Titanomachy

Celestia

Celestia had spent the strange, gloaming-lit night in a long fight for sleep. She had been ordered by her physician to try sleeping every night for the next week despite her usual habit of usually only sleeping once a week. She felt drained by the tossing and turning and she wondered about her newfound mortality. "Do I need to sleep like a normal pony now?" She stretched and yawned while turning over one last time and finally opened her eyes. The smell of woodsmoke and the sound of milling ponies mixed with the violet light to permanently banish any more attempts at sleep.

Preparing to get out of bed, she evaluated how she actually felt. Physically, she thought that perhaps she was doing a bit better. The aches and twinges that had permeated her body since her defeat actually seemed to be fading. Her horn, however, was continuing to invent new ways to torment her. The bitter, metallic ache running the length of her horn was transitioning to an itching wrongness that wouldn't allow her a moment's peace. She was reminded of bucks rubbing the velvet from their antlers as she fantasized about savagely rubbing her horn against the countless wooden and stone corners that surrounded her. Instead, she licked the spot on the roof of her mouth that was nearest to the itch and wished that the action gave her some relief.

Her internal clock, always precise, was telling her that it was time to raise the sun. She got to her hooves before she could even think about the urge but then realized that there was no real point to the action. Two steps out of he bed and towards the balcony she simply stopped, surrounded by the hundreds of white flowers. Not wanting to confront the stubborn refusal of the sun to obey her, her attention passed to the hundreds of white blossoms forming an artificial meadow that brushed against her fetlocks. She was past raging or crying now, she had finished bargaining for more time and had endured Twilight's denial of the inevitable. She just wanted the simplicity of the moment to endure and just exist.

An ancient desire stirred within her. It had been so long since the last time she had indulged this instinct, it took her a moment to actually identify the urge. Upon doing so she smirked at the transgressive and most un-regal thought. The smile took on a more shameless character even as her eyes darted around guiltily to make sure no potential witnesses were lurking in the shadows. The white alicorn's crownless head then dipped to the level of her unshod hooves and she began to graze. While she did love the modern confections that ponies had invented, there was a primal pleasure to pulling the leaves and petals from their stems with dexterous lips and clipping teeth. It had been centuries since she had indulged in this pleasant atavism and the simple joy of being an herbivore helped heal her distressed soul. In this moment she was no princess or goddess, just a simple pony.

A noise, distinct from the general murmur of ponies about their day, broke her reverie. Instead of the usual cacophony of ponies greeting, haggling, arguing, singing, and engaging in all the myriad behaviors that they carried out day in and day out, there was a shout of "NO!" coming from the throats of several hundred ponies. Her ears flicked forward to focus on the oddity and they were able to discern that the crowd was responding in counterpoint to the speech of a single pony. Lifting her head from her breakfast she stepped gingerly around the remaining flowers and emerged onto her balcony. in the square facing the main gates of the palace there was a great bonfire, the flames of which leaped several stories into the air. The hot yellow light pushed back the gloaming shadows and revealed the faces of hundreds of ponies twisted in anger and fear. Atop an adjacent pile of wooden detritus, the pile presumably gathered to be fed to the hungry flames, was a vaguely familiar looking white unicorn. He was greasy and unkempt and wore what appeared to be rags. Celestia couldn't imagine where or when she would have met such a rough looking character but she felt that she should know him none the less.

The unicorn's voice was forged out of molten rage, the passion of which swept the surrounding crowd up into its frenzy. She heard him decry her as a false god, a tyrant, and a decadent sybarite. Her sister was reviled as an unstable lunatic, an unrepentant murderess, the killer of the sun, and (oddly out of place in this list) a thief. The crowd responded to the accusations with cheering and the chanting of slogans, none of which were flattering to the royal pony sisters. Petals dropped from Celestia's lips as her jaw slackened and her mouth hung open. "This, I did not expect." She said to herself.

She tried to run to her chamber doors but was caught up in stumbling though the countless potted plants that barred her way. The guard ponies outside her doors had just finished turning to each other out of concern for the crashing noise and even more out of place sound of Celestia swearing a blue streak when the doors burst outwards under the force of the alicorn's hooves. Utilizing a mastery of the Traditional Canterlot Voice that most did not realize Celestia had, she shouted one word: "LUNA!"

It only took a few seconds for the other alicorn to appear, she must have been nearby already. "What is it, sister? And why the shouting?"

Celestia stared at the creature speaking with her sister's voice. It looked very similar to Luna but was slightly off. It was taller, darker, a bit more regal in it's lines than her sister's most recent form.

The dark alicorn rolled her eyes, "Tis me, Tia. I have not changed anything of note, nor have I re-embraced Nightmare.

Celestia tried to reach out with her magical perception but was reminded of her doctor's orders by a vicious spike of pain shooting through her horn. "Ugg," she moaned while faltering.

The other alicorn rushed to her side, supporting her weight and wrapping a dark wing over her withers. "Sister!" she said with evident alarm.

"I'm fine, Luna. I just forgot myself for a moment and tried to use my horn."

"Thou knowest better, my dear sissy." The out of date endearment seemed doubly odd to Celestia given that her sister was now almost the same height as herself. "I need you to become hale once again."

Celesta had regained her balance and her horn had returned to merely maddening her with itching. "Luna, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Luna replied.

"Why is there a rebellion in my front yard?"

"A...what?" Luna's eyes seemed a bit wider.

"Why is," Celestia grabbed Luna's wing in her teeth and pulled her to the balcony, "THAT going on?

Luna seemed distracted by the shards of pottery and scattered topsoil carpeting the room and only eventually poked her head out onto the balcony and confront the spectacle. "Ah, yes. That."

"Luna," Celestia said in her big sister voice. "What did you DO?"

"Well, sister. Do you remember telling me once that we should strive to do the right thing rather than the easy thing."

"Luna."

"You even once taught me that the moral choice was superior to even the prudent one."

"Lu-na."

"I may have emancipated all of the cloven hoofed peoples last night."

"May have?"

"Perhaps...it is more of a 'did'."

She sighed, "And then?"

Luna was actually surprised that her sister did not ask her why she did what she did. "Well, it seems that many of the nobles of Canterlot have invested heavily in what was, up until last night, livestock. And by freeing these peoples it appears that I just allowed a fair percentage of their wealth to literally get up and walk away."

"I take it that there was no system for compensation or a timeline for carrying this out?"

Luna answered by way of grimace.

"Right," Celestia acknowledged, packing that single word full of exasperation.

"But you agreed with Twilight that slavery was now-"

"And I do," Celestia interrupted. "If you would have asked I would have let you know about the plan already in action for accomplishing this. We were only fifty years away from it being done smoothly."

"I would have but the former princess of the sun had decided to lock herself away in her tower and mope until she died."

Celestia was about to retort angrily but then paused. Her sister had a point, she had thrown away all of her responsibilities in the face of her personal tragedy. "True, I am going to die," she thought, "But I'm alive for now."

"Fine, Luna. You win."

Once again Luna was confused, "What?"

"You win, you are right. It is time for me to come down from my tower and take back up my responsibilities. There is a lot that needs doing and handing it all over to you was selfish of me."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I may be...sick...but I'm not dead yet nor really even infirm beyond the thing with the horn. There's no reason that I cannot actively help you rule."

"Help?"

"Fine, co-rule. I'll do what I can with what time I have."

Luna embraced her sister in a rib-crushing hug. "Thank you for coming back, I missed you."

Celestia returned the hug but was smiling sadly, her face out of view from her sister. "I know."

The reconciliation continued in front of the two silent and embarrassed door guards for most of another minute but then eventually the two sisters released each other.

"So," Celestia tentatively began. "Are you going to tell me about...this?" She indicated Luna's changed form with a wing gesture."

Luna pursed her lips in thought for a moment and then replied. "Nnnope." Turning tail she headed for her own chambers and a solid twelve hours where she didn't have to hold court.

Twilight

"Everything's going to be fine," Twilight reassured herself. "I have my checklists." She at the thought, she pulled out the relevant scroll to re-re-re-review her list of Do-Nots.

Do Not:

Eat or Drink Anything
Touch Water
Look Back
Accept Gifts
Trust Your Eyes
Leave The Path
Violate Hospitality
Behave Discourteously
Take Anything
Show Fear
Run
Shout
Get Angry
Give Up
Sleep

The list was compiled from all of the legends and myths she could find about Tartarus. She regarded the list of dangerous behaviors and she immediately felt better about not inviting her friends along on this journey. While her friends were wonderful and each bore an element of harmony, they also had foibles that would result in each and every one of her do-nots being violated by at least one of them.

It had helped that Ponyville seemed to be in some sort of uproar when she arrived. She was able to slip into her Library and then out into the Everfree without attracting any unwanted attention. Those of her friends that Twilight saw were fully preoccupied and paid her not the slightest heed. During her brisk trot through town she saw Pinkie Pie was running around the town shouting about a "super doozy." Twilight saw Applejack leading a group of earth ponies from atop makeshift barricades blocking the road that led out of the town proper towards Sweet Apple Acres and the other major farms. Draped across the front of the roadblock was a banner reading "Agricultural Property Owners Association" and Applejack was shouting something about the right to life, liberty, and property to the assembled crowd. Standing alongside Mayor Mare were several guards from the local detachment and Rainbow Dash who was calling them names and telling them to go home. At the time, Twilight had acknowledged she normally would have stopped and tried to intervene in the standoff but the mission she was on was too secret and too important to be delayed any longer. Whatever was wrong would have to wait until she got back.

Tucking the scroll of Do-Nots back into her saddle bag, she pulled out her other checklist and reviewed its contents while she walked.

Things To Find Out

Who is the Changeling Queen

Divine? Y/N

Relations?
Can a god lose their connection to their object/aspect?

If so, can it be repaired?

In not repairable, can control of the sun be transferred?
Is Celestia now mortal?

Is she going to die?

How can I save her?
Can I lift the curse that is on the goats?

Should I lift the curse that is on the goats?

The last item on that list was in a rougher horn-writing, she had added it only after a long debate within herself. She felt, that by including that line item, she was somehow betraying Luna. Twilight was still wrestling with the idea of changing societal norms and how she should feel about someone who was a good pony by the standards of their time but had done things that were considered evil now. She was lost in thought, trotting through the shadowed forest and fighting with herself. She knew, intellectually, that her mentor was right. She shouldn't hold the actions Luna took millenia ago to the same standards of behavior modern ponies adhered to. Her heart however fought, kicked, and bucked at the idea of just accepting the enslavement of whole species as just something you forgot and forgave. It was then that Twilight decided, if there was a reasonable way of lifting the curse she would. Luna would just have to live with her actions and see how she liked it.

The moon had set a couple of hours ago, she supposed that made it mid-morning if such things mattered in a world perpetually waiting for dawn. She knew the way to the gates well, she had passed this way not six months ago with a rubber ball and a forty tonne, three headed dog. Her hooves handled the path while her eyes and mind wandered. Around her, she could see the effects of the last four sunless days. Leaves that should be green and full were wilted and browning and birds and frogs were equally confused and refused to sing. Not for the first time this trip she worried about famine as the fields of the upset farmers were likely showing the same damage as the trees and brush around her. She thought back to the train ride and the back of the hoof calculations she had done. Current food stores could last a month, with strict rationing. After that, there were some edible mushrooms and treebark that ponies could eat if desperate but that was unlikely to make any real difference in the end. Unless she could find a way to raise the sun, her entire civilization, her species, would be dead in a little over two months. She sped up from a trot to a canter.

Her thoughts turned back to Luna. If Celestia was indeed now mortal that would leave Luna as the last living thing in the world. How soon would it be until her planet resembled the surface of the moon? How long would the ruins of civilization last? Would Luna be forced to be here forever, alone? How long would she remember life, or me? Twilight's blood ran cold as her imagination painted a portrait of Luna, having been alone among the dust and ruins for eons. A gaunt, black specter haunting a dead world. Long having ceased talking to herself eventually, now having forgotten even how to talk or even her own name. Twilight began to gallop.

She burst into the clearing holding the gate wild-eyed and covered in foamy sweat. The massive black dog raised his heads in alarm at her sudden and frantic appearance and barked with a force that blew Twilight back onto her haunches. "Easy there. Good boy. You remember me? Don't you?" Twilight said in her best imitation of Fluttershy. At first the beast growled at her, shaking the ground, but eventually her soothing words were enough for Cerberus to calm down and give her a good sniffing. The result was immediate. His tail began wagging with such enthusiasm that several trees were destroyed and his snuffling search for where she might have hidden another ball had knocked Twilight onto her back. His licks and sniffs were enough to drive the ticklish mare into peals of gasping laughter and she hugged the muzzle of his nearest head. The others, immediately jealous, were pushing their way towards Twilight to get their turn being petted under her hooves.

Twilight felt much better, if somewhat wet and sticky from several gallons of slobber. The unconditional adoration that only dogs can supply seemed like a type of magic itself. She couldn't recall when last she had slept but she felt far more refreshed by the loving tussle than she supposed she had any right to. "Well, if friendship and love between ponies are magical, why not doggie love?" She said while scritching one of the behemoth's chins. Mentally, she made a note to request what materials covering what research may have previously been done on the topic. Reluctantly, she pulled her attention from petting Cerberus towards the gate through which she must pass. The gates were crudely wrought of black iron and set into the side of a low, stony hill. The rise looked, to her amateur geologist's eyes, to have been formed out of a single formation of igneous (volcanic) basalt and the extreme signs of erosion on stone this hard told her that it was indeed ancient and exposed to the elements for uncountable years. The gate, obviously a later addition, was without ornamentation and each spar showed the marks of the hammer that forged it. What disturbed her most about the gate was that there was not a speck of rust upon it. From her studies of metallurgy, Twilight knew that iron alloys of this type corroded rapidly when exposed to moisture such as rain or humidity. The gate's metal, as it was behaving, was a scientific impossibility.

A triple whine at massive volume drew her attention back to the petting that she had stopped due to inattention. Giving the dog a final ruffle she stood back up and regarded her goal. The gate was unlocked and if the hinges were not rusted she should easily be able to open it with her telekinesis. She walked away from Cerberus towards the black gate and was brought up short by a monstrous bark. Looking back at the dog, "I'm sorry. I have to go in there." she told the guardian. She reached out for iron with her will and gasped. The gate was heavy as it normally should be but it felt different from ordinary matter. She could feel it's permanence, she knew that this gate had been here since the "beginning" to which Celestia had referred. It hasn't ever been anywhere else, it couldn't be. Her mouth dried at the feeling of surrounding antiquity and her own fleeting insignificance. As she pulled open the gate, Cerberus growled. His thunderous disapproval shook everything but the hill and the gate. Twilight turned to the dog and implored him with her eyes. "Please, I have to. If I don't everypony and everything might die." As she walked the final distance, the guardian didn't stop her. Instead he whined, pleading for her not to go. She shut her ears to his begging, shut her eyes, and crossed into darkness.

Luna

Luna stretched her new limbs and they felt great. She rolled over on her bed like a cat and spent a moment just feeling her new body and she liked what she found. She felt longer of limb, sleeker, taller, and more mature. Nothing like a silly filly who would get her heart broken by a simple mortal. Or scolded by her sister. Or cause a national crisis by throwing a temper tantrum. "Fare thee well, bon mood," she sighed as memories of her recent behavior collided with her pleasant frame of mind.

Rolling out of bed, she walked to the mirror that hung above her wash basin. She did like how she looked but she wondered if it was 'cheating' in some way. Was a mature aspect something that someone earned or was it, like so much makeup, something you applied to your face in the hopes of convincing others that you have become so? "And perhaps convince yourself," her mind unhelpfully supplied.

"'Tis good for my sissy to exit her chambers and address the current crisis," Luna said while examining her longer, darker face. "The one I caused and know not how to fix." The face looking back at her pursed her lips in response to the thought. "Could I ask Tia to help me with Twilight? She knows the young mare better than anyone," she said to her reflection. "And have her clean up yet another of your messes?" She cringed away from the mirror as the thought struck home. She knew she had to deal with this herself and so left her chamber for the library.

As far as Luna knew, Twilight had not yet asked for nor had been assigned a guest room in the palace. It looked as if Twilight had spent the last four days either in the library or with Celestia and hadn't slept the entire time. "The poor thing, she must be nearly dead with exhaustion," Luna thought with an undercurrent of admiration. Luna admired Twilight's dedication; her loyalty to the crown was unmatched. "No," She chided herself again, "Not to the crown, to my sister. A spike of cold jealousy stabbed Luna in the heart after the thought passed through her. The obvious love Twilight held for Celestia was a radiant wonder to behold. Mothers dreamed of daughters so caring while professors wished for students so attentive.

Luna stopped at the thought, "Is my infatuation with her simply jealousy of the esteem she holds for my sister?" Am I that craven? Do I hunger so for affection that I would steal from the riches my sister possessed? Am I that horrid?" Rubbing salt into her self-inflicted wound was the fact that the one person who she would have turned to for discussing this was Twilight herself. Taking this to her sister was not even a possibility. Celestia would either be horrified that she felt this way about a mortal or be oh-so understanding and caring in the way that made Luna want to spit. "Can I talk to Twilight about this? "Would that be allowed under the auspices of their friendship?" she wondered. Screwing up her face into a determined grimace she decided to take a chance on Twilight and continued on to the library.

"Twilight?" Luna called as she wandered through the stacks. The librarian had directed her towards the mythology collection. Evidently, that was where Twilight had taken over a table for her research. Luna emerged from the bookshelves to find a pleasant, open area with several tables and chairs. One in particular seemed likely as the wooden tabletop was nearly obscured by the many pillars of texts perched upon it. Smiling, she rounded the table and expected to see Twilight either hunched over a book or perhaps adorably asleep with her head resting on top of one. Instead, she found nothing beyond a void in the books where Twilight had presumably been working. Luna's face showed her disappointment, with was tinged with irritation. "Where is that mare?" she asked the room in general. Slowly and methodically, she searched the library. Luna had with her a miniature map of the facility that the librarian had given her and was going from room to room, crossing them off as she went.

Her mood continued to degrade as her search continued far longer than was reasonable. At first, she was a bit nervous but looking forwards to seeing Twilight. Eventually she was running from one, nearly identical room to another. The other researchers were clearly becoming irritated with the goddess sprinting from room to room and disturbing their reading. Several minuted after she had begun to full-on panic she skidded to a halt, confronted by the petrified Discord placed in a nook between two bookcases. "Hello, my dear," his voice appeared inside her mind, his smarmy tone making the psychic contact feel dirty. "Lost something?"

"Discord," Luna replied in shocked tone. She had nearly forgotten where the draconequus had been stashed amid the other crises.

"Yes, that's me," he smirked playfully within her mind. "Miss me?"

"I-"

"Well, yes, I know I am irresistible. But really, running up to me frantic and panting? It comes off as a little desperate." His tone shifting from a playful sing-song to condescending within the same 'breath'.

"I am looking for Twilight, as I am sure thouest already knows."

"Oh, not for me? I'm wounded. I've been ever so lonely since your little marefriend left."

Luna felt the anger surging within her but managed to push her wrath back down. It would do no good to lose her temper with Discord. "Left, dear nuncle? Prithee, whither to?" she asked with a smile and an innocent bat of her eyes.

"Oooh, you are so much less fun than your sister. Cellie would already be threatening me by now."

"Yes, nuncle but I am far nicer to you," she replied. Past experience had taught her that flattery usually got you everywhere with the imp.

"Yes, you are," he admitted with a frustrated tone. "What was it you wanted again?"

"Twilight," Luna replied flatly.

"Oh, how scandalous. Does she know?"

Luna simply stared at the statue, not rising to the bait.

"Fine. She's gone."

"Gone where."

"Where you cannot follow and from whence she can never return."

Luna's expression dropped as fear clenched her gut. "Do not lie, old man. Are you saying she's died?"

"Ooooh, there's the family resemblance. No, as much as I love a good riddle, the answer to that one is not 'death.'"

"Then where?!?"

Discord was silent, imitating a statue most convincingly.

"Where?"

"TELL ME!" Luna screamed at her full force, shaking the library's very foundations.

The statue remained silent but she could swear it was smirking at her.

Discord, Celestia, & Luna

If Discord acknowledged any power higher than himself, he would have been thanking it. Since he didn't, he instead felt smug. By the time the royal guard had evacuated the library and Celestia had arrived on scene Luna had knocked him off of his pedestal and was attempting to choke the life out of his non-breathing, lifeless, statue self. Celestia was so surprised by the surreal tableau her mind screeched to a halt and her jaw fell open in shock.

"Luna! What are you doing?" Celestia demanded as soon as she regathered her wits.

"ARRGLE AM NARFLED TWRLIT FERKLE!" The other princess of Equestria explained while attempting to bite off one of the statue's ears.

"I am afraid for your dear sister's mental health. She appears to still be quite unstable." Discord added with a tone of sympathy.

"You be quiet. Luna, what is he even doing in here?"

Luna had given up biting and had begun slamming her silver-shod hooves to the statue's face with all the force she could muster. The building shook and the marble floor shattered underneath Discord's stone form."DIE YOU ANCIENT BASTARD!" she screamed.

"Her behavior is quite Nightmarish, wouldn't you say?" The Draconequus added.

"AFTERBIRTH OF CREATION!" Her hooves impacted again, sending hundreds of priceless books tumbling to the floor.

"Well," Discord asked Celestia, "are you going to do anything about this?"

"I WILL FIND A WAY TO KILL YOU!" This impact sent a nearby chandelier crashing to the ground.

Discord could see Celestia trying to come up with a way to stop her sister, without hurting the younger godling. Without access to her magic, the queen of day was actually having to think hard and fast to come up with something. The elder god of chaos actually felt a bit of pride at seeing this...in his teaching ability, of course.

Celestia opted for a simple plan. She rushed in while Luna was on her back hooves and brought her white face within a few inches of her sister's indigo snout. Thrown off balance and not wanting to hurt her own sister, Luna instead toppled backwards onto her rump.

Celestia then addressed her sister, who was busy sputtering with rage at the moment. "I believe there has been enough of that for the moment." Seeing that Luna was calming down she asked, "What did he do?"

In a tone of affronted innocence Discord interrupted, "Why do you assume I did anything wrong? She's the psycho-goth mare with a penchant for eternal night."

"I may not know what you meant by your japes, cursed Imp!" Luna responded while rubbing her battered rump. "But so help me, I will find a millstone to grind you into sand!."

"Luna!"

"But s/he started it!" The two ancient, immortal, and most wise deities whined in unison.

Celestia's head was prone to aching after her injury. This was not helping.

"Luna. And just Luna," she added for the benefit of Discord. "Why were you attempting to do," she gestured at the toppled statue and shattered flooring, "that to Discord?"

Luna collected herself visibly. "He's done something with Twilight."

"LIAR!" the ethereal voice of the draconequus echoed in the heads of both alicorns.

Celestia's patience was quickly wearing thin. "You will get your turn."

"Yeah right. Like you'll take my word over your sister's."

"I promise, I'll listen to you both." swore the alicorn.

"Hm, an oath from a princess. Well, I don't get those very often."

Celestia eyed the fallen statue silently.

"Oh, all right." and then the Imp somehow conjured the sound of a zipper pulling shut.

"So, Luna," Celestia re-re-began. Why do you think Discord did something with Twilight?"

"She's gone, it turns out she's been working right on the other side of the wall from the demon, I put him there and it's all my fault. And he told me so. In a riddle."

"Are you sure she just hasn't gone off somewhere to sleep? It is Discord we are talking about. He might just be lying to upset you."

"MMMRF MRMR!" said an outraged voice within their minds.

Luna replied, "I know, but it was a riddle. He's never just lied before when he's playing a game. It isn't his way."

"Mmrf." the voice replied with a satisfied tone.

"Very well. Discord, it is your turn to speak," said the annoyed alicorn.

"I just wanted to thank Luna for sticking up for me."

"Why I'll-," Luna began to surge to her feet.

"Luna," Celestia said her sister's name with the intonation that mothers and schoolteachers use to stop wayward youths in their tracks. Luna was still susceptible to its effect and froze in place, somehow managing to look guilty and resentful at the same time.

Celestia turned her attention back to Discord, "What was the riddle that you told my sister? Exact words, please."

"Of course, your royal fussypants. 'Twilight has gone where you cannot follow and from whence she can never return.'"

"I hath already guessed 'death,'" Luna added.

"Have you tried 'Sleep'?" Celestia guessed.

"Wrong."

Celestia took a minute to think and then smiled a lopsided grin. "Luna, show me where Twilight was working."

"Certainly," the dark sister replied with caution. Luna gave Discord a hate-filled parting glance over her shoulder as they left the ruined room.

It didn't take long for the two to reach the table where Twilight had been encamped. Celestia moved to the side of the table where Twilight would have sat and began to nose through the books like an earth pony. In no time the dust had given the older sister a sneezing fit. "If you want I could..." Luna cautiously offered.

"No." That was all Celestia had to say to make it clear that her current handicap wasn't up for discussion.

Luna backed off a couple of steps and allowed her sister to work, undisturbed. After about 15 minutes (and about 30 sneezes) of shuffling through the tomes Celestia turned to her, "There are some books missing."

"So?' Luna asked.

"Come and see," said Celesta. With a bouncing trot, the alicorn headed towards the main entrance and eventually to the circulation desk.

"The thing you need to know about my student, dear sister, is that she is a librarian." Celestia was pulling out drawers that contained small cards and began searching through them. "In her world, everything has a place and a category. Also, there are unbreakable rules." She pulled out a card with her teeth and placed it upon the desk. "One of those is that all library books must be checked out properly." The card read:

Tales of Tartarus
by
Holy Diver

checked out by:

Twilight Sparkle

Celestia's self-satisfied look vanished immediately at seeing what her student had checked out. "Bugger."

Luna's face contorted with horror at what the card and riddle implied. She winked out of existence as she invoked a teleportation spell.

Knowing full well where her sister was headed Celestia stamped her hoof in frustration. "Bugger!"