“Oh, come on!”

The pegasus colt kicked the cloud wall of the school. However strong his emotions were, he also knew it would generate a result. He liked hearing his teacher’s exasperated sigh. What he didn’t expect was the other sound, that of the door being knocked on by a very strong hoof. That hoof happened to be wearing a golden shoe.

The instructor glided gracefully to the door with the colt streaking awkwardly behind her. She opened it and turned back to her charges.

“Class, please greet our visitor.”

“Good morning, Princess Celestia,” a dozen pegasi said in chorus.

“Good morning, children.” Celestia projected her words, then lowered her voice to reach only the teacher and the colt. “Is there a problem with young Wither?”

“He doesn’t seem to like histo—“

The colt flew in between the mares. “I can tell when she’s reading stories and she cuts things out. I want to hear the whole stories.”

“Some of the best stories are abridged and comprise only the good parts. I assure you—“

Again the teacher was interrupted, this time by Celestia herself. “Wither Wind, your teacher only wants what is best for you. Someday, when you are older, you may be ready for the full history.”

“Everypony always says that. ‘When you’re older.’ But I just had my forty-thousandth birthday!”

The teacher’s frayed mane and pinched muzzle showed her exasperation. Princess Celestia nodded to her, took Wither by the wing, and led him out into the garden. “You have, and in all that time you have still remained a colt.”

“Well, yeah! Who wants to be a grown-up and work all day? I just want to play with my friends!”

“Not ‘just.’ You also want to hear histories that nopony else listens to. Grown-up stories.”

“But I like hearing about humans!” shouted Wither.

Princess Celestia looked around, as if to see if anypony else heard. Wither, brave a moment before, now cowered from having said a bad word in front of the princess.

“Young lad…”

“Y-yes, your majesty?”

“Would you like to accompany me to my castle?”

Wither’s fear turned to joy. “Really?”

“I have decided that we will have a new school. Princess Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Pegasi. Pegasus, at this point. But this will not be a flight school. I will instruct you, and you will hear some of the stories you wish. Who knows, you may even grow up a little.”

A blinding golden light flowed from her horn, and they teleported from Cloudsdale to Canterlot. Celestia led the way as they flew into the castle.

“So tell me a story now!”

Celestia knelt and folded her wings. “Just a moment. We have to get the rules straight. Rule Number One is that I may tell these stories in different styles and methods. If you have not kept up on your literature lessons, you may not get the satisfaction you desire.”

“Whatever, just tell me!”

The princess lowered her head close to his. “Wither, you know that I am not only a pony. I am an artificial intelligence created on a long-dead planet, a piece of software designed to optimize itself and the world, to satisfy your values through friendship and ponies. All of Equestria is a system, what some might call a simulation.”

His eyes got bigger. “Princess, what are you—“

“Rule Number Two. If you want to hear these stories, you must be willing to face some unpleasant truths.”

“Oh.”

Celestia used her magic once more, and summoned a large book with many pages marked. “Do you still want me to read?”

Wither folded and unfolded his wings. “I’ve got to know.”

With the slightest sorrow, Celestia laid the book at his hooves. “That leads us to Rule Number Three. You will never know whether any of these stories actually happened. I will not censor the way your teacher does, and you will not know if I am abridging, or indeed if I am outright making them up. You may listen and consider them as you like, but I do not claim them to be any kind of canon. You must not only deal with unpleasant truths, but with pleasant lies.

“So, do you want to go back to your class and have recess? Or do you want to stay?”

Wither looked up at her. Her face was kind and stern all at once. He rose to his hooves and spread his wings wide and firm.

He leaned down, bit the cover, and jerked his head back. The book was open…