“Will you be my one and only student, Trixie Lulamoon?” Pardon? Had the Princess of the Night, the former Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna herself, asked Trixie to become her personal student? What?! She didn’t know whether to count her cape’s lucky stars or question how, or even why, this was happening. Bare flank sat on a cold and dirty cell floor, the last thing she’d dare imagine come to meet her was royalty, and yet here it had happened to fast. Did the Princess truly even want her as a student? Did she misunderstand what was happening here, and it was instead some kind of joke? She looked back at Luna’s face, hoping to interpret exactly what was going on in that dark mare’s expression. A smug smirk wasn’t what she imagined herself seeing, but the Princess almost seemed to be enjoying her confusion.

“You will, won’t you? I can’t imagine how much more appealing it is to stay here in this cell, your judgement unclear and your home taken from you.” Trixie could only stare; even if Luna’s words rang true, that the Princess would goad her somehow ran against what she had always imagined Celestia’s sister to be, “It would satisfy your wish, would it not? To learn real magic from I, I am most certain that you shall not find it lacking.”

A once in a lifetime offer, given to her on a silver platter in a rat’s den. The audacity of it all, the sheer absurdity of her night so far, she almost dared not believe it. But the Princess was right, Trixie had no other option, save awaiting her fate at the hands of Celestia’s Royal Guard. She had no desire to see that out, whatever it turned out being. The smile on Luna’s face grew even wider, anticipating Trixie’s resigned reply, “I… accept. Please, Princess Luna, take me as your student.”

“Excellent. Lieutenant Grand Shine, please permit my student exit of your custody.” From the edge of her cell she saw a mare step forth, as though they’d been there the entire time. The same gray mare that’d caught her on the edge of Plaza!

“Of course, your Highness.” Without a hint of emotion, save duty, they grabbed the keys latched to their belt and undid the lock on her cell. Its hinges screeched as it swung open, Trixie’s hooves flying up to protect her ears, the other two ponies seemingly unaware there’d been any sound at all.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. You are hereby informed that this pony here, Trixie Lulamoon, is my student. Take care to keep it in mind.” Luna spoke like it was simply procedure, eyes kept firmly on Trixie even as the other unicorn stepped back away,

“But of course, the message is loud and clear, your Highness. Your student shan’t find any trouble from us.” Stepping outside of her cell, Trixie first glanced towards where the guard had stepped off towards, only to find them already gone. Strange, she hadn’t heard them running, or even the telltale pop of teleportation.

“Princess,” Her first question as Luna’s student, “How did she just do that? She just disappeared into thin air!”

“Oh!” Luna looked surprised, not at the missing lieutenant but at the question asked of her, “My, eager to learn already? Not to worry, you’ll learn in time. Safe to say the Lieutenant did not indeed disappear, I’d just rather we be alone for the moment. Come, follow.” The Princess started off down the hall, passing by multiple empty cells, the only sound the wind brushing against the walls outside and Trixie’s hooves against the stone beneath them. “Now I really must inform you that there are limitations to this relationship,” Trixie leaned in close, Luna’s voice taking a more stern tone as she continued, “This is no pardon, as while I can unofficially free you in this manner, in the eyes of Celestia’s law you are still a criminal potentially guilty of crimes as dire as treason.”

Her heart sank and her pace slowed at that, a criminal guilty of treason?! How had her simple little magic show in Underhoof Plaza gotten her implicated in treason? “However in the meantime as my student, any sentencing that may await you will be delayed, perhaps even canceled, as well as a pardon arranged for you in the event that you prove yourself worthy of being my student.” Luna’s words came as little comfort to her, the sole voice in the silent building somehow compounding upon her what a sudden series of events she’d gone through. Her pace slowed further, as she wondered what she had truly gotten herself into.

“Trixie? Are you not coming?” She found herself stopped, Luna ahead of her looking back with concern. She shook her head, clearing her head enough to keep moving,

“It’s nothing, Princess.” Not entirely, as her next question came to her, “When will I get my stagecart back?” A sigh escaped the Princess, though what it was directed at she couldn’t tell,

“You won’t get it back until you receive said pardon. A criminal such as yourself isn’t entitled to such possessions until you can clear your name. That’s Celestia’s law.”

“Oh.” They continued on, passing many more empty cells before exiting out onto Canterlot’s streets, the moon high overhead. It appeared barren out, streetlamps still lit and bright yet illuminating no other pony, “Can I have my hat and cape back?” Luna visibly cringed, giving Trixie a side-eye before carefully responding,

“Do you have to?”

A short time and distance away, Luna had guided them outside of the city’s walls, into what remained of Canterlot’s sparse wilderness. The city’s expanding limits and needs had claimed much of nature’s bounty, but enough beauty remained for those who knew to find it. A small distance down a side road away from Canterlot, they came upon a pond surrounded by lush plantlife, and a lone tree nearby. “Sit, and listen.” Trixie followed Luna’s instruction readily, sitting her flank down beneath the tree’s canopy and pressing her caped back into its thick trunk, her teacher taking a seat on the opposite end of the pond.

“Imagine, if you will, that a pony is like this pond.” Simple enough, she figured… If only it made sense, “What is the defining feature of this pond? One pony might say that perhaps it’s the stream flowing downhill that pools here that makes this a pond. Another might say that it’s the plants and creatures that live in and around it, that make it a home worthy of being called a pond.” Right, Trixie was following so far, “I say that it’s the water, that makes it a pond.” That… was just a given, right?

“Without water, what would it be but a barren ditch in the dry ground? Its defining feature is not only its most basic, but the one without which the others could not function.” Now Trixie was definitely lost, hoof ruffling through her mane under her hat as she puzzled over what on Equestria the Princess meant,

“So… a pony is like water?” Luna rolled her eyes light-heartedly, thankfully not disappointed that her story was lost on the poor unicorn,

“Not exactly. The pony is the pond, and the water? The water is their soul.” Soul? Now she knew she was going to be even more confused by the end of this, “Without a soul, what body is there to nourish? Without a soul, what loves and friendships can flourish?” This was not what she was taught in school. “Tell me, Trixie. What is your understanding of magic, as simply as you can put it?”

Now that she could understand. Trixie had been most fortunate to find herself among the students of the Amazing and Spectacular Jasmine Posie. Her teacher had not only loved to teach magic to her young class, but had inspired Trixie’s desire to be a showmare when she grew up! Even now, she could almost hear her teacher’s impassioned lectures about the many theories of magic’s origins and of its many applications, but one stood out to her most, recounting it proudly with her eyes shut: “Magic is the inherent result of both internal and external power, concentrated by refined talent, and wielded through knowledge and ritual.”

“Ugh, the Celestian method remains as dominant as ever it seems.” Trixie’s eyes flew open as she faced Luna in confusion,

“Uh- what, what do you mean?” Luna waved her hoof in annoyance, mirth dampened by Trixie’s answer,

“The Celestian method, essentially, is power drawn from the physical’s essence. It always was Celestia’s favored school of magic, which made sense for her given her connection to the sun but, come on…” Yep, she knew it, Trixie was lost now. Was Luna upset at her over this? She’d never heard of any other method than the… Celestian method, as the Princess put it,

“Should I have heard of another, uh, method?”

“No, it’s not surprising you haven’t, though I wish somepony had been more innovative in my time… away, from Equestria.” Luna released her tension with a sigh, pulling a neutral smile back onto her face as she addressed Trixie again, “She doesn’t call it the Celestian method of course, that’d be too much even for her. No, instead she was content to let everypony else call it that. Ugh, anyways. That is but one school of magic, drawing on power from within a pony’s body, or from a magical source outside the body.” Trixie nodded, doing her best to keep up as she leaned closer to listen.

“That’s why when a pony exerts themselves magically, it drains them physically, leaving them exhausted and weak. It’s impossible to not use really, it’s an intrinsic part of our being. Earth ponies use it in their strength and bond to the earth, pegasi with their flight and manipulation of the sky, and unicorns need little elaboration.”

“So what’s this other method?” Luna’s smile brightened, glad somepony was paying attention,

“There’s no official name like the Celestian method, but a simple title I like to use for it would be Animancy. I consider myself the foremost Animancer in the world of course, though there are few left remaining to even contest it.” Wait, what did she mean by that- “Regardless, it is the study and application of power sourced from the soul. Independent of the limitations and strength of the physical form, as seen here.” Trixie watched and listened carefully, unwilling to miss a second, until she blinked. Then, Luna was gone, simply gone.

“Its uses are a good deal more… varied than typical Celestian magic, though one could attempt to imitate some of the effects with their traditional physical strength.” W-what?! Trixie’s head spun side to side, searching for the voice’s origin. Luna’s words sounded like they came from everywhere, from the other side of the pond to just behind her ear, “More than that, its roots ran deep. One glance at a pony’s soul, and you’d understand their wants and fears, loves and hatreds.” Something brushed against her shoulder, intentional and firm, before disappearing as quickly as it came, nothing behind her, “How else do you think I am able enter all the dreams of Equestria?”

Trixie’s mind flew in a flurry, doing its best to catch up with the avalanche of information dumped on her. She was going to learn how to do… all of this?! “I would be able to perform the same feats?”

“Perform? What an apt choice of words.” Luna reappeared in her spot across the pond, looking as though she hadn’t moved an inch after vanishing, “You won’t be performing any such feats until you begin your training, such that will begin tonight and further nights.” Trixie shook her head, clearing the fatigue that’d began to mount in her eyes before asking,

“Nights?” Luna tsked, a twinkle of humor glimmering in her gaze,

“Of course! Did you think I would train you during the day? I am called the Princess of the Night, am I not?” The Princess stood up, rounding the pond and looking over her student, “Besides, the Sun’s light would not be conducive to your training. Life’s lusts and desires shine brightest in the dark where the light can't overshadow it.” She raised her hoof dramatically before stomping it into the dirt, Trixie expecting dirt to fly up into her face before her world shattered. Luna’s hoof sank silently into the dirt like it was water, the ripples emanating from the blow flowing over everything in sight, even the sky. Trees and shadow wobbled alike, blending together in the manic motion until they were indistinguishable to her eyes. Moonlight was swallowed whole, the moon itself gone from the sky; everything was gone, mixed into a dark void nearly devoid of light.

Somehow, Trixie could still see her own body in the darkness, proven to herself by waving her front hooves before her face. Luna remained visible as well, her body undimmed by the void they stood in, smug smirk stark on her face as she watched Trixie’s shock, “I have a simple little test for you, my student. Merely touch me, and you will escape this place. I will not move, nor will I move you. Ready? Begin.” True to her word, Luna stood stock still, motionless save for her amused expression and watching gaze.

Easy enough, right? Trixie approached carefully, slowly sticking a hoof out to touch the Princess’ leg. Huh, that wasn’t really a test- Luna was gone, there a second before vanishing the next, exactly like she’d done earlier, “Well? I’m still waiting, Trixie!” She spun round, seeing her teacher stood a good distance away behind her, still in the same position as before. How had she missed?! She galloped over, eager to escape this dreadful place as she stuck her hoof out again to touch Luna. Moments before contact, Luna disappeared again, Trixie’s hoof hitting only the air before her.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t move?” Trixie called out, confused as to how this wasn’t cheating.

“I didn’t!” A voice from her side cried, farther away now than before, “You’re the only one moving in here, so get over here and catch me already!” Oh Celestia, this was gonna take all night.

Sunlight slipped through the curtains, dawn beginning as the sun crested the Crystal Empire’s mountain ranges. A certain lavender alicorn pulled her covers tight over her head, groaning over a sunbeam that’d hit her right in the eye. She only wanted to go back to sleep, but it had been hard enough falling asleep in the first place with how restless her mind was with possibilities. She tried focusing on train’s rumble beneath her bed, until she noticed it had steadily been slowing. Great, she thought, moaning while she threw the covers back off.

She laid there for several moments, trying to blink away last night’s exhaustion. A knock sounded at her quarters’ door, a country voice following immediately afterwards, “You up sugarcube? We’re only about a minute out, and we’re all ready for ya.” Oh how she wished to loudly groan, upset that she couldn’t get even a second more of rest before quietly responding,

“Just a minute please.” Clumsily rolling out of her bed, she performed a hasty morning ritual. She splashed her face with water, hoping it at least made her look better than she felt, before stepping out of her room, her friends patiently sat on the other side.

“You good, Twilight?” Applejack was closest, and easily got the best look at her,

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. I’ll sleep better in a real bed. Ahem, everypony remember their tasks?” They all nodded, confidence wildly varying between each one. She was sure they’d figure it out, and if they didn’t find anything she’d be glad to have worried for nothing. The screech of the train’s brakes sounded suddenly, and they all jerked as it rapidly slowed to a halt, “Alright girls, let’s go figure this out!”

Stepping out into the clean air, each pony took a second to enjoy the brisk breeze and soft sunlight on their fur. So far so good, she thought, nothing immediately wrong here. Save for a crystal pony running towards them at a full sprint, head limply flailing around in its socket, “They dream of you?! Do the dreamed see me when they wake?! Do they harken to it?!”

So much for everything appearing normal. The pony ran right past them, further off down another road of the city. Behind, a small detachment of local guards gave chase, weapons at the ready as they tried to keep pace with the manic pony. “I got this!” Rainbow Dash called out to her friends before taking flight, eager to join the guard in capturing the stranger. Well then…

Was this what Celestia meant by anomalies? Twilight shook her head, starting to grasp the gravitas of the situation, “Right, well, lets get to work.”

Author's Note

Our plot begins to kick in, the setup being almost through. The only thing I'm iffy on so far is the pacing, as it's something I just can't seem to get an exact handle on no matter how much I've written. Let me know if it feels good to you!

Big thanks to my brother who, despite not being a fan of MLP, has been helping proofread and provide feedback on my story. Love you!