Princess Luna was not, as some might assume, a nocturnal creature. She was a pony after all and her natural inclination was towards the daytime. No amount of magic in the world was going to change her circadian rhythm. This was especially true if Luna still wanted to keep something resembling a social life during decent waking hours. Long ago she'd kept a purely night-time schedule. Which had, along with the loneliness and feeling unappreciated, left her usually irritable and grumpy.
Things were certainly a lot better now. For one thing ponies seemed to have discovered reasons for staying up far late into the night, much to Luna's delight. There was something called a 'night life' that occasionally kept the city beneath the palace alive in a strange, deep, musical rhythm. Luna had not quite worked up the courage to personally investigate, but it appeared to involve congregating in buildings and dancing for hours. However the day, or night in this case, was not long in coming when she would descend on Canterlot and 'hit the club'.
More wholesome was stargazing; the invention of the telescope had occurred within the interim of her banishment and was an enormous improvement over the naked eye. It was a great source of comfort that, every evening, thousands of ponies were admiring her night sky at any one time. Celestia had even suggested Luna organize some sort of convention for enthusiasts. Luna had loved the idea, right up until she realized she knew as much about conventions as she did night clubs.
These concerns, and the slow acclimation to the modern day, were distant at the moment for the Princess of the Moon. She was asleep and had been for a number of hours. While she couldn't magically alter her body's inclination towards the day there were still some methods that Luna had found worked fairly well. Casting a sleeping spell on oneself was generally considered unhealthy, especially if you formed a dependency for it, but Luna was careful and certainly needed sleep for her odd schedule.
Rather than stay asleep wholly in the day or night, she instead chose to sleep for about four hours before and after her traditional rule under the Moon. Here the sleep spell was absolutely necessary for it had the benefit of putting the user in a deep, restful sleep. It wasn't perfect of course, but partially thanks to her domain over dreams she was able to cheat four hours of sleep into the effect of six or more. The downside to this option was that she was essentially in a coma while the spell lasted. Occasional disasters and invasions had occurred while she was asleep and unable to wake, though all thankfully solved before she would have had to intervene.
The final problem to artificial sleep spells was that the user was extraordinarily disoriented upon waking. Luna rolled in her bed, her starry night mane brushing continuously against a blanket that had migrated next to her head. The spell was fading away and with it came a return to consciousness, but thankfully a gradual one for her. Soon would be the time to raise the Moon and dot the sky with a million individual points of light. There was also the small matter of walking in the dreams of some of her subjects, those having nightmares or in need of council.
It certainly seemed, in Luna's half asleep state, that tonight would be a comfortable repetition of previous nights. A long, drawn in, breath was slowly exhaled in contentment as she shifted to remove weight off of one of her wings. She could even almost feel control of her limbs now but held back from embracing full wakefulness, there was no hurry to do so.
All of this changed when there was a cacophonous noise of clashing metal outside her room. Her chamber door was rocketed open, slamming hard against the stone walls and probably denting the wood...and possibly even the wall behind it. That was a bad enough shock, but with the door came three distinct, impossibly loud, voices all shouting at her. There was only one possible explanation for Luna: an assassination attempt. Her attackers were clearly fiends from some unspeakable plane of evil, for their cry of attack was unlike anything her groggy mind could process.
"PrincessLuna!Ohmanitsogoodtoseeyou-"
"PrincessCelestiasaidwecouldseeyouand-"
"Ohoh!Isthisyourcrown?Doesithaveanyspecial-"
"Doyourememberme?I'mScootaloofromthedream-"
Her instinct was to give battle but, nestled in her sheets and still under the aftereffects of her magic, was far from prepared to do so. Still, she gave it her best try.
Her best try first consisted of falling sideways out of bed, sheets wrapped around her and thumping hard onto the stone. It would only take a few seconds and she'd be upright on her hooves and ready to engage her attackers. First though she needed magic. Her horn was alight and, despite her groggy state, could quickly cast the first of many defensive protections.
Starswirl's Cloak of Safety!
The Barrier of Impenetrable Shielding!
Time Stop's Time Stop Prevention Spell!
Stone Coat!
There were dozens of other spells that required no thought to cast. But amongst the impressive technicolor light show, a twinge of distant recognition of her attackers was enough to give her pause. Luna had also been looking for the first salvo of arrows or fireballs by now, the assasins were clearly a few seconds behind and perhaps not as skilled as she'd first thought. Still, the final thing to do was give call for battle.
"You shall not find us so easy prey, dastardly foe! The Princess of the Night has not grown soft in her exile and shall...shall...."
Her three assassins had suddenly turned themselves into a trio of adorable fillies. Not prepared for murder, but staring openly at their princess. Obviously they were unaware of just how close they'd come to being blasted into fine powder, for they were only standing there on her bed. She knew that she hardly appeared regal at the moment; upright but with dark blue blankets wrapped around her body and one draped along her face. Not only that, but the protective magic had given the normally dark blue Alicorn a prismatic appearance; every few seconds a new color, or many, shining from her.
She stared, with utter incomprehension, at the three. The trio were also staring, though in a more confused way, right back at her. The first faint stirrings of recognition flared into total recall when she put names, places and context to the three young ponies. Applebloom, sister of Applejack; Sweetie Belle, sister of Rarity; Scootaloo, the filly whose dream she had walked in and friend to the other two.
Recognition did not improve Luna's understanding of the situation even a little. Thankfully for all concerned Applebloom spoke up.
"Er, are ya alright, Princess?" was her twanged accent. Luna couldn't recall it existing before her exile.
But still, that question did more than anything to remind Luna that she should probably go on the long road towards recovery of her faculties. Fortunately there were only these three fillies who had born witness to this momentary indiscretion. The slight drain on her magical reserves reminded her to dissipate her enchantments, the magic gone with hardly a second thought.
"Yes, we are...alright," she said slowly, casting the blankets off herself and clearing her throat. "You simply surprised us whilst we...I....was sleeping. For a moment I had believed you were attackers."
"Oh." That was Scootaloo, perhaps realizing the depth of their trespass for the first time. "We're sorry Princess Luna. We thought you'd be up doing princess things."
"You're not going to throw us in the dungeon are you?" Sweetie Belle stuck her lower lip out, certainly appearing repentant enough. "Princess Celestia said it was okay to come see you."
That certainly caught Luna's attention. "Our Sister sent you?" if the Cutiemark Crusaders had been more observant they would have noticed how quickly Luna's eyes narrowed and her tone became just a touch more interested in hearing further.
Thinking they had a surefire way out of trouble the three fillies nodded vigorously in perfect unison. "We were at dinner, and it was really boring," Scootaloo began.
"-but then a guard burst in and gave the Princess a note," Applebloom added.
"Princess Celestia said something about a 'rag and rock' and that it was really bad," Sweetie Belle, not wanting to be left out, had supplied the last part.
"It was Ragnarook," Scootaloo commented, looking over at Sweetie.
Applebloom shook her head. "Nuhuh, it was Rag-hana-rock You didn't hear it 'cause you got rocks in your ears."
"Do not! It was Rag-na-rook. I heard the princess say it."
By this time Luna was staring at the three, but not because of their argument. "Ragnarök is nigh? We must prepare for battle!" Already she was hoping that her sister had saved her ancient battle helmet and spear. Celestia may have been more peaceable, after centuries without conflict, but Luna still recalled she owed Gulltoppr a good kick in the face; the blond jerk.
"Thats it!" Oblivious to Luna's mental preparation for the potential end of the world, the three fillies had continued their argument until she'd supplied the proper pronunciation. Scootaloo, who'd been the closest, looked rather smug at the other two. "I told you that was how you said it."
Applebloom stuck out her tongue at her friend and then added. "Princess Celestia sent Applejack, Twilight and the rest off to go stop it. Then it was just us and my brother, so then the Princess told us we could go visit you."
"Then we ran up here and woke you up! We thought you could help us get our cutiemarks." Sweetie Belle gave a big, wide smile. The other two had quickly joined Sweetie at her sides, putting on their best looks of supplication.
"Can you help us find out our special talent?" They all asked in unison.
Once again, Luna wasn't quite listening. She was internally seething at her sister. Not because of the crusaders but because she'd been, again, cut out of important events. The Elements of Harmony had proven to be up to the task of solving most any crises, but that did not help her annoyance. Most infuriating was that Celestia was almost, inevitably, proven right, which made arguing with her older sister that much more difficult. This was the Sombra situation all over again. Luna had wanted to go far north and blast the evil unicorn back into oblivion, like they'd done in the days of old. That Ragnarök was that much more personal made being not consulted all the more aggravating.
After a few seconds Luna let out a sigh, letting go of her anger. Settling old scores were far less important compared to averting catastrophe. It would just be bothersome to deal with that constant, faintly smug, superior attitude that always pervaded around her sister whenever her plans worked out perfec-.
"Your brother is here?" Luna asked, suddenly recalling a particular detail of Applebloom's story. She remembered that there was indeed an older sibling of the Element of Honesty, though they'd hardly spoken before.
Applebloom nodded. "Big Macintosh was gonna stay with Granny Smith, but then we got a letter from my uncle Applestrudel wantin her to come visit. Big Mac was about to stay at the farm all by his lonesome till Applejack told him he had to come along with us."
Now Luna was intrigued for an entirely different reason, even the end of the world could possibly wait given this revelation. "Hopefully he does not become...bored while he is by himself," she commented after a few seconds of consideration. Internally her mind was abuzz, trying to work out how the new variable fit into the puzzle. The Elements for Ragnarök, these three for her, and Big Macintosh for....what?
The trio of fillies couldn't follow her developing train of thought and so collectively looked at her in confusion. "Big Macintosh ain't really the type to get bored. He likes to spend lots of time out in the fields workin'. Applejack says he takes after our pa that way," Applebloom answered her musing, looking at her friends for support.
Sweetie Belle had been wandering around the room, clearly scoping out the various ancient artifacts of a millennium ago. "Besides, he's got Princess Celestia to keep him company," was her offhand comment while inching towards a vase.
"I suppose that is true enough..." Luna was already anticipating the need to protect her property. That particular piece of pottery was likely worth more than Sweetie Belle could make in a lifetime. But lifting it up and out of the way seemed less important when she wound what had been said back through her head.
Had Celestia really conspired to be alone all night with a stallion?
That thought seemed almost absurd. Her pure, perfect, older sister? But that was certainly how it appeared. Luna was aware of some of the rumors about the proclivities of the Royal Alicorn Sisters. Embarrassingly they seemed to have been caused in part by Luna's own indiscretions before her fall into darkness. (Relative) adolescence and a light schedule at night had meant a half dozen would-be suitors of various seriousness over decades. Now they were just persistent, old jokes that had transferred onto Celestia. It was likely not helped by most of the Royal Guard appearing to be composed of nothing but buff, handsome stallions.
Now that Luna thought about it there was nothing necessarily wrong with her sister wanting companionship. It was even something to be applauded, though Luna knew nothing at all about this 'Big Macintosh'. Surely he couldn't be so bad if Celly liked him. The most amusing thing was that her older sister had made such a glaring mistake in letting these three know. Her discrete little plan unraveled by a filly. Finally, finally! Luna had something to tease her sister about. In a few hours, after the CMC dropped off into sleep, Celestia would come by for a bit of lighthearted ribbing concerning the whole situation. Now Luna had real, actual ammunition to fire back with.
There was a terrible noise of shattering ceramic, Luna snapping her head to see a sheepish Sweetie Belle and the remnants of the priceless vase all over the floor. "Oops, sorry Princess."
Deep breath, don't get upset. It was only ancient. "Its....quite alright Sweetie Belle. Just be more careful in the future." Luna could be magnanimous now with her thoughts in order and teasing her sister to look forward to. Though she had to somehow convince these three that bed was preferable to late night chaos.
"Say, Princess Luna? Ain't the moon suppose to be up by now?" Applebloom and Scootaloo were still on her bed, which gave them a clear view out her window into the dark, moonless night.
In all of the excitement Luna had completely forgotten her primary duty. A late moonrise was hardly cause for alarm, though eventually ponies were bound to notice if it didn't arrive at all. "You are quite right, Applebloom and Scootaloo. Get thee back whilst I attend to the raising of the Moon."
Usually Luna did not have an audience when she did this, nor did she technically need to even be outside to do so. Still, welcoming each night with the moon as its constant companion held a special place in her heart. She stood in front of the window, gazing out into the open air which was certainly darker without her namesake. With a steady, deep breath and her eyes closing the Princess of the Night centered herself. Her wings became unfurled, stretching out to their full span while she widened her stance. Focus became power, her horn suddenly alight with its dark blue aura.
There it was, as always just beyond and underneath the horizon, waiting for her beckoning call. Harmony itself was the rule of the world, the natural ebbs and flows of magic had been askew with the Moon and Sun occupying the same relative positions. Far more attuned than her subjects, Luna felt more at ease once the pale waning gibbous began to emerge. Soon it would be a full moon, she wanted to plan a small celebration in honor of it. Perhaps she could make a regular occurrence, surely once a month was not unreaso-
There was a small pony on top of her head.
Luna had been so utterly transfixed inside the little ritual of raising the Moon that she had failed to realize that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had begun to move. Apparently they'd wanted a better look at what she'd been doing, for not only was there a pony on her head but there were two more hanging off of her neck.. Luna opened her eyes, tilting her head up just enough to see Scootaloo perched atop her mane, holding lightly onto Luna's horn for support.
"That was really cool!" The little orange filly enthused, grinning down at her.
Sweetie Belle was on her right, coming slightly into her peripheral vision. "Can you make it move anywhere you want? How far away is it?"
"I think Miss Cheerilee once told us how far away the Moon is." Applebloom added from the left, speaking almost directly into Luna's ear. "Is it made out of cheese?"
"Children..." Luna began, growing exasperated. Apparently her effort to make friends with ponies was paying dividends, to the point where these three were evidently utterly fearless of her. Being touched and stood upon was something new, though. She'd have preferred something more in the middle, royal edicts could hardly be enforced with due respect if a pony considered you the next best thing to a chair.
"Hey! Princess Luna, you're pretty big. Do you think you could fly us around Canterlot?" Scootaloo, wobbling atop Luna's head did her best to lean down to be face to upside down face. The filly made a poor hat but her weight wasn't enough to particularly bother Luna, and shaking her off would be slightly impolite.
"I don't-"
Sweetie Belle cut her off, leaning off her neck and waving a hoof for attention "That would be awesome!"
Luna was not about to fly around with three fillies on her back and certainly not in front of half of the city. She was a serious princess with royal duties to attend to! But...looking at the three, who were still hanging onto her, Luna had a feeling that a 'no' would only net her the dreaded 'puppy dog look'. Even an immortal alicorn princess could not long endure pouts like that; another strategy would be needed.
"Would you not rather pursue thy destiny? We have seen many cutiemarks in our time, perhaps we could be of some assistance?"
A second after she'd finished speaking Luna realized that she'd essentially cornered herself into foal sitting the three. What hope did she have outmaneuvering her sister when she couldn't even manipulate three fillies? It was far, far too late to take it back, however, as the trio were quickly brought back to their original goal. Atleast Luna had solved one issue, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had collectively hopped off of their Princess and started to push her towards the door.
"Can you show us the armory? I bet we could get Royal Guard Cutiemarks!" That was Scootaloo, pressing her head on one of her back legs.
"Cutiemark Crusader Royal Guards! Yay!" At incredibly high volume they echoed their agreement in unison, Luna was worried about her hearing if they made a habit of that.
While being hustled, much to her attempted protests, Luna worked to hide a smile. Loud, bossy and aggravating that they could be, the three girls pushing her down towards the armory sparkled with unrestrained energy and enthusiasm for everything. It was hard not to be caught up in some of that, royal duties could wait. It was late anyway, surely the Cutiemark Crusaders would tire themselves out and drop off to bed quickly.
Apparently that sentiment was wishful thinking on Luna's part.
"Children! Do not!-" The entire rack of spears had tipped itself over, Scootaloo saved from impalement only by Luna's timely intervention.
"Sorry!" The pegasus filly said, not sounding particularly sorry as she now had a spear to look at up close.
"Engarde!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were now having a sword fight, with real swords.
Both were pulled quite quickly out of their mouths, collecting up in a telekentic aura with the spear.
It was baffling that the two looked upset at her, as if she'd done something wrong. "These are not toys, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Thy very lives could have been lost if-."
"Hey guys, this stuff is heavy but so cool!" Not content with inspecting weaponry, Scootaloo had tried to fit herself in a set of battle armor. Most of it was laughably too big for her, the helmet hanging over her eyes.
That effectively saved Sweetie and Applebloom from their scolding, now they were fitting armor on and excitedly giggling while doing so.
Princess Luna could already see the enormous mess forming throughout the large armory. She couldn't take her eyes off of the three for even a second, lest they maim themselves. Luna already had her doubts at the chances of getting things cleaned, odds were that the CMC's brand of cleaning would only leave a bigger mess. The Captain of the Guard was unlikely to be very happy with her tomorrow when they came back to find their equipment everywhere.
Without the light emanating from Luna's horn they would have been completely enveloped in utter darkness. As it was it was still difficult to see around them.
"Cutiemark Crusader Dungeon Keepers! Yay!"
"We have already explained to you, there are no dungeons in Canterlot. We are leading you to the crystal caves, deep underneath the castle."
"Oh...not to be rude Princess but that doesn't sound very interesting."
"Not interesting? The caves are ancient, formed from time immemorial. They have a beauty that can barely be measured and are helpful in augmenting magic. It is why we built Canterlot here."
"...But how would we get a cutiemark out of that?"
"We had thought you might want to see it, and so that you stopped destroying the armory and training room."
"Aw, but we didn't mean to break that training dummy!"
...
"Princess Luna? Are you sure you've never kept any prisoners down here?"
A heavy sigh. "Yes, I am quite sure. Though perhaps it is not too late to start."
Compared to the stifling underground caverns deep beneath Canterlot the nighttime air was positively chilly. A faint breeze rustled the leaves while the noise of nocturnal creatures provided the Royal Canterlot Gardens a relaxing background atmosphere. Luna could pick out the sound of crickets, owls and even the rustle of bat wings. She couldn't help but give a contended sigh, awash in her element.
"Hey Scootaloo, ah' bet the headless pony lives here." Of course one of the three had to disrupt the moment, this time Applebloom.
Scootaloo glared at her friend. "I already told you, I'm not scared of the headless pony anymore."
"Uhuh, if ya' say so."
Sweetie Belle nudged Luna before the Princess could tell either of the other two to stop picking at each other, for about the sixteenth time. "Princess Luna, why are we in the gardens? We already tried to get our gardener cutiemarks before."
"Yeah," Scootaloo interjected, "and we tried to get our animal caretaker cutiemarks too, Fluttershy wasn't too happy about that."
Applebloom rolled her eyes. "I swear it ain't as hard when I'm on the farm. Then again Fluttershy doesn't got that many farm animals."
Truthfully Luna had no ideas for cutiemarks. She'd given up after a number of suggestions. They'd evidently tried, and failed, to be bakers; had no interest in being scribes, nor becoming lawyers. Now Luna's only hope was to lead the CMC around the palace, praying silently that they'd get tired with all the walking. It didn't seem to be working.
"Perhaps thy destiny lies in...observing the stars?"
The three were giving her a deadpan look, obviously not buying her suggestion. "Twilight already tried to get us to do that. Then she got mad when we broke her telescope."
Astronomy was definitely not their strong suit then. "Oh, well how about-"
Luna was cut off by Scootaloo, who'd turned to look at the other two. "Hey lets play Night Fright!"
Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle evidently liked that idea. "That's an awesome idea! Princess Luna should be 'it'," they both started looking around the woods, rather intently.
Luna simply stared at the three, having no idea what they were talking about. "Pray tell, children. What is 'Night Fright?' and why are we 'it'?"
Scootaloo looked surprised that Luna had never heard of the game. "Oh, well it's like hide and seek. Except instead of looking for us we try and scare you!"
"Scare me?" That didn't sound either likely or all that much fun. Princess Luna was hardly afraid of the dark and could even be thought of as rather scary on her own. Her subjects had even made an entire holiday based around the idea of her alter-ego threatening to eat them. "Children I don't think-"
The three fillies had started to whisper amongst themselves, Sweetie Belle looking her way when she'd started to protest. "Aw come on Princess Luna, it'll be fun. But you have to promise not to cheat with any magic, that wouldn't be fair."
"We would not dream of bringing dishonor on ourselves by cheating." After a second of thought Luna finally let out a sigh. "I suppose if it is...fun, that we can comply with at least one game. But afterwards you must go to bed."
The three nodded at that. "Alright!" Applebloom agreed. "But the game only ends if we scare ya or we give up! Oh, you got to tell us if you're scared or not and wanna surrender."
"Or if you find us!" Sweetie Belle was actually giggling, clearly excited. Luna was now having her doubts she'd ever get the trio to sleep and out of her mane.
"Very well, when does this game begin?"
"Right now! Scootaloo, ya want to start us off?" Applebloom turned to the pegasus filly and was grinning ear to ear.
Scootaloo only nodded, Luna watching them closely in curiosity. She'd expected them to ask her to turn around and count to some number, Luna certainly knew the rules to hide and seek. Instead, Scootaloo only reached down and picked up a rock. Now Princess Luna was more than a little confused, and only more so when the rock was thrown towards her; landing a few feet behind and to her right.
Turning her head to look for where the rock went, Luna finally voiced her confusion. "We do not understand what that-." By the time she'd turned around all three were completely gone. Vanished, without so much as a trace. Luna had to admit to being a bit startled at that, it only had to have been a few seconds.
"I suppose we are started then..."
For the next twenty minutes Princess Luna spent her time wandering the darkness of the royal gardens. Try as she might there was not so much as a hint of any of the three. If they were nearby at all it was amazing that they could be so quiet and still. Having circled through the area for the third time the expectation of the fillies jumping out and trying to startle her was mounting. But still it didn't come, Luna couldn't help but frowning at her predicament.
Not on her life was she going to allow three young ponies to scare her, not for real. It was silly to even imagine, the Princess of the Night being scared by shadows and something jumping out at her. It was a remarkably well thought out tactic though, to simply wait and let her own imagination get the better of her. Well Luna was not going to fall for it. The trio had made an obvious error, they hadn't said a word about where she could go.
Confident that she'd found a proper out, Luna turned her head up high and began to stride towards the palace at last. Ha! Surely they would give up now, or most likely complain that she'd somehow cheated. Then Luna could argue them into going to bed. But that didn't happen either, Luna passed into her dimly lit throne room without incident.
Her pair of guards did not shift at her arrival except to salute. As usual there appeared to be no late night petitioners for court. Though this time it was entirely possible that they had gone home when she failed to appear. Checking the time revealed that Luna was three hours behind schedule, it was past midnight even. Luna bid her guards a goodnight, though they would stay up until their shift was over, and made her way towards her private study.
The study was also completely normal; stacks of books and shelves of dusty scrolls. The paperwork of running Equestria was enormous, despite their subjects being generally so self sufficient. In the interest of avoiding large, unwieldy bureaucracies, much of the work of a continent spanning country was handled directly by both of the royal sisters. With a comparatively easier schedule, Luna took on the greater share of work. Since her return from banishment the turn around on requests and reports from every corner of Equestria had been shortened quite considerably. A few passing servants had even remarked to Luna that they'd never known Princess Celestia to have free time, and were suitably thankful that Luna was back to help make that happen.
Lighting the half dozen candles placed in her office, Luna smiled at the memory of that. It gave her something to take some pride in. She'd made a vow to herself never to return to the bitterness and anger that had afflicted her before. Even though her life hadn't changed that much compared to before becoming the Nightmare the new perspective, and occasional reminders of appreciation, had been more than enough for her.
Sitting down at her desk at the opposite end of the room and unrolling a scroll, Princess Luna was suddenly struck with the notion that technically she was still playing 'Night Fright'. Unless the CMC had given up and went to bed without telling her, which sounded unlikely, they were still trying to scare her. They could even be right behind....the hair on the back of Luna's neck was standing up on end. She'd neglected to close the door, foolish, and now she couldn't help but feel like someone, or someones, were now in the room.
Slowly, with a touch of dread, Luna began to turn.
"Hello, dear sister. Enjoying the night?"
Startled, Luna couldn't help but let out a surprised yell and jumped at the sight of her sister. Celestia was sitting rather calmly at the other end of the room, sipping at a cup of steaming tea. Luna couldn't help noticing the smug grin on her face.
An eyebrow rose, the grin widened at her jump. "I'm sorry, Lulu, did I scare you?"
If you yell at her it'll only make her more amused that she got you. Let her win this round. "We simply expected it to be....somepony else," was her terse reply, unable to help giving a small glare at her older sister.
"Ah, was this 'somepony else' the Cutiemark Crusaders by any chance? I did wonder what they were up to when they asked for the keys to your room and the blueprints of the castle."
Luna was staring at her now, unable to believe the feigned innocence masking so much obvious evil. "Surely you did not give them those things."
Celestia gave a helpless shrug. "They are very hard to say no to, I had no choice."
"'No choice', naturally." Luna layered on a touch of sarcasm, rolling her eyes. "I seem to recall that they had the idea of coming to visit me by your suggestion. It is remarkable that such little fillies can have that much energy."
Again, her sister only smiled brightly at her. Obviously she was quite amused by the success of her plan. "It sounds like you had quite the fun night."
Now it was Luna's turn to smile, though hers was more predatory. Her sister had just completely opened herself up. "We suppose it was rather enjoyable at times. Though, I can't say it was likely as much fun as yours was."
"Mine?" Curiously, her sisters affected surprise was more genuine looking.
Luna wasn't about to let her off the hook that easily though, playing dumb was not going to stop her from having her own small victory at teasing. "A fine plan you had organized for the evening. The Elements ready and on cue to deploy against the Fate. Your party, inviting some of their family to help mask the coincidence of it all."
After a seconds pause Celestia lowered her teacup, a little frown on her face. "Luna, I am sorry that I did not tell you. I know that the issue is still likely personal for you. I have thought about how to handle the Twilight for many years. None of them would listen to us if we went, it would be fighting and the end of all we love. The Elements have the best chance of settling, or at least postponing, the bloodshed."
Luna held up a hoof to stop her from speaking any further. "It is alright, dear sister. We are not angry. Though in the future you should have some faith in us. If you had explained it like that I would have come to accept your judgement. Of course that was not all I was getting at..." That predatory smile flashed again, knowing that the moment was all too soon in coming.
"Oh?" Celestia actually seemed a bit surprised at that, whether for Luna letting being manipulated pass so easily or that she had something else. Perhaps she had not anticipated that Luna would even find out, making it all the more entertaining.
"Indeed." Luna stood, beginning to slowly pace for a touch of the dramatic. "Thy invitation of family was not only to mask your first purpose. The Cutiemark Crusaders who came along were also there for me."
Her sister nodded, conceding the point. "I think over the week or so it takes the crisis to be resolved you'll find them entertaining to interact with. If you were interested I had some ideas for tomorrow and the next day."
It was a tempting idea, to a certain degree. But going down that line of conversation would take too long and spoil the careful buildup that she'd been preparing for.
Luna waved a hoof dismissively. "Perhaps later. However, dear sister. I have discovered the final part of your plan. Not as discretely hidden as I may have expected. I suppose it could not be helped, with a whole week it would have been impossible to hide. To be honest I am surprised you are even here and not away, celebrating your success."
Instead of the reaction she'd expected, her sister perhaps blushing and looking away, Celestia only looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, Luna. What final part?"
Feeling a bit of confusion herself, Luna persisted. "Now now, dear sister. There is no sense in denials. It was Applebloom, sister of the Element of Honesty who was your undoing. For she also has a brother, who is here in the castle as well."
Now Celestia was frowning, setting the tea she'd been about to take another drink from down with a noticeable clink. "Yes, he is...what are you trying to imply?"
Was her older sister now angry at her? Surely it couldn't be because she found out. With a bit of caution Luna pressed forward, feeling curiosity at the unusual reaction. "You have arranged for this Big Macintosh to be in the castle, for a week. I have seen him from afar, though never spoken with him. He appeared to be rather attractive. I am not upset, far from it. To be honest I was glad to know-"
"Luna, I do not like your insinuation." There was a surprising amount of harshness in her voice, some nerve had evidently been touched. "I had no ulterior motives there, his arrival at the party was a surprise to me."
Not only was she angry, but she was curt. Teasing her older sister was clearly off the table. But Luna couldn't help but notice how quickly Celestia had avoided commenting on anything about being attracted to Big Mac, or the idea in general. She hadn't laughed it off, either. Very curious.
There had been a short pause, the two sisters looking at one another. Luna was thinking of how best to proceed, hopefully without her older sister storming out. "Sister...is it perhaps that you are...involved with another pony?"
Usually Celestia was the epitome of regal coolness, a mask of serene composure near impossible to fluster. It wasn't here, though, instead Luna saw her sister's jaw tighten and a flash of more annoyance building. "No, Luna. There is no other pony."
This went beyond even the presence of Applejack's older brother in the castle. Something harsh, raw and personal was wrong with her older sister. Regardless of whether it annoyed her more, Luna just couldn't let it drop. Celestia hadn't in their late night discussions following her return from banishment. It was a family duty, even beyond that of friendship.
"Celly," she had to be careful though, now moving closer and gently brushing against her older sister. The concern in her voice would hopefully soothe out some of the particularly ruffled feathers. "Please help me understand. Was there a pony...before my return? There is nothing wrong with admitting attraction, I myself have entertained a few suitors in the past as you may recall."
There was the same set, closed frown; the same frustration. Celestia only sighed, looking away. "I know you mean well. But no, Luna, there has been no pony. Ever. Nor do I have the time for something distracting like that at the moment or in the future."
Luna knew she was openly gawking at her sister. Never? Her sister had always been the responsible one, all but married to her assumed duties. But even after a thousand years of her absence? Immortality was an issue, certainly, Luna had known heartbreak when she'd outlived the very few she had dear to her. Some of that had contributed to her fall, closing herself off from the world. But that did not mean you avoided those mortal.You were suppose to cherish and value each passing moment with those you loved, not close yourself off.
"You have never felt attraction to another? Not once?" she spoke softly, feeling a bit sad even with the revelation.
Sadness was not a feeling Celestia evidently felt for her own situation, though, looking at her steadily. "Again, no. Not the attraction you are speaking of. I feel affection and love for all of our subjects, but I am their Princess. Their needs far outweigh my own and there is always a great deal of work. Though, I have not known that sort of need, either, so it is a moot point. Please, little sister, do not be so concerned. I am happy that you are with me, I could not ask for more."
That was small comfort, Luna was filled with a tumult of emotions inside of her all at once. Concern and a bit of anger even directed towards herself. Celestia would never blame her for becoming Nightmare Moon, or leaving her alone to run Equestria that entire time. None of that helped the slight guilt Luna could feel. Just because her older sister hid it well did not mean she was without needing help from time to time.
At the very least she should try again. "But sister, the work is split now. There is less for you to worry about with me taking on my old duties. The servants say you even have moments of leisure. Is that not true?"
"It is...I have not had free moments in many years, unless I planned for them," She admitted. "And I am very grateful for that, little sister." Celestia smiled at her then, the usual bright one she favored. Luna couldn't help wondering now if it was truly genuine or just born out of endless practice. Smiling would make others smile, usually.
They were actually fairly close to one another, not quite touching, but it was an intimate enough moment. "Suppose you were attracted to another..." Luna returned to the original topic, refusing to believe that her older sister had no potential for romance. "You are not opposed to the idea completely are you?"
Clearly Celestia must have been hoping that the matter was dropped, or moved elsewhere. After a moments sigh her sister relented. "I suppose anything is possible. But again, the needs of-"
"Managing Equestria is easier now, as you said. I would be happy to even take part of your daytime duties, if you need me to." Luna could even see this being a good thing for herself. It would help her meet more ponies than the guards and occasional night owls.
For a change it appeared she'd put her sister on the defensive, Celestia giving a slightly pained smile. "I don't believe I exactly said that, though. There is still plenty to do."
While true, Luna wasn't about to get into whether she was ready for taking on some of the daytime work. Instead she decided to charge ahead. "If anything is possible, what about this Big Macintosh? Hm? He seems nice...handsome," she was probing now. Luna actually was rather entertained by the idea of playing matchmaker for her sister, but she had no idea what Celestia found attractive.
Looking like she'd rather not be having this conversation, her older sister gave another little sigh. "Yes, I suppose he is. But I know nothing about him, speaking to him earlier this evening was...unusual." Even Celestia didn't look like she was quite sure herself, her words coming slowly and cautiously.
"Oh? Unusual?" That was something at least, the start of a conversation. Obviously Luna would have to drag her sister kicking and screaming through it, though.
"He is a very silent pony. It was difficult to..." Celestia paused, thinking on the right word, "read him. He didn't seem bothered by being alone. Or what the rest of his stay in Canterlot would be like. Usually I can figure what one of our subjects is like, what they might want, very quickly." With her wings, Celestia gave a helpless shrug.
Personally Luna wasn't much for the strong and silent type herself, though her dating experience was a millennium out of time. At least Celestia hadn't completely ignored Big Mac, though it wasn't like he had to be 'the one' anyway. Perhaps the farmer would be good practice for her sister, he was leaving in a week anyway. "Perhaps you should learn about him then? Surely the great Princess Celestia does not give up so easily."
Her sister rolled her eyes at that, the attempt at manipulation a rather obvious one. "I never said I was interested in him. I do not believe it would be entirely proper for me to engage in that sort of relationship with one of our subjects either."
Just when Luna thought she'd been making progress at warming her older sister up to the idea. "Big sister, most everypony is one of our subjects. This apple farmer is not one of our servants, he does not take orders or pay from you. He is an adult, and it appears that you do not overawe him with thy regal presence. I said learn about him, perhaps there is more than meets the eye about this stallion. There can be no risk, surely you are not afraid of a relationship." It was her best effort at convincing her, the conversation nearly at an end anyway. Celestia would be going to bed, the time nearing towards two in the morning now.
"Perhaps..." Celestia finally admitted, not looking entirely convinced. It was enough, Luna could see that she had at least considered it for a moment. There could be future efforts later. If it was not stallions her sister was interested in then Luna could begin suggesting mares. Or perhaps not even ponies, there were dragons of equal size to their forms. Dragons had the advantage of longevity, as well. Equestria and beyond had many intelligent beings, surely one was capable of giving her older sister a measure of personal happiness and companionship.
They exchanged a few more minutes of conversation after that. The topic had shifted to the more mundane; paperwork and the business of running Equestria. Following a suppressed yawn, Celestia rose and enveloped her in a hug of her wings. They nuzzled one another warmly and then parted, Luna bidding her sister a good night. Then the Sun Princess was gone, leaving for bed.
With a sigh, Luna turned back to her desk. There was a lot on her mind; the insight into her older sister's personal life, or more accurately the lack of one, was very troubling. Luna had fallen into darkness by feelings of being alone, the shadow of isolation having turned her thoughts to hurt and a desire to spread that hurt. It almost appeared like Celestia was the opposite. Her sister was never alone, always working and often the very center of attention. But the attention was for the sake of others, that seemingly endless charity. Much like the sun, if put in poetic terms. But Luna worried about the risk that her sister might one day burn out.
She wouldn't let the same sort of fate befall Celestia as it had her. No, now that she had caught the problem Luna would endeavor to fix it on her behalf. Fortunately it had been caught relatively early. There was time, plenty of time, to do things right. She owed it to her older sister, she gave so much freely and expected almost nothing in return. But first there was paperwork to do.
The scratch of her quill was the only sound for a few minutes, the candles set for many hours of work with just the right amount of illumination to get things done. A light breeze moved across the window pane, the sound of wind chimes pleasant to think about. The solitude didn't bother Luna now, not when she had real things to enjoy with ponies dear to her. That same light breeze had produced a draft down the hallway, for Luna heard the gentle creak of the hinges of her office door.
Suddenly she froze, her eyes going wide as she remembered an oh so important detail. With dread, Luna began to slowly turn herself around for the second time that night and look behind her.
Nothing, the room was empty as far as she could see. With a sigh of relief she got up and began to trot towards the open door. Her horn lit for a brief moment, the door closing and then locking for good measure. If the Cutiemark Crusaders were still out there they would have a difficult time entering her office. Luna decided that it would be best if she simply remained in here the entire night. If anyone needed her she'd open the door, provided they answer through the wood to identify themselves. Not that she was scared of the three fillies, of course not. She simply wanted to win their little game.
For good measure she made a point of making a inspection of the locked office, still empty. She still couldn't forget the eerie way they'd all but vanished out of sight. "We are being foolish," she chided herself. The rest of the night passed thankfully without incident, more than a few minutes being spent dwelling on the question of her sister.