• Published 8th Jun 2016
  • 8,682 Views, 410 Comments

Student of the Night - Nadir



After a plague sweeps through the city, life is hard for the lower class. But, there are always those who can claw their way back, fight for every inch of success. With her determination and intelligence, Twilight hopes to be one.

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End of an Era

Twilight waved goodbye once more to Matron, stepping out into the bright afternoon sunlight of Canterlot. Months had passed since her conversation with Cadance, each day nearly the same as the last. Today was her weekly visit with her former caretaker, the two developing a new, more mature bond with each and every visit. No longer did Matron feel like a parent, but instead a friend and role model. Learning more and more about her life, Twilight couldn’t help but look up to her. Matron worked harder than anypony else she knew, and her success with the orphanage showed it.

Well, nearly the hardest.

“Have a good visit, my student?” Luna asked. Luna’s chariot waited outside the orphanage, the two having made plans to spend a day in the lower city together. Twilight wanted to show her around, show her all her secret spots and favorite places to eat. Twilight didn’t exactly feel as if the food would live up to the castle’s, but it had its own unique feel and surely Luna would appreciate it.

And the two had dressed for the occasion. Twilight had chosen her new favorite dress - a brilliant silver piece with a blue bodice, little moons decorating the hem of it. Naturally, Eclipse decorated her flank. The Queen had opted for breeches and a vest. To an untrained eye, it would almost look casual, but Twilight could notice the gold embroidery, nearly hidden in the rich brown colors.

Twilight chose the dress for a reason, actually. While the two weren’t dating, their relationship had certainly changed over the months. Twilight had yet to make her intentions clear to Luna, something that bothered her to no end. Luna couldn’t know unless she was a mind reader or suspected Twilight.

But that couldn’t be true. Twilight kept her feelings secret, and she moved slowly, as Cadance suggested. She had time, nearly all the time in the world. Luna wouldn’t go anywhere and Twilight didn’t intend to either. Depending on how today went, Twilight actually intended to finally express her feelings.

“Of course, Luna.” Twilight answered, voice clear and confident. “We just talked. Nothing to eat, didn’t want to spoil my appetite.” Twilight planned to take her to the Rising Moon Market. Surely they could find something good there. Twilight couldn’t imagine the doctor not having anything good, he always did. “So, um, you ready?”

“Lead the way, dear student,” Luna instructed, gesturing forward with a wing.

Twilight giggled and nodded her head, leading the way. Naturally, two of Luna’s guards tagged along behind them, although Twilight didn’t know either of them particularly well. Couldn’t go anywhere without an entourage.

No matter where the two travelled, a hush fell over the crowd. On a beautiful day like this, ponies were out in spades. Which also meant that everywhere they went, ponies stared. Not many of them were used to the Queen simply walking among them, for obvious reasons. A few had seen her with Twilight before, but even they stared openly. Twilight could hardly blame them.

Honestly, Twilight basked in the attention. Even as little as four months ago, she would have wanted to duck away and hide. But, her new-found strength and abilities gave her confidence, confidence she previously lacked. In fact, Twilight felt more at home here rather than the castle. These were her people, she knew how they acted, knew their motivations. They were not frivolous and silly like the nobles.

Then again… Perhaps she started to become more like some of the fat cats in the castle. Twilight wore gaudy clothes now - though she considered them pretty - and her scabbard was even jeweled! But, she would never give up her roots, her origins here. Matron and the others kept her grounded, made her remember where she’d come from. She could never say no to Matron, and she could never repay the debt that she owed the griffonness, no matter how hard she tried.

“Beautiful day today.” Twilight noted. The sun shone bright, the temperature actually fairly temperate for the season. Light clothes were enough for once, surprising Twilight since generally heavy coats were required around now. Twilight found it hard to complain on a day like this.

“Indeed, it’s-” A shout interrupted their talk, coming directly from Luna’s right.

“Queen, move!” One of the guards shouted. He already launched himself forward, Twilight’s eyes following his jump. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flicker of movement and the slight shimmer of magic.

It seemed she’d spotted it earlier than her mentor, who was currently being corralled by the other guard towards safety. On the rooftop, a cloak-garbed figure arched back, the cloak shimmering and shining in the sunlight. Twilight’s eyes hurt just looking at it, the glamor strong enough to mask whatever was in their hoof. Yet, she didn’t need to see it clearly to guess the motivate. A pony throwing something at herself could only mean one thing. Or rather, a pony throwing something at the Queen. Pegasi buzzed in the air, diving towards the pony. But, they wouldn't make it in time, only Twilight could-

Twilight couldn’t let it reach the target.

With a growl, Twilight’s horn flared into light, casting the first spell that came to mind. She knew this one like the back of her hoof after all their practice: her basic gravity spell. With how often she cast it, how many variations she knew, bringing it to life was a trivial matter.

The rest of it, however, was not. Twilight had to be precise, lest she mess this up. She didn’t trust her telekinesis to grab something moving so swiftly, or so far away. If Sunset was here… Don’t think of that, Twilight. Think about the spell instead. Twilight focused her mind on the point right in front of the rooftop. She’d need to catch it before it started its arc, lest she needed to catch it on the downswing. And she did not feel confident about catching it with gravity affecting it too.

With a grunt, Twilight positioned it at the roof’s edge. In a flash, a swirling, purple vortex flickered into being. The bomb, just now leaving the pony’s hoof, caught just the edge of it. Time seemed to freeze for Twilight, the bomb licking at the edge of her vortex. For a split second, it seemed like it would skirt the edges. For just the split second, Twilight thought she failed.

But no. Luck stayed with Twilight. The bomb - or more accurately, a jar that somehow stayed lit by a greenish tinged flame, sucked right into her vortex. Twilight’s eyes locked on the spot, transfixed in order to keep her focus. For just a second, Twilight felt elation flow through her. Success, sweet success.

The bomb impacted the side of the building, sucked in through the vortex. The clay smashed against it, spreading a clear liquid against the side. Twilight’s joy quickly changed into terror as the liquid caught aflame.

Ghostly, green flames ignited wherever the liquid touched, thankfully kept in check by Twilight’s gravity spell. Twilight should have known that nopony would be foolish enough to attempt to kill the Queen with just fire. As soon as the fire touched her magic, Twilight felt the most excruciating pain of her life.

Twilight knew pain. All her time in the orphanage taught her that. This pain, this pain broke her barriers. This pain shattered her self composure. Nothing could stand against this kind of pain, obliterating any mental fortitude she had left. Twilight’s muzzle split open wide in a silent scream, too shocked to even vocalize her hurt. Somewhere, deep down, a part of her held on enough to keep the spell running. But, the rest of her lost it.

Twilight’s body dropped to the ground, lifeless and limp, horn burning a sickly green and purple mix. The quietest squeak made its way out of her throat, screams still trapped deep inside of her. Distantly, she could hear the roar of a crowd, distantly, she could make out Luna’s guard yelling and the scream of different ponies .

Twilight paid it no mind, not with her own so embroiled in agony. A fierce heat burned at her side, Twilight barely recognizing it as her sword. Somehow, it fought back the pain. It kept her conscious, just barely, the whisper mumbling away in her mind. With her consciousness so embattled, she couldn’t understand a word of it, but Eclipse spoke and she knew that it alone kept her from passing into the void. Right then, Twilight wished it would simply let her go, her mind wasting away from the pain.

Above all, Twilight could make out another view amidst the din of confusion. One she loved, one she could latch onto. Luna barked orders out, voice filled with concern. Twilight’s mind latched onto it, concentrating on it, letting it revitalize her flagging mind. Her spell finally winked out, but the pain didn’t stop, continually burning out in her head. It wouldn’t stop, no matter how much she pleaded mentally. It wouldn’t stop, no matter how much she tried to talk, tried to whisper and plead.

Twilight felt a hoof touch her head, one plated in filigreed silver. “Heal.” Luna’s voice commanded. Cool, almost liquid flowed through her body, filling her veins. The warmness from her sword slowly faded as the icy chill of Luna’s magic took over instead. It didn’t happen instantly, but slowly, very slowly, the unbelievable pain started to fade away. After minutes of time, she could even breathe on her own accord.

The world started to snap back into reality for Twilight. Somehow, she’d ended up on her side in the middle of the street. Her flanks and sides still heaved with deep breaths, and sweat practically dripped from her coat. Her clothes were clearly ruined by now, not just from lying in the midst of a filthy street, but also from her apparent thrashing. Most of all, Twilight was finally aware of a deep, aching soreness through her body.

“Twilight, can you hear me?” Suddenly, Luna’s muzzle was inches from hers. Through squinted eyes, Twilight could still easily making out worry etched onto Luna’s face.

Twilight opened her mouth, her suddenly dry lips cracking from the effort. With a pained whimper, she nodded her head instead.

Luna breathed out a loud sigh of relief, even taking a small step back. “I’m going to teleport you to the hospital okay? We’ll go together. It’s going to hurt, but I promise things will get better afterwards. Just hold on.”

Twilight nodded her head, every tiny movement sending a new, unexpected shock of pain through her. She braced herself, holding her breath and trying to concentrate on her own thoughts. But, that proved impossible - the pain would not be denied.

With a flash, light surrounded the pair, and the scenery rapidly changed. Twilight landed with a thump on a deeply cushioned bed, the abused mare sinking into the mattress with a beleaguered groan.

“Doctor’s on the way. You’re in a private suite of mine at the castle. I’m going to put you to sleep now - everything’s going to be fine, alright?” Luna tried to assure her. She even rested a hoof on Twilight’s back, rubbing soft motions in a calming manner.

Yet, Twilight wasn’t stupid. Even she, as socially awkward as she used to be, could hear the worry in Luna’s voice. And a very strong part of her screamed to not go to sleep. Would she even wake up afterwards? Oh goddesses, she didn’t want to die. She didn’t want this to be the end, didn’t want this to be the last time she saw her love’s face. She opened her eyes as wide as she could, throat straining, forcing to try and plead with Luna. She needed her to understand that Twilight could not be put to sleep, needed her to understand that Twilight wouldn’t wake up. She couldn’t die. Not yet.

“..please.” Twilight managed to get out, barely a whisper through her throat.

“Don’t worry.” Luna’s voice assured. With agonizing slowness, Luna brought her horn low, touching just the tip against Twilight’s forehead. Twilight fought it, by the goddesses she fought it. But the coolness returned, and her eyes felt harder and harder to keep propped open. She wouldn’t win against the tide of Luna’s magic, and within seconds, she was out.

For what she thought was good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To her eternal surprise, Twilight woke up. Twilight woke to many, many odd feelings swimming through her. Her mouth was still dry, but somehow better than before. Her aches and pains had disappeared, replaced with an incredible sense of levity. Somehow, the soreness had departed her body. Somehow, she felt… fine? Fine and very, very nude. Fortunately, sheets covered her body. She slowly blinked her eyes opened, rolling over in the bed that Luna placed her in. With a groan, she struggled to sit up right, only for her body to fail her. She still felt so weak…

“Twily? Are you awake? Don’t get up!” She knew that voice - Shining’s voice of course. Twilight’s eyes darted towards the source, eyes falling on her brother. He looked worse for the wear - bags under his eyes, out of armor, clothes filthy, and that was just what she could see!

Twilight opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her throat didn’t want to work, the dryness feeling like a desert in her mouth. She whimpered as Shining hurried over, levitating a cup of water with him. “Drink.” The stallion ordered, tilting the cup up at her muzzle. Twilight’s own shaking hooves tried to steady it as she greedily drank from the cup, the water soothing her aching, sore throat. She didn’t stop till the glass was gone, trying again to speak.

“W-what happened?” Twilight rasped out, worry gnawing at her stomach. The memories came rushing back. Somepony tried to assassinate Luna, somepony tried to kill her. She was okay, right? She took Twilight here. Or was Luna just trying not to show her hurt? Surely nothing could have gotten to her love, surely nothing could have- Deep breaths, Twilight.

“Look, I want to start with that it’s all okay.” Shining took slow, cautious steps away from Twilight, towards the door. Twilight couldn’t help but feel like a trapped animal. For some bizarre reason, she felt like Shining feared her attacking. But why would he think that?

Then again, she didn’t really know how she looked right now. She felt rough, felt dirty, but not sore. She remembered her horn feeling like it was on fire but- She needed an explanation.

“Shining, what happened? Tell me.” Twilight demanded, her voice starting to gain strength. With it, her convictions grew, giving her the focus needed enough to sit up, at least partially. “What happened to Luna? Is she alright? Did they get he-”

“Twily!” Shining interrupted with a shout. “She’s fine. I promise. She told me to get her when you wake up. She’ll explain everything, alright?”

Twilight could accept that. With a sigh, she settled back into the bed, lethargy getting to her. Besides, she probably wouldn’t accept anypony’s words of Luna being alright. She would need to see her.

“Fine. Go. Please.” Twilight amended the last word with a wince. Just because she felt like shit didn’t give her an excuse to act like a jerk, especially to Shining of all ponies. She owed him.

“I’ll be right back. Five minutes, maybe less. Luna’s been crazy worried about you, she’s been holding all of her meetings just down the hall. Has barely even left to eat.” Shining noted. Twilight couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Skipping meals? For her? “Stay right there.” Shining added one last bit before disappearing through the door.

Now that she thought about it, however, Twilight couldn’t help but feel flattered. Luna, the Queen of the entire pony nation, was incredibly worried about her. Twilight didn’t mean to over inflate her own important - Luna clearly held more important for all ponies. But, this had to mean that Luna felt something for her!

Right?

Well, probably now. She probably cared in a more platonic, student-teacher sort of way. But Twilight could hope, and her flirts had been going well. Then again, Cadance had later noted that Twilight’s flirts were not in fact the best. What had she said about them? Something about “hearing better from a drunken dockworker”? She may have remembered that wrong, but the point being that her pick up lines left something to be desired.

Honestly, Twilight blamed it on the library. Shockingly, well, not so surprisingly, she guessed, there were basically no books about flirting in the royal library. Surely there would be some in the other library, but Twilight hadn’t had the chance to actually get down there yet. And coming back with a bag full of books on flirting and dating tips may get a little awkward…

Wait, there were way more important things to think about right now! Like what the hell happened earlier, or who tried to kill the Queen, or any other of dozens of questions. And why her body wasn’t a shambling wreck, that was important too!

Fortunately, she would not have to wait long. Her Queen, her Luna entered the room, closing the door behind her and sealing it shut with magic. Luna practically dashed to the bed, hugging Twilight tightly. So tightly that the air was forced from her lungs, actually.

“Oh thank the goddesses you’re okay.” She whispered out. Luna released her, Twilight slumping back to the bed with a well-hidden wince. “I thought you’d be dead, I didn’t think I could save you! I’m.. I’m sorry.” She finished, hanging her head.

Twilight stared at her Queen in surprise. She’d never seen her act like this, even when apologizing before. “Luna… it's fine. Really. I’m okay, right? What happened?” She asked. Now that she had a second, she noticed the similarities between Shining and Luna. There were bags under her eyes, and she wore nothing but a simple, black robe that looked quite worn in by now as well. Things didn’t seem to go well at all…

Luna stood up straight, clearing her throat and sniffing back tears. “Well, I’m sure you’ve guessed, but there was an attempt on my life. Without your timely intervention, it could have succeeded. I cannot thank you enough, dear student. I owe my life to you, truly. The flask was made from Nullfyre, it eats magic hence why you had such an awful reaction to it. I am admittedly not sure what kept you alive from its effects, though if you’d grabbed it with regular levitation you surely would have perished.”

Luna paused for a second before continuing. “Twilight.” Luna trailed off, looking down. “There were some side effects. First of all, you’ve been out for a week, and for a while there were some who worried you wouldn’t wake up. Your sword also- how to put this?- changed a bit. It’s glowing green now, rather than purple, but I’ll have to show you later. The other changes are a little more worrying. I don’t know how to say it but-”

Luna took a deep breath.

“Your horn is changed. I can’t describe it well. It’s not bad, and the specialists said it would still work fine. But, there’s definitely a change. No pony will think it’s a big de-”

“Luna.” Twilight interrupted, an edge to her voice. Her horn? No. Nothing could be wrong with her horn. Her horn was her lifeblood, her speciality, her everything. It would be fine. Surely it would just be a little scratch or something. “Let me see it.”

“Very well.” Luna sighed, magic slowly forming a mirror floated in the air. Twilight waited impatiently for it to form, but once it finished she wished it hadn’t.

Oddly, the first thing that Twilight noticed wasn’t her horn. No, most of her mane was blackened and scorched, somehow still intact though. But it didn’t take long for Twilight’s eyes to drift up to her forehead, where her horn jutted out.

Her beautiful, spiralled horn had been ruined.

It split down the middle, blackened along the length and only gradually going back to purple near the bottom. The tip glowed a sickly green, and just looking at it made Twilight want to vomit. Her beautiful horn, so ravaged and destroyed. A trembling hoof reached up, brushing against the tip, muzzle hanging open. It didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt, Luna hadn’t lied. But her horn…

Twilight screwed her face up in concentration, trying to levitate the bed sheet just the tiniest amount. Goddesses be praised, it actually lifted. But the purple of her magic had instead been tinged a sickly green, almost as if it looked sick, twisted from its normal, uncorrupted state.

Twilight hated it.

She dropped her head, nausea suddenly swimming through her. She couldn’t look like this. She couldn’t go outside. It was no small wonder that Shining had looked scared of her. She didn’t know how Shining had even managed to stay in the same room without running away. She would be a freak, an outcast.

But…

Did that matter to her? Did it really, if she thought about it? The ones she cared about wouldn’t care. Luna didn’t, Shining didn’t, Cadance surely wouldn’t, nor would the rest of them. This wouldn’t change things, it couldn’t. She would stay stong. She would be strong.

She had to be.

But she didn’t feel like it. Twilight heaved in a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

“Twilight… student. It’ll be alright. There are illusions we can try. The doctors said there are ways of fixing it, or mitigating it, or something. We can find a way. “ Luna practically pleaded, hoof gently rubbing at Twilight’s back.

Twilight swallowed hard. For now, she needed to at least look strong. If not for her sake, for Luna and her brother. “It’s fine, Luna.” She whispered, clearing her throat loudly. “Um.. I’m just happy you’re alright. Did you find out who did it?” She asked, looking up with a glimmer of hope.

Luna’s face darkened quickly, a scowl replacing the calming smile. “Yes.” She practically spat. “A griffon terrorist cell paid him off. There’s been talk… well, I won’t worry you with the details. But, Equestria moves to war.”

War. Equestria hadn’t warred in Twilight’s lifetime. She’d read about war. Like any other topic, she was curious. But war was gruesome, war was bloody, war was horrible. This couldn’t be right, this couldn’t happen. Not with the nation so torn about by the plague, so ravaged by its own internal class warfare.

“W-why? I-Isn’t there another way?” Twilight croaked out, throat suddenly feeling very dry again. Luna had been known as the Princess of War before she assumed the title of Queen. If there would be a war, Luna would have to join them. Luna would have to put herself in danger, would have to lead. No, there couldn’t be a war.

Luna’s frown only deepened, shaking her head. “Nay, there isn’t any other way to resolve this.The griffon republic professes that they didn’t do it, but they’re liars. We have the proof. We must teach them a lesson, we must teach them not to interfere in Equestria affairs. It’s a defense war, dear. If we don’t send this message, anyone and everyone will jump down our throats. We’ll look weak and then face a war on a hundred fronts, from the Zebras, the dragons, those disgusting dogs, all of them. No, we have to prove Equestrian steel remains strong.”

Twilight gulped. She didn’t understand inter country politics. Not truly, not as much as she wished to. But, she knew that her mentor spoke the truth. Looking weak would be a death sentence. Looking vulnerable would invite the others to invade. Twilight couldn’t help but slowly nod her head in agreement.

“You’re not going, right? You… you won’t go with them, right?” Twilight asked. Her voice sounded small and scared even to herself. The true terror of the war started to dawn on her - not just Luna would go. Her brother was a guard, and a palace guard at that. They nearly always were pulled into conflicts, if history stayed true. And the other mages, many of them went. Would Sunset follow? What about Sunny? Or Iridescence, or even that old bastard Roamane?

Twilight would be alone.

Twilight would be alone all over again. She’d be left behind, and while she didn’t pretend that was nearly as bad as actually fighting, it scared her nonetheless. She always felt isolated in the orphanage, and now things would go back to that, but worse! Even her BBBFF couldn’t hold this back. Tears started to brim to her eyes, her horn and the war forefront on her mind. She should have been better. Was there anything she could have done to stop this?

Maybe if Twilight hadn’t suggested going to the lower market-

“Student. Stop. I can tell what you’re thinking. Everything will be fine.” Luna’s voice broke her thoughts into pieces. Twilight slowly looked up, red, tear stained eyes meeting Luna’s.

“But… you’ll be doing. You could get hurt.” Twilight mewed, nestling back into the covers. “And Shiny could get hurt, or killed or anything even worse!”

Luna chuckled and shook her head. “You don’t have to worry about me, Twilight. I’m experienced, and your brother is one of the finest guards I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Everything will be fine.”

“But-” Luna’s aura surrounded Twilight’s muzzle, silencing her. Though, Luna didn’t just stop there. She leaned close, closing the distance between their two muzzles and kissed Twilight on the lips. It was a soft, gentle kiss really, nothing fast, nothing overly passionate. It felt chaste to Twilight, especially after all that she had read about kisses.

But that didn’t stop her heart from exploding. She swore it beat a thousand times a second, her eyes staying widened beyond what she thought was possible. Her protests died in her throat as she hungrily, greedily started to kiss back. She had needed this, goddesses she had needed it.

Luna ended the kiss both way too quickly and after what seemed like forever all at once. Twilight’s mouth stayed propped open, brain too fuzzy to comprehend what just happened. Slowly, Luna pulled away, a teasing smile on her face. “Hm… I knew you’d like that.” She said, giving a nod of her head.

“L-looona~” Twilight slurred out, trying to shake herself out of the fuzzy mind haze. Luna kissed her. Twilight kissed back. The Queen… kissed Twilight? Giddiness rose in her chest, barely able to stop herself from laughing in excitement and glee. The worries of the last few minutes melted away, pushed far from her mind.

She didn’t need to worry, Luna would take care of it.

“Twil-eyy,” Luna mimicked, voice clearly teasing. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat at hearing the nickname from her mentor’s voice. Luna seemed different, not so imperious, not so standoffish.

Twilight liked it. “How did you know?” Twilight croaked. Did Cadance? She had better not, she promised Twilight that nopony would know!

Luna giggled, another surprising sound to Twilight, but again enough to send wonderful tingles through her body. “Twilight, you were obvious with it. And now seemed like a good time - admittedly I’m tired and could have read the signs wrong, but it looked like you needed something to distract you.”

Well, Twilight couldn’t argue with that. The thoughts of the war and her horn still hung above her like dark clouds, but now she felt as if the moon itself warded them off. She had her refuge. “I- um, so… thanks?” Twilight finished, heart feeling flustered and once more thinking she said exactly the wrong thing.

This time, Luna laughed in a much more familiar way, no girlish giggle. “Thanks! You would thank the one who kissed you.” She noted, amusement sparkling through her body. “Well, a polite date at the very least.” Luna patted her back again, shaking her head slowly. “Unfortunately, dear one, I need to go. And you need to get your rest. You’re not one hundred percent yet, and we have time. Wars don’t start in a day.” Luna reminded her, gently.

Twilight thought about protesting. Really, she just didn’t want Luna to leave yet. After such joy, to be left alone almost felt torturous. But her body yearned to be back asleep already. Or to eat. But mostly the first, eating could always come later.

Come to think of it, how had they kept her alive while she was out? Did they force feed her or something, cause that honestly freaked her out. “L-Luna?” She asked. “How am I alive?” She added the second part in a much smaller, almost scared voice. She really shouldn’t be alive, and that simple fact scared her.

“Modern magic, Student.” Luna explained. “There are spells to transfer nourishment, but they’re taught to a precious few. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how easily they could be misused.” Twilight nodded her head, just the description alone was enough for her to know that. “But, it’s bed time for a little student of mine now, understand?”

Again, Twilight nodded. “We’ll talk when I wake up, right?” She asked, nestling back slowly into the hospital bed. She wished she’d been moved back to her bed; this one simply wasn’t comfortable at all. Maybe tomorrow. She yawned, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Of course.” Luna leaned in close, planting a gentle kiss near Twilight’s hornbase. “Sleep well, we’ll talk very soon. Everything will work out,” Luna assured her.

Twilight just nodded as the alicorn took her leave. The lights to her room were extinguished by magic, leaving Twilight in perfect darkness.

And she listened. No worries, just dreams of Luna and her love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day saw Twilight moved back to her room with care from Shining. Luna, he told her, busied herself with preparations for the war. He promised that she would be around later, and the chefs of the castle gave her plenty of food to make up for her time out. Shining and Sunny also gave her plenty of material to research on the griffons, both recent times and historically, including yesterday’s report on the matter. Yet, at the same time, Twilight wanted to see her now.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen. Instead, Twilight busied herself with books. Her topic of study today was the griffon republic, specifically their warrior-like culture. The republic’s systems were suddenly odd to her. Voting on everything? Bah, foolishness. How could a griffon know as well as Luna, an immortal goddess?

An immortal goddess who had kissed her, in fact.

But that was besides the point. Their voting nature often left them divided, sometimes even leading to internal strife and civil wars. In fact, some parts of their nation still suffered the effects from the last, just twenty five years in the past. That war led to the rising of the Shrieking Talons faction, an aggressively expansionist clan at its heart. If anyone had planned the assassination of Luna, it would be them. Or so Twilight guessed.

They hadn’t exactly denied it, though they could have just used it as an excuse for war. Twilight couldn’t figure out their angle, even after looking over everything she’d been given. They had plenty of room to grow right now, just coming off an aggressive war against the minotaurs where they claimed wide swathes of land to the south. And Twilight couldn’t figure out how they intended to deal with the goddesses. Apparently, Netherfyre was extremely rare and hard to make, only a few zebrican shamans knowing the secrets behind it. Unfortunately, just that didn’t mean the zebras were involved. Nearly anything could be bought on the black market these days.

Regardless, war would come for them whether they wanted it to or not. They had roused the sleeping giant of Equestria, and it would devour them whole. Or at least, so the pony nation hoped. It couldn’t be that easy. Historically, Equestria had occupied a position of unparalleled power on their continent, but nothing could last forever, much less something like that. And with the plague weakening basically the entire country, they would be hard pressed to field the numbers they used to. Only the palace guard had remained relatively unharmed, something else Twilight felt grateful for considering Shiny’s new position.

All of this hurt her head. She didn’t want a war, even if things did look optimistic. Even in easy, overwhelming wars, ponies died by the thousands. This one would be no different, Twilight felt sure of that. Each day of fighting meant another chance of a loved one dying, whether it be Shining or Luna or any number of others. Worry would gnaw away at Twilight, threatening to take over her being.

Even now, Twilight worried. Luna ran herself ragged, or so Shining told her. She hadn’t slept since the assassination attempt, and things grew close to a week and a half now. Even alicorn stamina had its limits, and Luna approached them in a dangerous manner. At least she ate and drank correctly, though she only did that in order to keep going and only during strategy meetings.

She should take a break. Twilight would try and force her to it when she came to visit. If she came to visit, that is. Twilight slumped in the bed, sighing as she tossed the most recent book to the side. Another stack of books still waited for her to pore over, but after the sixth one she needed a break herself. And she started to get hungry - how long had it been since she’d eaten? Craning her neck, Twilight looked outside. The sun still shone, so it couldn’t have been that long. A few hours, maybe.

Twilight huffed, resting her head back on the pillow with disdain. Waiting. Just waiting.

Minutes later, Twilight heard the click of the lift starting. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, excitement pulsing through her. She really shouldn’t be this happy about it, but after this day, she didn’t care who came up that lift. Though she certainly did have a hope for who she wanted more than anypony else.

Twilight waited in anticipation as the lift finally clicked into place. And who else, but Luna? Who else but her love?

And even better, the mute maid was with her, silver cart by her side. With a happy smile, the Quiet pony wheeled the cart over, levitating a tray off of it and laying it beside Twilight. Magically, she lifted the tops, revealing a perfectly based zucchini with a soup appetizer.

Twilight’s stomach growled.

The maid kept the other tray on the cart before bowing deep and moving back to the lfit. Luna’s magic let her down as the alicorn stepped slowly towards the bed. With a groan, Luna slumped on the edge, floating over the second tray. “Good afternoon, student,” she spoke, voice tired as ever.

“Good afternoon, Luna,” Twilight responded in kind. Her attention wavered between the food and her love, wishing she could split it equally.

“Go on, eat. I’m certainly going to,” Luna urged, already stuffing her face full of her own zucchini.

Twilight didn’t need any more convincing than that. She dug right in, scarfing down chunk after chunk of her zucchini. The two ate in silence for a few minutes, both of them as ravenous as hyenas. It wouldn’t keep them, though; Luna finished first, dabbing at her muzzle with a napkin. “Excuse me for that, student. It’s been busy, though I’m sure you know.”

Twilight nodded in acknowledgement; she’d excuse Luna for anything.

“Good news and bad news, dear Twilight. Bad first. We move within the week. I’m going with a small squad in an airship to scout out the beginnings of a staging point. I’ll be well protected, and nopony outside a select few will even know of it. Your brother comes with me - that way, I can keep an eye on him without him feeling as if I’m keeping him from the action.” Luna started to explain. Twilight appreciated that; Shining would not be one to stay back and let the others do the fighting for him. He would want to be in the thick of it. Luna’s guard would offer him a spot of prestige, while still keeping the ones she loved together.

“You’ll be kept in the loop, I swear by it. Celestia will keep you informed, or you’ll at least be allowed to sit in on the meetings. It’ll be your choice what you hear, but I think I know what you’ll pick.” Luna took a deep breath and shook her head. “Yesterday was a mistake,” she admitted.

Twilight felt a bolt go through her heart, feeling as if she was struck. She opened her mouth to protest, but Luna shushed her. “Not the feelings, the speed,” she amended. “I feel as if I’ve taken advantage of your youth, here. For now, I’d like for our relationship to remain one of student and teacher. But! When I return… well, I make no promises, but we can see what’s there. There’s a good chance you’ll simply no longer be interested, and I won’t be offended,” Luna finished, bowing her head.

Twilight’s mouth worked soundlessly for a second. How could she say that? How could she even think that? Twilight’s feelings wouldn’t change! And just go back to student and teacher? How da-

Twilight’s anger cut short, fatigue taking its place. Luna was right. What was the point of being together hundreds of miles apart? Not one. Just a name. “Okay,” she spoke in a near whisper.

“I’m sorry it had to be like this. Circumstances make fools of us all, even myself. But, there’s still plenty of time left. The war has not started yet, and there’s no reason to not continue your lessons. You don’t need to be able to walk to do magic!” Luna announced.

Twilight tried to push the darker thoughts from her head. They did have the now. The future would be her problem, but nothing would stop her from enjoying every second she could with Luna.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna hadn’t lied. Six days passed in a blur and the first airship laden with supplies and troops already perched for departure. The RMS In Amber Clad was a fine ship, recently commissioned. The ship itself stretched over three hundred feet, able to house and serve over four hundred of Luna’s finest guards. And the Queen herself, of course. This was one of the Equestrian air forces’ finest ships, and it fit.

Not only did the Queen have a special quarters near the bridge, but each bunk and officers’ quarters had been specially prepared for the most elite of Equestrian ground forces. The ship’s own armaments were nothing to scoff at either - fifteen ballista occupied each side of the ship, each capable of launching a crystal tipped spear over five hundred meters. With ships like these, Equestria and its pegasi held unquestionable air superiority.

And this didn’t even mention the dartings of smaller crossbow stations and unicorn firing ranges throughout the ship. Assaulting it without overwhelming force would be near impossible. Or so they hoped - war tended to make a mess of even the best laid plans.

But for now, the ship loomed over the city, next to one of the towers ringed with a landing pad. Nothing but the tiniest of aircrafts could actually land on it, but the tower offered a fantastic anchoring point and an easy way to load supplies and ponies.

Twilight had only just made it over. The poor unicorn could still barely walk, and only under close supervision. Two of Luna’s guards flanked her at all times, never letting her out of their sight outside of the privacy of her room. It honestly felt a little creepy to Twilight - Sunny would be going with Luna, as was Shining, which meant none of her usual guards could accompany her. And Twilight hadn’t heard the two with her speak a word since they left. Just damn creepy.

Twilight had already said goodbye to her brother, Sunset, and Sunny. Their boarding was yesterday, and they hadn’t been allowed back off the ship for security reasons. Twilight had cried, she would freely admit that, but Shiny had comforted her as always. He promised they’d be back, and Twilight believed them. She had to believe him, what else did she have?

As foolish as she felt doing it, Twilight wore a wide, feathered hat to hide her horn, complete with sparkling silver gown. Apparently, the start of a war was something of an occasion. Nobles filled the pad, though they were kept well away from the actual loading zone. The nobleage talked and chatted, laughing and giggling, drinking and being merry.

Twilight hated it.

How could they see such joy on such an awful day? She didn’t understand. And thus, she took a corner away from the crowd, brooding and searching for anypony she knew. She wanted, no, needed, to see Luna one last time.

Twilight sighed. She swirled her glass around, held off to the side by magic. She didn’t dare drink it; alcohol and powerful unicorns didn’t really mesh well. But it helped shoo others away from her under the guise of offering her refreshment.

Well, all except for one.

Duke Silverhorn approached her, carrying along a platter of… tiny sandwiches? Really? The nobles would never cease to amaze her. “My dear Twilight!” He bowed his head, grin splitting his lips. “Very happy to see you here, considering how shortly it’s been since… well, you know.” He shook his head. “Dreadful business all of this, but how are you?” He leaned in close. Too close actually, close enough to make Twilight take a tiny, little step back. Eclipse twitched in its scabbard.

“Well enough, Silverhorn,” Twilight answered. Out of all these nobles, the Duke was one of the good ones. “Recovery goes well, but…” Twilight shook her head. “This shouldn’t happen.”

“Yes, yes, the entire affair is rather macabre. The others don’t seem to get it. But look, all they can think is their own profit. See over there?” Silverhorn pointed out a magenta pony, fabulously dressed in a gem studded dress. “She’s the owner of Manehatten arms. She’ll make quite the pretty penny of this. And her partner, the one she’s talking to? The owner of Fillydelphia Steel. All around us are the ones who will profit from this travesty.” Silverhorn practically spat out the last word, punctuating it by downing the rest of his own glass of champagne.

As usual, Twilight constantly underestimated Silverhorn. A kind heart, him. And Cadence probably thought much the same. In fact, Twilight didn’t even see Cadence here, good for her. “All these ponies and griffons are going to die. I don’t see how they don’t realize that. Luna could have died already, and they already forget it?” Twilight asked, scoffing.

“Unfortunately, we live in a time where many would consider that a boon. Naturally, I don’t share the same opinion, but it’s not an unpopular one. Oh, and speak of the mare!” At Silverhorn’s exclamation, Twilight noticed the crowd shifting, changing focus. Luna’s imperious, intimidating presence sent a silence through the crowd. For the first time. Twilight saw Luna in her full battle dress.

Luna cut through the crowd, ponies unintentionally stepping back. She wore full plated armor, pure black with the slightest of a sheen. Yet, it didn’t seem to reflect the light, instead, it seemed to draw it in, almost making what was around it appear darker. Her helmet, made of the same material, jutted out two tusks around her jaw, deadly sharp slivers of the same black metal. Blades surrounded her horn, a crystallized obsidian, designed to channel magic and also sharpened to a point.

A dark, purple cape draped across her back, fringed with dyed fur. Her main weapon for battle also stayed sheathed on her back. Twilight had never seen a weapon used like it - Luna, of all things, wielded a scythe. The haft was made of dark wood, the blade itself made of a blue-tinted silver metal, sharpened to a deadly point. Around her forelegs Luna also had double hoof blades, still in their sheathes.

Each step she took resounded with nearly terrifying weight. Only her joints, where her legs connecting with her body, remained unarmored. Even her wings were tipped with a long, thin blade. Twilight knew now why Luna held the moniker “Goddess of War”. Clearly, Luna deserved it.


Luna cut a swathe through the crowd, stepping through the crowd towards Twilight. How she could see her, Twilight didn’t know. Yet, she had to fight an urge to run, to flee. Just Luna’s presence alone made her want to hide far away, or surrender. Her mind worked, stressing that she knew this pony, that she loved it.

With a deep breath, Twilight steeled herself. “Good afternoon, Queen Luna.” She chose her words carefully. In public, she couldn’t as act as familiar with each other. In public, they were simply Student and teacher.

“Good day, our student.” Luna greeted likewise, her voice echoing out through her helmet, an almost cold edge to it. “We pray that you find the preparations satisfactory to view?” Luna knew Twilight’s true thoughts on the matter; Twilight hadn’t exactly tried to keep them secret. But appearances were appearances.

“Of course, my Queen.” Twilight answered back, giving a bow of her head. “Though I am saddened to see you leave, I will hope for a quick and victorious return.”

“Soon, Student. Keep up your studies, we’ll be in touch.”

And with that, Luna turned to leave. Twilight watched her go, watched her board the belly of the beast. She could only hope that she’d see Luna again.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! Bit of news: Chapter 1 has been edited. Not sure if its worse or better - no real story changes, just cleaning it up. Chapter 2 has been edited as well, but its new version needs a second pass and will be uploaded over the next few days.

Unfortunately, this chapter is mostly self edited save for help from Lancerot (thanks again!). If anyone is willing to help pre-read or edit, I'd be eternally grateful! No big deal either way though.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter! A bit of progress towards the goal~

Finally above 100k too! Yay!