//------------------------------// // May // Story: Hiatus // by Vargras //------------------------------// Old and tattered newspapers lay scattered about Luna's room, an easel standing in the corner. Upon it sat a fresh canvas, with several brushes and paints sitting off to the side. She had decided to take a brief break from drawing to try her hoof at painting once more, something hardly surprising considering how quickly she had taken to the arts. The young Princess had done something quite rare within royalty, and rather difficult given her now-ethereal mane - she had tied it back in a ponytail. After all, she certainly didn't want it getting in the way of her painting. Luna worked with a practiced touch, carefully adding brush strokes here and there as she saw fit. Her subject was hardly anything new, as she had decided to paint things from her dreams once again. This time around, however, she had the advantage of being given written physical descriptions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She didn't really know any of them, and yet here she was, painting them - not for profit, but because she simply wanted to. Luna's eyes darted about the cloth canvas as she steadily worked on all six of them, often painting one for a while before switching to another. It wasn't due to boredom, but rather she felt an artistic 'flow' of sorts within herself. She would paint what felt 'right' at the time, and then would move on to the next thing that felt appropriate. At times, Celestia would stop by with snacks - donuts, of course - and would observe the work-in-progress, offering input and praise where needed. "It looks wonderful so far, little sister. Just don't forget Applejack's hat - she's never seen without it." "Applejack?" "Her." Celestia pointed at the orange mare on the painting with her hoof. "That's Applejack." "Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the donuts, 'Tia." This process repeated itself throughout the day, and even into the night - Luna would work for hours on end, with her sibling bringing food and opinions, and then she would excuse herself to leave the young Princess to work in peace. On occasion, she would catch herself humming various songs, her favorite being one called "Winter Wrap-Up". Supposedly, it was one the citizens of Ponyville sang while they cleaned up winter, something which confused her greatly. It was apparently tradition, but she had trouble picturing ponies cleaning up winter without any sort of magic. Regardless, she remained focused on her work, paying attention to the tiniest of details. Like with her drawings, she often preferred to hold the tool with her mouth rather than using her magic - it may have been subtle to most, but to Luna, the use of magic in any sort of art made it appear 'cold' and lacking any sort of life that would come from something done physically. Even as the night dragged on and began to slowly meld into the morning of the next day, she continued to work. Whereas some may have seen such a work ethic as being crazy, Luna felt it necessary. This painting was important to her, and she wanted nothing but the best out of it. After countless hours of work, though, it was finally finished. She carefully set the brush down and yawned, completely exhausted, but determined to inspect her painting before going to bed. The young Princess had started with just a written description of the physical appearances of the Elements of Harmony, and yet here they were, emblazoned upon a canvas. They were all side-by-side, with Twilight Sparkle in the middle. To her left were the ones named Rarity and Fluttershy, and to the right were Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and... "Applejack. With the hat." She managed to grin, even with heavy eyelids - she didn't think herself as being capable of such work, considering the last time she had painted had been in the playroom. Luna yawned once more and blinked slowly as she looked over the painting. She had gotten every little detail - the cutie marks, the mannerisms, the mane and coat colors and styles, and yes, even Applejack's hat. All of it was there, and words couldn't describe how pleased she was with herself. Satisfied, the Princess walked over to her bed and plopped down onto it. She didn't even bother with the covers or undoing the ponytail - she just wanted to sleep. Celestia peered in on her little sister from the doorway, looking at the painting before returning her gaze to her sibling. Smiling, she slowly pulled the door shut, ready to give Luna some much-deserved rest. "Sleep well, dear sister." Luna's soft snoring from within was the only answer she would get. ----- "Alright, Luna - steady... steady. There, you're starting to get the hang of it!" It seemed a bit early to be lowering the moon already, but she needed the practice - after all, it had been over a thousand years since she had last done this. To say she was rusty would be an understatement. Besides, Celestia was watching and ready to take over should her sister fail. Luna grimaced as she concentrated upon the moon, her body bathed in a blue light as she slowly descended from the sky. From the ground, her elder sister watched on, hopeful that the young Princess would be able to pull it off. Sweat trickled down her forehead and her brow creased as she found it increasingly more difficult to manage. Though Celestia often made it appear effortless, by no means was moving a celestial body an easy task. She knew she was getting closer to the ground and that the moon was almost fully lowered - Luna simply hoped she would be able to do it before her body completely gave out from the strain. One hoof touched the earth, shortly followed by the rest, and the young Princess collapsed upon the ground, panting and utterly exhausted by her efforts. Celestia would soon attend to her, but first, she had to raise the sun. With a mighty flap of her wings, the elder sister took to the skies, legs outstretched as she slowly began to raise the sun. Compared to Luna's efforts, she did indeed make it seem effortless - Celestia slowly rose with the sun at her back, her wings taking her skyward. As the sun peeked over the horizon and began to make its daily journey, Celestia flew towards the ground, landing beside her sister with a resounding thud. Luna had since caught her breath, but her attempts at walking were met with shaky legs and wobbly knees - even her wings didn't seem to work properly. Celestia picked up her younger sister with her magic, placing her upon her back and slowly making her way back to the palace. It had been ages since Celestia had hauled Luna around, but she didn't mind too much. After all, she had succeeded in lowering the moon, even if it had exhausted her completely. "How are you feeling, little sister?" "I'm fine, 'Tia." Luna yawned, her legs flopping about slightly with every step her sister took. "I'm just tired is all." "You did a good job, Luna. Much better than I thought you would do after being gone for a thousand years. You should be fine with a little more practice." "I'd love to get some more practice in." Celestia couldn't help but giggle, glancing over her shoulder at her sibling. "I'm sensing some sarcasm there, dear sister." "You saw me out there, 'Tia. I could barely lower the moon, and lowering it is the easy part. I already know what you'll say, though - 'practice makes perfect', right?" "I think you should have gotten a cutie mark in mind reading." The young Princess sighed and hopped off her sister's back after reaching their destination - Luna's bedroom. She leaned up and gave Celestia a brief nuzzle to show her thanks, then stepped inside. Luna would take a nap in a bit, but for now, she simply wanted to write. After making her way to her desk, she brought out her diary and a quill and opened it to a new page. 5/18 It's hard to believe that time has gone by this fast. Just a little over a month until I'm permitted to leave Canterlot. I don't really know what it means for me, though - I know I'll return to my royal duties, but aside from raising and lowering the moon, I'm not sure what else I'll really do. None of the diplomats from the other countries really trust me yet, so that's out of the question. I've heard a few make some snide remarks after seeing me pass by the meeting room, but Celestia has shut them up every time. I don't know what I would do without her sometimes. Lowering the moon was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I know it's been a thousand years, but I never expected it to be that difficult. I'm essentially at full strength again, but I do still have another month or so to go. Maybe I'm not quite at one-hundred percent just yet. I also managed to convince some of the royal guards to hoof-deliver the painting I made. After the time I spent on it, I couldn't really trust one of the mail pegasi with it. Twilight Sparkle apparently loved it, so that's good news. I wonder if she hung it up? Luna set the quill down, and a familiar smell wafted through the doorway of her room - donuts. The nap could wait. ----- Of all the things ever added to the castle, this was one of the oddest ones - in Luna's opinion, anyways. "A swimming pool? Really, 'Tia?" "Of course!" Not surprisingly, Celestia was already in the water, and she beamed up at her little sister. "It's a good form of exercise, and a great way to keep cool. If we ever have another summer like we did last year, at least we'll be prepared. Gives all of the other ponies who work in the castle something new to do anyways." The young Princess dipped a hoof in, quickly leaping backwards after finding out how cold it was. "Do I have to get in?" Celestia flashed her a grin, leaning against the side of the pool. "Either you get in yourself, or I make you." "You'll do no such thing, big sister or not!" Luna stomped, as if to try and prove her point, but her sister would have none of it. The elder sibling hopped out of the water and walked up alongside Luna, shaking herself dry right next to her. Celestia cackled with glee as her sister tried to run away, but the deed had been done. Luna shivered and scowled at her sister, having been sprayed thoroughly by Celestia. She didn't mind baths - baths were warm. This? This was cold. "Oh, that does it. You're in for it now, 'Tia!" Luna began to charge straight at her sister, and Celestia made no attempt to avoid it - until the last moment. Smiling, she stepped to the side, and the younger sister found herself going far too fast to stop in time. Celestia could barely contain her laughter as Luna flew straight into the pool, and once she surfaced, the elder sister couldn't hold it back any longer, bursting into a guffaw one wouldn't expect of somepony as stoic as Celestia. "I hate you so much right now, 'Tia. So, so much." "Apologies, little sister. I simply had to see the look on your face." Celestia soon hopped in, giving her sister a playful splash despite the frown on her face. "Oh, don't be such a grump, Luna. It's all in good fun. Besides, you used to love swimming when you were a filly." "Really?" Luna swam up to the side of the pool and leaned against it - it wasn't so bad now that she had gotten used to the water temperature. "I don't remember that." Celestia nodded while in the midst of a... backstroke? She really did pick up on physical activities. "It was the one thing mother and father could get you to do, aside from playing in the snow every winter. You used to get so many colds when you were little, simply because we couldn't get you away from the water or the snow." There was still an awful lot Luna had trouble remembering from her childhood - maybe it had something to do with Night Mare Moon, or maybe she had simply forgotten. She would have to ask Celestia about it some more. Still, if she was already in the water, Luna figured it wouldn't hurt for her to swim around a bit. She gently pushed off the wall, paddling about the pool as she got her bearings once more. While it was nothing quite like what her sister could do, it was still swimming - at the very least, she could do that. Celestia floated around, smiling as she watched her younger sister make several laps around the pool, each one faster than the last. Luna was actually beginning to have some fun. Maybe Celestia wasn't completely wrong when she had said 'practice makes perfect'.