Twilight's Slumber Party

by Furious Thestral


Intermission.

Proper Pose, a middle age coral pink pegasus with an ebony mane which was tied into a professional bun, trotted down through the big halls of Canterlot Castle. After giving a look at her pocket watch, she noticed that only ten minutes were remaining before the afternoon tea had to be delivered for her majesty, causing the mare to double her steps into a canter, heading directly towards the kitchen in order to pick up the set of tea and biscuits for her majesty.

Taking the secondary route led her quickly to the kitchen without having to go through the dining room. Once inside, she passed by the bustling chefs and assistants that were preparing the food for the royal guard and other maids.

Pose reached a small area where the maids and butlers had to receive and deliver the platters of silverware for the the employers of the castle and princesses. She walk forward and noticed the group of maids had been talking amongst each other.

“Can you believe it? Twilight Sparkle, the princess’s pupil, is having a party tonight!” the voice of a mare made the ears of Proper Pose flick at attention, knowing that the voice came from the small group that was reunited inside of the kitchen, and the coral mare decided to walk in on the conversation to barge in and make her presence known.

“I hope this is not another ill speaking of Lady Sparkle,” Proper Pose said, with a stern gaze directed to each of her workmates as she walked in between the group of talking ponies, making sure that her presence made them realize that nopony was going to make any ill intentioned talk to one of the most respected ponies of the castle, aside from the princess herself.

“You all know very well that the princess’s student is a renowned figure that has not only averted a natural disaster to the entire kingdom, but she has also returned the lost princess of the moon, Princess Luna, sister of princess Celestia,” she admonished, glaring from the corner of her eye to the others, as she stopped in the room and waited for the princess’s personal tea set to arrive at her hooves.

It was common that ponies from the castle would be talking about rumors from pony to pony, something to keep them entertained during their daily duties and obligations, but such rumors were still a clear way to damage the reputation of the one who was being subjected to such activity. It was something that Pose never intervened in unless it was about the few respected ponies that worked inside, since it was somehow her responsibility to keep the young ones from going and spreading unmerciful rumors of everypony in the castle.

The group of mares remained silent from the stern words of their superior, but it was one of the maids from the group who stepped forward and decided to act in defense of the others to avoid any confusion. “We weren’t giving bad talk about Miss Twilight, Pose. It’s just that we heard from Squeaky Clean that Lady Twilight is preparing a slumber party in her personal quarters for tonight,” she explained while the others backed her up with simultaneous nods.

Proper Pose eased her glare as she received the silver platter that was for her to deliver directly to Celestia, not before noticing that it held more tea cups and biscuits than it usually required, picking it up and placing the tea set in a service trolley nearby.

“She seems to be opening her heart for others then,” Proper Pose commented with a soft smile, which was received by the smiles of the others.

“This information could please Princess Celestia. I bet this would make her very happy to hear!” a maid said, nodding with confidence.

Proper Pose chuckled a bit as she pushed the trolley out of the kitchen. “She might as well know already. Lady Sparkle might gave her the news personally about the event, since they spend so much time together.” It was almost certain that everypony in the castle would assume that Twilight and Celestia had not only a relationship of teacher and student, but almost that of a daughter and mother.

Without wasting what’s left of her time, the coral pegasus rushed carefully towards Celestia’s bedchambers, taking several shortcuts she had memorized from the many years of service for the crown. As she arrived at Princess Celestia’s tower, she walked with a brisk yet graceful pace towards the princess’s bedroom was located.

Walking down the small hall that connected the castle to the Solar Tower, Pose arrived at the mahogany double doors that held the symbol of the sun on it. She was grateful that there was only one minute to spare and knocked on the frame two times, awaiting for her permission to enter.

“Thou can come in!” a soft and nervous reply came, causing Proper Pose to look slightly confused, since the voice was not near from the Princess of the Sun. One could only assume that an intruder had infiltrated inside the castle and into the royal bedchamber, but the inconsistencies were obvious from the amount of food that the tea set held and the voice that granted her permission to enter, giving the idea that a guest was inside.

With a quick exhalation in order to calm down her nerves, Proper Pose opened the doors wide and pushed the trolley in first, as she assumed that she would eventually know who was the new guest that was inside the room.

Once inside the room a tall, midnight blue alicorn with azure mane stood next to a small coffee table, in the middle of the room, she watched the pegasus with a hint of nervousness in her eyes as she unconsciously rubbed the back of her left forehoof with her right one, expecting something to happen.

Proper Pose was uncertain on what to do, for it was the first time she saw the alicorn mare before her, from the way the new princess was standing and the way her eyes wandered around the place she could assume that she was a little filly that was visiting her majesty’s bedroom for the first time, even if her possible age proved otherwise, but the more Proper Pose examined the blue alicorn, the more she noticed that she was making the royal pony more uncomfortable.

Taking action, while being careful not to act out of place, Pose pushed the trolley further in and kneeled before the alicorn.

“Greetings, my name is Proper Pose, I will be serving the tea this afternoon,” the maid introduced, trying her best to look friendly and welcoming.

The blue alicorn wanted to say something, but she hesitated in order to choose the proper words to say, “It is thine pleasure... to be acquainted of thee. We are known as Princess Luna...” she said softly, trying to find anything else to add. “We would appreciate if thee can commence with the service of the tea,” she decided to add once her eyes landed on the platter on top of the trolley.

“Is Princess Celestia joining you for the tea?” asked the maid while handling the platter with one hoof and a plate of biscuits on her wing, as she failed to see the white alicorn inside the room.

“Certainly she is, though I must admit that she likes to dedicate her time in the bath,” she replied, beginning to speak in a strange combination of old and new Equestrian in the sentence that the coral pegasus decided not to point out.

Taking the words of her sister as her cue, Celestia revealed herself from the doors of the bathroom, walking directly to be with her sister and maid, “Thank you for bringing the tea, Proper Pose. Please continue.” She offered while she take her place in the table.

Pose nodded from her position and began to settle down the platter on the coffee table, along with the treats on her wing, giving one cup to the Lunar Princess and another to the Solar Princess before pouring lukewarm tea in each cup with ease and precision, not spilling the drink nor making a sound in the process.

While the maid continued with her task, Celestia decided to make a small conversation with the three of them, “How is everything with the staff members? Something interesting happening inside the castle walls, perhaps?” asked the white alicorn, checking on anything that her little sister would react upon.

The coral pegasus began to place down two cups of sugar and honey next to the teapot before coming up with an answer to the princess’s question. “There is a rumor that the maids have caught wind of, and it seems that Lady Twilight had requested some preparations for a slumber party this night. Certainly, it is something that the maids and other members of the staff find rather amusing,” she explained while finishing her service and standing next to the trolley. “Please enjoy,” Proper Pose said as she bowed once more before the blue and white alicorns.

Celestia smiled once she saw Luna’s ears perk up at the mention of the party Twilight was hosting for the night and wanted to inquire more of her opinion about it. “It certainly is something amusing and a very fun activity to do for tonight,“ she said as she levitated a spoon from the platter and began to stir her tea. “Thank you for bringing the tea and telling us about this information,” she added while glancing back at her sister and subtly signaled her to say something as well.

“We thank you for thy service. Thou are free to leave,” Princess Luna said with a smile as she glanced at the tea and treats.

“It is an honor, your highness.” The maid took it as a sign to leave and pulled the trolley out of the room, closing the door to make her departure.

Once the door was closed, Luna let go of a small breath of relief, one she had contained inside her lungs before she noticed that her big sister was keeping an eye on her the entire time, certainly to see how she would deal with those others that she would soon be interacting upon with.

“So, what do you think?” Princess Celestia asked as she was expecting the sincere opinion of the blue alicorn, all at the same time adding some teaspoons of honey, that were on the tray that the maid had delivered, and poured them directly into her teacup.

The blue alicorn took a sip of her tea and then met the eyes of her sister with her own. “Thy maid seemed afraid once she became aware of thy presence,” she concluded as she shifted her eyes back to the teacup.

Celestia could see how her eyes were downcast and filled with depression, not an emotion that she wanted to see. “Luna, I don’t think that she was afraid. Well… more like I didn’t hear her voice tremble in fear, nor did she rushed to leave the room immediately,” the white alicorn said in order to comfort her sister while taking a soft sip of her tea.

“But thou cannot see the body of thy servant tremble before our sole presence, Celestia. We can be most certain of that fact!” the blue alicorn shouted as she took an aggressive bite of a cookie and swallowed it down with her tea.

Celestia wanted to retort and break down her argument but it was certain that she wouldn’t be able to dissuade her from that train of thought, but it was something that she had foreseen and had been planning to deal with, little by little. “Don’t think of yourself like that, Luna. The service staff and the others are just taking their time to know you and get accustomed to your presence. That’s all,” she assured her while nibbling on a biscuit of her own. “I also noticed that you were having troubles with common vernacular. Is my book serving you well?” Celestia suddenly changed the subject onto the next issue of the rehabilitation of her little sister.

At the mention of the question, Luna summoned a book from the nightstand of her own room to appear directly in front of her, scanning through the many pages where she had left a bookmark. “We dedicate our time in the book thou has given us, Celestia, but We hardly make sense of it, nor do We have such luck in the opportunity to speak with others,” she said, putting down the book on the table.

It was such a curiosity for the Lunar Princess to receive such a thing on the day after her return. It was even stranger for the ponies to publish such a book by personal request of the Solar Princess, but Luna already had been told about the major changes that the kingdom had suffered during the time of her exile: historical events, the foundations of new cities, new vehicular machines that allowed the transport through the entire kingdom much easier, along with the new way the ponies had began to change the way they speak.

“That is why I wish for you to receive the servant once he, or she, comes here and have a friendly chat with each other,” Celestia said, chuckling to herself while starting to continue to drink her tea. “I know it is still somewhat difficult for you to make a proper conversation one on one, but soon enough, you will have to make a second public appearance,” she added, smiling softly at her sister.

This made Luna almost spit out her drink as she felt nervousness grow inside her mind as her sister spoke on the matter of her having to talk so soon with the public due to her return to the throne. She still had problems during the press conference. She had to assist with all the questions about her past and her shameful fall of grace, which filled her mind with fear of doing this again because of her belief that all of Equestria would still know her as the mad alicorn that wanted to submerge the world in complete darkness, so she needed a scapegoat on the current conversation to avoid more of the subject.

“Pray tell sister, We were inquiring on the matter of that information thy maid reported. What is a slumber party?” she asked, trying her best to keep her face calm and with a hint of honest curiosity, knowing so little of the new customs that her ponies now had, and even more so than normal, as it sounded more like an activity celebrated during the night.

“It is a nighttime event that has the purpose of gathering a small group of friends together in order to have special activities of personal nature. Most are meant to have the purpose of making small talk and getting to know one another on a personal level, while others are meant to have some safe games of a more mischievous nature,” explained the white alicorn in a matter of fact way as she kept a smile that was more a teacher than sister.

“We can probably host a slumber party of our own, in order to obtain more knowledge on the matter!” suggested Luna with some excitement. “We can even bring some… ponies... to interact with.” She fidgeted her forehooves after, hesitant on the matter of reuniting herself with ponies, but hosting a night celebration was just the thing that Luna needed.

Celestia mulled over the idea and smiled from how eager Luna wanted to have her first experience of nighttime activity. “I will give notice to the staff to prepare something for tonight, so you can have an experience of your own about slumber parties, but we must continue on with the subject at hoof,” the Solar Princess promised before she continued on with Luna’s question about the ponies and the night.

Luna seemed rather curious on the subject as she leaned closer to listen to more about these night parties. “Is there any other type of night time events that had been created during my absence?” she asked with sheer curiosity about the new things that had taken place that allowed the ponies to stay awake during the stellar night.

“There have been several things that have been implemented in the traverse of time from the past millennia to now, yes,” replied Celestia as she looked up at the roof to think of the several activities that her ponies have taken dedication to during the night.

“After your banishment, ponies decided to plan a celebration during the night in your honor, such as night gala parties, that after several centuries began to change to be simply known as raves. Certainly, it’s a kind of party where ponies would dance and drink all night, till the dawn if necessary. Other activities would be stargazing, which had started as a job, but to others it has been taken as a hobby to search out and admire the many constellations that the night held,” she began to explain about the many things that the ponies did during the night, but she was soon interrupted by an inquiry from her sister.

“What kind of jobs were designated to those who stayed awake during the night?” Luna asked, interrupting her older sister about the many things that the ponies had been doing in her honor.

Celestia smiled thinly as she kept her eyes on her sister. “There are many jobs that ponies began to take during the night, but there are two major professions that ponies had dedicated most of their time to learn and master,” the white alicorn began to explain, but gave a subtle pause to eat another biscuit and have a sip of her tea. “One is Astronomy, the science that studies the celestial bodies, the natural satellites, stars and comets. It is a dedicated job, in which ponies had built several observatories around Equestria to have their own personal piece of starry sky to look at. The next one is Astrology. This one is focused in the magic branch that is the study of the position of the stars to make fortune telling and elaborate predictions to all ponies who wonder what the future would bring to them. Most ponies who learn in depth about the predictions of the stars can have an impeccable accuracy in their predictions,” Celestia explained, all while Luna listened intently to every single word the white alicorn spoke.

“Who were the bright minds behind the creation of such wondrous things?” asked Luna with a clasp of her hooves, eager to know more about the current subject she was now immersed in. “Has there been other things that our subjects achieved by the magnificence of the night?” Celestia could see how eager she was to know about all the things her little ponies did in order to appreciate the night.

“His name was Eye Sore, quite the name for the pony that was the pioneer in the creation of the telescope and father of astrology, but in any case, he demonstrated to the ponies that the stars had many uses for the ponies during the night, especially for travelers and navigators,” she began with the first pony that discovered the first wonders of the night, all the while she was noticing the big grin on her little sister.

“You mean that they…” Luna trailed off as she was expecting Celestia to finish the sentence, keeping her enthusiasm at a high peak.

“Yes, Luna, they used the stars of night sky as a map, and with them, they were guided through the vast corners of the land, and even the vast seas, to other kingdoms,” Celestia completed her sentence with a proud smile drawn on her lips. “Most of them even created star maps to have an accurate position in their travels,” she added, summoning an old scrolled map that seemed to be just as old as a relic from the days past.

Luna opened the scroll and gasped as soon she saw all the constellations and their positions. She knew them all and where each one was located, as she had always done in the past. “Polaris, Sirius, Regulus, Aldebarán, Antares…” she began to name the stars one by one and the constellations they belonged to, surprised that ponies used them as guides to reach their destination and that they had studied them.

“All of them discovered and registered,” Celestia said, pleased that her sister was now informed about the newfound love for the night their ponies had. “In the beginning of the creation of such science, most ponies were skeptic about using the stars as guides, since they had the belief that you could move them at your beck and call, which it had been proven as false over the passing time,” she concluded as she noticed the confused look of her sister.

“If we had the power to control the stars, we would had used them to break free from our imprisonment far sooner than a thousand years, instead of having to wait for their aid,” Luna commented, annoyed that the ponies never knew about the limits of her powers.

Celestia doesn’t make a comment as she decided to head on to the next part of her recount of history. “Now, about the night based magic implied in astrology…” she added, using the momentum of excitement in order to keep Luna happy.

“The mare that gave birth the magic of the stars was named Twilight Nebula, an intelligent mare in the arts of magic,” she continued with the historic event from what she could remember about it. “Once astronomy had become the big topic in the Great Science Academy, the Guild of Magic and Mysticism began devising many things in order to catch up with the science of ponies of that age,” Celestia explained, but she was cut off by a blue hoof that was waving in front of her.

Luna was indeed interested in the story, but the name rang a bell in her mind, causing her to interrupt Celestia from her narration. “Twilight Nebula? Was thee an ancestor of thy student, Twilight Sparkle?” the blue alicorn asked, quite surprised by the similarities in the name compared to the name of her savior.

Celestia stifled a laugh before nodding. “She is, Luna. Twilight Nebula is Twilight Sparkle’s ancestor, just another proof of her extraordinary natural abilities in magic,” she replied softly before continuing with the events of the past.

“Creating new magic was a challenge itself for the magicians and wizards of the guild, and I remembered how dedicated they all seemed to be by trying to develop something that can be useful and easy to use for everypony who is interested in learning the magic of the stars. I, of course, allowed their investigation under the condition to keep an eye on their progress, to make sure that no pony would try to invoke something under ill intentions,” the Solar Princess said, all while levitating an ancient calendar that contained twelve specific constellations over each month of the year drawn upon its paper.

“After several months of research and investigation, Nebula had made the discovery that a specific constellation acted as a symbol of fortune for the ponies during a constant cycle every month. It was something that, with enough focus and a stable connection with the stars, she was able to read the fortune of the stars for those born under the the mentioned constellation. At that point forward, Nebula developed magic spells that can allow the prediction of one's future through the use of the stars.”

“My expectations had been surpassed when Nebula joined her investigation with an earth pony stallion, named Lucky Charm, and created an earth pony method of astrology. Together, they developed their own earth pony ways to predict the future based on cards,” she concluded with a proud smile at the historic events that made her beloved ponies love the night more than ever.

Luna, for her part, kept her eyes on each constellation and recognized them once her eyes posed on them.

“We never expected that the constellations would bless thy ponies with good fortune, nor that they could be used to predict the future,“ she commented, surprised that ponies had achieved such feats. “But it still saddens me to learn this secondhoof instead of being there to see it,” the Lunar princess explained morosely, lowering the empty teacup and her head along with it, looking directly to the floor.

Celestia soon caught up with her words and acted quickly to comfort her sister. “I am truly sorry that I never acknowledged your work and efforts that you did everyday, and I admit that I was truly blind to miss all the things you did in order to aid the kingdom,” Celestia began, walking to sit next to her sister, giving her a hug with her wing and setting her right hoof on her right shoulder. “It is how that old saying goes: you never know what you have until you lose it,” she said with sadness clear in her tone.

“We already have forgiven you, sister, and thou know very well that I was also to blame for my actions back in the old castle which caused the break of our ties. Thou must please stop resenting thyself, for We also need to forgive our own sins,” the blue alicorn said, returning the hug from her position.

They remain immobile for a few more minutes, until they both broke the embrace and smiled at each other, feeling a heavy burden leave their backs, glad that their bond was once again restored and stronger than ever.

“As long as you are happy, my sister, I shall show you my smile,” Celestia said, booping Luna’s muzzle as if it would force a grin out of the blue alicorn, which it did, as the lunar alicorn did the same thing for the white alicorn. “Remember that I am here now, and so are all our little ponies that will be in your care during the night,” she added, smiling broadly with her eyes wide open and a glimmer of sincere support that Luna could easily see.

“Of course, sister, but we wish to have a complete recovery of thine own magic back, before we can return to our royal duties, if it does not causes any bother to thee,” Luna conditioned while standing up from her place. “We wish to return to our personal chambers and rest for the rest of the day,” she abided farewell and began to take a few steps out of the Solar princess’ bedchambers.

“Luna, wait,” Celestia called to her sister, who stopped to look curiously at her sister as the white alicorn levitated two old books and presented them before the Lunar Princess. “I want you to have these books,” she said once the two books were passed to Luna.

One was a green painted book with a portrait of stars and a telescope that Luna assumed was a book of Astronomy, while the other one had a black cover with several golden nuggets that were connected to each other to make constellations around the cover.

“These two are the first edition of Astronomy and Astrology ever made, written by the two creators of their respective science,” Celestia explained while summoning a third book that was decorated with lavender painted cover with a design of six shooting stars upon it. “And this one is a star magic based spellbook, the Astra Grimoire created by Luminous Blaze, which I allowed to be published. This one has more than one hundred spells that are useful in many forms, except to be used for any harmful purpose as you should well keep in mind. The three of them also have a preservation spell which makes them almost indestructible,” Celestia added once the third book was in Luna’s magic hold.

“Thank you, sister, for these gifts. I shall read and treasure each and one of them,” Luna said, looking at the names of the authors who created the studies of the stars, tucking them under her wing and smiling once more to her sister. “We shall return after the nightfall for the continuation of my studies of this modern era, sister. Have a good day.” She returned to her leaving route and opened the door to step out of Celestia’s personal room.

“Rest well, my sister, and I will await you here for our next session of lessons,” Celestia bid her farewells with a smile, before the door was closed shut. “Now… who should I consider bringing tonight for Luna that she’d get along with?” The white alicorn mulled over within her mind for Luna’s slumber party, as several names popped up to have as guests for her little sister, some loyal friends that would be worthy companions for her.

Once they were separated apart Luna’s smile vanished and a face of worry took its place as she walked down the hall, worried about several things, but the most important one was what the future would hold for her. Thoughts rumbled from one side to another, and each one of them was a nightmare worse than the previous one, for she feared that the ponies would still remember her as the terror that can bring eternal darkness upon their lives, that they would never forgive her actions of certain doom or that she would be condemned by them for causing harm upon her own sister. She was not ready to return to the throne.

On her way, she noticed a maid, awaiting for her arrival at the end of the hallway, “Do you wish for me to guide you back to your chambers, mistress?” the thestral asked. She had a grey coat with sky blue mane and was wearing the proper uniform, bowing before her princess.

“Please lead the way, Midnight Snack,” Luna said while her thoughts still lingered in the unpleasant outcomes that would occur because of her return to the seat of power. They were things that she needed to prevent somehow.

***

Twilight arrived to the base of the stairs of her personal tower and began to reach the top, excited to be hosting a party for the coming night. She opened the door and made her way inside.

“Spike, I’m here!” she announced while trotting happily to the kitchen. “I brought everything from the list, and you won’t believe…” Twilight trailed off once she saw the big pillow fort that was in the middle of the room, reaching from the floor to the roof with a size that could barely fit in the entire living room.

“Hey, Twilight. Did you go to the comic stand and get me the latest issue of ‘The Astonishing Web Slinger’?” Spike asked from the kitchen to see the frozen state of Twilight and smiled at how speechless she was. “Guess you are happy to know that I followed your plan step by step,” he said proudly, glad about his foresight and his ability to be a step ahead for her.

Twilight, for her part, was struggling with whether such a thing was needed or not for the occasion, but she knew the answers lay inside the book she used as a guide for the party itself.

Twilight gently gave the bags to Spike, which he received with a little more effort than usual from being a bit overexerted over the fort, and rushed to pick up the book from its resting place. With a quick scan, she found the chapter she needed.

“Hmm, let’s see here… Accommodations: it is recommendable to have a close space area, where the host and guests would be in comfort for close up interactions and small talks.” Twilight recited before closing the book with a sense of relief, and returned down to the first level, where Spike was now giving a look of uncertainty that he somehow ruined everything. She noticed his expression and hugged him with appreciation for his good work.

“It looks perfect, Spike. You even made it resembling the exact appearance of the blueprints I once made,” she added while ruffling his spines.

Spike took a few steps back to stop the noogies as he gave a heartfelt laugh. “Yeah, I found the blueprints in your personal archives, and the maids helped me with building it according to your schematics,” he explained, giving the fort a few pats to show how sturdy and comfy it was.

Twilight smiled at how well built it was and made a mental note to thank the maids, once they return for the pillows the next day, for their assistance. “Alright, Spike, I’ll be in the library section, cleaning the study and the observatory before heading to do the cooking,” Twilight said before heading to the storage room and picking up a broom, a trash bin and a duster with her telekinetic spell and proceeded to walk upstairs.

“Wait, are you going to cook?” asked the little drake showing every ounce of skepticism in each word. “No offense, Twilight, but have you ever tried to cook before? Because I am the one that’s usually doing that task,” Spike said, worried of the things that could happen if Twilight began to cook.

Twilight frowned a little at his accusation, but she let it slide, since he was right about the fact that she never tried to cook before. “I know about that, Spike, but I want them to know how much I care for this party, on a more personal level. I can prove this to them by preparing dinner worthy of their value of friendship,“ she pleaded, giving a begging smile at the baby dragon. “Besides, I am a tier five Alchemist in the guild. If I can make diamonds into coal, then I can make a simple dinner,” she proclaimed as she gave him a look of reassurance, along with a confident smile.

Spike was still unsure as to whether he should give her the opportunity, but since it was important to Twilight, he nodded, giving a smile to the lavender unicorn. “Alright, I trust you, Twilight,” he agreed and began to return to the cleaning. “But I’ll be there to help you if you need it,” he conditioned, which Twilight nodded to, agreeing to his terms.

“Thanks, Spike. I know I can count on your help with this,” Twilight said as she returned to head back up to the study room and took the elevator to reach her personal observatory, to begin her task in the highest point of the tower, in case her friends would like to see the telescope and the stars. She promptly began to clean the place. She was certain that, with enough preparation, this night was going to go as perfect as she expected it to be.