The One Who Outsmarts and Outshines Them All
Princess Celestia had a content smile on her face. She was sitting on her throne, a hoof mindlessly tapping away to some song she'd heard in recent travels. A certain happiness filled the air, giving the room a peaceful feel. The throne room looked the way it always did, no changes or additions, so it wasn't the room itself that brought her that smile.
No, it wasn't the room, nor was it the perfectly cooked breakfast she'd had in the morning, or the fact that the flowers had finally bloomed, though they certainly didn't sadden her. It was the feeling of anticipation that brought the smile. More specifically, what is was that she would be receiving. This item was, perhaps to some, very minor and relatively boring. But, Princess Celestia saw things differently.
It brought her impossible joy as she held it in her hooves each week. It was essential to her very existence, or at least some believed that. This item, this extremely, amazingly, fantastically important item was, simply, a letter. Though, not just any letter. The letter is a report from her faithful student and close friend.
She'd grown to love being around Twilight after being with her all the those years studying and learning together. She now considered her to be her student and friend, of course, but also, at moments of closeness, almost like a daughter. Twilight was smart and fun and held within herself other very great qualities.
This, still, was not the only reason why she enjoyed the letters. What she loved most was being able to read about how much she'd learned. Knowing that her ponies were living, learning and growing gave her immeasurable proudness. Even simple things, such as the learning of personal boundaries or living carefree with friends gave her happiness.
These letters held honest words from Twilight and the stories of her and her friends' antics never ceased to amuse her. Sometimes, she got stories of Twilight's journeys. Other times, she got essays, reports, letters describing her wellbeing, notes for her studies and so on and so forth. No matter the type of letter, as long as she received her letter. Now, though, it didn't have to be on a specific day, but she took comfort in the fact that it almost always was. It was a huge part of Twilight to be punctual.
So, she sat, waiting for the letter, expecting it any moment. Her lips curled past a content smile to form an excited smile, accompanied by the trademark sparkle in her eyes. This was routine, as she could hardly repress the way she felt when getting her special reports and letters.
A message appeared before her in a flash of light. Right on time. She looked at the familiar scroll with her smile unwavering. She unrolled it and began to read.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I might as well start by saying that this isn't a friendship report. I know you're expecting a friendship report. Well, at least I'm guessing. I mean, you could be busy, or Luna could be taking over the day court for some reason, or something. I'm sorry for rambling, it's just that I have something to tell you. This is not what I planned in my head, Princess, truly. Back on track. I did, in fact, learn something, but not about friendship. It's like friendship, but it's... better.
That doesn't mean that friendship is terrible. It's the opposite actually. Friendship is amazing and something I would never trade, even if my life depended on it, since it's usually friendship that saves me when that literally happens. I wish that my young self could have experienced the joys of friendship. And, I care for my friends, deeply. They're the sweetest bunch of ponies I've ever met. You're really good too, though! Sorry...
So, I really enjoy my friends and the excitement that goes along with having them. It's just different is all. When you're with close friends you're very happy. You just want to go off and have fun. In this, you don't really need to have fun. You can just simply be close and have the best time ever.
I should probably get to the point of this letter. I wouldn't want to waste your time with my rambling again. Today, I learned that there's more than one kind of spark. Now, there's already a spark of friendship. It's a burst of happiness.
This spark is different. I feel a surge of warmth spread throughout my whole body and I have a tingly feeling in my stomach. I suddenly get nervous and I'm at a loss for words. Knowing me, Princess, that's a very hard thing. I'm practically a walking dictionary! Just ask Spike! Anyway, it's extremely embarrassing not being able to calm my own body down, but I also don't want it to stop.
I can't really put a name on it. I do have one in mind, though, but I don't know if it's the right word. The only word that came close to what I was feeling would be love. Let's call it a love spark.
You can probably tell that I'm not talking about familial love. You would be right to guess that because it's true. I think I may be in love, Princess.
Earlier in this letter, I said that I cared for my friends. That's true, I love all of them, but I love one of them just a little bit more than the others. I guess I realized it after the diamond dog incident. You see, my friend Rarity was taken by diamond dogs when collecting gems with Spike. He came to us and told us what happened. We all joined together to save her.
We had to try to get through the holes, but these rude dogs kept filling them up before we could get into one. In the heat of the moment, I completely forgot to teleport and resorted to running blindly to get into one of the holes before they were all closed off. We then tried to dig through these holes, while they pulled our tails, shoved us and moved around to trick us or hurt us to keep us from even making a dent in the piles of dirt. In the end, we were able to jump into a hole and find her. We had to fight off a few dogs, first, though, and then we finally got to her.
Surprisingly, not only was she safe, but she was leaving, and with all of their gems, too! We had all assumed that she couldn't handle herself. Being the elegant lady she is, we didn't think she could deal with the dirt and those brutish dogs. She ended up being perfectly fine and was able to do better than any of the rest us probably could. Everypony thought that she wouldn't do well in sticky situations, yet she came out victorious in only a few hours. I learned then how smart and clever she was.
Clever is different than smart. To be clever you have to be quick thinking and you have to be able to apply what you've learned to all situations. To be smart is to have a lot of knowledge, not necessarily to utilize that information.
She displayed both. She had common sense, knowledge and wit. It was then that I realized how much I looked up to her. She's able to give to others without a thought, help anypony in need and she also has a magnificent brain! Not only that, but she's truly beautiful, in every sense of the word.
Princess Celestia, I'm in love with Rarity. I'm hopelessly, completely, head over hooves in love with her. She's one of my best friends and I don't think I've ever met a better pony. Rarity is exactly the kind of pony who I thought I'd end up with and more. Her sophistication and grace remind me again and again of how classy she can be, while still being down to earth.
It was because of her that I learned about this new spark. It was because of how much I care for her. And I really do care deeply for her.
Rarity is the cause of this spark and I know that she's perfect for me. I'm sure. I haven't even asked her out yet, but I somehow know. I feel it in my heart and my gut. She's the one, Princess. I normally don't function in this way. Acting on feelings, believing in a true connection, but in this one instance, I don't need to know what it is that scientifically makes me love her, though that would be a good project. Remind me to write do a study on that.
I don't know how much you know about love or even crushes, but I hope that you know something about dating. I've read so many books on the topic, I counted and I have twenty-three in my possession, yet I still don't have even the slightest grasp on how to tell her or how to avoid telling her by blurting it out at some random moment. I let Spike's secret slip before in a sudden shout and he's one of my closest friends, so how can I expect myself to be calm when confessing it to her?
I'm sure of my love, but dating is scary. You have to be able to have casual conversation. It has the word casual in it, but it is not casual! You need to have proper posture, know when to say things, nod at the appropriate times, think up a joke pertaining to a given situation and so many other, complicated things. I don't know how someponies do it. I'd definitely want my flashcards with me, but that might be a bit awkward on a first date. You know how I am, always overthinking things. I'll probably just mess things up.
I keep reminding myself that I'm in love with her because of how kind and amazing she is. If she wasn't kind and forgiving, I doubt I would even want to be her friend. It's because of how amazing she is that I love her and it's because of how much I love her that I'll get past all of my fears. All I have to do is just focus on how wonderful it is to see her smile, or how breathtakingly beautiful she is, even without makeup, or how strong she is when faced with pain. Then, I know I'll be able to tell her without question, because I love her.
Now, I'm getting off track again. I shouldn't bother you with my fears. I shouldn't be bothering you with my love life either, but I need to tell somepony. I consider you to be a second mother, so it just felt natural when I decided to write this letter to you.
You were expecting a friendship report and I'm not sure how you'll respond to a heart-to-heart like this. I've spoken with my heart so far and I hope that you can understand how much I love her. I really hope that you're not expecting a friendship letter as well. (I really like being your student by the way.)
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia let out a happy sigh and smiled a knowing smile. "Oh, Twilight. You may not be the first to find the spark, but your spark is far deeper than most will ever hope to feel."
Author's Note
I added a lot to this story. It really didn't have a lot to it. It was just around 1,000 words, barely surpassing the minimum. Now, it's about 2,000 words! I added everything that felt right and gave Celestia a bigger scene.
