The Two Students of the Moon

Sunset led Twilight into a dark hallway. The hallway did have a few torches, but it seemed the hallway was meant to be spooky. Murals and tapestries dotted the walls. Her gaze was drawn to a stained glass mural. It depicted a familiar blue alicorn standing next to a white alicorn. In this mural, the alicorns' magic enveloped a draconequus. A gasp escaped her lips. She glanced around to make sure that nopony heard them. The night guards were just as watchful as the diurnal ones. If somepony reported their whereabouts, the moon princess wouldn't be happy. She might ground both unicorns, or worse, dismiss them from the castle forever.

"Look at the door at the end of the hallway," Sunset whispered.

"Luna said not to touch the archives," Twilight replied.

"I want to learn more magic. From now on, you'll keep this a secret. Every night we explore the castle, I'll research some books in the archives. It's between you and me."

"We can't lie to her."

"Come on."

Twilight paused for a moment as she stroked her chin. "Fine. But don't blame me if something terrible happens and you're the one who cast an advanced spell."

Sunset furrowed her brow. "Don't even hint at the secret when talking to Luna."

Twilight seemed worried. "I'm not the best at keeping secrets."

Sunset walked ahead of Twilight. She didn't need to be reminded that secrecy wasn't her friend's strong suit. More and more murals drew her attention. One, in particular, piqued her interest. She took a closer look at the mural. This one depicted the same blue alicorn using the six glowing gems to banish a mare of flames. Was this what Luna meant when the co-ruler was lost to an evil influence? Did the moon princess intend to keep this a secret until all the magic lessons were completed?

Sunset reached the door to the archives. Twilight snuck in behind her. Somehow, the presence of countless books caused the lavender filly to let out an excited squeal. She didn't want to alert anypony of their location. What if this wasn't a good idea? She shook her head. Even a warning couldn't stop her from investigating this forbidden room.

"It doesn't feel right to sneak around, but look at the books! The archives hold such a wealth of information," Twilight said, grinning.

"Keep your voice down," Sunset replied.

Twilight inhaled, then exhaled as if to calm herself. She yanked a thick book from the tallest bookshelf and set it on the desk. "I will keep my voice down. Look at the cover." She ran her hoof across the book. "Gold letters. Ancient Equish. This is so awesome!"

"I'll explore the rest of the castle. Wanna join?"

Twilight pouted. "Can't I stay here?"

Sunset didn't expect Twilight to be obsessed with the forbidden books. Initially, her friend had been hesitant. Now Twilight wanted to learn more. She stole a glance at the ornate door. At least nopony followed them here. As much as she wanted to say no, she couldn't. How could anypony say no to Twilight?

"Alright," Sunset said. "But don't forget to leave the archives the way we discovered this place. We can't have Luna dismiss us for disobeying her orders."

"Yes. I'll keep that in mind," Twilight replied.

"After this, you can share with me what you've learned."

"Isn't that a way to cheat on future tests?"

"At least we'll learn something by then."

Twilight shrugged. "Maybe."

Sunset left the archives and navigated another hallway. Nopony had followed them, after all. However, the night guards might suspect something about Twilight. She could just say that Twilight teleported to their room, and they would believe her. But what about Luna? Their mentor would chastise her for lying. Perhaps that was related to dream duty and the ability to understand body language.

Twilight entered her room, anxious to read another forbidden book. She had taken notes after she finished reading parts of the thick book. The invisibility spell had worked when she snuck through the hallway, but she had a feeling that the truth would come out at one point. How would the truth be spilled? Would it happen if somepony cleaned the room? Would it be a slip of the tongue?

Twilight didn't want to consider the possibilities. She hummed to herself as she cracked the book open. The words on the pages drew her in. Instructions were included on certain pages. Time seemed to whiz by as she read the book. Hoofsteps approached the door. She swiftly concealed the book just as the door opened. She felt terrible for lying, but something about the books fascinated her.

Sunset closed the door behind her. "Did you expect our mentor to enter?"

"Yes," Twilight said. "Maybe we can try those spells tomorrow during class."

"No. What about someplace less visited?"

"What place do you have in mind?"

"Maybe in here."

Twilight gave Sunset a skeptical glare. "I don't think it's the best idea. Princess Luna might catch us in the act."

Sunset inclined her head. "Yes, it is. Try one of the spells you've learned. And if she does find out, we'll tell her that we're learning new spells."

"If you say so..." Twilight hopped off her bed and summoned her magic. She recited the words included in the spell. When she finished the spell, a mare with an appearance similar to hers materialized. However, the strange pony had a darker coat and glowing eyes. Was the unicorn a mare of darkness? She attempted to reverse the spell, but the pony simply chuckled.

"When will you unleash the midnight within?" The mare asked. Without another word, she disappeared.

Twilight tried another spell. This time, it was a disguise spell. She spied a mirror by the dresser and examined her reflection. The disguise wasn't too flawed, although it could use some work. She was sure the spell was reserved for alicorns. Weren't changelings the only creatures able to use disguises? Why would an alicorn use this spell? Was it for pranks or to be treated like a normal pony? She canceled the disguise spell.

Thirty minutes passed as Twilight tried other spells. Soon enough, she felt exhausted. She walked outside and sketched every constellation that she had seen. It was another clear night, but with more stars. It wasn't uncommon for many citizens of Canterlot to dim the lights an hour or two before bedtime so they could see the stars. Her horn glowed. A magical aura emerged from her horn and touched the sky, causing the stars to sparkle.

A familiar silhouette landed on the balcony. It was Princess Luna. As usual, she wore a serene smile. She was the only pony in Equestria with a magical, sparkling mane that seemed to be blown by an invisible breeze. It had always made Twilight feel curious. Was it because of being an alicorn?

"Twilight Sparkle, you have made my night more beautiful. How are your studies?" Luna said.

"I've been doing okay," Twilight replied. As much as she wanted to mention the new spells she had learned tonight, she held back. She couldn't disappoint her mentor. Not when she was new here. She showed the sketches to Luna. "Those are the constellations I've drawn."

Luna appraised the sketches. "Wonderful job."

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Yes."

"Why do we have constellations? And what makes your mane flow by itself?"

Luna stroked her chin. "Good questions. As for the first question, they've always been there since the world was formed. Before my sister and I ruled Equestria, there had been ponies who were fascinated by constellations. You weren't the first pony to ask the second question. The flowing mane is a result of powerful alicorn magic. However, when somepony becomes an alicorn, their manes doesn't immediately become like mine. There are other reasons why an alicorn's mane won't flow."

Twilight tilted her head. "Other reasons?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. When an alicorn is depowered, her mane will be like that of a normal pony's until her power returns to normal."

"Makes sense." Twilight wanted to ask about the archives, but she didn't say a word. No sense being removed from her position as a student simply for sneaking into the archives.

"Is something the matter?"

"I'm just tired."

Luna didn't seem to believe Twilight. "Sometimes my sister and I would say that to each other. It usually means that something is on our minds. So what's troubling you?"

Before this conversation even begun, Twilight had figured that Luna would ask at one point. And now she was being asked. "Why do you forbid me and Sunset from entering the archives?"

Luna's expression grew stern. "Let me guess. You entered the archives. Did you by any chance touch dangerous magic?"

Twilight knew that Sunset would be angry with her, but she couldn't lie anymore. "Sunset convinced me not to tell you. The books appealed to me, and I did cast a spell that wasn't supposed to be touched by young unicorns. A pony appeared to me and said, 'unleash the midnight within.' I don't know what that means. If you're upset with us, I'm very sorry for lying to you. I'll put the books back."

Luna nodded as she listened. Her expression shifted several times. After a long minute, she finally spoke. "You are forgiven. So you touched that dark spell? It can reveal your dark side. It should never be touched because of its dark influence. Legend has it that the first ruler of Equestria created this spell as a result of being usurped. This spell was created when Discord nearly destroyed Equestria with his chaos magic."

"Why do you still keep it, though?"

"When a spell is created, it cannot be erased."

Twilight became aware of somepony eavesdropping on the whole conversation. Sunset stood in the doorway, shaking her head. She figured that Sunset would feel upset about the truth being exposed. Before she said a word, Sunset turned away.

"Sunset, what do you have to say for yourself?" Luna asked.

Sunset didn't budge. "We were curious. And I wanted to learn something new, since my teleportation isn't-"

"Sunset..."

"What do you want to say? That I'll never teleport? My magic isn't as strong as Twilight's."

Luna's countenance softened as she tipped Sunset's chin up. "It's not what I intend to say. I won't remove you from your position, but even my patience has limits. Dishonesty can break somepony's trust. All I ask of you is that you be patient with your abilities and that you have no reason to lie. Do you understand?"

Sunset sighed. "Yeah. I'm truly sorry for lying. Can you forgive me?"

Luna patted Sunset's head. "Of course."

Twilight walked toward her bed and yanked the forbidden book from under the mattress. She was sure her mentor had better things to do than reversing an advanced spell that might go wrong. Once Sunset finished speaking with Luna, the lamps were turned off. The princess had left the room to attend to royal duties.

Twilight pulled the blanket over her body. Even though it was dark in the room, she could still make out the details. A thought came to her mind. "Sunset, are you angry at me?" She whispered.

Sunset yawned. "A little."

"I couldn't stand lying to our mentor, although I wonder what would have happened if we hid the truth for so long."

"Then she might remove our position."

"Maybe."

"Good night."

"Night." Twilight closed her eyes. Sleep didn't take hold. The pony she had encountered earlier remained fresh in her memory. Her mind focused on her family. Her parents had supported her. As for Shining Armor and Cadence, they hadn't been in Canterlot for a while because they took a vacation. They should be returning this weekend. If that happened, she wouldn't hesitate to visit her parents. Just thinking about this weekend made her too excited to fall asleep.