The Last Lunar

by Mirmring

Chapter 4: Lesson Under the Moon

Chapter 4: Lesson Under The Moon

"Lesson 237: Weapons of the goddesses." Luna announces in a strong voice. The foliage around us shakes with frightened creatures as they scurry into the night away from the loud alicorn.

"Lady Luna, please." I manage to squeak out between fits of laughter.

She clears her throat to get my attention back and looks sternly down at me. With some effort I silence my giggles and straighten my posture. After a moment of calm she smiles approvingly and continues. "There are four weapons forged by my sister and I before the time of Equestria. They are powerful beyond measure and only to be called upon in the most dire circumstances." At this she flashes a deviant smile my way. "I am going to teach you to wield one of them."

My jaw hangs open in astonishment. "Whuuuu?"

She gives a curt bark of laughter at my dumbfounded expression. "Do not look so surprised. In the time before my banishment Celestia and I would bequeath possession of our weapons to our champions. All the better for them to protect Equestria." Then tilts her head back with pride and continues. "And I believe you are ready to take up my most prized companion my student."

"B-but You've only been teaching me for a year!?" I say in exasperation.

"A year and a half actually. And you have taken to my lessons like a pegasus to flight. Erm sorry bad analogy." I wave her off. "Moving on."
A bright shaft of moonlight descends from the sky momentarily blinding me. After the light retreats I open my eyes. In front of me stands a five foot long scythe embedded in the rocky ground. Luna's magic takes hold of the imposing instrument of war and swiftly lifts it into the air. With a flourish she spins it effortlessly and brings it to bare mere inches from my nose. The pale glow emanating from the long curved blade is almost mesmerizing as it seems to pulse with energy.

"This is Vigil, the Silver Sickle. Bringer of night, containing the power to sunder reality!" She spins in through the air with blinding speed and stops its shaft in front of me once again. "I, Luna, Sovereign of the Night, Mistress of Dreams, Patron of Shadows, bequeath Vigil to you, Moonlight Prism."

I'm stunned silent but quickly recover. My mark appears as I reach out invisibly and take hold of the scythe with my own magic. I feel a cold pulse travel from the faintly glowing metal as I lift it above my head. Luna nods in approval.

"She likes you." I quirk my head in question but she simply waves it off. "Now, give her a whirl, and don't worry. She would never harm you nor any you hold dear. She's got far too big a heart for that." Biting my cheek in concentration I try to mimic Luna's moves. She tisks me loudly. "You should let your movements flow from within you, not try to copy me."

I shake my head and start again. Weaving the deadly blade around me in arcs and slow twirls until I feel comfortable enough to move faster. Luna instructs me to attack the nearby trees. "Good, good. Use your momentum to continue the next strike, don't waste energy. The biggest advantage of using a weapon with magic is that you can be extremely flexible with your angle of attack." After about an hour of gouging large wounds in the bark of a big oak she stops me. "Ok. Now try to use your wings." I flash her a look of panic. "Don't worry. She will respond better to your physical movements, and like I've already said, she would not dare harm you."

After a deep breath I extend my wings and start to swing them in time with my strikes. Just as Luna said my strikes land with more force and accuracy than before. Vigil dances around me, brushing against my wings almost tenderly as I cleave the tree clean in two. A loud crash rings out across the forest as the great tree falls. Luna claps her hooves in amazement.

"Bravo my student. You have taken to each other better that I had ever hoped." She takes Vigil back in her grasp and it dissolves into moon light. "Now for your next lesson......."

~~~~~~~

"I really wish Lady Luna would be a little more considerate of when she decides to hold our lessons. Between that awkward mother daughter dinner and her drilling me on magic I'm gonna be out all day." I flop onto my bed after getting out of the shower. I'm still a little soggy and the sheets stick annoyingly to my coat. Internally I chastise my self. 'Lady Luna has a lot of responsibilities to attend to. The fact that she can sneak away to instruct you at all is a miracle.' I roll over onto my back and let the cool air dry my stomach. 'Still, it seems odd. She's been ramping up our lessons lately with more combat magic. Its almost like she thinks I'll need it soon.' I brush those thoughts aside. 'Its probably just how shes always done it.'

I start to drift off to sleep when a knock at my door wakes me. "Hay, Moon! Are you back?!" I curse South's timing but drag my tired body over to the door and open it up.

"No. I'm still out, but Ill be happy to take down a message." I croak sarcastically.

He give me a deadpan laugh and pushes his way into my room. I don't protest and follow him as he takes a seat on the edge of my bed. " I see your back to taking late night strolls again." I nod. He taps his hooves quietly. "Hey..... I'm gonna be gone for a few weeks ok. I got assigned a long shift in the Crystal Empire and I wont be back for a while so I was wondering if you could take care of the place a little better than usual while I'm gone. You know, like actually lock the door when you go out in the middle of the night, pick up around the house sometime." I nod silently again. Something's eating him. I place my hoof on his shoulder. "Ah its nothing. I just hate leaving you in this big house alone for so long. I know how you hate to be alone ever since....... Yea. And with Flutters away at that migration thingy I just worry about ya."

I smack him. "Don't I'm fine."

He smiles. "Yea. And one more thing....."

"Ah here it is." I say jokingly but his face is pale as a ghost.

"C-c-c-could you take my shift on the weather team for the next week? There's no other pegisi available and they're short hoofed as it is." I go stock still. "I'm asking you as a friend, you can say no but its just a storm watch shift. I asked Thunderlane to help you up to the perch cloud and all you have to do is keep an eye on the Everfree storms."

I'm shaking at the mere though of it but I know that he wouldn't ask me unless he'd exhausted every other option. Tartarus he would probably take Derpy before me. So I do something I feel I'll regret for a long time to come. "Yes."

Hes taken back. "Really!?"

"I Said Yea Didn't I?!"

"Ok." He says meekly already feeling bad. "It's the night shift so Thunderlane will be here at 6 p.m."

"Ok I get it, get out I need to sleep." I say quickly shoving him outside and slamming the door shut. I think in my flustered haste I might have picked him up with magic, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"...thanks...." He says through the door but I'm already under my covers. Damn my sisterly duties. I bury my head in the pillow. *Sigh* But he would do the same for me.