To Make Amends: ~Luna V. Celestia~

-- Chapter Three: An Eye for an Eye Leaves The Whole World Crying --

-- Present Day; Mid-day Court --

"... Third day in a row, as you can see here," The creamy white stallion expertly flicked a wooden pointing stick to a hanging graph to his left, emphasizing a spike of red on a line graph. " Which is making raising funds for the reconstruction project all the more difficult; This is where I must ask for your help, Princess."

Celestia blinked quickly a few times, her tail flicking subtly behind her as she arose from her daydream. Was that the third time she had drifted off today? This had to stop... Shifting a bit to her left, the Princess regained her posture; Slumping was a very un-professional and un-dignified position.

"Ah... Yes! Surely there can be some way we can reach an agreement; If you explain your situation to one of my secretaries, I'm sure they will be able to supply you with the relevant paperwork to suit your needs. Will there be anything else today, mister...?"

" Handyman. Bill Handyman. " The colt smiled lightly, taking a humble bow. " And no; I believe you have helped me quite enough. Thank you for your time, Princess."

She nodded, and he scuttled off to one of the desks of the nearby worker bees, sorting and stamping mounds of gibberish-embedded papers in record time in rows around the room. Once he had gathered all the information and paperwork he required to apply for government aid in funding, he trotted off through the large double-doors through which he, and every other entity, had come. One way in, one way out, fifty guards visible through the walk, another hundred concealed.

The Sun goddess sighed, shaking her head lightly at the pointlessness of it all. There was really no need for such a mass of guards in such peaceful times, and no doubt an assassin whom attempted to enter would be halted by one of various protection and detection spells set up along the various halls twisting about the castle before even seeing a guard. Alas, security was no longer her department, and the head of it deemed it completely justified...

'Think of discord and it shalt appear,' She thought to herself as the large double-doors were swiftly shoved aside as a slightly smaller Alicorn-of-the-Night appeared before her, huffing and puffing from running halfway across the castle, from the western wing. Without bothering with the formalities such as acknowledgement and walking, a strong, single beat of her wings and she was before her sister on the throne. Holding a hoof in the air and looking at the ground, she silently pleaded a moment to catch her breath.

"Sister; What might you be doing up at such unfausty hours? It's nearly noon, you should have been asleep hours ago." Celestia teased, though being sure to push the merit through with her tone. She had Night Court to attend to, after all, even if there were rarely any citizens desperate enough to travel to the capital and stroll through the castle in the dead hours of the night for menial favors; Most of those could wait until morning, even if it did mean being pushed back on a roster a day or nine.

"S-Sparkle... *Gasp* - T- Twi... Oh, a moment, please..." She requested, kneeling. She really was out of shape, having no real reason to exercise since her return; Then again, the Sun Goddess couldn't say she kept herself in much fairer a stature. Though if Luna wasn't setting off alarms (again,) there couldn't be that much of a problem that she hadn't heard of already.

After a moment of gathering herself, the Lunar Deity re-poised herself, and breathed deeply, reassuring herself that her heart was not susceptible to bursting.

"My apologies, Sister, for the years have taken their toll on our flesh, what with all the nobles running the government day and night... Alas, I digress. Firstly, my apologies for the rude awakening-"

"Excused." Celestia interjected, attaining an acknowledging nod from Luna as she continued.

" Secondly, I've received a letter from your faithful student and her assistant; They request an audience with you at your earliest convenience. " Celestia nodded. " Thirdly and lastly; I wish to ask a... relatively large favor of you." Luna's voice trailed off, and she avoided eye contact for a moment. Celestia raised a bemused brow, but nonetheless remained poise and dignated.

"Thank you for the news, I am sure she will be following up with a letter directly to me once Day Court is over. As for the favor, that will depend on the magnitude and justification, as you well know." Luna's whole body visibly twitched, though she turned to face her sister head-on, and swallowed.

"We wish to take leave the day after next; We have made... Engagements, and prefer they remain private for the time being."

Celestia shook her head, and began her speech on why secrets were not allowed and the seven curses that plagued crossings, but Luna quickly cut her off with a sharp "Listen!"

Slightly taken aback at her tone and forwardness not used lightly between the two, Celestia leaned back, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to help her retain her focus. After a few tense moments of silence, she nodded, and a deadly serious Luna continued.

" We know of the pacts we have made, and we know the consequences of such breakings of the pact; We may easily assure you that nothing we re involving ourselves with will break any ties or bindings between the two of us, but we simply request that we are allowed a day to ourselves outside the castle, Unmonitored," A sharp tone coated that last word, and Celestia couldn't help but take the full force of guilt from it; There wasn't much that Luna did that Celestia didn't send a guard or twenty to protect or spy on her, and it had become fairly obvious as of late. Once Luna was sure her words had the desired weight to them, she continued. " ... Unmonitored so that we may freely act without the breath of a fly weighing paranoia on us for fear of the judgement of our subjects."

A tense silence lingered a long moment, and the sisters locked eyes, one set pleading, the other discerning. Celestia knew her sister well, and truly, truly giving her a night to herself with no guards watching her could prove to be a terrible idea in more ways than one; Especially after last time...

Celestia shivered as she forced the less-than-desirable thoughts of her nephew from her head, and re-addressed her sister.

"Okay."

Luna's ears shot up and her ethereal tail began doubling over itself in excitement. " Thank you, sister!" She said through her large grin. With a pulse of her wings, Luna was upon her sister, affectionately nuzzling her neck with happiness. "I understand what this means to you, I truly appreciate your trust, 'Tia."

Celestia smiled lightly, but no more. She couldn't bring herself to return the affectionate nuzzling, too lost in her own thoughts about the mare beneath her chin. A lot of things could happen in Canterlot, and a Princess such as Luna, with little social knowledge at that, was bound to draw some unwanted attention, presuming she was planning on what Celestia believed she was.

'She's my sister, and my equal. I have to trust her. If I do not, who can I trust...?' Celestia pondered sullenly, looking down at her sister, who was still nuzzling away. 'Wait, what is this vibration...?' Celestia wondered a moment. Was Luna...?

Celestia jerked upright and out of her stupor, accidentally pushing Luna back a good foot in the process. Luna had just been purring on her! 'What did she- Why would...' Celestia scrambled

" My apologies sister, I was unaware you were not comfortable with such displays of affection; I learned of it some days ago, I'm sorry if it startled you, I just-" Celestia held a hoof up, silencing her. The other hoof slowly circled her temple, attempting to numb an oncoming headache.

"Luna, that's not something you generally do with friends. That's a symbol of... Love, not affection, sister."

Luna's ears flattened, and her head tilted slightly.

"But... We are sisters, are we not? Do you not love me as I so love you?"

"That's a loaded question, Luna." Celestia snapped, her voice rising "I love you, as a sister. You know full well the boundries between a sisterhood and a mate, and this is not the first time you have played the fool in such an insensible act." Celestia's wings flared as she punctuated herself. "I understand your lack of interaction with other ponies may be upsetting, but it is NO reason to attempt to urge yourself to express this lack of emotional stability through me!" Celestia was standing now, though she didn't notice. She was hovering over her cowering sister, attempting to absorb what she had just said to her sibling. She blinked once. Twice. Three times.

"L- Luna... I..." She stammered, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I just-"

"i understand..." Luna whispered, unable to look up any longer. Instead, she cowered meekly in her sisters' shadow, visibly upset by her sisters' disapproval of what she thought was just a way of displaying her love for her sister. "i'll just... just go..."

In a flash, Luna spun around, and launched herself off of the dais, tears trailing behind in her wake as she flew from the court. Celestia called her sisters name in vain, and within moments was left alone to stare at the doorway her sister had fled through.

'I've crushed her...' Celestia thought. 'I knew she was still fragile, and I just laid her out in front of everypony here... What kind of a sister am I?'

Celestia's brow furrowed, and her gaze began to bore holes in the carpeting before her. Looking up from the regal floor decor, she found that all eyes were on her. The episode had halted all activity in the Court, and all the secrataries and clients with it. As the Goddess looked up at them, one by one they turned away, and akwardly went back to their work.

Rising from her suddenly uncomfortable throne, Celestia announced an early Lunch, if so desired for the workers. Without waiting for comformation, she made her way out of the Day Court. She knew where Luna would be, and she knew she couldn't ignore her sisters' strange behavior as of late any longer. It was time for a heart-to-heart.

'I just hope I know what I'm doing...'