Balanced: Chapter 3
Balanced: Chapter 3
By Metal Squirrel Chaos
Warm. Gentle. Soft. She felt good. Safe. At peace.
Twilight Sparkle shifted slightly as the warmth enveloped her. The first rays of the sun were shining through the window, piercing even her closed eyelids. However, despite the disturbance, and her internal alarm clock, the young mare found herself too comfortable to move. For the first time in a while, the lavender unicorn decided, body and mind, that she would just sleep in today.
And who wouldn’t when they had such a wonderfully soft bed and nice, cozy blanket wrapped tightly around her.
That plan was foiled by the sound of something in the distance creaking, followed shortly by an even louder creaking. Twilight’s ears flipped and she gave a low moan. Why was fate so unkind? she asked the Aether. She shifted again, trying to worm away from the light and the noise. The blanket shifted with her, feeling so tight and warm, almost gripping.
The creaking sounded again, making the librarian’s ears flop in annoyance. Am I not allowed to sleep? She drearily asked herself. Finally unable to ignore consciousness anymore, Twilight opened her eyes to the world, instantly regretting it as light pierced her corneas. “Uhhh,” she moaned and shook her head, trying to clear it. She needed tea.
Looking up, Twilight saw a familiar white face staring at her from the doorway, identifying the source of the creaking and its cause.
“Celestia?” she asked wearily as the eldest sovereign walked into the room, standing tall with all her royal authority.
“Good morning again, Twilight Sparkle,” the pristine alicorn greeted. She wore a smirk on her face, one she was trying hard to suppress. “You two had fun last night I see?”
Memories of the last few days finally began to resurface in the Element of Magic’s mind. She was under Princess Luna’s teachings. She had stayed up all night with the Midnight Maiden, at first simply learning the new and exciting magical arts. After that, the Princess had concluded that her studies were over for the night, and the two had just...talked. Twilight surmised that she must have fallen asleep.
Taking a look around, the small mare realized she was still in Luna’s room, the dark blues and blacks of the wall now shining in the sunlight. Twilight then looked over the bed she was on. Luna’s cloud bed. She needed to get one. She had probably only slept two, maybe three hours, but it was the most restful sleep she had felt in years. Only one thing was off to the little spell-weaver.
Where was Princess Luna?
Suddenly, the blanket Twilight had slept under began to shift all on its own, it’s comforting grip tightening a little.
The faithful student's eyes shot open, the haziness of sleep shattered like glass as realization hit it like a brick. She turned her eyes backwards, craning her neck just a bit, and confirmed her theory.
Her blanket was Princess Luna, though not as she had been last night. Her fur was a lighter blue now, and she was noticeably smaller. Her mane was no longer a sea of stars, but a normal looking mane of a lighter blue color. She looked exactly like she had when the Elements had freed her from Nightmare Moon. The Bringer of Night was cuddling with her on the bed, legs wrapped around the smaller mare in a tight embrace, her wing stretched to cover Twilight almost completely. The young unicorn could now feel the fuzzy chest of the Diarch rising and falling against her back.
Faced with an incredibly scary situation, Twilight Sparkle was never one to panic. Sure there had been times where she would freak out over something others may see as small, but that usually took time to wear her down. In the heat of the moment, the most prized student of now both alicorn sovereigns was known for her quick, calm thinking.
“Ahhh!” Twilight Sparkle shrieked, flailed, and finally jumped straight out of Luna’s grip before crashing face first into the floor.
Celestia winced as she saw the unusual amount of athleticism from her student. “Twilight, are you OK?”
“Mmmph,” the lavender librarian murmured into the lush carpet. She suddenly shot upward, landing on all four hooves in a manner which would have gotten her a 4 out of 10 from Rainbow Dash, and turned to face the wrath of the younger sister. “Luna I’m so sorry I didn’t...wait. She’s still asleep? How is she still asleep?”
True to Twilight’s eyes, the cute blue alicorn snoozed on, her slumber not disturbed in the least.
Celestia laughed at the antics before her before turning to her slumbering sibling. “Poor Luna is a notoriously deep sleeper, especially during the day.” The Solar Sylph’s grin widened with wicked ideas. “Watch this.” She took a few steps toward the bed, leaned her head down toward her sister’s ear, and took a breath.
Twilight, recognizing what was about to happen, took cover behind Luna’s dresser.
“HEY WOOOOOOONA!” Celestia shouted with all the power of the Royal Canterlot Voice, a magic she had not personally touched in a few centuries. Though it was not as loud as her younger sibling’s voice, she could still make the entire tower vibrate. “WAKE UP BABY WOOOONA!”
Several seconds passed. Twilight glanced around the dresser toward Luna’s bed. Just as before, Luna had not moved an inch, her eyes still shut tight.
Celestia stood over her, a big grin on her face. “Told you,” she chuckled, and yanked the actual blanket, which had fallen to the floor during the night, over her dear sister, gently tucking her in. “Come, Twilight, let’s have some breakfast together. You seem to have worn my poor Luna out, so we shall let her sleep till sunset.”
“Oh...Ok Princess,” the stunned unicorn muttered.
As Celestia walked out of the room, Twilight began to follow her, only to stop and look back at the sleeping Princess. The spellweaver had to admit, she did look adorable when she was sleeping. Shaking that thought from her mind, Twilight Sparkle followed her first teacher out of the room and shut the door behind her.
With the small click of the door’s lock, the sleeping alicorn whimper in her sleep and pulled her legs and tail toward her chest. Luna scrunched herself into a ball in search for something that was now missing.
***
The adrenaline of waking up next to a sleeping, cuddling matriarch had finally worn itself through Twilight’s system. Unfortunately for her, that meant that the weight of only three hours of sleep was beginning to wear on the young unicorn again.
She sat at the Royal Table in the Royal Dining Hall. Nopony else had arrived yet, seeing it was barely a half hour past sunrise. Because of that, it was only her, Celestia, and the guards standing at the door (Steel Hoof and Broken Sword, she mused half consciously) to enjoy breakfast this early.
The Princess of the Sun strolled back into the dinning hall, carrying a tray with some strong herbal tea in her magical grip. “This will make you feel better, Twilight. I blended it myself.”
The wizard in training groaned as the smell reached her nostrils. “Is...is that your Sunflower Springs Tea? I haven’t had that in a while.”
Celestia chuckled at her young apprentice. “That’s right, I remembered how much you...” The Solar Sylph trailed off as she watched the cup of tea levitate off of the plate, held in Twilight’s maroon colored magical grip and carried toward the source’s lips. Her stunned silence was less from her student’s impatience, and more from another fact.
Twilight was still wearing the Shadow Band around her horn. Now that Celestia had a moment to think, she realized her young student had been wearing it when she woke up this morning.
“My goodness. You two really were busy last night, weren’t you?”
Twilight shuddered as the warm, invigorating liquid began to fully wake her from a long night and a short sleep. She still wanted to get some real shut eye, but that would only throw her sleep schedule off even more, so she decided against it. As the warmth filled her, Twilight let her mentor’s words finally register in her mind. “Huh? Oh yes, we were,” she laughed, holding the cup still. “I...I really wanted this tea.” She took another sip, shaking a little. “It’s so good.”
Celestia gave a soft giggle at the young mare’s dreamy look. However, that giggle turned into a frown as realization crossed her mind.
Twilight, despite her addled mind, noticed the sudden shift in mood. “Princess? What’s wrong?”
The ancient alicorn of the sun looked upon her prized student. Not in a millennium had she seen such raw talent and power. She knew that Twilight was special, that had been proven many times already. She also knew how dangerous she could be. “I think it is time I told you something, Twilight. Something I haven’t told any one else, save a few trusted comrades. But you need to hear this more than any other pony, so please, listen.”
Rarely was the Solar Sylph so serious and insistent as she was right now. Twilight Sparkle sat straight, weariness gone from her body and mind as she put all of her attention on her loving tutor.
When she was sure that Twilight was paying attention, Celestia spoke. “Nightmare Moon, the creature that nearly destroyed all of Equestria with her eternal night, was not some evil entity possessing my sister, as many rumors would have you believe. Nor was it the result of her using forbidden magic, or making a deal with dark beings. And though I would like to blame Discord for it, even he had no straight hand in my sister’s fall. The truth, Twilight Sparkle, is that Nightmare Moon WAS my sister, through and through.”
Twilight looked up in awe as her mentor dropped such a heavy burden from her shoulders. “But...wouldn’t that mean that she was...still dangerous?”
Despite the mood, the Queen of the Blue Sky managed a chuckle. “She’s always been dangerous, Twilight. That is one of the many reasons I love and respect her.” Her eyes turned upward, looking through stone and time all at once. “It is also why I should have seen that night coming.”
Celestia then stood from the table, and walked toward the windows, looking out at her kingdom. Twilight followed, standing at her side, tea still in her magic grip as she sipped it and listened.
“My sister’s magic has many effects on the ponies who learn to tap into it. Night Magic is a two way street, Twilight. When you learn to tap into it, it also taps into you. You become connected to your own emotions in a way that is incomprehensible for most ponies to understand. It is a frightening thing, which is one of the many reasons my sister’s school always had less attendants then mine.” Celestia turned back to her student. “You told me once about your transformation when you were frustrated with your friend, Pinkie Pie.”
“Yes,” Twilight confirmed. “Me and Luna talked about that last night.”
“Then she knows your Catalyst,” the Princess noted. “Good. You are lucky, Twilight, though you may not see it that way.”
“Why do you say that, Princess?” the young librarian was now thoroughly confused. Anger was lucky?
“Simple,” her tutor answered. “Frustration and anger are quick and fleeting. You transformed only for a moment, only for long enough to burn through your overloaded emotions. It came and left quickly, a moment’s loss of control, nothing more. Though that loss of control can be devastating at the right time, that is a matter of one’s luck.”
Celestia turned back to the city of Canterlot stretched out before her. “But what if that wasn’t your Catalyst? What if your Catalyst was something more subtle. Seductive. Corrupting.”
Twilight’s powerful mind digested this information, and only one conclusion came to her. “Like Luna’s is?”
Celestia nodded. “Luna’s Catalyst is Love. It is a terrible burden she carries, and far different than a feeling like anger. Anger is there for a moment or two and then gone, but love is an emotion that lasts. Love lingers. And when that love is not returned, it can become its opposite: Hatred.”
Twilight suddenly found herself much luckier than she had a few hours earlier.
“My sister was never good with other ponies. She was nocturnal, where most ponies of that time were not, but that was hardly her only problem. She has...bizarre tastes that to this day still confuse me. She loves things like bats and rats and wolves, loved to play in dark forests and dance amongst the fireflies.” Celestia’s eyes once again stared at things that Twilight could only imagine. Realizing she was off topic, the Sun Princess turned back to her student. “She was a born artist, with all the eccentricities that accompany that. In fact, one could say she created those very stereotypes.” Celestia giggled a bit.
Twilight felt relieved at the small joke, the tension in the room lifting if only for a moment. “But she had you, didn’t she?”
The tension came back quickly, Celestia staring at the floor. “That, Twilight, was the single greatest mistake I have ever made. For a long time, we protected each other, guided one another...” Celestia looked up, her eyes focusing and brow deepened. “Then he came.”
“Discord?”
The solar goddess gave a nod. “He came from seemingly nowhere, just as he likes to. He turned our world into a...well I won’t say such atrocities he did, but me and my sister could no longer ignore how much the ponies needed us. We stood against him, and we began to search for an old ponies tail that we heard as foals. The Elements of Harmony. We found them, we harnessed them, and we banished Discord for a very long time.”
“What happened next?” Twilight asked, leaning in to absorb the knowledge her mentor was feeding her.
Celestia’s face returned to its solemn stare. “We took over. The ponies asked us to. They were lost and scattered from Discord’s dark influence, and we were strong now, tuned to the Elements of Harmony. We took our position at the head of Equestria, and as the raisers of the Sun and Moon.”
Twilight watched as a single tear dripped down the sovereign's cheek before she began to speak again. “I didn’t realize it until it was too late. Me and my sister met less and less. We talked for shorter periods of time. Her nocturnal nature, and both of our busy schedules made it hard for us to see one another personally. When we did, she would only speak of official matters. As simply as that, we began to drift apart.”
Twilight realized what that meant. “She had no one.”
Celestia looked towards the heavens again, remembering. “Not entirely. She had one. But he was old and bedridden by then. When he finally passed on, Luna could barely take the strain on her heart. Years later, she came to me in the earliest of morning with a request. A memorial to him, and a way for the ponies of Equestria to appreciate her night. She asked me to let her hold the moon in place, just until noon, and let everyone see her stars as they awoke.”
Twilight leaned in even farther, almost losing her balance.
“...I said no.”
Twilight gasped.
“That night was the worst night of my life. I had not realized what that loneliness, that lack of love, that loss, had been doing to her. So connected was she to her magic, that the loneliness itself began to influence her magic, beyond her own control. When her Catalyst could find no love, it took the closest thing it could: her hate. And on that morning, over a thousand years ago, her mind and magic finally snapped.”
“Nightmare Moon.” Twilight guessed.
“Yes,” the elder ruler sighed. “A creature that was my sister, but a vile part of her, given form by her darker emotions. The closest parallel I can draw is that of schizophrenia, one magically formed from decades of bitterness. I...I couldn’t...”
Twilight watched in awe as her mentor, the ancient and powerful Solar Alicorn, began to cry. She was stunned to watch the tears flow from those beautiful eyes. “I’m...I’m sorry Twilight. I can’t...you know the rest anyway.” Celestia reeled herself in, giving a sigh as she regained control. “You cleaned her of her bitterness, and of the corrupted magic. You brought my sister back to me. But that is why I was afraid of you learning her magic. I was afraid you may become a danger to yourself and others, much like you were the day I found you. However, you’ve again proven yourself more wonderful than I could ever hope for, Twilight. You already have a grip on telekinesis, where most students of hers would still be struggling to move that silly rock of hers. I’m so proud of you.”
The much larger equine spread her fore-hooves out, and wrapped them around her young student. Alicorn and unicorn embraced one another, the younger mare trying desperately to keep her cheeks from blushing. “It’s ok, Princess. Your sister is back, and I promise I’ll be careful with her magic. I won’t become like Nightmare Moon.”
“I know, Twilight,” Celestia sniffled. “But hearing that is still soothing to these old ears.”
The deep, emotional moment was suddenly crushed when both ponies heard the clopping of hooves through the halls around them.
“The breakfast guests,” they both said, and both scrambled in a rather clumsy fashion back to the table, Celestia taking her place at the head while Twilight sat on her right. Just after both ponies were sitting, the doors to the Royal Dining Hall opened, revealing Prince Blueblood. Twilight simply sat, trying not to look suspicious. Celestia smiled warmly at her young nephew several generations removed. “Hello, Blueblood. Good to see you this early. Again.” He was always the first one in.
“Good morning, Auntie,” he smiled, before spying the unicorn seated at the table. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle.” The venom in his voice dripped over his fancy shirt. “I did not expect to see you. Are you accompanied by any of your...friends?” His eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of the white furred demon.
“No,” Twilight said, using her most distinguished manners that she had honed so skillfully in her years as a student to a matriarch. “I am here alone, to study under Princess Luna in the ways of magic.”
Blueblood’s eyes went wide. The color disappeared from his already white face. “A-auntie Luna? What? Where? Is she here?” he looked around as if preparing to be attacked.
Celestia did all she could to repress a laugh. “No, dear nephew, she is sleeping as she does most days.”
“Oh,” Blueblood sighed in relief. “Good. I mean, it is good that she rest if she is taking on tutoring again.” his eye visibly twitched, left ear flapping erratically. He said no more, and sat down at the end of the table to await the rest of the guests.
The lavender unicorn leaned toward her mentor to whisper. “What’s with him? Why is he so scared of Luna?”
The Solar Sylph chuckled quietly. “That, dear Twilight, is a story for another time.”
***
The day passed rather quickly for young Twilight Sparkle.
After breakfast, the young unicorn had decided that her last day in Canterlot should be doing what she loved best. Reading. She had immediately gone to the Canterlot Archives and picked out a slew of first edition unedited books to read. For some reason, she felt like history was the topic of the day.
The night sky was only just now coming into view as the sun dipped under the western mountains, ready to make way for its sister, which was already rising in the east. Twilight walked across the stony path that lead between the Royal Archives and the Palace, deeply enveloped in the words she was reading as she walked. Luckily, there were no other ponies around for her to accidentally bump into.
Last night, Luna had taught Twilight how to use telekinesis with Night Magic. At first, Twilight had been apprehensive, not understanding why one would learn something every unicorn her age had mastered long ago. Now, however, as she walked, Twilight began to realize how useful this new form of telekinesis was.
After all, she had never been able to hold fifteen different books in her magical grip while both walking and reading a sixteenth book all at once. At least, never this easily, and while still absorbing the words in front of her. It took almost no effort, just a sense of “I want to, and I will”, and she was capable of multitasking like she never had before. She wondered if Rarity secretly somehow knew about this kind of magic. That unicorn was a master of precision, even with multiple small objects in her grip.
She had checked out several stacks of books, and now was on the last stack, which she had decided to bring with her as she headed toward the Palace for her last night of training. She tried to stifle a yawn as she put the book she was reading to the left of her. Four more books yet to be read were floating on her right. If her calculations were good, and they usually were, she’d be done right before she met Luna.
Of course, that assumed Luna was in her room.
Twilight stopped her trot as something like a soft tingle spread through her front legs, and began to drift over her chest and belly. The librarian began to giggle, her will shaking. “Hahahah, what?” she spun around, trying to find the source of the sensation. She saw nothing, and as soon as she turned to find it, the sensation seemed to stop. Shaking her head and scratching her stomach, the lavender librarian started walking and reading again...
...only to shriek and laugh loudly as her hoof came down on the stone road. It felt like she had just stepped right into a bed of feathers.
Looking down, Twilight Sparkle saw that there was a strange dark blue mist on the ground. Just standing in it made her fur and skin feel tingly. As soon as she saw it, the mist raised itself up, sliding over the unicorn filly’s legs, making her shake in a fit of laughter. “Oh god stop, stop, hahahaha,” she giggled, trying hard not to tip over. She had a feeling that would only make things infinitely worse. The mist rose up even more, now completely covering Twilight’s legs, and beginning to tickle her belly as well. “Please haha, stop, oh please,” the poor unicorn cried out.
It was then that the young spell-weaver noticed that the cloud itself was giggling as well. Dark blue mist. Giggling. Even assaulted as she was, Twilight put two and two together. “L-Luna? Is th-that you?” she managed to spurt out between fits of laughter.
The mist suddenly shifted, the soft laugh of the disembodied voice now filling the air as it drew away from the small unicorn and formed itself into a large, slender alicorn. When the mist solidified into its original shape, Princess Luna gave her student a mischievous grin. “I call it Tickle Mist. It’s something I invented after Nightmare Night. I stayed up all night inventing tricks like that one.”
Twilight giggled despite herself, shaking off the last of the tickling feeling. “Yes, it’s quite clever. I’m sure Rainbow Dash would appreciate it. But what made you decide to tickle me?”
“Oh,” Luna looked sideways. “Just seeing if you could keep a hold of your books while faced with such a distraction. Good job, Twilight. Your mind and heart are as incredible as ever.” The princess gave a slightly nervous grin as said student looked up at her.
The Element of Magic looked back toward her books, seeing that, indeed they had not moved an inch despite not really thinking about them. Definitely useful.
“Of course,” Luna grinned. “There are some problems with using my magic for telekinesis.”
“Problems?” Twilight began to ask as she turned back around.
At that moment, the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon, and the moon rose in its mirror, taking her rightful place amongst the stars. The Midnight Maiden knew now that she was at her peak of power, and as such, it was time to use it.
“Look Twilight!” the Lunar Alicorn pointed with a hoof. “A rare set of romance novels!”
“What?” the librarian spun around, natural book seeking instincts active. “Where?”
“KABOOOOM!”
Princess Luna watched in fascination as her young, nonathletic student managed to do a perfect front flip right onto her back. “GAAAH!” At about the same time, every book Twilight had been holding went flying in every direction.
The ancient Princes of Night tried very hard not to laugh. She tried very hard. “Snk...Huph. Hahahaha! Oh I’m so sorry Twilight.”
The ever faithful student lay on her back as realization hit her, her eye twitching only slightly. She saw that as a sign of improvement. “Why, Princess?”
Luna, after reeling in her laughter for the most part, waved her hoof around. Several of the books had crashed straight through various bushes surrounding the stone path. One had even managed to dig itself into the soil. Twilight would lament it later.
“One’s emotions are fickle things. What is important to you at one moment can be worthless the next, all depending on the situation. One must balance their emotional needs with their priorities. Priorities are one of the most important things you will need to control, Twilight. You’ll need them for this next...this next... shn hahahaha I’m sorry but you look so funny on your back like that.”
As the small wizard's embarrassment grew, she managed to get to her hooves. Trying hard not to glare a hole through Luna’s body, she instead opted to retrieve her books, letting her magic spark.
“Hold, Twilight.” the blue alicorn asked. “I have another test. Extra credit, if you will. You may recognize this one.” Luna grinned as she held out a familiar looking moon rock.
“Ugh,” Twilight sighed. “Princess, I appreciate you wanting me to get the basics down, but I’m well versed in using Night Magic for telekinesis now.”
Luna shook her head. “Not that simple, student. I want you to pull your books and this rock to you. At the same time.”
“Huh?” Twilight asked, but shrugged. “If you say so, Princess.” She let her magic flare, let her desires fill her, and pulled.
The books all around her flew from their new hiding places, some a good twenty feet away from where they had started. The rock did not move till all of the books were in place, but soon it too joined them in its still orbit.
“See, Princess. No sweat.” Twilight grinned.
“Wrong, my faithful student,” The Princess of Starlight grinned, and with a flick of her own magic, she put every book, and the rock, the same distance from her student, now laying on the ground around the young mare in a perfect circle. “I said to pull them to you at the same time. All at once. Try again.”
Twilight twisted her brow as she examined the books and single rock. “Ok, let’s just...” She tugged at all the objects with her magic. All the books flew around her, orbiting her in perfect synch.
The rock followed a few seconds later.
“What?” The lavender mare groaned and put everything back again, and tried once more. This time, the rock flew to her, orbiting her like a small moon (which it sort of was). The books floated by leisurely half a second later. “UGH!”
Princess Luna chuckled as she watched her studious pupil try again and again to get the sync between book and rock down. “Having trouble?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!” Twilight hissed, gritting her teeth as she now pulled half the books toward her, then the rock, then the other books. Frustrated, she slammed all of the objects down before preparing to try again.
“Enough, Twilight.” Luna held out a hoof, silently letting the unicorn calm herself down. “That was a near impossible test. You weren’t meant to truly pass it, only to take away what you learned from it.”
Twilight studied the objects around her, thinking on her teacher’s words. “Wait...I wanted the books more than the rock. Then I got mad and wanted the rock because it kept coming last...and then I guess I just got really mad and started grabbing whatever...”
“Yes,” Luna nodded. “your priorities were set. You wanted the books more because you like books. But the rock is just a rock.” She grinned as she pulled the small stone back to her. “In this, you must understand: both Night and Day magic have their advantages and disadvantages. If you become the Archmage I expect you will one day, you must learn to use both magics in the right situation.”
Twilight Sparkle stood in silence as she digested, mentally, the new teachings. “But what are the best times to use either magic?”
The Lunar Guardian giggled. “That, Twilight Sparkle, is something that you must learn for yourself. Practical use for either form of magic must be learned from experience, not words.” Luna turned her head to the west, seeing the last few rays of the sun disappear completely. “Come, my faithful student. There is one final lesson to learn before our final night is out and you go home in the morning.” Luna’s face suddenly frowned.
“Something wrong, Princess?” The young wizard asked.
“No, no Twilight,” Luna stared forward. “Nothing is wrong.” Lookin for a change of subject, the Diarch of the Night scanned over Twilight’s books. “What are you reading, anyway?”
“Oh,” Twilight perked up, more than willing to talk about her reading material, “they’re mostly history books on everything from before the time of Ni-” Twilight’s eyes shot open as she realized what she was saying. “Um, before you disappeared.”
“Twilight,” Luna sighed. “You don’t need to sugar coat this for me. I’m a big princess, I assure you.” She grinned wide and patted her student on the back of the head. “Now, continue.”
The studious unicorn gave a nod, and presented some of the books to her new tutor. “I wanted to learn more about pre Nightmare Moon Equestria. What was it like? Were there more farms? Was art less important?”
Luna gave a scoff. “Twilight I am insulted.”
“Huh?”
“If you want to know the answers to those questions, you should just ask?” The Matriarch of the Moon’s grin was nearly ear to ear. “I will gladly tell you what I know.”
The lavender mare gasped loudly enough to make Pinkie Pie proud, her face lighting up like a tree on Hearts Warming Day. “Oh thank you so much, Princess. Celestia rarely talks about her past, but I’m just so curious, there’s just so much to know! Oh thank you thank you thank you!”
Princess Luna could barely contain her laughter. “Yes, Twilight, no problem. Calm down before you hurt yourself.” The alcorn's eyes suddenly focused on a book that looked much older than the rest. “What about that one?”
Twilight turned her head. There, still in her grasp, was the copy of Starswirl the Bearded’s Study of Young Foal’s Magic she had found in the Royal Archives the day before. “This book was what gave me the jump on learning your magic. I doubt we would be as far along in my training without it.”
“Gave you a jump? In my magic?” Luna was confused. “But, how? All records of my magic were...Twilight, let me see that book.”
A little nervous at the sudden mood shift, Twilight nonetheless handed her princess the scripture of interest. Immediately, the Midnight Maiden began to read the title on the cover, her eyes widening. In no time, she was flipping through the book, catching what she found to be important sections of its text.
When she had reached the end of the tomb, Luna dropped it to the ground. Her mouth was agape and her eyes were still wide, as if seeing something that was blind to her moments ago. “He...did it. He kept it alive. Buried, and disguised, but alive.”
“Who did, Princess?” Twilight asked, looking down at the book. “Starswirl the Bearded?”
Then, for the second time that day, Twilight watched one of the Princesses of Equestria cry. It was only a single tear, and it landed against the stone under her hooves with the gentlest of drips, but the young unicorn knew that it was significant.
“Princess?” Twilight cautiously approached. “Are you OK? Why are you upset.”
When Luna looked up, her face was not as Twilight expected. Instead, the younger Matriarch was smiling. “I’m sorry, Twilight. This is rather unbecoming of a Princess, I know. But...I’m just so happy.”
The Bearer of Magic cocked an eyebrow. “Happy? Why would you-” and then, in Twilight’s mind, everything clicked. “Starswirl the Bearded knew your magic?”
Luna gave a low chuckled, finally steadying her emotions. “In a sense, yes.”
Twilight’s mind worked quickly, doing math in her head. “That would mean that Starswirl was alive when you were banished. That would mean he was well over a century old at that time!” At that moment, it occurred to the librarian that no book she had ever read ever told of the death of the powerful unicorn.
Before she could ask more, her teacher raised a hoof. “Stay your questions, Twilight. I will tell you one day. But for now, that is a well kept secret.” She gave a knowing wink. “Just trust me that I am very happy right now.” The younger princess turned her head toward her moon and the stars, her own eyes sparkling just as brightly as they did. “Even after all I did, he still cared.”
Twilight starred as Princess Luna was enveloped in the moonlight. She couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she was, with her own sky framing her.
“Now, come” Luna let her smile drop only a little. “We head toward the gardens for your training this time. I have a special course set up for you to learn one of the most valuable techniques my magic has to offer.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up, as she began to gather up the other books. “What technique is that, Princess?”
“It’s a surprise,” Luna grinned wide, eyes still twinkling. “You will find out when we get there.”
The pair of mares, plus reading material, walked onward toward the gardens as Luna’s moon shone down on them from above.
Neither of them noticed a brown earth pony stick his head out from a nearby bush, after struggling to get his tie unstuck from one of the branches. “Hmmm,” he mused to himself for a moment, studying both student and teacher intently. “Marmalade? Maybe?”
With that, he ducked back into the bushes and disappeared from sight.
***
It was barely a half hour later that the two powerful mares found themselves in the Royal Canterlot Gardens. The younger mare gazed up into the sky with awe, watching the stars shine ever so brightly as the moon framed the horizon. The spectacular view filled the studious wizard in training with a sense of awe and scale that she was completely incapable of understanding.
Luna was more concerned with the fact she had let Cygnus drift too far to the right again. “Some stars are just so stubborn.”
“What was that, Luna?” Twilight asked, awoken from her trance.
“Oh, nothing,” the Lunar Princess quickly answered. “We are here.” She pointed out.
Before the two mares was a square walled off area of the guardians. Twilight recognized it instantly as a training area for the guard, though at the moment it was deserted, save for the training dummies littered around. The dummies were similar to the ones that Rarity kept in her boutique, though they were more stallion in shape and size. Their faces were void of any features that would make one think twice of attacking them, save for two grooves to indicate nostrils.
From the center of the square radiated a smaller stone circle. This is where the actual training would take place.
“A training ground?” Twilight mused. “What are we doing here?”
“Training,” Luna smiled, grabbing a few dummies in her magical hold. She looked around the field, thinking quickly. “Twilight. Please stand in the center.”
As the unicorn took her position in the middle of the stone circle, Luna placed one single dummy inside of it as well, on the southern edge. “My faithful student, this is the most important skill one can learn when attempting to study the ways of Night Magic. Everything you have learned so far will be put on trial to see if you are ready to handle your own heart’s true desires. Are you ready?”
The lavender unicorn steeled herself, grinning wide and confident as she anchored her feet, feeling the magic in the air around her. “Ready when you are, Princess.”
“Excellent,” the ruling Diarch replied as she took position her student. “Twilight, when I give the word, I want you to focus your emotions on the dummy, and then use your magic to attack it.”
“What,” Twilight's concentration faltered. She turned back toward her mentor. “Attack it?”
Luna nodded. “Trust me. This is the most important lesson you will need to learn in your studies of Night Magic.”
“But Princess,” Twilight raised a hoof and pointed at her supposed target. “I don’t think I feel a great deal of emotional attachment to an inanimate object, one way or the other. How am I supposed to attack it if I don’t feel anything toward it.”
“A good question,” Princess Luna tipped her horn down, and it began to glow with powerful magic. The smile was gone from her face. “I will help you with that.”
Twilight watched in fascination. She could see the strands of magic, watch them weave and form into intricate, complex patterns. Here, she had a first hand witness to ancient, powerful magic, and every intricate working component of it. And she still had no idea what the princess was doing.
The magic suddenly focused around the training dummy, and in a flash it now had a new face, one not blank and lifeless, but now familiar. It was a lopsided face, like that of a pony’s, but with one eye noticeably larger than the other, and a single long fang on the right side of its face. It wore a terrible grin.
Twilight's eyes widened. “Discord?!”
“Ah, the young Twilight Sparkle, holder of the Element of Magic. Good to see you again,” the sinister beast chuckled in his smooth voice.
Twilight cocked her head to the side as she stared at the oddity in front of her. It was not completely Discord, just his head and voice on a dummy.“Luna, what-” but as she turned to her tutor, she found herself alone in the field with the not-quite-dragonequis.
“What’s the matter? Lost your precious princess? Again? That wouldn’t be the first time you disappointed them.” That same smooth voice sneered at its own insulting joke.
Caught off guard by the stinging words, Twilight Sparkle glared at the fake Discord, who only laughed at her expression. “We beat you! I saw the Elements turn you back to stone, where you belong!”
“Oh please,” the mismatch creature laughed again, his grin as wide as ever, showing off his one elongated tooth. “I would never let something like defeat stop me from enjoying all the suffering and misery of ponies. Ponies like you and your dear friends.”
Twilight grit her teeth.
“Remember when I turned Ponyville into my private playground? Oh that was ever so much fun, wasn’t it? Soap roads, candy clouds, buffalo ballet. Oh but as I said, those were the first changes. The second ones were going to be a bit more...sinister. I think once I had made sure the Elements were no longer a problem, I would have started changing them back. Not all at once of course, but torturing their new selves wouldn’t have been nearly as funny.” The spirit of chaos thought for a moment. “I think I’d start with Fluttershy.”
“Shut up.” The unicorn glared at him.
“Maybe I would have turned her sweet Angel into a huge hulking monster. Maybe let him vent some of that frustration on his old master.”
“I said shut up!”
“And of course I’d go toward Pinkie Pie next. I’d throw her a party. A “Nobody Loves Me” party. And only she would be invited. I may attend but only for the cake. It would be made out of her tears. And vanilla icing. I love vanilla icing.”
Twilight closed her eyes, shaking with rage. Everything around her was forgotten. Everything but that infernal laugh and the monster making it.
“But the most fun would be the pony I saved for last. I’d have to do something especially cruel to her. Maybe take away the only thing she had left. Take away her reason to live. Take away the very source of her talent, her very dream.”
Twilight felt her power calling to her. She felt the magic of her very soul pour into her horn. No spells. No mercy.
“ I think I’d finish with...Rainbow Dash.”
Twilight’s eyes snapped open, and she let out a feral roar that pony-kind was not meant to make. Beyond words to express herself, the incredibly powerful unicorn unleashed a purple cone shaped beam of energy at her hated target.
The false Discord laughed up until the bolt hit him, shattering the training dummy into dozens of pieces. The beam kept going through him, finally stopping as it scorched part of the hedge that had been behind it.
“There!” Twilight shouted, her voice ragged. She felt the anger slip away from her, taking a breath to steady her head. It was throbbing. “How do you like that, Discord!”
“HAHAHAHAHA!” The laugh of the dragonequis filled the small arena. Before Twilight could identify its origin, another mannequins, sporting Discord’s head, appeared where the first had stood. And then another one behind her. “Miss me?” the two fake spirits laughed together.
“But...but I just,” Twilight looked between the two now floating spirits as they began to circle her.
“Oh dear Twilight,” they pouted in perfect unison. “So alone again. No friends to help you. No Celestia to protect you. Not that she could stop me anyway. Am I right? What a horrible ruler. Probably a lousy teacher too.”
The anger in the Element of Magic swelled again, and her eyes glowed white. “Go away,” she shouted, releasing another cone of pure energy, blasting one of the creatures into dust.
“Well now,” the remaining Discord mused, before he too was blasted to pieces.
Twilight sank to the ground, panting for breath. Her head throbbed, pounded, and overall felt...wrong.
“...and where did this kind little filly get such a temper?”
Twilight’s eyes shot open again, then narrowed into a glare. “No.”
In an instant, several popping sounds were heard all around the young mare. She saw them materialize, one by one. Dozens of them. “I’d bet it was bad parenting. I guess I’ll have to find those parents of yours. You might get your temper from them. Anger like that could just crush a relationship. I’d just love to help them resolve it.”
Twilight watched the laughing, cackling, and smirking faces of Discord around her. The unicorn’s chest heaved as she called forth all the power she could. She lashed out in a wave, a huge surge of magic, let out all at once. It was punctuated with her scream.
The laughter stopped as each one of the Discord clones was caught in the blast and incinerated.
Twilight heaved forward and collapsed again. Her head was trying to jump off of her body and escape, she could feel it. The young spell-weaver lay there on the arena floor, trying desperately to catch her breath, before she heard the sound of something popping into existence behind her.
“Hey, Twilight. What’s sha-”
There was no hesitation in her actions. She barely even turned around before Twilight Sparkle unleashed another bolt of her magic, screaming at the top of her lungs...
...and watched in horror as it hit the familiar face of her friend, Rainbow Dash.
The world seemed to slow down, just so that the young mare could watch. The mannequin, with her friend’s shocked and betrayed face sketched across it, instantly shattered as the ones before it had.
The tingle in the air that Twilight had forgotten began to fade. The night was still again. There was no more laughter. She barely felt the presence of the Mare of the Moon beside her again. None of that mattered.
“What...did I do?” Twilight looked down at the pieces of the mannequin that had held her friend’s face. “I...it wasn’t her but...I still...” The young wizard shook, still in shock, tears streaming from her clenched eyes.
“Shh,” the alicorn next to her leaned down and took a wing over her. “It’s OK. Just let it out.” Each sob of the young unicorn was a stab in the heart, but Luna bit her lip and bared it.
The two ponies stood there, in the dead of night, as one cried deeply for her own actions, and the other could do nothing but let her.
***
Neither moved nor spoke for what felt like an hour. The moon was just reaching its apex before Luna had insisted they move to another area of the gardens. The area she chose was one of her favorite stargazing positions in the gardens, a large open field on top of a hill, where the full majesty of the Midnight Maiden’s starry sky was on display.
The princess finally broke the silence. “Twilight. I’m sorry I had to put you through that.”
The younger mare’s tears had long ago dried up, but the pain in her heart still burned. “Why? Why did you make me do that?” she tried to hide the anger in her voice, but it still ended up sounding venomous.
“I didn’t, Twilight.” The younger Diarch scooted closer to her young pupil, trying to emulate her sister’s trademark smile. “I never made you do anything. You did that all on your own.”
Twilight’s eyes began to tear up again.
“No, wait,” Luna fumbled with her own words as she sat up. “I’m sorry, no. I didn’t mean it that way.” She sighed and turned to look Twilight in the eye. “Twilight, what I did was necessary so that you could learn the most valuable lesson I could teach you about Night Magic.”
“And what lesson is that?” the student spat at her teacher as she turned away from her, unable to keep her frustration down any longer. “How to kill my own friends?!”
Luna recoiled, the words digging deep into her chest. “No, Twilight. Learning how to fight was just a byproduct of this lesson. The real lesson is the hardest one someone who uses their own emotions to fuel their magic can learn.” The Princess turned away, staring up at her own stars again. “It is a lesson I learned not too long ago. Just over a year, in fact.”
Twilight, realizing what her teacher was saying, turned back over. “When we beat Nightmare Moon?”
“When you beat me, yes.” The ancient ruler corrected. “I was aware of everything that happened as Nightmare Moon. I saw everything. Worse yet, I agreed with all of it, right to the bitter end. I watched myself do horrible things, and I reveled in it. Because no one ever taught me the lesson I just taught you.”
“That your magic is incredibly dangerous and can cause emotional instability?” Twilight’s tone shifted to her usual snark.
That snark seemed to relieve Luna’s mood a little. “Well, unfortunately yes. But that is why the lesson is important. The real thing to take from all this, Twilight, is that you are often your own worst enemy. You must always be diligent, both of your surroundings, your enemies, your friends...but more than all of them, you must always watch yourself.” The Night Queen’s eyes filled with memory once more. “When I returned to being myself, when my mind was clear, I wondered what I could have done to stop myself from becoming that monster. What could I have done different, if I had the chance to change everything...I did come up with one answer.”
Twilight rolled to her belly. “What was that?”
Luna sighed gently to herself. “Talk, Twilight Sparkle. I needed to talk about how I felt. To my sister. To my subjects. To a well paid psychiatrist. Anyone.” She too rolled to her belly, letting her wings spread out to cool in the night breeze. “Instead, I kept it all in, and let the bitterness infest my heart. I let my own magic go wild. I let myself become a monster because I had no outlet for my frustrations.” She turned to her young student. “I thought that I could push them all down, and hide them. In a way, I thought myself an island. Invincible to my own emotions. I was wrong Twilight. And that is the lesson I hope you have taken from all this. You attacked your friend because you let your magic go wild, control you. It must never happen again.”
Twilight thought about it for a moment, her ears dropping to the sides of her head. “I don’t understand. Why did that happen?”
Luna nodded. “You are still upset, I’d guess, from Discord’s manipulation. How he twisted the six of you against one another. How fragile your friendship may seem now.”
Twilight dipped her head, feeling the tears coming back.
“But don’t, Twilight. You reforged those bonds, stronger than ever, I’d imagine.” The Night Guardian was smiling again. “Your friends overcame his influences with your help. That is no small feat. Discord is a master of manipulation and trickery. It is something he had many eons to perfect. His overall magic power doesn’t hurt him, neither.” Luna’s voice turned bitter for a moment. “Never forget, Twilight. No friendship is made of concrete. It will often be tested, and it may often break. That it can be reforged is the most important thing about it.”
Twilight’s mood brightened as she listened to her mentor’s words. They sounded familiar. “That sounds like something Celestia would say.”
Princess Luna blushed a bit. “It...may be something we discussed as we read over your letters together.”
“You both read those?” Twilight asked.
“Of course,” Luna smiled. “We enjoy going over your lessons. In a way, you have taught us a great deal about friendship and harmony, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps we should call you teacher instead.”
The two mares shared a laugh, the mood finally breaking as they joked with one another. Twilight’s heart felt lighter, the strain of her mistake no longer weighing her down.
Still, the image of Rainbow Dash’s shattered head made her shiver. “Why...was it like that?”
“Hm?” Luna asked.
“Rainbow Dash. Why did you show me her?”
“Oh,” the Midnight Maiden recalled. “We are not sure. When we searched your heart for the people closest to you, we found several candidates. I refrained from using me or my sister, and that young mare was the most prominent of your six friends in your heart, so I used her.”
Twilight felt her cheeks blush hot as the sun. “Oh, well, I guess. She’s one of my best friends, and we spend the most time together since I got her into reading.”
“Indeed she must be to hold such high standings in a heart like yours, Twilight.” Luna chuckled, her smile turning playful and teasing for a moment. The blush that burned its way into the lavender unicorn’s cheeks made her laugh even louder.
Finally, however, Luna reeled in her merriment, and a small frown replaced her smile. “All that said, however, your training is done.”
“Done,” Twilight asked, looking saddened. “But, I thought...”
“Your lesson for this night is done, Twilight Sparkle. You have learned enough, I’d hope. You have more than exceeded my expectations, my young student.”
“But,” Twilight stammered as she rose to her hooves, “I want to learn so much more about you, and your magic.”
“I know,” Luna dismissed with a hoof. “But our three nights of study are over. You are still too young to learn more, at least not yet. And you still have much to learn from my sister, first. Still...” the Night Princess smiled, “I’m happy to hear you’re still interested in our lessons. We were sure you would abandon our school of magic after tonight.”
Twilight bit her lip. “I won’t lie...what you did hurt a lot.” She let herself relax, and sat back on the soft grass. “But...maybe you are right. Maybe it was something I needed to experience.”
Luna nodded, trying to emulate her sister’s sage like mannerisms again. “I’m glad you understand, Twilight Sparkle. But enough!” she suddenly shouted, though not magically. The dark blue Alicorn stood on all fours and stretched her wings out. “The time of lessons are over. Let us engage in something to pass the time till the sun comes up.” She turned to her now ex student. She then blinked as realization hit her. “Oh, you won’t be needing the Shadow Band anymore. I shall relieve-”
“No!” Twilight reached up, grabbing the ring around her horn that Luna had begun to lift with her magic. “I...um...would like to keep it.”
“For what purpose?” Luna tilted her head to the side to ask. “It is far obsolete to you now.”
“I know,” Twilight looked aside. “I just want to keep it as a memento, you know?” She giggled at her own mostly accidental rhyme. “And to help practice if I ever need to.”
Luna just looked over her young student and gave a shrug. “If you insist, Twilight Sparkle.”
The unicorn and alicorn both stood up from the grass and walked back toward the castle, making chitchat and telling stories as they went. Neither knew what they would do for the rest of the night, but at that moment, neither did they care. It was just nice to be with friends.
*** Epilogue***
“And then, she showed me how she puts up the stars every night!” Twilight exclaimed, tapping her hooves together.
“Oh my, Twilight.” Rarity gushed. “How does she do it?”
“Well, I’ll tell you this much. Don’t stand too close.”
The six friends all burst into laughing as they gathered on the floor of Twilight’s library tree house.
It was one night later, and Twilight had finally returned to her home in Ponyville. Despite the fun she had experienced in Canterlot. the young librarian felt most at home here, surrounded by her best friends.
Pinkie had, of course, prepared and thrown a return party for her unicorn friend. Said party had wound down ages ago, and now it was only the six friends to exchange stories of the weekend. Everyone had an eventful one, apparently. Fluttershy had found Angel flirting with a girl bunny, Pinkie had received a surprise visit from her cousin (a pony no one had seen, but Pinkie insisted was a pegasus), Dash had finally perfected the Spinning Rainbow Helix, Applejack had caught Big Mac reading a book for little fillies, and Rarity had received another commission from Sapphire Shores. All and all, everyone had an interesting story to tell. Though Twilight had decided to omit certain details. Especially with Rarity in the room.
“OK girls,” Twilight spoke up, rising from the pillow she sat on. “As much fun as it has been catching up with everything in Ponyville, I’m exhausted.”
“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy spoke up, “you have been through a rough time, not sleeping properly for so long.”
“We’ll leave you to rest yourself, dearie,” Rarity said as they all stood up.
Rainbow Dash gave a yawn as she looked at the clock. “Yeah, OK. I should get some shut eye too. Got the morning weather shift again. Which reminds me. Twilight, when you get a chance can you look for a book on dreams and stuff?”
“What, like dream analysis?” asked the lavender librarian.
“What in tarnation would you need that for?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow at the multicolored pegasus.
The flying athlete just gave a shrug. “Just researching. No big deal.”
No one in the room was fooled.
“I’ll look tomorrow, Dash, so long as you can find me somewhere to get me a cloud mattress.” Twilight promised with a smile. The two shared a laugh between one another, which was a good enough agreement for them.
Twilight’s eyes suddenly grew, as she looked at the multicolored pony in front of her. The Element of Magic reached out to her Loyal friend, gently touching her face with a hoof.
The pegasus blinked and recoiled a bit, restraining a blush. “T-Twilight, what are you doing?”
“Just...making sure,” she responded, looking a bit shaken all of a sudden.
The other friends exchanged glances. It was Applejack who spoke first. “Come on, yall. Let’s get outa here and let Twilight get some shut eye.”
Final good nights were said as the five friends funneled out of the tree house and went their separate ways. Spike was already in bed, meaning that all Twilight had to do was fall into her own and sleep till morning.
She slid upstairs as smoothly as her dreary body would allow her, eying her own bed like it was the last safe place in a terrible storm. She slid across the soft material as she pulled the covers over her. There was some lament that the mattress was made of springs and fabrics instead of the now known superior material, but at the moment, the unicorn was too tired to care.
Still, something was missing. Twilight tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. She lay there for several minutes, before realizing what was different. She turned her head toward her bedside table. Laying on top if it was the Shadow Band.
Making sure that Spike was asleep one more time, Twilight lifted the band with her magic, and gently placed it over her horn. She shivered just a bit as the gentle pull of the lunar magic settled in. She let it sit there for a few moments, before looking out her bedroom window.
It was a beautiful clear night, the stars sparkling brightly in the sky. The moon was out, blinding white against a sea of black. Breathtaking.
“Goodnight, Luna.” Twilight said, as she snuggled into her bed, letting sweet dreams take her.
***
A few months later, Princess Luna skipped merrily into her sister’s chambers, a smile plastered on her face.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Celestia returned her sisters cheer. “Things at the new Academy went well.”
“Yes!” Luna yelled, before falling onto her sister’s bed. It was a few sizes smaller than her own, but still quite comfy, and large enough for both of them. “Over fifty students, Celestia. Not bad for only having one class.”
“There will be more, once there’s more than one teacher,” the Solar Sylph smiled, as always. “Any particularly promising unicorns?”
“Why yes,” Luna responded. “I am highly considering one particular mare who seems to have a knack for my magic.”
“Oh?” Celestia smiled. “What’s her name?”
The Mare of the Moon lay back as she recalled. “She said it enough times, along with plenty of adjectives. She was a light blue mare with a white mane. I believe she called herself Trixie.”
The End
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Plenty of 'DAWWWW' moments here. I like it.
>Trixie
Oh snap!
Hmm. Trixie. This could be ... interesting.
So what would Trixie's catalyst be? Shame? Selflessness?
Wow... Trixie having Shame as a catalyst would be scary...
That was a great read! I loved the part where Luna realized that Starswirl passed down the knowledge in such a clever way, I had a suspicion of him knowing Night Magic, but didn't think too much on it. Good show!
The battle between Discord and Twilight was very intense, and did good job of showing that Discord is both just as silly and dangerous as he should be, and I think the lesson Luna taught her new student is a good one to learn. Almost wishing that she had learned that before the whole "Eternal Night" incident.
Nothing noted for real spelling errors, because I spent more of my focus on the story then anything else, but I did see one thing that stood out.
Princess Luna blushed a bit. “It...may be something we disguised as we read over your letters together.”
And I see what you did there with Blueblood.
Making a blog post for what we want to see first when I dare say you have your sights set on Blueblood being haunted! Sneaky writer!
The epilogue didn't exactly surprise me with Trixie being involved, but the fact she started with 50 students is glorious! Can't wait to see where you take Luna teaching an entire room of students, and I am really curious to how Trixie handles the last test of Luna.
Again, a wonderful read and I can't wait to see whatever part you're bringing up next.
Just please don't sick the Tickle Mist on me, my feet like to spring out when tickled, and I think everyone wants to keep their teeth.
830454
Well aren't you clever, figuring me out.
But did you find EVERYTHING of interest amongst my intricate system of hints and shout outs, I wonder. Mwahahahahaha!
And also, thank you for pointing out that slight typo. Thanks Auto-correct, you work in mysterious ways.
830481
TwiDash implications. LunaStar implications though my mind keeps going to a simple "More then Teacher/Student less then lovers" vibe. Surprise visiting. More implications of Big Mac being a kid at heart.
And last but not least, implications that Twilight Sparkle may be enjoying Night Magic more then what Celestia has taught her.
If there are others, I shall find them! But not today, my son is acting up again.
But sometime soon!
Very cute, definitely going to browse more of your stuff.
> Trixie
Called it.
i shall henceforth Favorite this story.
It had a little of everything in it. Kodos to you.
830845
Didn't care for the season 2 finale I take it?
830426 Possibly fear.
830426
Actually, we could take a page from the Serenity movie:
"Do you know what your sin is?"
"Hell, I'm a fan of all seven. But I'm gonna have to go with Wrath!"
Trixie's would be Pride. As I see her, it fits.
832923
But A pony's catalyst uis most often the oppossite of their normal demeanour. Trixie is always pridefull and brash, so the opposite would be shame or humility. I can totaly see Trixie going on a rampage fueled by her shame.
830845 Whoever wrote "Cupcakes" will forever live in infamy.
832933
Not shame, but insecurity. It will drive you to cover it up, so nopony finds out.
Let's just say I understand that all too well, and leave it there.
831275 It goes against the grain.
834941
I found it fine if you either
A) Pretend she isn't an Alicorn and just out it in your head that Twilight and Shining Armor drifted apart.
B) Stand alone movie in alternate dimension.
awesome! although, now that i have tasted twiluna in this story; i hope that twi continues to have a big part in the story
I assume it's safe to believe from the "Incomplete" tag we'll be seeing more of this story? Please, please, please?
842453
There will be more, no worries. I'm working on A Week With A Loon as we speak.
842472
I don't mind "grim" stories, but taking it beyond dark doesn't make any sense, other than trolling.
No, thanks anyway. I've got My Own Little Nightmares to play with...
843796
Excellent. I do like this interpretation of Luna.
No, seriously.
Very interesting and warm story. I like this! Good job and thanks a lot!
And I look forward to reading the other chapters.
830481 I know this is some time ago but I am guessing not only is Star Swril still alive, but he is realtated to Twiight. Names and things ya know are a family trait. Star and twilgith are dealing with Luna's side of the world. Another thing! It also means the archmage is somewhat on par with the RPS however, he doesnt have wings, just their lifespan.
Applejack had caught Big Mac watching a little filly’s cartoon
Someone needs to give Big Mac a Brohoof- or a Bro fist I guess?
I...I can't...get the...shipping goggles...OFF!
,
So much Luna crushing on Twi, Twi feeling the strongest for Rainbow.. my head gonn aslpode!
Anywa, fun story. I'm surprised you didn't publish this seperately though. When I read the description I thought this would just be a collection of one shots. I wasn't expecting there to be multiple chapters to any of them.
830426
Trixie's Catalyst is Trixie.
941806
I'm getting the feeling that Twilight is a reincarnation of Star Swirl or something.
I think I read all of the comments but I didn't see anybody comment on the fact the Doctor made a very short appearance. I hope you use him more later on in this story. If it was just a quick pop in and out I will be okay with that too.
830286
I literally said those words aloud milliseconds before i read your post...