Lauren tossed and turned in her bed. She, admittedly, was having trouble falling asleep. It wasn't the bed, no, that was the most comfortable thing she had ever been in. It also wasn't the unfamiliar environment, no that wasn’t the problem. She was perfectly comfortable, tired and ready to go to sleep. But her mind wouldn’t rest. It getting coming back to one thing, chewing and worrying at it like a dog at a bone.
Family.
She missed her family, her husband, her friends, and even that hot dog seller she met every Wednesday and almost never exchanged words with. The fact that there was a large chance that she would never see any of them, ever again, weighed on her mind and cost her her sleep.
And as much as she tried to reassure herself that Celestia and Luna would help, it still stung.
Get a hold of yourself, Lauren, she growled to herself inwardly, holding back a few tears. We've already been through this. Discord will help us. Sure, we’ll need to wait a year, or a couple if the fandom’s right with their timeline, but it's still better than having no hope at all! And who knows? Maybe WE will discover a spell to get us back!
...
"Great, now I'm talking to myself," the alicorn muttered with a perfect deadpan. She awkwardly rolled over the bed, twisting her left wing a little, and got up from the bed.
Seeing as sleep just didn't want to come to her, she walked towards the door and opened it with a hoof. She stopped, realizing that she had just turned the door handle with a hoof.
Maybe there is some truth behind those "magnetic" hooves.
"Your majesty!"
"Ah!" The former human jumped as a voice sounded right next to her. She turned to see two dark-coated bat-pony guards, who had been standing in front of her door.
"Is everything alright?" the other, female bat-pony asked.
"I'm fine."-Lauren breathed out.-"I'm fine. I just had trouble sleeping, and I decided to go for a walk."
"Should we accompany you?" The first one spoke up again.
The alicorn was about to decline the offer, but she remembered just how big the palace was.
"That would be nice, thank you. I haven't quite memorized the layout of the palace yet." And I doubt I ever will.
The two guards saluted. "Lead the way, your majesty."
Lauren chose a random direction and started walking. The lights of the moon and the stars were enough to light the palace enough for her to see, and there was a certain charm to it, walking through the hallways at night. What surprised her was the servants still active, pushing trays and carrying plates with what looked like midnight snacks and various drinks.
"So many ponies still working during the night?" Lauren thought aloud, before turning towards her escort. "Is this normal?" she asked.
"Well, not as of recently, your majesty." the stallion explained. "Ever since Princess Luna opened the Night Court once again, things are busy at certain parts of the castle even at night."
Lauren blinked, surprised. "Luna’s working now? But she's been up all day."
"All due respect,your highness, but technically Princess Luna has only been awake since midday." the mare explained.
"That's still way too long. Why didn't she cancel Night Court until tomorrow or maybe even the day after tomorrow to have more time to get back to her normal routine?"
The mare and the stallion looked at each other, before the female bat pony cleared her throat. "I don't pretend to be any kind of expert in politics, but I think it's because the topics for tonight's court are too important to hold up any longer."
"And then she's tackling whatever’s that important, when she’s not in top form." Lauren countered.
"There is something else your highness," the other guard spoke again. The constant switching was slowly fraying the alicorn's already tired nerves.
"What is it now?" Lauren snapped. The stallion shifted nervously, clearly unsure whether he should elaborate.
He steeled himself and spoke; "There is something else to consider. You see, when Princess Luna returned, there were a few ponies who couldn't wait to meet her. As a result, Night Court has been fairly active for these past weeks. Granted, there aren't as many petitioners as the Day Court, but the number is constant."
"Ah. I understand." She didn't get much attention back in the day, but now she is finally getting it. That's still no reason to overwork herself. Oh well, like I can do anything about it. Hmm, I am curious though…
"Is it possible to enter the throne room without anybody noticing us entering?" Lauren asked. The two looked at each other, before turning back to their queen.
"There is the back door." the mare suggested, scratching the back of her head. "Nopony can see it, since it's behind a curtain and in a corner of the throne room. But it's meant for emergencies."
"Hmm..." Lauren thought about it. On the one hand, she couldn't sleep and was really curious about the proceedings of Night Court. On the other hand, she didn't want to accidentally cause a scene.
Luckily, she didn't need to decide because the door in front of them opened, petitioners walking out of it, some of them carrying paperwork in their magic. Lauren took a look as they floated by, a few of the papers had charts drawn on them.
"I told you we should have brought this to the Day Court." one pony said.
"Like Princess Celestia would have even listened to us for five minutes." another one snorted.
"What's wrong with mining under the Everfree Forest anyway? I mean, who cares if a few trees get cut down in the process?"
"Maybe it’s because the Everfree Forest is easily one of the most dangerous places on this world?" Lauren couldn't help but speak up. "Or maybe that, even if your mine was successful, and you survived every pitfall, deathtrap and wildlife incursion, you would be destroying the fauna’s habitat, which would mean they would have nowhere to go. This would lead to an increase the number of wild animal attacks on nearby pony settlements, and more likely, the source of their troubles."
She put a hoof under her chin. "Not to mention the Tree of Harmony is in the Everfree Forest and if that gets damaged, Discord breaks free from his prison." I think? Ah no, that was just an idea I had once. Oh my, I’ve been rambling.
"Oops, sorry. I tend to ramble, when I am tired." Lauren apologized hurriedly.
Lauren was also too tired to immediately notice the silence that had settled in the entire room. It took her mind a few seconds, until she realized it wasn't caused by what she said, but rather by what she is.
Everypony looked at her wide-eyed, some of them even started to fall on their knees.
"E-excuse me" the pony who appeared to be the leader of the group stammered "w-we weren't-"
"Mother?" Princess Luna came out of the throne room. "What art thou doing here at this time of night?"
The alicorn of the night bristled as she noted that not everypony from the team of petitioners were bowing.
"BOW BEFORE THY QUEEN, MORTALS!" she shouted, deafening Lauren in the process.
Lauren ears rang, and she shook her head, wincing as she felt another headache form.
What the ponies were doing was closer to cowering, than actual kneeling around the royal family. Even the guards barely managed to keep up a professional appearance.
"Luna," Lauren rubbed her forehead "please keep your voice down. It's far too late, or early for this."
Luna's ears immediately dropped. The mood of the night princess certainly did not improve, as she noticed her subjects eyeing her from their practically prostrate positions, with fear evident in their eyes.
The now fully awake red maned Queen, noticed this too.
Oh, this is bad, this is bad. I have to do something! If I say something on behalf of my daughter or something, it will make Luna look immature! Alright, damage control. It's the only thing I can think off.
"Rise everypony." Lauren said, trying to channel Celestia’s poise. "Don't worry. I am not mad at you. I just came back to Equestria today, I can't expect you to know who I am. Please go home. I'm sure you’ve all had a long night."
There's a reason I didn't became a politician. I can handle an interview, masses of bronies, but ponies? Everyone can hear how nervous I am.
After all the ponies left, Luna opened her mouth to say something, but Lauren cut her off, simply pulling the darker alicorn into a hug.
"It's alright." Faust whispered. "I'm not mad at you. Just please, Lulu, don't tell others how to behave in front of me, okay?"