Crap! crap! Crap! CRAP! CRAP!!!
I bobbed and weaved my way through the halls of the castle, narrowly avoiding smashing into several elites and staff while making haste to the dining hall.
"EXCUSE ME!" I called over my shoulder at the cowering mare I'd just blown by. I was SO late, Celestia was gonna kill me... or banish me... or kill me and then banish me.
"SLOW DOWN, SUNSET SHIMMER!" One of Celestia's guards standing at his post shouted as I galloped past him.
"CAN'T! SORRY!" I skirted past a well dressed griffon, unable to even spare a glance back as I galloped on.
Celestia had gifted me a new spellbook yesterday and I just hadn't been able to put it down. I'd stayed up all night reading about transmutation and the various theories on it and similar subjects. Sleeping in wasn't something I typically did, it just happened on accident this time, I swear! On top of my carelessness, my teacher had told me we had a very important meeting today and to be earlier than need be.
What a disaster...
I was both literally and figuratively running on about an hour of sleep, but the prospect of disappointing Celestia again drove me to run harder. If it had been for anypony else, I'd be sleeping comfortably in my silk sheets.
It wasn't my first time screwing up and probably... okay, definitely wouldn't be the last. Celestia was pretty understanding when it came to my shortcomings. I wasn't worried about my mentor being angry with me. I skidded to a stop in front of the double doors to the dining hall, wiping my forehead of perspiration.
I took a moment to catch my breath and check myself over. My mane and tail felt fantastic. My coat was glowing after the quick shower I'd taken. My breath was minty fresh. Everything seemed to be in order. I pushed the doors open to enter the hall. No, Celestia wasn't the problem...
"You're late."
She was.
Twilight Sparkle looked at me with utter disdain as she sat at the dining table next to Luna. Celestia sat across from the two of them, an empty seat, my seat, directly next to hers.
"I'm really sorry, Princess!" I spoke to Celestia and only to Celestia. I really didn't care what Twilight or Luna thought about me, but I really hated letting my teacher down. To my surprise and bewilderment my mentor giggled.
"When I told you to be early I thought you might make it on time," she took a sip from the teacup in front of her once her laughs had died down. "I didn't think it would make you even more late than usual," she smiled warmly at me.
"I know," I sighed. Luna and Twilight both stared at me with the same disapproving glares as always as I slumped down in the chair next to my teacher. The fact that she didn't berate me made me feel even more guilty. She was always so kind about everything, especially my flaws. Finally settling down, I yawned as the lack of rest began to catch up with me. "I couldn't stop reading the b-"
"Reading what!?" Twilight jumped at the possible mention of literature, the expression on her face still judgmental, but a bit more curious now.
"The Essentials of Long Forgotten Alchemical Practices," I yawned. I kept my tone just as blunt as the lavender unicorn and her teacher always used on me. I already knew what to expect from them.
"Hm..." Luna tapped her chin with a hoof, her air of superiority coming off of her in waves. "If I recall correctly, you've already completed that title, correct Twilight?"
"Seven times, Your Highness," The unicorn puffed out her chest proudly before taking a drink of her own tea. I leaned forward to say something... rude, but just beneath the table Celestia laid her hoof on my thigh, calming my simmering anger.
They'd always been like this. Soon after Celestia had taken me in as her apprentice Luna began to feel... lonely. As the Princess of the Sun spent more time with me, her sister was left to her own devices more often. I'm not sure how or where, but she stumbled on Twilight somewhere. The unicorn must've done something really impressive because the dark alicorn made her her apprentice immediately.
Twilight Sparkle... talk about the perfect student. She never broke any rules, was never late for anything, and was insanely talented at magic. Combine those traits with an unbreakable drive to prove herself and you got a truly blessed pony.
It was so unfair. She was a monster. Nopony could be as dedicated and smart as she was and not be a cheater. Not to mention how pret- I mean, how gifted she was magically. I was no slouch in that department, but the things she could do? It couldn't be purely due to excessive effort.
Pair that level of talent with Luna's knowledge, intellect, and guidance and you had an almost undefeatable rival. Still, I would never give up. Celestia had put her complete faith in me. Not once had she ever made me feel like I was lacking anything or inferior to any other pony. In that area, I vowed I would never let her down... even if it killed me.
"That's really great, Twilight. Maybe we can share notes with each other later." For once I tried to be pleasant with my adversary, y'know, change things up a bit. While Twilight was obviously caught off guard, Luna simply looked like she suspected me of trying something underhanded. The Dream Princess was way too perceptive for me to deceive. Celestia on the other hoof, was grinning at her sister as if she'd just won a bet.
"Wuh-" Twilight made a weird noise, clearly unsure how to respond.
"That sounds like a splendid idea, Sunset Shimmer," Luna replied for her rattled student who was having trouble forming a coherent thought. The Princess of the Night stared daggers at her elder sibling.
"Y-yeah..." Twilight had somewhat recovered after being rescued by her mentor and so made an attempt at regaining the air of superiority they'd previously held. "I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two, if you want," she smirked smugly as she nodded, her composure having quickly returned to normal.
"Riiiight," I did my best not to roll my eyes. "Aaaannnnyway, I'm starving. Did you all eat already?" I turned to ask Celestia since she was the only one who'd answer without giving me any sass. There were no plates at the table so I'd assumed they'd been taken away recently.
"On the contrary, we postponed OUR meal due to YOUR tardiness, Sunset Shimmer." Luna answered just as Celestia opened her own mouth to reply to me. My teacher merely tilted her head, a smile on her face, not letting the interruption get to her and letting me know I was permitted to defend myself if I so wished. I was grateful. I didn't need her to protect me. I was a big mare.
"Like I said, Princess, I'm sorry," I offered her a sweet smile, but my tone was not in line with my expression. She looked down at me, her face contorting in disgust and annoyance. Celestia cleared her throat, drawing our attention to herself.
"Ladies, let's not let this silly rivalry sour our relationship please," her heavenly voice shifted the mood of the room to a much more pleasant one.
"Forgive me, Sister. You know how I can be when I haven't had my breakfast," Luna bowed her head slightly. "Forgive me, Sunset, I was out of line," she offered me an awkward smile.
"I, Uh, er..." It was my turn to be stunned into a stupor. Twilight smiled at the reversal of fortune. Celestia giggled softly again, covering her mouth with a hoof. "O-o-of course, Princess, don't worry about it," I was finally able to get out. Luna NEVER apologized to me. What the heck was going on?
The doors of the dining hall opened as a group of castle staff quickly entered in silence. They carried multiple plates and bowls of food on their backs and in telekinetic fields.
"Wonderful! The food has arrived!" Luna clapped her hooves together excitedly as the ponies began placing our meals in front of us.
"This looks delicious," Twilight remarked. She wasn't exagerrating. The elaborate spread was fancy even by Canterlot Castle's traditional standards. I wasn't entirely sure what all of it was, but I could identify some pieces of daisy and some egg. The waitponies stood at attention as they waited to make sure everything they'd brought was of acceptable quality.
"This is remarkable!" Celestia pressed a hoof against her cheek after swallowing the bite she'd sampled. "Give my compliments to Chef Cacy, she's really outdone herself this time!"
"Of course, Your Majesty," the unicorn closest to Celestia bowed low.
"Thank you all, you may have the rest of the day off." Celestia must've been feeling generous. Either that, or it really was a special occasion that'd slipped my mind. Or I guess the food was just on a whole nother level today.
"As you wish, Your Highness." The pony finished his bow before standing up straight and filing out of the room with the rest of the other wait staff. Twilight and Luna were already deep into their plates, speaking animatedly with one another.
"Is something the matter, Sunset?" Celestia asked me. I shook my head at my teacher.
"No ma'am. I'm ready to eat!" I dug in.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The food was every bit as good as Celestia had made it out to be. It was times like these that I wished I could have seconds... and thirds. Today had to be a really special occasion I was unfamiliar with, judging purely on the cuisine. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get a meal like that again any time soon.
Twilight and Luna were still speaking candidly with one another. I could perceive every other word, their discussion about plans for later, reading this, practicing that. Celestia was nursing her tea, a content smile on her face.
"Well now," Celestia cleared her throat causing Luna and Twilight to end their conversation. "I think It's time we discussed the task Luna and I have arranged for the two of you."
"The two of us?" Twilight and I spoke in unison, looking at each other with confusion dominating our features.
"That is correct," Luna confirmed. "Today you will be working on a very important assignment... together."
"Your Highness!?" Twilight gaped at the dark alicorn.
"Princess Celestia!?" I turned to my mentor in the same moment. Twilight and I had never done anything together before. We'd always competed with one another, tried to one up each other, no matter what work we'd been given. This news was... this was completely unexpected.
"Luna and I both agree that you two are reaching a boundary that can not be surpassed alone," Celestia smiled at her sister.
"Strength and confidence in one's self is crucial," Luna returned the gesture. "However reliability and being able to rely on others are also critical traits. What better way to test these out than on a cooperative mission?"
"Y-your... Your Highness..." Twilight visibly slumped in her chair, not willing to question her superior. I on the other hoof...
"Princess... WHY? We've never done anything like this before. If there's something you need done I'm sure I can handle it with-" the alabaster alicorn lifted a hoof, cutting me off immediately.
"I am very aware of your capabilities as an individual, Sunset," she placed the same hoof under my chin, lifting my head as it began to drift downward. "But this is a different kind of test," her sweet smile forced a grin onto my own face. "I trust you to do your best, for my sake, my most faithful student." I sighed in submission.
"Okay, Princess," I complied. Was she already aware that I'd do anything for her? I sure hoped not. "What do you need us to do?"
"And you, Twilight?" Luna looked down at her pupil, her brow raised, but the confidence her smirk contained indicating she already knew what the lavender unicorn would say. Twilight sighed before lifting her head to look her mentor in the eye.
"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty." There was no sarcasm in Twilight's statement. What a thing to say with absolutely no reservations. Luna's smile grew as she booped her student on the nose with her hoof.
"We've already spoken of that kind of talk at length, my dearest student," Luna's giggle was oddly terrifying. Since when had she gotten so... lax when I was around? Celestia looked supremely pleased with her sister. Twilight's goofy smile was her only reply. She looked really happy... I... seeing it honestly made me a little happy too.
"Now then, there's a town..." My teacher considered her next words carefully as her sister stacked and moved the dishes aside with a spell before teleporting a map of Equestria onto the table before us. "right here." Celestia pointed at an unassuming spot on the map far to the south of Canterlot.
I looked at Twilight in confusion who returned an 'I have no idea', expression of her own. The area looked like a dead zone that hadn't been explored by any of the cartographers sent out by Celestia in the past. I'd traveled away from the capital before, but never that far to the south.
"The two of you will be... visiting that town." Luna stated, though it was easy to gather by her hesitation that that wasn't all there was to our mission.
"What's the catch?" I asked, knowing full well a vacation wasn't what they were expecting us to go on.
Celestia and Luna looked at each other uncomfortably, their expressions shifting to deep concern before Luna continued.
"The ponies in that town have been having... very peculiar nightmares," she was thoroughly disturbed, but was doing a decent job of hiding it. "Something is amiss in that town..." she stared down at the map, her eyes shaking. "I am certain of it."
"Your Highness..." Twilight moved to place a hoof on her mentor, but noticed me staring and instead gave me a loathsome glare as she lowered her foreleg. My own head drooped. It honestly hurt a little. I could understand Twilight wanting to comfort Luna, but not wanting the compassionate side of her to be on display for her enemy to see.
"The two of you will investigate the town and gather any information on what could possibly be going on there," Celestia was far less affected than Luna, but that was understandable. It's not like she'd viewed the dreams herself like her younger sister obviously must have.
"What can we expect?" Twilight asked. I too felt a little left in the dark. I wanted to ask Luna more about the nightmares, but that seemed a little too... insensitive.
"We're not really sure, to be honest," Celestia rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "It doesn't seem like there's anything drastically bad happening there, but-"
"They are like prisoners," Luna interrupted, drawing the spotlight to herself. "Their dreams are full of shackles and walls... like they are trapped and they cannot find a way out." Her eyes still lingered on the map, a sadness permeating them. "Even after destroying their bonds and releasing them, the nightmares repeat themselves... I... I don't know..."
This time I was sure that even if the entire nation was staring at her, Twilight wouldn't have hesitated. She leaned against her mentor, wrapping a foreleg around her body. Luna leaned back into her pupil, her head resting atop Twilight's.
Luna's concern for her subjects stirred my determination. Now, I was motivated. "Then all we have to do is help them, right?" I looked at Celestia, letting the Princess of the Night and her protégé have their moment.
"That is correct, Sunset," Celestia nodded.
"When can we go?" I was ready. Despite my exhaustion, I wanted nothing more than to put Luna's worries to rest.
"As soon as possible," Celestia was hard to discern when she got like this. Her sister's discomfort was clearly troubling her, but she was the poster child for serenity right now. "The sooner the better," she spared a sympathetic glance at her younger sister.
"Now, then." Twilight stood to her hooves, the determination in her shaking the room... figuratively, of course. "If you've no more information to provide, I'd like to get moving as soon as possible."
"Unfortunately, that's all we have," Celestia sighed.
"Forgive us," Luna lowered her own head, the frustration in her palpable. "To expect so much of you on so little information is-"
"Completely fine," I stood up as well as I moved to the doors, my own heart pounding with excitement. I turned to Twilight. "I'll meet you at the southern gates in an hour."
"Right!" Twilight nodded, a confident grin coming to her lips.
"Don't worry," I smiled at both sister's. "We'll be back before dinner!"