It was to be expected that her reaction would be the same as everypony else, but to say that Celestia was in a celebratory mood was at least an under statement, to say the least. She had just banished her one and only sister to the moon for a thousand years of exile. It wasn't something that the princess took any joy out of doing, inside she was crying nonstop. The pain of that act would haunt her for most of her immortal life. And she knew that. In the same way that her sister would punish herself in the future when she returned, Celestia was doing that as of that moment. She was punishing herself with straying thoughts. She constantly second guessed herself. Was there another way, could she of done more to talk her sister out of her fugue to a point where she could have been reasoned with more thoroughly.
Celestia decided to pay her sister a small visit if nothing else. She felt that she had to explain to Luna why she had done what she did. That she needed to clear her conscience of the guilt that had been building up for all this time. She appeared in the Moon palace's upper balcony and in front of a very disgruntled Night Princess.
"Luna, why didn't you listen to me," she said as she stared at the mare she was now standing in front of.. and a very irate one at that. She could hear the venom dripping off Luna's words as she greeted her older sibling. She wasn't in the mood to be near Celestia but decided to just listen to what had to be said.
"Come to gloat dear sister,", Nightmare spat at her guest. Before she could open her mouth again Celestia walked up and placed her horn against the side of Nightmare Moon's head. Images were awash in her mind. Celestia took a step back before speaking.
It felt as if she had been there with her even despite being banished. She saw the memories of the years following that event. Of how sullen Celestia had become even when hosting diplomatic functions. She'd stare at the moon, never paying mind to what was going on in her own castle. Luna/Nightmare had the stark realization that it caused Celestia more pain than it did to her.
She watched as Celestia cried into her pillow several nights in a row and openly berated a guard for interrupting her at one point. The look on the Princess' face had caused him to shrink out of the room muttering that she was needed in the Council chambers. Her banishment could have had a very adverse and negative effect on Celestia if it had gone down a different path.
"I wont be visiting for awhile Luna, but I needed you to understand that I hated myself for banishing you. I know you wont care, But I still love my little sister."And with those words she was gone, having teleported back to her own misery back in Equestria.
For the first time since her corruption, Luna spoke to Nightmare as if at that moment she was a separate force inside the same body. She wasn't kind, but even Nightmare understood what needed to be done. They had both seen the prophecy. And she had misunderstood it. When Starswirl had said that they would rule together Nightmare Moon now understood that it would come after a great trial that would divide the two sisters. She realized that now. Another few decades and she would return to Equestria. She also knew that she'd have to test whoever it was that would be meant to harness the power of the Elements of Harmony. Both her and Celestia's connections to the gems were now severed. It would take another to take up the mantle and utilize their powers for good.
For what seemed like the first time in quite a while, Luna was calm. Her mind was clear right now. She understood that she had let her own jealousy and craven want for power get the better of her. She lay there on her bed as Celestia finished speaking to her. She had a part to play in the future and understood her place in the world that was to be born soon. The Princess of the night simply bowed her head and spoke.
"I understand now," Luna said as NIghtmare disappeared back into the recess of Luna's mind for now. The time would come when she'd be free to embrace her sister once again. Luna lay down on her better, but this time she moved it closer to the window so she could watch the Sun rise. Even on the moon she could embrace its warmth from her tower.
"Good night Luna," Celestia said as she raised the sun and lowered the moon. For a brief second she could hear Luna's soft voice respond back," I'll see you when the time is right Tia, love you." Celestia could only smile. After setting the moon to rest, she turned to hear her assistant approach her personal chambers.
All these thoughts were going around at a mile a minute in Celestia's mind like a hurricane in a wind tunnel. And as such there was no easy answer for her to come to in the end. No matter how many times she stayed on that moment in time, nothing new came to her that would have been of any help. It also didn't help that she had to put down a rebellion after all of this had transpired.
"Your majesty," Her royal messenger said as she trotted into the Princess' personal chambers,"There's an urgent matter that needs your attention. A settler from the township of Ponyville needs to speak with you, its about some remnants of Nightmare Moon's army that are harassing her and her family." As soon she had heard that last part she got off of chair and approached the mare.
"I shall handle it immediately," the tone of her voice was one of concern. After she dismissed her she stepped out onto her balcony and Teleported to the area of the disturbance. She had a great view of the town from Canterlot Castle. Even if it seemed like a long ways away she had the power to focus on a single point of reference and transport herself there.
As soon as she was on the ground she sought out the Garrison commander of her guard contingent that was stationed in the area and asked for a status update. The commander greeted her and pointed her in the direction of the farmstead. The look on his face said more then words ever could. this stallion had seen enough combat in his life, he didn't want to see any more of it.
She could sense the situation could get worse if she didn't hurry there. She could see the Farmhouse as she rounded a nearby hill. It was small but quaint she thought to herself. She realize that she knew this family personally actually. she had agreed to give them the deed to farm this land if helped the province and the nearby town that was forming in the aftermath of her was with Luna.
She could see the Lunar commander speaking to a tan and blond maned earth pony. The mare spit out a piece of paper onto the ground and told them in very unkind words to get their no-good flanks off of her family's property. That they were given this land to farm by Princess Celestia and they were now trespassing if they didn't leave.
The Commander pulled a hoof up and smacked the mare across the face and told her in no uncertain teams that this land was rightfully Lunar Republic territory and she would watch her mouth if she were smart.
Apparently, some settlers were demanding to speak to her about an apparent issue with some hold overs from the Lunar Republic that had taken over the land they were trying to farm. A group of them, part of the Apple clan, had taken issue with members of Luna's old order and gone to the princess to deal with it. What she got was the Lunar Republic's declaration that the land belonged to them now, and as such, the Apple Family Clan was to pay them tariffs so they could remain on it. One of them was a spitting image of the future element of Honesty Applejack, and just like her namesake decided to throw the lieutenant of the Garrison off of her ' property' until Princess Celestia could spare the time to settle this dispute.
So the Garrison's forces surrounded the farm and threatened to burn down the entire crop of Apple Trees and the farm house until the rabble inside handed over the one responsible for assaulting their commander in charge. To which the mare in question told them all to go Buck Themselves, and that she don't answer to the likes of them.
" Now Y'all can take yer hides, and get them off Mah Family's property!,", the mare named Applejack shouted to the ones surrounded her family's farm. She was a spitting image of the future Applejack and of course held the same attitudes as her great great great grand daughter. She wore a stetson just like her too, a gift from her own father when it came time to pass it on. It was almost tradition you could say.
"For the last time, This land belongs to Queen Nightmare Moon and the Lunar Republic, and as such, you will turn yourself over for trial, or we will begin Burning everything from here to Appleloosa. And Light the Biggest Bon Fire Equestria has ever seen!.", the second in command yelled back at her. There was no way he was going to let some earth pony upstage him in front his squad like that, much less the entire garrison.
"Ya want me, come get me then!", she shouted back, while also bucking apples at him, for which two or more of the fruits collided with his head, knocking him flat on his flank.
" That's it, I've had it with her," he looked to the guards around him,"Take that farm house and drag her flank here,", To which his men grinned wickedly before charging off. But they didn't get too far when Celestia landed right in the middle of the lot of them. And the look on her face could send shivers down anypony's spines.
"What is the meaning of this?", she asked the Lunar Guard in front of her, who could only point to the second in command, trembling all over in the process. He was that frightened of her that he could only point, his face drained of all its color.
"This land belongs to the Queen," he paused and gulped," we were simply taking it back." That was not the answer he should have given her. He could tell by the cold gleam in her eyes as she stared at him.
"I deeded this land to the Apple Family," she spoke in a Canterlot voice," And it will remain untouched by the likes of you!", by the way that he was staring back at her, she knew he got the point of the message. The Garrison backed away from the farm house and back into the EverFree Forest, where their camp was stationed.
"Thank ya princess, I wasn't sure you'd be able to get here quick enough to handle them,", The orange coated mare responded with a hoof shake and a tip of her hat.
"It was quite alright, Miss?", Celestia asked the farm pony in front of her.
"Name's Applejack, been passed down for long since I was born, was never sure why though,", she told the princess. Her clan had held that name in their family since the time of them three tribes. It was never explained why, just that it had been mentioned by Smart Cookie, something about it being important. She had been told this by an orange earth pony that had just up and vanished one day, and that Family was the most important thing.
Celestia stopped to think for a moment. That name sounded very familiar like she had read it somewhere in one the journals that Starswirl and Clover the Clever had once shared. Starswirl had once written in his journal that Clover seemed too smart for a pony of their time period. There were times it was like she knew of events before they occurred. And he had commented that she never took off her brown cloak that she wore. He also noted that her size was twice that of the average unicorn, even he found that he was a few centimeters shorter than she was. He also noted that her cloak was large enough to hide the wings of an Alicorn.
She had to get back to Canterlot to investigate this more.