Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, it all belongs to Hasbro.
She could barely stifle her yawn as she awoke, her flowing mane obscuring her sight for a few seconds. She slowly lifted her head, a second yawn following its compatriot when her eyes suddenly widened in realization. She glanced around the room nervously as she felt a sudden wave of panic wash over her- there was definitely something she was forgetting, her brain was all but screaming that at her right now. But what?
She clambered to her hooves and rushed to the nearest window, brushing the curtains out of the way with her nose. Before her sat the moon high in the sky, the familiar darkness of the night greeting her too.
"We will not be making that sort of error again," she said to herself as she turned away from the window, curtain falling back into place. But if that was all fine, why did she feel so worried?
"Did we leave a fire running somewhere? Did we send off a guard to-," she paused for a moment. She was using the royal 'we' again wasn't she? She grumbled to herself as she used her magic to fix her bed. That young pony Twilight Sparkle and her young pony friends had taught her how archaic it must be to…well young ponies, but over a thousand years of habit was very hard to break.
It was when a picture suddenly fell to the floor, startling her, that she also realized she must have fallen into using the Royal Canterlot voice. She suddenly held one hoof up to her mouth. Might she have accidentally awoken one or more of her subjects with her slip back into that voice?
"If that is the case we…I will apologize to them," she said. "Perhaps I could make a cake. Ponies appear to like cake, even if they seem far too sugary these days."
She paused again. Talk of cake brought back that annoying itch at the back of her head that she was forgetting something. The moon was fine, her Royal guards were all fine, no fires had been left unattended and she had no important duties to attend to, she knew the next date for that was more then a month away.
Dates. Again the itch grew.
Cake, dates, cakes dates. That brain itch grew more. Dates referred to the day, month and year but she also knew that some ponies used it as a term for the social function of romantic interaction. Dates, romance, cake.
"Oh no," she said to herself as she finally realized what she had been trying to remember. "It is the hearts and hooves day today!"
She spun around, desperately searching her room.
"And I have forgotten to purchase gifts for Celestia!"
She froze for a moment in place.
What would her sister think of such a shun? Would she be angry? Would she be saddened at not receiving a gift? Perhaps Celestia might worry that their sisterly bond had weakened. Even worse, her sister might even become angry with her, or even worse than that worry about Nightmare moon again. She knew many ponies seemed to get grumpy when they were not given presents, how annoyed could royalty get? So preoccupied in her worries she neglected to recall that she too was royalty. Would Celestia hate her?
"No, no that is silly talk," she said to herself. "I hath apologized to her and she forgave me. She would not get angry over such a thing…just disappointed."
But if she neglected to buy a gift she knew there was one thing she would not be able to escape- her sense of guilt. This was her first hearts and hooves day back, and she was not going to allow mere forgetfulness ruin her day.
"It is time for the shopping of gifts!" she said aloud. "Wait is that right?"
"No matter!" she said as she opened the decorated wooden door with her magic. "I must now partake in the buying of…chocolate…?"
Closing the door behind her she almost started to run down the hallway, before regaining her composure and returning to a gentler pace. She continued to glance around hopefully that another pony might pass her by. She had been practicing using a more normal voice to talk to her subjects and was certain she had almost managed to perfect it.
Of course she was also certain that many a pony still treated her with deep suspicion. And the occasional newcomer went all out and just showed fear. She supposed a millennia of being the Mare in the moon could do that to a pony. But soon they would not fear her, just last week she had sent a gift of chocolate cake to Ponyville and she knew that ponies liked cake. Perhaps in time all ponies in Equestria would come to associate her more with cake and other such sweet things, as opposed to a tyrannical monster who attempted to cause eternal night.
One small step at a time, one small step at a time.
For the third time in a row the store she stumbled upon was closed. She pressed her face against the window, peering inside. All was dark inside, nopony in sight. Foiled again! She turned away, failing to notice the pony in pyjamas who had sat cowering behind a table inside the store. Having gone to get a drink, he had not been expecting to see Luna menacingly pressing her face against the window.
She almost stomped her hooves down as she marched away, letting out an audible gasp of annoyance. The guards who tended to bring her things seemed to have no trouble with using stores, so why was she finding it so difficult?
She continued her grumpy march down the pathway, when suddenly a beautiful sight caught her eyes. A building with a sign (which made her guess must make it a shop) with all of its lights on! She ignored her normal behaviour and instead broke out into a run for the store. She would never find out, but the storekeeper let out a whelp when he saw who was rushing towards him.
She opened the store door and stepped inside, pleased to find chocolate and all manner of treats surrounding her.
"C-can I help you?" asked the shopkeeper.
"I have come to peruse your baked good and gift inventory," said Luna, making an effort to keep her voice quiet. "I wish to engage in the act of purchasing goods."
"Oh, oh so you want to buy something?" he asked, eyes lighting up slightly. Royalty! In his store!
"I have come here to purchase the best," she said. She leant forwards so she could speak more quietly. "But I do not know what that is."
"You don't?"
Luna shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact.
"I am having difficulty recalling the last time I purchased a gift. I do know that the exchange of money for provisions is the usual course of action in such situations. I have bits with which I wish to engage in such an exchange!"
"That's good," said the shopkeeper. Royalty! In his store!
"What is this?" asked Luna pointing to a heart shaped box of chocolates. "Is red heart cardboard considered a good gift?"
"It's not the cardboard, it is what's inside that is the gift," said the shopkeeper.
"So it is some kind of storage device?" she asked.
"No, there's chocolate inside."
"Ah it is a form of packaging is it?" asked Luna.
"That's…right?" said the slightly puzzled shopkeeper.
"One thousand years ago such things were not common," said Luna. "Is the red heart box of chocolates a suitable gift for a sister?"
"I'm not sure, that's really more of a gift for someone you love."
"I love my sister very much," she replied with a hint of menace at such a suggestion. Of course she loved her sister, why would anypony suggest otherwise?
"No I mean someone you want to erm…well you know date. I guess."
Luna paused for a moment.
"Oh I understand! That is a gift for romantic love, not the love between siblings."
"I guess so…?"
"Very well. Are these chocolates also of high quality?" asked Luna pointing towards a less romantic set. "I particularly like the use of red ribbon for decorative purposes."
"Yes, but they are probably my most expensive chocolates too," said the shopkeeper, grimacing internally as he realized he was talking himself out of a nice profit.
"Such monetary concerns mean nothing to me," said Luna. "I wish to give my sister a gift, and many ponies often say expensive things are better. These chocolates appear acceptable," she said, leaning down and staring straight at them, observing each piece intensely.
"Ok then, do you want me to wrap it up?"
"Yes please. Purple wrap would be most suitable."
The other pony nodded and turned to get some paper. Luna turned away and looked at the selection of other more unusual gifts. Not all were for hearts and hooves day. A small white item caught her attention and she slowly approached it.
She heard the shopkeeper return and she froze. Stiffly she turned around, holding something in her mouth. She could see that she was being watched curiously so she approached the counter and awkwardly dropped the item on the counter.
"I would like to purchase this too," she said nervously.
A small handmade Celestia plush rested on the counter. The male pony looked slightly bemused.
"Why is that?"
Luna turned her head away.
"I think that it would be an amusing gift to give to my sister."
"Ok then, you want that wrapped too?"
"Yes please. And may you also use one of those red ribbons?"
In short time the gift was wrapped and paid for. Luna again thanked the shopkeeper and left the store. As her wings spread out and she took off into the air the other pony again thought about how there had been royalty in his store. He glanced down at the counter.
Royalty that had given him far too much money…
Almost on tiphooves she crept along the richly decorated corridor, occasionally pausing to look at one of the portraits hanging from the wall. She carefully gripped the present in her mouth, a steely look of determination about her face. She peeked around a corner and saw the corridor was clear. Quietly she made her way to the door she recognized as her sister's bedroom.
She gently placed the present on the floor, and smiling to herself she placed the card she had been carrying using her magic on top of the gift. It was a small crudely handmade card, not quite folded in half properly, with a drawing of appeared to be a white Alicorn and purple Alicorn on the front. She did not have much experience with drawing, but she had decided to have a go. She found the result to be...acceptable.
With no words she backed away from the present and made her way back along the hallway. She continued her journey with a smile, glad she had managed to find two presents and as she left the building she took to the air to fly back to her room.
The journey was quick, but she had little recollection of it, caught up in oddly joyful feelings. She paused for a moment when she entered the hallway that led to her own room; certain she had heard the click of hooves on the tiled floor. She guessed a guard must have been going somewhere.
Still thinking back over whether she had got the right present or not, she promptly tripped over something as she opened her door. Picking herself back up she glanced back at what she had fallen over.
A slightly squished box greeted her.
Using her magic she lifted the box and pulled it to herself. On top was a piece of paper which she read:
'To my dear sister Luna: Happy hearts and hooves day! I came to give this to you but you were out. Don't worry about a present, but please come and visit today; it is our first hearts and hooves day together in such a long time sister.'
Luna reread the note once, twice and then with a kind smile she closed her door. From outside the faint sound of unwrapping could be heard.
Happy hearts and hooves day dear sister!