I knew I was taking a great risk – in more ways than one – by doing what I was about to do, but I could bear that saddened face no more.
 
“My Empress,” I began, kneeling before her. “I know I am but a simple guardsman and it is not my place to speak of such things, but… standing where I stand in my duties, I cannot help but see the suffering which etches thy face. I know little of the intrigues that plague the empire, but I know that they must weigh upon thee greatly, and I cannot bear to see my Empress suffer in such a way.
 
“And so I beg of you now, my Empress,” I risked looking up and directly into her eyes. A huge gamble, but I had to show her the sincerity of my every word. “If there is anything that I can do that might bring the Sun’s light back, anything at all, please let me do so, that thy burden might be eased.”
 
Empress Celestia stared at me for what seemed like a terrible eternity. Then quietly, more it seemed to herself than to me, she spoke: “…Perhaps there is.”
 
The Empress glanced to either side, as if checking for prying eyes, then motioned for me to come closer. She pressed a metal object into my hand. At first glance it looked to be a sun brooch, much the same as those worn by many members of the Imperial Court including guards like myself, but on closer examination I noticed that this one had a tiny ruby embedded in its center, so tiny as to be invisible from all but the shortest distances.
 
“Go to the Merchants’ Guild,” the Empress said to me. “Inform Lady Rarity that thou dost require suitable evening wear for the Gala. We grant thee leave from thy duties to attend to this, and we shall speak further tonight.”
 
“As my Empress commands,” I replied, bowing.
 
Some part of my mind wondered if I had just been caught up in some palace intrigue whose nature I could only begin to guess at. Still, it seemed as though my actions had lifted the Empress’s burden ever so slightly. That alone made it worth whatever risks I might face.