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// Chapter 4 
// Story: I Wasn’t There to Catch You 
// by Supernova08 
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“So, are you sure this will work?” Celestia whispered. She could hear Luna and vice-versa; however, nopony else could hear her sister but her. She was filled with anticipation of the notion that Luna was not actually lost. Celestia was hopeful that once again she would see her sister’s smile as they were reunited for the second time; the feeling would be wonderful. The thought put Celestia’s mind at ease, and she felt a strong euphoria coursing through her veins.

“Trust me, sister. This plan will work,” Luna replied. Celestia was currently walking through the hallways, discreetly carrying a package in her magical aura. “Celestia, what’s inside that box will help you significantly, just trust my word and bring it back to your chambers. Don’t let anyone know the contents.”

Celestia sighed. “Whatever you say, dear-” Celestia’s heart almost stopped as she ran into one of the maids. Her aura gave out and the box was sent flying across the floor.

“Oh, dear! Princess! I’m so sorry!” The maid yelled as she quickly got up and hastily bowed. “Please forgive me for my recklessness! Here I’ll grab your package for you.” The maid picked up the box, there was a slight noise of metal rattling inside. “What’s this? It seems quite heavy.”

Celestia silently panicked inside. “O-oh just something my student sent to me, here I’ll take it.” She hastily levitated the package out of the maid's grasp. “Farewell, I must be going!” Celestia galloped back to her chambers leaving a very confused maid. 

Safely inside her room, Celestia let out a sigh of relief. Her heart had finally stopped racing and she locked the door.

“That was quite close,” Luna said.

“Indeed, I hope this really will be beneficial to your plan,” Celestia replied. She dumped out the contents of the box, there was a clang as several metal pieces of armor fell out. Larger than the armor of the guards, larger than any normal pony armor; the familiar silver helmet, peytral, and horseshoes of the fabled Nightmare Moon laid sinisterly against the ground, sparking memories of the many regrets Celestia held. She picked up the peytral, giving it a distasteful look, the moon engraved on it glared at her, reminding her of the darker ages of Equestria. “I had ordered for these to be destroyed quite a while ago, however, it seems as if that was never followed through. I guess we can call it good luck that they are still around for your plan. Not to mention being intact.”

“Quite so, you will need armor to protect yourself and this is the only armor we have in your size. Besides, the public will become suspicious if their princess suddenly requests armor to be made,” Luna explained. “I cannot tell you who my captors are just yet, but you can trust me when I say that this will prove successful.”

“Okay, but I don’t think I’m comfortable wearing the armor of Nightmare Moon…” Celestia said.

“Which is why you should change it. Here, I have a design in mind, I’m going to send you a spell that will change the armor to fit your style better,” Luna said. 

“Go ahead.” Celestia felt something pop into her mind. The room lit up with a magical glow as Celestia cast the spell on the armor, leaving a tingling sensation in her horn. The armor began shaping itself, where there were smooth surfaces and hooked points there were now jagged edges and sharp spikes. The top of the helmet grew a tiara, and a red jewel rose from the middle, similar to the gem on her current tiara; however, it gave it a more intimidating feel. There was an eerie glow as the armor changed color; the bluish silver changed to a fiery orange. Accents of gold lined the bottom of the majestic helmet, giving it a regal look. The peytral, which once held a crescent moon, now hosted the yellow sun cutie mark of Celestia. The bewildered alicorn watched in amazement at the sight, it was enchanting; she found it difficult to pull her eyes away.

“Wow…Luna, I’m speechless, when did you ever think of such a design?” Celestia asked in wonder. 

“A while ago, but that’s not important. For now, you need to hide the armor so nopony finds it, the plan is almost ready to go, and we do not want to hinder it,” Luna replied sternly.

“I promise that I will do whatever it takes to get you back, Luna. As your older sister, it is my duty to protect you,” Celestia stated. She levitated the armor into the box, stashing it underneath her large bed. “Can you at least give me a hint about your captors? I understand they might be alerted, but I want to know even a little about who I may be going up against.”

“Well, I can tell you this: my assailants are everywhere, I know for a fact that you have met many of them.” Celestia considered this carefully.

“Who could ever want to harm you?” Luna chuckled. “Luna?”

“Oh, dear sister, my lovable sweet sister. If only you knew. More will be revealed later, but for now? There is something to grab from my room,” Luna replied. Celestia was astonished and slightly disturbed at Luna’s tone. What had happened to her sister for her to act in such a way? Celestia complied with her orders and slipped into the hallway, stealthily evading castle staff. It seemed she would be doing this quite often. 

Approaching the double doors she had entered only a couple of weeks before, she steeled herself for her next task. Opening the door with a cautious stare, Celestia let the darkness of the room coil around her as she stepped through the opening.