Aurora frowned tightly.
The plot of Nightmare Moon was still years away, but it couldn't be ruled out that her arrival had triggered some kind of butterfly effect, causing the event to happen early.
But since Celestia had taken the initiative to mention Princess Luna, it meant she had mastered some key clue that made her think of her sister.
Aurora didn't rush to ask further questions, but instead listened to Celestia's explanation first.
"It has been nearly a thousand years; in order to calm the fear of the citizens of Equestria, I rarely mention my sister in public. So it is not your fault that you don't know her."
Celestia sighed; if it weren't for Aurora's encounter, she wouldn't have been willing to mention Princess Luna to them so early.
"My own sister, the Princess who rules the moon, Princess Luna. She has a name that is more familiar to you, and that is: Nightmare Moon."
Except for Aurora, who was well-versed in history and prophecy, the other two ponies gasped in unison.
The Grand Princess's sister is actually the legendary big villain! How exciting! Is this something they can listen to for free?
"All this time, she and I have governed Equestria together, managing the day and night respectively, and we were once the closest of sisters. Until a thousand years ago, when she could no longer endure the loneliness of the night and chose to fall into darkness. In order to protect the citizens of Equestria, I had no choice but to seal her on the moon."
AI Model: gemini-3.0-flash
Speaking of the heartbreaking part, Celestia let out a sigh and walked to the window. She looked up at the moon, where the shadow of the mare remained cast over its surface, just as it had for the past thousand years.
"Why do you think Princess Luna was the one who did it?"
Celestia looked back at Aurora on the couch, feeling a small sense of solace. It had been a long time since she had heard another pony use the title 'Princess Luna'.
"In that magic book you found, I sensed a trace of residual magic. It was the power of Nightmare."
Aurora realized.
So that dream of the Daimos Boundary was actually the power of Nightmare? To be honest, thinking you're about to get a cheat only for it to be nothing is indeed quite a nightmare.
"But you're only suspicious, right?"
To be honest, Aurora didn't actually believe the magic book had anything to do with Luna.
It wasn't that she had absolute confidence in the script, but rather... it felt a bit mean to say, but she didn't think Luna was clever enough to trick her like this.
Aurora wasn't calling Luna stupid; it was just that from what she knew, Luna's personality was much simpler and more straightforward than her sister's. She figured the little test arranged for the Mane Six in the first two episodes of the first season was the peak of her scheming.
Perhaps her own sister had similar concerns, which was why she was suspicious rather than certain.
Aurora observed Celestia's expression and felt she had likely guessed correctly.
What a good Luna. Even with Nightmare's power left at the scene, she could clear her name based on her reputation alone. That's what you call authority.
"Flying Light, do you remember the contents of the book?"
"Of course..."
Although the contents of the magic book had vanished, Aurora had a good memory. No matter how abstract the text, she could surely remember the gist of it.
"Wait, that's not right."
Aurora thought back carefully and realized she couldn't remember a single shred of information from that book. She had even forgotten that short but crucial sentence on the last page and the name of the editor-in-chief on the cover.
What was it called again?
Thinking it was a magical side effect, Aurora looked toward Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle for help. After all, they had looked at the book together, even if only she had been affected.
However, both of them shook their heads with helpless expressions.
One pony having a bad memory could be a coincidence, but when every pony who saw the book was the same way, it indicated a problem.
"Princess Celestia... I don't understand. What kind of magic is this?"
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