//------------------------------//
// A Response 
// Story: Patriarchal/Divine Intervention 
// by Teh dr3am3r 
//------------------------------//

	Celestia awoke with a god-awful headache, the pain throbbing with every pulse of her heart. She opened her eyes and found herself slumped on the floor, her legs twisted at extremely uncomfortable angles under her collapsed body. She rose to her hooves and winced at the pain that shot down her spine, spreading down her legs into every nerve in her being. Her mane did not flow, instead the hairs hung caked in half-dried blood over her dark red neck. She winced again as she turned her head, the stiff hairs on her head pulling as she turned her neck to look at the wall. 
The polished marble was webbed in a network of cracks with a splatter of red in the center of the bowed crater in the stone. She hung her head weakly and limped away to her throne room, her agony tearing through her with each and every step. As she walked, she noticed that nopony was around, not even the maids or the night council was up and about. Her entrance to the throne room was greeted only with the sunset shining through the windows, again nopony to be found. Groaning audibly, she turned back again and shuffled all the way through the halls to her room. More than a thousand times she cursed herself for choosing her bedroom to be so far away from the throne room, and for lashing out at Luna so harshly. Normally she could care less about homosexuals, but she did bear a slight prejudicial disgust for those who took others of the same gender and the insult she felt at the revelation of her sister and Twilight, of all ponies, was not insubstantial.
The blood soaked princess barely had the strength to push her way through her bedroom door and shower. The tub was quickly stained red under her hooves from the copious amounts of blood that she washed from her mane and coat. Her fur still retained a reminiscent hue of pink as she toweled herself off and collapsed on her bed.

Celestia snapped awake with the same throbbing body and quickly sat upright. Her internal clock chimed the time to raise the sun as it always did every morning. Out of habit and still half asleep, she stepped out onto her balcony and spread her magical grip towards the sun. Gripping it's gaseous form, she slowly pulled it skywards but was stopped short of the horizon as if walking into a wall. Snapping out of her groggy state of mind, she yanked again, this time more forceful. Again the sun hit an invisible wall that dumbfounded its master for a fraction of a second. 
The memories of the previous day struck her like an arrow, searing into her mind and making the injuries she had received bellow in renewed fervor. She grunted as she slammed the sun into the barrier again, and again, she was met with failure. Panic set in as she slammed the sun into its opposition again and again, each thrust draining her more and adding a throbbing horn to the long list of injuries, but she paid her complaining body no mind, heedlessly bashing the solar orb into whatever wall held it captive.
Finally giving in when her horn suddenly gave out and stopped working, she fell to her knees, shaking and sweating in exhaustion. "Dear Cosmos, what have I done?" she whispered, knowing full well that the disregarding night was Midnight Moon's doing and she had been the cause of her return, along with their accosting father who reprimanded Luna and brought the relationship into the light.
The stained pink alicorn did something she had not done in centuries, she bowed her head and prayed to her Father for help. She begged and pleaded with him to return and put things back into good order, but the silence wailed like sirens in the void of the night. She could practically picture him sitting on a throne made of his stars, watching the world slowly decay in its endless night.
The image of her unresponsive father broke the levy that held back Celestia's emotions like a tsunami. She jumped to her hooves, much to their complaint, and started screaming at the sky, bellowing curses and invocations that are better left unsaid at him.
Once she calmed down a bit, she ceased her fit of rage and fumed silently. King Cosmos' voice whispered in the back of her mind only a few words that made her even angrier: "I... cannot Helia. I cannot help thee now. 'Tis too late."
"You could at least try to help you good-for-nothing bastard! You can't just abandon me like this!" 
She felt his presence recede from her mind and half expected to see him appear in front of her, ready to help, but he simply withdrew, not offering anything in assistance.
"Fine go sulk and make another star for Momma. That's all you seem to be good for. Oh, and ruining things, you are really good at that." The last sentence she added in spite, just to make him hurt. She turned and left her balcony before the pitch-black sky.

******

Celestia placed her crown on her aching head and teleported to the throne room, not wanting to bother with the walk. She appeared in the center of the library much to her confusion, before she realized that her horn had exhausted its power and was unable to function properly. With a sigh of defeat, she resolved herself to the walk, even longer than the one from her bedroom, limping with every painful step. After an eternity of throbbing... everything, she finally shoved open the doors to her throne room, and was shocked to find it empty. 
She quickly became aware that outside, the darkness still reigned, and since most ponies relied on the sun to wake them, everypony still slumbered in their beds. Grumbling to herself, she walked from her throne room, to that of her sister, if night still reigned, then her guards would still be posted there.
Finally Celestia had chanced upon some mysterious stroke of luck, for the guards were there, but fate had decided to be fickle and produced several sleeping pegusi to the princess. She woke them harshly, astonished that they had slept so long and ordered them to go and awaken the day court, "We are in for a long night."
They rushed off, seemingly in a bit more of a rush than normal, perhaps due to her short fuse and grumpy attitude. The white alicorn removed herself and returned to her own throne room to await the council. Time dragged along, scraping its nails across the chalkboard that was her patience, slowly grinding away any "Angelic" as Nightmare had put it, nature that remained in the princess. Her council ponies finally arrived to find a very cross, and extremely short tempered ruler before them. 
Several yawned, but quickly shut their mouths with a snap when she glared at them in distaste.
"Gentlecolts, it is with great regret I inform you that Nightmare Moon has returned and has plunged the land into her eternal darkness. I am currently unable to lift the sun and was defeated when I confronted her."
Her statement sparked an explosion of panic, as ponies began jabbering incessant question at her and some straight up running around screaming. Her temper broke and she exploded out of her chair with a thunderous  "SILENCE!!"
The ponies instantly came to attention and obeyed her. She began bellowing orders at them as fast as her tongue could keep up with the commands her mind created. She saved her communications manager for last, having a special and crucial task for him.
"Loudmouth, I need the Elements of Harmony and I want them now."
The princess' subjects scattered after receiving their duties and left her alone on the raised dais. She sank back into the hard seat, already exhausted. She called for her doctor so he could treat her wounds, sending a newly arrived guard off to summon him. He returned shortly with the medic in tow and resumed his post as the doctor bowed to Celestia. She waved him on with a hoof and slumped in her chair as she explained to him the extent of her injuries. He nodded knowingly and inspected the back of her head, lifting her mane to reveal the damaged flesh.
Celestia heard his small gasp of surprise and asked how bad it was. 
"Princess I need you to come with me to my room, these wounds are very bad and need much, much more attention than I have in my bag. If you will come with me." 
She groaned and rose to her sore legs, following him as he requested. As he let her in, he took off his coat and instructed her to lay down on the examining table. She complied as he opened his bag and began setting tools and instruments down on the counter, pulling several bandages and medicines from the cabinets above. The doctor rummaged around in the back of the cabinet and produced a dark brown bottle alongside a syringe. 
"I need to put a few stitches in so I will give you a little sedative to help with the pain."
He filled the little syringe with a clear fluid and set the bottle down as Celestia began to protest, nervous around the pointy thing he intended to stab her with.
"Dr. Fine, I don't need a sedative, I can cull the pain with magic."
He chuckled under his breath, "Don't worry the needle won't hurt." He came near with the needle in his magic, making the princess even more worried that he would disobey a direct order.
"I said, no. I don't want a shot."
"Don't worry, sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered."
He made to stick it into her shoulder, but she deflected it with magic,incurring another complaint from her horn. "Doctor, stop."
The needle lunged at her again and again she deflected it to the side, but maintained her grip over the syringe. The pony grunted in effort and pushed against her magic, trying to force the needle into her. Celestia panicked and threw him away into the wall. His head hit the stone hard and he dropped the needle onto the ground. Blinking, he shook his head and looked at his patient horrified.
"Oh dear Celestia no. I'm so sorry, I...I couldn't help it. I just d-don't know what came o-o-over me. I tried to stop but I... Oh God."
Understanding the work of Discord, she forgave him and allowed him to attend to her now that he was no longer under the influence of the draconequus. He promptly refused, full of self loathing for what he had done, or rather tried to do to his princess. She eventually persuaded him, and he treated her very gingerly when her cleaned and bandaged her head, tying her mane into a pony tail before applying the soft gauze. The doctor constantly repeated his apologies over and over again, to which Celestia forgave him repeatedly. When he had finished, he brought her back to the throne room where several ponies awaited her.
"Now try to not use much magic. Your horn is really strained and needs to rest." He advised before leaving, streaming apologies in his wake. Celestia resumed her royal posture, though felt more vulnerable with her head wrapped up in bandages and her mane up, but she walked as regal as she could with a limp and took her place on the throne.
The stream of waiting ponies brought the expected complaints and petitions about the absence of the sun and she gave the same answer about Nightmare Moon over and over again. After hundreds of petitioners, Loudmouth stepped up to her throne and gave his report: "The Elements of Harmony have received your message and are preparing to come to Canterlot Your Majesty."
"Very good."