A Journey Unthought Of: Revival of Chaos

by Hustlin Tom


Chapter 8 - Luna, Celestia

It had been three weeks since the Royal Wedding had taken place, and things had settled back into their usual patterns in Canterlot Castle. The Royal couple was still away on Honeymoon in the southeastern lake resort countryside of Mustangia, and all the guests for the weddings, include Twilight Sparkle and her friends, had all gone back to their homes all across Equestria.

Princess Luna was in the Royal Proclamation Chamber, where she was holding Night Court. When Night Court had first been opened after her return to Canterlot, she had not seen many ponies at all. She had expected such; she had accepted a long time ago that her night was merely a transitory part of life for many ponies. As the months went by, though, she had actually received a great deal of traffic. Some were artists who were inspired by the constellations or the nightlife of the cities, and who wanted to receive royal backing in their projects. Others were doctors or therapists who sought out her advice on the workings of the mind, and how to bring the best therapy to their patients. Still others were insomniacs who wanted a cure for their condition, but there were a few who simply wanted someone to talk to. The Princess of the Night accepted anypony who came to her Court, and because of her ease of availability compared to the constantly overbooked Day Court, she had become endeared to a good many ponies throughout the land. It was nearing five in the morning, and she still had nearly a dozen petitioners to attend to (which was a personal record so far) when she received a summons from her sister.

“What is the matter that Princess Celestia wishes to discuss with me?” the Princess whispered to the messenger next to her. The petitioners still in line looked inquisitively at the messenger pony and at the Princess; what was going on?

“She did not say, but she would like you to be there before sunrise, which is due in about thirty minutes.”

Princess Luna sighed to herself, “Very well.” The messenger pony nodded and retreated out of the room.

The Princess arose from her throne, and the petitioners softly groaned; they knew this meant they would not be heard this session of Court.

Princess Luna smiled to her subjects, “Do not despair, my wonderful fillies and gentlecolts! I will be here tomorrow night to hear you. Have a wonderful day today!” Even as the petitioners grumbled a little, they returned a smile to their Princess, because they knew she meant what she said, and that they would be heard with the uttermost concern from her in time.

Princess Luna walked out of the Proclamation chamber through a back door that lead into a hallway towards the royal suites. She had finally started to become accustomed to Canterlot Castle’s unfamiliar architecture a few months ago. Some parts of the castle had been designed by her sister, and those portions showed some influence of the previous castle the two Princesses had lived in, Everfree Castle. When she had mentioned this fact to her sister, Celestia had seemed surprised, as she had almost forgotten that she had lived in another castle besides Canterlot. Because of the nature of her imprisonment on the moon, Princess Luna’s mind and memories were sharp to ancient things long forgotten, even by her sister. It offered the two sisters a stronger bond when they realized this, as Celestia had been forgetting things from hundreds of years ago, and Luna was still mystified by the new customs, ideas, and technology of the modern equine era. Without having even thought about it consciously, Princess Luna found herself at her sister’s chamber, because it was still the same pattern of required motion as it had been one thousand years ago and before; it was just now simply in another castle than the one she was used to.

She knocked on her sister’s chamber doors and waited for a reply.

“Enter,” the voice of her sister called out, and Princess Luna did.

Princess Celestia’s quarters were always bedecked in colors that were both bright but serene. Today, her currents and other fabrics were powdered blue. She was sitting at a small round wooden table where she had been reading the earliest morning edition of the local newspaper. She was slowly savoring a bagel as her breakfast. Truth be told, neither of them actually needed to eat anything at all, as their bodies hadn’t been entirely physical in nearly a millennia and a half. The both of them typically took a meal of any kind for the experience and the taste of a meal itself, rather than out of necessity.

“Good morning, Luna.” Princess Celestia warmly declared.

“Good morning, Tia.” cordially replied Princess Luna.

“How did the Night Court fare?”

Princess Luna nodded her head approvingly, “Very well, in fact. There were almost two hundred there through the night.”

Her sister smiled, “I’m so glad that our ponies have started to reach out to you again!”

“As am I. It’s truly wonderful to feel..needed again. I look forward to my duties every night, and I think that those who come to me leave with the same sort of happiness that I have.”

The Princess of the Sun smiled even deeper, “Ponies who leave your court will share their stories. In time, maybe even very soon, those that held any doubts about you will be put to shame.” She folded up her newspaper, got up from her seat, and gave her sister a hug, “I’m so happy for you.”

Princess Luna returned the hug for a short while, until she looked out to the balcony area and saw that the skies in the east were beginning to brighten. “It’s almost day time,” she idly commented as she slowly walked to the doorway leading out to the balcony, “I guess it’s time for you to perform your royal duties, hm?”

“Actually,” Princess Celestia finished the last of her bagel as she joined her sister, “that is part of the reason why I summoned you.”

“Oh?” Princess Luna looked with curiosity at her sister.

Princess Celestia nodded, “I want you to try and raise the sun today.”

The Princess of the Night was a little taken aback by this request, naturally, and she incredulously asked, “What brings up this fanciful mood of yours?”, before switching into a sarcastic tone, “Are you trying to usurp my position as Lunar Princess by being better than me at raising my moon?”

Princess Celestia rolled her eyes and smiled, “Oh yes, sister! You’ve stumbled onto my nefarious plan!” She then returned to a serious but relaxed demeanor, “I’m doing this because I think I owe it to you, since I was partly responsible for your banishment. I governed your moon for a thousand years, and I think it’s time for you to have a chance at trying to raise my sun.”

Satisfied with the explanation, but still uneasy about the unusual task at hand, Princess Luna looked out at the awaiting morning sky.

“Let’s begin with the basic ideas,” Princess Celestia declared as she strode out onto the balcony. Princess Luna followed closely behind her. “Stand in the center of the balcony here,” Princess Celestia pointed to a copy of her Cutie Mark, which designated the exact center of the balcony.

Princess Luna silently stepped into position.

“Now, even though our astral bodies are of equal mass and distance from the Earth, the way magic influences them is very different. Your moon, as you know, requires a great deal of willpower be placed into your spells to move it. The sun, on the other hoof, requires some coaxing. You can’t force it, or it will whip right around the planet. If you reach out to it, and are patient with its timidity, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful golden sunrise.”

Princess Luna squinted as she looked to the east and processed the information her sister had given her, “It sounds as if the task is easy in theory, but I expect the actual practice will be more difficult.”

“I’ll be here to guide you through it, and if you make a mistake, I can easily fix it.”

“If you say so, Tia. On the count of three?”

“Alright,” Princess Celestia said as her horn light up and awaited her sister’s signal.

Princess Luna exhaled, and brought in a new breath, “One. Two. Three.” Her horn lit up, and she slowly reached out to the sun. It felt like for a moment that the sun shied away from her. It was the strangest feeling; a titanic ball of superheated gas trillions of times bigger than her, and it was afraid of her! She unconsciously began to talk to it, “Come here, little one. I won’t bite. Could you please come here and warm us? Please don’t be shy. We really do like you!”

A golden rim of light peeked across the hills to the East, as if it were making sure the coast was clear of anyone who would do it harm. “That’s right! You’re doing so well. Could you please start to come up a little higher?” The sun obliged, and it began to turn across the world below as it should. Her spell finished, Princess Luna turned back to her sister with a smile. “How did I do?”

Princess Celestia grinned, “You did even better than I had hoped! I didn’t have to do all that much to keep the sun on a stable course.” She then turned and began to head towards the doors out into the rest of the castle. “I wish we could talk more,” she sighed, “but sadly we both have a kingdom to run. I’d like to try this again tomorrow. Would you be alright with that?”

Princess Luna nodded and smiled mischievously, “I have no problem trying to show you up, Tia! You should know that.”

Princess Celestia smiled, “Then its set. Good day, Luna! I really have to get going; working on an overhaul of the curriculum for my School for Gifted Unicorns can prove taxing, and I wish to finish it as soon as possible.” With that said, she left her quarters.

Princess Luna turned to look up at the sun for a moment and smile faintly to it. “Good girl,” she said to the bright orb, and she could swear that it grew a little brighter in response to her compliment.