Come Little Children

by BlueEyedMelloon

Chapter 2

The door quietly opened to the throne room. Celestia was practically wrapped in paperwork, letters and petitions piled around her in a muddled cacophony of desperation. The pink haired princess herself was barely visible beneath the avalanche, and as Luna approached, she called out softly so as not to startle her.

“Celestia?” she called, stopping a few feet from the gilded throne. There was no response, and she took a few steps forward. “Celestia? Art thou in there?”

There was movement, and Celestia’s head rose from the papers. “Ah Luna. Good to see you. I apologize for not responding. The kingdom is becoming desperate, and we are trying to mediate their problems while avoiding favoritism.” There were bags under her eyes, and it was apparent to Luna that her elder had spent many a sleepless night deciding which requests to grant. She smiled sympathetically, and said “You have done thine kingdom well. However, we have a proposition that might benefit the kingdom more than granting endless requests.”

This gathered Celestia’s full attention. Her white ears perked forward and she rose to her hooves, stepping over the parchment piles to face Luna fully. The midnight pony realized with bitterness that Celestia was much taller than herself, though they weren’t that far apart in age. She was to remain smaller than her sister, and she kept her head down out of nervousness more than respect.

“Pray tell little sister, what plan have thee designed?”

Luna took a deep breath, and then lifted her gaze to lock with Celestia’s. “Sister, we wish to make our own colony. One that we can watch over personally and help grow.” Celestia did not say a word, though her brow furrowed. Luna chose to ignore this warning sign and pressed on. “By taking ponies of our choice, we can relieve some of the stress on supplies that are being sent to help. We can assure the safety of our colony so that all of Equestria may begin to rebuild.” She finished her speech and stared at Celestia hopefully. She had not voiced her final reason for wanting a colony of her own. While she loved her dear sister, she was jealous of the attention that Celestia received because of her duty as the keeper of the sun. Ponies frolicked and reveled in the warm sunlight, but when Luna brought forth the moon, they retreated into their homes and ignored the beauty of night to sleep. A colony of her own would love her night as much, or perhaps more than Celestia’s day, and finally she would get the attention as a true Princess.

There was a long uninterrupted pause, and the more time that elapsed, the more nervous the Princess of the Night became. Celestia’s brow furrowed even more, until it seemed like she was having trouble seeing Luna more than thinking. When she finally spoke, it was with a firm tone, one that did not invite argument.

“We cannot allow it Luna. While thy heart is of good intent, creating another colony will not bring the Kingdom together. Nay, it would split Equestria in a way that our powers combined cannot remedy.” She sighed as the hurt of rejection crossed the starry-haired alicorn’s face. She did not want to deny her own sister, but separating ponies into another colony would simply create dissonance between those who were chosen to go and those who were to remain behind. And with tensions as they were, even the smallest ripple could lead to an all-out feud.

“I am sorry sister, but for the good of the Kingdom, we must deny thy request.” She closed her eyes and turned away from the disappointed pony, using her magic to bring a stack of papers to her eyes. She glanced backwards, but Luna had not left. She was still staring at the ground, eyes cast downward. Celestia sighed, and went back to her papers, uncomfortable with her sister’s sadness. She knew that Luna was only trying to help, but she couldn’t grant her request.

Luna stood still for a while, a flicker of hope crossing when Celestia looked back. But her decision remained firm, and she finally turned away and let the elder do her work, shuffling her feet to the guarded doors. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes, and she sniffed petulantly, roughly wiping a hoof over her lids to prevent them from falling. Celestia was wrong.

An unfamiliar feeling poked a tendril into her heart. Something wavered there, teasing her emotions. Celestia was wrong, Luna was right. What kind of ruler would not allow somepony to help even just one subject? You should be angry.

"Please sister, allow us to try. This plan could save lives." She turned back once more, forsaking formality and pleading to her as a family member.

"Save lives, possibly. But it may also end lives as well." The sun princess's eyes hardened upon her sister. "What of those who are not chosen for this colony? Wouldst thou leave them to suffer while thy chosen subjects are coddled by thy help? What method doest thee have for choosing these ponies? No Luna, thy plan is flawed and will bring nothing but heartache to this already weakened kingdom. We cannot allow it." Her voice became harsh, and though she hated to do it, Celestia stared down her co-ruler. On this, she would not waver.

Luna knew in her heart that her own colony would help Equestria, not hinder it. But with the commanding gaze of Celestia upon her, Luna hung her head in defeat. "I understand." She trotted to her room, opening and closing the door with magic. There she flopped onto her bed, sprawled in a very unprincess-like manner until it was her time to raise the moon. As she went to her balcony and began the spell to bring it forth, she watched Celestia lower the sun from her own balcony. Then her eyes went to the kingdom below, and she watched with sadness as ponies withdrew into their houses for the night, forsaking the beautiful thing that she was bringing into the sky and ignoring the stars that had begun to twinkle.

She felt sorrow in her heart, and after the moon was in place, Luna spread her wings and flew down to the city below.

Canterlot was a shell of its former self. The buildings were bedraggled; the thatched roofs thin and open to the air in some places. Ragged curtains hung in windows, and not a soul was on the streets. Everything was deathly quiet but for Luna’s silver shoed hooves clickty clacking on the cobblestones. Now and then she would see the light of a candle, hear the hushed tones of parents lamenting about finances and where their budget could be cut while children slept, unaware of the trouble that plagued mommy and daddy’s minds. Occasionally a cardboard tent would signal the location of someone whose misfortune had taken the ultimate turn. Homeless ponies were practically unheard of before Discord, but now more and more slapdash homes were appearing just out of sight of the guards.

Luna stopped in the town square, sadness and despair reaching a peak. This town used to bustle with activity during the day. Hundreds came from miles around to the Equestria renowned theaters and the market days on the weekends. Now instead of slumbering excitement, desperation as all she could feel from the lonely streets. It hovered in the wind, and moaned down alleyways, as if the city itself were crying out for its lost glory. Luna squeezed her eyes shut. Nopony should have to live in squalor like this. She stood alone in the square for what felt like hours, though it was only a few minutes.

Suddenly her eyes opened, and instead of sadness, determination sparkled in her eyes. She must save her people. A plan began to form in her mind, hastened by her desire to help the ponies she helped to rule over. The alicorn lifted off, circling to gain height before soaring back to her balcony. Once inside her darkened room, Luna drew the shades, lighting a candle and levitating a piece of parchment to her as well as a quill. She began to scribble words, her brain working faster than her quill. She stuck out her tongue, and scratched out a thought, revising it. All night she worked, until at last her plan was formed. With the rising of the sun, she took to her bed, parchment folded and tucked under his pillow where none would dare search. She would help her people, even if it meant defying her sister.

Equestria came first.