//------------------------------// // Night // Story: Nocturnality // by Kotushk Fier //------------------------------// {Tonight is beautiful. The night sky is clear, without a single cloud, and the stars are in pristine shining condition. I could even see The Aeternam, a constellation honoring the father of the princesses, who controlled time. The Eternal was revered, although not seen since his sleep cycle began over 6,000 years earlier. I looked for the constellation honoring their mother, The Caeli Continuum, but it was not visible tonight. She often disappeared when journeying through her domain far from Equestria, but it was still a disappointment for one of the two to be missing. The Aeternam only appeared every ten years, while The Caeli Continuum was sporadic and random. But when the two shone together... Such magnificent beauty...} I averted my eyes from the night sky, checking the path before me. It wouldn't be the first time I stumbled into another pony while stargazing, in fact it was a running joke among my peers. I just couldn't stay still when staring at the vast expanse of stars, and I always found new angles to study them from. Speaking of studying... tonight was the night I was to spend with Lu- buck buck buck, PRINCESS LUNA, and I needed to focus on the studies, not my own rampant emotions. I knew my feelings, which was good, as I could prevent any surprise uprisings that might ruin our relationship. Tonight, I was student. The next night would be the same. And the night after that. I would always be her student, but at least I could be close to her. I began to walk along my path once more, which was surprisingly light on traffic. Sure, it was dark already, but this was a main throughfare, usually teeming with large amounts of other ponies on romantic walks. Huh, I guess tonight seemed like a good night to stay inside. Humming lightly in my throat, I began to trot down the path, exercising my muscles. I made sure to keep my workout light, to prevent perspiration. It wouldn't do to appear before royalty sweaty and out of breath. Soon I saw the vast walls of the Canterlot Castle looming over the forest path, the white walls rising high into the sky, almost seeming to reach for the heavens from this angle. The door I was entering was a private entrance, used only by students of the teachers and servants, in order to keep more common ponies from disturbing the Princesses. Anyone with a request went through another door which led directly to the court hall, while supplies were airlifted by pegasi to the upper floors housing the kitchens. It was a strange design for a castle, but efficient as it let smoke from cooking vent easier. I was almost at the door when it opened up, revealing two guards, a black unicorn and a white pegasus. The Night and Day Guard. I bowed respectfully to them, and reaching with my magic into my saddlebag I procured my letter granting passage into the castle. After skimming the letter twice, the guards moved aside to escort me to my destination. I walked between the two, who kept quiet, which allowed me to examine the castle's interior at my leisure. We passed through the Hero's Hall first, with its stained glass windows depicting scenes from Equestrian history. The first Fall of Discord was the second of the images, following after the Creation by Caeli and Aeternam. I studied the rendition of Princess Luna carefully, watching as she and her sister harnessed the Elements of Harmony to entomb Discord in stone. This marked the fall of Chaos, when ponies would kill each other without rhyme or reason, when the sun and stars would shine and disappear at a glance, and the time when life was difficult because of the lack of friendship between the pony races. We continued through the hall somewhat slowly, soaking the images into our heads, and keeping hushed in the face of such hallowed scenes. We eventually passed into the Art Hall. This hall was filled with exquisite paintings from artists such as Pablo Ponisco, Ponytello, Jean Hay, and Poni-angelo. The ceiling itself was personally painted by Poni-angelo over 400 years ago, and yet still remained vibrant. After the painting showcase, we came to the musical anthology, featuring many great classical artists. I was reading the dates of the artists when I came upon a surprise. Two ponies at the end of the list, Octavia and DJ Pon3, were yet still alive. It was a prestigious title indeed to be alive when your name was transcribed on any art wall, and I was impressed. We eventually made our way from the Art Hall, and turned onto a stairwell leading upwards towards the Princess' private quarters, where my lessons were to begin. Eventually I fell into remembering that night again, zoning into the night I first met Princess Luna. "Well, that is certainly an interesting daydream, Novalis. But I'm afraid that such thoughts would interfere with our lessons tonight." I was jerked back to awareness by HER voice. Looking up in fear, I found Princess Luna staring dryly at me, a disapproving frown on her face. I immediately dropped to a bow, apologizing profusely. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me, please forgive me, your Highness." "It is alright this time, Novalis, as long as you remember your place here tonight. We will begin your lessons when you have cooled your head. Oh, and for the record, that is a lovely suit. It really compliments your eyes, which are very strange, but not in a bad way." I looked up as she returned into her bedroom, leaving me in the antechamber outside of it that I had no recollection of entering in the first place. I examined the room, as an attempt to calm my nerves. Apparently the rumors of her being able to dreamwalk, or read other ponies' dreams, were true. I shook my head, ashamed that our first meeting since that night started so badly. Looking around, I noticed the furniture was all made of sequoia, an ancient tree that didn't grow in many places, and was therefore very expensive. The room had light blue drapes over the windows, the same color as Princess Luna's mane when it wasn't energized. The east wall was covered with a massive bookcase, showcasing ancient tomes of the celestial heavens that were so rare they were likely not found outside this room. Her west wall was a great bay window, with the drapes held to the side to allow the perfect full moon's light to shine through. I had entered through the south wall, and the north wall was the wall leading to her bedroom. I patiently waited for about fifteen minutes before tentatively calling out. "Princess Luna? I'm calm now, and ready to begin my class whenever you wish." "Very well," she said as she emerged from the shadows of her room, "we will start with what you know of the moon."