The Two Students of the Moon

The early dawn's light penetrated the room, warming Twilight's bed. It was her first day away from her parents' residence. She yawned, then stretched her legs. She followed Sunset to the dining room, where Luna sat. A plate of pancakes waited for both of them. The delicious aroma caused her stomach to rumble. Would the food taste different from her mother's cooking? It wasn't that her mother's cooking was bland. She took a bite of the pancakes. The royal cooks must've done an awesome job.

"Good morning," Luna said. "The first lesson is about friendship. Have you made any friends?"

Twilight shrugged. "What does this have to do with studying magic?"

Sunset placed the fork onto the folded napkin. "Twilight's my only friend. And we haven't befriended other ponies. Why is this important?"

Luna sipped her tea. "Friends are like family. A true friend is trustworthy. They also comfort you in tough times. True friends also encourage you. You laugh with them and make memories with them. That's the beauty of having a friend."

"You do rule alone," Sunset pointed out.

Luna nodded. A sad smile replaced her normally stoic expression. "It's between you and me. I had an older sister. She once ruled by my side. We were so close, and Celestia was the best sister that anypony could ask for. One day..." Her voice caught in her throat. "I lost her to an evil influence."

Twilight was surprised that her mentor carried such emotions. More importantly, she was used to the aura of strength that Luna had. Who knew how much pain the alicorn had endured in past centuries? "Is there anything else to say about her?" She asked.

"It is hard for me to talk about. When you're older, you'll understand."

Twilight gave Luna an inquisitive look. The moon princess had always been enigmatic. Sometimes Luna would hint at something without telling the whole story. Somepony once called that subtext. Although she wasn't sure what to make of her mentor's words, her heart ached for the alicorn. She couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling.

"When you're finished with breakfast, I shall have Miss Storybook accompany you to the School for Gifted Unicorns. Your saddlebags are prepared," Luna said.

Sunset shook her head. "I'm not sure anypony else wants to be my friend. They usually avoid me. The only other pony that speaks to me is Trixie Lulamoon, and she's not even my friend. She boasts too much."

"How can you assume that if you haven't given others a chance to become your friend?"

"I don't know. As I said, Twilight has been my only friend."

"I'll give you this assignment for today. Walk up to anypony who seems lonely, and ask her if she wants to become your friend."

"You make it sound like a requirement."

Twilight nodded. "Besides, our studies are more important."

One of the castle servants approached Luna. "Princess, you are needed in the throne room within a minute."

Luna glanced at Twilight, then at the servant. "I'll be there, Chancellor."

Twilight and Sunset walked to their bedroom and retrieved their saddlebags. Would it be like this every morning? Of course the day was busier than the night, unless certain ponies had nightmares every single night. It wasn't that she had a problem with her mentor's royal responsibilities. Ruling alone had to be this hectic. She stuffed the books into her saddlebags and navigated the hallways. The castle seemed huge. What secrets were hidden in here? The weekend didn't seem far off, which would give her a chance to explore the castle without interruption.

Once Twilight and Sunset arrived in one of the classrooms at the School for Gifted Unicorns, Miss Storybook started the class. They chose a pair of desks in the front. The young unicorns got to their seats right before the bell rang. Pictures cluttered the wall by the window. A group of unicorns by the door excluded the loners. In the back of the classroom, a filly with glasses sat alone, poring over her books.

Twilight exchanged glances with Sunset. "We should sit with her," she said.

Sunset nodded. "Good idea. Still, we're not supposed to talk during class."

Miss Storybook approached them. She had a light coral coat and a garnet mane, with a book and quill for a cutie mark. "I can't have you getting in trouble. The princess doesn't want to mentor a troublemaker."

"We're sorry," Sunset said.

"You can talk if I call on you." Miss Storybook walked toward the chalkboard. She cleared her throat as she faced the class. "Good morning, class. Today, you will learn the teleportation spell-"

A filly with a blue coat rose her hoof. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will show the class the art of teleportation!"

Miss Storybook narrowed her eyes. "You've spoken without a turn for the third time this week. I know you enjoy showing off your skills, but perhaps you should be more humble. Because of this rude interruption, you won't be allowed to showcase your ability to teleport."

"It's so unfair. Trixie wants to do it so bad!"

"Do I need to send you to the principal's office? It appears that a simple time-out in the hallway won't change your behavior."

Trixie didn't say another word. Instead, she pouted. Miss Storybook proceeded to lecture about teleporting, which seemed to take forever. Several unicorns fell asleep. She had to reprimand them several times. About five minutes later, she gathered the paperwork and a quill.

"We'll practice this spell outside. This isn't a competition about who's the best. I assure you that Trixie won't come with us. Somepony will watch her. Follow me," Miss Storybook said.

The whole class walked outside. Twilight had a feeling that she was being watched. She looked behind her. A familiar face from behind the window watched the whole scene. Why would Trixie be interested in observing the class from a distance? Was Trixie jealous? She had spoken with her a few times. It didn't have to take an expert to know how boastful Trixie was. The warm breeze caressed her mane. Miss Storybook repeated the instructions and reminded the class a second time that the assignment wasn't a contest.

"Twilight Sparkle, you're first," Miss Storybook said.

Twilight summoned her magical power. The aura enveloped her body and teleported her to the front door. She felt proud of herself. It wasn't too difficult. She returned to the school's backyard. Now it was time for Sunset to try the teleporting spell.

Sunset grunted. Her magical aura fizzled out. Hadn't she focused enough? After a long minute, she gave up. "I don't think I can do this."

Miss Storybook inclined her head. "Don't feel bad. In time, you'll master this spell. Patience is key."

By recess, everypony rushed to the playground. The same filly from Sunset's class sat on the bench, while Trixie attempted to perform certain tricks. She approached the bench. Would the filly want to become her friend? What if she messed up? She wasn't shy, but she didn't consider herself the type to make more than one friend. She had always been an independent pony. "Hi. I haven't talked to you before. I'm Sunset Shimmer. What's your name?"

The filly looked up. "Moondancer."

Twilight sat by Moondancer. "Do you want to play with us?" She asked.

Moondancer hesitated for a moment. "Nopony wanted to be my friend before. Also, I trust books more than ponies."

Trixie stepped forward, adjusting her hat as she smirked. "Anything you can do, Trixie can do better. Watch this and be amazed..." She summoned a cloud of gray smoke. Once the smoke disappeared, she was on top of a slide. "Twilight cannot do this. And neither can Sunset. Unbelievable how lucky they are to become Princess Luna's students."

Sunset cleared her throat. "The reason you didn't become Princess Luna's protege is because you're unfit to become her student."

Trixie snorted. "Remember yesterday's test? Trixie was meant to succeed. And then you and Twilight got in the way. If Trixie cannot become Princess Luna's student, then she can become a famous magician. Okay, time for more tricks. Prepare to stare in awe!"

Sunset had a feeling that the trick would go wrong. She glanced at the adult unicorns. At least they could intervene should chaos arise. "Didn't they tell you not to misuse magic?"

"Some rules are meant to be broken." A magical aura emerged from under Trixie's hat and caused the merry-go-round to spin faster. The foals on it screamed with fright.

Miss Storybook stomped toward the slide. "That's enough, Trixie Lulamoon! Apologize or you'll find yourself in the principal's office with a note for your parents."

Trixie shook her head. "One more trick." She levitated her hat and placed it on the ground. Several spiders emerged from the hat, causing the fillies to holler with high-pitched voices. A colt stomped on the spiders.

Miss Storybook's magic enveloped Trixie's body as she stalked off. "Perhaps the principal will teach you a lesson!"

"I'll have revenge on you someday!"

After Trixie and Miss Storybook entered the school, Sunset and Twilight played with Moondancer. A trio of unicorns walked up to them. They said that they watched Sunset stand up to Trixie. Perhaps she could also befriend them as she befriended Moondancer. More than one friend didn't seem like a bad thing, after all.

Sunset introduced herself to the trio of unicorns. "Twilight and I just became the students of Princess Luna."

The filly with a pink mane and a cutie mark of three blue stars was the first to speak. "You're so lucky. Congrats on becoming the students of the benevolent princess. I'm Twinkleshine. My friends here are Lemon Hearts and Minuette."

Now it was Minuette's turn to speak. She was a blue filly with a hourglass cutie mark and a deep blue mane. "Wanna play tag?"

"Yes!" Twilight, Sunset, and their friends shouted in unison. During the good part of recess, the six friends ran back and forth, giggling. Soon, other foals joined in.

By the time recess ended, Miss Storybook blew the whistle and led her class inside. Sunset and her friends could barely stop giggling. She had an interesting story to tell Luna once she and Twilight returned to the castle...

When Luna heard the whole story during dinnertime, she couldn't help but smile at the adorable parts. Especially the part where her students played tag with a group of new friends. She was also impressed when Twilight mentioned her first try at the teleportation spell. Once her students were finished, she inclined her head.

"My dearest students, you did a wonderful job today. Twilight, Miss Storybook's report told me that your teleportation was perfect. As for you, Sunset, you'll eventually become better at this spell," Luna said.

Sunset frowned. "If I cannot teleport, what kind of unicorn does this make me? Twilight can do that. Her magic is stronger than mine."

"You're still learning. Just because you can't do one spell yet doesn't mean you're inferior to Twilight. Don't compare yourself to her. It never feels good to compare oneself to another."

"I'll still practice it."

"Don't overwork yourself. Every unicorn's magical abilities develop at different rates. No two ponies are the same."

Sunset stared at the table. "I guess you're right. Still, I don't know if I can be a powerful unicorn someday."

"You're still young, which means you have a lot to learn. And as I pointed out yesterday, you have potential," Luna said.

The two unicorns ate in peace. Luna turned her attention to the window. It was a clear evening, with the first few constellations already scattered across the darkened sky. Things would have been different had Daybreaker never taken over Celestia's body. Speaking of Celestia, it had been a while since she last visited an universe similar to Equestria. She would never forget the time when she had visited that parallel universe several months ago and discovered that the other universe had changed. She had resolved not to visit the parallel universe again.

"Can we explore the castle?" Sunset asked.

"Yes, but don't enter the archives. Advanced magic is meant to be used by adult unicorns that have powerful magic," Luna said.

Twilight and Sunset walked out of the dining room, while Luna activated her dream magic. She had a feeling her students would feel curious about the archives. She had every reason to forbid them from entering the archives because an advanced spell could go wrong if a young unicorn used one.