Mare in the Mirror

"I envy you sister," said Celestia as she gave Luna a sincere smile.

With a yawn Luna sat down beside her sister. The sun hung low in the western sky its golden rays were slowly giving way to the pinks and purples of late evening-it's last act a beautiful overture for the quiet magnificence that was Luna's moon. In the waning light, Celesita's coat seemed to dim as if its very illustriousness beauty was tied to the cycle of the sun. Luna's coat was undergoing a similar transformation. In the day her dark coat was flat in color but as day gave way to night its depth was magnified and it took on the vastness of the night sky.

Giving Celestia curt nod Luna's eye fell down and too the left,

"I'm not sure what you mean Tia."

A alabaster wing slowly wrapped around the small Luna's back and started to pull her closer to its owner. Initially she resisted, but the warmth of it was too much. Giving in she was pulled tightly to her sisters side, eliciting a fiery blush from the dark-blue alicorn. Luna looked up to Celestia wearing a shy smile.

"Although my light shines on the actions of the ponies of Equestria there are many things that I cannot see. I do my best to help them. I can only react to what I see and what they tell me. You on the other hoof, see all that I see and more. Their dreams, there hopes, the fantasies all lay bare before you. I envy that." said Celestia.

Luna taking a deep breath pulled away from her sister and walked away. Cocking her head Celestia watched as the sylph-like pony walk to the edge of the balcony and sat down. Luna wore a mask of defeat, her eyes were closed, her ears lay down, and her features seemed strained, as her head sunk low.

"What's wrong Lu Lu?" asked Celestia with a look of concern on her face.

"Tia you always put me on a pedestal. Even when I was descending into the darkness of Nightmare Moon you refused to admit that I had a problem; until it was too late. You assume that just because I could see into the minds of others that it was an asset. Well it's not. There are so many things that should be kept a secret between the soul and the mind. What I see isn't always beautiful or enlightening." divulged Luna as she sunk lower.

Celestia bit her lip and then raised a hoof to scratch the back of her head. What she had meant as a complement had taken a turn for the worse and she didn't know how to her line of thought back on track.

"Luna? I'm... I'm sorry." muttered Celestia. Slack-jawed Luna looked over to her sister. Celestia didn't look a stoic, sagely ruler she looked like a mare who still had so much to learn. This was the sister she remembered the one who was far from perfect, one who almost lavished in her childishness.

"Tia?" asked Luna innocently.

"Yes Lu Lu?" quickly replied Celestia.

"You are such a featherbrain sometimes." giggled Luna trying to break the tense situation she had inadvertently created.

Celestia deadpanned, and turned her head away from Luna and let out a loud, huff.

Luna let Celestia fume for a few moments. The issue with Blueblood had held her most of her attention for ransom for far to long and she had to get it off her chest.

"Why did you conspire with me in the Blueblood affair?" asked Luna as she trotted over to her sister. Celestia's face still held a slight scowl when she met Luna's incoming form. Laughing to herself Celestia hadn't been around her sister enough yet to become accustomed to Luna's hot and cold nature again, and it was a bit aggravating. Uncertainty was an enduring part of Luna's personality. It was why in bygone ages sealing Discord away was so difficult because Celestia knew how much the two had in common. Her thoughts were brought to a close as Luna plopped down beside her.

"Blueblood was as much a slave to his station and family expectations as he was enamored by its perks. He needed a break from the bureaucracy of the House of Nobles and his meddling mother." said Celestia in a matter-a-fact tone.

"How thoughtful of you Tia, I'm sure you don't any ulterior motives," coyly replied Luna.

Celestia stiffened, "So what if I do have an ulterior motive. This is for his own good," She thought.

"Tia please tell me, I don't want to wiggle around in that head of yours after it hits the pillows." threatened Luna, her wings stretched to the full length and height.

"I have made many mistakes in past years. Mistakes that now haunt my waking and sleeping dreams. I allowed the nobility too much control and the common pony has suffered for it," said Celestia, her wings drooping low. Luna hated seeing her sister look so, exposed.

"Nopony is perfect," said Luna softly as she wrapped a wing around her sister. Celestia didn't move she just sat there her face down cast and her eyes glued to the floor.

"Luna you are only saying that because you haven't seen the depth of my transgressions. I remembered the arguments you and I had back before our separation. You would tell me that power shouldn't rest in the hooves of a few. You tried to tell me that democracy and diplomacy were the way to peace. I stuck to what I knew and what I knew was those with power should keep it. They maintained power because they took the reins and took responsibility. You wanted to put Clover the Clever, Private Pansy, and Smart Cookie in charge of their respective clans because they would look out for the interest of everypony and not just themselves. I couldn't bring myself to allow hundreds of years of tradition to die and so I never allowed them to prove that you were right. Your descent into the darkness was my fault. The sole reason that they shunned you was because of tradition. They could believe that each and every one of them had a say in the way of the world. They couldn't abandon their lieges, so the abandoned you. When you lost the love of the ponies you lost your love of them. I am so...so sorry sister. I should have been the one to be banished too the moon," cried Celestia as her tears cascaded down her face.

"Listen Tia, I don't blame you for what happened to me. I became so lost in my ideals that I forgot who I was. When I offered liberty to the ponies of Equestria and they denied it, it hurt me deeply. I needed to give that gift to them even if it was in spite of you. They rejected my idea's because they wanted someone else to lead them. They were afraid to take responsibility of their own actions. In my anger I decided that if they wanted to be lorded over I would be that queen. If they wanted to be controlled I would utterly rule them like no pony before them. I wanted not only their loyalty and freedom. I wanted them to look to me for permission to breath. And I was wrong for that," added Luna.

Celestia shot her sister a thin smile which Luna gladly returned. Luna's again wanted to break the gloomy atmosphere so she pulled back her wing gently brushing her sister's side with her primaries. Celestia tried to suppress a giggle but couldn't. Pushing Celestia over Luna continued her tickle assault.

"ah ha ha ha bwha ha ha ha," snorted Celestia. Luna's alternated between hoof and primary doing her best to keep her sister off guard. This went on for several minuets only ending after both of them had laughed until their sides hurt.
Her eyes were still red and puffy but Luna felt much better seeing that her sister was smiling. Silence ruled the air as they enjoyed the warmth of each other. It ended all to soon for Luna as Celestia rolled away and sat up. Celestia glanced down at the lounging alicorn.

"The truth is I do have an ulterior motive and I'm ashamed to admit it." sighed Celestia.

"I want to usher in a new era for Equestria. I don't want to be a princess anymore and I would very much like to end this archaic way of life. I see now what you saw then, that my little ponies can rule themselves. I want leaders who are only leaders because they are capable. I want ponies who other look to for guidance and are elected by the majority of Equestria. However, my plans have been foiled by Blueblood and his mother Diamond Mint at every turn. Both of them are very influential members of the House of Nobles. Although their goal seems to be the same they have different ways of going about it. Blueblood treats the House of Commons to his charismatic ways whilst his mother Diamond undermines their power. Blueblood is a dangerous adversary because the Nobles look to him as a leader. The House of Commons are much greedier, they only support him because of his campaigns that have led to across the board wage increases for all government workers. It is for this same reason that our own Solar Guard and Night Guard are fiercely loyal to him."

"Hold on, wage control has away been the duty of the Master of the Treasury. So why is Blue Blood spearheading wage reform instead of the treasurer?" asked Luna

"Well, he is the Master of the Treasury," answered Celestia.

"The Master of the Treasury has traditionally been a job for a member of the House of Commons. What chain of events led Blueblood to break this tradition?" asked Luna.

"Blueblood was close friends with the previous treasurer. When Quick Count contracted a still as yet unexplained illness and died, Blueblood was heart broken. It wasn't long before another member of the house of commons took the position but, she held the position for three weeks before she went missing. After that no pony dared to take the position out of fear that they might also meet a mysterious end. Blueblood was deeply angered at the cowardice of the House of Commons so he took the position out of loyalty to his friend. He even sends the pay that he receives for the job to Quick's widow and children." she answered.

"Were you afraid he would lead an insurrection? asked Luna.

Celestia laughed at Luna question, " Blueblood isn't that bold. But, every time a town or city comes seeking our approval for a local democratic government Blueblood fights it at every turn. Since he has become a senior member of the House of Nobles; the only one town out of the two hundred and fifty six that has made that proposition has been granted local democratic control and that town was Applaloosa. And after the parasprite invasion of Fillydelphia he pushed for martial law in the city and he got just that. To this day it is governed by a House of Nobles appointed governor. There only a handful of Nobles who have fought as hard as he for greater royal power."

"So he feels as you felt, that might equals right," Interjected Luna.

"Yes," replied Celestia whose face had taken on a red glow.

"The house of Nobles saw Blueblood as powerful reminder of the past and they adored him for it. However it was tradition that kept Blueblood at odds with himself. His outer passion fought bitterly with is inner passion and the pressure was to much for him to bear. Slowly he realized that the very tradition that he fought so bitterly for was the same tradition that kept him from being who he really was. He had started drinking to alleviate the loss he felt after Quick Count's death. It only became worse with time as the pressures of leadership crushed what was left of his soul. He stopped attending court. He drowned his pain in alcohol, replacing his need for intimacy and comforting with meaningless sex. Blueblood has always been a pleasure seeker. And during his mourning he became much worse. He treated all of his lovers nicely but he would never allow himself to really love them. He has been responsible for so much heartache. You don't know how many times I have had an angered father or mother or brother or sister barge in on my day court in a fit of rage because Blueblood would not marry the mare he bedded. It's not that he didn't care because I know his heart and I know that it was because he couldn't care, not yet. It got so bad that those of us who cared for him had him committed to a rehabilitation center. Even after that he still wasn't quite ready to face the world. The following months Blueblood spent his time locked in his room. When he finally returned to court he was met with welcoming arms but the pressures were too great. It took him some time but sadly he slipped back into his old ways and restarted his own self torturous cycle." said Celestia with a notable strain in her voice.

"So in the end he was his own worst enemy. I can relate to that that." said Luna.

Celesta gave her a weak smile, "Yeah, I think we both can,".

"When you told me of his dreams. I knew we had to do something. So when you told me that you had thought of a way to get him away from the court so he could have some time to find himself. I wanted nothing more than to help him, even if it put me in a bad light." added Celestia.

"Two ponies with one stone, eh?" said Luna.

Celestia scrunched up her nose at the old griffon idiom, she hated the phrase because she could still remember when griffon's would in war time drop stones on ponies.

"Yeah, two ponies with one stone." mimed Celestia.