Stuck In The Middle

***Stuck In The Middle

The Choice Is Yours***

Celestia gaped at her student and sister.

Luna gaped back.

"Twilight... do you realize what you just said?" she hissed.

Twilight flayed her ears backwards. "Um... yes?" It came out like a question. "I mean... oh... I don't know..."

The Sun Goddess reached over and tilted her head upwards. "We shall speak no more of this until we get to Canterlot. Guards. Post haste."

The guards pulling the chariot whinnied and charged forwards, casting careful glances at overhearing what the purple pony just said.

Luna flared her nostrils and took deep breaths, making sure to avoid her lover's eyes whenever they glanced at one another. How dare she suggest this! she furiously thought. Did anything she say in the castle mean anything? Was it another lie? Did *everything** she say mean nothing?*

She thought back to what Twilight had said.

"You are the only pony I will ever love, princess."

It made her sick. She shot a disgusted look over at the depressed looking unicorn and felt something stir inside her. While she disliked Twilight's suggestion, she knew that it was because she loved both of them that she had said so. She was trying to make both of them happy, Luna realized, fighting back an urge to hug the beautiful mare.

Celestia felt somewhat the same, although she did not hear the cries in the old castle, nor did she hear the declaration of love. She thought about Twilight. She's very talented and very beautiful, and would be a shame to tie her down to an old pony like me, she thought and cast a careful glance at her sister and lover. But... I don't think I could say goodbye, unless she said... What would she say?

I don't want to see you anymore?

I'm in love with your sister so we can't be together?

The thought sickened her. Yet why was all she wanted to do, was hug her and hold her tight and whisper: It'll be alright, my love.

The Solar Princess sighed and shook her head sadly. I wonder how Luna is coping with this. We don't exactly need another bout of Nightmare Moon. She turned and watched the miserable expression on her student's face. And she certainly doesn't need any more grief...

Twilight stared at the floor of the chariot and wished and WISHED she hadn't been so stupid. How could I do this to them? she thought. How? They're the two most wonderful ponies ever, and I've gone and broken both their hearts. Perhaps I should be banished somewhere. Somewhere I can't hurt any more ponies, or suggest really stupid things....

She stole a glance from Luna and shivered under the gaze of those sad, teal eyes. She turned her head and saw Celestia watching her, with much the same expression.

The lavender mare turned back to the floor and shuffled on her seat.

Silence fell upon them as they thought about Twilight's proposition.

~~~

All three of them walked in a solemn line, as if they were attending a funeral, which Twilight suspected she was: Her own.

"Twilight, take a seat over there. Luna over there," Celestia wearily told them as they reached her oval shaped office.

The sister and the lover reluctantly agreed and sat down at the large, golden table.

Philomena flapped her wings and eyed the discussion with her beady bird eyes.

The Night Princess stiffened as she saw Twilight looking at her. She turned away and gazed out the window.

The young unicorn opened her mouth to speak. "Um... princess?" she squeaked.

Both of them turned to her. Celestia stood on her hind legs, placing her front hooves on the table and leaning forwards intensely.

"I'd just like to say... I'm so, so, so sorry. I've been stupid through this whole thing and I wish I could just.... go back..." Once the lavender mare started, she felt she couldn't stop. She had to continue, to try and salvage anything of this whole debacle. Luna quickly shut down that aspiration though.

"To what end, Twilight Sparkle? A mere few hours ago, you told me I was the only pony you'd ever love. Was that true?"

Twilight felt her lower lip tremble as she cast her gaze downwards to the floor.

Luna flared her nostrils and restrained herself. "Very well. It wasn't." She trailed off and stood up, corssing the room to gaze out the window.

Celestia watched her student sadly. "Twilight... why would you do this?"

Twilight twitched and said nothing.

"You have dishonoured not only myself and my sister, but yourself, my lo... student. If only you could change anything. And you..."

Luna took up the conversation again. "You had the audacity to suggest we be in a relationship together. Are you aware that I nearly killed my sister over you?!" she yelled,  making the small pony yelp and bury her face in her hooves.

Twilight whimpered and shook her head. "N-no..." She paled. Had the princesses nearly killed themselves? I deserve to be locked away, she told herself. I really do.

The Sun Princess raised a hoof. "Luna, enough. She knows what she's done."

Her sister nodded and turned back to the window. "I know... I know... it's that which makes it hurt more, though. Twilight." She spun around and faced her small love once more.

Twilight looked up. Tears streamed down her face, turning the purple coat a slightly darker colour.

The younger alicorn moved closer and placed a wing around her shoulders with a pained expression.

Celestia felt sick. Her heart raced and her breath came in short whisps. She moved closer and placed her own wing atop Twilight's shoulder, and atop Luna's wing.

"I... regret everything," she whispered.

Both Luna and Twilight looked up, surprised.

"Remember what I told you, Luna? To get you back? To stop Nightmare Moon?"

Luna nodded slowly and retracted her wing.

"It was true. Everything that has happened, happened because of me."

Twilight gaped. "Wh-what? No! I... dated both of you. I cheated on you! With each other! It's my fault-"

"Shh, Twilight. I came to you because I heard a rumour, with no way to prove it, about you and my sister. Furious that it may be true, I acted out of blind jealousy."

The unicorn continued to gape, making a smile creep across her mentor's face.

"Yes. Not even I am immune to the trials of greed and jealousy."

Celestia's smile faded as she continued to speak.

"I was wrong. If the rumours were true, which I now see they are, I would have been happy for you two. I would have loved you like a sister, Twilight. Yet as I came to you that night, I couldn't help but feel something. I realized then that I love you, Twilight. More-so than my own sister."

Luna sniffed, fighting back tears of anger and sorrow.

"And I regret to announce that while I would be happy with you two together, I... I don't... I don't want to lose the only pony I will ever love. Nor will I allow my sister to be heartbroken."

Twilight paled as white as her teacher's coat. What Is she asking?

Luna straightened up. "It is her choice, Tia. We cannot control her life. She is a fully grown mare who has the right..." she trailed off, gazing into the purple eyes of her young love.

Celestia cleared her throat and nodded. "It is her choice."

Both sisters strode away, turning to face Twilight with sullen expressions. Both of them felt their hearts pounding away, knowing that one of them will be forever envious of the other.

Twilight gaped. "You... you can't be asking me to do this!" she squealed.

Luna stiffly nodded and spread her wings. "We are. There is only one way to settle this, my love. You have to choose."

"No! I can't choose between you! I love you! Both of you! Please don't make me do this!" the unicorn wailed and sank to the floor.

Celestia instinctively moved forwards, stopped by her sister's outstretched wing and a small shake of her head. The elder sister reluctantly held back and hung her head.

Twilight continued to wail on the floor as she was presented with the impossible choice:

Celestia, her beloved mentor and the one pony who she felt she could tell everything (besides this of course). The immortal god-princess of an entire nation. The pony who loved every inch of her, and believed in her when confronted by Nightmare Moon and Discord.

Luna, the first pony to she loved. The first pony she had the chance to perform that sacred act with. The other immortal god-princess of an entire nation. The pony she shared more in common with than most of her friends.

Both of them were willing to forgive her. Forgive her stupidness. Forgive this ugly mess and everything she'd done.

She gazed between them, letting the gears turn in her head.

Luna...

Or...

Celestia?

She took a deep breath...

...And made her decision.