The news of Nightmare Moon's return did not cause much panic in Equestria. Aside from the commotion caused by the news of Princess Celestia's disappearance at Canterlot Castle, things were peaceful in Ponyville.
After all, Nightmare Moon hadn't even had the chance to grandstand at the Summer Sun Celebration before she was "washed" into Princess Luna by the Six Fillies using the Magic of Friendship cannon.
The only slight commotion was caused by night falling earlier than expected the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, but since the celebration went on as scheduled, few citizens paid any mind to this trivial anomaly.
Princess Celestia officially announced the return of Princess Luna at the Summer Sun Celebration, which sparked discussion among the citizens.
However, because they had never seen what Nightmare Moon looked like with their own eyes, and had all forgotten the legend of Nightmare Moon, they certainly didn't remember the connection between Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna.
Therefore, they were mostly just curious about this princess who had suddenly appeared. Coupled with the fact that Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were sisters, everyone naturally accepted this newly acquainted princess and welcomed Princess Luna's arrival.
Watching the event conclude in a more perfect way, every pony was in a great mood.
However, the ponies here did not include Princess Celestia.
Back at the Old Castle, it was said that this was the last time Princess Celestia would raise and lower the sun and moon alone. Now, it seems that statement was a bit too hasty.
Although Princess Luna had turned over a new leaf, the magic purified by the elements of harmony still needed time to slowly recover.
In other words, Princess Luna did not currently have enough magic to control the moon, and during her recovery period, she would still have to trouble The Grand Princess to cover her shift.
Aurora watched with her own eyes as The Grand Princess realized this fact; the smile on her face instantly froze, and then transferred to her own.
The good news of a reduced workload was helplessly postponed. Celestia could only comfort herself that a few more days of waiting wouldn't hurt; after all, Princess Luna was back, and better days were only getting closer.
Afterward, just as expected, Celestia issued a decree for Twilight Sparkle to remain in Ponyville to continue exploring the Magic of Friendship and report her findings in a timely manner.
This was truly a happy ending for everyone. Watching the lively scene from the back, Aurora even began to hallucinate the ending theme music playing the next second.
However, before Aurora had seen enough of the excitement, something unexpected happened.
Feeling a pony nudge her, Aurora turned her head and discovered that Princess Luna had arrived at her side at some point.
'Does Princess Luna also think my spot is a prime location for watching the show?'
Aurora speculated wildly in her heart.
However, Princess Luna was not as bored as Aurora thought. She had come to find Aurora for a reason, of course.
Princess Luna had a very good impression of Aurora, and she believed that Aurora was very talented in magic. Therefore, Princess Luna indicated that if Aurora was willing, she could teach her some secrets about Dream Magic.
Hearing such a windfall, Aurora first breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt a burst of wild joy in her heart, thanking Princess Luna repeatedly.
She had just thought that Princess Luna knew she had secretly hidden the helm of shadow dropped by Nightmare Moon and had come to inspect it. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
The Magic of Friendship had only stripped the Nightmare Magic from Princess Luna, but it hadn't completely destroyed it. Although most of the dark energy had been consumed during the purification process, a portion still remained in this helmet.
How could Aurora resist picking up such a rare and precious material?
But The Grand Princess would certainly not allow her to study such dangerous, restricted items on her own, so Aurora had no choice but to take the risk, sneaking it back to study it to her heart's content first.
As for if she were discovered, she would just have to feign innocence and say, "It was lying on the ground, I thought no pony wanted it, so I picked it up."
Princess Luna did not specify the exact time or location for the lessons, only saying that she would come to find Aurora once she had recovered enough magic. After all, she still owed Aurora a pleasant dream.
Aurora didn't know when Princess Luna had issued this "IOU," but as the saying goes, why pass up a freebie? Moreover, Aurora's thirst for magic had always been unmasked, and she didn't have the habit of acting coy after gaining an advantage, so she naturally accepted Princess Luna's proposal with pleasure.
Because there was still a mess left behind by Nightmare Moon in Canterlot, Celestia took Princess Luna and returned after participating in the Summer Sun Celebration activities in Ponyville.
She also happened to take the elements of harmony back with her, which made Aurora feel a little regretful.
However, for now, she had an even rarer Nightmare Magic on hand waiting for her to tinker with; the elements of harmony could wait a bit.
After seeing the two princess sisters off, the rest of the day was spent by everyone at the Golden Oak Library, holding a belated welcome party for Twilight Sparkle and Spike, which was quite lively.
After a new night fell, the ponies, having played enough, said their goodbyes and went home. Aurora finally had time to study the drop she had picked up from Nightmare Moon.
The helm of shadow was a dangerous magical item capable of causing even an Alicorn to fall into darkness, so Aurora absolutely could not let a second pony besides herself know that she privately possessed this item, especially her own junior sister.
If Twilight Sparkle knew that both of her senior sisters had embarked on rebellious paths for their respective ideals, she wondered what kind of expression she would make.
Thinking of this, Aurora couldn't help but pause.
What was the difference between her current behavior and that of Sunset Shimmer, who had insisted on going to the Human World?
In fact, what she was doing now was even more unsightly than Sunset Shimmer learning about friendship in the Human World.
'People really are double-standard, aren't they.'
Aurora sighed self-deprecatingly.
Perhaps because it was her first time touching dark magic with her own hooves, she was rather excited and nervous, which caused all sorts of thoughts to emerge in her mind.
Aurora shook her head, casting aside those superfluous thoughts in her mind.
Nightmare Magic had the ability to amplify a pony's negative emotions and pessimistic thoughts.
Although Aurora considered herself a pony who was quite good at keeping it together emotionally, it was better to be safe than sorry, and she didn't dare guarantee that her mental resistance was stronger than an Alicorn's.
To prevent herself from being infected by this power and becoming a crazy, chuunibyou-like pony just like Nightmare Moon, Aurora had to deal with it even more cautiously.
Fortunately, this Nightmare Magic had just been polished by the Magic of Friendship, so its activity and concentration were far less than before. Even if it weren't a rigorous scholar like Aurora, any pony could briefly tinker with and handle it at will.
After checking it over, Aurora placed the helm of shadow on her head.
Because the previous host of this helmet was Nightmare Moon, Aurora found that it didn't fit well after trying it on; it was too big. If she didn't hold it, the helmet would tilt to one side and block her vision.
Aside from the physical discomfort, Aurora didn't feel any other abnormal conditions. There were no indescribable whispers, nor any feeling of losing control as if her brain were being invaded.
Aurora took off the helmet, rubbing her chin in puzzlement as she pondered.
She was certain that the Nightmare Magic was in this helmet, but she didn't know if it was because the Nightmare Magic had been "castrated" by the Magic of Friendship, if she simply hadn't opened it the right way, or if it was some other reason beyond her understanding.
In short, nothing happened.
"Strange..."
Watching the Nightmare Magic lying quietly and motionless inside the helm of shadow, Aurora fell into deep thought.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"