Lunatic!

28th day of Frostfall
454 Years after the Defeat of Discord by the Sisters

Luna paced furiously in her chambers, her mane rippling behind her as if blowing in a strong and tempestuous wind, snapping back and forth with her annoyance.

“Assassins,” she growled. “They think they can operate here, in Everfree, with no consequence?” She stomped a hoof, the stone floor cracking.

“They were all killed,” Silver Tongue said. “Or at least most of them. They were quite well prepared, though. They knew where we were going and they were outfitted well to try and kill us.” He put a hoof on one of the emerald-edged bolts that had been fired at him. “These are worth dozens, maybe even hundreds of bits each. The crystal edge is grown into the correct form, and designed to cut through magical protection.”

“And the poison they used is from Crystal Berry bushes,” Luna said. “I am well aware. I fought against the Tyrant’s forces myself when my sister and I were forced to deal with him. The assassins were refugees from the Crystal Empire. Everything at hoof points to that conclusion.”

“At least we agree with that,” Silver Tongue sighed. “It’s lucky for them that the Empire is gone, or else Pallas Athene would be flying north right now.”

“I cannot afford to have her go on a rampage right now,” Luna sighed. “She has been through much, lately.”

“Yes,” Silver Tongue said. “But what we need to worry about is that somepony is clearly intercepting your private communications. I was the only one who knew where I was going. If it had just been the assassins in the building I could have believed that they had just followed us, but the sniper across the street means they knew where we would be.”

“I know,” Luna said. She picked up one of the shifting cloaks, recovered from the downed assassins. “It is possible they are merely using scrying effects, but we should assume the worst. I want an internal investigation done. Find out if we have a traitor in our midst.”

“And what about Pallas?” Silver Tongue frowned. “She’s going to go after Golden Showers. She’s convinced that mare is behind everything.”

“Unfortunately, she is correct,” Luna said. “The bits that the assassins were carrying were new and uncirculated. They were straight from the mint, which Golden Showers controls. She paid them, with funds that would be untraceable if she were more careful.”

“Good for us that she’s a fool, then,” Silver Tongue mumbled. “You can hardly allow her to do as she pleases, though. Her next attempt may bear more fruit.”

“I don’t intend to,” Luna said, returning to pacing around her room. “But there are problems besides that. There are whispers in the shadows and things in dreams that suggest strongly that Golden Showers is merely the most foolish member of a coven that seeks to oppose me. I would not dispose of her too quickly, as a fool is most useful when working for your enemy, and if I were to strike her down before making use of her to draw the others out I would miss my chance to strike all the heads of this hydra at once.”

“So what, you’re just going to allow her to do as she pleases?” Silver Tongue frowned.

“If we move against her, it will alert those more careful in their dealings. I intend to leave her alone and watch her, as somepony watches me. Unfortunately, until we learn the truth behind the extent of their web, we must assume the worst. These chambers are sealed against magical intrusion and more mundane methods alike, and meeting in person while leaving no written record of our dealings will only further guard against interlopers.”

“As you wish,” Silver Tongue said, shrugging. “But we still need to decide what to tell your apprentice.”

“I don’t wish to deceive her, but I must say something, at least enough that she can convince the Centurion to stand down.” Luna slowed as she considered. “Their bond may be the best way to keep them out of trouble, in fact. I shall set Pallas Athene as her personal guard, an assignment she’d never refuse and will be grateful to have. Then I merely have to keep Bianca under control.”

“You speak as if that’s easy.” Silver Tongue idly played with an ornate gem-studded bracelet. “The only way to keep her out of trouble is with constant supervision.”

“Ambassador Xaaron wouldn’t mind some company while we work on the terms of the treaty,” Luna shrugged. “And my sister might listen to reason if it comes from a pony other than I.”

“Are you going to tell your sister about what happened?”

“I must,” Luna said, stopping where she stood. “She will hear about it anyway, one way or the other. She has her own eyes and ears, just as I do. I would be a fool to try and keep it a secret, and for more reasons than that. As much as we fight, she would not try and stab me in the back. I will, though, keep my findings to myself. I want to know what she finds with her own investigations.”

“You think this is all being set up?” Silver Tongue asked.

“It is a little too easy of an answer, is it not?” Luna asked. “Certainly, Golden Showers has enough reason to want to see me hurt, but it is too simple an answer. She may well have been involved, but I feel she is just a puppet, and another is pulling her strings from the shadows.”

~~~***~~~

“It’s not about slaves,” Xaaron said. “It’s about promises. They were sold by the Emperor, and going back on a deal by simply taking them from the clans would both weaken his position and cause doubts about his ability to lead and deliver on what he has promised.”

“They were not his to sell,” Luna countered.

“By Imperial law, they were,” Xaaron retorted. “All prisoners of war can be sold as slaves at the discretion of the Emperor. It’s more pleasant than being a prisoner anyway, and probably no worse than being a soldier.”

“There’s an easy compromise,” Celestia said. “We can simply buy the prisoners back from the clans.”

“We do not have time to sit on our flanks and make deals with dozens of clans,” Luna retorted.

“And what if they do not wish to allow us to buy their freedom?”

“The treaty can include provisions that set the price,” Xaaron offered. “You have to understand, it’s not about the money either. It’s about honor. If the Emperor simply takes the slaves, he is insulting the clan. At least some kind of compensation, even if it’s little more than a token effort, must be made.”

“It galls me to think we must pay ransom for the freedom of our subjects,” Luna grumbled.

“We were already discussing having Zephyranthes pay war restitution for the damages his soldiers caused,” Celestia said. “We could simply have him pay the clans instead.”

“No, no,” Xaaron shook his head. “You have to understand the… nature of the thing. Honor demands that the payment comes from you. Take the gold from the Emperor, but pay the clans with something else. Gems, perhaps. They’re valued more than gold, especially among the more nomadic clans who would prefer a purse of diamonds to bearing a chest of heavy gold.”

Pallas struggled to stay awake as she listened to them. She’d never heard people talk in circles like this. Bianca was passed out against her side, snoring gently despite the occasionally heated arguments breaking out at the conference table. The various palliatives she’d been given for her wounds and burns weren’t helping, the overall effect making her warm and comfortable, as if a blanket had been wrapped around her.

“This whole thing is stupid…” Pallas mumbled.

Unfortunately, speaking up meant that three heads turned to face her. If she had been more sober at the time, she might have apologized and the incident would have been forgotten. Instead she opened her mouth and started trying to justify herself.

“I mean, it’s not that peace is stupid,” she said, starting by backtracking on her words. “I just mean you’re arguing over tiny details. It would be better if you just signed something to make things official then worried about the rest later.”

“There might not be a later,” Luna said. “Our relationship with the Empire wasn’t good even before the war. This may be the one chance we have to get those ponies back that were taken prisoner. Do you want to make their families wait years to see them again?”

“And if we don’t do something to fix the relationship, the war would have been for nothing,” Celestia said. “An important part of the peace process is making peace. That doesn’t mean punishing the guilty. It means forgiveness. A few concessions now can mean this never happens again.”

“Why did it happen in the first place?” Pallas asked. “I mean, I know how it ended, I was there. But I never asked why it started, and that’s probably more important.”

“We don’t have time to go over…” Luna started.

“No, no, it’s a perfect time,” Xaaron said. “We could use a review of our recent history. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

“Well said,” Celestia agreed. “Perhaps you’d care to begin?”

“Equestrian artificers discovered a technology to mass-produce clouds,” Xaaron said. “It doesn’t require any pegasus magic at all and it’s many times more efficient than making them by hoof. Griffons have always had problems with agriculture, as we don’t have the farming skill of your earth ponies, and our weather magic isn’t as…” he considered for a moment, thinking of the right word to use.

“You lack experts,” Luna said. “You’re too busy killing your food to learn how to make a decent raincloud.”

“Which has become quite a problem,” Xaaron said, nodding and agreeing with Luna’s words. “Our lands are overhunted. Laws have been put in place to help the prey population recover, but it will be decades before that will see fruit.”

“And the clouds?” Pallas asked, her fuzzy thoughts making it difficult to follow his reasoning.

“Ah yes, the weather factories,” Xaaron said. “Right. So, the technology was developed, and it’s going to all but bankrupt the hoof-made cloud industry. We’re reliant on imported weather to an embarrassing degree, so the Emperor has been trying to get weather factory technology for the Empire. Unfortunately, word got out, and all the ponies whom we purchased weather from in the past decided to stop dealing with the Empire.”

“Foolish, since they were making large sums by transporting storms across the ocean and breaking them up into their component parts before sale,” Luna said.

“Without that rain and weather what crops we had – which were almost entirely maintained by native Imperial ponies and slaves, mind you – died on the vine. A lot of griffons started hunting outside of Imperial borders.” Xaaron gestured to the map. “A lot of it is mountains, and not terribly well suited for agriculture anyway. The Zebricans didn’t care much, since they don’t hunt and they understand the kind of drought we’ve been having.”

“And what, you decided to cross an ocean to do hunting?” Pallas raised an eyebrow.

“No. We came here to take the weather technology, and in the minds of many of the clans, for revenge.” Xaaron sighed. “Imagine if it were here. You go to the market and pass by dozens of starving ponies, only to find that there is nothing there to buy. Then you return home, to your hungry foals, and give them what little you have left while you eat nothing.”

“It sounds horrible…” Pallas mumbled.

“And they blame it all on us,” Celestia said. “It wasn’t one bad decision or the rise of some bloodthirsty warlord. It’s the result of decades of desperate people and a catastrophic failure on all parts to help them when they really needed it. That is why, when you talk about how many griffons you’ve killed, I take no joy in it. There are only victims here on both sides.”

“That’s why honor is so important here,” Xaaron said. “My people already feel wronged. To have peace this has to be an agreement between equals.”

“We are not equals,” Luna said. “You are on the edge of destruction. We have soundly defeated you in every important way.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Xaaron agreed. “But we are nothing if not a prideful people. At times pride is all we have to sustain us.”

“It is getting in the way,” Luna said, her eyes narrowing. “If you want to eat, you’re going to need to swallow that pride first.”

“Clever wordplay,” Xaaron laughed. “Unfortunately, as an ambassador I have no pride to speak of. Now perhaps you can use some of that inspiration to fix the issues at hoof, as you say.”

Luna was silent for a few moments. “…What if we traded food for the slaves? You need food more than gems, and with the drought, all the gold and gems might not buy enough to feed your people.”

“Now that is an interesting place to start,” Xaaron nodded.

~~~***~~~

“It went well today, from what I heard,” Silver Tongue said. “And you even managed to keep Pallas from murdering enough ponies to fill the streets with the dead. My congratulations on that, I wasn’t sure it was possible.”

“Having Bianca to look after kept her calm,” Luna said. She’d retreated to her quarters after the meetings had concluded for the day. For the first time in days it seemed like they might actually come to some kind of agreement soon.

“I’ve been entertaining a guest while you were away,” Silver Tongue said. “I believe you’ve already met.” Luna walked with him into her parlor, where a mare with a coat of dusty blue and a short mane in flashing silver waited. Her cape and hat marked her as a member of the faculty at the Academy. She turned and smiled as Luna entered, standing and walking over to embrace her. Silver Tongue stepped out of the room to let them talk.

“It’s been a long time, Princess,” she said.

“I missed you, Maria Lulamoon,” Luna said, breaking out into a pleased grin. “You are just as beautiful as the last time I saw you.”

Maria laughed. “Come now, Princess. I’m practically an old mare now. And I’m married. I don’t think my husband would mind me having a little fun, but I’d hate to have to explain to my foals why their mother is trying to sneak Princess Luna out of her room in the middle of the night.”

“You wouldn’t let me stay for breakfast?” Luna looked offended for a moment before breaking into laughter. “We did have such fun, though, when you were my hoofmaiden.”

“Best time of my life,” Maria said. Her grin faded as the silence between them grew. “But we need to talk. Apparently some ponies thought we parted on bad terms.”

“I trust this isn’t just about repairing your reputation,” Luna said. She trotted over to a cabinet and opened it, taking out a bottle and two glasses. She poured a measure of cloudy white liquid into each, giving one to Maria and keeping one herself.

“No, unfortunately not,” Maria took the glass and sipped. “Moonshine. Quite nice, as well. You do make the best.”

“So what do I owe this visit to, then?” Luna asked.

“I was approached by a group of ponies who think, since we obviously parted on such terrible terms, that I must want to see you thrown out of power. Fools, of course,” Lulamoon waved her glass in the air as she rolled her eyes. “But I decided to play along. I assumed they’d just be some grumbling idiots in a tavern.”

“It wasn’t, though,” Luna said. She finished her glass and put it to the side, watching Maria start to turn in place, the unicorn nervously playing with her hat.

“No. They were more serious. Dangerously so.” Maria looked up at Luna. “Luna, they’re planning something big. They’re going to try and do something to you. Something big. They’re not just the usual malcontents who are unhappy because you won’t let them get away with murder. They’re smart, and they’re not working alone.”

“I’ve dealt with them before,” Luna said.

“Not like this. Luna, they’re working with the griffons. They’ll tear Equestria apart just to spite you!”