The Rude Awakening

Excitement dominated her every thought. For Princess Celestia of Equestria, this was a day she looked forward to every year. Following Luna’s banishment, she was left feeling dreadfully hollow. To lose one’s only kindred spirit would crush a lesser mare…

But not Celestia. Composure, after all, is what separates the ponies from the beasts. Instead of wallowing in her sadness, Celestia chose to confide in an unlikely confidante. A being whose very existence is thought of merely as an old mare’s tale.

According to the legend, before Celestia and Luna ruled Equestria and deposed Discord, there existed two ancient gods. One, who created the universe itself, shaped the planets and stars, the other who crafted the inhabitants of one particular blue planet. These gods went by many titles, the Firstborn, the Ancestors of all Pony kind, the Undying, etc., etc. The ancient ponies had a penchant for elaborating in their stories, something that always amused the princess of the sun.

The princess was aware of all these and more as she had witnessed these immortal creatures personally. Celestia was anxious to get out of her daily duties as quickly as possible. She had toyed with the idea of getting Luna to do it for her however not only did Luna require rest during the day but she also wanted to show her sister her little secret. It had been a full two years since her release from the moon and, even though she was still under Nightmare Moon’s control when she was released, she was defeated by Celestia’s faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and her 5 friends who all wielded the Elements of Harmony against the corrupted Luna. For a while, Luna was consumed by remorse over her actions, Celestia feared she may never go back to how she was before. Luna is a strong mare though and over the years she has returned to her former glory, her mischievous side returned a little too when she discovered the Nightmare Night celebration and decided to surprise Ponyville with a visit. In most other matters, Celestia had educated her beloved sister in modern etiquette. This however, was to be her ultimate revenge on all the pranks Luna had subjected her to in their youth. She purposefully left out the parts on how modern Equestrians had evolved, in terms of speech and behaviour. She forced herself to stifle a giggle as she remembered Luna’s confused outbursts in Ponyville. Though not a spiteful soul by any stretch of the imagination, Celestia was still a sibling and siblings so very rarely get on all the time.

As soon as her court finished, she said her goodbyes and tried to keep herself from bolting out the large throne room at full gallop. Her first thought was to fetch Luna. By the time court had finished, it was almost midday. Still early, though if Luna complained after what she was about to see, Celestia would eat her own crown. Briskly trotting through the castle hallways, she finally came to a stop at Luna’s bedchambers. Quietly opening the large ornate doors, she slowly wandered over to her slumbering sister’s side. She used her magic to shut the door and soundproof the room so that any onlookers or eavesdroppers would be denied the opportunity to observe their princess act so foalish.

She poked a hoof into Luna’s side. No response. She tried again, this time a bit more vigorously. She shuffled under the sheets but was still asleep. Celestia sighed.

“Must I resort to the same methods I’ve used since we were but children?” She asked to no one in particular. With that, she unfurled her glorious white wings, flapped them a few times and then placed one gently over Luna’s scrunched up face. Gently, she began to wiggle the wing to and fro, rubbing one of the pristine white feathers against the slumbering princess’s nose. After a few rather unflattering sounds and expressions, she loosed a colossal sneeze and subsequently banged her head against the head board on the way back down again. Breaking down into roaring laughter, Celestia rolled onto the floor clutching her sides, loving her little sister’s displeasure at the all too familiar display of immaturity and being awoken so abruptly.

“You know, that really wasn’t very funny, Celly!”

“Speak for yourself!” She managed to squeeze out between laughs. Luna gingerly climbed out of her bed, and went about her morning routine, blushing profusely at being pranked by her typically reserved yet still mischievous sibling. Celestia forced herself to her hooves and her laughter died off, replaced by impatience at her sister’s lack of speed. “You know I would not wake you without good reason but I haven’t forgotten all the jokes you played on me all those years ago.” She recalled a familiar memory of having her once pure pink mane dyed green by Luna and having to attend many public events that day before she was able to revert it back.

“You know there’s an old saying about your age and acting like it, dear sister.” The moon princess called out from a walk in closet.

Celestia wondered what things would be like if she acted like a pony who was over a thousand years old. Flashes of her using a walking frame and her billowing rainbow hued mane turning grey quickly appeared in her mind. She snapped back to reality when Princess Luna stepped forth, now adorned in her regal finery. Since her return, her mane had regained its starry transparency. She wore fine crystal shoes and a necklace similar to Celestia’s. She stood a little shorter than the elder sibling but still stood higher than even the largest of stallions.

“So what is so important that you awaken me from my delightful slumber this early in the day?” Even now, Luna was unaware of what had her usually so calm and contained sister acting like a little filly on Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“Come along and I’ll show you. It’s time to get reacquainted with an old friend.”