Cielo's Secret

by DijoCurry

Rating: everyone
Tags: Romance, Slice of Life
Length: 17970

After only being with Luna a few weeks Cielo gets called out to deal with a hail storm, the Princess finds herself starting to miss his company.

Luna’s dreams have returned in Cielo’s absence, a nightmarish reality courtesy of Nightmare moon; she finds herself now missing the guard she took for granted. When he returns she is quite happy to see him much to his surprise, Luna quickly notices Cielo’s injured, his wings tattered and torn. she sees him off to the Doctor on call, Upon coming out though she can tell Cielo is hiding something from her though he claims his wings are fine she can tell he is lying, unsure how bad his injuries are Luna is determined to find out what her personal guard is keeping from her.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-29 13:50:16 UTC

PROLOGUE

Groans could be heard down the halls, where the resting chambers of the Night Princess Luna resided. She rested through the days where her sister, Princess Celestia, guarded all of Equestria from the evil that may come, but sometimes evil may not be seen, nor heard anywhere; but found instead, deep inside ourselves. “N-ngh, no...” Groaned Luna in her sleep, as the nightmares of her former self, haunted her in her dreams.  “No! I am not you; I don’t want to be you. Stay away!” Luna demanded, talking in her sleep as her former self, Nightmare Moon, tries to corrupt her in her dreams. Poisoning her mind slowly, Nightmare Moon wanted nothing but to make Luna submit to her hate and jealousy once more. “Ahhh!” Luna screamed out, waking from her dream sweating profusely. She examined her surroundings while breathing heavily; she covered her face with her hooves trying to calm herself. This was not the first of Luna’s nightmares; they returned when she came back to her sister’s side and restarted her rituals of raising the moon during the night. Due to her groans and screams, rumors of the nightmares and their content began to spread throughout the Canterlot Castle. It did not take long for her over protective older sister to begin meddling in Luna’s affairs again.

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“Luna, you need a personal guard,” Insisted Princess Celestia, concerned about Luna’s nightmares. She could not confront her sister about them directly though for two reasons: one being it was all hearsay to her. Celestia had yet to hear Luna’s night terrors for herself, but trusted her guard’s word that something was ahoof. The second reason remained, mainly the fact that Luna would never admit to such a folly, the protector of dreams, unable to protect her own dreams.

“We do not need a guard to protect us, dear sister,” replied Luna with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Even if she felt she might, Luna was far too proud to admit it. “We also do not need to be protected, we can take care of ourselves now, thank you very much.” The arrogance and pride that came with her reply is what perturbed Celestia.

“It will simply be as a precaution Luna, please at the least, just one guard. I don’t want to take any more risks after the changeling attack. Luna please, I just need to be sure you will be safe,” Princess Celestia replied trying to reason with her sister.

With a look of disdain, Luna shook her head, “We do not need a guard!” Luna retorted.  “Now please, dear sister, leave us be, we have our duty to the night to uphold and we require our rest.”

Princess Celestia knew there was no dealing with Luna when she is in this state. Celestia let out a sigh of disappointment and finally left her sister’s chambers. Once Celestia left her, Luna let out a little sigh of relief before lying on her bed and closing her eyes to try and rest for what time she had until night was ready to come once more. Flashbacks of her nightmares began to haunt her as soon as she started to doze off. “Nghh not again,” Luna groaned unable to drift off due to her visions. With little option left, she forced herself to stay awake throughout the remaining day, until the night finally arrived.

The day faded away, very slowly, as Princess Celestia figured her sister had cooled down after her rest. Celestia went to check on Luna, only to see her sister in a disoriented state of mind.

“Are you…okay?” Princess Celestia asked

“We are fine sister, thank you for asking,” Luna lied as she got up wobbling. Her tone was low and agitated, “Now if you would excuse us, we have a moon to rise.”

Soon after that incident, Celestia had reached a dead end.  With nothing left to try, and no way to confront her sister without being met by a forked tongue; she resorted to snooping herself, needing to verify the claims against her sister, before taking further action. It did not take long for her to hear of what the guards spoke. Luna would scream, shout and cry out in terror as she slept and was seemingly caught in Moon’s web of deception and lies.

It was true; Celestia had noticed a change in Luna only a few weeks after Nightmare Moon’s armor was brought back to Canterlot for storage. After Luna had regained her full power this seemed different, but Celestia never thought it would be this bad. Luna’s decline really sped up, once she heard of Celestia’s plans for her student Twilight. Normally this would not have been an issue, but in Luna’s mindset, she was sure her sister was prepping Twilight to permanently take her place.

With fear and paranoia setting in, Luna’s relapse to becoming Nightmare Moon again, seemed all to certain. Celestia would now lay awake through sleepless nights, listening to her sister cry out in fear, yet powerless to help. If she tried to approach Luna, Celestia knew Luna would push her away. Any attempt to force Luna to cooperate would of course be folly; well that would only speed up the process. Celestia though, was not going to give up so easily, and as luck would have it, she hatched an idea of how to help her sister without directly getting involved. As long as she was off the radar, for the most part, it should work. Tricky as it was, Celestia had no choice but to put her trust into another.

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Another sleepless day ended for Luna, once again plagued by nightmares that she could not explain. She makes her way to the altar of the rising sun and moon, to raise the moon once more, but she was intercepted by one of her sister’s guards. “Your highness!” the guard called out.

“What do you want guard? Make it quick, we have duties of our own to complete!” Luna snapped.  She was in no mood to deal with one of her sister’s messengers. The guard flinched and hesitated a bit before replying. “P-Princess Celestia requests an audience with you, your highness.”  Although he stuttered in his reply, he managed to convey his given order.

After raising the moon, the sleepless Luna makes her way to the throne room. Upon entering, she looks at Celestia, their eyes meeting for a moment.  Celestia could tell Luna was close to her breaking point, her eyes hardly able to stay open and filled with, “Is that malice growing in her eyes?” Celestia thought.

“What is it that you request of us dear sister?” asked Luna in a sarcastic tone.

Though annoyed at how Luna talked to her, Celestia put up with it knowing giving an attitude back would be counterproductive. “Though you will not like it, I am placing a guard with you whether you want it or not; you need to understand safety must be of top concern, and I will not risk you being caught alone should another attack come.”  Celestia replied in a firm tone.

“WHAT?!” Luna exclaimed glaring daggers at her sister. She greatly disliked the idea of being protected, as she felt it makes her look weak. “We decline for the final time! Let us make this clear to you! We do not need a protector!”

“Like it or not, I will assign one to you. I had hoped you would come around on your own, but you are leaving me no choice. This guard will accompany you everywhere you go, protect you with his life. He will follow any order you give him, except one that requires him to leave your side; unless a greater duty beckons him away.” Celestia lost the bite in her voice and resorted to a more calm tone, trying to endure her sister’s burst of anger. “Cielo, please come in.” Celestia called out, looking to the hall set off to the right.

“Yes princess,” replied a sturdy built pegasus stallion in royal Canterlot armor as he walked into the throne room. The stallion took off his helmet and held it under his wing, revealing a black mane with two neon yellow stripes meeting at the widows peak of his forehead and spreading out into a V shape as they get further back. His tail had but one solid golden stripe running through it and his eyes were a unique color of bluish green.

As the stallion stood before the princesses, Princess Celestia smiled at Cielo before turning her attention back to Luna whom was not amused by any of this. “Cielo has been my trusted guard for 3 years alongside Shining Armor; he has proven his loyalty to Equestria and earned both Armor’s and my respect. I am quite sure he will be able to protect and be of great service to you.” Celestia smiled with high hopes that perhaps with such a prestigious guard ordered to her side, Luna might see that Celestia truly meant to see her safe.

At this point Luna’s anger had reached its peak, she burst out in her royal Canterlot voice “WE DO NOT NEED A GUARD!” She snapped, glaring at Celestia with hate and true malice again in her eyes.

Celestia closed her eyes and remained calm, “Like it or not, as I said, he is now your guard and will remain at your side until we can be sure the changeling threat has been dealt with, and any stragglers cleared out of Canterlot.” Cielo being in the middle of the argument, flinched the moment Luna used her Canterlot voice pinning his ears back; never in all his years had he ever heard anypony so loud as her.

“FINE,” Luna screamed angrily at the top of her lungs. Her voice was now echoing throughout the castle, “HAVE IT YOUR WAY THEN SISTER!”  She said with a bit of a hiss, as she stormed out of the throne room and out to the altar to finally raise the moon.

Celestia let out a deep sigh and looked to Cielo. “I deeply apologize for you having to witness that Cielo, but do accompany my sister. Please Cielo, I’m counting on you. I know it will be tough, but stick with her; I trust this vital task only to you.”

“Y-yes your highness, I shall not fail you!” Cielo replied as he nervously makes his way to Luna’s chambers. Cielo approached the door with caution and gave an apprehensive but sturdy knock. There was no response, for a moment Cielo thought she might still be out at the altar, but a loud crash rang out from inside after a few more seconds had passed. Without thinking, he burst in. “Your highness, are you okay!?”

Luna shot him a glare from her floor bed; a tea pot lay broken on the floor next to the door, tears clearly streaming down her cheeks. “LEAVE!” she commanded.

Cielo gulped and closed the door behind him remaining in the room and ignoring her order. “Princess, you know I can’t do that. I don’t relish the thought of you angry but… I cannot follow that order.”

“No! of course not, what would a worthless grunt like you know? Can’t think for yourself, only follow your orders blindly…pathetic,” Luna growled in disgust. Cielo pinned his ears back and shot her a glare and for a moment she seemed suppressed. “Dost thou have something to say to us?”

Cielo bit his lip and pushed his anger down keeping it in check; never in his life had he been disrespected like that. “No, no I don’t…your majesty.” He replied with a bow.

“Wise… if I must be stuck with you, then take off that armor, you won’t need it. Besides, that’s Celestia’s armor.” Luna put emphasis on her sister’s name mocking her name like a child as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “You can start by protecting me from filth,” she said pointing to a cleaning bucket, having kicked her servant out weeks ago. “I order you to clean.”

Once more, Cielo swallowed his pride as he took off his armor and neatly set it down out of the way. “Right away, Princess Luna,” and with bruised pride, he picked up the cleaning bucket.

“You may start in our powder room, then come back in and sweep up that tea kettle,” Luna pointed to the bathroom wanting to get him out of her site for now. Cielo did as he was told and disappeared into the bathroom. After about an hour, he had most of it cleaned; Cielo took his time making sure not to miss a single spot. A few more minutes passed, when suddenly Cielo’s ears perked up hearing a faint whimper coming from the bedroom. Peeking around the corner, Cielo saw Luna was tossing and turning on her floor bed, whimpering in fear. Having fallen asleep, she had fallen prey to Nightmare moon once more. Cielo walked out and watched for a moment; there was a part of him that took a little pleasure in seeing her rive helplessly, especially after the treatment he was just dealt.

The moment did not last long though; Cielo may not have liked her, but he did have a job to do, besides he knew Luna was lashing out on him because she could not do the same to her sister, her intended target. Placing his hoof on her shoulder, he gave her a shake causing her to jolt awake. For an insightful moment, her eyes met his, and he got a true glimpse of Luna for the first time. Cielo did not see a mean spirited mare, but a scared soul desperately seeking an escape; one who needed comfort and support. “Sorry to wake you princess… are you okay?”

“F-Fine,” Luna replied, her body shaking; her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.

“It was just a bad dream Princess Luna,” Cielo whispered softly. He gave Luna’s shoulder a little pat before moving down the day bed and pulling the blankets over her, tucking her in. Luna looked at Cielo unable to understand why he was being so nice.

“Did you finish cleaning?” Luna asked her voice much less aggressive now.

“Almost done in the powder room Princess, then I shall pick up the broken glass and continue to clean in here.”

“Wake me in two more hours than servant; I should really be awake,” Luna’s voice started to drift off as her eyes closed. Night after night of no sleep had caught up to her finally, “But, my eyes… won’t…” Without finishing her sentence Luna dozed back off, unable to fight any longer; though she needed sleep, she could have forced herself to stay awake. She would never admit it, but for the first time she did not fear closing her eyes. Now that there was somepony to wake her from the nightmares, Moon’s power over Luna’s dreams seemed so small.

“As you wish,” Cielo whispered with a smile. Going back to work, he finished up the bathroom and cleaned most of her room. For the first time in a long time, Luna slept soundly for the full two hours she asked for: no dreams, no nightmares, just deep sleep. Cielo woke her, as instructed, two hours later. Luna got up and showered to wake herself up a bit more. She herself was far more reserved now; she was able to get two hours of uninterrupted sleep for the first time in days. With a new-found energy, Luna once more had a foothold to fight back; making her not feel so weak. She still disliked this guard Celestia put at her side, Cielo, but she did see one good use for him. Now with Cielo at her side, perhaps she could finally start to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Part 1

Cielo’s work continued as the days passed by one after another, Luna forcing him to work as a mere servant. His nightly duties usually involved cleaning her chambers keeping it dust free along with her washroom, aside from that Cielo had to polish her armor and crown, fetch her meals and tea, make her bed and keep track of any paperwork she had to look over. Luna was taking full advantage of her new guard each day though she treated him mildly nicer she was still far from kind to him; sometimes while Cielo was cleaning Luna would get some rest, during these times Cielo would wake her should she begin to dream despite never being told to.

One such night Princess Luna started to whimper softly caught in a nightmare, hearing her Cielo came out of the washroom and went to wake her but stopped. He was sick of being treated like such scum by Luna and thought he would take his time to let her suffer a bit, standing at her bedside he watched the helpless mare whimper and struggle making him more uncomfortable with each passing second. Sure he wanted to get back at her but Luna looked to be in pain, actual pain, her whimpers growing louder and soon turned to sobbing. Cielo now felt ill with his actions seeing tears begin to form in the princess’s closed eyes.

Promptly Cielo woke her  waited no longer “Princess Luna” Cielo called to her giving her a gentle shake, his touch causing her to wake. Luna seemed confused at first almost lost as to where she was “Sorry to wake you ma’am, I think you were dreaming and not a pleasant one… sorry for waking you” Cielo bowed his head expecting to be scolded by Luna for waking her.

Luna looked at Cielo for a moment feeling a tear roll down her cheek; she quickly brushed it away and remembered her dream. The horrific sights and actions of Nightmare moon had brought her to tears for a moment “S-Shouldn’t you be cleaning” Luna asked laying her head back down and rolling over so he could not see her face.

“Yes ma’am again my apologies” Cielo replied before turning around, even though she was still being mean to him he knew he had done the right thing. Cielo started back towards the washroom when Luna called out to him.

“Thank you for waking me Cielo… but I expect you to not say anything about this to anypony. I don’t need ponies thinking I’m a baby that needs looking after” Luna’s voice was grateful but at the same time a little harsh making it clear she really cared what others thought about her at this point in time. Cielo agreed he would tell Nopony and went back to his cleaning duties.

This was not the only time Cielo would have to wake Luna during his watch; several other days yielded the same results only with seemingly less damage to Luna’s sleep. Cielo would waste no time waking her now when she was having a nightmare and after only a week of this Nightmare Moon’s ability to manipulate Luna’s dreams started to fade as the Princess of the night regained her former strength, soon Luna was able to stop her nightmares before they even began and all seemed to be going back to normal. Luna’s mood greatly improved though her and Celestia remained at odds, Luna was far from convinced her sister was not watching her waiting for her to mess up so she would have a reason to replace her once more.

Even with her mood change Cielo remained under her hoof firmly; Luna just knew that he was reporting what she did to Celestia but she could not prove it so for the time being, she settled for making his time with her as unenjoyable as it could be. Yet another week passed and not much had changed for Luna and Cielo once Luna’s dreams stopped, she was getting kinda comfy and set in her old ways again; getting back into the swing of things until one morning when Luna was settling in to rest and Cielo was getting ready to do his chores a messenger came for Cielo. He was told there was a natural storm front moving in that was categorized as too dangerous for the local weather team to handle.

Cielo had no choice but to leave Luna’s side and set off at once, his destination north of Vanhoover would see him gone for several days. Cielo, before setting off, made sure to have a replacement posted to Luna however this new stallion of hers was having none of Luna’s lip however; when told of his duties the stallion scoffed at Luna “Princess Luna I am a royal guard not your personal assistant or servant, if you want food or something cleaned hire a maid to do it. My job is to protect in the event of an attack nothing more; I’m not your lapdog”

This infuriated Princess Luna but there was nothing she could really do about it, the guard was within his rights to tell her such a thing because it was true. The way she had been treating Cielo was not something he actually had to tolerate but rather a courtesy he paid Princess Luna; angry with the new guards lip Luna slammed the door and went to bed. For the first time in over a week Luna had a nightmare once again, Nightmare Moon was mocking Luna showing her a life alone trying to convince her that she was not worth anypony’s time and that Nightmare Moon was the only true friend Luna had.

Needless to say Luna did not sleep well that night, every time she would start to fall asleep Moon would torment her not letting her remain asleep for more than thirty minutes at a time. The next day Luna was quite groggy but performed her tasks as normal with no mistakes, she had convinced herself throughout the day that her nightmares had to be caused by stress. It fits anyway and at any time Nightmare Moon was able to get into Luna’s dreams, Luna had been angry or gone to sleep stressed.

That morning Luna tried drinking some rather potent herbal tea she had procured from the castle doctor, he had guaranteed her it would help her relax and sleep. The tea did just as the doctor stated it would and it helped Princess Luna relax quite well and soon aided her in achieving sleep.  Though it did exactly what she hoped for as it did not stop her nightmares, yet again she was subjugated to the horrors Nightmare Moon had in store for her only this time Luna was not able to wake herself due to the effects of the tea. When Luna finally awoke she found herself crying softly, sitting up in her bed she looked around and saw Nopony, Nopony was there to comfort her or offer support. This added potency to Nightmare Moon’s claim that Luna would always be alone and she really did not matter in anypony’s eyes.

Getting out of bed Luna only slept for 3 hours on her second night without Cielo at her side, she even went as far to peek outside her door to make sure her new guard was still there. Sure enough he never left his post but he never checked on Luna either, unless the princess actually called for him he would not bother her at all. Princess Luna once more performed her nightly duties only this time with a bit of difficulty; raising the moon really took what little energy she had left out of her. For the rest of the night Luna did not leave her bed, she did not drink or eat at all but simply laid there looking up at the ceiling. Luna was hard pressed to admit it but she was afraid to try and nap even though her body was begging for it.

Before the sun came up Luna had caved in, her body unable to take the stress anymore forced her to shut down and try to sleep.  Yet again Princess Luna’s dreams were plagued with Nightmare Moon’s venomous lies, she took Luna on a journey to show her how little Celestia really cared for her and how Cielo had abandoned her, how she was never good enough for anypony to even give a second glance too. Once Luna woke after only a few more hours of sleep on her third night she was devastated, the dreams were far worse than before and relentless, every time she closed her eyes she was forced to be subjugated to Nightmare Moon.

Having enough now on night four of Cielo being away from her side she took a long walk around the castle after raising the moon, as luck would have it her path happened to cross with a few guards who were talking about Cielo. “Excuse me!” Luna called out hurrying over to them in an almost frantic manner. All three guards quickly stood at attention as she approached “Did I hear you talking about Cielo? Do you know him?”

The three guards looked at one another giving an odd look before answering “Well ya we know him” the first guard spoke up. “He’s off on assignment if I’m not mistaken” the second guard added

Luna smiled for the first time in some time throwing the three guards off a bit, they had not seen her smile since the first few days she returned to the castle “Yes yes! That’s right! Would you stallions happen to know how long it normally takes for him to get back?”

“Well…” the third guard thought for a moment “Normally he is back by now I mean it takes him maybe a day to get to where he is supposed to and a day to return though adding an extra day for long trips never hurts he is almost never gone for more than three days”

“But… it’s been three days” Luna added pinning her ears back a little.

“Ya that’s what we were talking about” The first guard replied being joined by the third. “We are getting a little worried for him, I mean I’m sure he’s okay but still it’s not like him to take more than three days, he should have been back by now”

Luna felt a knot in the pit of her stomach that made her feel sick, what if something did happen to Cielo, what if he never made it back. This though bothered her visibly causing the guards to take notice of her expression. “Don’t worry Princess I’m sure he’s fine, maybe his wings are tiered and he’s taking the train back, It can happen in his line of work” The second guard added

The third guard cocked his head a little “Why do you ask anyway Princess Luna, from what I heard you demoted him to a servant anyway, not like you really wanted him around right?” the second and first guard smacked him simultaneously expecting to be reprimanded for their comrades lip however Luna did not say anything back. Luna pinned her ears tight against her head lowing it a little in shame “What did you hit me for!” the guard snapped “Cielo was a good guard, a proud and loyal guard who has done nothing but show everyone I know kindness. It’s my opinion he is not being treated right… I’m entitled to my own thought” he complained to the other guards.

Before the other two could say anything Luna spoke up “You’re right and I realize that now…” the admitted causing the guards to stare in disbelief, they were all familiar with the way Luna had been acting for some time and to see her show remorse and admit she had done wrong was shocking to them. “I wanted to know when he would be back to apologies for my actions towards him as of late, he has been nothing but kind to me and I wish to set things right”

With that the guards almost seemed to lighten up with her words, the respect they felt for Princess Luna visibly growing in front of her “I’m sorry princess… I should have kept my mouth shut… Look I’m sure he’s fine really, just give him another day” the third guard said trying to make Princess Luna feel better. Forcing a smile Princess Luna thanked the guards and made her way back to her chambers after a trip to the kitchen, she forced herself to eat one meal and drink some water even though she was not hungry or thirsty Luna knew her body needed it.

As the morning came and Luna prepared to sleep on her fourth day without Cielo she closed her eyes and found herself praying for his safe return to her, Luna had taken the young stallion for granted and now that he was gone she found herself desperately missing him. She was not sure how but it was becoming more clear to her that Cielo being around her had helped her beat her dreams once before. “Please Cielo come back… I need you… Please…” Luna called out for Cielo to return softly as she closed her eyes. Princess Luna knew that Nightmare moon would be awaiting Luna in her dreams but at the same time Luna almost welcomed sleep not just for her body and mind disparity needing it but now it would be her escape from the worry of Cielo’s fate, before Luna drifted off to sleep that night Cielo was the last thing on her mind.

Part 2

Luna’s eyes shot open in shock, her heart was pounding out of her chest as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She was desperate to find a way to escape from the terror she was just experiencing. It took her a moment to realize she lay in her own chambers, and that the threat was nothing but a dream. Ever since Cielo left a few days prior, her dreams had returned letting her find little comfort in sleep. Nightmare Moon’s influence grew with each passing night poisoning her mind; Luna took her hooves and rubbed her eyes. Though she was hard pressed to admit it, she missed her loyal guard at her side. It had been but a few weeks since Cielo had been assigned to her and what a few weeks it were. She rode that stallion’s tail like there was no tomorrow, demoted him to nothing but a simple servant, and gave him the most demeaning tasks she could think of.

She was after all a princess, and unlike her sister, she felt she needed no extra protection. Luna knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Celestia’s excuse for all of this, was the changeling attack, or so she claimed; stating that she would feel safer if Luna kept at least one guard at her side. Luna however felt like this was just another way for Celestia to keep a close eye upon her. Celestia had fallen so easily to Chrysalis, Luna found it simply comical that Tia would see HER capable of such folly. However, at this very moment, she wished Cielo was there to ask her what was wrong, or to at least reassure her there was nothing to fear.

Luna never told Cielo what the nightmares were about, but he had seen her have them before. Luckily, he was a good actor and played dumb to the cause of here night terrors. He would however, no matter how mean she was to him, always be there with a smile to tell her everything was all right. This was Luna’s first nightmare in days, and she was starting to wonder if his presence really could have such an effect on her. “Could he really have the ability to suppress these dreams?” She asked herself, moving her hooves away from her eyes and looking at them for a moment. “Oh I hope he’s ok,” she said, rolling over upon her bed though, her thoughts were quickly pulled to more pressing matters, seeing the sun was set to go down.

Leaping out of bed in a panic, Luna ignored her regal attire, and bolted out from her camber doors. She had overslept for the first time in months, due to her vile dreams. Normally if this happened, her guard or servant as she called him, would wake her. Yet in his absence, there was no one checking in on her to make sure she was up to ready each night. To think, moments ago she found this foolish and trivial, but now Luna would have given anything for him to have been there to wake her. Galloping out through the garden, she passed her sister whom had just come down from the altar. Celestia’s eyes met Luna’s but it was no more than a passing glance. Celestia went to open her mouth to ask if everything was ok, but Luna was in far too much of a hurry to bother with her right now. More so, when she was sure all she was going to get was a lecture on the importance of punctuality by the members of royalty.

Rushing up the stairs she reached the altar panting heavily. Luna had not run that fast in some time, but in a way it felt good to feel her heart beating so rapidly. Her normally slow heart rhythm was quite a double edged side effect from being imprisoned on the moon for so long. She took but a moment to compose herself before performing her celestial duty. Her eyes closed and her horn began to light up as the magical essence she channeled flooded down into the altar causing it to glow. Her eyes opened now a solid white, her magic essence starting to come back up off the altar twisting and twining around her body as the sun started to disappear beyond the horizon and the moon started to rise.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, Cielo makes his approach towards Canterlot. His wings are tattered and beaten from the hailstorm he had been called to clear just north of Vanhoover. Storms were starting to move down from the Frozen North around this time of year, and though it would be safer to let them pass; they normally caused quite a bit in property and, if caught outside, pony damage. It had happened in the past several times, with one case being fatal to an unlucky 4-year-old colt unable to find any cover.

Though it took a toll on his body, he did it to keep everypony safe; including other weather control ponies. Cielo could see the altar was aglow and that told him Luna was up and well. He felt bad for having to leave her like that and he would have been back sooner, but his wings were in no condition to fly after he cleared the vicious storm. He struggled to get back, “I should have just taken the train,” he mumbled to himself landing at the bottom of the steps. He would have gone to the altar and waited for her to finish but it was forbidden; no mortal had been allowed up there to see the raising of the sun or moon in over 100 years. The reason for this was shrouded in mystery, but anyone with a grasp on strategy figured it may be the princesses are most vulnerable when channeling so much magic.

Cielo watched the moon rise high into the night sky stretching his wings out, trying to make the pain stop. Soon the sky became littered with thousands upon thousands of little stars each shining brightly. “Always such a stunning beauty,” he whispered to himself admiring the work of the princess of the night. Atop the altar, the essence left Luna’s body and disappeared into the ground below; with a sigh she stretched a little and started to head back down the stairs, not much in the mood for looking at her own work tonight. Looking down the stairs she stopped for a moment, seeing the silhouette of some pony at the bottom. Luna looked for a moment quickly concluding it was not her sister. A little smile started to appear on her face as she started down the stairs at a brisk trot, hoping that the pony waiting for her would be her guard Cielo.

Soon enough she reached the bottom and to her delight, it was the faithful guard she longed for. Though Luna did not realize it, she was smiling and looked rather happy to see him. “Cielo!” She exclaimed happily, feeling her face heat up, a light blush was forming under her coat for calling out to him like that. He even looked a bit shocked at her greeting, having expected to be scolded for taking so long to get back.

The stallion bowed deeply before her, “Forgive me Princess, I am deeply sorry it took me so long to return to you; there were some, er, complications.”

It took Luna all but a moment to notice the condition of his wings, "y-your wings, whatever happened to them?”

“It’s nothing princess, I assure you it will not get in the way of any of my duties or any task you may wish me to do.”

Listening to him say that hurt her a little bit, had she truly been so cold to him that he would think she cared not for his health. “You shall be doing no such thing, you are to report to the medical bay immediately.”

“Princess?” He looked up a bit surprised.

“No back talking, come at once!” She ordered walking past him. Cielo picked up his head and followed her as ordered. He could not help but notice her glancing at him now and again, but what was so shocking to him was seeing a worried look on her normally serious face. The medical bay was quiet for the most part, especially at this time of night, but there was always somepony on call. Wasting no time, Luna opened the door for Cielo; yet another thing that threw him off, and hurried him inside.

“Princess, you did not need to follow me here,” he said with a bit of an embarrassed tone.

“Nonsense, you are our guard correct? Thus you must be at our side at all times,” She retorted. Cielo looked over at her puzzled, this was not the Luna whom he had left alone a few days ago. The mare he remembered, would have had him scrubbing her bathroom floor with a toothbrush for being so late. One question kept playing over and over in his mind and that was ‘what has changed?"

After a moment, the doctor came out of the office looking down at his charts. Looking up and seeing Luna he quickly bowed his head. “Princess Luna, a pleasure your highness. What can I do for you?” he asked keeping his head bowed.

“We need you to look over my guard’s wings, they do not appear to be well.”

Finally looking up, the doctor seemed shocked at what he saw, Cielo’s wings truly were severely damaged. “Y-yes ma’am!” he backpedaled and opened the door for Cielo, “Please come in lad."

With a reluctant sigh, Cielo walked into the doctor’s office and hopped up on the table as the doctor closed the door behind him. Luna took a seat in the lobby and waited. She could have gone in, but he seemed already uncomfortable with the idea and princess or not everypony was entitled to their privacy. “Your wings look horrible lad.” The doctor started. “I’m surprised I don’t see you in here more, if this is how they look after a storm.”

“Hail is unforgiving,” Cielo smiled a little, thinking this was but a foolish visit. “And no offence, but I don’t care much for doctors; normally they only have bad news and I don’t care much for bad news either.”

The stallion examining Cielo shook his head, setting down his clipboard, he walked to the side of the bed and stretched Cielo’s wing out a little. Watching Cielo’s face, the doctor could see he was causing him great pain though Cielo hid it well. “Dose this hurt much?” the doctor inquired trying to validate what he knew.

“Only a bit,” Cielo lied.

“Okay, I’m going to try to rotate it now,” taking Cielo’s wing he bent it back putting pressure on the ball joint. This proved to be to much for the patient, and with a quick jerk he pulled his wing away from the doctor and glared daggers at him. “Okay, okay...easy, just doing my job,” the doctor said softly while backing up a little. “Please, be honest, is the other wing any better at all?” Cielo looked away not wanting to answer. The doctor spoke up again, “Look! I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong with you.”

“Nothing I say…leaves this room...right?” Cielo asked looking back at the doctor.

“I assure you it’s all confidential.”

Cielo let out a sigh, “no...my other wing is not any better, and they seem to be getting worse over time.”

The doctor rubbed the back of his head trying to think of a way to put this that would not bother Cielo to much. “Do you feel pain in day to day flight, training and any other tasks that cause you to use your wings?”

“yes sir.”

“Cielo, I don’t have any other way to say this, but you must quit clearing storms...immediately!”

Cielo’s head snapped back, and his eyes locked onto the doctors. “You’re joking me,” He growled angrily.

“I wish I were lad. In addition, I get that you’re angry at me, but I’m telling you the truth. You display symptoms of muscle deterioration around your ball joints as well as the muscle that pads the joint from the bone. Cielo, at this rate, your wings will give out on you entirely. You must stop any and all tasks that put excess strain on your wings.”

Cielo laid in silence for several moments; taking a deep breath he knew what he was being told to be true. Deep down he had already known for some time, but he kept convincing himself it was nothing but a little ache or it was natural to get aches as you got older. He was the young age of 23, and knew that no healthy stallion his age should have pain like this. “How long do you think my wings have do?” He asked softly.

“Well…if you heed my advice, quit and go about some daily changes and exercises you could have several years ahead of you without worry. However, if you keep pushing yourself like you have been, and putting your wings under such stress and abuse, they will be useless within the year.” Walking back to his desk, he took out a little med kit. “As of right now, the best thing you can do is rest your wings for a few days.” Cielo stood up a little so the doctor could wrap up his wings. “And you need to think about finding a replacement, training somepony new for your weather duties. I know your line of work is not one that is desired, but still, if you plan to keep flying--”

“I get it doc,” Cielo interjected, as the doctor finished wrapping his wings up. “Not a word of this...to anypony,” he looked back at the doctor once more with a serious glare and a jerk of his head signaling even the princess was not to be made privy to this information.

“No need to give threatening glances lad. As I said, it’s confidential, but at your rate it won’t be long before other ponies start to take notice. If you don’t stop putting so much stress on them, a foal will be able to out fly you.”

Jumping off the table Cielo gave the doctor a little nod. “I will consider it, but if something comes up; I’ll do what I have to in order to keep others from harm. Other weather ponies have families to go back to. I’m just an expendable solder. It’s what I chose to do.”

The doctor shook his head a little. “There are ponies here who would miss you more than you know Cielo. Every life has value, don’t think less of the value in yours.” Cielo rolled his eyes at the doctor’s advice. As far as he knew, there was really no pony that would miss him at all. “Cielo, I want to see you back in three days time okay? We can make this and your wings work.”

“I will come back in three days time, but I don’t know what I will do yet. This is a big decision, and I will need time to think it over; to pass this burden on to another is not something I will take lightly.”

“I understand,” The doctor replied as he opened the door for Cielo. Walking out, the doctor stayed in his office to finish his paperwork on Cielo. Luna jumped up quickly, seeing the bandages, she feared the worst.

“Are you...okay?” Luna asked, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

Forcing a smile, Cielo did what he always did when somepony is worried about him, he lied. “It’s nothing to worry about princess, my wings were just a tad sore so the doctor thought I should stay off them for a few days. After that I will be as good as new.” Cielo forced as confident a smile as he could, but his aura sold him out.

Normally Cielo was an excellent liar, but with this lie, Luna saw right threw him. She could tell he was putting on a front for her and he was in quite a bit of pain; even his pride had taken a blow. At this point, she did not call him on it, assuming he had been through enough already. Rather than pry into what he was trying to hide, Luna accepted the lie for now and smiled. “Good to hear, but to be safe I think you should rest up a bit, now come.”

With a soft and caring smile she opened the door for him once more, and out they started walking, back towards her chambers. She was not sure why, but she felt like she needed to be there for him right now. The truth, in a way, she was doing this for herself as well. Though she did not want to admit it yet, she needed him too. She would get the answers she sought one way or another; though she would have to do so without his knowing. Luna knew if she pried, she would get nothing out of him and she could tell Cielo was hiding something from her.

It was then she hatched a plan, though simple it would be effective. Once more she opened the doors for him, her actions only further messing with his mind. “Don’t worry about a thing tonight,” she said softly closing the door behind her as she followed him into her chambers. “You deserve a nice easy night my brave guard.”

Part 3

The dark gray stallion pinned his ears back on his head; now Cielo knew something was up, but he couldn't place his hoof on what just yet. “Ma’am, are you feeling alright?” He asked slowly walking by Princess Luna, eyeing her a little. She closed the door behind them and simply smiled still attempting to maintain her facade, though it was a poor one at best.

“Why do you ask?” The princess nervously retorted.

“Last I checked I was but a servant, according to you; not once since I started at your side, have you referred to me as anything remotely close to your guard.” He shook his head a little, “Not that I’m complaining m’lady, it’s just odd to see you do a… well a complete 180.”

“You’re right, and for that I’m sorry.” Luna led Cielo to a large, grand, and plush cushion upon the floor of her chambers; an item that by the surroundings appeared to be her bed, before she requested, “Lay down please.”

He looked back at her for a moment blushing lightly, before looking back in front of him. Though odd, he was not about to say no to a request of the princess. Walking forward, he made himself comfy and lay down on his stomach before speaking up, “S-Shouldn't I… maybe be cleaning something?” The fact she never actually slept on this bed put his mind more at ease, but still the fact she would even offer him a place to rest made no sense to him at all.

“Cielo, I have been more than unfair to you.” Luna stated ignoring the stallion’s question. Her horn started to glow a little, her magic levitating a tea kettle over the fire and setting it in place just over the flames on a small metal rod. “And I want to try to make up for it.” This time Cielo did not speak back, he only listened. It may have been out of character, in his eyes, to hear this from her; but her voice sounded truly sincere. “You were right, I treated you like dirt, and you know that I can’t recall you complaining once.”

“I only did as you asked.”

“You went above that. You know, I did not even know of your work in weather control until you left. I’ll admit when I first heard of it I thought it to be foolish. ANY pegasus could do it, I told myself… but then, when you came back and I saw with my own eyes the damage you willingly allow to be inflicted onto you. All in order to protect other pegasus and earth ponies alike, well, it’s noble.” She replied as the tea kettle started to whistle softly signaling the water inside starting to boil.

Cielo’s blush returned to his face once more, he liked hearing she cared now about what he did and was a little flattered that she seemed to be taking an interest in his health; but, he never liked being pitied and that’s what the situation felt like to him.

Letting out a soft sigh, Luna levitated the kettle off the fire before the whistling became too loud; not that she worried about waking anypony, but simply because she disliked the high pitched whistle. “Seeing your wings so, tattered, I knew I had made a mistake in judging you.”

“Ma’am, if I may interject? Why, why did you dislike me so?”

“I did not dislike you, not in the least,” Luna replied softly. She opened up a small cabinet and took out a tea cup and saucer. Briefly looking through her selection of teas she finally selected one. “I disliked the idea of you… I… I took out my frustration for my sister on you.” Cielo’s ears perked up upon hearing this, for the first time Luna appeared to be opening up to him. “It’s like she does not trust me, so she sent you; you, her loyal guard, to keep an eye on me.”

His ears lowered once more, it was in this moment he had come to regret his duties. He wanted to be honest with her, but he knew he couldn't tell her that she was right, not yet. He did, however, decide on a half-truth. “Princess, I serve you now, not your sister. Yes, I did serve her for many years and to be honest I can see why you would not trust me. In fact, you have no reason to trust me at all…but the truth is I AM here to protect and serve you. That is in no single part any fabrication, and, personally, I don’t see why she would have any reason to spy on you at all.”

Luna finished making a cup of tea and placed the tea box back in the cabinet; while Cielo talked, she levitated out a little vial without him seeing. This was given to her to help her sleep at night, and though it was all natural, it was indeed potent. She did not want to have to do this, but it would be the only way she could get some time away from him. In order for her to try and find out what he was hiding, she would have to be alone. Pulling out the cork, she carefully put two drops of the potion in his drink. Putting the little vial back, she turned and walked back over to the floor bed, and she gently lowered the plate and cup down in front of Cielo. “It will help you relax a little Cielo,” she said warmly trying to convey a tone of nurturing concern. Her smile was still soft and kind; to his surprise, she walked onto the floor bed and lay down next to him.

“Thank you Princess.” He turned his head a little and smiled warmly at her before picking the cup up with his hooves and taking a sip.

“My sister, of course, must have her reasons, but some thoughts will remain my own.  I’m sure you can understand.”

“Yes Princess, I do.”

“It’s like she is intent on keeping me trapped here… and, something is telling me she is maybe trying to replace me. I feel so… so,” Luna’s voice was starting to crack a little as her sorrow began to show. She had kept all of this in for so long and to finally let some of it out was almost overwhelming her self control. Even though it hurt to talk about this she had to admit it felt good as well.

“You feel trapped, Princess Luna, perhaps even oppressed? Even I can see it, and I have seen it from Celestia’s side as well. Not her point of view, but her actions, I have seen how they affect you and how they have hindered you.”

Luna turned her gaze to him in astonishment. “you, you are on my side?” She expected a little understanding, perhaps for him to even tell her everything would be ok. To agree with her entirely, was more than she thought she would get, or for that matter deserved considering her past treatment of the guard.

“Yes I am I don’t think you’re given enough of a chance to do things yourself. I think you’re safeguarded like a little foal, instead of being allowed to blossom into the mare you are. I do agree with you, but I don’t think Celestia means to be doing all of that to you.  She loves you; I know this to be true. She just, her love has turned into over protection from where I am standing.” Cielo shook his head and took another sip of tea. What he had just let slip could be considered insubordination; a career destroyer for someone of his current rank. “Forgive me, I should not be speaking so openly.”

“No, No, please do speak your mind Cielo,” Luna exclaimed quickly, turning to him and giving him a little startle. Her cheeks turned a dark blue, blushing at her impromptu action. “I-I mean,” she looked away and composed herself a little. “It’s nice to have somepony to talk to for once, and to hear for a change that I am right in challenging my sister.”

“I…” Cielo looked back at his tea and took another sip. “Thank you for trusting me, I know it must not have been easy to share any of that but Princess,” he set the cup back down and looked over at her. “I really am here for you, anything you need. Anything at all, even if it’s just to clean, I’ll always be here for you. If you ever feel like you need an ear, I have two, and they are always willing to listen.”

A tear fell from her teal colored eye as she looked back at him, “Thank you,” was all she could muster before she had to stop speaking. She refused to let herself breakdown in front of her guard. Cielo placed his hoof on hers for a moment and gave it a little pat to let her know it was okay, though brief the contact was still welcome.

Cielo took the cup one last time and finished off the tea; once the cup hit the plate he instantly felt odd. His head nodded a little in response to his body suddenly being overcome with a dizzy spell. Putting his hoof to his forehead, he attempted to shake it off.

“Are you okay?” Luna asked, in full knowledge of what was actually transpiring.

“Ya, just a little dizzy is all.”

“Here,” Luna levitated a pillow onto his hooves for him to rest his head on; “Rest your head a little, you have been through a lot in the past few days.”

“I-I can’t rest here, I… I just need a moment.”

“Shhh it’s alright my guard,” the princess of the night mused while placing her hoof on the back of his head; she easily lowered it to the pillow. “I’m giving you my permission,” Luna said using her wing to brush a tear of guilt from her cheek. “If you rest your head, you might feel better.”

“I need T-….” Cielo could not even complete his sentence before he fell asleep; Luna caressed his mane for a moment, making sure he felt a sense of comfort.

“This is for your own good Cielo… I trusted you, now it’s time you trust me.” Leaning down she gave his cheek a little kiss as he slept. Although she meant well, she felt guilty about drugging him, but it was the only way she was going to be able to go anywhere without him following. “Please forgive me,” getting up she fetched a few blankets. She wanted to be sure he would be kept warm while she was gone.

Once he was covered, up she could not help but smile. The grey stallion did look kind of cute when sleeping peacefully. Turning to the door, she walked over and opened it giving one last look back at him before walking out.

Luna made her way to the infirmary with haste, knowing she would not have too much time before Cielo awoke. If she could not make it back before he did, that would only make her life a bit harder. Truth was she only wished to know what was really wrong with him so she could help him. After seeing what he went through, she found it impossible to get the question of his well being out of her mind.

Luan peeked her head around the corner, trying to be stealthy, though in the well-lit hallway she was anything but; to her surprise there was no doctor to be seen. Luna made her way through the waiting room and to the doctor’s door; her heart racing, her breathing heavy. This was her first time doing anything like this, and it was nerve racking to say the least. Placing her hoof on the door, she tried to open it but it was locked. A real good thing, the doctor was not coming back for a while, she thought. Her horn started to glow a light blue, with little effort she unlocked the door using her magic and slipped inside.

The door may have been locked but the candles were still lit; this meant the doctor was not going to be gone for long. Rushing over to the filing cabinet, she started opening drawers one by one until she found the R’s, “okay... Rey, Rey.” She kept repeating as she sifted through file after file. She checked and double checked yet no Rey turned up, next she went to the C’s. A highly unlikely system for filing, to go by first names, but his file had to be in there somewhere.

“HAY!” a deep voice shouted from behind her, causing her to jump. She quickly spun around to see the doctor standing in the doorway. He was a large unicorn with a light green coat and a light aqua mane. Once he saw who it was, his expression was nearly as startled as hers. “P-Princess…!?” He quickly bowed his head. “Forgive me for my tone. I thought you were somepony else,” slowly he raised his head a little. “W-What exactly are you doing in here Princess Luna?”

Luna was caught and there was no point trying to hide it. “Okay, okay you got me… I was looking for Rey’s file.”

“Princess, I mean no disrespect but personal medical records are private, even to you and Celestia. A doctor and his office must be a safe place somepony can come without worry of any persecution or ridicule for ailments or diseases,” he replied in a soft tone. “If you had been anypony else, I would have laid into them something fierce and called for the guards for your immediate arrest!” Given it was the princess; the doctor’s tongue was quelled suspecting that there had to be reason.

“I know but… but I can’t help it. I NEED to know what’s wrong with him. I know he is lying to me about his wings being fine.  I… I just want to know how I can help, if I can help.”

The stallion closed the door behind him and walked over to his desk. “You know what you’re doing is not very princess like?”

“I know.” Luna replied a bit sheepishly, realizing she was actually exposing a secret vulnerability to the doctor.

With a sigh, he made his way to the cabinet. Luna stepped aside, and felt her heart become a little uplifted at the thought of him helping her. The doctor though spoke up, “If this ever comes up anywhere, as far as I am concerned, you ordered me to do this, alright?”

“I completely understand.”

He opened up the R section and started to search the same sections Luna had looked in. “Well, that’s odd.” Closing the drawer, his attention turned to the C’s. “I don’t think I would have filed it under C,” he muttered to himself as he looked. Luna’s expression slowly turned to one of worry as once again he closed the drawer and went back to the R’s “You didn't take the file already did you princess?”

“No! You came in yourself as I was searching, you would have seen me with it.”

“It’s… gone!?” His voice almost seemed a little angry. “Fifteen years at this job and I have never ONCE misplaced a file.” Turning back, he glared at Luna. “You SURE you did not take it?”

“No, I don’t have it. I swear by my sister, I looked but found nothing,” Luna protested.

“This is not good, I must report this to Celestia.”

“Wait! You can’t tell her that I was here.”

The stallion stopped for a moment considering their predicaments. “One last time, did you take it?”

“No!”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “I will leave you out of my report princess, but I must let your sister know a medical file has gone missing. If you did not take it, that means somepony else broke in here and took his file.” The doctor thought for a moment. “Was the door locked?”

“Yes, I had to use my magic to open it.” Luna looked down, not only did she fail, but now she felt like a thief even though she had stolen nothing. The doctor still managed to make her feel guilty when she had no part in perpetrating the crime.

“Thank you for your honesty, and forgive me for raising my voice Princess Luna. Please do not punish or think of me as a mean stallion.”

“I understand, you take your job seriously and want to protect all your patients’ privacy. You thought me a liar and called me on it, you can’t be faulted for that after I broke into your office.”

The stallion bowed to her in apology for his actions, he knew even if she had done wrong, simply by him raising his voice to her, gave her cause to have him arrested for verbal assault on a public figure. “Again, you have my apologies.” Lifting his head a little his gaze remained on the floor as he started to walk to the door. Though it was late, Celestia would want to be woken for this. There were a few ponies that she had instructed all medical staff to wake her for should anything ever come up such as injury. Cielo was one of them.

“Wait please, can you tell me… tell me what happened to Cielo and if there is anything that can be done, please?”

This was the first time he had ever heard the word please come from her mouth and sound sincere. He relented, “To put it bluntly, the muscular padding between the ball joints in his wings are deteriorating causing severe pain. If his habits don’t change, as I told him, he will lose his ability to fly within the year. If you truly want to help him, just take it easy on him. Try to make him stay grounded and rest his wings. If you’re feeling real generous, you could take him to a masseuse. Have them work on his wings with a light massage to loosen up his muscles a bit and just to help him relax. The less stress on his shoulders the better, that stallion has enough on his plate right now.”

Luna stayed silent. She could not believe that Cielo was acting so normal after being told he was going to lose his wings if he did not change. He even offered to still use them if she needed him to, but she could not wrap her mind around why. Was he this dedicated to his job? Or could it even be more than that, could his dedication and valiance be to her? “Thank you doctor, for everything; I will do my best to keep him on the ground and look after his wings. One more question,” she asked softly. “Dose, my sister know it has gotten this bad for Cielo?”

“No,” he replied. “But to be honest, I just might let that slip and deal with the consequences. I understand it’s his choice to make, but some ponies need a little push in the right direction.” Looking back at Luna he smiled. “I really should be off, good luck to you.” He went to walk out the door but stopped. “And Princess Luna, it’s good to see you care enough to come here and try to find out. I think you two will benefit quite a bit from one another.”

“W-What do you mean by that?” She asked blushing a little. There was no way he could know about the dreams she had while missing her guard. She never told anypony, not even her sister.

“Call it a hunch,” the doctor replied before walking out of the office and leaving Luna alone. She stayed there for a moment pondering what he could have meant. She did not linger too much longer though; soon Cielo would wake and she had to be there when he did.

Luna made her way out of the office and back down the hall to her chambers. Once safely back inside she lit a few extra candles and placed them near the bed for better lighting. She then gathered up some paperwork she had neglected for a few days along with a quill and ink well. Luna did this all with her magic, trying to make it look like she did a lot in the room without ever leaving. She then lay back down beside Cielo and started to work as he slumbered; he was out a little longer than expected letting her get thought five pages before he woke.

“Mmmm...Mph” Cielo’s eyes slowly opened with a groan, picking his head up he looked around a little confused but relaxed a bit when he saw Luna still next to him. “L-Luna?”

Her ears peaked hearing him call her by her name for once. “Cielo, you’re awake,” She replied looking over at him happily. She could have corrected him if she wanted, but she really didn't mind him using her name so informally. She was admittedly upset with him for lying to her, but she could not let on that she knew exactly what he was trying to hide. ‘Surely he must have a good reason’ she told herself over and over, before finally asking, “How are you feeling?”

“My head's still spinning a bit. I am so so sorry, I don’t know what happened.”

“And… your wings, how are they now?”

“Sore still,” he admitted causing her to smile a little. Maybe he hid it from her because she had yet to gain his trust. She would give him a little more time to see if he would come clean after a few days when he went in for his follow up.

“Well, I have nothing but paperwork tonight so why not rest a little more?”

“You… mean that? You’re really okay with me having fallen asleep here in your chambers?”

“I insisted, remember? Besides, you have been through a lot. I can understand you needing rest. I want you back at one-hundred percent Cielo, I want you healthy.” Her words caused him to look over at her once more, but with how sleepy he looked it only caused her to giggle. “What? Is it so odd that I wish my personal protector to be in peak condition?” She asked this in a kind and joking tone, though he could tell she meant what she said.

“I guess that is logical, isn't it,” Cielo replied with a grin as he lay his head back down and closed his eyes. “Will you wake me when you’re done with your paperwork, or if you require anything else at all?” he asked with a yawn.

“You can count on it Cielo, if I need anything I will wake you.”

Cielo let out a happy sigh as his body relaxed once more; while Luna, she felt his hoof move over and rest on hers. “Thank you,” he whispered before dozing back off with his hoof still on hers. Blushing a little she smiled once more looking over at him as he slept leaving his hoof where it was.

“You’re welcome Cielo, my guard. Rest up and get better,” she whispered softly. In her heart she genuinely hoped he would recover. She could not imagine seeing a stallion, whose very talent relied on his wings, having the joy of flight taken away. “And I will do everything I can to help push you in the right direction.” Luna watched him sleep for a moment before returning to her paperwork, though she did not yet understand why she was so drawn to him, one thing was certain. She was happy he came back to her, and she never wanted to have him leave her side for so long ever again.

Part 4

Making his way to Celestia’s chambers the doctor thought of how to word what he needed to say playing it over and over again; it still baffled him how he could manage to let a medical file go missing. Once at Celestia’s chambers the doctor was stopped by her Guards “The princess is asleep you’ll have to come back another time” the bigger of the two guards spoke up blocking the doctors way.

“Move it young lad or I assure you stopping me from knocking on the princesses doors will be the last task you ever perform, I’m under strict orders to report to princess Celestia under certain circumstances and this happens to be one of them times. Her orders not mine however if you would rather I tell Princess Celestia you stopped me from performing a task she herself appointed to me well then I’ll be on my way and let you take the blame on this blunder” The doctor replied in a very confident and borderline threatening tone.

With that the guard hesitated for a moment but ultimately stepped back to the side of the door allowing the doctor to knock as requested. Taking his hoof he banged on Princess Celestia’s door loud enough to wake her, much to his surprise it only took a moment for the door to open. Celestia looked down at him appearing awake but looking tired as though she had yet to rest “Yes? Oh doctor nice to see you” Celestia smiled “Bit late for a visit don’t you think?”

The doctor pinned his ears back and lowered his head “I’m sorry to bother you princess Celestia and I assure you I would not if this was not an important matter, may I please come in for a moment?”

Celestia turned around leaving the door open for the doctor to enter, her horn lit up as she covered her bed up with her comforter making it look neat and clean. “Do close the door behind you please” Celestia asked nicely and the doctor quickly obliged. Celestia walked over to her floor bed and laid down facing the doctor “Now, care to tell me what was so important you felt you must see me at once?” Celestia inquired.

“Yes ma’am…”  The doctor seemed to be getting a little nervous now “it’s about Cielo Rey princess; his file has gone missing from my office. There are no signs of forced entry, the lock is intact and no other files were touched… I checked before coming here”

Celestia looked puzzled “This is troubling, why do you think his file would be taken, was there something of consequence on it?”

“Yes ma’am… I know telling you this might cost me my job but Cielo needs to be given a leave from clearing, the padding around his wing joints can’t keep up with the added stress he puts on them. IF he continues he will lose his wings, my worry is they will give out during flight and he will could very well end up dead” the doctor paused and thought. “I don’t know who would want his file or why but it’s gone, what if somepony leaks this to press”

Celestia shook her head “I’ll be sure that won’t happen, I’ll send a guard to check on all storied and give an order to report any story containing Cielo to me first” she replied looking down at the floor. “So… his wings are really that bad huh?”

“Yes princess I’m afraid so”

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention doctor, speak of this to nopony and let me handle Cielo. I want to see how he handles himself over the next few days before I make any decision on how to approach him on this” Celestia lifted her head and looked at the doctor. “If there is nothing else I would like to be alone with my thoughts now”

The doctor nodded his head and started for the door not wanting to linger, he stopped just a few feet shy from the door and looked back “Oh and one more thing… seems your sister Princess Luna has taken an interest in Cielo’s health as well, she made her way into my office while I was away but she did not find the file, In fact she was not even looking in the right area. I’m not saying she took it I’m saying the opposite, I just thought you would like to know she was snooping around”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed a bit “Thank you doctor” she replied almost in a growl causing a chill to run down the doctors spine, he quickly bowed his head and made his exit worrying he might have ticked her off. Once the door was closed Celestia took a few minutes to be sure that she would not be disturbed again before getting up off the floor bed, she walked over to her normal bed and pulled the comforter back down with her magic. Scattered across her bed were several papers and a folder with Cielo Rey’s name on it, using her magic she levitated the most recent report an x-rays up to eye level to have a better look “Cielo… what am I going to do…” Celestia said softly to herself trying to come up with some way to help the young stallion.

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Morning came soon enough With Celestia getting a bit of sleep after slipping out earlier in the night and placing the file back in the doctor’s office without being seen. After raising the sun Celestia started to make her way to Luna’s chambers expecting Cielo would be there keeping watch over her, upon reaching her sisters chambers Celestia did not see Cielo at the door so she gave a knock hoping to catch Luna before she settles in for the morning to rest. Celestia did not have to wait long to be greeted by Luna rather rudely upon opening the door, “What do you want?” Luna asked almost irritated to see Celestia’s face.

Doing her best not to be rude back Celestia calmly replied “I wish to borrow Cielo for a moment; there is a matter I must discuss with him.”

“Well… he’s not here right now, I allowed him some time off to rest” Luna’s voice changed tones when Cielo was brought up, her expression changed to one of annoyance to one of worry.

Taking note of this Celestia used this chance to ask a follow up question “okay then perhaps you could tell me why you were snooping around the doctor’s office last night? That does not seem like something a guard should allow anypony to be doing” this was not Celestia’s reason for coming in search of Cielo by a long shot but it did give her a chance to observe her sisters rather odd behavior.

“T-That… I mean, listen that was not Cielo’s fault he had no idea I was even gone or where I went to” Luna quickly replied as though she were trying to defend Cielo.

“Then where was Cielo during all of this Luna?” Celestia continued questioning her sister hoping for some answers, her curiosity now peaked on the matter.

“Asleep… I kind of drugged him with sleeping medication…” Luna said softly looking down as Celestia’s jaw dropped in disbelief “But I had a good reason!” Luna quickly added, “Have you seen his wings!? the poor stallion looked horrible, I was just trying to find out if he was okay, I was worried for him honestly”

“That is no reason to Drug him you twit!” Celestia snapped angrily pushing Luna’s door open and inviting herself in much to Luna’s dismay. Celestia slammed the door and faced Luna “Have you any idea what you have done! Cielo cannot handle medication well, he’ll be recovering from that for days!”

“Ya well!” Luna went to yell back but stopped, she really had nothing to counter with, despite the fact she really did not want her sister to be right this time Luna could not come up with a reason good enough to shift the argument in her favor. “You’re right… I messed up, I didn’t know he would be so affected by some medical tea and I knew he would not tell me what was wrong. Celestia please believe me I really wanted to help I did, I felt bad for treating him like dirt and wanted to do something nice for him”

Celestia was mad but was a bit taken with Luna’s new found care for somepony other than herself, did her plan really work? Had Cielo finally broken through Luna’s defenses and gained her trust? Celestia felt a little happy but at the same time could not show it. “Still it was stupid of you, I’ll get you a replacement while he recovers”

“No!” Luna quickly protested “I don’t want a replacement, send one and I’ll send him away. It’s Cielo or nopony, I’ll be fine on my own for a day or two, I don’t need a foal sitter!” Luna was back to her normal snappy self; at this point Celestia was not in the mood to argue with her though.

“Fine whatever do whatever you want” Celestia shook her head and walked past her sister opening the door again. “Smarten up and use your brain next time before you go and do something stupid” Celestia said with bitterness in her voice before slamming Luna’s door shut; She heard Luna scream out in anger as she walk away.

Letting out a sigh Celestia tried her best to relax as she made her way to the barracks, she had an idea on how to help but the hard part would be getting Cielo to go along with it. The young stallion was quite stubborn when it came to taking help from anypony, even more so if the help went against any rules or laws. The barracks were separated into two different sections; one section housed all of the guards who worked during the day and the other section house all the guards who worked nights; It was done this way so both sides did not disturb each other’s sleep.

Getting into the barracks unseen was the hard part; Celestia was not use to having to duck form guards much so she made a little game out of it to ease some of the stress that came with it from her mind. Soon enough she was home free, walking lightly Celestia did her best to keep her hoof-steps light. She was regretting her decision to wear her shoes before coming but then again not having them on would have sparked more attention from the guards who did see her on her way to the barracks.

Reaching Cielo’s room her horn lit up opening the door with magic slowly, Celestia peeked inside the dark room to see Cielo resting on his bed; his eyes were closed and he seemed to be fast asleep. Celestia opened the door a bit more and entered his room; closing the door behind her she turned on the light and hoped he did not wake. With a flick of the switch the light came on but Cielo did not stir one bit, Celestia paid close attention to the stallions breathing remembering a little trick Cielo had taught her. Even when pretending to be asleep most ponies never remember to control their breathing thus giving them away, “Cielo are you awake?” Celestia asked softly giving him a little poke with her hoof. She watched his chest carefully and there was not a change in his breathing, his chest rose and fell with each breath about seven to eight seconds apart.

Taking her hoof Celestia removed her shoe and gently brushed Cielo’s mane “Poor stallion… I can’t believe my sister would do such a thing, I guess she did not know how weak your system is to medication though… she thought she was doing good and honestly if I was her I might have done the same thing” Celestia knew Cielo could not hear a word of what she was saying but it made her feel a bit better to talk to him even if he did not answer back. She pulled the covers off him a little to get a better look at his tattered wings, large portions of feathers were missing and they looked utterly horrible, the fact he was even able to fly with them in such a condition surprised her.

Though Cielo was supposed to keep this wings bandaged he never was one to listen to the doctor when it came to medical advice, “You foolish thick headed stallion, you just won’t give up will you. When somepony says something you don’t agree with or don’t want to believe you just have to put everything you got into proving them wrong…”

Celestia continued to stroke Cielo’s mane getting a little emotional as thought of Cielo’s mother Breeze came to her mind “When you were brought back to Canterlot that day along with your mother I will never forget that cute little smile you gave me when I first saw you, I promised to look after you and yet time and time again I have failed you… why do I always seem to fail the ones I love… my sister… you…” Tears now begin to run down Celestia’s cheeks “Your mother…” she still blamed herself for not being there for breeze. Even if she had gone to visit when she was supposed to there was no evidence to show Celestia being there would have made a difference, in fact she could have ended up losing her life like everypony else but still that would have haunted her.

Cielo remained asleep not hearing a word from Celestia and she was grateful for that, one of her biggest fears second only to losing her sister was Cielo’s reaction when he finally knew the truth about where he came from, his family and the death of his mother. “I have let you down and failed you time and time again but this time I will not let you come to harm Cielo” Celestia moved her hoof away from the sound sleeping stallion and placed it back in her shoe. “I’m kind of glad right now my sister gave you that medication, it will make this a lot easier on both of us” Celestia’s horn begin to light as she muttered off long chants in a language nopony, aside from her sister Luna, had ever heard Celestia speak.

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Cielo awoke a little later than usual almost missing the raising of the moon; his head was still spinning a bit as he rushed out of bed and to Luna’s chambers cursing himself for being ill. Cielo was a smart stallion for the most part but he never once thought for a moment he was drugged but rather was blaming his symptoms on a cold he must have caught. Reaching Luna’s chambers Cielo knocked first and was a bit surprise to hear Luna respond with a “come in.” most of the time Cielo would have to wake her from her slumber but once more without Cielo to keep an eye on her Luna found little to no rest due to Nightmare Moon plaguing her dreams. “Cielo!” Luna exclaimed jumping off her bed the moment he walked into her room, she quickly dialed her excitement back a bit blushing slightly in embarrassment at her sudden outburst.

Cielo smiled a bit and chuckled nervously unsure if he was in trouble or if Luna was just happy to see him “I’m sorry to be so late princess, it’s not like me to let a cold get the best of me but I thank you for giving me the night off. The extra rest really helped” Cielo thanked Luna before closing the door.

Luna wasted no time walking over to Cielo with a smile, she was more than happy to have him back and see he was okay. Luna took notice Cielo’s wings were not bandaged up like they should be, “And how are you feeling, are your wings doing okay?” Luna asked feeling guilty for drugging him still, she wanted to tell him the truth on what happened but feared she might actually have crossed a line he would not forgive.

“groggy but my wings feel good” Cielo replied opening his left wing a little making Luna gasp, Cielo looked back at his wing and was shocked to see it looked normal not a single feather was missing. Quickly he opened his left wing completely and moved it around, not an ounce of pain was felt nor was his motion hindered. With a chuckle of disbelief and excitement his right wing shot open, once again it looked to be completely healed, full motion and not one bit of pain was detected.

“That’s… not possible…” Luna said in astonishment looking at Cielo’s wings. “Nopony can heal that fast…” Cielo was in his own little world at this point and begin hopping around a bit flapping his wings in time with his jumps testing them out and sure enough they held up just fine like they had never seen a single injury in Cielo’s life. “How…!?”

“Who cares look at them!” Cielo exclaimed laughing. “I told you I was going to be fine~” Cielo almost sang out strutting a bit now “who was right!? I was right!” Cielo chanted a few times in utter bliss, he was perplexed as to how but honestly did not care, that fact his wings were healed was all he needed to know.

Luna’s shocked stare was interrupted by a knock at her chamber door “I’ll get it!” Cielo called out and quickly hopped his way over to the door still overcome with utter joy.

Opening the door Cielo was surprised to see Celestia standing there in a dark pink sweater. “Well somepony sounds happy” Celestia said with a slight smile “What’s all the excitement about?”

Cielo opened his wings a little with a grin “My wings are back to normal!”

“It’s not possible!” Luna added in walking up to the door beside Cielo looking at her sister “Did you get a chance to see them!?” Luna asked Celestia still in a state of disbelief.

Celestia shook her head softly “Afraid not that’s why I came by” Celestia looked down at Cielo’s wings but did not seem all to happy. “The doctor came by my chambers last night and filled me in on your condition Cielo, now you may ask as to why so I’ll field that question right off. Your file went missing from his office last night but from what I gathered from him your wings were quite beaten up” Celestia leaned down a little with a stern look on her face “Cielo you would not know anything about a missing doctor file would you?”

Cielo’s smile faded “No princess, I was here most of the night; Afraid I fell ill and was relieved by princess Luna of my duties just before daybreak… I can’t prove where I was but I went right to my quarters to rest, I remained there until I awoke and then came here to report to Luna. I was nowhere near the doctor’s office after I was checked out last night upon returning”

“I can vouch for him” Luna added looking at Celestia “there is no way he could have taken the file”

Celestia lifted her head back up “Cielo, has what the doctor brought to my attention true? Are your wings beginning to fail?”

Cielo remained silent for a moment as did Luna, though the doctor had told Luna about Cielo’s condition the night before she would have to act surprised if he admitted to it. “Yes princess Celestia it’s true, the tissue between my wing joints is deteriorating…” Cielo admitted, Luna let out a little gasp that sounded a bit forced but Cielo did not catch on. “I promise you I can handle it though, my wings feel fine now and I will gladly keep taking care of any storm I’m needed to”

Celestia let out a sigh “Cielo… You know what I have to do, please come with me to the doctor’s office so he can look you over. I can’t knowingly let you continue injured and risk you further hurting yourself or worse”

Cielo hung his head in frustration and anger, he could not believe what was happening to him. Just a moment ago he was on top of the world and now it was all about to be snatched away “If you really want to know just ask him” Cielo muttered.

“I did but seeing as how your file is missing I wish to see full proof before making a decision on this, or would you rather me rule in the doctors favor and ground you indefinitely”  Celestia asked sounding a bit harsh.

Cielo looked up at Celestia with a glare in his eyes, she could tell he was crossed with her and there was no way he would follow such an order “Fine let’s go” Cielo growled and started to walk by Celestia. “But no matter the outcome you can kiss my tail if you think I’m going to stay on the ground”

Luna’s jaw almost hit the floor hearing Cielo say that to Celestia; even Celestia was taken back; she expected defiance but not like that. Cielo was never really a rude stallion and never once spoke to Celestia in such a manner, his tone however spoke more volume than his words. Cielo was sure of himself and not going to budge an inch on this subject, though rude Celestia could not blame Cielo for feeling the way he did towards her statement. Celestia bounced back and looked over at her sister “Don’t you have a job to do?” she asked rudely referring to raising the moon.

Luna scoffed and went to walk by her sister as Cielo continued down the hall, noticing he was out of earshot Luna stopped “I’m with him on this you know” Luna said in an angry whisper. “I know it’s not like you to think of anypony’s feelings or life other than your own but instead of being a bitch why don’t you try showing some compassion for once in your life” With that Luna continued to walk by leaving Celestia stunned.

With a flick of her tail Luna smacked Celestia’s cheek and continued down the hall, Celestia stood there silent for a moment wanting badly to lash out at Luna but through sheer will power she held herself back and just took it. Turning towards Cielo Celestia caught up to the stallion letting Luna’s comments roll off her back for now “Sorry If I sounded harsh… I really am just trying to look out for you” Celestia said softly to Cielo seeing how frustrated he was.

“And sorry I told you to kiss my tail but really Celestia you can’t expect me to follow such an insane order, I was born a pegasus not an earth pony. I’d rather die free above the clouds then chained to the earth” Cielo replied as the two of the neared the doctor’s office, Cielo looked over at Celestia and could see she looked a bit upset. Though he felt he was in the right he still felt bad he upset her or so he thought he did anyway. “So what’s with the sweater?” Cielo asked trying to change the topic.

Celestia looked back at Cielo and then to her dark pink sweater she had on “Oh this old thing, to be honest I think I might be coming down with a cold. When I woke up this morning I was chilly and really have not been able to keep warm all day. So I tossed this on to help keep me warm” Celestia explained.

“Sorry to hear… I hope you feel better soon” Cielo replied as Celestia and him reached the office.

“Me too” Celestia added using her magic to open the door for Cielo.

Celestia walked in behind Cielo seeing the doctor waiting for the two of them, Celestia had ordered him to keep a slot open for Cielo prior to going and fetching him. “Welcome back Cielo, I’m sorry it had to come to this really I am but I had no choice after your file went missing”

“Whatever” Cielo grumbled walking into the backroom seeing as how there was nopony ahead of him, the office was in fact empty this time of night “Let’s just get this crap over with”

The doctor let out a sigh and followed Cielo into the back while Celestia waited in the waiting room; the doctor did all his normal tests and took a few x-rays of each wing before letting Cielo go back to the waiting room.  At this point Luna had raised the moon ushering in the night and headed back into the castle, though very tired she could not rest yet, not until she knew how Cielo was. By the time Luna made it to the doctor’s office Cielo was pacing back and forth waiting for the x-rays to develop. Luna shot Celestia a glance upon entering the room and Celestia shot one right back at her, the two sisters did not want to be in the same room right now but for the sake of Cielo they both remained civil towards one another for the time being “You okay?” Luna asked approaching Cielo who seemed oblivious to her presence at first.

“Waiting on the results so no not really princess Luna, please forgive me if I sound a little rude but I’m under a bit of stress at the moment” Cielo replied as he stopped pacing. His tone was a bit sharp but Luna did not make a fuss about it.

“It’s fine Cielo I understand completely” Luna replied placing her hoof on Cielo’s back “I’m sure everything will work out”

Cielo went to reply but the doctor entered the room with a puzzled look on his face instantly getting the attention of Celestia and Luna “Well seeing as how everyone is here please come with me… I have something to show you all”

Taking a deep breath Cielo was first to head towards the back again not wanting to really hear the news, Luna followed closely behind him and Celestia behind her. All three of them entering after the doctor, Cielo’s x-rays were posted up and visible, the doctor stood beside the screen waiting for everypony to get in and situated. “What are we looking at doctor?” Celestia asked closing the door to the office behind her and looking at Cielo’s x-rays”

The doctor shook his head “I don’t even know where to begin” he started making Cielo worry instantly though what he said next utterly shocked and confused him. “We are looking at two healthy wings… I don’t know how but it seems all the damage that was done to his tissue has been repaired”

Cielo was happy before when his wings looked all better and felt better but to here there was no damage at all was not only great news for him but also was deeply puzzling. “How is that possible?” Celestia asked “There is no way his wings could heal like that overnight”

The doctor shook his head “You got me Princess Celestia you really do, I took blood work to be sure but nothing of consequence turned up. There is no medication, potion or spell that could have done this to my knowledge, I’m honestly baffled” The doctor continued almost sounding impressed “and it don’t end there” walking over to his desk the doctor levitate a file up off it, Cielo’s medical file. “I found this back in its rightful place, all my notes on Cielo’s condition along with the x-rays I had are gone. Everything else is in there though” The doctor looked back at Cielo. “I don’t know how you did it lad but I’d thank my lucky stars if I were you, you have yourself a guardian watching over you”

Cielo smile a little at this news feeling waves of joy wash over him knowing he would not have to choose between protecting others and losing his wings. “Surely you don’t think this was the work of some mystical being” Luna questioned what the doctor really meant by guardian.

“Do you have a better explanation Princess Luna? Because I sure don’t, damage like that can’t just be healed. It’s not possible in any sense” the doctor added sticking to his beliefs.

“Well I don’t want to question your beliefs doctor I’m more interested in a flesh and blood pony, I want you to fake some records” Celestia said softly. “Whoever did this might try again if they knew that you had backups of Cielo’s old x-rays so they might try to get their hooves on his fine once more if we plant that information” Celestia said covering her tracks wanting to be sure she was clear of any suspicion.

The doctor shook his head a little “Sure I can do that but honestly do you really want to reprimand whoever this might have been? The fact is flesh and blood being or not they did a good thing here”

“I agree with the doctor” Luna said looking over at Celestia. “We should just be grateful Cielo is okay”

Celestia looked over at Luna then to Cielo who looked back at Celestia with almost begging eyes “very well, you two are right we should be glad and I am happy for you Cielo that you are in good health once more. who or whatever took your files clearly did not take them with the intent of bringing them to light however I will be adding guards to watch over your office at night to assure that nopony can tamper with any more files”

Luna gave Celestia another look as if to say she was disgusted “Well I’m glad to hear you’re better Cielo regardless of how” Luna said with a smile.

“Thank you Princess Luna” Cielo replied happily. “If it’s okay with Celestia and you perhaps we can get on with the night if there is nothing else?” Cielo asked looking at the doctor making sure there was nothing more he needed.

“I’m set, you’re free to go I guess” the doctor replied “I’m going home, after the past two days I think I need a vacation. This job must be driving me insane”

Cielo happily headed for the door and Luna went to follow but was stopped short when Cielo stopped and turned to Celestia “Would there be anything more you required of me as far as testing?” Cielo asked.

“No I would say this was all good enough Cielo, thank you for your cooperation” Celestia replied with a smile. “Despite what my sister may think I was also happy you are well” Celestia added making Luna roll her eyes.

“I know ma’am” Cielo replied before bowing his head and leaving the room, Luna followed not speaking a word to her sister as she passed. Luna quickly joined Cielo at his side once the two of them exited the office.

Celestia turned to leave but was stopped by the doctor asking her a question. “Bit warm for a sweater isn’t it Princess?”

Celestia looked back and smiled “oh this yes, afraid I might have caught a little something. Ever since I woke this morning I have been a tad chilly”

“Would you like me to have a look at you before leaving?” the doctor asked.

“No it’s fine I’m sure it will pass within a few days, I don’t get sick very often and when I do it never lasts for very long. You should go home and get some rest you have already stayed in long enough” Celestia turned her gaze forward and started walking. “Take the day off tomorrow if you wish doctor and I thank you for staying late today to assist me, you were a great help”

The doctor muttered a bit still not to keen on having no answers but then again what was he really going to do about it, there was nothing that showed up in Cielo’s blood except for a very small amount of sleeping aid and that certainly could not have cured him. All in all Celestia felt in the clear making her way back to her chambers, there was nothing that could tie her to the disappearance of Cielo’s file or the missing notes and x-rays. Reaching her chambers Celestia’s two guards quickly opened the door for her “Thank you” Celestia gave them a little nod as she walked by them and into her room “oh and please see to it I'm not bothered for the rest of the night please”

“Yes ma’am!” the two replied in unison closing the door promptly so they did not bother Celestia. Walking over to her floor bed Celestia used her magic to pull a mirror over in front of it so she could look at herself. Carefully she then used her magic to remove her dark pink sweater before laying day, very slowly Celestia opened her wings to get a better look at them. Large portions of her feathers were missing and the simple task of opening her wings caused her to flinch a little, the doctor was right there was no magic he knew of that could heal wounds such as Cielo’s but there was magic that would allow the user to swap out somepony’s injury and inflict it upon themselves instead leaving the previously injured pony fully healed.  Celestia was not surprised the doctor didn’t know of this type of magic, nopony aside from Luna would even know of its existence. Long ago before Luna’s banishment the magic Celestia had used on Cielo was forbidden, all existences of it stricken from all spell books, eventually it faded into memory as the generations passed until it was all but forgotten.  Though Luna was still around at the time of these types of spells being stricken from record it was likely she had forgotten they even existed. After all she never learned once, Celestia was the last to know of such a spell.

With nopony to swap her wounds out with Celestia settled in for a long and painful night, her horn lighting up bright as she chanted softly slowly healing herself. It would take a few days’ time but Celestia would be able to grow all of her feathers back using magic at an accelerated rate, she would have to keep her wings hidden for at least 3 days before they would look formal again but as for the damage to her joints, that would take her years to heal. For Celestia this did not pose much of an issue though, she hardly left the castle and when she did she usually traveled by magic or chariot, the most stress she would really have to put on her wings would be to open them from time to time giving her a regal appearance. In Celestia’s eyes it was more than a fair tradeoff for the times she was not there for Cielo when he was growing up and also she felt she owed it to breeze, to look after her son like she promised she would. Though in pain Celestia smiled thinking back to Luna’s comment when she called Celestia selfish and a bitch finding it funny now, time slowly slipped by and Celestia kept on chanting until she exhausted herself hours later having used up as much magic as she could without causing herself to blackout.

Panting she looked at her feathers once more and was pleased with what she saw, most of the patches that were once bare were now covered with feathers. At this pace before she slept the following night her wings would appear to be normal. Celestia carefully put back on her sweater and struggled to stand upright, she had pushed herself a bit harder than she thought now almost too fatigued to stand. In her weak state Celestia made it over to her bed collapsing down on it, closing her eyes. It only took another minute before princess Celestia fell into a deep slumber; a soft smile was on her muzzle as she slept soundly.