//------------------------------// // A Most Alarming Discovery // Story: Least Faithful Student // by Dexter Helix //------------------------------// Author's Note for new readers: I started writing this shortly after the end of Season 2, based on the canon available at that time. Since the start of Season 3, a few of the hypotheses I developed regarding the way Equestria functions have been invalidated by new canon. Don't worry, I'm not quitting the story. Depending on the way the season ends, I may or may not be able to alter the fic to bring it in line with the new information, but I might not actually do so, regardless of whether or not it's possible. I plan to finish this story as though Season 3 never happened. That's not to say I don't like Season 3. It was a great experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. I have been exceptionally busy with school and work, and the story is really starting to hit its most intense moments. I want to make sure everything is as good as possible and perfectly internally consistent before I publish it. Thanks for your all your understanding and support! And now, our featured presentation; "Princess Luna!" Twilight shouted as she rounded the corner, levitating a stack of books over her head, "Do you have a minute?" She slid across the stone floor and dropped the books to the ground with an echoing thud, diverting Luna's attention away from the pair of unicorn guards she was briefing. "Oh, Twilight, what a pleasant surprise. How may I be of assistance?" "I just have a few quick questions about Equestrian history." "Can it not wait until my sister's return? She'll only be away for another week. You are her student, after all; it seems imprudent for me to interfere." "Please!" "Alright, but please make haste. I have many responsibilities to take care of in my sister's stead." "I was going through the history wing of the Canterlot Library, and I found this strange old book in the back of one of the shelves." The young unicorn magically unbound the stack, lifted an aged tome from the top, and passed it to the princess. Luna inspected it carefully, flipping through the pages. "It's very thorough, but there are some differences, especially when it talks about things that happened over a thousand years ago." "Oh, how do you mean?" "In the section on Hearth's Warming Eve, for instance, the story is basically the same, but all the names are different. When you look at the individual biographies, all of them died at—" Twilight stopped short as Luna's normally stoic expression faded into a worried glare. Luna dismissed the guards, shut the door, and moved much closer to Twilight, speaking in a low whisper. "Where did you say you found this book?" "In Celestia's library... The history wing." "Have you told anyone else about this?" "Did I... Did I do something wrong?" "No Twilight, but you mustn't let anyone else see that book. Take it home and destroy it. Now." A pair of pegasus guards walked into the room, causing Luna to recoil from Twilight and speak with much greater volume. "As we were saying Twilight, we simply can't recall anything about that. Perhaps you may ask my sister when she returns. For now, you should return to your home. Your chariot has been waiting for you for several hours now." Twilight turned to see the two pegasi leering at her. "Sorry," she said, with a nervous laugh. On the ride home, Twilight barely spoke. Spike was blathering on about something he felt was important, but she barely caught a word of it; she was too deeply lost in thought. Why was this book different from all the others she had ever read? What did it mean that they all died on the same day? She knew that year was important... Why can't Luna talk about it? The Princess seemed so nervous — she even referred to herself as we, an antiquated mannerism she had almost completely done away with over the last few years. Should she even dare to ask Celestia? "Twilight!" The dragon prodded her urgently. "We've been on the ground for 2 minutes now, and I'm tired. Can we please go home?" The pegasi pulling the carriage looked even more frustrated than before. They were supposed to be done for the day hours ago. "I'm so sorry!" she said as she jumped out of the carriage. Hardly a second later, the pair took off at full speed, nearly clipping another pegasus in their ascent. Once home, she quickly tucked Spike in for the night, lit a candle, and proceeded to open the book, blatantly ignoring Luna's advice. If there was something new to learn, she needed to know it, no matter what anyone else said. She was surprised to find that her bookmark had been moved; instead of returning her to the point where she left off, she had been directed to the chapter on the old Lunar Palace. It must be important; Luna must have meant for her to see this! Twilight began reading the section carefully, taking notes as she went along. She would not miss out on whatever clue was waiting there for her. She fought to stay awake late into the night, her head seeming to grow heavier with each passing minute, her eyelids drooping. Perhaps she could rest her eyes for a minute. Just... a... minute... Rays of sunlight sprawled across Twilight's desk, warming her cheek. Her candle was burned down into a tiny pool of wax, a puddle of drool sprawled across the page under her mouth, and her inkwell had fallen off the desk, leaving a large stain on the wood flooring. In the oft-insightful haze between sleeping and wakefulness, Twilight had a revelation. Luna didn't want her to simply learn about the palace, Luna wanted her to go there! After spending a brief moment triumphantly skipping around the room, she noticed the mess she had made during the night. She frantically blotted at the page with a towel, desperate to save it. Fortunately, the book was unscathed, aside from a few blurred words and a mottled illustration. She blew out what was left of the candle, and decided the floor could wait, as she began preparing for her journey. The commotion interrupted her young assistant's slumber. "Where are we headed today?" Spike asked Twilight, stretching. "It'll just be me today, Spike. I need you to stay here for me." "Alright, where are you going?" "Into the Everfree Forest. I need to do some research." "Don't you think it's dangerous to go there alone?" Twilight looked down at the ground. She knew it would be risky, but Luna told her not to tell anyone else about the book. "I'll be fine," she reassured Spike, "I won't even be going that far in." Spike glared at her skeptically. "I can take care of myself, don't worry about it." She continued, scouring the shelves. "Looking for this?" Spike asked sarcastically, handing her a copy of 'Dangerous Flora and Fauna of Everfree Forest,' which she promptly tucked into her saddlebag, blushing. "You have got to be the only pony in Equestria who packs books to prepare for a nature hike." Twilight exited her library and made haste for the forest. She tried to be as discrete as possible, to avoid being seen. Not even thirty seconds away from the edge of the forest, a sky-blue pegasus swooped down to greet her with something between a tackle and a hug. The unicorn jumped in panic and struggled for a second before realizing what had happened. "Hey Twilight, you okay?" asked Rainbow Dash, "You seem a little on-edge." "I'm fine, you just... scared me, that's all." Rainbow Dash popped back into the air and landed with a bounce in her step, smiling brightly. "So what are you up to? Goin' into the Everfree forest? I'm up for an adventure!" "Oh... uh..." Twilight gave a quick glance to her left side, then made eye contact with Rainbow once again. "Yes, you can come along if you'd like," she added with a smirk, "I'm going to be sitting very quietly in one place for several hours, taking notes on the behavior of a very rare beetle. I might not even see one. It's really exciting!" "I'd love to come along, but... uh..." Rainbow Dash replied, rubbing her left arm with her hoof, "I just remembered I've got some weather work to do! And I promised Pinkie we'd hang out later. Maybe some other time?" "Oh, sure, no problem. See you later!" "See ya!" She said, as she shot back up into the sky, trying to look busy among the clouds. As Twilight stepped into the forest, she looked back one last time, and thought she saw Dash watching her. It wouldn't matter; once she started moving through the forest, the canopy would conceal her path. After about an hour of trotting at a reasonable pace, she came upon the old Lunar palace. Twilight stepped into the ruined palace for the second time in her life, and really took a moment to appreciate the beauty of it. Despite its deterioration, the architecture was quite rich and regal, and the statues throughout the chambers were quite beautiful. It seemed as though some effort had been made to repair the palace since her last visit, shards of glass removed from the floor, cracking pillars repaired. Yet, the princess was nowhere to be found. She searched the entire palace grounds before finally coming to the throne room. Twilight remembered this room well. After all, this was the place where she discovered her connection with the elements, where she had discovered the true meaning of friendship, and where she and her friends had saved Luna from her dark powers. This room had changed dramatically. Whereas the other chambers had seen some light repair, the throne room was completely rebuilt. Lovely tapestries and stained-glass lined the walls, and every bit of the structure was flawless. Aside from the apparent lunar theme, it was nearly indistinguishable from Celestia's throne room. If Twilight was to expect the princess to arrive anywhere, it would be here. She waited patiently for hours, continuing to read the old book. Eventually, the sun set, and the darkness of night fell over the forest. With a bright flash of magic, Luna appeared in the center of the room, her attention immediately drawn to the purple unicorn in her presence. "Twilight! Pursuant to your absence last night, I was worried you were not going to come." "Why here, princess?" Twilight asked. Luna lowered her head. "If I am to answer any more questions, you must swear an oath to secrecy. Everything I teach you will remain between the two of us." "What do you mean, Princess?" "You must promise me you will not share any of what I am about to tell you! Not with anyone. Not my sister, or the other Elements, or anypony else." "Okay..." Twilight slunk back a little bit, glancing around the room nervously. "I swear. I have to know what's going on." Luna's ears twitched anxiously as she replied. "We are here— because this palace is the only place in Equestria that she cannot watch." "Who?" "My sister. She is constantly monitoring us all. While she is away, she cannot see any of it directly, but her spies will report to her on her return. This is the only building on the land that I can be sure is free of her prying eyes. Now, I believe you had some questions? My answers will be dismal, and at times, hard to accept, but I believe that you of all ponies are ready to hear the truth. Where shall we begin?" "Why was that book different from all the other history books I've ever read? Did all of them really die on the same day?" "In a sense, yes. All six of them died at the very same moment, to be exact. That was one-thousand-six-hundred and eighty-seven years ago." "Isn't that about the same time that you and Celest—" "It was exactly the same time. My sister and I inherited the throne from them, along with three of the Elements of Harmony each." Twilight looked on in shock at the Moon goddess. "Did you— Does that mean—" "No. Not exactly. You see, Celestia and I... We weren't..." Luna looked around the room. "We didn't exist before then. Those six ponies sacrificed themselves, willingly, to make us. In a sense, they live on inside us, so you could technically make the case that... Their death was our fault. But we did not murder them." The two ponies stood there for a moment in silence. "But why? Why doesn't Celestia want anyone to know this?" "There are many reasons... but it is partly because of what happened just over a thousand years ago." "When you became Nightmare Moon?" "That story is much more complex than the version which has been told for a thousand Nightmare Nights. We don't know if we should tell you. It would change the way you see Celestia dramatically." "Please tell me, Princess. I have to know." Luna bowed her head and clenched her eyes tight. After a ten second pause, she once again made eye contact with Twilight. "You must understand— I would normally not see it fit to inform you of these affairs. It is Celestia's business when... and even if, you should learn what I am about to tell you. However, there are certain pressing matters at hand which may necessitate advanced studies on your part. First, I must tell you what I know of how the Elements work. To be honest, neither Celestia nor I fully understand them. I believe I know some things my sister doesn't, and I know for certain that she knows things I do not." Luna paused for a moment, to look around the room cautiously, and then continued speaking, "As you are aware, the elements bind to six friends who best represent them. The group is always composed the same way. Two unicorns, two earth ponies, and two pegasi; this is not a coincidence." Twilight's attention was directed to a stained glass pane depicting her friends wielding the elements. "Royal ponies, like Celestia, Cadence, and myself, bear the qualities of all three races. The elements choose this configuration to ensure that all three races are equally represented." "So... My friends and I..." "You were supposed to succeed my sister and I as rulers. The elements are programmed to repeat this cycle every thousand years." "But Celestia has ruled for—" "Twice that time." "So how does Nightmare Moon come into this?" "If we were to be replaced, we wouldn't be able to just gracefully step aside. The coronation process would mean our return to mortality, and consequentially, our imminent death. I was ready, but Celestia..." Luna trailed off. "She was scared?" "You could say that..." "So how did she stop it from happening?" "Oh, she did much more than just stop it. I'm sure you remember how Celestia sealed me within the Moon?" "With the Elements of Harmony, of course." "But the elements had already passed on to the second six. She got them back." "What? How?" "I'm not sure. She somehow sabotaged the coronation process. When the second six sacrificed themselves, all of the Elements possessed Celestia, rather than forming two new princesses. She acquired an incredible amount of unbridled power in the process, more than anyone should ever have. As the months went by, she grew increasingly intransigent and irascible. She would do the most awful things, and I couldn't get her to see reason. It was a very brief, and very dark, period of Equestrian history. Without any Elements to empower me, I had no hope of stopping her, so I did the only thing I could think of. I took on another element." "There is another element?" "Many of them. You could almost say that they are the mirror image of the Elements of Harmony. You experienced one yourself when you faced Discord. They are very unstable, and tend to operate according to their own will, but... hypothetically, a willful unicorn could take control over one. I was foolish enough to think that I would be strong enough to control it. It manipulated me, and forced me to become much worse than Celestia had ever been. Luna crossed the room before continuing. "Still, the Element and I were incredibly powerful, and we had a common goal. Between the immense raw power provided by the Element, and my incredible talent for channeling magic, we had the capacity to defeat my sister, but she foresaw our attack. Instead of facing us head on in what she knew would be a losing battle, she set a trap. I would spend the next thousand years on the Moon, battling internally with the Element. The ordeal of sealing me in the Moon forced Celestia to contemplate all the wrong she had done, and doing so filled her with such remorse that she was no longer able to bear the Elements of Harmony. After that, they lied dormant, awaiting the third six." Twilight just stared at the ground, scraping a tile with her hoof. "If not for my constant struggle, the Element would have escaped the Moon hundreds of years ago. Eternal night would have destroyed almost all forms of life in Equestria. So I fought it, every day, for a millennium... Finally, the day of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration was upon us, and you and the other five bearers finally met. The moment I felt that, I stopped fighting. I broke the seal that had been holding me in the Moon, and I overtook Celestia. Without the support of the Elements of Harmony, Celestia hardly had enough strength to keep the Sun from crashing into the planet. There was nothing more she could do. If she allowed the Sun to continue its orbit, it would surely have crashed into the Moon, destroying both objects, resulting in the death of every living thing on the planet. The Element I was bound to gave me the strength to hold the Moon in place, and carry on with whatever else I wished to do. One of the most important matters I had to attend to was meeting you, Twilight." Twilight suddenly looked up at the princess, wide-eyed. "Me? Why?" "Because, I could tell that you were even more powerful than I was. Take it as a sign of great respect, coming from a former Element of Magic." "You were the..." "Of course. I was taught by Starswirl himself. But you, without proper training, were able to defeat me, just as I expected you to. If you are to reach your full potential, I should be the one to teach you. But Celestia won't have it." "Does she plan to use us, like she did the second six?" "My sister does not talk to me about these things often, it is a subject of great discomfort for us both. On the night of my return, she apologized to me, and promised not to make the same mistakes again... I know not exactly what she means. We have both changed dramatically over the last millennium." "Can you teach me... in secret?" "I thought you'd never ask." Luna responded, smiling. The princess rose to her feet, walked to the back of the throne room, and approached a huge door, much like the one Celestia used to secure the Elements of Harmony. With a touch of her horn, the lock clicked, and the huge stone panels slid open. Unlike Celestia's door, however, the concealed region was not a small room, but rather, a passageway. An impossibly long passageway. As the corridor was magically illuminated, it became apparent that the walls were lined with rows and rows of books. The hallway grew longer and longer with more light, and as the two mares walked in, Twilight could see that this was only one row of many. Bat ponies flew among the high shelves, sorting and shuffling books. The grandeur of the place was almost too much for Twilight to bear. She ran through some rough calculations, and approximated that the room contained more books than she had seen in her entire life. Her heart raced with excitement. "How can all this possibly fit inside the castle?" Luna giggled. "It doesn't. Come, have a look." The princess gestured for Twilight to follow her around one of the shelves, across the room to a grand window, lined with telescopes and other scientific instruments. The stars appeared brighter than Twilight had ever seen them, but they were hardly the key feature of the night sky from this vantage point. Hanging in the night air was a massive globe, portraying the features of the planet. Twilight marveled over the detail of the model. She felt a strange awe creep over her— it was almost as if she were looking at the planet itself from some impossible altitude. As she approached the window, the ground became visible to her. The horizon felt unnaturally close, and the ground itself was a barren, dusty grey surface, pitted with craters. Twilight jumped back, eyes wide with revelation, as she finally realized where she was. "Welcome to the Lunar Library, Twilight Sparkle. We have a copy of nearly every book ever written, books containing knowledge forbidden throughout Equestria, and the only known unabridged history of Equestria. Celestia doesn't know of this place, so it was untouched during the NightMare Purge." "It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen..." "If you swear to keep it a secret, you may return here as often as you like, so long as you are sure to arrive and depart only under cover of nightfall." "I think I'll be here every night." "Good," Luna replied, beaming, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. You may stay for a few more hours tonight; it is of utmost importance that we discuss spells you may use to conceal your journey." "Thank you, Princess." "Please... call me Luna." Twilight spent hours reviewing teleportation-obfuscating spells and pouring over ancient texts. Once her time there had expired, Twilight thanked the princess about twenty more times before exiting the palace, and ran home as fast as she could. Her mind was reeling over all the new facts she had learned, and the entire world seemed like a different place, in light of all the new information. Before long, she was back in Ponyville, in the dead of night. She didn't need to sneak any longer, everyone was asleep, of course. Except Spike, apparently... Why were the library lights still on? Twilight opened the door wide. "SPI—" "Twilight!" Her five best friends were all standing in the middle of the room, packed for an expedition. "We were so worried about you, sugarcube! "Yeah, when Dashie told us how far into the Everfree forest you were going, and you had been gone this long, we figured you must have been hurt!" "I... Kinda followed you all the way to that rickety rope bridge... Heh." "Rainbow! You shouldn't... I mean, thanks for worrying about me, but I was totally fine! The Everfree forest is not even that dangerous. I had a pretty boring time, actually." "Did you get to see any, um, beetles?" "No, Fluttershy, not today." "We're just so glad you're okay." Twilight spent some time with her friends and helped them unwind before sending them home for the night. It was surprisingly easy to keep her new knowledge a secret. Although it felt a little dishonest to hide it, she didn't feel any need to share what she had been told— not yet anyway. Not a minute passed after she lay back on the pillows that she drifted asleep, to dream of books, of course.