Fresh sunlight gathers in the crystal abode of stone, where one pony whose purple presence of wings and horn resides comfortably in her luxurious stone throne; one of many that sit in an equal circle, the table being the center of the true bond between her and the rest of those who are chosen to sit in this circle. She sighs and wipes her brow with her hoof, adorning the gold plates of which she wears in the confines of which she sits. The flipping of every page that consisted of every annotation, main text, and citation fills the room. Nothing but the determination of a well-thought reader would be comfortable in the seating of her knowledge, the books carefully stacked high.
The pony is currently reading a new book that was sent to her by her former mentor and now one of her royal counterparts. She had to know this whole handbook on How to Deal with Foreign Dignitaries 101 by the very next day. Not to mention all the other foreign and cultural aspects of every other book she has to read is due on that same exact juncture.
“Northern Kingdoms dictate their diplomatic policies by…”
She sighs and flips the next page. This isn’t unusual to her. She’s had to do this so many times before. With all the crazy adventures with her friends, the mare couldn’t help but know how to handle situations without becoming one stressed out pile of purple print.
“Power is a strong value that is shaped by those who carry this power, for they control the bond between them and their populace.”
Reading is her strong suit. Nothing could stop her from extracting all the knowledge from all the books in the world, except those who are out to try and stop her desire. However, she would not have that.
“For knowledge is power; power is a bond; and a bond can last a lifetime.”
Just like friendship.
She gasps, sliding the book on the counter in a sudden realization.
Friendship is knowledge.
“So if knowledge is power and power is a bond, then the bond of friendship is knowledge and power?”
The mare stops, her frantic expression changes: eyes set forth, hooves planted on the smooth surface of the crystal floor, body rigid as can be.
She thought.
She thought.
She thought some more.
Nothing could she think of could truly answer this… question. Yet again, she wasn’t able to question herself anymore; Princesses aren’t allowed to be the one who question themselves, only to be questioned by others.
The Princess walks forth and out of the room to see the door of which opens only in case of visitors or of emergency situations.
RING
The bells sound, her eyes widen. The Princess is near and the guards are clear; no pony is on duty.
The question in her mind begins to take hold.
Should I answer the door?
RING
The bell emits its loud call, ringing throughout the castle and through her ears. She sighs. The guards had been relieved from their posts so they could take the day off. Only a select few employees were in her possession: the cooks and maids being the majority.
None of them had been told to keep an eye out for visitors.
RING
The bell sounds once again, the wanting pony on the outside begins to grumble.
Only she knew their distinct mumble.
“Rarity?”
She rushes to the handle, fiddling with its not-so-easy layout. The last pony decided to make the lock ten times harder to open so that those who are trained to open the door are the only ones who can open it.
She is not one of those ponies.
RING
“Twilight, are you there?”
Twilight replies in kind, “I am, Rarity!”
“Well open the door if you’d be so kind!”
Twilight stops her fiddling and steps back. “I’m sorry, but I can’t think when this incessant ringing is banging in my head!”
Rarity stops her ringing.
Silence reigns.
“Rarity?” Twilight says, slowly approaching the lock once again.
“I’m sorry, Twilight…”
Twilight smiles as she finally picks the lock, disengaging the majestic, tall doors. They slowly swing open, much to Rarity’s chagrin; the alabaster unicorn of which stands in a stoic stance stays still with her mouth slightly open at the sight of her friend.
“Apology, accepted,” Twilight states calmly, her grin showing no bounds. “Glad you could come, I was about to die from all those books in there.”
Rarity gasps. “Twilight, you? Dying? From... books?”
Twilight giggles. “Of course not, I’m too addicted to them.”
Rarity eye rolls as she enters the palace. Nothing out of the ordinary here, two friends, both of different statuses, talking and joking nonchalantly while the rest of the world exists in tandem with each action they take.
Twilight shakes the random thought from her mind. She looks over to her friend; purple as her, but only in mane and tail. White as any marshmallow could be, but not to be eaten. That would be not of her own diet.
Plus, according to Pinkie Pie, she doesn’t taste natural.
Twilight smiles at Rarity, who was currently glaring at her. “Why were you staring at my caboose?”
The accused blushes lightly, the thought of riding a caboose never being engraved in her mind. She was just agreeing with Pinkie Pie, who apparently tasted that—
She stops her train of thought.
No pony must ever picture that.
Twilight shakes her head. “I was spacing out, sorry,” she explains, her eyes shifting to Rarity’s face. “I remembered what we were going to do today.”
“From staring at my rump?”
Twilight nods while the blush on Rarity ignites, her marshmallow face cooking to a crisp, yet burnt state in mere seconds.
“T-Twilight,” she whispers in a low, soft-spoken tone. “I didn’t know you felt that way about me.”
Twilight smiles. “What way?” she says mindlessly as they enter the archway of the room filled with knowledgeable skyscrapers.
Rarity sighs. “You tease.”
The two take their respectable seats, directly beside each other. “Twilight?”
“Yes?”
Rarity stares at the stacks of books. “Why do you have so many books?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight says while scratching her head, puzzled. With a quick casting of a spell, she teleports the books, the materials disappearing in a snap.
Rarity smiles. “Don’t tell me you put the books upstairs…”
Twilight giggles. “I did.”
The two mares laugh loudly as they hear the poor resident upstairs scream by the sheer volume of books.
As the laughter subsides, so does the mood. They sit quietly for a moment, the atmosphere calming and soothing. Of course, Twilight sees more than that.
All of that empty space.
She did not like it one bit.
“Rarity, would you like some tea?” Twilight asks with a smile.
Rarity returns the gesture. “Of course, thank you.”
Twilight gets up out of her chair and slowly walks out the room, leaving Rarity to the calming sounds of peace and tranquility while she carefully creates the most delightful tea she could ever muster.
With two piping hot cups of tea in her magical aura, the mare returns to the scene to see her friend out of her seat, staring out the window at the view the room provided. Twilight sighs as she moseys over to her friend, taking a peek over her shoulder. “Got a cup for you,” Twilight states calmly.
Rarity turns to see Twilight before her, cups in her purple aura. “Thank you,” she acknowledges, taking a cup with her own power, the transfer of magic between them synced. Rarity calmly tips the tea to her lips.
Twilight smiles as her friend’s face lights up. “Is it good?”
Rarity nods rapidly. “Darling, are you sure you made this?”
“Doubting my abilities, Rarity?” Twilight says with a frown.
“Oh no, Twilight! I’m surprised, really! You used to burn everything!” Rarity exclaims. She takes a quick sip of her tea. “You mustn’t think you’re bad!
Twilight shakes her head, and motions for Rarity to scoot over. “Mind if we view this view together?”
Rarity does the same shake, moving herself over just enough to let her friend in. “Help yourself.”
Twilight smiles and scootches in. “Thanks.”
“Anytime,” Rarity says with a graceful smile.
The two sit on their rumps, observing the vast landscape of trees, rolling hills, mountains that soar to the heavens, and fresh air that nopony would even dare to change; this was paradise. Twilight couldn’t imagine being anywhere else…
...except one.
“Rarity,” Twilight says mellowly. “I need… I need help.”
Rarity turns herself away from the view. “What’s wrong, Twilight?”
Twilight prepares herself for her speech. She needs this help or she won’t know if she’ll make it in the North. “You see, I won’t be able to go to the Grand Galloping Gala with you…”
“B-but darling, you said you wanted to talk about the Grand Galloping Gala today, the whole reason for tea time today w—”
“This was for that, Rarity…” Twilight interrupts, her voice trailing off as she peeks outside. The sun is setting. She needs to tell her this. “Look, remember when I had to come to Ponyville to figure out the meaning of friendship?”
Rarity sighs. “Yes, Twilight but what does that—”
Twilight interrupts a second time, “Rarity, I’m getting to that,” Twilight says as she takes a brief pause to wipe her nose with her hoof. “Look out there, beyond the mountains…”
Rarity does so, staring at the mountains. “I see them Twilight, the mountains.”
“I said beyond them…” Twilight facehooves.
“Oh,” Rarity mindlessly mutters. She focuses behind the mountains, but to no avail. “I don’t see what you’re saying.”
Twilight groans. “Rarity, I’m going Westward!”
“W-what?” Rarity utters as she snaps towards Twilight, almost dropping the tea in her magic aura; flickering slightly. “You’re going West?”
Twilight nods. “Yeah… I’d tell you more, but I’d like to tell all the girls tomorrow.” Twilight pauses as she observes her friend’s reaction. Shock is all she gets. “I… I’m sorry I wish I could go. I heard you were honored for making Luna’s intricate and exquisite dress.”
Rarity’s eyes widen. “You heard about that?”
“Of course!” Twilight chirps happily. “You were talked about by all the nobles! They were speaking about how a Ponyville resident could get that honor.”
Rarity blushes. “Well, it took a lot of stitching and many hours of hard work,” she begins, her eyes set forth on Twilight. “I just wish more people saw me for who I am, not from where I’m from.”
Twilight frowns.
I know that feeling all too well...
Being a star pupil of Celestia had her pinned high in classes. As a result, students wouldn’t give her even a look in the eye, most of them jealous of her status with the Princess while others were confused that a filly of her stature could gain a teacher in the likes of Celestia! Nothing could save Twilight from being upset, she didn’t want to be. Ponies from her grade did not like her for the remainder of her time there. She had few friends, if she could even call them friends.
Twilight sighs. “I know that all too well…”
“The feeling of being identified by location?”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, but by being separated because of who you are with.” Twilight turns away from the window, her eyes unable to bear the sight of royalty for the time being. Ruling things… she hasn’t grasped that concept yet. Of course, it is a real thing: she can’t take it all in one hit without being blown away by the rest of them.
Twilight sits herself on her perch: stone with a padded purple cushion. She needs to get her mind settled on being herself too.
No pony would ever want to see someone who is wearing a mask.
A mask, both verbally and physically, is something Twilight wears on a daily basis. Twilight hides her true dialect to keep herself at a decent, political medium. Her eyes wear the thick, glossy concern that no pony can deny while she hurts on the inside, the pain of lying to her subjects for the sake of not being able to show herself fully. The memories burn within her, they repeat as if they taunt her.
But this is all a game for Twilight: keeping the demands low and the happiness high. It’s how they keep the peace.
Twilight glances up at Rarity, seeing her friend just as melancholy as she is continues the burn inside her. It’s not a sensation now, the burn is the disharmony inside her, which builds and builds and builds until it will take her, but not for harmony and the power of herself, for harmony cannot go down so easily. Thankfully, Twilight also has friendship, but that would be a bit overkill.
After all, disharmony isn’t all that bad, you do need it in order for balance to even be *existent*.
“Rarity,” Twilight says with a weak tone. The sudden voice pops Rarity out of her state, the mare looking straight at Twilight. “I’m sorry, but… this has got to be said.”
Rarity tilts her head. “What does?”
“I’ve felt the same way for a long while now.”
“You m-mean,” she begins, nervousness showing through with ease. “You’ve felt the same way?”
“In a sense,” Twilight states downtrodden, her eyes shifting to the floor in shame.
Twilight does not know what Rarity looks like at this time. She could only imagine from the whimpers that Rarity must be upset.
All that makeup…
They just smear from all the tears that she bears.
Twilight sniffles and gathers the courage to look up.
“W-why?” Rarity says as her distraught, tear-streaked face didn’t evoke enough emotion, the voice makes her grimace. “How long!”
The tone…
“For a very long time…”
In seconds, what she once had as personal, yet cold, harsh space is no longer. Rarity hugs close to Twilight, bringing her into her hooves as she weeps on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight knew how overdramatic her friend could be, but this warrants it. She could feel the tears too, both inside and out; they’re cold, distinctly in terms of wetness. However, they feel more than that.
Twilight sighs as she too desires this… comfort. She just wishes she could say the truth without having to hear the backlash of those who dare oppose the throne. It’s just… order is what she has known. She does not want to back down on what she believes in just to accommodate another... right?
“C-can you tell me why?” Rarity whimpers.
“It deals with telling ponies what the truth really is…”
Rarity pauses, her tears suddenly evaporating into thin air. “Truth?”
Twilight nods, shifting her gaze to the floor. “I always feel like I’m lying to ponies because I’m told to do so or the media will track me and taint my reputation.”
“A mask…” Rarity murmurs as she took looks away, slowly levitating the remaining tea in her cup to the table, disinterested in the taste. “Are you really told to tell lies?”
Twilight snaps her gaze to Rarity. “Pardon?”
“Let me rephrase that,” Rarity begins. “Do you think that you’re telling lies?”
“Yes!” Twilight almost shouts, keeping a hold of herself to not try and impede her friend. “I see ponies who look up to me and thank me every day for what I do. Whether it’s for the new Golden Oaks Library or for keeping a safe eye on Ponyville and representing them in Canterlot does not matter, I still feel like I’m lying to them. I am a supposed to be a leader, but I feel like I’m just a ghost of one. I’m too…”
“Situational?”
Twilight nods. “Precisely, too situational and it makes me a hard pony to really uphold this position.” She takes a deep, shaky breath. “Not to mention that I’m always used as a pawn by these nobles because I’m always alone and Princess Celestia didn’t help me in terms of dealing with these nobles…” Twilight slams her hoof on the table, her lips pursed and eyebrows slanted. “It’s just… I’m tired of not being me and not being noticed for who I truly am. Just like you, Rarity.”
Rarity pulls her friend in to her chest and nuzzles her cheek. “You know, I think I’m starting to like you more…”
“Oh, Rarity, now you’re being a—”
“...as a friend.”
Rarity, you just played me.
Twilight grumbles as she teleports out of Rarity’s grasp and onto her seat once again, while her friend laughs hard in her seat, threatening to slide right out it if she isn’t too careful.
Twilight smirks, her eyes set forth on Rarity’s caboose.
Time to take this caboose off its rails.
She carefully lights up her horn and slowly slides her friend out her chair.
Rarity doesn’t look up to see the horn’s glow, but instead yelps as she lands straight on her rump. She groans as she holds her now bruised bottom. “That was silly of me,” Rarity says mindlessly.
“D-definitely,” Twilight replies, snickering.
Rarity glares at her friend. “You did this… you.”
Twilight couldn’t laugh hard enough while Rarity couldn’t glare at her the same, the two now laughing in equal volumes.
After a few brief moments, the laughter subsides. Twilight looks over at Rarity, who is still in the afterglow of laughing ecstasy, and smiles. “We are two of a kind.”
Rarity responds back with a nod. “All too right dear.”
The two sit quietly, forgetting about the world.
But… I can’t forget about it for long.
Twilight clears her throat. “Rarity.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you, you’re a true friend,” Twilight says as she gets up and walks over to nuzzle her friend’s cheek. “I wish more ponies could get to know this me and not the one that sounds like a talking minister.”
Rarity giggles. “With a monotone voice?”
“You guessed it,” Twilight replies, her true, bright smile showing for all who see her. For Twilight wants to change, she wants this true being. Only if she was allowed to would she be her true self. Ponies don’t want to see that though, they want to hear what they want to hear and see what they want to see.
Twilight sighs. Being a Princess is a lot more difficult than it seems. However, she has a lot more on her plate to worry about.
I just wish there wasn’t so much of it.
Twilight looks out the window. The sun has set: no more clean bright skies, the dark ambiance replacing the beautiful bright yellow and orange streaks in the sky. Twilight yawns. “Rarity, are you heading back to the Boutique?”
Rarity looks at the window, her eyes widening. “Oh yes, dear! I’m sorry! I need to get going. Dresses and such.”
Twilight nods. “I know how piled up you are. Just… make sure you can be here for the meeting. It’ll… It might be the last time I may see you all.”
“Really?” Rarity asks with a squeak. “Why so?”
Twilight’s gaze shifts to the floor. “It’s not good to speak of it right now,” Twilight states. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Rarity’s once bright smile deadpans. “Okay,” she says with an unsure tone. “I hope it’s not too bad.”
Twilight grimaces. “It depends on how you interpret bad.”
Rarity nods. “True, but yes, I will be here bright in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Twilight says as she stands up, walking her friend to the door. The two walk quietly to it, not saying another word.
Rarity walks out the exit, turning around to smile and utter a single phrase. “Goodnight, Twilight.”
“Goodnight, Rarity,” Twilight says, giving her a wave of the hoof. “See you tomorrow!”
Rarity returns the gesture and begins her trek to her home.
All the while, Twilight trots over to the lock and resets it, locking the door with ease as the two doors shut tight. She sighs for the umpteenth time, her eyes being to shut as she unconsciously walks to her room.
Where the heck are the lights?
Twilight moans as she taps into her harmony, her magic flaring as the light emits from it, giving her light. Smiling, she continues her ascension, the bed of all that is glorious is calling her as she climbs.
Sleep…
Twilight opens the door.
Bed!
She races into the room, flicking her royal regalia left and right. They land safely on the ground as the mare snuggles into the bed sheets. She wills herself away from harmony, snapping the connection for the moment before using it again to extinguish the bedside candle, the light fizzles out in an instant. She sighs and snuggles into her lush pillows.
If only I had somepony of my own.
If only I didn’t feel so alone.
Maybe I could feel much better, stronger, more confident in lying.
But I can’t.
A Princess isn’t allowed to love unless they’re nobility or royalty...
Twilight groans. Prince Blueblood isn’t even remotely an applicant in that department.
She sighs and begins to drift off, her mind relaxing as the thoughts of tomorrow stop their rage. It’s the end of the night, two days left to prepare for her hardest test yet. Even if she isn’t a student, she will forever be one. She know she’ll never stop learning. That’s what a student is.
We learn, we live, we exist.
Hopefully everypony else can understand that...
