In the majestic castle of Canterlot, Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Equestria, entered a room with a dignified step befitting royalty, exclusive only to her and a select group of ponies. This room, possibly the coziest and most comfortable in the entire kingdom, was filled with a delicate lavender scent that mingled in the air with the gentle evening breeze flowing through one of the open windows. The temperature was perfect, and the space was illuminated by the warm and comforting light of a lit fireplace.
Twilight slowly walked through the room, leaving behind her noble demeanor. With each step, she shed the adornments associated with her princess status. Her dress magically slid to the side, the clasps that held it together fell softly onto the carpet, and her hoof protectors rolled until they collided with a piece of furniture in the room. She only showed special care when placing her crown on a specially designed bust for that purpose.
Finally, without any distinguishing accessories, she leaped onto the plush sofa located at one end of the room, using her wings to descend gently like a feather.
The contact of her body with the furniture was perfectly silent. She remained still for a few minutes. Slowly, Twilight stretched her body, pressing it against the sofa, seeking to feel the coolness against her fur.
Twilight was exhausted.
The Festival of the Two Sisters was scheduled for the next day, and she had been busy attending to requests all day long. Not just that day, but throughout the entire week, she had been overwhelmed with her royal duties. She had to oversee the fiscal year-end closure of Equestria, attend the awards ceremony at the School of Friendship, participate in the graduation ceremony at the School of Magic, and many other matters that had required her personal attention. In summary, it had been an exhausting week.
She was an alicorn, and, even more importantly, a pony who knew how to organize herself. She had the time and planning experience necessary to handle her daily responsibilities. However, there were days like this when she felt like she had aged centuries since her coronation. She was aware that only three years had passed. Still, when she was alone and reflected on those years filled with intense work and responsibilities, she couldn't help but feel a fleeting and childish sense of frustration.
Twilight struck the sofa with her hoof, a strong blow, and then hit it about four more times. After a moment, she stood up and briefly examined it to make sure she hadn't damaged it. Upon confirming that it was in perfect condition, she dropped heavily onto it.
The plush sofa resisted her hooves like no other sofa in Equestria could. She had acquired it following the advice of a good friend. At first, Twilight thought the cost of that piece of furniture was outrageous, but so far, it had been worth every coin she had paid.
That was the famous super fluffy and soft sofa recommended by Rarity, in her words, "worthy of a princess's 'royal' rest," and it had the special approval of Rainbow Dash. Of course, the "special approval" consisted of Rainbow Dash using it first and then refusing to leave it because of how comfortable it was. They even had to use magic to get her out of there.
Twilight gave a small smile as she reminisced about those times and glanced around the rest of the room. There were other familiar and beloved objects there, like Pinkie Pie's mini automatic candy machine. It always managed to provide her with the perfect flavor to perk up on the heaviest days.
There was also Fluttershy's library of relaxation books. Whenever Twilight had trouble falling asleep, she would immerse herself in one at random, but she had never managed to finish one as she would instantly fall asleep after reading the first page.
Lastly, there was Applejack's coat rack, which, oddly enough, was the object she had used the most. Not to hang dresses or royal clothing, but as a true "idea tree" or "idea rack," where she would hang all her ideas and thoughts when she had to solve a complex problem.
All these objects were gifts from her friends, and they brought back good memories of shared moments. They would gather again tomorrow, but Twilight knew there was still work to be done. Despite that, she felt energized enough to finish it.
Someone knocked on the door with a light tap.
"Twilight, are you there yet? I have the documents you asked for," Spike said from behind the door.
"Yes, Spike, just a moment." Twilight straightened her posture to appear more regal, using her magic to tidy up her scattered royal attire in the room. Finally, she opened the door, and a stack of scrolls entered with Spike underneath them.
"Well, here are all the scrolls. Wow, they're lighter than last year," Spike said sarcastically as he dropped them in the center of the table.
"Yes, this year we've solved many problems. But look on the bright side, next year you'll have less weight to carry," Twilight replied as she began to pick up some scrolls that had fallen to the floor with her magic.
"I'm just worried it might be more than we can handle," Spike said with concern.
Twilight didn't respond and began organizing the scrolls by the color of their labels. Each one was a summary of a matter, issue, or event that had been labeled as "observed" throughout the year. Unfortunately, some of them were from the previous year.
The color of the scrolls varied in four shades representing the reason for the labeling: green for opportunities, blue for strengths, orange for weaknesses, and red for threats.
This was a basic management exercise that needed to be done as it would serve as a preamble to the annual analysis she would conduct after the holidays.
Twilight used her magic to bring over the "idea tree" and took out a clean set of notecards. She was ready to start with the green topics and finish with the red ones.
"Spike, bring some pudding and chocolate, will you?" Twilight requested.
A couple of hours had passed, and Twilight had finally finished reviewing the second-to-last scroll and closing her notes. As she looked around, she noticed an empty plate with pudding crumbs on the table. Spike had been a great help at the beginning, making suggestions and organizing the notes on the "idea tree." But now, he was comfortably seated on a sofa, drinking hot chocolate while reading a book with a bulky golden frame.
Twilight's curiosity was piqued as she saw the book Spike was reading. "What are you reading, Spike?"
"Mmm, it's the latest book by A.K. Yearling, 'Daring Do and the Unfinished Voyages.'"
Twilight bit her lip. After a long wait, author A.K. Yearling had finally released a new Daring Do book earlier in the week. Spike noticed Twilight's dejected expression and assumed an arrogant posture. "It holds the record for being the best-selling book in its first week and it's also the longest one she's written. It's an anthology of short stories in different genres that narrate her journeys through Equestria and the world. It includes autobiographical stories and..."
"Please, don't go on, Spike," Twilight interrupted with a sigh. Although she had her own copy of the book, she hadn't had time to read it due to the work of the past week. Rainbow Dash would probably rub it in her face all night tomorrow. But if only she could take a quick peek at the summary...
"NO," Twilight internally halted her thoughts. She knew she had to finish today's work, and there was only one scroll left to review. It was the only red scroll she had, and she knew what it meant.
"Thanks, but let's save the spoilers for later, okay?" Twilight said as she opened the last scroll and began reviewing it. Spike watched her with concern as he finished his cup of hot chocolate. He also knew what that scroll was about.
It was a delicate matter that Twilight couldn't continue to ignore.
Almost three years had passed since that fateful event. The "Knights of Order," a multiracial and ultra-conservative group from the Kingdom of Cunabula, had attacked Equestria. Provoked by the awakening of the magic of the Harmony Trees, they had embarked on a crusade to restore "order" in the world. However, this meant destroying the other bearers of harmony magic and, if that wasn't enough, their kingdoms as well.
Their crusade had led them to attack Canterlot, and after an intense confrontation, they had cornered Twilight and her friends. But with the help of their other friends and the timely arrival of new allies from the other kingdoms, they had managed to thwart their mission.
After the disastrous attack on Canterlot and their subsequent defeat, Danu and the rest of his team had been captured and taken to Tartarus, Equestria's magical prison. Since then, they had remained there without attempting to escape or cooperate to improve their penitentiary situation. Despite Twilight's best attempts to establish a connection with Danu, the leader of the "Knights of Order," he had remained steadfast in his refusal to speak to her during her visits, as did his companions. Therefore, apart from what they had discovered in their first encounter, nothing more had been revealed about them.
Furthermore, Cunabula was a challenging investigation. It was not mentioned in any history book of Equestria or the allied kingdoms. In a letter from Star Swirl from Ornithia, he claimed to have discovered the flag of that nation, which was a green flag with a silver tree surrounded by six stars as a shield. He concluded that its location was probably somewhere in the southern seas. Unfortunately, that was all that was found. Despite this, Twilight decided to extend the investigation for another year, and then another, and so on.
Twilight became absorbed in thought, staring at the ceiling, contemplating what she should do in this situation. Should she simply file the case and leave the "Knights of Order" in Tartarus indefinitely? On the other hand, should she consider the possibility of letting them go, holding onto the hope that nothing bad would happen in the future?
"What if we just let them go?" Spike suggested in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood.
Twilight looked at him with annoyance. "Well... I'm just saying that if this is too much for us... maybe letting them go wouldn't make a big difference," Spike explained, a little nervous under the princess's gaze.
"Did Discord suggest that to you?" Twilight asked.
"Yes," Spike replied. He had already consulted the "Lord of Chaos" about the matter; after all, he was partly responsible for the current situation. Of course, the response he received was typically discordant.
Twilight sighed once again. "I think he might be right," she admitted. "But it's not a decision I can make alone. I need the other kingdoms to consider my point of view. However, I don't have strong arguments to support that decision... just a faint hope," she said, looking disheartened at the parchment.
If she asked for Discord's help in conducting a trial, the case could backfire due to the mischief he had caused in the past. Furthermore, she couldn't imagine the "Knights of Order" accepting the "sincere" apologies of the "Lord of Chaos."
If she simply "released" them, the other kingdoms might think that Equestria was not trustworthy. Allowing those criminals, who had sworn to destroy them and had already attacked two kingdoms, to return to their home country to continue their conspiracies put Equestria in danger. Although she wanted to believe that the "Knights of Order" would not intervene again, she knew it was more likely that they would.
In the end, she couldn't make a decision yet. She would have to wait and reflect further on the matter before reaching a conclusion.
Using her magic, Twilight carefully placed the parchment into a special box that already contained other scrolls to be attended to the following year. As she observed the quantity of documents compared to the previous year, she realized that her workload had not diminished much. Keeping this in mind, she proceeded to organize the remaining papers.
Once she finished her task, she felt quite cheerful. The clock indicated the end of the hour, and they realized there were still three hours until midnight.
"It's still early! How about we do a surprise inspection to assess the state of this year's decorations?" Twilight proposed to Spike.
"I don't know, Twilight. I'm feeling a bit tired today," Spike replied, pretending to yawn while trying to conceal a thick book he had. "Why don't you go alone this time?"
"Really? I thought taking my number one assistant on my 'royal back' would be a fitting reward for his hard work," Twilight joked with a knowing look as she adorned her royal attire. She already suspected the source of her dragon companion's tiredness.
Spike couldn't resist, and with a flap of his wings, he hopped onto Twilight's back.
"I just remembered I have some special messages for the head chef. Would you mind if we go there first, Twilight?"
"No, as long as you tell me some stories from the new Daring Do book along the way," she replied as her royal crown levitated and gently settled on her head.
"Perfect! Have you ever read about the 'Hill of Eternity'?" Spike asked, excited.
Both of them departed from the room with smiles, leaving behind untouched pudding and a cup of chocolate.