The library was silent now. The moonlight poured through the windows in beams. Between the high reaching shelves of books was a deep blue pony with blue and black streaks in his wavy mane and his straight, but somewhat ragged tail. He was concentrating very hard on his telekinesis spell, which was holding up several different books on ancient artifacts. He always had trouble with this, splitting his mind into multiple spells. Even multiple castings of the same spell gave him a hard time. In fact, despite his family’s long history and great reputation for being powerful wizards, he, himself, had had a great deal of trouble with magic in general from a very young age. His teachers always told him he lacked the discipline to concentrate, he simply had a mind prone to wandering. That is, during the day his mind wandered; at night, however, the quiet sereneness allowed him to concentrate much better. It still didn’t come easy to him, but it was better.
His wondering mind lost its grip on the spell and the books came crashing to the floor. In the silence, the sound was deafening. He looked around. “Thank Celestia everypony is asleep,” He whispered. One of the few benefits of being born into a family of powerful and influential wizards is that when you need to frequent the library at odd hours, no one questions it. He was glad to have at least that luxury back; even though it meant being in the same city as his family. It made him nervous thinking of all the ponies who might recognize him, especially if he was going be using his real last name to, quite literally, open doors for him. “I don’t have a choice, unfortunately.”
He looked up at the moon and thought back to his childhood. He missed the Mare in the Moon. During his childhood, she always seemed to be his only companion. He had heard the story of how the Mare in the Moon had been a villain, out to cloak Equestria in eternal night. While he didn’t agree with this plan, he couldn’t help but sympathize. The night was so much more peaceful, and being the only pony up during the night must’ve been so lonely for her. Her methods may have been a little… extreme, but that didn’t make her a bad pony.
He shook himself out of his contemplation. He had to focus. He had come back to Canterlot for a reason. The Canterlot archives were Equestria’s largest library and his best chance at finding the information he needed. He had heard rumors during his travels of a strange amulet that bestowed great magical power to the unicorn that wore it, at the cost of their sanity. He was hoping that finding out how such a thing could have been created might yield some answers as to how it might be destroyed. He also, as always, planned to use his time alone to practice his spells, which had improved immensely during his time in exile. “There’s got to be something: a name, a description, anything.”
He lit his horn and began walking down the aisles of books. “Alicorns and Artifacts, Artifacts of Antiquity, Artifacts through the Ages.” None of these were going to help him. Why couldn’t he find just one mention of this artifact? What it was called, who made it. He was getting more and more frustrated.
Suddenly, while he was paying close attention to the bottom shelf of books, he ran straight into a door. It was made of solid oak, if the throbbing in his head was to be believed. Testing the knob, he found it to be locked. “Strange, I don’t remember there being a restricted section in this part of the library.” He debated with himself if he wanted to try and pick the lock. Whatever was behind this door was being kept safe for a reason. Of course, he couldn’t very well go up to the princesses and say, “hey can you unlock this door, so I can see if there’s a book in there about how to create this evil magical artifact?” Even if he explained why he wanted such a book, would they believe him? It did seem rather convenient of an excuse. Besides, what reason would they have for trusting him, the disgraced son of a whole family of great wizards? It would seem much more likely the he was seeking a way to further his own powers.
He knew the answers he craved were just beyond this two inch slab of oak. If he intruded, however, how would that look? At least if he asked the princesses the worst they could do is say no and tell him to drop the subject. If he just broke in they could accuse him of trespassing and conspiracy to commit… Treason? Murder? Anything really with what he was seeking. There had to be a solution to this. After all, what was it his father used to say? “Life is a puzzle, and every puzzle has a solution.” Words to live by.
He studies the door’s structure. It was sturdy, there was no doubt about that, oak reinforced with iron bands. The lock was a masterful stroke of artistry. He doubted he could pick it even if he tried. Besides, if he did try, what kind of wards were in place to alert the castle guards of his intrusion. He was already technically not supposed to be here, and breaking in somewhere won’t help him get in less trouble. He sighed. “I guess whatever is behind that door will remain a mystery to me. Maybe I can find something in one of those other books.”
“Or perhaps you need the assistance of somepony who knows what you seek Drake Wyrmling.” The voice was carried on the whisper of the night winds. Drake turned quickly around. How did anyone sneak up on him? His senses were tuned by years on the road. When he saw her though, everything flew from his mind at once. She was tall and regal, though not as tall as her older sister. Her mane floated on a current of magical energy and seemed to be made of the night sky itself. She had a darksteel necklace set with a moonstone shaped into a crescent. Her dark blue coat matched his, if not a little darker. In awe, he could barely muster the breath for her name. “Princess Luna.” He bowed quickly, putting his nose to the floor. “I’m sorry to be in the castle at such a late hour. I meant no disrespect I was just--” she cut him off with a hoof to his lips.
“You need not be sorry. I know of your quest to find a way to destroy the Alicorn Amulet.”
“The Alicorn Amulet? Is that what it’s called? Then you know of it?”
She nodded solemnly. “It has plagued Equestria for generations. Many unicorns have sought its power for many reasons. Most lose themselves to it in that pursuit. Its most recent victim was a unicorn by the name of Trixie.”
“Is she ok?”
Luna nodded again and smiled. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle and her friends in Ponyville were able to trick her into taking it off before it took her wholly into its grasp.”
“Twilight Sparkle? The new princess? I hadn’t realized she was so cunning. I knew she was a skilled magician, but most unicorns of that level rely almost solely on their magic.”
“That is why Celestia took her as a protégé. Plenty of other unicorns are skilled in magic, but only Twilight and her friends can tackle tasks that require more… mundane solutions.”
“I see.” He looked down. As a unicorn far out done by his old classmate, it was a strange comfort to know that her magical talent was not what got her as far as she was. “Wait.” He looked up. “What did Twilight do with the amulet?”
“She had her friend Zecora took it and hid it in the Everfree Forest.”
“That won’t be enough. The Everfree isn’t as dangerous as everypony thinks it is. Somepony will find it and use it again.” Drake found that he was speaking at a higher volume than he had intended.
Luna smiled gently and looked into Drake’s eyes. “It’s safe for now, as long as nopony knows where it is. For now, we should focus on discovering how to destroy it.” She started to walk toward the locked door.
“We?” Drake asked confused. “You want to help me?”
“On the contrary, my dear Drake, I want you to help me. You see I have been looking for somepony to help me with my nightly duties.”
“Nightly duties? What do you mean?
“I need an advisor. You see, as the winter season approaches, my sister grows weary from her royal duties, and I must take on more and more, so she may get her rest. Alas, I am yet one pony, and aside from a few guards and necessary staff, I am alone at night. That is why I need somepony to stay awake with me, somepony to help me through the day to day. That is why I need you Drake.”
“I see. You’re offering me a job?”
“Not quite yet. First I need you to prove that you can be trusted. As my advisor, you will be with me at all times and will have access to some of my more…” Luna cleared her throat, “private moments. I need to know if you can not only be trusted when I am at my most vulnerable, but also be trusted not to disclose anything about me I would not have my subject know.”
“Why me?”
“Because you are different from other ponies.” Luna turned and stepped closer to Drake. He could see a hint of loneliness in her eyes. “Where most ponies sleep through my glorious night, and others stay awake purely out of duty, you seem to genuinely enjoy what I bring. You do not fear the darkness of the night; you thrive in it.”
“I see. And what did you have in mind for me to prove my trustworthiness?”
“We will begin by seeing if you can be trusted with closely guarded secrets.” Using telekinesis Luna summoned a key from some secret compartment and unlocked the great oak door.
The room beyond was huge and circular, with shelves lining the curving walls, but these shelves did not contain books. These shelves were lined with hastily scrawled notes and scrolls of various lengths. In the center of the room was a stone table, almost like an altar, where sat a leather-bound note book. Scattered throughout the room where tables, these made of normal wood, covered in strange objects Drake had never seen before. All kinds of weapons, armor, jewelry and miscellaneous objects of great craft were present. “What is this place?” Drake breathed, amazed by the sight before him.
“This is the chamber of the late Guilder. He was an expert craftscolt, and he spent many days in here taking apart and studying the artifacts you see here. He has notes on all the known artifacts in Equestria, and some even unknown. If the origin of the Alicorn Amulet is known, it is here.”
“I’m still somewhat confused princess. Why exactly does this prove me to be worthy of your trust?”
“The answer to that is two-fold. Firstly, I am entrusting you with this information alone. You are not to disclose the whereabouts or even the existence of this room to anypony. Secondly, it will show me how you handle being presented with great power.”
“And if I should fail this test? What if I can’t be trusted with power?”
“You forget, my young stallion, I, as the princess of the night, see everything that happens under the light of the moon. I have seen your actions in your self-imposed exile.”
“You… you saw those things?” Drake was suddenly very embarrassed. He had used his time in exile to practice his magic during the night, but, often, he would do so by helping others with problems they seemed unable to solve. Anything from helping an Earthpony philly get a Frisbee off a roof, to protecting a pony or two from some thugs. He didn’t always do things in the best way possible, but he figured, if he was going to travel all over Equestria, he might as well try and spread some goodness around.
“I saw many of your adventures. This is why I have sought you out over every other qualified pony in Canterlot. I know you to be virtuous and kind. You do what you can, with and without your magic, to help others. I already know I can trust you. This test is somewhat of a formality, much like an entrance exam. So, do you accept my offer? Will you assist me during the night and, in your free time, learn how to rid the world of a great evil?”
Drake bowed low again, pressing his face to the floor. “I will do whatever you ask of me my princess.”
Luna put a hoof on his shoulder. “Rise. As my royal advisor, you need not bow to me anymore. If I am to confide in you, I must see you as an equal.”
“Yes princess.” Drake rose and looked her in the eye. She smiled back at him.
Author's Note
Updated Version after my latest re-read before writing the next chapter (sorry for the huge delay :( )
