Celestia put down the parchment she had just read for the third time. As was her custom when her student sent her a report, the Sun Princess pulled out a blank parchment of her own with which to write down her reply. Only this time, she found it quite difficult to pen an answer. Anything she would normally write about how there are 'dangers that one is better off not knowing' would likely drive her student toward those very dangers. Just as Starswirl had done.

Had the princess known that Starswirl had found a way to seal the gate, she might have not been so firm in her reaction. “No,” Celestia corrected herself, “I still stand by my decision. Nopony should have to sacrifice themselves to save others. That is the true reason that Luna and I chose to represent the three tribes. That they might one day never suffer the true horrors of this world is the reason ponies were driven from their native lands in the first place.”

The old stories were a reminder of such things, and even though some of the elder beasts still cross the borders into Equestria, they could still be kept from the destruction they once wrought. The gateway that Starswirl had opened was a portal to other worlds, that much was true. What he couldn't possibly know was that the space between worlds was more or less alive. Celestia, in her youth, had been warned that this gateway contained one of the few beings that would worm their way into this world at any chance it got. Discord was one of them. But as Discord was content with just causing as much chaos as he could, the others were much more greedy, their appetites not easily sated.

Celestia could think of nothing else at the time to keep Starswirl from opening a pathway to the Observer between worlds other than taking his key, Surprise, from him. Without the key, it would prove impossible to open the gateway at all.

“And now it seems that I have managed to completely underestimate him. To think that Starswirl would find a way to seal himself in stone, immune to time, in order to await discovery of a new key. So much dedication. Twilight is no different in that respect. In fact, I believe she may prove to be worse.” That brought a quiet chuckle to the Sun Princess. As amusing as some of Twilight's faults were, she always tried to carry herself in as serious a manner as possible.

The memory of Twilight using her 'Want it, Need it' spell to enchant her doll, just so that she would have a friendship report to give to her mentor, came to mind. Maybe it would be best if she explained the reasoning behind her actions regarding Starswirl. After all, the dangers are still just as real now as they were then. That, and the journal Twilight mentioned had not shown up in the guard's recovery manifest. "I think I might even let her keep it." the princess thought with a smile.

Celestia dipped her quill in some ink, finally ready to answer her pupil, and began to write...

Author's Notes:

That brings us to the end of the Observations short story, but Starswirl's journal is still in the hooves of Twilight Sparkle. Who knows what further mystery it contains?

Also a big thanks goes out to sqarishoctagon for giving me some awesome pointers!