Celestia sat on her empty throne. It had been only a manner of weeks since Luna was banished. The former princess was essentially a queen, but in her mind she was always a princess. Always would be a princess.

Not that Equestria hadn’t had its fair share of kingdom-destroying disasters but this one was different. This time it could’ve been Luna.

Luna. Her sister. She banished her to the moon.

The soft glow of which had a replica, a crater-for-crater replica of Luna’s face.

Luna was resentful. She would’ve done more.

That’s what Celestia thought. She would’ve done those things, right?

Right?
…
…

…Celestia knew she could’ve tried a little harder. Her inexperience clearly showed in her rash actions.

The attack was the first thing she tried. You could argue that Luna started it, but Celestia escalated it.

She didn’t try to talk her out of it. She assumed that would be too difficult.

And now her glow seemed to wear off just a little more. The moon needed the sun to reflect its light.

That was a fact Celestia knew all too well.

As well as—

“Your majesty!”

Thoughts promptly interrupted, Celestia jumped in her seat— a little spooked. A fact simply evidenced by the stray bolt of magic that left a charred streak on the marble floor.

“Princess, would you refrain from firing at your advisors?” the pony who arrived said, a stern tone clearly evident in his voice.

“Oh, Starswirl. I thought it was one of the rogues again,” Celestia said, embarrassed.

The two stared at each awkwardly until Celestia broke the silence.

“Would I be correct in assuming that you are in fact Starswirl?”

“Yes, Celestia. You would be correct.”

“I see… what’s the news today?”

Starswirl stroked his beard and mumbled a few words Celestia couldn’t quite make out.

“Pardon?”

“My apologies. They’re back.”

“Who’s back? Please Starswirl, stop talking in riddles.”

Starswirl muttered an ancient curse in gruff annoyance. “Celestia, it’s the representatives of the Lunar Republic.”

“You mean the rebels?”

“…in a manner of speaking. Yes.”

Celestia lightly jumped off her chair, fluttering her wings and landing, though not without a stumble.

“Do they want to see me again?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Fine… take me there.”

“As you wish.”

Starswirl turned towards the door. Hooves dragging with the labor of artificial age.

Celestia— wings twitching in involuntary nervousness— followed him, her eyes darting all around the endlessly empty halls.

---

The two reached a balcony on the south side of the castle. The normally still night was erupting with the calls and screams of a very angry crowd.

It was a mob. It couldn’t be called anything but. The lights from the torches outlined not only the burning in their eyes, but seemed to burn brighter than even the Canterlot street lanterns. Maybe, even brighter than the moon.

Celestia knew this crowd far too well. This ragtag herd called themselves the ‘Lunar Republic,’ a movement predicated on Celestia’s biggest mistake.

“Hello, everypony,” Celestia began, a soft waver interrupting her normally powerful voice.

Before Celestia could continue, a riotous yelp broke her address.

“Bring her back!”

The words seemed to echo through those endlessly empty halls and back to Celestia.

“I-I-I don’t know the spell!”

That much was true at least.

“Do you?”

“I— I don’t. I’m really sorry!”

The agitated grumbles from the mob seemed at least… temporarily sated. Certainly not clear, but less intense.

“I know you’re mad!” Starswirl butted in, as Celestia tried to collect her voice. “But please, allow her to explain.”

A hiss flew throughout the crowd, followed by a rowdier and rowdier scream that threatened to drown the castle in torchlight.

“I. I should’ve done better. I should’ve tried. I should’ve. But she was attacking me, she was angry, I, I promise.” Celestia’s voice threatened to break.

“So why didn’t you!”

That was always the response. A clamorous agreement ratcheted up to the balcony that Starswirl and Celestia were staying on.

That was a question Celestia couldn’t answer.

The silence spoke volumes to the mob.

“Find the spell!” The crowd shouted in unison, a few attempting to charge into the Canterlot Castle.

The doors were heavily barricaded, of course. They weren’t any less barricaded at night. However, the Lunar Republic would break in and destroy Celestia— along with the castle if they got a chance.

As the guards fought back the stragglers attempting to do exactly that, Celestia wiped the tears off her face— ones of nervousness, grief, and confusion— and attempted to formulate anything at all.

The doors shook beneath her, the crowd was so rowdy that even Starswirl seemed nervous.

“I know! I could’ve done more. At least attempted—“

The calls threatened to drown her out.

“But! She’s still… sort of with us.”

Celestia looked up to the slight light of the moon. She knew she was saying that to assuage her feelings as well as the crowd’s, but it was something she wanted to believe.

But everypony knew that the light of the moon was merely a fraction of the sun’s. In their mind, they would never be less than in perfect equality. But the torches were destined to overpower any light.

As the crowd intensified— attempting to break into the castle— Celestia sat, crying into her own wings as the cloudless night seemed to storm.

“Stop!” Starswirl called, as he threw up a magical barrier. “Listen to her! She’s trying!”

“Is she?” A single pony called, prompting an expanding murmur of agreement.

“I’ll make her.” Starswirl muttered, but his words were completely unheard.

Even as Starswirl’s magic— weakened in his advanced age— flickered, Celestia was right there to trade hooves. She seemed to work off instinct; this was far from her first go.

Celestia continued to cry as Starswirl urged her back inside.

The two began dragging their hooves back into the castle. Celestia wiped a few tears from her eyes as she attempted to form yet another sentence she didn’t want to. The crowd hadn’t quieted. In fact, they were louder than ever.

“…I- is there a spell?” Celestia whispered.

“Not as far as I know, Princess,” Starswirl conceded.

“Could we find one?”

“…”

Starswirl seemed incredibly silent, his head tipped downwards to the floor.

“…I don’t want to wait a thousand years,” Celestia whimpered, in what could only graciously be described as a voice.

Of course, Starswirl wasn’t immortal. He didn’t have the time or the energy for prolonged magical studies. He didn’t know how long he had left, magical or not.

“I wish I could’ve done more.”

“We both do,” Starswirl agreed, his weaker voice betraying his age in that moment.

Celestia collapsed in the middle of one of those endlessly empty halls. She was surrounded on her left and right by tapestries of the sun and moon, breathlessly untouched for the past few weeks.

The moon peered through the window, high in the sky. To Celestia, it was the brightest thing she could see.