The bitterness of General Cimmerian’s harsh reality had struck Luna hard, pulling out from under her the richness of the revenge she desired so fervently to extract from the army poised to invade Equestria. What good was she as a warrior Princess if she wasn’t allowed to fight?
The competing voices around the planning meeting subsided signifying that a strategy had been agreed and Luna knew that this was the cue for her to step in. General Cimmerian sensed rather than saw his Princess approaching and ushered a respectful path through his military colleagues as she drew near.
Silence fell as he addressed his most respected leader “Your Majesty, we have developed a plan which predicts an attacking army’s most likely tactics and with the help of the Royal Cartographer we have devised a sound defensive strategy.”
There were murmurs of approval all round.
“We do however recognise that our experience is limited to current military doctrine and would appreciate your more experienced eye to ensure that we haven’t missed anything.”
Luna bowed appreciatively to General Cimmerian for having given her a lifeline and enabled her to save face. She listened as the plan was explained to her, demonstrating a quick grasp of the situation and adding a few observations that drew gasps and the occasional facehoof from those who had missed possibilities that stood out clearly to her astute strategic mind.
Having removed any doubt about the worthiness of her military credentials, General Cimmerian then tactfully broached the subject of her own participation, rallying the other generals together to reinforce the importance of her role in directing her energies to retrieving Princess Celestia as being the far greater priority. It still stung, and all present could see how much she was hurting, but equally she was determined to show that she was not attempting to delay bringing her sister back, especially as the return of Nightmare Moon was still fresh in everypony’s minds.
As the generals all filed out, Luna summoned the most faithful of her Bat Ponies.
“Thank you, General Cimmerian” she said, placing a forehoof gently on his shoulder in a display of affection that carried so much more meaning than it appeared to a casual observer.
“Thank you, Your Majesty” he replied, “We are grateful for your patronage, and we will prevail.”
As he turned to join his fellow generals and rally the guards, Luna thanked her stars to have such a dependable ally.
***
Once the army had been mustered, briefed and inspected, Luna gave a motivational speech and sent the combined army of Night Guards and Royal Guards to meet their destiny on the battlefield of the Badlands. She watched wave after wave of winged guards fly out from the garrison in a display of military might, the like of which had not been seen in most ponies’ living memories.
From what Chrysalis had said, the changelings were on their way to Canterlot right now and as such there was no time to generate a force mix at the front line as would have been the preferred option, combining the Bat Ponies’ and pegasi’s gift of flight with the magic of the unicorns and the strength of the earth ponies. Time was clearly of the essence and as such the winged guards were going to intercept their enemy as soon as possible, thereby keeping the hostile forces away from the centres of population.
The unicorns and earth ponies would not be able to keep up with their winged brethren, and as such would deploy to hurriedly create a second line of defence to intercept the attackers prior to their being able to reach Canterlot. If all went to plan, they would not see any action, but that did not detract from their motivation to do whatever was called of them to keep Equestria safe.
Once the last of the guardsponies detailed to intercept the invaders had departed, the organised confusion that had accompanied their last minute preparations evaporated. A lesser number of guards still ran around getting organised; those who had been detailed to stay behind and protect Canterlot as the last line of defence, but there was at least now room to move.
Luna turned and struck out for the throne room with renewed purpose; she was going to get her sister back, but first there was something else she craved. Approaching the large double doors, she caught a look of quiet trepidation on the faces of the guards, although it was masked to a degree by years of training and professionalism.
She suddenly realised that they had seen what appeared to be her and her sister go into the throne room under somewhat less than cordial circumstances, but only she had emerged. Following this, the Night Guard and the Royal Guard had suddenly been mustered and despatched, reducing the military strength in the garrison; it was understandable that they should be concerned, especially with the recent history surrounding her actions as Nightmare Moon.
“Sirs, I sense I owe you an explanation of what has been happening, but first” she said, turning to the Court Administrator who had returned ready to attend his Princess “Send for Spell Nexus, the headmaster of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and as many of his top spellcasters as can be mustered.”
He bowed and trotted off as fast as decorum would allow to follow his mistress’s orders.
Luna went on to brief the guards and request their heightened vigilance until such time that the changeling crisis was past. Going on to request access to the throne room, Luna saw the expressions of the guards change to ones of relief and renewed focus, and strode through into the large deserted gothic styled room that would generally have been such a centre of courtly activity on any other day.
She stopped and looked around, taking a moment to reflect upon how much had happened in such a short time and how much her world had changed from being perfectly happy in the role of ruling Diarch with her sister, to being thrust into a position of sole responsibility for the safety of Equestria against the threat of invasion. She rang for a servant from the kitchen once again and then absent-mindedly took a slow meander around the room, looking at it from unusual angles and taking in points of details so often overlooked, while she rehearsed her next steps.
Serendipity; that was what she needed right now.
A polite cough from the doorway punctured her reverie and she turned to see the same timorous serving mare she had met earlier waiting to take her order.
“Oh, hello” she said, clearing her head “Please would you bring more tea and cake?”
“Yes, Your Majesty” she confirmed, bowing reverentially.
“Thank you” replied the Princess, realising that she was developing a snacking fixation just like her sister, her dear sister whom she wanted more than anypony else to share this tea and cake with right now.
Orders for tea and cake had become an established tradition since the founding of Canterlot, and generations of pastry chefs had become adept at keeping a fresh supply ready so that they could provide a near-instantaneous turn-around at any time of day or night. So it was that the serving mare returned at a speed that made Luna think for a second that perhaps the kitchen staff were using a time distortion spell.
The gentle suffusion of the cake’s rich taste and crumbly texture combined once more with the sensitive aroma of the tea to create a perfect oasis of calming the middle of her fraught schedule, giving her just enough time to compose herself before the next challenge had to be dealt with.
A knock at the door by the Court Administrator announced the arrival of the scholarly unicorns as Luna had requested. She surveyed the empty plate, wishing for just one more bite, and put it down with a barely detectable pout, taking a sip of cooling tea to console her loss.
“Spell Nexus” she called amiably walking over to greet her guests “I am so pleased you were able to come at such short notice.”
“Your Majesty” he responded giving a deep bow “It is our humble pleasure to serve …”
“Come now, we know each other better than to be slaves to such stiff formality” interrupted Luna “I have a problem and I need help from the best; formal protocol will only impede what we need to achieve.”
“As you wish, Princess” he acknowledged with a twinkle in his old eyes.
“I will cut to the chase. A shapeshifter worked her way into our confidence and despatched my sister to the sun. In turn, I banished the shapeshifter, but her armies are advancing through the Badlands and I have ordered a combined force of Night Guard and Royal Guard to intercept.”
There were gasps all round.
“You will understand there is an urgent need to bring Celestia back from her imprisonment and I would like you to work with me to make this happen as soon as possible.”