Love Among Princesses

Celestia smiles, “And just what do you mean, dear Flurry Heart?”

I hear the angry, yet oddly cute and squeaky voice of my daughter replying from behind me, “I mean, what are you doing dating my mother?”

“Well, looking for love and affection in an otherwise cold and bleak existence of course! I mean, why would anypony seek love?”

“But it’s my mother!”

Celestia nods, “So it is, sweet Flurry Heart! Which is precisely why I think you and I should be getting along!”

I finally turn around and say to her over my right shoulder, “Don’t you think this is between you and I? Celestia isn’t involved here!”

Celestia timidly asks, “Involved in what?”

Flurry furrows her brow from underneath her Stetson, “She’s not dad!”

I nod at her, “Yes! But Shining is no longer with us, and so what else should I do?”

The fire drops from her eyes as she gazes softly and deeply into mine from 7 feet away, “But nopony could ever replace him!”

Celestia finally speaks up, “And I’m not trying to replace Shining Armor, Flurry Heart! Now that he’s passed on, Cadance here is free to date as she wishes. Don’t you want your mother to find happiness, even if it’s in another pony’s hooves?”

Her bottom lip quivers, “B-but it’s not the same… I don’t want to move on…”

I frown at this spectacle as I get to my hooves and trot a few paces her direction, “Well, it needs to happen, Flurry Heart… Shining Armor is gone now and we must both carry on… It’s the curse of being an alicorn I suppose?”

Celestia disembarks from her chair on the left side of the table and trots around it towards the two of us as her ethereal mane dances between the tables, “Flurry, I could never replace Shining Armor and I promise you, that’s not what I’m trying to do here!”

Flurry looks over at Celestia with a furrowed brow, “Well, then what are you trying to do?”

Celestia smiles, “Well, how about being your other mom instead?”

Flurry’s gaze softens as she stares back at the larger white alicorn, “O-other mom?”

Celestia nods, “But of course! If your mother and I are indeed together, it stands to reason that I become your other parent, yes?”

She blinks, “W-well I guess?”

Celestia cuts her off, “Excellent! Now why don’t you come here and have some donuts with us?” she smiles. “We got sprinkles…”

Her eyes widen, “Sprinkles?”

<*****>

I noticed that my daughter particularly enjoys those chocolate donuts with sprinkles as she scarfs yet another one down and chases it with juice… That’s disgusting and I’m still not sure how she does that?

She looks up at us from underneath her cowpony hat after a mighty swig of her nasty pineapple-orange juice, “So um, why are you two together again?”

Celestia looks up from where she’s sitting on my right, “Because I love her!”

While I say, “Because she loves me!”

We both break out into smiles and slight giggles as Flurry frowns, “Well, this is gonna be an adjustment…”

Celestia stops giggling and stares at the other white alicorn, “Well, right! And that’s exactly why I felt that you should be included!”

Her eyes widen, “What?”

I mimic her with a frown, “What?”

Celestia smiles and nods, “Well, right! We should all get to know one another and over time, we can all become a happy family!”

I crane my head right to gaze at her, “You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?”

Celestia turns to me and giggles, “Well, yeah! I told you it’s been years!”

My eyes go skyward, “Well, right!”

Flurry Heart asks Celestia point blank, “You really want to be my mommy?”

Celestia turns to her, “Would I have said so otherwise?”

Flurry starts, “Um, probably not, no?”

I frown, “So, what then? We all become this happy family of alicorns now?”

Celestia grins as she cranes her head left towards me, “Sounds good to me!”

Flurry frowns, “Oh, gosh!” before taking another swig of her putrid juice with her magick…

I can only sit and frown in disbelief, “I cannot believe that this happened…”

Celestia turns her head back right to me, “Well, I’m an alicorn, you’re an alicorn, and your daughter is an alicorn, so…”

I blink, “Well, right! I uh… I need a moment…” before using my magick to raise one of those yummy strawberry Bismarck's with glaze to my face and scarfing it down as the jam goes all over the front of my muzzle… It’s so strange, but I don’t even care at this point…

Celestia frowns at me, “Are you okay Candy?”

I can’t help but take note that that’s the first time she’s ever called me that as I adjust my gaze to her and respond, “We really should hire a publicist!”

She widens her eyes, “Do you believe that will be necessary?”

As I’m magically wiping my face with a napkin I say to her, “Absolutely! I mean, Twilight has work to do and…”

She puts her hoof on my right shoulder while staring at me with those iridescent amethyst eyes of hers, “Calm down, my love…” she smiles, “It doesn’t really matter who we are... I love you and you love me… The rest is just scenery…” she nods. “Okay?”

I smile back at her as I relax my shoulders and say, “Well, right! So we just what then? Play it by ear?”

She wiggles her ears in front of me, “Sounds good to me!”

Flurry smiles at this scene and comments, “Wow! I’m kinda glad you’re here, actually…”

Celestia turns her neck right to stare at the other white alicorn while frowning, “Why is that? My presence is the whole reason there might be an issue!”

She nods and sighs, “Y-yeah! I know that! It’s just that, well,” she smiles. “the way you just calmed down mom just there…” she turns her neck back right towards me. “I don’t know if you noticed, but you got really stressed out after dad died!”

I frown at her, “Well, that’s because I no longer had anypony to comfort me after those long days!”

She nods, “Well, right! But now, what then? Celestia can do that?” before lowering her smile and looking at the largest alicorn in the room…

Celestia chuckles lightly at the smaller white alicorn, “Well, I wasn’t really planning on moving in just yet, but if Flurry here thinks it would be good for you?”

Her eyes widen, “When did I say that?”

She continues to smile, “Well, you just said that I can calm Cadance and now that I’m retired, I can live wherever I wish and that would include the Crystal Empire!”

I stammer at her, “I-I’m gonna finish my Bismarck now!”

Celestia looks at me while continuing to smile, “Well, if you like the idea of having me around, then it makes sense that I be nearby, right?”

I finish chewing my doughnut and stare at her, “Aren’t we moving kinda fast?”

Celestia lowers her gaze, “Well, think about it this way Cadance! I can teleport to your castle whenever I choose, right?”

I nod, “This is true!”

Celestia nods as well, “Right! And since we’ll be together a lot anyway, I should probably just live with you, since well, that also carries the snuggling benefits! Besides, at my lonely estate in Canterlot, there’s really not much for me to do…”

My eyes widen, “Is that so? Well, we just need to find you some more activities then!”

“How about loving you?”

Flurry’s eyes are enormous by this point.

I reply, “I uh, you’re serious!”

She lowers her gaze again, “Cadance… I’ve been alone for over a thousand years… I have thought long and hard about this thing more times than I can count… I wanted to find a pony I could be with and let’s be honest, you’re a very good choice…”she raises her muzzle at me, “Loving you is easy Cadance…” the sides of her mouth soon travel towards her eyes to form another grin, “Your smile, the way your tri-colored mane flows, and the way all of our conversations are treasures… I couldn’t think of a better pony…” her eyes widen. “I’d love to live with you!”

<*****>

“And so, that’s why she’s currently spooning me and holding me in her hooves and it looks like it’s gonna be this way for awhile now!” I say to the darkness in front of me…

“Who are you talking to?” Celestia whispers from behind me…

My eyes widen as I realize that I’ve been caught! “Uh, nopony! Don’t worry about it!”

“Are you okay?”

I blink, “It just seems like so much, so fast, but at the same time, I can’t think of a single reason to say no!”

I hear her giggle softly from behind, “It will be an adjustment for everypony, I’m sure! But I’m sure our love will prevail!”

I smile, “I know that! I know! But in the meantime, well, I just feel kinda frazzled with you suddenly here and Flurry visiting and… And…”

At this point, I can feel her embrace tightening on me as she softly speaks, “It will be okay, baby… Love conquers all remember? Besides, I can do this to you now!” before I feel her warmth all around me in a pleasant embrace of love and happiness…

And at that point, something strange began to happen… Liquid came from my eyes and I shivered…

“Are you okay?” Celestia asks me from behind as I began to quake and tremble with long repressed emotions…

“I’m sorry, okay? It’s just so much… Shining Armor was all I ever had and all I ever needed for so long… And then...time took him away… And you…” I stammer out while continuing to sob…

“I’m loving you now, Cadance… He had his time to love you and now that’s over with… Do you need to say anything?”

I smile, “I think so…” I raise my gaze so I’m staring towards the top of the bed as the slightly larger alicorn continues to hold and caress me from behind. “I think you’re right, Tia… I need to just accept that he’s gone now and continue onward without him… And if that path should happen to lead right into your hooves, I-I” I blink and nod slightly, “guess that can be a good thing too…”I raise the sides of my mouth. “I love you Celestia… “

“I love you too Cadance…” She whispers back before softly kissing the nape of my neck with her snout and murmuring. “Get some rest now… We get to have a day with Flurry Heart tomorrow!”

I then fell asleep in her hooves… And for the first time in a very long time, I actually felt content…

<*****>

“And so, that’s why we’re now on the dusty roads of Appaloosa while being greeted by Rayburn!” I say out loud to nopony in particular as I stood there on the road with my white cowpony hat and matching vest…

Celestia cranes her head right towards me and I witness her in similar attire, albeit light blue with a yellowfloral trim, “Who are you talking to?”

My eyes widen as my mouth shrinks, “Uh, nopony! Nothing! Uh, don’t worry about it!”

When suddenly, the dark brown cowpony with the black vest and matching hat in front of us reared up on his hind legs and hollered his greeting, “WELCOME TO AAAAAAPAAAALOOOOSAAAAA!!!!!”

(To be continued…)