Author's Note

A break in our family story lines for a look at the morning of Celestia and Luna on this world-shifting day. For those of you who aren't into the baby thing, I wanted to give you all a break and to check in with our lovely princesses. I hope to do some interludes with different characters through this story so you kind of get a break from the babying. Well, those of you that don't necessarily enjoy it anyways. For those that do, fret not! More cuteness is coming!

But, this is my last chapter for the evening before I knock out for the night. I hope you guys like it!

Interlude- Dawn Of The Day

Princess Celestia awoke to raise the sun as she did every morning. It was an unextraordinary morning for the Princess of the Sun as she did her royal duty and raised the sun over the horizon. She could hear the halls faintly bustling with castle workers as it did at this point in the morning when they Prepared for Luna’s arrival in the dining hall and her departure from her room. When the sun was up, she showered quickly and began her trek down the hallway.

The guards stood at their posts, bowing or saluting when necessary as she acknowledged them. She made it a point to spread a little cheer every morning, when she knew many of them either hadn’t slept yet or had gotten up early to be there. Maids crossed the halls, bringing laundry baskets for bed sheets, and she could already hear the bustling of chefs in the kitchen. Though she did make her sister and herself breakfast every morning, the rest of the staff was still fed by them.

Celestia entered the dining hall, and made her way to the kitchens, where a small space (well, small for the size of her kitchen, but likely the size of a regular one everywhere else) was always available to her to use to make breakfast for her sister and herself. She made pancakes, with banana smiley faces and eyes for them, and made sure Luna had hers before she did. The Princess of the night did not do mornings well, or for a long while. Usually, Celestia got there before her sister did, bearing breakfast as always.

Today was no different.

However, what was different was when her sister began to speak with her right off the bat.

“Sister, I noticed something odd in the dream realm last night.”

Celestia had to get over the shock of hearing her sister’s voice this early in the morning before she shook herself to the present moment. “What did you notice, Sister?”

“There was a… A cascading moment of sorts. I was walking from Twilight Velvet’s dream last night and all of a sudden there was an odd flickering. It was momentary, perhaps, but It seemed to go through several of the dream orbs I was near. A split second of black, and then it was right back to normal. It was almost as though something interfered with ponies’ dream production.”

Celestia was surprised by that. “Are you certain of that, sister?”

“I… I’m not sure. I was tired at the time. Perhaps it was just my imagination. Or perhaps I blinked too fast…”

“If you aren’t sure, then sleep on it, and think about it when your mind is readier. You work too hard, Sister. You need to rest.”

Luna gave her a small smile- an extraordinary thing so early in the morning.

“You are right, sister. I shall sleep on it today and if something persists, I’ll let you know.” Luna smiled.

“You don’t have to let me know, Luna. You govern the dream realm. Not me. It’s your call there.” Celestia smiled.

Luna nodded. “I appreciate that, Sister. Thank you.” She said, finally eating a bite of her pancakes. Though she wanted to go straight to bed, the fact that her sister had helped her work through something was a luxury she often didn’t have. It was the least she could do to say thank you, and besides, she was hungry. Celestia smiled brightly at the sight of Luna actually eating the pancakes she’d made for her, and felt it a sign that today would be a good day.

She would later find herself to be mistaken.

When breakfast was done, Celestia adjourned to the Throne room, and Luna began to go to her bedroom. All the while, she tried to understand what that flickering could mean. She thought she could recall reading something in a book several moons ago about neurology having to do with dreams. If something interrupted the body’s function, then maybe… Maybe…

Shoot. She lost it. The points of thought were there in her brain, but she couldn’t piece them together now. She was too tired. Frustration climbed inside of her, making her clench her teeth together and she fought to keep a growl at bay. She was still fairly conscientious about worrying the staff with any bursts of anger. Though the Nightmare Moon debacle was far behind her, scars like that weren’t erased with time. She always tried to be mindful of her behavior around the staff, though today that was being tried as though she were in legal trouble. Ridiculous is what it was, really. It likely would have been ten times worse had she been hungry. Perhaps some divine intervention had compelled her to eat her sister’s pancakes today so she wouldn’t completely lose her mind.

Maids hustled away from the wing that held her quarters, after making sure the lavender flowers in her room were changed, the sheets were scented with a calming scent of the Princess’ choosing, and having just changed the linens for her as she liked, so that she could sleep on crisp, cool sheets after a hard night’s work.

As Princess Luna went to her chamber, she put her crown aside, setting it on it’s perch on her nightstand as per usual, used her magic to draw the drapes closed, and slipped into bed, savoring the momentary chill from the sheets that was in lovely contrast to the warm summer nights that had plagued Equestria as of late. The black out curtains blocked out the light of the morning sun, as she felt the darkness she felt so at home in and comforted by envelop her in a cozy warmth that aided her comfort, and her exhaustion.

As her eyes fluttered shut, the last clear thought that crossed her mind was that this would look better in the evening. Much, much better in the evening after a good day’s rest. She was unaware that she would not get nearly as much rest as she might have hoped to.