"Princess, are you sure there's nothing else? I'm more than happy to help with anything you need!" the maid said. Celestia stood there with a thoughtful expression before her gaze became almost hungry.
"Anything? That is a very generous offer to make." As she spoke, she circled the now-nervous maid and took in her features. Once satisfied, she began to chuckle and shook her head.
"Forgive me, my little pony. I was merely joking. I am fine, but I do appreciate the effort you are putting into your work. Thank you." When the maid had finally stepped out of her room, Celestia let go of the smile she had. It was exhausting to pretend that she was the kind, and always-motherly princess of Equestria; although she did get to prank her staff every once in awhile.
She walked out upon her balcony and looked out to Canterlot and the land beyond it, giving a long and drawn-out sigh. It was days like these where she would think about the old days, when there used to be three standing there to watch the sky and just...talk. Just thinking about those memories brought a sharp pain to her heart.
"Time to raise the moon once more..." she murmured as her hands shimmered and lifted towards the sky. In an almost mechanical motion, she brought the sun down with one hand and slowly raised the moon with the other. Once she was sure that the moon was properly placed, Celestia let her arms drop, and gazed at the night sky.
These days, it was getting harder to raise the moon and make the stars appear; almost as if they knew she was not the one who should bring them out. The sigil on the moon itself seemed to glint in response to her thoughts, reminding her that she hurt not just one pony, but another who had trusted her with his life.
------------------------------------------------------------*FLASHBACK*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luna and another figure were standing on the balcony laughing, while Celestia had her arms crossed and was giving the two a sour look.
"Have you two no shame? We know that court may not be amusing, but was it really necessary for thou to scare them like that? One of the stallions wet himself!"
When that was mentioned, the laughter doubled in volume, causing Luna and the other to fall down with tears streaming down their faces.
"O-oh....mine sides....they....they hurt!" Luna wheezed. The other simply continued to laugh hysterically, pausing to cough from time to time. Eventually, Celestia herself gave a few small chuckles and began to relax.
Eventually, her smile faded and her eyes turned to the homes outside of the castle. "Nick....I must ask....have I been a good princess?"
Finished laughing with Luna, Nick sighed and brushed himself off before standing up. "We've been here before Cel; come on, what's really wrong?"
She turned to him with a frown before pointing to a scar he had on his arm. He only raised an eyebrow in response and in turn she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thou......art always in danger, because of us. Always protecting us, and never a thing in return; do we truly deserve your friendship? Should we truly be a princess with such anger directed towards us?"
He took on a thoughtful and serious expression before pulling her in close and flicking her snout. "Now you listen good Cel, and that goes for you too Luna. Come'ere."
Luna froze, as she was trying to quietly walk out so the two could have their moment alone. A small smile spread across her face as she made her way back and stood next to him.
"Look, I got these BECAUSE I wanted to. Celestia, Luna, you two are GREAT ponies and princesses. Ponies first, because there aren't a lot who would do what you do. The both of you. The whole 'princess' thing is just a title. You have it 'cause they trust you and your decisions. So do I. With my life."
Both princesses were teary-eyed at that point and Nick hugged them both. "Now, no more moping, or else I'll make sure the chef gives you no cake for a week!"
Celestia whimpered at the thought and set off another round of laughter from both Nick and Luna that echoed throughout the sky.
------------------------------------------------------------*FLASHBACK END*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Soon....just a few more years, and I can fix everything...." she said. A small smile grew as she thought of all the good times the three of them had and what they would be able to do once more. Celestia walked back inside and began to change out of her clothes when something caught her eye. Making her way over to her dresser, she knelt down and pulled out a dusty set of purple and silver headphones.
Giggling, she began to brush the dust off and placed it on her own ears, before running over to her mirror and checking to see how it looked. "Hmm, a little too small, but I think I could make it work."
Her eyes twinkled as she remembered the times she had bothered him about the headphones and how serious he was that he never loose them or let them out of his sight. "You ponies would take them apart and I'd be left with nothing to keep my ears warm during winter" he'd grumble.
Finally taking them off, she put them on top of the dresser where she wouldn't loose them again. Celestia changed into her pajamas, set her alarm (even goddesses have trouble getting up on time), and snuggled into her bed, ready to sleep. A minute later, she shot back up and stared at the headphones with an expression of extreme worry.
"I hope he doesn't notice I have these......"