Old Times

Staring down at the faded pictures she ahd sprawled over the floor, Celestia both smiled and cried, sadness and joy. Old memories surfacing, old love as well. A simple mistake that she made, dropping a box of old things she was about to throw out. How stupid of her to even throw out such valuable objects as a picture or two of old friends she had nearly forgotten?

She too was one of six. Clestia, Luna, Star Swirl, Centurion, Red Gem, and Woodstallion.

All names of either choice, or originality. The six were all joined by fate, had wonderful times together, young and naive.

...But then time began passing. As an alicorn's magic allows, they are immortal to time. but not o much for the lesser alicorn, unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. They all live short lives, they die quickly. Admitted, Celestia and her friends had even partaken in a small fight to defend Ponyville in a history, long, and easily forgotten. She shed blood for her land, she would do it again. But as a young tomcolt, she was much more active. Now she was a full tiem princess, running an entire kingdom.

Sometimes she smiled, most of the time she kept a straight face. It was a time to renew herself.

Picking up the few pictures, Celestia put the box back on the pile of junk she had stored in her closet and left her room, drying her tears with a hoof quickly as she made her way to the large golden design covered wooden doors. As old as the castle, but still standing strong, taken care of weekly by the servants for over two millenia. Stepping through like they no longer existed, she peered inside without a sound. Making sure nopony saw her enter, she slipped behind the fake wood, hidden by solid matter.

The room inside was impressively large, and for a good reason. It was basically a portal room to times and places long forgotten. Atleast for Celestia. Powered by the sun's majestic rays, it had been ready to bring anypony back in time, as far as time would allow, almost. No matter who.

Stepping into the center of the many, forever revolving gems and lenses, Celestia stopped the many rotating pieces, lockign them in specific locations. Hidden glyphs came alive with amgic, illuminating the dark walls of endless squiggles, all carved into the metal long ago. As she hit the many symbols with ehr own magic, she was welcomed into the old, but familiar, room by it's own core. A large gem glowed under her hooves, warping the air around her. As her journey back in time took place, she could feel the changes. Her body growing smaller, her mind, younger.

She was a teenage mare again, mind and body alike. She could easily relive her past memories this way, and even live through new ones, at the cost of changing her memories. As she was released fromt eh vortex, the room was darker than before, nothing active, and the apparatus still, drained of energy. With a smile, she ran out of the closed door, running straight into Luna.

"So, what's it like in there?", Luna asked, stopping the other alicorn.

Once again standing inf ront of ehr friends, who, just before, were just pictures to her. Old memories no more, but new memories to be. Out of the five, one caught her attention, being bigger than the rest, he was a beautiful stallion. Running to and tackling the larger pony, Celestia met Woodstallion with giggles and laughter.

"Whoa! What was that for, Celestia?"

"Oh, like you don't know.", she teased. Getting off of the stallion, she turned to her other friends and sister.

"So, anyponyy think of soemthing to do, cause I bet I can do better!"

Shooting the nearby wall with magic, a vortex formed like the swirl of a whirlpool.

"follow me!"

Jumping through the portal, Celestia disappeared. She poked her head back through, she sighed.

"Are you all coming or not?"

She was met by the five others, all rushing through the portal at once. As the dog pile ended up with Luna on top, she laughed the most.

"So, where are we, Tia?", Luna asked, looking around at the dank forest.

Levitating the five ponies off of her and walkign from under the pile, she dropped them all.

"I dunno, I've never been here before!"

Closing the portal, Celestia also materialized a full fire, several tents, and parted the trees above, opening them to the setting sky.

"Whoa, so, we're camping?", Red Gem asked, looking at the dark surrounding forest.

"Yep, in the everfree just outside of Ponyville.", Celestia smiled.

"Are you mad?!", Centurion raised his voice, "The everfree is dangerous!"

"Only if you agitate the inhabitants, which is mainly done by loud noises, so tone your voice donw, and not a single monster will bother us."

Calming down, Centurian grumbled a bit.

"So, when did you think of this? It wuld take weeks of planning to make a spell to start just a fire!", Star Swirl pointed out.

"Maybe for a unicorn, but as you can see, I'm an alicorn!"

"Touche."

"Now, who wants smores!"

The campfire was soon surrounded by sticks, each held by magic or hoof, cooking the big marshmallows that Celesti ahad easily made from magic. As the rest all began their star gazing, Celestia sat close to Woods.

"So, how is the camping for you?", Celestia asked.

"I dunno, it feels almost perfect. I just, still can't understand why you are so enthusiastic. Earlier, you were serious, helping Luna get over another fear of hers. You changed after you came out of that room."

"Oh", Celestia looked down, "I just...when I went in there, I realized something. I should just enjoy these few years I have with you, and the others, the fun we will, and can have."

"Well, I never expected that answer. but...It just seemed like a big change."

"I know. Once you've passed up your teenage years, and youa nd your friends go separate ways, you realize what you've lost."

"What are you saying?"

"Well, I get to be with you."

Woods blushed.

"I...I never knew that..."

"Because I never had the courage to tell you."

"So...you really like me?"

"Woods, we're not colts and fillies anymore, we're teenage mares and stallions. You don't have to hold anything back."

"But Celestia...I just..."

"Woods...Stop thinking on it..."

Celestia pulled Woods' head to hers, kissing him deeply. The larger stallion was surprised, but went with it, holding her. As Celestia parted the kiss, he looked her deeply in the eye.

"So...this means that you and I..."

"...Are together."

Old memories which Celestia had seen as a ruined night began fading away, and new ones that she was jsut living were taking their place, leaving, instead, a happy night of many to come.