Tribunal

by Carnifaxy

Chapter 17

“No lines of communication from Las Pegasus. No trains either.” Celestia muttered to herself as she paced around the room.

She could feel the sun begin its descent over the horizon and the time for her to raise the moon. With a deep breath she went out to the balcony and closed her eyes, her senses reaching out. There, that silvery orb bereft of its mistress. She grasped onto it.

Her magical grip slid off of it as Luna's was already there, raising it into the sky. Celestia let out a surprised gasp as her eyes opened and saw her sister there, horn aglow as she performed her duty.

“Good evening sister, it is wonderful to see you again.”

Celestia forcefully yanked Luna into a crushing hug, tears streaming from her eyes.

“Oh dear Luna, what happened?”

“Get us some tea, it is a bit of a story.”

---

Hours after Celestia should have gone to bed she was still awake and alert as she listened to Luna relay the chain of events, ending with her flight back to Equestria. The solar princess set her cup down and her gaze was not one of relief or worry.

She was angry.

“All of this could have been avoided if you protested your innocence early and pushed for an open investigation. Instead, you let things happen, even pushed for them. Why, sister?”

“I'm lost, Celestia,” Luna admitted in a small voice. “I am lost and adrift in this new world I find myself in. Peace has reigned in Equestria for centuries. The griffons have factories and produce wonders on such a scale I never thought possible. Alms and Sage have a son, a son, who rules over the remnants of humanity that we had left to die! I am not a diplomat. I am not an administrator. I am a warrior, a killer. My place belongs on the battlefield, whether that be in the dreamscape scouring nightmares from our subjects or with my hooves soaked in blood.”

Celestia shot up from her seat. “Las Pegasus has been invaded, Baltimare and its surrounding towns are being ransacked, we lost our hold of the Azures and Rainbow Dash almost died in that fight because you feel lost?!”

“You sent Rainbow Dash into a battle? Did you ply on her loyalty, convinced her to risk life and limb when she is simply unprepared for such a struggle?”

“Because you have allowed the griffons to prepare for and push into war!”

“I did not send one of the Elements of Harmony into a potential warzone!”

“The Sonic Rainboom was the only counter possible against the Roc's Cry Luna, you know that!”

“And can you not perform the Rainboom yourself? Could you not simply go and crush Gilda in single combat without issue?”

“I could have if you had come back here sooner instead of deciding to convince the rest of humanity that yes, their gods want them to march to war! It's like Faust has been whispering in your ears!”

Luna slammed her hooves onto the table. “Do NOT say that. I am NOTHING like what she had wanted of us!”

“Bringing all of our rivals into one big battle in hopes we crush them, establish our dominance over the rest of the world? It's exactly what she wanted after we had slain the dragon lords! The Roc has come back too, and if he's back she will no doubt rouse from her slumber and we do not control the Elements anymore!”

Luna took a step back and her ears folded against her head. “We do not know for sure if the Roc's return will herald the others awakening.”

“Oh to Tartarus with that Luna, it's a possibility we need to prepare for, in addition to driving our foes from Equestria!”

A knock on the door interrupted their arguing and Celestia took a moment to work on her mane.

“Yes, come in Sir Roland.”

The knight walked inside, followed closely by Lloyd. The young griffon looked like he should have bedded down a while ago, but still kept pace with his teacher. Both human and griffon bowed before the pair.

“My lady, Princess Luna.”

“Princesses.”

Celestia sat back down and nodded to the pair while Luna looked with her jaw agape.

“Sir Roland... The Solar Knights yet live?”

“Indeed, Princess Luna. Glad am I to meet you hale, whole, and without that corruption in your veins.”

She looked aside and to the ground, avoiding the other three in the room. Her hoof scrapped across the floor.

“Your brother lives as well.”

Roland grimaced. “I should have known. Where is he?”

“He marches with the army from Mana. I placed a geas on him, so that when I was to see him on the field of battle I could slay him properly.”

Lloyd looked up to the older knight and shuffled on his legs a little. “Are you going to face him?”

“I must. As we had so long ago. He is a stain upon our order and must be excised once and for all.”

Celestia poured two more cups of tea for the others as she downed her cup and refilled it. She looked miserably at her sister, who kept avoiding her gaze.

“Cadance and Shining Armor will be going to Appleoosa and Dodge Junction. I shall head to Las Pegasus with Sir Roland.”

“Should I not go to Baltimare, sister?”

Celestia glowered at Luna and shook her head. “You've done enough Luna. You will remain in Canterlot to oversee the government while I clean up your mess.”

An awkward silence passed as the four sat and drank tea.

“At least some good has come from this.” Celestia muttered.

Luna raised a brow. “You see a silver lining in this mire of my creation?”

Celestia nodded and motioned to Roland and Lloyd. “The Solar Knights yet live. Perhaps I could oversee a revival of your Lunar Knights in kind. After all, someone has to keep an eye on you now.”

The moon princess wilted under her sister's accusations. “I will not apologize for my actions. The changelings have been properly dragged into the light. Mankind will not be ignored any longer by us either.”

A sigh came from the elder sister. “I do not expect you to apologize. Yet. You've always been a stubborn one Luna, but this has severely damaged my trust in you.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?”

Roland gently tapped the table. “My lady, your sister, whatever misdeeds she has performed recently, she is not whom I remember all those years ago. The Luna I bore witness to then was far more vicious when accused. More defensive, and quick to pull out a dagger.”

Celestia shook her head and stood up. “I've been up too late. I must rest. Goodnight Luna, Sir Roland, Lloyd.”

They bid her goodnight as she stepped out to head to her room, leaving the three alone until Lloyd tried to suppress a yawn.

“Go sleep. Remember to wash up and pray before bed.”

“Yes Sir Roland.”

With a little salute the griffon walked out.

Roland looked to Luna pensively. “I will not accuse you. Nor shall I forgive you either. Many lives are on the line now. My return would have been enough to push Celestia into action with my people, you did not need to let a war fester and boil up.”

Her cyan eyes met his and she shook her head. “The changelings were going to be desperate and hungry. The griffons were always looking for an excuse for another war. I could have stalled things a while long, certainly. But the changelings would have been scattered across our cities, leeching love from my subjects. The griffons would have continued to strike from over the Fangs, raiding outlying villages.”

“Hmph. So you figured bringing all the potential enemies together would let them be crushed all that much easier then?”

Luna nodded. “Partially. And, I wished to engage in battle once more.”

Roland stroked his beard and frowned in thought. “I'd say that wars aren't won with one big, decisive battle, but the War of the Nightmare ended just like that. Perhaps this one shall be too? You've made quite a mess for your sister, goddess of night.”

“If she had let me stay here to rule while she went to handle that Tribunal business then perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps Agathon wouldn't have been murdered and his adopted heir forced to become queen so soon. Perhaps Chrysalis would have had her head decorating the griffon's throne room. Perhaps Prince Slaar would have fallen for her and not I. But we cannot deal in what ifs and maybes. We deal with what has happened and what will happen.”

“And you wanted this to happen.” Roland said in a calm voice.

She shied away briefly. “Yes. We're both relics of a bygone age, Roland. What would you have done without wars to fight, enemies to face?” Luna brought her face back up to look him in the eye. “Would you have been content to train the next generation of knights in a world that might not need them?”

His shoulders drooped for a moment. “I had considered asking Celestia to release me from my oath, and to then try and court her.”

He saw Luna staring at him in disbelief and he smiled. “Who else in the world could I ever love as much as Celestia? I devoted my entire life to her. Even if she never reciprocated such feelings, the ideal will always be there.”

With an amused sound Luna sipped the remnants of her tea. “She is lucky to have you, Roland. You are one person she can trust absolutely. To think, falling to envy and hate wasn't enough to break her trust, even after the war I plunged Equestria into. Perhaps it was because of our nature that let her forgive me so easily there and not here.”

He shrugged. “I could not say what my lady's thoughts are of all of this. My opinion? Letting misdeeds go on in front of you and not working to fix them or stop them is reprehensible.”

She looked down at the empty tea cup. “I have consigned hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sapient beings to death. All because I cannot find my way in the world I am in. But I cannot sway from my path. I must commit. I already told others to commit to their chosen paths, who am I to try and steer from what I have set out to do?”

“I'll not tell you what to do, princess. It is late and others have gone to sleep, so I should as well. It was good meeting you, Luna. As the real you.”

“Nightmare Moon was the real me too, Roland. As twisted with evil as I was, it was always me and my choices. There was nothing else.”

He looked at her for a moment then nodded as he headed to the door. “I suppose I'm not surprised. Even Celestia had her dark moods at time. Good evening, Princess Luna.”

“Sleep well, Sir Roland.”

Once the door closed she slumped down in her chair and rubbed at her face with her hooves.

---

The moon lit up the sky as Slaar settled down for the evening along with the rest of his army. The journey to Appleoosa and Dodge Junction was taking longer than expected, many of the soldiers having drilled only in the cold afflicted by the windigoes and coming to a desert was a complete shock. Still, the nights were as cold as they were used to, even if the days were far hotter.

Chrysalis had returned with an army. Fighting side by side with the changelings was a challenge for many to try and consider, but with their prince by their side they were sure Slaar would keep them safe.

The dragon and queen watched one another as they had settled in for the evening, neither blinking for a long while.

“I'm sorry.”

Chrysalis kept staring at Slaar.

The dragon shook his head. “I've been a terrible son to you. We've had our arguments and disagreements before, especially when it came down to helping our respective peoples.”

“You tried to kill me.”

He wilted back and looked away from her.

Chrysalis stood up and bared her fangs. “You tried to kill me in Griffdonia. The whole plan was your idea. My servant may have misjudged his aim but that was not my fault nor intention. Then, even after that, you just had to fall in love with one of the pony princesses and cause even more hangups to occur.”

“Chrysalis, moth-”

“Do not finish that word Slaar.”

She shook her head and let out a weary sigh. “I am still helping you, because you need it. Though I do expect you to give thought to letting my people feed from yours for all of this now.”

There was a buzzing of wings and they both looked in confusion as a changeling stumbled in to their shared area.

“General Carapace has fallen!”

Shock passed through the both of them. Slaar's face twisted into confusion.

“What, Carapace?!”

“Carapace? Dead? Impossible!” Chrysalis snarled as she jumped onto her hooves. “He was my personal choice for the mission! He was... he was...”

“I am sorry my queen, he was slain by a pony with an explosive spell. He was in close range.”

The changeling queen stomped her hooves into the sand as she gnashed her teeth. As she fumed a massive wing came down in a comforting manner and she glowered up at Slaar.

Their eyes met and she could feel the sorrow radiating off of him. “I am sorry, mother.”

She tried to choke out curses at him but felt the bitter sting of tears in her eyes.