Prominence

by TheOldPonyFromScene24

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Princess Luna, Spike
Length: 62727

Twilight has agreed to host Princess Celestia for a three month vacation. When she meets her disguised form, she sees her teacher in a whole new light.

Princess. Alicorn. The pillar of all ponykind, against which so many ponies often judged themselves. Celestia hates having to constantly be these things, and it's past time for a break. Luna will watch over Equestria while her sister is gone, but taking a break from your duties and taking a break from how the world sees you are two very different matters. Enter Prominence, a quiet pony who nopony really pays much mind to. Perhaps because she doesn't exist.

Aided by this disguise, Celestia will find her peace and relaxation in the home of one of the few ponies who know Prominence's true identity: Princess Twilight Sparkle. But when Twilight begins to see Celestia as a pony, and not a princess, can she deal with the feelings that arise? And are the feelings for Celestia, or for a pony she knows is not actually real?

EDIT: I've been featured, July 19th, 2014. I have no words to express how terrified and humbled and terrified and proud and happy and terrified this makes me.

Published 2014-07-19 13:10:05 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-07 14:33:40 UTC

Tours and Tales

Author's Note

Before we begin, I'd like to say that I cannot POSSIBLY overstate how incredibly awestruck I am at the reception that chapter 1 managed to get. I had tried to keep up and individually thank each of you on your user pages as the fav's came in, but there were just too many of you coming too fast. So, instead, I'd just like to use this space to say thank you, all of you, for reading and enjoying chapter 1.

I hope you all enjoy chapter 2, and every chapter after.

Tours and Tales

Prominence sat back, smiling softly. She'd just finished sharing a small lunch with Twilight at a little café, and Twilight seemed all too eager to begin their walk through town, though Prominence was sure it would be more of a tour than just a stroll around the area.

“Would you like me to show you some points of interest?” Twilight asked, with an enthusiasm that Prominence could never bear to shatter, even if she dared deny the princess.

“Absolutely.” She replied, smiling a little. Her gracious host began leading her to many of Ponyville's establishments, including but not limited to the hospital, Rich's Barnyard Bargains, Town Hall, and the marketplace. They eventually paused outside of one particularly vexing shop, where Prominence had no choice but to stop the tour and question her guide.

“Quills and Sofas?”

“Quills and Sofas.”

“...Quills...?”

“Yes.”

“And...sofas.”

“That's right.”

“I'm...perplexed.”

“That's to be expected.”

“...Quills and Sofas.”

“Quills and Sofas!”

“...Why?”

“No idea. Shall we move on?”

“Absolutely.”

Twilight led her away from the most confusing store in town and paused to think. “Hm...Sweet Apple Acres is the heart of our town, and the cornerstone of the community. On the other hoof, it's a little ways out of town. What do you think, Prominence? Should we head by?”

“I, I suppose I could at least learn the way to the farm, but it's up to you. I'm not in any hurry.”

“We might as well just stop by.” Twilight reasoned. On the way to the farm, Twilight did her best to explain the history of Sweet Apple Acres. There was no way Celestia didn't know at least part of the story, having such a crucial role in it, but she couldn't help but feel like there was some need to tell it to Prominence.

The story finished as they walked through the gates, and were greeted by two smiling faces, the elder of which looked knowingly at Prominence.

Applejack stepped forward, smiling. “Glad you came by, Prominence.” She paused as Granny stifled a laugh. Applejack stared at her grandmother for a moment, eyebrow sliding up into an appropriately confused configuration. “Uh, anyway, this here's Granny Smith. Granny, this is Prominence.”

What Granny Smith produced could only be described as a cackle. “Oh, Prominence is it? Is it now?” Everypony just stared at her. Her granddaughter feared that her age was dulling her mind, and Twilight and Prominence feared that the very same age had only served to sharpen it. The latter backed away slowly, lowering her body, her ears falling flat as she moved behind Twilight. The elderly matron of the farm gave the princesses a very, very exaggerated wink, and headed into the farm house, laughing her head off.

Everypony stood in confused silence for a moment. Realizing something had to be done, Twilight grabbed Prominence's hoof, causing her eyes to widen with shock and confusion. “Excuse us for a second.” She teleported into the farm house, and Prominence—No, Celestia. She'd dropped the facade the moment they entered—couldn't help but smirk as she saw her host perfectly reproduce her soundproofing spell.

“Well, howdy there, Prom-Min-Nence.” Granny Smith drew the word out in the most spectacular example of exaggeration Twilight had ever seen.

“You recognize me, even through all of this, Apple Smith?” Celestia asked from Prominence's lips.

“Wait, wait, Apple Smith?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Well a'course my name's Apple Smith! Y'didn't think my ma an' pa had themselves a foal and named her 'Granny', didja?” Granny chuckled at Twilight's sputtering response, before turning to Prominence with a wrinkly, warm smile. “How could I ever ferget the pony who gave me my home?” she lowered her head in the best approximation of a bow that her old bones could manage.

“Please, don't bow. I am not a princess for the time being. I'm on vacation, after all.”

“Y'might not be a princess, but y'still gave us Sweet Apple Acres, and I'll bow to whatever I please!” She looked up slowly, noting the worried expression worn by both Twilight and Prominence. “Now, quit yer fussin'. I ain't gonna tell nopony.”

“We appreciate your discretion.” Twilight told her. Granny Smith nodded in reply, then waited. Soon, she tired of waiting, and began glaring at Twilight.

“Ain't you two got some business to finish? It's time for my nap!”

Applejack jerked in surprise as Twilight and Prominence burst into existence right behind her. She twisted around, smiling sheepishly. “I was just about to head off an' try to get Big Mac and Apple Bloom here to say hi, Prominence.”

“Oh, I'm not sure that's necessary. They're probably both in the middle of something, right? And we're not really trying to, um, well, it'd be crazy for me to try to get to know everypony today. I'm just trying to get the, ah, lay of the land.” Prominence explained. “I'm sure I'll get to know them, and many other ponies just by being in the same place as them for three months. Right?” She looked between Twilight and Applejack with an ever-so-cautious smile. Applejack nodded, smiling happily. Twilight gave a similar reaction, tinged with a soft blush. Another blush, Celestia noted. That made five today. Some questions began stirring in the back of her mind.

For most of the young princess' life, Celestia had been her teacher. And Celestia knew when a secret was being kept from her, even if it wasn't being kept by a pony she knew like the back of her own hoof. She trusted Twilight implicitly, of course, but there was a bit of her that ached to simply tear apart the secrecy like the wrapping paper on a Hearth's Warming present. Something changed overnight in how Twilight responded to her, and changes seldom occur without cause. She wanted so badly to know the nature of the catalyst behind it.

Still, Twilight was allowed her privacy. So, while she posed an actual, true mystery to Celestia for the first time since, well, perhaps the first time altogether, Celestia would not pry. But then, wasn't part of the reason for this trip to take a break from being Celestia? So Prominence could pry all she liked, right?

“Twilight? Why are you blushing?” She asked, cocking her head a little.

“What? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not blushing.” Ah, the tactic of absolute stone-faced denial. Or brick-faced, given the coloring.

Applejack leaned in to appraise her face. “Uh, you kinda are, Twi. Just a little.”

“Whaaat? Pfff,” She began, with a roll of her eyes and a dismissive wave of her hoof, “Ha hah, that's crazy, huh? Why would I be blushing? The pony body sure is full of mysteries!”

Mysteries indeed, Twilight. Mysteries that I have three months to spend on. I don't know why you would bother to hide anything from me, of all ponies. After all, if any pony can discern an obvious pattern, it should be you, so you should know full well by now that I'm not the type to judge.

As Celestia's mind worked, Prominence's head nodded. “I once had hiccups for a week straight. The doctor never figured out why.” Twilight calmed down and gave Prominence a very grateful smile, and Prominence let it slide when she noticed the blush intensifying.

“Well, we, uh...” Twilight placed a hoof on her chest, then slowly exhaled as she drew the hoof away, composure flowing back into her. “It was nice to see you, Applejack, but I should probably show her where everypony else lives before sundown. And, uh...oh.” She pointed at a large, artfully carved cloud with fountains spilling rainbows into one another. “There's Rainbow's house.” She said plainly. “It never really stays put so I'm not sure how to work it into an organized tour.”

Prominence nodded, staring up at it. It was as if somepony had carved a piece from Cloudsdale itself. Which seemed likely, knowing Rainbow Dash. Celestia was almost certain she'd be able to go to Cloudsdale and find the perfectly shaped hole where she simply ripped her house out of the foundation.

“Next should be Fluttershy. She's closest.” Twilight decided.

“Well, you two have fun with that. I should be gettin' back to work.” Applejack tipped her hat, smiling at both of them.

They said their goodbyes to Applejack, crested a hill, and followed the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Prominence often veered away from the woods nervously, intent on keeping Twilight between herself and the notoriously dangerous area despite the Princess' assertions that it was actually mostly harmless.

On a small hill, at the edge of a serene meadow, sat a lone cottage. It looked so ridiculously, bafflingly quaint and cozy that it seemed those words were created specifically to describe this one singular home, and any other use would only dull and cheapen them.

Twilight knocked on the door. And again. A third time, then. A fourth? At this point, all she was doing was whipping some of the animals inside into a frenzy.

“I guess she's not home,” She said with a disappointed sigh.

“It's fine, Twilight. We'll visit again another time, right?” Prominence asked, carefully watching her face. Another blush. She must be very worried about whatever's going on if I can get a reaction with something as simple as that.

Once more, Twilight and Prominence headed through town, making their way to the far end of Ponyville. Where Sweet Apple Acres stood solemn guard, keeping the village separated from the Everfree Forest, Carousel Boutique took a similar station. But as the apple trees guarded against visitors, the Boutique welcomed them from all over Equestria, and impressed upon them the class and sophistication belied by the town's appearance.

Or perhaps I am over analyzing it, and Rarity simply intends to be the first shop any visitors who arrive by hoof will see, Prominence thought to herself, following Twilight into the building.

When they entered, her eyes began darting about, and a smile formed on her face as she took in the sight of all the dresses, completely oblivious to the interaction going on between Twilight and Rarity. She adored her royal regalia. It had seen her through so many centuries of loneliness and work. It was like a set of comfortable old friends who she could always spend time with. She had scarcely considered wearing anything else. But these dresses...

She had seen the designs worn by Twilight and her friends at the Gala, but those were made for the ponies wearing them, and not really anypony else. Now she was surrounded by the true scope of Rarity's craft, and she yearned to buy something, despite knowing that nothing she got here would fit in a few months.

Somepony said her name, and she nodded without taking the time to consider why. She snapped out of her awe as something snaked around her foreleg and squeezed it. She looked down to see measuring tape enveloped in a blue aura, moving up and down her leg, then on to the next as Rarity made notes.

Prominence blushed, then opened her mouth. “I'm sorry, my mind was wandering. What, um, what did I agree to?”

“Just getting your measurements on file in case you happen to need anything new during your visit,” Rarity said with a smile. “Despite what Applejack might tell you, I can, on certain occasions, be prone to fits of practicality.” She paused, biting her lip as the measuring tape began to surround Prominence's barrel. “...May I say something dreadfully candid?”

Twilight perked up her ears. Candid was usually reserved for when Rarity lost patience for her preferred tactics. A sudden shift in the behavior of a friend was something worth taking full notice of.

Prominence looked between Twilight and Rarity, bit her lip, scuffed her hoof awkwardly at the floor, and took a deep breath. “I...suppose?”

“If you make a habit out of the abuse of snack foods I saw last night, then we're going to have to do this all over again.” She tightened the tape slightly around Prominence's barrel for emphasis.

Twilight sighed. Oh, so it's not really a big deal. She just wanted to warn Prominence that she might get fat. Her eyes widened as her understanding of the possible repercussions of this conversation sunk in. SHE JUST TOLD PRINCESS CELESTIA THAT SHE WAS GOING TO GET FAT!

Twilight woke up. Cautioning herself to prepare to see the fiery ruins of Ponyville, she slowly opened her eyes. She examined her situation. Rarity and Prominence were watching over her, very concerned looks on their faces. She was laying on one of Rarity's fainting couches. Which was very appropriate, given that she'd fainted.

She took a deep breath. Everything wasn't on fire, and that was always a good sign. “Is everything OK?” She asked.

“Certainly not!” Rarity insisted, causing Twilight to cringe in fear.

It must've been Opal. Opal's on fire somewhere, She thought, her mind immediately latching on to the first outcome she imagined.

“You fainted!” Rarity continued. “In what world is everything OK when a dear friend suddenly collapses on your floor? You had us both so worried, Twilight!”

“Right, right.” She sat up slowly.

“Easy...” Prominence coached, levitating a glass of water over to her.

“It's alright, I'm fine. I'm sorry for interrupting.”

“Interrupting wh-OH!” Prominence jolted in surprise as measuring tape came around her stifle. Rarity offered her an apologetic grin, but quickly took note of the measurement.

Once the measurements were taken care of, Twilight and Prominence took their leave, heading back to the former's home. The moment they entered the palace, however, Prominence pulled her into an unused side room, ensured it was empty, soundproofed the chamber, and moved in close to Twilight, their faces only inches apart.

Ohhhh, I didn't wake up yet. I'm still passed out at the Carousel Boutique. This is another dream. I hope there's no evidence of what I dream about this time. I'll never be able to look either of them in the eye again!

It was about this time that she realized there was a discerning stare on Prominence's face, and a hoof on her own forehead.

“Mm. You feel a little warm. And you certainly look flush.” Celestia said, looking into her eyes as she slowly backed away.

“Wh-What?”

“Ponies don't pass out without reason, Twilight. We both know that. And I've seen you deny the fatigue of spending a week full without sleep. You would not admit that you had been staying up every night with your studies until posed with proof that you had not been taking care of yourself. You say you're fine, but I'm not about to risk your health, even if I am forced to catch you in a lie.”

“No, no! It,” She sighed. “It's what Rarity said to you.”

Celestia paused. What had Rarity said to her? Whatever it was had been quickly forgotten as they heard the sound of Twilight hitting the floor and rushed to help her. “Refresh my memory.”

“About, uh, how you had been eating at the party. And your measurements?” She winced, fearing that the sun itself might come crashing to the ground, the epicenter of its world-ending impact being a fashion-forward unicorn mare.

“Oh! Yes. I suppose I can see why that might have been a little shocking to you, but I don't think it merits fainting. Besides, she was absolutely right. And I did give her full license to be as candid as she pleased.” She watched as Twilight released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. “That said, there's not really any harm in gaining a few pounds. I am going to reshape my entire body at the end of this, after all.”

“Right. Sorry. It's just...Well, Prominence,” She began, confident that she'd come up with the perfect way to vindicate her reaction. “What would you do if you had just seen somepony tell Celestia that they were worried that she was going to get fat?”

Celestia's eyes widened at the unexpected question, and she had to take a deep breath to help her consider it. “I concede your point.”

Twilight ached to leap about, to pump her hooves in the air, to scream her immaculate victory to the Heavens. With one question she had managed to win Celestia to her perspective. If only she'd known about Prominence sooner, many a dizzying clash of logic and reason from her days of stubborn foalhood might've been circumvented entirely. But that kind of celebration was entirely beyond the scope of how friends should act toward each other (without at least one of them being Rainbow Dash), so she simply nodded.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Did you really think I might not?”

“Well, no. I knew you'd understand. You always do. I'm just glad it didn't take us two hours to get there.” Twilight told her with a grin.

“Mm. A pity. I really do enjoy our verbal sparring matches. Even as a foal, you were one of the only ponies I've known who could keep me on my hooves during a debate instead of always talking yourself into the corners I plan to catch you in.”

Twilight's grin fell away. All those arguments in the past, where Twilight was flummoxed at how Celestia could ignore large chunks of the obvious until she specifically pointed them out, where she spent the whole time pleading her case to a gentle, knowing smile, they had each taken on a new light. It was a game. One Celestia apparently very much enjoyed. She couldn't actually take that away from her, could she?

“I promise to only use my new trump card if we're at risk of running late for something.” Twilight told her after a moment's contemplation.

“It's not much of a trump card if it can be dispelled with nothing more than, 'Twilight, I am Prominence.' It simply caught me off guard this time.”

“Right. It's kind of silly to be using a fictional pony as precedent in my arguments.” Twilight didn't notice the fleeting frown on Prominence's face, or if she did, she hadn't thought enough about it to say anything. After a moment of silence, Celestia moved on to another topic.

“You know, Twilight, something seemed to be missing during the tour of Ponyville...”

“What's that?”

“Even if the mayor is in charge of it, you're a princess. And as hesitant as you may be to flex that particular muscle to get your way, I know you wouldn't let anything stand in the way of making a new library.”

“Oh, that's right here in the castle! Come on!” She grabbed Prominence's hoof and ran out the door, up the stairs, down the hall, down a different hall, and took a rapid series of turns. A quarter of the way through this trip, Prominence noted that they had been following a yellow line painted on the wall, presumably meant to lead guests through this dizzying path.

Twilight threw the massive doors open, revealing a huge room with high arched stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings, and rows upon rows of bookshelves, each one completely filled.

“Um, Twilight...” Prominence spoke, once again masking her voice.

“Yes?”

“If you don't mind me asking, when the castle appeared, did your bedroom already have a bed?” She began, preparing her case.

“Of course. It wouldn't have been much of a bedroom without one.”

“And did the library already have all these book shelves?”

“Now that you mention it, no. That is a little odd...”

It took everything Celestia had to keep Prominence from face-hoofing. “Twilight, I, uh, I think this is supposed to be a ballroom.” The princess looked at her with disbelief and horror.

“But, but there's an elevated reading nook!” She protested, pointing toward the back of the room.

“I believe it's supposed to be the stage for the band.”

“Then why does it have high powered reading lamps pointed at it from the ceiling?!” She demanded, though a part of her had already realized the answer.

“Those are spot lights. Um...For the band.”

Twilight's hind legs buckled as she sat down heavily, her shoulder slumped and her back hunched. “I thought I had the perfect library.” She said quietly, moping more than a little. But somewhere in the midst of her mope, as Prominence wondered if it wouldn't be too familiar to put a comforting hoof on the princess' shoulder, a spark of an idea caught fire, and she managed to break free. “This is my home. If I wanted to put a bed in here and call it a bedroom, even if it wasn't meant to be one, I'm allowed to do that. Because it's mine. As it happens, I put books in it and called it a library. So that's what it is.”

“Celestia would often make it sound like you were the kind of pony who would never accept the misuse of a facility.” Prominence stated, more as a matter of fact than as an objection.

“Well, this is different, because it's my facility.” She stomped a hoof to punctuate and emphasize her point. “Besides, why would anypony need a ballroom in Ponyville? We've got Sugar Cube Corner.” She said, grinning.

“Agreed. I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing this without knowing. If you understand that your library was originally meant to be a ballroom, nopony should have any right to object to your repurposing it. It's not as if Celestia hasn't made similar decisions in the past.”

“She has? Like what?”

“I...It's not my place to say. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I forgot myself for a moment.” Prominence lowered her head, and Twilight felt her heart beating faster.

She treats me like I'm in charge of her...Could that be the cause of this? Or maybe it's just the knowledge that somepony like Celestia would ever be beneath me... She dwelt on this thought a moment too long before correcting herself. In station! Beneath me in station. Luna was right, I'm seeing her in a drastically different light, and it's definitely doing something different to me, but am I seeing her sexually? Romantically? Both? Or is there just a weird reaction involved in acclimating to the change, and my subconscious is just using one or both of those as an approximation to cope with it? I need more evidence, but I can't just walk up to her and TELL her! For now I guess I'll just have to stay the course, right? Observe my own reactions while I interact with her. Make note of anything that seems out of the ordinary.

As Twilight considered these thoughts further, she didn't bother actually moving. Or speaking. Or blinking. Prominence looked away bashfully, a blush coming through on her soft pink fur. “Um. T-Twilight?”

“HUH!?” WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? “Sorry, um. If that happens again, just...” She paused, eyes lighting up a little. “Actually, could you help me out if it happens again?” She smiled slightly.

“I suppose?”

“If I just freeze up and it seems like I'm staring at you, move out of the way, then snap me out of it, and let me know if I kept looking straight ahead, or if my eyes followed you.”

Prominence nodded slowly. “Alright. Does, uh...Does this occur often?”

“Nope. First time. That's why, if it happens again, we have to study it, right?” Twilight smiled at her with far too many teeth, and eyes just a bit too wide.

“Uh,” Prominence's eyes shifted from side to side. “Y-Yes?”

“Yes!” Twilight replied, her smile now much more natural. “Wait, how long was I, uh, locked up?” she asked, noting the last of the day's light fading from the stained glass windows.

“A few minutes?”

“That doesn't make any sense...How is it so late?”

“Well...You did faint.”

Twilight felt the heat building in her cheeks. “Oh. Right. Well, come on, we're late for dinner. Spike's probably waiting.”

Sure enough, as they entered the dining area, an annoyed little dragon glared up at them, sitting to the right of the head of the table, his claws rapping against the stone, slowly wearing dimples into the surface.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is.” He stared daggers at Twilight. “The most organized, punctual pony in town is late for dinner. How do you suppose that happened? My guess is she just. Doesn't. Care.”

Twilight sighed and lowered her head as she made her way to the head of the table. “Spike, I'm very sorry. There is no excuse for my tardiness.”

Prominence followed Twilight, once again sitting to her left. “Um, no excuse?” She asked, trying to prompt Twilight to at least try and explain.

“Nope,” Twilight shook her head. “No excuse.”

“But, but you fainted.” She offered, a little flummoxed. Spike's eyes widened.

“Wait, you fainted!? Are you OK?”

Twilight sighed and turned to reply to Prominence. “There is never any excuse for tardiness. If ponies could just show up for anything whenever they wanted and didn't have to take responsibility for their lack of adherence to a set schedule, how would the markets work? How would the government function if none of the ponies in it were ever in the same building together at the same time? Adherence to a schedule, no matter how few things are actually scheduled, is a necessity for all of Equestria. A pony must be where she says she's going to be, when she says she'll be there.”

Prominence was shocked by the dedication with which Twilight discussed the dangers of a lack of punctuality. For that matter, so was Celestia. She looked over at Spike to find him just burying his face in his claws as the food in front of him—in front of all of them, she realized—was engulfed in a magenta aura and brought back to proper serving temperatures. Finally, as she picked up her fork and moved to begin eating, Spike's claws came away from his eyes.

“That's dumb.” He said plainly. Prominence dropped her fork in surprise, but neither of them seemed to notice. “Twilight, you fainted.”

“That's still--”

“You fainted!”

“It's unacceptable for me--”

“You. Fainted.” Spike said, with an air of finality.

“...I suppose you have a point.”

Prominence just stared, dumbfounded. Every contest of wit that she'd ever had with Twilight had been the two of them carefully chiseling and sculpting their well-refined arguments. Spike, however, had forgone the chisel, kept the hammer, and bashed it against Twilight's argument until it he won.

Spike paused mid-chew, and looked up to find the pony across the table staring at him. “What?” He asked, his mouth full.

“This is a very strange place,” Prominence replied enigmatically before finally starting on her own meal. Spike looked to Twilight for clarification, but she could only give him a shrug.

“Thank you very much for wonderful meal, Spike. I'm sorry we made you wait so long for it.” Twilight said, watching the dragon gather up the dishes. Prominence rushed to follow her lead.

“Yes, thank you. It was all delicious.”

Spike smiled at the praise, and then at Twilight. “Hey, no problem, nothing's too good for my princess!” He chuckled as he waddled adorably into the kitchen to begin washing dishes.

Twilight's head slammed against the table.

“Are you alright?! Did you faint again?!”

“No.” She huffed with exasperation, “He's just been getting way too much mileage out of calling me his princess ever since he figured out how much it annoys me.”

“He's much more than your assistant, isn't he?”

“Yeah. He was one of my first friends. He's practically my adoptive LBBFF.” She chuckled a bit before noticing the look of confusion on Prominence's face. “Ah, he's like a little brother to me. I don't know what I'd do without him. Especially now that we've got this whole huge palace to live in.”

“It must be nice to have siblings.” And with that one comment, she saw a dawning look of realization on Twilight's face that she had been expecting from the moment she got off the train.

“Spike!” She called out toward the kitchen. “We'll be in the parlor!”

“Which one?”

“The, uh, the red one with the big chairs!” She nodded toward the door, and led Prominence through the hallways. They seated themselves in the aforementioned big chairs. “So, Prominence, tell me a little about yourself.”

“Well,” She began, “My favorite color is green, and I love pasta. With white sauce. A-and broccoli.”

“I, uh, I meant more along the lines of your past.”

“Oh. If you're really interested, well, um...Where do I start? Probably childhood, right? Heh, um, well, I grew up in a small mining community a few miles west of Fillydelphia, called Saddleton. When it was first founded, they called it Colton, and I've never been clear on why they changed it.”

Slowly, she proceeded to tell Twilight about her life alone with her father, who worked refining the ores brought out of the mines. Twilight listened intently to the story of the time she was watching her father work when the bellows on his furnace broke, and how she came to the rescue, with her magic directly pouring into the flames, making them grow hotter.

Prominence seemed to grow more confident in her storytelling, recalling how, as she continued helping her father until the bellows could be repaired, she experimented more and more with the magic she was using, and it wasn't long before she'd gotten her cutie mark for her fire magic.

The story had Twilight completely rapt. In the beginning, she'd been focused on the levels of detail and plausibility of the story, but by the end, she realized that, at that moment, the only important thing was hearing Prominence tell her story.

“So, that's a little bit about me. I hope I didn't bore you.”

“Oh, not at all, Prominence,” Twilight paused and nodded to Spike as he waddled in, comic book in claw, settling into yet another large chair to read. “But, I was wondering, if you live so far from home, why didn't you go there for your vacation? Maybe spend some time with your father?”

“Father isn't there anymore...He isn't...He isn't with us anymore.”

Spike looked up from The Unstoppable UltraMare and just stared at Twilight with disbelief and horror. For her part, Twilight held the same expression, but with the addition of a jaw that was silently flapping up and down.

“It's been a few years! I wasn't even working for Celestia yet!” Prominence asserted, waving her hooves frantically. “It's fine! I'm at peace with it. The hardest part about it is trying to break the news when somepony asks a question like that without making them feel horribly guilty. And it looks like I messed that up, as usual. I'm sorry, Princess.”

“I really don't get why she's apologizing to you.” Spike noted.

“Go back to your comic books!” Twilight grumbled. “And, Prominence, I asked you to call me Twilight.”

Prominence grimaced. “O-oh, did I not? My mistake. It still feels bizarre that I'd have the right to address a princess by name.”

“Well, as long as you're trying...” She trailed off in thought. “I suppose I should tell you about myself now. Any requests?”

“Well, I've heard Princess Celestia's side of the story, but I've never heard your side of how you got your cutie mark.”

Spike and Prominence stared at Twilight as she hopped in circles around the chair she'd been sitting in.

“YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES--” She stumbled a bit, and stopped her hopping. She broke into a furious blush as she remembered where she was and what she'd been doing, not to mention who'd been watching. “A-anyway, that was...That was easily the best day of my life. I got my cutie mark, I was going to be taught by Celestia personally, and I even got Spi—is that a different comic book?” She asked, staring at her assistant. “How long was I telling that story?” She turned to the clock. “Oh no. Oh, Spike, tell me tomorrow's not...?”

It took a moment for Spike to register her meaning, but he nodded, a look of sympathy on his young face.

“I gotta go! Prominence, make yourself at home, Spike, you should already be in bed too! Oh no, oh no!” She vanished in a flash of magenta light, and Prominence stared at Spike curiously.

“Am, am I permitted to know what that was about?”

“Head down to the castle's gym when you wake up tomorrow. That should answer your questions,” He told her, closing his comic and hopping out of his chair.

“There's a gym?”

“Not usually.” She didn't get a chance to ask him to clarify before he closed the door behind him.

“A very, very strange place,” She reiterated, climbing out of the chair. She supposed she could have stayed up, but the simple fact was that she'd been walking around town all afternoon, and even if she wasn't ready for bed, she didn't quite know the way from the drawing room to the bedrooms. She quickly headed out the door and followed the sound of dragon claws, her longer strides letting her catch up to Spike.

The trip to the bedrooms was spent in silence, until they reached Spike's door and they said their good nights. Prominence entered her room, climbed into her bed, and snuggled into the oh-so-soft blanket.

“There you are. You kept me waiting.” Luna told Celestia, who found herself in the courtyard of their old castle.

“I suppose all three of us got to bed a little later than we expected,” Celestia replied before she paused to sniff a rose. “Roses that smell of daisies. Is this all the whimsy I have left in me?” She quickly regretted this statement as the rose tried to bite her. “Never mind.” She turned toward Luna, moved forward, and embraced her tightly.

“How is she doing? Is she handling everything alright?” She asked, smiling at her younger sister.

“She's doing well. Her dream is a bit odd, something about some sort of debate with you. I am surprised that she told you anything at this point, however.”

“Luna, what in the world are you talking about?”

Luna put on a poker face forged through centuries of practice, but it didn't quite hold up against her big sister. “What are you talking about?”

“I asked you to handle the sun. I asked you to handle the country. What did I beg you to personally attend to with utmost care?”

Realization flashed in the eyes of the Princess of the Moon. “Philomena is fine, sister. We have been having a lot of fun together.”

“Good. Now, what were you on about earlier?”

“Nothing!” She responded just a little too fast.

“Luna...”

“That matter is between Twilight and her subconscious. I am not at liberty to discuss it with anypony but her.” She stamped her hoof for emphasis and stared defiantly at Celestia, who seemed to be analyzing her face.

“It's Twilight, then, that you were referring to? So, this must relate to the puzzle...”

“Puzzle?”

“Never mind. I will solve it in due time.” She gave Luna a few playfully condescending pats on the head.

“Changing the subject, how have things been in Ponyville?” Luna asked, catching her sister's hoof in her magic.

“Well, one old mare managed to recognize me on sight, disturbingly enough, but other than that, it's been simply amazing.” Celestia replied, tugging her hoof back and shaking it off. “They're all just so welcoming. It's only my second day here, but when Twilight and I went out, there were so many ponies smiling at me, nodding to me, waving at me, saying hello. I attended one Pinkie Party, and suddenly they act like I've been a member of their community for years. At this rate, it won't be long before I have to bring Prominence out of her shell.”

“And then phase two begins.” Luna said gleefully, rubbing her fetlocks together.

“Don't say it like that! That makes it sound like I'm some sort of megalomaniac, or a sorry excuse for a serial villain.” She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her snout for a moment. “Regardless, yes. At that point I will be able to move on to the next step of my vacation.”

“Keep me apprised in your dreams, sister.”

"Of course. But I do hope this dream doesn't move too fast. I'm not looking forward to breakfast."

Meanwhile, in the next dream over, Luna was sitting among a large audience, observing a heated, logic-filled, passion-fueled debate between Twilight and Prominence. And while there would be no clean up in the morning, Twilight seemed to be enjoying herself almost as much as the night before.

Games Played in Courts

Prominence silently stalked her way through the castle's halls. Something was definitely up. The way Twilight had rushed to bed last night had been all the confirmation she needed that her student was hiding something. She'd thought, at first, of letting the mystery run on a bit longer, but her curiosity drove her on. With two spells she'd set up the night before (one to awaken her when Twilight left her bedroom, and one to track Twilight), she managed to follow her host, reaching the gym a few minutes after her. Frankly, she wasn't sure how it had been undetected, aside from Spike's vague mention of it not usually being present. Peeking through the door, she noted that it seemed to be bigger than the entire floor of the castle it was situated on. Turning her attention away from the room itself, she spotted Twilight with a sweatband on her head, talking to somepony just out of view. From the way she was looking upward, whoever this pony was, it was actually somepony much taller than Twilight. Or perhaps one of her pegasus friends was in the air before her.

“I managed to actually lose track of time yesterday, believe it or not,” She said, almost too quietly for Prominence to hear without the aid of a little magic. “I got to bed a little late, so I might be a little sluggish today. But I hope I don't disappoint you.”

The reply came from a muffled male voice, and Twilight relaxed when she heard it, her smile perking up a little wider. A boyfriend, perhaps? Celestia wondered, while simultaneously questioning why she'd chosen the only eavesdropping spell she knew that required a line of sight to cast on a target.

Twilight levitated two rackets toward herself, taking one in hoof and passing the other on to her mysterious guest, still out of sight. With a sigh, and the realization that she was being terribly rude to her host, Prominence walked into the gym to make her presence clear.

“Oh, good morning, Prominence!” Twilight said cheerfully.

Prominence just stared at the figure beside her. So this was her guest, visiting in the early morning? Suddenly everything made much less sense. Except for the sudden appearance of a gymnasium in Twilight's home. That was almost certainly explained by his presence alone.

“Why is she staring?” Discord asked, just loud enough to snap Prominence back to reality.

“Maybe she's never seen a draconequus before? You're not exactly a common sight.” Twilight offered as she grabbed a red ball in her telekinesis.

“Oh, come now, Twilight. We all know she's seen me before.”

Twilight froze, the ball stopping halfway between her and the wall. Prominence sighed. She'd had to break character three times already since she'd gotten to Ponyville. And it looked like--

“Prominence adores the royal statue garden, after all. And as you may remember, I spent quite a bit of time there.” Discord gave them a most mysterious smile.

“W-what's your game?” Prominence asked, looking at him with a bit of nervousness in her eyes, struggling a little to stay in character. To Celestia's near-flawlessly detailed memory, Prominence had never been in the statue gardens. Oh, perhaps she'd stopped by in some story or other, but never in reality.

“Why, Racquetball, of course.” He told her, holding up his racquet, and summoning to his hand the ball Twilight had left floating in the air. “And I'm here for my weekly match with my dear, dear friend, Princess Twilight.” He looked down at Twilight, smiled, and headed onto the court.

“Well, uh, I shouldn't keep him waiting?” Twilight offered. Prominence nodded, and followed them to the racquetball courts. Twilight walked into the court and closed a transparent door behind herself, giving Discord a nod as he held up the ball.

And then there wasn't a ball. No, where it had been in Discord's claw, there was now a small, red, round monster, the size of Twilight's head. It was a horrid, slimy thing, all short, fat, squirming tentacles, and a single throbbing eye. Prominence nearly burst onto the court to attack it before Twilight calmly took it in her magic and whacked it, getting the requisite bounce off the floor before it hit the wall.

The 'ball' seemed to control its own trajectory, veering right back toward her face, only to be intercepted by Discord's own racquet. It appeared to target whoever had last hit it and it was up to the other player to protect them. Whether this was just the sort of thing that Discord considered to be a fun sport, or if this had originally been intended to be some trust exercise to strengthen their friendship, Celestia couldn't tell.

At the end of the match, Twilight had a squelching little monstrosity latched onto her face. She also had the winning point. Discord changed it back to a ball, and Twilight got the door, both of them covered in the temporary abomination's slime and their own sweat. They seemed happy, though, all smiles and shortness of breath, and if asked, Celestia would have to admit that it did her good to see that Twilight got exercise besides long walks through town, or running about whenever a crisis occurred.

“Is it always like that?” Prominence asked, staring at the ball.

“No. A blue ball would've tried to dodge.” Twilight said with a smile.

Apparently Discord had an idea just then, as a light bulb appeared above his head. He then reached off to the side, grabbed hold of nothing, and pulled a shower curtain out around himself and Twilight. He turned the light bulb over, hung it a little higher in the air, and with the squeak of an invisible knob, the bulb began spraying them with water.

“Gyah! Too hot,” The princess objected.

“Sorry, sorry.” Discord turned the water off and the curtain and light bulb vanished into thin air. Twilight was sopping wet, but at least she was free of slime and sweat. As for Discord, not only was he completely clean, but he was also completely dry and offering a towel to Twilight.

“Thanks!” She took it in her magic and began toweling of. “Are you going to stay for breakfast?”

“So kind of you to offer, but I've already got plans with Fluttershy. Do you want me to have her bring anything by later?”

“No thanks. We're all set.”

“Then I'll see you next week,” Discord told her. Twilight nodded, and led Prominence out of the gym. When she closed the door, it vanished into the wall, and Celestia could only assume that the rest of the facility had vanished with it.

The pair made their way to the dining hall early this time. As they sat in pleasant silence, waiting for their food, a sudden and disparaging thought came over Celestia. That could not have been it. Her assumptions were completely off base, and there was no way something as simple as a weekly game of racquetball with Discord had been the cause of all of Twilight's nervous blushing. She thought back to all the things that had been said in the gym, and, while almost certainly unrelated to her little puzzle, she was curious about something.

“Will Fluttershy be coming by today?” She asked.

“Oh! I didn't tell you? They'll all be here today. We have a castle, and we have thrones, so we have no excuse not to hold court. Of course, I don't run Ponyville--the mayor does--so we don't see a lot of traffic. And we get away with only doing it once a week. Would you like to sit in?”

Court. Dreadful, dreadful court. Ponies coming to request approval on their own selfish bids for power. Ponies demanding she settle their petty disputes rather than simply talking the issues over with one another. There had been the occasional good day at court during her reign, and not every petitioner who came to her was self serving. In fact, the majority were working for the betterment of Equestria. It was just those seeking to make their power plays that always seemed to stand out.

Still, she was curious. Things had gotten easier for her in Canterlot with her sister present to share the work load. What would court be like in a palace born of friendship, divided among seven thrones?

“I would be honored.” She finally said, smiling pleasantly.

“Great!” She paused as she heard the kitchen door opening out into the dining hall. “Oh. Oh gosh. I forgot about that.” Twilight said with a frown.

“I hadn't, but, I have to say, I'd hoped it was a joke” Prominence grimaced with distaste.

“Yeah, don't help or anything,” Spike grunted, trying to balance a tray with nine bowls of brussels sprouts and three glasses of juice. Gold and magenta auras lifted them away and set the table for him. Once Spike took his seat, the three of them began their meal.

Being a dragon, as he tended to be with only one notable exception, there were few things that Spike could not safely and easily consume, and while he did have preferences, he found he liked almost anything that was put in front of him. Twilight, though unenthusiastic, made great progress. They weren't her favorite, but there was nothing wrong with brussels sprouts, per se. Prominence would've argued with her day and night on that point if she weren't a princess, and only managed to force down half of a bowl before the involuntary gagging started.

Twilight stared at the gagging pink unicorn. “Is there a problem, Prominence?”

“I'm very sorry, I don't mean to seem ungrateful.” She struggled to eat another sprout.

“Do you want me to make you something else?” To Prominence's shock, it was not Spike who asked this.

“Y-You can cook, Pri—Twilight?”

She nodded, a pleasant smile on her face. “Absolutely. I may lack Spike's natural flair, but at its most basic level, cooking is applied chemistry. And any good cookbook clearly defines the ingredients, preparation, timing, heat, the exact same things you have to know for potion making. And let me tell you about potion making.” Her smile was slowly transforming into a grimace of annoyance.

“Here we go,” Spike sighed, rolling his eyes.

“I can make a potion that would change your eye color, curl your mane, and straighten your tail. Potion making requires measuring and treating the ingredients and exposing them to carefully calculated heat over a strictly measured amount of time. All of these skills directly correlate to cooking. All I need is the recipe! And yet everypony assumes I couldn't even make toast, just because they never see me cooking! It's always Spike doing the cooking! And of course I let Spike cook! He's better at it, and he enjoys it! I don't see why that has to imply a lack of ability on my part!”

Twilight froze, realizing that her front hooves were on the table, her wings were flared, and her teeth were grinding together. To her credit, she didn't faint, or vomit, or do any of a thousand other things she thought she might do when she realized she'd begun an angry rant in front of Princess Celestia. Still, she expected to have either an angry Celestia or a teary-eyed Prominence on her hooves. She got neither. Instead, her guest scrambled out of her seat and bowed low to her.

“I'm so sorry! I promise you, I only asked because Celestia has often lamented her own inability to cook, and frankly, I'm a bit of a mess in the kitchen myself. I was only trying to say that I was impressed. I never meant to insult you! Please, forgive me, Princess Twilight.”

Spike gave Twilight the most insufferably smug grin she'd ever seen. “Nice, Twilight. Way to make our guest feel at home.”

Twilight cringed. “Prominence, I'm sorry. You haven't done anything that needs forgiving. I just...It's a sore spot.” She climbed down from the table. “The offer still stands. What would you like me to make for you?”

Prominence peeked up at her. “You're...you're certain you're not mad?” She received a nod, and thought for a moment. “Something you can make quickly. I'm keeping you from your meal, after all.”

Twilight considered this as she headed into the kitchen. It wasn't long before she came back out with two slices of buttered toast and a fried egg.

“No, no, it's fine, she gave the exact same rant at a potluck last--That's it?” Spike asked, turning away from conversation and toward the plate Twilight had brought. “That's embarrassing!”

“She asked for something fast!” Twilight replied, sliding the plate in front of Prominence, who quickly dug in, eager to replace the flavor of those thrice damned cruciferous abominations.

“See?” Twilight said, motioning toward the frantic consumption. “She likes it just fine.”

“Yeah, yeah. Finish your sprouts so I can take care of the dishes.”

Prominence sat in a comfortable little chair next to Twilight's throne, looking around the chamber, with an awestruck smile. Twilight and Spike watched from their thrones, smiling as she examined her surroundings. None of the other thrones were filled yet, but they had time. As soon as they were all present, The Court of Friendship could convene.

Applejack and Rainbow were the first to arrive, carrying a large weather-worn table that looked like it had been taken from the grounds of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight's magic scooted the thrones in around it a bit, leaving a gap toward the door. Prominence stared as Dash produced several large bottles from her saddlebags, placing them on the table, and zipping off to the kitchen, returning with eight cups.

“Wh-What's going on?” Prominence asked, looking over the table and bottles of what she hoped were not alcoholic drinks as Applejack and Rainbow took their seats.

“Well, it's my turn to bring the drinks,” Rainbow said, motioning to the bottles, “And since Applejack's too weak to carry this big table all by herself, I helped her with that, too.”

“What? I'm more'n strong enough for this table! Just can't keep it balanced when I'm walkin' with it.” She grumbled, adjusting her stetson.

The little dragon gave a little sigh. “Apparently no--”

“AND I BROUGHT THE GAMES!” Screamed Pinkie Pie as she trotted into the room with no such supplies. She took her seat beside Rainbow, all eyes on her.

“Well, where are they?” Twilight asked. Pinkie shook her head vigorously and several boardgames flew out of her mane, stacking themselves neatly on the table.

“But, but that doesn't make sense. How could they fit in her mane?” Prominence asked, staring at the boxes.

“Pinkie, please tell me you'll only use your powers for good.” Spike said as he leaned over the table to see what she'd brought.

“Okey-Dokey-Lokey," She replied, with a dutiful salute.

Fluttershy and Rarity were the last to arrive, taking their seats as Rarity levitated a large number of snacks onto the table.

“Alright, everypony's here, so let's get started.” Twilight said with a smile. “Let this session of--”

“FRIENDSHIP RAINBOW KINGDOM CASTLE COURT!”

“The Court of Friendship,” Twilight corrected Pinkie, narrowing her eyes at her, “Commence.”

“What should we play first?”

“Pass me one a' them little cake thingies!”

“Would you be a dear and pour me some—oh, heavens, not the grape, I can't go around with purple lips all day—on second thought, that might be quite fetching, and it would match my mane...”

“Dibs on the horseshoe!”

“You were the horseshoe last time, Dash!”

“Excuse me.” She'd been quiet. She'd expected to have to raise her voice to get past the chaotic din coming from around the table. But all it had taken was one minor interjection and everypony turned to Prominence with friendly smiles. "I thought this was meant to be Court. What is all this?”

“It's like I told you, Prominence. The mayor runs Ponyville, and most ponies are still more comfortable taking their problems to her. If we're really, really lucky, ten or eleven petitioners might come in, but if we're going to be sitting in here waiting for nearly eight hours, we might as well have fun with it. So, settle in for some fun and relaxation.” Twilight explained with a nervous smile, desperately hoping Celestia wouldn't be disappointed in how she conducted court.

“I see.” This is it. A friendly atmosphere, ponies Prominence would know a reasonable amount of information about... This is the perfect time to begin phase two—oh, Luna, you vexatious mare, now you've got me saying it! “Then, as a guest in your castle, and in your court, may, um, may I make a request?”

“Absolutely.” Twilight nodded.

“I, uh...I believe I would like to be the horseshoe,” She said with a larger smile than the rest of them had seen since she'd stepped off the train.

Spike and Rainbow voiced their disapproval in tandem, but quickly moved on to arguing over who would be the hay bale.

“Rock, paper, scissors for it!”

“I have hooves, Spike!”

“The Court of Friendship will now hold a fifteen minute recess,” Twilight declared. She had tried so hard to make this the kind of court Celestia would hold, the kind her teacher would be proud of. When they'd begun, it was day after day of sitting in silence on thrones, waiting for the off chance that somepony would show up.

Still, as she stood up to stretch her legs, she saw the look on Prominence's face. It may have been a silly court, and it may have been what some nobles would call a mockery of the very concept, but when approached with a petitioner, they got things done, and when they were alone, the concept of a Court of Friendship stayed true to its name as they enjoyed one another's company. And Prominence was enjoying it too. She hadn't seen her this animated, this relaxed, since she'd shown up in Ponyville. This was exactly what she'd dreamed hosting her would be like. Until the dreams of the last few nights, at least.

“Twilight, may I speak to you in private for a moment?” Rarity's voice broke her out of her reverie just as she felt the blush beginning to form on her cheeks. They stepped out of the throne room together, wandering the halls for a moment while Rarity kept a soft, ladylike smile upon her lips. Once they got far enough away to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard, Rarity began speaking. “Honestly, I thought I was imagining things when you were watching me take her measurements.”

“What?” Twilight blinked, well and truly unaware of Rarity's intent.

“The prolonged glances, the color in your cheeks, the dopey smiles...”

“Dopey? Rarity, what are you talking about?”

“Come now, Twilight, I know you had a bit of a late start with socialization, but a mare as smart as you has to be able to recognize that she has a crush!” Rarity paused and looked at Twilight for a moment. “Right?”

Twilight sighed and lowered her head. “The possibility had crossed my mind.”

“Excellent. Now, I've worked up several ideas to help win her over and eventually sweep her off her hooves, all waiting in a notebook at the boutique should you need them. They may need to be fine tuned though. Prominence wasn't exactly the pony I had in mind when I began writing.”

“That...” Twilight shook her head. “That won't be necessary, Rarity. I won't be pursuing this.”

“I want to know why." Rarity told her.

"W-What?"

"Twilight, you've a long history of blowing things out of proportion and getting so caught up in your own ideas about things that you lose track of the reality that those very ideas are based in. So, I hope you'll forgive me, but as a friend, a friend who is ready to work full time with you on this, so that you can find happiness in the hooves of somepony special, I demand to know precisely why not.”

Twilight sighed, stopping in her tracks and leaning against the wall. Rarity turned to face her, watching her expectantly. “I--”

“And if you say one word about yourself being a princess while she's a commoner, I want you to know that I shall have no recourse but to strike you.” Rarity's threat was not an idle one. Twilight could see fire in her eyes.

“As I was saying, I can't tell you. There's something, it...I promised Celestia I wouldn't tell anypony, Rarity. She trusts me.” She sighed, turning to stare at the wall.

Rarity's mind worked at this for a moment before coming to an entirely inaccurate conclusion. “I see. I never expected Celestia to keep something like that secret. I'd at least expect her to put a ring on Prominence's horn, though the secrecy must be to protect her from power hungry ponies trying to get her to bend Celestia's ear, yes? Then I suppose it makes sense that she wouldn't want to be seen wearing a ring.”

“Wow. Ok. Um, let me count the things wrong with that,” Twilight told her as she began pretending to tally the figures in her head, “Twenty five, seventy—ALL OF THEM. All of the things are wrong with that, Rarity. I-I can't even--That's the most ridic--You read too many romance novels. That's what it is. Way, way too many.”

“Then what is it, Twilight?” Rarity asked her, moving a little closer.

“I can't. I can't tell anypony. At all. It's not important anyway. In a few months, this will all be over, and then the dreams will stop, and--”

“Oh, darling, you're having dreams about her?”

Twilight took a long breath. “We should get back. We can talk more later, but it won't change anything.”

They made their way back to the throne room. The only ones who hadn't taken the opportunity to stretch their legs, it seemed, were Rainbow and Prominence, the former literally hovering over the latter's shoulder.

“...And that's when he tried to buy the manticore a prostitute!”

Orange drink squirted out of Prominence's nose as she fumbled her glass, bursting out in laughter.

“Ugh. Really, Rainbow Dash? Stories about your uncouth, immature philanderer of an uncle?” Rarity shuddered with distaste.

“Yeah, he is pretty great, isn't he?” Dash chuckled, drifting down into her seat.

“At least you waited until Spike was out of the room this time,” Twilight replied, flying over to her throne and alighting in its seat.

“Wait, there's other stories?!” Prominence asked.

“Tell ya later.” Rainbow quickly told her as Spike walked in, followed by Applejack.

They froze in the doorway, staring. Twilight took a moment to figure out why, and once she realized the answer, she swept up a napkin in her magic and cleaned a puddle of orange drink from the table. And then wiped off Prominence's muzzle with another.

“The hay happened in here?”

“R-Rainbow was telling some inappropriate stories.” Prominence replied.

“Good old uncle Summer Rain.” Applejack said with a roll of her eyes before she took her seat.

Once Fluttershy came back from getting herself some fresh air, and Pinkie Pie returned from the bathroom, and Pinkie Pie was told she was not allowed to be a toilet paper mummy during official proceedings no matter how lax their attitude toward keeping a professional appearance was, the Court of Friendship reconvened.

“Oh, I do all kinds of things for Celestia. It's mostly just the little details that running the government tends to get in the way of. On a really bad day, I even have to feed Phil--”

Fluttershy jumped out of her seat into the air. “PHILOMENA! Oh my gosh, but if you're here and Celestia's in the sun, who's taking care of her? She's not all alone, is she? Oh, I could've taken care of her! I can't stand the thought of her being ignored! Why didn't Celestia ask me to help?”

“Uh...Luna and her staff are taking care of her.” Prominence replied, staring up at the hovering pegasus.

Taking a few deep breaths, Fluttershy slowly lowered back into her throne and apologized for her outburst.

Finally, four hours and three breaks into the proceedings, a petitioner had arrived.

“What can we help you with today, Bulk Biceps?” Twilight asked. The massive muscular stallion took a short moment to organize his thoughts before presenting them.

“I WANT BIGGER MUSCLES.” He shouted. The assembled ponies shared looks of confusion.

“I'm not entirely sure what you expect us to do about that, Bulk.” Twilight replied.

“CAN'T YOU MAGIC THEM BIGGER?”

“Not safely, no. I could end up doing serious damage to any muscle I try to enhance. And if I can't safely do magic on a pony's body, there's no way I'm going to attempt it. Also, this kind of request is more suited to just, you know, asking me for a favor. You didn't need to come in and make a formal petition.”

“OH. WELL WHAT ABOUT YOU TWO? CAN YOUR MAGIC MAKE ME BIGGER?”

Prominence just stared. The muscles wouldn't stop twitching at her!

Rarity thought for a moment. “I've no magic that can help you. But, I suppose I could make you some nice, tight outfits that accentuate your muscles. You'll be no larger, but you will certainly look more muscular. Come by the boutique tomorrow and I'll take some measurements.”

“GREAT! SEE YOU LATER!” he slowly lifted off, turned in the air, and hovered out of the room with an awkward posture, dangling from his wings.

“He's certainly...Intense.” Prominence noted.

“Yeah, that's probably the best word for it.” Twilight noted.

“I like Bulk. He's so nice.” Fluttershy said pleasantly.

“Oh, do you, dear? Please, go on.” Rarity winked at her, drawing forth a fierce blush and stammering denial. “No? What a shame...What about you, Prominence? Anypony special in your life?” She asked, coolly ignoring the fact that Twilight was using every ounce of self control in her body to keep from trying to silence her.

“I'm afraid not. I, uh, don't really have a lot of free time to meet ponies, what with my work.” As true of her disguise's story as it was of Celestia's actual life.

“Well, who knows? Perhaps you'll find the perfect pony while you're here in town?” Rarity offered, and Twilight was sure she was deliberately being nonspecific about the gender of said perfect pony.

“I, heh...If I did, they'd be getting more than they bargained for.”

Twilight's eyes widened. Did she intend to spill the beans? Was the secrecy over with? Were all of her friends going to share in this?

“I'm pretty high maintenance when I'm in a relationship,” She admitted. “I'd be expecting a lot of letters, if they weren't showing up by train all the time.”

Twilight's eyes got even wider. Letters. Why did she mention letters? Was that a hint? Did she know that Twilight was infatuated with her? Was it an invitation to pursue those feelings? She groaned in frustration. There just wasn't enough evidence to take any risks. And even if they did start a relationship through letters, it would still just be an imaginary pony writing letters to her. In fact, that, alone, had to be evidence against it. Celestia wouldn't indulge her in something like that! It...It was unhealthy. At least, it must have been. How could it possibly be healthy? It was about this time that Twilight realized everypony was staring at her.

“What?”

“You sort of, um...” Spike struggled to elaborate on what she had sort of done.

“You 'groaned in frustration'!” Pinkie supplied helpfully, taking the words directly from the narrative itself.

"Oh, sorry. I've, uh, I've been working on a little problem with Luna for the last few days. It's giving me some trouble."

"If I can be of any aid, please let me know. I'm no stranger to assisting royalty, after all, and I'll go mad if I spend three months just sitting on my hooves. Please, feel free to ask anything of me, regarding this, or anything else you might need." Prominence told her with a little smile.

"You've really been opening up today." Fluttershy observed. "I'm glad."

"I...have I?" She asked, trying to keep a knowing smile off her face. "I guess you're all just making me feel so welcome."

"DUUUUH, that's what the party was for!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Now whose turn was it, before Bulk came in?"

"Let this session of the..." Twilight paused and watched Pinkie, who wistled innocently.
"...Co—"

"Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle Court!!!!" Rainbow shouted, sticking her tongue out playfully at Twilight.

"Court of Friendship be concluded." Twilight said with a groan. Her friends began cleaning and gathering up the supplies they'd brought. "Everypony knows what they need to bring next week, right?" Her friends nodded. "Great! See you all later!" She adjusted the thrones back to their original positions as five ponies departed from the castle.

"Um, Twilight? If I may?" Prominence asked. "Why do Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash keep talking about a Friendship Rainbow--"

"Ah-hahahahahahaha!" She gave her worst fake laugh. "They're so silly and weird, right? You never can be really sure about what's going on in their--"

"Twilight tried to name this place Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle when we first got it. They're not in any hurry to let her live it down."

"THANK YOU. SPIKE." She shouted through teeth clenched in a forced smile.

"No problem," He replied with a smug grin, heading out of the throne room.

Twilight hung her head in shame and glanced up at Prominence. "So, what'd you think of court?"

"It's amazing! I had so much fun! Can I sit in next week, too?" She wore such an earnest smile. Twilight felt like denying her would be like taking a foal to a theme park and saying they weren't allowed to go on any of the rides. Of course, she had no reason to deny her.

"Absolutely. But I can't guarantee you'll be able to be the horseshoe again."

"Oh, that's alright. I think I might like the saddle more anyway." She replied. "So, what should we do until it's time for dinner?"

"Well, you could explain how a fire mage from a little mining town like Saddleton wound up organizing all the various miscellany of Celestia's day to day life." She said with a smile as the two of them started to wander the halls.

"That's a fairly short story." Prominence warned as she followed the princess. "It likely won't fill the time we need it to."

"I'd still love to hear it."

"...Well, she was in Fillydelphia on business. Two of her guards were pulling her chariot, as usual, but one of them got a cramp in his wing. They had to set down just outside of Saddleton. Now, one pony can't pull a flying chariot alone, and Celestia refused to let her guard get back in the air until he'd had enough rest. And both the guards refused to let Celestia help pull the chariot.

"The town was more than happy to help them out for the night. Each of them stayed at a different house that had a spare room, and, well, my father had passed away about six months before, so Celestia got his old bed. I guess I impressed her as a host. Basically all I did was my current job. She asked if I wanted to come to Canterlot and work for her, and I didn't really have any reason to say no."

"That was a lot shorter than the other story."

"I think it helped that I didn't have to explain where Saddleton was or how I grew up...Details in the other story that, if you didn't have them, would've gone into this one..." They paused in the hallway.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked, looking around.

"I was following you. Did you get lost in your own castle?"

"It happens more often than I'd care to admit."

They'd made it back in time for dinner. They'd eaten with Spike. They'd spent some time together and Twilight rectified the fact that Prominence hadn't met Owlowiscious. But, now it was time for some rest.

"So." Twilight said, staring warily at her bed. "What'll it be tonight?" She waited a moment. "Last night's debate was obviously because of what Celestia said." She waited again before continuing. "Is it going to be Prominence wearing an alluring saddle and horse shoes because of her choices in game pieces? Playing a game of doubles racquetball with her against Discord and Fluttershy? Winding up in her home town after a guardpony's wing goes out?" The bed gave no response and she sighed, climbing into it. "Hit me with your best shot, subconscious."

Twilight found herself alone in a small room. The only features were light from an indeterminable source and a door before her. There were no other options present, so she opened the door and walked through to find one of the most arousing sights she'd ever encountered.

There, on a bed, were Prominence and Celestia, deep in the throes of passion. They paused. They both looked at her. She stared back.

"Twilight. What a pleasant surprise." Celestia whispered.

"Come, join us." Prominence requested.

"Rorwr." Added a sultry Manticore as it climbed onto the bed.

In the waking world, Luna sprayed tea all over her chess set. And Philomena, the phoenix in the middle of making her move.

And in Celestia's dream, her composure did not fare much better.

"Luna? What is it?" Celestia asked, once more in the old courtyard.

"I see millions of dreams every night, my mind is fine tuned to be able to process and interact with each of them simultaneously, and yet there's still some things that can catch even me by surprise, after all these years." She shook her head slowly. "Perhaps I'm just too close to the topics involved. If it were any other three ponies, I doubt I'd bat an eye. But enough about that. I'm sorry for interrupting. You were saying, dear sister?"

"I was saying that Prominence has opened up quite a bit over the course of this day. I've managed to build the beginnings of bonds with Twilight's inner circle."

"Then Phase two is a success!"

"It's a bit early to say that, but I am making some friends...I just wish I didn't have to go back to being worshiped as their ruler when all is said and done."

"Perhaps you don't! Perhaps you could fabricate viciously embarrassing stories about yourself! Stories that would allow for none of them to hold you in reverence!"

"A cunning plan, dear sister, but surely Twilight would have poor Prominence imprisoned for her slanderous lies. And besides, the ponies need to be able to revere us. We've tried living like Cadance and Twilight do, remember? Faith in the high thrones was lost. They thought us unfit to rule."

"Yes, yes, so always strong and sure we must remain, guiding beacons to all of our subjects, that they need not fear us leading them astray. A speech you've given many times, and the entire reason for this vacation if I recall. But what if a relationship were formed on this excursion that you were not content with keeping only memories of? What would you do then?"

Celestia thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose that, if such a bridge is ever built, I will cross it when I come to it. I must say, It's unlike you to wax hypothetical."

"Hypothetically, imagine that it's not a hypothetical."

"I'm starting to doubt myself. Are you the real Luna, or just my dream of Luna? Sister, if you're hiding in the bushes or the moon, please come forward."

"I'm sorry. Blame your pet," Luna lied, "She's had me in quite a strange mood with her conversations."

"And now you imply Philomena speaks. I'm even more unsure than I was a moment ago." She was reassured as Luna snickered at her confusion.

Twilight threw off her covers, changed her sheets, and got into the shower at three in the morning, all while grumbling curses at Rarity and Rainbow Dash under her breath.

Time Apart

It had been five days since Prominence came to Ponyville, and Twilight's dreams were only getting worse, causing her to wake up every couple of hours the last few nights, and leaving her hesitant to go back to sleep each time. But now it was morning, and sleeping wasn't anywhere near as big a challenge as waking.

She grumbled with annoyance as she opened her eyes slowly. She took a moment to try and wet her dried out mouth, resulting in her tongue making futile smacking sounds. “Need...” Her voice came out rough and raspy as her eyes began to drift closed, but she stubbornly shook her head. “Need to wake up. Got to...” Her mind was fuzzy. Somewhere deep inside, she came under the impression that if she did not force herself awake, she would be trapped for all eternity, drifting in and out of a light doze.

She made a snap decision due to her drowsiness. Before she started to drift off again, she'd get up, she'd walk downstairs, and she'd make some coffee. And the first step was getting up. “Alright. Stand. OK. Go!” She rolled over and fell off the bed and onto her side, feeling a sharp surge of unexpected pain as her body came down upon her wing.

Not only tired, but now sore as well, she no longer trusted herself to make it down the stairs. The coffee would have to wait. “OK. What do I do next. I...Shower. Cold shower. Force my body awake. No, no, hot shower, promote blood flow. Right...” She narrated, trying to keep herself focused in case the minor rush of adrenaline from her impact wore off. She walked carefully into the bathroom, stepped into the shower, and turned it on. “Don't. Lean on the wall. You know that's a bad idea. You know you'll fall asleep. Don't rationalize it, don't pretend you can stay awake this time, just don't lean on the wall.” The adrenaline was already starting to fade.

“Gotta keep occupied. Gotta...w-wash my mane!” She levitated a bottle of shampoo over, squeezed out some of its contents and-- “AUGH!” The shampoo bottle rocketed out of the shower, bouncing off the door and falling onto the tiled floor. “'NO TEARS' MY PLUMP PURPLE POSTERIOR!” She quickly cleared her eye of the errant shampoo and realized that the time and focus spent on the task was apparently enough to fully awaken her. Mostly. She'd still need that cup of coffee. Or two. After toweling off, she stepped out of her room and out into the hallway to find Prominence waiting with a bit of concern visible on her face.

“G'morning.” Twilight mumbled, with a suppressed smile and suspiciously little eye contact.

“Good morning, Twilight. Uh...Problems in the shower?” She asked. That she even dared to ask once more reminded Twilight of how quickly she'd opened up, and set Twilight to wondering about why Celestia hadn't just made her this open in the first place.

“Uh, kind of. Why? Is there still shampoo in my mane?”

“Well, I heard a shout about, um...” Her cheeks began to burn bright as she chuckled nervously, looking away from Twilight. “Your, to use your words, 'plump purple posterior.'"

Twilight's entire face felt like it was consumed in flame. Her eyes narrowed to pinpricks as she stared straight ahead.

“Um, Twilight?” Prominence ventured.

“One moment please.” Twilight responded, not moving.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

“I'm dying of embarrassment. So far, it's harder than it sounds.”

It was all the mercy Prominence could give that her laughter was buried in her fetlock. Twilight gave a sigh of defeat. Not only had nothing occurred to save her from her embarrassment, but now she couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful Prominence's laugh sounded this morning, and how it could theoretically actually be possible to die from something like that if a pony managed to blush hard enough to damage a blood vessel or deprive a vital organ of blood. But then came a thought. Blazing and brilliant, this one single thought worked its way back to the forefront of her prodigious mind.

“I need coffee.”

An oasis in a desert of drowsiness. A wakeful shelter in a horrible storm. A single book and its promises of knowledge and clarity, found remaining in broken, tattered ruins. Coffee was all these things and delightfully bitter as the pleasant, almost but not quite too hot liquid flowed down her throat as she sat on the cool floor of the kitchen, eyes closed, listening to the sounds of Spike happily at work a few feet away. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Prominence.

“I haven't been sleeping well lately. Just so you know.” She told her. “Coffee is certainly not an every morning sort of thing for me. But I love it so much.” She began to ponder the implications that the three greatest loves in her life were reading, her bed, and coffee.

“Everypony always tells me how much more they're able to do with it, but, Heavens help me, I just can't get past the taste, no matter how much cream and sugar I add.”

Twilight hid her smile behind her mug, finding the first glaring flaw that Prominence displayed to be a bit of a soothing balm to her buried desires and anxieties.

“I was thinking I might go out by myself today.” Prominence stated. She frowned when she saw the startlingly powerful look of abandonment on Twilight's face. “It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with the both of you, but Celestia sent me here to visit the town, not just you two. Spike's got his chores, you might want to catch up on some sleep, and you've got that, um, what was it you and Luna were working on again?”

“It's this...little...not important...” Twilight mumbled noncommittally to her coffee.

“Right, well, you've got that to deal with, so I think I'll just take the day to spend out on my own. If you don't mind.”

“Yeah, alright." Twilight told her, trying to keep from frowning. "Um, do you need any bits?”

“Twilight, Celestia's been paying me for my work for a few years, and I haven't had much chance to spend it, with all my food and lodging being provided by the palace. I'm not short on money.”

Breakfast had been delicious, and now that it was over, Celestia was out on the town. She still regarded her disguise as fitting of the initial design plan of ordinary and unobtrusive, but now it was by Ponyville's friendly standards, where ordinary meant a smile and a wave and a pleasant greeting, and not a head held low to avoid scrutiny. She smiled as she thought about the new piece of the puzzle she'd managed to pick up this morning.

“Oh, good morning, Spike!” She'd said with a measured amount of familiarity, followed by a pleasant smile when he returned her greetings. “I've got a question for you. I've noticed that Twilight seems to blush a lot. Is that normal?”

“Umm...” The dragon rubbed his chin with a claw. “No, not really. In fact, I haven't seen her blush this much since we went through that mirror, and she met that guy from the other world. Anyway, I can't hang around. Twilight gets nuts if she has a late breakfast, because then everything else is late, and blah blah blah blah blah, just a huge lecture right up in my face.”

“Alright. Thanks, Spike!” The dragon had been just as forthcoming and honest as she'd expected. He never had been of a particularly suspicious sort, and that played right into her hooves. He'd seen it for earnest curiosity to be informed and dismissed, just as she predicted.

“'NO TEARS' MY PLUMP PURPLE POSTERIOR!” came a call from Twilight's bathroom.

“I don't even wanna know what that's about. See you at breakfast,” Spike told her as he headed downstairs.

A stallion was involved. She was certain now. She'd started to abandon the idea after she'd dwelt on it incorrectly before walking into the gym a few days ago, but she felt her current hypothesis was entirely valid. Twilight had a boyfriend. She wanted Celestia to meet him without putting him under the pressure of being presented to a high ruler. She was worried about him gaining the approval of her teacher.

Of course, this, like any good hypothesis, was fluid, and subject to change upon the acquisition of information. So, to either prove herself right, or push herself closer to the truth, Celestia set out to scour Ponyville for clues, and the best places to learn about somepony without them suspecting was always to look at the ponies they kept nearest, and she felt confident in her decision to make the Carousel Boutique her first destination. Until she realized that not everypony was as much of an early riser as Twilight or herself, and she found herself loitering out of view of the door or windows until Rarity opened the shop almost an hour later. Prominence decided it would be prudent to wait another fifteen minutes, in an attempt to keep from arousing suspicions.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is—Oh! Prominence, welcome!” Rarity trotted over to her with a smile on her face.

Prominence once again found herself caught off guard by the garments that she might never hear Rarity finish describing. “Do you put some kind of desire enchantment on your clothes?”

“Oh, darling, of course not! Though I'll take it as a compliment to my work instead of an insult to my character.”

“O-oh, yeah. I...That's how I meant it.” Prominence awkwardly rubbed her hooves together, frowning with visible guilt.

“It's alright, Prominence. I'm glad that you find them so captivating. Did you perhaps come here for some shopping, or is this more a social visit?”

“It...” Prominence paused as a dress caught her eye. “It may end up being both.”

Twilight stood by the window, watching Prominence walk away from the castle. Maybe this would be what she needed to finally clear her head. She felt her jaw forcing itself open of its own accord and a loud yawn flowed out.

“She was right, Twilight. You really should try and catch up on your sleep. I'll handle all the chores and stuff.”

“Right. Thanks, Spike. I know I can count on you.” She smiled softly as he glowed with pride. He'd always been proud of his job as her assistant, but more and more, it seemed like he was growing proud of the actual work involved, and not just the position. Twilight headed back up to her room, closed the shutters on her window, and covered herself with the blanket. Despite the two cups of coffee, she felt all the strength immediately drain from her as she snuggled in under the covers.

“Come on, no sexy dreams, please. Or disturbing ones. Or disturbingly sexy.”

“And here we are.” She said, looking around at the interior of the Golden Oak library. “Oh...Now I'm sad. Wait. This is a...Oh! Lucid dream!” She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, and when she opened them, the bookshelves around her had all grown to massive proportions, filling with new knowledge. “Now if I could just read in my dreams, this would be perfect.”

“Unfortunately, being able to actually interpret text in your sleep is a rare ability indeed. While you're here, and perfectly aware that you're asleep, would you like to discuss something? Or would you prefer to reshape the world to better suit your whim?” Luna asked, stepping up beside her.

“I guess I could do both.” Twilight replied, walking out the door to find a Ferris wheel erected and active just outside her old home. Luna followed as Twilight, now lacking her wings, climbed into one of the compartments.

“Have you come to any conclusions regarding your views of Prominence?”

“I have a massive crush on her. And I feel ridiculous for it.” Twilight replied. Luna was a friend, after all. And if she couldn't be trusted to keep secrets that she learned in dreams, nopony in Equestria would ever willingly sleep again. On a whim, the sky filled with accurately placed stars and turned black, the sun fading to be replaced by a moon. Luna couldn't help but smile.

“And that constant focus on her is driving her to the forefront of your subconscious mind. Though I'm still confused about the manticore from the other night.”

Twilight immediately muscled past the mention of that dream. “And what do you think I should do? I've never really had a crush on anypony before. I mean, OK, maybe there's been a few literary characters, but they were out of my way once I finished their books. And, Flash, sure, but now that I'm in Equestria, I doubt I'll ever see him again. I guess, when this is over, I'll never see Prominence again, either, now that I think about it.”

“You should speak to my sister. And, if I may make a suggestion? Ask her where Prominence came from.”

“You mean Saddleton?”

Luna shook her head, a light smile on her face. “Ask Celestia. Not Prominence. You'll get a very different answer.”

“...Alright.”

“Can we go on a roller coaster, next? Roller coasters are my favorite.”

“This tea is amazing. Where did you get it?” Prominence asked, smiling and staring at her cup.

“Oh, from Zecora. She lives out in the Everfree Forest.”

“Ponies actually live there?...Regardless, I should try to take some of this home. Celestia would love it.” She sat back in her chair, glancing down at the small shopping bag of clothing that Rarity had magically wrinkle-proofed for her, then allowed her eyes to wander around the small dining room. “Rarity, can I ask you something?”

Rarity raised her eyebrows a little as she lowered her teacup. “Of course, dear, anything at all.”

“Do you happen to know if Twilight...If she has a special somepony?” She grew a little wary of the smile that struggled to assert itself, despite Rarity's attempts to keep it contained.

“I can actually say that I am absolutely certain she does not. However, we must move fast, as that is subject to change at a moment's notice.” Her horn brought a small notebook over to her. “I've got several ideas in here to win her over and eventually sweep her off her hooves, though they may need some fine tuning. Twilight was most certainly not the pony I had in mind while writing this.”

Prominence began laughing. “Oh, Rarity, I never took you for a joker!”

“Hm? Oh, haha, yes, and what was it about what I said that was so funny?”

“Well...She's obviously straight, isn't she?”

Rarity bit her lip for a moment. As much as she could gossip about celebrities, Twilight was her friend first and a celebrity second. When it came down to it, she simply had no right to correct Prominence. Not without Twilight's permission, at least. “Oh, I suppose you may be right. I'm just eager to see any of my friends find somepony special. It must have just been my inner romantic getting the best of me. Perhaps Twilight has a point about my reading too many romance novels.”

“Even if she were interested in mares, even a little, I'm just a common filly from Saddleton. I'd never have any chance with a princess.” Prominence said dismissively, a small, entertained smile on her face.

Rarity nearly flipped the table before the chiming of a gorgeously crafted antique clock distracted her. “Oh! I'd nearly forgotten. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have an appointment. It's time for my weekly spa visit with Fluttershy. Of course, you're welcome to come along, Prominence.”

“Oh, alright! That sounds wonderful! But, um...” She looked down at her bag.

“Oh, don't worry. You can check that at the spa. Or, if you plan to come back here afterward, we could just leave it here.”

“I think I'll take it. Not that I'm not enjoying your company, but, how do I put it...”

“You want to keep your options open if something else should come up, I take it?”

“Yes! That. Exactly that.”

The two unicorns made their way to the spa, chatting amiably about the various minutiae of their lives, of Canterlot and Ponyville, and of high society and royalty. When they got to the spa, they found two...friends waiting for them.

“Oh. Discord. Hello.” Rarity said slowly, more out of surprise than distaste. Well, maybe a little distaste. He wasn't exactly the most relaxing of company, and relaxing was sort of the point of the whole thing.

“Hello, Rarity!” He replied, excited. “And Prominence! How wonderful to see you both.”

“You too, Discord." Rarity said with a small, not entirely real smile. "Though I am surprised to see you at the spa. It's not the kind of place I'd expect you to visit.”

“Even I need to unwind once in a while.” He said with a grin. “And of course, Fluttershy can invite a friend, right? After all, you did.”

Prominence looked back over at him curiously as she checked her bag. “Wait, was, was I not supposed to come?”

“No, no, you're both fine.” Rarity assured.

“The more the merrier.” Added Fluttershy.

“Aloe? Lotus?” Rarity called. “The Usual!”

Twilight woke up from her nap, feeling much more rested. Still, she had a nagging feeling in the back of her head. Luna had given her some advice, though she didn't understand it, and she felt like she needed someone else to talk to. It wasn't any sort of doubt regarding Luna's suggestions, but a desire to have more input.

“Well, there's only a few ponies I even can talk to about this, so it's not like it would be a huge chore or anything.” She headed out of the palace, which took a bit longer than she cared for, before spreading her wings and taking off into the air, heading for Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith was always a source of wisdom, due to her years of experience. Well, usually a source of wisdom. Okay, it was an even three way split of wisdom, joyful reminiscing, and mumbled nonsense.

She landed outside the farm house, knocking on the door.

“COME IN!” Granny called from her rocking chair. Twilight entered and sat down across from her.

“Hi, uh...G...um.” She paused, trying to decide on how to address her. Granny seemed to pick up on it.

“If you try'n call me Apple Smith, I'll tan yer hide, princess or no.”

“Oh. Um, alright, Granny Smith.” She paused again, not entirely sure of how to proceed. “I'd like to ask you for some advice, if I may. Privately.”

“Go right ahead. Youngun's are all out workin' the fields.”

Twillight quickly cast her soundproofing spell just to be safe, and took a deep breath. “I have a crush on somepony. But not that pony. The pony she's pretending to be.” She said, hoping that Granny could piece it together without having to flat out say that she was infatuated with Prominence. It just felt like it would be too embarrassing to state it plainly outside the safety of her dreams.

“'She?' You a filly fooler, Twilight?” Granny ran her eyes up and down Twilight.

“Oh, um, I, well, I, honestly, I've never taken the time try and analyze my sexuality. I just, I never had much experience in that regard, and I've never been in a real relationship, besides which I've almost never even been interested in anypony, so it never seemed entirely relevant. Though, all current evidence considered, I'd say I'm, um, bisexual?” She answered awkwardly, hoping that Granny wouldn't turn out to be as prejudiced as some other members of her generation tended to be.

“Oh, me too! I don't mind tellin' you, I fooled with more'n my share of fillies back b'fore I met Applejack's grand pappy.”

Granny may not have minded telling her, but Twilight minded. Twilight minded more than she felt she had any reason to.

“Why, I remember this one filly, she had this way of ticklin' me right behind my--” And now Twilight had a perfectly legitimate reason to mind as much as she did. Still, she came to Granny for wisdom because of the older mare's experience. If she was sharing stories of her past, there might be something for Twilight to glean.

Her optimism faded over time, however, as Granny continued on and on about her dalliances over the years. Twilight was now certain of two things: Granny Smith did not exaggerate when she'd said she'd fooled with more than her share of fillies, and Granny Smith had terrifyingly precise recall for a mare her age.

Luckily for Twilight, in the midst of yet another overly detailed explanation of past exploits, Granny dozed off and fell asleep in her rocking chair, and the princess could leave without making up an excuse.

She wondered, as she flew back to her home, if the blush on her cheeks would ever truly fade. When she entered the palace, she cast a spell over the entire thing. Her voice echoed through the halls of her home, resounding from each and every room. "Spike, could you meet me in my study? I have to write a letter."

“Thank you so much for inviting me, Rarity. I've never felt so pampered.” Prominence let out a little extra breath on the last word, smiling wistfully. Of course, Celestia had felt that pampered before. Around two hundred years ago. That was a more luxury centered age, though, where such things were symbols of status.

“Think nothing of it, darling. It was wonderful having you both accompany us. But, Discord, do you think that if we do this again, you could perhaps try a little harder not to get kicked out? Aloe and Lotus were giving me nasty looks the entire rest of the treatment, and it can't have been too entertaining to just sit here and wait for us.”

Discord's smile set Prominence's fur on end. “I managed to keep myself entertained.” The three ponies all glanced around, a mix of nerves and curiosity driving them to try and seek out whatever havoc he might have sown, but found nothing. “Oh, Prominence, I was wondering if I could take a little walk with you.” Discord said, smiling. Celestia's instincts screamed to refuse him, to turn and leave, or to drop into a combat-ready posture, but she could conceive of no reason for Prominence to do those things. Besides, he was trustworthy now. Supposedly.

“Alright. Goodbye, Rarity. Goodbye, Fluttershy.” She followed the draconequus in tense silence as she levitated her bag beside herself. After a few twists and turns, he went into an alley. She hesitated for a moment, and wished she'd hesitated longer when, as she entered the alley, a brick wall formed up behind her, a ceiling following suit over head.

She finally listened to her instincts and dropped into a battle ready position, only to find her glowing horn pointing at a large sign Discord held in front of himself, instructing her to cast her soundproofing spell.

She didn't know how he knew about the spell, but she cast it regardless. It was a struggle to keep from grumbling in annoyance when she did. The last three days, she'd managed to stay in character the whole time, and now Discord, for no revealed purpose, seemed intent on having her break character.

“Thank you. Now, then. Did you enjoy the flowers?”

Celestia paused, caught off guard. Flowers? She thought back a ways before she managed to find them in her memory. “The ones you gave me when Twilight's castle appeared, yes? They were lovely.”

“And how did they taste?”

Celestia felt a light blush heating her cheeks, and hoped it wasn't strong enough to penetrate her coat. “I'm sorry, Discord. I misunderstood. I thought they were for decoration, not consumption.”

“Well, no matter, as long as you enjoyed them.” He said, waving a dismissive talon in the air.

“Is that all you needed to talk to me about?” She asked, a bit of tension in her voice.

“Not at all, Celestia. I have a very important question, one that needs answering all the more now that you seem ready to do battle with me the moment we're sealed off from the public eye.” He smiled down at her.

“And what question is that?” She finally straightened up, realizing she was still poised for combat.

“Are we friends?”

“Uh, Twilight?” Spike asked, rubbing his claws together nervously.

“Yes, Spike?” She asked, sitting at her desk, staring down at some parchment.

“You've been staring at that scroll for a while now. Are you sure you don't just want to track me down when you're ready to send it to her?”

“Just give me a moment to finish writing the letter, and then you can send it and be on your way.”

“Finish?” He huffed with annoyance. “You haven't even started.” And he was getting so bored with waiting! Although, there was probably a way to make this more fun. A sly grin formed on his face. “Oh, I get it. You forgot how this works. Uh, there's these things called letters, and when you put them together the right way, they form words.”

“I'm aware.” She said, her expression conveying that she was already fed up with his jokes. Spike didn't look too closely, though.

“Do you not remember how the letters get on the paper? You take the quill, that's the feather sitting in the ink well over there, you take that, and you write the letters down. On the paper.”

“Thank you. Spike.”

“You do remember how to write, don't y--”

“You want me to write?! Fine! I'll write!” She snatched up the quill in her magic. “'Dear Cadance, Are you familiar with Prominence? Because I have a huge crush on her and it's affecting my quality of life by screwing up my sleep schedule, but I have no idea what to do about it! But there's bigger news! So, so much bigger! My assistant, the hero of your own Crystal Empire, has won a massive award for World's Snarkiest Smart Aleck!!!' There, it's written, now send it!”

“I--”

“Send it!” And it was gone in a flash of green fire.

“You have a crush on Prominence?” Spike asked, a massive smile forming on his cute little baby dragon face.

Twilight's joints locked up. Her back stiffened. Her jaw tightened as she stared at him. “Oh good Heavens what have I done.”

“...Friends...” Celestia took a slow, deep breath as she continued pondering Discord's question. He'd been impeccably patient, though he looked worried. Finally, she came to a conclusion, but it wasn't the one she'd wanted to reach. “No.” She didn't let his pained expression slow her down at all. “No, Discord, we are not friends. We have each fought, horn, hoof, and claw against everything the other stands for, for centuries. And while I am willing to move forward in peace, the simple fact that I thought this was a trap is proof enough that I do not consider you a friend.”

“I see. I suppose I can't really blame you, after all the horrors I've wrought.” He sighed wistfully. “Oh, the horrors. I miss them. But, sacrifices made for the greater good and all that.”

“I wasn't finished, Discord. I want to be your friend.”

He paused and stared at her for a moment. “Why?”

“Because you are trying. I can see it, though millennium old instincts don't want to acknowledge it. You are trying to be a better draconequus than the chaotic demon I once fought. And you're succeeding. I would be honored to call the new Discord a friend. I just hope you'll afford me the time to see him as one.”

“You're really willing to give me a chance?” He asked, staring into her eyes.

“If I wasn't, you would've been punished for conspiring with Tirek by now.”

“That reminds me, why was I never charged with treason?” He asked, stroking his beard. “Not that I necessarily would've let you punish me, but I keep expecting the guard to bust down my door and read me my rights.”

“Well, legally, treason is a citizen's betrayal of their country,” Celestia told him with a crooked smile. “At the time, you weren't legally a citizen. In fact, you were still in our books as a piece of artwork. But that's been rectified by now, and your citizenship is in full effect.”

“Oh ho...so I get all the rights of any tax paying Equestrian?”

“That depends. Do you actually pay taxes?” She smiled playfully.

Discord began whistling innocently as the brick wall vanished, forcing Celestia to once more take the role of Prominence. “That was a lovely chat, Prominence. Thank you so much. I look forward to spending more time getting to know you during your visit.”

“Me too, Discord. You're certainly, ah, interesting?”

“Oh, now, I don't know why you'd go and say a thing like that. I'm just me.”

“You. Cannot. Tell her.” Twilight begged, laying on the floor before Spike. He stared at her, confused. What kind of dragon did she think he was?

“Oh, come on, Twilight. I'm not gonna tell anypony. But why don't you tell her? Then you guys can..,uh...what's that look for?” He asked, noting the distinct way that Twilight was looking at him that seemed to say, 'Really? Really?'

“Why don't you tell Rarity about your crush on her?”

Spike frowned. “Right. Well, I'll help you with Prominence if you help me with Rarity!” He exclaimed with extraordinary enthusiasm.

Twilight sighed, pulling herself back up into a sitting position. For all the silliness of the child's crush, he did seem to have a fair bit in common with the object of his affections. “Spike, I don't want to have this crush on Prominence. I don't need help winning her over, I just need help getting over her.” Spike gave her a disappointed frown, and she decided there was a change of subject was in order. “How exactly would I help you with Rarity?”

“Well, she might not be interested in dragons. So I'd need you to turn me into a stallion.” He muscled through Twilight's stare. “You know, like how you turned the girls into breezies?”

“Well, there's two problems with that. For one, if I made you a pony, you'd be a little colt. For another, if I turn you into a colt, I'd have to give in and turn Rainbow into a dragon. I don't think anypony is ready to deal with the rebuilding efforts that would follow.”

“Oh. Right.” He sighed and looked down at the ground. Twilight frowned and set her hoof on his shoulder.

“Look, Spike, even if I did turn you into a pony, you'd still be a dragon on the inside. Be what you are and let everypony love you for that. Because if Rarity falls in love with you as a pony, that pony's not who you really are. Now, come on. Why don't we make some lunch together?”

“Alright,” He sighed, heading for the kitchen. Twilight followed behind him, frowning softly. All she could think about was how much she wanted Prominence to get back, and how much she didn't want to want it.

“Show us! Show us!” Three adorable little fillies chanted at Prominence. They'd been questioning her for a while about her home, her job, her cutie mark, and now the actual magic that earned it.

“Alright. I'm going to show you some, well, it's not really cold, but I call it cold fire.” She paused and looked at the unicorn. “Promise you won't try this yourself? Because you could really hurt somepony if you try it and make a mistake.” She received a nod, and lifted her hoof. With a flash of her horn, the hoof ignited in fire. “It's not hot at all.” she said, staring at the orange flames. “In fact, you can touch it.” She held out her hoof, and each of the little fillies reached into the fire, cooing in awe as they found no heat emanating from it.

The teacher in Celestia ached to explain the process by which she was using her magic to immediately dissipate the heat that was a necessary product of a sustained reaction, or how she was fueling it with magic so nothing had to be burnt to keep the fire going, but it just wouldn't do. The explanation, if given to Prominence, would go right over her head. To Prominence, this would have to be something that she just sort of did.

“And I can change the color, too.” It turned purple, matching the mane of the little pegasus. Then red, matching the earth filly. Then she paused and stared at the unicorn's mane. She wasn't sure which of the colors to--

“Just do the pink.” The unicorn sighed, and Prominence complied. She then extinguished the flames.

“What did you think?” She asked the fillies. “Probably not as interesting as the spells Princess Twilight casts,” She said, allowing herself to use her title due to her absence, “But I've always been fond of that one.”

“Actually, Twilight mostly just levitates stuff when we're around.”

“I saw her turn a frog into an orange once, but it wasn't on purpose. She was aiming at an apple.”

“Turnin' an apple into an orange? That's downright heresy!”

“Do you even know what 'heresy' means?”

“Uh...Somethin' bad?”

Prominence watched as the little fillies fell apart into an argument of semantics. “Uh, I think I'll be going now. Alright, girls? Girls?” When she received no response, she continued on her way. As she walked, she became acutely aware of the fact that it was lunch time, reminded by the gurgling growl of her stomach. She picked out a small eatery and sat down at a table, ordering a salad.

Once the waiter brought her meal, her eyes followed it down to the table, and she turned and thanked the young stallion. Then she turned to Pinkie Pie, seated across from her with a massive smile on her face. Her hoof went to her chest as her heart tried to burst right out of it from the surprise.

“Pinkie Pie, when did you get here?”

“Just now! I saw you eating alone, but since I never saw you eating alone before, I figured you must like to eat with other ponies, but since there weren't any other ponies sitting with you, I guessed you just couldn't find any, and it made me feel so sad that you were eating alone even though you didn't want to that I just had to come and eat with you!” She turned to the waiter as Prominence tried to digest her explanation. “I'll take a hay and cheese sandwich!”

“And what sort of hay did you want, Pinkie?” The waiter asked, smiling.

“Alfalfa!”

“And the cheese?”

“Hm...Today feels like a cottage day!” The waiter was unfazed. He must've taken Pinkie's order before.

“You want cottage cheese on your alfalfa sandwich?” Prominence asked, grimacing with distaste.

“Yep! Oh! And clovers! Put some clovers on that bad boy!”

“One alfalfa and cottage with clovers, coming right up.”

“So, why do you hate eating alone so much?” Pinkie asked with an innocent smile.

“I actually don't have a problem with it” Prominence replied, skewering a few leaves of her salad with her fork.

“But you never do it!”

“I was just about to, though. I was going to do it right now.”

“Oh, right.” Pinkie Pie idly tapped a hoof on the table. “So what's in the bag?”

“Oh, just some clothes I bought from Rarity...and your head...” Prominence stared at her lunch partner. She took a bite of her salad as she did.

“Ooh, pretty!” Pinkie's head shot out of the bag as she heard the gentle 'tak' of a plate being set on the table. “Ooh, sandwich!” She gobbled it down in three quick bites. “MMMMM-mm! That's some goooood eatin'! Well, if you're sure you don't mind eating alone, I got some stuff to take care of! Enjoy the rest of your lunch! It was nice seeing you!” She then proceeded to hop away, leaving Prominence somewhat, if not completely, dumbfounded.

“Wait! Your sandwich, it--Oh.” She turned to the waiter. “I suppose I'm paying for her meal.”

“Actually, she already paid for both of you.” He said with a pleasant smile.

“Really? When?”

“I have no idea. When somepony tips as well as Pinkie Pie does, I stop asking questions.”

“I really need to stop sending ponies letters that I'm expecting responses to just before meals.” Twilight said, looking down at her bowl. “I know it's technically sterile, but the idea that it came out of your mouth kind of makes the soup just...I can't eat it anymore.” She pulled out the scroll and shook it off.

“Sorry. I gotta work on my aim. I really thought I was just burping!” Spike told her, frowning down at his plate.

“A completely understandable mistake. I just hope the letter's not unreadable.” She quickly set her magic to drying out the soup that had soaked into the parchment.

Dear Twilight,

Tell Spike I said congratulations. Out of all the smart alecks in the world, to be crowned the snarkiest is a big deal! In all seriousness, I'm sorry to hear about Spike. It sounds like he's testing his limits when it comes to pushing your buttons. Here's hoping that this phase is easier on you than cousin Blueblood's was on me.

As for your crush, if Prominence is who I think it is, then I'm not entirely sure how to help. This is a lot more complex than the average infatuation, for obvious reasons. Luna's probably your best bet, even if love is more my domain. But if it's effecting your sleep, then I'd guess Luna's already aware of the issue.

The advice I can give you is really the advice I'd give anypony who might be at the beginning of a romantic relationship. Be honest, and listen openly. Trust your partner to do the same, and never forget that there was a reason you had feelings for them in the first place. I'm not sure how helpful that will be at this point, but someday you'll have a use for that advice, whether it's Prominence or somepony else.

Good luck, and if you need anything else, just let me know. Your brother and I will always be there for you.

Your Loving Sister-in-law,

Cadance

Twilight felt warm and fuzzy. She always did whenever she talked to Cadance. She didn't know if it was adoration, or admiration, or just a byproduct of all the love magic that seemed to suffuse everything she touched (the letter was soaked in it, even more than with dried soup), but her sister-in-law always made things seem lighter, and less dramatic. Still, she wished she'd bothered to actually ask for advice on getting over a crush instead of just stating that she had one. She shot Spike a small, annoyed glare, but he was too busy eating to notice.

Between the reassurance she'd gotten from the contact with Cadance and the vague advice Luna had given her, Twilight felt like she was ready to make her move, and get past this crush and get back to focusing on enjoying Celestia's company. But just to be safe, she should probably try and find some books, and do a little research.

Celestia had set out today with a clear goal in mind: Find clues as to what exactly Twilight Sparkle was keeping from her. All she managed to actually learn was that, at least to Rarity's knowledge, Twilight did not have a special stallion in her life. The rest had been filled with fittings, a spa trip, a serious discussion with one of the least serious beings she knew, being interrogated by little fillies over her magic, and the shortest lunch meeting of her life.

She began to wonder just when she became so easily distracted, but quickly reminded herself that she always liked to see where the day would lead her on its own. It was only her office that prevented her from doing it more often.

As she thought on this, Rainbow Dash continued to recount to her the story of the latest Daring Do book, speaking as if she were the sidekick character that Yearling had introduced. She also thought on the troubling possibility that Rainbow Dash wasn't entirely clear on the idea of fiction. The very idea that Daring Do could be a real pony was preposterous. This would mean that the peace and safety of her world could have been at risk from incredibly dangerous ancient magics dozens of times over since the books started coming out, without Celestia's knowledge. It was simply unthinkable.

Regardless, Celestia had read the book. As a result, she was only half listening as Rainbow spoke. It was a story she was entirely familiar with, which gave her the time for this introspection and—oh. Rainbow had just finished wrapping it up. She smiled at her, trying to show appreciation for the story.

“So, you ever see a Sonic Rainboom, Prominence?”

“Oh, uh, yes, actually.” She told her, fidgeting her hooves.

Rainbow faltered. “You wha?”

“The wedding, after the changeling invasion. I was actually getting bandaged up after one of them attacked me, but the window in the palace infirmary gave me a great view.”

Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief. “Don't scare me like that. I thought somepony else was jacking my signature move!”

“Hey, Rainbow," Applejack called as she sauntered towards them. "What's it like havin' somepony new in town to bore with all them stories about how great you are?” She asked, a playful smile on her face.

“I dunno, what's it like having somepony to bore with all your apple stories?” Rainbow spat back before she had a chance to actually think of something that made sense.

“I don't reckon I really got any apple stories,” She said, pretending to think as she rubbed her hoof on her chin. “Got plenty of stories about you crashin' in the orchard, though.”

Rainbow grunted at Applejack, glaring at her, as the farmer gave her an insufferably smug smile. “Hey, remember that applebuck season when Big Mac got hurt? Oh, oh, or the time you ran away 'cause you couldn't win a blue ribbon in a rodeo?”

Their foreheads were pressed together, they growled at one another, their eyes were narrowed. Prominence was almost certain they were about to come to blows. Instead, they each threw a foreleg over the other's shoulder as they began laughing

“You two certainly have an...oddly abrasive relationship.” She noted, watching as Applejack calmed herself down.

“Nah, it ain't really like that. We don't make fun of anything that either of us is really sore about.” Applejack explained, still hugging Dash with one leg.

“Yeah. If we can't both laugh at it, neither of us laughs at it,” Dash confirmed, finally pulling out of the hug.

“I see. Well, if it works for you, I suppose...”

“Anyway, Dash, I got a hoof full of free time and a cartload of energy. You wanna race, or wrestle, or sumthin'?”

“Sure! You in, Prominence?”

“No, I, uh,” She took a moment to come up with an excuse. “I've been lugging these clothes around all day, it's probably time I actually take them back to my room at the palace.”

“Alright, we'll catch you later!”

Prominence smiled as she watched them walk off, purposely bumping into each other as they went. 'Definitely something more athletic, if I make another disguise.' She mused as she began her way back to the palace.

'She really should get some servants, if only to alert her when someone shows up.' She thought, looking around the empty halls as she made her way to her room. 'Or maybe just to keep it from being so uncomfortably quiet. Then again, maybe she likes this quiet. Maybe it reminds her of life in a library.' She stepped into her room and set down her bag, pulling out her purchases. She'd only bought two pieces, fairly casual and comfortable, making a single, simple outfit. She paused for a moment to look around her room, unsure why she felt the need to confirm her privacy, and began trying her clothes on. She'd done it at the boutique, of course, but, honestly, she just couldn't resist wearing them again.

“Well,” She said to the mare in the mirror, “I may as well wear them now. After all, they won't fit for long.” She sat down on her bed for a moment. “I wonder what Twilight's up to.” She got up off the bed and trotted out the door of her room.

There were four places in the palace that she could think of where Twilight might be spending her time: Her office, her study, the laboratory, and the library. And Prominence wasn't likely to think she had permission to enter any place so private as the first two, or as potentially dangerous as the third. So, she made her way to the library. If Twilight didn't turn out to be there, she could at least find a book to keep her company until dinner.

She wandered around for a bit until she found the yellow line on the wall, following it to her destination. Once she reached the library, she casually ambled through the stacks, calmly browsing titles as she went. She grabbed a book that looked interesting and headed to the 'elevated reading nook.' If Twilight were in the library, she'd either be there, reading, or almost impossible to find among the bookshelves.

Unfortunately, all that was waiting on the stage was a bunch of empty lounge chairs. She climbed into one and looked over her book. She'd heard of it before, but never taken the time for it. A strange comedy that drew its humor from being set in a place of absurdity, surreality, and danger, where the inhabitants viewed almost all of the strange and potentially deadly occurrences as either mundane or mildly troubling. She decided to get a taste for the humor first, cracking it open to a random page.

Intrigued, though finding the particular entry childish, she decided to stick with her choice and headed back to the beginning. She wasn't normally one for the second person narrative, having emotions and views forced upon her by the author, but it seemed that, if anything could truly manipulate her emotions simply by a desire to change them, or take her agency from her, it would be the strange forces controlling this little desert town. It was only when she moved back to the beginning of the book that she realized it was not all in this same format.

Eventually she paused and looked up, smiling to see Twilight standing there. “Oh, hello, Twilight!”

Twilight stared. That wasn't fair. That wasn't fair at all. Here she was, spending her day trying to find ways to get past her crush on Prominence, and now she stumbles upon her in a simple yet elegant white blouse and a long red skirt, in the library, curled up with a wonderfully strange book. It was like she was purposely trying to be even more desirable. She had to cling with all her might to the idea that Prominence hated coffee just to keep her wits about her. She looked over to the stack of books she'd been gathering, hanging in the air in a magenta aura, and quickly set them off to the side, hopefully far enough that Celestia wouldn't be able to make out any titles.

“Oh, um, hey, Prominence! I was just planning on reorganizing those books. They've all got similar topics, so they should probably be closer together, and, um, I like your outfit. Did Rarity make it?”

“Yeah! Then we went to the spa with Fluttershy and Discord, but he got kicked out. Then I took a walk with him, and then I had lunch with Pinkie Pie, and then Rainbow Dash told me about Daring Do. I even ran into Applejack. It's been a pretty eventful day.”

“Yeah, life in Ponyville can keep you busy. Wait, why did Discord get kicked out of the spa?"

"Um, I think it was Aloe, she was giving him a massage, and when she said that his muscles were tense, he told her, uh, 'Those aren't muscles.'" Her Discord voice would need some work. "And then they were sort of uncomfortable about his presence and asked him to leave" In reality, they weren't so much uncomfortable as panicked and disgusted, and they didn't ask him to leave so much as shriek.

"Huh. If they weren't muscles, what were they?" Prominence just shrugged in response to Twilight's question. "Um, anyway, I was wondering I could talk to you somewhere private.”

A groan echoed through Celestia's head, but Prominence simply nodded, smiling pleasantly, if looking a bit bewildered. She followed Twilight to a much smaller room, and the princess cast the sound proofing spell.

“I was wondering, um, could you tell me...” Her mind blanked. “I was supposed to ask...” she groaned. “...Of all the times to not remember a dream! All I can remember is that Luna suggested I ask you something!” She smacked her hoof against her forehead a few times, as if trying to jar the memory loose.

“Well, while you try to remember, and as long as I'm breaking character, I might take a chance to gloat over something I learned today from Rarity.”

Twilight's breathing became quick and panicked. Had Rarity told her? She wouldn't! Would she?! “Oh yeah?” She asked as calmly as she could manage, which was certainly not very calmly at all. “W-what's that?”

“She says that you told her she reads too many romance novels.” She gave Twilight a grin that rivaled even Pinkie's biggest smiles. “Oh, the very idea tickles me to no end. Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies, telling somepony else they read too many books. The same mare who, as a foal, would deny the possibility of 'too many books' so very adamantly, even to the point where she would decry her teacher, a princess, as a blasphemer.”

Twilight couldn't decide whether to be relieved that Rarity had shared that instead of the much bigger secret, or mortified that Celestia found out she said that.

“If you can't remember what you were supposed to ask, I'll try asking Luna myself while I'm asleep, alright?” Twilight nodded, a vacant look on her face as she continued to feel ambivalent over the whole 'too many books' fiasco. “Is there anything else you wished to discuss?”

“No, nothing. Sorry for wasting time.” She hung her head, frowning. She had felt like she was making such good progress, too.

“It's fine.” Celestia told her with a smile as she headed over to the door. She paused just before she opened it. “By the way, you may want to set Rarity straight. She seems to have some misconceptions about your sexuality.” She walked out the door and down the hall as Twilight just stood for a moment in silent shock.

“Wait, what?”

Author's Note

The excerpt of the book that Celestia jumped to, which I only did not include in the actual story because it felt odd for the pacing:

"You find yourself in the darkness. A single beacon of light appears before you, and you soon realize it is a spot light. You are in an auditorium, and the light shines brilliantly on the curtains at the back of the stage. A pony steps forward from the curtains, into the light. When you look at his mane, you immediately forget the color of his coat, and when your eyes refocus on his coat, his mane is likewise lost to you. Each time you glance upon his flank a different cutie mark appears. His eyes are silver and piercing, and looking right into your own. A hoof comes up to his mouth, and he clears his throat, and only now do you realize just how oppressive the silence before had been. His hoof returns to the floor, and he speaks a single word. "Butts," he calls into the darkness. The auditorium erupts into frantic cheers and violent shrieks, and you only now consider that you may not be the only pony in the audience. He turns away without gracing you with a bow, and disappears behind the curtains. The light turns off. The show has ended. The house lights rise and you find your way out of the theater among throngs of still screaming ponies. Tonight you will dream of his what-was-that-color coat, and his what-was-that-color mane. Tonight, you will dream of butts."

It's something I made up...oh, gosh, all the way back in June, back when this was in its very first stages, where it was a celestia/fluttershy fic with no disguise involved... Anyway, like the book Celestia was reading in its entirety, this snippet of story came about directly due to the influence of Welcome to Nightvale.

Changing Course

“You want me to what?!” Celestia demanded, staring at Luna in disbelief.

“I want you to tell Twilight where Prominence came from. You built up this other personality from a source, and I think it would benefit you both if you told her what it is.”

“B-but, but--” Celestia trembled, stepping back away from Luna. Her sister carefully closed the gap, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible as she crossed her neck with Celestia's.

“Can you give me a reason why you wouldn't tell her? Is it that you don't trust her? Or that you are afraid of what she might say?” Luna asked as she pulled away from the hug, looking up into her big sister's nervous eyes.

“O-of course I trust Twilight. I trust her completely. But it's not about what she'd say, but what I'd say. How would I even go about explaining that to her?”

“You've got years of experience in teaching her. I'm sure if anypony can get an idea through to her, it's you.”

Breakfast was unnervingly quiet in the castle. Twilight wasn't sure why, but she felt a vague sense of tension coming from Prominence. At first she thought it was related to the odd pressure she'd been feeling in her head all morning, but Spike seemed to recognize it too, and neither dared to say a word. Twilight envied her assistant his chore of doing dishes after the meal, as she found herself alone with her unusually silent and pensive guest.

“Is something bothering you, Prominence?” Twilight finally asked, still seated at the table, beginning to tire of waiting for Prominence to move or speak.

Her guest snapped out of her ruminations, blinking and looking around for a moment before settling her eyes on Twilight. She lowered her head in a show of deference. “Um, could we speak in private?”

“Absolutely.” Twilight pulled away from the table and led Prominence to one of the many unused rooms. Once there, she cast the soundproofing spell. After all, even on the off chance that Prominence wanted to discuss something privately in character, it was still something private.

“Luna told me what she requested you ask me, Twilight,” She said in her Celestia voice, turning to face away from her.

“Oh?” Twilight shifted nervously, ruffling her feathers. “You don't seem happy about that.”

“Oh, it's nothing unpleasant,” Celestia told her, smiling over her shoulder. It was a very short lived smile. “Although, it does lead me to confront some unpleasant facts. You know, Luna was always the more sociable of us.”

“I--Wait, so, what was the question?”

“The question was 'where does Prominence come from.' And I may need some time to build up to it, to help me decide exactly how I'm going to present my answer. But this isn't entirely irrelevant.” She paused. “Actually, you may want to take a bathroom break first. I've got a fair bit to say.” She gave an obviously fake chuckle, and Twilight couldn't help but frown. With a sigh, Celestia resumed. “Luna was the social butterfly. Ponies were always naturally drawn to her, and she to them in turn. I was more the type to sit back and watch her interactions. I wasn't without friends, but I was not particularly of the sort who would actively seek to expand their numbers.

“To spend her time surrounded by friends, that was always a deeply rooted part of her nature. I think that's why it hurt so much when we ascended to become alicorns. I think that's why being overlooked, ignored, and, frankly, being thought of as the lesser half of a matched set by an entire country took such a drastic toll on her, because she always required companionship and camaraderie with others to thrive, and being taken so far from that, I wish I'd seen the signs sooner...But I'm...” She paused, and with a heavy sigh, she slumped, depositing her rump on the floor and hanging her head low. “I was trying to stay relevant, but I fear I've taken a rather egregious detour.” Twilight slowly and cautiously moved toward her.

“As I said, I never craved attention. If given enough of it, there were times I'd buckle from the pressure. The spotlight had always been anathema to me. I was awkward, nervous--that never stopped me from being friendly, mind you--but when I became an alicorn, there wasn't much choice. I had to find a way to keep my sanity when in the spotlight. I gave them somepony else to look at. I made my mask.” She took a deep breath and looked Twilight in the eyes. Those large purple orbs stared back in understanding, already knowing what was coming. And also wincing as she rubbed her head with a hoof.

“I made the Celestia that you know. Over the years, I was forced to grow more comfortable in my position, and the mask I wore in public grew to incorporate more and more of myself. She became a student to fulfill my admittedly uneducated love of magic, and a teacher to spread that love to others once my lack of education was remedied, for example. Of course, she was always burdened by my sense of duty.” Her voice began to falter as she rose to her hooves and began pacing.

“But then Selene happened. Luna created a disguise, a new pony who could be seen in public and could interact with strangers without being asked if her big sister was around. It was an opportunity for Luna to have meaningful interactions again. And my first instinct was to follow in her hoof steps, to take the opportunity to better understand the ponies who didn't have opportunities to come and see me at court. And so, I created Sunspot. Pleasant, approachable, talkative, always interested in the lives of everypony around her.” Once again, she sat on the floor, but this time, she immediately rose back to her hooves. Finally, Twilight interrupted.

“Celestia, if this is too hard for you, you don't have to tell me all of this. I didn't know it would be such a personal story.” She put a hoof on her teacher's shoulder.

“No, Twilight, I...It's difficult precisely because I have been waiting too long to address it, I believe.” A wan smile formed on her face. “And if it wasn't going to be such a personal story, why would Luna have wanted you to ask me for it in the first place?"

“I can't argue with that.” Twilight admitted, smiling awkwardly, before giving a few exaggerated blinks as that pressure once more flooded her head.

"I was frightened at first, but this is as cathartic for me as it is informative to you. If, admittedly a little painful.” She forced her tiny smile to grow as she attempted to reassure Twilight. “I began to want more meaningful interactions. I didn't even understand that it was just earnest friendship that I missed, I thought it was something...Else. You recall why I created Corona?” Twilight nodded, blushing.

“Yes, absolutely, no need to go into that again.”

“Of course. Well, I came to the realization that I was wrong about what I wanted. I wanted what Selene was getting. I wanted to be a pony who could satisfy my desire to be seen for who I was. Not for the mask I wore in court, nor my power, nor my station. I wanted--no. I needed to be validated as the unicorn I was deep inside. And so I started making a unicorn based off of my own personality. My history had been a matter of public knowledge at the time, of course, so I couldn't be from the same place, or raised by the same parents. I needed stories to flesh her out without making things obvious. I had to create discrepancies to keep from ruining my disguise, but at her heart, Prominence is who I was--who I am, to remind me that I can still be accepted, and have friends, and to know that I'm still that pony, somewhere inside.” She sighed. “Well, that's about the whole story of Prominence. There are in fact some other things I may need to tell you, but for now, any questions?” She asked, as she often would during lectures long past. She was almost certain that Twilight was waiting for that prompt out of habit.

“What about the first night?” She asked. “When you stopped being Prominence, and now! You're not acting like I'd expect from her, or like the Celestia I was used to. I thought...On the first night, after the party, I thought you were just relaxing because you were on vacation.”

Celestia blinked in surprise. “When a pony expects Celestia, I try to give them Celestia. I suppose, after the party, I, well...” She paused to compose her thoughts. “I have known you for a long time, Twilight. I do feel comfortable around you. That is one of the reasons you were my first choice to stay with. Because of this, I slipped up. You may be the only pony alive to have seen me fully being myself besides Luna. That is how Prominence would behave if alone with somepony she considers to be among her closest friends.”

Twilight took this information in, and considered other possible questions. “So, Prominence...in a sense, she's a very real pony. With real emotions. Right?”

“Her history is a fabrication, and how nervous she feels around you is an exaggeration. But other than that, she is very real indeed. She's me. Well, in a sense, as you said.”

“Celestia?”

“Yes, Twilight?” She asked, looking incredibly relaxed, but also quite weary.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.” She moved in and hugged her with one leg.

“Thank you for being somepony I can share this with,” She replied, returning the hug.

Twilight walked through the halls beside Prominence, who looked exhausted, yet at the same time, unburdened. She led her into her study, and instructed her not to be silly, reassuring her that, of course she was welcome in the study. Yes, her office too, why wouldn't she be allowed to visit her in it? She gave her some parchment and a quill and watched as she wrote a letter to Luna, sealed it, and, nervously watching the door, cast a sending spell, watching the letter vanish off to her sister.

She let out an exaggerated sigh, smiling a Twilight. “Whew! Well, this has been an...intense morning.”

“Agreed. But, it's over now, and we can relax. Right?”

“Absolutely. And I can go back to enjoying my vacation without any drama or tension.”

“Well, unless you find a good book in my library full of either or both.” Twilight told her with a smile.

“Oh, I'm not sure I'll have a lot of time for reading today, I've got to--oh! What time is it?” She looked at the clock in the corner of the study. “Oh, good. I've still got plenty of time.”

“Time for what?” Twilight asked with an interested, curious, and slightly nervous glance.

“Oh, I didn't tell you? Fluttershy invited me over to meet her animal friends while we were at the spa.”

“Oh, ah, be careful around Angel. He can be a bit temperamental.” She told her.

“Careful around Angel.” She repeated to take a tighter hold of the information. “Got it. Um...Do you want to come with me?”

Twilight's face lit up, but she quickly struggled to suppress her reaction. “Sure. I'd be happy to. Let me just tell Spike where I'm going.”

Prominence frowned. “It could take hours to track him down though. I'd hate to be late.”

Twilight gave her a confused look. “All we need to know is that he's not in the library. That's the only room that the spell...won't...touch. Oh. I haven't shown you the spell yet.” Her horn lit up. “Spike,” She said, her voice echoing from every room of the palace. “Prominence and I are going out for a while. We're going to go visit Fluttershy.”

“Alright! Are you gonna come back for lunch?” His voice carried right back to her.

“I'm not entirely sure yet. I'll leave some bits on the kitchen counter for you if we're not back, and you decide to eat out. We should definitely be back for dinner, and if we're not, I'll let you know.”

“Well, that seems usef-gah!” Prominence jumped as her own voice bombarded her, flinching and flattening her ears against her head in surprise.

Twilight extinguished the spell. “So, to actually get a response from Spike, I have to amplify and redistribute all sounds in the entire castle. There was a whole week where I couldn't cast it until we tracked down a cricket that had made its way into the palace.”

Twilight winced a little as the pressure in her head suddenly returned. She hadn't even noticed it had stopped, but with a little effort she found it surprisingly easy to ignore. After leaving the bits for Spike, the pair made their way out of Twilight's home, both fairly deep in thought about drastically different topics.

'She's not fake. She's a side of Celestia I just hadn't seen before. Which means that I don't have a crush on a pony that doesn't exist. She does exist, and she's been Celestia all along. That means that it's not necessarily futile. Oh, who am I kidding, it's probably even more futile...You know what, Twilight? You had a million reasons you'd fail before. You have a million reasons you'll fail now. But now you've got a few reasons why you might succeed. Maybe. Or maybe you'd make Celestia hate you forever, and in turn lose the friendship of Luna, and Cadance might side with her aunt, and she could end up turning Shining Armor against me, and--'

“Twilight?” Prominence finally asked, crashing through Twilight's inner monologue. “Where was the cricket hiding, in the end?”

Twilight's mind froze for a moment as she tried to process the unexpected question, before finally coming to comprehend precisely what cricket Prominence was talking about. “Oh, a closet in one of the guest rooms somewhere. The only time we could hear it chirping was when the spell was active, so we started systematically searching all the rooms that nopony ever visited. And by we, I mean everypony in town that I could convince to come to the palace to look for a cricket.”

The discussion of a day that would forever live in Ponyville's memory as 'The Great Bug Hunt' continued the entire way to Fluttershy's cottage. When Prominence knocked, there was a quiet clatter, symptomatic of Fluttershy's nerves. The timid pegasus slowly cracked the door open and looked with terror at Prominence, but quickly relaxed when she saw that Twilight was with her.

“Hi, girls. Come on in. I made tea.” She said, her voice quiet and sweet as she pulled the door open for them.

Prominence's eyes ran around the room, wide with shock. “Wow, th-that's a lot of animals. How do you feed all of them? This must cost a fortune.”

Fluttershy bit her lip and looked to Twilight for help.

'Another point of data confirming that Fluttershy's confidence seems to increase exponentially in relation to the number of close friends nearby to support her. With both Rarity and Discord, she can invite a pony to her home. With just one friend present, she can't even explain how she gets paid.' Twilight thought, nodding to Fluttershy to ease her mind, and smiling as she saw the relief wash over the Pegasus' face.

“Fluttershy's actually on a government payroll. You know how most towns have an animal control department?” She waited, resuming only once Prominence nodded. “Well, we don't need one, because we've got Fluttershy. So, the mayor gives her the majority of the town's budget for animal control. Normally this would be split up among equipment and employees, but Fluttershy just uses it to take care of animals.”

Prominence raised an eyebrow at Fluttershy, who was pouring their tea. “So you're living off the animal control budget?”

“Oh, no!” Fluttershy quickly replied, accidentally clipping the teapot against a cup in flustered haste. “I could never use that money for myself! That money's for the animals. I live off the money I make grooming and training pets for other ponies in town.”

“And all of her veterinary work is pro bono.” Twilight said, a bit of pride in her friend's generosity and kindness coming through in her voice.

“You must be very busy.” Prominence said, accepting her tea and taking a sip.

“Oh, not at all,” Fluttershy replied, whatever anxieties she'd built up in her mind about dealing with Prominence quickly fading as she was reminded first hoof of how mild mannered the unicorn was. “I have so many wonderful helpers.” Her eyes widened for a moment in realization, and she quickly smiled. “And you're here to meet them!” She turned away from the tea, Prominence, and Twilight. “Everyone, I'd like you all to come meet a friend of mine!”

Twilight watched as all the animals came forward to meet Prominence. Of course, she had a working knowledge of most of these critters, and some details of their personalities and their relationships and histories with Fluttershy, so, once she put aside her curiosity about the strange pressure once again occurring in her head, she let her mind drift to another topic.

'Who knew Celestia could be so cute, talking to little animals like that?' She paused and shook her head. 'I mean, Prominence!' Another pause as she resumed watching for a moment. 'No, I-I meant Celestia.' Something had changed with the revelation from this morning. Some switch had been flipped by the knowledge of what Prominence actually was. 'I started thinking of them as a single pony without realizing it.' It was more than just knowledge now. That knowledge had managed to become a firm idea in her perception of the world, and the two ponies were already becoming one in her mind. 'Well, she has always said I was good at taking hold of new ideas.' She paused in her thoughts and watched as Angel came forward to meet Prominence.

“Prominence, this is Angel Bunny. Isn't he just the cutest little guy?” Fluttershy said, smiling proudly, as if her bunny actually had been definitively awarded the title of “cutest little guy.” The bunny, for his part, glared at Prominence. She didn't even know a bunny could glare! At any rate, he certainly didn't seem to approve of Fluttershy's description.

“Um, he certainly is a handsome fellow?” Prominence offered. Angel considered this, then nodded in approval. Twilight quietly hid her sigh of relief.

Dearest Sister,

I've enchanted the letter, as I'm sure you'd expect.

I have told Twilight the majority of the nature of Prominence, but there were some things, some unpleasant facts tied to the source of Prominence's necessity that I simply could not share with her. She is a learned, well-read pony, but her knowledge in terms of history is primarily focused solely on magical history. I fear that such a revelation would be jarring, and would, perhaps, ruin her faith in us.

I know that, especially as a princess, she will, in time, have to come to terms with the fact that our nation's history has its share of blood and unhappy endings. But, as I tried to explain the full of what happened, I had to circumvent some parts of the story. Simply put, I'm not sure I could bear the hatred I'd likely earn if she found out what happened because I wasn't putting the needs of our nation first.

I can make peace with her knowing that I'm not perfect. I can even force my way through the embarrassment of admitting Corona's purpose to her. But telling her about what happened when I was lax, when I was selfish, I just can't do it. Not yet. I beg you, when I dream tonight, to please not push this topic, and keep from sharing it with Twilight. At least for a little while.

~~Tuum In Aternum In Cal~~
With Love,

Celestia

Luna stared at the paper in thought. “So, she still blames herself for that.” She mumbled quietly. She heard a noise, one she'd heard repeatedly since she started reading, and furrowed he brow. What was that? It came again. Oh. Somepony was clearing their throat. She lowered the letter to realize she was still in court.

“Princess, I'm sorry to say, but this seems highly unprofessional.” The petitioner was growing red in the face from his frustration.

“If Princess Celestia deigns to use one of the few pieces of fireproofed and heat resistant parchment that she bothered to bring to the center of the sun to send me a letter, wouldn't you prefer I read it? Yes, it turned out to be personal, and somewhat sentimental. But it just as easily could have been news of a massive catastrophe, which she would be calling upon me to work to prevent.”

“Ah, I apologize,” All of the color, even that which had been there before he became frustrated, drained from the petitioner. “I didn't realize the letter was from your sister.”

“All is forgiven. Now what was it you were saying about, er...” 'Confound it, what was he trying to accomplish?' “I'm sorry, what was it? Something to do with waste management, I believe?” She guessed hopefully.

“Waste ma--...Princess, I'm petitioning for a reform of air traffic regulations to reflect the growing number of airships taking up space in our skies.”

“Oh. Oh! Well, that sounds interesting. Tell me about that.” She shifted in her seat, leaning toward him with an earnest smile on her face as he began to grumble under his breath.

“I was TRYING to, before that letter...” He took a deep breath and began his proposal anew. “Since the advent of the airship's use as a symbol of status among the upper class and nobility, more and more wealthy ponies are commissioning the construction of new ones. Unfortunately, this increase in air traffic can obstruct not only flight patterns of pegasi, but also the placement of clouds and the implementation of weather. The current regulations, formed to oversee high traffic of pegasus flight and the flight of pegasus drawn chariots, were by no means meant to handle this sheer volume of airships, Princess.”

“Oh. That's a problem. Somepony should likely do something about that.”

“That's what I'm TRYING to--” He cut himself short when he yelled. “Oh...Oh no, I'm so sorry, I--” Luna raised her hoof.

“It is fine. Proceed to explain the reform you have in mind.” She smiled to herself. If she didn't try for a sneaky bit of teasing now and then, she'd never make it through court.

Twilight wasn't sure how much time had passed. All she knew was that she was feeling sick to her stomach, and that things were getting more and more ridiculous by the second. It had all started when Discord showed up in the middle of the introductions of Fluttershy's animals.

Fluttershy welcomed him, and Prominence was polite, if hesitant, around him, and Twilight herself was always happy to see him. But then he started behaving strangely. A little trick, here or there. A little flicker of magic to do some random task, getting more and more extravagant with every cast. Now he was riding five unicycles stacked on top of each other, and juggling seventeen chairs, including the one Twilight was seated upon. He had spinning plates balanced upon his nose. And apparently there were two of him for the time being, as he sat on the couch between Fluttershy and Prominence, appraising his own performance.

“Discord?” She asked, clinging to her chair.

“Yes, Twilight?” He grew a second mouth for the purposes of speaking as the first one had a kazoo placed in it, from which the sounds of a string quartet emerged.

“Could you please put me down?”

“Oh, please, just a moment longer, I'm nearly done.”

Twilight blinked. She knew what this was. She hadn't spent all this time around Rainbow Dash and not learned how to recognize when somepony was showing off. But why? What was the point? Who was he trying to impress? Through the constant motion and mounting nausea, she noticed the other Discord, the one on the sofa, nudging Prominence with his elbow, and commenting on how impressive his own coordination was, behaving as if he was an entirely separate entity.

He was trying to impress Prominence. Twilight felt an uncomfortable clench in her stomach. She couldn't tell if it was the nausea or the realization.

“Discord, I'm sorry, but if you don't put me down soon, I'm not sure how much more of this my stomach can take. I'm too disoriented to risk teleporting off the chair! Please, put me down!”

“Oh! I'm sorry, I hadn't realized it was bothering you so much.” The one on the couch levitated her off the chair, caused the couch to expand in order to accommodate a fourth pony, and seated her between himself and Fluttershy.

Sweet, kind Fluttershy, with plenty of knowledge (and stock) of medicine and herbs from her experience caring for her animals, quickly offered Twilight some mint leaves to settle her stomach. Twilight gratefully accepted as she watched Discord continue to show off for Prominence.

Why was he behaving like this? He was always a little flashy, always a bit of an attention hog, but never to this degree. On each of the chairs he was juggling, another, smaller discord appeared, juggling smaller chairs himself. On each of those chairs was a tiny flower pot, different flowers sprouting and blooming from each and every one.

Flowers...He'd given Celestia flowers after the battle with Tirek. He seemed to know more about Prominence than he let on. Or rather, he let on that he knew more about Prominence than he should. The flowers, the huge performance clearly designed to impress her...

'Discord likes Celestia?!' That clenching feeling in her gut was back, this time without nausea accompanying it. Images ran through her head of him whisking Prominence off her hooves, dancing with her under the moonlight, cuddling with her, kissing her—And that's when Twilight came to a realization. 'No matter what, Discord is still my friend. I can be jealous, but I can't let it hurt our friendship. And I definitely can't put on overalls, a straw hat, and a bad accent. Rarity proved the inefficacy of that plan.' She chuckled softly to herself, and then realized that Discord's display had apparently just finished its grand finale. Jealousy or not, she was a little sad she missed it.

The rest of the visit was little more than a blur to Twilight as time passed. No matter how hard she tried to give her friends as much of her attention as they each deserved, her emotions kept getting the better of her, and she kept getting that odd feeling of pressure in her head. Now feeling guilty in addition to jealous, she took some solace in the fact that she'd managed to stay friendly and civil with Discord, at least until she remembered that being nice to one's friends shouldn't be considered an accomplishment.

It wasn't too much longer before she and Prominence were on the path back in from the outskirts of Ponyville.

“I'm sorry about the juggling thing.” Prominence said, frowning. “I think he was trying to impress me.”

Twilight's fur prickled along the back of her neck. “Really?” She said with as much false curiosity as she could muster.

“Well, yesterday, he asked me if we were friends, but I only just met him, so I told him we probably weren't yet. I think he was trying to, I don't know, wow me?”

'Friends!' The world repeated itself in Twilight's head. It made so much more sense. 'I knew I was being stupid when I started getting jealous. Apparently I was being even more stupid than I thought.' “It's fine, Prominence. And I know he didn't mean any harm. But when you get to be friends with him, I should warn you, when he means no harm is exactly when he can do the most. Just don't hold it against him. He's still learning.”

Prominence nodded, smiling a little, as Twilight let out a sigh. She didn't have to worry about Discord snatching up Prominence. She paused, and faltered as she walked, gaining a look of confusion from her companion which she quickly waved off. She didn't have to worry about Discord snatching up Prominence, but there were a lot of ponies in Ponyville. Ponies that she'd be getting closer to as her vacation went on. Ponies that could be grabbed by whatever traits it had been that grabbed Twilight, even though the young princess wasn't sure what what those traits were. The odd pressure returned, greater than ever, throbbing painlessly in her brain, then quickly vanishing. The thoughts of Discord wooing Prominence resurfaced. This time, though, there was no Draconequus. Each thought conjured a different pony, holding Prominence, dancing with her, laughing with her.

'I...I have to try. I can't keep pussyhoofing around, worrying about things. If I just keep hemming and hawing, and struggling to make a decision, I might be too late if I finally decide to try.' She thought to herself, a look of determination growing on her face. Her doubt didn't matter. That chronic feeling of pressure, which had mysteriously vanished yet again, didn't matter. She had to do something, or she'd never be able to live with herself.

Prominence stared at the strange expression, more than a little confused as to why the princess, on her walk back into town, wore the face of a gladiator waiting to be allowed out onto the battle field. Idly, she pondered whether Twilight's study habits had ever taught her about the gladiators, and the times in pony history, few that they were, where such bloodsport had been considered not only acceptable, but honored. She shook her head, which seemed to catch Twilight's attention, as she tried to think about something else. Not many parts of pony history, even in the age of conflicting pre-Equestria tribes, had ponies actively taking the lives of one another. The thought of such things always left a bad taste in Celestia's mouth, and, with what she'd been thinking about recently, a bit of guilt in the back of her mind.

Once the pair finished their walk down the path connecting Fluttershy's home to Ponyville, they each came to the realization that neither of them had anything planned.

'Which means I've got free time to go out and make a plan. A plan of Action. With a capital A.' “Hey, I've got something I've been meaning to take care of. Do you want to just meet up a little later?” Twilight asked, trying to stay as vague as possible.

“Alright. I've been meaning to look around the market. This will give me some time.” She said with a smile that seemed as if it was forced to be bigger than it should have been, leaving Twilight wondering if Prominence was actually alright with this or if her response was due simply to Twilight's status. Either way, she had an opening and she felt as though she couldn't afford not to take it. They quickly decided to meet up at the Hay Burger, and she made for Rarity's home.

'This is it, Twilight. The key to your destiny lies beyond this door.' She paused and grimaced. 'On second thought, I'm liable to scare her away if I keep being so dramatic about everything. Tone it down, Sparkle.' Still, she couldn't keep that look of grim, unyielding determination off her face as she accidentally threw open the door of the boutique. She couldn't stop herself as her words came, loud, clear and decisive.

“Rarity,” She called to her friend, “I will have that notebook.”

Rarity's eyes lit up. Were the sheer, intoxicating drama of Twilight's entrance not throwing her into a feeling of giddiness, and the prospect of a friend finding romance only compounding matters, she would have likely paused to warn Twilight about Prominence's beliefs regarding Twilight's orientation before she made her mad dash out of the room. Or, at the very least, she would've excused herself to the mare she'd left behind, wearing a dress full of pins to mark adjustments, and looking very confused.

The oddly familiar mare looked questioningly at Twilight. The unicorn was even taller than the young princess, with a white coat and a pink mane.

“I remember you! The Canterlot Garden Party!” She said.

“As you say, your majesty. It is one of my more noteworthy stories, the time I met Princess Twilight, even before she ascended.”

“Sorry for the interruption. I didn't...” Twilight paused, scuffing her hoof against the floor. “I'm really sorry, I just didn't stop to think about whether she was dealing with a customer or not.”

“Quite alright. Frankly, I was expecting something like this to distract her eventually. Eccentricity and genius do often go hoof in hoof. I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner. And if a pony does not take time for a friend who clearly has need of them, what does it say about that pony?”

Twilight smiled. This mare knew a thing or two about friendship. And the fact that she didn't seem the least bit put off, only confused by how sudden Rarity's departure was, only helped Twilight's view of her. “Well, I promise I'll be out of your mane soon and she'll be able to get back to work.”

The tall, slender pony bowed to her, smiling softly. “Feel free to take your--”

“Twilight!” Rarity shouted as she burst into the room. “Behold! The key to making all of your dreams come true!”

Twilight seriously doubted that the creased and beaten up old notebook hoisted above Rarity's head could give her complete mathematic formulae for the power dynamics of the Elements, the Tree, and Harmony in general, and she wasn't certain she wanted some of her more recent dreams coming true, but she accepted it into her magic anyway, and began leafing through it as Rarity came to a realization and began frantically apologizing to her customer. 'Apparently her name's Fleur. Wow. Wait, this is--'

“Rarity, this is incredibly detailed, properly indexed, annotated...I'm impressed! This is academically ideal!”

Fleur gave an amused smirk, trying to hold back her smile. “That's what she considers to be a compliment?”

“It is.” She sighed, as she continued working on the dress. “And, when it comes from her, I know how to take it as one. Twilight,” She called, never taking her eyes from her work. “You of all ponies should know of my attention to detail.” She lifted her eyes toward Fleur. “Which often makes itself known in my work.”

“So I see.”

"Rarity, I can't thank you enough for this. But now I've got to go and try to put all of this to work.” Twilight told them, tucking the notebook tightly under her wing.

“Stick with the parts written in blue ink until I have a chance to work on the rest with you. We haven't had a chance to personalize these plans yet.”

“Alright. I'll see you again soon.” She left the boutique feeling oddly confident, and decided to take a quick peek at the book. “Hm. Well, that seems straight forward enough.”

Prominence walked into the Hay Burger and looked around. Seventy four locations in Manehattan alone, and she'd never once been inside a single restaurant of this chain. Or any fast food chain, for that matter. The atmosphere was certainly not what she had been expecting. The food smelled fine, and it was clean enough, but at the same time it felt welcoming, yet oddly impersonal.

“Prominence!” Twilight said from behind her. She smiled and turned to face the princess, then stared in confusion at the sight before her. “I saw these on the way here, and I thought you might like them.” She said, offering her a few flowers.

“Oh!” She accepted them graciously. “But isn't that poor etiquette?”

“Wait, what?” Twilight was confused as she watched Prominence look around nervously.

“Well, you're bringing outside food into a restaurant.”

Twilight stared blankly at her for a moment. With a flash of magic, the flowers vanished as Twilight's face took on a familiar red hue. “Ha!” She said, smiling sheepishly. “Silly me! I'll just leave them in my kitchen for later.” She quickly stepped into the line for the counter. For once, Celestia didn't have any call to to wonder about the nature of Twilight's blushing. Obviously she was just embarrassed about her misstep. She stepped into the line behind Twilight and waited until they made their way up to the register.

“Welcome to Hay Burger! What can I get you today?” The perky young pegasus said from behind the counter.

“Oh, why don't you order first, Prominence?” Twilight offered.

“Oh, uh, I-I've never been to one of these before.” She replied awkwardly, drawing grumbles of annoyance from the line behind her. She quickly began scanning the menu. “W-what do you recommend?” She asked, hurriedly, trying to get out of everypony else's way.

“Why not a Hay Burger and fries? Can't go wrong with a classic!” She told her pleasantly.

“Um, all right, I'll have that.”

“Anything to drink?”

"I, Y-yes, just some apple juice.”

“Will that be all for you today, ma'am?”

Prominence simply nodded in response.

“That'll be six bits.”

Prominence set money out on the counter, but Twilight chuckled.

“Prominence, you don't usually tip at a fast food place.”

“Not that I'd complain if you did!” Came a playful voice from behind the register. Still, the pegasus quickly returned her change and set a tray on the counter, and began taking Twilight's order as other ponies brought Prominence's food and set it on her tray.

Once their orders were filled, they found a little booth and sat down together. She followed Twilight's lead, starting in with her sandwich.

“So,” Twilight paused and swallowed her mouthful before continuing. “You've never been to a Hay Burger before?”

“No, there weren't any back in Saddleton, at least before I moved away, and ever since I moved to Canterlot, all my meals have been at the palace, or the occasional outdoor eatery, or Pony Joe's, but a bakery is...Well, I suppose this operates more like his bakery than any restaurant I've ever been in.” She ate her burger slowly.

“Is there anything else you've been missing out on? Maybe we could try and do some things? Together?”

That could've been another blush, but Prominence wasn't certain it wasn't just some of the ketchup that had gotten all over Twilight's muzzle. “Alright. I'll let you know if I think of anything.” She paused and stared at Twilight.

“What,” Twilight said with a playful smile. “Something on my face?”

“Um, y-yes. All over, actually.” This time she was certain that Twilight was actually blushing, because it was still there even after Twilight frantically swiped at her face with napkins. She tried to bite back her laugh, having a bit of trouble doing so. Twilight's blush intensified at the sound.

“Excuse me for a moment.” Twilight said, hurrying into the bathroom. She checked her face in the mirror, then slowly unfurled her wing, pulling out the notebook hidden within. She flipped through it. Everything in the blue ink that Rarity had suggested was ridiculously basic. Compliments, flowers, chocolates. But when she looked at the other colors, she found that each one would require a fair deal of planning. It stood to reason, she supposed, that the grandest, most sweeping romantic gestures were the ones that would take the most time and effort. She quickly tucked the book back under her wing as the door opened.

She turned and looked at the pony who entered, expecting to have to explain herself to Prominence. “I can—oh, uh...Hi. Flitter.”

Flitter stared, confused, at the somewhat frantic expression of the princess for a moment. “Hi.”

“I thought you were somepony else,” She explained.

“Oh. A lot of mares use this bathroom.”

“I know.”

“Okay then.” She walked past Twilight and entered a stall.

Twilight returned to the table and, feeling that she was only growing more awkward by the moment, said nothing for the rest of the meal, much to Prominence's disconcertion.

When they walked in the door of the palace, Rarity stood waiting for them, Spike at her side, for some reason holding a large burlap sack.

“Welcome home, Twilight. Hello, Prominence. I'm afraid Spike and I need to kidnap the Princess for a bit.”

Spike hefted up the bag, as if he planned to throw it over Twilight, but when he realized that he was getting three confused stares, a small jet of flame shot out of his mouth and the bag was reduced to ashes. “What bag?” He asked, shrugging.

“Yes. Well. Be that as it may,” Rarity said as Twilight carried the ashes out the front door on a magical breeze, “We have something we'd like to discuss with you in private.” She led Twilight through the castle to a small sitting room with no trouble at all, and Twilight pondered how it was that Rarity always seemed to know how to find exactly which room she was looking for in a home that still gave her trouble at times.

Rarity closed the door behind them. “Alright. I will not divulge how it came to pass, but suffice to say that Spike and I each know that the other knows. And we are here for you, Twilight. Now, where is my notebook?” She watched as Twilight produced the book from under her wing. “And have you tried anything in it yet?”

“I picked up some flowers on the way to meet her at Hay Burger--” She paused at the grimace on Rarity's face. “What?”

“Nothing, dear. Where you choose to eat is your own business, and is not for me to cast judgment on.” She bit her lip for a moment. “But really, when there's so many fine establishments in town, that is the one where you decided to meet up with the filly who holds your heart in her hooves?”

“W-well, I don't want to be too obvious, do I?” Twilight asked. Rarity grabbed the notebook and flipped around for a bit. This bit was in black ink, and as such, Twilight had skipped over it.

“'Make your intentions clear. Show her just how much she has come to mean to you, even if you're not stating it outright.' She'll never get the right idea if you keep taking her to Hay Burger. Anyway, what did she think of the flowers?”

“First of all, that was in black ink. You told me to stick with the blue ink. And she thought I brought them as a snack.”

“Well, I suppose that's an understandable miscommunication. And the blue ink is all purpose gestures. The black is behavioral guidelines and chapter introductions.”

Spike peered up at the notebook and quickly scribbled what he could on a piece of parchment before hiding it behind his back as the girls talked.

Prominence walked into the kitchen, retrieved a glass, and started filling it with water. She paused and sniffed the air. She looked around for a quick moment before spotting the flowers on the counter, only now taking a moment to actually look at them. “Chicory flowers. My favorite...” she whispered. She glanced over at her drink, and placed the flowers in the water, smiling softly. “How did she know?”

It was late. Prominence, who had been oddly quiet at dinner, but much less so than at breakfast, had already gone to bed. Twilight couldn't blame her, she was likely still feeling the emotional toll of forcing out that story this morning.

Rarity had gone and, after much debating with Twilight on the topic, was going to keep their friends in the dark about her crush. The less they tried to help, the smoother things would likely go. Twilight was sure Rarity understood that, from her point of view, smoother didn't necessarily mean better, it just meant less chance of giving Twilight a heart attack from all of the stress.

Spike and Twilight walked through the halls of the castle, each heading for their own rooms. The little dragon was doing his best to conceal a very, very bright smile. “What's got you so excited?” Twilight asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. After a bit of thinking about whether he should, Spike showed her the parchment he'd copied notes from the book onto.

“Spike, she's probably going to recognize her own ideas when you try to use them to woo her.”

Spike thought for a moment, and then grumbled as he began shredding the parchment. Twilight picked up the scraps of paper as he dropped them, wanting to keep her halls clean, and went to her room. “Goodnight, Spike.”

“Night, Twilight!”

She made her way to her bed and let out a heavy yawn. In the back of her mind, she wondered and worried about whether she'd made her decisions too quickly. She was even a little surprised at how fast she'd internalized the idea of Celestia and Prominence being two parts of a whole. But, she was too tired to sort through these thoughts, and chalked all of it up to just how intense her crush was.

Cuddled into her covers, she drifted off to sleep.

Celestia was laid out on her back on a table in the Hay Burger. Twilight was quickly climbing up to stand over her. Discord was riding even more unicycles than he had been in Fluttershy's cottage, and the kazoo he played gave off Rarity's voice, speaking backwards, as he held a second, swooning Celestia in his arms.

Luna stood there, shocked and confused, as Twilight kissed, not Prominence, but Celestia, with Discord as an audience, kissing his own Celestia in his arms. In a fast food joint of all places.

Twilight sat up and looked at the clock. Three minutes had passed since she first laid down. Her hooves went to cover her eyes. “Road apples.”

Discord tossed and turned, sighing overdramatically. Fluttershy looked over the edge of her bed, where he lay in his sleeping bag. “Is everything alright? Do you want the bed? I can take the floor,” she offered, not even sure when her friend had appeared in her room.

“Oh, no, it's nothing to do with the accommodations. Do you remember when we first met and I turned you against your element?” he asked, sitting up, letting the sleeping bag slump down to reveal his lacy nightgown.

That, in Fluttershy's mind, could never be a start to a pleasant conversation. “Oh, um, I--”

“I did it to your friends, too, and with them I didn't even have to resort to brute force. I'm a master of manipulation. And lately I've been wondering how I can help ponies with that.”

“Uh...”

“So, I ask you, is it wrong for a friend to use whatever means he can to push another friend to try to take something she wants? Because that's what I tried to do for Twilight. Just a bit of magic and a little emotional nudge. Does this make me a good friend, or a bad one? At the time, I certainly thought that what I was doing was good. But now that I've had time to think on it, I'm not so sure.”

“Well, I know I'd certainly appreciate a little push from a friend every now and then. I'm not really strong enough to try and get what I really want on my own.”

Discord looked into her eyes and pulled her into a hug. “Fluttershy, you are the strongest pony I know.”

“You're sweet, but you're lying.” She giggled, hugging back.

“Only a little.”

"We should go talk to Twilight tomorrow. You might need to apologize."

With a somber nod, Discord laid down, adjusted his sleeping bag, and went to sleep, almost certain he'd done right by both Celestia and Twilight.

Luna found herself in a bland office, watching Discord type away at a computer. She sat quietly and watched for the first hour before finally speaking up. “Your dream seems to be a fantastic exercise in the absurdly mundane.” Discord looked over at her, then shrieked in terror.

“A TALKING HORSE!” He shouted. Other Draconequui—no, other Discords, for they shared much more than his race, peered over the walls of his cubicle, and began screaming at the impossible sight before them.

“First Twilight, now this,” She grumbled, “This is going to be a long night.”

Author's Note

I don't feel extremely happy with this one. Honestly, though, that could just be because I wasn't very happy with the first draft. I can't actually find anything wrong with this, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hope you all enjoy it, nonetheless.

Pinkjacked

Author's Note

So, Pinkie Pie. Let's talk about her for a moment.

For a while in this chapter, I was having some trouble getting things moving. Then I thought, hey, Pinkie's presence can be the cause of a great many effects.

I don't know if it's because she wasn't at a party or a fun social gathering like she was the last two times she made any more prominent appearances than her kind of cameo type role in chapter 4, or if it's because I was actively allowing Pinkie Pie to be a character who influenced the flow of events, but I kind of lost control of her.

I know, I know, it sounds weird, it sounds like fantasy, it sounds ridiculous. But a lot of the Pinkie Pie focus in this chapter was unintentional. At least at first. During this chapter, I learned that one of the ponies that I've written the least, even in all the unused, half finished first chapters that sit on my hard drive, actually writes herself a lot when I'm at the keyboard, and...Well, since I'm mostly writing to both further develop skills, experiment with things, and have fun with it, I decided to let her take my hand and lead the way.

I'm sorry if this bugs any of you, that she's in the spotlight so much this chapter, but this is just kinda how things played out.
And since she kinda hijacked the chapter's focus, I decided to name the chapter accordingly. Also I'd like to apologize for the lengthy author's note, but I wanted the chance to explain myself before you start reading this chapter.

Pinkjacked

Twilight did not open her eyes. She did not want to open her eyes. She was, in fact, intentionally trying to keep her eyes shut as tight as possible. It wasn't court day. That meant it wasn't racquetball day either. The sun wasn't even up yet. Why was this happening?

“Twilight.” Discord said quietly, for about the tenth time. Twilight swatted at his talon, groaning as he poked her cheek.

“Go 'way! Gon' sleep forever.”

“Twilight,” Fluttershy started, “Please, this is important.” Giving a growl, the alicorn sat up and turned toward her friends, rubbing her eyes.

Fluttershy frowned as she motioned toward the draconequus. “Discord has something he wants to say to you.”

“Am I still asleep?” She slurred tiredly.

“No.” Fluttershy reassured, having trouble keeping from flinching away from the look on Twilight's face.

“Then can it wait? I wanna go back to sleep.”

“I'm afraid not, Twilight.” Discord stepped forward, head hung in remorse. “I fear I may have done something horrible, and I absolutely must apologize to you for it.”

She laid a hoof over her eyes, leaned her head back, and took a deep breath. “Alright. What'd you do this time?”

“I may have--” He saw the stern look on Fluttershy's face. “I definitely manipulated your mind and emotions through magic.” Twilight just stared blankly at him. “I'm sorry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don't you think it was a little odd how quickly your attitude changed yesterday, from how hesitant you'd been this whole time, to heading straight to Rarity and accepting the same help you turned down almost a week ago?”

The gears in Twilight’s head turned slowly without the lubrication of a good night's sleep. “Wait, wait. Wait. You're the reason I decided to try and pursue my crush on Prominence?”

Fluttershy squeaked in surprise, certain she wasn't meant to hear that. Twilight slowly looked over at her, eyes widening slightly. After a moment of silence, she let out a frustrated groan, annoyed at her own lack of discretion.

“Fluttershy, I--”

“Oh, don't worry, Twilight, I promise, I won't tell a soul!”

Twilight nodded before turning to Discord. “And you won't tell anypony either?”

“Why do you think I wasn't stating it outright in the first place? Besides, I've been keeping the other secret a secret just as well as you have.” He said with a smile. After a moment, it shifted to an uncertain frown. “Are we alright? I just wanted to help you try to get what you wanted.”

With a sigh and a yawn, Twilight slowly closed her eyes. “I don't know. I'm not even really awake yet. Just promise you won't do this with anypony else, OK? Or, ask their permission or something.” She nestled back into her bed with a sigh.

“Please forgive him, Twilight? He feels really bad about betraying your trust. He was tossing and turning all night.”

“Alright, alright, whatever, you're forgiven, just please let me get some more sleep before the sun comes--” She didn't even have to open her eyes as the light of the dawn shone through the window, onto her face. She threw off her blanket with an angry grunt and stormed into her bathroom. Her visitors stared at the door as the shower began running.

“No take-backs!” Discord called into the bathroom.

“Whatever!” Came Twilight's reply. Discord smiled at Fluttershy, as if he'd just had the weight of the world lifted from him. She flew up and gave him a proud pat on his shoulder just before he snapped his claws, teleporting them out of the palace.

Twilight stared at the drain as the water flowed down it, considering the implications of what she'd learned this morning. She slumped against the wall as the hot water soaked into her fur. She continued to mull things over as she slid down the wall and laid down on the floor of the shower. 'I didn't make any decision. Discord made it for me.' She sighed, resting her eyes as the water continued drawing furrows through her coat. 'But I still have a decision to make. Should I keep going, or stop?'

After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes. Sadly, the answer she needed hadn't manifested in her shower while she was resting. She levitated the soap down and got to work on her coat, not even bothering to turn her head or stand up until she had to wash her underside and legs.

Once she'd finished, she toweled off, left her bathroom, and stood in her bedroom for a bit, staring at the drawer of her nightstand. After a long moment, she pulled it open with her magic and levitated Rarity's notebook out. Her horn glowed as she prepared to teleport it back to its rightful owner. After a brief moment's hesitation, the notebook opened to Twilight's magic and she began reading. Just a quick peek, and it was back in the drawer. After all, with that long shower she'd taken, breakfast wouldn't be too far off.

Celestia sat on her bed, staring at the night stand. There sat a cup full of chicory flowers. She looked at the pale blue petals, a soft smile on her face. The flowers reminded her of youth, of a simpler time. It wasn't hard to explain why. They shared the color of her own sister's mane. Her true mane, not the star-speckled semblance of the night sky that she usually wore.

'She'd always hide in fields of chicory, thinking I couldn't spot her with her natural camouflage. How many years did it take her to realize I was finding her by looking for the color of her coat, and not her mane? Five or six at least...' She sighed as she reminisced about days so long past, about a world nopony else seemed to really be able to conceive of. Yes, they knew stories, but many seemed to consider those same stories nothing but fantasy. It had been so long, it often seemed as if only she and Luna could believe there was ever a time before alicorns.

Celestia sighed, hefting herself off the bed and heading for her bathroom, sparing one last glance toward the flowers. They reminded her not only of her childhood, but of something she'd always loved about Twilight, from the first day she met her, when a little filly actually managed to hatch a dragon. She always seemed to find some new way to surprise her. The surprises weren't always pleasant, like the fact that she seemed to think her teacher would imprison and exile a pony for their good intentions, or the time she'd imploded the entire town of Ponyville into a massive ball of violence, but she still cherished her student for it.

She was in and out of the shower in a few minutes, a temporary duplication spell turning one bar of soap into six, each one lathering a different part of her body as she worked shampoo into her mane and tail before rinsing everything out at once. After Twilight's lecture on the importance of punctuality back on her second day in town, she had been keeping her showers short. Not that she needed to. Even if she wasn't the one in charge of the sun for the time being, she still found herself waking up a firm half hour before its rising, and it wasn't due for another few minutes after she exited the bathroom. She paused as she heard voices in the next room.

“Why in the world would Twilight be having guests so early?” She mused, her words coming barely above a whisper as she happily indulged herself in her natural voice. “Certainly no late night gentlecolt caller. If she really did have somepony special, I'm certain at least her friends would know.” She paused and let her thoughts tumble around in her head for a moment as she began to pace around the room. “Maybe that's it. Maybe there is no special somepony, just a string of ponies that aren't even special to her. It's easy to see why she might worry about somepony finding that out. And it would line up as well, with that first night, and my revelation of Corona. She could have realized that, though I failed to follow through, I attempted it myself, and may be trying to work up the courage to tell me. But, that doesn't seem like her. Twilight's never been a very sexual pony, to my knowledge.”

She paused and inhaled deeply the scent of her flowers. “Certainly, it's easy to feel detached from everypony else when one becomes an Alicorn. And there's definitely nothing wrong with enjoying oneself, as long as one takes the necessary precautions. But I hope she's not just trying to avoid that feeling of disconnection.” She felt a horrid ball of guilt rising in the pit of her stomach. “I'd never forgive myself if the path I set her on led to her forcing herself to act contrary to her nature. Then again, perhaps it is in her nature, and it's just not something she's felt comfortable telling an authority figure about?”

The sun began to rise, and she dashed over to the window, watching it with a bright smile on her face, all other thoughts temporarily forgotten. “Beautifully done, little sister...Perfect as it ever was.” She headed back to the flowers, smile still firmly affixed to her face. Nothing brightened things up quite like the sun, with the possible exception of the pride she felt every time she watched her sister work.

After a breakfast of waffles, sugared cereal, and ice cream, held up slightly by Twilight double checking her schedule to ensure Spike wasn't going off plan, she left. Just like that, Twilight walked out the door, throwing off some excuse about a vague errand she had to run. It wouldn't do to follow her, not without being invited. She had to stick with what Prominence would do if she wasn't as acquainted with Twilight as she actually was. Even after her realization yesterday that she had let her walls come all the way down for a moment, it would be bizarre to suddenly have her take that leap of familiarity in front of everypony.

She walked into the kitchen, following Spike, watching as he filled the sink with water, soap, and dishes. “Do you need any help with the dishes?”

“Uh, nah. Probably best if you don't get too close to any of this.” He replied, opening a cabinet under the sink and, with a great deal of caution and skill, exhaling his fire onto the bottom of the basin, bringing soapy, sud-filled water to a boil.

“Spike, what are you doing? That water is way too ho—SPIKE!” She yanked him away with her forelegs just as he began reaching a claw in to grab a dish, his other claw holding a scrubbing pad. “Be careful! You're going to get burned!”

He stared at her in disbelief, then annoyance. “No. I'm not. But you gotta stay out of the splash zone.” He went over, plunged both claws in harmlessly, and got to work. “Hotter the water, easier the food comes off.” He explained.

“How are you—oh. Right. Dragon. I'm sorry, it's just, well, don't take this the wrong way, but you behave so much like a pony.”

“Wait, you forgot I was a dragon? That’s kinda weird. You just saw me breathe fire. But, thanks!” He replied, giving a heartfelt smile over his shoulder. “That means a lot to me.”

“You're not offended?” She asked, with earnest surprise both in and out of character.

“Nope. Have you ever met a dragon?”

She smiled. “Yes, his name is Spike.”

“Well, Spike's met other dragons. And those guys were jerks.” He said, smiling as he continued to work on the dishes. “I mean, they tried to get me to smash a phoenix egg,” he mumbled sadly. “So I'd rather be a pony any day. Since I can't, though, I've just gotta be the best dragon I can be. Pony or dragon, I just want to be a good person.”

“You know, some ponies can be jerks, too.” She cautioned, starting to levitate dry dishes back into their cabinets for him.

“Yeah, I've met a few of those. But I've got the six best role models in all of Equestria.” He paused. “Make that seven. I mean, big brothers are role models right? And Shining Armor's like a brother to me.”

“I'm sure you'll grow up to be a sterling example of both equine virtues and draconian strength and dignity.” She said, watching him with the realization that Twilight wasn't the only one who managed to grow up since coming to Ponyville.

Spike paused and turned toward her, fixing her with a confused stare.

“What?”

“Since when do you talk like Celestia?”

Prominence froze for half a second, and quickly threw up an excuse. “I've been talking to her when I finish my work every day for a few years. I guess she's rubbing off of me. Haven't you ever noticed yourself taking after ponies you spend time with?”

“Well, I did accidentally say 'Okey-Dokey-Lokey' one time. Pinkie, uh, Pinkie didn't take that too well. She said I was, um, 'jacking her style,' and threw a pie in my face.”

“Huh,” was all the response she could muster.

“Good pie, though.”

Rarity trudged down her stairs, as unladylike as trudging was. It was too early to be awake. She didn’t have her face on yet. Why would anypony be trying so hard to get her attention so early? The most obvious answer would be that her dear Opal had been attacking the neighbor’s dog again, but Rarity would never consider her sweet little baby capable of doing something so cruel, despite the frequency of the occurrence. Her mane was a mess, she had no makeup on, she was only wearing her robe and slippers, but she just couldn’t take that pounding at her door another moment. She pulled the door open, greeting the lavender blur with a quiet grunt as it rushed past her. It would be Twilight, wouldn’t it, that would be so focused on something that she wouldn’t realize she’d been hammering away at a door for twenty straight minutes in the early morning.

Twilight laid the notebook out on a table and began scanning through it frantically. Rarity closed and locked the door, as she wasn’t open for business yet, before walking over to her friend. “Good morning,” she said, forcing a polite smile, with a slight edge in her voice.

“Good morning, Rarity. I saw some things in here that I wanted to go over with you.” She said, not bothering to look up from the pages.

“Of course you did,” Rarity said with a sigh.

Twilight looked up after hearing the sigh in her voice, seeing a sleeping mask pulled up to the unicorn’s horn, a robe and slippers on her, her mane disheveled, and her face devoid of makeup.

“Oh my gosh, Rarity, I’m so sorry! I had no idea that I was waking you up! I can come back la--”

“Nonsense.” She quickly cut her off, showing a tired but earnest smile. “I told you last week at court, I’d be willing to work full time with you on this. I knew what I was getting myself into when I asked to help you on a project you would no doubt be passionate about. I just failed to brace myself for it.”

“Alright. If you’re sure. But if you want, you can take a few minutes to do your makeup and--” She stared, frowning as Rarity gasped and sputtered.

“A few minutes? Twilight, you can’t be serious.”

“What do you mean?”

“...Come with me.” Rarity walked upstairs, her magic tugging at Twilight’s hoof to pull her along.

“Et voilà! Perfection.” Rarity said, as she began packing away her makeup for the day.

“Rarity, that took over an hour,” Twilight groaned.

“Of course, darling,” She replied, feeling much better having finished her daily beautification ritual. “It always does.”

“You know you’d still be pretty without any of that makeup, right? If you just did your mane you’d look fine.”

“‘Fine,’ yes. But, Twilight, beauty is my business. Everything I sell here is about beauty, and the first thing any good salespony needs to get the customer to buy is herself. Even if I were content to settle for looking ‘fine’, or ‘pretty,’ it behooves me to go that extra mile, to ‘stunning’ and ‘gorgeous.’ Besides, I enjoy it. I find the entire procedure to be very soothing.”

“Alright, I guess I see your point.” Twilight paused and thought for a moment. “I’m not going to have to make that a daily thing to make Prominence like me, am I?” She watched as Rarity silently considered this.

“I doubt it. Honestly, the sudden change would likely make it seem as if you were trying uncharacteristically hard to stand out. You’re humble, in a way that makes ponies feel comfortable around you. It’s likely better for you to stay the course in that department. I could give you some more subdued shades, but honestly, with your natural color, they wouldn’t make much of a difference.” Rarity paused as she noticed the smile Twilight was giving her. “What is it?”

“Sometimes I forget how good you are at this kind of thing.”

“I don’t know how you could ever forget that, darling. Still, there’s certainly something we could do for your image that wouldn’t be such a stretch as to make you look desperate. Come along.” She lead Twilight down to the showroom and began holding up different garments against the princess’ side.

Twilight was quickly consumed with boredom. After what felt like hours, the one thing keeping her from running out of the boutique screaming was a question that she asked Rarity after each outfit was presented to her. “Do you think Prominence would like it?”

“Darling, you’ve asked that after every piece of clothing so far.”

“How many has that even been? We’ve been at this forever!” She groaned.

“Aw, it hasn’t even been a half hour yet. We’ve got plenty of time!” Pinkie said cheerfully, rummaging through the racks of clothing hanging from the walls.

“P-Pinkie? How did you get in here?” Rarity asked, absolutely certain she’d locked the door after Twilight came in.

“That’s one!” Pinkie said, grinning. A knock came at the door, and she hopped over to open it for Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Wh..Pinkie, weren’t you just out here with us? How’d you get in there?” Applejack asked, completely bewildered as to how the mare had apparently vanished from her side just as the door opened.

“And that’s two!” Pinkie cheered. She stared expectantly at Rainbow Dash.

“What?”

“Aww…” She instead turned hopefully to Twilight.

“Uh. ‘How did you get in here?’” She asked, trying to live up to Pinkie’s hopes.

“Three! That’s a hat trick! Hat trick hat trick hat trick hat trick,” She chanted, running around the store, gathering every hat she could find, and building an ever-growing tower on top of her head.

“Pinkie, I’ll have to ask you to put all of those back where you found them when you’re done,” Rarity said sternly. Pinkie paused mid-chant to give a nod that caused the entire stack to wobble unnervingly, pleased that she was only asked to put them away later, instead of being forced to cut her fun short.

“Wait, what are you guys doing here?” Twilight asked, looking to Rainbow and Applejack.

“Pinkie said you needed to tell us something, and we needed to help you.” Rainbow told her, walking into the store, looking around with a familiar sense of boredom. Rarity could make some really awesome clothes, but everything in the storefront was lacking in the flair that was required to become Rainbow Dash approved.

“So, what’d you need to tell us?” Applejack asked, closing the door behind herself.

“I didn’t really have anything to tell you…” Twilight said quietly, frowning in confusion. Pinkie seemed to rise up out of the ground in front of her, preceded by no less than eighteen hats.

“You gotta tell us your secret!”

“I-what? What secret?” Twilight looked around nervously.

“The one you told Fluttershy! I went to her house and her door was locked and she said she couldn’t come out, so clearly she’s too scared about spilling the beans to spend any time with her friends, and you can’t just let her keep it all bottled up or waste her life away in her home, but if we all know, then she can at least let us into her house without worrying that she’s going to accidentally let it slip!”

“Wait, Pinkie, she didn’t tell you, did she?” Rarity asked.

“Nope! I guessed!”

“Y-you guessed my secret?” Twilight asked with a frown.

“Nooo, I guessed that you had a secret,” She replied with the largest grin she could muster. “And I was ri~ight!” She added, singing.

Twilight looked over at Applejack and Dash, their eyes locked on her. Whether she liked it or not, she had their full attention. “Fluttershy’s really locking herself away to keep my secret?” She asked. Pinkie nodded at her. ‘Fluttershy is cutting off the little social contact she manages just because I opened my stupid mouth this morning.’ She sighed and hung her head low. ‘I can’t let Fluttershy suffer for my mistake, even with how willing Fluttershy would be to do so.’ She supposed the Element of Kindness could be more a curse than a blessing sometimes. In fact, it seemed as if all of the Elements except hers and Pinkie’s would be more burdens than anything, from the right point of view.

Realizing she’d gotten off track, Twilight moved to set things right, for Fluttershy’s sake. “I have, uh,” She paused, frowning. She couldn't simply let one of her closest friends in the world suffer. Still, that didn't exactly make what she was trying to say any easier. “I have romantic feelings. For Prominence. A-and Rarity’s helping me figure out how to...engage the situation.” Pinkie began clapping and hooting. Applejack just gave a surprised but pleased smile. As for Rainbow...

“You should nibble her neck. Like, just under her jaw? That always gets my ‘situation’ ‘engaged’.” Rarity stared at Rainbow aghast, as the pegasus pointed at her own neck. “What?” She asked. She then realized that everypony else was staring as well. “What?” Pinkie slowly started moving in toward her neck, a curious yet determined look on her face, but Rainbow casually eased her back, pressing her forehead away with a hoof. “Why are you guys acting so weird? We’re all grown mares here, and we’re in private. Why can’t we talk about this stuff? I mean, it’s not like any of you have never…” She trailed off, looking around the room.

“Well, between the work on the farm and helpin’ take care of Apple Bloom, I don’t got a lot of free time for that kind of thing.” Applejack muttered, her hoof adjusting her stetson awkwardly.

“I just haven’t found the right pony yet.” Rarity said, looking away, frowning.

“Have you met me?” Twilight asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh, definitely.” Pinkie said, bouncing cheerfully in place. All eyes were on her again. “When there’s a party in my pants, everypony’s invited!” She gave an exaggerated wink, then paused and turned to Rarity. “I know I’m probably already pushing it with the whole hat thing, but that delivery felt weak. Can I borrow a pair of pants and try it again?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Aww.” After one and a half seconds, she forgot why she was disappointed. “So now we can all talk to Fluttershy, and all five of us can help you with Prominence, Twilight!”

“Uh, thanks! But I’m pretty sure Rarity’s got a good handle on things.”

“Exactly! She’s the architect, we’re the construction crew! She’s the designer, and we’re her seamstresses! She’s the general, and we’re her army!”

“I don’t think I remember when me and Rainbow signed up for the army.” Applejack said quietly, a little uncomfortable with Pinkie’s zeal.

“That’s because you’ve been drafted! Now fall in, soldier!” Pinkie barked. She then paused, took Applejack’s stetson from her, and added it to her tower of hats, lifting the rest of the tower and placing it on the bottom.

“Give that back,” Applejack sighed, grabbing it in her teeth and yanking it away. She had expected whatever Pinkie power kept the tower sustained would just keep it steady. She was wrong. The whole tower came tumbling down around them. Applejack flashed Rarity a contrite frown as she replaced the stetson upon her own head.

As hats continued to rain from the heavens, Rarity, Rainbow, and Twilight wound up wearing a fancy evening hat, a straw boater, and a top hat respectively. Pinkie Pie looked up and waited expectantly, but no hat came for her, so she simply shrugged, pulled a party hat out of her tail, and affixed it to her head, before doing a double take at Twilight’s top hat.

“Ooh! Ooh! Pull a rabbit out of it!” She squealed happily. Twilight just rolled her eyes.

“There’s not even a rabbit in here.” She levitated it off of her head and gave a few gentle thumps with her hoof. “See? Nothing.”

Pinkie gave an exasperated sigh and took the hat from Twilight. “There’s always a rabbit if you know how to look.” She stuck her hoof in, going into the hat up to her shoulder, her tongue stuck out in concentration as she rummaged around.

Rarity sighed and began cleaning up the hats, leaving the ones that ponies were wearing where they were for the time being, and letting Pinkie try to fish a rabbit out of a top hat.

Rainbow decided she could make any hat work, and tipped the boater, skewing it slightly, though she quickly put it back where it belonged after a mirror told her it made her look like a Flimflam brother.

Applejack approached Twilight. “Like I said earlier, between the farm, and Apple Bloom, and havin’ to save the town, even the world, as often as I do, I never really thought I had time to start up a relationship, so I don’t really know what help I can be, but if you need an extra set of strong hooves for any part of this, just let me know. I’ll be happy to help out.”

“Thanks Applejack. I know I can count on all of y--”

“AH-HA!” Pinkie shouted, pulling her hoof out of the hat, holding an extremely startled and mildly annoyed Angel Bunny. “Oh! This is perfect!” She pulled a letter out of her tail and gave it to the rabbit. “Could you give this to Fluttershy for me?” She asked around the paper in her mouth. The still confused rabbit accepted the paper before being placed back in the hat. “There. Now Fluttershy knows that we all know!”

“Pinkie Pie, how did you do that?” Twilight asked as she stared into the now empty hat, fearing something bad may have happened to physics.

“Duh!” Pinkie said, pointing at her flank, which had a picture of Twilight’s cutie mark taped to it. Twilight was mildly insulted, but she let it roll off of her. For all she knew, it may well have been magic. A theory had been developing in her head recently that Pinkie Pie could be as magically powerful as even Celestia herself, but without a horn, her Earth Pony magic would manifest itself in other ways, such as these apparent violations of reality, or her Pinkie Sense. Of course, there were still Twilight’s fears that she was actually just doing very bad things to physics. And while she loved Pinkie dearly, physics had been her friend a lot longer. She sighed, looking around at all of her friends, remembering why they were here.

“...I’d like to ask you all to Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony about my feelings for Prominence.” Her friends all went through the motions, repeating the little rhyme.

“But it kinda goes without sayin’, don’t it?” Applejack asked.

“I suppose, but this way if you get close to slipping up, there’s a distinct possibility that Pinkie will pop out of whatever container you’re near and warn you against saying anything. In fact, I should make Fluttershy Pinkie Promise too. That might actually help her set her mind at ease about the whole thing.”

“Ooh! I’ll handle it! I’ll get her to Pinkie Promise right in front of me!” Pinkie, before anypony could object, leaped into the air and did a cannonball into the top hat. Which was once again empty.

Twilight grimaced as she watched her friend disappear into a hat, but tried to keep on target despite Pinkie’s antics, which had been admittedly difficult this morning. Just as she was about to try to get things back on track, the door opened, and she turned, expecting to see Pinkie Pie carrying Fluttershy on her back, or dragging her by her tail.

“Rarity, I do apologize, but the door was open, even if the sign says the boutique is not. Am I too early?” Fleur Dis Lee asked from the door.

“Oh, not at all.” Rarity said, looking toward the clock. “I actually should’ve opened a few minutes ago. I was trying to work on something with my friends.”

“If this isn’t a good time, I can come back later,” Fleur offered, nodding to Rarity's other guests.

“Weren’t you just here yesterday?” Twilight asked. “Did you need more work done on that dress you were wearing?”

“I’m afraid so, Princess. When a widely known model and one of the most well known figures in the high society of Canterlot get married, ponies come to expect a certain amount of complexity from the wedding gown.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “I – that was your wedding gown and I interrupted, and I just burst in the door and and – oh, my gosh, I am so, so sorry!”

“I assure you, it’s fine. We’re not operating on what would, by any means, be considered a tight schedule.” She turned to Rarity. “If you need to delay our appointment, I understand entirely.”

“Not at all, I’m sure that I can multitask just fine. That is, if Twilight doesn’t mind discussing something private in front of you.”

Twilight chewed her cheek as she thought, glancing nervously at Fleur. “Can you keep a secret?”

Prominence wandered through town, wearing a saddle bag with a few books in it. There was no Rainbow Dash in the sky, no Pinkie Pie cheerfully bouncing through town, no sign of any of the ponies she’d come to make friends with, but that was alright. There were more ponies in town, and she could try and begin building bonds with any of them, right after she found a nice spot in the park to lay down, and finished the books she was carrying.

Even as much as she dedicated her time as Prominence to trying to get back to her roots, to express the unicorn she was in her youth, there were just some hobbies that she hadn’t developed before her ascension, but loved too dearly to give up for three months. Of course, if she’d ever been able to afford even a single book before she became a princess, she likely would’ve read even more than she did now, but being older than print had its drawbacks.

She paused and looked up from her book, frowning. From what she understood, those three fillies she’d met on her first day striking out alone in town tended to raise quite a ruckus at times, but school was surely in session at the moment. And with her new friends all having seemingly disappeared for the day, Ponyville felt like a whole other world, so serene and quiet. Yet everypony still had a smile on their face, still greeted her with friendly waves and even more friendly words.

Vibrancy gave way to tranquility with the absence of nine ponies who, from all she heard, tended to be involved in the majority of the happenings in the small town. Still, she couldn’t help but worry. Since Twilight left the palace this morning, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the former element bearers. Perhaps they were all just preoccupied with their work, and--

‘Well, that answers the question of where Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are,’ She thought, as the former happily pulled the latter through the park by her tail. Prominence quickly slid her bookmark into place and her book back into her saddlebag, smiling as she began moving toward them.

Pinkie stopped when she saw Prominence coming. She released Fluttershy's tail and waved at her new friend so energetically that her party hat became crooked. That was a reasonable, predictable response. Fluttershy looking like she was staring a hungry dragon in the face was not a reasonable, predictable response. Not to anypony who didn’t know she had a secret about them, at least. The timid pegasus quickly hid behind Pinkie, trembling.

Prominence didn't know what to say, but she knew where to start. She leaned past Pinkie and looked at Fluttershy. “Thanks again for having me over yesterday. I had a wonderful time.”

Fluttershy mumbled nervously, nodding at Prominence, still trying to use Pinkie as a barrier.

“Did I do something wrong yesterday?” She turned to Pinkie. “Is she upset with me?”

“Nope!” Pinkie responded.

'Well that's...succinct.' “On a related note, why were you dragging her through the park?”

“Well, I was flying her, you know, like a kite? But then her wings got tired, so I told her she could rest, and I'd take care of the work.”

“That makes...sense?” She asked, but Pinkie didn't seem to catch that it was a question and simply gave her a cheerful nod. She decided to move on. “It seems so quiet today. Where is everypony?”

Fluttershy yelped and ducked down low, hooves covering her head. Pinkie looked oddly pensive. These were not the reactions she was expecting.

“Um, hello?” Pinkie immediately snapped out of it, but Fluttershy still looked like she was braced for some kind of massive impact.

“Hi!” Pinkie replied cheerfully.

“Where is everypony?” Prominence repeated.

“Let's see. You, me, and Fluttershy are right here. Thunderlane's over there, taking a walk with Rumble, which means Rumble's over there too, and Cloud Kicker's over there, staring at Thunderlane's rump—”

“What? HEY!”

“Damn it, Pinkie!”

Pinkie just smiled and waved at Cloud Kicker.

“Pinkie.” Prominence said, drawing the pony's attention. “Where are our friends?”

“Well, Thunderlane and Rumble are over there, glaring at Cloud Kicker, and hoo, boy, does she look embarrassed, and—”

“Where are my friends?” Prominence tried again.

“Well, me and Fluttershy are right here, and Thunderlane and Cloud Kicker are over there talking, and Rumble's rolling his eyes—”

“Pinkie—”

“Well, Thunderlane and Cloud Kicker are hugging,” Pinkie began, not even waiting for a question, “And Rumble's heading over here now that he's done pretending he's gonna throw up.”

“Hey, Pinkie. Those two are being all mushy and boring. You wanna come play with me?”

Pinkie gasped as if being asked to play with Rumble was the single most stunning occurrence of her life. “DO I?!” She trotted off with the young colt, singing happily to herself.

Prominence just watched as Pinkie left in the middle of what somepony with a very loose definition might call a conversation to play with a young colt.

“So, Fluttershy,” Prominence paused mid sentence until the startled squeal ended. “A-are you alright?”

“I don't know ANYTHING!”

Prominence recoiled a little, stunned by the force with which Fluttershy declared her ignorance. “Is...is that right?” She asked quietly, getting only some trembling in response. “Fluttershy, I hope you'll forgive me saying so, but you don't seem like you're feeling very well. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment about asking her to leave her alone. But she couldn't ask that! That was just so mean! Instead, she opted to just keep all of her screams on the inside, staring at Prominence with a terrified look on her face.

Celestia stared back, more than a little worried. It almost seemed as if Fluttershy was afraid of her. Of course she'd heard how easily frightened Fluttershy was, but she'd never seemed any more than simply nervous around her.

“Am I, ah, causing you distress?” She asked, a deeply concerned frown on her face. She watched as Fluttershy wrestled with the question.

“M-maybe a little?” She offered, eyes clenched shut as if she expected a physical blow in reply.

“I'm going to ask you again, and please be honest, because the last thing I want to do is cause problems for anypony. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“N-no, I, I—”

“Fluttershy, please, keep in mind that I am, in essence, a servant. Making sure that another pony is comfortable, even if it becomes a bit of a struggle to do so, is nothing new to me and nothing I can't handle. You're clearly suffering. Please. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No! Nothing! You can go now!” Fluttershy said quickly, desperately trying to sound civil and relaxed, and failing miserably every step of the way.

“I admit, I had thought it might come to that, but I was hoping that I wouldn't have to leave you in this state. I hope you feel better soon.” Prominence told her, turning away and beginning to walk off. It was Fluttershy. Of course she was prone to fits of irrational fear. Of course she'd get nervous from time to time around a pony she barely knew. Still, even as she repeatedly reminded herself of these facts, Celestia couldn't help but feel hurt by what had just occurred. She tried her best to put the pain aside as she continued on her way. She also did her best to keep from looking back, even though she only wanted to make sure Fluttershy was going to be alright. It would likely only make things harder on each of them if Fluttershy saw tears starting to form.

“...And then she walked away, and I really think I hurt her feelings, but I just couldn't do anything, and I feel so bad about it, and—” Fluttershy paused in the midst of her rambling as she noticed Fleur's presence. “YEEP!” She dove behind Rarity. “Oh no, oh no oh no oh no!”

“It's alright, darling. Fleur knows as well, and is all too eager to help,” Rarity said, in the middle of taking a dress off of Twilight.

“Or at least, more eager to dress up a princess than get dressed up herself...” Rainbow Dash muttered. Applejack rolled her eyes. Pinkie gave no response, because, upon finally returning with Fluttershy much later than expected, she had decided it was her duty to go and play with Opal.

“I suppose we have been focusing an awful lot on what Twilight could wear. Perhaps we should get back to your gown?” Rarity asked Fleur.

“I don't mind if Ms. Sparkle doesn't,” Fleur replied. Twilight had managed to talk her down from her title, but she still insisted on some measure of formality.

Rarity frowned when Twilight didn't respond. Her frown deepened when she saw the far away look on her face. “Twilight?” She asked, still getting no reaction.

“Oh dear...Is the princess alright?” Fleur asked, raising a hoof to her mouth.

“It's likely she's tangled up in her own thoughts.” Rarity answered, raising her hooves, holding them about an inch in front of Twilight's face, and slamming them together with a loud CLOP!

Twilight flinched away, then looked around at her friends, remembering where she was. “I gotta go!” She shouted, rushing past all of her friends and out the door.

“The princess is a bit high strung...” Fleur mused. Rarity nodded.

“I do wish she'd have let us finish undressing her before she left,” She added.

Twilight burst into her palace and immediately lit her horn. “Ce-Prominence?” She called, quickly correcting what could've been a horrible mistake.

“I'm in my room.” She replied, her voice carrying throughout the palace. Twilight extinguished her spell, hurried to Prominence's door, knocking politely. “Come in.” Twilight took the invitation to throw the door open, quickly shut it with her magic, and cast the soundproofing spell.

“I heard what happened with Fluttershy. I'm so sorry about that! I—We—Somepony has a secret, and they let it go in front of Fluttershy, and she swore to keep it, and she's incredibly nervous about betraying their trust, and the only reason all six of us know is to try and make things easier on her. I promise she doesn't hate you or anything, and I think she felt really bad about how she acted and—” Twilight paused, feeling dizzy, and remembered to inhale. Celestia took this as her opening.

“You've explained plenty, Twilight. I understand now. Thank you. You really didn't need to come charging straight to my side though. It's not as if I was in peril, though, I have to admit, I was feeling a bit down.” She paused and looked at Twilight, a smile creeping over her face. “I love what you've done with your mane.”

Twilight paused, and scrunched up her face in confusion for a moment before remembering that a tight bun sat at the back of her head, sitting right on top of a yellow bow. “Oh, uh, thanks!” She felt like her cheeks were on fire, and the heat was quickly spreading toward her ears.

“But, regarding the other fashion choice...Aren't stockings usually worn in a set of four?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, looked down at her hooves, and her blush doubled in intensity at the sight of a dirty, grass-stained yellow stocking on her rear hoof.

Rarity flailed in shock as a filthy stocking magically appeared and fell directly on her face.

“This has been a neat day, but I'm getting hungry.” Rainbow mused. Applejack nodded in agreement. "Wanna go get some lunch?" Another nod, and they were out the door.

Confessions pt. 1

Eleven days had passed since Twilight had told her friends about her feelings for Prominence. Twelve days had passed since she'd begun to take action. What had begun as a small bundle of, in retrospect, not very romantic flowers and a trip to the Hay Burger, had expanded into a chain of little outings and gestures meant to open Celestia to the idea of romance with her former student. She seemed receptive. She had begun to react as if the gifts and gestures were from a suitor, not just a friend. Twilight was ready to declare her intentions.

To that end, they wandered the paths of the Everfree Forest. Prominence wasn't taking it well. She jumped and started with every shift in the wind, head almost constantly darting around. “Are you sure we won't run into any monsters?” She asked in an incredibly loud whisper.

Twilight smiled. When Celestia committed, she really committed. “I told you, Fluttershy had her animal friends keep their ears to the ground. No monsters should be anywhere near this path today. And if they were, I'm pretty certain I could handle it. Even if I couldn't, I set up a sigil in the foyer of the castle. I can perform a precise long distance teleportation at a moment's notice.” What she didn't tell her was that two other sigils in the kitchen would soon have dinner and dessert placed upon them, courtesy of Spike and Pinkie, to be teleported from, rather than to. Her range and precision had increased after her ascension, but teleporting things from out of town, unguided, was stretching it.

Rainbow Dash, with her knowledge in the field, and Applejack, with a lifetime of personal experience, both assured her that there was almost no chance of any bad weather in the forest today. Rarity had been involved in nearly all of the planning of the confession, though she was often quick to butt heads over the choice of venue. Twilight had to constantly reassure her, but she didn't hold it against her. After all, it wasn't her fault she had to be kept in the dark.

All of her friends were behind her. She could do this. Though it would have certainly helped if she could stop thinking of the consequences of a potential rejection. She looked over at Prominence, watching her reactions to the forest.

Celestia felt ill at ease in the Everfree Forest. She had not trod upon this soil in a thousand years, well before the forest came to be here. The drastic differences between the area as it was in the past and as it was in the present, the sight of such massive change being solidified right before her eyes, always made her doubtful, regardless of the circumstance. What could she have done to prevent this dangerous place from sprouting in the middle of her kingdom? Had she made some wrong choice that lead to this?

It was her duty, taking the helm of the world and steering her little ponies through the unknown of the future, but it was times like this that she wished she had a navigator. She stepped on a twig, and, as it snapped, she allowed her facade to let out a startled yelp. “What was that?”

“That was you stepping on a twig.” Twilight told her, before holding up a hoof, her ears perked up and twitching around. “...Alright. It doesn't sound like you attracted any attention.” She lowered the hoof. “And try to relax. We're almost there. See how the trees come to a stop just up ahead?”

As Twilight pointed toward what seemed to be a clearing, Prominence sprinted for it, eager to get out of this oppressive atmosphere. When she exited the trees, she could scarcely believe her eyes. Had this been their destination all along? Why would Twilight bring her here?

“There it is. The ancient castle of the two sisters.” Twilight walked past her, smiling with pride as she spoke, before she noticed the look on Prominence's face. “Are you OK?”

Celestia shook her head and adopted a more neutral expression. “Fine. I just...I was so certain that the surprise in the forest you were talking about was going to be this 'Zecora' I've heard about. I didn't expect this at all!” She added some enthusiasm to that last sentence. Twilight was excited about this, for whatever reason. She couldn't spoil it for her. Not after how sweet she'd been lately. Not with the feelings that were starting to grow within Celestia as a result of how sweet she'd been lately. Feelings that had been sparked by an offering of chicory flowers, and kindled further by several dozen other little gestures over the recent days. Feelings that, sadly, were certainly doomed to amount to nothing.

Twilight nodded and began across the bridge. “It looks rickety, but I promise there's no danger here.”

“Easy for you to say. You've got wings.” She forced the joke out, hoping to keep herself calm as they edged ever closer to their destination. That castle had been so beautiful once.

They made it across the bridge, and into the doors of the palace. Doors which once opened so smoothly and soundlessly. Doors that now screamed in protest at motion.

There were holes in the ceiling. Small mounds of rubble sat nearby. Too small to match the holes, likely due to the restoration efforts of Twilight and her friends, but, of course, most of those efforts had been focused on the library.

“We're all alone.” Twilight said, drawing Celestia's attention. “There's nopony here that you have to pretend for.”

She shook her head in response. “I...may take you up on that.” She couldn't bring herself to outright deny her, but without Prominence between herself and the building around her, she felt like she might collapse. Every hole. Every tattered tapestry. Every broken window. Every piece of debris. They all seemed to claw at her mind, trying to tear her down. Prominence, for now, was a place to hide from them.

“Oh, uh, alright, then. But, um, can,” She paused and took a breath, trying to figure out how to express her question. “Can I talk to you, instead of her?” She received a small nod in response. “Alright. Well, right this way.” She led her onward to a dead end.

“You know,” She said as a sconce on the wall began to glow, enveloped by a magenta field, “I was really surprised at how much of a fun house this was.” The sconce tilted downward, and a section of the wall slid away slowly, groaning at its own motion as it stirred up up a cloud of dust. Twilight coughed quietly as she walked through. As Prominence followed, her legs trembled. Her hooves felt like they were made of lead.

That hidden door used to move so quickly. And how could it be considered hidden anymore? Anypony could follow one through if they heard this grating noise, or saw this cloud of dust. Celestia did her best to focus on Twilight. She seemed to be taking her to...the banquet hall?

Twilight opened the last hidden door on the path, confirming Celestia's guess. “I didn't have time to really clean this place out, but we can at least do a little something about the dust. Brace yourself.” Her horn glowed and a short lived gale carried a massive cloud out a jagged hole in the wall.

“You're probably wondering why I wanted to bring you here, huh?” Twilight asked as she made her way toward a table that was still in good condition, levitating some intact chairs over to it.

Celestia wasn't wondering. She was just staring at the destroyed tables. The broken chairs. Her own seat, crumbled to a pile of refuse. Luna's seat beside it. 'Luna.'

“This is a really special place for me...It's where I found the elements, where I realized that my friends were my friends, where I learned the secret of the keys...” She grimaced and mumbled, “Also where I got trapped in a comic book once.” She shook the odd memory out of her head. “And I know it's a special place for you. It was your home, after all. I thought it would be nice if we could come to a place that's meant so much to both of us,” She paused for just a moment as she climbed into her seat, “And share it with each other.” Her horn glowed as dinner appeared on the table. “Pasta with broccoli and white sauce. Your—at least, Prominence's favorite. Right?” She finally turned back to face Prominence.

The pale pink pony was crumpled in a heap, trembling, mumbling frantically, tears streaming freely down her face. Twilight rushed to her side. “Celestia?!” She stared in surprise as she heard the words she muttered.

“T-Twilight please I have to go please please get me out of here Twilight I can't be here” Her words came quicker and quicker, breaking down into incoherence. She felt the warmth of Twilight's wing on her back. She felt the tingle of long range teleportation, and immediately after, the twinge of short range teleportation. She slowly opened her eyes just in time to see the walls of her room glimmering with a sound proofing spell.

Twilight turned her head, noticing two plates in her magical grip. “...Huh. I don't even remember picking those up.” She said, hoping to lighten the mood, but reconsidering it as Celestia slumped onto the bed, sniffling. She set the plates on the floor, off to the side. “Celestia...Are you alright?”

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “No, Twilight. I'm not. I tried to be. I understand what you wanted to do. I just couldn't handle it. I see my home every night, when I visit it with Luna in my dreams. That wasn't my home. That was its scarred, bloated, decayed carcass.” She opened her eyes slowly and met Twilight's gaze. “That was where I lost her, Twilight. I'm sorry I ruined your plans, but...That was where I lost everything.”

“But, but you seemed fine when you showed up after my friends and I got the elements and—”

“Twilight! I had my sister in front of me for the first time in a thousand years! Do you really think I paid the least bit of attention to my surroundings!?” She watched as Twilight shrank away, flinching at her volume. “I'm sorry, but I do not need somepony telling me why they think I shouldn't feel the way I do. Not now.” She turned away from her, slowly closing her eyes.

Twilight stared down at her hooves for a moment. She looked back up at Celestia. “Well,” She began, taking a deep breath. “What do you need?”

Celestia's voice cracked as she spoke. “I think I need a hug,” She whimpered. After a moment, she felt the bed shift. She felt a leg rest across her back. She felt Twilight's heartbeat against her shoulder. “Thank you,” She whispered.

“Any time.”

They laid silently in bed for a short while, until that silence was broken by the sound of Twilight's stomach growling. Celestia, in spite of everything, couldn't help but let out a giggle.

“I suppose I ruined your dinner plans...” She looked over at the plates on the floor, levitating them onto the bed, and both of them began eating, Twilight never once taking her leg off of Celestia.

“Celestia,” Twilight began, “I'm really sorry about—”

“Don't. It's not your fault. It's not mine either. This is nopony's fault. It is an unfortunate event culminating from poorly made assumptions, but there is no call to try to blame anypony for it, and attempting to place blame will fix nothing. Let's just try to move forward from this together. Please.” Centuries of well practiced diplomacy shone through her words, and Twilight eagerly gave into the temptation to accept them.

Time passed slowly as they finished eating. Twilight set the empty plates on the night stand with her magic. After laying in peaceful silence for a while, she noticed Celestia fidgeting. Looking down, she found that she was sleeping, and from the look on her face, her dreams were anything but pleasant. Twilight pulled her in closer, hugging a bit tighter.

“It's just a dream it's just a dream it's just a dream!” Luna yelled at Celestia over and over as both fled a giant Nightmare Moon, running down an endless corridor. “Dream about something else! Please!”

“I'm trying! Can't you change this!? Alter my dream! Do something!”

“You know it doesn't work like that!” Luna replied, Nightmare Moon bearing down on them. “Your subconscious has to receptive to my changes!”

“She's getting closer!” Celestia shouted, turning and blasting at the nightmare, her magic having no effect.

A brilliant light appeared a few yards down, and Nightmare Moon skidded to a halt. The princesses watched as the light resolved itself into six mares, each equipped with an Element of Harmony.

Twilight stepped forward, raising her hoof into the air. The elements began glowing. Power flowed from them, surrounding Twilight's hoof in the form of a massive rainbow aura. She slowly drew her hoof back, coiling her other three legs. “Harmony...” She sprung forward, thrusting her hoof out and slamming it into Nightmare Moon's face. “CRUSHER!” Unbearably bright light blazed outward from the point of impact. Nightmare Moon was gone.

“That can't be how it happened.” Celestia murmured, staring in disbelief.

“It's how I remember it,” Luna shrugged.

“You remember being punched in the face, hearing her scream 'harmony crusher,' and being disintegrated?”

“Pretty vividly, yeah.”

“You're messing with me.”

“Maybe a little.”

Twilight smiled. Tightening her hug seemed to do the trick. Celestia had calmed down. She started to release her hug, intending to go back to her own room, but noted Celestia's grimace as she did.

“Oh, what the hell is this?” Luna demanded as she began transforming into Nightmare Moon. Celestia began to shrink back away from her nervously. “If she punches the real me this time, I will fly to Ponyville and slap you till you wake up. There was no reason for you to drag me into that chase, and I will not take a punch lying down.”

Twilight once again tightened her hug.

“That's much better.” Luna said, as she returned to her normal form.

Twilight sighed. It looked like she was stuck here for the night. She reached out with her horn to pull the blanket up over the both of them, and to turn of the light. 'Well, that's alright. I don't mind laying in bed with her, I certainly don't mind the cuddling, and it's nice to be able to help Celestia get a good night's sleep. I almost feel like Luna, watching over somepony's dr-' “Uh-oh.” She said quietly, as her mind was drawn back to her own dreams.

She'd been coping with them better and better, and they were less constant than they'd been at the outset, but when they occurred, there was usually at least some kind of evidence. What if Celestia woke to find her moaning, or, or gyrating in her sleep? Heavens forbid, what if she needed a new set of sheets?

'There's simply no other options. I'll have to stay up all night.' Twilight looked over to try and watch Prominence's expression. In the dark, there were no expressions to be seen. She looked around the room and found nothing to occupy her.

Without a face to look at, without anypony to talk to, without any reciprocation to her cuddling, Twilight came to the realization that she was very bored. Comfortable in the warm bed, happy to have her leg around the pony she loved (and to have an excuse to keep it there), but very bored regardless. Still, there was nothing to be done. She was stuck.

Celestia stirred. She let out a soft yawn. The blanket felt oddly heavy this morning, she noted. And only in the one spot, across her shoulders. It almost felt like a leg. It was then that her mind caught up to her. Twilight was there with her. She had been comforting her last night. She must have fallen asleep as well. She opened an eye and glanced over to find Twilight's head did not rest on the pillow beside hers. Looking up, she saw Twilight staring at the wall, her eyes bloodshot and her eyelids sagging.

“Twilight?” She whispered, confused.

“Oh!” Twilight's gaze slowly shifted from a spot on the wall to the pony she had her leg around. “Celestia! You're awa—” She gave a long, powerful yawn before continuing. “Awake!”

“...So are you. In fact, I suspect you have been all night.”

“Uh...” Twilight looked away.

“Twilight, why would you stay up?”

Twilight didn't look at her as she spoke. “I've been having,” She paused, looking for any word besides erotic, “Weird dreams for a while now...I didn't want to...um...upset you.”

The best Celestia could figure was that Twilight was afraid of tossing, turning, and possibly elbowing her in the face in the middle of her thrashings. “If that's what you were worried about, why didn't you go to your own room?”

“But...You were having a nightmare...” Twilight replied as she turned back to face her. "I couldn't leave you."

Celestia just stared, dumbfounded. Her heart leaped at Twilight's words, the feelings that Twilight's actions had been fostering growing much more powerful, but she quickly quashed them. Twilight was only showing concern for a friend. This would not amount to anything. It couldn't. Celestia knew Twilight that well, at least.

Still, she had watched over her. She had spent the whole night with her, at her own expense, making sure she was alright. Celestia couldn't stop herself blushing.

“Thank you, Twilight. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you would watch over me like that. But I'm awake now, and you need your rest.”

“But...the sun will be up soon.”

“Take the morning off. You need your rest.” She insisted, starting to get up before remembering she was under Twilight's leg. Twilight removed the comforting appendage, before wincing and shaking it out.

“I can't just 'take the morning off.' I've got responsibilities! Things to do!” She said, massaging her sore, stiff leg with her other hoof.

“You can and will. Do you have any idea how much more harm you could do than good if you attempted to take care of those responsibilities without rest? The things you need to do can wait until you have a clear head.”

Visions of an unrested Applejack wormed their way to the forefront of Twilight's weary mind. “...You're right...You're right. Just, please, make sure I'm up before lunch.”

Celestia nodded. “That's the least I can do, after you watched over me all night.” She watched as Twilight's horn began glowing, and the princess beside her vanished in a flash of light. “Well, time for a shower, I suppose.”

“She what.” Spike stared at Prominence in disbelief, in the middle of setting the table.

“She's taking the morning off. She didn't get any sleep last night.” She answered calmly. Spike smiled.

“Oh, yeah. Rainbow said that would happen.” He chuckled to himself, then paused and narrowed his eyes. “I have no idea what she meant.”

“Why would Rainbow have thought that?”

“Well, because of what happened at the castle.”

Prominence's eyes briefly widened as she desperately pieced together a cover story. “We, um, never made it to the castle. I panicked. I, uh, kept thinking there were monsters around and I just couldn't handle it. So she brought me straight home.”

“So...You two didn't talk about anything?” Spike asked, climbing into his seat.

“No. Why?”

Spike slid his plate out of the way, and allowed his head to fall against the table with a powerful thunk, before grumbling under his breath.

“...Is something wrong?” Prominence asked, fidgeting awkwardly, the answer to her question painfully obvious. Spike looked up from the table and frowned, thinking on his response before giving it.

“I just know she had something she really wanted to tell you. She must be pretty disappointed.”

“She had something to tell me?” She raised an eyebrow, watching him quietly.

Apparently he hadn't thought on his response quite long enough. Spike's eyes darted back and forth nervously. Sweat began to bead on his brow. He slowly picked up his plate, looked Prominence in the eyes, eased off his chair, and ran away with his breakfast as fast as his tiny little legs would carry him.

“...I should really be more worried about what Twilight wants to tell me, and less worried about which of those two influenced the other to instinctively take their food when fleeing a situation,” Prominence mused.

The same questions about the trip into the Everfree had been asked repeatedly over the course of one long morning, and now five ponies and a dragon were standing around, responding awkwardly to Prominence's presence, waiting for her to go back upstairs and wake Twilight up.

Prominence nervously climbed the stairs, the other ponies having firmly embedded in her mind some anxiety over what Twilight might have wanted to discuss. After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, she slowly opened it and took a peek inside to find Twilight fast asleep. She made her way over to the bed, watching Twilight's face as she slept.

She looked serene, and beautiful, but more than anything, she looked tired, still sporting pronounced bags that had formed under her eyes as a result of her vigil the night before. Prominence reached up and gently began to give her a light shove with a hoof. “Twilight?”

“Gah!” Twilight's eyes shot open, and focused on Prominence. Her pupils shrank to pin pricks and she quickly examined her body and her bed for any evidence of what she was dreaming of, but when none was found, she slumped back and gave a relaxed sigh. And then she realized the questioning look on Prominence's face. “Oh, good, I'm...still a pony.” She said, hoping her unconvincing tone would be written off as just being tired. She watched Prominence with worry in her eyes over whether or not her guest would be convinced.

“Uh, yes. I can confirm that.” Prominence replied, completely misinterpreting the look of worry. “Can...Can I ask what you were in your dream?”

“No. So, lunch time?” Twilight said, quickly changing the subject as she climbed out of bed.

“Just about.” She paused, closed the door with her magic, and cast the sound proofing spell. “Also, your friends are here, and they've been asking about yesterday. I've told them that I panicked before we ever got to our destination and that you had to get me out of there. Not too far from the truth.”

“Right, right. Good thinking. I hadn't even considered a cover story.”

“Neither had I, until Spike started questioning me at breakfast. They all seem disappointed that you didn't get a chance to talk to me about something.”

“Right, well, like I said, lunch time, and since I missed breakfast I'm feeling pretty hungry, so we'd better go eat, plus my friends are all here, and it'd be rude to just ignore them so I should probably head downstairs now,” Twilight exited the room as she quickly rambled off her changes of subject.

Prominence just stared after her for a moment, before taking a deep breath. 'If there was any doubt that she was going to try to do anything more than just bond with me last night, it's gone out the window. Whatever she had planned to tell me was a big deal to her, and I ruined it. I'll have to do whatever I can to make it up to her later. Wait, they're probably wondering why I'm still upstairs. Especially when I know there's lunch downstairs.' Celestia quickly hurried after Twilight as her need for introspection was overridden by her desire for food made by Spike. When she reached the others, however, her mind was back to thoughts that were less than food related, as they all stopped whispering to each other, and began staring at her.

'The last time I walked into a room and got that reaction, there was an attempt on my life. Of course, that'd just be silly.' Prominence paused for a moment, and cautiously glanced up to the ceiling. Satisfied that there were no assassins, she looked back to the group assembled. “Are you guys going to join us for lunch?”

After the most suspicious looking exchange of glances she'd seen in a long time, and a nod from a very fidgety Twilight, Rainbow Dash answered.

“No.”

“...Okay then.” She followed Twilight into the dining room, but looked back through the door to see ten pony eyes and two dragon eyes staring at her, before Twilight closed the door and cast the sound proofing spell. “Why are they sticking around if they're not going to eat with us?”

Twilight took a deep breath, climbing into her seat and staring at her plate. “After everything they've done to help me with this, they deserve to know how it turns out, and I may need them here if things go poorly.”

Celestia took her seat to Twilight's left. “Alright, I know I'm being ridiculous, but you're all acting very suspicious and I've had some bad experiences in the past, so please, humor me. You're not trying to kill me, are you? If I take a bite of this, I'm not going to collapse to the floor, frothing at the mouth, or anything?”

“What?! No! Absolutely not!” Twilight took a long, slow breath. “I guess that just goes to show I've put this off too long.” She looked up, and stared deeply into Prominence's eyes. She chewed her cheek for a moment, glancing away, trying to work up her resolve. “...Princess Celestia? I'm...” She took a long, slow breath. “I'm in love with you.”

Celestia stared at Twilight. A million pieces fell into place. The puzzle was solved, but the answer didn't fit into the real world. This couldn't be the case. As she tried to comprehend what she'd been told, she began to panic. Emptiness surged into her mind. In the silence of her thoughts, a single powerful force took hold of her. She desperately clung to the one idea that made its way into her consciousness. She clung to her disbelief. “N-no you're not...” She said quietly, eyes wide, a nervous smile on her face.

“I...What do you...” Twilight swallowed loudly as tears started to gather in her eyes. “...I see. Excuse me.” She quickly left her seat and headed toward the door, head down as her tears tumbled down her cheeks. She rushed past her friends, ignoring their attempts to talk to her, and hurried to her bedroom.

“Oh, dear.” Rarity turned towards her friends. “Fluttershy, Spike, Pinkie, come with me. I believe this situation calls for some damage control. Rainbow, Applejack--”

“We'll make sure Prominence is all right.” Applejack said, heading into the dining hall.

Prominence continued to stare ahead at where Twilight was, trembling slightly. Applejack announced her presence, but no reaction was given. Rainbow waved a hoof in front of her face, and still, nothing.

“Do you wanna do the honors?”

“Better not. Ain't fair to hold it against her, but I'm not exactly happy with her, and the last thing either of them need is missing teeth thrown into the mix. She's all yours.”

“Awesome! I always wanted to do this.” Rainbow Dash lifted off the ground and alighted on the table in front of Prominence, who simply stared through the gap in the pegasus' legs. “SNAP OUT OF IT!” And with that, she slapped Prominence across the face.

“I...wuh?” She asked, snapped out of her daze as her hoof went to her stinging cheek.

“Y'wanna tell us what went down here?” Applejack asked, moving in beside her, trying to remain sympathetic.

“She told me she loved me,” She recalled, looking down at the table's surface. “I told her she didn't...”

After a short moment of silence, Rainbow looked to Applejack. “Can I slap her again?”

“I'd deserve nothing less, but it'll have to wait. First I have to try to fix this.” Prominence got up from the table, and began heading for the door, only to be cut off by a pair of ponies.

“I'm not so sure that's a good idea.” Applejack said, frowning.

“Girls, please,” The voice was not that of a timid servant. It was the strong, confident voice of a leader. Yet, as confident as it was, it was a voice full of pain and regret. “I have to try.”

They stared at her in disbelief. Celestia couldn't keep waiting on their response. This had to be fixed as soon as possible, for Twilight's sake if not for her own selfish feelings. She circumvented the mares blocking her and hurried her way up the stairs and through the halls to find Twilight's door surrounded by other ponies.

“Oh, dear, um, Prominence, I'm not entirely certain that this is the best—” With a flash of golden light, Prominence vanished, and reappeared inside Twilight's bedroom. The alicorn on the bed could scarcely look at her, her cheeks soaked with tears. Her heart broke to see her like this. She had intended to simply lay all her cards out on the table, work out why this wouldn't be a good idea with Twilight, and try to return to a close friendship as painlessly as possible. She came to explain everything.

“I thought you were straight,” was all she could manage.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long, reason's in my blog.
Sorry it's a cliffhanger, I needed some time to distance myself from the last event to figure out exactly where I'm going to go from the point that this chapter ends on, and editing this chapter is a way to take that time without losing focus on this fic.
Sorry the chapter's so much shorter than all the other ones. In general I'm just a pretty sorry dude.

I know what you're all thinking. You're all wondering about what Celestia was wondering about, with the taking the food when they leave. Did it originate with Twilight and she rubbed off on Spike, or vice versa? The obvious answer would likely be that Spike rubbed off on Twilight, as dragons are certain to take their hoard when evacuating to a new home if an old one becomes inhospitable because, say, a pegasus makes you cry. That hoard's largely made up of jewels they intend to eat. This is Spike's habit, and he rubbed off on Twilight.

What? Nobody was wondering that?

Also, regarding Rainbow's actions, Myth Busters proved that slapping people back to their senses works. Unfortunately this excuse does not make people any less angry about being slapped, especially when they were behaving perfectly calmly and rationally prior to slappage. I definitely learned that through “common sense,” and not experimentation.

and, finally: This was one of the few things I was planning on doing for a while. not from the start of the fic, and I'm not even sure when the idea solidified itself in my head, but I wanted twilight's confession to be ruined simply by the fact that Celestia was so caught up in what she thought she knew about twilight that she just couldn't handle something so contrary to the world as she knew it. I also planned on having somepony hit her for how she reacted, but I wound up settling for rainbow slap instead of an apple punch. mmm....apple punch....

Confessions pt. 2

Author's Note

I would like to make this clear: This is not a chapter. this is part of a chapter. confessions is just meant to be one thing, and I gave people the first chunk because I felt guilty for making them wait. This wraps it up. Not two distinct chapters. hence the parts in the titles. this was really hard for me to write and I don't know why. I had to claw and struggle to get to a place where I could end this one. but it's over and done with now so I can finally get started on a new chapter.

Confessions pt. 2

“Y-you...You what?” Twilight asked, staring in confusion.

Celestia walked forward as she spoke, and at the same time, enchanted the room against the ears of the ponies outside. “I thought you were straight! I was wrong, and I'm sorry, but I'm not used to that! I can read most anypony in the world like a book, and then out of nowhere you throw me this curve ball!”

“Why would you think I was straight? Have you ever even seen me actively display interest in a stallion!?”

“No, but have I ever even seen you display interest in a mare!?”

“Yes! You! I have been trying to make my intentions clear for over a week!”

“Well, excuse me for thinking you were just incredibly sweet to your friends, I had no idea you were trying to be romantic!”

“Are you mad at me!?”

“No! Are you mad at me!?”

“No! Why are we yelling!?”

“Who cares?! We can be as loud as we want anyway, the room's soundproofed!”

“Well, what about you!?”

“What about me!?”

“Are you straight!?”

“If I was, I wouldn't have had to remind myself that you were straight every day since you gave me those chicory flowers, so I wouldn't have to worry about the heartbreak of confirming that you weren't interested!”

“You liked the flowers!?”

“I loved the flowers!”

No more words came, as they stood, staring at each other, each breathing a bit heavily, each trying to regain control from their emotions.

“Twilight, I am so sorry I hurt you,” Celestia finally told her, “And I'm sorry that I may have to do it again.”

“W-wait, what?” Twilight hadn't even had time to consider that perhaps there could still be a chance, but even with her ignorance of its presence, having that chance suddenly taken from her caused a chill of fear to run up and down her spine.

“Have you considered the complications that could arise from an attempted courtship?”

“Uhh, if we had a falling out, and broke up, the bad feelings occurring as a result could cause you to turn Luna and Cadance against me, and Cadance could change my brother's opinion of me, and Shining Armor could then turn my parents against me, and my whole family and all of my fellow princesses would hate me forever."

“Well, that's certainly a possibility, but I assure you, a very unlikely one. Imagine this scenario: We start dating. My vacation ends. I go back to Canterlot. You visit me, or I visit you, for romantic outings. Ponies thought Twilight was in a relationship with Prominence. Now they see she's in a relationship with Celestia. Ponies begin to assume you left Prominence for me because you are either fickle or elitist. Your name is dragged through the mud, and mine as well for stealing you away from Prominence.”

“Anypony who would think that badly about us isn't anypony whose opinion matters to me.” Twilight responded with a fierce determination and an underwhelming stomp of her hoof.

“Twilight, that mindset will only serve to hurt you in the world of politics."

Twilight sighed, turning her eyes downward. “I don't want to talk about politics. I just want to talk about us. It isn't even anypony else's business.”

“I may have managed to make things easier for you and Cadance than they were for Luna and I, but you will still be under scrutiny.” Celestia told her, moving closer and putting a hoof on her shoulder.

The door burst inward, and the princesses each turned just in time to see Applejack's hooves return to the floor. Four ponies (and a dragon) stood ready for combat, glaring at Prominence. One pony cowered in the back.

“Alright, 'Prominence!'” Rainbow said, making her way toward the unicorn. “That voice in the dining room. Explain. Now!”

“And while you're at it, you can tell us just how you can cast something as complex as a teleportation spell!” Rarity added.

“...Prominence?” Twilight asked, turning toward her. She shifted awkwardly, frowning.

“I may have panicked. And lacked discretion in how I behaved. I had to talk to you,” She told her, her voice once again that of a slightly skittish personal assistant.

“Oh. Um, we may have to come clean.” She told her, lowering her ears.

Celestia bit her lip, looking away for a moment as she grappled with the idea, backing away from the ponies in the doorway.

“I smell a secret!” Pinkie shouted.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks, Pinkie. We got it.” Spike said.

"We can trust them." Twilight said through her small frown as she rested a reassuring wing on Prominence's back.

Prominence sighed, looking to the ground. “This is not entirely easy for me. I've kept this closely guarded for a long time. But,” She looked to Twilight, “I trust you. I trust in your judgment. I will trust the ponies that you put your trust in. The same ponies I've trusted with the fate of the kingdom.” After taking a breath to prepare herself, she spoke to them in her true voice. “The transformation magic I have used on myself would take three hours to undo, and another three to recast once we're done here, so I hope you will take Twilight and I at our word. I, that is to say, Prominence is...” She looked back to Twilight again, clearly struggling. “This was a lot easier when I just wrote you a letter.”

Twilight's eyes lit up as she ran over to her desk, pulling the drawer open and grabbing a scroll, unrolling it and thrusting it in the faces of her friends.

“Wow, um, nice...Blank sheet of paper?” Rainbow said, looking to her friends for help.

“What're you...” Twilight looked at the paper herself. “Oh, right. Enchanted. Can we disenchant it?”

“That would be too time consuming, I think.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “There's nothing else for it. I am Princess Celestia.”

It became very quiet in the bedroom. The only sound was the dull tok. tok. tok. of a wall clock as the seconds ticked past.

“Prove it!” Spike said, arms crossed defiantly.

“I'm vouching for her, Spike.” Twilight told him, fixing him with an annoyed glare. She then turned her gaze to her friends. “You all have my word, as Princess of Friendship. And as your friend. I swear to you, this is, and has been, Celestia. This whole time.” Silence again, for a short while, before a pony finally spoke.

“But what's the secret?”

“That is the secret, Pinkie.” Twilight told her with a sigh.

“Pff. Not much of one. I thought it was obvious.” As Celestia opened her mouth to question Pinkie's knowledge, Twilight raised a hoof to keep her silent.

“Trust me, it's not worth it.” She took a deep breath as she looked at the rest of her friends, watching for the second time that day as she revealed a hidden truth and caused ponies to grapple with their perceptions of reality.

Rainbow raised her hooves in objection, finally coming up with something to say. “Wait, wait, wait, I thought Celestia was sleeping in the sunnnnnthat sounds a lot more stupid when I say it out loud.” She frowned.

“Yes, well, my sister has been known to be more than a little eccentric at times.” Celestia replied with a weak and worried smile.

"I'd say your word's probably the best proof any of us could ask for, Twi." Applejack said, lowering her head in deference to Celestia.

"Applejack, please, that's exactly the kind of behavior I'm trying to avoid during my vacation." The farmer stood up straight and offered a sheepish smile by way of apology.

“Wait. Just one moment.” Rarity walked over to Twilight. “She's Celestia. You knew she was Celestia. And you were going to take her to the Castle of the Two Sisters to tell her you were in love with her?” Twilight nodded. Rarity stared at her in disbelief. “And you don't see anything wrong with that!?”

“...I do now.” Twilight said, looking down.

“Rarity, on that note, do you see anything wrong with not warning Twilight of the misconceptions I held regarding her orientation?”

“...You knew she thought I was straight!? And you didn't say anything!?” Rarity shrank down under the rage of Twilight Sparkle.

“Um, eheh...oops?”

Twilight sighed in annoyance, holding her hoof to her forehead.

“...We do have something a bit more important to discuss at the moment.” Celestia said, patting Twilight on the back. “I need all of you to swear to me that you will keep Prominence's true identity secret. The ability to spend time unrecognized by the masses is very important to me. I will be deeply indebted to each of you if you will only help me protect this secret.”

Celestia was met with a chorus of, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“....I...I don't...” She looked to Twilight, desperate for explanation.

“Your secret's safe with them,” Twilight said, smiling. “They know they'll have to answer to Pinkie otherwise.”

“I beg your pardon, but that doesn't seem like a very intimidating prospect.”

“Pinkie! Show me your war face!” Rainbow commanded.

“GRRR”

“I stand corrected. And terrified.” Celestia slowly moved behind Twilight for protection.

“...Now that this is all sorted, I think these two need some more private time to work things out.” Applejack mused. “I think we, uh...interrupted. Sorry I broke down your door, Twi.”

“It's fine, it'll be back to normal in a few hours anyway.”

“...Well, that's a load off! Means I don't gotta fix it.” She calmly trotted out of the room, followed by Rainbow Dash and nopony else. Turning back to the others, she cleared her throat. “Come on! If she wanted everypony to just sit around gawkin' at her, she would've just come to town as Celestia.”

“Wait, wait, I have one question I have to ask before I leave!” Rarity protested. She then let out a startled yelp as a rope fell around her, Applejack holding the other end of her lasso and pulling Rarity out of the room, Fluttershy following, and Pinkie hopping along with her friends. The halls echoed Rarity's question back into the room. “If I could cast that spell, could I stay young and beautiful forever!?”

Twilight paused as the words bounced their way back and made it to her ears. “...I can't lie, that's something of an attractive prospect.”

“You might be one of the few ponies I know who can both harness the power required for that spell, and wrap her head around the complexities of the formula. I'll try to let Rarity down easily.”

“So, um...Wait, Spike, what are you still doing here? Give us some privacy, please.”

The baby dragon walked up to Celestia and glared into her eyes. “You made Twilight cry. I'm watching you.”

“Spike!” Twilight forcefully pointed to the door. “Out!”

The dragon backed away from Celestia, pointing two claws at his eyes, and one claw at her. He missed the opening of the door, backing into the wall, and adjusted his heading, but never once stopped staring at Celestia.

“I'm sure she's very scared, Spike.” Twilight told him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe we should move this to your room while the castle fixes itself. It still has a door.”

Celestia nodded, they each teleported, and Twilight cast the sound proofing spell.

“...I'm sorry, I do want to return to the prior topic, but...'Fixes itself?'”

“Oh, uh, this castle was borne from an eruption of the energies of the Tree and Elements of Harmony. I've seen Spike sneeze on a wall, and the scorch marks, well, I guess 'healed' is the best word, in a few minutes. Rainbow's crashed through a window, and that window was mended in an hour. This palace obviously isn't brick and mortar. I've chipped some off and examined it and it's definitely not even a mineral. I'm fairly certain it's composed entirely of magical energy—no, magical matter, condensed to a crystalline structure.”

“An interesting idea. One that I hope to discuss with you more once we're done sorting out our relationship.”

“...Our relationship? You mean the things that are keeping us from having a relationship.” Twilight sighed.

“Nonsense. I'm entirely open to the idea. There's just so much to talk about, and I don't want you to get your hopes up. At the end of this, we might both end up deciding that trying anything now would be more trouble than it was worth.”

“Yeah, I—wait, why did you specify 'now'?”

“Twilight Sparkle never misses a trick, does she?” The corner of Celestia's mouth turned up.

“Praise later. Explanation now.”

“The political and societal fiasco that I outlined for you earlier would only be an issue if we didn't put things on hold until my vacation is over, and I've returned to Canterlot as Celestia.”

“Oh. So, waiting would solve all of our problems!” Twilight smiled brightly.

“Well, it would solve one of our problems.”

“gruuuuh” The smile vanished as quickly as it came. “What else did I miss?”

“A lot of ponies have always cried out about favoritism regarding you, ever since I first took you as my student, and did nothing about the fact that you caused massive damage to the roof of the testing room and transformed several ponies against their will. Some ponies still don't accept that teaching you to control those powers was the correct action, and believe you should be punished for your transgressions, along with many other bits of havoc you've stirred up.”

“I...Havoc? What?”

“Remember the Smarty Pants incident?” Twilight's face turned red. “And the parasprites? After the fact, I learned about how you changed the nature of a group of them, arguably making them far more dangerous.” Redder now, as her head sunk. “And, let's not forget the unauthorized use of a time travel spell. That could've had very serious repercussions, and I count all of Equestria very lucky that no such thing occurred.”

“You, uh, you knew about that?”

“The point is, I often look the other way when you make a misstep. I would for most any pony who is almost always able to repair the damage she causes, and who is simply trying to do the right thing. But you are already singled out by the populace. They think I play favorites, because you are my student. What would they think if you were my lover?”

The word sent delightful tingles down Twilight's spine, and her response came unbidden. “That I'm the luckiest filly in Equestria?” Celestia blinked a few times, as these words registered and a blush formed on her cheeks.

“Where did that come from?” Celestia asked.

“Uh, I'm not sure. Sorry, that was kind of cheesy, wasn't it?”

“Well, yes. But I do like a bit of cheese, now and then.”

Twilight stared at her for a moment, lifted a hoof to her mouth, cleared her throat, and looked Celestia in the eye. “Edam.”

Celestia let out a chuckle, shaking her head. “We're getting off topic, Twilight.”

“Camembert?”

“Twilight, we have issues that need addressing.”

“Roquefort.”

“Twilight, I need you to stop whatever it is you're doing, and explain to me what you think you're doing, please.” Celestia said with a soft grin.

“Flirting? Rarity's been teaching me.”

“Well, I think you need some lessons on when it's appropriate. Now, I have managed to routinely dissuade ponies from thinking you have special privilege at times, and at other times, I've had to admit that I was attempting to groom you for a throne. But if you're able to bend my ear during a romantic rendezvous, ponies will cry out that I am letting somepony else sway me in my decisions as princess.”

“...Celestia...I know you tried to keep this stuff away from me my whole life. But you didn't.”

Celestia frowned a little. “Are you certain? What little managed to slip through the cracks may have been just a taste of--”

“When I was little, I'd be approached no less than three times a week by ponies trying to get me to get you to implement various policies. It took five years for everypony to actually believe I was well-read enough to know better in most cases. I hated doing it, because grown ups were always annoyed with me after, but I trusted my books more than most grown ups, and my books said that their ideas were bad ones. I used to get teased and picked on, too. Nothing was ever as bad as magic kindergarten, but I got really good at catching stuff that other ponies threw at me in my magic.”

Celestia frowned at a memory of a sniffling Twilight insisting that the blood on her forehead was, in fact, nothing. “Oh, Twilight, I had no idea...All those bruises and injuries, I thought you were just bumping into things because you walked while reading...”

“Uhhhh that was actually the case more often than you'd think.” She sighed. “Look, Celestia, I understand that you want to protect me from my detractors, and ponies who would use my connections for their own gain, but I learned to deal with that a long time ago. So, maybe some ponies will accuse you of favoritism if we start going out. You can't tell me there's no feedback from the fact that the Princess of the Moon is your sister. Or that the Princess of the Crystal Empire is your niece. Is it really that much worse for the Princess of Friendship to be your fillyfriend?”

Celestia looked up at the ceiling, and took a deep breath, standing silent for a moment as she thought. “I've never looked forward so much to having a vacation end.”

“...Does that mean...?”

“It means you've quelled my fears. For now.”

There was a loud crash as Rainbow smashed through Twilight's window, the frantic clopping of hooves as she ran to Prominence's door, a loud bang as she burst in, proceeding to grab Celestia by the shoulders. “I'm so sorry I didn't know I was slapping a princess please don't execute me!”

“I was wondering when that would finally click.” Celestia said with a grin.

“Wait, she slapped you?”

“Only to snap me out of a stup--” Celestia was cut off as Rainbow was tackled to the floor by a furious lavender blur. The words 'Harmony Crusher' echoed through her mind as she pried Twilight off of her friend with a golden aura.

The pegasus would be fine. She assured the princesses, after both had calmed down, that she'd gotten much worse than a little black eye from trees and buildings suddenly jumping into her flight path. Once she left, at the insistence of Twilight's grumbling stomach, annoyed over two missed meals, they went back downstairs and reheated their lunch.

As they ate, things were quiet. But it was a peaceful, amiable quiet, interspersed with friendly comments, and the occasional utterances of various types of cheese. Twilight was happy.

Celestia desperately prayed that both their passion and patience could last for a little over two more months.

Catching Up

“I understand now,” Celestia said aloud in her dream immediately after falling asleep, a soft smile on her face. “She loves me.”

Luna faded into existence beside her, a large grin on her face. She threw her hooves around her sister, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I'm so happy for you! Am I correct to assume that you two have begun your courtship?”

“Well, I didn't turn her down, but we're going to wait until my vacation ends to do anything.”

“You're making her wait that long?” Luna's face contorted in disappointment.

“I'm making us both wait that long.” Celestia replied, walking along a cobblestone path through the garden of their old palace. Luna eyed her for a moment. “Something the matter?”

“I'm sorry, it's not that I'm not excited by your news, but I'm curious, why do you always dream of this place? You made no secret of what triggered your nightmare last night.”

“...To be perfectly honest, I suppose I don't need to anymore. This was sort of a happy place, if you will, to see me through the hard times. During your banishment, I could hold myself together with the knowledge that, when I fell asleep, I'd be able to come back to our old home, and you'd be there waiting.”

“A dream would be there waiting.” Luna corrected.

“That dream was all I had.” Celestia stared down at the cobblestones in thought, their patterns trying to adhere to her memory, but so vague was her recollection of the minor detail that they shifted every time she blinked. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't marginalize the ordeal of your banishment by whining about how it made me feel.”

“I always knew it must have hurt you.” Luna replied, moving closer to her sister, nuzzling her softly in hopes of comforting her. “I had guessed that this was why you didn't want to discuss it in depth. But it's not just me, is it? You knew I was going through worse, so you didn't talk to anyone about how it made you feel for a thousand years, because you felt like you were making it about yourself. You can't hold something inside like that, Celestia. It's not healthy.”

“Sometimes,” Celestia said, looking up into her sister's eyes, a sad smile on her face, “I feel that we know each other much too well for my liking.”

“It doesn't have to be me. It doesn't have to be now. But, please, find someone to talk to about how it made you feel. Maybe Cadance? Twilight? A therapist?”

“A therapist? Luna, we have to be the strength for the nation. We can't appear to have weaknesses. Our ponies won't trust us.”

“For all that the times had changed, I was so happy that you had changed so little with them. When I came home, you were still the big sister I remembered. But that's working against you, now. They're more accepting than they once were. After all, my attendance of therapy has been a matter of public record, which I have never shied away from. No one has, to my knowledge, spoken against me for it.”

Celestia stared at her for a moment, deep in thought. “I didn't know you were in therapy.”

“You didn't? I know I never brought it up, but--” Luna froze, wide eyed, her jaw hanging open.

“Luna? Luna, what's wrong?” Celestia asked, a strong edge of concern in her voice.

“Can you tell Twilight something tomorrow? I'd tell her right now, but her dreams have far too much momentum behind them to allow for my interference.”

“Certainly. What do you wish me to relay?”

“Just tell her the truth. You are not as flexible as her subconscious seems to think.”

“...Could you please elaborate?” Celestia asked, her mouth hanging open slightly.

“Absolutely not. That would be a breach of confidentiality.”

“...You're just teasing me, aren't you?” Celestia asked, closing her eyes and rubbing her hoof on her forehead.

“Just because I'm teasing you doesn't mean I'm just teasing you.”

Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes, but paused and stared at her sister for a moment. “Do you really want me to tell her that?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Luna nodded in response.

“Stop it right now! Right this instant! Ponies do not bend that way!” Luna shouted over the moans in Twilight's bedroom at the Golden Oak Library. “I told Celestia on you!” She ground her teeth in frustration, then paused and stared. “...”

“Where in Equestria did she learn that?!” She asked, her cheeks burning red.

“What? Luna, what did she learn?” Celestia asked, half way between concern and curiosity.

“...I can't. It's not right to give out those details without her permission.”

“You know, sometimes, you can be a very cruel mare.”

Luna thought for a moment about this accusation before giving her sister a devious smirk. “Little bit.”

Twilight awoke with a long stretch, a powerful yawn, and a glare at her alarm clock. She shut it off with a flick of her magic, rolled out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to splash water in her face. Feeling a bit more awake and refreshed, she quickly drank down a glass of water, and left her bedroom, following the twisting maze of corridors, her hooves remembering her path and guiding her along it.

She opened a door and walked inside, a tired smile on her face. “Good morning, Discord.”

“Good morning, Twilight! How are you?”

“Good! There's been some, uh, developments with Prominence. Positive ones.” She accepted a sweatband from Discord and stretched it over her head. She then went on to explain the hectic developments of the last two days as they entered the racquetball court.

“They all know?” Discord asked, serving the ball, which let out a shriek of anger (but not pain. Twilight made him promise on their very first game that these little monsters could never actually get hurt).

“They all know.” She affirmed, returning the serve.

“And now you're just waiting for her vacation to be over to be able to actually do anything.” Discord summed up, continuing the volley.

“That's about the size of it.” She spoke loudly, trying to be heard over the indignant screams of the ball.

“Think you'll make it?”

“Of course we will.” She began to think about his question, and, in her moment of distraction, she completely missed the ball as it whipped past her and collided with Discord's face. “Do you think we won't?”

Discord pried the writhing mass of tentacles off of his face with a wet shhhllllluck, and turned toward Twilight. “It's hard to resist something you really want when it's right there in front of you.”

“...I've got plenty to keep me busy. Especially today. It's Rarity's turn to bring the entertainment to court.”

Celestia wanted to relay her sister's message. She truly did. She wanted to let Twilight know that she, herself, was not that flexible, but the time just wasn't right for it. Twilight had her game with Discord right after waking up, then Spike was present for all of breakfast, and court began soon after. She had no privacy to tell Twilight about her flexibility or lack thereof. Of course, this was no longer an entirely relevant detail to Celestia.

The more pressing matter was why they weren't playing board games. It seemed the entertainment changed as the responsibility to provide it rotated through the group, and where Rainbow had brought cards and boardgames during Prominence's second time in court, and Pinkie just brought board games on the first, Rarity's choice was a little more...involved.

“Back stab, back stab!” Pinkie giggled, making a thrusting motion with her hoof.

“Pinkie, unless you figure out some other plan of attack, you'll be almost completely ineffective this whole fight!” Rarity noted from behind a screen. “You know full well that skeletons have damage reduction against slashing weapons! Your dagger is not helping!”

“At least I'm flanking them!” Pinkie replied, rolling a die.

“My turn?” Twilight asked, once the damage of Pinkie's stabbing was calculated and found to be negated. Rarity nodded to her. “I smash a chair over the skeleton's back.”

“Wait, where did you get a chair?” Applejack asked.

“Well, Rarity said it was a dining hall. The skeletons weren't just sitting on the floor around the table when we walked in, were they?”

“That they were not. Roll to hit.” Rarity instructed. Once the last of the skeletons had been bashed apart, Twilight sat back with a sigh of relief, the intense battle having finally come to an end. It was around this time that she realized she was being stared at.

“Something wrong, Prominence?” She asked, feeling a little bashful under her scrutiny.

“I'm just surprised you're playing a Diamond Dog barbarian, and not, say, a unicorn wizard.”

“W-Wouldn't that be a little redundant?” Twilight asked, looking away as a blush colored her cheeks. “Besides, I like Lucky. He...He has a good life. There's things to smash, and friends to smash things with.” Twilight smiled down at her character sheet.

“I suppose that's why Fluttershy's a bard instead of a druid? Communing with nature and working with animals would be redundant?”

“Actually, that's cuz she wants practice singing in front of ponies.” Rainbow explained, before jamming a hoof-full of salty snacks into her mouth. “And flirting,” she added.

“Rainbow. Swallow, then speak.” Rarity instructed. “Now, Fluttershy--” Rarity turned to find her friend's seat empty. She sighed, looking under the table to find an embarrassed pegasus hiding her face behind her hooves. “Come out of there, darling. The fight's over, I'm ready and able to shift focus to you and Applejack for a bit.” She sat back up in her seat.

“What about me and Spike?” Rainbow demanded, not mentioning how oddly quiet the dragon had been today.

“You should've thought about that before your brilliant plan to split the party off into pairs and make my job three times as difficult. I promise we'll get to you today, we've got another seven hours or so, minus breaks...” She frowned. “If you want, Cel--” She froze, catching herself, as the whole table stared at her with wide eyes. “Prominence, during the next break, I can try and write up a sheet for one of the NPCs for you to play this session.”

“It's fine, Rarity. I'd rather work out my own character, if I'm going to play at all.”

“Alright. We can work on that together, if you like. And I'll set up some easy solo adventures to run with you until you're up to everyone else's level. We should be able to get you in by the next game session."

“You couldn't just make my character the same level from the start?”

Rarity gasped in horror at the very notion of what Prominence was suggesting.“I'm not going to just give you a hoof-out and let you gloss over several levels of adventuring that could add so much to your character development!”

“Oh, um...I'm sorry for suggesting it?”

“I should hope you would be!”

Even as she was scolded, Prominence had trouble keeping a smile off of her face. They treated her like Prominence even now, and gave her no special treatment beyond what one would normally give a friend. Well, if you ignored all the staring they did when they thought she wasn't looking. Rarity's slip up aside, it was almost as if none of them knew she was Celestia. Except maybe Spike. She kept catching him glaring at her. Unlike the others, he didn't seem to care if he was caught. If anypony else noticed, they weren't saying anything, though it was likely they were just caught up in the game.

Without warning, the doors of the throne room burst open, a billowing cloud of smoke flooding into the chamber. An intruder stood, obscured by the shroud that preceded their entry. “Your majesty,” Bellowed a familiar female voice, “You are very fortunate! For your court has the honor of being visited by none other than...” with a wisp of magic, the cloud parted to reveal a familiar blue mare. “THE GREAT AND POWERFUL—Twilight? You're the owner of this castle!?”

“Hi, Trixie!” Twilight said cheerfully, waving. The rest of the table seemed far less enthusiastic. “It's great to see you!”

“Of course it is. It's always great to see Trixie, Trixie is great. And powerful. But you are the ruler of this palace? And an alicorn as well?” Twilight nodded, just a little sheepish. “I see...Trixie's information was clearly incomplete.”

“Well, it shouldn't matter, should it? You came here for a reason without knowing who lived here. What was it? Maybe I can still help you with whatever brought you here.” Trixie scoffed at Twilight's offer.

“Trixie...highly doubts that the mighty Twilight Sparkle has any need for a court wizard.”

“Well, I guess that's true. I can take care my own magic needs.”

“Then Trixie will take her leave,” She announced, turning to walk out the door. She hesitated as she began to leave, and looked back over her shoulder. “Trixie doesn't suppose there's any other position she might fill in your palace? If not as a magician, Trixie would still be happy to entertain as a jester. What about a maid? Herald? Cook?”

“Sorry, but I'm kind of actively avoiding having any servants until I can't get away with it anymore. So far, things don't usually get busy enough around here that Spike and I can't just take care of ourselves. But if you leave some contact information, I'd be happy to let you know if I have any open--” Twilight was cut off as a sheet of paper floated up to her face. Copies of the same paper made their way to each of her friends.

Trixie paused as she levitated her information to Prominence. “...Trixie does not know this one.”

Prominence just stared, dumbstruck at the entirety of what had been taking place before her. Twilight decided to answer on her behalf.

“This is Prominence. She's an aide to Celestia, here on vacation.”

Trixie stared at Prominence for a long moment, slowly narrowing her eyes. The glow around the sheet offered to Prominence intensified. Where there had once been a single sheet, there were now ten. “In case you need extras,” she explained. “Trixie would relish the opportunity to perform for the princesses in Canterlot.”

The aura around the papers shifted as Prominence accepted them into her magic, still unable to fully comprehend just what the deal was with this strange blue pony.

“And now, the Great and Powerful Trixie must continue to seek opportunities elsewhere!” With a flash of her horn, a blinding light enveloped her, and was gone. Though the sound of hoofbeats could be heard rushing down the hallway.

“Are all your visitors so crazy?” Prominence finally managed. Everypony gave her a questioning look.

“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked.

“Well, my first day at court here, a musclebound pegasus burst in, demanding to be made more muscular. Today, some blue mare explodes into the room in a cloud of smoke, hoping to be a court magician. And last week, there were those two stallions in the striped shirts! They just walked in, Applejack started glaring at them, and they slowly backed out of the throne room!”

“I, uh, I got some history with Flim and Flam...” Applejack explained, a little embarrassed, as she adjusted her stetson.

“And, really, Bulk's visit was a blessing. I never knew how much potential lycra had until I started working with it.” Rarity said, very pleased with herself.

Prominence just sighed. “Nevermind. Just, just get back to the game.” She quietly looked over the papers sitting on the table in front of her.

At the end of the day, they found a place to end their game, packed away their dice and papers, and court was adjourned.

Prominence headed for her room, moving at a relaxed clip. Twilight said she had some things to go over, and that meant some alone time to unwind after a long day of watching her friends play games and pretend not to stare at her.

She paused and listened, thinking she heard something. At the moment she stopped walking, she clearly heard the sound of footsteps behind her. They stopped suddenly, and she turned around to see Spike standing there. For a fleeting second, he looked embarrassed that he'd been caught. Now, though, he just looked angry and upset.

“...Hi, Spike,” She said carefully, unsure of what had him so cross.

“Hi.” There was a clear bitterness to his voice. She eyed him with worry for a moment.

“I'd like to talk to you in private. Would that be OK?” She asked, frowning a little. He looked a little surprised, perhaps having wanted the same thing.

“...Fine,” he replied, trying a little too hard to be standoffish.

She lead him to her room, and soundproofed it. After she did, she paused for a moment to consider that she might be overly paranoid. She sat down on the bed and smiled softly at him. “Spike, if this is about me upsetting Twilight--”

“You lied to me,” he snapped.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I've known you my whole life. You were there the day I hatched. I trust you, Celestia, but you've been lying to me this whole time. Why couldn't you trust me?” Tears were beginning to form in his eyes, and there was no mistaking the anger in his voice.

Celestia stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words. While she understood the nature of his grievance, his inference wasn't entirely accurate. “Spike, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that I didn't trust you. I do. I just wanted to keep the number of ponies who knew my secret to a minimum.”

“Yeah. Right.” He scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away.

“I swear to you, it's the truth. Honestly, if I hadn't thought it entirely necessary to tell Twilight, I wouldn't have.” She paused a moment as she let that scenario tumble through her mind. “And what a mess that would've made...I'm sure yesterday would've been much more painful for both of us if she'd only just found out that I was Celestia.”

“Wait, why wouldn't you tell her?” Spike asked, thoroughly confused.

She took a deep breath as she tried to think of how to explain, and realized just how much information needed to be given. “I suppose I should speak to the girls as well. There's a lot that Twilight knows that I should share with all of you, if you're going to know my identity.”

“Like what?” The anger was gone from his voice, replaced with curiosity and the slightest hint of concern.

Celestia closed her eyes and took a slow breath. “Spike, I'm sorry. I will tell you, I promise. But you've helped me realize that I owe that explanation to not only you, but all of the girls, as well. I'd like to get all of it done at once, if you're willing to be patient.”

Spike sighed, frustration plain on his face. “I guess.”

“Thank you, Spike. I really do appreciate it.”

“Yeah, yeah...I gotta go get started on dinner anyway.” He walked out the door, leaving Celestia to her thoughts. Thoughts which he immediately interrupted, sticking his head in the door. “I am still mad about you upsetting Twilight, though.” And with that, he was gone.

"Open minded and quick to forgive...if only more ponies were like you, Spike." Prominence sighed, looked around her room for a moment, put on the clothes she'd bought from Rarity early in her visit, and wandered the halls of the palace, a little unsure of what to do with herself. All she could think about was how much she wanted to spend time with Twilight.

Five ponies stood assembled in a barn, having agreed to meet up after court at Applejack's behest.

“I'm glad everypony could make it. I wanna thank all of you for comin'.”

“Of course, Applejack. What was it you wanted to speak with us about?” Rarity asked.

“The whole thing with Prominence. I mean, I trust Twilight and all, but it seems a little weird, doesn't it?”

“Well, perhaps, but who are we to speculate on the whims of royalty?” Rarity asked, smiling.

“What if she's a changeling?!” Pinkie demanded as she grabbed Applejack by the shoulders and shook her.

“But Pinkie, you're the one who said you already knew it was Celestia...” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Oh yeah.” She released Applejack suddenly, and the farmer yelped in surprise as she fell to the floor.

“How did you know about that, anyway?” Rainbow asked, staring suspiciously at her friend.

“Well, it all started when...” Pinkie's gaze slowly drifted toward the ceiling of the barn, and she stared silently for a few moments.

“...Darling, you do know we can't see your flashback, right?” Rarity's voice snapped Pinkie out of her reverie and back to reality.

“Oh, that's OK, Rarity, it's probably not how it really happened anyways.”

Applejack put her hoof to her forehead, and dragged it down her face with an exasperated groan. “Alright, I just wanna make sure, we all trust Twilight, right?” Her assembled friends nodded in agreement. “And we all trust that Prominence is who she says she is, and that she didn't trick Twilight?”

“I don't really know for sure, but it's hard to go wrong trusting Pinkie about this kind of thing,” Dash reasoned.

“Discord has seemed like he's been keeping something from me, and if anyone could tell, it would probably be him...” Fluttershy added.

“I see no reason to doubt her. As Dash pointed out yesterday, the excuse given for Celestia's absence isn't the most convincing. And, if we needed proof, I'm sure they'd be understanding enough to contact Princess Luna.” Rarity paused for a moment, before mumbling, “And it's so much like a fairy tale that I really really want to believe it.”

“Oh! Yes! We should totally call up Luna! We almost never get to hang out!” Pinkie squealed as she hopped out the door.

Applejack stared as Pinkie left without a goodbye. “...Well, I guess that means we're done here.” She turned back to the rest of her friends. “Thanks for comin', everypony. Glad we all know where we stand on this.”

“Do we?" Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't believe you've told us how you feel about it.”

Applejack sighed as she reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. “I ain't the biggest fan of them lyin' about who she is, but I can see why they did it, and I'm not about to make a big fuss over something that ain't really even my business in the first place, long as it's not hurting anypony. And I don't think she'd be doin' it if it was hurtin' anypony. Princess Celestia knows better than that.”

“How could I be so stupid?” Celestia muttered, her face in a book, her eyes resting between the words. “Of course that would hurt Spike, and of course he deserved my trust on the matter! I've known him his whole life, he's more trustworthy than most of my court! I feel like such an idiot.” The more she had tried to distract herself from Twilight, the more she found herself thinking about the conversation with Spike, and the more she thought about the conversation, the guiltier she felt.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably in the doorway, having been unable to clearly decipher just what Celestia was saying, but figuring from her tone that she was very angry with the book, despite not having turned a page in the five minutes since Twilight had arrived. Twilight was confused, to say the least. None of the interesting characters even died until two books later. “Um, Prominence?”

“Dyah!” Her magic faltered and the book fell to the ground. “Twilight! How, um...How long have you been there?”

“Not long,” She lied, picking up the book off the floor, and placing it on a table. “Um, dinner's ready. Downstairs. Is something wrong?”

Prominence rose to her hooves, shaking her head. “Nothing that's not my own fault, but I'm sure I can handle it.”

Twilight gave her a small smile as she turned and headed out the bedroom door. “Well, if you need any help, be sure to let me know. That's, uh, that's what friends are for. Right?”

Prominence smiled at the offer, but shook her head. “I think I'll be—no, wait. Could you help me get everypony together sometime soon? I feel like I need to tell them all something.”

“Of course. Now, come on. I was waiting for you to start eating, but Spike was looking a little impatient. There might not be much left if we don't hurry.”

Prominence stared at her for a moment, then bolted out into the hallway. Twilight chuckled, and followed her to the dining room.

After a fantastic meal full of casual conversation, during which Spike seemed to be warming back up to Prominence, the young dragon cleared the table and went to do the dishes.

“...I have a message for you.” Prominence said, shifting nervously. “Princess Luna asked me to deliver it when she visited my dream last night.”

“Oh, yeah?” Twilight looked into Prominence's eyes. “What did she have to s--” She paused for a moment, and they both looked away, blushing slightly. Prominence cleared her throat.

“Um, well, she said to tell you that Celestia isn't that flexible. I believe it was relating to your dream. I, um, I honestly have no idea what it means. Do you?”

“...Y-yes. It's not important, though. Don't worry about it.”

Prominence pouted. It was a small pout, but she pouted all the same. Twilight felt her pulse speeding up at the sight of it. That wasn't fair at all.

“Can we talk in private?” In a flash of magic, they were teleported into another room. A wave of magenta washed over it to soundproof the room and put Celestia at ease, even though the only ponies likely to barge in anywhere in the castle were the ones who'd learned her secret.

“...Why, yes, Twilight, I would be happy to speak with you in private.” Celestia answered, an amused eyebrow raised.

“Sorry, sorry, I just, we, there's so much stuff we didn't discuss yet, and I'm having some reservations, and I'm anxious, and I'm having trouble holding that stuff in when my friends aren't around to help me feel relaxed and I've got nothing to distract myself. Are you this stressed out?”

“I'd love it if I was, to establish solidarity on the issue, but honestly, knowing that we have so much time between now and when we'll actually begin an official relationship is keeping me from pulling my mane out over it.”

“...But if there was less time, you would be pulling your mane out?”

“There'd be radiant, flowing, ethereal wisps all over the floor,” Celestia assured.

“Well, that's something.” She paused for a moment, her wings twitching slightly.

“You should learn to control that. It's not good for a political figure to have such an obvious tell when something is bothering her.” As Celestia spoke, Twilight locked her wings to her side in response. “What's bothering you?”

“Well, is it really OK that all my friends know now?”

“I won't say that it's not a little troubling, but it's for the best. After all, they knew how you felt about me, but I'm not going to be here as Prominence forever.”

“I guess that would've been hard to explain...” Once again, Twilight's wings began twitching.

“Um, I was wondering, they're the only ones who know, right? About how you feel about me?”

“W-well, Discord knows. I'm not sure how, though. And I went to Granny Smith for advice.” She paused and thought for a moment. “I wrote Cadance a letter, asking for advice when I first started...crushing.”

“So it's just those who know who I am now anyway...”

“Oh! And Fleur Dis Lee.”

Celestia stared at Twilight, dumbfounded. “You—I—the model? How do you even know her?!”

“I, uh, I met her at a Canterlot garden party. On my birthday. When Rarity was staying at the palace?” She shifted uncomfortably, unsure of why Celestia had reacted in such a manner. “Is that a problem?”

“Oh, no, of course not, I was just surprised.” She replied, calming down. “She's actually one of the nicer ponies I tend to encounter at high class functions. I'm surprised you told her how you felt about Prominence, though. Are you two close?”

“Not particularly. She was just sort of, uh...” Twilight sighed as she rubbed a hoof against her cheek. “Right place, right time.”

“And what place is the right place?”

“Carousel Boutique. Rarity was working on her wedding dress.”

“Fleur Dis Lee is getting married?!” Celestia's shouting caused Twilight to flinch.

“Uh, y-yeah, to Fancy Pants.” Twilight watched in confusion as Celestia repeated the name a few times, the expression on her face shifting to an odd mix of shock, delight, and jealousy. “That's, uh, that's an unusual response.”

The strange expression was replaced with one of embarrassment, and finally a serene smile. “I'm sorry, Twilight. That must've been a little disquieting.” She said, a familiar and disconcerting pleasantness to her voice as she retreated behind the same mask she wore as princess.

“No, no, it's okay!” Twilight replied hurriedly, eager to have Celestia remain herself. “I was just curious why you reacted that way.”

“I was...Well, I mean...He's a very handsome, kind gentlecolt.” She replied awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

“...You had a crush on him?” Twilight asked. Celestia nodded, embarrassed.

“But, like every other crush I've ever had, nothing could come of it. I just kept reminding myself of that until the feelings passed. I...suppose I may have gotten a bit jealous. Also, very surprised. They've always been close, and particularly flirtatious with one another, but I'd heard nothing of an actual relationship between them.”

“Sooooo,” Twilight tapped her chin, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully, “What you're saying is, you like mares and stallions?”

“Is that all you're taking away from this conversation?” Celestia asked with a chuckle. “That is indeed the case. And I believe it's the same for you? Spike mentioned someone from the other world.”

Twilight's eyes widened and she let out a nervous chuckle. 'Spike is in so much trouble.' “He told you about that?”

“Well, to be fair, I asked.” Celestia admitted. “During my first week here, I was trying to figure out what kept getting you so flustered. One of my earliest guesses was that you were hiding a boyfriend.”

“I...What?” Twilight stared in confusion and disbelief.

“You were acting odd, and I was trying to figure out why. Evidence seemed to suggest romantic feelings. I was just wrong about the nature of those feelings.” Celestia replied, matter-of-factly.

“I guess you have a point there, but me, with a stallion, that's, I, uh...” She giggled awkwardly. There was a short lull in conversation. “I really like that outfit on you?” She offered helplessly.

“...You know, I get the feeling that you're not entirely certain how to behave around me when we're alone.”

“That's putting it mildly.” Twilight said, lowering her head.

“Just act naturally. You've already won me over.” Celestia gave her a wink.

Twilight began stammering and blushing, before clearing her throat and looking away. “B-but what if 'awkward and stilted' is what comes naturally at a given point?” Celestia just chuckled as she turned to leave the room.

“That's not helpful at all,” whimpered Twilight.

A few days later, six ponies and a dragon sat and watched as Celestia nervously paced back and forth. As friendly and accommodating as the whole bunch was, patience was starting to wane among the group, as they'd been waiting for her to speak for a short while.

“What do you think she wants to tell us?” Pinkie whispered loudly into Applejack's ear.

“I don't know any better than I did last time you asked me,” The farmer spoke plainly.

“Oh! Okay.” Pinkie waited a few seconds before leaning over and repeating her question in Rainbow's ear, causing the pegasus to clench her eyes shut and rub her temples in exasperation.

Celestia sighed. She felt terrible for keeping them waiting, but this felt like the wrong thing to do. No, it was the right thing, she was just nervous. But, emotions serve to protect us, so if she's nervous about doing something, perhaps it'd be better if—Twilight had snuck up on her, and put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Are you OK?” She asked. She hadn't wanted to interfere, or to overstep the still unclear boundaries involved in delaying a relationship, but this had just gotten more and more painful to watch the longer she sat waiting with her friends.

Celestia stared at Twilight's face for a moment, then turned to Spike and took a deep breath. Then, she explained to everyone exactly why Prominence was necessary. She gave this group the same story that she'd given Twilight.

Spike suddenly felt horrible for having held her secrecy against her. Fluttershy felt overwhelmed by a burgeoning sense of kinship with her secretly introverted ruler. All in all, everyone, pony and dragon alike, was supportive, and offered her reassurances of their friendship once she'd finished her story. Except Twilight. It was her second time hearing the story, and for some reason something felt out of place, or missing. It was like she'd been reading an amazing story, and stumbled at the point where she could clearly see the editor meddling, forcing the author to put in a romantic angle to draw a wider audience, or forcing them to remove the death of a popular character. Something felt...smoothed over.

With Celestia emotionally exhausted from once again delving into her past, those who gathered to hear the story decided to give her some breathing room. But, before they dispersed, Pinkie Pie stepped forward, a completely natural smile on her face, and threw her forelegs around Celestia's neck.

“You don't need a disguise to know you can still make friends, silly. You just need to make 'em!” Without another word, she cheerfully hopped out the door.

All alone in the room with Twilight, emotionally exposed and vulnerable, Pinkie's words struck deep into the core of her being. She doubted she could hold back, but she didn't even want to try. Celestia allowed herself a nice, long, cleansing cry. It was a powerful, ugly, healing thing, all tears and mucus, and Twilight would've likely panicked if not for the smile that was on her face the whole time.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay on this. I kept trying to figure out how to progress things to the next stage, but I just couldn't come up with how to make the transition with plot happening. Then I realized that I needed was a chapter that didn't progress things. It still works toward future chapters, but nothing really happens. and that's what I needed to write in order to get this done. There's still progression, but this whole thing is really just...the story having some breathing room, rather than making a constant escalation of big events.

Also, sorry it's so short, I really try to hit an 8000 word minimum per chapter, but I just couldn't swing it.

The Dreaded Diggy Bug

“We could just claim you were under madness effects from the umber hulk?” Twilight offered, frowning at Prominence as she levitated supplies into saddlebags, checking them off a list as she went. "Bandages, canteen, rope, trail mix, glow sticks..."

Prominence paced back and forth nervously. “That doesn’t fix things, though. I’ve been put in the public eye. Somepony, somewhere, is going to start looking into me. They’re going to look for my background. But you know what? Prominence hasn’t existed since before Lu...before Nightmare Moon! Somepony’s going to be asking questions, and we won’t be able to answer. I’m such an idiot, I can’t believe I did this!”

“Relax, relax, none of the reporters know who you are!”

“But the ponies in town do, and any reporter worth their salt is going to to be asking everypony about this. Oh, Heavens above, I need a drink...” All the cabinets in the kitchen flew open as she began scanning for alcohol.

“...No time for drinks, unfortunately...I mean, you can stay here and drink if you really need to, but...The girls and I have work to do.” Twilight said, placing the saddlebags onto her back.

“How are you so calm?” Prominence asked, tears forming in her eyes.

“Oh, I’m not. I’m just trying to compartmentalize. As soon as I finish figuring out why an umber hulk is so close to the surface, and make sure there’s no threat of it resurfacing again… Then I’ll let myself freak out about this.”

“…That’s too dangerous. If your mind is wandering while you’re in a perilous situation...I’ll have to come with you. Otherwise I’ll spend the whole time worrying about you.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, each realizing the other just wanted to do something to take their mind off the present problem.

“So how are you guys gonna leave with all the reporters at the front door?” Spike asked, sipping a glass of water. Twilight and Prominence both stared at him for a moment.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, I have to offer you my most sincere congratulations! You have the rare opportunity to interview the hero of the Crystal Empire himself, Spike, The Brave and Glorious!” Spike announced to the reporters, flexing his tiny arms.

“Go, go! Hurry!”

“Out the back, out the back!”

"Confounded wings! The window’s too small, give me a push!”

Seven ponies stood in downtown Ponyville, surrounded by yellow caution tape. Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed as she pried open the sealed rift in the ground, and one by one they descended into the darkness. They had to find out why that Umber Hulk had come to the surface if they were to ensure it didn’t happen again, and to do that, they had to see where it came from. As they quietly walked along the tunnels, they prayed that they would not encounter the creature again. Twilight lead the front of the pack, her horn glowing brightly to guide them down the tunnels.

Where Prominence had expected a silent, dreary, deadly serious trek, they simply traveled like a group of friends, taking a walk together, chatting and bantering happily.

“...And we snuck out the back window while Spike distracted them.” Twilight finished.

“So...Why didn’t y’all just teleport?” Applejack asked, confused.

“Shhh!” Rainbow put her hoof over Applejack’s mouth. “Do you hear that?” The sound of distant scurrying filled the tunnel, accompanied by the faint stench of blood. They all braced themselves for combat as they moved forward. The tunnel branched out into dozens of spiraling, dark paths. Eyes peered out at them, then vanished back into their holes.

“What are these creatures?” Rarity asked nervously, her horn beginning to glow in preparation for self-defense.

“Miss Rarity?” A head stuck all the way out of the hole, battered and bandaged. Rarity immediately recognized it as a former captor.

“Oh!...uh...you! Diamond dog!” She chuckled nervously, with no idea what his name was. Dogs began crawling out of the holes and surrounding them, many of them wounded and bandaged, some with broken limbs. “Goodness! You poor things! What happened to you?”

“The diggy bug!” He whimpered. Murmurs of agreement ran throughout the pack.

“The diggy bug?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Did this diggy bug have three eyes and a disco ball?” Pinkie inquired, tilting her head. Receiving confused, hesitant affirmation from the dogs, she rubbed her chin in thought. “Hmm...I wonder if it knows the umber hulk?”

Rainbow slapped herself in the forehead and leveled a glare at Pinkie. Pinkie just playfully stuck her tongue out at Dash.

“Where did the diggy bug come from?” Twilight asked, approaching the diamond dogs.

“Deep, deep down.” The leader replied. “Where the gems stop.”

“And...Why did it come up to the surface?”

They all exchanged nervous glances. Murmurs ran through the crowd, with several of the dogs repeating, “Dig too greedy...Get the diggy bug….”

“Where is it now?” Applejack asked. “Can y’all lead us to it? Maybe we can push it back into the, uh...deep deep down?”

There were gasps of horror and disbelief at the very suggestion that the diggy bug could be contained, let alone the idea of willingly approaching the deep, deep down. Still, the promise of hope, of being rid of the diggy bug for a time, spurred them to hesitant action.

Deep into the tunnels the ponies went, seeking the horrific monster, lead by the two least damaged diamond dogs, who sniffed their way through the branching paths.

“So, uh, what’re your names?” Applejack asked.

“I’m Rex. He’s Buster,” one of the dogs replied, sniffing his way down the path. Every branch seemed like it was either too small for the umber hulk, or didn’t go deep enough underground.

“So, Rex,” Twilight started, staring at the dog, “Why do your tunnels stretch under Ponyville?” There was a small amount of irritation in her voice.

“Diggy Bug dug those tunnels!” Buster quickly stated, before Rex had a chance to answer.

“Oh. I guess that makes sense..." She mumbled, accepting their excuse even though he really sounded like he was lying. "Why don’t any of these tunnels go down?”

“Digging down makes us find diggy bugs!” Rex explained, exasperated. “Diggy bugs hunt diamond dogs, so we don’t dig down.”

“It...hunts you?” Asked Prominence. “That’s horrible!”

The dogs grew very quiet, trembling slightly as they followed the path.

“Oh dear, is something the matter?” Rarity asked.

“We in diggy bug tunnels.” Rex whispered, pointing at the walls.

Rainbow looked at the walls, confused. It looked like dirt, just like every other tunnel they'd been in. “How can you tell?”

“No gems here.” He answered, annoyed at how obvious that should be. “Never were. Never will be.”

“We seem to be staying rather...up.” Rarity pointed out. “How are we going to find the tunnel it first came out of, and force it back in?”

Twilight thought for a long moment. Teleportation would be too risky. “Well, we could ask the diamond dogs, all the diamond dogs, to work together to dig a tunnel straight down that we could push him into?” She offered, turning around and seeing the eyeshine of the whole pack, staying just far enough back to remain shrouded in shadow. Their eyes vanished.

“It’s a big bug, right? Why don’t we just squash it?” Rainbow offered, gaining a horrified shriek from Fluttershy. “I DON’T SQUASH BUGS!” she quickly informed, putting her hooves up in defense.

“Umber hulks are notoriously tough. I’m not sure how much luck we’d have trying to squash it,” Prominence began with a sigh, “Unless we were to use very high powered magic, but in such tight quarters, that could endanger everypony here.” Several of her friends stared at her. “What?”

“Nothin’, nothin’, just...” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “You’re sure actin’ like yerself.” She smiled.

Prominence nodded knowingly. “This far underground, who would notice that would also care?”

“What kind of high powered magic did you have in mind?” Twilight asked.

“Well, off the top of my head, we could superheat the soil beneath the umber hulk, melting it into lava. That would, unfortunately, kill it. And, due to convection being a thing that exists, we’d all be in very real danger.”

Twilight stared at her wide eyed for a moment, before rushing in and kissing her. “Celestia, you’re a genius!”

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to do that anymore?” Prominence blushed, looking back at the rest of the group.

“Like you said, this far underground, who’s going to care?” Twilight smiled, before going on to explain her plan.

They had finally found it, and deep underground, in its element, where the pegasi could not fly, the umber hulk was far more dangerous. The ponies ran circles around it to distract it, striking it to keep its attention, doing their best to hold it in place for Twilight and Celestia.

Their horns began to glow. Celestia held ground steady and in place to keep their plan from breaking down the entire tunnel system on top of them. Twilight grabbed the ground beneath the umber hulk, and began vibrating it at incredible speeds. Rumbling filled the tunnels. The dogs covered their ears, whining.

The hard soil beneath the monster began to break down, crumbling away, falling as Twilight created a sinkhole, and Celestia, holding the soil around it, kept the hole from expanding too far. The diamond dogs stared in awe as the dreaded diggy bug was sucked down beneath the dirt.

“There. It should be in a deeper tunnel system now,” Twilight said, panting, “judging by the fact that...well, the fact that it worked. I can’t create a sink hole that doesn’t go to a more open area. There’s got to be space underneath for the dirt to fall into.” She pulled the soil closed over the hole, solidifying it with some enchantments, and then covered her ears as they were overtaken with shouts of joy and celebration. The ponies were all picked up and whisked away by cheering diamond dogs.

“We take you to big feast!” The pack leader, Rover, said.

“You’re not going to eat us, are you?” Pinkie asked, suspicious.

“No, no, dogs don’t eat ponies. Dogs just eat pigs, and birds, and bunnies!”

Fluttershy fainted.

Author's Note

sorry this one took so long. I spent about a week and a half trying to find a way to insert another fight, because having incredibly powerful magic users in the group makes a fight with a single monster a little underwhelming when they go into it with a plan of action. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a way to change things without messing up the flow. But, I guess we already saw them fight it once, we don't need three instances of that battle. and anyway, the last one was about a fight. this one is about investigation. ...but I still feel bad I couldn't write a more fleshed out combat sequence for some reason? I dunno.

this also took a bit longer because, while I've decided to put my other two fics on hold, I came up with a new idea for an experimental fic that I am very excited about and spent a lot of time working on that.

The First Day, and the Morning After.

To My Dear Friend Princess Twilight,

Before I begin, I would like to state that this missive has been doubly enchanted, by myself and by my sister, to ensure that its sensitive contents can be read by nopony but the intended recipient. Others will see only blank parchment.

I hope this letter finds you well. Unfortunately, however, that is not its purpose. I, Princess Celestia, Diarch of Equestria, am going to take my first vacation in a little over a millenium. Though, perhaps that is the wrong word. Sabbatical would be more suited to a full quarter of a year, I believe. But I digress. It is my hope that you will be willing to afford me a guest room in your palace for the duration. Of course, you are under no obligation to do so.

Should you agree to this, you will not play host to Celestia. It is hard to take time away from one's station if everypony constantly reminds you of it, after all. When I am off my throne, I wish to be seen as neither a princess, nor an alicorn, but simply as a pony. As such, Luna and I have long since taken to using our magic to disguise ourselves. I trust you with this information not only for your more recently acquired station, but because I simply feel that you are worthy of the trust.

That said, even if you decline my request to stay with you, I must beg that you tell nopony, not even Spike, of our means of attaining down time. Luna, in her eccentricity, has insisted that, despite my protests, she will tell the public that I have flown into the center of the sun to regenerate my powers with a three month sleep. As ridiculous as this is, I feel it would be best to have corroboration with anything she claims regarding my leisure time. The first word said on the matter is the one most ponies will trust, and I will not be present to dispute it.

This secret is very important to both of us, Twilight. I cannot overemphasize how much we need the ability to take time off from our stations.

Should you agree to host me for even just the beginning of my three months, a pale pink unicorn with a dim orange mane will arrive by train from Canterlot in one week. Her cutie mark is an arc of flame. While her eyes share my color, they do not have my shape. Her name is Prominence, and should you need any form of explanation for why she is staying with you, simply claim that she is a servant of mine who organizes and facilitates the daily matters of my life, and that I have asked you to keep her company whilst I, regrettably, slumber in the center of the sun.

I should warn you that, if other ponies are present, I will under no circumstances break my charade. If we are in a private, secure location, you may have the opportunity to speak with Celestia, but that aside, you will be spending this time with Prominence.

I hope you will not feel overly pressured to say yes to this. If you do not wish to host me, or find yourself otherwise unable to do so, I can find another town to stay in with no trouble, but you are most certainly my first choice. I eagerly await your reply.

Tuum In Aeternum In Calore Solis,

Princess Celestia

Twilight read the letter again for the fourteenth time in half as many days. Of course, she'd quickly replied with an emphatic “yes,” but it wouldn't hurt to go over the information again at least one more time before she had to go to the station to meet her guest. Once finished, she rolled and bound the scroll, setting it in a desk drawer and sliding it closed.

“SPIKE! It's time to go pick up our guest!” She called, as she headed out of her bedroom to find the baby dragon standing before her, waiting to do just that. “Oh good! You're ready!”

The pair departed from Twilight's castle and easily made their way to the train station. The air was warm and clear, the birds were singing, and the platform was full of ponies waiting on friends and loved ones. She couldn't wait until Celestia arrived. She took a seat on a bench, but quickly found her legs too restless to sit still. On her hooves once more, she trotted in place, anxiously watching for the train's approach. It finally became visible in the distance, but she didn't stop her trotting until it had, at long last, slowed to a stop alongside the platform.

This week had been agony, but now the wait was over. She'd have three full months to spend with her teacher, even if she wasn't quite herself. She could show her everything wonderful about Ponyville, and her friends.

Her eyes darted from pony to pony as she searched for the traits Celestia spoke of. Finally, she managed to pick out a pink face with an orange mane among the throng of disembarking passengers.

The first thing Twilight noticed about Prominence was how incredibly plain she was, which, as Twilight considered it, made more and more sense. This way, even if ponies found out what was going on, she'd be one of the last suspects. If you have a chance at a different body, most ponies would make the choice of one that's as attractive as possible, after all. Not that there's anything unattractive about her. Wait, am I shallow?...Oh, darn it, focus, Twilight!

The second thing she noticed was her posture. Celestia stood tall, strong, and proud against all things. Prominence was slightly hunched, with the definite look of a fish out of water, sans the gasping mouth. She stood there awkwardly, just outside the train, looking around from pony to pony, trying to find who she was supposed to meet in the crowd.

Twilight moved forward, and carefully ensured that she would not repeat the mistake made with Miss Harshwhinny, the Equestria Games director, when she came to the Crystal Empire. “Prominence?” She called. The pony glanced at Twilight, and hurried toward her, suitcase in tow. She dropped her bag with an unceremonious thud before throwing herself at the hooves of the princess.

Twilight stood there, staring, jaw on the floor. Disguise or no, this was Princess Celestia, prostrating herself before her, not daring to even risk a glance up at her!

“No, no, um, no, please, please don't, uh, don't do that. At all. Ever.” She stammered, trying to regain her composure. Prominence rose, slowly and uncertainly.

“Y-yes, Princess Twilight.” The voice held a tinge of familiarity, but it wasn't the voice Twilight knew should come from Celestia's mouth.

Twilight shook her head to clear it. She could focus on the differences between Celestia and Prominence later. She had other worries. She needed to nip this 'princess' thing in the bud before it became a real issue. “It's just Twilight, OK? We're all friends here, right Spike?”

“Right!” Spike affirmed, making everypony everywhere jealous as he showed off with a thumbs-up.

Prominence swallowed audibly, shaking slightly as she looked between them, her head low. “Greeted by the princess herself, and by the hero of the Crystal Empire? I'd have thought you would simply send some servants to fetch me.”

Twilight stared for a moment, while Spike glowed with pride. “Oh, uh, I don't really have any. It's just me and Spike.” She patted the dragon on the head as she spoke. “Anyway, um, there's something we have to get to.” She told her. “Spike, could you do me a favor and take her bag back home for me?”

Spike nodded, hefting the suitcase over his head and running off. He had to hurry. He didn't want to miss a single bit of the fun.

“Something we have to get to?” Prominence asked nervously.

“It's a bit of an initiation rite for anypony who comes here. I went through it, Princess Celestia had a bit of a light version of it once. But you're going to get the full treatment.” Twilight led her off the train platform and into the streets of Ponyville. She watched curiously as her guest took in every last detail, analyzing the town, trying to size it up.

Twilight realized something as she watched her. She was right. I never even realized it before, but even I just saw her as a princess, and a teacher... Twilight was caught staring by somepony that she now realized she saw as an actual pony for the first time.

“I-is something the matter?” Prominence asked nervously.

“No, nothing, I...” She took a moment before her response came to her. “I was just remembering something Celestia told me about you in her letter.” Prominence nodded.

“I...I hope she spoke well of me?”

Twilight's mind stumbled a bit. The letter had actually only detailed Prominence's pallet and Cutie Mark. “Well, she didn't have anything bad to say...” She admitted. “But she didn't actually say much about you at all. I guess I'll have to just get to know you on my own.”

“I...I think I would like that.” Prominence glanced about at all the simple little buildings, broken up by a few extravagant ones here and there. “Um. Where are we going, exactly?”

“We're going to—” Twilight paused and got her bearings. She realized she had been far too focused on observing Prominence. Her hoof came upon her forehead with a heavy SMACK! as she turned around. “We passed it. Come on.” Prominence followed behind her as she approached one of the most pronounced buildings in this simple village, with its exterior designed to evoke a gingerbread house with a pair of cupcakes stacked on its roof.

Twilight stepped back and her magic took the handle of the door. “After you.” As Prominence stepped forward, Twilight pushed the door open.

Pinkie Pie filled Prominence's field of vision, her hooves thrown up in the air. “SURPRISE!!! WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, PROVIDENCE!”

Rarity tapped Pinkie on the shoulder. Once she had her attention, she indicated the banner behind her.

“...WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, PROMINENCE!” Pinkie corrected.

Prominence stared in awe at all the ponies who had shown up to meet her, greet her, and enjoy a party at Sugar Cube Corner. She hadn't expected this. In the back of her mind, she knew she should have, but she hadn't. This wasn't the first party she'd experienced at this establishment, and last time, she had, in fact, been the guest of honor as well, but this party was another creature altogether. As she listened to the relaxed dance music permeating the establishment, her eyes darted from games, to snacks, to cakes, to ponies actually relaxing instead of trying to make a good impression on her, to—hang on. “Is that...Is that a feeding trough filled with nachos?”

Pinkie nodded with an expression so gleeful it made one's cheeks hurt to look at it. “Do you like it!?”

She just kept staring at the trough. Nachos. The princess of the sun couldn't enjoy nachos. They were so messy, even when she tried to eat them with her horn. And with her perfect alabaster coat, even after she'd cleaned herself up, the discoloration from drops of melted cheese could linger, yellow against a sea of white, for days on end. Oh, it was good to be on vacation! She rushed forward and began consuming the nachos with the fervor of a half-starved parasprite, her horn marching them swiftly into her mouth in four separate straight, orderly lines. She felt like she could go on in this moment of rampant consumption for the rest of her life, until she was broken from her trance by the sound of somepony else snacking on corn chips. A little further down the trough, Pinkie Pie was jamming her entire face into the mass of nachos, producing loud crunching sounds.

Realizing how rude she'd been in disregarding her hosts, Prominence backed away from the nachos, and reached up to feel her muzzle. She knew she must be a mess. “Um, are there any nap-” before she could finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie, face completely covered with cheese and hair decorated with chips and peppers, wiped the guest of honor clean with a napkin. Her own face got a much more intimate treatment as her tongue slurped the remnants of her nacho dive away with disturbing reach and flexibility.

“I reckon there ain't a lot of chances for nachos in the palace,” chuckled an all too familiar earth pony as she approached Prominence, offering her hoof. “I'm Applejack. Nice to meet you.” Prominence bowed her head low to her, which garnered a reaction not unlike Twilight's.

“It's an honor.” She said, before standing back up.

“Uh.......Why?” Applejack asked, oblivious.

“Why what?” Came the equally oblivious response from Prominence.

“Why's it an honor?” Rainbow finished for Applejack, moving forward. The rest of the six were closing in, while dozens of other ponies continued to party throughout the room.

“It's an honor to meet ANY of you.” She told them. Most of them either stared blankly or shifted uncomfortably. Rainbow Dash just nodded. “...You recovered the Elements. You freed Princess Luna from her prison of hatred and jealousy. You turned Discord to stone, then you turned him to good! You stopped the plunder vines and rescued both princesses. You restored all of the magic that Tirek had stolen. You are all heroes!” She looked from face to face, and realized that most of them seemed bashful at this appraisal. Not Rainbow Dash, of course. She was posing as if she expected to be on a magazine cover. And Pinkie's reply was to shrug and stuff a cupcake into her mouth. But the rest were definitely shockingly modest about all they'd done.

“...I'm sorry...Princess Celestia will sometimes speak of your exploits. I suppose I've become a bit of a fan...I'd even hoped...” She cut herself off, looking down and scuffing her hoof against the floor.

“Hoped what?” Fluttershy prodded gently.

“Well, that, when I return to Canterlot in three months...I had hoped I'd go back with all of your autographs...”

“Well, that's enough talking about how great we are,” Pinkie began, only to be interrupted by Rainbow.

“I could hear a little more.”

“But we're in the middle of a party, Dashie,” Pinkie whined, “And we're missing it!” She darted off and began dancing with a few of the other guests, and moments later she was playing games with others still.

“Well,” Twilight began, “This is a party to welcome you to Ponyville. You've heard a lot about the six of us, but this is a good opportunity to get to know some other ponies from town, wouldn't you say?”

Prominence nodded, and went off to mingle, noting that Spike had shown up while she'd met with the Element bearers.

Twilight stayed back from the bulk of the party, opting to observe, and try to catalog some of the differences between her mentor and the pony she now pretended to be.

Given one word to describe Celestia, Twilight would say that she was sure. Always sure, always confident in her every action. Prominence acted more with cautious optimism, with a pretty clear-cut ratio of two parts optimism for every part caution.

Another difference seemed to be her desire for snacks. Each time she finished introducing herself to a pony, she doubled back to the nachos before moving on to the next. Twilight began to worry about the specifics of her change in form. Could the magically shifted form of Prominence's change, the way it would naturally based on the activities of the pony's life? If a pony ate that much and stayed thin, that would draw a massive amount of attention. Or it would just be Pinkie.

Twilight's observations were put on hold while she once more panicked over the possibility of herself being shallow, having begun to focus so much thought on whether or not Prominence would end up with a slightly protruding gut and a soft layer of fat across her body. As she envisioned it, she came to find nothing disagreeable about a pony of that body shape, but then, she was working in the confines of her own imagination, so why wouldn't it remain within confines that she still found attractive? Wait, not attractive. 'Appealing' would be a word much better suited to this. After all, despite what rumors she'd once overheard being whispered in the palace while it was still her home, she couldn't possibly have those feelings for Celestia.

Realizing just how far off track her mind had gotten, Twilight gave up on trying to observe and study Prominence, and opted to get some punch. Pinkie Parties were meant to be enjoyed, not observed.

The party ran throughout the entire rest of the day. Over the course of the party, guests left to tend to responsibilities, and others, who had just finished their own important tasks, arrived. Prominence lost track of how many new names and faces she'd met once she got past twenty and no longer felt the need to force another hoof-full of nachos into her body between each meeting.

Unfortunately, even though the party was in full swing, it had to be cut short when night fell. After all, Sugar Cube Corner was a business, one that had to be clean and ready to be open in the morning. As such, ponies filtered out the door, heading back to their homes. New friends and acquaintances bade Prominence a good night.

Twilight lead Prominence to the castle, Spike fast asleep on her back. Truth be told, however, her leadership wasn't needed. The structure, set atop some sort of crystalline tree, towered over the rest of the town, looking almost offensively out of place. Prominence wouldn't have been able to miss it if she'd tried.

“So, here it is. Your home for the next three months. I realize it's not as big as you're used to, and we don't have any staff here, but Spike and I will do our best to make sure you're comfortable. Oh, speaking of, do you mind if I drop him off in his room before I show you yours? They're actually right by each other, but...”

“Not at all, Twilight.” Prominence bowed her head in deference to the princess, working a blush and a few nervous fidgets out of her.

“I, uh...Great!” Twilight wanted to smack herself in the forehead for being able to be made a foal of just by a nod of another pony's head, especially when that pony was the one she always held a desire to make proud. She decided, however, that given the circumstances, smacking her own face would only further the foalish impression she was giving off, and wordlessly lead her up into the castle, through the halls, and to Spike's door. She opened it just wide enough for him to pass through, and levitated him into his bed.

“Alright. Your room is right down here...” She walked two doors over, passing a massive one with her cutie mark on it. “Bet you can guess which one I sleep in.” She said with a wry smirk. Prominence gave a soft chuckle in reply.

The guest room's door opened. It wasn't heavily furnished, but it was definitely cozy. And there, in the middle of the room, sat Prominence's luggage. They stood at the door for a short while, an uncomfortable silence falling over the both of them. Prominence nodded toward the suitcase a few times.

“Do you need any help unpacking?” Twilight finally offered.

“If, if you don't mind, Twilight.” She replied, looking like there was something she was trying to hold back. As soon as both ponies were in the room, she closed the door. A golden flash from Prominence's horn extended out along the walls. She raised up off of her front hooves as she spun on her rear hooves, giggling in a much more familiar voice.

“Oh, Twilight!” Celestia's unmistakable voice came from Prominence. “This has been an amazing first day. I always thought that how you described the nigh-mystical way Pinkie Parties worked was mere hyperbole! And the food! Twilight, I haven't had nachos in decades!”

Twilight just stared at the sudden shift as Celestia had dropped her character all at once. She watched as her spinning ended with an indelicate flop onto the bed. “Wh--What was that spell you cast?” She asked, desperate to say anything at this point.

“I'm in disguise, Twilight.” She said as she shifted upon the bed, now laying across its width with her hooves folded under her chin. “I can't drop character without at least having ensured my room was soundproofed.”

“Oh. Right. But...It's just us, and Spike, and he's asleep...”

“And I'd hate to wake him.” Celestia said warmly as her horn lit once more. “Even when we're alone, when I've taken another body, I usually prefer to keep in character.” Her bag unzipped and her belongings floated out in golden auras, unpacking themselves. “I realize we've already discussed some details in the past week through our letters, but now that you've had a chance to see Prominence first hand, newer questions may have arisen. And perhaps there are questions you wished to ask sooner, but were more suited to a face-to-face discussion. This would be an ideal time to ask them.”

Twilight pondered for a moment, formulating her thoughts. “Well, for one thing, if it's supposed to be more inconspicuous, why did you pick a name for this pony as ironic as Prominence? Especially with her personality? I'd expected something...flashy.”

Celestia let forth a light, airy chuckle.“I've three such personae, Twilight. The first two I'd created were named Sunspot and Corona. I felt Prominence, if, as you said, a bit ironic, was thematically appropriate.”

“Sunspot and Corona?” Twilight prodded, smiling a little.

“Sunspot has been known to appear in any given town for a day and no longer, spending time among its ponies, and simply enjoy a peaceful day out and about. She is how I manage to keep in touch with the common pony, and understand their wants and needs when I make decisions that will effect their lives. And Corona...” Her face flushed.

“Go on?”

“Corona is something of a failed experiment, that I have since repurposed. Her current use is simply recreation. A princess doesn't have the luxury of going out, imbibing grossly inappropriate quantities of alcohol, and dancing the night away, after all. I suppose I could do the same with Sunspot, but I've always envisioned her as...somehow innocent.”

“What was Corona's original purpose?” Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.

“...Casual, clandestine encounters.” Celestia's blush redoubled as she spoke the words, and Twilight's face gained a similar shade of red. “Everypony has...Desires. Even a princess, as I'm sure you know. I tried many times, but I never managed to work up the nerve to go through with one such interaction. Honestly, I can only really stomach the looks I get when in her form for so long without alcohol, so it's a good thing I use her for just that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Corona was designed from the ground up to be incredibly sexually attractive. Smoldering eyes, swaying hips, sultry voice...” She lifted her hoof and rolled it in the air. “Etcetera. I expected stares, but the leers she earned me were disquieting. That's largely why I chose to make Prominence so...” She searched for the word, but found her lexicon to be withholding it.

“Bland?” Twilight helpfully supplied.

“Exactly. Nopony leers at me like this. Now, I feel we've gotten off on a tangent. Are there any other questions you wish to ask?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “How did this first come about? Where did you get the idea of making whole ponies up to suit your needs?”

“Over a thousand years ago, before...certain events transpired, Luna came up with this brilliant idea, though I have no idea where she found the inspiration, and created Selene. I've often envied her ability to predict everything she'd need an alternate persona for, and condense it all into a single package with a tenable personality.”

“And how does it work? The magic that lets you do this? Is it anything like a changeling's shape shifting?”

“It is, in fact, nothing like a changeling's magic at all, except in its result. After all, we are not changelings. The magic behind this transformation requires nearly a full three hours of preparation and execution, and it will take the same amount of time to return to my true form.”

“Th-Three hours?” Twilight asked, eyes wide. It wasn't unheard of, but the degree of complexity that would cause a spell to require that much time and effort was staggering.

Celestia gave a knowing smile. “Yes, yes. I know, it seems extreme. Cadance had the same reaction when I first told her. But in exchange for...hm...” She paused for a second to calculate. “Approximately two thousand one hundred sixty hours, six hours comes out as a rather paltry sum.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Twilight took a moment to check the math. “Next month has thirty one days.” She corrected.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, smiling at her.

“What?” She felt herself blushing, shrinking back a bit.

“No, no, don't be ashamed. That...I was amused. You've never been so blunt in correcting me before. You're usually so timid about it. This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping I'd find when I left for my sabbatical: Ponies treating me as an equal.” She paused in thought, then followed up with, “And an equal is all I want to be. If we're spending time with your friends, I want no preferential treatment, Twilight.” The alicorn blanched at the stern tone Celestia used.

“I hadn't even thought of that.” Her voice came out small, and a little panicked.

Celestia's eyes stared into her own for a moment, as if looking for something, before she cracked a smile. “I believe you. Now, do you have any more questions?”

Twilight thought for a moment. In fact, she likely thought for too long, if Celestia's expression was anything to go by. “I can't think of any right now.”

“Then, I hate to be an ungrateful guest, but last night, I lost three hours of sleep to the exercise of changing my physical form, and I spent all day partying, after a long train ride. So...” She looked over at her pillow, then back at Twilight.

“Right, Prom-Cel-...uh, night.” Twilight stepped out of the room, noting a brief shimmer of a gold aura along the walls and floor as she opened the door, as she inadvertently but necessarily broke the integrity of Celestia's soundproofing spell.

She stared at her door. It was huge. And heavy. She really didn't feel like dealing with it, especially after Celestia reminded her of just how exhausted she should have been feeling from the party. With a flash of light, she vanished from the hall and appeared in her own bed. With a quick flick of her magic, her blanket was upon her as her head came upon her pillow.

Warm blanket. Cool pillow. Quiet Night. Happiness. There was nothing in Equestria quite like it. Twilight liked to learn. She liked to spend time with her friends. She liked a good pastry now and then. But love? True love? That could only belong to her bed after a long day spent doing the things she liked.

Still, there was something that bothered her about this new bed, sometimes. It was so very big. And empty. She rolled over curiously when she heard a click come from her door. She watched as it slowly opened. Prominence entered, closing the door behind her. The unicorn was slowly closing the distance between the two of them.

Twilight sat up in her bed, confused. “Prin—Prominence? What are you doing here? Were you having trouble sleMMF!” Twilight's questions were cut off as a pair of soft lips closed over her own. Her eyes shot wide open as she grunted in surprise, but at the soft ministrations of Prominence's lips, she began to moan quietly. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hooves found themselves wrapping around the intruder's shoulders, pulling her closer.

Twilight surprised herself as her mouth opened on its own, and was even more surprised to feel Prominence taking advantage of the opening. Hooves wandered, trailing over bodies, running through fur. One hoof in particular gently traced it's way over Twilight's belly, moving lower and lower, slowly getting closer to its destination. The room was filled with gasps and moans and murmurs of pleasure and...Crunching? Continuous crunching pervaded the room. Twilight's ears flicked as if she was trying to shake away the offending sound. Finally, she broke the kiss, and began looking around her room for the source.

There, standing at the foot of her bed with a bag of popcorn, was Princess Luna. Twilight stared, horrified.

“I-I, P-Princess Luna! You--”

“If you need to tell anypony about this, any letter Spike sends will be forwarded to me. Although I'm sure your friends would be just as willing to support you, we cannot give them the entire truth.”

Twilight shot up in bed, gasping for air, morning light streaming in the window. Her whole body was damp with sweat, and a fair portion of it was also damp with what was very distinctly not sweat. Rigid wings ached at any and all attempts at motion. Never had Twilight been more happy that her new bedroom had an adjoining bathroom.

Twilight emerged from the bathroom feeling rather cranky. She felt she'd needed a cold shower, but now, instead of feeling aroused, she just felt angry at the world she lived in for allowing cold showers to be a thing that existed. She gathered up her sheets and blanket and put them in a laundry basket to be washed, replaced them with a spare set, and took some deep breaths to try and calm herself down before she opened the door.

She exited her chambers and made her way to Spike's door. A few knocks and a quick peek inside assured her that he was already downstairs, working on breakfast. She went over and knocked on Prominence's door.

The pale unicorn opened the door, peeking out at her. “Twilight! You look, um...Did you not sleep well?” She said as pleasantly as she could, though it was clear in her voice she was afraid of offending her host.

“Not exactly. Really weird dream. Luna showed up before it got any weirder. Going to need to write her a letter later.” She spoke loud and clear, though her tone and inflection seemed to be more suited for mumbling to oneself, as did the posture of staring at the floor at an odd angle as she spoke.

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Prominence replied cautiously. “If, um, if I may change the subject, Twilight, when is breakfast?”

This seemed to snap Twilight back to her senses. “Oh, it should be ready soon,” She replied with a forced smile.

“I see. And, ah, where is breakfast?” This time, the question was punctuated by a gurgling groan in Prominence's abdomen.

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle, shower-rage aside. “Come on. This way.” She lead her through the castle to the dining area. A massive, ornate white table stood, a dragon having just finished setting three plates around its head. Spike was just about to climb into a chair when Prominence spoke up.

“No, Spike!” Her two hosts both stared at her. “You can't sit there!”

“What? Why not?” He felt like he'd just been caught sticking his claw in the jewel jar. Luckily he had not been caught and this morning had, until now, been a very good one as a result.

“You are Princess Twilight's personal assistant. You are her friend, her attendant, her confidant. Your duty is to execute her will, and it is one that, as I have often heard, you perform admirably. Your place, a place you have earned, should be at her RIGHT hoof, not her left.”

“We don't really worry about that here, Prominence.” Twilight told her, frowning.

“Unfortunately, I do. And only three places at the table are set. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I took the place that he has earned.”

Twilight and Spike shared a long look, and Spike moved over to the appropriate seat while giving Prominence a glance that conveyed doubts about her sanity. Twilight sat down at the head of the table, and Prominence sat to her left. Consumption and conversation ensued.

“So, are we working on anything today, Twilight?” Spike asked between hefty mouthfuls of toast, fruit salad, and waffles.

“I've got a letter to write to Luna, but after that, I was thinking I'd go for a walk with Prominence,” She paused, wiping toast crumbs from her muzzle and turning toward her guest. “It would help you get a little better idea of the town's layout. If you're up for it. We can put it off if you'd rather rest up a bit.”

Prominence looked up at her, and the moment their eyes met, Twilight felt her cheeks heat up. Before, she was in a state of shower-induced Omniloathing in regards to the world around her. Now, there was nothing keeping Prominence's face from conjuring vivid memories of her dream last night.

“If possible, I'd like to wait until this afternoon.” She replied, trying her best not to notice Twilight's blush. “For now, I think I'd prefer to familiarize myself with the castle, if it's alright with you.”

“Absolutely!” Twilight replied, and a horrified expression fell over her face as she realized just how loud she'd spoken that word. “I should really get started on that letter. This correspondence will be private, Spike.” She levitated quill, ink, and parchment over to the table, writing, rather than dictating, as she ate. Then she paused and looked up at them, a little anxious at how intently they seemed to be watching her. “Feel free to talk amongst yourselves,” She instructed, waving them off with one hoof.

Dear Princess Luna,

I have no excuse for the dream you witnessed last night. Nor do I have any reason for why it happened. If you have any light to shed on the subject, I would very much appreciate it. As it stands, I'm sorry you had to see what you did.

Ponies have often assumed I must have feelings for Celestia, but I swear, I never believed I did. I'm not after your sister. I hope you're not angry with me over that.

Please write back when you have a free moment. I'm really not sure how to feel and you're the only pony I could talk to about why this is so confusing.

Your Friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Spike sent off the letter when Twilight was finished, and the princess tuned back into the conversation already taking place.

“Actually, my special talent is fire magic. That's why it's an arcing gout of flame. There's not a lot of job opportunities in that field, unfortunately. Luckily, Princess Celestia wound up hiring me to take care of little things.”

“Like what kind of little things?” Spike asked, looking interested. “I mean, I never really saw you around the palace.”

“Little things like what shampoo she'd use each day, which salts to put in her baths, what her meals would consist of, which sheets would be placed on her bed by the maids each day. Things like that. I don't really get to spend much time with her during the day, but she'll always review my choices before bed to help me get an even better idea of how to handle things for her, and then we take a few minutes to talk. But, it's not unlike how you had freely decided upon what Twilight would be eating this morning.”

Spike Sighed. “I didn't. There's a whole chart of what I should make for breakfast everyday in the kitchen. It's a miracle I can even understand it.”

Twilight blushed softly. “I suppose the algorithm is a little complex, but it offers a way to be sure we're staying balanced.”

“Balanced? According to that thing, tomorrow morning I'm making each of us three bowls of raw brussels sprouts.”

The conversation paused. There was a gurgling sound. Then a belch. Then a scroll went flying through the air. It was caught in an aura of golden magic just after it passed the lip of Prominence's glass, and just before it made contact with the orange juice within. She let out a loud sigh of relief as she levitated it over to Twilight.

“That was quick!” Spike commented, smiling. “Must be important.”

Twilight unrolled the scroll, and began reading the contents.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

As I'm sure you expect, due to the contents of this letter, I have enchanted it against all eyes but your own. In this, secrets shall remain with those to whom they have been entrusted.

First, allow me to allay your concerns vis-a-vis my emotional response to the events I have been witness to in your dreams. I am not angry. You've no idea the kind of things I've seen my sister do in dreams with countless other ponies. That you personally know and care about Celestia, by my thinking, gives you more right to have those dreams than most.

For my second point, you claim to have no such feelings for my sister. This may still hold true, after a fashion, for it was not my sister I saw thrusting her tongue into your mouth with tender elegance and passion.

Twilight felt herself glowing bright red. “I think I need to read the rest of this in private!” She shouted, before teleporting out of the dining room and onto her own bed, leaving Spike and Prominence to eat in confused silence until they managed to pick up with their small talk.

Rather, it was Prominence, was it not, whose hooves ran so delicately through your fur? You know in your mind that one is a mask for the other. This does not change the perceptions of the heart. While you know they are one and the same, you may not feel for them in the same way.

Of course, it is also possible that you simply have a predisposition towards ponies with her friendly yet cautious attitude, and, knowing Prominence, her tendency to constantly show you deference and respect. In which case I may have a suggestion to give to ponies who hope for guidance in seeking your hoof (they are many).

“What.” Twilight stared at the parenthetical for a moment, before shaking her head and going back to reading.

And of course, it is possible that this is merely a fluke of the mind, that this is a unique occurrence, and that it will not be repeated. This could have simply been a random effect of your mind analyzing and reviewing the day's events and it may indeed mean nothing whatsoever.

I hope this letter has, in some way, set your mind at ease, but I have one question. My presence in dreams is a foregone conclusion. I can always see them, and, should I wish, intervene. As such, I've grown accustomed to dreams such as yours last night. In fact, your dream was quite tame compared to some of those I've encountered, and I would not deign to judge my subjects or my peers for the independent actions of their subconscious. My question is this: If this should be a repeating occurrence, would you rather I interrupt as I did last night, or simply stay silent and let the dream run its course?

Tuum In Aeternum In Luce Lune,

Princess Luna

Twilight stared at the end of the letter. Over and over, she read that final question, biting her lip. Finally, she levitated her supplies to her side and quickly penned a short response before hurrying back down to the dining room, handing it off to Spike, and watching it vanish in a wisp of smoke.

Luna paused in her stride as the letter arrived, now standing in the hallway of Canterlot Castle. She unrolled it, and began reading.

Dear Princess Luna,

Please let the dreams run their course.

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. What do you mean, ponies who seek my hoof? You said “they are many,” but who are they? How do you know they're interested? Is this just from dreams, or did somepony actually approach you?

Luna let out a soft chuckle as she tucked the scroll beneath her wing. “Enjoy your vacation, dearest sister.” She muttered as she paused by a window to look out toward Ponyville.

A Normal Part of Ponyville Life

“And the mime,” Pinkie Pie snorted, desperately trying to hold back her laughter, “the mime said to the king, ‘hey, you can’t reign on my charades!’” Ponyville’s premiere pink party pony fell over onto her side, rolling with laughter. Applejack and Rainbow Dash chuckled, Fluttershy and Rarity blushed at the off-color nature of the joke, and Twilight quietly shushed Prominence when she pointed out that mimes don’t speak. This picnic was going wonderfully, and they were all so glad that Rarity had suggested it. The weather couldn’t be better. It was the archetypal idyllic day. Sun shining, birds singing, a cool breeze flowing through the air--THOOOOOOOM--Earth quaking, ponies screaming--CRAAAAASH--and houses collapsing.

“What in Equestria?!” Rarity cried, and shrieked as Pinkie spilled a glass of juice on her as the ground shook once more.

“Let’s go check it out!” Twilight called, rallying her friends to action as she took off, flying toward the source of the disturbance. They all moved as fast as hoof or wing could carry them to see what aid they could lend. Prominence quickly fell to the back of the pack, weighed down by her own apprehension. She had felt the tremors, but those weren’t strong enough to cause buildings to cave in. And yet, there were caved in buildings. She could see them. Perhaps the biggest concern was that the ground would rattle like that despite the fact that Ponyville was nowhere near any sort of fault line.

They skidded to a halt as they reached the source of the disturbance.

Twilight stared at the back of a massive, hunched over beast, walking away from a hole it tore in the ground. She glanced about at the panicked citizens of Ponyville, and, more troubling, the ones who weren’t panicked at all, but just babbling incoherently. She’d read about this before. She knew what this was. “IT’S AN UMBER HULK!” She shouted, quickly teleporting herself and all of her friends behind a building.

“Is that a giant bug?” Pinkie asked, peeking around the building. With a face adorned with four compound eyes and two razor sharp clicking mandibles, and with a body covered in a thick carapace, she could be forgiven for her mistake. Twilight grabbed her with her magic and yanked her back to safety.

“It looks like a huge armored gorilla!” Rainbow Dash replied. It swung its massive, club-like arm into the side of a house, buckling support beams and shattering windows, and the pegasus began to fly at it at full speed. Twilight once again pulled an overly curious friend to safety.

“Umber hulks live deep underground! Why would it be coming up to the surface like this?” Fluttershy asked, trembling.

“We can figure that out later. For now, it’s smashin’ the town. Why’d you pull us out like that?” Applejack demanded, staring at Twilight. She trusted the princess, but this wasn’t the time to be chickening out.

“Because, if you look at all four of its eyes at once, you get entranced by a madness spell!” She replied, releasing Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash from her magical hold. “I had to get everypony out of there before they were affected. And speaking of which, those eyes are the first thing we need to take care of...”

“On it!” Pinkie called, reaching just out of view and retrieving two pails, holding one in her mouth and the other in her tail. She hopped playfully out of the alley way and into the chaos and destruction.

She silently climbed up the beast’s back, perching on its shoulder, and unceremoniously dumped the first bucket onto one of its eyes. The umber hulk was reasonably upset that one of its eyes was suddenly covered in glue, and began to thrash about wildly, letting out a horrible roar and clicking its mandibles furiously. Pinkie proceeded to pour the shiny contents of the second bucket onto it, the glue firmly holding the yellow glitter in place.

The monster grabbed hold of Pinkie in its massive hand, pulling her off of its shoulder, and moving her toward its quivering mandibles, its mouth open wide. She reached into her mane and retrieved a bottle, squeezing it. A stream of hot sauce flew into the creature’s mouth, and it screamed out in agony, hurling Pinkie Pie at a wall, which she bounced off of, oddly emitting the sound of a squeaky toy as she did.

Pinkie returned to her friends, panting and forcing a smile. “Ok, so, the good news is, he doesn’t have four eyes anymore. Now he’s just got three eyes and a disco ball.” Everypony exchanged confused glances. “The BAD news is, I think I made him mad?”

Fluttershy’s knees were shaking so bad they were knocking together, but she stepped forward regardless. “I, um, I’ll try to calm him down.” She lifted off the ground and flew over the house toward the rampaging monster. Without having to worry about going temporarily insane from just looking at it, everypony peered around the side of the building to see Fluttershy work her magic.

“Hey there, Mister Hulk?” She called gently, being sure to fly just above its reach. The umber hulk roared at the timid pegasus. “Now, now, there’s no need for all of that...Why don’t you just calm down and—EEP!” she swerved to the side, narrowly dodging a tree. “If you could just--” She dropped quickly to avoid a wheelbarrow. “Stop throwing things and--” A chimney flew through the air. “O-oh, um, ok then.” She began screaming in panic, frantically dodging projectile after projectile.

Seeing that a gentle, diplomatic touch wouldn’t do the job, the others rushed out into the street, ready for a fight.

Applejack ran up and swung both rear hooves into its ankle as Rainbow quickly rose into the air and dove, slamming shoulder first into the back of its head. The creature buckled, falling forward, and Twilight’s magic gathered around its ankles, pulling it back toward the hole in the ground it crawled out of. It dug its fingers into the dirt, pulling itself forward, struggling against Twilight’s magic. Prominence’s horn glowed, a wall of fire rising up in front of the monster, but it would not be deterred as it continued its crawl, eventually breaking out of the fields of magic and climbing back to its feet.

They all scattered as it swung its massive arms at them, roaring in anger and annoyance. Rarity grabbed a curtain out of a destroyed house and wrapped it around the beast’s head, blinding and disorienting it as Twilight once again pulled it toward the hole in the ground. When it finally neared the hole, Applejack and Rainbow Dash each charged, slamming into it and sending it toppling back into the dark abyss below.

Twilight’s horn glowed brightly as the ground began to merge together above the monster, sealing it away. Applejack and Rainbow Dash swung their hips out and slammed their flanks together, laughing and hollering in celebration of their victory. Pinkie Pie hollered and jumped, pulling confetti out of her mane and throwing it into the air. Rarity and Fluttershy smiled proudly at each other. Prominence laughed about how they’d fought a monster. They fought it and they won. She laughed, she threw her forelegs around Twilight, and she kissed her. Twilight kissed back.

Silence hung in the air as all of their friends (and several bystanders) stared in shock. With a sudden flash of realization, both mares pulled apart, ears down, and sheepish, apologetic grins on their faces. Twilight cleared her throat, hoping nopony bothered to make a big deal, and desperately wanting to run and hide. Unfortunately, there was still work to be done. And hopefully, that work would distract everypony from what just happened. “Alright...The hard part’s over, now let’s get to work rebuilding.” She waited as her friends continued to stare at her and Prominence. “…Fluttershy? The beavers?”

“O-oh! Right!” Fluttershy zipped off to acquire some animal contractors to aid in reconstruction. That seemed enough to shake them all out of it. Rarity began cleaning up wreckage, Applejack went home to get some tools, and Prominence decided to get a little bit of distance from Twilight.

She walked up to Rarity, trying to distract herself from the kiss. “You guys really just kind of...Get to work, huh?”

“Oh, we have to, dear. After all, somepony’s home was just destroyed. What sort of ponies would we be if we didn’t try to help rebuild?” She said, not looking up from her work as she gathered up shards of glass, her horn gently twisting them into an elegant sculpture and setting it aside for later decorating.

“But, I meant...Well, you didn’t need to discuss what you’d do, didn’t need to plan, you just...Hop to it.” Prominence replied, doing a bit of cleaning herself.

“Granted, the destruction isn’t usually this bad, but we do live on the edge of the Everfree forest. We’re no strangers to monster attacks. This is just an ordinary part of Ponyville life. I mean, really, just look around, darling.”

And Prominence did look around. And Celestia’s heart soared at what she saw. The strength, the resilience, the unity of her ponies. Everypony who’d fled the monster’s attack was back, with a contented smile on their faces as they all lent a hoof, helping fix whatever damage they came across. None of them even seemed the least bit distressed (though some were still babbling incoherently, but medical professionals were checking in with them). At the absolute worst, they seemed annoyed that their day had been interrupted.

“Wow...Ponyville’s amazing.” She whispered.

“Mostly cuz I’m here,” Rainbow Dash replied, flying past with a saddle bag full of tools, distributing them to the working ponies.

With an entire community, a few beavers, and a lot of magic, the few houses the Umber Hulk had managed to smash were all back to normal by nightfall, and after a day of hard work, Prominence and Twilight headed back to the castle in awkward silence.

They each gave the other plenty of space, walking about ten paces apart. Prominence chewed her cheek in worry as Twilight glanced around, ears flat against her head. They finally made it through the door of the castle and each paused, staring at the other.

“I’m sorry,” Prominence finally said. “I don’t know what came over me. I was so excited...I...I ruined everything.”

“No, no, it’s fine, I just...What do we do now? What do we tell everypony?” Twilight asked, scuffing a hoof on the floor.

“...Nothing, and hope they didn’t notice?” Prominence asked, a hopeful smile on her face. Twilight rolled her eyes. "I could just say I was overcome by the moment. I mean, I was. There doesn't have to be any romantic connection between us for me to be kissing the closest pony because I just fought an enormous monster and lived."

“Maybe. But that’s not the only thing bugging me…” She stared at Prominence’s lips for a moment. “Before, the plan was to not move forward...but now we have to go backward from this.”

Prominence frowned, deep in thought. “...One more?” She asked. “So we know what we have to look forward to?”

Twilight’s cheeks quickly flushed red, her eyes wide, and the tiniest hint of a smile gracing her lips. “I...if you want to?”

“I really do,” Prominence smiled. Twilight slowly and timidly leaned in for her second kiss ever.

Ten minutes later, the two mares laid on the floor, furiously making out as their hooves stroked over one another’s bodies, tender moans rising up between kisses and whispers of each other’s name.

Twilight felt a sharp jabbing on her shoulder. “Mm, careful, watch your horn...” She felt it again on her cheek. “Ow!” She opened her eyes. “SPIKE!” She shouted with indignant fury.

The baby dragon prodded her with the broomstick one last time for good measure, this one falling on her forehead, to the left of her horn. “Dinner’s ready.” He thought for a moment and gave her another poke to the cheek. “What are you guys doing?”

Prominence frantically got to her hooves and began straightening out her mane. “Well, Spike, we...That is to say, I...” She couldn’t find any words. “Boy, I sure am hungry.” She chuckled helplessly, looking to Twilight.

Spike stared at her as she remained on the floor, cheeks burning red. A bright flash of magic filled the room as she teleported away.

Spike and Prominence walked to the dining room to find Twilight fidgeting with her place setting, straightening and re-straightening her utensils as she waited for them.

The night wore on with more than its share of awkward silences, and eventually, everypony went to bed.

Twilight was pleasantly surprised that her dream was relatively normal and not particularly erotic, despite the events of the day before. She ate with Spike and Prominence, happily enjoying her breakfast, and when she finished, she walked out the front door for some fresh air.

And that’s when the Princess found herself surrounded by shouting reporters and flashing cameras. All of them were demanding to know more about the mystery mare she had supposedly been kissing.

“I...uh...There was an umber hulk...” She said, stunned by the sudden appearance of the press. “It attacked the village...but we stopped it, and we helped repair the damage we caused...There’s still the problem of where it came from,” She had begun to focus more on her diversion tactic, tuning out the questions. “Umber hulks actually live very deep underground. It’s incredibly rare for them to come to the surface. They don’t really dig up. But this one just came out of a hole into Ponyville. I do plan to investigate this matter personally. I intend to reopen the hole it emerged from, and carefully explore it until I find the cause of this attack. Thank you. No more questions.”

She went back inside, calmly walked back to the dining room where Prominence and Spike were both finishing up their meal, and flopped over onto her the floor.

“We have a problem," She whimpered.

Author's Note

Guess who's back.
Back again.
Prominence is back.
Tell a friend.

So, this is the first chapter of the revival of Prominence. Now, I realize this is shorter than most of the previous chapters, but trying to hit a certain word count was part of why I got so overwhelmed, stressed out, and eventually took a break from writing, and I realized that a chapter is long enough so long as it has all the events that it needs to contain explained in appropriate detail. Everything I wanted to happen in this chapter has happened. It's long enough.

Now, there is more on the way, of course, but I'm also writing two other fics at the moment, so it may be slow going. But, let's face it, if you've stuck with me this far, you've gotta be pretty patient.

One of those fics is here on FimFiction, The Shadow of Oppression. It's an alternate universe adventure where celestia and luna are mortals, Sombra rules with an oddly relaxed iron fist and is over a thousand years old, and six little ponies are going to try to break free. It's also anthro, but it's not romance focused or clop, which I am to understand is a rarity for anthro fiction.

The other one is a Starbound fic that might not go anywhere and I'm just writing because I discovered Starbound and I'm loving it and there's apparently a shortage of fics with a Novakid protagonist.