A drop of fuel for a Nightmare

Your head hit the rough pillowcase mere instants before Celestia's sun rose from beyond the horizon, signifying the end of your day, and the start of most everybody else's. Though your curtains were still open, and the full power of the beating sun shone freely into your room, you were asleep moments later, your body exhausted and your mind too tired to think.

That was one day down. It would surely get better after this, the day could hardly have gone worse. Though you didn't want to think about it, your dreams were filled with pointless recollection.

Your courage had almost failed you as you stood on the opposite end of the room to Luna, the princess of the night and the literal ruler of darkness. Even trying her best to not be terrifying, she was an intimidating sight, easily standing almost as tall as you were, but with a body that looked like it was built out of pure muscle, a mane that even disguised still clearly held unknowable depths, a horn that looked like it could be used as a deadly weapon, and worst of all, a piercing set of eyes that looked more like they were staring into your soul than merely looking at your body.

The day hadn't gotten much better after that. Princess Luna's first suggestion had been for her to begin your instruction immediately, and you had, of course, agreed. Most of the rest of the day - night? - from that point had been her impatiently walking you through various menial chores, from alphabetising bookshelves, to cleaning bathrooms (She had several. As far as you knew, nobody else was allowed inside the tower, and you weren't allowed to use any of them.), to making her bed, and everything inbetween. The upshot was that after your day's crash course in cleaning, you felt far more capable of taking that tower and making it spotless.

If only that had been all that had happened, though. Your first mistake of the day had come early, answering one of her questions with a meek "Yes, Luna".

"You shall refer to us as 'Princess', 'Princess Luna', 'My Lady', or any other sufficiently respectful name, subject." she had warned, her hair rising above her as she became angered, showing you the merest glimpse of her potential wrath. It wasn't surprising to you that ponies still remembered Nightmare Night even 1000 years after it had occurred, though it was amusing that generation after generation had turned it into more of a celebration than a reverence.

The night's conversations had been practical and to the point - Luna was terse and irritable, viewing your failures with disdain and your successes as barely acceptable, and was generally unresponsive to questioning, preferring instead to add yet more chores to your list of activities. By the time Luna said it was time to set the moon, you were having trouble staying awake, and she excused you so you could sleep while she performed the final task of her day.

You awoke the next evening to find the sun setting over the distant horizon, the last few rays of the dying day illuminating your room. You spent a few moments admiring the view before forcing yourself out of bed, begrudgingly ready to begin your night.

A few minutes later, you were greeting Shadow Shield once again as he opened the door to let you enter Luna's tower. The second time round he was far less intimidating, even with his wings outstretched you knew he was just as much a person as you were. You exchanged greetings and pleasantries as he walked upstairs by your side, holding up a candle to ensure you had a safe journey.

Setting down the candle, he started to push against the door, very slowly opening it. After you joined in, pressing all your weight against the huge wooden structure, it began to open more smoothly, allowing you access to Luna's main hall. He wished you good luck as the two of you closed the door, you pushing and him pulling, and then you were alone.

The hall looked completely different during the day, the light streaming through the stained glass window and painting brightly coloured patterns over the walls and floor. It was beautiful, and it was a shame Luna was about to wake up and rob you of the sight.

Right on cue, one of the princess' bedroom doors clicked open, and Luna walked out. She squinted against the harsh light and brought up a hoof to shield her eyes as she stared out through the window, completely missing you. Her footsteps were silent, as she was wearing a set of dark fuzzy slippers as opposed to her previous armoured shoes, and her body was covered not by her normal regalia, but by a thin black nightgown, adorned with a silver moon covering where her cutie mark would be. Her hair, much like her sister's was the night before, was tied back against her neck with a thin length of elastic.

She yawned as she walked through the room towards one of the doors on the far side, before stopping as she caught sight of you.

"I... We did not realise you were so prompt, subject." she spoke, harshly but not as loud as she had spoken the day before, "We congratulate you on your punctuality."

She began to step backwards as she hurried back into her room, and you could have sworn you almost saw a blush starting to form on her face. "We shall be preparing for the day if you need us. For now, we require breakfast, please prepare some."

The door swung shut considerably harder than it had opened, closing with a bang. Perhaps Luna hadn't remembered you were meant to be here.

That one moment gave you the word you'd use to define the rest of the day, "Awkward". You tried your best to not get in Luna's way, and do everything she asked, but most of the day was spent in silence, you filing and sorting and cleaning and searching and doing all the tasks Luna would normally have performed alone, while Luna performed her royal duties.

Luna's duties were, naturally, much lighter than Celestia's, which was filled with politics and ponies. Both of those things were hard to find in a sleeping kingdom, so Luna ended up merely looking after the stars, and watching over a silent land where nothing ever changed.

In her downtime, Luna seemed to be catching up on 1000 years of Equestrian history. It was a subject that fascinated you, and you'd learned a lot about the recent history of the world, but Luna tended not to appreciate you speaking without being spoken to, so you remained silent.

Come daybreak, you were exhausted once again. Luna opened the door as the two of you bid good day and went your separate ways, preparing to slumber. You were less tired than you had been the day before, and took the opportunity to examine the night sky from your bedroom window, staring out into the dark expanse. The beautiful rolling hills you'd seen so shortly before were gone, replaced with a black infinity. Cloudsdale, too, was invisible against the night sky. Against the horizon, you could slightly make out Manehatten, the sun hiding just beyond the curve and illuminating the city. You turned away in disappointment, looking towards the painting above your bed. It wasn't as good, but it was something, reminding you of the beauty this fair land could command.