Few problems exist in Equestria that can’t be solved through the magic of friendship. Fortunately, there’s always hot cocoa when friendship alone won’t cut it.
Twilight Sparkle stood at the edge of Canterlot, staring down at the world beyond with a sense of melancholy. A long sigh slipped from her as she rested her chin on the railing she leaned against.
“Long night?”
“You could say that.” Twilight quipped without looking back at the approaching hoofsteps.
“On the bright side, the Festival of Friendship looks like it went well.”
“Well?” Twilight halfheartedly waved a hoof in the air. “It went fantastic. Ponies will be talking about it for weeks. Equestria was saved, the Storm King defeated, and we got to top it all off with a performance from—” A strangled noise escaped Twilight. “Songbird Serenade!”
Twilight’s eyes went wide as she finally looked over at the pony joining her. She pushed herself off the railing and straightened up, quickly magicking her lifeless mane into something more presentable. “W-what brings you out here?”
“Just needed to get away for a minute.” A soft smile spread across Songbird’s muzzle, and she leaned against the railing herself. “It can get pretty exhausting being in the limelight all the time.” She looked back at Twilight coyly. “I bet you know what that’s like, though.”
Twilight blinked in surprise and joined the pegasus at the railing. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
The two stood in silence, looking into the distance together. A cloud overhead passed in front of the moon, casting shadows over the area. It was Songbird Serenade who broke the stillness.
“So, what brings the Princess of Friendship out here?”
“Just thinking about things, I guess.”
“Must be serious if you’re frowning like that.”
“I— yeah, I guess so.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“You don’t want to hear about my problems.” Twilight mumbled.
Songbird tapped a hoof to her chin. “You’re right— not yet, at least. Give me a few minutes, okay?” A quick flap of her wings and Songbird flew off over the rooftops of the city.
Twilight stared after the strange mare until she disappeared from sight. She stood alone for some minutes. She wouldn’t actually come back, would she? No, that would be silly. Surely somepony as famous as Songbird Serenade had better things to do than listen to Twilight’s problems.
She turned away from the railing. It was late, and the sun would rise soon. Twilight needed sleep. She had taken precisely three steps when Songbird returned with a drink tray balanced on her back.
“Here you go,” She passed a drink to Twilight, “one hot cocoa, extra marshmallows.”
“You didn’t have to—”
“I know I didn’t, but you looked like you needed it.” Songbird took her spot at the railing again. “Now, princess, if I remember right, you were about to tell me what’s bugging you?”
“Thank you, Miss Serenade—” Twilight started, only to be silenced when the pegasus held up a hoof.
“Princess, please, we’re just two ponies talking. Call me Songbird.”
“Okay,” Twilight smiled, joining the other mare at the railing, “but only if you call me Twilight.”
“Deal.”
Twilight’s smile faded as she looked down at her drink. Songbird said nothing, letting the silence coax the words from Twilight for her.
“I’ve just been thinking… about everything that’s happened the last few days. It’s just all kind of hit me at once, I think... Three days of trying to stay ahead of the Storm King’s soldiers, of trying to stay in control of a situation where I had no idea what I was doing! It was terrifying!
“What if somepony else like the Storm King comes along? What if I’m not enough next time? What if Equestria get’s conquered and I have to organize a rebellion to—” Twilight flinched and blinked in surprise as a marshmallow bounced off her muzzle, much to the amusement of Songbird.
“Sorry, you just looked like you needed something to distract you for a moment.” A gentle laugh fluttered through the air.
“I did,” Twilight chuckled weakly, “thank you.”
“You know, you remind me of when I first started performing.” Songbird looked up at the moon with a wistful smile.
“I do?”
“Doing your best to try and make everypony happy, putting on a mask so they see what you think they need to see.” Songbird took a sip of her cocoa, licking away the melty marshmallow foam on her lips.
“Let me guess, Twilight, when you go out that’s exactly what you do.” She wasn’t asking a question.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Twilight frowned thoughtfully. “Wait, isn’t that what you do?”
“Yeah,” A mischievous grin spread across Songbird’s muzzle, “but I’ve learned different ways to blow off steam.” Her ear twitched towards some sound that Twilight didn’t catch.
“Like what?” Twilight tilted her head curiously.
“Like,” Songbird climbed up onto the railing, balancing precariously on her hind hooves, “sneaking off when your bodyguards aren’t looking so you can talk to sad princesses.”
“I have visual on Miss Serenade.” A gray unicorn in a dark suit and shades trotted into view, speaking to somepony through a headset and closing the gap between himself and the two mares. “Miss Serenade, you can’t just disappear whenever you want.” The unicorn said as professionally as he could manage. Twilight could still pick up on an exasperation to his tone.
“So, Twilight,” Songbird Serenade held out a hoof to the alicorn, “are you coming?” Twilight glanced over at the gray unicorn, then back to the pegasus. “Clock’s ticking, princess.”
Twilight looked back at the unicorn, who was clearly not pleased with the turn of events unfolding in front of him if his quickening pace was any indication. Twilight reached a hoof up to Songbird before she was fully aware she’d made a decision.
They let themselves fall backwards, staring up at a displeased bodyguard as he spoke into his headset. The whistling of the wind past Twilight’s ears meant that his words never reached her. Instead, a laughter reached her ears as it danced upon the wind.
Twilight was pleasantly surprised to find it to be her own.
She lazily rolled over and spread her wings, letting herself glide away from the city. Songbird Serenade did a slow barrel roll over Twilight, bringing herself even with the princess.
“See? It doesn’t take much, does it?” The pegasus grinned over at Twilight.
“Aren’t you going to be in trouble later?”
“Yeah, but if I weren’t it wouldn’t be any fun.”
Twilight blinked at the mare. “I didn’t expect you to be so… carefree.”
“Surprised?” Songbird drifted to a stop atop a fluffy-looking cloud. Twilight landed next to her. “We all wear another face, trying to be what ponies need us to be. But if you forget to take the mask off sometimes, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“A bit. Fans can get a little crazy sometimes. I give Vega and Jewels a hard time, but they’ve been good to me.”
“Vega and Jewels?”
“My bodyguards. That was Vega earlier.” Songbird lay down on the cloud, wiggling a bit to get situated. “They’re both really nice, even if they’re a bit… enthusiastic. You remember the cake thing, right?”
Twilight flushed crimson. “How could I forget?”
“Their hearts are in the right place. I’ll make it up to them later.” Songbird patted the cloud with a wing, inviting Twilight to join her. She stared down at the city below them.
Twilight obliged, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she was hanging out with a celebrity. She shifted slightly, making sure there was a small gap between them.
“So, why are we riding a cloud over Canterlot?” Twilight asked.
“Pony watching.”
“Pony watching?”
“It’s a hobby. I like watching ponies from the clouds. It’s kinda relaxing to see everypony go about their day, and it’s a bit harder to spot me up here.”
“So you just sit up here and watch everypony?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Yep.”
“And nopony sees you hiding on clouds while they go about their day?”
“Not usually— Well, except for Vega and Jewel,” Songbird nodded down towards two figures lingering in the long shadows cast by the rising sun. “they’re really good at finding me.”
“Wow, I’m impressed.” Twilight giggled. “Is that a record for them?”
“Nah. That’d mean we’d have lost them. They’re really good at what they do.” Songbird nestled a bit deeper into the cloud, briefly waving a hoof at her bodyguards. “Oh, look, everypony’s waking up.”
Sure enough, Canterlot was slowly waking up with the sunrise. The city shook away it’s sleep, greeting the new day with coffee and vigor. Just above the ponies going about their daily routines, Twilight and Songbird watched from their cloud.
“So… why are we spying on ponies?”
Songbird stifled a snort of laughter. “We’re not spying, we’re watching.” She shifted a bit and pointed a wing at a couple opening the glass door to one of the many coffee shops dotting the streets below. “Quick, tell me their story.”
“Their story?” Twilight frowned at Songbird. “I don’t know them. How would I know what their lives are like?”
“That’s not the point.” Songbird was holding a hoof over her muzzle, stifling giggles. “You’re not supposed to know who they are or what they’re really like. You make it up.”
“I’m not following. Why would I make things up about somepony else?”
“It’s fun. And it’s not like you’re supposed to go telling everypony the story you made up. Let me show you what I mean.” Songbird scanned the crowd below. “There,” she pointed a hoof at a pony below, “you see that unicorn, the tall blue one?”
“Yes,” Twilight nodded, “that’s Sassy Sa—”
“No, no. That’s not how we play.” Songbird’s mischievous grin returned. “That is Alabaster Marble, a sculptor for the princesses. She’s currently working on a surprise piece for Princess Luna as a thank you for helping her with her nightmares. She’s single right now, but there’s a rumor that she’s got a thing for a certain Princess of the Night.” Songbird winked.
“But that’s not her at all. She works for my friend Rarity running a bouti—”
“Princess— I mean, Twilight. This is just for fun. Loosen up a bit, get crazy with it.” Songbird pointed at a pink pegasus. “Her. What’s her story?”
“Her?”
“Her.” Songbird nodded emphatically.
“Um… She’s a pegasus…”
“What’s she do for a living?”
“Uh,” Twilight rubbed the back of her head nervously. “She… does accounting for a donut shop?”
“Great!” Songbird grinned. “Now, how does she feel about her job?”
“She… hates it.” Twilight frowned slightly. “She didn’t want to do the budgeting, she wanted to do the baking. She wants to see the smiles of the ponies as they bite into the pastries she put her heart and soul into making. She wants to be able to sneak a donut hole when she thinks nopony is looking.” Twilight stood. “I’m going to tell her to go for it.”
“Nono. No.” Songbird put her wing over Twilight and gently pressed her back down towards the cloud. “That’s not her real story, just one you made up. Let’s not confuse her by having a princess swoop down and tell her to make a job change.”
A furious blush bloomed across Twilight’s face as she buried her face in her hooves. “I can’t believe I almost did that. I just— for a moment I saw a friendship problem and I had to go down and help her.”
“Wow.” Songbird blinked in surprise. “You really need a break. Let’s try again, but this time we won’t try and offer friendship advice.” Once more, she scanned the crowd below for a suitable candidate. “There, the brown earth pony with the hat.” Songbird showed Twilight her pick.
“She’s a tailor with a wife who helps her design the hats she makes. They run a pretty successful business on the north side of the city, and they’re looking at adopting a little colt or filly by the end of the year.”
“Great!” Songbird clapped her hooves together. “Any juicy gossip on her?”
“She collects decks of cards as souvenirs from the casinos she counts cards at.” Twilight whispered. “I hear that’s how she got the money to buy such a good spot for her shop.”
“Now you’re getting it! Pick somepony for me now.”
“Hmm…” Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully, carefully scanning for an interesting looking pony. “Him,” Twilight pointed a hoof at an orange stallion in a crisp suit. “what’s his story?”
“He’s works in the music industry. Right now he’s working for a singer who does some pretty big shows, but nopony really knows much about her beyond that. I’m pretty sure she’s got a crush on one of the princesses, but she doesn’t have the guts to say it.”
A small frown touched Twilight’s lips as she furrowed her brow. “That didn’t sound like it was about him at all. That sounded like it would have been great for the hat pony, though.”
Songbird said nothing.
“Songbird? Is something wrong?”
“That’s my agent. He’s probably looking for my bodyguards so they can tell him where I’m at.” Songbird nestled deeper into the cloud, pressing her chin against their poofy perch. “He’s probably going to complain that we’re off-schedule again and that we need to get going immediately if we have any chance of salvaging this tour.”
“I didn’t know you were on tour. I thought the Friendship Festival was a special appearance.”
“It was supposed to be. Then Clean Cut got the idea to use the event to kick off a tour. Two months on the road with no breaks in between.” Songbird sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to perform and make my fans happy, it’s just…” she waved a weary hoof in the air before letting it plop back down onto the cloud.
“Tiring?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you tried telling him you need a break?”
“And disappoint everypony who wants to see me in concert? What kind of artist would I be if I let everypony down like that? I couldn’t possibly—” A tiny chunk of cloud bounced off Songbird’s muzzle, cutting her off.
“You looked like you needed that.” Twilight shot Songbird a mischievous grin. “Somepony very smart once told me that you need to take time for yourself and blow off steam. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”
“Using my words against me now?” Songbird gave a weak chuckle, “that’s pretty sneaky, princess.”
Twilight gave a giggle of her own. Before they knew it, both mares had broken down into fits of laughter.
“I like to think that I’m not above sharing good advice with others. Besides, sometimes we need to be reminded… of…” Twilight trailed off, her eyes widening.
“Twilight? Are you okay?”
“You have a crush on a princess?”
“I— what?” Songbird started turning red.
“Can… can I ask who it is? I promise not to tell the princesses.” Twilight whispered. “I mean, they’re all very beautiful. Cadance is married, of course, but I don’t think Celestia and Luna have any suitors at the moment. If I’m honest, I used to have a schoolfilly crush on Celestia when I was her pupil.”
“You forgot one…” Songbird mumbled. Her previous energy seemed to have left her, leaving a more demure version of Songbird in her place.
“No, I don’t think so.” Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. “There’s Cadance, Celestia, Luna—”
“You.”
“Me.” Twilight added, nodding to herself as she rounded out her list of princesses.
A silence settled between the two mares. Twilight blinked once. Then again. Her mouth started working, but no words came forth as the pieces of the puzzle Songbird had presented her with fell into place.
“Me.” Twilight said again, putting more weight on the word. “Wait… me! Me? Why me?” Twilight stared down at her hooves, desperately trying to comprehend what a famous musician with thousands of fans could possibly see in a bookish princess with a predilection for lists.
“Oh, yeah,” Songbird seemed to find her confidence, if her returning smirk was any indication, “what could I possibly see in a mare who risked life and limb to leave Equestria and search for help from the hippogriffs who hadn’t been seen in who knows how long? A mare who not only saved Equestria, but also managed to make an ally out of the unicorn who beat three other princesses in a fight?
“What mare wouldn’t let herself get swept up in a fantasy about the bravest mare she’d ever seen?” Songbird’s smile was a bit forced.
Twilight’s mind raced at the numerous possibilities that Songbird’s confession presented, all of them terrifying. She desperately searched for words, any words, that would help her make sense of what was unfolding before her. It was Songbird that found them, though.
“Well, since the bird’s out of the cage,” Songbird rubbed her mane sheepishly, “did you want to find some disguises and get some coffee together? Maybe get to know each other a little bit better while we watch ponies at street level?”
A smile spread across Twilight’s muzzle as her heart skipped a beat. “That sounds lovely, actually.”
Author's Note
Woo, shipping! As always, if I missed something or made any errors please don't hesitate to pm me.
