Twilight’s chariot reached Canterlot within the hour. The chariot touched down in the most inner courtyard of Canterlot Castle, a place Twilight was able to recognize as the entryway into the private chambers of the royal sisters.  Celestia awaited their arrival, her visage that of eternal peace. It seemed no matter how bad the crisis, Celestia would remain ever calm. Twilight descended from the chariot on shaky legs, not used to being flown quite so quickly.

“Twilight, I am glad to see you mostly well. If only it could be under better circumstances,” Celestia welcomed her with her usual calm and collected smile. Despite the smile, Twilight could pick up hints of distress from Celestia. “You may leave us. I trust that my sister and I can keep the elements safe,” she added, in a clear dismissal to the guards. The two pegasi bowed as deeply as the chariot harness would allow them before departing.

“Princess, what in Equestria is happening? And how did Luna know I was in trouble?” Twilight asked. She skipped the usual formalities that one would follow when addressing the princess of Equestria. She normally would have at least bowed to Celestia, but her panic overwhelmed the need for pleasantries.

Celestia approached Twilight and wrapped her in a close wing-hug. “I’m afraid that is something my sister will have to answer after she arrives with your friends. I’m afraid I don’t fully know myself what has transpired tonight, but the important thing is you’re safe now.” Celestia started to step back and instantly frowned. “You’re bleeding!” Celestia’s horn shone golden and Twilight felt warm as her various cuts and scrapes healed themselves.

“You’ve been through so much tonight haven’t you?” Celestia murmured sadly. “I’m afraid you won’t be staying in your old quarters with Spike; it’ll be safer to keep you in the heart of the castle.” She turned to the massive doors which led to her private chambers. They slowly split open on their own accord.

Twilight’s anxiety put on hold; her curiosity returned once again. Despite how long she had been Celestia’s apprentice, she had never actually been inside her private chambers.  As far as she knew, nopony had actually been this far into the castle, at least not within several millennia. It took Twilight a minute to realize she was following far behind Celestia, and she hurried to catch up.

Celestia had retreated into a hallway that made even the rest of Canterlot castle seem as quaint as the Ponyville library. The floor was made with marble tiles and the chandeliers hanging above were made from pure gold and were lit with the bright light of Celestia’s magic. Paintings and statues of Celestia  lined the walls; Twilight recognized some from artists dating back hundreds of years. A single strip of deep red carpet ran down the length of the hallway. At the end, the hallway split into two corridors, one retaining the bright colors of the main hallway while the other quickly darkened into a vast spectrum of cool colors. Celestia waited by the entrance, giving Twilight time to adjust.

“Like it?” Celestia asked. Her voice broke Twilight from a stupor she hadn’t even realized she was in.

“Y-yes, it’s wonderful your majesty,” Twilight replied, blushing slightly. Celestia chuckled and led the way down the bright corridor, ending at an oak paneled door that was a bit of a letdown after the former opulence. Celestia gently opened the door and entered the room. Twilight found herself hesitating, nervous yet again. Still… she had been invited. She took a deep breath and entered Celestia’s room.

After the previous extravagance, Celestia’s room was like a breath of calm. It was large and richly decorated, yes, but much more understated than the hallway. The walls were barren of any decoration and there was no furniture save the bed. More than three times the size of Twilight’s, the bed was surrounded by a canopy of red silks. The bed itself was messy and unmade, a shock against the otherwise cleanliness of the room. The windows were covered with curtains matching the canopy of Celestia's bed. Another door, similar to the one she had just entered, led to what Twilight assumed was the bathroom.

Twilight felt a weight leave her back and saw Spike floating across the room enveloped in a field of yellow magic.

“Poor thing, my problems always seem to drag you two into danger. He’s fine though, just fainted from shock. I’m afraid since this is such short notice I couldn’t get you a room in the castle for all six of you, so I decided it would be best for you to borrow my room for a while,” Celestia said. Celestia had halted directly beside Twilight without her even noticing.

“A-are you sure that’s ok?” Twilight protested. Surely she couldn’t stay in the princess’s room. Where would Celestia sleep?

“You’re my faithful student, of course it’s ok,” Celestia replied mirthfully. “It’s the least I can do for you.” Celestia’s teasing smile grew serious, and she turned away from Twilight.

After a pause, Celestia continued in a quiet voice, “This power Trixie found is not something that my sister and I are unfamiliar with. It was not necessarily an enemy back then. We encountered it long before the Equestria you know was formed. There was very little land back then, and no sentient beings besides my sister and me, Discord, and a few other long forgotten beings, whose powers are no longer known or  are simply shrouded in myth.” Celestia turned back to Twilight, who was enraptured with her tale.

“Why don’t you have a seat Twilight? We may be talking for a while,” Celestia suggested warmly, and gracefully motioned towards her bed with a single wing.

Twilight gratefully collapsed onto the bed beside her number one assistant, too tired and curious by Celestia’s story to care about what was proper any longer. Twilight let out a sigh of comfort, earning another chuckle from Celestia. The regal princess spared a moment to pull the covers up around Twilight and Spike. As Twilight made herself comfortable, Celestia reached out with her magic to tightly draw the curtains and light a bedside lamp.

“Tell me Twilight, are you familiar with the tale of the shrine of Exuro?” Celestia asked. Her former teasing was gone, replaced with deadly seriousness. The flickering lamp light flickered off Celestia’s coat and mane, reminding Twilight of the setting sun.

“I believe I have read about it before. Wasn’t it supposed to be able to grant any wish. I thought it was just a fairy tale, something for ponies to dream about,” Twilight replied. Truth told, she had only ever once heard of the name Exuro. She could barely remember it now, but she thought it was back from a children’s story when she was much younger.

“That’s the gist of the tale, yes. I’m sure you realize by now that not all fairy tales are false. Exuro’s tale is true, much like that of Nightmare Moon. And like my sister, Exuro made a terrible mistake. I won’t delve into the details now, his last wish was for me not to, but he wanted to end his life. That’s the problem with being immortal; when you want to die, you can’t.”

“The rest of us got together. With all our power combined, we disassembled Exuro’s very being. Most of his immortality was spread to his children, the dragons, where they gained their longevity. The rest was placed in a reservoir of power deep in the earth, with a temple built atop of it. The temple possessed the last access point to Exuro’s consciousness, which was just a shadow of his former self. He no longer had to worry about his mistake. Together, we hid the entrance to Exuro’s temple, but apparently not well enough.” Celestia finished her story, leaving the two in silence as Twilight processed all she had been told.  

“So… Trixie found this shrine and took the power for herself?” Twilight asked.  Celestia nodded in response. “But how did she find out? How do you even get Exuro’s power? How did she-” Celestia raised a hoof, silencing Twilight.

“I’m sorry, I’ve told you all I know, my sister perhaps may be able to-” A knock at the door silenced Celestia. “There she is now, it seems. Come in!” Luna marched in without delay, not waiting to be recognized.

“Tia! How can thou sit idly by whilst that foolish mare runs rampant with His power?” Luna demanded. Her wings were flared out and her horn was alight in anger.

“Calm yourself Luna. From the reports, you injured the mare enough for us to gain respite. We have no need to hurry, especially with her target sitting right in front of us. Don’t you think Twilight, at least, deserves an explanation?” Celestia gestured with a wing towards Twilight, who shrunk back. She didn’t want to have any part in the fight between the two sisters.

“We must prepare! The power of Exuro is nothing for thee to underestimate!” Luna pressed on. “Once this foalish mare realizes her potential, we shall have no rest. Must we go unprepared now and suffer the consequences later?”

“We have time, Luna. She has just found her powers and I believe we already have the key to stopping her here. Surely you’ve felt Twilight’s potential?” Celestia asked. Twilight wished she could snuggle under the covers and simply disappear.

“Didst thou learn how she was found? With a knife against her horn. She has potential, but she remains weak and untried! We must begin now or face destruction!”

Celestia’s eyes widened in shock for the briefest fraction of a second, before regaining her composure. “Still, we must remain calm. Letting our emotions get the best of us has only lead to turmoil in the past.” Luna winced at this, clearly reminded of Nightmare Moon. “Considering she was the one threatened, do you not think she at least deserves an explanation of why it happened?”

Luna had finally calmed down. Her wings relaxed back down at her back and her horn no longer glowed. “We suppose so,” Luna muttered, admitting defeat. “We shall still rally the guards and you shall give her proper training!” Celestia nodded her assent.

“L-Luna, now may not be the best time, but how did you know I was in trouble?” Twilight asked. The night princess honestly terrified her now. She had been alright on Nightmare Night, but she seemed to lose control of her emotions easily. With that much power, it was terrifying to think what could happen. Luna sighed and started pacing impatiently.

“We shall assume that Celestia hast already informed thee of Exuro. Exuro was… close to us. Exuro and myself had a special bond, even amongst immortals. Only Tia knew us better than him. We were the last ones to assent to his destruction, and thus the last to add our power. When that foalish mare used his power, I felt Him instantly. I thought maybe... well we were quite surprised to see that mare, and you,” Luna answered. When she spoke of Exuro, her voice became  downcast and sullen. Twilight suspected that Luna and Exuro’s involvement was much deeper than she was willing to admit right now.

“To be honest, we did not know that thy life was endangered. However, it is quite fortunate that we arrived when we did, the Bearers of Harmony will be instrumental in the coming storm and therefore must be prepared,” Luna finished, returning her gaze once more to Twilight.

That explained, Twilight’s thoughts went back to herself. “I... guess that makes sense. What did you mean about training? I can’t fight!” Twilight protested. She had read the theory for war spells; most unicorns do. That didn’t mean she wanted to use them though. Nopony would actually want to hurt anypony else.

“I must agree with Luna,” Celestia admitted. “You are the target of Trixie’s rage and need to know how to protect yourself. Magic is both destructive and hard to master, but you’re up to the test. The element of magic didn’t transfer itself from me to you for no reason. As much as I’d like to, I cannot always protect, as Chrysalis has shown,” her voice finished bitter.

Celestia quickly hid her emotions though, and continued. “However, that doesn’t mean the regular guard training will be right for you. Tomorrow, I’ll assign you a tutor. For now though, you should probably get some sleep.” Celestia and Luna turned to leave.

“Wait! Before you go, how are my friends?” Twilight asked. Luna had said they were being picked up, but she had to be sure.

“Thy friends remain safe in the castle Twilight Sparkle. They sleep in the guard barracks, safe and sound.” Luna replied, voice slightly warmer. Twilight nodded her thanks, and watched silently as the princesses left the room. At the door, Celestia paused.

“Good night Twilight, sleep well my faithful student.” Celestia paused and said. Her voice sounded caring, but worried.

“Good night princess.” Twilight replied, finally realizing how tired she was. Twilight curled up around her assistant and let herself nod off, ready to let the day pass behind her.