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Princess Luna, although not nearly as old as Princess Celestia, was an equally interesting teacher. For instance, she knew a lot about astrology, some things about dark matter, and too much about music. There was always some sonata playing while they studied, some ballad, some classical piece written by a unicorn ages ago in the Everfree forest. There never was any modern music, though, never anything that was just released. That kind of music was far too overwhelming to the princess's senses, and Twilight didn't really care for it anyway.

"What would you like to do tonight, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Princess Luna, her dark eyes glinting in the late night aura. "I could take you flying if you wish."

"I'm up for anything, really," said Twilight, stifling a yawn. The princess really was into late night exploration.

"Are you sure?" asked Luna, having second thoughts. "You look rather tired."

"No, its okay," said Twilight, actually yawning this time. "Sorry about that…"

"It's alright," said the princess, her starry hair sparkling in the lavender moonlight. "Would you like to…I don't know…have some cider?"

"Sure," said Twilight, following her back into the palace. "What kind do you have?"

The princess grinned mischievously. "Spiced and laced with cinnamon and mead. Would you like some, or would you prefer the softer type?"

"Cinnamon, thank you," said Twilight, reaching for her glass and pouring herself some. She took a sip. It fizzed on her tongue, and she tasted stars. "Wow. This is…"

"Amazing?"

"To put it lightly, yes. It's spectacular, Luna! I mean, Princess Luna."

"Just Luna is fine, Twi,"said Luna, sounding slightly tipsy. She poured herself another glass. "So, what is it like having my sister as a teacher?"

"She's nice," said Twilight, her eyes slightly fuzzy by now. "And really cool to get along with. Did you know that everything in the universe is connected?"

"I was in space for a thousand years, Twilight," said Luna half-jokingly. "I think I know a little about the universe."

"Sorry," apologized Twilight. She was completely aware of the blood flowing through her veins, of her heart beating in her chest. One two three one two three one two three one. "Princess? Do you ever feel like you aren't real?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…you're two dimensional."

"No. I'm pretty sure that I'm—hic—excuse me Twilight—real."

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That morning, Twilight awoke with a slamming headache. She groaned and flipped around in her bed once, twice before seeing Princess Celestia in the doorway. "Oh, good morning, Princess."

"Indeed," said Celestia emotionlessly, walking towards her. "Twilight, were you drinking Luna's special cider?"

"Yes," said Twilight, nodding a bit too fast. Her head spun lightly. "Ugh. Does anypony ever feel this awful after cider?"

"It's quite typical, actually," said Celestia, sitting beside her. "You have a hangover."

"Oh," said Twilight, giggling. "I never knew that I'd be prone to them."

"I never knew, either, Twilight," said Princess Celestia, looking a bit miffed. "I have to ask, my student…did my sister…did she try anything on you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

The princess shifted her position with a quizzical look on her face. "Did she touch you?"

Twilight stared at her. "No."

"Oh," said Celestia quickly, standing up. "Just wondering."

"Why?" asked Twilight before she left the room. "I'm just curious."

Celestia bit her lower lip. "I'd just like to protect you, Twilight Sparkle," she said slowly after a moment of hesitation. Then, she fled.

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A few hours and some healing spells later, Twilight got a letter from Ponyville.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

It feels like forever since you left, darling! How is Canterlot? Is there any new fashion crazes? You know how I love fashion crazes, Twilight. It's an essential part of my being.

Anyhow, we're just barely holding up here in Ponyville. It's been very difficult. Rainbow Dash, in particular, is a wreck. I haven't actually seen her cry, but her eyes are red all the time and she looks more gray than blue in the sky. Applejack is kind of the glue that's been keeping us together…I just wish you were here, too, Twilight. We could really use your guidance right about now.

Love,

Rarity

At the bottom, there was a short message:

Hey, Twilight. It's Dash. I just wanted to say? write? that it's been lonely without you here. We already lost one friend, right?...that's terrible. Please forgive me.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash," whispered Twilight, holding her breath. This was way too difficult to deal with. "Stay strong, honey."

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Princess Celestia was brooding.

Twilight had only seen her teacher brood once before, and it wasn't pretty. Now, it seemed like it was even worse.

"Is…is something wrong, Princess?" she asked quietly.

"No, no," said Celestia distractedly. She flipped through a book, not really doing anything productive. "Twilight, class closes early today. Go out and enjoy yourself, okay?"

"Sure," said Twilight, gathering her things and stepping outside.

It was barely a minute before she was approached by Princess Luna. "Hello, Princess," said Twilight, smiling. "How—?"

Something white forced itself past her and tackled Luna.

There was a scream in the hallway, and after a moment, Twilight saw that the attacker was…Princess Celestia? Her wings were slightly bloody, and the side of her lip was bleeding to expose a single perfect white tooth. "Don't' even think about touching her," she growled, staring at her sister with enormous eyes.

Luna didn't seem to be effected by this. "Quit it, big sister."

Twilight stared, then ran down the hallway.

What is going on here?

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