III

Rage

"The moon?!" exclaimed five ponies and a dragon, their various bewildered faces glaring at their violet friend.

"You heard me," said Twilight. "The moon."

"But Twilight, darling, why ever would you want to go to a place like the moon?" asked Rarity.

"This is something I need to know," said Twilight. "Princess Luna is keeping some sort of secret, and it bugs me. The only way to really find out what's going on is by going to the moon."

"Twilight, have you gone out of your mind?" asked Rainbow Dash. "There is no way we're letting you go to the moon."

"Please, I have to do this. You guys don't have to come if you don't want to. But I need to know what's really happening."

"There isn't even anything happening," muttered Spike. "All you've got is a hunch from reading one sentence in your book and a bunch of paranoia over Luna's weird mannerisms."

"That's the thing, though." Twilight started pacing. "Luna doesn't want us to know something. Something that has to do with Nightmare Moon. What if the Mare is coming back? Then the stars must have something to do with it."

"Would you just quit obsessing over this?" asked Rainbow Dash. "It's probably no big deal. And it's not healthy to overreact to things that are probably no big deal."

Twilight sighed. "But on the small chance that it is a big deal, what then? We have to be prepared for it. Now, I'm going to the moon, and you guys can come if you want, or not if you don't. It's your choice."

"Luna," called Celestia, "May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yes, of course," answered Luna. "Come in, sister."

Celestia willed the door open, entering her sister's room. Luna had been acting distant recently, and Celestia was sure she was keeping something from her. What's worse, she was actually lying. Even when she had been turning into Nightmare Moon, her sister had never lied to her.

"Luna," said Celestia, taking a seat on the floor next to her sister. "I know something's been bothering you, and it worries me that you would actually resort to lying in order to keep it from me. Please, Luna. Tell me what's wrong."

Luna sighed, seeming to drag out the silence as long as possible. Celestia had no idea what was going on in her sister's head, but judging by the way her eyes seemed to be avoiding her, and her mouth would open, as if to say something, only to close once more; it almost seemed as if Luna was afraid to tell her.

"I…" she started. "Why… Why did you send me there? To the moon?"

Celestia was so taken aback by this question; she actually stopped thinking for a second. "Why," she said, after having regained her composure, "You do realize what you were requesting, right? Without sunlight, the plants couldn't grow, and everypony would starve, and-"

"But that wasn't me," interrupted Luna.

Surprised once more by this strange outburst, Celestia nevertheless continued explaining. "Yes, I realize you've changed now, but why are you worrying-"

"No," Luna interrupted again. "No, I mean that wasn't me."

"Of course it was you," said Celestia, ever more confused by the second, but nevertheless keeping cool and collected. "It may have been one thousand years ago, but it was definitely you who was asking for eternal night…"

"No." Luna's eyes were starting to look frantic; her voice rose in a way that was very unlike the Royal Canterlot Voice. "I mean it wasn't me! I was there, trapped in my head, while she demanded that you cease to raise the sun! I stood there, horrified, as you banished me to the otherworld; I lay powerless as I watched those things observe me endlessly for a thousand years! A whole millennium of my life, wasted on that stupid satellite, trapped in a body that was no longer mine, while you stood there, completely ignorant of my despair!

"So I ask you, dear sister. Why? Why did you banish me to the moon, when you had much better alternatives? Why didn't you pay attention to the signs? And why… Why did you forget about the stars?"

This was all too much. Was Luna telling her that there was something else to this whole Nightmare Moon thing? There seemed to have been something else going on the entire time, something Celestia had been utterly oblivious to. And Princess Celestia was not used to being oblivious.

"What are you saying?" she asked, getting up. "What signs? And what's this about the stars? And who are you talking about, if it's not you who did these things?"

Luna opened her mouth to speak, when she was interrupted by a loud knock at the door.

"Princess Celestia, you are requested an audience with Miss Twilight Sparkle," said the voice of the Royal Guard.

"Oh no," muttered Luna. "No, no, no, no."

The door swung open with a flash of dark blue magic, and the Princess of the Night galloped out into the hallway, leaving her sister behind to fumble after her.

Princess Luna was already in the throne room by the time Princess Celestia got there, arguing vividly with Twilight Sparkle. As soon as Celestia entered, both ponies stopped talking and turned to face her. This was so unlike either of them that Celestia was beginning to get worried. Well, more so than she already was.

"All right, what's going on here?" she asked. "What were you two arguing about?"

"Well, I-"

"Your student," interrupted Luna, "Wishes to take a trip. A trip to the moon."

"Is this true?" asked Celestia, eyeing Luna suspiciously.

"It is," admitted Twilight. "My friends have decided to stay, but I shall not sway from my decision. To the moon or bust."

Celestia actually backed away a few steps before answering. "But why would you possibly want to go to the moon?"

"The moon holds secrets yet unknown to ponykind. Well," here Twilight gave an accusatory glance at Luna. "Most of ponykind. These secrets have to do with Nightmare Moon, and may have something to do with her return."

Luna scoffed. "Are you accusing me…?"

"So what if I am?" asked Twilight, narrowing her eyes at Luna.

Celestia sighed. "When did both of you stop making sense? And why are you two suddenly so angry at each other? Nightmare Moon is a thing of the past, and…" Celestia stopped herself. Luna was acting eerily similar to how she had when she was turning into Nightmare Moon, and Twilight wasn't acting much different. Was the lunar mare really fully gone?

"Princess Celestia," said Twilight, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I suppose there is another alternative to visiting the moon…"

"And what would that be?" asked Celestia suspiciously.

"What do you know about stars?"

Both her student and her sister stared at Celestia intently, both with the same questioning glare, both expecting a different answer.

"Well," started Celestia, "Stars are giant balls of gas, burning millions of miles away…"

"Like the sun, right? So how are they able to move without your magic?"

"I…," started Celestia, "I'm not sure…"

"You've forgotten," Luna corrected. "I wish I had."

"So you know?" asked Twilight. "What is it?"

"There are some things you have no business knowing, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, standing up and walking off towards the exit. "This is one of them."

"And why not?" asked Twilight. "What is it about them that I can't possibly know?"

Luna ignored the question, but continued talking as she walked off. "I suppose I cannot change your mind, but remember this: You have been warned. Even if my sister does somehow agree with this, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

And with that, the doors slammed behind her, leaving the teacher and her student alone in the throne room.

"What was that all about?" Celestia asked, trying to keep her usual calm demeanor.

"She's hiding something," insisted Twilight, "I know it."

"Well, I'll talk to her about it later. However, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to go to the moon. That is a punishment reserved only for the most dangerous criminals."

"But if there really is nothing up there, it won't matter if I go, right?"

"Well…"

"And surely you can bring me back whenever you need to, right?"

"Well yes but…"

"So what's the problem?"

Celestia thought about it for a moment. What Twilight said made sense, and if she went up there just to find nothing, then so be it. But what if Luna was right and there really was something up there? And what was this about stars?

"Fine," said Celestia after thinking about it some more. "But on one condition. You must promise to contact me the second you see something potentially dangerous. And by potentially dangerous, I mean anything that isn't rock. Understand?"

"Got it," Twilight nodded. "Thank you so much, Princess Celestia!"

"Now go get the others, and I'll tell you what to do nest. Twilight nodded and ran off. After the doors shut behind her, Celestia shook her head and went off to get the Elements of Harmony. "I am so going to regret this," she muttered.

Sometime later, five ponies sat in a circle, with Twilight in the middle, Spike standing from a distance, and Princess Celestia watching from her throne. Each of the ponies wore their Elements of Harmony, each of them facing Twilight, giving her looks that said, You don't have to do this.

"Now, the Elements are needed in order to send you to the moon," explained Celestia, "as well as to bring you back. The Element of Magic will be used as a beacon to tell us your general location. Any flare from your magic, and the other Elements will tell us."

Twilight nodded. "Wait, hold on a second…"

"Yes?" asked Celestia.

Twilight shook her head. "No, never mind, it's nothing. Carry on."

Celestia contemplated for a bit longer. Was Twilight having second thoughts? Or was something else on her mind?

"… In any case," Celestia continued, "There's a spell that will send you to the moon. You all have to repeat exactly as I say."

The ponies nodded in unison. Celestia was about to open her mouth to continue, when Spike spoke up.

"Actually, I change my mind," he said, running into the middle of the circle. "I want to go too."

Celestia nodded. "Alright then. Now, repeat after me…"

As they began chanting, Twilight whispered to Spike, "You don't have to do this if you really don't want to."

"But I do want to, Twilight," whispered Spike. "If something happens, and you need my help, I wouldn't want to have to live through the guilt of not being there for you."

Twilight smiled at this sweet sentiment, and pulled Spike closer to herself with one hoof.

"Thanks, Spike."

The other five finished their chant, and the two of them were suddenly surrounded by a giant swirl of rainbow colors. The rainbow pulled and contorted itself around them, then in a bright flash of light, they were gone.

Finally finished the chapter! Something still feels off about it but meh. Hm, I thought of a good singoff but it would make more sense at the beginning of the chapter...