Alone in the throne room, Celestia walked in circles, waiting for the time to come.
Even after almost a thousand years of planning every possible event in what could ‘be the most important night of her eternal life, she couldn’t help but be nervous.
She had put a lot of faith in Twilight, more than she had ever put in Sunset Shimmer, but what if she was wrong? What if they didn’t manage to reach the elements in time? What if their friendship wouldn’t be enough to wield the elements properly? What if they only manage to send her sister back to the moon for another thousand years?
Celestia gave a heavy sigh. “Some tea would be great right now.”
But it wouldn’t be possible. She had ordered the entire castle staff, guards included, to evacuate so they wouldn’t be hurt in case her sister decided to destroy the castle.
She knew she would be enraged when she came back, and probably would want a rematch of their last fight, but Celestia wasn’t going to fight back this time, she couldn’t bring herself to hurt her sister more than what she already had done. Only the elements and Twilight would help her bring her back.
The time finally arrived, the moon was in position, and the shine of the stars announced their aid in freeing her sister.
Celestia watched from a window as a dark blue cloud sped towards the castle, directly at her.
She took a few steps back and watched as the cloud entered the throne room and started to spin, slowly taking the form of her corrupted sister; Nightmare Moon.
She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was about to come.
And then heard a heavy thump against the ground.
Celestia slowly opened one eye, and saw her sister collapsed on the floor.
“Uhm… are you okay?” she asked while taking a step forward, and the dark alicorn looked at her, extending a hoof in her direction.
“Water… please…” she begged.
Celestia looked at her with absolute confusion. She never expected something like this to happen.
“I have been eating… nothing but moon dust… for a millennium.” Nightmare Moon explained with what little strength she had left. “Please… I need it…”
Celestia lighted up her horn and teleported a glass of water in front of her sister, which drank it in almost a single gulp. “More… please…”
Celestia was starting to get really uncomfortable with the situation. “Aren’t you going to... take revenge and bring eternal night?”
“I don’t care anymore… keep the night… I just want water… and some real food… a little bread at least… it’s doesn’t matter if its stale or moldy….”
With a pain in her heart, Celestia used her magic to break the glass to her emergency cake and teleported it in front of her sister along with a jar of water.
While Nightmare Moon scarfed down the food like a hungry wolf, she started to write a letter to Twilight.
Dear Twilight;
I know that I just sent you to Ponyville this morning, but I need you to come back with whatever friends you managed to make in the last hours. I will send a carriage to the castle of the two sisters, so go there and bring the elements of harmony with you.
As she sent the letter, she looked at her sister licking what little crumbs of cake remained, and with another pain in her heart, she broke the glass to her emergency emergency cake.
Celestia took a deep breath, thinking to herself. ‘Well… things didn’t go as expected, but it doesn’t matter. Nightmare Moon is… defeated… and with the elements we can clean her of her corruption. I can still get my sister back.’
*two hours later*
Celestia heard the rhythmic beat coming from the heart monitor as she looked at her sister in the hospital bed.
A deep red stallion with white mane, wearing a doctor’s coat, walked towards her while looking at her sister’s reports.
“Princess, you have my absolute devotion and adoration,” he said with an expression that begged to differ. “But you should know that feeding three ten-layer cakes to a pony with such severe malnutrition is a horrible idea.”
Celestia took a moment to calm herself after such a stab to her feelings, and managed to maintain a neutral expression. “It’s a lesson I won’t forget, doctor…”
“Incision. And don’t worry, I’m making sure your sister is in stable condition during her recovery.”
“Right. I deeply thank you for your efforts.”
“It’s literally my job, princess.”
Celestia looked at the pony’s cutie mark.
‘A heart being stabbed by a scalpel. Fitting.’
“How long will it take for her to recover?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses. “Well, considering that her last medical record is from a thousand years ago, so far behind from modern medicine that most of its inventors weren't even born yet, and the fact that we don’t have any idea how alicorn biology works because you only get sick once with each generation of doctors. I can professionally say that we don’t have any bucking idea.”
Celestia really wasn’t in the mood to deal with such a pony. “Well… if I can be of assistance… just let me know.”
“Not bringing cake is a first step.”
Celestia was about to pop a vein, but a voice distracted her from the murdering thoughts.
“Princess Celestia! We brought the elements!” Twilight screamed as she approached with another five ponies, each carrying a stone each.
Celestyi a looked at them. “Em, Twilight. Why haven’t you activated them?”
Twilight looked confused. “Activate them? How exactly do we do that?”
Seeing her plans still being derailed by the unexpected condition of her sister, Celestia took a moment to breathe and explain to them how they worked.
“You see Twilight, the reason I sent you to Ponyville to make friends was because only the magic of your friendship may cure my sister of the darkness that took hold of her heart and turned her into Nightmare Moon.”
“Nightmare Moon is your sister?!”
“Yes, but now that we have the elements and your friends, their magic can finally-”
A very hard tug of her mane made Celestia stop and look at a very angry Incision. “With all due respect, princess. I would appreciate if you didn’t blast my patients with unknown ancient magic while they are in near critical condition.”
For the first time in a long time, Celestia felt like a little filly again. “And what about the corruption?”
“As far as we know, that ‘corruption’ or whatever is helping to keep her stable. So, whatever you are doing, or plan on doing, don’t.”
A few minutes of silence took hold of the corridor, until Celestia regained her composure. “Well, we can do this later then.” Celestia took the elements and teleported them away. “You can all go back to your lives.”
“But we just flew from Ponyville all the way here!” Twilight complained.
“Well, you can show them around Canterlot. Make it a nice bonding experience.”
Applejack raised her hoof. “Actually, ah need to work on the farm in a couple hours.”
Rarity chimed in. “And I need to finish some dresses before the deadline.”
Fluttershy mentioned something about feeding her animals, but no one heard her.
“Maybe we can coordinate something for tomorrow,” Twilight offered.
Spike raised his hand. “Oh, since we are already here, we can go apologize to Moondancer for missing her party.”
Twilight looked confused. “Who?”
“You know, one of your friends from Canterlot?”
“You already had friends?” Rainbow asked.
“You missed a party!” Pinkie screamed, getting face to face with the unicorn.
“I-I wanted to go. But I was asked to move to Ponyville,” Twilight nervously explained, and Pinkie jumped over her and pointed a hoof to Celestia.
“HOW DARE YOU!” she screamed with literal fire in her eyes, making the monarch take a few steps back.
“Did you seriously forget a friend’s party?” Rainbow asked Twilight.
“N-no, I was going to-”
Applejack pushed her with a firm hoof. “You’re lying through your teeth Twilight.”
Celestia watched as what was supposed to be the new friendship to wield the elements of harmony started to fall apart.
A thousand-year plan down the drain.
Of all the possibilities she calculated in her mind, she never expected this one.