Luna's New Job

Princess Celestia sat quietly in her study. A mess of paperwork was scattered about the room. Small piles here and there covered her floor, while a majority of it sat in larger piles upon the desk Celestia was currently working at. Her quill, wrapped in a soft golden aura, was furiously scribbling on first one page, then another, while her eyes followed the text on a third. A small cup of water sitting on the edge of the desk was levitated toward her waiting mouth. She took a large gulp, before setting it back in its place. The only sound that could be heard, was the scratching of quill on paper.

After several more minutes, Celestia set the quill down in the ink well and reached her hooves up to massage her head. She had been going through her paperwork for the last few hours and didn't feel like she was any closer to completing it. A tired sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes. I'll just rest for a few minutes. She thought to herself. The princess set her head down on the desk and let her mind wander.

Before she knew it, Celestia was awoken by the sound of somepony knocking on the door of her study. Groggily, she lifted her head off the desk and stood from her seat. She arched her back, earning a few satisfying pops before she regained her composure. She trotted to the door.

"Sister! I must speak with you!" A muffled voice squealed from the other side of the door.

"Just a moment Luna." Celestia called back before stopping in front of the mirror.

She didn't worry much about her mane, since it took care of itself, instead she looked at the tired scowl that coated her face. She practiced a few smiles, trying first one, then another when she decided it looked too forced. She was too tired to make any smile look convincing and cheery, so she decided to simply wing it. She took the final few steps to the door, turned the handle with her magic, and opened the door to get a full view of her sister Luna prancing in a circle.

Luna, however, was so busy with her dance that she had not noticed that the door had been opened. She continued, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

Celestia cleared her throat, "Yes Luna?"

Princess Luna stopped her dance in mid air when she realized she was being spoken to. Her gaze drifted to see Celestia standing in the doorway with an expectant smile on her face. She floated back down to the tiled floor beneath her.

"Sister! I have something I need to tell you!" Luna nearly shouted at her older sister. "I've gotten a job!"

Celestia gave Luna a blank stare while the dark blue alicorn danced in place once again, humming a tune to herself.

"A job?" Celestia asked.

"Yes! Isn't it exciting!?"

Again, another blank stare. She simply stood there, not sure what to say, and not entirely sure what to think. Her younger sister, who ruled Equestria by her side and was responsible for raising and lowering the moon every night and morning, had just told her she had gotten a job. Celestia thought back to the paperwork she had been working on earlier. "Um...Luna. What do you mean you got a job?"

She stopped in her prancing long enough to give her older sister an answer. "Do you remember Donut Joe?"

Celestia thought for a moment. She knew that Donut Joe owned and worked at a cafe a few blocks from the train station. She knew that Donut Joe was the only pony, besides Celestia herself and a few members of the elite royal guard, who knew about Luna's disguise as Lotus Eclipse, a young blue pegasus with an orange mane. She also knew that Joe had been one of Luna's best friends since she had returned. Her only friend, for that matter.

Celestia nodded. "Yes, I am familiar with him."

"Well he offered me a job working at his cafe!" Luna was absolutely giddy with herself at this point. As if talking about it brought on another wave of excitement to her.

Celestia paused for a thought. "Um...Luna. Don't you already have a job? Raising the moon? Working in the courts? All the paperwork we have to do?" Celestia said the latter with a bit of contempt toward the difficult task.

Luna stopped completely. Somehow all her other responsibilities had completely slipped her mind in all the excitement. Her ears drooped and her head hung low once the cold fact of reality set in. "Oh...yes. Of course. I'm sorry sister, I had forgotten about those." Her voice lacking the perkiness she had only moments ago. "I should have remembered. I'll go tell Joe that it won't work out after all."

Slowly, Luna turned and quietly began her long walk down the large empty hall. Celestia felt a lump lodge itself in her throat as she realized how quickly she had shot down her sisters excitement. She wanted Luna to be happy of course, but she had responsibilities that she needed to tend to.

However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remove the lump in her throat, or keep the sad frown from her face. She turned back, looking at the large stacks of papers that lie scattered around the room. She let out a sigh. Well, I led Equestria on my own for a thousand years. I suppose a few more months wouldn't be too hard.

"Luna wait!" Luna stopped when she heard her name called. She turned back, ears perked. "I suppose..." Celestia chose her words carefully, "I suppose I could handle things by myself around here for a little while."

"You...you mean I can take the job?" She asked, a bit skeptical.

Celestia couldn't help but smile when she heard the hope in her sisters voice. She nodded to confirm what she said. Within a moment Luna had teleported to her sisters side and wrapped her forelegs around her in a tight embrace. Celestia returned the gesture. "But...I have to make a few rules."

This didn't seem to deter Luna in the slightest, as she hopped down onto all fours and looked expectantly up at her older sister. The smile from before had returned. "Ok?"

"First off, you still need to raise and lower the moon. You may have another job, but you still have a duty to Equestria that you must fulfill."

Luna nodded before Celestia continued, "Second, you must work in the courts at least two days a week. Other ponies might get suspicious if you suddenly disappear without giving them a reason why." Luna scowled a bit, but accepted it as readily as the first.

"And third, I still expect you to make an appearance at the next Grand Galloping Gala. You've skipped out the last few years and I won't allow it any longer."

Luna nodded her head for a third time before a huge smile covered her muzzle and she leapt at Celestia, wrapping her fore hooves around her older sister. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Celestia returned the hug before she let go and watched her run down the hallway, probably to celebrate. Celestia couldn't help but smile and shake her head, just before she spotted a royal guard clad in armor patrolling at the end of the hall where Luna had disappeared. She smiled as a thought came to her and called out, "Lieutenant!"

The guard about faced and trotted toward the awaiting princess. He stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, you highness?"

A mischievous glint shone in Celestia's eyes as she asked him, "How good are you at paperwork?"