Between a Sun and a Hard Space [Sun/Moon]

>In a few weeks, it will be that day again. For most ponies, it will still be that time of celebration and joy, light and love. But for those in the capital, like you, in had been a time of only increasing tension.

>You had been the Minotaur ambassador for seven years, ever since you had accidentally served as a military advisor for one of the tribes and stumbled into helping them conquer the rest of the tribes, forming the nation of Labyrinthia.

>In your time as Ambassador to Equestria, you had been privy to the tensions running wild in Equestria, bubbling just beneath the surface of what is usually seen as the most harmonious, most peaceful, most glorious nation on the planet.

>The Thestrals had been fighting an undeclared war with Equestria's northern neighbours, but the lack of recognition and continued mistrust of the colloquially named “Bat Ponies” had risked Equestrian security.

>The disappearance of the Crystal Empire in order to contain Sombra had wrecked the Equestrian economy, as raw resources now had to be found elsewhere. The selling of Equestrian lands to a Griffin colony had been particularly infuriating for the locals.

>And finally, most personally worrying of all to you, was the growing tensions between Princess Luna, Guardian of the dreamlands and Monarch of the Dark, and her sister, Princess Celestia, monarch of the Sun and the Guardian of Harmony.

>Amongst the Pony nobility of Canterlot and the Castle of the Sisters, this was the one most gossiped upon by those pompous fools. It was the problem perhaps least immediately damaging to the nation, but the one that had the chance to explode into the biggest crisis.

>Both sisters were powerful, exceptionally so. Together they moved the Sun and Moon, the night and day. It was because of them that the sun didn't permanently hang in the sky and burn everything, or that eternal darkness didn't rob the world of its warmth.

>If they came to blows it had the potential to ruin the world.

>You were just an Ambassador. Your sole job within Equestria was to discuss trade agreements with some of the locals, go to garden parties, the odd hunting trips with those ambassadors from predator species, and occasionally write back to Labyrinthia to ask for what is it was the Triarchy wanted you to do, and who not to declare war on.

>And it seemed that most other Ambassadors were perfectly contempt to watch the two sisters grow to hate each other more and more, for them to watch in detached curiosity as Luna grew more and more solitary, more and more resentful, more and more bitter. And for them to bemusedly observe as Celestia worked herself... Well, not into an early grave, the brilliant alabaster mare was apparently immortal, but work herself to the bone.

>And for the last few years, you had followed their example. You tried to ignore the death glares that Luna would occasionally shoot at her sister during some formal dinner, or that she occasionally didn't wash before talking at you in a manic voice about Minotaur support for an expedition to the arctic. You had politely looked away when Celestia had fallen asleep during one of her courts, shouting that Discord was flying out of the window to distract the crowd before throwing something at her to wake her up before anyone else had noticed.

>But the signs were growing more and more worrisome, more and more concerning. Luna had started to talk to herself beneath her breath, and Celestia seemed to be trying her damn best to ignore her sister entirely so that she wouldn't have even more problems to deal with personally. Perhaps hoping this would all blow over.

>You don't think it will.

>And it was that reason you had arranged to have tea with Celestia one late June afternoon, at one of the balconies of the Castle of the Two Sisters.

 

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>You take a gentle sip of tea as you looked over the teacup at the Princess. She was tired. She had dark bags beneath her eyes, she seemed to be staring into space, and her usually gloriously flowing mane seemed oddly still.

“You've looked better.”

>Celestia looks up at you and smiles.

>”You've always been blunt. Small wonder the Minotaurs liked you so much.”

>You chuckle.

“Small wonder indeed. I was almost afraid to say anything, I thought you might have just died before touching your cake. That would've been quite hard to explain to the guards.”

>Celestia sighs, and looks at you, tiredly raising an eyebrow.

>”That bad?”

>You gulp, perhaps wondering for a second if you really aught to insult one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Even calling an Elder Dragon “Fat” might've been smarter.

>Well, you didn't get here by being a coward.

“Yeah. That bad. You might be immortal, but this workload is killing you.”

>Celestia scoffs, and for what might be the first time ever you see the flash of sheer annoyance and bitterness past over her usually serene face. It might've faded as quickly as it had arrived, but you'd probably remember that expression for the rest of your life.

>”What else can one do? Shall we just get one of my little ponies to move the sun for me? Perhaps we can get some mare to deal with the Yakistani raiders. Maybe they can try and make friends with people who raid villages? Oh, maybe we could get my bloody sis...”

>She stops herself, and you can see her mortified expression as she realises what it was she was about to say- About to admit.

>You look at the guard shadowing the two of you, his blank expression staring ahead over the railing of the balcony the two of you were sitting on drinking tea. He breaks the facade to look back at you, the tiniest look of concern on his face. You nod towards the door, and without a word, he leaves you and the Princess alone.

 

>Celestia shakes her head, then notices the leaving guard as the door closes behind him. She looks back to you, seeing your stern expression.

“Can I tell you a story, Celestia?”

>The brilliant white mare is momentarily confused by the question, and the severity by which you ask it, but nods.

>You clear your throat.

“Back during the unification war, I dealt with many difficult people. There was chief Unatok, who tried to take his army home when King Nurgai refused to allow him to send thousands of Minotaurs to a pointless death trying to attack an army across a river. Or Chieftess Slao. She was a difficult one. Every time I spoke about battlefield tactics, every time I talked about the importance of maintaining our supply lines from the capital, or digging latrines down water of our water supply, she'd yawn. Without failure.”

>Celestia places her hooves on the table, slightly knocking the plates of mini cakes and the pot of tea, and leans in to listen closely.

“I dealt with a lot of minotaurs like that. For Unatok, I had Nagatai challenge him to a duel and beat his ass blue and black. I would've done it myself, but Unatok is half again my height and three times my weight. For Slao, I took her aside one morning and had a frank discussion with her about her concerns, what she wanted from joining our coalition of tribes and what we could do together to help one another and her tribe.”

>You take a large gulp of tea.

“And just like that, the yawning stopped. She listened to me rattle on about hygiene, supply lines and strategy just like the rest of them did. She put up with me dressing down her own best warriors for spending more time raiding enemy camps then actually winning the battle, and bite her tongue when I lectured her about whatever crap I half-remembered from chemistry class on metalworking.”

>You take another long gulp of tea before setting the empty cup on the table.

“You see, yes, she found my briefings annoying, believed I had too much power in the coalition despite being a scrawny alien with a weird accent. And that might never go away. But her other concerns were greater than her dislike of me. And after her concerns were dealt with, after the war, she and I worked on repairing that relationship as well.”

>Celestia nods.

>”I see what you are saying, Ambassador Anonymous. And you really ought to write that book on the war sometime. But our problem is that we have enough concerns of our own to deal with before we deal with...Well...”

“Luna's?”

>Celestia grimaces for a second, as if just saying her name gave her a headache, then she nods.

>”We love my sister. But...”

>You can tell she wants you to interrupt her, something few others would dare to do so, but you try to simply wait her out, try and force her to finish that sentence on her own, make her admit to the problems she has.

>But she is immortal, and can easily wait you out.

>You sigh and exaggeratedly roll your eyes.

“You know, we both do have places to be.”

>A rare smirk appears on Celestia's face.

>”We certainly do. Not so sure about you.”

>She had you there. You did indeed have barely anything to do today or tomorrow. Or for the rest of the month.

“If you just keep ignoring this problem, it will get worse.”

>”Luna can deal with her own damn problems herself. We have the entire country, the entire world on our back! She's just whining like a filly because she doesn't get people praising...”

>Celestia looks aghast as she stops her furious outburst. You are stunned at the shockingly honest admission of anger from the serene Princess.

>Tears begin to appear at the edges of her eyes, and you stand up, moving your chair with you as you move onto her side of the table to sit directly next to her. Your hand hovers over her hoof, unsure if this is a bit too personal of an ambassador to one of the most powerful beings on the planet, but your concern wins out as you squeeze her hoof for a second.

“Hey, hey...”

>Celestia holds back a sniffle.

>”It's just... She's gone. She's already gone from me. She's afraid and hateful of me, and there's nothing I can do to bridge that gap.”

>She sighs as she uses the back of one of her front legs to wipe away her tears.

>”I defeated Discord. I control the sun. I rule a nation of millions. But I can't talk to my sister. I'm... I'm afraid.”

>You wince, unsure of what exactly to say.

>The two of you sit there in silence for a while, the enormity of what Celestia was admitting to you, and perhaps herself for the first time, truly hitting you. All the gossip and rumours the stuck up nobility whispered around wine glasses gleefully were true. Celestia and Luna were at the verge of hating one another.

>And it looked perhaps as if neither could do anything to prevent things degrading further.

>You had to get the full story from Luna's perspective, but that still terrified you. Luna had become increasingly unhinged over the last few years, and as the rather quick rotation of her servants suggested, she wasn't one for calm discussions and admittances, and more for tantrums and flying into rages.

>A raging goddess was a terrifying thing. And surely, none of your business.

>Surely?

>But as you look at the defeated Princess Celestia, someone even you, an alien to this place, looked up to...

>Maybe it was. Maybe you did have to risk it.

 

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>The Night Wing of the castle was quite different from the rest of the castle and the small surrounding houses. While the Celestial guard in their resplendent golden and white armour guarded much of the Castle of the Two Sisters and the area, the Night Wing was exclusive guarded by the fanged Thestrals.

>Their black and azure armour was quite the contrast, and while the Celestial guard always tried to remain stoic, the Night Guard always appeared to be scowling at whatever might come past, preferring to scare them off rather than fade into the background.

>They were, of course, about half your height, so you were not exactly scared of them. You had fought against pony and thestral mercenaries during the Unification Wars on the rare occasions you had actually set foot on the battlefield, you figured you could take them in a fight.

>Who you were scared of, however, was their boss.

>You stand outside the door to the Night Wing, patiently waiting to see if I would be allowed inside. The two thestral guards glare at you, and you do your best to ignore them. You know it isn't personal. Well, you hope it isn't. The mare on the left did seem to be giving you a slightly less intense glare than the one on the right, though that was merely the difference between hatred and loathing.

>While you stand there, your hands behind your back, you can hear the sound of rushing hooves coming towards you from the other side of the large double doors.

>The door opens and a crying servant pony gallops forwards, tears streaming down her face as she runs right past you. Your eyes follow her as she leaves, but the two guards never take their glares off you.

>You turn back to them, worried about the little mare, but the two of them simply take a step away from the door.

>Wordlessly gesturing for you to enter.

>You step past, nodding politely at each of them even as they continue to glare at you. You had always made an effort to connect with the guards, as stoic or angry as they were.

>Passing through the threshold of the doors, you notice the darker lighting of the hallway. While Celestia's personal wing was adorned with tapestries, gifts from other nations and suits of armour, Luna's was moodier, with stark, vivid paintings of landscapes, battle scenes and the odd collection of flowers...

>Well, guess it can't all be edgy.

>Your footsteps echo loudly on the dark marble, immediately making your presence known to the thestral guards, meek, downtrodden looking servants and likely the Princess herself.

>Speaking of, you can hear her shouting her head off from one of the rooms.

>If this had been Celestia, you would've walked in and waited inside, perhaps trying to calm her down, but Luna was more physically aggressive than her sister, and you didn't want to risk getting a laser through the stomach. You stand outside her private room and wait, straightening out your suit as you do so.

>One again, the door is flanked on both sides by two thestral guards, who even while they glare at you wince as Luna shouts and rants particularly loudly at somepony or someponies inside.

>You take a second to look down at your suit. The steel gorget was purely ceremonial, and the only piece of armour on the suit, but even so its red and brown silk still hints at it being a warrior's armour.

>You had never been a frontline soldier, only drawing a sword a few times in the war, but you had been deeply involved in that unification of Labyrinthia and were at least officially a Clan-Thane of Negui. Even Minotaurian diplomats were expected to be ready for battle, as the small dagger hidden inside your silks suggested. You weren't likely to get into a physical confrontation with the Immortal Alicorn Princess of the Night, but it didn't hurt to be prepared for the absolute worse.

>After all, you could quickly kill yourself before Luna did anything more painful to you.

>Something made of glass smashes against the door from the other side, causing both you and the thestral guards to wince. The door opens, and a slightly cut up butler rushes out, looking straight down at the floor so as to hide his own tears—poor guy.

>The thestrals share what almost looks like a concerned look, and a silent warning to not step inside, but you ignore them.

>As soon as you enter the room, you are struck by just how much of a mess it was.

>Your shoes are crushing shards of glass, the curtains are both tattered and drawn shut. The bed looks ill-made, thrown about as if it had just been in a wrestling match and lost. There are what are obviously old food stains dripping down some of the walls, a worrying amount of blood on one of the sofas, and there at the centre of the room, angrily panting, was her.

>Princess Luna, Guardian of the dreamlands and Monarch of the Dark, angrily seething through her teeth.

>Her hair was wild, the night's sky inside a storm of gamma-ray bursts, a roaring black hole, burning red giants and other stellar phenomena. In a weird way, it fascinated you. In another, it was pretty terrifying.

>The Princess herself had slouched over as if about to leap forwards and pounce on some imagined prey. She was glaring at the empty space in front of her. She looked almost like a bull just before it charged, something you were intimately familiar with by now.

>Part of you screamed at yourself to just quietly step back and leave. You did step back, but only to gently close the door behind you. The noise caused her to snap her head towards you.

>”What!”

>Typical decorum had flown out of the window it seemed. If the Princess was ashamed to be seen in this state, she didn't show it, instead glaring at you with blue fire eyes.

>The trick to bullfighting was to simply not and climb up to a higher place out of the way, return to monke. Of course, Luna had wings, and you did not, so that wasn't much of an option.

>So instead, you clear your throat, put on your best bland expression, try and ignore the sight and smells and just state:

“We had an appointment to discuss the arctic expedition?”

>That was at least true, last you had seen the Monarch she had breathlessly and manically discussed some expedition to discover the North Pole. Of course, you had previously absolutely no intention of discussing that with her and were just hoping she'd forget like most things she arranged, but now you needed the excuse.

>Luna starts to breathe deeply, but you can see from her posture as she stands up taller she was beginning to calm down from whatever had just set her off.

>She nods her head, then immediately shakes it like a dog with a toy.

>”We are busy, come back later. Talk to our bloody sister.”

>You look around at the ruined bedroom and slowly nod.

“I see. My apologies. I simply wished to come to you first. After all, they speak of “The Long Dark” in the arctic, entire days of darkness, and thought you would be far more knowledgable about such things than your sister.”

>Luna's ears start to twitch.

>”We are, by far. But we are... Currently indisposed.”

>You force yourself not to openly look around the ruined bedroom, or react to her massive understatement. And instead, squeeze out a polite smile.

“Perhaps we could discuss this over some tea?”

>”I... We prefer coffee.”

>You smile more genuinely this time and laugh.

“Oh thank god. All I ever seem to drink here is tea or wine. Drives me mad.”

>Luna, despite herself, chuckles.

>And then immediately ruins the mood by loudly, very very fucking loudly, shouting at the top of her lungs for a servant to bring in a pot of coffee and two cups.

>While your ears ring you look around for somewhere in the room to sit down that didn't have broken glass or pottery on it.

>Luna's horn glows as she throws all of the glass, china and pottery at one of the walls.

>You flinch, which draws her sudden ire and a fierce glare, but you manage to force another smile and quickly sit down on a sofa, forcing yourself to ignore that it was still stained with... Something.

>God, blood or rotten food would still probably be the least disgusting option.

>A meek-looking servant comes into the room, once again refusing to look up from the floor as she levitates a pot and two cups onto one of the small tables. Once she does so, she all but gallops out of the room.

>If Luna cared about the servants total fear of her, she didn't show it as she sat in the chair opposite you.

>She mumbles beneath her breath while she pours herself a cup of coffee, slamming the pot down hard with her magic and spilling some on the table.

>Gingerly, you reach for a cup and the pot, pouring yourself the cup.

>You take a slow sip of the very, very bitter coffee.

>”So, the arctic!”

>After politely placing the cup down, the two of you spend a few minutes discussing the far north.

>You wisely stayed away from the ongoing undeclared war in the north, or the fact that Labyrinthia was a desert country that had absolutely no culture of mountaineering or arctic exploration.

>But there was only so long before you knew you had to bring her up.

“So... Can we expect support from your sister as well, Princess Luna?”

>Luna almost spits. Then surprisingly quietly answers your question.

>”Our sister? We would not have those baseborn mongrels credit her with one of our own accomplishments. Not again.”

>Not again? You were not aware of anything like that.

>Though perhaps that is merely because Celestia was very successful in stealing the credit for whatever it was she was referring to.

>Still, you had to pretend you agreed with her, at least now. She was starting to mumble under her breath again, and you didn't want to rile her.

“Well, they are baseborn for a reason. A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on.”

>Luna doesn't laugh at the joke.

>”Filthy animals. They gawk at our sister, worshipping her like a goddess, yet they fear us.”

>Luna looks up into your eyes.

>”It is better to be feared than loved, anyway. A pony's love is a fickle, fleeting thing, but fear infests the mind forever.”

>...

>Okay. She might be proving that right now.

“... Yeah, the Kings of Labyrinthia understand the power of fear for making people fall in line. But they also knew the power of the people's adoration.”

>Luna scoffs.

>”We cannot have that. Celestia has stolen their hearts and holds it tight, hiding her theft behind her golden smile, so I must make them kneel if I am to rule.”

>...

>You scratch the back of your head.

“Yep. Understandable. You are the sword to her shield. You two compliment each other perfectly.”

>Luna stands up, glaring at you, but has yet to throw anything at you yet, or carve you apart with some magic beam.

>”She sent you, didn't she! To make me cower and accept the way things are! I knew it. She told me you were a liar!”

>She?

>Ignore that for now.

>You have two options to respond. One, grovel for your life and insist otherwise, tell her the truth and beg for your life.

>The other?

>You lean back, looking her straight in her burning teal eyes.

“No, but I had just talked to her before this. I'm sure that's what you heard your guard say.”

>Luna huffs through her nose, once again doing a pretty good bull impersonation.

“But I'm sure you've heard just how many are concerned about you. Your sister is concerned about you. I'm concerned about...”

>Luna laughs, a hollow shattering cackle that dies as soon as it leaves her throat.

>”I know ponies more than they know themselves. I know their dreams, their fears, their nightmares. I know they care NOTHING for me. Fear. Pfft. They don't know fear.”

>She steps towards you, throwing aside the coffee table with her magic, the two coffee cups smashing against one of the chamber's walls.

>”My sister could piss in a cup and ponies would call that wine. But I offer them a cool glass of water, and they mutter and mumble about how queer it tastes!”

>Clearly, you were hitting a very, very sore spot.

>”I know your dreams. You dream of a land far away that you have not seen for years. Not Labyrinthia. Home. A place you try to ignore in your waking hours, a place you are both sad and happy to have left.”

>She looms over you.

>You crawl back on the sofa, but she continues to glare at you.

>”The only being we cannot see into is my own sister, but we know her well enough. The image the unwashed, mongrel masses have is accurate enough. She revels in their praise, and loathes us. She finds us difficult, and ill-mannered, and sees us and our thestrals as a tool that is best kept out of sight from her perfect society. Her dream is a world where ponies like us are not needed and are not there!”

>You swallow.

“Ponies like you?”

>”The rest of them, their perfect lives are paid for in my Thestral's blood and sweat. Our far-away sacrifices on foreign soils let them live in luxury, in blissful ignorance of the way the world truly works!”

>She trots away, still angry, her mane whipped into a storm as the night sky within somehow seems to darken as the stars within it die.

>”We who stand on missing limbs. We who watch the skies with missing eyes. We who live, and die, and suffer by her orders with no appreciation, nothing but mockery and scorn by the society we fight to protect. The society we are forced out of.”

>Okay, sensing a lot of resentment there.

“Someone like me?”

>Luna pauses, then slowly turns toward you. Her expression hasn't changed, she is still gritting her teeth, but she doesn't say or do anything else.

>You stand up, wiping your clothes.

“Look at me, Princess Luna. I'm the only one of my kind here. I have killed, and fought, and nearly died for the nation I helped to build. And for that I am here, a thousand miles away from that place, and an unfathomable distance from my home. A home I can never return to.”

>Luna glares at your for a few more seconds, then mumbles something beneath her breath, before deeply sighing.

>”I'm... I'm not...”

>She looks down.

>”There's something wrong with me. I know it. But I can't get the fog to...”

>Her right hoof twitches.

>Luna's horn then glows, and all of a sudden you find yourself lying on the grass in one of the castle's gardens.

>You stand up, a few lazy nobility mumbling to themselves as they watch you wipe the grass off your suit.

>Well.

>You weren't dead, which is supposedly a good sign.

>But man, you had no idea just how ill Luna was.

>Not physically, clearly she could still toss you and anyone else around like a ragdoll.

>But there was something deeply wrong with her mind. Something...

>Once again, you spend a moment desperately trying to think of somepony, any pony, who might be able to help you.

>But you are alone. Celestia cannot help you, and it's clear that Luna is too paranoid, too resentful, too afraid of her own sister for her alone to repair that relationship.

>And anypony else... Well, you couldn't think of anyone able to do it. You knew that even you couldn't.

>You run a hand down your face.

>If you kept pushing, the chance that Luna would simply kill you grew ever greater. But if you didn't... You could not see this ending well, either for the whole world, for Equestria, or for Luna and Celestia personally.

>You care enough about them to risk this.

>And with that brief prep talk to yourself, you head off to come up with a concrete plan.

 

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