Celestia stood in befuddled silence for several moments after Discord had disappeared, blinking the bright flash that always accompanied his departures from her eyes before hurrying from the room and down the corridor. The glow of moonlight through the high-arched windows illuminated the palace grounds and casting a pale sheen across the extensive gardens and labyrinth. It was even possible to see the raised stone pedestal where the chaos spirit had once stood confined for more than 1,000 years. This evening, seeing the empty space seemed an omen for events set in motion that Celestia had few if any real preparations set in place to face—and now Discord was on his way to ravage even those.

Reconnecting with the Tree of Harmony had failed to make him any less prone to going wherever he pleased or doing as he wished for the most part, which Celestia found comforting despite everything. Being reformed by Fluttershy and assuming countless new responsibilities had apparently not taken away his fun-loving nature or carefree tendencies, which had never been a desirable part of the process. Yet he could have at least waited for a few minutes, and perhaps shared what valuable insight he had doubtless gained from the Tree of Harmony so they could have had a civil and extensive discussion on what such a happening meant for Equestria as a whole. Or, most importantly of all, for what Twilight might have to face in the near future.

He could have had a little more patience.

Then again, Discord had been forced to wait a very long time—as had Celestia, for more than one thing to happen.

At this point, Celestia passed two dark stallions who formed part of the night watch over the palace. They roamed the hallways with their horns set alight to scan the semi-darkness for any suspicious ponies. Judging from the way they calmly bowed and murmured, “All is well, Your Majesty” as Celestia went by, the most suspicious pony in the castle had eluded their notice. The most that worried them appeared to be the fact she was moving along at a much faster gait than usual. They even appeared on the point of asking whether or not they might need to escort her somewhere in particular. Yet a simple head bob and calm smile was enough to appease and send them back to their rounds.

They worked so hard for her.

Centuries ago, Celestia could never have imagined employing guards or being in her current position. In some ways, such responsibilities had been thrust upon her and Luna in a far more impromptu manner than they had for Twilight, who had studied under Celestia and been more prepared to step into a princess role, or perhaps even Discord, who had been part of the ancient magic in Equestria from the beginning and only needed a reminder of his place.

And that had come at the hooves of Starswirl the Bearded.

At last, Celestia came to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing in the Canterlot Archives. A locked gate protected the entrance from public access, yet for her a pony with her level of magic it was easy as turning a doorknob to gain admittance.

She entered, with some part of her half expecting to see the various scrolls and parchments in utter disarray about the room. Yet all appeared peaceful and in its rightful place, including the giant hourglass at the center. Grains of sand had dripped from the top half to the lower for ages and now reaching the end. That had been put in place by Starswirl himself as well, although he had never gotten around to explaining exactly what it was measuring.

That fact bothered Celestia a little now, as well, like so many other details had that evening.

Honestly, once Celestia had thought the hourglass might have been meant to count down the period of time before one particular event took place.

And while watching the sand continue to trickle through the glass, yet another memory drifted through her tired mind—back to when right after Luna had undergone her horrific transformation and Celestia had been forced to imprison her in the moon…

***

Celestia sat among the rubble, illuminated by the pale glow of the moon through the broken window high overhead, when Starswirl the Bearded at last creaked into the throne room. The Elements of Harmony lay scattered across the stone floor, like fragmented mementos of the tragedy that had just occurred.

Meanwhile, Celestia was not quite sure how she had gotten to the ground. She could have fallen once more to earth without feeling or noticing the impact—yet with the arrival of Starswirl, it was like some spell had shattered. Aches rippled through her body, causing Celestia to collapse and struggle into a half-raised position as she twisted to face her mentor.

Starswirl looked graver and solemner than he ever had been before.

And Celestia gasped out:

“Luna has turned into a terrible monster, Nightmare Moon, and I’ve had to send her to the moon. Please, Starswirl. What can we do?”

At this, Starswirl bowed his head:

“I am sorry, Celestia.”

The words echoed like a knell bell in the darkness.

“There must be a spell you can cast to change Luna back,” Celestia managed to reach her feet, though her legs threatened to buckle. Her voice was quiet and strange to her, all of a sudden, and pleading. “Some magic you have learned in all your years as a great wizard, or knowledge you have gained during your travels. Yes.” She was vaguely aware of hobbling forward, one painful step at a time towards Starswirl. “I could use the Elements of Harmony to release Luna from the moon, and then you could show me how to turn her back to normal. It was a just a horrible accident. A night fright.”

“No,” Starswirl said, and it was like a blow. “I cannot.”

“But—” One of Celestia’s legs gave way, and she fell. “You are the greatest wizard Equestria has ever known, and most likely in all the lands beyond. You are my mentor. You helped Luna and I to become princesses, and can travel through time. You can do anything!”

“You should know that even I cannot do anything,” Starswirl brushed Celestia’s mane back with a hoof, sounding quite tired. “But someday, I promise, your sister will come back.”

“When?” Celestia asked, lifting her gaze to Starswirl, who—in turn—was staring up Luna’s moon with the dark impression of a dark mare visible upon it. The old stallion had a faraway gleam in his eyes, as he usually did when about to make a prophecy.

“In 1,000 years, there will exist a magic in Equestria strong enough to dispel shadows and grant miracles with the Elements of Harmony—and able to channel them in a way none alive now can understand. When that time comes, the land and magic within it will thrive more than ever before, although there will awaken dangers that threaten to destroy everything. But you will find peace and happiness, Celestia. So keep your head up high, be strong, and have faith.”

***

“Faith,” Celestia murmured, staring at her reflection in the draining hourglass. Then she shook her head as if to shake off the remnants of the memory and headed along one of the aisles toward the far back of the archives. Starswirl had been right, of course. Her faithful student Twilight, and her friends, had become the bearers of the Elements of Harmony 1,000 years later and saved Luna. It had been a long wait, yet Celestia would have waited ten times that long if that had been what it took to see her sister again.

She touched a soft spot in the corner, where a section of the wall shifted to the side, leading down a narrow staircase into a room where scrolls lined the shelves on either side. Each one had a date for Celestia to open at the appropriate time, which had continued to provide her with valuable information and knowledge long after Starswirl was no longer with her.

But there was one pony missing who should have been there.

“Discord?” Celestia scanned the room.

“No need to fret, Princess Celestia,” Discord said from behind, causing Celestia to jump. He flew in through the doorway, smirking, and she had the distinct impression of having been tricked. “I’m right here.”

“You followed me down here,” Celestia stated.

“But of course.” Discord swirled about her in glee, apparently tickled that his plan had come off so well. “Only you knew the secret location of the scrolls. Or, at least, you used to be the only one who knew. Actually, I’m a little surprised at just how easy it was to gain that access. You should see the look on your face.” He caused a mirror to appear, reflecting Celestia’s startled glance.

Perhaps Celestia should have been angry. Yet Discord looked so goofy, and she had indeed been tricked so easily, that she found a smile tweaking her lips. Celestia even laughed, soft and briefly.

“Perhaps I could have handled the situation better, yes,” Celestia admitted. “I got a little distracted.”

“’A little’? You paused in front of that hourglass for almost 15 minutes. Now, I admit watching gains fall can have a certain appeal.” Here Discord crumbled into a heap of rice before popping up from among and sending them flying everywhere (including into Celestia’s mane). “But was it really that fascinating?”

“Well, there was more to it than that,” Celestia said.

“I should hope so,” Discord returned. “What kind of pony gets distracted that easi—ooh, scrolls!” He immediately turned his attention away from Celestia and flew over toward the scrolls tucked away for safe-keeping, with the obvious intent to begin grabbing the parchments off the shelves. With his lion paw, he plucked out a nice thick one. And he would have unrolled it right then, had Celestia not grabbed the scroll in her magic and tugged it away from him.

“Don’t,” The warning came out curter than intended but had the desired effect.

“Oh, come on, Princess Celestia,” Discord said, his attention still on the scroll. The white fluff on his tail frisked back and forth testily. “There could be no real harm in taking a look at one or two scrolls. From what I can tell, they have not even been enchanted.” Then he grabbed the suspended item by one end and shot Celestia a doleful, almost puppy-dog look. “Just one little peek?”

“Starswirl the Bearded requested that I only open each letter at the appropriate time, or in accordance with the dates placed on the scrolls,” Celestia explained. “I promised him that and have kept my word since then, and his letters have served me well.”

However, this information only appeared to stoke Discord’s curiosity.

“Hmm.” Discord tugged at his beard with his griffin claw. “It would be like skipping ahead in a story. How interesting.”

“You could say that.”

“That’s too boring.” Then he paused, and a particularly wide, curly, and mischievous grin spread across Discord’s face. “Well, here’s a solution. You’re the one who made that promise, so there should be nothing barring me from reading one. Then I can let you know if it was so disastrous to open.” He was looking at Celestia as if he thought this a very clever plan indeed and believed she might think so as well.

But Celestia was simply thunderstruck, and already adamant that it was a plan that wouldn’t succeed if she could help it.

“No,” Celestia said. “That’s an order.”

“You’re ordering me?”

“Yes—and I’m asking you, as a friend. Please, let go.”

They held each other’s look for a long while, though even then Celestia was not entirely certain Discord would agree.

But, at last, Discord grumbled low in his throat:

“All right. You win.”

“Thank you,” Celestia said, relieved.

Discord let go out of the scroll.

That was when the ribbon came free, and the parchment unfurled, right in Celestia’s hold.