Author's Note
If anyone points out any grammar issues, I’d appreciate it. This is my first foray into writing in a while.
Peaceful Resolution
A shower of dark blue magic beams, forking off a center source and striking scars into the landscape around the palace was how Luna vented every night. The Moon Princess was at her wits end, a deep-rooted sorrow having welled up inside of her; the result of her subjects fearing her when they have never even heard her name. They see her silhouette as she stands guard over the land after the coming of night, and they hide from what they perceive to be a terrible beast stalking about in the misty dusk.
The report that reaches the ear of her sister Celestia every morning following another sighting reflects as such, and so the Sun Princess is none the wiser to her counterpart's plight. They almost never see each other; there's never any time to just be sisters, and so personal matters unfortunately remain private. Thankfully, rather than lash out at a perceived injustice that might just be a misunderstanding, the Moon Princess has held on enough to still see reason, and has sought the council of her dear elder sister.
"Celestia, I know it is late but I must speak to you. Celestia, wake up!" Luna is unable to keep her sorrow from permeating her every spoken word as she pleads for Celestia to have time for her sister as she stands at her bedside. Fortunately the Sun Princess has not been asleep long and is easily roused, though the sight that she awakes to squeezes her heart inside her chest. The Lunar Diarch’s despair is plain to see on her face, and needing no further prompt, the elder sister lunges suddenly and wraps her crying sibling in a tight, warm hug.
This triggers a change in Luna’s composure, and she stops crying silent tears and proceeds to openly wail into her sister’s shoulder as everything tries to spill out at once. It had been a long time coming, and it could so easily have been so much worse. The situation could have been described as a pot of boiling trouble with a sealed lid, that at any time could violently rupture. Thankfully a proper resolution was sought before things got out of hand. Luna’s loud sobbing having started to ebb, Celestia seeks to understand the situation.
"Sister...what is it that ails you so?" Despite the serenity in her voice, Celestia’s concern for Luna is plain as day on her face. The kingdom they rule can never take priority over each other. Nothing matters more than the safety of loved ones. "I’m here for you Luna, I always will be. Talk to me." Their subjects could never understand the deep importance their relationship has for their country. How else are the ageless to stay sane than in the company of ageless. The look on her sister's face was torture to bear witness to. The tears along speak volumes of a deep, drowning sorrow. 'Dear Sister Moon, what has happened?'
"I...attended some of your early morning meetings in secret. Celestia...what they said about me. Mental repeat, it just won’t stop. I..." Luna’s tears begin to flow anew, and around her fair form there seemed to be a cloak of shadow; as if symbolizing the continued growth of her turmoil. "I am not some monster to be destroyed!!" That proclamation and the unmistakable message therein sent a tremor of unbridled horror and disgust through Celestia’s heart and mind. The look on her face could only be defined as 'mortified'. Was such a thing really happening right under her nose?
The look of horror on her face grew deeper and her bubbling disgust left her with the urge to retch that she fought desperately to hold in. She craned her neck up slightly to look at her crown, the polished shine of the fancy gold headpiece seeming almost mocking in its beauty in light of this revelation. Her thoughts turn suddenly to her throne, that heavy chair and the message its appearance along sends bringing her nothing but distress in this period of emotional crisis. That torturous chair of false opulence and the infinite sense of responsibility that have been as chains holding her to it, all of these thoughts, twisted as they are by what her sister has brought to light, further this spiral deeper and deeper as she holds Luna closer and tighter until she’s clinging desperately to her little sister like a security blanket as she screams her own sorrows into the crook of her neck. What was once Luna seeking council from Celestia was now the two sisters seeking comfort from each other as their feelings of deep sorrow feed those of the other. Silence only comes to them when they cry themselves, and each other to sleep, each holding the other for mutual comfort. They both woke a few hours later, maintaining eye contact from the moment their eyes opened. Celestia looked at her sister, and she couldn’t keep from saying exactly what she was thinking.
"How horrible You were doing your duty, and somehow they see a monster? All this time...do they even know you exist at all?" The lack of an answer from Luna is all the answer Celestia needs, and as her deep guilt brings her to shiver and she bites her lip to keep from screaming, desperately questioning in her mind where it all went wrong. ‘Equals...we were always supposed to be equals!’ Her mind went in circles, endlessly seeking an answer that should have been obvious, but would not be found. Somehow, despite her best efforts and intentions, her own sister and fellow ruler slipped through the cracks. All the pointless posturing and politicking of the ‘nobles’ had cost her so much time she could otherwise have spent making sure her sister was not forgotten in any capacity.
"Luna. I am so sorry. This never should have happened." Celestia’s voice still held such concentrated sorrow for her sister, even after all this. “I always make mistakes. And you...you Luna, always suffer the consequences. I really can’t do anything right.” Luna couldn’t bear to hear her sister beating herself up like that, so she did the only thing she could think of. She slapped Celestia across the face. The strike shocked Celestia still, and when she looked at Luna’s face, the intent behind the expression she bore was clear.
“Don’t ever say such a thing about yourself again, do you hear me Celestia? You are a wonderful sister, the best I could ask for! Part of that is your mistakes, because you always work so earnestly to make up for them. I won’t stand to hear you belittle yourself like that!” All Celestia could do was nod her head and embrace her sister. With but a look, they agreed that looking into the situation could wait until sunrise. For the time being, they were content just to be there for one another. Just two sisters, their crowns meaningless, if extravagant decoration. The warmth of love that they shared with one another without limit, carried with it a powerful magic that radiated throughout the castle, the aura a promise of pleasant dreams for all the castle staff that slept in the servant’s quarters. The sisters would stand together, then and forever.
A terrible tragedy had been averted by timely understanding. In the following months, some hidden truths would come to light. The nightly silhouette of Luna was not so unseen by some, nor was she entirely unknown. Those who knew used the ignorance of their peers to consolidate power by spinning lies that painted Luna as some spawn of Tartarus. These power-hungry 'elites' who used confusion and fear to gain a steady foothold in the core power structure of the kingdom, with no regard for whatever was left in the wake of their precious conquest received their just desserts when they were smoked out, jailed, tried privately by the princesses, and sentenced by the one who suffered the most in the wake of their greed; Luna. How ironic that she showed them mercy by merely repossessing their wealth, and their ‘benevolent sun’ was fresh out of mercy.
