Lower the Moon

by HighestKingdom

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Other, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Original Character, Tragedy
Length: 7258

A fanfiction of the rise and fall of the Lunar Republic, from the view of a faithful apprentice.

Dear Princess Luna,
I am beyond honored that you have chosen I, your most humbled subject, as your student and assistant. I shall strive to show you my worth as one of yours, and look forward to working under your wing.
Your Ever Faithful Acolyte,
Sable Light

Sable Light serves her country, but mostly her beloved princess, Luna. Come bat infestations, racial disputes, threats from aggressive Griffon imperialists, and other problems challenging the kingdom's success, Sable stands firm in her faith of her kingdom's rulers. Until, as the land reaches a boiling point, a civil war renders Equestria into fractured shards of harmony long believed unbreakable. As the moon eclipses the sun, the former apprentice faces a crucible that questions unity against liberation, good and evil against the absence of both, and whether her actions will reveal a betrayal or loyalty not only to her kingdom but those she loved the most.

Heads up, this'll probably be a long buildup.

Art by yours truly.

Note: I'm in unfortunate and terrible need of an editor, or a few volunteers to lend a careful eye. If anyone is willing to scout through future (as well as current) chapters for grammatical and spelling mistakes, that would be awesome! I'll link you the most updated Google Doc draft, or share a super secret password for Unpublished View chapters :raritywink:

Published 2016-07-04 19:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-07-30 03:19:24 UTC

Chapter 1: Prologue

I had a dream. Once. Or... perhaps that isn’t the best description for it. Perhaps what is best said is that I have only one dream that I remember.

I don’t remember how the dream started, only that the dream was dark and muted. The only sound in my dream beside silence was the dripping sound of water and the low rumbling of untold depths. I remember coldness and loneliness, for to my memory within the dream, no one had ventured into this dark with me. Where I dared to walk, my hooves slid on gravel, unsure and unsteady. The quietness unsettled me.

How had I gotten where I was? Had I fallen from the surface world, plummeted like a juvenile bird, down to where the sun could not reach? What kind of calamity had struck to rob me from the world, what unfairness had been done to me? I wondered if anyone was searching for me, more so than I wondered if they could find me. Then I wondered if nobody would ever search for me, because, perhaps, someone had banished me down here. Did the earth, then, by the command of a higher volition, swallow me whole? Was I then a condemned pony, imprisoned to those inescapable depths? What unfairness had I caused for the ground itself to deem me despicable--was it a crime of action, or inaction? Both were equally punishable.

Or... perhaps, instead, I had always existed down here. I had no memory of how I had gotten here because I had always been here. Perhaps this darkness I currently feared was all I knew.

The last thought terrified and comforted me the most. I would not belong to the lost or the forsaken, because I would belong to no one. No one would miss me, or wish me this terrible fate. I would stay down here not because I was forgotten, rather because I was never known. This thought was a warm sadness, a resignation to fate, as if I had undergone an acceptance of self sacrifice. Except there was no one to sacrifice for. No one cared for me, hated me, even knew about me. My self pity combated with my craving of escape from myself. Distraught would allow me no respite.

So in my only dream, I wandered conflicted. This cavern of darkness was my kingdom of oblivion, to rule the emptiness with my own empty self. Any other kingdom, any other scepter, and I would have at least had power to distract myself. How doomed it was, to have only yourself.

As my thoughts sealed themselves, I saw a glimmer among the black rocks. A soft, pale glow lit the thin film of crawling water along the cavern surfaces, creating a ghostly glimmer dispelling the dark. Through the cracks of my empty cavern, moonlight pierced and filled it. In this fracture of light, I beheld a figure as gentle as a shadow. Just as I had been convinced of my doomed isolation, I heard her promise me: “You will never be alone anymore.”

Author's Note

So it begins. A short introduction by Sable Light, shedding some light not only on herself but something a little more o:

Like how much I suck at writing. And starting things.

Chapter 2: Batty

The summon had been a surprise for me. At around nine at night, a heavy hoof pounded on the door of my dorm room at the Academy, just before bed. To my surprise, I was met with an agent of the royal crown, clad head to tail in silver plated armor. I feared the worst as my mind ran through every thought I could, trying to reason how such a pony as I warranted attention from a guard in late hours of the night. My mind spun, pulling up an excuse for any possible offense I committed in the past week, the past year, my entire life.

“Are you Sable Light?” the stallion half-demanded, half-commanded.

“Y-yes, er, sir,” I responded meekly. “Is there a... problem?”

“You have been summoned by the authority of the Princess. Come with haste.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat, bowing my head and following my unexpected visitor, keeping my eyes focused on the ground as the stallion escorted me. The halls were dark since the lanterns had been dimmed for the night, most of my fellow students already behind closed doors. I heard a door creak, and a low whisper.

“Sable, what’s going on?” Peeking out of a dorm door, yellow light spilling on the floor, a familiar voice called out to me. It was Violet Jewel, and I could only assume she had heard the loud knock on the door from several doors down. Realizing that fact, I became more nervous; that must have meant several other ponies had been alerted as well, and I began to feel eyes looking out of every keyhole and door crack. Quiet whispers either called out to me, or spoke amongst themselves, and I couldn’t tell if these whispers occurred in the privacy behind doors or the paranoia in my head. When I glanced up at the stallion to see if he had any care, I was met with an expression of indifference. He knew the answer, but he very much did not care.

“Um,” I cautiously asked, “Am I going to jail?”

“No,” the strange visitor responded.

“Err... when you said the Princess’ presence, are we going to Equisnox, to the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

“No.”

“Then where are we going?”

There was an awkward silence, the stallion becoming unresponsive once more. We left the dorms and moved across the school grounds, and to my surprise, a small crowd had gathered on the grass. Among them were familiar faces of professors at the academy, and--

“Professor Starswirl!” I couldn’t contain myself from calling out. His familiar cape of constellations mimicked the night sky, the dotted stars on the fabric glowing as the distant celestial lights did above. His beard contained wisps of white, carried by a subtle and cool night breeze. There was no question of Starswirl’s noble skill and intelligence amongst academic study, and he was revered as perhaps the greatest pony ever by the whole academy! Our libraries filled with decades of his spells, updated yearly with his new discoveries. No other pony matched his brilliance--Silver the Quick, the rising Clever Clover, every thinkable pony fell much too shy of him. With due exception to the Princesses, of course. Even for one of the greatest unicorns of all time, it was hard to compete with the Sisters who raised and lowed celestial bodies on a daily basis. Not to mention, defeated the dreadful Discord, imprison the terrible Tirek, and brought harmony to a land split in three. Still, he dispensed his wisdom to the great Sisters, sharing his knowledge with goddesses. It was this fact that him from being headmaster of our academy. Such a great pony had little time to micromanage humble young students such as us, when Equestria as a whole needed his aid. It was more than enough that he gave lectures to those who were miniscule in comparison to the grand scale of things.

“Sable Light!” he warmly greeted back. “It is good to see you. I hope you don’t mind our presences as intrusive. All of us wished to see you off, and let you know how overcome with pride we are for you.”

“Pride of what?” I stood in stupor. Starswirl gave me a puzzling look, but before he could respond, a great gust had begun sweeping through the grounds. Starswirl’s cape fluttered, it’s bells singing in the wind, as several other ponies struggled to keep on their hats. All our eyes turned to the skies, the previously cloudy night now clear, stars shining in audience. There was a great neighing as above us a chariot was pulled by pegasi of dark shades, their burden a brilliant silver conveyance as pallid and shining as the moon. I gasped when I spotted the figure riding in the chariot.

The pegasi descended gracefully, after cautiously circling the school grounds for landing space. I stood stunned until, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted all my professors, including Starswirl, bow deeply until their chins breezed the grass. I, too, assumed the formal bow.

“Rise, my loyal subjects.” Her voice was an unexpected boom, commanding enough that I rose without realizing it. Tall and lithe as a midnight shadow stood the nocturnal Princess, pausing for a moment before exiting her chariot. I remember her mane as shimmering so fluidly it reduced Starswirl’s mystic cape to a mimicry, a mortal copy compared to her authenticity.

“Yes, my Princess,” the other ponies chimed in due respect. I still stood stunned, and therefore speechless. The Princess’ gaze glided along us, examining each one by one. When her eyes rested on me, I smiled nervously. I would have swallowed the lump of anxiety building in my throat, if I wasn’t frozen.

“Thou must be the one called Sable Light.” I nodded, my anxious smile still plastered on my face. “We must greatly apologise for our tardiness. Our duties have occupied us, otherwise we shall have come sooner.” My astoundment turned to confusion. Why, in all realms of existence, was one of the Princesses, one of the rulers of Equestria and greater-than-Starswirl ponies of all time, apologising to me?
“As has been said,” the Princess continued in her loud, stately voice, “Thou works in the schools of apothecary has amazed us, as Starswirl and many other of this academy’s advisory council attests. We are glad to finally share our presence with thee. Pray tell, however; where art thou things? Do you plan on traveling without any inanimate accompaniments?”

“I... I’m sorry?” The spell that had overtaken me finally broke, giving me back rein of my petrified body. What it did afterwards wasn’t much better, trembling at the knees. “My Royal Highness, I... I don’t think you have the right pony. I’ve not been even told of your arrival, let alone a personal visit with one of such high esteem. Forgive me.” I bowed my head again in respect.

“I don’t think I am mistaken.” I could hear the Princess’ heavy hoofsteps, for as graceful as the night as she was, she stood at the size of a titan. No wonder it had taken several strong pegasi to draw her chariot--I mean no offense, but the Princess stood heads taller than the rest of us, even those of her company, causing her gaze to always be pointed downwards. I wondered if it ever caused her neck pain.

My hair stood on end when the Princess neared me, examining me with unveiled scrutiny. “No, you are Sable Light, the unicorn we have come to seek. Did you not get our correspondence? It has been sent several days ago. We wondered why thou had sent no response.”

“W-what?” A letter, from the Princess, sent to me? And I never received it?

The stallion that had escorted me from my room--who I had all but forgotten about--grunted. From some pouch hidden in his saddle, he pulled out a piece of parchment. Then, he handed it to me. I took it, giving the stallion a suspicious glance, undoing the wax sealed that held it shut. Surely enough, the Princess’ letter was there, finely handwritten in a font that could only belong to royalty. Signed and stamped by the royal sister herself. Albeit, dated a couple of days ago.

The Princess gave a sigh that was big enough for a small draft to pick up. “Our utmost apologies, young one. It seems that there was an error in the correspondent's delivery.”
I rapidly read the letter as the Princess spoke, rereading lines just to be sure. To the one called Sable Light... word of your reputation in the Academy has spread to the throne... in our trying times of need, bright ones such as you are needed as guiding light... therefore, with much hope and expectation, I, Princess Luna... bearer of one of Equestria’s sister crowns... request you, Sable Light... whose works have exceeded beyond that of the highest expectation... to become my apprentice... You may consider your studies at the academy complete, and the next step of your studious attendance under my observance and wing.
“I...” Finally, I swallowed the lump in my throat, clearing the way for myself to drool and drabble in newly found excitement. “I would be beyond honored, your Majesty! I cannot show any more appreciation that one as great as you should give me such an opportunity to learn beneath your great wings! Words aren’t enough, I--”
“You do not need to offer us any more gratitude, young one. Your acceptance is enough,” the Princess tenderly replied. “Though we had much hoped all this had come sooner. Nonetheless, all of us are here now. Tonight we desired to bring you to the Castle, so you would have time to settle in during the upcoming week before we began to address your studies, but you haven’t had time to prepare.”
“I’m so sorry, my Highness.” Even though it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t stop myself from apologising. ”I’ll need at least a day to pack my things, if not half of that. I’m sorry again to be such an inconvenience.”
“That won’t due.” What did that mean... ‘that won’t due’? Was she going to withdraw her offer, was the situation now too troublesome to deal with? Had I been reduced to just a waste of her time? “I shall assist you in packing, and we shall finish in half, no, a quarter of the time!”
I flinched. The triumph that accompanied her statement wasn’t just startling, but enough to wake anyone on the grounds that hadn’t already been awakened by rumors.
“R-really? Princess, you don’t have to stoop to such lowly things! The state of my room is below your presence, I haven’t even begun to tidy it up, I--”
“ Nonsense, Sable Light.” Her smile was warming, though it contained a twist of impishness. I found myself smiling back. “I shall assist you. And, I beg of you, do call me Luna.”

Author's Note

The answer is yes, I used a rhyming dictionary. And, yes, it provided most use in showing me what words not to try and rhyme.

Chapter 3: Acceptance

The summon had been a surprise for me. At around nine at night, a heavy hoof pounded on the door of my dorm room at the Academy, just before bed. To my surprise, I was met with an agent of the royal crown, clad head to tail in silver plated armor. I feared the worst as my mind ran through every thought I could, trying to reason how such a pony as I warranted attention from a guard in late hours of the night. My mind spun, pulling up an excuse for any possible offense I committed in the past week, the past year, my entire life.

“Are you Sable Light?” the stallion half-demanded, half-commanded.

“Y-yes, er, sir,” I responded meekly. “Is there a... problem?”

“You have been summoned by the authority of the Princess. Come with haste.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat, bowing my head and following my unexpected visitor, keeping my eyes focused on the ground as the stallion escorted me. The halls were dark since the lanterns had been dimmed for the night, most of my fellow students already behind closed doors. I heard a door creak, and a low whisper.

“Sable, what’s going on?” Peeking out of a dorm door, yellow light spilling on the floor, a familiar voice called out to me. It was Violet Jewel, and I could only assume she had heard the loud knock on the door from several doors down. Realizing that fact, I became more nervous; that must have meant several other ponies had been alerted as well, and I began to feel eyes looking out of every keyhole and door crack. Quiet whispers either called out to me, or spoke amongst themselves, and I couldn’t tell if these whispers occurred in the privacy behind doors or the paranoia in my head. When I glanced up at the stallion to see if he had any care, I was met with an expression of indifference. He knew the answer, but he very much did not care.

“Um,” I cautiously asked, “Am I going to jail?”

“No,” the strange visitor responded.

“Err... when you said the Princess’ presence, are we going to Equisnox, to the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

“No.”

“Then where are we going?”

There was an awkward silence, the stallion becoming unresponsive once more. We left the dorms and moved across the school grounds, and to my surprise, a small crowd had gathered on the grass. Among them were familiar faces of professors at the academy, and--

“Professor Starswirl!” I couldn’t contain myself from calling out. His familiar cape of constellations mimicked the night sky, the dotted stars on the fabric glowing as the distant celestial lights did above. His beard contained wisps of white, carried by a subtle and cool night breeze. There was no question of Starswirl’s noble skill and intelligence amongst academic study, and he was revered as perhaps the greatest pony ever by the whole academy! Our libraries filled with decades of his spells, updated yearly with his new discoveries. No other pony matched his brilliance--Silver the Quick, the rising Clever Clover, every thinkable pony fell much too shy of him. With due exception to the Princesses, of course. Even for one of the greatest unicorns of all time, it was hard to compete with the Sisters who raised and lowed celestial bodies on a daily basis. Not to mention, defeated the dreadful Discord, imprison the terrible Tirek, and brought harmony to a land split in three. Still, he dispensed his wisdom to the great Sisters, sharing his knowledge with goddesses. It was this fact that him from being headmaster of our academy. Such a great pony had little time to micromanage humble young students such as us, when Equestria as a whole needed his aid. It was more than enough that he gave lectures to those who were miniscule in comparison to the grand scale of things.

“Sable Light!” he warmly greeted back. “It is good to see you. I hope you don’t mind our presences as intrusive. All of us wished to see you off, and let you know how overcome with pride we are for you.”

“Pride of what?” I stood in stupor. Starswirl gave me a puzzling look, but before he could respond, a great gust had begun sweeping through the grounds. Starswirl’s cape fluttered, it’s bells singing in the wind, as several other ponies struggled to keep on their hats. All our eyes turned to the skies, the previously cloudy night now clear, stars shining in audience. There was a great neighing as above us a chariot was pulled by pegasi of dark shades, their burden a brilliant silver conveyance as pallid and shining as the moon. I gasped when I spotted the figure riding in the chariot.

The pegasi descended gracefully, after cautiously circling the school grounds for landing space. I stood stunned until, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted all my professors, including Starswirl, bow deeply until their chins breezed the grass. I, too, assumed the formal bow.

“Rise, my loyal subjects.” Her voice was an unexpected boom, commanding enough that I rose without realizing it. Tall and lithe as a midnight shadow stood the nocturnal Princess, pausing for a moment before exiting her chariot. I remember her mane as shimmering so fluidly it reduced Starswirl’s mystic cape to a mimicry, a mortal copy compared to her authenticity.

“Yes, my Princess,” the other ponies chimed in due respect. I still stood stunned, and therefore speechless. The Princess’ gaze glided along us, examining each one by one. When her eyes rested on me, I smiled nervously. I would have swallowed the lump of anxiety building in my throat, if I wasn’t frozen.

“Thou must be the one called Sable Light.” I nodded, my anxious smile still plastered on my face. “We must greatly apologise for our tardiness. Our duties have occupied us, otherwise we shall have come sooner.” My astoundment turned to confusion. Why, in all realms of existence, was one of the Princesses, one of the rulers of Equestria and greater-than-Starswirl ponies of all time, apologising to me?
“As has been said,” the Princess continued in her loud, stately voice, “Thou works in the schools of apothecary has amazed us, as Starswirl and many other of this academy’s advisory council attests. We are glad to finally share our presence with thee. Pray tell, however; where art thou things? Do you plan on traveling without any inanimate accompaniments?”

“I... I’m sorry?” The spell that had overtaken me finally broke, giving me back rein of my petrified body. What it did afterwards wasn’t much better, trembling at the knees. “My Royal Highness, I... I don’t think you have the right pony. I’ve not been even told of your arrival, let alone a personal visit with one of such high esteem. Forgive me.” I bowed my head again in respect.

“I don’t think I am mistaken.” I could hear the Princess’ heavy hoofsteps, for as graceful as the night as she was, she stood at the size of a titan. No wonder it had taken several strong pegasi to draw her chariot--I mean no offense, but the Princess stood heads taller than the rest of us, even those of her company, causing her gaze to always be pointed downwards. I wondered if it ever caused her neck pain.

My hair stood on end when the Princess neared me, examining me with unveiled scrutiny. “No, you are Sable Light, the unicorn we have come to seek. Did you not get our correspondence? It has been sent several days ago. We wondered why thou had sent no response.”

“W-what?” A letter, from the Princess, sent to me? And I never received it?

The stallion that had escorted me from my room--who I had all but forgotten about--grunted. From some pouch hidden in his saddle, he pulled out a piece of parchment. Then, he handed it to me. I took it, giving the stallion a suspicious glance, undoing the wax sealed that held it shut. Surely enough, the Princess’ letter was there, finely handwritten in a font that could only belong to royalty. Signed and stamped by the royal sister herself. Albeit, dated a couple of days ago.

The Princess gave a sigh that was big enough for a small draft to pick up. “Our utmost apologies, young one. It seems that there was an error in the correspondent's delivery.”

I rapidly read the letter as the Princess spoke, rereading lines just to be sure. To the one called Sable Light... word of your reputation in the Academy has spread to the throne... in our trying times of need, bright ones such as you are needed as guiding light... therefore, with much hope and expectation, I, Princess Luna... bearer of one of Equestria’s sister crowns... request you, Sable Light... whose works have exceeded beyond that of the highest expectation... to become my apprentice... You may consider your studies at the academy complete, and the next step of your studious attendance under my observance and wing.

“I...” Finally, I swallowed the lump in my throat, clearing the way for myself to drool and drabble in newly found excitement. “I would be beyond honored, your Majesty! I cannot show any more appreciation that one as great as you should give me such an opportunity to learn beneath your great wings! Words aren’t enough, I--”

“You do not need to offer us any more gratitude, young one. Your acceptance is enough,” the Princess tenderly replied. “Though we had much hoped all this had come sooner. Nonetheless, all of us are here now. Tonight we desired to bring you to the Castle, so you would have time to settle in during the upcoming week before we began to address your studies, but you haven’t had time to prepare.”

“I’m so sorry, my Highness.” Even though it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t stop myself from apologising. ”I’ll need at least a day to pack my things, if not half of that. I’m sorry again to be such an inconvenience.”

“That won’t due.” What did that mean... ‘that won’t due’? Was she going to withdraw her offer, was the situation now too troublesome to deal with? Had I been reduced to just a waste of her time? “I shall assist you in packing, and we shall finish in half, no, a quarter of the time!”
I flinched. The triumph that accompanied her statement wasn’t just startling, but enough to wake anyone on the grounds that hadn’t already been awakened by rumors.

“R-really? Princess, you don’t have to stoop to such lowly things! The state of my room is below your presence, I haven’t even begun to tidy it up, I--”

“Nonsense, Sable Light.” Her smile was warming, though it contained a twist of impishness. I found myself smiling back. “I shall assist you. And, I beg of you, do call me Luna.”

Author's Note

i wish an alicorn would help me clean my room. only a magical being could sort through that terrible mess.

4: Old School Glory

I wrote to Luna of the bat situation, as Zyrifa had outlined it. We would be in the Ghastly Gorges for a while, capturing the last of the afflicted bats and seeking further advice from the zebra. When the task was complete, after an estimated three or four days, I would return and resume work with the Royal Apothecary back in Canterlot on an effective solution. My study and workstation in Equisnox were capable enough to handle the situation, but what I needed was proximity to others in my field. I told her that I was in the process of sending correspondence to the Canterlot Academy, since the situation didn’t involve a disease stemming from a creature but a magical mishap orchestrated by students. If we were to unravel exactly what spell the students had used, we needed access to the subjects they had knowledge of, as well as their schoolwork and notes. Unless something obvious stood out, it would be a long investigation. Nimble Road delivered the letter once the ink had dried, swiftly disappearing into the Everfree Forest. Sapphire and I had our tasks set ahead of us now.

It took several trips to capture the rest of the bats in the gorges and surrounding woods, and more nocturnal nights pondering our options. Zyrifa offered us hexes and potions that she thought most relevant, from amorous love potions to curses that caused even the most regal of ponies to believe they were mules. As strange and interesting as all these zebra magics were, none of these I believed brought us closer to solving our epidemic. All of these involved magical guises of manipulation, and what we were handling wasn’t a matter of trickery. It was a matter of nature.

“Like the Cutie Pox during the Paleopony era,” Sapphire theorized. “Ponies became afflicted with a magical disorder that affected their behavior. They became beset with marks that caused them to engage in sporadic activity. Instead of their original nature determining their cutie marks, their marks dictated their behavior.”

“If only we knew more about the Cutie Pox,“ I sighed. “Maybe we would have a lead. But we don’t know anything besides the disease, and no paleoponies wrote about it back then. In fact, they didn’t write much at all.”
I laid my head down in temporary defeat, resting on the floor of Zyrifa’s hut. We had been out here for two days now, rifling through zebra knowledge as we rounded up the last bats. By now, the locals had crafted and given us cages so we could more securely transport the bats, and we were running out of reasons to stay. Both Sapphire and I moaned about the long walk back, dragging a cart through the forest. If only we had the foresight to ask Nimble Road to return to us after a day or two. I considered asking some of the zebras to aid us in the journey back, in exchange for gold or anything else, but most of them were hesitant to interact. The cages seemed to be the extension of their desire to help. Only Zyrifa openly discussed matters with us, offering food and housing without question or trade. The zebra was a very close friend to Luna, after all, and extended her hoof of friendship with us as a result.

After more theories that got us nowhere, I stood up. “I need a walk,” I told Sapphire. She shrugged where she sat a couple feet away, close to the fire in the center of the room. Zyrifa had left something boiling in her cauldron, but had temporarily left to find an ingredient or two.

Outside, it was night, the coolness a relief from the humid, hot day. The canopy of the Everfree was thick, full of skittering wildlife that blended with the sound of rustling leaves. Yet there were gaps where I could see the sky, and the moon that slowly traveled across its canvas. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, admiring it’s beauty, as well as the work that had brought it to reach the zenith of its path.

As I enjoyed the serene silent, I heard someone obnoxiously clear their throat, and then spit. Annoyed, I turned around, expecting Sapphire, though why she would do such a disgusting habit was beyond me. Instead, I was met with an unfamiliar face. An unfamiliar, very unhappy face.

“When in Tartarus are you ponies going to finish up and leave? You haven’t worn out your welcome enough?” It was a zebra male, young at that, no longer a colt but not quite a buck yet. Somehow, he had found his way up a tree, glaring down from a branch like a cheshire cat. His stripes matched the darkness of the night, but his whiteness stood out in a way that made him look like a torn up ghost.

“Excuse me, I don’t think I know you.” I tried to keep my tone friendly, even though it left my mouth bitterly. “We’ve been doing important research for the past few days. I’m sorry if it bothered you, especially since we’ve kept entirely to ourselves.” That last part was definitely in a biting tone.

He huffed, jumping down from the tree limb and making his way towards me with a threatening gait. “You ponies, always giving the impression you’re high horses. Trampling everything you touch. Someone outtta--”

“Silence!” From the underbrush emerged a friendlier face, Zyrifa addressing the stranger. “Child, do not be such a nuisance. Go back to the village, these matters are not in need of your stridence.”

The unknown zebra huffed, giving me one more nasty stare before unfurling his wings and taking off. I sighed in relief, enjoying the return of silence, and...

“Wait. I didn’t know zebras could have wings?” It was a new observation for me.

“That is my nephew Kraai,” Zyrifa told me. “I apologize; I didn’t expect him to visit during my forage. My sister and him live below in the village.” I wanted to ask her further about Kraai’s wings, but Zyrifa didn’t seem interested in explaining further.

The upcoming day, we decided to leave. We ran out of justifiable things to do, anyways. And, I felt, it would feel good to see my own kind again. The thought felt prejudice in my mind, but after sitting isolated in Zyrifa’s hut with Sapphire Blossom, only leaving to wander the Everfree Forest and the Ghastly Gorge, we needed to be back home again. Anyways, I didn’t want to wear out our welcome. At least, more than we already had.

Luna was already gone when we reached Equisnox, even though it was the time of day when she was usually sleeping.

“I can’t blame her,” Melvin, a friend of ours explained. “It’s so noisy with the Guard out all night and day on the grounds. The worst part of it is that we can’t properly tunnel with all of this going on. Can’t they play soldier somewhere else, like Cloudsdale? Aren’t most of them from that spartan pegasi settlement anyways?”

“Melvin, wasn’t work on the castle already finished decades ago?” I asked the manticore.

“The castle part, yes.” The manticore let out a deep sigh. “But all the tunnels and traps Luna continually plans? No. And as her friend and co-conspirator, I just can’t bring myself to stop.”

I laughed at how childish yet true Melvin and Luna’s relationship was. Luna had told me the story of how she and the manticore met, during the original construction of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Stones to construct the castle had to be quarried from nearby caves, but workers in the quarry kept going missing, with mysterious reports of a monster attacking at night. The two sisters, upset at the disappearance of workers, attacked Melvin under the belief that the manticore was eating ponies mane, hoof, and tail. However, Luna discovered that the roars the manticore made weren’t the ferocious ones of a carnivorous equine predator, but agonized cries over the loss of his home. He had eaten none of the workers, or even harmed them at all; the ponies had only been chased into the Everfree forest, and later all of them were found. Melvin, hearing that the reason Luna and Celestia disturbed his home was because the two were in the process of building their own, offered a helping hoof. And this was despite the fact that the two sisters had unintentionally caused destruction to his home! If anyone knew what it was like to not have a home, it was the manticore.

Even after all these years, Melvin hung around the edges of Equisnox, even helping in the small city’s construction every now and then. I guess Equisnox was less of a city and more of a fort, high walled with narrow gaps between its buildings to discourage attackers. Ponies that lived here served the princesses in some way, shape, or form; mostly servants, but plenty of guards and personal assistants. I lived in the Castle of the Two sisters, alongside Sapphire Blossom. While I was Luna’s student, Sapphire was Celestia’s go-to helper. We didn’t speak much, despite living in the same wing, since Sapphire spent her off time in the library and I spent my time experimenting in the lab and identifying species in the forest. Anyways, we usually had oppositional sleep schedules.
When we passed through the gates, the grounds were filled with ponies of various races, all participating in military drills, barking orders and assuming formations. No doubt, Nimble Road was among them; we had pulled him from training, after all, and he would have resumed the moment he returned. It was hard to spot him in the sea of moving, armored ponies, their faces blocked by their helmets and their flanks covered with polished plate. Above hovered a pegasus I assumed was from Cloudsdale, judging by the centurion Galea on his head. He barked the loudest and viciously of them all, pointing a spear at individuals he found disapproving. The atmosphere felt too tense, so I left without seeing Celestia first. She had different responsibilities than Luna, and was more concerned about an invasion from the East than she was with experimental magical mishaps.

Canterlot was more than a day’s journey, and when Sapphire and I arrived, we immediately made our way to the Academy to find housing and sleep. After our rest, it was back to mulling over the same problem again, except with outside opinions and new evidence to draw a conclusion.

The next day, we were escorted to breakfast by Twirling Spark, who most called Twirl for short. She was the dean of the Academy, and a day before our arrival, had already begun pulling all the texts from the rooms of the unicorns involved in the mishap. “I’ve already gathered a team to sort through their notes and recreate the spell,” she informed us cheerfully. “I bargain in no time, we’ll have this mishap no longer happed.”

Happed wasn’t a word, and for the dean of a prestigious establishment, definitely not a fictitious word to throw around. Still, Twirl’s bright mood dissuaded any corrections, and most ponies overlooked her habit of making terms up. As unacademic as it was.

“Thank you again, Twirl,” I said. “It’s such an immensive help for the Academy to step in. Your resources are invaluable.”

“No, Sable, thank you,” the lavender unicorn countered. “This epidemic was the result of our students’ misguidance. If we had known what they were attempting, we could have stepped in and steered them in the right correction. Not to mention, it is uplifting to know one of the Academy’s best former students has gotten this situation under control.”

“Oh... well, you’re welcome, Twirl.” Sapphire rolled her eyes, her mouth too stuffed with muffins to retort.

“You should consider coming back to the Academy more often,” the dean suggested, her words blowing the steam off a hot cup of tea. “Brilliant unicorns such as yourself are exactly what pony kind need nowadays. Perhaps a lecture or two, give the students someone to look up to.”

“I think, perhaps, our students need the opposite. Perhaps we teach young ponies to look up to us so often they forget the Earth exists.” I rose, my breakfast plate clear except for crumbs. The meal had been filling, although I couldn’t help but notice the taste was much more bland than what Zyrifra cooked. “I must thank you again, this time for inviting us to both your presence and a free meal. I will, no doubt, see you later.”

In the hall, Sapphire snorted, and asked, “So where to now, great and honored Sable? Down to the library to pick through the must?”

“Err... if it’s alright, Sapphire, I think I’m going to visit a few friends quickly,” I shyly suggested. “My brother has just started his first year at the Academy, and I didn’t even get a chance to see him off. Your sister’s still in school, right? In her last year? Maybe you can get a chance to talk to Violet.”

Sapphire shook her head. “I think I’ll have to pass. I’d rather get started immediately on this matter.”

“Alright, Sapphire. I will see you in a couple of hours?”

My friend shrugged, trotting off, tossing her cerulean mane to the side.

“Sable!” Morning Glory pranced in circles around me, the colt eager to introduce me to his newfound friends. “Everypony, this is my sister Sable; she graduated, but she gets to work with the Sisters, especially Luna!”

I was met with half a dozen starry eyes peering quietly at me. It is strange, how the same peer from adults infers judgement and criticism, while from children it expressed wide eyed curiosity. Most of the youngling’s flanks were blank, and I envied their upcoming journeys into their inner identities.
One filly in the back, however, looked a little unsatisfied.
“Everypony knows Celestia’s the better sister,” she snarked.

“No she’s not.” Glory threw his mane back in annoyance. The two must have had an argumentative relationship, despite how short their time together must have been at the Academy. Which, I estimated, was halfway through the first semester so far.
“Both sisters are equal,” Glory had a sassy attitude to his face, which almost brought out an amused laugh in me. “Luna’s just as good as Celestia, if not more. If you’re going to be a sore hoof about my sister visiting me, Rhodium, maybe you should go somewhere else.”

“Hmph,” Rhodium complained, nose high. She stayed her ground, mingling with the party despite the dispute. Though I hadn’t seen Glory in six months, we kept in touch with letters, and often he complained about quite a few colts and fillies. The letters didn’t surprise me; the Academy was the gem of Canterlot, and Canterlot was ruled by royalty. Well, it was ruled by the Sisters like any other place in Equestria, but the unicorn royals never gave in their crowns after the uniting of the three kingdoms. Bluebloods, Fleur de Lis, the Academy was littered with the offspring of prominent names. And why not--didn’t such highly regarded families demand only the best education for their children? However, to my relief during my time as a student, I discovered most noble ponies finished their studies at the fourth year. Not to be offensive, after the nobility dropoff, the student body had become suddenly less dramatic.

“So... how are you guys enjoying your first years at the Academy?” I asked.

“Exciting!”

“Hard.”

“Fun!”

“I’m a little homesick,” a pale, shy colt in the back complained, his eyes overcast by silver bangs.

“Oh, don’t be a baby, Ghost Glass,” Rhodium teased.

I tried my best not to show a short attitude towards Rhodium. Instead, I spoke to the unfamiliar filly, Ghost Glass, warmingly.

“I was a little homesick, too, when I first started my years at the Academy.” Hearing the news, Ghost Glass looked up at me stunned, as if I had told him I was made out of crystal.

“But Sable Light, you’re so great! There’s no way you were homesick when you started learning at the Academy!”

“We all have to start somewhere, little one.” I smiled, lowering my neck to make even eye contact with him. I didn’t want to look down at him. “I studied for eight years here, and not a week went by that I didn’t think of my family.” I softly padded him on the head, playfully. “Yet I wouldn’t take back a single day I spent at a great place like here. My best advice is to write every day to your parents, your siblings, your friends, anyone you have back home. It may sound stupid, but keep doing it anyways. Even now, some days I look back on the letters I got from my own parents during my Academy years, and it brings a little cheer to my day.”

“I will!” Ghost Glass beamed. All the other students began to look giddy, chiming in.

“Me too!”

“I’ll write twice as much!”

“Every day!”

“Jeez, all of you.” Rhodium huffed, turning her back and leaving. “Class starts soon. Unless you all want to elope on your important studies to learn all about messaging your mothers.”

Morning Glory looked at me with pleading eyes, the kind he always gave me. I could already tell that he was looking for an excuse to get out of class, and that excuse was me. It wouldn’t be too much to just send a note explaining that I wanted to take him aside for some... personal one on one lessons. I was revered enough, surely, that Glory’s teachers wouldn’t mind. It wasn’t every day one of their students got to be personally tutored by such a prestigious former student.

Author's Note

late update, but an update nonetheless