Under A Lunar Wing - Part 1
My name is Lunar Nights. I am a unicorn that is quite skilled in the form of magic and am a gifted unicorn, having two loving parents that push me beyond my limits. It is because of my parents that I can call the lovely Princess of the Night - Princess Luna - my teacher and mentor. She often tells me that I am her star pupil - much like how Twilight Sparkle was to Princess Celestia. I was granted an opportunity to enroll in Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, but chose to enroll under Princess Luna's version, having her as my mentor instead of Princess Celestia. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Princess Celestia; I simply like Princess Luna a little bit more.
Either way, I am a pony with an indigo coat. My mane is purely black, having little specks of white scattered throughout it. I was born that way - at least that's what my parents told me - and so I have considered them to be just like stars in my mane and tail. My cutie mark appears to be a white circle but, rest assured, it is not. It is actually a mark of a full moon. Around the moon are more specks of white, these symbolizing stars around the moon. My aura that surrounds my horn is a clear, soothing, and smoothly flowing white color and I absolutely adore it.
I have been studying under Princess Luna's wing for roughly three years now. Ever since she reverted back from Nightmare Moon, she has been running her own school. When I applied for enrollment, I was the only pony that applied. Nowadays, since more time has passed by, Princess Luna has had more students enroll in her school and make an impact. Because I was the one who got the hypothetical ball rolling, Princess Luna decide to teach me personally by taking me under her wing, teaching me the basics to magic and all it's history and worth.
I currently reside by myself in Baltimare, focusing primarily on my studies. I have no friends because my studies come first and I haven't really a need for friends or friendships. Princess Luna encourages me to change that, saying that studying all the books in Equestria will not allow me to advance to the next stage in my studies, but I highly doubt that. After all, knowledge is the foundation for a successful pony, right? The more knowledge one has, the more successful they are projected to become, sound about right?
I'm currently reading up on some of Starswirl the Bearded's recorded spells and written notes, trying my best to grasp all that I can obtain from him. He is the most important unicorn when it comes to the history of magic. Without him, we wouldn't have a lot of the spells that us unicorns use each and every day. Reading his hoof-written work is truly an honor; I simply cannot believe that Princess Luna trusted me with them herself. Right now, I'm reading up on his final spell, but...in this book, either there is a page missing...or...it isn't finished. Odd...I expected nothing less than completed work from Starswirl...
Suddenly, an indigo colored scroll appears in front of me. There is a seal with a moon on it on the rolled up scroll, telling me that this scroll is from Princess Luna herself. I take off the seal and begin to open up the scroll, wondering what Princess Luna has written to me.
Dear Lunar Nights:
I trust that you are studying very hard right now in your pursuit towards your destiny. I am writing this letter to you in regards to the Starswirl the Bearded book, assuming you're up to, if not, past this book at the present moment. I also assume that you might be wondering why the final spell is left incomplete. The last spell in this book was Starswirl's final spell. He abandoned trying to perfect it because he did not understand friendship.
My sister, Princess Celestia, has given a copy of this book to her star student, Twilight Sparkle, who resides in Ponyville, a town located not too far from Baltimare. I want you to take this book to her and learn the wonders of friendship from Princess Twilight, in the hopes that you'll be able to further your studies.
Enclosed in this letter is a map to Ponyville. I expect you to travel there and learn the wonders of friendship and Princess Twilight is also expecting you to arrive shortly afterwards.
You have made me proud of all your accomplishments and all the progress you've made in your studies, but all of that will be for nothing if you cannot learn how to make friends. If you learn the wonders of friendship, then you will be ready to continue on in your studies.
Warmest regards,
Princess Luna
I take a closer look at the letter and notice that there is indeed a map that tells me how to get to Ponyville and the safest route on how to get there.
"Thank Celestia that I don't have to go through the Everfree Forest to get to this Ponyville and to meet...Princess Twilight? But, how can that be?"
I scratch my head, wondering if this was simply an accident - inputting the word "Princess" - or if Princess Luna actually meant that this Twilight Sparkle was a Princess. If I can recall correctly, on the entrance forms for Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, or even Princess Luna's School of Enchanted Unicorns, it clearly stated that only unicorns are allowed to enroll, which meant no Earth ponies, Pegasi, or even alicorns. The alicorns weren't really a big deal, considering that there are only a hoofful of them in Equestria. However, if this Twilight Sparkle character is a Princess, then that most likely means that they are an alicorn and, if they were an alicorn at birth, how they were allowed to enroll at Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns is beyond me.
I put Princess Luna's letter away on the desk I was at and soon began to pack my things so that I could head out to Ponyville. Retrieving my saddlebags, I put the letter in it, along with the map, the book with Starswirl the Bearded's unfinished spell, a couple canteens of water, so snacks, and my good luck charm, which was a figurine of the moon. This figurine, however, does not work like any other figurines you may have seen in your life before, no sirree. This figurine changes between light and darkness in accordance with the actual moon, just in opposite phases. For example, as I look up into the sky tonight, I see that the moon is in a position called the "Waxing Gibbeous," which means that the moon is approaching being a full moon. My figurine, on the other hoof, is not in the same position. It's position is called the "Waning Crescent," which means that it is approaching being a new moon.
I gently place my good luck charm in one of the saddlebags and close it up. Glancing at the map, I determine which route to take and begin to visualize approximately how long it should take me before I see myself arriving in Ponyville, which, if I leave now, should be at around the sun starts rising.
Putting the map back in my saddlebag, I make my way towards the door and turn off all the light in my little apartment. I close the door behind me with my magic, also locking it as well, placing the key back in my saddlebag, next to my good luck charm. I then began proceeding towards the stairwell, primarily because the elevators that are in this building cannot be trusted, for they get jammed and stuck in between floors the majority of the time.
I don't mind taking the stairs - really, I don't. I mean, I'm not like somepony who lives on the top floor and has to climb twenty-one flights of stairs, that would be a workout in itself. I live on the seventh floor of this building, which, in itself, is another reference to myself as to why I love living here so much. The seventh floor, along with my apartment letter - C - all mean something special to me, considering the fact that I am the seventh grandchild in my family and the fact that my grandparents lived in a similar apartment - 7C - in another building in downtown Baltimare.
I get down to the first floor in a matter of minutes and begin exiting the building. Outside, it is a warm, breezy, Friday evening. This is the sort of weather that usually roams around towards the end of spring, but we are only about a week into it so far. Once again, I don't mind it, I just like to speak my thoughts through more internal thinking - if that makes any sense whatsoever. One problem I have - and I will be the first to admit it - is that I tend to speak my thoughts as they come to me. As I am stating a point, really, in my head, the rest of that point is formulating. My head is ahead of my mouth by about four or five words. It's this type of problem that forces me to suddenly stop and then think about what I am saying, what I have said, and what I would have said, forming a lot of sudden pauses in between sentences and during them. But, I'm getting a bit carried away.
As I look at the map, I notice that Ponyville is located a few miles east of here. Putting the map back into the saddlebag, I begin my pursuits towards Ponyville and towards this Twilight Sparkle character, hoping to further my studies even more and make Princess Luna proud of me.
