Island Of the Lost

by Mystic Sunrise

Ch. 1

As the latest petitioner left with an amused look on their face, Princess Luna sighed irritably as she slid down in her throne. It was nights like this that she wondered why she and Tia had saved Equestria from Discord in the first place?!

"I mean really. Giving the nobles even more money. How stupid do they think we are?" Luna huffed. "A filly could tell these inbred morons why that would be a waste of the crown's resources."

The Night Guard on either side of her throne did not respond, but Luna could see that they too agreed with her. It was part of why she preferred the Chiroptera to the ponies of the Solar Guard.

They were also the only pony tribe that Discord had not been able to corrupt during the Age of Chaos. No matter how hard he tried. He had finally just given up and had stuck to trying to annoy them to death.

Shaking her head, the princess sighed. She did not know how to feel that ponies had already begun to give a name to Discord's reign. Barely a year had passed since she and her sister had used the Elements of Harmony to seal the self-proclaimed Lord of Chaos in stone. Too much had been lost during his rule, and too much remained to be fixed.

If some things ever could be repaired that is.

Huffing, Luna turned to her aid. Now was not the time to dwell on such things. "Alright. Who is next? If it is another so-called noble, then Celestia will soon need to find a replacement. If I have to listen to one more self-entitled prick prattle on about something small, I will not be held responsible for what happens to them."

Emerald Dream just barely held back a snicker, but her smile did help lessen Luna's annoyance somewhat. "Next is. Uhh... Steel Wing of the Explorers Guild. He didn't say why he was here actually."

Luna's mood immediately improved, as she grinned. While he could be as stubborn as they came, Steel Wing was also one of the few ponies who didn't mind speaking his mind as bluntly as possible when he met with the princesses. It had gotten him in trouble more than a few times. But the sisters respected him for his honesty.

Even if they didn't always appreciate it being directed at them on occasion.

Pushing the thought aside, Luna nodded. "Let him in."

The Door Guards did as instructed. Steel Wing was built like a mountain, all muscle. His tan coat stood out next to his blonde mane. He seemed excited about something as he came to stand at the foot of Luna's throne.

Luna smiled. Here was someone that knew not to waste the precious time of their princesses. "Lord Ranger. To what do I owe the honor of this meeting? You are not one to come here lightly."

Steel Wing nodded. "Indeed, your highness. I come here seeking your aid. Our latest scouting party has returned with news. A new land has been discovered far to the south. South of the Badlands in fact."

Luna's brows rose. Very little was known of the lands to the south beyond the Badlands. Few who went into the wastes ever returned, and those who did were changed in some way. "And you seek help in sending a full expedition to learn more of this place?"

Steel nodded. "Yes, your highness. The party returned intact. But something happened to them nonetheless, for there is a haunted look in their eyes, and they refuse to speak about certain things. Even their journals don't mention anything. But I can see it."

Luna sighed. Great. It was one of those types of things. "You do realize how precarious Equestria is at the moment? We are still rebuilding all that was destroyed by Discord. Our best guess is that it will take another century at least, and that is the most optimistic prediction of my advisors."

Turning to a nearby window, she looked toward the distant mass of Mount Canterhorn. "And sister has already granted access to the gem mines of the nearby mountains. That is taking up much of what bits we do have. Even though I strongly fought against such a thing."

Steel fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had heard about this himself. But to hear it from the mouth of the princess herself was something else. "With all due respect, Princess Luna. Do you really need your sister's permission to do anything?"

Luna's eyes narrowed, and Steel worried he might have overstepped his bounds. "Watch your tongue, Lord Ranger. If I did not know better, I would think you are trying to set me against my sister. But you are right. I do not need her permission for this. Not if she has any respect for me."

Steel smiled slightly. He knew the feeling of being the younger sibling in the family. His big sister was a constant pain in his flank, but he still loved her. "Then I have permission to began planning a full expedition?"

Luna thought a moment, before nodding. "We grant you permission, Steel Wing. You will have a full answer in the coming days. Sister might not agree to it or like it. But she cannot stop me," she smirked.

Steel Wing fought back a smile himself as he bowed. "I thank you, Princess Luna. I must be on my way, for there is still much to be done>" With that, he turned and returned the way he had come, a new spring in his step.

Luna watched him go with a smirk. It was times like this that she was glad Steel Wing had risen to the post of Lord Ranger. He had given new life to the Explorers Guild after years of mismanagement. And she would be lying if she said that she wasn't curious as to what this new land might be like.

Now came the task of telling her sister. Not that she had much doubt as to the final result. The Explorers Guild ultimately fell under Luna's stewardship. Getting Celestia's approval was more of a formality. Even though her sister loved exploring new things as much as she did.

---

Celestia rubbed her forehead irritably as Luna finished explaining what Steel Wing had presented to her. "It does sound interesting, Luna. But I feel now is not the proper time for a full expedition. Too much remains that needs to be done before we can send another one."

Luna frowned. She had been expecting this honestly. "And when would it be a good time, sister? Ponies need something to keep themselves occupied. Something other than rebuilding. This is a perfect chance for that."

Celestia nodded. It was true. "The mines on Mount Canterhorn are about to be opened, Luna. Those will need all the bits that we can give them."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Bah! You're banking on something that might not even pay off, sister. You know as well as I do that they are going to require a constant influx of bits to keep them running, and that is even assuming that they can produce enough to make the investment worth it."

Celestia frowned. "I know well what the dangers are, Luna. You don't need to lecture me on it. Need I remind you, however, that we would be sending ponies into completely unknown territory? Eternities Crossing has been more unstable than usual lately. Merwyrm attacks have increased tenfold in the last year. This land, if Steel Wing's reports are correct, is right in the middle of this."

Luna nodded. "Indeed. I have seen the reports, Celestia. I do not like it any more than you do. That is why the Explorers Guild is volunteer only. They know the dangers of what they're getting into." She paused, seeing the hard look in her sister's eyes. She sighed, her ears dropping in sympathy. "What happened to you, Tia? I remember a pony who loved adventure. Who even after we took the thrones would still have sent ponies who wanted to go out on something like this."

Celestia winced. Luna was right of course. Adventure had once been something she looked forward to, that she embraced. Now? She sighed, deflating at the thought. "Perhaps I lost the drive when we lost Starswirl. I miss him."

Luna nodded sadly. "I miss all of them. The Pillars will be heroes far more than we could hope to be. Discord at least didn't make ponies suffer, or maim them permanently. Even though he could have."

Celestia nodded. What had happened to Hollow Shades was a memory she wished she could have erased. The Pony of Shadows had been beyond saving. Stygian had paid the price for what he had done. The Pillars' sacrifice would never be forgotten.

Luna's expression turned pleading. "Tia, please. Don't make me go over your head on this. This is exactly what ponies need right now. Who knows what we may find down there? My mind is set on this. But it would be better for the both of us to endorse this, big sis."

Celestia smiled. No matter how much older they got, some things never changed between them. And she had never been able to say no to her little sister before. "Alright, Luna. You win," she giggled. "One of these days I will be able to say no to that face."

"No, you won't!" Luna giggled as she scooped her up in a big hug. One that Celestia was happy to return.

---

Later that afternoon, after the Morning Session of Day Court, had finished, Celestia stood outside an unassuming door in a back part of the Everfree Castle. She hoped that she was doing the right thing, but another part was saying she was being silly, as she knocked.

"Enter!" A gruff-voiced called out from within, bringing a smile to her face. Pushing open the door, Celestia found Steel Wing surrounded by stacks of reports. Many appeared to be from the latest scouting party that had returned, while others awaited his attention.

Steel's eyes widened as he scrambled to his hooves. "Princess Celestia?! I wasn't expecting you."

Celestia chuckled. "No need for formalities, Steel Wing. I will not take up much of your time. I have it on good authority that you are going to be rather busy soon. And I'm here to help you with that as much as I can."

Steel's eyes widened and he began to smile. "Do you mean?"

Celestia nodded. "You will have full funding for an expedition. You can thank my sister for helping. She gave me a kick that I did not realize that I needed."

Steel snapped off a salute. "We will not let you down, Princess Celestia. The Explorers Guild has never failed before. I'll be damned if we start now."

Celestia nodded serenely. "I know you will not, Lord Ranger. We have full confidence in you and whoever that will be going."

Steel Wing nodded and turned to begin laying the groundwork properly for the expedition to come, even as Celestia turned to take her leave.

"And besides," Celestia said with a smile as she closed the door behind her. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Author's Note:

So to set the timeframe for this story. As was said in the story, this is just over a year after the first defeat of Discord. Nightmare Moon isn't even a twinkle in the deepest darkest reaches of Luna's mind yet.

As for the rest of the history from the show? The Crystal Empire is still around, and Tirek and Scorpan are not known to anypony in Equestria. Let alone what Tirek plans to do with all of Equestria's magic. Hasbro not providing a concrete timeline of when these things happened, or which one happened first, second, third, and so on. Does help me quite a lot.