JUN 28 Sunday.

I watch as a vine quickly grows from a pot and up a stick I've jabbed upright next to the new plant. I've been growing generations of this new vine for three hours now and it's going well.

And I've also thought of a name for the vine, the Spine Leaf Vine, it's not very original but it works and is easy to remember. At this point I've gotten the Spine Leaf Vine to form small needles on not just its leaves but also the vine's stem, and this fast success mostly comes from how fast the Spine Leaf Vine grows.

It grows fast and is fairly strong, but not as strong as I'd like. So I'm thinking about crossbreeding the Spine Leaf Vine with the Gripping Vine, I'll probably try it when I finish selectively breeding the Spine Leaf Vine.

Once my magic is almost drained I stop and start to clean up my desk. I have a meeting later today with Celestia and I'm a little excited, last time our conversation was cut short and I still have many questions. Once my workroom is properly organized and clean I head out into the main room.

Entropy's teleportation training has finally seen more progress, and with the new location, her range has started to increase once again. I walk out and see Entropy resting on her perch with a stick she found, a few days ago on a trip she picked it up and has just kept it with her.

I'm not sure why she likes it, but she's allowed to keep her own things. I look out the window to see the overcast sky, it seems it will be a rainy day. I check the time and see it's a little past noon, my meeting is still not for a while so I have time to burn.

I find my sketchbook and decide to do some drawing while I regain my magic. My drawing skills have improved over time, and the advice Avalon gave me a while back has also helped quite a bit. I'm just happy about being able to draw better portraits of Entropy sleeping.

By this point I'm on my third sketchbook and this one is almost full, and funnily enough around half of all those drawings are just Entropy. I'm not in a rush so I take my time and slowly draw out a full drawing of Entropy on her perch with the background full of my plants and the view out the window.

After two hours of drawing, I've finished the drawing enough to be satisfied and stop. I put my sketchbook down and lay down in the center of the main room, I place a few small pieces of paper on the floor and start to focus. I've made some progress with space magic and now I think I'm ready to up my training a little.

I slowly move the first piece of paper into the air and try my best to keep it there while moving the second piece at the same time. But it doesn't take me long to lose enough control for the piece of paper to fall, but I make sure to keep firm control of the magic even if the piece of paper is gone.

I keep this practice up until I'm once again drained of magic and then go back to drawing while drinking tea. It's a slow process as always but I enjoy the feeling of steady improvement and progress. I go back and forth a few times, I stop when it gets near my meeting time and decide to leave early.

I take my regular things with me and have Entropy merge into my shadow, before leaving my apartment and walking through the wet streets of Canterlot. I'm a bit disappointed that the weather is like this, we'll probably be meeting inside and I've come to prefer the royal gardens.

I left a little too early so I decided to take the more scenic route and see the city a bit. I know Canterlot well, but even I haven't seen everything, and I can still stumble on places I haven't been to in a long time. So it's not too much of a surprise that I end up walking somewhere I haven't seen in over two years.

The orphanage I grew up in, I pause when I recognize the building and my thoughts start to wander. It's been a long while since I last saw this place, and it looks like it hasn't aged a single day. The same fence, the same small vegetable gardens, and even the same faces.

Sitting on the porch I see somepony I recognize, the head of the orphanage, Magree Lime. I always thought that was an odd pony name, not that it really matters I suppose. I never was close to her, but I do remember what she's like.

I remember that she'd always sit on the porch and wait when it was raining, I thought it was just her taking a break and getting some peace and quiet. But I asked why once and she just said that it would be rude to have nopony there to greet visitors. I pointed out not many would visit in the rain, and she just smiled at me.

As I feel the memories wash over me I stare at her for several moments in the light rain and eventually decide to walk over. Even if it's just a simple hello, I think she deserves at least that much. As I walk closer I see the old mare stand up and look over to me. "Hello, can I help you?" Her voice still has that slightly stern but caring feel to it.

I walk onto the porch while lowering my hood, and when I come face to face with her I make sure to show a smile. "Hello mam, It's been a while hasn't it?" I greet them in a friendly tone. The last time we met she was taller than me, but now she has to look up to meet my face.

She adjusts her glasses for a moment before one of her rare smiles starts to show on her muzzle. "Shade Evergreen." She doesn't say anything else for a moment while looking over my appearance. "It's about time you visited. You made an old mare wait." I'm surprised at the slight joke she makes.

From what I remember she was always the serious pony, then again I was younger at the time and she was directly responsible for me. I nod, "I can't say the visit was planned, but it's nice to see you again. How have things been?"

She sits back down on a bench, "Regardless, it's nice of you to come and say hello, many don't. Not that I blame them, they have their own lives to live. And things have been well, in fact, these are probably the best years I've worked here." She seems to have a happy attitude.

I'm curious, but also remember I do have a meeting to go to, I quickly cast the Temporis spell and check the time. "Well I don't have much time, but I'm too curious not to ask why."

She watches me cast the spell instantly and her smile widens a light bit. "Seems you still practice magic, good, you always looked so happy when you read about it in the study. And to answer you, have you heard of Veil Winter?" I feel my adrenaline spike a little at her words.

That name is gaining more and more attention, and me making more spells and inventions isn't exactly helping. I nod, "I do book copying in the library now, and they made a spell that vastly sped the process up, so yes I do." I give a logical reason.

She keeps her smile, "Yes I know that spell, it's very useful for paperwork. But the real gift is the silence barrier they made, the foals sleep so soundly now. You have your answer now and I have things to do, so get going, I won't have you be late on my account."

There is the mare I remember, the mare that will tell you to get going and stop wasting time. I just smile and don't even try to argue with her, "I will. And, thank you, for everything you did for me." I try to sound as genuine as I can when I say that because I really mean it.

She turns to me and smiles again. "And you seem to be doing well, that's thanks enough, now get along Colt." I chuckle and nod again. I flip up my hood again and walk out into the rain again, it was nice to see her again. Maybe I could visit more? I'll think about it later, I have a meeting to get to.

When I reach the palace it's just on time, and I go through the same motions with the guards as always. But this time I'm not led to the room we normally meet in, instead I'm led to a double door I don't recognize. The two guards on either side of the doors look at me for a moment but don't seem very interested, after that moment one of them nods to the doors.

Seeing that I just open the doors and walk inside, and what's inside surprises me. I'm greeted by a brightly lit and nicely decorated bedroom. A large bed and several shelves filled with books and other objects filled the space, and sitting at a table in the middle of the room was Celestia.

She turns from the book she's reading and smiles when she sees me. "Shade, Come in and make yourself comfortable, and please close the door." I'm still a little stunned at being in what I think is her bedroom, so I just nod and use my field to close the doors behind me.

A tiny part of me is uncomfortable to be in somepony else's home, but I shake that off and walk over to sit down at the table with her. After a movement I'm given a cup of fresh tea, "So how was your trip? I hope everything went well." She says with a smile.

I nod. "It was very nice, the ponies were friendly and kind, and the festival was fun." I keep my answer short and truthful.

She keeps her smile and nods, "Good to hear, I've had the pleasure of visiting Ponyville a few times in the past and it's always a good experience." Knowing what's to come she was probably there for more than just a visit, but I keep those thoughts to myself.

"I agree. I am curious though, why meet here now?" I decide to change the subject, I rather not let my mind think about the potential consequences of my actions right now.

She obviously notices me changing the subject but moves right along. "Well, I've seen where you live, so I thought it would only be fair if you got to do the same."

I take another moment to look around her room. It's nice and clean, warm colors decorate it and despite its opulence, it has a nice feel to it. I smile back at her, "Well I can definitely say you're better at decorating than I am. It's a nice place, thank you for inviting me." It is nice to know she trusts me enough to be in her personal space.

"Well thank you, I try to keep it interesting. But enough with the pleasantries, last time we were interrupted, and knowing you, you're still curious." She's got me pinned there, I am definitely curious.

"Straight to the point? You do know me well." I joke a little more and start really relaxing with her. I spend a moment sipping some tea and thinking about what to ask. "I guess I'll start with simple things and go from there." She just nods as I continue to think.

But I have some trouble trying to think of decent simple questions, eventually I just go with the first thing I can think of. "What's your favorite thing to do that doesn't involve ruling?"

She tilts her head a little, "Well there are a few things, but music is probably my favorite. And out of all the instruments I've learned to play piano is the one I enjoy playing the most." Well, that's a nice surprise.

"I don't really know what I was expecting, but that wasn't that. Do you play often?" Although now that I think about it a piano does fit her.

She moves her hoof in a so-so fashion. "Yes and no, sometimes I play often for a while, and sometimes I can also go years without playing."

I nod and decide to move on to the next question. "Favorite color?"

"Yellow." She answers immediately.

I give her a deadpan stare. "Really?"

She chuckles. "No, it's red."

I roll my eyes. "Favorite food. And cake doesn't count." The few times she's eaten something at our meetings she ate cake or other sweets.

Her face shifts from her smile and I swear I see her pout for a moment, but don't fully catch it. "I like pretty much anything with daisies."

I note that in my memory and move on. "Ok, how about this, name three things you don't like."

She pauses for a moment and seems to think about it, "Cherries, pineapple, and hayfries." I just give her an, are you serious, look. "What? You brought up food."

I just smile and move on again. "OK, I'm done with the simple stuff. I'm honestly not sure if I should even get an answer to this question, but I'm too curious not to ask." I drink more tea and reassure myself that she's a friend, and the worst she can do is refuse to answer.

She seems to see I'm a little apprehensive. "I'll say the same thing as last time, you've been personal with me and I'd like to do the same, so please ask. Even if I can't answer there is no harm in asking."

Hearing her encouragement I just go for it, blunt as a brick. "It's obvious you are ageless to some extent, but are you just ageless or are you immortal in some way?"

She gives me another reassuring look. "Well first, I can see why you'd hesitate to ask, and I'm happy you trust me enough to ask difficult or sensitive things without thinking I'll get mad or defensive about it. But to answer you, as far as I know I am completely ageless, and I'm able to recover from... Extensive wounds, but I'm not sure if I'm truly immortal." I hear the pause and decide to not question it.

I smile at her reassurances, and start thinking about her answer. "So there could be a limit to what you can heal from, but you're not sure where it is and rather not test it?" She nods. "Well, that puts a few fears of mine to rest."

She raises a brow. "You worry over my health?" She asks curiously.

Seems I relaxed a little too much and let that slip, but I don't panic and just think up a reasonable, truthful, answer. "Yes and no, I know it's unlikely that anything would happen to you. But we both know how paranoid I can be, and I've told you about how I worry over things like this."

She smiles a little sadly and nods. "I'd hoped you'd learn to worry less about such things, but like I said last time I understand such fears and that it takes time to put those fears to rest. And while we're on this topic I'd like to ask you something that I ask anypony that asks me the same question you just did." I'm not at all surprised other ponies have asked about her mortality before me so I nod.

It's honestly amazing that she can look past my age and talk about things like this with me, then again that's part of the reason I like talking to her. "If you could, would you want to live forever?"

I don't need to think about it for more than a second before answering. "No, I'd be happy to live for a long long time, but living forever isn't something I'd ever agree to." And I'm being honest, I've died before and while I do wish to live a long life, living forever is nothing but a trap.

She smiles at my answer. "Most at least give the idea some thought, and many just say yes immediately. So why flat-out refuse?"

"Math." She raises a brow. "Forever by its very definition never ends, and that's completely terrifying." I now have her interest as I keep explaining. "I think the best way for me to explain how I feel about it is by changing the question a little. Would you want to live longer than everypony else?"

She nods. "And that is the same trap that so many fall into. You are completely right, the idea of living forever can be scary." We lapse into silence as I try to think of what to say next.

It's clear we've gotten off track so I ask something else. "What is an alicorn?"

She goes along with me changing the subject again and answers a few seconds later. "Well that's complicated, and I won't go over a lot of things, mostly for safety." I nod my understanding, I'm not sure if a pony could become an alicorn if they knew how they come about, but I rather not find out. Plus I already know how alicorns come into existence.

"But I can say an alicorn is a mix of all the pony tribes, and that I have all the magic of every tribe. And as you know I control the sun and moon, while my niece Princess Cadence rules over Love." That brings my mind to Cadence, I haven't met her yet or seen her for that matter.

But I heard about her ascension when I was younger, somewhere around mid-988 if I remember correctly. "But I won't say much beyond those two things." She looks a bit apologetic but also firm in her answer.

I wake it off. "I'm the last pony you'd need to say that to, I'm paranoid enough as it is and don't need more things to worry about."

"Thank you for understanding, any more questions?" Seems she's the one to change the subject this time, and just as she did with me I'm happy to go along with the change.

And this is one I've been curious about ever since she brought it up to me, and I think it could be funny. She jokingly told me to never have grapes around Philomena, so I'm doing just that. During this whole conversation, Entropy and Philomena took time to mess around and play.

Right now Philomena is sleeping next to Entropy on her perch, it's honestly adorable that they share perches. "Well I do have a question, but I think I can answer it myself." Celestia raises a brow at that statement. Philomena is awake sitting on her perch, so I look over to her and take out a cluster of green grapes I brought with me from my saddlebags.

Celestia looks at the grapes for a second before she smiles, and then she starts chuckling. :I may have made a mistake: Before I can put the grapes back a ball of living fire and excitement slams into the grapes I was holding in front of my face.

Next thing I know I have a very hyper Phoenix gobbling down the grapes at an insane speed while standing on top of me, meanwhile I'm splayed out on the floor belly up because she knocked me down with how fast she moved. I'm too stunned to move and just lay there on my back as Philomena eats on top of my belly while Celestia breaks down laughing.

It takes less than twenty seconds for Philomena to eat around twenty grapes, and once she's done she finally gets off of me. I move myself upright as Philomena hops on my back and starts happily chirping at me while preening my mane that was messed up from the fall.

I turn my head to Celestia, she's recovered from her laughing fit and is now looking at me with the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. I gave her a look of utter confusion, "WHAT, was that?" I demand.

She just laughs again. "THAT, would be what happens every time Philomena sees grapes. She will do anything to get to them and pamper those who give them to her." She explains while Philomena continues to straighten my mane out, I look back to Philomena and stare back at me with what I swear is a smile.

She looks happier than I've ever seen before and is happily working away on my messy mane. It's at this moment that Entropy decides she can't be outdone and flies down to also land on my back, and then she starts helping Philomena preen me, I turn back to Celestia and she just laughs again at the sight.

"I did try to warn you, the good news is Philomena will basically adore you for a while." She says with a smile. "So what other questions did you have?" Celestia asks with a far too cheery tone. I just give her an unamused look as she chuckles at my expression again.

Author's Note

100 Chapters. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING!!! And have a lovely day. :D

And as a special surprise, Sparky sparks has made a lovely piece of art to celebrate this milestone. They drew it with a mouse and basically no experience with drawing ponies, impressive work I'd say.