La Princesse

Chapters

The Meeting [1/5]
The Lesson [2/5]
A Request [3/5]
A Different Name [4/5]
Forever [5/5]

The Meeting [1/5]

Author's Note

Challenge fic set in AU where the two main characters couldn't understand each other, and my friend suggested an AU where Rarity and Twilight are princesses from foreign countries that are smitten despite not being able to understand each other AND I COULDN'T RESIST DAMN IT

My French is rusty, so if you see any errors, please let me know. Same for any English typos. Thank you!

The Meeting [1/5]

The Meeting

The Grand Galloping Gala was the single most important event of the night, but Twilight always did… find it a bit boring after a while. With Princess Celestia off talking to some random nobles, Twilight herself had nopony to talk with really. She surveyed the area from atop the staircase, hoping to find somepony who looked like they needed help. A lot of nobles from neighbouring kingdoms usually attended the event, and she doubted very much that none of them needed some kind of assistance. Maybe a tour? Refreshments? Company for polite conversation?

She made her way down, avoiding the extravagantly dressed ponies walking up and down the staircase. She saw the refreshment table in the distance, wondering if maybe she ought to make her way there; there seemed to be a lot of ponies gathered there, after all. She took a step forward in the right direction, until her eyes landed on a very beautiful unicorn mare in the distance.

The mare seemed to be rather ill-at-ease, constantly adjusting her dress and looking around as if afraid of being spotted. Regardless of her state, Twilight found her exceedingly pretty. Her long purple mane was tied-up in a ponytail, her blue dress went well with her light gray coat, and she certainly seemed like somepony who needed help — Twilight's help!

Twilight took her last step down the stairs, intending on moving towards the mare, but stopped suddenly.

Then again…

She had no business mingling with guests when really she had to mingle with the other princesses attending the event. Princess Celestia had asked her to please entertain the daughter of the French Equine King, and truth be told, Twilight hadn't heard many good things about the infamous Princess Platinum Belle.

She remembered hearing at the last Grand Galloping Gala that the Princess had quite the imposing personality, which worked wonders for a future queen but not for her future citizens and/or friends who were being bossed around.

It wasn't that Twilight couldn't handle a feisty princess, but considering how many pretentious nobles she dealt with day in and day out, she figured that there'd be no harm in postponing it for a little while, would there?

With that thought in mind, she noticed that the strange mare was looking right at her. It wasn't the curious look Twilight was used to as a princess. It was something else, bordering between respectful and analytic. It was intriguing, honestly, at least enough to will Twilight towards her.

After all, if somepony seemed to want to talk to her, then it was only polite to give them the chance, right?

"Good evening!" Twilight greeted upon reaching the mare, who only blinked and straightened herself up in reply. Twilight took her lack of silence as a sign of embarrassment, and as such was quick to follow-up with a polite, "My name is Twilight!... Uh, Princess Twilight, I mean."

The mare blinked, narrowing her eyes. Just as soon as she did, though, she softened her expression and smiled. She extended her hoof and said in a thick accent, "'Ello."

A foreigner! Ohhh!

And from the French Equine Kingdom, too, if her memory of accents served.

"Oh! You must be from the French Equine Kingdom! Are you liking Equestria so far?" she asked enthusiastically.

The mare paused for a bit before slowly replying, "Yes..."

"That's great! Princess Celestia recently started an initiative on strengthening relationships between Equestria and foreign kingdoms, so she'll be very happy to hear our guests are having a nice time here. Are you staying here for long?"

Once more, the mare paused and then slowly replied with another, "Yes..."

The repeated answer threw Twilight off, mostly because she couldn't really read the mare's intentions. Was she intimidated by Twilight? Was Twilight bothering her? Maybe she didn't want to talk?

"I've never been to the French Equine Kingdom. Though I've read a lot about it, especially their role in the Equine War," Twilight continued, her brain silencing her nerves by putting her mouth into action, spewing fact after fact on everything she'd read about the mare's home kingdom.

She must have had all her facts right, she thought, considering the mare didn't stop to correct her even once during the nearly ten minutes she sat there talking. Ha! And Princess Luna said she'd seen Twilight dozing off during Celestia's lessons.

Finally, by the time she'd reached the modern history of the Equine Kingdom, Twilight decided that she really ought to offer the mare a chance to speak. Maybe she had questions on Equestria, or it might turn out that she knew all of Equestria's history!

"What about you? What questions do you have about Equestria's history?" she asked excitedly, and it wasn't until the mare once again replied with a 'yes' that Twilight finally thought to ask the primordial question she should have started with.

"Uhm, you… You do know how to speak English, don't you?" she asked, and when the mare failed to reply and awkwardly stared at Twilight, the princess simplified her question by pointing to her mouth and… "English? Er… Shoot, what was the word? An...Anglais?"

"Ah!" said the mare, and to Twilight's horror, she slowly shook her head, her cheeks turning a shade of red. "Very… euh… little..."

Oops.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Twilight blurted out, her face flushing red. She'd just kept the poor pony standing there, and they'd been polite enough to listen and not say a word. She felt terrible! So terrible, in fact, she didn't realize she was still rambling on in English. "I didn't realize—! I thought maybe you were very interested in your history, but why would you when you already know your hist—" And finally, again, Twilight caught herself, and placed a hoof on her mouth.

The mare quickly raised her hoof. "Non, non, ça va! Je ne voulais pas vous interro—"

And now it was the mare's turn to fall silent, her blush matching Twilight's as she voiced their common thought.

"Oups..."

The two mares looked at each other in awkward silence, until finally the foreign pony broke the ice by letting out an embarrassed giggle, coaxing Twilight into following shortly afterwards.

Once their giggling had faded, and Twilight felt much more at ease, she cleared her throat and extended her hoof. "I'm Twilight Sparkle," she said, re-introducing herself to her new friend.

The mare placed her hoof on Twilight's. "Enchantée, Princesse Twilight. Je m'appelle..." She stopped for a second, and she suddenly smiled widely, clearing her throat and continuing with a curiously impish expression, "Rareté"

"Like Rarity? Rareté ?" Twilight repeated at length, suddenly feeling very self-conscious of her accent when Rarity giggled at her.

"Twilight," Rarity said, and now Twilight found herself giggling at the other's accent — giggling that only intensified at Rarity's clearly indignant expression.

Just as Twilight was about to try and somehow communicate with Rarity, she heard the distant chimes of the castle bell tower, signifying she was late to helping out with the bi-hourly free tours of the castle.

Except… she didn't really want to go. Despite their inability to understand each other verbally, Twilight found she was rather enjoying the company of her new friend.

"Uhm… I have to…" She looked towards her friend, making a pained expression and nodding towards the large doors leading out of the room.

"Ah, euh, oui…" Rarity drifted off, smiling at Twilight, awkwardly gesturing towards the door and bowing her head, an embarrassed giggle accompanying her action.

Twilight nodded, stepping back, waving at her friend, watching as she did the same, and then finally trotting off with a, "'Bye!"

"And here we have the West Wing Mirror Hall, commissioned by Starswirl the Bearded as a training ground for reflective magic when Princess Celestia was under his tutelage.”

Twilight’s voice carried itself loudly and clearly throughout the hall, a dozen or so foreign ponies standing in front of her, ‘ooh’ing and ‘ahhh’ing at nearly everything Twilight said. Honestly, giving tours was one of her favorite parts of the gala. No having to mingle with nobles, no having to just wave and smile, nothing but being able to talk about the history of her home.

She waited for a few minutes, allowing the ponies to look around, and it was only because of this reprieve that her eyes landed on a very familiar pony. There, at the back of the crowd, was Rarity, her eyes fixed on Twilight. Upon being spotted, the unicorn smiled brightly, tilting her head in acknowledgement, to which Twilight quickly returned the gesture, invigorated by the fact that her friend was present.

Even if she… hadn’t been able to understand anything?

Maybe she should try being more expressive?

“Alright, everypony!” Twilight called out, gathering the crowd once more, and waiting a fraction of a second until Rarity had settled herself before continuing. “This hallway was also the battleground for the Great Chaotic Battle, where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeated the Spirit of Chaos when he infiltrated the castle.”

Immediately, the ponies all gasped in shock, and Twilight had to stifle a laugh when she noticed Rarity blink in confusion and then quickly imitate the others, gasping dramatically with a hoof on her chest. It wasn’t until she caught Twilight raising a playful eyebrow at her that Rarity giggled impishly, putting a halt to her theatrics.

While the ponies made a second round of the room, Twilight watched as Rarity made her way towards her, settling herself next to the princess.

“Bonjour,” Twilight said with a giggle.

“Hello,” Rarity replied. She looked around the room and added, “This… euh… château… zut, attend... ca..castle?” An encouraging nod from Twilight. “This castle! It is merveilleux.”

Twilight frowned, taking a moment to decipher the message. “Oh! Oh, yes,” she replied, straightening herself up, feeling a bit of pride at the knowledge that Rarity liked her home. “I’m glad you like it! It’s always an incredible success with visitors, especially those coming for the first time.” When Rarity blinked in confusion, Twilight tried her best attempts at charade, conveying her message through a series of pointing and, judging by Rarity’s laughing, funny facial expressions.

In turn, Rarity gestured her reply, and it felt to Twilight as if time came to a stop as they stood there ‘communicating’, completely forgetting the tour. In fact, it wasn’t until one of the ponies loudly cleared their throat that Twilight realized they were all waiting for her to continue.

“Uhhh, sorry!” she blurted out, face flushing and quickly continuing with her tour, rolling her eyes playfully when Rarity shook her head as if to chastise Twilight for getting distracted.

An hour later, the extended tour came to a finish in front of the castle gardens. At any other time, Twilight would have finished at least half an hour ago, but her attempts at charading everything she said for Rarity’s sake had been more time consuming than she’d have expected.

Most of the ponies had dispersed already, but Twilight lingered in the gardens if only because Rarity seemed to want to look around. Surely Princess Platinum wouldn’t really mind if they met a little later! She was going to be in Equestria for at least a week, or maybe more, if it turned out Princess Celestia had been correct when she’d said the Princess might be staying for a few months to learn English.

Rarity, on her side, wasn’t doing much talking, but Twilight noticed the unicorn would always look back to make sure Twilight was following, and would also patiently wait for Twilight when nobles happened by to greet her.

“Would you like to sit down?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence by gesturing towards a nearby bench, a few meters away from where Rarity had been looking at some flowers.

Rarity nodded, trotting past Twilight and taking a moment to dust off the bench with her magic before sitting down. Twilight quickly followed suit, settling herself next to Rarity, allowing silence to fall between them.

In a way, it was actually quite comforting for the Equestrian princess.

Social dynamics weren’t her strong suit, and though she’d usually be worried by the silence, she found that this particular silence was actually quite pleasant. The knowledge that they couldn’t communicate wasn’t hindering her, and in fact, glancing at Rarity, the unicorn seemed to be enjoying herself too, a small smile painted on her lips.

But, on second thought, it wasn’t that they weren’t communicating, was it? It was just a different type of communication, a non-verbal one that Twilight found she enjoyed.

In fact, she came to realize that star gazing was quite the pleasant activity to share with Rarity, the two of them looking up at the night sky. Twilight admittedly had the urge to explain the constellations, but she figured there would be time for that later, maybe once she’d acquired a bilingual dictionary.

“Oh, Twilight ! Regarde !”

Rarity’s voice snapped Twilight out of her reveries, and when she looked down, she saw a small kitten carefully walking towards them, its ears and tail perked up. Unfortunately for the kitten, its careful approach was brought to a halt when Rarity levitated it into the air, floating the mewling kitten over to their bench.

“Ohhh, qu'est-ce qu'il est mignon ! Mon petit chaton !” she cooed, and Twilight didn’t really need to know French to understand.

She watched with an amused smile as Rarity nuzzled the kitten, completely disregarding its desperate attempts to escape her cuddly prison. A moment later, Rarity finally pulled him back and scooched herself closer to Twilight so she too could pet the kitten.

“Hi there,” Twilight cooed, lifting her hoof to scratch under its ears. “Where did you come from?”

The kitten meowed in reply, squeezing itself out of Rarity’s embrace and going towards Twilight. However, it seemed to be unable to decide whom it liked best, for not even a moment later it returned to Rarity, and then back to Twilight, until it finally settled itself between the two, drawing out pleased laughter from both mares.

It was Rarity who finally spoke up first. “Euh, Twilight?“ She paused and gestured towards the kitten. “Nom ?”

Twilight blinked. “Nom ? Oh! Name? If he has a name?” When Rarity nodded, Twilight looked back to the kitten, shrugged and then looked at Rarity, gesturing back and forth between her and the cat. “Would you…”

“Oui, oui!” Rarity exclaimed, quickly taking the kitten and giggling. “Alors, voyons…” She bit down on her lip, furrowed her brow, and it wasn’t until she briefly glanced at Twilight that she spoke up. “Crépuscule !”

Twilight tilted her head to the side. “Cré..pus...cule?” she repeated slowly, revising her little amounts of French vocabulary and failing to find the meaning of the word. Was it some type of crépe? Twilight liked them a lot, but she never would have thought of naming a cat after food, but if that’s what Rarity wanted…

Rarity nodded, taking the kitten and scratching under its chin. “Crépuscule.”

The kitten meowed once, apparently pleased with its name.

“Rareté ! Mais, où étais-tu ?!”

Twilight turned around and saw a yellow pegasus trotting towards them, anxiety painted all over her face. Was she a friend of Rarity’s? She certainly looked the part, what with the elegant dress.

Just like Twilight, Rarity seemed startled by the new mare. “A-Ah, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy? That sounds more like an Equestrian name.

It wasn’t until Fluttershy reached them that she noticed Twilight and gasped. “Oh, Princess Twilight! Good evening, Your Highness,” she quickly blurted out in a perfect accent, bowing down several times. “And the kitten!” she added, noticing Crépuscule in between Twilight and Rarity, “I thought I’d lost you…”

“You’re Equestrian! I thought maybe you didn’t speak English,” Twilight said, somewhat relieved. She was perfectly willing to play charades for Rarity’s sake, but she wasn’t nearly good enough to do it with two ponies. “Hello! It’s nice to meet you. Is this kitten yours?”

The pegasus shook her head. “Oh, no! It’s a stray! I found it a little while ago, but it ran away and I chased it all the way here.”

“Oh, good! I wouldn’t have want to have named a cat who already had an owner,” Twilight said. “Rarity here called him Crépuscule.”

Fluttershy blinked, looking at Rarity. “Ra...rity?”

“Yes…?” Twilight said, looking back and forth between Fluttershy and Rarity, the latter staring at the former with an… almost threatening gaze. “I think that’s what Rareté translates too…?”

Fluttershy blinked. “Er, y-yes! Sorry, I got a bit...“ She cleared her throat, and smiled, just as Rarity did. “Yes, I’m Equestrian, but I live in the French Equine Kingdom with… er, Rarété.”

Before Twilight could reply, Rarity cleared her throat.

“Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy blinked, “Oh, uhm, yes!” She quickly trotted over to Rarity, and after excusing herself with Twilight, whispered something in Rarity’s ear. Whatever it was, Twilight assumed it to be serious, judging by Rarity’s furrowed brow.

When Fluttershy stepped back, Rarity let out a long-suffering sigh and stood up. “Allons-y, donc.” She pet the kitten one last time and then bit down on her lip. “Princess Twilight… I…”

“You have to go?” Twilight asked, her ears dropping when Fluttershy nodded behind Rarity. “Oh… Alright, then.”

Rarity observed her for a moment before turning to Fluttershy and whispering something in her ear. Fluttershy quickly returned the gesture, and after they’d finished exchanging several sentences, Rarity turned back to Twilight. She opened and closed her mouth several times, seemingly hesitating, before finally slowly speaking up in a thick accent.

“It was very lovely to meet you, Princess Twilight,”

Twilight couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “Oh, yeah, it… uhm…” She gestured to Fluttershy, and swallowing down her embarrassment, whispered into her ear, “How do I say that I feel the same way?” Fluttershy giggled, and after whispering back the reply, Twilight looked back towards Rarity, cleared her throat and carefully said, “moi de même.”

Rarity’s reaction was immediate, offering Twilight an absolutely delighted and contagious smile, afterwards biting down a giggle. However, just as quickly, she shook her head and looked towards Fluttershy. “Viens, avant que mes parents ne me tuent,” she said, quickly trotting off.

“Wai— Attends !” Fluttershy called back, rushing after her.

Twilight watched them go, a smile on her face. She felt tempted to get up and go after them, but relented. She’d already postponed her duties enough, and the last thing she wanted was to upset Princess Celestia or Princess Platinum.

“Guess it’s just you and me,” she said to the kitten curled up against her.

“Twilight!”

Twilight looked away from the kitten, and she felt panic flood her body at the sight of Princess Celestia leisurely trotting towards her.

Uh-oh…

“Pr-Princess Celestia!” Twilight called back, quickly getting up and nearly toppling Crépuscule onto the floor.

“Twilight, I’ve been looking all over for you,” Princess Celestia said, looking around the gardens. “How did your tour go?”

“Oh, it went very well! At least twenty ponies attended, most of them foreigners!”

The Princess nodded her head. “I’m very pleased to hear that, Twilight. Though, that reminds me… I assume you didn’t get to speak to Princess Platinum, did you?”

Twilight felt herself flush. “I… Well, I… You see…” She eventually gave up on trying to find an excuse, lowering her head and confessing, “No, I didn’t… I’m sorry, Princess…”

Celestia giggled. “Don’t be, Twilight. I must admit that even I didn’t have the chance to speak to her considering she disappeared halfway through the party. Apparently, she wanted to ‘get to know the castle for herself’,” she replied. “They just found her, however, so I was hoping you could assist me with showing her to her new room.”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “Her new room? Does that mean…”

Celestia nodded. “It seems we’ll be having a fifth princess living in the castle for a year, yes. Let’s hope she is—”

“Mroooow!”

The two mares looked down, finding the tabby kitten rubbing itself against Twilight’s leg.

“How cute!” Celestia said, levitating the kitten into the air, giggling when it tried to bat at her nose. “Where did you come from?”

“I think it’s a stray,” Twilight replied. “He’s called Crépuscule.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and lowered the kitten. “Crépuscule? Now, Twilight, isn’t that a bit conceited?”

Twilight blinked, taken aback. “I… huh? I didn’t name him! I don’t even know what that means...”

“Well, whoever named him must be quite the admirer,” Celestia said with an impish smile, putting the kitten down and allowing it to return to Twilight. “Crépuscule is the French word used to describe the light from the sky when day and night meet. In other words…”

“The twilight,” Twilight finished, feeling her cheeks grow hot, picking up the kitten and holding it against her chest.

“Now, why don’t we let little Crépuscule wander around the garden for a moment while we go meet Princess Platinum?” Celestia suggested, turning around and trotting off.

“Uh, y-yes, coming!” Twilight exclaimed, putting down the kitten and rushing after the Princess.

As they made their way towards the throne room, where the French Equine family awaited them, Princess Celestia filled Twilight in on all the details of Platinum’s stay. She would be taking the role of an ambassador to her country in Equestria, and Twilight was not only to make sure she attended all her lessons, but that Princess Platinum’s stay in Equestria was a very memorable one.

“Ah, Sister! There you are,” Princess Luna said when, finally, Celestia and Twilight stepped into the throne room.

“Forgive me, Twilight hadn’t finished with her tour, and I didn’t think it would be appropriate to interrupt,” Celestia explained.

“It isn’t a problem, Celestia,” the king said, stepping up towards her. He then furrowed his brow and added, “Our daughter wasn’t easy to find either, as you know. Teenagers...” He cleared his throat and addressed Twilight. “Princess Twilight! I’ve heard much about you. I’m sure you and my daughter will be fine friends.”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure!” Twilight quickly replied, looking around and… finding no pony her age.

The king too seemed to have noticed the lack of daughter. “Rarété ! Ce n'est pas le moment ! Arrête ça !”

Twilight felt her heart skip a beat.

“Mais je suis ici, papa.”

Twilight turned around and found Rarity sitting next to her, a lovely tiara resting atop her head, and what could only be described as a devilish smirk on her face. She then turned to Twilight, and fluttering her eyelashes said, “Bonjour, Princesse Twilight.”

~ Fin? ~

The Lesson [2/5]

Author's Note

I mentioned it before, but it's been a while since I last wrote/spoke French, so any help in that area would be greatly appreciated! Thank youu!

The Lesson [2/5]

THE LESSON

It was hard to learn French when Twilight’s mind kept wandering towards Rarity. It was hard to memorize verbs and conjugations when her heart was completely focused on making her remember instead the way the unicorn smiled, how she laughed, how she moved, how everything.

Twilight was sure ‘rareté’ must mean perfection in French because that’s what she was.

Twilight looked up towards one of the nearby library tables, and watched as Rarity listened to her personal tutor. The elder mare was completely engrossed in her lecture, her nose stuck inside her book, whereas Rarity seemed to be quite occupied jotting down notes.

Good! Twilight thought, looking back to her book. The Princess had been making great progress with her intensive English lessons, and Twilight was very pleased about it. Soon, they'd know each other's language as well as their own, and—

Thonk!

Twilight blinked, having been pulled back to reality by… a paper plane? She looked around, her eyes resting on the only possible culprit, who was now very attentively paying attention to her professor. Frowning, Twilight picked up the paper airplane, unfolded it and giggled at a very lovely drawing of a familiar silver unicorn sleeping away at her desk while her professor droned on and on.

When Twilight looked back up, Rarity was now looking at her, an absolutely innocent look on her face, and when Twilight frowned at her, the unicorn reacted by pulling back, a hoof on her chest.

Moi? What did I do? Je suis innocente!

"Well then! I think that settles it for today!" Professor Inkwell exclaimed, closing the book and standing up. "Any last questions, Princess?"

"Non, ça v—"

"Princess..."

Rarity nodded and cleared her throat. "No, I am fine for now, Professor."

"Good!" The professor gathered her things and after a few parting words and a bow to both princesses, she left the library.

Once he was gone, Rarity made her way towards Twilight, placing her forelegs on the table and letting out a theatric sigh. "Je te jure, j'en ai marre de—"

"Rarity..."

Rarity frowned at Twilight, and with a flash of her horn, a notebook appeared next to her. She opened it up, flicked through several pages, read for a moment and then looked back at Twilight. "I am so very tired of these classes, Twilight."

"That doesn't mean you should be drawing during them," Twilight reminded.

Rarity harrumphed. "Well! Equestria is…. Euh… attend..." Another jolt of magic and a dictionary levitated to her, which she promptly opened and read through… "Equestria is… is… undeserving? Undeserving! Of mes talents artistiques!"

"My artistic talents."

Rarity playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes… Twiliiiight," she added with a whine. "Can't you be my professeur? You are so much more fun than Miss Inkwell, and..." She fluttered her eyelashes. "You can teach me so many things..."

Twilight felt a blush creep up her face. "Rarity, we tried that. It didn't end well, remember?" she replied, looking back to her book. "I think that was the first time I've ever been banned from the library for being too loud." When Rarity whined again, Twilight pushed her book towards the princess. "Why don't you get your book and we can continue our reading?"

That was yet another one of Twilight's ideas on helping Rarity. Both would read the same book in the language of the other, and that way they could not only practice new languages, but they had something in common to discuss.

"No, I have a better idea!" Rarity proclaimed. She got up, sat herself right next to Twilight, their coats brushing, and said, "You read, and I listen, d'accord?"

Twilight snorted. "No, you read, and I listen, d'accord? Don't look at me like that! It's a simple book! And it's fun, too, about a phantom princess locked in a library and, well, the author does tend to drag on a lot in some chapters, but it's bearable." She pushed the book towards Rarity. "Allez, Princesse."

"Fine..." Rarity cleared her throat, sat up and read aloud, "Triple Diamant ne croyait pas aux contes de fées."

"The English version."

"Twiiiiiliiiight…."

A Request [3/5]

A Request

She hadn’t meant to overhear.

As a matter of fact, she wished with every fiber of her being, mind and soul that she hadn’t overheard because she’d still be blissfully unaware of the meaning of misery. It was like their words were some sort of lethal poison, not meant to kill the victim, but seep into their very being and bring neverending pain.

“How about that young duke?” had said Rarity’s father in perfect flawless French; perfect French Twilight understood because she’d spent months now, night after night, learning the language while immersed in the… in the stupid, foolish idea that she actually had a chance at ending up with Rarity.

“Oh, yes! He’s so charming! He’ll make a fine husband for our little princess,” Rarity’s mother had exclaimed, the enthusiasm dripping from her words only sinking Twilight into the despair she had not been ready to experience.

It had been her luck that they had seen her, too. Had been her wonderful luck that they’d joyfully asked her to come sit with them, and she’d done like they asked because that was expected of her. She was, after all…

“So lovely during our stay here, Princess Twilight!” Rarity’s mother had praised, receiving the most convincing smile Twilight could bring herself to make. She remembered briefly a rather nasty encounter with a duke, and how Rarity herself had told Twilight to “smile past it, my darling”.

Smile past it indeed.

Rarity’s father cleared his throat, his imposing demeanor not softened by his smile. “Princess Twilight, you are acquaintances with the Duke of Saddle Arabia, are you not? Dis-moi, what’s he like?”

It was true Twilight had seen better days. She had noticed mares and stallions around the castle giving her odd looks, and some of the maids had been bold enough to ask if something was wrong.

“No, just tired,” Twilight would reply, almost mechanically, wishing she could say yes. Yes because she’d been forced to sit for an hour with her… what she had once hoped would be her in-laws, telling them all about how wonderful the duke was.

She didn’t know what was worse. That he actually was a charming, polite stallion, or that she hadn’t been able to lie about it. The more she thought about it, the more her own brain came up with reasons why Rarity should be with him, not with her.

Marrying into Saddle Arabian royalty would be a benefit to their — and by extension Rarity’s — kingdom, whereas marrying Twilight would only make an already existing alliance stronger. A duke from Saddle Arabia could offer Rarity riches like she’d never seen, wonders like she’d never had, and… and Twilight could only offer a castle, and books, and an affection so deep she was sure it would probably last a lifetime and beyond that.

But, to her dismay, love was not something that gained political favors or alliances, was it?

Lunchtime came too soon, and she found she was not the least bit hungry. A plate filled with delicacies some ponies could only dream of was placed in front of her, and she only stared at it, occasionally poking at her with a fork.

Rarity would object, wouldn’t she?

But what if she didn’t? What if, like her parents, the political status of her kingdom was her priority? Twilight was too afraid to find out.

A polite cough caught her attention. It was a cough she recognized quite well, considering it was their means of catching each other’s attention back when language was a considerable barrier. Twilight smiled, a reflex, but it soon vanished and she forced herself to not look up. She wondered if Rarity was upset Twilight had seated herself between two other mares.

A second cough, louder now, followed by somepony whispering her name. Oh Celestia, curse her and her accent and how whispering Twilight’s name was enough to melt the unicorn. With a rudeness she was certain would offend Rarity, Twilight turned around to talk with the mare next to her, ignoring Rarity and her third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth cough.

Please stop, Twilight had thought, and yet when Rarity did, it felt like the dagger already plunged in Twilight’s heart only twisted deeper.

And so one, two, three, four, five, six days passed in which Twilight avoided the increasingly irritated unicorn. Avoided her at meals by talking extensively about politics she didn’t care about with ponies she didn’t even like. Buried herself in the books of her private library, locking the doors she usually kept open at all times. Did everything to avoid her, everything, everything, everything.

It was on the fifth day that they met for a moment. Stepping into the public library, she saw Rarity waiting by a table, pretending to be interested with a book. She could tell Rarity wasn’t even reading because she’d taken the care to notice Rarity’s ears always flopped down when she read. Stupid, silly details Twilight had noticed, had become endeared to, and now wished she’d never noticed in the first place.

Rarity had looked up, their eyes had met, and two paths presented themselves. Twilight could smile, trot over, make-up an excuse for all her disappearances, and then excuse herself. She could also turn around and trot away, making it clear to Rarity that something was wrong. The first one was the most reasonable and mature, the second one…

The second one would fulfil Twilight’s now hopeless desire that Rarity would come looking for her, ask what’s wrong, and wash away all of Twilight’s fears with words of love and affection and devotion.

She noticed Rarity getting up.

In reply, she turned around and trotted away.

Seven, eight, nine, ten days passed, and Rarity had yet to look for Twilight again. There were no more coughs at meals, no more loudly asking the guards stationed outside Twilight's room if the ‘Princess was in’, no more nothing.

The more time passed, the more doomed did Twilight’s theories become. She concluded in the end that Rarity must have received news of her parents's desire, and seeing as Twilight apparently was not interested anymore, she must have said yes.

In the back of her mind, some terrible part of her wished she could declare war on Saddle Arabia.

With a frustrated sigh, she placed the book she’d failed to read back on her nightstand and curled back on her bed, contenting herself with staring at her wall. A soft meowing filled her ears, and a cat jumped onto the bed, purring and curling besides her.

“Hey, Crépe,” she softly said, scratching behind its ears. “Guess it’s just you and me.”

She vaguely heard voices beyond her door and remembered she hadn’t instructed the guards to keep ponies out. Not that it mattered, anyway, since it was clear she wouldn’t be receiving visits anymore.

The voices silenced and instead there were two knocks at the door. Twilight did not reply initially, knowing that if three quick knocks followed… She held her breath, closed her eyes, and waited. Three more quick knocks arrived, and the door opened before she could answer. She didn’t dare look back, curling up even more against her kitten — their kitten — and waiting for a voice.

But the voice never arrived.

She heard hoofsteps instead, coming closer and closer until the weight from the mattress shifted, and a foreleg wrapped itself around her. Twilight let out a long breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding when Rarity gently nuzzled her, saying with gestures much more than she could say with words.

“What do you think of the Duke of Saddle Arabia?” Twilight asked before the question even registered in her mind or asked permission to be said.

“He’s a bit of a bore, isn’t he?” she replied, not bothering with English and instead stretching out to cuddle more of Twilight, briefly petting Crépuscule. She let out a long sigh before asking, “Why do you ask?”

Silence.

“My parents are quite taken by him,” Rarity continued, seemingly nonplussed by Twilight’s silence. “They think he’s quite the catch.”

Silence again until Twilight asked, "And you?"

"Well, as I said, he's a bit of a bore," she replied again. "They invited me to lunch a few days ago to talk about him."

Twilight felt herself stiffen up, an involuntary reaction she hated. It was only soothed when Rarity left a trail of kisses down her neck before she continued with her story.

"They had the magnificent idea of proposing he and I should be wed," she said with utter nonchalance, as if she were talking about the weather. "Apparently, when they consulted with you, you seemed to have nothing but glowing praise for him."

Tears made their way into Twilight’s eyes, and though every inch of her body begged for her to turn around and bury herself in Rarity before she left, she valiantly held her position.

"Twilight." Rarity's voice was gentle, soothing, concerned and most of all loving. "Is that why you have been avoiding me?"

That was all it took.

In a flash, Twilight turned around and buried herself in her beloved's chest, the entire story coming out in muffled sniffles. Rarity listened quietly, holding the lavender mare closely and using her hoof to brush Twilight's mane. When she finished her teary confession, Twilight felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. Once she felt brave enough, she looked up, expecting to find Rarity staring at her gravely, but instead…

Rarity was giggling.

"W-What?" Twilight asked, feeling her cheeks redden considerably. Her flush only grew stronger when Rarity just kept giggling, sporting what could only be described as a very silly, smitten grin.

But, just like that, it vanished and was replaced by a rather serious expression. "I'm afraid I have bad news, Twilight," she said gravely, her sombre expression cracking slightly when Twilight's ears fell. Before she could throw herself back into despair, however, Rarity continued, "It seems you are stuck with me until further notice."

It took a moment for Twilight to register, but when she did, she practically toppled Rarity over when she threw herself at her, giggling out of relief. "Couldn't you have told me that in the first place?" she asked, finding immense joy in the kisses Rarity was now subjecting her to.

"I just like keeping you in suspense, ma chère," Rarity giggled, now finding herself the victim to Twilight's kisses. "Especially when you get so terribly upset over such silly ideas."

And maybe they were silly. Maybe the entire idea that Rarity would ever let her parents dictate her life was silly, but Twilight couldn't help but worry about everything when it came to her.

"I know," Twilight said, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against the unicorn's, smiling when the latter giggled again. Throughout her relationship with Rarity, she'd learned to carefully select her words. But now, now they finally came naturally, without having to overthink. "I just don’t want you to leave," she said, both an excuse for her behaviour and a confession.

Rarity was quiet for a moment, enough to almost make Twilight wonder if she'd spoken her feelings to soon. Her fears vanished when Rarity sighed and kissed her. "Never."

Author's Note

If you must know, if there's something I love more than RariTwi, IT'S TRAGIC RARITWI. Also, I think it would be relevant to say that these oneshots aren't written in the same universe, but aren't strictly related. They have a continuity, but it's more like episodes rather than a continuous story.

As always, please let me know of any typo or mistakes.

I KNOW IT'S LAZY I SWITCHED TO ENGLISH WITH RARITY but as they say, c'est la vie

A Different Name [4/5]

Author's Note

Lovely guest chapter written by the co-creator of this AU, Misago.

Rated T for DETAILED HORSEKISSES.

A Different Name [4/5]

A Different Name

It was only a few months back that the highlight of Princess Twilight Sparkle's days would have been stargazing. With a few cushions, a good book and a pot of tea (or a thermos of hot cocoa, depending on the season), she passed the hours looking at the stars through her trusty telescope. It was more than once that Luna or Celestia found the youngest princess sleeping there, safely wrapped in a cocoon of her own magic to mark the safest place she knew.

But with the changing political situation, something that should usually not influence something as deeply private, stargazing had a few changes brought upon it.

Twilight was nervous. The book floating in her magic seemed unable to hold her attention. For the fifth time, she tried to parse the paragraph on invocations for hexagonal barrier reinforcement, something that should by all rights have her, quite literally, spellbound. And yet her eyes kept drifting to the side, to the other pile of cushions and, more importantly, its occupant.

Rarity Platinum Belle, French Princess and ambassador-in-training to Equestria, was probably the very definition of distracting. Even now, when calmly reading a book on political history from two centuries ago, her every little movement drew Twi's eye like political events attracted the royal sisters. Whether it was a tiny upward quirk of her lips (at what, Twilight could only guess) or her hoof distractedly bouncing her (glorious) mane curls like a cat with a toy, or the dignified yawn that stretched her entire body (Stars above, what a body it was) in one elegant rippling wave of lean, gymnastics-honed muscle.

Sometimes, she sighed. A tiny, barely audible noise that made Twilight's heart skip at the anticipation of Rarity's voice. Or giggled, in a manner so perfectly angelic and harmonic that it had no business coming from any mortal pony.

Yes, Twilight was head-over-heels in love. At night, she dreamed of grand gestures, heroic deeds to impress the princess (or queen, or goddess) of her heart, make her swoon at her knight in booky armor. Of Rarity confessing her everlasting love, asking for Twilight's hoof in marriage. Of time spent growing old together, watching Rarity as an elegant old mare handling a large herd of foals and grandfoals. And some nights, them doing things together that Twilight did not even dare to write down in her dream diary for fear of it catching fire.

It kept her, unfortunately, anxious.

Of course, Twilight was not so blind that she could not see Rarity held affection for her as well. Missing the hints Rarity was dropping would be akin to missing the ocean while drowning in it. Rarity constantly kept close to her, whether during dinner, while sitting and reading together (like now) or even while walking together through the palace gardens, excitedly chatting about fashion all the while. She LOVED hugging Twi, not in the exuberant manner some of Twi's other friends did, but in a slow, sensual fashion. Rarity would step in close, smirking all the while, before leaning in and rubbing her neck on Twilight, whispering something in her native language all the while. Sometimes, Twilight could just make out the hints of a pair of marvelously soft lips making contact with her neck, hinting, promising...

"Twilight, ma chère?"

Stars above, the accent. It had nearly killed her, the first time Rarity had whispered in her ear, her pronunciation caressing every syllable. Twilight had felt clumsy and awkward replying, like a unicorn foal learning mouth writing, only to see a letter from a world-class calligraphist...

She quickly cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah?"

"Could I ask you for a favor?" Rarity asked, barely hiding mirth in her voice. The way the last syllable was pronounced made Twilight shiver internally. She watched a perfect white hoof playfully batting at the end of glorious curls. "Could you pronounce my full name? I'd very much like to taste it on your tongue."

The heat shot up Twilight's head like an erupting volcano. She hastily averted her eyes, anywhere but at the innocent smile that Rarity was presenting now. She coughed, barely keeping herself from choking as the metaphorical lava flooded her body, and hundreds of tiny, heat-resistant butterflies began their dance in her stomach.

"R-rarity!"

"Oh my, it seems I misspoke. Pardon", Rarity continued as soon as the coughing fit subsided. "I meant that I would very much like to hear you pronounce it." She paused, her smile growing more innocent, somehow. "Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight hated her sometimes-overactive imagination. The way Rarity carefully pronounced every word together with the "slip-up" Rarity had made earlier gave birth to another thought. Imagine what else she can caress with her tongue...

Another furious blush threatened to overwhelm her, and again she choked on her answer. As she continued squirming, Rarity's expression changed from amusement to concern.

"Twilight! Are you unwell?" She scooted closer, wrapping her forelegs around Twilight's head to stabilize her. "Je suis désolée! Did I tease you too much?"

"Rarity," Twilight managed between coughs, "It's okay. I'm fine." She recoiled when Rarity craned her neck to look her straight in the eyes. A rather undignified whimper made its way past her lips.

Rarity retreated, not removing her hooves with a rather drawn out caress. She still looked a bit worried.

To reassure Rarity that she was not actually sick (just a klutz, and a dork, and totally unable of flirting), she cleared her throat and looked at her hooves.

"Rarity Bell" she said.

Immediately, Rarity tsked at her. "No, no, no. You are not taking this seriously, ma chère. It is not Bell, it is pronounced," she closed her eyes and took a deep, dramatic breath, "Rarity Belle."

Had she had her wits about in that moment, Twilight would have probably noticed the slightly-exaggerated accent. She knew, after all, on a logical level that Rarity could speak like a Canterlot native if she wanted to.

"Rarity Bell", Twilight tried, wincing when Rarity scowled.

"Rarity Belle." Rarity said slowly.

"Rarity Belle."

"Rarity Belle!" The scowl disappeared.

"Rarity Belle!"

"Rarity Belle!" A smile took the place of the scowl.

"Rarity Belle!" Twilight felt elated. Maybe she COULD make Rarity feel the same on hearing her name!

"Rarity... Sparkle!"

"Rarity... Spar..."

Shocked silence.

Twilight looked at Rarity. Gone was the gentle smile, the beautiful, wide sapphire-colored eyes. A deep, sensual smirk had taken its place, prowling beneath half-lidded eyes.

"Bon", Rarity murmured, and this new tone made Twi's body tingle like nothing ever had before. "That will be good preparation. Practice that name. You will need it soon."

Twilight could only stare in breathless anticipation as Rarity leaned closer. Gone was her fear, her worry. There was only Rarity, the heat radiating off her body, the tickle of glorious violet curls, the deep exhales on her body. The rhythmic tone of Rarity's breath made a surge of pure WANT run through her body, hundreds, thousands of times stronger than she had ever known.

And Rarity waited.

Even now, she prowled like a cat. Waiting for the prey to step into its ambush from which it would never escape.

Twilight had been caught months ago. And finally, she knew what she needed to do.

She closed her eyes. Craned her neck upwards, towards the source of the deep breathing noises that nearly drove her mad. Her lips made contact, the curve of Rarity's jaw. Awkwardly, Twilight kissed it. She did not have much practice with kissing, much less like this. But Rarity sighed in pleasure, and turned her muzzle to guide Twilight along, allowing her to move closer, little kisses on the way towards the ultimate goal. Twilight was too scared to do little more than little pecks, but Rarity did not seem to mind.

A hoof came up, finding its way to Twilight's cheek, caressing it. It rubbed little circles, moved further back, towards Twilight's mane, tangling inside. Rarity's head retreated, but her foreleg drew Twilight along, finally making contact where she had desired.

Twilight had kissed someone on the lips before. It was the clumsy experimentation of teenagers. Her and Moondancer had been awkward, but as scientists, they at least wanted to try.

She had not lost her awkwardness in those years. But as she tasted, felt Rarity's lips against hers, she could not care any less if she tried. Even if Rarity retreated now, declared her disgust at Twilight's lack of ability... She would never forget this.

It was all Twilight ever imagined, and then some. Rarity kissed lovingly, languidly and lavishly, every single taste enough to burn itself into Twilight's mind forever. She was kissed, they parted, if just for a breath, but before she could even speak, Rarity was there again. That intoxicating scent of Rarity's perfume, the taste (Stars above, the taste) of her kisses. She would lose her mind, and she would beg Rarity for more. To never again part with this mare she loved more than sun and stars.

The slight tingle on her lips caused her to part them, and soon a new world of feelings opened up to her. As her tongue met Rarity's and she felt the the tingling sensation on her tongue, so strange, so unfamiliar, and yet so exciting and invigorating, sending shudders through her body.

She started out just letting Rarity in control, but she soon grew bolder, as they parted and met again, lips and tongues uniting in a fervor. Twilight let her instincts take over, using Rarity's sighs and little moans as guidance for her own caresses.

And then it ended.

They parted, panting, a short little peck as their parting gift. Rarity did not immediately retreat, instead touching her (shivering) muzzle directly to Twilight's, until they were nose to nose.

"That was..." Rarity began, and Twilight saw a hint of a blush on her cheeks that shot another rush of lava through her veins. She watched helplessly as Rarity stood up, her usually perfect mane disheveled from their actions.

"There... goodness, I did not expect this to..."

Twilight just stared in awe at the usually so composed Rarity stumbling through her sentence like... well, Twilight usually. She wanted to get up, throw herself at Rarity and kiss her and do... things until the end of the week, but her legs informed her that they would not support any movement just yet.

"Rarity..."

Rarity managed a shaky grin, before clearing her throat, flipping her mane, and regaining all the composure a princess should have. “Well! I must be off to my lessons,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at Twilight. “Will you be at the library tonight?”

Twilight nodded, thinking to herself that she’d be anywhere Rarity wanted her to be.

Rarity giggled, trotting off. “Bien. We’ll continue then, ma chère.”

Forever [5/5]

Forever

Twilight Sparkle was only twenty-one years old when her entire world crumbled before her.

Rarity was leaving.

She was leaving for good, back to her kingdom, back to her suitors, back to her life Twilight couldn't be a part of, so far away from Equestria and herself. Wasn't it curious? Wasn't it painfully amusing how things worked, how the wheels turned, how…

How nearly a year she spent with a unicorn she could barely understand had felt so crystal clear, so right, so perfect… And wasn't it curious how the lifetime she'd now have to spend without her felt so confusing, so unclear, so wrong.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The two mares were sitting inside the empty library in complete and utter silence, save for the sound of Rarity's spoon hitting the sides of her tea cup. At any other time, Twilight would have already scolded her for it, but this time, she let Rarity get away with it. She let her get away with it because she'd miss the little clink, she'd miss watching Rarity daintily taste her steaming cup of tea, and she'd miss Rarity insisting she try it.

A week ago, the two mares had been as active as a storm, trying to do as many activities as they possibly could. Visiting the royal gardens, a small boat ride down on the lake, a small unscheduled swim after Rarity 'accidentally' pushed Twilight into it, an unexpected cold after Twilight used her magic to make Rarity join her in the water, a… perfectly nice evening of reading, both cuddled up near a fire and against each other.

But now, on their very last day, it felt like their very first.

The two of them sat in complete silence, barely communicating save for gestures that said more than a thousand words could. Perhaps that was how it was meant to be. A romance that started in silence and would end in the same way.

Unsung, unvalidated, unfulfilled.

Perhaps what stung the most was that there was no way to fight. There was will… There was so much will in Twilight to fight, but her will could not win against the laws of their kingdoms. If only… If only they had been a bit older… Just a few more years when neither would have been tied down by older ponies who thought they knew what was best.

Maybe that was the problem — how their ages had made the entire thing so unexpected.

When Twilight had first met Rarity, she’d seen her as nothing more than a curious, if cheeky and attractive teenaged mare, barely turned nineteen. Twilight was only two years older, but it had been enough for her to feel the duty to teach Rarity the ways of Equestria, and yet instead, Rarity had taught her so much more.

Twilight looked up and gazed at Rarity, like she did so often, for hours on end. Rarity's own gaze was lost in her cup of tea, which she stirred, stirred, stirred, mechanically, thoughtfully, slowly. Her mane was tied in a half-ponytail, and yet enough of it was free to fall over her face, and how beautiful she looked, how gorgeous, how…

Rarity looked up and their eyes met for one, two, three seconds before Twilight looked away. Looked away despite the fact that she could spend hours lost in those eyes, and looked away despite the fact that she felt she could count down the number of times she had left to get lost in them.

"Twilight? Would you like to taste my tea?"

And it was sad.

It was sad that now, now that Twilight was good enough she didn't need a dictionary to know what Rarity asked…

"No, thank you," Twilight replied, shaking her head and still looking at anything but Rarity.

There were three knocks at the door, and when it opened, a guard trotted in.

"Princess Twilight. Princess Rarity." He bowed once for both of them, before continuing: "I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Highnesses, but I've been asked to remind you Princess Rarity must be at the gate in an hour."

"Thank you," Rarity said, her thick accent overflowing in every word. "I will be there when the time comes."

The guard nodded, and when he turned to Twilight, expecting a confirmation, Twilight simply nodded and smiled a bitter smile. She watched as the guard left, watched the door shut close, and then she just kept watching. Watching until she heard the spoon being put down, until she heard hoofsteps, and until she felt Rarity sitting besides her.

"Twilight..."

Twilight closed her eyes, trying to somehow record in her mind the sound of Rarity whispering her name. Was there a spell, perhaps, that would allow her to keep that melody forever within her? To listen on the rainy days when the memory of Rarity would hurt so much that she wouldn't be able to breathe?

In just months… In just months, Rarity had crowned herself the sovereign ruler of Twilight's heart, her soul, her entire being.

"Twilight, look at me."

Twilight did as told, her brow furrowed. As if she was annoyed Rarity's departure was interfering with her plans, with her life, with her happiness, which gods, it was. It was, it w—

Rarity lifted her hoof and traced the contour of Twilight’s face, as if Twilight were a sketchbook and her hoof a pencil. She traced every line, every edge, drawing away every crinkle on Twilight’s forehead, wiping away the frown and then moving her hoof down to Twilight’s mouth. Twilight withheld the urge to kiss it, instead appreciating the sensation of Rarity tracing the thin line between her closed lips, which ended with Rarity turning the line into a sad smile.

“There,” she said, taking back her hoof and smiling softly, “Don’t you think you look nicer that way?”

Twilight didn’t know how to reply, and instead allowed her smile to fade again. Her ears fell down, and she couldn’t stop herself from replying, tears bordering her eyes: “I’m going to miss you.” She would miss her every second, every minute, and every day after she’d left.

She missed her already.

Rarity took a deep breath, almost as if Twilight had taken it away with her confession. But was it really a confession when she had merely voiced what both were thinking? Whatever it was, it was enough for Rarity.

Without another word, she leaned in, not allowing Twilight to process anything until their lips met. And Twilight allowed herself to get lost in it, get lost in what she’d coveted for so long. It was a simple kiss, not deep or rough, but no less passionate, no less loving, no less intense because the intensity no longer rested in the kiss, but the circumstances that led to it.

A spark of her horn, and in the distance, the door was locked, though Rarity didn’t seem to have heard nor did it felt like she’d care if she had. There were no ill-intentions behind the gesture of keeping everypony out save for the desperate attempt to keep up an illusion and a lie.

Maybe, just for an hour or two, she could pretend there was nothing but what existed inside the walls of the library. Twilight could pretend she could stay there forever in her perfect world, with her endless supply of books and the unicorn who was more fascinating than all those books combined, who she loved more than magic, more than books, and more than books on magic.

When the kiss broke, they lingered there for several moments, lips brushing against each other. And then, it was Rarity who reacted, leaning forwards and burying herself against Twilight’s embrace, and Twilight didn’t know what to do or say.

“It’s not fair.”

Twilight agreed, but what could she do? What could she do when this was the life they were born into, where diplomacy and powerful alliances came before the desires of two young mares who had no say in their lives.

“I promise I’ll be back,” Rarity said, and Twilight could hear the tears in her voice, “A few more years.”

A few more years, when Rarity's younger sister would be of age to take over the throne and give Rarity complete freedom. Twilight would wait, of course, but three years was… three years was a lifetime in the life of young mares, of princesses courted endlessly day after day. Three years, but all it would take was one look from a mare or stallion to keep Rarity away from Twilight, and to end any desire to return to Equestria.

“I love you,” Twilight whispered, helplessly so, not a confession, not a statement, but a helpless plea for Rarity to never fall in love with another now that she knew of Twilight’s feelings.

“Twilight, I—”

Another three knocks at the door, and Rarity was never able to finish her reply.

~~~

Nobles of all kinds were gathered at the gate, everypony trying to get the last glimpse at the foreign princess that had stolen the heart of many with her charms and kindness, with her wit and beauty. From Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to the lowest of the servants, everypony waved as Rarity climbed onto her carriage, a brilliant but sad smile gracing her lips.

The only servant who had not gone to the farewell event was the head librarian, who had many books to sort and little time to do so. Though, it was an excuse, really. An excuse to keep company to the youngest of the Equestrian princesses, still seated at the same table where two cups of tea lay cold and unfinished.

SIX MONTHS

Twilight Sparkle was two months away from turning twenty-two when her healing heart was wounded again.

For what felt like the longest time, her letters were the one thing Twilight looked forwards to every month. It felt like an endless wait, watching the royal mailpony deliver letters each and every day, until he'd approach Twilight with a letter marked with the seal of Rarity’s kingdom.

Rarity would write pages and pages for Twilight, from the most mundane of things to how she missed Equestria terribly. Twilight would return the favor with pages and pages of her daily life, of what’d she done, and how terribly she missed Rarity.

She’d reread and reread Rarity’s letter, waiting for the day one of them finally announced her return, and yet, one terrible day, the opposite came.

She knew something was wrong when the letter that arrived was not written by Rarity, but by her parents. It seemed that the royal princess was spending far too much time fantasizing about Equestria and its princess, and not nearly enough time fantasizing about her own kingdom and her many, many suitors. This would not do, the letter had said, since Rarity is meant to take the throne, and she must think of her kingdom, not yours.

We hope you understand, they said, every word tearing through Twilight, that young love is fleeting. We are grateful for the experiences you gave to her, but the path in both your lives is not the one you two seem to believe it is. We’re sure Princess Celestia would tell you the same.

Please understand, Twilight read, the words imprinted in her mind, that Rarity will not be writing to you again, and we ask that you do the same.

Twilight closed the letter, tears dripping down her eyes and onto the table. She opened her drawer and placed it inside, breathing in and out for as long as it took for the pain to stop. Once it did, she looked towards the stack of letters and saw another one with a painfully familiar calligraphy.

She took it in her magic, and she realized Rarity’s letter had been delayed and had been written before her parents sent theirs. For all intents and purposes, Twilight Sparkle held before her the last letter she would ever receive from Rarity.

With a heavy heart, Twilight placed the unopened letter alongside the one from Rarity’s parents, closed the drawer and left the room.

She would never know what were Rarity’s last words to her.

FIRST YEAR

Everypony was acting weird that day, and Twilight couldn’t figure out why.

During breakfast, certain nobleponies kept glancing towards her, some searching her curiously, as if expecting some kind of reaction from her. Others looked at her with something she could only describe as pity or compassion, and would offer sad smiles when she looked their way.

She knew she’d slept in late and had no doubt missed the morning announcements, but what could have possibly been announced that warranted such looks?

“Spike?” she asked, turning to the dragon who’d been so unusually silent the entire morning. “Why is everyone looking at us?”

Spike kept eating, staring at his cereal without bothering to look at Twilight. It almost felt like he was avoiding meeting her gaze.

“I don’t know,” he said shortly. “Maybe they’re just surprised you’re up early or something.”

Twilight frowned and turned back to her own food, still very much aware of the piercing stares surrounding her. She tried to think of what could have happened, but instead, she was overcome with memories of her.

It certainly wasn’t an unusual event since Twilight thought of Rarity almost every day, but for some reason, more than an idle thought, it felt like a bad omen. As if Rarity was at the source of the stares, of the compassionate smiles, of the unease starting to plague Twilight.

An unease that did not lessen throughout the rest of the day, and in fact only got stronger and stronger with each passing hour. Ponies kept throwing glances at her, and it frustrated her endlessly that not a single one told her or hinted at why they were all doing it.

If Rarity were there, she’d have already weaseled it out of somepony.

If Rarity were here…

But she wasn't.

“Twilight? Are you sure you don’t want to skip this meeting? It’ll be very boring.”

Twilight looked up from her papers and towards the other princesses seated around the table. It took her a moment to realize it was Cadance who’d spoken, and she was surprised to see the Princess of the Crystal Empire giving her the exact same look everypony else had.

Pity. Compassion.

Why?

“Why would I skip it? This is my job,” Twilight pointed out, disconcerted both by the question and the look.

Every week, the four of them would gather to discuss the pressing issues regarding the kingdom, as well as discussing any international news of relevance. Though Twilight hadn’t any political power yet, her training under Celestia required her to attend such meetings, and Cadance should have known as much.

Cadance looked unconvinced. “Yes, but—”

“Twilight” Celestia interrupted, gentle voice and gentle smile, “I believe Cadance is right. Why don’t you go to the library? I’d like to speak with you later about a different matter, but you might need to do some research.”

“No,” Twilight replied, because she already knew the answer to all the stares lied in what the others wanted her to miss. “I mean, no, thank you, Princess, but I’d like to stay and listen, please.”

Celestia protested no further. “News Quill, shall we start?” she said instead to the unicorn sitting on the other side of the table, her eyes still firmly planted on her increasingly uncomfortable student.

“Er, yes, Princess Celestia,” News Quill said, straightening his glasses, clearing his throat and looking at his scrolls. “Right, so, in national news—”

“No,” Celestia interrupted. “Why don’t we start with international news first?”

International news? thought Twilight, her stomach sinking.

“Er… yes, yes,” News Quill blurted out, quickly rifling through his scrolls for the appropriate ones. Once he’d found them, he cleared his throat and continued, “Right, er, so, in international news… We have the newly forged alliance between the Saddle Arabian Empire and the French Equine Kingdom.”

Twilight felt her heart drop, action which was not alleviated by how uncomfortable Cadance now looked. “An alliance?” she asked, trying to reassure herself that it meant nothing harmful to her or Rarity or whatever they had left. “Through a treaty? I remember the king and queen were very interested in commercial alliances with the Saddle Arabian Empire.”

“Er, no, Princess… It wasn’t through a treaty,” News Quill said, and suddenly he looked uncomfortable too. “It seems that… the monarchs of both countries have agreed upon engaging the eldest princess of the French Equine Kingdom with the oldest of the Saddle Arabian Empire princes.”

“Oh.”

Oh.

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle understood why everypony had been different towards her. Suddenly, she understood why silence fell after News Quill had finished speaking, why Cadance and Luna were looking at anything but her, and why Celestia was the only one strong enough to hold Twilight’s gaze and smile.

Not with pity or compassion, but with a tacit encouragement to be strong and move on.

SECOND YEAR AND FOUR MONTHS

The Grand Galloping Gala was an event Twilight Sparkle didn’t much care for. For most of her life, it had always been the same routine: entertain nobles, smile at nobles, politely reject nobles, and wander around when neither of the other princesses were there to talk with. There had ever been only one memorable Gala, and now the memory of it was a bitter one because no matter how much she wished, Rarity wouldn’t suddenly be there like she had that fateful day.

From atop the grand staircase, Twilight gazed at the crowd, trying to will herself into trotting down and joining it. She noticed Spike in the distance, gleefully touring some nobles around. She was painfully reminded of the sole time she’d given a tour of the castle to ponies she didn’t remember because she was too busy paying attention to the beautiful unicorn who could barely speak English.

It had been two years and four months already since Rarity had left, and though Twilight’s heart had already started to heal, it didn’t mean the memories still didn’t hurt sometime. Cadance had asked her to have fun at the ball. Maybe you’ll meet somepony, she’d said, even if it's just for a little while.

Eventually, with that in mind, Twilight made her way down the stairs, trying her best to remember to have fun and help the guests. Maybe she’d help Spike with his tour, too.

And then she saw her.

It was a force of habit to look to where Twilight had first met Rarity, and she couldn’t help but stare when she saw a beautiful unicorn mare standing in the same spot, looking just as lost and forlorn as Rarity had. For a second, it was so easy to imagine it was Rarity. It was so easy to see the grey unicorn there, and to feel almost compelled to trot over and introduce herself.

The mare suddenly looked up and her gaze crossed paths with Twilight’s. They looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, until the mare suddenly smiled, beckoning her over in the same way Rarity had.

Was Twilight brave enough to go? Was she brave enough to do it all again? Was she brave enough to let somepony in and risk having them leave?

Twilight smiled back at her, taking the last steps down the stairs before looking away and going into the crowd, away from the unknown mare and what could have been. Away from the memories and, finally, away from the lingering memories of Rarity.

THIRD YEAR

Twilight Sparkle was twenty-three years old when she met Rarity again.

It had started with a request from the Saddle Arabian - French Equine couple to visit Equestria. Twilight had wanted to know none of it, and the only thing she knew and cared for was that they still weren’t wed. Besides that, she didn’t know who was coming, when they were coming, and what was the name of the stallion who’d taken Rarity away.

She felt betrayed at first. Betrayed by Celestia who’d accepted to house them in the castle, and betrayed, murdered, destroyed by Rarity herself, who dared keep her promise by coming back with… with…

An angry shove, and several dozen letters landed inside a trashcan. Letters Rarity had once written to Twilight, letters Twilight had written but never sent, along with silly messages Twilight had kept from when drawings were their most common way of communication. The only thing she did not throw away was Rarity’s last letter, which still lay unopened and would probably stay that way once it joined the others in the trash.

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, both out of anger and sadness and frustration. She was supposed to be over Rarity. She was supposed to have moved on, so then why did it hurt so much? Why did it hurt to know Rarity and her fiance would be arriving later that day, and why did it hurt that the entire castle was preparing for their arrival, and why did it hurt that they’d be staying in the same castle, in the same room, cuddled together under—

“It’s not fair,” she said.

“It’s not fair!” she yelled, to whoever would listen, to herself and to Rarity, wherever she was.

But no pony replied save for a solitary meow. Crépuscule, the only last link she had between that world and the new one, jumped up onto the desk and rubbed himself against Twilight, as if trying to console her, comfort her, express that he too shared her pain, and he too missed their Rarity.

Where was the Rarity from years ago, who had made Twilight feel like there was no one else in the world but them? Why wasn’t she there to tell Twilight it was all a bad dream, and all she had to do was wake up? Wake up and be the love-sick twenty year old spending her days with the most beautiful and kind and generous mare she could ever hope to love?

Twilight took the letter in her magic, ready to throw it in with the others, but she found she couldn’t do so. How could she when those were the last words of a Rarity that still loved her? Perhaps she no longer owed anything to the Rarity about to arrive to the castle, but she at least owed it to the Rarity that had once loved her, didn’t she?

~~~

The young couple had already arrived.

Twilight knew there’d be talk about how she had not been there to greet them, but the fact that Celestia had not yet arrived to scold her meant she had been allowed to try and avoid Rarity as much as she could.

She breathed in and out, feeling somewhat at peace inside her beloved library. There was nothing there save for her books and Miss Feather Duster, quietly arranging books as Twilight busied herself with gathering the courage to read the sealed letter lying on the table in front of her.

She could hear the bustle outside, the entire castle no doubt busy helping the guest couple inside the castle. A spark of magic shot out of her horn, and suddenly, all the sounds from the outside stopped, and Twilight sighed.

“Princess Twilight, you can’t stay here forever,” Feather Duster reminded.

No, but she could try.

Twilight took the letter, intent on opening it, but…

But that book over there looked far more interesting. And so she read it, and then another, and another because she found she was afraid. Afraid of finding out Rarity’s last words to her, and perhaps it was better to never know them. That way, she could make them out to be whatever she wanted.

She could pretend the letter was an explanation of Rarity marrying that stallion simply as a way to please her parents, and she’d later divorce him and run back to Twilight. She could pretend the letter was an intricate plot that her beloved drama-queen had orchestrated, where she would dramatically declare she did not love the groom just as they walked to the altar. She could pretend an endless amount of excuses were in that letter, justifications that would somehow prove Rarity still loved Twilight.

There were three knocks at the door.

“Princess Twilight?”

Twilight looked up from her book, and when she glanced at the window, she noticed the sun was setting. How long had she been reading? How long had she been avoiding Rarity and her fiance? How much longer could she continue to do so?

“Princess Twilight, you’re requested at the Grand Banquet Hall…”

Twilight didn’t reply.

Maybe, if she didn’t reply, they’d just go away. Maybe they’d go away, and Rarity would get the hint, and Twilight would be left alone.

Please, she thought, and she felt tears coming up, Please leave me alone.

“Princess Twilight?”

Without warning, a magic that was not her own closed her book. Twilight blinked at it before turning around and finding Feather Duster standing next to her, a sad smile on her lips.

“Come now, child,” she said gently, taking the book away. “It’s time.”

Twilight gulped down and looked away, blinking back tears. How she wished her Rarity was there to comfort her. With a very heavy and broken heart, Twilight got up and called, “I’m coming, Light Shield. Thank you.”

The trot to the Grand Banquet Hall had felt eternal to Twilight. It felt like every step had been dragged down by the weight on her soul and heart. She didn’t want to see Rarity. She didn’t know she could even handle seeing her in the forearms of another.

And it certainly didn’t help to hear the gossip making its round through the castle.

“Oh, the castle certainly had missed her!” a maid had said, unaware of Twilight walking past her. “And did you hear her English? Her accent is nearly perfect now!”

“How long do you think they’ll stay?” the other maid replied. “I hope they stay more than a week!"

Maybe, if I’m lucky, they’ll only stay five hours more, Twilight bitterly thought. She was happy to hear Rarity’s accent was near perfect, since that meant at least Twilight wouldn’t be endeared by her anymore. No more giggling at Rarity's desperate attempts to sound Equestrian.

Twilight turned around the corner, and in the distance, she saw the two big red doors, more intimidating than they’d ever seemed. Two guards were posted outside, and when they saw her, their expression changed from stoic to happy — elated even.

She didn’t understand why.

However, just as fast, they went back to stoic.

Why? What was that split-second smile? Did they expect her to celebrate Rarity’s marriage? Were they happy about it, even though it was they who had caught Rarity and Twilight sneaking around the castle way past curfew? Had Twilight’s own guards turned against her?

Twilight trotted towards them, making sure to frown and show her displeasure. In a way, she was actually grateful for it, since her confusion at their actions had been enough to distract her and make her forget why she’d come in the first place.

“Princess Twilight,” one of them said, bowing down to her.

“Everypony’s inside, Princess,” the other said, equally bowing down.

Twilight didn’t reply. Instead, she breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, pushing away the desire to turn around and bolt the other way. She was almost about to do it, too, but the option was taken away from her when one of the guards opened the door first, forcing Twilight to step inside the room.

The Banquet Hall was filled to the brim with all sorts of nobleponies, conversing away and eating the delicacies waiters carted around on trays. Even so, this didn’t stop several of them from quieting down and looking at Twilight, almost as if waiting to see the spectacle that was sure to come. With great difficulty, she made her way through the crowd and towards the end of the room, where she expected the soon-to-be royal couple were seated.

As she trotted by, ponies would move out of the way, and she hated that they did so. She hated that everypony knew what it meant to her, and she hated how they were making it into a big deal. Why couldn’t they let her take the long and slow path, not the direct and painful one?

Eventually, she reached the end of the hall, and was proven right. Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadance were seated at a table, and in between the three of them were the infamous new couple.

Twilight Sparkle felt sick.

Her eyes landed on the stallion first. He had all the makings of a Saddle Arabian prince. A long muzzle, deep green eyes, and lustrous brown coat, and a gentle smile. But, more than that, and what hurt the most, was the love Twilight could see in his eyes. He was smitten, love-struck, completely enamoured by the mare besides him, and Twilight was scared to look at her for fear of finding that same expression on her face.

But, as Feather Duster had said, it was time.

Twilight finally looked to the side, and just like she’d expected, she found the same love-struck, smitten expression on the beautiful mare with an equally beautiful crown atop her head. It was like there was no one else in the room but him and her. It was an expression Twilight herself had directed at Rarity, and an expression she’d seen on Rarity years ago.

Twilight should have been devastated to find that expression on the mare, but she wasn’t.

Mostly because that wasn’t Rarity.

“Oh, Twilight!” Celestia said, waving and beckoning her towards them.

Twilight did as told, still staring at the mare and the prince with a very confused expression. The couple immediately stood up when she reached them, and both seemed very pleased to be in her presence.

“Twilight, this is Prince Silk Saddle,” Celestia said, gesturing towards the young prince, who immediately bowed to Twilight in reply.

“Princess Twilight, it’s an honor,” he greeted, offering her a brilliant smile when he straightened himself up.

“…Yeah,” Twilight said eloquently.

Celestia then gestured to the young mare, who was grinning at Twilight like a child. “And this is Princess Sweetie Belle. I’m sure you’ve heard of her,” she said. She then smiled widely and added, “It seems there's been a very recent change! It's the youngest princess who's set to be wed. The Royal Saddle Arabian family visited the French Equine Kingdom months ago, and they tell me that they were such a match, their parents decided to wed them rather than the elders!”

“Princess Twilight, I’ve really been looking forwards to meeting you,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you! I was hoping to have met you earlier, but Princess Celestia told us you were busy…”

“I… I…”

Twilight didn’t know what to say. Did… Did that mean…

“Her entire family came along,” Princess Celestia continued. “I think the King and Queen are lingering near the refreshments.”

Her entire family…?

Twilight looked away, her mind almost blank. “Oh…” she said, turning back to Sweetie Belle. She looked around, searching for the one pony missing, but found her nowhere.

“I’d really love to talk to you,” Sweetie Belle continued. “I want to get to know you since we might be…” She drifted off and then giggled in such a way it almost looked like she were five years old. “Sisters-in-law.”

Sisters-in-law…?

“Speaking of sisters,” Prince Silk said, looking around, “where did yours run off to, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know!” Sweetie exclaimed, still staring at Twilight and giggling like a child. “I think she went looking for somepony~!”

Celestia smiled devilishly at the shocked mare. “Twilight, could you please go look for her? She must be either in her bedroom or the library.”

Twilight dumbly nodded.

“And if she’s in the bedroom, do try not to take too long, alright?” she added cheekily, eliciting a gasp and even more giggles from the younger princess.

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight replied, still too stunned to even react to Celestia’s teasing.

Without another word, Twilight turned around and trotted off, past the crowd of gawking ponies and past the door and into the hallway. She heard the doors closing behind her and then her trotting turned into a full-blown gallop, past ponies, past hallways and towards the bedroom that had been empty for three years.

When she reached it, she was surprised to find the door slightly ajar, and though her first instinct was to barge in, she politely knocked instead and waited. Waited, and waited, and waited, until she couldn’t wait anymore and barged in anyways.

For the past three years, that bedroom had been empty and completely similar to the thousand other guest rooms scattered across the castle. But now, though it was still empty of Rarity, it was not empty of her presence.

Twilight stepped inside, and she wondered briefly if she’d been sent four or five years into the past. The scent of perfume wafted through the air, and the bed and chairs had been covered with clothes and personal belongings.

She’s here, Twilight thought, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

But more than that… Twilight looked at the amount of clothes and personal belongings; at the amount of suitcases spread across the room; at the clothes already hung inside the closet, and Twilight realized that Rarity had not packed for a few days, and perhaps not even for a few months.

She’d packed for much, much longer than that.

When she left the room, Twilight didn’t feel the need to gallop anymore. There was no need to rush because she had all the time in the world now. She trotted towards the library at a leisurely pace, smiling at the ponies she went past as if everything was finally right because it was, it was, it was.

Except then she reached the library, and she found she was suddenly very nervous again. What if Rarity had changed drastically in the past years? Or what if Twilight had changed? What if they weren't compatible anymore? Twilight didn't feel like she'd changed much, but Rarity…

"Your Highness, will you please put him out?" Feather Duster's voice came through the slightly open door. "You know animals are not allowed in here!"

"Now, Feather, this is my cat, and I haven't seen him in three years!" another voice replied in a near-perfect accent. "Besides, the poor dear is lost without me! Don't look at me like that! You know you missed me~!"

"I won't anymore if he so much as leaves a scratch on any of my books!"

Bracing herself, Twilight slowly opened the door, looked inside and reflected on how amazing it was that Rarity still took her breath away.

Rarity was standing near one of the bookcases, curiously perusing a book while the tabby cat purred itself away in her forelegs. It was staggering, breath-taking how beautiful she looked, and more than that, how… different she looked. Whatever was left of Rarity's teenage years had disappeared completely, replaced instead with the maturity and elegance that came not only with growing up, but with having one's heart-broken.

Twilight felt like she'd fallen in love all over again.

Rarity placed the book back in the bookshelf, and though she seemed intent on speaking again, no words left her lips once her eyes landed on the Princess of Equestria. It felt like they stared at each other for endless hours, until her expression softened, putting the cat back down on the floor, and lifting her hoof, beckoning Twilight to her.

"You should have seen Princess Twilight," Feather Duster said, her voice filling the library at the same time as Twilight quietly made her way towards her princess. "Poor thing missed you terribly."

Upon reaching Rarity, Twilight sat down in front of her, the intensity of her gaze contrasting Rarity's own soft gaze. Missed you terribly… It was true, wasn't it? And even if it had turned out Rarity was to be wed, Twilight would still continue to miss her, and love her, and want her.

"Did she? Only that?" Rarity asked, softly, only loud enough for Duster to hear wherever she was. As she spoke, she lifted her hoof and traced the contour of Twilight's face, and heavens, how Twilight had missed her caresses. Finally, she dropped her hoof and leaned in, her lips brushing against Twilight's lips. "I thought I'd die without her."

Twilight leaned in, pressing their lips together, because she didn't want words anymore, didn't want to hear, she just wanted to feel, to be vividly aware that she was not dreaming, and that Rarity was there to stay, stay, stay.

When they broke apart, they allowed their lips to linger together, neither one paying attention to Feather Duster speaking in the distance.

"I apologize, my darling," Rarity said. "Were you waiting long?"

And Twilight nodded, leaning in to kiss her beloved once more, because, oh heavens, she'd have waited decades, centuries, millenias for Rarity.

"So, Princess, how long will you be staying with us this time?" Feather Duster asked, and before Rarity could even reply, Twilight did, loud and clear for everypony to hear.

"Forever."

Fin

Author's Note

Hello, this was the chapter I had in my google docs for MONTHS AND MONTHS, which I wanted so desperately to post I had to write three other stories.

My love for this AU is truly unmatched.