//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Night-Mare Night (A Night in the Life of Princess Luna), Part 2 // Story: The Crown of Night // by Daedalus Aegle //------------------------------// Night-Mare Night in Cambridle was a time rich in tradition and ceremony. It was expected that students would roam the streets clad in their finest vestments, partaking in the ancient rites of studenthood: getting drunk, arguing, and stealing random objects to carry around for the rest of the night and then forget somewhere. It was expected that the many various student societies would set up tents and tables on the campus, proclaiming their existence and competing to capture the hearts and minds of the new students, and the large portion of old students who somehow failed to realize that these societies existed in spite of having seen them do this every year for several years running. It was expected that the vendors of books and writing materials and all the paraphernalia of student life would hawk their wares on the streets, giving out samples of barely edible but very easily prepared foodstuffs for ponies who had never before in their lives had to make a hot meal on their own. It was expected that the professors would trot resolutely from one building to the next in their own ceremonial wear, muttering to themselves about how the student body deteriorated every year that went past and how things were completely different when they were students, all those years ago, a mutter which was meticulously inscribed in the book of traditions and rehearsed as thoroughly as every other part of the immatriculation ceremony. All these things and more were expected. It was not expected that the demigoddess to whom the school was dedicated would drop down in the middle of the street before the Old Hall unannounced, or that she would then raise a hoof and proclaim, "Behold, Cambridle, thy patron!", but in fact that also happened. Luna stood in the middle of a great crowd of ponies, resplendent in their richest finery, looking at her in shock and silence, eyes shifting to the unmarked bottles of grimy fluid many of them carried with them, or to random objects that had been picked up from somewhere they would no doubt not be missed too much. Silence ensued. Luna took another breath. "We have come to partake of the felicitations upon this Night-Mare Night! Rejoice, and be festive! Thy Princess commands it!" Luna smiled as students flocked to her side, bowing and scraping and vying for her attention, and carefully ignored the ones who instead fled the scene to hide their debauchery from her sight. She let empty praise wash over her as she trotted down the gaslit street, watching ponies bow reverently as she passed them. Finally, she thought, now we will be treated to the celebrations this night deserves. "Your highness," a young unicorn whose colors seemed vaguely familiar to her began, "I wonder if I could ask you...?" "What dost thou wonder, young one?" she said, nodding for him to continue. He smiled. "My father was scheduled to speak today in the Day Court, in support of Count Trod's claim to the Acorn Duchy. Has the Princess made her ruling, do you know?" Luna's smile vanished before she could freeze it in place. "Firstly, young colt, there is no "day court" upon Night-Mare Night. Secondly, the Princess who presided over the Night-Mare Court was us, not our sister. And thirdly, in answer to your question, we have not." She was inwardly pleased to note the chilling effect her tone had upon his posture before she turned away to look upon a young mare who was practically shaking with excitement to see the alicorn, and smiled. "What is on your mind, young one?" “I’m, I’m a history student,” she said, her nervous stutter only making Luna smile wider. “I’m reading a history of the Great Reforneightion, and, and—” “And wanted to ask somepony who witnessed it with her own eyes?” Luna finished. The mare nodded with a huge grin and a glint in her eye. “Certainly. The Reforneightion was a time of great upheaval which shaped the course of history centuries hence. What dost thou wish to know?” “I was hoping you could tell me something about the Concordat of Horns?" she asked. "Certainly," Luna said. “At the time, you must understand, the tribes were deeply suspicious of one another, and fearful of dragon attack. The Golden Hoard had swept in across the great fields of the Griffon Empire, and for all anypony knew it was only a matter of time before they advanced into our lands as well. The Papony was losing its power, and could not respond to the threat of invasion, leading to widespread unrest. When I called for the Concordat I hoped that we could put aside—” “Wait,” the mare interrupted. “You called for the Concordat? Wasn’t— wasn't it Celestia?” Luna raised an eyebrow, and continued, her tone a half-note darker. “Nay, it was us. We presided over the great convention in the Dome of St. Muleas. Do your history books not tell it thus?” “Well… the original chroniclers only wrote 'The Princess' or 'Her Immortal Highness', now that I think about it, or list titles in this unreadable, incredibly formal way, but the modern textbooks all say it was Celestia.” “We see,” Luna said coldly, her eyes narrowing. “It has been too long since we followed the work being done here closely. We must attend to this oversight. Prithee, where can I find the scholars who are entrusted with the oversight of our school?” “Oh, well, the faculty are all going to be attending the traditional Night-Mare Night dinner. A few of the students are invited as well.” “They will all be together then? Most excellent. I shall go there, and speak to them forthwith." – – – “Are you sure you want to join me and Ginny at the library tonight?" Turner said, looking over his roommate. "I'm not sure they're terribly keen on you still.” Star Swirl muttered. “Well, I don't have anything else to do until the ceremony, and if I can be on my best library behavior then surely so can they." Turner rolled his eyes. "You know, you really should try to get some other things to do with your time. You spent every waking moment for the past two weeks working on that thing you're wearing." "This thing is a precise replica of the robes of the Yeopony of the Night-Time Hours!" "It's eight hundred years out of fashion, is what it is," Turner said. He sniffed. "At least it's clean." Star Swirl and Turner were both dressed for the occasion. Star Swirl stood straight and proud in his homemade robes: an explosion of anachronisms crafted using only the materials and techniques available in the time of the originals, entirely without modern niceties like buttons or knots. The meticulously regimented design was held together only by its own great weight and the posture of the wearer, and the whole thing was densely decorated with elaborate embroidered patterns and hung with tassels all around. The bulk of the robe was a light beige, with the details and ornamentations in every color of the rainbow. Turner was clad slightly more fashionably in a richly ruffled cyan blue shirt and a black velvet smoking jacket with maroon trim and a matching bowtie, and a sprig of celery tucked behind his ear. Even their gait was wildly different, with Turner practically prancing with excited flair while Star Swirl trotted carefully to prevent his costume from being ruffled out of place. “It’s only what everypony should be wearing on Night-Mare Night,” Star Swirl said. “This is the tradition, everypony else is just pretending.” “Actually everypony else is pointing and laughing,” Turner said. “Which brings me back to what I was saying earlier… You know you really should think about trying to coexist peacefully with the pony race, Star Swirl. Don’t you want to make friends here, go out and do things, perhaps meet a nice young mare? It generally helps if you live in the same century as everypony else.” Star Swirl mumbled something unintelligible underneath his breath. They crossed onto one of the major streets of the town, and noted the rush of ponies running, and excited chattering. The pointing and laughing ceased, as everypony seemed to have something more interesting on their mind. “What’s going on?” Turner said to a passing earth pony mare. She slowed down long enough to turn her head back and yell, “Haven’t you heard? Princess Luna suddenly showed up! She’s down by the Old Hall talking to the crowds!” “What?” Turner asked. “Princess--?” He glanced towards Star Swirl and fell silent. The teenage colt was already in a mad gallop down the street with a look of absolute determination on his face, holding his costume in place with magic as it threatened to fall apart from the force of the motion. “Oh. Oh, damn… Well, this will be interesting,” Turner said quietly to himself before he began cantering down after his roommate. – – – “Princess Luna?” Professor Check Mate said. "Thy eyesight doth not fail thee, professor," Luna said drily. "We have come to partake of the celebrations of Night-Mare Night, and to review some points pertaining to the scholarship performed at our school." "Yes... Well... You must forgive us, your highness, for not being prepared for your visit*," Check Mate said with a somber look. "Had you given us some advance notice..." *: The last time a Princess visited Cambridle unannounced was fifty years previously, and did so only because it was necessary to elude assassins. Beyond that, it had been several centuries since the Princess would visit Cambridle more often than approximately once every decade. "There is no need to repeat our own history back to us, professor," Luna said, and Check Mate visibly grew tense. "We are well aware of when we last visited. As for tonight, our circumstances have been... unusual. We found it necessary to revise our plans at the final moment, and Cambridle is graced with our presence as a result." One of the other professors, a yellow unicorn mare with the silver mane, stepped up in front of Check Mate before he could say anything and spoke through a colossal grin. "Your Highness, we are deeply honored to have you here, and you must attend the Faculty dinner with us!" Her grin was exquisitely artificial, Luna thought, but that in itself meant little. She had met countless officials whose facial expressions were so practised that they were no longer able to express much in the way of genuine emotion, yet they could still feel them. She had gone through that stage herself, many centuries ago, and it had taken her decades to realize it and restore herself to the point of being able to be natural again afterwards. She smiled an entirely genuine gracious smile, and said, "We would be delighted to attend your feast. Lead on." She was quickly led off the streets of Cambridle and into the faculty chambers in a nearby building. Star Swirl and Turner arrived just in time to see the door slammed shut and a large crowd of disappointed students locked outside. – – – "Rotten luck," Turner said, scowling. "Nobody gets invited to the faculty dinner but the professors and a few legacy students. Guess we'll have to wait, maybe she'll be at the ceremony." "I'm going in," Star Swirl said matter-of-factly, and took two steps forward before Turner threw himself on the unicorn and held him back. "Star Swirl," he said in his least joking voice, "I can appreciate your youthful enthusiasm. But if you try to force your way into the faculty dinner, you will be expelled. Not "maybe expelled," not "probably expelled," not "will have to work hard to avoid being expelled," you simply will be kicked out of Cambridle, and then unicorn guardsponies will arrest you and you will be put on trial for criminal mischief and disrupting the peace. As the ruffled shirt is my witness, everything else you've done here, bothering the professors, crashing the entrance exam, even the bit with the Library Hounds, is small fry by comparison. There is just one law in Cambridle which is supreme and ranks above all others, and that is this: you do not mess with the professors over their food. If you do this there won't be any mercy, and no uncertainty. Understand?" "Yes." "Right." Turner thought for a second. "You're going to do it anyway, aren't you?" "Yes." "Of course you are," Turner sighed. "Look... can I at least ask you to try to be subtle about it?" “Subtle?” Star Swirl twisted his head to turn a questioning look on his roommate. “Like Coltysseus' human statue gambit in the Fillyad?” “Yes,” Turner said, having no idea what that meant. “Probably. I have just the plan in mind…” – – – Luna found herself staring at the tapestry hanging on the wall rather than engage the ponies around her in conversation. It depicted some historical incident or other in so vague and artistically enhanced fashion that it was all but impossible to pick out from a dozen candidates. It caught her eye not only because of its prominent place on the wall of the faculty meeting hall in the Tower of Arts, but also because she was on it, soaring majestically in the night sky and inspiring the ponies beneath her to greatness. She studied it closely, standing in a dignified, statuesque posture while she waited for the chaos she had inadvertently created to die down around her. The method of arranging seating at the dinner was convoluted enough to give even the most purebred of Everhold’s nobles a run for their bits. True to tradition, the tables were carefully arranged so that no seat was as good as any other, ensuring that everypony present could know exactly how superior or inferior they were to the others. But while the aristocracy measured their worth in terms of titles, property, war honors, familial proximity to the Princesses, or just how far back into the mists of time the chroniclers could trace their name, the scholars of Cambridle measured theirs in terms of books published, citations accrued, sum in stipends, degrees earned, debates won, and even sometimes with actual ideas that helped change ponies’ lives. The upshot of it was that while at any gathering of nobles the sister of Princess Celestia was guaranteed a seat at the head of the table as a matter of course, these scholars seemed completely unable to decide where to fit her into their already Bitzantine seating plan. Some surreptitious questioning had made clear that Luna, though herself a great sage and witness to history, did not remotely fit into their system, and they were stumped. Still, after fifteen minutes of professors running back and forth like drunk rabbits, they were able to reach an uneasy arrangement. Luna’s attention was torn away from the tapestry, and she was shown to her seat at the head of the table, with the Rector of the Cambridle Academy of Magic on her right, and the Most Senior Professor on her left. The mare three seats to her left levitated her spoon and struck it against her crystal chalice to draw the attention of the assembly, and began speaking in Old Equis, giving a speech invoking the wisdom and discoveries of the ancient sages as a dream, hazy and unclear, but for the brilliant key moments that shine through and are remembered when the night ends, while the rest lies forgotten in the dark. It was beautiful and poetic, and any pony with a love of knowledge and an appreciation for history could be moved to tears by less. It had also very clearly not been intended to be spoken with the Princess of the Night and Ruler of Dreams sitting a few chairs away, and was met with an awkward silence while Luna fought to keep her cheeks from turning red with embarrassment. She sighed with relief once the mare finished, and regular conversation began, giving Luna a distraction from her thoughts. She engaged in pleasant small talk as best she was able, though she struggled slightly to maintain her smile when she was asked about the recent affairs of Court, and let her ears catch glimpses of chatter from across the table. The conversation was magical, literally: the entire faculty were unicorns, and used simple cantrips to converse freely with anypony else without having to worry about where each party was sitting, allowing Luna to give her time to everypony present without difficulty. The talk was polite, respectful, dignified, and in all ways fit for the great sages. It was also stilted, rigid, and distant, entirely without a hint of friendly warmth. Luna knew the form well. It was the kind of talk that said "etiquette demands I talk with you, but that is the only reason I have". Luna gave each pony the minimum of time the laws of courtesy demanded, then moved on to the next, but had found them all much the same. "A spell that turns sand into wet sand? Most charming. We wish thee well in thy pursuits," Luna said to her most recent partner, and moved on to the next. "Greetings—" "—could have give some advance warning, shown some respect to the occasion." Luna was immediately stunned to silence. The gruff voice continued, having apparently not heard her: "I don't know, does she think that we have nothing better to do than entertain bored royalty?" Luna recognized the voice as that of Check Mate. "Perhaps she gets away with this in Everhold," a mare's voice answered back, and sniffed, also apparently unaware that Luna could hear her. "Who dares to say no to a Princess, after all?" "The Night-Mare Night Faculty Dinner takes months of careful preparation," Check Mate muttered darkly. "The most important event on the social calendar,* and she just shows up and throws everything into chaos." *: For all that scholarship prides itself on meritocracy, privilege is an unstated but universal cornerstone of upward mobility also in higher education. For students, being on good terms with the faculty more than doubles your chance of success in the Academy, while for scholars getting to network with the giants of the field ensures your continued career prospects, and the peak time for plotkissing is the Night-Mare Night Faculty Dinner. Luna cut off the magic without a word, and sat silently in shock, not noticing the curious looks the ponies around her gave her as they gradually became aware that she was not conversing with anyone. Wretched insolence...! Luna took deep breaths and struggled to maintain her composure over her growing anger. Clearly I have neglected my school far worse than I suspected, if it has grown so distant from its roots that it would permit ponies with such disrespect for Our Night to rise to high office. No, calm down Luna, perhaps it is only the one professor. He is clearly no gentlecolt, twould be unfair to judge the entire Faculty on the behavior of that one. Perhaps... Perhaps some inquiries are in order. She extended her magic to subtly take in the surface thoughts of the ponies around her: a powerful and difficult magic, and an invasive one, which Luna never used lightly. The first thing she saw was a great love for Cambridle, a great reverence for the school and its founding ideals, and she smiled. She saw its images engraved on the minds of everypony around her. The great stone halls of its buildings, the statues and pictures, the history they represented. She saw fond memories of friends and lovers linked closely to the school, images of students and teachers, nurturing and nurtured, the pursuit of an ennobled spirit and the growth and flowering of pony lives. What she did not see was herself. She looked elsewhere, in the more immediate thoughts of the ponies in the hall. There she was, looming large in the forefront of their minds… but cut off from their larger feelings about the school. Instead, she saw herself as an obstacle, something to be carefully attended to, lest she disrupt the evening further. Further? She stretched her magic out, encompassing their minds… She was quickly overwhelmed with the thoughts and dreams of the ponies of Cambridle, dreams in which she played no role and held no weight. She recoiled, gasping, and let her magic fall as she pulled herself back into her own mind. You act surprised, Luna thought to herself. Chaos and Cosmos, how pathetic you must seem. Of course these ponies have their own lives to deal with. Of course they do not care to spend their time appeasing a selfish pony who ran away from home because she had a bad night. I only wanted to be appreciated. For what? The meal passed without Luna saying another word, and once the final dish had been cleared away the ponies all got up and stretched their legs, and mingled. Before long, Luna was the only pony who remained sitting, deep in thought, her eyes fixed, once again, on her own image upon the tapestry. With a sigh, Luna nodded to herself, then closed her eyes, rose from her seat, and walked out of the hall without saying a word. – – – "Got your false identity ready?" Turner asked. Turner and Star Swirl had penetrated and maneuvered the Tower of Arts using stealth, excuses so audaciously unbelievable that nopony would dare question them, and on a few occasions an elaborate system of pulleys and levers, and were finally approaching the faculty meeting hall with nopony wise to their actions. "Why do I need a false identity?" Star Swirl answered. "It's not a proper wacky scheme if you don't have a false identity," Turner said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Just think of a different name for yourself. You should have changed your clothes too." "That was never going to happen." Turner nodded, conceding the point. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, considering his own suit, another elaborate piece concocted from the mysterious depths of his closet, a mad patchwork of strong colors. "I think I'm gonna be a doctor. I've always wanted to be a doctor." The arched gate leading to the meeting hall was down the corridor in front of them and as they drew near they heard raised voices. "Well damnit, where did she go?" a stern mare's voice demanded. "I don't know! Somewhere else!" a young stallion's voice answered. Turner and Star Swirl glanced at each other a moment, and silently trotted up to look through the partly-opened door. "I don't see what the problem is. She's not going to do anything," a deep voice muttered. Star Swirl glimpsed in and saw two of the senior professors, Check Mate and Ivory Tower, throwing angry looks at one another while half a dozen nervous-looking students milled around them. A dozen other ponies stood scattered around the hall in pairs and threes, deep in discussion. Princess Luna was nowhere to be seen. "Perhaps not tonight," Ivory Tower answered her colleague, scowling. "What about tomorrow, when she tells her sister what happened, after she has cleared her head and spent all night thinking about how the staff of this school grievously insulted her? Do you have any idea what she and her sister could do to us?" "So maybe she was a little upset," Check Mate grumbled. "She'll get over it.* She's a grown mare, apparently." *: Immortal Alicorn Princesses are models of maturity and restraint in all history books that have avoided immolation, deluge, disintegration, or being consigned to the infinite void beyond the bounds of what is known to ponies. Ivory Tower only rolled her eyes. "Looks like the final phase of the scheme is off," Turner said, sighing with disappointment. "It's so rare that a good chance for a wacky scheme comes along." Star Swirl pushed the door open and they entered the hall, drawing the attention of everypony nearby. Ivory Tower looked up hopefully, but returned to scowling once she saw who it was. "Oh, good grief, it's you." "What's going on?" Star Swirl demanded. "Where's Princess Luna?" "She's gone," Ivory Tower said flatly. “What do you mean ‘she’s gone’?” Star Swirl asked. “What do you think I mean?” Ivory Tower answered. She took a step forward, cutting into Star Swirl's personal space, and stared directly into his eyes. "Is there a great breadth of possible interpretation to the phrase 'she's gone', filled with layers of nuance and ambiguity, of which I am not aware? Or are you just being an idiot?" Star Swirl opened his mouth ready to toss out an angry retort when Turner firmly put a hoof on his shoulder and pulled him back, and shook his head. Star Swirl took a deep breath, and said, through gritted teeth, "What happened here, Professor?" "Not that it is any of your business, but as it happens we were enjoying the five hundred and twenty-fourth annual faculty dinner of the Academy of Magic when the night's unexpected visitor suddenly left us without any sign of customary courtesy. It turns out that my colleague," here she glared at Check Mate, who snarled in return, "was unwisely commenting upon our unexpected visitor within her hearing in altogether too honest a fashion, and now she is probably outside somewhere preparing to flatten all of Cambridle in a show of royal grace and forgiveness." When Ivory Tower turned back to face Star Swirl, he was already gone. Star Swirl ran out into the lamp-lit streets, and took off down the first road he passed. Cambridle was filled with students celebrating Night-Mare Night, with music and laughter. Not half an hour ago, the heavens had been crisp and clear, filled with starlight. Now, rain poured relentlessly, and Star Swirl couldn't see more than a few yards ahead of him. He stopped at the first crossroads, stood deep in thought for a second as the rain pelted his robe, then turned and ran down the street, confident he knew exactly where to go. – – – Luna had not gone far, but she had found herself a secluded spot, from which she could barely hear the noise of the school and its traditions, and could still pretend she had some part in it. She sat on the grass and looked up at the statue of herself in the small, enclosed garden. The statue was a figure of strength and honor, a figure that commanded respect. She had only vague memories of the time it had come from, and studied herself closely, attempting to see herself in it: She is so tall... Have I shrunk, or was this the sculptor's imagination taking hold? She looked at its mane. I suppose I may well have worn it in that fashion at some point. Certainly I have changed it a thousand times before and since, but I do not recall ever being so... sharp. Is that my mane at all, or is it a suit of armor? She considered its eyes, and bit her lip, and frowned. The statue looked down upon the world with a piercing gaze that bordered on contempt, that brooked no disagreement and offered no mercy. Did they see me thus? Was I thus? Behind her, a young unicorn clad in a bizarre costume drew up to the gate of the garden. Star Swirl controlled his breathing, slow and deep, ignoring the urge to gasp and groan after running halfway across the city centre. He held back at the sight of the Princess, and waited for his heart to calm down. Then, once he had some dignity again, he would approach her with all the courtesy and respect worthy of a Princess. Anything less would be a deep insult to one who spoke with great dignitaries every night and held the fate of half the world in her hooves. That was the plan. He froze when he saw her lying flat on her stomach in the shadow of the statue, and began to reconsider. She did not look like she wanted the respectful formality of great dignitaries. She looked like she wanted a friend. The sight of her opened the gates for a flood of memories and emotions, and in his head Star Swirl threw away the plan. He had made a promise, long ago. Now he would keep it. He gulped. It was now or never. He stepped forward. "Princess Luna?” he began. Immediately upon hearing the sound Luna sprang gracefully to her hooves, and turned to face the intruder. She gasped momentarily, and immediately collected herself. "My name is-” "Yeopony of the Night-Time Hours!” Luna said, pointing at him with a hoof. "Commendable outfit. Thou even got the tassels right.” “Yes! Exactly! Finally somepony gets the...” Star Swirl cut himself off, shook away the last thought and returned his attention to the princess. "I'm sorry. Actually my name is-” "Star Swirl,” she said calmly, cutting him off. "The young stallion from Edinspur. We remember.” Luna barely recognized the colt she had met one night five years previously. Of course Luna knew that at that age colts have explosive growth, but it still managed to surprise her. She never saw young ponies at the castle, so there were few occasions for her to witness the change herself, and to her immortal mind, the passage of a year might mean no more than a month to an ordinary pony. There was always so much to do, and time passed so quickly. Star Swirl was twice the size he had been, his chubby foal's body had stretched out to a lanky teenager's, and his chin had the first meagre tuft of stallion's stubble. "You've grown," she said simply. "It is... pleasant to see you again." Star Swirl tried to speak, but found his tongue anchored in place, unable to summon a single word in answer. After a few seconds, they could both see an awkward silence stretching out in front of them. Star Swirl glanced around, trying not to stare at the demigoddess standing right in front of him, and reached up to scratch an imaginary itch on the back of his neck. Luna looked down and nervously rubbed the fetlock of one foreleg against the other. After a few seconds that lasted for years, Star Swirl remembered what had been said, and carried on as though nothing had happened. "It's... wonderful to see you again as well, your majesty. Princess Luna." "I am pleased to hear it," she said quietly. She looked up at the cloud-covered skies, allowing the rain to fall on her face, then shook it off. "The view is not so pleasant as last time, and our vantage point is lower, but still... Would you care to join me again?" She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the gigantic grin that immediately conquered his face, and then chuckle as he fought back valiantly against it. Her chuckle escalated into a giggle as Star Swirl tried to give a respectful nod, and almost snapped his neck from the force he put into it. Finally she erupted in a brief but spirited laugh as Star Swirl attempted to bow respectfully, stepped on a low-hanging tassel, and toppled over sideways as it pulled on his neck. Star Swirl carefully stood up again, his face burning with embarassment, but Luna only smiled. "I take it that was a yes?" "Yes, Princess Luna." The Princess nodded. "Be at your ease. 'Tis good that somepony finds my company fit, at least." She froze, and her face fell. "Once again you catch me betraying my dignity. I can only ask your forgiveness." She glanced briefly at Star Swirl's face, and saw none of the disappointment or condemnation she had expected, only concern. "Please don't," he said softly. He sat down beside her. "Do you want to talk about it?" Luna hesitated. "Please?" She and sighed, and looked up at the statue of herself rising up above and before them. Then she began to speak. "Do you know the history of the founding of Cambridle, Star Swirl?" "Yes. I've read the books on the subject in the Cambridle library." Luna nodded. "You know then, that I did not found the school. But I knew those that did, my Yeoponies of the Night-Time Hours. I had taught some of them myself, who went on to teach others, and they dedicated the school to me. Intrigued, I came here to see it for myself shortly afterwards, and was captivated. I would come here often, in those early nights. I took a few private students, and I spoke to every unicorn in Cambridle under the open sky long before the Hall of Understanding was constructed, teaching them the theory of the arcane that my sister and I had discovered, or what our father had taught us. And in return... I was adored. Almost worshipped, by some." She closed her eyes tightly. "I must sound so pathetic," she muttered. "Never have I known such joy as when I saw the understanding flicker in the eyes of a young unicorn filly, or the grin of satisfaction on a colt's face when he mastered his first advanced spell." She sighed. "That was a very long time ago..." "Why did you stop?" Star Swirl asked. "War," Luna said darkly. "I was called away to do battle against the beasts of Tartarus, and when I returned, years later, the school had changed, and the politics and intrigues of Everhold had grown... unruly. I tried to come back, but my opportunities to do so grew fewer, and farther between, and it slipped from my mind. It has been over ten years since last I set hoof here... and then there was tonight." She looked straight ahead, her voice calm, permitting no emotion entry. "I longed for ponies to come join me in celebration on Night-Mare Night," the princess barely whispered. "But when I found them... Have you ever felt alone, Star Swirl, while you are surrounded by others, sitting in the middle of a great and joyful crowd? Have you ever felt that on what should be the very happiest of occasions, you are only pretending to fit in?" "I..." Star Swirl bit his lip. "I'm still used to being alone, your highness. I never spent much time in crowds." "It is the most piercing and bitter loneliness of all," she said. "Believe me, I know, for tonight I have felt all of them in succession." She sighed. "I was foolish to come here... I should have known that there is no place for me here. Night-Mare Night is but a name to them, only words." She rose up, her eyes half-closed, her face carefully expressionless. "Thank you for listening, Star Swirl, and for forgiving my foolish ramblings. But I should not stay where I am not wanted. I will return to Everhold now." Star Swirl watched, his mind racing, as she reared up on her hind legs and spread her wings, prepared to set off, alone, into the sky and disappear once again from his sight. He could see her return to her private chamber, resigned to remain broken and alone forever. "Wait!" he cried, reaching out a hoof. "Please!" She paused, and turned a puzzled eye to him, waiting for him to speak. "Princess..." the unicorn colt began, his heart pounding. "There is so much more in the world than a bunch of useless ponies. Please, don't let them bring you down... Let me show you something." Luna remained as she stood for a second, poised to disappear, watching him carefully. Then, she nodded, and fell back to the ground. Star Swirl looked up at the impenetrable clouds overhead, ignoring the rain that pelted his face. “I think,” he said, “that we need better visibility for starters.” His horn began to shimmer. And then the raindrops turned into light. All around them, the sound of the rain changed. Every tap of a drop striking the grass ended, not with a wet spatter, but with a faint breath, a gust of something moving through the air. Luna spun around quickly, looking all around her, studying the phenomenon. The water was not turning into light, exactly. It was not her sister’s brilliant shine, nothing so sharp, but instead a myriad tiny bursts of soft, soft glow, a brightness that did not shine, but brought out the color of the world, deep and rich in its darkness. Luna gasped. The garden around them was transformed, bathed in an ethereal glamour. Before their eyes it went from being a small carefully-tended courtyard, to a memory of the primordial wilderness brought to life. Every leaf was as an eye, watching from the shadows, every gust of wind the movement of unseen creatures, every flower petal a fang, or claw, or feather of some beautiful creature. But none of it leapt, or struck, or stalked, or fled: only worshipped the ancient, timeless night. The glow on Star Swirl’s horn intensified, and the blanket of color climbed the walls around them. The sound of falling rain faded as the field transforming each drop rose higher into the air, and finally died entirely as the clouds thinned, and vanished. The stars shone down once again, and the Night-Mare Night moon still waited at the peak of the heavens, and… It is not only the contrast, stepping from the clouds and rain into the clear night sky, Luna thought. The stars have not shone so strong in a thousand years. “Star Swirl?” Luna said. “What exactly are you doing?” “This was the first trick I learned here,” Star Swirl said with a satisfied smile. “Transforming water into Luminaireous Pfeiffer.” “Lumin…?” Luna began, then stopped when she realized what he meant. “Star Swirl, Luminiferous Aether is a purely theoretical substance, it has never been proven to even exist!” "Tell that to the ponies who wrote the entrance exam," Star Swirl muttered. He continued channeling magic through his horn until the sky was entirely clear, and the air was alive with shimmering starlight that seemed to hang in place. "It is beautiful," Luna whispered, looking up as a lone tear ran down her left cheek. "All the stars love you, Princess," Star Swirl said. "Perhaps Cambridle also has embraced the sun, but there are still wonderful things that only come out at night." As he spoke, there arose from out of the bushes and flowers of the garden a swarm of tiny lights in all the colors of the rainbow, tiny lanterns surrounded by a glimmering fog of air made light. They flocked around the two ponies, their movements soft and musical. Then, they spread out, and formed a trail leading out of the garden to the street. "Your Majesty," Star Swirl said, and bowed, "Would you care to see Cambridle by night?" Luna smiled. "Very well. But I ask that thou... you, call me Luna." Star Swirl smiled. "As you wish, Luna." The two of them left the garden and the statue of Night-Mare Moon behind, and followed the trail of dancing lights out onto the streets of Cambridle, and once again the Princess gasped at the sight. The gray stone buildings had taken on a dazzling variety of deep colors, traces of ancient paints and other stains that only revealed themselves to the dark light. Luna's attempts to admire the display were interrupted, however, by the other ponies on the street. The ponies who had been feasting in the streets were now silent in shock as they looked about them, or else panicking that the darkness was swallowing them whole. One ran screaming into the night; another recoiled, shrieking in fright, as each shifting shadow made her think something was going to leap out and tear out her throat; by the dozen, they backed up to the gas lanterns lining the streets, which still shed recognizeable light, or else ran inside to hide with their candles and lanterns. "Hmmph," Star Swirl grunted. "This won't do at all." He closed his eyes and charged his horn with magic once again, and one by one the lamps on the streets flickered, and died. Shortly thereafter the candles in the row of houses lining the road did the same. – – – "Well, here it comes," Ivory Tower said, watching from the Tower of Arts as the unearthly haze spread across the town. "We're doomed." Check Mate opened his mouth to speak, but Ivory Tower glared at him and he thought better of it. – – – Turner pushed open the library doors and found the camp on high alert. The librarians were in battle formation, armed with spear-quills and armor-grade bookmarks. The unicorns among them were using their magic to try to force back the aether as it pressed on into the building, but falling back when they saw that nothing they tried had any effect. "Turner!" a mare's voice cried, and the earth pony stallion saw Ginny waving at him. "Get into hiding! It's taking over the city!" Turner only smiled as he cantored up to her and said, "Don't worry about it." He grabbed hold of her and began to swing her around in a dance. "This is a time for celebration! It's Night-Mare Night!" he said, and kissed her deeply as the aether washed over them. – – – Down one street, Summer Petal the gardener tended to his flowers while the revellers screamed and ran madly into the living night all around him. He barely noticed them. His attention was locked on the plants. Summer Petal was no stranger to students of magic engaging in poorly thought-out experiments on his plants. He had seen the grass grow as tall as a pony in the blink of an eye, and shrink again as soon as nopony was looking. He had seen trees pull up their roots up and walk. He had seen bees land on the ground and strike root while flowers flew between them, enveloping one bee at a time before returning to nest in bouquets hanging from the tree branches. He had never seen what he saw now. His flowers were each and every one covered in sharp patterns of lines, or bursts of glowing color as though a painter had taken a slender brush and meticulously contributed to each individual petal and bud. Yet every dap, every line, every touch fit perfectly with what nature had seen fit to show him, and he knew that he was seeing the flowers as the bees saw them, as they knew themselves, as they truly were, and he knew that he had been blessed. As the luminiferous aether thickened all around him, the patterns spread out with it, and he could only look around with a gigantic grin on his face. He began to laugh, a deep roaring belly-laugh that echoed down the streets as the screams faded far away. – – – And that is how Night-Mare Night came to Cambridle. At the end of it all, Star Swirl and Luna found themselves sitting on the roof of the Hall of Understanding, as Princess Luna knew it, or the Old Hall, as it was known to everypony in the school. From there, half of Cambridle town was in view, and into the hills beyond the outer limits of the city, and everything was alive with the flowing, unearthly light. However, their focus was elsewhere. Star Swirl was pouring sweat as he stared down between their bodies with ferocious concentration. He glanced up at the Princess and saw her confident, knowing grin egging him on. "Doth your courage abandon you?" she purred. "And here you were telling me how good you are at this. Be warned, Star Swirl, you never want to leave a mare feeling disappointed..." "Alright, I'll do it!" He gulped, and reached out a leg. Softly, hesitantly, his hoof touched down, and rubbed in a circle. Luna tutted, shaking her head. "'Twas a poor move," Luna said. "Now learn from a more experienced teacher..." Her hoof made contact, and she nodded for Star Swirl to follow. He did so, then Luna again, then Star Swirl, then Luna once again, with a gesture of absolute finality. "I declare victory!" she laughed. "Bow before your Princess!" Star Swirl looked at the intricate grid of marked and unmarked squares on the roof tile between them "Seven in a row... This can't be possible..." "I have had centuries to perfect my mastery of Naughts and Crosses, thou boastful young jackanape." Luna smiled at her triumph, and wiped the tile clean with a brush of magic. She chuckled to herself at the sight of the young unicorn grimacing in shock, trying to comprehend how he had been beaten. He looked up at her, showing her a vicious frown. It softened, and turned into a smile. Slowly, both of them were overcome with uncontrollable laughter which seemed to go on for hours. At length Star Swirl was able to draw a deep breath, and not immediately erupt in more laugher. He wiped tears from his eyes and looked at Luna, and was transfixed. Every trace of sorrow and caution was gone, every hint that she was wearing a mask of formality to protect herself or to live up to her obligations was washed away. Luna could not remember the last time she had simply been so happy. Neither of them spoke for a long time, but by silent agreement only sat and watched as Night-Mare Night rested upon the land, whispering to everypony across the world, whether they listened or not, of timeless wonders and a world filled with discoveries unlike anything that could be seen under the sun. After a long time, Luna sighed. My night is drawing to an end, she thought. I suppose I must return to Everhold. She looked up to the heavens to find the bearing towards her home, and froze. There were the stars, and once again she felt that they were trying to tell her something, trying to draw her attention to the young colt by her side. But why? What could he be, that is so important? A memory came to her of the first time they met. What were his words? "I want to go see the world, do great things, and be somepony". What potential is in him? Luna felt her blood run cold as the stars, and the earth, and the heavens, whispered the answer: Everything. "Star Swirl?" she said. "Yes, Luna?" "For a long time now, something has been weighing heavily upon my mind..." she said quietly. "A premonition of something terrible, some great calamity upon the horizon. I don't know what. And I don't know when. But I fear that if I cannot discover it in time, then whatever it is it will simply overwhelm us, and crush all of ponykind when it comes." She turned to face the unicorn. "Would you like to help me try to uncover it, and avert it?" His eyes lit up with glee, thoughts and images rushed through his mind: Star Swirl, savior of ponykind, a figure of myth and legend, his name on everypony's lips, known to all as the protector of the world, standing alongside an immortal Alicorn Princess. He leapt to his hooves. "Yes! Yes! Your highness, of course!" Luna took a step back from the sheer energy of his response. He noticed, and bowed, doing his best to calm himself. "What do you want me to do?" "For now – learn, and prepare," she said. "You have unusual magical power, Star Swirl, but I would see you master it. Will you stay here at Cambridle, and study, as you had intended?" "I – yes, Princess Luna," he said, but reluctantly. "A full study takes seven years. What if it comes before then?" "This premonition has been on my mind for many years already, and yet it has become no clearer to me," Luna said, placing a hoof on Star Swirl's shoulder. "I think we must prepare well, rather than charge in haste. Will you do this?" Star Swirl nodded. "Good... Thank you, once again, for everything." She sighed deeply. "My night is drawing to an end... I must return home, to Everhold. My sister will be worried for me." Star Swirl grumbled an "aww" of disappointment, and looked at her with big, pleading eyes. She gave a small, dignified chuckle, then leaned in and gave a small peck on the colt's cheek. "I had a lovely time, Star Swirl. Thank you." Then she got up on her hind legs, spread her wings wide, and with a single mighty beat of her wings rose up into the air. Star Swirl watched her as she set off into the night, her dark silhouette clearly visible against the vivid starlit sky. His mind was scrambled and fuzzy, feeling the mark on his cheek. Only after several minutes did he regain sufficient focus to notice the shimmer at the edge of his vision, and as he looked around he found himself sensing that every star in the heavens was watching him intently. Help her. His breath caught in his throat as an image entered his mind, of pain and destruction. At the center of it lay the Princess of the Night, covered in blood, tears running down her face. Save her. And then it was gone.