As the last book glided into place amongst the shelves, cementing an accomplished task, Twilight smiled and let go of her spell. Her horn dimmed, allowing the burning candle to be the sole provider of light. Twilight sighed and sat on the floor. She closed her eyes for a moment. As her breath and heartbeat calmed down from over an hour of holding books in the air for bookshelf arrangements, Twilight exhaled with a smile. It may have taken longer than expected, but the clean and organized shelves spoke for themselves. It was a job well done.
Twilight glanced out her window. A ray of moonlight illuminated her mane as she leaned back in her relaxation. Luna’s effervescent night had graced Equestria once more, and much like the energy that reflected off of the moon, Twilight found that she wasn’t ready for bed just yet.
The day seemed to pass her by. Chore after chore had accrued on her to-do list, and while some would say she had no choice but to do them, Twilight liked to think of it in a different way. It was her duty. Twilight extended her wings and straightened herself. She was a proud princess of Equestria. While her royal duties may have taken up her entire day, tomorrow carried less weight. She could have a little fun, sleep in, and wake up to her friends.
Now that tomorrow was planned out, what of today? What would she do in order to wind down? Twilight blew out her candle and projected light into her horn as she cleaned up the last of her organization supplies. Cross referencing guides and the like hovered onto shelves and in their correct place. Twilight paused as she stepped backwards onto a sticky note. “I thought I put you away,” she muttered as she raised her hind hoof and peeled the paper off. Without thinking, she placed the note onto her forehead for safe keeping and finished cleaning up her living room. She passed a glance at the small mirror on her end table and smiled as she noticed how silly she looked. The note was in perfect symmetry upon her forehead, as if the horn could part right down the middle. Even when she wasn’t thinking, she aimed for perfection.
With a small laugh, Twilight peeled the note off of her forehead and placed it on the table near her bookshelf. Her quill levitated over to her and dipped in an open bottle of ink before it pressed to the paper. “Don’t leave adhesive quadrilaterals on the floor, Twilight,” she wrote upon the note. “It’s worse than bathroom tissue on the hoof.”
Twilight pressed the note against her table and lightly nodded once she affirmed that it wasn’t going anywhere. The remaining pad of notes hovered nearby her as she passed another glance at the mirror. With a smile, she pulled another note from the pad and stuck it on her mouth. She sucked in her lips, pretending that she was given a muzzle before she blew the note off. She laughed, but paused as she looked right out the window, as if given a new mission, a new task in life. Her telekinetic grip flicked the sticky notes like a book before she closed her eyes and focused. It wasn’t part of her duties, but by Celestia it was going to be fun. With a small pop, Twilight disappeared from her room and materialized in a familiar hallway.
The scintillating stained glass behind her provided a perfect spotlight. The rainbow of colors shot down upon her, radiating her coat as she squeaked at the sound of hoof steps. She looked around her. The hallway seemed to be nothing but decorations, nothing to hide behind. If anyone found her, it would spoil the fun! What looked to be the same light coming from Twilight’s horn was moving around the corner, and she began to think fast. Twilight looked to the wall and saw a decorative suit of armor. Without much else thought, she tossed her weapons of mass destruction into the suit and followed suit, no pun intended. She grunted and moved her hips to try and slide through until the suit engulfed her completely. Her head hit the crotch of the metal, knocking the mouthguard back down into place.
Twilight held her breath as the suit was slowly illuminated by the guard’s horn, but relief flooded through her as the hoofsteps passed her and finally turned a corner. She smiled. She was safe for now, and the mission was still on. But what was the next plan? Twilight was in the suit completely backwards. Her hind hooves were bunched up behind the mouthguard, but still thankfully out of sight within only the moonlight. She began to wiggle, shaking her rump and body while she kicked the mouthguard open and began to slide out. The metal chafed at her fur and creaked with its sudden use after decades of neglect save for the occasional shine. The suit shifted side to side and fell, flipping upside down with Twilight on two hooves. With a growl of annoyance, she levitated the suit off of herself and set it back where it belonged, after she grabbed her weapons of course.
Twilight contemplated speeding up her escape by using her magic to rip the suit off of her, but decided that the sound that came with levitation could tip her off. With all of the disasters accumulating coincidentally every 26 days, Twilight was surprised that there wasn’t a guard in every hallway. Either way, for once, there was no more time for random thinking. It was time to act. Twilight creeped over to the doorway that the guard came out of and snuck a peek down the hallway. It was completely safe and sound, so Twilight pressed herself against the wall and snuck to the staircase at the end. After contemplating teleportation, Twilight shook that away as well. Where was the fun in that?
As Twilight ascended the final staircase up to her destination, she bent over to catch her breath. She inhaled softly, but exhaled in a huff upon seeing no guards at the doorway to Princess Luna’s room.
“Really?!” Twilight exclaimed as she looked ahead and behind her. She glanced down the staircase. “Nothing?!”
Nothing responded with its catchphrase: nothing. Twilight made a mental note to test the sound of alone trees falling later as she snuck up to the door and tested the knob. The door was unlocked, step one to her plan. Twilight opened the door and snuck inside, before shutting it behind her as softly as she could. Her smirk widened even more upon seeing that the Princess of the Night had switched shifts with Celestia, and was sleeping the night away. The Princess would pay for crossing her thoughts as much as she did. Twilight’s weapon was at the ready. She levitated the sticky notes over to the sleeping Luna as she stood near the edge of her bed. One note detached from the pad and Twilight raised her quill, but paused. Luna did not stir from her sleep. Her exhaustion would be her downfall. Twilight wrote “long horn” on the note and slowly levitated it over to Luna’s horn. With a light press, the note was now adhered to the bone and marked with Twilight’s pen. Step two was complete. Step three however would be much harder.
Note after note detached from the pad, each with a pause to make sure Luna didn’t wake up until seven were floating in the air. Twilight assaulted the notes with her quill.
“Crown”, “pretty mane”, “adorable ear”, “bib thing”, “pretty wings”, “neck”, and “cute hooves” adorned Luna’s body. Twilight’s horn dimmed and with it, her vision of her work. Luna was facing the door, so her moonlight unfortunately only illuminated the crown on her bedside table. Nevertheless, step three was complete. Her plan was a success.
Twilight snuck out the door and closed it behind her, deciding not to lock it in case some guards decided to selectively do their job. With a sigh of relief, Twilight walked to the end of the hallway and teleported out of the castle. She appeared back in her living room with a small pop and, upon noticing that Spike was still in bed, pumped her hoof in the air. The prank was complete, especially under the Pinkie Pie Prank Prules. Another mental note: add “prules” to the dictionary.
Twilight levitated the sticky notes, quill, and ink onto the table, deciding to put them away tomorrow. All of that sneaking around tired her out. She’d wonder how Pinkie managed to do it, but remembered that she gave up that battle long ago. The war was yet to be won with that mare. With Luna, it was a whole new war. She wondered if this is what the United Stallions felt like, but decided against thinking any further. She was tired, and it was bedtime.
Twilight shuffled up the steps, almost tripping over herself as she slowly opened her bedroom door and slid into bed. By the time Luna woke up, Twilight would be awake to prevent any sorts of shenanigans. Sure, she probably had to switch to a nocturnal sleep schedule to avoid ever being pranked in response, but it was a small price to pay so that she was not be beat in a prank war! Except by Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, and Princess Celestia.
“Fourth time’s the charm?” Twilight wondered as her head hit the pillow. It didn’t take much for her to fall asleep.
~~~
“PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
She was already awake, but the boom of thunder helped Twilight jump out of bed and quickly onto her hooves. She didn’t even know what woke her up, but the sound came from her window.
“Twilight, come quick!” Spike yelled as he ran up the staircase, pointing behind him at the front door. “It’s Nightmare Moon!”
Twilight’s eyes widened and she gasped. Her stomach tightened in fear as she nodded and grabbed a saddlebag with her magic. An evil laugh resonated through the house, shaking the wood beneath Twilight’s hooves as she dashed out the door and looked up at the sky. What used to be a safe haven of overcast clouds was now swirling and moulding into a devilish maelstrom of epic proportions. Like a hurricane in the sky, the “eye” of the clouds slowly extended, forming a small cone that the former Princess Luna stepped out of. She hovered in the air with a flap of her powerful wings and laughed again while Twilight gaped in awe.
“Nightmare Moon… you’re back.” Twilight stood her ground, gritting her teeth as she pushed Spike behind her. “Leave Ponyville alone! I’m the one who summoned you, so deal with me!”
Nightmare Moon laughed and raised a hoof. “Oh, I plan to, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she said with a smirk that showed off her fangs, ready to rend flesh. “You are the only one I want, after all.”
Twilight stepped forward and spread her wings. Her face remained neutral, not wanting to show any fear as she rose into the air, on the same level as her adversary. Her horn glowed and she smirked. “You know as well as I do that I’ve gotten more powerful since we’ve last met. If you threaten Equestria, I’ll show you the might of the Rainbow Power!”
Nightmare Moon merely smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Rainbow Power? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Are you cheating on the Elements of Harmony again?” she asked.
Twilight’s face flooded with color and she shook her head. “N-no! I would never cheat!” she admitted.
“Twilight!” Pinkie yelled.
Twilight looked down to see her friends, all grouped in a circle and glowing with magic. Nightmare Moon seemed to let down her guard as she passed a glance to the ponies down below, and Twilight knew that this was her chance. She dive-bombed downward, hooves extended as her mane grew in length and her legs began to glow with their previous seals of power. As her hooves met the dirt in the middle of her friend’s circle, the energy exploded outwards. A rainbow shot out of the circle and extended towards Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon gasped as she met eyes with Twilight, who stared up at her as the power did its work.
“NO!” Nightmare Moon yelled until the Rainbow Power silenced her. The power twisted around her and she extended a hoof in defiance, until it was surrounded with more energy and pushed into one mass. The ball of energy shrunk a few inches before it popped, revealing Princess Luna. The power subsided, letting Princess Luna go, but she didn’t seem to be using her wings.
Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw Luna accelerate. Without thinking, she shot into the sky, barely catching Princess Luna by the wing before she lowered the both of them to the ground. Luna had no sticky notes on her, but there were scratches and chafes on her fur that Twilight didn’t remember her having.
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said with a cough and a smile.
“Please, don’t worry about it, Luna.” Twilight placed Luna back onto her hooves and sighed. “As long as you are yourself, Equestria is safe.”
“I didn’t know that my spirit could be triggered so easily. Perhaps I need a visit or two more from the therapist before I resume my duties.” Luna looked up at the clouds as they began to dissipate into the overcast mess that it was. She laughed. “Celestia is not going to appreciate that.”
“I’m sure she will get over it,” Twilight muttered with her own laugh. “I’m sure what you’ve done in your pranks with her has been wor—”
“Think fast!”
She didn’t think fast enough. Luna pressed a sticky note right onto Twilight’s nose and smiled as she spit out the makeshift vampony teeth that she used at the last Nightmare Night. Twilight crossed her eyes to read, “adorkable” as the tag.
She fell for the prank.
“UGH! I KNEW IT!” Twilight said as she slumped and sat on the dirt. Her friends caught up to the both of them and Pinkie giggled as she noticed Twilight’s sticky note.
“Um, Twilight, you have something on your face,” Fluttershy said.
“I know, I’m leaving it there as a memento of my defeat,” Twilight replied as she pouted. “You cheated, Luna! You’re not allowed to turn into Equestria’s Doomsday for a prank!”
Luna blinked. “Since when was that a stipulation?”
“Right here!” Pinkie said as she brought out an old, dusty tome with Pinkie’s cutie mark emblazoned on the front. The book exhaled a cloud of dust as she opened it to the only page with writing in it. “Rule number 3: ‘Never use yourself as an Equestrian Doomsday Device to set your prank in motion. That’s cliched, bro’.”
Luna rolled her eyes and smiled. “Fine, fine. You win this battle, Twilight Sparkle. I’m still surprised you were so anxious to show me the Rainbow Power anyway. I could have just been wanting you for myself for other reasons.” Her smile turned into a smirk.
Twilight’s cheeks flooded with color again and she looked away. “It’s a force of habit, Luna,” she replied with a tinge of embarrassment. “We’ve had more enemies than Elements since we got them. Plus, I couldn’t lose you.”
Luna’s smirk softened as she removed Twilight’s sticky note, and kissed her. Both mares held the kiss for a minute, before Luna pulled back and winked. “You’ll never lose me, I promise you that.”
Twilight’s face brightened more, but she didn’t mind. Rarity cooed and pressed a hoof to her cheek. “Ooh such love! I wish I could play games like that with my lover!”
Spike rolled his eyes. “I wonder when you’ll find someone that can,” he muttered under his breath while Applejack chuckled and stepped forward.
“Nice to see you two are doing well, Your Highness's,” she said, “shall we leave you alone?”
Luna shook her head. “Nay, I must be going off to pursue the royal duties anyway. This was my personal break for today.” She looked to Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, would you like to join me for lunch in a few hours?”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “No pranks?”
Luna blinked. “Oh, nevermind then,” she said, before she winked again. “No pranks, only alone and quality time, in my room.”
“Ooh! Can we read?”
Luna, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow all collectively sighed while Twilight tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing!” the four responded, before Luna coughed and closed her eyes. She smiled.
“I love you, Twilight. Never forget that. I’ll see you at lunch. Good day,” Luna said before she took off into the sky.
“Bye, Luna!” Pinkie said as she waved and hopped. “I’ll send you a copy of the Pinkie Pie Pocket Prule… Prook? Twilight, can we put a new word in the dic—”
“No,” Twilight said as she let her mane fall over her face. She yawned and opened her door with magic as she walked towards it. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
“Night Twilight! Don’t forget to bring a rain coat!”
“Darling, that’s not for mares— nevermind.”
Twilight silenced the chatter with the door behind her as she shuffled to bed. She slid under the covers and smiled as she closed her eyes. Her horn glowed and Luna’s sticky note settled neatly on her vanity, on the edge of the mirror. A shame she didn’t think of that before. Now whenever she woke up, she had a bit of Luna for herself. As long as Twilight had Luna, she could sleep peacefully, and she did.