nobody raises the sun, twilight sparkle.

Twilight almost didn't hear Starlight whenever she spoke.

She had her nose deep in a book, eyes scanning over each individual word with careful accuracy. She was a fast reader, but she still retained every last detail. That amount of quickness combined with that level of understanding took up a good amount of brain space for her to maintain. She blinked a few times, Starlight's words reaching her several beats after its initial asking.

"Oh! Starlight!" She exclaimed, prompting Starlight to give her an exasperated expression. "I'm sorry, I was so focused on my reading. Is it early?" She cast a glance around the castle, searching for a window to look through, but the curtains were all drawn. Starlight illuminated one of them with her horn and swung the curtain open to reveal the still-rising sun. "Goodness, I guess I haven't slept!"

"You haven't slept? Since when do you mean?" Starlight questioned, growing increasingly skeptical. Twilight adopted a sheepish expression, ears flopping flat against her head.

"Since... two nights ago?"

"Two nights ago?!" Starlight echoed, her magic dissipating and the curtain falling back into place. "Twilight, you have got to get some sleep! If you don't, you'll be exhausted for the dinner!"

Twilight blinked several times again. She reached out with her mind, casting thoughts like a fishing line, trying to reel back the memory of what Starlight must be talking about. Once she hooked something, it was a big one. She yanked the wire.

"The dinner!!!" She cried out with a start. "I can't believe I forgot about Princess Luna and I's dinner arrangement!! I was supposed to meet with her and Cadance to help arrange things with an advisor from the Crystal Empire! Oh, no, if I'm tired I could end up saying all the wrong things..." Twilight melted against the table, shoving her head in her open book. "I'm going to make a complete fool of myself as a Princess, and the Crystal Empire is going to know that I'm a sham..."

Starlight rolled her eyes and trotted over to the seat next to Twilight. She put a comforting hoof on Twilight's back. "Twilight, I'm sure you'll do great even if you are tired. But you still have time at least for a nap, so there's no need to spiral." She explained, watching as the miserable lump of an alicorn lifted her head to glance at her. "...What's so interesting about this book of yours that you almost made such a grave, irreversible error?" Starlight asked, with a hint of sarcasm. Twilight didn't seem to pick up on it.

Instead, the previously deflated form of Twilight sprung back up instantly. "Oh, yes. I wanted to show somepony this, so this is wonderful timing!"

"Oooo-kay. I guess we're over our little meltdown, then?" Starlight muttered. Twilight either didn't hear her or chose to ignore it. "Sure, show me."

"I was re-reading this novel. It's one of my favorite works of non-fiction. It's one of the only completed works of this particular historian - Soul Scribe, I believe her name is. She had this entire elaborate pen name identity that she only ever used a hoof-full of times! It's a funny story, actually, she'd always meant to write more, but she attached this pen name to ages of juvenile poetry when she was a teenager, and when it came time to write more serious works she found that she couldn't detach herself from-"

"Twi."

"...Right, sorry." Twilight flipped back a few pages in the book, and gestured for Starlight to look over her shoulder. She did so. "In this chapter, Soul Scribe is telling us about an ancient ruins site that she discovered in her travels. They belonged, unknowingly to her, to the then-fallen Crystal Empire. But that's not why this caught my attention. Look at this section." Twilight pointed with her hoof, and Starlight took in the contents of the page.

As I lifted the strange crystalline rock formation with my magic, I found myself cursing the darkness that I was witnessing it in. I knew that if only I was viewing this strange and wondrous sight in the brilliant daylight, the light reflecting on the crystal's surface would make for sprawling, intricate impressions on the ground beneath my hooves. I glanced up at the sky, wondering how long from now ⠀⠀would⠀⠀⠀⠀the sun ⠀⠀⠀⠀rise.

"...Huh. That's strange." Starlight mused, rereading and finding pause again in the strange way that it was formatted. "I wonder why the words are spaced out like that. It almost looks like-"

"- something's been removed?" Twilight finished. Starlight's confirmation allowed her to continue. "I've been reading and re-reading this part, skimming over others... this is the only section of the book that's like this. What's weirder is that I've read this particular novel before, and something off-putting like this would have stuck in my mind. I hate when things are unexplainable, and I definitely would have tried to figure out what happened here." She explained. "But I didn't. And if I didn't, then that means this wasn't always here."

"Hmm. Is this the same copy that you read before? Maybe this is just a misprint!" Starlight suggested. Twilight shook her head, swiveling around to the other side of her and starting to pace back and forth.

"I thought of that too. But that can't be true." She lifted the book and turned it over to the cover, where she brought it closer to Starlight's face. "There's a small stain on the cover, right here in the corner. Spike tipped over my coffee on accident and splashed it over the table - this was the only part I wasn't able to make perfectly clean. I remember because I was so distraught over one of my books being stained, but also because Spike was so sorry that he tried to bake me a cake and made a complete wreck of the kitchen." The end of her anecdote was punctuated with a fondness that Starlight recognized as her motherly instinct towards the baby dragon. "Point is, this has to be that same book. When I read it back then, the words were completely normal."

"That is strange. Why would someone go out of their way to change just this one part of this one book? Did you check any of your other books?" Starlight asked. Twilight's eyes lit up.

"I haven't! That's a wonderful idea, Starlight. I need to call the girls, so we can go through my entire library and see if this has happened any..." Her words were cut off by a very large yawn. "Any.... more... hmmm..." Twilight trailed off, exhaustion hitting her in a sudden wave. Starlight chuckled and took place at her side just before she almost toppled over, catching her against her flank. "I guess I'm more tired than I realized..."

"About that nap?" Starlight urged, as she began leading Twilight away to her room.

Twilight was grateful that Starlight had gotten her to nap before that meeting. It wasn't her favorite part of being a Princess to spend so much time trying to play buzzword ping-pong with political figures. By the time she'd left that room, she was just as tired as she had been before she rested earlier. She sighed a deep, aching sigh as she gathered herself in the hall. Cadance was soon to join her side.

"I know this part isn't exactly your cup of tea. I'm sorry to have bothered you." She apologized, wearing a look of pity. Twilight smiled back at her.

"Of course not, Cadance. You know I would do anything for you and the Crystal Empire. It's no trouble, I just..." She trailed off. "...Dislike dealing with ponies like that."

"You and me both." Cadance agreed with bemusement. She lightly touched Twilight's back with her wing feathers. "I would love to stay, but I have a lot I must attend to back home. Let's visit together under normal circumstances soon."

"I would love to. I hardly get you or Shining Armor out of your palace anymore!" Twilight whined back. For a moment she sounded and looked like the bratty little filly that didn't want to sleep during bedtime back when Cadance was her fillysitter. The thought made the pink alicorn smile fondly, before she was off to her own empire once more.

Next, it was Luna that joined her side.

Twilight cautiously tried to get a feel for how the Princess was feeling. Something about her that evening seemed... off. She was quiet during the dinner, sometimes even dismissive. Princess Luna had always been a little bit blunt in certain matters, but she was also usually at least cordial. She seemed somehow downtrodden, and Twilight had been meaning to try and get a feel for what was going on whenever they weren't busy. She supposed now might be the best time.

Luna didn't say anything to her at first, just lingering nearby. Almost an impression of a friendly action, with the substance lacking. Her expression was far-off, eyes gazing into the middle distance as she bore a hole into the wall with her stare. It was difficult to try and break the silence. Twilight had no clue what would be the right thing to say here, considering she seemed to be kind of a hair trigger at the moment. She knew Princess Luna very well, though, and if she approached her too cautiously the mare would be frustrated by being treated as if she were a fragile object.

"Princess Luna?" Twilight tested. Luna didn't reply, but she did move her head and readjust her stare to be on Twilight. A prompt for her to continue, as she had come to understand it. "I noticed you were a bit quiet today."

"Yes, well," Luna began, faltering only slightly. "We felt that you had much of the conversation covered. You are a capable Princess, Twilight. You did not need us getting in your way or holding your hoof."

"Thank you." She nodded, grateful for the praise even if it was riddled with half-truth. "I was just wondering if you were alright. You seem a little bit... off."

"Are we?" Luna replied casually, feigning unknowing.

"Just a bit." She said honestly.

"We suppose the day has been a little taxing." Luna replied. When Twilight got a good look at her face, she was inclined to agree. The Princess' eyes were accented by heavy eye bags. She looked as if she could barely keep them open. "We just need to make it through the rest of the evening, and then we will be able to continue on."

Twilight felt concern bubbling up in her chest. She didn't understand how Luna managed it all. She spent the whole night wandering through ponies dreams, giving them the proper type of rest they deserve. After that, Luna would finally rest so that her sis Luna would rise from her dreamwalking state to take on the burden of royal morning tasks. Day in and day out, it was no wonder she was so tired. Was Luna always this tired? She must be. How did she ever find any time to rest?

"When are you able to sleep, Princess?" Twilight asked earnestly. Luna paused for a long time.

"We take brief resting spells in between our other duties, where our subjects are able to make up the difference." Luna answered. "Do not worry, Twilight. We have been doing this for millennia... we are quite used to it." Something about the way she spoke didn't seem particularly convincing, but Twilight couldn't argue. Of course she'd been doing this forever by now!

"Oh, well... isn't there anything I can do for you? Maybe to give you some extra rest?" She offered. Luna rose to her hooves and gestured for Twilight to follow if she wanted to keep speaking. Twilight did. "I could handle some meetings on your behalf. Or, maybe I could try dreamwalking, if you teach me the right spell. Oh, I heard that you needed to rearrange the archive, maybe I could-"

"NO." Luna spoke in a commanding, sudden tone. It made Twilight skid to a stop on the tile. Luna glanced at her confused, startled expression and then softened. "...Pardon us, Twilight. Our royal intonation must have slipped out." She turned back to continue walking. "Point is, no. We should be able to handle all of our duties without your help. Thank you."

"...I... if you're sure." Twilight was still reeling, trying to figure out what she did wrong. It wasn't often that Luna yelled at her like that. Was it because the archives were so private? It wasn't as if Twilight didn't frequent them before. Luna gave her express permission. Didn't she? She at least remembered getting permission. Huh.

"We are sure."

And with that, Luna was gone around the corner. Twilight watched the blank space as if the ghost of Luna were still there. She was so confused... something was definitely going on. Her curiosity nagged at her. Whenever she came back from her thoughts, she realized her pesky hooves were moving without her and she had begun trailing after the Princess from afar. Well, surely just observing a little couldn't hurt, right?

That's the first part of the scientific method, after all.

Following Luna without her noticing was shockingly easy. Maybe it was just because she was tired, but as Twilight trailed she didn't turn to look back over her shoulder even once. Eventually, it was as simple as walking behind her as if she were walking with her normally, just maybe an extra pace away.

When Luna finally stopped, it was in front of her bedroom door. This would be a little harder to follow. Twilight wondered if she shouldn't just stop here, give Luna her privacy and be on her way. But something was nagging at her... she couldn't seem to shake it. Almost like an itch, somewhere you couldn't identify. After trying to figure out what to do for a while, Twilight remembered a spell she'd learned a few months ago. A brief but total invisibility.

She let her magic envelop her, and envisioned in her mind that she was no more than a piece of paper. Inconsequential. Light. Useless. She pictured some other pony lifting the paper up, picturing the wind at her sides as she's brought upwards from a table. Twilight imagined the paper being gently dipped in a tray full of water. Slowly sinking, the material shrinking in on itself into the murky depths until it was nothing. When she opened her eyes again, she knew it had worked.

Lucky she opened her eyes when she did, too, because the door to Luna's room was swiftly closing. Twilight sprung into action, slipping in just before it shut behind them.

Once she was inside, Twilight began to regret her decision. This was an immense breach of privacy and trust. What was she thinking?? But now she was here, and she couldn't leave until the door was either opened or some other means of escape was presented. If she fired off a teleportation, the magical burst it left behind would alert Luna that somepony had been spying on her. The bedroom suddenly felt immensely claustrophobic, the walls on every side serving as a very dangerous prison. If Luna didn't open that door in enough time, Twilight's spell would wear off and she would be left completely visible to the extremely powerful alicorn she had just decided to creep on completely on a whim.

No use in worrying now. Not like that stopped her.

Twilight watched as Luna crawled up into her bed and laid down on her forehooves. All that tired energy seemed to come over her in waves, her head lulling as if it'd become heavy. For a second, Twilight thought she might get out of this when Luna fell asleep, but she was not so lucky. Instead, Luna brought her head up and shook her head, trying to wake herself. She sighed, lighting up her horn and picking a scroll out of a stack that was resting in the corner. She unfurled it, and began reading its contents.

Twilight couldn't get an angle that allowed her to read the scroll itself. In mere moments, however, that didn't really matter much to her. What was catching her attention was the glint of agony that had overtaken Luna's features. She was performing some kind of spell on the scroll, but her eyes were watery as she did so. After a moment, the scroll trembled in her magical grasp and she suddenly dropped it to the ground. Luna gasped in a breath of air, and delved her head between her hooves.

Luna's shoulders heaved as she suddenly began sobbing.

Twilight opened her mouth and almost blew her cover, her instinct to leap forward to comfort her being almost too overwhelming to prevent it. Just barely quelling it, Twilight stood still and just watched. She felt awful, witnessing Princess Luna sobbing so desperately and not being able to do anything. It was a brand of despair that Twilight never saw on her regal face. She hoped she never had to again.

The sound of Luna's voice reached her, and she twitched an ear. She couldn't quite make out what Luna was saying, so she got a little closer. That's when she heard it;

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Over and over, without her usual usage of the royal 'we'. Just 'I'm sorry', spoken in the same squeaking desolation that a wounded filly might have. Twilight recoiled a bit, feeling she had accidentally witnessed something immensely private and tragic for her. When she stepped back, she wasn't looking where she was going and ended up tripping over the scroll on the ground. It shifting was enough of a noise to make Luna lift her head up.

"H-hello?"

Twilight went very still.

Luna lifted from her bed, her tears slowing to a messy stop as she examined the room. Twilight played keepaway, trying to avoid her at all costs. She backed away into corners and against the wall, even crawling under the bed and out the other side at one point. Eventually, the Princess spotted the slightly off-kilter scroll she discarded and she lifted it back up. She lit up her horn and completed whatever spell it was she was performing before, and then carefully added it back to the stack.

"I must be-" She shook her head. "We must be hearing things. We have to get it together." Luna scolded herself, puffing out her chest. "Equestria isn't going to rule itself."

Luna turned for the door, and exited. Twilight sighed. A moment later, her spell slowly faded and revealed her purple coat to the air once more. She shuddered to think what might have happened if she had been just a moment later out the door.

No need to dwell on it. Instead, Twilight's attention turned to the scrolls in the corner. She lifted up the one Luna had thrown and unfurled it to read it.

Dear Princess Luna,
I used to think the most important traits to look for in a pet, or any best friend, were all physical competitive abilities. But now I can see how short-sighted and shallow that was. Today I learned what the most important quality really is. A certain kind of spirit. A stick-to-it-ive-ness. A never give up, can-do attitude -- that's the mark of a real winner. And this tortoise has it.

Twilight tilted her head. What was wrong with this letter that made Luna react like that? This was when Rainbow Dash got Tank, back when they were still doing the letters to Princess Luna to tell her what they learned about friendship. She examined the scroll thoroughly, front and back, but could find nothing that would have warranted such a reply. Twilight rolled it up again, placing it back where she found it.

She turned for the door, but had second thoughts.

Instead, Twilight came back to the stack and lifted another scroll. Slowly, she unfurled it and began reading its contents. This time, she was completely blindsided.

Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned a great lesson about friendship. Well, you might think that it would feel good to get lots and lots of stuff, but it doesn't feel nearly as good as giving something special to somepony you really care about. But I learned that it truly is better to give than to receive, and that kindness and generosity are what lead to true friendship. And that's more valuable than anything in the world. Well... almost anything.

"Princess... Celestia?" Twilight echoed what she saw. Her head spun, and she became very dizzy. "What..."

"Twilight Sparkle."

The sound of Luna's royal voice made her drop the scroll and jolt forward. It resulted in her scattering the scrolls all around the room in a large, unceremonious clatter. She swiveled around to see Luna towering over her. Luna's eyes were dark with rage.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" She demanded, body tense with anticipated fury. Twilight cowered underneath her. After a moment's half-murmured stammering, she finally spoke.

"Princess Luna..." She whimpered. "Who... who's Celestia?"

And then the world went black.