“Princess?”
Celestia gently deposited the scroll she had been reading back onto a pile on her desk. Turning her head around, she greeted her former student with a smile.
“You know you no longer need to call me that, Twilight. You earned that right when you became my equal.”
Twilight shook her head. “Right. I’m sorry.” She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “How are those state reports going?”
She hummed softly. “Tedious, but I would have it no other way. I do believe a break would do me good, however. Tea?”
“Yes, please,” Twilight said as she levitated one of the many floor pillows over and took a seat. Celestia stood, taking a moment to stretch the sitting cramps out of her long legs before joining Twilight on a cushion. Her golden magic summoned her tea set, an ancient relic of silver and gold that saw frequent use and even more frequent polishing.
Watching as Celestia began heating the water and picking out leaves, Twilight commented, “I still don’t understand why you insist on doing this yourself when you have so many servants.”
“The day I am no longer allowed to make my own tea is the day I leave Equestria in somepony else’s hooves,” Celestia replied, eliciting a chuckle from her guest. Soon enough, they had two steaming cups between them.
“Now then,” Celestia began after they had each taken a sip. “Not that I don’t appreciate the visit, Twilight, but is there something you wished to discuss? It is quite the odd hour for a friendly chat.”
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but then paused a moment as if to conjure the right words. “I met an odd pony in the hall today.”
“Oh? And what was so odd about them?”
“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest,” Twilight said. “I was on my way back from the archives, and I happened to notice him as I passed him in the corridor by the kitchens. I’d never seen him before, and he wasn’t dressed like a guard or a servant, so I stopped to greet him and to ask his name. He was tall, slightly taller than me, and he wore a long grey cloak that covered most of his body.”
At this description, the corners of Celestia’s mouth turned up around the edge of her teacup.
“I said hello,” Twilight continued, “and he greeted me by name, like he knew me.”
“Yes, he does have a habit of doing that.”
“Oh, so you do know him?”
“Yes, I believe I do. But please, finish your story first.”
“Oh. Well, there’s not much else to tell,” Twilight said. “I asked him his name.”
Celestia’s smile grew wider. “And did he tell you?”
Twilight frowned. “No. He said ‘Perhaps you should ask that question of your former mentor.’ Then he laughed and walked away.”
Celestia laughed. “Yes, that does indeed sound like an acquaintance of mine. A very old one, in fact. Would you like to hear about how I met him?”
“Yes, I would Prin— Celestia.”
The princess took a moment to collect her thoughts. When she was ready, she began to speak.
“I first met him many, many years ago. Luna and I were just foals at the time, living with our mother in a little village that once stood where the Everfree does today. Most of my memories of those times have sadly faded over the centuries, but I will hold this one until I lay on my deathbed.
“Our family were farmers, and Luna and I would often go out into the fields on warm summer nights and sleep under the stars, just the two of us. On one night such as this, I was awakened by the sound of nearby hoofsteps. Looking about for the source of the noise, I observed the stallion wandering between the rows of crops, his long cloak dragging in the soil behind him.
“He appeared to my foalish mind like something out of the fairytales our mother would tell to us, something completely divorced from our mortal world. Perhaps it was his unnatural height, or the effortlessness of his movement, or even the way the moonlight seemed to illuminate the space around him, but just the sight of him had me frozen in equal parts awe and fear. Luna was sound asleep; she has always been a much heavier sleeper than I. So I remained silent, rendered immobile by this stallion’s presence, hoping we would pass under his notice. It was not to be, however, and soon he was upon us. He stood there, towering above us like a giant, for some time, meeting my frightened stare with one of tired curiosity.
“At last, I could take it no longer. With some difficulty, I managed to squeak out something to the effect of, ‘What do you want from us?’
“He chuckled, but there was a great sadness in his eyes. ‘Who would I be’ he replied, ‘to demand something of you, little Celestia? I have already taken from you more than can ever be repaid, and all I have to offer in return is the solace that this will not be our last meeting.’ At that, he turned and began to leave.
“’Wait,’ I whispered, and he stopped. ‘Who are you?’
“He said nothing, just laughed softly and continued on his way. Sleep did not come for many more hours afterward.”
Celestia sighed, her practiced posture breaking slightly under an unseen weight. “The next morning, I awoke to the beginnings of Discord’s reign.”
A moment of silence passed.
“Princess, if you’d rather I—”
“No, Twilight.
“Time passed; through much pain and many trials, Luna and I came to possess the Elements of Harmony, and with them we were able to bring an end to Discord’s rule. The ponies of Equestria elected to make us their rulers, and despite our reservations, we accepted. Together, we built a great castle on the lands where our home had once been, a monument to peace and stability in those uncertain times.
“The going was rough, back then; Equestria had existed in a state of frightened anarchy for such a long time. We were trying to build an entire government from the ground up in a world that had largely forgotten even the concept of what a law was. But we threw ourselves into the task, devoted everything we had to creating a better world for our little ponies. We passed laws, issued edicts, settled disputes… Did you know, Twilight, that the entire basis of the modern Equestrian tax code was written by Luna in a single night?”
Twilight’s eyes grew wide. “The… The entire thing?”
Celestia nodded, an amused smile playing across her face. “That was the kind of drive that we had back then. Our work was our lives, and our lives were devoted entirely to our citizens and to our country.”
Her smile wilted. “Perhaps, if we— If I had not been so singular in focus, we could have avoided what was to come.”
Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Celestia didn’t give her the chance.
“It was during this period that I had my second encounter with the cloaked stallion.
“It had been a cold winter that year, if I recall correctly, and a deep chill had overtaken the castle. Luna had already risen the moon for the night; I had retired from my duties in the court and was making my way to our study, intent to work on solving some civil dispute or another. Just as I reached the door, however, my ears caught the sounds of approaching hooves clopping against the rough stone floor. Normally I would have paid no mind such a thing, but I felt compelled to see the source; perhaps some part of me had recognized the sounds I had heard as a filly. I turned to face the direction of the sounds, and waited, despite the cold. Soon enough, he emerged from around the corner.
“In truth, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. For a long time, I had assumed that what I had seen that night was a dream, or perhaps a vision. Yet there before me was the same fairy-tale pony I had met in the field, his grey cloak following behind him like the morning tide. Despite the years that had passed, he did not appear to have aged a day.
“’You!’ I exclaimed.
“‘Hmmm? Oh, hello Celestia.’ was his response. He greeted me casually, as if we were friends; something I had grown unused to from ponies besides my sister. Bringing my horn to bear, I demanded he make his intentions clear.
“’Merely passing through,’ was his answer. ‘As is the way of things.’
“’Then leave. You are not wanted here.’
“He sighed. ‘I cannot blame you for being displeased at my presence, Celestia,’ he said, ‘but I would at least like to know why.’
“’Is it not obvious?!’ I shouted. ‘Your last appearance heralded the coming of an age of madness! Your arrival now can only mean that you bring some other great calamity on your coattails, and I will not allow it to fall upon the heads of me or my citizens! Do not think I do not recognize an omen when I see one!’
“He uttered a laugh, but it was not a happy one. ‘You believe me to be an omen, then? An omen of what, perchance?’
“’Calamity. Disaster. Death.’
“’Death…’ he said, drawing the word out, as if considering it for the first time. ‘Of a sort, perhaps, but every coin has two sides.’
“I didn’t know what he meant, and at the time, I didn’t care. Once more, I demanded he either leave of his own volition, or be removed from the castle by force.
“’Don’t worry, Celestia,’ he said, resuming his walk. ‘As I said, I am only passing through; I’ll be gone soon enough.’ After a moment, however, he paused mid-trot. He turned his head back to look at me, and with remorse in his eyes he told me this:
“’I will warn you, however: I am not the one you should be concerning yourself with right now.’
"And with that, he left.”
Twilight spoke up. “Is that when Luna…?”
“No, not immediately,” Celestia said. “Many more moons passed before the night I banished my sister to the moon. But in those months, Luna and I began to spend less and less time together, and I fear that day may have been the beginnings of it.”
“It was indeed.”
Both Twilight and Celestia started at the sudden intrusion of the new voice. At once, they looked to the doorway, where Princess Luna had at some point materialized without their notice.
“Sister, you really should make more of an effort to announce your presence. It is impolite to sneak up on ponies like that.”
Luna strode past, ignoring her. “I had a petitioner in my court that night; I haven’t bothered to remember his name.
“He had come looking for you sister, but he arrived late, and you had already retired for the evening. As such, he ended up with me, something he was not happy about. In short, he refused to speak with me, and instead insisted upon returning in the morning so he could have an audience with ‘the real princess’, as he put it. It was the first indication to my younger self that our citizens thought of us as anything other than equals.”
“Luna…”
“I know, sister.” Luna said. Gathering a collection of pillows for herself, she joined the others on the floor. “But regardless, I too would like to hear more about this cloaked stallion.”
“In just a moment, then,” Celestia said, busy preparing more tea for her sister. Soon enough, Luna had her own cup sitting beside her, and Celestia was ready to continue her story.
“Now on my own, I returned to my duties as ruler, my resolve now even stronger than before. I could not bear to stay in the old castle, and so I had a new one built. I decided that it would be constructed upon the side of the Canterhorn, so as to become a beacon of prosperity and achievement that could be seen from anywhere across the land.
“I was determined to bring our dream of a perfect Equestria to fruition, and under my guidance, Equestria flourished. We had reached a golden age, a prosperous age, where ponies no longer needed to worry for their own safety, and could live freely as they were meant to. We tamed the wild lands and expanded our borders, wrested control of the skies and took charge of the seasons, negotiated peace and trade with our neighbors… There were rough times here and there, of course, but we worked through them, and Equestria thrived.
“Nearly a thousand years passed like this before he appeared again.
“It was a rare moment of inactivity for me; there had been relatively few petitioners in court that day, and I had the chance to excuse myself early. I chose to spend the time sitting on my balcony, looking out over the gardens, lost to my thoughts.
“And then he appeared, meandering his way through the greenery like a common tourist. I observed him for a time. Then, spreading my wings, I leapt over the railing and flew out to meet him.
“He was standing before the petrified statue of Discord when I found him again. Trotting up to his side, I greeted him fondly, and invited him to my chambers for tea. He seemed surprised by the offer, but he accepted, and I teleported us back to this room. While I began brewing the tea, he took a look around.
“’It’s impressive,’ he said, ‘what you’ve done with this place. The entire castle is made from cold stone and metal, and yet it still feels warm and inviting.’
“’Thank you,’” I said. “’It is quite an improvement over the last one, isn’t it?’
“He smiled. ‘Well, I didn’t want to say anything…’
“He seemed… uncomfortable, standing there. It was as if he found the very act of staying in one place foreign. I offered him a cushion, and told him to sit, which he did with some reluctance. Soon enough, the tea was ready. I levitated his cup over to him, and he took it in his hooves.
“’May I ask you a question?’ I asked.
“’Certainly.’
“’Why do you always wear that ratty old cloak?’
“‘Is it so hard to believe that even one such as I would desire some things stay the same?’ was his reply.
“We spent the rest of the evening together, talking like a pair of old friends catching up after a long time apart. Which, in a way, I suppose we were. We shared stories, discussed the events of the day, and spoke of our plans for the future. The conversation only halted when it came time for me to usher in the night.
“After I had finished my duty, he stood and announced his need to leave; he had places to be, and I needed to prepare for the next morning. But, before I bid him goodbye, I asked him one last question.
“I asked him if I could make another guess as to his identity, as I had during our last meeting.”
Twilight’s ears perked up at this.
“The idea seemed to amuse him, and he agreed. I strode over to him, and into his ear I whispered my guess.
“His answer was a boisterous laugh, and with that he took his leave.”
“Wait,” Twilight said, leaning forward. “What was it? What was his name?”
Celestia smiled. “I think I’ll leave that particular revelation for you to uncover yourself.”
Twilight’s mouth fell open. “What? But… But!”
“Perhaps, Twilight, you would like to know exactly what it was I was preparing for that night?”
She blinked. “Is it important?”
“It was indeed,” Celestia said. “I was preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration. The nine-hundred and eighty-eighth.”
“Nine-hundred and…” Her eyes grew wide. “That was the one I went to as a filly!”
“And the one which inspired you to pursue your studies in magic, which put you on the path to becoming my student, and all the wonderful things that followed.”
“That’s incredible! But…” She thought for a few moments. “But that doesn’t make any sense! The first two times he showed up precluded a major catastrophe, and me becoming your student has only lead to good things, as far as I’m concerned! It doesn’t fit the pattern!”
“You are thinking too specifically, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. “Consider not the events alone, but also their outcomes: for all the pain and suffering that Discord’s reign may have caused, did Equestria not emerge united as a result? Despite all the hardship I caused as Nightmare Moon, did Celestia not then lead Equestria into a golden age because of it?”
Her brow furrowed. “I… suppose, but…”
“Does this mean you have guessed his name as well, then?” Celestia asked.
“Yes, sister, I believe I have.”
Twilight’s head shot up. “You mean you could figure it out just from that!?”
“Is it not obvious to you yet, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna said, standing. “Perhaps it is just our difference in experience. I’m certain you will come to understand, given enough time.”
Celestia also rose from her bed of cushions. “Indeed. After all…”
She looked to Twilight, and her smile was a bittersweet one.
“Tonight will not be the last time you and he meet.”
