Imperial Forclousure

“My Queen…” the drone reluctantly bowed to Daybreaker. “The answer from the Crystal Empire just arrived.”

“Leave it on the table,” Daybreaker said disinterestedly while keeping her focus on the first line of her own unfinished letter: ‘I, Queen Daybreaker.’

The drone silently did as told and stood still, waiting for orders.

“You may go,” Daybreaker dismissed her. The drone quickly did so.

Daybreaker knew that taking care of the Changelings was up to her now, but she still didn’t know where to start. Besides, she had much more pressing thoughts - her sister’s safety. There was someone out there who wished her great harm, yet it seemed she was not concerned in the slightest… this troubled the Queen greatly. Moon might no longer be susceptible to physical dangers, but her labors were.

“Daybreaker?” the Queen jerked up to see her beloved sister… but only found the Lunar Princess at her door. “I hoped to see our sister, but it seems she is away for negotiations.”

“Yes… Moon wishes to reconnect with an old friend, Fluttershy.”

“Seeing her would bring all of us great joy,” Luna smiled. “I see you both have been busy. Did I hear right? That Nightmare is now a goddess?”

“She wishes for that part of her name to be forgotten. She is Moon to all now. As to your question, I do not know what she is. She asked the Tree of Harmony for a blessing, and it submerged her spirit into the Dreamrealm entirely. I do not understand the logistics, but she explained that she is capable of projecting out into the waking world. I have watched her raise ponies from the dead, even those who were dead for days; I have seen her create treasures, food, and weapons out of naught but her will, and I watched her travel great distances but with no need of calculations or risk of failure. I would not begrudge anycreature now for seeing her as a goddess now.”

“You do not seem overly happy.”

Daybreaker slowly shook her head,
“I fear it makes her overconfident. Last night, we were attacked by a force from your templars, Luna. We never believed you knew, but she refused even to investigate. She cannot be harmed, nor can the ones whom she protects, but how can she think about feeding the hungry and housing the homeless when there are clearly enemies wishing her great harm?”

“Perhaps she doesn’t think of her enemies as worth her attention. Our sister was never too keen on treating mortal creatures as much of a threat, and the only one she ever thought was a serious adversary was Celestia. Tell me more about this attack: did you say that thestrals were involved?”

“They were,” Daybreaker nodded. “It was a force of thestral infantry attacking in the dead of night with artillery support. Moon stopped them and resurrected the fallen, but even then, they refused to tell us of their motives. Their artillery crews say they were in training and were none the wiser.”

“Troubling. I know nothing about this. I was building IvoryCrescentt as a peaceful network to help ponies that needed it. I never sanctioned any kind of military wing.”

“There… may be something you do not know about your own organization. When I was still a guest of Queen Skystar’s, she gave me an old intelligence report from her mother's time. Your group has splintered. I thought nothing of this at first, but now it is apparent that I have underestimated the Hippogriff Queen.”

“This is grave… I will investigate. Not one shall escape judgment,” Luna promised determinedly.

“Luna, wait. Perhaps you’d like to wait for Moon; she will wish to speak with you first.”

“That is true. I suppose I will wait then,” Luna stepped closer until she was close enough to touch. “Daybreaker, I believe we did not get enough time before.”

“Tragically so. I should not have gone,” Daybreaker said mournfully. “I thought to save what little I could from falling into the hooves of the unworthy.”

“You do not need to make excuses to me, sister mine,” Luna said comfortingly. “I understand. Fate has been kind, and all of us are here now. To my great joy, even Celestia is with us.”

“Luna, this… is unfair for Celestia. She is your sister, not us. Celestia has not been a good family to you, but she is the only one you have left.”

“She is,” Luna nodded calmly. “This does not concern Celestia; it is her failure to recognize the treasure we were given at birth.
“As far as I am concerned, Moon is as much family to me as Celestia is; she did just as much for me. And that means so are you: if you would accept me.” Luna leaned ahead and extended her hoof.

Daybreaker was visibly reluctant,
“Luna… You’ve spent a thousand years with her and her alone. Surely you realize that…”

Luna smiled warmly,
“I do not care. I’ve made my decision, and I am happier for it.”

Daybreaker hesitated still, Luna’s words sounding in her head. This was not meant for her kind,
“Luna, you are so generous,” Daybreaker finally made a decision and closed the gap between them, letting Luna embrace her and coiling her chitinous limb around her back.
“We do not deserve you.”

“This is what you both taught me, sister. I cannot be as capable as Moon, as wise as Celestia, or as strong as you. Nor can I prevent creatures from being evil. But I can serve Harmony by showing others how much better their lives would be should they work to change their lot. Moon used to be miserable, alone, and unloved. Now, she is happy!”

“I… I must learn to shapeshift one of these days,” Daybreaker sighed.

“No, Daybreaker, you are perfect as is,” Luna giggled.

Daybreaker sighed and closed her eyes, surrendering to the comfort offered by Luna. She did not know how much time had passed before she opened her eyes again, but they already had an audience. Rarity was silently looking at them with a smile as wide as if she were at the grandest gala in the world.

“Don’t mind me, darlings! I will come back later!”

“No, Rarity, you are not interrupting us,” Luna stepped back. “Daybreaker and I were only catching up. Speak your mind.”

“I only wanted to check up on Daybreaker. She looked terribly down and dispirited ever since, but I see you already saw to that.”

“You are as welcome here as Daybreaker is,” Luna went to embrace Rarity in turn. “Tell me a little about what you have been doing.”

“Oh, you know. I am doing a little of everything. A poor colt tore his sleeve during a patrol, a sentry going hungry, Zecora so busy with her potions that she forgot to sleep.”

“Zecora? I remember her. Is she pledged to Moon, too?”

“Moon asked her to make medicine for her changelings. But it looks like they won’t be needing it now, thank goodness. Moon can even heal missing limbs and aging. Have you seen Shadow yet? The darling looks so young again; she can even use her magic! She won’t let you see that, but I know she is giddy with excitement to go on a mission again!”

Luna smiled serenely at the news, “You, too, seem giddy for the future.”

“How can I not be? We finally did it! We found a way to restore Equestria! It will be better than it ever was, and harmony and friendship will take precedence over material need.”

“I confess, this does reach far beyond my wildest dreams. What do you think, Daybreaker?”

“I would urge caution. We do not know what side effects this new power can have. Our sister is unusually rash. This is very unlike her… and I worry.”

“I find it quite understandable. Darling is excited now that she has discovered the power to right the wrongs she always wished to right.”

“Indeed. What is there to be afraid of when even death slithers away cowardly before our sister?”

Daybreaker closed her eyes and sighed heavily,
“I pray to her moon that you are right. But I cannot stop worrying. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.”

“We should not speak about this further without Moon present,” Luna suggested, gesturing towards the exit. “Let us go and speak to these new thestrals you’ve encountered.”

Daybreaker nodded,
“Moon permitted them to roam free and leave whenever they wish. Very few, if any, are left, especially after Moon returned many of them to life. They took one of the hangars for their place of gathering.”

“They cause no trouble at all, and are even cheerful despite being our enemies only hours ago,” Rarity added. “This all looks like a genuine misunderstanding. They have much love for Moon and great respect for all her servants. She is their goddess after all, even if Moon herself dislikes that kind of worship.”

“I would see for myself still. Rarity, please, stay and direct my sister to me if she returns before I finish.”

“Of course, Luna. Take as much time as you need.” Rarity watched the two tall mares go side by side and smiled wide again at the memory of them embracing. She then turned around and left for the tower to see if there was anything else she could do tonight.

Rarity hummed to herself while putting stitches on her newest project. She stopped for a moment, deliberating if she should search for gems to sew onto the dress; she would never forgive herself if the dress Princess Celestia was to wear in public was anything other than perfection.

Rarity also intended to make dresses for Luna and Moon, but she simply couldn’t stay away from this one. She couldn’t wait for the Princess to see it.

She was so consumed by the feeling of satin and silk on her hooves that she almost missed the door opening.

“Oh… You’re back,” she said to Moon, who was looking at her around the doorframe. “Just a moment, I was finishing for today regardless.”

“Of course, though we may be a slight distraction to you.” Fluttershy’s wisened face, surrounded by a luscious pink mane, appeared right beneath Moon’s.

Rarity immediately forgot about her sewing,
“Eeeeeee!” Rarity squealed as she almost knocked Fluttershy off her hooves. “I missed you oh so much!”

Fluttershy smiled and gave Moon a happy glance, reciprocating Rarity’s embrace.

“You look absolutely wonderful! You simply must tell me all about your conditioner!”

“I just brush, Rarity,” Fluttershy said sheepishly.

“Where have you been for so long? We all worried!”

“I was with my animal friends; where else would I be? You didn’t need me anymore, and I didn’t want you to think you had to sacrifice to accommodate me.”

“Why would you say such a thing? You would’ve never troubled us; not even someone as brash as Rainbow Dash would see you that way. Even if we don’t agree with each other anymore, we are still friends, and you would always be missed.”

“Thank you, but you looked like you needed some time without having to think about me.”

“Well, it’s in the past now. Let us not remember that, my friends,” Moon remembered something, “Rarity, why don’t you tell Fluttershy what you are working on? Surely, it is more interesting than reminiscing about what has already been done.”

“Oh, this little thing?” Rarity looked back at the unfinished dress. “It is just something I started doing in my spare time so as not to get too rusty.” Moon lifted a brow. “Okay, it’s a dress for Princess Celestia to wear when she speaks to the ponies again. I just want to see her shine in that moment. Please, don’t tell her just yet!”

“My lips are sealed,” Moon promised. “Do you need help? Perhaps fabrics? Or another tailor?”

“No, no. Not for the moment. I was weighing whether gems would look good, but I think it’s better to do without the extravagants. Princess Celestia needs a dress that highlights her natural beauty, not distract from it.”

Moon glanced at Fluttershy,
“Would it be alright if we watched you work?”

“Don’t you have important work?” Rarity reluctantly asked.

“Nothing that cannot be delayed. It seems I have just missed Luna, and without speaking to her, I would rather not make undue haste.”
Moon proceeded to summon a luxurious red sofa and immediately laid on it, still leaving space for comparatively diminutive Fluttershy,
“Just pretend we are not here.”

Rarity reluctantly returned to work, but her apprehension soon evaporated. She adored the attention and did her best to make a good showing. Rarity thrived under pressure, and her work went swifter. In a few hours, Rarity had already finished the back stitch and was ready to decide how the dress would sit.

Another knock on the door,
“Rarity! Are you in there?” Twilight’s voice rang from behind the door.

“The door is unlocked, darling. Please don’t yell,” Rarity hummed.

Twilight quickly got into the room and closed the door behind her before widening her eyes slightly, noticing Rarity wasn’t alone,
“Hello, Twilight,” Moon smiled at her warmly. “Fluttershy and I were keeping Rarity company.”

“I see… When did you come back?”

“Not so long ago. Come on, Twilight, is this really what you want to ask me now? Fluttershy, it looks like poor Twilight has forgotten you already,” Moon teased, using her magic to tenderly scratch one of the pegasus’ ears.

“N-no… It’s just that Daybreaker and Luna were waiting for you, but Luna had to leave before you came back, and Sergeant Blackhoof said he had a report for you.”

“Is that so? Did he give you the details?”

“No, he said it was for your ears only.”

“Considering he is here, he would have to report success. Oh, Blackhoof, he is still as devoted as always, so much so that he forgets that he doesn’t need my orders to start thinking.
“I already know what he has to say. I already have dreamers asking for my aid, which means that the batfolk are already spreading the message I asked them to spread. This way, I need not force myself on the ponies, and those that wish to see me would come out of their own volition.”

“Oh dear. Knowing what they think about you, it must be really exciting for them.” Fluttershy spoke up.

“Doubtlessly. That is why I chose them. If they must treat me as something a base as a god, they might as well do something good with it.
“Now then, I see that my presence distracts you from what you should be doing. I shall go and find my sister and Celestia. As for you, I forbid you from leaving this room for at least an hour. Speak to each other. You have not seen Fluttershy for a long time, and you have much to tell her.”

“But-”

“I will not hear of it! Your tasks can wait. Your friends cannot,” Moon gave Fluttershy a goodbye pat and stood up from her sofa. “I will see you all in a while.”

Stepping outside, Moon stood still for a moment, pondering. Her sister will undoubtedly run her ear with her usual speech of how reckless Moon is and that they should take it more slow. Moon was frankly tired of hearing it. Daybreaker meant well, but she just couldn’t see beyond her fear. It was true that Moon hadn’t yet mastered her new power, but she knew enough to understand that she was given it for a reason, and she would not progress unless faced with actual odds.

Celestia, on the other hoof, was a different matter. She was as amazed at Moon’s abilities as everyone else, but Celestia seemed less wary. Moon wanted to take Celestia back to the thestral church, which would make a useable seat for her government. Thestrals would obey her if Moon ordered them to.

Moon ventured to find the white alicorn; she would be here, close to her pupil. But before she proceeded, she spotted another one.

“Silver Shine,” she whispered the stallion's name. He was having a meal with his squad, chatting without a care in the world. Moon smiled serenely. She never wanted him to be a soldier, but she was glad to see he was making friends. He lifted his eyes from his mess and looked directly at her, his face lit up with child-like awe.

She approached the soldiers, her jewelry chiming. She glanced over at the other troopers: Blackhoof, White Nose, and Bramble Juice, although he didn’t like his full name.

The others started moving,
“Please, don’t stand up. I only came to express my gratitude to Blackhoof, my dutiful protector. You have done admirably at your task. Now I may act through those who would come to me willingly.”

“It is our pleasure to serve, My Lady!” Blackhoof proudly said what he thought he was supposed to say. His two friends enthusiastically nodded.

“Your captain wastes your talents. From your performance in both battle and your assignment I can see that you are meant for leadership. As for you, White Nose and Bramble Juice, I commend your bravery. I will speak of it to your Captain. As for you, Silver Shine, I am deeply disappointed.”
The stallion looked up at her in disbelief; his jaw was slightly ajar.
“Your father has sacrificed much so that you would have a better life, and you have wasted his effort,” her pendants chimed a somber tune in the wind. “So, newly-made killer, did you enjoy the fighting you desired?”

Silver Shine was stunned; Blackhoof spoke first,
“My Lady, Silver is as good as any soldier I ever served with. He was just as brave.”

“Do not sully my appreciation of you by defending him. You know as well as I what his father’s thoughts would have been. Why are you here, Silver Shine? Are you seeking glory? Adventure?”

“I wanted to be with you!” he fired out. “Ever since I worked as a mailpony in your Palace, I wanted to be in the Guard, like Father! I thought it was the least I could do after all you did for us!”

A deep frown crossed Moon’s face; she knew this moment would come one day. She only hoped it would be at a better time,
“I did what I had to to to undo the injustice you have suffered over my actions,” Moon said dryly.
“I have failed you and thousands more of my subjects as the Empress. I have allowed myself to shirk my duties in favor of improving my personal life. I have restored my relationship with my sisters, but you have suffered for it. Your father has suffered his injuries due to my desire to bask in the glory of conquest, your poverty was the result of my negligence of lawmaking, and your mother’s death is due to my failure to provide healthcare even to my most loyal subjects. All three were easily preventable had I done what I was supposed to. I can offer you all the riches you may imagine and even bring your loved ones back to life, but I cannot undo the suffering I have caused. Your gratitude is misplaced, and my failures deserve no excuses.”

Silver stared at her silently before looking back down into his mess canteen,
“Father would be upset if he knew you blamed yourself,” Silver said flatly. “He was ashamed to be the only one to ever be discharged from the Guard because of an injury. He thought it was due to his own carelessness.”

“Your father was one of my most devoted guardsponies; that sounds like him,” Moon nodded sadly with a jiggle of her jewels. “Which makes this all the more tragic. I did not deserve such loyalty from him.”

“He also said that he was in love with you. After Mother died, that is. He knew he could never be with you, of course… but he wanted to serve you at least. The fact he couldn’t was eating him alive, thinking he failed in life up until he died. I wanted to do this for him, to succeed where he couldn’t.”

Moon narrowed her eyes and tilted her head; her pendants jiggled a chord. Her sadness was now mixed with curiosity. The three other soldiers now stared at Silver as if he had two heads,
“To succeed where your father could not. Silver Shine, are you attempting to court me?”

“I… Would you accept if I did?” he stammered out, looking her directly in the eyes, hoping she would see the rest of what he meant to tell.

Moon’s first instinct was to reject him as an unworthy commoner, but she did not wish to be so callous.

“You know not what you are wishing for. There is a reason why royalty keeps away from commoners such as yourself. Our lives are not meant to intertwine. You will grow old and die while I will remain forevermore in mourning. We are bound by a covenant that only ends with death, and for me, not even then. You will not find what you seek in me. Find a common mare for yourself, someone you could grow old with and have foals. You can yet have what I am not allowed to have. True happiness does not lie with power and titles; those things will only make you miserable,” Moon had to make an effort for her voice to not break or stutter. She needed him to understand. Her soldiers looked up at her with surprise, while Silver simply stared at her.

“But it doesn’t have to be like this! You are a goddess now! A real one, not whatever the batponies think you are! No one needs to die anymore!”

“No. I cannot,” Moon shook her head, sending her pendants flying around her head. “With power as great as this, I must be as greatly cautious. Immortality is a great burden, and I will wish it for no one else. Not my sisters, not my greatest servants, not you. Someday, they all will die, and in that, their every moment is precious. One day, you will die too, and you should await that time, not run from it, for with eternal life comes eternal sacrifice and eternal pain, and death is the only escape.”

Silver wanted to retort, even standing up from his seat, but he could not find the words.

“Heed me, Silver Shine: it is better this way. Forget me; you are worthy of a better lot,” Moon turned around to leave the stallion to come to terms with rejection. She only made one step before meeting the eyes of Princess Mi Amore, staring at her. Of course, she would not be the Princess of Love if she did not know.

“At least go on a date once or twice in your life; it’d do you some good,” Cadence says with a sigh.

“This is not the time,” Moon said, walking past Cadance to find Celestia. “I must focus on the ponies, not my own wishes.”

“That’s a copout, and you know it.”

“It will always be truth even if it is. We are almost prepared. I have found a place ready for Celestia to assert her rulership. I will then have Luna direct me to the next meeting of the Bureau so that I can demonstrate the benefits we offer.”

“What if they refuse?”

“Then we will work with those ponies that do not. They cannot prosecute us, which means they cannot stop us. We have no need for violence and can afford to be patient.”

“And after it is done, will you give the poor colt a chance?”

Moon glanced at Cadance; her face was serious,
“Have you not heard me?”

“We both know what a load of horseaples your speech was. You wanted him to feel less bad because you refused him due to not being an alicorn. You know why that was wrong.”

“...I suppose you are right. I will give him a chance. Even if I doubt his ability to capture my heart.”

“For that to ever happen, you need to try. Shining Armor isn’t an alicorn, either. Don’t you think we are a good pair?” Moon pondered; Cadence was right, bar for a single detail… one day, he will die, and that will crush Cadance.

“Cadance, Shining Armor will leave you one day. Are you not afraid of that?”

“I am. Of course I am. But I refuse to let it ground me. The moments we share now are with me forever, while fear and loss are temporary. I meant what I said: going on a date will do you good even if nothing comes out of it. Love is one of the highlights of life.”

“I remember how Luna felt about Sombra,” Moon reminisced. “I don’t remember a time when she was happier; it was as if nothing could bring her sorrow… until Sombra broke her heart. I would have killed that bastard a second time if I could,” Moon finished bitterly.

“Well, now you can,” Cadence said dispassionately. “Will you?”

“No…” Moon said with a deep sigh.

“I am glad. Sombra loves Auntie, even if he has a very destructive way of acting on it. Maybe we should help him.”

“Maybe. One day. For now, I must speak to Celestia about my arrangements. Do you wish to hear?”

“I do. Let’s get this over with.”

Moon and Cadance met with Celestia and Daybreaker; both were rattled to some extent… both fearful. Moon brought all four of them to the Cathedral and introduced them. Thestrals were wary of the Princesses despite Moon’s instruction. After the introductions were done, Moon quickly left, leaving Celestia to rule her tiny fief and leaving her several notebooks for use as required.

“Sister, I worry for you,” Daybreaker spoke up once they settled in the Castle. “You act as if you are not yourself. You were ever cautious and pondered every decision you made, but now you rush ahead without much thought or caution. You could make a crucial mistake or cause damage to your realm. I do not understand where this change came from. It is not like you to fail at wielding power.”

“Sister, sister, sister,” Moon singsonged, plopping down into the sea of summoned pillows. “When will you learn to see the big picture? What do I have to be cautious about? I can no longer fail, regardless of what I set my mind to. As much as I try to uproot the notion, thestrals may as well be right about my divinity now, if not in spirit than in power. Besides, you have your own duties. Have you chosen yourself aides as I instructed?”

“I did… but among the Changelings, there were no suitable candidates, not without combing through Crystal Empire at least. But Moon, I insist: you are being reckless. I do not how yet, but you are inviting doom by being so hasty.”

Moon smiled warmly,
“Thank you for being so caring. But I promise, nothing can happen I won’t be able to rectify with some effort. Trust in me, just like you always did before.”

“I… I hope you are right. I will try not to worry so much; I know I should have more faith. I will try to focus on taking care of my charges now.”

“As you should. Now, then, I have new duties to attend to. I have given the ponies a way of contacting me directly, and I am already receiving prayers. I will start answering them now. I will see you in a few hours,” Moon said, opening a tear and disappearing into the dream realm.