Origins of a Queen

by Nightfire-613

There is Work to be Done

"Oh, Celestia, your sunrise is so lovely, only your own radiance outshines it." The draconequus pulled my face closer to his with his eagle talon.
My eyes got wide, "Discord..."
"Shush, don't speak, just..." he pulled me even closer and-
"TIA!" Luna called.
I bolted upright in my bed, my hooves sweaty.
Luna looked on me with concern, "You were dreaming about him again, weren't you?"
I realized there were tears in my sleepy eyes. I wiped them away and said, "You say that like you don't know."
"I just want to make sure you're alright. Ever since... well, ever since that happened you've been getting more and more obsessive about your duties."
"It's just that...I loved him, when he betrayed us, betrayed me, that hurt, and when we had to imprison him, that hurt even more. Now Equestria is in ruins, and I can't bear to lose anything else I care about. Not the kingdom, not the ponies, nothing."
"Tia..."
I got out of bed and began dressing myself in my regalia. "We cannot concern ourselves with this at the moment, there is work to be done."
The day went on normally, I rose the sun, signed proclamations, discussed the rebuilding of Equestria, and other various duties, all while hiding my sadness under an air of royal detachment. My kingdom was dying, and the one creature in it that understood me aside from own sister was now trapped within stone for eternity. I couldn't cope, I just immersed myself in my work to try and forget.
Late in the afternoon, I took tea with some architects and gardeners to discuss the construction of a labyrinth to house Discord's statue. The maze would be made of stone at the entrance and center, while having corridors comprised of tall shrubbery, so they could change and prevent anyone from reaching Discord. Something he would love.
I hadn't even realized how distracted I'd become thinking about him, it was only until one of my servants called me.
"Your Majesty!" He said.
I turned, shocked, I hadn't seen the pegasus messenger approach, "We hope this is important, we were in deep thought and thou hast interrupted us." I glared at him sideways, irritated with him for disrupting my fond memories.
His brow began to sweat, he was clearly intimidated by my distaste for his irksome ways. "News, f-from the Chrystal Empire, an ambassador has arrived to speak with thee."
Bella...her wedding, her coronation, they were less than fortnight away. I had completely forgotten.
I became less irritated with him. "Thank you..."
"Fleetwing, your highness."
"Thank you, Fleetwing. You are dismissed."
He promptly ran out of the room.
I turned to my architects, "Ensure that the centre structure is completed by week's end to the specifications we gave thee. Sixty hands* in diameter and thirty-six* in height."
"Yes, your Radiance," the head architect responded.
I stood, and walked out. As I walked to the throne room, where the ambassador was waiting for me, my mind again strayed into thoughts of Discord.
Why? I thought, We were so happy together, we were to be married. So, why did he betray me? Break my heart? Thoughts ran through my mind like frightened rabbits, reasons as to why he turned on me. Was he tricked? Did something happen between us? Did his position as the Avatar of Chaos finally get to him? I shook my head. No answer that came made sense.
"Oh, what fun is there in making sense?' I mused to myself. He had always said that when I said something didn't make sense. Fond memories played back in my head; us watching the sunrise, pink cotton candy clouds drifting overhead, the chocolate milk rain he made for my birthday. A smile briefly passed over my lips, but fled as quickly as it had come when I saw where I was.
The double doors to the Solar Throne Room. The guards flanking the entrance parted them for me and I walk in, attempting to keep a regal gait. I scanned the room, and saw a white unicorn pony sitting on a plush couch under one of the stained glass windows.
She saw me and stood. Her turquoise mane, which was bound with golden bands inlaid with blue diamonds (a common style in the Crystal Empire), fell gracefully over her shoulders. She brushed stray curl out of her face, and addressed me.
"Your Radiance, 'tis a pleasure." Her voice was melodious and sweet, as an angel's.
"Arise, what wishes thee with our presence?"
"Was Your Brilliance not made aware of the purpose of this visit?"
"We were informed, but we wish to receive our formal invitation to her highness Princess Bella Diamante's coronation from Her Majesty, not a servant."
"Very well, then." The mare retrieved a bag from under the couch, and pulled a scroll from it's depths. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Diamante would like too-"
"We said we would like our invitation from Her Majesty, now drop the illusion Bella."
"You always could tell when somepony was wearing a disguise," she sighed. Her horn lit an emerald green, and her true form was reveled. Snow white wings unfurled from her back, golden shoes fastened with deep blue ribbons and drop diamonds donned her hooves, her hair bindings were replaced with a tri-peeked crown inlaid with more blue diamonds.
"That's better, now you know I wish for you not to address me as your political equal when we are in private, but rather as your friend. Castle life is so full of ponies being intimidated by me that nopony addresses me as a mare, only a princess."
"Such is the burden of the crown, Celestia. Finding a consort that was interested in me and not my crown was difficult."
It was true, ponies that attempted to become involved with Bella, Luna, myself, or anypony with major political influence were often after their power, not their hearts. That's why I was drawn to Discord. He saw past the crown and the wings, he saw me. Discord had seen my love of jokes, the part of me I could never show in front of my family or the royal court. I took the scroll from her, unbinding it and quickly reading it's contents.

"Thank you Bella," my gratitude was sincere, but my mind was elsewhere, and it showed.
"Celeste, you cannot dwell on Discord. There's something else that demands your focus at the moment."
"The wedding?" I snapped at my friend.
"What? No, that's not-"
"I know that Equestria, my ponies, they need me. I have to be strong, for them, but aren't I allowed some selfish weakness? Even just this once?"
"Celeste, I'm not talking about tha-"
"You could never understand what this feels like, what looking at him while madness overtook weighed on my heart. When I had to... when Luna and I... I couldn't..." sobs filled my chest. My tears broke from my eyes like a flooding river. I sat there crying for Faust knows how long before I finally regained control over myself.
"Thank you, very much. Now if will excuse me, there is work to be done," I dismissed. Withholding more tears, I turned away from Bella.
"You are to far-sighted, Celestia. There's somepony who needs you now more than ever, and you forget them." There was a flash of emerald light, and I was alone.

...Alone, I was entirely alone.