"Remember to smile!"
Twilight resisted the urge to snort. "Rarity, I'm a princess, smiling and waving is a standard part of the job description."
"It doesn't hurt to be reminded of what we already know, darling." Rarity leaned in to press a kiss on Twilight's cheek, watching as a hundred flashbulbs went off. It was a perfect photo op moment for the press.
Then the real star of the show poked its head out of its burrow, and all eyes fell on him. Gilly the Groundhog was busy this year, so Wally the Weasel, watched over by Fluttershy, stared out at the snow-covered landscape of Ponyville, before letting out a scared "eep!" and retreating back inside, much to the moaning and groaning of the populace.
"Well, it looks like we're in for six more weeks of winter, folks!" Mayor Mare announced. "Just in time for this decade's gubernatorial election! And we have our very own Rarity running for the position of Everfree District's governor. Rarity, would you like to say a few words?"
"It would be my most sincerest pleasure, Mayor Mare." As Rarity took to the stage, Twilight kept the smile plastered on her face. It wasn't difficult to do so— she was ridiculously proud of her marefriend for deciding to join her in politics. Honestly, she'd probably do a better job at it than Twilight would, but that was neither here nor there.
She wasn't here to self-flagellate, she was here to support Rarity, and she did that by smiling and waving and then politely clapping at the end of Rarity's speech.
"You did a wonderful job," she whispered to Rarity afterwards, sharing another kiss for the crowd. "And you're going to be a wonderful governor."
"Thank you, Twilight," Rarity whispered back, genuine love shining in her eyes. "You have no idea how much that means to me." She cleared her throat, before speaking a little more loudly to one of her assistants. "Lace, dear, is our carriage—"
~~Forget this~~
"—I think I should make the trip to Whitetail without you, unfortunately."
Twilight blinked as she found herself staring at Rarity. She vaguely recognized the crystal walls of her castle surrounding them. "Huh?"
"I love you, truly, but I wish to win this election on my own merit, and that means occasionally making appearances without standing next to a Princess," Rarity said, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "You understand, don't you?"
"Of course," Twilight replied, the world still feeling distant, as if she was floating above her own body. "Sorry, I think I must have blanked out for a little while."
Rarity tsked. "Oh, Twilight. You musn't overwork yourself. You have enough on your plate as Princess without helping me. I would never forgive myself if you hurt yourself." Her voice caught on that last sentence, a sudden intensity that Twilight was too woozy to parse.
"I'm fine," she said, focusing on Rarity's bright blue eyes and grounding herself in the depth of emotion she saw inside. "Just need to get a little more sleep."
"Yes, we both could use more rest," Rarity agreed. "This is a marathon, not a sprint, after all!" She let out a yawn, looking out the window at the full moon. "Perhaps we should call it a night, then?"
The couple made their way to the bedroom, and the night turned to day, and things were normal again. Rarity was busy campaigning, Twilight was busy with administrative work, and while they missed each other terribly when Rarity had to travel without her, they both knew it was for the best.
And of course, Rarity always kept Twilight in mind, wherever she went.
The day she came back from the trip to Whitetail, she brought along a small box to give to Twilight. "I found the most adorable tea shop on the outskirts of the town," she explained. "And I brought you some of your favourite lavender—"
~~Leave me~~
"Can you believe the election is tomorrow?"
Once again, Twilight snapped out of her stupor to find Rarity staring at her. "Wait, weren't we a week out from that?" she asked, grasping at what memories she could still form in the moment.
Rarity looked at her with concern. "Twilight, dearest, I know you said you would be fine, but I'm really quite worried about you. Are you certain you haven't been overworking yourself?"
Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't want to worry you," she said, collecting her thoughts once more. "Maybe I've been pushing myself a little too hard, but I promise I'll take a break after tomorrow."
Rarity stared at Twilight with far more intensity that she was expecting. "I'll hold you to that, my love," she said slowly, before her frown flipped back to a smile. "So, how are our polling numbers looking?"
There really wasn't much to do the night before, but Twilight and Rarity still made sure their plans for the election day were rock-solid before going to bed far too late than was healthy.
"Good night, Twilight," Rarity whispered as they snuggled together. "I shall see you again in the morning."
"Good night, Rarity," Twilight replied.
"Remember to smile!"
Twilight resisted the urge to snort. "Rarity, I'm a princess, smiling and waving is a standard part of the job description."
"It doesn't hurt to be reminded of what we already know, darling." Rarity leaned in to press a kiss on Twilight's cheek, watching as a hundred flashbulbs went off. It was a perfect photo op moment for the press.
Then the real star of the show poked its head out of its burrow, and all eyes fell on him. Gilly the Groundhog was busy this year, Wally the Weasel, watched over by Fluttershy, stared out at the snow-covered landscape of Ponyville, before letting out a scared "eep!" and retreating back inside, much to the moaning and groaning of the populace.
All of this felt familiar to Twilight, but she supposed that after a few years of being Princess the events would start to feel like they were blending together. And they'd rehearsed Rarity's speech so many times that it wasn't surprising that it gave Twilight a sense of almost deja-vu.
Afterwards, the two of them walked back to the castle, discussing political strategy for Rarity's campaign the entire way through. It still brought Twilight so much joy to be able to share in Rarity's passion this way, to apply her own studies in a way to help her marefriend, and the next few days passed by in a flurry of activities and they continued to make plans.
"As for next week's plans, I think I should make the trip to Whitetail without you, unfortunately."
Twilight nodded. "That makes sense. It'll be a good idea for you to be seen as yourself, without me hogging the spotlight."
Rarity smiled. "I'm glad you agree, dear." She let out a yawn, looking out the window at the full moon. "Perhaps we should call it a night, then?"
And so the days continued, and Rarity brought back the most wonderful chamomile blend from her trip to Whitetail, and the two of them enjoyed the blend long into the night, as they watched the stars.
"Tell me about that one." Rarity said, pointing to a cluster of three bright lights to the north.
"Oh, that's Orion's belt," Twilight said. "It's named after a great hunter who took down an Ursa Major—"
~~You can't stay here~~
"Can you believe the election is tomorrow?"
Twilight snapped out of her stupor to find Rarity staring at her. "Wait, weren't we a week out from that?" she asked, grasping at what memories she could still form in the moment.
Panic flared in Rarity's eyes for a moment, before a worried frown settled on her expression. "Twilight, please, you musn't overwork yourself. Not if it's going to affect your memory."
Her memory. Something about her memories wasn't right. "Sorry, I didn't want to worry you," she said, the words coming out nearly on autopilot. "Maybe I've been pushing myself a little too hard, but I promise I'll take a break after tomorrow."
Rarity stared at her intensely. "Perhaps we should retire early for the night. After all, there's not much left for us to do, and I'm certain out plans are well in place."
"Sure." Mind still fuzzy, Twilight allowed Rarity to lead her to bed, and despite the static, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
"Remember to smile!"
Twilight resisted the urge to snort. "Rarity, I'm a princess, smiling and waving is a standard part of the job—" Her mind froze, a sense of intense familiarity washing over her. "We've done this before." The words escaped from her lips before she even had a chance to think them through.
Rarity's smile turned instantly brittle. "What was that, darling?"
"It wouldn't make sense for Gilly to be busy three years in a row," Twilight said, more to herself than Rarity. "And now we're going to have six more weeks of winter."
For the first time, Twilight saw Rarity's mask shattered at a public event, raw panic written clear on her face for a split second before she covered it up with another false smile. "Just play along," she hissed, as Wally the Weasel did as Twilight predicted.
Rarity made her speech, and they made their way back to the castle on hoof in silence afterwards. It wasn't until they were safely ensconced in Twilight's home that Rarity asked, "How much do you remember?"
"We've done this before," Twilight said. The memories were still fuzzy, almost jagged, like they didn't want to fit together properly, preferring to remain jumbled and just out of reach. Still, she could force a general shape to coalesce. "Twice. You go to Whitetail, and then the night before the election, I end up right before Wally gets scared by his own shadow."
"I see." Rarity took a deep breath. "Well, I assume you'll be alright with me travelling to Whitetail by myself, then? Since you've always agreed the previous times."
"Rarity!" Twilight rarely raised her voice to her marefriend, but she felt that this warranted it. "Are you just going to ignore the fact that we're trapped in a time loop?"
"I am," Rarity said determinedly. "I can assure you that's for the best."
"How long have you been trapped here?" Twilight asked. "I have... flashes. Memories from more than just two loops. How long has it been, really?"
"I've lost count," Rarity admitted. "Please, Twilight, let us be happy here, the two of us. This doesn't need to be a prison, especially now that you're aware of the loops as well."
"You know I can't do that." Cold steel filled Twilight's voice as she spoke. "I can't just not look for answers, especially if this time loop might be damaging the fabric of the universe."
"It's not," Rarity said. "I swear to you that it's not. Will you trust my word?"
Twilight wanted to, so, so badly. She loved Rarity, and the idea of spending an eternity with her beloved sounded utterly wonderful. But, there was another voice whispering to her, in that same voice she longed to hear every morning.
~~This can't go on forever~~
~~This happiness isn't real~~
~~Forget me, and remember~~
"You know what happened," Twilight accused, and it hurt to see Rarity look so scared, like a wilted flower terrified of being trampled. But something was wrong, and Twilight was a mare who sought Truth above all else. "You know why we're trapped in this loop."
~~Remember~~
"Don't." Tears were flowing down Rarity's face now, ruining her mascara. "Please, just come to bed with me, and forget about all of this."
~~REMEMBER~~
~~I will always love you~~
The memories were still jumbled, but there were new pieces now.
A victory speech, after a well-deserved win by Rarity.
A carriage ride through a field of lavender, passing just a little too close to the Everfree Forest.
A sudden, sickening crash as an ethereal paw smashed into them.
The roar of a predator.
Darkness.
Waking up alone.
The other Elements breaking the news to Twilight.
Denial, anger.
Bargaining.
A spell to bring back the dead, that lied.
For the dead could not be revived.
But one could always give up one's life to be with them again, forever.
~~Let me go, please~~
"Don't leave me, Twilight," Rarity begged. They were both crying now. "Please, I don't want to die."
"I don't want you to die either," Twilight replied. "But that's already happened. All I'm doing is trapping us both here."
"No, it hasn't happened yet," Rarity said, the words coming out in a rush. "It never has to happen. We can turn back the clock every time. As long as you don't remember, we'll be fine."
"I-I'm sorry." Twilight was sobbing openly. "I'm sorry for what I've d-done to you." Her horn lit up, and she cast the counterspell. "I-I'm sorry."
The world shattered.
~~Thank you, Twilight~~
~~She was suffering too, I just didn't didn't realize it~~
~~I'm sorry I had to leave you so early, but I'm at peace now~~
~~I hope you can find peace too, one day~~
~~There still so much for you to experience out there~~
~~Remember to smile~~
