//------------------------------// // Illusions // Story: Afraid of the Light // by BiniBean //------------------------------// Chapter Three: Illusions Within weeks of her rulership, Celestia realized how fundamentally flawed ponies as a species was, including herself and Luna. She was surrounded by Nobility all day, barking orders at her, demanding new laws at random chaotic moments to try to gain more money into their own pockets. Surrounded by ponies who always had their own agenda and way of trying to manipulate the crown to suit their needs. Even the purest of ponies could not escape its toxic hold. She wasn't exactly angry at the ponies around her, they were mortal after all. She was mortal at a point and understood the knowledge of death, of knowing you are on a ticking clock to the end. How short their lives were in a sense and the need to be remembered for something, even if it was awful was a powerful drive to do very foolish things. They could only think short term, something Luna was struggling to understand. Within a month of Celestia and Luna taking the throne, they agreed to hold court, one for the day and one for the night. Celestia's Solar Court was the more popular option. She was the elder sister and had a step higher level of authority than Luna. The ponies, poor and rich had come to the unspoken agreement that if you needed something done, trick the higher authority. Besides, going out into the dead of night to venture into a dangerous forest that protects the castle wasn't exactly an appealing idea unless you were very desperate for an audience with an Alicorn. So they came flooding to the Solar Court, and she grew to understand quite quickly that she and Luna were looked upon as powerful goodnesses, especially her. The poor came with the expectation that she could save them with a spell of her horn or flag of her wings. The rich thought she could be tricked, as all the leaders were tricked before her. The smiles she was given as a unicorn, and the ponies she once knew when she was moral had turned out to be as fake as Nobels when they were desperate enough. Nobody truly wants to know what a 'goddess' is like truly. They want to know what they can take to benefit themselves and their families. Celestia had started to play the same game they were. She gave a fake smile, maybe too many fake laughs, said all the needed words and even tried her best to be kind to the Nobels as they tried to scam their way into tearing down another orphanage for their homes. It was exhausting and on top of all the scrolls and laws she had to go through each day, she found herself either alone or in her study working without breaks. Sometimes she even forgot to eat or sleep. Of course, there was always a spell she could use to hide her exhaustion. She knew Luna had been suffering. She barely saw Luna at any point, she asked the servants to report back to her on news of how her sister was doing, especially the servants working during the night shifts. They were all worried for Luna, of course. She had become more blunt, snappy, and overall seemed to hate everypony and everything. Maybe it was because she lost her friends? Perhaps. Becoming an Alicorn doesn't exactly sit right with a group of friends if they become jealous. But the more likely case was, that the country was ignoring her. They were ignoring her for a few reasons, none of them were valid exactly but to limited minds and a mod mentality it made sense to them. Luna was not the highest authority, if the Nobels and common folk wanted anything to truly pass into law they had to go through Celestia to confirm. They were saving time and skipping that one unnecessary level to reach their goal. The next issue was Luna's attitude. Luna's thoughts about the world around her had been growing more dark and hateful since they took the crown, which had affected her sister's once bright attitude to turn into something much worse that no pony wanted to be around for long. The rumours that she kidnapped orphaned foals and fillies at night, then brainwashed them to become some...future army to explain her bat pony guards and why she flew the skies at night also did not help matters. Currently, Celestia sat at her usual golden throne, looking down upon the full throne room in front of her, the room full of ponies praising her existence. "All hail the sun! All Hail harmony!" They chanted with no consideration for the other Alicorn in the room, who sat slumped on the obsidian throne beside her with a dark scowl. It was the summer sun celebration, after all, she created the holiday to boost mortals shortly after they took the throne. So it just made logical sense they would focus on the sun. She gave a sideglance to Luna, who didn't stop staring into anything despite the activity of the room. Celestia gave a deep sigh and stood from her throne. She started a speech, a speech she practiced and rewrote many times. The sort of speech that would give a country hope for the future, give confidence in its leadership but most of all, hide the secrets it held close to its chest on how corrupt the whole monarchy truly was. As the mortal ponies listened to her every word as she recited it from her heart, she considered having a new holiday. A holiday about the moon perhaps? Luna did deserve one after all. Perhaps that would lift her mood? Of course, bringing a new holiday into law would be difficult. Her ears fell slightly back as she considered her already huge workload... But Luna... Luna needed something to occupy her mind. Perhaps she should ask Starswirl for his advice. He had been willing to help her with rules and changes since they started. She suspected Luna did not want to be around her, due to the fact Luna had been scowling at her and avoiding her for months. Maybe he could discuss the matter with her? She knew they had late-night talks about magic and such. The fake smile that spread across her face grew a little more as she pushed her hatred for her life circumstances down for the hundredth time. Everything was perfect. She finished her speech and sat down. Gesturing her wing open as a sign that the throne room was to be cleared and the audience was never happier. As the guards motioned for the room to be cleared, Luna quickly slipped away and Celestia was left alone. Trying to convince herself that everything was perfect, and certainly not doomed for failure.