When Luna complains to her older sister that she feels like she doesn't believe she is responsible enough, Celestia proves this statement false by putting her younger sister into a different kind of situation.
Luna feels neglected. Rising the moon during the night is an important task, and belonging to the royal family alone is noteworthy. Despite these things, she still feels as if her older sister, Celestia, still does not fully trust her. Many times before she has tried to catch her attention, but it was merely brushed off; at least, until Luna's attitude starts to take a turn once more. The older of the two is far from oblivious, and upon getting Luna to spit out what has been bothering her, she gives her the chance to really test her own view on her level of responsibility.
It was a perfect afternoon to take a stroll through the castle. The two siblings made their way down the hallway, stone archways lingering above their heads. Light reflected in from the stained glass windows, each set of glass telling a different tale in it's carvings. It was quite beautiful; now the only thing that didn't fit in was the grumpy, younger alicorn trotting alongside her sister.
"Hm." Celestia could only offer a sound of thought. "Did you finish with those papers I left?" She asked, her gaze soon falling upon the other. A curiosity soon lingered within her pale, magenta eyes upon seeing Luna's disposition. She looked irritated, uncomfortable. It was as if she had to take care of an entire Parasprite infestation in her bedroom when she woke up this morning.
However, the Princess of the Moon was able to nod faintly. "Yes, I did." Her tone practically spelling out annoyance. Because of this, an awkward silence now took over and hung in the air, unwelcome with it's intentions as the two stopped in their tracks to take a sudden interest in one of the windows.
"Luna," Celestia finally spoke, "is something the matter? You seem..."
"Disappointed?"
Celestia frowned. "Well, I suppose that's one way to put it, yes."
A sigh escaped from Luna as she went around her sister, continuing down the hallway without consent. "Well sister, I can honestly say that I am. Lately it seems that all of the work you are giving me is...easy. Whether it be to check on the Royal Guard.." She trailed off suddenly, shaking her head. There was no need to list what she had been doing the past few weeks for duties.
Celestia was quick to fall in step behind the other, catching up with the other's pace. "You wish for me to give you more responsibilities?" It was mind boggling. It had to have been the first time she had ever heard of such a thing. She could only pray to the Elements that she had absorbed that information correctly.
"Is that too much to ask?" Luna blurted out. "I am more than capable of handling such things. In fact, I would very much like to do so!" Words tumbled out of her mouth as she made her way down the hallway, no longer fully processing what she was saying. Was she speaking her mind, or was she simply complaining like the annoying, younger sibling? That was her very problem. She didn't want to be just the annoying, younger sibling. She wanted to be recognized as the Princess of the Moon, of the Night. There was more to her than being just Celestia's sister.
And then returned the silence. Celestia was unaware of how to reply right away. She had to take a moment to assess the situation.. Overtime Luna had grown into a very independent individual. She always got her work done on time, and always followed what she was told to do. No longer were the days of protecting the filly she called her baby sister, or watching as she happily galloped about in the garden. Luna was older now; and it was time she be treated equally so.
"You're right." Her response came out so naturally, she was barely aware she had said it. Apparently it had caught Luna off guard as well, because she stopped in her flustered stride to look over her shoulder, confusion setting in on her expression. "I apologize for making you feel that way." Celestia spoke again, watching her before a smile sneaked onto her lips. That was all that was said before she walked ahead, made a turn, and left the other alicorn alone with just her thoughts.
And Luna had watched the entire time, seeming more perturbed than ever. What exactly had that been about? Was it just an apology, or was she actually going to do something about it?
It had been two days since Luna had put her hoof down and told Celestia about her problems. It also had been two days since she had last spoken to her older sister. A coincidence? Not likely. Something the dark colored mare was pleased about? Not in the slightest.
The only logical explanation Luna could conjure up was that she had offended her. That hadn't been her intention, her intentions were good. She merely wanted to speak her mind, in hopes that things would change. Siblings were supposed to have open communication with one another, or else the relationship would crumble and they would hate each other for the rest of their days... Perhaps that was a bit too dramatic. But speech was important.
She had managed to keep herself busy in that time. Whenever the topic of her sister was brought up however, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. Honestly, she was starting to believe that it had absolutely in every way possible been her fault. The subject never should have been brought up, let alone spoken of in such depth. But, as much as she wished she could time-travel back two days and keep herself from opening her trap; she couldn't. So, she waited for Celestia to confront her.
And it took that long for that very thing to happen. The conversation had been brief, as if it was of the utmost importance. Most of it consisted however of her older sister trying to spew out an awkward form of an apology, and then telling her she was to stay in Ponyville for a week with her favorite pupil, Twilight Sparkle. Needless to say, that had been an eventful morning. But Luna didn't turn it down, because this was to be her chance to shine. To prove to her sister that she could handle such tasks, even if it was just to observe, and for the sake of being anywhere but in the castle.
She could do this.
"I can do this," The voice inside Luna's head tried to reassure her as she trotted along the street leading into the heart of the town. There was definitely a difference between Canterlot and Ponyville, anypony could tell. It was a complete one hundred sixty degree turn around, a full out change. Here, ponies went about their way without a care in the world. It wasn't hard at all to spot a smile, for it seemed there was one at every corner. One would think the place should have been named Friendly instead, whereas in Canterlot ponies were a bit more stuck up. And oddly enough, the Princess felt uncomfortable.
It had been almost a year since Nightmare Night, but the residences clearly had not forgotten it. She wasn't greeted with quivering hooves and cautious bows, but welcoming waves and grins instead. She was the Princess, not beloved by all, but certainly respected. No longer did the name Nightmare Moon weigh down on her. So... why did she feel like such an outcast walking here?
The library appeared exactly how she remembered it. The large oak remained untouched, standing tall in the center of Ponyville. Home to thousands of books, and none other than Twilight Sparkle herself. She hadn't seen the unicorn in quite some time, and a part of her was excited. Another, nervous. Her steps towards the door were incredibly slow, and anypony who saw her probably thought she was doing it on purpose, filming for some slow motion part in a movie of some sorts. But despite taking her sweet time, she eventually made it, and she was forced to lift a hoof and knock on the wood.
From inside there was rummaging sounds. The alicorn could have sworn she could make out Twilight yelling Spike's name once or twice, then the sound of something crashing; she was actually tempted to barge in and make sure everything was alright, until she was beat to it. Opening the door, Luna was met with a pair of wondering eyes and a purple mane. "P.. Princess?" She sputtered, pushing the door open further so she was fully in her line of sight.
"Hello, Twilight." She greeted, giving an awkward smile.
Twilight Sparkle had no idea what was going on. Celestia hadn't informed her of her sister's arrival, so there was a little shock that came with having her on her front lawn. "H-hello!" Her lips curled up into a smile. "It's nice to see you again, Princess..! What brings you here? Did Celestia send you?" She questioned, raising one brow. "For a test? Or perhaps there is a book you need? Because trust me, I know I have just what you need if you're here for that reason!" Her confidence in this was just as vast as her collection of books, it appeared.
"Oh, I am in no need of a book."
"So, there is a test?"
"Well, no.."
"Because the Princess didn't say anything about a test.. I didn't study!"
"There is no--"
"I should have done that this morning..!"
Luna had to take a step forward to catch her attention again. "My sister sent me here to accompany you for a week as a learning process. That is all." That seemed to do the trick, because Twilight blinked a few times in response rather than continuing to speak.
"Oh! I see!" She replied, pushing the door aside a bit with one hoof. "Come in, then," She laughed awkwardly, "and ignore the library. It's re shelving day." Twilight had to contain her curiosity best she could right now, because all she wanted to ask was why her mentor had sent her younger sister to stay with her for seven days.. was it important? Was something happening in Canterlot? She figured she would find out soon enough as she closed the door behind Princess Luna, following her into the home.
It wouldn't be surprising if everypony in Ponyville was now used to the purple unicorn's house flying up into the air. The large oak landed back into the ground with a thud, causing books to scatter everywhere from their rightful places on the shelves (which had just been fixed recently). The place looked like an absolute disaster, but thankfully it wasn't anything Twilight wasn't used to. She gave a sheepish grin to the frustrated alicorn in front of her, hoping she wasn't the next thing to be nearly blown into nothingness.
It had been a day since Princess Luna arrived at her doorstep. She had explained her situation to Twilight, and although there were some gaps missing in the story, she hadn't questioned them. Celestia trusted her to give her sister a welcoming home for the next seven days, and to help her around the town; that's exactly what she would do. Giving her the spare bedroom in the library, she had spent the first day refreshing Luna's memory of Ponyville. Showing her the various little shops around town, and the best places to eat. To her surprise however, the next morning the Princess of the Night had taken a sudden interest in magic. So, magic it was.
"Ahahah... it's okay, Princess! We can try again."
"Try again? Try again?!" Luna's face was red with anger, giving breaths through her nose. Stomping one hoof against the ground, she lifted one of the many fallen books up into the air with her magic. "These books aren't helping me at all! We shall try a different method!" The glowing aura around the history book suddenly vanished, causing it to fall to the ground and join the rest. For a moment, everything was silent except for Luna, who was still breathing heavily with frustration. It appeared even after all this time, her temper remained in tact.
Then, the door opened.
"Twilight, Twilight! Come quick, it's awful!"
Both spell users turned their heads just in time to see a distressed Rarity enter the building. She was known for being quite the drama queen, but with the expression she had it made Twilight jump to her hooves. "Lead the way!" Without question, the two ran out of the tree as if it had been rehearsed, leaving Luna to sit there for a second and collect her thoughts. "These books do not help one learn, they are false-" She could only pause once she noticed she was no longer in the presence of her older sister's student. Realizing it rather quickly she stood up and gasped, before seeing the open door and running to it. "O-oh, wait for me!"
"Opalescence, you come down here right this instant!" The white mare huffed, pushing both of her hooves down against the lush grass. Twilight stood beside her with an look of pure confusion, watching as the unicorn's pet cat clung to a branch. The feline was shaking, only offering a disturbed meow of sorts as she looked down to the ground underneath her.
Rarity sighed. "Oh, I just don't know what to do! Nothing seems to work! I've even offered her her favorite dish and outfit, the one mommy made for her!" She pouted. "I put a lot of love into that fashion, Twilight. Do you know how long it took? And now she's rejecting it!" The scene was a bit humorous in a way, but for Rarity it was an absolute disaster. She'd be stuck up there forever.
The two stared up into the tree for a few moments, before yet another voice joined, a bit deeper than the others. "Ah, I see. Your small companion is stuck in the tree. That's rather unfortunate." Luna kept a straight face as the two in front of her both jumped a bit out of surprise. Twilight only offered a sigh before she went back to brainstorming, whereas her friend gasped and fell down in an awkward bow. "Oh, your highness! I didn't know you were visiting Ponyville- welcome, welcome!"
Luna blinked a few times before giving a slight smile and a nod of acknowledgment before walking by her to join Twilight. "Why don't.. you just levitate it down?"
"Opalescence is already frightened. I don't want her passing out due to more fear." Glancing over her shoulder to her friend, Twilight could see Rarity nodding quickly in response. "It's true! She's a very fragile darling, oh, due be careful!" But careful was a rather hard thing to keep in mind this far in. They could climb up, but it would be too much of a struggle. But perhaps.. climbing wasn't the answer.
"Oh!" Luna turned her attention from the shaking pet to Rarity, giving a smug little grin. "Why not float up? The cat surely trusts you!" Everypony around her seemed to take a moment to process this. It was Twilight who first did, giving a big smile. "Wait, that's a great idea! Rarity, I can levitate you up to the branch and you can grab Opal!"
The white mare however looked back and forth, before lifting one hoof to her chest. "Whaat, me? Oh, no no no no! I'm an observer, not a doer!" She spoke, flustered. It became clear though that she wasn't getting out of this. She sighed, trotting over to them. "Okay, fine. But only for Opal!" She gulped, giving a glance up to her pet. "Don't worry, dear, mommy's coming!" Her words soon turned to small shrieks of surprise as she felt her very hooves lifted from the ground underneath her, a light aura surrounding her entire body. Below her, Twilight was paying attention, careful not to drop her. Lifting her up to the point where she was in front of the branch.
Once Rarity was floating before her, Opalescence looked even more baffled. She hissed, looking back to the pony with wide eyes. "Opal, I'm here! It's okay, don't be afraid! Let go of the tree, darling!" Rarity struggled to get her to cooperate with her, but once she did the following events happened too quickly for anyone. Opalescence suddenly detracted her claws from the bark and fell down, Twilight gasping and breaking her concentration to catch her.
This lead to Rarity leaving the comfort of her floating 'bubble' to fall down to the ground, screaming the entire way. The Princess was ahead of the game though, and in an effort to help her she galloped forward and made her back accessible to land on. The unicorn landed on the other with a thump, a groan escaping her. She lifted her head to look around after the fall, before realizing she had just fell from the sky onto the Princess of Canterlot. Needless to say, she gasped again. "Ooh, thank you, thank you!"
"It's alright." Luna smiled and allowed her down so Twilight could give her Opal back, who still seemed to be shaken up from what had happened. "Oh, my poor baby! It's alright now Opalescence, let's go get you your sweater!"
The meows of protest could still be heard as she left the area, giving her quick thanks over her shoulder.
Twilight gave a goofy smile. "Oh, Rarity." She playfully rolled her eyes before looking to the Princess, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Um.. is something wrong, Princess?"
Luna cocked her head to one side. "Does she always have her pet of choice get stuck like that?"
"Oh, no! That's actually the first time that's happened, I think. Rarity takes great care of Opal, but I'm always willing to help her with her if she needs it." Twilight replied. Then with a gesture of her head she started back to her home, rambling about another book they could try reading.
"Always willing to help.." Luna repeated the words. Celestia would sometimes read the letters Twilight sent her when she was in the room, and often she wouldn't fully understand them.. but they were all about her and her friends- friendship. Something the Princess hadn't had much of a chance to experience, to explore. And being able to help Rarity then and there brought a smile to her expression. "That was.. nice." She muttered, a joyful look in her eyes as she turned and ran to catch up.
