Tipping the Scales

Time: 8:00 P.M. Location: Canterlot Castle

The radiant princess of the Sun slowly made her way out onto the balcony of her royal bedchambers. The day had come to a close, and it was time for Celestia to perform her long practiced duty of setting the sun. Taking a deep breath the Alicorn looked into the pink hued sky, becoming lost in its mesmerizing beauty. Looking over to her left she was greeted by the sight of her sister, Princess Luna. The night goddess was also looking towards Celestia as they shared a heartfelt smile. Looking back towards the sky Celestia gracefully shut her eyes, concentrating on the task ahead. Celestia’s horn began to produce a great gold aura, lighting the balcony in a bright pool of luminescence. She held the spell for no more than ten seconds before opening her eyes once more. The pink hue had been replaced by a tranquil canvas of stars, all laid upon a violet sky. In the distance, the Moon hung proudly in its orbit, illuminating the world below with a faint glow. Celestia after admiring the scenery turned to see Luna had joined her on the terrace. She walked up to her sister and joined the sibling in a short embrace before facing her to speak.

“I must compliment you Luna. Your night is as beautiful as ever,” Celestia said appraisingly.

“Thank you sister for your kind words, they do truly mean a lot,” Luna responded.

“Well, I always give credit where it’s due.”

“I thank you again, Tia.”

“Well I suppose I should retire to my chambers. This day has been rather taxing has it not?”

“Yes, I did not think I would be able to make it through our appointment with the griffon hierarchs.”

“They certainly are a stubborn bunch.” The two shared a short laugh before composing themselves.

“Well goodnight to you, sister, I hope you sleep well.”

“Goodnight, Luna,” Celestia said as she made her way back into her bedchambers.

“Goodnight, Celestia,” Luna replied as she pounced up and glided back to her own chambers. Landing with a soft thud the night princess slowly made her way inside.

“Hmm, I wonder what there is to do. Night court isn’t meeting this evening, so there’s nothing there. I guess I could pick up on my history readings, no that’s a tad too dull. Hmm…” Luna paced in her room as she pondered for a way to entertain herself. After a few brief moments passed her telescope had caught her eye. Walking over to it she shortly examined it, making sure everything was properly calibrated.

“Yes, it has been quite a while since I have checked my star charts.” Luna made her way over to a shelf in the corner grabbing what appeared to be a large tome with a picture of a star cluster embroidered on the cover. Trotting back over to the telescope she had laid the book on a short stool next to her. Concentrating her magic Luna opened that chart book, rapidly flipping pages while attempting to find her desired section.

“Ah, here we are. Quadrant Beta Seven, let’s have a look shall we?” Luna leaned into the viewing end of the telescope. Her vision was suddenly filled with a magnified night sky. Periodically looking from her charts to the telescope she checked to make sure everything was mapped and labeled accurately.

“Hmm yes that seems right. Yes…yes well everything seem to be in proper-” Luna had lost her train of thought as she noticed a small light building in her vision. “Well, that is rather odd…” The light had begun to intensify as the anomaly grew in size.

“What in the name of the Moon is that thing?” Luna mused to herself while continuing to examine the mysterious object. Suddenly the room began to lightly vibrate, shaking some of the objects off their shelves. Luna looked around worriedly as the chamber continued to move around her. Looking back to the telescope the princess had to pull away. The light had now completely engulfed the lens. Nodding upward, Luna could now see a faint glow outside her balcony window. Curiosity got the best of her as she swiftly exited out onto the platform. She looked from side to side before facing upward. Luna froze at the sight before her. Up in her once calm night sky hung a massive orb, evidently hurdling towards her.

“By the stars, I must retrieve Celestia!” But before Luna could take off a deafening boom had shook the whole of the castle’s structure. The object had impacted and tore right through Canterlot’s protective barrier. The magical bubble shattered and faded away, the shards feel to the streets. The Alicorn watched as the meteorite sailed passed her and collided with Canterlot Mountain. The impact emitted a sound of shattering rock as it plowed into the mountainside. A massive could of dust was all that could be seen at the site of the impact. Not more than a moment later a loud siren sounded throughout the city. Looking down Luna saw that the courtyard had been quickly occupied by a mass exodus of both day and night guards. Pegasi began taking flight toward the crash site while unicorns and earth ponies made their way through the castle gates. Finally regaining her thoughts in the madness Luna made a dash in the air to her sister’s tower. Lading on the balcony Luna turned to see Celestia already dressing in her regalia. When Celestia gained notice of Luna she began to speak.

“Luna, did you see what happened?” Luna only nodded in the affirmative. “Then lead the way, we need to make our way to the mountain and investigate this at once.”

“Shouldn’t we address the city first? We don’t want a panic on our hooves.”

“I have already dispatched guards to handle the civilian populace. It is already taken care of.” Luna nodded once more before turning and walking back out to the balcony awaiting her sister. Celestia now fully dressed joined her sister outside. They both nodded to each other before flapping their wings hard launching themselves off the tower, and both began to head towards the mountain.