//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A Sister’s Helping Hoof // by RoyalPonySisters //------------------------------// Luna enjoyed the chocolate cherry milkshake she had picked up in the kitchens when she went to ask them to serve her sister lunch. The chefs were loathe to allow a Princess to leave emptyhooved, so she had accepted the milkshake, and it was delicious. It improved her mood and made her feel a good deal more awake, which was important considering the next thing on her sister’s to-do list: Day Court. Luna already ran her own Night Court, so she knew what to expect, but she also knew that one couldn’t hold court without a clear mind. And she was going to do a perfect job in court, she told herself. This was one task she couldn’t afford mistakes in, so she had best be as prepared as possible. If a chocolate cherry milkshake was part of that preparation, so be it. Most of the ponies looked quite surprised to see the Princess of the Night stride in to the Day Court. “I will be convening the Day Court today, as my sister is- she cannot attend.” Luna announced. She decided not to mention Celestia’s illness, as she was worried about causing a ruckus. “I take it that this is alright with everypony?” The looks on some of the faces of the ponies in front of her suggested that not everypony was alright with this, but none of them dared contradict the Lunar Princess. “Very well then, who is first?” Luna asked, gesturing for whoever it were to come forward. A pair of Pegasi trotted up, and Court began. Although the Day Court was exhausting, Luna was enjoying herself. She settled into it easily, and there were some interesting cases. There were the regular property disputes, of course, a couple of murders, and now she was listening to a fascinating case about an enchanted diamond. Two families claimed ownership of it, each presenting documents that supported their ownership. Apparently, the diamond’s enchantment functioned as a protection for its home, and that was where the troubles began. One family had owned both the diamond and its original house, and then sold the house to others. The diamond had refused to budge from its spot on the wall, and the original family wanted to cut it out of the wall. They had only sold the house, they claimed, not the diamond. The buyers countered that cutting through the wall would destroy part of their house and it was unclear if it would even work. Furthermore, the diamond was clearly magically connected to the house, so as owners of the house, they should be considered the owners of it as well. Luna considered both sides, but in the end she proclaimed, “An inanimate object, no matter how magical, has no agency and cannot choose its owners, at least not in the eyes of the law. The law respects the rights and agencies of ponies, who also understand their responsibilities, but not the rights of an object with no conscience. Therefore the sellers of the home are the diamond’s true owners.” She turned to the jubilant party and tempered their celebration, warning, “I would caution you to hire somepony well-versed in spell-breaking to retrieve it, rather than destroying the house, and you are still liable for any damages the house incurs in the process of removing the gem. Of course, you can still consider bequeathing or selling the diamond to the buyers of your house, as its ‘will’ seems to be.” After that case she raised up her hoof, “The Day Court will adjourn now. All petitioners may return tomorrow. Thank you!” She cantered out and the petitioners walked out after her, with all the muttering that she was so familiar with from the Night Court. Next on the list was a flyover in the new Canterlot stadium of the Wonderbolts. This was one activity she did not have to fake excitement for- it was nice to say hello to her friend Rainbow Dash and besides, this was genuinely fun. This was the kind of moment she had always been jealous of Celestia because of. She loved the cheering, albeit slightly surprised, when she sat down at the stadium with her guards. She loved watching the Wonderbolts fly around, and whenever they passed her, they sped up just a bit, and did an extra flip, just to impress her. She loved the feeling that this was her Equestria, that they were doing this in the world she maintained, that somehow, it was her accomplishment as well. She knew, instinctively, that this was how Celestia felt at her best, and that this was what kept her going throughout all the rest of the days dealing with Paper Cut and his ilk. It was after experiencing this, as well as her pride about how she’d handled Court, that Luna decided to report back to her sister. It would feel good to prove to Celestia her competency in rulership. She teleported just outside her sister’s room, and rapped on the ivory double doors just a bit enthusiastically. “Luna? Is that you?” her sister’s voice rang out. “It is, Sister. I would like to report to you on your duties.” “Do come in then.” She pushed through the doors and trotted in, and gazed at her sister, who was shivering in bed quietly. Luna lifted her hoof onto the white Alicorn’s forehead, just under her long, regal horn, and sighed. “Celestia, you’re still warm.” “Don’t worry about me,” Celestia responded quickly. “Tell me how things went.” Luna related excitedly the goings on of the Day Court, and of the case of the enchanted diamond, and her decision. She looked at Celestia earnestly, but Celestia frowned instead. “Luna, why did you have to delve into the agency of magical objects? The legal precedent you have set here is massive, when before it was far more vague. You could’ve pointed out instead that the buyers clearly didn’t purchase the diamond with the house because it wasn’t included in the title deed. Or you could’ve said that the buyers had a legitimate claim because the protection the diamond offered was part of the deal with the house. There was no need to delve into the nature of the diamond itself. We know there are magic objects that do choose their owners, in a sense, and we don’t want the law to get in the way of that!” The rebuke stung, and Luna wasn’t sure how to react. She had felt so proud and accomplished, and in a second it was gone. Meekly she conveyed over her visit to the Wonderbolts show, and Celestia nodded. “I wish I could’ve been there. It was months of work to get that new stadium built in Canterlot. This was the opening show, and I didn’t get to see it. I’m glad you had fun, though.” Oh. So it hadn’t been for her at all. Luna hadn’t made anything happen; the show had truly belonged to Celestia. The pain in her heart grew larger and angrier, and she had sudden desire to leave this room now. Her sister, unaware of these thoughts, chose this moment to announce to Luna, “Maybe I should take over now. I appreciate that you’re trying, but I think there are some things that only I should do....” “Oh no, I insist you stay in bed and rest!” Luna said through gritted teeth. She had started this job, damnit, and she was going to finish it, even if all the enjoyment had been sucked out, and she just wanted to go to sleep. At this point she was doing it only for herself, as it was clear that nothing she would do would be good enough for Celestia. Not waiting for her sister to respond, Luna trotted out sadly to complete the list.