The tea cup levitated towards the celestial princess as she further documented her student’s extensive findings on the magic of friendship. She took a generous sip and placed it back down on the table, not wanting to risk having one drop of it land on the work before her. And in the corner. And piled on top of the chair somewhere where the candle light could no longer reach. And possibly still in an unopened box in another room entirely.
Twilight, in her usual bouts of brilliance, had saved a copy of every single report she had done thus far and had, after the ceremony, reviewed and critiqued her own findings, almost down to the letter. Never had she seen an entire five hundred word paragraph- as an annotation- on why she chose the word “the” as opposed to “an” before. Celestia wouldn’t have expected any less, but she didn’t deny the small part of her that wished Twilight had done much less.
The amount of detail, review, retrospect, and heart she had poured into every essay was staggering and worthy of an award all on its own. What one letter about sharing the work that constituted only a small reminder was transformed into a small book. Every single piece of literature had a table of contents, even a leaflet for “on-the-go” reading. The stories behind the incidents were also bland, simply due to the accurate recollection and multitudinous postulations on a friend’s action at the time.
It wasn’t to say that Celestia hadn’t made good headway since the morning, however. Her friends weren’t nearly as insightful and thus produced minuscule reports. They didn’t tarry on for more than five pages, something she silently thanked whenever she came across it. In Celestia’s own wisdom, she deemed it more efficient to start in reverse when the reports were more infrequent.
Celestia yawned. She lifted the tea cup and made to take in another helping, but was treated only to air and the scent of what no longer remained. Her lips formed a small pout and she examined her clock hanging near an ember-glowing pet phoenix of hers. No, the kitchen staff were asleep by this time and perhaps she should be too. She hadn’t reached the section of it, but she knew Twilight had learned about patience somewhere in her adventures.
Celestia drew the curtains to a close and blindly swung open the double doors to her office at the far end of the room with swift magical execution. She blew out the candle on her desk, set the cup down so she could send it to the dishwashers when they were awake, and walked through the center of the room until she exited. Instead of using her horn, she pushed the doors shut individually.
“Good evening, sister. I’m glad to see you working well into my part of the shift,” the unmistakable voice of Luna echoed in the empty hallway. Celestia turned around and tilted her head slightly at the sight before her. “What’s wrong?”
“Towels, a bottle of conditioner, and the silver rubber duck? I haven’t seen those-“
Luna shifted the white towel on her back so it was lying evenly across again. “Yes, in a while. I had been rummaging through some old chests of mine while looking for a present suitable for Twilight when I came across this piece of history.” In one swift move, she bounced the duck off her rump and used her hind leg to kick it back to her head where she deftly caught it in her mouth, giving it an enjoyable squeak. Both of the sisters grinned. “I had thought I’d visit the bath chamber early tonight and enjoy myself in a soak. One rarely has time to indulge herself in such pleasantries when she rules the night sky.”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, these times have been busy for the both of us, haven’t they?”
Luna’s face drooped slightly and her eyes gave away her concern. “Is something amiss?”
“My free time, I suppose. Twilight has sent me much to do over my own regimen.”
“I was wondering what those crates out front were for…” Luna admitted in a whisper.
“There’s no pony alive who can say she wasn’t thorough with her work,” Celestia said with a genuine smile, “and I can’t say I mind the paperwork lightening a bit too with another princess around.”
“Shame on you, Celestia. I thought she was a princess because of her friendship,” Luna half-heartedly joked.
“Well, I won’t deny her work ethic may have influenced me slightly.” Celestia made a motion with her hoof for Luna to walk along side. They began walking down the spacious corridor down the red carpet in the center, to both muffle their steps and fully enjoy the mosaics illuminated in the moonlight, leaving crisp images on the floor. “Besides, you know I’m joking with you.”
“I still have trouble understanding this new world sarcasm, sister.”
Celestia lightly blushed and stuck her tongue out for a split second. As they walked, Celestia took notice of the progression of events from each window, each one transpiring after the other. Walking backwards through time every day to reach her quarters reminded her of everything they’ve accomplished, and for a reason she could never put a hoof on, it made her feel younger. As if... if she stayed at the start of the hallway, she would stay young in that moment of time forever. And when she returned to work, she’d catch up with history like she was absorbing it all again.
It occurred to her that she hadn’t spent much time with Luna recently and with the way things were going, she may not have much time in the future. She should cherish each moment. One day, she would just be a pony in a mural, jotted down in history for her great deeds. Twilight would eventually outgrow her and get a student of her own. Twilight was strong enough to take on both the sun and the moon, or would be one day, relieving herself and her sister of their work. Princesses that outgrow princesses, each new successor becoming stronger than the last. It was a scary thought for her, but at the same time calming, knowing that her kingdom would be in good hooves.
And as she walked, she warmly grinned at Luna who occasionally bit softly on the duck and giggled with filly-ish delight.
“Luna, would you mind if I joined you tonight?”
The princess of the night almost dropped her toy in surprise. “I haven’t heard you ask that in a long time. Weren’t you heading to sleep?”
“I have an eternity to sleep, but I don’t know how long I’ll have time to spend with my sister.” Celestia nudged Luna in the side. “Besides,” she stated too calmly, “I think I still have some of Oval Bubble’s bubbly bubble mix left.”
This time she did drop the duck. “The bubbliest bubbles on this, or any side, of Equestria!?”
“The most bubbliest bubbles since Bubba Bubble.”
In perfect harmony, they both sang with a leg over each other’s shoulders, “♪Oval Bubble’s bubbles! Pops the dirt right off for a superior shine, oh aren’t these bubbles just super fine?♪”
Luna’s voice suddenly dropped to as low as she could go. “Warning: do not ingest bubbles and keep out of reach of small children. Only apply Oval Bubble’s bubbly bubble mix in small doses as recommended on the bottle. Do not use if you have sensitive skin or eyes. Always wash your horn in regular wash, this is not a substitute. Also buy it in Strawberry and Apple scents, available at your local pharmaceutical store.”
“Do you always remember every part of those commercials?”
“How could you forget?”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “How could I possibly remember?”
The both giggled and Celestia stopped as they reached the end of the hall. “I’ll grab my things and meet you there, ok?”
“I look forward to it.”