“Good evening, Sister.”
Celestia looked up from her thin stack of papers and smiled. “Ah, Luna. Glad to see you’re awake on time.”
Luna nodded. She trotted through the throne room slowly as Celestia went back to her paperwork. “I take it you had a rather busy day,” Luna said.
Celestia giggled, signing off on some bureaucratic form. “I’ve had worse. You’ll have to excuse me, though. The paperwork has been piling up lately, and I just need to finish off the last of it before I go to bed.”
“Of course.” Luna turned her eyes on the bespectacled mare beside Celestia who was busy shuffling papers. “And you, Raven? How hast your day been?”
Raven fumbled with the pile, looking wide-eyed at Luna. She smiled hastily and said, “Oh, I’m well, Your Highness. Just finishing up my triple-check to make sure we didn’t miss anything important today.”
“I see. And what of your—”
“Pardon, Princess,” Raven said. She levitated a few forms up to Celestia’s pile. “The mayor of Vanhoover would like your immediate input on this land dispute. Looks like a complex one.”
Celestia ran her hoof through the forms, watching them with half-lidded eyes. She sighed and stood from the throne. “Looks like I’ll be having another late night,” she said. She smiled down at Luna. “I’ll take the rest of this paperwork up to my chambers and finish them there. Don’t want get in your way any longer.”
“Oh, that would be no bother at all, Sister,” Luna said. She forced a small smile. “In truth, I was hoping you might be able to stay for a while so that we might talk.”
“Perhaps some other time,” Celestia said, rifling through the paperwork again. “I’m quite exhausted, and I need to be up early for sunrise. You understand.” She gave Luna a quick, one-arm embrace as she passed by. “See you in the morning.”
Luna blinked, frowning at her sister’s back. “Indeed,” she said. “Good night to you as well, Raven,” she said as the mare trotted by.
Raven bowed quickly. “Good night, Your Majesty.” She rushed to meet up with Celestia, and the two ponies exited the chamber. The door didn’t slam, but it echoed loudly in the silence.
Luna sighed and hung her head. After a moment, she trotted over to the window and looked out at the horizon. The sun had vanished, but several stray sunbeams still lit the far sky, bleeding into the dark of night in the harmony of dusk. Luna touched one hoof gently to the glass, her slipper clinking as she did. She frowned deeper.
“See you in the morning, Tia. Probably.”
***
Celestia’s eyes fluttered open, and she groaned at the view. The moon stared at her mockingly through the balcony entrance, still hanging far above the western horizon.
“You would think,” Celestia mumbled, rolling over to face the far wall, “that after over one thousand years of raising the sun, I wouldn’t wake up earlier than I need to.” Ignoring the pile of paperwork on her bedside table, Celestia stared vacantly at the wall as her eyelids drooped. She watched her clock strike seven, then her eyes fell shut.
They burst back open not a moment later. She raised an eyebrow and glared up at the clock, as if her willpower alone would be enough to bend time. Still, the clock stubbornly indicated seven in the morning. Celestia rolled halfway over and looked at the moon again—a moon which said she still had a good few hours before sunrise.
Celestia sighed deeply. “Luna, I swear…” she whispered. “If this is some sort of twisted prank, you’ll have a lot more to worry about than being sent to the moon.”
Philomena squawked from her perch, ruffling her feathers a little. Celestia forced herself out of bed and said, “I know, I know. That was distasteful. But just because I raise the sun doesn’t mean I always have to be a morning pony. Even alicorns need their coffee.”
Philomena grumbled, but she returned to her sleep soon enough. Celestia, though, lazily slipped into her morning robe and lumbered out of her room.
***
“Luna!” Celestia swung the throne room doors wide. Levitating a steaming cup at her side, she marched into the chamber. “Would you care to tell me why the moon is still so high? I’m sure you have a splendid reason, so please. Enlighten me.”
But Luna didn’t answer, and Celestia’s vigor bled away a little. Luna sat not in the throne, but on the floor in front of a window. She stared at the dark eastern horizon, not so much as blinking. Her mouth was a simple line, and she made no sign that she even realized Celestia had entered.
Celestia quirked an eyebrow. “Luna? Did you hear me?” When no response came, she trotted over to her slowly, saying, “Did you lose track of time or something? It’s sunrise. You need to lower the moon.”
Still, Luna said nothing. Coming to a stop just behind her, Celestia glanced out the window. Seeing nothing amiss, she turned her focus back on Luna. “Luna, what are you—”
“Do you know what my favourite time of day is, Sister?” Luna said, still watching the horizon.
Celestia blinked. “Pardon?”
Finally, Luna looked over her shoulder, meeting Celestia’s eyes. “Do you know?”
“I…” After a moment, Celestia sighed and pressed her hoof to the bridge of her muzzle. “Luna, we don’t have time for guessing games. Ponies are going to start to worry if the sun doesn’t rise soon, so please just—”
“By all means,” Luna said, gesturing out the window, “raise the sun. We’ll have quite a lovely view of it from here. That’s why I’m watching.”
Celestia scrunched up her face. “I would love to raise the sun,” she said, moving to stand by Luna’s side. “But I can’t until you lower the moon.”
“Why not?”
Celestia stared blankly at Luna, half-expecting laughter. When no laughter came, she simply said, “Because that’s how day and night works, Luna. Stop being ridiculous and just lower the moon already.”
Luna met Celestia’s eyes briefly, said nothing, and turned to watch the horizon again. “You never answered my question.”
Her head throbbing, Celestia groaned. She took a quick sip of her coffee and said, “Fine. If I had to guess, I would assume your favourite time of day is midnight. Happy?”
Luna shook her head. “Dawn.”
Despite herself, Celestia’s eyes widened a little at that. “Really? Why dawn?”
“Because it’s one of the only moments of the day when the sun and the moon are visible at the same time, however fleeting.”
Celestia’s stare remained blank. After a decently loud silence, Luna turned to look at her and said, “Sister, when was the last time we spoke at this length? Or spoke of something other than politics?”
Wading through her pool of memories, Celestia struggled for an answer. Eventually, though, she settled. “Twilight’s coronation, I suppose.”
“Precisely.” Luna stood. “And why in Equestria does it take something so monumental to allow us a simple, sisterly conversation? I had always hoped we would be sisters first, princesses second.”
Celestia’s ears fell back a little. “How long have you felt this way?”
“Long enough.” Luna’s horn lit, and a thick tome levitated over from the throne. “I had Twilight Sparkle mail our old journal over. Perhaps if we can make time, I was hoping we could go through it today and… reminisce.”
Celestia’s eyes fell on the book, and a surge of memories flooded her heart. She smiled and folded her legs beneath herself. “Of course. Just allow me to raise the sun first.”
Luna smiled too and took a seat next to her sister. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for.” She rested her head on Celestia’s shoulder and sighed as the horizon smoldered to life.
“I do have one question for you, though,” Celestia said.
“Pray tell.”
“The sun and the moon are also together in the sky at dusk. Why do you prefer dawn?”
The horizon flared as the sun peeked up, dyeing the world gold. Luna chuckled and said, “Because I prefer saying hello over goodbye.”
Celestia giggled and returned Luna’s nuzzle. Their journal came to rest in front of them, and the first page flipped open.
Author's Note
Something short and simple to oil my writing gears. Written on a whim, and barely edited. Hope you like it.
