Dark Hopes

by xXShadowSparklesXx

Luna's Student Part 2

I woke up with a start, panting lightly as I waited for my dream-induced adrenaline rush to ebb away. This was unlike any other dream I had, really: I couldn’t remember when I had ever had a dream so vivid that I didn’t even realise I was in it until I woke up. Now that realization had set in, I found myself positively miffed at my thoughts running a million miles per hour. Was rest seriously that hard to attain? I looked around me, finding that, to my surprise, I was not at the cave either. I was lying in my own bed in my own house, but who brought me here-

“Shadow!” Boy, does that voice sound familiar… Yet so strange… That was the same voice that never failed to wake me up every morning, whether it came from the kitchen or by my room’s doorway, but this time, her voice lacked its usual bubbliness. I turned my tired gaze towards her, about to bargain for a time extension for my sleep-deprived self when she added on. “We have a guest, Shadow, and she’s looking for you.”

It eluded me on just who this guest was, but knowing that it was common sense and courtesy to not keep one waiting, I got out of bed, excused myself for a few minutes to look more presentable and headed down the stairs to the dining room. I heard three familiar voices having a rather solemn conversation (judging from how hushed their voices were), but I never expected to find myself in the presence of Princess Luna, who was sitting with my parents at the dining table. As if on instinct, I made a move to bow, but Princess Luna merely asked me to get up and join them for a cup of coffee with a giggle, something that I was more than willing to comply with.

"Hello Princess Luna." I greeted, trying to hide my confusion at her uninvited appearance.

"Well, Shadow. Princess Luna has been talking about you, and I'm so proud of you!" I only looked on in confusion as my parents and Princess Luna gave me an approving smile. "She's giving you a chance to be her very own student!"

'Wait... That wasn't that a dream?" I asked with no small amount of confusion. The last twenty four hours were driving me crazy, to be honest. I was not even sure if I was still dreaming or not!

"It was a dream, Shadow. As the princess of the night, I have the ability to enter the dreams of my subjects, something you ponies call dream jumping." Luna explained to me before turning back to my parents. "Back to what I was saying now that Shadow is awake: I would like to take your son to Canterlot Castle as my personal student, and I shall only do so if I have your permission to tutor him." I felt my heart stop even though I'd heard her offer once already, possibly because I was hearing this for real. I looked over to my parents who had their jaws slack in surprise for a moment. Their stupor was quickly replaced with excitement as they enthusiastically nodded.

"Of course you can, Princess!" They both were close to yelling from sheer happiness. The only other times that I saw them that excited was when Shining Armor got married, when Twilight had been accepted as Celestia's own personal student (even though they just recovered from being turned into potted plants), and during Twilight's coronation. Judging from their looks, they were probably as proud of me as they were of my siblings now.

"My thanks to the both of you." Luna gave a smile to accompany her curt nod. "Go pack whatever you need, Shadow: You'll be staying in the student quarters for the duration of your studies."

I hurried back to my room to grab my saddlebags and some other belongings, including a picture of Mom, Dad, Twilight, Shining Armor, and I on a camping trip back when I was 7 years old. Just the sight of it brought a wave of nostalgia as I wandered off in my memories...

"Shining Armor? Can you go get some firewood?" Dad asked as we huddled around the warm campfire that he had built. Of course, if we wanted the fire to last longer, we needed more fuel, and our supply of firewood was running low. Shining nodded and got up to leave.

"Can I go with Shiny?" Twilight and I asked in unison just before Shining left.

"Ask your brother." Dad shrugged, causing the both of us to turn towards Shining Armor, silently waiting for his consent.

"Of course you two can come!" Shining said with an smile. "But we don't tolerate slackers, so if you're coming along, you help carry firewood too, alright?"

We walked with Shining Armor to the forest to gather dry sticks and logs to maintain the fire. It felt so peaceful then: the relatively quiet atmosphere and the chilly air was so calming, and it was near impossible not to keep holding on to your troubles in your mind.

"Well, look what we have here... It's an apple tree!" Shining exclaimed as he plucked one of its fruit off. Before that day, I used to love apples so much so that it actually was one of my favorite fruits and that was why I quickly hurried to Shiny's side. He used his magic to pick the apple and gave it to me, but as soon as I took a bite, I spat it out with disgust as its dry and bitter taste assaulted my taste buds. "Is there something wrong with them?" He asked, trotting up to take the apple from me and sniffing it. He turned it about and took a bite of his own, with the same results. He picked another apple from the tree to examine it (whilst muttering about how horrible that apple tasted), and with a small defeated hum, he motioned us to continue onwards. "Sorry Shadow. We got a bad apple tree this time. Better luck next time, huh?"

"Shiny! I found some logs over here!" Twilight called from ahead of us. Both Shining Armor and I went over to Twilight to grab the logs. I put a few logs on my back because I was unable to use my magic to lift them then while Shining Armor and Twilight used their magic to carry loads of logs.

I was slightly mad for his lack of observation that night, but I didn't mind it as long as we were together. After all, how much sense would it make to be angry at your brother for making a minor mistake?

"Shadow? Shadow, dear, are you almost done packing?" Mom shouted, snapping me out of my memories. "Princess Luna is waiting!" I heard her continue speaking, probably talking to Princess Luna. "I am sorry for making you wait, Princess. Do you want me to fetch him down?"

"There is no need for that." Luna answered back, "Leave him be, Twilight Velvet, we are in no rush. Besides, it is good enough for me that you two have given me the permission to teach him."

"Please, Princess Luna, the honor is all ours. He is a good colt, and I assure you that he won't be a burden." Dad said as I trotted down the stairs, my saddlebags now packed and ready. When he saw me, I felt slight dread as he smirked. "Although in all honesty, he does have quite the wild imagination. It was a few years ago, during the Summer Sun Celebration. Shadow came back past midnight claiming that some dark alicorn gave him a portion of her magic."

Princess Luna nervously chuckled, not knowing if she should tell them that it actually wasn't a lie. Instead, she opted for looking at my saddlebags, stuffed full of pictures and other items that had no relation to studying at all, such as the necklace my grandpa Lamp gave me. "What? I brought my stationary!" I defended, levitating out a few covered inkwells, pencils and quills. "The rest are stuff with sentimental value, don't need to know much else!" That caused Princess Luna to giggle as she draped a wing over me, and the both of us said our goodbyes to a pair of overjoyed parents.

"Well, Shadow? Shall we get a move on? I want to give you a tour of the castle before nightfall at the very least." As the both of us moved to our destination, I couldn't hide the wide grin of my face. My parents finally had reason to be proud of me, and that made me happy.

By the time we finally made it to the castle, Princess Luna had a wide grin on her muzzle. She could barely contain a excited squeal as we went past the castle gates where two guards stood with stoic expressions. As for me, to say that I was excited was also an understatement: despite seeing the castle so many times before, I had never seen the castle interior before, and as if that wasn't awesome enough, THE Princess Luna was giving me a tour of the place!

As soon as we entered the castle, Luna was quick to speed off to begin her tour, and I broke into a sprint just to keep up. Room by room, wing by wing, Princess Luna gave a quick overview of every place before shooting off to the next one, and it was only then that I could appreciate Shining Armor's strenuous training schedule for me. I was winded by the time we stopped in front of the place she introduced as the throne room.

Luna pushed the doors open with her magic, and I immediately felt my breath leave me as the beauty of the place came into view. The many stained glass windows and tapestries caused the room to be bathed in an array of colors, yet none of them ever clashed with one another. It took me a few moments of stunned, silent admiration before I realized that Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne with a friendly smile on her muzzle.

"Well, hello there, young colt. I trust that you've been enjoying the sights of the castle?" I nodded wordlessly, still lost within the dazzling, harmonious blend of colors that resulted from the sunlight penetrating the stained glass windows to realize that I was in the company of royalty. "And hello to you too, sister."

"Hello Celestia. I would like you to meet Shadow Sparkle, my personal student." Luna said with her gaze on me. I felt my heart flutter from the pride that was positively radiating from her. However, realization finally did hit me, and I found that being the center of attention of two of the most important ponies in Equestria did make me quite nervous.

"How old are you, Shadow?" Celestia asked.

"I am fifteen." I replied, my anxiety convincing me that the ground was so much more interesting to examine. To my relief, Celestia soon turned her attention back to her sister.

"Remember, Luna: Being a teacher takes a lot of responsibility and patience. He is at the age where his magical abilities will experience a major change, and that change will only make him stronger. If he is not tutored, his magic will start controlling him instead of him controlling it." Celestia said to her sister, and Luna had her head tilted down in slight pondering. "But I do believe that you will make an excellent teacher, Luna. Fear not, Luna, I have confidence. As for you, Shadow, please try your best to not burden my sister. She has quite the temper."

"Tia!" Princess Celestia chuckled as she waved a glaring Luna and I off. Luna did not need to be told twice to ask me to follow her to the left door of the room if it meant getting away from further potential blackmail. I followed Luna (who seemed to be trotting faster than she did before) to a room, and I found myself satisfied with the basic furniture of a bed, dresser, and nightstand.

"Here is your room." Luna ushered me in, levitating my saddlebags off from my bag for me. "Quite simple, really, but I assure you that it is adequate."

"Tell her I'm sorry, Shadow." I paused at the doorway as soon as I heard the foreign voice that just seemed so familiar. I looked to Luna to see if she heard the voice, but the smile that she wore on her face had not changed one bit, leading me to just conclude that I was only tired after the crazy nightmares of the day. After all, what did I have to apologize for? If I recalled my day, I hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, I had a bedroom in Canterlot Castle, and my teacher was THE Princess Luna; I was too excited to let some voice that could have very well been my imagination ruin my day, so I kept quiet about it.

"I will show you where we will begin your studies at." Luna said with a smile, blissfully unaware of the mental growling that I was becoming increasingly aware of.

"Tell her I am sorry, you foal. Tell her now!" The voice in my head snarled. I tried to appear as if nothing unusual was going on, but it seemed to be a losing battle as I started feeling lightheaded. I struggled to stay conscious, but it was becoming increasingly harder as my hooves felt like they were lead. "I don't have the time to play games with you, Shadow! Give me control!"

I let out a barely audible grunt as a major migraine hit me. I clenched my eyes shut in pain, but when I opened them I was in shock. The weightlessness that had encompassed me was explained as I found myself staring at my body, still conscious and breathing heavily.

"Luna." My body said, leaving me at a loss for words as I struggled for a logical explanation for this. How was this even happening?! It's impossible!

"Yes, Shadow?" Luna turned around, and upon seeing my physical body looking as if it was going to tumble onto the ground, she levitated it onto the bed with concern. "Are you alright, my student?"

The body opened its eyes, and I felt my train of thoughts break once again in surprise:Those slitted, predatorial eyes... They belonged to that alicorn I met four years ago!

"Luna I-I-" Her concern immediately turned into trepidation as she moved closer and took my body into a frantic embrace. How my body could still find a way to wrench itself out from Luna's grasp, I wouldn't know.

"What happened to you, Shadow?! No no no, this couldn't be happening!" Luna's horn glowed as she brought her horn towards my body, but once again, my body stood clear. It was safe to say that it was Nightmare Moon who was controlling me, and as if to confirm my fears, she spoke her name out loud.

"Luna, its me: Nightmare Moon."

"Nightmare...? I look for my very first student, and you have the nerve to take his body for your own?!" Her expression darkened quickly, and I silently thanked Nightmare for having the instinct of keeping my physical form alive. The thought of roaming the spiritual realm didn't sit too well with me. "Why are you still here, you scum?! I thought the elements had gotten rid you!"

"Luna please stop this! Don't harm Shadow's body, for he is still here! Give me time, and I shall explain!" Nightmare pleaded as she fell off the bed to dodge a beam of magic that shot off from the lunar princess' horn. Nightmare let out a yelp as my body got encompassed in Luna's magical aura, and she restrained Nightmare against the bed, demanding a clear answer from her. "The Elements of Harmony were never meant to destroy, Princess Luna. Right when I was separated from you, I was sent to this colt weakened and tired. I watched from his point of view as he lived his life, and when I saw how much he appreciated the night, I realised something."

Luna's scowl lightened up to a neutral state, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. "And what would that be?"

"I should have never made you get so angry. You created me for support but when all the jealous and anger had overcome you. I should have stopped it." Nightmare Moon stared forlornly at Luna, a tear falling from the eye of my body. "I am sorry, Luna. I never should have done that to you."

"I forgive you, Nightmare Moon, under the condition that you help Shadow and prevent him from falling into the same state that I did back then." Luna said, something that Nightmare Moon nodded to. In an instant, everything went black. I felt dizzy as I forced my eyes open, and Luna was in front of me with concern.

"Are you alright, Shadow?" Luna asked after checking me over once again.

"Y-yeah... I think I should be alright." I muttered out loud as I groaned, a slight throb in my head reminding me of the events that had just transpired. "Did all that really happen, princess?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But you don't have to fear, Shadow. Nightmare Moon never lies, and if she wants a change of heart, a second chance should be given. In the meantime, I shall give you some time to settle down in your new room." Luna, although slightly hesitant, nodded and headed towards the door, but not before turning back for a moment. "Oh yes, if you wish to, you can watch me raise the moon tonight. Just ask any of the castle staff to bring you to my room, and I will see you by the balcony." With a gentle smile, she left the room, leaving me to my own devices, as well as a strangely quiet being residing within me.

Once I began unpacking, I levitated the camping picture and necklace out onto the nightstand before the next thing I produced from the bag was a neatly rolled up scroll. "I remember this." I muttered to myself as I unrolled it. "I was going to give it to Twilight on her coronation day, but I must've forgotten about it.

Dear Twilight,

I finally passed my magic kindergarten test, and dad said for my reward is that we are going to a Wonderbolts show! I'm really excited about it, but more than that, I really miss you Twilight. Hopefully I will see you soon. How is Ponyville, by the way? I heard its a small village with earth ponies and pegasi. It would be really awesome if you could meet up with us and share your stories with us then! Hope to see you soon!

Love,

Shadow

I sighed as I rolled up the scroll and put it on my dresser, but I picked it up when a rather obvious realization hit me: why did I even think that sending it to her was impossible? I had the two strongest ponies nearby, and they knew who Twilight was! Of course they could send it for me!

With that thought in mind, I picked the scroll up and exited the room. Since it was still daytime, I headed for the throne room, hoping that Princess Celestia was still there. As I walked past the pantry, however, a voice calling my name stopped me.

"Shadow." Much to my relief, the voice was friendly and gentle, and more importantly, it was not coming from my mind. I peeked my head into the pantry to find Princess Celestia sitting there eating a hay and cheese sandwich.

"Hello Princess Celestia." I said nervously, earning a chuckle from her.

"Please, Shadow. You are my sister's student. Such a close position you hold to her gives you permission to drop the title. Call me Celestia." I nodded, complying with her wish for me to wait for her to finish up her snack. Once she did, we began trotting towards where I could only guess was their rooms. "You wanted to find my sister to watch her raise the moon, yes?" I nodded before I produced the scroll and gave it to her.

"I actually wanted to send Twilight this letter two years ago, but seeing how she was always so busy, I never did get to send it to her." Celestia unrolled the scroll and briefly read through it as we continued trotting. "I know it's really outdated, but she loves capturing our moments with the letters we write to each other."

"Such an interesting and touching concept you two have there." Celestia giggled, stopping right outside her room's door with the letter in her telekinetic grasp. "Don't worry, Shadow. I will make sure that this letter gets to your sister, as well as the original date that the letter was written on. Now, I do believe Luna is waiting for you by the balcony. Don't keep her waiting!"

I thanked Celestia for helping me before speeding off towards the balcony where Luna was, standing regally, but still with that gentle smile as she saw me. With her wing draped over me, I told myself that life was going to be so much better as I watched the moon take its place in the sky.