One lonely solar guard, one very bored and growing less and less patient for the day to begin. There was no mistaking the time that was said on his clock, his shift began 20 minutes ago. He has been at his post for that long, and he has yet to see the sun rise. They sometimes don't even see the break of dawn since the sun is already up by the time they arrive at their designated areas. They'd be lucky to get out a minute early to watch the magic. But this so-called morning has been confusing and frustrating for this guard. He has been staring off at the horizon to catch the sun as it rose for far too long. He had way too many questions. Some of which became answered when the princess of the moon launched herself off her balcony and face-planted down into the grass just a couple body lengths away.
The now panicked guard rushes to the princess' aid. "Your Highness!" Watching her lay motionless for a moment, he then shakes her side-to-side from her back to jostle her. "Are you okay?! Your Highness!"
The princess lifted her front legs and planted them down at her sides. She raises her torso up and proceeds to pull her mug out of the dirt like a weed. With a few quick motions, her face was freed and showing a surprisingly neutral expression. After shaking herself out of her dizziness, she begins to giggle. "Wow! I didn't feel a thing!"
The guard is noticeably confused. "Uh, I should hope so, Princess..."
Luna still seemed surprised at her unintentional feat; near the point where she almost didn't notice the guard behind her. She danced in place on her tip-toes. "This is so neat! I wonder what else I could do."
The guard felt it was best to question the state of the princess' mind later and instead try to get her focused. "Um, Princess Luna." She turns to listen to him with a child-like grin on her face. "I don't mean to butt in, but--"
Luna chuckles and cuts him off. "You said 'butt' twice." She takes a quick glance at his spear and gets an idea. "Ooh! I wanna try something!" She bows her head in front of the guard. "Hit me over the head with your spear! I wanna see if it'll break in half!"
The guard said nothing and just let his jaw drop. "Uuuuuuhhhh..."
"Come oooon!" The princess acted like an impatient filly, shaking her legs and making a somewhat pouting face. "If that didn't hurt," -she gestures to the pony-shaped hole she made in the ground- "this surely shouldn't!"
The guard had had enough. He dropped his expression to the point of frustration. Luna saw this as clearance to bow her head and close her eyes. Okay, This is ridiculous. At this point, he has all but given up. He lifts the blunt end of his spear and prepares to whack Luna over the head as she requested. Maybe if I hit her hard enough, she'll regain her senses.
He brings down his spear with tremendous force, but has it come to a sudden halt due to a familiar golden glow. His eyes shoot open and quickly realizes that Celestia is standing behind him. He instinctively assumes a military stance beside Luna and attempts to explain his actions. "Your sister's orders, Your Highness!"
Upon hearing the guard's acknowledgement of another certain pony being present, Luna opens her eyes and makes a sheepish grin at the sight of her unamused sister.
"...Believe it or not." The guard finished.
Celestia stood there with her eyes set on Luna. Normally she'd be angry at the guard for such a deed. But noticing how willingly Luna was going along with it, she quickly figured that the guard was right before having to hear him speak. "Actually, I do." Celestia returns the spear to the guard and beckons Luna to follow her back to her chambers. "Luna, come with me. We have some business to tend to."
'Bout time. The guard thought.
"Alright." The lunar princess uttered lightly in guilt. As Celestia flew up to return to her bedroom balcony, Luna tried to follow. Her wings did nothing but flop about at the sides and cause her to stumble and trip onto her face upon take-off.
Celestia sighs at the sight of her klutz of a sister failing to use her wings correctly. She magically snatches both sides of her flank from afar and carries her up into her chambers in a hilariously awkward position.
The guard stares in confusion at what has unfolded in front of him. With his eyes still glued open, breaking the effect of an otherwise stoic expression, he returns to his original post with spear in hoof. "Alright. Even though it has not even started yet, I think I've had enough morning for today..."
The royal fashionista arrives back in Celestia's bedroom with her half-and-half sister in humiliating tow.
Seeing her body being sorely mistreated caused Luna to grimace, and Celestia to giggle beside her. "Did she have to carry her with my royal flank in the air?" She forced through her teeth in embarrassment.
"Bringing back memories?" Celestia turned and smiled brightly to give her sister a hard time.
"It is now, thank you." The little filly replied.
Discord chuckled. "Oh-ho! It's nice to have the whole gang, finally."
"Oof!" Sweetie Belle grunts as she gets dropped on the floor. She is soon greeted by an unpleasant reflection. "Oh! Hi... Me."
Luna looks down at her misused body with disdain. "I understand that being the little filly you are, you're bound to treat your newfound alicorn abilities like a dream-come-true. But please, for both our sakes, could you try to disregard such feelings and act like an adult until further notice?"
Sweetie Belle quickly hops to her hooves and gives a sturdy stance and bow as an answer. "I'll do my best."
Luna sighs. "I suppose that's all I can ask of you."
Celestia walks up to the new owner of her body and pushes Discord away. "Speaking of which, what I would ask of you is to shift the day/night cycle."
Rarity begins to feel nervous. "What? Me?" She knew very well that the responsibility now rested with her, but simply possessing such power did not mean she knew how to use it. "I'm not too terribly sure I can. I mean... It's more than basic telekinesis after all. You know what?" After twiddling her hooves, she turns to Discord with a predatory look in her eyes. "Why don't we get him to do it instead?"
"What?! But I--" Discord quickly peters out his original thought and shifts gears, "...guess I'm in no position to talk back." He gives in and walks over to the balcony in compliance. Outside the sliding glass door, he casually claps his hands together twice and the moon instantaneously turned into its solar counterpart; no fancy show, it just "turns on". The jarring change in light caused a voice from down below to yell in grief about his eyes. A screeching crash heard from somewhere else caused another voice to call out about his leg.
Rarity and Celestia were busy discussing their plight. "I greatly apologize for this. I'm afraid this is partially my fault since I gave the bozo the idea..." Celestia buries her forehead in her hoof. "As well as permission, technically."
Rarity felt calmer than before. "You know? I think now that I have your power to back up my wealth of knowledge on making dresses, I should have no trouble at all at making those duplicates."
A light shined on in Celestia's head. "Duplicates?"
"Yes," Rarity replied. "I have to make 11 copies of 8 different designs I have already finalized. Making the the whole line from scratch is the hard part. I'm just worried about having the order completed on time because making so many of the same dress is more time-consuming than difficult."
Celestia began to smirk and rub her chin. "So you already have physical representations of all your designs?"
"Yes. One of each, all set up on mannequins."
"Oh, filly's play!" Celestia scoffed off.
"What, really?" The baffled Rarity responded.
"No problem at all. If all I have to do in your place is replicate inanimate objects, I'll have this weekend to myself after all!" Celestia gasps. "And it will be so much easier, too!" She paces around her leased-out figure. "I could go out in public without having to be escorted by guards and having numerous sets of eyes glued to me! I could go to the spa, visit your friends -especially Twilight-, shoot the breeze and play games with Luna--"
"What makes you think I have the weekend off now that I have this body?" Luna cut her off.
Sweetie Belle leaned down close to the diminutive princess. "Children don't go to school on the weekends."
Luna's expression remained stern as she slowly closed her eyes. "Forget I said anything."
"That still doesn't leave Sweetie and I with anything to do." Rarity joined in. "What do you do when you have free time?"
"Well..." Celestia pondered. "I've never had too much of it. But I do remember at some instances... Chasing Luna throughout the halls, playfully harassing the guards... gorging myself on sweets from the royal kitchen and exercising away the guilt afterwards."
"Ah! So you admit it!" Luna exclaimed. "You are jealous!"
Celestia gasps at the accusation. "I keep telling you: I am NOT! I am every bit as toned as you!" She forcefully pokes at her Sun cutie mark a couple of times with her new hoof, leaving Rarity slightly uncomfortable.
"Oh, come now." Luna grabs her occupied body's hind leg and pulls it forward so that her flank was in full view of her sister. "Does this look anything like all of that?" She gestures to the sun goddess' flank with a circular motion.
Rarity snickered as she took a good look at her new flank, prompting a quick response from the rightful owner. "Oh, hush." She turns her attention back to Luna. "I'm sure there are plenty of stallions who adore a mare with a little meat on her bones. I think I'll do dear Rarity here a favour and put on a couple of cake-pounds."
"I'll do that on my own time, thank you." Rarity replied in a low register.
Luna gasps. "I'll have you know that all of my thestral guards find me VERY desirable with this slender muscle look!" She inadvertently tightens her grip on Sweetie's leg. "All of them!"
Sweetie Belle was getting increasingly uneased. "I need an adult..."
"I am an adult." Luna sassed back.
"Not anymore!" Sweetie whined back.
Discord walks up to beside Celestia with an empty bowl of popcorn. "Ladies! Please!" All four of them stop to give him their attention. "Save some for the rest of the weekend. The morning has barely started and I'm already finished with my first bag." He upturns the bowl and lets the unpopped kernels fall to the floor.
Celestia has calmed down and put on a sincere smile. "Oh, now Discord. I assure you you're going to have your claws full."
"Hmm?"
"Cut yourself lucky that what little work I have now won't interfere with the free time I planned to have. Your little joke has actually worked in my favour." She turns to Rarity. "I'm all for this arrangement if you are, my fashionista friend."
Rarity rubs her mug to think about any consequences. "Well... What if there's another all-powerful threat from a thousand years ago?"
Celestia waves it off nonchalantly. "Oh, just tell Twilight it's another test and have her handle it."
Rarity's face lights up with a smile. "In which case, I'll agree!"
"That makes three!" Discord raises his hand to join in on the motion.
"Four!" As does Sweetie Belle.
"NO!" Luna shouts in objection. She stomps up to Discord and yells up to him. "I refuse to be stuck in the body of a child, and to have said child be in control of mine!"
"You don't trust me?" A timid tone of Luna's own voice uttered from behind her. Turning back around, she sees a very dejected lunar princess stand-in staring at her with watery eyes and a sad frown.
Luna feels flabbergasted at the strange sight. "D-d-don't give me my sad puppy eyes! I don't even look cute when I do it."
"I don't know..." Celestia said from behind her. "She's pulling it off rather well."
"I grew numb to Sweetie doing this to me," Rarity added. "But this is different. I wouldn't say no to Luna acting sad."
"I am NOT supposed to be cute!" Luna shouted in refusal. However, the longer she stared at herself making that particular pout, the more she broke down. "Fine!" She reluctantly raises her hoof. "I'll go along..."
"YES!" Sweetie Belle cheered and picked Luna up in a tight hug. She swung her side-to-side within her grasp. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She caps off her gratitude by kissing Luna on the cheek and nuzzling up to her, giggling like an excited school-filly.
One camera flash later, Discord is holding onto another photo. "I have a feeling we'll all want to see this again." He passes the picture of Sweetie Belle cheek-to-cheek with Luna making one of the cutest faces a princess has ever made over to Celestia.
"Thank you." Celestia tucks the photo away. "And now that we have everything settled, why don't we start off properly? I have work to do."
"At once." Discord obliges her by grabbing Luna by the scruff of her neck out of Sweetie's grasp and materializing another door. He turned the knob, opened up the door, and tossed Luna onto Rarity's bed. "Have fun, you two!"
"I'll make sure she does." Celestia replies as she walks through and closes the door.
Discord turns to the temporary princesses. "Anything else you may need?"
"I think we'll be okay." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Very well." He snaps his fingers to summon another bag of popcorn. "I'll be sure to let you know if the world begins to end." Another snap and he teleports out, leaving Rarity and Sweetie alone in Celestia's chambers.
"So, Princess Rarity..." Sweetie entices her sister. "What shall be our first royal decree?"
"Mmmm... Let's hold out on that for now." Rarity dons a somewhat sinister smile and looks back at her new flank. "I think I'd rather raid the royal refrigerator."
"Race you!" Sweetie shoves Rarity out of the way as she bolts out the door. Rarity soon follows in hot pursuit. "Last one there gets the smaller slice of cake!"
"Get back here, you silly filly!" Rarity joyfully called out.
Meanwhile, in the royal kitchen, the chef was busy preparing pancakes. He suddenly gets a strong feeling in his gut that told him something was wrong, causing him to gasp and flip one of the flapjacks up high and stick to the ceiling.
The other present cook looks at his paralyzed boss with concern. "What is it, Chef?"
He wastes no time in diving behind a counter on the far side of the kitchen. He hastily beckons his assistant over. "Quick! Get over here, boy!"
The young cook obeys his boss and seeks the same shelter. "Why are we hiding?"
"Princess Celestia... Her sweet tooth!" He brings his partner close to him in a fearful embrace. "Ohhh... We're going to have a huge mess..."
As the pancake stretches and finally falls down to the floor, the door to the kitchen flings open and soon had the royal sisters stuck side-by-side.
Sweetie Belle grunts as she tries to break free and reach the fridge. "Get your big flank out of the way!"
"My flank?!" Rarity snaps back. "I can tell yours is stuck in the frame, too!"
As they both struggle to get through the door, Discord is enjoying his view from the dining room window with another fresh bowl of popcorn. He pours some melted butter and seasoning salt on top as chuckles to himself. "Oh, Celestia... You need more weekends off."