//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 
// Story: Ursae Majoris: Eternal Knight 
// by Draconaes 
//------------------------------//

Notes: In the universe of this story, I have the events of Luna Eclipsed occurring before the events of Boast Busters. I know of no concrete contradictions caused by this, and a few minor details can be easily reinterpreted to allow this. This allows Twilight to personally know Princess Luna, and for Luna to have a better grasp of modern Equestrian language.

Chapter 9
******

Luna yawned, trying to shake off her fatigue. She should have been resting for several hours still. And yet, here she was, awake at noon, trying to save Equestria. She wondered how Celestia never appeared tired.

She had been woken by a sudden... sensation? 'As good a word as any, I suppose.' Luna and Celestia were both connected to an aura of magical energies that engulfed the planet. It was this aura that they used to control the Sun and the Moon. Something had entered it within the past hour. She could sense a strange distortion, in the general area of the Everfree Forest. It was not a creature of immense magical power. Or at least, it was not just that. Detecting unique, magical entities such as an alicorn was easy.

This distortion was different, however. It was less a source of magic and more of a mirror; the difference between a lightning bug and a piece of glitter. As such, she could not tell anything about the entity, beyond that it was capable of... reflecting? absorbing? 'A thousand years and still Celestia's pet scholars leave us wanting for appropriate magical terminology. We should allocate more funding to magic research, I think.'

The point remained: there was a new, unknown entity or entities in Equestria, with the dangerous property of being difficult to detect by magic. The only reason she even felt it was by the indirect distortions it created, which didn't provide much in the way of useful information. She had just spent the past hour desperately attempting every spell and trick at her disposal to identify the new entity remotely, each of them failing predictably.

There was something about the distortion that felt familiar. It was vague, like a distant dream or a forgotten memory. Luna frowned as she recalled the terrible price she had paid for her actions a thousand years ago. 'It could be that I had some critical information that could help me! Is this because of my transformation? Did the elements do this? Is it simply the consequence of a thousand year exile? By the stars, I wish I could remember...' The worst part of losing so many memories was that she couldn't always tell if what she could remember was real or not.

Luna finally opened her eyes. An outside observer might have assumed she had only just woken up, if they had been watching her. Ignoring the hypothetical stalkers crowding her room, Luna donned her regalia and prepared to visit the library. There was no way she could get back to sleep today, so she might as well learn what should could about aura anomalies. She should probably inform Celestia: given the fact that she obviously did not know yet, the entity was obviously tied to the night in a some way.

But... if it was a creature of the night, didn't that make it her responsibility? Shouldn't she be the one to handle it? She was just as capable as Celestia, after all. As co-ruler... er... that is to say, co-steward of Equestria, she had every right and responsibility to solve this issue herself. She decided she wouldn't worry Celestia, at least not yet. 'It would not do to startle our citizens unnecessarily. If our efforts prove futile, or the problem reveals itself to be a great threat, Celestia shall be the first to be informed.'

Her posture one of resolve, Luna began the trek from her room to the library.

******

"Aether, do you seek to insult me?" Nyx removed her blade from his neck and tossed it aside. Aether struggled to regain his footing while dismissing his magic sword.

"I seek to prevent insult."

"Then why do you constantly surrender the advantage when we spar?"

"I could not bear to let you suffer the humiliation of defeat." Nyx bared her teeth.

"Your condescending actions are a humiliation of their own." She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the arena with her. No longer protected by the soundproofed walls, and surrounded by other officials, Aether wisely kept his words to himself. A tall female wearing the robes of a High Instructor intercepted them before they could leave the commons that surrounded the arena.

"Well fought Nyx. Your skill at manipulating the field is sure to lead the Escape to the glory it deserves."

Nyx hissed at her. "Your words are you greatest weapon, Syn. I'd advise you keep them sheathed for our true enemies."

"Your advice is, as always, welcome. I sometimes wonder if we should not declare you the sole High Instructor."

Nyx was getting tired of dealing with her veiled insults. "Where's your pet?"

"Isn't he yours? I recall you were fond of calling him "Night's Knight". You always did love your word games."

"If you would rather withhold information regarding critical agents-"

"Peace. He is on assignment, as you well know. Why would I have any reason to instruct him otherwise?"

"You wouldn't, if you valued our cause. Don't. I know what you are going to say. You accuse me of word games, yet you mask criticisms behind compliments. I don't trust you fully. There is no need for subtlety on this point. Prove yourself by continuing to aid the Escape, don't waste your effort trying to influence my opinion of you. Leave us now."

To her credit, Syn dipped her head and retreated. Nyx dragged Aether after her, leaving the commons. Aether beat her to speaking first. "You come so close to mistakes. You skirt the edge of failure so closely that I fear you may fall over it without warning. I couldn't endure such an occurrence, Nyx."

"Giving ammunition to Syn by letting me win our duels seems an odd display of loyalty. It is difficult enough dealing with the null-generation without your input."

Aether bristled. "If working to maintain your perfection is counter to your aims, then I am opposed to them. I will not allow your image to be tarnished, at any cost. While politically... crude... I agree with Syn's implication that you are the ultimate leader of the Escape. I appreciate your efforts to maintain fairness, but I feel I must maintain your level of influence. This includes maintaining your image as perfect. I cannot allow another, even myself, to appear more capable than you. It would be a hindrance to our goals, which we have worked towards for thousands of years."

"... I suppose my own pride is secondary, then? Fine. At the least, try to throw a duel less obviously, next time." Nyx looked at a nearby clock. She had to meet with Thanatos soon. She let go of Aether's arm and turned to face him. "We will continue this discussion later. Perhaps a... private duel, is in order. I'll meet you in your quarters in 6 hours. Remember, Syn is a skilled rival. I don't want you providing any ammunition to her, so avoid her whenever you can without being obvious about it. I trust your abilities in this matter." She turned and left.

Aether watched her disappear down a side corridor. 'At any cost...'