A Janitor's Duty

It was a cool, refreshing, indigo-sky night. Several stars have already appeared, and the moon, as big as it can ever be, was just over the hills behind Ponyville, giving off a luminous glow. Patches of small clouds could be seen moving across the sky. But a lot of ponies know of the bad weather that is to arrive tomorrow afternoon, which wasn't a horrifying thing, really. A lot of the farmers and florists could sure use the rain. It has been a solid week since the town has gotten any sort of wet weather, and the crops and flowers were beginning to whither. They need rain, bad.

But for the time being, some late-night ponies will enjoy the beautiful night sky as it passes over them. There were still some blank spots that needed to be filled, but all will be in due time.

In the princess of the night's lovely abode, there laid the princess herself, resting on her queen-sized bed with silk curtains covering the outside of it. Ah, to look at her sleep would be something of a wonderful dream, aside from the "creepy stalker" part of it. Maybe one day, someone carefully chosen to be her mate will be given that chance. To see those eyes open in front of you would be like staring into the eyes of someone who was birthed from that of a god. To see her luscious curves covered with her blanket made of pure cotton, to feel her hand touch your well-shaven face, to hear her whisper those three words with her silk-like voice....

I love you...

*sigh* Alas, tis just fantasy for the time being. You can only hope that the reality will be much like the dream.

Luna wakes from her long-deserved rest, lifting her eyelids to reveal those dark turquoise eyes of hers. She slowly rose her upper body from the surface of the bed and let out a nice, long stretch. Unlike her sister, Celestia, who wears a cotton-sewed nightgown before going to sleep, Luna wears only her undergarments, which covered her private bits well enough. She began to step off from her bed to stretch out a bit more, before going to her bathroom to do her STB (the shower, the teeth, and the brush).

She loves to take her time doing things, and that's why it's a good thing that Celestia takes showers in the morning. Otherwise, there might have been some heated arguments about who was using up all of the hot water. Luna doesn't use a loofah to clean her body, but rather her own hands, for she believes one can clean their body more efficiently with them, especially in those...hard to reach places. Other points to support her claim is that loofahs are too rough on her sensitive skin, and that she can stop herself more easily in case things start to get a little hotter in the shower. Remember, compared to Celestia, Luna's still a virgin. So, during the "heat" wave, she ensures that she remains locked in her room so that she wouldn't advance on any colt that passed on by. It's torturous, yes, but well worth the wait when she acquaints herself with the being she will deem "the one."

When she was done with her shower, Luna dries off and puts on two towels; one to cover her shiny, curvy body, and another to dry her mane. She heads to the sink to begin brushing her teeth, wiping some of the condensation from her mirror to see a night-blue princess with sapphire freckles on the bridge of her nose and just below her eyes, and an expression that basically said,"same sh*t, different night."

After rinsing her mouth, ridding herself from all the harmful bacteria that can cause gingivitis, she began to remove the towel curled around her mane, and with it, revealing a flowing set of hair with tiny stars twinkling inside and some constellations appearing here and there. She then grabbed a brush from one of her sink drawers, and carefully stroked her mane, making sure not to injure herself and to also not mistakenly remove a constellation or two from her hair.

Five minutes later...

The princess of the night walks down the long chasms that are Canterlot's hallways in her normal apparel that mainly consists of a single black cloth wrapped around her body, from the top of her left shoulder down to her lower thighs. She is also wearing her royal garments, for she has to look as formal as her sister in case of any subjects wanting to speak with her. She is also accompanied by two of her royal guards, following closely behind with spears to ensure Luna's safety. As she is walking down towards the private dining room to meet Celestia for supper, in her mind were thoughts and dreams flying around through her head. This was of course normal for Luna, but something felt...off this time. In one of the dreams she sees in her mind, there was a figure with a wiped face, like some pony scratched it out so that it may never be seen. This intrigued her, for she wanted to know who this figure was. Perhaps one day, she will find this figure and connect the pieces of the puzzle to find a deeper meaning to the dream. For now, she was quite famished and eager to get to the dining room.

The Royal Sisters' Dining Room

Upon reaching the room, Luna's royal guards stood on the outside of the door frame, as is their duty to ensure only the princesses are allowed in the dining room unless otherwise told differently. The princess of the night begins to walk around the large table to see her sister, the princess of the sun, standing next to her seat. They both greeted each other warmly, giving hugs and kisses on the cheek, before sitting down and having their supper.

"So, my dear sister," Celestia said, initiating a conversation. "Are you as well rested as I will be soon after supper?"

"Why yes, sister," Luna replied. "I am to have all the energy I need to work on my art, especially for what is to come later this week."

Celestia nodded as she was taking a spoonful of soup and blowing on it softly to cool it off. "Yes, of course. Cadance's second anniversary celebration should be another night that shall never be forgotten."

It was then Celestia wondered about her sister's plans for that day. "Though I must ask..."

"Yes?" Luna wondered.

"Have you any special plans for that day? Surely you cannot miss out on our princess's celebration."

"Well," Luna began, " I plan to create a night sky that will be most memorable for the royal ball on Friday. After that, well..." her words began to trail off, a slight blush began to form on her cheeks.

"Ah, I see," Celestia knew what her sister was talking about. August was one of the months where at least once a week, Luna goes into heat. She would have to lock herself in her room after the royal ball was finished. But it was then Celestia had a thought.

"Maybe, at least for once, you could make an appearance at the royal ball and greet Cadance and her husband? Just for an hour or so?" she asked.

*sigh* "Sister, you know why I cannot do that," Luna immediately responded. "Once the clock strikes midnight on that day, I have to be in my quarters away from everyone, so that I may not do anything... regrettable."

Celestia understood her sister's problem, but she didn't give up just yet. She laid down her spoon next to the bowl of soup, took one of Luna's hands and clasped it between hers.

"I know, dear sister, but please do this one favor for me. One hour at the ball, that is all I am asking....Please, sister..."

It was then Luna began rethinking her decision. She knew the problem she had, but of all things did she not want to break any pony's heart, much less her sister's. So, putting her spoon down, she put her hand on top of Celestia's, and gave her an answer.

"Sister, if it will make you and every pony else happy, then perhaps a single hour will not be so troublesome."

This filled Celestia with so much delight, that she let go of her sister's hands and gave her a big warm hug. Luna returned with the same kind of hug.

"Thank you! You will not regret it, dear sister!" she said in a cheerful tone.

I hope not, Luna thought.

After finishing their supper, they gave each other one last hug and a kiss before Celestia went off to bed and Luna went to work. Luna was the first to leave the dining room, with her royal guards in tow. Celestia then did the same with her royal guards. Both sisters went opposite directions of each other, heading for their bedrooms.

Five more minutes later...

Soon after reaching the door to her room, Luna dismissed the guards and proceeded to head to her bed, gathering her magical paints and canvas. As she sat down, she grabbed one large brush from her case, dipped in into a large cup of indigo paint, and began covering the entire canvas in that color. Afterwards, she moved on to her whites and bright yellows, carefully placing each star so that one does not impede the other. As she places the stars on her painting, those same stars began appearing into the night blue sky. She then took a bit of faded purple and began dry-brushing it on the canvas to give it more fluent coloring. After she was finished the stars, she started to work on the moon, placing it where she wants to, and giving it an incredulous amount of detail. But it was then she stopped painting. She sat still on the side of her bed, the paintbrush still between her index and forefinger. Her face deadpanned, as if she had caught some pony red-handed. Then words began to come out of her mouth.

"Whoever you are, I know you are there. Speak now or there will be consequences," she demanded.

"Uhh... hi," you said.