The unicorn Royal Guard officer Shining Armor slowly - much more slowly than he would've liked - moved through the halls of Canterlot with Captain Gibraltar laying heavy on his back, trying to make it to the Guard's medical unit after Gibraltar had broken both of his front legs in the battle against Discord. In the slow, trudging march through the castle hallways, Shining Armor passed a few other Guards rushing through the hallways, apparently responding to something else that was happening outside. Shining suspected they were trying to respond to something the strange creature "Discord" was doing outside the castle walls, but had no way to confirm this.
About half of the way to his intended destination, Shining found the way blocked by a three-wide formation of Guards coming directly at him. Fortunately, he recognizes the Guard in the middle - Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas - and the formation slows to a halt when they see Shining and who he's carrying. Fidelitas then moves ahead of the pegasi escorts and stops directly in front of Shining.
"Princess Celestia sent me back to help you, but it looks like it's already too late." the afternoon shift commander comments.
"Both his front legs were broken in fighting 'Discord', who or whatever that is. And whatever it is, it has escaped into the city. Help me get him to medical." Shining Armor reports slowly, grunting under the weight of his load.
"I'm presuming you're Acting Captain, even though Stratocumulus still has operational authority?" Fidelitas asks as he gestures his escorts forward with a foreleg.
"That's correct." Shining answers.
"Understood, we'll take it from here. I suggest you update the Princesses as soon as your hooves can get you to them." Fidelitas states as he and the two escorts slowly help Gibraltar off Shining's back, splitting the load evenly between the three of them to allow faster movement.
As soon as Shining was relieved of his burden, he did not waste any time following the suggestion given him - it had been his intention to go to Princess Celestia anyway, but wasn't sure if he should make a side trip to check on Luna and Cadance, which he last remembered them being together in an "overnight party" of sorts. Now with him being Acting Captain, Shining had no choice but to go to Celestia first...
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A MINUTE LATER...
Princess Celestia was so transfixed by what she was seeing on the floating magic screen that she did not even notice Shining Armor's approach until hearing the double-time hoofsteps behind her, and even then her turning response was slow. The behavior must've surprised Shining, because almost immediately he stops and gives a salute, the only thing he apparently felt comfortable doing at that moment.
"It's alright, Captain. Here, watch beside me." Celestia states in a lifeless, almost numb tone, giving a weak gesture toward Shining. Shining gave a hesitant look for just a fraction of a second before sitting down beside the sun princess.
Immediately he was struck by the empty resignation on Princess Celestia's face, and his mind emptied of all other thoughts as he alternated between glancing at her face and the images of the city of Canterlot on the magic screen. Both Shining and Celestia could see vain attempts to fight back against a magic effect generated by the draconequus Discord as he teleported his way around the city, with no apparent pattern or ultimate objective.
"He's making a mess of the city." Shining weakly comments, recognizing an unnerving parallel between the current situation and the one of "Nightmare Moon" not that long ago.
"He will continue making chaos until the Elements of Harmony can stop him." Celestia quietly and cryptically replies. "But he does not know yet, and I don't want to give him the satisfaction of finding out. At least, not directly."
"You know who this is?!" Shining Armor exclaims in shock.
Princess Celestia looks down at the polished floor, knowing she needed to answer the question. She inhales and blows out a large breath, as if recognizing she couldn't avoid the topic anymore, before finally giving it with pleading eyes: "Yes, I do, Captain. I'm afraid you and everypony else will soon learn more than I ever wanted to tell them about Discord, but for right now you should understand he is 'the chaotic one', the being those rebels put their hopes in success in."
"He was imprisoned in stone, just like 'Nightmare Moon' was imprisoned in the moon. So the same stellar alignment that allowed her to get free..." Shining begins following the logic trail.
"Also weakened his prison. I did not want to give those rebels even the smallest glimmer of hope, so I tried to pretend nothing was wrong. That was a mistake, and one all Equestria will suffer for now..." Celestia finishes, again looking down at the floor as she speaks.
"But the Elements of Harmony can stop him, right? Why are we delaying then, when there could be lives on the line, Your Highness?! Summon Twily and her friends from Ponyville to attack him with the Elements!" Shining Armor pleads.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Captain. Your sister does not know of him any more than any pony else besides myself and Luna." Celestia replies with a sad shake of her head. "And if I send the summoning message now, she will not believe me because Ponyville itself has not been affected yet."
Shining opened his mouth to try to object, but closed it again when the image on the screen switched to one showing the still-peaceful and undisturbed town center of Ponyville. Instead, Shining decided to try a different tack based on the mention of Luna: "So you and Luna worked together to put him in that stone prison in the first place, before you exiled her yourself with the Elements?"
"That's correct, Captain." Celestia sadly affirms. "But because of that exile we cannot repeat that effort again. I can only act under the assumption Discord has not figured this out yet."
"But Your Highness, we can't just sit here and do nothing when we have the solution...!" Shining begins to object.
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The objection was interrupted by the sound of hooves screeching on the polished floors, followed by a loud whinny and heavy thud landing just behind Shining Armor and Celestia. Both turned around briefly to see a pegasus Guard having done a faceplant on the floor in an unsuccessful attempt to bring himself to a halt. He gives a frustrated moan as he slowly gets back on his hooves, only his dignity bruised.
"What's going on now, Guard?" Shining Armor anxiously asks as Celestia turns back toward looking at the magic screen.
"Princess Cadance demands to see you immediately, sir! She needs your help with Princess Luna!" the guard exclaims.
Alarm spreads across Shining Armor's face - he glances back toward Princess Celestia, but almost immediately realizes that the alicorn princess will give him no help or even advice in her state. Instead, he simply rushes out of the room, the messenger Guard scrambling to follow, leaving Princess Celestia to her uncertainties and regrets. She did not want to summon the Element Bearers until the very last moment, even if she would gain hatred and criticism for that decision...