The rising sun cast its light through the stained glass of the castle’s windows, lightning up Luna’s coat in a mixture of reds, blues and purples. She stood before the throne with an angry glare, her sister’s blatant disregard for Luna’s proposition proving to be nothing short of demeaning, prompting Luna to woefully retort.
“Sister, I believe you fail to fully understand what I am proposing.”
Princess Celestia’s unreadable expression did not falter, her tone holding adamantly. “I think I understand perfectly, Luna, and the answer is still no.”
Luna scoffed, beginning to pace the floor in an attempt to ease her growing aggravation. “And I suppose your reasoning has not changed?” Luna snidely shot back.
Her mane swayed with grace and Celestia continued to sit with regality, not for a second succumbing to Luna’s warning gaze. “Of course not. I'm sorry, Luna, but I simply refuse to allow for you to put ordinary citizens on the front lines, however rigorous your selection process was and however willing your participants are. I just cannot condone it.”
They'd had this conversation so many times now. Always with the same points and always with the same inevitable conclusion. Luna did not know why she expected this time to be any different than the last. But try she did, and try again she will. “And yet you still continue to condone using the Elements, still continue to risk them at every turn.”
The topic would eventually always turn back to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, which was the only time Celestia allowed her inner condemnation to show, her thin smile slipping into a steady frown. “You know that Twilight is quite capable, as are her friends. They possess a magic far beyond our comprehension, they are well protected against the threats they face.”
“They are still citizens!” Luna rebut, her voice rising ever so slightly. “They are still under our protection! They should not be put in harms way so willfully.”
And so the same ending was met, with Celestia retorting for the final time with her same inevitable conclusive argument. “I agree, civilians should not be put at risk, which is why my answer is still no.”
The sisters were stubborn on either side, a trait inherent in them both. Neither refused to back down against the other, especially when they knew that they were right and the other was so indubitably wrong.
Celestia endorsed the actions of The Elements of Harmony under the belief that the magic they possessed was ample protection for themselves and a valuable deterrence against all those who fought against the harmony of Equestria. The Elements’ daily lives and personal pursuits hardly being enough to waver Celestia’s position on the matter. Luna disagreed wholeheartedly. Luna saw the Elements just as Celestia did, but compounded her belief by the pretence that the Elements should be protected at all costs, to be used only as a last resort against an unfaltering foe and not as the first, every single time when danger struck.
Luna reinforced her belief by taking into consideration the lives of the individual Element bearers themselves. They did not choose to hold this power, they did not choose to be the ones to battle for Equestria’s soul on a regular basis; they just did, and they did so admirably. There were however others, there was always others. Others willing to stand together against disharmony, others willing to fight in the place of the Elements to the very bitter end.
Luna had spent many months pursuing that goal of assembling those others, and she was not about to let Celestia’s dismissal impact those plans.
“And I say no to you,” Luna shot back to her sister, her confidence ringing in her tone. “I say that all citizens should possess the right to defend Equestria should they so choose. I refuse to place the entirety of my hope on six individuals who we continually thrust into the fray! Alone, every time!” Luna pointed a hoof up in defiance. “Equestria is just as much my domain as it is yours, so I will continue to pursue this cause, with or without your approval, sister!”
Princess Celestia didn't move, though her small frown did dip ever so slightly further down. Ever since Luna had returned from her banishment and renewed her rule, the sisters had often been at odds with one another over their conflicting views of governance. Celestia’s had allowed her decision making to progress alongside Equestria for over a thousand years, whereas Luna preferred the old ways, the ways that were before her banishment. Both their considerations were often determined to be the most practical solution, the difficulty laid in one sister convincing the other to agree with them.
It often left the pair strained.
But regardless, Celestia knew she could not stop Luna despite her ever lingering thoughts of disapproval. Luna held just as much right over the ruling of Equestria as Celestia did, and neither thought it wise to go against the other in blatant defiance, however much they disagreed with whatever the issue was. The sisters may have had their difficulties, but the pair trusted each other, they shared with each other, they were relied upon by the other.
Hence why Luna had even told Celestia any of this.
“I hope you know what you're doing, Luna.” Celestia softly spoke, turning her mane covered eye away. “I only ask that you keep me informed.”
Despite herself, Luna smiled at that. “When do I not, sister?” Luna soothingly replied as she turned on her heel, exiting the throne room and leaving her sister to reside over the continued rising of the sun, her inner turmoil slowly melding away as her horn glowed gold.
Luna paced through the hall in a passive stride. The hour was early and Luna’s duties over the night had come to an end, so she thought it best she retire to her bedchambers to rest. Guards and maidens roamed the halls in droves, bowing to Luna as she continued on her way.
Her confrontations with Celestia over her strives to further protect Equestria often left her drained, and today was no different. Ever since Luna had thought up the idea and began her recruitment of willing participants she had been at odds with Celestia over whether this plan was even necessary to begin with. Celestia’s faith in her former student somewhat blinded her to Luna’s proclamations, or so Luna assumed to be the case. Whatever their dispositions, Luna had continued to execute her scheme with vigour, though even she had to admit sometimes that she had her doubts over all this.
Starlight Glimmer’s rejection of her offer had reinforced those beliefs somewhat. The reformed student of Twilight Sparkle would have made a valuable compatriot, her excessive magical empowerment and cunning were rather attractive qualities that drew Luna to her in the first place. Her performance during the resurgence of Queen Chrysalis practically forcing Luna to attempt to recruit her to no success.
Then there was Lightning Dust who, while on board with Luna’s plan, was also a source of concern. Her inherent reckless nature and general attitude towards life made her something of a ‘wild card’, though she was currently battling those attributes as well as having discarded her former destructive lifestyle.
Trixie Lulamoon, or The Great and Powerful Trixie as she chose to be called, showed promise, though she also displayed many qualities that filled Luna with hesitation. Plagued by self-doubt and fuelled by a dependency to impress and amaze, Trixie could very well turn out to be as great as she claims, or wind up simply being the product of yet another exaggeration. Though against all odds she too had jumped to Eauestria's aid when the time had come, if reluctantly.
Then there was the famed Agent Sweetie Drops, or Bon Bon as she was known as now. The retired Agent was quite the enigma to Luna, as was her decision to join her at all. Bon Bon’s hesitations may promote complications, but hopefully her constant professionalism and willingness to see things through for the sake of her lover will dispel those fears.
The same could not be said for the changeling Therapsid, for only time would tell if he could truly earn his place and by extension Luna’s faith. He was completely unpredictable, as was to be expected of a changeling given their nature, but Luna held hope that he would play his part for his own betterment and that of Equestria’s and ensure his place amongst the populace. The recent developments regarding the changeling race only strengthening her belief that the changeling could change.
Her fellow Princess, Dragon Lord Ember, was certain to be a keen ally however. Ember’s influence over the dragons will serve Equestria well assuming they see her for what she truly is and accept her as worthy of their respect, which Luna fully intends to support her in achieving to its full extent.
Then there was Sonata Dusk… And Luna was just as befuddled by her as she was the day they met. Cast out from her land and abandoned by her friends, Luna honestly did not know what to make of her, nor could she say for certain that it was even necessary that she be placed alongside the others as a viable candidate.
Luna didn't even know if Sonata wanted to be apart of her plan, having yet to actually discuss it with her. The now earth pony and former Siren was just as much a mystery as she was a nuisance, always plaguing and prodding Luna for some reason or another. Her friendship lessons and reintegration into Equestrian society had certainly been interesting as well as enlightening for both parties. Luna still wondered to this day if Sonata ever found that Mr. ‘Why Fye’ pony she had been so rigorously searching for. She had been so upset when she couldn't find him that she cried for days.
Luna had been able to cheer Sonata up by giving into one of her more ludicrous requests; an indoor swimming pool in her room. The earth pony ‘teenager’ had loved it, spending most of her time in the water and even more time on the water-bed Luna had also so generously gifted her with for her continued good behaviour.
Despite her evident happiness and the promise she showed, Luna's still did not know what to make of Sonata, and perhaps she never would. Her sole motivation was apparently to earn her way back to her two sisters across the portal, and everyday she grew closer to Luna granting her that. Until that day however Sonata had to prove herself worthy, a feat she had yet to fully accomplish.
If only because her serving as a constant source of annoyance for Luna deterred her somewhat from assisting her, as Sonata would so ‘happily’ demonstrate to Luna on a constant basis.
A fact proven once again when Luna eventually reached and opened her bedroom door and found Sonata sat upon her bed in the dark, staring blankly at the door, her tail straightened up sharply and her mane standing on end. Sonata’s eyes held such intense shock that Luna would have rushed to her in alarm had she been any other pony.
But seeing as it was Sonata, Luna seriously doubted she needed to worry.
“Luna?” Sonata pitifully muttered from the bed, reminding Luna of an inquisitive foal.
“Yes, Sonata?” Luna drolly replied, silently pleading for Sonata to simply leave her in peace and release the covers she was clutching so tightly.
“Luna, I've just realised something,” Sonata began with ever widening eyes. “I'm naked.”
Oh joy Luna thought with disdain. Somehow Sonata would seemingly forget commonalities of her previous life in the Human World only to remember them at the most inopportune times, such as when she first discovered her cutie mark after two weeks and starting raving on about her ‘butt tattoo’ and demanded it be removed ‘like the last one was.’
Luna never asked for details when Sonata began raving.
“Yes, Sonata. You're naked.” Luna paused, then blinked. “Is that all?”
“Yep!” Sonata beamed, jumping off the bed and trotting out in a merry prance. At first Luna had considered Sonata’s happy-go-lucky attitude to be rather endearing, unfortunately having tired of it after it had grown old after only a few months.
Sleep. Sleepy. Woona wants beddy bed Luna thought disjointedly as she collapsed into her crescent moon shaped bed, sinking into the mattress and instinctively rolling herself up in the warming covers. It was so relaxing, to just lay still and drift away. Luna probably would have succumbed to the soothing hooves of tiredness within moments had Sonata not burst her way back through the doors with a horrified scream.
“Luna! Everyone else is naked too!”
Luna muffled her ears with her pillow, growing tempted to muffle the rest of her face in the process when the guards entered the fray and Sonata was dragged away shouting. “Indecent!”