Looking upon the serving ponies and their work, Celestia couldn't help but smile, nodding with approval at what was transpiring. Said action was the installation of a device to the interior of what was, let's be honest here, a skull. The skull of a full-grown alicorn stallion, who was currently propped up on a glistening pedestal within a vast, marble chamber, looking like a revered deity. It was an awe-inspiring, if somewhat grisly image to behold, and for Celestia there seemed to be no greater cause for celebration, given the happy way she clapped her hooves together. "At long last. After so many years without him, we will finally be reunited with our dearly-departed father."

"Technically, we were never really parted from him. He's been here the whole time," a voice called from the side.

Celestia turned, seeing her younger sister, Luna, emerge from the shadows. To this arrival, the former princess rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Lulu. He's been unable to communicate for so long now, simply having him speak will be like bringing him back from the deal."

Luna arched an eyebrow, then gestured to the skeleton. "You do realise that he was never dead, right? Just reduced to a near deathlike state and kept preserved here in the depths of the castle for centuries."

Celestia waved her off. "Same difference."

Looking to her long-silent parent, Luna scratched the side of her head. "You know, do you find it odd we never discussed him being here with anypony else until today? Not even Twilight?"

"Nope," Celestia answered.

"Or that what we're doing here is technically just one step down from full-on necromancy? Which we've always frowned on?"

"And that one step is all it takes to make it okay. And before you ask, I know this because I specifically wrote it in the country's laws," Celestia elaborated.

A dry chuckle escaped the mare of the moon. "Oh boy, Twilight's going to have the mother of all headaches when she reads that one."

Celestia would have undoubtedly retorted, had it not been for the timely sound of the previously-mentioned mare clearing her throat to gain everypony's attention. All eyes turned to see her gesture to the skull she'd been working on, after which she smiled, giving Celestia all the information she required. "Ah! The work is done!" She nudged Luna in the side. "Now, after so long, we'll be able to converse with Father, just like old times! Finally, his great wisdom will be with us, just like it was during the golden age of ponykind! Oh! Think of the possibilities!"

Luna looked to her sister with doubt. "I think this is just a weird way to start our retirement."

Again, Celestia ignored her, looking instead to what, generously, could be called her father's cold corpse. Clearing her own throat, she took a single step forward, then spoke aloud in the voice with which she commanded Equestria for a millennium. "King Solaris! Great leader of Equestria's past! It is I! Your daughter, Princess Celestia! Besides me stands Luna, and together, we wish to speak with you once more!"

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. But then, in the long quiet, there began just the tiniest flicker of sound, as if the machinery now embedded within the kinda-sorta-dead alicorn began to spring to life. "E...E...E...E...E..."

Celestia stepped forward again, followed closely by Luna, and hope began to fill the former's eyes. "Yes...yes? What is it you wish to say, Father?"

"E...E...E...EVERYPONY FORGOT ABOUT ME?! HOW IN THE EVER-LOVING TARTARUS COULD ANY PONY FORGET THE GREATEST KING WHO EVER LIVED?!"

Celestia blinked, clearly not expecting these to be his first words. And while she stumbled, Luna returned the nudge she was given earlier. "Well, you wanted him back, so go ahead. Answer him."

Celestia frowned to her sibling, then put on a smile for her father's benefit. "Well, Father, you must realise that it's been a very, and I mean very long time since you've been an active ruler in Equestria. Stories tend to get lost over time, and we're talking about an specially long absence."

"STUFF THAT! THIS IS SOMETHING KIDS SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN HISTORY BOOKS! I SHOULD BE AS WELL-KNOWN AS BOOGEYMEN LIKE SOMBRA OR TIREK!"

Celestia averted his gaze. Or at least, what would have been his gaze, had he the eyes to have one. "Well...they were forgotten too."

"...SEE, THIS IS WHY I TOOK OVER IN THE FIRST PLACE. CLEARLY THESE PONIES CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO RULE THEMSELVES. THEY'D PROBABLY FORGET THEIR OWN HEADS IF THEY WEREN'T STUCK TO THEIR SHOULDERS."

Luna grimaced. "Okay...starting to remember why we haven't done this before."

"DON'T YOU BACKTALK TO ME, LITTLE LUNA. I'VE GOT CENTURIES OF BEING AN IMMOBILE SKELETON UNDER MY BELT AND I'M IN NO MOOD FOR SASS."

Luna chuckled and leaned in closer to Celestia. "Better make sure he never meets Rainbow then," she said under her breath.

Celestia stifled her own laugh, before again resuming her more regal and refined tone. "Father, I realise that the past centuries have undoubtedly been difficult for you...

"YOU'RE DAMNED RIGHT THEY'VE BEEN DIFFICULT! FIRST YOU BURN ME TO MY BONES WITH THAT FRIGGIN' SUN OF YOURS AND THEN YOU STUFF ME IN THE BASEMENT FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS!"

To that, Celestia frowned and stomped her hoof down. "Oh, you are never going to let that go, are you? I was six! I didn't know how to move that thing around properly yet! And who are you to talk when you just came up to me one day, said 'here, take over this for me, will ya' and then walked off?! What did you think was going to happen?!"

"NOT ME BEING BURNED ALIVE FOR ONE THING, CELLY!"

Celestia facehoofed herself. "Ugh! How Mother tolerated you for so long I'll never know!"

"HEY! DON'T YOU START GIVING ME SASS TOO, YOUNG LADY!"

Looking from one family member to another, Luna started to develop a small smirk. "Okay, now it's starting to feel like a proper family reunion."

Guess which webshow I've been binging while I was away?

Also, on a related note: