Opening Celestia's Heart

by Knight of Cerebus

Chapter 12

Luna lowered her head between the bars, her hooves no longer gripping them with the vice she had held them in before. "Foalish! Foalish!" She spat the words, glancing at the space where Starlight had been with melancholy.

"Irresponsible!"

"Naive." Luna said.

"Villainous!"

"Redundant." Luna added.

"Traitorous!"

"Yes, all those and--" Luna looked up. "What?" She noticed the haphazard, asymmetrical outline of the shadowed creature leaning against a nearby tree. "Oh. Tis thee."

"Yes," said Discord, "tis we." At this he gave himself a set of pantaloons and a cravat and dress shirt, lowering himself in a flourishing bow. "How fairs the fine lady?"

"Come to gloat, have thee?" Luna turned away as best she could within the cramped prison's confines.

"Nonsense." Discord said, reaching a skinny claw through the bars and waving it for emphasis. At once he snapped the talon, and Luna's form became two dimensional. Careful not to tear her, Discord reached out and pulled her through the bars of the cage. He gave her a wave to iron out any wrinkles, then set the now-three dimensional alicorn down. "I'm one of the good guys, now, remember?" He gave Luna a winning smile emphasized by a set of shining doe eyes, deepening her frown. "Now, perhaps you can shed some light on what exactly it is that just happened?"

"Tis not thine business." Luna raised her snout and turned her head. "Tis a matter between us, our sister, and our subjects. Such things are no concern of a chaos spirit."

"Mmm. Beg to differ, Your Highness." He jabbed a claw at a quaint, humble cottage a few cobblestones down. "The ponies involved might not be my subjects, but they are my friends. And one thing you ponies taught me is that friends help friends. So, when I detect a well of dark magic big enough to make Tirek drool on my best friend's doorstep," at this his smile vanished, and for the first time in her life Luna saw a look upon Discord's face that seemed more at place on Twilight's, "it becomes my business. And I want to help."

"To what use?" Luna lowered her head, tears threatening to form again. "Mine sister will handle it. She will forgive me once more," Luna tensed at this, beginning to tremble, "for things not deserving of forgiveness!" She choked out the next words through fresh tears. "She will box us away again, without care for how we feel about our own transgressions. Pretending they did not happen! Pretending we have right to a crown again, or power. Never allowing us to redeem ourselves! Perfectly preserved in our lonely, shameful corner of her Grand Plan for Equestria." Luna lowered her head, tears falling freely now. "Nay. We shall not allow her thus. We shall abdicate, and leave Equestria to ponies who want and deserve it." She shuddered again, more tears falling. At this Luna felt a claw raise her chin, much like her sister would do for her. She tried to open her mouth to give protest to the action, but was cut off by a pie to the face. She spluttered, spreading her wings to raise her voice at Discord. "How dare thee?!"

"Oh, do forgive me, Lulu. I can't stand a stick in the mud." Discord leaned back against thin air and sighed at this, waving away his Renaissance garments with a claw. He jabbed his claw at her, a medal with a sheepish-looking Luna appearing around her neck. "Congratulations, your Royal Highness! You have the distinction of having made a royal error." Discord winked at this, Luna rolling her eyes.

"Why are we even paying thee attention?" She threw the medal off her neck with a flick of her head and her magic, stomping her hooves. "We must make haste if we are to disappear quietly."

"Another one for my collection, then. I suppose we'll talk once the day has been saved." Discord sighed theatrically, levitating the medal and dusting it off. He smirked, opening a case filled with them in front of Luna. The glint from the medals caught Luna's eye. She winced, her face falling at the onslaught of light. But then she found herself staring at her own sister's face grinning sheepishly at her, and she did a double take.

"What did my fair sister do to earn such mockery?" She tried to keep the bitter scowl from her face. She could also see an image of Twilight, Rarity and Spike. In each case the subject looked as if they had been caught sneaking a dessert after midnight. Discord himself was there twice, and there were spaces reserved for herself, Cadance, and the others among Twilight's own circle of friends. The medal nestled itself in the center of the case--her very first. In the center of all the medals of shame was a key, which likely slotted into that box Celestia had mentioned in praising her better for the thousandth-odd time.

"Well, now, this one was for Celestia nudging Tirek and I into an alliance together. A tiny oopsie that very nearly resulted in the end of freedom in Equestria. Sorry about the brief stay in the Tartarus penthouse, by the by. I can't imagine it being much more comfortable than being turned to stone." He shrugged, his arms detaching from his shoulders to hover in the air. "Or the moon."

"And Twilight Sparkle?"

"Really, I should give her about a dozen more with half of what she's going to do I'm sure. For now I only know about the time she swapped the destinies of all her friends and almost broke the bonds in the Elements of Harmony. Quite an embarrassing prelude to an ascension, I would say."

"Twilight's coronation was shadowed by an error that grand?"

"Of course! I mean, she didn't handle things perfectly when she was saving you did she?" Discord snickered. "Despite the lines Celestia may feed her about being ever so wonderful, the truth of the matter is her plans tend to be full of holes that other ponies need to patch."

"My sister never mentioned such a thing."

"Pfft! Duh! She's in love, my gloomy compadre!" At this Discord summoned a diaper and a bow and arrow, poising like he was about to fire a shot, "Of course she didn't focus on that."

"What else has she hidden from me about Twilight's missteps?"

"You may be missing my point." Discord launched the arrrow directly at Luna, but it curved itself to sail over her head instead of striking at her. She snarled at this, rounding on Discord. He levitated the box of medals up between them, holding up a STOP sign and pointing back down at it. Her gaze flicked to the medal showing Twilight, her lips curling back in a scowl at the sight of her replacement's visage. Then she caught sight of her reflection. The look of anger, of bitterness and scorn that stared back at her was the spitting image of Starlight Glimmer's. "I think you'd do yourself a lot of good if you could only take a breather or two. Thinking before we rush off into trouble again. Yes?"

She looked back up to Discord, her expression falling into one of remorse. "You are correct. What doth the others portray?"

Discord pointed to each in turn. "This one is the time my plundervines almost destroyed Equestria, that over there is Rarity's close encounter with dark magic of the fashionable kind, and over here's the magical comic book business. This one," he pointed at the key in the middle, "used to be a medal owned by a creature named Scorpan. I keep it to remind me of the time I tried to sell my friends out to Tirek, was betrayed by him, ended up locked in a cage and had my magic stolen." Discord waved a claw. "Ringing any bells?"

"So...thou pities us?" At once the urge to turn around struck her. But then she paused, remembering similar words coming from Starlight's own mouth. Luna bit back her feelings of shame. She was not Starlight, and she was not going to scorn this new chance. Besides, on a second look she could see that Discord's expression was not one of mockery. His smile had fallen away for the second time in the conversation. She paused, and to his credit, Discord allowed her to sort her thoughts. Did he feel some measure of sadness at his actions? At their result? She decided to test the waters. "Thou wishes to help truly, out of sympathy?"

"Ding, ding, ding! Answer goes to Luna." Discord handed her a scorecard. She tossed it aside with a roll of her eyes, but found the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. "I've been on the receiving end of these new 'second chances' things that are all the rage in Equestria right now. I can't help but nudge in on the fad myself, especially when you have a pout that cute."

"I am not cute!" Luna snapped, her face falling into one of the pouts that had already been mentioned. Discord snickered, earning him a firm glare.

"With a pout like that you might even be cuter than Twilight." Discord gave her a knowing smile. Luna wrestled with the thought, a cornucopia of emotions flickering across her face in short order.

"I--you--we--thou art impossible!" She stomped her hooves, huffing.

He smirked again at this, leaning against nothing in particular. "I apologize. You have very important self-pitying to do. I would hate to rain upon your parade." At this he summoned a cotton candy cloud above his and Luna's heads. He pulled a gigantic funnel out from behind a wing, snapped his fingers, and began to drink the rain that would otherwise have been landing on her. Luna stared at him as if he had just broken her favourite vase. Discord smirked at her. Luna scowled at him. He bounced his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes. When they had finished rolling, they landed upon an extended claw, and Discord's own gaze following her hooves. With a deep breath, Luna calmed herself again.

I am not Starlight. "Fine. We--I accept your help." Luna raised herself back up to her full height. She paused, once, twice, but then took the hoof for herself. "Never mind the chances thrown to Twilight Sparkle. Never mind ou--my mistakes. I will take the chance you throw to me."

"Really?" Discord pulled away the funnel, allowing some of the chocolate rain to land upon Luna. Despite herself, she found herself sticking out her tongue to catch some of the rain drops. Once she had caught her fill, the rain stopped, and she turned back to Discord.

"Truly." She found a gigantic curly straw being thrust in her direction, jabbing into her once or twice for effect. Luna took it in her magic, and Discord levitated the cloud down to where both could enjoy it. Luna's expression lightened, and she gladly began drinking up the delicious contents of the cloud like an enormous inky blue hummingbird. Once it had dried, the two began to eat the cloud in globs.

Only once it was finished did Luna catch herself smiling. The thought that she did not deserve such a smile pulled the joy from her face, but before Discord could offer a new form of whimsy, she brought their attention back to the current situation. "You say the dark magic Starlight wields offends your senses, yes?"

"Yes, I know where she is, if that is what you're asking."

"Teleport us in front of her." Luna said firmly. Then paused. "By 'us', I mean 'me'. Teleport me in front of her. Directly."

"And let you get blasted to ashes? Hardly. We only just got to talking! I'm not just going to let you martyr yourself on the first dark magic beam you come across."

"Nay. Tis not a foalish sacrifice I stand to make. Starlight will want mine sister's magic, and I have a plan to stop her. But I will need your help." With this Luna's gaze hardened, mirroring an expression she had seen many times on her replacement.

Discord expanded his ears until they were large enough to eclipse most of his body. "I'm all ears."

"Tell me when the dark magic storm in Canterlot has died down. Then, teleport me in front of Starlight before she can cast again. She will want to drain my sister's magic. I have seen her schemes, and they are all blunt, abrupt and reliant on superior magic. Misdirect that blunt force and it may fall in on itself. She cannot drain me twice, so I shall be the one to draw her attention." Discord stared directly into Luna's eyes, his mismatched pupils searching her for any sign of deception. But instead he found an earnest gaze staring back, hardened with determination in a way that reminded him of the pony who had sprung him from his own cage of shame. With a small nod, he raised his talon and readied it to snap, waiting on the right moment.

"And Discord?" Luna watched Discord's claw extending to help her once more. "Thank you."

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Celestia took shaky steps back out of the mirror world, a timid smile upon her face. She pulled Twilight in closer, the two of them nuzzling together. "Perhaps now I might find some greater peace with Luna."

"I'm always here if you need--." Twilight's reassurance was cut off by the sight of a dark void gathering around them.

The pony that stepped from the vortex of churning magic was at once familiar and utterly alien. It was clear from the coat and mane that this being of dark energy had, at one point, been Starlight Glimmer. Much the same, it was equally clear from the crimson energy trails that flowed from her eyes, the tainted artifact that was wrapped around her neck and the dark red aura that surrounded her horn that this pony was no longer fully the rebellious unicorn Celestia had saved Twilight and company from. Her toxic sneer made her intentions clear as day, but she regardless felt the need to launch into the obligatory mad rant that ponies wrapped in the power of dark magic so oft gravitated towards.

"Surprised to see me again, Princess? Surprised I didn't just crawl away when you pulled your little strings and upended my little town, hmm? Well I have news for you. It didn't have to be this way. It could've been peaceful. It could've been easy. You all could have joined us willingly! But now, oh, now you've shown me just who and what I'm up against. I needed the power to compensate, and I have it now! So to Tartarus with you and your little Princess Junior, too!"

Celestia stepped in front of Twilight. "Twilight, run. Gather your friends. We will need--"

"The Elements. We need the Elements of Harmony." Twilight teleported in front of Celestia. "This time you have to run, Princess. This time I have to..." She looked at Starlight's twisted grin and gulped. "I'll be fine. Go!"

"No, Twilight." Celestia pulled her back. "Her quarrel is with me. I cannot let you do this for me."

"I just hate seeing ponies in conflict, you know. Tell you what, I'll blast you both!" Starlight's magic rippled like an ocean, sucking inwards for a moment, and then blasting out with the force of a tidal wave focused into a single beam. Celestia raised a quick shield, but already the cracks began to show. She poured more of her magic into it, but still it would not hold. Twilight added her own magic to the shield.

"I'm doing it because it's right! Because it's what a Princess would do! Don't you think I'd just love to impress you again if I could?! But that's not what you need right now, and--and--" She swallowed. "It's not what I need either! I need you to listen to me, right now! I need you to find your friends and bring them back here!" The shield began to crack further, even with Twilight's contribution. "I need you to trust me, Princess!" The shield surrounded with cracks, and they both flinched under the sound of it preparing to shatter.

Celestia took once last glance back at Twilight, her wings trembling. In her mind's eye she saw a column of light thrusting Twilight to the surface of the moon. She saw Twilight trapped in a vanishing city, slipping just out of her hooves. She heard a voice whisper 'this is the biggest mistake you'll make in your entire life', Twilight vanishing into the shimmering surface of a mirror. To Twilight's shock, Celestia's eyes shone with tears. But when Celestia saw the look in Twilight's eyes, she remembered.

She remembered worries of sending Twilight against Nightmare Moon evaporating in the morning sun. Twilight's battle with Sombra, ending with the Crystal Empire returned forever. Leading her and Sunset to that park bench, trusting them to reconnect. Completing Starswirl's spell, defeating Tirek where Discord had not. Her faith rewarded again and again, each time a new joy she once had lost returned to her. Celestia spread her wings, giving a solemn nod and whispered prayer that Twilight stay safe once more. Unnoticed by either, a red light began to shine between them, but it was so small, so nervous, that it was drowned out by the burning array conjured up by Starlight in response.

"I love you, Twilight." Her voice strained. "Promise me you'll stay safe." The shield shattered, and Celestia prepared to launch herself away from a magic drain. Starlight shot the spell forward, but Celestia's leap in response was cut off by a teleport.

Luna materialized between Celestia and the beam, the magic drain cutting off all at once. The eyes of all the room's ponies were on her. Luna rounded on Starlight, spreading her wings to shield the two alicorns behind her. "Thou shalt bully my sister no more, traitor!" Starlight worked her jaw uselessly at the sight. Luna began to back towards Celestia, still shielding her with her open wings. "I shall not see you drag her into a quarrel you have with me." She bumped into Celestia, and at this wrapped a wing around her, her body shielding Celestia's own. Resolute, she ended with. "I will guard her to the last."

"You can't stop me!" Starlight wrapped her magic around Luna, trying her best to pull Luna away from Celestia. "You have no magic and no power! You're not going to be able to--oof!" Starlight was bowled over by a Spinning Faceplant, Twilight's earthpony strength and the incredible momentum knocking her silly. She and Twilight skidded to the end of the room.

"Luna! You have to go with Celestia!" Twilight pressed a hoof to the dizzied Starlight's horn. "I already hold an Element! You have to help her find Loyalty!" Starlight smacked a hoof into Twilight, knocking her to one side. She again began to try to charge a spell aimed at Celestia, but Twilight recovered in time to kick her squarely in the jaw. The spell went wide. "Go!"

Celestia gathered up Luna, giving Twilight one last regretful look, and then teleported herself and Luna to the skies above Canterlot. She began to search the noble districts for Fleur-De-Lys icons, flying low to the ground and searching far and wide.

"How did you get here, Lulu?" Celestia said the words with some hesitance. "You said she had a quarrel with you. How did she get your magic? And why did she seem to dismiss you like she'd already won?"

"We...we tried to help her. She was alone, and hurt, and scorned by you." Luna lowered her gaze. "We thought to help her with those feelings, feelings we know all too well." Celestia stiffened. Luna looked back. "But her hurt ran too deep, her betrayal and loss too much a part of her nature. She turned on the pony trying to help her, using us instead of trusting us. Dragging us down instead of pulling herself up." Luna began to tear up once more, shutting her eyes. "Feelings you know all too well."

Celestia said nothing to this, her flight carrying her from street to street with pristine and perfected movements. She lit up her horn and began the process of lowering the sun. Almost like clockwork, she began to raise the moon as well. Luna watched her sister's face twitch against pains both past and present. The same weights that pulled at Celestia's face also sank Luna's heart, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

A thought brought Luna's spirits out of their downward spiral. She cracked a timid smile, despite herself. "T'was the chaos demon, Discord, who came to aid us. Strange, tis it not?"

"Strange is his style of choice." Celestia gave a small smile at that, looking away from the rising moon.

"He said he had done similar things to helping Starlight and suffering her betrayal during Tirek's time, and showed us a way forward. A way forward of chocolate milk, cupid arrows and game shows, but a way forward no less." Luna brightened at Celestia's smile, which by now was a smirk. "He helped us to return to our senses...and to find the resolve to do better."

"Something I'll have to thank him for, when we next cross paths." Celestia's face fell into a neutral expression once more, her eyes catching a manor with a gate decorated with golden Fleur De Lys knockers.

Luna paused, searching Celestia's face. Seeing no expression at all, she opened her mouth once more. "Sister, I am sor--"

"Oh yes. You're sorry." Celestia's tone was flat. She descended to rest in front of the estate, her magic wrapping the knocker with robotic practice. "I'm sorry, too. We're all sorry." At this Celestia ceased to carry Luna, gently but firmly forcing her onto her own hooves.

Luna stumbled, unable to find a good footing. She turned to face Celestia. "Sister?"

Celestia's smile returned at this, though it did not reach her eyes or ears. "It's nothing. It was thoughtful of you to try to help her, Lulu. But some ponies will never reward your efforts, no matter how many you make. Some ponies are not Discord, and will only reward your attempts to reach out with petty selfishness, no matter how much you sacrifice, never heeding how much you care. But worry not. I am sure, once we have finished undoing her corruption, she will be very sorry for what she did to you."

"Sister..." Luna only bowed her head at this, shrinking back inside herself. Her wings drooped towards the ground. Before either could say anything further, the grand door opened to reveal a noble pony.

Fleur De Lys stood in the doorway with a furrowed brow and widened eyes. "Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Is that you?"

"It is good to see you, Fleur De Lys." Princess Celestia spread her wings and gave her a smile.

Fleur blushed at this, but caught on very shortly. With a sweeping bow, she added. "Were you looking for me?"

All at once, Celestia's emotions came flooding back. Her sister might require Royal handling, but her would-be friends did not. The imposition she was about to thrust upon Fleur made her hesitate. If she were to simply thrust such a thing on a pony--"My sister requires thine help in restoring harmony to Equestria." Unfortunately for her, Luna held no such reservations or restraint.

Fleur tilted her head at this, scanning Luna for some kind of mirth. She did not find any signs that this was a prank on the lunar ruler's part, but what she did notice caused her brow to furrow. "Never mind Equestria. What happened to you?"

"Nothing we did not deserve." Luna shrugged. "Tis not important at the--"

"You have muscular atrophy as well as a discoloured coat. What have you eaten recently?" Fleur looked Luna up and down with narrowed eyes. Luna scoffed.

"An entire cloud of woven sweets and seven tankards worth of milk with added cocoa." She replied.

"So you're running on pure sugar right now. Right, we're getting you some real food. I know malnourishment when I see it, and from the look of your Cutie Mark it seems to be magical in origin, too. That's not something anypony deserves. Come on, come on." She looked to Celestia briefly, then shook her head and marched to the gates. She threw them open with a flourish of magic and reached out to grab Luna by the hoof. The startled princess yelped, any protest cut off by the force with which Fleur carried her towards the living room. She practically threw Luna against a sofa, raising a hoof at the strangled protest Luna gave. "I'm not going anywhere until you're looked after. I'm putting on some beans, you're going to get some water in you in the meantime and you," she nodded to Celestia, "need to explain what happened here."

"I like this pony." The addled Princess Luna noted. "Where did you meet her?"

"A pony has drained her magic." Celestia said, ignoring Luna. Luna looked at her hooves. "You are right that she will need help in recovering her strength. I will be travelling to Ponyville shortly, searching for a group of ponies I know that are--" Celestia said the words slowly, pacing them out so that she might find an appropriate wording. "I will need a place to gather them, perhaps in the street outside. The ponies have a set of artifacts, of sorts, and in order to activate them, I must make...I must remind myself of my--"

"She must gather the ponies she calls 'friend' to activate the Elements of Harmony!" Luna stressed, forcing herself into the stalling conversation. "She considers you among them, and hopes you will join us in bringing them to bear against a threat to the kingdom." Celestia froze at this, her eyes breaking contact with Fleur's and her teeth straining behind her smile. Twilight would have noticed her ear drooping. "Thou art a pony of concern and plain thinking by the impressions we have noted. Will you not help her?"

"Luna!" Celestia hissed. "We can't simply force Fleur to help us out of necessity. That isn't how the Elements work. Fleur, I must apologize for my sister. This must be a terrible imposition for you, and I am hesitant to ask to begin with. I will understand if you feel overwhelmed, or unable to help."

"Honesty tis one of the Elements, tis it not? Let us speak to her plainly. Tis her decision--allow her to make it." Luna did not so much as flinch at Celestia's glare.

"Now doesn't seem to be the time for the patient approach." Fleur gave Celestia a wink, trotting between the two. "Yes, it's a little sudden, but I do appreciate getting the whole story at once." Celestia's gaze remained focused on Luna, but Fleur turned herself back to Celestia. "I'm flattered to hear that you think of us as friends. I do want to help, if you're in trouble." She smirked at Celestia. "You know that's the sort of thing I live for."

Luna raised a hoof in triumph. "Wondrous! Stay where you are and make ready for our re--"

Fleur cut her off. "You aren't going anywhere like that. Not until you're healthy enough to walk out of here without collapsing, which I have my doubts about." She turned to Celestia. "Do what needs doing. I'll look after her."

Luna pursed her lips. "Sister, we do not have the time for me to--"

"Starlight is after me, not you. She won't notice the detour if she's as far gone to dark magic as she looked. I will go to Ponyville and alert my other friends. For now," Celestia began to light her horn, her eyes no longer following Luna, "I need you to guard the house in case Starlight comes after the two of you. You have the strength to hold her off. I trust you." Though her tongue said she trusted her, Celestia's clenched wings and strained smile said far more. Her words hollow as the mask she wore.

Luna opened her mouth. "Sister--" But at Celestia's expression, Luna bit her tongue once more. Words of regret would be as hollow now as Celestia's words of forgiveness. Words of forgiveness that had done nothing to soothe her from her guilt. Luna's words of anger had done nothing to sway her sister from Twilight Sparkle's side. Her words of compassion had done nothing to win the trust of Starlight, to whom she had done nothing truly wrong. All these gestures paled to the pain Celestia had endured by her, the same pain Luna had felt a fraction of at Starlight's hooves. She could not stop the wince that came when she multiplied that pain across the span of a thousand years. What words could hope to upend that? What words could bring true forgiveness in light of so many acts that eclipsed them all? So the words of apology fled her mouth. She shook her head. "Tis...nothing." Luna looked away. "We wish thee luck. And tell thine friends the truth of what thou wish. Thou art...a caring pony...and they will know this, if they truly do deserve thine kindness."

Celestia nodded stiffly at this, a frown spreading at Luna's defeated expression and bowed head, but she spread her wings regardless. In a flash of golden light, she was gone.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Sweet Apple Acres was quiet this late in the afternoon. The harvest of apples and turnips were currently waiting in bins that would be brought to Ponyville market in the next day, Winona had been freshly walked and dinner had just finished cooking. Applejack was getting drinks, Big Macintosh was transporting pots of mashed potatoes and tomato soup to the table. Applebloom was setting the table. Missie herself took in a deep whiff of soup, carrying rolls and green beans with practiced ease. Just as she began to settle in, a knock came at the door. Applejack jumped up with an 'on it!' before Missie could so much as speak, leaving her to shake her head and smirk.

The door opened to reveal none other than Princess Celestia herself, causing the assembled Apples to bow. The assembled apples save Missie, who instead set down the rolls and beans and then looked to Celestia with a raised eyebrow. "Missie, I am terribly sorry to have to impose upon you like this." Celestia began. "But I have little time, and I need your help."

"After ya kicked me outta my rocker and got me back out doin' what I love? 'Course." Missie's confused look turned to a smile. She plucked a walking stick from where it leaned next to the doorway, turning back to the family. "These ponies 're big enough what kin git their own suppers. Keep some waitin' for me till I get back, ya hear?" She then turned back to Celestia. "What all do ya need?"

"I will be happy to explain in a moment. We must travel to Canterlot first, and I can explain on the way." Celestia paused at the hoof Missie held up, one hoof resting against the walking stick.

"Ya know my policy, yer Majesty. If'n ya can't give me the plain truth..."

"I know. It is simply--this is a family matter. I would prefer to keep it between us." She nodded at Applejack and Big Mac. Granny mulled this over, but gave a small nod.

"Well, let's all git out of ma kitchen, then. I trust ya to honour yer word." Missie nodded to Celestia, who lit her horn. With a flash of light, they appeared back in Canterlot's upper class district.

"It is a slight walk, but I can tell the way from the signature of my last teleport. Scattering them should make tracking us difficult." She began to walk at a relatively brisk pace, allowing Missie to lean against her so they could walk at the same rate.

Missie did a double take. "Trackin' us?! What all in tarnation is trackin' us?! This one o' them adventures in savin' the kingdom what y'all got Applejack runnin'? An' what's all this 'bout a family matter?"

"Please. Allow me to explain, as I promised I would." Celestia turned back to Missie, looking her directly in the eyes. Despite her drooping ear, her gaze was firm. "I will cover as much as I can in the time that we have."

"A'right, a'right. I'm listenin'." Missie leaned back against Celestia's side, using the walking stick to help her keep to the pace as best she could. The two ambled towards Fleur's house at a decent clip.

"I...You recall when Applejack and Twilight were called away by a magic affecting their Cutie Marks while we discussed our old history?" Missie gave a 'mm-hmm?' at this, prompting Celestia to continue. "The magic turned out to be a map, and the map led them to meet a powerful unicorn named Starlight Glimmer who engaged in stealing their Cutie Marks. While this occurred, my sister visited me in dreams in the hopes of convincing me to break off my relationship with Twilight."

"Well ain't that plum rotten!" Missie shook her head. "But don't you listen none to that. Family's always kickin' up nonsense 'bout who all you date. As if it were any o' their business what all yer love life is like." She paused a minute, biting the inside of her cheek with a sheepish smile. "Fell into doin' some o' that meself, when I wasn't half as clever. Point is, don't you pay yer sister no heed on that crock o' spoiled potatoes."

"I tried not to." Celestia chuckled. "Luna grew upset by this, and I...may have said some things I now regret." Celestia paused, cutting off Missie's reply with an observation of her own. "No, I suppose I merely regret how I said them. I believe they needed to be said."

"Think so?" Missie raised an eyebrow.

"I do. A wise pony taught me that true families speak plainly with each other, and that they stick together through all hardships, no matter how fractured. It was...very liberating, if I am to be honest. To tell her how I truly felt, and express why I felt as I did." Celestia spread her wings a bit at the memory, a small smile on her face.

"Well, that's mighty lovely, but what all does it have ta do with yer troubles now?" Missie's voice lowered, her face darkening. "She git herself into trouble again?"

"In a respect, yes. She and I intervened in the adventure Twilight and Applejack went on in different ways. We were both upset, and both dealt with these emotions in regrettable ways. I inserted myself into the adventure Twilight and Applejack went on, endangering myself and upending Twilight's autonomy in the process. This had poor consequences of its own, but Twilight and I managed them. Luna...attempted to console the villain they defeated. I do not know the details, but I know that in her heart Luna was trying to help. Still, in some manner or other she led the rogue unicorn in question, Starlight Glimmer, to a dangerous magical artifact. Now Starlight is attempting to amass as much magic as she can, in the hopes of remaking the world in her own image."

"Probably with some kinda crazy scheme in mind to shape the entire country sideways."

"Starlight is quite dangerous." Celestia confirmed.

"Wasn't talkin' 'bout her." Celestia did not meet Missie's eye. She only clicked her tongue at this. "Can't say y'outta be surprised it turned out that way. Always thought ya handled all that dark magic business with yer sister like a rich pony payin' their kid outta county jail." Missie shook her head.

"I beg your pardon?" Celestia leveled an even stare at Missie, who didn't so much as flinch at her old friend's offense.

"Beggin' yer pardon, but sendin' crazy ponies after my friends ain't the worst Princess Luna's done to me and mine." Missie stared Celestia straight in the eye, leaning forward on one side and stretching her eyelids wide open to emphasize her disapproval. "Ya say that ya wanna be treated just like everypony else? Yer gonna git an earful just like everypony else. Mah farm and family's in danger on account o' this, just like it was a'fore when yer sister decided the sun wouldn't raise no more. Know what apples need ta grow? Sun! What yer sister did then was wrong! Ta you, yer friends, and 'specially to all yer little subjects what don't even mess around with magic none. But she didn't see none o' that on accounta you tryin' ta cover for her, play it down like what all she did was nothin'. Well it weren't! Apple Bloom don't learn lessons none til she sees her actions have consequences--yer sister didn't learn nothin' on account of ya didn't give her consequences to her actions. Same crown, same position, same strains 'tween the two of ya, and same result.

"Course ya sister ran off and turned on ya. S'all she knows how to do when things don't go her way! Ya want yer sister ta change? Show her why she needs ta change! Let us wee ponies what can't fight back against her dark magic none decide if'n we forgive her or not, and what all she needs ta do ta make it up to us. Don't we git a say in yer sister's dips inta dark magic? Ain't our lives on the line, too? Let us give'er the justice what's comin' to her, let her learn from the mistakes she makes and earn the forgiveness she asks fer. Otherwise, y'all are gonna be fightin' the same back-n-forth fer the next thousand years or more!" Missie settled on her walking stick, her eyes darting to Celestia's mouth every time it opened to protest. Once she concluded, Celestia spoke up again.

"And what of her feelings? Being scorned by the public was what brought her to dark magic the first time. Their contempt now would only make things worse." Celestia shook her head. "No, I will handle Luna, as I have always done--"

"Given' it's worked out so well the last two times, yeah. Tell ya what. You take her fancy-pancy magic away and let her do some honest work for us common ponies and we'll see how all she deals with bein' 'scorned' and 'contempted', eh? Places like Ponyville are communities, an' hard labour is a good way to whip a pony like that inta shape. You leave it to us plain folks to sort her out some, and we'll leave it ta you to bring her back inta government when she's learned some respect fer the ponies she's s'posed to be leadin', eh?" Granny settled into a confident stride, and Celestia noticed that as the aging mare spoke, she began to lead Celestia as opposed to the other way around, her limp already forgotten.

The two of them caught sight of the gate with golden Fleur-De-Lys, Celestia turning to Missie with some effort and giving a strained smiled. With a sigh, Celestia said. "I cannot simply throw my sister to the public."

"Ya don't trust yer subjects, then?" Missie said pointedly.

"I..."

"Didn't you spend half the White Tail Wood's air supply tellin' me a good ruler don't let conflicts o' interest cloud their judgement, huh? Ya really think we're gonna just toss her away like nothin'? Don't sound like the ponies I know ta me. Don't sound like the ponies you look after, neither. Trust me, Majesty. She needs help, and she ain't gettin' it by you coddlin' her and keepin' she an' us separated. Nightmare Night worked out fer all of us, didn't it?" Celestia paused at the knocker, a hoof to her chin. With a lasting sigh, she finally conceded.

"I will take all you have said into consideration. And--" Celestia held up a hoof at Missie's open mouth. "When this is over, you and I can talk at length about what to do with Luna. It will not be easy, but..." Celestia sighed. "What you say makes sense to me. But I need time to process it, and find a way forward that is good for all of us. Right now I need to stop the threat to Equestria." Missie considered, still looking unconvinced. "But, when the time comes, I swear on my crown I will consult with you and the rest of Equestria's citizens on what to do with Luna, and do my utmost to ensure she sees justice, whatever that may be." Missie nodded at this at last. With a strained smile, Celestia turned her attention back to the knockers, raising a handle in her magic.

Fleur returned from the kitchen. "Alright, beans are getting ready and I've got some water here. These are some blankets to get your core temperature back up." Fleur seated herself opposite Luna. "Now, tell me what's all gone on here."

Luna paused, taking the water in her hooves and sipping slowly. "A unicorn stole our magic." Luna's gaze was intense, and her words plain. "She hopes to use it, along with my sister's, to rule Equestria as a society of equal slaves under her iron will." She made no effort to hide her emotion behind her words, either. Her head sank with every word, her ears and eyes both dropping and her shoulders tensing. "I was swept up in folly, and used by her plan for her own purposes." Fleur placed a hoof against Luna.

"That sounds like it was more her fault than yours."

"But it was! We encouraged her, came to her. We tried to forge a new country of our own with her, against mine sister's own wishes, and against the ponies of Equestria!" She paused, her eyes widening. "Even now we betray Equestria by spreading news of such things so freely." She sank her head into her blankets, refusing to look Fleur in the eyes.

Fleur wrinkled her nose at this. "Listen, you. I don't play noble's games and I am not a ladder-climber. Celestia came to me for a reason. You already noticed that yourself. You've answered my questions, and my questions have been aimed at helping you. You're not a traitor and I'm not, either. I'm just trying to figure out why you helped one, given how much you seem to regret doing it."

Luna's head sank, her eyes squeezing shut. "She was...she was alone, and in pain. She was searching, desperately, for another pony to hold onto. We hoped to be that pony, for her and for others. Because loneliness is the cruelest of pains, and we wished to see her freed of it. We wished to be a way forward to a better future. But she could not trust, would not trust, and we were naive enough to believe her lies."

Fleur raised an eyebrow, her ear perking up at the sound of boiling coming from the kitchen. "And that's why you were worried about me using you just now, right? Because when you trusted her..."

Luna's eyes opened back up, looking at the floor. "And now we have insulted you also. It seems we can do no right--"

"I'm made of tougher stuff than that, Princess Luna. You're gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of me. Right now you deserve a rest, and some time to think over your mistakes. Trying to help somepony isn't a bad thing, believe me. But it isn't always easy, and sometimes we bring our baggage into it and mess it up. Try to figure out what went wrong while I get us some food." Fleur trotted off to retrieve the soup.

Luna looked up upon Fleur's return. "Tis strange, though. Sister did not always surround herself with contemporaries like thee. Her past peers were like her, never speaking their minds plainly." Luna ceased to sip the water, pulling the blankets around her tighter. "Once she would place trust in subjects who meant to fall into our good graces to hold greater sway with her. Or who wished to threaten us as a way to get her to bend to them. Tis odd to see how things have changed."

Fleur pursed her lips. "Like I said: it isn't easy helping ponies, and we make mistakes along the way. Celestia said she made a lot of on the way to becoming the ruler she is." Luna's eyes went wide, her jaw falling open.

"Sister confessed to...making mistakes? In what regard?"

"A lot of things, actually. But she mostly focused on how she pushed too hard for more education, and had trouble noticing the consequences of her actions. It ended up creating things like the EEA." Fleur sighed. "Stars know I would love to never have them breathe down my neck again. 'No funding for griffon schools' my--anyway. She got overeager. That's kind of what we were joking about earlier. There are times for the patient approach and times for the active approach. Right now, she needs a more active approach and I need a more patient approach."

Luna merely tilted her head, her brow furrowing more and more as Fleur went on. "Sister never admits to anything but perfection. How didst thou coax such a confession from her, let alone such a resolution?"

"Maybe your sister changed while you were away." Fleur shrugged. "The pony I know gave some pretty good advice, and had some good things to say about my own advice. It kind of went both ways."

"You gave advice she listened to?" Luna blinked.

"She asked for it, actually. She was a bit nervous at first, but she listened once I eased up a little."

"Nervous? Her?"

"You better believe it, sister." Fleur giggled. "She wasn't just patient and understanding and all that, she was kind of scared and worried, honestly." Fleur paused. "She mentioned being nervous about Twilight in particular."

"Of course she would." Luna rolled her eyes, the bitterness again creeping into her words. "She believes with all her heart that Twilight Sparkle is the best thing to happen to herself and Equestria in its entire history. If she is showing nerves, it is because she believes Twilight Sparkle is even more perfect than herself, and in her worship of the mare she has come to see herself as inferior."

"That...doesn't really match up with the stories she told. I think she's always felt this way, and Twilight just let her show it." Fleur countered.

"Tis not the sister we have known." Luna sulked.

"Yeah...and I have to wonder why that is. The Celestia I know has been charitable to every pony we've met. She's been patient, she's admitted to her failings and she's worked hard to overcome them. But that didn't seem to be a new thing. She had a lot of stories from her past about doing that. It is true that she's had trouble explaining herself. But that doesn't come from arrogance, it comes from an anxiety about talking about herself. Kind of the opposite of arrogance, really."

"Then why does it seem that every act she does is an act against ourselves?" Luna sighed. "Why does it seem like as she thrives, we fail. We wish to see the pony thou doth."

"I think it's a matter of perspective. I'm a subject trying to do the things she tried to do when she was younger. Her for ponies, me for griffons, but it's still there. For you...you're a Princess, too, right? The Other Princess?"

"The lesser Princess." Luna scowled. "Celestia's shadow."

"Then of course she would seem hostile to you. You're her rival. If there's one thing that my upbringing taught me about ponies, it's that competition can bring out the worst in us." Fleur shrugged. "I'm really glad my brother didn't follow me into charity. I can't imagine what it'd be like if we worked in the same place at the same job."

Luna nodded glumly. "A job we never wanted. But it was our duty. Our destiny."

"Well," Fleur paused. "Your talent was raising the moon, right? Dream magic and sleep?" Luna nodded. "But you both ruled as co-rulers of night and day. In the waking world, not the realm of dreams. Is that right?"

Another nod. "Sister's idea. One she has always been certain of."

"But you weren't as sure." Fleur poked out a hoof.

"T'was never comfortable for us. She insisted we would grow into the role...but we never did. Even now, we struggle with our subjects in the waking world. Things that seem simple in dreams are complex in reality. Emotions are writ large in dreams, but here they are nuanced in ways we struggle to grapple with. Dreams are seldom a shared experience, but in the waking world harmony between dozens of ponies with interlocking lives is crucial."

"..Is this why you feel she's so insistent on being right? So controlling?" Fleur pursed her lips. Luna's eyes widened, then looked away from her own. "You've even been internalizing it. Isn't that right? 'Your duty, your destiny'. Wasn't your destiny about dreams, not crowns?"

"But sister is always...right." Luna gasped. "You are correct, Fleur De Lys. Tis a lie we have internalized." Fleur moved to open her mouth again, but at Luna's held up hoof she fell back on the patient approach. Luna, for her part, turned her thoughts to Discord's words. She let herself breathe for a moment. "We must speak with her about this. Plainly, and without hidden plans or hidden feelings."

"Right. Which means you have to fess up to what you did wrong, too." Luna gave a grim nod.

"Aye. And much there is we have done wrong." She bit back the melancholy with thoughts of second chances. "But to correct it, we must seek a way forward, not wallow in what has been done. If we have done wrong, we must set it right. If sister has done the same, we must help her see a way forward...as she has tried to help us do so often."

"Right. So what's this way forward, then?" Fleur pressed. Luna paused to organize her thoughts. She began to mutter to herself.

"We cannot simply abdicate. T'would cause chaos in the government. But neither can we...perhaps that is the way. Nay, we were...perhaps that is the right course. But--nay. Nay. It is not that! Perhaps...not entirely..." Luna pursed her lips. She thought of Discord's words of second chances. "We wish to continue as a mare of dreams, hope to do our duties as we always have in the slumbering world. But to rule this nation across the day was never our destiny. Our attempts to do so have led to naught but ruination." Luna sighed. "But to undo our current positions would lead to sure disaster for the nation, at least at first..."

"Sounds like you need somepony who's good at re-structuring the government." Fleur noted.

"But to convince her will be a feat worthy of the epics. We have wronged her deeply this time, as a ruler and a sister. To demand things of her in this position would be the height of arrogance."

"Maybe with the right help you might be able to get a bit of traction?" Luna looked up at her, eyes wide.

"You would do that for us? Even as Celestia's friend."

"As Celestia's friend, I want her and her family to have healthy relationships. The first step to that is convincing her of the problem, and of a solution."

Luna gave a timid smile at this. "What do you propose?"

"You want to change her mind, right? Well, as a lobbyist I can safely say that the first step to changing somepony's mind is knowing what they want. Have you ever considered what she wants in all this? Why she does what she does?" Fleur crossed her forelegs.

"She has made that much abundantly clear. Her wish is to entrap us both in this cycle, neither ever to escape. Her the all-knowing ruler, us the compliment to her that works in her shadows." Luna shook her head, sighing. Even now the bitter feelings edged around her words.

Fleur frowned. "Maybe that's what you think she's doing, but are you sure that's what she wants? Maybe that's all she knows how to do."

"'Knows how to do'?" Luna pursed her lips.

"You say Celestia considers me a friend?" Fleur pursed her lips. "Friends usually know each other for more than two meetings."

"I do not truly know, beyond that she believes you to be one of the ponies she is close enough to to wield the Elements of Harmony with. It is only recently she has been reaching out to others. We do not know the exacts."

"Only recently reaching out? What was she doing before?" Fleur tilted her head.

"Ruling, it would seem. She mentioned that since Twilight Sparkle's ascension and her niece's attaining a domain, she has had time off, holidays, that she did not have time for in the past."

"So she's only now able to make friends? She has that much work on her, that she didn't have a social life till, what, a few weeks ago?"

"...Framed in that way...it becomes easy to see why she would want to hold us so close. To never let go." Luna frowned.

"That sounds really lonely." Fleur confirmed.

"And she wished for me to be by her side eternally. That we might share this together, and ease the burden of the loneliness." Luna's heart sank with her head. "Oh, sister..."

"She's been trying as best she can to hold on to you, even as she rules. Maybe that's wrong, maybe how she did it was wrong--"

"--but the gesture is one born of a desire to be connected." Luna concluded. "A desire we share, if what we have supposed is indeed the truth. That much will be common ground."

"And that will be crucial to both of you working something out. But it might not be the only reason." Fleur tried to stress. "There might be more going on than just that. I don't know Celestia perfectly. I don't know anypony who does know her that well. Really, you should ask her your--"

It was at that moment that a knock interrupted them, leading them both back to Fleur's door. Fleur peered outside from the safety of a peephole and, seeing that it was Celestia and a wrinkly green earth pony, opened the door once more. Celestia and Luna gave each other bashful looks, both sisters lowering their heads away from one another. Before their companions could speak, they brought themselves to face each other, Luna first and then Celestia. In the struggle to start the conversation, they spoke their words in unison.

"We need to talk."

Comments

[Empty Shelf]

"We need to talk."

Yes. Yes.

Now that Celestia's realized she can't keep just pacifying Luna, and Luna's head has been extracted from her rear-end, maybe they can have a productive discussion that doesn't result in yet another coup attempt.

[BarrenBaron]

8873061
For some reason the way you phrased that made me think that Celestia all but scheduled for a coup from her sister in her day to day dockets.

Can’t wait for the finale man, I love this story.

[Empty Shelf]

8873207
08:00 - Ribbon Cutting for the Canterlot Children's Research Hospital
10:00 - Meeting with House Majority Leader
12:00 - Lunch with Twilight
13:00 - Coup Attempt
14:00 - Tea with Saddle Arabian Ambassador

I'm suddenly reminded of An Orderly Transfer of Power.

[livinthelife]

Looking forward to the sequel: Fleur and Missy – Family Counselors.

[Aurora Dimmet]

Oh ew, that's... that's a nasty setup. Rather than just telling Celestia how she felt when this all started and asking why it should be this way she just sat on it until she decided Celestia was basically the evil one even when Celestia was just trying to reach out to her and keep them both happy and together because she didn't want to lose the only family she had. Seriously, in all these centuries all Luna ever had to do was tell the truth, stop brooding, and remind herself that her sister was essentially her biggest fan. ... Which is interesting because Luna canonically was the former Bearer of Honesty, Laughter, and Loyalty.

[Detsella Morningdew]

Nice. I retract all my previous reservations with the Luna subplot. (Sorry, but it was starting to look like a cliche villain plot.)

The payoff was worth it.

[Stahlseele]

I want more Luna/Discord!

[Dragonwaz]

8876033
Seconded, I really thought your Luna was a selfish ungrateful jerk, but she was actually a misguided repressed selfish ungrateful jerk. I especially like her using the line she kept repeating to herself about not being Starlight to pull her head out her ass. And Discords help was exceedingly well placed.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

"But that didn't seem to be a knew thing." Should be "new." Everything else was great.

[Commander Darklight]

NO luna what yo need is a slap in the face