Celestia watched the sunset with her ears pinned back against her head. “I haven’t watched the sun go down since I was just a little filly, Twilight. To know I am not the one setting it... It’s harder than I ever thought it would be. I don’t think I can even describe it.”
Twilight smiled up at Celestia. “Princess, just think of it this way: Luna is only doing for you what you willingly did for her the entire thousand years you were apart. When we get this figured out you will herald the sun once more, I promise.”
“I only hope that when that time comes, the sun will still recognize who I am.” Celestia rubbed her left foreleg above the barely visible chain with her right forehoof.
“Even if you are still like this, Princess, I’m certain the sun will not only recognize you but eagerly welcome you back.” Twilight nosed into Celestia’s coat softly.
The door opened and shut, admitting a very worn looking Luna who wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. “Your student speaks truth, Tia. Even as he was setting, he cried out for you to put him to bed. Convincing him took a bit more power than I’m used to... So what has been happening while I was tending your court?”
Celestia smiled. “My very inquisitive student asked me to write out the spell I’ll be using to bond the two of us. I think she's studied it long enough that she could cast it backwards while standing on her head, all while blindfolded.”
Twilight blushed and scuffed her hoof against the floor. “Oh, well I just wanted to understand how this spell worked, that's all. I mean, it is going to be cast on me. So, what happens now that it’s night?”
Luna yawned. “This night? Nothing, tonight we sleep. Celestia needs all her magic to cast this at dawn and I need all my energy to raise the sun tomorrow morning. I am sure it will be pinning for Tia just as much tomorrow as it has today, if not more.”
“Luna, you're being awful to Helios; I do not speak that way of Diana.” Celestia snorted before moving over to make room for Luna on the couch.
“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry, Tia, he is just a bit more fussy than I’m used to. Come, Twilight Sparkle, lay between us in slumber.” Luna plopped down but left enough room for Twilight.
Twilight briefly hesitated before climbing in between them. “Alright. But, um... Who are Helios and Diana?”
Celestia grinned, her teeth gleaming a bit off of the fire. “The sun and the moon of course, Twilight. Although the sun isn’t truly a male as much as Luna claims otherwise. She named both of them when she was a foal, before we regained the memories of who we were.”
Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. “You mean you haven’t always known who you were?”
Celestia looked at Luna and both began laughing. Celestia got a hold of her giggles, answering Twilight first. “Oh my, imagine how that would have been for our parents; two foals demanding to be worshiped as the sun and moon… Oh no, Twilight, we were normal children until I was fourteen and Luna was twelve. That was when we began to have dreams of our past, and I must admit we did not react well.”
“What do you mean, Princess?” Twilight asked, rolling onto her back to see both of them better.
Luna shamefully looked away, causing Celestia to sigh before she began her explanation. “Well, Twilight, in our pasts we weren’t exactly the nicest of… well, anything. In fact, I’d give and even bet that windigos were nicer than Luna and I once were, so when we started seeing what we were, who we were, we rejected it. I went deeper into my work as a farmer, hoping to find a husband, and Luna began writing stories about her dreams. I must say, though: being a farmer during the Discordian Era was a fascinating—if not aggravating—experience. I’d go to bed having planted tomatoes and wake up to fully grown kiwi trees. It was… odd, to say the very least.
“Eventually, though, we came to the realization we could run no more, and at nineteen and seventeen years old we took control of the sun and moon and earned our cutie marks, and... well, you know the rest.” Celestia looked down to see Twilight’s eyes closed. Her fore legs were folded up to her chest, which was rising slowly. Celestia shook her head at Luna and smiled. “A good bedtime story always did put her right to sleep. Maybe I should let her read some of the stories you wrote, Lulu.”
“You still have them even after all this time?” Luna asked as Celestia nodded. Luna shook her head and smiled. “Hmm… Well, maybe, but I think I’ll make copies for her. Goodnight, Tia.”
“Goodnight, Lulu.” Celestia closed her eyes, falling into a deep and peaceful sleep. She felt safe being surrounded by her faithful student and beloved little sister.
Twilight murmured as Celestia lightly prodded her. “Come on, Twilight. I need you to wake up now, my faithful student.”
“Dun wanna... still night time... dark...” Twilight mumbled, turning onto her side and snuggling closer to the warm figure lying next to her.
Celestia rolled her eyes before glancing over at Luna, who was standing at the window while patiently waiting to raise the sun and set the moon. “Sorry, she's always been a bit difficult to wake up.”
Luna shook her head before rolling eyes. “Yes, it appears so. Is there anything you can do to more easily rouse her?”
“Yes, there is one thing... though I am loathe to employ it; she never reacts very well to it.” Celestia smirked while stroking Twilight’s mane. “Oh well, it can’t be helped. We need her awake for the bond to take place properly.” Celestia slowly bent her head down until her muzzle was right beside Twilight’s ear. “Twilight Sparkle, class started five minutes ago.”
With that simple statement, Twilight's eyes popped open and she jumped from the couch. “Oh no oh no oh no, I can’t be late, I just can’t! If I’m late then my homework won’t be on time and it'll be marked tardy! And if my homework is marked tardy then Princess Celestia will be disappointed with me and she’ll send me back a grade! Or worse yet, all the way back to…”
Twilight froze, her ear twitching as Luna watched her, not certain whether to be amused or frightened. “Magic kindergarten…”
Celestia quickly trotted over to her most beloved student, who was dancing in place with her mane already beginning to stick up in places. She gently placed a hoof on Twilight’s withers. “It's alright, Twilight, you aren’t late. I only said that to wake you up, now relax, dear. Come on, take a deep breath and release.”
It took a few moments, but Twilight finally calmed down enough to look up at Celestia, whose mane was actually normal hair for once. It was red and orange like the flames that now made up its crackling beauty; she was calmly running a brush through it. “I… I wasn’t aware you were able to turn your mane into hair like that, Princess.”
“Of course, Twilight. All I did was cut off the magic going to it, much like how when Luna was freed, her mane was normal, though with beautiful blue curls. Normally my non-powered mane is a delicate pink, though I shouldn’t find myself surprised that even non-powered, my mane mimics fire. What do you think of the idea of using fur dye to make my coat white again?” Celestia mused as she put her brush down and looked in the mirror to examine her work. Satisfied, she levitated her tooth brush to carefully brush her new, much sharper teeth.
Twilight took the hairbrush in her aura and passed it through her own unwieldy mane. “I suppose you could try. Rarity has told me she's seen quite a few ponies make use of it, especially models hoping to get a job modeling a certain fashionista's works.”
Celestia nodded. “I do suppose that makes sense.” She then blinked and glanced over to Luna. “Oh! Luna, I’m so sorry, my deepest apologies.”
“Oh no, don’t worry about me. You two just chat, I can keep it night until the guards come, at least.” Luna stated dryly, crossing her fore legs and looking directly in Celestia’s direction with her eyebrow raised.
Celestia glanced down at her black body and swallowed. “Right, I forgot... Alright, Luna, raise the sun. I’m ready.” Walking ever so slowly, Celestia led Twilight back over to the balcony door. “It’ll work best if we are outside where the sun can touch us.”
Twilight nodded, opening the door as the moon drifted below the horizon. Just as the sun was about to rise, Celestia placed her horn against Twilight’s and captured her lips in a kiss as her horn steadily glowed. Twilight’s eyes widened as she felt the magic being forced into her body; it almost hurt, there was so much of it. She felt a slight itching on her back before she heard a sound she hoped to never encounter again. It sounded like a balloon filled with jelly or custard was split open, but even as Twilight tried to figure out what the sound was, Celestia refused to release her. If anything, the magic being transferred to her became stronger and more painful, causing Twilight to force her eyes closed and scream.
The pain... Oh, Celestia, it hurts! Make it stop, make it st—