//------------------------------// // Castle Life II // Story: Student of the Night // by Nadir //------------------------------// The words hung in the air ominously between the two. Twilight shifted in the seat, looking down at her now empty plate and drained goblet. She squirmed uncomfortably, her dress suddenly feeling way too constrictive and much too itchy. Heat flared through her body, her stomach turning over and making her feel decidedly nauseous. Twilight was in way over her head. She breathed in deeply, her heart beating fast. Calm Twilight. Calm. Her analytical mind started to take back over, little by little. Truly, she couldn’t see a point in stressing out about this right now. Her mistress, her Queen, would teach her over time. Her mentor would protect her and explain everything to her. She wouldn’t just leave her stranded. Right? Twilight knew enough of the nobility to know their ferocity, and the power they held over a pony like her. Twilight, obviously enough, was a commoner, and the rights of the nation tended to be skewed towards the nobles rather than the small ponies. Anything higher than a count could essentially do what they wanted with her. Yet, nobles didn’t have free reign. Naturally, anything a commoner couldn’t do a noble couldn’t do either. Yet, the punishments couldn’t be more different. Twilight had seen commoners fight, she’d seen them fight often enough. Sometimes constables would get involved, but many times they wouldn’t. She’d heard what happens when the constables did get involved; hauled off to prison, not a single word in to defend themselves. And the prisons… Twilight had only been near one once, but she could smell it from nigh a block away. Screams weren’t uncommon either, the conditions truly horrific. Not many ponies who went in came out. Or at least, Twilight had heard the rumors. That sort of thing continued on; any crime, no matter how minor, sent a pony like her to jail, perhaps forever. Nopony cared about another lost life, not when the plague already claimed so many. Drugs ran rampant, arrests for them equally so. Rape, assault... any crime a pony could think of. In the upper classes, things were different. Shining’s experience with a noble had been less than pleasant. That single time, he’d seen a noble beat a stallion within an inch of his life. Six constables all watched on, yet not a single one raised a hoof to stop him. The noble walked away without a care, despite plenty of witnesses watching in horror. All because of who he was. Nor was that an isolated event. Twilight heard plenty of stories from maids who worked in nobles’ estates. Every mare who started work as a maid expected to be touched. Your age, your looks, none of that mattered. The skirts were kept short for a reason. Twilight, thankfully, would never be in that sort of position. The threat remained, however. Any noble could beat her if she disagreed. Any noble could touch her if they so wanted. Twilight assumed that Luna could protect her at least some, but even she couldn’t change the court system. No judge that valued his job or his life would rule against one of the ones in power. Twilight had never heard of a judge losing their job over a conviction, but that only happened because no judge ruled against a noble in her lifetime. She only knew the conventions from history books, and the precedents had long been set. She’d simply have to play her cards right. No mistakes. She took another deep breath, frown creeping across her face. She’d unwittingly thrown herself right into the snake pit. Twilight hadn’t wanted to deal with any of this; she had just wanted to be a scholar! But how had Twilight missed it? In hindsight, it seemed so obvious; any pony so close to the Queen would be under scrutiny. “Magelet. Calm.” Luna’s voice broke her thoughts from the dark places. “Don’t worry.” Twilight’s head turned, belatedly realizing how rude her inattentiveness must seem. Twilight’s hoof glided through her mane, brushing it back and working out the frizz. “Yes Luna.” Twilight’s voice shook regardless. “Sorry Luna.” She grew tired of those words already. Sorry meant mistakes, and Twilight did not make those kinds of mistakes. Luna’s magic lit up, wiping her muzzle with a napkin. She let it rest on the remnants of her food, calm eyes meeting Twilight’s. “We will teach you in those matters as well. And what we can’t teach you, we are sure that fair Cadance can assist with. She is kind and wise beyond her years, if you simply ask, she’ll assist. “There are others that will help you, we are sure. Silverhorn is another, though we can’t honestly think of another of the top of our heads.” Luna went on, gently getting to her hooves as she talked. Twilight could barely help but stare at her movements; so graceful, so beautiful, like no normal pony. Something.. More. Twilight found her body following Luna’s movements without conscious thought. Belatedly, she realized she’d recognized one of the names. “Did you say Silverhorn?” She echoed his name, definitely remembering that one. She’d already met a Silverhorn, though it could easily be a family name. Noble families, and even some common ones, like her own, tended to keep the names cycled throughout the generations. In her history books, she’d seen an entire line of Bluebloods, each named the same as the last. She had her mother’s name after all: Twilight. Luna nodded, beginning to lead their way out of the hall. “We did. Have you heard of him?” Luna asked. From the corners of her eyes, Twilight could make out the two guards from earlier falling in step behind them. Their escort would follow them everywhere, it seemed. Not that she particularly minded; truth be told, she sort of enjoyed the two. They provided a levity that she didn’t have with just Luna. “Well, I think I’ve met him.” Twilight admitted. Like before, ponies nodded their greetings as the pair walked down the center aisle, Twilight gathering enough confidence to even nod back to a few. “Um, two days ago in the Rising Moon market. I saw him ordering food from a stall.” Her tail twitched, thinking of how to phrase the next part. “He didn’t really.. Know how to act around there. Kept using magic. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the lower district market-” “We have, yes.” “Well, magic isn’t really encouraged.” Twilight finished, nodding in acknowledgement of the interruption. “So my brother and I talked to him and explained the situation. He seemed like a nice enough sort.” She explained. “I mean, usually I can tell that sort of thing. Are the rest of the nobles like him too?” She asked. “I liked Cadance too, even if I only saw her for a little bit.” The two turned the corner out of the dining room, Luna leading them in the opposite direction from whence they came. “Yes, him and Cadance are quite the positive force.” Luna admitted. She dipped her head again, face melting back into a grimace. “Then again, there are always those in our government that are less than savory. Our fair Cadance and Silverhorn are not the majority of those in power, not even close. Nay, those two are more of an exception rather than the rule.” “We are sure that you will meet those in time.” Luna continued on, her grimace melting away. “But, that is not for today. We will guide you in the matters of politics given time, but today shall be more pleasant.” Luna went on, face brightening with every word. “Today, we thought to give you a tour. Surely, you shall need to get around the grounds. Your brother is a guard here, is he not?” Her muzzle pointed towards Twilight at the tail end of the question, eyebrows up in questioning. Twilight nodded in response. “Yes Luna, he took the test yesterday with me. He applied for the guard though, instead of the school like I did. He was accepted with the highest scores.” A tinge of pride flavored her words. Her brother had done well; his words had told her enough about that. Not the highest on either parts, but definitely in the top percentile. Nay, Twilight had been the one to top the practical portion. To her eternal annoyance, Sunset overtook her on the theoretical. But Shining had come close to each, close enough to get a good rap with the guards, which was really all he ever wanted. “He’s got a great flank, too.” A whisper came from behind her, just barely loud enough for her to hear. A pink flush spread across her cheeks as she whirled around, coming face to face with.. Sunny, was it? The orange guard from earlier. In the corner of her eye, she could make out the other unicorn, Iridescence, covering a bemused smile with a hoof. Even Luna’s hoof falls had stopped. “He’s my brother.” Twilight snapped, eyes flaring with fire. She’d heard enough about that from all the mares in the orphanage. She’d heard enough about that from Sparkler, dreaming and fantasizing about her brother. She’d never pursued him, not like Sunset had, but Twilight had heard Sparkler talk about that flank many, many times. And don’t get her started on Sunset’s poor attempt at poetry. Everywhere, no matter where, she went, ponies just had to talk about how utterly attractive he was. So tiring. Surprised eyes met hers, Sunny stopping right before their muzzles met. “Yes, but he’s also hot.” She answered, a cheeky grin spreading across her face. She giggled, silencing Twilight with a hoof, stopping the head of steam that she already started to build up. “I’m just teasing. Promise.” She added, her tone growing a little softer, a little more accommodating. Something in her visage made Twilight actually believe it too; perhaps it was the kinder smile, or the look in her eyes. She didn’t know which, but the righteous anger that had so suddenly filled her up, disappeared just as quick. Twilight nodded her head, taking a brief step back to clear her muzzle from that dreaded hoof. “Fine.” She nodded again, the air feeling distinctly awkward to her. Luna cleared her throat loudly. “Now that that is out of the way.” She started, voice sounding as if it barely held back laughter, “Perhaps we could go on with the tour?” A chorus of “Yes, Luna,” answered her from the assembled trio, a bright red blush slowly fading on Twilight’s cheeks. Without further ado, Luna started to lead them once more, acting as if nothing had transpired. “Well then, considering that your brother is a guard, we are going to visit the dueling grounds. The dueling grounds will be important for both him and yourself. Both of you will spend ample time there training your talents. Make no mistake, it is not just for fighting each other. Nay, the dueling grounds are more of training grounds than land set aside for strife.” Luna explained, the quartet walking down as the halls as they walked. So many hallways. “The grounds can be used for anything, from simply meditating, to physical exercise, to practicing big spells and everything in between. At the minimum, three unicorns at adept or above will always be present, with at least one master overseeing as well. So, you do not have to worry about trying spells you feel are too dangerous. As long as you take reasonable precautions, anything goes.” Well, that sort of blank check could be dangerous. Still, with a master overlooking, most spells should be controllable. More importantly, both known alicorns would easily be able to respond if need be. “We do expect you to practice your spellwork there. Most can be done in your rooms, but some must be done outside. We will trust your judgement on that, magelet.” Twilight nodded idly. She could handle that, easily enough. Twilight hadn’t noticed it at the time, but as they walked on, the decorations of the rooms and halls had grown less opulent, more utilitarian. Portraits still hung up, but nearly all of them were military figures from the past. Less vases and busts perched on tables, replaced instead with suits of armor, some intricate, some utilitarian. Weapons hung above them occasionally, a few swords, lances, even a bow or two. The room the two stopped in bespoke the change in theme. Rather than golden inlays, simple wood filled out the entrance. The doors, simple as they were, looked worn away from constant use, even the hardwood near it seemed beaten down and scuffed from decades upon decades of use. “And here we are.” Luna noted, her voice ticking up in cheerfulness. “Truth be told, we hope you like this.” Luna dipped her head for a second, almost as if she confessed something. “Guards, if you will.” The two house guards slipped around Luna, their magic opening one of the double doors each and holding them open for the two to walk through. Bright sunlight filtered in from outside, the sun’s rays radiant now that morning had hit its stride. The light blinded Twilight for a second as her eyes were forced to adjust, a hoof coming up to block it. In front of her, a field of grass stretched on, much like she had seen yesterday. The grass was kept cropped low on the field, a few low, wooden buildings directly across from their entrance. They only stood a story tall each, but stretched wide, Twilight honestly having no idea what they were for. Twilight noticed that the grass did not in fact stay uniform; instead, circles dotted it uniformly. In the circles, the terrain varied. Rather than just grass, some were filled with sand, or stone, or gravel, and several other different groundings. Populating the grass, ponies drilled. Some of the circles were occupied by only a single pony, but others had nearly a dozen. Most commonly, Twilight saw pairs of ponies squared off against each other. Occasionally, bright points of magic would flare out, fire shooting across the sky, or lightning arcing from the heavens, or even tornadoes swirling self-contained. Despite the power and fury unleashed, no spells bleeded outside of their circles. Above all the mixture of colors, one flashed above all of them; a great golden glow exploded out whenever a dangerous spell touched the edge of a circle. It did not matter what element the spell pulled from, the barrier held regardless. Twilight could only imagine that was the work of the master. In the dead center of the field, the largest group of ponies gathered. Each of them dressed in the golden armor of the royal guard, each one looking the same uniform look from the cosmetic spells on their armor. Twilight couldn’t help but judge; the cosmetic spell could be so easily seen through by most unicorns of any decent level of training. What was the point, really? She made a mental note to ask Luna about that later. “Impressed, magelet?” Luna asked, taking the first step onto the cool morning dew. Twilight followed, more hesitance in her step. She could see the appeal, really. At the same time, Twilight almost didn’t want to put her power on display like this. Anypony could watch, anypony could spy on her. What if a potential enemy waited in the shado- well, not in the shadows, in the middle of the open? From behind, Twilight heard the doors close back. She could only assume the guards had followed them out. She doubted the two would leave Luna on her lonesome, not if they could do anything to avoid it. “Yes, Luna.” Twilight answered, tail swishing guilty. She wanted to be impressed, especially with the spellwork, but worry gnawed at her instead. Something felt unsafe, something felt off to her, yet she couldn’t place a hoof on it. Right in front of her, magic flared again, lightning strikes impacting hard against the shield. Twilight winced. Luna frowned and turned to face her, half facing her rear towards the ponies in the field. “Is it not wondrous, magelet?” She asked, arching an eyebrow. “All the practice partners you could want!” She volunteered. Twilight bit her lip, nodding slowly. “It is as you say, but.. Doesn’t it feel unsafe? Has there ever been an accident?” Twilight asked. She gestured towards the bubble closest, the lightning striking against the shield once more. Didn’t that pony know anything else except thunder and lightning!? Luna shook her head, frowning. “No magelet. My sister herself enchanted these stones. They draw right from the power of the participants. Look, and you can see yourself.” Luna’s hoof gestured this time, but lower instead, towards the base of the circles. Twilight squinted, looking carefully and trying to drone out the bright flashes of light. Surrounding, creating the circles, stone glinted in the sunlight. A less observant pony would have missed them entirely, and Twilight did at first glance. A faint golden glow surrounded each of them, Twilight able to make out those enchantments without her magic sight active. “You see?” Luna pressed on. “The only way to broach the enchantment is if the participants can no longer cast or stand. It’s perfectly safe, we assure you.” Luna’s frown turned into a comforting smile, her earrings jingling with her nod. “Perhaps you would like to try them out?” She suggested. Twilight considered it. She could always use the practice, no? And this would be a good opportunity to get pointers from Luna, at least as a starting chance. Then again, if Twilight started up here, she probably wouldn’t want to stop until the day ended. For their own sakes, she should probably decline. But she could learn so- No, stop it Twilight. “No thank you, Luna.” She finally answered. “Are you sure?” The second time, she could barely deny it. She could show off, she could really let loose in front of everypony. She could potentially show off a bit safety concern. Yet… “I’m sure, your highness. But thank you, I’m sure I’ll be back.” No doubt could possibly exist for that. Luna frowned, but it only existed for the briefest of seconds before turning instead into a deep grin. “Oh, why don’t my two lovely guards play instead?” She asked. Her voice sounded silky smooth to Twilight’s ears. The two guards stiffened, snapping to attention. “That won’t be necessary, ma’am!” Sunny answered. Gone was the familiar language, gone was the flippant attitude. Just what had Luna threatened them with? Luna turned, sauntering close to Sunny, lifting her muzzle with a hoof. “Come now, sergeant. Surely you’d like to put on a good show for our newest friend?” She asked, voice husky and low. Sunny flushed bright red, muzzle scrunching up and shying away. “Y-yes your majesty. If you wish.” She swiveled, looking anywhere but Luna. “Iri’, get us a damn circle! That’s an order!” She barked. Iridescence saluted swiftly, dashing off towards the spread field. Twilight’s eyes watched her go, following her as she frantically searched for an open circle. Fortunately, she completed that task fairly easily, and the mare waved the rest of them over, Sunny taking the lead. “This should be entertaining, dear Twilight.” Luna started. “Our two guards haven’t had the opportunity to let loose in a while. And we think we shall sweeten the pot this time.” Her lips curved up in a truly draconian grin, eyes narrowed almost predatorily. The two guards waited before them, both having galloped over as opposed to Luna and Twilight’s slow walked. They stretched openly, working the kinks from their bodies and getting limber for the exercise to come. Twilight couldn’t really imagine why a pony had to be stretched for a magic duel, but she supposed the guard would likely incorporate physical and magical abilities. After all, a unicorn didn’t have much use if their horn got lopped off. At least, not for a few months. Luna looked back and forth between the two. “Ready?” She didn’t wait for a response. “Good. Winner gets to go home tonight. As for the loser, you’ll get the night shift as well as.. Let us say you’ll owe me a favor.” Sunny whimpered. “In the ring, you two.” Sunny took position first, standing calmly on the left side of the ring. Iridescence, of course, took residency on the opposite side, staring her down. “On my mark.” The Queen announced. The two settled into a fighting stance. “Three.” Sunny brushed her mane back. “Two.” Iridescence’s magic pulled a sword from it’s holster, a gem encrusted, silver thing. “One.” Both of their horns glowed with light. “Go!” Sunny struck first, a bright column of light erupting from her horn towards Iridescence. Even with the shielding, Twilight could feel the heat of the blast against her coat. Huh, well, Twilight could guess that was where the name came from at least. The beam moved quick, barely giving Iridescence enough time to dodge out of the way, lithely jumping to the right and landing into a gallop. The white mare darted forward, horn glowing silver as she readied the sword in her teeth. She moved quick, quicker than Twilight thought she could in the rather bulky armor. Yet, she couldn’t move quick enough to surprise Sunny. Another beam boiled forth, rolling slower but wider than the first. The beam clearly missed Iridescence, missed her by a few feet to the right actually. But, that didn’t seem to phase Sunny one bit. In fact, she almost seemed like she’d expected it to miss. Twilight noticed it before Iridescence did. The second shot had never been meant to hit her, had only ever been meant to herd her a different way. On the ground to the right, a bright spot started to simmer, just the hint of yellow against the otherwise green grass beneath them. Iridescence hadn’t noticed it yet, eyes focused only on the horn, only on the other beam of Sunny’s. It would be her downfall. Just as Iridescence crossed the spot, another beam of sunlight erupted. But, it did not take out Iridescence like Twilight had thought. Instead, it actually seem to be to her advantage. Twilight didn’t exactly know what the horseshoes of their armor had been enchanted with, but the armor shrugged off the sunlight. Instead, Iridescence used the beam to ‘jump’ off of, hurtling forwards with a speed she couldn’t previously match. The mare flew into the air with the momentum from their magic, her own horn glowing bright with the silver of moonlight. Her leap carried her forward, shield flaring into life around her just as another beam struck, trying to catch her in the air. But Iridescence would not be stopped that easily, not with her weight and speed behind her. The smaller mare barreled into the larger, sending the two to the ground. At the same time, Iridescence swung with her sword, but it only glanced against Sunny’s armor, doing little more than scratch the paint job. Her sword jerked from her grip, sliding across the ground and coming to rest yards away. The two tussled now, their fight turning more barbaric instead of the orchestrated, order of the guard. The two rolled, fought, and even bit, fighting for dominance in a hoof to hoof melee. At it’s best, it could be called grappling, but in reality, it looked nothing more than street wrestling. Sunny kicked out with a hoof, striking Iridescence’s underbelly. Not to be outdone, a wincing Iridescence headbutted Sunny’s side. On and on the two went, until finally, mercifully, Iridescence pinned Sunnys forehooves, straddling her belly and keeping her down. The two breathed heavily, sides heaving with effort. And yet, Sunny didn’t give up, not yet. She still fought on, struggling fruitlessly to get up. Eventually, she slumped on the ground, pouting. “Fine, you win.” Twilight had to admit; she was impressed. The fight ended quickly; nothing truly advanced happen, from a visual and magical standpoint. She had some respect for how fast Sunny could conjure and cast her beams, but even they were not really advanced spells. The same was true for their physical fighting as well, nothing too in-depth, based on what she’d seen from Shining. However, what did impress her, was how they were used. Twilight wouldn’t have thought about tricking Iridescence like that. And she certainly wouldn’t have used the beam’s energy to jump higher in the air. Obviously, if the white mare had barreled into her, she probably would’ve instantly lost. Twilight didn’t really have much physical training, and really, Iridescence had the benefit of weight and size, something that Twilight may never get considering how stunted Twilight’s growth was. “Of course I win.” Iridescence smiled triumphantly, squirming to get comfortable on top of the other mare. “Three out of ten! And maybe I just enjoy being on the bottom.” Sunny teased back, earning a bright red blush on the white mare. “Hush, there’s still a filly near by!” “Well, she’s probably old enough, right?” Sunny’s eyebrows waggled. Oddly, Twilight didn’t feel offended. Sunny didn’t seem serious, at least to her. “What my guards are trying to say.” Luna’s voice cut through, “is that you are probably old enough to duel. Right, my lovely guards?” There would be no argument with that kind of tone. Both guards nodded their heads. “Now then!” Luna clapped her hooves together. “You two should probably get to your hooves. Sunny, looks like you get to work late tonight.” The two nodded again, Iridescence helping her fallen comrade to her hooves, the two quickly brushing their bodies off. “Not so bad, right?” Iridescence asked, giving Sunny a light punch on the shoulder. Sunny rolled her eyes, mane clearly worse for the wear. “Sure, whatever. You try having your flank like this. Feels like I’m being crushed.” Iridescence giggled, shaking her head, mane somehow still in absolute perfect position. How in Equus did she manage to do that? “Guards, attention please.” Instantly, Iridescence and Sunny dropped their humor, coming to a stiff salute towards Luna. “We go towards the library now, we believe dear Twilight will enjoy that.” She instructed, stomping a hoof. “Fall in!” And with those words alone, all traces of joking faded from the mares, both darting behind Luna in crisp formation. Belatedly, Twilight realized that Luna mentioned going to the library. She couldn’t say she was surprised that the castle had a library, but she didn’t expect them to be visiting it so soon. A nervous excitement ran through Twilight’s body; could it hope to compare to her own library? Her mentor wouldn’t visit it, that she could be sure of, but the quantity of books had to greatly differ. After all, the royal library had never been pilfered, never been ransacked and nearly burned to the ground. Their tomes and collections would be much more complete. Perhaps they’d even have some of Starswirl’s later work, or Haze’s new- Rampant speculation aside, Twilight could safely say she looked forward to the next leg of their tour. Surely she’d have time to simply browse through the stacks, not now, but later. “Come along, magelet.” Luna instructed, her soft hoof falls already leading back into the building. For once, the quartet fell into silence, their hoof steps making the only noise in their journey. It wouldn’t last, not for long, but Twilight quite enjoyed the time of silence. It gave her precious moments to gather her thoughts, especially about the Queen. She still couldn’t get a handle on the Night Mare, not truly. Her actions confused Twilight, ranging from cool to downright teasing. Her guards seemed to think the best of her, and Twilight had always heard the saying that anypony who treated those under them well was a good pony indeed. So far, Luna had done that in spades. Yet, she couldn’t ignore the constant rumors in the lower city. She couldn’t ignore the decision to close off the lower districts. Those had all been Luna, every last one of them. Pragmatically, sealing the plague in may have been the right decision, but Twilight couldn’t forgive it. In a direct way, it had resulted in the deaths of her parents. They should’ve never been that far down anyways, not with the money they once had. Twilight’s hoof idly ghosted over the pendant at her neck. Her parents… How had her mother known about her future cutie mark? They’d died long before Twilight developed her talent, and they had never been fortune tellers as far as she knew. It seemed that her life had become one big mystery late. If it wasn’t her mentor, it was her parents, and if it wasn’t one of them, it was Luna’s behaviour. Time and study could solve at least a few of those, but she hadn’t the faintest on how to figure out information about her parents. Perhaps the library would have information about them as well. Twilight had to doubt that at least; they were never that important. And then Luna’s two guards. Surely, not all guards were so frivolous, so goofy. Shining had always given her the impression that a guard must remain stoic and impassive, ready to face anything at any time. Sunny and Iridescence seemed competent at least, but their attitudes didn’t come off as professional to Twilight. Then again, what did a thirteen year old filly know about guarding? Twilight couldn’t claim to know; she’d probably be an awful guard. The group didn’t walk far before stopping once again. As expected, the decor of the castle had changed from the rough and tumble aesthetic near the guard training posts. The portraits had decidedly shifted to scholars and mages rather than soldiers and guards, the hallways immaculately clean. Oddly enough, the colors of the torches had changed, tinged red and a dark, almost poisonous green. Why did the lights change? “Luna?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence. “Why have the torches changed color?” She had known they were magically powered, but why switch them when everywhere else held the standard color. “An accident, if you’ll believe it. Magic sings strongly closer to the library and the archives. Tomes of great power are held here, and their magic isn’t always the clean type. Darker magics often get out of control, and while our wards are enough to fight off the greatest of their effects, little changes like this sometimes occur. For the longest time, they were simply purple. The green color has only appeared in recent times, and no pony is quite sure why it happened.” Luna answered. Was that just Twilight, or did she hear a tinge of curiosity at the latter part? “Could I take a look sometime?” It would be a fun project at least. Magical contamination had always been a fear of Twilight’s after all. “Magelet, your projects are your own. As long as you stay trustworthy, you may pick and choose any one you want. And here we are.” Luna finished her statement as they stopped in front of double doors nearly as large as the entrances. Of course they were double doors, every door was here. These had their own engravings, depictions of different scenes in literature. Or at least, Twilight figured that’s what they were. Twilight actually recognized a few of them. There was Tantalus, constantly reaching for the fruit beyond his control. There stood Celestia, young and proudly raising the sun for the first time. An army marched onto the city of Clydesdale, the fall of the city leading towards the unification of Equestria. All the panels, as far as she could tell, depicted epic battles, or fantastical narratives, or fairy tales that she’d read as a foal. She could probably stand here all day, looking just at engravings. She could probably learn things just from them. But it wasn’t meant to be. Luna’s magic split the doors midway, pushing them slowly open. The doors looked heavy; Twilight couldn’t imagine opening them herself. Then again, she could only assume that the doors were well balanced. They had to be. “Wait out here, please.” Luna instructed the guards. The two nodded, posting up on either side of the door as Twilight and Luna entered the library popular. But those thoughts quickly faded from her mind as she caught sight of the library itself. She’d been right; her old spot had absolutely nothing on this new land. The first floor, the one they entered on, didn’t have a single bookshelf on it. Instead, a receptionist stood by a desk at the entrance, tables arrayed out in front of them. Several of the tables were occupied, books piled high near ponies busy reading, some even discussing the texts in small groups. The second floor reminded her more of the library that she knew. Bookshelves stacked high to the sky, neat orderly lows keeping them in line. Really, it wasn’t so much of a story as a veranda, but it did stretch a bit further than the first floor itself. It wrapped around the edges of the room, making a perfect circle with a large hole in the middle of it. Only the door itself interrupted the second floor’s circle, a staircase on each side for easy access. The second floor probably stretched back wider than her room in the tower, easily holding seven or eight bookshelves each. Interspersed within the rows lay benches, some with their own vases and flowers next to them. Unlike her own favorite library, Twilight could see no real decoration. No statues or stained glass windows in this part of the library at least. Above them, a third story towered up, set in the same way but as a slightly smaller ring than the second one. The staircase for the second story wrapped around into a spiral, leading to the third as well. Yet, oddly, a gate stopped access to the third floor, though Twilight couldn’t make out if it stayed locked or not. Visually, the room impressed Twilight enough. It looked clean, not too fancy, just functional. After long growing used to her hold library, this one changed paces drastically. She liked it, but didn’t think she could use it as her one and only. It just simply didn’t feel right, in an odd way she couldn’t put a hoof on. Certainly, it held more books than the ransacked ruins of her true home, but it couldn’t compare to the lower district’s character. At the same time, a wiggle emanated out from the very core of her being. So. Many. Books! Infinitely more than the other library, infinitely more than she had ever seen before. She didn’t know how in Equestria she’d be able to read them all, but surely, if anypony could find a way, it would be her! It would take years, decades even, but she would conquer all of these tombs, she would absorb all of their knowledge! She would- A tap on her shoulder. “See something you like?” Luna’s voice interrupted her thoughts, a deep blush starting to spread across Twilight’s face. “Your tail wagged, magelet.” Twilight looked back, actually seeing her tail still wagging away. Sheepishly, she tucked it back down, stopping the incessant wiggling. How had she not realized something like that? And in front of her goddess and the two guards? Fantastic. “Well, it is certainly a lot of books.” Wow, way to go Twilight. You’re making the situation so much better with that observation. What a winner of a statement. A lot of books in a library? She couldn’t believe it! Twilight suddenly felt a very great need to slam her head into the wall. “Yes, certainly a lot of books.” Even the Queen’s voice sounded bemused. “You may have any time that you wish here, of course. Any time outside of classes and outside of our tutelage is yours. There are certain duties that we expect you to uphold, but they are minor we assure you.” Luna explained, nodding her head. “Thank you, your majesty.” Twilight bowed her head, mind still spinning from the shock. Her eyes roamed around the room, already working on memorizing the layout. She couldn’t afford to waste any extra seconds in here, each step and movement must be precise. Any lost time would mean less time focusing on her studies, less time meeting the new friends within the shelves. That time was more precious to her than anything else, with rare exceptions like her brother. Magical theory first. She loved magical theory more tha- “Well hello! We meet again, don’t we?” Before she could even realize what was happening, somepony shook Twilight’s hoof emphatically, her entire body shaking along with it. “Bwuh?” She mumbled, eyes trying to re-focus on what stood in front of her rather than the stacks. A moment passed before her mind finally caught up: Duke Silverhoorn stood in front of her and Luna, beaming like a madpony. “I knew that I would see you here, absolutely knew it!” He released her hoof, mercifully taking a step back. Twilight hated it when ponies got too close. “Our student did mention that she met you, Duke.” Luna answered for her, giving her a moment’s reprieve she so desperately needed. “Oh yes! I dare say that she helped me out of quite a pinch in the lower city - one that I didn’t even know I was in! Did you know that unicorns aren’t supposed to use their magic in the markets? Learn something new everyday, eh?” He continued beaming, his exuberance never wavering. Did the stallion even wear the same thing? No - he wore a suit today, black and simple, but somehow charming at the same time. Luna’s hoof nudging her side made her realize that question had been directed at her. Silverhorn’s grin had drooped a fraction during her silence, but still remained plastered on all the while. “Oh yes sir. The lower cities have all kinds of special rules.” Twilight answered. After Luna mention how important the Duke was, she needed to keep things conversational, lest she get on his bad side. “They’re not always easily seen either. But, it’s quite important to remember their hatred of unicorns. Sir.” She finished, bowing her head. “Right, right, of course. It’s always fascinating to me how that developed actually. Some scholars in the city have made a right big fuss about it- for good reason of course! They’re actually working to secure funding to continue the project right now. If only there was somepony here who could do that!” He trailed off, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully. Twilight blinked. Did he mean her? He couldn’t mean her, right? She had no bits- “Silverhorn…” Oh right. Luna. And she didn’t sound the happiest in the world. “Please, can we not do this right now? I am giving my apprentice a tour and don’t want any political nonsense to get in the way of that, is that understood?” Silverhorn chuckled good-naturedly, shaking her head. “Oh, of course not! I was merely trying to share the news of the research with Miss Sparkle here. Wouldn’t you find that interesting, young one?” He asked, he leaned in close, as if waiting with baited breath. Twilight blinked again. “Um, sure?” She answered, unsure of herself. A groan from Luna. Wrong answer. “Well! Would you want to deny your newest student Luna? You see, it’s a joint effort by our dear Queen’s school and some scholars at the Athenaeum. From an academic standpoint, most of us know about the.. Let’s say discrimination in the lower districts. And not only that, but we can observe our own classes and tell that they’re mostly made up of unicorns. Is this a problem? Well, we’re sure that earth ponies here and unicorns in the slums certainly think so! “But what we actually don’t really know is how it all started. We have theories, yes, but no way to test them. Until now, that is. That’s what this task force aims to do. With a little extra funding and a bit of horsepower, we’re sure that we can find the reason! Well.. not me specifically, but my cousin is on the team and he’s confident himself.” Twilight’s mind buzzed with thought. She actually did believe that could be a worthy cause. Luna knew -actually, she should probably avoid that phrase this close to Luna. Goddesses knew that she’d face enough of it herself. If it wasn’t Quaker then it was the constables. Ponies like Matron, who cared unconditionally, didn’t exist en masse, and even the unicorns in her group had their own biases. Then again, after the torture the twins had gone through from Quaker’s little friends, how could they not? Certainly, Twilight had her own theories. And perhaps later, she’d be interested in comparing her thoughts to whatever the study found. She had always figured the sealing of the plague ignited the inherent racism to erupt like never before. While she hadn’t been alive then, Twilight had heard stories of how things used to be. Some ponies might run into that crotchety grandpa who complained how much better things were before the unicorns, but that sort of speciesism was incredibly limited back then. But now, nearly every pony looked at the other races with at least trepidation if not outright fear and hated. She’d yet to see the upper districts, of course. Yet, she worried about it. The study didn’t address the biggest issue in her mind. How in Equus could they solve it? The question burned at her tongue, even as Silverhorn watched her expectantly. Uneasily, Twilight opened her mouth. Only to freeze, closing it again uselessly. She didn’t particularly want to be rude - he was yet another one of those way too important ponies who could probably have her beaten if he wanted. “Well.. If you don’t mind me asking sir, what would this lead to?” Twilight asked. “As in, what could be done once we find out the cause? Is there a plan?” That actually caused Silverhorn to hesitate, if only for a second. “Well.. That’s what this study aims to create! No, there is no plan currently to solve the issues in the lower city, because we don’t know the cause. You can’t treat an illness without knowing why it exists, and you can’t fix a social issue without knowing the root cause. Yes, we could fix the symptoms, but they’d just manifest in different ways, right?” Silverhorn asked. In that speech alone, his entire being had almost change. His jovial attitude remained, but only behind a veil, behind an attitude of impassive academics, of a cold logic. Twilight almost preferred that side. That side of him made sense to her. That side of him she could reason with. She nodded her head. “True.. But perhaps, if you secure funding from the crown-” A quick, meaningful glance to Luna”-then your group could possibly introduce a stop-gap solution while the research is on-going?” Twilight’s head had always brimmed with ideas about the unicorns, brainstormed ways to fix them, and oddly, the best way to possibly get them into action had appeared right in front of her. Ironic, in a way. “Maybe mandatory guard re-training? Or integration of some palace guards into their shifts? Perhaps some captains or something similar?” Twilight suggested. Silverhorn rubbed his chin for a moment, lost in thought. “Well, I don’t know how politely the lower district guards would take to being replaced, do you?” He asked, pointedly. Good point. The lower guards had pride if nothing else. “Especially with a unicorn. Wouldn’t that simply fuel their suspicions further? No guard will appreciate being replaced, especially by some noble’s son. We could always source specifically from commoners, but then the nobles would be slighted.” Another good point. “What if there was a mixture? The officer corp is comprised mainly of nobles, right?” Luna, of all ponies, spoke up. “We support ours student’s idea, even if it isn’t perfect, it could go a long way in fostering good will. Perhaps we find ponies that are more personable, ones that would represent the upper districts well. We have expanded dossiers on nearly everypony in the service, a few warrant officers could handle that in three weeks time.” She suggested. “I’d have to talk to my group, but I see no reason why that couldn’t be suggested at the least. If I can get a yes, would that be enough to secure funding?” Luna nodded. “And that would please you, Miss Sparkle?” Twilight nodded. “Fantastic!” And there came the cheer again. “And then I’ll talk to my team as soon as possible. Speaking of…” He nudged his way through the pair, towards the door. “Ta-ta for now! Always great to see you, Queen Luna!” He bowed his head, before dipping around the door and leaving the two standing alone once again. “Well… He’s certainly a hoofful.” Luna started. She sighed, tension that Twilight hadn’t noticed melting away from her body. She ran a hoof through her mane, the hoof oddly passing through it as if it was nothing. “Well, magelet, we wanted to take you to the dorms and classrooms, but unfortunately our time grows thin.” Luna said, turning her attention back to the mare. “We have our own meetings to attend to, and won’t be able to re-join you until much later unfortunately. Our guards will be able to take care of all your needs however.” Twilight nodded. “Yes Luna, thank you for the tour.” She bowed her head low. Twilight hadn’t known what to expect when becoming the Student of the Night, but it certainly wasn’t so much personal time with the Queen. “Is there anywhere you think I should still go?” Luna paused, thinking for a second. “Besides the ones we already mentioned, I don’t believe so. Your brother may be busy, but if he is not, both him and your friend will be there, if you wish to visit them. If it is amenable, your formal lessons start next week with the other professors. Your lessons with us, however, start tomorrow.” A thrill ran through Twilight at those words. Tomorrow.. So soon! “Yes Queen! I’m really looking forward to it!” Twilight didn’t bother to restrain the excitement in her voice. Why would she? Lessons from the Queen.. Wow. Nor did Twilight notice the smallest briefest flicker of pain across Luna’s face. Luna chuckled. “Very well then, we shall take our leave then. Please don’t hesitate to get Sunny or Iridescence if you need anything.” “I’ll see you tonight then, your highness,” Twilight bowed her head as she spoke. Luna nodded once more before disappearing around the corner. Twilight stood alone once more. Just how she liked it. “Sunny?” Twilight called. Sunny’s head peeked in, eyes spotting Twilight. “Could you take me back to the tower?” Sunny nodded, a kind smile splitting her muzzle. “Of course!” Good. She had so much to do, so much to look at, and so little time to do it. Twilight had been thrust into a world she didn’t know and that left her but with one recourse: Twilight had studying to do.