Opening Twilight's Heart

by Knight of Cerebus

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance
Length: 54903

Twilight panics when she discovers that Princesses are expected to have formal dates for Hearts and Hooves Day, so she travels to Celestia for advice, getting a lot more than either of them bargained for in the process.

Collab with The Abyss (Chapters 1 and 2)

Proofread by Neko Majin C and edited by The Abyss (Chapters 3 onwards)

Twilight Sparkle has always ignored Hearts and Hooves Day, seeing it as just another normal day with extra chocolate and the occasional broken-hearted friend to comfort. But when Rarity convinces her that not having a date during the holiday is contrary to proper princess protocol, Twilight rushes to do everything in her power to live up to the expectations presented to her.

There’s just one problem, though: Twilight has never been on a proper date before.

After a few rather disastrous attempts to find a date in Ponyville, Twilight goes to her mentor in Canterlot in a last ditch effort in the hopes of finding the answers she seeks. Princess Celestia, however, may have something more for her than either of them had anticipated.

Published 2014-04-19 02:20:06 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-12 22:31:05 UTC

Chapter 1

The double doors to Celestia’s personal study opened with a bang. Celestia gave a cozy smile at the sight, knowing it meant that a very flustered and nervous student of hers was about to barrel into the room at any moment.

“Sorry… I… made… you… wait, Princess,” Twilight wheezed, her lungs working double time to compensate for the exertion of getting to Celestia’s chambers as quickly as possible. It also didn’t help that the secluded room was at the top of the East Tower, which just so happened to be on the complete opposite side of the castle.

“That’s quite alright, Twilight.” Celestia raised an eyebrow at the makeup that had been applied in agonizing detail to her student’s face. She looked almost identical to the cover of any given celebrity magazine, which Celestia imagined was where she had gotten the proportions from. She couldn’t help but find that, framed on Twilight’s decidedly un-model-like face, the effect was unsettling rather than beautifying. “Though I do wish you had given me some more forewarning that you were arriving in Canterlot. You had me worried. This lack of formality isn’t very much like you.”

Twilight gave a shaky nod, trying her best to ease her breathing. “I just wanted to minimize time wasted. You know, there are only another fourteen hours and twenty two minutes until midnight.”

Celestia paused, her smile shifting ever so slightly as she began to understand the situation. “That is factually correct, yes. However, I have yet to be informed as to its relevance.”

Twilight took this as a chance to launch into lecture mode, co-opting her mentor’s curtains as a background on which to project a diagram. “Today is an important regional holiday, and according to Shorn Fetlock’s Guide To Impeccable Manners, that means that official authority figures need to be seen partaking in what the holiday has to offer. From costumes on Nightmare Night...”

At this, a cartoonish Luna wearing a Nightmare Moon costume accompanying an equally cartoonish Twilight dressed as Star Swirl the Bearded walked across the screen. “To Hearth’s Warming Eve...” Celestia and Twilight figures dressed in red hats flew across the screen on a sleigh pulled by royal guards. “To the Summer Sun Celebration.” Twilight finished with a trio of princesses waving over a group of subjects. “However, I lack sufficient decorum with regards to the concept of–”

“Hearts and Hooves Day.” Celestia finished for her. “And so you have come to me, hoping I might be able to tutor you on the subject.”

Twilight nodded. All at once, she noticed she was mangling Celestia’s curtains, and she released them with an apologetic blush. “I want to know how to date somepony. I made a few attempts in Ponyville using only my dating guides, but…” Twilight gave a wince, looking as though she had just been force fed a particularly large and prickly sour fruit. “...I soon came to appreciate that this was not something I was going to be able to handle myself. And, uh, since you’ve had at least a thousand more Hearts and Hooves Days to practice, I was kind of hoping… well, yeah.”

Celestia gave a chuckle, once more taking in Twilight’s current state. “I am sorry to disappoint you, Twilight, but I haven’t been very up to date on, well, dating for quite some time now. I imagine I could give you some of the more basic advice, but it is hardly something I could teach you with lectures and diagrams. I think it would be helpful if you thought of it more like the process of making friends, because that’s what it really is. Dating is not something that should be forced, but rather something more natural. Beyond that, I can only tell you that nopony has really expected me to attempt dating, and I doubt that they will extend an expectation to you.”

“Why not?” Twilight shook her head. “I was talking to Rarity, and she said that it was unthinkable for a Princess not to have a special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day, and when I asked Applejack, she said that if something was important enough to me that I was stressing about it that it would be worth doing, and then Dash said it would be cool if I had a special somepony and…” Twilight lifted a hoof to her chest, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. “The point is, my friends say that it’s important and I want to make sure I’m representing Equestria’s best interests.”

“I’m not sure that such behaviour is expected of you, but I will agree with Applejack in her saying that it would be best for you to listen to your feelings on the matter. You must know that romance doesn’t happen mechanically, Twilight. It is a product of your heart.”

Twilight sighed. “It can’t be quantified, I know. But surely it can be understood!” She looked at Celestia pleadingly. “What should I do?”

She was met with a comforting hoof pushing through her mane and a warm, solid wing wrapping around her. A cloth levitated to Twilight’s face and gently wiped at the makeup that had so distorted its natural looks. After a few moments of the treatment, Twilight finally relaxed into the bed sheets, the makeup disappearing into the cloth under Celestia’s careful direction. “I’ve never seen you back down from a challenge, Twilight. As I understand it, ‘the most crucial step to understanding anything is experimenting until sufficient data has been gathered.’” Twilight blushed at Celestia’s quotation.

“I did say that, yes, but… how do you test love? If what I do experience is love, then surely I should go on more dates with the first subject of the experiment… right?” Twilight titled her head. To this, Celestia’s response was to climb back atop her bed, the trailing of her wing along Twilight’s back an invitation to join her that Twilight had learned how to read long ago.

“I believe that would be the conclusion to the experiment, my dear Twilight. If you have found somepony you love, somepony that you have real feelings for, whether or not you love them as much as you possibly could becomes less important. Love is not about quantifying your emotions numerically, Twilight, the same way in which friendship is not about the objective value of your relationships with others.”

“But, well, I–”

Celestia cleared her throat ever so softly, knowing quite well that Twilight would quiet down when she did so. “Let me put it like this: which one of your friends do you like the most? Which one is most important to you?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “I could never– oh. Oh. So… if romance is a personal matter that doesn’t follow rules of logic, then why do ponies separate the feelings it brings from friendship? Isn’t it essentially the same as a close friendship with some additional physical elements?”

Celestia gave no answer for a moment, only giving a soft shake of her head. Putting a hoof to her chin, she continued. “The two are closely related, certainly, but remember that your dynamic with your lover is much more complex than a friendship. You must be willing to share everything you are, everything you have, and everything you value with your love.” She noticed Twilight’s eyes widening in horror, and gave a chuckle. “Of course, you can pace how much of each you share as slowly or as quickly as you wish, if your love is truly genuine.” Seeing Twilight’s shoulders slump back a little, she felt an irresistible urge to tease pull at the back of her mind.

She lowered her mouth to rest just outside of Twilight’s ear, internally giggling at the gulp Twilight gave as she did so. “Also… If you do get to a level of implicit trust with your special somepony, at some point you may even share your body with him…” Celestia took a moment to gauge Twilight’s reaction, hoping to probe Twilight on her preferences.

Upon seeing nothing change in her student’s expression, she said, “Or her…” At this, Twilight gave a small shiver, pointedly looking at a curtain just behind her. Twilight’s hips wiggled ever so slightly and her tail started flicking from side to side. Bingo... “But of course, getting to such a level takes a lot of time and commitment, something I’m sure you are well aware of.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense…” Twilight said, rubbing her chin as she thought. “But wait!” She dropped her hoof, her eyes going wide. “What about my studies? I don’t think I’d be able to keep up my work as a Princess, my work as a librarian, my studies for you, and a steady relationship. It just wouldn’t be fair to whomever I was dating! It wouldn’t be fair to you, either.” She tapped her hoof on the carpet for emphasis. “Although… I guess I could try and make a new schedule… Or maybe I could invent a sleep resistance spell? Oh! I could make Spike the prince of bookkeeping… No, that wouldn’t work…”

“Twilight.” Celestia chuckled. “Your special somepony would understand and help you with your hobbies and duties. If you ever needed help, all you would have to do is ask. Trust me, they would be more than happy to help you with whatever you might need, whether you need them to help with some errands or if you need a shoulder to cry on. In addition, as a Princess you can always defer duties to others here at the palace if you feel that your burdens are too great. I would never dream of allowing the work you do here to inhibit your personal life. I would rather you be happy than productive, Twilight, especially if you’re with somepony. And if things get truly desperate…” Celestia trailed off with a dramatic pause before speaking again. “You can always ask me to help you, strange as it may seem that I might wish to help a friend.” The last line was said with the faintest drip of irony, though the playful jab was dulled and friendly in tone.

Twilight grumbled under Celestia’s open smile, giving the smallest of huffs. As she thought, a small brush, held by Celestia’s magic, lightly dusted her cheeks free of any remaining makeup, seizing the opportunity that her pouting presented. Celestia’s only reaction to Twilight’s exasperation was a small, dainty laugh.

“So… let’s get to the matter at hoof, shall we?” Celestia asked. She glanced at the still open door on the other side of the room, observing her sole guard through the entryway. The door crept shut with a quiet click under Celestia’s magical aid. “You asked me if I could help you arrange a date, and that is precisely what I intend to do. I can have a reservation set for you and a potential date at any nearby restaurant within the hour. If you so wish, I could name a number of parks that stay open late, as well as several nearby theaters that would be more than happy to make room for royalty. Being a princess has its perks, you know. I would also not be opposed to letting you and your date use one of the suites here in the castle for your… use, if both you and your companion should so desire.”

“But who should I go out with? Who should I ask?” Twilight asked, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. “I don’t really know that many ponies up here in Canterlot. And even if I did, how would I know if any of them even saw anything in me? I’m not all that special…”

Celestia fought urges to coo and laugh at the same time, settling instead on something more supportive. The wing that had formerly been resting on Twilight’s shoulder came to wrap itself around the side of her body.

“Perhaps an attempt to date really is overdue for you, Twilight. Maybe a lover could help you to realize how special you truly are.” Twilight blushed at this, scuffing a hoof against the bedding and folding her ears against her head.

“Well, I mean, I–”

Once more the urge to tease overcame the larger pony. “Am I really so foolish, Twilight, that you feel fit to contradict me so often on this matter?”

Twilight made a move to open her mouth, eyes widening in horror.

“Despite the repeated evidence to the contrary?” Celestia asked before Twilight could speak up.

“No! No! Of course not–”

“You think that your understanding of your own inferiority is so much greater than my own that you feel my opinion is not even worth acknowledging?”

“What? Bu–? Princess! You know I would never–”

“Ah, so you simply feel that your advanced knowledge of the subject proves that there is no room for debate on the matter, contrary to the scientific method.”

“I don’t… well, I–” Twilight groaned, flopping onto the bed. “...I’m not going to win, am I?”

“Not a chance,” Celestia said, patting Twilight on the shoulder. “Now come. The only way we will know for sure if there is a pony out there who thinks you are as special as I do is to search for one.”

Twilight swallowed loudly. “Wait, what? You mean right now? Like, as in, right now, now?”

Celestia chuckled. “That would be the meaning of the word, yes. If memory serves, trying to find a stallion or mare to date was what you came to the castle to do, yes?”

“Of course! B-but I thought we’d make some charts first, maybe run a few calculations on what would be the most likely venue to find a good match, maybe dig up a few books–”

Celestia giggled and gently pushed Twilight off the bed, motioning towards the door with a wing. “Come on, my little scientist. Let’s do some field research.”

Chapter 2

The two mares walked down the hall, one striding and the other slinking. The guards noticed with no small amount of trepidation that Celestia had a strange look in her eye, not unlike the one reserved for the desserts presented to her in the royal eatery.

“Princess! Princess, wait!” Twilight looked around, cringing at the way the pair of them were drawing eyes from all of the guards. It was as if Celestia was parading her around the castle, showing her off for all to see. “I thought that… Princess!”

The solar diarch continued to press onward, her wing beckoning Twilight forward with a gentle flicking motion.

“Princess, please, I–” Twilight realized at once what she was doing wrong. Celestia’s faithful student would make no progress with her when she was making a decision, but her friend Twilight Sparkle might. Finally breaking the respectful distance from Celestia’s front that she had maintained until that point, Twilight rounded on Celestia, an earnest look of exasperation in her eyes.

Celestia stopped, her discriminating glance being traded for the gentle gaze she typically reserved for Twilight in her flustered moods.

“Pri–Celestia, this is making me feel really uncomfortable,” Twilight said, glancing around to make sure that there weren’t any guards within earshot. Lowering her voice just to be sure that nopony was listening in, she continued, “I appreciate the importance of getting me out of my comfort zone, but I’m not going to be able to act naturally or confidently if we take this too fast. Can we please just slow down and think this through a little bit?”

“If that is what you desire, then yes, Twilight.” Celestia’s stomach suddenly grumbled, announcing to the world that she was hungry in a rather less than dignified way. “Say, why don’t we grab a bite to eat at the royal eatery? We can talk about how to select a date from there.”

Using her wing, Celestia gently motioned for Twilight to walk forward. The pair rounded the corner, finding a long hallway flanked by guards leading towards the other side of the castle. “Let me know if you see anyone you like,” Celestia whispered into Twilight’s ear, tenderness edged with mirth swimming in her tone.

“That was part of what I was wondering about, actually. I know that in, oh, a bar, I guess, ponies would usually have something to say about themselves. I’m pretty sure that most ponies wouldn’t want to hear a bunch of science mumbo jumbo from me, so, umm… what could I talk about? And more importantly, how would I get to know anything about them just from looking? Besides, they all look the same!”

Celestia opened her mouth to answer, only for Twilight to quietly shake her head. While Twilight would almost always let Celestia speak ahead of her, sometimes she felt the need to speak over her. Granted, she did this mostly in order to save her friends from Celestia’s wrath, but in making new friends, romantically or otherwise, she felt that establishing her boundaries and desires merited the same reaction. She was the princess of friendship, after all.

“I need to know a little bit about them before I want to try. It’s bad enough that we aren’t going to even chart a plan, and if we’re going to make any progress today, I need to be able to make my choices with a little bit of insight. I don’t want a big romance to spring up out of nowhere overnight, but I do want to make sure that I can at least enjoy dating them enough that the date–or dates–we go on are fun for the two of us. Okay?”

Celestia smiled casually, looking about at the different guards. “Of course, Twilight. This excursion is about how you feel, after all, and if you feel that you can’t date somepony you’ve only just met, I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to.” The pair opened a set of double doors, heading down an especially large staircase as they did so.

“Of course not. Only make friends with them.” Twilight’s thoughts, edged with blunted snark, came rushing from her lips before she could stop them. To her bewilderment and relief, Celestia took the joke like any other pony would, giving a laugh instead of a scornful rebuke. When the two arrived on yet another landing, Twilight let Celestia lead the way through yet another passage lined with guards.

“Where should we start, Twilight? A thoughtful, bookish stallion like yourself? We could tour the library. Perhaps a kind, romantic sort of pony? We could try an art museum. Or maybe–”

“Actually, C-Celestia.” Twilight did her best to skirt around a title she so enjoyed using. “I’d like to try and date a guard. There’s always been…something about them that I’ve found… safe, I guess? Maybe I want somepony to look after me?” Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Ugh! I don’t even know what I want anymore… Searching through my heart is a bust.” She finished off the thought with a single sigh, turning her eyes away from the Princess.

“Trust me, I promise you that we’ll figure something out,” Celestia said firmly, giving Twilight’s cheek a gentle nuzzle. “But first, let’s find something to eat before we make any big decisions.”

Celestia watched Twilight soldier her way through the hallway, irritation turning the younger Princess’ gaze to a piercing stare. Guards, servants, and palace staff ducked out of the way, cowering under her penetrating, searching scans for the perfect date. She eventually broke off her gaze, vocalizing her frustrations towards her mentor. “I hope they have something good on the menu,” she moaned. “I’m starving…”

“Oh, they can make whatever your heart desires,” Celestia said, looking up as she thought. They pushed through the last set of double doors and reached the royal eatery, finding the rather cozy room lined with red velvet overlooking the Canterlot Gardens. “Hmm… I think I’ll go for a–”

“Can they make me somepony who truly cares about me, somepony who’ll respect and love me for who I am, and not just for my title or what I happen to be wearing?” Twilight snapped.

“...nice tomato salad,” Celestia finished, looking at Twilight in concern. Giving a sigh, Celestia pulled over a plush purple chair and sat down, inviting her ex-pupil to take a seat beside her. She did so a little grumpily, slouching into the seat and folding her hooves. “Twilight, dating like this isn’t about making your ideal partner manifest in front of you. Very few ponies find true love on their first try, or even their tenth. Simply getting out there and finding out what kind of pony attracts you is what will allow you to narrow down your search in the first place. Picking any pony would be a good place to start, even if it does end up being a waste of time.” As she said this, a waiter came to them and set out some water for the pair.

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose with a hoof, sinking her head down a couple moments later to better massage her temples as she did so. The waiter took this moment to ask them for their orders, which they both gave after a moment’s thought, one with impatient insistence and the other with gentle anticipation. The waiter gave a brief nod, then left Celestia facing a very exasperated Twilight. Twilight finally broke her gaze, shifting from exhausted to pleading. “What do you look for in a special somepony, then, Princess?”

Celestia blinked, the question freezing her in the midst of her drink. “As I mentioned, my, ahem, type has not come along in many years.” Celestia set the drink back down on the table, taking a slow and deliberate gulp. She could already see the response Twilight was holding back in her mind’s eye, but silently prayed that her stalling would allow them to switch topics.

Clearing her throat, she decided to bite the bit and get it over with. “Perhaps I am not an ideal comparison. I remember hearing about Rarity’s dating attempts earlier this year. Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about how you–” Celestia was cut off by Twilight waving her hoof.

“No no no, Celestia; enough about me,” Twilight said with a playful smirk. “You didn’t answer my question; I know what a deflection looks like, especially one from you.” Seeing her friend gulp visibly, she pressed her advantage. “So tell me… what do you look for in a potential special somepony?”

Celestia sighed in relief. At least she didn’t ask about what I look for in stallions…. She gave a quick, soft sigh, then gently opened her mouth.

“I suppose it depends, honestly. It has been many, many years since I’ve dated, after all. You must keep in mind Luna has had more experience with dating, especially since her return from being banished. I’m sure being alone for a thousand years isn’t that good for your social life, and–”

“Celestia.” The voice was firm, but not impatient. Twilight noticed the way Celestia pursed her lips at her tone and the faint wrinkle that appeared under one eye, so she softened her tone. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. But the sole reason for me coming here was so that you could teach me how to date somepony, and I was hoping that, based off of your past experience, I could glean some insight into how to handle something as delicate as this.”

Twilight looked away for a moment, her voice lowering ever so slightly. “To be honest, it’s just… I just want somepony to hold me sometimes… And, you know, sometimes I wonder if you do, too. But if you don’t want to confide in me, that’s okay. But… everything I tried with my friends back in Ponyville, well... it just turned out horrible, Princess, and even if tonight goes awfu–awfully, at least I’ll get to spend the rest of it with you. And I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, by the end, we might have something else in common for it, too.”

Celestia swallowed, giving Twilight a small smile for her efforts. “If things don’t go to plan, then… I would love to spend the evening with you, Twilight. I am simply… how can I say this? It’s silly of me, ultimately, but I get so used to being judged all the time that I feel afraid to let things slip, you know? I hate to say this, but it’s true: I’m afraid to open up to Luna, to anypony, for fear that the few bonds I truly have might close up if I fail to deliver or if I may say something that would upset or offend them. In truth, you’re the only pony with whom I can really just let go and be myself, and… I suppose, ultimately, it’s no different from how you felt about failing me. I know in my heart that telling you something uncomfortable would never break the bonds that we share, but I still fear it nonetheless because of how precious they are to me.”

Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it again. For a moment, she simply stared at her former mentor, taking in the vulnerability that was written across her body language in capital letters. Her neck was hunched, her gaze only occasionally met her own, and one hoof was pawing the table skittishly, a final barrier between Twilight’s potential judgement and her own naked heart. “I promise, Prin–Celestia. Whatever you feel about dating, I just want to know what you think about it. I mean, Rarity thinks I should find the richest, handsomest Prince I can and live with him in a fantasy palace. Pinkie Pie thinks we’re all her special someponies and that everyone should just give everyone extra hugs when they feel lonely. I find the first one stupid and the second one impossible, but I don’t think my friends are stupid or impractical because of it.”

Celestia pulled her head back up to face Twilight, her more confident, calmer smile reappearing at last. “If that is the case… I think that if I were to choose somepony, they would need to be somepony precisely like the pony you just described. Somepony who was not so afraid of my position that they could not approach me and tell me when I am wrong, but somepony who was not so strong headed that they could not accept the me they saw hiding in the shadows. They would need to be intelligent enough that I could talk to them about my life–as you know, politics are difficult concepts for most ponies, and for good or bad, they are what makes up my life–and yet active enough that I could spend a day around them without feeling bored or strained.”

“Of course, I would want somepony with problems of their own, because I feel… how might I say this? I feel like it would be taking away from a perfect creature to ask for their love and have nothing to give in return, and I feel that my own flaws would become uncomfortable around a pony who is ideal in every way. Lastly, the pony I would date would have to feel empathy for everyone around them. They would need to love my subjects as I do, for a pony who cannot love my kingdom cannot love me.”

Celestia gave a sigh, spent. She glanced at her surroundings again. The room they were in was empty, though if they listened hard enough, the kitchen staff would be able to hear what she was about to say. There were no waiters around, but the ever-present guards would be within earshot if she was not careful. The room had curtains to absorb sound, but the flat walls meant that speaking too loudly could attract undue attention. She mulled her thoughts over in her brain before quashing her cowardice with a reminder of the catharsis Twilight’s acceptance had brought her thus far.

Lowering her voice, she said, “It’s just… sometimes I wish that I could just let go, if only for a day. The dullness of politics has felled lesser ponies, yet I’ve been doing it for hundreds of years. I can’t help but feel as if I’ve lost part of myself in it all, and I can’t feel like I can be myself around anypony anymore, even my own sister. I have to throw up this facade every time I speak to someone because they view me as this empty… thing. An ideal. Perfect and unapproachable. Even trying to attempt to find somepony to date here in the castle is a huge hassle, because none would dare refuse me. They wouldn’t be considering how I feel, only what would happen to them if they declined. It’s incredibly hard for me to find somepony real to be with, because… I– I, umm… Well, this is rather personal, and I’m not sure if I should tell you this…” Celestia looked away, looking anywhere but Twilight’s gaze.

“Wh–” Twilight cleared her throat. “Why not, Celestia? You know you can trust me,” she said firmly, gently laying a reassuring hoof on Celestia’s jittery one, quelling her nervousness with a soft smile. “Besides, nopony is around but us.”

Celestia’s nerves gave a leap at the electrical contact of Twilight’s fur mixing with her own. Against all odds, a battered smile surfaced on her face. The polished oak and scented candles of the the table faded into the background under the power of the simple yet comforting gesture. It was a release Celestia had rarely felt before. If asked, she would have described it as the sensation of being caught from a very long, very slow fall. Suddenly she relaxed, the strain of possible judgement falling by the wayside. It was abruptly replaced, however, by the strain of dealing with old memories, and the pain and shame they brought. But she knew she could stomach them, so long as Twilight could, too.

“Yes, I– Yes. I suppose that is true enough. Very well. Many years ago, I went out on a limb. I gave my heart and soul to somepony I had been intent upon for many years. This pony was rather close to me, and I loved them dearly… but that was as far as it went. They did not love me, but they loved my wealth and beauty. They were fascinated by my world, but found me cloistered and cold. The relationship I shared with them was mechanical. And once I overcame my infatuation, I discovered this harsh reality. As much as it hurt…” Celestia swallowed, her throat suddenly very dry, and a pressure she rarely felt started to build up behind her eyes. “As much as it hurt me, I broke things off with them. They pleaded for me to stay, but not for me to stay. I knew it was the right thing to do, but crushing their passion, regardless of where it was directed, still felt horrible for weeks after. Months, even.”

Celestia paused for a few moments to wet her unusually dry throat. After nearly finishing her glass of water, she continued. “In my depression, my sister urged me to find something to fill the void, like a hobby or a craft. And so I did. Several, in fact. Brewing, baking, chess. But eventually I would master the hobby or abandon it in frustration and the ache would return anew. The resulting relationships all have similar stories attached. Betrayal. Use. Death. Distancing. Dishonesty. My ideal lover is one who will stay by me and love me for me. I have never found them, but I have found something better.”

Celestia paused, looking right into Twilight’s eyes. She tightened her grasp on Twilight’s hoof before she continued. Her entire mind was screaming at her to stop now. Not to jump over the edge and reveal the entirety of the truth, but against the mighty walls of her own withdrawal came the crushing force of the open heart of a pony she loved. There was a sadness in Twilight’s eyes, but the hoof she had wrapped around Celestia’s own gave it a squeeze, and Twilight, her Twilight, gave her a simple nod and a smile. Celestia opened her mouth, forcing her throat not to catch on her words or stumble.

“When we first met, I realized that you had so much raw potential as a unicorn that I knew I had to take you under my wing. To do otherwise would be dangerous, to you and everyone around you. But as I taught you, you became something more than just my student. Something about the way you smiled at me, no matter what I said, and the way you talked with me like any other adult, even though you always had that awe of me. It made me feel… valued, I suppose. I had given up on that feeling, and there were days before I had you by my side where I just felt like screaming every waking moment.” She blushed, her cheeks tinting red ever so slightly, and let loose a small chuckle. “Nopony else knows this, but you helped save me from losing my mind. You gave meaning to my life again, and for that, I thank you.”

Twilight fought down the urge to blush, instead steeling herself against her better instincts and facing her friend as an equal. “Thank you, Princess. For sharing that with me, I mean. I-I wasn’t expecting quite, uh, that. B-but not in a bad way! I’m really happy to hear I’m a big part of your life, because you’re a big part of mine, and, uh, sometimes it feels like you are that pony you were describing. The perfect one, I mean. The one you were worried you were always taking away from. Sometimes I feel like I’m just wasting your time. And then you go and say that, and it means so much to me, and… What I’m trying to say is… I mean, it sounds like you and I could really use one, so... Celestia, will you go on a date with me?”

The waiter chose that particular moment to bring in their food, and found himself faced with a pair of his country’s rulers staring deeply into each other’s eyes. Sweating bullets, he set his platter down as quickly as possible and hastened off back to the kitchens without so much as a single peep.

Celestia swallowed, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “I would… I would very much like to spend more time with you, Twilight. If that is the way you choose to express this time spent together, I would be quite open to the suggestion, though I have some hesitancy. There are some repercussions to be considered, and I cannot promise anything permanent by any means, but I would like a chance to try. Experimenting, yes?”

“Yes!” Twilight nodded. “Perfect! Let’s go find some stallions!”

Abruptly, Celestia found herself being tugged from a table that had just been served two full meals. She gave a hasty apology to the serving staff on her way to the door, leaving herself no time to wonder what had just happened.

Chapter 3

Celestia was being tugged along by a hoof, she had gathered that much. Her mind was still focused more on what Twilight had said than on where she was going or by what means. Comprehension of what Twilight had said came to her within the first few minutes, of course. The problem lay in her attempting to grasp just how poorly the pair of them–if she was to confess to her pragmatic side, mostly Twilight–had communicated their desires. Perhaps worse, her original response to Twilight’s question, and the thoughts and visions that had come with it, rushed around her mind like a seething ocean.

She had interpreted Twilight’s questions as an offer for a date between the two of them, and the speed at which she jumped to that conclusion frightened her. Was she really so quick to jump at the nearest offer for love from a trusted source? Had she learned nothing in a thousand years? She wasn’t sure why she was feeling so flustered at the moment, but those feelings were quickly purged when she was brought back to reality. Twilight had stopped her in front of a large door, and was rambling on about something to do with dresses and the importance of them looking their best.

“...and I really think we should ask Rarity to help us out! She knows a lot more about this stuff than I do, after all,” Twilight concluded with a blush.

“...Would you mind repeating that, dear? I am afraid I was a bit distracted. This is all very sudden, you see.” Celestia bit her cheek, hoping that the drop in her tone did not betray her worries. She imagined she would be much more ready to present her thoughts to Twilight and prepare for a date between the two of them if she was given but a moment’s peace of mind. As she always did in these cases, she began to form a plan. She listened to Twilight’s explanation with half an ear open, taking the information in without focusing on the emotion behind it. Her eyes hovered over the walls, taking in the soft whites, tall windows and gold foil trimmings of the hallway outside the royal eatery. It was because of this quick, general thinking that she didn’t see the shine in Twilight’s eyes was brighter than when talking about the pair of them and their bond than the plan she had for finding their dates.

“I was thinking that the two of us could go get dresses made over at Rarity’s, if she doesn’t have a date for tonight, that is. However, that strikes us with a dilemma in finding dates and having to prepare for them all in one evening.”

Seeing that she had set Twilight to thinking on the dilemma, Celestia took a few moments to prepare her proposition. “Perhaps you could travel to Rarity’s while I find a selection of dates here in Canterlot. After all, you are more familiar with Ponyville than I am, and vice versa.”

Twilight gave a happy nod, her smile widening at the suggestion. “Perfect! I find the dresses and you find the dates! Do you think you have enough makeup? Should we do some work on our lines? Maybe a quick rehearsal? I should get the cue cards and– agh! Right, okay, we’ll just keep things simple and grab the dates and the dresses. That sounds like a good plan. Hopefully this turns out okay,” Twilight said, finishing her sentence with a wince.

“Alright then,” Celestia said, her tone sounding a bit more relaxed. This’ll give me time to figure things out… “Would it work to meet back here in, say, half an hour at my quarters?”

“Sure! I’ll just, well, oh! I guess that works, yeah.”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, seeing that the proposal had, mysteriously, awakened a new bout of anxiety in her companion. “It’s alright if this doesn’t go well. We still have several hours to try again. And like you said before, if all else fails, we will have spent the night as two…” Celestia trailed off, her mind reeling at the cacophony of conflicting feelings. She still felt a bit tense from misinterpreting Twilight’s invitation, and she couldn’t shake the nebulous feelings of romantic desire that toyed with her in that moment. Deciding to play it safe, though, she continued. “...friends exploring their friendship, and perhaps have shared a good experience together.”

Twilight sighed. “Yes, Princess, it’s just… Well, I can tell you later. We don’t have time right now!” Twilight straightened herself up, preparing to cast a quick teleportation spell.

“Twilight, remember,” Celestia laid a gentle hoof under her friend’s chin, tilting her head so they were locking eyes. “I don’t judge you any more than you judge me. I want nothing more than for this date to just be us going out, not Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia Everfree embarking on a royal missive to find dates because another noble has told the world we need to. Alright?”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, hold on a second. Your last name is Everfree?”

Celestia felt her heart start to race. “Did I say that?” Celestia opened her mouth and took a deep breath. It was as if her emotions were oxygen and she was trying to find a way to suck them back in. Her full name. A name she’d stricken from the records generations ago so her enemies could never find her loved ones and descendants. A name she mentioned haltingly even in front of Luna and Cadence, even though they had known it for years, and without thinking, she had just freely given it to Twilight as if it were the time of day. “I…” She began struggle to come up with some sort of excuse or lie to weasel her way out of this rather awkward situation, but ultimately decided against it. WIth a sigh of defeat, she said, “Yes, that is my last name. Funny, is it not?”

“Funny? What’s funny about your name?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

“The irony behind it, of course. My last name is Everfree, yet I am exactly the opposite of that. The royal courts keep me occupied with their incessant bickering all day, and to be honest, sometimes I can barely restrain myself from snapping at them.”

Twilight looked down. “You’re right, that does sound kind of ironic. But, uh, if I could just say…” Twilight swallowed. This wasn’t her idol, her political or magical superior, or her ruler. It was her friend, and she was opening her heart right in front of her. She knew she had to be careful with what she said, so after a couple moments of hard thinking, she slowly said, “I think it’s a perfect name for you.”

Celestia paused, her mouth gradually, carefully parsing the next sentence with methodical movement. “Why is that?”

“Because you make it so everypony else is everfree. Even if you don’t feel free, everyone else can be because of the sacrifice that you make every day. And that’s who you are, Princess. I don’t think you’d feel very free or happy if anypony else wasn’t, either. That’s… well, that’s my favorite thing about you. Every problem you see is something you want to fix, no matter how small, and you do what you have to do to make sure everyone’s happy and enjoying themselves. It makes me feel… cared for. Safe, I guess. Like the guard thing, but a lot more special. Something just between us. Or, a–at least, that’s how I see it.”

Celestia blushed at this, her cheeks lighting up in a way they had not done in over five years. She cast her eyes to the side, murmuring, “You’re a Princess too, Princess Twilight.”

At this, Twilight, paradoxically, blushed herself. “Well, yeah, but… I really l-like calling you Princess. I don’t think of it as a title or anything. If it were, I’d just say Your Majesty. Or something. Even if you stopped being a Princess, I think I’d probably keep calling you one. Because, um… you always feel like one to me. I dunno, I guess it’s like Twily, or how Applejack calls me “Twah”.”

“You mean a pet name?” Celestia found it surprising just how luscious a red her cheeks could turn with sufficient prompting. It had certainly been a while since she had been this flushed.

“Umm… yes?” Twilight squeaked.

By this point, both ponies were completely scarlet and pointedly avoiding each other’s eyes. Celestia swallowed, ignoring the desires to coo, embrace, or snuggle up against Twilight that her traitorous emotions put forward. She had to think this through before acting rashly, or else she might ruin one of her most treasured friendships over some submerged feelings she had thought she had abandoned years ago.

“You know, I suppose I should start my search,” Celestia said, internally scowling at how disappointed she sounded.

“Right!” Twilight added. “We wouldn’t want to waste any more time...” she said, externally scowling at how disappointed her own voice sounded.

The two ponies made their way towards parting company in that bittersweet state, preparing to leave as slowly and silently as they could.

At that point, Celestia was hit with the realization that she would be dating a pony she knew nothing about for the first time in over a hundred years, with the caveat that she had to be herself–and worse, reveal her true self– in order to please Twilight, to boot. Suddenly, she felt much less certain that this plan was to be a success. “Twilight, wait,” Celestia called out, her mouth working before her jaw muscles could stop it.

Her perpetual companion’s ears perked up at this, and she stood stock still in compliance. “Yes, Princess?”

“It is… well, rather, the two of us are not very experienced in dating yet, and I am concerned about being thrown into a situation we aren’t comfortable with. Perhaps we might rehearse a little first? If only to put ourselves into the correct mindset.” Celestia breathed out the last sentence like a kettle letting out steam, her lips curling back to rest in as relaxed a smile as she could manage.

“That… okay. Yes, that sounds like a good idea, actually. I–I wouldn’t really know where to start, though. I wouldn’t want to walk up to some random stallion and talk about how fascinating I find the use of magical refraction and refinement in polygonoid crystal casting-aid purification to be, but I could talk with you about it without thinking. I guess, maybe, we should just try to act like we’re just meeting? I had some cue cards for this back at the lab, but that’s in Ponyville. I tried them before building the magical date replicator but after the polygraph tests. I suppose they weren’t really appropriate at that point, but they kind of work now. What do you think?”

Celestia chuckled, glad to be back in the role of the reassuring elder. The previous conversation and the dynamic it generated had made her profoundly uncomfortable, and she was relieved to at last have some familiar ground beneath her hooves. It helped fight back the feelings of anxiousness, giddiness, and fear that had been consuming her for the past half hour. And yet the same sense of disappointment hung over the departure of the equally unwelcome turmoil she had been suffering not a moment ago. She bit the feeling back. “I think that it would be best to take time now making sure we do not waste any on the dates themselves, so I do agree we should perhaps try to get some experience in the field and perhaps some practice. However, I also think that perhaps it would be best if we did this while we went to find potential dates for ourselves. Do you agree?”

Twilight nodded, happy to be managing the situation once again. “Time efficiency is of the essence! Let’s get going!”

“So… you said you were thinking of a guard, right? Shall we head to the barracks to see if anypony is off-duty and interested?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “I guess I don’t have any better place to start. Alright. After that we’ll have to find somepony for you, though. If you’re feeling as lonely as you say, you deserve somepony who will take those feelings away and make you feel like the mare you truly are.” Twilight blushed and looked down before mumbling, “Special.”

Celestia fought down a dozen questions that the latter statement had brought to the forefront of her mind, not the least of which being, Did you miss the moment where I said that pony was you? Instead, she said, “Then let’s get started.”

“So…”

The two mares made their way through the courtyard, noting with some uncertainty that it was already noon and they had yet to make any significant progress. Twilight was very intently focused upon the walls of hedges that lined them on either side, but Celestia was more interested in the rest of their surroundings. She had always had a great fondness for the statue garden. It was full of happy memories. Sculptures of ponies from both ancient and modern times stared at them with a mixture of stern, wearied, adventurous, and commanding expressions. A pedestal where Discord’s statue once stood was covered in a mountain of confetti topped with a note saying, “Oh contraire, ma rene, he’s back!” Beds of flowers from all around the country and beyond its borders bloomed happily from between the hooves of old friends and rivals Celestia still cherished the memory of. She at last gave an answer once Twilight had decided to break from her nervous staring contest with the shrubbery.

“So?”

Twilight swallowed. “Tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you, uh, do, I guess? I m-mean, so long as you don’t mind sharing. But–uh–if it’s something illegal or hurts other ponies or something, I would like to know now so we can get that out of the way. ‘Cause, um, I don’t think it would really work if that’s the case.”

“Don’t assume the worst, dear. You’ve only just met him, after all.”

Twilight blushed. “Right, sorry. Just… stress. Yeah. Stress. Okay. Okay. Your turn.”

“Good evening. My name is Princess Celestia, though I suppose you might already know that. What is yours?”

“Err–My name is… Grey. Grey… Hoof? Pleased to meet you, Princess Celestia.” Twilight paused. “This… doesn’t sound like me. I dunno… I’ve never really been a great actor.”

“You did a fine job in the Hearth’s Warming play.”

Twilight gave a deadpan stare. “Yeah, because you cast me as a historical carbon copy of myself. If you’d given me the part of Princess Platinum or something I would have been a disaster. Have you ever seen me try to lie? It looks like that, but with a bad accent.”

“Point taken. I’m sure we can come up with a solution, though. Maybe a conjuration would help you detach the pony from yourself?”

Twilight’s eyes brightened. “Princess, you’re a genius! Okay. Yes, I can work with this. Let’s see…”

Celestia watched with a familiar mixture of pride and admiration as Twilight set her mind to casting. A column of purple smoke materialized from her horn, then began to spin in a circular motion. Eventually, an earnest but slightly aged earth pony’s face materialized within the smoke. Eventually, the smoke became transparent, leaving a spectral projection to face Celestia “My name is Grey Hoof. A pleasure, your majesty.”

The pair of them giggled at the very proper sounding voice, then resumed their trot with the spectral pony in tow. “You based him upon Professor Wistful Thinking, didn’t you?” Celestia smiled at the memories her statement conjured.

“He may have been an influence. You always seemed close.”

“We are.” Celestia confirmed with another smile. Twilight, for her part, noted that even when in an earnest conversation Celestia enjoyed smiling. “Close, but not as intimate as you and I are. Nevertheless, today’s a day for merriment and celebrating. I can pretend for now.”

Twilight nodded. “Let’s get back to the practice, then. We’re burning sunlight.”

Celestia turned back to the image. “You aren’t intimidated of both me and my position?”

The visage shifted, then returned to life.“I’m a little nervous, but, well, you were the one who asked me, so I guess I’m not… not all that worried, I guess?” The image froze, and a concerned Twilight began to whisper to Celestia.

“I don’t know, would he be?”

“Perhaps not, though most ponies would be nervous in my presence. Though anypony with the courage to chance a date with their country’s absolute di–well, technically a triarch now–would likely be made of sterner stuff than to back down when confronted with me in the flesh. Of course, we won’t know that until we try.”

“Right… right. Okay.” Twilight whirled her horn, and the image opened up the conversation again.

“I wouldn’t say intimidated, I mean, it’s a chance to meet a new pony and she’s not at all bad looking, either.”

Celestia smiled in response, simply replying. “I’m glad we have our priorities straight. Now, was that last bit still in character?” She gave Twilight a playful nudge.

“No. Yes! Um… I don’t know.” Twilight gave a blush and giggled, rubbing the back of her head. “Does it matter? You are good looking. Anypony can see that. I mean, saying you have a spectacular horn or an enticing shade of teal in your mane could be in or out of character, too.”

“Quite right, dear.” Celestia felt a twang of disappointment, finding herself frustrated that the taste of being vexed came both from the joke falling flat and from the nature of Twilight’s answer. The seed Twilight had unknowingly planted was making her exceedingly uncertain with how exactly she wanted her relationship with her former student to develop. “I do enjoy the compliment. I get rather tired of all the jokes from Luna and Cadence about the shape of my flank, and most of my servants just give me platitudes.”

Twilight smiled up at Celestia, then let the image clear his throat. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, my dear?”

At this Celestia gave a brief pause, considering. “What would you like to know?” she asked with her usual serene smile.

Twilight shook her head, jerking it towards the image silently at the end of the last set of shakes. “I was hoping you might tell me where to start.”

Celestia sighed. “You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?”

Twilight simply replied with a firm shake of her head, freezing the fake head again as she did so. “I want to make sure the real date goes along smoothly, and I can’t do that if we still have all these stumbling blocks in place.”

“Curse you and your concern for my well being, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia responded, softly prodding Twilight with a wingtip.

“You’ll get your turn,” Twilight said in return, a teasing smile on her face. “For now…” And again, the head sprang back to life.

“What are your hobbies? Tell me what you do in your spare time, maybe a bit about your work? What’s your favourite color? You know, stuff like that.”

“Very well. I suppose that, well, in my off time I like to teach. There is something about foals that I can’t help but admire. The way they have such a strong drive to learn so much about their world, the way they trust that things cannot help but go right. Perhaps it makes me feel younger, but I think it is simply the reward of helping a pony reach their potential in a rich and rewarding life that makes me want to teach. I keep flowers for the same reason.” Celestia fought down the urge to blush, knowing that Twilight was Twilight and not some strange stallion with their own prejudgements. “I love seeing them not in bloom, but just before. They look so gorgeous in the moments before they are ready, the time when they are so very fragile. Knowing I helped them reach that stage is a great reward.”

“Uh huh, uh huh.” Twilight nodded, mentally ticking off a checklist, no doubt.

“Well, I’m not much of a gardener, but I do like to–uh… um, paint!” The spectral visage responded. “Yeah, I like to paint. And while I don’t really get your whole ‘nurturing everypony’ thing, I do see what you mean–er, I get it–when you say that you like to watch that moment when all that work is about to pay off. I like that feeling.”

Twilight finished the illusion shakily, but with a comforting nod. After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she asked, “So what do you think? Would you date that pony?”

Celestia hummed. “Perhaps, though I would consider their equivalent of ponies to paintings somewhat discouraging. It would depend upon the rest of the date.”

“What about…” And at this, Twilight changed the face to a young, pink stallion with a bright, fluffy mane.

“Oh, no way, I love foals, too! They’re so fun to talk to and I completely understand what you’re saying.”

Celestia smiled. “Unless it later turned out that they were only saying that for my sake, I am sure the date would progress at least pleasantly enough.”

“Hmm. How about…” And at this, the stallion grew bright blue, with a pale teal, flowing mane combed back in a parted style.

“Did you say something? Why don’t we talk a bit about me for a while?” At this Twilight’s illusion took on a cocky smirk and tossed its mane.

Celestia smirked in return. “A definite no. I am out of practice, Twilight, not a foal.”

The pair of them giggled, then exchanged a look. “Do you think you’d be able to handle it from there?” Twilight looked at Celestia with a shine in her eyes.

“I would assume so, yes. If something does go wrong, I am sure I can depend upon you to support me, and vice versa. That was your thinking in doing a double date, yes?”

“Yes! So, uh, are we going to do me now?” Twilight pushed a hoof through the back of her mane, all of a sudden every bit as bashful as before she had been before.

“Would you like to use the illusion?” Celestia prodded, looking at Twilight with the compassion and understanding she was so famous for.

“We could, though I would be more comfortable just talking to you… but… I suppose that I should get used to talking to a strange stallion. Guess I’m eating my words now, huh?” She gave a nervous laugh. “So that’s a yes to the illusion, then.” Twilight delivered this proclamation in what Celestia had decided was her checklist voice.

“Very well.” Celestia took charge of the illusion, which shifted to a stallion with a tall, solid brow and a heavy, square muzzle. He opened his mouth, brushing back a teal mane streaked with grey to reveal more of his white coat as he did so. “Your Majesty. How are you this evening?”

“Oh! I’m fine. But, uh, just call me Twilight, if you please. I’d rather just date you as a normal pony, if that isn’t too much to ask of you.”

He gave a faltered smile back. “Uh, sure, your Hi–Princess Twilight.”

“Um… Just Twilight is fine,” Twilight said with a small giggle.

“Uh… yes. Sure. As you would like, Princess.”

Twilight looked over at Celestia with a coy grin. “Are you sure you aren’t just playing out some of your own old frustrations, Princess?”

Celestia was even to the tease. “Perhaps. But you did say you expected me to make this as hard on you as you made it on me. Shall we continue?”

“Absolutely! Where were we?”

“You were just finishing introducing yourself, your Hi–Princess Twilight.”

“Just Twilight, please. I’m not wearing my crown, and I’m not even on the job. I’m not Princess Twilight any more than you are Captain whatever your name is.”

“Twilight?” Celestia froze the image. “I think that is one thing we may have to work on. You have a habit of trivializing others’ emotions when you get caught up in your own, and while it is innocent and endearing to those of us who know you, to a date it could be hurtful. Try to shift your worry from calming yourself down to pleasing them. I know you cannot remove the worry, but you can at least direct it.”

Twilight looked down through Celestia’s admonishment, shame writ large across her face. “I-I don’t mean t–”

“I know you don’t, dear. And I don’t hold things you cannot fully control against you, any more than you hold my tendency to distance myself from others against me. But if I am to pursue a date, I must be more open, as you have said. And you must be more considerate, or else you may offend your date without meaning to. Remember to shift your concerns to them, instead of towards your anxieties. Rather like you do when you’re with me…” Celestia mused this last point, looking past Twilight and the illusion. Abruptly she pulled herself out of her thoughts, then looked back at Twilight with a smile. “If you feel that that makes you uncomfortable, we don’t have to go through with this. As I said earlier, finding a somepony is about personal happiness and what feels right for you and your partner. You don’t have to force that.”

Twilight’s brow hardened, her stance becoming firm and tall. “No. If this is a problem, it’s one I should tackle on a relaxed day, not in a crisis. You’re absolutely right. Let’s continue.” Twilight waited for the head to return to life, and then addressed it. “I’m sorry, Captain. I guess I forgot to ask your name while trying to get you to use mine. I’m a little out of my comfort zone…”

“That’s alright. My name is Captain… Greengrass. Also, how did you know I was a captain?”

Twilight smiled. “Oh, that one’s easy. My brother was in the guard before he moved with his wife, Princess Cadence, to the Crystal Empire. Only captains don’t have to trim their manes back to fit all the way inside the helmet.”

The image known as Greengrass straightened. “Oh, that’s right. Captain Armor. Sorry to have forgotten, yo–”

“Your Majesty may see all and know all, Greengrass, but Twilight Sparkle forgets things all the time,” she said, a light scold in her voice. She took a moment to compose herself before continuing in a softer tone. “How am I supposed to get to know the real you if you don’t get a chance to see the real me?”

The guard straightened, then gave the slightest hint of a blush. “Right…Well… why don’t you start?”

“Ice successfully broken!” Twilight gave a hoof pump, then came back onto all fours to look over at Celestia. “Well, I think that should be enough to get us through to the “talking and getting to spend time with them” phase effectively. I guess now we need to go look for a date. Oh! I know where to find yours!”

Celestia tilted her head. “You do?”

“Ponyville! I know everyone there, and I’m sure I can find somepony you’d like to try a date with while I’m talking with Rarity about the dresses! What do you think?”

Celestia gave a bittersweet smile. “That sounds wonderful, dear.”

“Is something the matter?” Twilight blinked, the sight of a slightly strained muscle in the smile on Celestia’s face being more than enough of a sign to tell her something was wrong.

Celestia came to a stop, once again checking to see who could possibly overhear them. It was only then that she noticed the barracks were just a few feet up ahead. While the pair of them had been talking, they had already passed several rows of housing, their path changing from a dirt one to a cobblestone one. She had noticed none of this, and that worried her, but she knew that she could not afford to think on why time with Twilight was dulling her senses. This had to be shared if Twilight was to find her a date she could truly appreciate. This had to be put forward, because it was something that the two of them could never skirt around if she was to talk honestly about her love life.

Celestia hesitated. She had trusted Twilight thus far, but for some odd reason, fear flooded into her, probably because she was about to divulge a secret that nopony knew about. The thought that she might ruin something as magical as their friendship had become was a crushing weight upon her tongue. This was something that Twilight deserved to know. Besides, she knew all of Twilight’s fears, all of her insecurities and quirks. She knew of all of her weaknesses and private dreams. If Twilight was so willing to share all of those with her, and if she was interested in tightening their friendship, Celestia felt that it was time to practice what she preached.

“Twilight, I… well, to put it bluntly…” Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lower lip as she leaned a little closer to Twilight. Lowering her voice to within an inch of a whisper, she said, “Twilight, I’m… I’m not interested in stallions.” Seeing the look of confusion on her former student’s face, Celestia looked her right in the eyes and said even more softly, “Twilight, I’m… gay.”

Author's Note

Most of this chapter was written by Knight of Cerebus. Since I had a bit of writer's block 1k words or so in, we had agreed that he would write the rest of this chapter, and then I'd write the entire next chapter.

Chapter 4

“Gay?” Twilight blinked, looking at Celestia in confusion. Celestia swallowed. She was already regretting her decision to open up, and her confession of her sexuality. The awkward pause had stolen her fleeting faith in Twilight’s plan to bring them dates, and the gaping look on Twilight’s face might as well have been a scowl for how quickly it drained her confidence.“Gay...but I thought...well the books said...You do mean gay as in the secondary, colloquial term, right? ‘Cause I’m having a good time, too, but I don’t think that has anything to do with romantic preference.”

Celestia gave an over-wide smile at this, trying to gain a bit of confidence back. “It’s not important what I meant. We’re trying to get dates for--”

“Both of us.” Twilight stressed. “Which means that...Well…” She gave a sigh. “I guess…”

Celestia made to bow her head, but noticed at the last moment that Twilight, too, was looking at her hooves. Celestia once again attempted to gain some composure, giving a weak smile. “If it makes you uncomfortable, Twilight, I won’t hold it against you.” And at once, Twilight’s head snapped up.

“What?! No! No, it’s not that I find it weird or anything! I could never--no, it’s just…” Twilight sighed again. “I don’t really know anything about you, do I? I just assumed that I knew enough about you to find a date for you because I read some books from a hundred years ago that told me what they thought you liked. I should have consulted you, and, like you said earlier, I got so swept up by my wanting to find a solution to a problem that I ignored how you were feeling. I’m sorry, Celestia.”

“I could hardly hold attempts to make me happy against you, hasty as they may have been. Apology gladly accepted, Twilight.” The pair smiled at each other, a look of understanding passing like electricity between their charged bodies. Relief flooded into Celestia, but a well-ingrained caution made her pose another question for her companion. “And you are certain preferences aren’t offensive to you in some way? You aren’t upset that I kept this from you?”

Twilight gave a chuckle. “I’m a little confused, actually. Why did you think that would upset me?”

Celestia sighed. “Force of habit, I suppose. It is an expectation that I, as princess, would select a mate who could give me an heir. Your books will have mentioned genealogy, of course. Bloodlines are very important in the upper class of Canterlot, and the idea that I would willingly choose to not expand mine is far less palatable than the idea that I am a virgin queen beyond the sway of romantic feelings. The nobility is forever trying to convince itself that I expressly approve of their culture and am ingrained in it, when, as you know, I find myself far more involved with the farmers and shopkeepers than their lifestyle.”

Twilight tilted her head. “O...kay. But I’m not a noble. Well, I was born to one of the houses, but you know what I mean. I don’t live anything like them, either. You didn’t think I would react like they would, did you? I mean, I don’t know a pony richer than Rarity in town, and I don’t care.”

Celestia smiled. “You are correct, I did give you more credit than that. As I said, it is hard to reveal something I have hidden so long. I’ve even taken to referring to my old flames as “he”, when that was rarely the case. However, there was a second reason.” At this, Celestia’s smile strained ever so slightly, but she kept her composure nonetheless. “I was afraid I would alienate you when I mentioned it. After all--” Celestia bit her lip, uncertain as to how to proceed. “I...how shall I put this? As a homosexual, it is possible that I could be attracted to you, and I imagine such a revelation would greatly unsettle you. Of course, I did not have a crush on you at any point in your tutelage, but the very possibility might paint all of our interactions in a newer, much less favourable light.” It was only years of practice that saved Celestia from blushing, and her less experienced partner had no such luck. “The thought of raising a barrier like that between us made me stay my tongue, but I thought the better of it. It felt deceptive to let you continue on your way like that, especially after all you’ve said, and I suppose I should apologize for it.”

“I...I know what you mean. About the barrier, I mean. But I feel the same way. What I feel for you, and what I’m starting to realize you feel for me...it’s...special. It’s something I’d never want to ruin, and I guess there are some things about me I would want to hide because of that. But at the same time, I think that just as I wouldn’t want to ruin it, I wouldn’t let something ruin it either. At least, not unless it was something really, really bad. And you being gay definitely isn’t that.” Celestia smiled. Twilight smiled back. In an instant, they had closed the gap to give each other a quick, strong embrace, then broke apart. There had been no command or biological impulse that drove the embrace. It had simply felt like the natural thing to do for both.

“But that said,” Celestia pulled away with a cautious smile, “you can imagine why I would hesitate to bring this up, given the assumptions you might have made, and how uncomfortable it may have made you.”

“Yeah...that would be kind of...weird. I never thought of it like that. But I wouldn’t have taken it like that. I mean, it’s not like you would have a crush on me. I’m not any of those things you said when you were listing things in a pony you were looking for. Besides, you said you wanted something more than just dating from me anyway. Oh, if I’d just written down what you said about an ideal pony before! I’d be able to change my locations to search for a date for you without any trouble. Oh well. We should still be able to find a pony for you before Hearts and Hooves Day is done with.” Twilight looked over at Celestia, who was still smiling at her. In her haste to find an ideal lover for Celestia, however, she missed the way in which the expression had shifted back to its forced, safe and emotionless norm with the words she had said. “To Ponyville?”

Celestia gave a nod. “Yes, to Ponyville. I will search the barracks, and will find us a resturaunt. I think a location in Ponyville itself is likely the most comfortable. Once I’ve found a date and a date location, I will come find you. ”

Twilight smiled. “Right. Meet you soon.”

The pair embraced again, and then Twilight teleported with a lavender burst of light. Celestia turned towards the barracks, an inviting, neutral smile falling over her face.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Twilight knocked on Blossomforth’s door, a rictus smile upon her face. “Hi!” She blurted out with unsettling cheer. “Do you want to go on a date with Princess Celestia?!” A blank stare met Twilight’s manic request, leaving the two standing in silence. After a pause, Blossomforth managed to say:

“As in...a date with Princess Celestia?”

“Exactly!” Twilight’s tone made the grey mare jump. The size of her eyes suggested she equated the situation with being caught in the path of a runaway freight train.

“I...would...um, love too. But...I have this thing...I’m...uh...sky...painting? Yes! Painting the sky! With Pinkie Pie! I’ll talk to you later, Twilight!” The door slammed shut in her face.

Twilight waved away the fearful imagining with a sigh. “Let’s...not try that. I don’t even know any gay mares! At least, I never asked. Bon Bon and Lyra are pretty close...but so are the girls and I. Urgh!”

Twilight stalked past the Ponyville market with a slump in her shoulders, searching across the public square for some lonely-looking potential homosexual. The local mailmare walked past with a pink, heart-shaped letter sealed with an hourglass stamp. Miss Cheerilee was leading a group of foals towards the fountain, pointedly not looking at Big MacIntosh. Raindrops sat by herself, a slump in her shoulders...until an exhausted and anxious Pokey Pierce made a beeline for her table and bolted into a chair with an apology the entire square could hear. Twilight groaned again. It was a fruitless search, and she knew it.

“What I really need is somepony who knows all about the love lives of everyone in Ponyville, and somepony who isn’t afraid to share them, either. Somepony I know I can trust, and somepony who wants everyone around her to find a perfect special somepo--” Twilight instantly knew where she needed to go. Without another word, she sped off to find Ponyville’s resident romance expert.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

“At ease.” Celestia disarmed the guards with her usual smile. “I am not here for a particular mission, nor do I require any civil duties from you. Rather, I come to you with an offer. Princess Twilight Sparkle has announced she is looking for an official date for Hearts and Hooves Day. She has further stated that she may be interested in a guard.” At this her tone dipped into one of confiding mischievousness, and her smile grew to a more jovial grin. She watched in amusement as expressions of awe, joy, fear, and, in the case of one unfortunate stallion, arousal, spread across the barracks. To her disappointment, however, not a single guard stepped forward, most of them either running for their young lives, moving on in disinterest or blushing and freezing up. One stallion, however, immediately pushed to the front of the group.

“Your majesty! Did you say...Princess Twilight?”

“That I did.” Celestia paused. There was something in the young stallion’s eyes that was decidedly unsettling. He seemed distracted, his face taking on a distant, vacant smile. Nonetheless, she pressed on, reasoning that she would be able to better gauge the stallion’s personality as she talked with him. “Would you be interested in accompanying her for the evening?”

“Absolutely. Her Majesty has been a huge inspiration to me since I was a colt. I’d be honoured to date her.” The guard’s airy smile did not dissipate, but it did seem to grow more earnest, if a bit more distant still. Celestia bit the inside of her cheek.

“The location would be Twilight’s current home, Ponyville, and would likely be a restaurant significantly below the standards of inner city Canterlot you would be used to. Is that acceptable?”

“Absolutely.” The stallion turned to look at her, his glazed eyes seeing past her. Celestia decided it was fully possible that there was merely something wrong with his eyes. “It doesn’t matter where we meet, so long as it’s her. If I could make her happy, even for a little bit, that would be a dream come true. I joined the guard to protect ponies like her and her Majesty, Princess Cadance.”

This struck Celestia as a perfectly reasonable position, but despite what the stallion had said thus far, she could not help but shake the feeling there was something decidedly off about his demeanor. Regardless, he had presented himself where no other guard would, and if he was as fixed upon making Twilight’s date night a success as he purported, she saw no reason not to allow him the chance.

“One more condition.” Celestia took a breath in, searching for the best way to state her presence as diplomatically as possible. The stallion had thus far had a peculiarly singular focus upon Twilight, so she reasoned that framing her attendance through Twilight’s perspective would be the most logical step. “Twilight was hoping that I might attend the date, both as a companion in case she feels uncomfortable and because she hopes I might enjoy the holiday on my own terms. I hope to be as unintrusive as possible, and will only intervene if the date becomes especially uncomfortable for either party.”

“That should be fine, Your Majesty. Anything to finally get a chance to meet her.” The blue-maned stallion gave her a breezy smile, still seeming not entirely in the same reality as Celestia. The Princess pursed her lips.

“Very well. Would you like to help me find a restaurant?”

He nodded, giving a casual toss of his mane with his confirmation. Celestia met his bland smile with a more natural one of her own, and with a flick of her horn she dissipated the pair, leaving a garrison sighing with relief behind her.

“...Why didn’t you ask her, Heavy?”

“Are you crazy? You think about what would happen if it went pear-shaped? I happen to like living on the surface of celestial bodies that aren’t on fire, myself.”

“...Yeah.” His comrade agreed wistfully. “Yeah, but it’s still a damn shame.”

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Twilight knocked on the door of the Carousel Boutique furiously. “Rarity!” Knock, knock, knock. “Rarity!” Knock, knock, knock. “Rarity!”

The door replied with a wail of despair. “Go away! I won’t see another soul today, save if they have come to sweep me away to freedom from my endless vigil of maidenly solitude! I will not have any ruffian come and disrupt my despair on today of all days for some filthy dress!”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, her expression going from concerned to deadpan in a heartbeat. “Hoity Toity said no, didn’t he?”

“He said he had 'other concerns'! What concern could possibly be greater than the power of true...of true lo-o-o-o-ove!”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head at the sob that permeated the door. “Rarity, I’m coming in.”

“Coming in?! Oh, goodness, no, darling! You can’t possibly see me like this! To see me so, so, unfashionable? So miserable? On a day when you should be out shining like a brilliant star? Unthinkable! Just...just leave an old maid to her loneliness.” The last of these words was delivered with comparative calm and quiet.

Twilight’s eyes softened at the words. “I’ve told you before, a date would never come before any of the girls, and that includes you. Now come on. I’ve got some good news for you...And a few questions. But they all have to do with love!”

“Love, you say? Well why didn’t you say so, darling! Come in! Come in!”

Twilight muttered “I was trying to…” under her breath, but trotted in with her best supportive smile nonetheless. At once her smile turned to a look of worry. “...Rarity?”

Wrung, wrinkled, and fur covered dresses were strewn across the floor, some of them damp with what Twilight assumed were tears. A large fainting couch took up the centre of the room, and tubs of discarded ice cream were strewn across the boutique. The centrepiece was Rarity herself. Her mane looked as though she had been pawing at it all day, with strands of loose hair curling from her scalp in all directions and several places where it had been parted into clumps down to the root. Mascara streaks ran down to her chin, where they mingled with chocolate mint stains spread like a patchwork around her mouth. Her coat was raised and matted, the static from her dresses having pulled it in whichever direction she had been mangling them. Lastly, red-rimmed eyes stared out at Twilight with a bittersweet smile.

“Hello, Twilight dear. Let’s...let’s hear this good news, shall we?”

“Right.” Twilight made her way through the sea of ice cream tubs, noticing now that there were a few discarded romance novels hidden amongst them, and stopped beside Rarity’s couch, resting a hoof on the fashionista’s shoulder and giving her a tender smile. “I decided to take your advice.”

Rarity blinked. “What advice?”

“You said I should find a special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day as part of the proper Princess decorum, and, well, I decided you were right. It only seems right that I try to explore what the holiday has to offer. I tried getting a few dates on my own…” The pair of them shared a collective cringe, one at the memories and the other from her knowledge of how the scenario likely developed. “Yeah. That was...that was a mistake.”

“So now you’ve come to ask for my advice?”

“Sort of. There’s a bit more. I thought about coming to you, but I knew you were probably busy trying to find a date yourself, so I decided it was best not to bother you unless I really needed to. Which is what’s happening now.”

“Who did you go to, then?” Rarity wet a handkerchief at the sink, levitating it towards her face once it had sufficiently saturated with water.

“Princess Celestia. I assumed she must have loads of dating experience, given she’s been around for so long. Not to mention, I already know she’s a great teacher. The best, really. So I thought she could teach me a bit about how to date, herself.”

“And?”

“Well, instead of dating advice I learned a lot about the Princess’ life. She...she hasn’t had a very good dating life, either. Which is where you come in. I asked the Princess if she’d like to go on a date with me, and now I need you to help me find the dates.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up, but the expression was cut off by a look of concern. “Erm...Twilight? You do know that when you say “can I take you on a date?” you are typically asking a pony to be your date, yes?”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“With the way you worded your question, Princess Celestia likely thought you were asking her to be your date.”

Twilight only laughed at this. At first, nasally giggles came forth, barely restrained by her hoof. Eventually, she could hold them no more, and open, unguarded laughter came from her in quick succession. She leaned on the couch for support.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Celestia rarely cantered, usually contenting herself with a gentle, peaceful walk, but she had to confess Pinkie Pie’s excitement had been perhaps more infectious than she had imagined. Of course, the pink mare had been ecstatic to see her and a New Pony in town, and had naturally decided a party was in order. Unfortunately for her, and mercifully for Celestia and Twilight, most ponies were either too involved in their own plans or too demoralized to be interested in a large celebration, and so Celestia had discreetly suggested that making the party a Secret Dating Party set for herself, Twilight and what company they brought could be a unique and invigorating challenge. Pinkie, of course, had thought this was a splendid idea, and had set to work preparing Sugarcube Corner for “Sparky and Celly’s Hearts and Hooves Soiree” with gusto.

In the process, Celestia had learned Twilight had recently bolted toward the Carousel Boutique, and so, with the kind hearted but somewhat air headed orange colt in tow, Celestia had made her way through town. The sound of Twilight’s nasally laugh and the mention of her name pulled her to one of the windows of the boutique. Her higher thought and moral compass fought a losing battle with her heart over Twilight’s privacy. She chided herself on her cowardice in not simply asking herself, but she wished to hear what Twilight thought of her in private. Thoughts of too many old friends and lovers with hidden resentments buried for her sake pushed her to know, as did a pleading need to know if her selfish wish had even a ghost of a chance, shame her though it did that animal fear and attachment had bested Twilight’s promise to tell her nothing but the truth.

So she pushed herself against the window sill, hoping against hope that neither would draw back the curtains, all of which had been ominously pulled back. Her open ear met the sounds of Rarity giving Twilight a rebuttal. It was only then that she noticed the blue-maned colt had joined her in eavesdropping. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he cast her not barely a glance for her effort. Her raised eyebrow pulled back down into a furrowed brow, her scrutinizing gaze penetrating the stallion and what exactly his motive might have been. Perhaps allowing this to go as far as it has was a mistake…

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

“Hehehe...Celestia date me. Yeah, good one, Rarity.”

Rarity became indignant at this, her nose wrinkling in agitation. “Well, what? It’s perfectly plausible that’s how she took it, given your behaviour around her in the past.”

Twilight looked up at this, tilting her head to one side. “My behaviour?”

“You know, your...you...ness. How whenever Celestia comes to town we need to prepare everything just so or else the world will end? Or how you went to the Gala just so you could talk alone with her? And you said that that would be the best night of your life?” Twilight looked down at this, her ears drooping. “Or that business with the missed friendship report? And how you rush to embrace her the instant you see her?”

Twilight’s eyes raised in a hard stare, her ears still drooped. “Is that...is that really what you thought it was? That I had a crush on her, or something?”

“Well, it was one of a few theories,” Rarity said lamely.

Twilight gave a sigh. “Rarity, I--she’s my idol, Rarity. I’ve wanted to be like her since I first met her, because of how much good she does. She’s a wonderful pony. We owe her our lives. Everyone I know and love, my entire world would be impossible without her and the sacrifices she made. Multiple times over, too. And she doesn’t care about any of that. She cares about everypony as a person and she never spares a moment for herself when she could be helping somebody else. And she calms me down. Everypony else is afraid of me when I...when I have my episodes.” Twilight’s gushing was interrupted by a look of naked shame, her entire body bowing under the weight of her darkest, most painful flaw. She shook her head, regaining her composure and her good cheer with a speed that suggested experience in hiding this particular wound. “But she’s not. She’s always there for me, always knows just what to say, and is always happy to hear what silly thing I’m worrying about this time.

“I’ve known her since I was a filly. She defined my whole life, Rarity. Without her I never would have met you girls, never would have become the magic expert I am today. Never would have met Spike or Cadance, never would have had the life I have here. And...and I guess I mean a lot to her, too. Without us she wouldn’t have Luna back, or stopped Discord, or seen Cadance find her own kingdom to rule over. Without me she wouldn’t have Spike and Chrysalis would’ve...she wouldn’t have been able to save Cadance. And now she’s starting to open up to me, and tell me about herself and let me be her friend. What we have is...magical. It’s...special. I couldn’t take her on this date any more than I could take one of you or Spike. I could never make our bond out to be something so...silly? Flirty? Shallow. I could never be that selfish, and never that shallow.”

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Celestia’s open lips leaked air from her lungs, and it was only when they began to protest that she realized she had stopped breathing. Shallow. Selfish. Twilight had perhaps chosen the best words for her attraction in one fell swoop. She pushed away from the window, looking down at the sill in disgust. The grass against her hooves were like a thousand tiny slaps bringing her back to reality, reminding her a foggy dream of romance had almost betrayed the greatest bond she had ever held with another pony.

But even that ignored the ugly truth. The same clingy, selfish, shallow need for another in her life to be with romantically had almost ruined Twilight’s greatest and happiest bond. How much she meant to Twilight, and vice versa, had been laid out in perhaps the most loving rejection never delivered to her. With a soft sigh, Celestia sat upon the grass, examining her reflection in the gems of her shoes, imagining, accusing and regretting.

Author's Note

I swear on my life this won't end in Flashlight. ~~Please don't kill me.~~

Chapter 5

Twilight noticed the apologetic look of pause on Rarity’s face, and sagged a little bit. The outburst against the idea of asking Celestia to be her date had drained her, but it seemed from Rarity’s expression that it had been even more exhausting for her. Twilight winced. “I...kinda blew up a bit there, didn’t I?”

Rarity pursed her lips. “Yes...you rather did…”

“Heh, uh, sorry. Really, I am. I get that you’re just trying to help. I...I just want this date night to be perfect for her. She’s so…lonely, Rarity. I want to be there for her. And I want her to have other ponies in her life, too. So...do you have any advice for me? I need to know about the love lives of ponies here in town if I’m going to find a date for her.” At Rarity’s hopeful expression, Twilight tilted her head. “What?”

“Celestia’s love life is all fine and well, Twilight, but what about you, dear? Surely you must want somepony in your life to sweep you off your hooves.”

Twilight thought on this. “Not...really? I’m pretty happy as is. But, uh, I dunno. I want to try it out, and I certainly don’t want to seem like I don’t think anypony is good enough to date me. It’s just an experiment, to me, at least. Y’know? For fun? But it doesn’t matter either way. The Princess is sorting out who I’m going with. I need to know if there’s a mare in town she could ask after.”

“A mare?” Rarity blinked. “You mean her majesty actually is of...that persuasion?” Her head tilted, a purse in her lips indicating her surprise.

Twilight hesitated. “It’s...kind of private. She doesn’t really feel comfortable about it. In fact, she only told me just before we left, and she was halfway to not telling me at all. Can you please keep it a secret? For me?”

Rarity smiled. “Of course, darling. Merely idle curiosity.” She waved a hoof, then righted herself from the couch she had been holding her tragic breakdown upon and dissipated it with a flick of her horn. With a sweep of her head, she stacked the empty tubs of ice cream and arranged the romance novels into a neat pile. “Now, you say you wish to have fun with this date? Nothing especially serious?“

“Serious?”

Rarity moved her handkerchief over to her sink, exchanging it for a cloth with which to clean the floors in a moment. A hair brush and spray joined it from her chest of drawers on the journey towards the pair of ponies at the center of the parlor. “Well, yes, dear. You didn’t really believe that every date had to be a casual affair, did you? Some ponies--myself, for instance--are always on the look out for the one. With respect to 'having fun', as you say, not all dates are simple flirting or in the presence of strangers. You said she was 'lonely', yes? If that is the case, I imagine a date she knows will likely be the beginning and end of any potential relationship will only make her feel lonelier, yes?”

Twilight’s eyes widened, a look of horror sweeping over her face. “Oh my gosh...you’re right. I wasn’t thinking...again. But I can’t just let her stay on hoof as a third wheel while I try dating.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “I’ll ask her, I guess. It really depends upon what she’s looking for, and since I don’t know that, I can only do my best to find out exactly what she wants. If she even knows.”

“Of course, darling. If you’re looking for options, of course, you could always pick me.” Rarity smiled, flipping her freshly-cleaned and newly-brushed mane.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You? Aren’t you still looking for 'the one'?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, dear. Of course, ever since my...shall we say...“hiccup” at the Grand Galloping Gala, I have realized that perhaps expanding my horizons beyond upper class unicorn males was a prudent choice. Her majesty always struck me as a pony worth getting to know better, especially given your penchant for stories about her, and compliments about her...and lengthy speeches about how she is the greatest pony in known history...and laments about how you wish you could be more like her..” There was an awkward pause in which the two of them blushed.

“I did stop that last one once I got these.” Twilight flapped her wings for emphasis, explaining meekly.

“Erhem, yes, well, the point being that if nothing else I would like to get to know her majesty, if she’s willing.”

“She would be.” Twilight smiled. “You’re absolutely right. If nothing else, she’d be glad to make another friend.” Rarity found herself quickly scooped up in an embrace. “I knew you’d know what to do. Thank you, Rarity. Now come on. Let’s go find her and tell her the good news!”

Twilight swung open the door, greeted by the sight of Celestia sitting on the grass in front of the boutique, staring into the distance. She blinked, then called out to her. “Princess! Princess, I found you a somepony!...Sort of. How did your...search...go?”

Celestia gave a smile, but the lack of mirth in her eyes or teasing immediately tipped Twilight off to there being something wrong. “It was successful. A young colt volunteered almost instantly, and was quite eager to accompany you by the sounds of it.”

“That’s great.” Twilight looked at Celestia with scrutinizing eyes, and noticed her body had gone lax and her smile peaceful and reassuring. She frowned. This was not the Celestia she had seen becoming more and more open throughout the day. Something felt off. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by the sound of somepony clearing her throat from behind her.

“Your Majesty.” She spun around to meet an orange pony with a blue mane, who gave a cheesy smile and lowered himself down on one foreleg. Twilight gave an awkward smile in response.

“Oh! Hi. You must be the, um, guard! The one I asked for. To date.” He stared up at her with a smile.

“That’s me, yeah. Flash Sentry, your majesty.” The stallion’s gaze stared directly into Twilight’s soul. Trembling pupils met her own, and for a moment Twilight was staring into a face she was sure she had given Celestia as a filly at least a thousand times, and one she had received from Sweetie Belle and her Cutie Mark Crusader friends during their phase of obsession with spending time with her. She found herself blushing at the look, and pushed a hoof through her mane, smiling awkwardly.

“Um...well, I should probably go introduce the Princess to her date. I’ll, uh, be back in a second.”

“Whatever you say, Twilight. I can, uh, call you Twilight, yeah?” He swept his hair back, and all at once the adoring smile was replaced with something far cheesier. His gaze had grown hungrier, and there was something unsettling about it. Twilight decided it was how contracted his pupils looked, and how they never broke contact with her, even for a minute. She fought back a shiver.

Her eyes darted between Celestia and Rarity, both of whom were watching the scene unfold with some level of concern, and she smiled an over-wide smile despite herself. “...Yeah. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Rarity, Princess, you’ve obviously met before. But, uh, never like this! Princess, Rarity has said she’s been willing to try a date with you! I’ve been talking to her about getting to know you better, and she’s excited for a chance to try.” Twilight tried to stay as positive as possible, hoping to break through whatever was causing Celestia to withdraw.

Celestia gave a genuine smile at this, but there was still that aura of emotionless serenity about the rest of her body. Her wings hung gently at her sides, her legs were spaced perfectly apart, her body was no longer tense. Twilight continued to frown.

“Is there...something the matter, Princess?”

Celestia gave a toss of her head, but her brow furrowed. She gave a chuckle like a startled frog’s croak. “It’s not important. I was just entertaining some silly thoughts. Selfish, perhaps. But it doesn’t matter.” She looked past Twilight, hoping to avoid further probing. “Hello again, Rarity. It’s always a pleasure to see you, though I suppose this will be a rather different meeting than most.”

Rarity smiled, but though her eyes danced she did not blush. “Ehem, yes.” She took a moment to compose herself. “And to that end, I would like to formally submit a chance to court you.” She lowered herself down on one leg, and Celestia’s earnest smile vanished again. A full encyclopedia’s worth of bad memories swam to the surface with the image of a pony on one elbow promising to court her.

Twilight bit her lip and furrowed her brow, but before she could intervene she was met up by Flash, who had appeared right beside her. “So, tell me a bit about yourself.” His easy smile was there again, and he was leaning in, trying his best to block out the rest of the world from the pair.

Twilight frowned, but relented. “Well, uh, I thought you would already know a bit about me. Y’know, most of my life story’s pretty easy to find. And it’s obvious you’re...enthused to see me?” Twilight scrutinized his face. “Aren’t you that one guard from the Crystal Empire? The one who isn’t a crystal pony?”

Flash nodded. “Princess Cadance took me with her after I got between her and a hydra head. It was...it was a close thing.” He gave a chuckle, but his smile grew smaller at the memory. “Uhm...anyway, what about you? I mean, I didn’t read any biographies, since you brought it up. I really don’t think writing’s the same as the experience, so I usually give reading a pass. I’m not really much of a book...po...ny?” Flash realized too late he had made a critical error, as Twilight’s face quickly flickered from horrified to upset to resolute.

Celestia had followed Twilight’s expressions as best she could from the start of her reappearance, but the smaller ivory unicorn demanded respect for her earnest efforts. Thus, reluctantly, she turned back to the bowing figure, doing her best to ignore Twilight’s look of discomfort at having been cut off. “Rarity, I--I formally reject your request to court me in the manner set out by the nobility in accordance with their guidelines on how my life shall be led.”

Rarity opened her mouth, looking up at Celestia as though she had just tasted vacuum. To her confusion, Celestia leaned down to press a hoof atop hers and stare directly into her amethyst pupils.

“Rather, I accept your request to accompany me on a date for a night of fun while off-duty. The nobles don’t know the first thing about me, my dear, so please, don’t try to define me through them. I want to see you, not your masks.” And with that, Celestia rose slowly, bringing Rarity up with her by the hoof she had wrapped overtop the fashionista’s. “Besides. I’m here to make friends more than anything else.” She sent a glance toward Twilight, who seemed to be wearing an expression of discomfort, then flicked her gaze back to Rarity. “I have recently realized that a wider social circle is something I have been sorely missing.”

“But your majesty!” Rarity looked aghast, taking Celestia’s meaning by the bashful and regretful look in her eyes. “Surely everypony wants to be your friend! You’re the center of the very world! Who wouldn’t want a chance to meet somepony like that up close and personal?”

Celestia blushed. “Truth be told, most of them are afraid of me, and of what I might do to them. Those that aren’t usually want something from me, and hope being my friend would be leverage. Most of my friends I hold today I keep through the School For Gifted Unicorns. Most of the nobles find me dreadfully maverick, after all.”

“You? Maverick? But you’re the noblest pony I have ever known, da--” Rarity checked herself. “I can call you darling, right?”

Celestia chuckled. “I would be honored.”

“Eeeee!” Rarity gave a little squeal, dancing in place. Then, as abruptly as she had started, she stopped, giving a cheesy smile and lowering her ears. “Eh heh, I mean, thank you very much, your Majesty.”

The two smiled at each other, and Celestia opened her mouth to suggest the two of them walk towards Sugar Cube Corner, but a volcanic explosion from their immediate right drew the focus of the two pearl-coloured ponies.

“Not a ‘book pony’? ‘Not a book pony’?! How can that even be possible?!”

Rarity and Celestia were jerked away from their conversation by the explosion of noise, both blinking at the outburst. Flash, for his part, took a few steps backward, a look of surprise on his face. Twilight continued her stammered outburst, words fighting to escape the paralyzing disbelief that had overwhelmed her.

“B-books are the foundation of knowledge! They’re...how...knowledge, how knowledge is saved and preserved, and how it is transferred across generations. You can’t just experience the lives and minds of other ponies! You need to hear about them, from them, through their thoughts and feelings! And, and, without knowledge there is no understanding. Without understanding, we can’t figure out who we are. And--” Twilight’s darting eyes searched around, catching the looks of those present. Her two friends had folded their brows in concern, looking at the scene with a mixture of worry and sympathy. Flash, on the other hand, looked horrified and devastated, his mouth opening and shutting as if he were a goldfish being stalked by a housecat. “And...I…” Twilight sighed, blushing. “I guess you could say I’m a book pony.”

“You don’t say.” Flash gulped, trying his best not to look as though he had just weathered an air strike.

“I...Well, books have been a big part of my life. Not everypony has to spend all their time reading, but I guess I just expected a pony who wanted to date me to like books, even just a little.”

Flash nodded a little, shuffling his hooves to better support his weight. “Like I said, I heard a lot, but I didn’t really learn all that much about you. But, uh, if you like books, I guess I’d be willing to give them a try.” The same unsettling smile was back. An odd combination of distant and hungry.

“Alright. But if you didn’t know anything about me, what...got you...interested.” Twilight suddenly didn’t like the line of thought she was going down.

“Oh!” And suddenly Flash’s eyes lit up again, this time with more genuine excitement. “All of those stories about your magic, of course! I was on the swings in Private Posy Park when you summoned a dragon at the academy! Plus, you were the shy little sister of the best guard in the school! Everypony at the academy wanted to know about you! And, y’know, date you, once we were old enough.” He blushed, but his starry gaze never actually met Twilight. “And all of the stories, too! The Ursa Major, the way you redeemed Discord, that time you fought a thousand timberwolves off to save Sweet Apple Acres from those two flim-flams…”

“I never--”

“You did so many amazing things! And me, well, I’m just a guard for Princess Cadance. But then Princess Celestia said you were looking for a guard to date for Hearts and Hooves day, and I thought, I dunno, maybe I’d give it a try. I thought maybe you’d want to try a date with me.” He sighed. “I guess I’m already screwing that up, huh?”

“Flash…” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. “Look. I only just met you, and I’ve never dated anypony before, so I’m a little on edge. And when I’m on edge, I tend to overreact. So…don’t act like it’s the end of the world, alright? I’m not going anywhere. Not yet, anyway.” She gave a nervous smile.

Celestia touched Twilight delicately with her wingtip. “Actually, Twilight, we do have to go somewhere in order to meet our reservation.” Celestia looked down at the two ponies with a gentle smile.

“A reservation? Are we late?! Quick, we--”

“Twilight. Relax. I convinced Pinkie to hold a private affair for us at Sugarcube Corner. She’s happy to accept us at any point this afternoon. But since we are a party now, we might as well make our way over. Wouldn’t you agree, Rarity?”

“That sounds perfectly reasonable to me, your highness.” Rarity smiled a dainty smile, turning to face towards their destination. “Shall we?”

Celestia nodded. “Let’s.”

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

The walk towards Sugarcube Corner was brief, but very informative.

“So what’s your family life like, Princess Twilight? Is Captain Armor half as much fun as you?” Flash said, happily striding beside her.

Twilight replied in kind, a cautious smile on her face. “Oh, well! My dad is an astronomer, and my mum works for the Ministry for Mandated Magical Management in the Telekinesis Technicalities section. Then there’s Shiney, but you probably know all about him, and then there’s old uncle Fuzzy Dice, who teaches probability and math at the School For Gifted Unicorns. Grandma Hard Knocks is a retired manners instructor, but it’s been a while since I’ve talked with her. And Grandpa Half Moon is an astronomer, too. Dad takes after him that way. Anyway, uhm, what about you?”

Flash was still smiling and walking, his gaze not leaving the lavender alicorn beside him. “Did you...huh? Oh! My turn? Alright, well, I have a mum and a little sister. Mum was in the guard, once. Little sis is volunteering in environment. The usual, you know?”

Twilight tilted her head. “And what about the rest of your family?”

“They aren’t really worth talking about.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, but Flash pressed on. “Anyway, do you have any hobbies? Besides reading, I mean.”

“Oh, absolutely! I mean, my cutie mark is magic, after all. I...I guess you can’t really know that much about it, can you? But I love to fly, too!” Twilight gave a bashful smile, but changed her expression to one of surprise when she saw Flash staring at her now-outspred wings. She folded them with an “eep!”, then tried to quell her blushing. “...Anyway, what about you?”

“I play guitar. But back to you.” Twilight gave a sigh, her wings drooping. She put on a smile, but already there was strain reaching across her lips.

“Well, like I said, I love flying. You know, the wind along your body, the way you can see the whole world, the way it lets you just...I dunno...escape, I guess?” Flash was less distant, now. His vacant gaze had turned to a more thoughtful look, and Twilight allowed a brief moment of hope for two-way conversation to resume.

“And your other hobbies?”

Twilight had to hold back a groan.

“I must say, darling, I am quite jealous of your home. Oh, if only I could spend but an evening with those curtains. They have such a flair to them! Such nobility!” Rarity looked over Celestia’s body, which prompted a bashful lower of the head and the hint of a blush from Celestia until she realized what Rarity was looking at her for. “It really is quite a shame you don’t have more to wear for special occasions. Oh, that dress at Twilight’s coronation, I wanted to faint!”

“There was something wrong with my dress?” Celestia raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes pointedly never met Twilight’s, and so she never saw the looks of concern and uncertainty Twilight flashed her in between interrogations.

“But of course! That pattern, the way it swung around your figure, oh, goodness! It was lumpy, Celestia! Lumpy! Do you know what the word for lumps on ponies is?.” Rarity stared at her with the utmost severity. Celestia awaited the response, making no attempt to guess at what Rarity was saying. “Fat!” A touch of offense and mortification crept into Celestia’s face, but she waited for Rarity’s thoughts on the dress before saying anything. “Such a beautiful figure! Such poise and royalty! Wasted! Oh, I had nightmares about those dresses for weeks!”

Celestia gave a bashful smile. “The dresses were Cadance’s idea, though my evidently disastrous choice when I found them. I wanted to have a more modest celebration, given that Twilight and I both prefer that to any pomp or poise. However, Cadance raised a fair argument that we should dress for the occasion, just as she had at her wedding, and wearing nothing but my regalia for Twilight felt wrong, so I was inclined to agree.”

Rarity tilted her head. “‘Pomp and poise?’”

Celestia smiled, if faintly and with some regret. “Oh, I’m sorry, yes. I’m afraid I don’t share your fascination with the noble code. The truth is, Rarity, that most of the nobles in Canterlot create those rules and codes as a way to distance themselves from other ponies.”

“Oh, but of course. How could Canterlot have its culture, its beauty, its je ne sais quoi without trying to create a unique style of its own?”

“I meant more horizontally.” Celestia looked troubled. This was always hard to explain to hopefuls looking to join the noble society. “You, for instance, will never be the top of a social ladder because of the circumstances of your birth. This despite how graceful, cultured, charming and most importantly kind you are.” She gave Rarity a smile to match the other pony’s frown. It was a hard truth, though Rarity likely knew it already. She gave a nod towards the other party of ponies, but still did not look her ex student in the eye. “Twilight, by contrast, was treated with reverence wherever she went despite not bothering to give most nobles the time of day, back when she lived in Canterlot. Not because she had any especial charm that a noble would respect, but because she can trace her blood back to some of Canterlot’s founders.

“I cannot be seen condoning a culture like that and still claim in good conscience that I represent the people of Equestria. I am not a noble, nor shall I ever be, and to even briefly embrace their culture for me would be for me to be shown endorsing the classism and selfishness that is at the heart of Canterlot high society.”

Rarity bit her lip, looking defiant, then opened her mouth to speak.

Twilight continued to try to catch Celestia’s eye, but to no avail. Always Celestia was looking at Rarity, or looking past her head, or looking to the side. There was a touch of sadness in her face whenever she looked Twilight’s way, too, which made the smaller princess’s head whir with questions and hypotheses. Any attempts at thinking, however, were drowned out by Flash’s demands to hear more about her.

“What did you say your father did, again?”

A sigh. “Astronomy.”

“Do you like it, too?”

“Yes.” She chewed her bottom lip, a glower setting in. Hunched shoulders and a faster pace would suggest that a mare was not having a good time to most ponies, but Flash Sentry was not most ponies. Once the questions had stopped, he decided compliments were of course the next step. If I’m really lucky, the inner cynic in Twilight mused, he’ll be dumping gifts into my hooves by the end of the night

“You have really beautiful eyes, you know?”

“Yes, Flash.”

“They’re like little bits of diamond set in pools of…” He struggled to think of a purple liquid. “Grape...juice?”

“Thank you, Flash.” Twilight gave another sigh. Her nose was wrinkled at this point. Flash chose this moment to attempt subtlety.

“Was your horn always that long?” He looked over at her with a smile.

She stopped in shock, and Rarity and Celestia up ahead followed suit. The three unicorns--partial or otherwise--each tried and failed to keep crimson from their cheeks. Rarity was gaping.

Twilight looked at his face, and saw a chaste, if unsettlingly focused, stare. “No.” She sighed, relief and annoyance flooding through her.

“Oh. Did you do something to it? Or was that one of the princesses? Because pony’s sake, it’s amazing.”

Twilight bit into her lower lip with a set jaw, hoping that the pain and the force of the muscles would be able to keep her from screaming. Then she noticed Celestia was looking directly at them. She looked over towards Celestia, hoping to give her a smile and reassure her that everything was alright. Celestia only turned her head down and let her bangs cover her eyes. Twilight decided at that point that dating was most decidedly not the fun Celestia had said it could be. She only looked at Flash with a disbelieving shake of her head, then walked on.

Celestia saw Rarity look over at Twilight forlornly, her gaze uncertain.

“Worried about Twilight?”

“She does seem to be caught in a rather unfortunate position. But she is putting on a brave face, poor thing, and I think if she needs rescue she will signal to us. However,” Rarity placed a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder, “I must stress myself here in that I must disagree, your maje--umm, Celestia, regarding your assertion that the nobility is entirely of that culture. Rather, that is a specific class of nobility I have found out in Canterlot, and have likewise disdained. I have seen a similar culture of selfishness and vanity in Manehatten, but there, as in Canterlot, I have also found a better kind of pony who loves the open social life and ponies of all varieties. Specifically, in Canterlot I have found that ponies like Hoity Toity and Fancypants have been most gracious, as opposed to those ruffians pretending to be the face of proper society.” Rarity wrinkled her nose at the word “ruffians”, but otherwise her speech had been given with stars in her eyes and firmly set brow. Celestia smiled at the thought of the philosophy, and also a plan formulating within her strategist’s mind. Dating she did not know, but social politics she was a master at.

“Perhaps you could start a movement. Lead the foundation of a new type of high society altogether, through your leadership and firm values. I would be happy to support a life like that, though, truth be told, I still would be unlikely to rub elbows with its members.” Celestia smiled.

Rarity, however, only frowned in confusion, lashes spreading wide from her eyes. “But why ever not, darling? You could be the star of every social sphere from Appleloosa to the Crystal Empire!”

Celestia only gave a shy smile. “The truth is, Rarity, I’m actually rather reclusive. I prefer not to be pried into. It is why I cultivate the “untouchable” image. I don’t want to be intruded upon. I leave the door open, but only those who knock may enter, and they may only stay for so long.”

Rarity smiled a teasing smile at that. “Well, most of us. I know one pony who practically lives there.” She cast a pointed glance in the direction of their companion couple. To her surprise, Celestia seemed to lose her warmth at the statement, rather than laughing. “Oh dear. Did I touch a sore point, darling? I’m so terribly sorry--”

“No, it is not you. I merely feel I have disappointed Twilight recently, and I cannot tell her how. Nor can I tell you, in truth. I may be happy to see you into my room, but the doors to my closets are still closed.”

“But not for Twilight.” Rarity looked at Celestia, who in turn looked back. Rarity’s talents for reading ponies extended far and wide. In any kind of situation of subtle social graces, she had a keen eye for the tics and mannerisms of any pony she had gotten the chance to call friend. But the face she met was a sea wall. A formation of stone, ice, and impenetrable age stood firm against her attempts to pry. And all of it topped with a perfect, angelic smile that had an eerie lack of any genuine emotion. She blinked, then insisted, finding her footing, “But not for Twilight. She told me things that were perhaps not what you would hope to have revealed to others, but I think they are for the best.”

Celestia’s poker face did not shift, but she did speak, if briefly. “I am glad your intentions are in the right place. Though I would caution you that intentions and their results are rarely in harmony.”

“What she told me was partially what convinced me to come along.” Rarity supplied. The sea wall reached her again. She frowned. “Twilight told me you wanted to make friends. I don’t know what your circle of friends is like, darling, but in Ponyville--and everywhere else I’ve been--it’s a sign of a desire for quite the opposite of friendship when somepony shuts the other out, hmm?”

Celestia sighed. “I feel I may have drawn a barrier between my own relationship and Twilight’s.” It was said briefly, but with emphasis in its silence. “I moved too quickly. She offered to let me open up, on my own terms, without judgement. And I...jumped. I jumped too quickly to the offer, and was too strong, and now I feel I will burden her, and ruin what we once had.”

“Have you asked Twilight what she thinks of this?” Rarity looked sceptical.

“I don’t want to make things worse.”

“Of course you don’t, darling. But you will, if you don’t talk to her.” Rarity watched Twilight, who was currently trying to avoid Flash’s piercing stare and simultaneously explain once again where her father worked and that, yes, she did in fact like to fly, and she did in fact enjoy having wings. Rarity bit her lip, noticing that Twilight looked very close to boiling point. “In fact, it seems as though you may have done so already, if only by ignoring her. Perhaps you should let her decide for herself. Though, if I am to be truthful, talking it out with her will be the best way to resolve any problems the two of you might face. Oh, goodness.” Rarity blinked, stopping just short of walking into a large wall held together with plaster made to look like frosting. She realized in an instant where she was, and called over to Twilight. She took the moment of disruption she caused in the purple mare to whisper gingerly to Celestia. “Oh, and please, don’t be afraid to tell me more about any problems you and Twilight might be having. I promise it will begin and end with me.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, to which Rarity gave her bashful reply.

“...What?”

Flash Sentry’s obsessive pursuit was of secondary importance to Twilight at this point. She was currently hoping that ignoring him might make him go away, or at least he might eventually grow bored and leave of his own accord. The results of this plan had been less than promising, but Twilight resolved to remain optimistic in the absence of more data. This constantly worsening annoyance, however, was second to the fact that she couldn’t help but feel she had somehow hurt Celestia. Glances towards her were more guarded than those directed at Rarity. Celestia avoided direct eye contact, trying to obscure her eye behind her flowing mane when Twilight threw social caution to the wind and outright stared.

Twilight racked her brains, searching for something, anything she might have done to hurt her oldest friend, but try as she might she couldn’t think of why Celestia was so withdrawn from her, let alone why neither of her friends had deigned to come to her rescue yet. She paused in this line of thought, and, to her immense vexation, Flash whipped around and sat on his flanks ahead of her as she did so. The words “puppy dog” immediately sprung into her mind. She decided to ignore him.

She wondered, perhaps, if the rift opening was caused by her having set Celestia up with a date who was awestruck at her fame, wealth and status, but quickly shot that idea down. The barrier between the two had dropped with a little effort, and Celestia was enjoying her choice in date quite a bit, if the glances she had been able to spare and their tone across the afternoon (minus Rarity’s occasional bout of melodrama) were sufficient evidence. Rarity had even taken to replacing “your majesty” with “darling”. Perhaps it was a feeling of guilt over her choice for Twilight’s date? But that would logically suggest Celestia would find some way to lose him, or at least politely dismiss him at some juncture with her famous diplomacy.

No, inevitably Twilight had to conclude the problem was her, but she had no idea what was going on. She was shaken from her thoughts by Rarity’s voice. “Twilight?” The call was quiet, and slightly concerned. She gave a weak smile at that.

“Sorry, I was just--thinking.”

Rarity gave a dainty chuckle. “Oh goodness. Twilight Sparkle thinking. Now we know something is wrong.” Celestia laughed beside her, and Twilight gave a snorting giggle herself.

“It’s fine, Twilight. We were merely going to inform you that we’ve nearly arrived.” Celestia smiled over at her student, nodding towards an entrance not fifty feet from her place of stopping. Twilight, for her part, blushed, getting up from her haunches and trotting after the larger two ponies.

She had no idea what was waiting for her in the bakery, but knowing Pinkie Pie, she was certain it could not possibly be worse than the evening she had had thus far.

Chapter 6

The interior of the bakery was candlelit, with the lowered blinds and extinguished lights amplifying the darkness that surrounded it. The usual tables had been cleared out in favour of a larger one usually used for party snacks, and flowers, all of them a vibrant pink, were strung in chains around the edges of the windows and placed in pots on the tables. A large banner said “HAPPY SECRET DATING PARTY TWILIGHT AND CELES--,” with a cartoonish but enthusiastically coloured drawing of the pair nuzzling one another within the shape of a heart spanning the centre. Twilight gave an “eep”, and did her best to hide behind Flash at the sight, while Celestia simply stared at it, fighting the urge to blush.

“Ah, yes, des dames de jou-er.” Pinkie Pie appeared beside Twilight with a stiff bow, a pressed petticoat and dress shirt covering her front half and a pencil moustache pasted to her lips. Twilight jumped, then relaxed into a smile once she recognized the (admittedly more posh than usual) voice. “May I take your crowns, my good mares?” Pinkie gave a little giggle, her moustache bouncing back and forth on her mouth as she did so. She looked down at the now-crooked fixture and frowned, setting it back in place with a hoof.

Celestia smiled at her, levitating her regalia towards a large pillow Pinkie had materialized in the time it had taken her to activate her magic. Twilight led the way to the table, seating herself down in the first seat she could find. Flash sat down facing her directly, and promptly lost himself in pools of diamond-studded grape juice. Rarity seated herself beside him, doing her best to avoid being caught in his line of sight. Pinkie Pie led Celestia to the table, and sat the royal down with a graceful courtsey. “And who might zees otzer couple be?”

Rarity gave a deadpan stare. “Pinkie, dear, you know who I am.”

Pinkie abruptly broke her act to stare directly and deeply at Rarity. “Do I, Rarity? Do I really?”

Rarity opened her mouth, pulling back under the intensity of the abrupt inspection.

Pinkie immediately returned to her bouncy self, smiling a big smile and giggling. “Yep! Turns out I do!” Twilight joined her, then paused to think about Pinkie’s phrasing.

“Pinkie...Rarity isn’t dating Flash.”

Pinkie Pie blinked, then turned to Flash. “Oh! Is that your name? Omigosh! I totally forgot! New pony! Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville!” She grabbed up his hoof, stretching her own across the table to shake it vigorously. Retracting her arm to its normal size, she smiled at the four of them, then sniffed imperiously and resumed her rod-stiff posture. “And vat may I gather for the lovely ladies plus vone?” She pulled out a napkin to drape across her forearm as she said this, still trying her best not to giggle.

“Just a few of your cupcakes would be fine, I think.” Twilight smiled at Pinkie, who scrutinized her with a look that would have made Prince Blueblood feel uncouth.

“Twilight!” She whispered loudly, hiding her mouth from the others with a hoof. “You can’t order something like that! It has to be something fancy!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, an amused sigh coming from her. “Eight extra fancy cupcakes, madame.”

Pinkie smiled. “Much better!” The entire table turned a bit quieter and a bit gloomier once she had bounced off to the kitchens. Flash leaned his elbows against the table so that he might better ponder the greatness of Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia was sitting directly beside Twilight, their eyes meeting for a moment. Celestia must have seen something in her partner’s eyes, because she turned to face Flash and posed a question for him. “So, Flash? How has my niece’s empire been suiting you? I take it the crystal ponies have not been hard on you?”

“No, ma’am. The Empire has been great, thanks. Especially the time Twilight came to visit. Don’t you love what she does with her mane? It looks so mysterious.”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, it’s an enigma.”

Celestia changed tactics. “You asked Twilight about her family earlier this afternoon, but you never really talked about yours.”

Rarity caught Celestia’s meaning at this point, turning to face the icy-eyed stallion. “I must confess I’m curious. Twilight doesn’t talk much about Canterlot, and I’d love to know what it’s like growing up there.” The three mares realized Rarity’s mistake almost instantly by the way Flash’s eyes lit up at the magic word.

“I’m sure Twilight can tell you more about it than I can. She’s got a great way with words.” He gave a sigh, then looked over at the other two. “Besides, I’m just a guard. I don’t know anything Twilight couldn’t tell you better. Isn’t that right?” He turned to look at her.

Twilight’s eye was twitching, again, which raised warning bells in all but one of the table’s occupants. “So, Rarity,” a very forced, desperation-edged cheer clawed its way into her voice, “Why don’t you tell Flash about the time I tried to brainwash the whole town? Or a bit about that time I made the parasprites eat Ponyville? How about when I made Fluttershy into a vampire batpony by mistake? Why don’t you tell him a bit about that?” She panted, her eyes daring anypony to try to let Flash talk more about her good points.

“You turned Fluttershy into a vampire batpony?” Celestia looked down at her in surprise. “I’m struggling to see a motivation to do that.”

Twilight sighed, resigning herself to talking more about herself. “I thought it would be a good way to stop vampire bats from eating Applejack’s harvest if I could turn them into insect eaters, so I got Fluttershy to do it using an amplified version of her Stare. Unfortunately, the resulting magical feedback turned her into an apple-loving vampire pony. Seems pretty silly, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll admit there was some lack of foresight, but at least your intentions were in the right place.” Celestia smiled at Twilight. “Still, I’m surprised you didn’t remember our lessons on accounting for potential side effects before testing new spells. Especially after the parasprite incidents. And the Want It, Need It incident. In fact,” Celestia stroked her chin, “I think we could stand to do some lessons on the correct and ethical use of mental magic at some point.”

Twilight nodded. “Absolutely! That’s a pretty big flaw, wouldn’t you say?”

Celestia scrutinized Twilight, not willing to play the game any more. “Failings in one school of magic out of dozens is a vastly impressive track record, Twilight. You are a wonderful mage.”

“The best! Besides, changing Flittershine into a fruit bat is still amazing! We could use ponies like that for stealth!” Flash defended, his body raising to quite literally stand in Twilight’s defense.

“Fluttershy needed an entire apple orchard in food to keep her satisfied.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, a vein in her forehead appearing.

“And our espionage unit would be unlikely to find giant vampire bat ponies to be a good way to stay inconspicuous.” Celestia sighed.

Flash opened his mouth, but Twilight cut him off. “Flash, I don’t like talking about myself, okay?”

“But why not? You’re so smart and you speak so well. I could listen to you for hours.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Twilight said through clenched teeth, “but I don’t want to talk about myself for hours.” She paused for thought. “In fact, you haven’t once let me try to start a conversation or asked me what I want to talk about! I knew something was annoying me! You haven’t said one thing about yourself beyond “I have a sister and a mother and I play guitar”! Do you even have anything else to say about yourself? I don’t know! But I guess I never will know, because if this keeps going I’ll be telling you about how I saved the town from an Ursa Minor for the next twenty three years, won’t I?!”

“Twilight, dear,” Rarity put a forehoof on her friend’s elbow.

“No! My friends have names, and if you want to date me, I expect you to care enough about them to at least learn them! What’s her name?” Twilight jabbed a hoof at Rarity.

“Umm...Treasured?” Flash scratched his chin. “I don’t really know them very well. But, I mean, I just want to know more about you. And I don’t talk about myself because there’s nothing really interesting to talk about. I’m just your average guy.”

“That’s funny,” Twilight countered, “I know a couple of ‘average guys’. I have a brother, I have a dragon, I have friends with brothers, I’ve met some stallions as Princess, I’ve fought some villains and made friends with some ex-villains who are all ‘guys’. And do you know what my data sample has taught me about ‘average guys’?” Twilight loomed over Flash, her patience long gone. “They actually take some time to learn about me! They learn that I love my friends more than anything else in the world, so they treat them with respect! They learn about things I actually like, so they talk about things that will interest me, like books, or magic, or a lot of other conversations you didn’t try to start! You know one thing they all realized? I’m not a huge fan of me! I don’t really like spending time talking about myself! And if you really, truly wanted to date me, and not some Twilight Sparkle that exists in your head, you’d have realized that twenty minutes ago when I was happier with a minute of being near Pinkie Pie talking about our dinner and the party than I have been in the entire conversation about how wonderful and amazing I am that I’ve been having with you!” Twilight sighed, panting with the exhaustion of the boiling-over anger.

“But you are wonderful and amazing! Why don’t you see that? Why can’t you understand that you’re worth talking about for an hour? That I love you?” Flash said earnestly, placing his hooves directly on the table to stare at Twilight.

Twilight wilted, looking regretful, but at the same time gaining a look in her eye that was decidedly quite different. Something akin to pity. “If you really think it’s me that you’re in love with, you’ll be in for a big surprise with all the ways I’ll disappoint you. All the ways in which I’m not perfect, or amazing in every way, or any of those things.” She sighed. “Go home, Flash. Please. We’ll both be better off if you do.”

Flash shook his head. “It is you that I’m in love with. I guess it just means I know the real you better than you do.” Twilight’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Really?” She said, and there was something dangerous in her gaze.

“Maybe I know what’s best for us. Maybe you don’t know yourself at all, and you need to learn what you’re really like. Maybe you aren’t ready to see how great you really are, and I need to show yo--” Flash disappeared in a burst of salmon magic, and the table was left with three occupants.

The romantically stilted guard arrived with a flash, landing on his stomach against a hard stone floor. Flash blinked and looked around, finding himself faced with a row of cots and nondescript walls. The barracks. Twilight had sent him home.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Rarity stared at the place where Flash Sentry had been a few moments before, then turned to Twilight with a look somewhere between shock and relief. Twilight gave a weak smile. “Well, that kinda got rid of any dreams I might have had about dating a guard being the best thing for me.”

Rarity tilted her head. “You wanted to date a guard?”

Twilight gave a chuckle. “I thought I did. I don’t know any more. I know I want to date somepony who wants to know my friends. But it’s not a problem. I don’t think my bad date should ruin yours’.” She looked between them with a smile, then to Celestia. “Come on. I’ll be your wing-mare.”

Celestia laughed at that. “I couldn’t ask for a better one, though somehow I suspect a friend of yours is unlikely to bite, Twilight.”

“Cuuuuuupcakes!” A bouncy voice sang from the kitchen. Pinkie Pie strode towards them on stiff legs, her crisp collar and immaculate false moustache stained with frosting. She lowered the plate from her back to the table with delicate grace, then gave a rigid bow. “Your meal, ma-dam-mwah-zell-ehs.” She noticed the empty place at the table, and immediately the charade dropped into one of concern. “Where did Flash go?”

Twilight looked between the other mares, biting her lip.

“He had to poof.” Celestia said with one of her more devious grins.

“Oh, okie dokie! If you see him again, tell him we still have to throw him a party.” Pinkie smiled, bouncing off toward the kitchen. It was only after she had that Twilight and Rarity allowed themselves a relieved giggle.

“Now, Twilight, her maj--Celestia and I have been discussing the potential for my creating a counterculture in Canterlot. Something that might avoid ruffians like that awful,” she shuddered, “Blueblood. What are your thoughts?”

Twilight looked up at Celestia with shining eyes. “That would be great, wouldn’t it? You wanted to change the nobility around, didn’t you?”

“It absolutely would.” Celestia agreed. “But Rarity is currently trying to convince me that I should become a figure in the centre of the social circles she is hoping to influence.”

Twilight bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Rarity, but I don’t think that would be such a good idea.”

“But your majes--Celestia! You would lead such a wonderfully full social life! Isn’t that what you wanted? Some company?” Rarity was staring directly into Celestia’s eyes at this point, making the ruler have to fight back the urge to squirm. The sea wall was back, but this time Rarity had an agent on the inside to bring her the intelligence she needed.

“Rarity, Celestia doesn’t really like being the centre of attention. She hates the Gala, remember? That’s not because of the noble’s attitudes. It’s because your forearm gets tired from all the hoof-shaking and because everypony wants you to bless them with this or that compliment.” Twilight dangled a limp hoof for emphasis, and Celestia gave her a grateful smile. “Neither of us do, really. You wouldn’t even ask if I wanted to be the centre of attention at a party, would you?”

Rarity sighed in regret. “I suppose not. But you spend so much time on your throne helping others, darling. Isn’t that the same thing?”

“The focus there is on the problems being faced, not me personally. Besides which, I love my little ponies more than I fear their judgement. If I had to confess every event of my private life daily in order to keep my kingdom running well, I would.” Rarity opened her mouth, looking defiant, but Celestia had more to say. “My personal life I would rather spend quietly. I suppose you could say that makes me shy. I prefer to think that I would rather have a few friends who I can treasure deeply and get to know intimately, as opposed to many I will be perpetually disappointing with business and the spread of my attention to the many who wish to spend time with me. I did not even have time for dear Twilight at the Gala, and I invited her expressly because I wanted a companion through the evening.”

Twilight, who had been nodding along at what was being said up until that point, looked at Celestia in surprise. “You did?”

“Of course. I sent those invites to you and Spike hoping to see you both again. I missed you deeply those first few months, and it wasn’t a week before I needed to be certain I would see you again. It’s not every day I steal five tickets to the Gala from the royal stash.”

“Oh, Princess, you don’t mean to say five ponies didn’t get to go just so my friends and I could?”

“I was sure to give the five who lost their tickets compensation and make some spares. But yes, I did take them from other ponies in the heat of the moment. Oh, Luna was so surprised at how panicky I was getting, and--” She closed her mouth, noticing that Twilight was looking at her in concern and Rarity had a scold on the tip of her tongue. “Yes. I suppose it was rather unfair of me.”

Twilight’s concern was still there. “I shouldn’t come before anypony else, Princess. Nopony should.”

Celestia gave a guilty blush. The judging eyes of the ponies she was working towards a friendship with caused her to freeze, and all she could offer was a timid. “But you do, Twilight. I--I am sorry, but that is the truth. You saved me, over and over again, and everypony in my kingdom, and you gave me back my sister. And I’m sorry if that hurts you, but it is how I feel.”

Rarity bit her lip, uncertain of what to say, but Twilight touched Celestia with a wingtip, her eyes shimmering. “It’s okay, Princess. I do the same thing, you know? But I think it’s something we have to work on. Yeah?”

Rarity blinked, because the impenetrable sea wall built over the span of eons had melted in the span of five minutes, and now Celestia was wrapping her wing around Twilight and hugging her back. The dressmaker raised an eyebrow.

Twilight pulled away to look up at Celestia. “Do you remember the time you were dealing with that griffon noble who kept criticizing your rule and saying ‘the days of little Equestria are dwindling’ in that gloomy voice?”

Celestia snickered. “The one you turned into a chicken when you heard him call me ‘insufficient and indecisive’?”

“That’s the one!”

“I remember he was too embarassed to make an incident out of it when I changed him back.” They both exploded into giggles.

“‘No, you’re the one who’s little and dwindling, Mr. Chickenhead!’”

“‘What? Twilight?! Wait, no--!!’”

“‘Bwuaqaark!’”

The giggles became laughter, and soon the two were both catching their breath doubled over the plate of cupcakes. Rariy nibbled one in silence, her eyes scanning their faces. Twilight composed herself again. “Anyway, um, I should let you to get back to your date. Maybe I’ll go talk to Pinkie for a while.”

Pinkie chimed in from the kitchen. “That would be great!”

Twilight nodded, then jumped off her chair. “Coming!”

Rarity and Celestia watched her go, but Rarity turned her back to Twilight once she had reached the kitchen. “You could have simply told me that you didn’t like being the centre of attention, you know.”

Celestia gave Rarity a wearied smile. “I could have, but I find it much simpler to let ponies draw conclusions from my actions on their own. Explaining details tends to involve me in situations like the one I was in until Twilight cut in.” She gave a sigh. “That is also why I avoid drawing ponies in quickly. I find so often ponies are unwilling to look beyond my exterior of perfection, and are quick to judge me harshly when they see a fallible pony beneath. That is why Twilight is special. I find it hard to trust ponies after--well, either way, I find it hard to trust ponies. Twilight is unique that way, as she has never turned on me or abandoned me.” She stared at her food.

Rarity reached out a hoof, but did not stretch across the table to touch Celestia. “Celestia, when I reacted the way I did, I did not mean to judge you ‘harshly’ or turn on you. I merely thought it was unfair of you to behave the way you did. I would say the same to Rainbow Dash, Pinkie or any of my other friends.” Celestia still shifted on her chair, her expression of serenity belying her discomfort.

“I can understand that, Rarity, but do keep in mind I am not like your other, older friends. Not yet, at least.” Celestia lowered the barrier once more, touching the hoof that had been extended to her at last, and Rarity found herself relaxing alongside the Princess.

“I will try to keep that in mind, then.”

“As I will try to keep your advice in mind.” Celestia smiled a genuine smile, and at last the room lit up. It was at this point that Celestia realized the table still had seven perfectly untouched cupcakes in place. Four of them levitated to her plate.

“Splendid. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, I was talking about plans for Canterlot. I suppose we’ve talked that to death. Don’t let me shepherd the conversation, dear. Do let’s talk about the world of the Princess.”

Celestia ran conversation topics through her mind. Stargazing was out, as only Twilight and Luna had shown interest in the profession amongst any of the ponies she had talked to across her rule. Rarity was unlikely to be engaged by tax forms and bylaws in the way that only Twilight Sparkle could be, and the subject of magic seemed unlikely to tickle her heart the way it had her former protegee and her niece. History was an option, but Celestia decided something closer to home would be best.

“I confess your friendship letter on the subject has made me curious about your sister. Twilight insists that she’s a darling creature whenever I’ve asked, but that wasn’t the impression you’ve given me yourself.”

Rarity put a hoof to her forehead. “Dear Sweetie Belle is a trial, it is true. Twilight learned that herself when she took her on as a student.”

“Twilight has been teaching?”

“Oh, absolutely, yes. She was positively ecstatic over the idea. Though I can hardly blame her. She does love her studies, doesn’t she?”

Celestia countered the memory of Twilight snapping about how shallow and wrong it would be to romance her idol with the knowledge that the subject could be good conversation matter in the future. “She does that, there is no doubt.” Celestia realized with a start that she had completely derailed the conversation, and had to force down a blush. “But you were talking about Sweetie Belle.”

Rarity nodded slowly. “Yesss. I was, wasn’t I? Well, Sweetie is a dear, but she is, unfortunately, rather a bit naive. Oh, she means the best, but it is always a trial coming home to whatever chaos she has thought up this time.” She thought for a moment, then closed her mouth.

“Is there something else?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Rarity scrutinized Celestia, then changed to an expression of thoughtfulness. “Actually, you may have some experience with this sort of behaviour. Recently Sweetie has become...well, she is becoming a teen, I suppose. You know how teens are.” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof.

“I was one myself, yes. Though I confess Cadance and Twilight were rather unlike your average teenagers, so I’m not certain I do. Perhaps teens have changed since my day. I am a bit dated, after all.” She nibbled a cupcake with dainty precision, pulling the wrapper off with a delicate application of her magic.

“You were a teenager?” Rarity tried and failed to avoid gaping, her mind reeling at the thought of a teenage version of the dignified royal in front of her. It seemed almost as surreal as the pony stammering and blushing under the eyes of herself and her friend from earlier in the afternoon.

“Of course, dear. I didn’t simply show up, you know. I was rather bratty, too, truth be told.” Celestia’s expression took on a mischevious grin, enjoying the nostalgia. “I was a little prankster, and quite an attention-seeker. And, before you ask, yes, somewhere down the line I am related to Rainbow Dash, but no, she cannot trace her ancestry back to me.”

Rarity titled her head. “Wherever would you think I would get that idea?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You mean she hasn’t made that claim around you? She spread some rumors that she was related to me directly once she learned one of her ancestors was related to my uncle by a very long line of descent, and I’ve been dealing with rumors of secret children hidden from the world ever since. Some papers even say she’s my daughter. Though, to be fair, those same rumors have existed around Twilight since the instant I took her in.”

Rarity pulled her head back in disbelief. “Related to you? Rainbow Dash?”

Celestia chuckled. “I am over four thousand years old. One tends to be related to quite a few ponies after long enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m related to you somewhere down the line.”

“And what about the rest of Equestria?” Rarity pressed. “What about Twilight?”

“Almost everypony I meet has some distant relation to me or other. Twilight is no different. I have met parents and uncles of most of the ponies I know today, and many of my friends and family I have known since they were children. It’s a very unusual lifestyle, granted, but any relationship I form at all has some stage wherein I am more parent than friend or family, most likely. And most of my fellow immortals are either directly related to me or enemies of mine.”

“You mean to say that you see me as a child?” Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“I mean to say that the way I experience aging is so alien to yours that the fact that I may or may not have known you as a child is by this point irrelevant to how I see you as an adult. If I babied everypony in Equestria, the entire civilization would have stagnated by now. Besides, many ponies who I once was teaching basic speech are now capable of shaming me in their skills in leadership and heroism, like Twilight, Cadance or Spike.”

Rarity nodded, relaxing back to a smile. “That seems quite reasonable to me, yes. Though I must say, darling, this is all rather overwhelming for me.” She pursed her lips.

Celestia nodded. “I would imagine so, yes. That is yet another reason I am rather adamant on not opening the doors too quickly. My unusual biology can make it hard for other ponies to empathize with me. But that said, while my species has some unique traits that bring me a lengthy history, I hope you can appreciate our discussions from the perspective of one pony to another, as I have been doing. Remember, regardless of my age or my unusual background, I still experience things the same way any other pony does. And when it comes to experience with teenage younger sisters, I certainly have that.”

“You mean Luna?” Rarity unraveled a cupcake of her own, munching it with small, carefully measured bites.

“Luna and Sweetie Belle, I suppose. I certainly can imagine what you mean. Luna was always impulsive, always wished to be the centre of attention, always needed somepony to validate her. I tried to be there for her, but given I was myself only pulling out of a similar phase of need for recognition, it was likely not enough. Has Sweetie manifested her problems in any way?”

Rarity finished her cupcake with a heavy swallow. “Now that you mention it, yes. I remember her chasing me down to warn me she had sabotaged a costume of mine a while back because of how well my costumes went over in her play.”

Celestia looked troubled. “That does seem rather extreme, yes. You may wish to talk to her, then. I have found that avoiding judgement is the best way, myself. She is acting that way because she feels afraid, not malevolent.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie’s voice cut through the discussion from the kitchen, as did an explosion of confetti.

“Wait, Pinkie!” Came Twilight’s voice shortly after. “Ponyfeathers…” Her voice trailed off.

Rarity blinked, then turned back to Celestia. “Yes, and we did have that exact discussion, but thank you. If ever we have any further problems, I’d be grateful if I had somepony to turn to for advice. It’s a shame there isn’t some manual for dealing with growing up, isn’t there?”

“The Growing Pony:A Comprehensive Guide. Shelf twelve, first row, twenty-second from the right. Pony Decimal System designation 612: Equine Physiology.” Twilight interjected, arriving from the kitchen with a plate of cookies and a tea kettle.

“Hello, Twilight.” Celestia smiled over at the smaller pony. “How is Pinkie Pie?”

“She’s...active. She seems pretty set on this whole ‘dating party’ thing to me. She was really sad that the whole Flash thing didn’t work out. Right now she’s off finding somepony who she said she’s sure ‘has a super duper big crush on me and would love to try to date me’. Or something. Anyway, how has it been going with you two?”

Rarity and Celestia glanced at one another. “There have been some hiccups,” Rarity said after a pause, “but thus far I must say I have been enjoying myself. Celestia and I were just talking about our sisters.”

Twilight looked at Celestia in concern. “What about?”

Celestia smiled back. “We were merely talking about some of the trials of facing sisterly jealousy and how to manage it. And, of course, the teenage years.”

Rarity, doing her best to step around the elephant in the room for the second time, gave Twilight a devious smile. “Specifically, she mentioned that she was there for your teenage years, Twilight.”

Celestia gave a saintly smile. “I couldn’t possibly break the trust of a friend like Twilight by embarrassing her like that.” Twilight sighed with relief. “I can, however, tell you her older brother has a photo album, if you’re curious.” The saintly smile turned devious.

“Princess!” Twilight wailed, blushing.

“The Invisible Noodle Incident was of particular interest to me. As was The Book-eating Salamander Incident.”

“Princess!”

Twilight’s crimson face hit the table. Rarity paused in her chuckles. “But Celestia, wouldn’t you already know about her foalhood?”

Celestia smiled. “Oh, I have some stories from our lessons, but truth be told her brother and sister--sister-in-law, sorry, were the ones who raised her when she was in Canterlot with me. I was merely her magic tutor. Besides which, Twilight certainly has her stories about me. Ask her about the royal tea proclamation some time.”

Twilight, still fighting down her blush, managed to say, “‘All ponies wishing to sit in court on this day must first provide an active solution to the current tea shortage, so proclaims her majesty.’”

Celestia chuckled. “‘But your majesty, what about the petitioners for the royal dam project?’”

Twilight began to snicker. “‘Send them an aide. Because without any tea, frankly, Mr. Penthouse, I don’t give a--’”

“Twilight? Celestia?” Rarity cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I’m afraid I’m starting to seem rather like a third wheel. Truth be told, this whole date has been rather overwhelming, as lovely as our chats have been.”

“Oh, yes, my apologies, Rarity. I don’t mean to come across as so distracted. Tonight has been...hectic.” Celestia noticed Rarity’s word choice, and this time the blush escaped before Celestia had the time to fight it back.

Rarity merely gave a knowing smile. “That is quite alright, darling. Maybe we might make some more progress as friends when you are a little less ‘distracted’?” She smiled knowingly at Twilight, who merely blinked in confusion. Celestia, to her horror, blushed more at this, cursing herself for her loss of control.

Twilight looked between the two of them, her confusion slowly growing into suspicion, and she opened her mouth to speak. What Celestia heard, however, was not Twilight’s investigations or Rarity’s teasing, but rather the sound of a bombastic entrance directly behind her. The doors banged open, and a bright blue mare stood proudly framed within the entrance. With a flourish of her flowing star-studded cape, she threw her hooves up above her head.

“Fear not, Twilight Sparkle! Your greatest and most powerful of rivals is here to bring you the best date night of your life!”

Author's Note

And Flash jumps way off the slippery slope! While I said my classmates and I behaved like him when we were younger, his behaviour here is more a logical extension of the line of thinking to an (even more) unhealthy extreme.

Also, a wild Trixie appeared!

Chapter 7

“No!” Twilight grabbed the doors in her magic, making to swing them shut on the blue unicorn standing between them. She then considered what acting drastically had accomplished for her in the past twenty four hours, let alone the rest of her lifetime. “I mean, umm, Trixie, Princess Celestia and I are in the middle of something. Would you mind waiting a moment?”

Trixie raised her snout in reply. “Trixie was told Twilight Sparkle was in need of romantic accompaniment, and that is what she has come here to do. If those accommodations do not suit Twilight Sparkle’s needs at the moment, she will come back at a different, more convenient time.”

Twilight groaned. “Take a seat.” She pulled up Flash’s empty chair with her magic.

Trixie trotted over haughtily, sitting graciously beside Rarity. “Thank you, Twilight.” She gave a sincere smile.

Twilight nodded, turning to face her partner. “Now then. Why were you blushing? And what did Rarity mean by ‘distracted’?”

Rarity was smiling at this, and Trixie was looking between Twilight and Celestia in confusion. Celestia was a master of prediction, but an ex-student of hers coming to rescue her from an uncomfortable conversation about her falling for her other ex-student was not one of the things that she had foreseen even in her wildest plans for her pupils. “Trixie wishes to know why her majesty Princess Celestia is here,” the magician said with ice in her voice.

“Twilight Sparkle invited me on a date,” Celestia said with one of her more mischievous smiles. She might not have been able to deter Twilight from discovering the truth, but she could delay it until she had the exact words she needed to escape humiliation and heartbreak. “I have been enjoying a wonderful time here with Rarity, though I confess our interactions have been strictly platonic.”

Trixie looked at her with disdain. “So long as you do not interrupt her date with Twilight Sparkle, Trixie accepts these conditions.” Celestia had to hold back from cursing under her breath,

“That may be difficult,” Rarity said with a look of devious glee. “The pair of them can’t keep their hooves to themselves tonight.” Said pair blushed furiously, unconsciously shifting apart at the prod.

Trixie levelled a glare at Celestia. “Trixie requires that Princess Celestia sit on the other side of the table.”

Celestia gave a chuckle. “That would mean sitting beside you, dear. Unless you don’t want to be able to see how Twilight is doing, of course.”

Trixie crossed her arms, seething.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Err, am I missing something?”

“Trixie lost everything to this prissy philistine.” Trixie raised her nose, but only faltered when she saw the glare Twilight was giving her.

“What did you just call her?” Celestia, for her part, was biting her lip, halfway between wanting to say something to reassure the angry unicorn and wanting to chuckle at her and Twilight’s antics.

The performer saw Twilight’s face and backtracked. “Trixie was merely--Well, what Trixie meant was, err--” She swallowed, then bowed her head. “No, Twilight Sparkle is right. Trixie was unfair to call her majesty that. Even if she did force Trixie to take up performing on the roads like some petty tramp!”

Twilight turned to Celestia, a question on her lips, so Celestia answered preemptively. “Trixie was expelled from the School for Gifted Unicorns. We were all very sorry, given her entrance exam had been so impressive.”

“Apparently not sorry enough!” Trixie sulked, glaring off to one side.

“Of course,” Celestia’s voice turned to that of a stern schoolteacher, “we were all considerably less impressed when we realized that our charge would resort to using her considerable talent in illusion magic to cheat at every other exam, despite being confronted about it several times.” Twilight gave a shudder of pathos for Trixie, old fears of that voice being turned on her swimming to the surface. Once she had processed Celestia’s extra bit of context, however, she was merely unimpressed.

“Oh, Trixie.” She said more in sorrow than in reproach. “Why would you do something like that?”

“The tasks were absurd! Nopony without a natural talent in magic or learning could possibly get ahead, so Trixie had to fudge it a bit.” Trixie spread her hooves across the table, eyes shifting to challenge any of the table’s inhabitants to deny her that reality.

“There was an on-campus student aid centre, you know.” Twilight said. She saw the look in Trixie’s eyes, however, and her gaze softened. “I had to use it a few times myself, actually. I had a lot of trouble with body modification magic.” She gave a blush. “Mostly because at that point I didn’t really care all that much about my body.”

Trixie sagged. “Yes, Trixie could have tried that. Trixie was young...and naive. I apologize.”

Celestia smiled. “If you wish to learn magic more honestly, we would be happy to give you a second chance.”

“Yes, yes, always with ‘second chances’ with you. Then one slip up and you’re out on the curb.” Trixie did not stop the bitterness from looming over her voice, an angry storm cloud hovering above her words.

“Trixie,” Celestia sighed, “you ran away before we could talk with you. The reason for your expulsion was because you were dealing with dangerous magic at the level you had cheated your way into. Had we allowed you to continue, you could have seriously injured yourself, and possibly several others at the university.”

“Trixie...Trixie understands. She merely wis--”

Celestia held up a hoof. “I wasn’t finished. As I said, I wished to talk with you after the notice, but you packed much more quickly than I anticipated. I had a list of suggestions for tutors for you to turn to and a set of recommendations. I had been thinking on your problematic status at the academy for some time. I could do the same again, especially in light of your recent desires to make amends for your past lifestyle.” She smiled at the magician, who blinked.

“Trixie...I...I would be very grateful for that, your majesty.” She bowed her head, and Celestia gave a smile to this. Twilight looked at Celestia with appreciation, only to find her attention being pulled back to the enchantress. “But Trixie did not come here to talk about her magic or her schooling!” The stage pony pulled her head back up to face Twilight, giving a flourish of her mane with the movement. “Your friend who loves rock farms told Trixie that Twilight Sparkle was lonely on a day dedicated to togetherness and special feelings. Trixie will not have it! Her saviour from the Ursa Major and the Alicorn Amulet, lonely and unloved? Inconceivable!” She banged a hoof on the table. “Thus, Trixie has arrived to give Twilight Sparkle the best night of her young, eggheaded life!” She spread her hooves, and to the confusion of the others pink and white confetti flew from her outstretched limbs.

Twilight pursed her lips. “Err...thanks?” She bit her lip. “I have some concerns, that said. Firstly, my friend’s name is Pinkie Pie. It isn’t that hard to remember. Please, please don’t spend the entire night talking about how great I am or ignoring my friends and the other ponies in my life.” She thought for a moment. “Or talking about how great you are, either. I really, really just want to spend the night on a nice, normal date, having a quiet, ordinary conversation with you and then seeing if I want to go further from there. Secondly, I saved you from an Ursa Minor.Why do ponies always think it was an Ursa Major, anyway? Most sorcerers from Celestia’s academy could have done it, I’m sure. And, um, ‘inconceivable’? I don’t think that means what you’re thinking it means.” She shook her head, drawing in a breath very slowly. A hoof came up to her chest, then pushed outward with the exhale. Finally, she addressed Trixie’s actual concern. “As to dating, I don’t know...I suppose I could give it a try, but--”

“Hurrah! It is decided!” Trixie pumped a hoof, looking smug.

“Erm...okay.” Twilight gave Trixie an uncertain smile. “Shall we, uh, maybe...talk over some of the things we’re interested in, then?”

“Naturally.” Trixie smiled, brushing a lazy hoof through her mane. “Trixie has heard that Twilight Sparkle enjoys running, and--” Trixie squinted at Twilight. “There is something different about Twilight Sparkle’s figure.” She gave a flirty smile. “Has she lost weight?”

Twilight blushed, waving a hoof lightly. “It’s just side effects of the growth. I can eat a lot more than I used to. Sometimes I even get to my seventh hayburger before I start to feel full.”

Celestia chuckled. “Just wait until you discover the wonders of being able to eat endless cake and still be the size of a model.”

Rarity could not help but allow an envious glower to permeate the table, but she collected herself within a moment. “A lady does not get jealous.” She repeated under her breath.

Trixie snickered at Rarity, then looked to Twilight once more. “Side effects? Has Twilight cast some manner of spell upon herself simply to lose weight?” Trixie tilted her head. “And would she be averse to sharing?”

Twilight giggled. “No, Trixie. I didn’t cast a spell, the Elements of Harmony did, but-- wait, you mean you really didn’t get the news?”

“Trixie has been serving odd jobs on the road since her return journey to Ponyville. At the moment she is working to make fireworks in Hoofington, and news does not travel there easily.”

“Oh, this’ll be a treat, then.” Twilight spread her wings with a smile.

Trixie’s jaw dropped, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks. Twilight giggled at the other mare’s attempts to form words. “Trix...Twili…” And all at once, Trixie went from gaping to glaring. “No! That’s not fair! Trixie has w-worked so hard, and done so much to be good, and Twilight Sparkle still gets so, s-so much more than her!” An angry blush formed across her face, and she glowered at the mares across the table, daring them to try to console her. “Trixie has to work to be good, but being good comes naturally to everypony else, and she ends up working all so she can have some crummy job in some little town and--” Trixie was cut off by the sensation of being hugged. She did not notice when Twilight had crossed the table, but she felt the hooves around her nonetheless. Trixie looked as though she was tempted to slap Twilight’s hooves away and continue her tirade, but she eventually melted into the hug, angry tears fading into a bitter acceptance.

“Trixie...The way I got these wings took a lot of hard work to reach. I had to learn about the powers the Elements of Harmony had through a lot of trial and error, and a lot of horrible things. I broke both of my front legs trying to understand the lifestyle of one of my friends, and I caught the nastiest rash on my horn for trying to investigate why my friends were so afraid of a pony they’d never met before. And I fought a lot of horrible monsters that the Elements had to defeat, and sometimes they hurt me before I did. Sometimes quite a bit.” Twilight shuddered. “…A-anyway, I’ve been covered in bees, turned to stone, hit over the head, chased by carnivorous insects, trapped in killer vines, wrapped up in Changeling goo, bruised from head to toe, laughed at by the whole town at some point or other, coated in mud, scorched by fire, dropped to my near death and blown up for my troubles.”

Trixie looked like she was going to retort something, but Twilight continued. “And only one or two times was there any kind of reward for all that. Any kind of physical reward, that is. But the point is, all of those moments...I treasure them. Not because they made me a better pony, although they definitely did, but because each of them I spent with one of the five greatest ponies in the world. Because I had friends who were there for me, succeed or fail, every single time, and each of those experiences brought me closer to them. And that is something always worth cherishing. I don’t even really care about these, sometimes.” She spread the wings. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the boost to my magic, and the chance to fly. But all the distrust and bitterness it brings to some ponies? That...less so. A lot of ponies that could have been friends of mine aren’t because these things keep making me seem distant or threatening to them.” Twilight sighed, then perked up.

“The real reward has always been that I have friends with me who care about me. And who have been there to help me when I screw up.” She chuckled. “And I do that a lot. The last time cost me my house, and all of those books I love so much, because I was silly enough to hide something from my friends.” Celestia looked guilty at these words. “But my friends helped me restock a new house, and I’m ready to fill it up with new memories of great times spent with them now. So, Trixie, being good doesn’t come naturally to me, either, and it’s true that it is a lot of hard work. But if you spend some time away from those dusty old showpony tricks and make some friends, it might come naturally to you. And the reward for that is better than anything you’ve ever known.” Twilight gave a sigh, sitting down and trying to catch her breath. “Sorry if that was a lot all at once.”

Trixie simply scrutinized Twilight. “How did you know Trixie has no friends?”

“Because I used to be a lot like you. I mean, I never tried to use my magic to hurt or bully people, and I never cheated, but I used to think I didn’t need anypony else because I was so smart and good at magic. I used to think they were silly, and I was so great and powerful that none of them could ever hope to help or understand me. And I tried to change, just like you, but it only stuck because some ponies reached out and asked.” Twilight touched a hoof to Trixie’s shoulder. “And what you said earlier made you sound lonely to me. So believe me when I say that I, and hopefully everypony else here,” She looked over at Rarity and Celestia (and the Pinkie Pie rising over Celestia’s shoulder), who smiled and nodded back, “want to be able to extend that same offer to you. Would you like to make some friends, Trixie?”

The light blue unicorn straightened. “Trixie doesn’t--Trixie is--I--I do not know, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie has been alone for so long, she--” Trixie’s eyes glazed over, her teeth working at her lower lip. The room filled with silence.

“I’ll give you some time to think on it, alright? Umm...you said you wanted to try a date with me, right?”

“Trixie, yes, she…” the performer trailed off, a blush appearing across her cheeks. “Trixie felt swept away by Twilight Sparkle’s power when she first met her. Jealousy turned to...well, Trixie may have been slightly obsessed. She was so...angry.” She put a hoof to her temple. “ Though Trixie does recognize that those feelings were unhealthy. Poster eleven was perhaps excessive.”

The table was silent. Twilight cleared her throat. “Okay, um, it was unhealthy, yes. And then you realized that I’m a normal pony and not a perfect hero or a manipulative monster, right?” Twilight sounded so nervous that Trixie and Celestia both raised their brows at this.

Trixie waved a hoof, chuckling. “Of course, that all culminated in Trixie’s plot for revenge last year. She knows better now. When Twilight Sparkle saved Trixie from her folly, her feelings of anger became...confused. Trixie was torn. On the one hoof, Twilight Sparkle had shown her to be a fraud. On the other, Sparkle had forgiven her for deeds Trixie would have disowned a pony forever for. And when we started thinking of all the good Twilight Sparkle had done for Trixie...” The stage mare blushed. Celestia was not narrowing her eyes at Trixie, but there certainly was a pull around the lids. She was currently weighing the value of allowing the unicorn to continue against a dedicated attempt to push her and Twilight apart, at least for the evening.

The showmare attempted to start again, and Twilight smiled back at her in response. “So you got over the anger because I saved you, okay.” Celestia could swear she could almost hear the “check!” that would accompany the end of any other sentence said in that way only Twilight could. “And then those feelings changed pace, and…?”

“Trixie went through a phase where she would compare herself to you, try to be more like you.” On the one hoof, Celestia reasoned, separating Trixie at this point would undo all of that progress toward becoming a better pony. “And then she went through another where she would wonder what you were doing, and it would make her happy and calm her down.” Celestia had to weigh that risk against that of Twilight entering into an unhealthy relationship with a bitter ex-rival. “Trixie tried to keep strong, and do what she thought would make Twilight Sparkle proud, and thus she managed to turn her life around.” But even then, Celestia would also have to deal with the risk that a jilted Trixie might return with a dangerous artifact again. Of course, if the relationship failed, that might be a risk anyway. “And because of that, although Trixie is jealous of Twilight Sparkle and still mad at her for having an easier life than Trixie’s, she also has grown to care for Twilight Sparkle for the things she has done for her and the way she has inspired her.” Of course, Celestia was fairly certain the relationship would fail. “And she has returned in the hopes she could give back to Twilight.” Trixie seemed proud of herself for the explanation, her nose turning upwards and her neck stretching to bask in imagined praise. Celestia raised an eyebrow, but the motive provided did satisfy her, if only for the time being.

“Well, um, thanks.” Twilight blushed. “But, uh, it’d be great if you could not hate me, please? I-I don’t really like it when ponies do that.”

“Trixie will be sure to try,” again, Trixie appeared to be appreciating her own efforts. Her eyes were even closed in a smug grin.

“That’s...good of you.” Twilight said unsteadily. Trixie gave a nod, satisfied.

“You said topics to discuss. Hobbies, yes?”

“Trixie knows she and Twilight must share several hobbies. We are both interested in magic, after all.”

“So what is it that you know about magic? Oh!” Twilight suddenly looked ecstatic. “Maybe we could talk about the intrinsically aemagerial properties of organisms with metabolically inspired internal magical matrices!”

Trixie blinked, and Twilight gave a disappointed sigh.

“She means to say animals such as dragons and Ursa and plants such as Poison Joke with a natural resistance to magic based around the magic systems that are key to their biology, such as Poison Joke’s pranking powder or a dragon’s fire breath.”

Trixie straightened herself, smoothing her cape at the sides. “Yes, of course, Trixie did know that. She was merely following along so that Twilight Sparkle might gain some of the joy of explaining to others she…”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, and Trixie deflated.

“No, Trixie had no idea what Twilight was talking about. But the idea does sound worth hearing about!” Trixie fixed Twilight with a smile, and was met with one. Celestia, for her part, bit her lip and tried to suppress any signs of her mounting jealousy and frustration.

Rarity then looked between Twilight and Trixie. “Perhaps we should give you two some privacy.” Her smile turned predatory. “Celestia and I have some discussing to do.”

Celestia gave a start. “Rarity, my dear, what was that?”

Rarity took this moment to check Twilight’s face. The unicorn was scrutinizing again. “I requested that we might give our two romantic potentials some space.” She gave each of them an encouraging smile, which was met with a swelling chest and proud grin from one and a fierce blush and avoidant gaze from the other.

Celestia cast her eye across the unicorn population of the table. Trixie’s face was completely neutral, while Rarity looked meaningfully at the spare room when she searched her face. That only left Twilight, who was showing quivering pupils and lips chewing on one another. “What do you think, Twilight?”

“I would like to talk with Trixie on my own, but…” She sighed. “I want you to be there, too. I guess I’ll let you know when we’re ready, and you and Rarity can be sure to have your chat. Alright?”

“Of course. Enjoy yourselves.” Celestia rose, and Rarity rose with her. The two of them trotted towards the back room, with Celestia casting one last glance at the two dates. Both seemed happy enough, but she was still uneasy with the idea of her ex-students together.

“You have a crush.” Rarity’s plain tone was betrayed by the teasing sing-song that cut off the end of her statement.

Celestia was pulled away her concern instantly. She gave a scoff, hoping to downplay what she was certain she just heard. “I’m sorry, my dear, it seems I am quite distracted this evening. What was it you were just saying?”

“I’m saying, Celestia, dear,” Rarity’s grin was positively sinister, “that I can see the ‘distraction’ quite easily. You have a crush on Twilight, and it’s getting worse from the look of it.”

“I believe you are making assumptions, my dear.” Celestia gave a laugh, though it was a good deal flatter than her high, gentle laugh of usual. Rarity only smirked.

“ But surely, dear, you must see that--” Rarity could practically feel the sea ice raising up between herself and the pony she was trying so very hard to make friends with. There was no way she would scale it within a night, nor was there any way she could break it down with her dainty hooves and prim, proper lifestyle. Rather, she would call upon the only force she of that could break down the otherwise unmoveable mask. She gave a dramatic sigh. “Really, it is too bad, too. Tragic, even. Twilight will never know. She will lead her life in the hooves of another stallion, or mare, and she will never be the wiser to the heart she is breaking.” Rarity used the eye obscured by the hoof she had placed on her forehead to observe Celestia. The mare’s ears were drooping, and her head was bowed. Her hooves were tightly clenched in front of her.

Rarity gave an internal smile, but externally she bowed her head as if to weep. “And Twilight, so uncertain, so easily upset outside of your presence, might jump to the hooves of a pony using her for naught but cheap affection and a chance to posture in front of their peers. Somepony might use her, Celestia. But alas, you will never be able to save her, because you will never grant her the good grace of knowing your true feelings.”

Celestia caught on to the manipulation by the word “easily”, but the words struck home no less. “It is her decision who she will be with, not mine.”

“Your brain says that, of course, but deep down you know that your heart wishes otherwise.” Here, Rarity did not have to act. She touched Celestia’s shoulder with a forceful hoof, looking into the large pony’s eyes with the utmost severity. “You saw what happened just keeping the jealousy towards a pony she clearly had no interest in out of your interactions with her when Flash was here. She was terribly hurt by your ignoring her--why, you could see it written all over her face. And now you’re doing it again with her and Trixie. And she’s on your trail, too.”

“Of course, you had no hoof in that.” The accusation in Celestia’s voice was hidden by a heavy, forced calm that had permeated her voice. Rarity’s eyes flashed with the memory of the last time she had cornered Celestia like this, and she backpedaled.

“Celestia, you wanted to be my friend, yes?”

“I still do, yes. I had hoped by this point we might have made it to that stage.” Rarity attempted to cut her off, but Celestia was quick to the draw. “However, just as you expect me to be honest with you about my problems, I expect you to respect my privacy and the degree to which I hold dear what few bonds I do still have in this world. If you cannot do this, then I am afraid that I cannot extend my hopes of the friendship lasting to you. It is a pivotal part of knowing who I am.”

Rarity ran her tongue across the roof of her mouth while she thought. It only occurred to her in the moment after that it was a very unladylike thing to do. “Yesss, I do understand that. And I can abide by those conditions, at least in compromise with my own expectations that my friend will behave in accordance with honesty--one of the very elements you were so keen on us bringing into our own friendship, I might add--when and where it is possible.”

“Yes, though I may caution that the reason the Elements ceased to work for me was because I lost my ability to trust in them long ago. That is why I passed them on. Honesty was the first of them to fail for me.” Celestia’s pupils shimmered in the dim light.

“I...can understand that, your majesty. I do understand that, I suppose. However, it seems to me that you and Twilight share something that is far closer to you than anything else you know. Either of you. You can trust her not to turn on you, and you can always share your life with her and know she will cherish every moment you do so. She gives you hope, and, as you said, she comes first because she gives you back the things in your life you are missing. Please, stop me when I am not making sense.”

Celestia gave a quiet smile. “You are missing the most important part.”

Rarity drew back. “I am?”

“I love her for the things that she is, not the things she can do for me. I love that she has so much concern and care for everyone else, and that she is passionate about all of the things she finds in life, be they good for her or ill. I love that she loves learning as much as I do, and loves others as much as I do, and I love that she is shy, bookish and awkward whenever she isn’t used to something or someone. More than that, I love her flaws, too. I love the way she gets so focused on the big picture that she misses the nuances, or that sometimes she fumbles a conversation, or that she has an atrocious sense of fashion and no skill in dancing. I love that she is so emotional about everything that she encounters and that she lets her worries control her. I love being there to help her through those flaws, and I love that I can be a part of her life. I love her for her, not because she does something for me, or the other way around.”

“So, we are clear, then. You are in love with her.” Rarity gave a smile.

“Well, naturally, who wouldn--” Celestia realized her mistake far, far too late. “I am in love with her, but I do not love h--No, I said that incorrectly. I love her, but I am…” She saw the look on Rarity’s face, and she realized her efforts were futile. She gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders. “Yes, I am in love with her. And I do not know what to do.”

“What else is there to do? Tell her, of course. Sweep her off her hooves, and she will be overjoyed with you.”

“That is not how she phrased it.” Celestia shrunk further into herself, her body wilting under the memory of Twilight’s unintentional rejection.

“What ever could you mean, dear? You don’t mean to say to me that you were rejected by her just this afternoon and still spent the day with her instead of recovering?” Rarity’s mouth was agape.

“No! No, goodness no. I merely…” Celestia mouthed over her words, uncertain. “I eavesdropped on you, I am ashamed to say. I heard my name come up in conversation and, since, as you are by now well aware, I am in love with Twilight, I needed to know what she thought behind my back. Given you were able to witness what she said first-hoof, I am certain you can appreciate what it felt like hearing that from my perspective.”

Rarity sighed. “Celestia, darling, you are almost as bad as she is, do you know that?”

Celestia raised her eyebrows. “Bad as she is in what?”

“You assume she thinks the worst of you and any flaws you have. You are worrying yourself to pieces over whatever you might say to her, and why? Because she was angry at me for assuming she thought of you that way at that very moment? What is stopping her from changing her mind? And even if she doesn’t, why would it matter? Dear, she loves you. She thinks you are the greatest pony in the entire world. Of course she would want you to go to her if something was upsetting you. And whatever silly thing you think might make her stop loving you won’t get in the way of how she feels about you. At the very worst things will be awkward for a bit and then you will fall back into your old routine. Tell her, and you both will feel much happier and closer to one another.”

“But--”

“And if you don’t tell her, darling, then she’ll eventually just figure it out for herself.” Rarity’s certainty in this caused Celestia’s wings to shudder in alarm. “And you know she’ll be crushed if you try to keep pushing her away when she does.”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, you are right, of course. But I do not wish to simply confess. I--truth be told, I don’t want to simply get over these feelings. I feel they are appropriate, and I want to act on them. I want her to love me back. So, I--I want to try something of my own. Treat her in some way, I suppose? A date? No, maybe more like an experiment. An alteration of our current meetings. I want to change our relationship for the better. I want this love of mine to make her happy, too.” Celestia concluded the sentence with a satisfied exhale, her whole body turning to an expression of legitimate and serene calm.

And then the dining hall exploded.

Chapter 8

“Twilight?!” Celestia cleared the smoke from the room with a sweep of her horn, charging from the kitchen to the main area with her head lowered. She could hear coughing, and then she saw a soot-covered Twilight waving a hoof and looking sheepish. She stopped mid-charge, searching for Trixie. The haughty mare had her arms crossed and her coat raised, an indignant pout featuring across her face. This pose would have been far more effective if she wasn’t also covered head to hoof in black charcoal. Her cape was similarly singed and her hat was blasted through with holes.

“What happened?” She said with more force than she would have liked.

“Trixie was merely showing Twilight Sparkle her amazing abilities in fire magic, when this treacherous bakery caused her to slip on a cupcake and--”

“What Trixie means to say,” Twilight fixed Trixie with a scolding glower, “is that she flubbed a spell for repelling animals when she tried to finish the final step too quickly.”

Trixie gave an angry blush. “It was not Trixie’s fault that the spell reacted poorly to a little flourish!”

Twilight sighed. “Trixie, spells for self-defense aren’t supposed to look fancy. If you want, I can show you some good and flashy repulsion spells in a bit. Maybe out over a lake, or something.”

Rarity had at last caught up with the ponies and the conversation. “Yes, well, we should probably get this mess cleaned up either wa--” She stopped short at the sight of Pinkie Pie pressing her face to the floor. Her gaping mouth was swallowing clouds of soot and dust in huge intakes of air, the sounds of a vacuum following her across the room.

Trixie’s eye twitched, but Twilight placed a hoof over her mouth and gave her a reassuring grin. “It’s best not to question it.”

Rarity, for her part, tisked at the sight. She summoned a dainty handkerchief with a sigh, setting to work at the curtains. Twilight and Celestia shared a glance, then set to work on resetting the table. Trixie cast a gust of air along the ceiling, generating a cloud of dust above the heads of her companions. With a squint in her eye, she timed a set of controlled breezes to make a flowing column of dust and detritus in mid air. At long last, she carefully directed it towards the trash can. She finished by pushing the clutter into the garbage and set a seal over it until the refuse had at last settled. She looked around with expectant eyes, but the shine of pride in her eyes was turned to a disappointed wilt when she noted that the others were more focused on concluding their own contributions to the cleanup effort.

“Trixie has completed the ceiling.” She puffed out her chest.

“Huh? Oh. Good work, Trixie!” Twilight smiled at her. “I didn’t even think of that.”

Trixie nodded to herself, joining the two alicorns at the freshly repaired table. To Trixie’s surprise and disbelief, they had somehow managed to fix the shattered cutlery, rebuild one of the legs from scratch, remove the scorch marks and stains from the table cloth and reset the chairs. Including one that had been destroyed completely.

“Bu...You jus...How?” She spluttered.

Twilight’s eyes widened with glee, and the rest of the restaurant’s inhabitants braced themselves for the impending monologue. “Well, I had to scan with Starwswirl’s Simplest Scry for the metaphysical kinetic ghosting to triangulate where the debris had been sent by the impact, then I retrieved them with some simple levitation. From there, we had to use Wizarding Wood Wish to recreate some of the pieces totally consumed by the detonation. Then the Princess used Madeye’s Magical Mending to fuse everything together, and we sheared off the excess with Dagger Of The Mind. Next came the tablecloth, where we--”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Trixie crossed her hooves again, that same glower from before heavy across her face.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth, eyes full of sympathy. “Oh, Trixie. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sorry, I just--people never ask me to talk about my magic, and I really like to.” She gave a blush. “I find it so interesting.”

Trixie sighed. “Yes, well, Trixie wishes she had paid more attention in class, now. Can we continue our date, now?”

“Yeppers!” Pinkie appeared from behind Twilight’s flank to put roses in the manes of each of the ponies present, setting the vase in which they had once sat at the centre of the table. Rarity in particular was surprised by the gesture, giving Pinkie a wide smile and a pat on the shoulder. She found herself abruptly swept into a hug by the pink party planner. “You’ll find him some day, don’t you worry.” Before Rarity could ask, Pinkie was delivering a hug to Trixie. “Ponies do care what you do, just stop trying to tell them how much it matters.” Trixie opened her mouth to protest, but the blur had moved to Celestia. “Not everything you do is gonna be loved by the ponies you care about, but you always will be. And she does feel that way, even if she doesn’t know it.” She gave Celestia an extra squeeze for good measure, then moved on to Twilight. “We love you for who you are, and don’t ever forget it. So long as we’re around, you’re never alone. And you better give her a chance, or Auntie Pinkie will come getcha.” Pinkie left the dining hall to its stunned silence with a jaunty bounce. “Time for some coooooookieeeeees!”

Each of the ponies raced to regain their composure, their curiosity being trumped by their insecurity. Each save one. “Princess...who is ‘she’?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Celestia gave a whisper that was meant to be reassuring, but came out as strangled.

“Princess?”

“Not in front of the others, Twilight. Please.”

“...Alright. But I’m holding you to that.” The grin she gave was meant to be teasing, but it only made Celestia look nervous. Twilight sighed at this.

“Trixie...would...I would like to apologize, Twilight.” Trixie held her hat in her hooves, her downcast eyes trailing the floor. “For the mess she made, I mean.”

“Thanks, Trixie. Can I ask you something?”

“Trixie supposes.” The mage had misgivings, but she nonetheless placed her hat upon her head with a neutral expression.

“That right there.” Twilight pointed a hoof at Trixie. “Why do you keep switching tenses?”

“Tenses?” Trixie did a double take, scoffing. “Trixie is perfectly relaxed, thank you.”

Twilight applied her face to her hoof. “Not tense, tenses. Sometimes you’re saying “I” and sometimes you’re saying “Trixie”. Using third person limited as your choice of narrative tense is already pretty weird, but the inconsistency, it…” Twilight tapped her hooves together, one eye giving a twitch. “It’s bugging me.”

“Am I?” Trixie looked down at herself in surprise. “Why yes, Trixie...yes, I am. Tri--I will, uhm, try to use the same tense from now on, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight was still scrutinizing Trixie. “And you always use my full name. It feels...odd. Not...bad. Just odd. Do you have a last name?”

“My last name is Lulamoon. Trixie...I am sorry for calling you by your full name. It is a term of respect, among performers.”

“Oh!” Twilight blushed. “Oh...I didn’t know that. Um, thanks. But in my profession--well, I suppose technically they call me Princess since that’s my rank, but I hate that. Anyway, um, you can call me Professor Sparkle, if you want terms of respect. And I’ll call you Trixie Lulamoon.”

Trixie blushed in turn. “Trixie would like that, yes.”

Rarity, for her part, was looking between the two and shaking her head. She watched Twilight’s movements and expressions, and at last she understood.

“Well, maybe we should try something other than magic for a bit. Let’s try something you’re interested in.” Twilight gave a smile.

“Trixie likes sewing.” She threw her head back and smirked, pulling her cape with a hoof. “I-I mean, I like sewing. I made it myself. Rope work, too. It is so much more effortless than all the thinking behind her spells. Illusion magic works much the same way for me.”

“Really? How do you--”

Rarity cut Twilight off by clearing her throat. “Erm, Twilight, dear? May I have a word?”

Twilight blinked, her eyes turning toward Rarity. “Um, okay. You don’t mind, do you Trixie?”

The unicorn crossed her hooves, a pout settling upon her face. “Trixie thinks Celestia and Rarity are cluttering her date night, and she feels crowded.”

Twilight pursed her lips. “Maybe it would be better if we did this another time. Trixie and I are just getting to know each other!”

Rarity gave a half smile at this, but she could not keep the concern from her face. “Yes, I can see that. And that is precisely why I need to talk to you, in fact. Trixie, I’m afraid Twilight might not be fully aware of what she is doing at the moment. I simply want your date night to go well, darling.”

“Trixie is not Rarity’s ‘darling’.” Trixie gave a “hmph”, but all parties involved could see that Trixie was weakening. At last, she relented. “Fine. Trixie will speak with Celestia instead.”

“Thanks, Trixie.” Twilight smiled. “Now then, Rarity, what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Rarity sighed, pulling Twilight over to the corner.

“Twilight, you aren’t treating this like a date, dear.”

Twilight blinked. “Of course I am! I mean, I wasn’t at first, because I tried doing what all the books said...and that led to Flash. But I’m doing fine, now. It’s just like another night with the girls.”

“That’s the problem, dear. I’m afraid it very much isn’t. This is the problem. You have been treating Trixie--or Flash, for that matter, despite what the books might have said--as if they were new friends. Dating is not like friendship.”

Twilight blinked. “It’s not? But Celestia said--”

“Dear, when was the last time Celestia went on a date?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh...you’re right. Do you think if I’d been more open to Flash it could’ve…”

“Twilight, dear, I think you were far too charitable to that rapscallion. It’s easy to see a problem pony like him after your first one. Had you allowed him to stay, you would no doubt have found him becoming more and more forceful and disappointed as the evening went on. After all, by not going along with his fantasy of a perfect date you were doing him some kind of great disservice, at least in his mind. No, he was never going to be a suitable date, Twilight. A relationship with him would have been an attempt to patch up whatever problems in his personal life he was trying to use your love to resolve. And do keep in mind they always have some sort of other problem they expect you to solve in gratitude for their undying love.”

“But I would like to solve problems in his personal life! If he even had them, that is. I just wanted him to stop making everything in the world about me! And giving me those looks. Those were really creepy.”

Rarity sighed. “Yes, you likely could have made a better friend to him than date, it is true. Perhaps some day he could see that. But until that time, you must learn to say no, no matter how much you might wish to help. Remember, Twilight, you can have dozens of friends, but only one love, and dating is done to decide who exactly that love is to be.” Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “Unless, of course, you wish to throw a ‘fling’, as it were. But in that case you would likely never speak of it again.”

“Never speaking of it again would be okay by me. It’s looking to me like most of dating seems to just make ponies a lot sadder and angrier than a regular friendship.”

Rarity pursed her lips. “It does that, yes. But that is only the ugly side of dating. Because romance, my dear Twilight, can make you happier than any friendship ever would. Don’t you ever feel the ache of loneliness in your heart, dear? Don’t you ever wish somepony understood you better than you know yourself? Don’t you want to wake up some morning knowing that somepony, somewhere, loves you more than anything else in the world.”

“Of course I do, Rarity.” Twilight beamed at Rarity.

Rarity looked at her partner in confusion, but pressed on. “A special somepony can fix that for you.”

Twilight smiled. “I already have ponies to fix that. I don’t need romance to have a special somepony.” She put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder, and her eyes began to shimmer. “I have five who are plenty special enough.”

Rarity tried in vain to think of an honest rebuttal that to statement that would make Twilight see the error of her ways. Eventually, she gave a weak “A sixth wouldn’t hurt, though, surely.”

Twilight looked over to Celestia. “I agree. But I don’t know. What should I tell Trixie? Should I try to keep up the date?”

“Well, are you finding yourself attracted to her? Do you think you could find her a pony you could love?” Rarity knew the answer well before it had left Twilight’s mouth.

“Well...I don’t know. I really liked the time we spent together. It was exciting to be able to talk to somepony about magic, even if they didn’t know much about it. And I do want to spend time with her more often, because she really is a very nice pony underneath it all, but...No, no I don’t think I want to date her. She’s brash and bossy and she doesn’t seem to like you very much, so...I think maybe if we worked at it we could have something. It would take some time, but we could. But it would...I don’t know. I am liking the time we spend together, it’s just...when I think about who I want to wake up next to each day, it isn’t Trixie. I feel sort of guilty and pressured when she’s upset, and she’s upset whenever I don’t pay attention to her and whenever I say something the wrong way...which is often.” Twilight’s ears folded back. “B-but I could try! I don’t have to hurt her. I...I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You shouldn’t keep her hopes up, darling. The more you lie to yourself about this, the deeper the hurt will be when the truth comes out. Go and talk to her.” Rarity gave Twilight a pat upon the back. “And darling? Do remember to be gentle. She seems like a fragile thing.”

“Of course, Rarity. What’s a little disappointment between friends?” Rarity gave a wince at this, looking at the processions with anxiety. Twilight stepped forward.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

“Why do you want to help me, anyway?” Trixie turned to Celestia once the pair had walked off.

Celestia gave an easy smile at that. “I want to help all my subjects. You are one of them, and no more or less so for any mistakes you may have made. The only times I have ever punished a pony for their crimes has been when they have been too dangerous or too powerful for me not to react. From what Twilight tells me, you attempted to do this, but only while under the influence of magic you did not understand.”

Trixie bowed her head. “Yes...Trixie did do that. She thought only of beating Twilight Sparkle, and making the laughter stop. She--”

“You weren’t in the right mind. I do not hold you accountable for it, my little pony. I have forgiven ponies for much worse than that, I can assure you. Not to mention, I am always disheartened when I lose one of my pupils. They all have such a spark and spirit to them. You can ask Twilight about a filly named Sunset Shimmer some time.” Celestia gave a chuckle. “I still drop by to leave her a book and a note from her parents every now and again.”

“But I tried to hurt one of your other students and make her suffer using dangerous magic.”

Celestia became sombre. “I have forgiven ponies for attempting to kill me, Trixie. Whatever you wished to do, you do not wish it now, that much is obvious. You are attempting to find a way to make right what was wrong and make your way in the world as a different and better mare. That is far more important than any past sins.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “How?”

Celestia smiled. “‘How’, what, Trixie?”

“How can you forgive somepony for trying to kill you?” Trixie looked at her in disbelief. “Trixie would never see a pony like that again. She would hate them. How can you trust anypony who has done something so horrible?”

“I have seen many things in my life, Trixie. It is easy to hold on to your anger and justify things you will later come to regret done out of grief. But it is far harder to live with it for millennia on end and not see how little it helps. It is also much easier to forgive once you have experienced the joy that it brings you to have a new friend and companion. I find most of the worst of ponies can become the best, if given a chance.” Twilight and Rarity’s conversation came to a stop, and Celestia gave Trixie a smile. She paused, contemplating whether or not to deliver a final bit of information. She thought to how Twilight reacted to opening up, and decided to risk Trixie’s judgement in the hopes of gaining some trust. “It seems you and Twilight are ready to continue with your night. One last thing, Trixie. It is much easier to forgive a pony of anything when that pony happens to be your sister.”

Celestia gave a soft smile, then walked over to meet with Twilight and Rarity. Trixie gaped, but before she could follow up the response, Twilight walked over to her. The librarian put a hoof to her head, rubbing her brow sheepishly. She pursed her lips.

“Hey, Trixie. Um...I-I need to..” Twilight took in the emotions spanning across Trixie’s face. There was confusion, hope and a smile there that was meant only for her. And she was about to ruin it. There would be betrayal, anger and sadness replacing all of these emotions in but a moment’s time. “I...need to...um...get my thoughts in order.”

“It is alright, Professor Sparkle.” Trixie winked. “Trixie can see what that face means.”

“You can?” Twilight blinked. “It’s okay?”

“You are uncertain. You are afraid. You don’t know whether or not Trixie is the right pony for you.” Trixie was smirking now. Certainty took her features, and she gave a casual toss of her mane. The conversation she and Celestia had had about forgiveness mingled with Twilight’s speech from before without a second thought. “Trixie has something to tell you.” She beckoned for Twilight to reach her. Rarity’s eyes widened, her mouth opening in a warning. Before she could say anything, however, Twilight walked to Trixie, and Trixie responded precisely as the seamstress had anticipated.

Trixie’s head shot forward, and in a moment she had planted the tip of her horn firmly against Twilight’s. Twilight’s eyes went wide, and though she tried to pull away, there was an allure to finally pressing horns with another unicorn that her curiosity demanded she investigate. Trixie’s eyes were closed in pure bliss, and the confidence that her date would feel the same.

Then the two horns pulsed, and the pair of them saw into each others’ minds.

Twilight Sparkle was saving the world. There was a pony in her shadow, a pony she barely knew existed. Her eyes were set upon a task, but what it was was hazy. Bears changed to draconequui changed to dragons changed to centaur demons that smiled as they stole the shadowed pony’s magic. At first, this was set to boiling hatred and flashes of a smug, distant stallion with disregard in his eyes. There was a crushing despair brought about by a column of laughter. There was a darkness, and a logo of a black and red alicorn stylized across a silver piece of metal. Whispers of power and success rushed through the mind with doubled speed. And then the veil lifted, and there was that same saviour smiling at her. Smiling and forgiving, and caring. The quick, potent flashes of new memories erupted around her. There was joy, love and pride all mixed into one. Practicing magic. Poking fun at a faux pas. Discovering what they had in common. Twilight smiled and added to the memories, but there was an undercurrent that was rising amongst them. Sitting and chatting. The joy of finally having a friend. The joy of making friends with a pony you thought must have hated you. But there lay the disconnect. One was happy with the first. The second wanted--demanded--something more. And the second had searched the for the love of the first, and found itself frightened and pressured. Browbeaten. Where one heart had long since opened, the other was still closed. The gap widened, and the happy pride fell into the abyss of discord between the two souls. Conflict, confusion, betrayal. And then the fusion was ripped apar--

“You have been…humoring me, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight blinked, trying to get her bearing. “Trixie, what did you jus--”

“You have been humoring me?!” Trixie repeated, pushing her hat over her horn and glaring at the disoriented alicorn. Angry tears pricked at her eyes. “You--I--Trixie trusted you! You and your friends! Trixie came here because she heard Twilight Sparkle was looking for a date, not...not playing with ponies’ hearts like she was making a study out of them!”

Twilight was suddenly wide awake. Her eyes doubled in width, and her jaw fell open. “No, I--” Her teeth worked over words as empty as her reassurances. “I didn’t know what I wanted. I still don’t know! I don’t want this, I just--I don’t know. I’m sorry, I really--”

“You really led Trixie on, is what you did.” Trixie’s rising voice was evened out by fragmenting and cracking. “You lied to her, is what you did. Did you lie about the forgiveness, too? Was this all a lie? Just some prank to get back at Trixie for all the things she did to you? A big joke?! The Great and Powerful Trixie! Foal of the century! Thinking she was good enough for Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

“No! Please, no! It wasn’t that! I--You touched horns with me, and I didn’t know what to do! You kept going so fast, and getting mad at me whenever I did some wrong and I--I’m a panicky pony! I panicked! And you know from what you saw that I was having a good time. That I wanted us to be friends.”

“Maybe you should have told Trixie that from the start.” The boiling anger was replaced by a set stare. Something like pity. “She wouldn’t have touched horns if she’d known the welcome she was really receiving here.”

“I…” Twilight had so many things she wanted to say, but none of them worked their way to the surface. She felt like a volcano. Pressurized guilt bubbled inside her, but it was capped by a paralyzing, impenetrable fear she would only make things worse.

Trixie simply gave a haughty sniff, pulling her cape onto her shoulder with a flourish. She grabbed the vase from the centre of the table. With a quick flick of her horn, she threw the water into Twilight’s face. With that, she turned on her heel bulb and stormed away. The door slammed behind her.

The room went completely silent. Twilight stood frozen in time, water dripping from her unblinking face. Celestia was the one who made the first move. She wrapped a wing around Twilight. “Rarity, dear. Can you make sure somepony goes to find Trixie and talk to her? Preferably somepony with a good deal of sympathy and good cheer.”

“On it!” Pinkie Pie zoomed past the trio with the force of a rocket, exiting the hall as quick as she could.

Celestia led Twilight to a chair, wiping the water off the other pony’s face with a wing. Rarity simply stood still, also in shock to some extent. “I take it this had something to do with what you and Twilight were discussing, yes?”

Rarity shifted her hooves. “It, ehem, seemed like she was treating the date like a normal friendship. So I asked her if she truly wanted to date Trixie. And, well, she said no.” Rarity sighed. “I suppose I have some fault in that.”

Celestia stopped patting Twilight down for a moment. “You have no more fault in this than any of us. It was a disaster of bad fortune and good intentions, as most tend to be. Now, rather than looking for blame, let us try to make the best of the hand we have been dealt.”

At last, the younger princess stirred. Once she was aware, Twilight simply sagged. “I don’t like dating,” she said.

“Oh, Twilight.” Rarity sighed. “It isn’t always like this, dear. You can’t expose yourself to dating without meeting a few ruffians.”

“Or acting like an idiot. Or ruining your friendships.” Twilight looked down. Rarity opened her mouth to say something, as did Celestia, but Twilight cut them off with a weak smile. “Anyway, I should probably give you girls some privacy. I wouldn’t want to turn your date into a total disaster. I’ll just get out of your manes.” She jumped off her chair, slumping towards the kitchen before either of them could say a word.

Celestia stared after her with a look of remorse. “That could have gone better.”

“Quite.” Rarity pursed her lips. “You should go after her, you know.”

“I have found that it is better when she gets like this to let her resolve her problems on her own.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I have found her ‘resolving problems on her own’ results in public riots over dolls and break-ins at the Canterlot Library in the middle of the night.”

“She also learned valuable lessons from those experiences that allowed her to become the independent mare she is today.”

“Darling,” Rarity pursed her lips, “Twilight is many wonderful things. ‘Independent’, however, is not one of them. She does not even keep her own house.”

“She doesn’t?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“Dear Spikey-Wikey has to clean up after her most days. He does the cooking when she forgets to eat, too.” Rarity gave a gentle smile.

“She still does that?” Celestia looked perplexed.

“But of course. She looks to the rest of us for support whenever she has a problem outside her field of experience. Or Spike. Which is why I think you should talk to her. She is dependent. Upon you in particular.”

Celestia gave a weak smile. “Twilight tends to hide her feelings from me when she is upset. Perhaps it would be best for you to go comfort her. Besides,” she lowered her head, “given my feelings, this would be perhaps the worst possible time for me to talk to Twilight.”

Rarity looked at Celestia, chewing upon her lip. “I disagree. If there is anything Twilight needs right now, it is a pony who loves her. I know of nopony who loves her as much as you. Go to her, comfort her. She needs you.”

“What about you?”

“I will try to go find Pinkie Pie and see if I can’t help Trixie. Do you think she always runs off like this? It is rather inconvenient, I must say.”

Celestia swallowed. “I think she does, yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“But of course, darling.” Rarity gave a little smile. “Until we next meet.” She rose from the table with a gentle trot, taking the rose Pinkie had given her in her magic and smiling quietly to herself.

Celestia watched her go, plans for Twilight circulating in her head. She swallowed. The door to the kitchen was hanging open. She made a cautious step, uncertain of herself. A dozen scenarios and a dozen bad memories flashed through her mind. She thought, for but a moment, of running. She could explain that she was called away on urgent business, tell a little white lie. She could work through the feelings--a crush, if she was (dis)honest with herself--and be the same idol and icon that Twilight wanted her to be.

But then, Celestia had never been one for cowardice. More than that, her Twilight was hurting, and that was something she could never turn her back on. Her instincts to run for her safe, comfortable emotions were trumped by the need to be there for the ponies she loved. But more than that. There was a new side to her, not a little wild and dangerous, that had been growing since the day she found that Twilight had, against all her expectations, saved her sister rather than renewed her banishment. A part of her that wanted to hope. A part that wanted to share the days of her life with the ponies she loved, rather than just let them experience happiness she would never share from afar. A part that was daring to reach for a pinnacle of happiness at the risk of heartbreak. She curbed it in before she made Trixie’s mistakes, and reminded herself that, first and foremost, she was there for Twilight as much as she wanted Twilight to be there for her.

She walked through the door. The first sensation she noticed was Twilight rubbing her face raw under the sink, a towel shoving itself against the agitated flesh in the hopes of removing...something. What that something was was revealed when Celestia caught flashes of makeup stains from between the rubbings. Twilight’s mane was a mess, the diarch noted to herself. There were spikes and cowlicks everywhere, she had pulled half of it to one side, and a small mohawk took its place in the back. She touched a gentle hoof to her old friend’s side, saying nothing. Twilight, in turn, looked at her with defiance in her gaze. With a flick of her horn, she pushed her feathers out into a clouded mess. “There,” she said, mysteriously proud of herself. “I just have to do this every day for the rest of my life and nopony will ever fall in love with me again.” She nodded to herself.

Celestia smiled. “I find myself doubtful of that. After all, your charming personality always does shine through.” Rather than the blush and stammering that she was so known for, Twilight wilted. Celestia pursed her lips. “I apologize for letting this go as far as it did.”

Twilight sighed. “No, this was all me. My stupid plan. I wanted a date. I asked for dates. I tried dating without knowing the first thing about it. It was always going to be a disaster. Maybe next year I’ll just ask one of the non-Flash Sentry guards to dance with me for ceremony or something.”

Celestia gave a sigh, placing a wing around Twilight. “Tell me what’s wrong, Twilight. What is really wrong.”

Twilight’s ears folded. To Celestia’s surprise, the smaller alicorn nearly bowled her over with the force of the hug she was being given. “Please. Don’t leave me. Don’t hate me.”

Celestia did not reply to that. Distracting Twilight would only hurt her at this stage in time. Instead, she simply reached down and nuzzled the object of her love. Twilight pushed her nose against Celestia almost greedily.

“I just...I feel so lonely, sometimes. I feel like I’m always just one screw up away from everypony seeing me for what I really am.”

Celestia resisted the urge to point out that seeing Twilight for who she really was was what made her friends so close to her.

“A freak. A terrible pony. A failure. I wake up every day and that fear is with me. And no matter how much I try to push it down with deep breaths and calming thoughts and everything else Cadance has taught me about it, it’s always there. I’m smiling, or I’m playing with my friends, and it’s there. That thought that they don’t know the real, awful me. I’m crying for somepony else and it’s still there. I’m waking up in the morning and it’s there. It’s always there. And today. Oh, today it was everywhere. Because today it was right. Today, everypony left me because they saw just how awful a pony I really can be. And no deep breaths or calming thoughts will ever take that away.”

Celestia simply stroked Twilight, letting the pony squeeze her for every emotion she was worth. She cuddled Twilight to stop the shivering. She groomed her ragged mane with the edge of her lips. There was a part of her that teased that this was exactly what she wanted, and laughed at the guilt she felt, but she forced down the devilish thoughts.

“Why can’t I ever just be normal. Why can’t I just fit in?”

“Because, Twilight, if you did you would lose that drive that makes you so good for this world.” Celestia rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder, smiling. She could see that the venting had helped, because Twilight was standing up straight at last and was now marvelling at the level of contact Celestia was sharing with her. There was something different about this, and her eyes showed that same suspicion from before. Celestia pressed on. If Twilight found out, she found out. What was important was that they still were there for each other at the end. “And if you did that, the world would be so much worse of a place than it is. A normal pony would not have saved the world so many times, I think. A normal pony would not be so quick to show love to others in need, hmm?”

“But I--”

“And others seem to think so, too. If you went out into the community, and asked them what they truly thought of you, do you think they would call you a freak or a monster?”

“Well…”

“You’ve made the same mistakes Flash and Trixie did, dear. You are thinking of love from your perspective. I see the error in my teaching, now. Love has to be from two ponies. It cannot be what we want and what we think. You never wanted to date a pony for the fun of it. You wanted to date out of a need to fit in. Am I right?”

Twilight nodded, looking down at her hooves in guilt.

“But you could still love another pony like you do yourself, of course. Couldn’t you? Friendship is safe, my dearest Twilight. But love. Love is something else altogether. Not better. Not worse. But different.”

Twilight looked up at her. “But...I made so many ponies miserable…”

“Because you did not know what love truly meant. And neither did they. But I know you and I know you can learn. Next time will be different.”

“But...can there even be a next time?” Twilight was still quivering, but her eyes had lost their dull lustre, and she was standing up alongside Celestia with as much strength as she could. “Who would ever want me now that I’ve turned so many dates into disasters? None of the ponies I met wanted me. Not the real me, at least. Could there even ever be a pony like that? Who knows the real me, and doesn’t see a freak? Who could love me just for me?”

“As it so happens, Twilight,” Celestia took Twilight’s hooves in her own, staring directly into her eyes, “there already is.”

Twilight’s eyes were full of wonder, and the pieces of the mystery from before at last fell into place. Celestia smiled down at her, and confirmed her thoughts with a single, simple word.

“Me.”

Author's Note

And so the end game begins.

Also, bonus points to whoever catches the Shakespeare reference.

Chapter 9

“...” Twilight simply stopped, her eyes going wide. The entire world froze, save for her quivering pupils. A single shaft of hair sprang from her head, and her tail stiffened. Celestia watched the smaller princess’s pupils track from one side of her eyes to the other in quick succession, as if the new alicorn was searching her entire life for the moment when this could possibly have happened. At last, she shifted, the colour draining from her face save her cheeks. She mouthed three, simple words. The kind of words anyone would say in response to a revelation of that nature coming from an old friend. “Wha...I...bwuh?”

Celestia, of course, expected this entirely. She did not expect Twilight to hit the floor immediately afterwards, however. Twilight’s body folded on itself awkwardly, her pupils rolling past her eyelids in the process. She made a little “oh” noise, which was followed by the soft “thud” of her knees colliding with the floor. Twilight forced herself not to collapse entirely with a groan, bracing herself. Celestia made to support her, but Twilight waved her away with a wing. “I can stand. I’m fine...I’m good. Yeah. Didn’t see that one coming, Princess.”

“Take your time,” Celestia said, trying her best not to panic. She could not flee, could not stall and could not divert. For the rest of the conversation, her entire soul would be as naked and expose to the elements as she had been that time Discord had shaved her and Luna for his amusement. She was practically shivering already.

Twilight, despite herself, saw the gentle smile and the reassurances for what they were. “It’s not...bad...really. Really! It’s not. It’s just a little…‘whoa’.”

“‘Whoa’?”

“Like...like if you told me you were a colt, or I was adopted, or…No! No, Princess, I don’t think either of those are bad. Don’t look at me like that. Those were bad examples. It’s...big. Not...bad. Just..just give me a minute, okay? It just makes me think of a lot of things I said and did that might have…” Twilight’s face lit up with satisfaction at a metaphor she could use. “It’s like when you said you were gay! I didn’t know what to say at first, and I kinda still don’t. I knew it wouldn’t change how I thought of you, but it did change how I thought about you. Does that even make sense?” She turned to Celestia.

“You may have lost me,” Celestia said with bated breath.

“It made me think about a lot of things about me, and how I saw you, too. I didn’t even know ponies could be gay...or...not like that.”

“Like that?” Celestia once again was very certain to state her words softly but firmly. She wished to know exactly what Twilight was thinking, for she knew a single miscommunication risked irreparably straining the bond she valued so very much.

Twilight looked at her, smoothing her hair down with her front hooves as best as she could. “I thought it would just be obvious, like it is with Bon Bon and Lyra. I didn’t know you could not know, the way you said you did, and I’m still trying to piece everything you said about it together, both how it is for you and for me. I’m still trying to piece you together, Princess. The moment I learned that I started to wonder: Am I gay? Do I not just know it yet? I was only attracted to like one or two ponies growing up, anyway. Did I just not know it yet? And what about you? What was it like hiding that big secret and forcing yourself to try to un-gay yourself? What could I do to heal that?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Heal...my sexuality? You think there is some way to ‘cure’ me?”

“W-what?! No! Heal what happened to you! Not what you are! Oh, Luna, I’m so bad at this.” Twilight planted her head into her wing, hiding from Celestia as best as she could.

Celestia touched a wing of her own to Twilight’s shoulder. “I understand, Twilight. I merely took your wording out of context. As you are well aware, I’m very nervous. This is very big. For both of us. As I said, take your time. And if I ask a question, don’t worry about my being offended unless I say I am. I’m merely hoping to understand.”

“Understand. Right, okay. Where was I? Oh! Wondering about the things that you being gay meant for my being gay, right?” Celestia gave a little nod. Twilight took in a breath. “So, questions like that. And then questions about what it felt like to be gay. Did you find me sexy? I--I need a cha...” Twilight whipped open the cupboards, descending into unintelligible murmurs. She craned her neck around for something with intense fervor. Her face remained neutral and focused until she at last spotted something. “This’ll have to do!” Twilight threw a table cloth against the wall, pinning the corners with forks.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, then found herself grinning a private grin. Twilight used a tube of frosting to write a set of items running down the swath of cotton.

Princess Celestia is gay

--Inquire about personal life

--Make observations about own personal life

--Compare contrast.

--Repeat with other ponies of homosexual orientation; add control.

--Chart the feelings until an understanding of potential homosexuality

is reached.

Princess Celestia has a crush on me--

Celestia smeared the writing on this bulletin, ignoring Twilight’s irritated groan. She wrote in a magical ink generated from her horn:

Celestia is in love with you

Twilight sighed, accommodating the changes with a bittersweet smile. She looked again, and then said to her old teacher, “One day you’re going to have to teach me how to do that ink spell.”

Celestia gave a smirk, forgetting herself for a moment and falling back into their natural roles. “If I did nopony’s upholstery would ever be safe again.”

“You and I both know I’m going to clean it off afterwards.”

“Of course I do.” Celestia smiled, her disappointment at the lack of blushing quashed by the simple joy of being able to spend time with Twilight being Twilight once again. The second item expanded further:

--Observe how this changes the relationship between you.

--Weigh the positives and negatives of the changes this brings about

--Make a decision to pursue or reject this change in relationship based

upon the prior data

--If option a is chosen: Desired result achieved for both parties.

Reanalyze at stable point in new relationship.

--If option b is chosen: Remind Celestia how you feel about her and

how good the old relationship was. Try to find compromise.

Consider advice from Rarity and Spike. Ice Cream.

Twilight gave a contented nod, turning back to Celestia. “You said a while back I shouldn’t analyze how I feel like this, but both you and Rarity said that only I could decide how I truly felt about something. The only way I could know that is by thinking about it the way I approach things I don’t understand. Which is by analyzing them.”

“Just promise me you won’t strap me down to a polygraph machine.” Celestia gave a good-natured smile. She resisted the temptation to make an innuendo, weighing the chance of an adorable blush as inferior to the risk of instilling legitimate panic and misconceptions.

“No, no, I--” Twilight gave a sheepish, cheesy smile and ran a hoof through her mane. “Doesn’t strapping you down come a little later on, anyway?”

Celestia blushed at this. Too late.

“Oh! Sorry! I...uhm, sorry. I thought that would make you laugh. Yes, not appropriate. Sorry.” Twilight was blushing herself now, and her voice was starting to remind Celestia of Fluttershy’s.

Celestia smiled. “It’s alright, Twilight. I’m not used to being this exposed. Expect me to be a little bit…” Celestia searched for the word.

“Natural?” Twilight ventured. “I feel like this whole time, especially with the gay thing, but with this, too, you haven’t really been changing. You’ve just been showing me who you really are.”

Celestia swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Beads of sweat began to form on her brow, too. “I suppose, yes. That is most likely accurate.” She cursed herself for showing the anxiety that welled up inside her.

“I really like it.” Twilight said simply, but forcefully. The two smiled in sync. “I want to know the real you the same way I know my friends.” She thought for a moment, then shook her head and stomped her hoof. “No, there’s more to it than that. I want to know what it means to fall in love. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I made with Trixie. I want to try to fall in love.”

Celestia’s breath caught. “And how, precisely, were you wanting to go about that?” She tried to ignore the bate in her breath.

Twilight considered. The events of the evening passed through her mind, ordering themselves into a checklist. She could not simply throw herself into things without thinking--Flash had proven that. She also couldn’t hold back and try to apply models that worked in the past as if they would work perfectly in the future--Trixie had confirmed that. Lastly, she couldn’t simply force her idea of a date upon somepony else--her first attempts at dating showed as much.

Then she thought about what had and what hadn’t worked thus far. Talking with Trixie had been good, even if she had flubbed it by being dishonest with her. Touching horns had also been good. She thought to what her sister-in-law and her brother were to each other. And then she thought of what was going on in her own head. She moved forward, making sure to take Celestia’s front hooves in her own. She searched deep into her old mentor’s eyes, uncertainty reflecting in her own. “In a way that feels right to us. I don’t know what that could be. A date doesn’t seem quite right. Not the way we’ve been doing it. After all, dates are just ways to get to know ponies you want a little fling with. That’s really not what you’re going for, is it?”

“What?”

“Well, we want something a little more meaningful, I imagine, so--”

“I understand that, Twilight. However, what you said before about dates is false.”

“What do you mean? I thought--well, the way you were talking about all of the ponies you dated...And the way that Rarity talks about it...You made it sound like a date was just a way to have fun with somepony and joke around a little. Like, playing at being in love and only going on to something if you got past the corny pick-up lines in my dating book and the candle lights and dinners. I could never do that with you. It’s such a waste of our time together, of--of what we have. It’s so...shallow.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, and she understood at last what Twilight had meant by those words she had overheard half a day ago now. “I’m afraid, Twilight, that you and I both have been victims of false impressions.” Celestia beckoned Twilight to follow her with a casual flick of her wing, turning her body with a shift of her back hooves and trotting to the door. Twilight compiled, following her out of the kitchen and back towards the freshly-repaired tabletop.

“How do you mean?”

“I am afraid I breached your trust this afternoon, Twilight. I’m sorry. If you need me to explain, I can, though I would rather not taint the evening by getting off on the wrong hoof, if you’ll permit me my secrecy for the moment. I can assure you that I regret it now, and that what has come of it will not hurt you or anypony else any longer.”

“All...right?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in confusion. “I guess we can talk about that after we’ve cleared up this whole thing about what dating actually means.”

Celestia smiled. “Did you look up the definition?”

Twilight blushed. “Well, no, but--I mean, I assumed...and a scientist doesn’t make assumptions. Right.”

“Operating on an inference is not the end of the world, Twilight. But do note that a date is much like a romantic relationship itself. It can have any kind of connotation you desire. Consider that most partners propose to their spouses on a date. The seriousness or frivolity of a date depends on what you personally wish. You and the person you are with, of course. We will have no Twilight-Sparkle-is-the-greatest-pony-ever-whether-she-likes-it-or-not dates, I can assure you.”

The two of them gave an awkward laugh at that, the thought of Flash already bringing more comedy than discomfort to them as the events of the evening fell further away.

Twilight smiled over at Celestia. “Well, in that case, I think I’d like to try something a little bit safer first, if you don’t mind. No public. Spike’s in the library--I’ll have to check in on him at some point, but I’d rather not go through the explaining right now--and anywhere else in Ponyville risks Pinkie Pie interrupting.”

“Might I suggest the solarium, then?”

“But it’s so late.” Twilight protested. “By the time we get there, it’ll be basically sunset, and the light won’t refract at all.”

“The guards give me privacy when I am setting the sun. Frankly, it’s a wonder they haven’t checked on me yet by this point. If you wish to watch the sun and gather your thoughts before the setting, it will give you a perfect chance to do so. Afterwards, we can simply admire the dusk. I’ve been told I spend too much time gushing about twilight as it is, after all.”

The pony in question only blushed at this. “Corny pick-up-lines” She mumbled, her hooves rising to shield her head from the horror that was being praised by a loved one. Celestia allowed her to regain her composure, making sure to keep a wing touching Twilight’s shoulders lightly the entire time. Eventually, Twilight poked her head out from between the hooves. “Could we, I dunno, do some magic or read something at the same time? I feel like I need something normal with all the crazy stuff that’s been going on today. If you don’t mind.”

Celestia gave a nervous smile. “Alright.”

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Twilight’s stomach sank with the sun. A thousand and one thoughts were churning through her stomach. Fears of the disasters she was sure to bring about in not but a moment’s time. Rather than focus on them, she distracted herself by watching the colours that exploded over the solarium. Still, thoughts did trickle through to her no matter how hard she tried to shut them out. Am I really able to be attracted to a mare?. The sun slid down without so much as a twitch. She remembered her time trying to bring the celestial body up and gave a marvel at how Celestia did it with such an effortless, elegant touch. I...I mean, do I even find stallions attractive? Some thoughts of some of the ponies Shining Armor spent his time with passed through her mind. In the real world, sunlight rushed through the panels of arranged glasswork, flooding stained glass reliefs of a crescent moon set against a dark blue background surrounded by pegasi. There had been a tentative first crush focused on one of Shining’s old hoofball teammates. A bodybuilder with a soft side. He had been a study in male anatomy. The light bounced across several curved mirrors arranged on wire frames, causing long shadows to seep from the blue emblem and towards the opposite wall. She thought of a heavy chest rippling with muscles, the simple thought of the warmth they might provide keeping her company when Spike was brought back to the nursery and she was left alone in the night. The glisten of sweat on lean and powerful biceps. The odour of confidence. Of security. Of company. The light next reached a blue heart with a white ribbon in its background. A set of mirrors and a prism at the back forced dancing lights to glimmer across the glass skins of crystal ponies accompanying the glasswork.

She tried to put a female body next to the male one. Was there something there for her? She thought of how the hugs she got from Pinkie Pie compared. Thoughts of the curve of Celestia’s figure filled her mind, and she tried to find them somehow physically attractive. Could she? The light broke over a golden and orange sun framed by a group of earth ponies, the orange and red light of the sunset at last filling the solarium. The cutie mark shimmered, pulling all of Twilight’s attention to it. She was all at once transported back to her earliest memories of Celestia. Everyone staring at her and smiling. The thought of that acceptance. That...love? Could she find something in that moment that she hadn’t before? She thought back to the stallion. He had been...at first, she hadn’t found him all that special. It was only when she had snooped on him, had learned more about him, that she had found there were things about his body she could appreciate. The way his neck sat proud and strong against his body. The way his shoulders sagged and his face lit up when he was under pressure. The way his wings twitched when he was impatient--which had been often.

She’d always wanted to talk to him, to ask him, but...she’d been young. Far too young. Could she have made it work, if he were a she and Twilight had been an adult? She wanted to believe she could have. She wanted to notice a thousand and one little things about Celestia that made her tingle with joy, like the heavenly flow of a star-studded mane or the layer of fat that snuggled itself around the older alicorn’s form. But there was still that same reservation she had felt about the other pony, about Trixie, about all of her dates. That same primal fear that everything would go horribly, horribly wrong, and she’d lose yet another friend to the disaster that was her trying to date sprung up within her, paralyzing her attempts to think straight and organize her feelings.

The last light of the evening rescued her from her thoughts, showering her and the solarium in deep reds and purples. Her horn suddenly gave a buzzing sensation. The room had been enchanted. The high stress of the situation summoned a dozen potential acts of terrorism in her mind, and she swept her horn to see what was there. She turned to face a powerful deposit of magic that had sprung up on the right side of the solarium, positioned just to the right of Celestia’s cutie mark. Her eyes widened when she saw it.

There, dancing and shimmering across the glass was a set of enchantments. Unicorns danced across the glasswork, pulling a little sun behind them. One by one, the unicorns dropped in exhaustion, watching the others pull with all their might. New unicorns came and joined, and eventually they too dropped off, until at last there was only one unicorn pulling the sun. Twilight recognized him instantly. “Starswirl?” She questioned, staring at the bells and the beard that betrayed the cloaked pony’s identity instantly. She watched her old idol pulling the sun with hope in her eyes, knowing that if a pony as wise and powerful as him couldn’t do something as taxing as this, nopony could. And then, to her horror, he, too, started weakening. The beard that had started as full and bushy started turning grey. A coat that had once been a bright midnight blue turned cyan. The unicorn she loved so slumped in defeat, and at last the sun was tossed loose. A white hoof touched on Starswirl’s chin, and all at once there was Princess Celestia towing the sun back down to earth. The unicorns clustered around her, and then Luna joined her. Twilight noticed with a start that this magic had been edited into the enchantment, and, what was more, it was Celestia’s own magic.

“Enjoying the pageant, Twilight?” Celestia stepped through the open door, a quiet smile on her face.

“When did this happen?” Twilight gestured a hoof at the enchantments.

“It is a rare treat for those who stay long enough to admire the twilight. You, of course, were always racing off to gather your star charts by the time the sun was starting to set. I’ve always wanted you to see it. Especially the parts at the end, which were added by me at Luna’s request. We can watch the entire thing, if you’d like. If not, my study is not far off, and, as you know, full of those rare books you so enjoy.”

“I’d be happy to watch. I just...I never thought there would be anything special about sunset.”

“A recurring flaw of yours, yes.” Celestia chuckled. “We’ll see if we can’t fix that at some point. But come, watch, we are getting to the part where I scared off a dragon with a light show.”

“I've read all of this in your journal, you know.”

“Reading is not the same as seeing, Twilight. You know this by now.”

“Well...yes. But I also know that I’d rather hear it from you if I’m gonna experience it. Experiences with friends are always a lot more meaningful.”

Celestia's smile grew a bit sad at the word ‘friend’. “I’m sorry I imposed this upon you, Twilight.”

“I’m sorry I’m not the pony you need me to be right now.” Twilight sighed. “I just...I don’t know. Maybe I can’t fall in love. Maybe I’m gay. I just don’t know what I am right now, and that’s probably not what you need. I wish I had my thoughts…” Twilight trailed off, staring at the windows. “Well, anyway. The story. The one on the glasswork. I don’t remember reading anything in the journal about it. Maybe I missed my part. I did start reading in the middle, given I assumed you had a lot to say from before you found the Elements.”

Celestia’s smile grew distant, the old memories taking her back. “What do you remember about your foalhood, Twilight?”

“Wha--Oh, right. I think I get where this is going. Umm, well, I remember a lot of days spent reading. Big surprise, I know. And I remember a lot of quiet days spent by myself. Sometimes I’d do something silly, like test lockpicking spells on my parents’ wardrobes in the middle of the night, and sometimes I’d do things that were really important later on in my life, only I wouldn’t realize it. Like that time I learned how to take care of foals so that I could look after myself that week Cadance was sick because my parents wanted to have an anniversary dinner. I never knew I’d be looking after a baby dragon seven years later, but it came in handy. Or that time I memorized all those facts about griffon biology. I remember being the nurse’s aide at school for when Gabby got sick all the time. But the best part about my foalhood was definitely my big--”

“Your Big Brother Best Friend Forever?”

“Yes, I--how did you guess?”

Celestia giggled. “I remember more than a few choice occasions, but suffice it to say I also understand the sentiment, having had a Little Sister Best Friend Forever of my own.”

Twilight awaited the heavy feeling of the spectre of Nightmare Moon to take over the conversation at that point, but Celestia’s smile was free and easy.

“Starswirl the Bearded was our Big Brother Best Friend Forever, Twilight. He helped us with our magic the same way I helped you, and yet he also did things for us I never did for you. He was our councillor, our rock, a pony who raised us in place of our parents. And even then, he was a brilliant mage as part of all of that. Almost sixty percent of the spells attributed to him were actually his invention, which is more than can be said for any other unicorn of his era. Almost a hundred spells all his own, all told.”

“Starswirl took credit for other ponies’ work?” Twilight sounded aghast.

“He was not the most social of ponies even at the best of times. Imagine if you had never grown up, Twilight. He hated strangers, fled social outings at the first chance and pushed others away by being obtuse and snobby. But he loved ponies. He just didn’t know how to trust them to love him back.”

Twilight swallowed, looking down. Celestia wrapped a wing around her, smiling.

“Of course, you overcame that where he did not.”

“I...I did, didn’t I? When I hear you talk about him, all I can think about is how much I wish I could teach him about how much friends matter the same way my friends taught me. It’s so horrible that he never had any.”

“He had us, though. He taught us, laughed with us, showed us how to hone our talents until we knew them well, and then he would tuck us in every night.” Celestia hummed, the warm memory sitting comfortably in the depths of her consciousness. “Having a loved one watching over you when you sleep is a rare blessing, Twilight. I hope you can appreciate it some day.”

“I have Spike.” Twilight smiled. “I really wish I could tell him how much I appreciate everything he does for me. It just seems like he brushes it off whenever I find the right words. Umm..Before that I had mom and dad.” She thought for a moment on how her current experiences could compare to what Celestia was asking of her. She thought of white wings holding her in her bed, and there was something there for her. Maybe it was chaste, maybe it was not, but the thought of waking up beside this pony she knew she cared about was not at all unappealing. The thought of it made her curiosity twitch and her head turn to look up at Celestia. “What about you? Do you ever have anypony like that anymore?”

Celestia merely looked away. This time it was Twilight’s turn to put her wing on Celestia’s shoulder.

“You should. Even if it doesn’t turn out to be me, you should.” Twilight tried to give a strong smile, but there was a part of her that ached with guilt at how she was treating this pony she cared so much about. Why was it she couldn’t feel the way she wished she could feel for Celestia? What was it that was filling her with so much dread over the idea of even trying to date her?

Celestia turned back to her either way, and smiled at the heart-melting sight of Twilight trying to be strong for her. She pulled the former unicorn into an embrace, the two folding together in a spirited mess of feathers, fur and limbs.

“A-and even if it doesn’t, I’ll always be here.”

“I know, Twilight,” Celestia’s voice wavered, but there was a joy there, too. “I know.” She pulled her neck out from the crook of Twilight’s neck.

“Eventually, we started to grow up. Time wore on. He went from our mentor to our equal, and, eventually, my student. I continued to urge him to make friends. The friends I had made gave me strength and made me whole. I tried to help him see how they could do the same for him. But always his duties came first, and always he would have something very important to do that involved not talking to me about the conversation. In the end, it cost him his life.” Celestia’s ears folded back, and her eyes followed the lines of the floor.

“The power over the sun is not a light thing, Twilight. Twelve unicorns were needed to raise a sun through their own power every day. It was tradition that the twelve most powerful would be the ones to do the lifting, and that the head of the council would spend their time finding and grooming replacements. The average council member lasted twenty years before the tax on their body was too much. In spending his time studying new magics and training us, Starswirl had neglected finding his replacements. Eventually, one pony dropped off the team, and then another, and then another, until Starswirl was lifting the sun by himself for days upon end. He never told us. Not even once. He even invested in time travel, trying to find means to extend his life, expand his magic and push forward in our training. We, of course, were completely ignorant of this struggle. It was only when he collapsed at our door, grey-bearded and withered by then, that we pulled the truth from him at last.

“He raised the sun as part of his duties. Every day it was draining their magic, and still the entire unicorn race hid it from us because they didn’t want us to worry. Because they wanted us to love them. By the time he came to us, he was well past saving. He...we nursed him to health enough to last until the day when we finally raised the sun. It was not long after that that he passed. He did not even live to see the lowering of the moon. Before he passed, he said something to me that still rings through to this day. ‘I suppose that is the danger of you two. You make people want to impress you.’” To her surprise, she noticed Twilight’s eyes were quivering. “I’m sorry, dear, is this too much? I know how much he means to you--”

“Well, yeah, it hits a little close to home, is all.” Twilight sagged. “I do a lot of dumb things trying to impress you, and it’s just because of exactly that. I want to be like you. I want to be loved like you.” She sighed. “And by you. Guess I got that last one and then some, huh?”

“Twilight,” Celestia bit her lip, sensing the subtext in a heartbeat. “I will always love you, even if you turn me down. You should know this by now. I am not an old rival suddenly warring with feelings of attraction, nor am I a guard who has some peculiar obsession with you. I merely want to explore our relationship in a way I feel could make us both happier. If you disagree, you disagree, and I will spend some time feeling hurt and disappointed, and then things will return to normal.”

“I guess.” She didn’t sound at all certain. Celestia sighed. “Why don’t you tell me the rest of the story?” Twilight gave a little smile, forcing herself to sound certain, confident and supportive for the thousandth time that night.

“Twilight, I--yes, we can do that, if you’d like.” Celestia gave a weak smile.

“I’d like to hear more about your end of it. I mean, Princess, I do love you. Don’t forget that. It’s just that with all this craziness and everything that might happen, I feel like...I feel like I’m forgetting that. I feel like I’m just throwing up walls of panic without thinking about you. I don’t want to forget what makes me love you, ever. Not for anything. And the story makes me think of that.”

“Because of the history behind it?”

“No, no. It is that, but much more than that. You took up the most important job in all of Equestria without a second’s thought to just to help some other strangers you’d never met just because a pony you loved had been hurt. He hadn’t even finished telling you and you wanted to help.” She touched her eyes, looked at the drops of moisture and gave a little, quiet chuckle. “It’s not that it’s not a sad story. It is. But it’s also a beautiful one. And that. That is why I love you.” She gave a nod, as if retroactively affirming her own views.

Celestia blinked. “You think so? It was only the natural thing to do.”

“You took over the entirety of a generations-long process that the lives of all of the citizens of Equestria depended upon, permanently. Without even blinking,” Twilight’s tone contained a paradoxical mix of sarcasm and warmth, and it was doing uncomfortable things to Celestia’s ability to think straight.

“Well, I suppose it may reflect upon me. But it was only my duty, what with what I was born with. You of all ponies should know exactly what I mean.”

“That isn’t true at all. Look at Sombra. Look at Discord. You could have done anything you wanted with that power. Me? When I was that age, I was locked up in a tower being bitter at everypony who wasn’t my family because they treated me like a freak. It wasn’t something that anypony would do. It was you. All you.” Twilight was looking at her with nothing but admiration in her eyes.

“Actually, when you were that age you were fighting Tirek with the sum of all magical power in Equestria in the balance, but the point is taken.” Celestia smiled. Twilight gave a nervous smile herself. “Is something the matter?”

“I don’t know. I always feel bad when you talk about me like I compare to you.”

Celestia smiled and reached out her wing. She touched Twilight with the flight feathers, primaries trailing sweetly along the edge of a distant shoulder, and the panicky pony leaned into it, grateful for the touch. “Is it because you feel afraid you are going to fail? Or because you don’t feel it is deserved?”

Twilight shifted. “A bit of both. I’m sorry, we were having such a great conversation about how you took over the sun from Starswirl and the old unicorn regime. Let’s go back to that.”

“Should we talk a bit about my failures, then?” Celestia gave a simple smile. “You seem to ignore them.”

“It’s not just that.” Twilight waved a hoof. “I mean, yes, I get that you aren’t always perfect. But that’s not at all what the problem is. I’ve yelled at you before, you know.” She gave a chuckle, and they both smiled at the memory of her outbursts as if it were a kind of private joke. Twilight’s smile faded. “The pr-problem...The problem is…” Celestia gave a soft, powerful smile, lowering her head so that her eyes were staring into Twilight’s, showing her there was no judgement in her gaze. It was the push the scholarly alicorn needed. “The problem is me. You can do so much better. You can do so much better, Princess! You keep talking about me like I’m some kind of great pony. You don’t even know. All of the panic, a-and the insanity and the snideness and the denseness and the jealousy and the fear and--And then you’re going to see who I am deep down, and you’re going to--”

Celestia cut her off with a frown.“Twilight, what was the moment you would say is the one you are most ashamed of?”

“I...I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Because you’re afraid that I’ll walk away? After all this? After everything I’ve said that you’ve been able to swallow without a second thought and all of the time we’ve spent together?”

Twilight looked at her hooves. “Well...it was just after Discord...I’d let everypony down in the maze, so I kept trying to make everything perfect and better than it ever had been before. I was so focused on that that one week I forgot to send a letter to the Princes--”

Celestia giggled. “I thought that might be the case. And who was it who was there when you were talking about how terrible a student you were and how you deserved to fail back to kindergarten?”

“Well--I mean--I--Oh.” Twilight’s lips formed a circle, and her eyes widened. She didn’t say anything for almost a minute, simply staring at Celestia illuminated by the first break of the evening. Twilight had arrived across Equestria. “It--I mean--All this time, I--I’m an idiot.” She slapped a hoof to her forehead.

“And what did she say to you in return?”

“Something about how she was going to give me another chance?” Twilight thought, putting a hoof to her chin.

“Actually, I believe my exact words were ‘you are a wonderful student. I don’t need to get a letter from you every week to know that.’”

Twilight’s eyes widened. She was silent for another moment, gathering her thoughts. Celestia ached to scan her eyes, to find some way to deduce what was running through the alicorn's mind, but she resisted. An invasion of Twilight's privacy would only throw a wedge between the two of them that she could not afford to face. At last, Twilight looked down, saying to her hooves, “All this time I thought you were going to have all these things about you that were different and big and I wouldn’t be able to get. And that there’d be so much that wouldn’t work out because of all the things I am that I thought a pony like you would never love.” She looked up, and there was a serious, penetrating look in her eyes. “But it’s just you. Beneath all the masks, and all this other stuff about being gay and being in love and everything we’ve said and done tonight, it’s all still you.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s all still me’?”

“The pony I saw at the Summer Sun Celebration. She’s not just my idol, she’s--my friend. And maybe she’s going to be something else. But either way, it’s not something new and I don’t have to worry about being another pony. You don’t have any expectations, do you?” There was a quiver of uncertainty in her voice, but there was still a strength to it. A sensation of building.

“I expect nothing from you, Twilight. It’s only my good luck that you’re the kind of pony who gives everypony everything they can.” There was a quiet smile between them, then, though Twilight looked as though she was about to shift. She seemed to have something to say, and something that would launch them into another conversation where they would be treading new ground with one another. Celestia decided to break the tension. “For the record, Twilight, I believe that we would categorize you as a ‘genius’ at the school. But you do have a tendency to trip over your own hooves, so to speak. There is seldom a sight I like to describe more to the guards than a flustered Twilight Sparkle. I remember when we--” And then Twilight was pushing her horn against Celestia’s, head craning to breach the gap between them. Celestia closed her eyes, letting currents of electricity and magic push between the two of them in a delicate gesture.

The horns slid against one another, magic streaming between the two in a delicate dance that lit up the glass of the room and set the enchanted figures whirling in lazy arcs. Then the horns pulsed, and the two alicorns saw into one another's' hearts.

Author's Note

Free cookie to anybody who can guess Twilight's sexuality. Helpful hint: You'll need some background in psychology.

Also, they finally kissed (or, at least, the alicorn equivalent)! There! You happy now?

Chapter 10

Celestia saw visions of a field of a sea of grass positioned on a hill. In the background, she could see Ponyville down the crest of one side of the hill, with a single tree dominating the landscape immediately behind said crest. She recognized it distantly, though the memory she had of the location was decidedly unpleasant. The image shimmered with guilt, and the two were plunged into a memory of Celestia shouting “Twilight Sparkle!” with anger in her voice. But before the image could take over the memory, Twilight gave a wobbling effort to push it aside. Memories of play dates on the hill and hugs between the two of them merged together slowly, hesitantly, and with prompts from Celestia. Gradually, the image of what Twilight wanted the hill to represent solidified within the span of their minds. Celestia could not feel the distant tug that a vision of the past would give her. Neither could she feel the rush and panic that the present brought. Which left her to conclude that this was a dream of things to come. She watched herself crest a hill, followed dutifully by Twilight. The two of them sat down, spread out a picnic basket, and settled together.

Celestia enjoyed the sight, but something felt like it was missing. Incomplete. Twilight wasn’t done. It was then that she saw that more ponies were cresting the hill. Surrounding them. Pegasi, one brash and one timid, one fast and one quiet. Earth ponies, one strong and one bouncy. Pinkie Pie she already was starting to learn the qualities of. Applejack was still nothing but a name to her. Rarity was there, too, and the two of them were smiling the quiet smile of two co-conspirators to one another. And, of course, the dragon she had raised from when he was the size of a loaf of bread was staring at her with the same casual, open love that the two always shared together. But, rather than feeling crowded by no fewer than seven other creatures seeing beyond her mask and into the pony she was beneath, Celestia felt a company and acceptance she had only distant memories of having ever had before. That loneliness from before, that desire to be understood and accepted for who she was was being quashed by these ponies. At last, she realized why Twilight had held back so much and so often. She was not simply a pony Twilight wanted to see or a new element of Twilight’s life. Rather, Twilight, when searching for a mate, wanted somepony to share her life with. It was a good thing, then, that the life Twilight led was so often what she wished for in life. To be accepted. To have true, honest friends. Twilight often led a life so like the one Celestia wished she could have, and here she was, offering Celestia a chance to be part of that life.

Celestia pulled her horn away from Twilight with a stunned, silent expression, elongated sparks of magic arcing from their horns still. Laces of joy, love and happiness touched her horn from Twilight’s, until at last the two magical appendages sparked no more and fell silent.

Celestia felt moisture dab at her eyes, but this time she was the one to push forward. The two of them connected again, and this time it was her in control of the vision.

Twilight was in a study, sitting by a warm fire. Spike was, of course, napping in a corner, a comic book with images of costumed crusaders emblazoned on the corner serving as his blanket. An encyclopedia of magic was sitting in her front hooves, and to her right was an empty cup of coffee. Everything was back to normal, and precisely as she liked it. Of course, normal meant that the burn of loneliness, that sensation of emptiness, was still in the back of her mind, but she was alright with that. After all, there were still five magical ponies in her life for her to share in the happiness of when she decided to leave her dusty old books. And she was content with that. So why did it sting so much to think that everything she had experienced with Celestia had been a dream?

A voice behind her laughed, and suddenly the image morphed again. Celestia was sitting behind her, wrapping her wings around her. A tea kettle and matching cups floated in her grip, settling down between the pair and arranging themselves to their liking. Celestia summoned a book of her own, and the two of them curled up together, wings around one another’s backs. And then Twilight realized what her new idea of ‘normal’ could be. She realized what Rarity meant about a special somepony being different. She didn’t just get to share her time and her lifestyle with Celestia. Like Celestia had said eons ago and in a different world, a lover was somepony she could share her life with. What Celestia had never mentioned was that a lover was somepony who would look at her life and see something beautiful.

The two broke apart again, and this time could not help but look at each other in a kind of awe.

“Wow...that’s…” Twilight began.

“Very much so.” Celesta agreed. “Perhaps we might enjoy a change in pace.” She dabbed at her eyes with a wing. “I seem to recall a set of dusty old books in the library I had mentioned earlier.”

Twilight’s smile settled from one of overpowering joy to a sort of cozy familiarity. “Let’s do that, yeah.” She trailed off in thought, staring at the last shades of the twilight. “...Yeah.”

“Twilight?” Celestia offered up a simple smile.

“I’m just thinking about what you said earlier. Maybe you’re right. About sunsets, I mean. I never really stop to look at them. Maybe I should…”

“Shall you tell me what you know about it, then?” Celestia moved to settle beside Twilight, wrapping a wing around the smaller alicorn. “Or would you rather hear what I have to say?”

“That one is Cadenza. The first one in the night sky.” Twilight pointed to a star. “It’s not actually a star or a moon. Rather, it’s a mix of rock and gas, and it’s decently big. Cadance made it as a vacation spot, but...well. She and I have had a few laughs over flubbed spells before, and that was one of her bigger ones.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I don’t remember Cadance mentioning to me that she tried and failed to create a planet for the sake of public luxury.”

“Oh, no, it’s a functional planet. It just has a deadly atmosphere. And is about four hundred degrees too hot to live on. But it’s big enough. That’s why it looks so bright. Well, that and the deadly gasses reflecting the sunlight. Anyway, she made Shining and I promise not to tell anypony, and she wanted us to see it one night and...and--oh! OH! Oops!” Twilight clasped her hooves over mouth. “You didn’t hear it from me.” She whimpered, a blush spreading across her face.

Celestia giggled. “Your secret is safe with me. But I must confess, it is most unlike Cadance to name something after herself.”

Twilight, lowering her hooves from her mouth, waved a hoof. “She let Shining name it. He’s a big dummy for doing something so cheesy and she’s a big dummy for asking him to begin with, if you ask me. Of course, they do that thing that ponies do when they’re in love whenever I bring it up.”

“That thing?”

“Giggling like idiots and sharing this big smile with each other. As far as I’m concerned love must have some sort of inhibiting effect upon the logical centers of your brain.”

“And do I inhibit the logical centers of your brain?” Celestia gave a smirk.

“Princess,” Twilight fixed Celestia with a flat look, “I am going to be twice as dumb as my brother whenever you’re around if we keep going with this.”

“Just promise me you won’t zone out on your friends whenever my career or mane colour is so much as mentioned and you will be better off than your sister-in-law.”

Twilight giggled like an idiot, then pointed over at yet another star cresting into the evening sky. “That star over there is Sirius. Luna told me she made it to light the way for lonely ponies at night. Sure enough, sometimes it will hone in on a lost traveler and zoom over their heads if they pass under it. It’s been very helpful in a lot of ponyhunts, especially the historic case of--” Twilight trailed off. “I’m sorry, you probably already know all that. It is Luna, after all.”

Celestia leaned her head against Twilight’s neck, smiling to herself and closing her eyes. “It’s nice to hear somepony cares enough to know the story off by heart either way. As an addendum to what you just said, I used it to track down Luna herself a few times, too. If the star leads to Luna, usually it means she needs somepony to talk to.”

“Mmm. I remember her first visit to Ponyville. She tried to push me away a couple of times. But...I know what it looks like when a pony is alone and hurting. I know how to push ponies away when I want to be sad, too. And I learned how to make it better from my friends.”

“How do you do it, Twilight?”

“Me? Or ponies in general?”

“Either. I feel that often I can’t find a way to pry into Luna’s mind, and sometimes I still feel there is that wedge of distrust and fear between us. Do you have a suggestion, perhaps? You two hit off so well together.”

“Cadance would be a better pony to ask than me. I’m not all that much like Luna, but like I said, we hurt in the same ways. So I know that I--well, when I think about it, you need to do more of what you do with me when I’m upset.”

“When I try that she accuses me of babying her.” Celestia pulled away from Twilight, a sheepish blush forming across her muzzle.

Twilight frowned. “You don’t treat me like a baby, but--oh! Right. She...she sometimes doesn’t really get that others want to help. She assumed the worst of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. And me, when I went to the Crystal Empire. When I was with her I had to work to show her I was being earnest. And I’m sure you haven’t said everything you needed to say to Luna.”

Celestia sighed. “I cannot say everything I need to say to Luna. I don’t have the willpower. Not to my own family. I suppose that’s unfair of me, but...while I can forgive her, I cannot trust her.”

Twilight nodded. “You’re afraid. Like when Rarity talked about the Gala tickets. You don’t want her to see the bad side of you.”

“Yes.” Celestia whispered. “Yes. I am afraid. I am afraid of facing what I did. I am afraid of being turned against again. I can face Tirek, Discord, Chrysalis, any creature that comes to our kingdom, even when I know I am doomed to fail. But I cannot face what I did to Luna, and--” Celestia bit down on her tongue, unsure of even giving voice to the thought that troubled her next. Her voice, still a whisper, came out ragged and uneven, as far from the famous smooth calm of Princess Celestia as any sound she had ever made. “--And I cannot face what Luna did to me.”

“Yes you can.” Twilight put a hoof to Celestia’s chest, nuzzling her. “I know you can. You always can.”

“I am afraid I don’t hold in your certainty.”

“Then ask for help.” Twilight looked up at her. “I’d do it for you in a heartbeat. You know I’ll do anything for you, you’ve seen me do it.”

Celestia gave a weak chuckle. “But of course I can’t simply trouble you with every problem in my personal life.”

Twilight simply shook her head. “My notes say otherwise.” She said in a voice that would have rung with sing-song teasing had caution not tempered it. Twilight’s face stayed serious, and so did her tone. “You told me a date would always be willing to share in my problems, and that I could always ask my friends for help if I needed them. Well, here I am, facing my date needing my help. And, like you said they would, here I am offering. Don’t forget the other ponies you could ask, too. Cadance knows a thing or two about dealing with little sisters, and so does Rarity. Spike knows what it’s like not always getting the recognition he deserves,” Twilight gave a guilty, sad little smile at this, “and Pinkie Pie can cheer anypony up.”

Celestia gave a faint smile. “I did find her quite delightful, but I would hardly call her a friend. We spent not twenty minutes talking to each other.”

“For Pinkie Pie, that’s enough.” Twilight giggled. “She was so sad when I told her she couldn’t give you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ dance when you came to town with Philomena.”

Celestia gave a sigh and a smile. “You truly would do anything for me, wouldn’t you, Twilight?”

“You asked me to make friends with the creature I hated more than anyone else in the entire world. Yes, I would do anything for you.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “Well, no. That’s not entirely true. There are some things I would never ever do no matter who asked me. But I know you’d never ask me to do those things.” Twilight shook her head. “That wasn’t the point of the question, though, was it?”

“It’s not something I needed you to think long and hard about.” Celestia confessed.

“I like to remind myself sometimes.” Twilight smiled. “But the answer to your question--I think, at least--is yes, I would absolutely roundup anypony and everypony I thought could help a friend with a problem. And for you...Of course I would. I could never do anything less.”

“Of course you would.” Celestia confirmed, falling into a smile at last. The two of them stayed silent for a while, quietly eyeing shooting stars and enjoying the sensation of their fur against one another’s skin. There was warmth shared between both bodies and minds that neither was willing to break without a good reason.

At last, Twilight’s eyes widened at a reason to break the silence. “Oh, that one is mine!” She pointed, wrapping a hoof around Celestia’s shoulder. A little star blinked at them from the southeast corner of the sky.

“Yours?”

“I found it when I was a teenager. Well, er,” Twilight blushed, her modesty taking control of her once again, “I mean, Luna always had it, but she lost track of it about a hundred years before the start of the modern Equestrian era. I found it again when I was going through my big astronomy phase.”

“And what did you name it?”

“Star Swirl’s Lantern.” Twilight’s eyes filled with nostalgia at the memory. “Of course, it had to be turned to Ancient Equestrian, and it got shortened down to Lanterna, but they did keep the name. It was fun meeting all of the ponies in the department for it, too.” Twilight giggled. “Distant Orbit was so kooky. It’s always nice reading essays by him.”

“I’m surprised this hasn’t come up before. I would have thought you would have been proud to share your accomplishments with me.”

“I guess, until now, I thought it just wouldn’t be something worth spending time on with you. Most of the time I want to talk about magic and history and my friends and, of course, about you and what your life is like. And most of the time you want to talk about politics and history and your family and my life. Between all that I think little stories from our pasts like that just get lost sometimes.”

“Well,” Celestia spread her wing, “I’m sure we will have plenty of time to track them down. To the study?”

Twilight beamed. “To the study!” The scholar led the way with a spring in her step. Celestia, for her part, trailed behind and enjoyed the show. The doors to the study flung open with a bang, Twilight sitting atop a bed nearby and trailing a beckoning wing lazily across the empty space beside her. Celestia eyed the familiar scene with joy, closing the doors behind her as discreetly as she could. A fireplace not yet lit stared at her, as did the cosy bed upon which she sometimes slept or rested when enjoying her reading. A modest set of reading lamps mounted on wire frames or rounded dishes--made of copper and foiled with gold against her instructions and desires--lay upon a truly impressive collection of bookshelves and work desks. A set of scrolls levitated into Celestia’s magic from the ancients section with a flourish, and she settled upon the bed with a heavy ‘thump’. Twilight gently placed a hoof upon Celestia’s horn, dissipating the magic with a delicate touch. The scrolls fell into a lavender aura, which promptly shelved them all above tomes with silver pages and below books written by hoof five hundred years before. Celestia looked at Twilight in surprise.

“I don’t really want to read right now.”

Celestia went from surprise to staring at Twilight as if she had promptly unmasked to reveal a grinning Pinkie Pie underneath. “Twilight Sparkle doesn’t want to read?” She raised an eyebrow.

Twilight put a hoof over Celestia’s.

“Twilight Sparkle has learned that it’s important to spend time away from those dusty old books with her--” Twilight bit her lip. “Well, darn, I don’t have a good word to replace ‘friend’ with.”

“We’ll think of one.” Celestia placed a hoof over top of Twilight’s. “I am partial to ‘special somepony’, myself.”

“I don’t know. It seems kind of...sappy? No, it isn’t that. It’s more like…” Twilight put a hoof to her chin, looking down at the snowy white sheets. Celestia gave her space. “Impersonal!” She said at last, whipping her head up and breaking the silence. “Yeah. It’s impersonal, that’s what’s wrong with it. Nothing about you makes me think of a somepony.”

“I don’t think it’s meant quite that literally, Twilight.”

“But you know I won’t be able to say it without thinking about it that way.” Twilight said with resignation.

“I suppose so. Perhaps ‘lover’ would work?”

“Maybe. It seems a bit sudden to commit to that, but I would. I--” Twilight shook her head. “I’ll think of something later, I’m sure. Anyway, the important part is that reading with my friends is something I do once, twice weekly. It’s not how I like to spend my time with the ponies I love. And I especially don’t want to waste time we could be spending building...this, whatever it is, thinking up names for one another and getting lost in a good book. I want you, not the fancy books you have hiding away in your room.”

“There go my chances at bribing you.” Celestia gave Twilight a wink. The two of them giggled, then settled back to staring at one another with an intensity--a solidarity--that the two of them had never before given another pony. “But I can certainly understand the sentiment. While my favourite activity is of course solving problems brought to me by my little ponies, I cannot say it is the way I would like to spend an evening with you. Far too much to distract me from the purpose of the occasion.” Celestia cast a glance around the room. “So what, then, would you think you would like to do?”

“Something you never do with somepony else. Something you wish you had another pony to share with you, but you’ve never found the right pony to do it with. Some part of your life I’ve never seen before.”

Celestia put a hoof to her lips. “Well, goodness, there are quite a few of those between us, I’m sure. I’ve read much in your letters I would like to try that I’ve simply never been in the position to attempt. Racing in the clouds. Applebucking." Celestia looked at Twilight with a wry little grin. “Why don’t you indulge this old mare in something new for a change? Then, after that, I’d be sure to spend some time showing you a talent of mine to compare.”

“Well…”

Twilight went silent for a moment, her eyes searching about the room to see if she could find something she was talented at to surprise the Princess with. Winter Wrap Up briefly flashed through her mind. Micromanagement was hardly a romantic talent, and most other things that did not involve magic, friendship or learning were things she had rather painfully and forcefully learned she was terrible at. The quills and pencils upon the nearest workdesk, however, combined with the loose papers scattered about the desktop to jog her memory on a facet of her knack for science that she almost never showed another pony.

“Would you mind finding a place where it would be comfortable for you to lie down for a while?” Twilight requested, her eyes turning bright and sharp and her brow furrowed and squinted.

“Lie down? I suppose. What do you need me lying down for, Twilight?”

The bookish pony gathered some pencils and papers in her magic, then pulled open the drawers. Sure enough, a notepad revealed itself to be amongst the odds and ends that lay within. She gave a quick, contented grin at the sight, snatching the booklet from the chest with her magic. She nodded to herself, then lit her horn and closed the other pockets with a flicker of lavender energy. She turned to face Celestia with a searching look in her eyes and a sketchbook and paper hovering in her horn’s ether. “I need you to pose for me.”

“You’re going to draw me?”

“I am going to sketch you. A scientist needs to know how to in order to replicate visuals in the fields of atomic chemistry, kinetics, morphology and anatomy and mineralogy. To that end, I invested in art lessons when I was thirteen and was learning our unit on runes and symbology. It got me from a B grade to an A+, as you remember, but more than that, I never really stopped liking drawing. I mean, you know I can do runes fine, but I never really showed you the drawings I did besides. Real drawings. I...I guess I kind of fell in love with it. Taking note of the world as you see it. Making whole ponies out of a couple of simple, organized shapes. I never showed anypony, really. I mean, it’s me, right? I have a couple of drawings of each of my friends I’ve never shared with them, and even a few of my parents and my BBBFF. I just never found the heart.”

“You were afraid they wouldn’t like them.” Celestia said, pity slipping over her relaxed smile.

Twilight nodded, her pencil sketching rough, spherical and ovoid shapes that would become Celestia’s back legs within the next half hour. “Maybe if this goes okay I’ll show them some. I just don’t want anypony to get offended that I’m not drawing them right, or that I’m only picking up their bad side. You know. I don’t want them to think I think their nose is big, or their lips are poofy, or their coat is patchy, or their ears are droopy. But if you like how it goes, maybe I’ll give sharing it a try.” Twilight looked up at last from her rambling, noticing the silent look of focus set across Celestia’s face. “Oh! And please don’t stop talking on my account. I need you to hold a pose, but until I reach your face I don’t need you to hold it still. Besides, I feel like some conversation will help lighten the mood. I mean, I’m not Ponet or anything, but I’d like to show you I can do it since you asked.” Twilight descended into mumbling, drawing the arch of Celestia’s hips with a delicate, tender touch. She moved on to the thighs, giving them the same firmness and thickness that she saw in the pony before her.

“Very well,” Celestia said, her eyes still watching Twilight as intently as Twilight was staring at her. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Well...What’s it like being Luna’s sister? I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard enough stories from Cadance to know what it’s like being Shiny’s, but I’ve never really heard anything about the two of you.”

Celestia smiled at the thought of the description, a look of fiendish glee taking her that made Twilight do a double take. “I think I shall have to begin by mentioning that our penchant for practical jokes comes from our time spent together. I consider it a testament to my self-restraint that I have never used you or Cadance as resources in our great war of sisterly rivalry.”

“Spike wasn’t so lucky, evidently.” Twilight’s dry exasperation was one finely honed upon the shenanigans of the Element of Laughter and the Spirit of all Chaos himself.

“Spike volunteered after seeing the joy of the game.” Celestia’s eyes glinted with fiery mischief. “You of course were always too busy to join in. But some day I hope I might find in you a third party to our great war. After all, I seem to remember a certain friendship letter written on vanishing ink.”

Twilight blushed. “I knew you would bring that up. I, uh--Luna! Yes. Tell me more about pranki--er, Luna!”

Celestia gave a smirk, then returned to her speech. “Would you like to hear about her birth? Or maybe some embarrassing stories from when she was a filly? Maybe a bit about how she’s changed from--” Celestia saw the look of naked curiosity on Twilight’s face grow with every word she spoke, and gave a chuckle. “I suppose I’ll have to start from the beginning, then.”

“Please.” Twilight beamed. “I’ll be happy to throw in some detailing while you do, if time is an issue.”

“Very well. Back when I was younger, I was a vain little terror. You may find it hard to believe, but I had a reputation as something of a control freak. Now, when Luna was born, nopony was allowed to see her for the first few days. I, of course, couldn’t take that as an answer, so I snuck in and…”

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Twilight showed Celestia the third drawing that night. Philomena spread a pair of finely feathered wings of ink and lead, flames done with a smear effect trailing behind her. Below her, a giggling Celestia with muscles shaded lightly but noticeably across her cheeks was frozen in mirth at the sight of her pet up to no good.

“It looks as lovely as the first two. I think you’re starting to improve upon my face, even.”

“More time to practice.” Twilight smiled, admiring the result with Celestia. The two of them lay against the backboard of the bed, Celestia having draped a hoof across Twilight’s stomach twenty minutes before. The night was waning, and with it the energy of the two exhausted ponies.

The two of them fell into silence, then, Celestia hovering the sketch to rest upon the desk alongside the other two. The room went completely still, and so too did the ponies it housed. Silence and calm took hold of the two, leaving neither room nor need for emotion or dialogue. Their glee, their desires and their fears all spent and conquered, the two exhausted souls at last lay together in peace.

Twilight at last stirred from the pile, her face wrinkled with irritation. “I still can’t find the right words for what we are right now.”

“Does it matter, Twilight? What I am right now is happy. And rather undecided on whether or not I want to settle you down with another horn touch.”

Twilight blushed. “No, but--it’s important. I want to know where to go from here, and how to treat what’s going on. And don’t say just do what’s natural, because that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” Celestia, who had been about to say just that, opted instead to fall silent.

“Truth be told, Twilight, I can’t rightly say I have the words for it myself. You saw the same things I did when we crossed our horns. This is every bit as new and big and overwhelming to me as it is to you.” Celestia sighed, rolling from her position of status and facing the window. “I can’t give you an answer right now, but I can show you that hobby of mine nopony ever gets a chance to see. Maybe some cold air will clear our heads.”

Twilight looked at her, the worry and uncertainty turning back to the love that had been building ever since that moment in the solarium where she had realized that simple, quiet little phrase that had made everything make so much more sense. “What did you have in mind?” She asked.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

“These ones were from Gregory the Grave originally.” Celestia smiled, her wings flapping against the breeze with a casual ease. “Sent in thanks for our help in the Great Restoration after the Griffon Civil War.”

“Wow,” Twilight let her eyes run over the soft material, not daring to touch it for fear of damaging it. “And you’ve kept it this entire time?”

“Of course. Here are ones from Cadance’s wedding, and here are the ones from when you brought Luna back to me.”

“And these ones?” Twilight pointed at flashes of lively red situated below the wedding gifts and to the right of the ones used in the necklaces from Luna’s return. Her wings lazily, keeping her aloft but static.

“Discord gave them to me, in fact. They were something of an apology for his role in Tirek’s escape.” Celestia looked over the roses with pride. Boxes of heavy clay suspended them against the walls of her study, creating the effect of a hanging garden along the side of the wall. “Every flower or frond has a history as a gift or an emblem, and each of them comes from a creature with whom I have had some history. I have ones here that your parents sent out of gratitude towards your acceptance and ones from your coronation.” Celestia’s gaze trailed along vines, ferns and petals of every sort to rest upon a box filled with flowers of every sort. Her eyes sought out the ones associated with Twilight, and once she had found the tulips and lilacs from the respective events, she led Twilight over to look at them.

“They’re beautiful. How can you even find time to sustain all this?”

“I admit that on occasions of my work making it impossible for me to keep them, a maid gets the duty of providing for them. Though of course the work is done per my instruction. I could not simply let them go, however. I am far too fond of growing things, and of the memories each of them brings me. Of course, a gift from you yourself would not be remiss.” Celestia gave a dainty pout, the mirth in her voice mixing with an earnest desire.

“We’ve been spending too much time around Rarity.” Twilight declared, looking at the pout with no small degree of perturbation.

Celestia maintained the pout for as long as she could, then at last cracked up and, as per Twilight’s predictions, giggled like an idiot along with her. It was as if nothing the other could do would bring anything other than joy. Twilight was tempted to say the effect was unsettling, and likely driven by hormones, but at the same time she was simply surprised and quite pleased to report she had not remembered a time in her life in which she was as honestly happy as she had been over the past two hours. “I’ll be sure to find you some lavenders somewhere.” She reported at last.

“That would be lovely. Have you any interest in gardening?”

“I’ve always been interested in botany. But I must say that the ponies in Ponyville you could talk to about gardening are without a doubt Cheerilee and Zecora. Everything I know has been snippets I picked up from them. Rarity and Fluttershy do it here and there, and I keep a couple of potted plants for company, but I haven’t found an interest in gardening itself yet.” Twilight looked over at Celestia with a half-smile, her lips curling into the next portion of what she had to say. “However, I’ve been happy to study the hobbies my friends think are important, and I would love to learn more about something that does the same for my…” Twilight held her tongue, frustration creasing her forehead in thought. “Whatever we are right now.”

“Whatever we are.” Celestia gave a carefree smile, flying to face Twilight and take the librarian’s hooves in her own. “I don’t need a definition.”

“Well, no, but…” Twilight still seemed uncertain.

“Maybe, Twilight, it is just possible that we are dating.” Celestia gave a teasing smile, pulling them both back toward the balcony. She settled upon the solid stone with an easy folding of her wings.

“Hey!” Twilight blushed. She landed beside Celestia, turning to face her in an instant. “I just don’t want to make it seem so plain. It feels so special, and--”

“And it is. It always is. When your brother started dating your sister-in-law, was that unimportant? Was it plain and ordinary? Look at the sunsets, Twilight. Or the evening stars.” She glanced out the window. “There are millions of them. They are quite literally an everyday occurrence. And yet staring at stars is one of your favourite hobbies. And yet you asked us to hang back and watch the sunset not two hours ago. An experience being one that repeats itself across time, that anypony can share in, does not by definition have to be impersonal, Twilight. Because, of course, everypony has their own, private life and story.”

Twilight looked uncertain at this proclamation, but at last she nodded to Celestia. “Maybe you’re right, Princess. But I still don’t think ‘special somepony’ feels right. And I suppose, ultimately, if you think that’s the case then that would make you...Yes, that would make you my date. Not in a cheap way, and not in a shallow way, but...like a sunset. It isn’t just something we’re doing for fun. It’s ours, and it’s every bit as special as it feels.”

“It is.” Celestia’s voice was, for the first time since that morning, filled with the secure, settled warmth Twilight was so used to. “And, I take it, that means I can expect to see you again at some point for a night like this some other time?”

“Not even Tirek could keep me back.” Twilight smiled. “And, after all, I remember something about owing you some flowers.” She gave a grin at this. “Next time we’re going to my place, though. I still haven’t given you the tour, after all.”

“That certainly does seem like a good deal to look forward to.”

“And a lot we have to learn about. And a lot we have to do together. It’s...it’s a lot. But it’s exactly the way I want it to be.” Twilight made her way to the doors, letting them swing back open with a flourish of her magic.

“Goodnight, Twilight. And thank you. For everything.” Celestia smiled the same warm smile as ever before, but there was a twinkle to it, a living brightness that had once been mere placid strength.

“I love you too.” Twilight said with a warmth and certainty that she had found in herself only that night.

Then, with a flash of light, Twilight was gone. Celestia smiled a private smile, and the doors to her study closed at last, pulling in all that Twilight’s open heart had given her with them.

Author's Note

And that was Opening Twilight's Heart. Thank you so much to everyone who stuck around to the end. It was a lovely experience writing it, and I am quite grateful to everyone who took the time to read this far. Hopefully, if you enjoyed this story, you'll stick around and join me for my next story, Tia's Reign of Terror, once it is done writing.

Lastly, can I get a big round of applause for my editor, Neko Majin C, and my original cowriter, the Abyss? A lot of time and effort from both went into making this the story it ended up being, and I can't thank them enough.

Cheers, Knight Of Cerebus

Epilogues

Rarity levitated the mail from the box to the slot in her front door, a yawn writ large across her face. She blinked the crust out of her eyes miserably. She recalled once again the feeling of emptiness that had settled in her chest once the date had been over. The feeling that no matter what she did, she was going to be alone for a very long time. She briefly entertained the notion that she might muster up the energy to gather her letters and interact with some of her neighbours, but she shot it down the moment she realized that it would necessitate her changing out of her favourite bathrobe and fluffy slippers so that she might look presentable to the rest of the world. The idea was swiftly rejected. After all, the day after Hearts and Hooves Day (may Celestia curse the pony who had invented the evil day) was one to be reserved for the finest of creature comforts. Magazines, romance novels, Fluttershy's tender shoulder to cry upon and all the chocolates Bon Bon could offer (purchased under an anonymous name, of course) awaited her later in the day.

Or, at least, they would have, were it not for the seal on one of the letters that immediately caught her eye. The letter itself was a smooth, ivory-coloured and very simple affair. Rarity tilted her head to better inspect it. The seal that had given her pause bore an icon she had seen time and time again since she was a little filly. An icon that was on everything from Equestria's flag to its bits and was everywhere the government went. An icon she had not, in her wildest dreams, ever expected to appear on a letter for her. Once she had confirmed it was indeed what she thought it was, she tore open the letter as quickly as she could, taking care not to damage the wax rendering of Equestria's famous stylized sun. Her eyes ran over the letter. Then, because of its brevity, she read it over again. And then again. It was only on the fourth try that her brain could properly process what had just happened.

Dear Rarity,

I had a truly wonderful time last night, and hope that you likewise enjoyed our time together, brief thought it was. Would you be available for a visit to the spa next Wednesday? It would be my treat. Consider it a thank-you for all your support.

Yours, C.

Beside the initial stood the famous sun symbol once again. Rarity dropped the letter, squealing in delight and prancing in place. Once she had gotten a modicum of control over her inner filly's overwhelming excitement, she found a photo frame from amongst some of her photos of herself and her career progress, and quickly emptied out an old photo of some of the hideous abominations she had once called dresses in favour of the letter. She slid it gingerly into the frame, still beaming like a madmare. Once she had finished pressing the frames back together and floating the document to its new home on her wall, Rarity dashed upstairs with speed that Pinkie Pie would have envied. Her bath robe tore off her withers and floated itself onto her bed. Her slippers found themselves discarded at the doorway to the bathroom.

Princess Celestia asked me to her private spa! Rarity's heart fluttered at the thought, her plans for a day spent weeping and lamenting her own romantic failures completely forgotten in favour of schemes on how to increase the fabulosity of Equestria's beloved ruler. Her spirits carried her all the way to the shower, where she soon washed away her concerns about her status as a spinster and her tormenting memories of the heartbreak she concluded every Hearts and Hooves Day with. So excited was she that she didn't even register the "thank you" in the last portion of the letter. Her thoughts of a day spent miserably floundering in romance novels, moments with a sympathetic old friend and bon bons could wait. She didn't have time to wallow in self-pity. She had dresses to make! Dresses for her new friend, Princess Celestia.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Trixie woke up with a pillow under her head and a blanket around her barrel. She looked around at her surroundings in confusion. The repurposed travelling market stall she called home was nowhere in sight. Instead, she was in an oppressively fluffy bed, lying under a blue quilt dotted with cupcakes and balloons. The tears that had accompanied her to her troubled sleep were dried away, and her mane had been smoothed down in places with what looked like an expert's touch. She cast a glance around the room in confusion, hoping to investigate further. The presence of a pair gigantic ice cream cones terminating a nearby staircase's banister did not exactly aide in her understanding, though the balloons strapped to the bedposts, simple record player and flowers near said stairs did add something of a level of charm to the room. Trixie tried her best to relax. That was when Pinkie Pie popped out from beween the sheets, rising to loom over Trixie's face.

"Hiyah!" Pinkie said. "Didja have a good sleep, haughty hijinks horsey?!"

Trixie screamed. Pinkie Pie found herself being thrown across the room by telekinesis. "Wh--you--how?! Were you sleeping in Trixie's bed?!" Pinkie Pie produced a poofy pink pillow from within her mane, cushioning her impact with a "poomf".

"Actually, it's the Giddy and Partyful Pinkie's bed, not the Great and Powerful Trixie's, but I let you have it anyway. I took the couch!" Pinkie struck a heroic pose, hoof extended outwards, before covering one side of her mouth with said hoof and leaning towards Trixie. "You know, couches are really cozy. You have to scrunch up, like a scrunchy. Scrunnnnnnnnch! It makes you feel all squishy and cozy!"

Trixie blinked.

"I looked all over Ponyville for you last night, because you seemed really sad when Twilight did that thing she does where she's a meanie-pants but she doesn't know it. The girls and I don't like to tell her always because when you do she gets really, really sad and tries to make it all better and she's a Princess now and even before she's always worried or sad about something so we usually just give her space." Trixie marvelled at how the pony in front of her was able to continue to throw syllables at her without so much as taking a breath. She suspected magic of a darker sort was involved. "I looked under bridges and up on big, lonely hills and in alleyways and fillies' bathrooms and near bars and I couldn't find you in any of the places sad ponies go when they're sad. So I checked your wagon-thingy and it was locked but it was okay because I keep skeleton keys all over Ponyville in case of spookiness emergencies!" Pinkie paused for emphasis. "And lock-picking.

"So I checked everywhere and wouldn't y'know it you were all curled up on your bed and you looked even sadder then you had after Twilight was mean and so I scooped you up and found Rarity, who was also looking for you, and then we brought you here and made sure you had a nice sleep and that you felt loved, because it's really, really important to remind ponies there are ponies who care about them after Hearts and Hooves Day!" Pinkie nodded sagely. Once Trixie felt it was safe to speak again, she raised an eyebrow at the pony in front of her, shifting uncomfortably.

"You...foalnapped Trixie from her bed?"

"Yeppers!" Pinkie happily confirmed. "But we did it out of love!"

Trixie looked concerned at this, her suspicion continuing to raise. "Where is your accomplice, then?" She made sure her horn was glowing a dim shimmer that would let her cast a spell if she needed.

Pinkie Pie's smile vanished. "She had to go home after we'd fixed you up. You're not gonna run away again, are you?"

"Why?" Trixie's accusation held the force of a mare that had been cornered for most of her life. "What will you do to Trixie if she does?"

Pinkie Pie shook her head, giving Trixie a bittersweet little smile. "I'd be a little sad if you ran, because you seem like all you know how to do when you run is frown, but I wouldn't stop or force you to stay or anything. I know, sometimes I'm scary and weird and it can make frowns and not smiles." The bounce from her step vanished for a moment. The moment was gone as quickly as it had arrived. "But I also know that even if you think I'm scary or weird or annoying, I can still make a pony smile without them having to know. It's not about getting credit for the most smiles, though that is nice." Pinkie smiled a private smile of her own. "It's just about making a pony smile."

Trixie looked uncomfortable at this, still not fully at ease. She placed her wizard's hat upon her head, suspicion writ large across her face. "Why do you want to make Trixie happy? She stole your mouth and turned your friends into her slaves. Even when you first met her she humiliated everypony you knew and lied to colts and fillies for bits."

Trixie reeled back in surprise at Pinkie's response. "Is that what you're worried about? Plbbbbt." Pinkie blew a raspberry, not missing a beat. "I've wrecked a Gala and a barn and a conference with bison and I almost wrecked a marriage once and then I saved it!" Pinkie stopped her rambling, the cheer falling out of her voice once again for a moment. "But I was really sorry about it afterward and I did my best to make it all better, and that's all it takes here in Ponyville."

Trixie rolled her eyes, a scoff escaping her lips. "Nopony forgives Trixie. She's been all over Equestria. Fake. Flop. Failure. Hack. Liar. She's not a good pony and she knows, and even if you and your friends say you'll forgive her, nopony else will."

Pinkie Pie looked uncertain at this. "Mmm...'dunno about that. Princess Luna seems pretty darn forgiven, I'd say. So was Mr. Minotaur Monster. We even try to be nice to Discord...even when he isn't always so nice to us. It's a good thing, too, 'cause we all do bad things every day and we don't always realize it--I guess we're all kind of Twilight that way--and I'd hate to have a world where everypony stayed mad at everypony else forever even when they didn't even remember what bad things they'd done to make everypony else mad. Can you imagine that?! The parties would be terrible!" Pinkie stressed this point as if the world would end.

Trixie still seemed hesitant, looking down at the sheets. Friendly balloons looked back up at her. "Even if you were her friends, wouldn't you be mad when Trixie left again?" She put a hoof to her chin. "And where would she work? Trixie cannot eat friendship, you know."

"Pinkie Pie doesn't think so!" The pony in question produced a tray from behind her back, sliding it under Trixie's downturned nose. Trixie found herself staring at six lavish cupcakes, each one decorated with pink frosting and each baked into the shape of a heart. "You could work odd jobs around town, or even here at the bakery! Or! Oooh! Or or or we could get you a job doing advertisements for ponies with those fancy fireworks of yours! That would be so cool! We'd be all walking down the street, and then you'd be all 'pew pew!' and there would be a big sign showing off somepony's stuff they want ponies to buy. And even if none of that worked, the gals and I could give you a little extra when you needed it! No sense in turning away a pony when she's down. What do ya say? Would you like to try to be a friend, friend? Whoa!" Pinkie managed to save the cupcake tray with her back hoof, which was harder than she had imagined from between Trixie's two front hooves. The travelling showpony squeezed her with all of her might, a tremble running along her body. Pinkie Pie reached out her own front hooves, wrapping one around Trixie's shoulder and using the other to pat her mane. "It's okay." Pinkie promised. "It's gonna be okay now. Just gotta smile through it."

"...Can I still be mad at Twilight?" The showmare asked at last.

"We'll prank her for you later." Pinkie reassured.

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

"H-have you ever seen her like this before?" A vibrantly brown colt in a fetching, polished suit ventured. He checked over one shoulder, darting, quivering little pupils confirming Celestia was still preparing herself for the morning court. This much managed to soothe his nerves regarding speaking out, but his nerves regarding his Princess's state of mind remained. "Seen her this, y'know, happy, I mean? I've never seen her smile so wide! I m-mean, she didn't even scold me for being at the palace early again. Heck, she thanked Blueblood for bringing something to her attention! Does it mean we should be on our hooftips? I-is she still making good judgements, is she okay?"

"She got like this most recently at Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle's coronation--which you were there for, Finnick--though her niece's wedding announcement was the same, as was Her Majesty Princess Luna's return and Paige Spike's saving of the Crystal Empire." A wrinkly mare with a greying beehive nodded. "A special occasion, no doubt, but we will not likely hear about it from her until the mood has passed. But between you and me," She glanced around at the other advisers with a wink, "those are Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle's letters she was reading when she took attendance, no doubt. I imagine that mare's gone and done something to make her proud again. And believe me, Finnick, she's still sharp as ever. I mean, she still turned old Blueblood down, didn't she?"

"Good to see Her Majesty feeling up either way, I say." Came a grunt from one of the guards next to the throne. "Means better for the rest of us, and it's nice to see her catch a break. Y'know sometimes she--"

"Falls asleep on her hooves before she gets to her own bedroom?" A mare with sagging cheekbones and a fluffy, lively set of orange curls giggled at this. "Please, tell us again, Orbit."

"'S not my fault you act like you aren't listening half the time I open my yap, Naggy Pie." The moody guard protested.

"Oh, believe me, I hear every word the first three times. Say something else and I might pay more attention. But Fuss Budget's right, Finnick. It's nothing to twist your tie over. She'll be back to normal in a few days. Let her have a day to be cheery without the sky falling on us, for pity's sake. " The golden-coated mare's eyelid began to itch, and she knew that Celestia had wandered back into earshot. "Personally, I think she could stand to take more days to herself in any case. Rain or shine, a pony needs a break now and then to keep the pressure from boiling her head between her ears. Besides, she knows we'll pick up the slack for her either way. " Naggy gave Celestia a wry grin, smirking at her passing shape. "Shame the old workhorse is stubborn as a mule and sweet as my niece."

"Perhaps this old horse has learned some new tricks." Celestia turned to face the courtroom, having reached her throne and seated herself upon it. The practiced diarch's smile shifted from her more inviting variation to a more mischievous one. "As it so happens, Naggy, I was waiting for the break to make an announcement on the subject." Celestia raised her voice to address the room. "From now on I will be taking a six hour-break from my duties weekly, typically on weekends and always in the evenings." She smiled around the room, making sure to look each member of her staff in the eye. "I will set the exact hours and day of the week once I have consulted Princess Twilight, who will be accompanying me in place of my entourage as my defense during this private time. To accommodate this, I will be relying on each of you to make temporary decisions in my place, decisions which I will review on my return." Naggy rolled her eyes at this, but still smiled an earnest smile back. Finnick gulped audibly, while the rest of the staff stared at Celestia as if she had declared she was taking maternity leave. "If you require further assistance," Naggy Pie blew a raspberry at this, snickering, "I will be happy to hire out of my own pocket should the need arise."

Celestia glanced around the room, gauging reactions. She found two types of faces looking back at her. The first, like Naggy Pie and Fuss Budget, were looking at her with neutral smiles, nodding along at her words and taking in what she was saying. In the second set she saw wide eyes flicking between herself and the corners of the room, the faces they were set tense with concern. She knew immediately what to say. "I make this move not out of fear or as a test, but out of trust, and out of a hope that I might cultivate a happy development in the lives of myself and Princess Twilight. You each and every one of you are more than capable of handling this change. Because of this trust, I will be certain to tell each and every one of you the reason for this change. Out of respect for Princess Twilight's privacy, however, I will not be announcing the nature of this development until she feels comfortable sharing it, too." Again the sun regent cast her glance around the room, making sure to meet the eyes of all her staff, regardless of how long she had worked with them or how personally she knew them. "But you will know the reason, on that you have my word.

"With that promise, I hope you will refrain from gossiping about she and I in the mean time, though I realize such things are sadly impossible." Her smile turned mischievous once again. "Though I can confirm right now that Twilight and I will sadly not be using the Power Possum and Wonder Wombat suits that were so thoughtfully--and anonymously--provided for us on the subject. And anypony I hear suggesting once again that she is my secret daughter will find themselves managing the Canterlot genealogy archives for the next month." The room filled with nervous laughter, and so Celestia offered a friendly "I kid, I kid" once the assembled ponies had calmed themselves. Since the crowd had fallen silent, Celestia found herself searching for expressions that held opposition. Finding none, she relaxed into the cozy smile of a pony who was at last in their element after a lengthy ordeal outside their comfort zone. "Now," she declared, "on that exciting note, let's meet our first wave of petitioners."

---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---

Dawn broke over Twilight Sparkle's face, causing her to crack her eyes open and give a wide yawn. One hoof raised itself from underneath the bedsheets to cover her open mouth, while the other pushed away the same covers with a casual sweep. The sensation of sunlight over her body reminded her of everything that had happened last night. She let her hooves wrap the blankets back around her body, her brain still trying to process what had happened. She felt something not unlike her first day in Ponyville after Celestia had let her stay. Something big and new and completely unmanageable was taking over her life, and yet her animal fear was trumped by the knowledge that this big, new and unmanageable thing was wonderful in every way. There was only one problem with this big, new, unmanageable fear: Unlike her forays into friendship, she was almost completely alone. Worse, because this was the Princess she was dealing with, it was her and Celestia under the eyes of every single pony in the entire country. By that token, it wasn't that different from when she was Celestia's student, which hadn't been so bad once the jealous nobles had made their passes and snipes at her, most of which Celestia and her parents had deflected for her. This time, she would be standing beside Celestia taking the front and centre fire.

And even then, when she became Celestia's student there were only five ponies (and one baby dragon) who mattered in her life: Celestia, Cadance, Her parents, Shining and Spike. The others weren't important, because the others were not like her and therefore could never understand. Or so she had thought back then, anyway. Her current self, on the other hoof, was interested in everybody's opinions and feelings. What if they hated her becoming closer to Celestia? What if she was deemed unfit to rule because of her and Celestia's conflict of interest? What if she ended up getting Celestia thrown out of office? Twilight shuddered.

Her shuddering was met by the groan of the baby dragon awakening beside her. "Geeze, Twilight, what time is it? The sun's been up like ten minutes and you're already awake."

Twilight blushed. "Sorry. I've been having trouble sleeping."

Spike grunted, his eyes blinking slowly. The little dragon pulled off his covers and stumbled to his feet. He gave a huge stretch, paused, and then glanced down at his belly. Twilight made to ask him what he was doing, but she was cut off by him giving a fist pump. "Ha! No stomach ache! That topaz was totally worth it!"

Twilight giggled. "I take it your night went well, then?"

"As well as any night Rarity spends stallion-hunting can go." Spike gave a hefty sigh.

"Hoity Toity was just as much of a bust as I predicted he'd be." Twilight reassured.

"Great. She just has to keep getting turned down by every other stallion in the world. Once Discord turns her down I might actually have a shot." Spike slumped.

"Spike..." Twilight reached out a hoof, moving it towards his shoulder. Spike pulled himself up out of his slump and out of reach.

"So how did you figure out what happened last night anyway?"

Twilight pursed her lips, weighing the benefits and repercussions of asking after what Spike had just said. She relinquished at last, vowing to talk about it later. "I asked Rarity for help in my date night." She let out some air through her nostrils, her lips still worrying one another.

"Yeah, you didn't get back 'till late last night, didja?" Twilight nodded, her wings twitching at their sides. Spike rubbed his chin, one eyebrow raising. "So you got Rarity to help you and stayed up till way past my bedtime hunting stallions. Why, Twilight? It's not like you care that much about dating anyway."

"I was going to give up, actually." Twilight pulled the covers closer around her body. "But then I hit a really rough patch, and I guess I needed a pick-me-up, y'know? I decided I might as well spend the time with my friends so it wouldn't be a total bust."

"Makes sense." Spike nodded. "So you spent the rest of the day out with Rarity instead?"

"Well..." Twilight looked very pointedly towards the window, where the rays of sun were still peeking over the horizon. "I just...I get lonely, Spike. I have you, and I have the girls, and I have Shiny and Cadance, but still sometimes I just wish there was someone who--" Twilight felt the sentence crash. The words "will always be there to love me, even when nobody else will" sprung into her mind in a nebulous soup, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. Celestia's words about the sunset came back to her, and she shook her head. "Y'know what, it's stupid. Never mind."

"It doesn't sound like you think it's stupid."

Twilight looked down, her body tensing under the sheets. She remembered her last night. She remembered how she hurt Trixe, how she almost didn't find what Celestia had to offer and how she let Flash walk all over her. At last she looked up, eyes locking in a firm forward gaze. "No, it is stupid, Spike. It's just another stupid worry. It's just a lesson I keep having to learn. I know my friends. I know they love me, and I should give them more credit than I do. I can trust them, and you, and I should trust them to be there for me. It's just my stupid brain being stupid."

Spike opened his mouth to say something, but this time it was Twilight who cut him off.

"And because I can trust you, I'm going to tell you something big. So big it scares me. Something I wouldn't normally, because--because I'm trying to learn--again--that being afraid of these big things is silly when I have friends like you and the girls." Twilight took a breath, staring into Spike's waiting eyes. "I went so late because I actually got a date I wanted to see through, and I did," Twilight clicked her tongue, silently preparing herself for her dropping of the other horseshoe, "and it went well. Really well."

Spike tilted his head and splayed his hands, his gaze moving down the length of the sheets. Silence reigned in the room, and Twilight broke it with a sheepish smile. "So...what I'm trying to say is that I might be visiting this date a bit more in the future."

"Visiting agai--you--you, Twi? You've--" Spike stared at his claws, brow furrowing. He then took a breath, shaking his head. "You've got, like, a special somepony?"

"Yeah." Twilight smiled at Spike. "I do."

"Yeah...that is big, alright." Spike looked down, scuffing one claw over the other.

"It is." Twilight said, smiling a quiet smile. "But today doesn't have to be. Come on, I'll make breakfast with you and then we can go back to bed. I can explain as much as you need me to--what it means for me and the library, how it will change things for you, things like that. But one thing I can promise is that it's not as scary as I'd make it out to be."

Spike tilted his head, looking up and down Twilight's form. "Scary as you would make it out to be?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Part of that lesson I keep having to learn." Twilight confirmed. "But I think I'm starting to get on top of it. And I think I have somepony who will help me up if ever I'm not. So..." Twilight jumped out of bed, spreading her wings to stabilize her landing. The doors to Twilight's new, crystalline study flew open with a bang. "Shall we?"

Spike cracked a grin, making ready to follow after the pony who had hatched him. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Author's Note

For those requesting what happened to Rarity, Pinkie and Trixie, here you have it. I did have a big thing planned for Twilight that would involve RBD and AJ and co, but I decided to save that much for the sequel, which will focus more on the canon friendships of all involved and how dating would actually strain and strengthen them. It was also stretching the Epilogue out more than it needed to be stretched out. I think the little implications of how the main players have been changed by their experiences are better than a lengthy expose on every little thing that happened to them during their time exploring the magic of friendship.

For those of you wondering where the next chapter of Tia's Reign Of Terror is, expect it after the holidays.

Also, please disregard the double PO