The Stars That Circle the Moon

by Swaglestia

Second Child Syndrome

The floor of the library was in its usual state. A layer of half-open scrolls and texts were strewn about the floor, veiling the wood underneath and creating a makeshift obstacle course for anyone brash enough to try and get through. What scarce light there was beamed from a single lantern that sat between two ponies, the blinking flame illuminating the hefty book in front of them and coaxing their shadows to dance along walls.

Luna was muzzle-deep into the tome's yellowed pages, eyes wide as saucers as they skimmed through the words with rapid ease. "This Freud fellow was awfully displaced," she said, her stare never straying from passage before her. "... and a bit warped."

"Oh, I know." Twilight smiled at Luna, suppressing a chuckle at how the princess' normally refined features contorted at the content of the textbook, repulsed and engrossed all at once. "Believe me, I felt the same way."

"In Freudian psychosexual theory," the alicorn read, brows furrowing. "The Electra Complex serves as the female equivalent of the Oedipus Complex, in which a female child is conflicted with the desire to sexually possess her father and eliminate the mother rival. The female child is very attached to her mother at first, then begins to resent her when she realizes that she does not have a- My goodness, Twilight, this is absolutely preposterous."

"Yeah, it's a little... outlandish." Twilight shrugged, grin growing sheepish. "But his theories are considered the best and most widely accepted."

Luna stared, mouth in a slight gape. "This?" She threw a hoof out, gesturing to the book. "This is the most widely accepted theory? That young fillies and colts wish to... copulate with their parents?"

"There's more to it than that, but..." The unicorn trailed off, rubbing her chin.

"Now I understand why psychology is considered a pseudoscience."

"Soft science," Twilight said, rolling her eyes and giving the princess a playful shove. "Not pseudo."

Luna huffed. "My statement still stands."

"Here." Twilight's magic ensnared the textbook, pages flipping like mad within the purple aura until they reached a chapter somewhere towards the end. "Alhoof Adler's work might be easier to swallow."

Luna scanned the title, then frowned. "Birth order?"

Twilight nodded, skidding the book closer to the alicorn. "This one has some more... merit to it."

And, in truth, it did. Sure, this whole study session may have been an underhanded coincidence that just so happened to be scheduled by the young scholar herself, who indeed was well aware that this particular theory would strike some deep, jarring chord within Luna, but it was also education -- at least, that's what she told herself. No harm in facts. No harm in the pursuit of knowledge.

I hope.

She gulped.

"Firstborn children," Luna recited, although considerably slower this time, as if trying to absorb every word and carve it into her psyche, "are typically observed to be serious, directive, conscientious, goal-oriented, conservative, responsible, high achieving, and high in self-esteem. They may learn the concept of power at a young age and this can be expressed in their desire to help, protect, and lead others. The firstborn is also put under a considerable amount of pressure to succeed, and is often shocked by the introduction of a competitor into the family; this may lead to sibling rivalry."

The unicorn watched as Luna's eyes wandered down the page, hesitating. "Go on," Twilight said, leaning into the princess.

She continued. "The habits of many second-borns are motivated by the fact that they have never truly been in the spotlight, always watching the firstborn achieve and pioneer ahead. They often carry a sense of not belonging or being ignored, resorting to fighting to receive attention. Insecurity is a dominating trait that will affect relationships throughout their entire lives."

Halting for a split second, she took a hollow, shaky breath. "In certain cases, the second-born will see life from a hopeless standpoint, becoming depressed or even lonely. They look to the firstborn for direction and guid-" Luna visibly stiffened up, features becoming sharp. "Again, these are nothing but fabricated assumptions."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow.

The princess slammed the book shut, much harder than intended. A film of dust clouded up the air. "You and your brother get along marvelously, thus invalidating the entire theory."

"True," Twilight said. "But that wasn't always the case."

"How so?" Luna still appeared doubtful, her gaze projecting a subtle hint of accusation, but Twilight couldn't blame her -- the princess had, after all, played a vital role in what was probably the largest demonstration of the perils of birth order ever seen by the world.

"We actually didn't really get along at first," the unicorn said, looking away in thoughtful recollection. "It was natural, I guess. Shining and I were two determined, strong-willed ponies living in one house, we were bound to bump heads."

"You seem so..." The corner of Luna's mouth turned downwards. "Casual, and at peace with it. Did it not ail you to know that you and your brother thought ill of each other?"

"I was too young to understand, I think," Twilight said, peering down and rubbing the leather cover of the book with a distracted hoof. "All I knew at the time was that he was the big dumb jerk who always told me that our parents found me in a trashcan as a baby and only took me home because they felt bad."

Luna's eyelids shot open. "He would tell you that?"

"Oh, yeah." Twilight gave a curt laugh.

"In what way did you two... settle your differences?"

"Well," Twilight began, noticing that the princess was fiddling with her hooves, kneading them together while she awaited the answer. "We both just... grew up, I guess."

"Grew up?" Luna tweaked her head sideways.

"Yeah," the smaller one said as if it were the simplest concept ever created. "Matured. Him and I got over all the negative and started helping each other out. I would even go on to say that the rivalry and loathing in the beginning helped."

Luna's gaze snapped towards Twilight. "How?"

"It brought out the best and worst parts of us." She wrapped a foreleg around the alicorn. "Because of it, we know each other that much better -- our bond is that much stronger."

"I see..." Luna shied away, the nervous fidgeting increasing and her eyes darting everywhere except the unicorn beside her. She sucked in a copious breathe. "I regret to say that I must conclude this visit earlier than usual."

"Oh?" Twilight dueled with the smirk that yanked at her lips. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes," Luna said, jostling to her hooves in a haste. "Just a minor issue, diplomatic in nature. Very trite and mundane."

And as the princess dove in for a parting kiss, Twilight's mind rejoiced.

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!

Luna heard the coarse mechanical clunk of the tall chamber door unlocking itself, a floating voice chasing after it. "Come in."

Obeying, she entered the room with slow and timid steps, although her head was held high. She cleared her throat with a delicate cough. "Good evening, Celestia."

The Princess of the Sun scooped her gaze out from the mountain of letters and treaties and proclamations that had accumulated on her desk, meeting her sister with a smile. "Ahh, Luna," she said, patting the empty space beside her. "Come, join me."

Luna sauntered over and settled down next to Celestia, hesitating before quickly burying her face in the broad white surface of her sister's neck and wrapping a dark wing around her -- a gesture she had abandoned and left to burn in her childhood.

Celestia's grin then fell suddenly, as if swept clear off her face. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no. Nothing so grim, sister," Luna said, pulling back and peering up at the elder princess. "I merely wish to ask you how your day was."

"My day?" Celestia looked incredulous as she sunk into the embrace, Luna having to mask her grimace at the slight reluctance she sensed in the way her sister's muscles tensed against her. "It was just like any other."

"Tedious and dreary?" The younger one deadpanned, but humor was alive in her voice.

She chuckled. "Exactly."

"If it's not too much of an inconvenience, would you like to..." Luna bit the inside of her lip before continuing, "tell me about it?

Celestia nudged the stack of papers away and grinned, warm, just like everything else about her. "I would love to."