Authors note: This chapter presumes that alicorns have an average lifespan, and for the sake of complexity, ignores the events of Nightmare Moon in favor of cuteness. So please do not worry yourself with canon continuity, as it is disregarded here.
Night had fallen over Equestria.
Night was a peaceful time, a time of rest, relaxation, and preparation for the day ahead. Only a few creatures were awake at this time, while the majority of others were safe in their beds. A few creatures who preferred the night time. Skunks, badgers, owls, Luna...
Wait, what?
Indeed, the young filly who resided in the high tower of Canterlot Castle should have been asleep. Everypony else was. The guards who kept her and her sister safe, her parents who ruled Canterlot and loved their daughters with unrivaled intensity. Luna lay in her bed, wide awake, listening to the sounds of the night.
The chirping of crickets, the occasional hoot of an owl, the rumble of her stomach. She placed a hoof against her belly, sighing and looking across the darkness of the room towards the other side, where her older sister slept in a bed of her own. Luna wasn't supposed to wander around the castle by herself, it was a large place and it wasn't safe. But she was so hungry!
Sliding silently out of bed, Luna was careful not to make noise. Easier said than done for a pony, the echo of hooves in a silent room was louder than an explosion. She carefully shoved her pillow under her blankets, positioned in such a way that it appeared as if she was still sleeping. Crude, but it would have to do for now. Luna knew that several alarms had been set around the castle to catch intruders, easily bypassed by a unicorn with royal blood. But she didn't know much magic yet.
Nudging the door open with her nose, Luna slipped out and made her way down the spiraling staircase. The light of the moon illuminated things just enough for her to see, which she was thankful for. She'd always liked the moon and its soothing glow. Downstairs, Luna peered out into the hallway, confronted with her first obstacle.
A laser grid.
Harmless green lasers crisscrossed the hallway leading towards the kitchen, Up and down, left and right, barely enough room to move between them. There was always the option of turning back, but Luna's stomach rumbled again. Onward it was. Luna pressed forward, inching on her belly underneath the first few lasers. Easy enough. She slid towards the wall, but soon found herself met with a series of beams that could not be gone underneath. She knew if she broke one of the beams she'd be teleported right back into her room, under enchanted time-out until her parents could remove the spell.
Unacceptable.
Scrunching her hind legs, the little filly leaped over several beams, feeling the air rush by underneath her in slow motion. She arced her back, the final hairs of her tail just barely grazing the light of the laser. There was the slightest sizzling of hair, but the beam was not broken, and Luna landed safely on the other side. From there it was a matter of dodging and weaving, and the filly was out. She puffed up her chest with renewed determination, and continued onward.
Luna made her way through several more hallways, entering the final one which would connect directly to the kitchen. The problem was, there was only supposed to be one door.
There were twelve.
Luna stared in confusion at the semi circle of identical doors which surrounded her. All a gentle white color, painted with the royal family crest in blue. Choosing a door at random, perhaps hoping to get lucky, Luna was immediately confronted by an enormous tidal wave rushing towards her. Contained within said tidal wave was a violently thrashing shark, which was about a second away from eating her whole. The small filly screamed and slammed the door shut.
There was a moment of fear, and time froze. Luna waited. Nopony was coming. She breathed a sigh of relief, and opened another door at random. A rush of hot air flowed over her, and she stared through the door into the sandy hills of an endless desert. Huh. Well that wasn't scary at-
"Return the slaaab..."
Luna blinked, staring at a flowing figure in the distance. "Huh?"
"Return the slaaab... or suffer my cuuurse..."
Retcon. Curse was bad. Curse was definitely bad. Luna slammed the door shut again. This wasn't getting her anywhere. Had to be a trick to this. She stood in the center, and focused intently on her horn. She had only done magic once or twice before, and always with the guidance of her older sister. She channeled her power like Celestia had taughter her, and nothing seemed to happen at first.
Then the first door slid into the second one.
The second door slid into the third one.
One by one, the doors slid together, becoming one. Until eventually only one door remained, cracking open and revealing the interior of the kitchen. Luna stifled a cry of delight, stomach rumbling in agreement, and she rushed forward into the room. It was an orderly mess, boxes and foods sitting out in preparation for the next morning's breakfast crew. But Luna wasn't concerned with that.
The attention of young Luna was completely taken over by a single blueberry muffin sitting forgotten on a plate, out of reach. Luna squealed with delight and pushed a chair up to the counter, standing upon it. She frowned. This was too easy. Swiping a potato from a nearby bag, Luna furrowed her brow with concentration, hooves poised over the muffin. In a single motion, the potato replaced the muffin, and Luna jumped down with her prize.
Taking only a few steps, Luna hadn't even made it out of the kitchen before the ground began to shake. A few cracks opened up in the tiles. Crap! She broke into a run, sparing only a quick look backwards following an enormous crash.
An enormous bowling ball was picking up speed and racing towards her, Luna had no choice but to run. She ran out of the kitchen and down the hall, knowing that if she slowed down for even a moment, she'd be crushed. She ran faster, down the hall towards a door at the end. She leaped for the handle, grasping it in her hooves, but found it locked. The giant bowling ball barreled towards her, and Luna had no choice but to stuff the entirety of her precious prize in her little mouth, cheeks bulging. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
"Lulu?" A voice asked.
Luna cracked her eyes open. She recognized that voice.
"Tia?" She squeaked. "Where's the bowling ball?" Well, that was what she tried to ask, but with a mouth full of muffin it came out more like "Whafababul?"
"The... what?" Celestia asked.
Luna peered past her sister. There was no sign of damage of any kind. No bowling ball. No anything.
"I didn't see a bowling ball. I followed you and chased you out of the kitchen before we got caught. Why are you sneaking around, Lulu?"
Luna put a hoof on her belly. Thankfully, it had stopped rumbling. "Was hungry," she said through mouthfuls of muffin.
Celestia just smiled and shook her head. "We can't be running around the castle like this, come on. Let's go back to bed. I'll read you a story."
Luna smiled and nuzzled into Celestia's forelegs. A story sounded good.