My Dearest Students

Chapters

Starlight
Firefly
Surprise!
Zuri
Posey & Medley
The Doctor

Starlight

My Dearest Students

By: BubuJones

Chapter 1: Starlight

The princess of the night strolled languidly down one of the castle’s many elaborate hallways. The walls and arches, intricately magnificent in both stature and design, towered around her. Luna would often pause to awe and admire the fine pony work done on the stained glass windows that depicted tales of history and ponykind. The castle which she once called home, forgotten deep within the Everfree Forest, would pale in comparison to what she and her sister now resided in. Since returning from her celestial imprisonment and being freed from the clutches of Nightmare Moon, she would frequently explore the maze-like hallways, peer into every doorway, and even try to have some fun within the castle. Everything was so new and brilliant to her, perhaps even perfect; now back together with her sister, everything was perfect.

Luna had just returned from the successful deed of lowering Celestia’s sun to give way to her impressive array of celestial bodies that would brighten up the night. She had decided with her sister to divide the work: her raising both the sun and moon one day, and her sister on the next, and so on from there. Or if one just simply felt like not performing the task one day, the other would carry it for whatever reason.

Today was one such day where Celestia had asked her to bring the day she had started to an end. Luna would happily oblige as she had witnessed the stresses and pressures that being atop a hierarchy would bring on Celestia. Ever since she had returned she had done little to aid her sister in the matter of public politics, perhaps due to her still frightening image, but she tried to make up for it with every given opportunity. Luna would try her hoof with some of Celestia’s paperwork, organize her meetings, or other behind-the-scenes affairs. She never fancied those sorts of things, but if it helped relieve some of her sister’s work load, then it was worth it.

Deeper into the castle, Luna ventured down the complex hallways, searching around every corner and room. Her calls of, “Tia! Where are you?” echoed down the empty halls. She was beginning to make turns around corners she had never encountered before. The walls and ceilings began to close in on her and take a more simple architectural design. The quantity of royal guards dwindled until nopony was seen in any direction. Luna was alone, and she didn’t like it.

“Celestia, you’d better not be hiding again! I’m getting tired of these tricks!” she called only to be answered by her own voice in return. She stomped a hoof in slight irritation and continued on. After a few more misguided turns with no general sense of direction, she stumbled upon an even smaller pathway, dark and eerie; her curiosity got the better of her as she entered.

The dreary gray walls were lined with magically lit lanterns that dimly illuminated the thin corridor Luna continued to explore. Her nervousness began to escalate the deeper she ventured, and the ceiling seemingly fell upon her. She looked back towards where she had entered, far off the lighted archway was still visible but at a much smaller size. She turned around trying to focus her eyes in an attempt to spot anything in the dark distance. She began to have second thoughts.

Perhaps there’s nothing. Maybe it is none of my business to be down here? There is no reason not to at least figure out where this leads, she thought decisively.

It will just be another portion of the Castle to add to my mental map! She pushed away her worried second thoughts and cantered on.

She soon came upon the reason as to why she saw nothing at the end of the hall as the corridor made a sharp left turn. Peering slowly around the corner, she spotted an old wooden door, slightly ajar, allowing a stream of weak light to escape. She approached cautiously and fully alert. There could be anything behind that door, she thought.

Well, not really, but I have to be ready for anything. Upon the foot of the door, her ears perked up to a sound she hadn’t expected; the sounds of weeping accompanied by a soft sniffle. She swung the door open with deliberate caution; it gave a painful creak upon reaching the full extent of the hinges. Celestia twisted her head around quickly; tears sparkled upon her lower lashes.

“Luna!” Celestia feebly uttered in shock at the sight of her sister standing at the doorway. She hastily recovered from her slouched posture back to her royal elegant stature, wiping away the tears with a foreleg. “I-I mean, Luna, what are you doing here?” Her voice, still not fully recovered from its previous condition, she forced to sound as regal as if speaking in public, with little success.

Luna was taken aback at the sight of her sister in such a dire, unusual state. Celestia had always been able to keep her composure through most almost any situation she would be up against, be it Discord or her once tragic persona of Nightmare Moon. To see her like this now made Luna’s heart sink.

“Tia… what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Luna asked softly with clear concern as she approached Celestia. She sat close by her sister’s side, looking up with shimmering, almost frightened eyes, which Celestia tried to avoid by looking away. Luna waited for her sister’s reply silently, not wanting to rush the already tense situation.

She didn’t respond at first; Celestia scavenged her mind for any sort of excuse to present to Luna, but there was no use. The only thing that could satisfy her sister would be the one and only truth, the truth Celestia had kept hidden to herself for so long. She gave a deep sigh of submission before returning her sisters incisive gaze. Luna gave a pleading frown in return. She couldn’t lie to that face, even if she had tried.

“I should have told you before about this place. I’ve come here once every year for nearly a thousand years now… ever since I lost you all that time ago,” Celestia explained with calm assurance, her voice now fully returned to its natural soothing kindness. Celesta broke the eye contact as she looked about the room, as did Luna, examining the room with growing, uncertain curiosity.

The room was small in comparison to most rooms found in the castle, but still comfortably fit the two large alicorn princesses, and the ceiling was notably higher than the exiting corridor. The room was a uniform, dull gray color, void of the intricate designs and architecture that adorned the rest of the castle. But perhaps the most conspicuous aspect of the room would have had to be the back wall both sisters now gazed upon. There were nine pictures hung to the wall: paintings, both simple and elaborate, together with more modern photographs of both black and white and color. They were organized neatly in what seemed to be a timeline like fashion, with a painting to the far left and a picture to the far right. Each image was that of a pony in its prime. They all struck elegant poses of refinement and class. There was a candle lit beneath each picture; the only light source of the room.

“Who… who are these ponies?” Luna asked, still not quite comprehending the situation. She looked back to her sister, the soft lighting cast flickering shadows that dance around her frame.

“You’ve met my dear student, Twilight Sparkle,” she replied calmly.

“Indeed, one of the Elements of Harmony. She was very generous to me during that whole Nightmare Night trouble I faced not so long ago.” Luna recalled that night that held a few revelations to her own self.

“She is not the first student I have taken under my wing. That I have allowed close to my heart.” A hint of sorrow touched her voice at the end. “When I… I banished you…” She strained herself to say that and before she continued, Luna cut her off.

“It was not your fault. You shouldn’t continue to blame yourself like this, Tia…” Her emotions began to build inside her. She just wanted to make her sister feel better, her foremost priority since she had returned. “It was my fault. Nightmare Moon would not have been if I hadn’t felt what I did all those years ago. And I apologized to you for it, and you accepted my apology. My past sins are behind me now, all that matters are that we are together again.” She nuzzled her sister’s neck in affectionate care.

“Thank you…” Celestia exhaled again, this time in a more relieved manner. They huddled close to each other, bringing much wanted tranquility into the atmosphere. They stayed quiet, pushing the moment to its fullest extent. But it could not last forever as Celestia broke the moment and carried on with her explanation.

“When I sent you away, I also sent away a large portion of my heart by doing so. An empty void was left in its place which caused me great pain and sorrow each and every day afterwards.” Luna listened intently, wearing the same compassionate loving face. “I was in mourning for years, and my own condition would reflect upon that of Equestria. That is when I came upon my first student, or more so, she came to me.” Celestia raised a hoof at the first painting on the far left.

A very pretty, young unicorn filly resided within the portrait. She wore august clothing that covered her cutie mark, reminiscent of the type during the time Luna ruled at the side of Celestia more than one thousand years ago. Her coat was pearl white and her light blue mane was made high. She wore a happy, almost embarrassed smile on her face. The portrait was excellently done in the way it was able to portray such raw emotion.

“She was very beautiful,” Luna remarked, getting closer to the painting to examine it further.

“Yes, and she had a personality and the magical prowess to match. Her name was Starlight. She was one of the castles many servants at the time, and one of the few that was actually able to see through my facade. She was the first pony who took concern in my personal feelings rather than just my royal position. I was able to expose my true self to her, she reminded me so much of you.” Celestia allowed her eyes to close briefly as she recalled the memories of her first student; a modest smile touched her lips.

~*~*~*~

Celestia walked down the castle hallways with a listless pace, her head hung low. She had just returned from lowering the moon to allow her sun to shine above Equestria. It had been a few years since Luna’s banishment, but the act of doing what her sister once aided her in was still painful. She had done what she did with great reluctance, she had done it for the greater good of Equestria, she knew it was for the best. But that realization would do her aching heart no good. She wanted her sister back, but there was no way.

Heading directly into her chambers, she ignored the pestering advisers that would constantly hassle her over simple matters she had no patience for. She had little patience for many things now. The grand double doors were loudly shut, silencing the insufferable chatter that made her mind ache. She laid her entire self upon the bed and exhaled loudly and unceremoniously. Celestia thrived in seclusion, absence of noise and the lack of forced formality was much needed tranquility for her. She just wanted to be alone; she preferred to be alone.

A startling rapping came from her chamber door that made Celestia jump and stagger to regain some sort of elegant posture. She wasn’t in the mood for anypony, but she could not ignore the persistent knocks. She cleared her throat before she spoke.

“You may enter,” she said regally with a hint of exaggeration. The door slowly inched open just enough to allow a telekinetically held food tray to slip past, then closely followed by a unicorn pony that entered cautiously. Her coat was a shimmering white and her mane was of a blue that reminded Celestia of a clear blue sky. Her cutie mark was an array of violet stars ranging from small to large in an upward pattern.

“I beg your pardon, Princess, your breakfast is ready,” she spoke clearly with poise and held her head low in respect. “Where would you like it?”

“We thank thee for thy services. Set it upon our mantel if thou please. We shall tend to it in due time.” Celestia tried to speak loudly, but did not bother. She never liked to address her ponies in such a manner, but it was customary.

“As you wish, Princess.”She set the tray down and began to retrace her steps backwards in the customary and respectful manner. She did not once look up at Celestia. “Enjoy,” she said happily before stepping out.

“Halt! Pray thee, come hither,” Celestia called before the door came to a close. The unicorn entered into the room a bit hesitantly.

“I-Is something the matter, Princess?” she said with a hint of nervousness, still facing directly at the floor.

“We bid thee to enlighten us; what has transpired of our last attendant, Alphonse? He had served us thusly for years.” Celestia had gotten quite good at knowing which servants did what, but she had never seen this particular unicorn before.

“I am sorry, Princess, but, Alphonse has retired and returned to his family. I shall be your new serving maid from now on. Forgive me for not stating this when I came in. My name is Starlight.” She bowed lower.

“Starlight,” Celestia repeated to herself languidly. “We thank thee once again. Prithee, thou mayest gaze upon us within our quarters. We care little for such formalities at present,” Celestia said softly. Starlight hesitantly raised her head to face Celestia. Her dark blue eyes shimmered with confidence, yet Celestia could still spot a hint of nervousness within them.

“Thank you, Princess,” she said, giving a polite smile as well. She looked upon Celestia, but instead of seeing the princess in her usual grand and regal state, she seemed to bear a trace of distress. Her astonishing flowing mane now lay limply on the bed; her soft smile was now impassive and shared with half lidded eyes. Starlight had never seen the princess in such a state.

“What an interesting accent you possess,” Celestia said tenderly, startling Starlight from her thoughts.

“O-oh, you see, I’m from the country, Princess. Many ponies don’t speak the way they do in Canterlot anymore.”

“It is even so? How intriguing. Perhaps we should leave the castle more often... you make take your leave now, Ms. Starlight,” Celestia replied glumly.

“As you wish, princess.” But Starlight hesitated; she couldn’t leave Celestia when she was so obviously troubled. “Excuse me, Princess, but may I ask, is everything all right? Is something troubling you?” she asked bravely. Very few dared question the princess.

Celestia was a little taken aback; none of the servants had ever questioned her personal feelings, she thought none of them cared. She had no idea why, but she felt compelled to speak to this unicorn. This was somepony who actually cared to listen; to concern herself in the feelings of a princess rather than that of royal affairs. She wanted somepony to talk too, to help heal her injured heart. She gave a modest smile

“Indeed something is on our mind. It would be pleasant if you should decide to accompany us. Would you kindly?” she asked.

“Of course, Princess!” Starlight beamed happily, a broad smile on her face.

~*~*~*~

“We held such great conversations each day following that fateful encounter. We talked so much that she even drove me away from speaking in that silly manner that afflicted you not so long ago,” Celestia teased. Luna scoffed at the thought of how she had embarrassed herself by ignoring her sister’s warnings of how the times had changed.

“It wasn’t long before she was promoted to become my personal assistant, and an even shorter time for me to actually make her my first student. She was a remarkable learner in both magic and general studies. She wanted to become a teacher at Canterlot’s most prestigious academy…”

~*~*~*~

“Are you sure I’m ready, Princess? What if I mess up and they all laugh at me! Then I’d have to go back to magic kindergarten! Oh-no, oh-no, that would be terrible!” Starlight jittered in terrible nervousness. Celestia just giggled in delight at her student’s exaggeration. They continued down the broad empty halls of Canterlot’s Academy for Advanced Magical Studies.

“Oh, Starlight, how you worry! Everything will be all right,” Celestia reassured her. “You rehearsed it splendidly many times in front of me. This time is no different.”

“But that’s precisely it! I’m not doing it in front of you this time, but for a crowd of ponies!” Celestia stopped and turned to face Starlight directly.

“You are one of the greatest mages I have ever set my eyes on. Your abilities exceed that of any unicorn I have met before. That is why you are my student. There is no need to worry.” Celestia smiled as she gave a gentle tap to the door at her side. It was swung open immediately by the professor pony at the other end.

“Princess, Ms. Starlight, please, please come in. Everypony is ready for your presentation, Ms. Starlight,” the unicorn pony with an amazingly chaotic dark-brown mane and tan coat said. Starlight just gave a nervous smile in return. Looking about the room, she estimated nearly fifty other unicorn ponies sat, waiting quietly and patiently for her to begin. She hastily reached the podium and gave a bright, welcoming grin, and then turned to Celestia, watching happily at the sidelines and giving her student a warm smile. She looked back towards her audience, and then cleared her throat louder than she had wanted to.

“Hello, everypony. My name is Starlight and I am your guest speaker today. I will be covering the subject of teleportation and the theory of teleportation,” she spoke collectively, devoid of any nervousness that was once there. Starlight watched as the students pulled out their respective quills and parchment, eager to learn. A broad smile adorned her face at the sight. This was what she wanted to do; this was where she belonged.

“All right, everypony, let’s see some hooves up. How many here have attempted any form of teleportation?” Nearly three dozen hooves when up. “Good, good, now how many of those attempts were successful?” Only about ten hooves remained. “And this is the reason why I am here today. There are many factors to be taken into account before even considering a teleportation. You need to be focused; you need concentration and attentiveness.” A single hoof was raised.

“Umm aren’t those three things kind of the same?” asked a student in the back row.

“Please hold all questions until the end of the presentation,” Starlight replied swiftly before she continued. “One must know exactly where point A and point B are during a teleportation.” She suddenly disappeared in a flash then reappeared at the back of the room. Everypony quickly turned to follow as she continued. “It is easiest when the desired destination point can be seen, but it is completely possible for one to teleport into another room per se’, but with a clear image of where this is in their head.” With another flash she was back at the podium.

“But this magic doesn’t come without its dangers. One may fuse matter with another object, or lose matter in the process, or completely disappear.” Most of the class gasped in disbelief as their writing quills suddenly came to a halt. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare anypony. The chances of any of this occurring are astronomical. I doubt that any of this has even happened in the past thousand years.” The class exhaled in unison.

Starlight looked back at Celestia; huge grins on both their faces. Celestia gestured with a hoof for her to continue. Starlight nodded, bringing her attention back to her audience. “Now we shall discuss the extremes of teleportation.”
...

...The halls echoed with the sound of clopping hooves, which were promptly silenced as the door to the classroom closed. Celestia walked down the hallway as Starlight practically hopped at her side.

“That was great! I cannot believe I did that!” Starlight said merrily.

“And you did it superbly. I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you, Princess, for giving me this chance. And thank you for sticking by me, and for reassuring me, and for…”

“Starlight, it was my pleasure. It makes me happy to do all this for you, my dear student.”

“Thank you, Princess…”

~*~*~*~

“She was well on her way to becoming the teacher she had always wanted to become. But her studies in magic got the best of her.”

~*~*~*~

“Where are we going, Princess?” ask Starlight, trotting happily at Celestia’s side. They had been walking together through the castle for some time now. They ascended countless sets of stairs, reaching ever closer to the tallest point of the castle.

“Be patient. We are almost there. There’s something I’ve been wanted to show you as of late,” Celestia replied, a quaint smile reached her lips. “And I’ve told you before; you don’t have to address me as ‘princess’ all the time. We’ve grown too close for such formalities… call me… Tia…” Celestia had hesitated in making such a request. The only other pony that had called her by that name was Luna. But to grow so close to another pony had undoubtedly helped to heal.

“Wha-wha-what? Are you sure, Princess?” Starlight had stopped in her tracks. Celestia shot her a glance. “I mean, Tia,” she replied quickly, giving Celestia an enormous grin and trotted to catch up. They continued to walk up a thin spiral staircase, the clopping of hooves echoed throughout the tower. Dim rays of light beamed through small open windows that gave glimpses of their true staggering elevation. They reached the top, a single archway before a grand balcony was all that was present. They walked out into the fresh open breeze. The sight was breathtaking, something truly to behold. The sights would expand past the Everfree Forest and to the edges of Equestria itself. Multifarious lands of vast green fields, lonely barren deserts, lush forests, and mountains.

“This… this is amazing!” Starlight gasped. “I feel like a pegasus, like… like I’m flying!” she laughed as she took in the sights. Celestia smiled gleefully.

“This is one of the many balconies made for me to raise and lower the sun and moon. This is my personal favorite as you could most certainly see why. The vista is absolutely astounding.”

“It most definitely is...”

“Now watch.” Celestia walked up to the rail, right at Starlight’s side. She held her head up high, closing her eyes in composed concentration. A shimmering golden glow surrounded her horn and began to intensify. Starlight watched intently, and then turned back to witness the sunset to the west and twilight glisten on the east. The sky was perfectly divided, light and darkness together in beautiful harmony. The moon quickly followed as the last rays of light dissipated behind the horizon, the sky now filled to the brim with glimmering stars and the mysterious full moon.

The deed was done. Celestia’s horn settled as she lowered her head and beamed at Starlight.

“W-wow… it is all so… so beautiful!” Starlight stammered with a dumbfounded look. She looked back and forth between her mentor and the sky, unsure at which she was more amazed.

“I’m delighted that you enjoyed that. It’s become an all too common sight for me. I’m glad I can share it with somepony else.” Celestia replied calmly.

“Princess, I mean, Tia… Do you think I’ll ever become powerful enough to be able to do this?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. Your magical abilities truly astound me sometimes. But I wouldn’t recommend it. This requires a great amount of magic that was once performed by multiple unicorns, long ago. It would bring great harm upon a unicorn not well versed, such as you.”

“I see…” Starlight mused.

“Now don’t go considering doing such a thing. I will not allow it,” Celestia insisted.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she snickered. Celestia gave her a questioning glance then turned back to the staircase.

“I trust you. I’m going to bed now. I’ve had such a long day, I’m completely exhausted. You may stay here as long as you’d like. Just be sure not to be up here too late. Goodnight, my dear student.”

“Goodnight… Tia.” They exchanged smiles. Celestia disappeared into the darkness below. Starlight sat on her haunches looking up, entranced by the night.

A hard knock jolted Celestia from her slumber. Her eyes flew open just to wince at the early daylight that came through a window. She quickly stood fully erect and without bothering with her royal wear, she swung the doors fully to meet two guards. They back stepped, clear concerned agitation expressed on their faces.

“Princess, the sun has been raised prematurely!” one of the guards stammered to say. “We came for you as soon as…” He failed to finish as Celestia had already taken off.

“No, no, no, please don’t let it be so,” she muttered to herself as she hurried up the stairs of the tallest tower. Her heart pounded, her feelings swirled, her thoughts in chaos. She reached the top and stopped just for a second at the sight of Starlight laid on her side. Celestia hurried to her aid; to her relief she was still breathing, her eyes fluttered open.

“I-I did it Ti…” She winced in pain.

“Shhhh, shhhh, don’t speak. It’s going to be all right,” Celestia cooed. She inspected the body of her student, and to her anguish saw what had caused the pain. Starlight’s once gleaming white horn was now black from the tip to its midpoint. Celestia’s heart fell; tears began to stream down her cheeks. A gentle golden glow surrounded Starlight as she was carefully lifted and hurriedly taken to the infirmary.

Celestia left the sun where it was; partially hidden on the fringe of the horizon, the dim moon still held high in the sky.

~*~*~*~

“You recall the malignant affliction of Horn Rot? How it would befall a unicorn that over exerted or abused magic.”

“Yes, there was no known cure at the time if I remember correctly,” Luna replied grimly.

“In this day and age, a cure for Horn Rot has already been discovered, it exists and is proven effective, albeit difficult to acquire. But then, Horn Rot predestined an inevitable death. When Starlight was afflicted, I was utterly overwhelmed with hopelessness. The best I could offer her were a few sparse moments of life and the assurance of a friend at her side… I was at her side until the end; she went silently, peacefully.” Celestia’s voice held a slight tremble as she recalled memories she had not wanted to. Her chest began to twist inside as she held back the heartbreaking feelings.

“I vowed never to allow that to befall another pony under my care again,” she muttered shakily.

Luna turned to face her sister directly and then pulled her into a close embrace. Pure silence filled the room again, neither of them wanted the hug to end. Minutes crawled by without a word between them.

“Tia, are you all right?” Luna said softly, breaking the silence but still held in the embrace. Celestia did not reply at first. She stayed silent, allowing her feelings to settle.

“Y-yes, I’m fine,” she choked out, sniffling a bit. The hug continued to hold strong.

“Would you like to go back up to your bed chambers? Take a rest?” she asked with a hint of concern.

“No…”

“Perhaps you would like some tea, something to calm your nerves? I could go get you anything…”

“No, don’t go. Just stay here with me a bit longer.”

“As long as you’d like, Tia.”

Firefly

Chapter 2: Firefly

Luna could feel her sister’s composure return as her breathing steadied and their embrace begin to loosen. They at last came apart to face each other once again. Luna gave her sister a supportive, yet unsure smile, to which Celestia returned an almost-forced meager one. Luna’s smile was always able to lift Celestia’s spirits, even more so now that she had returned to her after a thousand years.

“Feeling better?” Luna asked a bit solemnly, unsure if she had given her sister enough time to recover from whatever ailment afflicted her.

“Yes, thank you,” Celestia replied with content at last returning to her regal voice.

“That’s great!” Luna let out utterly relieved. The smile on her face grew exponentially; silly even. Celestia could only match her smile in return, but just barely. Luna subsequently took a quick glance back to the wall of portraits.

Luna’s gaze strayed past Celestia’s first student, Starlight, and on to the next pony; a pegasus. Luna’s mind had to process a second longer to make sure she had just seen what she did.

A pegasus pony was one of my sister’s students? How? Luna couldn’t help but look into it further.

“Tia, who is this?” She motioned to the portrait of the pegasus, trying not to sound too curious at the fact that the pony was indeed not a unicorn.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean Firefly. And yes she was a pegasus pony, if that is what you are wondering.” This particular pegasus was a mare -an overly confidently-looking, almost smug one at that. She held a striking resemblance to one of the Elements of Harmony as a matter of fact. The only clear dissimilarity was in the coat and mane, which were a light pink and blue, respectively. Her attire was much simpler than the last pony,made purposely to avoid burdening her during flight.

“But… how? I thought you only taught magic… and to unicorns.”

“You’re forgetting that pegasi also possess a unique magical ability. It allows them-”

“I’m well aware of their ability to control the weather, but that’s not the same as unicorn magic,” Luna intervened.

“Indeed it is very different, but magic nonetheless. The extent of this magic is extremely varied between each pegasi, and cannot be measured as to how far it can be taken. Firefly was one such pony that pushed her magical abilities to its limits.”

~*~*~*~

The crowed of pegasus ponies cheered with shich immense ferocity that Celestia could hear them from a great distance, long before she arrived at the stadium - and the noise only intensified once she did. She landed gracefully on her personal veranda overlooking the entire stadium, Two royal guards landing close by at her flanks. She waved and smiled, creating yet another wave of ovation in her direction. She sat on her haunches, her smile fading as she exhaled softly. The crowds focus was directed away from her as the announcers voice began to boom throughout the stadium.

“Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts to the annual Best Young Flyers Competition! Everypony, please take your seats as the show is soon to begin!” More ponies cheered, rattling at Celestia’s mind, forcing her to subconsciously rub the bridge between her eyes to allow her head to clear up. She had been exceptionally busy that day, with much more work to finish awaiting her return. The whole competition had even been postponed due to her late arrival. She was not in particularly high spirits and hoped the show would be able to lift them, if only during its duration. It was her escape from the stresses that surrounded her, and she expected to enjoy every minute of it.

She had attended the competition every year since its inception. She truly enjoyed watching the most skilled pegasi of Equestria exhibit their skills in speed, maneuverability, grace, and many other categories.

Luna had also enjoyed the assignment of being royal judges for this competition, Celestia thought. At this, a sharp pain tore at her heart as she had brought upon herself memories she did not want to remember. Looking to her side at where her sister once sat, and where Starlight had once accompanied her as well, she strained to push back the tears, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing. She wanted to enjoy the show, and that’s what she was going to do.

The announcer’s voice returned at its greatest volume yet, snapping Celestia back into focus.

“Is everypony ready? I would like to first of all introduce our judges for today’s competition. We have in our presence, our grand and majestic leader, Princess Celestia!” At this, Celestia waved again, to the accompaniment of more cheering from everypony present. “Also present, we have the gems of the Royal Equestrian Air Force, the Wonderbolts!” Everypony let out another tremendous roar. “Now without further ado, let the competitions begin!”

Pegasus ponies came and went as they dazzled and mesmerized the audience present. Many of them would show off their agility and speed, completing preset obstacle courses with ever-shorter lap times. Others would show more finesse and elegance, flying gracefully and carefully, as if in a choreographed dance. Then there were the stunt and risk takers, who would push their bravery and luck to their limits performing quick and agile turns and loops, swerving rapidly in seemingly uncoordinated directions and manipulating the weather around them to do their bidding. These were perhaps Celestia’s favorites to witness. The daring these ponies possessed was astounding.

The competition was reaching its ending stages and the final competitors were coming up. The cheering had lessened, but still held strong as the competition carried on through the day. Celestia had once again enjoyed this year’s show as she had every year prior.

“Thank you contestant number nineteen, Ace, for that astounding performance! Next up we have contestant number twenty, Firefly!” A pink blur flashed from the drapes that concealed the contestant waiting room seconds after the name was spoken. The pegasus barrel rolled rapidly and turned to head directly to the sky at the center of the stadium; there she hovered, still spinning. The surrounding clouds started to spin in unison around her, engulf her entire self as they created a tremendous white fluffy tornado. It twisted and jerked wildly as if under its own accord; but yet held tamed at the center of the stadium. It began to slow, then suddenly burst in every direction, dissipating into a soft mist right before the awe struck audience.

Hovering, still with her four limbs spread far outward, was the pony responsible for the astonishing feat. Hey head was hung low and her eyes closed shut in deep concentration. The mares coat was of a light pink, which contrasted softly with her light-blue, short-cut mane; her cutie mark a pair of sharp, blue lightning bolts. Lifting her head, She opened her eyes to reveal twin orbs of magenta that were almost a match for Celestia’s own, which were filled to the brim with a haughty confidence as she locked gazes with her monarch. Celestia could only imagine wha ther own look revealed during the few seconds they watched each other, before the pink pony gave her a sly, cocky smile and back-flipped into a free fall.

The crowd had been spellbound in stunned silence but quickly recovered to give another head rattling cheer as Firefly dived towards the obstacle course. She pulled up near inches from the starting point cloud, flapping her wings vigorously and charging at the various cloud-made obstacles, her blistering speed unhindered. Entering the course, her unusual choice of direction brought confusion upon the crowd. She did not tackle each obstacle in the common order, but flew around them at her own whim, slowly shaping them to her liking. The crowd quickly discovered her true intentions as the clouds that once shaped the course begin to come together into a single form. The finished product was that of a large pegasus pony of a near spitting image of its creator. The course was ruined for the sake of art, created in a time quicker than any other pegasi had overcome the actual obstacles.

Leisurely flying back and wings pumping at a stronger but slower pace, she swerved elegantly through the sky; light, puffy clouds beginning to form around her frame. Collecting all that remained from her first demonstration, she creating a long trail in her wake that followed close by her tail. The more clouds she collected the darker and longer the trail became until it reached a substantial size. She ushered the massive storm cloud to the center and arranged it so one of it’s longer ends faced the princess directly. She flew to the opposite side and steadied herself, inhaling and exhaling coolly. She reared back and bucked the cloud with all her might.

In seconds, she recovered and flew directly under the cloud as lightning flashed all around her throughout. She dodged and barrel rolled gracefully around the dangerous streaks of light. It took just mere seconds for her to traversed the length of the cloud, unharmed and unfazed. A deep roar of thunder followed and shook the cloud stadium to its core. Firefly hovered mere feet from Celestia’s perch, her face smug with a sense of accomplishment. Celestia knew she knew she had won the competition, without a doubt. Everypony in the stadium now knew who the best young flyer of Equestria was.

The cheering was at its loudest of the day, as it was said to be heard throughout all of Equestria. Everypony that preceded Firefly dropped out swiftly and wordlessly; all that was left was to crown the winner. No discussion was needed between the judges as Celestia stepped up to announce the all too obvious victor.

“My beloved ponies, I am happy to announce this year’s best young flyer of Equestria!” Her voice boomed with amplifying magic. “Your winner this year is a pony who excelled at grace, power, speed, and at all other fronts as well. Your winner is... Firefly!” The crowd erupted once again as Firefly shot out of the contestant’s area in the direction of the princess, stopping short of a near head on collision.

“Ha! Hahaha!” she laughed in a manner that could have even be taken mockingly. “I knew this test was going to be a piece of cake!”

Celestia gave her a discerning look, as if asking if she was serious before turning to telekinetically grab the tiara and gently lay it upon Firefly’s head. Firefly looked up at the crown and gave another chortle of happiness.

“This is the best day ever!” she cheered, spinning circles around the princess gleefully, agitating the guards that watched vigilantly. Celestia only returned the smile as she watched the filly bask in the glory of happiness and triumph.

“There is another reward that comes with your victory,” Celestia said delicately, forcing Firefly to sharply halt to face the princess in giddy excitement. “You will have the pleasure of joining me at the castle tomorrow. You shall be escorted by the Royal Guard in the morning.”

“Wow… thank you so much Princess!” she beamed delightedly.

~*~*~*~

“Firefly was brave, confident, inspiring; a true leader among ponies. She had become famous for her remarkable feats in aerial acrobatics and even more renowned for her abilities at weather control. She was able to deal with storms that would normally require squads of pegasi, and eventually advance to greater weather manipulation with my aid. She became the pioneer pony in controlling lightning, an amazing feat by any standard.”

~*~*~*~

Another day meant another dreary meeting for Celestia. Her mind would constantly drift elsewhere while her advisers would babble away. She sat at the end of a long table covered in paperwork she knew nothing about. Always extremely organized with her own affairs, she loathed the way her advisers would handle and arrange the simple tasks she assigned them. She just let them argue away and deal with their own problems. She always had much more important matters to deal with. Then, when the dullness of the meeting was reaching its climax, a savior crashed into the room.

“Princess!” came a cry from the other side of the doors before they burst open to allow Firefly to come crashing in. Sliding across the table, she scattered papers into the air, forcing the officials to scramble after them in desperate confusion. She came to a halt before Celestia and struck one of her customary poses with her wings fully outspread. Two unicorn guards stumbled in after her, trying to catch their breaths.

“Princess, tell these two slowpokes that I have every right to be here and see you!” she fumed accusingly at the two guards, shooting them each a sharp glare.

“You shall… not speak to the Princess… in such a manner!” one of the guards retorted between breaths. “Princess… this trespasser…” He was halted by Celestia’s raised hoof. The room went silent as the last of the papers fluttered to the floor.

“It’s quite alright Commander. I would have thought word of my new student had reached most ponies in Equestria by now. It has been months since I took her on as such.”

“But, but, Princess... she is a pegasus!”

“And your point being?” Firefly intruded. “Just because I’m not a fancy pants unicorn like you, doesn’t mean I can’t be the Princess’ student. You may go now. My mentor has spoken.” She said smugly, waving the guards away with a hoof. All they could do was grumble in protest as they bowed before returning to their posts. She stuck her tongue out in a taunting manner as they departed, causing Celestia to laugh in delight.

“Why must you always make such an entrance?” Celestia asked, still amused by the show.

“You know me. I just gotta overdo things. I did make a bit of a mess though. Heehee, sorry everypony,” she said sheepishly to the disgruntled advisers, still cleaning up her mess. “So, Princess, can we do some flying? Please?” she pleaded enthusiastically.

“Of course we can,” she replied before consoling her advisers. “We shall postpone this meeting. Or better yet, all of you may proceed without me. I will allow it.” She gave Firefly a sly smile and wink, who returned the signal with little to no subtlety. “We will be taking our leave now.”

“Awesome!” Firefly flew off causing the newly organized papers, set anew on the table, to burst into the air again. Irritated groans filled the room as Celestia laughed and jauntily walked out of the room.

Out on the balcony, Celestia spread her majestic wings, allowing the cool breeze to flow through her feathers. She flapped them slowly at first, letting loose the built up tension before she took off into the air. The wind through her mane and the warm sun on her coat made her feel great, made her feel free. Flying was another means of escape from the troubles of politics that would much too often anchor her to the firmament. Firefly came up from behind, circled her a few times, and finally settled at her side.

“Are you ready my dear student?” Celestia asked.

“Aw yeah! As ready as I’ll ever be Princess. Lay it on me!”

“Now, are you sure about this? Last time you weren’t as successful as you had hoped…” she asked with concern. Firefly thought for a second before she gave another one of her signature cocky smiles.

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll get it right this time. No worries.”

“Are you sure?”

Yes, yes I’m certain. Now let’s do this!” She flew a good distance in front of Celestia; both hovered in place, facing each other directly and both their glazes blazing with fierce confidence. Celestia pointed her horn up and gently rotated it, forming an enormous storm cloud above her, which slowly swirled in unison with her head movement. A low rumble emanated from its center as diminutive flashes could be seen within. Firefly was still unfazed by this growing adversary she was to face. Celestia’s horn suddenly sparked and was engulfed in intense, sharp, twitching light. She looked back to Firefly who gave a reassuring nod. Celestia directed her horn and released the pent up energy at Firefly.

Less than a second would pass before the lightning hit its target. Firefly met the piercing light with an outstretched hoof -it twisted around her forearm, then around her entire body. For those minute moments a sharp jolt reached every fraction of her body and her fur stood on end. She pointed her other hoof to the air directly above her as the light followed her guidance, escaping into the sky above and releasing her body. Firefly watched as it dissipated into the blue distance.

“You did it!” Celestia cried with enthusiasm. Firefly hovered in shock, literally. It took her mind longer than usual to process what ‘it’ really was.

“I-I did it…” she repeated to herself quietly, staring at her own two forehooves. “I redirected lightning! Ha! Hahaha!” She laughed almost maniacally, then charged towards Celestia at full velocity, catching her in a tight embrace.

“Yes, you certainly did,” Celestia said tenderly, still held tightly by her student.

“Thank you so much, Princess!”

~*~*~*~

“Lightning?!” Luna asked in disbelief. As a princess she had never bothered to meddle in the affairs of weather control and had no idea such an exploit was possible.

“Indeed, it was neat trick. She was able to redirect it, control it, and eventually manifest it at will. It was a magnificent sight to behold,” Celestia explained sanguinely. “She eventually became known to be somewhat of a hero. Tales of her courageous feats would reach the borders of Equestria and beyond.”

~*~*~*~

A royal guard burst through the door of the dining room where Celestia and Firefly were having lunch and idle conversation. They were both startled by this uncalled-for interruption, but neither protested as the gravity of the situation was eminently felt.

“Princess, Ms. Firefly, a fire has broken out in the farming district outside the city! It’s spreading to the farmhouses, and we don’t have enough weather pegasi to create storm clouds to contain it all!” he said hurriedly. Firefly wasted no time, sitting up and slamming her hooves on the table.

“Tell me where,” she demanded with out-of-the-ordinary seriousness. She looked at the guard with her all-too-common intensity that flared almost violently in her eyes. The guard quickly pointed in the general direction. She bid Celestia a swift farewell and took off for the window.

“Wait, I’m going too,” Celestia said before Firefly departed.

“Princess, please, we cannot allow it. It is much too dangerous,” the guard quickly opposed.

“He’s right, Princess. Don’t worry; I can take care of this. No problem. Danger is my middle name!” Firefly concurred. She flew out of the window before Celestia could utter another word.

The sheer scale of the blaze was remarkable for its horrifying size. Several hay fields had already been completely burnt and reduced to ash. A few farm houses had met the same fate, and many more were in danger. Pegasi had scrambled in a less than orderly fashion, trying to contain the fire with little to no avail. This was a losing battle, but Celestia knew she had the ability to tip the scale back in the ponies’ favour.

It had taken Celestia much longer than she had liked to finally convince all who had been opposed her to putting herself in this situation. However, it was her duty as Princess of Equestria to protect her ponies from whatever dangers threatened them.

Celestia arrived with her own backup of water heavy storm clouds that she had collected on her way. They were quickly dispatched to where the fire was most intense, above houses and at the edges of scorched fields. It wasn’t long before she was reunited with Firefly.

“Princess, what are you doing here? I said I could handle this!” Firefly complained. They flew side by side as they gathered more storm clouds before swooping in a tight arc to return to the conflagration.

“There’s no time to argue! I’ll deal with the fires, you must help any pony in distress,” Celestia dictated in poised seriousness. Firefly opened her mouth to retort but withheld herself, only returning an affirmative nod. Firefly dived towards the remaining burning structures as Celestia watched her figure disappear into the toxic smoke.

Celestia would often watch Firefly working as quickly as her wings would propel her through the air, her magic manipulating huge swathes of water as she passed. She would fearlessly enter any situation to emerge with newly saved ponies, speeding through houses at a remarkable velocity and narrowly avoiding the surrounding dangers.

Their efforts began to bear fruit, as many structures had been saved and the fires were beaten back and doused. But no matter how fast they flew or how much water they conveyed the damage had already been done. Many buildings were destroyed or still burning, left as, or to become a charred mess, but content was found in knowing that everypony was safe.

At last Celestia allowed herself to hover and take a breath. She looked across the scorched fields in search of her student, unable to pinpoint her location through the complex scatter of ponies both above in the skies and below on the ground. She couldn’t see her, no matter how much she searched, she began to worry.

She flew about, over the structures still standing ablaze. She flew low and slow, not wanting to miss any hint of movement or cry. Then she heard the dreaded call.

“Princess!” she heard emanate from a barn house completely engulfed; a lost cause that no amount of water could possibly save. A majority of the roof had already collapsed upon itself and no visible entrance or exit could be seen. Celestia decided instantly to create her own. She broke through the roof, flapping her powerful wings in an attempt to clear the blinding smoke. The barn began to groan as its foundation burned away. Charred lumber was beginning to tumble and break, causing singeing embers to swirl around her. There wasn’t much time.

“Firefly… Firefly!” she called to no reply. She used her magic for a last form of structural support to the crumbling building. She needed more time. At last she heard something deep within the ever thickening smoke.

“Princess… Help…” Firefly pleaded between coughs. Celestia ran to her aid to find her leaned against a large wooden beam barricaded across a door. Strain was clearly seen, as she used her last ounces of energy to try to budge the beam to no avail. “We must… save that pony…” She strained to say, hinting at a limp pony trapped beneath debris in the other side.

Celestia only nodded before she supplied more magic from her horn to help push. It wasn’t long before the beam would fall in a clout of dancing embers. The structure gave another painful groan, finally gave way as is it collapsed upon them. Celestia strained her magic to stop everything from smoke and burning debris from engulfing them. Firefly limped to the trapped pony’s aid.

“I’m gonna get you outta here. Wake up!” She cried as she pushed away what lay atop the trapped pony. He didn’t respond. She kept at it, trying to nudge him awake. Her mind had become clouded, her breathing harsh, and her eyes began to tear. Hey entire body trembled and nausea began to ensue. “Wake up. Wake… up… Wake…” Firefly collapsed limply to the ground.

With not a hint of hesitation, Celestia released the building, brought the other two ponies close and disappeared in a flash.

“Wake up!” Firefly cried, sitting up fully erect in the soft bed in a room she immediately recognized as the all too familiar castle infirmary. She looked about the room in confusion until she noticed Celestia at her side, a look of shock and bewilderment adorned her face that quickly shifted into one of glee.

“Firefly, you’re awake!”

“Wha… what’s going on…? Oh no the fire! I have to go!” She struggled to get out from under the sheets before a sudden jolt of pain to her head dropped her back down on the pillow. “Ugh, my head…” Her eyes shut tight. She rubbed her temple gently.

“Firefly, calm down, you still need much rest.” Celestia insisted as a soft golden glow pulled the sheets over Firefly’s body.

“But… but the fire... I gotta… I gotta…” She struggled to form a sentence through the pounding in her head. The only sense her mind began to form where the sores that spread from the tips of her wings to the ends of her limbs. She didn’t want to move anymore, she really did need rest.

“There is nothing to worry about. Everything is alright. Now please, you need your rest.” Firefly had no choice in the matter as she fell back into a deep slumber.

Celestia sat on her haunches by the window of the infirmary, looking up at the celestial bodies that were once possessed by her dear sister, Luna. She heard ruffling from behind as Firefly rose from bed and shakily sat by her side.

“Are you feeling better? Are you sure you should be out of bed?” Celestia asked caringly, inspecting Firefly closely. Firefly stretched her wings and twisted her neck to a crack.

“I’ve been better, but I’m alright now.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m delighted to hear it.” She smiled, then returned her watchful gaze upon the stars.

“Princess?”

“Yes, my dear student?”

“You think you could explain what happened? Everything is still a bit… hazy… I don’t remember much...”

“Of course… You inhaled a large sum of smoke, which caused you to black out. You’ve been asleep for nearly two days now,” Celestia explained.

“Two days?” She spat out a bit louder than expected. “But, but, it didn’t feel like that at all. I would think a two day snooze would do me wonders!” she exclaimed. “Oh, what happened to that pony? Is he alright? Did we… did we save him?”

Celestia shook her head slowly. “By the time we reached him he had already inhaled too much smoke. There was nothing at all that could have been done,” she said unhappily. Firefly was left speechless. She didn’t know what to say. She had never before failed at protecting or helping another pony who was in need. The feeling was terrible.

“I… I failed. I wasn’t able to save him… Somepony is dead because of me.” Her emotions churned as her eyes began to water. She looked to the ground, allowing tears to hit the floor. Celestia extended a wing around her, bringing her in tightly against her.

“You shouldn’t feel that way,” Celestia began, softly. “None of this was your fault. You did what you could, and that was enough. If it wasn’t for you-”

“But it wasn’t enough! I couldn’t save him because I didn’t do enough. I let him down...” She cried into Celestia’s coat.

“You will not be able to save everypony every time. You must come to accept that sacrifices will have to be made; I am sorry to say. But you must always remember that what you do, you do at the best of your abilities. You cannot blame yourself when things happen that are out of your control. You must adapt to what you cannot control, to what cannot prevent, and what you cannot make happen.” Celestia looked up to the moon; memories of Luna flooded her mind again. A surge of emotions boiled in Celestia. “I have experienced this many times. There are things that not even the power of an alicorn can prevent… But I have come to accept what has happened.”

Firefly looked up at her mentor, tears still brimming in her eyes. Celestia returned the gaze, a few tears rolled down her cheeks. But she still held that comforting soft smile that could lift anypony’s spirits. They held each other tightly.

“I understand… Thank you.”

~*~*~*~

“She prided herself in her abilities. It was difficult for her to face failure. But she quickly learned to accept it. She vowed to protect as many ponies as she possibly could. The more I think, the more I see how she really was a super hero.” Celestia gave another light smile.

“But she too met an undeserving, too soon a fate. There was a storm, perhaps the largest recorded in equestrian history, headed directly towards Canterlot. Every weather pony had been recruited to aid in pushing back the horrifyingly astonishing storm. I was at the forefront of the charge, and Firefly was at my side. It wasn’t common for me to directly enter any sort of skirmish, only in situations such as that fateful day.” She paused, Luna did not dare interrupt. Celestia continued in a more somber tone.

“The storm was ferocious as it was immense. Lightning crackled blindingly all around us and increased in intensity the deeper we penetrated the cloud. Many good ponies were lost on the way, but Firefly charged at my side as we waged war against an enemy that engulfed the sky. Slowly, but surely, the clouds began to part, the storm, tame. But my assurance of victory had come too soon, and at a price I could never repay. The storm had slowed but still held its forceful pace. Basking in the feeling of saving Canterlot, I had not seen the streak of lightning that came my way, I had no time to retract; neither did Firefly. She couldn’t redirect the bolt; only receive its full burden. I chased her falling limp figure through the sinister clouds and into the gloomy rain. I reached her before she struck the ground. I held her tight under the rain. I did not move until the sun once again show through the clouds.”

Surprise!

Chapter 4: Surprise!

“Tia, why are you doing this?” Luna asked sincerely. Celestia gave her a bewildered look.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I’m talking about all this!” she gestured to the paintings. “Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Reminding yourself of these heartbreaking memories that would be better left in the past…”

Celestia had not clearly thought of the exact reason as to why she had been retelling these stories. The times she had returned to this room, she hadn’t done it to recall the past, to remember all that she preferred to keep hidden, locked away in the darkest depths of her mind. She would come to pay her respects, to mourn loved ones, and leave as quickly as the moment of silence lingered. It never felt like a pleasure for Celestia to remember what she had lost.

“I-I don’t know,” Celestia finally said. “I have never had the chance to share these stores with anypony before; the good and the bad. I’ve kept them hidden selfishly to myself for many years… but now that you have returned, I can finally let it out. I can show my true feelings to somepony that can truly understand, the pony I have always held most dear to my heart.” She affectionately nuzzled Luna.

“You were absent for a thousand years... Many things happened to not only Equestria, but to me as well. You have a right to know what happened in that time. And perhaps the most important things in my life during that time were these ponies. Because of them, I was able to get though all the troubles I faced when you were no longer there. I missed you so much, but now you’re back.” Celestia smiled, almost sadly. Tears began to swell for both sisters.

“I missed you too, Tia.” Happy tears finally let loose. “But- but are you sure you want to go on? I mean… it must still be difficult for you.”

“It’s alright… I want to continue, for both of us.” Luna nodded silently before returning her gaze back to the wall. After the Doctor was another picture of black and white; a second pegasus filly. Her coat was pure white, similar to Celestia’s first student, Starlight. Her mane and tale were a wild tangle of seemingly unkempt and disheveled golden curls. Shiny paper strips, streamers, and balloons surrounded her, kept suspended in the photograph. She stood on her hind legs, forelegs spread far in relished happiness of her surroundings. Perhaps the most joyous smile Luna had ever witnessed adorned her face.

“And this pony is?” Luna asked.

“That is, Surprise. Perhaps the most outgoing pony I have ever grown so close to. The joy and happiness that would accompany her everywhere she went was astounding. She always knew the right things to say to bring a smile on anypony’s face. She sought joy and comfort in whatever situation she faced; no matter how sad or scary it seemed… It was because of her I was able to recover from my dreaded depression after losing the Doctor,” she concluded, still holding complete serenity.

“You were close to the Doctor, right, Tia?”

“Yes… I could have even considered him a son. But I could say the same for all of my other students as well. But, I just about raised him from a little foal. It was difficult to bring the fruitless searches to an end, even more difficult to overcome the mourning. Once again nopony was there, nopony but, Surprise.”

~*~*~*~

The eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, Celestia watched from her chamber balcony as the ponies scrambled to finish all the preparations. She had decided to hold the celebration in Canterlot, mainly due to the fact that she was in no mood to travel. It definitely wasn’t difficult for Celestia to get anywhere in Equestria, but if she had the opportunity not to, she took it. Once again she had returned to the state of rarely leaving the castle, ignoring mundane or trivial requests that could easily be accomplished without her presence.

She lowered the sun before exhaling loudly and returning to lie upon her bed. The loud noises of music, parties, and celebration crept through the window and filled her room. Nopony in Equestria would sleep that night; the excuse of the summer sun celebration was too good to pass up. Only Celestia would bother to rest, she had done this for practically a million years; there was nothing for her to celebrate that night.

Celestia walked onto the stage, the stars still sparkling high above with the moon now reaching the skyline. The pony cheers roared, then gradually fell silent as Celestia raised a hoof and gave a mock smile she was all too well accustom to. She fully spread her majestic wings, flapping them slowly at first, rising into the sky; her horn glowed golden with tamed fury. Ponies watched in silenced awe as the sun rose to leave only a silhouette of Celestia's frame suspended in the air.

Celestia landed softly on all four hooves as ponies let out another cheer. She sat on her haunches and watched as everypony continued the celebration; dancing, laughing, having the time of their lives.

How happy and unburdened they must feel, she thought to herself. Even though she wasn't in the highest spirits, it didn't mean she should deny happiness from every other pony. She preferred her ponies to be happy nevertheless.

It was customary for the princess to stay and enjoy the festivities, so she did. She let her mind wander deep in thought as the celebration continued. She was in her own world when something suddenly snapped her back to reality.

“Hi, princess!” came a shout from too near her face. Celestia instantly retracted, slightly raising a foreleg in defensive instinct. She settled when she saw a cheery pegasus, hovering at eye level, her bright golden hair bounced up and down on its own accord and nearly touching with Celestia’s snout.

“Sorry, princess,” she giggled, “I’ve just been so worked up over this amazing party! Isn’t it great? Huh, huh, huh?” she continued to pester at too quick a pace, invading Celestia’s personal space ever more. Celestia just blinked in return, not knowing what to say.

Ponies weren’t usually allowed to get so close to the princess out in public. Several of the royal guards scrambled in confusion to try to intercept the invading pony; to no avail. She flew circles around Celestia and the guards, laughing uncontrollably as the guards demanded her to come down.

“Oh!” She halted in mid air, everypony else came to a standstill as well. “I’ve got something for you, princess!” She dashed off, returning seconds later. “I made this one just for you, to make you feel better,” she said, presented a cake to Celestia. A picture of her face was crudely drawn in colorful icing. She must have run out of white icing as Celestia was instead colored in a bright pink. Nevertheless it made her smile.

A guard once again commanded the joyful pegasus pony to land. She looked down, giving him a questioning look.

“I just wanted to give this cake to the princess,” she retorted, balancing the cake in one hoof and gesturing to the princess with the other. The cake began to wobble; she continued to argue with the guard. She swung her hooves back and forth in protest with seemingly no concern for the pastry until it was no longer balancing on her hoof. Everypony froze as they watched the cake soar.

It hit with a smack, right atop Celestia’s head. Her horn now covered in pink frosting held the cake in place before it slid to the floor in pieces. Everypony was silent, the crowd of ponies began to take notice of the spectacle as well, watching and murmuring to each other, unsure of what had just occurred or what was about to. All that was audible were the uncontrolled laughs and snorts emanating from the pegasus filly, rolling around on the stage and holding her sides tightly.

“Princess!” cried the guards in near unison. A few rushed to her aid while the rest circled the still snickering pony on the floor. She finally stopped and nervously glanced around as the guards stood tall and intimidating around her.

“Ha, ha… sorry?” she said, nervously. The guards were about to detain her before they heard another pony laugh. They turned to see Celestia, giggling, still covered in frosting. She wiped much of it away from her face with a foreleg and continued to laugh. Everypony was unsure at what they were supposed to be doing. Many in the crowed joined, albeit a tad nervously. The guards were just confused.

“That was quite delicious,” Celestia finally said as her amusement subsided. “Thank you, my little pony.”

“My pleasure, princess, I knew you were gonna love it! Oh no! It’s all over the floor though… and your face,” she said sadly. “Oh, I know! I’ll make it up to you! See you later princess!” The guards just watched her speed off to become lost within the crowd.

The festivities began to dwindle together with the fading sunlight. The music fell silent and the crowd began to disburse to their respected houses for some much needed rest. Celestia had decided to stay throughout until the end to see everypony off, ignoring her cheerless mood asking for an early departure. She at last took her leave as all that was left were a few lingering ponies and the after party mess that would have to be dealt with in the morning.

The moon had already been set in its rightful place for the time, allowing the whole of Equestria to silently fall into peaceful slumber after a party of such a grand magnitude. Celestia felt as the only conscious being in all of Canterlot, aside from the mostly stoic guards that would occasionally let loose a yawn.

Celestia walked down the empty, regal hallways towards her chambers; the sounds of clopping hooves on marble floors echoed loudly as the only audible source. But she would often pause and listen, as she had grown an eerie feeling of another present even though she was obviously alone. She would look up, down, and around corners of empty hallways to spot nothing but the occasional inactive guard. Her mind had just been playing tricks on her, she thought as she cantered on.

As she walked, she thought back to the party and in particular, the pony that had practically embarrassed her in front the whole of Canterlot. The scent of icing was still pungent and she could still feel a few clumps of the pastry stuck in her hair, but she still giggled to herself at the though. It wasn’t often when a cake was thrown on your head, she mused.

“Surprise!” came a shout from directly in front of Celestia, forcing her to stagger back and fall on her haunches. Her heart skipped a beat from the sudden startling that seemed to come out of nowhere.

“Oops, sorry, guess I over did that surprise a bit,” said the same white coated, golden haired pegasus filly from before. She hovered closely with a smile from ear to ear. Celestia was baffled at the presence of the filly and even more so with how she was able to sneak up on her so effortlessly.

“Wha- why are you- how did you even get in here?” Celestia managed to utter. The filly laughed again before she spoke.

“I just sneaked past your guards, not very hard where they’re half asleep. And plus, I just had to come and give you this!” she said, presenting a still steaming hot apple pie. Celestia withdrew a bit at the expectation of another such incident as before.

“I had originally gone all the way back to Cloudsdale to make another special cake just for you!” she continued, “But I kinda dropped that one too… So I found this pie!” she said triumphantly, presenting the pie high in the air with a foreleg.

“Where did you get that pie?” was the first thing Celestia thought to ask for some unknown reason.

“Window sill,” she answered simply. Celestia didn’t bother to comprehend that, slowly accepting the pie in her magical grasp.

“Thank you, once again, my little pony. And before you go, what is your name?”

“I’ve already told you my name, silly,” she snickered. Celestia gave her a bewildered look. “And I’m not about to go anywhere anytime soon.”

“I-I’m sorry, what was your name again? And what do you mean about… not about to go…?” she asked warily.

“My name is Surprise, of course! And I mean I’m not going anywhere until you’re happy and dandy instead of sad and mopey.”

“But I was happy. What would make you think I’m in such a dire state?”

“Well, duh! It was pretty obvious during my party earlier, princess. Nopony that comes to my parties would be so bleh like you were! So the only reason would be that you’re sad or troubled or something. So I’m here to fix that! Starting with pie! Sweets always bring smiles.” she said at a pace Celestia could barley follow.

“So you arranged that party? It was quite lovely.”

“Of course it was. It was a Surprise party! Well not really a surprise party but a party… by me… surprise… you get what I’m saying.” Celestia let out a little laugh. Surprise gave her a satisfied grin.

“You see, princess, I’m good at what I do!” she said, flying happily around Celestia before landing and sitting before the regal mare. She then gave her an off putting, serious look, making the situation a bit more uncomfortable that it already was for Celestia.

“If you wouldn’t mind, princess,” she said in a tone similar to her expression, “But may I ask, why are you so sad? And don’t deny it. I can sense it when ponies are sad…” She gave Celestia a close inspection, looking from top to bottom with a single bulging eye.

This pony just wouldn’t let up, Celestia thought. She was mentally and physically cornered as the only way to escape this pony was to tell her the truth. She didn’t want to; it didn’t seem right to confess to a pony she knows nothing but a name of. But at the same time she felt what she had all those years ago with Starlight, the concern and comfort offered by another pony. Surprise was willing to help, and by no means was Celestia in the right to reject it. Celestia finally allowed her defenses to crumble as she exhaled unceremoniously.

“Did you know of the Doctor by any chance?” Celestia asked softly.

“Nope,” was her swift reply, sitting on her haunches before Celestia.

“N-no? But how? Everypony knew of my student… his grand journeys, his magnificent inventions, his disappearance…” she said sadly, pausing for a second before continuing. “It has yet past a year since I gave up the search…”

Surprise’s face twisted in deep thought before some sort of realization snapped her back. “Oh… I remember now,” she said softly, the smile still absent from her face. “But only because you reminded me. His loss hurt everypony in Equestria, but we had to move on. The more ponies thought of him, the more it hurt. I understand the relationship you held, princess; how close you were to the Doctor. But you can’t allow this to weigh you down forever. You shouldn’t forget him either, but instead accept it. He’s gone physically, but he’ll forever be with you… here,” she concluded, pressing her hoof gently over Celestia’s heart.

Celestia was speechless in how this pony could pass such words, and how she herself didn’t realize them before. What Surprise said was true. She thought she had learned this lesson already with Luna and Starlight, but it seems she allowed sorrow to cloud those thoughts once again. Blind her from what was important, from all the good. She indeed had to accept this, it was the only way she could escape this state of dread and depression.

Celestia felt foolish for having this reminded to her once again. But that feeling was overcome by gratitude. She owed it to Surprise for clearing her mind from what wasn’t important, and revealing what truly was. A slow smile began to grow on her face, quickly mirrored by one from Surprise.

“Thank you, Surprise… You have just made me realize what I should have long ago.”

“No problemo, princess! It’s my job to make sure everypony is happy and-” She was interrupted by a passing guard noticing the obvious presence of a pony that shouldn’t be so close to the princess.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be here!” hollered the guard as he ran directly towards them, others joined, drawn by the commotion.

“Uh-oh… Gotta fly, princess! Nice talking to you! Bye!” she said hurriedly yet happily, unfazed by the ever approaching wave of guards. She flew up gingerly then readied her body to blast off. She pushed off of thin air, a single foreleg held outwards, wings pumping furiously.

“Wait!” cried Celestia before the filly flew off. She paused in mid air, seemingly defying gravity for a few seconds before returning to Celestia.

“What’s up?” she said as if she wasn’t being chased by guards.

“Why leave so soon? I could use somepony to talk to,” she said with a light smile. “It’s alright everypony. Surprise is my guest,” she directed to the guards that had just arrived. They wearily looked at each other and up at the cheery pegasus filly before they began to depart to their respected posts.

“Oh, hey you guys! Next time, don’t fall asleep while on the job!” she shouted, causing them to hurriedly get out of site in fear of any sort of reproach. Surprise laughed, as did Celestia at the sight of the scurrying guards.

“So you really want me to stay, princess?” Celestia didn’t answer at first, letting the excitement build within the energetic filly.

“Yes,” she said with a smile.

“Yay! A sleepover at the castle! This is gonna be so much fun!”

~*~*~*~

“Surprise had brought the kind of joy I had once shared with you, so long ago. She would tell jokes, sing songs, throw parties with near catastrophic results. She never failed once at bringing a smile to my face. It was an absolute joy whenever she was around.”

“And what sort of student was this pony?” Luna questioned. Celestia had to think for a second before she replied.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t really consider her a student… The relationship I shared with these ponies always grew into something closer. Student would become more of a second thought. They were my friends and perhaps even my family. It would occur at times when I grew so close to a pony, that the student phase wasn’t even necessary. Surprise was always there to lift my spirits. That was a good enough reason to keep her close.”

~*~*~*~

Celestia walked languidly up the steps of the highest tower in the castle. Even if it did hold dire memories of her student of many years ago, it was still perhaps the most peaceful place she could think of. She walked out into the moonlit balcony. The nighttime breeze felt nice and cool against her coat, the silence only broken by the occasional gentle gust from the altitude. The stars twinkled high above at the sides of the moon; the moon that for years held the distinct and unmistakable silhouette.

“I’m sorry, Luna.” Celestia had found herself saying that often to the lonesome moon. The prison her dear sister was forced to reside in; alone. She watched intently as the moon fell, accompanied by its ever-present, motionless stars. She kept her eyes affixed to the west, ignoring the morning rays of the sun.

She lingered at the top of the tower, basking in the warmth of her sun. She closed her eyes in serenity, breathing deeply and slowly.

Time to return to my daily duties, she thought just before she opened her eyes to an unexpected site of a pair of violet eyeballs near inches from her own.

“Hey!” Surprise cried. “Watcha’ doing?” She rolled playfully in midair. Celestia had already gotten quite accustom to Surprise’s random pop-ups. But there were still a few instances where she would be caught off guard; such as this time, staggering back a few steps but still holding firm footing to prevent her from falling onto her haunches.

Celestia was quick to recover, as Surprise’s surprises were often pleasant. To see such a happy and playful being brought a smile to her face.

“I could ask you the same question. What are you doing all the way up here?” Celestia asked.

“Looking for you of course; why else would I come to the castle anyway? I searched all over! And when I saw the sun go up I figured you’d be at one of your, up-high, viewy thingies.”

“I’m sure you could have asked anypony else in the castle if you were so eager to find me. I’m sure the guards would have helped.”

“I don’t think many of the guards like me so much… since I’m always playing tricks on them… but that’s okay! We all have a good laugh. They still don’t let me roam the castle as much as I’d like though… Good thing I can turn invisible when they’re not looking! Ha-ha!” Celestia laughed at this all too common randomness.

“I see. So why is it you came all the way up here to find me?”

“Oh right! I was looking for you. Come on, princess, I’ve got something you gotta see!” She speeds off down the stairs before Celestia could even begin to ponder any questions.

Celestia followed Surprise at a near trotting pace through the castle. She turned quickly around corners in seemingly uncoordinated fashions. The feeling of going around in circles was starting to become unmistakable.

“Surprise, do you know where you’re going?” Celestia finally had to ask.

“Of course princess, we’re almost there!” she said, all expected uncertainty was void from her happy voice.

“Lead the way,” Celestia said in a similar tone. Minutes passed as every part of the castle seemed to be covered twice over. At last Surprise came to sudden stop.

“Found it!” Surprise cheered.

“What? But I thought you… Never mind. Where are we now?”

“The kitchen!” It took a few seconds for Celestia to process that they were, in fact, in front of the kitchen doors. She face hoofed at the thought of all the time wasted to find such a general room.

“You could have asked me to bring you to the kitchen,” Celestia said as Surprise pushed open the swinging doors to enter.

“There was no time for that,” she replied simply. They walked into the empty kitchen; all the castle chefs had already finished serving breakfast and had departed onto their break.

“I kept the stuff I made inside the cooler box thing in here. It tastes better cool,” she said, flying over to the cooler and pulled out a jug of a lightly gold colored and bubbly liquid.

Celestia held a questioning look as she inspected the liquid presented to her. “Is this, apple cider?” she said, noticing the clear color resemblance the liquids shared.

“Sort of,” she answered a bit unsure. “But I can say it’s made from apple. Just gave it a bit of a kick. I call it, Surprise’s Super Fun Party Apple Drink! Or S.S.F.P.A.D! That doesn’t sound good either… Let’s just stick to, hard apple cider for now,” she concluded, removing the cork from the jug which gave an audible pop sound. “Give it a taste!” she urged.

Celestia received the drink, gently in her magical grasp. Gave it another close inspection, turning it slowly, watching the little air bubbles dance around before floating upwards to the top. She gave the top a quick sniff, the scent of crushed apples was present, but accompanied by another pungent, sharp aroma. It caused Celestia to retract slightly and grimace.

“Are you sure this is safe to drink?” Celestia had to ask.

“Of course, princess, it tastes great! I tested it out on myself and everything turned out fine! Well, aside than I can’t remember anything from that night and woke up with a head ache in a tree, everything went swimmingly!” she concluded in a haste.

“What?”

“Nothing… don’t worry its fine, its fine,” she continued to insist, reaching over to grab the jug and take a long and satisfying swig. “Come on, try it, try it, try it!” she said, thrusting the drink back at Celestia.

“Alright, alright, I will…” Celestia said, finally giving in to Surprise’s pleads. The jug was magically lifted to her lips, hesitating a second before she gave it an elegant sip, followed by another more tasteful drink. The light, bubbly liquid burned in her throat and boiled in her stomach; the taste was like pure melted gold. It was magnificent.

“This... this is absolutely delightful!” Celestia exclaimed, taking another enchanting taste. “How did you make this?”

“Oh, well, during one of my wandering trips in your castle, I found some room with all kinds of weird thingies. I played around with some, broke others. Not many though; all that stuff was confusing. But I did improvise with one of them to create this stuff!”

Celestia was quite certain this room she spoke of was in fact one of her last students study or experiment rooms. She hadn’t bothered to vacate the rooms yet; and now she was glad she hadn’t. Surprise had just stumbled upon some sort of grand concoction of flavors.

They continued to greedily drink the bubbling liquid until not but a drop was left. They were sure that that amount should have been satisfying enough, but Celestia felt the urge for a bit more. And to her utter joy and pleasure, Surprise had already stockpiled jars of the so-called ‘hard cider’ to the brim of the cooler box. Surprise pulled out another jug and smiled ear to ear. Celestia returned that smile.

The princess stumbled down the hallways with a twisted grin, together with a look of pleasure on her face; Surprise was tripping over her own hooves right at her side. They laughed loudly and tersely at seemingly nothing that would convey any sort of comedic form. Guards watched wearily as they passed by. Their confused faces only caused the ditzy pair to chortle some more.

“Ha-ha-ha! Princess… princess… do you, do you see this guys face! It’s soooo fuuunnny!” Surprise stumbled to say, pointing at one of the confused guards in the hallway and laughing out loud.

Celestia’s face became serious, looking down at the guard, uncomfortably close. The guard fearfully shrunk as the princess inched closer. A wicked grin slowly began to creep onto her face before she broke out into another exaggerated laugh. The guard couldn’t be more perplexed over the situation. He looked over to his partner who returned a sympathetic glance; as If to share the awkward moment.

“This guy… this guy right here,” Surprise slurred, laying a foreleg over the guard’s neck and bringing him close. “You are one funny, funny guy I tell you what…” A hiccup escaped her throat.

“S-S-Surprise… don’t bother the… uhh… the guy. He’s so embarrassed… he’s all red and stuff.” Celestia petted the guard on the head softly before turning to stagger away.

“Wait for Meeee!” She flapped her wings to take off, only to fall on her face a few feet after takeoff. “Ouch… I’m… I’m okay! Goodbye Mr. Guy-Guard-Guy!” she said, cantering off after the princess. The guards were left to ponder and recover from what they had just witnessed.

Together they continued down the halls, looking for anything and anypony to mock for their perplexed amusement. Their emotions would shift together with the passing hours of the day. They laughed, they cried, they moped, and they laughed some more. But it wasn’t long until all of Celestia’s duties began to catch up to her.

“Princess, the meeting was scheduled for thirty minutes ago! What are you doing here?” cried one of her advisers in distress. Celestia peeked over one of the garden hedges and laughed before running off in the opposite direction.

“Princess, wait! Where are you going?”

“You can’t catch me, you can’t catch me,” she replied in a singsong voice, skipping away playfully. The advisor ran after her at full speed, battling to get ahead. At last he did; stopping the princess in her tracks and causing her to sit on her haunches and sway ever so slightly.

“Please, Princess, we must get you to the meeting right-”

“Shhhhhh! She’s going to find us!” Celestia practically yelled.

“What? There’s no time for-”

“Surprise!” Surprise yelled; popping out of a nearby shrubbery and causing the only pony with any sense of mind to yell and fall over in shock. Celestia and Surprise fell on their backs laughing and rolled around in delight. By the time her advisor recovered from the startling, he could only watch as the two white ponies ran off into the castle.

Awake. Her body felt cool but her head painfully thumped. Celestia groaned, keeping her eyes shut tightly from the painful sunlight. Slowly pulling herself up, she felt the sloshing of water all around her; finally opening here eyes, it was indeed water. She was sitting in one of the garden water fountains. She looked around in confusion, trying to make sense of everything.

A loud splash behind her caught her attention. It was Surprise, which had apparently fallen from her resting spot on the second tier of the fountain. She immediately sat up, wet curly hair covering her face.

“Ouch…” she said simply, ribbing her head. “What… where are we?”

“It seems… we decided to take a dip in the fountain…” Celestia replied. “Ugh, why do I feel so terrible…?”

“Maybe it’s payback for all that fun we had? I dunno…”

“Seems like we had a grand time…” Celestia said almost sarcastically as she sluggishly stepped out of the fountain. “It’s late… I have to lower the sun… then, sleep…”

“You and me both,” Surprise replied, dunking her head once more into the cool water.

~*~*~*~

Luna giggled and snorted at her sister’s story; imagining how a princess could have acted in such a manner. Wondering what other shenanigans Celestia probably got into that no one saw, or she couldn’t remember, or refrained from telling.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Luna said, still snickering.

“Yes, it was quite exciting. I never wanted to go through that again,” Celestia replied with a playful smile.

“So this, apple drink, hard cider… still any around?”

“Of course, Surprise made sure of that. There was no way to deny how extraordinary the drink was. Of course, hard cider is much more regulated these days. I can’t have it going around to everypony that asked for it. It’s sort of like a delicacy; maybe a bit less so.”

“I see… hmmm maybe I’d like to try some of this cider,” Luna contemplated.

“Maybe just a taste; ponies can really get out of hand with the stuff.”

“I’m sure I’d do better than a certain pony I know,” she said mockingly and laughed softly. Celestia decided to ignore that.

~*~*~*~

“Princess, princess, princess! I got a great idea!” said Surprise, right as she barged into Celestia’s throne room.

“Hello to you too, Surprise,” Celestia replied with joy.

“I figured out what I could do with that super fun, hard cider!” Celestia became stone faced at the mention of the delectable yet vengeful drink.

“Ha-ha, Surprise… I thought we agreed never to speak of that again?” Celestia said in a whisper.

“I know, I know. Just that this idea is too good to pass up. I wanna be a business mare!”

“What?”

“I wanna go all around Equestria to sell my hard cider! Just think of all the fun I could spread! And you cannot, I repeat, you cannot deny how much fun we had with this cider.”

“I know; I know…” Celestia admitted. “But, but you just can’t go around selling the stuff to everypony that asks for it. You must regulate it.”

“Way ahead of you, I’ve got it all planned out. Only ponies after a certain age can make purchases and only during specific dates and times. Maybe a few other rules, but I’ll make sure it’s all under check.”

“Hmmm, I see you’ve really put a lot of thought into this. That’s good. I wish you luck with this new business direction of yours, Surprise. I’m sorry to see you go. But I’m glad you’re pursuing something that will make you happy.”

Surprise launched towards Celestia and brought her into a tight embrace.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, princess! I’m gonna miss you too.” She said, pulling away to reveal a sincere smile. “But there’s no need to worry. I’ll always come by and visit to make sure you’re happy. And maybe even for a few more rounds of my special cider eh?” she concluded jokingly. They both laughed happily together and enjoying each other’s presence; just like always.

~*~*~*~

“Surprise went off to become very successful with that business of hers. She traveled all around Equestria; still bringing smiles to everypony’s faces. Like she said, she would often return to Canterlot. She would throw grand parties when she visited. And every new party would outdo the last, until we no longer held parties.”

“Did… did something happen?” Luna asked wearily.

“No… Surprise settled down and had a nice family. She found a home back in Cloudsdale. She lived her life to its fullest. And when she did pass on, she did contently. She reminded me not to become sad over her loss. That she would be gone physically, but she will always be with me, together with everypony else that I hold dear. They will always be with me, in my heart.”

A/N Now I just wanna say I in no way condone any sort of alcohol consumption. I don't drink the stuff and I personally don't like the stuff. It has already caused my family way too many problems. The only reason I used it in this chapter was because I thought it would be a fun idea. Sorry if I have offended anyone for whatever reason. Hopefully not. Thank you for reading!

Zuri

Chapter 5: Zuri

Celestia gave a quaint smile at the conclusion of the cheerful memories. To this day the mere memory of the energetic filly, Surprise, could lift Celestia’s spirits. Those years spent together with her were perhaps the most entertaining, random and exciting years of Celestia’s whole multifariously shifting life.

“I see that not every memory must end so sadly,” Luna said, breaking Celestia’s peaceful train of thought. “I’m happy that you were able to find some joy to fill your heart after all that had occurred.”

“Yes, things began to simplify as the years went by. My feelings were more settled and the beauties of the world were more notable to me again. I never forgot about you, of course, but I was able to continue living an ordinary life -at least for an autocrat.”

“That’s good,” Luna said, nuzzling her sister’s side. “Do you still want to continue? It must be getting late, not that the time could be told down here. Aren’t you tired Tia?”

“I’m quite accustomed to sleepless nights. One goes through many as immortal beings such as us. But I can never speak for my dear sister.” She looked over to Luna with a thoughtful smile.

“Me? Of course I’m not tired. I am the Princess of the Night! I thrive in darkness! I relish under my moon! I am the omniscient being of the night!” she declared proudly at a tone near that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Luna raised a hoof into the air to punctuate this grand declaration, only settling down when the stifled sounds of laughter were heard.

“Oh Lulu, I didn’t mean to patronize, just looking out for my little sister.” Celestia said teasingly.

“I may be younger than you, but I’m still over a thousand years old,” she retorted.

“And you’re still my baby sister, my little Lulu,” she concluded, emphasizing on the nickname Luna was never that particularly fond of. Luna opened her mouth to counter, only to turn away and scoff.

“May we continue then? It isn’t good to stay up too late,” Luna said, still facing away.

“I thought you said you weren’t tired?”

“I am not. I just prefer to sleep. Now who is this pony?” Luna gestured to the pony that preceded Surprise. This filly certainly had an odd color palette almost never seen on a pony. Her coat was white with patterned black stripes; or perhaps black with white stripes, Luna wasn’t sure. Her mane matched the pattern, cut short and straight all the way to its end. She wore golden rings around the full extent of her neck, along with other subtle hints of gold jewelry on her ears and hooves. Her cutie mark was that of 3 golden flowers with twisting stems that formed a circle.

She stood in what seemed to be in a portion of the garden where small plants and flowers grew aplenty. At closer inspection, many of them seemed to be well known herbs and spices used especially for healing and cures. As Luna continue to dissect the painting, something at last hit her. This particular pony wasn’t even a pony at all.

“Is that a zebra?” Luna asked immediately.

“Yes,” Celestia replied simply.

“That’s, umm… rare. You don’t really come across a zebra in Equestria often. Since I’ve returned I’ve only met Twilight Sparkle’s friend -Zecora, was it?”

“Zebras are not a common sight in Equestria, even today. You can almost certainly imagine the rarity one was in the past and the sort of reception they received.”

“What do you mean, ‘reception’? Were relations amiss between ponies and zebras?” Luna asked.

“Well let’s just say, many ponies, unfortunately, require a lot of convincing when something is out of the ordinary,” Celestia explained dryly. “Relations with the zebras have always been quite distant, but generally friendly. I like to think any possible conflicts were deterred by my close relationship with Zuri.”

“Zuri? That would be this Zebra here?” Luna said, gesturing to the picture.

“Yes, that’s her,” Celestia replied with a smile. “Perhaps the nicest zebra I’ve ever met -not that I’ve met many. Despite that, she is one of the most important figures in Equestria history.”

~*~*~*~

“Princess! Princess! We have a situation!” cried the unicorn Commander of the Royal Guard as he burst through the dining room doors.

Of course there’s a problem during lunch, Celestia thought as she finished chewing her second mouthful of food. She watched as the guard ran to her side, giving a low bow as he reached her. He was out of breath, sweaty, even shivering slightly as if he had just seen a ghost.

“Princess, we have a situation. There are these equine like aliens. Very much like ponies, but... not ponies. ” Celestia could only raise an eyebrow in question.

“Then what are they?”

“Umm… okay, they are like ponies, but of black and white. Covered in stripes from head to hoof! I have never seen anypony, or anything like them.” The guard explained hastily, as if rushing the princess to get on the job immediately. Celestia still couldn’t comprehend what was really going on.

“Have these black and white ponies done any harm or destruction?” She continued to persist for facts.

“Nothing at all as of late. They don’t speak Equestrian. And they do these ominous chants and wear odd clothing and jewelry.”

“Perhaps it is because they are not from Equestria. Or perhaps they aren’t even ponies at all. Did you stop to consider that, commander?”

“Yes, it was considered, but…” he tried to explain but was at a loss for words at his obviously lacking and hastily done report.

“It’s alright commander. I thank you for informing me on this matter. As I do think it is a situation I should look into. Prepare my chariot please.”

“Right away, princess,” he said with a bow before running off through the doors of which he came. Celestia returned to her meal and continued to eat in tranquil solitude.

The wind blew loudly as they sped to the scene. Celestia’s majestic mane flowed and danced in the breeze as gently as always. The Commander of the Guard stood tall at her side, with little avail to seem any more so at the side of the alicorn.

“So, Commander, perhaps you could enlighten me further as to the situation.” Celestia finally said, breaking through the noise.

“Of course, Princess. These black and white ponies-”

“Zebras,” Celestia quickly corrected.

“I beg your pardon, Princess?”

“From your description, I believe these ‘black and white’ ponies you speak of are zebras,” she explained.

“Zebras? Umm… all right. Well these ‘zebras,’ about half a dozen, arrived last night near Trottingham. The local ponies were wary, so they didn’t allow them to pass. Nopony bothered to speak to them or dare get close, presumably because of fear.” He was nearly yelling to get past the noise of their altitude.

“I see… I hope I can settle this whole affair swiftly,” Celestia said to nopony in particular.

The trip to their destination would carry on for no more than a few minutes once they passed over Trottingham. A single large octagonal shaped tent of tan and brown hues became visible from afar, standing out clearly amidst mostly open green fields. Soon the whole situation came into view. A crowd of ponies stood a short walking distance from the tent, which when viewed up close was adorned with intricate markings and designs Celestia couldn’t even begin to decipher.

Celestia could hear uncoordinated chants from the crowd, such as ‘turn back’ and ‘no place for you’ bombarding the unmoving tent. She was taken aback by the actions her ponies had decided to take against these seemingly peaceful outsiders. It wasn’t often that Celestia could say she was disappointed in her ponies, but this would sadly be one of those times.

The crowd grew silent and parted down the center as the chariot landed and came to a halt. Celestia stepped down and her ponies bowed in respect. She did not bother to acknowledge them on this occasion as she continued towards the camp.

The Commander and one of the Royal chariot escorts ran up to cover their Princess’ flanks as they approached the opening flap of the tent. They stopped short and waited. Everypony was silent.

“Commander, please announce my arrival,” she asked kindly.

“Of course, Princess.” The guard stepped up and spoke loudly, “Princess Celestia of Equestria decrees an audience to discuss the terms of this visit. We ask you to please, exit peacefully and respectfully and present yourselves.” There was silence as everypony held their breath in anticipation, unsure as to what response this proclamation would receive.

At last, movement, as the flap was pulled to the side and a large -by pony standards- zebra walked forth. He seemed to be of a rather old age; rugged, too, as if he had lived a habitually laborious life. A large and intricate headdress swayed atop his brow, almost bringing his total height near that of Celestia. Decorative touches of gold were adorned across his body. He moved at a listless, unburdened pace towards the princess.

Two more, much younger, zebra flanked him. They wore similar attire to his, but much more toned down in comparison. They withheld by a few strides and bowed in unison. Celestia returned a polite short bow. Only the elder rose to face the princess, all emotions unreadable on his stone-faced expression.

Celestia’s soft smile held strong as she waited for the zebra to make some move to address her, but all he did was continue to stare and prolong the silent awkwardness. Her eyes began to shift and her smile began to strain in exaggeration. She decided it was going to be her duty to start the conversation.

“Greetings, friends, I am Princess-” The old zebra suddenly broke in; speaking a language Celestia had no knowledge of. He spoke just as he had moved, slow and with poise; his voice was deep and rough, closely reflecting his image. Celestia had no idea what he was saying, but had a feeling it was along the lines of I know who you are. She could hear the crowd of ponies gasp and cry in over-exaggerated shock. Celestia just ignored them. After a few short phrases, everything returned back to silence.

“-Celestia,” she was finally able to conclude. “I apologize, sir, but unfortunately, as you may have noticed, we do not speak the same language.” The zebra continued to watch, unfazed. He spoke another incoherent phrase, mustering another gasp from the crowd. This whole situation was beginning to irk Celestia, ever so slightly.

“I see this isn’t going as well as I’d hoped…” she said to herself, “What I would give for a translat-” Once again she was interrupted as the zebra called to the tent. It was no more than a minute before a fourth zebra stepped out hurriedly. This one was noticeably a mare, smaller than the rest with much simpler decorations.

She came close to the elder’s side and bowed low to Celestia. The crowd once again gave assorted cries of stupefaction and fear.

“Commander, would you please send this crowd home?” Celestia asked, irritated feelings hidden by her calm voice.

“Right away, Princess,” said the guard before running off.

“I apologize for the interruption. Now, how can we make this work?” Celestia asked herself.

“I believe it can work now, Sun Queen,” spoke the zebra mare. Her voice was deep and strong, yet soft and feminine. She held a polite smile on her face where the rest of her companions continued to hold stern.

“Oh, you speak Equestrian?”

“To an extent, yes, Sun Queen,” she said with another short bow. “I may translate between you and our spiritual guide, Akua.”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” Celestia said, honestly relieved. “Very well, please, what business brings you and your kin here to Equestria.”

“Sun Queen, we come from a far off land in search of something,” she began without even consulting the ever-silent Akua. She continued to explain how they came in search of a wild-growing, extraordinarily rare herb. This herb, Ubulawu, would only grow in the most remote locations deep within forests. Little was needed to create potent medicines, cures, and brews, but as the years went by, the more difficult it had become to locate these plants. Then all the Ubulawu vanished; there was never the opportunity to harvest the treasured herb.

“You see, whenever we were fortunate enough to find any Ubulawu, it was always in very small amounts -we were never left with enough to replant. It was a sad time when search after search came up empty. Our only hope to find this plant again would be to travel to one of the few wild forests left that we know of, the Everfree Forest in Equestria.”

“How are you so sure that this ‘Ubulawu’ is even found in the Everfree Forest?” Celestia asked.

“Long ago a pony from your lands came to us on a grand flying machine, as I was told by my elders. This pony shared stories, knowledge and ideals with us, so we did the same. Before he left, he was given some of our herbs as a parting gift. He spoke of their abundance found within the wild forest of the Everfree, but at the time it was no concern of ours.”

“I see,” were the only words Celestia could mutter as she mused over the obvious possibility that this pony was her past student, the Doctor.

“So we ask you, Sun Queen,” the zebra continued, “would you kindly allow us to pass through into the Everfree forest? We won’t take too long. We’ll leave as quickly as we had come. Nothing shall be disturbed.”

“Of course,” Celestia replied swiftly. It was not difficult for Celestia to come to the conclusion to allow the zebra passage through Equestria, especially now that the angry mob of ponies had retreated to leave only silence in their wake. Thinking further on their jarring reaction to these peaceful outsiders, Celestia could only assume that a similar situation would occur in every town in Equestria that the zebra visited -she couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Perhaps I shall guide you. I am, after all, the ruler of this land,” Celestia added. The zebra was visibly shocked at the rulers offer.

“That- that would be great! I mean-” She turned to the elder zebra to translate. At last he gave an expression of slight surprise that quickly shifted into one of gratitude as he bowed once again. He spoke words that were quickly translated.

“He accepts your offer, with the utmost gratitude.”

“Delightful. But first of all, what is your name?”

“Oh, mine? Umm, yes, my name is Zuri.”

~*~*~*~

“I can’t believe ponies could be so… hostile. Actually… now that I think back, my reception when I returned to public life didn’t exactly go swimmingly…” Luna said, once again musing over the night she had unceremoniously presented herself.

“Like I’ve said before, ponies can at times be very hard headed… it works both for and against us -makes us strong, yet can just as easily cloud the truth.”

“Indeed… so how did Zuri go on to become your student form there?”

“The rest of their journey went much more smoothly, partially because I was there. Not a single problem with anypony the whole way. Admittedly they had all barricaded themselves within their homes… but that tranquility gave me a great opportunity to learn more about our striped visitors. And I could only really discuss these matters with Zuri.”

“I’m assuming that the rest is history?” Luna asked.

“You could say that,” Celestia replied with a soft laugh. “She initially refused my offer to stay in Canterlot -not as my student, but an honored guest. I felt, through her, relations with the zebra could become closer, or at the least less hostile. It took a bit of convincing, together with the some words from the rest of her party to at last make her decide to stay.”

~*~*~*~

“Are you enjoying your stay in Canterlot?” Celestia asked the zebra seared at the opposite end of the long dining table, whose entire attention seemed to be focused on staring at the untouched plate in front of her.

“It is nice,” she answered simply, her gaze concentrated on the vegetable meal before her.

Celestia frowned, “Is something wrong, Zuri?”

“No, everything is fine,” she replied quickly, at last looking up to give a smile Celestia could easily read as strained. All it took Celestia was a questioning glare to force Zuri to spill the truth. “Oh… yes. I am sorry, Princess -it is just...”

“There is no need for you to apologize,” Celestia broke in. “You are an honored guest here in Equestria, and it is my duty to ensure that all my guests are comfortable. Now, what’s wrong?”

“…you see, Princess, I have been here for nearly two months and my acceptance by the ponies has yet to materialize. They hide, they run away and they gossip. I feel it has not been best for me to stay here…” she concluded sadly.

“Don’t say that,” Celestia replied seriously but continued more softly. “I apologize for the actions of my ponies, but I assure you that the time you have spent here with me has been an absolute pleasure. Your knowledge of herbal ingredients and mixtures is quite fascinating -and I take great pleasure in learning more about zebra culture.”

“I thank you, Princess,” she said with a sincere smile at last.

“No, thank you, Zuri. I shall make an address on this issue as soon as possible. Now, how about we take a quick stroll?”

“Umm… If you insist, Princess,” she replied a bit apprehensively.

The midday sunlight shone brightly above the bustling Canterlot plaza. It was a time of high traffic for the shops and markets selling an array of items from over-the-top clothing to over-the-top foods, and everything in between. The laughter and chatter from the care free ponies resonated freely throughout the shops; but as if on command, silence befell them all as Celestia approached with Zuri close at her side.

It was always considered a rarity for the princess to so casually and trivially pay a visit to the crowded streets of Canterlot. Ponies watched in awe, conflicted between running from fear at the presence of the foreigner or to bow in respect at their majestic monarch. The crowd parted and bowed before Celestia as she walked as languid as always, a soft smile on her face. Zuri was perhaps a starkly contradicting image; head hung low, eyes constantly shifting from side to side and never straying far from Celestia.

“Is something the matter, Zuri?” Celestia asked casually, ignoring the obvious overreactions emitting from the crowd.

“I am not so sure this is a good idea, Princess…”

“Nonsense, how do you expect to learn more about ponies locked up in the castle? Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine. Now, how about some shopping?” she said happily.

“There is the library…” Zuri replied unequivocally.

“At times it is best for one to learn from firsthand experience than through a book. Now, how about that shopping? You’d look lovely in one of those hats,” Celestia said, walking over to a display rack adorned with dozens of colorful head pieces.

“O-okay…” Zuri waited idly as Celestia playfully spun the rack to examine each hat closely.

“Ah-ha, this one is nice,” she announced as she levitated a light blue, nearly bowl shaped hat that flapped upwards at its ends and settled it atop Zuri’s head snugly. A white strip of lace adorned its circumference together with a blooming blue flower. “You look absolutely fabulous. It really fits you,” Celestia complimented.

Zuri looked up at the short rim of the head piece then turned to face a nearby mirror. She took a second to admire the lovely adornment, scrutinizing it from all sides. “It is nice… thank-”

“Oh! How stunning!” interrupted the shopkeeper who wore an enormous bright-orange hat that softly harmonized with her yellow coat. “My dear, your coat is simply stunning! Why, black and white quite simply matches with anything!” she complimented, getting closer to admire the out-of-the-ordinary stripes.

“I- uh, thank you?” Zuri muttered awkwardly as the yellow pony continued to circle her. Celestia just stood by and watched with a grin.

“My, you’re a zebra aren’t you?” she questioned. “Hmm, why, I don’t see what all this hullabaloo is about. All of those other ponies are probably jealous of your pretty coat!” she beamed.

“That… that is a very nice thing for you to say,” Zuri replied with an honest smile. The yellow pony would then carry on enticing over more of her colleagues to join in the arbitrary praise. These ponies obviously saw the importance of fashion above all else, and that was something Zuri was quite grateful for. They didn’t see her as a pariah, but instead another customer, or an ordinary citizen of Equestria with a pretty coat.

Zuri felt like she belonged; even under this rare and extraordinary circumstance, the feeling was there. She decided, then and there, to hold a certain liking towards pony fashion, duly noted from the bombardment of advice given by the shop keepers. Other ponies well versed in fashion had also stepped up to give their polite counsel. It was an unexpected turn of events, but surprisingly pleasant.

At last, the siege broke as Celestia and Zuri happily walked off back towards the castle, the streets slowly emptied as they approached. Most of the day had been spent and it was nearing the time for Celestia to bring upon the night and call an official end to the day.

“Did you enjoy our little stroll outside of the castle, my dear student?” Celestia asked, carefully slipping in the latter portion.

“I-I beg your pardon, Princess? Did you say, ‘student’?” Zuri replied with a quizzical look.

“Indeed I did. I have been meaning to ask you, Zuri,” Celestia said as she stopped to stand before her companion. “Would you consider accepting my proposal to become my personal student here in Canterlot?”

Zuri was left speechless for a second, unsure on how to reply. To become the sole apprentice to the monarch of Equestria, an all powerful being which even the celestial bodies would abide by. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, something she could not possibly refuse.

“P-Princess, of course, I would be honored to become your student!” she said with several quick bows and a huge grin.

“Wonderful. I am delighted you have accepted. Now, is there anything you have learned today?”

“Today? Umm… that my coat matches very well with pony clothing?” she answered a bit uncertainly.

“That’s good, anything else?” Celestia continued to question.

“Well… ponies can at times be very defensive and fearful of the unknown... but many can appreciate discovery, become fascinated in something they know nothing of. It is still hard for me to understand how ponies work. But perhaps one day I will understand them, and that may be when zebras become accepted into pony society as well.”

“I wish for the same… now, it’s time for dinner. Let us go inside, my student.”

“Of course, Princess!” Zuri replied contentedly.

Months carried on, yet the acceptance of zebra kind would continue to impose a difficult task on the ponies of Equestria. The infrequent visits paid by the zebra, for public relations purposes, dwindled until they no longer came. Despite all the assurance Celestia gave on behalf of zebras, ponies continued to ostracize the friendly visitors that all too quickly became depicted as frightening invaders. It hurt Celestia, and in particular, it hurt Zuri.

Zuri, likewise, had held high hopes for Equestria to become friendlier with the zebra nations. Ever since she learned about the existence of Equestria and the pony race, when she was just a little filly, she devoted hours of study into Equestrian culture. Because of this, she became the obvious choice for both sides to bridge the ever growing gap.

Relations continued to weaken until they were all but non-existent. Zuri often contemplated leaving Equestria, only to be swayed by Celestia time and time again. Celestia still held hope for a more open Equestria, but feelings of fear and anger only escalated as an epidemic of Hay Fever ravaged the lands.

“Princess, what are we going to do?” began one of the royal advisors gravely. “More and more ponies are becoming bed stricken with Hay Fever every passing day. It’s spreading like wild fire. On top of that, there are less and less ponies to work the fields and weather. I fear food shortages and erratic climate are dangerously imminent...”

Celestia sat at the end of the table, solemnly and deep in thought. The dozen others made up of ponies and the single oddity of Zuri, waited in silence. Hay Fever had arrived not a month ago in Equestria and could infect any pony, be them unicorn, pegasus or earth ponies. In theory it was thought to have originated and spread through infected hay and other foods, thus it was given the name Hay Fever.

When this came to be discovered it had already spread, and once a pony had become infected the simple means of touch could carry it forward. Ponies were stricken with harsh, immobilizing fevers no known medicines could subdue. Hospitals and medical centers were filled to the brim with patients; special quarantine zones were created in an attempt to stop the spreading. This was quickly becoming one of the darkest times in Equestrian history.

“Have the scientists or doctors made any progress?” Celestia finally asked softly.

“It goes slowly, Princess,” responded another pony from the medical ward, “We have yet to discover an actual cure. But we can now lower the initial fever temperature with a simple concoction injected into the patient. This is being distributed into medical centers as we speak.”

“That is good. Please continue your research,” she replied with diminutive enthusiasm. “Commander, set up a rationing system for any and all foods that can still be produced. We must prepare if the worst is to come.”

“Right away, Princess,” replied the commander as he bowed and began to exit the room, only to be halted by another official speaking up.

“This is preposterous. We should not be forced to squabble for morsels of food! For hundreds of years, ponies have flourished in agriculture. There has never been a famine since the founding of Equestria and there will never be one. We cannot let a simple fever bring down our economy.”

This pony’s words irked Celestia. She knew this pony was ‘high-born’ and part of the aristocracy of Canterlot. He had hardly worked a day in his life for food, never slept through a cold winter night; never felt the true feeling of hunger. He knew nothing of the ponies that worked to bring him all the pleasures in his life.

“And if worst comes to worst,” he continued, “we could always ask our supposed friends the zebras for aid. As they’ve always been such help to us in our time of need,” he concluded sarcastically. Zuri looked about, a glint of anger in her eyes, but held silent.

“Hold your tongue,” Celestia said a bit harshly. “You and everypony in this room know why we cannot do that. There is no proof that this plague has escaped Equestrian boarders -and I plan to keep it that way.”

“This zebra here seems perfectly immune to this Hay Fever,” he said accusingly. Hooves slammed onto the table as everypony turned to look at the previously passive zebra.

“That is it! I am tired of sitting here and taking all of your ridicule,” Zuri said in a tone of anger never before heard. “I am trying just as hard -or harder! -at finding a way to help your ponies!”

“Oh, you mean your weird herbs and spices that nopony knows anything about?” replied the instigator.

“You know not of what you speak!” she retorted, turning to leave the room without another word. The room was left in stunned silence.

“This meeting is adjourned. I’ve had enough of this. Everypony, return to your respective duties. I shall call for another meeting in the future to keep everypony up to date and informed. Anything of major importance shall be reported to me directly and promptly.” Celestia followed Zuri out of the room before any pony could object.

Celestia trotted through the halls, at last catching up to Zuri, whose every angry hoofstep threatened to punch a neat hole in the floor tiles. Celestia came up to Zuri’s side as silently as possible, not wanting to disturb as she huffed and fumed down the hall. At last her steps softened and her breathing steadied until they came to a complete stop in the hallways. Celestia waited, allowing her comforting presence alone to bring some sort of relief to the atmosphere.

Zuri did not look back to Celestia, only forward down the elongated hallway. She then hung her head low and sniffled; a few tears began to roll down her cheeks and hit the floor. Anger and hatred subsided, replaced by dread and sorrow.

“Princess… I just don’t understand…” she sniffled, “why do they do this to me? I have done nothing wrong. Have I?”

“Of course you haven’t. If there is anyone here who has done something wrong, it is me,” Celestia said, nuzzling Zuri’s head up to face her. “None of them have the right to treat you that way, and it is my obligation to prevent it. I am sorry Zuri. I know I have said this time and again, but-”

“It is okay, Princess. I don’t need the acceptance of those ponies anymore,” Zuri said, fighting against her sniffles and giving Celestia an honest smile. “I realized that… all I really need is you, Princess. You are always there for me. You have always been good to me. I thank you for that.”

Months would come and go with not a cure in sight. The plague had spread to the far reaches of Equestria with nothing to detain it. To make things worse, Celestia’s most horrible fears were becoming apparent. The choice to ration the food early on was the right one. Uncontrolled weather ravaged towns during stormy seasons. But worst of all was the ever growing body count. Everything had become more grimmer that Celestia could have ever imagined.

The room was completely silent as none of its half-dozen inhabitants stirred. Six of the more senior members had tragically succumbed to illness. Nopony was safe anymore. Celestia read through the reports given to her in yet another urgent meeting. And once again, nothing that could be categorized as pleasant news had surfaced. She set the papers down and gave a long sigh of discontent and despair.

“… Princess, what are we to do? This has escalated to a point far worse than we had predicted… too much of the population has become infected. Our food stores have dwindled to near nothing… I-I just don’t know what to do, Princess,” murmured an adviser.

Celestia remained in silent though; her eyes peered forward and unfocused. I just don’t know what to do… she echoed the words in her mind. What is there left to do that has not already been done? They are waiting for an answer that I cannot give… they wait patiently with near pleading eyes. They ask for words of comfort, for some sort of solution, anything that could shine a light through these dark days.

All of their attempts at a cure, be they magical or scientific, had come up fruitless. Hope for a quick recovery had all but vanished. Celestia looked about the room of ponies. Bloodshot, half lidded eyes had become common for the few left in attendance; more than likely due to sleepless nights attempting to find some sort of relief in these dark times. She again exhaled loudly before a realization had caused her breathing to stop momentarily.

“Where is Zuri!” she asked in an uncharacteristically panicked tone. She looked about frantically, as if she had missed her through the first sweep of the room. Everypony else looked between them, wearily and confused. “Has anypony seen her today?” Celestia demanded, anxiety beginning to build rapidly as it so often did in their current situation.

“N-no, Princess, not since our last assembly,” one of the ponies at last replied. Celestia stood up, ready to ignore all and prepare a search, only to be halted by the gentle rapping upon the door. It swung open to reveal a sight that at last brought Celestia a sigh of relief and contentment.

“I am very sorry, Princess, I lost track of time while I was working,” Zuri spoke sincerely. Zuri had perhaps made the most advancement in discovering methods in helping the sick. Methods of reducing fever, calming patients, and other remedies, yet none have held the cure. At least nowadays zebras were the least of anypony’s problem.

“Zuri, are you alright?” Celestia asked a bit hastily, still recovering from her previous apprehension.

“Yes, Princess, I am sorry to have worried you so…” she said, settling into the seat at Celestia’s right hoof. She looked up gave an apologetic smile that faded back into the somber look held by the rest of the attendants. Celestia scanned the room again to ensure that this time everypony needed was present.

“It is alright… now, let us continue. Anypony have anything else to offer aside from these,” Celestia said referring to the scattered papers on the table. “This cannot be it…” Silence followed as everypony’s eyes shifted.

“Well…” finally began somepony wearily, “together with a few others… we have perhaps come to some form of method to bring this all to an end…”

“Please, do tell.” Everypony waited in anticipation.

“We have come to the conclusion that… the only way to stop this is to eliminate all carriers of the virus in one fell swoop. The best we can do now is save those that are not yet infected.” Stunned silence fell over the room as the daft proposal sank in. Celestia was left wide eyed, unable to give any sort of response; the only one able to muster anything would be Zuri.

“That’s- that’s completely mad! …Idiotic, immoral, horrid… how- how can you even think of such a thing!” she yelled, sitting up in her spot and looking down at the antagonizing pony.

“Well… what would you do!?” he retorted, but still not facing Zuri directly. Zuri shivered in rage, unable to withhold her disgust through the obvious grimace on her face.

“I know what I would not do! I would not give up on these ponies! I would not commit murder! That is exactly what it will be if you carry on with this!”

“If we do nothing, everypony will die!”

“If we do this almost all of your ponies will die!” Zuri’s breathing had intensified, her eyes swirled with rage. “I thought ponies were a tough and powerful race, head strong and able to overcome any situation.”

“That is enough!” Celestia demanded at a tone rarely heard from the normally-demure princess. All eyes trained back on Celestia. “You dare even consider the near genocide of my ponies, in my presence? The thought alone revolts me.” She was no longer speaking in her common gentle voice, but of one driven by anger and disappointment.

“But, Princess-” began the first pony before he was cut off.

“No, I will not hear it. Your simple involvement is almost enough for me to dismiss you from this meeting if I so please. Banish those thoughts as we will no longer discuss those plans. Furthermore, I agree with my student. We must continue to fight this… even to the end if necessary,” Celestia said with much needed confidence. The room settled back into its somber state; with the exception of Zuri, still up but noticeably calmer.

“I thank you, Princess. Now, I may have come upon a new herbal blend that perhaps offers further aid to those fallen ill,” Zuri carried on.

~*~*~*~

“I can’t believe Equestria had fallen to such a state… that all sounds so… so horrible,” Luna lamented at such a dark retelling of Equestrian history. “I just can’t imagine how you went through all of that…”

“Indeed they were truly hard times, for everypony. But I can say with confidence that if it wasn’t for Zuri, everything would have been much more difficult.”

“However did Equestria get through it? And even more, how was it able to recover? I mean, I haven’t seen any sort of after effects in this day.”

“Keep in mind, all this occurred several hundred years ago. Much time has passed to rebuild and recover. But perhaps the only reason it all went so well afterwards was because of foreign aid.”

“Do you mean relations with the zebras improved?” Luna questioned.

“Not quite. Sadly, as you can see today, seeing any zebra in Equestria is still uncommon. But they did offer us aid, as well as the griffons, quite surprisingly. It was apparent that our efforts to keep Hay Fever contained within Equestrian borders were not in vain.”

“I see… so how did ponies stop Hay Fever? Was a cure found? Did it die out?”

“A cure was discovered. And the credit for that goes to Zuri as well.”

~*~*~*~

Celestia followed closely behind Zuri as they quickly paced through the castle hallways towards Zuri’s personal study. It had been where Zuri spent most hours of every day, blending together various herbs and greens in her attempts to discover palliatives for the sick and hopefully a cure. She had worked tirelessly ever since the epidemic began.

“You say you’ve made a breakthrough? Of what sort?” Celestia asked as Zuri had decided to withhold the information in preference to showing the princess first hand.

“Of the sort of a possible cure,” she replied simply as they continued hastily.

Zuri’s study had been completely tailored to her own personal taste. Art, masks, vases, pots, and various foreign objects adorned the room’s walls and hung from the ceiling. Any traces of the previous decor were limited exclusively to the fine marble floors. At the end of the room stood a large chamber pot above a live fire place; green liquid steamed and bubbled within. Anypony walking in would feel as if they had stepped into the zebra nation itself.

“Come over here, Princess,” Zuri directed, calling Celestia to the pot. As she approached, the warm flowery scent of the ingredients tingled in her nostrils. It soothed and relaxed her tense body into a state rarely felt. She inhaled deeply and slowly, greedily taking in as much as her lungs could stand.

“This scent is exquisite,” Celestia complemented, inspecting the liquid more closely, only to retract from the frequently popping bubbles.

“Yes, it is. And it may be the key to all this. You see, Princess, I must confess that I have been venturing out of the castle on a frequent basis as of late.” This came as a disappointing shock to Celestia. Ever since Hay Fever had become an epidemic, all trips outside of the castle- infrequent as they were- were rigorously regulated and short. It was unknown if an alicorn could succumb to Hay Fever; the chances were slim, but nopony would dare take them.

“But I had good reason,” she continued before Celestia could utter her disapproval. “I did it to visit the hospitals and medical wards. To learn about this virus and help those ponies directly.”

“Zuri… you could have gotten infected or-”

“But that is exactly it, Princess. I did not get sick. I was not infected. You see, this liquid was used to lower the fever and calm the nerves. But it was so strong, only small doses could be given. I have worked the whole time in modifying this one solution to somehow form it into a cure. But then I realized something. I never got sick. Often, I would feel the symptoms but whenever I returned here, I would feel rejuvenated. It is not the liquid, but prolonged exposure to its fumes that might be the cure.”

“The fumes?” Celestia questioned as she took another pleasant whiff. “How can you be sure?”

“We can test it on others. I am in constant contact with it and have yet to feel any negative side effects. Nothing bad can come by giving it a chance, I assure you.” This was the first potential chance in weeks that had proposed anything near a possible cure. Not a second thought was needed for Celestia to give Zuri’s proposal full support.

“Is it difficult to make?” Celestia asked. The only thing she needed now would be an overcomplicated concoction made with rare herbs.

“No, not at all, I know all of the ingredients and they are in abundance. It will not be any trouble to make large amounts.”

“Excellent. I will give you as many ponies as possible to help with making your cure. It will be transported to every hospital and medical center as quickly as possible. Even if it isn’t a cure, nothing bad can come by giving it a chance. It is perhaps the last chance we have left.”

Zuri’s brew was indeed the much needed cure to save Equestria from the terrors of Hay Fever. Thousands of bed stricken ponies gradually came back to prime health because of the steamy fumes that emanated from the questionable liquid. This cure came to be known as Flower’s Gift, due to its near intoxicatingly sweet and flowery aroma. It could be considered a saccharine end to such tragic times.

Still, months would come and go through the rigorous time of Equestria’s rebuilding. The majority of this would come in the form of reconstructing a stable workforce and combating severe food shortages. The nation of Equestria was left crippled and in need. The cure alone would have meant nothing without the generous aid given by both the zebras and griffons.

This was a rare time in history, where ponies, zebras and griffons had set aside their differences for a common cause. It had taken excruciatingly drastic measures for it to happen, but it did.

Yet after all that had occurred, Zuri was left discontent. She happily appreciated the immense wave of gratitude that came her way. She at last felt accepted in this new world. But in the end, it could never replace the world she had come from.

“Princess, I have something to show you,” Zuri spoke softly as they walked through the hallways of the castle, recently returned from another update meeting held to assess the now improving state of Equestria.

“I’d happily enjoy seeing whatever it is you wish to show me, Zuri,” Celestia said in a genuinely happy voice that had at last begun to return. Zuri led Celestia back to her personal study, but the princess halted in surprise as she passed through the doorway.

The walls and ceiling were now barren and void of all of Zuri’s traditional furnishings. Everything was neatly piled to the sides of the room and organized accordingly. Celestia look about the room in concerned silence. Zuri faced the back wall of the room, unable to muster an explanation.

“Princess…” she finally muttered, “I am sorry… but-”

“It is alright, Zuri… I understand,” Celestia said caringly. Zuri turned slowly, a steady stream of tears running down her face. She walked towards Celestia who sat on her haunches to receive a full embrace. “Nothing can replace your true home. And I should have known that. It was not wise of me to have forced you to prolong your stay.”

“No, Princess…” she began, muffled into Celestia’s coat before looking up with a teary smile. “Because of you, I learned so much, about myself and ponies alike. I learned to become stronger than I would have ever been because of all of this, because of you. I have experienced more in Equestria than I would have anywhere else. All the good and bad times have turned me into a better mare than I would have ever become elsewhere. And above all, I met you.”

“I am so happy I met you as well, Zuri.” They at last broke apart; tears dried and replaced with smiles.

“I have something for you,” Zuri said, walking off to one of the piles and gently pulling out a tightly woven stack of parchments with her mouth. She held it out so Celestia could accept it in her magical grasp. “I have been working on that ever since I first came to Equestria all that time ago. It is a compilation of every herbal and natural remedy that I have learned and discovered as of today. I would like you to have it.”

“Thank you, Zuri… this means so much to me. I will treasure it forever,” Celestia said honestly, pressing the collection of knowledge gently over her heart. “I am going to miss you.”

“As will I you, Princess. I will never forget you.”

“Nor will I… as long as I live… goodbye, Zuri.”

~*~*~*~

“That compilation was pushed into publication soon after. Titled Supernaturals, I ensured that her medical discovers could be utilized and benefit everypony...”

“It was difficult to let her go, wasn’t it?” Luna questioned carefully. Celestia exhaled loudly.

“It was… once again the relationship we shared was unlike that of a simple student and mentor. I’m unsure if she could even be considered a student of mine. She was wise, strong and intelligent on her own. In fact, her natural medical knowledge surpassed anything I knew at the time. She was definitely one of the most remarkable mares I have ever met. It also helps that she perhaps saved all of Equestria.”

“But I still don’t understand why it is so rare to see a zebra in Equestria. If the zebras played such a role in the rebuilding of Equestria, then shouldn’t there be more?”

“I had hoped that to be the case. But over the years, everything just returned back to its previous state. Relations remained friendly between us and our neighboring nations, but once again, every side ended up keeping to themselves. On rare occasion we would get visitors, but as always, ponies can at times be very hard headed.”

A/N Well I gotta say I wasn't exactly content with the turnout of this chapter. Not my favorite. But I pinkie promise to do things much better in future chapters. And I have some great news! Three good friends have come to my aid as editors! Many thanks to Starfall, Dreec and Cloudhammer . They'll be helping me from here on out. Thanks for reading!

Posey & Medley

Chapter 6: Posey & Medley

Candlelight cast flickering shadows that danced and swayed about the room. In the silence that fell as Celestia concluded her most recent story, Luna arched her neck to gently lay her head on her sister’s side as they gazed at the nine portraits before them. Five ponies had already been elucidated in full biographical clarity with only four more left to be presented. Together they basked in the presence of sisterly adoration before any of them bothered to speak.

“How long have we been here, Tia?” Luna asked softly. Time had been a forgotten factor, lost between the absorbing tales of the sun goddess’ past.

“I am quite sure we still have time to continue if you’d like?” Celestia asked her sibling, receiving a quick nod of agreement. Luna scanned the remaining portraits, all of which displayed unicorn ponies.

“No more zebra, pegasi, or earth ponies, I see,” Luna said playfully. “But there seems to be some sort of mistake here… why are there two portraits of the same pony?” she asked about the next two ponies in line.

“I can assure that you are not seeing double. Posey and Medley were identical twins.”

The only dissimilarities between the two mares that Luna could discern being the hues of their similarly styled light red dresses. Their coats were both azure blue combined with a light indigo mane. They even shared their mane style as it was long and wavy, curled slightly at the ends. Their cutie marks could have been exactly the same as well -the clothing obscured them such that Luna couldn’t tell for sure.

“Twins? Tia, your past never ceases to amaze me… up to that point you had only taken a single student as a time. Why the sudden change?” Luna questioned.

“You are correct that I have always fancied having only one personal student at any given time. It is a much more… personal affair to mentor only one pony directly. But this coming together was more like… a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding…? Like an accident?” she giggled in delight. “How?”

“They were twins, Lulu. It was quite difficult to tell them apart at times,” Celestia explained with a wry grin.

“Oh… right.” Luna smiled sheepishly, looking up to her sister and eagerly awaiting the story of what sort of mistake Celestia could possibly have made. The elder smiled at the thoughts of the past that serenely flowed back into clear memory. She mused over the story before retelling the rather fateful encounter with the Shine sisters.

~*~*~*~

The Grand Galloping Gala: the prestigious and exclusive annual event considered by many to be a chance to experience the best night of their lives. This was the first year where Equestria was, at long last, considered a stable country again since the Hay Fever Epidemic had been entirely expunged. Spirits were high and joy was plentiful in the Castle. Celestia watched as ponies with happy smiles waited in line, eager to meet her and to join the festivities that had already commenced in the ballroom through the doorway at which she stood.

“Good evening, and welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala,” Celestia would recite with a short nod and quiet smile to the forthcoming ponies. They would beam their own smile and bow before hurriedly trotting off into the celebration. It brought pleasure to the alicorn to see her ponies once again so happy and enjoying themselves to the fullest.

She would need to stand at the top of the grand staircase for a large portion of the Gala, but this year she wouldn’t mind in the slightest. Even though this was the longest line of ponies in attendance to date, Celestia would welcome each and every one of them; pony after pony, minute after minute, and hour after hour. The tradition had been set at the inception of the Gala hundreds of years ago.

“Hello and welcome to the Gala,” she repeated happily for the near hundredth time.

“It is such a great pleasure to be here, Princess!” replied the azure pony in a cheery tone, giving several quick bows.

“I am glad to hear it,” Celestia said with a hoof gesture towards the ballroom where the festivities resumed. But the pony didn’t take the hint, just standing there and looking up with her bright smile.

“Princess, if you don’t mind, do you happen to have a minute? Really quick,” asked the blue pony. This wasn’t exactly open court, but nopony had ever bothered or, more likely, dared to ask anything during the ceremonial greetings before.

What harm could a quick request do? Celestia thought. “This is not exactly the ideal moment... you may proceed, but this should really be quick,” she said a bit apprehensively.

“Of course, Princess! Okay… umm… yes, my name is, umm… Posey Shine!” she spoke in uneven tones, as if nervousness had suddenly flooded her entire being. “I am really, really, really happy to be here…”

“You said that already, dear,” Celestia reassured coolly, trying to push the conversation forward. “What is it you wanted to say?”

“Oh, yes… I did. Sorry. I just wanted to ask you, Princess Celestia, that… no… If you… wait… ugh! Why. Cant. I. Remember!” she said, pounding her head with a hoof in great agitation. Celestia glanced back to the ponies still waiting patiently with forced politeness. She could see many wearing obvious grimaces and letting out exhausted scoffs, having already waited for a considerable time and just wanting to enter the main event.

What have I gotten myself into? Celestia thought as she looked down at the discombobulated pony before her. “Why don’t we do this?” she said, grabbing Posey’s attention. “You may stand by my side until all other guests have been greeted. Once everypony is inside, you can say what you have to say.”

“Oh, yes, that’ll be… nice,” she replied almost timidly, walking with her head low over to Celestia’s left-hoof side. Celestia watched Posey as she took her place and then turned her attention back to the rest of the ponies waiting anxiously in line to get things moving again. The routine of formal greetings had once again come to order and begun anew.

Slowly but surely had the line of ponies dwindled. The night was moving along quite swimmingly and, as expected, was shaping up to be one of the best Grand Galloping Galas to date. As ponies went by, Celestia would often steal a glance at the pony waiting silently at her side. She would also note how the formerly nervous pony was receiving just as much attention and as many greetings as she was.

In response she would happily welcome them to the event, perfectly comfortable and settled at the monarch’s side. She acted and even looked as if she were a minor royal, an impression heightened by her unique, gleaming red dress with tassels that flickered like fire whenever she shifted position slightly. But what was perhaps most worrying to Celestia was the fact that she stood in the exact position where each and every one of her past students had stood during ceremonial greetings.

I can’t exactly get out of this one easily. I hope not too many ponies take it out of context, she pondered with a worried expression that was quickly suppressed at the arrival of the next pony in line.

At last, the final pony was admitted inside with a grateful salute to both ponies now left standing alone on the staircase. The sounds of music and chatter resonated from the room a few hoofsteps away.

“Now that that has all been taken care of, what is it you wanted to discuss?” Celestia said serenely as she turned to the pony already beaming up at her.

“Yes, yes of course. I just want to say how much of an honor it was to stand at your side for this, and how exhilarating it felt!” she spoke with returning confidence. Celestia just nodded in response, hopefully hinting at the pony to continue. “Okay, so here goes… I am here… to ask you… if…” she spoke uncertainly, dragging the moment as long as she could. “You would ever so kindly take me as your student!” she concluded rapidly, eyes shut from fear of what sort of reaction she would receive.

This request did not surprise Celestia in the slightest, as it was a very common one. So common in fact, that all she could do in response was chuckle indulgently. Many young and eligible unicorns from all over Equestria would come to Celestia in hopes of acquiring the prestigious position as the Princess’ personal protégé. They would come with offers, promises, and gifts aplenty, but would almost always be rejected and sent home.

“That is a very noble and brave request, dear,” she explained in a friendly tone. “But you must understand that I cannot make simply anypony my student.”

“Oh, please, Princess, just give me a chance! I know I can impress you with my magical skills! I’m sure of it…” Unbeknownst to Posey, Celestia was minded to give her exactly that chance. She never immediately turned away a student without giving them a proper opportunity to show how much they indeed wanted this. And it wasn’t like Celestia was averse to mentoring another student.

“Then how about this?” Celestia said calmingly, trying to reassure the trembling pony before her. “I will invite you to the castle a week from today. Then, you can show me what sort of magic skills you possess.”

“Oh, thank you so much! You’re not going to regret this!”

“I look forward to it, Ms. Shine,” she said with a smile. “Now, we should join the festivities while the night is still young.”

“I would like that very much,” Posey said confidently, turning to join the Princess into the ballroom.

Bustling with life, the ballroom was near its maximum capacity. Celestia wandered about the room, basking in the jaunty music and uplifting atmosphere. Ponies were dancing, chatting, drinking, eating their fill of an assortment of foods, and partying the night away.

Celestia moved through the colorful crowds with ease born of long practice, noting familiar faces both old and new, and indulging in the occasional conversation or simple greeting. She even took a turn on the dance floor, luckily to one of the more soothing and melodic tunes, demanding nothing more than a rhythmical sway and occasional kick. This routine continued well into the night, her effortless hostessing ensuring that the party suffered not a single hiccup.

But that is not to say Celestia’s previous worries had not come to fruition. Through the entire evening, ponies approached here to give fulsome congratulations to mark her taking a new pupil under her wing. Empty platitudes bombarded Celestia as the night wore on, with most of the sycophants remaining oblivious to her attempts to explain the unfortunate misunderstanding. She decided to ignore the silliness in order to enjoy her time; all she could do was wish for any rumors to lay dormant within the castle walls.

What a fine evening this is turning out to be. Her attention was drawn towards the band revving up another jolly tune. Oh, it’s Posey! I didn’t know she was in the band, Celestia thought as she noticed the azure pony that had spoken to her earlier, playing the violin on stage. She gently pushed herself through the throng of ponies towards the musicians, at last reaching the foot of the stage. “Hello, Ms. Shine!” she called over the music to grab her target’s attention.

“Umm… hi… Princess,” she said uncertainly, opening her eyes and breaking her concentration to look down at the smiling alicorn. She wore a slightly bewildered look, but continued to play in rhythm with her bandmates.

“I apologize for the interruption; I just wanted to come by and see how things have been going. Your musical skills are quite excellent. If your magical prowess is similar, then I look forward to our meeting.” The musical pony’s eyes sparked immediately at the mention of the latter, her confusion fading into a confident smile.

“Oh… yeah… you bet! Sorry to ask, but when is this meeting again? And where? I can be so forgetful at times,” she asked with a chuckle, still playing harmoniously without missing a beat.

“Of course, we agreed on a week from today in the castle. At whatever time you’d like, really.” Celestia answered happily.

“Oh, yes, of course. Thank you, Princess. For reminding me…”

“Great. I won’t keep you any longer now, Ms. Shine. Please, enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“Oh, I will, Princess. And you as well.”

“Thank you,” Celestia concluded, turning away and walking happily back into the fray.

The musical pony watched Celestia until she was completely out of sight. The entire time she couldn’t keep the mischievous smirk from her face.

The week had passed quickly and uneventfully for Celestia. This was often the case with the weeks that followed the grandness of the Gala, as the extravagant event traditionally remained the main topic of discussion for Canterlot’s upper classes long after the night itself was over - not to mention the need for many a pony to overcome the after-effects of a night of indulgence.

But on this day, Celestia had a specific event to look forward too. A potential student was to arrive and show off her skills and express how much she wanted to acquire the position of student under the Sun Goddess. Yet she could not hold her hopes too high, as these meetings would so often end in disappointment. It sounded almost selfish when Celestia put it that way, but it was exactly what had happened each and every time in the past with almost every hopeful that would approach her.

Anypony that mustered up the courage to face the princess would enter without foreknowledge as to how exactly the princess would appraise and assess them. And truthfully, not even Celestia herself knew what exactly she searched for in her next student. It was never really as simple as measuring the magical prowess or skill a certain pony possessed. This in itself explained and was evidenced by the countless rejections received by some of the most skilled magicians of all Equestria.

Celestia had no sooner finished her morning meal than the announcement came of her planned visitor. Quite eager to get things started aren’t we? With little haste, she walked coolly towards the throne room where she would commonly hold open court and welcome invited guests.

“A Ms. Shine has arrived for her appointed meeting with you, Princess,” informed one of the throne’s flanking guards stoically.

“Yes, show her in,” Celestia said, settling on her throne atop the royal pedestal. The guard at the end of the lengthy room opened the grand door and pass on the order to another. Mere minutes lapsed until the visitor was ushered into the room.

“Hellooo, Princess!” announced the azure pony as the double doors were flung open by a telekinetic swing. She trotted in confidently, head held high and glamorous, a cheeky smile on her face.

Unlike their meeting at the Gala, she wore nothing at all on this occasion; a rarity for anypony to be so casual in Canterlot, and even more so in the presence of the princess. Another dissimilarity was the arrangement of the pony’s mane, now allowed to freely hang instead of being carefully crafted into the hairdo she had worn at the Gala. Her cutie mark was also at last revealed to be a single musical quaver within a six pointed star. In all, Celestia had to admit that her demeanour had changed markedly.

“Hello and good morning to you, Ms. Shine,” Celestia greeted with a smile.

“And a very good morning to you as well! As always, another beautiful morning from the most beautiful ruler of the greatest land! Oh how I thank you for such generosity and kindness, to forever bless us with the warming rays of the sun every single day.”

My, somepony has certainly become much more confident. We’ve just begun and already so full of praise. Just like every other participant, she thought with a mental laugh. “How flattering. I thank you for it. Now, please proceed with your presentation whenever you are ready.”

“Yes, of course! Okay… let’s get this show on the road!” she said, preparing her body by planting her hooves firmly on the ground, setting her head low. Celestia watched as the pony stood motionless before her. The room was quiet in anticipation; the guards carefully watched the readied pony. But nothing happened. “Uhhh… wow, do I feel embarrassed. What exactly is it you want me to do? You probably told me before, but I’m just blank right now haha.”

The room exhaled in disappointed unison. I had not given explicit instructions. How forgetful can a pony be? “Do whatever you feel is necessary, Posey.”

“What?” was the only quizzical reply. Before Celestia could clarify, another castle guard walked into the room, giving a proper bow to the princess.

“Princess, a Ms. Posey Shine is here to see you for her audience. Shall I bring her in?”

“What?” came the simultaneous answer from Celestia and the already present visitor. Celestia looked over to the azure pony below, confirming her thoughts that this was indeed the same pony from that night.

“This must be some sort of… mistake? I am quite sure Posey Shine is already in our presence,” Celestia said to the messenger who looked around to see the blue pony already present.

“Oh! I see you are correct. Wow, that was pretty amazing how you just teleported in here like that. That’s sure to look good for the princess,” he said, giving another bow to Celestia before turning to exit.

“That was odd… who can this other pony be? It is quite obvious that Posey is already here.” At this, the pony froze with eyes wide in shock. “Is something wrong? You are Posey Shine, correct?”

“That’s...-“

“Wow! How did you teleport back here so fast! And with clothes! Spectacular!” cried the messenger pony though the closed doors into the hallway.

“My sister,” she concluded as her double came into view at the doorway. Posey wore a much simpler, but formal dress on this occasion, with her mane styled accordingly into a neat bun.

“Umm… sorry I let myself in. That pony said I was already… allowed… to enter…” she trailed off at the sight of her identical sister. The room fell into awkward silence as Posey approached, perhaps slower than intended due to her inability to fully conceive the situation. Celestia was confused and intrigued, but watched silently to let the situation unfold under its own merits.

“Medley? Wha- what are you doing here?” Posey said accusingly to her mirror image as the other stood facing away, her poise haughty.

“Excuse me? What am I doing here? What are you doing here,” Medley retorted, turning to face Posey and poke her sister in the chest, which Posey angrily deflected.

“For your information, I am here to see the princess.”

“Is that so? Well, for your information, the Princess herself told me to come! So, I suggest you go away now.”

“Liar! You’ve always done things like this. To study under the princess is no place for you,” Posey said, stomping a hoof hard on the floor.

“Oh? What gives you the right to say that, sister? You’ve always been a mere shadow to my magical skill. I can do more than you, I have always done things better than you, and I am always first. It’s just the way things work.”

“That’s not true! You’re not going to do this to me again this time!” Posey stood shivering in anger, eyes shut to withhold tears. “I’ll show you ‘magical skill’,” she hissed, her horn beginning to emanate a steadily amplified blue glow.

“Oh, you wanna do this now?” Medley spoke boldly, taking a few steps back in preparation, light sprang forth from her own horn and quickly matching her sister's in ferocity.

I might have let this go on for too long, Celestia thought worriedly as she watched the ponies about to skirmish before her. I should stop this before somepony gets hurt.

“Princess, should we intervene?” asked an apprehensive guard. Before Celestia could issue the order, however, the sparks began to fly.

Posey shot off a twisting beam of light that was swiftly dissipated by her twin with a well timed magic-absorbing shield. “Is that it?” Medley mocked, executing her own assault of multiple thin strings of magic that spiraled through the air towards her opponent. But Posey did not waver, holding strong and still in concentration. The attack was halted inches from her body through sheer telekinetic force. Posey countered with magical string of her own, which wrapped around Medley’s magic like a helix and rapidly traced back along its path towards Medley.

Medley released her magic before the hit could land, causing the streams to shatter and dispel. “Ooh, neat trick you got there,” she said sarcastically. “Let’s see how you deal with this one!” Magical pressure fell upon the room as intense energy swirled around Medley’s hooves. Posey remained silent, her own rising energy beginning to collide with her sister’s. Suddenly, however, the energy diminished and vanished, leaving the combatants in bemused silence.

“What did you do?” accused Medley irritably, trying to once again muster up her magical energy.

“I cast a Suspend spell,” Celestia broke in calmly, “canceling and suppressing all of your magic. You both left yourselves vulnerable to your surroundings. If you had properly taken into account the possibility of a second threat –say, perhaps, me- a simple pre-set guard spell could have protected you both from something as simple as a Suspend spell.”

“O-oh my gosh, I am so sorry, Princess!” Posey stammered, turning to Celestia and giving a bow so low her nose nearly touched the ground. “I- I just, ooh, I’m sorry.”

“I very much apologize for my sister’s blatant interruption as well, Princess,” Medley spoke in accompaniment to her own, less exaggerated, bow.

“Shut up!” Posey spat with a growl.

“I’d expect a bit more politeness from you in the presence of the princess,” her sister remarked.

“That is enough from both of you!” Celestia commanded. The two ponies flinched at the raised voice of the princess; their previous haughtiness now replaced by deep regret. “You would show disrespect not only to me, but to each other as well? This sort of behavior is intolerable between kin. Sisters should protect and care for each other instead of holding hostility and detestation; to do what is best for each other when so closely intertwined in life.”

The corners of Celestia’s lips curled downwards into a small and faintly visible frown. As she spoke, she couldn’t help but think of her own sister, Luna, the younger of the two goddesses now forever banished within the celestial body she once guided through the night sky. She winced mentally as she recalled the peaceful and unforgettable times they shared together hundreds of years ago, the happiness brought upon the simple presence of one another, and how it so suddenly disappeared forever.

The fortune of a sibling shouldn’t be taken for granted. Nopony knew better than Celestia herself; the burden of knowing that never again would her sister be returned to her, never again would she experience those feelings.

“I simply cannot allow this to continue… I ask you both to take your leave and make up,” Celestia instructed to the distraught siblings. “Then, both of you shall promptly return to the castle, where I will personally see to both of you in happier circumstances.”

“What!?” the sisters spoke simultaneously. “Does that make me your student!?” they said, once again shooting each other a glare.

“No, that is not what it means. But if it makes you both less hostile, I can say you both have an opportunity. That is why I am summoning you both back for further evaluation on your magical abilities. And know this, either both of you are admitted, or neither of you. Now, I look forward to our meeting tomorrow.”

~*~*~*~

“It’s hard to believe how two sisters could be so argumentative towards each other… well, no it isn’t really. But… why?” Luna questioned.

“After they became my students, I learned much about their individual pasts. You see, ever since foalhood, they would always push the term ‘sibling rivalry’ to the farthest extent possible. Their parents were quite the perfectionists to say the least, and this, unfortunately, reflected onto Posey and Medley in a manner that would cause them to try to best each other to be perfect in the eyes of their parents.

“This would also lead to both of them gaining extraordinary skills in a variety of fields, from arts to, of course, magic. This need to be better than one another -to excel- had driven them apart, but made them stronger as well. They reached almost identical levels of skill. I made them both my students not only because of their magic, but also because their relationship needed rekindling to form a strong bond . Something akin to what we share today, Lulu.”

“Did they ever come to terms with each other? Stopped all their sibling rivalry?”

“Mostly. They did begin to grow close, as siblings should. But the sibling rivalry was always present -just in a more controlled degree, you could say. But that is part of what being kin is about. It helps build the relationship, strengthen it, and make the feelings more mutual. The same could be said about both of us. We are close, yet a little friendly rivalry will always be present.” Celestia explained playfully.

“I guess that makes sense. So, how did teaching two students simultaneously work out for you?”

“Aside from always having to find a way to tell them apart, it was quite pleasant,” she answered with a laugh. “When time for practicing spells would come, they would often work together to perfect them. Using spells on each other was a very efficient way for each of them to fully understand the spell from all angles.”

“I am not sure this is so, but are you implying that they would use the spells on each other? As in... fight?”

“Indeed their form of ‘working together’ was a little closer to fighting.”

~*~*~*~

What a lovely day for some outdoor training, Celestia thought as she strolled around the castle to an open field near the garden, where her students were to be waiting. Celestia always valued first-hoof experiments and learning just as much as having one's head stuck in a book. The best way to master a spell, she felt, was to take it out into the field and conduct research.

Reaching the field she immediately spotted Medley lazily laying on her back and sunbathing in the soft pasture. “Good afternoon, Medley,” Celestia said politely, only to receive a snore from the sleeping pony. With a flick from her magic, Medley was lifted up into the air and released. She awoke with a short yell, only to cast a spell that allowed her to levitate and land gently at her mentor’s side.

“I’ve told you before about sleeping during training. I gave you fair warning,” Celestia said with a smile.

“You know… that could have been dangerous,” she said groggily, still recovering from her nap.

“And you know I’d never do something that could endanger the well being of my student if I could help it. I was quite certain that you would easily recover, and you did. Now, where is Posey?”

“Ugh… I dunno. I think she said something about going to her foal’s school for a meeting or something? Oh, feathers, I forgot to tell you. Yeah, she’s going to be a little late. But she’ll be here soon.”

“I see. How is her little foal doing? Well, I hope,” Celestia asked caringly, settling down on her haunches to bask in the soothing breeze and warm midday sunlight.

“That little troublemaker is doing just fine. He’s already controlling some magic, if you could believe! Seems my sister finally got something right,” she finished with a chuckle.

“Do I sense a hint of jealousy?” Celestia mocked playfully

“What? Never. She might have been first in getting married and having a foal, but those aren’t exactly things I strive for. I mean good on her and all, but the trouble of a baby is just too much.” She gave an unceremonious sigh. “I am happy for her. Very happy actually. To see Posey come all this way is actually pretty inspiring... I’m still not jealous.”

“That’s very nice to hear.”

“It’s nice that I don’t want to get knocked up?”

“No, it’s nice to hear how much you care for your sister. In comparison to when we first met, it seems you two have really become close,” Celestia said with a giggle.

“Oh, right… I guess you can say that.” As soon as she concluded, a distant call broke through the gentle background noise.

“I’m here!” announced Posey, trotting towards the princess and her sister. “I’m so sorry, Princess. I got here as fast as possible.” This was a rare occasion where she wore nothing, showing off her cutie mark as a band-aid covered with sparkling little stars.

“That’s all right,” Celestia reassured. “And I really like your mane,” she said with a laugh.

“Are you kidding me?” broke in Medley, inspecting her sister’s hair. “Why do you always have to do this? Copying my mane style,” she said with a scoff. “You know, this is exactly why we get into so much trouble.”

“I think it’s cute,” Posey said with a laugh. “And if it wasn’t for me always trying to look like the twins we are, we wouldn’t have become the Princess’s students!” Once again, Medley simply scoffed at her sister.

“How about we get started?” interrupted Celestia. “I thought it would be nice to simply have a free day to practice whatever you two would like.”

“Alright, let’s battle!” proposed Medley excitedly.

“That doesn’t sound half bad,” concurred Posey.

“Are you two sure about this?”

“Yes,” they spoke simultaneously with confident nods.

“Don’t worry, Princess. We won’t get carried away. Nopony will get hurt,” Posey reassured their mentor.

“You can stand by and assess us!”

“…Very well,” Celestia said a bit apprehensively, walking off and leaving the two sisters by themselves. She sat a good distance away and watched silently.

The two sisters stared each other down confidently, smug smiles matched on both of their faces. “Ready, sister?” asked Posey, beginning to back away, increasing the space in-between them.

“As always,” Medley replied simply, following in Posey’s hoofsteps and moving back. Once ample space was reached, they waited in silence. The only sound that reached Celestia’s ears was from the soft winds blowing through the blades of grass.

“Start!” they shouted simultaneously. Instantly, Medley charged and shot out a beam of surging magic. Holding firm, Posey concentrated on the oncoming attack. It slowed and twisted, turning under its new master’s accord and corkscrewing back towards its creator. Another burst of forceful magic decimated the beam before Medley. Once the blinding light disappeared, she searched frantically for her opponent, who was no longer before her.

“Over here,” Posey warned, directly behind her sister. Before Medley could turn, Posey shot her magic into the ground; light seeped through the dirt and surrounded Medley, trapping her in place. “It’s over!” Posey declared.

“Not just yet,” called Medley across the battlefield. Posey scowled and glanced between the two forms of her sister.

“Pretty quick,” Posey complemented quite honestly, releasing her magic from the dummy as it diminished into fluttering sparkles that were carried off in the wind.

“Or maybe you’re just too slow!” Thin streams of magic reminiscent of their first encounter in the castle shot towards Posey, moving swiftly and elegantly through the air.

“Didn’t learn from the first time?” Posey said, once again stopping the streams of magic in their tracks. Medley just laughed triumphantly as she watched her sister concentrate on the attack above her, oblivious to imminent attack coming from below. Similar magic streams slipped through the ground directly below Posey, sending her straight up into the air. But she stood firm, as if still standing on solid ground.

“You didn’t think I’d leave my hooves open, did you?” she said from the sky, standing atop a circular shield. The failed attack broke apart as Posey gently landed back onto the ground.

“Gotta admit, that was pretty good,” Medley at last complimented. “But how about we finish this?” she challenged.

“It’ll be my pleasure,” her sister gladly accepted. They took wide and confident stances as their horns’ shine intensified in unison. Erratic energy swirled around them, clashing at the center in a vicious tug-of-war. Seconds crawled by as the pressure increased and the ponies pushed their magical force to the limits. Enormous spheres of energy shown with blinding light. At last the pent up energy was set free, bursting and scattering energy in every direction. The two ponies were thrown through the air, luckily caught by the gentle hold of their mentor’s magic.

Surrounded by a golden magical aura, the two ponies were brought back together before Celestia and set gently on the ground. “Nice catch,” Medley huffed through her exhaustion. Both ponies seemed considerably fatigued due to their final exertion of magic.

“Almost… got you… there,” Posey said slowly, allowing her beating heart to subdue.

“For once… I gotta agree with you,” replied her sister.

“You both performed exceptionally well,” Celestia interjected. “It was quite the show. Posey, excellent use of defensive and manipulation spells. Medley, the control and precision of your attacks was quite inspiring as well.”

“Thank you, Princess,” the two sisters spoke in unison, smiles on both of their faces.

~*~*~*~

“Sounds like it was quite exciting,” Luna said.

“Indeed, it was. Those two used that sort of ‘training’, as they would call it, to vent or channel the leftover sibling rivalry that they retained. Their little battles were very back and forth and more than often ended in an indecisive draw. Those were indeed fun and exciting times,” she concluded in a more hushed tone.

Luna could already sense that something had gone amiss, but she was reluctant to ask what had transpired. Letting her sister continue at her own pace, she stayed silent. “But as nature takes its course, and how everything must follow, things do not forever stay fun and exciting,” continued the elder.

“For several years everything went on as normal as having twin sisters as students was: studying, training, and fun, among other things. Sadly, as I said, all of that ended, and far too abruptly as well.

“Posey had fallen ill with an incurable and terminal illness that cut her precious life far too short. It was… difficult, to say the least. It would only bring a heavier burden when my concern fell on Medley as well. Posey had not only left me, but she left behind a family... Medley had not only lost a sister, but her closest friend.”

~*~*~*~

The wind blew gently as it so often did in Canterlot; sunlight shone brightly above the great capital city. Celestia walked solemnly into the gardens, towards the open field she was so accustomed to seeing under cheerier circumstances. She searched for Medley, but it was never difficult to find her. That meadow of green, soft grass was perhaps the place where Medley held some of her most cherished memories of her sister.

It wasn’t long before Celestia spotted the pony sitting in the distance, alone and motionless. She would often sit and look longingly into the distance for hours, refusing nourishment or comfort. Everypony had their own way of dealing with tragedy, all Celestia could do was respect Medley’s. The silent presence of another can seldom hurt, Celestia thought as she approached.

She did not announce her arrival, nor did Medley acknowledge it; unmoving and stoic, she remained silent. Celestia sat close to her student’s side, only inches between them. Together they watched nothing in particular, only the minutes as they crawled by. They did not speak; neither did they intend to do so, as each other’s presence would suffice.

After an undetermined amount of time the soothing noise of flowing winds was at last broken. “Princess… why did this have to happen…?” Medley said in a low and monotone voice, still gazing into the distance.

Celestia let out a hushed sigh; to once again not only console her own aching heart, but to do the same for another. It is never easy to continue on through the passing of a loved one, and nopony knew this better than Celestia herself. Every loss would hurt no less, but with each occasion the recovery had become a more composed process. So different, it was difficult to perceive the struggles of loss in a normal pony.

“It is the way of life; nature. Sadly, it is something inevitable and-“

“I know why it happened!” Medley snapped, her body shivering slightly. She let out an exasperated sigh. “I- I’m sorry… I just… don’t know. Why was this supposed to happen? Why did it have to be Posey…?” she muttered. She stared to the ground and began to sniffle. Celestia wrapped one of her majestic wings around her student and drew her in close. Medley leaned in to accept the inviting warmth and comfort, her tears now dampening her mentor’s coat.

“I miss her so much, Princess…” she sobbed, her voice muffled by feathers and tears.

“I miss her as well,” Celestia cooed in her serene voice. “I know how difficult it can be to lose somepony dear to your heart… I have lost many over the years. But worst of all, I know the pain of losing a sister.”

“You- you mean Princess Luna,” Medley said, looking up with tears in her eyes.

“Yes, long ago, I lost my sister, Luna. It was a painful experience, one you and I now share. But over the years I have had to accept it, to accept loss. It is difficult, and I am not asking you to come to terms with this quickly. I just want you to know that you are not alone. You cannot keep this pain to yourself. It took me many years to understand that.

“For too long I was left alone to wallow in my sorrow. I asked myself questions I already knew the answers to, and blamed myself for what happened. If it wasn’t for certain ponies, I don’t know how long the recovery process would have lasted. You must understand that everypony around you is here for you. I am here for you.

“Posey might no longer be here, but she will always be with you in spirit and in your heart. I came to understand that through another pony that I still hold dear to me in my heart. Posey would not want you to feel this way forever. She loved you, and would want you to continue living a happy life. I love you, and cannot bear to see you like this.” Medley’s tears had subdued, leaving only the occasional sniffle. She listened silently only giving a few short nods.

“I cannot make this pass over easily. But I ask you to not hold the burden onto yourself alone. Others are here for you. And Posey will forever be with you as well,” Celestia concluded with a gentle nuzzle.

Medley gave another sniffle, wiping away her tears with a forehoof. “That… that was really helpful, Princess… Thank you. I don’t know why I’ve been acting this way… Posey wouldn’t have liked this… ‘float on’ she’d say,” she said with a stifled chuckle.

“And I understand what you’re saying,” Medley continued in a more composed tone, “I have a feeling Posey would have said something like that too... I think I’d like to go inside now… and eat. Food always makes me feel better.”

“That is nice to hear,” Celestia spoke warmly, at last releasing her winged embrace.

“No, it isn’t that nice… Imma get fat now,” she said jokingly. It brought a smile to Celestia’s face to once again see Medley act in her normal mannerisms.

“Let’s go to the castle. It’s almost dinner time.”

“Yeah… let’s go.”

~*~*~*~

“Understandably, it took time for Medley to return to her old self, but eventually she did. She carried on becoming an even better mare in the end as well. She helped in supporting Posey’s family, and raising her child. She continued her studies in the castle until she departed to become one of the most renowned musicians in history. She, nor I, ever forgot about Posey, but neither did we allow her departure to restrain us.

“Everything Medley had continued to accomplish was for the sake and memory of her sister. They were never really apart, those two. The strength of their relationship would always hold strong. Just like ours will forever hold as well, no matter what has occurred or may occur.”

A/N I had fun writing this one. Again, many thanks to my pre-readers/editors Dreec, Starfall, and Quillsaga for all their help in making this readable.I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. It was the first time I have ever played with any sort of action with those little magic fighting scenes. So any feedback on those, or anything really, will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

The Doctor

Chapter 4: The Doctor

Celestia was still, looking forward and stone-faced; her emotions were completely unreadable. All that was audible was a soft sniffle at Celestia’s side. She looked over to witness a completely heartrending site of Luna, struggling to keep swelling tears from escaping. She held her head low and the smile that once adorned her face had entirely altered into a miserable frown.

“That... that was so sad…” Luna managed to say through her near-sobs. Now that her feelings for Celestia had settled, her feelings for her sister’s students now held a larger impact on her. She felt for them just as much as she felt for her sister; forced to live through their loss and again to recall the memories.

“It’s alright Luna,” said Celestia, nuzzling her sister’s head back up to face hers. Luna’s tears had retreaded but her stubborn frown held strong. The sight was heartbreaking. “I have come to terms with the memories of my students. They still bring me sorrow, but that sorrow is inconsequential. I prefer to think of all the joy and happiness they had brought me, instead of the end and its cause. I cannot deny or suppress what has happened, but there is no reason to dwell on sorrow. It is difficult, but it has allowed me to move on,” she concluded with a gesture towards the row of frames.

Luna nodded as her frown began to fade and her sadness dissipated. She still could not produce a smile because somberness was closer to what she felt. She followed Celestia’s gesture towards the portraits to once again face them.

“This… this is an earth pony,” Luna said in tamed shock as she faced the picture that preceded Firefly. The major distinction between this pony and the rest, other than it being an earth pony, was the fact that it was in a photograph. With a tint of black and white, it was somewhat grainy but gave greater, more precise detail than the paintings.

“Yes, that’s the Doctor. He was such a charming pony, one of the most remarkable ones as well.”

“The Doctor; doesn’t he have a name?” Luna asked a bit perplexed.

“Not sure, but he had always preferred to be called, the Doctor. In fact he was quite adamant about anypony calling him, the Doctor. I found it quite odd myself, but there was no reason as to oppose to his liking on the matter,” Celestia mused. The pony in question was of a simple pallet of color; brown coat with a slightly darker brown main which was short and groomed back. He gave a cheery, almost exaggerated smile. His clothing seemed to have more in common with what was worn in modern day Equestria than what was in style a thousand years ago, however more rugged, as if traversed through countless journeys and uncharted lands.

Now with the marvel of photography, Luna was able to take notice of the backdrop. He stood proud at an edge of a staggering elevation. Sharp mountain tops could be seen scattered about, dotting a thick mist. Luna had never witnessed such a place, the sight was remarkable.

“This picture is fascinating! Where was it taken?” Luna asked with more excited curiosity that overpowered her once present sorrow. “I had never seen such a place in Equestria.”

“That is because it isn’t in Equestria,” Celestia replied, “But beyond the southern borders. My dear Doctor was quite the adventurous pony. He was never content in staying in one place for too long. Always on the move, ever since he was just a little foal.”

“You knew him as a foal as well?”

“Indeed. I adopted him and took him under my care when he was still an adorable little pony.” Luna stood with her mouth a bit gaped at her sister. It couldn’t possibly have been that simple for a princess, a great and all powerful being, to simply adopt a foal to take under her care. There must have been some sort of reason for this to happen. And Luna couldn’t even think of the sort of reception her sister received for such an act.

“Wha- why would you do such a thing? I- I mean, not that it’s bad, just a bit hard to believe…” She asked, still a bit flustered at the thought. Celestia let out a snicker at the expected reaction of her sister.

“You see, like I said before, he was a truly remarkable pony.”

~*~*~*~

Celestia sat at her throne before her grand majestic hall. She waited for the next pony to be escorted and presented to her. It was the one day during the week where she would hold an audience to allow anypony, from the wealthy to the underprivileged, to be at the presence of the princess to ask whatever they pleased. Celestia took pleasure in listening to the thoughts, concerns, or opinions of the ponies she watched over. To her, it was of the utmost importance to fully understand the ponies from every part of Equestria.

It was as well the best and fastest method for Celestia to keep up with the times. To learn all this information from all around Equestria straight from a pony’s mouth was usually the most accurate.

She watched as the last pony was escorted out and another to be promptly guided in by another guard. This earth pony, a rather old and shaggy looking one, was accompanied by a young foal pony of the same kind that jogged happily to keep up. The latter of the two was of an insipid brown color, he wore a much too large fitting, brown, ragged tie that did little to compliment his comedic look. But Celestia had to attest that the sight was of immense adorableness.

The two accompanied by a guard arrived near the foot of the stares and bowed respectively. The guard stood tall and intimidating to announce the new arrivals.

“Mr. Blackstone and uh… the Doctor, Princess,” spoken a bit foolishly at the second name.

“We are immensely thankful to be in your presence,” said the elder pony at a snail's pace.

“Indeed it is a great pleasure!” broke in the foal who subsequently received a harmless smack to the back of the head. “Ouch…” He rubbed the spot furiously grumbling under his breath which was halted by a sharp glare from the elder.

“I am so sorry princess, it-” He was halted by Celestia’s raised hoof.

“It is quite alright, Mr. Blackstone. Now please, continue with your subject matter. There are still many ponies in line.” She spoke as heavenly as she always did towards her subjects.

“Of course, of course,” he cleared his throat roughly, “You see, princess, I run an orphanage near Fillydelphia. It is a joy for me to watch little foals find new families and homes. However there are at times when… special cases,” he gestured to the brown foal, “Are too difficult to work with.” Celestia could only speculate as to where the old colt was heading.

“This particular foal here has perhaps been the most drastic case I have ever encountered!” The foal just smiled sheepishly at the princess. Celestia just raised an eyebrow in intrigued confusion.

“I am sorry, but I simply do not see how this should be a concern of mine,” she replied.

“But you do not understand, princess! Every couple that has taken him has been forced to return him! They would cry of the sorts of experiments he would attempt and their chaotic results. I can attest that he has already destroyed dozens of buildings with his scientific shenanigans.”

“Now I say that is a misleading and blatant accusation!”retorted the foal immediately in his shrill voice witch made it all the more amusing. “Well, most of it anyway…” Another glare was a shot his direction.

“Princess, I come to plead to you that you could perhaps aid me, and in particular this foal here. He has a sharp mind; perhaps one of the smartest ponies I have ever come across myself. He will become somepony great one day. But he cannot do that without proper guidance. I feel that no better teacher than the wisest and greatest in all of Equestria.”

The room fell in awkward silence. Celestia sat wide-eyed, unable to think of a proper response to such a haphazard request. She had been offered many things throughout the years but never before an actual foal. She was in no position and had not prepared for anything of this sort. The silence dragged on as everypony present waited for her answer.

Celestia cleared her throat elegantly before she spoke. “I am sorry, Mr. Blackstone, but I am unable to comply with your request.” The elder pony frowned as he accepted the princess’ decision. He bowed low; almost to the floor. He was about to speak his valediction before he was abruptly interrupted.

“Wait, princess, please let me prove to you that I am worthy to by your apprentice!” the foal cried out. Celestia thought for a second before she replied.

“What is your name, my little pony?”

“I- I’m, the Doctor, princess,” he replied, slightly nervous.

“A doctor I see. Now how did one as young as you come upon such a title?” she continued to question.

“Well, you see, princess, that is just who I am. I have always been, the Doctor,” he stated frankly. Celestia gave him a questioning look then turned to the elder pony for some sort of assurance on what the little pony had just said.

“It is true, princess, when he arrived at the orphanage all the information he gave was that name and nothing more,” he shrugged. Celestia returned her gaze back to the Doctor.

“Very well, ‘Doctor’,” she said, over emphasizing the name, “let us see how ‘sharp’ you mind is. I will ask of you one simple question. If you answer correctly, then I shall consider your offer.” Celestia was cheery, as if already fully confident in the young foal’s abilities.

“Oh, thank you so very much, princess!” cried the elder, “Now don’t go ruining this opportunity like you did everywhere else!” he scolded the little pony, who stood completely oblivious to the near insult. He watched the princess with confidence, awaiting the question that would decide his fate.

“You are given eight bits,” Celestia began, “There is a single odd bit in the bunch; heavier than the rest. You are also given a scale that can only be utilized two times. How would you distribute the bits such that you know exactly which bit is the odd one?” The room fell silent as everypony, including her royal guards pondered the question. Celestia noted the way everypony’s faces twisted and grimaced in baffled thought, all but the Doctor, who only gave a smirk in return. He raised his hoof to answer almost immediately then quickly brought it down to rub his chin in thought.

“Don’t go messing this one up too boy!” the old pony began anew. He was about to continue before he was halted by the Doctors hoof.

“I got it!” Everypony waited eagerly for his reply. Celestia watched intently.

“First things first, you weigh six bits on the scale, three on each side. If both sides are perfectly balanced then the odd bit must be one of the two left out. You use your second scale try to measure the last two bits and you have found your heavy bit! Now for the scenario where in your first trial the scale is unbalanced. You discard the three lighter bits so you’re left with the three where one would be the odd bit. You place two of those on the scale and you hold onto the third. If the scale doesn’t already show you the heaver bit, then it is the one held in your hoof. And that is how you find your heavy bit!”

“Wonderful!” Celestia clopped her hooves together happily. Every other pony in the room was still legitimately confused at the question, even more so on how they were all bested by a little foal wearing a ridiculous grin. “That was certainly quite impressive.”

“Thank you, princess! So… may I stay?” he asked with pleading puppy dog eyes.

“Hmmm, you are indeed a special pony, Doctor. And I have no doubt in my mind that you will become somepony great… I have decided… You shall stay here with me in the castle for the time being. Your abilities shall be asserted at a later time.”

His eyes grew even larger and swirled in conflicted emotions of disbelief, and gratitude. His smile continued to grow from ear to ear, still unable to speak. At last he gave Celestia a simple nod with the smile still affixed upon his face.

“Delightful! Mr. Blackstone, please prepare all niceties. The Doctor shall be moving into the castle for now.”

~*~*~*~

“He was perhaps the most mentally capable and imaginative pony I have ever come across. And I have met many bright ponies throughout the years.”

“Did he actually become a doctor?” Luna giggled lightly, still musing over the name.

“Of course he did, many times in fact. He would breeze through any and all classes, with the exception of magic directed courses clearly. Always telling me how entertaining yet dull schooling was. He was never too fond of being directed, always wanting to do things his own way. His way was often the superior way anyhow.”

~*~*~*~

Celestia sat on her haunches on stage before a crowd of eager ponies. All wearing a similar attire of shimmering black robes and matching square academic caps. At her side was the principle of Canterlot’s University of Medical Sciences. He recited the names of the graduates that would subsequently come on stage, bow to the princess, and receive their diploma and honorary title.

It was common for Celestia to attend graduation ceremonies such as this to honor the ponies that worked so hard to get to where they are now. She wasn’t required to do much of anything; her wave, nod, or simple presence would suffice. She watched as pony after pony walked up on stage and accepted their respected diplomas. However this graduation was most special as she waited for one pony in particular.

“And last but not least,” announced the principle, “We have a pony that has excelled and gone above and beyond. This student is graduating today with the highest honors and the utmost respect. Would the Doctor please step up and claim your diploma.” Celestia clopped her hooves happily to the less than stellar reception given by the rest of the graduating class. She watched the Doctor proudly walk up to the stage in his oversized cap and gown.

He was without a doubt the youngest pony of the class and not arguably the youngest ever to have graduated from the prestigious University. In more precise terms, he was nearly five years younger than his closest aged classmate. He refused Celestia’s offer for more tailor made robes, instead settling in the smallest size offered, which still fit him comically large. His comedic image was even more so with his ever present neck tie that slung over instead of the customarily hidden under the robes. Celestia smiled as he gave her a wild grin.

“Congratulations, Dr… uh Doctor,” said the principle levitating over the diploma.

“Just, Doctor is alright,” he replied accepting the parchment gently into his mouth and mumbling a thank you.

“That concludes today’s ceremony everypony. I would like to thank you and whish you all a bright and successful future. Congratulations to you all!” concluded the principle as the orchestra began to play and the students began to shuffle out of their aisles. The Doctor sat waiting at Celestia’s side as they watched the seats empty.

“Congratulations, Dr. Doctor,” Celestia finally said in a teasing tone. The Doctor just scoffed in playful animosity.

“That joke wasn’t funny the last four times you used it, princess.” Celestia just laughed. He joined her.

“Let’s return to the castle, the carriage is waiting. And I know how much you want to get back to that secrete project you’ve been working on.” Celestia said the latter portion a bit more hushed.

“Why… whatever are you talking about, princess? I know of no such project…” He tried to cover up his obvious lie to no avail. It was difficult for anypony to successfully lie to Celestia, especially one as bad as her student.

“You cannot possibly think that I haven’t noticed my own student sneaking around my castle to get into his workshop at night. You aren’t the most subtle of ponies.”

“Ah, well… you see… hehe, it’s a surprise!” he blurted out. Celestia only raised a brow in interest. “Yes, I didn’t want you to know about this one just yet. I know it’s going to be good.” They began to walk towards the royal carriage.

“I certainly hope so. Just as long as it doesn’t end up like the last… project you presented to me.”

“Of course not, Princess, but I’d like to apologize again for that last mishap… I wasn’t expecting it to be quite… explosive.”

“It’s alright Doctor. Nopony was harmed. Everything turned out just fine,” she said as they stepped into the carriage together. The pegasi guards flapped their wings furiously to take off. The Doctor watched their wings attentively.

“Princess, I would like to show you my project when we return to the castle. You have my word that nothing will explode,” he said seriously. Celestia laughed at her student, which still held the same solemnity.

“I can’t wait to see it.”

Celestia walked closely behind her student as they arrived at the Doctors office, he graciously opened the doors to allow her to enter. The room was an utter mess. Celestia was forced to tread carefully around the stacks of papers, folders, and books. It wasn’t often when she came into her students study. She never liked to pry into her student’s personal affairs, no matter how messy they seemed to be. It wasn’t any of her business really, but she didn’t mind that either.

She looked about the room, examining closely the scattered parchments that decorated the walls. Intricate drawings of contraptions and theories adorned them that Celestia couldn’t even begin to fathom. A countless number of them were linked to others in seemingly uncoordinated fashions and many others were crossed out to be presumable failures.

This is what his mind must be like, Celestia thought to herself.

“Would you care for an assistant Doctor, or perhaps at least a file cabinet?” Celestia asked, still scanning over the mess.

“Of course not, princess. To others this may seem like a mess. However, this is more like… organized chaos? Yes that’s a good way to put it. But I’d still like to apologize for this untidiness,” he said, rushing forward and clearing a way to his desk. At the center of said desk was an object hidden beneath a delicate veil. “I would be honored to present to you, princess, the future of mass pony transportation!”

He gently took the edge of the veil in his mouth and pulled, revealing what was hidden underneath. It was a small model of a ship, but not exactly. It was hung securely by dozens of wires to a large and elongated balloon. The ship itself had several protruding fin-like extensions on the sides and rear. Celestia inspected it curiously.

“How interesting,” she said, circling the desk. The Doctor stood back proudly, allowing her to get her fill. She stopped, giving it one last look. “What is it?”

“What? I mean, I call it an airship! Isn’t it magnificent?” he said conceitedly. “This is just a much smaller scale model of course, but I have all the blueprints and measurements ready right… somewhere…. around, here!” he rustled around another pile of papers before emerging with a mouthful and setting them down on the desk before the princess.

“You really must organize yourself,” she asserted once again before giving the papers a glance. They were extremely thorough and wildly intricate. Numbers, letters, lines, and notes filled each piece to the brim. Celestia could rightly assume that the only pony possibly of making sense of these were their creator.

“I am certain that these airships will make a great difference for all earthbound ponies. Everything is read for the project to begin. All I need is your approval of course.”

Celestia hesitated before answering. She had the upmost trust in her student, but with extreme projects such as this, she had to be at least a bit weary. “Are you sure it will be safe?” Celestia asked.

“But of course, princess! I know my safety concerns may at times be… less than stellar. But I give you my word; safety for this project will be my top priority!”

“Hmm… Very well, you have my consent. You will be supplied with anything needed.”

“Great! I’ll get all the preparations ready as soon as possible. Thank you, princess, I won’t let you down!” he excerpted quickly and giddy with excitement. Celestia gave him a warm smile.

“I trust you, but before you go, I suggest you tidy this place up a bit. I’m certain it’ll make things easier,” She implied to their disheveled surroundings.

“Oh, right, I’ll get on that right away, princess.”

The project would carry on for months on end. They would come to face many hurdles that were often dealt with swiftly and effortlessly as the Doctor would oversee every portion of the development personally. He was well committed to the project, spending sleepless nights to assert modifications, improvements, or simple adjustments. Everything had to be precise, for the Doctor, for the ponies it was intended for.

The closer to completion the project came the heavier the stresses would befall upon the Doctor. He had imposed on himself a deadline by announcing to the entirety of Canterlot of the immensity of the project and how it would change their lives and other drastic promises. A date was set for the grand reveal. Yet he had tragically miscalculated. Work was pushed nearly two fold to even be able to attempt the date. And above all else, safety was still an absolute necessity.

As their time continued to dwindle, hope grew the last few days prior to the announcement. The finishing touches were well on their way and little was left for the Doctor to ponder. He was in high spirits, yet relief was perhaps what took the largest portion of his feelings. The day before the reveal, he trembled with frivolous excitement. Everything was complete, he was satisfied, yet it would not console his nervousness.

“Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts; thank you for being here for this momentous occasion,” the Doctor announced before the crowd of eager ponies. He stood at the side of Celestia on top a slightly raised platform. At the left of the platform resided the entire crew that aided in the projected. Behind them all, a massive curtain concealed what had been under construction for so many months and behind that was the massive cliff side at the edge of the castle.

“I am proud to present to you the future of wingless transportation, today. Before you is the first of many; fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you, The Spirit of Adventure!” on cue the curtains fell in a clout onto the floor, revealing the massive airship for all to see.

Ooh’s and awes escaped from the flabbergasted audience as they took in the sight. The initial shape of the balloon and ship were nearly identical to that of the scale model. But now in its prime and completion, the machine was a sight to behold. Its length was that of nearly fifty feet from bow to stern. Two propulsion fins on each the starboard and portside with another at the rear rested motionless. Nearly half of the topside was deck with the rest being that of the main structure.

It shared many architectural cues from that of the castle, even sharing the same color scheme of gold, purples, and white. Wind flags, which adorned the Equestrian symbol, waved from every part of the ship and balloon. In swirling, elegant font was the title ‘Spirit of Adventure’ adorning the side.

~*~*~*~

“He would journey far and wide with that airship of his. How magnificent a sight it was, to watch as if flew into the sky and disappear over the horizon. But his dream of airships filling the skies never did take off as well as the Spirit of Adventure. The cost, maintenance, and time that went into each ship were too impractical for many ponies. Ultimately, his dream was diminished by another invention of his own, the much simpler and easier to manufacture hot air balloon. Even to this day, very few airships have been made.”

“What a shame. I would prefer an airship over a hot air balloon any day,” Luna replied, with a hint of disdain towards the latter. “Did you ever go on any journeys with the Doctor, Tia?” she asked. Celestia laughed softly.

“Of course not, but I would have loved to. I am committed to ruling Equestria. I could not depart on journeys that would at times last him months before he would return. But he would describe to me tales of his journeys, from wonderful to tragic. He was very fond of telling ponies his stories, even if the truth was often times stretched.” She laughed, as did Luna.

“During these long periods of time he would invent all kinds of contraptions, always returning with something new to demonstrate. It was quite entertaining to watch presentations of what he would claim, time and again, would change pony kind forever.”

~*~*~*~

“Celestia, Princess Celestia!” came the all too familiar calls from the hallways before Celestia’s throne room. The Doctor burst through the doors eager with enthusiasm. Celestia watched as he ran towards her, noting the large saddlebags that slung over his back.

“Doctor, I didn’t expecting you to be back so soon. What a pleasure,” she said happily.

“Indeed I returned as fast as I could. To show you this!” he said while he emptied the contents of his bags. A black box, decorated in lenses, knobs, and leavers was set upon a tripod with the lenses facing directly at Celestia. She watched in bewilderment as her student fumbled with the various switches. “Okay, princess, just sit still for a few minutes.”

“Umm… alright, though I still don’t understand what you’re doing…”

“All will be revealed in due time. You’ll like this one. I promise.”

Celestia began to feel a bit silly sitting still for no logical reason. They stood in silence as what was supposed to be happening happened. At last, after sever elapsing minutes the Doctor spoke.

“That should be enough. Thank you very much, princess.”

“Is that all?” she asked still wanting to know what had just occurred.

“Yes, I will return to you shortly with the results!” he said, packing up all the gear and escaping the room just as quickly as he had entered. Leaving Celestia utterly dumfounded.

Hours had passed until the Doctor had returned with a look of satisfaction on his face. He skipped down before Celestia.

“They’re finished!” he proclaimed.

“And what exactly are they?”

“These, right here,” he said, pulling out several small papers and presented them to Celestia so she could take them in her magical grasp. Her eyes widened at the sight of them.

“Wow, these certainly are quite extraordinary. However did you capture these images?” she asked about the black and white images that were presented to her.

“It’s just an assortment of light manipulation and reflections. Many other factors take part of course, but I’ll confine those gritty details in the blueprints. I call this contraption a camera, and it makes those papers I call photographs.”

Celestia looked over each of the six photographs. Three of them were of grand landscapes of mountain ranges and wilderness. Another was of the Doctor together with the entirety of the Spirit of Adventure crew and another with the Doctor besides dozens of zebras. The last image was that of her wearing the humorously lost expression she was completely oblivious of.

“You didn’t catch me in a most flattering image,” she grimaced at the image once more before returning them over to the Doctor. “But they really are amazing,” she concluded cheerily.

“I knew you would like them too! This has perhaps been my greatest invention yet!” he cheered. “Now I must get all the preparations ready for next voyage to the south. Wish me luck, princess.” He turned to take his leave before he was halted by Celestia’s sweet voice.

“Leaving so soon? But you have just returned from your last journey to the north.”

“You know me, princess. I just have to keep going. Discovering and learning new things are what I live for,” he explained.

“I know… I’ve known you for nearly all your life,” she spoke almost sadly, “But now, I’m forced to cherish these little moments we share. I will not restrain you from what you love to do. I would just like to tell you how much you mean to me.”

“I- I’m sorry… You’ve always been there for me, guiding me in the right direction. Without you I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I’m forgetting that… I’m sorry princess.”

“It’s alright Doctor. No distance could be able to come between the relationship we share. Now you should go get ready. You must be eager to take your leave. I’ll see you off when you depart.”

“There is no need to rush, princess. The more I think the more I realize I’ve been dreadfully homesick. I could push the set off date to… say, a few weeks from now.” He smiled at Celestia. She just smiled in reply.

“You know, you don’t necessarily have to keep the Spirit of Adventure grounded until you depart. I have as of late wanted to take a ride on your ship, Doctor,” she said honestly. The Doctor replied immediately.

“Of course, princess, come with me. I’ll have everything prepared for takeoff in ten seconds flat!”

~*~*~*~

“He would go on to discover all kinds of wonders, documenting them with hundreds of photographs. I have all the original copies still in an album in my room.”

“I would love to see them,” Luna said.

“Yes, so would I… I haven’t browsed those albums in who knows how many years… He took this photograph,” She gestured to the portrait, “Before his last voyage on the, Spirit of Adventure. He told me how magnificent it was and how it was his favorite place yet. He took a break from his travels after that, a few years. Then he decided to attempt his last journey. It was the last I had heard or seen of him.

“After too long a time had passed, I organized a mass search effort. Ponies were sent in every direction, but nothing was found, absolutely no trace of the Spirit of Adventure or its crew. It was a large, hurtful impact on not only me, but that of all Equestria as well. I raised him from a foal, the blow of losing him was especially hurtful to me, but I would think to myself that perhaps he had found a better place, gone to never return to our world. It might seem odd, but on occasions I see his face within crowds or within other clusters of ponies, only a glance. I would search only to find my mind playing tricks on me. To see him again would be impossible…”

A/N: I was a little conflicted with this chapter so I'm not sure how many of you liked it. Hopefully you did anyways! This one was a little less [sad] than the last two chapters. But I dunno, cant make all of em tragic directed. Thanks for reading!