The soft clop of Princess Celestia's hooves echoed across the vastness of the test chamber as she moved in a slow semi-circle about her beloved student. Much of the chamber was shrouded in darkness, save for the raised dais on which they stood, illuminated by a white light from above. "Now, Twilight, please listen carefully. You may have noted the faint glitter that hangs in the air here."
Twilight lifted her inquisitive gaze until she spotted the sparkles floating before her eyes, like tiny, dim fireflies. "Yes, Princess, I see it."
"It is the result of a spell I cast before you arrived."
"It's a magical dampening field of some sort."
Celestia smiled softly. "Very good, Twilight. Yes, it is. Not a very strong one, mind you. Typical more of ones you may find occurring in nature." Her horn glowed, and across the chamber, another dais was illuminated. "Your task, faithful student, will be to overcome the dampening effect and successfully teleport across the chamber. Do you believe you can do it?"
Twilight narrowed her eyes as she peered at her target. "I can, Princess."
Celestia realized sometimes Twilight did push herself beyond her limits to please her teacher, but over the years Celestia had developed a knack for reading her student well. She often knew just from the tone of Twilight's voice whether she truly believed she could master something or whether she simply feared Celestia's disappointment.
"Then you may begin when ready, Twilight," said Celestia as she stepped back and into the darkness.
Twilight's focus remained unbroken, her breath steady. Her horn glowed dimly, and Celestia sensed the probing magic.
Celestia returned to the question which plagued her every summer: keep Twilight in Canterlot another year, or send her out into the world? Over the years, she had watched Twilight blossom like a beautiful flower, but transplant her too early, and she would simply wither away.
Twilight paused a moment, looking thoughtful and uttering a soft "hmm." She cast another probe against the dampening spell, tilting her head slightly.
Celestia wondered where the time had gone, not just concerning her student, but herself. It seemed impossible that one thousand years had passed already. She was grateful for the darkness, for it allowed her shudder to go unseen. She could not fail at her task. Nightmare Moon ... Luna ... would be made to see reason, or she would return to banishment. There could be no alternative. Equestria would not be threatened.
This delicate flower she had cultivated would not be crushed.
Perhaps Luna had been given too much responsibility too soon. If she had been allowed more time, allowed to better establish her roots before she was expected to adapt to all the pressures of ruling such a vast land ...
Suddenly, Twilight's horn glowed brightly, and in a flicker of magic, she vanished from the dais and reappeared on the other. "I did it!"
Celestia smiled, and all the lights rose. She sensed not surprise in her student's voice but need. Twilight still craved approval and acknowledgement. "Yes, Twilight, you did, and very well," Celestia said as she stepped forward.
Twilight trotted across the chamber, and Celestia could see the tension in her body. She had wanted to gallop to her teacher but was restraining herself. Eager to please, eager for praise. Not necessarily bad traits in a diligent student, but ...
"Is everything okay, Princess?" Twilight asked.
Only then did Celestia realize she had let some of her troubled thoughts show on her face. She banished them from her mind, and her gaze became radiant once more. No need to dwell on her dilemma any further, as the decision had been made. Not this year. Not with this threat looming over Equestria.
"Everything is just fine, Twilight," Celestia said in a gentle voice as she draped a wing around her student.
Twilight smiled and let out a soft sigh, radiating contentment. Celestia knew her student saw her as a second mother. She had tried to gently dissuade Twilight from this view by encouraging her to see her parents as often as possible, but Twilight simply had too big a heart; it had room for two.
"What do you have planned next for me today, Princess?" Twilight asked.
Celestia folded her wing and started out of the chamber. "Did you read up on remote magical sensing as I had asked?"
Twilight beamed. "Of course, Princess! I even found some additional books on the subject in the archive. Did you know there are no fewer than five treatises on the subject written by Star Swirl the Bearded?"
Celestia chuckled. "Considering I helped proofread some of them, yes, I did, indeed."
"Oh!" Twilight blushed. "I-I'm sorry, Princess. I should have realized you--"
"It's all right, Twilight, please."
"Sorry," Twilight said in a soft voice with a nervous smile.
Still so much to learn, Celestia thought. So much like Luna was.
"Um, anyway ... is that what you wanted to practice with me today?"
"Yes, Twilight. Come this way, please."
They entered a smaller chamber, one with soft lighting and thick cushions strewn about the floor. Celestia motioned with a fore-hoof towards one. Twilight dutifully settled on her haunches as Celestia did the same, facing her student.
"Sensing magic from a distance requires a clear mind," Celestia began. "The first attempt is best done in a calm and comfortable environment. The resonances can be subtle, and you need to tune out your own magical aura in order to sense it."
"Assuming that it can be tuned out almost perfectly, is there any inherent limit as to what can be sensed and how far?"
"Stronger sources can be detected at further distances. Another factor is how familiar you are with the magic source you are sensing."
"Familiar, Princess?"
"Whether you have interacted with it before." Celestia smiled. "For this exercise, I will be focusing my attention on a source that is rather dear to my heart, thus distance will matter little."
Twilight smiled as well, her eyes betraying her intense curiosity.
Celestia recognized that look well. I am sorry, my dear student, but not today, she thought. Perhaps when the Summer Sun Celebration has come and gone, I will tell you. "You, my faithful student, will be focusing on a source that is behind one of these walls."
A lesser student may have asked "which wall?" Not Twilight. She simply accepted it as part of the challenge.
Celestia lifted her head high, and Twilight repeated the gesture. "Now, close your eyes, Twilight." Celestia closed hers as well. "Focus on your breathing."
As accomplished at magic as she was, Celestia did not need to perform this ritual. She was already reaching out with her senses towards the very source that had been so heavily on her mind as of late.
"Breathe slowly and steadily," Celestia said in a soft voice. "Let that become your complete focus."
Celestia's mind filled with imagery of rushing over the lands of Equestria, the thick and mysterious foliage of the Everfree Forest rushing under her hooves.
"When you feel you are focused, gradually sense your own aura."
Celestia felt a twinge in her heart as the ruins of the old castle loomed. Regardless of the time of day, she always saw it in her mind as enshrouded in darkness as it had been that day she had banished her sister.
"You will feel it as a soft, gentle thrumming that ... th-that suffuses you ..."
Celestia trailed off. Her heart raced. Her mind reeled as it hit the mental equivalent of a stone wall. The tendril of magic she had been following had vanished like smoke dissipated by the wind.
"Princess?" came Twilight soft voice, her eyes still closed.
Celestia swallowed hard and reached out again, but the imagery was already fading, swallowed up by a horribly empty void where the source should have been.
Twilight opened her eyes and gasped. "Princess?!"
Celestia's eyes snapped open.
"P-Princess ... what ... what's the matter?"
Celestia took a deep breath and slowly smiled. "My humble apologies, Twilight," she said in a voice steadier than she felt. "I am guilty of a lapse in memory. I have a critical appointment I need to attend to this afternoon that I just remembered."
Twilight slowly nodded.
Celestia knew at once that her student had seen the fear in her eyes. There was nothing she could do about it now. "I am sorry, but we will need to do this another time," Celestia said as she stood.
Twilight followed suit. "Of course, Princess, I understand. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"
"Trust me, Twilight, this is something I need to do myself."
"Oh, does it have to do with the Summer Sun Celebration?"
Twilight's perception could be quite uncanny at times, Celestia realized. It would serve her well in the future, but at the moment, it would only invite danger "Yes, it does, and is a matter only I can handle."
Twilight appeared assuaged by this, looking less alarmed. "Of course, Princess. I am really looking forward to it as always. When will I hear from you again? I would like to see you one more time before the celebration."
"If all goes well, we will talk again tomorrow."
"Thank you, Princess. If I may take my leave?"
Celestia nodded once. Twilight bowed, then trotted out of the chamber.
Celestia uttered a quavering sigh. The last time she had been this anxious was when she had witnessed her sister's terrible transformation.
During this exercise with Twilight, she had reached out to the Elements of Harmony, something she had done countless times before to seek solace or simply comfort herself in the knowledge they were still there. She had called out to them as a mother might call to her beloved children.
The Elements of Harmony had refused to answer.
Celestia's heart thundered as her hooves trod with sharp clicks on the cold stone floor of the ancient ruin. She had hoped never to return to this place despite knowing her sister would eventually escape her banishment. Even for one such as her, an immortal being who controlled the sun and moon as easily as an ordinary unicorn might lift a book, there were tasks which seemed too daunting to contemplate.
She let out a relieved sigh as her gaze fell upon the interior of the chamber which housed the Elements. While the structure that had held the stone receptacles had fallen to ruin along with much of the rest of the castle, the receptacles themselves were still here, all five. Her fears of them having been stolen were at least put to rest.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Upon her head was the crown that contained the sixth, the spark of Magic that activated and unified the others. Even in such close proximity to the other Elements, it remained quiescent.
Celestia's horn glowed as she cast what should be a simple spell to open the receptacles and call the Elements to her side. Yet her magic did little more than cast a pale light upon the dingy and unfeeling walls.
While Celestia liked to consider herself a benevolent ruler slow to anger and judgment, she expected obedience and respect, and she was being shown neither. She stomped one hoof with enough force to shake the ground. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria," she called out in a clear, strong voice. "Whoever my adversary may be who prevents my rightful access to the Elements, I demand that you show yourself now. Whatever your quarrel may be with me, this is neither the time nor the place to express it!"
Ooo, rightful access? Didn't she kinda borrow us in the first place?
Celestia recoiled, her eyes wide, the amused voice coming from nowhere and everywhere.
There is no need to be harsh, as she is acting only out of love for her subjects.
Celestia swallowed, her heart racing. She backed up another step, her horn blazing with a magical light intended to dispel illusion and concealment spells.
None doubt her allegiance and devotion to Equestria. That was never the issue.
"Who is speaking?" Celestia called out in a softer voice. "I cannot see you."
Can we not give her what she needs and settle the dispute at a later time?
Celestia felt a strange familiarity with the voices, as if they were somepony she should already know. This eased her heart somewhat, yet she remained wary.
To do so would simply maintain the lie that we are content with what has happened.
"Who are you?" Celestia said. "Please, show yourselves. I have no quarrel with you."
All five voices responded as one: The problem, Princess, is that we have a quarrel with you.
Celestia gasped as light blazed from the five receptacles despite them being closed. A brilliant star-burst of energy emerged from each, spinning around Celestia as the gems themselves had done that terrible night a millennium ago. Instead of remaining in steady orbit around her, they shot to equally distant points around her. Before Celestia's widening eyes, they expanded and formed the shapes of five ponies made of shimmering light, their gender and type indeterminate.
Celestia uttered an awed sigh. "You ... you are the Elements of Harmony."
"You are very close," they answered as one. "We are the Spirits of Harmony. What you know as the Elements are merely vessels."
Celestia looked each in turn. She could sense them now. She knew which Element -- which Spirit -- each was, just as she could with the gems without looking at their color. "Why have you manifested in this manner now?"
"You wish to use us against your sister three days hence," all replied.
"I do not want to!" Celestia declared. "If I do so again, it will be because I have to."
One the Spirits chuckled. "Isn't doing the same thing and expecting a different result a little silly?" said Laughter.
"I intend to reason with her first," said Celestia.
"And do you truly believe that you will appease her with your words when they did not work before?" asked Honesty.
Celestia sighed. "I am allowed to hope, am I not?"
"Do you believe you have the ability to turn her heart back to the light?" said Loyalty.
"I intend to give her every chance to do so."
"But are you really?" said Generosity. "Are you truly giving everything you possibly can?"
"I am not sure what you are expecting of me. My options are limited."
"Surely your heart is more open than that?" said Kindness.
Celestia lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I do not do this with a cold heart. I love my sister dearly. When I first banished her, I ... I cried for hours ... I dread the feeling that will come with doing it again." She raised her head and opened her eyes, tears trickling from them. "But I cannot -- I will not -- let her threaten my subjects."
"Your devotion is admirable," said Loyalty. "But misguided."
"What?!" Celestia cried. "You of all Spirits can claim my interest in my subjects' well-being is misguided?!"
"It is not your loyalty in and of itself that is being questioned, Princess," said Generosity. "Merely it's scope."
"How can there be any greater scope than all of Equestria? What more is there to consider?"
"Oh, of course, you have everything considered!" said Laughter. "Why, I'm sure you even have the party planned for Luna's glorious return to your side!"
"You are not making any sense!"
"And you are not asking the question of yourself that really needs to be asked," said Honesty. "And might I remind my colleague that she is the Spirit of Laughter, not Sarcasm."
Laughter blew a raspberry at Honesty.
Celestia took a deep breath. "I want to understand what you are trying to tell me. I want to do the right thing. That is all I have ever wanted to do." She turned towards Honesty. "You want the truth, and I will give it to you. I sometimes question whether I was in the right in banishing Luna. I wonder, had I more time, if I could have found a better way."
"We have often wondered that ourselves, Princess," said Honesty.
"We have given you all the benefits of the doubt," said Generosity.
"We know of no darkness in your heart towards dear Luna," said Kindness.
"And yet we cannot help but wonder if allowing her to be banished again is worthy of your devotion to her," said Loyalty.
"And, really, what kind of fun is it to be stuck on that dusty old moon for another thousand years?" said Laughter. "Doesn't she deserve better than that?"
"She does," Celestia said softly. "She deserves everything I can do for her. I spoke of protecting my subjects. What I did not speak of is my rule over them. I would gladly give that up if it meant I could have her back and see Equestria remain safe. I would give up everything I have ever attained. I would give up my immortality for her!"
The Spirits of Harmony remained silent, almost expectant.
Celestia let out a long, quavering sigh. "And I would give you all up as well."
The Spirits responded as one: "Finally. Now we're getting somewhere."
Celestia stood in stunned silence as she stared at the Spirits in turn. She swallowed hard as she struggled to compose herself. "Do you ... do you seriously wish me to confront Luna without the Elements of Harmony?"
"No, we do not," said the Spirits as one.
"But that is what you have just implied when I stated I would give you up!"
"No," declared the Spirits. "Stop and think. What is the alternative?"
Celestia uttered an exasperated sigh. She wondered if this is how Twilight sometimes felt when Celestia refused to point out the answer and let her student run in circles of incorrect logic until she found a way to break out of it.
Thinking of Twilight made her heart lurch. How blithely she could speak of her duty to Equestria with all her righteous anger, yet it took thinking of one pony to cause a true ache in her heart.
It also reminded her of a specific training session with her star pupil. Twilight often participated in joint activities with other gifted young unicorns. In one such event, the students were paired off, and each team had to solve a series of magical puzzles and retrieve a gem at the end. So long as one team member emerged with the gem, that team would successfully complete the task.
However, each pony was also judged and awarded points based on his or her individual prowess, so it was a bit of a competition as well. The pony who emerged with the gem received an additional bonus. Twilight was ahead in points, and she had reached the gem, only to trigger a magical trap. She could not leave the trap as long as she carried the gem. This puzzle had stymied the other teams.
Twilight had solved it in one minute. She had determined that the trap blocked only her own movement and not the passage of objects. She had given the gem to her team-mate, and let her bear it out of the course, even though it meant letting her get ahead in points.
Where she had already forged a friendship with her team-mate during the test, the solution had been obvious.
Celestia's eyes widened. "You want another to bear the Elements and confront Luna?"
"Ding ding ding ding!" Laughter cried. "We have a winner!"
"We are terribly sorry we put you through this," said Kindness.
"But you had to understand what you needed to give up without it being dictated to you," said Generosity.
"You cannot be so devoted to an idea -- that you are the only pony worthy of the Elements -- that you are blinded to where your allegiance really lies," said Loyalty.
"And you cannot deny the truth," said Honesty. "That you did not have the answer before and thus you may not have the answer now."
Celestia needed a moment to take in what she was hearing. "Perhaps I have been blind to the alternative. But Luna will escape from the moon in only three days! How can I can properly conduct a search for a proper bearer in that time?"
"We already have bearers in mind," said the Spirits as one. "If they are willing to have us."
"Bearers? Plural?"
"Princess Celestia, nopony will doubt that you are indeed wise, and that you embody every one of our virtues," said Honesty. "But you are but one pony. You are but one perspective."
"But your bearers will need to work together."
"Do you not espouse the great power of friendship?"
"Yes, but ... to bring such good friends together on such short notice. Who will achieve such a feat?"
Celestia's crown suddenly blazed.
She gasped and staggered back as a star-burst shot from the gem inside her crown, zipping around the chamber until landing before her in a silent explosion of light. Another ethereal pony had formed out of the aether, shimmering in shifting pastel colors.
"My bearer will, of course," said the Spirit of Magic. "Her friendship with the other bearers will be the spark that activates the Elements."
Celestia came to a rather startling revelation and paused to absorb it before she spoke. "You have all been planning this for some time."
"Yes, we have," said Magic.
"Then why have you not told me before now?"
"Because it was not until recently I knew who I wished as my bearer."
"Who?"
Magic remained silent, turning her head towards the others.
Celestia's heart pounded. "Who will be your bearer, Spirit of Magic?" she demanded.
"Show her," said Honesty.
Magic turned back to Celestia. A bubble formed over her head, and inside it was the image of a lavender-coated, purple-maned unicorn pony.
Celestia swallowed hard. Her eyes glistened as she stared. Somehow, she had known. The moment Magic had mentioned finding her bearer, she had known.
"Twilight Sparkle is free to reject me," said Magic.
"Sh-she won't," Celestia said in a choked voice. "I know her too well."
"As do we," said Honesty. "We each considered her to be a bearer for us. She has never truly lied in her dealings with you."
"She has never had a bad word to say about anypony," said Kindness.
"She gives of herself to a fault," said Generosity.
"She never goes back on a promise," said Loyalty.
"I just wanted to get her to lighten up," said Laughter.
Celestia lowered her head. "I don't want her to do this," she said in a soft voice. "But it's not for me to decide, is it?"
"If she is to be my bearer," said Magic, "She cannot stay in Canterlot. You need to release her."
"I know, I need to send her to Ponyville."
"Yes. But I am also correct. You need to release her."
Celestia frowned. "She is not a prisoner! She is free to leave any time she wishes."
"But will she without your prodding?"
"I ... she ..."
"You know the answer to that, Princess," said Honesty.
Celestia did. Twilight barely did anything outside of training and studying. She even spurned social engagements inside Canterlot, unless it was a function to which Celestia had invited her. "But she's ... she's like a daughter to me."
"No."
Celestia glared at Honesty. "What?"
"You don't want her treating you as a mother," said Magic. "You have made that clear."
"Yes, but what does that have to do with my feelings towards her?"
"Everything," said Loyalty. "You treat her as a little sister."
"Like you might treat Luna," said Kindness.
"Only you don't really have any fun with her," said Laughter. "You shelter her. You keep her safe."
"Of course I keep her safe!" Celestia thundered. "Why would I not?! Had I done the same for Luna, maybe she would never have become Nightmare Moon!"
Celestia was stunned into silence by her own words.
"Do you understand now?" said Loyalty.
Celestia let out a ragged breath. "I-I'm using Twilight as a substitute for my sister," she said in a quavering voice. "I've ... I've been blaming myself for what happened to Luna. I'm trying to use Twilight to ease that guilt."
"We may never know where the ultimate fault lies, dear Celestia," said Magic. "But you cannot let it hold Twilight back."
Celestia closed her eyes. All she could see was the delicate flower, so vulnerable, like she had once seen Luna so many years ago. She wanted to rage at the Spirits that the situation was different, that Twilight had no business being involved, yet the more she protested in her mind, the more her words rang hollow.
"If she fails," Celestia said softly, "She could die."
"That is a possibility, yes," said Honesty.
"Do you realize what you are asking me to do?" Celestia cried, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "What you are asking me to give up?!"
"Yes," said Generosity in a somber voice. "We do indeed."
"But if she succeeds," said Kindness. "Then you will have your sister back."
"And you will still have Twilight," said Loyalty. "For I doubt she will ever truly leave your side."
"And besides," said Laughter. "Why assume it will be all doom and gloom? She juuust might have some fun in the process."
Celestia raised her head and took a moment to compose herself. "All right. As soon as I get back to Canterlot, I will summon Twilight Sparkle. I will tell her what she needs to know about--"
"No," said Honesty.
Celestia stared. "What?"
"Tell her nothing of her true reason for being in Ponyville."
"But how is she supposed to accomplish her task?"
"By making friends."
"And you are the Spirit of Honesty!" Celestia cried. "And yet you are telling me to lie to Twilight!"
"When you have been around as long as I have, Princess," said Honesty, "You learn that there is a time and a place for everything. Honesty is not simply about avoiding lies, it is about the judicious application of the truth. And sometimes that truth needs to come in pieces. Telling her to make friends is indeed what she needs to do and is no lie."
"Our bearers must come into their roles of their own free will," said Magic. "They cannot be recruited into it, which is what Twilight will attempt to do were she given the specific task of assembling the Elements of Harmony."
Celestia's heart ached. They new Twilight as well as she did. "I understand. It is still no less difficult, but I understand."
"We believe you do," said all Spirits in unison. "We will return to our vessels now and be here when Twilight Sparkle and her friends find us. You and Luna have been good to us, Princess. You have both always wielded us with the best of intentions. We will never forget this."
In a flash of light, the pony-forms of the Spirits collapsed into balls of light. Five zoomed back into their receptacles. The sixth remained hovering before Celestia's eyes.
I will not be returning to your crown, Celestia heard the Spirit of Magic in her head. I will instead wait nearby until Twilight Sparkle summons me. I have great faith in her, Princess Celestia. I strongly suggest that you do as well. For she has had no better teacher in all of Equestria.
The ball of light zipped upward, passed through the ceiling, and was gone.
Two days before the Summer Sun Celebration, and never was Celestia so on edge.
She hid it well. She had canceled her normal teaching lessons for Twilight, but that was to be expected so close to the celebration, so her student did not bat an eye. Yet when she had summoned Twilight to tell her the news, Celestia had accidentally left in view a book she had been reading, open to a page about the Elements of Harmony. She caught her student mumbling the phrase to herself as she left.
Not an hour later, Celestia had been in the midst of concluding an abbreviated Day Court when a scroll popped into existence before her. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the telltale green glow of dragonling magic. She dismissed everypony from the throne room and unrolled the scroll:
My dearest teacher:
My continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the ~~pressi~~ ~~threash~~ that something really bad is about to happen. For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is, in fact, Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria and bring with her eternal night. Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophesy does not come true. I await your quick response.
Your faithful student
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia was both extremely proud of and very terrified for her student. She still did not want to do this. She wanted to summon Twilight at once, arm her with all the information Celestia could possibly tuck into her head (which was likely more than Celestia could ever give her), and send her off with her teacher's blessings. She blinked back tears as she composed her reply:
My dearest, most faithful student Twilight:
You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely. But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books.
Celestia paused. This was harder than she had ever realized it would be. She felt like she had just slapped her student in the face with that last line, but it would likely be the only thing to shock her into both doing as the Elements wished and ensuring she would pursue research on the legend.
My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I am sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location, Ponyville.
And I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends.
She swallowed hard as she rolled up the scroll and sent it on its way.
"Please be safe, Twilight," she said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek. "And please forgive me."