A Lunar Sunset

by ed-stoneman

6 - Facing the Darkness

Accepting the fresh mug of coffee, Luna sat next to sunset on the bed, keeping her eyes firmly on the floor.

“The similarities in our worlds, it seems, run deeper than just a pony and a human with the same name. I am going to ask you to bear with me while I try to sort this story out, Sunset, because I have not told it to anyone before. But If you know of my counterpart, and her history, then you need to know mine as well.

“Celestia and I were raised in a very traditional family. We were deeply involved with our church starting at birth. Celestia was always the star of our family, and did everything right - to this day, she is still a pillar of that community. I, on the other hand, was… a disappointment to our family. I learned at a very young age that I preferred the company of girls and women, rather than boys. As I grew, I developed feelings for another young woman in our church. When I discussed this with my sister, she immediately went to our parents. What happened next, you have to understand, was common in the time.

“Our family tried to intervene in what was considered to be my wickedness and sinful ways. With the church overseeing, I was sent first to a camp that was supposed to help purge the ‘unnatural longings’ from me. They were very… harsh about their methods. I know that you have heard about some of these camps, where they try to re-train the mind away from such things using barbaric and cruel tactics.”

Luna took Sunset’s hand and guided it to the left side of her head.

“If you feel right here, you can feel some of the scars from the electrodes that were used. Electroshock therapy was not uncommon for the particularly… tough cases such as myself.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide, and her breath caught. Luna was still speaking to the coffee in her hands, rather than the girl to her side.

“After three months of my refusal to bend to their will, I decided that I would rather not endure another day of those tortures. I tried to take my own life.”

Luna extended her right arm, showing Sunset the knot of scar tissue.

“When they found me, I was rushed to the hospital. The doctors there were very good at dealing with trauma injuries, and they worked… very closely with the camp to ensure that only the barest of documentation was taken. It wouldn’t do to have the authorities see children being intentionally inflicted with these kinds of wounds, after all.”

The tears were coursing unchecked down Luna’s face. Her hands were shaking again, and her breath caught as Sunset scooted closer and placed a reassuring hand onto the older womans wrist.
Luna pressed on.

“Once the doctors had patched me up, they sent me to Shady Acres. It was a psychiatric hospital on the outside of our town, and because the whole town was so active with the church, they were also very large benefactors of the institution. I was wrong to think that it couldn’t get any worse than the camp.”

Luna took a deep breath, and leaned into Sunsets shoulder slightly, taking strength from the physical presence. She hadn’t told this story in its entirety to anyone before, even Celestia didn’t know how bad it got at Shady Acres.

“Shady Acres was where they sent the ‘hopeless cases’, those that the camp couldn’t fix. The details are… painful. The hospital employees were chosen more for their ability to maintain order and compliance, more than their ability to provide psychological care. It was here, more than anywhere that I became aware of my… distaste for men.

“One of the guards had a particular… fondness for teenage girls. I will spare you the details, but for months I was ra… assaulted by him.”

Luna shuddered and her voice cracked. Sunset wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, stroking her hair. The older woman stopped her story as the sobs slowly started to come through.

-----------

Sunset was at a loss.

All she could do at this point was hold Luna close and let things run their course. She really didn't have any other ideas. With one hand stroking the blue hair, Sunset gently pulled the coffee mug out of Luna's hands and set it on the bedside table. As soon as the lifeline of the mug was removed, Luna flung her arms around the younger woman and sobbed harder.

“Oh Luna. Oh sweetie.” Platitudes aside, Sunset kept her tone soft. She knew enough about the world to know that sometimes you needed to just be there until the tears stopped.

Throughout the whole process, she kept her grip firm around Luna's shoulders, allowing the administrator to just cry it out while Sunset made comforting noises. Internally, she thanked Fluttershy for showing her how to care for animals that had been injured and were extremely skittish. A calm tone was worth more than the words it conveyed.

Eventually the racking sobs quieted. Slowly, Sunset leaned her head back from its position resting atop the blue hair of Luna. Looking her in the eyes, and pushing an errant strand of hair out of the older woman's face, Sunset made a reassuring smile.
“I can’t even imagine what you went through, Luna. It’s not something that makes sense to me how someone could do that to another person. The only thing I know how to do is be here for you right now.”

Luna nodded silently as she wiped her cheeks.

“That’s what I need right now I think.” The older woman looked abashedly at the damp spots on Sunset’s shirt and gestured toward them.

“I’m sorry Sunset.”

“Don’t even worry about it. It can be washed, and there are more important things than a damp shirt.”

“Thank you for being here for me. I think this has been weighing on me for longer than I thought. I will be honest, I thought that I had closed the door behind me on this. Between the concerns about this whole magic mess, and my sister reminding me every few hours that I have my own demons…”

“It’s rough.” Sunset finished the sentence as it trailed off from Luna.

“I know all about people judging you because of your past, and watching you because of it. To be honest, when we first talked about meeting, I thought that was where this all came from.” Sunset stood as she spoke, and walked to the dresser to retrieve a fresh shirt.

Luna averted her eyes as Sunset casually swapped to a dry shirt, but not before seeing a soft hint of crimson running across the younger womans back and shoulders.

Blushing as she turned around, Sunset realized what she had just done.

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to having company, and after all of this, I am a little edgy. I can’t even imagine what you are feeling.”

Luna nodded quietly.

“I think that any chance of research today is shot. But it is still early. I know this may be a little awkward, with me being a student and all, but do you want to just order some take-out and have a girls day in? Just relax and forget about any responsibilities?”

Sunset made the offer without really thinking it through. But once the words were out, it all seemed like the right idea.

“I would like that, though I had planned to go out to the mountains this evening to watch the moon rise. I like to do that on the weekends.”

“Why don’t we do that. Your clothes should be clean by now. We can get changed and go see the sun set.”

Luna smiled, not bothering to acknowledge the slight freudian slip.

Author's Note:

This one was a pain and a half to write. I worked on it every single day for the last week. I don't honestly think that I have deleted and re-written as much as I have on this chapter alone. In the end, I wanted to keep this chapter strictly to Luna's trauma. I thought that dedicating it to its own chapter was the right thing to do, and allowed to do it the justice it needed.

Now, I do want to address something important here:

I know that this story is not for everyone, I understand that the subject matter is sensitive. I don't want to shy away from it, and I don't want to cover it up. This is important.

I know that the material may be emotionally triggering for some, and I want to acknowledge the fact that if you have those triggers based on personal experience, it is a horrible thing to have to have gone through, and I do not intend to make light of it in any way.

If you or someone you love struggles with mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, or have been/are being abused please reach out to a professional. There are people out there who are very well trained and educated and available to help YOU. There are so many resources, and you do NOT have to suffer in silence.

Comments

[diablo4000]

Does Celestia know anything of what happened to Luna?!

[ed-stoneman]

8388479
Just wait :)

[diablo4000]

8388532
Well hope she learns everyting that happen, then she can SHUT UP on reminding Luna of her past deeds, want her to realize how badly she and thier family screwed her.

Did those peopel get away with everything in the end as well?

[John Tannius]

If, and I do mean IF (all in caps even), homosexuality is a mental illness, it still doesn't make an excuse for violence or treating the person as anything less than a fellow sapient being. That being said, let people be who they want to be, too much hate in the world as it is without making up new shit to hate too.

[Vaguely Demented]

Honestly kind of amazed she could stand Celestia. Her telling their parents started the chain of events after all.

[sunlord9]

Ok what tool would i us to blast some assholes. Shotgun, assault rightful, BFG,or Big hammer.

[ed-stoneman]

8646326
Without giving away any spoilers.... There will be plenty of work on that front

[Magos Xenos Disathairne]

8583155
You forgot an entire planet full of Jakobs and Maliwan weapons.

[WhalenJP]

8583155
BFG.