The grand monarch of Equestria, the leader of her country for over a thousand years, and the raiser of the sun, Princess Celestia awoke on the new morning of Equus to do her duty once more. Again, just like so many times before, she grasped the cosmic being within her magical grasp and with untold strength, lifted the orb into the sky to begin the day anew.
However, the sight that greeted her this morning was not the one she had grown accustomed to. For instead of the gold, red, and white that was the beauty of her palace in Canterlot, Celestia awoke to the grey metropolis that was the Equestrian port city of Baltimare. From her vantage point in one of the higher buildings of Baltimare-standing out on a tall balcony- she could easily view the wide berth of ocean that was Horseshoe bay, noting the large amount of ships leaving an entering the bay. And if she decided to glance a little farther, she would notice that small blockade at the mouth of the bay, several royal frigates running boarding inspections.
Though, she chose not to look any farther.
Her long neck turned away from the glistening sunlight that reflected off the water to fall toward the cityscape, her magenta eyes calmly drifting over the sprawling city as its citizens were already underway with the new day. A smile formed unbeknownst as she looked over the vast modern cityscape. Baltimare had never been Equestria's most prominent city, nor had it been its most lavish. But unknown to even itself, the city had turned form a small fishing community that only had wooden shacks to support its residence, into the massive maze of stone and steel that its citizens thrived and flourished in. Much like its sister city of Manehattan, Baltimare stood on a level all its own, and she believed, could even rival Canterlot in its greatness.
The smile she wore slowly began to fade as the train of thought continued.
Now, though. Now that greatness had been shaken, and now was once again in danger.
To be specific, a threat had been made against Baltimare.
This was an all too familiar call that had once caused the Equestrian capital of Canterlot to fall to the hordes of the changeling invasion.
It seems like only yesterday... she quietly mused.
Despite that attack ending in resounding defeat to the forces of the changeling hive, its effects had been felt throughout Equestria. Ponies saw that their land was not as prosperous as many believed and realized that there were things that hid in the shadows. She had found that a large amount of new signups flooded guard positions across Equestria, and a military buildup had been petitioned multiple times in her day court.
She had refused each time. There was no need for further violence.
The changelings had been routed. Canterlot had sustained damage yes, but in the end it recovered just fine.
However though, one thing struck out to her more so then others.
Her little ponies had lost faith in her. Many where there that day to witness the wedding of her niece and her captain of the guard. Many where there to witness the shocking transformation of the alicorn princess Mi Amore Cadenza into the black hive queen of Chrysalis. And many where there to see her fall at the queen's hooves, battered and beaten. Only threw the intervention of her faithful student and her actual niece had the invasion been repulsed. But many did where more concerned with her defeat at the hooves of the invaders.
Word had spread quickly.
Ponies had learned that their princess, who many saw as infallible, crumbled before the invading forces of an unknown enemy. That the raiser of the sun had lost a battle was unthinkable.
This was perhaps the main reason she was in Baltimare personally.
True, she could have sent her commanders, Captain Shining Armor, General Ironsides, Navy Commander Sealegs, perhaps even the wonderbolt leader Spitfire.
But no, she would be here.
She would make a stand. She would not fail her little ponies again.
Yet, even she was unsure of her ability to keep that promise to herself.
Because as her eyes drifted over Baltimare, they soon came to rest upon the large construction area taking place near the cities outer edge.
It was not difficult to spot.
For while the city was filled with many large buildings that steadily decreased in size as one moved away from the cities heart, the area she gazed at was still filled with buildings at least at a two story level.
Except for the construction zone.
The area was...a hole. A torn out area eight city blocks long at its length, and five at its berth which should have included many other buildings in its wake.
But, this was not to be.
For in the construction zone, work was taking place all around, some areas were looking to be underway for the foundation of new buildings, as well as some areas covered in large amounts of dirt, possibly the spaces where future gardens were to be planted.
Still, most of the effort was concentrated inwardly as most ponies were pouring large amounts of concrete near the very center of the zone.
It looks like they have almost brought it back to street level, she noted.
Princess Celestia let her head hang ever so slightly for but a moment, paying silent memorial as the construction ponies continued their work undisturbed.
Because, that area had once been home to plenty of her little ponies, as well as a few guests of Equestria.
And now lay a testament to the very thing that had rocked Equestria to its core.
The Human Event.
It was a bit ironic in a morbid sort of way, that the remains of the human event was...nothing.
No wreckage, no destruction, no bodies, just...nothing.
It made little difference in the end.
Humans had done this to Baltimare, to her ponies, and had done so in a way she had never thought possible.
With a force that had only been exclusively utilized by ponies for well over two centuries.
Magic.
However, even after all the months since the day of the event, she still had not found the how or the why.
The latter was beginning to matter little now.
The city, as well as she, had bigger problems to contend with. The city, which had once seen the worst disaster in Equestira's history, now stood once again the crosshairs of destruction. She could feel it too.
The citizenry was on edge. Ponies moved about doing their daily business yes, but an underlying tension marred their movements. They were much more aware, much more on the alert of possible danger. Even her presence barely calmed the fears of the citizens. Even the airships that patrolled the skies brought little assurance to the ponies on the ground.
The guard was not willing to let another Canterlot happen.
Or another human event for that matter.
She believed that was what ponies were truly afraid of. Afraid of the destruction that had once cut into their city like a knife.
Some even went as far to state the changeling invasion paled in comparison to the effect the human event had. For while Canterlot had sustained minimal damage overall, Baltimare had lost dozens of buildings, many the housing for the ponies that had ultimately lost their lives to the event.
Celestia sighed and for a moment felt the weight of a thousand years on her back, crushing her soul.
I welcomed them with open hooves..., she thought deeply, Oh Luna, I know you had high hopes for them.
The thought of her sister gave the white alicorn pause for a moment, a debate on whether or not she should send a letter to her sister before she started the day's events.
But the letter would not go to her palace in Canterlot, but the city of Manehattan.
For Baltimare was not alone in the threat that plagued it.
Manehattan was being targeted as well.
This was where the lunar alicorn presided, guarding the city with a force similar in strength to Celestia's.
When the threats had arrived, both sisters had taken to move to the cities to support them directly.
Or as Luna put it, defend them personally.
While each sister headed to their respective city, the protection of Canterlot fell to her niece Princess Cadence and Captain of the Guard Shining Armor, fresh back from their honeymoon.
Celestia wished they had arrived back on more…pleasant circumstances.
Now, each city waited quietly, silently guarding against a threat looming.
Manehattan, Baltimare, and unintentionally Canterlot all stood at the ready as the rest of Equestria held its breath.
One of Celestia's ears suddenly flicked as it registered the sound of ponies approaching from her room that connected to the balcony.
Two solar guards in their golden armor approached her and after a moment, saluted.
"Princess, we have Mr. Kibitz waiting in the hall. He is ready to start the day. Shall we inform him you will be delayed?"
Princess Celestia took one last glance at the construction sight, noting that the progress continued without her.
She shook her head once.
"No, I’m more then ready. We are probably already behind as it is" Celestia offered a small smile.
The smile was mirrored by her guards, who together with their princess, left the openness of the balcony.
All the while, construction continued at the memorial, the crews continuing to work to repair what was left of the human event.
Inventory day.
Well, the librarian mused, that’s what I like to call it.
Inside the Hollow Shade's library, a tan brown unicorn was hard at work, moving about the various shelves that made up the length of her library. A clipboard hovered in her magical grasp as she perused the aisles of the building, paying close attention to the rows upon rows of books waiting to be checked. A quill flicked across the length of paper on the clipboard multiple times as her eyes scanned a shelf from top to bottom.
Once reaching the bottom, her chestnut colored eyes scanned her paper once more and finding everything correct, continued onto the next shelf to repeat the process anew.
She continued like this multiple times, till one section gave her pause.
A book was missing in a place it clearly should have been, the gaping hole in the shelf rather bothersome to the mare.
Stopping her train of work for a moment, she looked around the multiple other aisles, attempting to find the book. Perhaps it was left on the ground by a careless foal or just left on one of the various reading tables, all but forgotten.
She looked and looked again.
But could not find the missing book.
She even went as far to check the sign-out list at the very entrance to her library.
Still, nopony had signed out the apparent book.
The unicorn shook her head, more then likely it had been a foal hoping to unlock the secrets of the tome.
It was not a very important book anyway; she could easily order another from Canterlot or another city.
After all, multiple issues of A Foal's Guide to Magic were needed right?