1 The InvitationView OnlineTwilight's Dawning1 The InvitationPrincess Celestia stood before one of the windows in her apartment, looking out over the gardens within the Royal Castle. Rivulets of rain ran in zig-zag patterns down the pane, beyond which she could discern myriad oblique streaks across the otherwise magnificent vista, betraying the severity of the rainstorm that had engulfed Canterlot on that late afternoon. It was sufficiently dark outside that she could see as much out through the glass as she could see reflected inwards, and although she was looking through the curtain of rain into the garden below, she saw at the same time as much of her own sad reflection weighed down by her crown of office. Eternity can feel like a long time, she mused. She could allow her mind to drift back through the centuries, to the different personalities that had shaped the Court and the lands beyond; those who had excelled as leaders, artists, inventors and all the other talents that had combined to make Equestria great. There had also been friends; so many good and trusted ponies from all three tribes, all of whom she tried to honour and remember in her own way. However, time had inevitably taken its toll and she felt she was doing a disservice to those whom she no longer remembered, their numbers growing year on year. She could imagine addressing any one of dozens of different gatherings through the ages and would have been perfectly at ease picking up where she had left off ten years ago, one hundred years ago or one thousand years ago like it was just this morning. Where had the time gone? How much more of the road upon which she was walking would have to unwind before she could see the end? Mortal ponies had a finite span denoted by youth, maturity and decline, and although accepted by all, its very inevitability ensured that it was not a preoccupation to many. It was nonetheless an omnipresent feature of reality; their reality, not hers. She had presided over sending ponies to war in past generations to fight for what all shared and took for granted today. They had gone willingly, motivated by the vision of a better life to come once they had overthrown whichever despot or tyrant had threatened Equestria at that time; but how many had been lost and never shared in the fruits of their sacrifice? How many of them did she remember? The answer saddened her. This burden was hers to bear and it hung heavy. This was a dark train of thought and she knew she must break away, but allowed herself a few more moments to stare absent-mindedly into the window as some of the faces from her past presented themselves to her. As she focused, one face in particular became especially clear to her; the teal eyes and blue coat belonging to one who wore a similar crown and carried her own burden; the only other pony in Equestria who could ever truly understand the twin pressures of both office and immortality. “Good afternoon, Sister” said the blue alicorn reverently “I did announce myself at the doorway, but you did not hear.” “That’s quite alright Luna” replied the Sun Princess in a whisper, feeling the warmth of her sister’s body beside her. “Are you looking at the weather, Sister?” asked the younger sibling. “Just thinking” she answered in a faraway voice. “I understand” said Luna, giving her sister an affectionate nuzzle and pausing for a moment in silence to share in an unstated sisterly bond. “Come” said Celestia, breaking out of her maudlin reverie “There will be affairs to which we must attend.” “Sister, wait” implored Luna gently “Is there perhaps something else on your mind? You have been brooding much recently.” “Nothing but time hanging heavily on an old mare” she sighed resignedly. “Twas the same for me too Sister until I found love once more” observed her sibling. “Are you proposing that I take a lover?” enquired Celestia “Because even if our love were to last the lifetime of my suitor, it would be but a flash in my existence and I would inevitably have to watch over them as they took their last breath.” “That is no reason to deny yourself” soothed Luna “The night sky would be but a blank canvas without the individual stars, but once they are added it becomes a creation of great beauty. Your sky has been empty for far too long, Sister.” “Then how shall I know who genuinely seeks to reciprocate my love over one who seeks merely political advantage?” lamented the Sun Princess. “You have been alone too long Sister” observed Luna “You once pursued your desire with confidence and quickly foreclosed upon any whom you considered unworthy.” “That was when I was young and headstrong” agonised Celestia “But what if I’m wrong?” “Trust yourself” said Luna “Look around you; I can think of one who would make an excellent match.” With that last comment hanging in the air, Luna turned and walked silently out of her sister’s chambers, leaving Celestia something new to ponder. **** “No, no, no, no, no!” Ponyville's resident librarian cried in exasperation, “Spike, where’s my copy of ‘Supernaturals’? “Um, I guess it must be under this pile over here” replied her overworked assistant. “Why isn’t it on the shelf where it’s supposed to be?” asked Twilight irritably. “Well, you have been on a studying binge all weekend and the books just don’t seem to go back on the shelves” said the little dragon as if the answer was obvious, which it was to everypony except for Twilight. “That’s because there's something important in each one and I need to keep them all open for cross-referencing” she replied, her mood not lightening any. “Like you say Twi” sighed Spike “It’s a mystery why we’re all piled high in books.” Just then there was a burp of green fire from the dragon and a scroll dropped into his claws. “Can you read it please Spike?” asked the librarian. “Sure thing Twi” replied the little dragon, pleased to be getting some respite from the relentless demands for misplaced reference books. “Dear Princess Twilight, We have not seen much of you lately at Canterlot and hope that you are well. Please feel free to attend for tea tomorrow afternoon should you like. A chariot will pick you up at midday if you are free. Sincerely, Princess Celestia” “I wonder what she can want?” asked Twilight to nopony in particular. “Want me to tidy up in here Twi?” enquired the little dragon, realising the research that had driven the librarian to the point of obsession over the last two days was suddenly no longer a priority. “Oh, yes please Spike” she replied, absent-mindedly wandering off feeling a little perplexed to check through her recent friendship reports. **** “But Luna” implored her sister, “I have known all my closest friends since they were colts and fillies; it all feels quite wrong to consider dating one of them. There was a lull as Celestia sought reassurance or some other response; any response in fact. She was feeling nervous and wanted to be told, for the umpteenth time that day, that it was perfectly acceptable to date a consenting adult. “Well is it not fortuitous that you have a guest for tea tomorrow?” enquired Luna “You could discuss the issue then.” “I don’t remember inviting anypony” she said perplexed, believing her sister to be mistaken. “You did not, but I did” she added with a sly smile “In your name actually.” “What …?” demanded the stunned Princess. “Did I not say?” queried her sister innocently “Twilight Sparkle is expected for tea tomorrow.” “Now just wait a minute …” stammered Celestia “Surely in the context of Royal business, or magic research or friendship issues …” “Getting warmer” said Luna mischievously. “Oh no …” said Celestia, starting to blush “You don’t mean …?” Luna just smiled. “You must cancel her” stammered the Sun Princess “This is highly irregular …” “It has been a long time since I have seen you blush that deeply, Sister” commented Luna wryly. “I … I wouldn’t even dream of …” began the flustered Princess. “Oh but Sister, you forget” added Luna conspiratorially, “I am a dream walker; I know what ponies dream.” Celestia turned an even deeper colour of red. “You didn’t” she gasped “Did you …?” “I believe it is time that you started thinking about what you will do with your date tomorrow, Sister” “You have no right to observe my dreams!” blurted Celestia defensively. “I did not need to” replied Luna with her roguish smile firmly in place, “I had already guessed, and the intensity of your blushing merely confirms my suspicions.” Celestia sat back on her haunches, utterly deflated, mouth agape, not knowing what to do next.
2 The DressView OnlineTwilight's Dawning2 The Dress“Spike!” called Twilight “What should I wear?” “I don’t know” replied the little dragon lifting his head fractionally from a comic book “We could go ask Rarity, she always knows what looks good.” “Take it easy Casanova” she retorted, “If I take you there, I’ll need a crowbar to get you out again.” “Just saying” responded Spike. “Actually, I think you may be right” conceded Twilight after a brief pause. Spike dropped his comic book and immediately sought out a mirror to check his spines and scales, acting out one of his favourite fantasies through dreamy lovestruck eyes “Why yes, Milady, I would love to …” “Oh, you’ve got it bad” sighed the librarian shaking her head and shooting him a gentle smile. Twilight left Owlowiscious in charge of the library and set off to Carousel Boutique with the purple dragon sat contentedly on her back facing behind her while plucking petals from a flower and reciting “she loves me, she loves me not” all down the road, leaving a trail of brightly coloured petals behind them. As he got closer to the end, he counted ahead carefully to make sure that he ended his rhyme on “she loves me”, as he did every time. Eventually, the flower ran out of petals and Spike continued the remainder of the journey with a sloppy grin on his face, gently rising and falling with each hoofstep Twilight made, until they found themselves in front of the distinctively gaudy building that was Rarity’s home and studio. “Pull yourself together lover boy” teased Twilight tenderly “We’re going in!” The little dragon gave one last stroke to his spines to ensure he was looking at his best and gulped discretely, his mouth dry as it always was when he visited the beautiful white unicorn who was his unattainable dream. “Darlings!” called the lovable fashionista from across the shop when she heard the bell above the door tinkle and looked to see who had entered the centre of Ponyville high fashion that afternoon. “Oh, hi Rarity” came the reply, whilst Spike just stared longingly and blushed a shade of crimson. “And hello to you too, Spikey Wikey” she said, sashaying over to the little dragon, tickling under his chin and fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly at him. “Really Rarity, you spoil him” joked Twilight “I won’t be able to drag him off Cloud 9 for the rest of the day!” “Oh, we won’t listen to Auntie Twilight, will we?” continued Rarity, softly rubbing noses with a totally smitten Spike. “Now you’ve really done it!” lamented the little dragon's guardian in mock exasperation. “So” said Rarity, “What brings you here today?” “Well …” began Twilight uncertainly “I’m looking for something to wear when I meet Princess Celestia.” “Surely this isn’t anything unusual for you darling” acknowledged the fashion designer, “You’re a much more frequent visitor to the Royal Castle since you’ve become a Princess. I’m sure you’re there on important business all the time.” “Well yes, that’s true, but …” she hesitated just a fraction, but it was more than enough of a hint for Rarity. “Oh my!” she gasped, her eyes growing wide “A cosy little tête-à-tête perhaps?” “Rarity!” Twilight chided anxiously “I’m sure it’s nothing like that!” “Yet here you are looking for a new dress” she observed, wryly raising an eyebrow. It was Twilight’s turn to blush now. Sure it wasn’t like that. She may harboured secret feelings – but it wasn’t anypony else’s business, just a fantasy. Nothing like that would happen. Could it? “When do you need it darling?” said Rarity trotting over to the door, turning the sign round to ‘closed’. “Tomorrow actually.” Rarity slid her red dressmaking glasses on and put a forehoof to her mouth, making different tone “hmmm” sounds as she viewed her new client from all angles. “Up on the stage darling” she commanded, taking charge “No time to waste.” She levitated her measuring tape across different parts of Twilight’s body making notes as she went along and sketched some tentative designs. “Will you let me see how it’s looking?” asked the model from her position on the stage. “No darling, I most certainly will not” replied the fashion designer firmly “You remember the last time I let you and the others put your individual tweaks into my designs?” She was right, Twilight conceded; it had been a disaster and Rarity had proved that she had known best all along. There would be no sneak peeks this time; she would just have to trust the fashion designer to do her best. Rarity flipped through a number of different outline sketches, forehoof to her mouth, regarding them first with her head to one side, then the other, making more “hmmm” sounds as she whittled down her choice. “Ah yes!” she finally announced triumphantly “This is the one …” Twilight’s head had been drooping while her friend critically reviewed her choice of design, but suddenly bucked up at Rarity’s words, wearing a smile as she felt that the design process was now so far evolved that it no longer needed her to be stood on display. In response, she took a step forward to get off the stage. “No you don’t” said Rarity “A few more measurements if you please.” Twilight let out a groan of exasperation and returned to where she had been, forcing her smile to stay in place a little longer. Spike meanwhile watched avidly, not sparing a thought for the discomfort of Ponyville’s librarian, but focused exclusively on the dressmaker’s beauty. The measuring tape tensioned itself under the unicorn’s blue magical aura and stretched once more over her friend's lilac frame in a criss-cross pattern until Rarity was finally happy. “Yes, yes, yes!” she cried “Twilight darling, you’re going to love it!” “Can I move now?” she asked tentatively through her starched smile. “Of course darling” replied Rarity dismissively as if it was perfectly obvious. She trotted around levitating the tools she would need to progress her design to its next stage and then looked back at her customer: “Thank you Twilight” she said brusquely “Now don’t let me detain you a moment longer; I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do.” The message was clear; Rarity was now hostage to her creativity and nopony would be allowed to interrupt. “Thanks Rarity” said Twilight “When would you like me to pick it up?” “How does tomorrow afternoon sound?” she asked, engrossed in her preparations “About three?” “Sorry Rarity” she replied with an agonised look on her face “I’m being picked up at midday.” “Oh …” said the fashion designer looking up suddenly “Then I’ll just have to work a little bit faster. Half past eleven do you darling?” “Oh, er .. yes” replied her friend awkwardly “That would be fine. Thanks Rarity." “Please see yourselves out, won’t you darlings?” she said waving them away, already immersed in her latest project. **** “What am I going to wear?” asked Celestia with an exasperated edge to her voice. “Really Sister” said Luna “You have a massive wardrobe of different fashions going back years.” “Maybe” the Sun Princess conceded “But they don’t all fit any more.” “Yes, you have been demonstrating a penchant for pastries lately.” “Luna!” her elder sister chided. The Princess of the Night just raised an eyebrow and giggled as her sister threw a dress at her in disgust at the comment. “Oh maybe I could have put on a few pounds …” “Uh huh” responded the midnight blue mare with a cheeky smile. It wasn’t often she got the better of her elder sister and she was relishing every moment. As the afternoon turned into evening, a collection of elegant and beautiful dresses from Celestia’s wardrobe formed into bigger and bigger piles across her bedchamber while her mood became more and more desperate. Luna stayed with her providing a commentary on each style that her sister paraded before her. She had tried picking out a positive feature about each one she saw, but eventually lapsed into a playing a game whereby she had to come up with a new word for each dress without repeating herself. She was rapidly approaching the end of her considerable vocabulary when her sister threw herself on the floor sobbing. “Sister, you have looked beautiful in every one of those dresses you have shown me” comforted Luna, tucking her legs neatly underneath her as she lay down next to her sister and draped a deep blue wing over her “Any one would be perfect. Really.” “But Luna” choked the most powerful pony in Equestria, sobbing like a filly next to her, desperate for reassurance “I want it to be perfect, don’t you see?” The Princess of the Night suddenly started to think that her plan to relieve her sister from her self-imposed isolation could have been a bad idea and felt a deepening sense of guilt building within her. “Celly” she whispered softly “Just think of it as a social event with some Head of State from another land. You’re comfortable with that; you do it all the time.” “But Twilight is so much more than that, Luna” cried Celestia through her sobs “I love her!” There it was. There could be no more denying it. Luna finally knew she had been right in bringing the two together and drew her sister even closer into an intimate embrace of the kind they had not shared in hundreds of years, her white body shaking through her sobs as Luna whispered gentle “sshhhhh” sounds. The sister who had led armies into battle; the sister whom all other leaders respected, feared or both if they were wise; the sister who had banished her to the moon; the sister sobbing her heart out over the love of another was the sister she loved with all her heart. **** Twilight had barely slept. She tiptoed to the kitchen, not because she was hungry, but because she wanted a change of scenery. Spike wasn’t yet up; she would have been surprised if he had been, but somehow she wanted to talk to him. She felt something that she had never experienced before, like two massed armies of butterflies engaging in a pitched battle inside her. She half heartedly summoned the copy of ‘Supernaturals’ from the bookshelf and looked for a spell to alleviate her symptoms, but somehow she knew it wasn’t going to help. Even reading a good book held no appeal for her today. She closed the book carefully and opened the door quietly setting hoof outside and looking up into the night sky. It was beautiful. She marvelled at Luna’s artistry and followed her fancy aimlessly into the countryside, alone with her thoughts. In fact she wasn’t alone, for the Princess of the Night had taken it upon herself to watch over her two most precious ponies tonight and smiled as she watched the Princess of Friendship appreciating her handiwork. The Princess of Friendship seemed to be taking the prospect of the forthcoming date a lot more in her stride than Celestia had; Luna had worked hard to put her sister to bed and tried every trick of the dream realm to relax her in her sleep. However, night time was drawing to a close now and she blew Twilight a gentle kiss through the last vestiges of her realm before focusing on laying the moon to bed. Twilight watched as the first rays of morning threw their brightly coloured spears across the purple sky. “I wish I may, I wish I might …” she said to herself, not sure what she wanted or what the day would bring. “I love you Celestia” she said to herself “But I don’t know how to tell you.” She wandered on through the glittering morning dew that was spread like a spangled carpet across another field, alone with her innermost thoughts. “And I don’t even know what to do about it” she agonised “What if I make a mess of it and she doesn’t want to see me again? What if she laughs at me? What if she banishes me for daring to express such feelings?” She hung her head low and let out a sigh of forbearance; what would be, would be. She finished crossing the field she was on and watched as the woodland creatures started to come out to look for breakfast. An inquisitive squirrel bounced up towards her and sat on a tree stump, front paws raised expectantly. Twilight cast a retrieve spell focusing on buried nuts and levitated one from a little nook in which it been hidden, offering it to her new friend who accepted it readily, turning it round in its paws as it bit through the hard shell and released the tasty kernel within. She lost herself in a daydream as the simple pleasure unfolded in front of her and then watched as the squirrel clambered deftly up a nearby tree, emerging on a solid branch above whereupon it gave the tasty treat to its mate. “You’re welcome” said Twilight softly, a smile breaking out across her face, her fears and insecurities wiped away for a moment. Although Twilight had not paid any particular care to the direction in which she had wandered, she turned back to see the clear trail she had left through the dew, pointing her way back to civilisation. It was time to go back and rouse the purple dragon and prepare herself for the day ahead. **** “Luna! Luna!” called Celestia in a state of agitation. “It is time for my bed, Sister” replied the Preincess of the Night trying to keep the weariness out of her voice “What do you want now?” “I still don’t know what to wear and I don’t know what I should do when Twilight arrives” she blurted “Please help me!” “We have been over this many times already, Sister” responded Luna “All your dresses are beautiful, but generally you do not wear one. If you cannot choose, then receive her as you are. I cannot help you further.” Celestia crossed and recrossed her hooves, looking increasingly tense. “If she has come without a dress, take her for a walk around the Royal gardens, and if she has dressed up, then walk her round the cloisters or show her the portrait gallery” she suggested “You know she only ever heads for the library when she comes to the Royal Castle, so most of it she has never seen.” “But Luna” she pleaded “What if she rejects my advances or tells others about this poor lovestruck old mare who goes round propositioning her students?” “Sister!” snapped the Princess of the Night “You know her far better than that! Now enough already!” Celestia stood stunned and chastened; she had to get a grip and she knew it. She could still back out and invent some pretence of formal Royal business if she chose; it was within her gift after all. “Thank you Sister” she replied meekly “You’re right, of course. Please, I am keeping you from your bed.” Luna accepted gracefully and excused herself, leaving her sister to fight her demons alone. Normally she would have stayed, but she had already expended more than was comfortable of her sleep cycle in comforting and supporting her sister, and could feel herself becoming irritable, a sure sign that rest was overdue. **** Twilight turned up at Carousel Boutique a quarter hour before time; not so early as to rush the dressmaker, but not so close on time as to make her rush back for her chariot. The bell tinkled cheerfully as it always did and she stepped into the shop looking for its proprietor. “I’m out back darling” came her voice “I’m just about finished too; your timing really is excellent.” Twilight trotted through to where the voice had come from and caught sight of her friend standing to one side of the doorway, measuring tape round her shoulders, looking at her over her red dressmaking glasses. She stopped and looked inside, noticing a single mannequin in the centre of the room with all of the other projects pushed away round the sides, magnifying the grandeur of the design. She stopped and stared, her mouth falling open as she regarded the amazing centrepiece to the room. She turned her head to look Rarity in the eye and caught a satisfied smile across her perfectly groomed white features. The dress was the deepest purple at the centre, changing imperceptibly through lighter hues to a pastel lavender at its edges, with her pink star cutie mark emblazoned subtly but unmistakably. The material shimmered in the light with an eye-catching iridescence, terminating in a gold trim all the way round. “It … it’s beautiful Rarity” she gasped, unable to find the words to do justice to this magnificent creation. “Do have a walk round it to see it from different angles” prompted the fashion designer “It’s my very best work if I do say so myself.” Twilight did as she was bidden, utterly spellbound by the delicacy of the craftsmanship and the finesse of the design. As she approached the front, she noticed a golden clasp that fastened the two sides together across the neck; the fastening on either side being made of embossed gold – each in the shape of Celestia’s distinctive cutie mark! “Rarity …?” “Yes I know darling; a little artistic licence” she smiled in acknowledgement, “It adds a certain je ne sais quoi, wouldn’t you say? “But Rarity …” came a meek protest. “If you look closely, you will see the crescent moon of Luna’s cutie mark in the dark of the material behind the neck, because twilight is a product of both sun and moon after all” explained the fashion designer in mock innocence “Why whatever were you thinking, Twilight?” The stunned customer took a close look and there was the moon, just as her friend had told her, but nowhere near as prominent as the twin sun emblems. “It’s beautiful Rarity” conceded Twilight “I don’t know how you do it.” “Oh tsk!” she chided, modestly, “It’s not every day that I am able to repay your kindness to me Twilight. Now let’s try it on, shall we?” The stunned Princess of Friendship held still as Rarity levitated the dress and slid it on to her, fastening the golden clasp across the two sun cutie marks. It felt gossamer light and slid readily over her figure, neither catching nor riding up anywhere. She turned tight circles in front of the mirrors, turning her head to admire the creation from all angles, her smile growing wider by the minute. “I absolutely love it!” gasped Twilight in admiration “Oh Rarity; thank you, thank you, thank you!”
3 The DateView OnlineTwilight's Dawning3 The DateNow without her younger sister’s support, Celestia fought to control herself and made a promise to herself not to wake her unless the fate of Equestria was genuinely hanging in the balance. She had no idea whether Twilight would dress up for the occasion or not, so she planned to post the most sharp eyed of her guards to watch where the expected chariot would land and instructed him to notify her immediately of her guest’s attire. She would be waiting with her best dress on and if the guard informed her that her former student was not wearing a dress, she would quickly slip it off and greet her in the same state and thereby put her at her ease. The Sun Princess paced up and down having shortlisted half a dozen dresses, but then decided that she didn’t like any of them and got more out. Time was fast running out and she was definitely feeling the pressure as the minute hand seemed to unwind like clockwork, dragging the hour hand willingly in its wake. With time running out she finally decided upon one of the fabulous dresses at her disposal, slipped it on and applied make-up to suit, rushing as her time evaporated. She didn’t like the dress any more; the more she looked at it, the more minute flaws she imagined, but it was too late now and she stood ready waiting to hear from her lookout. She didn’t pace in case the sound of her own hoofsteps masked the sound of the lookout’s awaited notification; he could have a very quiet voice after all, she reasoned. She crossed and uncrossed her legs feeling far greater nerves at that moment than ever she had faced during any State event or even upon the brink of any battle. She was terrified. “They’re coming your Majesty!” called the lookout clearly. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” she repeated over and over, desperate to hear about Twilight’s appearance. “Princess Twilight is wearing a dress your Majesty!” “Thank you!” she called back, trying not to let her voice betray how nervous she felt. She hurried out to the courtyard where she knew the chariot would land and arrived only shortly after it had touched down and Twilight just started to alight. She knew she should have been in the courtyard when the chariot had landed, and hoped that her guest would overlook the transgression in accepted Royal protocol. She felt really nervous, but put on a practiced smile and strode over to meet her date. Her date; my, how that sounded! Twilight thanked the pegasi charioteers and walked towards Celestia; Princess Celestia; Her Royal Majesty, the Mare of Morning, Princess Celestia of Equestria, Protector of the Realm, Ruler of the Solar Court, Bringer of the Dawn, Empress of the Sun, and Diarch of the Day. The most powerful pony in all of Equestria. Celestia looked calm and composed; regal in every way as she walked slowly towards her guest, the white silk dress she had chosen hanging from her frame exquisitely, emphasising the subtlety of her curves. It was finely crafted and showed her off magnificently, adding to the air of elusiveness that complemented her power and authority. The two took in each other’s dresses and exchanged formal kisses, not ones that carried any hint of how they both felt, but the appropriate level of greeting for important guests on State business. “Princess Celestia” said Twilight, breaking the ice “Thank you for your kind invitation. You look especially smart in your new dress.” Smart? thought the Sun Princess. How she had longed to hear her say words like sensual, alluring or even sexy, but of course, etiquette would not allow that. Not yet, leastways. “Princess Twilight” she began formally, immediately kicking herself for slavishly following the expected protocols “I should dare venture that your dress is a special order from Carousel Boutique. Rarity has clearly outdone herself this time!” Then she saw the sun cutie marks around the neck and gasped inwardly. How forward she thought, her heart beat jumping noticeably. The two princesses set off together and enjoyed a walk around the cloisters, taking in parts of the Royal Castle, which just as Luna had suspected, she had never seen before. The conversation was polite, but neither wished to be the first to cross the line of accepted behaviour and disclose the feelings each held for the other. Next Celestia directed them to the portrait gallery and regaled her guest with some of the more mischievous and occasionally racy stories that she attributed to each individual in turn. By the end, Twilight had seen the dry old portraits of formal looking stuffed shirts transformed into a rogues' gallery of colourful personalities, and although she may not have remembered which stories went with which picture, the anecdotes would stay firmly embedded in her mind. For all the repressed emotions on both sides, self-discipline held the two of them hostage, and by the end of the afternoon, Celestia was starting to feel absolutely wretched inside, desperate to make a move or respond to an advance that neither felt they could make. Ultimately the only adjective that could have been used to describe the hours they shared together was ‘nice’; nothing further, even though they both wanted so much more. Eventually, Celestia directed her guest to the observation lounge where dinner had been arranged. Luna had raised the moon, but was behind on her duties so left her sister and her guest alone to enjoy a little more time together. The setting was romantic; a small table in the observation lounge being favoured over the large and ostentatious feasting tables set up in the main dining hall. A panoply of constellations was visible to all points of the compass while more immediate lighting was provided by candles in delicate candelabra placed upon the table. They were close enough to reach out and touch each other, if either had the nerve … The starter was served; a delicate consommé with an appetising aroma. Twilight hadn’t eaten because of the knot in her stomach and now felt she was ready for something, especially something created by the Royal chefs who were renowned as being the best in Canterlot if not the whole of Equestria. In her haste and under the dancing shadows caused by the flickering candles, she picked up the wrong utensil from the array spread out to either side of her place setting and found herself holding a fork. Celestia looked surprised at her choice, but elected to make her guest feel at her ease and so picked up the corresponding item from her own cutlery. Twilight looked at Celestia and saw that she had chosen the same implement as her and therefore assumed that it must have been the correct choice, odd though it seemed. Both princesses found the effort of eating the watery starter with a fork to be a slow and laborious process, while the serving staff watched on with suppressed incredulity. Frantic messages were being passed back to the kitchen to delay the entree while the starter course extended from five minutes, to ten and twenty minutes. Both princesses realised they had made a dreadful mistake, but neither wanted to lose face, so each kept going, focusing increasingly hard lest they caught the eye of the other. After half an hour, Celestia raised her eyes just a little, to see Twilight doing the same from the other side of the table and a twinkle formed in her eye at the absurdity of the situation. Twilight couldn’t help herself, but burst out laughing against all standards of acceptable protocol and Celestia joined in, unable to restrain herself any longer. Both were helpless to resist the laughter that forced itself out and instantly broke down the straitjacket of formality that had so impeded their afternoon together. As the raucous laughter began to subside, Twilight raised two forehooves over the table to meet two white ones from Celestia and they held hooves, staring into each other’s eyes with a deepness and intensity that told them both this was not the closest they were going to be that evening. “Why did you invite me here today Celestia?” she asked, not letting up in her gaze. The Sun Princess was stunned by the directness of the question, but could not say that it wasn’t her who had done it. This was her chance and she knew it, but she wanted time to think through a response. However, there wasn’t time. She knew she was in danger of overthinking her reply and had to speak quickly before the moment passed, so went with what felt right: “To spend some quality time with you” she said softly. “I feel closer to you right now than I ever have to anypony” whispered Twilight looking into the lavender eyes of her hostess and instinctively started to lean forward. Celestia was alert to the cue and leaned forward too, the two meeting in the middle and sharing a tender kiss. When the kiss was approaching a natural end, they did not pull apart and struggle to make up embarrassed excuses to cover their actions, but leaned in more forcefully, Celestia reaching up to delicately caress Twilight’s muzzle with her forehoof. Twilight leaned in to Celestia’s attention and found herself taking the kiss further and deeper than she had ever done before. Realising that events were now starting to take on a life of their own, the Sun Princess flicked open one eyelid to look briefly round and observed that the serving staff had withdrawn leaving the two of them alone to each other’s company, watched over only by the stars of Luna’s artistry. Finally free to express herself, she leaned in more passionately, building the burning intensity between the two of them. **** Twilight did not go home that night, and the next morning attended breakfast with her new lover, her first marefriend. Both princesses had tasted what they had dreamed of, and both liked what they had found. Luna had been right; they were made for each other.
