"=Excuse me.="
"Princess Luna?"
I put my pen down and go to kneel. She gestures for me to hold, and I straighten, taking a step closer. That I could act so casually around her always infuriated her guards, but she was a friend, and I hadn't seen her in…
There were no guards. Luna stood alone, stiffly. Even in the most secure areas of Canterlot Castle, a squad or ten of the toughest soldiers around were never more then a few paces away.
"=We understand you are almost finished with your primer for new human arrivals. We wish to examine your progress.="
The Royal Voice. It was a formal visit, then. Damn. I lowered my arms. When was the last chance I'd had to see her? But if she was here on official business, then where was her escort?
"=…It's proceeding apace.="
It took me a moment longer then normal to switch to speaking Earth. The princess was in a royal mood, eyes forward, head up, and carefully enunciating the rough Earth language in a way that made it almost poetic.
"=I'm about to finish the section on magic and-="
"=Then We have arrived at a fortuitous time. There is an…issue…the Royalty wishes to discuss with you.="
The Royalty. Luna slept during the height of the day, so the sisters met and held court in the hours of dawn and dusk that they were both awake. But if there was a problem, why not summon me during that time so that both could speak to me?
Luna's horn glowed softly as she levitated a few pages off the desk to examine. It was an empty, nervous gesture. She'd picked up a few words in our time together, but I knew she couldn't read English.
"=Did something happen? Another new arrival causing trouble in town?="
"=Nothing of that sort. Rather, it is the information you are currently scribing for future human…guests. We wish to ensure that certain information is portrayed…in the proper manner.="
"=I'm…afraid I don't understand what you mean, Princess.="
"=Magic is an extremely powerful force. Dangerous if used incorrectly or unwisely. Of the humans that have been inexplicably transported to Equestria, all have expressed great interest in learning to use it as we do. Most of the humans that come here have tried not to disrupt Harmony, but some…="
Harmony. That concept had been so poorly translated through the TV show. It was more then a few simple words. It was a complex philosophy that Equestrian society was based upon. The Elements of Harmony were ideals that good ponies strove to embody, the closest thing this place had to a religion.
"=…some of them, if they were to learn to use magic…="
"=Would take that power and go from petty troublemaking to mass destruction.=" I finished for her. "=And even some of the good ones, well…Power corrupts, as the saying goes.="
"=Correct. As human arrivals, past and future, will read your work for guidance, We wish to ensure, for as long as possible, that they believe such power to be beyond their reach."
Oh hell.
"=You want a lie to protect Harmony.="
Luna recoiled as if she'd been slapped. She closed her eyes and nodded, slowly, silently. I didn't really understand the nuances of the philosophy, but it must have been a hell of a debate between the once-avatars of Harmony to decide on this.
"=It is a terrible thing to contemplate. And even worse a thing to say. But yes. Too few humans have shown the wisdom to wield such power safely.=" Her voice changed, not merely in tone, but stretched past sound and reached into the flow of magic, threading power into her words and sending it forth. "=So for the sake of all that live in Equestria and by the enchanted oaths you swore to Us, Our Knight of Silence, We ask you to do everything in your ability to keep this power from the hands of those that would abuse it.="
The room was quiet for a time. A glyph on my chest, over my heart, began to warm. It soon became a persistent throbbing that made my ribs ache. I went to one knee, and bowed my head.
"=Your knight hears your command, and he obeys…and I agree. It's too dangerous. At least in Equestria, there are Ponies that can fight to stop anyone that might use magic to harm others. If a wizard got back to Earth and proved that magic was not a mere myth…oh, it's going to be a mess. A big, bloody mess in so many ways…="
My Lady Luna bid me rise, and I sat back on the stool and began thinking.
"=I think I can delay the pursuit of it, but not for long.="
"=Why so?="
"=Well, most humans aren't just going to take no for an answer. They'll still try to learn on their own, using any systems they brought with them…or even just making stuff up as they go. Some will try to buy it, or steal it, or run off on a treasure hunt the second they hear about anything that might grant magical powers. And magic is just so…damned easy once you learn the trick to it…="
"=Then how will can you prevent other humans from claiming it?="
Luna frowned and leaned closer as I closed my eyes and bowed my head in thought. Then she rubbed the side of her face against the stubble on my cheek.
"GAH!"
"=I recall seeing Pinkie Pie doing that often. It is really quite a pleasant sensation.="
"=I still have nightmares about that pony!="
Luna laughed quietly and rested her head on my shoulder. The stiffness was draining from her posture. It was becoming closer to just two friends speaking, now. Idly, I reached up and rested a hand on Luna's neck, rubbing the muscles I found underneath. Being the first human to arrive here had gotten me Royal attention. Being nocturnal like Luna meant I dealt with her far more then with her sister. But after jokingly offering a massage one night, whenever a report was due, I was the one who was requested to deliver it. Now if she would just tone down the volume on the moaning and grunting I wouldn't have those rumors to put up with…
"=If I say something like 'learning magic is expensive' or 'dangerous' then I can get people to react in certain ways. The trick…is figuring out how to present the idea. To push people in the right direction. Or the wrong direction. I can also play up the acts of some of the worse humans that came here and the things they did to try and get it.="
"=At the least, it would not be a lie to say that the reckless use of magic is harmful to oneself and others.="
"=That's right… what if I said that a human managed to succeed in learning magic, but blew himself up in the process, or died in some other horrible way?=
I felt Luna tense up again. She'd once been attuned to the Element of Honesty, and doing this couldn't be pleasant for her.
"=Or maybe, what if I said that only someone dedicated to the ideals of Harmony could learn magic?=
Luna's eyes shot open, and she looked at me in surprise.
"=A half-truth that guides others towards Harmony is…vastly preferable to attempting to build Harmony upon a lie.="
"=Would that be acceptable? Regardless of what I say, someone is going to figure it out sooner or later, even just by accident. Harmony or no Harmony. And once the secret's out…="
"=Then at least by this method We might prepare humans to use their abilities responsibly when the time comes. It is something I know to not to be impossible, after all.=" A smile then, real and warm. "=Continue your work thusly and I shall discuss this new possibility with my sister. We must carefully consider such a path before committing Ourselves to it.="
"=Speaking of Celestia, why wasn't I simply summoned during the dawn or dusk courts? Or did you just not want anypony to overhear?="
"=She…thought that this could be a difficult thing to ask of you, and so she asked that I, as your friend, make the request.="
"=As my friend.="
"=Yes.="
"=…Luna, you know I respect your sister, but she can be a real, manipulative-="
Luna caught the growing tone in my voice and planted a hoof in my side to cut off anything further. And likely spare me the wrath of any pony in earshot.
"=My sister is not manipulative! She…has simply a great deal of experience in the understanding of people. I agreed to her request because I felt it the best way to ensure the good of Equestria, not…="
"Because she manipu-Ow! =Alright, moving on.="
I turned and applied both hands to my work. Luna hummed contentedly as I worked up and down her neck. The primer was almost finished, but my squad had drawn the short straw for the next round of escorting annoying nobleponies around Canterlot. There were worse ways to get out of it then a royal order to attend the princess for a few nights. Sorry guys. Duty calls.