Chapters In retrospect, she never should have agreed to come.
Princess Luna didn’t often attend official royal events. She couldn’t stand the political posturing and small talk about nonsense that wouldn’t matter in a hundred years- or one year, for that matter. Princess Celestia had failed to convince her younger sister to attend the Grand Galloping Gala (although, what did she expect after constantly complaining about how awful it was). Luna had gone to Nightmare Night in Ponyville, which she did enjoy in the end, but it also reminded her just how far removed she was from modern Equestrian society. In a way, it had made her feel both more and less willing to attend these kinds of events, if that made any sense. Regardless, Celestia had somehow gotten Luna to agree to come to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns’ magical exposé. “It’s not that formal, Sister,” she had said earnestly. “And the exhibits are so interesting- the students will display the findings from their big research projects. No political talk.” Reluctantly, Luna had agreed. It would be interesting to see the advancements in the study of magic made by the students. At least it would make Celestia happy if she came. Maybe she would even enjoy herself, who knew?
As it turned out, she was not enjoying herself. Luna followed her sister around awkwardly in the School for Gifted Unicorns’ massive auditorium. Celestia was going from exhibit to exhibit, congratulating the students for their hard work, and talking to Twilight Sparkle about the projects. Twilight, Celestia’s personal student, was practically floating off her hooves in excitement. Of course she had her own exhibition on the magic of friendship, but as soon as she had seen her teacher she had been glued to her side. Meanwhile, Luna was behind them, wishing for it to be over. Why did Celestia even want me to come if Twilight Sparkle is here? They can keep each other company just fine without me , Luna thought.
Realizing she was scowling, she made sure to put on her best royal face as they arrived at another table. “And what is your project on, my little pony?” Celestia smiled.
The Unicorn, a blue colt with wavy green and white hair, looked up timidly. “Umm, it’s about the magical fields of enchanted objects and their interactions with levitation spells. Your Highness. Es. Your Highnesses.”
“Very interesting!” Celestia said. “Enchanted objects are such a neglected field of study.”
“I know, I know!” Twilight Sparkle sang out. “Princess Celestia, I was reading this book on obscure magical objects, and it was saying that...”
“What do you think, Luna?” she suddenly heard Celestia say. “Oh, uh, I think it is quite fascinating. Good job, colt,” she said quickly. She sighed, and then followed Celestia and Twilight to the next exhibit.
The worst part was, this didn’t have to be miserable. There was a time when Luna would have enjoyed this type of event- not as much as Celestia and Twilight of course, but enjoyed it nonetheless. The problem was, that time was a thousand years ago. As she passed each project, it became clearer and clearer to the Princess of the Night just how out of date her magical knowledge was. The study of magic had advanced tremendously in her absence, and the exhibits may as well have been written in Yakkistani for all she understood. But unlike Yakkistani, which she was never fluent in, there was a time when she was proficient in the newest magical developments. Yet here she stood, as out of place as an Earth pony in Cloudsdale. Luna felt not only bored, but stupid. I should understand this , she thought in frustration, but it made no difference.
The evening dragged on, with Luna growing more and more impatient and feeling more and more foolish with each passing minute. Finally, nearly an hour after it was supposed to (and with a few unscheduled speeches), the event closed and Celestia and Luna were able to traipse back to their private part of the Castle.
“Luna? Is everything alright?” Celestia asked with concern. “You didn’t seem to be having a very good time.”
Luna sighed. “I- it was nothing, Sister. You know I rarely enjoy this type of gathering.”
Celestia looked down at her sister, eyes pleading. “Luna. If there is something wrong, please tell me. Perhaps I can help. You seemed excited before the expo.”
“I-“ Luna began. “It is just that I- I did not really know what was going on. Magic has come so far while I was gone...”
“Oh, Luna,” Celestia said, pulling Luna towards her with her wing for a quick hug. “You’re right. I feel terrible. I should have thought of that.”
“It is not your fault, Sister,” Luna said solemnly. “But nonetheless, it makes these sorts things rather unenjoyable.” She looked at the ground. “I suppose I should try to catch up on what I have missed. Maybe I should be a student in the school instead of a guest,” she added humorlessly.
“Maybe you should be a student at my school,” Celestia mused. She grinned at Luna knowingly.
Luna looked up. “Sister, I was being facetious. You cannot actually mean...” Her eyes widened in recognition. “Oh! Celestia! You would teach me? But you are so busy!”
Celestia hugged Luna tighter. “Luna, my favorite thing in the world is spending time with you. And my second favorite thing in the world is studying magic. If I have the chance to study magic with you- I’ll find the time to do it.”
“Well, if you really want to.” Luna said uncertainly. “You do not have to do too much for me, just go through the major magical developments and spells so I have some idea of what is going on.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Celestia said seriously. She straightened her back. “I expect the very best for my students, including my sister. And I would never cut corners when teaching magic. Don’t worry, Sister, you will have the very best magical education in Equestria.”
“Eh, it is fine, really,” Luna said. “All I need is the basics.”
Celestia shook her head. “There’s no such thing as just ‘the basics’ when it comes to one thousand years of magical history. But have no fear, I will make sure you know it as if you were there. How about we meet tomorrow night in my room after sunset. It will be the end of my duties and the beginning of yours, so we will have some time. Does that work for you?”
“I think so,” Luna answered. “Well, thank you, Celesta. I will see you then. Good night.”
“Good night,” Celestia responded, and trotted towards her bedchambers.
Luna stood outside the doors to her sister’s quarters, feeling just a bit apprehensive. Intellectually she knew it shouldn’t matter, but she felt that stepping into this room would solidify her status as a novice. And she had never been the best student, why back in those days with Star Swirl....
“Oh! There you are, Luna. I like your punctuality,” Celestia smiled.
Right. Celestia is just finishing her duties. She would not be in her room anyways . Feeling relieved that she had not tried to enter, Luna looked up and attempted to return the motion. She noticed Celestia was levitating a number of scrolls, quills, and inkwells. She must be taking this quite seriously . A pit formed in Luna’s stomach. As much she appreciated her sister putting in this kind of effort for her, it meant that Luna would have to make sure she measured up. And she wasn’t entirely sure she could. I am just ignorant of modern magicks, not deficient in skill , she reminded herself firmly. There is no reason that I would not master this once it is properly elucidated. Feeling more confident, she followed Celestia into the room.
Celestia set her supplies down and sat down beside them. Luna sat down facing her. With the cozy warmth of the fire burning behind her in the fireplace, she felt nice in spite of herself. Perhaps I should get a fireplace for my chambers , she mused idly. She stopped when she noticed her sister staring at her expectantly. “So... how exactly do we do this?” Luna asked.
“I think it would be best if we pick up from where you left off. What’s the last thing you remember about magical theory?”
“Umm...” Luna racked her brains desperately for information she hadn’t thought about in a millennium. “Something about... wind, fire, water... oh, yes! All magic comes in four primeval forms, relating to the four natural elements of wind, fire, water, and earth. Every spell we do contains magic relating to these four elements, and the amount of each one contained affects the properties of the spell.” She looked up at her sister hopefully.
Celestia had a flicker of surprise on her face, but it was quickly replaced by a wide smile. “Yes, Luna. That’s basic Elemental Theory. Of course, there have been major advancements in the precision of the theory itself. In the first Celestial Era, a Unicorn mage named Nebula Storm created a system for measuring and classifying the amount of each element in a given spell...”
Luna tried her best to pay attention, and found that it wasn’t too bad. Celestia explained things to her clearly, and even took out a tool called an elementumometer to help her measure the elements contained in a basic levitation spell (three parts air, one part fire). Using the tool required a lot of measuring, writing, and calculations, but luckily Celestia had brought a lot of parchment. They measured a bunch of common spells, and then discussed the finer points of magical theory. All in all, it wasn’t easy, but Luna felt pretty good about what they had accomplished.
“So... I think I understand this! Thank you, Celestia. We did a lot!” Luna said gratefully.
“A lot? Luna, that was just surface level,” Celestia shook her head. “If you really want to understand Elemental Theory, you need to read this-“ she levitated down a book from the top of her massive bookshelves- “and this-“ she grabbed another- “definitely this- oh and probably this as well...” She unceremoniously dumped the collection of books onto Luna’s forelegs.
Luna groaned under the weight. “Ow! Celestia, do I have to read all of this? Please go easy on me- I am your sister, not your student.”
“I am going easy on you, Luna,” Celestia declared. “All I gave you are books. I haven’t even made you write a paper on them. Besides, a lot of these books are really old, so the writing style should be fairly understandable to you.”
Luna moaned. “Do I have to?”
“Of course you don’t have to, Luna, but if you don’t you’ll have a very hard time comprehending our next lesson. Ideally, you would do some of your own research to get a deeper understanding, but I think this should be sufficient for now.” Celestia yawned. “Forgive me for ending things so curtly, but am quite tired after doing this on top my full schedule- not that I mind!- and I think I am going to retire for the night. I will see you this morning, Little Sister, and we can have our next lesson at the same time and place, next week. How does that sound?”
“It sounds good.” Luna agreed. “Thank you, Sister, and good night.”
“Good night.”
Luna trotted out of the room quietly. She hoped the dream realm wouldn’t be too busy tonight. Because she had a lot of reading to do.
The Princess of the Night let out a decidedly un-princess-like whine. Her muzzle was buried in Elemental Theories and Magicks, which she had been reading for most of the week, along with a myriad of other long books. “Is everything alright, Highness?” she heard a voice ask. Luna poked her head out of her room. All she saw were her loyal guards.
“I am fine... just frustrated,” she admitted to Nightwing and Dark Shield. They looked at her quizzically. “Celestia is trying to help me learn all the magic I missed while I was... absent. It is quite an arduous process.”
“Oh, that does sound hard. ‘Course, I wouldn’t know any of that stuff,” Nightwing said, gesturing towards his own hornless head.
Luna sighed. “I suppose I cannot expect learning a thousand years of magic to be easy.” She tried to remind herself how nice it would be to be able to converse confidently on magic, and that this was necessary. She continued, “Still, at times it can feel quite overwhelming- trying to memorize the formulas for elementumometry and various other details.”
The guards stared at her blankly. “I- never mind,” she said. “You are both excellent guardsponies, and that is what matters. Good day.” She saluted them, and returned to her room.
Pretty foolish to think the guards could help me with this. There is probably nopony in Equestria who could even understand this . Luna sat up suddenly. Wait. There is one pony who has experience with this. She trekked right out of her room to her confused guards, lugging the books with her. “Nightwing, Dark Shield, prepare my chariot. We are going to Ponyville!”
The trip wasn’t too long, and before she knew it, they were there. Ignoring the gawking of the average Ponyvillians, Princess Luna stared at the doors to the Golden Oaks Library sternly. Then, she delicately extended a hoof and knocked. No response. She knocked again. Still no response. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE WHERE ART THOU?” she finally yelled. Luna heard a yelp from behind the door, which finally opened to reveal a frazzled purple Unicorn.
“Oh, Princess Luna! How nice to see you! What a... pleasant surprise!” Twilight squeaked out to the Princess of the Night, who was levitating a large number of old books over her head.
“Twilight Sparkle, We require your assistance,” Luna said.
“Well, I’m always willing to help a friend. What is it?” Twilight asked more confidently.
Luna sighed. “As you know, I was... absent from Equestria for a thousand years. In that time, things have changed greatly, including the arcane arts. My sister has been assisting me in learning magic, but it has been a bit... difficult. I thought, since you are her student, perhaps you could help?”
Twilight stared for a second, and then burst into a wide smile. “Of course! I’ve never had a ‘classmate’ before!” She turned to the books Luna was levitating. “So these are what you’re using for your research paper? I’ll be glad to help. I love research papers!”
Luna frowned. “Twilight Sparkle, there is no research paper.”
“But then how are you supposed to gain a deeper understanding of the subject?”
Luna rubbed her forehead. “You and my sister...”
“Well, then, why are you here?” Twilight asked. “If you’re not here for a research paper, I mean. Of course, you can show up, Your Highness, whenever you want, I’m always glad to see you, but I was just wondering...”
Luna dropped the books. “I was just having... some difficulty understanding some of the topics. I thought, as my sister’s protégée, you would have some experience with these matters and... well... tutor me?” She blushed.
Twilight’s eyes widened in recognition.
Luna levitated up Elemental Theories and Magicks . “I was just having some trouble understanding the elementumometry formulas for the non-classifiable spells...”
Twilight took the book and stared at it. “Wow, Elemental Theory? That’s really complicated; it’s no wonder you’re having a hard time. Even I don’t know it so well, but I’ll see what I can do.” She sat down behind a writing desk in the back of the library and opened the book.
Following her, Luna sat down beside her. If this is difficult for Twilight Sparkle it must be truly complicated. She felt relieved to know she hadn’t suddenly lost the ability to understand magic.
Twilight rifled through the pages of the book, mumbling to herself all the while. “Mm... mmm hmm... yeah... right, right, exactly....” She finally turned back to Luna. “I think I can explain. Sorry I took so long, I haven’t kept up with the more obscure theories as much as I should have.”
Confused, Luna turned to her new study partner. “What do you mean, ‘obscure’?”
“Well, Elemental Theory isn’t really used much in modern magic- it isn’t used at all, actually, not since it was disproven by Gallopeo in the third Celestial Era.” Twilight replied. “Work on Elemental Theory ceased almost immediately after Gallopeo introduced the Harmony Model. Nowadays Elemental Theory is only studied by magical historians and a few pure magicians.”
Luna could feel the room constricting around her. “So you are saying that it has no practical applications?” she said, willing herself to stay calm.
“I’m sure there are some - but none that I can think of.” Twilight admitted. “I mean, it is interesting, seeing how our understanding of magic has evolved, but for practical magic it’s basically useless.”
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle, but I have to... go. Now.” Luna choked out. Rage filled her chest.
Twilight looked at her in bewilderment. “Wait, but I can explain it. I read it now, I understand! Oh, please don’t tell Princess Celestia! I’ll study it more! Is this a test? It was all a test, wasn’t it? I failed, didn’t I? Oh no....”
Leaving the books and the hysterical Unicorn behind, Luna stride into her chariot and sat down. “Nightwing, Dark Shield- fly to Canterlot.” Somehow, she managed to keep it together for the trip, even as she grew angrier and angrier.
Celestia, when I get back there is going to be Tartarus to pay!