Judge Luna
Case #12: Finale
The crisp dawn was a cold one for all of Canterlot. News had spread like wildfire that Princess Luna was in the hospital, hanging on by a thread. Ponies gathered in droves around the hospital holding candles, mounding flowers against the outside walls, and eagerly watching all the windows in case an alicorn should wander by.
Celestia had gently lowered the moon, sent the sun upward, and had forsaken the rest of her royal duties since then. The world could wait when a goddess lay dying. Now and then the solar diarch would glance out the windows and the crowds and crowds of eagerly waiting ponies. They looked so frightened. She could understand it. Luna and Celestia were the two things in the world that never changed, never faltered, never moved. They were the rocks of the grand kingdom they’d built centuries ago.
A worn paperback novel lay on a sitting pillow next to Celestia, but she could not concentrate on it. Her gaze kept sliding to Luna. The layers and layers of gauze around her rump and midriff hid the whipping welts. Seventeen stitches had been laid over her breast where a knife had been plunged between her ribs. She had an oxygen mask pressed over her muzzle, which rhythmically fogged with her labored breathing. She was worse than a mess. If Luna was anypony else, anypony else at all, she would be dead. Not even Celestia was sure she could survive such a beating after being ill for so many months.
Sombra’s plan as Machiavellian—slow, careful, and complete. Thankfully he had let go of his puppet-golem pony long enough for it to question why it had to take orders. Celestia felt no love for the strange, artificial pony, and had had the pieces swept up and placed in a crate for study. The black stallion had created new magic, perhaps Twilight Sparkle would like to study it or some such later.
Celestia put a gentle hoof over Luna’s, hunching and looking at her tiny face. Not even Luna’s whispy alicorn mane remained, she’d been so weakened. The day Princess had, of course, sent orders to the four corners of the nation that all televisions were to be destroyed. Entire platoons had been deployed to towns to hunt them down, smash them, confiscate their crystals, and relay medical information for any sick unicorns. It was quite an undertaking. All of Equestria had been played for fools.
Leaning, Celestia stroked her poor sister’s brow as she lay there unconscious. The doctors weren’t sure what to do other than dress her wounds and give her bed rest. Until she woke up, if she woke up, there was little they could help with. Alicorns didn’t get sick. Alicorns didn’t get poisoned, or beaten down, or harmed. They were supposed to be immortal. They had no context to work with other than a normal unicorn’s, and that wasn’t enough. “Oh Luna,” Celestia whispered, bowing her head. “If only I’d been faster, or realized sooner. It was right under my nose the entire time.” She flinched when a nurse entered.
“Pardon me,” the brown stallion murmured softly. He made his way across the room, checking the chart on the bed. He offered Celestia a pained, trying-very-hard sort of smile. She knew the poor thing didn’t know what to say. Leaning, he checked the hanging vitamin bag. They’d been giving Luna fluids since she’d gotten to the hospital, praying nature’s call might wake her. Celestia studied the bandaid on the stallion’s flank as he moved quickly and gracefully to see to Luna. He scribbled a little on a chart, leaning and checking her wraps, stitches, and machine-fed patterns. No changes thus far, but it had been less than a day. “Your majesty,” he bowed, turning to let her be alone with her sister once more.
Celestia offered the warmest smile she could conjure, then settled back to her sitting pillow next to her sister. “I’ll not leave your side, Lulu, I promise,” she whispered softly. Then, like a great white swan, she tucked her head under her wing to see if she might find sleep. It took ages, but she managed a light and fitful rest. Outside, Equestria held its breath.
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Many days later…
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Even weeks later the newspapers flew off the stands as more and more details began to emerge. Ponies traded rumors about the health of the Princess, guards constantly having to assure citizens that she was still alive. They traded rumors about Steel Wing, the not-pony monster that had shown up in the Midnight Court. They whispered fearfully for their Princess’ health, holding candlelight vigils and even standing in the rain when it came. The newspapers didn’t help:
Princess Takes the Whip for Equestria!
Judge Luna Judges King Sombra!
Golem Guards Ponies: Mere Mares or Mammoth Myths?
Princess Luna Still Comatose, the Wasting Disease that Shocked Celestia!
All of them were decorated with violent scenes of Luna’s broken body, the palace in ruins, and blurry shots of a golem-pony smashing through a wall. Canterlot all but shut down in the rebuilding efforts.
Unicorns gathered in droves not to break the massive crystal structures, but to move it. This meant destroying a few walls of the castle, but they soon found the strength in numbers. Gathering from all over they heaved at the impossible weight to lift it away. Royal guard stood arm-in-arm with noblepony who stood arm-in-arm with the common unicorn. Even Celestia called it a miracle as they moved the massive piece of black rock off the mountain, into the valley below, and then dropped it in the Everfree Forest where it wouldn’t cause any harm. Some ponies speculated its evil magic might spread through the forest, but Celestia assured them it wouldn’t. After all, if one dropped a shield in the woods, it would not get up and start hurting animals. That was the sort of magic at work here.
As soon as the intruding crystal was gone rebuilding efforts were underway. If nothing else the ponies of Equestria adored the Royal Palace. It was part of the Canterlot skyline after all! Monies, workers, and supplies came pouring in from all sides to aid in the rebuilding efforts, and soon the palace was surrounded with scaffolding and working ponies. They swarmed over the structure like so many brightly-colored ants, clearing away debris and making ready to start anew with stone and metal and glass.
Celestia would not be pulled from her sister’s side, though, outside of complete necessity. Ponies got into the habit of sending Royal paperwork and the like to the hospital. Celestia was given a little collapsing desk so she could read and do a little bit of work while she waited for Luna to make even the slightest sound. Otherwise, she would see nopony.
She watched the fur grow back around Luna’s stitches, and even saw the medical ponies change her bandages several times over. The welts and lacerations slowly began to recede into scars. When Celestia asked about them, the rather embarrassed doctors told her she would probably have them for the rest of her life. But, since her fur was dark and the scars faded, nopony would see unless she outright shaved her rump. (That had gotten a rare smile out of Celestia.)
Meanwhile, the medical staff installed a feeding tube, kept Luna on watch at all times, and even had a pony to come in and help her stay clean. It was a little bit amusing to see Luna get her mane washed and styled while she slept. It was all very painful for the white alicorn to watch, but slow and steady progress was being made. Even if it was one point on one chart each day, Celestia felt good about it. Luna’s brain activity was normal, and her bodily functions were fine, she just… didn’t wake up.
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Many Days After That…
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Luna’s eyes snapped open when she felt a cold rag pressed on one side of her face. She gave a loud, mare-ish shriek and sat bolt up as the oxygen mask came tumbling off of her face. The stallion-nurse whinnied wildly, cartwheeling backward over himself as all four legs bicycled into the air. The rag went flying. “Where are we?! What is-?!”
Celestia’s desk overturned itself as the alicorn ran it over, “Doctor!” she cried. “Doctor! She’s awake!” Luna looked up at her trembling sister with a sleepy-eyed expression. “You’re going to be okay, Luna. I promise.” She hugged her as gently as she could, tears suddenly rolling down her cheeks.
“Mrrrph-mrm-uhrm,” Luna said into Celestia’s breast, squirming on the hospital bed. A trio of medical ponies piled into the room, running over the poor nurse in the process. The dark alicorn was surrounded instantly, being poked and prodded and asked if her pinions hurt. Luna looked around blearily, not sure what to make of much of anything around her. “Tia?” she said in a small voice.
“Let her be for just a moment, she’s only just awakened,” Celestia said gently.
“How long…?” Luna said, touching her forehead and furrowing her brow.
“A little over a month, sister.” Celestia said softly, settling on her belly next to her. “You’ve had surgeries, stitches, bandages, and so much more…” she bit her lip a little. She watched Luna slowly trace a hoof over the knife wound in her breast. The stitches were still there, black and shiny like a beetle’s back. Then she saw her lip begin to quiver and she hugged Luna again.
“Sh-sh-shhhh… it’s alright, you’re going to be alright.” Celestia said, curling her wings around her sister in a wing-hug as well. They nuzzled tenderly, Luna’s cheek resting on Celestia’s chest. “Can she be moved home? To the palace?” she asked the doctors.
“If you take a full medical staff with you,” the doctor told the Princess, cocking his head in an unsure way. Celestia made a face.
“We could not take so many ponies from the hospital, we’ll stay here,” Luna whispered, lying back against her pillows. Seeing her sister’s look, the Princess of the Night smiled weakly, “This bed is just as comfortable and—” Her stomach burbled, turning and frothing on itself. “Restroom!” she whined, clutching at herself. Celestia helped Luna to the little sideroom. As soon as they emerged, “We are hungry,” she said. The doctor’s smiled. That was an excellent sign on the road to recovery.
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Two and a half months after her admittance to the hospital, Luna emerged of her own willpower. Celestia walked next to her in case she might fall or strain her legs so much. The dark Princess had lost a bit of weight and was a little on the skinny side from lying in bed all day. “Are you sure you’re ready, Luna?” Celestia said softly. “You can stay another week if you like.”
“Neigh,” Luna said softly. “I belong out there, with our little ponies,” she smiled affectionately as the double doors opened. A roaring, cheering crowd was there to greet her. The shorter of the two alicorns smiled shyly, almost hiding under Celestia’s extended wing. The Princess of the night looked to one side when her sister gestured. The flowers and get-well-soon cards were still mounded around the hospital. The bouquets had spread their seeds and pollen, and had erupted into a vast garden of wildflowers. Luna smiled again, somewhat shyly. She hadn’t known so many would care when she was so sickly. It filled her heart with joy.
“Princess! We’re so glad you’re better!”
“Princess Luna! I can’t believe you stood up to that Sombra guy all alone!”
“Princess, look this way!”
“Princess Luna’s back!”
The crowd was pushed back by armored ponies of the royal guard, both solar and lunar, to make way for the two Princesses. An enclosed chariot awaited to take them both home. When the door closed and the crowd of happy ponies was muted, Luna looked at Celestia. “What became of Sombra? And Steel Wing?” she hadn’t thought to ask, having been so busy recovering and trying to knit for so long.
“I sent King Sombra’s remains to the Crystal Empire,” Celestia said gently. “Cadance promised to bury him on the tundra so he wouldn’t be disturbed.”
“Why?” Luna said, frowning.
“Well, legally speaking he was the King of the Crystal Empire for a time,” Celestia admitted. “It seemed only fair he be buried there.” Luna was silent for a time, then nodded her agreement. Vicious and evil though he had been in the throne room, he had not been wrong. Justice and vengeance were not the same, though, and that had been his downfall. Well, that and trying to kill her and usurp control of Equestria. Luna harbored no sympathy, but in her heart of hearts she did not deny his half-legal reasoning. There was a line, though, and he’d crossed it. “As for Steel Wing,” Celestia said softly, cocking her head. “I had to ask a lot of ponies plenty of questions to find out about him.” Luna touched her stitches sorely, frowning and lowering her gaze. “It wasn’t me he guarded, Luna, nor me that he betrayed and stabbed in the chest,” the white alicorn lit her horn. A rather large urn that clanked with shifting, broken glass inside levitated out from under the cushioned seats. “But it was not me whom he saved, either. I could not decide what to do with him.”
“He was some sort of golem, yes?” Luna leaned and pulled the lid off the bulky urn, looking inside. “Can he be restored?”
“Maybe, I don’t know,” Celestia said. “I’ve never seen an artificial pony before. It was new magic.” Both sisters looked at the broken, shattered bits of Steel Wing glittering before them. “Do you want to bring him back? He almost killed you, Luna.”
“I don’t know,” Luna admitted softly. “He saved me as well. I would be dead if not for him,” she murmured, staring intently at the shards before closing the lid again. “It would take ages, and magic quite powerful to put him back together and animate him the way he was, with all his memories.” She sank back into her chair. “I am still recovering, sister, I can do no such thing.”
“Then I leave him in your hooves,” Celestia said, gently setting the urn next to Luna. The palace could be seen slowly coming into view outside the chariot. “We’re almost home,” she smiled.
Luna nodded, eager to rest in her own bed. Her TV show Judge Luna was over, more than over, but the palace still called. When she was back to her full strength, she would sit on the throne and continue to hoof down justice.
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The mane six stood huddled around Spike, who looked positively ill. He’d been haulking and groaning and holding his belly for almost twenty minutes now, and they weren’t sure what to do. To be honest, the poor thing looked constipated. “H’oh boy…. H’oh boy here it comes *BRAAAAAPPP!!!*” Everypony backed up when a massive shape of fire blasted out of Spike’s mouth. It swirled, frothed, then poof’d into a big wooden crate. Spike moaned dizzily, then flopped over on his side. Fluttershy and Rarity leaned over him worriedly.
“What’s this?” Twilight Sparkle stared. “The Princess should know better than to send packages through Spike, they give him tummy aches!”
Rainbow Dash zoomed over, checking the tag, “Eh, it’s from Princess Luna,” she pointed with a hoof, turning it over to show them. Sure enough, the night Princess’ spidery handwriting was all over the label, tag, and shipping information.
Lighting her horn, Twilight took the envelope attached to the side and unfurled the note, “To Twilight Sparkle. I’ve a bit of a puzzle for you,” she read aloud. “Please be very gentle with him.”
“Him?” Applejack wondered, waiting for Twilight to nod so she could pry the box open. A bit of grunting and earth pony strength later, the wooden planks had been pried open and the straw tossed aside. “It’s an urn,” Applejack made a face. “Ah hope you ain’t learnin’ how to bring dead ponies back to life, Twilight?”
“I don’t think so,” Twilight said, coming close to take the lid off. Hundreds of crystal shards glittered at her when she did, and she pulled a photograph from the top of the pile. “Huh,” she mumbled. It was a picture of Steel Wing and Princess Luna, doing the Judge Luna show. There was a big red arrow pointing at him. On the back, in a few short sentences, Luna tried to explain. Twilight’s eyes were getting wider and wider as she read. Pinkie fished into the urn and got a disembodied hoof out. She gave it a hoof-bump, giggling loudly before dropping it back inside. Now it was only a matter of time and magic.
THE END