The princesses and the beast

On the other side of the castle, and about the same time.

"You must tell him darling, before he falls into the arms of our beloved princess and for whom we all want happiness of course, but you have the right to have yours too." Exclaimed a unicorn with polished white fur as she pulled her purple friend through the halls.

"Rarity stop, I don't need you for this, and what makes you think it can go any further? He's my bodyguard, not my innocent date." Said the princess of friendship not wanting to go any further.

After Rarity showed her the day's paper in the same way Luna had done with her sister, Twilight made some strange sounds and movements, the kind that shows the disappointment in love for the fashionista.

"None of that with me honey, I can see when a mare needs more attention from a stallion and you totally do with Leonidas. And don't talk to me about the bodyguard attention he gives you when you know exactly what kind of attention I'm talking about" the white mare said frankly and continued to hold Twilight's wrist with more insistence.

Fortunately or not for her friend, Rarity decided to take the lead and lead her to the room of the bodyguard who was dancing on the front cover, following as best as she could the steps of the princess while she was almost asleep on her giant shoulder.

Twilight saw that shoulder as anything but a soft, comfortable pillow on which to rest her head.

And she also saw that her unicorn friend would soon get her into trouble if she didn't stop her soon. Judging by the ornaments in this hallway, the paintings of former equestrian greats proved that Leonidas' room was not far away, and the embarrassment with it.

Twilight was forced to use her magic to stop Rarity's advance and made her levitate, and forced her to turn her head to look and listen to her.

"Rarity stop, I know you only want what's best for me but you don't have to do this. Leonidas is a great bodyguard and commander of the equestrian army, he has a lot on his plate already and finding a mare is definitely not in his goals. He doesn't even know what it involves, I have to bring it up with him next Monday, but as a teacher, not in the way you imagine." Narrated she, finishing by giving a light hoof on the red carpet decorated with golden threads on the sides.

Rarity believed everything Twilight had told her so far, except for one part.

"Love is not something you can write down on your calendar to get it like a session at the spa, the time and the way you will feel it is indefinable. This stallion may already feel it but doesn't know what it is, which doesn't ensure that he will be brought into this area in the right.

way in this area as I, you and the others are giving everything to help him fit in. And then don't you dare make me believe that you wouldn't be inwardly devastated if he was taken, by another princess, me or any other mare, or stallion, or whatever creature he might be interested in." Exclaimed the unicorn, crossing her hooves in the air in irritation.

Twilight had to bite her lip softly at this statement. As generous as she should be, the sight of another mare extremely close to Leonidas seemed to reach her own person. She lowered her ears without realizing it, and even looked away for a few moments, clues far too clear for Rarity and her sense of detail.

"Twilight, why are you floating Rarity in front of the door of Leonidas' room?" Asked a soft and equally surprised voice, belonging to none other than Princess Celestia, her sister of the moon a few inches away.

The purple mare blushed when she heard the last part. She quickly looked to her side to see the truth of what she said, and the sun princess never lied. The whole altercation with Rarity was taking place in front of the double door of about five meters high and three meters wide, which was the most important size for the passage of the Alicorn princesses, although one meter had to be added so that the stallion would not have to bend down.

Thinking that the stallion in question could have heard everything, she stopped her spell and let Rarity crash on the carpet of a small meter of distance only, which did not prevent her from complaining.

"Shh Rarity!!! He might hear you!!!" Warned Twilight wanting to scream, but forcing herself to look as calm and quiet as possible, all under the confused gaze of three ponies bigger than her.

"Who could hear it?" Asked the voice of the third tall pony, as he came out of his room surely alerted by the too audible whispers. Then he saw the sophisticated mare on the floor. "Are you okay Rarity?!" He continued as he walked over to her, offering his large hand to put her back on her four hooves, even putting a knee down to do so.

"Oh thank you Leonidas darling, your manners are always welcome!" Announced she by smiling greatly to her benefactor, hesitating even to offer him a kiss on the cheek, but restrained herself because it was not the objective of his visit.

This one was even diametrically opposed. But she did not have time to introduce herself that she was anticipated.

"Leonidas, Princess Celestia wanted to see you, she has something to ask you... in private!" Luna announced, which activated the stallion's instincts.

"Of course Princess Luna, my doors will always be open to you and Princess Celestia, the same goes for you Princess Twilight!" Said he while kneeling as he used to do, despite the number of attempts to break this habit. Luna, Celestia or even Twilight didn't like to see themselves being worshipped like that, especially coming from a stallion that they considered in many ways as their equal, starting with his size.

But Leonidas always came back to this practice, so they should get used to it, especially coming from him. Twilight had a hard time letting go of it before she was a princess, so she was more inclined to accept it, even if it made her very uncomfortable.

But in any case, Twilight was more concerned about the use of the phrase "in private" by her moon mate than the rest of the actions. She couldn't be sure, but the two princesses looked eerily similar to her and Rarity a moment ago.

"Thanks Leonidas, I won't be long." Celestia abdicated before entering the towering pegasus' room, passing by her humble posture as her sister, behind her, winked at her in encouragement.

"Just a moment!" Rarity threw in the middle of the moment, holding everyone's attention. "Twilight also has something to tell you Leonidas dear, couldn't you receive them both?" Sit she as she addressed him.

"I don't mind at all, do you agree Princess Celestia?" Leonidas continued as expected.

"N-No, not at all, you can come Twilight!" She replied, knowing that she would want to hide something else if she refused, though the "statement" will be rather strange.

"Uh, m-thank you Celestia, I-I'm coming." The princess of friendship began to walk with more than a little hesitation, not wanting to undercut her unicorn friend's efforts now. She had the opportunity to find out the truth about the relationship she had with her special bodyguard, and knowing Celestia's purpose could be one more reason, but she would take it to her grave.

So the three ponies moved into the large room full of scribbled maps and scrolls neatly arranged in the dressers at the sides, all depicting battlefields and battle formations. A rectangular table in the right corner of the room was still full of his writings, which the stallion was surely consulting before being disturbed.

Celestia sincerely hoped that her work would not be used one day, even though she reluctantly admitted to herself that the world around Equestria was not enchanting and magical. Her nation itself could be surprisingly uncontrollable in some corners of its verdant nature. It didn't take a Tirek or a Chrysalis to see that the world could be dark.

But for once, she could comfort her mind by thinking about one thing, how will she express herself now, despite her hundreds of years of existence, feelings are an almost impossible thing to understand.

And they are even more for Twilight, who is a very young alicorn, still discovering the capacities of her new status. She was almost disappointed to see that he could not help her in this case.

The last one to sit down at equal distance from the two alicorns was Leonidas, first gathering his
papers, and never taking his eyes off them.

"Well, do either of you want to start?" He asked, not wanting to get ahead of himself, but taking the two mares in stride all the same.

"I'll start Twilight, I was the first one to ask her for this interview after all" said the sun princess almost instantly.

"No problem Celestia" answered really at the millisecond behind Twilight, who was already feeling too much here. Especially with what was going to follow.

"So, surely you remember last night," Celestia said, he remembered it very well given his absolute refusal to drink a drop of a beverage that was unknown to him, especially when the mare offering is Rainbow Dash. Leonidas tilted his head slightly, allowing her to continue. "Well, a lot of people remember that moment when we both danced for about an hour, and... the fact that we were very close during that time" she said, blushing and probably wanting to deflect. blushing and probably wanting to look away.

Twilight was sure of it, Celestia totally wanted to not have Leonidas' stare on hers, but she'd have to keep it that way to not lose face, especially in front of her former student. Let's just hope her sudden flushing didn't make Leonidas think Celestia had a fever and was getting sick.

"I remember Princess Celestia, I don't think I thanked you for that lesson, so thank you very much" he replied, bowing his head again, forgetting that he had already done it six times last night it seems.

"Well, I think that if I asked you to dance, it was not only for the purpose of... transmission of knowledge. It also had a more personal... desire." Celestia tries to take the discussion to something other than the dance itself.

To see what Leonidas thought of the more personal objectives.

For now not much, he still wasn't moving despite the sun princess' pause. However, he had already mentioned that having individual goals was not good for a pony, a species that only helped each other. Of course, he said this with his more closed-minded view of relationships, which was strange when Twilight thought about it, but Leonidas was definitely on the wrong side in wanting to help though.

Seeing no progress in the discussion, Celestia suddenly learned that there was no filly or foal present. At worst a recent princess who didn't know much about relationships beyond friendship. It was time to teach her two students something at the same time.

"I did it because I like you Leonidas, and I would like you to see me as something other than Princess Celestia." She sent directly, sending all the awkwardness of the beginning to the trash can. "I wanted to dance to get closer to you as an equal, I enjoyed it very much and that's why I'd like to ask you on another date."

"Me too!" Said suddenly the voice of the other mare in the room, feeling like she was let loose in a race against the sun princess and her teacher. "I've been intrigued by you since day one Leonidas, but I never had the courage to admit it to you, and seeing you with Celestia last night made me a little... jealous, I guess. I'd also like my chance to get to know you as a stud, more than I already know I mean." She would try not to see Leonidas as a trophy though, just as she did not want to see Celestia as a rival.

Celestia suspected that Twilight might have feelings for her new bodyguard and her hometown. Still, she was pleasantly surprised to see her take the initiative in a way she rarely does. The two didn't look at each other any further, waiting for the reaction of the stud who was the source of all this talk.

"Is it about the personal relationships Rarity already told me about?" He asked first, before thinking about his real answers.
Twilight knew what Rarity was discussing with Leonidas, since she was there the whole time. So she nodded her head in confirmation. Celestia did the same without having been specifically in her exchanges.

"Well, so that means that, according to her, I'm supposed to choose?" He announced patiently, the two princesses looking at each other for a moment, then nodding.

Leonidas thought for a few moments, not knowing what decision to make, he then asked sincerely:

"What would you do if you were me?"

"I don't know." Twilight answered honestly.

"I would make the decision of my heart, Leonidas. I know it's a difficult thing to do, and I know you don't fully understand it yet, but I want you to know that no matter what your answer is, it won't change anything between us three. Jealousy and resentment have no place here." Celestia confided in Twilight and Leonidas, smiling at both.

"Then I don't want to choose yet, and I don't even know if I'll ever be able to." He declared. "Nor take any offense from me, there is no denying that princesses are very attractive to any pony, I just wonder if these relationships are a primary thing to learn in equestrian culture."

"You're not wrong about that." Declared the sun princess. "Some ponies never experience love in their lives, but this is the exception that proves the rule in my opinion. We are a kind people and falling in love is very common, I think you could learn more by talking to Cadence, you already know her I guess."

"Yes, she is the princess of love and the wife of Shining Armor, but our exchanges were not about her ability to teach me the basics of love." I replied.

"I think before you give us an answer, or not for that matter, you should see her and chat a little. Rarity is better than me on her subjects, but she's not Cadence after all." Twilight added with a nervous laugh.

At the end of this meeting, Leonidas decided to focus on his mission while waiting for the right opportunity to discuss this with Cadence, Shining Armor drastically speeding up things for his fellow warrior and friend. Twilight and Celestia both put aside their feelings for the same stallion and kept their own relationship intact.