Wings- A Difficult Experienceby Crimson_MoonChaptersPrequel: A letter to a PrincessBack to SchoolLesson Two: EmotionCelestia's TourFirst Lesson: How Wings WorkPrequel: A letter to a PrincessDear Princess Celestia, It has been roughly 2-3 months since my coronation, and I am not sure if these new wings of mine are, well... functioning properly. At almost random times it seems, they become as stiff as a unicorn's horn! You and your sister, Princess Luna, both have experience with situations regarding wings, and I would very much appreciate it if you can give me any insight that you or Luna had to deal with involving the wings you possess. As always, I await your reply, Your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle The Princess read the letter for the 5th time, making sure she understood what her student was requesting. She wants to know if i had a... A wingboner!? She thought, her cheeks gaining a rosy tint. Thankfully she was in her bedchambers and alone so nopony could see her blushing. "What in the actual buck?!" was what she meant to say out loud, or even in her head, but was cut off by her sister knocking on her doors. "Sister, are you in there? You missed dinner, are you alright?" Luna asked with concern. Jiggling the handle, the night Princess tried to open the door, despite it being locked. "Please open up, I brought you something to eat!" "FUUUUUUDGE!" Celestia panicked, and threw the letter onto her desk riddled with political papers, and shuffled them around, hoping to disguise it as just another petition or law that needed approval. Clearing her voice, the sun Princess spoke. "Coming, Sister! I was, uh, in the shower!" "You know as well as I do that we do not have showers in your chambers." Drat, her jig was up! "Okay, fine! Come in, and I'll explain everything." The door was open, and in rushed the younger sister, still concerned. They stared at each other in awkward silence, Celestia with slight hints of a blush still lying on the surface, and Luna wondering what the heck is with her older sister's excuse from earlier. An eyebrow raised, Luna asked "Well? Care to let us in on your big secret?" With a defeated sigh, the Princess began to answer. "W-well, that is, i-i, um..." another sigh. In hoping to explain better with evidence, the alicorn lifted the letter from her concerned student with new appendages over to her younger sister. "Read it." was all she said behind a blush that was slowly returning. With hesitation, and slight intrigue, Princess Luna began to read the cause for embarrassment. seconds passed, which turned into minutes, and then an hour before the midnight princess finally understood... by blushing herself. "What in the actual buck?!" "So you agree!" the pearl coated princess exclaimed. "I-i don't know what to say, honestly." A sigh of relief came from Celestia. "Except perhaps, congratulations!" Needless to say, that sigh was short-lived. "I-i-it, i-i, u-um, what?" stammering through every sentence didn't help her case. Luna gasped in surprise. "So it is true!!!" "What's true?" She was still flush from embarrassment. An evil smile crept onto the blue alicorn's muzzle. "Celly's got a fillyfriend! Celly's got a fillyfriend" she sang in a child-like tune. Oh no! "Celestia and Twilight, sitting in a tree," Anything but more embarrassment! "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" "You asked for it sister!" Celestia lunged at her newfound enemy, and proceeded to give her noogies, chase her, and do other things that siblings do to one another. At first, it was out of unbound fury, but slowly melted into a fit of giggles and guffaws and smiles that only siblings know. After a few moments of rest, Celestia sat down by the fire, and sighed as the warmth of the fire reached her coat on the cold night. "You said you brought something to eat, sister?" she asked, as if nothing happened. She's cool like that. "Huh? Oh, yes," Luna said. her horn lit up, and two plates of cake were brought over to them, as well as a side of ice cream. "Strawberry cheesecake?" Luna nodded, which was the trigger for receiving a loving embrace from the Princess of the Sun. "My favorite! Thank you, Luna!" After Celestia let go, Luna began to speak. "Don't thank me yet. We still have your crush to deal with and I have already made plans in my head!" Back in Ponyville, was a very different experience altogether: Twilight was slightly panicking about what to do while she still had those infernal stiff wings that didn't let her sleep with comfort. Grunting and groaning, she tried to find a good resting spot in her bed back in Golden Oaks Library. "Why.Won't.You.Stay.Down!!!" She tried everything. Tape, magic, and even spike trying to hold them down! NOTHING WORKED! It seemed almost like a lost cause, so she just accepted defeat, and let the wings do whatever. Why is this happening to me?! All i did was start to read a little bit, and then BOOM! they popped up like they owned the place! Owned me! she glared at the infernal appendages causing her so much trouble. Well, whether you like it or not, spawns of Tartarus, I am determined to sleep tonight! "And that's why I sent a letter to your creator!" She said aloud almost smirking, though probably didn't realize at the time. Almost if in shock, they started to relax, and slowly cling back to her sides. "Yeahh, didn't like that, now did ya?" Her smirk hitting peaks as high as Canterlot, she added another thing. "Good! Because, i'm taking you to her whenever she replies, and if she says yes!" Almost chasing her sister trotting away, Celestia followed Luna walking through the halls with the empty dishes that once adorned cake and ice cream. "Luna, what are you planning?" she asked. With a chuckle, she replied " 'Tis nothing to worry about, dear sister! Honestly, all we will end up doing is making sure you and Twilight are... uninterrupted" she giggled. They almost reached the kitchen, which is what Celestia assumed was the destination considering that her sister was carrying the plates they ate the delicious slice of dessert off of. A sigh of defeat echoed in the halls. "If you promise to leave the explanation to me, and possibly the *coughs* other details, i'll let you do what you want." Author's Note Just a side story i thought up while working on other things, like Immortality. Well anyways, this is meant to play out in seperate scenarios, possibly involving Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Definitely, Luna and Celestia will get involved, as was obvious by this prequel! Boy Luna is such a troll when it comes to teasing her sister, huh? Back to SchoolMy Dear student “No, that doesn’t sound right.” My Faithful Student, “There we are!” My Faithful Student, Though I have missed our personal study sessions, the matter which you regarded in your last letter is… trivial to say the least. Initially, I thought your friends would be able to help regarding your new wings. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are their names, if I recall. Regardless, I will teach you about your new physiology as best as I can, especially since I know you have prepared a needless counter-argument to the previous statement in this letter. Celestia put her quill down for a second, wondering where they should study. If Twilight comes to Canterlot, no doubt her sister, Luna, will try to start a scandal with a speed to even make Equestria Daily jealous. No offense to the tabloid, but they seem to get their information insanely fast, and the last thing the alicorn wanted was more attention. However, due to the state of the matter, I would like to go somewhere private keep you in familiar surroundings for comfort. If it isn’t too much trouble, I will be meeting you in Ponyville, at your home, Golden Oaks Library. Your Mentor and friend, Princess Celestia of Equestria “Well, it’s written, now what was step two?” she asked herself. Celestia’s personal study wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either. It kind of reminded her of the Golden Oaks Library- peaceful and serene. No towers of books, though. Maybe she’ll commission somepony to put a few bookshelves in? Another indicator of where the purple alicorn got her habits from, Celestia checked her list to see what the next step was. “Oh, drat these withered eyes!” she pulled out a pair of reading glasses from her desk, and put them on. Embarrassing as it made her feel, they weren’t bad looking, and despite making her look older, they made her muzzle unbearably cute! After all, that whole “immortal” thing was nothing more than an urban legend among the nobles of Canterlot at first. They just age really, really slowly, that’s all. Glaring down at the list, Step 2 clearly read: send the dang letter, sunbutt :P. Unlike Twilight’s more… formal way of telling her to do stuff, Celestia liked to play around a little when it comes to chores and to-do lists. Oh, right. I have to actually send it! What was supposed to happen is the Princess would’ve used her magic to whisk it away to her student’s living mailbox, Spike the Dragon. Something held her back. Taking off her glasses, she concentrated on the wrapped scroll with her infamous Royal Seal on it. Any second now… Seconds passed, minutes even; still nothing. Come on, Celestia! Do your thing! It seemed her magic had different ideas. “Well, now what?” Her brain seemed to halt any magic flowing to her horn, indicating either she had a serious case of the horn flu (highly unlikely, due to the fact that she’s immune), or even worse, she had second thoughts. Well, there was no coughing fit, and her magic worked fine, indicated by her favorite tea floating towards the desk in a golden aura, so it had to be the latter of the two. A few minutes foresaw the typical 5 stages of Second Thoughts. First there was denial: No, I’m a Princess of Equestria! I don’t have the luxury for second thoughts! Followed by anger: Curse my stupid brain! If I could banish it, I would… And we can’t forget bargaining: Okay, I know we’ve had our differences brain, but maybe we could solve this together? Depression followed closely behind by a silent plethora of sobs. Maybe I’m no longer fit to be a Princess! If I’m having second thoughts, who knows what else I’ve been mucking up! Only one left to go, and Twilight is in for a surprise the next morning with her favorite teacher’s last step in dealing with the second thoughts: Acceptance. Twilight awoke to what seemed to be a normal day: the sun was shining brightly, Spike was undoubtedly making both of them breakfast, and a knock on the door this early made everything perfect. Wait a minute, rewind: a knock on the door? The alicorn thought. The knocking persisted, eliminating the theory that it might’ve been a hallucination or something. Well, I shouldn’t keep somepony waiting! “Just a minute!” she yelled to the door, while looking over her mane in a mirror. I don’t know what I do when I sleep, but it probably involves practicing braids on my hair! Come to think of it, that sounds like a good idea to test later! The knocking stopped, and hoofsteps quickly vanished. “Well, somepony isn’t very patient this morning!” Her mane unknotted, and perfect, Twilight Sparkle headed downstairs to the sweet scent of homemade buttermilk pancakes and orange juice freshly squeezed. “Boy, breakfast sure smells delicious, Spike!” she said, walking down the stairs and toward the kitchen overpowered with sweet aromas. After her bite to eat, the hoofsteps returned, this time growing louder and louder, like a locomotive heading for her door! “Ugh, it better not be Dash again! I don’t want to clean up- I mean, see the door knocked down again!” Spike was quick to recover, and not receive a glare from his essential mother figure. All he got was, thankfully, a roll of the eyes- something his emotions held better. Twilight smiled like Discord if he saw something breathtakingly chaotic. “Well, if it is Rainbow Dash, she’ll not expect this!” with her magic, the alicorn pulled the door open, smirk on her face, causing Celestia to crash through and collide with a bookshelf on the far end of her home. “C-Celestia?! What are you doing here, in Ponyville?!” “Twilight! It’s good to, um, see you!” Celestia chuckled awkwardly at the situation they both seemed to be in. Luckily, Spike ducked out before things started to escalate. As if nothing happened at all, the pearl alicorn got up to all fours, walked until she was within hoofs’ reach of her faithful student, and handed her a letter, much to the confusion of the littler one. “What’s this?” the purple mare asked with confusion obviously present within her. “A letter” the Princess smiled. “Oh oka-what for?” Well, looks like curiosity turned to intrigue. “F-for reading, silly!” Silly? When have I ever used that word ever in my life? Awkward just spiked up for Celestia- even her own thoughts agreed. “Princess, are you… feeling alright?” Twilight asked quizzically. Celestia regained her composure, and said “I’m fine, my faithful student. All will be explained in the letter” she nudged the wrapped scroll bearing her Royal Seal in Twilight’s hoof. The awkwardness vanished from the Princess of the Sun and was replaced with nostalgia when she saw her student reading a letter she personally wrote. It brought back sweet memories of when her protégé was barely a filly, still learning about magic, and going over scrolls on the subject with Celestia. “It says here that magic belonged to unicorns” Little Twilight said, peering over yet another scroll on the origins of the power of magic, and the ability to use it. “That’s right, Twilight.” Celestia smiled. “Many creatures had a small grasp of what magic truly was back then, and when they saw how easy the unicorns could master it, they all assumed it was their property.” Confusion gripped the adorable filly. “But what about you, Celestia? You’re not a unicorn, and you can control magic!” The alicorn chuckled with her hearty laugh, a trademark of hers that she started… before. “Well, let’s just say that special ponies can do special things. Didn’t your brother tell you how special you were?” she playfully poked her new student’s muzzle, eliciting a filly-like laugh from her. Silence passed for a few minutes. Then… The question happened. “Princess, what about your family? I’m sure your sister told you how special you were.” “Whatever do you mean my faithful student? I don’t have a sister.” Her mask of composure was steadily slipping from control: the corner of her mouth started to twitch behind the smile she put on. Twilight can’t find out… Not yet. She’s too young to understand. The Princess thought. “It’s just that… you take care of me, and play with me just like Shining used to do before going off for guard school.” She moved closer to her mentor. “I-it made me think you had one, a brother or sister I mean…” Celestia nuzzled her faithful student, and the lesson continued, avoiding the subject altogether. “It wasn’t until society started to learn that each creature had its own part to play in controlling magic. Moving on, the Pegasi only found about their affinity for weather when their leader…” “Celestia, are you still here?” The purple alicorn asked with concern. The Princess shook her head. “Huh, what? Yes, Twilight, I’m here. What were you saying?” Concern never dropping, Twilight repeated herself. “I said that I’m okay with you staying, but I don’t have anywhere for you to sleep. You can have my bed if you want-” “Absolutely not, my faithful student!” she looked around, and spotted a couch which should be viable enough for her needs. “I’ll sleep on this couch, Twilight.” She looked outside as a force of habit, and her internal clock started screaming at her. “It’s getting dark out.” Celestia sighed. “Looks like our lesson will have to begin first thing in the morning” she said, whilst lowering the sun to make way for Luna’s moon. There she was: Celestia pranced about her cloud of cotton candy, and swan dived into a literal mountain of cake, and at the end of the sugary dip stood her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. “Hello, Twilight! How are you this fine morning?” the purple mare smiled, and ever so seductively, stepped slowly towards the Princess of the Sun, who was still covered in cake and frosting. The way her student’s hips swayed gave the impression that the mare wanted more than just lessons this fine, sweet morning. Everything in this place was perfect, from the cotton candy clouds to the sugary cake vistas. The icing on the cake? That was Twilight, spanning her wings, and showing the greatest of pride and beauty ever seen in her. What was even more impossible to believe was Princess Celestia of Equestria, Alicorn of the Sun, co-ruler of Canterlot and its surrounding cities, was furiously blushing! The heat on her cheeks matched that of the ones found on the Sun, or so she thought. Her legs were shaking! Her heartbeat was fluttering as high as Cloudsdale! Her smile matched the quivering of her legs! All this she noticed, but was oblivious to her faithful student nudging ever closer until they were almost muzzle to muzzle. Celestia closed her eyes, leaning in ever so slightly; puckering her lips for what she assumed would be the best kiss of her lifetime. “Having fun?” a familiar voice asked teasingly. She knew that voice! Celestia’s eyes shot open like a bolt of lightning, only to see Princess Luna’s head where her student’s used to be. Even stranger, her head was still attached to that purple alicorn body that Celestia adored so much. Like a dog that got its bone taken away, she shot her younger sister a look so fierce that Tartarus would be jealous! “W-what are you doing here, Luna?!” Groaning, Luna did what was best when confronted with ponies still stuck in their fantasy. “You’re in a dream, Tia! How else do you explain this?” she gestured to the purple body her head was attached to. “I KNOW it was a dream, what are you doing in it?” Celestia fumed. “Oh, that’s simple! I popped in here to see if the lesson went well.” “You know better than that, Lulu! I thought we agreed we wouldn’t disturb each other’s dreams unless the situation was dire.” That hit the point home. Luna shuffled her hooves nervously, her normal indicator of “I know big sister, but I couldn’t control myself!” Without even speaking. The midnight alicorn was about to say sorry when Celestia’s hoof stopped her. “I know, sister, and it is okay. You were anxious to know.” “Well, what happened?” her attention was at full now, eyeballs peering at Celestia. “Nothing yet, Luna. It was too late in the day when all was explained. Tomorrow will be different.” “Tomorrow will be different.” Luna mirrored, planning something just behind the surface of the words. Celestia hadn't noticed, though: she was still in a dazed state from the scene that almost happened. A knock on Canterlot Boutique and a strange missive given to Rarity by one of Luna’s guard gave the mare full attention at 3 in the morning, or her “beauty sleep” as it were. The binding itself was sealed in a highly specific set of enchantments that ensured its reader would only be the unicorn it was intended for. Heck, even picking it up with her horn projected the big and bold letters of “TOP SECRET: FOR TRUSTED EYES ONLY” in the air. Loyal Subject and Friend, Rarity, Through a vast network of informants, I, Princess Luna, hath discovered that a certain mission of sorts requires your… efficiency in Romance. It seems that my sister, Princess Celestia of Equestria, co-ruler of Canterlot and nearby settlements, raiser of the Sun, hath been stricken with the Princess you and I call friend, Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. Her pupil was curious of thine origins of certain appendages becoming stiff (I believe the popular term for this era is ‘wingboner’). Through the Dreamscape, and possible reconnaissance, I have learned that the origin of said Pegasus Erectus was in fact, caused by the emotions she contains for our dear sister. If she is aware of these emotions, we are unclear. So, as a token of gratitude, and your possible satisfaction of curiosity, we will provide whatever means you need to “Set up a date”. They both currently reside in Ms. Sparkle’s home: Golden Oaks Library. Signed, Royal Co-Ruler of Equestria and Raiser of the Moon, Princess Luna of Equestria Oh boy, now the fun begins… Author's Note Luna is still a troll, and I put a lot of thought into it, i think this is just going to be a strict Twilestia ship, and not my previous plan to make this multiple stories. I had a hard time figuring out how to work dash into the storyline i was hoping to start, so there you have it: Twilestia with a bit of Luna being a troll thrown in for the heck of it! Hope you like it all the same! HUGE SPOILER AVERT YOUR EYES IF THOU WISH TO ENJOY THE STORY: Rarity mucks up the date somehow. She doesn't seem like the type that would help land a successful date, so if anything, she'll put them in a public place while they are both still trying to figure out their emotions and awkwardness will ensue. Won't happen until, like, a few chapters from now, so stay tuned! Lesson Two: EmotionIt was 8 AM, and Twilight was still sleeping snugly within her teacher’s fur. This hasn’t been the first time it’s happened, but it was a surprise, nonetheless. She used to do this all the time when she was little: They would both sit and talk and study. Back then, even though Twilight Sparkle was enrolled in her school for Gifted Unicorns, Celestia still felt like the little filly was detached from society. It’s true she made a few friends, including Moon Dancer which was so similar to her faithful student that she could hardly tell the difference. The hair was the only dead giveaway. Still, instead of socializing and making more than a handful of friends, she shut herself off. Maybe that’s when Celestia noticed, mainly the changes in behavior. She was acting more like her daughter rather than her student, and the pearl Princess started becoming more motherly toward her and a few subjects as a result. It truly was a warm experience, which is why the friendship thing slid for a while. In all honesty, it reminded Celestia all too much of her sister Luna, still trapped on the moon back then. If she had not been so blind, maybe things wouldn’t have ended the way they did. Regardless, that was now in the past and she had her sister back, free from the clutches of Nightmare Moon. The purple alicorn stirred in her sleep, mumbling words unintelligible to the real world. She knew this sign all too well that her faithful student was due to wake from slumber, so she whisked away her golden magic, and prepared breakfast without disturbing the scene before her. Having mastered most arcane spells, Celestia teleported quickly and replaced herself with an exact replica, crown and all. Nopony should disturb her, not even Celestia herself. In fact, it was essential that Celestia’s double dare not move a muscle; bearing her discomfort was more painful than anything the mare could bear. I might as well get comfortable. Celestia smiled, taking off her regalia. It was a rare sight even for herself that she remove the Royal Regalia that was almost always present, breakfast or no. After floating the golden horseshoes, crest, and crown over to the couch, she gave a big stretch, waking those bones that have been stiff for most of the night. Now, Celestia’s the greatest Princess that has ever lived. She’s stopped wars from happening, took down formidable opponents threatening her peaceful country, and even raised the sun for crying out loud! But for some reason, she couldn’t understand up from down when reading the instructions on a box of pancake mix. It clearly read: Pancakes Add water to mix, and gently stir. Keep adding mix until you’ve reached desired thickness. Set aside. Turn the stove burner to Medium heat and set pan until heated. Pour batter into pan, and cook until golden-brown. But, to Celestia it read: Pancakes Throw directions in trash and wing it. No measurements? No proper degree of heat? Last time I checked, that’s how a meal should be made! Not this “desired thickness” nonsense! She thought. She turned on the burner, and things quickly plummeted from there. Twilight awoke, and cleared her blurry eyes a little towards midday, and despite waking up at noon, something else felt off. It wasn’t the weather, her horn worked fine, and everything didn’t seem out of the ordinary. That is, until she found that she was still holding her pillow… that breathed. The alicorn jumped back, suspecting the worst and that’s when she noticed that the presence was simply Celestia keeping her warm. Hold on… Celestia?! No matter what day, she felt that thought was repeating itself more recently. Shaking her head of such questions, she approached her teacher still sitting still, smiling and focusing towards the purple mare. “Celestia, I-” she reached out her hoof with her eyes closed (no doubt to look as sorry as can be) to touch the pony, to apologize for falling asleep but only met air. She tried again, this time keeping her peepers open. Her hoof just swished through the projection. Of course it’s a projection! Why didn’t I realize sooner? Twilight thought. “Good morning, Twilight!” Celestia said in the kitchen. Turning towards the voice only made the purple alicorn gasp at the sight. Batter was everywhere, multiple stoves were lit without anything over them, and worst of all was the disheveled state her teacher was in! Her mane no longer flowed aimlessly but rather stay put due to the frayed follicles and scorched areas. No regalia was shown, and upon a closer look, her hooves look slightly burned. Probably second degree if the redness was to go by. Worst of all was the smudges of charcoal or something similar all over her body! “Princess! Are you alright?” concern filled her being. The kitchen could be fixed any day of the year, but seeing Celestia like this… “I’m fine. And please, Celestia will do.” Her smile never faltered. The Princess was glad to show her faithful this side of her, the pony side. Silence passed for a few moments, until Twilight Sparkle finally spoke up. “Your hooves!” she gasped. “They’re burnt! Here, putting these over them will-” she reached for the regalia, knowing full well that it had enchantments that increased the healing factor for any who wore them, only to be stopped by a hoof latching on to her tail. Twilight turned around, obeying the Princess. “No, Twilight. Not today.” Celestia smiled differently this time; a smile she always hid behind that political shell most seemed to call “Princess Celestia”. This time, she put emotion to the gesture, true feeling. It wasn’t a shell this time, a façade. It was a real smile, and Twilight was stunned to never see it before. Before, she held pain in the smile. The smile felt forced. This time, the smile felt…natural to the purple pony. “Today, I want to be normal. Please, go fetch a first-aid kit. I haven’t felt bandages around these hooves for many millennia. It would be nice to feel them again.” What does she mean, “Be normal”? She’s a pony, like anyone else! Another look at her mentor pushed away these thoughts and she ran quick as she could to the only place she kept her first-aid kit, up in the bathroom. Celestia chuckled inward as her faithful student ran up the stairs in the library to no doubt treat the wounds as quick as possible. More and more you surprise me, my little Twilight! She rebounded her thoughts. “My little Twilight?” Huh, that’s new. A blush formed at her cheeks. It seems her feelings are still there. It’s probably why I want to go on this vacation. At first, I thought that some lessons learned privately would be enough, but now that I think on it, I want to just… relax. She looked back towards the stairs that her pupil scampered up just a few moments ago. I don’t get this chance often, to spend time with you, my faithful student. These feelings, I don’t know what they are yet, and I can’t remember the last time… her train of thought ended when her student returned, this time holding the first-aid kit in her mouth. It looked absolutely adorable, which made Celestia blush even more. *chuckles* these darn feelings sure do love seeing you so adorable! “Welcome back, Twilight! I thought you might have run off and forgot about me.” She playfully hit Twilight’s shoulder, only to recoil and receive a stinging from her hoof. “Ouch. That really smarted.” Celestia can raise the sun, this is true. However, raising the sun didn’t give her omnipotent “Immunity against all flames”. Just another old legend that ponies believe, despite how ridiculous it sounded. Twilight knew this, especially when her mentor tried doing something cool, like pretend to lift a candle with just the power of her mind (without magic) only to discover that when trying to lift a candle, it’s best to keep the burning point away from the hoof you stretch out for dramatic effect. The purple mare opened the kit, and took out a roll of bandages, medical tape, scissors, and burn ointment. Celestia smiled, and began to wrap herself up but was stopped. This time, Twilight held her hooves sympathetically. “Here, let me.” Without even arguing, the Princess let go of the bandages and let her student treat her wounds. Normally I was the one to wrap your wounds, my dear Twilight! Oh how the tables have turned! She thought amusedly. Most knew of Twilight’s affinity for Magic. She could teleport miles away in just the blink of an eye, and summon spells that no pony would ever be able to withstand. She loved to use it for everything, even wrapping up burns she got from a botched spell, but this time was different. She never used magic while treating Celestia’s burns. While wrapping the bandages, her student smiled serenely. It was the most peaceful sight ever beheld by the Princess’ eyes. “Twilight, what are you-” her sentence was interrupted. “A few months ago, Fluttershy asked me to help heal some of the animals in her sanctuary. It seemed that a forest fire had erupted in the middle of the night, destroying most of their homes and giving them severe burns.” She paused, rubbing ointment onto the other hoof yet to be bandaged. “I helped as best as I could, treating the more intense ones, but when I started to use healing magic, Fluttershy stopped me.” The ointment was done being applied, so Twilight took the bandage roll and started wrapping, still giving off that smile. “At first I wrote her off as being too cautious, but then I noticed something: For every one animal I treated with magic, Fluttershy healed several. So I stopped, and with a few pointers from Fluttershy, I started treating their burns with my own hooves. I learned a powerful lesson that day.” Intrigued, Celestia spoke up. “What was this lesson? I don’t remember you writing about it.” Her smile grew. “I learned that magic isn’t always necessary. I learned that some things needed to done without relying on the easy way.” Her smile faltered, if only for a second. "I don't want to make you hurt more than you should." Shaking her head, Twilight cut the final bandage, and taped it snugly. “There, all done!” she beamed at the pearl alicorn. “What do you think, Pr- Celestia?” She smiled, looking at the bandages that felt nostalgic on her fur. “I think they’re wonderful, Twilight.” It took all but 30 minutes to treat the burn, so there was still half a day left, and against better judgement, Celestia brought out two plates of black soot. Twilight stared at them with a horrific face. “They’re pancakes, I made them myself! Would you like to try some?” She smiled nervously. No wonder why the kitchen turned into a disaster zone! Twilight thought. “Yes, I’d like some” she smiled, but screamed on the inside. Author's Note And thus we have the first of a realization for Celestia, and just a tiny sliver of emotion Twilight has for her mentor! Who knows if this might blossom into a fantastic relationship, or just end up being super awkward for both of them. Now, i know what you're thinking: "But only Spike was sent on vacation!" Celestia needs this...badly. Imagine being cooped up and pretending to not be yourself just to appease some hoity-toity rich snotbags. So, essentially i wanted to give you guys and gals a glimpse of a different pony. Celestia, not Princess Celestia of Equestria. Celestia's Tour"I really am sorry, Twilight!" Celestia begged. After eating just one bite of the ashes the Princess tried to pass off as pancakes, her student went into a coughing fit, and had to drink 3 gallons' worth of water just to calm down her taste-buds. "I know, you told me the first few dozen times!" To be fair, ever since then, the pearl Alicorn made it her duty to know she was sorry. After Twilight yelled, silence filled the room. Looking over at Celestia, you could easily tell why. Her face was a mix between startled and confused. Did-Did she just yell at me? It wasn't long after that thought when the purple mare's face offered a look of terror on her face in response. "O-Oh my, I'm sorry Princess! Please don't send me to magic kindergarten on the moon! I CAN'T BREATHE ON THE MOON!!!" She scrambled toward her teacher's forelegs, begging and pleading. Celestia just rolled her eyes. Not this again... She was about to explain as well as question how in Equestria that sentence uttered made sense, until she got an idea. You know what? I'm gonna have a little fun out of the remaining daylight still here! A unsettling and mischievous smirk adorned her muzzle, a look only one other sees frequently, especially during her Nightly pranking sessions. "Rise, my student." She said in the most serious tone she could muster. To be honest, Celestia had an extremely difficult time trying to keep out her snickers. Twilight opened her mouth, getting ready to defend herself. Perfect timing! the Princess thought. "No, Twilight. Yelling at me was going too far." Every word uttered sent another chill down the young Alicorn's spine. "Your punishment shall be far worse than my magic moon kindergarten!" This was it... "My punishment for you..." She closed her eyes, bearing for the worst. "Shall be..." Despite the now shaking body, Twilight was ready to receive any punishment befitting her yelling at Celestia. "Showing me a tour of Ponyville!" Wait...What? That was it? The big punishment, worse than being sent to the moon to learn basic math again? Confusion riddled her face. "B-but I...How is...What?" "Oh Twilight," Celestia chuckled. "I can never be angry at you for speaking your mind!" She wrapped her wings around the young ruler. "We're family! Or did you already forget that your brother married my loving niece?" Celestia smiled that smile again- the one she hides so well from everypony else. "Oh yeah, I forgot." She chuckled nervously. "Well if that's the case, I can tell the mayor to prepare for a surprise tour, and maybe get my friends to help-" Twilight was silenced by a raised white hoof, still free from its golden regalia. "No, Twilight. I want you, and only you to give me a tour. After all, It's your punishment..." It was a few minutes later, and Twilight was still wary that Celestia outright refused to put her golden regalia on. The bandages still shone in the bright light, blending in with the already radiant white fur the small white pony standing next to her was covered in. On agreement, they both thought that something a bit smaller and inconspicuous would be better, lest they draw attention to themselves. After a quick spell, the horn and wings on the alicorn's body disappeared, and Celestia shrank down to Twilight's height. Completing the transformation, her mane dropped the extra springtime blue and green colors, becoming a creamy pink, similar to Fluttershy's mane and tail. "We-*Ahem*" Celestia cleared her throat. "Well Twilight, should we get going? After all, we only have a little bit of daylight left!" Twilight was stunned at the new voice. It was lighter, and more upbeat than the motherly and deep tone she was used to. It's so beautiful... she thought. Wait, did I really say that in my head? Her wings twitched a bit. Shaking her head clear of those random thoughts, Twilight smiled. "Alright, Celestia. Let's start our tour over at, um..." She looked around, wondering where to start. Buildings big and small surrounded them, mixed with tans and browns that covered the houses and huts dotted everywhere. Suddenly, she spotted a very large cupcake-looking spire poking out from above the sea of hay roofs. "How's about I make up for my *Ahem* unsavory breakfast meal, and we can get a treat at Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight offered with a smile. "Gladly!" Celestia smiled back. A few minutes of trotting, and the duo found themselves in front of the doors to Ponyville's infamous bakery. Many ponies in town don't find it odd, but for the odd traveler or two, Sugarcube Corner has a reputation, mostly due to a certain pink pony frequently making sweet treats and planning parties in the average sized building. Celestia knew this, and though she would regret her decision later, decided to test Pinkie's boundaries when it came to humor. She is the element of Laughter, but nopony has the pranking knowledge much like my sister and I do! She thought. I am curious as to what levels of "Crazy" she could get up to... Celestia did know quite a bit thanks to her ex-student's letters over the years, but nothing described the full extent of that craziness. Regardless, the disguised princess along with the newly crowned one entered the infamous abode, and little did Twilight know that Celestia was hatching a plan to test Pinkie's level of crazy on the Crazy Scale. Once they entered, Pinkie did her standard greeting to any and all ponies, griffons, dragons, and other creatures that entered the doors to the bakery... "Welcome to Sugarcube corner! What'll it...be..." Her smile turned into a neutral expression for a split second, before she gasped dramatically and rushed over to the mare standing next to Twilight. "WHO IS YOUR FRIEND, TWILIGHT?!" she yelled right in the disguised alicorn's face. "Oh, her? She's um... A friend!" Twilight smiled nervously. Pinkie turned towards her. "Uh-Huh! And...?!" "And...um... from out of... town?" "Go on! What's her name?!" Pinkie somehow found a notepad and quill and started jotting down everything Twilight said. "Her name?" She stared towards Celestia, pleading for an answer from the probably now-deaf mare. Holy cow... She actually looks surprised! The pinpricks in Celestia's eyes gave it away, as well as the open jaw that was more than likely going to greet herself with a clever name. Then, for unknown reasons, Twilight turned just slightly, and stared at the flank with a Sun still adorned on it. Oh my, her flank is so... She shook her head. No! None of those thoughts! They keep popping up, but it's no time to keep them in here! Her cover is almost blown, so I better think of a name... Quickly! Still staring at her ex-mentor's disguised tushy, she thought of a name. "Sunny..." Then turning to face her friend, she continued, noticing Pinkie's- "Smiles?" "Sunny Smiles?" She eyed suspiciously at Twilight's sweating brow and darting eyes. "What a great name!" Phew! The charade bought, Celestia was still sitting in stunned silence, this time with her jaw shut and her mind slowly turning its gears again. Well, that was certainly... unexpected, I'll give her that! But I'm not defeated yet, and this was just a test phase anyways. Yeah, that's it! A test phase! "Sunny Smiles" cackled maniacally out loud after her thoughts, putting a face of concern on Twilight, and Pinkie still just smiling and unaltered. Note to self, have Luna sign Celestia up for Psychological evaluations after this... "Well, she's new in town! You know what that means, Twilight!" Pinkie beamed, turning away from Sunny. "No, I don't think that's a-" "A PARTY!!!" Pinkie threw her forehooves in the air, and confetti magically popped out from behind her pink poofy mane. Twilight facehoofed. Even though she said that her friend was from "Out of Town", Pinkie had no filter, and just heard "Friend" and "Town" and decided to throw a party anyways. On the other end however, "Sunny Smiles" thought it was perfect for what she planned. No matter what happened at that party, somepony was getting pranked! Little did she know about Pinkie's knack for pranking just about anypony at any given time, earning her the Nickname "Pink Menace". After a few more minutes of eating sugary treats from the Party Queen, the duo departed, and set out for somewhere else. "Well, that was..." Celestia paused, trying to think of what exactly Pinkie did to break her train of thought within the first few minutes of even meeting her realistically instead of regally. She always wanted to know all her subjects on a personal level, it's part of the job description in her eyes, but just too many things always got in the way, especially when it came to the Elements of Harmony. "Different, yeah..." Twilight finished. "That's exactly what I thought when I first arrived here, though my vocabulary for Pinkie's brand of...Eccentricity bordered along the lines of 'insane' and 'crazy'!" Celestia chuckled at that. "Reminds me of when Luna first tried to branch out more after her... reintegration we'll call it. She too, thought the nighttime party-goers, or party-goers in general were, and I quote: "Rapscallions deprived of sleep from their infernal loud music boxes and rambunctious hosts!" Twilight chuckled this time. "Oh, you think that was bad? Rainbow once got so wasted at Ponyville's Cider Fest, she forgot she could fly, and after getting home with a crate of the stuff, she jumped off her cloud house and ended up plowing face-first into a patch of Poison Joke!" They both laughed. After settling down, twilight got a remiss look in her eyes, and stared down at the ground, likely reliving a lost memory. "We need to have these more often. I love talking to you, but sometimes..." "...I miss it..." The mask of composure shattered on Celestia's ivory muzzle. Trying to keep her composure, she put on a forced grin, speaking through her teeth. "Whatever do you mean, Twilight? We always talk like this in our letters!" "I know, but that's not what I mean. I miss the face-to-face conversations we used to have, where I was the student, and you were still my teacher." She smiled a bit, although it was a sad smile. Then it disappeared. "But ever since I've become a Princess, I haven't seen you as much." What she said was true, and Celestia couldn't deny it. "W-well, let's change that today! Where to, next Twilight?" She smiled at that. "How about... The Carousel Boutique? It might be fun having Rarity dress you up while you're still disguised!" She blushed a little. "Y-yeah! D-dressing up (in front of you) sounds fun!" "What was that you said in the middle? I couldn't quite catch that." "Nothing!" Author's Note I am very, very sorry that I haven't been able to keep up with some of my older stories, such as this one as well as a few others! In truth, inspiration has been sucked dry from me, and the rest of my free time is spent finding just any job available in the exceptionally small town I live in. I know I said I had a job i had found to some people commenting and PMing, but I am afraid that particular career branch isn't for me. However, I now have a Patreon account set up! For a minimum amount of 5 dollars per month, you'll get access to lots of bonus stuff in addition to my works, such as: -Access to private blog on the Patreon website where you can talk with yours truly ;) - access to any Unfinished Chapter of current story(ies) being made -Honorable mention in next story As an added bonus, I now take commissions for $15(Other bonuses also provided on Patreon), so PM away! First Lesson: How Wings WorkThe next morning happened just like the one yesterday: Twilight woke up, a smile on her face and the sun cascading her room in a golden hue, breakfast was served, and she enjoyed every second of it. What was different however, was that Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and her mentor and friend, was splayed out on the couch downstairs, reading a few books from the Library, which ironically, was also where she lived. “Good morning, Twilight!” Celestia set the book down. “You had a good night’s rest, I hope?” Her smile never faltered. However, the smile was just a façade. Inside, she was panicking profusely. Their lesson for today is pretty much going to be something that every embarrassed teen Pegasus already learned back in school, and well, no doubt the purple alicorn was going to be embarrassed too after the explanation. Still, she knew not of the faux mask her fellow Princess used to conceal her real emotions, so Twilight nodded with excitement and vigor, eager to be taught yet again by Princess Celestia! Then, it occurred to the purple mare. Celestia was in her house, and wasn’t offered breakfast! Way to go, Twilight! Good job on treating your guest right! *gasp* what if she doesn’t want to teach me? “Twilight.” What if she banishes me to the sun?! “Twilight…” What if she banishes me to the sun, and forbids me to never learn again?! “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Celestia didn’t want to watch the flurry of worried expressions on her faithful student any longer. Yelling seemed a bit harsh, but everypony needs a good kick in the flank to snap back to reality every so often. Twilight Sparkle was no exception. Needless to say, it did the trick. “Would you, um, like some breakfast, Princess?” the purple alicorn sheepishly smiled. I should have expected that she’d freak out over something as simple as breakfast. Celestia thought. “It’s fine, Twilight. Spike already made me something to eat.” A lie, but still enough to satisfy her student. “Speaking of, where did he run off to? I saw him last night, but there was no trace of him this morning!” The Princess chuckled. “It’s alright, Twilight. I sent him off to…Rarity’s? I think that was the name.” I really need to memorize the names of Twilight’s friends when I get a chance… “Oh,” she chuckled nervously. “Good.” The next few hours were spent catching up amongst one another over a cup of tea. It was a nice chat of different subjects. Celestia droned on about the various treaties and paperwork that she had to go through, while Twilight talked about her friends, and lessons she learned ever since the coronation. The pearl alicorn always thought that talking was always pleasant when between her and her faithful student. They made her actually smile, not like that mask she uses to hide so many emotions that she buries deep within the subconscious. Reality snapped back however, when said student asked the question. “Where should we begin, Princess?” the mare said. Gently, Celestia set down her tea and put it to the side, an indicator that school was back in session. “Please Twilight, call me Celestia. We’re both royalty now and alone to boot! We don’t need to be formal right now.” She held Twilight’s forelegs with a gentle grace to comfort her. Then she realized what her body just did, and shot her hooves back to the ground, earning a blush on her cheeks and a slight twitch in her wings. Before her student could speak, the lesson started. “Lesson One:” she said, bringing a chalkboard closer, and using her magic to write the words. “Pegasus physiology.” Ever the diligent student, the purple alicorn already had a quill and some parchment to take notes on the side just in case. A hoof shot up almost immediately before continuing. “Yes, Twilight?” “Pr-Celestia, Why are we learning Pegasus physiology? Why not alicorn physiology?” “Hmm. That is a good question, Twilight.” Celestia answered. “If I’m not mistaken, you already know how to use your horn, and know how the rest of your body works, right?” She received a nod from the eager student. “Then the answer should be clear, don't you think?" She smiled. "Moving on,” Celestia said, whilst writing on the chalkboard. “A Pegasus has many different traits due to their wings that allow numerous feats.” She drew a detailed diagram of the wing of a pegasus. “Each wing holds around 3500 different feathers that allow for flight. The Primary feathers are most essential, as these are the longest feathers on the body that can be fully rotated for thrust. Without these, Pegasi would not be able to fly forward with the speed they have, and would be very difficult on account of wind resistance. They are also exceptionally painful to remove.” She peeked over to her student, and noticed that her wings were splayed out, and Twilight was studying them. Twilight yanked on one of her primaries with magic, and found out that Celestia was right. “I told you, Twilight!” the pearl alicorn chuckled. Clearing her throat, she continued the lesson. “The magical aspects of a Pegasus’ wings are due to a gland just behind the connecting tendon to the pony’s body. It is highly sensitive, and is popularly known as the…” she paused, putting on a more embarrassed look and blushing profusely. “T-the, um…” the more she talked the more flustered she got, and the more tongue tied too! “The…what?” Twilight tilted her head innocently. With a sigh of defeat, Celestia finally found the words. “The ‘Pegasus G-Spot’.” Now it was Twilight’s turn to get some red in her cheeks. “S-so, y-you mean that if I-” “Yes.” “And another pony-” “Yes” “And they want to-” “Please, Twilight I can only say the word so many times!” The purple mare stopped her stammering, but her wings weren’t finished talking. They popped out, and became stiff, like many nights before. “They did it again!” Twilight exclaimed with annoyance. She tried pushing them down with magic, just like before but only popped out yet again, breaking the grip her horn had around them. “Twilight, you need to listen: If you keep forcing them down, the worse off you’ll be.” Celestia said in a calming voice. She couldn’t her mentor anymore. The mare was frantically trying to push them down. “Why won’t they go down? WHY WON’T THEY GO DOWN?” She tried harder this time, using both her hooves and her magic, before Celestia held her tightly. The purple alicorn started hyperventilating, panicking more than ever. “You need to stop, Twilight! It won’t help!” Her eyes looked at Celestia, but panic gripped her so much, that it was doubtful that she could hear anything, so Celestia did the only thing she thought of doing, and slapped her back into reality. She held her cheek that the Princess struck. She still had a bit of panic filling those lavender eyes. Another slap, this time on the other cheek. “I’m sorry Twilight.” She hugged her student. “What’s wrong with my wings?” Twilight sobbed into her mentor’s barrel. Oh Twilight, you really have no idea, do you? “Shh, it’s okay. It’s nothing to be scared about.” She held her student close, letting her sob away the night. We took longer than I thought… “I’m here for you, Twilight, always and forever.” The sobbing continued well through the night, close to lunar apex. It finally died down around midnight. “Twilight, are you okay?” she asked her student. No response came. “Twilight?” still nothing. She let go of the hug, and looked at the mare before her. She was fast asleep, lightly snoring. “My faithful student.” She smiled. The sight was very adorable: the purple Alicorn’s head nestled deeply into the fur of Princess Celestia. Her muzzle had a soft smile on it, like nothing would make her happier than using her teacher as a comfortable pillow. That’s how it started: Celestia’s sprout of love for her student. Nothing more than a seedling, but still there. Not even daring to move a muscle, Celestia levitated over a quill and some parchment that Twilight still kept beside her. She wrote a letter to Spike, telling him to take the day off tomorrow, and go have fun in the town. “Tomorrow will be different.” She smiled. “W-why don’t you stay the night, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity fluttered her eyes at the baby dragon. It took him most of his willpower to fight the urge to just jump up and say yes, but Twilight needed her, and he knew how bad of a cook she was in the mornings! Not to mention, having the Princess over was probably making her a nervous wreck. “I… I wish I could say yes, Rarity. You have no idea how badly I want this!” he exclaimed. “But Twilight needs me. I hope you understand, Rarity.” Drat! He won’t budge. Rarity thought, so she went for Plan B: the Guilt Trip. Putting on her best sniffling, betrayed face, Rarity stammered “B-but don’t you *sniff* like me?” her eyes turned into soaked dinner plates, and she could have sworn that she heard the dragon’s heartstrings break, one by one.Gotcha! hook,line, and-. Suddenly, he looked like he was going to barf, earning a disgusted gasp and a look of shock from Rarity. “Of all the rude-” The dragon burped, and out popped a letter, neatly rolled up. “Ooh, is that a letter, spike?” she asked curiously. “Yeah, it must be from Twilight.” He read the letter, and his entire body brightened up. “On second thought Rarity, I’ll take you up on that offer!” Finally! I thought I’d never be able to get the dragon to leave the two lovebirds alone! He rushed up the stairs to the spare room that he has slept in many a night when it got too late after helping his super crush with fashion, and with Twilight’s approval. The unicorn picked up the letter, and read it. Dear Spike the Dragon, It has come to my attention that you have been stressed out lately, and could use a break. As my power holds, I bestow upon you one vacation day, and leave up to you what that day will be filled with. With all the warmest regards, Princess Celestia of Equestria Her smile grew 10 sizes after reading the letter. “Ooh, you are quite the smitten kitten, aren’t you Princess?” she said aloud. Rarity turned to her calendar. “Only 3 more days until the date! Oh, I hope you and Twilight will like it!” she beamed. Author's Note Naught but the beginnings of fluff! Still super-cute, or at least i thought! Also for clarification, i pretty took most of the feathers and stuff off of google and wikipedia, and am in no way an expert of birds. The feather count is based on how many a bald eagle has, which according to the WWF, is 7000 total, so i just divided the number in half, and said that was how many were on each wing of a Pegasus. It seemed like a good number, so i moved on to the primaries. According to Wikipedia, the primaries are used for thrust in a bird's flight, and can be rotated to minimize wind resistance. It being painful to remove i added for the story's sake. Not sure if they are painful to remove or not. Also, Lunar Apex is just a fancy word for "Midnight"
Prequel: A letter to a PrincessDear Princess Celestia, It has been roughly 2-3 months since my coronation, and I am not sure if these new wings of mine are, well... functioning properly. At almost random times it seems, they become as stiff as a unicorn's horn! You and your sister, Princess Luna, both have experience with situations regarding wings, and I would very much appreciate it if you can give me any insight that you or Luna had to deal with involving the wings you possess. As always, I await your reply, Your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle The Princess read the letter for the 5th time, making sure she understood what her student was requesting. She wants to know if i had a... A wingboner!? She thought, her cheeks gaining a rosy tint. Thankfully she was in her bedchambers and alone so nopony could see her blushing. "What in the actual buck?!" was what she meant to say out loud, or even in her head, but was cut off by her sister knocking on her doors. "Sister, are you in there? You missed dinner, are you alright?" Luna asked with concern. Jiggling the handle, the night Princess tried to open the door, despite it being locked. "Please open up, I brought you something to eat!" "FUUUUUUDGE!" Celestia panicked, and threw the letter onto her desk riddled with political papers, and shuffled them around, hoping to disguise it as just another petition or law that needed approval. Clearing her voice, the sun Princess spoke. "Coming, Sister! I was, uh, in the shower!" "You know as well as I do that we do not have showers in your chambers." Drat, her jig was up! "Okay, fine! Come in, and I'll explain everything." The door was open, and in rushed the younger sister, still concerned. They stared at each other in awkward silence, Celestia with slight hints of a blush still lying on the surface, and Luna wondering what the heck is with her older sister's excuse from earlier. An eyebrow raised, Luna asked "Well? Care to let us in on your big secret?" With a defeated sigh, the Princess began to answer. "W-well, that is, i-i, um..." another sigh. In hoping to explain better with evidence, the alicorn lifted the letter from her concerned student with new appendages over to her younger sister. "Read it." was all she said behind a blush that was slowly returning. With hesitation, and slight intrigue, Princess Luna began to read the cause for embarrassment. seconds passed, which turned into minutes, and then an hour before the midnight princess finally understood... by blushing herself. "What in the actual buck?!" "So you agree!" the pearl coated princess exclaimed. "I-i don't know what to say, honestly." A sigh of relief came from Celestia. "Except perhaps, congratulations!" Needless to say, that sigh was short-lived. "I-i-it, i-i, u-um, what?" stammering through every sentence didn't help her case. Luna gasped in surprise. "So it is true!!!" "What's true?" She was still flush from embarrassment. An evil smile crept onto the blue alicorn's muzzle. "Celly's got a fillyfriend! Celly's got a fillyfriend" she sang in a child-like tune. Oh no! "Celestia and Twilight, sitting in a tree," Anything but more embarrassment! "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" "You asked for it sister!" Celestia lunged at her newfound enemy, and proceeded to give her noogies, chase her, and do other things that siblings do to one another. At first, it was out of unbound fury, but slowly melted into a fit of giggles and guffaws and smiles that only siblings know. After a few moments of rest, Celestia sat down by the fire, and sighed as the warmth of the fire reached her coat on the cold night. "You said you brought something to eat, sister?" she asked, as if nothing happened. She's cool like that. "Huh? Oh, yes," Luna said. her horn lit up, and two plates of cake were brought over to them, as well as a side of ice cream. "Strawberry cheesecake?" Luna nodded, which was the trigger for receiving a loving embrace from the Princess of the Sun. "My favorite! Thank you, Luna!" After Celestia let go, Luna began to speak. "Don't thank me yet. We still have your crush to deal with and I have already made plans in my head!" Back in Ponyville, was a very different experience altogether: Twilight was slightly panicking about what to do while she still had those infernal stiff wings that didn't let her sleep with comfort. Grunting and groaning, she tried to find a good resting spot in her bed back in Golden Oaks Library. "Why.Won't.You.Stay.Down!!!" She tried everything. Tape, magic, and even spike trying to hold them down! NOTHING WORKED! It seemed almost like a lost cause, so she just accepted defeat, and let the wings do whatever. Why is this happening to me?! All i did was start to read a little bit, and then BOOM! they popped up like they owned the place! Owned me! she glared at the infernal appendages causing her so much trouble. Well, whether you like it or not, spawns of Tartarus, I am determined to sleep tonight! "And that's why I sent a letter to your creator!" She said aloud almost smirking, though probably didn't realize at the time. Almost if in shock, they started to relax, and slowly cling back to her sides. "Yeahh, didn't like that, now did ya?" Her smirk hitting peaks as high as Canterlot, she added another thing. "Good! Because, i'm taking you to her whenever she replies, and if she says yes!" Almost chasing her sister trotting away, Celestia followed Luna walking through the halls with the empty dishes that once adorned cake and ice cream. "Luna, what are you planning?" she asked. With a chuckle, she replied " 'Tis nothing to worry about, dear sister! Honestly, all we will end up doing is making sure you and Twilight are... uninterrupted" she giggled. They almost reached the kitchen, which is what Celestia assumed was the destination considering that her sister was carrying the plates they ate the delicious slice of dessert off of. A sigh of defeat echoed in the halls. "If you promise to leave the explanation to me, and possibly the *coughs* other details, i'll let you do what you want." Author's Note Just a side story i thought up while working on other things, like Immortality. Well anyways, this is meant to play out in seperate scenarios, possibly involving Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Definitely, Luna and Celestia will get involved, as was obvious by this prequel! Boy Luna is such a troll when it comes to teasing her sister, huh?
Back to SchoolMy Dear student “No, that doesn’t sound right.” My Faithful Student, “There we are!” My Faithful Student, Though I have missed our personal study sessions, the matter which you regarded in your last letter is… trivial to say the least. Initially, I thought your friends would be able to help regarding your new wings. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are their names, if I recall. Regardless, I will teach you about your new physiology as best as I can, especially since I know you have prepared a needless counter-argument to the previous statement in this letter. Celestia put her quill down for a second, wondering where they should study. If Twilight comes to Canterlot, no doubt her sister, Luna, will try to start a scandal with a speed to even make Equestria Daily jealous. No offense to the tabloid, but they seem to get their information insanely fast, and the last thing the alicorn wanted was more attention. However, due to the state of the matter, I would like to go somewhere private keep you in familiar surroundings for comfort. If it isn’t too much trouble, I will be meeting you in Ponyville, at your home, Golden Oaks Library. Your Mentor and friend, Princess Celestia of Equestria “Well, it’s written, now what was step two?” she asked herself. Celestia’s personal study wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either. It kind of reminded her of the Golden Oaks Library- peaceful and serene. No towers of books, though. Maybe she’ll commission somepony to put a few bookshelves in? Another indicator of where the purple alicorn got her habits from, Celestia checked her list to see what the next step was. “Oh, drat these withered eyes!” she pulled out a pair of reading glasses from her desk, and put them on. Embarrassing as it made her feel, they weren’t bad looking, and despite making her look older, they made her muzzle unbearably cute! After all, that whole “immortal” thing was nothing more than an urban legend among the nobles of Canterlot at first. They just age really, really slowly, that’s all. Glaring down at the list, Step 2 clearly read: send the dang letter, sunbutt :P. Unlike Twilight’s more… formal way of telling her to do stuff, Celestia liked to play around a little when it comes to chores and to-do lists. Oh, right. I have to actually send it! What was supposed to happen is the Princess would’ve used her magic to whisk it away to her student’s living mailbox, Spike the Dragon. Something held her back. Taking off her glasses, she concentrated on the wrapped scroll with her infamous Royal Seal on it. Any second now… Seconds passed, minutes even; still nothing. Come on, Celestia! Do your thing! It seemed her magic had different ideas. “Well, now what?” Her brain seemed to halt any magic flowing to her horn, indicating either she had a serious case of the horn flu (highly unlikely, due to the fact that she’s immune), or even worse, she had second thoughts. Well, there was no coughing fit, and her magic worked fine, indicated by her favorite tea floating towards the desk in a golden aura, so it had to be the latter of the two. A few minutes foresaw the typical 5 stages of Second Thoughts. First there was denial: No, I’m a Princess of Equestria! I don’t have the luxury for second thoughts! Followed by anger: Curse my stupid brain! If I could banish it, I would… And we can’t forget bargaining: Okay, I know we’ve had our differences brain, but maybe we could solve this together? Depression followed closely behind by a silent plethora of sobs. Maybe I’m no longer fit to be a Princess! If I’m having second thoughts, who knows what else I’ve been mucking up! Only one left to go, and Twilight is in for a surprise the next morning with her favorite teacher’s last step in dealing with the second thoughts: Acceptance. Twilight awoke to what seemed to be a normal day: the sun was shining brightly, Spike was undoubtedly making both of them breakfast, and a knock on the door this early made everything perfect. Wait a minute, rewind: a knock on the door? The alicorn thought. The knocking persisted, eliminating the theory that it might’ve been a hallucination or something. Well, I shouldn’t keep somepony waiting! “Just a minute!” she yelled to the door, while looking over her mane in a mirror. I don’t know what I do when I sleep, but it probably involves practicing braids on my hair! Come to think of it, that sounds like a good idea to test later! The knocking stopped, and hoofsteps quickly vanished. “Well, somepony isn’t very patient this morning!” Her mane unknotted, and perfect, Twilight Sparkle headed downstairs to the sweet scent of homemade buttermilk pancakes and orange juice freshly squeezed. “Boy, breakfast sure smells delicious, Spike!” she said, walking down the stairs and toward the kitchen overpowered with sweet aromas. After her bite to eat, the hoofsteps returned, this time growing louder and louder, like a locomotive heading for her door! “Ugh, it better not be Dash again! I don’t want to clean up- I mean, see the door knocked down again!” Spike was quick to recover, and not receive a glare from his essential mother figure. All he got was, thankfully, a roll of the eyes- something his emotions held better. Twilight smiled like Discord if he saw something breathtakingly chaotic. “Well, if it is Rainbow Dash, she’ll not expect this!” with her magic, the alicorn pulled the door open, smirk on her face, causing Celestia to crash through and collide with a bookshelf on the far end of her home. “C-Celestia?! What are you doing here, in Ponyville?!” “Twilight! It’s good to, um, see you!” Celestia chuckled awkwardly at the situation they both seemed to be in. Luckily, Spike ducked out before things started to escalate. As if nothing happened at all, the pearl alicorn got up to all fours, walked until she was within hoofs’ reach of her faithful student, and handed her a letter, much to the confusion of the littler one. “What’s this?” the purple mare asked with confusion obviously present within her. “A letter” the Princess smiled. “Oh oka-what for?” Well, looks like curiosity turned to intrigue. “F-for reading, silly!” Silly? When have I ever used that word ever in my life? Awkward just spiked up for Celestia- even her own thoughts agreed. “Princess, are you… feeling alright?” Twilight asked quizzically. Celestia regained her composure, and said “I’m fine, my faithful student. All will be explained in the letter” she nudged the wrapped scroll bearing her Royal Seal in Twilight’s hoof. The awkwardness vanished from the Princess of the Sun and was replaced with nostalgia when she saw her student reading a letter she personally wrote. It brought back sweet memories of when her protégé was barely a filly, still learning about magic, and going over scrolls on the subject with Celestia. “It says here that magic belonged to unicorns” Little Twilight said, peering over yet another scroll on the origins of the power of magic, and the ability to use it. “That’s right, Twilight.” Celestia smiled. “Many creatures had a small grasp of what magic truly was back then, and when they saw how easy the unicorns could master it, they all assumed it was their property.” Confusion gripped the adorable filly. “But what about you, Celestia? You’re not a unicorn, and you can control magic!” The alicorn chuckled with her hearty laugh, a trademark of hers that she started… before. “Well, let’s just say that special ponies can do special things. Didn’t your brother tell you how special you were?” she playfully poked her new student’s muzzle, eliciting a filly-like laugh from her. Silence passed for a few minutes. Then… The question happened. “Princess, what about your family? I’m sure your sister told you how special you were.” “Whatever do you mean my faithful student? I don’t have a sister.” Her mask of composure was steadily slipping from control: the corner of her mouth started to twitch behind the smile she put on. Twilight can’t find out… Not yet. She’s too young to understand. The Princess thought. “It’s just that… you take care of me, and play with me just like Shining used to do before going off for guard school.” She moved closer to her mentor. “I-it made me think you had one, a brother or sister I mean…” Celestia nuzzled her faithful student, and the lesson continued, avoiding the subject altogether. “It wasn’t until society started to learn that each creature had its own part to play in controlling magic. Moving on, the Pegasi only found about their affinity for weather when their leader…” “Celestia, are you still here?” The purple alicorn asked with concern. The Princess shook her head. “Huh, what? Yes, Twilight, I’m here. What were you saying?” Concern never dropping, Twilight repeated herself. “I said that I’m okay with you staying, but I don’t have anywhere for you to sleep. You can have my bed if you want-” “Absolutely not, my faithful student!” she looked around, and spotted a couch which should be viable enough for her needs. “I’ll sleep on this couch, Twilight.” She looked outside as a force of habit, and her internal clock started screaming at her. “It’s getting dark out.” Celestia sighed. “Looks like our lesson will have to begin first thing in the morning” she said, whilst lowering the sun to make way for Luna’s moon. There she was: Celestia pranced about her cloud of cotton candy, and swan dived into a literal mountain of cake, and at the end of the sugary dip stood her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. “Hello, Twilight! How are you this fine morning?” the purple mare smiled, and ever so seductively, stepped slowly towards the Princess of the Sun, who was still covered in cake and frosting. The way her student’s hips swayed gave the impression that the mare wanted more than just lessons this fine, sweet morning. Everything in this place was perfect, from the cotton candy clouds to the sugary cake vistas. The icing on the cake? That was Twilight, spanning her wings, and showing the greatest of pride and beauty ever seen in her. What was even more impossible to believe was Princess Celestia of Equestria, Alicorn of the Sun, co-ruler of Canterlot and its surrounding cities, was furiously blushing! The heat on her cheeks matched that of the ones found on the Sun, or so she thought. Her legs were shaking! Her heartbeat was fluttering as high as Cloudsdale! Her smile matched the quivering of her legs! All this she noticed, but was oblivious to her faithful student nudging ever closer until they were almost muzzle to muzzle. Celestia closed her eyes, leaning in ever so slightly; puckering her lips for what she assumed would be the best kiss of her lifetime. “Having fun?” a familiar voice asked teasingly. She knew that voice! Celestia’s eyes shot open like a bolt of lightning, only to see Princess Luna’s head where her student’s used to be. Even stranger, her head was still attached to that purple alicorn body that Celestia adored so much. Like a dog that got its bone taken away, she shot her younger sister a look so fierce that Tartarus would be jealous! “W-what are you doing here, Luna?!” Groaning, Luna did what was best when confronted with ponies still stuck in their fantasy. “You’re in a dream, Tia! How else do you explain this?” she gestured to the purple body her head was attached to. “I KNOW it was a dream, what are you doing in it?” Celestia fumed. “Oh, that’s simple! I popped in here to see if the lesson went well.” “You know better than that, Lulu! I thought we agreed we wouldn’t disturb each other’s dreams unless the situation was dire.” That hit the point home. Luna shuffled her hooves nervously, her normal indicator of “I know big sister, but I couldn’t control myself!” Without even speaking. The midnight alicorn was about to say sorry when Celestia’s hoof stopped her. “I know, sister, and it is okay. You were anxious to know.” “Well, what happened?” her attention was at full now, eyeballs peering at Celestia. “Nothing yet, Luna. It was too late in the day when all was explained. Tomorrow will be different.” “Tomorrow will be different.” Luna mirrored, planning something just behind the surface of the words. Celestia hadn't noticed, though: she was still in a dazed state from the scene that almost happened. A knock on Canterlot Boutique and a strange missive given to Rarity by one of Luna’s guard gave the mare full attention at 3 in the morning, or her “beauty sleep” as it were. The binding itself was sealed in a highly specific set of enchantments that ensured its reader would only be the unicorn it was intended for. Heck, even picking it up with her horn projected the big and bold letters of “TOP SECRET: FOR TRUSTED EYES ONLY” in the air. Loyal Subject and Friend, Rarity, Through a vast network of informants, I, Princess Luna, hath discovered that a certain mission of sorts requires your… efficiency in Romance. It seems that my sister, Princess Celestia of Equestria, co-ruler of Canterlot and nearby settlements, raiser of the Sun, hath been stricken with the Princess you and I call friend, Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. Her pupil was curious of thine origins of certain appendages becoming stiff (I believe the popular term for this era is ‘wingboner’). Through the Dreamscape, and possible reconnaissance, I have learned that the origin of said Pegasus Erectus was in fact, caused by the emotions she contains for our dear sister. If she is aware of these emotions, we are unclear. So, as a token of gratitude, and your possible satisfaction of curiosity, we will provide whatever means you need to “Set up a date”. They both currently reside in Ms. Sparkle’s home: Golden Oaks Library. Signed, Royal Co-Ruler of Equestria and Raiser of the Moon, Princess Luna of Equestria Oh boy, now the fun begins… Author's Note Luna is still a troll, and I put a lot of thought into it, i think this is just going to be a strict Twilestia ship, and not my previous plan to make this multiple stories. I had a hard time figuring out how to work dash into the storyline i was hoping to start, so there you have it: Twilestia with a bit of Luna being a troll thrown in for the heck of it! Hope you like it all the same! HUGE SPOILER AVERT YOUR EYES IF THOU WISH TO ENJOY THE STORY: Rarity mucks up the date somehow. She doesn't seem like the type that would help land a successful date, so if anything, she'll put them in a public place while they are both still trying to figure out their emotions and awkwardness will ensue. Won't happen until, like, a few chapters from now, so stay tuned!
Lesson Two: EmotionIt was 8 AM, and Twilight was still sleeping snugly within her teacher’s fur. This hasn’t been the first time it’s happened, but it was a surprise, nonetheless. She used to do this all the time when she was little: They would both sit and talk and study. Back then, even though Twilight Sparkle was enrolled in her school for Gifted Unicorns, Celestia still felt like the little filly was detached from society. It’s true she made a few friends, including Moon Dancer which was so similar to her faithful student that she could hardly tell the difference. The hair was the only dead giveaway. Still, instead of socializing and making more than a handful of friends, she shut herself off. Maybe that’s when Celestia noticed, mainly the changes in behavior. She was acting more like her daughter rather than her student, and the pearl Princess started becoming more motherly toward her and a few subjects as a result. It truly was a warm experience, which is why the friendship thing slid for a while. In all honesty, it reminded Celestia all too much of her sister Luna, still trapped on the moon back then. If she had not been so blind, maybe things wouldn’t have ended the way they did. Regardless, that was now in the past and she had her sister back, free from the clutches of Nightmare Moon. The purple alicorn stirred in her sleep, mumbling words unintelligible to the real world. She knew this sign all too well that her faithful student was due to wake from slumber, so she whisked away her golden magic, and prepared breakfast without disturbing the scene before her. Having mastered most arcane spells, Celestia teleported quickly and replaced herself with an exact replica, crown and all. Nopony should disturb her, not even Celestia herself. In fact, it was essential that Celestia’s double dare not move a muscle; bearing her discomfort was more painful than anything the mare could bear. I might as well get comfortable. Celestia smiled, taking off her regalia. It was a rare sight even for herself that she remove the Royal Regalia that was almost always present, breakfast or no. After floating the golden horseshoes, crest, and crown over to the couch, she gave a big stretch, waking those bones that have been stiff for most of the night. Now, Celestia’s the greatest Princess that has ever lived. She’s stopped wars from happening, took down formidable opponents threatening her peaceful country, and even raised the sun for crying out loud! But for some reason, she couldn’t understand up from down when reading the instructions on a box of pancake mix. It clearly read: Pancakes Add water to mix, and gently stir. Keep adding mix until you’ve reached desired thickness. Set aside. Turn the stove burner to Medium heat and set pan until heated. Pour batter into pan, and cook until golden-brown. But, to Celestia it read: Pancakes Throw directions in trash and wing it. No measurements? No proper degree of heat? Last time I checked, that’s how a meal should be made! Not this “desired thickness” nonsense! She thought. She turned on the burner, and things quickly plummeted from there. Twilight awoke, and cleared her blurry eyes a little towards midday, and despite waking up at noon, something else felt off. It wasn’t the weather, her horn worked fine, and everything didn’t seem out of the ordinary. That is, until she found that she was still holding her pillow… that breathed. The alicorn jumped back, suspecting the worst and that’s when she noticed that the presence was simply Celestia keeping her warm. Hold on… Celestia?! No matter what day, she felt that thought was repeating itself more recently. Shaking her head of such questions, she approached her teacher still sitting still, smiling and focusing towards the purple mare. “Celestia, I-” she reached out her hoof with her eyes closed (no doubt to look as sorry as can be) to touch the pony, to apologize for falling asleep but only met air. She tried again, this time keeping her peepers open. Her hoof just swished through the projection. Of course it’s a projection! Why didn’t I realize sooner? Twilight thought. “Good morning, Twilight!” Celestia said in the kitchen. Turning towards the voice only made the purple alicorn gasp at the sight. Batter was everywhere, multiple stoves were lit without anything over them, and worst of all was the disheveled state her teacher was in! Her mane no longer flowed aimlessly but rather stay put due to the frayed follicles and scorched areas. No regalia was shown, and upon a closer look, her hooves look slightly burned. Probably second degree if the redness was to go by. Worst of all was the smudges of charcoal or something similar all over her body! “Princess! Are you alright?” concern filled her being. The kitchen could be fixed any day of the year, but seeing Celestia like this… “I’m fine. And please, Celestia will do.” Her smile never faltered. The Princess was glad to show her faithful this side of her, the pony side. Silence passed for a few moments, until Twilight Sparkle finally spoke up. “Your hooves!” she gasped. “They’re burnt! Here, putting these over them will-” she reached for the regalia, knowing full well that it had enchantments that increased the healing factor for any who wore them, only to be stopped by a hoof latching on to her tail. Twilight turned around, obeying the Princess. “No, Twilight. Not today.” Celestia smiled differently this time; a smile she always hid behind that political shell most seemed to call “Princess Celestia”. This time, she put emotion to the gesture, true feeling. It wasn’t a shell this time, a façade. It was a real smile, and Twilight was stunned to never see it before. Before, she held pain in the smile. The smile felt forced. This time, the smile felt…natural to the purple pony. “Today, I want to be normal. Please, go fetch a first-aid kit. I haven’t felt bandages around these hooves for many millennia. It would be nice to feel them again.” What does she mean, “Be normal”? She’s a pony, like anyone else! Another look at her mentor pushed away these thoughts and she ran quick as she could to the only place she kept her first-aid kit, up in the bathroom. Celestia chuckled inward as her faithful student ran up the stairs in the library to no doubt treat the wounds as quick as possible. More and more you surprise me, my little Twilight! She rebounded her thoughts. “My little Twilight?” Huh, that’s new. A blush formed at her cheeks. It seems her feelings are still there. It’s probably why I want to go on this vacation. At first, I thought that some lessons learned privately would be enough, but now that I think on it, I want to just… relax. She looked back towards the stairs that her pupil scampered up just a few moments ago. I don’t get this chance often, to spend time with you, my faithful student. These feelings, I don’t know what they are yet, and I can’t remember the last time… her train of thought ended when her student returned, this time holding the first-aid kit in her mouth. It looked absolutely adorable, which made Celestia blush even more. *chuckles* these darn feelings sure do love seeing you so adorable! “Welcome back, Twilight! I thought you might have run off and forgot about me.” She playfully hit Twilight’s shoulder, only to recoil and receive a stinging from her hoof. “Ouch. That really smarted.” Celestia can raise the sun, this is true. However, raising the sun didn’t give her omnipotent “Immunity against all flames”. Just another old legend that ponies believe, despite how ridiculous it sounded. Twilight knew this, especially when her mentor tried doing something cool, like pretend to lift a candle with just the power of her mind (without magic) only to discover that when trying to lift a candle, it’s best to keep the burning point away from the hoof you stretch out for dramatic effect. The purple mare opened the kit, and took out a roll of bandages, medical tape, scissors, and burn ointment. Celestia smiled, and began to wrap herself up but was stopped. This time, Twilight held her hooves sympathetically. “Here, let me.” Without even arguing, the Princess let go of the bandages and let her student treat her wounds. Normally I was the one to wrap your wounds, my dear Twilight! Oh how the tables have turned! She thought amusedly. Most knew of Twilight’s affinity for Magic. She could teleport miles away in just the blink of an eye, and summon spells that no pony would ever be able to withstand. She loved to use it for everything, even wrapping up burns she got from a botched spell, but this time was different. She never used magic while treating Celestia’s burns. While wrapping the bandages, her student smiled serenely. It was the most peaceful sight ever beheld by the Princess’ eyes. “Twilight, what are you-” her sentence was interrupted. “A few months ago, Fluttershy asked me to help heal some of the animals in her sanctuary. It seemed that a forest fire had erupted in the middle of the night, destroying most of their homes and giving them severe burns.” She paused, rubbing ointment onto the other hoof yet to be bandaged. “I helped as best as I could, treating the more intense ones, but when I started to use healing magic, Fluttershy stopped me.” The ointment was done being applied, so Twilight took the bandage roll and started wrapping, still giving off that smile. “At first I wrote her off as being too cautious, but then I noticed something: For every one animal I treated with magic, Fluttershy healed several. So I stopped, and with a few pointers from Fluttershy, I started treating their burns with my own hooves. I learned a powerful lesson that day.” Intrigued, Celestia spoke up. “What was this lesson? I don’t remember you writing about it.” Her smile grew. “I learned that magic isn’t always necessary. I learned that some things needed to done without relying on the easy way.” Her smile faltered, if only for a second. "I don't want to make you hurt more than you should." Shaking her head, Twilight cut the final bandage, and taped it snugly. “There, all done!” she beamed at the pearl alicorn. “What do you think, Pr- Celestia?” She smiled, looking at the bandages that felt nostalgic on her fur. “I think they’re wonderful, Twilight.” It took all but 30 minutes to treat the burn, so there was still half a day left, and against better judgement, Celestia brought out two plates of black soot. Twilight stared at them with a horrific face. “They’re pancakes, I made them myself! Would you like to try some?” She smiled nervously. No wonder why the kitchen turned into a disaster zone! Twilight thought. “Yes, I’d like some” she smiled, but screamed on the inside. Author's Note And thus we have the first of a realization for Celestia, and just a tiny sliver of emotion Twilight has for her mentor! Who knows if this might blossom into a fantastic relationship, or just end up being super awkward for both of them. Now, i know what you're thinking: "But only Spike was sent on vacation!" Celestia needs this...badly. Imagine being cooped up and pretending to not be yourself just to appease some hoity-toity rich snotbags. So, essentially i wanted to give you guys and gals a glimpse of a different pony. Celestia, not Princess Celestia of Equestria.
Celestia's Tour"I really am sorry, Twilight!" Celestia begged. After eating just one bite of the ashes the Princess tried to pass off as pancakes, her student went into a coughing fit, and had to drink 3 gallons' worth of water just to calm down her taste-buds. "I know, you told me the first few dozen times!" To be fair, ever since then, the pearl Alicorn made it her duty to know she was sorry. After Twilight yelled, silence filled the room. Looking over at Celestia, you could easily tell why. Her face was a mix between startled and confused. Did-Did she just yell at me? It wasn't long after that thought when the purple mare's face offered a look of terror on her face in response. "O-Oh my, I'm sorry Princess! Please don't send me to magic kindergarten on the moon! I CAN'T BREATHE ON THE MOON!!!" She scrambled toward her teacher's forelegs, begging and pleading. Celestia just rolled her eyes. Not this again... She was about to explain as well as question how in Equestria that sentence uttered made sense, until she got an idea. You know what? I'm gonna have a little fun out of the remaining daylight still here! A unsettling and mischievous smirk adorned her muzzle, a look only one other sees frequently, especially during her Nightly pranking sessions. "Rise, my student." She said in the most serious tone she could muster. To be honest, Celestia had an extremely difficult time trying to keep out her snickers. Twilight opened her mouth, getting ready to defend herself. Perfect timing! the Princess thought. "No, Twilight. Yelling at me was going too far." Every word uttered sent another chill down the young Alicorn's spine. "Your punishment shall be far worse than my magic moon kindergarten!" This was it... "My punishment for you..." She closed her eyes, bearing for the worst. "Shall be..." Despite the now shaking body, Twilight was ready to receive any punishment befitting her yelling at Celestia. "Showing me a tour of Ponyville!" Wait...What? That was it? The big punishment, worse than being sent to the moon to learn basic math again? Confusion riddled her face. "B-but I...How is...What?" "Oh Twilight," Celestia chuckled. "I can never be angry at you for speaking your mind!" She wrapped her wings around the young ruler. "We're family! Or did you already forget that your brother married my loving niece?" Celestia smiled that smile again- the one she hides so well from everypony else. "Oh yeah, I forgot." She chuckled nervously. "Well if that's the case, I can tell the mayor to prepare for a surprise tour, and maybe get my friends to help-" Twilight was silenced by a raised white hoof, still free from its golden regalia. "No, Twilight. I want you, and only you to give me a tour. After all, It's your punishment..." It was a few minutes later, and Twilight was still wary that Celestia outright refused to put her golden regalia on. The bandages still shone in the bright light, blending in with the already radiant white fur the small white pony standing next to her was covered in. On agreement, they both thought that something a bit smaller and inconspicuous would be better, lest they draw attention to themselves. After a quick spell, the horn and wings on the alicorn's body disappeared, and Celestia shrank down to Twilight's height. Completing the transformation, her mane dropped the extra springtime blue and green colors, becoming a creamy pink, similar to Fluttershy's mane and tail. "We-*Ahem*" Celestia cleared her throat. "Well Twilight, should we get going? After all, we only have a little bit of daylight left!" Twilight was stunned at the new voice. It was lighter, and more upbeat than the motherly and deep tone she was used to. It's so beautiful... she thought. Wait, did I really say that in my head? Her wings twitched a bit. Shaking her head clear of those random thoughts, Twilight smiled. "Alright, Celestia. Let's start our tour over at, um..." She looked around, wondering where to start. Buildings big and small surrounded them, mixed with tans and browns that covered the houses and huts dotted everywhere. Suddenly, she spotted a very large cupcake-looking spire poking out from above the sea of hay roofs. "How's about I make up for my *Ahem* unsavory breakfast meal, and we can get a treat at Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight offered with a smile. "Gladly!" Celestia smiled back. A few minutes of trotting, and the duo found themselves in front of the doors to Ponyville's infamous bakery. Many ponies in town don't find it odd, but for the odd traveler or two, Sugarcube Corner has a reputation, mostly due to a certain pink pony frequently making sweet treats and planning parties in the average sized building. Celestia knew this, and though she would regret her decision later, decided to test Pinkie's boundaries when it came to humor. She is the element of Laughter, but nopony has the pranking knowledge much like my sister and I do! She thought. I am curious as to what levels of "Crazy" she could get up to... Celestia did know quite a bit thanks to her ex-student's letters over the years, but nothing described the full extent of that craziness. Regardless, the disguised princess along with the newly crowned one entered the infamous abode, and little did Twilight know that Celestia was hatching a plan to test Pinkie's level of crazy on the Crazy Scale. Once they entered, Pinkie did her standard greeting to any and all ponies, griffons, dragons, and other creatures that entered the doors to the bakery... "Welcome to Sugarcube corner! What'll it...be..." Her smile turned into a neutral expression for a split second, before she gasped dramatically and rushed over to the mare standing next to Twilight. "WHO IS YOUR FRIEND, TWILIGHT?!" she yelled right in the disguised alicorn's face. "Oh, her? She's um... A friend!" Twilight smiled nervously. Pinkie turned towards her. "Uh-Huh! And...?!" "And...um... from out of... town?" "Go on! What's her name?!" Pinkie somehow found a notepad and quill and started jotting down everything Twilight said. "Her name?" She stared towards Celestia, pleading for an answer from the probably now-deaf mare. Holy cow... She actually looks surprised! The pinpricks in Celestia's eyes gave it away, as well as the open jaw that was more than likely going to greet herself with a clever name. Then, for unknown reasons, Twilight turned just slightly, and stared at the flank with a Sun still adorned on it. Oh my, her flank is so... She shook her head. No! None of those thoughts! They keep popping up, but it's no time to keep them in here! Her cover is almost blown, so I better think of a name... Quickly! Still staring at her ex-mentor's disguised tushy, she thought of a name. "Sunny..." Then turning to face her friend, she continued, noticing Pinkie's- "Smiles?" "Sunny Smiles?" She eyed suspiciously at Twilight's sweating brow and darting eyes. "What a great name!" Phew! The charade bought, Celestia was still sitting in stunned silence, this time with her jaw shut and her mind slowly turning its gears again. Well, that was certainly... unexpected, I'll give her that! But I'm not defeated yet, and this was just a test phase anyways. Yeah, that's it! A test phase! "Sunny Smiles" cackled maniacally out loud after her thoughts, putting a face of concern on Twilight, and Pinkie still just smiling and unaltered. Note to self, have Luna sign Celestia up for Psychological evaluations after this... "Well, she's new in town! You know what that means, Twilight!" Pinkie beamed, turning away from Sunny. "No, I don't think that's a-" "A PARTY!!!" Pinkie threw her forehooves in the air, and confetti magically popped out from behind her pink poofy mane. Twilight facehoofed. Even though she said that her friend was from "Out of Town", Pinkie had no filter, and just heard "Friend" and "Town" and decided to throw a party anyways. On the other end however, "Sunny Smiles" thought it was perfect for what she planned. No matter what happened at that party, somepony was getting pranked! Little did she know about Pinkie's knack for pranking just about anypony at any given time, earning her the Nickname "Pink Menace". After a few more minutes of eating sugary treats from the Party Queen, the duo departed, and set out for somewhere else. "Well, that was..." Celestia paused, trying to think of what exactly Pinkie did to break her train of thought within the first few minutes of even meeting her realistically instead of regally. She always wanted to know all her subjects on a personal level, it's part of the job description in her eyes, but just too many things always got in the way, especially when it came to the Elements of Harmony. "Different, yeah..." Twilight finished. "That's exactly what I thought when I first arrived here, though my vocabulary for Pinkie's brand of...Eccentricity bordered along the lines of 'insane' and 'crazy'!" Celestia chuckled at that. "Reminds me of when Luna first tried to branch out more after her... reintegration we'll call it. She too, thought the nighttime party-goers, or party-goers in general were, and I quote: "Rapscallions deprived of sleep from their infernal loud music boxes and rambunctious hosts!" Twilight chuckled this time. "Oh, you think that was bad? Rainbow once got so wasted at Ponyville's Cider Fest, she forgot she could fly, and after getting home with a crate of the stuff, she jumped off her cloud house and ended up plowing face-first into a patch of Poison Joke!" They both laughed. After settling down, twilight got a remiss look in her eyes, and stared down at the ground, likely reliving a lost memory. "We need to have these more often. I love talking to you, but sometimes..." "...I miss it..." The mask of composure shattered on Celestia's ivory muzzle. Trying to keep her composure, she put on a forced grin, speaking through her teeth. "Whatever do you mean, Twilight? We always talk like this in our letters!" "I know, but that's not what I mean. I miss the face-to-face conversations we used to have, where I was the student, and you were still my teacher." She smiled a bit, although it was a sad smile. Then it disappeared. "But ever since I've become a Princess, I haven't seen you as much." What she said was true, and Celestia couldn't deny it. "W-well, let's change that today! Where to, next Twilight?" She smiled at that. "How about... The Carousel Boutique? It might be fun having Rarity dress you up while you're still disguised!" She blushed a little. "Y-yeah! D-dressing up (in front of you) sounds fun!" "What was that you said in the middle? I couldn't quite catch that." "Nothing!" Author's Note I am very, very sorry that I haven't been able to keep up with some of my older stories, such as this one as well as a few others! In truth, inspiration has been sucked dry from me, and the rest of my free time is spent finding just any job available in the exceptionally small town I live in. I know I said I had a job i had found to some people commenting and PMing, but I am afraid that particular career branch isn't for me. However, I now have a Patreon account set up! For a minimum amount of 5 dollars per month, you'll get access to lots of bonus stuff in addition to my works, such as: -Access to private blog on the Patreon website where you can talk with yours truly ;) - access to any Unfinished Chapter of current story(ies) being made -Honorable mention in next story As an added bonus, I now take commissions for $15(Other bonuses also provided on Patreon), so PM away!
First Lesson: How Wings WorkThe next morning happened just like the one yesterday: Twilight woke up, a smile on her face and the sun cascading her room in a golden hue, breakfast was served, and she enjoyed every second of it. What was different however, was that Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and her mentor and friend, was splayed out on the couch downstairs, reading a few books from the Library, which ironically, was also where she lived. “Good morning, Twilight!” Celestia set the book down. “You had a good night’s rest, I hope?” Her smile never faltered. However, the smile was just a façade. Inside, she was panicking profusely. Their lesson for today is pretty much going to be something that every embarrassed teen Pegasus already learned back in school, and well, no doubt the purple alicorn was going to be embarrassed too after the explanation. Still, she knew not of the faux mask her fellow Princess used to conceal her real emotions, so Twilight nodded with excitement and vigor, eager to be taught yet again by Princess Celestia! Then, it occurred to the purple mare. Celestia was in her house, and wasn’t offered breakfast! Way to go, Twilight! Good job on treating your guest right! *gasp* what if she doesn’t want to teach me? “Twilight.” What if she banishes me to the sun?! “Twilight…” What if she banishes me to the sun, and forbids me to never learn again?! “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Celestia didn’t want to watch the flurry of worried expressions on her faithful student any longer. Yelling seemed a bit harsh, but everypony needs a good kick in the flank to snap back to reality every so often. Twilight Sparkle was no exception. Needless to say, it did the trick. “Would you, um, like some breakfast, Princess?” the purple alicorn sheepishly smiled. I should have expected that she’d freak out over something as simple as breakfast. Celestia thought. “It’s fine, Twilight. Spike already made me something to eat.” A lie, but still enough to satisfy her student. “Speaking of, where did he run off to? I saw him last night, but there was no trace of him this morning!” The Princess chuckled. “It’s alright, Twilight. I sent him off to…Rarity’s? I think that was the name.” I really need to memorize the names of Twilight’s friends when I get a chance… “Oh,” she chuckled nervously. “Good.” The next few hours were spent catching up amongst one another over a cup of tea. It was a nice chat of different subjects. Celestia droned on about the various treaties and paperwork that she had to go through, while Twilight talked about her friends, and lessons she learned ever since the coronation. The pearl alicorn always thought that talking was always pleasant when between her and her faithful student. They made her actually smile, not like that mask she uses to hide so many emotions that she buries deep within the subconscious. Reality snapped back however, when said student asked the question. “Where should we begin, Princess?” the mare said. Gently, Celestia set down her tea and put it to the side, an indicator that school was back in session. “Please Twilight, call me Celestia. We’re both royalty now and alone to boot! We don’t need to be formal right now.” She held Twilight’s forelegs with a gentle grace to comfort her. Then she realized what her body just did, and shot her hooves back to the ground, earning a blush on her cheeks and a slight twitch in her wings. Before her student could speak, the lesson started. “Lesson One:” she said, bringing a chalkboard closer, and using her magic to write the words. “Pegasus physiology.” Ever the diligent student, the purple alicorn already had a quill and some parchment to take notes on the side just in case. A hoof shot up almost immediately before continuing. “Yes, Twilight?” “Pr-Celestia, Why are we learning Pegasus physiology? Why not alicorn physiology?” “Hmm. That is a good question, Twilight.” Celestia answered. “If I’m not mistaken, you already know how to use your horn, and know how the rest of your body works, right?” She received a nod from the eager student. “Then the answer should be clear, don't you think?" She smiled. "Moving on,” Celestia said, whilst writing on the chalkboard. “A Pegasus has many different traits due to their wings that allow numerous feats.” She drew a detailed diagram of the wing of a pegasus. “Each wing holds around 3500 different feathers that allow for flight. The Primary feathers are most essential, as these are the longest feathers on the body that can be fully rotated for thrust. Without these, Pegasi would not be able to fly forward with the speed they have, and would be very difficult on account of wind resistance. They are also exceptionally painful to remove.” She peeked over to her student, and noticed that her wings were splayed out, and Twilight was studying them. Twilight yanked on one of her primaries with magic, and found out that Celestia was right. “I told you, Twilight!” the pearl alicorn chuckled. Clearing her throat, she continued the lesson. “The magical aspects of a Pegasus’ wings are due to a gland just behind the connecting tendon to the pony’s body. It is highly sensitive, and is popularly known as the…” she paused, putting on a more embarrassed look and blushing profusely. “T-the, um…” the more she talked the more flustered she got, and the more tongue tied too! “The…what?” Twilight tilted her head innocently. With a sigh of defeat, Celestia finally found the words. “The ‘Pegasus G-Spot’.” Now it was Twilight’s turn to get some red in her cheeks. “S-so, y-you mean that if I-” “Yes.” “And another pony-” “Yes” “And they want to-” “Please, Twilight I can only say the word so many times!” The purple mare stopped her stammering, but her wings weren’t finished talking. They popped out, and became stiff, like many nights before. “They did it again!” Twilight exclaimed with annoyance. She tried pushing them down with magic, just like before but only popped out yet again, breaking the grip her horn had around them. “Twilight, you need to listen: If you keep forcing them down, the worse off you’ll be.” Celestia said in a calming voice. She couldn’t her mentor anymore. The mare was frantically trying to push them down. “Why won’t they go down? WHY WON’T THEY GO DOWN?” She tried harder this time, using both her hooves and her magic, before Celestia held her tightly. The purple alicorn started hyperventilating, panicking more than ever. “You need to stop, Twilight! It won’t help!” Her eyes looked at Celestia, but panic gripped her so much, that it was doubtful that she could hear anything, so Celestia did the only thing she thought of doing, and slapped her back into reality. She held her cheek that the Princess struck. She still had a bit of panic filling those lavender eyes. Another slap, this time on the other cheek. “I’m sorry Twilight.” She hugged her student. “What’s wrong with my wings?” Twilight sobbed into her mentor’s barrel. Oh Twilight, you really have no idea, do you? “Shh, it’s okay. It’s nothing to be scared about.” She held her student close, letting her sob away the night. We took longer than I thought… “I’m here for you, Twilight, always and forever.” The sobbing continued well through the night, close to lunar apex. It finally died down around midnight. “Twilight, are you okay?” she asked her student. No response came. “Twilight?” still nothing. She let go of the hug, and looked at the mare before her. She was fast asleep, lightly snoring. “My faithful student.” She smiled. The sight was very adorable: the purple Alicorn’s head nestled deeply into the fur of Princess Celestia. Her muzzle had a soft smile on it, like nothing would make her happier than using her teacher as a comfortable pillow. That’s how it started: Celestia’s sprout of love for her student. Nothing more than a seedling, but still there. Not even daring to move a muscle, Celestia levitated over a quill and some parchment that Twilight still kept beside her. She wrote a letter to Spike, telling him to take the day off tomorrow, and go have fun in the town. “Tomorrow will be different.” She smiled. “W-why don’t you stay the night, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity fluttered her eyes at the baby dragon. It took him most of his willpower to fight the urge to just jump up and say yes, but Twilight needed her, and he knew how bad of a cook she was in the mornings! Not to mention, having the Princess over was probably making her a nervous wreck. “I… I wish I could say yes, Rarity. You have no idea how badly I want this!” he exclaimed. “But Twilight needs me. I hope you understand, Rarity.” Drat! He won’t budge. Rarity thought, so she went for Plan B: the Guilt Trip. Putting on her best sniffling, betrayed face, Rarity stammered “B-but don’t you *sniff* like me?” her eyes turned into soaked dinner plates, and she could have sworn that she heard the dragon’s heartstrings break, one by one.Gotcha! hook,line, and-. Suddenly, he looked like he was going to barf, earning a disgusted gasp and a look of shock from Rarity. “Of all the rude-” The dragon burped, and out popped a letter, neatly rolled up. “Ooh, is that a letter, spike?” she asked curiously. “Yeah, it must be from Twilight.” He read the letter, and his entire body brightened up. “On second thought Rarity, I’ll take you up on that offer!” Finally! I thought I’d never be able to get the dragon to leave the two lovebirds alone! He rushed up the stairs to the spare room that he has slept in many a night when it got too late after helping his super crush with fashion, and with Twilight’s approval. The unicorn picked up the letter, and read it. Dear Spike the Dragon, It has come to my attention that you have been stressed out lately, and could use a break. As my power holds, I bestow upon you one vacation day, and leave up to you what that day will be filled with. With all the warmest regards, Princess Celestia of Equestria Her smile grew 10 sizes after reading the letter. “Ooh, you are quite the smitten kitten, aren’t you Princess?” she said aloud. Rarity turned to her calendar. “Only 3 more days until the date! Oh, I hope you and Twilight will like it!” she beamed. Author's Note Naught but the beginnings of fluff! Still super-cute, or at least i thought! Also for clarification, i pretty took most of the feathers and stuff off of google and wikipedia, and am in no way an expert of birds. The feather count is based on how many a bald eagle has, which according to the WWF, is 7000 total, so i just divided the number in half, and said that was how many were on each wing of a Pegasus. It seemed like a good number, so i moved on to the primaries. According to Wikipedia, the primaries are used for thrust in a bird's flight, and can be rotated to minimize wind resistance. It being painful to remove i added for the story's sake. Not sure if they are painful to remove or not. Also, Lunar Apex is just a fancy word for "Midnight"
