//------------------------------//
// Yet More Historical Tangents 
// Story: Behind the Shower Curtain 
// by 6-D Pegasus 
//------------------------------//

"Okay wait wait wait, let me get this straight. Your nation was formed after the leaders of the unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies, beefed over and over, summoning mystical Windigo creatures that covered the entire land in ice and snow. And, after that, they brought their closest advisor with them to try to find better living conditions, ran into each other, beefed again until they got stuck in a cave and frozen. Then, their advisors became friends instead of fighting, and that created this giant 'fire of friendship' that burned away the Windigos and made the leaders friendlier, after which they established Equestria together as one race?"

There was a moment of silence.

"I-, hmmm, I mean, that's a bit of a fast overview, but yes. That's essentially what happened."

Yep, got it all down. Ryan finished checking over his notes and chuckled, twirling a pencil between his fingers. "Wow, you really weren't kidding about Equestria being founded on friendship and harmony. I thought the whole friendship part was just a metaphor for 'mutual compromise', like I usually see it when it pops up with anything in today's world."

"Friendship is much more than just mutual compromise! And I meant it quite literally that the three leaders and each of their advisors became friends following the unification of the tribes, not that they just entered friendlier relations with each other. According to some of our oldest remaining documents of that time period, the six of them began arranging more and more frequent meetups with each other that, while starting out as formal dinners to discuss laws, policies, resource distribution, or other essential areas, soon turned into a gathering of friends. It must've helped that, with the three tribes working together, problems were taken care of much faster. Some of the few remaining accounts by castle servants reported hearing occasional uproars of laughter and giggles from through the closed doors of the 

"Hehe, you know", Ryan said with a chuckle," you're very awfully familiar with your country's ancient history. You said all of what you've just told me in the last..." Ryan snuck a glance at his phone screen. "...thirty minutes, is all from off the top of your head? I mean, most of what I told you about our history was stuff I had to learn in school as well, but once I started studying for my career, there was only so much of it I could keep in my head. I've been reading this off of multiple articles I have up, but you've been reading off of, well, yourself. That's..." Ryan whistled. "...pretty impressive."

"Oh! I- um, thanks!" Ryan could practically hear the blush. "I dunno, I guess history always fascinated me as a filly. I've always loved learning about the actions and thoughts and experiences of the ponies that lived centuries ago, even a millenia ago, when the world was so different than what we have now. Being able to read about all the many tiny moving parts and pieces that would eventually craft the world I live and breathe in now... it's just really special to me."

Ryan cracked a small grin. "Heh, I'm glad there's always someone like you who can appreciate all that. Growing up, all of that seemed real interesting to me, but I couldn't devote much time to any of that due to... a number of things that were going at the time." Ryan looked away. "Eventually, I guess I lost that interest and pivoted more towards things I believed mattered more to my future in the long run."

"...what about now?"

Ryan looked back up to the voice. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't have the time when you were younger because you were so worried about finding what your role in the world would be, right?"

He blinked. "That's... an interesting way to put it. And it was among other things, but yeah, I guess you can say that."

"So what about now? You said you've got your own apartment earlier, so you must have a stable job already. Why don't you explore your history again in your free time?"

Ryan laughed, trailing off near the end. "I... could. But it's been so long since I really bothered with caring, it just feels weird to suddenly care again."

"Hey, there's nothing that says you can't get back into old hobbies! I used to make book forts with Spike when I was a filly, and recently we've started doing it again as a way of livening up when we reorganize the library."

"Haha, that's cute." Ryan chuckled, then sighed. "But you have someone you can do that with, like, so it's more enjoyable and all. I don't really know anyone I can just randomly talk about history with." Besides, I'd probably really weird them out.

Twilight hummed in thought. "You know, I'd be more than happy to exchange more of Equestria's history with yours."

What?

Ryan blinked. "I-, Twilight, I appreciate the thought and all, but I don't thi-"

"Come on, it'll be fun! And exciting too!" Twilight's tone carried such an insane level of passion, it pretty much sent Ryan reeling. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to better understand the culture and history of another distant civilization completely unknown to us! I mean, your voice just happens to pop into my shower curtain, of all ponies?! It's like history is begging to be written!"

"I mean, are you really sure?" Ryan scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "When I was talking earlier about our history, you seemed a bit, mmmm... squeamish?"

"Oh... yeah, that. Sorry about some of my, um, earlier freak outs. I just wasn't expecting your nation's history to be so... so..."

"Violent?" Ryan offered, raising an eyebrow.

"Conflicted. I was gonna say 'conflicted'." 

"Uh huh, sure." Ryan chuckled. "I mean, I don't really blame you either. If I was in your place, I'd probably go a bit green in the face too, just hearing how many wars we've fought in."

"Oh no, it's not really that. Equestria has seen its fair share of wars and conflicts throughout its long history. Granted, not anywhere as much as your 'United States' has experienced in such a... small time span since its conception, but we're no stranger to fighting. It's those... fatality numbers that are a big shock to me."

Ryan hung his head low and laughed dryly. "Ah, yep, that'll do it. I hadn't asked about it earlier cause I wasn't sure if it was possibly a sensitive topic, but does Equestria not lose that many peo-, I mean, ponies, in combat?"

"No! Not even close!" It sounded like Twilight was aghast at just the mere suggestion. "In fact, I don't think there's a single war that Equestria was majorly involved in where we lost more in total than how many of you were killed in your, um, bloodiest battle. Let me check..." Some papers rustled distantly. "The... Battle of Anty-tam?"

"Antietam." Ryan corrected, followed by more rustling paper. "Well, overall, there's a lot worse, I'll talk about those another day... but Antietam I think was the worst single-day one in our history, since it was during a civil war and both sides were Americans in the end. Almost twenty-three thousand casualties from a single day battle, including three and a half thousand dead."

There was a nervous gulp. "Yeah... that one. Three and a half thousand...". Twilight's voice shuddered upon the restatement. "A- anyways, our worst conflict doesn't even come near those numbers. During the few recorded times when Equestria fought a hostile nation, it was rare for any soldiers to actually die in battle. Celestia made sure all unicorns were taught critical healing and defensive spells, while earth ponies and pegasi carried old healing potions that had been en masse imports from trading in the zebra lands. Many ponies did suffer losing some of their limbs or even a bit worse that magic at the time couldn't restore."

Is she actually for real? "Wait, Equestria had all this magic and potions, but focused it on mostly just protection? What did ponies use for, well, attacking?"

"Mainly spears and swords. Pegasi had crossbows too."

"What the he-"

"Shush you, I know what you're about to say." Twilight cut in. "I asked the same thing when I learned about this in Ancient Equestrian History. A thousand years ago, our knowledge of magic and its complexities weren't all there yet, so advancements in magic were made in the most important direction, which Celestia focused towards protection of her ponies. It was only after Equestria had stabilized that a branch of study for magic properly sprouted." Twilight paused. "You said that battle of yours was during a... civil war? What is that?"

Ryan blinked, caught off guard by the sudden query. "Wha- oh, sorry. 'Civil war'? You've never heard of that term?"

"Not that I can remember, no."

"Oh, that's... interesting." For a nation that apparently speaks our language, shares a ton of words, and has an even longer history that mine, that's a big surprise. "Well, it's pretty much a war between people of the same country."

"Oh! Hmm, we've never really had that happen before since the founding of Equestria, maybe that's why no specific term was made for it aside from 'period of internal strife'. We did almost experience one a long time ago, though. You remember my mention of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, right?"

"Mhm." Ryan affirmed, not needing to check his notes for tidbits he'd probably never forget again. "They're the two sisters who rule Equestria together, can move the sun and moon somehow, and are both over a thousand years old. Oh, and they're both alicorns."

"Yep, that's them! A little over a millennia ago, tensions started to rise between the two of them. Princess Luna, the younger of the sisters, slowly grew envious of the praise and attention Princess Celestia received. While they ruled together as equals, Luna always handled the duties of the night, such as guarding the dreams of ponies from nightmares, and watching over the world at night with her moon, ensuring no dark forces attempt to slip in during the cover of night.  Like Celestia, who held court during the day, Luna held a court at night that saw a lot less ponies for obvious reasons, and performed her most important duties at night, so during the day she was rarely seen. She initially never thought anything of it, but soon, it's said she began noticing how ambassadors, delegates, and nobles often slipped up and referred to Celestia as the primary monarch, sometimes forgetting she was even in the room with them."

Twilight paused, which Ryan surmised was her letting him catch up on his notes. His mind drifted a little. Guarding ponies' dreams, huh? I'll make a note to ask about that after this.  He jotted the last bit of short-hand down before clearing his throat. "Alright, I got it down."

"This went on for years upon years." Twilight continued, prompting Ryan to return to note-taking. "What I listed was just speculation from others who were around during that time. The nation was still growing and strife with countless domestic and international instabilities. Celestia was at her wit's end trying to find peace and compromise for early Equestria and ended up... neglecting Luna's rising concerns. I don't fully know what really went on a thousand years ago, but it gradually created a divide between the two sisters that somehow managed to leak onto the citizens of Equestria. Some ponies unhappy with Celestia's policies and rule latched onto this conflict to spark their own movements."

"Movements?" Ryan questioned, still wrapping up a few notes. "Like, did they want to secede or-"

"According to our history books, it was complete chaos." Twilight interrupted quickly, as if anticipating that exact question. "Some wanted to splinter their town off from Equestria, others wanted some proposal or reform passed. Whatever it was, every group pointed to the growing distance between the two princesses as proof that the current system wasn't working. Over time, this rise in riots and protests twisted Luna's envy into harsh disdain, pushing her past her breaking point as the nation was on the verge of collapse. During one summer's day, she raised the moon over the sun and cast the land into the darkness of an eclipse, marking the beginning of the First Long Night. When Celestia confronted her, she refused to lower it and turned to her own dark magics, transforming herself into a wicked creature known as Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon? Again with these names... Ryan added a quick side note abbreviating the unusual name as 'NMM' for future shorthand. 

"Born from all of Luna's inner bitterness, rage, and envy, Nightmare Moon sought only to kill Celestia and attacked her straight away. Within minutes, their castle was almost completely destroyed, and Celestia led her sister to the skies away from the civilian populace. They battled for hours at a standstill until Celestia finally defeated her and reluctantly banished her to the moon for a thousand years. With their primary source of motivation gone, most the rebellions faded out on their own."

Wow... "That's... awful." Ryan scratched the back of his head. "If I got this down right, you said all of this happened around a thousand years ago? And Luna was banished for a thousand years? So... does that mean..."

"If it's what I think it is, then yes." Twilight affirmed. "She returned a little over a year ago in what is now called the Second Long Night, but... eventually, she was not only defeated, but freed from her own corruption. After a bit of recovery and restoration, she's since rejoined Celestia as Princess of the Night and has resumed her old duties once again!"

Ryan blinked. Hmm.. that was quick, I'll have to ask some more details on that later. I don't know if how she was defeated is some sort of secret, but Twilight's been pretty obsessed with her details lately so her skimming over this bit seems off. Ryan looked down his notes to reference something and gawked. "Wait, hold up, you said one of her old duties was to guard ponies' dreams from nightmares? Like, um, how is that supposed to work? Is there some sort of shield she puts over ponies' minds? Or some spell that can give pleasant dreams? Or-"

Twilight cut him off with a giggle. "No, it's not really that straightfoward. She has the unique ability to Dreamwalk, allowing her to view, enter, and even interact with ponies' dreams through the Dreamscape. She can dispel nightmares on a surface level, but she often has to speak with the dreamer themselves to help them resolve whatever inner fears or conflicts are behind the nightmares. The whole thing is really delicate, and she has to stay pretty mindful of each pony's privacy when doing this."

Ryan tapped his pencil to his chin. "That is... actually really sweet. Hmm, you say it like she's the only one who's able to do this. How come you seem so... well-read on all this? Are there any books about Dreamwalking around in your library or something?"

"Pffft, though I'd love that! Maybe I could write one..." Twilight began to trail off. "Anyways, no, there aren't really any books dedicated to what Luna can do with dreams around anywhere actually. A few months ago, I was having a terrible nightmare and she came to dispel it, which I hadn't seen personally before. Once I realized it was really her in my dream, I... mayyyyy or may not have flooded her with all the questions I could think of about how it works. Honestly, I'm surprised she entertained me with that much, I learned more from her that one night than months of me digging around various libraries."

"Hmmm..." Ryan glanced around his room nervously as a thought passed his mind. "So... Luna can enter dreams. Since... we're able to talk to each other now... does that mean she could enter mine?"

There was a long pause. "I... have no idea. You think she could help you with some nightmares you're having?"

"Wha- no!" Ryan sputtered out. "Nonono. I mean, who wouldn't say no to having no nightmares. But I just mean, I can't really control what my mind dreams up, and it could be pretty private and-"

"Ryan, Luna guards the dreams of millions of ponies and has personally entered each of their dreams at least once." Twilight chuckled. "She knows how to keep secrets. With that said, I actually don't know if she could reach dreams from another world, even with an open connection like this. I could wri-, try asking next time I happen to see her, but I don't want her or Princess Celestia catching on to this just yet. Do you... remember seeing her last night?"

Ryan thought long and hard, yet fruitlessly, about the contents of his last dream. "Not that I know of? Though, you know how dreams sort of just slip off your mind once you wake up. For all I know, maybe she did pass by and I just forgot." Ryan slipped a glance back at his front window, where the glow of the streetlights flooded faintly through with the darkness of the coming night. "The sun set about an hour ago here, and I'll have to go to sleep in an hour or two. I'm just... a bit worried about any surprise visitors haha." He paused. "Sunset was an hour ago? Wow, Saturday went by fast."

"Time can move quickly when you're learning!" Ryan blanched. No it does no- "And, well, if it's any reassurance, Luna puts her focus towards ponies who are having nightmares. Even if by some miracle she could detect your dreams, they're among millions of other dreams out there. I don't think she'd notice a single new dream pop up in the whole ocean of them she works with every night, let alone when she's focusing on those with nightmares."

"I, hrmmm... alright." Ryan eventually conceded. "If you say so. I'm still going to keep a look out for her just in case!"

"You sure you can do that? With how dreams tend to work and all?"

"I, um..." Ryan paused and mulled it over. "Probably not. But that doesn't mean I can't try!"

Twilight chuckled. "I guess I can't really stop you." She paused for a moment before speaking again, this time her voice lowered to a whisper. "Sorry, Spike just came back, I have to go again."

"Oh, really?" A brief pang of sadness passed through him. "That's okay, it's getting late anyways. Thanks for today though."

"What for?"

"I..." Ryan hesitated briefly. "I haven't really gotten to talk to someone this much in a really long time. I've missed it more than I realized. So... thanks for talking to me, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

"Awww, Ryan!" Twilight giggled lightheartedly. "You're very welcome! And we'll have even more time to talk tomorrow, right?"

"Hmmm." Ryan thought about it for a moment. "I'll definitely be around, but it might not be as much as today. I have to prepare a bit of a speech I have to give at some meeting on Monday."

"Oh..." Ryan caught a trace of disappointment in her tone. "That's okay! Actually, I'd be happy to help a bit with your speech tomorrow if you want. Not to brag, but I've written quite a lot of speeches for presentations back in school! I am prettyyyy good at them."

Ryan laughed and raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind a little advice, I guess. You sure?"

"Come on, pleaaaaaseeeeee?"

Ryan did a double-take at the shift in energy. Wow's she's suddenly all excited about this. "Alright, alright. Only if there's something I actually need some help with, which there probably will be, not gonna lie."

"Yay!" Ryan chuckled at Twilight's enthusiasm. "This is gonna be-"

"Twilight? What are you doing up there?"

"Eep! I have to go now, I'll be around same time tomorrow!" 

Ryan reeled in surprise. "I-"

Hoof steps followed by a slamming door echoed throughout Ryan's bathroom, cutting him off. He blinked and stood frozen for a few seconds before letting out a quiet laugh. That must have been that Spike dragon she's mentioned. Closing the bathroom door slowly, Ryan peered around his apartment. His eyes fell upon his messy bed and a yawn escaped his mouth. If Twilight says I shouldn't need to worry about her world's nightly princess invading my dreams, then I'll try not to. It's not like I could do anything to stop her anyway. He began reaching for his clothes drawer to get ready for the night, then paused as a thought hit him.

Wow... I really did spend almost the whole day just talking to one person. Or, pony, I guess.

Ryan mulled over it for a while, before gently smiling.

This was a good day.