A Time Between Mentor and Student
It was a calm and starry night at Everfree Forest castle in the former Castle of the Two Sisters, but now known as Nightmare Moon Castle. On the balcony, was the student of the princess and ruler of Equestria, called Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn watched the stars in the sky with a smile on her face as she stood with her hooves on the balcony support. Beside her was the white backpack with a pink six-pointed star design open, five books piled up, an open sketchbook with constellation drawings and on top of the notebook was a pencil. In her notebook, there were the constellations of sagittarius, bow, capricorn, aquarius, small bear, big bear and among others.
But her stargazing was interrupted when there was a knock on the door, Twilight stood up and opened the door with her magic. Before she opened the door, she thought it was her mentor who knocked on the door, but when she opened it, she realized it was a Lunar guard.
“Twilight, the princess wants to see you in the dining room for tea with you,” said the Lunar Guard.
Twilight was surprised. Was the princess inviting her to a tea in the dining room? But she soon smiled, she was excited to spend time with her mentor. But first, she had to get her things from the balcony.
“I’m already going there. But first, I need to organize my backpack.” Twilight informed the Lunar guard.
“Okay, Twilight. I will inform her that you will come soon. But don’t take too long,” said the Lunar guard.
“Do I delay? In an appointment? I’m never late for appointments,” Twilight decided to take a few steps back before closing the door, “and this is not the time this will happen.”
Twilight ran to the balcony for put her stuff in her backpack. She took the five books, closed the sketchbook and took the pencil off it, placed them in her backpack with her magic, before going to the door, opening it, leaving the room and closing it before start running at the highest speed in the castle corridor. As she ran, the guards watched her with raised eyebrows. Why was Twilight in such a hurry?
In addition to having Lunar guards in the corridor next to the doors, it also had lights so that the castle’s night servants and Lunar guards were not lost in the dark.
After leaving the long corridor, Twilight stopped when she saw a big, heavy light blue door in front of her. She started to think about what she could talk to her mentor. Maybe she could talk about books, and even show the constellation drawings she drew in her notebook. She was sure the princess would love it. Determined, she knocked on the door with a hoof to signal Nightmare Moon that she has arrived.
“You can enter,” said Nightmare Moon from the other side of the door.
Twilight took a deep breath before opening the door with both hooves. She noticed that the table was large, had two chairs just for her and Nightmare Moon, two cutlery that were knives and forks, a teapot and two blue cups with a moon design, and for food had cookies, tea and a moon cake. Nightmare Moon was already sitting on a chair and she was looking at Twilight with a friendly smile.
Twilight approached Nightmare Moon, and when she got very close, she bowed to her. “Am I late for the tea, Princess?”
“No, Twilight. You got here early, ”Nightmare Moon replied. “Please, Twilight, sit next to me.”
Twilight soon smiled with relief at the response, and stopped bending over to sit next to Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon took the teapot and poured tea for her and Twilight, while doing this, a smoke came out. When finished, Nightmare Moon took a knife from the table and cut the cake into pieces and took a piece of the cake for her. Twilight took a cookie and placed it on her plate.
Nightmare Moon decided to look at her student to talk. “So, Twilight, what do you think about being my student?”
Twilight looked at Nightmare Moon with a smile to answer it, “I’m loving it, Princess! I never imagined that I would be able to use my horn without sparks.”
She soon looked away sadly. “Well before, I wasn’t able to use magic and cast any spells.”
But Twilight soon smiled. “But after you took me on your wing, I was able to use my horn and even cast spells.”
“You’re welcome, Twilight. Since I saw you at school, I knew that as much as you didn’t know how to use your magic, you had potential, just waiting to be unlocked.” Nightmare Moon confessed as she watched Twilight take a cookie from the plate and chew it.
When she finished eating the cookie, Twilight looked at Nightmare Moon and smiled. “Thank you princess. Since I saw you at the celebration of eternal night, I have dedicated myself to learning magic.”
Nightmare Moon took her cup of tea with her magic and drank some tea, she could feel the tea on her lips. “Honestly, I never imagined that you would spend most of the festival reading a book.”
Twilight took a slice of cake and placed it on her plate. “It’s because I love to read, Princess. Since filly, I have been fascinated by them.”
“Could you tell me how you started to like books?” asked Nightmare Moon, now curious, as she bit a piece of her cake.
“On my one-year birthday, my mom gave me a book as a gift. As I didn’t know how to use my magic to open it and turn the pages, she opened it turned the pages for me. The more I read the written words, the more I was fascinated. When I finished the book, my mom asked what I thought of the book, and I replied that I loved it.” Twilight remembered that night as if it were tonight.
“And what happened after that?” asked Nightmare Moon.
“I started to spend most nights reading in the bedroom, as I considered books to be more important than friendship.” Twilight started eating her slice of cake.
Nightmare Moon was happy with what Twilight said, since she also didn’t consider friendship important. Since she saw Twilight reading at the festival and not being close to the other foals, she already imagined that Twilight didn’t care so much about friendship.
“You know, I wouldn’t have imagined that you would dedicate yourself to magic after seeing me at the celebration,” Nightmare Moon confessed. “Tell me, what made you fascinated by magic?”
“Well, Princess, let’s say I started to admire you after I saw you at the celebration.” Twilight confessed with a smile after eating the slice of cake.
“Do you admire me?” asked Nightmare Moon, now surprised by what Twilight said to her.
“Of course yes. Because after all, you are the princess of Equestria, you have been ruling Equestria for over a thousand years. And as it is always night, I spend most nights reading books, watching the stars and drawing the constellations on my bedroom balcony.”
Nightmare Moon can feel joy at hearing the last sentence. “Do you watch the stars and draw constellations?”
“Of course, Princess. I draw in my sketchbook. Would you like to see it? It’s here in my backpack,” asked Twilight with a smile.
“Yes, Twilight,” Nightmare Moon replied. She had to admit: she was curious to see the constellation drawings that Twilight did.
Twilight opened her backpack, took her sketchbook and handed it to Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon took the Twilight notebook with her magic and opened it. She gaped at how much of the constellation drawings they had in her notebook. Each page she turned over had another constellation design. She can’t help but smile when she sees these drawings. When she finished seeing the whole notebook, she closed it and looked at her student to ask something.
“My dear student, how long have you been making these beautiful constellation drawings?” asked Nightmare Moon as she handed Twilight the notebook.
“Since when I was a filly, Princess,” Twilight replied simply as she took the notebook with her magic and put it back in her backpack.
Nightmare Moon could feel tears in her eyes. Twilight, noticing this, was concerned about her mentor.
“Princess? What happened? Why are you crying? Did I offend you?” asked Twilight in a tone of panic.
Nightmare Moon soon wiped the tears away with a hoof. “Don’t worry about me, Twilight. You did not offend me. These are just happy tears.”
Twilight blew out a sigh of relief. “Phew! What a relief. You scared me for a second, Princess.”
“I’m sorry for making you feel worried, Twilight. It’s just that when I became a princess, no one ever admired my night, and when you tell me that you admire it since filly: being drawing and watching the stars, that made me happy.” Nightmare Moon explained to Twilight why she cried at that moment.
Twilight was surprised by everything that Nightmare Moon said to her. “Didn’t anypony admire your night when you became a princess?”
Nightmare Moon looked sadly to the side just to remember when no one admired her night like now, but only Celestia’s day. “...Unfortunately no.”
Twilight’s ears drooped sadly. “Princess, I’m sorry for what you went through before.”
Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight, now with a small smile. “It’s okay, Twilight. Now, at least I have a pony by my side who at least admires the night.”
Twilight’s ears perked up, she had a feeling that Nightmare Moon was talking about her, but she didn’t want to take hasty action. “Are you talking about me?”
Nightmare Moon laughed at Twilight’s question. But it wasn’t an evil laugh, but a light and normal laugh. “Who else would I be with?” She chuckled with a smile.
Twilight smiled as she blushed the answer, but continued to look at Nightmare Moon. “Wow, thank you, Princess. It’s just that your night is so beautiful with the stars and the moon in the sky, and that makes me want to always watch on the balcony.”
“And I’m glad you think of my night like that, my student,” said Nightmare Moon, now hugging Twilight with a wing. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that Nightmare Moon’s wing was very soft and comforting.
When Nightmare Moon stopped hugging her with the wing, Twilight took her cup and drank her tea, while her mentor took a cookie that was served on the plate to eat. Twilight started to wonder about something, she looked at Nightmare Moon.
“Princess, I wanted to ask you something.” Twilight started.
Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight to listen to her while chewing the piece of cookie. Cookie crumbs started to come out of her mouth.
When Twilight saw that Nightmare Moon was looking at her, she started to explain in detail what she wanted to know. “I know that in my spare time I stay in my room reading, studying and watching and studying the stars, but what about you, princess? What do you do when you have no real duties?”
Nightmare Moon swallowed the cookie before answering. “When I’m not busy with real duties, I like to stand on the balcony of my room watching the stars and the moon and when twenty-four hours pass I keep making new constellations for the ponies to see.”
Twilight was happy for her mentor, she sure should have a lot of fun doing this after the end of each real duty, and she wouldn’t blame her. Governing alone should certainly be a very difficult thing, but seeing Nightmare Moon do it so often since she became her student, she has even gotten used to it.
“Twilight, as you love books, do you have any favorites?” asked the alicorn.
“It’s a difficult question. I like a lot of books, actually,” Twilight replied.
“But isn’t there any book you like to read over and over again?”
Twilight started to think, until she remembered a book she like to read several times. “Well, actually, I have a yes.”
“And what is the title of the book?”
“It’s called Astronomical Astronomomanac.”
“Is your favorite book an astronomy book?” asked Nightmare Moon, now with a smile of knowing that Twilight’s favorite book was a book about stars, astronomical events and the moon.
“Yes Princess. That was the first book I read when I was a filly,” Twilight replied.
Nightmare Moon felt that she would cry again with happiness, she never imagined that this would be the first Twilight book. She had to confess, Twilight’s mother had a good taste for choosing books. Was she an astronomer?
“Is your mom an astronomer, Twilight?” asked Nightmare Moon.
“Not really, she is a writer. Who in my family is an astronomer is my father,” Twilight replied.
“Is your family of watch the night sky quite often?”
“Yes, but theirs names are related to the night, so it’s kind of obvious.”
Nightmare Moon never noticed that little detail, it even made sense. When she watched Twilight in the classroom trying to do the test, she saw her parents watching their daughter. The mare was white, white and purple mane and Cutie Mark with three purple stars, and the stallion was light blue, dark blue mane and Cutie Mark from a crescent and waning moon.
Twilight went back to drinking her tea now, she soon looked at Nightmare Moon and noticed that the princess was now eating moon cake for a second time. Nightmare Moon seemed to really like this cake, perhaps because it is in the shape of a moon, or else because it is very tasty and even sweet, or maybe it is for both reasons. But she wasn’t going to ask that, she actually intended to now talk to Nightmare Moon about books.
“Princess, do you have a favorite book?” asked Twilight with a smile.
Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight, then put the hoof on her chin in thought and started to remember the last books she read, being before and after she beat Celestia. She soon remembered a book she read and loved, she looked to Twilight to answer.
“Yes, my dear student. I have a favorite book,” Nightmare Moon replied.
“And what’s the title of the book?” asked Twilight excitedly, now wanting to know.
“The title of the book is called “Dracupony.”
“Ah. The book where a unicorn mare is kidnapped by a batpony known as Dracupony, and Vanpony, the monster hunter, needs to rescue her before the batpony bites the mare’s neck?”
“Yes, this is it,” the black alicorn replied now smiling. “Have you read it yet?”
“Yes. I didn’t think you liked books with the Horror theme.”
“It’s a book theme that I’ve always liked to read since I was a foal,” Nightmare Moon now drank her tea, only it was starting to drain. “What’s your favorite book theme?”
“My favorite topic is Non-Fiction. Real Equestria facts and stories always fascinate me,” Twilight said excitedly, before also returning to drink her tea.
Nightmare Moon was happy to know the favorite Twilight book theme. After finishing drinking her tea, she went back to eating the piece of moon cake, while her student was still drinking her tea.
After Nightmare Moon had finished eating the cake and Twilight had finished drinking all the tea in her cup, the two rose from the chairs and left the dining room together, but before leaving, Twilight put the backpack on her back and Nightmare Moon waited for her with a smile and then they left the place. Rarity approached the table and picked up the teapot, the two cups, cutlery and the dishes with crumbs to wash them in the kitchen.
