Can She be Trusted?

by Slender Dash

She Needs the Truth

Luna paced in her luxury bedroom, her starry hair sparkling in the moonlight. It twirled and danced as it defied gravity, and kept whirling around as Luna came to a halt. She stared at her hooves, and furrowed her brow. She stood there for awhile, thinking. Then she pushed past the glass door leading to her balcony, and took in a deep breath as the cool night air soothed her thoughts.

At first she watched the ponies in the streets of Canterlot, walking away to their, no doubt, custom, garnished houses. She stared as some looked around nervously, fearing what lied in wait hidden in the mist of the surrounding shadows. Others simply walked on, undaunted by the eerie but beautiful scenery of the night.

Then her eyes swiveled up to the stars she had painted in the sky tonight, flickering and twinkling as if they were actually alive, somewhere far, far away. Then her gaze rested on the gorgeous moon, shining boldly and brightly, scaring away evil mist as it hung in the air. This moon gave Luna a sense of security- and a sense of dread.

This moon was hers. She controlled, made it perfect, but it was also her captor. The one thing other than Celestia herself to keep her stranded for one thousand years. Her gaze hardened upon the sight of it, but she soon discarded her petty anger. She had no quarrel with the moon. She was upset with someone else.

Abandoning her room of deep blues and black, and traces of silver, she stepped out into the grand hallway that led away from her room. She snorted as she eyed the guards her sister had placed by her room to protect her from danger. Supposedly.

"Does not my sister think I can handle myself if a dangerous situation were to arise?" Luna questioned, and raised an eyebrow as they stared silently ahead. "Or does she think that I will be dangerous myself?"

Luna stifled an angry laugh as she watched them shift uncomfortably from hoof to hoof. Then she sighed and said, "At ease, you are only doing your jobs. I was wrong to question your position here." She turned an started walking down the hallway, noticing the two pairs of footsteps following close beside.

Luna stopped suddenly, silently fuming as they stopped nearly as quickly. She turned her head dramatically slowly, to lay a single, blue eye on the guard to her right. His expression made no change, though he gulped hard.

"Must I have a escort WHERE EVER I GO?" She squinted her eyes and dipped her brow, staring at him furiously. When no answer came, she righted herself and went off. Looking back, she saw the confused guards deciding whether or not they should follow. She gave a sad chuckle as one stepped forward, but the other pushed her back before she got hurt.

Luna stared at the magnificent tapestries hung on walls, and all of the dancing patterns of purple and gold intertwined. They all depicted breath-taking images of the sun in its glory, but none displayed the beautiful moon and its silent vigil in the sky.

Luna walked to the kitchen to find the chefs creating exquisite desserts for both princesses. The smell of warm tea and rich chocolate filled her nose, and she picked up traces of delicious apple-cinnamon strudel. She gave a warm smile to the chefs as she walked by, getting nods of acknowledgement and respect back. Dessert was Luna's favorite meal, as it took place right after she put the moon in the sky, and she needed something to gain a little energy back.

"Ah, Chocolate lava cakes, one of my favorites." Luna scooped one up and popped it into her mouth, savoring the warm chocolate as it flood her tongue. "Other than the shape and heat, this resembles lava in no way. This chocolate isn't orange!" She chuckled a little bit, and chefs gave slightly disoriented chuckles back. She said her thanks and continued on to her destination.

When she finally reached the room, she could hear her sister humming as she went through daily letters and reports from around Equestria. Luna scowled; she wasn't allowed to even look through the papers, much less make any decisions regarding them. Luna picked up a sliver-shoed hoof and rapped on the door. She heard a rustling, and then a quick, "Come in!"

Luna pushed open the door to reveal her sister, sitting lazily on her top-rate bed. No papers were in sight, they were all hidden quickly away when she had approached. Puttong on her best poker face, Luna stepped forward.

"Luna, I haven't seen you all day!" Her sister smiled cheerfully, and it slowly melted off her face when her sister did not do so much as twitch.

"Celestia, we have important issues to discuss." Luna walked over a took a seat on her sister's bed, not far away but not close either. "Why do you have guards outside my room?"

"Why, they are merely there to keep you safe. I value the protection of my little sister!" Celestia gave her a hollow smile.

"You had no guards on your doors. Do you not value your own existence?"

"Oh Luna, I can handle myself."

"So can I, but you don't seem to think so."

Silence. They sat for a minute in absolute silence, Luna sulking and Celestia's eyes meeting everything but Luna's own eyes. She soon started to mumble again.

"Well...I thought, maybe...you're not used to everything yet, so they could help...you.." Celestia knew it sounded bad right when it came from her mouth.

Luna scowled. "I do not require assistance, especially from ponies who do not wish to be in my presence." Luna could always be depended on to tell the truth, whether it be wanted or not. "And it wouldn't be so bad if you hadn't ordered them to escort me everywhere I go!" Luna exclaimed, getting worked up. "I mean really-"

"They were not with you at my door!" Celestia pointed out, obviously hurt by Luna's accusation. Now she stared intensely at her lunar sister.

"Only because when I got angry they stayed behind so they wouldn't get hurt." Luna raised a hoof as her sister tried to object. "Do not deny it, Celestia, I heard them say so myself."

This put the goddess of the sun into a shocked, sad silence. It took a moment for her to begin speaking again.

"Then I am sorry, Luna, for the way they treated you-"

"Celestia, you do not even trust me yourself."

This made Celestia's anger start boiling over. She fumed, seeming to take on an orange tint, along with her slightly red face. "How dare you say that! You are my sister! Of course I-"

"You post guards by my door to keep other ponies safe. You do not let me get involved in any official matters, and you do not even like me to leave this castle during night time. Celestia, I rule the night! And you forbid me to go out, because I might scare some pony!" Luna stated matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes as Celestia shook her head, especially sense she knew that what she had said was the truth.

"You do not trust me. All because of Nightmare Moon. Everytime anyone looks at me, all they see is a horrible princess who despises them. Maybe they would start if you would start, too?" Luna raised her eyebrows at the suggestion. Celestia stared shamefully at her carpet, wincing under Luna's sharp glare.

"I..Luna, I'm sorry..."

"Stop. We have another, more personally matter to discuss." Luna initiated her magic and tugged the door closed with an aura of blue light. She settled on the other side of the bed, and invited Celestia to face her. Then she brought down her voice to a near whisper.

"Why?" Luna said. Celestia looked confused, and Luna went on. "Why did you do it? What happened that night, one thousand years ago?" Celestia jolted a the question. It seemed like she had been shot by lightning. Painful memories started flashing in her eyes, dancing along with the light of the room.

"I...I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, you're going to have to, since I don't remember any of it."

Celestia gulped, then gave a slight nod of resolution. "You're right," she said in a shaky tone, "You deserve to know."
She began talking in a quiet voice, and this is where the story begins.

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Slender Dash here, and I just want to give you a heads-up about the next two chapters. Celestia tells the story to Luna, with some interruptions. There will usually be some space in-between the story and the interruptions, but just be aware that the story is not in any way bolded or italicized. Also, in the parts of the story where it says you, since Celestia is speaking, she is referring to Luna, not you personally. She is speaking to Luna.

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