Everypony left the room except for the Unicorns as said to. “Well then,” Celestia broke the silence. “Unicorns are known for their wisdom. How true is it about the two of you?”
“Most true it is, but not about me,” Blaze replied, hinting at his classmate.
“Is it so?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Comet replied.
“If so, I would like to ask you to come with me, as I have an important task for you,” Exclaimed the elder sister. Comet nodded, and followed her out of the room.
This is my chance, now I can ask Princess Luna about her return, and what others don’t talk about… But… Should I do it? Blaze pondered, when suddenly the said mare spoke up.
“So, are you excited yet?”
“What do you mean?” The stallion wondered. Thankfully the sisters allowed him and Blossom to talk to them that way, as they were their mother figures, well, stepmothers if you will.
“It’s your first day, and you get to stand aside us… You know what anypony else would give for a chance like this?” She tried to brighten him.
“Unfortunately, too many of them,” Blaze replied, referring those with ill will.
“True… Well… Did you know the Grand Galloping Gala is soon to come again?”
“What? Already? It’s seemed too short for it to come again…”
“Well, it is… However many did I miss during…” She stopped. “Never mind,”
“I don’t know what happened, but I can ask General Onyx later too. I see you don’t want to talk of it,”
“I can tell you later on in private… It’s just… Something nopony talks of most the time… Except at Nightmare Night…” The mare explained.
“I’ll see which one of you can tell me sooner,” Blaze assured her, then Celestia returned alone.
“Ah, Blaze, glad you’re still here,”
“What do you have in mind for me?” He wondered.
“The kitchen had prepared today’s lunch for my school. I want you to accompany the delivering ponies. They are the kitchen staff, not fighters. The reason I need you, is the fact that some ponies find free food charming enough to steal… Besides, I think you can handle this,” She explained, spawning a steel halberd with her magic, giving it to him.
“I’ll do my best, thank you,” Blaze replied, and left for the kitchen with his new polearm. On his was he didn’t see much out of place, except for most of the guards giving him a disapproving look. The heck is their problem? Am I holding it wrong or something? He pondered, grasping it with his left wrist as he walked. I’m not jabbing the blade into the floor tiles, and the blade always looks upwards, so I’m not even swinging it up and down as I go... Eh, screw them… At last he arrived.
“Hello Blaze, we’re good to go,” Said a chef as a greeting.
“H-How did you know?
“You think anypony can just walk around with a tool like yours?” The mare wondered.
“Careful, some might think you meant something else…” He warned her.
“You know good AND well what I meant…”
“Sure you did,” Replied a cook.
“Can we just get going? We still have to make the dinner and we haven’t even seen if we have everything for it…” Pointed out another.
“Sure, you lead the way,” Blaze assured them, and they left off. As they left the castle Blaze had a line of sight on Cobalt at the library. The two greeted one another with a waving hoof. As soon as they entered the streets Blaze put his helmet on using his magic. The kitchen staff walked in lines of two, carrying medium sized boxes on the backs, or with their magic. They arrived with no problem on the way, and entered the school.
“Can I be of any help?” Asked a teacher.
“We brought the lunch,” A cook explained. While so Blaze removed his helmet.
“Ah, I see. This way please,” Exclaimed the Unicorn. Just as her sentence ended the bell rang, and students of all ages flooded the hallways. Blaze was surprised to see so many unicorns at one place, so were the students to see a guard indoors. He followed the cooks as his was meant to, until he ran into his sister.
“Hey, B.B! You here? Let me guess… Princess Celestia asked you of all ponies to keep the cooks in sight?”
“I see you’re well fit to this place regarding a sharp wit…” He replied, complimenting her.
“Well, I guess she also gave you a shiny new toy to play with…” The mare pointed at the shaft.
“I’ll probably have to give it back when we’re done. I don’t mind,” Blaze informed her. The bells rang again.
“Got to go. I’ll see you at home,” She said before leaving.
“And the cooks are just on time…” Blaze replied saying farewells and parted ways.
Blossom trotted into the designated classroom and sat down at her desk. The teacher soon followed, but to her own desk. “Class 1/B, correct?” She pondered.
“Yes miss!” The class replied.
“Good… Prepare your history books and exercise books. Today we take a trip down the past of the royal sisters themselves: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” A mare held up a hoof. “Yes, Flower?”
“Does that mean we will talk about the Nightma-” *Mmm-mmmph!* *MMMPH!” She was silenced by the teacher’s hoof.
“Yes, we are,” She replied. “And to make this day memorable, Princess Luna herself agreed to come and tell us herself!” The teacher continued. The students began to cheer as said mare trotted into the room, at which point they turned to bow down instead.
“Greetings little ponies. I’m pleased to be among you once again,” The mare of the night greeted them. “I’m sure you have many questions, and I will take time to reply to them all at the end. Now, grab your pencils and take notes,” She continued, the turned to the teacher. “I’m sorry for taking over your class,”
“Oh, please, go on,” She replied, moving aside to one of the windows adorned beautifully by colored glass panes.
“Well then. Where shall I begin?” Luna pondered. “Our foal-hood it is…” She cleared her throat and prepared for a long speech. “As all of you, so do… DID we have parents as well. We too were born the way you were. Our parents ruled over Equestria a very long time ago. More time ago than how old we are, needless to say,” At this point she stopped, as a colt had a raised hoof. “Yes?”
“Princess? How old are you?” Asked the colt, soon to be scolded by a classmate.
“Pricky! It’s rude to ask a mare about her age! Let alone a princess!”
“No, no, it’s a very good question… Believe it or not, I myself am more than 35.000 years old! As for Celestia…” She put a hoof to her chin, pondering. “I must say she’s around 45.000-50.000 years. She’s my older sister for a reason,” Then another student raised a hoof. “Go on,”
“I only thought you were 5.000 years old at max! The you two really look younger than that!” Luna took that as a compliment, then looked at another student.
“Yes?”
“That’s a lot! Then I’m sure 1.000 years were nothing on the m-” He was cut short by the teacher, glancing nervously at their guest.
“I know what you meant. I can assure you… Every single moment of it felt like my age multiplied with itself…” She explained on a serious and somewhat saddened tone. “So as I mentioned… Our parents ruled before us. Their names were Queen Galaxia and King Cosmos… They introduced us to what now we call our duty: Raising the Sun and Moon… I even brought a picture of our first sunrise…” She continued, reaching into her saddlebag which she brought along. She found the photograph and passed it to the first student she saw to pass along for all to see.
“You were so adorable!”
“They were beautiful!”
The students reacted positively. They really loved the picture. “This is the last way we can still remember them… If it wasn’t for these pictures, of which my sister has hers as well, we would have long forgotten their faces… Our fondest memories… And their loss…” She added as the picture made its round and got back to her. “Now, I assume you want me to get to the point: The Nightmare Moon Incident… I will, but before that, I must tell you, that my sister got the lion’s share of responsibilities, duties, and with all negative, so did she get most of the positives of our rank… Yes, I was jealous, but hear me out. I felt like a ghost, like I was dead, but something was turning, twisting and moving inside me…”
“Were you pregnant?” Asked a stallion. Everypony chuckled at his question, but he was corrected.
“If only I had been so lucky…” Replied the angel of dusk. “I felt ignored, like I ruled from a silent throne. Nopony took me seriously, tho the crown and chestpiece still adorned me. I was ignored. Ignored as a princess. Ignored as an alicorn. Ignored as a mare… Ignored as a pony… IGNORED AS A LIVING CREATURE!” The anger burst out of her as she tore at the old scar inside. The students leaned away from her in their chairs. She took some time to relax, and continued. “Apologies, as you know, this was soon followed by that fateful day… Just weeks after we liberated the Crystal Empire and banished King Sombra. On that fateful morning I woke up, but things were… Different… Instead of watching in awe as Celestia rose the sun, I kept the curtains shut. I left my bed undone, put my crown, chest piece and hoof guards on, and headed for the throne room. I was fed up, and I’ve been hearing somepony call out to me and talking to me for a while by then. Then…” She stopped, and a drop of tear formed on her face. “I…” “I remember anger, hatred… And the worst of all… I saw everything I’ve done as Nightmare Moon, but had no control over myself. I fought as good as I could to regain control, but by the time I managed… I was on the moon…” Another student lifted a hoof. “Yes?”
“Do you still feel bad for something you didn’t do?”
“I’m sure. I will always be remembered as Nightmare Moon. I will forever remain unforgotten, and unforgiven…” She said, closing her story.
The teacher felt guilty, so she moved the class on. “Right, so, what have you written down so far?” She wondered, walking through the desks. “Nice work class, now we must thank Princess Luna for taking her time to come to us,” She continued.
“Thank you Princess Luna!” Said the class in unison.
“Any time. Now, I must leave,” Said mare replied, and with a flash of blue light, she disappeared. As she did so, she ended up teleporting back to the castle, ending up right in front of Blaze. The two’s noses met, and for a short while they just stared at one another.
“That almost ended badly…” Blaze greeted her.
“And is uncomfortable…” Replied the mare.
“I’ll be going now…” Blaze muttered, to avoid the situation turning awkward. That was too close for comfort… She needs to be more careful with that. I don’t want to end up as a bag of flesh with wings and two horns, but be part alicorn at last. He pondered for a while, then returned to Celestia for his tasks, until his daily shift ended. Blaze put his helmet on his bedside desk and fell face first into it. One day… One day less… He thought before taking a nap, only to be woken up by his sister.
“Blaaaze…”
*Moan*
“Blaze…”
*Snore*
“B.B!”
“WHAT?!”
“Hi! How was your day?”
“I’m tired…”
“Wowzie, that sounds… Exhausting. What did you do?”
“After the lunch? P.E…”
“Well, I brought you today’s curriculum. We actually had Princess Luna come in on class!” She said excited.
“As if you don’t see her every day…” Blaze replied. So that’s where she came from… “Thanks anyway… I’ll look at it later…”
“Later? It’s already near dinner!”
“WHAT?!” Blaze wondered out loud, bolting out the bed and throwing himself on Blossom’s exercise books.
“IT’S AT HISTORY!” She yelled as she walked out the door.
“What?” He asked, poking his head out from among her books and exercise books. Were they having history class all day? He asked in himself, and flipped through each. “Let’s see… Potions and brewing…” He muttered, staring at one. “Sounds interesting,” He opened the exercise book, it’s pages were full… Full of nothing but blank pages. He sighed in relief and looked at another one. Maths.
“Lesson one: Roundup
Basics: Numbers
Numbers are the basics of mathematics. The basic numbers range from 0 to 9. With the combination of these, we can create numbers of larger value, and of multiple characters. Each number had a different value… Blaze folded it shut, and left to have his dinner. After finishing it, he returned to the exercise books, and studied deep into the night.
[End of Chapter 3]