//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Losing Harmony 
// by Philonius Phil 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 3


Luna led Twilight and Cadence through the great halls. Her voice was tired, lacking its usual enthusiasm, “We will try our best to get you up to speed as was originally intended, Twilight, however there are important matters that must be attended to.”
“You still haven’t told us what happened,” Twilight said.
Luna sighed. “All will be made clear soon, Twilight. Just know that I’m…truly sorry.” Her head hanged a bit, her eyes downtrodden. It must have been something bad to have put Luna into such a state, but what, she couldn’t even imagine.
As they continued through the castle Twilight looked around. She counted more royal guards than there had been during even the changeling threat. “I never realized there were so many,” she mumbled to herself.
Cadence piped in, “Yep, that’s because there’s usually only a small part of the guard on duty.”
 “Right now, however, we can take no risks,” Luna interrupted.
“Is my brother here as well, Princess Luna?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, he teleported here this morning to coordinate the changes being made to royal guard protocols. He is already aware of the situation and will not be at the meeting.”
Twilight’s eyes drifted upwards, her mouth agape, as they approached a double-door. It was as tall as the ceiling and had a guard to each side. The guards’ horns lit up and the doors slowly opened, filling the hall with the sound of heavy stone sliding against the floor. On the other side of the doorway emerged the sounds of ponies conversing.
Luna spoke, “Welcome to the Royal Council Chamber, Twilight, used for all matters of importance, and especially those that are not for the common ear. It is warded against any who would wish to eavesdrop.”
As they entered, the conversation stuttered to a halt and the ponies bowed. Twilight looked around, noticing there was a large oval table in the center with the cutie marks of Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and herself all imprinted on it. There weren’t any windows, the only light coming from torches lining the walls.
A deep echo resounded throughout the room as the doors behind them shut. “Please, arise,” Luna commanded, prompting everypony in the room to return to what they were doing. She looked to Twilight, “Twilight, these are our heads of state. They are responsible for many of the daily functions of the Equestrian government, and for advising us on a variety of matters.”
“I thought you and Celestia had control over everything.”
She flinched at the mention of Celestia’s name. “The princesses’ of Equestria maintain the final say in all matters, however there is far too much to do for us to handle it alone, and that is where these ponies come in.”
She led Twilight around, introducing her to everypony. Eventually, they came across two ponies conversing in a corner. “Twilight, here we have Ms. Rainfall, the head of all weather operations in and out of Equestria.”
Rainfall, a pegasus, barely glanced at Twilight, her eyes dull. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Princess Sparkle,” she said, “I’m sure you’ll be a great boon to our government.”
“Thank you Ms. Rainfall,” Twilight responded, “I just hope I don’t get in the way.” Rainfall allowed a brief smile, but mumbled something under her breath when Twilight turned away.
Luna continued, the next pony being a unicorn. “And this is Silver Heart. He is responsible for all agricultural and trade oversight.”
“A pleasure Princess Sparkle,” he said with a smirk. He brought his mouth close to her ear, whispering, “Perhaps once you’ve settled into your new role we can discuss some...policies...which could benefit the both of us.”
“Um, I don’t—”
“Are these political diamond dogs trying to get you into their pockets, Princess?” said a deep voice from behind. A black-coated unicorn in formal military attire walked up. His mane was a shade of grey, and his eyes a weathered stone-gray. The other two glared at him.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Twilight said.
He let out a bellowing laugh. “Don’t worry then, I’ll protect you from these political scavengers.”
Luna interjected, her voice an annoyed monotone, “And of course we cannot forget our esteemed military commander of the Equestrian Legion. Responsible for the defense of our borders and the protection of our lands from the hostile creatures dwelling in Equestria,” she let out a sigh, “Twilight, this is General Midnight Rain.”
He brought his hoof in front of his chest, bowing his head. “At your service, though you’ll hopefully never need any of my services. Truly, it is great to finally meet you. Celestia never stops raving about her prized pupil, though I suppose you are pupil no longer.”
“Thank you, Mr. Rain,” Twilight said. He chuckled a bit.
Luna whispered into Twilight’s ear, “It is customary for military officials to be addressed by their rank.”
Twilight blushed at that. “I’m sorry, general.”
“It’s quite alright. So, Princess Luna, what exactly is this meeting about? There hasn’t been an emergency council session in decades.”
“Soon, I believe we are waiting on just one more.”
The doors opened again, and a pegasus in black armor entered the room. He walked to where they were standing, giving a customary bow, “Princesses. I apologize for my lateness, I was…dealing with certain issues overseas.” He stood back up. “Ah, I see we have a new face since the last time I was in Equestria.”
“This is Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said.
“It is good to meet you Princess, I’ve heard a lot about you, and I must say I’m impressed at how well you’ve handled yourself with the situations you’ve been pushed into.” He grabbed her hoof and gently kissed it. Twilight averted her gaze, blushing.
“I impress you?” she said lightly.
“Of course. The feats you’ve accomplished are more than most ponies will in their lifetime.”
Luna cut in, “Twilight, this is Captain Steelwing of the Sentinels.”
“Charmed,” he said as he gave another bow.
Twilight asked, “What are the Sentinels?”
Steelwing grew a grin, his voice enthusiastic. “We are responsible for maintaining harmony and balance throughout the world, fighting evil doers and all those who would see the world burn. We operate mostly in the shadows, though. While our existence isn’t exactly a secret, most ponies don’t have a clue we exist.”
Midnight Rain gave a pointed stare to Steelwing. “A ragtag band of cutthroats without any sense of loyalty or honor is what they are.”
“General, you wound me, we have both loyalty and honor. Just because they’re not to your liking or preference doesn’t mean they’re non-existent.”
“I don’t understand,” said Twilight, her eyebrows furrowed.
Steelwing responded, “We are an independent organization. We renounce all former loyalties to take up the cause of the greater good. Our primary loyalty is to maintaining harmony in the world.”
He smiled at Luna. “What do you say we get this show on the road? I’m sure everypony is eager to hear what it is you pulled us from all around the world back to Canterlot for.”
Luna sighed, “Yes, I suppose it is time.” She spoke up, projecting her voice throughout the room, “Mares and gentlecolts, please take your seats. It is time for us to begin this session.” 
Twilight and the others gathered around Luna at the table. She was frowning, and took a deep breath before speaking. “It is with a heavy heart, that I must declare, the dea—“ Luna choked on her words. She hung her head low as she shut her eyes, tears building up. “It is with a heavy heart—“ she pressed her hoofs against the table, trembling, “—t-that I—“ her voice quivered, her eyes glistening, “—must announce—“
She paused.
Tears streamed down her face. “That Celestia is dead!”
Everypony was silent, their mouths and eyes wide open. Luna broke down, her head buried between her hoofs, the table wet from her tears.
Twilight just sat there staring into nothing, her mouth agape, her eyes empty. There was stunned silence throughout the room, except for the lonely sound of a single mare crying.
Almost a minute went by with nopony making a move.
Twilight shakily rose from her seat, her head low, and her eyes holding back tears. Slowly she walked over to where Luna was crying, barely able to get one hoof in front of the other. Luna looked up at Twilight. “I’m so sorry,” she said with a sob, her eyes bloodshot. Twilight threw her forelegs around her, holding Luna in a firm embrace. Luna wrapped her wings around Twilight, resting her head in Twilight’s shoulder, neither of them saying a word.