//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Secrets and Lies (phase one) // by keithsterling //------------------------------// January 10, 2026, 21:30 hrs Equestria Standard time, Private Royal Bed Chamber of the Solar Emperor and Empress, Old Grand Royal Palace, Capital City of Canterlot, Solar Empire. “But still Justice. What just happened is not the cause of your insomnia, is it my beloved.” Celestia said, concerned as she lands and folds her white feathered bird wings onto her back. Then she strolls over to a button tufted fabric club chair in the bed chamber to sit down. “You are right Celestia, it’s not the cause of my temporary insomnia it’s something much worse.” Justice said with worry in his voice as he lands and folds his dark blue feathered bird wings onto his back before joining his wife in the small sitting area. He takes the club chair next to his wife. “When I accepted this precious ring on my finger (playing with her wedding ring on her left hand) I not only accepted being Ms Silverlight, but I accepted you as my husband and everything that goes along with it. Please tell me what’s bothering you?” Celestia said encouraging as she rests her hand on top of his. “Before I tell you, Celestia. You must know, I am far older than you in terms of age. This story dates back before you or Luna was ever born about 5 billion years ago, in Imperator Alicorn space, my great grandmother Empress Galaxy Cosmos banished a wicked Imperator Alicorn mare named Harmonia Strife.” Justice explains as Celestia’s face becomes etched in desperation upon hearing the name, Harmonia. “Justice! I am so sorry, I know that name, Harmonia. I’ve had dealing with her when I was younger and during the time you were dead.” Celestia said heartbroken as she began to weep uncontrollably. “What Celestia, you had dealings with Harmonia?” Justice inquiry as Celestia shook her head. “Then Celestia begin explaining ?” Justice listens intently as Celestia nods her head. “After I lost Luna to Nightmare Moon, I fell into a deep depression, guilty about what I did to my little sister, during that time my Equestria was unstable land. Unable to break free of the deep depression I was in, Harmonia appeared before me and offered to restored harmony to my land. But I had to give-up something in exchange for her help. My immortality. At the time, I didn’t know she couldn’t strip me of my immortality. I took her deal and she restore harmony to my land.” Celestia said her voice cracking as Justice stood his wife up and hugged her. “I can only imagine how much pain you were carrying in your heart, Celestia. I am truly bless that you let me see that chink in your armor. It showed me that under that tough exterior beats a heart of a normal mare. It’s that normal mare heart that I fell in love with all those years ago.” Justice said consoling as he wraps his arms around his wife. “You said you had another deal with Harmonia during the time I was dead. Please tell me about that my beloved Sun Princess.” Justice inquiry as Celestia started to cry, remembering the second deal. “It was the continuation of the previous deal she made with me, in exchange for my immortality she would restore harmony. During that time, I marry you and gave birth to our three foals, not wanting to suddenly die and leave our foals without a mother. I demanded Harmonia restore my immortality to me. At first, she laughed at me and said the deal was already done, I set aside my pride and all my strength to beg for my life and the life of our babies. I thought the display of humility would change something, but it only sparked the most humiliating thing that could happen to a Princess mother like me.” Celestia explains as she dissolves into tears. “With a wave of her hand she makes my babies appear in front of us. Aurora, being the oldest was shocked, but she covered it well as she was cradling in her arms her crying baby sister Blueberry, trying to calm her. Somnus, on the other hand, was fascinated with the whole thing being a five year old colt at the time. I raised my hand in the air and told my babies to stay put and not to come near me.” Celestia explains as she pauses momentarily to catch her breath. “I demand to know why Harmonia brought my babies here. That’s when she removed her shoe from her foot and told me if I wanted her to break the deal, I must kiss her foot in front of my precious treasures. My heart broke and I started to cry. But I grabbed hold of her foot and kissed it in front of my babies. Disgusted with myself for showing weakness in front of my babies. I thought about ending my life. Then Aurora passed me my sleeping Blueberry. Looking at her innocent face caused me to cry again. After that, we left together and never spoke again about what transpired.” Celestia explains as she begins to blubber, Justice walks Celestia back over to their bed and wraps his arms around his distressed wife. January 11 2026, 0600 hrs Equestria standard time, Private Royal Bed Chamber of Solar Emperor and Empress, Old Grand Royal Palace, Capital city of Canterlot, Solar Empire. After the worst night any married couple could have in their lifetime the Solar Emperor and Solar Empress barely spoke to each other that morning. Sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a mocha colored below the knee length dress, putting on a gold heeled sandal was Empress Celestia Silverlight. Her face showed visible relief, after holding on to that memory of being humiliated in front of her babies, confronting that painful memory with her husband has healed that long held pain. “Justice please, stop blaming yourself for what happened to me. I gave up my pride and my strength for the survival of our family. It was a painful humiliation to bear. But you blaming yourself makes me feel like what I did was meaningless.” Celestia said her voice was a lifeless monotone as she held back her tears. “I am sorry, Tia. ” Justice said conceding lifting his wife’s chin up with his fingers and planting a fond and tender kiss on her lips. “So where are you off to this morning, Justice?” Celestia inquiry buckling her other sandal on her foot as Justice finishes buttoning his shirt. “After what you told me last night, Tia. I am going to talk to my grandmother and tell her that Daimyo Harmonia Strife is on this planet. If she doesn’t know already. After I tell her, she will send a Hyperwave communications to my Great Grandmother Galaxy to inform her of the threat.” Justice explains as chills run down Celestia’s back, before being replaced with a look of surprise that Justice’s great grandmother is still alive after five billion years. “What? your Great Grandmother Empress Galaxy Cosmos, the original Imperator Alicorn that banished Hamonia is still alive? After five billion years. ” Celestia said with a hitch in her voice as Justice couldn’t help but smile with the dumbfounded look on his wife’s face. “Like you, she’s immortal, granted, she’s gone through several cycles since planting the seeds of my species the Imperator Alicorns in Imperator space. The whole of my species call her All mother: the supreme creator being of the Imperator. But I am proud to call her Great Grandmother. For me, my two sisters, my mother and my aunt are seeds planted by my Grandmother Imperial Princess Ophelia Silverlight, the Daughter and the Avatar of the All Mother.” Justice speaks with such reverence as a tear comes to his cobalt blue eyes. ‘For as long as I have known him, he has never showed so much emotion. It’s kind of refreshing and reinforces that it was the right decision to follow my heart and wed him.’ Celestia thought as she politely laughs into the back of her hand. Before Justice opens a wormhole portal to travel to the Federation of Dream Valley to talk to his Grandmother Imperial Princess Ophelia Silverlight, Celestia stands up and kisses him. Then she playfully reprimands him for leaving the Solar Empire without finishing his royal duties, this causes Justice to snicker. He asks his wife for forgiveness about his neglect of his Royal duties. To make it up to her, for one week, he will be her servant, but before she agrees, she must allow him to give her pristine feet a pedicure. Celestia’s face brightening as she enjoys having her large feet pampered and she agrees heartily with her husband’s request. With a wave of his hand, Justice opens a wormhole portal from the Old Grand Royal Palace to the Federation of Dream Valley. As the entrance portal collapses in the Old Grand Royal Palace, Celestia makes her way over to a stone unicorn bust. Affixed to the bust was her imperial tiara and her gold necklace with her sun symbol on it. As she slips her necklace over her head, a sudden magic surge draws her attention behind her. As she turns around, she is confronted by a black exit portal of a wormhole. From inside the tube, she can hear the sound of clicking of heels walking toward the exit. Celestia’s eyes become transfixed with horror as a gorgeous 6 ft even midnight blue imperator Alicorn mare with a rusty red mane and tail step out of the portal. Her plain steel blue bio-mechanical feathery bird wings rest against her back. Her athletic figure was encased in a gray pant suit with black riding boots on her bare feet. Before Celestia could run, all her muscles freeze on her body and her horn becomes magically stasis locked, which rendered her helpless and at the mercy of this imperator Alicorn mare. She knows pretty well with all the lopsided deals she made with her this Imperator Alicorn mare was Daimyo Harmonia Strife. “Daimyo Harmonia Strife what do you want with me?” Celestia said brazenly as her heart pumps spastically in her chest. Harmonia stands flabbergasted; she doesn’t remember ever telling the Sun Princess her last name or what rank she holds in the Imperator Alicorn society. She takes a slow, appraising glance at her helpless terran Alicorn captive wondering how she found out. “It doesn’t make a difference how you came about knowing my last name and my rank in the Imperator Alicorn society. You have something I want Sun Princess Celestia or should I call you Empress Celestia, Ruler of the Solar Empire. I intend to extract that information out of you by any means necessary.” Harmonia said ominously as a sickening wave of terror wells up from Celestia’s belly with the word ‘necessary’. She watches as Harmonia’s horn begins to glow with her eternal magic. A small sphere of magic energy forms in her hand. When it becomes sufficiently sized for her needs, she drops the ball on the ground, bouncing once. Then it begins to form an outline of some kind of object. Before long, Celestia realizes what the object is. It was a large wooden table big enough to accommodate any alicorn her size lying on her back. But what caused the blood to drain from Celestia’s face were the four clamps that formed. Nauseating spurts of adrenaline course through her veins as Harmonia intends to torture her for the information she wants. Before she can get her mind around what would happen, she can feel her frozen muscles begin to loosen, but not quickly enough to make her escape. Celestia has one card left to play from her husband. She reached up and tears the necklace off her neck and slams the necklace on the ground in front of her. The moment the jeweled sun symbol on the necklace shattered, a one way wormhole portal opened underneath her and she fell through. Her husband warns her only use the one way wormhole portal in an extreme emergency because her Terran Alicorn physique couldn’t take the stress of travel through the tube without negative side effects. Being tortured to extract information out of her, most definitely qualifies as an extreme emergency. (Five hours later after using the one way wormhole portal) Slowly the magenta eyes of Empress Celestia Silverlight open up and she finds herself staring into the bright lights of a hospital room. As she tilts her head slightly forward, she finds herself wearing a hospital gown. Sticking out from the end of the gown were her larger sized pristine barefeet with dark red nail polish. She wiggles her five toes a few times. As she turns her head to the right, she blinks with surprise. Sitting on a chair next to her bed asleep was her husband Emperor Justice Silverlight. But what got her attention was the younger Alicorn mare sleeping on the other hospital bed with her back toward her wearing an orange lace fit and flared dress with her feet bare. There was no mistake who that younger Alicorn mare was due to the crimson red mane and tail. It was her oldest daughter Imperial Solar Princess Aurora Silverlight. Celestia figured that Justice made himself known to this daughter during the time she was in the Friendship Kingdom. “Hello beloved.” Celestia said softly and tenderly as her eyes met Justice’s eyes when she turned her head back toward her husband. “No Justice, do not wake up our daughter. Let her sleep, since your death she had bad insomnia. This is the first time I have seen our daughter fast a sleep.” Celestia said relieved as she stopped her husband from waking up their daughter. “By the way, my beloved, how long have I been out?” Celestia inquire as she sat up in the bed to talk to her husband. “You have been out for five hours since using the one way wormhole portal to escape from your captor.” Justice explains as Celestia reels with astonishment that her husband correctly guessed why she used the one way wormhole portal. “How did you know I was being held captive, My beloved?” Celestia inquiry as she examined the dark red nail polish on her hands. “When you emerged on this side of the wormhole portal, you were unconscious and your horn was magically stasis locked. I broke the Stasis Lock on your horn.” Justice explains as he noticed a stress line forming on his wife brow. “Did you know Celestia, even unconscious, if you tickle your sensitive feet, you twitch quite a lot. It was quite entertaining and was almost as if you were awake.” Justice said joking as Celestia unleashed a bubbly laughter in response to her husband making her feel better. “Thank you, Justice, your wife needed that. I hate showing weakness to an enemy. But hearing you crack jokes always makes me feel better, It could be the worst thing to happen to me. But you always cheer me up.” Celestia said loving as she plants a kiss on Justice’s lips for cheering her up. Meanwhile in a long abandoned castle somewhere in the Friendship Kingdom Territory periodic screams of mercy echo through the silent halls of this mighty fortress. Followed up by continuous crying all this noise was coming from Princess Twilight Sparkle: the Princess of Friendship. After Harmonia allowed Empress Celestia Silverlight to escape through a one way wormhole portal, she took with her the activation codes for the Solar Empire’s ultimate weapon called ‘The Solar Fury’ very powerful particle beam cannon. Harmonia had to switch tactics to spark a war between all the lands. Her chosen directions lead her to Princess Twilight Sparkle and her Friendship Kingdom. Developed in the upmost secrecy the FKS Harmony the most state of the art dreadnought to sail the sea was created by the brilliant minds of the industrious earth ponies of Ponyville. It married together all the technical advances of all four lands. The armor plating that covers the bulk of this steel juggernaut was developed through the super-tough alloy research and development done by the New Lunar Republic. The impressive armament of this grand ship was developed through the weapon research done by the Solar Empire. The electronics that runs the entire ship was researched and developed by the Crystal Empire. And finally, the micronized energy source and engine that moves this juggernaut was develop by the Friendship Kingdom themselves.