Something shifted under the sheets near Celestia. It crept closer and raised itself to strike, bringing up some of the covers as well. It rushed forward and struck Celestia in the gut. She scrunched up into a ball and tried to guard her underside from further attack. It was a fruitless effort and she was hit again. Celestia stayed in a ball and kept her eyes shut to defend herself. She gave an incoherent mumble that sounded a bit like, “Go away.”

Her assailant snickered watching Celestia retreat further and further into the covers. It was like she was a filly from ages long past. However, the assailant attacking Celestia knew that there was work to be done and problems to sort out. That tended to happen when a quarter of the castle was blown up. She sent out both her hooves and sent Celestia tumbling off the bed with a thud.

Celestia’s head poked out of a tangle of pillows and covers and she gave a grunt of annoyance. The outline of one of her legs rubbing her sore flank was easy to make out from under the bed sheets. She truly did look like a child again. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Sister.” Celestia’s attacker trotted out of the shadows, though a few strands of her mane stayed dark and wispy. The rest of it was a pale blue and light like the moon reflected on a still lake. Her body looked a bit awkward right now with a filly-sized torso but very lanky legs, far longer than a normal pony’s. It didn’t help that her legs had dark splotches on them that contrasted with the lighter blue hue of the rest of her body. “It is time to get up. I need your assistance raising the sun.”

Celestia followed Luna’s hoof as it moved over to the nearby window. Outside, Canterlot was dark, save for the small glow from a low hanging new moon and a few stars. The only other sources of light came from the castle itself, marking the locations of on-duty guards. There were quite a few more fires than usual.

“Then let us be off.” Celestia lit up her horn and the mess around her unfurled and neatly reassembled itself back on her bed. She moved over to Luna, taking a second to think how odd it was that Luna was currently a little taller than her.

“It’s bizarre for me too. Never in all our years have I stood over you,” said Luna. A couple of centuries together made faces a window into the mind. They walked across the bedroom over to a balcony door. Luna unlocked it with a smidgen of magic and a cool night’s breeze fell over both her and Celestia. Luna brimmed a little at the temperature while Celestia shivered.

They made their way to the edge of the balcony, casting their eyes down on the castle and the city. Scant movement came from guard patrols in the castle and none came from Canterlot. The sisters’ view then drifted up to the far-lying mountains and the horizon beyond them. They stopped at the moon. It was a sliver of the grand circle it normally was, but it was all Luna dared muster in her current state.

Eyes locked on target, the sisters took a deep breath at the same time. Rather than their horns glowing, their whole bodies started to sparkle with cosmic magic. Luna clenched her teeth as the tiny moon dipped behind the mountains.

Both sisters’ breathing became more labored when the moon fully vanished and an unnatural darkness took hold of Equestria. The stars went out and the sky turned into a black void. Sweat poured down both their necks before the sky to the east gained rosy fingertips and a small yellow glow.

Luna was cut from the cosmic magic and steadied herself. The mystical disengagement has caused her knees to quiver a little and put her off balance. Celestia, however, remained locked in shimmering aura for a few second longer. Her breathing slowed and she closed her eyes. The sun inched up a little more, a clear edge of a circle now.

When the magic ceased, Celestia’s legs shook and her breathing was hurried again. Luna went over and helped keep her sister from falling. Bracing Celestia against herself, Luna saw that the tips of Celestia’s mane had gained multiple soft colors to compliment her natural pink. The tips also now moved of their own accord, like tendrils of morning fog.

“This... really does remind me... of the old days,” Luna wheezed. She placed a hoof on Celestia’s back and Celestia did the same. Together they took in the dawn. Soon, Canterlot would begin to stir. Milk and newspapers would rest on doorsteps, overnight trains would arrive at the station, and ponies would awake to another day.

Celestia did not reply. Her vision flickered back and forth between Canterlot and the sun. Luna said nothing and watched her sister pensively stare out at Equestria. It dawned on Luna that Celestia wasn’t looking at the sun though; she was peering beyond it. “Sister...”

“Discord was true to his nature.” Celestia didn’t turn her head and was now solely focused on the world beyond the horizon. “He made this a chaotic land covered in an illusion and tucked away from the real world. Maybe he one day hoped something would smash the fake sky and end it all.”

Now Celestia chose to face Luna. As light washed over them, they were not princesses, rulers, rebels, or freaks. They were the two ponies that had found each other in a mad world. Long ago, they had swallowed the fear that madness afflicted on everypony to rise up and fight for a normal tomorrow. That fear was now back on Celestia’s face.

“Everything Luna... everything you and I worked so hard to build... it could all come tumbling down on us.” Celestia’s lip quivered as she spoke. “So many years... so many centuries... all in the balance of one man. How did it come to this?”

Luna blinked, unaccustomed to seeing Celestia emotional in such a long time. She extended a wing out and placed it alongside her hoof on Celestia’s back. She then faced the dawn again. “Sister, I know what tomorrow holds may be scary, but I have faith that you will succeed. True, Fire Fist’s life is now the key to destruction, but another key is with us right now.”

In the early morning light, Celestia could make out the red tint on Luna’s cheeks, giving her face a light purple sheen. She inhaled deeply while her gaze shifted over to the remains of Luna’s old room. The debris had been swept away, but smashed and blackened stone walls still poked out of the thick rock that had made up the floor.

“Straw Hat...” Celestia whispered. “Luna, you truly believe he can do it?”

Luna withdrew her wing and hoof and walked in front of Celestia. A blush still remained on her cheeks, but her eyes now glistened with fire. Celestia knew that fire well, it had blazed as long as Celestia had known Luna and had gotten them through their worst days. She had not seen it since Luna had departed to explore the seas. The Celestial Dragons had snuffed it out.

“Celestia...” Luna cooly replied, “he dared strike a Dragon. Neither you, nor I, nor any living being would dare do such a thing in fear of reprisal. I inquired further while you slept... Pinkamena was quite willing to talk. Straw Hat and his friends struck knowing full well the consequences.”

Luna’s lips turned down and her wings pulled close to her side. “Quite a coincidence that the force sent to kill him and his crew sent him here instead.”

Celestia’s mouth became a neutral line and her eyes narrowed at Luna’s words. “Are you implying the government sent him here on purpose?”

“Not the government, but a part of it, or maybe just a single person. From what you’ve said, they haven’t changed too much from when I last suffered under them... but there are small shifts here and there. The Warlords for one. They’ve become much more trusting of pirates.”

“And I am put alongside them,” Celestia sighed.

“Celestia,” Luna’s voice rumbled. Celestia noted that was the second time Luna had used her name rather than “sister.” “I bring it up because they are in a similar predicament to you. Perhaps some of them are more loyal to the government, but surely others are as opposed to this war as you.”

“What would you have me do then?”

A thin grin crept up Luna’s face. “Do as you have told Twilight Sparkle, make some friends... or allies at least. Someone isn’t fully on their side, but they might be willing to join ours.”

Celestia didn’t return Luna’s grin with her own. She instead heaved her shoulders forward and bent her head down. “I’ve attended meetings before. The only one who always shows up is Kuma. He’d make a good companion to Discord, he never speaks or moves while we talk. Then there is Doflamingo, he makes my skin crawl and I’m certain he can read minds. The only one I somewhat respect is Mihawk. He is far more courteous than you would expect of a pirate, but I have never lingered long enough to talk to him. I know nothing of Blackbeard other than that he’s the cause of this mess. I have not laid eyes on Jinbei or Moria as they go less frequently than I do. If it’s someone else, I have no clue how to find them.”

“I see.” Luna tapped a hoof against her chin sorting through all the information she’d just been given. She matched it with what Celestia had given to her the day she’d awoken: maps, history books, wanted posters, and summons. “I will need to consult your records again and possibly get a more coherent story about Straw Hat’s adventures. He seems to attract controversy wherever he goes.”

Celestia let out a chuckle at that. “You should have seen them after his run on Enies Lobby. Some fear-mongering marine proposed calling him ‘Emperor of Paradise.’ I didn’t laugh then, but now all I can think of is that when the marine stood up, he spilled his drink all over his pants. Humans and their clothes.”

“An emperor...” Luna murmured. A visage of Luffy filled her mind. He was standing tall, a proud stallion at the peak of his age. A royal red cloak was draped over his shoulders and a gold crown was attached to his head. He sparkled like a crystal pony as he turned to face her.

A loud grumble interrupted Luna’s thoughts and brought her back to reality. Celestia was giving her an inquisitive look, with her head corked to the side. “Luna, I think your dinner and everypony else’s breakfast is in order.”

“Y-yes!” Luna’s voice cracked a little, unleashing snippets of the Royal Canterlot Voice. She hastily drew a hoof to her stomach to distract from the crimson hue her face had taken. “Yes, we— I... I would like that! I am most hungry and lack of nourishment is making our— my head light!”

Celestia kept a sly grin on her face. She turned around and made her way back to her room. “Then let us eat. I somehow get the feeling our guests are already at it.”

“Ah just don’t get it,” Applejack said over the sound of smacks and munches. The noises filled the smaller dining hall she was currently situated in. It was tucked between Celestia and Luna’s rooms, far away from the greater dining hall. It had a much more relaxed and personal air to it. Soft carpets covered the floor, silken drapes adorned the windows, and an intricate mural of either dusk or dawn filled the ceiling.

However, Applejack’s attention, along with Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s was on the beige pony sitting opposite of them. Stacks of empty plates laid at his sides, along with empty banana peels, orange skins, and grape vines. His hooves reached out and shoveled more and more food into his mouth. Everypony else had had to munch down quickly on a meek breakfast before Luffy stole it from them.

What was really drawing all their curiosity was that Luffy’s eyes were completely sealed. A small bubble of snot also waxed and waned out of his nose. Applejack waved a hoof in front of his face and nearly got her hoof bitten by him. She recoiled back into her seat. “How’s he do it? He sleeps night and day and he eats more than all ma pigs combined, but he can take down monsters like they were nothing!”

“Best not to ask,” Twilight cautioned. “Pinkie’s the only one who really understands how he works and asking her to explain things... might just make things more confusing.”

The snot bubble on Luffy’s nose popped and his eyes fluttered open. A piece of pancake flopped along the edge of his mouth while he took in his surroundings. He made note of the multiple dishes around him and grinned. “Alright, I already got the appetizer done.”

Everypony else nearly fell off their chairs at that. Twilight and Applejack scrambled to grab hold of the table while Fluttershy just gaped at Luffy. Luffy didn’t seem to care and tore into another stack of pancakes. He spoke with a full mouth and a few pieces of food flying out of it. “Hey, did somepony mention Pinkie? I had a weird dream we were eating a chocolate mountain.”

“Well, we did kinda sorta raid the fridge for a chocolate cake last night,” Pinkie said, somehow already seated between Applejack and Fluttershy. A slice of carrot cake had also come with her and now rested on the table. “I mean, we left bits paying for it and everything. Don’t you remember?”

Luffy paused his feasting for a moment. He then gave Pinkie the smile that appeared permanently attached to his face. “Nope. Must have been asleep.”

Instead of banging her head into the table like everypony else, Pinkie’s grin just grew wider. “I gotta step up my game.” To add to the confusion of breakfast, Pinkie then pulled out her own stack of pancakes, closer her eyes, and stuffed the cakes into her mouth.

Applejack looked back and forth between Pinkie and Luffy cramming food into their mouths. She sighed and slunk back in her chair, wishing a little more food was at table. “Ah swear, ya two are gonna eat out all of Canterlot.”

“I highly doubt that.” The doors to the room opened and Celetia trotted in. She walked at akward paces, unaligned legs messing with her balance. Celestia still kept her head high and regal. “Canterlot has not been wont for food since the early days of my and Luna’s rule. That’s not to say Pinkie Pie and Straw Hat aren’t putting a small dent in it...” Celestia whispered the next part, “... and my cakes.”

Twilight got out of her seat and gently stepped over to Celestia. She lowered her head in a small bow. “Princess Celestia, are you feeling better today?”

Celestia bent her head down to Twilight’s and gave her a soft nuzzle. “With every day, my strength grows as does Luna’s. We will be fully restored soon.”

“And then we can go save Ace?” Luffy blurted out.

The rest of the ponies grew quiet and those seated stared at their plates. Even Pinkie lost her grin at that and her mane hung limper than usual. Celestia inhaled and managed a smile. “Yes, Straw Hat, but I will need to be at my prime to assist you. For now, please enjoy breakfast.”

Celestia’s focus then drifted away from Luffy and over to the other ponies. It came to rest on Twilight. “Twilight, where is your friend Rarity?”

“Oh... uh...” Twilight reached back and scratched her mane. Celestia took notice that Twilight’s eyes kept shifting over to Luffy, who was once more eating. “Well... given Luffy’s eating... habits... Rarity thought it best to eat a small meal in her guest-room.”

Celestia watched as Luffy inhaled a whole bushel of bananas, skin and all.“It would probably be best not to tell her that in the old days, eating like that was normal for pirates. Fruits, vegetables, and other perishable items were such a rarity back then that they would stuff themselves to the point of bursting.”

Pinkie giggled at Celestia’s explanation. “So Luffy must be a super good pirate then, right?”

“Or a super hungry one,” Applejack quipped.

“Oh!” Twilight’s eyes nervously shifted away from Luffy and back Celestia, filled with desperation to changed the subject. “How is Princess Luna? I haven’t seen her around much after the, um... incident. How’s her recovery going?”

Celestia noted the clump of flowing blue on the edge of a nearby window. She momentarily craned her head to watch it, but it seemed to notice her and darted away. Celestia then started at her student again. In her current form, they were practically eye level. “Luna is... doing well. She gets much more demure when we’re in our current state though.” Among other things.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy mumbled. She was drawing a circle on the table with a hoof, but her head was turned toward Celestia.

Caught on already? Celestia mused. Now was it because of her nature or haki... either way, hopefully she won’t make too much of a fuss about it. Celestia mentally sighed and thought back to when she’d first awakened after her rampage. Her words had been blunt, but they had been true in striking Luna’s heart. We’re both just tired. Luna has lived long enough to know that infatuation is a folly for us... I hope.

In one of the many apartment complexes in Canterlot, a young mare was getting ready for the day. Truth be told, she’d already been up for a few hours making breakfast, tidying up her room, and fine tuning her instrument. She swept back her long black hair, which had fallen in front of her face when she’d packed her cello onto her back.

Ready for another day, Octavia made her way to the door. On the way, she passed a small alcove which led to the kitchen. Her roommate was at the table, smacking on cereal and cider. How Vinyl drank cider so early in the day was a mystery to Octavia. Then again, Vinyl could rival Nightmare Moon as a creature of the night.

“I’m off to work, Vinyl,” Octavia called out.

“Have fun,” Vinly replied with a mouthful of cereal. She swallowed, put down her spoon, and smirked at Octavia. “Just remember to be careful though. I’ve heard there’s been a lot of weird things going on. Remember that story I told you about the guard last night?”

Octavia’s form slumped a little. She had grown accustomed to Vinyl’s wild tales, but wasn’t in the mood for them at the moment. “I would imagine you’d be a little more respectful. An ancient evil threatened Equestria, blew up the castle, and you are grasping at random rumors from a drunken guardpony.”

Octavia didn’t wait for a reply and marched over to the door. There was only a little space between the front of her apartment and the street. However, she lived in a much more quiet area of Canterlot so it wasn’t a terrible deal and worth the apartment’s price. She soaked in the morning sun, taking in the nice day. “Honestly Vinyl, a pony that swings like a monkey and stretches like rubber. No doubt something Discord would make, but the Elements dealt with th—”

“It feels good to be outside again! The castle was getting boring!” A pony yelled at it latched onto the apartment’s room with a disturbingly long hoof. He had a crazed grin on his face similar to the one Vinyl wore when she was in-character for her job. Octavia stood frozen as the pony’s other front hoof extend far past where a hoof should have extended and grabbed another building. With another swing, it bounder down an adjacent street and out of Octavia’s sight.

“Wait up! You’re going to fast!” Before Octavia could recover, a pink blur darted past her. Upon closer inspection, Octavia realized the blur was actually bouncing at ludicrous speeds. The blur slowed enough as it too went down the adjacent street that Octavia could make out that it was actually a pony.

Just when the dust settled from bouncing pony, two more ponies rounded a corner and chased after them. One of them was orange and decked out in a stetson hat, while the other was light purple. They both looked a little haggard, but the purple one looked completely winded. They didn’t stop and continued giving chase to the other “ponies.”

Finally, a soft yellow pegasus trailed after them, going at a leisurely pace. Her eyes sometimes darted to the castle, or behind her, or to her sides, or really anywhere. She ducked her head when she locked eyes on Octavia and sped up to the other ponies.

Octavia stood still on her doorstep. Her right eye twitched a little. She didn’t notice Vinyl walk over to her, levitating a cup of coffee at her side. Vinyl took a quick drink of the brew and watched Fluttershy’s tail vanish behind another corner. “Huh, so that’s what a chaotic monkey-pony looks like... I was expecting it to be a bit hairier.”

Octavia responded by crashing to the ground.

“Luffy, slow down!” Pinkie called out. In front of her and across the rooftops, Luffy swung along. “I can’t keep up!”

“Okay.” Luffy let go of the statue he’d grasped in his last leap and slammed into the ground. His hooves dug deep and created piles of dirt where he finally stopped. All around him, ponies were gawking and whispering, but he didn’t take notice. He instead twisted his neck back like an owl. “This place if pretty fun.”

“I... know!” Pinkie gasped. “You... should race... Dashy when... she’s better!”

“Hmm.” Luffy’s eyes went up to the sky and he rubbed his chin with a hoof. “Maybe I’ll ask her to join my crew.”

“Na.” Pinkie had regained her breath and playfully swatted a hoof at Luffy. “Dashy may like adventure, but she’ll never give up a chance to join the Wonderbolts.”

Luffy’s head slumped at Pinkie’s reply. A few small tears dribbled onto the ground. “But a flying pony would be so cool.”

“Ah swear Ah’m gonna tie ya two up!” Luffy looked up and Pinkie twisted her head around to see Applejack glaring at them. Twilight was close behind, but breathing too heavily to speak. “You’re are gonna tear up this whole darn town runnin’ around like that!”

“We’re just having fun,” Luffy and Pinkie both said at the same time.

Applejack lifted her hat up and wiped away the sweat that had built up on her brown. “Ah got an idea. Luffy, why don’t ya tell us one of your stories?”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie hopped around Luffy like her hooves were made of pogo sticks. “Tell the one about the giants! Or the fox guy! Or the giant whale!”

“Stop!” Twilight rasped. She slowly trotted over to Luffy, an unnerving smile on her face. Her left eyelid twitched a little as well. “How about you tell us what you do on a normal day?”

“Ugh, but that’s boring,” Luffy sighed.

“No! No it’s not!” Twilight’s voice cracked a little as she spoke. “Nopony sails very much, so it’d be very very interesting if you would sit down and explain, in detail, what you do on a normal day!”

“Um... yes,” Fluttershy muttered, having finally caught up with the group. She landed without kicking up any dirt and tucked her wings in. “I mean, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hear about a normal day too... or what your reindeer friend does.”

“Okay okay.” Luffy trotted over to a nearby statue and took a seat at its base. He relaxed against the stone and sniffed the morning air. “We’re getting something good after this though. Anyway, most days...”

Luffy sat atop the head of a great wooden lion. His legs wrapped around its maw and kept him from falling into the sea below. He was reclining back and watching gulls pass by and making out the shapes of the clouds.

Behind him, Nami stood at the helm, checking her log pose and then making small changes to the Sunny’s direction. On the grassy deck, Robin was sitting in a chair and reading one of her many books. Nearby, Chopper was playing on the ship’s slide.

A light tune wafted through the air, it’s source being Brook’s violin. He stood atop the crow’s nest, but his music reached the whole ship. It mixed in with the clink and clank from below-deck, no doubt Franky and Usopp working on some new invention.

The galley door opened and Sanji appeared, balancing nine plates with his arms, legs, and head. He casually took a drag from his cigarette and walked out onto the deck. “Lunch is ready.”

“‘bout time,” Zoro complained. He’d been up in crow’s nest’s training room, but now he was slowly making his way down the main mast. Brook accompanied him down, using his clothes to float down rather than climbing.

“Shut it mosshead.” Just as Zoro put his feet at the deck, Sanji launched one of the plates at him. He easily caught it but still gave Sanji an irked look.

“Food! Food, food, food!” Luffy yelled as he ran over to Sanji. As soon as he’d smelled lunch, he’d jumped up from the Sunny’s head and made a beeline for the meal. His arms stretched out for one of the two nicer looking plates and he was so distracted that he didn’t see the black shoe he was racing towards.

Sanji didn’t even need to move his leg for Luffy to hit it. Luffy slowly slumped to the ground with a red imprint on his face. Sanji leaned over and slid a large plate over to Luffy. “This one’s yours. As if I’d let you touch Nami or Robin’s food. That stuff’s too delicate for you.”

“Aww, come on!” Luffy banged his hands against the deck like a child. “You always give them the best food.”

“Because they appreciate it!” Sanji bickered. Luffy got up and started pawing for the girls’ food again, but sanji blocked him. Arms and legs became a tangled mess, yet Sanji still managed to keep all the plates balanced. “Luffy! I swear I will...”

“If it’s too much trouble, you can just have mine.” Luffy and Sanji stopped fight to look at who had spoken. Robin had set her book aside and was making her way over to the group. “I’m not too hungry right now.”

“Yay! Good food!” Luffy grasped the plate away from Sanji and scurried away. Sanji remained frozen, bereft of any reaction to having Robin turn down food. “Thanks Robin!”

“It is no big deal, I’m sure you’ll like it,” Robin said with a smile.

Luffy didn’t take notice and instead sat down and got ready to eat. His lips already drooling, he removed the lid on Robin’s plate and grinned from ear to ear. On the Plate was a huge chunk of meat as big as he head. “Awesome!”

He tore into the meat and it melted in his mouth. It quickly disappeared from Robin’s plate and Luffy moved onto his own plate. He lifted the lid to find another large piece of meat. He hastily bit off a large chunk of it, which made his cheeks resemble a chipmunk’s. He was so focused on devouring the meal, he didn’t notice Robin sit next to him. A bit of her hair flowed over and tickled his head, but he paid no heed.

When only a large bone was left, Luffy set the plate down and patted his stomach. He then raised up his arms and shouted, “That was so...”

“...good!” Luffy sat upright in his bed with his hooves raised high. After a moment of revelry, he closed his mouth and looked around. He saw one of Canterlot Castle’s spires from out of his rooms windows and frowned. “Darn it. Dream meat tastes too good.”

Author's Notes:

Woohoo back to the main story!