The Two Students of the Moon

The weekend came. It was a clear day in Canterlot when Sunset and Twilight left the castle to visit the neighborhood they'd grown up in. The neighborhood foals frolicked on the playground while the adults watched from a distance. Nobles walked across the street as though they owned the neighborhood. A single carriage rushed past Twilight's house. The lavender filly walked ahead of her and knocked on the door.

Sunset didn't allow her jealousy to show, although her family life was a stark contrast to Twilight's. It wasn't that her mother was horrible; some ponies were dealt a rough hoof in life. This had caused her mother to complain whenever something went wrong. And the fact that she became Luna's student didn't even help matters. She remembered the moment she said goodbye to her mother. To be fair, her mother did pretend to be cheerful outside the home.

The door swung open, revealing Twilight Velvet. "Hello, girls. Come on in!" She said. "I haven't seen you in a while. How is the castle?"

Sunset followed the two unicorns inside the house. Twilight Velvet said that Night Light had recently gone to work, and that Cadence and Shining Armor should arrive within a few minutes. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted from the kitchen. She considered taking the cookies with her to the castle, but she might have to ask first. Even though her upbringing wasn't as smooth as Twilight's, she still knew the importance of asking first. Maybe it was because she visited her friend often.

Twilight Sparkle chose a seat and grabbed a plate of cookies. "The castle is huge. Its hallways are like a maze. I'm learning the best magic in Equestria."

Twilight Velvet smiled. "Sounds awesome. Princess Luna sure knows so much about magic."

Sunset took a small bite of her cookie. "Our studies are going well so far. We made new friends. However, Twilight is more focused on her studies. Even in class, she doesn't strike up long conversations with them."

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "It's important to me. Way more important than friendship..." She paused.

Sunset frowned. "You'll remain my friend, right?"

Twilight shrugged. "Yes, but we haven't graduated. Still got tons to learn."

"What if we have to work together someday?"

"Sunny, don't get me started on this."

"Friends are like extended family."

The front door swung open. Cadence and Shining Armor entered. Twilight Sparkle rushed to greet them. "Hey, Shining Armor! How is your trip?" She asked.

Shining Armor hugged Twilight. "Relaxing. Even though Cadence and I are old enough to get married, we chose to wait until I graduate from the EUP Guard Academy."

"That's about four years away. How can you wait that long to marry her?"

"Cadence and I will contact each other with letters."

Twilight nodded. "Sounds good. We haven't gone to the park in a while. I want to spend time with you, because within a month, you will start your training."

"What do you want to do at the park?"

"I want to play ball with Cadence. And maybe we can have a picnic during lunchtime."

As if on cue, Twilight Velvet made four hay sandwiches and placed a batch of cookies into a basket, while her daughter grabbed a ball. After a long few minutes of Twilight Velvet speaking to Shining Armor, Sunset followed Twilight Sparkle to the park. She approached a swingset just as Twilight began playing with Cadence.

Sunset wished that Luna would come with them, but the princess was busy with royal duties. In the midst of those duties, the princess seemed to carry an invisible burden. How did Luna manage to conceal such frustration with a regal front? Most ponies didn't have that kind of strength.

Luna sat in her office, organizing the papers. She had stayed up this late every morning since Daybreaker's banishment. It wouldn't hurt to one day have a break from her duties. Because she was the sole ruler, some ponies assumed she didn't need sleep at all. That wasn't the case, as she still slept during a good part of the day. She tried to focus on the paperwork, but the feeling of loneliness visited her. Diurnal duties were no problem for her sister. Despite the burden of ruling alone, she had grown accustomed to public speaking.

Since the Grand Galloping Gala - or the Three G's, as Luna liked to call it, was coming within a few days, she wasn't sure if she should cancel it. The Three G's had always been a tedious event for everypony involved, save for a select few nobles. And those nobles were snobby. She had learned to maintain a pleasant attitude around them, although she was sometimes tempted to teach them about humility. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy greeting her subjects during the gala; there were ponies who had unpleasant personalities.

"Princess Luna," a male voice said. "May I speak with you?"

Luna looked up. Winter Dusk, one of the advisors, stood in the doorway. She stashed the other papers in the bottom drawer. "Yes. What is it now?"

"The Timberwolves have tried to attack the ponies who live close to the Everfree Forest. Now the ponies won't leave their homes."

"I'll deal with that problem. Anything else?"

"There is a dispute over who owns Sweet Apple Acres. A businesspony desires to buy the land, but the Apple family won't let that happen."

Did Luna have to be in two places at once? Creating an illusion wouldn't go well. Problems like this made her wish that Celestia could somehow escape Daybreaker's grip and deal with the issues outside Canterlot Castle. As for the Timberwolves, she thought they had gotten the message the last time she dealt with them.

Maybe somepony decided to provoke them, but Luna couldn't jump to conclusions. Sweet Apple Acres had been owned by the Apple family for generations, and nopony from that family could imagine surrendering the land to a greedy pony. It wasn't the first time that somepony tried to buy the farm.

"I'll settle the dispute, too. You may leave," Luna said. She knew she would be immediately recognized in Ponyville, but she couldn't ignore her royal duties. And it would be a relief if the citizens didn't rush to bow in her presence. Although she appreciated their display of respect, they shouldn't feel the need to act formal every time she spoke with them.

Luna left the castle and took to the skies. As she predicted, ponies on the ground stopped to watch her. Several foals shouted her name. They seemed grateful for serene dreams. Because of her wisdom, the young ones looked up to her. This fact made her think for a moment. If Celestia returned in the future, would the sun princess feel unappreciated? The ponies of Equestria needed the sunlight as much as they needed the nighttime, but in their minds, Celestia seemed to be either a fable or an obscure historical figure.

Luna knew better. Celestia was a real pony, the elder princess as seen in the Mare of Flames tale. Some ponies wondered if jealousy corrupted Celestia's heart, but something else did. When Daybreaker's spell had prevented anypony from entering Celestia's dream, the days gradually became longer than their usual hours. It was fear and mistrust that took root in the elder sister's heart, accompanied by the daily stress.

Even though Luna had been locked out of Celestia's dream prior to Daybreaker's banishment, she had overheard strange conversations. She had known that her sister's feelings strengthened Daybreaker's power.

Luna shook the thoughts from her mind as she landed by the entrance to the Everfree Forest. She didn't visit the forest often. A painful reminder from the past was the reason she preferred to avoid it. She wouldn't even approach the Castle of the Royal Sisters. The Timberwolves growled, but she didn't flinch. Would the Royal Canterlot Voice work better than a simply firm tone? It had worked on another creature before.

Luna stared down the Timberwolves. "Thou must leave Ponyville alone! Never return again! Dost thou understand us?"

The Timberwolves ran off. Luna walked toward Sweet Apple Acres. The position of the sun told her it was almost noon. As much as her duties exhausted her, she didn't stop putting others first. There had still been some mornings where she took a nap the moment she lowered the moon and left the dream realm. She reminded herself to smile as she approached a pair of ponies. The younger ponies played by the apple trees.

When the earth pony with white hair and a light green coat noticed Luna, she bowed. "Princess Luna, it's nice to see you. This stallion won't leave until he steals my farm."

Luna furrowed her brow as she turned her attention to the brown stallion. "Is it true? Why do you want to steal from the Apple family?"

The brown stallion scowled. "Your Highness, I want to build a mall over this lot. They can get the produce from a store."

Was the stallion that desperate? Luna maintained her composure. "The citizens of Ponyville like the farm the way it is. It doesn't need to be changed. I suggest you leave the farm. I once awarded this farm because of its fresh crops, and it shouldn't be removed anytime."

"You're biased."

The earth pony didn't back down. "Whether you like it or not, Sweet Apple Acres is here to stay," she said.

Once the stallion stormed off, Luna began flying back to Canterlot Castle. What lessons should she assign her students next week? Sunset would still work on the teleporting spell, while Twilight might learn a new spell. She hoped that they wouldn't touch the archives again. She might lock the door just in case...

Twilight took a bite of her hay sandwich. For some reason, her mind kept going back to the archives. Why couldn't she stop such thoughts? It seemed like a subtle temptation. In her mind, the door seemed to beckon her toward secret knowledge. Maybe it was related to the dark spell. She made a mental map of the castle hallways. Of course the archives would be located at the end of a dimly lit hallway. She found herself staring at the castle.

"Twilight, are you okay?" Sunset asked.

"Yes. Just thinking about my studies," Twilight said without glancing in her friend's direction.

"Did you know why we left the castle today? Sometimes we need a break from-"

"Princess Luna said it first. Don't get me wrong. I wanted to visit my family in the first place."

"Is it about advanced magic?"

Twilight jerked her head to the left, where Sunset sat. "What makes you think that?"

Sunset shook her head. "I can't read your thoughts, but I had a feeling you wanted to go back already."

"It's none of your business." Twilight managed to keep her tone pleasant, but she sounded annoyed when she said the last word. She proceeded to eat the cookies. One of the books she once studied had a section dedicated to magical mirrors and parallel universes. Maybe she could visit another world in order to be left alone.

Why did Luna of all ponies care what kind of magic Twilight would study? Either the princess was being overprotective, or she didn't want her to learn tons of spells. If only she could read for hours in the archives without somepony noticing her absence... It seemed like a perfect plan. Luna and Sunset didn't need to know.