“Your majesty?”
The brown earth pony servant’s greeting was met in silence. Celestia continued to stare at the reflection in the livid helmet that lay discarded on the ground, just beyond the pile of rubble from the caved-in roof. There, she sat,, purposely oblivious to the world with her head hung low and her shoulders sagging. Her hair, normally flowing proudly in an ethereal wind, drooped down as it clung to her sides in clumps in a ragged mess. Dark circles formed underneath her bloodshot eyes, and her breath was slow and heavy. Even her figure looked small and malnourished.
“Princess, I bring a message.” the servant said, shifting uncomfortably as he attempted to gain Celestia’s attention, once more.
There was no reply.
“It is from the honorable Star Swirl. He says it is urgent.” the pony insisted.
Celestia looked up towards the dim moonlight that flowed into the room, but remained facing away from the servant. The moon, so distant, yet so close that she could almost reach out and touch it, returned her gaze, taunting her.
“Urgent...” Celestia repeated.
“Y-yes, your highness.” the servant replied, shakily, pulling out a small scroll from his pack and placing it on the ground behind her. “He respectfully requests that you meet him to discuss your plan of action in light of... recent events.”
Several uncomfortable moments passed as the servant waited for his princess’ response. With a gulp, he ventured slightly closer, though keeping his head bowed, consciously aware of his every step.
“Star Swirl is worried about you, your highness; we all are. We only want to help-”
Suddenly, Celestia roughly struck the helmet in front of her with her hoof, sending it clattering across the throne room floor and making the earth pony jump in fright. She stood up, and stomped her way over to the servant, before stopping several hoof lengths away, her final step cracking the stone floor beneath her hoof. Astonished, the servant watched as her horn lit up and sent a blast of fire onto the scroll, incinerating it out of existence, in an instant. He cowered low and backed away, his eyes wide in fear, as Celestia spoke:
“I have a message for ‘the honorable’ Star Swirl.” She said, venomously, as the flames died down. “Tell him that I ordered none to disturb me, and that I do not take orders from him. Tell that old wretch that the next time he sends one of you pests my way, he will quickly find his head on the chopping block!”
Not waiting for acknowledgement, Celestia turned and stormed out through one of the smaller side doors, toward her chambers. The earth pony remained where he was, visibly shaking as he tried to calm himself down.
As soon as she had disappeared down the hallway, the large oak double-doors to the throne room opened slowly, scraping the stone floor under it, and two ponies trotted in. The first was an elderly gray unicorn with an exceptionally long beard and a light-blue cape patterned with stars and lined with jingling bells. His companion, a significantly younger white pegasus, wore silver-plated armor and a golden-silk cape that concealed his left side, though his head was uncovered. An old scar cut across one eye, which was only partially open, with bare skin showing where his fur did not regrow.
The servant, as soon as he regained some amount of composure, turned toward the pair with a blank expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out; there was nothing to say.
“You are dismissed. Go home, for the rest of the night.” The old unicorn said, with a reassuring nod.
The earth pony quickly scurried away and disappeared into the dimly lit castle. Only the unicorn and the pegasus remained.
“She has gotten worse, Star Swirl.” The pegasus said, after about a minute of silence.
“Neither of us can imagine the pain she is going through, Commander Eclipse. She and her sister shared a powerful bond; one stronger than any of us could hope to understand. She is searching for the strength to move on.” Star Swirl explained, with an exhausted sigh.
Commander Eclipse frowned, clearly not satisfied with Star Swirl’s reasoning.
“How long, Star Swirl? Everything has come to a halt: Construction teams refuse to work, crops are being left to wither out in the fields, and many of my own troops refuse to even stay at their posts. Even this castle is crumbling in on itself. Our whole nation is falling apart faster than she is. Were the situation not so dire, I would call it poetic.” The pegasus laughed, bitterly; his words drained of confidence.
“You preach to the converted, Commander.” the old wizard continued. “However, I’m not sure what you expect. I know my student: Celestia is torturing herself because she feels responsible for Luna’s betrayal. Perhaps she is right, perhaps she is wrong. It does not matter in the long run. If she is to recover, we must be patient.”
“All the same, time is a luxury we don’t have. It has been over a week! You’ve presided over the high council’s meetings these past few days, and you know that they are desperate. Many are questioning whether Princess Celestia should continue to lead us; there is talk of removing her from the throne, even exile!” Commander Eclipse exclaimed, in worry.
Star Swirl did not reply right away, instead trotting over to the helmet Celestia had knocked away. Commander Eclipse followed with an exasperated groan.
“I know this.” Star Swirl replied, carefully levitating it up in front of his face and letting his eyes study the intricate design and superior craftsmanship of the armor.
“Then what are we to do? If she does not re-assume her responsibilities as princess, and soon, Princess Luna’s betrayal will be the least of our worries. We need her if our nation is to survive this crisis! There must be a way to help her back to normal.” Commander Eclipse insisted.
Star Swirl shook his head as he examined the helmet, using his magic to levitate it as he turned it round and round, searching for something with a frown on his snout and furrowed eyebrows.
“She may recover from this tragedy, a thousand years may pass, and the horror of Nightmare Moon may become little more than myth, yet the scar on her heart will never fully heal. The Princess Celestia we once knew may be lost forever.” Starswirl replied.
Upon closer examination, Star Swirl found what he had been searching for and removed a small tuft of gray fur, holding it to the dim moonlight. He graciously placed the tuft of fur into a pocket within his cloak and, with a bit of effort, stuffed the helmet into a satchel strapped to his side.
“But, hope remains. I haven’t given up on her.” Star Swirl said, facing his companion.
Commander Eclipse frowned. Hardly the solution one would hope to hear.
“What are we going to do?” he asked.
Starswirl turned to leave the throne room before answering, motioning for the pegasus to follow.
“We have fought for too long and gained too much to lose it all now.” Star Swirl replied as they exited the Throne room. “You are going to do everything you can to keep the high council, or anypony else from acting rash and doing something we will all regret.”
“Me? But I am no politician!” Commander Eclipse protested.
“Perhaps not, but you can be trusted. They will listen to you, for now. Convince the council to focus their efforts on the essentials: Get construction back on schedule, ensure the fields are prepared for the coming harvest.” Star Swirl explained, before halting and turning his head towards his companion. “Command your troops to safeguard all operations. That will at least help ponies feel a bit safer and distract them until this mess is sorted out.”
The pair had stopped in front of a room with a painting of twelve stars and an inscription, written in a language few could understand, posted above the door. Star Swirl opened the heavy wooden door to enter, as Commander Eclipse spoke, once more.
“And what will you do?”
Star Swirl paused, briefly; his eyes tired, yet determined.
“I have lost one student, Commander. I will not lose another.” he declared.
Although the words were spoken to Commander Eclipse, Star Swirl pledged them upon himself. He would help Celestia to rekindle the fire within her, or perish, trying. The kingdom could afford a stall, no longer. He entered his study and shut the door behind him.
* * *
