Eclipsed

Luna stomped forcefully into her mirror, effectively cracking it along the entire length, its lines spreading throughout the entirety of the glass that hung upon her wall. Finally satisfied with the destruction of her own room, the Princess could finally collapse on her bed, staring at her moon as it followed it's course to the horizon.

Surprisingly, she was not angered by her lack of duties tonight. Luna was more anxious than anything. Tomorrow night started the festivals for the Summer Sun Celebration. They would be held in Canterlot this year, so ponies from all over Equestria would be traveling to stay awake through the night, and the following day. It really was the only time where Luna's night was noticed, but even then the ponies were partying too hard to enjoy it.

Although, it was not the Celebration itself that left Luna anxious. It would be the following morning Luna waited for. She had been preparing herself for some time now, waiting longer than she wished. But it was the only time. The longest day of the year has always been the time for grand changes in history.

Luna turned back to her mirror, which now was broken beyond repair. She couldn't help but eye herself through the shattered glass, almost cautiously. As if looking for any sign of change. Her appearance had not changed at all, nothing similar to her time as Nightmare Moon. She was fully in control of these thoughts of hers, and that brought a smile to her face.

Her gaze turned to the window, watching as her beloved moon continued to descend the sky. It was inevitable though. The land can't survive without the light of day. Feeling a small headache, Luna's moon vanished below the horizon, needing her to take a few seconds to adjust to the loss of magic she now experienced. Upon the morning's arrival, Luna's source of magic vanished. And the same applied for Celestia, during the night. It was always the bane of their godlike abilities.

She mused that it would be nice to have breakfast with her sister for once. Luna hadn't been too social lately, and ponies might start getting suspicious. The chances were low, but she didn't want to take any chances. Not so close to the big day.  Luna departed her room, withholding any sign of excitement from her face.

Celestia rose slowly from her bed. With a grunt, she managed to push herself from the comfort of the sheets, and stand up. She took a moment to glance around her room, which she had allowed to get rather messy, looking upon the stacks of papers. They were mostly letters and complaints from citizens about certain things needing improvement or change. Celestia let out a heavy sigh. Her duties were always a bore, and she hadn't really made any progress since yesterday.

The Princess slowly walked over to her tall mirror, standing as high as the wall. She thought something was off with her appearance. Her purple eyes stared back at her, her white coat was shining and flawless, and her flowing mane was... “Oh! How silly of me.” Her multicolored, normally flowing mane, was messy and drooping down over the side of her head, nearly touching the floor.

Celestia chuckled as she used her magic to drag a hair brush over to her. As she tidied her mane, the Princess' mind buzzed as she thought of not only what her plans were for the day, but what her plans would be for the Summer Sun Celebration. It had already been 3 years since Luna had come back, and she couldn't be happier about how much progress she had made with their subjects. True, most of the population had treated Luna awkwardly still, but it wasn't anything a little time wouldn't heal.

3 years. It felt like such a short time, and in comparison to 1000 years, it was. But Celestia was convinced that her sister deserved some bit of a celebration this year. After all, Equestria stayed awake through the night before the longest day of the year. It was only natural that Luna got her own special treatment. Celestia couldn't help but feel bad about how Luna kept to herself lately. She never seemed to speak with her for long, and when she did, it was only about royal affairs. Never any personal chatter.

She turned her head to look out of the window. The moon had almost vanished from the sky, which was Celestia's cue to start the morning. But, she figured she had enough time to write a letter to Twilight. After all, she had almost forgotten to invite the Elements of Harmony to the Summer Sun Celebration. Celestia walked over to her desk, picking up a quill, parchment, and ink to start her letter.

Upon arriving at their usual breakfast room, Luna was surprised to not yet see Celestia. The sun had risen, their meals were ready. Why would her sister be tardy for the one time she wanted to dine with Celestia?

Luna took her seat and decided to wait. It had been quite a few minutes before Celestia entered, almost startled to see her sister sitting at their small table. “Good Morning, Lulu!” She said, with a bright smile on her face.

Her younger sister couldn't help but return the smile. “Morning, dear sister!” Luna was pleased to see Celestia. Or rather, she made sure to appear that way. “I was hoping to share breakfast with you this morning, but you were running a bit late.” She chuckled a little. “Rather unlike you to make such an error.”

Celestia glared a little. “You shouldn't talk, Luna. You never come to breakfast anyways. The waiters have to toss your food every morning.” Unable to keep her facade for long, the Sun Princess just laughed. “I am glad you're here though, sister. The mornings are rather dull with only the servants to speak to.” Celestia took her seat across from Luna. Their table was small, square and bare wood. It was just large enough where their plates would not overlap, but small enough so that they could talk normally to each other.

As they ate, Celestia couldn't help but feel relieved inside. Her worries about Luna were premature, and it turned out that she didn't need to worry so much. She was explaining that she was late because she needed to invite the Elements to Canterlot for the Celebration.

Luna apologized to her sister for being so reclusive. She explained that she was merely going through a phase of perverse thoughts. Celestia accepted these excuses, knowing full well that she should take Luna seriously during these times.

They had a short silence between them, before Celestia spoke up. “Luna? You are coming to the Summer Sun Celebration, correct?” It was a foolish question, but she needed to be sure.

After a moment of hesitation, Luna turned her head away. “I...am not sure. I wouldn't want the celebration ruined.”

“Nonsense.” Celestia interjected, shaking her head. “I want you to be there. It is about time I encouraged the populace to welcome you as they embrace me.” She turned away. “I know I have neglected to do so until now.” That was the only thing that Celestia had regretted over the past few years. But, with the recent threats to the nation creating long-term problems, her attention was required on many more time consuming, and very tiring affairs.

Luna laughed to herself. How different her sister was these days. Before the Nightmare incident, the two sisters would always do things for one another. Now it was a matter of if they had time or resources available to do the simplest of things. She let a moment of silence hang for effect before answering. “Very well, Tia.” Luna stood up, smiling a little, as if touched. “But for now, I'm going to sleep. After all, I've been awake all night.” She turned to the door, taking her time to leave.

After her sister left, Celestia let out a sigh of relief. She had been afraid that Luna was angry, or irritated with her. As it turned out, she was just confused for the time being. And that was something Celestia could deal with. Finishing her tea, the Princess called the servants to clear the table.

Walking through the halls of Canterlot Castle, Luna paid no attention to the passing ponies. She briskly made her way to her bed chambers, her head buzzing with thoughts. Celestia does not doubt me. There is no way that this can go wrong. Right?

As Luna approached her room, the purple armored guards saluted to their Princess. She stopped just before entering her room, turning to her guards. “After your shift, leave and gather the others. Remind them that we act tomorrow at dawn.” She said so in a hushed voice.

The Unicorn nodded slightly, and leaned closer to whisper as well. “We shall not let you down, your highness.”

“Please.” Luna took a short breath. “I told you not to call me that anymore. None of you will.” She shook her head and giggled a little at the fantasies going through her mind. Luna opened the doors of her room, entering quickly.

“We will not let you down, Madam President.” The guards said in unison before she shut the doors.