luna’s shoulder and sobbed quietly. After a few short minutes passed, she pulled away and looked at her younger sibling. “Thank you, Luna.”
Author's Note
"To Teach,
To Love,
To Cherish,
Without Resolve.
My heart aches for you. My dear Twilight."
~Celestia's Journal~
