Celestia strode through the halls of her castle, excitement to teach a new lesson to her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, clear in the white alicorn's step. It had been eight long years of tutelage after she passed her exams for her school for gifted unicorns. A small flicker of doubt crossed the face of the ancient ruler of Equestria, the memory of an incident not a week in the past still fresh on her mind. With the bickering nobles posturing for power, she had no time to talk about what happened with Twilight, making this situation even worse. During one of their lessons, Twilight had asked about more complex spells to learn, specifically a restricted spell book from the guard training held her interest. Shining Armor, Twilight's older brother, had only recently graduated and most likely sparked that interest in her. All of this brought back memories of another student, somepony who she loved but pushed away in the end. Celestia knew she was partially at fault for the disappearance of Sunset Shimmer and now she stood at the same crossroads with Twilight, she had to do something about it.

When she reached the door to her study she had already made up her mind, maybe there was still a chance. Stepping inside her purple unicorn student was already sitting on a cushion with a book levitating in front of her. The eagerness of the young pony was admirable but this excessive thirst for knowledge could also be dangerous, which Celestia knew from first-hoof experiences. She stepped up beside Twilight and sat down, gently wrapping a wing around her student before looking into what had held Twilight's full attention at the moment.

"Are you ready for our lesson, Twilight?" The soft and motherly voice of her mentor broke Twilight out of her trance-like state. She looked up with a sheepish look on her face, rubbing one of her hoofs over the back of her head and messing up her mane in the process. Years of experience dealing with diplomats of other nations and the stuck-up nobility of her own country allowed Celestia to read Twilight like an open book. She would never outright say it but she wanted more, the lessons Celestia offered were no longer enough for the almost adult pony. "You asked me about a spell book in our last lesson. Do you still want to read it?" The eager nodding of her student was all it took to break down her walls and she let out a deep breath. This was a risky gamble but she was sure a little history lesson about war would change Twilight's mind. "Before I can allow you to read it there are a few things we must do first."

Twilight perked up at the thought of being tested. While she always panicked when she was told that a test was coming, a surprise test like this was a lot easier for her. Her brain had simply no time to come up with any disaster scenarios to make her nights difficult.

"First will be a little history lesson about the spells you asked for." Waiting for her student to acknowledge that with a firm nod, she continued. "And second, you will have to join the guard." Seeing the confused look Celestia elaborated, "Only during guard training are ponies allowed to learn those spells. Not even I can simply allow you to study them without proper training first." This was a gamble that might ruin her chances to finally see her sister again but she would not make the same mistake she did with Sunset. Twilight was mature enough to make her own decisions and maybe she would make some friends in the process without Celestia constantly pushing her in the right direction. Plans formed in her mind for the inevitable return of Nightmare Moon and how she could be defeated without the Elements of Harmony. As much as she wanted her sister back she would not sacrifice the happiness of another for that goal, not any more.

Both sat in silence, Twilight thinking about the offer for a long time before finally turning her head back to her mentor. "Will I still be your student afterwards?"

That question caught Celestia off guard, on one hoof, Twilight wanted to be more independent in her studies, on the other, she was worried she would no longer be her student. How did she misjudge the small unicorn this much? "If you wish to return to my side after your training with the guard you are always welcome. Even if you decide to quit or are unable to continue the guard training, I will always welcome you back, Twilight." The purple arrow that launched itself at her was too fast to react to as Twilight embraced her in a tight hug not letting go for a long time and shouting "yes yes yes yes" the entire time. The memories that flooded back brought a smile to Celestia's face.

Picking up a book from one of her many bookshelves Celestia began to read the title, "The Unedited History of the First Griffon War," getting Twilight's full attention. She would leave some of the bloodier details out of the story but she needed to convey the severity of the decision Twilight was about to make.

Twilight paid rapt attention to the political conflict before the start of the war, often raising a hoof to ask questions like, "What was so important about the mountain range?" or, "Couldn't we just be friends and find a compromise?" When they came to the part that started the war in earnest Twilight gasped. The thought that somepony outright attacked ponies on a diplomatic mission was hard to swallow.

Celestia had stopped reading at this point and started to tell the story from her point of view, getting Twilight to pay even more attention. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, after all, she could read the book later. "My guards and I were ambushed when we crossed a bridge over the canyon that separates Griffonia and Equestria. I was well aware of the dangers of this mission and was prepared for a fight, but the speed and ferocity these griffons displayed were far more than anything I had ever seen. I'm no soldier, I never trained like one before this and was woefully underprepared at the time."

She let that sink in for a moment, Twilight's expression turning thoughtful and distant for well over a minute. After a little pause, she nodded and prompted Celestia to continue. "Before we could react half of my guard was already swept away, dropped off the bridge and into the deep chasm below. The others fought on but we were outnumbered and at a disadvantage." Celestia took a deep breath, the next line would be important for Twilight's decision-making. "My unicorn guards engage the griffons using the spells you want to learn. Enemies hit would burst into flame, screaming as their feathers burned away and they fell into the deep abyss, others would cut through even the thickest of armour. These spells serve no other purpose than to harm and kill, Twilight." She let that sink in for a moment. "Do you still wish to learn them and maybe even be forced to use them in the future?"

"Princess..." She said meekly, "What happened after that? I know there was a conflict but..." Her thirst for knowledge and her peaceful nature fought within her, was she ready to use deadly force or was that something she was never going to learn? Thoughts of her brother came back to mind. She had asked him a question before he shipped out for basic training. "Why do you have to go?" His answer confused her at that time but now... "It would break my heart seeing you or Mom and Dad get hurt. I have to protect you as a bigger brother, it's my duty." She would do anything to protect Spike, the little dragon she hatched during her exam, she finally understood why Shiny would do all this. With a final nod, she turned back to the princess, "Yes, I want to learn, I want to be able to protect my family and myself. I know you have big plans for me, I'm your personal student after all, and I need to be able to face the dangers I am likely to encounter."

With a final nod, Celestia closed the book. She would miss the little innocent filly but she would not stand in the way of her wishes. "Very well, I will make arrangements that you be evaluated. If you want to be accepted you should work on your fitness. Magical ability alone will not get you very far I'm afraid and there is nothing I can do to help you once you join training."

An eager nod was all Twilight could muster at the moment, the excitement of learning new spells too much for her already. Her mind started to create lists for training, she would be ready by the time the evaluation began.

Author's Note

Just a heads up, I will try to upload a chapter every day at least, but there might be delays. With the holiday around, sticking to a schedule can be tricky.
Comments and constructive criticism will always be appreciated.