Equis, Equestria, Canterlot Palace
Monday, 21 June 2551 CE Celestial Standard Calendar

“Princess Luna? We’ve landed.”

“Huh? Oh!” Luna was drawn out of her sight-seeing reverie by the voice of the Master Chief. He was already poised to step out of the left troop bay door of the Wyvern dropship, with his helmet turned to her and looking at her expectantly. Praetorian Knight-Errant Trixie and Sergeant Johnson had already exited the dropship, and were outside on the white surface and yellow stripes of the landing pad.

In addition to theirs, four other such pads were perched, with balconies adjacent to each other on the tallest and largest of Canterlot Palace’s great spires. The spire itself was topped by a great gold, white, and violet cupola that housed an array of communications equipment atop its tip. The white and gold walls beneath the cupola mirrored the rest of the castle and indeed most of architecture in this ancient part of the city. Luna largely recognized the entirety of the district as the original capital of Equestria even before her earliest recollections.

“We apologise, but nearly everything that moves in this modern world is a venerable feast for the eyes,” Luna explained.

“Your Highness, try not to gorge yourself, if I may caution you. Sensory overload these days can be fatal,” Johnson quipped, giving a sweeping gesture to the streets of downtown Canterlot and the great heights some two hundred meters below them. He accompanied the gesture with a pearlescent grin.

“He speaks lies, Princess,” Trixie retorted, tilting her head to scowl up at Johnson.

Luna looked between the unicorn and the UNSC Marine Sergeant-turned Spartan with her brow furrowed in confusion, before turning to the other Spartan present. “Can you clarify for Us, where these two cannot?”

The Master Chief’s voice hinted at veering into the territory of amusement. “Johnson is simply being … Johnson.” The Chief offered Luna his hand, and she took it, stepping out and onto the landing pad with the rest of them. “I believe he was suggesting that you try to avoid overwhelming yourself if possible, Your Highness.”

“Chief, would humanity or the Concordat have me any other way, or the galaxy for that matter?” Johnson’s features hardened for the moment as he looked back to Luna. “He’s right, though, ma’am. I advise taking it slow, going with the flow.”

“Your ego is bigger than the galaxy, Johnson,” Trixie remarked, instantly reverting Johnson’s face to an almost literal embodiment of mischief.

“Says the pot to the kettle, Great and Powerful Illeism!” Johnson shot back with faux annoyance.

“Harumph.”

“Just frakking kiss each other already, why don’t you? Why do we always have to put up with these special response teams, anyways?” one of the Wyvern pilots muttered under his breath in his cockpit while the man and mare carried on.

Swivelling, Luna’s ears were still able to pick up the sound of the pegasus stallion’s voice even through the glass of his canopy and the low hum of the dropship’s engines.

“Comes with having your home airbase right smackdab in the middle of Imperial, mate,” the stallion’s human co-pilot answered with a chuckle from her secondary cockpit above him.

“I am so moving to another province when this war is over with,” the first pilot replied, “the Imperial Province is too damn weird.

“Yeah, only the Heartlands are stranger, Ponyville and the Everfree seem to attract all the continent’s monsters to one place,” the co-pilot agreed.

Ponyville, airbase, Imperial … ? The context-lacking words rolled around in Luna’s head, sparking confusion, but also arousing an even greater number of her already growing questions. What little knowledge Nightmare Moon had been able to glean about the modern age had been eradicated along with the evil shade itself. Luna scrunched her muzzle at Trixie and Johnson both in consternation. She then turned to the Chief once more.

“We thank thee for shedding some light on this matter, Master Chief,” Luna said with a small smile. She had already carried out full introductions with her three newest compatriots on the short flight over as they briefed her on the situation. “We will endeavour to maintain our balanced temperament, or … ‘take it slow, go with the flow,’ as fairest Johnson would posit it.”

“Hmhm,” Johnson replied, nodding with appreciation.

Luna noticed three more Wyvern dropships touch down on the adjacent pads. As their crews or passengers emerged, she took the moment to actually study the mysterious technology of the flying machines with an archaic eye. The Wyverns were nearly the size of what Luna assumed were their namesakes, the great dragons who had traded their forelegs with evolution for greatly strengthened wings. Ironically, despite this parallel in size, there was no comparable wingspan to speak of.

These sleek Wyverns of metal painted white with accents of varying colours depending on the craft had short and stubby fin-like wings on either side of the rear. Instead of being used to keep the craft aloft, the wings sported machines that expelled some kind of blast of energy to maneuver through the air.

Grasping the basic mechanics but not even beginning to fathom the possible inner workings of such modern technology, Luna shifted her attention to another matter on her mind.

“Master Chief, We recollect Nightmare Moon fighting both thyself and the rest of thy party. Please tell us, how fare the other bipedal warriors, as well as the Nyx and Knight-Errant Trixie’s subordinates?”

“They were taken in medevac, Your Highness, which means they are being sent to the nearest physicians for medical treatment,” the Spartan explained. “Medics reported over our local battlenet that nothing was fatal.”

“‘Tis a profound relief that Nightmare Moon … I … did not slay a life unjustly. Battle is battle, but to waste lives when it is not warranted is a crime of great magnitude, especially when committed by those entrusted with leadership..”

The Master Chief looked to Luna for quite a few seconds, enough to cause her to raise an eyebrow, before nodding. “True words, Your Highness.” The duo exchanged a pair of additional nods.

“Princess Luna, of the Kingdom of Equestria?” All eyes were directed to the newcomers on the landing pad. From the nearest of the three palace entrances emerged a smiling human man in crimson and gold Royal Guard armor.

The first thing Luna noticed about the human approaching them alongside four other guards was his fiery red hair and the golden circlet worn comfortably around his brow. Like Johnson, his relatively youthful-looking face appeared entirely professional at first, but his blue eyes betrayed his true mischievous and sometimes outlandish nature.

“Prince Ginger! Of the Royal Phoenix Guard!” Johnson announced, hoping to elicit an annoyed response from the newcomer.

The man simply broadened his smile, doing so further when Luna smiled back in kind. “Prince Tobias of Equestria, and Captain of Her Imperial Majesty’s Phoenix Guard,” he corrected. “A warm welcome, Princess Luna, everyone, except Johnson.” The smile finally turned into a full-out grin.

“Pardon me, Your Highnesses, but Johnson, do you honestly know everyone in this galaxy? Does everyone in the galaxy know you?” Trixie griped.

Johnson chuckled. “Happens when you become so badass a soldier that you get turned into living war propaganda. Just ask the Apple family down in Ponyville a little ways.”

“Trixie knows where Ponyville is.”

“Hmhm, that’s probably from your days as a wandering gypsy, pilfering from unsuspecting passersby while distracting them with ‘magic’” Johnson retorted as he formed air quotes. He was enjoying seeing how long Trixie’s fuse was in the presence of royalty.

Trixie could only let out a sputter before she finally found her words. “How dare you!”

While the two continued to have their exchange, everyone else on the landing pad observed them with raised brows or expressions of exasperation. There was one exception, however. Standing beside a confused Luna and concealed by his armor that always gave off an automatically stoic demeanor, the Master Chief was wearing the biggest smirk that a background such as his allowed possible.

“... erm, right,” Prince Tobias interjected, scratching at his hair, “anyways, Princess Luna, your presence is requested by Empress Celestia straight away! I’m sure you do not wish to delay either, I take it?”

“To ensure absolute verity, Prince Tobias, We are torn between the thrill of observing the interactions of the moderns, and the rapture of reuniting with Our dear sister. But yes, We must delay no longer!”

“Your Highness?” Chief said to Luna. She turned around to face him. “Prince Tobias and the other Royal Guard will lead you for now to the Empress. Johnson, Trixie, and I will be in the vicinity of the palace should we be needed.”

“You have Our appreciation and gratitude, Master Chief.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The two nodded to one another as Tobias gestured towards the entrances. Luna made to follow the Royal Phoenix Guards, and those that were stationary watching over the landing area saluted with the ubiquitous hoof or hand to the heart that was not occupied by a spear or rifle. The others entered the palace through one of the other doorways, following a separate corridor.

As Luna followed the guards deeper into the palace, the walking seemed to stretch on for hours rather than the few short minutes that it actually was. After one thousand years stuck within her own mind, every surprised person that she passed was of interest to her in some capacity. Every milling member of the palace staff, every wandering aristocrat, and every vigilant guard of at least three different armour varieties.

Luna’s eyes were just as wide, if not wider than those of many who were witnessing the sudden appearance of a new alicorn in the palace for the first time in many years. Like the people, all pieces of art and opulent furniture had a story to tell. Each doorway that was passed might as well have been a portal to untold mystery.

That alone was not what made the perception of time seem to slow for Luna, however. What truly accomplished that effect was her destination. In a few moments’ time, she would exchange words with someone she had not done so with for the past ten centuries.

The very reality that she would speak to her sister for the first time in a millennium gnawed at the edges of Luna’s mind, distorting her perception of time itself to greater magnitudes with each second that passed.

By the time Luna reached what Prince Tobias identified as the door to Celestia’s chambers, she began to have the notion that time would indeed halt completely. The door would surely respond to her aura’s magical touch and open, but nothing else would be moving but Celestia and herself.

But as she manipulated the knob of the door with a cobalt telekinetic field, the present caught back up to her while her perception resynchronized itself. Tobias and the guards under his command did not remain stationary in a state of complete temporal stasis. instead, they began to take their leave of her, giving a few parting tips in greeting the Empress of Equestria.

Luna did not hear them, nor had she really heard anything else they had been saying prior. Such was her overwhelming focus on the person that was waiting for her behind that gilded oak door. As the door at last swung ajar upon the turning of the knob, Luna was already crossing the threshold with four legs that felt as if they would give out at any second. They almost did outright, for a soft voice from deeper in the sunlit room greeted her almost instantaneously as the door shut behind Luna.

“Luna, is that you?” There was a gulp, almost audible enough to ring out across an otherwise completely silent royal apartment.

As the bedchamber’s sole other occupant approached her, Luna was in the grip of what she could almost swear had to be the most intense mixture of fear and relief she had ever experienced. Her throat was already tightened from nerves, making words even more difficult than they already were.

“Celestia … sister ... ‘tis I, I hath returned ...” The near-herculean effort of her response was more than enough to make her voice crack, and like a broken dam, a torrent of sobs followed immediately after. The moment was simply too much for Luna, and she was forced to lower her head, eyes shut fast.

Despite her body nearing a state of extreme fatigue from such raw emotion coupled with the day’s events, the younger alicorn was able to remain on her hooves as the eldest one finally approached her. It was two parts willpower, and one part the peculiar sound of metal and magic interacting that finally got Luna to look up once more to gaze upon her sister properly.

The metallic clanking and faint jostling of material continued, and Luna’s eyes widened at the sight she was taking in.

Celestia stood before her, partially clad in segmented armor of a white metal with gold trim on its many edges. It lay draped over a snow-coloured tunic that covered the taller mare from her hooves to her swan-like neck. The tunic was criss-crossed with symmetrical lines that glowed with mysterious golden light.

The armor Celestia still had on consisted of one pauldron on her left shoulder, a set of bracers, and a chestplate. Emblazoned on the chestplate where the gold trimming centered was a red flag with Celestia’s solar symbol. She was in the middle of taking the remaining equipment off, a process with which she had been taking her time out of habit until Luna’s arrival.

“Don’t worry, Luna. If you can’t come closer, then I will come to you,” Celestia answered back as she stepped forward, telekinetically freeing the straps before removing the left pauldron itself. “One thousand years …” A crested helmet and belt already laid atop the sheets of the room’s massive veiled bed.

Luna’s mind electrified at the sound of the affectionate, benevolent voice. It surprised her to her very core.

Despite its careful and serene cadence that had no doubt taken centuries of cultivation to perfect, Celestia’s voice carried an undertone of mixed emotion nearly identical to her own. The jolt the sounds invoked in Luna provided her just enough strength to establish an emotional and physical balance. She put one hoof forward, then another, aiding Celestia in closing the gap between the two siblings.

Even as they approached each other, Celestia’s wings unfurled in anticipation of embracing her younger sibling. She stepped into the rectangular pool of light caused by the sunlight through the nearest window, and her ethereal hair seemed to take on a glow that was the ultimate complement to its already spectacular water-like flow. However, just as they were less than a meter from meeting, it was Celestia’s turn to be surprised.

“One thousand years, eleven days, and twelve hours is the approximation, my sister,” Luna stated just above a whisper. Her saddened frown curled upwards into a smile through her tears as she and Celestia both paused.

“All those centuries I smiled for our nation, but inside I was beside myself. We expanded Equestria threefold and beyond in your absence, but the kingdom was never truly whole without you, and the rise of an empire heralded more of the same, simply under a new name. And now you’re back,” Celestia smiled back for a second, only for it to quickly fade to regret. “Back from the exile I imposed upon you ...” The alicorn then gave out a confused gasp. Regret also faded from her face rapidly, replaced this time by even greater surprise.

“I do not wish to embrace the cold of metal; but the warmth of thy familiar fur,” Luna explained. She was enshrouding her sister’s chest piece in cobalt magic, removing the mithril-adamantium plating for her and holding it out in front of them both. “We shall be whole again.”

Celestia completed her circle of emotion by smiling once again as she and Luna both took note of something that Celestia had concealed in between the chest piece and her tunic.

While Celestia took magical grasp of the armor and removed her tunic, Luna was quick to extract the item from its inner surface for study. Her jaw fell a smidgen as she instantly recognized a piece of magically-preserved black cloth and silk embossed with her distinct symbol.

“Thou safeguarded such a thing for so long?” Luna inquired, a fresh new stream of tears erupting.

Quickly placing the black crescent moon scarf back around the neck of its original owner, Celestia at last embraced her previously lost sibling. “It was one of the only physical reminders of you left, Luna. After Nightmare Moon and your banishment, many conflicts were fought to keep Equestria safe, many of which I participated in personally.”

“And thou carried this into battle?”

“Ever beneath my armor, kept safe while at the same time a shield closest to my heart. I like to think that this silk and cloth has granted me untold fortune in times of great peril. This era and war are no different …”

“What is this war of which thou speakest?“ Luna’s voice dragged itself with puzzlement as her ears flattened for the moment.

Celestia pulled slightly away from their embrace to stare Luna in the eyes, tears of her own flowing freely from her eyes. “Your confusion is obvious, and beyond expected. I promise that all will be explained in time, starting in the morning. But for now, know that I missed you dearly little sister, and that words can barely even begin to express my joy in seeing you again.”

Luna brightened up once again as her ears shot up to their default angle. “Tia, such knowledge can wait for as long as need be! Simply speaking with thee is more than sufficient for now, something I would not trade for rulership of all realms upon this world. My joy is your rival thrice over!”

By now, both alicorn sisters had reached a similar emotional bearing. Their tears were without sobbing, and they both wore smiles of the type that one seldom sees: a display of pure, unbridled happiness.

“Well then, we have much ahead of us to do, Luna,” Celestia said, after the both of them shared another embrace. “One of the first steps on this long road is rest, wouldn’t you agree?”

Luna’s legs suddenly felt like lead weights, echoing her earlier arrival in the room. Her sister’s words were but a simple auditory cue for something Luna’s body was already more than aware of. Even given their species more robust and unique physiology, such a process as Luna’s recent reformation took a great deal of energy and stress on the body.

Luna chuckled. “Mine limbs are in agreement … and any kind of raising of Selene in the sky is clearly well out of the question this evening.”

With the furling of her wings, Celestia tilted her head to the side slightly. “My imperial scheduling advisor, Kibitz, will be more than happy to refer you to a bedchamber of your choosing. I think you will find this ancient palace to be home in no time.”

“Of that I have no doubt, Tia. Be there any other business to discuss before I take leave for the night? Tomorrow’s activities, perhaps?”

Celestia nodded. She resisted the urge to chew at her lower lip as she began, worried that she may already be heaping too much upon Luna’s shoulders, “Kibitz will guide you through the schedule tomorrow morning. Some of my fellow heads of state, Equestria’s allies, have requested to speak with you briefly after I explained the situation to them a little over two hours ago.”

The words seemed to catch Luna by surprise. Her eyes widened. “Truly?”

“Indeed. Your return has turned quite more than a few heads in your direction. Besides that, there are the affairs of your royal portrait, and sizing for armor and outfits for a variety of future occasions.”

Blinking before arching a brow, Luna replied, “Already? I tread a battleground between jubilation and dread …”

Thus did the taller alicorn begin to bite her lip. “If it’s too much in one day, I can postpone one or all of them for another time in an instant. You need only to say the word, Luna!”

“Nay! I shall attend them all as scheduled, barring any unforeseen change of circumstance! What better way to immerse one’s self in this new age than by meeting its wonders and discoveries like a vanguard, with all the vitality one can muster?”

“Ah … that is a most welcome relief to hear you are up to it! Oh, and one last matter before you retire,” Celestia said, stifling a giggle.

“Name it, my sister.”

“During your absence, the arts of healing and medicine have developed and advanced exponentially, especially in the last three hundred years. If it is no burden of you, I’d like to have Kibitz arrange a time for you to visit the palace hospital for an examination of your overall state.”

Luna cocked an eyebrow once again, this time in bemusement. “Be it my reduced stature since my reformation, or the fact that my hair does not yet again flow as yours so does?”

“It is a concern of mine, yes. If any lingering ill effects from Nightmare Moon’s possession of your body exist, our doctors will find it, and will be able to heal it accordingly.” Celestia grinned, and her violet eyes seemed to sparkle in the day’s remaining sunlight still constantly filtering in from the windows. “Perhaps we will even be able to discern a way to accelerate your recovery to full power!”

The bemusement on Luna’s face brightened into hopeful agreement. “Such an outcome would be most welcome, my sister! Summon this fair Kibitz at your earliest convenience. Mayhaps the wizard-doctors of this age have the means to finally make me immune to the rigors of attending such abhorrent festivities as gatherings of the aristocracy.”

Both sisters shared a chuckle at that. In the meantime, as if materializing by the repeated utterances of his name in a short timeframe, the imperial scheduling advisor began knocking on the door to Celestia’s chambers.

“Come in,” Celestia answered pleasantly.

The ornate door opened to admit a middle aged unicorn stallion with a half-bureaucratic, half-scholarly demeanor. His fur was beige under a posh cuffed overcoat, with a dark blonde beard, tail, and the balding remnants of a mane.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, tonight’s dinner banquet is to be served in five minutes! Will you be in attendance, several senators and Admiral Fairweather are getting antsy due to the hijinks of the nobles so soon after this afternoon’s events, and Fancy Pants is only just barely preventing the imperial military from declaring the Canterlot nobility as … well … Insurrectionists!”

Celestia cupped her face in the groove of her hoof and groaned. “Don’t worry, Kibitz. I’ll take care of this. Luna, are you interested in attending, or would you prefer to have your dinner carried up to wherever you decide your new quarters to be?”

“Not tonight, We think,’ Luna replied. “A small meal carried up quickly will suffice if it is no trouble. Surprise us!”

“Consider it done! Kibitz, please show my sister to the nearest vacant suite of her choosing, she would like to retire for the evening. I’ll stop by later to eat with you when the matter in the dining hall is sorted out.”

“But of course, Empress Celestia. Right this way, Your Highness.” Kibitz gestured to the hall, already halfway through the threshold.

Luna made to follow, but not before giving her sister one last curious glance. “‘Empress,’ once again I hear that term.”

After a brief venture through the corridors of the palace’s residential wing and spires, Luna eventually settled for the top suite of the spire directly across from Celestia’s. It was an observation tower that complimented the central observatory of the palace.

Its sweeping balcony offered a view of much of Canterlot – both the upper, and lower districts—and even a portable telescope. The interior bedroom was nearly as lavish as Celestia’s apartment had been. Luna found the royal apartment to be quite welcoming. The light of the evening cast an orange, fireplace-like glow about the rooms that gave them a cozy feel, and the effect nearly made Luna fall asleep the moment she sat upon the spacious velvety bed.

However, she elected instead to inspect her new quarters with Kibitz’ guidance for whatever modern treasures and discoveries it had lying in wait for her.

The small kitchen was a veritable treasure trove of both the technological and culinary respects. Equestria had learned to harness the power of ice for preserving food in the form of the refrigerator, a windowed box could heat things in mere seconds with “microwaves”, and one machine even copiously dispensed a beverage that had once been a rarity before Luna’s banishment.

Coffee, a drink once prepared over the course of several days by ponies who underwent years of training. Luna could now partake of it at a moment’s notice, but she decided that would do so only sparingly, given her current physical state.

The kitchen was not without its menaces, after all, such as the mysterious beast that lurked beneath the running water facet Kibitz identified as the “garbage disposal,” and the small metal box-shaped machine that turned an angered red-orange on the inside when powered up. Kibitz explained that it simply heated bread, but Luna remained adamant that he was using the bread as an offering to quell the miniscule beast’s rage.

The bathroom and expansive shower were also wonders to behold, but the most astonishing of all things to Luna was a flat, rectangular window-like device in the parlor room that Kibitz had described to her as “television.” Along with a few other similar devices in the same room and throughout the royal suite, it could be connected to a cloud of vast, multiple star system-spanning communication and media networks known collectively as “Waypoint,” or the Extra Planetary Wide Web.

“So, confirm this fact to Us again please, Kibitz. It is now possible to transfer moving images, messages, information, and sounds through the air and the depths of space?”

Kibitz nodded as they both were seated on the sofa in front of the TV. “Yes, Your Highness. Though Equestria did possess a more rudimentary example of this ability on a planet-wide scale more than a century ago, the arrival of humanity and their refined technology accelerated the progress of a great deal many things. Likewise when our scientists began the introduction of our magical manipulation of bright to theirs … but such academia belongs to my younger years, I’m afraid.”

“Beyond fascinating!” Luna exclaimed, grinning and lifting a remote control whilst laying an operational manual onto the seat cushion alongside a pile of other manuals and user guides. “We shall teach ourselves more about this modern technology with rapid pace.”

Luna then experimented with the television for approximately thirty seconds before the combination of moving images and sound caused a sensory overload. So great was the impact that she decided that it would be best if she closed her eyes, allowing her time to recover and enabling further investigation into the television.

After napping for thirty minutes, Luna was awoke by the sound of Kibitz’s voice. With a somewhat dramatic flare, he announced the arrival of Celestia with a small supper of cucumber sandwiches and a dessert of chocolate cake for the three of them to enjoy. As they ate, Celestia told her sister about more of modern Equestria, and during the latter half of their meal, Luna decided to start with radio before considering advancing to the study of television. The three sat in relative quietude as they listened to the broadcasts that Luna tuned to at random.

One of the first stations Luna listened to caught her attention immediately, as it was reporting news about a very specific and very recent event.

“Equestrian authorities of the MInistry of Harmony have stated that the bizarre attack reported in Ponyville today was not Covenant or Insurrectionist activity, but in fact an actual physical manifestation of the centuries old legend. That is to say, Nightmare Moon did indeed physically appear with some form of alien militia. We understand that, miraculously, no fatalities were reported, and Nightmare Moon and all her followers were cleansed of some form of possession at the hands of the … yes … the Elements of Harmony. Who the entities were revealed to be, including Nightmare Moon herself, has yet to be disclosed to the public, although some form of disclosure from the Office of the Empress is anticipated by tomorrow. This has been an EBC Nightly News special report with Front Page. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.”

From that moment onwards, she absorbed what information she could from the radio. While Celestia and Kibitz offered repeatedly to explain anything she may have found confusing, Luna would constantly raise a hoof in decline as her eyes remained glued to the radio and her ears swiveled about.

Some stations were in the middle of advertisements, describing products Luna could only bat confused eyelashes to. “Pinkie Sense™ Elixir: ‘Laugh in the face of danger!’”

“Sunburst Soda, it’ll brighten up your day!”

Others played music such as classical orchestra, as well as modern music that sounded like nothing Luna had ever heard before. Some also announced programmes featured only on television. “–another installment of the award-winning “Of Feathers and Eayn,’ the saga of the Kig-Yar people. Only on EBC History.”

Some stations provided information that was the domain of pegasi. “-derstorms are scheduled tomorrow for the vicinity of Ponyville and the Greater Canterlot Metropolitan Area as Cloudsdale completes its annual summer pass around Imperial and the Heartlands provinces. The rest of the week is shaping up to be another gorgeous summertime run, with clear and partly cloudy skies with a fair wind slated for Wednesday through Sunday. For all your latest weather forecasts and schedules from Equis and the colonies, stay tuned to Skyline Meteorological Networks!”

After around two hours of listening to the radio with rapt attention, Luna suddenly and without warning passed out next to an already sleeping Kibitz. Celestia regarded them both with an amused grin, before quietly casting a spell.

The radio turned off along with other devices still on standby mode, and Kibitz was levitated onto Celestia’s back as he murmured something about a favorite stuffed animal. Meanwhile, Celestia also lifted Luna gently at the same time, and managed to put her neatly in bed under the covers.

“Goodnight, Luna,” Celestia whispered with a muse-filled smile. “Welcome home.”

Tuesday, 22nd June 2551 CE Celestial Standard Calendar

When Luna awoke, her body first registered three things immediately.

The first thing was that it felt as if she had fallen asleep on a cloud, and she possessed no memory of having got into the bed the night prior. The second was that her stomach was on a warpath. Lastly, the third thing Luna noticed was the very radiant rays of dawn flooding her bedroom with light.

Luna took a moment to enjoy the peace of the moment. A wise decision some would wager, for it was a fleeting moment. There was a knock at the door of her apartment.

“Your Highness, I do so ever apologize for the rude interruption to your no doubt peaceful slumber, but the day has begun! We have much to do; the schedule must be followed if we are to get a jump on today.”

“Yes, We hear you and were already awoke prior to your sudden knocking!” Luna said with a pleasant tone, masking word choice that could otherwise be construed as a sign of grouchiness: a prime ingredient for awkwardness in Luna’s present situation. “We are preparing.”

“Very good!”

“We trust that the first order of business is breaking our fast with sister?” Luna asked as she poked her head out from the doorway to the shared hallway of both her bedroom and the apartment’s bathroom.

“Indeed, Princess Luna.” Kibitz’s voice got easier to hear as he made his way into Luna’s parlor after passing through the kitchen, already perching himself on the sofa and sorting through page after page of varying schedules for different members of the Equestrian imperial family.

After Kibitz sorted through more and more schedules, pulling out his pocket watch four separate times, Luna finally emerged from her bed chambers. She was fully groomed, with her black scarf around her neck and shoes of mithril proudly worn around her hooves.

“Right and ready to go, and right quick of it. Very good, Your Highness!” The imperial scheduling advisor nodded in approval before proceeding to all but magically push the alicorn out the door and into the deserted sun-bathed corridors. “Off we go, now!”

Luna’s mind wanted to remark about the pervasiveness of the sunlight – it was welcoming and pleasant, but got old after awhile – but she was half-focused instead on the nearing breakfast with her sister. The other half of her attention was of course on the overbearing unicorn stallion now ushering her through the castle.

“Kibitz, what art thou …”

Operating like clockwork, Kibitz did not listen as he rapidly fired off the details of Luna’s schedule at a rapid and steady pace. “Firstly mentioned was the royal breaking of the fast with the Empress! After that is your meeting with some of the leaders of Concordat Parliament, a most auspicious outing! Then your medical exam, completely painless I assure you! Sizing for garments, and of course the commissioning of your royal portrait!”

At Kibitz’s fluster-inducing sense of urgency, Luna quickly found herself in the main dining room of the castle, and unsurprisingly, she was not the only occupant. A grand table nearly four meters long stretched out before Luna as she took the opulent eating space in with curious cyan eyes.

Celestia was already seated on the right side of the table end closest to Luna, and waved her sister over with an air of delight. Luna took her seat directly across from her sister, observing the vast array of food arranged across the table in what was nothing short of a feast.

Besides there being over a dozen plates and collections of utensils at the ready for each seat, plates of syrup-doused pancake stacks shared court with platters laden with everything from omelets, to muffins, strudels, hashbrowns, toast, and more. The middle of the table, meanwhile was dominated by ketels of tea, coffee, and cocoa all still steaming, baskets of fruit, as well as pitchers of orange juice and milk. The latter were kept cool by what Luna assumed was some form of magic developed in later eras that manipulated water and air to regulate temperature.

Celestia beamed from her side “Good morning, Luna! I trust that you slept well?”

Luna’s response was delayed as she continued to visually process the array of food available. “Indeed I did, although ‘twas strange, I admit, sleeping for so long and at such an unusual hour for one such as myself.

The beam on Celestia’s face only widened. “I would be lying if I said that surprised me. I was always the only one of us to frequently sleep like ordinary ponies did, despite the lack of need for such things in alicorns such as ourselves.”

Luna nodded happily as she began to peruse the food nearest her at a much closer glance.

“Help yourself,” Celestia encouraged. “I had the kitchen servants and chefs prepare the dining hall in advance with at least one of every breakfast item available, so that we would have the room all to ourselves.” On that note, Celestia then turned to a still hovering Kibitz.

The unicorn had remained behind Luna the entire time whilst going through paperwork and parchment he kept in his pockets. Luna turned to follow the Empress’ gaze, and that was finally enough for Kibitz to notice that he now had a silent audience of two neutral but expectant faces.

He blushed apologetically beneath his fur before giving a bow to them both and taking his leave of the dining room.

“Thank you, Kibitz,” Celestia called out to him, smiling again. “He is one of the finest advisors to have walked the halls of this palace in many decades, but sometimes he takes his role in the Imperial Court a bit too intensively. He even schedules his own private activities when off work.”

“Most unusual,” Luna murmured, now filling her plate with various foodstuffs. Celestia followed suit, and for several moments, there was an intermingling of cobalt and gold all across the table as food and drink was levitated and put down.

“Indeed. So, how are you liking your new quarters?” Celestia inquired after alternating between sips of orange juice and tea.

“They are most wonderful, my sister!” Luna replied as she assaulted a stack of pancakes five in height, topped with butter. “Although I must admit, many of the modern inventions within it I find most perplexing. That likely does not warrant surprise from you either.” She ended her latter sentence with smirk.

Celestia chuckled. “Not in the slightest. You have many questions, and now is as good a time as any to ask some of them.” She surprised Luna a bit as she dug into a cheese and pepper omelet, still talking all the while. “My fellow heads of state will be meeting with you only briefly, so they will not have time to answer them.”

Luna nodded thoughtfully and prodded a muffin with her fork before an obvious question soon surfaced to prominence. “Shall we begin by discussing this ‘Concordat’, as well as how itself and Equestria relate?”

Humming in affirmation, Celestia took another sip of tea and passed a fresh cup of coffee over to her sister before beginning.

“The Grand Solarian Concordat,” she began, her demeanor almost professor-like, “is a large and still growing alliance of nations, planets, and races formed fifty-one years ago here in Canterlot itself. Equestria, Prance, Saddle Arabia, the human Unified Earth Government, the zebra Roaman Empire, the minotaurs of Tayros, and the griffons of Griffonia are some of its founding member states. It is so named due to our governments’ mutual agreements and interests to jointly pursue prosperity, and defend one another from outside forces that could see us reduced to nothing.”

“Humans … like the Spartans Johnson and the Master Chief?” Luna inquired with a raised brow, inwardly taking special note of Celestia’s most recent sentence.

“Indeed, although it should be noted that they are far from average representatives of their species; armor alone should be an indication of that. Mankind and the nations of Equis have been in close communication and interaction for the better part of fifty-six years.”

“What first spurred this contact?”

“The Tree of Harmony.”

Luna nearly spit out the coffee that was in her mouth from both the statement itself as well as the straightforward way in which Celestia had delivered it. “You’re a jester, Tia! In what way?”

“It is difficult to fully explain, as you have not yet had the chance to familiarize yourself with modern vernacular, let alone jargon that exists alongside it. Yet, I will try my best.”

“I understand,” Luna stated with a serene nod. Here eyes glistened with patient curiosity.

“Where to begin, let’s see ... in the month of March, 2495, the Tree began projecting some kind of message out into space more than powerful enough to reach planets inhabited by humans. In curiosity, they sent a small expedition of ships to investigate the source of the signal, and stumbled upon Equis. Thus far, study of the tree by scientists from every race has yielded nothing substantial as of yet in regards to what the message or signal may have been or contained.”

There was a quiet magical chiming as Celestia inspected the rim of her tea cup, awaiting further questions from Luna.

“The Tree of Harmony always was one of our world’s greatest enigmas,” Luna commented, after grabbing herself another plate of food. “No surprise that such a fact holds truth to this very day. How was this contact capable of blossoming into so powerful an alliance as this Concordat of which you speak?”

“Friendship forged in, unfortunately, the spectre of war. With the beginnings of a great Insurrection their scholars were predicting had the potential to shatter their very civilization, several very powerful human leaders sought influence from outside, and first contact with Equis presented much opportunity.”

Luna sighed, looking solemn for the moment. “War. That word appears again. You know what roles I once held when Equestria was still a kingdom, sister.” Celestia nodded, partaking more of her tea. “Perhaps that role will be called upon again, once I have mustered my faculties and my bearing in this new age.”

Celestia drew out her sipping of the liquid even longer than even she had intended. This prompted Luna’s brow to arch for the umpteenth time that day. “Such is your liberty when the power is granted, but I hope it will not be necessary, sister.”

“Time will tell, Tia,” was Luna’s answer, before her original demeanor returned. “Please continue.”

“Senators of the UEG and their president Lance O'Donnell sought to change the entire paradigm of galactic politics by introducing influences from ‘outside.’ Our world was where they made first contact with a civilization that was not human, and many of them were astounded by the geopolitical state of Equis: despite so many terrible wars before and even during first contact, most of the planet’s sapient races are able to coexist in harmony. They hoped that by forging an alliance with us, the Insurrection could be contained, and the model of Equis replicated on a galaxy-wide scale. After five decades, it has largely worked … were it not for one thing.”

“There is a war at present.” Luna’s intonation made it more of a statement than a question.

“The Great War, as many have now taken to calling it,” Celestia revealed, nodding slowly. Her features were impassive. “In 2525, a theocratic hegemony of alien species known as the Covenant discovered, then eventually attacked and burned the human farming world of Harvest. Many more worlds have been attacked, both on the Concordat and Covenant sides.”

“How has it progressed on the grand scale?”

Celestia looked downcast. “Human worlds burn almost in sores as the Covenant advance deeper into their territories. Some of Equis’ most remote colonies have fallen in recent years as well. The Concordat has been counterattacking for two decades.”

“To what effect?” Luna’s brow raised. Her outdated tactical mind was equating the likes of deep space to that of ocean, with the myriad worlds and systems as islands and continents.

“Several Covenant worlds are under occupation, and two of their subject species’ homeworlds have defected to the Concordat, with a third, Doisac, under the control of the Sigma-Jiralhanae alliance that resists the Covenant and to whom we have lukewarm ties. Ultimately, we are locked in a terrible stalemate with the Covenant Empire while rogue factions run amok and afflict both sides. It is feared by many that Earth, the homeworld of the humans, will fall before we are able to locate and capture the enemy mobile capital of High Charity.”

“This is beyond troublesome … is there anything else thou could immediately share?” Luna read Celestia’s eyes as she did. The alicorn was suspicious that Celestia was withholding more specific details not just for the interest of time, but also to prevent a possible open and outward display of the emotional stress it was surely dealing upon her older sibling.

“I do not desire to go into further details now; it is a topic for a more fitting time, if you do not mind?”

“I hold no vexation towards that decision, sister!” Luna responded, having turned a bit flustered. Her muzzle was scrunched in a manner almost reminiscent of a badly dented soda can before she transformed it to a reassuring smile. “Clearly this war holds much weight over your mind’s shoulders, we will both do our parts to see that mended in time, and for victory to be quickly ushered to fruition! The humans shall not fall, and neither shall we!”

“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia all but murmured with a small smile. “A more fitting time will come to discuss it once again. Very soon, I am sure. Now, have you any more questions about modern times in general, perhaps?”

Luna’s face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. The grin told Celestia that she was now dealing with the near equivalent of her most recent and accomplished pupil to date. For the next several minutes, the Empress was bombarded with question after question about everything from technology, to history and culture, and everything in between. Celestia answered each with enthusiasm that nearly rivalled her younger sister’s own.

By the end of it, Luna’s expression had turned bizarre as her grin reached its greatest physical extent possible before she burst out laughing. “Tia, you must pardon me. My cauldron of emotions from being in this new epoch have triggered dramatic shifts of demeanor in both of us,” Luna apologized in between giggling fits. “The wonder is almost enough as to overwhelm me.”

“If you ever feel ready to venture into the public eye, I highly recommend visiting some museums,” Celestia offered with a cheeky smile. “You know, experience this era for yourself, rather than simply hearing about it from me, or watching it from afar atop the balconies of a castle spire.”

“Time permitting, the latter half of this day will be devoted to just such an outing!” Luna affirmed as her laughter died down enough to resume eating. She finished the rest of her third and final dish. She sighed with satisfaction whilst wiping at her muzzle with a napkin.

Celestia gave her sister a pearlescent smile, clearly impressed. “‘Time permitting?’ My goodness, Kibitz is contagious. Are you finished?”

“Mayhaps ... “ Luna sighed as she reclined her haunches a bit in the chair. “I believe now is a most fortuitous time to proceed w–” The response was cut off by the sudden intrusion of two prominently-dressed unicorns, one familiar to Luna and another far less so.

“... again you irritate me, Kibitz! Have you no princes or princesses of the imperial family to bother elsewhere?

The first was obviously Kibitz from both visual and auditory indication, although in the presence of his new companion he was far more subdued in his forbearance. Celestia’s mind saw fit to compare his visage to that of a neophyte technician forced to tend to an old fusion reactor in the absence of their superiors. Said companion was a gray-aquamarine, middle-aged mare, wearing the white, crimson, and gold dress uniform of the Equestrian Imperial Legion’s highest officers.

The mare was of impressive stature, slightly taller than Luna in her present weakened state but just as lithe. Her well toned musculature was uncommon in unicorns. However, the unicorn officer’s overall grace was quite characteristic of her race, with a professionally coifed mane of dark indigo and light blue eyes lined by crow’s feet that seemed to gaze upon everything with a permanent shimmer of combined scrutiny, inner kindness, and elegant serenity.

As Luna took in the sight of the stranger, the gleaming of the room’s sunlight upon the many medals and ribbons that decorated the unicorn’s uniform seemed only amplify her overall stateliness. Both Luna’s curious inspection of the newcomer and Celestia’s amused inspection of Kibitz were abruptly halted as the unicorn mare caught their combined attention at once.

“Princess Luna!” the Legion commander shouted in a furious tone, approaching the large dining table with her eyes narrowed. Luna looked agasp between her and Celestia, the latter possessing an unreadable expression.

“We ... are the Princess in question.”

The officer stood on her hindlegs and clasped her forehooves behind her back. Her scrutinizing look returned, but her tone remained as furious as ever. “When General Black at Concordat Allied Command first sent vague reports of an attack in Ponyville to my personal data pad, my first words to my adjutants were ‘find them little Covie bastards, and take them down!’”

“Ahem, Svelte?” a somewhat horrified Kibitz interjected, only to be dismissed.

“Not now, dearest. When I received word that a special response team was being dispatched instead of my own Legion’s finest, I was furious.” At that point, Svelte seemed to be on the verge of pure wrath as her skin flushed beneath her coat.

That was until Celestia let out a prominent snort before she began quaking with quiet laughter. Svelte’s entire charade crumbled in an instant like the falling curtains of a stage as the mare known as Svelte adopted an ear-to-ear grin.

Luna’s confusion could not have been any greater at that given moment. “We beg your pardon?”

“When I received final confirmation that we were actually facing the return of an ancient legend, well, that’s when my face started looking like a damn cross between a foal in a candy shop, and a cow that was just told that she is lactose in-fucking-tolerant. Seriously! My poor, war-scarred old muzzle looked like a human child’s failed attempt at baking a souffle.”

“Aha. We do not believe we have been properly introduced,” Luna said, trailing her voice as an opening for Svelte to fully introduce herself.

Svelte brought her right hoof to her heart before falling back to all fours. “Your Highness, Lord General Svelte of the Imperial Legion. We are the Equestrian Empire’s primary land-based fighting force, and I am her proud chief-of-staff. I’m just going to finish this overly drawn out introduction by stating how happy I am to have discovered that you were a possessed alicorn goddess with nightmare powers, and not the Covie scum seeking to make a deep cut into the Concordat’s ever-beating heart.”

“We are … most flattered. And We understand that you already know of Us?” Luna inquired curiously.

“Oh yes, Princess. Empress Celestia briefed me at length about you during dinner yesterday. It is an honour to have made your acquaintance. Now, onto why this court jester is with me.” Svelte shifted to a radically more formal forbearance, then gestured to Kibitz, who was now in the midst of shaking off his complete bewilderment at the whole episode and replacing it with his usual professional air.

“Princess Luna, Empress Celestia, the scheduled meeting with some of the other Concordat heads of state is approaching fast!” Kibitz explained, prodding a hoof urgently at his parchment.

“My beloved Kibitz and I shall escort you and Her Imperial Majesty to the throne room, as it is in the same direction as my own destination,” Lord General Svelte added, earning her a half-loving, half-nervous look from the scheduling advisor.

Celestia and Luna both arose from their seats as Luna replied, “Then let us be off! We look forward to seeing what other great leaders define this era!”

After a short walk through the winding and ever-opulent corridors of the palace, Luna found herself in the aforementioned throne room.

The grand chamber had changed surprisingly little since Luna had last seen it during her rare trips to Canterlot prior to her vanishing. The same multi-tiered dais and red-gold throne Celestia now occupied that once was graced by the likes of Princess Platinum, King Bouillon, and others was in the same location it had always been.

Indeed, the only noteworthy changes to the stained glass and art-laden room was the surprisingly nondescript presence of three small, roughly circular collections of four ornate desks and computer terminals each. They were situated to the left, right, and behind the central dais. Currently, only four advisors or some other form of bureaucrat were quietly busy at them.

While the present imperial staff went about their daily work, Luna and Celestia were beside each other at the throne, patiently awaiting the appearance of the heads of state. Fortunately, the wait was not long, for some leaders in the Concordat Parliament were infamous for their penchant for concision and punctual zeal.

“Good morning, Your Highness. I am Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood of the United Nations Space Command, the military branch of the Unified Earth Gover-” Luna let out a squeak of surprise as four different people in holographic form appeared standing in front of the dias.

The first voice that had spooked her and tapered off for the moment belonged to a noticeably wrinkled human man. He was dressed in attire very much like that of Lord General Svelte, and his voice was similarly rich and wisened by age. The man paused for the moment, a flash of surprise appearing before giving way to mild bemusement as he removed his peaked cap and rubbed at a balded crown.

“Erm, on behalf of the Concordat and humanity, allow me to cordially welcome you the twenty-sixth century. My apologies, I assumed you had been versed on the specifics of remote communications like this.”

The next hologram adjacent to him greeted the alicorn as well. He happened to be a zebra with a closely-cropped black mane, and a splendidly dressed one as well. If physically present, his flowing white toga with gold garland and purple accents would have draped over the floor like a tent made from bed sheets.

“Emperor Arcadius Antiochus of the Empire of Roam,” the zebra stallion said with a kindly voice in thickly-accented Equestrian, inclining his head forward. “We greet a future friend of Roam, and welcome her back to her home!”

As a smile teleported itself onto Luna’s face, her attention shifted to arguably the two most exotic of the four leaders in appearance.

“Chieftain Rurika, of the House of Winter relays greetings on behalf of all Capricorns. I am pleased to meet you outside of battle under more civil conditions, although unfortunately, duties back on Fenris prevent me from doing so personally. May we someday soon have a toast of mjord to your return!” The distinctly pony-like Capricorn grinned, revealing wolf-like fangs. Luna resisted the curious urge to query her as to why a creature with such prominent fur would festoon themselves and their armour with the pelts of another animal.

Luna suspected that the final holographic guest was a type of bipedal dragon, but the alleged dragoness’ introduction proved to the contrary as she peered down her snout at the alicorn. “I am Shipmistress Chol Von of the Kig-Yar Consortium. We, the most premiere traders and mercenaries of the Concordat, bid you welcome in these most unique of circumstances.”

Chol Von’s strongly avian-esque body was a venerable art display of feathers. The most prominent of these feathers were the same ruby-red as her eyes, and her body was clothed in an exquisitely-crafted, gem-studded set of robes that would no doubt look awkward on the likes of any other species but the Kig-Yar.

“We are charmed to meet you all, and most deeply honoured by your sparing the time to introduce yourselves,” Luna replied, seeing that the leaders were now awaiting her words. “If appearances are any indication, we are clearly in the presence of not just honoured and diverse guests, but also quite capable ones. And with that fact acknowledged, shall we now discuss the affairs that have brought thy voices to this court? Surely thou hath not arrived simply to exchange pleasantries?”

“Right on the mark, Your Highness,” Lord Hood answered. “Our time is running short, so you’ll have to forgive us, but we’re going to need to be brief.”

“Luna,” Celestia said with a smile, getting her attention, “to aid you in your transition to the modern world, I have arranged for you to have a personal retinue, and three primary members have already been appointed to assist you in whatever way you may need.”

“The first you have already met, if I am not mistaken,” Lord Hood added. “Throughout this war, the UNSC has deployed a choice few of its most capable men and women to assist in specialized Concordat efforts around the galaxy. To that end, we are appointing you Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 as part of your group.”

“Momentous! We have indeed made the acquaintance of the Master Chief,” Luna stated with some enthusiasm at the prospect of meeting another now familiar face – or helmet, at least – from modern times. “But why separate so valuable a warrior from the battlefield just to aid in largely peaceful affairs?”

“Upon coronation to Crown Princess of the Equestrian Empire, the Imperial Armed Forces will be at your disposal in limited capacities that would gradually expand to greater powers the longer you are actively involved in military operations. Should you so wish to follow that route, then the Master Chief will be your greatest immediate source of assistance in familiarizing yourself with modern warfare,” Celestia explained.

“Many of us have been briefed about your history, Princess Luna,” Chol Von interjected, idly brushing at the feathers on her right forearm. “The Concordat could always use another experienced military mind to lend it strength, regardless of what era they may hail from.”

“We see. The potential you see in Us so early on is both flattering and humbling,” Luna replied. Her lips then curled into a knowing smirk. “We can also see by thy body language, even despite thy differences in physical appearance, that thou art eager to depart en masse. Very well, what of the other members of this retinue?”

“Sometimes we are as subtle as a flail in broad daylight, us leaders,” Rurika commented. “For most of my people, there is seldom a time where this is not true.”

“Of the others who shall help you in your quests, your sister, she will tell you the rest,” Emperor Arcadius said.

“Unfortunately that will have to mark the end of our meeting. Thank you very much for your time, Your Highness,” Lord Hood said.

“Our gratitude for the same as well, Lord Hood. And to each of you as well, Chol Von, Emperor Arcadius, and Chieftain Rurika. Farewell and good fortune in the months ahead!” All four nodded or bowed before their holograms vanished within a few seconds of each other. The light returned to a series of now idling projectors that had been installed into the dias.

“Now, regarding the other two that will be helping you in your days and your travels,” Celestia said, “The second is another of the Master Chief’s company you have already met: one Trixie Lulamoon. As a Knight-Errant, junior officer of the Praetorian Guard, she will serve you as a prime informational bridge between the military and civilian worlds of today.”

“And the third member?”

Celestia beamed. “The third person who will be helping you is my personal pupil, Twilight Sparkle. She is the most knowledgeable and academically capable unicorn you may ever meet. Just between sisters, but I consider her to be the next Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“Auspicious! Receive my gratitude in multitudes this very instant, Tia! I am honoured to be assigned to study under such capable beings as these … but first … erm, where can they be found?”

“Twilight Sparkle is currently in Ponyville on imperial business and should return soon, but the others should still currently be about the castle, assisting the Royal Guard with whatever support it may require. They should not be difficult to locate at some point today. Raven and Kibitz will keep eyes peeled for them when you are all on your way to palace hospital.”

Responding attentively to their names being spoken by their monarch, the two ponies in question appeared before them, having been present at the workstations to the left of the imperial dias.

Raven was a friendly-looking unicorn mare with a white coat and dark black hair. Both her mane and tail were kept in neat buns, and her hazel eyes were framed by a set of large bifocals. She was the first of her and Kibitz’s duo to greet Luna.

“Right this way, Your Highness! The doctors are already awaiting your arrival.”

“Emphasis on ‘already’,” Kibitz added, his face flushed from overstressing with his timepiece and assorted paperwork on his person.

“Excellent, let us be off then,” Luna responded with a small smile. She suppressed the instinctive desire to make a joke at the scheduling advisor’s expense. It was an obvious fact that it would do the stallion some good to lighten up every once and awhile.

Bidding farewell to Celestia, Luna then proceeded to exit the throne room with Raven and Kibitz a few paces ahead of her on either side, leading the way and passing pleasantries amongst the three and those they past. After a few minutes’ walk, they were now about to enter the hospital wing of the palace.

As they were about to, however, two separate conversations collided as the group encountered yet another trio of individuals that Luna counted amongst her growing list of new acquaintances.

“You see, after the Grand Galloping Gala of 2550 when a rowdy group of Grunts from the newly-liberated Balaho managed to break into the palace wine cellars, extensive renovations were conducted on the entire kitchen wing, and …”

“They think they can even dare to set their beady little eyes on Reach? Equis? Earth? I’m telling you, Trixie, Chief, it will be their Battle of the Bulge. I don’t care how cunning their ‘shipmasters’ can be, cleverness isn’t bulletproof! I bet … well look who it is!”

Kibitz’s posh and eloquent voice met with the boisterous voice of Sergeant Johnson in a bizarre collision that only served to hasten both trios’ recognition of the other in the spacious corridor. All six of them stopped in place and each regarded the other group.

“I … I … um,” Kibitz’s voice trailed off and his professional demeanor melted away to a show of complete befuddlement. “Hello?”

Luna was pleasantly surprised. Raven however, was doing nothing but emitting squeeing noises from being in the presence of not one but three well known military heroes. Having already been in the presence of a legendary infamous figure that had been reformed back into an even more mythical, nearly-forgotten positive figure only served as primer for Raven.

“Your Highness,” Chief greeted, nodding at Luna.

“Princess Luna, Trixie is most pleased to see you again,” Trixie said as she did a quick bow. “Trixie was curious as to when we would see you again, as she has an announcement for you in case the Empress has not yet–”

“Princess, how’s modern life treating you so far?” Johnson asked, cutting Trixie off. He was obviously pleased to see her, due to his glistening grin. Trixie however was clearly not pleased with him, and alternated between smiling at the alicorn and glaring daggers at the human.

“Must you?” Trixie began. “Trixie’s apologies, Your Highness.”

“Warmest greetings, Trixie and the Master Chief! Life treats Us well thus far, fairest Sergeant Johnson! And thou hath no cause for apology, Trixie.”

“For now,” Johnson quipped. “‘The Great and Powerful’ can have a penchant for attracting heaps of trouble.” Luna looked confused as the Spartan-III moved to light himself a cigar, and the Chief was shaking his head in exasperation. Trixie was already the same colour as what the tip of said cigar was soon going to be. “Glad to hear it, Your Highness. You’ll have to forgive me, but this is where I take my leave. Captains Shining Armor, Candlelight, Magic Barrier, and Prince Tobias have a meeting with me.”

“Oh?” Luna inquired.

“They need a good talking to about how to make the Royal Guards into real soldiers,” Johnson added jokingly in response. “They want my input on Canterlot’s ground defences in light of Nightmare Moon. If you’ll excuse me.”

Johnson gave a final wave to Luna and the others before taking his leave and heading down another corridor leading away from the hospital wing and two other wings that all connected to intersection they had all met at. While Luna, Chief, Kibitz, and a still-squeeing Raven watched Johnson depart, Trixie was still taking time to cool herself down.

“Johnson was referring to my young adult life before I enlisted … a story for another time. I … Trixie, still has that announcement to make, assuming you do not already know what it is she will say, Princess?”

Luna’s face was nothing but a massive grin from ear to ear. “We welcome you our royal retinue, Trixie and Chief!”

“Ah well then, that is a pleasurable convenience.” Trixie smirked and turned from Luna to Kibitz and Raven. “As Trixie’s first act as part of this retinue, I hereby dismiss the likes of you, Kibitz! Raven, please take this stallion somewhere and teach him the ways of the laid back. You may just be saving his life in the process!”

Raven and Kibitz both looked between Luna and Trixie, the latter’s face unsure and the former’s face awestruck. Luna provided the final decisive input.

“We … believe it likely to be best if thou were to heed her instruction.”

Raven needed nothing further. She was already in the process of carting Kibitz out and back the way they had come as Luna was now joined by Trixie and Master Chief in venturing to the hospital wing.

They met with the receptionists and other bureaucrats that guarded the way into the examination room, and were quickly ushered in. Luna detected very little that was noteworthy about the room, besides the – in her opinion – harshly bright electrical lighting. The vast array of tools and instruments the two doctors and three technicians had at their disposal did not surprise the alicorn even in the slightest.

Somewhat akin to craftsmen, doctors always kept every useful tool that was needed close by, regardless of the era. The mixed pony and human team at present were no exception to this rule.

“Welcome, Your Highness,” the lead doctor, a white earth pony mare with red mane and tail, greeted her. “My name is Nurse Redheart, and this examination will be simple and brief, for you convenience. As you have probably been informed previously, these are all completely voluntary, and you can refuse to participate at any point during the examination.”

“We understand,” Luna responded as she moved to occupy a spot in the center of the room, an area that possessed a square section of flooring with orange edges. “Please continue all of them as planned.”

“Very good. Now, we will be conducting a quick series of tests and observations with calibrated scales for your unique alicorn physiology. They will look into your reflexes, basic magical casting, overall physical status, as well as some bloodworking. We will wrap the examination up with a secondary analysis of your magical ability.”

While the Master Chief and Trixie observed with mixed degrees of curiosity, Luna underwent each examination.

In the first one, Luna was presented with a series of eight directional lights that changed colour when she focused her eyes on each. She was asked to change them all from red to green three times, and by the second time, Luna was already moving her gaze from light to light too fast for their indicators to respond.

The surprised doctors then proceeded to have her utilize basic magic. This included levitation of some chairs in the room, an illumination spell, as well as a highly underpowered demonstration of Destruction Magic by way of making a cup of water reaching well beyond boiling point as to evaporate completely.

Both physical analysis of Luna’s body and a minute draw of her golden, semi-luminescent blood yielded an expected clean bill of health with ratings far beyond that of the healthiest known citizens of Equestria.

Overall, the examination was unremarkable to Luna until the second analysis of her magical ability at last commenced.

“Alright, Luna, you have done marvelously! If only all patients could be as cooperative,” Redheart lamented, muttering about aristocrats under her breath as she and the three technicians readied some more data-gathering equipment. The other two doctors, a human woman and a unicorn stallion, stood by next to Trixie and the Chief with readied datapads. “It is now time for the finale; just going to ask you to repeat the same spells again, or something new if you wish. Sometimes we like surprises around here to break the monotony.”

“Very well, give Us a moment to think on what spells to consider casting,” Luna instructed. After a few moments, she broke the newfound quietude with an enthusiastic “Aha!”

Redheart only needed to study the Princess’ expression for a moment before she lit up with enthusiastic expectation.

Luna’s horn ignited, and the cobalt of her magic aura enveloped her body in a few blinks of the eye. After a moment, her eyes widened as she realized the true power of the spell she had chosen. “Erm, We believe we may have gotten Our transfiguration spells mixed up in our excitement … brace thyselves! We know not what form we may be taking!”

“Ah crap, I just had to invite surprises in here,” Redheart replied as she and the other medical personnel were already being ushered by Trixie and the Chief toward the doorway as the latter two stood in between them and Luna. “Boredom is a nefarious beast!”

“Bitch.”

“What?” Nurse Redheart asked, more than a little confused at the simple statement. Was he calling her names?

“The saying is ‘boredom is a bitch,’” Master Chief replied in a stoic manner, not even turning his head to focus on the nurse.

“Oh,” was all the nurse could reply.

The room then filled with magical illumination that mixed with the overhead lighting made it too bright to comfortably see for most.

“This is most unexpected!” Luna commented with wonder. “We have not assumed this form in many an age … though we don’t remember having mammaries this big. Perhaps attaining methods to accelerate Our return to our full natural power would be unnecessary afterall.”

Trixie, as curious as she was wary of Luna’s powerful magic at work, managed to telekinetically flip the switches on most of the examination room’s lights. The light of Luna’s spell was starting to dissipate rapidly, but it allowed perfect view of her present form. Trixie’s jaw dropped. The Master Chief, also able to see, even raised his eyebrows behind his helmet visor.

Luna’s body had shifted from its previous pony form and into a new one that resembled the build of a healthy human woman almost exactly, with the obvious exception of the horn still atop her head and the wings unfurled behind her.

Also different was that, in addition to a lithe and well-endowed form that rivalled the height of the Master Chief in his armor, her fair-textured skin remained the colour of her previous coat like her hair, and its surface subtly glowed with a starlight-like aura all around. Her facial features were of a nature that many humans and ponies would find both beautiful and imposing, with a prominent nose, a strong-looking jaw with distinctly feminine cheeks, and a delicate-looking brow.

After Luna had fully registered her new physical appearance, she was quick to note something odd. All but two of the room’s occupants were staring at the floor, some with their eyes shielded by their arms or forelegs.

“Why dost thou avert thy gaze? We are just as nature and magic have made us, surely modesty should be of no issue here with the royal form!” Luna declared with utter bemusement as she put one hand to her hip and waved the other in a dismissive gesture. “Bah.”

“You’ll have to forgive us, Your Highness,” Nurse Redheart was finally able to answer, wonder plastered plainly on her face as she adjusted to the lighting and studied the alicorn. “It was simply the light of the spell. Although I admit, when I said we liked surprises around here, I expected nothing of this calibre.”

“Oh … We see.”

“No pun intended, right?” Trixie inquired, having regained her usual demeanor.

Luna hesitated for a moment, crossing her new arms and furling her wings back up before answering. Then she realized what Trixie meant. “Ah, yes. The play on words was most unintentional.”

An awkward quiet then settled over the room with only the sounds of data pads being interfaced. That was, at least, until the Master Chief finally broke it.

“Your Highness, would you like something to wear?” he inquired.

Locales: Canterlot, Canterlot Palace, Castle of the Two Sisters, Equestrian Provinces, Town of Greater Ponyville, Citadel of the Nyx
Worlds: Selene, Equis
Culture and History: Nightmare Moon, The Great War
Organizations, Factions, and Civilizations:
Politics and Government: Office of the Empress
People: Luna, Celestia, John-117, Trixie Lulamoon, Avery Johnson, Kibitz, Svelte, Rurika, Larry/Shadowfright
Magic and Technology: Introduction to Equestrian Magic, Introduction to Concordat Technology, Schools of Magic
Weaponry and Warfare: Introduction to Concordat Weaponry
Races and Creatures: Alicorn/Humanoid Alicorn, Human, Unicorn, Pegasus, Earth Pony, Jiralhanae, Minotaur, Nyx, Shadow Creature

Author's Notes:

And after another long delay, chapter two emerges! While the codex appears now with it very soon after this release, the in-universe presence of the codex will not be explained until chapter three.

Given its' and chapter three's inherently massive sizes, I am not sure just how long or short an average chapter will be at this rate. General rule of thumb is "however long it needs to be" and regardless it is my hope that each chapter is well worth the wait it took for it to be released!

Last bit of thing to note is that a timeline 'chapter' will also be released alongside chapter three's release depicting history from roughly 2400 or so up till 2551 and Luna's return.