The Princess of Night in the City of Light

by Carnifaxy

Chapter 5

"Your Highness I do not believe it wise for-"

"Ah ah ah, I offered to show the princess what we were using the crystals New Mareland had been giving us. There is nothing wrong in sharing knowledge, especially with Wingbardy on their borders. Whatever deals Beakolini is making with Jet Set, preparing for the future is as important for them as us. If they get taken, who will we turn to for cheap crystals?"

The unicorn adjusted his glasses as he led the queen and princess deeper into the facility.

"We were experimenting with magical firearms as well," Luna commented as she looked over the papers Vivienne had given her. "We could not figure out how to overcome maintenance issues. There were too many points of failure, and we could not afford to maintain a large stockpile of possibly useless weapons. How long have you been working on this project?"

“Since we acquired some plans from escaping Equestrian researchers,” the unicorn said, which earned a vicious glare from the queen. "S-she's already here and these are Equestrian plans we're using!"

"You are dismissed," Vivienne said sternly, leaving the unicorn to flee with his tail tucked between his legs.

"Rather cruel, was it not Vivienne? As long as our research is being used for something worthwhile I have no objections."

The hen scoffed. "If I volunteered the information then that would be fine, but I cannot be allowing others to offer up such so freely."

Their walk continued until Vivienne brought Luna into a large room with a firing range, the distinct cacophony of spells being released before they even passed through the door. A group of griffon and pony soldiers were busy testing strange firearms that Luna recognized right away.

"Those are Luna Nova rifles. You really did take our designs!" she chided Vivienne with a slight smile.

With a grin of her own the queen led her over as a light gray griffon overlooked the group. The griffon turned around and her eyes widened at their guests. She tried to salute, but with one of the rifles in her grasp she fumbled and dropped it with a clang, causing the others to look at her.

"Soldiers, attention!" she barked out, forcing the other griffons and ponies to line up and salute Vivienne.

Vivienne let out a light giggle and shook her head. "There is no need for that, general. The princess and I are here to check in on the progress. Princess Luna, this is General Sophie Altiert. She is the mastermind behind our experimental weapons program."

Sophie bowed with a nervous smile. "Princess, I must say it is an honor."

"I am curious, general. When did you have this idea?"

Sophie’s demeanor changed, brightening up at the question. "Oh, for years! But the king, he didn't care to support something so pricy despite that military expenditures are always costly. It wasn't until we received information from Equestria's weapons programs that I could convince our generous queen of the possibilities!"

Luna nodded as she walked over to examine the magical rifles that the soldiers were testing. "Did you manage to overcome the sensitivity issues?"

"Ah, no, not yet. We believe that using more flexible materials may help. Either that, or by scaling the spell matrices up to fit on a war machine instead. That we have been working on but construction is slow as we keep testing it at each stage to ensure safety."

"I have said that perhaps it should be artillery," Vivienne said, "but to convert our current stockpiles to something like that is a rather daunting effort."

"A tank, perhaps?" Luna offered, then noticed the look the queen and general shared. "Ah, already working on spell-powered tanks. Seems more risky than artillery."

"If an artillery unit explodes it's often in close proximity to other units, collateral damages are higher. An experimental tank is at least far enough from others if it explodes."

Luna furrowed her brow as she looked at Sophie. "Breaking down I can see but, exploding?"

Sophie nervously tapped her talons together. "By trying to use stiffer, sturdier materials the vibrations of the crystals when in use reverberate through the metal and enter a feedback loop. It's not a problem with the small arms as the crystals for those are small enough that they wind up being knocked out of place. Of course, being inside the rifle the crystal vibrating out of place means- Well, you know from your own experiments with these weapons."

Luna walked over to one such rifle and examined it carefully. Her horn lit up and she deftly stripped it down to uncover the crystal matrix that powered it. She looked at it for a long moment.

"What if we did it like a normal weapon magazine? Insert a block of crystal inside and have it secured, then when firing the inner matrices work on drawing the power out?"

Sophie looked over the princess' shoulder. "That may work for small arms. I'm surprised you didn't think of such back in Equestria, princess."

"As soon as the tests began I had to work on leading the armies. As much good as that helped us... Twilight was in charge of our research division but I fear she may have dictated the weapons developments to others. She would have realized this sooner."

Both griffons examined the rifle with Sophie eyeballing up just how to rework the crystals as suggested.

"This will not help with the tank, but we can try this out per your suggestion, princess," the general said.

"I am glad to be of assistance, general," Luna said with a smile. "I do hope to see the fruits of your labor soon. Working magic weapons would definitely draw New Mareland's interests. Speaking of fruits, it is almost lunch is it not?"

"Indeed, princess. Shall we go to the cafeteria then?"

Despite being at the nerve center of their magic weapons program, and just outside of Aquila, the cafeteria's offerings were basic, mediocre at worse and not much better. The pair sat at one of the tables and were given a wide berth by most of the soldiers and engineers also taking their breaks. Luna idly picked at the slop in front of her while Vivienne had no qualms in eating it.

"Is there something wrong, Luna?" the queen asked after swallowing some of her food.

"Is this meat?" Luna raised her fork with some brown chunk soaked in gravy.

"Yes, of course. You have been here for some time, have you not had any meat since arriving?" There was some genuine shock in Vivienne's voice as she dabbed her beak clean.

"I have not had meat since... a very long time. Back when food was much more scarce for the average pony."

Taking the risk, Luna placed the food into her mouth and chewed. It took a bit to get used to the flavors, reminding her of the rations she had eaten in the Great War. How the meat was bland, soaked in thin gravy. It was at least warm.

"Hmm... There is flavor, but it could use work. Some more pepper, I think. I do not want to know what this is made from."

"Many ponies do not want to know what it is, but eat it happily anyways. Strange, no? Folk can be so squeamish about food at times."

"I am surprised you are so used to this kind of food."

Vivienne smiled. "Do you think I sat in a well furnished room eating the fluffiest of pastries with coffee while directing the Reclamation Wars?"

"Did you?"

"Oh goodness no!" The queen laughed. "It is important for a leader to know what her soldiers are eating. That way we can all be miserable about the food together. That, and getting a good chef to work out there in the field is more difficult than you can imagine!"

Luna took another bite. "I find that hard to believe. For someone who loves the trappings of the nobility, relegating yourself to eating the same food as the enlisted soldier? Especially after how you reacted to the hayburger and fries when we first met. Did we not agree to be honest with one another?"

Vivienne’s face darkened slightly as she put her fork down. "I do not like that you assume I would not suffer the same conditions as my soldiers. Of course in the palaces of the nobility I expect quality and comfort but that is a different reality from war. What sort of commander would I be if I could not pitch a tent or heat up rations the same as those under my command?"

Luna looked down to her meal. "Forgive me. You just often do not have that sort of air about you."

"Well, that is true," Vivienne agreed as she picked her fork back up. "Perhaps if we both were not so busy I could prove it by taking you into the forests of Adelart, Then you could see for yourself that I am not some dainty hen."

"Your talons prove you are not very dainty at all, Vivienne."

The queen idly scooped some food into her beak. It took her a moment as her eyes lingered on Luna’s cheek. "Your cheek looks like I did not cut it at all."

Luna gave a nod as she touched a hoof to her face. "We alicorns have rather potent healing properties. Most injuries that could severely cripple a pony we can recover from after a brief rest. "

Vivienne nodded as she ate, her focus on the princess.

"There were several times in my life where a life-threatening injury healed up after some days. Of course, this does not mean I cannot get sick. Just that any illnesses that could kill me do not as the damage done is repaired."

"How fascinating. Perhaps it is good that only those like you and your sister have such a gift. To think how many absolutely awful creatures there are in the world that could bring devastation had they possessed such power. I am curious, does your blood have special properties too?"

The question didn’t surprise Luna as her eyes went to the queen’s clean talons. “We are very special creatures indeed. I have no doubt you noticed that my blood did not dry, and that it shimmered. More than that, I could not tell you. There are five alicorns in the world, and if my sister allowed any to study her blood I do not know. There was a time when it would be used for special, ancient religious rites… but it was often mixed with many other things.”

Vivienne kept looking at Luna as she gently prodded her food. “You mentioned Twilight Sparkle was head of research earlier. I am curious about that mare, she was your sister’s pupil, no?”

“Ah, I am sure anything I could say you already know from your spies.”

The queen smiled. “I want to know your thoughts. I can read a spy report but those never give the full picture of a person.”

“Put simply, Twilight was a dear friend. Due to her positions as my sister’s student and later as a fellow princess we had gotten to know each other well enough. She helped me to understand new cultural norms and to enjoy myself,” Luna couldn’t help but smile at the memories. “Nightmare Night is an old Equestrian holiday about appeasing my alter ego and we had formally met on such a night.”

Vivienne nodded. “I know of it. Many ponies here celebrate it, though with an Aquileian flair. It is very much still just a pony thing, as most griffons scoff at such notions. Were you and Twilight just friends?”

Luna raised a brow. “She was my sister’s pupil, even after her ascension anything like that would have been rather unwise. Not my type either, nor would I have fit well with her.”

“Of course, sometimes it is better to just be friends. A deep friendship is oftentimes better than a passionate romance.”

“What of your friends? I am curious to hear about them.”

Before Vivienne could reply their attention was drawn by the sound of clicking talons and shoes across the floor. A griffon assistant bowed his head to the pair, his feathers out of place and his breathing heavy. "Ah, Princess Luna, there has been an incident with Flurry Heart."

Before another word Luna’s horn flared and she disappeared in a flash.

---

Luna gently pressed the cool washcloth against Flurry's forehead and around her eye, even though the swelling was going away on its own well enough.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" She asked her niece in a gentle tone, "I know Spike could tell me but I want to hear it from you."

The younger alicorn sniffled as she looked away from her aunt. In the other room Vivienne could be heard talking in a low voice with some others before she cleared her throat.

"Luna, please bring Flurry in here."

Sharing a brief look with each other the two alicorns walked into the other room, Flurry staying a bit behind Luna. Three other griffons were in there, a cub and his parents. The mother was a bit on the heavy side, while the father seemed near-sighted yet too proud for glasses with how often he was squinting. Their son wrung his hands together nervously as Spike tended to his black eye. "Now, you will tell the princess what you told me," Vivienne said to the young griffon.

His body tensed as he glanced up at Luna, the alicorn keeping a neutral expression on her face.

"I, I made fun of Flurry," he squeaked out only for his father to smack him on the back of the head.

"Tell her the truth, boy!"

"You shouldn't hit him like that!" Flurry spoke up and caught them all by surprise. "Parents shouldn't hit their children!"

Luna placed a wing over Flurry. "Shh," she tried to soothe her niece, "I would like to hear what he has to say."

Rubbing the back of his head the little griffon peeked back up at Luna. "I made fun of Flurry not having parents..." he finally confessed. "I'm sorry..."

Flurry glared at the griffon for a moment before she turned around and stomped out without a word. Luna glanced at Vivienne before she followed her niece. Spike gave the queen a polite bow before he hurried on out after the princesses.

The younger alicorn took it upon herself to head to the kitchens with Luna trailing right behind her. Upon entering, the kitchen staff made no attempts to shoo them out as lunch had already been served and clean up was almost finished. Without a word Flurry continued on her way to the freezer only for one of the staff members to block the way.

"Chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry, little princess?" the older griffon asked.

Flurry nodded solemnly.

"What of you, Princess Luna?"

"The same as my niece, thank you."

The pair sat at a table to have their ice cream when Spike hurried in, huffing as he carried Tiberius on his head. Flurry looked at them sullenly as she stirred the whipped cream and chocolate around. As Spike climbed up onto a seat to join them Tiberius crawled across the table to settle by Luna.

"I don't forgive him."

"Mm. You have that right, Flurry. I think I would have done the same in your place."

Flurry looked up at Luna. "Really?"

“Um, Luna, shouldn’t there be a lesson about forgiveness or something?” Spike asked with a furrowed brow. “At least Twilight would say something about that.”

Luna took a moment to consider, a slight frown on her face. "I am not Twilight, Spike. Nor am I my sister either. When Celestia and I were under Star Swirl's care when we were just little fillies without our cutie marks. We were made fun of for being orphans. Celestia handled herself with dignity. I bloodied their noses."

"What happened after that?" Flurry asked.

"They stopped making fun of us. Celestia tried to make amends and befriended some of them, but I refused. I suppose that was the start of it, my detachment from others.” Luna took a brief pause to gather her thoughts. “Do not keep vengeance in your heart, Flurry. You are still young, but it is good to learn to forgive others. You do not have to forgive him now, or soon, but in time perhaps."

Luna glanced at Spike and the dragon gave a slight shrug. “Close enough, princess.”

Idly her niece prodded some melting chocolate. "His father shouldn't have hit him like that either."

Luna clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Griffons have their own methods of disciplining children it seems."

"It's not right."

Gently she wrapped a wing around Flurry. "It is good that despite your feelings toward him you know he should be treated better."

They heard a sigh as Vivienne sat down with them with a glass of wine in her grasp. The queen looked to Flurry and then to Luna before she downed half her glass.

"They will not be coming back for sometime, but at least the others are going to hear that little Flurry has a mean right hoof. While violence is not to be a first resort for such disagreements, that you take the honor of your family seriously is good to see, Flurry."

"Thank you, your highness," the little alicorn demurely shied away back into her ice cream.

"Vivienne, please, do not encourage such behavior. It is not-"

"Appropriate? Perhaps not. One must know when to use force and where. But I will not fault the child. Of course, she is your charge and you are to punish her as you see fit, but do remember, both of you, that you are my guests and your actions can reflect poorly on me."

"I'm sorry," Flurry said in a not very convincing manner.

"Good enough I suppose. Perhaps the children have been cooped up in the palace for too long. We can have one of the tutors take them to the parks for a time. In a couple days, after you have thought on things."

Vivienne finished her wine in a single swig and pulled out a cigarette. Without offering one to Luna she lit it and walked off.

Spike tapped his claws against the table. “I wanted to say something, but everyone else already said something similar. I suppose it’s what Twilight would say, ‘Repetition helps with memorization!’”

Flurry frowned at her uncle. “You’re going to lecture me too?”

He crossed his arms and shook his head. “Well, I guess I might, just a little bit. Twilight did raise me for a good portion of my life after all. But, getting to the point, Flurry, there was a time where someone made me upset and angry, and I tried to get back at them in a very hurtful way. Things didn’t turn out very well, and I got really upset and ran away from home for a bit.”

“Perhaps this would be best served with some additional details, Spike,” Luna said.

“Maybe, but the point is that trying to get back at someone can be just as hurtful as whatever they did, and whatever you perceived them to be doing. It’s okay to be upset, but it’s not okay to hurt others when you are upset.”

Flurry kept stirring her melting ice cream around, eyes avoiding looking across the table. Spike hopped out of his seat and walked around to her side and opened his arms. She looked up to him briefly, his smile warm and genuine. The filly slipped down to hug him and sniffled.

“Whatever happens Flurry, we’re in this together. You’re my niece, and I’ll always be there for you, okay?”

“...Okay,” she whispered meekly.

Comments

[sirenc0re]

its always nice to see anecdotes of luna's childhood, and seeing luna and spike try to parent flurry in their own way is very sweet to see! they're making the most of an objectively shitty situation and they seem to be doing their best to not leave her behind in what must be one of the worst periods in her life thus far :)

[Carnifaxy]

11773497
I do try my best! Anecdotes of the Sisters' history is always easy to do since we don't really know much about it, and I'm glad you're enjoying how Spike and Luna try to help Flurry.