The Friendship Court had ended for the week, and Princess Twilight Sparkle was bored out of her mind. Some days she wondered why she had ever thought this was a good idea.
Court had been the same as it usually was. Small problems that were easily solved and left both parties in a better mood than when it had started. Usually followed by a trip to Sugarcube Corner to celebrate.
Not that Twilight didn't mind of course. It was her role as Princess of Friendship, after all, to help ponies solve their friendship problems. But it was still tedious hearing the same things over and over again. It was enough to drive anypony mad.
How Celestia, Luna, and Cadance didn't feel the same was beyond her. At least Cadance had Flurry Heart there on hoof to help her. As much as a teenage alicorn ever could help anyway. Who knew natural-born alicorns aged so slowly? If Celestia and Luna had, they had not told anypony this bit of news.
"So what am I? Chop celery? I thought I was more than that to you, Twily."
Twilight smiled at the new voice. The effect of it coming from the back of her head had long ago worn off freaking her out every time she heard it. Even though she still found strange somedays.
Just as well too. The two of them shared everything after all, and it was not fair to Lumena to keep freaking out every time she said something. As Twilight had more than once over the years. Usually after having forgotten that she was there at all.
Lumena, though, had a way of making everything sound better. No matter what it might be, or how bad it got. Maybe even better than Pinkie Pie once had. It was one of the reasons she and Twilight got along so well.
On top of them literally sharing everything below their heads. An effect that still freaked out someponies the first time they saw the pair, though most of Ponyville had long ago grown used to the two of them and the bond that they shared. Equestria was slower, but they too had mostly grown used to the sight.
"Easy for you to say. All you have to do is sit through government meetings. For which I am eternally grateful I might add," Twilight grumbled as she turned to a mirror that sat next to her throne. It was one of the easier ways for her and Lumena to see each other.
Lumena could have easily been mistaken for a much older version of Princess Twilight herself. The fact that Twilight's head seemingly grew out the back of the other mare's head only added to the idea. Though who was actually growing out the back of who's head was anypony's guess.
Lumena giggled. "You are welcome. Speaking of which, I have several today."
Twilight sighed in annoyance. "Oh, right. Do you want to switch now, or wait until we arrive in Canterlot?"
Lumena shook her head, sending Twilight's mane all over the place. "No, we can wait. Unless you want to do it now?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "I would rather do it now if it's all the same to you. I am beat today. The court was more tedious than usual today for some reason. Or maybe it's just Friday. And I hate Fridays. Even more, than I do Mondays."
Lumena's smile dropped. "You know that you are more than welcome to join in, you know? Celestia wishes you would stay awake and participate. You have every right to. Just as much as any of us. She misses you."
Twilight's ears fell, as did her gaze. "I know, and I miss her too. But this was our agreement. I will handle things in Ponyville and with the Friendship Court, while you handle anything in Canterlot. It's worked for both of us so far." She smirked. "Besides, I know you will wake me up if I really need to be there. Let us not change that now."
Lumena sighed as she closed her eyes, as did Twilight. One of these days, she would get Twilight to see the sense in this. "Fine, fine. See you later tonight then."
Twilight's smile grew as she and Lumena began to glow before their heads switched places so that Lumena's was now in the driver's seat of their body.
Lumena blinked several times as she readjusted to being the dominant goddess in her and Twilight's body. It never got easier for them. Even after a century and a half of doing this. Maybe one day it would not feel so weird for the two of them. They could hope so anyway.
Lumena did. For Twilight's sake more than her own. She had always tried to make her transition into the driver's seat of their body as seamless as possible. And Lumena hated herself for the fact that she could not. No matter what she tried. She owed so much to Twilight. She did not want that debt to forever be unpaid. That was wrong.
While Twilight had never said anything. It had never become comfortable for her to become a passenger in her own body, where she had little control over what happened. And she had never been a fan of the idea that Lumena owed her a debt of any kind. It was one of the few things that they vehemently disagreed on, and more than likely always would.
Not that it bothered either Twilight or Lumena all that much. They got along great on just about everything else. Something like this was hardly something to tear the two of them apart over. Something that both Cadance and Flurry Heart had told them both many times.
Lumena stood from her throne, stretching her great wings as she did so. Her train would leave soon, so she had a few minutes to get ready. Spike was off visiting the Dragon Lands this week, so she would be going to Canterlot alone. While he hadn't said why he was visiting, Twilight had a good guess that it had something to do with a girl. Lumena hadn't been able to hold back her giggles at the thought when she'd first heard it.
Teleporting to her and Twilight's room, Lumena grabbed her saddlebags, careful not to wake the sleeping Twilight as she set them around her haunches. She already knew that she had everything she needed, and the last things were her train tickets. One for her, and one for Twilight. No matter what they looked like, or what someponies argued, the two of them always traveled individually. It was only right after all. They shared a body. But they were still their own separate ponies.
The thought made Lumena remember all that had happened to her since the day she and Twilight had come together. It had been a crazy ride for the both of them, to say the least. Not least of which was Twilight learning to live with sharing everything about her body with another. But that other was incredibly old by most standards, even though Lumena did not look like it.
Old enough, it seemed, to have watched more than one universe grow into life, before dying. Lumena didn't remember much of her life before she merged with Twilight, but she remembered enough. Some of which she saw when she met with Celestia and Luna, and to a lesser extent with Cadance and Flurry Heart came to visit.
Never often enough. Either for Twilight or Lumena.
Author's Note
An old idea of mind from 2019 on my DeviantArt account. Back when writing on that site still made sense. Thought it was time to bring it here. So here we are. There are changes from the original story. Cover art was done as a Commission by Not Quite Equine during November. Way better than what I had in my head.
This does ignore everything from Season 8 and Season 9. So no School of Friendship and everything that came with it, and Twilight does not rule Equestria. Not that it couldn't happen in the future. But not yet. Movie is also canon.
For the second time in as many weeks, newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle found herself floating in what she now knew was the Astral Plane. Unlike the first time though, she was more annoyed than anything else. "Alright, I'm here. Can we hurry things along? I've got things to do, and I'm already an alicorn. What else is there?"
"For you to fully embrace what it means to be an alicorn Twilight," came a voice, one she knew was Princess Celestia. Sure enough, her mentor soon stepped from the mist.
Twilight was still confused. "What do you mean princess? What else is there?"
Celestia sighed, her brows creasing. They had been over this already. They were equals now. Twilight had to see that.
Apparently, though, she still refused to see herself as equal to her, Luna, and Cadance. Yes, Twilight was still young and inexperienced, but she was not alone.
It was time to stop beating around the bush it seemed. "For one thing Twilight. Stop using my title, and call me Celestia, please. You are now equal to all of us." She frowned, and Twilight gulped. "In your heart, you still see yourself as a unicorn, and that your wings and title are nothing but a burden. Am I right?"
Twilight wilted under her gaze. "Is it that obvious?"
Celestia nodded. "Very much so." Her gaze softened as she saw Twilight's eyes glimmer with tears. "The truth hurts I know. But Equestria will never again see you as you were."
Her head bowed. "Most will never see past the wings and crown, and look at the pony underneath. Your friends, of course, will still be by your side and love you no matter what."
Twilight sniffed, nodding. She felt a wing wrap around her and looked up into Celestia's smiling face. It helped ease her pain.
"And you will always have me, Luna, and Cadance. Eternity can be a long time without those who share your burden. Keep your friends and family close. One day, they will be gone."
Celestia bit back her own tears. "While you remain the picture of youth and beauty."
Twilight let out another sniff, hearing her worst fears confirmed. For a time, they sat together in silence, lost in thought.
Finally Twilight looked up at the princess. "So, um, was there anything else you wanted to tell me princ- er, Celestia?"
Celestia nodded, wiping away her own tears. She knew it would take time for Twilight to be used to using her name like that. But she could wait.
"Much more Twilight. But I think another can explain the next part better than me. And she has been waiting a long time to meet you," she said with a grin.
Twilight blinked. "She? Who is she?"
"Your Princess Soul," Celestia replied.
Twilight was even more confused now. "My what?"
Celestia giggled. "Your Princess Soul. It is something all alicorns have. In essence, they are what allows an alicorn access to her domain. The sun, moon, love, and in your case Twilight, magic itself," Celestia explained.
Her smile dropped somewhat. "Even more so, they are what allows us to live at all."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, worried about what this could mean.
Celestia grimaced. "No pony, not even us, was ever meant to hold this much power. Without the bond we share, our bodies would decay in a very short time. And depending on our domain, Equus would suffer for it."
Twilight gulped. She didn't like the sound of that. She quickly began trying to turn the conversation in a better direction. "But it's not all bad, right?"
Celestia smiled. "No, it is not. While it may seem so, first and foremost, each and every one of us is a friend, someone when we need a shoulder to cry on and who will never leave us." Her smile grew. "Something binds us that no other thing will. Her name."
"Her name?" Twilight questioned, scratching her head.
"Yes. Only one pony will ever know the soul's true name. If the two of you are truly destined to be together, she will tell you," Celestia replied.
Twilight was about to ask more, when she noticed a bright orb approaching them, making a beeling straight to Twilight.
Twilight didn't know why, but she wanted to meet that orb, to know who she was.
"And here she comes now," Celestia said as she stepped back and allowed Twilight and her Princess Soul their space.
Twilight watched as the orb floated serenely over to her. As it did, it began to take on an equine shape. Whoever she was, she was female. That was all Twilight could make out.
As it came to hover before her, Twilight heard a voice. Beautiful and melodic, the voice had the ring of one who had seen much in a long life, yet held the enthusiasm of youth.
"Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes?" She squeaked out.
The voice giggled. "Do not worry. I mean you no harm. I have waited a long time for this day. I was losing hope we would ever meet."
Twilight tilted her head. "Why?"
"It can be very lonely where I stayed waiting for this day. My younger siblings all ascended long ago, and I miss them," the voice replied.
Now Twilight was really lost. "Wait. Younger? Isn't Princess Celestia the oldest alicorn alive?"
"She is, but her Princess Soul is the youngest. We don't know why, but that does not change who Celestia is. It helps her keep grounded when you share your body with a soul much younger than yourself."
Twilight nodded, starting to get it. "So, what about you?"
Her companion smiled, she could feel it. "Me? I am the oldest. Ironic is it not? Me, the oldest soul, bound to share her all with the youngest alicorn."
Twilight smiled a bit at that. "So. Um, should we get this show on the road?"
Her companion nodded as she began to glow. "Now Twilight Sparkle. Do you take me as your Princess Soul? Now and forevermore? Until time itself is unmade?"
Twilight stood to her full height. "I do."
She could feel the joy from her Soul as she zoomed over to her forehead and began merging her form with Twilight's own. Soon her body began to feel warm. As Twilight smiled goofily, she felt a torc appear around her neck and hoof boots appear around her hooves, securing themselves tightly but comfortably.
"Do not worry. These are symbols of us coming into our own," came a voice inside her head from her Princess Soul. "But these will not be the only changes. I feel something else coming. For both of us."
Before Twilight could ask what she meant, her body began to glow once more, before it began to grow with a lurch. Once it ended, Twilight felt that this had been a bit much as she looked down at her now taller body. If she had to guess, she was now between Cadance and Princess Luna in size. "Is that it?" She asked.
Apparently not, as she felt something or someone begin to grow out of the back of her head. First came a snout, then eyes, mouth, and ears. Finally, a fully formed face and head now grew out of the back of Twilight's own head.
Twilight blinked, as she felt her new companion open her eyes and look around, Twilight's own head turning with her as well. As strange as this felt, she had never felt more alive and younger. "This is so weird," she grumbled. "I don't even know your name. That seems kind of rude for how we now are."
Her companion giggled, a rather musical sound. "My name?" Her smile grew, and Twilight could feel the warmth and love it radiated. "My name is Lumena. Lumena Sparkle."
Twilight smiled as well. It felt right. "Welcome home, Lumena."
For a moment, Twilight and Lumena said nothing between them. Twilight was slowly getting used to now sharing everything her body with a second soul. Lumena, meanwhile, was enjoying the feeling of finally sharing somepony else's body.
"So now what?" Twilight finally asked. "Celestia didn't explain everything. And I doubt this was part of anything she thought of."
"For a good reason. Every one of us is different in how affect those we are bonded with," Lumena replied. "But there are some ways to know. Have you ever seen Celestia or Luna act odd, not their normal everyday selves?"
Twilight nodded, not sure how it was relevant. "Yeah. A few times. Why? They don't have a second head as far as I know. Unless she's hidden behind their manes."
"Then you were probably seeing their Princess Soul, not them. We have that effect on you. If you want, we can start working on our, hoof over I guess is the best way to describe it. And I too do not think they are bonded as we are."
Twilight blinked. "How the heck do we do that? Is it dangerous?"
"No, it is not. Do you feel how I the passenger in our body at the moment?" Twilight nodded. "When we switch roles, I would take over as the dominant personality, while you would be where I am now I assume. I can't really say for sure. Even I did not expect this."
Twilight frowned. That didn't exactly sound safe at all. But she could feel Lumena was being sincere with what she was telling her. And the fact that she and Lumena would now spend the rest of time together so intimately meant that they needed to begin building their trust in each other now.
Twilight nodded. "So then. How do we do this? I don't know."
"Let your mind go free. It will happen naturally. But only when we both want it. At least I hope so," Lumena replied.
Twilight nodded. Closing her eyes, she let her mind go free. It actually felt rather nice. Like falling asleep, and waking up from a dream. When she opened them, there was a certain disconnect to her surroundings. Like she was seeing them from someone else's eyes. Even if they were her own. Looking down, she now saw that she had a perfect view of her backside and tail. Odd. But it was something she could get used to.
Lumena for her part felt much the same. But for her, it felt so much more. The feeling in Twilight's body was incredible. More so when she was the one in the driver's seat so to speak.
"No. This is our body now," came Twilight's voice in the back of her head. "You're ready. I'm ready. We are ready. You're in the driver's seat now Lumena. Take our body for a test drive," Twilight giggled
Lumena smiled. A real one. Taking a deep breath, she slowly tried to stand. One by one her legs responded to her commands. Shakily, she came to her hooves.
The feeling of standing on her own four hooves for the first time was a feeling she would remember for all time. The feeling of the breeze in her mane and tail. Her wings fluttered a bit. She made a promise to remember it all.
Lumena took a moment to adjust to now having a physical body. It was a strange experience, to say the least. For one who had spent most of her life as a spirit without a body, it would take some time to get used to this.
Not that she was complaining. "So. Now, what do we do?"
"Well. You can see if our magic is different in any way. I can't really tell like this," Twilight replied.
Lumena nodded. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on a simple spell, one that would only light up her horn. For a moment, she felt nothing. But soon, she felt a faint tingle at its tip.
Opening her eyes and looking up, her smile became so wide that it would have impressed Pinkie Pie. Her horn was now glowing faintly. But what stood out the most was her aura.
It was midnight blue, the same shade as her mane and tail.
"Well. I think that answers that question. Do you feel any different when I use magic?" She asked.
"Not really," Twilight replied. "I mean, I feel a slight disconnect to it like this. But I don't feel anything different."
Lumena sighed, glad that her fear that her use of their magic would be a detriment to the both of them was unfounded. It would have made things difficult if it had.
Before she could say anything more, she saw Princess Celestia walk up with a smile, tinged with just a small bit of worry. Lumena knew it was for Twilight.
"Has everything gone well with the two of you?" She asked.
Lumena nodded, smiling as well. "It has. I don't think we could be happier."
Celestia was taken aback slightly at her response. Her voice sounded nothing like Twilight's own, even though she could hear the faint echoes of Twilights in it. "I can see you are not Twilight at the moment." She said, being cautious with whoever she was talking to. "Though I can see her in the back of your head."
"No. I'm not. Twilight is, letting me run our body for a while." Lumena replied, keeping her tone even and polite, not sure of how she could talk to Celestia. "And my name is Lumena."
"Can she hear everything we are saying now?" Celestia asked. Twilight's head nodded, even though she did not say anything.
Lumena nodded. "She can." She smiled slightly. "And, I get the feeling she is rather enjoying the experience."
Celestia nodded as well, her lips twitching upwards slightly. "That is good to hear. I am glad that the two of you have gotten on so well so far."
Lumena nodded. When she responded, Celestia could hear Twilight's voice echoing perfectly alongside her Princess Soul's. "So are we."
Celestia blinked again. Hearing two voices coming from her former student was an odd experience. She remembered when she and her Princess Soul first started. Luna had said it sounded like two were talking together at the same time.
Granted, Celestia had said the same thing to Luna when she too had come into hers. The same with Cadance. But hearing it come from Twilight was still a shock. "Well, then you two. What are your plans now?" She asked.
Lumena blinked. Now that Celestia had asked, she found they didn't have an answer. She held up a hoof. "Um. Hold that thought for a moment please," both she and Twilight replied.
Turning their minds inward, she and Twilight found themselves facing each other across a table of some kind. There was no definition to it. Just a regular table.
"She has a point," Twilight said. "Now, what are we supposed to do?"
Lumena shook her head. "I don't know. It changes for all of us what we do. Celestia and Luna have the sun and moon respectively. Cadance has love. What do we have?"
Twilight shook her head. "She didn't say really. Just that I needed to discover it on my own."
Lumena smirked. "I think she meant we need to discover it together. Did you plan to dive right into being a princess?"
Now it was Twilight's turn to smirk. "You mean start ruling my own domain and all that?" Lumena nodded. "Hopefully not for a long time yet. I had thought about maybe having my own court in Ponyville."
Lumena raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that infringe on Mayor Mare's power?"
Twilight shrugged. "It was her idea actually. And I was just as surprised as you are. I mentioned it to Celestia right after my coronation. She said it sounded like a wonderful idea."
Lumena nodded. "Then what could we do in it? How much would she be willing to give us if we do?"
Twilight shrugged. "Anything short of declaring war on Equestria or declaring independence is fine. If we get of hoof, then she and Luna can step in."
Lumena smiled. "That's a lot of responsibility considering you just ascended."
Twilight sighed. "I know. But, I don't want to let her down. I mean, she's done so much for me. I don't want her to think it was all misplaced."
Lumena could feel how Twilight felt. Their empathic bond was beginning to grow stronger and stronger. More so, she understood how Twilight was feeling.
For she too had felt the same once upon a time. Though it had been many ages.
Twilight noticed Lumena's pause and was both worried and curious at the same time. Since they were so inter-connected, she could feel Lumena's mind was on something. But what she couldn't tell.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
Lumena's train of thought was interrupted and she smiled. "Just. Old memories. Family and seeing each, in turn, off as their time came."
"Good ones I hope?" Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.
Lumena chuckled. "Of course. Seeing my younger sisters off was always a joyous occasion." Her smile grew as one memory in particular rose. "They always asked when I would join them."
"I thought you were the oldest? How were you the last to come down?" Twilight asked.
Lumena's smile grew softer. "Because the one I was meant to be with hadn't been born yet. And I could not join them until she had."
Twilight also smiled. "And here we are."
Lumena's smile grew too. "And here we are." Her expression grew serious again. "But we still need to figure out what each of us will do in this."
Twilight frowned. She had a point. If they were meant to share eternity together, they needed to figure something of an arrangement out between them. "Do you have any ideas?" She asked.
Lumena tapped her chin. Twilight found the image adorable. For some reason, Lumena appeared as an older version of her here in their mindscape. Maybe it had something to do with their bond. "Well. I do have one." She finally said.
Twilight leaned forward in anticipation. "What?"
"How much say were you planning on asking for in how Equestria is governed?" Lumena asked.
Twilight tapped her chin. "Well. I wasn't going to ask for my own kingdom that's for sure." She shrugged. "At least a say in any major decisions. A place in all the big important meetings. Why?"
Lumena's smile had grown into a smirk. "I might have a way to help us both with that. Has Celestia or Luna told you how these things work?"
"The basics," Twilight replied, not sure where this was going.
"Then I might have a way to keep the boredom down during them," Lumena replied a hint of mischief in her voice and tone now.
Twilight leaned in even more, eager to hear what she might have in store.
Celestia waited patiently while Twilight conversed with her princess soul. She knew the two of them had retreated into their mind, having seen and done it herself many times.
She did wonder what they were talking about though. Twilight had said she wanted a say in running Equestria, but Celestia, despite saying she had no trouble with that, was still concerned.
While Twilight did have a good understanding of how these things worked, she did not fully understand everything that went on that kept Equestria running. The Day and Night Courts held the image that they were where most decisions were made.
But in truth, most of the major policy and foreign affairs issues were resolved in committees and the Parliament. And those were always stuffy and boring.
Celestia wasn't sure Twilight was ready for that yet. She had no doubt in her ability to handle it. She was just worried Twilight might go insane from how slow the process was.
Finally after a few moments, Twilight and her twin's head rotated around so that now Twilight was facing forward. "I do have a plan actually," Twilight said.
Now Celestia was intrigued. "Go on." She prompted.
"Well. I do plan to start my own court in Ponyville. But I still want to have some say in how Equestria's government is run." Twilight said.
Celestia steeled herself, preparing to say what she should have some time ago. "Are you sure about that Twilight? Running the government isn't as glamorous as it sounds."
Twilight smiled. "And that's where part two of our plan comes into play."
Celestia's eyebrow rose. "Oh?"
Twilight nodded. "I kind of figured it was. So we found a way to work around that fact and still have something to work with."
"We?" Celestia asked, her confusion deepening.
Twlight and her twin rotated their heads once more. "We plan to switch off between ourselves if one of us gets bored. Ponies will just have to get used to the two of us being like this," Lumena said with a smirk.
Celestia thought on that a moment. It was a bit unorthodox, but she could see how it would make sense. And then kicked herself for not thinking of it herself back then. "I see what you mean." Her smile returned. "I think it's a brilliant idea, Lumena."
Her resulting smile would have made Pinkie Pie proud.
Author's Note
So there is no overall plot to this story. Just random pieces showing Twilight and Lumena's life together. I felt it worked best this way when I first wrote it. Will not change it now. Up next is Equestria Girls.
Hilord17 does have a point though. Twilight and Lumena could be considered an Aplan from Alfava Metraxis of Doctor Who. Though I don't think we ever actually saw what they looked like. Damn Weeping Angels.
Lumena giggled as she exited their room. In hindsight, she wondered if this arrangement had been a good idea after all. She'd had far more headaches out of it than she'd had good times. It might have helped had Twilight stayed awake during them.
But the mare had slept through all of them for over a century and a half now, and that did not appear to be changing anytime soon. And it was not as simple as normally waking up either, trying to get her up. No matter what she tried.
The only thing that Lumena had found that worked, as she passed various members of the staff along the way and nodded politely to each of them, was that either Twilight woke up on her own. Or something shocked Lumena so much that it woke her mate up in the process.
Very little had been able to do that, no matter what Lumena tried. So she had long ago resigned herself to just having to deal with it, no matter how bad it got.
"This had better be important. We had plans today," she grumbled as she headed for the main door.
"You are what?!"
Celestia and Luna let the ringing in their ears stop before they replied. The smile on Luna's face said that she had expected this reaction and smirked at her sister, who only rolled her eyes.
"As I said you two. I am retiring. I have been in this position long enough," Celestia said calmly. "Too long if I am, to be honest."
Twilight was not buying it, however, having been shocked into wakefulness. "But you can't retire. Can you?"
Luna nodded. "In fact, Tia can. There was never anything said that we had to rule Equestria forever. Cadance did the same with Flurry Heart if you remember correctly."
Lumena nodded. "But she had somepony to pass it on to. Princess Celestia does not." She and Twilight shared a confused look. "Does she?"
Celestia nodded, her smile growing. "In fact, I do have somepony in mind. Two of them in fact. I am looking at them right now."
That was all Twilight could take, as she forcefully switched places with Lumena, getting a groan from her mate in the process. She made a note to make it up to her later. "But we are so not ready. I am so not ready. Who would take over raising the sun?"
Celestia shook her head. "The magic that governs the sun can be given away. As it was to me all those centuries ago. The two of you handled the sun and moon together during the fight with Tirek." Her smile softened as she stood and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "And you give yourself far too little credit, Twilight, when you say you are not ready. From the day you ascended, I have known you have been ready."
Twilight blushed. "Thank you, princess. But I don't know. What about Luna? We had all of the alicorn magic when we fought Tirek."
Lumena nodded. "And it was a miracle we could even control it as much as we did. And even then, we fought each other to a standstill."
Celestia and Luna nodded. "While that is true, Lumena. The fact remains that ponies still look up to both of you. All of Equestria looks up to the two of you." She shrugged. "As for me? I have no plans to retire now. I still have eight hundred and some odd years to make up for," Luna replied.
That was some small relief for the two. But Celestia could still see that they were unsure about this. "I am not forcing either of you into this. Given time, I could possibly find someone else. I am not stepping down right this instant. This would be a gradual process."
Twiight bit her lip, earning a worried look from Lumena. This was all too much. She needed time to think about this. "Do you need an answer now?" Lumena asked.
Celestia shook her head. "No. Give it several days of thought. I know neither of you will rush into something like this. I plan to announce my retirement at the next Summer Sun Celebration. It is only right I feel."
Twilight sighed. "Thank you, Princess Celestia. Was this all you needed of us?" Celestia nodded. "Then we will take our leave. Maybe we will stay in Canterlot tonight. I need the fresh air."
Celestia's smile grew. "Your old room is always ready for you, Twilight. I will see you in the morning then?"
Twilight nodded, before allowing Lumena to regain control before the two took their leave, the door closing silently behind them.
Luna sighed as the door closed. "Well, that could have gone better. I told you they would react like this, sister."
Celestia rolled her eyes as she sat back down. "I know, Luna. But I know that this is still the right choice. I can only hope that Twilight and Lumena see it as well."
"You know that you cannot run from this forever, Twilight," Lumena said as she closed the door to their Guest Room. "Celestia is serious about all of this."
Twilight shot her a dirty look as her head slumped. "You know, Lumena? Sometimes I hate that I am stuck with you. I know she is serious, but I am not ready. Maybe you are, but I am not. I don't know if I ever will be."
Lumena's smile softened as they sat down on their bed. "Do you think that they were ready when Starswirl crowned them Princesses of Equestria? I doubt they were any more than we are. I know that you would be a wonderful Princess of Equestria. Anypony who says otherwise is too stupid for their own good."
That got a snort out of the younger mare.
Lumena used a hoof to lift her mate's head gently. "Do you remember the Fall Formal? What you did then?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "How can I forget? And don't say it like you didn't do anything, Lumey. You did as much as I did. Maybe even more so."
Lumena blushed at the use of the nickname Twilight had given her. Her mind returned to that time for a moment. Their first true adventure together.
Author's Note
Slight change in the chapter schedule. Equestria Girls 1 starts in the next chapter. I'm still trying to work out how Twilight and Lumena look in their human form at Canterlot High. To answer a question from LoveandEdify, this will be a series. Only one story. But this is a series nonetheless.
