Midnight Confession

Twilight had always liked train stations during rainstorms. The splashing hooves and claws as creatures from one corner of Equestria rushed to catch their train to another corner of Equestria was a unique sound, one not heard at any other time.

Watching them try to keep from getting wet was pretty fun, too.

It was rather crowded that Thursday. The number of ponies that had come out for her coronation had dwindled over the past week, but there were still quite a few that had stuck around for the entire time.

Far too many of them had lofty ambitions.

Twilight sighed. She’d already gotten five marriage proposals and numerous requests for ‘private meetings’, which Twilight had no doubt would be about some kind of power grab.

How in the world did Celestia put up with all of this? One week, and Twilight was already sporting a constant headache. Celestia had done it, alone, for 1,000 years.

Thinking about it actually made Twilight’s head hurt more.

She idly spun her umbrella in her telekinesis, waiting. It would be coming soon. She’d memorized the schedule months ago.

Twilight let her gaze drift down the track, then back at Shining Armor and Cadance, who were standing next to her on the train platform.

“Did your friends go home already?” Shining asked.

“Hmm?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, they did. They couldn’t really stick around for the entire week. Most of them have jobs, and Fluttershy has a ton of animals that she looks after. A day or two wasn’t that big of a deal, but they still had to leave earlier than they would have liked.”

“Too bad,” Cadance said. “I wanted to speak with them some more, but as soon as I had some free time, they were already gone.”

“Free time?” Twilight asked.

Cadance grumbled. “Stupid Blueblood pulled me into some of his political shenanigans.”

Twilight paled. “Oh crud. With you gone, he’s going to try and get me on his side, isn’t he?”

Cadance smiled. “Yeah, probably.”

Twilight was not looking forward to that. Princesses and Princes of Equestria were expected to attend a great number of high society functions, and Blueblood tried to attend every one of them.

While she couldn’t say that she hated the stallion, she certainly didn’t like him. He was… obnoxious. Rude. Condescending.

Also, he smelled like cabbage. Twilight had never been able to figure that one out.

A train whistle blew in the near distance, coming from the north.

Oh good, a distraction!

“That’s probably going to be for us,” Shining Armor said.

Twilight nodded. She knew that, of course. The only train that came from that direction at this time of day was the one from the Crystal Empire.

A minute later, the Crystal Train pulled into the station, its wheels screeching loudly as they tried to bring its rather heavy form to a stop. The crystals that had been used to construct it weren’t really ideal for the job.

Twilight covered her ears, wincing in pain. “You guys really need a new train. That one’s too painful on the ears to use.”

Shining laughed and nodded. “I know, it’s awful.” He shrugged. “But the Crystal Ponies love it, and as long as they’re happy, Cadance and I are happy.”

The train came to a stop with a puff of steam, and numerous passengers began disembarking. Among them was a contingent of Crystal Empire Guards.

There was a round of saluting and greeting between the soldiers and Shining Armor, but Twilight tuned most of it out. She’d never cared much for military work.

She would probably be expected to learn the rules soon, though. Celestia and Luna were rather heavily involved in the affairs of their own guards, and Cadance seemed to be at ease around the group of guardsponies.

“I love it when he gives commands,” Cadance said, bringing Twilight out of her inner thoughts. “It gets me all… steamy.”

Twilight tried not to make a face and failed.

“Oh? Something wrong, Twilight?” Cadance asked, grinning lecherously.

“Not really,” Twilight muttered. “Just not sure I want to hear about how hot you think my brother is.”

“Ah? And here I thought you were happy we’d gotten married!”

“I am!” Twilight said. “Really! I just…” She blushed. “I don’t really want to hear about it, okay? He is my brother, you know.”

Cadance giggled into a hoof. “Twilight, you are such a prude.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at Cadance. “I wasn’t aware that not wanting to hear about my brother’s love life was considered ‘prudish’.”

Cadance sighed theatrically. “Alas, we are simply too different, my dear Twilight! Ours is a love that can never be!”

Twilight growled. “Not even close to funny!”

“I disagree,” Shining Armor said, stepping up to stand next to Cadance. “I thought it was hilarious.”

“Traitor!” Twilight shouted.

“Only for Cadance, Twylie.” Shining grinned cheekily.

There was a pause as Twilight glared at the two of them. It only lasted for a few seconds before the reality of the situation came back to her.

They were about to leave. For a long time.

“I’m surprised you guys didn’t bring any luggage with you,” Twilight said, trying to distract herself from thinking about it.

“Why would we?” Cadance asked. “Everything we could bring from the Crystal Empire is stuff we can get here, and my room in the castle still has most of the stuff I collected when I lived in Canterlot.”

Shining Armor’s left eye twitched madly. “So much pink.”

“Finally had to spend the night in her room, huh?” Twilight asked.

“We’re married; it’s expected,” Shining said. He shuddered and gagged. “Doesn’t mean I liked it.”

“You, Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna, and even Twilight,” Cadance said, lower lip jutting out in a pout. “What’s wrong with pink?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the color pink, Cadance,” Twilight said. “So long as it’s used in moderation. What you did to that room does not count as moderation.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“You dyed the toilet water so it was pink!” Twilight said.

“It needed to match the rest of the toilet!”

Twilight’s eye was twitching now. “Shining, is she like this when she’s dealing with the Crystal Empire?”

“No,” Cadance said.

“Yes,” Shining Armor said.

Cadance’s glare could have melted concrete.

“Uh, I mean… no?” Shining said, shifting nervously to stand behind Twilight.

“Wha— Shiney, don’t hide behind me!” Twilight shouted, trying to shove him in front of herself with a burst of magic.

Shining fought it off with his own magic. “There’s no other cover near here!”

Twilight shoved him harder. “Fight your own battles!”

“You’re an alicorn princess! You’re better at fighting my battles than I am!”

The light click of horseshoes on cobble and the sound of gentle laughter caught the attention of all three of them, interrupting their argument.

Twilight looked behind herself to see that Celestia and Luna had arrived.

Cadance grinned. “Aunt Celestia! Aunt Luna! You made it!” She dashed forward and pulled both of her aunts into a hug.

Twilight noted, with a great deal of interest, that the raindrops that hit Celestia immediately evaporated into steam.

The ones that hit Luna, on the other hand, just seemed to vanish into nothing. There wasn’t a drop of water on her coat.

Interesting.

Was it a property of their innate alicorn magic? Twilight didn’t know every spell ever written, of course, but she had the feeling that, if there were such a convenient spell for keeping dry, it would be widespread.

She certainly wanted to learn it, if it existed.

“We would not miss this farewell, dear niece,” Luna said. “It is not often that we are capable of visiting one another, after all.”

“I’m really glad you came, both of you,” Cadance said.

Despite her words, Twilight noticed that Cadance’s hug with Celestia lasted a fair bit longer than the one with Luna had.

“I… I really miss you, Auntie,” Cadance said.

Celestia smiled and ran a hoof down Cadance’s mane. “I miss you as well, Cadance. The castle doesn’t feel the same without you there.”

Twilight agreed with that. Once Cadance had stopped foalsitting her, and she’d moved out to pursue…

Well, most likely to pursue Shining Armor, now that Twilight thought about.

After that, the atmosphere in the castle had changed a lot. It was… empty. Stuffy.

Lonely.

The train conductor called for final boarding.

Twilight threw her hooves around Shining Armor in a backbreaking embrace, squeezing him for all she was worth. She didn't know when she'd get another chance.

Shining Armor leaned into the hug, stroking Twilight’s mane. “It’s okay, little sis. It’s not forever. We’ll see each other soon enough.”

“Soon enough isn’t soon enough,” Twilight said.

Shining laughed and pulled away slightly so he could look at Twilight’s face. “You used to say that whenever I went to school.”

Twilight sniffed. “It was true then, and it’s true now.” She buried her face in Shining’s neck, trying to hide her tears. She probably wasn’t going to succeed.

“Please don’t cry, Twylie,” Shining whispered. “It’ll be okay. You have Princess Celestia, as well as Spike and your friends. You don’t need me looking out for you anymore, Princess Twilight.”

“Needing and wanting are two different things, B.B.B.F.F.,” Twilight said.

“Shiney, we have to go,” Cadance said, pointing at the train. “If we don’t get going, we’ll get left behind.”

Reluctantly, Twilight released her hold on Shining Armor, stepping back and away from the train.

Shining Armor and Cadance boarded with another round of farewells, shouted over the sound of the train starting up.

The train got up to speed quickly despite its weight, and a few moments later, it was turning into a dot on the horizon.

“And there they go…” Twilight mumbled.

Celestia lay a soft, white wing over Twilight’s back, and pulled her into a hug.

Twilight leaned into Celestia’s side, letting the warmth of Celestia’s magic flow across her coat. She smelled like cinnamon today.

Maybe from the tea she’d had this morning?

“It’s okay, Twilight. Shining Armor is right, it isn’t forever. Just ‘until next time’,” Celestia said.

“I don’t like saying goodbye,” Twilight said, and wiped a hoof across her eyes to brush away her tears.

“Parting is never easy, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. “It is, however, a fact of life. And one you must learn to deal with, if you are to be a ruler.”

“I’m not so sure I’m cut out to be a ruler,” Twilight admitted. She nuzzled into Celestia’s side, enjoying the combined warmth of their coats.

“I disagree,” Celestia said.

“As do I,” Luna said.

“How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked.

“I believe in you, Twilight,” Celestia stated, smiling gently down at her.

Twilight loved that smile. It was the one that always made her feel safe, loved, accepted.

To Twilight’s surprise, Luna lay a comforting hoof on her side, trying to give Twilight her own version of a gentle smile.

It ended up looking more stern than caring, but Twilight felt it was a nice attempt.

“How could we do anything but believe in you, after all that you have accomplished?” Luna said. “It would be foolish to do otherwise.”

“Are you sure, Luna?” Twilight said. “You’ve seemed a little… hesitant. About me. In the past, I mean.”

Luna nodded. “Yes, but it is not for lack of faith in your capabilities, Twilight Sparkle. Rather, it is out of concern.”

“Concern?”

“You are very young, and you are rather dear to both myself and my sister,” Luna said. “I simply do not wish to see you harmed. And as for you not being a good ruler…” She looked at Celestia, who took up speaking.

“It won’t happen overnight, Twilight,” Celestia said. “You don’t just wake up one day with the ability to be a leader, or a ruler. It’s something you work at, day and night, for years.” Her horn glowed, and a layer of magic covered Twilight’s umbrella, which began to grow in size.

“Just like magic, huh?” Twilight noted, looking at the umbrella. It was three times the size it had been a minute ago. A growth spell.

“Just like magic,” Celestia confirmed.

Twilight could hear Luna rolling her eyes.

“If the two of you are going to insist on romantic endeavors, I believe I shall take my leave of you,” Luna said. She flapped her wings once and was airborne.

“Ah, she left,” Twilight said. What Luna had said registered a second later. “Wait, she considers this romantic?”

“Well, we are holding each other, rather closely, at a train station during a rainstorm while sharing an umbrella,” Celestia said.

Twilight’s face was burning again. “Oh. Yeah. I, uh… Hmm. That’s certainly romantic, isn’t it?” She swallowed. “Is… is that okay, Celestia?”

“Hrm? Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. I guess… Well, are you okay with, well…” Twilight gestured between herself and Celestia, and then at the other ponies that were on the platform. “Letting it get out?”

“I don’t see why not,” Celestia said. “I certainly don’t have a problem with everypony else knowing. The better question, I think, is ‘do you’?”

Twilight considered that. Did she mind if anypony here saw her with Celestia?

…No. She didn’t. This was the path she’d chosen, and she wasn’t going to hide her relationship with Celestia like it was some dirty secret.

She already had plenty of real dirty secrets, anyway. Twilight made a mental note to add more locks to her ‘this doesn’t exist and you can’t prove otherwise’ drawer.

Maybe a bear trap, too. Spike had been getting nosy lately.

“I’m okay with it, Celestia,” Twilight said.

“Good!” Celestia said. “Then you won’t mind if I do this!” She dipped her head down and kissed Twilight. On the lips.

Twilight felt her eyes widen. She thought about kissing back, but her brain had short circuited.

Celestia pulled back, caught Twilight’s expression, and smirked.

That… was not a chaste kiss. That had been a real, romantic kiss.

“Wow.”

Celestia giggled. “Oh? It’s been a while since I got a ‘wow’ out of somepony.” She grinned mischievously. “I wonder how many more I can get out of you?”

Whatever Twilight had been about to say was cut off by the shrill whistle of the Friendship Express, and then by the clacking and clattering of the train coming to a stop.

Stupid train! Twilight added it to a mental list of enemies that needed to be destroyed.

Ponies who broke the spine on books was already number one, so she added it as number two. Brussel sprouts would be demoted to number three.

“I think this is your ride, Twilight,” Celestia said.

Twilight frowned. “I’m not sure I want to go, Celestia. I mean, we just started seeing each other. Isn’t this too soon for us to part?” She bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth. “And everything I’ve ever read about relationships has said that long distance ones don’t work.”

“Twilight…” Celestia pointed a hoof to the south. “It’s a 2 minute train ride.”

“It seems longer!”

“Twilight, I can fly. And teleport. And so can you. It’s not that big of a deal,” Celestia said.

“Well… still…”

“Twilight, I can literally see your house from here.”

Twilight looked down towards Ponyville. Sure enough, she could see the top of Golden Oak Library if she concentrated.

“Huh. I couldn’t see this well before.”

Celestia poked one of Twilight’s wings. “Alicorn, remember? Pegasus ponies have fantastic eyesight, and now, so do you.”

“Oh. That makes sense. They probably need good eyes, being so far up in the air all the time.”

Twilight finally relented. “...It really isn’t that far away, is it?”

“No, it’s not.” Celestia tapped a hoof against her chin. “But if it will help, I can write you letters.”

Twilight beamed. “Really?! Please! I’d love to get some from you again!”

“So long as you write me as well,” Celestia said. “And, while you’re at it, you should probably write to Cadance and Shining Armor sometimes, too. They’d probably like to hear from you more than once a year.”

Twilight flinched. Celestia probably hadn’t meant for that to sound like an admonishment, but it had still stuck in her all the same.

Celestia’s face fell. “Forgive me, Twilight. I hadn’t meant for that to come out the way it did.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s probably best that you said it. I… I let myself get caught up in what I’m doing so often, a lot of other stuff kind of falls through the cracks.” Twilight hmmed. “I should probably write my parents too, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes, I think they would appreciate it.” Celestia looked up at the umbrella that was still floating over the two of them. “As for what you choose to tell them regarding our relationship, I will leave that to your discretion.”

The train blew its final boarding call whistle.

The sound jogged Twilight’s memory, and she gasped. “Oh, I almost forgot!”

“Yes?”

“Before my friends left, we talked about some of the stuff that came up last week…” Twilight began.

“The breakfast discussion?” Celestia asked, most likely to verify.

“Yes, that’s the one. Um, remember how I admitted to, well…”

“Not wanting to share me?” Celestia said.

“Yeah…” Twilight sighed. “That’s the one.” She looked up into Celestia’s eyes. “I think we may have found a good way to start. On the sharing front, I mean.”

“What is it?”

“Next week, my friends and I are going to have a slumber party. We want you and Luna to come,” Twilight said.

Celestia tilted her head, intrigued.

“If I can’t share you with my best friends, in a place where I feel comfortable, I’m never going to be able to share you with anypony.”

Celestia grinned. “Oh, I haven’t been to a slumber party in years! And, now that I think about it, I don’t believe Luna has ever been to one.”

“So, will you come?” Twilight asked hopefully.

“Yes, I will,” Celestia said. “As for Luna, I can’t guarantee anything, but I believe she will as well. She seems far more open to being sociable since Nightmare Night.” She clicked her tongue. “Of course, if we both attend, we’ll have to leave Prince Blueblood in charge of Canterlot for the night.”

Twilight shivered. “Not sure that’s a good idea.”

“It’s not too bad, Twilight,” Celestia said.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Celestia, the last time he was in charge of Canterlot for an hour, he tried to make being poor illegal.”

Celestia nodded slowly, mulling. “Perhaps I should have hugged him more when he was a foal?”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, or what mental leaps Celestia had to go through to reach that conclusion.

That was one of the problems with dealing with intelligent ponies, Twilight thought. You couldn’t predict them easily, and they tended to catch you off guard.

Speaking of being caught off guard...

“Princess Twilight?”

Twilight jumped slightly, startled. There was a trainpony, one of the baggage handlers, standing next to her. When had he gotten there?

“The conductor sent me out here to see if you were alright,” he said. “I’m afraid this is the last call for the train. Are you going to board?”

Twilight looked at Celestia, who smiled and pushed her slightly towards the train.

“Go on, Twilight. You have a life waiting for you in Ponyville,” Celestia said.

With a sigh of regret, Twilight boarded the train. She quickly found the nearest empty car, popped the window open, and stuck her head out.

“I’ll send you a letter every day!” Twilight said. “And once we figure out what day it’s going to be, I’ll send you the invite to the slumber party!”

“I’m looking forward to it!” Celestia said. She seemed to notice that she was still holding onto Twilight’s umbrella, which shrank down and floated over to Twilight in one smooth motion.

“Sorry, I forgot I was holding this!”

Twilight clutched the umbrella, now bone dry, to her chest. It still had the warmth from Celestia’s magic on it.

Oh yeah, Twilight was definitely going to figure that one out. It wasn’t just for rain, either. She already had multiple ideas for how to use it during her scientific studies.

The train lurched suddenly, and Twilight had to pull her head inside the car to prevent it from hitting the edge of the windowsill.

The train began picking up speed, the wheels clacking faster and faster.

Twilight lay a hoof against the window and locked eyes with Celestia. She didn’t want to leave, but Celestia was right. Twilight did have a life, a home, in Ponyville. No matter what their relationship was now, she wasn’t going to throw away everything she and her friends had worked for.

Friends, family, romance, royalty, work, studies...

Twilight would just have to make all of the parts of her life work equally. Somehow.

The train turned a bend. Celestia disappeared from sight.

Twilight lay her head against the cool window and sighed.

It was going to be a long week.