Its several years earlier Princess Celestia stands on her balcony just outside her grand bedroom, wearing mauve-colored, slightly below the knee-length dress. On her fairly large white bare feet were golden leather platform sandals. Her white snout showed a bit of worry on it. She just recently received a message from King Enrique Shroud, the leader of a small tribe of Jaguar morph living in the Forbidden Jungle. As of recent events, several small war bands of Jaguar warriors from the Shroud tribe have attacked several Equestria outposts along the northern border of the Forbidden Jungle just outside of Caracows. This forced Princess Celestia to dispatch a small company of her elite Solar Guard troopers to reinforce the Royal Army troop station at the Equestria outposts.
A moment later, a majestic dark blue unicorn morph stallion with a crimson red mane and tail walk into the bedroom right up behind Princess Celestia and he wraps his arms around her. His 6ft 5in athletic equine figure was encased in the white uniform of the commander of the Princess' elite guard unit, the Solar Guard. On his bare feet were black dress boots. This Unicorn stallion was Solar Guard Commander Justice Silverlight and Princess Celestia's secret boyfriend.
"You're usual, my beloved Sun Princess," Justice said loving kissing Celestia on her cheek.
"As wonderful as that would be to let you rub my feet, my beloved, it not why I called you." Princess Celestia said affectionately as she floated the message from King Enrique Shroud off her desk right into Justice's hand.
"What’s this tia?" Justice said a bit confused as he catches the message in his hand.
"Just read it, Justice," Celestia asked, her voice edged with tension as Justice walks over to her large bed and sits on the edge of it to read the message. A moment later, Celestia sat down next to Justice.
"You don't actually think he's serious about this Peace treaty with Equestria, right Celestia? I mean this condition for a meeting. (Tapping back of his hand on the message) You must arrive alone with no guards and no escorts. That will leave you vulnerable and at his mercy. As the Princess's protector and head of Royal Security, I won’t approve a condition like that for any reason. No matter what the intention is, your safety is paramount, your highness." Justice said bluntly as Celestia blinked with surprise.
"Huh? Please, Justice reconsiders your position in this. (A tear comes to her eye) I need your support in this if we have any hope of brokering a peace treaty with the Shroud tribe and ending this war with them." Celestia said negotiating as she held Justice's hand in hers, hoping to change his mind.
"I am sorry Your Highness, but the job you assigned to me is to protect you and, if need be, give my life. For your survival (Celestia's face pales)." Justice said honorable as he was able to get his hand free from Celestia.
He stood up and turned toward her bedroom door to leave as he had a few more meetings this day to attend. Suddenly Justice felt a strong grip on his tail; he slowly turned around to see Celestia kneeling on the ground, tears running down her cheeks soaking the floor beneath her.
"Justice, you know how terribly ticklish my feet are and you also know I hate a pony that uses my ticklishness against me to weaken me and break me. If you reconsider your position, you may break my will. I will become your willing pawn and do what you want." Celestia said pretending to be defeated as Justice yanks his tail out of Celestia's hands angerly and his lips curled with disgust with his girlfriend's suggestion.
"I can't believe the mare I love would suggest such a thing like that to me. You know how much I love you and would never do something like that to you." Justice said bitterly turning his back toward Celestia as her muscles tensing and she shoots to her feet with her face hardening.
"If you love me, you would reconsider your position in this, Lord Silverlight. You would allow me to fulfill this condition and bring about a Peace treaty with the Shroud tribe for the good of Equestria. But you are not." Celestia said pretending to be angry as the last of her negotiation strategies to make Justice reconsider his position.
Suddenly, Celestia's eyes widen with alarm and she quickly covers her snout with her hands because she just did something she promised she would never do. She questioned if Justice loves her.
"Justice! I am sorry." Celestia said trying to apologize as a despairing look appeared on Justice's face that was quickly replaced with a stony expression of anger.
"Now I see your highness! My love means little to you! Fine, farewell your Highness!" Justice said indignantly slamming her bedroom door shut as he storms out of the room.
"Justice! I didn't mean any of that! Your love means everything to me! I just want you to reconsider your position! Not this?" Celestia said heartbroken as she dissolves into tears.
'It was that one failed negotiation strategy that allowed Justice's rival to convince me of his betrayal. I was so depressed about hurting Justice. It was so easy to convince me that he would betray me. My heart was so broken from what I did, to the stallion that loved me unconditionally.' The present Celestia thought to open a drawer on her desk and retrieving a tarnish gold-framed picture of Justice as her tears continuously splash on the glass.
One month later in that same year, in the empty throne room of the Grand Royal Palace Princess Celestia stands at the foot of a two level platform. She’s wearing a Sapphire blue, slightly below the knee length dress with golden straightforward slide platform sandals on her fairly large feet. Her ears droop on top of her head as Justice paces back and forth in front of her, his eyes seething. After being released from the palace dungeon and being charged falsely of treason, Justice confronts his beloved Sun Princess about her decision.
"How could you Celestia! In good consciousness believe that I would ever think of betraying my Princess or Equestria! I pledge to defend her and you with my dying breath! But it looks like my pledge meant nothing to you! You strip me of my title of Princess' Protector and toss me into the dungeon without even looking into the charge to see if any of it is true! It was all phony!" Justice said fiercely as his ears droop and his muscles tighten.
"Justice please tell me what can I do to fix this? I love you so much. Do I have to admit that I was a foolish pony? If that’s what you want me to do, my beloved? Here it is, I was a foolish pony to have believed that evil stallion and not my beloved." Princess Celestia said heartbroken as tears begin streaming down her cheek soaking her feet.
"I am sorry your highness, there’s nothing you can do to fix this. Your decision was perfectly clear to me. My love and my loyalty were misplaced in you. (A tear ran down his cheek) I hate you, your highness, and will never forgive you. So farewell your highness." Justice dispirited as he turns and walks out of the throne room.
"No! Justice! Please give me another chance! I truly do love you! I have always loved you! Don't do this to me! I am so very sorry for betraying you! Justice! Please come back!" Celestia's voice explodes out of her in agony as the throne room door slams shut and she collapses on all fours whimpering.
~Returning to the Present~
'Ever since Justice left my service and pledged his loyalty to Luna as a Lunar Guard, I have tried everything to get him to come and talk to me. So we can put this terrible past mistake to rest and hope to rekindle that love he had for me. But he always finds a way to get out of it. He endangered his career as a Royal Guard, by refusing an order from his Princess. Did I hurt him that much? If that’s so, there’s no real hope he would ever forgive me and this pain I carry in my heart will never heal.' Princess Celestia thought as she caresses the tarnished gold-framed picture of Justice she was holding.
"Stop this Celestia! You believe in unconditional love. How can I so easily forget that? Deep down I know Justice truly loves me and will forgive what this imperfect mare did to him. It will just take a little bit more time. Then, I will be able to once, again, hold that stallion in my arms and my wings and show him just how much I truly love him. I must keep that spark alive in my heart because it’s the only thing I have left." Princess Celestia said encouraging herself as she paced back and forth in front of her desk.
'I know Justice is the perfect investigator for this job. The only problem I have is that he will not follow a royal dispatch from Princess Celestia.' Princess Celestia thought agitated slamming her fist on her desk with a thud.
'There must be a way to get Justice to Ponyville. His skills would be perfect for this investigation into this unicorn kidnapper and stop her.' Princess Celestia thought more agitated as she thought of something.
'Huh? Wait! Who says that a royal dispatch has to come from Princess Celestia? There’s two Princesses here in Canterlot and Justice can't turn down the other Princess. He is loyal to her. So, dear sister you must dispatch Justice to Ponyville. I know you’ve been monitoring this incident during Night Watch hoping to discover who’s behind it.' Princess Celestia thought as she ran out of her office toward the private living area of the Grand Royal Palace, the location of their bedrooms.
Once in the private living area of the Grand Royal Palace, Princess Celestia runs down the finely tiled hallways of the area with the heels of her golden platform sandals clicking loudly. She runs past her own bedroom marked with a carved sun motif on the door. A few feet down the hallway she stops in front of a door marked with a carved moon motif. She begins to knock on the door frantically trying to wake up the owner of the bedroom.
Inside the darken bedroom, sleeping comfortably under her nice warm blankets was Princess Luna, Celestia's little sister. She barely lifts her head in response to the loud knocking on her bedroom door. As the knocking persists, she reaches over and grabs one of her pillows to cover her ears with it. When that didn't work, a very annoyed Luna rolls out of bed. Her mane tied in a ponytail for convenience and her moderate cyan eyes heavy with sleep. Her fairly larger bare feet pap plops over the marble tiles floor to her bedroom door.
"Leave me alone! I was sleeping! What do you need! Must wait till night watch! Go away!" Luna yells at the pony behind the door trying to chase them away, so she can return to her sleep. But when the knocking didn't stop, she walks up to the door and throws it open.
"Is there something wrong with your hearing?!" Luna yells displeased as she finds Celestia standing in the hallway outside her bedroom.
"Oh, sister. What do you want? You know I sleep during the day." Luna said tiredly as she yawns at her. In the light, Luna is wearing a light pink lace trim nightgown that shows off her physically fit Alicorn figure.
"I am sorry Luna but I need you to do me a favor. I need you to write a Royal Dispatch so I can send it to a certain pony I want to send to Ponyville." Celestia explains as Luna yawns once again at her.
"What, a Royal Dispatch? Why can’t you write it yourself, Celestia? This is hardly a good reason to wake me up during the day to do your job and anyway who is this certain pony you want me to send to Ponyville? Why do you want me to write it?" Luna inquiry leaning against the door jam of her bedroom door.
"The certain pony I want to send to Ponyville is Justice. He’s is the best pony for the job to find this unicorn kidnapper before she strikes again," Celestia explains as Luna lifts her dark blue right barefoot in the air and wiggles her toes a few times.
"And why do you want me to write it, sister?" Luna inquiries as Celestia speaks in a very low voice embarrassed to admit her mistake to Luna.
"I didn't quite get that, sister. Why?" Luna asked again as Celestia spoke in an even lower voice not willing to admit her mistake to Luna.
"Still can’t hear you Big Sister. Why?" Luna asked for a third time enjoying making her big sister Celestia admit she was wrong to question Justice loyalty.
"All right fine! Justice doesn't like me all that much on the count that I threw him in the dungeon without knowing all the facts. (A tear come to her light magenta eye) I took the word of a vile stallion over my beloved. (More tears come to her eyes) A mistake I still regret and carry with me. Justice was not just my protector, he was my lover. That decision I made cost me dearly, Sister." Celestia said her voice cracking as tears begin to stream down her cheeks.
"Yes, it did, sister. But don't worry I sent Justice a few months ago to the Crystal Empire and he talked to Cadence for a long time. She reports that he has to let go of his anger toward you but you still broke his heart. Cadence tells me she gave him her personal cell phone number and he can call her anytime to talk to her." Luna explains as she reenters into her bedroom to quickly write the Royal Dispatch for Celestia to send to the Silverlight stable.
'Thank you, sister and niece Cadence. It shouldn't take as long as I thought to heal that wound in my heart and try to patch up my relationship with my beloved. He deserves that much, for what I did.' Celestia thought as Luna reopened her bedroom door and hands Celestia the Royal dispatch.
"Here’s the Royal Dispatch you asked for sister with my mark on it. Plus I added something to it." Luna explains as Celestia takes the royal dispatch from her hand.
"What did you add Luna?" Celestia inquiry quickly gesturing one of the nearby elite solar guard pegasi scouts to deliver the royal dispatch to the Silverlight stable.
"As of receiving this dispatch. Lunar Guard Commander Justice Silverlight shall be transferred from the Princess Luna's Lunar Guard unit back to Princess Celestia's Solar Guard unit. He will be dispatched to Ponyville as the Royal Investigator for Equestria. He is to report directly to Princess Celestia during the investigation of these kidnapping cases and any other crimes that happen in Ponyville. Princess Celestia shall be his commander and his contact." Luna explains as she closed her door and went back to bed till Night Watch.
"Thank you, little sister," Celestia comments as she's watching the pegasi scout fly out the window of the Palace to the Silverlight stable.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville a set of undetectable magic purple colored eyes float about in the air watching the interior of the Castle of Friendship learning everything about Princess Twilight Sparkle’s daily routine from when she gets up, her daily errands and her Royal court. Slowly the eyes begin to close out of boredom.
"By Celestia light. This Princess Twilight is so boring. Does she do anything?" A bored and anxious female voice exclaims as we find the unicorn kidnapper in a small room somewhere.
"At lease that light yellow Pegasus mare that fears everything is more exciting than this Princess Twilight Sparkle. I'll even watch that hyperactive pink earth pony. Calm down, Gem Cutter. If you didn't think all this out before hand you would have gone nuts by now. Huh?" Gem cutter exclaims as she spotted her real target the light purple color dragon walking into the throne room carrying several rolled-up parchments in his arms.
'More correspondences? Mmmm, I wonder who sends this Princess Twilight so many parchments. Since I have been watching her, I have counted about ten parchments she has received from that other sender. So it seems that this small dragon might be the only means of correspondence with who is sending these parchments to Princess Twilight. So I might have to rethink my whole plan to acquire that small dragon of her's. Who is sending correspondence that might be able to track the whereabouts of the small dragon which will be troublesome.' Gem Cutter thought as a parchment fell off the pile the small dragon was carrying and rolled under her undetectable magic eyes. The rolled-up parchment had the waxed seal of the sun Princess' mark on it.
"Huh? That’s the royal seal of Princess Celestia. So this Princess Twilight Sparkle is far more exciting than I first realized. If I can get that small dragon. I can hurt Celestia by turning this Princess Twilight into a gem statue." Gem Cutter said with malice as she formed a small gem statue in her hand.
"If not for that Princess Celestia, that stallion would have given up the chase. But that Princess kept him going till I was forced to fake my death and lose everything. Now, from a brilliant jeweler to a petit thief. Going from the elite of the elite in Canterlot to the streets of Canterlot. You shall pay for this Celestia." Gem Cutter said venomously crushing the delicate gem statue in her hand.