Slurp
The sound echoed off the walls of the otherwise silent dining room. Celestia’s ear twitched, but she kept her face buried in the report she held. She lifted a small morsel of fruit salad to her lips—
Slurp
Celestia let her fork fall. She looked up from the monthly treasury statement and glared across the table at a floating newspaper. A slight rustling could be heard along with the clink of a cup being set down. Rolling her eyes, Celestia returned her gaze to the scroll.
Sluuuuuuuurrp
Sighing, Celestia threw the scroll to the table. She looked down her nose at her sister. “Is there something you wish to say, Princess Luna?”
Wide-eyed, Luna glanced up from her paper. “Why no, Princess Celestia. Whatever do you mean?”
“You seem to insist on making noise tonight. Perhaps you should make it constructively,” Celestia said.
Luna shrugged, taking another slurp of her coffee. “It’s not my fault that all our cups have an irritatingly long lip on them. It makes them difficult to drink from.”
Looking at the cups in question, Celestia noticed the Solar emblem emblazoned on them. She could see that all of the dishes had the eight-pointed sun carved, painted, or stained into the china. “Perhaps we can order a set of cups with a darker color scheme, then? Maybe they will have a more sensible lip to drink from. Would that please her Highness?”
Luna’s eyes twinkled over the small cup. “It would please her Highness greatly. We might also order them somewhat larger. These teacups don’t hold enough coffee.”
“Noted.” Celestia nodded at one of the attendants. “Now, may I eat the rest of my dinner in peace?”
“Certainly, dear Tia. I am ever so sorry for disturbing you,” Luna said. Despite Luna’s efforts, Celestia caught the hint of a grin before the newspaper covered Luna’s face entirely.
“Thank you.” Celestia picked up the scroll again, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward.
The sound of somepony shouting echoed from the hall. Celestia pushed her dinner aside, blowing a heavy sigh. “What now?” She could only make out every other word, but the voice sounded like…
“Is that Twilight?” Luna asked.
As Twilight drew closer, her words grew easier to make out. “I don’t care if a dozen assassins wait for me behind those doors! If you follow me in, you’re in danger. Now get going back to your barracks, and if you ever touch me again, I’ll turn the two of you into statues so you can guard the palace garden!”
Celestia and Luna barely had time to exchange a shocked glance before Twilight threw the dining room doors open. She stomped in, pausing only to slam the doors in the faces of two thunderstruck guards.
Grumbling, Twilight sat down at the end of the table. She brought both hooves to her head, kneading her skull as she muttered, “Ugh… I can’t believe this. I’m really going to need to put my hoof down about this sort of thing.”
Giving Luna a ‘let me handle this’ warning glance, Celestia settled into an easy smile. Luna raised an eyebrow but nodded in affirmation.
Turning her attention to Twilight, Celestia spoke in a soft tone, “Twilight, what troubles you this evening?”
Twilight peered around the dining room, glaring at the guards. “Nothing,” she grumbled, stabbing a grape.
Celestia’s smile fell. At her nod, the guards marched smartly out of the dining room. Twilight’s eyes followed them as they passed the head of the table. As the sound of clopping hooves faded, Celestia’s frown deepened. “Now, Twilight, what exactly was all that about?”
Twilight took a deep breath. After holding it for several seconds, she let it out in a slow sigh. “I… cannot… believe the nerve of these ponies. I caught a few guards ‘admiring’ me a few weeks ago. I didn’t think much of it until I had that backlash accident with the extrasensory enchantment last week.”
“Oooh, I’ve done that before. I saw far more than I needed to that weekend,” Luna said, wincing. “On the upside, I think I really cut down on guard/staff fraternization.”
Twilight nodded, pointing wildly at Luna with a hoof. “Yeah, see! Luna knows! Practically every single guard I’ve talked to, walked past, or flown over has been staring at me.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Twilight, I understand why you’re upset, but”—
“That’s not all!” Twilight said, slamming a hoof down on the table. “I had Gold Standard in Court today trying to convince me to lower his taxes. This is the third time this month he’s tried to get me to show him favoritism!”
Celestia sighed, an ache beginning to form in her temple. “Twilight, I’ve received at least a thousand proposals from various poni”—
“And to top it all off,” Twilight shouted, “I received a report today on the national crime rate. Have you seen the numbers? What’s wrong with these ponies?”
Red-faced and panting, Twilight stared at Celestia. Closing her eyes, Celestia rubbed her head with a hoof.
“Well? Aren’t you going to say something?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight, I understand how you feel. I’ve often felt the same way, but it’s just part of life for us in these times,” Celestia said.
“We’ve also improved our crime reporting services recently.” Luna nodded. “That probably has something to do with the rise in the crime rate.”
Twilight stared, open-mouthed. “I can’t believe it. How are you two okay with this?”
“You know, she may have a point, Tia,” Luna said. “I’ve often wished we had some sort of way to screen out the greedy or ridiculous proposals.”
Celestia winced at the thought. “That would certainly go over well with the nobles. Nearly all of them would be sent away at the door.”
The left corner of Luna’s mouth curved into a smirk. “We wouldn’t have to send them away. We could just send them to Twilight; then they’ll never dare to come back.”
“Hey!” Twilight said, her ears flattening.
Luna stuck her tongue out at Twilight. “The new princess gets the dirty jobs,” she said in a sing-song voice.
Twilight glared daggers at the two giggling sisters. “This. Isn’t.funny! It’s horrible!”
“Oh come now, Twilight, aren’t you being a bit dramatic?” Luna said, rolling her eyes.
Ignoring her headache, Celestia forced what she hoped was a calming smile. “Yes, you’re just a bit stressed out from the day you’ve had. You need some time to calm down and a little sleep, that’s all.”
“NO! No amount of sleep will solve the very real problem of all of this… this… ergh I don’t even know!” Twilight cast about frantically. Her face lighting up, Twilight pointed triumphantly out of the window. “It’s like that!”
Celestia and Luna followed her hoof with their eyes. “It’s like a window?” Celestia asked, head tilted to the side.
“No, it’s like the night sky,” Twilight said.
“It’s beautiful and awe-inspiring?” Luna offered, her half-lidded eyes twinkling over her grin.
“No!” Twilight exclaimed, gesturing wildly around her. “It’s like being surrounded by nothing but darkness with only a few points of light scattered around! There are so many selfish and dishonest ponies in Equestria. I never knew it was this serious.”
“Hmm,” Luna said, holding a hoof to her chin, “like the night sky, you say.”
Celestia gave Twilight a sympathetic look. “Twilight, I know it’s hard to adjust to the life of a princess when most of your experience with ponies comes from a small, quiet town like Ponyville. I imagine it’s come as quite a shock. Dealing with all of this has become commonplace for Luna and me.” Celestia stood. “Come, walk with me. We’ll talk about it.”
“Actually, I have a better idea,” Luna declared. “I think I have just the thing for our budding princess here. Follow me, Twilight.” Luna stood, stretching her forehooves out in front of her like a cat, and began trotting toward the exit.
“Er… Luna? What might this ‘idea’ be?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Trust me, Tia. I have the perfect idea to relieve stress. It works for me all the time.” Pushing open the dining room doors, Luna beckoned Twilight with a nod of her head.
Twilight trotted outside, raising an eyebrow as she passed Luna.
Celestia narrowed her eyes at Luna. Cocking her head to the side, she mouthed, “Relieve stress?” at her grinning sister.
“If you need us, Tia, we’ll be in my bedroom,” Luna said.
Celestia’s eyes grew wide at that. She raised a hoof to halt Luna, but before she could voice her protests, Luna shut the doors.
Biting her lip, Celestia’s gaze flicked between the doorjamb and the scroll still lying on the table. After a moment, she decided to trust in Luna’s judgment. Celestia sat back down and pulled the scroll toward her.
“We’re… going to your bedroom?” Twilight’s voice quavered. “We’re not going to… uhm…”
Wide-eyed, Luna tilted her head to the side. “Not going to what?”
“I-I don’t think I’m ready to do certain… things,“ Twilight muttered, tapping her front hooves together and glancing around the corridor. The hallway was entirely vacant except for her and Luna, but Twilight couldn’t shake the fear of being overheard.
“Oh, don’t be silly, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, ruffling Twilight’s mane, “We’re going to have an excellent time, you’ll see. I have the perfect thing to relax you.” Luna pranced down the hall toward her chambers.
Twilight followed, eyes still darting around the empty corridor.
Arriving at her room, Luna threw open the double doors and strode inside. Twilight made a point of not looking at the Lunar Guards standing to attention. “Could you close that, Twilight?”
“Oh! Uh… sure.” The doors were temporarily engulfed in a purple aura as they swung closed. Twilight turned around to find that Luna had vanished. Scanning the room, she noticed Luna’s closet door ajar. Twilight called warily from across the room, “Are you… trying to find something to wear?”
Twilight leaned forward, ears turning this way and that. She could hear muttering and rustling coming from inside the closet. She decided she should speak up before anything weird happened. “Uh… look, Luna, I”—
A loud squeak interrupted Twilight. She could see ghostly blue light streaming into the bedroom from inside the closet. Luna poked her head out. “Sorry, Twilight, did you say something?”
Twilight’s mouth hung open, frozen in an awkward confession. Leaning to the left to try and peer into the closet, she muttered, “Oh, uh, nothing important.”
Luna hesitated for a moment before waving Twilight forward with a hoof. “Come on, Twilight, we need to keep this door shut as much as possible. I don’t want anypony finding its location.” Now more curious than ever, Twilight trotted through Luna’s closet into a narrow passageway.
Once Twilight was through, Luna shut and locked the door. Twilight could feel subtle protective enchantments re-engage as the lock clicked back into place. Turning, Luna led Twilight down the narrow path.
Twilight’s hooves clip-clopped on the tile floor. Her eyes were drawn to the source of the pale light. Wall brackets containing small, glowing crystals lined the corridor. “Wow,” Twilight whispered, “I haven’t seen these since Celestia let me into the Star Swirl the Bearded wing.”
Luna nodded. “I assume you understand their significance?”
“They’re Absorbing Sconces. Most ponies who see them think they’re used because they give off light without the risk of fire, but that’s only part of the reason.” Twilight stepped forward, placing the tip of her horn against the passage wall. She drew back as if burned. “They were invented by Ley Font in the seven-hundreds. It was actually pretty interesting. Swarms of flocusts kept draining the structural enchantments in Stalliongrad, so they needed a way to hide powerful magic. These Sconces soak up the latent ripples in the magical field, hiding what they surround from prying horns.” Twilight rubbed her horn, wincing slightly.
“Indeed.” Luna’s horn glowed as Twilight followed her. “The flocusts proved quite a pestilence. If Tia or I flew anywhere within ten miles of Stalliongrad, we would attract the swarm.” Luna’s ears flattened. “They leached out magic away. The sun did not set for several days before we found a way to repel them.”
“In terms of magical sensitivity, they can detect complexity ranges above and below what ponies can. The Sconces were created to absorb everything, no matter the spectrum,” Twilight said, remaining fixated on the crystals. “The Star Swirl the Bearded wing only has a dozen or so.” Twilight’s eyes widened as they turned a corner to reveal another hallway lined with brackets. “To need this many…”
“The enchantment I will show you is powerful, but do not worry.” A smile flickered across Luna’s face. “It does wonders for stress.”
Turning a few corners, they stood outside a simple wooden door. Several rough-hewn boards set into the walls held a variety of knickknacks and unenchanted items. A small stockpile of candles lay on one of the shelves.
Twilight looked askance at Luna. “How will Celestia find us in here? You told her we were heading to your room.”
“Hmm? Oh, don’t worry Twilight. I have some trigger spells set up to inform her of our location if she comes looking for us. Never fret.” Luna reached out with a hoof. Grasping the handle, Luna turned it and threw the door open. Holding her head high, Luna gestured with a wing. “Enter, Twilight Sparkle. Welcome to my sanctuary.”
Twilight shuffled her hooves. Everything before entering Luna’s closet had been almost jovial. Twilight hadn’t anticipated dark rooms and secret passageways. Speaking of dark rooms…
Twilight gazed through the doorway into nothingness. The real, physical world ended at the door frame. Oppressive darkness shrouded the room. Twilight poked her head into the void, turning it in every direction. She backed away from the door.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Twilight asked, shuddering slightly.
“Of course.” Luna’s voice carried a small note of pain. “I would not bring you needlessly into danger.”
Looking down at her hooves, Twilight said, “I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, but”—Twilight pointed into the darkness with a hoof—“there’s nothing in there. No floor or walls or… or anything! We’ll just fall, won’t we?”
“The walls, floor, and ceiling of this room are under an enchantment, Twilight,” Luna said, gazing into the impenetrable blackness. “One meant to absorb every kind of light and sound, no matter its properties. Not even Star Swirl’s Luminescence can reveal something hidden by this magic. It is called Void’s Well. I am its inventor, and this is one of only two places it has been used.”
Twilight’s ears perked up at this. “It can defeat Star Swirl’s Luminescence? But Luminescence takes so much magic to activate, how can it… I don’t understand.”
“You remember the hierarchy from your schooling, correct?” Luna asked.
“The Glow Cloud hierarchy? Of course. If two spells are of equal complexity, the one that takes more magic overcomes the other. If two spells are of inequal complexity, the one with more basic components abolishes the other. This correlation is based on the proof by Profes”—
“Professor Glow Cloud, yes,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “I remember he likened the equal complexity case to a stick striking a sword and the inequal case as trying to cut a cloth with harsh language.”
Eyes cast downward, Twilight brought a hoof to her chin. “Right, well, that doesn’t make sense either. Luminescence works by manifesting a concept: truth. Concepts are among the most basic magical building blocks in existence. Star Swirl’s Luminescence can clear mental illusions and beat back Sombra’s shadows. I remember seeing it when Celestia used it during my Want It, Need It fiasco in Ponyville.”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she understood. “If Void’s Well can absolve Luminescence, it must manifest something even deeper than a concept. Something like a fundamental law of reality…”
Luna smirked. “Well that’s not leading at all.”
Is she enjoying this? Twilight thought, frowning. “Most ponies can’t detect spells that deep, so why the Sconces?”
“I don’t believe I told you what this spell manifests,” Luna said, her smirk growing.
She’s definitely enjoying this. Twilight let out a sigh.
“Do not be so frustrated, Twilight,” Luna said. “We all need a mystery to solve. Maybe you’ll find more clues by experiencing the manifestation firsthoof.” Luna gestured into the room.
Stepping forward with a sigh, Twilight slowly set a hoof down into the Well. Just when she thought she might overbalance and fall, she made contact with something solid. She tapped against the surface and rubbed it a few times. It felt like the same tile that covered the hallway they were in.
Luna’s voice carried a note of impatience. “It’s a room, Twilight, like any other in the castle, the sole difference being the enchantment placed upon it. I assure you, it has a solid floor despite the darkness.”
Twilight nodded. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes and leapt into the room. She began flapping her wings, choosing to hover in the air rather than land where she might trip. For once, Twilight felt her flying was absolutely perfect, moments before she crashed into the ceiling.
Grabbing a nearby candlestick in her mouth and lighting it, Luna set it down just inside the door. She stifled a giggle at Twilight’s antics. “I wouldn’t recommend flying in here. There is no way to tell where you are.”
Twilight descended, flapping haphazardly and hitting the ground a little faster than she meant to. Wincing, she held her left forehoof off the ground. “Yeah, I can tell.”
Careful to move slowly in the darkness, Twilight began getting excited. “Oh, wow! This magic is incredible, but the spell seems wasted here. I mean, it’s pretty easy to use a muffling charm and a light-scattering enchantment to achieve the same effect. Surely Void’s Well has other properties!” Twilight’s eyes sparkled in the faint light coming from the doorway.
Luna met Twilight’s gaze. “Yes, surely it does.”
Grinning, Twilight waited for Luna to continue. After a few seconds, however, Luna hadn’t moved or said anything. If anything, it looks like she’s about to fall asleep, Twilight thought. Twilight’s pupils widened into her best pleading puppy-dog impression. “Can you pleeeaase tell me about them?”
The corners of Luna’s mouth curled into a smug smile. “I think I would prefer to show you, Twilight.” Turning, Luna shut the door.
Twilight felt a thrill of fear trickle down her spine at the sudden emptiness. She caught herself staring at Luna. Closing her eyes, Twilight shook her head from side to side. When she reopened her eyes, she chose instead to stare at the candle.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle, open the door,” Luna said.
Twilight blinked. Why close the door if she just wants me to open it again? Settling for a mental shrug, Twilight summoned her magic. Aiming her aura where she knew the door to be, she felt around for a handle.
Then she felt around for the outline of a door.
Then she felt around for a wall.
Breathing deeply to slow the beating of her heart, Twilight said, “Uh, ehehehe… Luna, you didn’t happen to trap us in here, did you?”
A smile played around Luna’s lips. “No, Twilight, I didn’t. Just as Void’s Well absorbs light and sound, so too does it disperse unicorn magic into nothingness. In fact, this enchantment is a watered-down version of the real thing. The real Void’s Well is a complete vacuum and would have started pulling air from the castle into itself when we opened the door.”
Luna trotted over to stand with Twilight. Luna’s hooffalls made no sound nor seemed to connect with anything. It just looks like they stop in midair, Twilight thought. She found herself straining her ears to find an echo. The absence of sound made her uneasy.
“It’s quite peaceful, isn’t it?” Luna sat down beside Twilight, the edges of her mane dissolving into darkness.
Twilight snorted. “Yeah, being in the middle of a spell that could blow me out into space just makes me all tingly inside. Maybe I can get my whole room done up like this.”
When she looked anywhere other than the candle, Twilight felt as if she were falling. It’s like looking over a cliff and not seeing the ground. Staring down at her hooves, Twilight had begun to shake uncontrollably.
Suddenly, she felt herself fall against an outstretched wing.
Luna’s calm mutter rang in Twilight’s ears. “Steady, Twilight. Maintain focus on yourself. If you try to pierce the Void with your gaze alone, you’ll soon find yourself swallowed up. Take your time.”
“S-Sorry.” Twilight felt cold sweat soaking her fur. Shuffling for a moment, she managed to get her hooves under her body and lifted herself into a sitting position. Trying to steady her breathing, she closed her eyes for a moment.
“I didn’t expect the Void to affect you this strongly, Twilight.” Luna nuzzled the shivering alicorn. “You need to focus your thoughts. Ignore the emptiness and occupy your mind with your own existence.”
“Okay.”
Twilight focused her thoughts on herself.
C’mon Twilight, it’s your first lesson with Luna and you’re blowing it!
Don’t worry, you can do it!
Are you kidding? I almost fainted within the first five minutes of just standing around!
But… you didn’t faint, right? Besides, you can’t give up now! We’re in Luna’s ‘sanctuary’!
I know, I know, just shut up so I can concentrate on my thoughts…
“Very good Twilight,” Luna said.
Twilight cracked open an eye. “Thank you, but what for?”
“Well, you’ve stopped shaking, haven’t you?” Luna said.
Looking down at her hooves, Twilight could see that her body was still. Twilight blinked in surprise. “Why did I stop shaking? I didn’t try to…” Twilight’s brow furrowed as she thought of a more pressing issue. “For that matter, why did I start trembling like that in the first place?”
Luna closed her eyes, shutting out the candlelight and basking in the calming dark. “When you reside in the light and atmosphere of Earth, you become used to things being imposed on you. Heat, light, motion, and magic saturate everything, so you don’t need to worry about any of them escaping you. In the Void, however, you must center yourself or your warmth and magic will fade.” Luna opened her eyes, meeting Twilight’s curious gaze. “You focused your thoughts inward rather than trying to perceive non-existent surroundings. Remember, Twilight, existence is not the norm in the Void. Do not try to interact with it directly.”
Nodding, Twilight thought, It makes sense, in a way, to think that nothingness would try to dissolve anything within itself.
Twilight stared straight ahead into the Void, her eyes unfocused as she turned her attention to her own thoughts. Heh, I wonder if this is what everypony means by ‘staring off into space’. A small smirk crossed her face.
A thought struck Twilight like the first drop of a freezing downpour. “The moon must have been very empty,” she muttered, afraid to touch on a tender subject.
For a moment, Luna made no indication that she had heard at all. She kept her eyes closed as she replied. “At first, I suppose. Once you live in it for several years, however, you tend to get used to it. I thought I would go mad for the longest time. However, being alone with one’s thoughts for years on end has a curious way of tempering you. For the first few months after my return, I found the day-to-day bustle so overwhelming that I would often shut myself in my room to feel alone once more.
“I created this room so that I would have a place to rest.” Luna glanced over at Twilight, who was staring into the darkness with half-lidded eyes. “Life has a rather unique way of adapting to strange environments, Twilight. It was not as bad as most ponies think. In truth, the fear other ponies still have of me has been far more painful to bear than any banishment.”
Twilight refocused her eyes, looking back at Luna with an apologetic frown. Luna smiled at Twilight and went back to meditating. Silence reigned once again as both princesses sat alone with their thoughts.
Eventually, a long, heaving sigh escaped Luna. Twilight roused herself from her trance-like state. Blinking, she asked, “What is it, Luna?”
Luna opened her eyes. “I think we should talk.”
Twilight began fidgeting, a wide grin splitting her face. “Oh, yes! I thought maybe you only wanted to show me Void’s Well and let me get used to it! I hoped we would be learning magic, but I didn’t want to ask. Oh, I’m so excited! Will learn the first steps to casting Void’s Well? Will I learn some kind of shadow magic? I’ve read all about Sombra’s Deception, and I think it could really be useful in dealing with mental illness. Or maybe-“
“What makes you think I’d know anything about Sombra’s Deception?” Luna said, her ears flattening.
Twilight stopped fidgeting for a moment. Her ears fell flat when she saw Luna’s angry expression. “I-I just thought… you know… since you’re the Princess of the Night that… maybe…” Her smile fell as she felt Luna’s gaze pierce through her.
“That I like to dabble in dark magic and learn spells to entrap ponies?” Luna’s tone had turned cold.
Twilight hung her head. “I’m sorry, Luna. I didn’t mean to imply that you were bad or anything, it’s just…”
“A world of difference exists between darkness and evil, Twilight,” Luna said, peering into the distance. “I let my emotions get the best of me before, and have regretted it ever since.”
Her expression softening, Luna put a wing around Twilight and drew her closer. “Twilight, I understand where you got those ideas from. Everypony assumes that when shadows hide something, it must be dangerous in some way. It’s only natural. I’m just frustrated because nopony ever bothers to learn the truth.”
Sniffling, Twilight blinked back her tears.
Luna hugged her tighter. “I’m not angry at you,” Luna paused, breathing a sigh. “It’s a touchy subject for me.”
“O-okay,” Twilight said, her breath catching in her throat. After a moment, she looked back up at Luna. “So what did you want to talk about if not magic?”
Luna squinted against the light given off by the candle’s unwavering flame. “Remember when you compared how you feel to the night sky?”
“I remember,” Twilight said, nodding. Twilight’s reddened eyes also turned to gaze at the candle. It hurt her eyes to stare directly at it, so she turned back to Luna.
“I learned a great deal about being at peace with oneself while on the moon,” Luna said. “Tell me, Twilight, does light shine where we stand now?”
Twilight blinked, looking Luna up and down. She thought it seemed like another odd question, but she was beginning to expect that from Luna. “Yes. Light is bouncing off of you and me, so there must be light here.”
Raising her right wing, Luna pointed into the darkness. “Would you say light shines there as well?”
Twilight turned her head to look. “No.”
“Really?” Luna said, the corner of her mouth twitching, “Why don’t you go over there and see if that’s true.”
Heaving a sigh, Twilight got stiffly to her hooves. She took a few cautious steps away from Luna, careful not to scrutinize the blackness too closely. Coming to a halt, Twilight turned back to Luna. Looking around at herself and the candle, she stated matter-of-factly, “Yes, there’s light over here. I can see the candle and you.”
“If you stood anywhere else in the room, would the result change?” Luna asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Twilight looked around at the darkness. Suddenly, it dawned on her. “No… No matter where I stand in the room, I’ll be able to see the candle. Then this entire room is actually full of light, none of it being reflected.”
Luna nodded. “It is the same with the night sky. All we can see from here are small specks of light in a vast sea of darkness. However, if we were to change our perspective, we would see that light fills the universe.
“I find it helpful to think of ponies in much the same way. From our vantage point, we easily see all of the crime, perversity, and selfishness, finding a void of black hearts and wretched minds. We focus on the evil around us while finding it difficult to see the good. However, if you were to shift your perspective a little and try to see things from others’ points of view, you may find there’s a lot of light you could not see.” Luna shifted, lying down and tucking her legs beneath her.
Twilight brought a hoof to her chin. “So… you just focus on the good aspects of ponies and ignore the bad?”
“Not quite, Twilight,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Like I said before, there’s a difference between darkness and evil. When dealing with the unknown, we naturally assume the worst so we are prepared. That’s why ponies fear of the dark. However, when you shine a light into the darkness and find something hateful or hurtful, you must do all you can to stamp it out. We must find the difference between what we’ve assumed is bad and what is truly destructive.”
Ugh, why does she have to speak in riddles? Twilight thought, closing her eyes against the candle’s light. “If I’m understanding you correctly, what you’re saying is that some things we see as bad aren’t driven by hatred or anger or greed, but are somehow good? How could crime be good? How could the way all of our guards think about us be good?”
“Well,” Luna began, “stealing out of greed may be evil, but stealing out of desperate need is not. Both are punishable by law, but I hope that those who steal because they need food receive help rather than discipline. The point, though, is that both fall under the heading of ‘crime’ and thus are labeled evil from the outset.
“As for the guards, I’ve sometimes felt as you do. However, I believe the same principle applies to them. They are all males expected to stand in one place all day, so some… looking is expected. However, that doesn’t excuse more aggressive actions like staring or making inappropriate comments.
“Speaking of which, when you were shouting at the guards earlier, it sounded like you were telling them off for some sort of assault.” Luna raised an eyebrow.
Twilight began fidgeting again, looking nervously over Luna’s shoulder.
“Did our guards really step so far out of line, Twilight?” Luna asked.
“W-well they did step out of line. I guess it’s fine to help me up, but they lingered way too long. I-I mean, that guard had it coming anyway! He’s been assigned to guard me for the whole week and he won’t stop staring,” Twilight sputtered. “It’s… I mean, the guards aren’t there to do that, right?”
“So, you believe we should punish this behavior by turning them to stone?” Luna said.
Twilight scuffed the ground with her hoof. “Well, maybe I overreacted a little, but that kind of behavior is still unacceptable.”
“Hmm. From the way you were shouting, I thought he might have tried something.” The corner of Luna’s mouth twitched. “It’s a pity. The punishment for a sexual assault is quite… entertaining.”
Choosing to ignore Twilight’s raised eyebrows, Luna continued, “In any case, the punishment should fit the crime. Distinguishing between unlawful and evil is as important as recognizing simple interest as a natural reaction. If they’re making you uncomfortable, it’s important to say so, but they needn’t be turned to stone just for looking.”
Twilight’s gaze fell. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can see why they do it. Why do we have an all-male guard force?”
A smirk tugged at the corners of Luna’s mouth, her half-lidded eyes accented by the candlelight. “You can blame Tia for that. She got particularly bored one afternoon and decided the castle could use a change of scenery, so to speak.”
Twilight’s eyes bulged. “Wha—Celestia did—I don’t believe that!”
“Oh, I assure you, it’s quite true. And don’t act so innocent, Twilight, I’ve caught you sneaking a peek once or twice!” Luna said, giggling behind her hoof.
Twilight balked at the accusation. She felt warmth beginning to rise in her cheeks. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! That time was just… I was making sure he picked up the papers properly! That’s all!”
“I never said when I caught you, Twilight, though now I can say I’ve caught you at it more than a couple times.” Luna gave Twilight a sly glance.
Cheeks still burning, Twilight lowered her wing. She began rubbing her hooves together. “You won’t… tell anypony, will you?”
Luna hid her mouth behind her hooves, giggling. Twilight looked away from Luna and out into the darkness, her wings ruffling in embarrassment.
Standing up, Luna nuzzled Twilight. “Don’t take things so seriously, Twilight. I would never reveal anything said to me in confidence. Besides, I think I would have a few thousand guards to apologize to before I got around to your little glances.”
Smiling, Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “I guess it was kind of silly for me to get so worked up over something like that. This situation surprised me. Every time I visited the castle as a filly, everypony seemed so polite and dignified. I guess I never thought of them as being normal.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, a smirk crossing her face. “Nopony is perfect, Twilight. Not even Celestia, though she does her best to hide it. Keep that in the back of your mind when you’re attending Court or dealing with our little ponies. It doesn’t get any easier, but you do get stronger.”
“Thanks, Luna. That’s encouraging to know.” A wide grin split her face as Twilight reached out to give Luna a hug, but stopped halfway through. Twilight set her hooves down, her grin falling into an apologetic smile.
Cocking an eyebrow at Twilight, Luna reached out with both hooves and pulled her into a hug. Twilight soon added her hooves to the embrace.
“Feeling better now?” Luna asked.
They let the hug end. “Yes. I’m really glad we had this talk. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t learn any magic, but I really needed to hear what you told me,” Twilight said.
Luna got up and trotted over to the candle. Reaching into the darkness, she pulled open the door. Light flooded into Void’s Well, causing Twilight and Luna to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness. As they stepped out into the corridor, Luna turned to Twilight. “There’s no reason I can’t teach you magic later on.”
“That’s great!” Twilight exclaimed, prancing a little as she stepped out of the corridor and into Luna’s bedroom. “I can’t wait to learn more about your magic. It’s so different from what I usually practice.”
As they stepped out into the hall, Twilight noticed the Lunar Guards standing to attention on either side of the doorway. Falling into step with Luna, Twilight smiled up at her elder. “I think I have some apologies to make. I may have given somepony a bit of a hard time earlier.”
“That would probably be for the best. We wouldn’t want our newest princess to gain a reputation as a royal pain.” Luna gave Twilight a teasing glance. The two princesses giggled as they came to a fork in their path.
“Well, goodnight Luna. I think I need to sleep on this. Thanks again for the lesson.” Twilight nuzzled Luna before she turned to go back to her room.
“Goodnight, Twilight, and remember: just as the candle filled Void’s Well with light, so too can a single spark of good fill a void of uncertainty with truth.”
Giving Luna one last smile, Twilight trotted off to bed.
Author's Note
A big thanks to Cerulean Voice, Hopeless Appraisal and Lannakitty for their prereading and excellent suggestions!
Enjoy! 
