Twilight Sparkle, one of the esteemed Princesses of Equestria, sucked on her hoof as tears stained her eyes. Her cheeks flushed red as a yellow hoof offered her an ice pack, and she accepted it without looking the pony in the eye. “T-thanks Fritter,” she muttered.
Apple Fritter raised an eyebrow. She began to shift her hooves about, using signs and movements in place of a voice. What were you doing? How did you burn your hoof?
“I was… trying to make you dinner,” Twilight confessed, ears drooping and face burning brighter.
Why? prompted Apple Fritter.
“Because… Because I’m sorry for leaving you at the museum and you getting lost,” Twilight murmured, shying away beneath her wings. “I’m sorry! I just really wanted to see the Ancient Spells exhibit and there wasn’t a line and I just thought I’d be gone for a second but then I got into an argument with—”
She was cut off when Apple Fritter put a hoof on her mouth, silencing her. Apple Fritter was still for a second before she punched Twilight lightly in the withers.
“Ow! What was that for?”
For leaving me in the museum, Apple Fritter replied. She then leaned in and gave Twilight a kiss on the forehead. And that’s for trying with dinner. But since you almost burned down the kitchen, how about we order some takeout instead?
Twilight smiled, the heat finally leaving her cheeks. “I… I think I’d like that—”
“Princess! Over here!”
There was a bright flash of light and Twilight yelped, throwing a foreleg to her eyes seconds too late. She stumbled forwards and would have fallen over had Rarity not grabbed her foreleg. “Goodness, Twilight, are you alright?”
“Once my vision comes back,” Twilight muttered as she blinked the stars out of her eyes. As her eyes began to flush out the sudden light she was able to get a blurry sense of the room, the memory scampering away with its tail between its legs.
The tall white pillars, decorated with intricate designs and patterns, were as of now nothing more than giant white slabs of concrete. The walls still wavered, as rays of evening light flittered in through the windows and cast everything in a dim yellow glow.
The throng of reporters around her took the shape of faceless blobs, their voices melting together and shouting indecipherable questions at her. While the lobby was rather spacious, the volume of ponies currently in it made it claustrophobic, and Twilight was tempted to cast a shielding spell for the sake of reestablishing her personal bubble.
She wondered what Apple Fritter would think of this.
It’s too crowded, the room is too fancy, and the reporters are too loud.
Twilight chuckled at the imagined response, which drew another round of flashes from the cameras.
“Come on, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Let’s get you out of the press’s eyes, hm?”
“Of course,” Twilight responded. “Lead the way.”
And lead she did. Rarity flicked her tail, moving gracefully and carefully through the room with trained practice, her face in a carefully rehearsed expression of thought and clarity. Twilight thought it was silly, but she didn’t mind since it was practically a magnet for cameras.
With the attention off of her she relaxed a bit, trotting behind Rarity at a casual pace. A few reporters shouted questions at her, but their voices continued to drown each other out, so Twilight elected to ignore them. There was a good chance she’d already answered most of the questions in yesterday’s conference anyways.
Her mind began to wander as she crossed the lobby. Yeah, Fritter really wouldn’t like it here. Twilight’s smile slipped a bit as she thought of their disastrous trip to Canterlot and the various memories they had made. She wondered if Fritter still hated her for accidentally losing her in the National History Museum. The rational part of Twilight’s mind said that it was unlikely, because Fritter wasn’t the type to hold a grudge for…
Twilight stumbled slightly on the carpet and her face paled a little.
…one and a half years? That couldn’t be right.
She did a quick check and quickly concluded that her mind was not faulty. It had been one year and six months since their Canterlot vacation had ended in a near-disaster, and they really hadn’t done much since.
Sure, there had been the holidays spent together and a few odd days here and there, but it had been almost two yearssince they had gone on a vacation.
“Twilight!”
Rarity called her name and Twilight shook off the thought, quickly crossing the rest of the lobby and through the door. The flashes of the cameras became the brightness of the sun, forcing Twilight to squint as her eyes begrudgingly readjusted.
“Are you alright?” Rarity asked in concern as the door swung shut behind them.
“Fine,” Twilight got out. “I just… realized something, that’s all.”
Rarity looked as if she wanted to press the matter, but in the end decided against it. “Quite alright, dear. Now that the meeting is out of the way, I was wondering if you fancied going to lunch? I believe we have a few hours before your next appointment.”
“Uhh…” Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make something coherent out of the mush in her brain. Unfortunately her mind could only feebly offer statistics and facts from the meeting, snippets of the speech she gave two days ago, and notes from her agenda. “Uh.”
“It’s quite alright if not,” Rarity objected. “You do seem a bit worse for wear.”
Twilight chuckled weakly. “Yeah, sorry. I really want to, but I think I should go back to the castle and lie down for awhile.”
“May I ask what’s on your mind?” Rarity replied, losing the battle with her own curiosity. “You did sort of freeze up and, well… that usually isn’t a good sign.”
“It’s nothing,” Twilight murmured. “I just… realized it’s been almost two years since Apple Fritter and I really did something big together.”
Rarity gasped. “Two years?! Why, that’s practically a lifetime!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t been talking! We still write to each other a lot, and we see each other frequently too. But…”
“I quite understand,” Rarity said. “But surely it isn’t your fault, you are quite busy as a Princess.”
“What sort of Princess am I if I can’t even make time for my girlfriend,” Twilight spat, dejected. Her ears still tingled and a bit of red flushed to her cheeks at the word, as if her mind still couldn’t believe that she had one.
Rarity was quiet for a second, searching for words to reassure her friend.
“It’s okay, Rarity,” Twilight said, rubbing her forehead. “I definitely do need to spend more time with her. I just need to find the time.”
“Of course,” Rarity replied with a nod. “I’m certain you will, Twilight.”
Twilight yawned, stretching out her wings and glancing at the clock. It was getting late, but she wasn’t nearly done with her day of note taking. With a shrug, she downed the rest of her water and turned a page in her book.
Her quill scribbled against the page again, albeit with less enthusiasm than before. She yawned again, the words blurry and unfocused in her gaze. Twilight paused then groaned, realizing she had accidentally skipped two lines and had to start reading the entire page over again.
She shot up when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Apple Fritter stood next to her, eyes filled with concern and worry. Twilight, are you going to come to bed soon?
“In a few more hours,” Twilight answered. “I just want to finish this book first.”
I don’t want you staying up late again, Apple Fritter replied. You’ve barely slept these past few weeks.
“I need to get ready for the Canterlot Conference,” Twilight replied, rubbing her eyes.
I know, Apple Fritter responded, sighing noiselessly.
Twilight instantly felt guilty, sliding off her chair and embracing her in a hug. “I’m sorry, but it’s really important I go to this.”
I know, protested Apple Fritter. We just never do anything together anymore.
“You’re… You’re right. And I promise we’ll spend time together when I get back, okay?”
Apple Fritter nodded, hugging her back. Okay. I’ll look forward to it. She broke the embrace somewhat reluctantly. I’m heading in, goodnight Twilight.
“Goodnight, Apple Fritter,” Twilight answered, giving her a quick kiss. As she trotted up the stairs, Twilight turned back to her book, unable to shake a single thought from her mind: This is a waste of time.
In the present Twilight frowned, that single line echoing in her mind. This is a waste of time.
Across from her a stallion in a suit rattled off a list of statistics, and the ponies around Twilight nodded and scribbled notes in their notepads. A pegasus coughed and a unicorn sipped from her plastic cup.
It was dreadfully depressing.
Twilight leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes. She only vaguely remembered what this meeting was about and why she had to be here, but for once, not knowing didn’t trouble her that much. Because after this meeting was another one, where the same facts would be presented but to a different audience, and after that was another, and after that…
She seized her quill in her magic, flipped to a blank page in her notebook, and began sketching. Twilight was never amazing at drawing, but at this point she didn’t care. Her quill moved as her mind wandered in circles, the memories they produced leaving a sleepy smile on her face.
She remembered their Manehattan trip, and making silly faces in the mirror while wearing a big hat. She remembered Apple Fritter doing her silent giggle, which Twilight adored more than anything in the world, before she would cheekily ask if Twilight knew what was said about mares with big hats.
She remembered holding her tightly as a storm raged outside, and wrapping her in blankets as she flinched with every clap of thunder while whispering in her ear that the Storm King was gone and would never return. And Twilight remembered the mornings she’d wake up at her desk with a home-made quilt draped over her and her empty mugs cleared away.
Her smile wavered a bit as the feelings of guilt woke in her again. I’m so sorry I didn’t make it to bed, she’d say, but Apple Fritter would shake her head and say that she understood.
When Twilight looked down, her shapes became a pony with two ever-familiar braids in her mane. The pony stared up at another circle, which Twilight called the moon, and the crude sketch seemed to ask when Twilight would come home.
Spike nudged her in the ribs and Twilight snapped up. “Wuh?”
“Princess, if you could provide the attendance records of the School, I believe that it would allow us to refine our estimates,” the presenter repeated.
Twilight blinked, her mind short-circuiting. Instead of data, her brain seemed infatuated with the idea of Apple Fritter’s lips against her own.
“Uh. I… don’t have that information right now! Let me ask my… team, and get back to you!”
The presenter gave a cold and lifeless smile. “Thank you, Princess.”
Everyone nodded robotically, not even questioning her hesitance. A flash of anger welled through her system. Twilight wanted to leap onto the board table and ask if any of them even cared. If any of them even dreamed anymore. If their eyes ever shined like Apple Fritter’s did, and if they ever even felt anything.
She wanted to ask if she was still dreaming, even if they couldn’t answer. Above all, Twilight wanted to ask why she was here, wasting her time with trivial matters, instead of enjoying mugs of cider in front of a fireplace.
But she had enough sanity left in her to bite her tongue, sit straight, and smile back.
As the conversation shifted away from her, Twilight sulked in her chair and ignored the concerned look from Spike. She was suddenly craving homemade food and hoof-stitched quilts, and above all she was missing having someone to hold.
The moonlight bathed everything in an ethereal glow. Twilight sighed, easing her head into the pillow and pulling the blanket up to her chin. She reached out and with a grin hugged Apple Fritter, pulling their bodies closer together.
Someday, I’ll move to Canterlot, Apple Fritter signed. Then we can be together.
“You’d do that for me?” Twilight asked sleepily, nuzzling her in the neck.
Of course, silly, she replied, poking Twilight in the nose and giggling soundlessly.
Twilight grinned, but it faltered for a second as some vague notion of worry passed through her mind.
What’s wrong? asked Apple Fritter.
“Nothing,” Twilight answered with a sigh. “I’m just… disappointed I have to leave so soon.”
Apple Fritter took a second to respond. Well let me fix that for you!
She leaned in and pressed her muzzle against Twilight’s. Twilight closed her eyes and kissed back, wrapping her hooves and wings around Fritter’s body and hugging her tightly. Her grin returned when they broke their kiss. “My hero,” she said.
Twilight sighed, and she was warm and she was happy.
Twilight woke up. The castle ceiling never looked so disappointing before. She looked to her right to find the bed empty. Twilight flipped onto her side and squinted at the clock, which dutifully informed her that it was still two in the morning. In other words, it had been exactly half an hour since she had last checked.
Twilight growled. She picked up one of the pillows in her magic and threw it across the room. It bounced off the wall and hit the floor with a quiet thud. She sat up in her bed, her feelings and mind in a state of turmoil.
She wanted to scream. It would wake everyone up, but she didn’t care. She wanted to cry. She wanted…
She wanted to be with Apple Fritter.
Twilight sulked in her bed, shame and regret rearing their heads in her own body. How much time had she lost in pointless meetings? How much time had been wasted to promises and commitments, and how many more nights would she sleep and wake and live alone?
She didn’t want to know.
Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself and steady her body. The quiet reminded her of Apple Fritter’s laugh, and she quickly made up her mind. Twilight slid off her bed and half-stumbled to her desk. She needed to make a note to Rarity.
What if she doesn’t want to see you anymore? What if Celestia gets mad at you? What if Rarity undergoes a crisis today and you’re not there to help her?
Twilight groaned, prancing in place in eagerness. The thoughts had not left her alone as she hastily packed a bag and left the city. Nor had they left her alone when she spread her wings and flew all the way out of Canterlot, as her exhaustion only seemed to amplify them.
“It’s too late now, Twilight,” she muttered. She raised a hoof to knock again, froze, then put it back down. Biting her lip, she danced around in a circle, accidentally kicking her bag and hissing in pain.
As she stuck her hoof in her mouth to suck on it, the door clicked and opened.
Apple Fritter blinked once, then twice, then raised her eyebrows in shock.
“Mmph--” Twilight pulled her hoof out of her mouth and tried again. “Fritter, I… I wanted to see you because… I just, I realized that we haven’t really… I’m sorry, I left Canterlot and…”
Apple Fritter smiled, stepped out of the house and pulled Twilight into a kiss.
Twilight hugged her tightly and sighed into the kiss, closing her eyes and losing herself in her embrace.
Her worries and shame melted away. Damn the world, she needed this.
They pulled apart, and Apple Fritter stepped aside. Welcome home, she signed, tears welling in her eyes.
“Thank you,” Twilight replied as she began to cry from a combination of relief and exhaustion. “Thank you.”
