"A week, I can't believe that it's been a week," Celestia thought as she paced around on her room balcony. She stopped and stared out towards Ponyville, a few plumes of smoke still drifted from the wreckage of the bombed out buildings. It had been a week since the human known as Douglas had assisted the Changelings in taking over Ponyville, she had gotten the report that Shining made for her a day after Ponyville had been liberated. Celestia wasn't too happy that a human had joined the Changelings but she got the full story from Douglas' parents about his memory being erased and then changed. Celestia knew that the memory changing spell was a very powerful Changeling spell but she didn't know that it was capable of being used on other species. She sighed and retired to the plush pillow that sat in front of her fire to read the most recent letters sent to her by the diplomats in the other Equestrian town. The thought of sending Barry and Margret O'Riley back to Earth without their son hit the princess of the sun, she tried to put it out of her mind but it kept resurfacing. What would they say to the rest of their family once they got back? How could they explain what happened to Douglas? And think on, where was he?
Celestia opened up another letter from the Stalliongrad diplomat and as she read about the famine that was now slowly taking over another rolled up parchment landed next to her. Celesita put down the diplomat's letter and picked up the new letter, the seal indicated that it was from none other than her faithful student Twilight Sparkle. Celestia sighed as she opened it up, only a day after Ponyville's liberation Twilight had gotten into a nasty argument with Shining Armor about him not catching Douglas and the two refused to see each other afterwards, what bothered Celestia was that the argument was unprovoked and it escalated without any sort of peaceful resolution. Shining and Twilight hadn't been like that since the Royal Wedding, but then again Chrysalis was there in disguise and she took over Shining's mind but Celestia dismissed it knowing that Chrysalis was well and truly gone. Celestia took the letter and unrolled it, wondering how her studies about friendship were going on in a town that was still recovering from the Changeling attack.
Dear Princess Celestia,
As you know it's been over one week to the day when Ponyville was taken back from Changeling control. So far most of the town is trying to go back to the way things were but sadly, we are all scared. We've never had our home torn apart by explosives and many of us are now beginning to form a hatred for the human race even though only one human caused all of this. It's sad because Douglas seemed like such a nice person when we first met him but after Chrysalis changed his memories we are all afraid that he will come back and exact revenge on us. I know that his parents are back on Earth and I know that they must be feeling as if they have lost Douglas for good, if only we could get him back here we could help him but I don't think that he'll cooperate with us anymore. I'm disappointed in my brother for not catching him, now because of that we are all living in terror. Many of us won't even go outside and if we do we avoid each other.
Celestia frowned and adjusted the letter so she could read it better in the flickering light of the fire.
I am also writing this letter as our weekly update on my studies and I need to say this now: It's not going well. My friends have all drifted apart, we no longer see each other. After my friends were freed from the Changelings they didn't say much, I managed to get them to talk but only briefly. It seems as if there was something wrong with how we see each other and not only that but the personalities of everypony has changed dramatically. Applejack has now become more focused on her job of applebucking, but she always wants to do it alone. She doesn't let her brother or sister work beside her. Rarity is no longer making her amazing dresses, something that might seem a little ridiculous but it's to do with the constant silence. She never talks and that worries me, I'm afraid that she is no longer her usual self. Fluttershy still visits me on occasion but she's more timid than ever and she has even told me that the animals that she once cared for trashed her home and moved out. Sometimes they come and wreck her cottage and Fluttershy is too powerless to stop it. Rainbow Dash, after having half of her wing blown off, is now much more hostile and antisocial. All she does is pace around her home and mutter about getting Douglas back, the few ponies who have waved to her or wished her to get better received a growl from her. Rainbow Dash has even refused to go to the Wonderbolts training academy which I know is something that she would never do, even if her wing was broken. But the worst by far is Pinkie Pie, our lovable pink pony has now become nothing more than a depressed and sullen wreck. She's gone back to her old state and she doesn't want to host anymore parties or celebrate anything, she didn't even say hi to me when I last saw her. It's upsetting to think about what has happened to us and even harder to write about, but it's not over yet, the three little fillies Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have disbanded the Cutie Mark Crusaders and have gone their separate ways. I haven't heard from any of them after the Changelings were expelled but I can assume that they have ended up like the rest of us. I'm sorry that I have no good news to report but I think that we both know that even if there was, we wouldn't think to talk about it.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia almost shed a tear after reading Twilight's letter. It was official, the holders of the Elements of Harmony had been broken and the links between them and the Elements were now shattered. Celestia crumpled the letter up into a ball and tossed it into the fire, not wanting to glance upon it ever again. She sat there for a few minutes staring at the pile of letters from across Equestria, she didn't want to open another one, knowing that each and every one of them would contain nothing but bad news. She went to kick them into the fire when Luna knocked on the door and entered.
"Are you okay my sister?"
Celestia sighed heavily and stood up.
"No Luna. It has not been a good night for me, for the past hour I've been reading all of these letters. Not a single one contains any form of good news, the kingdom is in disarray."
"I know that the past week has been hard for you Celesita, but you cannot let it overcome you," Luna said as she placed a comforting hoof on Celestia's shoulder.
"Thank you Luna, but I do not wish to let my kingdom fall into disharmony like it did all those years ago, when you were Nightmare Moon."
"But surely Equestria is still intact?" Luna asked as she walked out to the balcony, the next two words she said almost trembled with fear, "Isn't it?"
"For now it is," Celestia said as she joined her sister on the balcony, the night had set in now and all that was seen were the few lights that came from Ponyville, it would've been relaxing if the lights weren't illuminating the smoke plumes that drifted into the sky. Celestia shifted her view to the night sky where the moon and stars shone brightly, covered only by a few wisps of clouds.
"You should see this place from the moon," Luna said after a few minutes of silence, "It's a beautiful sight."
There was another pause, the only sounds that was heard was the bustle of nightlife in Canterlot and the quiet breeze of the winds.
"If we cannot fix the kingdom in a year then we shall resort to our Plan of Restoration," Celestia said suddenly. Luna looked bewilderingly at her.
"You cannot be serious, we don't even know if the legends are true and if they were, how could we do what we have planned?"
"We stay here to maintain what little order will remain," Celestia said as she stared off into the sky, "We shall find a pony who is willing enough to do the task at hand."
"Will Twilight and her friends be the ones to put the plan in motion?"
"No, Twilight has informed me of the status of her friends. They wouldn't be capable of holding together and besides, they would be going into a hostile place. Even if they were connected to the Elements of Harmony they wouldn't survive, they would know nothing of where they would be sent to."
"So who can go?" Luna asked. Celestia didn't reply, Luna followed her view and saw what she was looking at; a small cater on the moon that shimmered a few times.
"I think we both know who's capable of getting our savior," Celestia said, "After all, he was born there."