MAR 6 Monday.

It takes a few moments to get any indecent images out of my mind and prevent myself from getting excited, I really do not want to do that next to Celestia.

She seems to guess my thoughts and simply giggles a bit as I really try not to blush again. "Cadance is... Relentless." I mumble and pull my head out of my hooves after a few long moments. "So, do we have enough guards? Because I really don't want to have too few when something happens." I quickly take us back to the topic in the hopes she drops the teasing.

Celestia moves a piece on the board. "Yes, she most certainly can be, but I have something planned for that. A little off-topic, but how versatile is that color-changing spell you used on me?" She asks with a mischievous smile. I'm happy she's willing to move on but I'm also a little confused as to what spells she is talking about.

But it clicks after a moment and I smile at the opportunity for entertainment and reach out before tapping her foreleg. At the same time I do this I cast the spell and a small spell matrix appears around my hoof before vanishing. A moment later her foreleg transformed to look like pure gold.

She looks thoroughly intrigued while looking at her hoof. "Hmm, not color changing then, transmutation?" She guesses as she tries to figure it out while moving around her foreleg. A moment later she touches it with her other foreleg and disturbs the illusion. "Ahh, an illusion, clever." She compliments me.

I nod in confirmation. "Thanks, it seemed like the easiest way, and to answer your question." I form the spell matrix in front of us. "It's designed to be heavily modifiable, it only takes me a few minutes to change the color or texture. Although more complex things like gold take more time." I explain as Entropy moves over and looks at Celestia's hoof.

She then turns to me and I already know what she wants. I cast the spell on her and she turns gold before hopping around excitedly. "Pretty!"

I chuckle at her outburst. "Also she happens to be obsessed. Now, you said something about a plan? Because I need some revenge." I ask and she gives me a knowing look as her hoof turns back to normal without me doing anything.

She ends the game with a move and resets the board. "Nothing yet, but by tomorrow most certainly. Back to the topic at hoof though, yes we have enough guards, more than necessary actually." She reassures me but continues. "I am more than willing to hear any suggestions though." She offers and brings a few pieces of paper over from her desk.

I read them and it's just a basic list of the retinue for the trip. Several nobles and a few merchants, but less than the Griffonstone trip, probably because we have less robust relations with Feather Falls. The guard escort looks fine and there are enough guards, but I do notice something small.

"There are only two healers going with the guards, you should probably double or even triple that amount. Not having enough healers is not a problem I want to encounter. Beyond that though, this seems adequate, everything else really depends on the city and other outside factors." I give a quick rundown and the only small bit of advice I can before passing the papers back.

She looks pleased at my answer. "A good point, and something I fully agree with. I am curious though, what makes you think about this first? Out of all the possibilities, injury seems to be an unlikely one, exceptionally wide-scale injury." She moves us past the topic and I have to pause at the question.

I really think about it for a minute before answering. "Have you ever heard the saying, prepare for the worst and hope for the best?" I use a bit of knowledge from my last life.

She tilts her head a little. "No, a few that are similar but not that specific one." She answers after a moment of thought. "Is that how you see it? Trying to weigh the risk and reward as it were." We start to get a tad bit philosophical but I don't mind.

"Hmm, yes and no. I do like that saying and I agree with the idea, but I feel that a different saying describes me more. Nothing is as it seems. Take me for example, fighting me seems like a sure win for anypony with some basic training, but that's just while looking at the surface." I do tend to try and be overly cautious about anything unknown.

She nods slowly. "True, anypony attacking you would be in for quite the surprise. Although, I do hope that doesn't happen." She asks, giving me a knowing look. "At least you are ready for the possibility."

I smile. "And that is my point." She raises a brow now a little confused. "You just dismissed most of the threat, that's still better than most I've met who never even considered it. But I find many put the bad possibilities out of their mind and thus often never see them coming. Even with all my work, I'll never be prepared for everything." I give some blunt advice while trying not to sound insulting.

She stops while moving a piece and looks thoughtful. "That is a fair point. I may see the possibility, but to really think it through, hmm." She seems to really be thinking about this. "Now that I think about it, I can kind of see what you mean, I've had a few guards who could never predict a threat all that well." She agrees after some thought.

I smile at her seeing my point. "Like I said, you thought about it more than most others would, and that matters," I reassure her even though she doesn't really need it. After a moment I look around and stare out the window on the back wall of the office. "What is the first thing you think somepony notices when coming into this room?"

Celestia seems very interested in the conversation overall, I myself am enjoying showing her how I see things. She looks around for a minute before answering, eventually, she motions to the pot next to her desk with the Solar Vine and Moon Glow in it, something I gifted her a few years ago. "It is rather eye-catching to the eyes, and also Philomena." She motions to Philomena who's sleeping on her perch with a gold Entropy.

I nod as it is a good answer. "Agreed. But for me? There are two main things, first and foremost through. That door can be locked from the inside and from what I can see there is no key to open it from the outside. If anything were to happen the guards would have to break through it first, and that's doubly so if the door is reinforced. Also, the window, if it's not shielded a long-range spell could go right through it." I explain with a smile seeing her face shift.

She looks at both for a moment. "I do know the window is shielded, but only to withstand the wind and harsh weather. And the door is enchanted to be strengthened. Great, now I need a new door." She jokes a little abruptly and I chuckle at her bland tone. "But you make valid points. That's what you do when entering any room, isn't it?" She asks and guesses correctly.

I nod with a smirk. "Rooms, ponies, many things really. I don't see everything and I do make mistakes like everypony and I rarely need to act on these thoughts. But I tend to not just see these things, but also think them through, most of the time at least." I summarize my point and lose yet another game with a quick exchange of moves. "Also, you never did answer my first question when I arrived, why did you invite me to stay the night?"

She looks me over for a long moment as if sorting her thoughts. "You have a very unique mind, and honestly I don't think I've met a pony that thinks like that before." Her tone is happy, but also simply fascinated by my thoughts. She drinks some tea and finally answers my question. "Your friend is going to be meeting with me in..." She cast a time spell that looks like a clock. "Around half an hour."

I stare at her for a few moments blankly, and then I start laughing. :Oh, this mare. She really knows how to mess with people: I recover pretty quickly and look back up at her. "Of course, you planned this. I do ask that you go a bit easy on him, he can be nervous normally so meeting you might be a bit much for him."

She nods a little more seriously. "I have no intent on terrorizing him, especially after the invention he made." I raise a brow at the way she says that and she just smiles. "Well, he is the one submitting the invention to me, so he gets the credit." :And there it is: I'm not really surprised at that.

I roll my eyes at her words. "How are we doing this then? Because I'm not missing this for anything." I insist while trying to think of a solution, but before I can suggest anything Celestia casts a spell on me and I nearly roll out of the way but stop myself. A few moments later I see a small transparent dome around me. "Huh."

I look around for a moment before shifting to the side a little and watching it stay in place and not follow me. I stick my head outside of the dome and see that there appears to be nothing on the inside. I turn my floating head to an amused Celestia, "You're teaching me this, right?"

She chuckles at my focused and interested expression. "I don't know, a young colt with an invisibility spell." I blush a little and move my head back inside the dome quickly much to her amusement. "Hmm, honestly? This spell might not be the best for you." Her tone was simple and factual.

The spell vanishes and luckily my blush has died down a bit by then. "The spell is not very well made, it costs far too much magic, and the reason I prefer it is because I have magic to spare and because it's robust in effect. Even if you remake the spell I think it might be better for you to make your own spell." My ears dip a bit in disappointment and nod after a moment.

She's not wrong, I should be able to make something like this, and dealing with a spell so badly made that even Celestia only prefers it slightly is not something I want to do. She smiles at my face and comforts me, "That said, I'm more than willing to pass along the runes used, even if they are a large part of the reason the spell is so inefficient."

I nod vigorously and perk right up at hearing that. "Yes please!" I happily agree and she nods. There are a few moments of silence as I move a piece on the board. "Oh, right. How is the Life gem coming along? Also, do you know how long it will take to be finished?"

She gets a slightly odd look on her face, some mix of happiness and contained excitement. "It's coming along very well. I personally watched it be worked on in fact." A bit of odd phrasing but I leave it be for now. "And, it should be done around your birthday, maybe a bit sooner."

Considering the delicate nature of gem crafting and the sheer value of the gem in question I would rather the gem cutter take as much time as necessary. I don't care if it takes months or hell, even a year, it just needs to be done properly beyond that the time frame is irrelevant. "On that topic, do you have plans for your birthday? It's not every day you become an adult."

I shrug after a moment. "Nothing really? Birthdays aren't really a big deal for me, I've even forgotten it before, twice actually." I admit and she looks a little bit sad, not pitying just sad. I huff and wave her off, "None of that, I could have asked my friends if I really wanted to, but it's just not all that important to me." I reassure her and keep the mood light.

She smiles again after a moment. "Fine, but does that mean you have that day free?" I raise a brow and nod. "Perfect, then it seems I have something to plan." It's a pleasant surprise to hear her say that and I try to disagree but she shuts that down. "Don't make me give a royal decree." That shuts me up.

After a moment I sigh and just agree. "Fin-" But before I can fully voice my reluctant agreement a knock sounds on the door. Celestia acts first and just picks me and my things up with her magic, the sudden feeling of floating feels a little odd but I don't struggle against it.

Me, all my things, and Entropy are placed on the floor in the back left corner of the room so no one would bump into us. A moment later we are under a translucent dome and invisible again. "You may wish to cast that silent spell, and you be a good girl and behave." She looks right through the invisibility and at Entropy, who nods quickly in response.

I chuckle and cast the spell quickly as Celestia takes off her glasses and puts on her royal mask while standing sitting behind her desk again and looking busy. "Enter." Her voice is clear and regal. The door opens quickly and a guard enters with Avalon, who looks to be shitting bricks at the moment.

He's very nervous, fidgeting every few moments, and to my amusement he's in a suit. It's a plain black suit but seeing him wearing it makes me chuckle, but I try to keep it in and not laugh at his expenses too much. I don't want to make it a habit and it simply doesn't feel right even if he will probably never know I watched this.

He walks in and quickly bows deeply to Celestia. "Y-Your Majesty." He really tries his best but his stutter still comes through a little bit. His tone is much more formal than I'm used to and his head feathers are pinned back a bit.

Celestia keeps her royal mask on but smiles a tad. "Mr. Tesis, thank you for joining me. Please, sit." Her tone is also too formal for my tastes. I wonder if this is how I acted when we first met? Honestly, a lot of that day has faded from my memory a good bit.

He nods shakily and tries his best to keep eye contact. "M-.... Hem. It's an honor, Your Majesty, thank y-you for inviting me." He's keeping himself together rather well all things considered, but I can tell that this fake calm is thin and will break with only a little pressure.

Celestia moves a few things around on her desk and Avalon stares at the pot with the Solar Vine and Moon Glow in it. "It is a rather interesting combination." She comments and he squeaks a little and looks back to her quickly. She tries not to laugh at that but is very good at hiding it. "Now, I mostly invited you out of curiosity for your invention, and rather... Odd request." Her tone is all business but has a calming undertone to it.

She motions to his wooden arm with a slightly more gentle expression. "May I?" It's a simple request and after some slight hesitation, Avalon deactivates the enchantment, attaching his prosthetic to his stump and holding out the prosthetic warily. "Thank you kindly, I'll be gentle with it." Her tone is reassuring and she takes a minute to look over the prosthetic.

Avalon keeps his eyes forward this time and Entropy watches them curiously. "Friend? Friends?" She looks in between the two and seems confused by the meeting before looking up at me.

I smile down at her. "Shhhh, our friends are talking." I didn't explain for now and just kept listening. Celestia looks over the arm and lets a little curiosity show, I think she's showing more emotion than needed to help Avalon relax a bit more if he even can relax at all while being near Celestia.

Celestia breaks the silence. "An amazing piece of work, simple but effective." She smiles a small bit again and Avalon looks relieved as she passes it back to him. "I have been told that you wish to release this under an alias, is that correct?"

Avalon straightens his back a bit. "W-Wel- I mean yes Your Majesty!" He takes a deep breath. "I-I am not... Fond of a-attention." He explains unnecessarily.

She nods slowly after a moment. "Very well. This will prove to be a great help to many, and from what I've been told this is your only condition correct?"

Avalon's feathers pin back more. "C-Condition? M-Maybe? I... Yes?" He looks unprepared for any form of negotiation. Celestia gives him a curious look at the uncertain answer. "Yes! Yes t-that is my only request, i-if it's allowed?" His nervousness is peaking with every question she asks.

Celestia nods down at him. "If that is all, then I thank you Avalon Thesis for your contributions to Equestria and her people." Her tone is pleased and very formal but I see him tense at the mention of the second part of his name. Now that I think about it he never told me his full name, well we all have private things.

He seems relieved and kind of proud at Celestia's words. "Thank you Y-Your Majesty, it's my honor to have the opportunity to h-help others." His words feel truthful and he's even able to control himself more at her acceptance.

She moves a few pages over to him. "Please sign these, they are the standard contract for an independent inventor. Use whatever name you like, as long as it's not another's name of course. Also, are you willing to leave a mailing address if we need to contact you about any problems we may encounter?" I'll give her credit, Celestia is great at making someone sign something without reading it.

Avalon quickly signed the provided contract and just as quickly wrote down his address on another piece of paper. Celestia looked pleased but it was as muted as her other expressions. "O-Of course you may, p-please if anything goes wrong I'll... I-I will help in whatever way I can." I see that determination he hides so well.

Celestia takes both papers and reads them over quickly. "Thank you Mr. Thesis. This will help a great many. I'm afraid though I have other work to attend to, do you have any questions?" She seems to cut this a lot shorter than my first meeting with her, I think because Avalon is still highly on edge.

He looks secretly relieved, even though it's easy to notice, and shakes his head quickly. "No, Your Majesty. T-Thank you for the honor of this meeting." He bows again and stands there a little uncomfortable.

Celestia smiles a bit in his relief. "It was a pleasure Mr. Thesis. Please, show yourself out, a guard will take you outside." With that dismissal, he turns on a dime and walks out of the office a little quickly. After the door closes I leave the dome as Entropy flies off to join Philomena again.

She smiles at me and looks happy. "He is certainly interesting, a little stiff though." She chuckles in good humor.

I smile in return. "Well, can you blame him? He did have to stare down someone three times his height that controls the sun and moon." I joke in return before moving the contract over to me. "Hmm, Gentle Feather? Yes, that fits him rather well, maybe he'll get a confidence boost from this? Also, I don't remember signing something like this." I read his alias with a little thought and asked something.

She nods. "Yes, he could certainly use it, but his heart is in the right place. A bit of a shame he didn't read the contract though." She looks a little mischievous. "You are an orphan and thus a ward of the crown, I signed it for you." A simple enough answer for me.

I raise a brow and laugh after a moment. "I'm just going to guess that you included royalties in his contract." Her smile is all the answer I need, I laugh more realizing he's going to make quite the fortune off of this, and promptly lose his mind.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :D
Current year is 995

Not too much going on hear, but I feel I'm really getting decent at writing dialog. It's far from great, but sill a lot better then when this all started. I hope you all liked it.