Twilight did her best to keep pace with Princess Celestia as they navigated the castle grounds. Guards were already rushing about, clamoring and shouting orders to one another.
The princess had not said a single word since they had left the reading room. Her gaze was fixed in the direction in which they were headed; towards the tower where the Elements of Harmony were stored.
Twilight still had many questions swirling within her mind. However, Princess Celestia's jarring display of anger and fear during the confrontation made her question the wisdom of asking. She didn't seem to be in the best of moods.
On the other hand, the princess had always taught her to not be afraid to ask her questions. Over the years, Twilight had asked numerous questions that she was afraid to ask. But the princess always answered to the best of her ability, and in a way which defused Twilight's anxiety. Such was the case mere minutes before, when she was asking Celestia about Luna. Indeed, the princess had given her no reason to fear, and was always open and truthful.
Yet something just did not sit right about her reaction towards the Warden. For the most powerful pony in Equestria to show such fear, that could only mean that the Warden was a very grave threat.
All this only made Twilight's need for some answers grow even more powerful. As the two approached the tower doors, she gathered the courage to ask.
'Princess Celestia? Who was that?'
'An old…' Celestia paused, as if she were thinking of a way to finish her answer as truthfully as possible. 'An old enemy, from an age long past. He is known as the Warden.'
She fell silent, her body language telling Twilight that she was anxious. Still, the need for answers only intensified.
'Are you okay? You looked a bit nervous back there.' She asked, hoping that downplaying Celestia's reaction would encourage her to be a bit more at ease.
'I'm fine, Twilight.' Celestia replied, this time looking at her student. 'I was… taken a bit off guard is all.'
She fell silent once more, and Twilight sensed that she was still not comfortable talking about him. She also suspected that the princess was also downplaying her own reaction. The expressions of fear and anger that Twilight had witnessed was far more than that of simple surprise.
They continued to stride along swiftly, shortly reaching the tower in which the Elements of Harmony were stored. As they paused at the door, Celestia sighed.
'You saw right through that answer, did you not?'
Twilight took a second or two to decide how to respond, finally deciding to be truthful. She nodded, feeling her stomach twist slightly upon realizing that Celestia had seen straight through her unspoken doubts.
'Of course…' The princess murmured while using her magic to open the tower doors. 'He is dangerous, Twilight. More dangerous than most. I didn't fear him at one time, until I learned to do so almost at the expense of my own life.'
She began to walk into the tower, Twilight following close behind, feeling more questions arise. Did the Warden almost kill her at some point? She had to ask.
'You've fought him before?'
The princess nodded. 'Yes, and I was completely at his mercy in seconds.'
Twilight tried to think of a logical explanation for that statement. How in Equestria could Princess Celestia lose a fight in mere moments, never mind lose a fight in general? She was the princess of the sun, for Faust's sake!
'What? How?' She asked, her tone revealing no small amount of confusion. 'What abilities did he even have to accomplish that?'
'To this day, I am not entirely sure.' The princess replied. 'However, I do suspect that he may possess the ability to bend magic to his will. He used my own magic against me, and had me at swordpoint very quickly.'
'He turned your magic against you?' Twilight exclaimed, her eyes widening. 'That's- I've never heard of anypony or creature who could do that!'
Celestia nodded in agreement. 'Well, I think his armor is to blame for that. It was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard of before.'
Twilight could not agree more. That armor was totally alien to her, looking like some sort of blend of traditional armor and something out of a sci-fi thriller.
'Do you even know who he is?' Twilight could not help but ask, pondering the fact that she could not tell whether or not there was a pony actually wearing the armor.
'I don't know who he is underneath the armor, Twilight.' Celestia admitted. 'All I know is that his ancestors have been a thorn in the side of the throne. I once thought that he was honorable and noble, but that went away when he almost killed me.'
She lifted her hoof to her chest again, just like she did back when the Warden reminded her of a scar. If Princess Celestia did have a scar there, she had never seen it.
'Why did he try to kill you?' Twilight asked, despite her instincts telling her to stop asking so many questions.
'As I said before,' Celestia answered, 'his family was concerned with trying to depose me and my sister. He was merely continuing that legacy, as-'
The Princess fell silent.
'No…' She said under her breath. 'I can't keep doing this...'
'Your highness?' Twilight asked, not hearing what she said. 'What did you say?'
The princess looked briefly at her, and looked away. 'Nothing, Twilight. Never mind.'
Twilight decided that it would be best to stop asking questions. Clearly, the princess didn't want to dwell on the current situation further.
The two strode up to the locked door at the end of the corridor, the doors which sealed away the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia paused upon reaching the doors, took a breath, and her horn began to glow, her magic working the intricate lock mechanism within the vault door. After a few seconds, the lock clicked, and the massive doors swung open, revealing the chest containing the Elements of Harmony within.
Celestia used her magic to lift the small wooden chest and bring it to her side. She sighed again, and looked at Twilight, who had been quietly observing.
'Twilight, you don't perceive me as being perfect, do you?' She asked, sounding apprehensive.
This question caught her off guard. Why did she ask her that?
'Well, uh- It's impossible to be perfect, so I suppose not.' Twilight blurted, realizing that she had just lied. Of course the Princess was perfect. Why did she answer otherwise?
Feeling the need to clarify her position and walk back her lie a bit, she continued. 'But I do hold you in the highest regard! Please don't misunderstand.'
'Thank you.' The princess replied, going silent for a few moments before adding; 'If it were revealed that I made a mistake in the distant past, a bad one, would that affect how you perceive me?'
This question struck Twilight as being quite odd. The princess had never asked such questions before. Was she feeling insecure because of the Warden? He had thrown around some crazy accusations after all. Was Princess Celestia afraid of her falling for his ridiculous lies?
'I… Honestly don't know.' She replied. 'I think it would change a bit, but you would still be the pony that I look up to the most.'
'Are you certain? What if my past actions went against everything I have taught you?'
These questions were starting to provoke some serious confusion. Was this some sort of surprise friendship test? This whole hypothetical scenario that she had been presented with was borderline ludicrous. The very idea that Princess Celestia would ever have done something that contradicted the values of friendship was ridiculous. She was practically the spirit of friendship and goodness incarnate!
Besides, if the princess ever did anything like that, she would have told Twilight. Celestia wouldn't want to violate her trust by hiding it, right? That was unthinkable.
'I would still look up to you like I always have!' She replied, wanting to put her mentor at ease. 'Besides, I know that you never would do such a thing, or keep it a secret. You are too smart to simply betray my trust like that!'
The princess, instead of looking relieved like Twilight expected, sighed and began to look a bit forlorn.
'That's what I was afraid of.' She murmured.
'What was she going on about?' Twilight wondered. 'Does she doubt the admiration I hold for her?'
'Come, Twilight.' The princess said quietly, beginning to stride back out towards the tower doors with the chest in tow. 'We have a job to do.'
It suddenly occurred to Twilight that she still didn't understand why they had gathered the elements in the first place. Deciding to put Princess Celestia's questions away for the time being, she gathered her thoughts, and scurried up alongside her.
'Why have we gotten the Elements of Harmony?' She asked, looking inquisitively at the princess. 'If he really can bend magic to his will, can the Elements even be effective?'
Celestia glanced back at Twilight. 'It is a precautionary measure, nothing more. If I am unable to stop the Warden by force, then I will need you and your friends to use the elements on him. As powerful as the magic of friendship is, surely it can find a way if all else fails.'
'Is that why you ordered for the chariot to be readied?' Twilight asked. 'To go for my friends?'
Celestia nodded. 'Yes, and you shall go to Ponyville and back with it.'
Twilight's eyes widened a little. 'You want me to go to Ponyville too? Don't you want me to help here?'
The princess shook her head as they crossed the threshold into the courtyard. 'No. This is likely going to be a nasty fight. Besides, I am the only one who has any experience fighting him.'
'But if the Warden is as dangerous as you say, you are going to need as much help as you can get!' Twilight protested.
Celestia looked sternly at her. 'I said no, Twilight. The best way for you to help is for you to get your friends here with the Elements as quickly as possible.'
Twilight opened her mouth to protest again, but promptly closed it once she realized that Celestia was correct. After all, by herself, she was nowhere as powerful as the princess. But with her friends and the Elements of Harmony, she could be powerful enough to fight the Warden.
The two continued walking along, and Twilight noticed that in the short time in which she and Celestia were in the tower, more guards were visible, and many of them were no longer wearing their elegant, shining ceremonial armor. Instead, they were wearing bulky, heavy combat gear. She had only seen such armor being worn once before, and that was when Shining Armor was showing it off to her once.
Incidentally, where was he in all this?
'Hey! Give us some room to breathe, guys!'
Twilight stopped in her tracks. That was Shining Armor's voice! Celestia stopped as well, and both looked over towards the origin of the annoyed exclamation.
There was a cluster of guards working their way to where they stood, and over the tops of their helmets, Twilight could make out the multicolored mane of Princess Cadence and the striking blue mane of her brother.
When the guards reached them, they stopped and the ranking officer bowed to the princess. 'Your highness, here are Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, as ordered.'
'Is that you, Princess Celestia?' Shining Armor asked loudly. 'Could you please tell them to give us some space?'
Celestia smiled slightly and motioned to the guards to disperse. They swiftly spread out, revealing Shining Armor and Cadence.
Both appeared to be tired and disheveled, and neither had on their usual garb. In fact, it almost looked as if they had just been woken up after a sleepless night, which Twilight awkwardly realized was not an unreasonable conclusion to reach. While Cadence looked more concerned than anything else, her new husband looked quite irate.
'Thank you.' He grumbled, taking a bow alongside Cadence.
Celestia returned the gesture, and stood back up. 'You're going to have to get used to being the one protected rather than being the protector, Prince.' She chided in a surprisingly lighthearted manner.
Shining Armor nodded. 'It doesn't come naturally to me, I'm afraid.'
'Aunt Celestia, what's going on?' Cadence asked with a twinge of fear. 'Is it Chrysalis again?'
'It had better not be…' Shining Armor growled. 'As if manipulating me and swapping places with my beloved was not enough, now she interrupts our honeymoon? I swear, if I catch sight of Chrysalis' hole riddled-'
'It's not Chrysalis,' Celestia interrupted, preventing Shining Armor from continuing his rant. 'but it's somepony who is no less dangerous.'
'Who?' Cadence asked, looking more concerned than ever. 'Who could possibly necessitate such an alert?'
'Somepony named 'The Warden'.' Celestia responded, sounding uncomfortable as she spoke.
'Who's that?' Shining Armor asked, raising an eyebrow. 'In all my time in the guard, I never even heard that name.'
'I never told you about him.' Celestia explained, sounding as if she were admitting something that she rather wouldn't. 'Nor is there any record of him, regrettably.'
With this remark, it just struck Twilight that she did not remember reading anything about the Warden before. Surely if the Warden had almost killed Princess Celestia and possessed a set of magic-bending armor, he deserved at least a passing remark or two in the history books. Yet she never read anything about him.
If Celestia knew about him, and the threat that he posed, why was there no record of him? Did she keep his existence a secret?
Twilight drove that thought from her mind. That was a drastic conclusion to draw. Why would Celestia try to hide something like that from her, much less the entirety of Equestria?
'Why is he threatening us?' Cadence asked.
'He's out for Princess Luna and me.' Celestia replied. 'He is an old enemy of the throne, and he has reappeared.'
She paused for a moment, then continued. 'I would explain further, but you both need to get into the shelter with Princess Luna until this blows over.'
Shining Armor's expression hardened, and Twilight could tell that her brother was not liking the idea of hiding away when a threat was looming.
'Excuse me?' He asked, sounding a bit taken aback. 'I'm not going to hide away when you and your sister are in danger!'
Celestia shook her head. 'This is non-negotiable. If anything happens to me and Luna, Equestria will need capable leaders to take our place.'
The prince opened his mouth, preparing to make his case, but found himself silenced when Princess Cadence put a hoof over his mouth.
'Love, you will not win this argument, trust me.'
Shining Armor sighed and nodded, admitting defeat.
'Very well.' He said, gently brushing his wife's hoof away. His gaze then fell to Twilight, who was silently observing the exchange. 'What about you, Twily? Are you going to shelter with us too?'
Just then, the royal chariot headed by two strong looking pegasi burst out of the castle, rushing up to where Twilight and the others stood. After seeing this and noticing the chest containing the Elements of Harmony, the prince realized what was going on.
'Apparently not.' He sighed, understanding what his sister was going to do. His expression softened, and he walked up to her, closely followed by Cadence. 'I'm sorry for all the stress that you have had to put up with this week, sis. First the marriage, then Chrysalis, and now this.'
Twilight nodded and looked up at her older brother. 'I won't deny that it has been challenging, but neither of you are at fault. You know that, right?'
Shining Armor sighed again. 'Yeah, I do. I still feel guilty that you have been subjected to all this, though.' After a moment's pause, he smirked and put one of his hooves in Twilight's mane, messing it up slightly. 'Just play it as safe as you can, ok Twily?'
Twilight smiled and nodded. 'Of course.'
She then turned to face Princess Celestia, who began to stride towards the nearby chariot. But Twilight hesitated to follow, and looked back to Shining Armor and Cadence.
The weight of the situation had just grown a lot heavier. Were they really safe? If the Warden found the opportunity to strike at Shining Armor and Cadence in addition to Celestia and Luna, would he try to completely decapitate Equestria's leadership? Her gut wrenched with anxiety. It was bad enough that Celestia and Luna were in danger, but the possibility that her brother and new sister-in-law were as well only made it worse.
'We'll be fine, Twilight.' Cadence reassured, noticing the concerned expression on her face. 'Go and save the day.'
Twilight forced a smile and nodded, trying to hide the sheer anxiety welling up inside her. Sensing that the longer she lingered the higher the chance that her emotions would surface, she twirled back around and walked to the chariot, where Princess Celestia was waiting.
'You look worried, Twilight.' Celestia remarked as she gently lowered the chest into the chariot. 'Do not fear. They will be safe.'
Twilight did not feel very reassured. The princess was acting strange, as if she were hiding something. She had been acting like this since the Warden appeared. Twilight didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was piling up.
First it was the confrontation between the princess and the Warden. It seemed as if their history ran deeper than she was letting on.
Then it was Celestia's odd, hypothetical questions to Twilight. They were oddly specific, and they didn't seem like a part of a test.
Lastly, the realization that nopony besides the princess seemed to know of the Warden's existence. If he was such a significant threat, even in the past, then why were there no records of him?
It all didn't add up, and the princess knew something that Twilight didn't.
Normally, Twilight would have shunned the thought of harboring suspicion against Princess Celestia, but that was changing. Shining Armor and Cadence were in harm's way, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the princess was hiding the reason why all this was happening.
'Princess Celestia,' She asked in a firm way, 'what happened between you and the Warden?'
'Excuse me?'
'The Warden. What happened to make him try to kill you? You never told me why.'
'Twilight, we are running short on time. I'll answer any questions you have after this has pass-'
'What are you hiding!?' Twilight shouted, causing Celestia to take a step back in surprise. 'Ponies are in danger, but you aren't letting us know why the Warden is after you!'
Celestia caught her breath, looking like she had been caught in a place she would rather not be. She closed her eyes and exhaled sharply, her expression showing the realization that she had been caught.
'I crossed him, Twilight.' The princess said quietly. 'I went after him. I started it.'
It finally clicked, but not in a way that Twilight wanted to believe.
'What?'
'I made enemies.' Celestia sighed as shame began to show on her face. 'I was immature and foolish. I did things that I am ashamed of, including starting the feud with the Warden.'
Twilight could not speak. In an instant, her perception of her longtime mentor and role model had shattered.
The princess had lied to her.
Not only that, but she had just admitted to creating an enemy that not only put her in danger, but Princess Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor as well!
Shock began to give way to feelings of betrayal, anger, and sadness.
How could she?!
'I'm sorry, Twilight.' Celestia said quietly, placing a hoof on her shoulder. 'I should have never-'
Twilight swatted the Princess' hoof away, and tears began to form in her eyes. Her anger had only increased. Has Princess Celestia been hiding this from her and everypony else this whole time?! Why did she never just admit to it?! Why did Celestia just pretend that it never happened?!
'Did you actually betray him?' Twilight asked. 'Are his accusations actually true after all?'
'No, Twilight!' The princess exclaimed, beginning to sound hurt herself. 'I started this conflict, but we struck a truce later on. His hostility is very much a surprise.'
This did little to calm Twilight. The immense trust that she had held in Celestia since she was a filly was gone.
'Really?' Twilight asked. 'How can I be certain you are not hiding something else? How can I- I- trust you?!'
She let out a trembling sigh, and stepped into the chariot, breaking eye contact with Celestia.
The princess looked downwards, as if she understood that perhaps she had deserved such an outburst. She took a shaky breath, closed her eyes, and fell silent.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, and Twilight looked her mentor in her eyes for the first time since before her outburst. There was genuine regret in the princess' eyes, and Twilight began to feel pangs of guilt as well.
Was that outburst really necessary?
'I'm so sorry, Princess Celestia.' Said Twilight, sounding and looking upset that she had lashed out. 'I didn't mean to-'
The princess shook her head and inhaled, looking quite upset. Twilight braced herself, she was in for a reprimand for sure.
But Celestia's expression softened significantly. 'I am the one who should be apologizing, Twilight, not you. We will discuss this more when this matter passes.'
Then, she buried the emotions that had surfaced, assuming an air of authority. She directed a command to the pegasi heading the chariot.
'Go! Time is of the essence!'
The guards nodded and took to the sky, whisking Twilight up into the air. She looked down over the edge of the chariot as they passed over the castle walls, and watched as the ponies below fell away from sight.
Her thoughts dwelled on the princess. Celestia had hidden a very important truth from Twilight and put her loved ones in danger, because of a mistake that she had kept secret.
Twilight grappled with feelings of confusion, anger, and even betrayal. For over a decade, she had looked up at the princess as a perfect example of goodness. She had trusted Celestia wholeheartedly, even coming to love her as any student does any good mentor.
That perception and trust that she once had was shattered now, and it pained Twilight to acknowledge that. The sincereness of Celestia's very character had been brought into question. Was she anything like what Twilight had made her out to be, in all the years that she had known her?
Could she possibly dare to hope that she could look up to her again?
She hoped so, but she was also unsure if she could bring herself to do so. All this came as a nasty shock, after all. It left her mind in a hopeless heap of tangled thoughts.
Was she being too harsh on the princess? Was her outburst too much? Was she the one in the wrong here, not Celestia?
After all, could Twilight actually blame her? The incident when she cast the 'Want it, need it' spell on her Smarty Pants doll earlier in the year came to mind. That whole dumpster fire was caused because Twilight wanted to hide a failure from Princess Celestia. Would it be such a stretch to assume that the princess felt the same way about the Warden?
As the spires of Canterlot shrunk away, Twilight wished to clear her tangled thoughts and turn her attention elsewhere. She drew the chest closer, and opened it. Inside were each of the Elements of Harmony, and she felt a strange mix of relief and dread. Once she and her friends got back, the Warden was sure to be defeated, no doubt. But what if Celestia is defeated before they get there? What if the Warden makes good on his word and kills her because Twilight didn't make it in time?
She closed the chest and shook her head. It was unthinkable, the thought that Princess Celestia could get hurt. After all, being as powerful as she was, her chances of coming out on top in a fight was very high. Not only this, but she did say that gathering the Mane Six was only a precaution, as if the princess did not expect too many problems.
Still, Twilight felt some dread gnawing at her spirit. The expression of fear in the princess' face when the Warden revealed himself had been etched in her memory. If he warranted such a reaction from Celestia, then there was good reason to fear him, and what he could do…
***
Princess Celestia watched as the chariot disappeared over the tall walls of Canterlot Castle, her purple eyes looking skyward.
Her heart ached from Twilight's outburst. She could not blame her, though. She had betrayed her student's trust by keeping this secret, and this realization was eating away at her.
Would Twilight ever trust her again?
This question brought new pangs of heartache. She dreaded the thought of Twilight, the student whom she held almost as a daughter, feeling betrayed. That innocent, wholehearted trust that her student once displayed was never going to be regained. Ever.
Had she failed yet another student? Losing Sunset Shimmer was painful enough, but the thought of losing Twilight hurt far more.
Once the chariot went out of sight, Princess Celestia looked behind her, and saw both Cadence and Shining Armor standing close by, also watching.
Not only did she end up wronging Twilight, but her dear niece and Shining Armor as well. How would they react to finding out?
How could she keep such a thing a secret like this? Sure, it kept others from finding out, but it also had hurt those whom she held closest. Was it worth it?
'What are you doing?' Celestia asked the couple gently, gesturing towards the castle. 'You need to get to shelter.'
In response, the guards moved up to the couple, and attempted to guide them towards the castle doors. However, the pair did not move, looking at each other, then at Celestia.
'What was Twilight going off about?' Shining Armor asked pointedly.
'She was concerned for your well being, that's all.' Celestia replied.
The prince tilted his head, showing some skepticism. 'Are you sure? She looked hurt, Princess; I should know. Something had to have happened for her to lash out like that.'
Celestia's eyes narrowed as her jaw set ever so slightly, indicating that she did not desire to answer.
Cadence caught on to this subtle expression, that Shining Armor missed, and asked for answers in a way that she knew that her adoptive aunt would not easily dismiss.
'Aunt Celestia, what happened between you and Twilight? Is there something that we should know?'
Celestia took a breath, and her expression softened. Yet, she still remained silent.
'Besides Luna, we are your closest family.' Cadence implored. 'You can tell us. You can tell me.'
At last, Princess Celestia spoke, her guard having been lowered by her niece.
'I have been keeping the Warden's existence a secret,' She confessed. 'and I started the fight, not him.'
'What?! Why?' Shining Armor asked, sounding stern now. 'What in Equestria could possibly have deceived you into thinking that not telling us about this Warden was a good idea?'
Cadence motioned for Shining Armor to calm down, perceiving that he was speaking in an agitating manner towards Celestia. He reluctantly fell silent, still visibly angry.
Celestia shook her head slowly. 'It was never a good idea, but my fears made it an appealing alternative. But now I'm afraid my foolishness has cost me dearly.'
'What were you afraid of?' Cadence asked, her tone imploring for a response.
'Now is not the time, I'm afraid.' Celestia responded, looking to the guards running about. 'We're down to minutes now. Get into the safe room with Luna. I'll get you all when it is all over.'
Cadence and Shining Armor looked at each other momentarily, and after a moment of silence, they nodded in unison. Then, they both turned towards the castle doors, following several guards who had been anxiously waiting for them to do so.
However, a booming voice caused them all to halt.
'Sister! What art thou thinking, ordering me to hide away when there is a foe to confront?!'
Princess Luna stormed out of the castle doors, striding angrily out into the courtyard. She was followed by several guards, each looking at a loss for what to do.
Celestia closed her eyes and took another breath as Luna approached.
'Sister, it is not necessary for both of us to fight him. Besides, I already have Twilight gathering the rest of the element bearers.'
Luna strode up to her elder sister, stopping when they were face to face.
'Why did the guard tell me that I needed to go to the safe room? If this foe has truly struck such fear into thy heart that you have sent for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, then why do you want to face him alone?'
'He has a vendetta against us, sister.' Celestia answered. 'He has the ability to overcome us, if we are not cautious. You have not fought him before, but I have. You are not familiar with him, so you need to stay away while I handle this.'
Luna's eyes narrowed as her mood shifted from anger to confusion. 'A vendetta? Who is it? Is Sombra back?'
'It is the Warden.'
'The Warden?' Luna murmured, her eyes widening a little and her ears drooping down in fear. 'H-how? How is he alive?'
Celestia shook her head. 'I wish I knew, sister. But he is back, and you need to get to safety until either I or the Bearers of the Elements defeat him.'
Luna was still stunned, staring off beyond her sister.
'He's back?' She asked quietly, as if in a daze. 'The Warden is back?'
Celestia was concerned. She had never seen Luna like this before. The princess of the night was often stoic, and rarely expressed such fear. Luna was confident in her abilities, and not even Discord could shake her up as badly as she was now.
'Luna, what's wrong?' Celestia asked quietly with genuine concern, placing a hoof on her sister's shoulder.
Luna's thousand yard stare broke as she looked up to Celestia, her gaze revealing a mixture of terror and remorse.
'Sister,' She said, 'Fighting him will not end well. He will go through anypony who stands between him and us.'
'The Warden has his limits, Luna.' Celestia reassured her. 'He has drive and is dangerous, but I am confident that he can be thwarted.'
Luna shuddered, and looked at the ground. 'Tia, he- he is consumed by hate and a lust for revenge. When I say that I know that he will stop at nothing if we resist, I mean it.'
'What are you saying?' Celestia asked. 'How do you know so much about him if you've never fought him? Even as Nightmare Moon, you never confronted him.'
'Sister, please trust me. I just know.'
Celestia tried to process her younger sister's statement. Before Luna's banishment, Celestia told her about her first encounter with the Warden. As far as she knew, Luna had never personally seen the Warden before. Why was her younger sister acting like she knew the Warden better than she did?
Just then, a pegasi guard swooped down next to them, looking alarmed.
'Your highnesses,' he said breathlessly, 'a patrol has reported an armored pony that is closing in on us, fast. We may have up to a minute, no more.'
Celestia nodded. 'Very well, get to your post and make ready.'
The guard saluted and took off, and Celestia saw Shining Armor and Cadence standing at the castle doors, waiting for Luna. Her gaze then fell on her sister, who was looking right back at her.
It then struck Celestia that Luna shared her concern that the Warden was out for her because of her brief stint as Nightmare Moon. But instead of feeling anger, Luna was feeling guilt. That made sense; her guilt was probably to blame here.
Nevertheless, time was drawing short. Luna had to get to shelter, now.
'Sister,' Celestia said, her voice firm and unyielding, 'go get to the safe room with Shining Armor and Cadence.'
Luna prepared to protest, but Celestia cut her off. 'Now, sister! Stay put until the danger is past, understand?'
Luna nodded, seeming to understand. Her gaze fell to the ground, and she turned around.
Celestia felt a bit guilty, having had to scold her sister when she was undergoing a crisis. But she needed to get safe, especially since she had no experience with fighting the Warden.
She watched as Luna ran up to the royal couple, and ushered them indoors. Before running in, she turned around and locked eyes with Celestia, her expression pleading that she reconsider sending her away.
Although it pained her to do so, Celestia shot a fierce stare back at her, silently rebuking her sister. Luna looked downwards, a stark contrast to the driven, furious manner with which she entered the courtyard. She walked in, and closed the doors behind her.
The weight of Celestia's guilt was growing heavy now. This was not how she thought the day was going to go. Twilight, Cadence and Shining Armor were surely upset at how she had kept them in the dark, and she had scolded Luna in a moment of crisis.
Princess Celestia felt like a horrible teacher, aunt, and sister, and it hurt her greatly.
Practically as soon as the doors closed, a cry was heard from one of the towers.
'There is an armored pony approaching!'
Now was not the time to feel guilty. It was time to put such thoughts away, and act.
Celestia's horn began to glow, then her body was enveloped in an intense light. As the light faded away, an ornate suit of gold plated armor manifested on her body. It was finely crafted, having many decorative engravings on it, and it followed her flowing, elegant form perfectly. The chestpiece that she usually wore had been replaced with a breastplate, although it still featured the single amethyst gemstone. Her tiara had been replaced as well, this time by a helmet which covered the top, rear, and sides of her head, leaving much of her face open. Her mane and tail had both undergone a change as well, both having been drawn through narrow holes in the armor and bound in such a way that they no longer billowed and flowed as freely as they usually did.
Upon donning the armor, her horn glowed once again, and a weapon materialized before her. It was a gold plated halberd, about as long as she was tall. She gently brought it down, and wrapped a foreleg around it.
She was ready.
Just then, she noticed a stange, eerie sound in the air. It was a strange, unnatural howl, high pitched and steadily growing louder and louder.
She felt chills run down her spine. She remembered that sound all too well.
'Ready yourselves!' The princess shouted, her voice booming throughout the courtyard. No sooner had she shouted, a shining figure arced over the castle wall.
He was here.