Over the next few hours, Luna debriefs you on some of the nuances of her life, and what to expect for at least the next day or two. Twilight had no idea how long it would take to find a spell to reverse what Luna had done, but you hoped it was very soon. You still feel extremely nervous about doing this, but you have no other choice.
Luna had it easy masquerading as you, considering she could just stay in or near you home. You didn't do too much outside other than tinker with your car, as you were admittedly still a bit shy. She sits across from you on your bed, with Twilight next to you. Twilight has already begun her reading assignment, going back home to grab a few old leather-bound books earlier tonight.
Now, as the sky outside begins to lighten with the glow of the rising sun, a voice seeming to come from within your head startles you.
"Sister, where are you? It is time for you to rest and me to rise."
"Holy crap, who is in my head, Luna?!" you shout, making Twilight jump.
Luna nods, a smile creeping across her face as she looks out the window.
"Yes, it is about time to put the moon away. Celestia and I share a link within our minds, we've had it ever since I can remember," she says.
"Great. I mean, I kind of figured that out already," you tell Luna, who turns back to you. "But how do I respond back, and how do I lower the moon?"
"All magic is based on visualization. Picture my sister and tell her what you wish to say. As for the moon, visualize it as a part of you, and extra limb, and push it below the horizon."
You do as you are told, visualizing the graceful form of Celestia, complete with her flowing pastel mane.
[l]Yes, I will be back at the castle shortly. Do not fret.
Rather than hear a reply back, you sense Celestia's approval. Next, you focus your attention on the moon, as you concentrate on the bright sphere handing low in the sky.
Gently, you push, and as if you have reached out and moved it with a hoof, the moon drops out of sight. Meanwhile, Luna voices her approval.
"Wonderful, Anon. Or should I say, Princess."
You groan at her tease, as she and Twilight giggle.
"Uh, what's going on in here?" You turn your head, finding Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway to your room."
"Dash, don't you know how to knock?" you ask.
She shrugs, brushing off your question. "Eh, Anon doesn't mind, do you?"
All eyes turn to Luna, currently inhabiting your body. She doesn't seem to pick up on the fact she should be answering.
Alarms go off in Rainbow's head, as her demeanor quickly shifts from carefree to suspicious. "What did I miss?"
-----
After giving Rainbow Dash the details of your predicament, she agreed to watch over Luna for the next few days, to make sure she stayed out of trouble. You also made it clear to Luna there would be no use of your Superbird under any circumstances, much to her disappointment.
Afterward, Twilight accompanied you as you high-tailed it to Canterlot's Castle, making use of your graceful wings. She had agreed to stay with you and help with whatever you needed, in between her own priorities of finding something that could help you in the castle's library.
You didn't get much time to prepare yourself when you arrived at the castle, as Celestia was already waiting on her balcony, spying you in the sky upon your approach. While she was surprised to see Twilight, Celestia didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, which was a relief.
Twilight and you had briefly considered telling the Princess the truth but decided against it. While the elder alicorn might be able to help, you thought she might also be rather upset with Luna. Twilight seemed rather confident she could solve this, anyways.
The next biggest hurdle for you is getting used to being referred to as Luna, as Twilight reminds you by prodding your ribs.
"Dammit, sorry. I just zoned out again," you tell her. Twilight's face remains stern.
"You can't keep letting your mind drift, this is very serious. If we are going to pull this off, you have got to stay focused and remember who you are," she says.
"Right. I'm Luna," you say, before yawning. "And I'm ready for bed."
Yawning seems to be contagious in Equestria as well, Twilight mirroring you as the two of you shuffle down the hall.
"I know, I am too. We'll stop by your room and get some sleep before I head to the library,"
You pause a moment.
"Right, my room. which would be..... where?" you ask.
Twilight picks up her pace, moving in front of you. "Just follow me."
You do so, following Twilight as she twists and turns through the numerous corridors of the castle. The sheer size of this place boggles your mind, the threat of getting yourself lost very real.
After a few minutes of walking, Twilight stops and turns, opening a door and ushering you inside. As you walk through, your eyes take in the sight of Luna's room.
Just like the rest of the castle, the room is expansive, the ceiling nearly to the stratosphere. It is quite clear Luna is fond of the color blue, as the walls, the drapes, even the carpet is some shade of blue. As you look up, you find yourself awestruck by the mural above, a beautiful snapshot of the night sky.
"Wow, Luna has it made," you exclaim, waiting no longer to hop onto the massive bed. You instantly sink in, the softness of the mattress beyond compare.
"Before you fall asleep, we need to talk," Twilight says, just as you close your eyes.
"Can it wait? Please?" You plead, but to no avail, as Twilight continues.
"You need to work on keeping your emotions in check, Luna," she says, while you cringe at your temporary name.
"I know."
"I'm not just saying that because of your outburst last night, I'm saying it is imperative that you remain calm these next few days no matter what happens. Luna is well-known for her cool demeanor, even under pressure," Twilight says.
"Yes, mom," you respond sarcastically.
"Now get some sleep, you'll need it for your upcoming shift tonight."
Her voice is barely audible as you are already slipping away into sleep's embrace.
“Rise and shine Luna, your shift is up!” Celestia's melodic voice stirs you from your slumber.
Slowly, you roll out of bed, reluctant to leave its warmth.
You almost trip as some of the sheets are still clinging to your legs, but you maintain your balance. It at least wakes you up a bit.
It's then you notice something off about your room.
"Why am I standing on the ceiling?" you shout. Outside the door, you hear the laughter of Celestia.
Without warning, you feel the whole room tilt. By instinct, you flare your wings, allowing you to gracefully drop to the floor. You are the only thing to drop, as the furniture in the room stays on the ceiling.
The door to your room opens with a creak, Celestia's head popping through.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist having some fun. I forgot how much of a heavy sleeper you are," she says, smiling. "You seemed tired this morning, so I let you sleep in. I already lowered the sun and raised the moon, hopefully you don't mind."
"No, I don't mind, thank you," you reply, quickly donning your onyx tiara.
"Not a problem, it should be a slow night. There was a bit of paperwork I didn't finish up, I left it on your desk." she points a hoof upward, to the mahogany furniture. "And I'll fix that before I go to bed."
"Yeah, that uh..... that was interesting to wake up to. Where's Twilight, by the way?" you inquire, earning a giggle from Celestia.
"I'm surprised you even have to ask. She's in the library, I'm sure she'll be along shortly," Celestia give you a wave, before turning and heading back out of the room.
You can't help but smile, pleasantly surprised by Celestia's good-humored nature. But you turn your thoughts to your task tonight, remembering the directions Twilight gave you to the throne room.
No sense in waiting, Twilight will catch up.
Eleven hours of mind-numbing boredom later, Twilight pops in for another visit, the guards in the room watching her casually.
The night has been relatively quiet, the few ponies that have come only making minor requests. Most notably requests to move the stars around, to make new constellations. Twilight has visited every now and then, but overall you've just occupied yourself with some of the paperwork Celestia has left.
You would like to know what she would consider a lot of paperwork, for the stack on your desk was nearly as thick as a novel.
Rising from the throne, you stretch your stiff joints, getting a few pops from your back before casually striding down the stairs to meet with Twilight. For such an angular seat, the throne is surprisingly comfortable, but not for hours on end.
"I see you've survived your night, Princess," Twilight says, with a knowing wink. You only smirk in response as you head out the double doors she arrived from just a moment ago. Out of earshot of the guards, you finally speak up.
"I never imagined ruling over a kingdom could be so damned boring," you tell her. "Can you really blame Luna for losing her marbles years ago?"
Twilight isn't amused by your quip, judging by the disappearance of her smile. You also notice bags under her dry eyes.
"You haven't slept at all, have you?"
"I got an hour's worth of sleep," she tells you, making you cringe. "It was worth it though, I found the book and original spell that she used on you two. I also got a bit better understanding of the mechanics of this particular magic."
You are careful not to get your hopes up, managing a restrained grin. The two of you reach Luna's room, Twilight taking a seat at your desk while you flop onto the bed.
"Now, I want to know something from you, and be honest," Twilight says with a stern tone.
"Ask away, then."
"Do you really love Luna?" Twilight asks. Her question causes you to jolt upright.
"What kind of question is that? I mean, how does that help us with what's going on now?" You feel your face growing hot at the embarrassment of her question.
"I'm not judging you, I just want to know," Twilight says.
You lay back down, contemplating your words before you say anything. It was true, you loved her personality, her quirkiness. Despite her past, she was sweet and down-to-earth, not letting her royal status get to her head. But were you IN love with her?
"Twilight, I don't really know. I can't say yes, but I won't say no, either. I just really enjoy being around her," you say, waiting for a response.
The room is dead silent for what seems to be forever before Twilight says anything.
"Fair enough," she says. You breathe a sigh of relief.
Not but moments later, your bedroom door swings open as Princess Celestia makes her appearance unannounced.
"Hello Twilight, I trust you had a good night in the archives?" she asks, a slight smirk underlying her warm smile.
Twilight only giggles nervously, nodding her head. This whole time she's worried about you blowing the lid off this secret, and she can't even respond to Celestia calmly.
If Celestia notices anything odd about Twilight's behavior, she doesn't show it, turning her attention to you instead.
"How did last night go, sister?"
"It was.... very boring," you say, sitting up. "Perhaps that is not a bad thing, for I managed to get through all the paperwork you gave me to peruse." Like a seasoned veteran, you slowly float the stack of files over to Celestia, hovering them in front of her face.
"I'm impressed," she says, chuckling. "I'm not used to seeing you fly right through paperwork like that, usually you repay me the favor the next morning."
You sense Twilight's eyes locked on you as you repeat the nervous giggle she gave earlier.
"I'm just full of surprises," you say. "But no, I had perhaps three, maybe four visitors over the course of my night. There was little else to do."
Celestia seems troubled by something you said, causing you to pipe up.
"What's wrong, sister?"
"You aren't bothered by your nights being so slow, are you? Maybe we need to make a change," she says.
You wave a hoof, trying to settle her. "It's fine sis. Don't worry your mind."
"Alright," she says. "By the way, if you're not too tired, I would like to show you something."
Out of the corner of your eye, you see Twilight begin nervously chewing on her hair. Needless to say she doesn't know what is in store for you. But you know with this on your mind, you will not be able to sleep for sure.
"Sure, sis," you reply. "Lead the way."
Celestia beams, turning and heading out the door with you in tow. Once in the hall, you pick up the pace, getting alongside the taller alicorn. The suspension is nearly killing you as your stomach churns.
"So, what is it you want to show me?" you ask, hoping for some sort of clue. Her smile only seems to get brighter as she continues forward, turning her head to face you.
"Luna, I'm just so glad to see you happy again. I think Anonymous landing in this world was perhaps the best thing that has ever happened, because it brought my sister back that I fondly remember," she says. Your face grows hot, regretting the fact that Luna is not hearing this for herself.
"Hearing you so excited about visiting with him and talking about his transportation device, it takes me back to when you used to race," she says.
"I... what?" Confusion reigns in your mind, unsure if you heard her correctly.
Celestia's smile diminishes. "You mean, you don't remember? Before Discord, before I..."
She trails off, unable to say anymore. You know what Celestia is referring to, as you awkwardly drape a wing over her.
"It's fine, Tia. You need to stop beating yourself up about it," you tell her.
Celestia gathers herself up, flashing you her smile again. Then, she closes her eyes, horn glowing, before the hallway disappears into a white haze. Slowly, a room begins to fade in through the fog.
The room doesn't seem to have any doors or windows. But every wall is lined with pictures, shelves, and what looks like various awards and trophies. You spin your head around, trying to take it all in.
"What is this?" you ask. Stepping closer to one side of the room, you see that every photo is of Luna, but younger based on her smaller stature. Some pictures are of her posing with some of the trophies in the room, while others are of her posing at a starting line, or even crossing a finish line, ahead of everyone else.
"I saved all these a long, long time ago. You were quite the speedster yourself one time," Celestia says.
"I was? I just... I don't remember any of this," you say, keeping up the charade. But you find yourself awestruck by this time capsule room. If Luna does remember this, why hasn't she told you about her past?
"Before we ruled Equestria, you were the terror of the race track. I don't think there were many races you didn't win," Celestia says, giggling. From what you see, she's right. Almost every award in the room, from the smallest to the tallest, is a bright gold hue.
"What happened, sister?"
Celestia sighs, sounding like she was hoping that question would not be asked. "Well, when Discord made his presence known, we stepped forward to stop him. It took a long time to overthrow him, and between your magic development and natural maturation, you grew. By the time we had won the battle, your agility and speed had diminished quite a bit from when you were smaller."
You flare your wings out, looking them over. They are definitely larger than the typical pegasus wing, from what you've seen in your time here.
"It didn't help that I pushed for you to give up racing, either," Celestia says, a bit of shame evident in her voice. "I just felt we needed to bring harmony to the land, and the only way to do that was by jointly presiding over Equestria."
You can't stand seeing Celestia beat herself up like this. You whap her lightly on the nose with your wing.
"Stop talking like that, right now," you tell her in a scolding voice. "What has happened in the past, is in the past. We should learn from it, but focus on now, the present."
Celestia is awestruck for a moment, unable to speak. You continue in the meantime.
"I am proud of where we stand now, how far we have come. Thank you for showing me this, Tia."
At this point, Celestia seems on the verge of tears. Without warning, she pulls you into an almost painfully tight hug.
"Oh sister, you are right. I'm glad we had this talk, " she says after a time, before slowly letting you go. "But I suppose I've kept you too long, and I must get going as well."
You nod as Celestia's horn glows again, the room warping back into the hallway you were in minutes before.
"Thanks, Tia. You've given me a lot to think about," you tell her. She beams with pride, before turning and heading out to begin her day.
At this point, you have only one thought on your mind. How are you going to get any sleep after all this excitement?