Just putting it out there, I haven't read this, so I'll be looking it over soonish.

Will prove interesting.

Can't wait.

All my what.

OK reviews done!

What? You want a real review? Fine...
Here there be spoilers.

The Good!
This story is a wonderfully written piece, excellently crafted in both mechanics and concept. Its a great story that makes Celestia's lack of presence during the Discord episodes makes sense, with several funny moments between COLTlestia and hapless guard Eagle Eye. I enjoyed their interaction, as well as the short moments with the guards together, as well as your portrayal of Discord, as short as it was. While this is kind of story is not my usual cup of tea, it made me smile, laugh at work (interesting place to be reading pony fiction), and overall I left the piece satisfied.

The Not-So-Good
Something that made me furrow my eyebrows. There were a couple instances of repetition that simply were jarring to read. For example:
I could catch him off-guard with the sudden arrival of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, but I had lost the element of surprise as well as the Elements themselves.
The word elements comes up three times in quick succession. Not a fan of that. Later on:
Whatever could be the matter?
This line is repeated quickly and sounds like one of those NPCs from games who repeat the same line.

I wasn't a big fan of Celestia thinking back to her first student. It seemed like those "I'm immortal woe is me" stories, and I didn't get a lot out of it. No feelings. Maybe all this cold grimdark has made me cynical, but I felt that was the weakest part of the piece.

The What
Ahem. Spoilers.

DID YOU HAVE TO IMPLY COLTLESTIA WAS HAVING A BONER.
That is all.

Oh, you brought up Celestia wondering where Luna was, but that never seemed to have been resolved. I was kind of expecting Luna to do something silly, or just appear, or do anything to resolve that. Considering how worried she was for Luna's safety against Discord, it seemed odd that nothing happened. Maybe in the sequel, but since I haven't read that, seems off.

So there is my first review. Maybe I'll do one on the sequel. In any event, this piece gets two hooves up and I can't wait to read the next part.

This is Omega, and keep writing!

...

Celestial boner.

300076
The Luna thing was a joke that didn't pan out so well. It was intended as a play on how she never appears in any episodes (and hardly any fics now that she has a personality), but I guess it didn't play.

I'm glad someone finally dislikes the "woe is me" Celestia. Too many damn people fall over themselves praising it. I knew there was bound to be someone who hated it.

Malestia boner is best boner.

Fair warning: the sequel barely resolves a damn thing (me and my love of open-endedness), so unless you want a lot more of hapless Eagle Eye, it might not be worth checking out. Still, thanks for your thoughts.