Of Empires and Princessdoms

I staggered into the ballroom, eliciting gasps from the few ponies who were still partying. In mere moments the guards were upon us, checking her vitals before attempting to use magic on her. Obviously it failed due to the nullstone contamination, and so they simply put her on a stretcher the hard way. A guard then approached me, spear at the ready.

"Until we can verify precisely what happened to the princess, you're coming with us," he stated. I was about to comply, until he pulled out a pair of manacles.

"I don't think those will be necessary. I have no intention of running," I said, staring at the cuffs in his hands.

"It's protocol, sir."

"For a witness who has only been compliant thus far? I doubt that. Just lead me to wherever you need me to be."

His response was to wave over more guards. I simply rolled my eyes before snapping my fingers.

Energy coursed through me before I teleported directly outside of Celestia's rooms. The guards on either side of her door stared dumbfounded as I knocked hard. When she didn't respond, I teleported the short distance to the other side of her door, and lit the candles with a snap. Unfortunately that depleted my psionic reserves for the next day or so. It would take time to siphon more energy from beyond the Veil.

"Celestia? I apologize for waking you but something has... occurred," I spoke, as she awoke with a start at the sudden light.

"Wu-wh- Lux? What's going on?" the princess replied sleepily, rubbing her bleary eyes with her hooves.

"Poison. It was intended for me, but Luna and I shared the dri-" I began, only to be cut off as Celestia suddenly shot awake.

"What happened to Luna!?" she shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. I flinched as her magenta eyes took on a rage I would never have believed her to be capable of. I could have sworn her mane began to smolder.

"As I was saying, a poison mixed with nullstone. She is safe, but the stuff did a number on her before I could intervene. She's currently asleep and likely heading for the medical ward," I finished explaining.

"Put a hand on my neck," she commanded. Normally I wouldn't take kindly to demands, but I complied. Not every day you hear your sister almost died, after all. I was disoriented by a sudden teleport, and we appeared next to a group of guards escorting the unconscious Luna towards the castle doctors. Celestia visibly relaxed upon seeing her sister, though she glared at a pair of guards who began moving to apprehend me. Seems it was worth it to wake her.

"Report. I assume you're locking down the castle?" Celestia asked one of guards.

"Your Highness, the one next to you returned with your sister, who was unconscious, after slipping out of the ballroom for an indeterminate period of time. She appears to now be fine physically, although there were traces of nullstone earlier that have since disappeared. Magical diagnosis reveals her to apparently be in the best health she has ever been, according to prior examinations. However, some unidentified substance is currently in her bloodstream. It appears benign though. And yes, princess, the castle is currently under lockdown. You may want to make an appearance to calm the nobility," the guard reported, even as we continued down the halls. They still shot me the odd suspicious glance when they believed Celestia to not be looking.

"Then I shall do so. Send a letter to Captain Armor, tell him he and Cadance are to return to Canterlot immediately. Lux, you're with me. We shall see if we can't identify the servant who gave you your drink. Perhaps she can give us additional information."

"As you say," I replied with a nod. I swayed slightly, before catching my balance. It appeared that the poison had a greater effect than I thought. I felt my heart rate increase and strength quickly gather as a small cocktail of chemicals was administered throughout my body from my nanites. A temporary fix, but I could sleep after we caught whoever poisoned my drink.

Thus did Celestia and I continue the night. Guards marched along, patrolling the halls for any intruders while pegasi squadrons soared above the castle. Celestia talked to the assembled nobility, and while obviously not pleased with being forced to remain within the castle, they at least didn't openly defy their ruler. Unfortunately, the hunt for any sign of the perpetrator remained unfruitful. Likely they made their escape before the castle was placed on high alert, and whoever it was did not have an entry in castle's hiring records. With that, Celestia and I decided to take breakfast right before dawn. Guards were copying and distributing copies of a sketch based on my description, so all we could do now was wait.

"So, how did you save my sister? Not to say I am not thankful of course, but I am curious," Celestia asked as she ate some pancakes that she cooked for us herself. They were quite good, though how she found the energy on half a night's rest and under such stress was beyond me. I'd have at most poured myself a bowl of cereal before crawling into bed, at this stage.

"Tiny little machines that can do a whole slew of things. Blood filtration amongst them. They're what have kept me alive and physically young for so long, and they can heal a person from anything short of complete vaporization. Provided they have time to complete their work, and parts of the body are relatively close to one another."

"Your lifespan isn't natural?" she asked, slightly wide-eyed.

"Wait, yours is? The average human has a natural lifespan of around 75, add in modern medical care and you can easily hit three hundred. Most don't go beyond that though."

"Then why have you, and why haven't others.?"

I frowned at the question. It was difficult to explain, unless...

"Celestia, do you ever feel thin? Like, as if you've been stretched across an massive gap you cannot possibly fill, but somehow do anyways?" I asked. It was a rhetorical question, her eyes had given me the answer to that a long time ago. She nodded. "Some can last longer than others, but there's a sort of wall that exists. An age sentients hit where they simply seem to simply be too tired to go on. To be honest I hit that point a very, very long time ago. And yet..." I waved around my hand, looking for the correct word.

"You feel an obligation to stay. It's the same with me and my little ponies. They become like your children, and you feel the need to protect them. Even after it feels like you simply cannot go on," Celestia finished for me.

"Indeed."

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Celestia asked the question I had no doubt was burning in her mind this whole time.

"So, why were you and Luna alone in the gardens?"

"After talking with Fancy Pants for quite some time, I noticed she had left. After asking around, I followed her trail to the gardens, by a fountain we had talked near once."

"That doesn't answer my question, really."

"She wasn't feeling welcomed in the ball she was hosting. So she chose to leave, in order to make the rest of the nobility a little more comfortable," I replied with a frown, an expression Celestia soon wore as well.

"I had thought this issue resolved within Canterlot at least... Surely spending so much time near her would have warmed them up to her."

I looked up at her, and with a sigh I began to explain things from my perspective.

"She has no place here, the ponies practically worship you while reviling her as a monster, probably thanks to the holidays you have about her as the Nightmare. Her speech is archaic, her mannerisms strange, and she sleeps during the day so most ponies never see her. And to top it all off, she doesn't rule as a Diarch. At best she's an advisor, seeing as few approach her with matters of import. Really it's the exact same as what I read regarding the situation a thousand years ago, except she has resolved to simply endure in silence for your sake."

A single a tear rolled down her cheek. She closed her eyes and set her head down onto the table, some of her hair ending up in pancake syrup.

I went over and laid a hand on her withers. It was a difficult situation with her sister, most definitely.

"How much of a foal must I be to not realize what I have been doing to Luna for the second time? And why must I hear it from a random alien of all people?"

"It's easy to be blind to someone's suffering when the only time you see her is when either you or her are sleep deprived."

"Even so, I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, she'd share with me some of her pain."

"And burden her big sister, who already has so much stress? Better to simply endure and try to find small victories where possible."

"She doesn't actually believe that, does she? I failed her once before, and I would never let my duties interfere with our relationship again."

"Even so, she feels a sense of obligation. To make things right on her own, without outside aid. To atone."

"And how can you speak for her? What do you know, after only chatting for a few nights?"

I frowned, and looked at the slowly setting moon.

"Everything and nothing, I suppose," I replied simply. She scowled at my non-answer, but I wasn't intent on clarifying. I silently slipped back into my chair.

"As much as I hate it, perhaps there is a place for proper guard reform," she said suddenly. I raised an eyebrow, before she continued, "You said she lacks a place here, and you are correct. Truth be told I've avoided it for centuries, but I can feel the times changing. Such a bold attempt to kill someone within my castle precipitates worse, I fear."

"Indeed it does. Odd how quick whoever tried to kill me was in making a move. They have agents inside, and quite a few of them too."

"I will inform Luna that she is to resume her role in organizing the defenses of Equestria when she wakes up," she then looked at me as she stood up, "And thank you, Lux. Even if it was meant for you, you still saved the most important pony in my world from death. Do not think I will forget this."

She then walked out, and I soon followed. As the moon finally dipped below the horizon, the sun began to raise in its brilliance. I walked towards the clinic within the castle, and with a bit of arguing, I finally got to where I wanted.

I settled into a chair at Luna's bedside, sword point down between my legs. Out of curiosity I plucked a short book off a shelf filled with thin volumes and magazines. 'A Noble's Guide to Modern Equestrian Etiquette.' I began reading, interested in pony society. It appeared almost exactly the same as old Terran concepts of propriety, with some uniquely pony additions. Such as the fact that flowers were given less for beauty, and more for their flavor.

I continued my reading, half-attentive as I thought about the events of the past day. Obviously whoever had attacked was capable of refining concentrated cyanide, and had access to nullstone. In the wider galaxy it was fairly rare, but perhaps it was common in Equestria. Regardless, due to the anti-magic properties, it was likely a well regulated substance in a magic-reliant society.

Most importantly though, who would even go through the effort of trying to kill me so soon? And in such an aggressive manner? Really there was only two options. Either somebody was in utter fear of me simply due to being an alien.

Or somebody knew me and my history.

My thoughts were interrupted by a thrashing alicorn next to me.

---- Luna ----

I awoke with a need to scratch my nose. I began to reach up a hoof, when suddenly I felt my entire body.

Everything itched, from my hooves to my horn. I began to scratch myself all over, when I realized it wasn't just the outside but the inside as well. It was like a billion ants were crawling under my skin, in my intestines, and I swore I could feel an odd hum in my ears. All decorum was thrown aside as I thrashed in my bed, desperation setting in as I attempted to scratch an itch that couldn't be scratched.

Then, I was suddenly in the air, and I heard a muffled voice. I looked towards the source of the voice and saw Lux standing there, saying something. I simply looked on in confusion, unable to hear for some reason. He quickly caught on, and mouthed the words, 'I can help, just stay still.'

Exercising all of my willpower, I ignored the itchiness. The feeling of something foreign inside, moving around. I saw as he took out some kind of metal cylinder, and attached it behind my left ear. A sharp feeling of pain quickly subsided where the cold metal was placed, and I felt tears well up from the effort it was taking to sit still as these things writhed about. Soon my body began to feel oddly numb however, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the itchiness subsided. Finally, I heard Lux speak behind me.

"Can you hear me alright Luna?"

"We can hear thee perfectly well," I replied. I was quite curious as to why he was in my chambers. While my nightmare last night of dying to poison was indeed horrifying, enough that the Tantabus didn't make an appearance, I doubted my tossing and turning was worthy of him sitting at my bedside.

"Good, good. Hopefully all the nullstone should be completely filtered out soon," he replied. Without opening his mouth. And I realized that his voice wasn't coming from behind, but rather inside my own head. He appeared to notice my change in expression, and said aloud, "I just gave you a brain implant. One that allows you to subconsciously control the nanite swarm flowing in your blood right now. Nothing quite as advanced as what I have, but still useful. Most importantly it'll prevent your body from trying to kill the nanites, which is what that itching was. Itching that would've turned to fever and then death. Unfortunately I needed you conscious to install the implant, hence why you had to feel that."

"How... how did we survive if the events truly were not a dream? We felt ourselves slipping into the cold beyond..." I asked, shuddering at the feeling. I had been injured on many occasions, including being knocked out, but nothing compared to the near finality of the unconsciousness I felt coming upon me during those moments.

"Same stuff that keeps me trucking at the ripe old age of... however old I am. Tiny little robots that replace dead flesh, make your innards that became outtards back into innards again, fight diseases, and a slew of other pleasant benefits. They repaired your insides, filtered the remaining poison out of your blood, and also took care of any pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately the process takes a bit of energy still, hence you were sleeping so long."

"We appear to be in thy debt, human. We thank thee," I replied, the idea of what exactly he just said being unbelievable. I tried desperately not to think about machines in my blood. In my head.

In my mind.

"Think nothing of it. Besides, believe I owe you two last I counted. Means I just owe you one now. Not to mention you wouldn't have been poisoned if I wasn't here..."

"That may be so, but were you not present, we would be lacking one of our dearest friends. Something we have precious few of," I said, looking at Lux. It was quite entertaining to see how he smiled at being called 'friend.' It seemed his kind didn't place much emphasis on friends. Or he was like me, alone aside from one or two other ponies despite attempts to be friendly.

"I suppose that's true. Though I must say, I think you could be improving on that front just by speaking as you did after getting emotional last night. Feels less like talking to a walking history book."

"We-I think you may be right. For too long have w-I have hid behind a comfort blanket of tradition," I replied, though it was unusually difficult to slip out of the royal 'we.' Usually it wasn't even for use outside of when addressing commoners, but since my return I had been using it near constantly. Even with my own sister. Despite this... mental block, I managed.

"Much better. By the way, Celestia said you're back on defense organization. You're to resume your duties as they were prior to your exile to the moon. Only took you nearly dying for her to cave."

My initial excitement at the prospect of finally having something to do was soon overshadowed by dread. Something more had happened beyond this attempt on my life. As much as she loved me, such a dramatic move over a failed assassination attempt was not like her. She'd quietly enhance the guard force of course, and hire poison sniffers from the Diamond Dogs, but something this dramatic?

"You know, I thought you'd be far more excited about the idea. Field Marshal Luna, back at it again," Lux said, standing and spreading his arms at the last part in a grand gesture.

"I have no idea what thou means by a 'Field Marshal,' but this is quite strange. Tia would never so boldly set a change such as this in motion without significant impetus. Mine sister is terrified by something else," I replied. Lux nodded in agreement.

"That tracks with what I know of her. Perhaps she'll trust you with such knowledge."

"One can hope."

I noticed as suddenly Lux began to sway, and I looked at him with concern.

"Looks like the stimulants are wearing off. Catch me, if you would," he said, before beginning to collapse onto the floor. I quickly grabbed him in my magic, before gently placing him back into his chair at my side. A quick spell ensured his sleep was dreamless and restful. Soon I felt the need to sleep coming on once more as well, and I slipped back into unconsciousness.