With the re-emergence of the noctalas three years ago and their subsequent integration into the Palace Guard, Luna had felt free to allow any pegasi assigned to her guard to transfer. The noctala leaders had proudly declared that noctalas were just as capable as pegasi. A bit naively, she had accepted their affirmations on faith and assumed that they could fill any pegasus role and seamlessly replace all pegasi who were transferring to shifts during daylight hours. Unfortunately, that decision soon proved ill-informed and it’s timing premature. For while it was true that noctalas were amazing flyers, they could not replace pegasi pony-for-pony at every task. Drawing chariots and tasks involving heavy lifting especially highlighted their shortcomings. Pegasi in general were faster, had greater endurance, ascended more rapidly, and carried much more weight before being encumbered than the typical noctala. The one advantage noctalas held over pegasi was maneuverability, and they had that in spades. No pegasus could hope to out maneuver a noctala. They could literally fly circles around any pegasus that tried following them through turns; there was no contest nor debate in that arena. But exceptional maneuverability wasn’t a quality highly prized for chariot work.
Eight noctalas labored at the task of hauling Carry On, her cadets, and a few necessary bags in the largest of the palace chariots. Leathery wings beat at the air and fought for speed and altitude all the way down the runway. They narrowly cleared the railing and then slowly clawed their way skyward. Two more noctalas pulling a much smaller chariot that held only Tiara and her two guards followed the first on a slightly higher, less cringe-worthy, flightpath.
Nevertheless, the sight caused Luna to examine the two noctalas that were hitched to her chariot waiting for the order to take off. Their rippling flight muscles confidently advertised strength enough for the task, but flight didn’t depend solely upon muscle power. All of the advantages that pegasi enjoyed over noctalas could be attributed to most obvious difference: Feathered wings. Pegasi had them, but noctalas didn’t. Muscles were necessary to a degree - and the bulging masses were definitely attractive to behold - but right now, Luna wished that she could see feathers.
“Charioteers,” Luna prepared to give the order to move.
“One moment, Princess.” Marble interrupted.
Luna quickly cast a silence spell over them to prevent what she was about to say from being overheard. “There’s no need to fear, Marble, should our charioteers fail, you and I can both fly clear.”
“I have no doubt,” Marble replied at once, “that’s not why I asked you to stop, Princess,” He tilted his head toward the palace. “Princess Celestia has arrived.”
Luna looked up to see her sister walking out toward the landing. Their eyes met, and Celestia stopped. Luna turned away. “We need to leave now to keep up with our party.”
Marble hopped down from the chariot. “With all due respect, Princess, I will not stand by while you sabotage your newly won rapport with your sister.”
Luna’s brow knotted at his incongruent statement. “What are you talking about?”
“When you came to me this morning, I could tell that you had recently experienced a life-affirming event. I have come to believe that Princess Celestia was a major part of it. Am I correct?”
Luna sighed then nodded. “My sister and I had a heart-to-heart talk and bonded this morning.”
Marble’s eyes widened. “This morning? Then after you slept for a few hours, you wake up to find that Princess Celestia took some initiative and now you’re avoiding her?”
Her ears reverberated with the Taint’s howl for violence and Luna’s vision went red. “You don’t understand!” She said through clenched teeth and her tail snapped in angry arcs. “She does this all the time! And every time I’ve tried to talk to her about it, she justifies her actions and I end up feeling petty or unreasonable.”
“I think I do understand, quite well. I have seen these same problems in many relationships, Princess. It’s not uncommon. Your long lifespans and your leadership roles are probably amplifying the issue. However, avoiding confrontation is worse than heated exchanges. You need to talk with her.”
“And I shall,” Luna said resolutely, “after I get back.”
“I strongly recommend that you talk about it now. After all, Princess Celestia is here; she has made the first overture. I’m certain that she knows that you are angry, but she is standing there waiting, wanting to be here for you. Do you really want to be the one that slaps away the olive branch and widens the divide between you?”
Luna’s nostrils flared and her ears laid back flat against her head. “Fine!” She grumbled angrily and jumped down from the chariot. “Are you not coming?”
Marble pursed his lips. “I would, but first I would have to obtain Princess Celestia’s permission, then have her sign the necessary agreements, statements, and wavers, and then do a comprehensive background on her, which – considering her age – may take me the better part of three years. Finally, somepony is going to have to bring out a couch for each of you and one comfy chair for me. And I haven’t even mentioned the extra complications for billing: Group therapy, out-of-office therapy, after-hours fees…” Marble let his voice trail off and shook his head. “For expediency, it’s probably best if you went by yourself.”
Luna stared at him, her ears askew, “did you just make – a joke?”
“If you found humor in it, then yes. I did.”
A smile appeared till she started again toward her sister and froze. “Marble, I fear that our conversation will again devolve to argument. I will not contend with my sister in public.”
Marble slid up next to her. “Very good. This is how you should start your conversation: ‘Celestia, when you took that action; it made me feel this way’. Be as specific and descriptive as you can.”
Luna worked her jaw back and forth. “Is that all?”
“Yes. Tell her specifically what her actions made you feel.” Marble confidently reiterated, but Luna frowned, unconvinced. “Give it a try, Princess,” Marble encouraged her, “if you feel like you are losing control, then excuse yourself, embrace her, and leave with a promise to talk again later. But it’s important for you to let her know what you feel and to give her a chance to understand your position while the events are fresh in your minds. Both of you have expressed the desire for a better relationship, so take the next step.”
Luna inhaled, pulled her chin up, and walked straight to her older sister, who loomed larger and larger with every step. Icy pinpricks spread over her and her mouth went dry. Too soon they were face to face and not a word came to her mind.
“You’re upset with me.” Celestia stated. Luna felt herself nod. “I only took actions that would serve to build your reputation. I did nothing that would undermine your authority or sovereignty.”
Luna bristled and clenched her jaw. “Thou chose to invite a guest for my guest to dinner without consulting me. How dost thou claim no breach of our sovereignty?”
“Am I not free to invite guests to dinner?”
Luna stamped her hoof “Yea, sister, thou art always able to make defense of thy actions as reasonable, wise, and unselfish. Tis a shame how ungrateful we are!” she snarled.
“When did I say that you were being ungrateful?”
“Wilt thou cease thy inquisition!” Luna demanded, too loudly, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “We refuse to speak anymore on this matter. We must depart.” She said, and abruptly turned and trotted away.
Marble stood blocking her access to the chariot. “We tried. Now stand aside so we may depart.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t do as I instructed, Princess. You must tell her what her actions made you feel. Do not debate her. Go back and try again.”
She glared at him, but he didn’t fade or wilt. “Board our chariot or remove thyself at once!” she demanded.
“No.” he said.
“We are in no mood to suffer insolence!” Luna seethed.
“I am not being insolent,” Marble interrupted, “I am helping you. You want to repair your relationship with your sister; you have two options. First, try therapeutic dialog – speaking with her the way I instructed – your other option is to go back, embrace her, and promise to talk with her again on your return. Either way, the best chance you have at repairing and strengthening your relationship with your sister involves you returning to her before we leave.”
Predatory howls and violent images filled her head; the Taint demanded action. The sensation and intensity was the same as that night a millennia ago, however, her memory effectively nullified the taint's allure. She banished the thoughts and took a quick breath. "When you obstruct me and fail to acknowledge and obey me as your Princess, I feel great anger.”
“Good application of my instruction, Princess.” Marble nodded approval. “However, when you choose to forget that our relationship is based on equality and mutual respect, I feel that my time is being wasted with senseless powerplays.”
“My sister is right to avoid you.” Luna groused at Marble but inwardly exulted at her victory over the Taint. For all the dragonesque power it had mere moments ago, she had just shouldered it aside like a painted stage prop.
“I’ll wait here for you to realize and express your gratitude for my obstruction, Princess.” Marble said.
Luna pinched up her cheeks and faced her sister. Prospects for victory in this arena seemed far less promising. Her sister loomed ahead: Bright, Beautiful, Powerful. More adjectives sprang to mind unbidden the closer she got. Superlatives surrounded her sister like her aura. She was too high, too mighty, and too perfect. She was Celestia of the Sun, Firstborn, The Wise and Benevolent Leader of Equestria. Luna also knew what descriptors would surround her, and they were not glowing, nor flowery.
Her sister didn't say anything. Their eyes remained locked and their silence stretched out, Celestia knew how to be patient. Whether she liked it or not, Luna had to open the dialog. Her instructions were simple, but here, face-to-face with her sister, she struggled to recall the formula. "When you made the dinner invitation that was by right mine to make, I felt my sovereignty violated."
"Did I fail to make myself clear? All that I did was intended for your benefit." Celestia explained, sounding completely sincere and innocent, to Luna's great irritation.
Luna first struggled to clamp down her angry retort, then after the wave of anger passed, she worked to un-clench her jaw so she could reply. "When you refuse to acknowledge how your actions make me feel, I feel marginalized."
"Would you have preferred awkward silences at dinner? Or the possibility that your actions have left the Palace a debtor to Marble leaving him to feel used, resentful, and less inclined to assist you in the future?"
Luna's hackles rose and her vision blurred. A sea of unexpected emotions rose and threatened to overwhelm her, and there, just within reach lay the Taint offering its treacherous hand. She fought to keep her focus on the formula. "When you justify yourself and your actions, I feel patronized."
Celestia's jaw worked up and down, but she was silent. She closed her mouth. "I'm listening, Luna."
It was the moment that Luna had dreamed of, when her sister would just stop and listen, but she found herself full of emotion and empty of means to coherently communicate. It was uniquely infuriating. She wiped her eyes, then hated that she had to do that. Celestia stood quietly, knowing from her experience to be patient. That didn't comfort Luna much, despite it being exactly what she wanted and needed; it was just another example of her perfect sister being perfect, and that fact chafed. Nevertheless, she pulled her thoughts together.
"I know that you are trying to help me. I know that." Luna began, her voice quivering more than she wanted, "I believe that you want the best for me, but I also feel that you are preventing me from becoming a fully competent princess and leader." Celestia blinked twice. Luna continued. "We both acknowledged that 'Experience makes a harsh schoolmaster', but by taking the initiatives that you do, you make me look competent without allowing me any of the confidence or competence that working through the situation myself would have allowed. I will always be eclipsed by you if this continues. And the resentment I feel will be a constant thorn between us."
"You do see that, Don't you?" Luna entreated. Celestia bit her lip. "I know that it will be painful, I know that it will be embarrassing, and I know that it may have great costs to the palace and our reputations in the short term, but I can't learn these lessons any other way.
"Please, sister, as you do with your students, and let me...be."
Celestia took a breath and glanced about the tarmac. "When I finally succeeded in consolidating Equestria, I concentrated on the affairs of the new state and left you on your own to find your own path and place. You became resentful and rebelled." A hind hoof tapped an uneven rhythm and her ears splayed in all directions. "Now it sounds to me like you are asking me to do the very same thing that drove us apart so long ago."
Luna closed her eyes, "I hear your apprehension, and I admit that I am probably asking for too much." Luna stared over to the moon. "If you did exactly what I just asked, I am likely to resent you again for not intervening when a situation of mine goes badly wrong." She looked back at her sister. "I'm sorry I'm not easy, and I'm sorry that managing our relationship causes you such pain."
Celestia chuckled once, two tears raced down her cheeks. "I willingly choose the pain of having you in my life, Luna. I'm sorry that I have not discovered a happy medium with you in all these years. I built an empire when what I needed was a sister."
"We will figure it out, sister." Luna stepped forward. "We have the time."
Celestia winced, squeezing out two more tears. "I don't know what I feel when we are apart, Luna, but it isn't pleasant. Please, never again leave without saying goodbye."
Luna pushed forward, pressing her neck against her sister. Celestia eagerly hooked her chin over Luna's withers and pulled her in tight. "I hope to be back by morning, Celly. I will send word if anything changes."
Celestia sniffed and nodded, releasing her. "You need to find your answers, and you need to be on your own. I will do my best to honor your needs."
"And I will do my best to honor yours. It was wrong of me to try to leave so abruptly. I'm sorry."
"Forgiven." Celestia wiped her dampened cheeks. "Will you send me to bed?"
Luna smiled. She breathed on her sister, ending by giving her nose a light kiss. "Celestia, I command thee to go to bed, sleep, and dream."
Celestia inhaled Luna's flowery breath and swooned, a faint smile on her lips. "Thank you."
"Good bye for now, Celly. You will see me when you wake."
The two sisters parted, each going their way, but each looked back before leaving.