Sun & Moon Act I: Ascending Star

by cursedchords

Chapter 1: Opening Book

“Equestria under Discord: what a frightful place. So long as I shall live, it is my duty to ensure history never repeats itself.”

- High Princess Celestia, Personal Journals (Vol. 2)

14 Apr. 1349 (Unified Imperial Time)

14th Day of Planter’s Moon 908 (First Age of Equestria)

Discord’s Capital City of Eridian

“It’s your move, Sister.”

Celestia glanced up across the table towards Luna, her concentration having been momentarily broken. With a shake of her head, she returned her attention to the pieces laid out on the table between them.

Celestia was fully aware that it was in fact her move. She had been puzzling over the arrangement of the chessboard in front of her for five minutes already. Her White King was well-defended on the near rank, and her sister’s King was vulnerable, as her other pieces were scattered about in a seeming mess. Luna’s Mage, especially, was stranded in a corner, unable to give any real support to the formation. Checking the board over a final time, she reached out with her hoof, and manipulated the White Princess onto h7. Satisfied, she sat back with a small grin. Now that the Captain was pinned to the King, her sister was quickly running out of options.

When Luna immediately charged the Black Princess down to a1 and stated, “Check,” in a satisfied tone, Celestia had to put in an effort resisting the urge to raise her hoof to her forehead.

“Seriously,” she began, exasperation clear in her tone, “you’re not even trying anymore, are you?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Luna asked innocently. “I checked you. Isn’t that the whole point of the game?”

In frustration, Celestia stood up, and indicated her sister’s stranded Princess with an outstretched hoof. “Yes, you checked me. Now what am I going to do? I only have one move: to capture your Princess like so,” she stated as she executed the capture. “Now you’ve gained absolutely nothing, and lost your Princess. It’s no wonder I always win these games, if that’s how you think!”

There followed a moment of silence, and then Luna came out around the table to stand beside her sister. In the flickering light of the room’s lone candle it would have been difficult for most ponies to ascertain the intent in her eyes, but Celestia had known her sister for years, and could read her innocence like a book. “Come now, Sister, it’s only a game. I play it to have fun, just as you should. Do you want to continue?”

In response, Celestia turned away from her sister, and started walking toward the window. “If you’re not even going to try to challenge me, then what point is there in continuing?” After a moment of silence, she began to hear the sound of the chess set being packed away. Celestia spent the time surveying the view out over the city.

The room that she shared with her sister occupied the second floor of a roughshod hovel on one of Eridian’s low and dirty side streets. The winding, pitted dirt road that serviced the dwellings here ran for about a mile before dead-ending in one of the city’s many plazas. Beneath her, Celestia could see that the ponies living in this section of town were mostly out in the street, doing whatever they could to survive. It didn’t matter whether that meant scavenging or begging for food, or attempting to barter what possessions they still owned for the necessities of life. In that sense, she and her sister were lucky. They had their own ways of obtaining food and drink, though they might not have been particularly honest. In Equestria, one did whatever had to be done.

Turning back inside, she could see that Luna had set the chess set aside in the dim corner where they kept such pleasantries. Besides the small table and two chairs that they had been seated at for the game, the room also contained each of their sleeping arrangements, and an improvised kitchen area. Overall, about a hundred square feet of living space, enough to get by with, but not nearly enough for real comfort. Not that either of them really cared. It was all that they had ever known, and they did at least have each other, which was more than most ponies in Eridian could claim these days.

For the moment, what light there was filtering in through the window was doing very little to illuminate the space, thus the necessity for the candle on the kitchen countertop. It was the middle of the day, or at least the middle of what passed for “day” here in Equestria, though in Eridian that didn’t matter. At all hours the sky above the city was obscured by a thick wall of swirling grey cloud, the work of Discord’s magic, or so everyone said. Because of this, the streets of Eridian were held in a state of permanent twilight. The passage of time had thus become a completely arbitrary thing, up to the decision of the individual. The way that Celestia and Luna defined a “day” was just as likely to be completely different from the way their own neighbours did it.

Finally, Celestia’s gaze fell back onto the form of her sister, who was rummaging through the cache of foodstuffs in the back of the room, likely looking for a snack before work tonight. She casually approached, stopping just behind Luna. “Could you pass me out an apple, Sister?" she asked over the rustling in the closet. "And take one for yourself as well.”

Luna emerged holding three apples. She passed one to her sister, and took a large bite from one of the others, causing several drops of juice to run down her lips and onto the floor. With a sigh, Celestia worked the other apple free from her sister’s hoof and tossed it back into the pantry. “Just one is all for now, I’m afraid,” she said to Luna in a stern voice. “We’ll need two for the shill tonight, and who knows how much more if you screw up again like last time.”

With an indignant glare, Luna wiped her face with the back of her leg. “It was just two apples! And we came out four ahead of what we needed besides!” Taking another bite, Luna relaxed against the counter. “But did you see the look on that colt’s face when he won? Oh, it just melted my heart! For all you know, he could have had a family to feed.”

“Well, we can’t be bothered to go around seeing to the needs of every pony in Equestria, now can we?” was Celestia’s cold reply. “Since it looks like I’m the only one here looking out for us first, tonight let me decide who gets to win, alright?”

Luna nodded, but Celestia knew that the issue was far from settled. She resolved to watch her sister very closely tonight, to make sure that no profit was unnecessarily lost. Celestia took a delicate bite of her own apple, and then allowed her gaze to fall to the window once more, rising up over the low roofs of the city, and out into the horizon. Far beneath Eridian’s mountain perch lay a country of green fields and running streams. Nonetheless, life out there was just as lawless and unfortunate as it was here. She wasn’t being callous in looking out for herself first. If she and Luna had been able to make a larger difference, to do something meaningful in the broader scope, she wouldn’t hesitate at the opportunity to help. But as it stood, the problem was simply too large for either of them to face. What good would a few apples do to help a population of thousands?

As she stood looking out the window, an apple core passed several inches over her head, sailing out into the street before rolling a few yards down one of the worn pathways. Behind her, Luna climbed into her bed for a few hours of rest. Celestia, though, stayed awake for several minutes more, to think.

---

Their hired help was late, so Celestia and Luna had to stand together on tonight’s street corner for several minutes just waiting for him. After a couple of nights spent plying their trade in the general vicinity of their residence, tonight Luna had voted that they strike out somewhere new, so as to attract some fresh eyes. The square where they now stood was in an upper ring of the city, though of course it was just as dim and decrepit as the rest. The only difference here was that if one looked up, the crooked and twisted spires of Discord’s castle punctuated the sky. Built from blank grey stone, the towers of the tyrant’s seat cast themselves round each other in a chaotic tempest of style and design. Indeed, any attempt to discern an overall theme in the architecture left an observer only more confused than when they started.

The self-styled High King rarely left his quarters within the castle, but his power and presence could be felt throughout Equestria all the same. Ancient history told that once Equestria had been a peaceful land. The three pony tribes had lived in harmony with each other, governed by an equal triumvirate of representatives. The arrival of Discord had changed that, and now all of ponydom knew only fear and uncertainty. Even as the two sisters waited now in the plaza, lightning flashed in the distance. Just another one of the King’s mood swings.

Finally coming to the conclusion that it was late enough to start even without their shill, Celestia motioned for Luna to set up their apparatus. It was a simple enough deal: one square table, three inverted cups, and some small trinket to serve as a marker. The game was as old as the hills of Equestria, and was usually a fair way to spend one’s time when among friends. It was only when put on by a skilled practitioner that it became a reliable way to earn a living.

Technically, “Fool’s Paradise”, as it was colloquially referred to, though Celestia preferred the rather less pejorative “shell game”, was a confidence trick. Thus it was at the very least highly unethical, and probably would have been illegal in a more civilized society. Eridian, however, was about as far from civilized as a society could get, and so the two sisters were free to pull their con on anyone ignorant enough to fall for it. Of course, Celestia didn’t put it quite that way when she thought about it to herself. To her, they were doing what was necessary for their own survival, just as any pony would do.

Luna was the one with the skill, a deftness with her hooves that she had developed in her free time at a young age. Contrary to some popular beliefs, a well-run shell game did not require a trick table or other subterfuge. Instead, it was all a matter of having somepony on hand who could be deft enough with the cups. Celestia’s participation in the endeavour was to act as a hook, luring potential marks into the game and watching over things to make sure they stayed under control. Usually, there would be one or two other shills present to create an aura of reputability, but tonight the two of them were being forced to go it alone.

Not that Celestia found it difficult to gather a crowd, since even though Equestrian ponies were unique creatures in several ways, one thing that consistently bound them together was their outwardly trusting demeanour. Celestia grabbed onto that naïveté and milked it for all it was worth.

Striding out in front of Luna’s table, Celestia stood tall and let her voice carry out over the area. “Who’s feeling lucky? Want to turn one apple into five, two into twelve? With one simple pick you could be set for a week!” Zeroing in on a reasonably well-dressed colt just off to her left, Celestia approached him with a jovial grin. “How about you, fine sir? Have time for a simple game to make your fortune?”

Celestia’s smile was disarming, and she could tell that he was seriously considering it. Taking the initiative, she led him over to the table, where a small crowd had already gathered. As she approached, Celestia knocked on the table twice. She could see the acknowledgement pass immediately over her younger sister’s eyes. Let him win once to hook the crowd, then run him till he’s done. Luna returned a slight nod.

Turning to face the crowd, she kept up the enthusiastic grin, as well as a calm and level voice. It was time to seal their interest. “It’s a simple game, ridiculously simple really. One stone, three cups. The stone goes into one, and around it goes.” As Luna began shuffling the cups, Celestia turned to address their mark. “Now sir, I shall ask you one simple question: where is the stone now? Even shot at success, and we’ll pay 2-1 odds. That sounds like a winning proposition, does it not?” She noted nods at her question from the crowd. Indeed, tonight was going to go well.

Ten minutes later, the two sisters were doing a roaring trade. Although perhaps “trade” wasn’t quite the right word, since the apples were only really flowing in one direction: out of the hooves of the willing marks and into the stash in Luna’s saddlebags. Now all Celestia had to do was stand at the curb side, stopping the occasional passerby to keep the crowd going.

There was another factor at work in increasing the spectacle, that being the sheer visibility of the two sisters themselves. The striking opposition of their appearances conspired to make them stand out in any crowd. Celestia’s white coat and flowing mane served as a counterbalance to Luna’s shadowy visage. For that matter, the two of them stood out biologically as well. The “winged unicorn” sub-species, of which both Celestia and Luna were members, was quite rare among the pony tribes, although not altogether unheard of.

And so, standing with wings outstretched and horn raised to the heavens, Celestia made a mystical sight on any street corner. It was more than enough to cause ponies to stop and talk, and from there most simply strayed into the crowd afterwards.

Since the business of drawing ponies in was mostly taking care of itself now, Celestia busied herself watching over the crowd. Every so often, she would give her sister a slight nod, indicating that the current player should be allowed to win, so as to keep everyone hooked. But even if a mark won once, Luna was never, ever, to allow one of them to leave while up on the House.

When a young foal came up to the table, Celestia could tell immediately that he brought some trouble with him. Dressed in only a tattered felt cap, the light green earth pony had a pair of large blue eyes that turned the heart of any pony that looked into them. She cast her sister a fiery glare over the crowd, very clearly intimating that he was just another mark, but from the look on Luna’s face, what she planned to do was obvious. When the foal laid his solitary apple on the table, her sister shuffled the cups around, gazing into the eyes of her customer the whole time, as if trying to tell him where the stone was by telepathy.

Celestia knew that she had to do something before Luna screwed them both over. Jostling her way through the crowd, she got to the table just as the cups were coming into their final resting positions. Sure, they would only be paying out two apples to this particular foal, but there were other bets on the table too, and those would take a much more sizable chunk out of their payday.

Coming abreast of the table, she roughly pushed aside the cups, leaving the bets open. Addressing the crowd, she spoke quickly. “Sorry folks, that’s all for tonight. There’s rain on the horizon, and we need to get out of here to keep our equipment dry. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we’ll be around again soon. Have a good night.” She felt a sharp jerk on her shoulder then, and found Luna’s earnest eyes waiting for her.

“Are you serious right now?” was all that her sister said to her.

“I’m certainly not going to let you or your silly ideals get in the way of the success of our operation,” Celestia replied with a sharp whisper. Seeing that the young foal was still standing in front of the table, she tossed him back his apple. “Sorry kid, but we’re all done for tonight. Run along now.” As the crowd dispersed, Celestia busied herself folding up the table, leaving Luna to secure their takings.

---

That night, once they had arrived back home, Celestia went over the numbers of that evening's take. It was an impressive balance sheet, especially since they had been going it alone, and didn’t have to give away any cuts to partners. But when she got down to the bottom, the numbers didn’t quite add up.

Celestia did them again, just to make sure that she hadn’t made a mistake, and then looked up to where her sister was sitting, chewing on a late-night snack. “Luna? We’ve got three apples fewer than we should. Would you know anything about that?” She had a feeling as to what the answer was going to be, but wanted to give Luna the chance to admit it first.

“Three apples?” Luna asked, as she tossed her eaten core out the window once more. “Right. I passed them to that foal when you weren’t looking. You should have seen the look in his eyes. I just couldn’t stand to let him go with nothing.”

Even though she had been expecting the answer, Celestia still couldn’t believe that her sister could have been so naïve. “The eyes, right? And where do you think he is now, Luna? Melting somepony else’s heart in order to get even more charity, that’s where! Meanwhile you almost threw away more than a dozen.”

Luna got up and walked over to the table, sitting down opposite to her sister. She wore a calm smile as she gazed into Celestia’s eyes. “Why do you always have to be so serious, Sister? You know that we’re not the only two ponies in this city trying to do our best to get by. Why not save a thought for their problems from time to time?”

Celestia’s eyes drifted back down to the table, where the results of their evening’s work were still spread out. “If I don’t worry for us, who will?” she eventually replied. “Go about your own crusades of kindness if you want to, but the expenditures will come out of your share.”

Once Celestia had finished the final inventory of their takings, Luna blew out the candle, and the room settled into the natural twilight of the city outside. The dark alicorn came down to sit beside her elder sister on the edge of one of the mattresses. As they sat together in the silence of the room, Luna’s whisper cut through the air once more. “You’re not really mad at me, are you?”

Embracing her younger sister for a moment, Celestia spoke softly. “We're sisters, Luna, and you're all I've got right now. You know that I could never stay mad with you. Just... let me do the worrying for the both of us.”

“Goodnight, Celestia.”

“Goodnight, Luna.”

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Huh... So this takes place during Discord's reign...