Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 15: Duality

Moona had just portaled herself into Celestia. She was by the Lunarium Academy, outside of the Dragon Keep. She took a moment to look out at her ship, recalling some distant memories. "Would you be proud of me...father...?" She thought to herself. She shook her head, removing such thoughts from her mind. She turned around to go on her way, only to stop when she saw someone staring at her. It was Lady. "Moona..." She said, "Ah, yes, that is my name. Is there something I can help you with, miss...?" Moona stopped herself, awaiting Lady's name, "...Lady..." Lady answered, "Your name is 'Lady?'" Moona asked. Lady nodded, a blank expression on her face. She walked up to Moona, looking down at her. "You're..." She stopped herself, her expression still unreadable, "...Short?" Moona finished her sentence, causing her to recoil, "I was going to say 'a fine princess,' but that works too." Lady said, "A fine princess, huh? Well, I am the Heir to Dragonfire. It comes naturally, really." Moona responded. A fine princess she may have been, but humble she was not. A slight smile crossed Lady's face. "What brings you to Celestia?" She asked, "Oh, you know...unlocking ancient artifacts, creating world peace...the usual." Moona answered. Lady's expression darkened. "...And today?" She asked, "Honestly...? I just want to go for a walk. I could just walk around my mountain...but I want a change of scenery." Moona answered. Lady's eyes lit up, or so it seemed. "Would you like to walk with me?" She asked, "Well, I won't say no to such lovely company." Moona answered. Lady's slight smile returned. "I know a nice spot here in the city. Why don't I show you?" She asked, "Sure thing. Lead the way." Moona answered. Lady did exactly that, though she made sure to stay close enough that they were practically walking side by side. 

"So, Lady..." Moona said, looking at her...peculiar attire. She was wearing a large bone necklace, which looked like some kind of voodoo totem. "What's with the necklace?" Moona asked, "Ah, it was given to me when I helped settle a dispute between the Pixies." Lady answered, "The Pixies? They sure do have a lot of disputes, don't they?" Moona asked, "Mhm. Though this one was rather big. It was steering them toward war." Lady answered. Moona's interest was piqued. "What was the dispute, exactly?" She asked, "The Light Pixies were struggling to accept the dark magic used by Shadow Pixies. So they began to outlaw it, as a Light Pixie was in charge of the Kingdom. The Shadow Pixies didn't like having their culture outlawed, so they got into a lot of disputes. But the Light Pixies didn't want to stop outlawing their magic." Lady answered, "They were angered by such a matter? Why would they allow that to jeopardize peace?" Moona asked, "The Light Pixies were forcing them into a mold. They didn't want to lose their culture just to appease them. They didn't want to change their rules and lifestyle just to maintain peace with a group that was clearly biased against them." Lady answered, "Hmm...and how did you resolve this dispute?" Moona asked, "I convinced both sides to live not as one, but as two separate Kingdoms coinciding peacefully. Peace cannot be obtained by forcing two opposites to become one. It must be obtained by learning to coexist with one another." Lady answered, "But for how long will that peace last? The core of the dispute still remains. The Shadow Pixies are still using dark magic. How long before the Light Pixies decide to try and stop it again? If the world could just agree on one set of rules, and live under one banner, then war wouldn't even be a possibility..." Moona said. 

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. There have been countless Kingdoms that thought the same thing, yet they all crumbled from within. There will always be people who want to live by their own rules and culture. Perhaps there is a better way to create peace than by forcing people to live under the same banner." Lady responded. Moona was in thought for a moment, though she ultimately struggled to find a response. "Where is all of this coming from? Did she invite me on a walk just to tell me this? No...I brought up the necklace to begin with." She thought to herself. Her brow furrowed as she thought deeper on the subject. "I like your emerald." Lady said, "Huh?" Moona asked. She snapped out of her thoughts, looking up into Lady's eyes. "Your emerald. It's pretty." Lady said, "Ah, thank you. My friends and I all have different gemstones. It sounds...kinda cheesy, I know. But it connects us, no matter where we are." Moona responded, "That's sweet..." Lady said. Moona looked her up and down, her eyes landing on the Gnome hat she was still wearing. "Do your friends wear abnormally tall hats too, or is that just you?" She asked, "Well...one of them used to wear an oversized Witch hat." Lady answered, "An oversized Witch hat, huh? Was she actually a Witch, or did she just wear it for fun?" Moona asked, "She was one of the greatest Witches ever..." Lady answered. For a moment, regret flashed in Lady's eyes. "'Was' one of the greatest, huh? Maybe I shouldn't push this too far..." Moona thought to herself. With that thought in mind, Moona looked forward. "So...where are we going?" She asked, "We're almost there. You'll see." Lady answered, "You're quite mysterious, aren't you?" Moona asked, "I can be, sometimes..." Lady answered. Moona let out a small laugh. "Well...I do like a bit of mystery." She said.