Luna awoke as the faintest glimmer of dawn filtered into her bedroom. She stirred, opening her eyes slowly. At first, she simply stared up at the canopy to her four poster bed, letting the layers of sleep fall away from her. The underside of the canopy was made to look like the night sky, with small diamonds studding the deep blue backdrop around a crescent of luminous silver. At just this time of day, the small bit of light entering the room was enough to be caught by the gems without outshining them. And so the stars twinkled as Luna’s eyes explored them, tracing constellations that, to her, were old friends she hadn’t seen in years. She knew each of them by name, though the names may have changed by now. She knew what she called them, and that was enough.
Finally, Luna sat up, rolling her shoulders before getting out of bed. She regarded the room around her with an uncomfortable sense of nostalgia. This room hadn’t been hers for a thousand years, and yet nothing had changed. Celestia had kept it pristine for her all that time, only allowing in cleaning staff on occasion to dust and clean out the cobwebs. Luna wasn’t sure she liked that. It made the room too familiar, bringing back memories she’d rather not recall. It had been in this room, after all, that she had been banished to the Moon.
Luna made her way to the closet on the nearest wall, the door sliding open without a hint of a squeak. She fingered the dark blue chemise she’d worn to bed, pondering what to replace it with. Her presence wasn’t required at any major event today, so formal wear wouldn’t be worth the hassle. She didn’t feel particularly up for socializing anyway. Maybe something sporty, with athletic shorts and bra. She didn’t feel like running around much either, though.
Luna pursed her lips, and frowned. This should have been a simple question to answer. What did she want to do today? She stared at the closet for awhile longer, before closing it with a sigh. Nothing seemed like a good idea. She supposed it was a decision that would have to wait for later. Her stomach rumbled, gently reminding her that the one thing she should definitely do today was eat. She opened the door to her bedroom, and began to make her way through her chambers.
The sitting room was the central hub to her private chambers, with numerous doors lining the walls of the wide, circular room like spokes on a wheel. She made her way across the room to the door that opened to the rest of the palace. The kitchen was only a few floors down from here, and Luna didn’t mind the walk. She was already imagining the breakfast that was ready and waiting for her down there when she remembered that it might not be. She didn’t know how the chef ran his kitchen anymore.
Before her banishment, the sisters’ personal chef had been Potsin Pans, a jovial man whose face was nearly as red as his hair when he laughed, which was often. Potsin was a firm believer in ample portions and second helpings, both for himself and others. There was never a day when you couldn’t drop by for snacks and find something delicious already made. Luna had gained more weight than she liked to admit on Potsin’s cooking, and knowing that his apple pie and deep belly laughs were things forever condemned to memory depressed her. She had visited his grave, and left flowers, but his absence still didn’t seem quite real. He had been like family to Celestia and her.
The current chef was quite different from Potsin. He was a whip-thin Frenchman who dressed sharply and whose tongue was sharper. His name was Cordon Bleu, and although Luna had only spoken with him a few times, already she could tell she might start to like him. His wit was sharp, yes, but he was not needlessly acidic, and he could actually be quite funny. He had made Luna laugh more than once already.
Celestia had told her that Cordon was taken with her, that he almost never smiled except when she was around. Luna wasn’t sure if she believed it, but it did seem as if Cordon enjoyed her company. He likely enjoyed more than that, too. Luna had seen his eyes settle on the usual places on her body more than once. Not that she minded, that kind of attention was rarely directed at Luna, so who was she to be picky if a handsome, virile young man like Cordon wanted to look? Or do more than that? His jet black hair, well combed and not greasy at all, would surely feel wonderful if she ran her fingers through it, and his tongue was certainly likely to be talented at more than wordplay...
Luna stopped with her hand on the door leading outside. She felt a soft heat building within her, and she looked down at her treacherous body with annoyance. That was another thing. Celestia had kept the harem well staffed in Luna’s absence, but none of the men and women in it now were familiar, and so Luna had put off her usual visits. Visits that usually kept her libidinous imagination in check. She sighed. She hadn’t been back long, and there was so much to adjust to that it was maddening, and more than a little depressing. She no longer felt like going downstairs anymore; the thought of however many new faces that had forever replaced old ones was too daunting. Thankfully, princesses could get room service on demand.
Luna pulled her hand away from the door, and reached for a small silver bell on a stand nearby. It was part of a rather clever system that had managed to endure the millennium. There was a row of bells on the wall down in the servant’s quarters, each labeled after a different part of the castle. Every bell had a twin in that same part of the castle, that, when rung, rang the one in the servant’s quarters. Amongst the normal brass bells were two larger unlabeled ones, one silver and one gold. The bell in Luna’s room was linked to the former, and she rang it now.
The servant’s quarters were close, but still a couple floors away. Luna would have time to make a list of what she wanted them to get, and she had already turned around to go get the parchment when there was a knock at her door.
Confused, Luna walked back to the door, trying to recall if there was some meeting she’d forgotten or invitation she’d given and didn’t remember. She turned the knob, revealing her unexpected company.
Celestia looked back at her across the doorway. Luna’s sister had always been taller, but now she towered over her, due in part to the six inch high heels she was wearing. Fishnet stockings hugged her legs, climbing upward and vanishing into the depths of her short, black-and-white ruffled skirt. The rest of her maid’s outfit was just as fetishized, the neckline was low and showed cleavage, and the apron had clearly never even seen a speck of dirt. Celestia wasn’t wearing her crown. Instead, her face wore a seductive smile.
“You desired ze aid of a servant, Madame?” Celestia asked in a thick but practiced French accent. Her smile widened.
Luna backed up to let her in, closing the door before asking the pressing question, “Tia, what’s this for?” Her sister usually never dropped by unannounced, especially dressed like this. There was something faintly nostalgic about that outfit, but she couldn’t quite place it.
“Oh Madame, I was thinking, and I remembered zat you liked ze maid who cleaned your room. I thought a leetle dress-up would be nice. Do you like it?” Celestia curtsied, though there wasn’t much skirt to lift in the first place.
The memories hit Luna with almost physical force. The maid had been named Scarlet Plume and Luna had liked her. Scarlet cleaned Luna’s room every day at sunset, and then waited in the bedroom for her. There were so many wonderful nights they had gone to bed together, with nothing but the light of the moon to see each other by. No matter how the day had gone, Luna had known she would find Scarlet waiting for her, with a smile on her face. Scarlet with her cinnamon perfume, strawberry-blonde hair, and whose sides were ticklish. Scarlet had been one of the few to praise her night, to compliment Luna’s work, and now she never would again.
Hot, bitter tears welled in Luna’s eyes before she could stop herself. It was too much. Too many people were gone, and it was her fault. If she hadn’t been so jealous, so greedy for praise, she could have stayed with Scarlet and Potsin and everyone else.
“I’m sorry,” Luna whispered, her hands hanging at her sides.
Celestia’s arms wrapped around her, and Luna looked up to see that her sister was crying too. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Luna,” Celestia said, her usually controlled voice wavering. “I wasn’t there for you when I should have been. I’m your sister, and I couldn’t even pay enough attention to you to know that you were hurting.” Her hug grew tighter. “There were a thousand things I could have done. I should have listened to you, or even tried to talk you down. Instead, I used magic I barely understood and wound up being without my little sister for a thousand years. I was a fool. Can you forgive me? I know I don’t deserve it.”
Luna sniffed and looked her sister in the eyes. “What happened to Scarlet?” she asked, both wanting and dreading the answer.
Celestia gave her a slight, sad smile. “She married and had children, but she never forgot you. She kept her job here, and I never reassigned her. Every day she would clean your room, and wait for you until dark. She told me that if there was any chance you could get free, she wanted to be there for you when you got back. I told her you likely wouldn’t be back within her lifetime. She didn’t care.”
Luna finally forcefully returned her sister’s hug before pulling back to wipe at her own eyes. That sounded just like Scarlet. It didn’t make missing her less painful, but at least Luna knew Scarlet had lived a full life. Luna stood on the tips of her toes and kissed her sister gently.
“I forgive you, sis,” Luna said, smiling at last.
“Thank you, Luna. I suppose I should probably go change out of this now,” Celestia said, gesturing at her outfit.
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Luna’s fingers waltzed their way down Celestia’s hip. “I could stand to see you prance about in that for awhile. Come with me, I think I need to be cheered up.” Luna beckoned, walking toward her bedroom.
Celestia grinned and followed. “Oui, Madame!”