Your Twilestia Love Story?by Key StrixChaptersPart 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 1My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic Your Twilestia Love Story? Written by Key Strix Edited by Hauntu4ever, Schizoid Nightfall, BlackDenimCap and Tricondon ~This is a non-profit fan made story. All characters belong to their respective owners.~ “What if I say it wrong?” “You’ll be fine.” “What if she rejects me?” “You‘ll be fine.” “What if I get nervous and don’t do it?” “Twilight! You. Will. Be. Fine! Also, you’ve done it again.” “Done what again, Spike?” “Giant groove. Floor.” Spike pointed Twilight’s attention to the path her hooves had cut into the floor of her own personal room in the Canterlot Castle. “Oh.” Twilight calmly stepped out of the circular indent that spanned along the wide amount of space between the front door and her tousled bed. It was only for the moment, between when she stepped from her path and when she laid eyes back on it, that she looked at ease. “Wait, no! Not just ‘oh’! More like ‘uh-oh’! What if she sees this, sees the damage I have dealt to her beloved castle floor! She could consider me neglectful, call off the whole event, and even put the castle on lockdown for repairs!” The expression on Spike’s face had been deadpan for so long, Twilight had wondered if his facial muscles were locked into place. “There is no possible way she would do any of that and you know it.” Spike’s voice carried a tone that matched the flat expression. “Look, I’ve told you this time after time: Stop worrying! Not just because you should just go for what you need to say, but because it’s almost breakfast time. You gotta get ready.” Twilight immediately stopped in place. She closed her eyes, put her hoof to her chest, then inhaled deeply. Such a position was held long enough to feel the tension in her chest expand. When she finally exhaled, her hoof extended outward as if to lead all the stress from her body. “You’re absolutely right, Spike.” Twilight briefly smiled at him before turning to a nearby mirror to gaze upon her reflection. Her hair could be mistaken for a purple bird’s nest. Eyes looked to have been poked at for several hours. Many patches of fur stood on end and pointed in just about every direction. Even the feathers of her wings looked tousled beyond repair. Twilight couldn’t help but feel that she may have been pranked, like somepony— or even dragon— replaced her bedroom mirror with one that would otherwise be found in a carnival funhouse. Her eyes narrowed. Using the magical power of levitation, Twilight unsheathed a hair brush and a spray bottle from a set of drawers to her right. It was time to commence combat with her untamed image. “Spike, read me the schedule for today.” “Have you even decided on which version to go with?” Spike said, standing on the tips of his clawed toes to reach a dark blue bag with decorative golden stitching that hung upon the coat rack next to the front door. It was too high for him to reach without error. He toppled over and spilled several of the many scrolls that filled the bag to its brim. “I think-ngh!—” Twilight grunted after her comb struggled to tear through a knot in her mane. “—I think so. Read off Plan 3-A.” Spike’s fingers wiggled as he searched over the scrolls on the floor. Nothing. He then skimmed through the ones left in the bag. “Got it!” He announced triumphantly before pulling open the parchment to read out loud: “9 am, breakfast with Princess Celestia and dinner with Princess Luna. 9:45 am, get pampered and dressed up. 11:15 am, meet with Princess Celestia. 11:30 am, address the public about your plans for further adapting into the political structure of Equestria. 12:45 pm, have lunch with Princess Celestia. 1:25 pm, mingle with Equestrian bigwigs. 3 pm, meet up with your friends for some fun around town. Note, buy some roses during that time. 5 pm, return for some relaxation. 5:45 pm, prep for the feast. Sometime between 6, and 6:15 pm, you will confess your love. However, if she chokes on her food during your confession—oh, uh... wait a sec.” Spike double checked the label on the butt-end of the scroll. “This is Plan 3-B. My bad.” Twilight sighed and shook her head. She had finished brushing her tail and moved on to combing down her ruffled coat, drenching it with her water bottle like it was grass in dire need of resuscitation. “Okay, so between 6, and 6:15 pm, you will confess your love. If she denies you, refer to Plan 3-C. If she accepts, you will have roses prepared for her and you may refer to the beginning of Plan 6-A, which could lead to Plan 7-A.” Spike closed the scroll and gave a stubborn stare. “I’m still not reading those.” “Good, because I’m not letting you. Those are still for my eyes only.” She didn’t turn her sight from her reflection as she finished brushing down her coat, having finally succeeded in flattening all of it. However, there was a flaw elsewhere. A couple thick strands of her mane poked straight up. She snorted then she struck them down using the combined might of her comb and spray bottle. “Plan 3-A should be perfect,” she said as she made repeated strikes on the fashion offender. “If the rest of the day goes by without a hitch, a dinner-time confession would be the perfect way to end it. Now, I just have to make sure that nothing goes wrong till then.” “And nothing will, I’m sure of it.” “Spike!” She shot a glare that bounced right off the mirror straight to her target. “Don’t jinx this for me.” “Since when do you believe in jinxing?!” “Since today, because I can’t take any chances. This day needs to go perfectly.” She turned around and looked directly at Spike, who was quick to point at her head. “What?” “I think you caught a severe case of bedhead.” She twisted around, looked at her reflection, and spotted those very same defiant strands within her mane. Twilight let loose a loud and heavily annoyed groan. “Chill out, Rarity. It’s just your hair,” said Spike as he dismissively waved a set of claws. Twilight looked at him from over her shoulder with a stare that would make a timberwolf shiver. “Everything. Perfect.” His head tucked back a few inches. “H-how about just wearing your crown?” “That won’t cover this up very well.” “Then how about getting a hat?” “Good idea.” Twilight’s glare faded as she set aside her comb and spray bottle. She then made her way past her assistant to the door. “Come along, Spike. First, we find a hat; I’m sure there is one somewhere in this castle for me to borrow. Then,” she beamed brightly. “On this very day, Princess Celestia will know my true love for her!” WHAM! Having eagerly thrown open the doors of the Canterlot dining room, Twilight’s eyes quickly scanned the dozens of chairs that surrounded the long table in the center of the room. Princess Celestia was nowhere in sight. The only other pony occupying the room was Luna. She sat at the furthest end of the table from the door with a half-full plate of pancakes and syrup in front of her. To Luna’s right was Celestia’s spot, which was only taken by an empty plate. To the left, just beyond the corner of the table, sat two full plates of the same food that emitted a delicious smell powerful enough to reach Twilight’s nose from such a great distance. “Twilight?” Luna’s voice echoed down the room. “I understand that you are late, but there is no reason to be so brash about it.” “The Princess, where is she?” Twilight panted, wheezed, and looked around as if she had chased a crook who had taken refuge in the immediate area. “By ‘The Princess’, I am sure you respectfully mean my other half,” Luna said, with a wrinkled brow and slightly scrunched nose. She levitated her fork aside and kept her attention on the panicked pony. “She assumed you weren’t coming and left. Though, I know not where she went; perhaps to prepare for her speech or to even look for you. What has you seeking her so urgently? Is there danger amongst us? Perhaps we should alert the guards.” “No, no! It’s-uh... nothing, really.” Twilight eased up on her hasteful pace as she trotted towards Luna. “You sure you don’t know which way she went? Maybe I should go find her.” Silence had fallen between the two as Luna eyed her mask of lies, clearly trying to find the truth only meant for those closest to her heart. “If such manner is, as you say, nothing, then you should help your stomach find food. You look famished, stressed, and oddly dressed,” Luna commented, pointing at the hat upon Twilight’s head. Twilight stopped and looked up at the dark purple hat that covered her undisciplined tuft of hair. Beyond the wide purple brim that blocked her vision was a zebra print strap around the base with an oversized feather sticking out of it; a feather large enough to likely be from a pegasus or a griffon. “Oh, pfft, this ol’ thing? It’s...” Her mouth yielded nothing but the sound of confusion pouring from it, like she was the fountain of idiocy. Dare she also speak of her recent adventure that ended up with her borrowing a hat from one of the guards? Or maybe— “She got it from Rarity,” Spike said as he pushed his way past the door and stopped at Twilight’s side. He placed his tiny hands upon his knees and breathed deeply between each sentence. “Such a style is real fashionable this month.” Twilight returned a grateful smile to her utmost useful assistant before looking back to Luna. “There is a month for that kind of hat?” Luna asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Fashionable or not, I do not think such attire would be acceptable for the meeting with the public. I’m sure our tailors will give you something more appropriate to wear. But for now, you must eat.” The tailors, Twilight thought as she proceeded forth with a glance off to the side. Why didn’t I think of that? After clearing away more than half of her plate of food like she hadn’t eaten since birth, Luna’s voice drew Twilight to a sudden stop. “Twilight, I can see why you’re under a lot of stress.” Twilight looked over, her eyes wide, and mouth full of food. “Fwut?” “I understand. I know what you’re going through and you’re nervous, but you need to keep your composure and eventually swallow some of your food.” Twilight almost choked on her food. She coughed several times with sealed lips before looking at Luna. “Wait, you know?” “Indeed I do,” Luna nodded. “I’ve been exactly where you are right now.” “Who told you?” Said Twilight as her shifting eyes looked passed the syrup drenched fork held before her. “Who told me?” Luna returned quite the quizzical expression. “Are you serious? Look, when the time comes you just need to say what only what needs to be said.” “Really?” Twilight tilted her head. It felt like only in her dreams could it all be that simple. “Well, you still need to worry about posture and delivery.” As if leading by example, Luna kept her back straight, her head high, and her voice clear. “If you ever feel like you might falter, just try to imagine that you’re not being watched by a crowd.” Without missing a beat, Twilight asked, “A crowd?” Luna had a rather dumbfounded look as she briefly lost herself in thought. “We are talking about giving speeches, right?” As Twilight did her best to tune out Spike’s giggling, her eyes didn’t dare waver from the princess before her. “Yeeesss.” Luna focused her gaze on Twilight, as Twilight’s weak response clearly became a hiss of untruth. “Lies are very unbecoming, Twilight.” “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nervous laughter pushed past her forced smile as she forced herself out of her seat. “But, I’m afraid I’ve taken up too much time here!” “You’ve been here for less than ten minutes,” Luna said with subtle intensity, clearly unwavered from her focused suspicion. “But I got a huuuge day ahead of me,” Twilight said as she quickly backed away. Luna tried speaking up. “But you got about—” Twilight cut Luna short as she magically gripped Spike’s tail and pulled him along with her, forcing him to set aside the rest of his meal. “I really really need to get a head start on all the preparations.” Luna once again ceased eating and setting aside her fork; removing any potential distraction. She then greatly lowered the tone of her voice. “Twilight.” “I got a looong day ahead of me.” Twilight beamed as she dragged a disappointed looking Spike along with her. “So uh, goodnight-er.. day to you too, Princess Luna! Sleep well~!” “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Not only did the sound of a Royal Equestrian voice shake Twilight into a sudden stop, but it even shook the tile coated floor. Twilight’s head tucked low like a terrified puppy’s as she cowered before her co-ruler, who was standing before the dining table with her chest puffed out and head held high. “Thou shalt stop ignoring us and thou shalt explain thyself!” Luna scolded, her ears pressed against her skull. “We are not appreciative of being lied to! As your elder and Goddess of the Night, we command thee to come clean! What is the cause of this strange manner of yours? Why dost thou tell such obvious lies and blush so furiously? What sort of hidden truth could possibly be only for our sist—” Her questioning hit an abrupt end as her eyes shifted through Twilight’s presented clues. Oh no. Twilight thought as she found herself gazing into the wide eyes of Luna, who looked to have seen an act too heinous for proper wording. “You and… my sister?” “That. Was. Horrible!” Twilight fumed as she paced about a hallway hidden in the depths of the Canterlot Castle. Spike watched her as he leaned against the wall opposite of the door that the two occasionally turned to, both expecting it to open at any moment. “Yeah, not gonna lie, Twilight. You messed that up pretty bad. I mean, the way you left Luna with that look on her face.” “I ate like a pig, ignored, and even lied to Luna. On top of all of that, she knows my secret and now she hates me!” “Hates you? I wouldn’t go that far. She never said such a thing at all. Come to think of it, she never really said anything to you. She just kinda gawked in silence before you left. You don’t think she had a mild stroke, do you?” “Doubtful. But however silent she might be now, I just know she’s going to tell! The last thing I need is Celestia hearing about my feelings for her from somepony else.” “I don’t think Luna would—” “My hair.” Twilight turned to Spike and lifted her overly-fashionable hat. “Is it still… you know?” “Yup.” “Ugh!” Twilight slammed her hat back onto her head. “So far, everything has been going wrong.” “Well I doubt anything else could—” Twilight put a hoof to his lips. “Shh! No jinxing, Spike! Didn’t we talk about this?” “Still sounds silly to me,” he mumbled before Twilight pulled her hoof away. The haute librarian had a rising urge to give him half her mind before the door they waited by opened up. “Princess Twilight Sparkle,” said a turquoise pony in a white coat, whose face was delicately coated in makeup. “We’re ready for you.” Intensive hoof care, a relaxing mud bath, streamlined eyelash curling, precise makeup artistry, and lavish dress fitting. A highly trained team of fashion ponies briskly ran her through every detailed step of setting up her visual presentation. Somewhat familiar with the crew, Twilight had always been amazed by their focus and astute attention to detail. However, the Princess couldn’t help but feel a touch meek within their world of fashion as her suggestions and questions were always met with belittling criticisms and soft chuckles. Twilight, as well as Spike — who received almost the same amount of beauty treatment — figured it best to quietly let the bustling bunch work their cosmetic magic undisturbed. Nearing two hours into her treatment, Twilight found herself facing the most desired treatment and the final fashionable touch: mane and tail beautification. Though the crew had been completely mystified by the sturdy tuft of hair that defied all remedies, a solution had been found: Hair curlers. If the defiant can not be beat, it can be joined by a head of decorative curly locks. Much like her time in the mud bath, Twilight had been given yet another moment of silence and relaxation; this time, under the tender care of a light-red stallion who wielded a heated iron hair curler. Most of the other team members had left, save for the same turquoise mare from before, who oversaw the project at hoof. The hairless Spike, like a trooper, remained several feet from Twilight’s side. Amidst his boredom, he had taken to examining the many wigs upon a nearby shelf; all of which he had been told to not touch by the softly glaring supervisor in the room. Despite the bumps in the day’s road thus far, surprisingly, Twilight was able to breathe easy beneath their mane care. She even closed her eyes and listened to the soothing ambiance around her. She could hear ponies trotting past the door, Spike as he hummed a delightful tune, and two nearby ponies as they made occasional idle chatter that she hardly paid any true mind to. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” All sweet sounds were suddenly silenced by an all-too-familiar voice calling out her name, possibly from several hallways away. The call, to Twilight’s dismay, wasn’t from benign Princess-of-the-night Luna. It was a call from an exceptionally furious Luna, who was clearly getting closer by the second. Any urge to stand tall against the much physically taller Princess of the Night had left Twilight upon the second calling. “Where is Twilight Sparkle?!” Luna demanded. It was clearly time to hide. Her head snapped from side to side and she looked from one of the salon ponies to the other. “None of you ever saw me, got it?” The two other ponies responded with awkward stares and nods, being unable to refuse an order from the hunted Princess. No response was even needed from Spike as the fearful look in his eyes told her that he was already onboard with her plan. In a flash, Twilight vanished from sight. Before any of the three could question where she went, the front door was thrown open and Luna would ask for them. Twilight, from her hiding spot within a storage closet, could hear that the rage-filled princess had not been answered. “We shall repeat: We were told Twilight Sparkle is here! Where is she?” They still didn’t answer, obviously conflicted by not knowing which princess to follow orders from. But, before such soundless ponies could arise even more suspicion, Spike answered her. “You just missed her. Seriously, it was about thirty seconds ago that she finished up here and went to go use the bathroom.” Twilight could hear the soft sounds of Luna stepping around the room, “If she left, then why are you still here?” A calculative error set Twilight further on edge, but Spike’s instant answer reeled her on back. “Because I was hoping to get my claws on one of these savvy wigs. Besides, Twilight is heading out on stage and won’t be needing my help there. I can’t argue with that. I’m much more comfortable being down with the crowd than up in the spotlight.” “If what you say is true.” Luna stopped wandering around the room, “Then you will help us look for her, quickly now.” “Why are you looking for her in the first place? Did she do something wrong?” “As far as we know, she hath not, but she is plotting something sick and immoral. Thus, she must be stopped while there is still time.” “Not sure exactly what you mean there, but alright, fine. Just follow me and we’ll find her in no time.” Twilight listened close enough that she found the side of her head fully pressed against the door as she could hear her most faithful assistant guide the huntress out of the room. “Sick and immoral?” thought Twilight in whispers as she eased her ear away from the door. “Luna, how could you say such a thing? This isn’t like you. What could possibly be wrong with-” Her thoughts were derailed as her nose wrinkled in disgust. “W-what could possibly be that smell?” The sound of an iron haircurler hitting the floor echoed faintly. Twilight immediately spotted the dropped piece of hot metal... and the lazily drifting burnt bits of hair that trailed behind it. Twilight Sparkle sat upon the tiled floor and stared at the back of emerald-colored curtains that she’d have to step around within fifteen very short minutes. Her hoof slowly reached out to the slit betwixt the curtains. Dare she peek? Dare she glance beyond the fabric to the crowd that awaited her on the other side? She could hear the noises of hundreds that have come to see her. The real her. The her that wasn’t donning a head of fake hair. Her hoof retracted. Twilight soon found herself staring at a clock with a look of utter disappointment. Her crown was perched upon a wig; a curly blue wig with several decorative bows tied in it and a single pink streak of hair running off to the side. Countless doubts dwelled behind the troubled look in her eyes, but her time to overthink the situation was short. Spike’s voice drew near. In a panic manner quite relative to her evasive reaction during her hair treatment, Twilight ended up spying from behind the door of another conveniently placed closet. Through the cracked door Twilight watched with dread, her heart brutally pounded against her ribcage as Spike walked in. As predicted, Luna was only a few steps behind. The little assistant clearly had been yammering on, telling a lengthy story that defeated Luna’s desire to listen whilst she peered around the immediate vicinity. With the same abrasive manner as before, she questioned a few backstage workers that passed by, but none were able to give her any desirable answer. “She should be here by now!” Luna fumed. Spike spoke up, but was suddenly hushed. “Spare us from more of thy distractions, deceitful dragon,” Luna growled, aiming a scorching glare at him. “Do you think us to be foolish enough to keep buying into thy ruse? On top of knowing how Twilight is a ruthlessly punctual pony, there is no conceivable reason for her to not be here right now. She is here and she is hiding.” Stunned by her sudden deduction, Spike stammered as he struggled to keep his composure. “T-Twilight… hiding?” Luna didn’t even break her gaze from the dragon as her horn glowed and her right fore-hoof stamped the ground with enough force to tempt the tile below it to crack. Every single door within the section of the backstage flung open. “Yes. Hiding.” Part 2Luna stared hard into Twilight’s uncovered hiding place. Twilight responded with a smile akin to a filly’s when her parents catch her with her hoof in the cookie jar. Luna’s expression clearly lacked amusement. Nothing needed to be said to get Twilight to withdraw from her impromptu hiding spot. As she crawled out of what was left of her blown cover, her facade of a smile was removed and replaced by a look of worry that didn’t dare try to meet the eyes of the elder only several feet before her. Spike took several steps back and remained intensely silent. “So... sick and immoral, eh?” said Twilight softly as her gaze traversed the tiled floor. Out of her direct line of sight she could see Luna’s mouth open, but a different voice sounded. “Ah, Twilight. You made it after all.” Twilight gazed over Luna’s shoulder, past her frozen expression to Princess Celestia, who slowly approached the group as she spoke. “And Luna as well? I thought you’d be heading off to bed about now. Did you change your mind and decide to stay for the speech?” “No.” Luna shook her head, not even bothering to turn her eyes to her sister as she towered over her left side. “Twilight was just a little confused.” Her tone of voice lightened greatly. “Thought I’d give her some pointers about doing speeches like this before heading off.” Despite the lack of harshness in her tone, her eyes focused sharper than ever before on Twilight. The glare warned Twilight of the thin line that could be easily crossed; a glare hidden from the towering sister by a full head of dark, star-littered hair. “Well, the offer for you to join us on stage is still open, if you change your mind.” Celestia’s smile was certainly a welcome beacon of light that chased away Luna and her dark attitude. The Princess of the Night had turned her back, bid them all a quick “fare thee well,” and then left without another word or look of warning. “Rest well, dear Sister.” Celestia turned her attention to Twilight and Spike. Both sighed in relief. “Now, what seems to be the trouble again? A wild guess here, but something tells me it has to do with that.” She pointed a hoof at the head of fake hair resting upon Twilight’s head. Twilight’s breathing eased out, now that the enraged Luna had left. Despite Luna’s harshly spoken words which loitered about her mind, Twilight was still able to point a smile Celestia’s way. “It’s really nothing. Just, you know, stage jitters.” Celestia looked from that smile to Spike, “A moment, if you will?” “Sure thing.” Spike shrugged before backing away from the two. “Guess I’ll just go join the crowd and get ready for the show. Oh, and Twilight?” “Hm?” “Break a leg!” Spike said with a wink and a smile. Though wished the best of luck, all Twilight could think of was how Luna was going to do all the leg breaking. But, she just nodded and watched as he waddled his way out of the back of the stage. “Fifteen minutes till showtime!” yelled the floor director, who seemed to be paying little to no attention to the conversation; it wasn’t his business anyway. “So, stage jitters?” said Celestia, easily snagging Twilight’s attention. “Such a thing certainly isn't commonplace with you.” The sheer size of Celestia still dwarfed Twilight even as Celestia took a seat, forcing Twilight to stare up those towering heights and spot those eyes that searched her for lies. Lies that she best avoid. “Well, this is far different than anything I've ever dealt with!” Twilight exclaimed before turning to pace. “I’m being handed the reins to a great part of Equestria’s future! To my future! I hardly have a clue as to where I’m going exactly with all of this and I’m supposed to go out there and tell all those ponies that I have a certain plan for our entire future? I mean, I thought I knew! I really did! I, to this day, remember what plans for the future that I made ages ago. But now I realize that I apparently can’t even plan for a single decent day!” Amidst her passion-fueled fuming, Twilight didn’t notice — till the end of her rant — that her wig went lopsided. She imagined that happening to her on stage, and it caused her to blush. But Celestia’s heart-warming smile didn’t fade, even for a second. “Sit,” she said while gesturing to the empty spot before her. Almost immediately that spot was taken by Twilight’s rump. The pony’s apparent shame had glued her eyes to the floor, letting Celestia’s right fore hoof easily trace over the strands of hair that escaped their wig-shaped prison. “I remember doing this sort of thing for you when you were just a filly; one that was frightened about going on stage at all.” Twilight remained still and silent beneath the welcomed touch. “You were so shaken up that I was worried you wouldn’t even make it five feet towards the center of the stage. But, you conquered your fear. You made me proud then, just as you continue to do today.” Twilight held back her words of doubt as her mind was torn between memories of her childhood and the current gentle touch of her mentor’s hoof tucking her mane back into her wig. “I understand that you are having a rough time today. But, rough times come with the job and we’ll always have to put up with things we don’t favor,” Celestia said calmly as she finished tucking away the rest of the hair and then adjusted the wig to be properly centered upon the little one’s head. She used a forehoof to lift Twilight’s chin to look into her eyes. “Just like back then, back when you were an adorable little filly, you had the same courage you do today; the courage to get over such a rough time and do what needs to be done.” “Ten minutes till showtime!” yelled the stage director. In that moment, Twilight felt the call of duty. The call of responsibility. It gave her newfound strength to smile and push away her troubles. Now clearly wasn’t the time to dwell on them, or even her love-life situation. There was a crowd out there waiting for a leader to step forth. One that doesn’t fear the Princess of the Night. One that doesn’t let some burnt hair bring her down. One that doesn’t hide in closets. With a deep sigh, Twilight could feel her stress melt away. This time, she didn’t even need to extend her hoof from her chest. “You’re right.” Her re-discovered confidence kicked her tune up several notches. “I can do this.” “That’s the spirit.” Celestia’s own smile spread even further across her face. “Now, there isn’t much time to waste, so let’s skim over your material.” With her chest puffed out and her head held high, Twilight began. “The first thing I’d like to work on is tourism for Ponyville. With my presence there becoming well-known and my exact location being quite clear with the replacement of my library, I’ve noticed a distinct rise in visitors from out of town.” “And, what do you plan to do?” Celestia asked in a clearly testing manner. “I’d like to inspire the locals to think about expanding our lovely town with more temporary housing for travelers and more small attractions. At the same time, I’m not looking to turn our lil’ town into a city. I want it to keep its rural feel. With the money that we get from tourism we can make a lot of general improvements.” “Such as?” “First off, I’d like to have a larger library built near the schools. And, if possible, figure out how to also replace what books were lost along with the original library. Secondly, I hope to expand those schools and provide better education funding. After that can come the construction of new paved town roads and other similar projects.” “What about your ideas for Canterlot?” “It will be untouched. Canterlot will be left for you and Luna.” “What if we were to depart from our thrones?” “With Princess Cadence likely having her hooves full with the entire Crystal Empire, I’ll be left with no choice but to take over here. Decisions from there on will be solely focused on peacekeeping till my position is further solidified as a leader. I’ll then be able to focus on other advancements.” “Would I be able to trust you with the sun?” “Without a doubt. I will learn to have it raised and lowered without diversion from its current schedule.” “Would Luna be able to trust you with her moon?” “If she could get over the fact that I love you, then sure.” Part 3A disturbingly long amount of silence followed. It was almost as if there weren’t a bunch of bustling stagehoofs working vigorously around them. Twilight’s response slowly sunk into the murkiest depths of her mind. Beneath the pressure of a cascading sea of regret, her leader-like smile was crushed. Time practically stood still in the eyes of Twilight as she watched a look of shock stress Celestia’s facial features as her head shifted back and her eyes went wide. The announcement of, “one minute on the clock!” queued Twilight’s time perception to pick right back up. “You... what?” Celestia filled the silence between them with a tone of needless uncertainty. It was clear that the L-word had been slipped in such a manner that it could not be mistaken for any lesser of a meaning from the truth. Thus, Twilight had been backed into a corner from which there was no escape. Her head retreated between her shoulders as it was time to be clear, “I… I love you.” “Thirty seconds left!” The countdown from the floor director certainly wasn’t helping Twilight’s heart slow its pace. If the tension wasn’t going to kill her, a rather stunned-looking Celestia probably was. Her muscles tightened as if preparing to take a massive hit. Celestia, on the other hoof, sighed, letting her expression relax . She leaned in and planted a kiss on Twilight’s forehead, just inches to the left of her horn. Her lips lingered only for a moment before Celestia pulled back, leaving Twilight nothing less than flabbergasted. “Thank you,” she said while wearing a tranquil smile of a true saint. Twilight was only able to respond with several blinks and her jaw slightly ajar. “Uh...” The floor director briefly fumbled his thoughts while he looked their way. He then shook his head, waved a hoof then announced, “aaaand we’re on!” Without another word, Celestia, summoned by the sounds of triumphant trumpets and a cheering crowd, disappeared beyond the veil of emerald colored curtains. Pleasure shot through Twilight like a racing pegasus on a sugar high, however Celestia’s last words cut the racer’s wings a bit short. Thank you? For what? Loving you? Nonetheless, Twilight was kissed. Maybe not in the most desired way, but in a way that was more than satisfactory. The floor director forced out a loud cough to spur Twilight to look his way. “Oh! Right! Sorry!” Twilight stammered. Once she had been practically spat through several layers of fabric out onto stage, she found herself outside with natural sunlight beating down both upon her and… several hundred other ponies. From wall to wall of the enclosed garden there were unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike with their eyes focused upon the stage. Just beyond the crowd, Twilight could see security blocking off a massive line of even more ponies at the entrance. Not only was the place too full, but it was almost too loud as nearly everypony cheered and stomped, giving Twilight an even louder welcome than Celestia had received. Twilight’s breath was stolen; robbed by Equestria’s apparent eagerness for new royalty. But who could blame them? It certainly isn’t often that a new pony comes into power. It was time to smile and wave as Twilight ventured forth from the curtains to sit behind a small, decorative, white-clothed table that was set to the right of the center pedestal. The crowd’s roar of applause gave energy to every step of the way and continued even after she sat down. Such overwhelming sound deeply embedded her with a prideful feeling and all, but something was amiss: where were her friends? If they were even present, how could she possibly spot them out through such a forest of multi-colored po—and there’s Pinkie Pie waving and jumping around in her seat like an uncontrollable maniac. To the wild mare’s left, in order, was Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and even Spike—who was sitting on the cowpony’s back so he’d be able to see above the crowd ahead of him. Every one of them cheered with the masses. Head held high, ears standing on end, a smile spread across her face, and a glance upward to make sure her wig was still in place… Twilight was ready for her introduction. She then turned her full attention to Celestia, who kept the center pedestal company. The elder princess remained quiet as she looked over the gathering. Though she smiled kindly, there was an intense look upon her brow that commanded respect while she simply waited for the noise to die down. But, even when none in the crowd dared to whisper, Celestia remained quiet. As the mighty princess continued to take the stage while under silence, she didn’t even need to speak for Twilight to know what was really on her mind. But before Twilight’s mind could run wild with even more speculation, Celestia’s voice finally sounded. “Welcome, everypony.” Her already prominent voice was amplified greatly by the microphone before her. “I thank you all for joining me on this lovely sunny day. I must say: it’s wonderful to see this yard so full of visitors once again. It seems we have ponies who have come from all over Equestria here today.” A short burst of cheers ruptured the crowds silence, but was quickly dwarfed by Celestia’s booming voice. “You all came—not to see me today—but to see Princess Twilight, correct?” The crowd hollered and hoof-stomped. “You came to hear her speech.” The sounds of stamping and shouting grew louder and louder. “You came to hear her out on her visions of revolutionizing Equestria’s future.” Twilight swelled with pride as the audience had grown loud enough that she could feel the stage floor trembling with excitement. “But that isn’t going to happen.” Almost instantly the crowd’s cheering fell into a void of total silence. Twilight’s gaze was ripped from the crowd over to Celestia. “As of today, Twilight is removed from her royal position.” Either Twilight went deaf from all the cheering or a reality check was in order. Did she hear the announcement right? It took a moment for the crowd to explode with a confusion of chatter. Right then and there, Luna’s words of warning shot through Twilight’s mind like a bullet. Her eyes locked to Celestia, and her heart sank slowly as she found herself unable to move from her seat. Celestia didn’t distract herself from looking over the noisy gathering the entire time. “Again, I repeat,” Celestia bolstered her voice, as if to make sure not a single pony misheard her as nearly all were hushed once more. “As of today, Twilight is relieved from her royal position as she is unfit to carry out her duties. I hear many out there asking why. I’ve recently discovered through her that a certain disease is once again spreading through the heart of Equestria.” A disease?! Twilight thought as she could practically feel that sunken heart rupture. “I have been fully aware of this disease as it lingered about for ages. I’ve even been quiet about it. But, despite my hopes, it once again spreading this far into Canterlot.” Celestia... Princess... This isn’t you! “This time, I will no longer be silent.” This isn’t you at all! This isn’t Luna either! “This time, I will stop this disease at its source.” No, please! Don’t do this! Twilight shook her head as she watched helplessly. “From here on out, all across Equestria, all rights for gays will be suspended.” Twilight could no longer hear the gasps and chattering of hundreds; she could only hear pieces of her life clattering on the ground. Luna, please, tell me I’m still asleep, because… this… this is a nightmare! “Marriages will be broken. Health benefits will be stripped. Voices as a citizen will be lost. Consider all of this an act of mercy until I figure out a proper and solid punishment.” On a much more than awkward note, Celestia left the podium. She turned about and made her way through the split in the curtains. With the entire event cut short, only a single pony was left on stage. Her throat felt like it held boulders whilst she looked between the podium and where her mentor departed. Hundreds of bickering voices practically told her to claim the center of the stage. But, she was glued to the floor. A feeling of déja vu lingered. However, it wasn’t fear that kept Twilight in place. It took but a short moment for her to realise a growing weight of emotions that tipped her brows inward. Her reputation was blasted away before nearly half the Equestrian nation. Ponies like her were about to be stripped of their rights. Her beloved majesty smiled as she turned into a tyrant. All plans for a wonderful day were ruined. Twilight had every right to be furious. But, it was a simple question that fueled her rising anger; her desire to suddenly stand and rush off stage in pursuit. Why?! She needed answers and she needed them immediately. Part 4“Celestia!” Twilight shouted as she bullishly charged her way through the opening of the curtains. To her halting surprise, her forelegs felt as if they were about to pop out of socket as she was instantly snatched up by them. Two gruff guards held her fast, halting Twilight’s pursuit of Celestia. Twilight looked down the hallway to see Celestia standing with her back turned to her. “That’s Princess Celestia to you,” she bellowed. Her head turned just enough to expose a stare that could cut through a lesser pony. A soft glow consumed her pearl-white horn. Twilight could feel the burden of her crown lift from her wig. Her signature of royalty drifted farther and farther away. Twilight knew she could stop Celestia; she knew she was powerful enough to reclaim her royal rights from the tyrant. Her muscles tightened. Her wings flexed. But Twilight stopped as she could feel the guards at her sides tighten their trembling grip. At a second glance, she recognized the two. To her right was the backstage door guard, who clearly strained to keep a stern look about him. To her left was the one who kindly loaned her the hat that was replaced by a wig. Very lightly he shook his head with a pleading expression. Neither of the two wanted to fight. She shot another glance around, taking note on how many guards and stagehoofs were present. How many would she have to fight if she attacked Celestia? Attack Celestia? The idea struck deep through her and kept the dethroned princess pinned to the ground. Never before did she ever think of making a move on Celestia. Well, at least not a violent move. “I thought you were smart enough to avoid becoming like this, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia continued without even batting an eye as the crown continued to drift her way. “I used to be so proud of you. At times I even thought of you as my daughter. Now, the only reason I have to smile is because you’ve shown me the error of my ways.” The headpiece had made its way and stayed afloat at Celestia’s side while she continued. “I was too lenient. I was too docile about such an atrocity.” After practically spitting out her words, she held her head high and kept her voice clear. “That all changes today.” Twilight’s crown clattered loudly upon the floor as Celestia turned away. “Today, you are to be imprisoned. Tomorrow, you are to serve as another example to the rest of Equestria. Now, I have some preparations to attend to. Guards, take her away.” The screeching sound of a rusty metal door twisting its hinges was almost as audibly pain inducing as the following slam with a loud clank that announced the arrival of a new prisoner. Twilight took only a moment to absorb her well-lit surroundings. The steel bars that trapped her between three solid walls were polished to a sheen. Gold painted decorative lining covered all creases where the walls, floor and even ceiling met. Pressed against the side walls were bunk beds, 4 in total, with mattresses that looked soft enough to suck in a pony like cottonized quicksand. The tiled floor beneath Twilight’s hooves were so white they practically glowed. In other words, the massive holding cell looked about just as clean and fancy as everything else in the castle. But it was just a holding cell. There certainly was thought given to the places she could have been sent to… or that she might be sent to… “I can’t believe this is happening! This can’t possibly be real!” Twilight shouted to no one but herself. Twilight took notice of her lopsided wig and threw it to the ground, watching it splatter and slide several feet. She began pacing in a more-or-less perfectly circular path. “Is Celestia really the kind of pony I’ve looked up to my whole life? Has she been like this the entire time? What would dividing Equestria accomplish? I mean, I’ve seen disapproval of same-sex relations, but enough to drive Equestria apart and throw me in jail?!” During a lap she unleashed more of her fury upon the defenseless wig, kicking it and making it slide to the side of a bunk bed. Twilight continued to rant aloud within an empty cell. The only ponies within possible earshot were the guards down the hall to the far right of her cell, far past where Twilight was able to see. Seconds blurred into minutes and minutes eventually gave way to hours; Twilight lost track of the passing time. A sound approached Twilight’s ears. It was quiet and subtle at first; a gentle tapping on the floor. It came closer and Twilight realized that the tapping noise was that of hoofsteps. Was it one of the guards? Could it be her friends coming to consult her? Maybe they’ve come to free her. Or, perhaps it was her former mentor coming to talk down to her once more. The answer was none of the above. “Luna.” Twilight scowled as she approached her visitor from behind the barred door. The Princess of the Night held a strong stance and literally looked down her nose at Twilight. “I have tried to tell you, Twilight,” she said, managing to keep a calm and low tone. “But, you did not listen. This is the path of the sick and immoral. It is one you don’t want to walk.” “Again! That ‘sick and immoral’ hogwash!” Twilight struck her foreright hoof against the door and kept it pressed. “I can’t believe you two are seriously like this! I mean, really?! Judging my own moral standards is something I can handle, but using it as a means to try and tear apart all of Equestria! That’s insane!” Luna lowered her head enough to put herself at the same eye level of the smaller pony, maintaining a disapproving expression. “Twilight, please, listen. We can still fix this. We can still fix you too. I don’t want to see you like this. You must change your ways.” “Must I? Really?” said Twilight as her head tilted slightly to the right. “Why in the heck would changing who I choose to be with behind closed doors even matter? How would it be able to affect important political decisions?!” “Well,” said Luna as her eyes shifted faintly. “with that I’m not quite sure, but I know it’ll make you a better pony, Twilight.” “A better pony?” Twilight repeated with the most puzzled look upon her face. The arrogance of such a response not only befuddled her, but spurred her into a full-on argument. “Why would it do that? Would kissing the right sex help make me a Nobel Peace Prize winner? Would my magic abilities be amplified? Will I suddenly remember to give more to charity funds?” She stopped and gave Luna ample time to respond. “Because… you’ll have stronger morals.” “That’s it?” Twilight huffed before carrying on. “So if I go down the ‘straight path’, I’ll be less likely to start kicking fillies in the face? Oh yeah,” Twilight rolled her eyes as she switched to using sarcasm. “I’m sure King Sombra didn’t go evil because of his overwhelming greed. No! I’m pretty sure he went evil because he one day thought a little too much about how good one of the male servants looked in shorts. Isn’t that right?” “Well, probably not…” Luna’s posture shifted ever so slightly back as did her stance on the argument. “But, it’s still a mockery of creation.” Her eyes strained to stay locked with Twilight’s and she continued with a slightly lifted voice. “It isn’t natural and it isn’t right!” A better retort than before, but no less flaccid than the one before it. It quickly became obvious that Celestia was the true brains behind their shared bias perspective, but knowing such didn’t stop Twilight from striking hard with few verbal punches pulled. “Then define ‘natural’ for me. Please do, because I find that our feelings of love are just as natural as the blood flowing through our veins. To reject that, to shun such a potentially wonderful thing away and use it as an excuse to belittle and even imprison fellow ponies is a true atrocity! But please, go on! Do tell me why going against my nature will make me a better pony!” Luna’s eyes strayed all over the place, like she was watching a fly buzz about the cell just beyond Twilight’s back. “B-because-uh...” was all she said. Twilight swore she could have heard what sounded like a deflating brain as she watched the once mighty Princess turn to muttering before her. It was time to give one good spur of her own. She rattled her cage door once again as she yelled at the top of her lungs: “Tell me why! Now!” “I DON’T KNOW!” Luna bellowed, the power of her voice nearly knocking Twilight over. Though she was almost knocked from all fours, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a touch of satisfaction after clearly flattening Luna’s weak argument. Finally, my first victory of the day, Twilight thought to herself. She even felt like smiling a little, until she noticed something quite off... Though Luna glared daggers her way, several tears slid down her indigo cheeks. Twilight’s eyes went wide before looking up and down the princess before her cell. “Luna?” Such a curious calling of her name forced Luna to take notice of her own manner. She quickly gazed down at herself, chased away both tear trails with a single hoof, gave Twilight a worried look, then turned from the cell to hastefully make her way out. Twilight jumped up and placed her forehooves on the cell door and pressed her face against the bars. “Luna, wait!” she cried. But no matter how hard she pressed her face to the cold steel, she was unable to see the elder as her hooves stopped clicking just beyond Twilight’s sight. “Twilight, please… say no more.” Luna’s soft voice was the only thing that made its way back to the holding cell. “I think I get it now.” Twilight waited for a response that didn’t come. So, she continued. “You… you were ‘fixed’, weren’t you?” “Twilight,” Luna sounded as if something was tightening around her throat as she continued to speak ever so softly; her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “I… I don’t want to go back to the moon. It’s so very cold there... on the moon.” “Luna, I’m so sorry. I never knew,” Twilight replied with an equally hoarse and low mumble. A long spell of silence passed. The sound of Luna’s dragging hooves arose once more. Twilight, for a moment, feared that Luna was retreating. Instead, the princess reappeared before her cell. Only Luna’s left side faced Twilight as she took a seat, looked on the floor and spoke in a low tone. “Back then, back when I became Nightmare Moon, I was furious about many things.” “Celestia’s disapproval,” Twilight supplemented. Luna only glanced her way. “Of my discovered orientation, yes. That is one of them. Before my banishing, Celestia told me that she didn’t want our family name soiled by my… ‘filthy desires’. After my banishing, she even went as far as to hide that little bit of who I was from the history books.” Luna took a brief moment to gaze past her shoulders, likely to see if they weren’t being approached or if the guards were still too far away to hear her lowered voice. She then continued. “When I returned, I didn’t care about any of that any more. I was just so happy to no longer be alone that… I begged for forgiveness. I let Celestia convince me of the ‘better’ path, and now...” Luna turned to Twilight and did her best to bend her frown into a smile. “I’m fixed.” Twilight said nothing. She simply sat and watched Luna’s smile slowly fade. “Or,” as Luna’s smile lost its strength, her ability to look Twilight in the eyes did as well. “Maybe I am — as you might say — quite atrocious.” Twilight’s words caught in her throat. As much as she wanted to try and change the line that Luna referenced, she just couldn’t. Maybe if she weren’t so blinded by her own fury, maybe she could have avoided hurting her friend’s feelings. Maybe this whole thing would have not escalated so quickly if she approached it all better. Maybe… Twilight’s ears perked up and her pupils dilated as an idea formed in her head. “Luna, again, I’m sorry. I really am. I really wish I could take back how harsh I was being. But I can’t. However, if you can help me get out of here, I think I have a plan to solve all of this.” Twilight sat beneath the moonlit sky within one of the many spacious sections of the Canterot Garden Maze. The area was completely circular with two openings leading into the maze; each placed directly across from one another. Within the very center of the circular area were four benches, all forming their own perfect circle. Around them were many giant decorative bushes. Twilight chose to sit on the grass directly between two benches that were side by side. She faced the very center of the area, eyes sweeping from side to side as if measuring the total amount of clear space. Perfect. She noted before looking to the sky, spotting a flying patrol of pegasi too far off to notice her. Perfect. She then turned her attention to the entrance across from her. The sounds of heavy panting and a tiny pair of feet tearing through blades of grass disturbed her silence. “Twilight?” Spike called out in a loud whisper as he entered through the archway across from her. Perfect. Twilight smiled and waved for him to come over. “Thank goodness you’re okay, Twilight,” said Spike as he shuffled his way to her. “But what are you doing standing out here in the open? Guards are all over the place looking for you. I would have been caught for certain if it wasn’t so dark.” “They’ve mostly been flying over,” Twilight responded, not budging from her spot, “they won’t notice one of many pony statues standing around in the opening at this time of night.” Spike shrugged before cautiously looking to the sky. “Well, I’m here just as your letter instructed. What now?” “Now, is the perfect time for you to send this to Celestia.” Twilight revealed to him a rolled up piece of parchment and passed it off. He unrolled it and looked over it for a moment. “What?!” Spike almost shouted as he looked over the paper to Twilight. “You want to bring her here?!” “Shhh…” Twilight hushed him by pressing a fore hoof to his mouth for a brief moment. “Yes. I’m going to meet her here. Privately.” “B-but Twilight,” he said as he looked at her like a begging puppy. “We need to run away. Hide from all of this. Go live happy lives somewhere else.” Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, Spike. That’s not an option.” “But—” “Spike, trust me,” Twilight interrupted as she spoke with a reassuring smile, “I know what I’m doing. Just send it. Once you do, hide and stay quiet.” The little dragon sighed, took several paces back, held the scroll up, then sent it off in a puff of smoke. He looked back to Twilight with that sad-eyed look before he waddled off and found a hiding spot in one of the bushes far off to the side. Once again, all was silent. Twilight looked to the star littered sky above and listened to the chirping crickets off in the distance. There wasn’t a trace of wind to be found. Perfect. After less than a minute of staring at the sky, Twilight looked down to the pony who was already standing before her in the middle of the ring. “Celestia,” Twilight greeted, disregarding her highness’ royal title. “Always jumping at the chance to take the center of the stage, as usual.” The princess’ brow twitched but hardly disturbed the the calm, yet, cold look within her eyes. “What is your plan?” she asked without delay. “There are many guards around these parts that could be here within seconds of my calling. Do you think you can persuade me from my chosen path before I get the urge to call them?” Twilight remained in place, holding an expression rather devoid of emotion. She didn’t smile. She didn’t glare. She just watched and shook her head. “No.” “No?” Celestia echoed, her head ever so slightly tipped to the right. “So, you’re challenging me to a fight then.” Her head then lowered, ready and willing to take aim with her horn. “Do you honestly think your power can match my years of experience?” “I have no intention of fighting the one I loved.” Twilight simply blinked at the aggressive pose. Celestia’s stance relaxed. Her stare of daggers dulled. “Then, again I ask, what is your plan?” Twilight took in a deep breath and held her head high. She answered loud and clear, without fear of being spotted by the guards. “To talk to the citizens of Equestria. To sort out this mess you have created. To prevent Equestria from becoming an intolerant society built upon the ignorant lies of a bigot; an arrogant and bullheaded bigot that I currently have no time to quarrel with.” Celestia remained silent as she lifted a questioning brow. Twilight continued. “I fear that, as we speak, your venomous ideas are spreading around Equestria and they must be met with reason as soon as possible.” A loud huff came from the princess, “And you think I won’t be there to stop you from spreading your nonsense?” “Yes.” Twilight answered without a single pause. “You won’t be there. You’ll be on vacation.” Celestia puffed her chest and fluffed her wings as she spoke up. “And what makes you think you have the power to get me to leave this place?” “Science,” said Twilight as she shrugged softly. “Oh?” Celestia’s prideful and taunting tone lifted. “And where exactly am I vacationing?” A loud rustling in a tall decorative bush disturbed their conversation. A large, dark, equine shaped figure jumped out. It was Luna with her hoof held high above her head. Caught by completely surprise, Celestia couldn’t even mutter a word as she looked into Luna’s fury filled eyes and watched as that lifted hoof tore violently through the air. The sound of Luna’s Royal Equestrian answer nearly echoed its way beyond the kingdom. “ON THE MOOOOOOOOOON!” That hoof came crashing down onto a big red button that was cleverly hidden within the grass below. There was enough force in her strike that the button cracked. However, the contraption it was linked to still got the message and delivered. The muffled sound of a metal latch coming loose sounded seconds before the ground below Celestia exploded upwards as a massive metal springboard sent Celestia rocketing through the sky till she became but a twinkle amongst the star-littered night. Luna shook a furious hoof at the moon as she called out into the night, “BIIIIITCH!” “Whoa,” said an astonished-looking Spike as he found his way out of the bushes to stand next to the two ponies that remained staring up at the moon. “Y-you think she lived through that?” “Give it a moment,” said Twilight, lifting a hoof. Soon enough the urge to belch overtook Spike and a scroll found its way to Twilight’s hooves. She pulled it open and read it quietly with Luna looking over her shoulder. The new princess-in-charge was quick to snort, “Until my sister has anything nice to say, she shall not be coming back.” That said, the scroll was closed and hoofed off for Luna to keep. “Well then.” Spike took a deep breath. “Hope that problem is resolved now.” He looked from the moon to the others. “‘Sure was unexpected, wasn’t it?” “Not entirely,” said Twilight, placing a completely new scroll into Spike’s hands. “I improvised a bit with this one due to the times being off and Luna stepping in,” noted Twilight without breaking her gaze from the moon. Where she pulled the scroll from didn’t matter to Spike as he looked over the butt-end of it. “13-C?” he said before opening it up and reading out, “If you confess your love and Celestia turns out to be a raging tyrannical bigot…” Spike then mumbled several more lines before letting the scroll fall to his feet. “What?!” he shouted. THE END. Author's Note Hope you didn't get offended. Hope you didn't take the story too seriously. Hope you got some laughs. Hope you enjoyed. Hope to read your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for your time! -Key Strix AUTHOR'S AFTERTHOUGHTS
Part 1My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic Your Twilestia Love Story? Written by Key Strix Edited by Hauntu4ever, Schizoid Nightfall, BlackDenimCap and Tricondon ~This is a non-profit fan made story. All characters belong to their respective owners.~ “What if I say it wrong?” “You’ll be fine.” “What if she rejects me?” “You‘ll be fine.” “What if I get nervous and don’t do it?” “Twilight! You. Will. Be. Fine! Also, you’ve done it again.” “Done what again, Spike?” “Giant groove. Floor.” Spike pointed Twilight’s attention to the path her hooves had cut into the floor of her own personal room in the Canterlot Castle. “Oh.” Twilight calmly stepped out of the circular indent that spanned along the wide amount of space between the front door and her tousled bed. It was only for the moment, between when she stepped from her path and when she laid eyes back on it, that she looked at ease. “Wait, no! Not just ‘oh’! More like ‘uh-oh’! What if she sees this, sees the damage I have dealt to her beloved castle floor! She could consider me neglectful, call off the whole event, and even put the castle on lockdown for repairs!” The expression on Spike’s face had been deadpan for so long, Twilight had wondered if his facial muscles were locked into place. “There is no possible way she would do any of that and you know it.” Spike’s voice carried a tone that matched the flat expression. “Look, I’ve told you this time after time: Stop worrying! Not just because you should just go for what you need to say, but because it’s almost breakfast time. You gotta get ready.” Twilight immediately stopped in place. She closed her eyes, put her hoof to her chest, then inhaled deeply. Such a position was held long enough to feel the tension in her chest expand. When she finally exhaled, her hoof extended outward as if to lead all the stress from her body. “You’re absolutely right, Spike.” Twilight briefly smiled at him before turning to a nearby mirror to gaze upon her reflection. Her hair could be mistaken for a purple bird’s nest. Eyes looked to have been poked at for several hours. Many patches of fur stood on end and pointed in just about every direction. Even the feathers of her wings looked tousled beyond repair. Twilight couldn’t help but feel that she may have been pranked, like somepony— or even dragon— replaced her bedroom mirror with one that would otherwise be found in a carnival funhouse. Her eyes narrowed. Using the magical power of levitation, Twilight unsheathed a hair brush and a spray bottle from a set of drawers to her right. It was time to commence combat with her untamed image. “Spike, read me the schedule for today.” “Have you even decided on which version to go with?” Spike said, standing on the tips of his clawed toes to reach a dark blue bag with decorative golden stitching that hung upon the coat rack next to the front door. It was too high for him to reach without error. He toppled over and spilled several of the many scrolls that filled the bag to its brim. “I think-ngh!—” Twilight grunted after her comb struggled to tear through a knot in her mane. “—I think so. Read off Plan 3-A.” Spike’s fingers wiggled as he searched over the scrolls on the floor. Nothing. He then skimmed through the ones left in the bag. “Got it!” He announced triumphantly before pulling open the parchment to read out loud: “9 am, breakfast with Princess Celestia and dinner with Princess Luna. 9:45 am, get pampered and dressed up. 11:15 am, meet with Princess Celestia. 11:30 am, address the public about your plans for further adapting into the political structure of Equestria. 12:45 pm, have lunch with Princess Celestia. 1:25 pm, mingle with Equestrian bigwigs. 3 pm, meet up with your friends for some fun around town. Note, buy some roses during that time. 5 pm, return for some relaxation. 5:45 pm, prep for the feast. Sometime between 6, and 6:15 pm, you will confess your love. However, if she chokes on her food during your confession—oh, uh... wait a sec.” Spike double checked the label on the butt-end of the scroll. “This is Plan 3-B. My bad.” Twilight sighed and shook her head. She had finished brushing her tail and moved on to combing down her ruffled coat, drenching it with her water bottle like it was grass in dire need of resuscitation. “Okay, so between 6, and 6:15 pm, you will confess your love. If she denies you, refer to Plan 3-C. If she accepts, you will have roses prepared for her and you may refer to the beginning of Plan 6-A, which could lead to Plan 7-A.” Spike closed the scroll and gave a stubborn stare. “I’m still not reading those.” “Good, because I’m not letting you. Those are still for my eyes only.” She didn’t turn her sight from her reflection as she finished brushing down her coat, having finally succeeded in flattening all of it. However, there was a flaw elsewhere. A couple thick strands of her mane poked straight up. She snorted then she struck them down using the combined might of her comb and spray bottle. “Plan 3-A should be perfect,” she said as she made repeated strikes on the fashion offender. “If the rest of the day goes by without a hitch, a dinner-time confession would be the perfect way to end it. Now, I just have to make sure that nothing goes wrong till then.” “And nothing will, I’m sure of it.” “Spike!” She shot a glare that bounced right off the mirror straight to her target. “Don’t jinx this for me.” “Since when do you believe in jinxing?!” “Since today, because I can’t take any chances. This day needs to go perfectly.” She turned around and looked directly at Spike, who was quick to point at her head. “What?” “I think you caught a severe case of bedhead.” She twisted around, looked at her reflection, and spotted those very same defiant strands within her mane. Twilight let loose a loud and heavily annoyed groan. “Chill out, Rarity. It’s just your hair,” said Spike as he dismissively waved a set of claws. Twilight looked at him from over her shoulder with a stare that would make a timberwolf shiver. “Everything. Perfect.” His head tucked back a few inches. “H-how about just wearing your crown?” “That won’t cover this up very well.” “Then how about getting a hat?” “Good idea.” Twilight’s glare faded as she set aside her comb and spray bottle. She then made her way past her assistant to the door. “Come along, Spike. First, we find a hat; I’m sure there is one somewhere in this castle for me to borrow. Then,” she beamed brightly. “On this very day, Princess Celestia will know my true love for her!” WHAM! Having eagerly thrown open the doors of the Canterlot dining room, Twilight’s eyes quickly scanned the dozens of chairs that surrounded the long table in the center of the room. Princess Celestia was nowhere in sight. The only other pony occupying the room was Luna. She sat at the furthest end of the table from the door with a half-full plate of pancakes and syrup in front of her. To Luna’s right was Celestia’s spot, which was only taken by an empty plate. To the left, just beyond the corner of the table, sat two full plates of the same food that emitted a delicious smell powerful enough to reach Twilight’s nose from such a great distance. “Twilight?” Luna’s voice echoed down the room. “I understand that you are late, but there is no reason to be so brash about it.” “The Princess, where is she?” Twilight panted, wheezed, and looked around as if she had chased a crook who had taken refuge in the immediate area. “By ‘The Princess’, I am sure you respectfully mean my other half,” Luna said, with a wrinkled brow and slightly scrunched nose. She levitated her fork aside and kept her attention on the panicked pony. “She assumed you weren’t coming and left. Though, I know not where she went; perhaps to prepare for her speech or to even look for you. What has you seeking her so urgently? Is there danger amongst us? Perhaps we should alert the guards.” “No, no! It’s-uh... nothing, really.” Twilight eased up on her hasteful pace as she trotted towards Luna. “You sure you don’t know which way she went? Maybe I should go find her.” Silence had fallen between the two as Luna eyed her mask of lies, clearly trying to find the truth only meant for those closest to her heart. “If such manner is, as you say, nothing, then you should help your stomach find food. You look famished, stressed, and oddly dressed,” Luna commented, pointing at the hat upon Twilight’s head. Twilight stopped and looked up at the dark purple hat that covered her undisciplined tuft of hair. Beyond the wide purple brim that blocked her vision was a zebra print strap around the base with an oversized feather sticking out of it; a feather large enough to likely be from a pegasus or a griffon. “Oh, pfft, this ol’ thing? It’s...” Her mouth yielded nothing but the sound of confusion pouring from it, like she was the fountain of idiocy. Dare she also speak of her recent adventure that ended up with her borrowing a hat from one of the guards? Or maybe— “She got it from Rarity,” Spike said as he pushed his way past the door and stopped at Twilight’s side. He placed his tiny hands upon his knees and breathed deeply between each sentence. “Such a style is real fashionable this month.” Twilight returned a grateful smile to her utmost useful assistant before looking back to Luna. “There is a month for that kind of hat?” Luna asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Fashionable or not, I do not think such attire would be acceptable for the meeting with the public. I’m sure our tailors will give you something more appropriate to wear. But for now, you must eat.” The tailors, Twilight thought as she proceeded forth with a glance off to the side. Why didn’t I think of that? After clearing away more than half of her plate of food like she hadn’t eaten since birth, Luna’s voice drew Twilight to a sudden stop. “Twilight, I can see why you’re under a lot of stress.” Twilight looked over, her eyes wide, and mouth full of food. “Fwut?” “I understand. I know what you’re going through and you’re nervous, but you need to keep your composure and eventually swallow some of your food.” Twilight almost choked on her food. She coughed several times with sealed lips before looking at Luna. “Wait, you know?” “Indeed I do,” Luna nodded. “I’ve been exactly where you are right now.” “Who told you?” Said Twilight as her shifting eyes looked passed the syrup drenched fork held before her. “Who told me?” Luna returned quite the quizzical expression. “Are you serious? Look, when the time comes you just need to say what only what needs to be said.” “Really?” Twilight tilted her head. It felt like only in her dreams could it all be that simple. “Well, you still need to worry about posture and delivery.” As if leading by example, Luna kept her back straight, her head high, and her voice clear. “If you ever feel like you might falter, just try to imagine that you’re not being watched by a crowd.” Without missing a beat, Twilight asked, “A crowd?” Luna had a rather dumbfounded look as she briefly lost herself in thought. “We are talking about giving speeches, right?” As Twilight did her best to tune out Spike’s giggling, her eyes didn’t dare waver from the princess before her. “Yeeesss.” Luna focused her gaze on Twilight, as Twilight’s weak response clearly became a hiss of untruth. “Lies are very unbecoming, Twilight.” “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nervous laughter pushed past her forced smile as she forced herself out of her seat. “But, I’m afraid I’ve taken up too much time here!” “You’ve been here for less than ten minutes,” Luna said with subtle intensity, clearly unwavered from her focused suspicion. “But I got a huuuge day ahead of me,” Twilight said as she quickly backed away. Luna tried speaking up. “But you got about—” Twilight cut Luna short as she magically gripped Spike’s tail and pulled him along with her, forcing him to set aside the rest of his meal. “I really really need to get a head start on all the preparations.” Luna once again ceased eating and setting aside her fork; removing any potential distraction. She then greatly lowered the tone of her voice. “Twilight.” “I got a looong day ahead of me.” Twilight beamed as she dragged a disappointed looking Spike along with her. “So uh, goodnight-er.. day to you too, Princess Luna! Sleep well~!” “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Not only did the sound of a Royal Equestrian voice shake Twilight into a sudden stop, but it even shook the tile coated floor. Twilight’s head tucked low like a terrified puppy’s as she cowered before her co-ruler, who was standing before the dining table with her chest puffed out and head held high. “Thou shalt stop ignoring us and thou shalt explain thyself!” Luna scolded, her ears pressed against her skull. “We are not appreciative of being lied to! As your elder and Goddess of the Night, we command thee to come clean! What is the cause of this strange manner of yours? Why dost thou tell such obvious lies and blush so furiously? What sort of hidden truth could possibly be only for our sist—” Her questioning hit an abrupt end as her eyes shifted through Twilight’s presented clues. Oh no. Twilight thought as she found herself gazing into the wide eyes of Luna, who looked to have seen an act too heinous for proper wording. “You and… my sister?” “That. Was. Horrible!” Twilight fumed as she paced about a hallway hidden in the depths of the Canterlot Castle. Spike watched her as he leaned against the wall opposite of the door that the two occasionally turned to, both expecting it to open at any moment. “Yeah, not gonna lie, Twilight. You messed that up pretty bad. I mean, the way you left Luna with that look on her face.” “I ate like a pig, ignored, and even lied to Luna. On top of all of that, she knows my secret and now she hates me!” “Hates you? I wouldn’t go that far. She never said such a thing at all. Come to think of it, she never really said anything to you. She just kinda gawked in silence before you left. You don’t think she had a mild stroke, do you?” “Doubtful. But however silent she might be now, I just know she’s going to tell! The last thing I need is Celestia hearing about my feelings for her from somepony else.” “I don’t think Luna would—” “My hair.” Twilight turned to Spike and lifted her overly-fashionable hat. “Is it still… you know?” “Yup.” “Ugh!” Twilight slammed her hat back onto her head. “So far, everything has been going wrong.” “Well I doubt anything else could—” Twilight put a hoof to his lips. “Shh! No jinxing, Spike! Didn’t we talk about this?” “Still sounds silly to me,” he mumbled before Twilight pulled her hoof away. The haute librarian had a rising urge to give him half her mind before the door they waited by opened up. “Princess Twilight Sparkle,” said a turquoise pony in a white coat, whose face was delicately coated in makeup. “We’re ready for you.” Intensive hoof care, a relaxing mud bath, streamlined eyelash curling, precise makeup artistry, and lavish dress fitting. A highly trained team of fashion ponies briskly ran her through every detailed step of setting up her visual presentation. Somewhat familiar with the crew, Twilight had always been amazed by their focus and astute attention to detail. However, the Princess couldn’t help but feel a touch meek within their world of fashion as her suggestions and questions were always met with belittling criticisms and soft chuckles. Twilight, as well as Spike — who received almost the same amount of beauty treatment — figured it best to quietly let the bustling bunch work their cosmetic magic undisturbed. Nearing two hours into her treatment, Twilight found herself facing the most desired treatment and the final fashionable touch: mane and tail beautification. Though the crew had been completely mystified by the sturdy tuft of hair that defied all remedies, a solution had been found: Hair curlers. If the defiant can not be beat, it can be joined by a head of decorative curly locks. Much like her time in the mud bath, Twilight had been given yet another moment of silence and relaxation; this time, under the tender care of a light-red stallion who wielded a heated iron hair curler. Most of the other team members had left, save for the same turquoise mare from before, who oversaw the project at hoof. The hairless Spike, like a trooper, remained several feet from Twilight’s side. Amidst his boredom, he had taken to examining the many wigs upon a nearby shelf; all of which he had been told to not touch by the softly glaring supervisor in the room. Despite the bumps in the day’s road thus far, surprisingly, Twilight was able to breathe easy beneath their mane care. She even closed her eyes and listened to the soothing ambiance around her. She could hear ponies trotting past the door, Spike as he hummed a delightful tune, and two nearby ponies as they made occasional idle chatter that she hardly paid any true mind to. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” All sweet sounds were suddenly silenced by an all-too-familiar voice calling out her name, possibly from several hallways away. The call, to Twilight’s dismay, wasn’t from benign Princess-of-the-night Luna. It was a call from an exceptionally furious Luna, who was clearly getting closer by the second. Any urge to stand tall against the much physically taller Princess of the Night had left Twilight upon the second calling. “Where is Twilight Sparkle?!” Luna demanded. It was clearly time to hide. Her head snapped from side to side and she looked from one of the salon ponies to the other. “None of you ever saw me, got it?” The two other ponies responded with awkward stares and nods, being unable to refuse an order from the hunted Princess. No response was even needed from Spike as the fearful look in his eyes told her that he was already onboard with her plan. In a flash, Twilight vanished from sight. Before any of the three could question where she went, the front door was thrown open and Luna would ask for them. Twilight, from her hiding spot within a storage closet, could hear that the rage-filled princess had not been answered. “We shall repeat: We were told Twilight Sparkle is here! Where is she?” They still didn’t answer, obviously conflicted by not knowing which princess to follow orders from. But, before such soundless ponies could arise even more suspicion, Spike answered her. “You just missed her. Seriously, it was about thirty seconds ago that she finished up here and went to go use the bathroom.” Twilight could hear the soft sounds of Luna stepping around the room, “If she left, then why are you still here?” A calculative error set Twilight further on edge, but Spike’s instant answer reeled her on back. “Because I was hoping to get my claws on one of these savvy wigs. Besides, Twilight is heading out on stage and won’t be needing my help there. I can’t argue with that. I’m much more comfortable being down with the crowd than up in the spotlight.” “If what you say is true.” Luna stopped wandering around the room, “Then you will help us look for her, quickly now.” “Why are you looking for her in the first place? Did she do something wrong?” “As far as we know, she hath not, but she is plotting something sick and immoral. Thus, she must be stopped while there is still time.” “Not sure exactly what you mean there, but alright, fine. Just follow me and we’ll find her in no time.” Twilight listened close enough that she found the side of her head fully pressed against the door as she could hear her most faithful assistant guide the huntress out of the room. “Sick and immoral?” thought Twilight in whispers as she eased her ear away from the door. “Luna, how could you say such a thing? This isn’t like you. What could possibly be wrong with-” Her thoughts were derailed as her nose wrinkled in disgust. “W-what could possibly be that smell?” The sound of an iron haircurler hitting the floor echoed faintly. Twilight immediately spotted the dropped piece of hot metal... and the lazily drifting burnt bits of hair that trailed behind it. Twilight Sparkle sat upon the tiled floor and stared at the back of emerald-colored curtains that she’d have to step around within fifteen very short minutes. Her hoof slowly reached out to the slit betwixt the curtains. Dare she peek? Dare she glance beyond the fabric to the crowd that awaited her on the other side? She could hear the noises of hundreds that have come to see her. The real her. The her that wasn’t donning a head of fake hair. Her hoof retracted. Twilight soon found herself staring at a clock with a look of utter disappointment. Her crown was perched upon a wig; a curly blue wig with several decorative bows tied in it and a single pink streak of hair running off to the side. Countless doubts dwelled behind the troubled look in her eyes, but her time to overthink the situation was short. Spike’s voice drew near. In a panic manner quite relative to her evasive reaction during her hair treatment, Twilight ended up spying from behind the door of another conveniently placed closet. Through the cracked door Twilight watched with dread, her heart brutally pounded against her ribcage as Spike walked in. As predicted, Luna was only a few steps behind. The little assistant clearly had been yammering on, telling a lengthy story that defeated Luna’s desire to listen whilst she peered around the immediate vicinity. With the same abrasive manner as before, she questioned a few backstage workers that passed by, but none were able to give her any desirable answer. “She should be here by now!” Luna fumed. Spike spoke up, but was suddenly hushed. “Spare us from more of thy distractions, deceitful dragon,” Luna growled, aiming a scorching glare at him. “Do you think us to be foolish enough to keep buying into thy ruse? On top of knowing how Twilight is a ruthlessly punctual pony, there is no conceivable reason for her to not be here right now. She is here and she is hiding.” Stunned by her sudden deduction, Spike stammered as he struggled to keep his composure. “T-Twilight… hiding?” Luna didn’t even break her gaze from the dragon as her horn glowed and her right fore-hoof stamped the ground with enough force to tempt the tile below it to crack. Every single door within the section of the backstage flung open. “Yes. Hiding.”
Part 2Luna stared hard into Twilight’s uncovered hiding place. Twilight responded with a smile akin to a filly’s when her parents catch her with her hoof in the cookie jar. Luna’s expression clearly lacked amusement. Nothing needed to be said to get Twilight to withdraw from her impromptu hiding spot. As she crawled out of what was left of her blown cover, her facade of a smile was removed and replaced by a look of worry that didn’t dare try to meet the eyes of the elder only several feet before her. Spike took several steps back and remained intensely silent. “So... sick and immoral, eh?” said Twilight softly as her gaze traversed the tiled floor. Out of her direct line of sight she could see Luna’s mouth open, but a different voice sounded. “Ah, Twilight. You made it after all.” Twilight gazed over Luna’s shoulder, past her frozen expression to Princess Celestia, who slowly approached the group as she spoke. “And Luna as well? I thought you’d be heading off to bed about now. Did you change your mind and decide to stay for the speech?” “No.” Luna shook her head, not even bothering to turn her eyes to her sister as she towered over her left side. “Twilight was just a little confused.” Her tone of voice lightened greatly. “Thought I’d give her some pointers about doing speeches like this before heading off.” Despite the lack of harshness in her tone, her eyes focused sharper than ever before on Twilight. The glare warned Twilight of the thin line that could be easily crossed; a glare hidden from the towering sister by a full head of dark, star-littered hair. “Well, the offer for you to join us on stage is still open, if you change your mind.” Celestia’s smile was certainly a welcome beacon of light that chased away Luna and her dark attitude. The Princess of the Night had turned her back, bid them all a quick “fare thee well,” and then left without another word or look of warning. “Rest well, dear Sister.” Celestia turned her attention to Twilight and Spike. Both sighed in relief. “Now, what seems to be the trouble again? A wild guess here, but something tells me it has to do with that.” She pointed a hoof at the head of fake hair resting upon Twilight’s head. Twilight’s breathing eased out, now that the enraged Luna had left. Despite Luna’s harshly spoken words which loitered about her mind, Twilight was still able to point a smile Celestia’s way. “It’s really nothing. Just, you know, stage jitters.” Celestia looked from that smile to Spike, “A moment, if you will?” “Sure thing.” Spike shrugged before backing away from the two. “Guess I’ll just go join the crowd and get ready for the show. Oh, and Twilight?” “Hm?” “Break a leg!” Spike said with a wink and a smile. Though wished the best of luck, all Twilight could think of was how Luna was going to do all the leg breaking. But, she just nodded and watched as he waddled his way out of the back of the stage. “Fifteen minutes till showtime!” yelled the floor director, who seemed to be paying little to no attention to the conversation; it wasn’t his business anyway. “So, stage jitters?” said Celestia, easily snagging Twilight’s attention. “Such a thing certainly isn't commonplace with you.” The sheer size of Celestia still dwarfed Twilight even as Celestia took a seat, forcing Twilight to stare up those towering heights and spot those eyes that searched her for lies. Lies that she best avoid. “Well, this is far different than anything I've ever dealt with!” Twilight exclaimed before turning to pace. “I’m being handed the reins to a great part of Equestria’s future! To my future! I hardly have a clue as to where I’m going exactly with all of this and I’m supposed to go out there and tell all those ponies that I have a certain plan for our entire future? I mean, I thought I knew! I really did! I, to this day, remember what plans for the future that I made ages ago. But now I realize that I apparently can’t even plan for a single decent day!” Amidst her passion-fueled fuming, Twilight didn’t notice — till the end of her rant — that her wig went lopsided. She imagined that happening to her on stage, and it caused her to blush. But Celestia’s heart-warming smile didn’t fade, even for a second. “Sit,” she said while gesturing to the empty spot before her. Almost immediately that spot was taken by Twilight’s rump. The pony’s apparent shame had glued her eyes to the floor, letting Celestia’s right fore hoof easily trace over the strands of hair that escaped their wig-shaped prison. “I remember doing this sort of thing for you when you were just a filly; one that was frightened about going on stage at all.” Twilight remained still and silent beneath the welcomed touch. “You were so shaken up that I was worried you wouldn’t even make it five feet towards the center of the stage. But, you conquered your fear. You made me proud then, just as you continue to do today.” Twilight held back her words of doubt as her mind was torn between memories of her childhood and the current gentle touch of her mentor’s hoof tucking her mane back into her wig. “I understand that you are having a rough time today. But, rough times come with the job and we’ll always have to put up with things we don’t favor,” Celestia said calmly as she finished tucking away the rest of the hair and then adjusted the wig to be properly centered upon the little one’s head. She used a forehoof to lift Twilight’s chin to look into her eyes. “Just like back then, back when you were an adorable little filly, you had the same courage you do today; the courage to get over such a rough time and do what needs to be done.” “Ten minutes till showtime!” yelled the stage director. In that moment, Twilight felt the call of duty. The call of responsibility. It gave her newfound strength to smile and push away her troubles. Now clearly wasn’t the time to dwell on them, or even her love-life situation. There was a crowd out there waiting for a leader to step forth. One that doesn’t fear the Princess of the Night. One that doesn’t let some burnt hair bring her down. One that doesn’t hide in closets. With a deep sigh, Twilight could feel her stress melt away. This time, she didn’t even need to extend her hoof from her chest. “You’re right.” Her re-discovered confidence kicked her tune up several notches. “I can do this.” “That’s the spirit.” Celestia’s own smile spread even further across her face. “Now, there isn’t much time to waste, so let’s skim over your material.” With her chest puffed out and her head held high, Twilight began. “The first thing I’d like to work on is tourism for Ponyville. With my presence there becoming well-known and my exact location being quite clear with the replacement of my library, I’ve noticed a distinct rise in visitors from out of town.” “And, what do you plan to do?” Celestia asked in a clearly testing manner. “I’d like to inspire the locals to think about expanding our lovely town with more temporary housing for travelers and more small attractions. At the same time, I’m not looking to turn our lil’ town into a city. I want it to keep its rural feel. With the money that we get from tourism we can make a lot of general improvements.” “Such as?” “First off, I’d like to have a larger library built near the schools. And, if possible, figure out how to also replace what books were lost along with the original library. Secondly, I hope to expand those schools and provide better education funding. After that can come the construction of new paved town roads and other similar projects.” “What about your ideas for Canterlot?” “It will be untouched. Canterlot will be left for you and Luna.” “What if we were to depart from our thrones?” “With Princess Cadence likely having her hooves full with the entire Crystal Empire, I’ll be left with no choice but to take over here. Decisions from there on will be solely focused on peacekeeping till my position is further solidified as a leader. I’ll then be able to focus on other advancements.” “Would I be able to trust you with the sun?” “Without a doubt. I will learn to have it raised and lowered without diversion from its current schedule.” “Would Luna be able to trust you with her moon?” “If she could get over the fact that I love you, then sure.”
Part 3A disturbingly long amount of silence followed. It was almost as if there weren’t a bunch of bustling stagehoofs working vigorously around them. Twilight’s response slowly sunk into the murkiest depths of her mind. Beneath the pressure of a cascading sea of regret, her leader-like smile was crushed. Time practically stood still in the eyes of Twilight as she watched a look of shock stress Celestia’s facial features as her head shifted back and her eyes went wide. The announcement of, “one minute on the clock!” queued Twilight’s time perception to pick right back up. “You... what?” Celestia filled the silence between them with a tone of needless uncertainty. It was clear that the L-word had been slipped in such a manner that it could not be mistaken for any lesser of a meaning from the truth. Thus, Twilight had been backed into a corner from which there was no escape. Her head retreated between her shoulders as it was time to be clear, “I… I love you.” “Thirty seconds left!” The countdown from the floor director certainly wasn’t helping Twilight’s heart slow its pace. If the tension wasn’t going to kill her, a rather stunned-looking Celestia probably was. Her muscles tightened as if preparing to take a massive hit. Celestia, on the other hoof, sighed, letting her expression relax . She leaned in and planted a kiss on Twilight’s forehead, just inches to the left of her horn. Her lips lingered only for a moment before Celestia pulled back, leaving Twilight nothing less than flabbergasted. “Thank you,” she said while wearing a tranquil smile of a true saint. Twilight was only able to respond with several blinks and her jaw slightly ajar. “Uh...” The floor director briefly fumbled his thoughts while he looked their way. He then shook his head, waved a hoof then announced, “aaaand we’re on!” Without another word, Celestia, summoned by the sounds of triumphant trumpets and a cheering crowd, disappeared beyond the veil of emerald colored curtains. Pleasure shot through Twilight like a racing pegasus on a sugar high, however Celestia’s last words cut the racer’s wings a bit short. Thank you? For what? Loving you? Nonetheless, Twilight was kissed. Maybe not in the most desired way, but in a way that was more than satisfactory. The floor director forced out a loud cough to spur Twilight to look his way. “Oh! Right! Sorry!” Twilight stammered. Once she had been practically spat through several layers of fabric out onto stage, she found herself outside with natural sunlight beating down both upon her and… several hundred other ponies. From wall to wall of the enclosed garden there were unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike with their eyes focused upon the stage. Just beyond the crowd, Twilight could see security blocking off a massive line of even more ponies at the entrance. Not only was the place too full, but it was almost too loud as nearly everypony cheered and stomped, giving Twilight an even louder welcome than Celestia had received. Twilight’s breath was stolen; robbed by Equestria’s apparent eagerness for new royalty. But who could blame them? It certainly isn’t often that a new pony comes into power. It was time to smile and wave as Twilight ventured forth from the curtains to sit behind a small, decorative, white-clothed table that was set to the right of the center pedestal. The crowd’s roar of applause gave energy to every step of the way and continued even after she sat down. Such overwhelming sound deeply embedded her with a prideful feeling and all, but something was amiss: where were her friends? If they were even present, how could she possibly spot them out through such a forest of multi-colored po—and there’s Pinkie Pie waving and jumping around in her seat like an uncontrollable maniac. To the wild mare’s left, in order, was Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and even Spike—who was sitting on the cowpony’s back so he’d be able to see above the crowd ahead of him. Every one of them cheered with the masses. Head held high, ears standing on end, a smile spread across her face, and a glance upward to make sure her wig was still in place… Twilight was ready for her introduction. She then turned her full attention to Celestia, who kept the center pedestal company. The elder princess remained quiet as she looked over the gathering. Though she smiled kindly, there was an intense look upon her brow that commanded respect while she simply waited for the noise to die down. But, even when none in the crowd dared to whisper, Celestia remained quiet. As the mighty princess continued to take the stage while under silence, she didn’t even need to speak for Twilight to know what was really on her mind. But before Twilight’s mind could run wild with even more speculation, Celestia’s voice finally sounded. “Welcome, everypony.” Her already prominent voice was amplified greatly by the microphone before her. “I thank you all for joining me on this lovely sunny day. I must say: it’s wonderful to see this yard so full of visitors once again. It seems we have ponies who have come from all over Equestria here today.” A short burst of cheers ruptured the crowds silence, but was quickly dwarfed by Celestia’s booming voice. “You all came—not to see me today—but to see Princess Twilight, correct?” The crowd hollered and hoof-stomped. “You came to hear her speech.” The sounds of stamping and shouting grew louder and louder. “You came to hear her out on her visions of revolutionizing Equestria’s future.” Twilight swelled with pride as the audience had grown loud enough that she could feel the stage floor trembling with excitement. “But that isn’t going to happen.” Almost instantly the crowd’s cheering fell into a void of total silence. Twilight’s gaze was ripped from the crowd over to Celestia. “As of today, Twilight is removed from her royal position.” Either Twilight went deaf from all the cheering or a reality check was in order. Did she hear the announcement right? It took a moment for the crowd to explode with a confusion of chatter. Right then and there, Luna’s words of warning shot through Twilight’s mind like a bullet. Her eyes locked to Celestia, and her heart sank slowly as she found herself unable to move from her seat. Celestia didn’t distract herself from looking over the noisy gathering the entire time. “Again, I repeat,” Celestia bolstered her voice, as if to make sure not a single pony misheard her as nearly all were hushed once more. “As of today, Twilight is relieved from her royal position as she is unfit to carry out her duties. I hear many out there asking why. I’ve recently discovered through her that a certain disease is once again spreading through the heart of Equestria.” A disease?! Twilight thought as she could practically feel that sunken heart rupture. “I have been fully aware of this disease as it lingered about for ages. I’ve even been quiet about it. But, despite my hopes, it once again spreading this far into Canterlot.” Celestia... Princess... This isn’t you! “This time, I will no longer be silent.” This isn’t you at all! This isn’t Luna either! “This time, I will stop this disease at its source.” No, please! Don’t do this! Twilight shook her head as she watched helplessly. “From here on out, all across Equestria, all rights for gays will be suspended.” Twilight could no longer hear the gasps and chattering of hundreds; she could only hear pieces of her life clattering on the ground. Luna, please, tell me I’m still asleep, because… this… this is a nightmare! “Marriages will be broken. Health benefits will be stripped. Voices as a citizen will be lost. Consider all of this an act of mercy until I figure out a proper and solid punishment.” On a much more than awkward note, Celestia left the podium. She turned about and made her way through the split in the curtains. With the entire event cut short, only a single pony was left on stage. Her throat felt like it held boulders whilst she looked between the podium and where her mentor departed. Hundreds of bickering voices practically told her to claim the center of the stage. But, she was glued to the floor. A feeling of déja vu lingered. However, it wasn’t fear that kept Twilight in place. It took but a short moment for her to realise a growing weight of emotions that tipped her brows inward. Her reputation was blasted away before nearly half the Equestrian nation. Ponies like her were about to be stripped of their rights. Her beloved majesty smiled as she turned into a tyrant. All plans for a wonderful day were ruined. Twilight had every right to be furious. But, it was a simple question that fueled her rising anger; her desire to suddenly stand and rush off stage in pursuit. Why?! She needed answers and she needed them immediately.
Part 4“Celestia!” Twilight shouted as she bullishly charged her way through the opening of the curtains. To her halting surprise, her forelegs felt as if they were about to pop out of socket as she was instantly snatched up by them. Two gruff guards held her fast, halting Twilight’s pursuit of Celestia. Twilight looked down the hallway to see Celestia standing with her back turned to her. “That’s Princess Celestia to you,” she bellowed. Her head turned just enough to expose a stare that could cut through a lesser pony. A soft glow consumed her pearl-white horn. Twilight could feel the burden of her crown lift from her wig. Her signature of royalty drifted farther and farther away. Twilight knew she could stop Celestia; she knew she was powerful enough to reclaim her royal rights from the tyrant. Her muscles tightened. Her wings flexed. But Twilight stopped as she could feel the guards at her sides tighten their trembling grip. At a second glance, she recognized the two. To her right was the backstage door guard, who clearly strained to keep a stern look about him. To her left was the one who kindly loaned her the hat that was replaced by a wig. Very lightly he shook his head with a pleading expression. Neither of the two wanted to fight. She shot another glance around, taking note on how many guards and stagehoofs were present. How many would she have to fight if she attacked Celestia? Attack Celestia? The idea struck deep through her and kept the dethroned princess pinned to the ground. Never before did she ever think of making a move on Celestia. Well, at least not a violent move. “I thought you were smart enough to avoid becoming like this, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia continued without even batting an eye as the crown continued to drift her way. “I used to be so proud of you. At times I even thought of you as my daughter. Now, the only reason I have to smile is because you’ve shown me the error of my ways.” The headpiece had made its way and stayed afloat at Celestia’s side while she continued. “I was too lenient. I was too docile about such an atrocity.” After practically spitting out her words, she held her head high and kept her voice clear. “That all changes today.” Twilight’s crown clattered loudly upon the floor as Celestia turned away. “Today, you are to be imprisoned. Tomorrow, you are to serve as another example to the rest of Equestria. Now, I have some preparations to attend to. Guards, take her away.” The screeching sound of a rusty metal door twisting its hinges was almost as audibly pain inducing as the following slam with a loud clank that announced the arrival of a new prisoner. Twilight took only a moment to absorb her well-lit surroundings. The steel bars that trapped her between three solid walls were polished to a sheen. Gold painted decorative lining covered all creases where the walls, floor and even ceiling met. Pressed against the side walls were bunk beds, 4 in total, with mattresses that looked soft enough to suck in a pony like cottonized quicksand. The tiled floor beneath Twilight’s hooves were so white they practically glowed. In other words, the massive holding cell looked about just as clean and fancy as everything else in the castle. But it was just a holding cell. There certainly was thought given to the places she could have been sent to… or that she might be sent to… “I can’t believe this is happening! This can’t possibly be real!” Twilight shouted to no one but herself. Twilight took notice of her lopsided wig and threw it to the ground, watching it splatter and slide several feet. She began pacing in a more-or-less perfectly circular path. “Is Celestia really the kind of pony I’ve looked up to my whole life? Has she been like this the entire time? What would dividing Equestria accomplish? I mean, I’ve seen disapproval of same-sex relations, but enough to drive Equestria apart and throw me in jail?!” During a lap she unleashed more of her fury upon the defenseless wig, kicking it and making it slide to the side of a bunk bed. Twilight continued to rant aloud within an empty cell. The only ponies within possible earshot were the guards down the hall to the far right of her cell, far past where Twilight was able to see. Seconds blurred into minutes and minutes eventually gave way to hours; Twilight lost track of the passing time. A sound approached Twilight’s ears. It was quiet and subtle at first; a gentle tapping on the floor. It came closer and Twilight realized that the tapping noise was that of hoofsteps. Was it one of the guards? Could it be her friends coming to consult her? Maybe they’ve come to free her. Or, perhaps it was her former mentor coming to talk down to her once more. The answer was none of the above. “Luna.” Twilight scowled as she approached her visitor from behind the barred door. The Princess of the Night held a strong stance and literally looked down her nose at Twilight. “I have tried to tell you, Twilight,” she said, managing to keep a calm and low tone. “But, you did not listen. This is the path of the sick and immoral. It is one you don’t want to walk.” “Again! That ‘sick and immoral’ hogwash!” Twilight struck her foreright hoof against the door and kept it pressed. “I can’t believe you two are seriously like this! I mean, really?! Judging my own moral standards is something I can handle, but using it as a means to try and tear apart all of Equestria! That’s insane!” Luna lowered her head enough to put herself at the same eye level of the smaller pony, maintaining a disapproving expression. “Twilight, please, listen. We can still fix this. We can still fix you too. I don’t want to see you like this. You must change your ways.” “Must I? Really?” said Twilight as her head tilted slightly to the right. “Why in the heck would changing who I choose to be with behind closed doors even matter? How would it be able to affect important political decisions?!” “Well,” said Luna as her eyes shifted faintly. “with that I’m not quite sure, but I know it’ll make you a better pony, Twilight.” “A better pony?” Twilight repeated with the most puzzled look upon her face. The arrogance of such a response not only befuddled her, but spurred her into a full-on argument. “Why would it do that? Would kissing the right sex help make me a Nobel Peace Prize winner? Would my magic abilities be amplified? Will I suddenly remember to give more to charity funds?” She stopped and gave Luna ample time to respond. “Because… you’ll have stronger morals.” “That’s it?” Twilight huffed before carrying on. “So if I go down the ‘straight path’, I’ll be less likely to start kicking fillies in the face? Oh yeah,” Twilight rolled her eyes as she switched to using sarcasm. “I’m sure King Sombra didn’t go evil because of his overwhelming greed. No! I’m pretty sure he went evil because he one day thought a little too much about how good one of the male servants looked in shorts. Isn’t that right?” “Well, probably not…” Luna’s posture shifted ever so slightly back as did her stance on the argument. “But, it’s still a mockery of creation.” Her eyes strained to stay locked with Twilight’s and she continued with a slightly lifted voice. “It isn’t natural and it isn’t right!” A better retort than before, but no less flaccid than the one before it. It quickly became obvious that Celestia was the true brains behind their shared bias perspective, but knowing such didn’t stop Twilight from striking hard with few verbal punches pulled. “Then define ‘natural’ for me. Please do, because I find that our feelings of love are just as natural as the blood flowing through our veins. To reject that, to shun such a potentially wonderful thing away and use it as an excuse to belittle and even imprison fellow ponies is a true atrocity! But please, go on! Do tell me why going against my nature will make me a better pony!” Luna’s eyes strayed all over the place, like she was watching a fly buzz about the cell just beyond Twilight’s back. “B-because-uh...” was all she said. Twilight swore she could have heard what sounded like a deflating brain as she watched the once mighty Princess turn to muttering before her. It was time to give one good spur of her own. She rattled her cage door once again as she yelled at the top of her lungs: “Tell me why! Now!” “I DON’T KNOW!” Luna bellowed, the power of her voice nearly knocking Twilight over. Though she was almost knocked from all fours, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a touch of satisfaction after clearly flattening Luna’s weak argument. Finally, my first victory of the day, Twilight thought to herself. She even felt like smiling a little, until she noticed something quite off... Though Luna glared daggers her way, several tears slid down her indigo cheeks. Twilight’s eyes went wide before looking up and down the princess before her cell. “Luna?” Such a curious calling of her name forced Luna to take notice of her own manner. She quickly gazed down at herself, chased away both tear trails with a single hoof, gave Twilight a worried look, then turned from the cell to hastefully make her way out. Twilight jumped up and placed her forehooves on the cell door and pressed her face against the bars. “Luna, wait!” she cried. But no matter how hard she pressed her face to the cold steel, she was unable to see the elder as her hooves stopped clicking just beyond Twilight’s sight. “Twilight, please… say no more.” Luna’s soft voice was the only thing that made its way back to the holding cell. “I think I get it now.” Twilight waited for a response that didn’t come. So, she continued. “You… you were ‘fixed’, weren’t you?” “Twilight,” Luna sounded as if something was tightening around her throat as she continued to speak ever so softly; her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “I… I don’t want to go back to the moon. It’s so very cold there... on the moon.” “Luna, I’m so sorry. I never knew,” Twilight replied with an equally hoarse and low mumble. A long spell of silence passed. The sound of Luna’s dragging hooves arose once more. Twilight, for a moment, feared that Luna was retreating. Instead, the princess reappeared before her cell. Only Luna’s left side faced Twilight as she took a seat, looked on the floor and spoke in a low tone. “Back then, back when I became Nightmare Moon, I was furious about many things.” “Celestia’s disapproval,” Twilight supplemented. Luna only glanced her way. “Of my discovered orientation, yes. That is one of them. Before my banishing, Celestia told me that she didn’t want our family name soiled by my… ‘filthy desires’. After my banishing, she even went as far as to hide that little bit of who I was from the history books.” Luna took a brief moment to gaze past her shoulders, likely to see if they weren’t being approached or if the guards were still too far away to hear her lowered voice. She then continued. “When I returned, I didn’t care about any of that any more. I was just so happy to no longer be alone that… I begged for forgiveness. I let Celestia convince me of the ‘better’ path, and now...” Luna turned to Twilight and did her best to bend her frown into a smile. “I’m fixed.” Twilight said nothing. She simply sat and watched Luna’s smile slowly fade. “Or,” as Luna’s smile lost its strength, her ability to look Twilight in the eyes did as well. “Maybe I am — as you might say — quite atrocious.” Twilight’s words caught in her throat. As much as she wanted to try and change the line that Luna referenced, she just couldn’t. Maybe if she weren’t so blinded by her own fury, maybe she could have avoided hurting her friend’s feelings. Maybe this whole thing would have not escalated so quickly if she approached it all better. Maybe… Twilight’s ears perked up and her pupils dilated as an idea formed in her head. “Luna, again, I’m sorry. I really am. I really wish I could take back how harsh I was being. But I can’t. However, if you can help me get out of here, I think I have a plan to solve all of this.” Twilight sat beneath the moonlit sky within one of the many spacious sections of the Canterot Garden Maze. The area was completely circular with two openings leading into the maze; each placed directly across from one another. Within the very center of the circular area were four benches, all forming their own perfect circle. Around them were many giant decorative bushes. Twilight chose to sit on the grass directly between two benches that were side by side. She faced the very center of the area, eyes sweeping from side to side as if measuring the total amount of clear space. Perfect. She noted before looking to the sky, spotting a flying patrol of pegasi too far off to notice her. Perfect. She then turned her attention to the entrance across from her. The sounds of heavy panting and a tiny pair of feet tearing through blades of grass disturbed her silence. “Twilight?” Spike called out in a loud whisper as he entered through the archway across from her. Perfect. Twilight smiled and waved for him to come over. “Thank goodness you’re okay, Twilight,” said Spike as he shuffled his way to her. “But what are you doing standing out here in the open? Guards are all over the place looking for you. I would have been caught for certain if it wasn’t so dark.” “They’ve mostly been flying over,” Twilight responded, not budging from her spot, “they won’t notice one of many pony statues standing around in the opening at this time of night.” Spike shrugged before cautiously looking to the sky. “Well, I’m here just as your letter instructed. What now?” “Now, is the perfect time for you to send this to Celestia.” Twilight revealed to him a rolled up piece of parchment and passed it off. He unrolled it and looked over it for a moment. “What?!” Spike almost shouted as he looked over the paper to Twilight. “You want to bring her here?!” “Shhh…” Twilight hushed him by pressing a fore hoof to his mouth for a brief moment. “Yes. I’m going to meet her here. Privately.” “B-but Twilight,” he said as he looked at her like a begging puppy. “We need to run away. Hide from all of this. Go live happy lives somewhere else.” Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, Spike. That’s not an option.” “But—” “Spike, trust me,” Twilight interrupted as she spoke with a reassuring smile, “I know what I’m doing. Just send it. Once you do, hide and stay quiet.” The little dragon sighed, took several paces back, held the scroll up, then sent it off in a puff of smoke. He looked back to Twilight with that sad-eyed look before he waddled off and found a hiding spot in one of the bushes far off to the side. Once again, all was silent. Twilight looked to the star littered sky above and listened to the chirping crickets off in the distance. There wasn’t a trace of wind to be found. Perfect. After less than a minute of staring at the sky, Twilight looked down to the pony who was already standing before her in the middle of the ring. “Celestia,” Twilight greeted, disregarding her highness’ royal title. “Always jumping at the chance to take the center of the stage, as usual.” The princess’ brow twitched but hardly disturbed the the calm, yet, cold look within her eyes. “What is your plan?” she asked without delay. “There are many guards around these parts that could be here within seconds of my calling. Do you think you can persuade me from my chosen path before I get the urge to call them?” Twilight remained in place, holding an expression rather devoid of emotion. She didn’t smile. She didn’t glare. She just watched and shook her head. “No.” “No?” Celestia echoed, her head ever so slightly tipped to the right. “So, you’re challenging me to a fight then.” Her head then lowered, ready and willing to take aim with her horn. “Do you honestly think your power can match my years of experience?” “I have no intention of fighting the one I loved.” Twilight simply blinked at the aggressive pose. Celestia’s stance relaxed. Her stare of daggers dulled. “Then, again I ask, what is your plan?” Twilight took in a deep breath and held her head high. She answered loud and clear, without fear of being spotted by the guards. “To talk to the citizens of Equestria. To sort out this mess you have created. To prevent Equestria from becoming an intolerant society built upon the ignorant lies of a bigot; an arrogant and bullheaded bigot that I currently have no time to quarrel with.” Celestia remained silent as she lifted a questioning brow. Twilight continued. “I fear that, as we speak, your venomous ideas are spreading around Equestria and they must be met with reason as soon as possible.” A loud huff came from the princess, “And you think I won’t be there to stop you from spreading your nonsense?” “Yes.” Twilight answered without a single pause. “You won’t be there. You’ll be on vacation.” Celestia puffed her chest and fluffed her wings as she spoke up. “And what makes you think you have the power to get me to leave this place?” “Science,” said Twilight as she shrugged softly. “Oh?” Celestia’s prideful and taunting tone lifted. “And where exactly am I vacationing?” A loud rustling in a tall decorative bush disturbed their conversation. A large, dark, equine shaped figure jumped out. It was Luna with her hoof held high above her head. Caught by completely surprise, Celestia couldn’t even mutter a word as she looked into Luna’s fury filled eyes and watched as that lifted hoof tore violently through the air. The sound of Luna’s Royal Equestrian answer nearly echoed its way beyond the kingdom. “ON THE MOOOOOOOOOON!” That hoof came crashing down onto a big red button that was cleverly hidden within the grass below. There was enough force in her strike that the button cracked. However, the contraption it was linked to still got the message and delivered. The muffled sound of a metal latch coming loose sounded seconds before the ground below Celestia exploded upwards as a massive metal springboard sent Celestia rocketing through the sky till she became but a twinkle amongst the star-littered night. Luna shook a furious hoof at the moon as she called out into the night, “BIIIIITCH!” “Whoa,” said an astonished-looking Spike as he found his way out of the bushes to stand next to the two ponies that remained staring up at the moon. “Y-you think she lived through that?” “Give it a moment,” said Twilight, lifting a hoof. Soon enough the urge to belch overtook Spike and a scroll found its way to Twilight’s hooves. She pulled it open and read it quietly with Luna looking over her shoulder. The new princess-in-charge was quick to snort, “Until my sister has anything nice to say, she shall not be coming back.” That said, the scroll was closed and hoofed off for Luna to keep. “Well then.” Spike took a deep breath. “Hope that problem is resolved now.” He looked from the moon to the others. “‘Sure was unexpected, wasn’t it?” “Not entirely,” said Twilight, placing a completely new scroll into Spike’s hands. “I improvised a bit with this one due to the times being off and Luna stepping in,” noted Twilight without breaking her gaze from the moon. Where she pulled the scroll from didn’t matter to Spike as he looked over the butt-end of it. “13-C?” he said before opening it up and reading out, “If you confess your love and Celestia turns out to be a raging tyrannical bigot…” Spike then mumbled several more lines before letting the scroll fall to his feet. “What?!” he shouted. THE END. Author's Note Hope you didn't get offended. Hope you didn't take the story too seriously. Hope you got some laughs. Hope you enjoyed. Hope to read your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for your time! -Key Strix AUTHOR'S AFTERTHOUGHTS
