Princess Celestia sat calmly at the breakfast table, taking in the sights of a regular morning in Canterlot Castle. An overabundance of delicious pastries crowded the table before her, for no matter how many times she requested simpler meals, the royal chefs insisted on preparing the most extravagant delicacies imaginable. Such foods complemented the fine porcelain dishes, the masterfully woven tablecloth, and the ornate crystal sculptures that decorated the room. Even the sunlight streaming into the room was filtered through kaleidoscopic stained-glass windows. Every detail in the scene bespoke elegance and regal splendor.
Except, of course, for her disgruntled sister, who notably lacked both mane and tail.
“Did you sleep well, dear sister?” Celestia inquired with routine politeness. She levitated a croissant to her mouth and took a small bite.
Luna hastily swallowed a half-chewed mouthful of doughnut and shot Celestia an angry glare. “As well as could be expected, sister, considering a certain incident that occurred yesterday.” She dropped her gaze and stuffed another doughnut into her mouth.
“You’re not still mad about that, are you?” Celestia asked, a tinge of worry slipping into her playful tone. “You always used to enjoy a good prank.”
“Oh, I find great delight in pranks,” Luna replied, “when I am the perpetrator.” She paused for theatrical impact and raised an accusing hoof toward Celestia. “And I will relish the one that shall soon befall you, dear sister. No power of yours, nor any subtle scheme you may concoct, will protect you from my retribution. The Princess of the Night shall have her revenge!”
Luna lifted into the air and teleported away in a brilliant flash of light. Thunder rumbled, and silverware rattled as the entire room shook. A brief shadow seemed to veil the incoming sunlight as the echoes Luna’s proclamation continued to reverberate.
Celestia was left alone at the breakfast table, still munching on her croissant.
“That was dramatic,” she muttered.
Many hours later, Celestia dismissed the last of her government officials from the throne room, praising them for all of their hard work that afternoon. If they had found it peculiar that Celestia had not allowed anypony within ten yards of her all day, no one was brave enough to inquire about it. Nor had they questioned her orders to triple the number of guards, have a full squad of pegasi flying reconnaissance outside, and double-check every new legal document for the presence of invisible ink. Perhaps everypony just assumed Celestia had detected some new threat to Equestria and was responding in her usual, incomprehensible way.
Regardless, it was nearly time for her to lower the sun and retire for the evening. Celestia rose from her seat and carefully descended the ramp leading down to the main floor of the throne room. The guards formed a protective circle around her as she traveled the length of carpet to the front entrance. But before they could open the doors for her, the doors slammed open and a pony rushed inside.
The guards reacted at once. Several of them tackled the newcomer to the ground, while the rest formed a defensive line in front of Celestia. They aimed their spears at the struggling intruder and took a menacing step forward.
“Treason!” shrieked Princess Twilight from beneath the pile of guards trying to pin her down. “Celestia, Luna, come quick! We have a violation of Section VII, Clause 3.5 of the Royal Guard Charter!”
“Guards, at ease!” Celestia said quickly. The guards atop Twilight immediately leapt away, and spears were hastily returned to their rest positions.
“I apologize, Twilight.” Celestia held out a hoof to help Twilight up. “I told them to expect an attack today, so they are understandably a bit jumpy.” With a nod, Celestia dismissed her guards, who filed out of the room to stand watch outside.
“An attack?” Twilight looked up with a worried expression. “Are you in danger? Should I alert my friends?” She took a step toward the door and spread her wings, looking as if she were about to fly off to Ponyville.
A small chuckle escaped from Celestia. “No, there’s nothing to worry about. This is but a small matter between Luna and myself.”
“Oh.” Twilight ruffled her wings and drooped her neck. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not entirely. Yesterday I played a prank on my sister that seemed to rather…irk her. She swore revenge against me, and I have spent the day expecting retaliation.”
“Of course.” Twilight gave a nervous laugh. “Is that why there’s an magic-disabling spell around the castle?”
“Why yes, it is.” Celestia smiled. “I can’t be too careful where Luna is concerned.”
“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.
“You may have noticed that my sister has something of a taste for theatrics. She is, perhaps, less subtle than I am, but has more of an eye for presentation. Her revenge against me will be something of epic proportions, a prank for the ages that will leave all of Canterlot aghast at my fate. As such, I have needed to take every precaution against her inevitable attack.”
“I see,” Twilight mused. Then she tilted her head quizzically. “Of course you know Luna better than I do, but are you sure she would try to trick you like this? It seems to me she would wait until you are more vulnerable.”
“When would that be?” Celestia asked. “I have every guard in Canterlot on the lookout for her.”
“But there’s one place she can go and they can’t,” Twilight countered. “Your dreams.”
Celestia froze. “You think my sister will enact her revenge while I am asleep?”
Twilight nodded. “It’s the perfect plan. You spend all day waiting for a prank that never comes, and then when you’re not suspecting it, Luna twists your dreams into terrible nightmares.”
“I’m impressed by your analysis, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I did not realize you knew so much about the art of pulling pranks.”
“Well, I’ve learned a few things from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie,” Twilight replied. “And I may have read several books on the subject after Rainbow’s latest bout of mischief.”
“I see.” Celestia gave a gracious nod. “In any case, I must be off. I need to go lower the sun, and then I have a long, sleepless night ahead of me.”
Celestia lay awake in bed.
For the last several hours, she had lain there, tossing and turning and doing everything she could to keep herself from falling asleep. With Twilight’s analysis still fresh in her mind, Celestia refused to give Luna the satisfaction of trapping her in the dream world. No, Celestia would stay up all night if it meant besting her sister in a prank war.
Not that her resolve made it any easier to stay awake. Celestia was tired from a long day at court, and her body craved the refreshment of sleep. No doubt Luna had predicted Celestia’s weariness when plotting the prank. But alicorns had the stamina of earth ponies, and Celestia supposed that she could last through one sleepless night. After all, the dawn was only a few hours away.
Still, the quiet unnerved her. The usual noises of ponies moving about the castle were absent, and there was not even a breeze outside to cause the castle to sway and creak. Utter silence smothered the room, and Celestia realized she had even been unconsciously holding her breath in suspense. Celestia forced the air out of her lungs, the slight hiss of breath sounding cacophonous amid the silence. She squirmed under the sheets, just so she could her the sound of them rustling. She lightly knocked her hooves together, the gentle sound of tapping reassuring her that she was not going deaf. But nothing could shake the pervasive stillness that was wrapping her in its dead embrace.
With a jerk, Celestia sat up in bed and forced her eyes open. She would not let herself drift off to sleep. She would not let her sister win. The silence was overwhelming her, filling her with dread, but it was a price she would have to pay to outmaneuver her devious sister.
She would not fall asleep while Luna prowled.
Twilight and Luna watched Celestia from the doorway.
“Thank you again for your assistance, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. “It would not have worked without you planting the suspicion in my sister’s mind.”
“Of…course,” Twilight replied. “I’m always happy to help. But are you sure this isn’t going a bit too far?”
“Do not worry, Twilight,” Luna answered with a laugh. “My sister and I have always enjoyed our attempts to outdo one another.”
“Even though she tricked you into shaving off your mane?”
“Nothing a simple hair-growing spell couldn’t fix.”
“I suppose.” Twilight fell silent for a moment. “How long do you think it’ll take her to figure out what you’ve done?”
Luna grinned. “She waits for the hour to raise the sun, but her perception of time’s passage is not at its best at the moment. I give her a day and a half before she realizes she’s been dreaming this whole time.”
