"Princess Celestia! Look at this exhibit! Isn't it just fascinating?"
"Hmm... yes, quite... fascinating, Twilight."
"You're not even looking! This artifact is from the pre-Classical era, and it's in mint condition! Can you believe how they managed to preserve it for so long?"
"I can certainly admire their effort. What’s next?"
"Ooo! The enchanted textiles section! They say these fabrics still retain traces of ancient magic! Isn't that incredible?"
"Absolutely... magical. How long is this tour again?"
"We've barely started! There are fifteen more sections to go!"
"Ah. Of course there are."
"Look at this, Princess! This tapestry—woven entirely by unicorn magic! Can you feel the residual energy?"
"Residual energy? I’m feeling... something, yes."
"You're just not as enthusiastic as I thought you'd be. I mean, this is history! Knowledge! Everything we could ever want to learn is right here, preserved for us!"
"Yes, Twilight. It’s certainly… all here."
"You don’t sound convinced."
"Oh, I’m convinced. Convinced this museum has enough exhibits to last a lifetime. Perhaps two."
"You’re exaggerating! But just wait until we get to the scrolls section!"
"The scrolls section. How delightful."
"Don’t you want to know more about the history of magical parchment crafting?"
"I’m afraid I already know quite a bit... being as old as parchment itself."
"Princess!"
"Twilight, I’m only teasing. It's wonderful that you're enjoying yourself."
"You don't have to pretend for me, you know. I just thought you'd find this interesting too."
"Ah, but you forget, my faithful student, I’ve lived through most of this history. And while it’s fascinating to you, for me it’s more like... rereading an old book."
"I guess that makes sense... Wait! You were there when these artifacts were created! Why didn’t you say anything?"
"Well, I didn’t want to take the spotlight away from the museum's well-researched plaques."
"You should have told me! You can give me a firsthoof account! That’s way better than a plaque!"
"I could, but then you wouldn’t get to read the little blurbs you seem to love so much."
"Sigh... Fine. But you can’t fall asleep during the next section!"
"I’ll do my best."
"Promise?"
"I solemnly swear, Twilight Sparkle, that I will stay as awake as possible during... the scrolls."
"Hmph. Good. Now come on, there’s still so much more to see!"
"So much more… indeed."
“Ah, here we are! The ancient scrolls section!”
“Oh... joy.”
“Look! This one is from Starswirl the Bearded! The Starswirl! Can you imagine? He might’ve touched this very scroll!”
“Actually... he did.”
“Wait—what?!”
“I remember that one quite well, actually.”
“Are you serious?! What’s written on it? What was he doing when he wrote it?”
“He was... well, this particular scroll was part of a series of letters he sent to me when he was working on a particularly challenging spell. I believe it was during his obsession with time magic.”
“No way! This is that scroll?! What did he write? What was the spell about?”
“Oh, Twilight... Starswirl was brilliant, yes, but he had a bit of an eccentric streak. He was convinced he could create a spell that would allow him to ‘borrow’ time from future days to extend particularly productive ones.”
“He... what?! Borrow time? Did it work?”
“Not quite. He ended up oversleeping for a week straight as a result. The time he borrowed came back to collect all at once, as it turned out.”
“Oh my goodness! I can’t believe that happened! Why didn’t I know about this?!”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly one of his proudest moments. He preferred to keep that particular experiment... hush-hush.”
“That’s incredible! What was he like? Starswirl, I mean.”
“Starswirl... He was a bit like you, actually. Incredibly dedicated to his studies, always seeking out knowledge. But he could be... hmm... a little grumpy when things didn’t go his way.”
“Grumpy? I can’t imagine that!”
“Oh, trust me. When you’ve spent days pouring over ancient texts, trying to find a solution that just won’t come... grumpiness is inevitable. I’ve seen him lose his temper over the most trivial things.”
“Like what?”
“Well, once, he misplaced a quill. Just a quill! He was convinced that it had been enchanted to vanish as some sort of prank. He spent hours searching for it, only to find it tucked behind his ear the entire time.”
“That’s hilarious! I had no idea he had that side to him.”
“Oh, there were many sides to Starswirl. He was brilliant, yes, but also stubborn, proud, and, at times, surprisingly sentimental.”
“Sentimental?”
“Oh yes. There were moments, especially near the end of his life, where he would sit with me and just... talk about everything. The students he had taught, the places he had visited, the spells he had yet to master. But more than anything, he spoke of his desire to leave a lasting impact. He wanted to be remembered, not just for his magic, but for what he had given to Equestria.”
“And he did! He’s one of the most revered wizards in history!”
“Yes... though I sometimes wonder if he truly knew how much he meant to us all.”
“I think he did. Especially with you by his side.”
“I hope so, Twilight. We shared many long nights working together, discussing the future of magic, the potential it held. He always had such grand ideas, dreams of what could be.”
“You must miss him.”
“I do. Very much. But in some ways, I see him in you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. The way you approach your studies, your dedication to helping others through magic, and that same spark of curiosity he had. Starswirl would’ve been so proud of you, Twilight.”
“...Wow, I... I don’t know what to say. That means so much coming from you, Princess.”
“I speak only the truth, Twilight. You are every bit the scholar and leader that Starswirl hoped to be. And more.”
“Thank you... that really means a lot.”
“Now then... shall we continue this tour, or are you planning to read every scroll in the archive?”
“Can I do both?”
“Ah, there’s the Twilight I know.”
