//------------------------------//
// The Sun Rises 
// Story: Sun Redacted 
// by daOtterGuy 
//------------------------------//

Celestia had an innate feeling inside of her that told her when the sun must rise. It had been ingrained there since she had gained her Princessdom, and had disallowed her from sleeping in ever since.

She had never been a morning pony, and some cosmic entity was getting a kick out of this.

Groggy. That was the most dignified way she could describe herself as she got out of bed. Whirlwind was saved for her mane, which she quickly magicked into something sensible. Coffee would be on her desk and would get her to some semblance of functionality. Waking up would happen sometime later that day, hopefully after the first few whiners of Day Court had given their useless self-centered petitions.

Sun followed her rise with a burst of magic. It bathed her room in its glow, mocking her for having to be awake before even it had to be.

Shuffling over to her desk with a heavy yawn, she heated a cup of coffee from the night before with magic, took a sip and sat at her work station, feeling the caffeine work its magic.

There were three stacks of papers on her desk, all organized and summarized by her assistant Raven Inkwell. Celestia made a note to herself  to give Raven another raise that week, considering how heavy the workload had become and how well she stayed on top of it.

It was the start-of-the-month reports, which meant the stacks were higher than usual, but still manageable.

Celestia opened one of the drawers in her desk. Specifically, the one that was enchanted to be a self-contained incinerator. She took the stack of Day Court petitions for the month and dropped it into the proper disposal. Where it belonged.

She was already going to have to listen to them whine in little over an hour, she didn’t need the written form as well.

Next were the status reports on key parts of government, the nation, and its administration, as well as any smaller personal projects she had her hoof in. A quick read showed that everything was working as intended, and a few papers were put aside for follow up either that day or later in the week. None of it was pressing, as any real emergency would have already barged through her bedroom door dressed in armour.

Thus, she came to the final stack: the Redacted Documents.

She pulled the papers closer to her with magic. They were printed on black paper and written with a special ink that only qualified ponies could reveal with their magic.

Her horn lit, and the words appeared.

First up were the Facility Containment Reports. Things were going smoothly. Canterlot Castle Gardens, Celestia’s personally-run location, was due for several new additions for the Clover Pavilion that would be delivered overtime and a few big drop offs for the Arbour Pavilion. Those containments required her presence near the end. She was filled with both dread and anticipation in equal measure.

Working in the Arbour Pavilion brought forth many good memories, all soured by the loss of… her last student. The gardener present would be both a welcome reminder of her and a source of resentment toward how Celestia handled her final days in Equestria.

That, however, was a later problem. Currently, she had to start looking for a replacement gardener. The prior had been… retired for not following instructions, which meant they needed to be replaced. She was not looking forward to the process.

Next was Malformant Activity.

There were reports of one near Ponyville set to arrive around Nightmare Night. An old one. No new Rifts.

If she had a guess, it was most likely that one. Celestia knew Agent Smith would handle it then. Have it properly contained after the debacle from nearly a decade ago. It would be good for them to clear up their loose ends regarding Spartan.

Minor updates to the SUN Protocol. She’d do that after reading the reports.

Next was the Forecast from Hollow Shades. Another week of several noteworthy Malformants. A troubling trend, as the number of powerful entities only seemed to increase from week to week. She sighed. There really was no end to them.

She had sacrificed so much of herself to handle this Cross Dimensional threat. Compromised many of her own morals to ensure the safety of her subjects. She tried to be ignorant, but she knew what her Agents did. What lines they crossed to get the job done. What lines they had to.

All these reports painted a grim picture of Equestria’s future. The situation was only getting worse and the pressure to deal with it was becoming unbearable, ready to break her at any moment.

Maybe she should— no. She couldn’t. The other Princesses needn’t concern themselves with this.

Cadance had a foal on the way. Twilight was still getting used to her role as a new Princess. Luna… she wouldn’t lose her sister again.

She could notify her subjects, get them more involved, but they deserved to be spared from the horrors of these invaders caused. They deserved to live peaceful lives. If the majority could have that, who was she to destroy it?

Besides, Celestia had taken this burden alone for over a thousand years. What was a thousand years more?

Last report in the stack.

She read it over. A rare genuine smile graced her lips.

Despite setbacks, the DOM Initiative would be officially ready for testing soon. The giddiness that welled up inside of her brought her hope for the future of her subjects. Soon, Equestria would have the tools needed to turn the tides against these monsters that invaded her country.

And she wouldn’t stop until all of her little ponies could live in peace.