Anything for My Princess

When Luna arrived, the guard that she had left the message with was still at the gate, and as she greeted him, he saluted and smiled, acknowledging that he would not need to report to Celestia where Luna had gone. Luna was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She needed a nap, knew she would have trouble taking one, and had to talk to her sister before she could even try.

Celestia was in her usual spot, eating pancakes. "You look awful," she said through a mouthful of pancake, syrup dripping down her chin.

"Thanks for rubbing it in," huffed Luna, walking straight to the cappuccino machine. She didn't brew it particularly strong, as she still needed a rest, but she found comfort in the taste. "I already feel like shit, so looking like it is absolutely fuel to the fire."

Celestia swallowed. "I'm sorry. You want a waffle, or something?"

Luna shook her head. "I need restful sleep. I'm not having any."

"I bet the coffee won't help with that. That's not decaf, you know."

Luna sat down at the table and held the cup in her hooves. She stared into the inky blackness, and her reflection stared right back. She really did look a wreck.

"Seriously, though, what's wrong?" asked Celestia. "I haven't seen you this upset since your return from the moon."

"I fucked up," sighed Luna bluntly. A tear ran down her cheek to her chin, then dripped into her mug. "I've done something horrible. I acted rashly, and now I can't take it back."

Celestia wiped her face, pushed the rest of her breakfast out of the way, and grabbed Luna's wrist in her hoof. "What did you do, Luna?"

Luna sobbed. "I struck somepony."

"Who?"

"You know the pony that's been causing trouble in my dreams?"

"You found him and hit him?"

Luna nodded.

"Oh, good." Celestia brought her food back in front of her. "I thought you'd hit somepony innocent. Did you arrest him?"

"Tia, I'm serious!"

"So am I," shrugged Celestia. "It's illegal to do so in reality, so what makes it okay in their dreams? Especially if, as you say, the victims can't free themselves and are forced to endure it as you have. Face the facts, Luna; he's a rapist. If you want to protect the other innocent dreamers of Equestria, don't just offer your body in place of theirs, arrest the bastard."

"It's not that easy!" urged Luna. "I can't bring myself to do that to him!"

"Let's see how easy it is," said Celestia. "Is he doing something wrong?"

"Yes."

"Is he hurting other ponies by doing so?"

"No, just me."

"That counts, so yes."

"Tia!"

"You're a pony, too, Luna. You have feelings and emotions and sentience. You're angry and shouting at me by choice, so that means you matter."

Luna groaned. "Fine, yes, he's bringing me to harm."

"Have you made it clear to him that he's harming you?"

"Yeah,"

"And did he still do it?"

"Well..."

"It's a simple question, Luna. After you made it clear that what he was doing was harmful to you, did he stop?"

Luna didn't know how to answer. She'd told him maybe an hour ago. He was going to school right now, or already at school for the day. He hadn't gone back to sleep yet, so he hadn't had a chance to do the right thing and do something else with his dreams. He'd promised to try, and she was willing to give him that chance. She wanted to believe that he was a good pony.

Luna took a deep breath. "He has not assaulted me since I spoke to him."

Celestia pursed her lips. "So why did you hit him?"

Luna cradled her face in her hooves. "I wanted to strangle him when I walked in there. I was so angry that I wanted him dead! But then I saw his face, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. He doesn't deserve that. So, instead, I talked to him, smacked him around a little bit, and felt horrible for it."

Celestia reached for Luna, then moved her chair so she could actually touch her shoulder. "Stop beating up my little sister," she said. "She doesn't deserve the hatred you're heaping on top of her."

"What am I supposed to do?!"

Celestia scooted closer and rubbed her back. "As far as the courts of Equestria are concerned, you did the right thing. As far as your big sister is concerned, you did the wrong thing, but it's not the end of the world." She stopped. "He did survive, right?"

Luna nodded. "He left his bedroom in a better state than I did."

"Well, then there's no problem," smiled Celestia. "If he's fine, and he hasn't repeated his harmful actions, then you're completely off the hook for this. You might have to pay his medical bills, but that's just a drop in the bucket."

"I didn't hit him that hard," grumbled Luna.

"All the better," smiled Celestia. "Everything's going to be fine. You're just fretting over this because you haven't been sleeping well, and your mind is starting to suffer for it. That's all it is."

Luna shook her head. "There has to be more to it than that."

"You're overreacting," assured Celestia. "Here's what's going to happen." She took away Luna's coffee. It was probably salty by now, anyway, as many tears as it had taken. It had risen almost three millimetres during the time she'd been at the table. "First, you're going to take a nap. I'll send for you at noon, and after lunch, you and I are going to the spa for a soak and a massage. And then probably a second soak."

Luna had to admit, that did sound relaxing. It would certainly help her clear her head. With her thoughts no longer clouded, perhaps she'd be able to see herself in a different light, and maybe even not as dark as she currently saw herself.

She nodded. "Okay Tia. Let's take a spa day."

"I'll set everything up," smiled Celestia. "You go have a nap. I wasn't kidding, you look sick. Have a nap, have a shower, come see me at lunchtime."