Author's Note
It's been a while since I last written anything. With how life is latching onto me and I'm steadily being distracted with multiple occurrences. I thought it'd be nice to write something with passion and sweetness involved with it. I hope you all like it, forgive any punctuation or grammatical errors found. I do plan on going through it to see if there's anything I can fix and leave alone.
Thank you for reading.
Thank You
‘No more punch, no more grape juice, and no more water. I’m full.’ These were the passing thoughts that ran through the alabaster alicorn’s head as she stood near the table serving drinks in the ballroom.
She stood the tallest among her guest watching as the special event known as the Gala, where ponies of any class lucky enough to receive a ticket were invited to a formal ball, commune among one another and discuss their successes in life. Sure, for Princess Celestia, this was practically normal witnessing being she was a princess and created such a thing. Yet, it could be so stale as every event resorted with ponies just talking about their accomplishments and not doing anything exciting.
The guests she honestly could appreciate being here were not returned with the same enthusiasm they would desire. Not a real version of it at least as Celestia feign a smile, greeted them, and moved on kindly to not come off as rude. Her sense of direction was normally always towards the punch bowl and the variety of drinks that pleased her stomach. But with all the guests practically greeted and the drinks each down by a cup, this was all she could muster in her own pursuit to escape the repetition of the Gala event.
Mandatory events like this were expected from the princess of Equestria to commune with all her subjects after all and her sister, Luna, seemed to have brought out this rule constantly whenever the time was around. Not that she was shocked Luna would remind her of her duties but that such duties really existed. If anything, Celestia would have dreamed about creating a day where she could have her own vacation from the kingdom and relax freely at a tropical resort.
Such a dream could vaguely come true. The tall mare with her rainbow-like mane and tail let out a gentle sigh as she cornered herself near a column and listened to the quartet being played. They played only one song, one song that continued to repeat constantly every end like an infinite loop. Could everyone here not provide this event something different?
‘Sweet Equestria, I need a vacation.’ She thought, seating herself down upon the floor, hoping no one noticed the informal act. Especially her sister who communed with subjects. Anypony but her would have been worse with glares, nudges, and deep coughs to signal the older sister’s rudeness to be halted.
“Princess Celestia?”
A familiar voice disrupted her thoughts as she suddenly stood up and turned around to face the pony addressing her. An embarrassed smile crossed her soft white furry snout as her ears twitched and tail whipped a bit back to attention. With her eyes close, she was not sure who she was facing now.
“Are you alright?”
And that voice sounded familiar. Opening her eyes, her eyes gave off a gentle spark of joy. As if her boredom was rescued from this repeating cycle of the Gala event’s redundancy. To be frank, this young princess who was lavender by the coat with light black mane and tail with violet-pink highlights, and gentle purple eyes that gleamed brightly than Celestia’s purple eyes, was no other than Princess Twilight Sparkle. Her student, her fellow co-ruler, and most of all, Equestria’s savior on multiple occasions stood before with such a concerning look it almost made the princess openly frowned.
She was probably noticing her discomfort here and approached herself without warning, sparing the moment for her. Appreciative in the manner, though perhaps it wasn’t the best action to take. That’s what Celestia would think until her student softly smiled back knocking away those concerns very quickly. Keep in mind, they held that relationship between a teacher and student for the longest and no one saw anything wrong with it.
Twilight had parents who sent her to a school for gifted unicorns, holding grand expectations for her to discover her own cutie-mark and make a living out of herself. One event caused a dragon egg to hatch and her cutie-mark to be born and Celestia, a visitor amongst her class full of fillies took the young mare under her wing seeing a lot that could be accomplished from her. She raised her well, believing that knowing her brother was part of the royal guard, it wouldn’t make her feel homesick or less confident in her abilities.
Twilight was a bright mare with a talent to learn newer things to life that most ponies would look over if it meant wasting their day. Twilight was her younger self and Celestia was her old teacher, Star-Swirl the Bearded. Through many trials and accomplishments, to making friends, and saving Equestria on multiple occasions through the power of friendship and courage, Twilight ascended to princesshood and became an alicorn herself in the process.
Back to the event, Celestia softly sigh and answered her student to make-up for her awkward silence. “Just bored.” She said honestly.
Twilight was not so taken back. “You too?” The response made Celestia taken back in fact. “The others are enjoying themselves, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy I mean. They found their hobbies and don’t see to be bothered by the vagueness in the crowd.”
“Always so observant, dear Twilight.” Celestia giggled.
Twilight flushed at the comment. “W-well, we’ve been coming to your Gala events quite frequently and the theme normally never changes. I can understand that to appease a certain class, you need to keep everything average and not so high that it might upset others in the process!”
Celestia rested a wing over her student to settle her excitement down. There were times Twilight couldn’t keep her mouth close as she mainly spoken out most of the time from her brain than her heart; a sensual thing when only a few words were needed in a conversation to continue. Twilight had quieted down and together the teacher and student stared at one another forgetting the height difference.
A gentle giggle escaped both their lips in the process. “You normally change the atmosphere that is found in this place, you know?” Celestia asked. “That was a rhetorical question mind you. I am very much glad you come all the way here from Ponyville to enjoy yourself with your friends knowing Equestria is not as much in danger than it normally is.”
Twilight continued to flush as she agreed with her mentor. “I don’t do it intentionally you know, but since I came here there wasn’t much time for us to interact. When I got to the ball room only a few seconds ago, curious about the drink, you were over here looking miserable.”
“Miserable is quite a hefty word to the situation.”
“Exhausted?”
“Try harder.”
“Bored?”
“Bingo.” Celestia snickered as Twilight’s big words were used in most of her sentences to describe certain things.
“Though, I was wondering if you were okay really, you didn’t seem to be really awake either.”
“My dear, Twilight, being that I normally sleep around this time at night, it’s sort of hard to keep myself awake. I drank all the types of juice here that gave me extra sugar to contain and now I sit here waiting for the event to be over.” She didn’t mean to sound so blunt. The Gala event was a special event for everypony to enjoy and she loved everypony here. Her subjects were her family and deep down, Celestia felt a bit unfair to them for feeling such a way as well as acting, however, with the touch of her student’s wing to her own, that caught her attention.
Twilight smiled, looking past such thoughts as a way that her teacher just needed a break for once in their life. “Don’t worry about it, Princess Celestia.”
And those words were enough to make the alabaster princess smile warmly to her student.
“How long has it been?” Celestia asked in a gentle tone.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, her look becoming confused underneath her mentor’s shadow of the wing.
“How long have I been ruling here to not realize that you’ve learned so much from me. But most of all, improved and became closer to the level of Star-swirl himself.” Sure, the comparison to Twilight’s beloved idol made her blush, that didn’t stop Celestia from continuing. “You’ve grown, Twilight Sparkle.”
“T-thank you, Princess Celestia.”
Twilight’s words were spoken from the heart. The only words needed to express her joy to hear such praise. An idea then crosses her mind though, one that Celestia didn’t expect to see coming so quickly.
“Perhaps a dance would make this day of ours much better!”
This suggestion did not sound bad at all, being that the quartet was playing such a slow song only meant their dance would be slow with their partner too. Who wouldn’t feel honored to dance with either of the princesses, it was something that ponies dreamed of. Dancing with royalty would provide them a good reputation too among their community too.
“Who do you wish to dance with, there’s practically a limitless number of guests here who would be delighted to take our wings?”
Twilight looked towards the crowd. A shy smile spread across her lips as her ears flattened to the back a bit. “W-well, you see, I was leaning on my dance partner being solely you.”
The response caught Celestia by surprise for a few seconds before gathering herself together. “Me?”
“Y-yes.”
“Me, are you sure?”
“Y-yes, I am sure. Very sure, Princess C-Celestia.”
“You always seem to surprise me, my most faithful student. The boldest of the bold, a pony not afraid to issue a challenge from her own mentor when it comes to dancing.” A playful smile perked up at her lips as Celestia gave a soft nod to her student. “I accept this dance from you, Twilight.”
To hear her teacher, agree to the dance, they both took a moment to close their wings. Celestia’s shadow no longer overlapping with Twilight, the teacher and student took two free cups from a pan containing fruit punch and drank together. When they finished, they gave each other an affirming nod and continued towards the open floor where most of the guest occupied.
Ponies nearby watch, their eyes were normally always drawn to royalty even amid their conversations. Some became silent and astonished at the dresses Twilight and Celestia. The two alicorns didn’t ignore all of them or the little comments being made of the tall and small figures of royalty walking together to the large floor.
The quartet did not stop playing, but their eyes were drawn to the princesses and couldn’t help but feel the dullness in their repeated music. A dullness they were stunned by discovery. So, they played something entirely different for the princesses who were not drawing the whole ballroom’s attention.
Twilight and Celestia together ignored that air of attention quite calmly and put their minds on one another. By the time they found their needed spot, much closer to the quartet’s stage and near the largest windows overlooking the vast landscape of Equestria illuminated by Princess Luna’s starry sky and bright moon, they were now the center of attention.
The quartet began a new piece and the music began to flow into the princesses’ minds as they move together in sync. Wing against a wing, ignoring the height difference and the stretching, they kept their hooves at pace and circle one another as if guiding each other in the process. It was a smooth pace they kept up with together, ignoring the crowd and focusing on each other.
“What did you always dream of doing at these Gala events?” Quietly, only for her student to hear, Celestia asked such a curious question.
Twilight obliged with a light blush. “What I normally always dream of, to be near you.”
“You’ve truly become a different mare. Instead of rushing into things, believing that intelligence will serve you justice through logic. You’ve taken mind to observe and understand your surroundings and the others that reside within it.”
“My friends helped a lot.”
“That they did.”
“And so, did you?”
“How so?” And their movements became reversed as Celestia who was originally leading was now being led in the dance by Twilight.
“If you hadn’t sent me on an adventure to discover the world outside of my library. No, actually…if you hadn’t push me to make friends and work together with them. I wouldn’t be the same mare you are looking at today. Equestria is safe not because of me, but because of all us.”
“Are you saying that I had a part in it too?”
“I am saying,” and Twilight’s blush appeared once again, “that we all did.”
“How selfless of a princess to think such a thing.” A light chuckle escaped Celestia’s lips. “But how very powerful to, for her to learn upon such a precious discovery.”
And the leading became in sync, both partners taking gentle turns to move at a smooth pace where their wings had not left one another, and their shadows did not overlap with one another.
“Everypony helped me in a way that I was able to soon help myself. It’s not easy being a princess and alicorn at the same time. I am sure it wasn’t easy for you either. But here, having this moment with you, it does changes a lot of things. You raised me when I was still young and learning and taught me so much.”
“My dear Twilight, you give me too much credit.”
And for such words to hear, Twilight blink and looked confuse. “What do you mean?”
“Our years spent was not just me teaching you how to take better care of yourself and others around you. I’ve learned much from you than I did with myself. It’s not easy being a princess—true—nor is it being an alicorn. But what I found teaching you was how to be better myself.”
“I managed to teach you all of that, Princess Celestia?”
“Much more, you managed to truly bring out the joy in me; here in this room full of spectators, I feel free and relaxed to actually enjoy myself.”
“T-thank you, Celestia.”
“Thank you?”
“For agreeing to this dance, for saying such great words, for being my teacher, and most of all, for being my friend.” As Twilight said all of this, her smile glowed and her eyes sparkled up to her teacher who looked down in amazement. Together they continued this dance as the ending was only approaching in a couple of minutes. Yet, the segue was well done and they transition their synchronized movement together that astonished the crowd in the beauty that was set before them.
If only they knew the deepest bond that was being share between this teacher and student. The moment was not for the crowd, it belonged to them and they shared it together in this slow dance.
“Twilight?”
“Yes, Princess Celestia?”
“My dream in the Gala was to find happiness here for not just everypony, but for myself. So…thank you, for being here with me.”
The two princesses smiled together as they proceeded to finish their dance. Their wings still staying close to one another, holding onto this moment being shared. Their shadows becoming one and the bond being born was inseparable. Even if the music ends and the crowd continued with their daily activities; even if the Gala event was over with and everypony returned to their homes, Twilight and Celestia would not forget this beautiful moment together.
In the Gala, both their dreams came true.
The End~
