//------------------------------// // Chapter 20: Truth And Trust // Story: The Last Healing Dragon // by Gearsmash King //------------------------------// "Alright, I want to know the truth." Celestia said, "How do you two know each other?" Luna looked back at Lazarus, hoping that he would offer some support. But instead, Lazarus just raised a claw and pointed back at Celestia, encouraging Luna to tell her sister the truth about her and Lazarus' friendship. "I... uh..." Luna stammered, "That is we... um..." They had arrived in Canterlot that morning and Luna had fallen asleep on Lazarus' head, after she had lowered the moon. Upon seeing them together, Celestia was curious as to why her sister was away from Canterlot long enough to fall asleep before coming back. And seeing Luna on the dragon's head made Celestia raise more questions. However, she didn't want to wake Luna and be rude. So, she decided to wait until her sister had woken up and ask her then. Celestia even asked Lazarus, but he had said to her that Luna had to tell her. Now it was time for the moon to come out. But after she had raised it, Luna was informed that she had to go to the Canterlot Gardens. Once she had gotten there, she froze as her eyes focused on Lazarus and Celestia talking to each other. However, when Celestia turned to face her sister, Luna could feel a small sense of judgement coming from her eyes. Then Luna realized why she had been told to go there. It was time for a truth that had been lost and hidden for a thousand years. "W-we've only just met, Sister." Luna lied, biting her lip. "Really?" Celestia replied, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Luna, but I thought you told me, long ago, that you never trusted anyone that you've just met." "I don't." "Then why would you trust a dragon, that you've just met, to carry you home as you slept on his head?" Luna began to tremble as she realized that she had been caught. After a short while, she hung her head and closed her eyes. "Do you promise not to be mad at me, Sister?" Luna sniffed, feeling slightly ashamed. "If you're honest with me, Luna," Celestia said, easing her gaze, "then you won't have to worry about me being angry." Looking to Lazarus once more, Luna wanted to ask for help. "Remember what I told you, child." The dragon said, sensing her words and stopping her from asking, "I'll help you in some places, but it's your truth to tell." Taking a deep breath, Luna sighed and stepped closer to the two most important beings in her life. "I've known Lazarus long before I became Nightmare Moon." She began explaining, "In theory, he is my oldest friend and the only one I could talk to at times." "Why wouldn't you come to me?" Celestia asked, cocking her head. That was when something in Luna snapped. All at once she felt anger, sadness, and fear collide. "I never came to you, because you were always playing the high and mighty ruler!" Luna cried, venting a thousand years worth of heartache at her sister, "Whenever I wanted to speak with you, something would draw your attention away from me or you were nowhere to be found! So, one day, I decided to run into the woods and see how you liked being ignored by your own sister!" Celestia's eyes widened, but she remained silent as Luna shook with anger and her face burned red. "I raced through the trees as fast as I could, trying to put as much distance between us as possible!" Luna continued, lowering her voice slightly, "But I turned my head and slammed into a tree, breaking one of my wings and horn in the process and losing consciousness. I don't know how long I was unconscious, but when I woke up, I looked around and saw that I was lost and laying in a small pool of blood. Nothing looked the same to me, it was a strange part of the forest that I had never been to before." Then Luna's gaze switched from Celestia to Lazarus, before she went on with her story. "I was greeted by a large dragon with enormous wings and sharp fangs." She explained, still talking to Celestia, "It saw me and looked at me the same way a monster with a murderous appetite would look at it's prey. My first instinct was to run, but two of my legs ached with pain. So, all I did was close my eyes and cry. I tried to call out to you, but my voice was caught in my throat. However, I believed that even if I did manage to scream, no help was available." "And that's when I arrived and rescued you." Lazarus said, "I fought that dragon and disposed of him, before returning to you. Had I not caught the scent of blood in the air, you would've died. Either from him or the amount of blood that you lost. As luck would have it, you weren't too far gone for me to use my Healing Fire and return you to proper health." "Once I had been restored, he kindly offered me fruit from a nearby bush. What were those things called?" "Tobunga pears. Very juicy, very sweet, and very good for damaged spirits. I think you ate three of them." Celestia was still trying to understand their relationship. "Wait a minute." She said, rubbing her forehead, "You thought I was ignoring you? And you believed that running away was a good idea?" Luna pivoted on her hind legs and faced her sister as rage returned. "Yes!" Luna stomped, "Everypony respected and loved you more than me! I believed that it was all going to your head and you didn't care about me! You were always the favorite! Even when Mother and Father-" Smack! "How dare you bring them into this!" Celestia growled, lowering her hoof that struck Luna, "They have nothing to do with this!" Silence fell upon the Gardens as Luna felt the sting of pain on her cheek. Bringing a hoof to her face, Luna felt a warm liquid under her eye. At first she thought it was a tear, but when she pulled her hoof back and looked, Luna saw a thin red smear. The flame that burned in her mind, exploded into a wildfire of rage and pain. Realizing what just happened, Celestia brought a hoof to her mouth and gasped. She never thought that she would be driven so far as to strike her only sister. Suddenly, regret and fear wormed their way into the depths of her mind. All she could see was the bruise on Luna's face as blood seeped from it. "I-I'm so sorry, Luna!" Celestia stammered, "I-I didn't mean to do that!" Luna's eyes slowly rolled back to look at Celestia. She blinked once and her eyes no longer had sweet, innocent, and round pupils. Instead, they were angry, grey, slit pupils. Celestia began to back away as she saw the eyes glaring at her. The last time she saw those eyes, was on the worst day of her life. "Sorry?!" Luna boomed, her voice changing slightly, "You don't know the meaning of the word!" Suddenly, Luna's form changed in a heartbeat. Her coat turned black and her mane flowed wildly, not like it had before. Soon, Celestia was staring at a being that she hoped she'd never see again. "Now, allow me to teach you!" Nightmare Moon said with a sinister grin. Charging forward, Nightmare Moon tackled Celestia and pinned her to the ground. Her horn glowed violently as Celestia did nothing to defend herself. In Celestia's mind, she knew that even if she tried to fight back, there was the possibility of banishing Luna again. And that was something that she couldn't take again. Wham! Suddenly, Lazarus' tail swept over Celestia and knocked Nightmare Moon away. But as soon as she was able, Nightmare Moon stood firmly and found the dragon standing between her and Celestia. "Get out of my way!" She growled, "This has been delayed for far too long!" "It has already been dealt with." Lazarus replied softly, trying to calm her, "This was resolved when you returned, there's nothing more that can be done about it." "No! When Luna returned, not me! My business is not complete and I intend to finish it, here and now!" "Why do you want to do this?" "Because I'm a monster! And monsters have no rivals!" "If you are a real monster, then strike me down now!" Nightmare Moon stared at the dragon as he held his arms up, appearing to surrender. Her horn glowed brighter as she got into a battle stance. But, something in her kept her from attacking. "Come on, do it! Monsters have no rivals remember?" The dragon hissed. "No!" Nightmare Moon cried, "I won't do it!" "Then leave and return my daughter to me and her sister. Now!" Trembling furiously, Nightmare's horn, still pointed at Lazarus, burned brightly. Being told what to do made her angrier, but she still didn't attack. Instead, she whipped her head up and aimed at the starry sky above. FWOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" She screamed as a large beam of light shot into the heavens. After the beam dissipated, Luna, in her natural form, stood before them. Her pupils were round and innocent, while her coat and mane returned to their proper colours and flow. Luna leaned to her side and fell into a clawed hand that reached out and caught her. Lazarus felt her heartbeat in his palm and noticed that it was pounding against her chest. Luna panted as exhaustion kept her from moving. All of her nerves were burnt and her limbs were numb. However, she remained conscious in his claws. Celestia walked around Lazarus and looked at her sister with sorrow and shame. All she wanted was to know about their friendship and received something terrifying. But she was happy to see that Luna managed to conquer her demons and come back to them. "Oh, Luna." Celestia wept, "I am so sorry. I'm sorry for never being there for you. I'm sorry for banishing you. I-I'm sorry for everything!" Celestia closed her eyes and hung her head as tears began to form and run down her face. Luna, however, didn't shed any tears. Instead, she reached out a hoof and touched her sister's cheek, making Celestia open her eyes and look into hers. "Please don't cry, Tia." Luna cooed, "Everything is as it should be." Lifting her head, Luna revealed her bruised cheek. It wasn't bad, but it was still bleeding. "Um, Lazarus could you perhaps..." Luna said pointing at the injury. "Say no more." Lazarus replied, holding a single claw up to his mouth and breathing a small flame onto it. The flame was no bigger than a candle, but it was enough to fix the damage. It flickered gently as he brought it to her cheek and watched as it harmlessly burned away the bruise. Soon, it was gone and Luna wrapped her wings around Celestia, giving a heartfelt hug to her sister. "Now, I'm sure your wondering why I never told you about him." Luna said softly, "And that's because, at the time, I believed that you would either judge me or everypony else would. But, now I see that you and everypony else only judge those who have made poor decisions. I only hope that you believe that I made a good decision by accepting Lazarus as a father figure, rather than a friend." Celestia pulled away from her sister and looked from Luna to Lazarus. After a moment, a smile slowly crossed her face. "I'll accept your decision." Celestia said, "But only if Lazarus accepts both of us." Both alicorns looked at the old dragon and saw that his eyes had turned blue. "It would be a disgrace, if I didn't." He smiled, bringing his head closer and gently nudging them both. With that, the three of them enjoyed each others company as the stars and the moon shined upon them.