One Crime at a Time

"" Celestia said, standing up and lifting her yoke in her magic. ""

"" Zecora said, giggling briefly. ""

""

""

Celestia nodded and cut the connection with a single pulse of magic over a button on the device inside her yoke. She pondered the situation while she coiled the cord for the earpiece up, along with the microphone. She had a lot to think about, after all.

Twilight was definitely a wild card, she wasn't going to try to deny that. She wouldn't go so far as to say her student was a madmare, but her mental stability could definitely be called into question. Then again, given what happened to her at such a young age, perhaps she was completely justified in her hatred and psychopathy. Celestia herself certainly didn't hold any love in her heart for the Mafia as an organization.

It would have been very short-sighted for her to consider stopping her student simply because ponies were going to die. While she always preached peace and harmony, she knew that reality rarely conformed to that message. Ponies had differing opinions on things, and sometimes that was all it took to get them at each other's throats, let alone at the throats of races outside of their own. Her ponies had a reputation for being a peace-loving people, but they could be just as nasty and vicious as anyone else, and she knew it.

Ultimately, she had to make a choice between having faith in her student, and shutting down her operations immediately. Regardless of whether Twilight was stopped, ponies were going to die. If she were allowed to tear into them, their retaliation would result in death. If Twilight was stopped, the Mafia's long-term operations would kill more and more. Perhaps a wild card was exactly what she needed to find a vulnerability and exploit it. Put a crack in their metaphorical armor. Then she could hopefully find a way to deliver the fatal blow.

With her yoke and crown back on her person where they were supposed to be, she went through the mental checklist she always did before appearing in public. Shoes, yoke and crown in place? Check. Was her mane as elegant as it was expected to be? Yes. Comforting, motherly smile? Check. Was her fur looking okay? No strange stains or unexpected bunching? Nope, she looked smooth and majestic, just as the world expected from her.

She made sure to give a courteous nod to the guards posted outside of the room as she left, quickly making her way to Luna's room. She could do with some time out of the castle.

For Luna, entering the modern world was like stepping into what she imagined Elysium to be. She hadn't even been out of Canterlot since her return, and she was utterly enchanted by the magnificence laid before her! When she was banished, Canterlot wasn't even a village, to say nothing of being the capital of Equestria. Now everywhere she looked, she saw big, sturdy buildings, ponies going about their daily activities with nary a worry in their minds! It almost brought a tear to her eye when she first saw it all.

The experience was only tarnished by her much smaller appearance in comparison to her sister. She had always been much shorter than Celestia, though certainly bigger than most mortal mares, but she looked like she was in her teens! Even her mane and tail lacked the royal elegance that was expected from someone in her position of power. She knew her body would grow in response to her power as it returned, but as it stood, she had to put up with her sister patting her on the head like a foal.

"Tia, we are aware of the fact that thou hast a thousand years of sibling rivalry to make up for," Luna started, snorting as a gold-clad hoof came down on the top of her head again. "But wouldst thou cease thine actions?!"

"Aww, but you're so tiny now! You won't be this way forever, how could I pass up the opportunity?" Celestia asked, pointedly patting Luna's head just a little more firmly. "My widdle sister~!"

Luna could feel the heat on her cheeks rising as she noticed more ponies staring at the two of them. Celestia had always been like this, but nowhere near as bad back then as she was now. While it was annoying, she'd usually put up with it, but she already stood out enough without Celestia treating her like a little filly.

It wasn't like Luna didn't appreciate the sentiment. Even for beings as long-lived as her and her sister, a show of affection was always welcome. It came in the form of a very embarrassing display, but she didn't mind, not deep down. Let them stare and judge all they wished, there was something nostalgic about her sister behaving the way she was in that moment.

What Luna could've done without however, was all the ponies attempting to strike up a conversation with them. She was suffering from a thousand years of separation from her people, but some things simply never changed...such as the ass-licking of the upper class, trying to get far more than they could ever need. She'd never had the patience for them, save for a select few genuinely servile and honest ponies that hadn't been tainted by the wealth and power they held.

It was possible that she blanket-judged in the past. She would not deny that.

What was even worse about all of them trying to talk with her was the difference in dialect. They spoke the same language, but Equish had changed drastically, to the point that she sometimes had to pause and think about what her own sister was saying to her. It sounded so...low-brow now. A common tongue for common ponies, one that even her sister spoke. There was no sign of the old dialect save for her, and it made her feel self-conscious. It was obvious to her that others had to take time to decipher what she was saying as well.

Then there was the simple fact that she had nothing to talk about. The new technologies of the modern day made something as marvelous as the doughnut seem like a paltry accomplishment, to say nothing of the opulence of Canterlot's roads. In her day, flattened roads and cobblestone were considered more than adequate, but now the roads were paved with a remarkable substance called asphalt, and many of the buildings were made in layers instead of simply being made with wood or solid blocks of carved stone. Even if they were, they were made from bricks. Bricks! There was so much to discover that she felt she would never catch up!

Thus it was that she found herself falling silent in most conversations. Most of them ceased to try to keep her attention once it was clear that she wasn't the talkative sort, not yet at least. While all of these things had her curious, and the concept of them demanded her attention, what she was interested in was the artistry of the modern era.

Once upon a time, her night stood for more than just the dark and sleep and dangerous, unknowable horrors. It reflected her love for artistry, creativity in all forms...and passion. She had no love for stallions in the bedroom, but passion? Passion had no true gender. Even a straight mare could find the passion of another mare intoxicating, if she had an open enough mind...and perhaps if she wasn't quite as straight as she thought she was. The same could be said for anyone, really.

It was sad to hear from her sister that ponies were still so closeted about their deepest passions. Even worse that less carnal passions were often snuffed out by their peers, or circumstance, or any number of other variables. Where were the great artists? The painters of grand murals, the sculptors, the musicians, the playwrights with their grand theatrical displays?

"...wouldn't you say, your majesty?"

Oh. Was someone talking to her?

She blinked when she noticed eyes on her, glancing rapidly between them before standing up with a more regal posture. "A-apologies! We were lost in thought, we did not hear thee."

The posh stallion that stood before her didn't entirely offend her senses, but he definitely had a presence about him, far beyond most nobles. The mare that stood alongside of him was the same way, but in an entirely different way...not to mention she was beyond attractive in Luna's eyes. To Luna, this long-legged, pale pink mare looked so elegant and graceful, she wished to pounce upon her in the street!

"Quite alright, your majesty!" he said, using his magic to remove his monocle and clean it with a silk cloth he retrieved from his pocket. "I imagine a great many things are still overwhelming, least of all foreign trade policy."

"I spoke to them about you a few days ago Luna," Celestia quickly explained. "Luna, meet Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis, Lord and Lady."

"Yes, how rude of me to address you without a formal introduction!" Fancy stated in a jovial tone, holding out a hoof to Luna. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Luna quickly took his hoof with her own. "The pleasure is all ours, Sir Pants."

"Sir Pants!" he barked, letting go of Luna's hoof and setting his monocle back in place. "Now there's something no one's ever called me before. Something comedic about it, wouldn't you say, Fleur my dear?"

"Oh, w-we did not intend to...." Luna tried to say, but she found herself floundering for words.

"Now, Fancy," Fleur chimed in, gently smacking his foreleg with her hoof. "We discussed this! No teasing her, mon amour."

Luna watched them for the moment the silence lasted, trying to place yet another strange accent. She'd found herself becoming accustomed to them more and more as she explored this strange new world. The amazing glowing boxes called televisions and the radio, letting ponies communicate through sound and visuals from across the country, and how multi-cultural Equestria had gotten, it was often overwhelming. Fleur's accent was something familiar from back in her own time though, from an at-the-time foreign country. Judging by a map Celestia had shown her, that country had been taken over by Equestria as time went on. She could only guess the takeover had been a peaceful one.

Luna looked up at the tall mare as she approached. "Your sister has said a great many things about you, Princess Luna."

"Yes, t'would seem many ponies have had many things to say about us since our return," Luna said, recalling a particular news broadcast she'd seen on television. "Yet much the same as when our sister does as such, we have been informed that we cannot go out to smite them."

"In some cases, that is quite a shame," Fleur said, approaching Luna and holding out her hoof. "It is very nice to meet you, princesse. Charmé."

Suddenly, it clicked. "Prench!"

Fleur blinked twice and pulled her hoof back in surprise. "Quelle?"

"Thine accent!" Luna said, reaching out to accept Fleur's hoof, albeit a little more forcefully than Fleur would have liked. "It is hard for us to believe that the Prench language hath retained itself all these years later."

"Oh! Oui, I grew up in Prance," Fleur said, gently shaking Luna's hoof before stepping back. "I met Fancy there as well. What fundraiser was it, dear?"

Fancy cracked a smile and lowered his head in thought. "I think it was the fundraiser to get a working planetarium built in one of the museums there. It was more than ten years ago, and we've both been so busy, I don't remember all the details."

"A planetarium? We find ourselves curious what this planetarium is."

"To put it simply your majesty, it is a place that can display our entire solar system to teach people that come to watch it," Fleur explained, leaning her side against Fancy's. "We have both always found the stars intriguing."

"Oh! Truly?" Luna asked, suddenly a whole lot more invested in the conversation. "What about it intrigues thee?"

Fleur flashed a delighted smile. "It is si majestueux! The night is dark and mysterious, but under a full moon, oh, it is so pretty! The stars, they shine so far beyond us, I can't help but wonder if we'll ever be able to reach them ourselves."

"I've heard news from the griffons that they've begun working on technology capable of performing such a feat," Celestia said, glancing between the three of them. "I've heard rumors that some of our ponies have expressed interest in such a thing as well."

Fancy Pants quickly nodded, smiling. "Yes, it's become something of an interesting topic of discussion among the nobility, but many of them regard it as a kind of...niche interest. Something to throw your money at without any expectation of a return on the investment."

"'Tis a shame, truly," Luna mused, gazing up at the sky. "We would love to see such a view. What does this world look like from outside of it, we wonder?"

"Oh, you didn't see it from up there?" Fancy asked, before his eyes widened in alarm. "Er, terribly sorry, that must've sounded very insensitive."

"No offense hath been taken, Sir Pants," Luna said, waving it off. "No, we were lost in a state of thoughtless sleep. When we didst awaken, we found ourselves a puppet of the Nightmare, sharing its memories. It did not see anything more than we did, except through dreams, of which we both remembered very little. T'would seem it picked up modern dialect through them however."

"Oh? Then why don't you speak in a more modern tongue?" Celestia asked, glancing down at her sister curiously.

Luna shook her head. "It does not come naturally to us."

"Habits can be hard to break," Fleur chimed in, smiling. "In any case, have you told her about the giant telescope on the other side of the mountain, princesse?"

"Giant telescope?" Luna inquired, glancing up at Celestia curiously.

"Well, after you were...banished," Celestia said slowly, clearing her throat. "The stars began to move in time with the motions of the sun and moon, with no input from myself or anyone else. They moved in predictable patterns, and people began to get curious. The Canterlot Observatory was built less than a hundred years ago to chart their movements."

While the news alarmed Luna to some extent, she found herself far more intrigued by the development. She had been far too weak since her return to move the moon and the stars as she once did, and as such, she hadn't paid too much attention to it. She'd intended to get to work on her grand tapestry once she'd recovered, but perhaps there was a lot more to it now than she realized?

"It's a tragedy, honestly," Fancy said, frowning. "Took our scholars this long to take a legitimate interest in the stars when the Neighponese, minotaurs, pretty much everyone else has been using their movements to help navigate the seas for hundreds of years already."

"What? Oh dear...this could be a problem for us," Luna said, looking off to the side in thought. "A very serious problem indeed."

"Oh? Why is that?" Fleur quickly inquired.

"Because we do not know what will happen to the stars once we recover our true power," Luna explained, gently tapping the ground with her hoof. "We did not think upon it earlier, but now it is concerning."

"I must agree, but we shouldn't focus on things we can't possibly predict until they either happen or do not happen," Celestia said, looking to Fleur and Fancy with a warm smile. "I would instead prefer to locate the local ice cream parlor."

"Hm! As would your guards, I imagine." Fancy noted, adjusting his monocle as he eyed the ponies in armor behind the princesses.

Ah yes, Luna had almost forgotten about them. The small group of four Royal Guardsponies that had joined them on their outing without a word. It was a testament to their discipline that they hadn't said a word, even fading into the background until she'd completely forgotten about them. It must've been something her sister had deemed mandatory, if they were going to be tailing her everywhere she went. Luna could appreciate their discretion, if nothing else, but she had to wonder what had become of the Night Guard. No doubt they'd been disbanded or absorbed into what the Sun Guard had become since her disappearance.

"Perhaps. I'm sure we can afford ice cream for them as well," Celestia said with a knowing smile, glancing back at them. "What do you all say?"

One of them dared to crack the smallest of smiles on one corner of his muzzle. "Sounds good, your majesty."

"And there you have it!" Fancy said, reaching over to gently hook his foreleg around Fleur's. "We would love to join you your majesties, but we have a spa date to get to. Scheduled a week ahead of time and all that."

"Oui! My dear Fancy cannot function if his moustache is not groomed by a professional," she said, reaching up to flick the end of one side of his moustache. "It is too much to handle, even for him!"

Quick goodbyes were exchanged, leaving Luna to her thoughts once more. The idea of a giant telescope thoroughly intrigued her, though she'd only recently seen a telescope in action, and even that had let her see over great distances. She could see the potential for mis-use in those more reasonably-sized ones, but the thought of a telescope that would require its own facility to house it? How far could she see with one of those?

It wasn't until they'd reached the ice cream shop that Luna had snapped out of her daydreaming. The parlor was surprised to see a visit from royalty, but they weren't going to let that stop them from doing their very best. Of course, the ice cream parlor was a popular locale for the younger ponies of Canterlot to spend their time, so it was inevitable that Celestia's presence was going to draw their undivided attention. Soon, Luna could only watch over a small bowl of triple chocolate fudge as her sister was accosted by her many tiny fans that basked in her motherly presence.

All except for a select few.

It came as a surprise to her when she heard a young voice call out to her from directly behind her, even going to far as to bite down on the end of her tail and tug on it. She turned just in time to see three very meek little fillies crowded around behind her, returning their curious stares for a moment before they averted their eyes. She was just as nervous as they were, though she loathed to admit it. She never was all that great with kids of any species, but it seemed they were demanding her attention in some way.

"Er...hello, children," she said, focusing her attention on the one in the middle of the three. "How may we help thee?"

"What?" one of them responded, tilting her head.

Luna blinked once in confusion. "We asked how we could help thee. Is there something thou desires?"

"Um...you talk funny," the one on the left said. "Are you really Princess Celestia's sister?"

Luna pointedly ignored the insulting remark about her manner of speech. They were only children, how could she ever blame them for the inane things that come out of their mouths from time to time? You may as well fault a blacksmith for making noise when he hammers iron into shape.

"Yes, we are!" Luna quickly replied, glancing between their curious gazes.

One of them gave her a dubious glare. "Then how come I never heard of you before?"

"We were sealed away in the moon a long time ago!" Luna explained, sitting up straighter in her seat. "Did thine parents not tell you the legend of Nightmare Moon?"

"Yeah, but my mom said that was just a story..." the one on the right mused, then pointed up at her. "You don't look like you have razor-sharp teeth that can gobble up foals...."

"Of course we do not have such dangerous teeth!" she said, cracking a grin to flash her pearly whites at the kids. "See?"

The three fillies smiled more at the sight, and giggled among themselves. Luna settled back in her seat and pondered on the situation for a moment, before glancing to the available space around the table. She wasn't good with children, but there was no reason to be rude...and they were certainly friendly enough.

"Would you care to join us?" Luna asked, using her magic to grab a few chairs from the empty tables nearby.

To say that they were eager was an understatement. They scampered up onto those seats despite not even having purchased any ice cream yet, perfectly content to spend time with the princess they didn't know nearly enough about. As it stood, all they knew for sure was that Luna wasn't Nightmare Moon...something Luna could appreciate. Instead of judging her for her past mistakes, they were curious, and their incessant questions just kept coming the longer they sat there.

Luna caught Celestia's gaze out of the corner of her eye, but chose to say nothing to her, instead giving her new acquaintances her full attention. They had problems understanding exactly what she was saying sometimes, but for the most part, they could follow her. She found herself enjoying the conversation, if only because it felt good to have some positive attention for once, instead of suspicion and caution like with a lot of the castle's staff.

It hadn't become a huge issue just yet, but from the few times she'd gone out in public and accidentally eavesdropped on conversations around the castle, her arrival had caused some unrest. It was almost unfair how little backlash her sister had gotten for altering historical documents, but as she understood it, the most she suffered were allegations of falsification. She'd technically never altered history...she'd just buried the books in the deepest, darkest proverbial pits of Equestria's libraries she possibly could. Apparently they all could've still been found, you just needed to know exactly what books you were looking for.

She could understand everyone's apprehension towards her. That didn't mean it didn't cut deep. Or rather, it re-opened old wounds, but at least now she had a clear enough head to realize they were viewing her in such a way because of her own actions. Even with a stomach loaded with ice cream and the lingering good feeling of those children being so curious about her, she couldn't quite shake the self-loathing it filled her with.

"So...did you enjoy your time with those children?"

Luna turned her gaze up from the ground and looked over at her sister knowingly. "Yes, we did. No doubt something our sister planned ahead of time."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just looking out for my little sister," Celestia said, never once looking down at Luna. "I've been hearing such awful rumors about her lately. I thought she might appreciate a chance to meet less judgmental ponies."

"And thus, the manipulator rears her head once more. Not that we did not see her coming," Luna mused, looking away and watching a pair of ponies walk past them. "How far back did thy plotting and scheming commence?"

Celestia's perfect smile faded, replaced by a sly smirk. "The moment you made it clear just how much you loved ice cream. It's a favorite among little fillies and colts as well."

"We are tempted to believe that a dig at our perceived physical age. We are a benevolent ruler, however! We shall forgive thee." she teased, focusing in on a stallion that was staring at her.

Celestia, while sometimes seeming aloof to people, often noticed things no one else did. She just never reacted to it. Her life was one of practiced and masterful self-control and a constant, earnest effort to understand her subjects as best she could so she could make the most informed decisions on matters of state as well as more personal matters. However, she knew for a fact that many of her ponies didn't perform the same courtesy, even for their own benefit. She didn't need to hear the rumors circulating and see the rude stares to know that, it was a simple fact of life.

It was the main reason she said nothing while her sister stared that stallion into submission. A shame there were three other people staring just to her right, just barely where they thought her line of sight ended. She'd spotted them out of the corner of her eye, and above all else, she could hear them. It would've only caused her sister more pain if she chose to confront them though, so she let it be. She only hoped that Luna hadn't heard it.

When the stallion finally broke eye contact with her, Luna looked away. "So. Out of curiosity, is there some kind of art museum or establishment nearby? We have seen nothing of modern art outside of television and music since our return. Perhaps the occasional statue here and there, but...."

"Well, I had heard something about a play tonight, from one of the staff," she mused, thinking back on the conversation. "I believe she said it was a play called Moulin Rouge. I've never seen it."

"Perhaps we shall look into that," Luna mused, looking back at the guards for a moment before looking up to Celestia once again. "Dost thou think Lady Sparkle would enjoy going to see a play?"

Celestia gave Luna a sidelong glance. "...I suppose she might. You can only know if you ask her."

"Problem, sister?" Luna asked. "Dost thou fear we may poach her from thee?"

"No, nothing like that, Luna," Celestia responded, motioning for her to follow. "I just feel that you've already forgotten what I told you. You're barking up the wrong tree."

Luna hmph'ed and waved her off. "Thou knowest nothing of our love life! We-!"

Celestia quickly interrupted by placing a golden-clad hoof over her muzzle. "Yes, Luna, you're correct, but perhaps yelling about it wouldn't be in anyone's best interest?"

Luna's eyes quickly glanced this way and that. Around them, a few ponies had stopped to see what the fuss was about, but among them, Luna could see the elite. The well-dressed, the nobles of Canterlot. She'd just given them a lot of juicy information to gossip about if they heard what she'd said about Twilight as well, and that alone chilled her to the core.

In her time, gossiping about the royal family could be punishable in very vicious ways, especially if the gossip or rumor-mongering was hostile in nature. These days, as far as she knew, misinformation was one of the most difficult things to punish anyone for, let alone a news outlet. There were numerous other factors to consider as well, such as the fact that Twilight might not appreciate such attention, from her or from the journalists she'd already had hounding her for days before they were temporarily banned from the castle. She was lucky she got to use the bathroom without one of them trying to pester her.

She had no doubt in her mind that if given the chance, they'd spin something like what she'd just said completely out of context, and would be utterly unapologetic about it if it turned out to be untrue. But then, if she spent even a bit too much time around Twilight, they would start coming up with their own stories as to why they were together so much. There was no real way to win, as far as she could see, aside from being more discreet.

"We...suppose," Luna muttered, glancing up at her sister. "We may just ask her then. We still need to apologize for the injury she sustained at our hooves."

Celestia barely suppressed a relieved sigh, her smile finding its way back onto her face. "I'm sure she doesn't blame you for what happened."

"Perhaps. Surely she would appreciate the gesture regardless."

They walked for a time in silence, only stopping once they'd arrived at the hall where the play would be at. The guards were a few lengths behind them at all times, keeping an eye out while doing their best to not get in anyone's way, just as they were trained to do. Once Luna had her ticket, Celestia decided to take her to have a taste of some of the finest donuts in town, leading her away from the richer area of Canterlot and into a section of town that was just a bit less obsessed with sticking its proverbial nose up into the sky.

Luna smirked as the crowd began to thin, glancing up at her sister. "We believe thou art simply jealous and unwilling to admit it. We shall have thy student chasing our tail instead of thy rotund posterior."

Celestia just rolled her eyes at that and patted her sister on the head again, continuing along.