//------------------------------//
// Moonlit Truth 
// Story: Lessons in the Moonlight 
// by Harmony Split 
//------------------------------//


Chapter nine: Moonlit Truth





I woke up to the suspicious creaking of a wooden bed in the other room. Confused, I cleared the sleep from my eyes before I realized what was going on. Once again. Ears flattening against my head, I buried my face into the pillow, trying to block out the sounds. 

Can’t they just cut it out for a day? Just one?

Seriously, I was starting to think that some words might be just the right thing soon. I had serious doubts that I could go on with those noises much longer. 

Then, just as the creaking of the bed stopped, I heard the moans. Seriously, I had enough. Trying to stand up a little too fast, I lost my balance and smashed muzzle-first onto the floor. I groaned as I forced myself up to my hooves before making my way out of the room and to the one right next to mine.

There was no need for them to say I didn’t knock.

I practically rammed the door in. 

Also, no need to say that what I saw was unexpected. While I had assumed that they were bucking, they were simply sitting on the bed with some cards while Applejack was tickling Rainbow Dash right at the moment.

“What the hay is going on in here? I can hear you from my room!” I shouted, causing them both to stop dead in their tracks.

“Well howdy, Night Glider. Didn’t think y’all would be up this early. We were just playin’ some cards, and Rainbow thought she could cheat!” Applejack chuckled awkwardly, the blush on her face clearly telling me that there was much more behind it than a simple tickling. 

“Since when do you make the bed creak or moan while playing cards?” I asked bluntly. 

“Uh, well…” Rainbow started before turning, which was a rather large mistake on her part. When she turned, I could see a distinct wet spot near her hind legs, making it more than obvious what had been happening.

“You were bucking, just admit it. And please, do it more quietly or go to Rainbow’s place. Or just warn me so I could go get a hotel, seriously. The walls are pretty much paper thin,” I complained in exhaustion.

“Hey, don’t go on to us like that!” Rainbow shouted, “You’re the one bucking Twilight!” she accused, pointing a hoof at me to exaggerate her point.

“I… I buck… WHAT?” I stammered, absolutely flabbergasted.

“You heard me! I saw how you defended her, and that smile you gave her and she returned it! I know that smile! You two are definitely bucking, and you’re not fooling anypony!” Rainbow exclaimed, the hoof that was pointed at me shaking slightly with every exclamation.

“Say what, now?” Applejack asked, her jaw falling slack slightly as the gears visibly began turning in her head.

I stomped my hoof, “Okay, stop it, you two! She’s my mentor and my friend! We’re NOT bucking!”

“But…”

“No buts!” I cut Rainbow off, “I really do like her, but we’re just friends. And we’re definitely not bucking, even if you two are!” I exclaimed, stomping a hoof down to exaggerate my own point.

“Hold yer horses there, sugarcube. We’re sorry, alright?” Applejack piped in quickly, shushing Rainbow when she tried to speak again. 

“Can I get back to sleeping now?” I asked with a long-winded sigh.

“Not tryin’ to be argumentative, but it’s already morning. I thought you were gonna head to Twilight’s early today?” Applejack said, chuckling a little bit as my gaze trailed over to the window. The orange glow from outside confirmed Applejack’s claim, bringing an irate groan to my muzzle. 

“I’ll deal with you later,” I said tiredly before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind me. 

Shaking my head as I walked down the stairs, I only stopped to grab an apple off of the counter in the kitchen on my way out. Despite my interrupted sleep, Applejack was right that I wanted to go see Twilight early. It was the highlight of my day; going to see Twilight. I was starting to wonder how I had managed to live for so long without having that activity in my daily routine, it was starting to feel vital in some way.

Opening the front door and taking a moment to revel in the fresh morning air, I began my journey into town, deciding to walk the distance instead of fly. It gave me enough time to eat my apple and finish clearing the sleep out of my head, as well as push the image of Applejack and Rainbow Dash as far from my mind as possible. Though, that particular task was almost herculean after that morning.

It didn’t take long for my hooves to lead me through the familiar streets, past familiar buildings, past familiar faces who bid me good mornings and hellos. It was strange; I had only been in Ponyville for a few days, but everypony was already treating me like a neighbor. It had started subtly; with a pony here or there waving to me or saying good morning. But after spending so much time there, I was greeted in some way, shape or form by just about everypony that I passed on my way to the castle.

It was heartwarming, to say the least.

And the best part was that it felt perfectly normal, like it was something that I’d been dealing with for my entire life. Good morning welcomes were returned with a smile, waves were mimicked and nods were reflected. It felt like something that just went hoof in hoof with living in Ponyville, even if I was only there for a short while.

By the time I reached the castle, my face had contorted into a pleasant smile and all the bitter thoughts I had before were set out of my mind for the time being. The only thing that really mattered was the fact that Twilight was waiting for me, and my problems were long behind me. I had no doubt that it would be as good a day as ever.

Stopping at the top of the stairs, I raised one of my hooves and knocked on one of the large doors a few times, waiting patiently for an alicorn or a dragon to welcome me. It took a while before the later opened the door.

“Oh, Night Glider. You’re early! Twilight is in the kitchen,” he said, stepping aside to let me in. 

“Thanks, Spike,” I said before moving past him and going directly towards the kitchen.

After just a few steps in the direction of my destination, I noticed two voices. One of them was clearly Twilight’s, one that I could always recognize. But the other, it was familiar, but I couldn’t exactly place where I had heard it before. 

I continued on my way, and was also surprised by some laughter as I entered the kitchen. Twilight sat there with a mug of coffee, laughing and as cute as ever. On the opposite side of her sat Princess Luna.

Twilight visible perked up as she noticed me. “Oh Night Glider! Come in, grab a mug and have a seat,” she offered, standing up to give me a wing hug that I returned before she settled down again. Princess Luna’s ears perked up when Twilight spoke, her eyes shifting towards me. She wore an unreadable mask, though I couldn’t help but feel like she was staring through me and didn’t like what she saw.

Breaking my gaze away from the dark blue alicorn, I gave Twilight an earnest smile and nodded, “Thanks Twilight,” I said before walking over to where the mugs were stored. Their conversation picked up again, though it seemed as though it had gotten more stiff since my arrival.

I quickly filled my mug with coffee and added the necessary milk and sugar before making my way to Twilight’s side and taking a seat. They seemed to be bantering about something mathematical, which I couldn’t have followed even if they were directing it towards me. Equations about some sort of magic or another, if I wasn’t mistaken. Not my forte.

While the two spoke, I found myself zoning out as I sipped at my coffee. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in their conversation; I would have happily listened to Twilight drone on about anything. I just couldn’t really contribute to their conversation about magic when I wasn’t a unicorn, so I was content to sit there and sip at the liquid nectar of the gods until the conversation changed.

If the situation were different, I probably would still be in a bow in the doorway in response to Luna’s presence. After spending so much time with Twilight, though, it just didn’t even occur to me to bow to Luna. It felt like I was walking in on a couple of mares having coffee and chatting, not walking in on two of the leaders of Equestria. 

My attention was pulled away whenever I heard Twilight mention my name.

“So, Luna, this is my new friend, Night Glider. She’s from Starlight Glimmer’s town, and she’s recently become my student. She’s staying in Ponyville for the moment,” she said, introducing me to Luna now that their conversation was over. After a moment, she turned to face me and gestured towards the other alicorn, “And this is Princess Luna, the one who steers the moon and the stars,” she said, offering me a smile.

I looked across the table at Luna and gave her a smile, “Pleased to meet you, Princess Luna,” I said, nodding my head at her in what could barely pass as a bow.

Luna eyed me for a few moments before returning the nod, the mask of indifference she wore making it impossible to tell what she was thinking, “The pleasure is Ours, Night Glider, student of Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice taking on a more formal edge than what she had been using to speak with Twilight.

A beat passed before Luna spoke again, leaning in as she did so, “We must admit, We were quite surprised whenever Our sister informed Us that Twilight would be taking on a student. Though, We are pleased with the results,” she said, giving a gentle smile in my direction before turning her attention to Twilight.

I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but I could swear that she was speaking in a collective. She hadn’t been doing that before I entered the kitchen, so I didn’t know whether it was just a mistake on my part, or if I had done something that made her change her speaking patterns. It was a little unnerving to say the least.

“It’s been interesting,” I replied with a nervous chuckle, “There’s a lot more to friendship than I would have guessed,” I said, fiddling with my mug idly as I spoke. It felt kind of like being under a looking glass, and everything I said was being analyzed. I was almost certain it was just paranoia, but every time that Princess Luna looked at me, it was as if she was looking for something.

Twilight nodded at my response, “She’s been learning at an incredible rate, but there’s a lot to cover. I’m still proud of her, though,” she said, shooting me a smile that made my stomach twist around and my heart flutter in my chest.

A blush crossed my features and I gave a little scoff, “I’ve only been learning so quickly because I have a great teacher. Come on, give yourself some credit,” I replied quickly, trying to brush the compliment off and recover from my flustered state at the same time.

In response, Twilight gave a scoff that mimicked mine and she smacked my side with one of her wings in the gentle manner that she always did. Shaking her head, the grin grew on her lips, “You’re a quick learner, and that’s all there is to it,” she said, the blush that flared up on her cheeks bringing an infectious smile to my muzzle.

We shared a laugh at our own bantering before our attention fell onto Luna. I couldn’t help but notice the quick glances she made, jumping from Twilight to me and then back again. She only spoke after a moment, a tentative smile on her lips, “We are glad that you two are so compatible as student and mentor. Too often have We seen students despising their mentors, and mentors becoming impatient with their students,” she said, giving an accepting nod towards us. At least, I hoped it was accepting.

She examined us for a few moments longer before her head turned to Twilight, focusing on her, “Twilight, I have to talk with you later. In private,” she said, the glance she threw me out of the corner of her eyes was only just barely noticeable.

Is it just me, or did she just change her speech pattern again?

“Of course, Luna,” Twilight replied, her face scrunched in confusion. Maybe she noticed the same thing I did. 

“Tell Us something about you, young Night Glider,” Luna suddenly asked me, her eyes locking onto mine in her typical calculating manner.

“Uh… like what?” I asked, blinking a few times in surprise.

“Where you’re from, or how you met Twilight Sparkle, for example,” she said, her voice suddenly a tad colder, but that could also just have been my imagination. Luna was a very imposing figure to begin with, so I could have just been self-projecting.

I hesitated for a moment, looking over to my side where Twilight was. I wasn’t sure when I had picked up the habit of looking to Twilight for assurance, but the smile she gave me in response boosted my confidence. With a subtle nod of my own, I turned my attention back to Luna and took a breath before beginning.

I recounted the oppression of Starlight Glimmer’s town, how we had all been stripped of everything that had made us unique and then forced to conform to everything she wanted of us. When I was done explaining that, I moved on to how Twilight and her friends had come to the town and saved us, returning our cutie marks and chasing off Starlight Glimmer. When that was over, I moved on to how I had come to find Twilight to teach me more about friendship.

The entire time that I spoke, Luna was silent, the only sign that she was even listening to me was the small nods or nearly imperceptible changes in her facial features in response to this point or that point. I had to figure that she knew most of what I was telling her already, but I was just telling her again from my perspective. Every now and then, Twilight would comment on something or confirm something from my story, but I was the only speaker for the most part.

When I was done with my story, Luna gave a silent nod, a thoughtful look painted on her face for the moment. After a few beats of silence, she spoke up, “That is certainly a tale, Night Glider. We are glad that Twilight was there to help you and your friends,” she said, raising her mug for the first time since I started my story and taking a sip from it in a patient display.

I couldn’t help but to feel that there was something off. It was almost like she was acting carefully around me, wearing a mask of some sorts. Of course, it could have been my imagination, but something was definitely off. What that was, of course, was anypony’s guess. 

Giving a nervous smile, I nodded, “I’m glad that Twilight was there to save the day. Not sure what we would have done if Starlight hadn’t been stopped,” I said, idly fiddling with my mug. Whether Luna was actually analyzing me or if it was just my imagination, I was still generally nervous when it came to talking about what would have happened if Starlight hadn’t been stopped. I’d still be just another pony with no future, no friends.

I felt Twilight’s hoof settle on my shoulder, and took comfort in the familiar weight. Raising my hoof without looking at her, I covered her hoof with my own, a small smile crossing my features as I felt the nerves fall from my mind. Even without words, Twilight was able to make me feel better.

After a moment of sitting like that, Luna cleared her throat and spoke, “While We do find this moment touching, mayhaps We might relocate to the library?” she asked, keeping a formal tone about her. I was inclined to agree with her. After all, the library had become almost a second home to me over the past few days.



***



The day had passed a lot more quickly than I would have thought. We read in the library for a long time, and only broke to have dinner. Twilight and Luna discussed many things, ranging from mathematical equations to theoretics in magic. I was included in some conversations, and others I was more than content to sit out, instead choosing to read my own book while they talked. 

When the sun had been lowered, Luna relocated to one of the higher balconies in the castle, raising the moon and the stars in a style that could only be described as picturesque. Her display had earned a round of applause from Twilight and myself, which was followed by a long discussion about the night sky.

“...and as she cried, her tears crystallized and became the stars, giving her companionship and love where no one else would give it,” I said, waving my hooves in the air as I elaborated on the story about one of the constellations in the sky. All three of us had been trading stories about constellations for a fair amount of time since the moon had been raised, the most entertaining of which always came from Luna.

At my conclusion, Twilight let out a giggle, “That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve heard about the formation of stars yet,” she said, grinning at me for a moment before her eyes turned up towards the sky. I had to laugh in response; Twilight always had such a scientific explanation for the stars, but science was just plain boring. I always thought that it was better to embellish on stories and come up with something entertaining.

Luna hummed in what appeared to be thought for a moment before she cracked a rare smile, “Your knowledge of stories relating to the stars surprises Us, Night Glider. Too few ponies in today’s age are versed in pre-Celestian tales,” she said, casting a look that I hoped to be approval in my direction.

I gave a shrug as I leaned against the balcony railings, “Sometimes I surprise myself, if I’m being honest,” I said, chuckling a little as my eyes turned up towards the constellations above and I began running through stories in my head again. I wasn’t really sure where all the stories came from, but they were there in my head, and they were always entertaining to some degree.

Another hum of thought came from Luna as she nodded in acknowledgement, turning her attention to the distance. The silence was only broken by the sounds of crickets and tree frogs in the distance, filling Ponyville with the sounds of summer, and my obscenely loud and long yawn.

Blinking the resulting tears out of my eyes, I found Twilight staring at me with a look that suggested she was trying her very best not to fall onto the ground laughing, and Luna with a raised eyebrow in amusement. I gave a sheepish smile after a moment, “What? I’m tired,” I said with a chuckle.

With an idle gesture towards the distance, Twilight spoke, “You can go back to the farm if you’re tired, Night Glider. We’ll just meet up again in the morning,” she offered, giving me one of her usual gentle smiles.

A sigh escaped my lips and I shook my head, “Ugh! I don’t want to go back there. I can’t sleep because it’s always so noisy there,” I complained, banging my head against the balcony rails to emphasise my irritation.

A beat passed, and then two, before Twilight finally spoke, “Why don’t you stay here for the night?” she asked, causing my ears to perk up in surprise. I had slept over at the castle before, but Twilight had never actually invited me to stay. It just sort of happened before.

Looking over at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, and stoically ignoring the blush that turned most of her face a cherry red, I spoke, “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude,” I said, fighting off my own blush.

Twilight smiled in response and nodded once, “Of course! You can just use the guest room, you know where it is,” she said enthusiastically. Luna seemed indifferent to the exchange, but I couldn’t help but notice the slight twitch in her right ear as Twilight spoke, something I hadn’t seen her do during the entire day.

Glancing at Luna for the briefest of moments before returning my attention to Twilight, I gave her a thankful smile, “Thanks, Twilight, I appreciate it,” I said contently. Crossing the distance between us, I wrapped her up in a hug with my wings, one that she happily returned.

“It’s no problem,” she replied, nuzzling against me for a moment during the hug before pulling back.

As another yawn wracked me, I quickly walked over to the door and called over my shoulder, “I’ll be heading to bed then. Goodnight, you two!” I said as I stepped into the castle.

“Goodnight, Night Glider!” Twilight called after me, turning to face Luna as I left.


***


If the bed in the guest room Twilight wanted me to stay in was anything to go by, then princesses really had it made. It was like lying on a warm, fluffy cloud, basking in the sunlight of a summer afternoon. Wrapped in the cocoon of blankets and pillows as I was, sleep was pressing into the edges of my mind faster than it had in recent memory. I was almost asleep when I heard the sounds of voices in the hallway.

“You are deluding yourself into believing you can trust her, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice of Luna came, an irritated edge to her voice as the two passed the doorway to the bedroom I was lying in.

“And you’re making a big fuss out of nothing. I don’t get what the problem is, you haven’t even met her before!” Twilight exclaimed in a less-than-quiet manner, the sound of her hoof stomping against the floor echoing through the crystal. I had to wonder if either of them realized that the crystal carried their sounds through the castle as if I were right next to them.

There was a beat before Luna spoke again, “That is precisely the point. I have met her, and I know more about her than you do. I know that she is not to be trusted,” she said, heaving a sigh as if she were finally letting a weight off of her shoulders.

Sitting up in my bed, I found myself more awake than I had been minutes earlier, my ears perked in curiosity as my gaze turned towards the dark crystal of the door. With the moonlight filtering in through the high window, I could see perfectly well in the room, not that there was anything to actually see. I was tempted to get up and tell them that I could hear them, but I was curious to see what they were talking about.

“What are you talking about?” came Twilight’s disbelieving voice, along with the sound of shuffling hooves as she presumably looked around the hallway.

There wasn’t a reply immediately, making me wonder if they had moved on. Shifting on the bed slowly, I gently got to my hooves and crept my way towards the doorway, careful to make no noise as I did so. I only made it to about halfway through the room before I had to stop and listen to the voices as they picked up again.

“She was the Centurion of Nightmare Moon’s forces, the Captain who fought a civil war in the shadows. Your student willingly worked for Nightmare Moon,” Luna’s voice came with a sharp edge, twinged with a tone of what could have been regret.

Twilight laughed, “That’s impossible. That was over a thousand years ago, that pony can’t be Night Glider,” she said, the sounds of her laughter still echoing through the crystal.

I blanched as I stood stock still in the circle of moonlight in the middle of my room. Either Luna was a terrible liar, or she was telling the truth. Either way, I could do nothing but stand still and listen to her response.

“Centurion Night Glider of the Lunar Guard; white of mane and silver of highlight, blue of coat and sapphire of eye. Pegasus. Cutie mark of two feathers outside of a crescent moon,” Luna read out in a methodological voice, as if she were reading out a description from a book, “Accused of no less than thirty eight counts of murder, all of which were of Solar Guards, and one count of high treason. Banished with Nightmare Moon and the survivors of the Lunar Guard,” she concluded, her voice trailing off into silence.

There was no immediate response from Twilight, which left room for Luna to interrupt before she could speak, “Towards the end, I used ancient and forbidden magics to preserve some of my Guard. Friends were in short supply, so I did what I could to hold on to the ones I had,” she said, her voice a tone lower than before, making me strain to hear her, “Night Glider was the Centurion of my forces and…” Luna hesitated for a long time before continuing, “...more, for two hundred years before Nightmare Moon arrived,” she concluded, finally taking a break for Twilight to respond.

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight’s voice shivered, nearly imperceptible. The two voices were silent for a while, the only sounds were of my own heart throbbing in my ears and the blood rushing through my body. When she finally spoke, it sounded further away, like I was hearing it through a body of water, “She said she doesn’t remember anything about her past… Was she lying?” she asked, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.

“I assume so. I do not think that she has changed much since she has returned. She was always a bit… manipulative, I believe the correct term is,” Luna replied, sounding only slightly conflicted through the watery distance I perceived. 

“But why all that acting? I… I thought she was special. I thought that she was different, that she liked me… I… I have to think about this,” came Twilight’s reply before the familiar popping sound of her magic signified her teleporting somewhere, most likely her room.

A sigh came from Luna before the sounds of her hoofsteps lead off, down the hall and towards the stairs. I stopped paying attention when the conversation ended.

I found myself curling up onto my side on the floor in the circle of silvery moonlight, blinded by a mix of tears and the moonlight reflecting into my eyes. I was confused, terrified, and something inside me twisted until I felt like it was going to tear out of my chest and fall onto the floor.

With my rear legs held in my front hooves, I pulled myself into a small circle and let my tears fall, a trail of the warm liquid running from my eyes and pooling onto the hard crystal below. I heard the sound of someone crying through the watery distortion in my ears, echoing around the room and coming from every direction.

I could have sworn it sounded like me.