The moon was high, shedding a ghostly white light all around Ponyville. The Summer Sun Celebration had turned—after an afternoon sleep for the entire town—into another party to celebrate the moon and her mistress' return to Equestria. Pinkie had been beside herself, drafting a small army of cooks and bakers to put together a second night's worth of party food.

Twilight knew about it all because she had been in the thick of it. Her horn was still a little touchy after helping Pinkie Pie with her baking. The evening was still bright, and though most of the town was making merry, Twilight sat with her mentor in the library.

There had been a minor explosion when Pinkie had found out a tea cake was needed for Princess Celestia's evening tete-a-tete with Twilight. Nonetheless, a very special square-loafed cake sat on the plate between teacher and student, and when Celestia first sliced into the cake with a knife, it revealed a distinctive checker pattern.

Taking care of the tea while her mentor served the cake, Twilight poured two black teas, adding a dash of honey to each to bring the sweetness up just a little.

"Your armor served you well, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia sipped the tea and gave a delighted smile—Twilight knew just how she took it. "And your training."

Slipping a look to where her field plate sat, Twilight tried a piece of cake first. She was immediately distracted from both the question and her armor. The cake was perfect, the mixed pink and vanilla sponge dancing over her tongue. It wasn't until the first piece was just a memory until she remembered the question. "Th-Thank you, Your Hig—" Twilight froze at Celestia's suddenly raised eyebrow.

"I know having all your friends bow and call me by title might have some effect on you, Twilight, but please just call me Celestia." It was perhaps too familiar, but Celestia didn't care. When Twilight saved her from the dark prison Nightmare Moon had thrust her into, she had almost felt the need to bow before her student. "Which brings up another, more interesting question." Twilight nodded to the instructions, and was just getting her teacup to her lips when Celestia continued. "You are not a stallion, Twilight Sparkle, not unless you wish to be."

"I know!" Twilight almost lost her cup as she exclaimed loudly. "It was a misunderstanding, then Pinkie thought it was a great joke…"

"But now?" Celestia prompted Twilight when the unicorn seemed reluctant to continue.

Twilight's tea found its target and slid across her taste buds. "Now it is complicated. I have friends who stood up to a mon—" Her words cut off sharply. "They helped me stand up against Nightmare Moon. I begged them to let me go alone and… and it would have been a disaster if they had.

"And when I say complicated… You didn't see what happened. We were all burning with our elements, and Nightmare Moon asked me why I was acting like a stallion." Twilight was paraphrasing, but the core of the question was maintained. "They thought she was trying to insult me, they defended me!

"I want to tell them, but it seems to be getting harder by the hour." Hanging her head, Twilight looked down into her teacup. "I don't even know how it started!"

"I can help there." Princess Celestia reached across the table with her hoof. "You are a pretty mare, Twilight Sparkle, but you are not pretty in the modern sense. You carry yourself with confidence—not only in your magic, but also physically—you have developed yourself to a point where a lot of stallions would be envious of your strength, and your time yelling back on the practice field has filled out your voice a little."

"Really?" Twilight looked back over her shoulder, examining the stocky body she had developed over years working in the guard. "I don't… is that really it?"

"There is more. The way you look at ponies, Twilight, you judge them in a way that could be mistaken for a stallion examining a pretty mare." Celestia had to raise her hoof a little to forestall comment. "But do you know what makes it convincing?" Twilight could barely nod. "When you open up, and I think your new friends have seen this, you make yourself more pretty still. Combined with their perceptions, they think you are a most kind stallion."

Twilight turned back and gaped at Princess Celestia. "Wait, uh…" She tried to come up with a way to phrase her question, but in the end shook her head. "What do you mean, Princess?"

"If you didn't see the way Rarity glances at you, the way Rainbow Dash always watches you leave, or the way Applejack blushes every time you show off your strength in the slightest; then you are not as perceptive as I thought you were." Celestia kept her tone light.

"So AyJay… Dash… Rari…" Twilight's world wavered around the edges, and she lost her magical grip on her teacup completely. "Are you saying all my friends have a crush on me?" The words were spoken in a whisper as she watched her teacup hover, supported by golden magic.

"I am not completely sure about Fluttershy." Celestia chuckled behind her hoof carefully. "She blushes no matter who is speaking. But of the others I am sure they would like to see more in you than friend, if…" She left the word hanging.

"If what?" Twilight looked to her mentor in desperation, but their conversation was cut short by a knock at the library's doors. "Come in!" Standing up Twilight started to turn towards the door, but a pink pony collided into her and wrapped her forelegs tightly around Twilight's neck. "Pinkie?!"

"Twilight!" Bubbling with excitement, Pinkie didn't notice Princess Celestia as she stormed up and hugged her fillyfriend. "I had just one more thing to do before midnight!" Without another word, Pinkie Pie pressed her lips to Twilight's.

Shock led to surprise, which led to more shock and surprise, and finally Twilight felt herself relax. Pinkie's lips were as warm and inviting as their first kiss, and she felt her eyes fluttering a little until they closed. Pinkie was more than eager to lead the kiss, and was making little nuzzles and sucking sounds as she tried to devour Twilight's mouth completely.

When Twilight finally gave in and started kissing back, almost matching Pinkie's passion, she surprised herself when she put one foreleg around Pinkie's neck and pulled her closer. The world, the night, even Princess Celestia's presence faded as Twilight held Pinkie Pie close, and each expressed absolute delight with the other again and again.

Celestia watched until the embrace deepened, then she found the cake a lot more interesting. Sipping at her tea, she did her best to ignore the happy little sounds coming from both the other mares in the room. At last, she heard the pair break apart, two giggles the first sign that the kiss had ended.

Twilight stared into Pinkie's eyes. Cerulean swirls around pupils so deep that anypony could get lost in them, stared back at Twilight. She let out another giggle and ran her tongue around her mouth—tasting cider. "What's all this about?"

"It's midnight, silly." Pinkie lifted her hoof and booped Twilight's nose. "So the game is up. You can tell everypony that you are a mare—I really want to see that, by the way—and you aren't my coltfriend anymore." She gave a sad little sigh, some bounce leaving her mane.

The sadness Twilight saw—that appeared worse now that Twilight knew how happy Pinkie could be—ripped at her heart. "Pinkie…" It wasn't real. none of it was real. It was just a silly gag to play on our friends, as Twilight thought the words, she realized how hurtful they would sound out loud—and how wrong.

"It was fun while it lasted, Twilig—" Pinkie froze and stared ahead in shock. Warmth was back on her lips, and she felt Twilight's smile press against her. She couldn't help returning it. She makes me smile, Pinkie thought, sadly.

Parting their lips just enough to talk, Twilight looked deep into Pinkie's eyes. "That gag is over, but why don't we start a new one?" Twilight rolled her hoof in the air. "This is the other way around, okay?"

"I get to be the stallion?" Pinkie tilted her head to the side. "Sorry Twilight, I don't think these hips will let me pull that off." She gestured back to her rump. Confused Pinkie might be now, but she wasn't sad. She sensed Twilight was about to say something she would really like.

"No, I don't think you could." Twilight glanced briefly at the hips in question, and when she looked back to Pinkie's face, Pinkie was grinning widely. "I was thinking that this time you pretend I am a stallion, and I will keep my trap shut about it."

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and tilted her head a little. "And what about being coltfriend and fillyfriend?"

Leaning forward, Twilight kissed the tip of Pinkie's nose. "That goes without saying." She pulled Pinkie into a hug, nuzzling Pinkie's cheek. "At least, we will see how it all goes. Maybe… maybe we could be fillyfriend and fillyfriend, if the first bit doesn't work out."

A giggle and the rapid clopping of forehooves shattered the intimate moment, and both Pinkie and Twilight slowly turned, not pulling apart from their hug more than necessary. Pinkie Pie gaped at the presence of Princess Celestia, while Twilight was more mortified than she had ever been in her life.

"Wait." Celestia spoke the word firmly, just as both mares snapped their mouths open. She stood up and walked across to the pair, her eyes holding even Pinkie's full attention and denying them permission to speak just with her presence. She sat before the two ponies, spread her wings, and hugged them. "I think we are done with this little meeting, Twilight has certainly answered the question I wanted to ask." She gave Pinkie Pie a wink.

Before either mare could reply, Celestia turned to Twilight. "Pinkie Pie is a very special mare, Twilight. Take good care of her." She gave each mare a squeeze, stood up, and walked from the room in a stately manner.

"P-P-Princess C-Celestia was there the whole time?" Dismay racked Twilight, and she stared at Pinkie. "She knows about—" Her words cut off when Pinkie kissed her nose. Blinking a few times, Twilight closed her snout and took a deep breath.

Pinkie giggled at Twilight's antics. "That's better. Now… where were we?" She titled her head and looked up, as if reading a giant script taped to the ceiling of the library, which is how Twilight surprised her with another kiss. Oh, that's right! Pinkie thought, happily.

Indulging in little nuzzles rather than going for another tongue-dive, Pinkie was surprised when Twilight took the initiative. It was easy to melt against the bigger mare, to let Twilight's touch wipe away thoughts.

Twilight broke the kiss and grinned. "Like that?"

"Better." Pinkie lifted a hoof up to her lips and brushed them slowly. "But you could work more on being… well, in taking charge of the kiss." To demonstrate, Pinkie grabbed Twilight and twirled the bigger mare around, and Pinkie took the pose of stallion for her own. "Like this."

Twilight felt the hoof at the back of her neck curl, forcing her face forward so that she was made to kiss Pinkie's soft lips. The view of Pinkie's face, outlined by the ceiling of Sugarcube Corner, faded as Twilight's eyes fluttered closed.

"See?" Pinkie reversed the twist and set Twilight back on her hooves. "You sure are lucky I like you so much."

" 'Like'?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Just like? Or 'like'-like?"

"Like-like." Sparing Twilight a look that could make bricks smolder, Pinkie struck a pose. "Now, where were we… Oh right! I am literally the best kisser in town!" She gave a firm nod. "Nine out of ten stallions in Ponyville agree."

"What?" The line sounded so corny to Twilight that she tilted her head a little. "Nine out of ten?"

"She is." Mr. Cake walked from the back room to the counter, put down a tray of cakes and left again.

"M-M-Mister Cake?!" Twilight turned from the stallion who had just left, looking Pinkie in her wide-grinning face. "But… But… What about Missus Cake?"

"He's right, she is a great kisser." Cup Cake came in with the next batch of muffins, setting the tray beside the first. It was all she could do to keep her face straight until she got to the kitchen again.

Pinkie giggled and winked to Mrs' Cake, and got a returned wink. "Twilight, you are so cute when you are confused." She kissed Twilight on her confused nose, then changed targets and aimed for her mouth.

Twilight's brain had finally restarted, and came back to the awareness that she was being kissed. Her eyes opened, focused on Pinkie, and she leaned hungrily into the kiss. Pressing forward so that Pinkie was tilting her head up, Twilight followed her new "teacher"s orders as best she could.

"Not as good as you, dear." Carrot kissed Cup when his wife returned to the kitchen. All they had heard all morning was Twilight talking to Pinkie while Pinkie worked. Slowing down their employee definitely entitled them to a little harmless payback.

Author's Note

Ask Princess Celestia: What was it like having a protege who was phenomenally gifted at magic, trained with the Royal Guard... and yet somehow still managed to avoid developing social skills?

"Twilight has plenty of social skills." Celestia rolled her eyes—only one was visible of course—in a candid moment of expression. "Where do I start? She won the belching contest in her unit for three months running. She excels at greeting nearly anypony... with a spear.

"There was one thing, however. I actually managed to teach her how to pour tea. Can you imagine that? Something that didn't involve being around stallions..." It was clear Celestia was possessed of her full share of droll humor today.

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

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