Lateral Movement

by Alzrius


586 - From Unthinkable to Undeniable

“So? What do you think?”

“…it looks fine.”

“Are you sure? I thought that placing the moon between Canis Major and Canis Minor might make for a nice nocturnal scene, two dogs chasing a ball, but now that I look at it I wonder if they’re too far apart for it to really work.”

Luna bit back the urge to snap at her sister, knowing that Celestia was trying to draw her into a conversation. It was the latest in a series of attempts that the elder alicorn had made to engage with her over the last few days, taking time out of her schedule – despite being busier than ever – to talk to Luna about everything from the gemstone statue that was being constructed for the upcoming Grand Equestria Pony Summit to what gift they should send to Cranky and Matilda’s upcoming wedding. Each new day saw something new, and invariably trivial, on Celestia’s mind that she just had to share with her sister.

It wasn’t dissimilar from what had happened at breakfast just before they’d headed to the Crystal Empire. Or at least, Luna knew that’s what her sister was hoping: that there’d be some inconsequential nonsense – such as fruit faces on pancakes or Blueblood’s overwrought efforts to marry back into royalty – that would serve to distract the alicorn-turned-unicorn from the reality of her situation. Perhaps even lead to her shaking off her doldrums and facing the future with optimism rather than malaise.

But if that was what Celestia was hoping for, then she was going to be disappointed.

The laughter that Luna had found bubbling up inside of her that morning hadn’t been because she’d been able to momentarily step outside of herself. It had been because, in the wake of publishing her tell-all about what Lex Legis had done to her, she’d still been able to do something of importance, even if only a little. It had been because the prospect of using the Crystal Heart had still brimmed with possibility rather than failure.

It had been because there was still hope.

But now…

“It’s fine, sister,” replied Luna at last, dragging her morose gaze away from the night sky that she no longer controlled. “You raised and lowered the moon for a thousand years while I was banished. You’ve long since grown more proficient at it than I am.”

“That’s not true!” Celestia stepped closer, concern written all over her face. “Luna, this is your destiny,” she insisted, pointing at her sister’s cutie mark, “not mine. Once you’re back to normal-”

“Why did you meet with Willow Longtail?”

Celestia blinked, thrown by the sudden change in topic. “What?”

“Why did you meet with Willow Longtail?” repeated Luna, desperate to avoid listening to her sister’s empty reassurances about how things were going to be alright. Those were even worse than the blatant attempts at buoying her mood. “I’m aware that you invited her to a private conference yesterday with Shining Armor, but none of the castle staff seems to know what it was regarding.”

“…I was seeking her advice.”

Luna arched a brow, both at the half-second’s hesitation that preceded her sister’s answer, and at how non-specific the answer was. “May I inquire as to what you needed her to advise you on?”

Celestia sighed, an uncomfortable look crossing her face. “Luna…”

Her tone of voice was almost pleading, clearly wanting her to let it go, but Luna had no intention of doing so. Quite the opposite, she felt an almost vindictive glee at pressing the topic, suddenly wanting to pay Celestia back for how smothering her attempts to cheer her up had been. “I am still a princess, am I not?” she demanded. “Is this castle still not as much mine as it is yours?”

“Of course you are,” replied Celestia, her tone subdued, “and of course it is.”

“And may I presume that the advice which you sought was not in regards to your personal affairs?”

Seemingly resigned to where this was going, Celestia shook her head. “It was not.”

“Then I don’t believe that I’m out of line for wanting to know what you met with Willow Longtail about,” finished Luna pointedly.

A tired look crossed Celestia’s face then, and she crossed the balcony to head back into Luna’s boudoir, picking at the sugar cookies that the steward had left out for them. “We spoke about several topics,” she murmured between bites. “Chief among them being the possibility of appealing to one of the pony deities of Everglow for help removing your curse.”

Luna’s eyebrows rose at that, and for an instant she felt a renewed surge of hope. But it came crashing down in an instant, knowing that if there were any sort of good news to be had, Celestia would have been far more animated. “And I take it the conclusion was poor?”

Her sister nodded, not looking up at her. “It’s apparently very difficult for gods to project their power into a world where they’re not worshiped. Willow thinks there might be ways around that, but they all involve either summoning that god directly – which is either difficult, or dangerous, or both – or bringing in some sort of aspect of their power that they can use as a conduit. But even then, she’s not entirely certain.”

Finally stepping in from the balcony, Luna frowned. “What about-”

“We discussed the possibility of you going to Everglow and asking for help there, too,” interrupted Celestia, her tone flat. “Either from the pony gods or one of that world’s spellcasters, since the magic developed there is stronger than our own, but Willow was dubious of those possibilities as well.”

That brought a frown to Luna’s face, both from the interruption and the further bad news. “Why?”

Celestia didn’t answer right away, instead pouring herself a steaming mug of tea and taking a sip. The strong odor coming from it caused Luna to wrinkle her nose, recognizing that it was a caffeinated blend. Though that wasn’t surprising, considering that Celestia needed to preside over both the day and night now. It was only when she put her mug down that she at last looked at Luna, and her expression was haunted. “Because she thinks the Night Mare is personally maintaining the curse Lex put on you.”

Luna’s eyes widened at that, and if she’d still had wings she would have flared them in surprise. “What?! His goddess is…?!” A shudder ran down her spine then, her throat going dry. “Is Willow certain?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. She’s neither an adherent of the divine, nor an expert on curses. But she’s of the opinion that while a static effect can be self-sustaining – like a curse to inhibit arousal or experience sympathetic pain, like Lex put on Produce Aisle or Comfy Cozy – a curse that exhibits more malleability in its application, or which resists being easily lifted, must have an intelligence behind it. One whose strength is proportional to the effect in question, and since Lex is apparently a living channel for the Night Mare to project her influence into this world…”

Suddenly numb, Luna sat down, thinking of how her curse had fought back so ardently against being removed. “It…it makes sense,” she muttered, as much to herself as to Celestia. “That would explain why Discord wasn’t able to fix this. Why it was able to persevere where King Sombra’s magic failed against the Crystal Heart.”

Pouring a second mug – this time from a pot of non-caffeinated tea – Celestia levitated it over to her sister. “That’s why Willow is uncertain how much a mortal spellcaster could accomplish. While she doesn’t think it’s impossible to find one who remove it, since the curse is only being sustained by a god rather than having been given by one directly – which she thinks is an important distinction – she’s not certain who, if anyone, would have the strength to do such a thing.”

Taking a sip of the hot liquid, Luna let it warm her for a moment, still wrestling with the idea that a goddess – a real one, not the would-be deity she’d set herself up as – was personally taking a hoof in her suffering. “What about the queen who rules that world’s ponies? Ilena, wasn’t it?”

“Iliana,” corrected Celestia. “And no, she won’t help.”

The certainty in her sister’s voice drew Luna’s gaze to her, studying her for a long moment. “You already contacted her.”

Celestia nodded, her expression dejected. “Spike met her briefly while he and Twilight were on that world. I sent him a missive to send to her, telling her what had happened and begging for her help.”

“And she said no.” Just like before, Luna phrased it as a statement rather than a question, Celestia’s expression making the answer evident.

In response, the elder alicorn drew forth a scroll, unrolling it and skipping past the greeting before reading out loud. “‘While you have my deepest condolences for what has befallen your beloved sister, I must regretfully inform you that I cannot lend you my aid at this time. Though I do not carry the tenets of her religion in my heart, the Night Mare is still a member – indeed, a senior member – of the pony pantheon, making her a patron deity of the Pony Empire which I have sworn to protect. To act counter to her interests beyond the borders of Everglow in such a partisan manner runs the risk of angering her at a time when unity, among both the gods and ponies of the Empire, is critical.

“‘I likewise have no wish to become entangled in the internal affairs of another nation. While I cannot speak to the character of the pony whom you named as being responsible for your sister’s malediction, I am not prepared to undertake what could be construed as an act of hostile interference toward someone who has, by your account, assumed a position of importance in Equestrian politics. While I have every hope that you will find a solution that both restores your sister and protects the stability of your realm, I’m afraid that solution is one that I cannot be a part of.’”

Sighing, Celestia rolled up the scroll. “She offers more sympathy after that, but nothing of substance.”

“I suppose that would have been too easy,” grunted Luna, leaning back in her chair. It was funny how the queen’s refusal to help didn’t sting nearly as badly as the Crystal Heart’s failure did. But then again, she hadn’t spent weeks wondering if she’d receive Iliana’s aid, nor had that world's pony queen let her down as spectacularly as the Crystal Heart had. “What about the other idea? That I go there and appeal to one of the benevolent gods directly? Willow didn’t think that would work either, I believe you said?”

“She thinks that it would be like with Iliana, that they’d refuse to get personally involved,” replied Celestia as she put the queen’s answer away. “Gods apparently prefer to act via mortal proxies, since taking direct action invites retaliation. That’s why she thinks it’s significant that Lex was the one who actually cursed you in the first place.”

“Oh.”

The renewed sense of helplessness that she felt right then must have been audible in her voice, because Celestia looked at her then, anxiety reasserting itself. “Luna, except for Iliana’s refusal to help, this is all supposition on Willow’s part, something she openly admitted. It’s entirely possible that she’s wrong about any or all of what she said.”

Luna could feel a mirthless laugh bubbling up inside of her. “Do you think she is?”

“I think we need more information,” replied Celestia diplomatically. “With any luck, Twilight will be back soon, and we can see if she has any insights.” For the first time in a little while, a smile reasserted itself on her face. “Knowing her, she’s already retrieved Starlight Glimmer and Silhouette and is researching alternative ways to restore you right now.”

The platitude made Luna grimace, hating that they were back to those. “No doubt,” she muttered, standing at last.

Despite having been the one to bring this up, Luna suddenly found herself not wanting to talk about it anymore. Whatever other possibilities Celestia and Willow had discussed for removing her curse had no doubt come to the same conclusion, since Celestia would have been quick to inform her if something more viable been found, and as much as Luna disliked being treated as if she were fragile, she didn’t want to hear a list of reasons why there was no hope of her ever being an alicorn again. “Forgive me, sister, but it’s past time for me to look in on the dream realm. Even diminished, I can still protect the peaceful slumber of our subjects.”

If she was surprised by the abrupt dismissal, Celestia didn’t show it. “I understand. But please don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve already informed everypony of what’s happened to you. They’ll understand if you-”

“Thank you,” smiled Luna, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

Celestia bit her lip then, before letting out a slow breath. “Goodnight, Luna.”

Thankful that the issue hadn’t been pushed, Luna nodded as she turned and headed back toward the balcony. “Goodnight, Celestia.”


Sighing as she closed the door to her sister’s room behind her, Celestia headed back to her own chambers, stifling a yawn. As much as she wished she could go straight to bed, she knew she didn’t have that luxury. Not when there was still so much to do; answers had to be written to the condolence letters that were still pouring in regarding Luna, plans needed to be reviewed for the upcoming summit, groundwork needed to be laid for potentially reopening diplomatic relations with Yakyakistan, and so much more.

And, of course, the moon would need to have its position periodically readjusted throughout the night. That required her to sleep in increments, waking up every few hours so as to move it across the sky, but while it wasn’t an ideal schedule, it was one she could live with. She had for a thousand years, after all.

What she couldn’t live with was seeing Luna continue on the way she was, bereft of hope. After everything that had happened – becoming Nightmare Moon, her failed attempt at starting her own religion, Silhouette’s death and subsequent madness – Celestia couldn’t bear to see her little sister continue to suffer like this. She deserved to be happy.

That was why Celestia was glad Luna hadn’t pressed her for what else she’d talked to Willow about.

The purrsian had been doubtful that Lex’s curse would come undone if he died, reasoning that his goddess – if she was indeed the one maintaining the affliction – would continue to uphold it whether or not her servant was still alive. But as with so much else that they’d talked about, she’d admitted to not being sure. That was enough for Celestia; while his death would close off the possibility of Lex ever removing the curse voluntarily, that was a possibility that she couldn’t bring herself to put any stock in. Lex was, after all, not trustworthy. Better to make it so that he wouldn’t be able to curse anyone else ever again, so that once they found a way to make Luna an alicorn once more there’d be no chance of her ever having to go through this a second time.

Of course, that ran afoul of what she’d told Shining Armor about potentially starting a civil war…but that was only if Lex’s death was attributed to them.

If he simply disappeared, or was killed by someone with no obvious connection to Equestrian royalty – such as a purrsian from another world – the chances of his followers blaming the country’s reigning monarchs would drop precipitously. That wouldn’t solve everything, of course; the Night Mare’s worshipers, the Siren sisters, and likely several other troublesome ponies would need to be carefully managed. But without Lex Legis there to act as a symbol of rebellion, Celestia had hope that they’d be able to defuse the situation.

And at the very least, it would give Luna some comfort to know that the pony who had hurt her so terribly was gone.

But even that thought couldn’t make Celestia feel entirely at ease with what she’d asked Willow to do. Assassination was an option she’d sworn never to avail herself of, and she’d kept that promise for over a millennium. But in the face of what Luna was going through now, her only remaining relative who had already endured so much hardship, it had been surprisingly easy to break that vow, even if she hadn’t fully made peace with it yet. Shining Armor had been similarly shocked when she’d raised the possibility, but after what he and Cadance had lost during the Elemental Bleeds, he’d eventually come around as well.

This is no different than confronting any of the other villains who’ve threatened Equestria over the years, she told herself as she trudged back to her room. Discord. Tirek. King Sombra. We never had to resort to lethal measures, but we were prepared to if they couldn’t be contained. This is the same, except Lex is too powerful to face directly. I’m simply adjusting my strategy accordingly.

She continued telling herself that the entire way back, and by the time she’d reached the door to her suite she’d managed to quiet most of her doubts. Besides, it was out of her hooves now anyway. She’d already told Willow to do whatever she had to, so long as nopony else got hurt, in order to make Lex go away for good.

But as she sat down to begin working her way through the pile of correspondence she needed to answer, Celestia couldn’t completely banish the sensation that somehow, she was making a terrible mistake.