Tipped Scales

Two sisters stood upon a balcony of a massive castle. The elder watched as the younger used her magic to bring the moon above the horizon. Slowly, the deep violet of dusk gave way to the darkness of night and the stars made themselves visible in the night sky. The cool glow of the full moon cast itself on the world below.

“Couldn't have done it better myself,” the elder said with a smile. The younger turned and smiled back.

“Truly? Or are you just trying to make me feel good about myself again?”

“Luna, you know I wouldn't lie to you.” She turned and began heading back inside, Luna following behind.

“I know, but.. sometimes I wonder if you still see me as a filly and feel a need to compliment me on successes.” Celestia chuckled a little and shook her head.

“Would you prefer I not compliment you?”

“Well.. no, but..”

“Then what's the problem?” Luna sighed and climbed on to her bed.

“I don't want to be treated like a filly. I'm almost old as you when you had to...” Her voice trailed off at the end, but Celestia knew exactly what she meant to say. She turned to Luna as she approached the door.

“Luna, I will always see you as my little sister, but.. I will try to pay more attention to how I behave. Alright?” The blue alicorn nodded slowly.

“I guess..”

“Good. Will I see you in the morning?” Luna nodded and Celestia smiled. “Have a good night. And remember that I love you, sister.” Celestia took her leave as Luna smiled a little as well, reaching out for one of the many books piled beside her bed.

As Celestia walked through the halls of the castle, she found her thoughts drifting back to Luna. Maybe she was treating her a bit like a filly. Still, she only wanted to make sure history didn't repeat itself. She loved Luna, after all, and it would only break her heart more if she had to send the young alicorn back into lunar imprisonment. Her focus returned to the present as she approached her own bedroom. As she reached for the door, a horrible pain split through her head. A hoof instinctively shot up to her temple and her eyes snapped shut as the pain gave way to a pulsing ache. She staggered a little and leaned against the door. The guards took notice.

“Headache again, Princess?” one of them asked. She nodded and she gritted her teeth against another sharp jab. “Shall I fetch the doctor, Princess?” She shook her head slowly.

“No.. No that's not necessary. I'll be.. fine.” She reached for the door again, opening it and staggering into her room. “Just.. make sure I am not bothered.”

“Understood, Princess.” The door closed and latched loudly as she walked slowly to her bed. Her various jewelry and trinkets became strewn about the floor as she shed them haphazardly. She crawled onto her bed and held her head as the pain started to ebb away, only to stab her again, stronger each time.

This had been going on for close to a month now. The first incident had come during the rising of the sun and she had nearly dropped it. Luckily, it found its way into the sky before she collapsed from the pain and had to be taken to the castle infirmary. The pain left as quickly as it had come and the doctors could not find anything wrong with her. She was in perfect health. Putting it off as a freak incident, she continued on until another splitting headache came upon her about a week later. When the doctors examined her during her episode, they were absolutely baffled. Without a cause, they could do nothing for their princess. She would just have to endure. Since then, the pain had been increasing in frequency and intensity. And most recently, just before the pain stopped, she could swear she heard someone talking.

She slowly opened her eyes as she sprawled across her bed. Her vision was blurred and she could barely make out the furniture in her room. A tear ran down her cheek and she shut her eyes tightly as another fierce jab shot through her head. Her thoughts were a clouded mess with this pain. Concentration was impossible. She whimpered softly to herself as she blinked through her pained tears.

“Why is this happening to me?” she quietly asked herself. She gasped suddenly as another spike of agony was driven through her head. Her ears rang loudly and though only her head was affected by the pain, the rest of her felt numb. Amidst the ringing in her ears, she could hear speaking, but the message was corrupted by that awful noise. She slowly opened one eye. The room was a garbled mess of color.

She felt the pain prodding at her head again and braced herself for another stab. The pain suddenly spiked and she was briefly aware of a loud noise before she fell unconscious.

Beep.

The sound roused Celestia from her slumber.

'Ohh... my head.. I must've passed out..'

Beep.

'At least the pain isn't as bad anymore..'

Beep

'How long was I out for? What about Luna? Does she know what happened?'

Beep.

'This... this isn't my bed. Where am I?'

Beep.

'And what keeps making that noise?'

She slowly opened her eyes a little bit and was immediately blinded by the light of the room. It didn't help that the room was white. She blinked a few times to get used to the strange brightness and looked around. She was in the Canterlot hospital, by the look of it. The strange beeping noise was then identified as a heart monitor that was connected to her. 'Still alive, at least,' she mused. Her gaze traveled around the room. She was alone, apparently, but she suddenly understood why. She was in intensive care.

She stretched a little and tried to a get a little more comfortable. She went to move the sheets that covered her using magic, but a searing pain shot through her head when she tried. She hissed loudly and shut her eyes tightly, a single tear escaping. When the pain ebbed away, she slowly opened her eyes and glanced up at her horn. It was wrapped in bandages.

'Oh no.. without my magic..'

“Oh my, Princess! You're awake!” came a surprised voice. Celestia looked down at the door to see a doctor come rushing in. “How are you feeling? You gave us quite a fright!”

“I.. feel a little pain in my head. But otherwise I'm fine.” She thought for a second as the doctor nodded, checking her vitals. “What exactly happened, Doctor...?” Her memory failed her for a moment.

“Pureheart. Doctor Pureheart. And as to what happened.. we're not entirely sure. The guards who stood outside your door could probably tell you more about what went on in your room, but as for medically what happened.. It seems like a textbook case of inpotentiorem magicae.” Celestia's eyes grew wide.

“A magic overload? But how? And why?” She leaned back on her bed and tried to take this in.

“Well.. I'm sorry, your Highness, but that's what it appears to be. However, due to your.. status.. it was on a much more powerful scale than what we usually see. It caused some damage to your horn as well, as you can probably feel.” Celestia was only half listening.

How had she lost control of her magic? Such occurances usually only happened to young fillies who tried magic beyond their ability. Had it been her headache that brought this on? It was the only logical answer, really, but it was so farfetched. She was the Princess of the Sun, after all. Why would a headache cause her to overload?

“Um... your Highness?” Celestia blinked and looked down at the doctor. “I'm sorry to say this, but... with the damage to your horn, I don't think you'll be in any fit condition to raise the sun for a while.”

“WHAT?!” She sat up suddenly from the shock, the heart monitor beeping like crazy as her heart raced. “But... only I have the power to raise it! If I can't raise the sun, then what's going to happen to the rest of Equestria?!” The doctor sighed. She had expected this.

“I'm sorry, Princess Celestia, but it has to happen. I did happen to talk to Princess Luna while you were sleeping. She said she could potentially take control of the sun while you recover, much as you did with the moon when she was imprisoned.”

“But-”

“No buts, Princess. I apologize for my brashness, but if you use any magic in your current state, your horn may potentially be damaged beyond repair.” Celestia felt a coldness seep through her body and she slumped back against her pillows.

“..May I speak to my sister about this?” The doctor nodded.

“I see no reason not to. In fact, if all you feel is a slight pain in your head, then there really is no reason why you can't return to your normal day to day business.” Celestia nodded and began to get out of the bed before the doctor stopped her with one hoof. “However, Princess, I beg you. Do not use your magic. It is imperative that you let your horn heal completely.” The princess nodded hesitantly.

“Very well.. As much as it pains me to do so, I will refrain from magic.” The doctor smiled and helped Celestia to her hooves.

“I shall send one of my nurses to tend to your needs while you recover. Your bandages must be changed daily.”

“Thank you, Doctor Pureheart.” The doctor bowed before her.

“It is a pleasure to serve you, Princess Celestia, though I admittedly wish it were under better circumstances that we meet.” Celestia smiled.

“As do I.” And with a final thank you, Celestia left the doctor. As she made her way out of the hospital, she received worried looks from other patients and their visitors. She stopped and greeted a few of them on her way, bringing smiles to those she talked with. When she finally made it back into the main castle, she made her way quickly to Luna's room.