Celestia had lost track of how long she'd been standing here and watching this all play out, but her mind had been lost in thought the whole time. Luna, ever by her side, was similarly transfixed, but every once in a while the younger sister would glance to her elder, knowing full well the mix of excitement and concern that must have been within her. In an ancient, long-forgotten chamber beneath their magnificent palace, there stood before them a great pedestal, upon which was, to the undoubted concern of anypony else who saw it, a skeleton. But these were not the average bones of a pony. No, these were far larger, sporting not only a horn, but wings. The frame of an alicorn, and one whose name was a complete mystery to all the younger ponies dotted around the place. One in particular, a mare, was hard a work, installing a device that needed to be attached with care, lest the bones be damaged. Celestia took many a calming breath, and eventually, she broke the silence that had been between her and her sister this whole time. "Think on it, Lulu. So many centuries gone, and now, we can finally hear him speak again."
Luna nodded solemnly. "Indeed, sister. I confess, the possibility of having him back in our lives seemed like such a distant and unlikely thing. Now..." She gestured to the aforementioned device. "With this new technology, that possibility is actually within reach." She turned to her sibling. "Have you thought of what our first words should be to him?"
Celestia smiled to her. "I suppose...just say whatever comes to mind. It's been so long I don't think it'll matter what we say to each other."
"Okay, your Majesties!" the mare upon the skeleton called to them, gaining their attention. "Device is in! We're ready when you are!"
Celestia gave a slight bow of her head. "Thank you for your efforts, Miss."
The mare, having safely climbed down to the ground, chuckled. "Hey, don't sweat it. Happy to help." She turned to her crew. "Okay, guys! Break time! Let's leave before the family reunion starts!"
The two alicorn sisters watched as pony after pony packed up their things and made their way out of the chamber, eventually closing the doors behind them and leaving the princesses alone with the ancient one. After a moment of taking in the silence, Celestia sighed, then stepped forward. "Well...here goes nothing." She cleared her throat, Luna remaining silent by her side, and after looking up into the dusty, old skull, she finally spoke. "Father. King Solaris. After centuries...you may now...speak."
There was quiet for a long while, and in that silence the two sisters wondered if something had gone wrong, or if this whole thing might have been a pipe dream. But then, their ears flicked, hearing some tiny bit of static. The sound grew and grew, eventually morphing into what could be identified as a voice. "E...E...E...E...E...E..."
Celestia stepped forward again, hope returning to her expression. "Yes...yes! That's it! Come on, Father...you can do it!"
"E...E...E...EVERYTHING FEELS LIKE THE WORLD'S BIGGEST HEADACHE RIGHT NOW."
Celestia and Luna's eyes widened, with the latter being the one to speak next. "Father? You...you're back?!"
"LAST I CHECKED, I'VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME. I JUST COULDN'T SAY ANYTHING. KINDA HAPPENS WHEN YOU'VE BEEN REDUCED TO NOTHING BUT A MOTIONLESS SKELETON, LULU."
Celestia eagerly clapped her hooves together. "Oh! This is just wonderful! We have so much to tell you, Father! So much you've missed!"
"I WOULDN'T HAVE MISSED ANY OF IT IF I HADN'T BEEN LEFT LIKE THIS, CELESTIA."
In contrast to the usual, regal demeanor she was known for, Celestia actually rolled her eyes to that remark. "Okay, here we go. I knew it was coming eventually."
"YOU'RE DANG RIGHT IT WAS COMING! THERE I WAS, LETTING MY BABY GIRL MOVE THE SUN FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND WHAT DO I GET FOR MY TROUBLE? THAT'S RIGHT, HAVING YOU SLAM THE THING RIGHT INTO ME AND LEAVE ME AS NOTHING BUT BONES!"
"I was a child!" Celestia shouted back. "You didn't even train me or anything! You just decided one day that it'd be a good idea to give control of the largest object in the solar system to a minor!"
"BELIEVE ME, NOPONY REGRETS THAT CHOICE MORE THAN ME, DAUGHTER. I HOPE YOU'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE BETTER AT IT WHILE I'VE BEEN GONE?"
Taking a moment to calm and compose herself, Celestia gave a short nod. "As it happens, I have."
"WELL THEN, AT LEAST I'VE GOT THAT LOVELY BIT OF GOOD NEWS TO GREET ME DURING ALL THIS."
Even though the machine guaranteed that his voice remained monotone, Celestia could nevertheless make out the sarcasm within it. Even so, she tried, for the sake of courtesy at least, to put on a smile. "Father...much has changed sine your...affliction. Doubtless you'll want to be updated on all that has transpired during the millennia."
"NATURALLY. ALTHOUGH, GIVEN THAT I LEFT THE REINS OF THE NATION IN THE HOOVES OF A PAIR OF UNTRAINED CHILDREN, I CAN'T IMAGINE THINGS HAVE GONE SWIMMINGLY."
"Quite the reverse," Celestia began, with a look of some satisfaction upon her face. "Things have gone very well while you were incapacitated. There was a thousand years of peace, and now we live in an era of unprecedented camaraderie both within and without." She glanced to the side, to her sister. "There have been challenges, to be sure, but through it all ponykind has grown better and stronger for it."
"YOU'LL FORGIVE ME IF I'M DOUBTFUL DAUGHTER. THINGS WERE NEVER THAT NICE IN MY TIME, SO I'M HAVING A HARD TIME THEY COULD HAVE IMPROVED SO MUCH WITHOUT ME THERE."
Celestia arched an eyebrow. "Well, not to put too fine a point on it, Dad, but you're not the only pony capable of leading well."
"I HAVE YET TO SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF THAT."
Luna, in contrast to her sister, actually smiled as she looked to the latter. "So nice to know the tradition of family reunions always being peaceful and calm is alive and well," she remarked with more than a little snark.
In response, Celestia began rubbings her temples. "This...this was a mistake, wasn't it?"