Princess Celestia, co-ruler of all pony kind, yawned and stretched when she woke up alone in her huge bed, already smiling. She looked forward to greeting the morning, just like every morning. Of course 'morning' wasn't there yet – and it wouldn't be until she greeted it – but that wouldn’t be for another couple hours yet.

Before then, she had to brush her teeth, do some light calisthenics, take a long steamy shower, comb her lustrous mane into its accustomed beauty, and even get a little reading done. All of it under the watchful eyes of her loyal guards.

Finally, it was time for her favorite part of the day, raising the sun! Her guards followed her out onto her private balcony, where she looked out over the impressive view of the predawn sky. “Hello, old friend,” she said cheerfully, looking up at the moon. “It's lovely to see you again, but I am glad to no longer be responsible for lowering you down!”

One of her guards nudged the other and whispered in a voice he must have thought too quiet for even her to hear, “That pony really needs to get laid.” The other guard nodded subtly, the motion barely perceptible. A pony without alicorn-level senses might have missed the whole exchange.

But Princess Celestia paid them no mind. Her personal life was none of their petty mortal concern. Instead, she channeled her magic at just the right time, calling the Sun up from under the horizon, blessing Equestria with its light and warmth for yet another day.

She smiled into the first rays of its light. “Hello, Sun! I missed you!”

The Sun didn't respond, of course. It never did. But she felt like having a personal relationship with it strengthened her celestial connection, making the morning ritual easier and more enjoyable.

After spending a few delightful minutes basking in the morning light, Princess Celestia solemnly made her way back through her bedchamber, then out into the palace's hallways, making her way to a certain passageway, one that had been disused for far too long, but recently came back into its rightful function.

On her way down, she met her Captain of the Royal Guard, who was headed up – Spearhead Charge, a grizzled long-time veteran who had replaced Shining Armor after his 'promotion' to Prince of the Crystal Empire. A trio of new recruits followed behind him, which probably meant he was teaching them their new patrol routes.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” the Captain said with a bow. “And what an excellent morning it is, as always.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “But do take a care ... if you go on like this, those new recruits of yours will begin to think that flattery is the path to promotion.”

“I'll be sure to assign the first flatterer I see to ten months of latrine duty!” The Captain grinned. Surely he didn't mean that, but his words did have a profound effect on the recruits behind him. “It's a pleasure talking to you, Princess, but I'm afraid we must keep to a tight schedule today if these recruits are to be ready for duty by the end of the week. I do want you to know, however, that I – and the rest of my troops – are available to you any time you need us, for any needs you may have.”

“That is very appreciated,” she said. “Please, continue with your impeccable work.”

“Being at your side at all times, us guards understand your ... uh, situation better than anyone. I, as well as nearly every guard in the barracks, would be more than happy to help you with any needs you may need fulfilled. Anything.”

“You are too kind.” Princess Celestia smiled at him innocently, then glanced past him to his three new recruits. “You see, soldiers? Going above and beyond the call of duty – that is how you get promoted.”

The three new guards saluted stiffly, and she continued on her way down, smiling at how helpful her guard captain was. Truly, she couldn’t have been happier with Shining Armor's choice for his replacement.

The passage led down from her private tower, but not all the way down to the main floors of the palace. Instead, its wide, spiraling stairway stopped halfway down the tower, then led to a covered walkway – a bridge between her tower and Princess Luna's.

In the center of this bridge's graceful arch, there was a small, glass-domed room that provided a stunning view of Canterlot and all of Equestria below. It was furnished with only the basics: a few comfortable cushions and a low table. And just like every day, Princess Luna met her there, flanked by her own bat pony guards.

Princess Celestia gave her a tiny bow, just a sign of respect between equals, and Princess Luna returned it.

As always, there was a lovely breakfast platter of hay muffins and fresh, seasonal fruit laid out on the table by the palace servants who always managed to do it invisibly. She availed herself of it enthusiastically, sitting down next to her cohort ... who didn't partake of the meal, save for indulging in a couple strawberries.

“So, sister,” Princess Celestia said, “What news does the night bring?”

Princess Luna sighed. “Shall you always be so formal? Nothing happened, of course. Nothing important ever happens at night.”

Putting a pause to her munching for a moment, Princess Celestia patted her sister on the back. “Oh come now, surely there must be something.”

Rolling her eyes, Princess Luna sluffed off her sister's hoof with a brush of her wing. “The ponies slept through another peaceful night, as is their wont. Honestly, Sister, even when the changelings invaded, they did so during the day. Nothing ever happens at night.”

Princess Celestia shrugged and went on to detail her plans and goals for the day, which Princess Luna sat through with her accustomed stoicism, seeming to suffer through it even though it was kept to a brief forty-five minutes at most.

By then, the breakfast platter was empty and the colorful hues of sunrise had faded into another beautiful blue sky. Princess Celestia rose, offered her sister another slight bow, then turned to leave.

“Ah... Sister, there is one thing...”

Princess Celestia stopped before leaving the chamber, turning to look. “Yes?”

“Well, we – the other princesses and myself – were trying to organize our monthly poker game, and—”

“Your what? Why have I never heard of this?”

Princess Luna glanced away for a moment. “Regardless of what completely accidental oversight may have led to you not being informed ... we are sadly one member short, since Discord has been temporarily suspended for cheating.”

“You invited Discord, but not me?”

“After much discussion, it was decided that he could join in 'Princess Poker Party Night' if he wore a tiara and a gown for the duration ... which he was strangely unopposed to.” Princess Luna shrugged. “But since he will not be allowed to participate this month, we are down to only three players, which makes for a rather dull game.”

Princess Celestia went back to her sister, stomping her hooves with every step. “I can't believe you wouldn't invite me! Is it because they think I can't be fun? I can be fun, see?” She hastily searched around the room, trying to come up with something. After a tense moment of regretting her rash confidence, she picked up a pillow from a nearby cushion and placed it on her head like an oversized hat. “See, fun!”

Her sister stared at her wordlessly for a long moment. The pillow-hat slowly lost its balance and fell down from Princess Celestia's head, but the Princess's tense smile didn't waver.

“Right... Fun.” Princess Luna looked around the room, anywhere else. “Well, regardless of the inexplicable lack of any previous invitations, we are inviting you now. Do you, ah ... know how to play Poker?”

“I invented Poker!”

Princess Luna gave her a long, highly distrustful look – which was entirely unwarranted. Princess Celestia had invented Poker, eight hundred years ago, whether anyone these days believed her or not. For some reason, she had developed a reputation for being ... rather uptight, which her sister had evidently bought into for some unfathomable reason. Eventually, Princess Luna shrugged it off. “So, you'll come?”

“Of course!” Princess Celestia nodded eagerly, somehow having skipped over any consideration of whether she actually wanted to go or not. “Where is it? Should I bring anything? How many bits should I bring to bet with – what kind of stakes do you normally play?”

Princess Luna waved her off. “Oh, we usually just play for the right to skip onerous duties, or for territory.”

“For territory? That's scandalous!”

Princess Luna grimaced. “I apologize. Do not trouble yourself, I am certain we will manage to get along with only three players. Please forget that I asked.”

“No, no, I'm still in,” Princess Celestia reassured her. “It's just ... territory? Wait... Oh please, don't tell me... The Crystal Empire?”

Princess Luna rubbed the back of her neck with one hoof. “Well, ah, that particular game did end up being quite high-stakes. But, yes, that is the reason all three of us insisted that the Crystal Empire should be Cadance's domain.”

“I can't believe you ponies! She won the entire Crystal Empire in a Poker game?” At seeing her sister's grimace, Princess Celestia rethought her tone. Perhaps that was a tad too accusatory. She wanted them to accept her and be her friends, didn't she? Friendship sometimes demanded compromise, and as much as she might disagree with the methods for the decision, she had to admit that Princess Cadance had been a perfect fit for the Crystal Empire's leadership. “Excuse me, I didn't mean to be rude,” she said. “When and where is this game held?”

“We play at the Ritz-Colton in downtown Canterlot, in the VIP room. It is simple to teleport in without being seen, and there is no need for guards.” Princess Luna began slowly backing away. “And it is taking place ... tomorrow night, as soon as the casino closes. I apologize for the short notice, but there was some debate among us about who would ... approach you on the subject.”

“What do you mean? Surely all of you know that you can talk to me freely about any subject whatsoever!”

Princess Luna glanced away, pursing her lips, and Princess Celestia thought back to the way she'd responded to the news about the Crystal Empire. Okay, so maybe she had reacted rather strongly to that – but it was entirely outrageous!

“So... we shall see you there?” Princess Luna asked.

Princess Celestia gave her the best smile she could manage. “Count on it!”

Author's Notes:

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