Celestia sat on her throne impassively as Court proceedings dragged on interminably around her. She looked as she always did; attentive and serene, but on the inside she was torn.
Her sister’s filly with her mother’s delicate blue fur and her father’s sinister smoking eyes made her blood freeze every time she saw her. Penny, or Penumbra as Luna been insistent on correcting her, had become increasingly demanding, eating progressively more into her time with her sister. Her choice had not been an easy one. Under any other circumstances, she would have demanded as Diarch of Equestria that both mother and father be given equal rights of access to their offspring, but this was different.
She could see that Luna needed support and that Sombra had a legitimate claim to see his offspring, but she couldn’t bring herself to condone their former enemy rights of access, since this would demand formal recognition of his status as her brother-in-law and demand the full trimmings of a ceremonial State welcome as he too was royalty.
She had seen nothing to convince her that he was a changed character, and although he had sired a foal with her sister, she had no reason to assume that his motives were genuine. As far as she was concerned this could easily be nothing more than a rather crude ruse to infiltrate the Royal Household from where he could more easily stage a coup d’état as the instrument of their own destruction. No, she was adamant – he may have found a way to get round her sister, but while she still held sway, he would not be allowed in.
Equally, she could not banish her sister and her niece to a clandestine meeting with Sombra in some out of the way back alley where they could meet as a family without being seen together. No, this was not sustainable either, and it was only going to get worse as the filly grew. Inevitably, her sister would turn against her at some time in the future because of her hard line approach to the father of her filly unless she could find a way round the problem, but she could not find a good way to resolve the situation and she recognised that the longer she procrastinated the worse would be the outcome.
It was late in the afternoon, Court having run on far longer than she would have liked and with no end in sight, as she returned her thoughts to the interminable drone of official proceedings. She had once again failed to find a solution to the Sombra question, just as she had done every day for the year since the foal had been born.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” panted a pegasus from the Royal Guard bursting in through the large wooden doors. The Court stopped as all eyes turned to face the out of breath pegasus resplendent in his golden armour with striking blue crest that made him look a foot taller than anypony else present, except for the Princess. The unicorn who had been rudely silenced during his monotonous petition to the Princess stared over his glasses in abject disapproval at the uninvited interruption as he fumbled for some colourful if inelegant rhetoric to express his opinions. He choked back his natural vitriolic response until the Princess had ruled whether such a rude disturbance had been warranted, but secretly hoped he would be able to pour out his sense of righteous indignation.
“Your Majesty, I have to advise that a large migration of dangerous creatures including hydras, ursas, scorpios and constellation wolves is moving through the Everfree towards Ponyville in what appears to be a coordinated manner!”
Startled back to reality and grateful for an opportunity to escape the tedium of Court, Celestia changed her tone in an instant, discarding the mantle of the patient judge and donning instead the persona of warrior leader.
“Report to the garrison immediately and inform the generals” she ordered.
“I have already, your Majesty” he replied, “They will be ready to brief you as soon as you arrive.”
“You have done well, thank you” responded Celestia “Court is adjourned! Summon Princess Luna and request her join me with the generals!”
The slighted unicorn was absolutely crestfallen; unable both to finish his petition and also denied the opportunity to vent his feelings. He bowed politely to his Princess as he withdrew from her presence, cursing inwardly.
Celestia strode out of the throne room, a fervent intensity burning behind her eyes; Equestria was under threat and she wasn’t going to let a single pony get injured on her watch. Nopony who saw that look in her eyes was going to dare get in her way; she meant business.
Luna joined her sister with the generals a few short minutes later.
“Sister” she acknowledged as she entered the briefing room, bowing slightly, “Generals.”
“Luna” began Celestia “We have reliable information that the beasts from the darkest recesses of the Everfree are moving towards Ponyville. As it nears darkness, I thought you may want to take the lead?”
“Thank you, Sister” she relied curtly “I shall accept my responsibility and keep our ponies safe by night accompanied by my Night Guard. Should the campaign extend into morning, then I shall send word and propose your coming to relieve us.”
“But Luna” said Celestia, shocked “We fight together – that’s the way it’s always been.”
“Correct me if I am wrong Sister, but neither you nor any of the Royal Guards is blessed with night vision. It would be best for you to catch your rest and be prepared for combat on the morrow.”
Celestia looked stunned. For a moment she was speechless, the generals staring at her waiting for her response against the unexpected determination being shown by her sister.
“Very well” she acquiesced “You are the Princess of the Night. I bow to your authority in your realm.”
Luna’s look betrayed nothing of what she felt inside. Everypony in the briefing room could see that her fierce choice of delivery had been brutal, and although her brief observations had been factual, it did go against the protocol followed in every campaign the two sisters had ever fought before. Further, nopony had ever seen Celestia’s resolve be challenged so openly or put down so harshly.
In accordance with Luna’s wishes, the Bat Ponies of the Night Guard took the lead in planning, but encouraged input from their colleagues in the Royal Guard until a mutually agreed plan crystallised. Celestia said nothing, but her mind raced as to what was motivating her sister’s personality change. She had resigned herself to having Luna turn against her at some point unless she could find a solution to their current personal differences, and accepted that this was just the opportunity she needed to get it out of her system, after which she hoped that they could resume their close sisterly bond once more.
“Rest now, Sister” said Luna to a visibly deflated Celestia before striding off with the Bat Pony generals to inspect the Night Guard and set off for the Everfree.
The Royal Guard generals remaining made polite conversation about the strategy and the tactics they had been discussing, in fact anything to provide a façade of normality over proceedings and prevent an uncomfortable blanket of silence falling over the gathering that would only make life more awkward for the sidelined Sun Princess.
Celestia did not sleep. She went to check on Penny and found her being looked after and entertained by a pair of Bat Pony foalsitters. Even though she felt little empathy with the filly, she was the only part of her sister that remained with her, and as such she wanted to feel a closeness now more than ever, but she knew that her own antipathy was being mirrored back towards her by her own niece. The more she forced herself into this situation, the worse would be the rejection and heartbreak, so she decided it was best she did not interfere.
With an unexpected sadness, she turned her head and forced her reluctant hooves to follow, leading her away to her own chambers, head hung low. How had she played this so badly wrong?
She couldn't sleep and whiled away the night time hours doing nothing but worrying about why the beasts had suddenly decided to invade, as well as worrying about her sister and how she could possibly recover the bond of closeness that they had once shared.
Just before dawn, a Bat Pony messenger arrived at the castle to say that Luna had been injured and that Celestia was requested to lower the moon.
This was just the worst possible news! How injured could her sister be that she was unable to perform her duty of lowering the moon? She threw her head back and let out a scream of anguish that echoed through the castle. She raged impotently, berating herself for having followed her headstrong younger sister’s orders and staying behind. If she had been in the fighting with her, this would never have happened!
Inside her head, a pitiless voice began laughing louder and louder, its remorseless antagonism sensing a weakness and reaching out to seize control of her consciousness, surging through her tired body as the whites of her eyes darkened and her irises turned yellow. Celestia could feel the rising malevolent intent and sank to her knees, desperate to keep her alter ego under control; now was not the time to allow Daybreaker to rise unopposed. The last time she had broken free, Luna had been there to help bring her under control, but now she stood alone and didn't believe she could bottle her evil nemesis back up if she were to let her out.
The Bat Pony messenger and the Royal Guards present watched aghast and stood back in fear as her fur took on a fiery glow and her flanks began to pulse orange. Celestia gasped through gritted teeth as she fought to suppress the demon that lurked within her knowing that nothing but her willpower stood between letting Daybreaker loose on Equestria.
The agonising strangled sounds emerging from their Princess told the frightened onlookers that the fight was not going to be easily won, but eventually the orange glow on her flanks gradually began to subside. Finally, Celestia rose unsteadily to her hooves, her eyes returned to their familiar lilac and she looked around at the three ponies transfixed in silent awe of what they had seen.
“Well come on then!” she barked, recovering swiftly “Princess Luna needs us!”
With that she turned on her heels and marched briskly out past the dumbfounded guards towards the garrison.
She strode purposefully in to the Joint Operations Room, conversations stopping in an instant as Royal Guards and Bat Ponies alike sensed the gravity of what was to come and gathered round to hear. She did not mince her words, “Rouse the Guard! Princess Luna is down. We need to provide support immediately. I will leave as soon as we can muster a credible force, stragglers form up and follow on as reinforcements. We cannot afford delay!”
Royal Guards in their gold armour jostled past their purple clad colleagues from the Night Guard as all rushed to muster their strength as quickly as possible.
Suddenly alone, Celestia spared a moment to curse the circumstances that had brought this situation into existence and trembled involuntarily as the immediacy of her actions finished but the desire to fly off this minute and be with her sister had to be held in check, however briefly. Ten minutes later and she had gone, spearheading a flight of Royal Guards with a few Bat Ponies that had not been part of Luna’s original force.
Celestia landed with her contingent of guards and strode purposefully to the deserted building that passed for her sister’s field headquarters showing no signs of tiredness following her journey, only to be intercepted by an armoured umbrum unicorn stallion with a glowing red horn.
“Princess Celestia” he greeted.
“Sombra!” responded the white mare “What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t my wife tell you? We have been putting down an attack from the Everfree.”
“Your wife?” gasped Celestia.
“She is the dam of my foal. How else would you describe our relationship?”
“Take me to my sister” said Celestia reluctant to face the implication of what had been in front of her ever since Penny had been born “NOW!”
“Very well” replied Sombra “But you know that makes us family?”
“I do not choose to accept that!” said Celestia turning on her heel to face her former enemy.
“Maybe” replied Sombra “But who do you think has been commanding the Night Guard in the absence of your sister?”
Celestia’s blood ran cold. So this was it; Sombra was now in charge of half the Equestrian forces! And worse, the situation had been orchestrated, either intentionally or unwittingly by her sister! If there was ever a chance for Sombra to take Equestria, this was his time.
She ducked as she entered the makeshift field hospital, seething as the situation spiralled ever further out of her control. In front of her she could see a handful of medics tending a midnight blue coated alicorn, a life sustaining drip feeding into her foreleg. Her eyes were closed, and wrapped around her body fresh bandages showed seeping red stains that betrayed the severity of wounds underneath.
“A reconnaissance party was about to be ambushed” narrated Sombra in a respectfully hushed tone “She could see the danger but knew she would not be able to warn them in time. She did not want to see them cut down before her eyes, so she made a pre-emptive strike on the attackers but was hopelessly outnumbered. The guards she had saved only just managed to get her away alive.”
“And why did you not intercede, Sombra?” raged Celestia “Why did you leave it all to her?”
“I wish I could have” he said, sounding sincere “But I was attending to field reports coming in and was unable to respond in time.”
“That should not be her lying on that bed!” shouted Celestia.
“You would rather it was me, I know. I do not expect you to believe I have changed, but whatever our differences please understand that Penumbra needs her mother and I would never do anything to jeopardise that bond.”
“Just get out!” shouted Celestia, tears streaming from her eyes “I will be alone with my sister!”
Sombra bowed courteously and withdrew, giving his sister-in-law the space she needed.
Celestia looked at her unconscious sister and suddenly all the raw emotion of everything that had happened since Luna had fallen for Sombra broke through her reserve and flooded out in a tsunami of tears. She knelt by Luna’s bedside, remembering her as a filly, as a young mare and as her confidante, never imagining for a minute she would see her like this. She may have been immortal, but some of the beasts from the Everfree had magical powers, and may have compromised this most unique of gifts.
Luna stretched a weak forehoof out and touched Celestia’s shoulder, the white mare clutching it carefully and delicately as the most precious thing she had ever held. Luna’s mouth twitched and Celestia leaned in close, ready to catch any faint request or declaration.
“Is Penumbra alright?” she whispered.
“Yes Luna, she’s being well looked after. Don’t you worry now" reassured her sister "I love you.”
Luna gave a weak smile and drifted back into unconsciousness.
A few weeks later as Luna was well on the road to recovery, Celestia made a Royal visit to a castle near Ponyville. The attack by the beasts from the Everfree had been put down and Celestia had been forced to recognise Luna’s choice of mate. Given the risk of further attack from the Everfree, it was clear that this flank of Equestria needed to be reinforced. Consequently, she had declared the area to be a protectorate under the jurisdiction of Luna and Sombra who would live together in a refurbished Castle of the Two Sisters in much the same way as Cadence and Shining Armor protected the Crystal Empire to the north.
Now life had returned to normal, Celestia sat on her throne impassively as Court proceedings dragged on interminably around her. She looked as she always did; attentive and serene, but on the inside she was lonely.
