“That sure was a great party!”

Rainbow Dash walked through the door to Donut Joe’s as Twilight held it open, the others close behind. “Y’know, I’m glad they appreciate it and all, but if they keep on giving us medals like this, I’m going to run out of places to put them all.”

“Speak for yourself,” Spike mumbled. He still held his medal in front of him, staring into its lustrous shine with a fiery sense of pride.

“I’m just glad we were able to convince that island turtle to sail elsewhere. Good on you for that one, Rar,” Applejack said, sliding into one of the booths as the others followed suit.

Rarity blushed slightly, throwing her scarf over her shoulder. “I just did what any one of us would have done, darling. Even giant turtles like to feel appreciated every now and then.”

“For the last time,” Twilight groaned, rolling her eyes, “not only does the ‘giant turtle’ have a proper species name, Aspidochelone, but she had a name. It was Zaratan, remember?”

“I didn’t forget, Twilight,” Fluttershy muttered under her breath.

“Zera-tera-whatever, Twi, it’s still a big turtle,” Rainbow Dash said, matching eyeroll for eyeroll.

“I’m just glad she’s on her way back to see her giant turtle family back in the seas of Saddle Arabia!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down in her seat. “I wonder if her family is as giant as she is. Oh, their family reunions must be incredible parties! A giant party thrown by a giant family full of giant turtles!”

“Good evening, ladies,” Donut Joe interrupted, standing beside their booth as a pen and paper hovered next to him. “It sounds like you’ve been on quite the adventure again. Can I get you anything?”

“Hmm, let’s see,” Twilight said, looking over the menu.

The seven of them took their time ordering what they wanted until everyone was satisfied, and Donut Joe passed the order on to the kitchen.

“So,” Donut Joe said a few minutes later as he doled out food and coffee to the various ponies. “Care to tell me about what crazy shenanigans you guys have been up to this time?”

Pinkie Pie sucked in a deep breath, but Rarity levitated a cupcake into her mouth before she could spill the entire story at lightning speed. “Honestly, darling, we’ve had to report and recap everything that happened half a dozen times since we’ve got back. You’ll probably be able to read all about it in the papers tomorrow, anyway.” She paused, and a smile crossed her face as an idea dawned on her. “I know. Why don’t you tell us an interesting story, Joe? I’m sure you hear all sorts of juicy gossip and rumors.”

Twilight frowned, then nodded. “That’s not a bad idea, actually. Our story really wasn't all that interesting, if I’m to be perfectly honest. It’s been a long day.”

Donut Joe tapped a hoof on the table, his brow furrowed in a thoughtful expression. “Gossip and rumors, eh? I suppose I do hear quite a bit. Let’s see, what makes for an interesting yarn…”

With a glance towards the rest of the restaurant, which was completely empty, Donut Joe pulled up a chair from a nearby table and sat down with them. “Alright. You guys ever heard of ‘The Legend of the Locked Door?’”

“The Legend of the Locked Door!?” Pinkie Pie gasped, pulling on her cheeks. “I’ve heard of The Legend of the Pink Door, the Blue Door, the Yellow Door, the Small Door, the Big Door, and the Door Who Wishes He Was Actually a Sofa or Maybe an Ottoman or Something, but never the Legend of the Locked Door!”

Rainbow Dash turned to stare at Pinkie Pie, eyes narrowed and her mouth hanging open slightly, but then shook her head with a groan.

“Well, I don’t think any of us have,” Twilight said, glancing over the rest of them, “so sure, go ahead.”

“Actually, um, I’ve heard of it before,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Alright then,” Donut Joe said, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. “Now, I’ve heard this from multiple sources: guards, janitors, visitors, and servants alike But there’s supposedly a door in the palace. It’s plain, unadorned, unremarkable in any way. Except for the fact that it’s locked and nopony knows where it leads.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Is that all? Probably just a broom closet, isn’t it?”

Donut Joe shook his head. “I figure if it was just a broom closet, a janitor would probably know it. And there’s more. Only one pony has ever been seen going into or out of this door: Princess Celestia herself. When asked about it, she supposedly just dodges the question.”

“Oh my,” Rarity said, her eyes sparkling, “this is a secret about Princess Celestia, hmm? Does that ring any bells, Twilight?”

Twilight pursed her lips. “Not specifically… I suppose it’s not entirely unheard of for Princess Celestia to keep secrets, but an unadorned locked door? I’m sure there’s a perfectly mundane explanation.”

“Maybe it’s the secret entrance to the vault where all of the kingdom’s treasure is kept! Gold and gems and all sorts of magical wonders, and gems…” Spike said as he wiped the drool from his mouth.

“I’ve seen the royal treasury before, Spike,” Twilight said, letting out a light sigh. “It’s not nearly as impressive as you’re imagining, and it’s mostly staffed by accountants. Even then, it’s a rather tightly secured vault, not a simple door.”

“Maybe it’s something more… scandalous,” Rarity said, her eyes distant. “A secret passage to meet a secret lover, somepony she cares very deeply for but, because of tragic circumstances, can never openly acknowledge…”

“Ooh, I know!” Pinkie Pie said, raising a hoof into the air. “Maybe it’s where she keeps a super special mirror that’s actually a portal to an alternate dimension that’s kind of like ours but with all sorts of differences!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure we already know where she kept that one, sugarcube.” With a glance towards Rarity, she added, “And I’m pretty sure she did that one already too.”

Rarity blushed slightly. “Oh right. That did happen, didn’t it?”

“I bet it’s just something stupid, like, a private bathroom or something,” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Can’t blame anypony for wanting to be alone when they need to take a dump.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight snapped, her face heating up. “Don’t talk about Princess Celestia like that!”

“What? Just because she’s a princess doesn’t mean she isn’t the same as the rest of us. Or is there something that changed about you when you became an alicorn that you never told us about? Is that it, Twilight? Do you no longer have to worry about locking yourself inside for hours because you got food poisoning that one time from the soggy hay? How did Spike describe it again? Like an apocalypse of—”

Applejack snapped Rainbow Dash’s jaw closed with her hoof. “That’s enough now, Rainbow. We get the picture.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, she added, “Far, far too clearly.”

“Anyway,” Twilight growled, glaring at Rainbow Dash until she huffed and turned away. “The Princess already has private bathrooms. If anything, it’s probably just a simple passage that leads outside of the castle, so she can enter and exit without being seen.”

“Would she really need something like that, though?” Rarity asked, drumming her hoof on the table. “If she really wanted to get out of the castle, she could just teleport. I could see maybe having it for emergencies if she couldn’t for whatever reason, but this rumor implies that she just uses it casually.”

“M-maybe,” Fluttershy stuttered, her eyes wide as she trembled in her seat, “it’s something dark and terrible. Like a horrible, awful dungeon where she keeps the mutilated remains of anypony who dared to cross her in the past.”

The table grew silent and everypony turned to stare at Fluttershy, who let out a soft ‘eep’ and sunk back into her seat.

“Um, I’m sorry,” she said, ducking behind her mane. “I’ve been reading a lot of scary stories recently.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. “What do you think, Joe? You brought this up in the first place, after all. Did any of the ponies you heard these rumors from have any thoughts?”

Donut Joe shrugged, taking a swig of coffee. “Hard to say. Lots of ponies had their thoughts, yeah. Some of ‘em similar to what you guys is already saying. Vast riches, crazy magic, literal skeletons in her closet, yada yada. Personally, I think it’s probably somewhere private she goes to pig out on cake or something.”

Pinkie Pie let out a high pitched giggle. “That’s silly. Everypony loves cake, she shouldn’t have to hide it!”

“We could always just try asking her, you know,” Applejack said yawning and stretching back slightly. “Heck, Spike’s here. We could do it right now, put this whole matter to rest.”

Twilight frowned. “I dunno… it seems a little rude, don’t you think? Like it would be an invasion of her privacy.”

“Aww, come on Twilight!” Rainbow Dash said. She shoved Fluttershy aside and scootched next to Twilight, throwing a foreleg around her shoulder. “We’ve all gotten too worked up about it at this point, we just have to know the answer!”

“Twilight’s right about it being rude, but I can’t help but want to indulge my curiosity as well,” Rarity said. She glanced toward the rest of the table who all started nodding in turn.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “You’re all just saying that because I’m the one she’ll get angry at if it ends up offending her.”

“Pleaaaaaaase!” Pinkie Pie said, her eyes wide as she leaned all the way across the table.

“I really wanna know too,” Fluttershy said, blushing slightly.

Twilight let out a long sigh. “Fine. Spike, take a letter.”

“Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m sorry to disturb you if you’re in the middle of anything important. And thank you again for both the party and the medal ceremony. It was very well put together; please give my compliments to the staff.

I’m writing to you this evening because there is a matter which the incorrigible curiosity of my compatriots demands be satisfied.”

“Geez Twilight, why don’t you just vomit a thesaurus all over the paper while you’re at it,” Rainbow Dash said, snickering.

“No kidding,” Spike grumbled as his quill furiously scratched down the words.

Twilight gave both of them a sharp glare and then continued.

“We’ve stumbled across an odd rumor which, while it is likely simply just that, has piqued my curiosity as well.

Simply put, the rumor states that there is a simple, unadorned door somewhere in the palace. It is always locked, and nopony knows what's inside of it. It also states that you’re the only pony who has been seen going in and out of this door.

Upon hearing this rumor, my friends immediately began to speculate wildly, each possible answer getting more absurd than the last, some of them downright insulting. Before we drive ourselves mad trying to figure it out, or, far more likely, grow bored and forget about it within a day, we figured that it would be best to simply ask you and settle the matter once and for all.

So, if you would be so kind as to shed some light on the subject, we would all be very much obliged.

Thank you,
Your (not technically anymore but I always will be in my heart) Faithful Student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

After proofreading the letter and writing a second draft, a quick gout of flame sent it to where it needed to go, and all that was left was to wait.

“Pretty sure you were just as involved as the rest of us in this, Twi,” Applejack said, giving her a level look. “It’s Princess Celestia we’re talking about here anyway. Ya don’t need to go so far to distance yourself just because you think she might be upset.”

“Yeah, well,” Twilight mumbled, blushing slightly. “Shut up.”

There was a sudden hiccup, and Spike coughed up a return letter.

“That was fast,” Twilight said, unrolling it and reading it out loud.

“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

Mind your own business.

Love,
Your Mentor (In heart),
Princess Celestia.”

---

Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smile as the letter disappeared into the flames. Even when they weren't out solving national crises, their antics never ceased to bring a light into her day.

It was interesting that her little secret had caused rumors to reach outside of the palace. Even though she had tried to avoid calling attention to it, ponies did love to gossip. Not to mention that she tended to stand out no matter what she did.

With a sigh, Celestia stood up and exited her room, making her way down the hallway towards where her ‘mysterious door’ stood. She saw a couple of guards eying her oddly as she unlocked it with a touch of her magic, no doubt wondering which of their wild speculations was the right one.

After that, it was a short trip down a winding staircase to a lone room in the heart of the castle, surrounded by thick stone, totally isolated.

With a spark of magic, Celestia lit the hearth, bathing the room in a warm, flickering glow. It was a simple study, filled with lush furniture. A place where she could relax in solitude.

The walls were adorned with portraits and photographs, all of the ponies she cared most about: her parents, herself and Luna as fillies, Starswirl the Bearded, King Sombra (The good one), Sunset Shimmer, Twilight and her friends, and dozens of other ponies she had known throughout her lifetime that held some sort of special place in her heart.

“Sometimes, Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice heavy as she sunk down into one of the cushions.

“You just want to be alone with your memories.”