~~~~~~Canterlot, The Royal Palace~~~~~

"You are sure of this, sister?" Luna queried as they slowly walked down the hall together. "I know you are concerned for Twilight Sparkle, but this seems quite rash." Luna's tone was more than a little dubious. They turned down the Glass Corridor, passing the great stained glass murals that depicted the legendary scenes of Equestrian mythology.

Celestia shook her head firmly. "It is rash, Lulu. It is quite likely the most rash thing I have done since I allowed Discord out of his cage. Yet I have no choice." Celestia's magic firmly pushed open the great double doors at the end of the hall, opening into the darkened and empty great hall beyond them. "I trust that you are more than capable of handling things here while I am away." She continued briskly, the faint glow of her magic leading the way past the rows of benches, towards a small door in the back wall.

Luna sighed softly. "Sister, I know you are troubled deeply by what has happened to Twilight." Celestia did not seem to be paying much attention, pushing open the small wooden door and quickly trotting through it. Luna gritted her teeth, Steady. She is emotionally distraught in the extreme. Luna had to be careful, or Celestia might very well lose what little control she still had. "But you cannot solve this problem alone, Tia. I beg of you, wait until Cadence and Shining Armor can return from the Empire."

Celestia shook her head once. "I wish I could, Lulu. I truly do." Another burst of magic lit the torches that lined the ancient stone stairwell, Celestia continuing to push forward with or without her sister. Luna practically had to gallop down the steps to keep up. Celestia looked back at her, somewhat amused. "But I have no time. Every moment we wait could mean the difference between saving her, and being forced to do the unthinkable."

Luna stared at Celestia for a moment as they walked. "Surely you do not think she will be as large a threat as Nightmare Moon!" Luna exclaimed, eyes going wide. "You cannot be considering -!" Her voice was suddenly cut off by a fierce glare from Celestia. Oh dear. Too far.

Celestia's voice was deadly calm. "I will do what I must to protect Equestria." She spoke in a firm, commanding tone. "But you need not worry. I will save her, Luna. I will not let the same thing happen again. Not when this time, I have the power to stop it." She turned and marched silently down the rest of the staircase, Luna trailing behind her.

Luna mentally cursed herself. I just had to bring up Nightmare Moon, didn't I? Really smooth there, Luna. she sighed silently, the two sisters coming to yet another door - this one bound in ancient black iron. Celestia summoned a shining silver key from nowhere, and slid it into the lock. A click, and a little sparkle of energy flew out of the lock and the door swung open on its own accord.

Luna had not seem the inside of this room since just before her decent into Nightmare Moon. The room was perpetually dust free, and the walls gleamed with ancient metal and grim purpose. The Royal Armory's torches blazed to life as Celestia took her first steps within, the ancient magic recognizing the rightful rulers of Equestria.

Celestia moved as silent as a ghost into the room, and stood amidst the racks of armor and weapons. Aged wooden boxes stacked neatly atop one another, containing every weapon either of them had put to use over four thousand years of rule. Crystals lined one wall, enchanted with battle magic’s not used since the days of the Griffon Wars. Luna's eyes gazed across the room, noting that very little had changed.

At one end of the room, two Ponyquins stood proudly. Each of them clad in thick plates of enchanted steel and rings of crystalline chainmail. At some point, Celestia had replaced the suit of armor Luna had seized from here to wear as Nightmare Moon with a new, similar set. Celestia was already standing next to her own battle armor, lifting the pieces of it one-by one to set onto the nearby table.

Luna sighed in exasperation. "Celestia, I beg of you." She pushed herself between her sister and the array of laid out armor, putting on her best stern expression. "Go to her. Speak to her. She is your student and what is more, she is your friend. If you find that she has started to succumb to darkness... " Luna hesitated, then grit her teeth. "Then I will take up arms and come with you myself on this mad quest of yours!"

Celestia stared at her blankly for a moment, and Luna felt her anger begin to boil. I must be firm. I must not allow her to do this without understanding the consequences. Luna's voice was strong, but not screaming. She did not wish to use the Royal Canterlot Voice in here. Some of these artifacts responded to that call. "Sister, think for just a moment! What will our ponies think to see you flying off into parts unknown, girded for battle?"

Celestia hesitated and spoke slowly. "That we were under some tremendous threat. Something so great that I had to deal with it personally." Luna nodded sternly at her, waving her hoof in a 'keep going' gesture. Celestia sighed, staring at the gold-encrusted helmet sitting on the table. "They would likely begin to panic, especially as they have not been told anything regarding what happened to Twilight Sparkle."

Luna huffed out a breath. "At last! Sense from you!" She stomped her hoof on the table, rattling some of the plate armor there. "That is not even saying what the diplomats here in Canterlot might think." She glared at Celestia again, who winced away from it. "Go to your student, Tia. There is no pony greater at sniffing out the signs of corruption than you. She will not be powerful enough to challenge you - not yet - if she is falling." Luna extended a hoof to squeeze Celestia's shoulder. "And if the time comes where necessity demands action, I will do what must be done."

Celestia's eyes went wide with shock. "B-but Lulu! Twilight Sparkle is your friend!" She gasped out, her mind running in circles. "She is my responsibility, Lulu. She is my student." Celestia's voice firmed up a bit more, trying to wrench her thoughts back to the importance of the moment.

Luna shook her head. "Yes. She is, and she is more precious to you than any other pony I have ever seen you with, sister. She is my friend, and I will ensure that as her friend, I do what must be done to protect her from herself." Her hooves came up and gently shoved Celestia towards the door. "Go. I will prepare things for us here, should the need arise."

Celestia looked back at her sister, a surge of mixed emotions in her chest. Pride, and love won out from them, and Celestia smiled softly. "Thank you, Lulu." she whispered, and vanished in a burst of golden magic.

Long distance teleportation was not easy. Even the most talented unicorns could rarely travel farther than half a mile, and that very act would be an exhausting one. It would simply be easier to walk that distance, if a bit slower. Rapid teleportation was more effective over long distances, but still ran into the exhaustion problem.

Celestia was not a unicorn. And although she much preferred the easy-going nature of her wings or chariots, sometimes action called for speed. The very same realities of magic that made these feats impossible for unicorns were no barrier to her. She simply drew from the infinite power of the sun.

Granted, that meant she had to be very careful about where she landed. Using the Sun's power meant that her magic became supercharged with heat and fire. Useful in battle, but not so useful when not trying to burn down her kingdom. Still, that merely meant caution needed to be dutifully applied.

Reports would later show that a series of heat bursts in the lower atmosphere would cause all sorts of problems for local weather teams. Celestia was sympathetic, but in truth those same weather teams deserved to be shaken up a bit if a little heat spoiled their weather plans.

It took her the better part of an hour to reach Ponyville. Another fifteen minutes saw her reach the edge of the Everfree Forest and stop for a moment, her breath coming a little heavily. Heavens, I am out of shape. I should be doing this far more often. It was good exercise for her magic, and for her body too - the tight constraints of her teleportation windows meant she needed to keep her body moving in order to help apply magical momentum to each spell.

Celestia cautiously approached the entrance to the woods, her eyes roaming over all of the many changes that had happened these past six months. Remarkable. They've already fully restored the roads. She observed with awe - The ancient stone pathways that had once crisscrossed the forest were already being rapidly replaced. The flagstones and mortar still had that faint sheen that told her they had not seen heavy use yet.

There was even a stone arch over the road where it met the tree line. A Carved wooden sign hung from it, reading 'This way to Twilight City.' - Celestia had rolled her eyes over the name, but admitted her student had never been one for clever naming. You are stalling Celestia. You are not a child, and your student needs your help. She firmed her jaw and planted her hooves, her horn bursting into bright golden light. "I am coming, my child." She spoke softly and vanished again, rapidly blinking down the stone paths and into the heart of the dark forest.

~~~~~~~

Rainbow Dash lay curled up in a loose ball on the bed, her breathing slow and steady. Twilight gently shut the door to the room, the shadow which imbued her mane fainter than before, but still strong enough to make it look like her hair had turned into a liquid and was slowly dripping off of her. She moved silently down the hallway, with Shadow Dancer at her heels. Dancer had advised her not to push her work too far on the first session, but Twilight was already pleased immensely.

She was looking forward to Dash's awakening later that night. She already planned to see just how successful her work had been. Dancer was humming some unrecognizable tune as they walked, and Twilight smiled wryly. Well, why should she not feel triumphant? She's finally getting her way. The pair of mares emerged into the foyer, where sure enough - Captain Winterlight was waiting for them.

The Shadowbolts Captain had a triumphant smile upon her face, and she bowed deeply to Twilight as she approached - Her wings flared out and their tips touching the ground. Apparently this was some special sign of submission amongst the pegasi, but Twilight hadn't the time to research it lately. "Rise, Captain. And you might as well get to the point and ask me." There was a sexy little smirk crossing Twilight's face at that moment - she knew why the Captain was here. It was actually pretty obvious, all things considered.

The Captain chuckled softly as she rose back to her hooves, her wings mantling behind her back. "Of course, my queen. Will you allow me to make her one of us?" Her golden eyes gleamed at Twilight, who still had that sexy smile on her face. "She will be a fine lieutenant for you, and her leadership and skills will prove invaluable to the city as a whole."

Twilight contemplated the thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, I think that will be a fine beginning to things around here. See to the details, Captain." She smirked softly. "But be warned - she is not to be... touched by anypony else until I've gotten the first taste. Understand?" The Captain smiled lazily and nodded in acquiesce. "Excellent. Now, I'd like a report on how things are going in the city."

Winterlight's mouth opened, only to be cut off by a sudden burst of shadows and a clatter of noise nearby. A thestral Shadowbolt ran in from one of the side rooms, panting heavily. "C-Captain! S-s-s-she's here!" the thestral panted out, nearly collapsing to the floor. "The Sun Lady is here!" the colt gasped out before falling silent save for rapid, heavy breathing.

Winterlight's eyes reduced to pinpoints, and she licked her lips nervously. Shadow Dancer merely smirked, and turned her eyes to Twilight. Twilight herself took a deep, slow breath. "So. Perhaps she has been watching me closer than I'd thought." She stated calmly to the room.

Twilight gently reached out with the shadow and slowly fed the power to the exhausted thestral. The wide eyed Shadowbolt stared at her in awe as his breathing slowed to normal, his body no longer trembling from exhaustion. Twilight smiled softly, "Tell me, my shadow. Where is she now?" she cooed, almost motherly to the young thestral.

The colt swallowed visibly, and spoke in an awed whisper. "She is walking through the town square, your majesty. She is speaking to the townsfolk. She has come alone, as well - no guards or entourage." His voice was breathy and sweet, and Twilight decided she liked him. He obviously had been paying attention.

Twilight stood up, and nodded. "Captain, see to it this shadow is rewarded for his diligence. Then, I want you to assemble an honor guard here as quickly as you can." Her gaze turned to Shadow Dancer. "Go conceal Rainbow Dash's presence here, as well as your own. Send Silent Moon to me immediately."

Her subjects bowed to her as one, and began to vanish into the shadows of her hall. Twilight inhaled deeply, and exhaled in her breathing exercise pattern. Relax, Twilight. She may know nothing at all. she paused, and snorted softly. Yes, and I'm the High Queen of the Griffon Kingdoms. Presume she knows everything, but admit to nothing. She examined her flowing shadow mane, and checked her eyes in a nearby mirror. Hmh, No eyes. That'll have to do. Nothing I can do about the mane and tail until the spell wears off. She sighed gustily.

Twilight counted down the seconds - she was actually curious about something. Silent Moon always seemed to arrive in exactly the same amount of time, every time she was summoned. It was fascinating, since she seemed to manage it no matter where Twilight happened to be. Sure enough, exactly one hundred and forty eight seconds later, the stark white pegasus breezed silently into the room.

Silent moon never seemed to make any noise when she walked. Twilight had long since figured that was her special talent - and likely how she got her name. Yet none of that truly mattered to Twilight. All that did was that her presence was incredibly... relaxing. As though just by being in the room, she gave off waves of serenity that Twilight's mind somehow absorbed. The fact that she was a veritable genius, and had 'read' nearly as many books as Twilight had was a nice bonus.

Her lack of sight had not stopped her from reading either. According to her, it had first been her parents, and later various ponies and friends who had helped her by reading books aloud to her. Twilight herself had shared a few with her, though mostly they had been Daring Do - which Silent Moon had swiftly turned into a fan of herself. Heh. Nopony can resist Daring Do!

Moon fell in beside Twilight, bowing deeply towards her. She'd once told Twilight that she could 'sense' shadow touched creatures, even without seeing them. Twilight had wondered if maybe it wasn't just her vastly enhanced sense of hearing and smell. "You summoned me, M'lady?" Moon spoke in that gentle, musical voice of hers.

Twilight wished she could bottle whatever the heck it was that made Moon's voice so beautiful, but alas - she could not. "Yes, Moon. We will be having a visitor with us shortly. I want you to keep your senses trained on her at all times, and remember everything that occurs. Speak only if you are spoken to, otherwise."

Moon nodded once, and Twilight knew she'd carry those orders out to the letter - and possibly beyond. She's incredibly canny at making sure she does things that I have forgotten to do. Twilight thought with a soft smile, thinking about Spike. I need to spend more time with him. I miss his antics so much. she sighed gently, glad that Spike had taken to caring for the castle library like a fish to water.

A few moments of silence passed between them, then snow softly spoke. "Hmm. Winterlight is taking her time." Twilight arched an eyebrow at Moon, turning her head to face her. Moon smiled a little mysteriously. "She is usually much more prompt. Perhaps she is nervous, forming your first honor guard." Twilight chuckled at that one. Well, this should be worth the wait then.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait much longer. A few minutes later, and Winterlight slipped out of the shadow of the doorway, smiling happily. "Your guard has been summoned, M'lady." said the Captain, a cheerful skip in her step. "When our guest arrives, they shall show themselves in a suitable manner. I have also dispatched a messenger to formally invite the Princess to tea."

Captain Winterlight clapped her hooves twice, and an anonymous pegasus seemed to melt out of the shadow next to large sofa. "Tea for four, please. With something light to snack on." The dark blue pegasus (Twilight didn't know her name) nodded and vanished back into the shadows.

Twilight gave her lieutenant an amused smile. "And since when do I have servants?" She asked in a slightly acid tone of voice. "I do not remember telling you to hire servants for the castle." Twilight took a seat on one of the large, overstuffed sofas that the Foyer held for guests to sit upon while waiting to be summoned. Well, Twilight presumed that's what they were for - she'd never had many guests.

The Captain winced a little and smiled slyly. "They are not servants, M'lady. They're Shadowbolts - we all take a turn doing other tasks than merely guarding. It promotes discipline and competition during training, as the lowest ranked Bolts are the ones who are tasked to serve in menial tasks. While the highest ranked ones work as servants for the castle, honored to serve our Queen directly at all times."

Twilight nodded slowly in understanding. "Very efficient, Captain. I approve." A slow smirk came to her face. "Though from now on, perhaps we can come up with a better reward for the Shadowbolt who comes out at the top of the rankings." She purred out softly, folding her hooves. "Now, since we have a quiet moment to ourselves - you can now give me the report on the goings on in the city."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Celestia's trip through Twilight City had already been remarkably illuminating.

Far from increasing her fears, nearly everything she'd seen so far had been incredibly encouraging. Twilight had poured nearly all of her city's income into improving the place, and the locals had nothing but praises for the new 'Lady of the Everfree.' The entire town was a madhouse - but it was an ordered madhouse.

In fact, Celestia had to admit she was impressed at how little crime there was. In spite of the melting pot of races, creeds and political beliefs, the entire city was working hoof in claw with one another. Remarkable achievement, even for my student. She thought, her heart soaring with pride. Perhaps Luna was correct. There are no signs here of an iron hoofed tyrant.

Quite the opposite in fact. Many of the locals had confided in her that they hoped Twilight would take a firmer hoof in the near future. Some of them worried about the town being over-run by the business magnates, or some of the more powerful families in Ponyville. Celestia had assured them that she would speak with Twilight about such concerns.

True, it had nearly stopped Celestia's heart to see changelings of all creatures in the town - Yet had they not been so distinct in their looks, Celestia would never have picked them out of the crowd. They were working, contributing, and associating with nearly all the creatures here. I shall have to ask Twilight about them. Perhaps there is hope for their race after all?

Celestia was therefore in a superb mood when the messenger approached her. He was a brisk looking young pegasus, wearing a very odd sort of purple and gold flight suit that Celestia was certain was a uniform of some kind. Strange. That suit looks so familiar. I wonder where I've seen it before? The Pegasus drew up in front of her and bowed deeply, touching his wingtips to the ground as he spoke. "Welcome to Twilight City, your majesty. I am Lieutenant Swift Sunset. My captain and Lady have bid me to invite you to The Twilight Hall for tea, and to meet with your esteemed student."

Celestia was a little amused, but also quite charmed. They still perform that wing bow in Cloudsdale? Tsk, I thought they'd done away with such silliness. "Thank you, young one. I will be heading there immediately." The pegasus stood from his bowed position and nodded to her, quickly flying off in the direction he'd come. Yes, I really ought to know that uniform from somewhere. She shook her head. She'd think of it later.

Much had changed in this city, in the thousands of years since it had been abandoned by herself and Luna. Still, Celestia was reasonably certain she still knew where the Old Palace was, even amidst the restored stone roads and buildings. She quickly trotted down the streets, a merry skip in her step and her heart so much brighter. I have missed her so. There is a darkness there, of course - but I will have the time to defeat it. Luna of course, would not let her forget this. Yet Celestia did not care that a month of I-told-you-so were ahead of her.

Sure enough, her hooves still knew the way to a home she had not lived in for countless centuries. Yet so much was familiar - the stones, the garden, even the ancient fountains that Tantalus had resurrected. The lush green grass, and the bright flower beds. It was nostalgic in a way, and Celestia could not help feel like she was coming home again. My old home. Perhaps even my second home.

She approached the vast double doors that stood along the path, and they swung open at her approach by the hooves of some unseen guards. That was a touch unusual, but perhaps Twilight had been a bit cannier about her personal protection than before. Well, she is something of a Noble at this point. She likely has been researching the subject diligently.

Celestia passed through the doors and then through another set, which also opened for her into one of the large foyers of the newly rebuilt palace. There she found Twilight Sparkle, speaking with another dark coated pegasus in that same odd uniform, and sitting next to her was a beautiful ivory pegasus, who appeared to be meditating - or perhaps just resting. Twilight sat perched on a large red couch, and... Goddess, what has happened to her mane? Celestia's mind raced, taken aback.

Twilight looked much as she did shortly after the Tantalus incident - like she had been transformed to someone's idea of a dream mare, with long slender limbs and a sleek curved body. Yet the way her mane and tail seemed to melt and undulate into the shadows she cast onto the couch and the floor was definitely new. It's... like the magic that imbues my own mane. Except it comes from that Shadow, I'll wager. It was a slightly disturbing sight, but Celestia wrote it off. I'd known there would be more physical effects. Such things mean nothing. It is likely simply a function of her new connection with that power, much as my mane is a function of my connection with the sun.

Celestia strode in confidently, keeping her smile genuine and sweet as she walked into the room. Three sets of eyes rose to meet her, and Celestia felt thrilled to see the same soft love and adoration in the eyes of her student. No, you have not changed very much at all, have you Twilight? Merely grown up a little. Celestia smiled back, hoping that Twilight could see the same love in her own eyes.

Halfway across the room, Celestia's felt a shivering chill - and from nowhere, Twelve dark figures melted out of the shadows all around her - From beneath chairs, from the shadow cast by the opened door behind her and everywhere in between. Each of them was either a pegasus or a thestral, and each was wearing that bizarre purple flight suit.

They dashed into a formation around her, and for a moment Celestia felt a thrill of fear - that was dispelled instantly as she saw them form into two ranks of six on either side of her path. As one, they bowed deeply to her, touching their wingtips to the ground as she slowly began to walk again. The pegasus that Twilight had been speaking to hopped off of the couch and turned towards Celestia... who froze in midstep. Impossible. her mind whispered.Her?!

The pegasus smirked at her in a sly, knowing way, and trotted out between the lines. Celestia's mind raced as Captain Winterlight bowed to her, one hoof over her chest. She stood up slowly and smiled in what Celestia could swear was a genuine manner. "The Shadowbolts welcome you to the Twilight Hall. I am Captain Winterlight. It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance, Princess Celestia."

Author's Notes:

Well I wasn't intending to update again today, but hey! I'm on the feature box! So here's a bonus!