When I told Spike I'd most likely be spending almost all of my time in the Royal Archives I wasn't exaggerating. I still planned to do just that, but then circumstances changed slightly.

I arrived in Canterlot earlier than expected and contrary to what I'd told Spike regarding business and pleasure, I ended up taking some time to visit my parents while I was in town. Shining's role as Prince Consort in the Crystal Empire kept him far too busy to visit very often, and much to my own shame, I hadn't really bothered to check up on them either despite the fact that I lived much closer.

I figured if I was going to be locked away with nothing but books for company for who knows how long—admittedly not an entirely unwelcome prospect—then it would be best to get in touch with my loved ones first. So I spent an hour or so in my old family home before heading off to Canterlot Castle to meet Celestia and Luna.

I'd sent a notice ahead of time letting Princess Celestia know what my intentions were of course, but I arrived at the castle just as Celestia was getting ready for lunch. Needless to say, I joined her and we ate together. It was just as well I suppose, as Celestia seemed intent on grilling me about what I was actually trying to do.

"Oh, have you given up on the Magic of Friendship so soon, T̨̨͠w̵͢͢í̶͡l̶i͏̴̡̛͏g͏҉̛́͠h̷̷̡̀͜t͞҉͜?" Celestia teased once I'd revealed my worries. She took a sip of tea and eyed me over the rim of her teacup "and here I was under the impression that you thought it was the end all be all of solutions."

"Of course I haven't given up on the Magic of Friendship," I replied with a huff, "I know, maybe better than anypony how powerful a force it is," I silently dug into my tossed salad for a moment before shaking my head, "I know you're joking, but honestly you're not wrong about me being under that impression. I hadn't even realized I thought that way until recently."

"And that's entirely understandable," Celestia replied, setting her teacup down and giving a single nod, "especially given how effective it's been in the past. I can't count the number of times Luna and I relied on the Elements of Harmony after we defeated Discord so long ago," she paused and her smile turned somewhat wistful for a moment before she sighed, "but things aren't always so simple and as a ruler I've had to make some very... difficult decisions—Decisions that the Elements and the Magic of Friendship couldn't resolve."

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about," I said through a mouthful of lettuce. I swallowed and jabbed a floating fork in her direction, "when I fought Tirek with the Magic of you and the others, there was no Friendship there, at least not until the end. Yes we relied on Friendship in the end and it worked out, but I could think of dozens of ways that could've played out if things had only been a little different—situations where Friendship wouldn't have helped at all."

"True," Celestia admitted, "you made quite a gamble giving up the power you'd gained, T̛̛w̷͢͞i̸͝l͡͡i̧͘̕g҉͞h̵̵͜͝t̶͟͡, and while I don't begrudge you for making such a difficult decision, I won't pretend like it couldn't have ended with..." Celestia expression turned grim, "...far darker results."

I felt a shiver run down my spine at the implications of her tone. I knew exactly what she was talking about because I'd thought the same thing afterwards. I also felt somewhat guilty at the worry I'd caused when I first told Celestia about what had happened that day.

"That's just another reason why I think it's important to find as many alternatives as possible," I replied quietly, "I don't want to be put in another position like that again, where I have to make a choice that puts my friends and I... and the rest of Equestria and possibly even the world at risk."

"T̷̛͏w̴͞͡҉̕i̸̢͘̕l͢҉i͏̶̶́͠g͏̨́h̵̡͘͘͜t͡҉, there's no way you can plan for every unfortunate eventuality," Celestia chided with a stern frown, "when you have the kinds of responsibilities we do—the kinds of burdens we carry, impossible decisions with potentially dire consequences come part and parcel. I would've thought you'd learned this lesson already."

"Believe me, Princess, I have," I replied grimly, "I know I can't plan for everything, no matter how much I wish I could, but at the same time... I'm scared," I set my fork down and stared at the plate in front of me, "I still think about what would've happened if Tirek had been just a little more ruthless, and that makes me think about what would've happened if any of the other villains my friends and I faced were the same. I think about that and I get scared for my friends, my family, myself... everypony."

I sighed and looked back up at Celestia with a resolute frown.

"That's why, even if there's no way to plan for every eventuality, I'm still gonna try to plan for as many as I can," I nodded to myself, "the Magic of Friendship isn't an end all be all solution to every problem, even if it seems like it right now. I don't know if there even is an end all be all solution, but it can't hurt to look for other ways to keep Equestria safe, right?"

"Not in the slightest. As a leader, you need to keep your mind open to other avenues of thought. No matter how vehemently you disagree—even if you know you will refuse outright, let no idea go unheard," Celestia replied with an approving nod. She leaned forward and crossed her hooves over the polished tabletop, "as long as you don't go overboard, I think seeking alternate solutions to future problems is a fine idea. All that said though..."

Celestia trailed off and her face scrunched up in thought. Her brow furrow and she opened her mouth to speak again, but closed it, sighed and shook her head instead.

"What is it?" I asked, frowning in concern, "is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, T̢͘ẃ̷̕͜͟i̧҉҉̷̶ļ̴̶i͘͞g̴̶͞h̨̕t́͘͜," Celestia replied with another sigh, "it's just... there was a certain question I posed to my sister long ago, back when we first took up the thrones as the Diarchs of Equestria. This discussion has reminded me of that question and... well..."

She paused again and I grew a bit more worried.

"Well... what?" I pressed, "what was the question? You can tell me, Princess, though if it's that painful a memory, you don't really have to—"

"No, no it's... well..." Celestia sucked in a breath and let it out before giving a small chuckle, "I'm being ridiculous, worrying over something so trivial," at my worried look she waved a hoof, "really, it's no big deal, T̷̢ẃ̶̶̢̕i̴͠l͏̨͡͞i̵̡g̵͝͡h́̕t͏̧̛͜, but I am curious, so I'll ask you the same thing I asked Luna back then."

Her reassuring smile faded somewhat and there was a sort of sadness and hesitance in it that wasn't there a moment ago. When she next spoke, her tone was far more subdued, and upon hearing the question, I understood her odd change and the hesitance.

"You and your friends have fought against many villains in the past, T̕͜҉̵͡w̸͜i̴̢̕̕̕l͢i͞g͘҉h̷t̸̴̷͟͝ Sparkle, and you've managed to turn most of them into allies. For that I am and will always be extremely proud of you," she began before her smile fell, a serious frown forming in its place, "but what if you find yourself tempted by the darkness? What would you do then?"

"Me?" I asked, taken aback, "well, I mean... the obvious answer would be to refuse, right? I know the difference between right and wrong, or at least I like to think I do. I don't think the Elements would've chosen me if I were so easily corruptible."

"Nopony is perfect, T͏̕͞҉̡w̷͘͢i͘͘l̸̴i̕͠ģ̸́h̴̡͟͠͠t̨́͡, Elements of Harmony or no," Celestia replied, her eyes boring into mine with a strange intensity, "we all have our weaknesses—our vices.We each have things we're willing to give up or sacrifice for our own sake or the sake of others.

"I happen to know for a fact that you in particular have a crippling weakness for knowledge; an especially dangerous weakness to have I might add. I know you'd most likely use whatever knowledge you'd gain to aid your friends in the protection of Equestria, but heinous deeds have been committed in the name of the greater good before."

I winced at that, wanting to argue, but knowing she was right. Even now I was planning to lock myself in the Archives and peruse some potentially dark material. Just like she's said, it would've all been for the protection of Equestria, but it wasn't like I'd use anything I thought would harm my friends or family.

I was smarter than that, I knew that... but what if the danger was more subtle? Would I be able to spot it in time to stop myself from doing something horrible that I couldn't take back?

"I... guess you have a point," I admitted, "I can't really be sure I'll run into something I'd be tempted to try without realizing the danger, but I don't intend to try anything anyway, not without running it by you or Luna first, and besides," I gave my own reassuring smile, "it won't matter if I am tempted by the darkness, because I know my friends will be there to bring me back to my senses."

That's what I said at any rate, but I knew deep down that that wouldn't always be the case. Temptation can strike anywhere at anytime when you least expect it and especially when you're alone. I wanted to believe the others would have my back, and for the most part I did, but I also knew evil had many forms and had all sort of ways to drag somepony down into the darkness.

Like Celestia said, I couldn't plan for every circumstance, and by the look on her face, I could tell she was thinking the same thoughts I was. Still, she gave me an encouraging smile nonetheless.

"I suppose that's true, but it never hurts to be vigilant," Celestia replied, "I know I said to be open to any and all ideas and suggestions, but that comes with the addendum that you should be wise enough to know when to reject certain ideas and suggestions."

"Of course, Princess," I said with a small chuckle. My smile fell into a curious frown, "but now that you mentioned it though, the question you asked Luna before... what was her answer?"

"Ah, well to be honest, it wasn't the exact same question I asked you," Celestia explained, "her question had more to do with the responsibility of leading an entire nation and the temptation that came from having such power over others, but the tone was the same. As for her answer..."

Her smile regained that same sadness I'd seen before as she spoke, but now there was also a hint of guilt behind it as well.

"She said much the same as you actually, though with one key difference. You mentioned how you could rely on your friends to turn you away from any dark paths you might come across, but Luna?" She gave a humorless chuckle, "...she had complete faith that her older sister would be the one to keep her in check if such a thing were to happen."

"Oh..."

There was an uncomfortable beat of silence in which neither of us looked at each other. Celestia seemed to be lost in thought as she stared off to one side, while I frowned down at my plate. My fruit salad sat unfinished, but I couldn't bring myself to eat anymore. My appetite had vanished along with a good portion of the enthusiasm I had for the research I'd planned to conduct in the Archives.

Still, I couldn't and wouldn't let the now dour atmosphere keep me away from my goal. I forced a smile onto my face as I pushed back my seat from the table and hopped off.

"Well, I should probably get to the Archives before it gets too late," I exclaimed, "thanks for inviting me to lunch, Princess. We haven't a had a chance to eat together like that in a while."

"Hm?" Celestia replied distractedly. She blinked and turned to me with a smile of her own, though it looked far more natural than mine did, "ah, of course, T͠҉̡͘w̴̡̡̕į͡l҉̶͞í̢͜͜g̷̨͘h̛͢t҉҉̨͜, it was my pleasure. Make sure not to push yourself too hard, and take a break every once in awhile," she put on a mock frown, "I'll be paying you a personal visit if you don't."

I laughed in response and gave one last wave before heading towards the dining hall entrance. Once I was out of sight I let my smile drop into a determined grimace and picked up my pace.

I won't fall like Luna did in the past. Even if my friends abandon me—even if I have to save Equestria alone, I won't be tempted or give in to any dark desires, whatever they might be.

I swear to my friends, my family... and myself.

Next Chapter: Episode IV – The First Leg ~ End Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 32 Minutes