Back at the Midnight's Rising camp, Luna and Dusky continued to talk about what Lunar was up to now. With the new advice given to them by Emerald and Diamond, Luna wondered mostly what Lunar was doing, deserting and abandoning his position and leaving the area without a trace as to where he was going or even what he was planning on doing now. Pacing around in the tent, Luna began picturing events that could happen while Dusky eyed the princess worriedly.
"To think that he could abandon our cause," Luna said aloud, "we just don't understand it. Why do that if it risks the ultimate punishment?"
Dusky wasn't sure what to say, opting to stay quiet for the time being and let Luna vent her frustrations. Luna continued to pace around and grew angrier in the process. Coupled with the cease-fire on her older sister, the last couple of days hasn't gone the way she had hoped for, especially with an assault planned in the immediate future.
"We gave him those wings," Luna continued, "I gave him those wings! And he has the nerve to betray us like this?"
Dusky cocked an eyebrow, noticing Luna's mane flowing quicker, as if wind were whipping by it despite the wind being very minimal at the moment. Luna was growing more furious by the second as she continued to think about Lunar's abandonment, feeling her emotions get the better of her.
Losing control of the dark emotion and magic inside of her, Luna felt her body change itself, causing Luna to grow in height slightly and grow fangs in place of her normal teeth. She opened her eyes and glared at Dusky, whom was standing at attention, witnessing the small transformation take place.
It's like a hybrid between Nightmare Moon and Luna herself, Dusky thought, like, she's corrupted slightly, but not fully. How is that possible?
"Are you not going to talk to us?" Luna threatened, approaching Dusky at a snail's pace. "Then why are you here?"
"On the contrary, Your Highness," Dusky replied cautiously, choosing her words carefully, "I just don't know what to think right now. Lunar taught me everything and helped me get here. To hear about his abandonment makes me just as furious as you."
"Emerald and Diamond knew his plan," Luna growled, "and now we must follow him and capture him. He will be our war prisoner and we will make sure he doesn't see the light of day again."
"Are you planning on simply throwing him in a jail cell?" Dusky wondered.
"No," assured Luna, eyes flashing white briefly, "we plan on taking his wings away."
"How?"
"We will tear them off of his body as punishment for his abandonment," declared Luna. "Then we will throw him in a jail cell and let him rot."
Slamming her hoof on the ground, Luna turned back around and went in search for Emerald and Diamond, preparing to lead a small group of soldiers after Lunar.
That afternoon, Lunar, Twilight, and the rest of the gang moved along the landscape, making sure to stay as far away as possible from their respective factions. Noct, Star, and Lustrous collected as much food as they could find along the way - the struggle of lifting being eased by Star's magic.
Eclipse and Rarity led the way while Rainbow Dash flew ahead with Fluttershy to make sure the weather was all clear for the group. As for Twilight and Lunar, they were conversing with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, both of which wanted to know more about Lunar and how he got his wings.
"This little guy was given to me after I successfully thwarted an assassination attempt on Luna during the war," explained Lunar, flapping his one good wing.
"But how'd that happen?" Applejack wondered, pointing to the metal wing.
Lunar lifted his metal wing and extended it outward, revealing his wound to the others. He felt the wind whip at it, causing him to wince slightly in pain. He bit his lip, lowered down his wing, and explained himself.
"An accident during one of the smaller squabbles between the two factions. It left me like this, but I'd rather be here now than with them now."
"I suppose so," Pinkie Pie stated, "although friends should stick together."
"You're right, Pinkie," agreed Twilight, "but that's something that the two princesses simply don't understand right now. Long ago, perhaps, but not at this moment."
"Maybe what we'd be doin' will help 'em find that understandin'," Applejack chuckled.
"One could only hope," nodded Lunar.
"I just wonder why this rift formed between them," Pinkie thought, "I mean, they're sisters. Shouldn't they always have that sort of sisterly love thing towards each other? Sisters should love each other always!"
Twilight pondered for a while, as did Lunar. They were the two former leaders of their factions but did not know the full extent as to how the war started. For as long as any of them could remember, they were simply blinded by the fact that they were at war and fought alongside Celestia or Luna just because it was the mob mentality. Now that they were no longer part of that mob, they could think about the war's efforts and how ill-advised and ill-fated they were.
"Honestly," Twilight finally said after a long, impressive silence, "I don't really know."
"Luna always said that suppression from her sister caused the war to begin," admitted Lunar, "but I'm not so sure that's the entire story."
"What makes ya say that?" Applejack asked.
"Well," continued Lunar, "much like a bit, everything has two sides to it. I've only heard one side myself while leading the charges."
"And Celestia was pretty hesitant when telling me why the war began," Twilight stated, "even as we got close and I rose through her ranks. She'd always say that her sister needed to learn her lesson, but never really told me what that lesson was."
"Odd," commented Applejack.
"Like, seriously," added Pinkie.
As the group continued walking towards their unknown destination, they saw Fluttershy fly back in a hurry. Twilight took initiative and flew closer to the yellow Pegasus, wondering why she appeared to be in disarray. With the group coming to a slow halt, things started to become tense. Star looked to Lunar and wondered why they stopped, to which Lunar replied that he wasn't too certain.
After a few more minutes, Twilight and Fluttershy came closer to the others and touched down on the ground, letting everyone know what happened. Twilight, housing looks of concern in her eye, spoke first.
"Rainbow Dash got caught up in a sudden thundercloud ahead," she said, "and one of her wings was struck with lightning."
"I-I tried my b-best to chase her," added Fluttershy, "b-but she's too heavy for me. I'm not used to carrying more than a bunny or two."
"She's trapped up ahead in the gorge," continued Twilight, "and we're gonna need help rescuing her if we wish to keep moving."
"Leave it to me," Noct spoke up. He extended his wings defiantly, "My wingspan is large enough to keep me protected. Plus, they can provide an excellent thruster, if needed."
"I'll assist as well," added Lunar, "an extra set of hooves is always good to have."
"Same here," Applejack said, "y'all have nothin' to worry 'bout."
Fluttershy led the way as the group began rushing towards the gorge. Lunar, Noct, and Applejack all stood strong as they got closer to the destination, hoping that it wouldn't be too much of a rescue mission. Their hopes were dashed when they reached the base of the gorge and wind was brushing them back at a pace unlike anything they've seen before.
Fluttershy looked back to the group, struggling to stay upright because of the wind. Noct noticed this and took lead from Fluttershy, using his wings to divert the wind away from her. Lunar looked up at Fluttershy and, as they pushed into the gorge, wondered how they ended up here.
"Rainbow Dash saw this and wanted to test her strengths," said Fluttershy, looking back towards Twilight, "and you know how she can get when her mind is set to something."
"Some things just don't change," smirked Twilight.
"How far along is she?" Noct wondered, squinting his eyes slightly.
"She's deep inside," answered Fluttershy, "I was flying above it, trying to scout ahead while also trying to keep an eye on her." She looked down briefly, "It didn't work out as planned, unfortunately."
"That's alright," assured Lustrous.
"Accidents can happen," added Star, "it's only natural."
"Plus, with the medical experience we have," continued Noct, "we can patch her up if needed in no time."
"For our sake," Lunar said, "let's hope she's alright."
"Right," everyone agreed.