Sun & Moon Act I: Ascending Star

by cursedchords

Chapter 2: Closed Game

“In those days, there were no rules. The smart ponies did whatever they could to get ahead. One naturally learned to use absolutely anything that was at one’s disposal, if it meant gaining an advantage.”

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

Celestia and Luna didn’t have to go out for work every night. Depending on the size of their take, sometimes the two sisters could survive for more than a week without having to hit the streets again. But ponies could not survive on apples alone, so it was necessary from time to time that they emerge into the wild to engage in some trade.

The old economic systems of Equestria had completely collapsed after Discord had taken over the country. Currency no longer held any value, although a few families still kept secret hoards of rusty silver tri-coins, hoping that someday they would be valuable again. A pony’s wealth was measured in the bare essentials, and the only way to get your hoofs on all of them was to trade what you had with someone else who had what you needed.

And so tonight, Celestia and Luna had packed a small saddlebag’s worth of apples before setting out into the eternally blue-tinged twilight. Their destination was a marketplace where the local ponies often gathered to interact and do their business. Although it was only about a mile away, the journey would take some time, due to the winding terraces upon which the city was constructed.

Eridian, most remarked upon seeing it for the first time, was built in a rather perilous position. On the northward face of a long chain of mountains, which continued far to the south beyond the Equestrian borders, the city’s foundations were screwed into the side of a nearly vertical cliff-face. Celestia had always felt that the engineer who had conceived of this bizarre arrangement must have been ridiculously arrogant, or else just crazy enough to see the project through to completion. Either way, the city’s present day residents were forced to live with the decision.

The city itself was actually surprisingly horizontal, built on the flat outcropping of stone that had been prepared for it, but compromises had been made as new developments were added on over the years, and nowadays it wasn’t entirely strange to look out one’s penthouse window into the neighbour’s basement. As might be expected, the streets and pathways constructed to service the area were a maze of switchback curves and foolhardy cross-paths. Even though this was far from the first time that the two sisters had made this journey, Celestia and Luna both knew that a careless traveler could easily get swallowed by the labyrinth. And the dry sameness of the city’s architecture meant that recovering one’s sense of direction was a nearly impossible task.

As she carefully picked her way across broken cobblestones, Celestia realized that her sister was quiet, far more so than usual. The events in the square the other night must have put her off more so than Celestia had originally thought. But Luna had never been the type to hold a grudge, so her older sister was sure that eventually she would speak up. If anything, Celestia preferred having the opportunity to think in peace.

But the soothing silence, like all good things, had to come to an end eventually. As the pair rounded a corner and the countryside again fell out in front of them, Luna finally gave voice to what was occupying her mind. “Sister, Equestria is massive, isn’t it? Millions of ponies live out there, and all are suffering under the same scourge as we are. Haven’t you ever wondered if there might be some way to help them?”

“Luna, we can barely help ourselves. What good can we do for the larger population?”

“Certainly nothing if we don’t try.” Luna’s voice carried a hint of iron beneath her words. But when she caught the look in her sister’s eyes, her gaze fell back down to the road. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.”

Celestia remained silent to let her sister sort out her own intentions. It wasn’t very often that Luna took time to think about things, rather than charging in headfirst and tackling problems as they came up. All around them was the disturbed silence of a city caught eternally halfway between rest and work, forever unsure of when to be active and when to stop and reflect on its own misfortunes. A scent of rotting garbage wafted up from a side street, so Celestia picked up the downward pace. After several moments, her younger sister found the words she was looking for.

“We are special, Celestia,” she began flatly. “It’s in our very bones: alicorns are destined for greatness. I mean, look at the historical record for proof of that. You and I each have our own special talents. I just feel like a life spent scratching existence off of other ponies’ ignorance would be a life entirely wasted.”

Celestia took a moment to compose her response. Sure, the historical record was on Luna’s side in this argument. At times, she too had felt that certain mysterious feeling of untapped potential. But the risks, and the toils associated with aiding a country like Equestria were simply too large for either of them in their present states. That being said…

“I do agree with you on that first point,” Celestia started, pausing for a moment to navigate a particularly dilapidated section of roadway. Above them, the sky rumbled as a bolt of blue lightning crackled through the cloud covering the city. Finding her hooves on solid cobblestones again, she continued. “Perhaps ponies deserve better, and some pony needs to take the responsibility to make that change happen. But look around us, Luna. This problem is massive, just like you said. Without resources, without skill, we wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Luna took all of this with a silent and sullen demeanour. For a moment, her elder sister thought that a reply would be quickly forthcoming, but Luna seemed to want to think things over very thoroughly before continuing the discussion. And so the pair continued on in silence for the better part of an hour, passing through crumbling neighbourhoods and the occasional plaza, many of which had likely once been bustling commercial centers, but were now just forlorn patches of stone. From them a pony could look down the mountainside and glimpse countryside which, like them, had probably once shone with the beauty of a polished diamond, but was now merely an expanse of dull brokenness. It wasn’t until they stood on the hill overlooking their ultimate destination, admiring the twinkling candlelight of the atmosphere below that Luna spoke again.

“Promise me something, Sister,” she said quietly.

Celestia turned to look at Luna and could tell by the look in her eyes that she had come to a decision. Whatever her sister was about to ask her, Celestia knew that Luna considered it to be very important. “What do you need?”

“That if an opportunity does arise for us to do our part for our fellow ponies, you will join me in undertaking the task. It just feels right to me that that is what we should be doing. I can’t quite explain it, but—”

She was interrupted by her sister then, who reached forward for a single loving embrace. “Of course I will,” Celestia replied firmly. “I will always be there to support you if such a decision comes to us.” Finishing up, Celestia allowed the warmth to leave her tone in an instant. “Now, you know what we’re here for right?”

“Of course,” Luna replied.

“Good. See you in half an hour then, at our usual place.”

---

Roughly thirty-five minutes later, Celestia’s saddlebags had been relieved of most of their fruity contents, instead now being weighed down with candle wax, refined baked goods, and several fresh canteens of water. The water was a bit of a luxury purchase, as it wasn’t particularly difficult to boil collected rainwater, but the two of them had a surplus, so Celestia had decided to go for something special. She carried the load over to their usual table in the square, one of several that were set out. Most were populated with various groups shooting the breeze over tall glasses of cider. The beverages were provided by the middle-aged practitioner of a nearby eatery, which actually did a reasonable trade, at least as far as Eridian went.

Luna was seated at the table already, staring out over the horizon with a thoughtful look on her face. The results of her bargaining were positioned underneath the table, and Celestia withdrew them to run a quick inventory.

Gazing over at Luna for a moment, Celestia could see that her expression was very distant. Clearly, she was still lost in her thoughts about the plight of the nation. Celestia went back to the numbers. Perhaps she had agreed to her sister’s proposition earlier, but Celestia knew that her own heart just wasn’t into the whole idea. Effecting real change in Equestria would require vast power, and support from the citizenry. Neither she nor Luna had ever even set their hooves outside the city for their whole lives! How could either of them hope to make a difference? Still, she respected her sister’s determination, and strong sense of right and wrong. It wasn’t that Celestia didn’t realize Luna was right, she just had more important things to think about right now. If a true opportunity ever did present itself, and Celestia highly doubted that one would, she wasn’t entirely sure what she would do. It was a bridge that would have to be crossed when encountered.

She stopped with the inventory for a moment, scratching her chin thoughtfully. Her sister’s numbers weren’t adding up. For an instant, she wondered if another “charitable donation” had exited their funds tonight, but the real answer hit her soon afterwards. Spying the mug of cider (mostly untouched) that sat in front of her sister’s chair, she felt that familiar hoof-to-face feeling coming on again. “You actually paid for that drink, didn’t you?” she asked in an incredulous tone.

With a look of innocent surprise, Luna turned to face her. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

Celestia laughed; a soft chuckle that caused her flowing mane to ripple in accelerated time. “I hate to tell you this, sister, and I don’t mean to be insulting, but only a simpleton pays for her own drinks. You should learn to use the blessings that we, as mares, have received. Allow me to demonstrate.” Turning away then, Celestia scanned the plaza. Several tables down were a group of lively young stallions, likely splurging a month’s worth of savings on a night of decadence. The night was still young, so they were likely to still have some good credit with the barkeep.

Zeroing in on a handsome brown colt who appeared to be several years younger than she was, she made sure that he noticed her eye contact. Seeing the interest in his expression and body language, she flirtatiously tossed back her mane, making sure to frame it well with the twinkling light of her eyes. Now that his interest was piqued, she offered him a seductive wink. Although it wasn’t really necessary at this point, she also decided to go a little over the top for her sister’s benefit, and so blew him a kiss as well, making sure to maintain direct eye contact of course.

Celestia turned back to Luna with a satisfied smirk on her face. A minute later, the establishment’s practitioner arrived with a tall flagon of cider. “Compliments of the gentle-colts down the way,” he explained tersely, before moving on again. Celestia sipped at the beverage, admiring the mixture of emotions that played across her sister’s face.

At length, Luna found her voice. “I am not entirely sure how I feel about that,” was her only reply.

Still savouring the cool flavour of the cider, Celestia opened her eyes to regard Luna coolly. “It’s called being resourceful, sister. Everything at your disposal is an advantage if you know how to use it properly. That’s another reason that I always beat you in chess, I think.”

“But I feel like it’s not really necessary, is it Celestia? Why not ask them nicely first, instead of using them to get what you want?”

Celestia shook her head. “Do you honestly think that any of these ponies would care about us when they themselves are barely getting by? Use your head, Luna! Everypony takes care of themselves first.”

Luna was silent then for some time, leaving her sister to go back to enjoying her beverage. She was finishing it off when Luna finally spoke again. “Even in dark times like these, a kind heart is easier to find than you would think, Celestia. Take that stallion by the bar for instance. He doesn’t look particularly friendly, but I’ll bet you this glass of cider that underneath he has a heart of gold.”

Celestia took a moment to examine the patron in question. He sat hunched over the bar; caressing a glass of apple whiskey between his two front hooves. Oddly enough, his profile didn’t really fit with the standard Eridian rabble. A clean and well-trimmed deep brown mane swept back over slender shoulders, down to a pair of neatly folded wings adorning his back. His light green eyes contrasted well with his dark, slightly off-yellow coat. Right now, those eyes stared intently into the depths of his whiskey, though every now and then he would turn aside and glance in their general direction. Perched gently on his nose was the strangest thing about him: a clean and well-maintained set of glasses, fitting him perfectly. Celestia didn’t even know where in Equestria a pony would go to get glasses made. Overall, he just didn’t fit in, and that meant he was trouble.

But Luna was already on her way over. After retrieving their purchased items from beneath the table, Celestia followed warily, ready to pull her sister out if things got out of hand. The mysterious pony paid them no heed as they approached, instead continuing to examine his drink. He didn’t react until Luna, having walked right to his side, reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “Good evening, sir,” she chirped.

The stallion turned and looked Luna over with an appraising stare. Behind her, Celestia tensed, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble. But after a moment, the pegasus simply took another drink. Setting down his glass again, he passed a remark over his shoulder at Luna. “Little young to be out alone, aren’t you?” His voice was crystalline, clear as a flute, and lacking the pompous pretension of a pony trying to puff up his ego.

Luna responded quickly. “Actually, I’m eighteen, but thank you. And I’m not alone, right behind me is—”

“Ah, you have a friend as well!” blurted out the stallion, seeming to notice Celestia for the first time.

“Um, no,” Celestia stammered. “Her elder sister actually, and I’m sorry for her having interrupted you. She can be a bit impulsive sometimes.” She placed a hoof on Luna’s shoulder, hoping to get away quickly.

“Nonsense!” declared the pegasus immediately. “In fact, I daresay I could use some company. Why don’t you both have a seat? Here, I’ll even buy you some drinks.” His smile was innocent enough, but Celestia was still nervous.

Luna though, wasn’t prone to any of the same inhibitions. She sank easily down onto the stool nearest to her new friend, shooting her sister a glance that very clearly said, I told you so. Rolling her eyes, Celestia followed.

Given a second chance to look him over from this closer perspective, Celestia could see that he had finished about half of his beverage, which occupied a cloudy glass sitting upon the worn bar. A surreptitious glance into his eyes revealed a complexion that was still bright and clear though, not showing any signs of impairment. As payment for their two new glasses, he merely cast the barkeep a sidelong glance. “I restocked his inventory this afternoon, so tonight mine are on the house.” He took another sip from his own whiskey.

“So you work here then?” Luna asked.

“Me? No, no, I just got into the city this morning. I was looking for odd jobs, and happened to run into this fellow in need, so we helped each other out. Tomorrow, I guess that I’ll need to find somepony else to help, or else I'll just move on.” He calmly adjusted his spectacles a touch farther up his nose.

"A migrant worker, then?" Celestia let an ounce of distaste enter her tone. Just as she had suspected, here was another pony who was merely doing whatever it took to survive.

The smile on his face did not wilt. "Well, we all have to eat somehow. I simply prefer to spend my time helping other ponies out, lending a smile and a strong hoof to make somepony else’s day just that little bit brighter." He extended a hoof over to Luna. "Sorry that I forgot to introduce myself by the way. I’m Atlas."

“Luna,” she returned, “and my sister here is Celestia.”

Celestia examined his face closely as she returned his gesture of greeting. The smile seemed genuine and friendly, but she was still wary. Atlas’s story was admirable, but his appearance was far too trim for it. If he truly did live only off of the kindness of others, then she would have expected his complexion to reflect the inherent uncertainty of such a lifestyle. His groomed mane and blemish-free face spoke volumes to the contrary. “So what brought you to Eridian then, Atlas? There must be plenty of work in the rest of the country.”

“Well, it had been a while since I last swung through here, to be honest. And it really does seem that everywhere I go there are opportunities to help once I look hard enough. Besides, any city which could have produced such interesting specimens as yourselves clearly can’t be all that bad.” He chuckled as he delivered that last remark, then continued, “You certainly do seem a cut above the usual desperate types here in the city. What’s your business, then?”

“Our business is our own,” Celestia replied sharply, before Luna had a chance to respond. “We do what we have to do to survive.” She could see Luna immediately pick up on the unspoken message in her tone. Nothing else would be said on that matter.

“Well, that sounds awfully cold,” he replied after taking another drink. There was a moment of silence between them, and Atlas brought his eyes over to Celestia’s own, probing for a response.

“Some of us have to be cold,” Celestia returned with a bit more force, intimating her own silent challenge to him. “How else would you expect us to survive?” Expectantly, she waited for the riposte that would continue their little verbal back-and-forth.

After an instant though, Atlas merely shrugged and reached again for his drink, seemingly admitting that she had won the round. “Fair enough,” he said. He was silent again for a few moments, apparently lost in thought, before Luna took it upon herself to extend the conversation.

"Is something wrong, Atlas?"

"Hmm?" he replied, looking up at her. Then, he seemed to shift gears almost, and Celestia realized that he was trying a new tack at the conversation. "No, nothing’s wrong with me. It’s just that whenever I think back and remember my travels back and forth through this country, I can’t help but think of all of the other unfortunate souls out there, each suffering in their own way under the tyrant’s rule. Compared to them, I’ve done relatively well, but I can’t help but feel a bit guilty that I am succeeding while so many others are barely getting by."

Luna’s eyes lit up when she heard this, and immediately she nodded in agreement. "I know. Certainly it should be the responsibility of those among us that succeed to help the less fortunate. Sometimes... sometimes I wonder if every day that I do not act I am actually making the problem worse. But, what can a pony do, after all?"

"The problem is just too big, isn’t it?" Atlas continued after her. "Any single one of us can never hope to cause meaningful change when the whole country is mired in tragedy." He turned in his seat then, and looked deeply into Luna’s eyes. "But even a small act of kindness is important to somepony, right? And if we all do what we can, then maybe enough small things can add up to something bigger."

"Of course," she replied, and looked away from him for a second. "But where to start, then? The problem is everywhere, all around us. Even if I help one pony, surely there will be twenty more that I will have to ignore. How can I make that choice?"

"We all just have to do what we can, and hope for the best," Atlas replied, and then took the last gulp of his drink. "Some of us can do more, some of us have to do less, but we all have our own talents and gifts to contribute. If you think on it hard enough, you’ll know where you need to be in order to make the most difference."

Luna was silent then for a moment more, and Celestia could tell that she was thinking hard. She had a pretty good idea of the kinds of thoughts that would be going through her sister’s mind as well. Finally, Luna spoke up in a soft, clear voice. "I think... I think that I know where I need to be, Atlas."

"Then why aren’t you there, doing what you need to do?"

Luna’s eyes flicked unconsciously to the side, over across Atlas’s seat and onto the adjacent one, where Celestia was sitting. Her older sister felt a little smaller in her seat, as the implication was clear. Celestia returned just the smallest shake of her head, hoping to be as discreet as possible in her dismissal.

"I’m... I’m not really sure," was Luna’s reply.

Atlas slowly placed one hoof over her shoulder then, and very calmly looked her in the eyes. "You’ll figure it out. I’m sure you will." And then, after holding her gaze for just a moment, he turned around in his seat to address Celestia. Although it was only for the briefest fraction of a second, Celestia caught a grin coming to his features, and instantly she was on her guard. Any doubt had now vanished from her mind: this was not merely a chance meeting. This pegasus had an agenda, and he was working some sort of angle on them. Whatever it was, she had absolutely no intention of being caught up in his game. “And what about you then, Celestia? What’s your take on all of this?”

Celestia had a feeling that she should probably just leave now, which would certainly be the safest option. But in spite of that, she also felt a certain curiosity towards Atlas which needed to be satisfied, so she decided to play her part in the dance, at least for now. “I have my own concerns to worry about,” she replied in a level tone. “A little kindness, though a nice gesture, is not enough to save Equestria. We need something bigger than that.”

“True, perhaps. But if you’re not willing to be part of the solution, then what are you?”

“Not part of the problem, if that’s what you’re implying. I want to help just as much as the next pony does. I just can’t see how an individual’s actions could make any kind of difference.”

“Hmm,” Atlas turned back to the bar and swiveled his now-empty glass a few times across the surface. The sounds of conversation from the rest of the square drifted back over the party as Atlas waited. When he turned back to Celestia he had an odd look in his eye. “Are you happy with your life, Celestia?”

The penetrating question caught her off-guard, and she didn’t like it one bit. The really unfortunate thing was that it truly was a very difficult question to answer. Would she really be happy living the way her and Luna did now for the rest of their lives? Taking advantage of the ignorance of others to gather enough of the essentials to get by day to day? “I... know that there are worse circumstances that we could be in,” she managed to say.

“Really?” Atlas brought a foreleg down onto the counter, and when he spoke again he was all seriousness. “You’re criminals. Everything that you have you got through deceit, cunning, and taking advantage of those less fortunate than yourself. If you truly are content with living the rest of your life the way that you are right now, then I daresay you really are part of the problem.”

Celestia felt the impact of his words cut into her like razorblades, and knew that she was in an indefensible position. A quick glance across the table revealed that Luna too had felt the effects of that damning verbal condemnation, and her gaze had once more turned downcast. Celestia chose indignation as the proper response. “Just got into the city this morning, did you? How long have you been watching us?”

Atlas was grinning again, and it was clear that he knew he had struck his target. “That doesn’t matter. And I think your reaction proves that you agree with me, even if you’re not willing to admit it to yourself.”

Celestia had had enough of this. “Come on, Luna, it’s getting late. We should start heading for home,” she said curtly. She cursed her own foolishness for allowing any of this to happen. She had known that this pegasus was trouble as soon as she had first seen him. She had nothing but her own curiosity to blame for this.

Luna quickly obeyed, retrieving her items from beneath the stool. She was about to wish Atlas a good evening, but Celestia grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face the far side of the square. She was practically dragging her sister out of there.

“You know, it doesn’t have to be this way!” Atlas called after them. Celestia kept walking away, and then he was beside them again, his powerful wings easily keeping pace with the two sisters.

“Why in Equestria should I listen to you?” Celestia threw her words at him like stones. “You skulk about in the shadows for who knows how long, keeping tabs on us, then suddenly show up out of nowhere to berate us for doing what we needed to do to survive? What do you want from us?”

“I wanted to prove to you that you are wasting your potential! That you could be doing so much more to help your country.” The smile on Atlas’s face was endearing, inviting. “And I wanted to make you an offer, because I know that deep down you both really want to help too. I wanted to offer you the chance to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. I wanted to offer you the chance to help me save Equestria.”

“What are you talking about?” Celestia answered back quickly, although she knew that she was rapidly losing control of this conversation. Although she had never been in this sort of a situation before, she was beginning to understand the emotions that probably played through Luna’s mind near to the end of their chess matches, as options dried up and avenues of defense were taken by the opponent.

Atlas drew up into a hover, as the trio had reached the edge of the square. Before them was a dark and narrow alleyway. “Not everypony out there thinks of themselves first,” Atlas continued. “Some of us know that there are bigger things to worry about than that. I’m offering both of you a chance to do something bigger, to effect some real change in this country, and to finally do the right thing for Equestria. Are you going to keep on walking the path of darkness, or are you going to join me on the path to freedom?”

Celestia took a brief look about, between the seemingly warm and caring eyes of Atlas and the pleading expression on her sister’s face. Undoubtedly, walking away now was not going to be a popular decision. But there was no way that she was going to give in to this charmer, whoever he happened to be. She turned back to him with an expression of fire. “Whatever game you’re playing at, neither Luna nor I will have any part in it.” And she walked away, jerking Luna into step after a couple of paces. Atlas remained hovering at the entrance to the alley, but Celestia didn’t look back at him. The next few days were going to be hard enough as it was.

Comments

[Rolai Eckolo]

You, sir...are amazing.

[123AEIOU123]

This review is brought to you on behalf of the group: Authors Helping Authors
Name of Story: Legends of Equestria Act I: Ascending Star
Note: Have only read up to the 3rd chapter as the first one is more on an introduction. Unfortunately I haven't had much time to do anything pony related, so since I couldn't find time to read more I had to write this review now. Sorry for having you wait.
Grammar score out of 10: 10. Found everything well written so far.
Pros:
-> Celeste and Claire's personalities are well fleshed out from the beggining. The aspiration to become something bigger than they are gives a off a good vibe, as an epic story of how simpletons become powerful.
-> The environment description blends well with the narrative. I can easily picture what you have painted with words in my head.
-> Every single chapter leaves wanting for more. While not ending in a sudden cliffhanger, the chapters' endings demand continuity, enticing the reader to continue.
Cons:
-> The chess picture at the beggining feels out of place. Not only it has an error underlining in some pieces, it feels too unnecessary for just a single paragraph describing it.
-> Claire's worrying for her fellow ponies seems to not apply in certain situations. While she gets bothered when a colt buys them drinks, she doesn't seem to hesitate in the apple game (except for the kid, of course, this could also mean she is flawed in that aspect).
-> Discord seems to be depicted as someone as evil as Sombra, although this might be explained later on (if his personality changes to a goofy one with time, or any other reason).
Notes Section
So far it is wonderful, I can tell you are a talented writer and will be reading the rest as time becomes available.
Enjoy your review! Thank you for reviewing my fic Cosmic Dust. Happy writing!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Hmmm...

[AppleTank]

2661471
say, did the names change since then?

[Connor Gorden]

This is really well done. I'm suprised you d ok not have more thumbs..