The Unwanted One

Princess Luna, waking up early too early, laid in the bed: she doesn’t want to get up, but there was no desire to sleep either. If she had woken up ten minutes earlier, she could have seen the ascent of the Sun… Alicorn sighed shortly from how meagerly and tastelessly this thought sounded: “Ascent of the Sun”, yeah… But she didn’t have heart to call it “a sunrise” or any other beautiful poetic word. Sunrises can happen now only on holidays… Yeah, and, as she remembers, she was angry at her sister for her demonstrative brag: slowly ascend, slowly descend… She had been showing off, she wanted more respect and love! Now, after many centuries, Tia doesn’t do that: pulls the Sun from the horizon swiftly and casually and goes to do other things. Why — Luna does not ask. But during this week the Princess of the Night understood, that she misses those beautiful sunrises and mind-blowing sunsets. Even though they were almost out of memory, she still feels that she needs them. She has to ask sister to rise the Sun like in the good old days, slowly and goodly… She will someday… Luna rolled over on another side. However, it seems that Tia wouldn’t do that: her week-old vacation is coming to an end tomorrow, and she will dive into running the country once again. But even during these days, Celestia still had to sometime pay attention to state’s affairs, if to be honest. She was upset that bureaucracy works with pain and misery without her direct intervention, and deputies, who have never been really helping her, have been making mistake after mistake because of the lack of experience of doing anything themselves, asked for leniency, and after getting a silent sigh and approving nod, she went to tackle the worst problems. And Luna, unfortunately for her, wasn’t really helping sister: many laws were changed, bureaucracy has grown in size by times, and not only the document execution has changed — the documents themselves were written in a basically foreign language! It’s not a secret that Tia was helping Luna to learn new grammar with pleasure, but it’s impossible to do it just in a few days. Fortunately for Tia, she has loved to “teach her little sister to write scribbles”! Remembering this, Luna tried to scowl, but lost the battle swiftly, and a wide smile swept across the face on her lips. Oh, Tia… This is so good to be together again… But anyways, the junior Princess couldn’t help with the vast majority of her sister’s job for now. The only thing she can do is rising and downing the Moon, and maybe she can return to her work in the reality of dreams… But even these aren’t so simple. The smile, that had settled itself on the alicorn’s face with a struggle, died out swiftly. A couple of days after the memorable evening, when Luna refused to try to rise the Moon because of the feeling that her magic isn’t fine, Tia, of course, brought her to a medical examination, and the output was a sentence: “Magic insufficiency”. The “magic insufficiency” term should be understood as “there’s something wrong with your magic, we don’t know what, but it must go away after some time.” Returning from the Moon onto Equus, a lot lesser-filled with magic place, where everything went wrong, brought a huge arrangement of different problems with magic. The most noticeable one was that every spell now consumes more energy. It didn’t affect a lot something easy, that requires just a sneeze, but complex and energy-consuming ones were threw out the window — the Princess of the Night just has no energy to do so. Even control and accuracy got a hit, and that’s only worsened the situation with complex spells, and, for the last, it’s accompanied by a weakened sensitivity. Luna touched her horn with a hoof carefully — nothing new. Usually sensible and delicate organ feels like a complete bone. Not only it was unpleasant by itself, but it also affects magic sense of touch! It was horribly awkward to almost not feel the holding items by telekinesis, and what’s more — delicate operations, like writing, were a real challenge and closely moved Princess to the end of her nerves. And these were only the main ones! Others, more smaller problems, aren’t countable! In the end, she could run the Moon somehow, but it’s only if you think that an indecisive move, after which you will get a hellish headache, can be named “running the Moon”. The Princess of the Night haven’t tried to enter the reality of dreams, but would after a few days. This process was rather complicated, but Luna calculated, that a prepared ritual, with the help of her sister, will unburden her task and she’ll be able to reach the needed result. Generally, Tia still holds control over the Moon, and the only thing that the castaway Night Princess can do is settling herself in this modern world, working out her naughty magic, drinking some very expensive potions, that would help her to recover faster, and wait, until everything would be fine at last. For now, Luna can execute only public relations — to attend gatherings, meetings, other conferences… But this possibility was the most undesirable for her: Princess was scared. Scared, that everyone would compare her with the sister, giving hints that Tia is better and more important shrewdly and covertly; scared, that no one would accept her, toss out… Moreover, many fear her very noticeably, and a few ponies, who didn’t even read newspapers, started to run in panic from “the Mare in the Moon”, almost breaking Luna’s soul into pouring rain of tears. However, the amount of those, who treated her calmly, was still more… And amidst those was, unfortunately, Prince Blueblood. Brushing off this loyal and true enthusiast of the ancient history, trying to get some information about it from time to time, was getting harder and harder. Hints do not exist for him, and a direct refusal meant for him that he has to ask this question later only. But the most shocking for Princess was his wholehearted and sincere admiration of her… Absolutely unearned admiration, created by “historical” studies, that have a very little in common with reality. It wouldn’t have been such a problem for Luna, if she had returned alone, what her sister had been anticipating, creating this myth. But now they have Nightmare as well, in which a general pony sees a figure of a real monster and which was stopped by the Princess of the Night at a heavy cost. But truly — she’s the monster here. Betrayed her sister, left Nightmare Moon for hundreds of years of suffering… Luna shivered from the surprise, when her heavy thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “C-come in.” The Princess of the Night allowed, wiping coming tears and putting on the mask of calmness and strictness. The entered servants bowed to a confident and organized diarch.

…

Luna met her sister in the dining room, and it seems, that she didn’t even touch the food, absorbed in reading some scroll. “Hello, Luna! How was your night?” The Princess of the Sun, putting the scroll aside, smiled and swung with her wings welcomingly, waving with her leg invitingly to the chair opposite her. “Good day to you, Your Majesty.” The Night Princess bowed reflexively. “Oh… I mean, hello, sister. The night was good…” Luna hesitated. “Lu!” Celestia sighed heavily. “Why don’t you get used already? It has been a week already, but you still call me Queen from time to time and make bows!” “Sorry.” The blue alicorn laid back ears shyly. “I just thought about the etiquette and… It’s better if you say what scroll was so interesting to read? And why you haven’t touched the food yet?” Luna changed the topic with the gracefulness of a hydra. “I’m waiting until everyone is at the table.” Tia said as a matter of course. “You and… Let it be a surprise.” She smiled at her sister. “Okay, I’ll wait.” The junior Princess nodded, taking a sit opposite to the senior one. She paid attention, that there were none of mains: there were only snacks, which should be brought beforehand. “What about the scroll?” “A letter from my student, Twilight Sparkle.” The Princess of the Sun smiled warmly. “Shares with me about what happened in Ponyville, about her friends. And about Nightmare as well.” Tia’s smile faded away a bit. “And how it’s going?” Luna asked with a static tone, examining the scroll on the table with some strange gaze. Tia sighed. She couldn’t give much of a hope to her sister, and the Twilight’s letter does not show favored prognosis. It doesn’t mean that everything is bad: by the student’s words and her own experience — it’s not that bad: Nightmare shows herself as capable of kindness and friendship, doesn’t show evil plans about Equestria… But she was a rather difficult and unsociable person at the same time, which would barely cooperate with Luna, even if she would try to expiate her guilt. Nightmare Moon make fun of death and doesn’t see anything scary in that, and she also likes the fact that ponies are scared of her! Princess shared the Twilight’s shock and perplexity about this. It just doesn’t make sense… What is good about someone else’s fear? How, how can you think that it’s normal?! And also Nightmare was no stranger to use force as a solution. She doesn’t think that it’s intolerable to use rather harsh threats towards others — well, in this particular case, she’s partially excused because of the circumstances: the trader behaved himself in the most immodest and tactless way towards Fluttershy… At the background of the fight with Rainbow Dash, which was now in the hospital with severe injuries, the big picture seems very unsettling. But it’s not the best way to blame the Mare in the Moon for everything that happened… Respond immediately with force on a threat — a thousand years ago, in those harsh times, even Celestia could do the same, if not worse… Tia shook her head to her thoughts. And still: maybe Nightmare’s aggression was logical, taking into account the times in Equestria she remembers, but it’s still aggression. From the other side, Rainbow attacked first…. However, the important thing was, in the first place, that the Mare in the Moon didn’t even think that she, maybe, had done something wrong! “Are you sure you want to know?” The Princess of the Sun gazed at her sister, resurfacing from her thoughts,. “I don’t want you, taking all the blame for what had happened with Nightmare.” “Had happened”, yeah… Entirely by accident and by itself!” Luna chuckled ruefully. “You couldn’t know…” “I could!” The Princess of the Night rose up sharply. “And I should have! But instead, I had seen only what I was afraid of — and didn’t see any other things! Anyways, it’s a lost cause… There’s nothing I can do.” Slouching, Luna waved aside tiredly. Nothing you can do… She wanted to insist, but… Nightmare, mistrustful, suspicious and accustomed to the methods of old times will barely excuse her sister for sure, at least in the near future. Honestly, Celestia couldn’t think of something, that Luna has to do, if she wants the black alicorn to just listen to her words. “Don’t give up too early, Luna.” Tia tried to cheer her up anyway. “Nightmare is not the most friendly pony, but she can be kind. And I’m sure, that sooner or later, friendship will award her soul with harmony, will teach her how to show kindness and trust others more. If she’s not ready to forgive you today, she’ll probably be ready tomorrow. So don’t give up, Lu. Everything is going to be okay.” Luna tried to feign a smile in answer, but her doubts and skepticism towards Celestia’s word were as clear as day. “Everything will be fine.” The Princess of the Sun said firmly, trying to spread this firmness on sister’s mind. The silence in the air was quickly interrupted by an opening door and clatter of hooves on the floor. Luna, sitting with her back to the door, turned around to see the incomer and froze in an unpleasant pose, not being able to say even a word. A mare entered the dining room. With long sharp horn… And with wings lifted a bit, as it should be on official meetings. Alicorn. Not tall, clearly a young pony with pleasant pink fur and multicolored mane, was moving towards the table at a leisurely pace. “Good day, Princess Luna.” She bowed hesitantly. “Good day, auntie.” Now she addressed to Tia, going without a bow and with a clearly more relaxed tone. The Princess of the Night, staying in a light bewilderment, nodded in answer slowly. “Sister, I’m introducing to you Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, my adopted niece…” The incomer was introduced by Celestia, which was clearly getting pleasure from the effect of it. “You can name me Cadence for short.” Alicorn edged in shyly. “… Which don’t respect the etiquette at all.” Tia sighed falsely, but smiled once again. “Auntie has been telling me about you. Nice to meet you personally.” The pink alicorn smiled with the edges of her lips at Luna. “Likewise.” The Princess of the Night, which overcame the surprise, nodded shortly. “Tell me!” She turned to the white alicorn eagerly. “You didn’t say that you had found more than one dynasty!” “I had found only one. Cadence is the found alicorn, Luna. She was born as a pegasus and earned her horn, executing her destiny with her talent: love.” “A…” The junior Princess tilted and sat back, almost standing up. “But… But… It’s impossible! It’s us who declined the theory that your special talent can be a key to something more! It’s us who checked it together — and nothing proved that! Discord, this is not even a theory — just a fugacious guess! How, Tia?! How?!” The blue alicorn flew off from her place again and impended over the Princess of love, throughly examining the blue heart on her hip. Cadence haven’t been awaiting such a reaction and tried to step back carefully, casting nervous glances at Celestia and Luna simultaneously. “How does it work?” “Honestly — this is still a mystery for me as it is for you.” Tia shook her head. “As for how it happened… Cadence, will you?” The Princess of the Sun looked at the niece questioningly. “Well… I just helped two ponies to find love — that’s all.” The pink alicorn became confused. “I don’t understand what is so special about it…” “I met Cadence at the opening of a new children’s hospital.” Celestia started her story, understanding that her niece, as it seems, won’t tell more. “She stood in the crowd, in the first ranks, a pink pegasus-teenager. I swept a magic gaze over the gathered ponies and… Was shocked what I had seen. Something unbelievable was happening with Cadence’s energy. I’ve never seen something similar. A real extravaganza of magic… I invited her on an audience to solve everything… But she didn’t come!” The Princess of the Sun eyed the pink alicorn from head to foot with a smirk. “I thought it was some kind of a joke.” Cadence laid back her ears embarrassedly. “Some orphan from an orphanage, even though with a big name, was invited by Princess Celestia herself?” “I will never forget your stare, when “Princess Celestia herself” brought a second invitation to you, but this time — personally.” Tia smiled lively. “I almost burned with shame! And nearly lost my speech.” The Princess of love blushed because of a short giggle by the white alicorn. Luna couldn’t hold a smile as well. “In the castle, I told Cadence the reason of the invitation and asked her permission to tackle this thing. At the first glance, everything that was going on with her, wasn’t dangerous, but… It was still an unknown magic process, even though frozen in some balance. I didn’t want this — didn’t matter what it was — to hurt her.” “I understand only a bit from the Princess’ explanation, but… After I got my cutie mark, when I helped a quarreled couple to again love each other and not to ruin their family, I was truly feeling a little bit… Strange.” Cadence did an undefinable gesture. “At first I thought, that everypony has the same thing when gets their talent, but the medpony, to which I came to get an explanation, said, that it’s not a usual thing.” Luna, leaning forward, sucked in every sister’s and the young alicorn’s word of their collective story. “Yes, it’s not a usual thing.” Tia nodded. “Getting a permission, I examined Cadence’s energetics, and after I touched the core with my magic, I accidentally destabilized… this. It was clear afterwards, that my gentle touch launched a frozen up to that time process, but then… Cadence’s magic started to fade enormously — and a pegasus doesn’t have a lot of it. I rushed to support it with mine, I just didn’t know what to do. I… I lost myself: I have never encountered something like that in my life. Didn’t even find a reference about that!” “She wasn’t a unicorn, sister. How could you transfer your magic to her then?” Luna raised her eyebrow. “It’s possible only when magic conductors are engaged, if I remember correctly… And this is the only possible solution, and, what’s more, requires the best of one’s accuracy and carefulness to not harm someone! Or…” “I worked out the kinks in the “Star Swirl’s transformer.” Tia smiled in answer pleasantly. “With the help of this spell, if you remember, you can share energy with any other pony, almost not risking to harm because of the someone else’s organism rejection.” “Its losses were 95 — 98 percent…” Luna mumbled. “Can you show the scheme?” “Of course, but not now.” The Princess of the Sun nodded. “Generally, as it turned out, except magic, I hadn’t had to do something. A bright spark happened in some moment, and the loss of energy stopped. Cadence the pegasus was laying before me… With a long creep horn at her forehead.” “You shouldn’t have risked on my account, Princess Celestia.” The pink alicorn shook head. “You were exhausted…” “Nothing serious.” Tia waved thoughtlessly in an exaggerated way, looking at the young Princess with a hard look at the same time. “After this “nothing serious” we had a sunny day…” “Cadence!” “…Which lasted more than a week, while auntie had been recovering after the magical exhaustion.” The pink alicorn grassed up Celestia. knitting brows together harshly in answer. “Siste-er…” Luna narrowed eyes threateningly, eying Celestia with a very dissatisfied look. “I wouldn’t have left Cadence to die anyways.” She cut it off. “Especially when you’re the one, who started this process, which could result in this.” “What if you had got something worse than exhaustion? What could Equestria had suffered then?” Luna was filled with indignation. The Princess of love nodded in approve, sweeping a glance over Celestia harshly as well. “Lost myself” doesn’t mean “lost my head”.” Tia insisted calmly. “There wasn’t a serious threat to me. And the week on a medical leave was worth it: Equestria got a new Princess, Cadence — horn and a new family, and I — a cute niece.” Tia smiled disarmingly. “Thank you for everything.” “Cute niece” blushed again. “I hope there truly was no risk… But I still feel nervous, while remembering it.” “Don’t worry.” The Princess of the Sun calmed her. “And yes, when you’re both here, I wanted to offer something. Luna, as I said before, my vacation is going to be over tomorrow, so I’ll have to run the state’s affairs again, and I won’t be able to spend as much time with you as I should…” Tia sighed shortly. “So I offered Cadence to tag along. Sister, how do you think about her, helping you to get settled in the modern world? And you, my niece — would you help Luna?” “Of course, auntie! I’ll be happy to help.” The pink alicorn agreed without thinking and casted an anticipating gaze at the thinking Princess of the Night. “I… I understand, but…” She hesitated. “It’s not a farewell, Luna.” Tia smiled to sister softly. “You can visit me in any time — I can take a break from the duty for half an hour-hour… And even more, if you would like to. I’ll never put you below my job again, sister.”

…

“Princess Cadence…” Luna said slowly as if tasting words, when she and Tia were going back from the breakfast. “Who is she? Is she from a high blood? Is she educated enough to bear her crown?” “Cadence’s history is rather tragic… “Ill-fate” will be the term.” Celestia sighed. “Maternal grandmother was no more even before her birth, and when Cadence wasn’t even a year old — her grandfather was seriously sick and died. Her mother, as far as I know, was madly in love with father and took this loss very heavily. She urged him to go to the funerals, but it was dangerous to take such a small filly in this trip. So they left little Cadence at the paternal grandparents’ shoulders, left without her… And didn’t make it back — the airship, which they flew, by some reason, lost its way and crushed against a mountain. Cadence’s parents slept in the forward cabins — they had no chance…” “They’re pegasi!” Luna scowled. “Why they flew this unreliable… How it was?” “Mixed-race marriage.” The Princess of the Sun explained. “Mother-pegasus and father-unicorn.” “Aristocrats?” “Ancestry doesn’t matter…” Tia tried to wave away, but saw Luna’s gaze and answered: “Only father. “In times gone by a very powerful and noble Canterlot dynasty, but sick and rather impoverished by then — they were living from hand to mouth because of old debts.” “And now Cadence is a Princess… I struggle to understand.” Luna rubbed her forehead. “Don’t judge the modern ponies by their dynasty’s highness, sister. Aristocracy now is just a tradition. A very enduring and very troublesome tradition…” Celestia darkened. The Princess of the Night casted a questioning gaze at her. “All these dynasties is a relic of history.” She explained with a sigh. “The relic of the unicorn’s kingdom from the times, when Equestria wasn’t united. Now this formal inequality only bothers and divisive society, but it’s settled so tight, that I can’t do anything with it without insults, problems and casualties. “And now we stand — if I stay out — it’s bad, if I step in — it’s even worse.” Tia waved with her leg frustratingly. “The good thing is that the traditional aristocracy exists almost only in the capital — in other cities it has been limited to a minimum or died out completely, with business-ponies taking their place, which formally don’t have special privileges — just very rich. And you know what’s funny?” Celestia chuckled. “What?” “Both like to brag with their ancestry, but upside down! If an aristocrat would brag with how old and noble his dynasty is, business-pony would brag with the fact that his grandfather was an apprentice of a smith in a remote village, but now he’s the head of a metallurgical combine. But yeah, let’s go back to Cadence, shall we?” Luna nodded in agreement. “The parental grandfather and grandmother, which now had an infant, treated her in a rather cold way. Firstly, they were against the marriage of their unicorn-son with a pegasus since the get-go, especially with one that came to the capital from afar, so they weren’t happy about a flying granddaughter, and secondly, as I said earlier, they had been living a hand-to-mouth existence. No, they weren’t that poor, but if they wanted to raise and support this little filly — they had to either economize on everything or run into new debts…So when the question of sending her to the orphanage sprung up — it wasn’t a choice, they didn’t even formalize child custody. However, even if they had agreed — Cadence still would have been in an orphanage: they died simply after half a year in a fire, which broke out during some important meeting in a restaurant… This is how this ill-fated pegasus, which didn’t even have a name, found herself in an orphanage in Canterlot.” “How did it come that she didn’t have a name? She wasn’t half a month old, was she?” The blue alicorn boiled over. “Seven months. And why they didn’t name her… There’s no such details in the official documents.” Tia made a helpless gesture with wings. “And there’s no one I can ask about it. Maybe the papers were lost, maybe the parents couldn’t make a choice, argued about it…” Luna sniffed with anger. “Death of her relatives didn’t cause a lot of sorrow in the little mare’s soul: she barely remembered her parents.” The Princess of the Sun continued her story. “She got accustomed in the orphanage. One of the nursery, excited in the Crystal Empire and its history, named the orphaned mare after the Crystal’s Empire empress, that had been running the country before infamous Sombra — Mi Amore Cadenza. As I was told there, Cadence’s growing was accompanied by kindness, with will to always help everyone, to tackle any fight and any quarrel. She called the orphanage her home — fortunately, the nurseries did everything to keep this. Cadence got her cutie mark when she was thirteen, when making peace between horribly quarreled husband and wife, returning their love to themselves — and, as a bonus, brought her prominence. And after about a year, Cadence was caught by my eye. And do you know what’s the most unbelievable in all of this?” “Unbelievable except that a mare-teenager became an alicorn and a Princess?” Luna raised her brow ironically. “Strangely enough — yes.” Celestia smiled. “Ponies, which were reconciled by her, became parents of her “special pony” and my personal student, which now is the Element of Magic.” The Princess of the Night, stopping near a window and looking out of it with a long stare, rubbed her forehead perplexedly.

…

The day comes to an end. Celestia downed the Sun, raised the Moon and now was talking with her sister, making their with Luna way to the dinner. “…A week is the maximum. It does not belong to my royal sister to survive in guest chambers!” Tia smiled. “It does not.” Luna chuckled shortly. “My apartments in the old times were smaller than your “guest chambers”! Not to mention this extravagance, that your builders made in my wing of the castle, and which humbly named by you as “my room”! “Pretty much usual chambers, worthy of my sister — nothing more…” The Princess of the Sun smiled innocently. “Usual”…” Luna hummed. “Sister, how much nulls the cost sheet has?” “Doesn’t matter how much — they’re all mine.” Celestia became serious. “If there’s no one to waste them on, you can collect a very-very-very lot for a thousand years, even if you don’t do that deliberately. “So these are my own money, until the last coin. It’s my gift to you, Lu.” “But still — why… This much?” Making an indescribable gesture, Luna looked up at the Princess of the Sun. “To make you happy, of course.” Tia hugged her sister with a wing. “I want to see a smile on your face more frequently. Also to hasten the appearance of the feeling that you’ve come back home — where you’re being loved and cherished.” “Thank you…” Luna became confused a bit. “But…” The junior Princess couldn’t end her sentence: a pegasus in golden armor appeared from a turning. He saw the corulers, sharply stopped his trajectory of flight and almost fell before the alicorns. “Y-your Highness!” The breathless stallion saluted to Celestia. “There! On the landing zone!” The Princess of the Sun scowled, nodding to the pegasus towards the way he flew in. He turned around and started to go back, Tia fell in nearby, and nervous Luna followed them. “What’s happened?” “Some creepy creatures appeared, look like ponies, with armor and arms!” The stallion started to tell the story emotionally. “They dared to demand an audience with you in a commanding tone, Your Highness! Lieutenant Shining Armor ordered me to find you and report, while he’s alarming the garrison.” “Creatures? Like us?” Princess surprised. “Yes, Your Highness! Like ponies, but their wings are weird and teeth like manticore’s! And their eyes…” The guard shivered. “I’ve never heard about such a horror! Also, Lieutenant called them strangely: firsals or fristals…” “Thestrals?!” Luna asked, hiding her excitement badly, catching her sister and the pegasus up in a few swift steps. He nervously looked at the Night Princess, lost his pace and shifted a haunted glance at Celestia, clearly not understanding what to do — ponies haven’t got used to two ruling Princesses. “How longeth shall thee beest silent, guardeth?!” Answ’r us immediately!” The Princess of the Night elevated her voice, scowling dreadfully. “E-e… Yes, thisfals, Your… E-e… Your Highness!” Gathering himself up, the young guardian answered. “Sister, what did your Lieutenant do? Why is he alarming the garrison?” Luna turned her head to the senior Princess sharply. “We’ll find out soon.” She looked at the sister in answer calmingly. “Go back to your comrades, guardian.” She nodded to the pegasus. He, bowing shortly, took off and ran forward. “If this guard didn’t exaggerate.” Tia continued, being alone with Luna. “Then I already know what has happened there. As I told you earlier, thestrals treat me… Without passion. If their commander really demanded my presence, then it’s not a surprise, that Shining got angry and wants to give them a lesson.” “Like in the old times, huh?” Luna chuckled in answer sadly. “The night and day guards can’t stand each other.” “We don’t need this damn “like in the old times”!” The Princess of the Sun reacted a bit sharply. “My hopes are high on this incident being the last of its kind.” Talking on elevated tones, echoing through spacious hallways, the Princesses heard long before they themselves were on the battlefield. Celestia hastened her pace. Near the gates that lead to the landing area, a total welter prevailed: a dozen of thestrals, easily recognized by the dark blue armor, were surrounded and left without breakaways by at least three dozens of guards. However, it didn’t bother the bat-winged warriors at all: they stood firmly, and their commander dared to scream at the Shining Armor’s Lieutenants and at a bright red earthpony, that came to rescue, which was easily recognized as Rage Fire by the Princess of the Day. “… Shall the rage of the Sun incinerate you if you don’t do it! Get out of the way, dough faced! We will find Queen Celestia ourselves if she doesn’t want to come here and pay for her words!” “Princess Celestia!” Rage yelled at the thestrals’ commander wrathfully — at a bright blue mare with almost black mane and rare for their race bright green eyes. She just eyed the guard with a scornful gaze. “And watch your tongue speaking about Her Highness!” Shining added with authority. “Or what?” Thestral narrowed her eyes unkindly. “You will inform on us to your heads? Ah, yes, it already sleeps: it’s dark, late…” She chuckled. “Maybe you’ll just cry?” “What a…” The red earthpony started to gasp from indignation. “I’ll just…” “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?” Celestia’s Canterlot Voice roared, stomping the starting conflict in a moment. Guards, hesitating for a few seconds, hastily organized a life corridor for the Princess. Thestrals started to hiss, laying back their sensitive ears to head and looking at Tia with evilly gazes. Snowy alicorn bit a lip for a moment — didn’t think about that… “Queen Celestia.” Thestrals’ commander acknowledged with badly hidden distaste in the voice, without even a polite nod. “Despite your infamy, we didn’t except such a rottenness even from you. You know how we treat that, and you wrote a letter to our elders with such a hateful l!..” Thestral choked with words, looking somewhere to the right from the Princess of the Sun with far-eyes. “What lie?” Princess Luna, which just came up, asked her, stepping up from the back of her sister and now staying side by side with her. “A-a… Princess… Luna?” The bat-winged mare cheeped, losing all her warring spirit in a moment. Helmet, which she held on the crook of her left leg, fell onto the ground with a clank. After making a few shy steps towards a little bit surprised Princess of the Night, the thestral fell on her knees like a victim. After a second, the rest did the same. Celestia respectfully made a few steps backwards, leaving her sister in front. A silence hung on for a few long seconds: surprised Luna looked at this with all her eyes, trying to swallow lump in the throat. “S… Stand up…” The Princess of the Night said with a twitched voice. “Great Princess Luna! Is it… Is it really you?..” The night pony’s eyes were shining from tears, she hardly stood up on wobbly legs. “We… We couldn’t have even hoped…. We didn’t trust it…” Mare’s voice flinched. “I let them down, abandoned them to my sister’s and other ponies’ fury… But they still love me…” Luna thought, helplessly looking at the crying from happiness thestral. After a few long seconds, she wiped her tears, coming closer to the Princess of the Night with awe, and now fell on her knees slowly and ceremonially. The others followed suit, swiftly lining up behind their commander’s back. “Empress! I, Dark Whisper, from the Star Cover wing, together with my warriors, vow to serve you in everything that your supreme will wants to impose. And let the Night be the witness of our vow!” Luna looked at the kneeing warriors of the night in prostration, having no clue what to do and how to react. “Our lifes are in your hooves, Empress.” Thestrals’ leaders stood up, dashing away her tears. “Rule. Your word is law.” The junior Princess looked back at sister helplessly. Celestia stood afield humbly, nodded cheerfully, giving Luna an understanding, that it’s only her choice how to act further. The blue alicorn bit a lip for a moment and turned to Dark Whisper awaiting her orders wholeheartedly. Princess had no idea where and how to go — all the thoughts were washed out from head, leaving only incomprehension and hesitancy. She’s been barely remembering about the night ponies during this time. She left them to be struck by a furious Queen. And they waited and loved her. Were ready to execute any order, any caprice… “Am I worthy of it?” Luna froze hesitantly, thinking nervously what to do. “Lieutenant Armor, Lieutenant Fire, you and your ponies are dismissed. Leave us.” Celestia ordered to her guard quietly, seemingly wanting to support her sister. It really got calmer without a dozen of stares. “Empress, may I speak?” Whisper broke the prolonged silence, following the leaving from the landing zone guards with a gaze “Yes?” Luna shuddered, thankful to the thestral for breaking this sticky shyness by her mere words. “Allow me to send runners to the elders, to spread the good word about your return?” “Fine.” Princess answered a little bit hesitatingly. The night pony nodded and went back to her warriors, and four of them took off soon after, vaporizing in the darkness soundlessly, caring on their wings the news: their Princess is really back home. While Whisper was giving orders, Celestia came closer to Luna. “You’re nervous, Lu.” “I…” The Princess of the Night looked under her feet. “I let them down and… They still believe me… I’m not sure that…” “You have right to lead them now?” Tia ended for the hesitated sister. She nodded silently. Celestia raised a sad look at the group of night ponies. “Everyone makes mistakes, sister. Remember about yours, but not for them to drag you into the bottom, but to not repeat them again. You’ll manage it. Don’t fear.” The senior Princess smiled and went aside, being followed by the returned thestral with a suspicious look. “You’re tired after the journey, aren’t you?” Cheered Luna addressed to Dark Whisper. And immediately swore at herself in mind: she had to ask it before the sending of the runners… “We don’t need a serious rest, Empress!” She nodded with head. “We took wings not more than an hour and a half ago. All we need now is a little bit of food.” “Sister.” Luna turned around. “Is there any fish we can find in storages of the castle?” “No.” Celestia shook her head, cringing inside. Honestly, specific diet of thestrals, griffins and some other species, wasn’t as exciting for her as for them, even though Princess managed to get rid of the opened disfavor to it. But how Luna still manages to treat killing of living creatures and eating their dead bodies so plainly — the Princess of the Sun doesn’t understand even now. “Why?” Sister was surprised. “Wasn’t it you, who kept a little supply for the griffons’ embassy?” “There’s no griffons’ embassy in Equestria right now.” Celestia shook her head. “After the death of their last king around two hundred years ago and loss of some ancient artifact of their people, griffons lost their country. Now they live almost as separate tribes… There’s just no one there to send us ambassadors.” “I got it…” Luna prolonged. “Yfel ðafian nâteðæshwôn indrîfan… I mean, where we can find food?” Having the needle, she started to speak in an ancient dialect reflexively. “Empress, may I speak?” Thestral drew attention to herself. “I heed to you, Dark Whisper.” The Princess of the Night turned to her. “Thank you for your worry about us, Empress, but don’t worry about that so much — we can get along with something more usual. Vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, pastry… Just without grass, please.” “Fine.” Alicorn nodded and turned to Tia. “I’ll ask to lay dinner in the small guest dining room.” The Princess of the Sun nodded even before Luna opened her mouth. “But first off…” Celestia came closer, falling on with the junior sister. “I’m happy to see, that even after all the past centuries, my sister has ponies, which love and cherish her.” The snowy alicorn addressed to the unfriendly-looking thestrals. “ I hope that following the recreation of the Night Guard, you will be the same tower of strength and defense, as you were in the old times. I also hope, that this will be the first step towards reunification of your people with other ponies. I’m happy to welcome you in the castle of Canterlot, children of the night.” Dark Whisper chuckled sceptically. Luna sighed quietly.