Librarian Twilight Sparkle, Tutor of the CMC

Chapters

Importance Is Subjective
Importance is Contextual
Oh, importance is PERSONAL now!
Citizens, thine importance of the night hath arrived!
Importance is relative
Importance is Transient
Brace yourself, importance is coming

Importance Is Subjective

"Now announcing Mistress Everton!"

All told, the day had been fairly dull for Cadance. First, she had to listen to farmers bicker of property lines for a couple of hours, and now she had to attend a 'royal event' so uneventful that she was strongly considering having the official title for such functions changed to 'royal bore'. The only bright spot was that Twilight had sent word that she would be attending; Cadance wasn't sure what had brought about this unexpected visit, but she was glad of it.

"Now announcing Sir Sturdy Greaves, brave defender of foals!"

Or she would be, if Twilight had shown up yet. A full hour into the function, and there was no sign of her sister-in-law yet. One after the other, the herald announced the arrival of the 'fashionably late', but no 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' yet. Cadance took a sip of crystal-berry wine, and watched Shining Armor chat with the latest arrival.

Come to think of it, why would Twilight even show up here? She was just saying the other day how everyone seems to avoid her at these things. It seemed like it was really bothering her...

"Now announcing Sapphire Shores, the pony of pop!"

Maybe she reconsidered. I honestly didn't expect it to bother her so much – even Luna seemed concerned with how hard Twilight was taking it.

"Now announcing... uh..."

Cadance glanced at the herald pony, who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Now announcing... Ponyville librarian, Miss Sparkle," he finished lamely, flinching slightly. Before he had even finished announcing her, Twilight entered the room, and quickly cut a turn so as not to be easily spotted. Cadance immediately noted she was wearing a particularly plain dress that covered her wings entirely, had her hair up in a bun, and was wearing a pair of square-framed glasses.

What in Equestria...?

Cadance started to slowly make her way over to Twilight, who seemed determined to blend into the crowd.

"Now announcing the great and honorable Spike the brave and glorious!"

Blending into the crowd turned out to be pretty easy for Twilight, as all heads in the room turned to focus on the new arrival: a sharply-dressed baby dragon sporting a tuxedo and tophat. Cadance spared him a glance and a smirk, certain he would be enjoying the attention, only to see he looked mildly uncomfortable.

I'll need to look into that later. First, I should see what's going on with Twilight.

Cadance resumed her search, only to find her quarry had eluded her. By the time she tracked Twilight down, she was in some kind of animated chat with a pair of party guests. Cadance smirked.

So that's your game, is it? Look low-key and use the chance to mingle? Well, if you think that's best...

Cadance decided to do some mingling of her own until she saw a better opportunity to approach. After a couple of dull conversations in which her partners seemed determined to impress her in some way, though, she made her way over to Twilight. The stallion chatting with her saw Cadance's approach and quickly excused himself, much to Twilight's dismay.

"Aww... he was just about to tell me how honey and vinegar can treat a cold."

"Twilight, couldn't you at least say 'hello'?"

Twilight looked over, a little guilty. "I wanted to, but... well, I guess you can tell what I'm doing, here."

Cadance smiled with concern, and nudged Twilight with her hoof. "Yeah, no kidding. Was it really bothering you so much that ponies were avoiding you? I mean... it's not like they do it all the time, right?"

Twilight shuffled uncomfortably. "No, but... I'm supposed to be the Princess of Friendship. It's not like raising the sun, or the moon, or spreading love... how can I call myself that if ponies won't even approach me? Or if my title is constantly on their mind, the whole time we're speaking?"

Cadance frowned.

"I really hadn't considered that, but... well, doesn't it also seem wrong to make friends based on misrepresenting who you are?"

"But I'm not misrepresenting myself!"

Cadance titled her head a little in confusion, and nudged Twilight's dress.

"I was a unicorn by birth. I'm still not a confident flier. If anything, flaunting the wings as though they're – you know. As much a part of me as my horn. That's more inaccurate."

Cadance's frown deepened. "If you say so, but... it sounds to me like you're rationalizing. And what was with that introduction?"

Twilight squared her stance a bit, looking at Cadance with a slightly defiant expression. "What was wrong with my introduction?"

"Well... Ponyville Librarian? Doesn't that seem kind of..."

"Unimportant?"

It was Cadance's turn to shuffle uncomfortably. "I guess. Compared to—"

"To being a princess, right? But what makes something important is whether or not people care about it. And sure, more people care about me being a princess, I guess – but maybe some people care more about other things. Like that stallion I was talking with – he's a librarian here in the Crystal Empire, did you know that? That was what was important to him."

Cadance paused a moment to think about that, and then started to nod slowly. "I can see where you're going with that, but it still seems sort of like rationalizing. You wanted to be more approachable, so you picked an aspect of yourself that's more approachable. I don't know if you can really call it more important, though..."

Twilight's expression turned triumphant.

Uh oh. That's the face she makes when she's about to win an argument.

"I can prove to you that importance – even the importance of royalty – is subjective with someone in this room!"

Twilight forked a hoof over at Shining Armor, who was still chatting with Greaves. Realizing he was being pointed at, he waved with a smile, oblivious to his role in Twilight's scheme.

"What's more important to you about him? The fact that he's a prince... or that he's your prince?"

Cadance looked between Shining Armor and Twilight, hoof still outstretched and face still a giddy mix of triumph and anticipation, and sighed, smiling.

"Point taken, Twilight."

Twilight smiled, setting her hoof down and making a 'hm-hm' sound of satisfaction.

"And see, while being a princess is important – it certainly ranks at the top of my responsibilities – I wouldn't say that I consider it the most important aspect of who I am. I mean, it's definitely not why my friends hang around me – they were around before any of that!"

Cadance smirked, and then suddenly gave Twilight's hair a good ruffling, undoing the bun, and causing Twilight to splutter a little in amused surprise. "Wha?! Hey, stoppit!"

"You should be announced as 'Stubborn Twilight Sparkle, debater of everything' next time. I know that's one thing I like about you."

Cadance chuckled a bit at that, but stopped when she caught the thoughtful look in Twilight's eye.

"That's not a bad idea..."

Author's Note

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN

And so it begins. Or whatever. Written because the idea seemed too amusing not to print.

Importance is Contextual

"But... we're supposed to announce one of your great deeds!"

"Ah, but who gets to say which deeds are great?"

The guard nervously stammered and shuffled, looking around. Twilight gave him a placating smile.

"Look, you won't get in any trouble. Just do as I instructed, okay?"

"If... you're sure it's alright."

Twilight nodded, a mischievous grin forming. A few minutes later, she was entering the ballroom under the announcement of 'Twilight Sparkle, Tutor of the Cutie Mark Crusaders'. A few heads turned her way, recognizing her name, but without the title of 'princess', most of the attendees seemed to gloss over her entrance.

Good. If they're going to insist on having royal guards at these things, then at least I can make them introduce me how I want!

Twilight adjusted her glasses and slipped into the room, angling straight for the schoolboard representatives for Ponyville. Attending random state functions across Equestria had given her a lot of unexpected insights into the country's structure, and now she was going to put it to use close to home.

Didn't have the bits to fix the playground equipment, huh? Well that's not what I heard, buddy! You better have a good explanation for where those donation bits from the local chamber of commerce went!

Twilight's grin was growing somewhat manic as she approached her prey, and she considered what she would do if their answers didn't satisfy her.

Perhaps I'll write a report to Celestia, hmm? It was so easy to turn down the schoolponies when they asked, but we'll see how easily you lie to Celestia face-to-face! Oooh, maybe I can be like her spy, getting around, seeing what's really—

Twilight's train of thought was derailed as she heard somepony raise their voice outside the entrance to the building.

Was that Luna's voice? She's not supposed to be here... is she?

She heard the guard outside respond in what sounded like a pleading tone, only to be reprimanded with another yell.

Uh oh...

Twilight broke into a gallop back to the door, slipping through and closing it behind her. Before her was Luna, reared on her hind two legs, yelling and flailing her forelegs at the poor guard who, for his part, had his ears laid back and his posture reduced, but appeared more apologetic than outright afraid. Seeing Twilight, Luna, landed on her forelegs and turned her fury down a notch.

"Twilight! Didst you not hear how this guard introduced you? He claims t'was your idea!"

Twilight almost smirked at Luna's odd verbal lapse into archaic speech, but quickly focused on the problem at hand.

"It was my idea, Luna! He was just doing his job!"

To Twilight's surprise, Luna seemed to grow more irate at that. Her eyes quickly tracked to Twilight's dress, and then back to her face.

"Princess Twilight, what is the meaning of this?! You would deliberately conceal your station? Why?!"

Twilight raised a hoof in a placating gesture, hoping that Luna's volume wasn't carrying inside too much.

"It's not really about concealment, Luna! I'm just – I just wanted to be introduced on slightly different terms than, you know, 'Hey, I'm a princess'! I want ponies to get to know me first, so they won't judge me based on my title."

Luna's expression turned a bit darker.

"I believe I know what you mean. I have had some experience with ponies being afraid of me, as you know, but... does this mean that your association with us, with me... is something you are ashamed of?"

Twilight's mind came to a screeching halt looking at Luna's forlorn expression. Then her mind promptly exploded with a variety of half-formed thoughts to the effect of 'No, I would never think that, Luna.' Unfortunately, her mouth attempted to translate all of those half-formed thoughts and feelings at once, resulting in Twilight making something of a wheezing, choking sound for a second, and then spluttering a bit.

"Wha—No-nonono-NO! No! Never, never, no! No! I don't feel ashamed, it's – it's a great honor, Luna! I deeply respect all three of you! No, it's nothing like that!"

Luna seemed somewhat surprised by the outburst, but her forlorn expression turned to confusion.

"What is it, then? Why would you hide your station so?"

"Oh, I wish Cadance had explained this to you... Look, I don't mind admitting I am a princess, not to anyone! It's just, that's not always the first thing I want them to know about me. I'd prefer them to see me as Twilight first, you know? It's not because being a princess is negative, it's kind of the opposite – a lot of ponies are afraid to talk to me. I don't want that!"

Luna contemplated that for a bit, a small frown forming.

"But, if you do as you say, then they will see you as a peer first. Even after they discover you are a princess, that will be the dominant perception."

Twilight nodded enthusiastically. "That's the idea!"

Luna shook her head. "But you are not their peer, Twilight. You are their ruler. Doing as you say, you erode your authority – and you are denying yourself the chance to be recognized for your achievements."

Wow. I hadn't really thought of it that way, but...

Twilight chewed her lip for a few moments before answering. "I had said to Cadance before, my title... my responsibility... as the princess of friendship, I think maybe I'm in a bit of a different position than the rest of you. What I need isn't authority, it's... well, it's friendship. I mean, heh, I guess that's a bit obvious, buuuuut..."

Twilight uneasily trailed off, waving a hoof and smiling uneasily. Luna just silently regarded her, chewing her own lip a little in contemplation.

"Would you really rather that others not know of your accomplishments, though? Will it not sting to do so much with so little in return?"

Twilight shrugged instinctively.

"That never seemed so important to me. I mean... I'd rather have their friendship than their admiration, you know?"

Twilight spoke casually, not thinking much of it, but when she saw Luna's expression, she started to wonder if she had said something horrible. Luna looked like she was a thousand miles away, her mouth hanging open slightly, and her gaze directed at the sky slightly. She opened and shut her mouth a couple of times wordlessly before finally responding.

"Of course, Twilight. You must do as you see fit – and know that I and my sister will do what we can to support you in your efforts."

Luna smiled uneasily after speaking, an expression Twilight was unused to seeing on her. It set off alarm bells in her head, but she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Luna? Are you alright?"

"Yes, certainly. I am fine. This was all simply unexpected."

Luna bowed to the guard, and apologized for berating him, before turning back to Twilight.

"I will take my leave. Enjoy your evening, Twilight."

Twilight wordlessly watched Luna take off, unsure of whether to call after her to see what was wrong, or just let her go. She finally decided to head back in and try to enjoy the evening as Luna had suggested, only to find all eyes in the house on her as soon as she walked in the door. She felt like a pony in the spotlight on stage, and awkwardly waved a hoof and smiled at the crowd.

Well... ponyfeathers.

Oh, importance is PERSONAL now!

Applejack knocked on the door to Fluttershy's cottage, other front hoof still occupied by the newspaper she was reading. She heard a muffled response and a flurry of activity on the other side of the door, before the door slowly opened to reveal a stressed-looking Fluttershy.

"Oh, hello, Applejack. I'm sorry, but I'm a little too busy to put any tea on – I need to leave in just a few minutes."

Applejack tore her eyes off of the newspaper and gave her friend a warm smile.

"That's alright, sugarcube. I just wanted to know if you'd seen this."

Applejack trotted into the cottage as Fluttershy resumed preparing to leave, and set down the newspaper. Fluttershy spared a moment to glance at the headline.

Ponyville librarian speaks on importance of respecting our foals

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I've been too busy to read the paper today – what's it about?"

Applejack scooped up the paper as Fluttershy flew around the cottage gathering materials, skimming it as she spoke.

"It's an interview with Twilight. She mostly talks about how teachers and parents can get so caught up on thinking they know how something works, they'll discourage young'uns from exploring."

"Ooh, like how the Cutie Mark Crusaders surprised all of us?"

Applejack nodded, a small smile forming.

"Yeah, that seems to be the thrust of it. She mentions that, and how we wouldn't even know linked cutie marks were possible otherwise."

"That's really sweet of her! It's a good lesson to take from that."

Applejack shuffled uneasily.

"Well, sure it is, but... the article's kind of weird. I mean, they don't even mention that Twilight's a princess – this whole thing makes it sound like she's just some small-town librarian and tutor!"

Fluttershy paused in midair to consider that, and then resumed flying.

"Maybe she just wanted them to focus on the cutie mark crusaders. I mean, it could be kind of distracting for the reader otherwise..."

"Maybe. She's been actin' awfully funny lately, though... you noticed how much time she's spent this past week goin' places?"

"Well, yes, but she seems happy. Actually, I'm getting ready to go with her to a get-together in Canterlot; they wanted my bird choir to... uh..."

Fluttershy paused at the odd expression Applejack was giving her, and her words died in her throat.

"Applejack, is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah, sugarcube. It's just... you're going to the conservatory tonight?"

"The conservatory? Twilight didn't say exactly what the get-together was... do you think the birds will be good enough for them? I mean, of course they will be, but am I a good enough conductor... oh my..."

"Now don't you fret none, Fluttershy. Your birds never fail to impress. Here, I'll help you get ready, alright?"

Applejack took to comforting her now-nervous friend, and helping her get ready for her trip. If it hadn't been for Rara going to the same convention that evening, she wouldn't have even known where Fluttershy was headed. The newspaper lay on the table, forgotten...

... but elsewhere, a certain Princess of Friendship was pausing in her frantic preparations to read a copy of that same newspaper.

Inkblot came through – no mention of my royal title until the very bottom! And even there, it's just discussing my role among the... princesses...

Twilight's eyes narrowed. This wouldn't do, oh no, this wouldn't do at all. Twilight began scheming, a horrible smile forming as she stroked her chin.

"Excuse me, princess?"

One of the aides for the party was tapping her on the shoulder, looking mildly concerned.

"Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about friendship. Let's get back to work."

Soon.

Author's Note

What's a good chapter title convention for if not being ruined in hilarious FASHIONISTA RARITY

Shoo be doo, shoo shoo be doo

Citizens, thine importance of the night hath arrived!

Rainbow Dash looked down over the party. A bunch of astronomers, astrologists, astrophysicists and other assorted eggheads were gathered below, but none could see her in her stealth flight suit. She peered over the edge of her little stormcloud – chosen for its dark color – and smiled at the gathering. It was time.

"Shelver, this is Night-Flight. The eggs are in the carton; we are a go for operation Starswirl."

From about five feet over, perched atop the same cloud, Twilight nodded, responding in the same hushed, conspiratorial tone. "Roger that, Night-Flight. I have visual on our target; Shelver is moving to make contact."

Both of them nodded to each other, and said simultaneously, "Mission start."

Which was followed by a fit of giggles as Twilight flew down to chat with Luna, and Dash flew higher into the sky. Rainbow couldn't help but feel a bit like a dork in the suit Twilight had made for her, but goofing off and pretending they were a pair of spies made it easier. Dash began slowly orbiting the party, waiting for the signal to start her part, while also examining the stars carefully to get her bearings; this would be the most complicated routine of her life.

Out of the corner of her eye, Dash tracked Twilight moving to intercept Luna before she arrived at the gathering, and greeting her. Dash couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could tell even from up there that Luna was nervous. Twilight settled into a trot alongside her and led her into the center of the stargazing party, where she was met by an adoring crowd; Luna almost seemed overtaken by their enthusiasm.

Score one for operation Starswirl. Still hard to believe that Twilight came up with this idea on her own; must be from hanging around Pinkie.

Dash expanded her holding pattern, thankful for her stealth-suit's windbreaking; it was a cold night, and it would be hard to keep up an idle flight like this for so long without getting painfully cold otherwise. Twilight was halfway through the meet-and-greet segment, introducing everypony to Luna. Soon, the signal would go up, and Dash could start her routine.

Leave it to Twilight to find a way to make constellations cool. I hope I remember them all right...

Dash began running through all of the constellations in her head again, for the tenth time that night. For her, the constellations were more a series of aerial maneuvers than an image of stars, at this point; each constellation name brought to mind a series of twists and turns, flips and twirls, plus activations of the weird telescope Twilight had given her a few days ago. Dash wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but between the telescope and her special stealth suit, she could blank out the sky, and then highlight specific stars, allowing only them to shine through – and much brighter than usual.

Which means that if I screw up and aim at the wrong star, it'll look REALLY bad.

Dash tried to ignore that nagging doubt as she glanced back down at the party. Twilight was moving to the stage; it was almost time.

Twilight's counting on me. She believes in me. I mean, who else could learn all of this in just a few days, huh? I can't let her and Luna down now.

Dash slowly tightened her holding pattern as Twilight moved onto the stage. It made her more visible, and Twilight had wanted nopony to even be able to tell a pegasus was the one creating the effect – it would spoil some of the illusion, she had said, and Dash was inclined to agree – but all eyes were on Twilight, so Dash was fairly sure no one would notice her up there.

The week prior, when Twilight had come to Rainbow asking for 'her assistance', Dash hadn't been sure how to feel about it. At first, she agreed and played it off as 'owing ya one', for Twilight having taught Dash the Wonderbolts' history in preparation for her exam, but Twilight had refused that. 'I don't want you to do it because you think you have to. I don't even want you to do it as a favor to me.' That had really unsettled Dash at the time.

'I'm doing this for Luna. I'd prefer you do it for her, not for me – and if you don't want to, that's fine. Really. It was just an idea.'

Well, of course Dash couldn't say 'no' to that; since when did she ever leave her friends hanging? Even though it meant doing a lot of training in secret, wearing a weird suit (though the way it could store up energy in flight and then release it was cool, Dash had to admit), and then putting on a performance that no one would ever know was her, she knew she'd never feel right just walking away.

And, truth be told, being here now, it felt strangely liberating. She was going to do something good without any reward, just because she could! Not like swooping in to save someone in danger on instinct, no sir, she had taken time, put effort into thi—

"Good evening, everypony! Welcome to the first Starswirl memorial stargazing convention!"

Twilight's voice echoed up to Dash, halting her train of thought. Her part was about to come up; she tightened her holding pattern and activated the stealth suit, which left a small, black trail in her wake, drawing a neat, near-invisible black circle around the convention. Soon, she would black out the entire sky – from their perspective – and the show would begin in earnest. Dash went into 'performance mode', focusing everything she had on her movements; as the show started, she heard the amazed gasps of the ponies underneath. As the star's light poured through, highlighting whatever constellation Twilight brought up, Dash could hear how it affected the audience.

But that praise, that adoration, wasn't for her; it was for the night sky itself. She was just magnifying it – both literally and metaphorically – with her actions; she wasn't there to be appreciated, but to help people appreciate somepony else. As focused as Dash was, as the show went on, she felt a strong pull towards that idea. Dash herself hadn't been inducted into the Wonderbolts yet, despite the amazing feats she had pulled off; it sometimes made her wonder if anypony really appreciated the incredible shows she put on.

Here, now, she realized that Luna had held those same kinds of doubts; she worked so hard to make the night sky beautiful, but nopony seemed to appreciate it. Realizing what this performance meant to somepony else filled Dash with a sense of conviction; it wasn't just about executing the routine perfectly anymore, it was about transferring the beauty of the night sky to the ponies on the ground. She was their telescope, tonight. She wouldn't just help them see it – she'd make them see it.

As the performance was supposed to wind down, Dash noticed that even Twilight seemed transfixed by the goings-on above the crowd. Good. Dash started highlighting constellations on her own – whatever she could think of that Twilight hadn't already called out. When she ran out of those, she started highlighting multiple constellations at a time; anything that had caught her interest while she was practicing the routines. When she ran out of those, she flew off to the stormclouds she had gathered earlier; she popped the black shell over the gathering, so the night sky was visible again – but now it was blocked by stormclouds. Carefully, Dash triggered them, causing water to start pouring – but she created a wind funnel that scattered the water away from the gathering.

This created the effect of a sort of invisible ceiling over the gathering, where the water was constantly being highlighted by the lightning flashes going between clouds above the gathering. Dash was nervous about those flashes silhouetting her, but she kept flying as fast as she could. Soon, the effect she was after started to come into effect.

"It's... It's a rainbow!"

Hah! Nailed it!

This was what had always captivated Dash when she flew at night; just because it was dark didn't mean there wasn't a rainbow after it rained, and when the lighting was right, you could see it, brighter than during any day. Twilight's speech to the crowd had included a segment on the idea that the night was breathtaking because of the LACK of light; because there wasn't an 'overcrowding' of things to see, it could let the beauty of a single thing shine through.

Okay, maybe it seemed a little narcissistic for that to bring the idea of a rainbow to mind for a pegasus named Rainbow Dash, but it still had the effect she wanted. Even Luna seemed starstruck – nice one, Dash – by the display. Once the clouds had poured all they could, Dash zipped away to the rendezvous point – that was what Twilight kept calling the meet-up spot – and landed. She started to strip out of the stealth suit, catching her breath as she did so.

That was one heck of a workout. I had to be flying up there for at least an hour!

As Dash pulled off her hood, she heard something coming from the convention. When she realized what it was, it rooted her to the spot, and for some reason, she felt tears and a smile coming involuntarily to her face.

It was a thunderous applause, with Luna cheering at the top of her lungs.

Heh... you're welcome, ya stupid eggheads.

Author's Note

Operation: Update your fic like crazy SUCCESS!

Rainbow Dash heard something from the convention. It was TWILIGHT SPARKLE

It may have taken Dash an hour to fly that routine, but it only took me a half-hour to write! Wait, that's not a good thing

I feel like it's worth noting that I actually wrote in the idea of Dash going for a night-time rainbow before I realized the amusing connection to her own name/appearance. Realizing that connection FILLED ME WITH MILD AMUSEMENT.

Importance is relative

Twilight found herself prancing home with a crazy smile on her face. It had just been a couple of days since Operation Starswirl, but it seemed to have worked; Luna was in good spirits, and seemed to be making new friends.

All according to plan!

Twilight flung open the doors of her crystal home with a villainous cackle, prancing inwards and slamming the door with her magic.

And all of the preparations are complete for Discord's party in two days! Oh, I need to tell Spike about the game I came up with for him!

"Spii~iike!"

Twilight called through the halls as she pranced towards the dining room, saddlebag clinking with gems and a dinner she had purchased while she was out.

"Spike, can you come here? I want to share the details of my latest crazy scheme with you!"

Twilight started to open the door, giggling uncontrollably.

"I brought dinner! It's your favorite – sorry I'm back so late, I didn't even realize the time until the sun was—"

Twilight was cut short by what she saw in the dining room; Celestia patiently sipping a cup of tea while Spike set out a kettle for her. Twilight sheepishly floated the saddlebag with the gemstones over to Spike with her telekinesis, silently taking a seat.

Hoo, boy... I knew it was too good to last.

Spike, meanwhile, opened the bag up and practically hovered with joy.

"Ah, Twilight, you're the best! Do you mind if I have these right now?"

Twilight nodded to Spike, who did a happy prance of his own right out of the room. Twilight nervously set her other saddlebag on the ground, avoiding locking eyes with her mentor. It was Celestia who spoke first.

"Twilight, would you mind discussing what you've been up to the past couple of weeks?"

Twilight shuffled nervously and locked eyes with Celestia.

"Well... I realized that ponies were nervous around me because of my title as a princess, so I tried to do something about that."

Celestia nodded, using her magic to pour Twilight a cup of tea and levitate it over to her, silently. Twilight just couldn't get a read on how she felt, so she pressed onwards.

"S-so, at first I just tried being introduced a different way, you know? Like, instead of 'here's princess Twilight!' it was, 'here's the ponyville librarian', that sort of thing. I mean, the title isn't what makes me who I am..."

Twilight trailed off, uncomfortably, but Celestia nodded warmly.

"It's who you are that makes you a princess, not the other way around."

Twilight nodded, somewhat relieved, and continued.

"So I tried that for a while, and I made some new friends, b-but... well, I had a discussion with Luna, and she pointed out that, maybe people would get the idea that I didn't like being a princess, or maybe that I was ashamed of it... or that maybe just, telling people to ignore my title would erode their respect for it, and that could cause problems."

Celestia nodded, setting the tea down and staring into it as she responded.

"Luna came to me after that. She was very upset..."

Twilight nodded meekly, casting her gaze down.

"I thought she might be. It wasn't my intent, but... I thought on what I'd said to her afterwards, because she seemed upset, and I realized that maybe she thought I was implying that she had her priorities mixed up."

Celestia nodded, looking forward again.

"She did. She wondered if she had been remiss to ask for respect instead of friendship. What happened after that?"

"Well, I read a paper that mentioned I was still considered the most popular princess... and apparently my recent actions had made ponies think of me as 'the approachable one'. That made me angry, so I might have gotten a little... carried away."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, I thought about what Luna had said, and I had started using my influence as a princess instead of downplaying it. Trying to improve things for my friends. So I just extended that to Luna and threw a party for her. I mean, it was a celebration of the night sky, but I was really trying to help her make new friends."

Celestia raised and eyebrow, a small smirk forming.

"How is that getting carried away, exactly?"

Twilight looked surprised, frowning slightly.

"Well, isn't that why you're here? I mean, I started meddling in things, and I figured I'd mess up sooner or later."

Celestia laughed softly at that, sipping at her tea again.

"Twilight, I came here because I've been so impressed with what you've done lately. I wanted to discuss it in person."

Twilight blinked a few times in silence, mind blanked, before responding.

"So, wait... why didn't you just call me up to Canterlot, then?"

Celestia scoffed slightly, setting the teacup down.

"Would you summon me here to Ponyville if you wanted to discuss my latest accomplishments?"

"What? No! I wouldn't impose—"

Realization dawned on Twilight, cutting her short. Celestia's smirk had grown into a genuine smile.

"You're a princess now, Twilight, and a very busy one at that, it seems! I know you want to be approachable, but there's a certain level of decorum that's just respectful."

Twilight smirked back, her expression matching that of someone who knows they're being pranked.

"Wait, did you come all the way here just to subtly teach me a lesson about where to draw the line on people respecting my title?"

Celestia laughed, drawing up a hoof to her mouth as she did so. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle as well, seeing the sudden display of mirth.

"You've grown so paranoid! Even after all these years, you're worried I'm going to fail some test for you. No, Twilight, what you do as the Princess of Friendship is your business, unless it starts to harm somepony. And what have you accomplished? You have new friends, Canterlot is abuzz with recognition and respect for your friends, who well deserve it, and Luna is happier than ever – did you know that she and Rainbow Dash have been visiting every day this week?"

Twilight started slightly at that last tidbit.

"They have? But no one was supposed to know Dash was involved with the convention!"

Celestia nodded excitedly, her demeanor surprising Twilight slightly.

"It seems that Rainbow told Luna, because she realized she had common ground with her. They've been goofing off together all over Canterlot!"

Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof, thoughtfully.

"I had considered that they might have some, but I didn't expect Rainbow to go out and do that on her own. I guess I haven't seen her around town since then – I've been busy preparing a party, so I was too distracted to think about it."

Celestia nodded, a relieved smile forming.

"I deeply appreciate what you did for Luna, Twilight. When you became the Princess of Friendship, this isn't what I expected – you've truly grown into your role."

Twilight couldn't suppress flushing in response to that. She crossed her front legs on the seat, trying not to look foolish as she started to ramble out a response.

"I'm still figuring it all out, though! I mean, it was Luna who pointed out that authority is kind of important to a princess, and that got me thinking, you know, what does a princess have besides authority? I mean, besides alicorn magic, but that's not really what I mean – I mean the title itself, it's authority, you know? And what good is being an important pony if you don't use it to do important things, and what's more important than friendship? I mean, I guess a lot of things might be, to some ponies, but I think what intrigues me about friends is that, if you have them, they have to be important to you – that's sort of the idea, right? And if they're important to you, then what's important to them is important to you. That sort of bond is what's important to me; I started to realize that even things like not wanting to disappoint you, it was because you believed in me, and I believed in you, so I didn't want to bring you down... is this making any sense?"

Twilight was panting slightly from the sudden outpouring of thoughts from the past week. Celestia, for her part, had an odd, crooked smile that Twilight couldn't quite place, until she realized that Celestia was tearing up slightly.

"Uhh... are you okay, Celestia?"

Celestia sniffed slightly and wiped her eye off on a hoof, her response coming out clear despite her level of composure.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm simply glad to see how you've grown; you've always had a big heart, Twilight, and now you're sharing it with so many others."

Twilight thought on that for a few moments, stirring her tea in silence. She had expected Celestia to put an end to her wacky schemes; she had been probing the boundaries of explored territory, and she was aware of the pitfalls of trying to 'fix' things in other ponies' lives. The map had certainly put her through a few harrowing experiences, but things had always turned out for the best, hadn't they? And now she didn't need a map to see friendship problems, or to figure out who was needed to fix them; but it wasn't the map that had first taught her that, was it?

"You know, Celestia... sharing your heart is a skill. It's easy to feel compassion, but acting on it carries a lot of risks – somepony who is too caring, but not aware of the risks, could get hurt, might become cynical. Or they might just cause more harm than good."

Twilight leaned across the table with a smile as Celestia processed what she was saying, continuing.

"But I didn't run across those problems, because I had a great teacher."

~FIN

Author's Note

WARNING: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

Now with added sequelitis!

Librarian Twilight's Plan Gets Bodychecked By Rainbow Dash

Man, that ending sure was sappy. You like this kind of stuff? Well, okay... here, have something else you might like, I guess.

Harsh Light

Importance is Transient

Rarity nervously checked over her outfit one last time.

I hope this is what Twilight meant when she said 'informal, but impressive'. She was in such a hurry, I didn't even get a chance to ask her why she wanted me here!

Rarity sighed in contentment as she smoothed out a wrinkle in the corner of her dress.

Still, it's so good to see Twilight embracing her role as princess after all of this time. She should be enjoying it! Going to all of these fancy parties, meeting all of these fancy ponies...

She uncontrollably pranced in place a little.

And she wants me here with her! That's right, ponies of Equestria! Whom does a princess take along when they want to impress?! Rarity, fashionista exquisite!

The party locale came into view as Rarity rounded a corner; it was an ostentatious manor in one of the more expensive districts of Canterlot, hosting a small – highly exclusive is what Rarity would call it – gala in honor of some recently-completed public works project; Twilight hadn't taken the time to fully explain.

Twilight must have gotten here well ahead of me – she's probably having a hard time fitting in around all of those high-society ponies.

Rarity started to open the front door.

But fear not, Twilight! I'm comin—

"RARITY!"

Twilight called over to Rarity as she entered the manor, waving to her from the middle of a crowd of ponies with an excited – somewhat crazy – expression. Before she had a chance to respond, Twilight disappeared in a flash of light, and re-appeared right next to her, giving her a big hug; Rarity recognized her dress as one she had made for Twilight years ago.

Is she crazy?! What a faux pas – what must the other guests think?!

Rarity glanced over to the other guests, who were, she realized, all crowding towards her with excited expressions.

"I'm sorry I can't stay, Rarity! Celestia was asking for me at the castle, so I should go – but I hope you have a good time!"

And with that, Twilight left the shell-shocked Rarity just five feet into the manor, and took flight out of the front door. Meanwhile, Fancy Pants, the host of the party, approached with a beaming expression.

"My, my, Rarity. Is it true you once kicked a manticore for threatening your friends?"

Rarity just stood there for a moment, all composure lost, before she came to a stuttering response.

"W-well, yes, I suppose it is—"

"I heard she tried to sweet-talk a dragon!"

And just like that, Rarity was the center of attention.

What in Equestria is going on?!

Author's Note

Who's a silly pony? Who is, you TWILIGHT SPARKLE

Brace yourself, importance is coming

"She just doesn't seem like herself, lately. I'm worried there's somethin' she isn't tellin' us."

"I feel much the same. It's high time we asked Twilight what is 'up', so to speak."

Rarity and Applejack made their way into Twilight's crystal home, but were greeted by the strange sight of a cloud floating in the foyer. Applejack spied a wisp of rainbow tail spilling over the edge of the cloud.

"Dash? What're you doin' up there?"

"Huh? Buh?"

Rainbow Dash woke with a start, and peered over the edge of the cloud, still half unconscious. She was clad in a strange black bodysuit that neither Applejack nor Rarity recognized.

"Oh, is Twilight back?"

Applejack and Rarity traded a look, and Applejack glanced back up to Dash and responded.

"Back from where? We were hopin' she was here."

"Oh, she went to the Crystal Empire to buy a telescope... projector... pointer... thing. Darn, I was hoping to nap until she got back."

Rarity rubbed her chin in thought, responding to Dash's comment.

"Rainbow, has Twilight seemed... alright to you, lately?"

"Huh? Yeah, totally. Why?"

"Well, it's just... she seems to be acting strangely, lately."

Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively.

"She's fine, trust me."

Applejack frowned, speaking up.

"We'd prefer to judge that ourselves, if it's the same t'you, Dash. Twilight's actin' funny, and that usually means trouble."

To their surprise, Rainbow looked somewhat pained by Applejack's comment.

"Hey, AJ... have a little faith in Twilight, will ya? I mean, she's gotten in trouble before, but..."

Applejack shuffled uncomfortably, looking regretful, but Rarity narrowed her eyes at Dash, making her fidget nervously on her cloud.

"Dash, dear... do you know something we don't?"

Dash narrowed her eyes in response, chewing her lip in thought for a moment. Then she smiled slyly.

"Yup!"

And with that, Dash blasted off at top speed, whooshing through the open door behind them before Applejack or Rarity could react. They could hear her laughter echoing back to them as the sudden wind from her departure died down. Applejack adjusted her hat, nodded to Rarity, and started to head back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"Applejack, where are you going? We have to find out what's going on!"

"Nope."

"What?"

"I'm stayin' outta this one, Rares. I'm sure if there's a problem, we'll hear about it soon enough."

Rarity paused to consider that, and then smirked.

"Good point."

Author's Note

This story got its first downvote. Knowing that one day, the person who downvoted this story may come back and change their vote...

... FILLS ME WITH DETERMINATION