The Party
by
FuzzyFurvert
Celestia wandered away from the murmur of adult conversation and the peal of foals’ laughter from the party in the courtyard. She tread slowly into one of the marble lined galleries that flanked the gardens. The noise quieted and the lights dimmed considerably here, away from everypony. She didn’t need to go far to be alone.
Not that she wanted to be alone. Celestia merely liked the illusion.
In the darkness that surrounded her, Celestia could feel her shadow edging closer, waiting patiently at a polite distance. Celestia looked out over the garden and took a seat by one of the marble columns that supported the vaulted gallery ceiling. She leaned against its base to shield herself a little more from the near-by party. Her shadow would need a stronger illusion of solitude than she did.
“Join me,” Celestia turned her head and looked over her shoulder and added, “please?”
Her shadow, her Most Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle, stepped forward, her hooves making tiny ‘clop’ noises on the marble. She bowed formally when she got a few strides away from Celestia. The monarch could smell the alcohol coming off her from there.
Not that Twilight reeked of it. She’d always been a very light drinker, even socially. It put her to sleep after only a couple of glasses, depending on the quality of the booze consumed. If Celestia’s nose was to be trusted, she could just pick up a hint of mint schnapps on Twilight’s breath. Twilight drank schnapps for two reasons: whenever a theoretical physics equation that spanned two chalkboards needed to be stared into submission, or she needed to overcome a potentially embarrassing and unavoidable social situation where she had already exhausted every other option to avoid it.
Contrary to rumor, Celestia knew her ass wasn’t as wide as two chalkboards or covered in math, so it must be the later reason that her shadow chose to drink.
“How are you this beautiful night, Twilight?” Celestia smiled. “My sister knows how to hold an impressive party, wouldn’t you agree?”
Twilight closed the distance between them and took a seat next to her. She grinned at Celestia, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked a little nervous. Celestia supposed that the alcohol was to thank for keeping the little unicorn from being in full on manic mode. Something was bothering Twilight.
“Oh yes! I agree, Princess. Princess Luna does put on a good party. I should know, I helped her plan it after all.” Twilight giggled, her nervousness leaking away slightly. Celestia watched the muscles in Twilight’s back relax a bit more.
“Did you? I didn’t know. Lulu wanted to take care of everything so that I might enjoy the party as much as all the other guests.” Celestia chuckled as she remembered her exchange with Luna a month previously. “You should have seen her face when she put in the request. She thought I would refuse her. How could I, when this night is hers above all other nights?”
“I can imagine.” Twilight lowered her voice and looked away and out into the moonlit gardens beyond the darkened gallery. “Are you having fun? Mingling with us morta - er, common - ponies?”
“Of course I am having fun.” Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “It has been far too long since I was able to put aside the crown and just be myself. It is an opportunity that I wouldn’t pass up for the world.”
Celestia chuckled again, deep and melodic.
“Even if I was in disguise most of the night.”
“In your defense, it was a very good Rarity costume.” Twilight giggled again and looked back at Celestia, her smile bright in the dim light. “She will never let you forget it, of course!”
“Of course.”
Celestia had thought of the costume herself after much hemming and hawing over what seemed like thousands of choices. It came down to elegant simplicity at the end. Her coat nearly matched Rarity’s. A couple of bottles of temporary coat dye fixed that. A commercially available wet application temporary cutie mark over her sunburst and a purple wig - both of which had to be enlarged - covered the rest of the details. The only magic Celestia needed to employ was hiding her wings.
With the physical costume complete, she just needed to project the mare’s personality. For two hours Celestia pranced as she mingled with guests, adding just a hint of extra sashaying to put it over the top. She vogued whenever she wasn’t moving. She called everypony ‘darling!’ and slipped a little snooty giggle into her speech every now and then. She commented on everypony’s mane styling and costumes, making sure to apply her more generous compliments to those industry and social leaders that would be best able to further the true Rarity’s fashion business in Canterlot and beyond.
“I…” Twilight started, but her voice faded out and she remained facing the garden instead of looking at Celestia.
She let Twilight think about whatever it was she wanted to say in silence. Celestia knew ponies and how they worked. She sat quietly, absorbing the cool breeze and dulled sounds of the party the way a plant drew in water and sunlight, letting it seep into her at a comfortably slow and steady rate. Twilight would spit it out in due time.
Eventually, Twilight turned her head and regarded Celestia. “I was wondering… er, if you… er, Princess. If you ever thought about being with a common pony?” Twilight shook her head violently. “Ahem! Hahaehehe...heh… I meant to say: ‘about being a common pony.’ You know, because you’re not a common pony. Not that that is bad! Nononono! I mean, you’re perfection in pony form! How could you not being a common pony be wrong?! Heheheeee…”
Celestia blinked. She hadn’t expected that line of questions from her shadow.
“That is an unusual question, even from you, my Faithful Student.” Celestia chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, thinking about which answer to use this time.
“I would have to say,” Celestia started slowly, “that the short answer is: yes. I have thought about it from time to time. Putting aside my crown and all its responsibilities has been a temptation I have battled before. There are a great deal of complications with the ruler of a nation just quitting her day job. Even if only for a short while.”
Celestia smiled and nuzzled Twilight’s chest, making the unicorn gasp and swell. “We’ve discussed those most obvious problems before. Though, with Luna returned and the populace accepting her back into their hearts, most of the basics of rulership and the running of the kingdom are actually covered. As this Nightmare Night party demonstrates rather aptly. If I chose, I could be Celestia and not Princess Celestia, for a short time. But, I fear, a long term stay among the ‘common pony’ folk, as you refer to them, would be painful for me.”
Celestia watched Twilight’s face become carefully guarded. “What do you mean by that?”
“I am an alicorn. My physical stature alone sets me apart in a sea of ponies. I am of all the tribes while being a member of none of them. My magical prowess is second to none. I control the sun. I am effectively immortal. These differences might be ignored for a while, but they could not be ignored forever, Twilight.”
She watched Twilight’s face fall. Twilight’s lips went limp, her ears drooped and her eyebrows slowly lowered. Celestia could hear the slow release of breath from her student. She knew the real answer Twilight was searching for. She could lie. Twilight never doubted anything Celestia said to her. She had told far greater lies for less. She had stood by, confident in the truth while every pony around her wallowed in an untruth and made it a part of the very culture she shepherded. Those few ponies that asked her these very questions with the own hearts on display however, they deserved better than a lie.
In truth, Celestia did not know how she felt about it. Friendship was a great and powerful thing that could be cultivated with many and stretched across time and even beyond the grave. Love, on the other hoof, was destructive in both the best and worst possible ways. It could give a pony purpose greater than their cutie mark. Or it could destroy them. Love was solely responsible for taking more than a few of her former lovers away from her.
She thought about the young unicorn at her side. Another shadow in a very very long line of shadows. Twilight was special. They had each been special, in their own ways, but Twilight stood out even among the elite company she had no idea that she kept. Twilight’s mastery of Friendship was incredible. She was the savior of Equestria thrice over. Twilight was smart, honest, earnest, funny and capable. She certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes either. She was everything a pony could wish for.
But whenever Celestia looked at Twilight, she still saw that awkward foal that came to her all those years ago and caused such a commotion. A starstruck Twilight Sparkle, barely taller than Celestia’s ankles, gazing up at her in complete reverence was the image in her mind when she thought about the mare.
Mare.
Celestia let her eyes trail slowly over Twilight. She’d become fully grown and well formed in what seemed the blink of an eye. Twilight’s costume was a simple robe styled after Clover the Clever’s, during her archmagus years. It clung to her body along her flanks and dock, outlining her figure just as much as it concealed it. Twilight had a body much like her ancestor’s, with wider hips and delicate features. Her evenly styled mane framed a cute face and a surprisingly girthy horn.
Celestia felt a blush start and flicked her eyes away. She cursed silently as her imagination supplied a vision of Twilight twisted up in the bedsheets in Celestia’s personal chambers. Celestia blinked. Her mind defied her attempt to shake the image loose by replacing the sheets with straps and Neighponese style rope bindings.
Celestia willed those thoughts away. She could admit Twilight was attractive and no longer a filly by any stretch of the imagination. She focused on her heart, listening to it beat ever so slightly quicker. Perhaps she could love again. Perhaps she could let another pony, another shadow, close to her inner self.
“Twilight,” Celestia tilted her head against the pillar at her side, “I know that isn’t the answer you are looking for. You wonder if I ever think about being with a common pony.”
Twilight jerked her head up and swallowed nervously. “I...I-I don’t know what you m-mean, Princess!”
Celestia smiled gently. “The short answer is the same. Yes, I have thought that. I am thinking about it now, honestly.”
Twilight sputtered something that might have been recognizable language at some point. Now that she’d allowed her mind to think of Twilight as a grown mare worthy of admiration, Celestia couldn’t help but see her fluster as adorable.
“The long answer is… complicated. It would have to be with somepony very special and of course, very important to me. Somepony I could trust. Somepony that would be able to put aside all the things that set me apart from other mares. Somepony that could accept me as just Celestia.”
Celestia sighed and looked down at a furiously blushing Twilight. “There are far too few ponies in this world that could do all that and be who I need, as well as deal with the pressures of being my royal consort. They would need a good bit of stamina too. They would also need to like taller mares.”
Celestia giggled, her smile brightening as Twilight joined her. Her shadow leaned in closer as a light breeze picked up in the garden, scooped up fallen leaves and swirled them about. There came a loud shout from the party followed by a dull roar of a cheer from the crowd. Under all that noise, Celestia barely heard Twilight’s whisper.
“Do you know… who… who you want to be with?”
Celestia stretched a wing out, the magic hiding them dissipating as she did so, and laid it across Twilight’s back, blocking the wind. She lowered her head and enclosed her shadow, her Faithful Student, inside a circle of herself. Celestia brought her muzzle up to Twilight’s ear and whispered back to her.
“I know now.”
Original Unpublished/Cut Version
Author's Note
It was pointed out to me that I should include this here. You might have already read this over on my Fuzzy Fluffy Fables collection, and if so, there is nothing new here. But if you haven't, this is how Taking Off the Masks originally started up to the point where Twilight and the other main characters showed up at the party.
I cut it, because at the time I was just not feeling it and the contest time limit was starting the loom. To sort of kickstart myself, I cut it and started fresh, focusing on the real heart of the narrative, which of course was Twilight and Celestia's interaction. I shoved the party to the background and just focused on the two main players.
That worked out pretty well, all things considered. You might notice that I ended up referencing some of the things here in the final version of the story in Celestia's dialogue and musings. While this is by no means needed to enjoy the final version, I feel that including it here makes the story feel somewhat more complete.
Original Unpublished/Cut Version
The Party
by Fuzzyfurvert
Luna gently pushed open the door to Celestia’s office, nodding as she did so to the guards on duty. Inside, she returned the smile from her sister as Celestia looked up from her desk. Luna shut the door behind her and approached her sister cautiously.
“Have you reviewed my request yet, sister?” Luna stopped in front of Celestia’s desk and nervously rubbed her hoof against the plush carpeting.
“I have.”
“And?” Luna bit her lip as Celestia’s horn started to glow and she shifted several pieces of parchment about.
“I see no reason why not to grant it, Luna. I think it will do wonders for your PR here in Canterlot.”
Luna smiled and nodded. She stood there silently as Celestia went back to reading. After a brief pause, Celestia looked back up.
“Is there anything else, Luna?”
“What… um, of my other request?”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “It’s highly unorthodox.”
Luna’s ears drooped and she bowed her head. “I know. But I thought--”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t grant it.”
Luna perked back up, a smile spreading across her face. “Really, Tia? You mean it?”
“Promise me you’ll clean up afterwards and that I won’t have to fend off any awkward questions from the press about it and you have yourself a deal.” Celestia smiled and dipped her quill into the inkwell before moving another piece of paper in front of herself.
Luna jumped in place and did a quick jig, a huge grin splitting her from ear to ear. “Oh Tia! You will not regret this! I shall make sure everything is perfect! This will be SO MUCH FUN!” Luna’s shout rattled the windows and made Celestia wince, but the smile remained.
“Oh, and Luna?”
Luna giggled and turned around in a tight circle before looking back at Celestia. “Yes?”
“I believe I shall require your help in picking out a costume.”
***
The month passed quickly. The weather started to turn cooler and the leaves began to pile up alongside the roadways as ponies moved around the city. The season brought out the best in her little ponies, Celestia reflected as she watched another group of foals and their parents trot past and veer toward a confectionery that smelled of ripe pumpkins and rich spices. Their laughter echoed between the tall walls of the Canterlot Shopping Bazaar.
The shopfronts were gayly decorated with orange and black and green and yellow, banners and simple cutouts of bruha-ponies on broomsticks. Smiling, carved pumpkins sat in every corner, on every stoop, alit from within with a candle and adding to the cozy gloom of twilight by casting long jumping shadows. The customers and business owners alike were just as fanciful, dressed in all manner of costumes from a basic mask to full bodysuits with bright colors and sequins.
The ponies of Canterlot moved around Celestia like a stream parting around a rock. They paid her no heed. She stood still near the edge of the fountain just in front of the castle’s main gate waiting of the signal that the grand Nightmare Night Ball was about to start. She knew it would start with the moonrise. Luna consulted her on a thousands of tiny details. She wanted this party to go off like a hitch. If Luna was successful, the event would go down in history.
Celestia smiled to herself as guest filed into the castle courtyard. Most of them paid her only a passing glance. They would pause and raise their eyebrows then shake their heads and move on. Simple small talk babbled around her like a brook in the woods. No pony bowed to her. No pony deferred to her. They milled about with unguarded posture and speech.
This was a good idea. I’ll have to congratulate Luna for talking me into this. Celestia chuckled quietly and continued to watch ponies of all walks of life filter in off the leaf-covered cobblestones. She winked at a stallion who was dressed as a luchador and had noticed her in the corner. His eyes told her that he knew just who she was. He nodded to her once and then walked over toward the refreshments tent with an earth pony mare dressed as a devil.
It’s been too long since I’ve been treated with this much anonymity. It’s heady. I really should do this more often! Celestia shook her head wistfully and stood up. Her costume did nothing to hide her size. She still stood head and withers above her little ponies, but everything else was changed. She even wore a set of colored contacts to change her eyes.
A bell tolled softly from deeper inside Canterlot castle and Celestia started to walk toward the middle of the courtyard and gathered crowd of gaily dressed ponies. She wanted a good view when Luna started the show. She also wanted to start practicing her character a little before the Elements arrived.
At one of the tables covered in tiny orange and black frosting covered pastries, Celestia found her personal secretary, who seemed to be dressed as some sort of sea pony, complete with a red wig, a tail-fin covering her real tail and sea shells covering her cutie mark. Her thick square glasses were a dead giveaway though.
“Darling! You look simply smashing in that ensemble! Red matches your coat and compliments your eyes!”
“Huh?” Raven blinked and turned around before craning her neck up to look at Celestia. Her eyes widened in surprise as she started stuttering.
Celestia kept smiling, but winced inside. Perhaps direct contact should be avoided if I want to maintain my--
“W-why, Miss R-Rarity! How kind of you to say so.” Raven smirked and then offered her one of the tiny pastries. “Chocolate scone? I didn’t know you were coming to our Canterlot Nightmare Night festivities.”
Raven winked at her and Celestia released a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding. Maybe this would work out after all. Celestia took the offered scone and took a polite nibble.
“Thank you darling! I’m certain the other Elements will along shortly. We were personally invited by Princess Luna, of course.” Celestia grinned and leaned down to whisper in Raven’s ear. “How am I doing?”
“Just fine.” Raven giggled. “Maybe throw a bit of a prance into your gait and and you’d be a deadringer.”
Almost as if on queue, there was a crashing noise from the other end of the refreshments area followed by the unmistakable giggle-snort of the Bearer of Laughter herself. Celestia looked over her shoulder and gaped as Pinkie Pie, dressed in a comically oversized costume of herself, helped another pony back onto their hooves next to an overturned punchbowl. Behind her, the other costumed Elements were already starting to chat up the guests and spread out. Celestia squinted but couldn’t locate her most faithful student among them.
Celestia glanced at Raven and the unicorn waved her off. “Have fun mingling Your Hig - er - Miss Rarity!”
She nodded to her secretary and started through the crowd, consciously adding a little more bounce to her step and consequently adding a good deal more bounce to her expertly styled coif.
(this would have lead to some interaction with the girls and then Celestia retiring for a bit of privacy and taking up where the final version starts.)
