All was calm at the royal palace of Canterlot. Most of the staff were still asleep, there was only a small contingent of guards patrolling the halls and secure locations, and the whole place had a feeling of stillness to it. But, there was one pony for whom sleep was not on the agenda. For there, standing on a wide balcony, at the top of the palace's tallest tower, was none other than Princess Celestia herself. She looked out, smiling at the beautiful night sky before her, gazing at the bright moon and the occasional shooting star, before letting out a sigh of contentment. As beautiful as ever, Luna. Her eyes drifted downwards, looking upon the still-sleeping city. True, during the daylight hours, the capital of Equestria might indeed be a hub of activity, but, in the dead of night, even this place was quiet and peaceful, save for the occasional moonlight stroll by a pair of lovers. Celestia raised a hoof and gently placed it upon the marble edge of the balcony, smiling sweetly as she looked to all those individual lights, the signs of somepony who was awake, even at this late hour. Moments like these...so peaceful...it's nice. Knowing my little ponies are safe in their homes, among their families...it's what I live for.

Although contented at this thought, she was interrupted from her solitude by the distinct sound of somepony flapping their wings. She did not turn to meet this new arrival, for she had no reason to do so. Celestia knew the sound of those hooves anywhere, and put on a warm smile before speaking in her usual calm tone.

"A pleasant night you have created here, sister."

Sure enough, Princess Luna, diarch of the moon, walked alongside her sister, smiling with her and joining in her observation of the night-time city below.

"I thank you, Celestia. Though I confess I am still somewhat rusty at it."

A small chuckle escaped from the older sister.

"You give yourself too little credit."

Turning, Celestia looked upon her younger sibling with a look of slight curiosity.

"Tell me...how goes your night duties?"

Luna's face lit up after hearing that.

"They go well. The borders of our lands are calmer than I have known them. There is little trouble for me to deal with, thankfully. As for the rest, to visit the dreams of one's subjects is always a pleasure."

A sly smile crept onto her face as she considered that.

"You should see some of the things our dear friends in Ponyville are dreaming of."

Hearing those words, Celestia's eyebrow raised somewhat.

"Oh? Do tell."

With a look of slight mischievousness, Luna gave her sister the answer she sought.

"Well, for one thing, that dress-maker, Rarity, had this rather scandalous desire on some noble stallion from here in Canterlot. She imagined it all, a walk beside a beautiful lake, the sun setting in the distance, their lips growing ever closer..."

Celestia's eyes widened.

"Luna! I hope you didn't stay in such a dream too long, did you?"

The younger alicorn let out a brief giggle.

"Of course not! But, it was rather amusing, to say the least."

In spite of herself, Celestia couldn't help but join in on her sister's laughter. It was, as one might expect, a pleasant moment between the two siblings, and one that put both of them at ease. After some time had passed, however, and the laughter had finally died down, Luna looked to her sister once more.

"But...it is the dream of Rainbow Dash that was the most interesting tonight. Turns out she's actually gained a new companion of her own."

That immediately caught Celestia's attention, as she turned to Luna with eagerness.

"Oh, really? Pray tell, sister, who is the lucky stallion?"

Luna raised a hoof and stifled the laughter that threatened to escape her once more, before shaking her head slightly.

"You misunderstand me, sister. Her new companion is not some lover, but a pet. A tortoise, in fact."

From the look on Celestia's face, it was clear she was taken aback by that.

"A tortoise? For Rainbow Dash? One of the fastest, most speed-obsessed mares in Equestria...chooses one of the slowest possible animals as her pet?"

Luna merely shrugged her shoulders at that, prompting Celestia to raise a hoof and plant it upon her brow before letting out a sigh.

"Sometimes, Luna...I feel like the universe just runs on irony!"

Looking to her sister, Luna put on a slight frown.

"That's not irony! Irony would be if she had to use such a slow creature to go fast."

Celestia turned to her, frowning just as much as she was. She opened her mouth, ready to give some kind of come-back to that statement, before seeming to be deep in thought over something. In time, she simply let out a grunt of annoyance.

"Ugh! You know what? It's just too late to start debating what irony is or isn't!"

After considering that matter herself, Luna gave a small nod, and instead turned to the horizon, still darkened and filled with beautiful starlight. Silence passed between the two sisters, and every once in a while, Celestia would glance sideways at Luna, a look of uncertainty upon her face. Should...should I ask her? After a good minute of back-and-forth questioning of herself, Celestia took a deep breath, steeling herself before finally speaking up to Luna.

"Tell me, Luna. Have you, perhaps, glimpsed the dreams of...Twilight?"

Luna looked to her, seeing the obvious concern upon her face, and her expression softened. She turned away, looking almost ashamed at what she had to say.

"I fear...your student's magic is still just as potent as ever. She continues to shield her mind. I have attempted to sense her a few times...but to no avail."

Celestia looked down at the ground slightly. I suppose it was too much to hope for. However, before the elder princess had a chance to speak, Luna beat her to it.

"I don't suppose...you might have heard word of her?"

In spite of how down she had appeared moments before, the diarch of the sun simply let out a hearty chuckle.

"Oh, I've heard rumours here and there. With Twilight out doing Faust knows what, I always made it a point to keep my ear to the ground, hoping somepony might have seen her. You should hear some of the reports I've been getting. Some say she goes out and beats up manticores with her bare hooves. Others say she transformed herself into a dragon. Some even say they saw her performing...some kind of spell, out where nopony could see her."

However, her expression then became somewhat dour after saying that.

"Most of the time, it's just the occasional report of some lavender unicorn mare passing through a village every once in a while. Not enough to get a real feel of where she is or what she's doing."

Luna nodded at that.

"But...you have known her since she was a small filly, yes? Surely you must have attempted some kind of connection with her?"

Celestia nodded, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Yes. Sometimes...I can almost feel her. It's not communication, exactly. Just...a sense that she’s out there."

She let out a sigh after opening her eyes again.

"Not really useful, at the end of the day."

The princess looked down at the ground once more, only to turn to her sister, once the latter placed her hoof upon her shoulder. As the two siblings looked to each other, Celestia noted the warm smile upon Luna's face.

"Fear not, sister. This is Twilight we're talking about. She faced down a dragon and won. She even defeated Discord! Whatever she's up to, and wherever she is...I'm sure she'll be fine."

It took a while, but Celestia eventually broke into a smile, albeit a very small one. Smiling back at her, Luna stepped forward, and together, the two sisters embraced each other warmly. After some time like this, they parted, and Luna gave her sister a single node before turning around. Celestia watched as she unfurled her wings, giving them an almighty flap before launching herself back into the sky, no doubt going back to resume her duties of the night. Watching, Celestia observed as her sister flew further and further away, growing ever smaller the more she flew. In time, the princess of the moon could no longer be seen, and Celestia was now alone. All she had now were her own thoughts, which were, as expected, hard at work in this new solitude. Luna is right. Twilight is strong and capable. I have to trust that she can cope with whatever it is she's doing out there. She told Spike, her own son, that she knew what she was doing, and I have to believe her when she says that. Letting out a deep sigh, Celestia soon found herself yawning loudly. When that passed, she turned, walking to the entrance back into the tower, ready to get herself some much-needed sleep. After closing the door behind her, she got herself comfortable on her bed, resting her head against the pillow before uttering one final thing.

"Oh, my student...please, be safe."