Sparkle in Her Eye

It was a lovely day, like most of the days in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everyone seemed to have their hand's full doing something for the coming Summer Sun Celebration. Everyone, except you, naturally. You may not be living in a Noble area, but that didn't mean you had to work like a commoner. Your parents may not be very happy with your lifestyle, specifically your mother, the cursed woman, but you still had access to the family fortune. So, that meant you could sit back at a local café and sip away at some glorious, Celestia-given coffee while you watched everyone go about their projects.

In the back of your mind, the coming Summer was nagging at you, but you pressed it aside for now. The... feelings... usually didn't come until after the Celebration. Speaking of, it was happening in Ponyville this year! You were very excited, mostly because your friend Prince Blueblood said he was going to visit during the festival! You let a smile form on your face as you sip at your coffee. You remember the first day you met the homosexual prince.

It was long ago, though only in your mind, back when you were five years old. Your parents had dragged you (literally) to a charity ball. Looking back, you knew your mother didn't care about it, simply wanting the good publicity it provided because, "One can never be too noble", as she would say. Back to the point, all you knew was it was a bunch of old people talking about stuff you didn't understand and hardly anyone was dancing. I mean, it was a ball for Luna's sake! But you respected your parents, and acted like a good little Noble girl and didn't misbehave. But it was so boring! After a while, you sat at a table and simply watched the people, much like you were doing now.

Bored to the point of tears, you were about to actually start crying when a boy your age approached you. You quickly composed yourself, as your teaching demanded, and were polite and curtious to him. Soon, you learned he disliked the "posh" image as much as you did, but feared his parents too much to not act it. Come to think of it, he still did. But a few minute's talking, and you both learned you could be yourself around the other. Eventually, he led you out to the dance floor, if it could be called that, and what started as a terrible night transformed into one that you will never forget.

Back in the present, people were still scurrying about getting ready for the coming of Princess Celestia. You wondered if she would remember you from the few times you had met as a child. They were so brief, you doubted she did. Who knows how many people she met on a daily basis? There was little reason to remember you for someone like her. A familiar voice rips you from your thoughts, "Napoli Hestia, to think you were born a Noble."

You smile and stand to greet Blueblood. "Well, I'm sorry I didn't turn out like Prince Charming."

Blueblood wore... different clothes than he normally would. They were... well, to put it bluntly, commoner clothes. It was still somewhat formal, a white polo shirt and tan slacks, but no one would recognize him. Aside from you, that is. He takes a seat across from you after giving you a hug. "How are you doing this lovely Summer day, Nalie?"

"It's not Summer yet. You know how I get during Summer." You say with a sly smile.

Blueblood shudders slightly. "Yes, how could I forget?"

It was two years ago that this happened. You had been feeling the Heat of Summer for a few years now, but it wasn't because it was hot outside. A warm glow resonated out over your entire body, radiating from your nether lips. When this happened, you normally just locked yourself up in your room and browsed the internet, like any teenager. This time, however, Blueblood visited your room because he was escaping from yet another bad date. He showed up, out of breath, and his clothes dishelved. He burst into your room panting (thank Celestia you weren't... *ahem* blowing off steam at the time) and began rambling on about this insane girl chasing after him. His words fell on deaf ears, however. Your mind was preoccupied with something else he could do.

The warm glow began heating up as you looked over his body, your breathing sped up and you felt a small tingle tickle over your body. In a daze, you stood, approached the quickly panicing Blueblood and tossed him onto your bed. You began to crawl up his body, the Summer Heat in full control. You force your lips to his and begin to shed clothes from both of your bodies. By the time you were clad in only a bra and short shorts and Blueblood's chisled chest was revealed, he shouted two words you would never forget, "I'm gay!" The shock of him coming out of the closet while you forced yourself on him quickly killed the Heat that ran rampant through you. Realizing what you were doing, you climbed off of him and got dressed. Needless to say, that was an interesting Summer.

You simply giggled at the memory. "Yes, that was fun."

Blueblood only gives you an odd look before moving on. "Right. Fun. Anyway, how is it here in Ponyville?"

A grin spreads over your lips. "It's wonderful! So much better than when I lived in Canterlot. It's everything I dreamed of and more," you say happily, Pinkie's familiar pink hair bouncing as it passed by with banners in tow.

Blueblood seems less than convinced. "Yes, the simple life is truly blissful. Honestly, you had everything bits can buy under Celestia's sun and more, yet you gave it all up to live in this... village." He says the word as though it were venom. "I just don't understand you, Nalie." He shakes his head playfully.

You, however, are unamused. "Blue, you should know more than anyone except maybe my mother how much I hated that life. Yes, it's nice to have money and anything I could ever want, but it isn't who I am. I don't want to become my mother's successor, I don't want to advise the ruler of an entire empire, I don't want to have all that responsability. Or what's expected of me! It's crazy! I'm supposed to be the big, powerful heir to the Hestia name and family. I just don't want that. Absolute power.."

"Corrupts absolutely, yes, yes, I know." Blueblood finishes for you. You had said that so many times (mostly about your mother) that it was almost an inside joke between you and Blueblood. It would only be an inside joke if it was funny. "I suppose men simply will never understand women, even gay men." Blueblood says nonchalantly with a shrug.

You giggle at his response, "Sometimes, I don't think women will understand women."

Blueblood chuckles. "Well, I'm glad we agree on something for a change." Blueblood smiles.

"So, speaking of lifestyles, why are you so snooty to everyone? I understand girls, but why almost everyone you meet?" you ask with a sly smile, twirling a stirring stick in your cup.

"Well, I'd never!" Blueblood claims with playful hurt. "Well, I suppose it's because..."

The rest of what Blueblood says never reaches you. As he began speaking, you saw a girl walking into town from the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Normally you would only glance over and be done with it, but this was a new face in Ponyville. A face that had your complete attention right now. The rest of the world seemed to pause while you gazed upon her figure as she passed by, time slowing to a crawl. She has a slight sway to her hips as she walks, your eyes moving back and forth in time with them. She stands tall and almost noble, much like you used to. Her aura simply stated that she was not to be triffled with, authority and independance radiating from the way she walked. Each step seemed careful and planned, every movement graceful and flawless.

For the briefest of moments, her eyes met with yours. They were a brilliant purple, a shade that was warm and welcoming, yet held this distance that you couldn't quite place. It clashed with her walk; her walk said, "Don't mess with me," yet her eyes didn't reinforce this. Her eyes were doing their best to cover whatever it was that haunted her, but you could tell there was something she was missing in her life from the glow they gave. Everything about her seemed so beautiful, so perfect, you were stunned into a daze. Your eyes followed her and a lone thought traveled around in your empty head; She's really pretty...

And then Rainbow Dash knocked her into a puddle.

"And... Nalie, are you listening?" Blueblood asked, waving a hand in front of your face.

"Who is that?" You ask, not batting an eyelid at his hand.

"Who?" Blueblood asks and turns to look down the road.

"Her." You state, pointing her out.

"The girl in the puddle?! Nalie, why are you asking? She's-"

"Someone I want to know the name of. Who is she?" You interupt, your patience growing thin.

Blueblood gives you a curious look before looking back to study the now hair-frizzled girl. After a moment of combing his internal contacts list, and picturing her not soaking wet and with normal hair, he was able to match face with name.

"If I recall correctly, that is Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's student," Blueblood says.

Twilight Sparkle... that's a pretty name... You think, still gazing off at her.

"Equis to Nalie, come in Nalie," Blueblood says, once again doing the hand-waving.

You shake your head and look at him. "Uh, what?" You ask dumbly.

"Smooth. Are you sure the Heat hasn't gotten to you?" Blueblood asks with a smile.

"Since I'm not forcing myself on you, yeah, I'm sure." You deadpan him.

Blueblood sighs and closes his eyes, "That isn't funny," he says, shaking his head.

"To you," you say with a smile.

"Ha-ha. Well, I enjoyed catching up with you, but I'm afraid I need to be off. I need to get ready for the Celebration. You know how it is for us snooty Nobles to get dressed," Blueblood says with his eyes closed and nose turned up.

You laugh, "I thought girls took a while to get dressed, but you put any girl I know to shame with how long you take."

"Yes, laugh it up. I'll see you later tonight, Nalie." And then Blueblood stood and made his way for the train station.

You linger about at your table outside the caf, your coffee not yet complete. It was simply a shame to waste perfectly good coffee. You continued to enjoy your drink and the lovely pre-Summer day, not a care in the world.

Except for that girl, Twilight. She was nagging at your thoughts, her image never quite leaving them. You weren't sure as to why, certainly it couldn't be attraction. You were straight, after all. You only knew there were a handful of men in town, a couple of them have taken wives, but the rest single, strangely enough. Either way, you just couldn't put your finger on why you kept thinking about her-

"Pussy!"

What the fu-?! You think, looking around. When you see two little kids running around and doing kid things, the humor of the situation hits you and you give a few chuckles. Thank you, universe. You think and take a sip.

"Hello Napoli!"

And there goes that sip. All over the table.

You turn in your seat and see Rarity standing behind you, wearing a shocked expression. "Oh, hey Rarity. You surprised me." You give a nervous chuckle

"Clearly," Rarity says dryly as she takes the seat Blueblood sat in. "Anyway, how are you today, Napoli?"

"I am fine, Miss Rarity. How are you?" You ask, deciding to pretend the spit take never happened.

"Wonderful! I just saved a girl from the worst hair I had ever seen!" Rarity says in her drama queen way.

"Oh, that's-" Wait a minute... "Did that girl have lavender hair with two lighter streaks and it was all curly like Pinkie's?" You ask quickly, catching Rarity off guard.

"Ah... yes, why do you ask?" Rarity looks at you with a mix of confusion and gossip interest.

Because she's beautiful. "No reason," you say casually.

"Darling, you know that you can trust me with anything! What's on your mind?" The face Rarity was making right now is what you assumed was the face many men described when she tricked them into doing something for her.

"You're right Rarity, I can trust you." She gives a soft smile. "...To tell everyone in town." And quick as a flash, it's a frown.

"I know how to keep a secret!" Rarity exclaims.

You give her an "Oh, really?" look.

"...When it concerns my friends." She adds after a moment.

You raise your eyebrow further.

Rarity looks away from you.

"That's what I thought. How are preperations for the Summer Sun Celebration coming?" You ask, victory secuerly yours.

"Excellent! I had just finished when that girl, what's-her-name..."

"Twilight Sparkle." You add in for her, withholding your anger.

"Yes, her, I had just finished when she came in, her hair looking almost exactly like Pinkies! I simply couldn't let her run around with her hair looking like that, so I took her back to the boutique and got her hair back in order! I had her try on a few items and was just saying how great of friends we were going to be when I turned my back for just a moment and she was gone! I suppose she had other things to check up on for the festival," Rarity said, having ordered a coffee by the time she finished.

"Hmm. How's Sweetie doing?" You ask. You weren't about to tell anyone, but Sweetie Belle was your favorite little one in Ponyville, along with her friends Applebloom and Scootaloo.

Rarity let out a tired sigh. "A handfull, as always. Earlier today, she somehow got a cup of coffee. After she drank it and I tried to calm her down, she sat down on the ceiling. The ceiling! I know some people are born with the ability to control weather or magic, but honestly! I never acted like that as a child!"

I did. Note to self: high-five Sweetie sometime today. "Well, you know how kids can be. Celestia knows I wasn't the perfect daughter." She seriously did, your mother would sometimes complain. "Also... how did she take your parents splitting up?" You ask softly.

About a month ago, Mr. and Mrs. Belle had their final fight. It ended in divorce, unfortunately. Sweetie had taken it rather hard, with her young age and all. At the custody hearing, Sweetie requested that her big and legal adult sister gain custody of her, a request the court granted. Rarity, while hesitant at first, had grown to be not only a big sister, but a mother to her as well.

Rarity let out a sad sigh this time, "Hard. Even I'm still a little shaken by it. But Sweetie needs a strong big sister."

"Rarity, you know that I'm always happy to help if you ever need it." You say softly, reaching across the small table to put a reasuring hand on Rarity's shoulder.

Rarity gives you a smile. "Thank you Napoli. That means a lot to me."

You smile back, "What are friends for?"

"Since you offered... would you watch over her during the celebration? I would watch over her myself, but I agreed to spend the night with Applejack, meaning she can't watch over them either." Rarity said, a mild blush on her pale white cheeks.

"Of course! I'd be happy to look over her!" You respond almost immediately.

Rarity seems to light up when you say this. "Oh, thank you Napoli! You can come and pick her up just before the Celebration begins."

"To friendship" You raise your coffee.

"And it's magic." Rarity adds, clinking her mug with yours.

And then Pinkie pops up next to your table. "Hey girls!"

You and Rarity both do a spit take. That's not gonna become a thing, is it?

Pinkie giggles, "Gross. Anyway, I'm going to throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for Twilight Sparkle tonight! Wanna come?"

"Oh of course Pinkie. I'll be there," Rarity says after wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Uh, y-yeah! Sure, I'll go!" Your heart had started beating faster.

"Great! See you two there!" And then Pinkie disappeared. As in literally just vanished. You and Rarity both just stare at the air she had filled before she turned to face you.

"And you will be able to tell me why you stuttered!" Rarity said wih a devilish grin.

"Whaaat? I didn't stutter," You say, looking away from Rarity where a café employee was looking at your coffee-covered table in despair.

"Oh my Goddesses... you have a girlcrush on the new girl!" Rarity squealed in delight.

Realizing the jig was up, you put a cold glare on Rarity. "Tell a soul, and I'll put so many stains in your dresses they'll be camo." You say, deathly serious.

"What I meant to say was I can't wait to see you at the party tonight! Oh, look at time, I really must be going. Ta-ta!" And Rarity left the table at a brisk pace.

"That's what I thought, Miss Belle." You say with a smile as you recline and sip at what's left of your coffee, wondering how tonight was going to go.

***

The time had arrived. The sun beginning it's last decent to the horizon before it would offically be the longest day of the year and the starting mark of Summer. You were excited for it, despite that the back of your mind constantly reminded you of the Heat that was bound to follow. You looked forward to your yearly trip to the beach, to the wonderful weather, and to something- or rather, someone -else was going to be a part of it too: Twilight Sparkle. You grew a faint smile just from the thought of her, something that surprised you enough to pause for a beat before continuing on to your destination, the old library where Pinkie was throwing the party.

You were excited for that was well; parties usually weren't something you attended. But with a friend like Pinkie, a party was a common occurance and they had started to grow on you. They were still crazy and awesome, even when 'mild', and they helped make everything more fun, from a birthday to a special holiday. How this one was going to go over with the new girl, you had no idea. Come to think about it, you hardly even knew what she was like! Was she social? Talkative? Did she have a bunch of friends already? Or was she quiet, like Fluttershy? Questions roamed about your mind as the tree-turned-building came into view.

Once you got close enough, you open the door to see half of Ponyville was in attendence. Everyone lit up as the door opened, only to be disappionted as your face came into view. You give a sheepish smile, "Sorry! Sorry everyone!" You're met with a mix of words along the lines of, "It's okay" and other, less appropriate words, but nothing too bad. You scan the crowd for familiar faces when a familiar voice sounds below you.

"Hi Napoli!" Sweetie Belle says, a grin on her face.

You smile down at her, "Hi Sweetie! Hey Applebloom, hey Scootaloo." You greet the three friends.

"Hi!" Applebloom and Scootaloo say at the same time, causing the two to look wryly at each other before giggling.

"What are you doing here girls? I thought you would be doing something to find your calling in life?" You ask with a somewhat smug grin.

Sweetie Belle gives you an unintentionally adorable glare. "We will find our calling one day!" She declares defiantly.

"Anyway," Scootaloo cuts in before Sweetie can ramble on, "Rarity said there was a new girl in town and we wanted to meet her as well!" Scootaloo explains happily.

"Yeah! Ah bet she's gonna be awesome!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"You just earned a high-five Applebloom." You say, raising your hand just high enough so she has to hop to reach your hand with hers. Sweetie and Scootaloo giggle at her and she blushes mildly. Speaking of high-fives... You put your hands on your hips and give Sweetie a serious look. "Your sister told me what you did earlier today."

Sweetie's eyes widen slightly, "She did?"

"Yup. You really shouldn't antagonize her like that." You keep your serious tone and face.

Sweetie lowers her eyes, "Sorry." She mutters.

You crouch down to her level, "Now, between you and me..." You lean close to her ear, "I did the same thing when I was a kid." When you pull back with a grin, Sweetie has a surprised face that quickly morphs into a grin as well. "But seriously, don't do that to your sister!" You add quickly.

"I won't!" Sweetie claims happily.

Outside, faint voices can be heard, signaling that the guest of honor had arrived. The lights went down and everyone formed a semi-circle around the front door, you somehow get placed right in the middle of it, front-row-Jo as well. You hold your breath while you wait for her to enter. Senarios quickly flash through your mind on how your first time meeting her was going to go, most of them bad and, oddly enough, ending with you on the moon. everything slowed to a crawl as everyone wait for-

Don'tchya wish your girlfriend was hot, like, me!

Everyone giggles at the source of the odd ringtone, Lyra. Even in the dark, you can tell she has a mighty blush on her cheeks from ill-timing of the text.

As soon as Lyra slips the device into her pocket, the door opens and in walk two figures. One of them, a young boy by their voice, speaks first.

"Rude, much?"

Then Twilight's voice is heard, "Sorry Spike." Guess that's his name. "I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, but we're running out of time!" Wasn't that an old wive's tale? "I just have to be alone so that I can study without a bunch of craaazy people trying to make friends all the time!" ... "Now, where's the light?"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, the lights burst on and everyone yells, "Surprise!"

Except for you.

You listened to everything she said. The friends part hit home somehow. You still weren't entirely sure who this girl is, let alone what your feelings for her are! Why did her dislike to making friends affect you so much? You were so lost in thought that the party had began while you still stood there, staring like a creeper. Shaking your head, you walk towards a couch off in a somewhat recluded corner. Your thoughts still distracted you enough to look without seeing while you walked, and you bumped right into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry." You say and focus on lavender eyes.

"It's fine." Twilight says with little emotion.

Of ALL the people... You think morbidly. "Oh, hello!" Your noble teachings take your actions on autopilot.

"Like I said, it's fine, miss...?" Twilight gestured with her hand for you to say your name.

"Napoli. Napoli Hestia." Small smile, back straight, hands together, look attentive. Autopilot.

Twilight's eyes widen slightly. "Hestia? As in the Noble family Hestia?"

"Yes that's correct." Small nod. Shallow, quiet breaths.

Twilight seems confused. "Why are you here in Ponyville?"

Internally, your patience is running thin. "I live here." Pleasent voice. Hide your emotions, they could offend. You are Noble. You are perfect.

"Oh. I'm only visiting for now, making sure that the Celebration is on track!" Her voice is hiding her real reason.

"That's a shame, Ponyville is a nice place."

"Yes, it seems like it. If you could excuse me, I would like to get some sleep before tomarrow."

"Yes, of course. Have a nice night!"

Well, that went better than planned.

...

No, actually, it didn't.

You could use some rest.

You stay at the party for a few more minutes, tell Rarity that you weren't feeling well, and head home for some sleep.