//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Luna's Twilight Problem 
// by FeatherB 
//------------------------------//

The final rays of daylight streaked across the Equestrian landscape in a harmonious display of red, violet, and gold. As the last sliver of the sun vanished behind the distant snow-capped mountains, Celestia allowed herself a tiny smile of satisfaction. Another day had gone by without the threat of kingdom-wide destruction, the kind of which that seemed far too common since her sister’s return. Not that she was suggesting Luna was in any way responsible. No, at most her sister was only guilty of sleeping through the worst of the world’s problems, which reminded the Sun Princess of another duty she had yet to fulfill.

With a soft sigh, Celestia slid her hooves from the parapet and returned from her Canterlot balcony to the tower, her golden shoes clicking faintly on the stone. With a brief glow of magic she tossed open the glass doors and strode into the antechamber.

The air inside was a fraction warmer than the now sunless sky, but it was sufficient for the princess’ needs, as were the many conveniences spread about the room: from the plush sofa, powder table, and full-sized mirror, to the toaster, coffee machine, and mini fridge. A thick cream-colored carpet covered most of the floor, half hiding the feet of the last item in the room, a kitchen table and its two bench seats. But it was the sofa that Celestia was far more interested in occupying.

Piece by piece the goddess began to remove her jewelry, starting with her crown, which floated to rest upon the surface of the powder table. Her peytral came next, followed then by her golden shoes. With a lift of her hind leg, the final one drifted away, but this time toward a door at the far end of the room.

“Best to do it now,” she muttered, rapping on the door’s ebony surface with the shoe.

There was a loud snort and the rustling of covers, followed by a long irritable groan.

A wide smirk grew across Celestia’s otherwise dignified face. “Luna, it’s time to raise the moon,” she said, knocking once again.

The door flew open with a crash, sending the shoe cartwheeling across the room and to the floor where it slid out of sight under a dresser. From within the gaping abyss the door had left, the dusk blue princess emerged, her head hanging.

Celestia placed a hoof over her mouth to cover a laugh.

Luna was in all her evening glory; dark rings hung beneath her eyes, partly covered by her mane that somewhat resembled a galaxy exploding, sending wispy streams of stars in every direction. Her wings were almost as disheveled, with feathers sticking out at every imaginable angle, and as much as she ruffled them, they would not lie flat against her. But the icing on the cake was visible as her hind legs left the doorway. Over one, though slightly sagging, was a violet sock with pink stripes. Its match had all but fallen off the other leg, and was now clinging to her hoof like a trail of toilet paper, which she dragged behind her.

“Good evening, Sister,” Celestia said, sweetly.

Luna grunted in what might have been a reply, and continued her trek across the room toward the balcony. As she reached the glass doors and gazed groggily into the night, Celestia’s horn flared and she made a quick grasp for her missing shoe. A moment later the shimmering hoof-piece had floated into place on the powder table alongside the others. By this time Luna had the moon about halfway into the sky, and no further. She was now sitting quietly with her head against her chest, the only movement was the ethereal waves of her mane and tail.

Celestia rolled her eyes and magically clicked on the coffee machine, though not before dumping the chunky remains that had been occupying the pot from the night prior. With a majestic sigh, Celestia flopped herself onto the sofa. It was nice to have a place where she could be herself, out from under the scrutiny of every pony in Canterlot. She fluffed up the pillows and leaned into them, watching her sister twitch in her sleep, while the toilet-sock trailed out from under her flank like a brightly colored snake.

While she waited, one, no two—three donuts slipped out from the fridge and lined up on the coffee table before her. She nibbled daintily on the first, a pink frosted one with sprinkles that tasted like it had been going stale for weeks... mostly because it had.  She would have to send a guard to Joe’s in the morning, but this time there would be no more jelly filled. It would be crème or nothing at all, as it should be.

Luna started awake with another snort, her nose lifting toward the smell of coffee that had begun to waft through the room. “Oh dear,” she muttered, and with a quick swish of her horn, shoved the moon the rest of its way between the stars. There was a great yawn as she turned back to the room, which she barely hid behind the very tip of one wing.

Celestia caught the yawn as well, but didn’t bother covering it at all as she stretched her mouth as wide as it would go.

“Why did you not wake me, Sister?” Luna asked before the Sun Goddess had finished.

Celestia motioned aimlessly with a forehoof until she was able to sink her head back into the pillows. “You just looked so peaceful,” she said with a smirk.

Luna scowled but said nothing, the faint rustle of her one sock following behind her as she went to the kitchen table. Across the way, the cupboard opened and she drifted an empty mug to join her at the table where she took a seat, plopping her head sideways on the mahogany surface which puffed out her cheek.

As the mug was placed upright beside her with tender care, the painted likeness of Starswirl the Bearded came into Celestia’s view. “Isn’t that the mug Twilight got you for Hearth’s Warming?” she asked, shrewdly.

Luna’s head perked off the table, red coloring her cheeks. “Oh—I was not aware...” she said, tilting the mug as if to study it.

“Please Luna, we have been over this, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Celestia said, suppressing another yawn. “Twilight is a very talented pony, not to mention a Princess now. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t at least try.”

Luna’s head had sunk back onto the table, a faraway look in her eyes as the coffee pot floated over in her blue aura and began filling her mug. “I wish it were that simple, Sister, but you know Twilight Sparkle as well as I—”

“More than you,” Celestia corrected.

Luna’s eyes rolled in her squished face as she continued preparing her coffee, now dropping in two cubes of sugar and what she must have thought was cream. “Then you know ‘tis true when I say she will share this news with her friends, or even you, Sister. All of Equestria will know within a week that I tried to court her!” Luna’s voice grew more determined as she spoke, the weariness replaced by fierce blushing. “What will our subjects think of me then? A princess who shirks her duties for love.”

Celestia slid off the sofa and onto her bare hooves, wiping the last traces of donut from her mouth. Luna was staring her down from the tabletop, a spoon magically stirring her coffee with enough ferocity that it threatened to splash out over the sides.

“Luna, our subjects will adore you no matter who you give your affections to. Your return is proof enough of that,” Celestia said, calmly. “As for who she confides in, does it truly matter that much to you? If Twilight wrote a letter to me, I would guide her as best I could, and tell nopony else. If she sought out her friends instead, would it really be so terrible for them to know?”

“It would!” she said indignantly, tossing aside the spoon and taking an angry swig from her mug.

Coffee sprayed everywhere. Luna went into a fit of gagging, knocking over the mug and spilling more coffee over the table. She tried desperately to upright it quickly while keeping her tongue out of her mouth.

Celestia was laughing uncontrollably, tears leaking from her eyes while her sister tried to keep more coffee from going everywhere.

“Wha—what did you put in this?” Luna demanded, shaking out a foreleg which dripped large goblets of rich brown liquid.

With a hoof over her mouth Celestia managed to stifle the most of her giggles, though her cheeks hurt from holding it in. “That was your own doing,” she said. “You added salad dressing instead of cream.”

Luna swelled, her wings puffed out at her sides, but before she could say anything a heavy knock came at the castle door. A gruff voice followed after it. “Princess Twilight Sparkle is here to speak with you, Princess Celestia.”

Luna’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

Celestia did not move at all, but looked rather smug. “Early as always,” she said quietly, but then shrugged. “Send her in!”

“Sister!” Luna hissed, glancing at herself in the mirror across the room, and then back at the spilled coffee.

The castle door swung open, but Luna disappeared in a pop of blue light moments before a familiar lavender face poked in.

“Princess Celestia, I hope this isn’t a bad time,” Twilight said quickly as she trotted into the room. “I know I wasn’t due until morning, but I was already packed and the friendship lesson I’m teaching starts so early tomorrow, I just had to get a head start; not to mention the Canterlot library has several books I should definitely read before it starts. I just thought I really should let you know I was here before I did anything else, so here I am!”

Celestia chuckled, lowering her head so she could embrace her student. “It’s good to see you, Twilight.”

But her student did not reply. Instead, she stepped sideways out of her embrace, and when Celestia pulled away she noticed Twilight’s eyes were fixated on something behind the princess.

“Is everything alright, Twilight?”

“With me?” she blinked. “Of course! But uh... is everything okay with you? Because it looks like a swarm of parasprites attacked your breakfast table.”

Celestia turned her attention to the catastrophe that Twilight was referring to.

Coffee was spilling everywhere over the sides of the table and onto the seats. The coffeepot, mug, spoon, and salad dressing had likewise been strewn over the surface, giving the appearance that a giant explosion had occurred. Lying alone on the floor, was a single purple and pink striped sock, left behind by its owner and helpless before the advancing liquid.

The princess moved so that she was between Twilight and the unsightly scene. “Luna was... performing an experiment.”

“Really?”

“Indeed,” Celestia nodded regally. “I believe she concluded that other cream based ingredients are not able to be subsisted for regular coffee creamer.”

A faint huffing noise came from somewhere beyond Luna’s door.

“Well that’s a bit ridiculous,” Twilight said, though she bore an expression of devout curiosity. “Why would she want to try something like that?”

Celestia wrapped Luna’s sock with her magic, saving it from permanent staining, and tossed it through the narrow crack in her sister’s doorway. “I’m sure she has her reasons. If you like, I can ask her to drop by the library once she returns.”

Another sound echoed from Luna’s room, though whether it was a gasp, or her sister had suddenly choked on something, Celestia could not be sure.

But Twilight had noticed as well, and her ears perked. “Did you hear something?”

Celestia stepped forward, placing a gentle hoof over her student’s shoulders. “Never mind that. I’ll take care of the mess here. You should go ahead and begin your studies.”

Twilight gazed at her teacher with mild suspicion, but then bowed with dramatic effect. “Of course, Princess,” she said, and trotted away with only a quick smile over her shoulder before disappearing into the hall.

Not entirely convinced the coast was clear, Celestia coughed lightly into her hoof, and waited.

Twilight’s head reappeared in the door, looking quizzical.

Celestia laughed. “Thank you, Twilight, that will be all.”

“Just checking!” she sang, and vanished once again.

As promised, Celestia turned to the mess that had claimed the table and began cleaning. In a shroud of golden light, the spilled coffee lifted into the air and went spiraling down into the sink. Then, as she began returning the mug and other contents to the places, a faint voice came from Luna’s room.

“Is... is she gone?”

“Yes Luna, you can come out now,” Celestia sighed.

The Moon Princess stepped carefully out of her hiding place, quickly glancing toward the hall as if she couldn’t trust her own sister to tell the truth.

“You really should go and see her tonight,” Celestia said after the table had finally been cleared. “It’s no different than your first Nightmare Night. You will never know what she thinks of you if you don’t give her a chance.”

Luna ran a hoof through her mane, which had now been groomed to appear almost normal. “That was different, Sister, and you know it. Accepting me for not being a monster is one thing, but asking Twilight to court me is another matter entirely. I do not wish to place my own feelings before my duties as a princess.”

Celestia’s eye twitched. “Honestly, Luna! If you do not express your feelings to Twilight tonight, I will banish you to the moon again!”

Luna gaped. “You—how could you—I cannot believe you would say that!” she shouted, and stormed back into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Celestia didn’t move, her face stuck somewhere between a scowl and a look of regret.

The hall door creaked, drawing her attention. Beside it was the royal guard, who had been trying to close it unnoticed.

“Too soon?” she asked him.

The guard had enough sense not to answer.