Over the next few days, Celestia and Luna worked out their strategy for confronting the Equestrian Council and, hopefully, defeating them. It wasn't an easy process, and the sister's found themselves arguing more and more as they went along. It seemed that their arguments had become more heated ever since they had been given their new positions. Celestia wanted to be bold and brave. She wanted to burst through the doors of the Council's chamber and declare that the time for a new day in Equestria was nigh. Luna, on the other hoof, wanted to take a subtler approach. Her plan involved a lot of sneaking and surprising.

There were major flaws with both of their ideas, but neither of them were willing to admit it. Celestia's plan didn't take into account the hundreds of guards that were posted around the chamber walls and doors. They would also have to deal with a security system that was quite innovative for their time. Traps and lethal fates awaited anypony who didn't know just where to tread along the treacherous chamber passages.

Luna's plan, while it would work in getting rid of some of the guards, didn't take into account that there would always be another guard to take the first one's place. It also didn't factor in the basic blueprints of the chamber. If it did, then she would have known that there was no place for anypony to sneak in properly. Their best bet would have been to start outside the chamber in the surrounding moat and swim up through the small underground lake that sat right under the Council's meeting room. Unfortunately, that swim was almost impossible.

"OK, look," Celestia said one day in the midst of one of their arguments, "it's obvious your plan isn't going to work, Luna. There's no way for us to sneak into that chamber!"

"It's not like your plan's any better," Luna retorted as she huffed at Celestia, "I mean, really. Just bursting in and announcing a takeover? We'd be killed on the spot!"

"Not if they don't extrapolate the magic from within us!"

"You know darn well that the magic flows within our blood! If we bleed out, the magic bleeds out, too!"

Celestia wanted to respond, but then she realized that Luna was right. They could be seriously hurt. She sighed in defeat. "I hadn't thought of that, Luna, but you're right. The magic inside us could evaporate as suddenly as water from the lake."

Suddenly, the white mare's face took on a rather anguished look. "Oh…I hate this! Why is it that ever since we became princesses, we've been fighting more and more? We need to be working together!"

Luna looked at the floor and Celestia saw her cheeks go bright red. "You're right, Tia. What's the matter with us? Here we are, trying to defeat a corrupt government body and restore true friendship to Equestria, and we're not acting like friends!"

"I'm sorry, Luna," Celestia said, "for everything. We've been terrible to each other here lately, and I-"

Celestia didn't have time to finish, because Luna wrapped her up in a hug. Celestia warmly returned it and the two sisters felt newfound energy flood their bodies. It was as if the entire world had suddenly been reset, and everything was in its proper place. They broke apart and smiled at each other, each one grateful beyond measure for the presence of her sister.

"Maybe we don't need an overly complicated, incredibly detailed plan," Luna said, "maybe…we just need to confront it head on and whatever happens, we'll face it together."

"Yes!" Celestia said, "I agree with that!"

"Buck the plans!"

"Amen, sister!"

They both stopped and chuckled sheepishly. They felt like fillies again, ready to go off on an exciting adventure together. Suddenly, all the weight and responsibility had been thrown off of their shoulders. It was replaced by a lighthearted togetherness that neither one of them wanted to let go of. Somewhere in their minds, they did retain some semblance of just how important their mission was. But on the outside, they bounced around like young ponies.

"Come on, Celestia!" Luna said, "we have a country to save!"

So they galloped out of their home and raced towards the old castle that the Council used for their chamber. Luckily, Neighagra Falls was the capital of Equestria (this was in the days before Canterlot), so they were used to running to the castle to meet their father. They knew the way like the back of their hooves, and they made good time running towards the door.

But then Luna stopped and pulled her sister into some bushes. "Luna!" Celestia whispered annoyedly, "what was that for?!"

"SH!" Luna said as she put her hoof up to Celestia's mouth. Just then, some guards trooped by, led by a rather loud captain who was saying some rather uncouth things about mares. Celestia and Luna both turned bright shades of red at some of the things he was saying.

"The nerve of some ponies!" Celestia said. But Luna, who had hung around the castle much more than her big sister, was used to it. "If you think that's bad, you should hear some of the things the mare captains say about stallions. Now, come on!"

The two new princesses popped out of the bushes and trotted cautiously towards the main door. They stopped behind one of the nearby buildings and tried to strategize their next move. "Nopony will recognize us since we became Alicorns," Luna said, "so we must do this carefully."

"Agreed," Celestia said, and then her brain went to work. "I know!"

"What?"

"We need to create some type of a diversion and lure the guards away from their posts." She looked around at her hooves and noticed a rather large rock. She used her magic to pick it up and fling it into the bushes near the doorway. The guards quickly ran to investigate whatever it was that dared crash on the Council's property. "OK, go!" Luna said softly, but firmly. The two ponies quickly ran up to the doorway and went through it.