A light glowed from one of the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle, one that all ponies have known as the royal bedroom of the solar princess, where Celestia uses her magical incantation to lower the sun.
From inside, the two sisters were sitting in front of each other, a little agitated from their intense study session, due to a magical spell of memory transference they both had performed.
"And with that, we finished our intensive lessons of Equestrian History, Geography and Politics,” Celestia said while levitating several scrolls and parchments that lied around them on the floor and putting them all in order inside her saddle bag. “Excellent work on handling all the information during today’s session, Luna,” she praised with a soft nuzzle to her little sister.
A much agitated looking alicorn returned the gesture as she looked at her big sister. “Thy would much prefer for these sessions of magic infusing knowledge to cease, sister. They have become most vexing rather than educational for thy mind,” Luna said as she took a deep breath and relaxed the drumming feeling inside her head.
“I know, dear Luna, but it is something that we must do in order to update you from your absence,” Celestia said with a soft smile, helping Luna to stand on her own hooves. “Many things have changed, and you must be prepared for everything that this leads to,” she reminded her as she returned to her desk before something caught her eye.
She had been mulling over the thought after the day her little sister returned, and tonight was the right moment to make aloud the inquiry that she had in mind. “Luna… Have you been working in the recovery of your magic?” the alabaster alicorn asked as she returned to her sister to speak closer to each other. “It’s been almost a week, and I was worried about your current condition.”
Luna averted her eyes and glanced at a close by mirror that reflected her small blue coated body, her azure starless mane and her sad eyes filled with regret. “I don’t know, sister… I just need to focus on regaining my bearings before I can return to my former state.”
Celestia hugged her with her wing and pulled her closer to her chest. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried that some sort of aftereffect happened to you that is inhibiting your magic from reaching its fullest,” she said with a sad look in her eyes that showed her concern and worries, words that Luna knew showed her sister’s guilt of her current condition.
Luna put her hoof on her sister’s chin and guided her eyesight to her own blue eyes. “Don’t berate thyself any further, sister… Thou has already been punished so in the past milenia that We wish for it to cease at once,” the blue alicorn said with a soft tone, hoping that it managed to ease the worried looks of her older sister.
“You are right, sister. Just do try and make yourself comfortable and take your time. You will soon be back to join my side in ruling the kingdom, in a proper manner,” Celestia assured Luna, as she nuzzled her cheek.
The alabaster alicorn soon changed her mood and smiled more warmly. “Well then... I think we have had enough of this gloomy talk. Tonight, your first slumber party awaits you, and the guests are already there, waiting for your arrival.” She stood up from the floor and gave her sister some space.
“Guests? We do not believe to know that many ponies, here in the castle, that could be eager to assist in this soiree,” Luna said as she tried to guess the possible ponies that would be partaking in her personal party.
“That’s because, aside from them being guests for the party for the next night, they will soon begin their job as your new personal servants and guards. The party is an opportunity to get to know them in a more informal manner, partaking in some good natured conversations and have fun,” she explained, walking down to the door of her room, while followed closely by Luna.
“Thou must be jesting... Is not miss Midnight Snack my personal servant for thy personal requirements?” Luna looked at her sister with an inquisitive look.
“She is only one of your team of personal servants, Luna, and you need much more to take care of. Some of them will be there to assist you in the daily tasks, and there will be others to aid you with anything you need,” Celestia explained as she opened the door.
Luna was a bit puzzled and certainly lacked the words to discuss with her sister about the idea, but she knew better than to argue with her, so the blue alicorn did her best to hide her discomfort and nodded. “Okay, sister. I’ll be off to my chambers then.”
Watching her sister leave, Celestia noticed how Luna used modern dialect before leaving, making her consider that there was something more that was happening to her little sister than just trying to cope with today’s time. “I know you will soon overcome this feeling, Luna, but that is up to you to surpass,” she whispered, while closing the door to her chambers and heading off to her own bed to sleep.
Luna walked the halls from where the personal tower of her sister was connected to the castle. At the end was a royal Night Guard waiting for her, instead of her personal maid that was supposed to be the one waiting in place.
The guard saluted at her and then turned his back as he marched to guide the Lunar Princess back to her personal chambers without uttering a single word, which caused Luna to sigh softly at the lack of contact they had from the moment they assigned him.
The march, along with the silence, gave Luna something to think about, such as thoughts about how well it can be to return to the throne... and the opinion of the public towards herself and her horrid past.
The hesitation, fear and self-doubt took hold of her mind. The incessant feeling that the ponies would never forgive her from the damage she had caused to all of them was crawling from the back of her head, and it grew worse when thinking about the villagers of Ponyville, for they had witnessed her malevolent form and were the first victims of her cursing magic that could had doomed them all into an eternal slumber
The weight of her misdeeds had been too big for her to even think of returning to the throne, let alone consider returning to the public. She might encounter the glares of thousands.
“We have arrived, your highness!” the night guard announced, waking Luna from her frightful thoughts and causing her to look up at the doors that connected to her own personal chambers. She cleared her throat and regained her regal composure before she glanced at the soldier.
“We thank thee for your service of escort, good sir…” She then waited for the stallion to leave but saw that he stood there unresponsive. It left her rather uncomfortable by the simple presence of the stoic stallion. “Thou are dismissed,” she finally said, which was answered by a salute from the guard, whom then turned away and marched down the halls of the castle until he was out of sight.
With a deep sigh, Luna shook her head and tried to keep her dark thoughts away. This night was meant to be a night of amusement.
With a swift movement from her horn, the handle moved at the princess’ magical will, opening the door for her to gain access... and be overwhelmed with the noises of chatter and laughter of the of ponies hosted inside.
“...The guard then rushed through the halls of the western section, directly to Captain Armor’s personal chambers and bursted the doors open in a single tackle that broke the wood into pieces!” Luna observed a thestral mare talking to the others, including her personal maid, Midnight Snack, being so immersed in the story that they failed to notice her arrival. “With all the noise he made, the Captain of the Royal Guard woke up, and he shouted-”
“Fare evening, young ponies,” Luna soon announced her arrival, just as she closed the doors behind her and walked closely to where the others had been laying down, which caused the group of mares quickly to stand up to meet with the blue alicorn.
“Good evening, your highness!” Both Waning and Waxing said as they tried to bow down before they were stopped by Midnight Snack, who lifted her left wing to stop them, causing the two of the unicorns to be reminded that tonight was a party of casual behavior, without any need for regal presentations.
“There is no need for formalities among us for the remainder of the night… Do feel free to treat me as any other guest for this evening,” Luna requested as she observed all the guests that were in her room.
Each mare relaxed their shoulders and smiled with more ease as each member of her personal staff introduced themselves and gave their positions of work for when the next night arrived.
“It is a pleasure to have you all offer your services to my crown,” Luna smiled as she kept their names in memory before she noticed the tables filled with food and drinks, giving her the need to eat something during the sleepover. “Miss Waning, please bring us some refreshments, and Miss Waxing, thou be generous to bring us something to drink. Anything will be of suffice,” she requested for the unicorn twins with a small smile that she had been practicing.
“Prin- I mean Luna... May I suggest a Moon Pie for you? I made them myself.” offered North Star, using her telekinetic spell to bring forward one of the mentioned biscuits to the lunar princess.
Luna held the cookie, curiously, in her own magic and inspected it closer, smelling the delectable aroma of chocolate and the smoothness of the marshmallow, enticing her senses of the new treat she had never seen before in her time. Not for her to question a offering of something new, she took a small bite to taste it, giving a bright smile of approval along with a moan of satisfaction. “Such a delightful taste! We will demand more of these… Moonpies!”
The two mares bowed their heads respectfully before turning around, heading together to the tables and gathering the requested food for their princess while staying together at all times. This caused a slight sense of interest in Luna, seeing them walking together so closely, but she let it slide, since it might as well be a twins thing.
“Please enjoy… Umm... Luna,” both twins said in unison, as they delivered the delectable treats.
The group soon returned to their sitting places and bringing an extra set of pillows for the princess to sit on, taking their respectives places quietly without making a sound during the moment.
The silence soon fell upon the room. Silent glances from left to right from each pony made it clear that they had no idea on how to make a proper conversation, as some others decided to fill their mouths with snacks and drinks to keep their mouths busy.
“So, Luna… Who was your first?” Nightlife asked with the proper tact of a jackhammer in a library.
Said question made everypony else in the room stop at what they were doing, and their eyes fell directly on the night guard, all while including Midnight Snack having done a spitake with her mouth hung open in utter disbelief from the straightforward question.
Luna was uncertain what Nightlife talking about with the question, so she had to inquire further. “What is this first that thou are referring to?” She was feeling uneasy, based on the reactions of the other mares, not really into the fact that they seemed really uncomfortable about the simple question.
Nightlife was snickering as she tried to reword her question. ”Who was the first stallion to deflower your garden?” Her need to laugh was growing, almost threatening to burst into full grown laughter.
The restructured question only made Luna be more confused on the matter of the question, as she scrunched her face to concentrate. “We never had the chance to meet such stallion, for he was busy working during the day while I was taking care of my duties in the night, but he made sure that all my flowers were properly treated and taken care of back in the time of the castle where we used to live,” she simply replied, hoping that her answer would clear some of the strange looks from the group, but it didn’t improve the mood in the slightest, as she soon noticed that they were blushing rather brightly and avoiding eye contact.
“Prince- I mean, Luna…” Midnight whispered as she gestured for the tall alicorn to lean closer to her. Luna obliged and straighten up her ear. “What she meant was…” in which the maid began to whisper to her princess the true meaning of the question.
The Princess of the Night soon felt her face brighten up in a deep crimson color as her lips quivered at the scandalous question. “How dare thee to make such question of personal nature!?” she shouted as she then pointed an accused hoof at Nightlife, who was now laughing at her expense. “We deprive ourselves to give thee such an answer!” she added as she scrunched her face in anger.
Nightlife then made a mischievous grin at her. “Oh, please... Don’t tell me that you are a thousand year old virgin!?” she shouted deliberately with a mocking grin plastered all over her face.
The question aroused more awkwardness with a whole new level of silence, as each mare was quite unsure whether to laugh or to blush, or at least one outlier since Midnight Snack fainted on the sole idea of depravity. Luna glared daggers at the little, mischievous mare.
“Do- do not presume to have access to my memories, little pony!“ she warned as her face was beet red, and her wings straightened up in defiance. “I will have you know that I had several consorts during my past, so you will be wise to know before making such accusations!” she added, glaring down to the thestral.
Soon enough, Nightlife was continuing her own laughter, as soon did North Star and the twin unicorn maids join her.
The laughter soon proved contagious, as soon, Luna began to giggle at the little quarrel they just had. Her giggles soon became full blown laughter, which the others seemed delighted to see from their princess.
“I certainly have forgotten the last time a pony ever addressed me in such disregarding manner,” Luna commented, soon finding herself relaxed as she smiled warmly to the other ponies.
“I must say sorry, Pri- Luna, but I just had to know about anything interesting from your old life,” Nightlife said, as she felt the weight of a hoof on the back of her head from North.
“Please forgive the behavior of this mare. She just wanted to ease the tension, by using a such a simple minded idea,” the ivory unicorn said as she glared at the thestral beside her. “We just wanted to make a comfortable night and get along together,” she explained with a serene smile.
Luna nodded as her smile grew. “Thy transgression is forgiven then...” she said with a nod and a smile at Nightlife and the others around them. “But not before a good punishment will be delivered,” she added with a mischievous grin directed to the now frightened thestral.
Waning and Waxing looked at each other and nodded in agreement before they addressed to their princess. “Luna, we would like to know if you have a favorite food?” asked Waning with a look of interest in her eyes. “Just for the curiosity of knowing,” added Waxing, giving the same look as her sister.
Luna chuckled as she gave her answer, not having a moment to think about it. “Cheesecakes is one of the most beloved delight that we enjoy most, certainly, but these Moonpies are certainly a treat worthy of our attention!” Her excitement was evident as she lifted the mentioned treat to the air with praise.
At that moment, Midnight Snack recovered from her recent shock and looked around, to see if anything changed during her moment of blackout. “Lu- Luna, are you enjoying the party?” she asked with concern that perhaps the group was too undisciplined for her princess’ preference, fearing she would make a complaint to Celestia for an immediate change.
But for Luna, everything was new and exciting. The party, the entertainment and the happy feeling of being with ponies that would share her night made the Princess smile in sincere tranquility. “Of course! This is certainly something that I have never experienced in my entire life, and to be so close to my faithful subje- I mean my little ponies... I do feel very pleased with the guests that my sister has arranged for me.”
Midnight Snack smiled once she heard the answer, reaching a better understanding of the reason behind the selected mares that would be under the service of their princess. They weren’t chosen because they were the best at their own services, but because they could help Luna to be at ease and in comfort with all the ponies that will soon be around her, a starting point to receive the love and affection that she needed from the subjects that will certainly be at her side when she stepped up to the throne once more.
Luna smiled as she cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the mares around her. “Nightlife, I heard you telling a story before I entered. Would you mind if you resume your telling?” she requested with a kind smile.
The mare beamed with glee as she nodded enthusiastically, just to keep the conversation going. “Certainly! Now, where was I…? Ah, yes… So, the thing was that this guard just rushed into the personal bedroom of the captain, without any proper consciousness of what he was doing, and deliberately shouted all out the following words…” she gave a long pause, enjoying the anticipating looks of all the mares as she then leaned back to take in some air and shout. “Cu cu ka chuu, Missus Robinson!” She couldn’t resist herself from laughing at the memory that she had witnessed about the event, as soon did the others from the moment they heard the punchline.
“I never thought that a stallion would be drunk enough to reach such lengths as to disturb the Captain’s personal quarters in such an epic way,” Nightlife added as she tried to avoid toppling onto her back in laughter.
“Wha- what happened to that stallion, after his little performance with Captain Armor?” Snack asked, with all the sense of curiosity in her face.
“After that well… Let’s just say that, beside from his daily morning training, the only time you can see that poor guard now is in the bathrooms, cleaning every single one of them, and I mean all of them, including those from inside the castle,” she added with a snicker in the end.
It was clear for Luna that the story was entertaining, but she was hardly able to follow up for the lack of information and other details.
“That seriously happened?” asked North Star with amusement. “I heard about the rumors of the scandalous incident, back then, but to think that the part that he was cleaning all the bathrooms was also true…” she smiled in amusement.
“We can confirm that fact,” replied Waxing Moon with matching nods from her sister. ”Several maids, including us, have seen the stallion do his punishment at various times,” added Waning Moon to complete the confirmation.
“Yeah, that was a fun time indeed,” Nightlife sighed happily while taking in the view of the princess, expecting to see a smile by the use of the punchline, but all that she gained was a look of confusion. Sure, she knew that the alicorn might not know the full story and that it might leave her with some questions, but it still felt bad to let her out of the hook of things going on.
“I know that you just got here and that you may not know the entire story, Luna, but I can tell it again for you,” the thestral knight offered, anticipating the approval of her mistress to recount the events.
Luna looked back at Nightlife, her gaze focused on the mare in front of her as she soon let known the reason for her concern.
“What is this fun that you are talking about?” the lunar alicorn asked, uncertain of the focus upon the word itself nor what it could imply to her.
Nightlife and the other mares looked at Luna, uncertain on whether to laugh or to be worried about the answer. Granted, they all assumed that the word had existed from ever since the creation of Equestria, but it seemed clear that the Princess of the Night was out of the loop far more than they had in mind.
“Princess Luna…” Midnight Snack gestured for her to lean closer as she whispered some words in her ear.
“Oh! So, ponies nowadays refer to entertainment as fun then! How interesting!“ Luna beamed brightly as she clapped her hooves in excitement until she had an idea for the group to enjoy. “Thou all wish to hear a… Fun story of thee times of the Castle of the Two Sisters?” she offered, not wanting to waste time for her to continue on with other conversations that would leave the royal behind in all the talking.
The group of mares changed their expressions, showing their excitement, and each of them nodded in an eager manner, ready to listen.
“T’is was ‘bout a time many moons ago, when the Castle of Two Sisters was at a prime state. My sister and I were at a young age, where jovial of the moments of peace gave us the opportunity to make something for our bemusement. We, that is my sister and I, had the scheming plan that would be of most jovial for us… We called it the Hall of Hooves,” she began, catching the awes of interest of each mare with each moment that she recreated, causing them to laugh altogether.
“...A room where my sister and I had been hidden to scare the innocent ponies that dared to go forth into that section of the castle!” Luna told, smiling brightly as she began.
“It was all part of a plan that I had, which my sister helped to create in order to scare Flash Magnus. He would walk down the halls that intersected to our well prepared trap, but to make sure to entice him into a good scare, we needed to startle him to be in the mood for a good fright. With that in mind, we both used illusion spells, the simple kind that could be easily casted, as well some advanced ones to conceal our presence from the stallion and any possible bystander.”
“We began by just making him listen to faint noises, like hoofsteps in the distance, inclining frames and vases being tilted, followed by displaying shadows move from the corner the corner of his eyes, ensuring he felt that something was close by him.”
Luna’s smile grew slightly as she continued on with her tale. “By the time he was being wary about any suspicious action, Flash had already entered inside the hall, where I was at the ready for the final touch. All the while, Celestia had managed to hide nearby to be witness of our little mischief. All that there was needed was a simple pat on his back that I managed to do from one of the holes that We made for that very purpose, and the stallion flew as fast as his wings could take him, screaming like a foal all the way to his bedchambers!” Luna soon told, hearing the laughter of the other mares around her.
“T’is quite after several other ponies had befallen to our jovial scheming that Starswirl had decided to forbid the entrance into the Hall of Hooves, in order to inspect the entire section, only to find out he hath not known that it was us the masterminds the entire time!”
North Star laughed for a good while until she could speak properly. “That was indeed a fun story to tell us, Luna. Thank you,” she said with a nod.
Luna returned the gesture, before she made another bite from her moonpie, enjoying the new dessert’s taste. “Thou are more than welcome. We thank thee as well for listening,” Luna replied back.
The ponies soon felt jovial after that and started chatting to each other. Luna smiled, taking it all in and enjoying the moment as she enjoyed her moonpie. She felt glad that these mares enjoyed her company, but the lingering thought of what others might think of her still lingered in the back of her mind.
“Okay then… Who is ready for some scary tales?” North’s question startled Luna from her thoughts as a small grin flashed across the alicorn’s face. Tonight would certainly be, what ponies today call it, fun.