Lunatic Fringe

by kudzuhaiku

Annulus

It was always so difficult to begin, which is to say, beginnings were hard. Luna was great at ending things, but starting them? Going to her sister seemed easy enough, but it meant starting something. It wasn't so long ago that Luna had convinced herself that her sister had put her in charge of detention to damage her standing. To make her somehow even more hated. But quite the opposite had happened; Luna was now a reverent figure of worship to at least one, and she was confident that she was friends with three more.

To think that all of this could have been ruined by paranoia and accusation.

Just a while ago she had convinced herself that her sister was out to get her. She was her own worst enemy and in a moment of cold honesty, she acknowledged that. Crazy-thoughts were crazy-thoughts, and Luna still had them. She was having them right now, she realised, as she delayed what was vitally necessary. Why did she do this to herself, and more importantly, how could she stop?

Looking around her, Luna saw the guard out in force. They were everywhere and in great numbers. Something was going on, but Luna's current state of mind barely allowed her to register it. If she became involved with the guard, she might never make it to her sister. That was how these things worked. When Luna wanted a distraction, she found one. A part of her wanted to go and find her young friends, just to make certain they were fine. But that too, was a distraction, something that would keep her from her sister.

The inevitable could no longer be delayed. Reaching out with her mind, Luna sought out her sister's location. She felt out all of the could-be places, but found them empty. A bit more searching revealed that Celestia was in the kitchens, which meant one of two things. Celestia was either advising the staff about meals, or she was grazing. The most obvious answer was that she was grazing, because that was what she was wont to do in times of trouble.

Reaching through the aether, Luna felt her way to her desired location—and vanished.

---

Golden light streamed in through the window and bathed Celestia in warm sunshine. Which was really an impressive feat because said window was in the shadow of the garden wall and facing away from the sun's current given location. Luna marveled at it for a moment—she could do the same neat trick with moonbeams—and then she noticed that snacks had thoughtfully been laid out for her.

Celestia sat on a cushion next to a low table. A second cushion awaited, this one covered in gaudy silver stars. For whatever reason, it seemed as though Celestia knew that this meeting would happen. Luna stood there, trying to make sense of things, while also trying to quiet her own thoughts, which were noisy and scattered. There was banana milk on the table—smashed bananas whipped and frothed in sweet, creamy milk—and other treats that Luna was entirely too fond of. It was the worst sort of bait, because Luna lacked the self control and willpower to resist. If only such a spread had been laid out on that fateful night, Luna might have resisted the siren song of darkness.

"You always did like kitchens," Celestia remarked. "They were your happy place. I've never understood your outright fascination with them, but I've always believed it was one of the best parts of you."

This was a staging kitchen, a rather large place with a lot of empty space. Food was brought here, final preparation was done, and everything was loaded onto carts and trolleys so that it could be served in one of the many dining halls. Staging kitchens were of particular interest, because they were organised chaos. Just like post offices. But at the moment, this kitchen was quiet. Deserted, save for two. The tile floor was clean, gleaming even, and the appliances were all spotless. If anything, the room was too clean, and didn't look lived in.

At least the cupboards weren't full of books.

"Kitchens are a place where laughter is made," Luna said to her sister, "and happiness can be measured out by the spoonful."

"I don't know if I understand that, Luna."

"I think that if anypony does, it might be Pinkie Pie."

"Are you going to sit down?" asked Celestia.

"I would, but that means starting up a conversation. And that scares me."

"Banana milk, Luna."

"I spoke with Twilight," Luna confessed.

"I know," her sister replied. "I returned the cast iron skillet. But not the corn fritters. I ate those."

"I'm sorry."

"For what, Luna?"

Did this mean she had a lot to be sorry for? Was Celestia keeping track of every little thing? Every little slight? Distracted, Luna could not help but to ponder this. Conflicted, she stuffed this down before it could become a problem and warily eyed her sister. "I'm sorry that I spoke to Twilight before I spoke to you. I wanted to speak to you… but it was hard. Harder than you know."

There were a thousand things to say and only so much time to say them in.

"Come, Luna. Sit down with me. Let us get to know each other better."

"Oh, there is much I know about you," Luna began whilst she remained standing in place.

To which Celestia replied with, "Such as what, Dearest Sister?"

"I know that you fear and hate the warm open spaces beneath a blanket," Luna said, almost whispering out her words as if they were some kind of troubling confession. "When you encounter those empty spaces, you are overcome with guilt because you have excess when so many have nothing at all. Because of this, you like blankets to be smooth and tight over you, or to have no blankets at all. You would fill those empty spaces if you could, so that others might share in your warmth."

Celestia blinked in surprise.

"I have walked between the many wrinkles of your mind. There is much I know."

"Do you know how much I love you?"

This… this wasn't fair. There was no way for Luna to answer this question. It wasn't a secret, which she dabbled in. It wasn't connected to guilt, which drew her in like flies to filth. Celestia made no effort to hide this, which made Luna utterly and completely blind to it. Because it could not be measured, because it could not be known, Luna rather tended to treat it as if it did not exist. Was this a weakness, and if so, was her sister exploiting it? It set off a firestorm of doubt and paranoia in the recesses of her mind, and she thought all of the worst things, the most terrible things—the very sorts of things she could never stop herself from thinking.

Rather than feel joy, as might be intended, Luna felt somewhat resentful.

Which was all kinds of wrong of course, and as a result, guilt and shame riddled her guts like bad cramps, no doubt mirroring the aftermath of Twilight Sparkle's soap swallowing splatastrophe. This sudden onset of emotion made her want to flee the kitchen and this impossible conversation. Everything had gone from awkward to unbearable in no time at all. Filling her starved lungs with much-needed air, Luna waited while hoping that the moment would pass. Standing there, uncertain, wishing to flee, Luna thought of a few thinkful thunks, but her mind did not clear.

The muscles in her legs knotted, as if taking pre-emptive measures to prevent her from running. A cold, clammy, unwelcomed, unwanted prickle manifested just behind both ears, which made her face feel too small, and far too tight. Why did this happen? She stood there, powerless as if spellbound, and cast a blank stare upon her sister. If Celestia had an inkling of Luna's internal distress, she showed no sign. Her face revealed nothing, save for a sense of kindness.

"I came for help," Luna somehow managed to say, overcoming her body's steadfast refusal to speak.

"So did I."

This response was unexpected; so much so it crumbled some of Luna's defenses.

Recovering a bit of herself, she stumbled closer to the table, teetered a bit, kept her balance only because she was a creature of purest majesty, sat down upon the cushion laid out for her, and then eyeballed her cold, frothy banana milk. She deserved it. Earned it. As soon as she knew that her magic could be trusted, she would drink it. But for now, she just stared at it awkwardly.

"I reached a conclusion that you made me the Princess of Detention." Betrayed by her own mouth, Luna sat there for a moment in shocked disbelief. Before she could recover, the traitorous giblet that was her tongue had more to say. "Of course, I managed to convince myself that you did it so I would be hated. So that you would be the brighter one by comparison. Even one of the students said something about it. There were a great many crazy-thoughts in the past few days. It caused me much distress."

Passive, with no visible reaction to be seen upon her face, Celestia just sat there.

The sisters eyeballed one another in the way that only sisters could.

This continued until Celestia broke the stalemate by saying, "You don't make it easy, you know."

To which Luna struggled to reply with, "I suppose I do not."

"You came to me and asked me for something to do. Something to ease the lonely hours. But then you absolutely refused to talk about what you wanted, or what you needed, and when I tried to ask questions, you grew defensive and sullen. When I tried pressing, to gain just a tiny bit of helpful information, you attacked me and fled."

"I did." Though, in her own defense, Luna swiftly added, "Attack is such a strong statement. I had one of my turns, I suppose."

"What choice did I have? What options did you leave me? There are times when I have no choice but to inquire because your wants are so vague."

"Well, I suppose, to be fair, I did receive a task that has eased the lonely hours."

Both Luna and the glass of banana milk were sweating now. Like a desert wanderer, she cast her longing gaze upon the fat droplets of condensation that rolled down the sides of the glass. It was cold; it had to be cold and was best made with almost-frozen bananas. Her tongue slipped out to lick her lips and when it touched the velvet fuzz of her chin she shivered. An explosive snort from across the table jolted her to attention; when she looked up, she saw a smile on her sister's face.

"Just drink it, Luna. Why torture yourself? Why all this drama?"

How could she explain that she didn't trust her magic in her emotional state? If she tried to mention it, what if Celestia took it wrong? What if it came out as a sign that she could not be trusted? Or that she might somehow botch her duty to move the moon? Revealing that there was a problem was dangerous, because doing so would shine a light upon all the other hidden faults. Still, she very much wanted to drink; the waiting was torture and Luna had faint hope that it might last.

Sitting on her cushion, longing for her banana milk, Luna was a total cutetastrophe.

"We have a villain in our midst," Luna blurted out.

"Many. More than a few. Did you have a particular one in mind, Sister?"

Thinking of Overcast caused a new flood of emotion and Luna became increasingly jittery. This was getting harder. Why was this so hard? She took a deep breath, then another, and then, when she thought of Overcast once more, she felt better. Maybe not calmer, but better. On the table, there were cookies, cakes, tarts, and even little sandwiches. Seeing the sandwiches made Luna remember Almanac's remark about beanstalks, and this almost caused a fit of nervous laughter that would be impossible to explain.

"Overcast," Luna said at last.

"I thought today was rather sunny," Celestia replied.

Luna returned a deadpan stare, but still wanted to laugh about beanstalks.

"It's a troubling incident," Celestia said and the tone of her voice shifted in an unpleasant way. "He's caused quite a commotion. I don't even know where to begin. There is so much to tell you, Luna. Sometimes, starting feels impossible when everything is so complicated." Tilting her head, she struck a thoughtful pose. "Before I begin, there is something I want to say to you, Luna. Something of utmost importance. Something you should know."

"And that is?" asked Luna.

"I trust your paranoia. Yes, I know how strange that sounds, and I don't know if I can explain myself, but I trust in your paranoia. Right now, I am so overwhelmed. Discord's return. Everything happening. The wedding. There is something wrong with my school. Twilight enchanted a doll and ensorcelled Ponyville. The damage was extensive."

"There is most certainly something amiss with the school," Luna replied. Her sister's words got stuck in her ears, the part about trusting paranoia in particular. How did one respond to that? Just the mere mention of it caused a fresh outbreak of more paranoia. It was a peculiar thing to say, without a doubt.

"Overcast's outburst caused a bit of a panic," Celestia began, and she closed her eyes in a thoughtful way. "Of course, I had to find out the truth once I was informed. I had the guard go to collect Mister Burr… but he was gone. When the guard went to his home, they found it in a condition that could only be described as… abandoned. All the house plants were dead. The food was rotten. Everything was covered in dust. Nopony had lived there for months."

"How… strange."

"You have no idea, Luna." Opening up her eyes, Celestia transfixed Luna with a calculating and cunning stare. "Over half of the school's teachers have vanished. They're just gone. And their homes are also in varying states of abandonment. Some recent, and some appearing long-term. Just gone. As if they'd just never existed."

"What?" Reaching out with her mind, without even thinking about it, Luna lifted up the sweating glass of banana milk and greedily gulped down almost half of it in one go.

"Half of my teachers are missing. They cannot be found. Even with magical methods. They are gone."

Licking the banana froth from her lips, Luna was unable to think of a suitable response.

"The school… my school… something went wrong. All of the teachers… changed in some way. Recently. I cannot put my hoof on when. But some of them started to become… cold. Distant. These were ponies I knew, Sister. And they avoided me. Some of them were my students before they became teachers. I knew them. I knew them… and they refused my invites for supper and for tea. They… avoided me. A while back, I started to wonder if Discord had done something and I was going to begin researching the problem… but Cadance… she became… I don't even know how to talk about Cadance."

Luna thought about Overcast's harsh lesson when he fixed Almanac's glasses. Yes, the teachers should have done something—but didn't. Which made everything said by Celestia even more intriguing. Setting down her glass, Luna composed her thoughts for a brief time, and then, with a much clearer head, she involved herself in this difficult conversation.

"Overcast mentioned the teachers were acting strange. There's a student, Almanac Avocado… her glasses were broken. Overcast fixed them and he, well, he said something very damaging to Almanac about how the teachers didn't care about her. And he used her broken glasses as an example."

"Well, he's absolutely right," Celestia replied without a second's delay. "Surely, it's a symptom. But of what? I strongly suspect that Discord has sown chaos in the school. Perhaps to cripple the unicorns that pose the very worst sort of threat to him."

"Sister, you were the one that put all of your eggs into one basket."

"See, Luna… there's that paranoia that I value. That right there. I have, in fact, put all of my eggs into one basket. And now, Equestria's most precious and most valuable place of education and learning is in crisis. The teachers have gone missing. There's one thing that just doesn't fit together though."

"And that is?" asked Luna.

"Mister Burr's home was abandoned months ago, before Discord got free."

"Perhaps Discord's influence could be felt before he freed himself from his statue," Luna suggested.

"If that were true, why didn't we feel it?"

This stupefied Luna, and she did not have a good answer. Not at all. Lifting her glass once more, she drained it with two gulps, licked her lips, and then put the glass back down upon the table. Something was off, and worse than that, something had been off for a while. It had gone without notice. Leaning over the table, Luna began to try to make the pieces fit, but she didn't recognise the puzzle laid out before her.

"I am unable to give this my attention," Celestia said to Luna. "Something… there is something wrong with Cadance. I've never tried magic like that before. I fear I might have made a mistake, Luna. We bicker constantly about the coming wedding and all this fighting… it drains me in some strange way. I'm weakened, Luna. I cannot concentrate properly. Cannot focus. I am positive that I can fix it, and I will do so after the wedding when things calm down and—"

"If things calm down," Luna said, interrupting. "It is dangerous to assume that things will calm down. All manner of thousand year old evil is returning. There is a dark shadow to the north, if the yaks are to be believed. If Discord's influence did something to the school without our notice, just imagine what else it might have done to the world at large. All of our carefully laid protections and the dangerous things we've sealed away. He may have undone a great many protections so that the world might be thrown into chaos. Which is what he needs to gain strength."

"Your pessimism does you credit, Luna."

Conflicted, Luna did not know how to respond to that.

"Luna, I am struggling with the most basic of tasks. Even my magic feels depleted somehow. I don't know if Discord has hexed me or if my suspicions are true and there is something wrong with Cadance. It's like… it's like she pulls all of the love and warmth out of me when we bicker. Our arguing leaves me tired. I must make a very strange request of you, Dearest Sister."

"And that is?"

"Avoid Cadance at all costs. For now. Until I can figure out what is going on and sort it out. Keep your distance. And please, please, I am begging you… find out what is wrong with my school. You're the only pony I can trust to do what must be done. Your paranoia and natural suspicion are my best hope."

"Those are the very things that were my undoing—"

"But you are getting better now," Celestia interjected, "and now they can be your strength. Please. Please. I am spread so thin right now. There's only so much I can do."

"And you could do better if you knew that your school is safe."

Across the table, Celestia nodded while saying, "I am trusting you with the most precious thing I have."

"So then, what is to be done with Overcast?" asked Luna.

"That is up to you," was Celestia's slow and careful response. "You are in charge of disciplinary actions, Luna. His fate is to be decided by you. However, there is something I want."

"You have but to ask."

"I want him to be made a prefect. A praepostor."

"You wish to reward him?"

"Oh, goodness no. You misunderstand. I want the punishment to fit the crime. If he wishes to snoop and go dropping eaves, then his ne'er-do-well antics will be made to serve the public good. I do not wish to tell you how to do your job, oh Princess of Detention, but in my school, we have a long, long history of making the punishment fit the crime. Not that we've had that many troublemakers. But… things happen."

"You also wish to send a message to the remaining teachers and students that they are being monitored," Luna said as her sister's intentions clarified in her mind. "Am I to revive my role as Inquisitor?"

Celestia did not respond right away. She sat with her lips pursed in a thoughtful way, and when she did finally respond, she was not the sunny optimist that presented herself to the public at large. "No. That is unnecessary, for now. We're not dealing with chaos cultists. Though it does seem that Overcast is gifted at causing chaos."

"You have no idea," Luna mentioned. "If only you knew what he has planned. He means to upend society and prove that friendship is fraudulent."

"Why am I not surprised?" Then, Celestia asked, "What is to be done with him?"

"I would save him. If I can. He is me. But he's only just started down the path."

"Can he be saved?" asked Celestia.

The question caused Luna considerable pain, both physical and mental. A sort of cold anguish that lingered like malaise in the mind and a chilly ache in the joints. "I want to believe that he can. Whatever is to be done, I am not yet sure what to do, or how to go about it."

"If he is to become a villain, then I want him kept in school so that we can keep an eye on him, Luna. Expelling him would be disastrous, I feel. I reviewed his student record. His potential is considerable."

"Apparently, he is enrolled in advanced matter manipulation classes."

"Yes, there is that and that sets off warning bells. That should not be. There must have been a mistake made, or some kind of oversight."

Fearful of what the truth might bring, Luna dared to reveal even more. "I am almost certain that he is using pain to fuel his spellcasting."

"So little Overcast dares to dabble in the dark arts, does he?" If Celestia was surprised by this, she did nothing to show it. "That is becoming increasingly common. There's been incidents." A pained expression caused her face to contort in an unpleasant way.

"Incidents?" Ears forward, Luna chose to be direct. "Is there anything that I should know about? The guard that brought Overcast to me said there was no procedure to follow. But what you just said seems to contradict what the guard had to say."

"My previous student"—voice cracking, Celestia struggled to get the words out—"the one before Twilight, she… she betrayed me. There was… things happened. She… she turned to darkness. There was an incident. But it was covered up. She's gone. In exile. She's… well, she's off-world."

Luna nodded—but she did not press her sister for more information.

"I'll see to it that you get a copy of the report," Celestia said, almost whispering and each word was spoken with pained hesitation. "It might help you in your duties. Why, it might even help you with Overcast."

"Thank you." It seemed like the right thing to say, but it also felt as though it wasn't enough to soothe Celestia's troubled soul and Luna very much wanted to make her sister feel better.

"If only I had your sense of suspicion, Luna. Things might have turned out differently. I… I very much want to assume the very best of my little ponies. I want to believe in their goodness. Sometimes, I allow myself to be blinded. Had you been here, you might have saved her before she was lost to the darkness. But… she is lost. Overcast though… I am greatly relieved that your paths have crossed. Save my students, Luna. Especially the ones that flirt with shadow. I am trusting you."

Unsure of what to say, Luna did not respond.

"You know, Luna… I feel that your downfall is my fault—"

"We've been over this, Sister. I made terrible choices."

"Luna, please, hear me out. Something you've said has given me pause. I pushed you into your role as Equestria's Inquisitor in Chief. At the time, it felt very necessary. But it made the little ponies fear you. It made them not trust you. And I did shine all the brighter by comparison. However necessary it might have been for our survival, it was a mistake. One you paid for. I'll not make that mistake again. Ever. The cost is much too dear. While you might be the Princess of Detention, or however you might see yourself during one of your flights of fancy, I do not want you hated or mistrusted.

"Because of your imagination and your sense of fun, you have a way with the littlest of little ponies, and I want them to trust you. This was a calculated move on my part. When the littlest of the little ponies grow up, they shall become little ponies that trust you. Implicitly. If I am completely honest, you might even have a few followers that trust you more than they do me… and that is a price I am willing to pay so that you might be happy. I am sharing my students with you."

"Fantastic." A wry smirk haunted Luna's face, a grim spectre of sarcasm. "So far I have a close-minded traditionalist that can't say no, a trumpet player unfit for the school's marching band, a book-loving nerd, and an anti-Twilight. Oh, and the book-loving nerd believes the anti-Twilight is the best thing since sliced bread and just might be worshipping him right now as we speak. He's no-doubt poisoning her mind with all manner of talk about how friendship is fraudulent, the teachers are all the worst, and parents are awful monsters that can't be trusted."

"Oh dear," Celestia sighed.

"All of them are very dear to me," Luna confessed. "You may keep your cream that rises to the top. I adore my collection of misfits."

"Somepony has to love them," Celestia replied, "otherwise, how will they live up to their full potential?"

"I suppose there was a time when the teachers might have helped them." Speaking her thoughts aloud, Luna shared her innermost reflections. "But something has gone wrong. Teachers once compassionate and thoughtful have turned to indifference and apathy. Well, the teachers that remain, that is. How will the school even operate with so many teachers now missing? A lot of struggling students are bound to slip through the cracks. I suppose I must be the one to save them."

Across the table, Celestia offered up a single solemn nod.

"I have no idea what I am doing and I am bound to make mistakes."

"Luna, I have made mistakes. Those are to be expected."

"But there are lives at stake. Futures."

A soft sigh escaped Celestia and she turned her head away. "Mistakes are made. My previous student paid for my mistakes. You have paid for my mistakes. That… that is the cost of rule, Dearest Sister. Everypony pays for your mistakes while you… you get to live with them."

"I wish I'd come to talk sooner."

Turning her head once more, this time Celestia's gaze focused upon Luna.

"My thoughts betray me. Often. I think absolutely crazy things. Sometimes I think the worst of you. And also myself." When Luna swallowed, the hard lump in her throat did not go down. "Overcast thinks the worst of others, and he may be right. He developed his gifts at the worst possible time and wasn't ready for what he discovered. The school is in crisis and all he's heard just confirms what he's already convinced himself is true."

Eyebrow arching, Celestia waited.

"The same thing happened to me," Luna said and the pebbly texture of her tongue turned to dry sand. "The same thing happened to me. I came into my own during a time of crisis. I ended Grogar and his cadre of necromancers. That… that was only the beginning. As Inquisitor, I hunted down the chaos cultists that aided and assisted Discord. I saw the very worst in ponies. All of my worst suspicions were confirmed. Everything I believed to be true… was. It was."

"You robbed the God-King of his worshippers and weakened him significantly," Celestia said to her sister. "His defeat might not have been possible otherwise. I'm sorry that it had such a cost. Because of you, because of your actions, because you sacrificed so much of yourself, there is an Equestria. There is—"

"An Equestria that rejected me!" Luna spat out these words and her humours suffered churning turmoil. "An Equestria that feared me! An Equestria that remembers nothing of what I did for them! I was forgotten! Your school doesn't even teach about the Inquisition or that period of our history!"

"It… doesn't. And I am sorry. That is my doing. I wanted you to be able to return with a clean slate. I wanted you to have a chance, Dearest Sister."

When Luna could not fault this logic, all of her anger turned to profound sadness.

"I thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to give you a chance to escape your past. When I came up with this idea, I was still young. Stupid. Foolish. Unwise. You were always the planner and the plotter, Luna. Your paranoia, your suspicion, your leeriness, your natural caution and wariness, these things I am not. You were always the one to think ahead and conceive of every possible outcome. I'm not gifted in that way. It doesn't come naturally to me. I had to learn as I tried to hold Equestria together and mistakes were made. Terrible mistakes that I spend every day regretting."

Lower lip protruding, Luna glared at her sister in the most glaringly way possible, but the remnants of her anger and foul mood had no substance. Still she tried, she tried with all due effort for intense glarification because the annoying little sunspot had it coming. Luna heeded the glarion call of annoyance for as long as she could, which wasn't long at all and her lower lip went flaccid. It was hard to stare down your big sister when stricken with performance anxiety.

"The world has no need of inquisitors," Celestia said, her voice soft and somehow reassuring. "But a Princess of Detention on the other hoof… the world has need of that. I want you to root out the cause, the source of trouble, and deal with it. I'm not going to tell you how to do your job, but I will give you every resource to get it done. I want my students safe. Healthy. Well-adjusted. I want them to trust their teachers again. I want my students to be as they were… before the school was plagued by all this gossip and derision. It wasn't always like this, you know. I mean, sure, there's always gossip. Foals are little chatterboxes.

"But it wasn't so… so… it wasn't so—"

"Malicious?"

"That seems like a harsh indictment of the current situation and I—"

"What you call harsh, I call honest. Half of your teachers have just gone missing and you have no idea why." Luna heard her sister swallow and she could not help but wonder if the lump was stuck in her throat.

"Well, you were the bearer of the Element of Honesty once."

"An inquisitor seeks truth." For whatever reason, stating the obvious brought Luna no satisfaction and she rather regretted her words. "It's funny, Sister. I made others tell the truth. I drew dishonesty out of them like poison. After being exposed to my… tender mercies, they would tell me everything. At my worst, I had the strongest connection to the Element of Honesty. It ruled my every action, for a time. Anything was permissible for the sake of discovering the truth.

"When the shadow entered my life, I became dishonest. I lost my way. I lost my connection to the elements in my possession, all of them. And when those precious connections were severed, I lost myself. Not to undermine your faith and confidence in our most powerful, most precious weapons, but there is a very real dark side to them. The need for truth pulled me into shadow. Every confession I extracted made my soul a little more callous."

"Well, that's unsettling," Celestia said with a huff.

"You shouldn't lie," Luna whispered. "It does not become you."

"I'm not lying—"

Luna silenced her sister with some softly whispered words: "Feigning ignorance is inherently dishonest."

"What are you going on about?"

"Celestia"—using her sister's name had a certain weightiness to it that left Luna uncomfortable—"I know for certain that the Element of Magic caused you to explore the aspects of dark magic. Dark magic. The darkest of magics. You know exactly that of which I speak. His magic. Som—"

"Say not his name!" A pained expression could be seen only for a fleeting second on Celestia's face, and then it was gone. A normal pony might have missed it, but Luna was no normal pony. Neither was Celestia, and her current expression showed that she knew that Luna had seen it. "It's true. I dabbled in that magic. I… well, I convinced myself that I needed to know how it worked so that I might free those spellbound by it. I wanted a cure… but it led me to dark places. I gained an understanding of it, but at such a cost."

"Had you been a little pony"—Luna's words were auditory ice—"you would have found yourself in my care for a full confession."

"We've both lived through extraordinary events. I suppose that is what makes us who and what we are. I've learned my lesson. Never again."

"Circumstance might make you a liar—"

"It might," Celestia snapped, "but should I have my way, never again. Circumstances be damned!"

"I understand." These words were softer now. Kinder. More gentle. For Luna, it felt good to say them. "Sometimes a healer must ingest poison to see what it does to one's own humours. Sometimes a little bit of poison in controlled amounts does the body a world of good."

"Perhaps," was Celestia's response, "but now I lie about the poisons I've swallowed because I am ashamed of the cures I've longed to discover."

"It's hard to be us," Luna said, nodding.

"I think, in hindsight, that the Elements of Harmony were bad for us," Celestia said to her sister. "We're beings of absolute power. I know that you know the old chestnut about absolute power and what it does. We have infinite potential, you and I, and when paired with the Elements… I cannot help but wonder if we upset the balance. Perhaps it is best for Twilight and her new friends to be the bearers. Each of them. Individually. Little ponies that they are. It might be for the better."

"Why is it so hard for us to talk like this?" asked Luna.

"We seem to be talking now."

"Yes, but the start. The beginning. Just… sitting down together. Why is it so difficult?"

"I wish I knew. Perhaps for you, it is because you flipped my room around. I bet the guilt is tearing you apart."

A crescent moon smile appeared upon Luna's face as if by magic.

"So… if you don't mind me asking, what are your plans for Overcast?"

"A lifetime of detention," Luna replied as her smile became a straight, thin line.

"That seems just a little bit harsh. Just a tiny wee bit."

"It's no less than he deserves. Like you said… the punishment must fit the crime. Overcast believes the world is a horrible and corrupt place. He might be right. But he will be made to serve, and in service, he will labour to make the world better. Through labour, he will make the world the way he wishes for it to be. Better."

"Luna—"

"I shall not lose him to darkness. He is too much like me. I can see that. Clearly."

"Luna, I was going to say that I trust you to do right. There is no need to explain yourself to me. If you honestly believe that a lifetime of service is what is necessary, then by all means, do exactly that." After some hesitation, she continued, "I will probably make an announcement tomorrow with the dawn. With Overcast as a praepostor, I expect some immediate change with the teachers that are left. Word will spread. You will, of course, continue to be the head of the school's disciplinary program, but unofficially, you will also be the head of the school's security. While there is more that I want from you, I fear it will be overwhelming to do too much at once."

Bowing her head slightly, Luna's response was as soft-spoken as it was gracious: "Thank you."

"Now that I know that what is dearest to me is getting sorted out, I can turn my attention to other things. Hopefully, Cadance will get hitched without a hitch. After that, if I am lucky, things will be calm enough for me to get everything organised. I may need your help. We'll play it by ear, Luna. For now, focus on the school… and stay far, far away from Cadance."

"Are you sure that making alicorns is a good idea?" When Luna saw her sister's brows furrow, she took this as a bad sign. A Celestia not confident in her own actions was strange and unknown. Watching for further signs, she dared to press the issue a little more. "They're not like us. Made, not born. There is no way to know the long-term consequences of such an act. It feels reckless, Sister."

More brow furrowing. Deeper wrinkles. A distant rather than focused gaze. Some flaring of the nostrils. All of these were bad signs. What was Celestia's endgame with this? Luna was an immortal being—though this came at a cost. A terrible price. Could it be that Celestia was attempting to stiff the bill? Randomly tinkering with the inner-workings of the universe was very much in theme with Celestia's character, but this felt especially risky. Some things, once broken, could not be fixed.

Both Luna and Celestia were born with unusual talents. Some might even say unique. At least in this era. Way back in the day, a great many unicorns were born with the talent to move the sun and the moon. But doing so drained them. Depleted them of their magic. Aged them prematurely. Celestia and Luna were born as alicorns—alicorns who by some strange and suspicious coincidence just so happened to have the talents for moving the celestial mechanics, the machinery of both the heavens and reality.

But they were not born immortal and with their death, things would go back to how they once were. Things happened. Death was delayed. Immortality could be had—but at a price. Alicorns were now all but extinct, with Celestia and Luna having outlived them. Coming back from her exile and meeting Cadance came as quite a shock for Luna. Hearing the circumstances for Cadance's creation, her ascension from a pegasus to an alicorn even more so.

It was impossible to know what Celestia was planning, but it felt oh so dangerous.

This was the sort of thing one expected for the Element of Magic to do—or former Element of Magic in Celestia's case. Yet, it was entirely unexpected. Rather than worry, Luna chose to focus on what she knew. She thought of Twilight Sparkle and then, either in a flash of insight or an instance of alicorn prognostication, she suspected that she knew Celestia's next move. The first seemed to be showing some serious design flaws and Celestia was already planning the second.

Keeping her thoughts to herself, Luna said nothing.

"I must go," Luna announced. "Overcast must be told of this joyous news, that he is to be rewarded for his actions. It will surely crush his spirits like nothing else will."

Confused, Celestia tilted her head off to one side.

"If you knew him, what I just said would make perfect sense."

"Oh." Then, a second later: "Can you stay a little longer?"

"When I left my little quirky quartet, I told them to go into hiding. All my senses told me something was wrong. They'll need to come out of hiding, and soon. This must be stressful for them."

"Well, by all means. Go to them. Ease their troubled minds. And Sister…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. I hope we bump into each other again soon. Remember, you are trusted, and you are loved."

This time, the words came easy for Luna, who replied, "Thank you, Sister. You also, are loved."

"Go then… to those who need you most."

Author's Note:

There was an excellent blog post about this story that I would hate for people to miss.

One chapter left. And then, it's all over.

Comments

[King Kenya]

Ah, you take the milk that is young students, churn it in the education system, and the cream will indeed rise to the top, and the worst will curdle. However, curdles, with careful treatment, the right conditions, and aging, forms cheese, which is far more varied and interesting.

[kudzuhaiku]

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What a friend we have in Cheesus.

[niltag]

10724349
breaad and deep-fry them and you get ooey-gooey goodness.

[randomPony461]

Luna... it ain’t paranoia if they really are gaining on you.

[Drone_Roelun]

This story has been a wonderful journey so far, and a delight to read. I look forward to the conclusion

[NocturnalLillith]

I just realised what Overcast's situation is akin to.

There is a character in Psychonuats called Sasha Nein. Sasha was raised by his father after his mother died fairly young into her son's life. Sasha's father was fairly tightlipped about Sasha's mother, so when Sasha developed psychic powers, he read his fathers mind, looking for memories of his mother.

Sasha found memories of his mother, alright, but ones that were not exactly...age appropriate for a young child.

Overcast overhears A LOT of things that he didn't have the maturity to handle.

(I wonder how many times he's overheard ponies performing the Summoning Rite of the Six-Legged Beast?)

[kudzuhaiku]

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He has. But this wasn't mentioned due to this being a story that doesn't have a sex tag, so I left the details vague on purpose.

[Totally Not A Pony]

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It is if you’re fixating on the wrong “them”. That’s kind of what makes it paranoia, after all -- that blurring of the line between real threats and merely imaginary ones until one cannot tell the difference anymore. Thankfully, for all the other issues this story’s Luna clearly has, she still has a rather good grip on herself in that respect.

[nlinzer]

Never wrong I was off about the master manipulater, Ingsoc Celestia, she's just trying her best. I think I am adding this story to my personal cannon.