Arbitrary

by RunicTreetops

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Princess Luna, Comedy, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1554

As Equestria celebrates the arrival of a new year, Luna ponders if it's even worth acknowledging.

In the dead of winter, Equestria celebrates the arrival of a new year. On this special day, Celestia and Luna make a show of raising the sun and lowering the moon simultaneously, allowing their subjects to know the exact moment that they can begin partying.

Luna has some reservations about this.

Published 2024-01-01 23:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-01-01 23:00:01 UTC

Arbitrary

A roar of cheers rings out across Canterlot. The city is alive with energy as sunlight finally peeks over the horizon. Meanwhile, upon the opposite horizon, the moon dips below distant mountains, silently bringing the night along with it.

Ordinarily, these events would have a bit of a buffer between them. However, today is the one day of the year that it happens in perfect harmony. Today is special, because on this day, the break of dawn does not just signify a new day.

It signifies a new year.

Ponies cheer and dance in the streets. Long-preserved bottles are opened, foods made with care are finally consumed, music rings out from every street corner. Fireworks are launched, spells are cast, merriment is had, and everypony is having a wonderful time.

Meanwhile, standing on a balcony high above the jubilant city, are two alicorn princesses, their horns aglow with magic.

It typically doesn’t take very long to move the sun or the moon. However, the princesses try to make a show of it come the new year. It’s a celebratory moment for their subjects, and it wouldn’t do to cut their joy short… not that they won’t be partying long into the afternoon regardless.

As their horns continue to glow with magic, the princesses wear very different expressions. Celestia, the taller, wiser, and more celebrated of the sisters, chooses a warm, placid smile. She closes her eyes and sighs, quietly enjoying the moment.

Meanwhile, Luna’s lips are curled downwards ever-so-slightly, her brow just a tad furrowed. If Celestia were looking, she would likely realize that her sister has something on her mind.

This is not a rare occurrence. Although it has been some time since Nightmare Moon returned from her banishment and Luna was subsequently brought back, she often finds herself getting tripped up on many of the traditions and customs that have arrived since her defeat all those years ago.

New Year’s Day should not be one of them. While holidays like Nightmare Night didn’t become commonplace until after her banishment, Luna enjoyed New Year’s when she was a filly. Just as she and her sister give Equestria a bit of a spectacle for the holiday, so too did the sun-and-moon-moving wizards of old.

Why, then, would she be puzzled at the sight of this joyous day?

Finally, Celestia opens her eyes. In the distance, the sounds of the grand celebration still fill the air. However, up on this balcony of Canterlot Castle, the only sound is the gentle hum of their still-active magic.

Her eyes shift to the side, allowing her to quickly glance at her sister. The smile on her face almost immediately wavers upon reading Luna’s expression.

“Is something the matter, sister?”

“Hm?”

“You’re wearing your brooding face.”

“E-excuse me?!”

“Y’know, your brooding face? It’s that look you get when you’re mad about something. Like when it’s time to do the annual Royal Guard inauguration ceremony, or when you have to go to the Gala without a date again. Or Mondays.”

“I have no such face!”

Celestia rolls her eyes as she gives her sister a cocky look. The magic coming from her horn briefly intensifies. Luna watches as a similar color of magic appears between them. The magic takes the form of a small spark, and that spark moves elegantly through the air in a circular pattern. After a moment, the circle is completed. Within the magical yellow outline, the air seems to shimmer for a moment. The next thing Luna knows, she’s gazing directly into a mirror.

The face that’s gazing back at her is, without a doubt, brooding.

“Ugh.” Luna waves her hoof through the magical mirror, causing it to evaporate into thin air and making Celestia laugh. “Keep this up, and I shall ensure that I will be the one with something to laugh about!”

It takes Celestia a few seconds to compose herself, but even as her laughter fades, her smile doesn’t leave her face.

“Come on, sister. What’s on your mind?”

“Th-there is nothing on my mind.”

“...”

“...Ugh, fine.” Sometimes, saying and doing nothing is the most effective way of getting Luna to open up. Celestia learned that a long time ago. “I simply have mixed feelings about today, that’s all.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Finally, Celestia’s smile fades as she tilts her head at her younger sister. “I thought you loved New Year’s?”

“Perhaps I did, hundreds of moons ago,” Luna mumbles. “Now, though… frankly, I am surprised that you still find joy in it.”

Celestia briefly opens her mouth to speak, but she quickly stops herself. She was primed and ready to tease her sister about failing to find the joy in most things, but this doesn’t really seem like the time for that type of banter. After a moment, she opens her mouth again, this time picking her words much more carefully.

“Why would I not? A new year is something to be celebrated. We’ve hit another milestone, and it gives us a chance to reflect on what we achieved as well as what we can look forward to.”

“Is it really that much of a milestone for us?” Luna asks with a bit more intensity than she was hoping for.

“Hm?” Celestia recoils slightly at her sister’s sudden increase in volume.

“We’ve been around for thousands of years, dear sister.” Luna turns her gaze back towards the horizon. The moon has now disappeared, and the sun continues to rise higher and higher into the sky. “And we will likely be around for thousands more. To our little ponies out there,” she says as she motions to the city below, “sure, perhaps today is a day to be excited for. Perhaps it is a milestone.” She turns back towards Celestia, locking eyes with her while a serious expression adorns her face. “But it doesn’t feel that way to me. Not… not anymore.”

“Luna…” Celestia’s look of confusion is replaced with a look of concern. Of sympathy. She watches as the magic emanating from Luna’s horn fades, her duty for the celebration completed. Her own horn still aglow, she takes a step closer to her sister. “I–”

“Don’t tell me to relate to our subjects, sister. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“I wasn’t planning to.” To Luna’s surprise, Celestia bends down a bit and wraps a foreleg around her, pulling her into a hug. With her face buried in her sister’s neck, she isn’t sure what to say or do. “Trust me, I’ve felt the same thing.”

“You have?”

“...I think that, in some ways, your banishment might have been a blessing in disguise.” Celestia reinforces her grip on her sister as she feels her tense up at the mention of her banishment.

“H-how so?”

“You were not fully conscious for most of it, correct?”

“No. No, I wasn’t.”

“I was.” Celestia pulls away, giving Luna a good, long look at her distant, pained expression. “It feels like the years go by too quickly, right? Like their worth is arbitrary?”

“Well…” Luna’s eyes open wide with surprise. She hit the nail on the head. “Y-yes, that’s exactly what it feels like.”

“...I felt something similar long ago. Back before your banishment, I mean.” Celestia turns back to the horizon and her horn finally stops glowing as the sun comes to a stop high in the sky. The pomp and circumstance that the sisters are responsible for has ended. “And yet, after your banishment, I seemed to lose that feeling as suddenly as I lost you. It no longer felt like the years were passing in the blink of an eye.” She takes a deep breath. “It barely felt like they were passing at all.”

“Sister… I…”

“Not that I expect you to understand that feeling. I hope beyond hope that you never will. But… it did give me a bit of perspective.”

“...Be that as it may, it doesn’t suddenly make me excited about the holiday.”

“Perhaps not. But you also don’t really need to be excited, per se.” She turns back to her sister, her famous warm smile finally having returned to her face. “Are you happy, sister? Not necessarily with today specifically, just… in general.”

Luna looks back at Celestia with confusion, unsure of her aim in asking such a question.

“I… suppose so, yes. I have my wits about me, Equestria is safe… hmhm, even Twilight Sparkle has been nothing but one pleasant surprise after another. There is little to complain about besides the monotony.”

“Then I’d say it’s been a successful year, no?”

“Sister…” Luna glances away, unable to hide the faint smile finally breaking through the dour expression that she’d been wearing all morning. “Sometimes I feel that I will never understand you, you know that?”

“Perhaps that’s for the best,” Celestia says with a chuckle as she begins to walk past Luna and into the castle. “Now… care for some cider? I’ve been saving it~!”

Luna turns to get a good look at her older sister. The relaxed manner in which she is sauntering into the castle is wholly unbecoming of a princess. And yet, for a reason she can’t explain, it reassures her.

…Perhaps it has been a good year.

Author's Note

Happy New Year's!

As always, I appreciate any and all feedback!