"Princess Celestia! Everypony in and around the castle has been asking about what happened!"
"Yeah! There was all that blasting and crashing, and then we all turn up to find the palace is a complete mess!"
"It's like there was a war in here! Are you alright?!"
Celestia sighed as these and other questions were put to her. It had only been a short while since she'd been through the ordeal of last night, and already things were about as hectic as could be expected. The nobles had all been gathered, and from just one look at the place they knew something terrible had occurred here. And terrible it was, as Celestia's mind continued to plague her with the image of what her beloved sister had become. The battle still pained her, mentally and physically, but as ever she carried herself with naught but that famous regal air of hers. She waited for the nobles to finish, then finally looked to them all and spoke with her distinct mix of authority and calm. "I thank you all for your concern, but I assure you, I am fine."
One of them, a stallion, gestured to the more damaged parts of the throne room. "Your majesty, there are rumors abound right now. They say there was some terrible creature who attacked you in the night! That there was some bright light and...and that was the end of it!"
Celestia nodded. "The rumors are not wrong. I was indeed attacked. An assailant who called herself Nightmare Moon."
Another noble, a mare this time, stepped alongside the previous stallion. "But where did she come from? Why did she attack you? What did she want?"
Celestia had to resist the urge to wince at those particular questions, and instead simply answered in a way that, if nothing else, was truth. "She sought an eternal night. But she did not succeed. Now she is imprisoned." She looked upwards, to the faint image of the moon which, even in the light of the early morning, could be seen still. "And she will not roam free for some time, I can assure you."
The sight of the moon, now with that dark face upon it, sent chills down the spines of many a noble there. But the knowledge that somepony evil had been defeated, and that their Princess had emerged triumphant, was enough to sate the curiosity of many of them, as they began muttering under their breaths to one another. Unfortunately, one of them, a younger mare, still looked to Celestia with more worry than before, and stepped forward. "Princess...where is your sister?"
And there it was. The one question Celestia had hoped would never be asked. A question that, once uttered, immediately drew the attention of all the other ponies. Both noble and guard alike now looked to the Princess of the Sun with bated breath. As for Celestia herself, though her heart ached to do this, she slowly closed her eyes, exhaling deeply before giving her answer. "Luna...is no longer with us."
Silence fell over the whole of the throne room, as Celestia's words caused the expected look of horror on the faces of both the nobility and the guards. "You...you mean...?" The mare who asked couldn't finish, but all knew what she was about to say.
Celestia hung her head. "Yes. Nightmare Moon...took my sister from me. Because of that dark opponent...I am without her." She looked to the saddened faces of all gathered here, and watched as they knelt or bowed to her. Some of the guards even took off their helmets, all showing respect for the loss she'd just told them about. Celestia herself, ever the composed mare, raised a hoof to them. "I thank you all for your condolences, but the time for grief is not now. The castle is in ruins, and there is much to be done. I will be sure to speak to all of you more at a later time. For now though, I must ask for solitude."
They all gave simultaneous bows, knowing that she deserved to be alone if that was what she wished. So, one by one, they began to depart the room. The guards held the door open, watching them leave, and in time even they began to depart. Celestia sat upon her throne, ever silent, seeing as she became more and more isolated. After a time, she closed her eyes, sighing to herself, until at long last she could hear the creak of those great doors, signalling their closure. But when she opened her eyes, she discovered, to her slight surprise, that she was not entirely alone now. In spite of her request, a single guard remained, and had been the one to close the door after all others had left. Arching an eyebrow, Celestia spoke. "I believe I requested solitude."
The guard, younger than the others, nervously looked to the door beside him, then back to her. He took a few steps closer, taking off his helmet, then spoke solemnly. "Princess...why did you lie to them?"
Celestia's eyes widened, but then she eased a little, looking to him with seriousness. "What is your name?"
The youth gave a salute. "Swift, your majesty."
His Princess rose from her throne, and she began to descend the stairs to approach him. "So...you saw?"
Swift hung his head. "Y...yes. Last night, when I was stationed just outside those doors. I heard a commotion. Angry shouting. I peeked inside and..." He winced. "I saw her. I saw your sister. And...I saw what she became." After a long time of quiet, he looked Celestia right in the eye. "Nightmare Moon wasn't some strange invader...she was Luna."
Celestia's eyes shut tightly. "Yes...she was."
Swift frowned, pointing to the door behind him. "I know it's not my place, but...I have to know. Why didn't you tell them the truth?"
Opening her eyes again, Celestia glanced away, though whether through embarrassment or shame, Swift could not say. "I assure you, it brought be no joy to deceive them. But...I felt it was for the best."
Another step forward from Swift. "What good does it do anypony to lie about what happened?"
Here, Celestia looked back to him. "Princess Luna has ruled alongside me for a very long time, Swift. In spite of how she may have believed things, ponies treasured her just as they did me. Were they to know what truly happened...all they would know of her was that horror." She frowned right back at him. "She is gone, Swift. And I will have her remembered with love, not with fear. I will not allow her memory to be tainted by one dark moment." She softened, but only a little. "No matter how dark that moment might have been."
Swift saw now that it was the love of a sister that had guided Celestia's actions minutes ago, and so he began to relent. There was, for a while, silence in the throne room. Neither pony spoke to one another or even looked at the other. But there eventually came a time when Swift once more broke that silence, looking up to Celestia yet again. "So...what happens now?"
A deep breath from Celestia, and she did her best to hide her discomfort with this whole matter. "Now...I continue to reign over Equestria."
Swift looked to her, both with curiosity and with concern. "Without your sister? By yourself?"
Celestia nodded. "I have no other choice. Luna is gone, Swift. But Equestria still needs to be led. Where once I ruled only the day, now I must tend to the night as well."
Swift's concern for her was growing by the moment. "Can...can you do that?"
Celestia's eyes drifted to the side, to the image of the moon still high in the sky. "It will be no easy thing, I grant you. Never before will I have done this. Luna taught me some of what she once did, but the rest...I will have to learn along the way." She grimaced. "But I fear that her greatest gift, that of safeguarding the dreams of others, may be forever beyond my grasp. I am loathe to admit it, but Equestria may see more than it's fair share of restless nights in the years to come." Another sigh. "But again, I will deal with it as best I can." A minute passed without her saying anything, but inevitably she looked back to her young guard. "You have more to ask, Swift?"
The stallion clearly felt terrible about having brought all this up, given how he seemed ashamed to even look at her right now. But he knew that Celestia could see the question he so wanted to ask, and that there would be little chance of avoiding it. So, after mustering his courage, he finally asked. "...How are you feeling?"
It was a question she'd feared from the start, and now here it was. She met his gaze, one set of eyes looking into another, and spoke truly. "My sister is gone. Taken by darkness and twisted by her thoughts of jealousy and resentment. I still bear the pain of where she struck me, and the memory of my own part in her banishment is fresh still in my mind, as it will be for many long days to come." A pause, but it eventually ended. "How do I feel, Swift? I feel as though I have had my heart torn from my chest. A hole now dwells in me where once I had the love of family. I look to my lands, to my people, and know that I must watch over them alone." Slowly, she hung her head. "I have reached a depth in my life I had hoped never to reach, yet must endure it for the sake of those I rule."
Swift looked to her, feeling naught but guilt at all of this, and bowed to her. "I am sorry, Princess. Truly...I am so sorry. Nothing I can say will make this better."
In spite of how badly she was still feeling, Celestia still managed a small smile, for his benefit if nothing else. "You have nothing to apologise for, Swift. Curiosity is not sin, and you showed concern for my wellbeing. For that, I am grateful. But to you alone do I speak this truth. When ponies look to me, they must not see a heartbroken mare. They must see their leader, unfaltering and unwavering in her devotion to them."
Swift's head tilted. "Nopony will think less of you for missing your sister, Princess."
A nod from the mare of the sun. "Perhaps not...but I must be strong all the same." Slowly, her eyes closed again. "I thank you for speaking to me as any other, but even so...I ask to be alone again."
This time, Swift did not hesitate. He bowed to his leader, his Princess, and left. Celestia watched him go, seeing him walk to the doors of the throne room, albeit with heavier steps than he'd usually have, no doubt feeling the weight of the knowledge that he and Celestia alone were privy to. When he reached it though, he stopped, looking back to her one last time. "Princess...is there anything you need?"
There was only one answer Celestia could give. "...My sister."
