Luna swept down and across her own starry skies as the quieted activity of Canterlot teemed below her hooves.
Wearied eyes darting through the overhead view she had of the capital streets, she paid no heed to much of the motion-blurred lights and sights; instead, she was on her own search for a certain pony, one that was also an alicorn as well as a princess, as the hierarchy of the kingdom unofficially decreed. Such a rule did beg the question of what would happen if a new alicorn were to make an unexpected appearance, but unofficial is quite different from official. Besides, questions of what-if politics were quite unimportant to her at the moment.
The nightly Princess cut a straight path over the roofs of the homes and businesses that would require numerous turns and angles had she been on the ground. Any residents looking up at the time would behold the unusual sight of one of their princesses flying overhead alone and without any guards, much less a chariot. If asked, however, the answer would have simply been that she was in a hurry. The last thing she needed was to chase a train to Ponyville.
Luna set down with a light tap of her embellished, royal horseshoes at the city limit, the probable location of the train station. She spied a few train cars taking a brief respite after making a journey from elsewhere in the kingdom, possibly even further, but they gave her no relief. The train to Ponyville could very well be one of these or not at all. A few surprised passerby’s gave a start at her sudden appearance, but she didn’t let them distract her. Her gazed danced around the premises.
There she is, Luna thought as she spotted a mass of lavender approaching the station. She broke into a collected trot to meet the other’s then, taking a breath and an exhale after, she spoke aloud, “Princess Twilight.”
The addressee looked up in a hurry born of un-expectation. Confirming that the voice she heard did indeed belong to the pony she thought it was, she cocked her head as her surprise morphed into inquiry. Having not anticipated anyone in her trip back to her town, the Princess of the Night was a most curious encounter. “Princess Luna,” she said matching the formality. The two were already friends, but a certain amount of tradition and up keeping of public image were to be upheld in front of the masses, however much the current onlookers contrasted the label. “What brings you by?”
Luna glanced around for a moment, subconsciously counting the amount of pairs of eyes upon her. At the moment, more than one was too many. “I have some… news regarding recent events. However, it would be best to discuss them in a less heard place.”
Twilight’s eyes followed a path similar to Luna’s. She nodded as she got the hint, saying, “Alright. Why don’t we fly? We can make our way to the castle if needed.” The fellow alicorn agreed, and they took off with gusts of winds billowing outwards from their launching points off the pavement.
The much more recently crowned princess eyed a wary question to Luna. Multiple, in fact. First and foremost being just what had transpired in the not-even-an-hour since she had left Celestia, then followed by what could be so important that she had personally flown out to see her. So, Twilight thought, what better way to get answers than to ask? “Luna?” she started, this time dropping the formalities. Habit urged her to use the title despite their relations, but she knew Luna would just tell her to not worry about it. “What’s going on? Is it about…?” She trailed off, realizing this might actually be unrelated to a certain human, however unlikely.
“Ryan?” Luna answered, “Yes, that would be it. Shortly after you left, my sister and I had a talk. Basically, we discussed what you discussed with her… and a bit more.” Twilight raised an eyebrow as Luna continued, “For now, everything is going to remain as is until further considerations are made. You said you were going to research the gateway?”
“That’s right,” she answered, “I want to see if I can find a way to make it work for us. Open and close it easily, as it were.”
Luna nodded, however unnoticed it went in mid-flight. “That’s good to hear. Knowing you, you’ll find a way.”
Twilight gave a small blush at the praise. Honestly, she thought, does everyone think I’m that good? Her brevity was short, however, as the seriousness of the subject brought her back down from her perch. “If nothing’s going to change yet, then may I ask what it is you were going to tell me?”
There was a silence, only punctuated by the whistling of passing wind, as Luna merely gazed ahead for a time. Twilight looked at her uncertainly for a moment, wondering if she did something wrong in asking. Of course, her mind argued, if Luna wanted to tell her anyways, then there shouldn’t be a reason for a problem. Finally, there came an answer: “I’ll admit that our talk, my sister and mine’s that is, only occurred because I eavesdropped on yours. I’m sorry for doing so, but I do believe it worked out that way for the better.”
“It’s… alright,” Twilight answered a tad awkwardly. That makes two princesses that had apologized to her within an hour—more than a number of years combined. Luna began to descend towards a high balcony of the castle; Twilight followed, setting down next to her and taking a moment to view the entirety of Canterlot below them.
Luna continued, seeing Twilight was waiting. “Celestia told me a story, a true story,” she began, “And I feel it would be best if you heard it as well.” Twilight just looked onward expectantly, inquiringly. “You remember when she met Ryan, yes?”
“Yeah,” Twilight agreed cocking her head at the sudden change in subject, “It was just today, after all.”
“The history aside, what stood out to you about it?” she prompted.
The answer came to her instantly. “She seemed, well, cold. Like this was just some affair she didn’t want to deal with.”
Luna pursed her lips as she looked off the balcony for a thoughtful moment. “That may not be far from the truth…” she commented, then added before Twilight could respond, “Please, I’ll explain it to you. Just give me a moment to collect everything.”
The lavender alicorn nodded slowly after a moment. Luna still hadn’t truly answered her question—just giving vague hints at most, but she would be patient. If this was as important as she’d said, then it was the least she could do. Thinking over the meeting Luna had brought up, she realized she didn’t actually have an answer to the oddness of her former teacher’s earlier attitude beyond an excuse that only succeeded to fail in explaining anything worthwhile. To be honest, she hadn’t pushed the issue as much as she might have had in another situation, but the issue of Ryan held greater priority.
“Alright,” Luna said, “You’ve already heard her story of the noble’s unprepared invasion, but that wasn’t the only event that transpired because of him...
“As you know, there was a period of time after his second arrival when my sister and her advisors were searching for a proper way to close the gate after declaring its closure. Fitting the Crystal Heart to the niche came quickly, but it still needed time to be properly adjusted as to make sure it worked properly, if not fail at all. In this time, the gate was guarded staunchly and access to it strictly forbidden, as you might imagine. However, the issue of whether invaders more would come through still persisted. The noble was being temporarily detained, but his absence would surely not go unnoticed, especially if he had brought news of our world to his world. The last thing we needed was a much larger force knocking at our door. Care to take a guess what happened next?”
Twilight stared up, mouth slightly agape in interest as she took in the story. Any other day, she would’ve loved a new history lesson. “Well, they already increased the guard force… but the problem asks if that would be enough… so they would have to know if anything actually was coming to the gate?”
“That’s right,” Luna answered, “Thus, a small group of ponies, almost entirely pegasi who could more easily stay out of sight and move quickly, were assembled as a scouting group to go through the gate for periods of time until it could be closed.”
“Alright,” Twilight said, nodding her head, “You said it was almost entirely pegasi. Who were the other ones?”
“Other one,” she corrected, “It was just one. A unicorn. Her role wasn’t to keep an eye out, rather, it was to support the pegasi with her magic. She was selected because she was one of the most able magic users of her time, aside from my sister. She kept a multitude of spells cast and running on the rest of the members such as invisibility, teleportation, and so on.”
“That’s pretty impressive,” Twilight commented, “I’d have trouble doing just those two constantly, let alone on multiple targets.”
“Indeed. I dare say she was one of the most gifted we’ve had until you,” she praised.
Twilight found herself smiling modestly, but dropped back into neutrality as she went back on subject. “What happened next? Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but I have a bad feeling that something went wrong…” She trailed off as she saw Luna’s expression. Her eyes told the rest of the story.
“Yes,” she said, “Something did go wrong… During each of the outings, the pegasi would scout their patrols, usually around the closest settlements and paths through the terrain, while the spell caster would take up a position a ways away from the gate in the nucleus of the scouters’ routes and would provide all the necessary magicks—”
“What happened?” Twilight interjected, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but could you please just tell me what happened? I…”
Luna understood. “Of course. I know I must be rambling by now… It was on one day that the fliers’ patrol was interrupted short as the magic being cast on them suddenly cut off. Following procedure, they all returned to the spot that the unicorn was routinely stationed at. To put it simply, she was gone. Well, the pegasi split into teams, one to search and the other to report back to Equestria. They searched from sunup until sunset.”
“Was she found?” Twilight asked, not liking the approach of the inevitable answer.
“Technically yes,” Luna sighed, “However, it wasn’t her they found. It was her body.” She paused as she expected a gasp or some form of reaction from Twilight. None came. “We don’t know precisely how she died, but it was evident that she was attacked, if the… mangled state of her said anything. As such, she was returned to Equestria for a proper service.”
Twilight remained silent, her gaze dropped to the floor. Luna didn’t push her for a response; she knew Twilight would need to collect her thoughts. Finally, Twilight asked, “What killed her?” Her tone was by the subtlest amount stronger.
Luna sensed the underlying question, so she said, “We don’t know exactly, but it was unlikely to be a human. The gashes on her skin were more akin to claw marks, such as ones from a large predator. Perhaps she was taken by surprise in her concentration or some other unforeseen event entirely; we don’t know how it happened.”
“Oh,” was all Twilight could say. She shook her head to clear it, forcing her heavy thoughts into order out of frazzlement. “This…” she said, “This is why Celestia acted cold to Ryan? As tragic as this is, and I don’t mean to downplay it, but I’m not really seeing a large enough connection.”
“That, Twilight,” Luna said, “Is because I haven’t told you it yet. The unicorn was Celestia’s student.”
Twilight froze, peering up at her elder. As a few choice memories came back to her, she weakly asked, “She was?” She already had heard the answer but some things needed to be heard twice, as it were.
“She was.” Luna said, before suddenly shifting to a curious tone, “Tell me, and I apologize once again for my eavesdropping, but do you recall what Celestia did shortly before you left?”
“Huh?” Twilight said, her head perking up in confusion at another sudden change, “Uh, she wrapped her wing around me… But may I ask what that has to do with this?”
“You may,” she answered, “It has everything to do with this. She was your mentor, but are displays of affection like that normal between a teacher and student?”
“I… don’t know,” she replied, “I guess it depends on the relationship they have.”
Luna asked, “What would you say yours and Celestia’s relationship is?”
“Oh, uh,” she said, grasping for an answer. She’d never truly thought about it in detail. Sure she was her teacher, but she was always so much more. She was someone she could always count on, like a second… “Well,” Twilight said, “Sometimes she’s like a mother to me, to be honest. Not so much recently now that I’ve grown up, but I guess when she hugged me earlier it came out again.”
Luna nodded. “Do you think she has similar feelings for you?”
“I…” She closed her open mouth, a stronger expression making its way onto the stage. “Yes, I think so.”
Luna responded immediately, saying, “Now imagine if those feelings she had were the same ones she had for all her students.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. It only took a moment to make the addition. “You mean—”
“I do.” She looked away, taking a step to peer over the balcony and into the darkened roads over the city below. “My sister, for better or worse, lets herself become attached to her students beyond a teacher-student relationship. If you sometimes feel like she’s a mother, than what does that make you?”
Twilight didn’t answer; they both knew the answer.
“When her student perished, you can only imagine how distraught she became. She was losing her own family. She told me letting her student go was one of the worst mistakes she’d ever made, even if it was her student that wanted to do it. ‘For the safety of her subjects’ she said to herself after the passing, as if to convince herself it was alright…” Luna shook her head, turning back to Twilight, a strong glint in her eye. “When someone is hit by tragedy, one of the things they do is find something to blame, however unjust. Seeing a human was the indirect cause, they became the target as a whole. Humans had killed her student, her mind convinced her.
“That,” she said, “is why she not only is so bent on keeping the gate closed but also why she came off as heartless. I have no doubt that she saw Ryan not as a person, but as one who had taken her daughter.”
Silence rolled in like a foggy cloud across a dawning field. And as it would suggest, it was unopposed. Twilight stared wide-eyed at Luna, who returned with a saddened pair of eyes. The younger alicorn had been thrown for a spin far too many times that day, but only now did she feel the dizziness affecting her. Her emotions had been sent through an Everfree of a curse, her values tested, and now her mentor, whom she looked up to with no equal, was thrown into a new light. She understood fully for the first time just what Celestia thought of her, but also saw that she wasn’t the quintessential pony. She possessed all the faults that everyone else had. She was another pony, just with a bit more to her name. Thus, she was not exempt from unfairness…
“That’s… wrong,” Twilight muttered to the wind.
“Huh?” Luna said, raising an eyebrow.
Twilight focused her gaze on her again. “It’s not fair to Ryan that she did that. I’m not talking about being cold, but just letting prejudice cloud her view.”
Luna nodded. “I know, Twilight. Her actions aren’t excused.”
“But it’s not just that,” she insisted, “It’s completely misguided. Judgmental. As horrible as what happened is, she’s using a past—” She froze, her entire form straightening up as the string pulled. “Past event… to justify… an irrational… belief.” Her mouth hung open for a slight, still waiting for more words to say.
“Twilight?” Luna asked, “Is everything alright?”
Twilight shook her head. “Yeah… I’m just thinking. Need time to think.” Luna cocked her head but dismissed it. Twilight’s thoughts were hers unless otherwise shared. “…Thank you, Luna,” Twilight said, “For telling me this. I do need some time to think, though, if you don’t mind.”
She waved a hoof. “Not at all. I understand this must be jarring to learn, especially after the events of today.”
“Yeah…” She looked around aimlessly for a moment. “May I ask you something? You might not have the answer, but…”
“Go ahead,” she prompted, “I’ll try my best.”
“Why didn’t Celestia tell me this, herself?” she asked, “It’s such a big thing revolving around her, but she’s still in the court room as far as I know.”
Luna stared back, her expression shifting into “unreadable.” Maintaining eye contact, she said, “Because she doesn’t want to. Not yet, at least. As I said, I felt you had to hear this to truly understand the situation.”
“So you told me against her wishes?” Twilight concluded hesitantly.
“Yes, I did,” she answered, “But I will deal with that when it comes. For you, I only ask to be considerate if she decides to tell you herself.”
“…Okay. I’m not sure I agree, but we can’t change what’s already happened.” She spread her wings, pointing away from the castle. “Thanks again, but I need time to just think. Collect my thoughts.”
Luna nodded. “I understand. Farewell, Twilight.”
“Goodbye,” she replied. She looked out to the horizon, not really sure where she would actually go. Ponyville seemed to be her best option, but it was a long flight. There was no doubt that she missed her train, but it seemed of little importance by now. She crouched slightly before takeoff, as she had in so many times of practicing with her wings shortly after gaining them and adjusted her hooves into a proper position. Satisfied, she angled her wings appropriately.
“I’ll see you around,” she said to Luna, “Hopefully on a better occasion next time.” Luna smiled gently in agreement. With a wave her hoof, Twilight looked out for a final time towards the open sky.
Then the earth shook.