>All around the castle, traditional Hearth's Warming ornaments were hung up with the neatness you'd expect from the royal staff.
>Guards who were less serious about their job had differently colored armor put on, the plating a mix of different festive colors.
>The holiday was approaching, and the whole staff were happily preparing a Hearth's Warming feast for tomorrow night.
>You, Celestia's personal assistant, were worried, however.
>This was Celestia's first Hearth's Warming since she had banished her sister, Luna, to the moon.
>Even though you'd been by her side for a good few months now, her behavior was still unpredictable.
>One day she'd be an abundantly happy, content princess, albeit with something of a forced smile.
>Other days, the mere mention of her sister would leave her in tears and nothing got done.
>When she'd heard news ponies were forming a holiday called "Nightmare Night" which made her sister out to be a monster, she didn't leave her room for three days.
>This holiday being about family and togetherness, you can't imagine how she'll react.
>Seeing as you were going to fetch her right now to survey tomorrow's banquet in the kitchen, you'd assumed you were going to see the precursor to her attitude tomorrow.
>Reaching her chambers, the guards lowered their weapons and let you through.
>You rapped on the door twice, cocking your ear towards it.
"Princess? The dinner for tomorrow demands your attention."
>About a minute passes without a response.
"Princess?"
>No answer.
>Your hand reaches for the doorknob, turning it slowly.
"I'm coming in, Princess," you warn, despite the fact that she's never been bothered by you entering before.
>Habit, you supposed.
>Pushing through, the room is vacant of any sun pony princess.
>You fully enter the room, taking a look around for any places she could be hiding.
>Her private bathroom.
>As much as you knew you weren't allowed in there (let alone even see it), you had to check every corner.
>You walk up to the bathroom, lean on the door, and knock.
"Princess, are you in there?"
>Your expectant ear is met with no response.
>Sighing, you turn around and-
>"BOO!"
"GAH!"
>Jumping back allows you to see whose eyes you'd just met.
"Princess!?"
>Celestia giggles like a little filly, her prank having been successful.
>"Gotcha!"
>After calming your nerves, you frown at her.
"Princess, why are you acting like such a foal?"
>She quiets herself and shakes her head with a smile.
>"Oh come now, Anonymous! I'm just having a bit of fun."
"That's fine and all, but duty calls! We can't play when there's work to be done!"
>Celestia hums.
>"I guess we'll have to reschedule the work!"
>She snorts at her own joke, but all you want to do is get to the kitchen.
>This was unlike her.
>She'd had mischievous streaks before, but now she was acting like a clown.
"Are you finished, princess?"
>She giggles a few more times before wiping a tear from her eye. "Yes, Anonymous. Let's go to the kitchen."
>You smiled in triumph, leading her out of the room.
>Once outside, however, she quickly used a spell to put her stationed guards in frilly dresses, rather than their armor.
>She laughs, but the guards remain as stoic as ever.
>Nothing ever phases them...
"What are you doing?"
>"Lighten up! Now they won't be as boring to pass by!"
>You wanted to retort, but the clock was ticking.
>All you could manage was a sigh as you continued on your way to the kitchen, Celestia in tow.
>She chuckled as she messed with ornaments and staff with her magic, effectively pranking anything and anyone in sight.
>By the time you got to the kitchen, you were certain half the castle was covered in pink polka dots and blue stripes.
>And Celestia's laughter.
>GOD, her laughter.
>It just wouldn't stop.
>None of these pranks were funny, so why was she laughing so hard at them?
>By all means, sure, you weren't the one playing tricks, but she found them absolutely hysterical.
>More than she should have.
>Pushing through the double doors, the chefs were all hard at work, some of them singing Hearth's Warming songs to keep morale high for such a difficult task.
>Others carefully frosted cookies and cut vegetables with nary a word.
>One of them stopped to greet her.
>"Princess Celestia! We guarantee this is going to be a great Hearth's Warming banquet!"
>"I don't doubt that for a moment, Cast Iron."
>"Of course, anything we're currently working on can be cancelled in favor of whatever you please, your majesty!" he says with a fake grin and sweat raining down from his forehead.
>Celestia takes a quick trip around the kitchen, surveying all the foods being prepared for tomorrow.
>There was a cock of the head here, a hoof tapping her chin there...
>Nothing indicative of demanding a change in the plan, though.
>"Oh, wait a moment!"
>All activity in the kitchen came to a screeching halt.
>No, really, the screeching was caused by a pot sliding across the floor.
>All chefs' ears were perked up and their eyes were glued to their princess.
>Celestia stared harder at an avocado laying on a cutting board.
>"This needs to be purple!"
>With a flash of her horn, the avocado's exterior turned from a dark green to a dark purple.
>She did the same with all other present avocados, the color being flushed from them and replaced with the same purple hue.
>"And those apples over there," she said, pointing at a basket of the fruits and walking over to them. "Let's make those blue."
>She snickered as her horn lit up once again, the once red apples now sporting a sky blue skin.
>You could only sit there with your jaw agape as she went through the whole kitchen like this, laughing as she changed the color of all the foods.
>There were black carrots, brown onions, and even pink oranges (as much as that makes sense) among other things.
>The chefs said nothing, afraid to upset their ruler.
>But you could see their faces.
>The amount of internal screaming they were doing almost made you cringe.
>"There," Celestia said behind a few giggles, "I think these are better looking foods to cook with, wouldn't you agree, Cast?"
>He couldn't say yes.
>He wouldn't say yes.
>There was no possible way he could say-
>"Of course, princess."
>Well, technically it wasn't "yes".
>"Wonderful! I can't wait to see this all cooked up and presented tomorrow!"
>The kitchen was filled with uncertain murmurs of agreement.
>You had just now closed your mouth.
>If you hadn't valued your job, you'd be telling everyone how wrong and stupid Celestia was.
>But again.
>Job.
>So you bit your tongue (if it were in the literal sense, to the point of cutting it in half) and nodded along with the chefs.
>"Our work here is done, Anonymous! What's next on the agenda?"
>Your arm shakily grabs for the list of to-dos in your pocket, bringing it to your face to read the next task.
>You can barely control yourself, your voice quaking as you read.
"N...next is checking with the mail room to see if the invites we'd sent out got replies."
>"Then let's hop to it, Anon!" Celestia says, bumping you with her rear as she exits the room.
>This day was going to get a lot worse.
 
>Tonight was the night.
>As obnoxious as Celestia was yesterday, at least she hadn't been broken over Luna.
>Though this was at the cost of having the entire castle turned upside-down for kicks, the court room becoming pitch black in a surprise game of hide and seek, and even being scared by Celestia in her room AGAIN.
>That double of her in the bed looked so real...
>Regardless, you were able to survive to the dinner tonight without snapping at her.
>Once she'd been finished with her business yesterday, you went to the kitchen to make sure the foods had been turned back to their original colors.
>The unicorns in the kitchen had done that deed once you and Celestia had left.
>They begged you not to tell her.
>As if they had to worry.
>Anyways, guests were arriving at the castle for the banquet, and Celestia had actually calmed down.
>She greeted the nobility as they came in, shaking their hooves and giving a friendly smile.
>All was going nice and well, just as you'd hoped it would.
>The food wasn't ready yet, but it's not like it mattered to the nobles.
>They talked with each other, probably comparing their wallets and other such nonsense.
>Thinking about it, you weren't too poor yourself...
>Being Celestia's personal assistant did pay as much as you'd expect, after all.
>As the hustle and bustle of the banquet carried on, you breathed a sigh of relief.
>After Celestia's antics yesterday, you'd have thought she would continue through to tonight.
>The banquet would be ruined, all that hard work put into planning it would have gone to waste...
>You shudder to even think of such a thing.
>As you take a sip of cider from your glass, your eyes find themselves drawn to one of the nobles' daughters.
>Dammit Anon, you have better control than this.
>No, no, it's okay. Tonight's special.
>Just gaze at the beautiful creature.
>Her long, black, silky mane almost sprawling onto the back of her maroon dress.
>Her tail curling once at the end, adding flair to a straightforward look.
>And...well, you weren't going to lie to yourself, through her dress, she had a fine figure and shapely flanks.
>Such a beauty she was.
>As her parents speak with another pair of nobles, she rolls her blue eyes, then catches yours on her.
>She's uncertain of what to do at first, then smiles shyly, offering a meek wave to you as her dark grey face turns a light red.
>You feel your cheeks flush as well, only offering a wave back.
>Before either of you can make a move, however, the several platters of food finally come out of the kitchen, rolled on a cart by other servants, rather than the chefs themselves.
>The silver domes contained what was no doubt a masterpiece of culinary arts, and it was only mere moments from being revealed to the crowd.
>You were anticipating a fine reception.
>The servants rolled out the final cart as Celestia made her way into the dining room with the rest of the guests.
>She was...grinning a bit hard.
>Why?
>Perhaps she was hungry and was ready to see what works the chefs created.
>You knew you were.
>The servants bowed to their benefactor as she drew ever more near, her expression signaling her anticipation.
>The domes were set on the large table in the room.
>"Bon appetit, fillies and gentlecolts," one of the servants said before unleashing the cuisine onto the party goers.
>The crowd were licking their lips the moment the domes came off.
>Then a collective gasp was heard when the guests got a better look at the food.
>Unsure of what was going on, you approached the table to see the food.
>Pushing past guests, the anticipation of seeing what sat on the table drove you forward.
>And then.
>Well.
>You saw it.
>Despite the food having been turned to their regular colors yesterday, staring all present in the face was a myriad of rainbow colored dishes.
>Celestia snorted.
>"Don't worry everypony, the food's fine! Just a little weird looking!"
>She went back and did it again.
>She had somehow slipped past the staff back there and changed the food.
>The crowd was less than eager to eat it, possibly due to thinking it was spoiled.
>Whatever the case, their looks of disapproval and confusion told you all you needed to know.
>That was it.
>The anger and irritation from yesterday suddenly all came back to you.
>And now it was at its boiling point.
>"Oh come on, everypony! It's a simple little jo-"
"PRINCESS CELESTIA."
>Her head immediately turns towards you.
>"Oh, Anonymous! Do you like what I did with the food?" she asks behind a cheeky grin.
"As a matter of fact, I do NOT!"
>For a moment, her smile wavers.
>"It's still perfectly-"
"And I don't appreciate all these silly little pranks you've been pulling since yesterday!"
>She's not smiling anymore.
>"Oh, I didn't-"
"Nopony wanted to tell you to stop or that you were going overboard, but I've had it! I have been irritated by your obnoxious behavior and your little tricks, princess! Everyone has! So I speak for them all when I say stop with these childish pranks!"
>The crowd silently watches, waiting for a reply from their princess.
>She's downtrodden from your outburst, all of her previous energy gone.
>Ears flat against her head, she manages to squeak out a small, "O-oh."
>Her horn lights up and all of the food is returned to their normal colors.
>The guests' attention is still primarily on Celestia.
>"I-I'm sorry," she says, her head hung low. "Excuse me."
>She turns around and leaves the dining hall.
>The party goers murmur amongst themselves after she leaves, some pointing at you as they whisper with each other.
>You look around and find that young mare you'd somewhat been flirting with was now frowning with uncertainty towards you.
>Suddenly you weren't feeling so good about yelling at the princess.
>It felt good in the moment, but now you realize that you were a bit hard on her.
>That and, well, it didn't really look good to others, either.
>You knew what you'd have to do.
>Heading for the exit, the mumbling of the crowd died out as the dim halls of the castle became closer.
>You weren't sure where you were going.
>You just knew that finding Celestia was what needed to be done.
 
>Another door closed and locked back up.
>Being Celestia's personal assistant meant you had a keyring with a key to every room in the castle.
>Yet she was nowhere to be found.
>You'd searched through what felt like the entire castle, but there was nary a sign of the sun princess.
>There was little hope you'd find her at this point, as her usual hiding spots were empty and  just about every other place you could think of was devoid as well.
>Except...
>There was one place you hadn't thought of, seeing as Celestia probably wanted to forget about her sister not being here, but...
>She had to be there.
>Making your way around the castle, you made it to the one room in the hidden corner that no one dared speak of.
>There was no need to use a key on the door here.
>It was already open.
>Walking inside yields the exact result you were expecting.
>Celestia, sitting quietly at the memorial of Luna.
>Seeing as Luna hadn't died, Celestia wanted something other than a grave to remember her by.
>The small, shrine-like memorial had pictures of the moon princess, whether alone, with her sister, or otherwise.
>Two candles were lit next to the top picture of the moon princess.
>She said nothing as you approached.
"Princess."
>Her flowing mane hid most of her features, but you could see the small droplets falling from her face.
>The tense silence remained, the solemn princess refusing to say a word.
>The flickering of the candle was the only light provided in this rather dark room.
"I just wanted to come in and say I was sorry, Princess," you continued, despite expecting no answer.
>She remained still, as if she hadn't heard a single word.
>Her hoof lightly grazed a picture of Luna, a small clak of the frame sounding like a firework in comparison to the silence.
>"No, Anonymous. I'm sorry."
>She speaks at last!
>But...
"What?"
>"I got carried away."
>She sniffs, then swallows a lump in her throat.
>"I...I..."
>More tears fall to the ground.
>You aren't sure whether to comfort her or let her speak.
>"It was a front, Anonymous."
>Was this going where you thought it was going?
>It couldn't be.
>"I just...I wanted to find a way to forget that L-"
>She sobs.
>Thinking on the fly, you embrace her, and she immediately wraps her hooves around you, crying into your chest.
>Her horn luckily didn't poke you...
"I know what you mean, Princess. It was your way of coping."
>Her face finds its way out of your chest.
>"I didn't realize I was being so obnoxious, though. I...I'm sorry. I've always made such terrible choices."
>She squeezes you a little tighter, her tears staining your suit.
>At the moment, it didn't matter.
>Celestia needed a shoulder (or in this case, chest) to cry on.
"It wasn't your fault, Princess. You didn't have a choice," you tell her, rubbing the back of her head to comfort her.
>Her face comes out again, giving you a sad smile.
>"I guess I should have known trying to bury it would have made it worse. I can't stop making mistakes."
>Her face presses into you again, a fresh set of tears bleeding through your clothes.
>You shush her, stroking her mane.
"You couldn't have done anything else. It was brave of you to do such a thing to save your kingdom, Celestia. I doubt there's anypony who'd be able to do the same."
>You hug her tighter.
"I'm sure she'll be back one day, and you'll be able to make things right."
>She comes back out to speak again.
>"I...you're right. And I should be ready for when that day comes."
>She finally lets go of you, rubbing her puffy, red eyes.
>"I'm done crying, Anonymous."
"Are you sure you don't need a tissue? My shirt's still available."
>She gives you a genuine smile and chuckles.
>"I think I'll be okay. We should get back to the banquet."
>You leave the room first, waiting for Celestia to follow.
>She takes one final look into the room, and with a sigh, quietly says, "I'm sorry, Luna."
>The door closes, and you're both on your way to the banquet.
 
>After returning, Celestia apologized (thankfully the last time for tonight) to the guests, and also told them not to be too hard on you for yelling at her.
>Afterwards, the banquet went off without a hitch, with everyone enjoying the food as much as you'd hoped.
>As you ate, you'd once again encountered that attractive mare you'd been looking at.
>She was a shy soul, but she'd worked up the courage to approach you at that moment.
>Onyx Burst was her name, and this had been her tenth outing with her parents.
>The couple they were talking to when she noticed you had a son they wanted to make into Onyx's suitor.
>She seemed more interested in you instead.
>Lucky you.
>After the party was over, you told her goodbye as she promised to keep in touch.
>As the servants cleaned up the dining hall, Celestia looked outside at the snowy town of Canterlot through the large window in the room.
>You approached her, joining in the view-catching.
>Tomorrow would be the first Hearth's Warming day she has without her sister.
>After tonight, you're sure she'll make it through tomorrow.
"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Princess."
>...
>...
>...
>Was she going to answer?
>You look over at her gazing outside, wondering why she was being unresponsive.
>She seemed lost in thought, barely even moving.
>Wait a-
>"BOO!"
>You almost leaped out of your skin as Celestia spooked you from behind, the double she had generated disappearing in a flash.
>She laughs.
>"I'm sorry, Anonymous! This will be the last time, I swear!"
>You quickly turn around, lift your arms as high as you can, and try to look menacing.
"BOO!"
>The princess herself hops back a little.
>Wings flared and eyes wide, it takes her a moment before she calms down and begins laughing.
>"See? You just have to let loose and join the fun sometimes!"
>You smile for once, beginning to chuckle yourself.
"And tomorrow we'll have a snowball fight!"
>Celestia gives you a confident grin.
>"Done."
>You can hardly wait.