Sometime later, Princess Celestia watched the boarding ramp of the Theta-class shuttle Emperor’s Benevolence descend with an apprehensive look on her face. The last few days had been a nerve-wracking, claustrophobic journey through hyperspace to Imperial Center. With only two ceremonial guards and the silent, cloned human crew of the shuttle for company, it had also been lonely. More than anything Celestia had thought of Luna, of what she could say to the Emperor, of how best to persuade him to see her sister safely returned.
The two armored, blaster-wielding unicorns stepped down the boarding ramp first in perfect sync, then neatly filed to either side and offered the princess salutes. Celestia followed them down, and in so doing got her first look at Coruscant. Only her many years of practiced decorum prevented her from gaping openly.
Intellectually, she had long known that the entire planet was one enormous city. But knowing it one’s head and seeing it for oneself were two very different concepts. Skyscrapers punching up into the atmosphere and simultaneously descending into the black depths further than the eye could see stretched from horizon to horizon. Tens of thousands of flying transports zoomed this way and that in ordered lanes, while the vast shadow of a Star Destroyer loomed over them all. Celestia knew at once that the population of just the area that she could make out was larger than the whole of Equestria, and could not entirely suppress her awe.
At the bottom of the ramp waited a pair of the Emperor’s red-robed Royal Guards, and half as many again Stormtroopers. None of them said a word, but the Stormtroopers snapped to attention in her presence, while the Royal Guards seemed to flow aside to make room for her. Her shuttle had touched down on a great landing pad in front of the Imperial Palace, large enough to host a Star Destroyer by itself. For the moment it was covered in other shuttles and transports, visiting dignitaries being led this way and that. Some had Royal Guards among their escorts, but most did not. Celestia wasn’t sure whether to be honored or nervous.
The princess’ pony guards stood beside her, while the Stormtroopers fell into step behind them. The Royal Guards took the lead, still saying nothing at all. The Imperial Palace, once the Jedi Temple, loomed ahead of them. The boxy, five-towered structure was easily larger than any palace she had ever seen, with equally gigantic Imperial banners hanging from all sides. Celestia wasn’t sure what to make of the Emperor’s choice of residences. Living inside the temple of one’s defeated enemies was certainly a powerful statement, but for whom was the message intended?
Celestia shook her head as the group marched along. It wasn’t her business anyway.
The next several hours were a monotonous haze of inactivity, boredom, and nervous pacing. Celestia was placed into a glorified waiting room and told that her turn would come soon enough, and to be thankful for it. Emperor Palpatine had a waiting list of appointments months long with generals and dignitaries from all across the galaxy. The princess could relate to that easily enough – though for once the shoe was on the other hoof. The experience was made worse by her nerves, her inability to think about anything but her precious sister and what she would have to do to get her back.
Where in the galaxy was Lulu? What had she endured? What was she undergoing? Did Palpatine know? Would he be able to help? Would he be willing to help? What price might he ask of her? Or… what if Shining Armor had been right? What if this was all just a cruel joke or pointlessly elaborate trap? What would she do then? What would become of Equestria? Of Luna? Of Twilight? Of herself, even?
Celestia closed her eyes and breathed deeply in and out, slowly but surely calming her racing heart and allowing her frantic mind some rest. It would do nopony any good if she started to panic, least of all Lulu. This audience would be a delicate matter requiring the utmost of diplomacy, grace, and control on her part. Every action had to be calculated, every word chosen carefully. Her family and planet were at stake.
Once she had regained her poise, the princess opened her eyes again. Her wings twitched only slightly at her sides. She carefully preened the feathers back into their proper place, and then resume her pacing regimen.
By the time someone finally came for her, it was almost a relief.
Celestia stood before an ornate pair of double doors, artfully decorated in some alien style that came off as rather severe to her eyes. Beside her, two more of silent Royal Guard dutifully waited, expressions invisible behind their red masks. The trio stood before the portal in silence for some few minutes, the alicorn still working to keep her nerves down. She flicked an ear once or twice, wondering how long she would be kept waiting and how much of it was just for show.
At last, without warning, the twin doors slid smoothly open without making the faintest noise. The Royal Guard immediately stepped inside in a perfect synchronized march. Celestia followed with all the matchless grace that millennia of rulership could bestow. The area within was surprisingly small, almost homey, and rather modest as far as audience chambers for the ruler of the galaxy went. There was plush red carpeting and a few statues of uncertain origin laid out on plinths, but other than that few decorations at all.
“Ah yes,” a voice cut into her observations. “Come in, come in.”
Celestia’s eyes were drawn towards the long transparisteel window on the opposite side of the room. There, with a beautiful view of the Coruscant skyline at sunset, were a pair of chairs and a simple wooden table laid out between them. One of those the chairs was turning around, revealing the very man she’d come to meet.
Emperor Palpatine was… somewhat disappointing. For the absolute ruler of a healthy majority of the galaxy, the old man sitting before her was rather plain. Clothed in a simple hooded black robe and still bearing the brutal facial scars of the supposed Jedi attack, the Emperor lacked the ethereal majesty of Equestria’s rulers or even the awe-inspiring darkness of Sombra or Tirek. Celestia had seen holograms of the man, of course, but on some level she realized that she had still expected to find his presence a bit more overwhelming.
“You would be… Governor Celestia of Equus, would you not?” Palpatine said in a polite tone.
“Yes, your Majesty,” Celestia bowed her head, perhaps a little lower than protocol dictated. The doors behind her sealed shut, the Royal Guard standing off to either side.
“You may rise,” said the Emperor, and the princess did so. “I received your petition some time ago. I regret that it has taken me so long to find time to address it.”
“Think nothing of it, your highness. This is a very large galaxy, and we are but one small planet in it. So soon after the war, it is hardly surprising that many urgent matters should find their way to your attention.”
“Quite,” he replied. “Come, sit, I would speak with you briefly.”
Celestia blinked. “Of course.” She walked gingerly towards the empty chair, reluctant to believe her own eyes. This struck her as the type of audience she might try to give.
Palpatine watched quietly as the alicorn struggled a little to adjust to a chair designed for humanoids, seemingly unperturbed by the quadruped’s difficulty. After she managed to take a seat, he began speaking again.
“The last we spoke, I believe, was during the war?”
“Correct, your highness,” Celestia answered.
“Right after General Grievous’ terrible attack on your planet, was it not?”
“Indeed,” she nodded, impressed with his memory.
“Your people suffered terribly for their attempts to aid the Republic,” Palpatine sounded a little sad. “And in the aftermath you were admitted to the Republic on an emergency basis, subsequently reorganized into a full system of the Galactic Empire. That, until not so long ago, was the last I had heard of your planet.”
Celestia remained quiet but nodded along respectfully. It was just as she had suspected.
“When I reviewed your situation some few days ago, it struck me that it seems that you are being treated unfairly.”
The princess barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping.
“Oh yes,” Palpatine nodded sympathetically, “I read the reports. Your planet in ruins, your people on the brink of starvation, strife and discontent abounding on your world. And in the midst of all of that the Empire demands extortionate taxes without giving any assistance in their collection.”
Celestia was struggling not to say anything or to smile. This was by far the most sympathetic and least imperious hearing she’d been given in all the years she’d been Governor! She opted just to continue nodding.
“While I am afraid our ability to immediately increase our aid in the rebuilding of your world is very limited, I can make one firm commitment to you as a loyal subject of the Empire. As of one and half standard hours ago, the quotas on your planet’s resources have been reduced to half of what they were.”
“I…” Celestia felt her eyes watering a little as she struggled to find words. “T-Thank you.”
This was good news on a level she had never expected. To see the burdens on the backs of her poor little ponies reduced at all would have been a blessing, to see them cut in half was a veritable miracle. There was so much good that could be done for Equestria with the freed resources, so many troops that could be brought home to their families without delay.
“Your people have given so much of their blood to our cause already. It was the least I could do.”
Celestia couldn’t quite stop a teardrop from trickling down her cheek. Palpatine smiled.
“Now then,” he continued. “Time is short, and we must move on to the matter at hand. This sister of yours. Tell me everything.”