//------------------------------// // June - End of Luna's Hiatus // Story: Hiatus // by Vargras //------------------------------// 6/3 So this is it. The homestretch. Just a few more days and I'll be free to do as I please once more. They'll have to give me another examination, of course - it's unwanted, but expected. All I have to do is pass that, and I certainly will, and then I can properly resume my royal duties. I haven't really thought about it until now, but there's so much I need to do! I need to go out and meet some of the citizens and really spend some time with them so they at least know who I am. Celestia's birthday is also later this month, and I still need to find something for her. Perhaps a drawing or a painting? Got a letter back from Twilight Sparkle the other day. She wrote me to say thanks for the painting I had sent - it's now hanging up in her home, which is also the Ponyville Library. Sleeping in a library! The librarians would never let me do that here. Her letter also had the signatures of her other friends as well, which was a very nice gesture on their part. I'm also beginning to hate my sister. Not because she's done anything wrong, but because she introduced me to these stupid donuts. That's all I have for breakfast now - donuts. Why are these tiny things so good? It probably isn't magic, but Pony Joe is a unicorn after all. Maybe it is? I honestly don't know why these are so addicting. "Luna?" She set the quill down and turned towards the door, staring at her sister. "Yes, 'Tia?" "Come with me. I want you to meet some of the diplomats." The young Princess hesitated for a moment. "Are you... sure that's a good idea, Celestia? I mean, they don't exactly trust me." "You're there at my request, little sister. Just stay quiet unless you're directly spoken to, and things should go fine." Celestia smiled at her younger sister, who reluctantly hopped off her stool. "Besides, once you return to your royal duties, I'll be back to a normal sleep cycle, meaning I'll be asleep during the night. That means you'll essentially be in charge during the night, and so it's vital you at least know some of the diplomats." "I've got a bad feeling about all this, but I'll trust you on this. Let's just get it over with." The two sisters made their way from Luna's bedroom to the meeting room - inside, the diplomats from each of the pony races were in what appeared to be a heated discussion. Wordlessly, two guards opened the doors for them, with a third announcing their arrival. "Now entering, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Immediately, the diplomats scrambled for their seats, and Luna couldn't help but take a few looks at them. They all seemed to be watching her, but it didn't seem to be distrust. It was more like they were intimidated - by her. Celestia took a seat at the head of the table, with her younger sister taking a seat right beside her. After a few moments of silence, the elder sibling was the first to break it. "Thank you all for coming here today. As you may well know-" "Your Majesty, with all due respect, do we really have to have her here?" The diplomat for the unicorns, a frail-looking mare, was first to speak up, and it was already clear that Luna was not wanted there. She frowned a bit, backing away from the table slightly, but Celestia was quick to come to her defense. "You seem to be forgetting that, once my sister resumes her royal duties, you shall be speaking to her during the night. If you think you are somehow above getting to know her, I'm sure I can find some other pony more willing to take your place as diplomat. Princess Luna is here at my request, and she will not be leaving. Understood?" The diplomat quickly backed down, and the others nodded silently in agreement. Their talks got underway shortly afterwards, with all manner of subjects being discussed - trade routes and border disputes were big topics, but a great many more were discussed. As the meeting began to slowly wind down, there was one last thing left. Celestia peered at the diplomats before speaking once more. "It seems we've discussed everything we've needed to for today. Are there any questions?" The diplomat for the earth ponies, a wiry stallion, stood up and stared at Princess Luna - she knew what was coming, and she dreaded such a thing. "I have a question for Princess Luna. How do we know you're fit to run the kingdom while Princess Celestia is away, or asleep? How do we know you won't turn into Night Mare Moon again to try and stage another coup?" Luna blinked, not sure what to say at first. They weren't new topics, but it felt more like she was being accused rather than asked a question. "Well, um... as you may be aware, I've spent almost a year or so recuperating, just to be sure that I can resume my royal duties properly. I've already gotten myself caught up to speed on things, and I'm... fairly confident that I can run the kingdom for a few hours while my sister rests." "Yes, yes, but what about Night Mare Moon? Who's to say you won't just turn into her again and take over the kingdom when we're all off-guard?" It was a different voice this time, coming from the pegasus diplomat, a younger stallion with an apparent lack of patience. Once more, however, it felt as if Luna were being accused rather than simply asked a question. She stammered as her thoughts swam, searching for an answer that might satisfy them, anything at all to get them to stop staring at her. "I'd like to answer on my sister's behalf - these are sensitive subjects for her, and she might not be ready to discuss them." Luna glanced up, surprised to hear her sister come to her aid so readily. This was her only chance to win the trust of the diplomats, though. If she couldn't answer a few simple questions, they would always view her as being incompetent and unfit to rule. She quickly stood up, turning to face her sister. "Celestia, please. I need to do this." "You're sure about this, Luna?" Celestia glanced over, staring eye-to-eye with her sibling. "Trust me on this, sister. Just this once." Silently, Celestia took her seat, and Luna found herself ready, but reluctant. If she had managed to defeat Night Mare Moon within her own dreams, surely she could take on some diplomats. "Well? We're waiting on an answer, your-" Luna shot the diplomat a look, and they quickly shut up. "It's a common misconception to say that myself and Night Mare Moon were one in the same. True, it was initially me, but it soon took on a life of its own. What was once 'Luna and Night Mare Moon' simply became 'Night Mare Moon'. The entity you know as Night Mare Moon is gone, forever destroyed." The unicorn diplomat stood up once more, pointing a hoof at her. "Then explain the Elements of Harmony!" She turned and stared at her, and the diplomat soon took her seat. "What the Elements of Harmony did was two-fold. Though they destroyed Night Mare Moon, they also redeemed me. I owe them much more than a simple 'Thanks', and I doubt I'll ever be able to truly repay that debt." The earth pony diplomat took his turn, standing up and staring at her. "It's a touching story, your Majesty, but that still doesn't tell us whether or not you'll try and stage another coup like you did over a thousand years ago." Luna stared coldly at him, and the stallion sat back down, sinking into his chair in a feeble attempt to get away from her. "I have a lived a long life, diplomat. Not nearly as long as my sister, but a long life nonetheless. Over a thousand years ago, when Princess Celestia was forced to banish Night Mare Moon into the moon, I was still there - though Night Mare Moon had full control of my body, I still existed, and I could still see and hear everything that was happening. I saw the look upon my sister's face when she realized what had to be done. It was a look of pure horror, yet also a look of eternal regret. The only solution she had left was to banish her own sister for a thousand years. By no means was it an easy choice to make, and I wouldn't be surprised if she still suffers from it to this day." Celestia remained quiet on the matter, though she was now looking at the table rather than at the diplomats or Luna. The diplomats, on the other hand, had begun to realize that they had crossed the line in asking such questions. "Tell me, all three of you - if one of your loved ones turned into a complete monster, and the only solution left was to banish them to somewhere completely devoid of life for a thousand years, would you do it?" The three diplomats sat in silence, none of them able to come up with any real answer. The Princess soon continued. "A thousand years is an awful long time. Every day of those thousand years, Night Mare Moon's crimes played out again and again in my head. Her crimes are my own now, and I have to live with the regret and shame that stems from making that choice. I made my own sister suffer because of my own selfishness. Do you honestly think I would willingly put her through that again by trying to stage a coup?" The unicorn and earth pony diplomats slowly shook their heads. The pegasus diplomat was a bit more brave, however, and stood up to directly address her. "N-no, your Majesty. We a-apologize for questioning your motives or your a-ability to lead." The others nodded in silent agreement, and Luna simply smiled at them. "Good! I'm glad we have that sorted out." The young Princess took a seat beside Celestia once more, and the elder sister couldn't help but sit there in stunned silence. Luna had always been shy and reclusive as a filly - where this had come from, she had no idea. She soon stood up, however, and addressed the diplomats. "Right, well then. If there aren't any further questions, you three may leave whenever you wish." The unicorn and pegasus diplomats quickly took their leave, but the diplomat for the earth ponies stayed behind. The stallion cautiously approached Luna and bowed his head before her. "I wanted to apologize, your Majesty. I put you on the spot with that question, and I could tell that you weren't quite ready for it. You did a terrific job convincing us otherwise, though." Luna couldn't help but smile at that - gone for a thousand years, and she could still hold her own in politics. "Thank you, sir, both for the apology and the compliment. I understand there's still a bit of a stigma against me for what Night Mare Moon did, but if the only way to combat that is to directly address it, so be it. 'tis a touchy subject, one that can sometimes bring about bad memories. But if I must confront it for the sake of my subjects, then I shall." The earth pony diplomat bowed once more and departed, and Luna was quick to pull her elder sibling aside. "Celestia, I'm so sorry for bringing that up. I know it wasn't easy for either of us, but-" "You did what you had to, little sister. I'm still proud of you for standing up for yourself, though. How about we go celebrate with some donuts?" "I'd like that, 'Tia." ----- It was an odd feeling, to say the least. Word of Luna's stand against the diplomats had traveled fast throughout Canterlot, and she soon found herself being looked at with a sense of awe or respect, rather than fear or intimidation - the diplomats weren't exactly known for being courteous to anypony, and to see them knocked down a peg or two was certainly appreciated. It was a much-needed change of pace, and one that she certainly enjoyed. "More mail, little sister." Celestia dumped yet another bag of mail onto Luna's bed, letters pouring out all over the place. The young Princess was grinning from ear to ear as she set one letter down and picked up another. "I still don't know where all this came from, but I'm not complaining." "You've become something of a heroine to the ponies of Canterlot, Luna. The diplomats are good at what they do, in that they know what's best for their own kind." The elder sibling began to help sort through some of the mail, looking up at her sister once more. "They can be a bit distant at times, however. Sometimes they need a pony to knock some sense into them, which you seem to have done." Luna set down a drawing she had received from a filly and glanced up at Celestia as she dug through the pile. "Wait, just Canterlot? What about some of the other towns, like Ponyville or Manehattan?" Celestia popped up from the mail pile, a letter in her mouth. She spat it out, quickly giving it to Luna. "From Twilight Sparkle. And so far, yes - just Canterlot. I hope news of your deeds spreads to some of the other places in Equestria. Ponies are still a bit... antagonistic towards you in some places." "So I've heard." Luna browsed through another letter and set it down, taking the letter from her sister and setting it aside - Twilight's letter would have to wait until the others had been taken care of. Unlike the letters from Valentine's Day, she didn't know if she would be burning any of these. "Still, you've got to start somewhere." "True. I'd stay and help you sort it, Luna, but I've got an appointment with a gryphon ambassador." Celestia leaned over and gave her sister a quick nuzzle before darting out the door. The young Princess shook her head, a smirk on her face as she opened up the letter from Twilight Sparkle and began to read it. Dear Princess Luna, Princess Celestia let it slip the other day that your break was almost over. Well, I wouldn't really call it slipping - it was more like blatantly telling me and then winking. Regardless, congratulations! I'm sure you're eager to see much of Equestria after being away for a thousand years. I know I certainly would be. Speaking of seeing things, I found something most peculiar the other night while star-gazing. I'm not entirely sure just what it is, but I think it might be a nebula. I've enclosed the coordinates so you can take a look for yourself. One last thing before I wrap this up (and I'm terribly sorry this is such a short letter). I was actually wondering if you'd like to come visit Ponyville some time? It's been almost a year since you were last here, after all. Maybe I could show you around the library and introduce you to my friends! Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle Luna sighed and folded up the letter. She wanted to say yes to Twilight's invitation, she really did. Her royal duties would soon resume, however, and she had no idea if she would have any free time for such a visit. With a heavy heart, she picked up the quill and pulled out a fresh piece of paper, quickly writing a reply back. Dear Twilight Sparkle, As much as I would love to accept your invitation, I cannot - with my hiatus almost at an end, I'll soon be resuming my royal duties, and I don't know if I'll have the time to stop by. I can think of one date later this year that I'll be able to visit, but that will remain a surprise for the time being. Sincerely, Princess Luna She folded the letter and shoved it into an envelope, stamping it shut and setting it aside. Luna glanced over her shoulder at the mountain of mail and rubbed her eyes - this was going to take a while. ----- Celestia smiled and blew out the lone candle - at her age, it would have been impossible to fit all the candles on the cake, and a single candle was certainly enough for her. With the Summer Sun Celebration out of the way, the two sisters now had the rest of the day to enjoy Celestia's birthday. The elder sibling had taken a cue from Luna's own birthday and kept it a quiet event, and only those who worked within the castle itself had been invited. Pony Joe had made the cake, proving he was quite capable of making more than just donuts, and it was quickly proving to be just as addicting. Luna had already had two slices and had to force herself to stop eating anymore - it was delicious, of course, but she didn't want to end up with a stomach ache. "So, little sister - what did you get me for my birthday?" The young Princess quickly placed two hooves over her mouth to stifle a gasp. She had completely forgotten to get her sister a gift. "I um... may have forgotten about that, 'Tia. Happy birthday?" Celestia stared at her sister coldly, but quickly broke it with a smile. "Oh that's alright, Luna. Just having you back is the only present I need." "D'aw. Wait, do you really mean that or are you just saying that?" "Just saying it." Luna scowled at her, a frown on her face. "...Celestia." "Oh, stop that!" The elder sibling could hardly keep a straight face at this point, and burst into a fit of giggles. "You know I meant it, dear sister." "Yeah, yeah. Wanna go play some games, 'Tia?" Celestia happily obliged, and the two sisters ran off to mingle with the various party guests. All manner of games were played, ranging from Pin The Tail On The Pony to Charades - Luna was especially good at that one. No matter what the other ponies drew from the hat, the young Princess had an uncanny knack for correctly guessing it just a few seconds later. And when it was her turn to draw from the hat, she almost always left the others stumped - she wasn't very good at depicting a tree, however. One of the guardsmen cautiously approached Princess Luna while she was in the midst of pretending to be a reed, and she easily lost her concentration, falling over and onto the floor. "Apologies, your Majesty. The medical staff are here." Celestia soon walked over to see what the fuss was about, even while Luna was still picking herself up from the floor. "Medical staff? Here right now?" "Yes, your Majesty. They're here for Princess Luna's examination." Luna stood up and quickly shook her head before blinking at the guardsmen. "An examination? They picked an awful crummy day for it." "Not to worry, little sister." Celestia gave her younger sister a gentle pat on the back. "Just get it over with, and then you can come right back to the party." "Very well then. Show me to the medical staff, guardsman." The stallion nodded and turned about, silently leading Luna out the door. The doctors and nurses were right outside and already had all of their equipment set up - she was surprised they had managed to get everything in place so quickly and so quietly. The head of staff pushed up his glasses and peered at Luna, smiling. "It's so very good to see you again, your Majesty. Hard to believe it's already been a year, eh? Now, as you may very well know, this last examination is just to make sure you've properly recovered. We'll be running a series of tests, and then you'll be free to go." "Tests?" She raised an eyebrow at him and looked about at all the equipment they had set up. "What kind of tests?" "Oh, nothing strenuous. Just some very brief tests so we can see where you're at physically, mentally, and magically. Come along now, your Majesty. We have much to do." Had the situation been any different, Luna may have thought of the tests as being demeaning. She knew they were necessary, however, and she remained quiet on the matter. She ran on treadmills and flew in place for several minutes, only to be given a series of riddles and math problems directly afterwards. The medical staff would often ask for her to demonstrate her magical prowess, which she did. They would often poke and prod, taking various measurements and writing all manner of numbers and notes down. The tests were eventually completed, and Luna found herself waiting for the final results. She knew it was just a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity, and she caught herself humming various songs to pass the time. At last, the bespectacled head of staff approached her, a smile on his face. "Your Majesty, I'm proud to say that you have a clean bill of health. Your growth certainly caught up, and you appear to be completely fine in all other categories. You're fit to return to your duties when you're ready, Princess Luna. Just... watch the sweets." He winked at her, and Luna laughed nervously in return - she wasn't showing it, but she was overjoyed that this entire thing could finally be put behind her. The young Princess bowed to show her thanks, and the medical staff all bowed in return. She quickly departed to tell her sister the good news, though she was surprised to meet her half-way instead. "So, I heard somepony is a healthy mare." "You... you already heard?" "Of course I did, Luna." Celestia grinned at her, stepping closer to give her sister a brief nuzzle. "You have a tendency to hear all sorts of things when you run a kingdom. Think you'll be ready to return to your duties tonight?" "...t-tonight?" Luna audibly gulped, and despite her hopes that her elder sister didn't hear it, she did. "Yes, tonight. I'm about ready to return to a normal sleep schedule, and I think you'll do quite alright running the kingdom while I'm asleep - unless you don't think you can handle it." Celestia often knew just what to say to provoke her sister, and if she was right, this would be no different. She certainly wasn't disappointed. Luna sized her sister up and stood up on the tips of her hooves to place herself at eye-level with Celestia. "If you don't think I can handle it, well... you've got another thing coming!" "Is that a threat, little sister?" "I... what? N-no, of course not!" Celestia laughed and gave Luna's forehead a poke. "I was kidding. I know you can handle it, Luna. Just be ready for it later tonight, okay?" "Right, okay... I can do this." "That's my sister! Now c'mon, we still have a party to finish up. You've got plenty of time before it's nightfall." Even as Celestia turned to walk back to her own birthday party, Luna couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Lowering the moon was one thing, but having to raise it, lower it, and run a kingdom? That was something else entirely. ----- So here it was. The appointed hour. Celestia had presented Luna with her own retinue of royal guards, and then promptly went to bed. Her guards were certainly different from those of her sister's - most sported darker coats and manes, with yellow cat-like eyes and wings not unlike those of a bat. She found it a bit odd at first, but had quickly grown accustomed to them, and unlike her sister's guards, these men were willing to actually speak to her in order to pass the time. There was one task she had to take care of first, however, and it was one she was certainly nervous about - the raising of the moon. After making her way to the center of the throne room, Luna spread her wings and focused upon the moon. A blue aura gradually enveloped her, and she took to the air. Her legs were outstretched and her wings weren't even moving, yet she was continually rising, as was the moon. This certainly wasn't as difficult as the first time she had attempted to lower the moon - if anything, this was much easier than she had anticipated. All the practice had certainly paid off, and as she reached the apex of her ascent, there was one last flash of blue light before Luna made her rapid return to the ground. She sighed upon landing, shaking her head and making her way to the throne itself. Every one of the stallions in her service saluted the young Princess as she walked past, and as she took her seat upon the throne, she allowed a soft smile to sneak its way to the surface. It was good to be back.