Chapter Two

The Root of the Problem

Two weeks later

Boredom.

It was a feeling Luna knew all too well. She lay sprawled out on the couch in her chambers, staring off into space. Outside, the moon shone full in the night sky, casting a soft glow through the archway leading out onto the balcony. The lunar princess let her head fall listlessly to the side to gaze at her desk. The map of Equestria was completely empty, as it had been for the last week. Even the week before that was tame by normal standards. She had made two trips out to the Badlands due to reports that Queen Chrysalis was amassing forces again, but both times everypony scattered as soon as she crossed the horizon.

Luna sighed and stood up from the couch. She ruffled her wings to readjust the feathers before slowly making her way over to the balcony. Inside her head, a debate was raging between Vengeance and Innocence yet again over the nature of existence.

Oh, come on! Vengeance fumed. At some point, you have to reach certain principles that you know are true. You can’t question every single thing in the universe.

How do you know that those principles are true? Innocence replied, calm as always. What evidence do you have to support that idea?

What evidence do you have to refute it?

I do not need any. Innocence smirked. The burden of proof lies with whomever claims something to be true.

Luna shook her head and did her best to tune them out. She knew how this particular argument played out. Vengeance would argue that there are certain invariable truths in the world, and Innocence would ask for proof. Eventually, Vengeance would get frustrated and give up in a huff, vowing not to speak to Innocence ever again. This promise would last for a few hours at most.

The alicorn mare took a deep breath of the night air as she stepped onto the balcony. The scent of night bloom lilies wafted on a light breeze, helping Luna to clear the remnants of boredom from her head. Gazing out towards the horizon, she noticed a lone figure silhouetted in the moonlight flying towards the castle. She lazily brought her magic to bear and cast a quick identification spell in the direction of the approaching visitor. The spell revealed to her that it was Dark Wing, the Captain of her branch of the Royal Guard.

Luna took a seat on the cool stone of the balcony and awaited Dark Wing’s approach. However, as the bat-winged guard drew nearer to the castle, he angled away from Princess Luna’s tower and headed for the balcony outside Celestia’s royal chambers.

What’s this now? Vengeance broke off of the argument with Innocence. Why would the Captain of our Royal Guard be visiting Celestia so late during our night?

Luna stood from her seated position, rolling her eyes. “For the last time, it is my Royal Guard, my night, and my kingdom. It is not our anything.” She flared her horn to life and used her magic to move the few scant clouds in the sky in front of the full moon. The lunar princess spread her wings and took off from the balcony, angling for her sister’s tower from a route opposite that of Dark Wing. Reactivating her magic as she alighted silently on the roof, Luna drew the nearby shadows over her, obscuring her from all but the most vigilant of eyes.

Moments later, Dark Wing landed on the balcony below. He took a few seconds to straighten his windswept mane before making a trio of sharp knocks on the door to Celestia’s chambers. The heavy oak doors opened almost immediately, surrounding in a soft golden glow of magic. Celestia stepped into the archway, complete with her traditional regalia.

Odd. Innocence commented in Luna’s mind. Typically Celestia would be asleep at this time, or at least relaxing without her royal apparel. It is almost as though she was expecting Dark Wing. Luna wanted to tell Innocence to be quiet, but could not do so without risking Celestia hearing her. Luckily, both voices quieted down as Dark Wing began speaking.

“Princess.” He gave a quick salute, continuing as Celestia nodded. “The latest scouting party has just returned from the Badlands. Queen Chrysalis is indeed gathering her forces. Current counts place the changeling army at almost three thousand strong, up five hundred from the last report three days ago.”

Three thousand? Vengeance burst in. Is that even possible? Luna pressed a hoof to her lips, hoping that somehow Vengeance would get the message to be quiet. The outburst had overpowered the beginning of Dark Wing’s next statement.

“-know how long. However, there is one more thing.” The Guard Captain shifted uncomfortably on his hooves, seemingly unsure how to proceed. The silence stretched on for an uncomfortable handful of seconds.

“Please continue.” Celestia requested. “I assure you that in a situation such as this, no piece of information is useless.”

“It’s just...” He paused and took a breath to calm himself. “The changelings were guarding a nearby cave very heavily. We simply don’t know why. The scouting party included Long Range, our most talented unicorn scout. He scanned that cave for anything and everything, but there was nothing in it. No hidden forces, no supplies... nothing.” Dark Wing shrugged his shoulders.

“Hmm...” Celestia mused, deep in thought. “If they were guarding the cave, we can assume it was not empty. Thank you for the report, Captain.” She turned to head back into her chambers.

“Your Highness?” Dark Wing called after her. “What should I tell Princess Luna?”

Celestia gave a deep sigh. “The same as last time. You found nothing.”

What? Vengeance and Innocence cried out together. Luna felt a knot of anger form in her stomach. She was sorely tempted to jump down from the roof and confront Celestia then and there, but she held herself in check. The doors to her sister’s chambers closed and Dark Wing took off from the balcony, heading for Luna’s tower. The lunar princess stood from her prone position and quickly wove a teleportation spell to take her back to her chambers ahead of Dark Wing.

Luna paced back and forth in front of the archway leading out onto her balcony while she waited for Dark Wing to arrive. Vengeance was muttering angrily in the back of her mind, but she did her best to tune it out. As the seconds ticked by, Luna felt herself slowly growing more and more frustrated. Eventually, the guard captain landed outside her chambers and immediately saluted.

“Princess Luna.” Dark Wing waited for her to acknowledge his arrival before continuing. Luna nodded curtly. “The latest scouting party has returned from the Badlands. Nothing new to report. Chrysalis is keeping quiet it seems.”

Now he lies to our face. Vengeance spat.

Luna turned away from him, unable to keep her anger off of her features. “Tell me, Captain...” She began, straining to keep her voice level. “Since when has an army of three thousand been considered ‘keeping quiet?’” She turned to face Dark Wing, who admirably did not even flinch. The silence stretched on while Luna waited for him to answer.

The Captain swallowed before answering. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, Princess.”

“Oh, really?” Luna took a step towards him, a snarl spreading over face. “And how long have you been reporting to my sister before coming to me?” She could see a slight sheen of sweat forming on Dark Wing’s forehead, but his face remained impassive.

“I don’t-” He began.

“Do not lie to me!” Luna bellowed, reverting to the Royal Canterlot Voice. Dark Wing’s stoic demeanor finally cracked and he cowered down before her.

“I’m sorry, my princess.” He pressed his front hooves together, begging. “Princess Celestia commanded that I report to her before coming to you, and ordered that I not inform you. I-”

“How long?” Luna cut across his rambling. She felt the roiling anger in her stomach flare up, threatening to spill out into physical action.

“Two weeks.” Dark Wing responded timidly. His eyes glance back towards the balcony, as though considering making a run for it.

“Be gone from my sight.” Luna whirled around and walked away from her cowering Guard Captain. She heard the clatter of hooves on stone and the rustle of leathery wings as Dark Wing practically threw himself from the balcony in his haste to escape. Her eyes fell on the map of Equestria she used to track potential threats. It lay empty, although she now knew that was a lie. “How much have I missed in two weeks?” She asked the empty air. “If Chrysalis can amass an army of three thousand in that time, how many could the griffons muster?”

We can always go find out what we’ve missed. Vengeance suggested. We know Celestia is awake after all... why not pay her a little late night visit?

“Why bother?” Luna sighed, making a mental note to assign Dark Wing to mucking out the stables for the foreseeable future. “If she has hidden this from me for so long, she will never reveal it now.”

Oh, I’m sure we could... persuade her. Vengeance added menacingly.

“What?” Luna’s eyes shot open at the suggestion. “No. Absolutely not. We-” She stopped short, focusing. “I vowed never to raise my hoof in anger against my sister again. Not after last time. I will never bring my powers to bear against a citizen, or ruler, of Equestria again.”

Celestia has put the entire kingdom at risk! Innocence shot back, unexpectedly. Chrysalis and her army could be at our doorstep by morning. We need to know what the situation is if we are going to protect our kingdom.

“Shut up, both of you!” Luna placed her hooves against her temples, grimacing. “Equestria is not your kingdom to protect. It is mine, and I shall deal with its protection as I see fit.”

It would be foal’s play to get the information from Celestia. Vengeance argued, undeterred by Luna’s outburst. A simple Searing Pain spell and she’ll crack in a minute or less. If you’re really in a hurry, Rending Agony could break her in three seconds flat.

“Never.” Luna growled. “I would never even consider using such magic against my own sister.”

I know... trust me. Vengeance replied sarcastically. That’s why I’m here. You’re afraid to unleash your full potential. All you need a little... push.

A sharp trio of knocks at the door to her chambers interrupted Luna’s half-formed reply. She took a series of deep breaths to calm herself before she walked over to the door. She grasped the handle with her magic and pulled it open to reveal Celestia on the other side of the threshold.

“Dear sister, what a surprise.” Luna put on a fake smile and motioned for her sister to enter the room. “What brings you here tonight? I am sure you will be pleased to hear that my scouts still have nothing of interest to report from the neighboring kingdoms.” She waved a hoof in the direction of the map table.

“You can drop the charade, Luna.” Celestia replied without a trace of humor. “I know that you found out Dark Wing has been reporting to me before coming to you.” She closed the door with a brief wave of magical energy and strode across the chamber to the couch.

Luna felt the anger from before return, burning in her chest. “Why?” She strained to keep her voice level for the single word. She turned to face Celestia, who had taken a seat on the couch. “Why would you try to take this away from me?” Luna continued before her sister could respond. “This is all I have left. This is all I am good for anymore.” She felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, although whether they were from anger or betrayal she could not tell.

“I... I am sorry.” Celestia’s shoulders slumped in resignation as she muttered the apology.

Oh good, she’s sorry. Now everything is all better. Vengeance mocked. She’s not going to tell us, use your magic. We can get the truth. All you have to do is reach out and take it.

“No.” Luna whispered, inaudible to her sister on the couch. She felt a faint tugging at her forehead, as though her horn were trying to ignite itself. Her eyes shot open in a brief moment of terror, but she recovered quickly and refocused her efforts to maintain her control. The tugging in her horn vanished and the lunar princess let out a small sigh of relief.

“I truly am sorry, Luna.” Celestia repeated, oblivious to her sister’s internal struggle. “I just... You need to get away from this. There is more to life than clinging to the remnants of a forgotten order.” She looked up at the younger mare, her eyes pleading.

“Not for me.” Luna averted her eyes to hide her tears from Celestia. “This is all that I am good for now.”

“That’s not true!” The solar princess almost leapt off of the couch. She paused, suddenly self-conscious about her outburst. “You’re just... out of practice, socially. You need to get back out there and show everypony that you’ve changed.”

“It is no use, ‘Tia.” Luna let her head fall slightly. “I have tried to reintegrate myself into society. I have made trips out to Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Ponyville, even Neighjing and Stalliongrad. Everywhere I go, I am met with at best fear, and at worst anger and violence.”

“Violence?” Celestia asked, aghast at the thought.

“About that...” Luna paused to chuckle to herself at the memory. “That was during my trip to Neighjing. I think it had more to do with cultural differences than me personally. I neglected to take off my horseshoes when I went to visit the Emperor and everypony started yelling... it was almost a diplomatic incident.”

I hate to be the voice of reason here... Vengeance interjected. Can we wrap this little tangent back around to the main reason she’s here? You know, the fact that she went over your head with your guards.

Luna’s smile disappeared as she remembered overhearing Dark Wing reporting to Celestia. “Coming back to the matter at hand,” She took a step towards her sister, who fell to sit on her haunches. “Why did you order my Royal Guards to report to you before coming to me?” Celestia looked off to the side and bit her lip, but Luna pressed on. “Why, dear sister? Tell me!”

“Because I don’t want to lose you again!” Celestia yelled back, before her head fell and tears dropped to the cold stone floor. “I don’t want to lose you again.” She whispered, her voice breaking. The silence stretched on between them. Luna stood frozen in place, unable to form a coherent thought. Eventually, Celestia looked up from the floor, tears streaming freely down her face.

“Do you know why I always wait for you to come back when you go out on a mission?” She asked rhetorically. “It’s because I don’t know if you are coming back. I know that you have done this for thousands of years, and that there is no pony in the history of Equestria more capable or qualified to do it... but everypony has their limits.” Her head fell slightly as a fresh round of tears rose and fell to the ground. “I’m just afraid of what will happen when you reach your limit.”

Not going to lie... I did not see that one coming. Vengeance remarked.

“’Tia...” Luna moved to sit next to Celestia, nuzzling up against her. “I am sorry. I... I wish you would have told me about this sooner. I could have...” Her words drifted off. She had no idea what she could have done to allay her sister’s fears.

“I couldn’t do that to you.” Celestia responded, her eyes never leaving the floor. “Ever since you came back, the only time I have seen you truly happy is when you were preparing for or just coming back from a mission. How could I ask you to give that up?”

“’Tia...” Luna felt tears rising again in her own eyes as she reached out and hugged Celestia. A nagging thought pulled at the back of her mind, something that her sister said earlier. She pulled back from the hug and voiced her concern. “What did you mean about not wanting to lose me again?”

The solar princess averted her gaze, staring out the archway to the balcony. She took a deep breath before answering. “There is something I have not told you about... that day. The day that I... I banished you.” She paused as she tried to gather the courage to continue. “I never expected that spell to work. It was just something I tried out of sheer desperation. To this day, I can’t figure out why it worked, but the worst part is...” She stopped for a moment, afraid to continue. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “The worst part is that after it did work, I couldn’t undo it.”

“What?” Luna stood up and took a step back, her mind whirling at the implications. “Sister, what are you saying?”

“I...” Celestia’s mouth worked open and closed, but no words came out. She screwed her eyes shut and blurted out, “I couldn’t bring you back from the moon!” She looked up at Luna, her eyes pleading. “I tried. I tried every day, but I couldn’t do it. I swear to you, sister, I wanted to bring you back days after I banished you... but I just didn’t have the power.”

“I... You...” Luna stammered, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. “I spent a thousand years on that barren wasteland because of you!” She yelled, a sudden flare of anger finally overwhelming her. “Now you tell me that all of it was because of some half-baked spell that you didn’t even think would work?”

Celestia recoiled as though her sister had physically struck her. She knew her sister only resorted to contractions when truly enraged. “Luna... please.” She begged. “I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t change what happened, but you have to believe me when I say I never wanted to put you through that.”

Well, it’s a little late for that. Vengeance spoke up. Come on, Luna. She deserves a little payback, she’s practically asking for it. Just a quick Burning Torment spell.

“No.” Luna shook her head, trying to dislodge the thought. She felt the faint tugging in her horn return, stronger than before. She felt a single errant spark of magic flow from the tip, causing her eyes to shoot open.

I won’t let you throw this chance away, Luna. Vengeance spat.

“No! Stop it!” The lunar princess placed her forehooves on either side of her head. She felt the familiar aura of her magic surrounding her horn, and the beginnings of a spell weaving themselves together. “Enough!” Luna shouted, stomping her hooves. She forced the magic in her horn to extinguish itself. She looked over at Celestia, still seated on the floor with a look of concern on her face. “I think you should leave. I need some time alone.”

“Luna?” Celestia looked at her sister from her position seated on the floor. She stood up and reached a hoof out tentatively, but pulled back. “What was-” She began, but stopped as Luna turned and strode away from her. She quietly walked to the door and pulled it open with a quick burst of magic. The solar princess looked back as if to say something, but decided against it and left the room in silence.

Luna paced back and forth across the room, too angry to sit still. “What in the hay was that about?” She asked heatedly, trying to keep her voice down. “Explain yourself, Vengeance.”

Wait a minute. The cocky voice began, accompanied by a confused expression on her mental image. Celestia just admitted that she trapped you on the moon for a millennium on accident and couldn’t even bring you back if she wanted to... and you’re angry at me?

“Yes, I am angry at you.” Luna replied, trying and failing to keep an edge off of her voice.

Let me remind you of something. Vengeance shot back before she could continue. If it wasn’t for me, we would still be stranded on the moon today. Thanks to Celestia’s little confession, we now know that if it wasn’t for me, we would have been stuck there forever.

The alicorn mare stopped her pacing. She could see the truth in Vengeance’s argument, but she did not want to let go of her anger. “That is beside the point.” She growled through gritted teeth. “How did you control my magic? Tell me.”

Oh, where would be the fun in that? Vengeance grinned.

The answer is really quite simple. Innocence started to explain.

No it’s not. Vengeance interrupted. Her mental image flared her horn to life and teleported Innocence away.

You do realize that doesn’t actually make me go away, right? Innocence asked, a bemused tone to her voice. If it were that easy, Luna would have gotten rid of both of us a long time ago.

“Both of you, be quiet.” Luna pressed a hoof between her eyes, feeling the beginnings of another migraine pulsating behind them. “At this point, the answer can wait.” She let out a long sigh, letting her shoulders slump in the process. The last remnants of her angry energy bled away and she suddenly found herself exhausted. She slowly plodded over to her bed, flopping down in it unceremoniously.

“Just a quick nap, then I can figure out what to do about... all of this.”