Celestia Sleeps In

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Epilogue

Prologue

Big Macintosh sat on his haunches, his back leaning against the barn. Though his eyes were bleary and his blond tuft of hair slightly disheveled, Big Mac could not have been more ready to start the day. No coffee like his sister Applebloom (the extent of which was getting out of control). No morning stretch routine “for the joints an’ jangles” like his other sister, Applejack. Mac was ready. As soon as light trickled over the horizon, that was his cue.

Big Mac didn’t wear a watch – it would just get in the way of work anyways – but he did have a keen sense for when the sun would rise. He felt it in his bones. Any second now, his suspicions would be confirmed. He knew it better than the roosters.

As the burly pony sat and waited, a sense of dread began to wash over him. This just wasn’t right. Ain’t no work getting’ done with no sun. If Mac didn’t till the fields today, he’d have to wait until after the family reunion. The Apple Family couldn’t afford to wait that long.

The door next to him creaked open, and out stepped an eager Applejack.

“Hoowee, Mac! My stretch this morning was the most invigoratin’ one I’ve ever done!” She glanced down at Mac, who was still glued to the side of the barn. “What are you sittin’ there for? Up and at ‘em!”

Big Mac stared at her blankly. Then he twisted his head toward the nonexistent sun.

Applejack’s nose scrunched up in confusion. “Gee, the sun is awful late comin’ up today.”

Mac gulped. “Eeyup.”

Meanwhile, in the cobbled streets of Canterlot, a few ponies busied themselves, getting ready for an early shift at work, perhaps. Bakeries and coffee shops turned their lights on, as usual. Besides that, the city was oddly quiet. Streetlights still shone. The birds were not at their usual perches of castle walls and banner strings.

In one of the aforementioned coffee shops, Donut Joe treated his usual clientele. Nothing out of the ordinary about his early risers and regulars. Ms. Peachbottoms wanted a strawberry frosted and a coffee – two spoonfuls of sugar and no creamer. Big Kenny wanted half a dozen jelly-filled – to go, so he could munch on the job. He moved in rhythm, producing a harmony: the sounds of coffee meeting ceramic mug paired with good-natured banter with his favorite ponies.

It wasn’t long before Donut Joe settled back behind the counter, his satisfied and full customers out in the world of Canterlot. Now he’d get a breather before the 9-to-5ers came in on the way to work. Joe took the time to throw another batch in the oven.

An hour later, the baker pony sat behind a full glass counter of donuts and beside two full pots of coffee. He was now convinced that either half of Ponyville got trotting pneumonia, or something was seriously wrong. Sighing, Joe poured himself a cup from the pots next to him. Might as well get some use outta this stuff.

A regal Princess Luna stood on her balcony, ready to reach out to the stars and hold them in her hoof. She could feel them swirling through the night, on their way to parts unknown. In the middle of the painting sat a grand, slightly intimidating moon. Luna connected to this heavenly body the most. She could feel their bumps and ridges, see its grandeur like no other pony. She was the moon.

Which is why the Princess of the Night was concerned when she did not spot her sister appear on her own balcony, ready to raise the sun in kind. They usually performed their ritual like clockwork. Perhaps she had to brief her guards on something before starting the day. Maybe she woke up with a wing cramp again. But as time passed (not that you could tell from the sky), Luna could wait no longer. She hurriedly lowered the moon and dashed back inside. She hadn’t had to wake up Celestia in ages.

Little did she know that this time, it would not be easy.

Chapter 1

On the ground floor of the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight Sparkle trotted into the kitchen with half-lidded eyes, lighting an enchanted lantern on the table. As she pulled open the refrigerator, she recalled the night before. Twilight had managed to study for 8 hours straight – a personal record – before stumbling to her bed and passing out. It was excessive even for her standards.

I suppose I shouldn’t replace dinner with oat bars at regular intervals during study time, she thought. Though such an efficient way of eating may increase research consumption significantly!

It was then that Twilight glanced at the clock slowly ticking away on the kitchen wall.

11:45? That can’t be right. It’s still dark out. She pondered for a moment. Perhaps I overestimated the length of study time.

She heard a small shuffle sound above, then the light tap of dragon feet down the stairs.

“Twilight, shouldn’t you get to sleep?” Spike questioned as he reached the bottom, tilting his head. “It’s just like Celestia said – you can’t keep pulling…”

She whirled around. “That’s just the problem, Spike! I just woke up! It shouldn’t be 11:45!”

Twilight began to pace. Spike had to resist the urge to plant his hand in his face and walk back upstairs, where his blanket and bed were waiting for him. He knew he had to stop things before they got out of hand.

Twilight had apparently been talking while Spike zoned out. His ears jumped in: "...and the store clerk said the batteries were guaranteed to last 40 moons! This is why you can't trust salesponies. You have to do the research firsthand. Gah, how could I be so stupid? It's just like last week, when I..."

The little dragon, still decked out in his striped pajamas, eyed the unicorn warily. He quickly shuffled forward and rested his hand on Twilight, holding her still. The pony’s legs continued to flail about even as she was stuck in place. She didn’t seem to notice, rambling on - something about Magic Kindergarten and the wrong vial.

“Come on, Twilight. It’s just a clock. The batteries must have been bad or something. I know how you can fall asleep at your desk. Then you wake up and think all Tartarus is breaking loose.” Scratching the back of his head, he continued. “And even if it was, you’re in no state to save Equestria right now.”

Twilight stomped a hoof in frustration. “You don’t understand, Spike. I slept in my bed for at least 8 or 9 hours. Then I woke up feeling refreshed, mind you, and…”

She was interrupted by the library’s front door being kicked in with a bang. An orange blur galloped in, stopping right in front of Twilight, nearly coming nose to nose with her.

“Twi, this ain’t good.”

Twilight could hear worry in Applejack’s voice, a hint she’d come to trust with utmost caution. If Applejack was concerned, you could bet your bottom dollar the hay hit the fan.

The farm pony took off her Stetson, signaling doomsday even further. “Gosh, Twilight, I don’t know what to say. It’d just be better if you came outside. Ah don’t know how to explain this, but the sun hasn’t come up, and it’s near noon!”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, bearing a toothy smile.

“Applejack! Oh, thank Celestia you understand!” She pulled AJ in for a hug. “It’s always reassuring to realize that I’m not crazy, heh heh.” She looked away sheepishly, clearing her throat.

Halfway up the stairs, Spike rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m going back to sleep,” he said, stifling a yawn. “If the sun’s not up, Spike’s not up. Night.”

Twilight glared up at him. “No way, Spike! This could be a national crisis,” she sternly said.

Before Spike could retort, Applejack cut in. “She’s right, sugarcube,” she said with a sigh. “Ain’t no tellin’ what this could mean. Chrysalis, Sombra…” She shuddered. With a slow tilt of her hat over her green eyes, she looked at the wooden floors. Then she crossed her front legs. To Twilight, this was pretty much the sign of the apocalypse. It was highly unusual to see AJ in such a distressed state.

Spike groaned. “Fine. Just let me change out of these pajamas. I can’t save the world in my PJs.”

Twilight and Applejack giggled.

“We’ll be waiting outside. Don’t be long,” Twilight chirped.

Spike plodded back up the stairs, mumbling under his breath about blankets and the sun and why Applejack has to be so right all the time. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter 2

Through the halls of the Royal Palace, there was surprising calm. No doubt the early staffers for the day would soon find out that the sun wasn’t up. If Luna could get her sister up and running at a reasonable pace, Equestria could avoid a crisis.

She burst into Celestia’s chambers, fully preparing a laser spell should there be an intruder.

What she found instead was the giant alicorn strewn across her bed sideways, the sheets and cover thrown about. Luna had never heard her sister snore before, but in this moment, she was convinced that alicorn powers (or perhaps the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice) could increase its volume.

“Sister, I cannot believe you,” she said half to herself. At least she’s just oversleeping.

Luna approached the bed and poked Celestia in the side with her hoof. Nothing. She grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook. Celestia moaned a bit and rolled over, still oblivious. It seemed Luna would need to step up her game.

Quickly darting into the royal bathroom, she grabbed a small bucket from the cabinet and began filling it with tap water. She hated that she had to do this. The maid ponies would have a fit when they saw the bed after this.

On second thought, this wouldn’t be so bad. She snickered to herself. You never stop being a younger sibling.

Luna dipped her hoof in the water to make sure it was as cold as she could make it, then stepped into the bedroom and promptly poured it all over Celestia’s head. The white alicorn shot up, eyes wide in panic. Just as soon, her eyes drooped and she laid back down.

Celestia mumbled through the pillow clutched to her face. “Luna, I am feeling sick this morning. Perhaps you could take my duties for…”

Before she could finish, she was back to snoring loudly. Luna couldn’t believe it. When’s the last time the Princess of the Sun refused to raise the sun? Was she under a curse? Enchanted? Just really, really tired?

Luna spoke up. “Sister, you must raise the sun! I don’t have the necessary skills, being imprisoned in the moon for so long. You can’t expect me to…”

As if on cue, Celestia’s snores increased in volume, drowning out any more of Luna’s protests. Luna could take it no more. She was not going to lose her hearing, especially since she was barely 1,200 years old, for crying out loud! She stepped out.

Immediately, one of the royal guards guarding the bedchamber was upon her.

“Your Highness,” he said in a deep, gruffy voice, “is everything alright? Is the princess running behind schedule?”

“It appears so,” she replied. She trotted past, the guards falling in line behind her. “I will advise the morning court that we’re running a bit behind this morning.” She turned to the one on her left. “Oh, and please do not notify the Armed Forces, the Wonderbolts, or the Elements of Harmony. This is hardly an emergency.”

As Luna prepared herself to walk in, on the other side of the doors, there was a slight buzz amongst the ponies. Understandably so, since Celestia had not been late for morning court in a couple centuries or so. The ponies with coffees in their hooves could understand how she could oversleep a bit.

Towards the back of the room, a small group of journalists from various Canterlot newspapers scurried about. This was a potential lead. Even if Celestia stepped through those doors that very moment, they could at least make a headline about her being late. Morning court was never this exciting!

As the doors opened and Princess Luna stepped in, the reporter ponies quickly got out their notepads, their tongues lolling out of their mouths like they were puppies. This would be juicier than they thought.

Luna stepped forward and cleared her throat before addressing the crowd. “My dear subjects, it appears my sister is running a little late this morning. She asked me to take care of morning court until she can take my place for the day. There is no reason to panic. It is simply an unscheduled disruption.”

By now, the journalists had somehow made it to the front row. A few piped up at once.

“Your Highness, how unusual is this?”

“Princess, can you tell us anything about why Princess Celestia is running late?”

Luna gazed at them with discomfort. “Ah, well…” She started. How do I make this sound tactful?

The reporters leaned in, ears twitching.

Finally, Luna said, “It appears Celestia has fallen ill this morning. Now, if I could get back to…”

Much to her surprise, the room descended into chaos. Reporter ponies were nearly climbing onto the stage, trying to jump over each other, shouting incoherently at her. The various folks lined up to have the princess’s ear were now behind the journalists, upset that they came all the way to Canterlot only for Celestia to not be here. Various guards stationed around the courtroom were trying to calm ponies down.

Luna simply groaned and picked out her first reporter. Here we go…

In Ponyville’s central square, Mayor Mare was addressing a large crowd. Twilight, Applejack and Spike walked towards the commotion before a pony caught Twilight’s eye.

“Latest news on the sun!” he yelled. “Get your special edition Ponyville Tribune right now!”

Twilight trotted up the highly energetic pony. “Excuse me, sir, how much for the paper?”

He answered, “It’s free, ma’am. Special editions are for the public good. We at the Ponyville Tribune wouldn’t dare charge for…”

Ignoring him, Twilight grabbed a paper from the stacks with her magic and walked away. "Thank you, sir." As she returned to Applejack, she rolled her eyes. “Salesponies these days, I tell you.”

With AJ by her side and looking over her shoulder, they read the front page.

A ROYAL SICKNESS? – Could the 1,200-year-old monarch be on her last legs?

Both ponies gasped at the headline.

“Omigosh, omigosh,” Twilight sputtered out, now furiously flipping to where the main story was.

Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder. “Twi, you know how the tabloids are,” she said soothingly. “I bet the princess is just mighty tired. I wouldn’t blame her. She does more work than the whole Apple Family put together.”

Twilight wasn’t having it. “Luna said she’s sick?! Applejack, we need to find the rest of the Elements. This is an emergency!”

“Now, hold on, sugarcube…”

Twilight galloped off without a second thought, leaving a dust cloud in the farm pony’s face. Grunting, she ran after her friend.

Chapter 3

In the belly of the royal palace was a room that very few ponies had ever heard about. It was here that Princess Luna slunk into her chair at the head of the table, hooves in her face. She had been in the Royal Emergency Room before, but it had never been this irritating - and exhausting.

She turned to the doorway, where a few guardsponies stood at attention. Next to them, one of the royal palace servants was fidgeting in place, twiddling her hooves.

Luna spoke up to catch her attention. "Ms. Platter, could you get me a coffee? Cream but no sugar, please." She gave a weak smile at the end to show some glimpse of appreciation.

"Yes, Your Highness. Right away." She was off like Pinkie Pie.

With nothing else to distract her, Luna turned back towards the battlefield ahead. Various adviser ponies and politician ponies were frantically debating, some leaning over the table and pointing accusatory hooves at others. Luna caught glimpses of conversation.

"I know you don't know a salt's lick about the economy, but this is the Equestrian Stock Exchange! We haven't seen a drop like this in centuries! And you have the gall to sit there and..."

"If we don't take care of this soon, my constituents will be kicking my door down because their crops are going bad! How am I supposed to win re-election with a crisis..."

"Oh, please! Equestria is in chaos, and all you care about is your Senate seat? I swear to Celestia, you politicians are nothing but a pile of selfish manure. You never change."

Had Luna been more awake and in her right mind, she would have tried to calm down the room diplomatically. As it is, she had just lost 3 hours of sleep and counting. She had no qualms about using her outdoor voice. Her very outdoor voice.

"PONIES OF THE ROYAL COUNCIL, CEASE THY BICKERING AT ONCE!!!"

The ponies in front of her abruptly stopped. As if coming from a daze, they sat back down, took their hooves off the table and looked bashfully at the floor.

Luna continued, this time in her indoor voice. "Ahem, thank you. Now, if I could have your attention, I may have a temporary solution that may stave off this crisis." She straightened her posture, folding her front legs on top of the table. "This may take some cajoling, but our alternative is sitting around while our country loses its mind. So the first step..."

Just then, storming through the doorway was one Shining Armor, panting and flushed. In bursting into the room, he bumped into Ms. Platter, who was gently carrying a much-needed coffee to Princess Luna. Luna watched the cup fall to the floor, the ceramic shattering, the liquid spilling in all directions, her hopes and dreams dying before her. She stared, watching the coffee stream through the cracks of the tiled floor, seeping its way into the void.

She was flung out of her reverie by Shining Armor.

"Princess, we have a situation of unrest surrounding the palace! We're talking full-on riot - pitchforks, torches, sofas. We've held them off from storming the entrance, but they're demanding that you come speak!"

Several things happened to Luna's body as she processed this information. First, her left eye twitched slightly. Then her usually neutral face contorted, her lips trembling. After that, her ethereal, flowing mane slowed down significantly in speed while also changing direction erratically. Lastly, she croaked out a couple measly words:

"I see."

Back in Ponyville, Twilight and her friends (some having just woken up a few minutes ago) galloped to the train station. Twilight's friends' pleas for an explanation from behind her fell on deaf ears. She was in a zone that would be very hard to pierce. Spike scampered next to her, struggling to keep up with his tiny dragon legs.

"Twilight... Why did you... Need me here to begin with?" He huffed.

"Because, Spike! You're my number one assistant, remember?" She turned to him while still galloping, eyes wild, mane frazzled. She vainly hoped that a compliment could keep the dragon placated for now. Instead, Spike looked at her with a worried expression. He had seen where this could go before.

The disconnected unit of the galloping Mane Six arrived at the boarding platform, only to be greeted with a large crowd of ponies crowding around the front of the train. Some were yelling. Some were pacing, clearly distraught.

"What in the name of Celestia is going on here?" Twilight thought aloud. She trotted through the crowd, making her way to the train, where Steam Engine, the conductor, was fending off angry ponies. Twilight pushed her way to the front.

"Excuse me. Could you please tell me what's going on here? Is the train not running on schedule?"

Mr. Engine, somewhat curious about her frazzled mane and twitchy eyes (but still nonplussed) recited his excuse for the 50th time that morning. "Sorry, ma'am. We can't run the Friendship Express while it's still dark outside. It's too dangerous." He coughed. "And it goes against regulation."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. She leaned forward, nearly pressing her muzzle to his. "You know there's something called a spotlight, right?" She gritted her teeth.

The conductor curtly responded, closing his eyes. "Don't have one. We used to, but that was before Mayor Mare started her Finance Initiative." He almost spat while saying the last two words. He rolled his eyes and continued.

"If ya ask me, it's more like a Cheap Initiative. The mayor'll do anything to lower the budget, if it means she can waltz into Canterlot with the lowest tax rate in the country. Apparently, public transportation is such a money sink and so excessive that we can't even tape a flashlight to the front of the train without that old hag breathing down our necks. I swear I'll go to the grave before I let that sleazeball run the town for another term. I was tellin' people to vote for Filthy Rich, but the ponies in this town must want Ponyville to keep looking like a run-down group of shacks. I'm telling you, a member of the upper class could come here and give all their bits to the local hospital, and the folks in this town would still run them out to Appleloosa. Snobs about the snobs, the whole lot of 'em. The Town of Diversity, my ass. If you wear a scarf that costs more than 20 bits, they'll spit in your food and spit in your face while they're at it. Speaking of food, did you hear about the Hayburger Shack? My friend Rusty works in the kitchen there, and he was telling me..."

Twilight could take no more.

"The Hayburger Shack?! Who in the wide world of Equestria cares?! Can you run this train or not?" She was practically screaming in his face, and he was unfazed.

"This train ain't runnin' any time soon," he said. "That's that."

Twilight groaned and threw up her hooves in exasperation. Would anything go her way today? She resigned herself to a probable 'no' and sulked back to her friends.

Before she could face them and perhaps finally explain why this was such a big deal, she saw a stallion sitting on a nearby bench, his face tucked behind a newspaper.

Wait a second. Is that another edition? How fast do they print these things?

She scurried over. "Sir, would you mind if I take a look at this for a second? Thank you." Before he could respond, she ripped the paper out of his hooves and walked away. The front page read:

A SISTERLY COUP - Celestia ousted, Luna claims throne

"What?!" Twilight screamed, holding the newspaper at leg's length.

The subtitle:

A stab to the back and a twist of the knife! Has Nightmare Moon returned?

The paper slowly slipped from Twilight's hooves, calmly plopping to the ground. Perhaps she thought it would make a good pillow. Perhaps it was meant to cushion her. Regardless, Twilight followed suit, flopping to the ground on top of the paper, her vision going hazy. The first thing she saw before it all went black was a stallion trying to pry the paper from under her limp body.

Chapter 4

Canterlot hadn't seen this much unrest since the Millennium of Calm started. Even the recent uptick in domestic and foreign conflict did not rile up the ponies of Equestria as much as this.

No doubt Twilight Sparkle will be here any minute now. Luna sighed. All this because her damned sister refused to get out of bed this morning. When she thought about it, it was almost scary how much their subjects relied on them. One tiny misstep could send the nation into chaos.

Luna stood and gazed at the stage before her from her safe area to the stage's right. Peeking around the corner, she witnessed mobs and mobs of ponies, most of them outraged. Signs read: Not My Princess, Luna is Looney, and even For the New Lunar Republic. Yikes. Ponies were taking this pretty far.

Princess Luna took a moment to gather her thoughts. How did we end up in this position? Just last night, Canterlot was happy as could be at the Horseshoe Ball. And now...

Luna's eyes widened.

Last night at the Horseshoe Ball...

Celestia has had her fair share of events, parties and balls over the hundreds of years. But she can't recall one as downright pleasant as this one. She was sitting at a table with a smattering of other royal ponies. She was leaned back in her chair, beginning to slump over but just as active in the festivities.

As she glanced around the table, she realized she did not know most of the ponies' names. Celestia giggled. How silly of me.

Well, there was no time like the present to bond with her fellow ponies!

Celestia took another swig of birchbeer and placed it back on the table a little too hard. "Well, this table is feeling a little too somber for my tastes." Her face darkened, a sneer appearing on her face.

"Would anypony like my hoof in dance?" Her eyes were wild, a mischievous smile appearing. If it weren't for the alcohol, the ponies gathered near her may have thought she looked dangerous. Perhaps she did, anyway.

No one volunteered.

"No? Are you snobs too dignified to have a little fun every once in a while?!" Celestia slammed her hooves into the wooden table.

The royals glanced at each other warily. Though they were silent, they were communicating by body language that they should all probably get up and dismiss themselves before things got out of hand.

Celestia was determined, however.

"DJ!!" she yelled over to the end of the room, where a group of violinists stared at her in confusion. Her yelling attracted the rest of the room to her table. "Spin up some Sapphire Shores! It's a great night to be alive!!"

From behind a curtain, Spike the dragon peeked his head out. "You mean me?" the little dragon questioned.

"Of course I do, Spike!" Celestia barked. "You brought that *hic* fancy sound machine after all!"

Sheepishly, Spike wheeled out a turntable from behind the curtain. He now had a full and attentive audience. As Spike awkwardly set up, he could feel the pitying gazes of the more sober ponies in the room.

"Didn't think I'd get a use out of this thing, but whatever," he mumbled to himself. He quickly set up a playlist.

As the pony pop sensation Sapphire Shores started belting out the notes, Spike could only look up in helplessness at the crowd. Specifically, at one alicorn who found herself on top of her table.

"WOOOO! Come on, my little ponies, are you gonna let your princess dance the night away by herself?!" The wood below her started splintering, unable to handle her frantic and erratic dancing.

Princess Luna came back from the mares' room just in time to see the table crack and her sister flail onto the floor. Realizing what she had done, Celestia burst into laughter. With the music stopped and the ponies around her stoically silent, her laughing sounded like a cackling witch on the verge of insanity.

Luna, her face terminally red, escorted Celestia from the party, profusely apologizing for her sister's behavior. When Luna tucked her in that night, she was just thankful that the situation had settled down. She never thought once that Celestia might be hung over the next day. They were both powerful, demi-god monarchs after all.

The present.

That was my fatal mistake, Luna thought. I underestimated the power of alcohol.

Just then, she felt a familiar hoof on her shoulder. She spun around.

Before her was the Princess of the Sun, She Who Calls Forth The Dawn, her beloved sister, and her current target of fury. Dark bags were hanging loose under eyes. Her ethereal mane was frazzled. She seemed to sway back and forth as if she could fall over at any instant. In one hoof, she held an entire gallon container of potato salad - half full with a spoon tucked inside.

"Hello, Luna," Celestia croaked out, albeit with a smile.

Epilogue

Sitting in her designated chair in the Royal Kitchen, Princess Celestia took a bite of her daisy sandwich. This was her lunch break, the only time in her busy day (besides sleeping) that she had any peace and quiet. She took a sip of her tea and let out a deep breath.

It had been two weeks since she had overslept and caused a national crisis. Looking back on it now, she could chuckle, but it was admittedly serious at the time. Luna was not exaggerating when she had told her that the crowd she was about to address was nothing short of insane. Thankfully, Celestia cleared up the confusion. Ponies went on with their routines. Crops were saved. Everything was back to normal.

She had found it slightly unusual that neither her nor Luna had been contacted by Twilight Sparkle. Celestia was sure her student would want to know the scoop as soon as possible. She was eventually informed by Twilight's friends that the purple unicorn had fainted and was admitted to Ponyville's local hospital. That sounded like the Twilight she knew.

The kitchen door creaked open. Princess Luna looked frustrated and frazzled as she walked in and sat at the table.

Celestia only raised an eyebrow.

"I'm having trouble sleeping, Sister." Luna mumbled. She sighed and plopped her head on the table.

"Imagine that," Celestia chirped. "The ruler of dreams can't even help herself." Celestia's face turned a bit more serious. "Really, Sister, you should take it easy every once in a while."

Luna wrapped her hooves around her head and mumbled incoherently through her hooves.

Celestia continued. "But I do have a sleep remedy I can recommend you." She smiled.

Luna looked up at her skeptically.

From under the table, Celestia produced a Smithson Vodka 380 glass bottle.

Luna snorted. "If I'm anything like you, I should stay away from that stuff." She lowered her head again.

"Come on, Luna," Celestia said, "are you still a lightweight after all these hundreds of years? Well, I guess you can't exactly practice on the moon..."

Luna whipped her head up, glaring at her sister. "Practice? Pfft. I needed practice when I was a filly, but not now." Her eyes narrowed. "You know I could drink you under the table if I tried."

Before she could go on, a shot glass with vodka was in front of her. Celestia was pouring one for herself. Luna looked at her sister incredulously.

"Oh, hush," the white alicorn said. "This might even make afternoon court more fun."

The two ponies levitated their glasses to their muzzles. "It's certainly been a while, eh?" Luna gleefully said. "I'll just have to remind you again that trying to beat me is helpless."

Celestia was now wearing a mischievous, familiar grin. "Bring it on, sister."

With that, the night (day, for one of them) began. In neighboring Ponyville, the hospital seemed equipped for another disaster. Outside the royal castle, the ponies lined up for afternoon court were slightly wary. After all, who could forget the Royal Sleep Crisis?

End