Recently returned Princess Luna has been hospitalized after the unexpected, yet timely rescue of our beloved city of Baltimare from the unknown monster that assaulted it yesterday.

The princess’ condition had been declared critical on arrival and Baltimare’s best doctors rushed to provide the finest care available in an effort to show their appreciation for her valiant defense of our city. Princess Luna’s status was changed to serious but stable at this morning’s joint press conference of the city’s authorities and the hospital’s management.

Princess Celestia arrived shortly after Princess Luna’s transfer to the hospital. While the Solar Guard provided their aid to remove the monster’s corpse from our waters, the princess remained at the hospital, in vigil of her beloved sister and fellow diarch. Princess Celestia has been unavailable for comments so far.

There has been no word yet on what exactly was the cause of Princess Luna’s injuries, apart from speculation that she acquired them somehow while in the process of battling the monster that has been tentatively categorized as the fourth Leviathan. The only unofficial statement as to her injuries refers to them as “grisly”.

Princess Luna returned recently to Equestria after her one thousand year banishment following --------

The captain of the Zebrican merchant vessel “Striped Clean” has generously donated a part of his cargo of natural salves and healing remedies to help find a relief for the Lunar Guard’s commander, who is currently deeply suffering from chemical burns of unknown origin and composition he acquired while escorting Princess Luna---

Raegdan, the first member, and now Commander of the Lunar Guard, is a figure widely known to those who have had reason to visit Canterlot Castle often enough. Even so, he is an unknown entity to the rest of Equestria despite his status as the sole representative of his species. Of those ponies who have met him, repeated mention was made of his obsessive protection of Princess Celestia’s personal student (his previous post), and his extremely violent behavior.

This is in line with his first official appearance as a member of the Lunar Guard when Princess Luna announced the founding of this new Guard at the Solar Guard Tournament a few weeks ago. While his combat expertise was found adequate, many have condemned him for the savage treatment and borderline torture he put his opponents through. The Commander of the Lunar Guard took advantage of the fact that he faced initiate rank members of the Solar Guard. In his wake he left a pegasus guard crippled for life when he ruthlessly destroyed her wings in a deliberate manner, a unicorn guard in a state of comatose, and an earth pony guard gruesomely killed in front of his wife and foal, in what was supposed to be an exhibition match.

Rumors abound as to his origin and how he ended up taking residence in Canterlot Castle. Many claim that he is nothing else other than a unique monster that was partially tamed by Princess Celestia. There is great fear that his rising violent nature is a precursor of his return to his feral nature, and many prominent members of society call for a merciful disposal of the beast before we mourn more innocent victims.

“-simply no time to train any of them in any degree. To even consider for a moment that the only reason we haven’t had a massive loss of life isn’t due to the outstanding training the Solar Guard provides to its members is to spit in the eye of Equestria’s most revered guard regiment.

It makes one wonder to who exactly we rush to pay accolades to when even the Minos army training deserves more recognition than anything the Lunar Guard could possibly have provided.

Point of order, even the existence of this new regiment is nebulous at the moment. How can there be a Lunar Guard when the only truly recognized member is its own commander? None of the others have so far undergone any type of initiation or acknowledgment as of the writing of this article----”

-thestral efforts the final count is miraculously down to less than a hundred deceased so far. While everypony is glad that we don’t mourn hundreds or even thousands of victims as it would have happened without the warning or aid we received, this doesn’t detract from the tragedy. Even one pony dead would be one too much. Our hearts and prayers go to the families---

“-have to keep up a silence spell outside his room even though the Lunar Guard evacuated the whole floor. He’s unconscious most of the time, but the way he’s screaming when... It’s horrible. I saw him just once. We had to go in with soft sponges and gently scrub him, to remove the… the dead flesh… layer. I refused to go back there again. I can’t take it. You know what’s the worst? Even at the spots he hadn’t been… burned, he was covered in scars and...

I hope he dies. Celestia forgive me, but I really hope he dies. He’s had too much happen to him, it’s written right on him and now… Our painkiller spells don’t work on him. We hope some Zebrican and Minotaur salves can help but… How much can they do? He will have to live with that pain for months. Like being on fire, all over his body, for months or- or years. We can’t do much to help him, and if he gets an infection… we think the antibiotics will work on him, but the doctors don’t dare to put him on any yet unless they have no other option. We don’t know how he will react to them. I can’t take it going in there and see somepony suffer so much knowing I can’t do anything to help.

I know it’s not right for a nurse to say such things, I do. But every time I approach the other nurses or doctors, I pray I’ll hear one of them say that he stopped breathing in his sleep--”

R: What is your current opinion of Princess Luna?

IW: You kidding me? She straight up killed a Leviathan! My opinion? Heck, who cares about that? I’ve got a better question fool. When is Princess Awesome getting her group and coming up to Minos? My family has had to look over their shoulder to the north all their lives. We’d be mighty grateful to have her take care of our own Leviathan too, you know?

But what is a Leviathan? A Leviathan has always been defined by two things.

First, a Leviathan is a unique monster, of titanic size, whose power and endurance renders it unkillable by any means to our possession or that of any other nation.

Secondly, a Leviathan is a creature that is able, on its own, to bring forth untold destruction, able to render whole areas uninhabitable.

It is plain to see then that whatever that creature was, if there even was a creature, and what the good ponies of Baltimare witnessed wasn’t perhaps some kind of magical mishap or natural catastrophe, it wasn’t a Leviathan. By virtue of failing the first point it was nothing but a monster whose ilk the pony race has always been triumphant over, and no cause of further alarm.

The feeling of wholehearted relief and gratitude, towards whoever may claim is responsible for it, while natural, should not distract us from acknowledging the true heroes of this recent semi-crisis. The local regiment of Royal Guard and the ponies of this city, who valiantly defended our stores and warehouses from the malcontents who would have taken advantage of this distraction -and one wonders, could they have had earlier warning?- to drain the lifeblood of our economy and-----

-number of seven ships were lost in the maw of the Leviathan. Fourteen more ships were sunk at the docks, and at least two dozen will need costly repairs before even thinking of sailing them again. The seaport itself is in no shape to be used for the duration of the near future.

Princess Celestia has decreed, and given directions to make use of the smaller docks of villages in Horseshoe Bay until repairs are complete, and redirected merchant routes to northern ports. Despite all efforts, market prices will inevitably soar to unprecedented heights as various goods are expected to come in short supply with the decimation of--

The 8th Baltimare Primary School met with Princess Celestia and the active members of the Lunar Guard to deliver hoof crafted get well cards for Princess Luna and the commander of the Lunar Guard. Princess Celestia personally thanked each of the foals for their thoughtful gifts, and assured them her sister would carefully read each one when she awoke.

Two bearers of the Elements of Harmony were also present. They graciously offered to entertain the young foals in return of their gesture by sharing stories of the unknown race of Princess Luna’s bodyguard---

“Look, guys, seriously, I don’t have time for this. Both of my bosses are in there, and I have no idea what-

Yes, we did know about the Leviathan. What? No! Princess Luna and the commander tried to stop it before it got- How in tartarus could we have stopped it from coming here? Catch it with a fishing net? No, we did send warning. Yes, to Princess Celestia and- What do you mean not you? You as in you personally? Princess Celestia sent warning to the city- Ok, it’s not our fault you guys didn’t have enough “information”. You were given orders to buckle down and wait. If the princesses say something you should be doing that, and not-

You serious? You expected us to what, go over each house and warn all of you one by one? Yes? What do you mean yes?

We found out about it yesterday you moron! It was a freaking Leviathan, I like to think we didn’t do too shab- Some ponies don’t agree? Well, then in that case, you can go find those ponies, and tell them to get a big piece of that blown up Leviathan and shove it up their flank. All the way in. Sideways.

Are we done? We’re done. I need to head back up and- ok, repeat that please. Yes, you. Repeat that. Pay for the ships? Me? Oh, Princess Luna should pay for the ships. The ones that sailed despite being ordered not to? Are these the ones you- hold on, you’re one of them, ain’t ya? Don’t you shake your head at me, you should be in a prison cell, waiting for- Horseapples, somepony get him! Cast Iron, after him! Don’t be afraid to trample him.”

“How do we know that wasn’t another instance of Nightmare Moon trying to take over? You ask me, the way that thing blew up? It seems like something went wrong with her magic. She probably puffed up some poor critter and threw it our way to-”

This was as far as Mr. Craven Speech managed to get before the crowd erupted in two separate camps, resulting in a hoof-fight that lasted for over an hour, accumulating in dozens of injured---

“Yes. I am a trained soldier. I was part of the Minos Chargers, but I don’t have any experience as an officer.

Yes. Lunar guard Leaf Stream was trained by the Solar Guard.

Perhaps they do deserve the credit for the training they provided. On the same principle, perhaps they shouldn’t have kicked her off for being injured then. It wasn’t them that saw her value despite her loss. No. lf there is any credit to be given it’s all to her, I think.

My time with the Lunar Guard has been too short, but in the little while that I’ve known them? Yes. Yes, I believe that they did their best. I don’t believe they were capable of doing more.

This interview ends here. It’s time for my shift.”

It is easy to let fear take you. To give in to it and lash out wildly, without real thought or concern of who you hurt. To find a target for your frustration and your panic. To knock down someone and claim control once again, to prove to yourself, to the world, that you are not weak or afraid.

It is also wrong.

We can’t let fear take us and allow it to drive us to hurt each other. We can’t choose the nearest available target and fall into a pretense of control through causing suffering. You are not showing strength. You are showing weakness. You have allowed fear to overtake you.

Today, I call for those reading these words to not let fear take them. To be brave and face it. To be strong and defeat it.

I have read so many words of what happened in Baltimare two days ago, and who is to blame. I suppose, if I wasn’t so thoroughly disappointed, I wouldn’t have written this letter in the first place.

Most of the best I could find were reports made by journalists who stayed true to their integrity and offered facts instead of rumors or shoving their own personal opinions down their reader’s throats. The worse? Ponies blaming those who saved lives and fortunes for not acting sooner, for not doing more, for not performing up to an unattainable perfection. This kind of behavior might be reasonable for a young foal crying out for more candy and privileges, but it is unfit for the ponies who adopted it, especially when some of them are the very ones whose job had to be carried out by the ones they criticize.

A very sad reality of what our society has fallen to, but it can get worse. I’ve read pieces by ponies who actually blame what happened on Princess Luna and her Lunar Guard. On the thestrals. On anypony they can blame without fear of reprisal, at least for the short-sighted future. Facts are ignored. The Leviathan, whose gigantic corpse is in plain view, isn’t a monumental victory, but something to explain away by mutterings of magic and fear mongering.

Luckily, the papers and other publications are not the distilled opinion of the public as I feared. I walked among the common ponies of Baltimare and listened to them. Yes, many were still shocked, many were still afraid. Still, many more of them were trying to find ways to express their gratitude. Others were desperate for news to the condition of the princess that bled for them. Questions were anxiously asked as to her health and that of the mysterious Lunar commander.

To the common pony, it isn’t the political or popularity clout that many are fighting over that matters. Instead, it’s their concern over those who fought for them while they were ignorant of the danger that was heading towards them. It’s their sorrow that they might lose something very important. The heroes who managed to save them from a Leviathan as fast as it appeared.

I say to you, who read these words, to learn from these ponies. Don’t let fear take over. Don’t try to blame somepony for the direction of the wind. There is no such pony. Some things just happen. We can’t control them, despite how much we try or wish to. What we can control is our reaction to these occasions. We can choose to respond with fear and hate, or understanding and kindness.

Let us not become our own Leviathans.