Loved By The Sun

by TCSNxs

Rating: teen
Tags: Comedy, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Princess Luna
Length: 11912

Sometimes, there are words that were never meant to be said and ideas that were never meant to be known. When the truth exposes those things we wish left hidden, what happens then? Does that truth set you free or utterly damn you?

Sometimes, there are words that were never meant to be said and ideas that were never meant to be known. When the truth exposes those things we wish left hidden, what happens then? Does that truth set you free or utterly damn you?

A/N: Innumerable thanks to Aatxe360 for his assistance. Twilestia. Lunajack also based off of "What The Night Remembers". Marked "Teen" for content. Considered prior to the end of Season 3.

Published 2012-12-22 01:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-03 15:57:51 UTC

2. Of Love And Blackmail

Loved By The Sun
By: TCSNxs

Chapter Two
Of Love And Blackmail

"Your student?" Luna asked. She rose with a bemused grin. "You are smitten with your student?"

"As you are with your 'friend' Applejack," Celestia retorted with a roll her eyes. Luna looked to respond, but found no words. Once again, her sister had her in a logic trap. Sensing victory, Celestia pressed on. "Or is Applejack in on some elaborate effort to play a joke upon me?"

"You...have a point," Luna conceded as she sat in front of her sister. "Still though, I have to wonder how many volumes of poetry have you dedicated to the object of your heart."

"Luna, I...' Celestia said as she fumbled for her words. Between the indignant position from which she was rescued and the sheer awkwardness of the situation, the Solar Regent needed some space. "I need to be alone for a while."

"But are we not to leave soon for Twilight's?" Luna asked as she gave a slight tilt of her head.

"Sister, I love you dearly. You were there when there was nopony else after mother and father passed on. You helped guide our realm and safeguarded it against all aggressors. You are my sister, by blood and deed, and will always be held as such," Celestia looked Luna dead in the eyes as she built to crescendo. "But if you do not leave me be, I shall banish you to some place that would take an army of our best astronomers years to find."

Luna grinned at her sister's hollow threat. Still though, as any sister would, she decided to give Celestia a little peace before they left on their retreat to Ponyville. Besides, she had desperately wanted to see Applejack and had promised nothing would get in the way of that.

"Of course, but Tia," Luna said as she nuzzled her sister, "Should you need to talk..." Luna moved towards the door after that. She decided to let her sister follow the logical course of her words.

Celestia had a blank expression as she watched her sister depart. She ensured the hooffalls in the hallway outside had died away before moving off the bed. After she seized a journal she started when Twilight started under her wing, she strategically set it on the desk to avoid the ink and opened it.

The Solar Regent, when she accepted Twilight as her personal student, never fully understood why she took the aspirant unicorn under her wing. Her magical potential was obvious given that a 50 foot baby dragon had caused unplanned renovations to the School for Gifted Unicorns, which included a skylight. But something about the glint in her eye and her unabashed enthusiasm prompted Celestia to make the offer on the spot.

The alicorn turned through the journal's pages. As the number of entries mounted and time passed, the words she scribed went from an objective journal into those of a personal diary. The Solar Regent paused on a particular page as her memory engaged.

~(o)~

“Now Twilight, concentrate,” I instructed her. Teleportation is usually a difficult thing to master for a unicorn well into their teens. Yet here Twilight was trying while still in her foalhood! Not I could say "no" to that face. I watched as Twilight focused on her destination and seemingly pictured it in her mind. Reaching within her self, her determination was plain for any to see.

The idea with Teleportation is to create a portal between two places, link them, and step through. The longer the distance, the more magical energy and concentration that's needed to hold the link between the portals. Yet here I am, teaching even in my journal! Twilight, what have you done to me?

Anyway, Twilight’s little horn sparked furiously trying to create the magical manifestations necessary. Once one gets the hang of it, it is easy enough to accomplish as a reflex of thought. The vacuum practically pulls the pony willing it through to the other side without much feeling or even hearing the accompanying "pop". But most unicorns never get beyond the initial stages and here Twilight was trying it while so young.

It seemed my young student pictured her destination as vividly as her active imagination could, as her brow was furrowed in concentration. I once suggested to her to picture the place she most wanted to be. She told me that there was no other place she wanted to be then by my side. So naturally, I was with her each time she tried it. For every effort, she’d gotten closer. But she couldn't quite get a handle on maintaining the picture, holding the link, and what have you. Each time we talked about it and she was getting closer. So close...

Once again though, it seemed as if her reserves were petering out. But only then, on the edge of defeat, there was the burst of her raspberry aura and that "pop". I quickly looked around only to find her by my side! I can't adequately write down my feelings of elation and pride that she did it!

She looked down as if defeated once again. It took everything I had not to giggle! Twilight quickly looked around before she bothered to looked up. I think where she was expecting an understanding and encouraging smile, the only thing she found was my big grin. She finally looked back to where she had been and finally put it together. Between the realization of her accomplishment and my grin, she just couldn't hold it together.

“I did it! I did it! I did it!” Twilight was practically singing as she bounced around me. After prancing about as if in a great victory (and it was!), I put myself down to her height. She immediately wrapped a hug around my neck. Though she was slightly choking me, but it didn't matter.

“Yes you did, my faithful student. I’m so proud of you!” I told her while returning her embrace.

~(o)~

The Solar Regent smiled as she snapped the journal closed. Twilight had grown into a wonderful mare, the "light of her generation" as Celestia termed in one passage. Between her and the other ponies chosen as the Elements of Harmony, they had accomplished what many considered impossible. Given they reunited Celestia with her estranged sister, defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord, and aided in the final victory of Sombra, Twilight and her friends had done much in the span of a few years. But Twilight's accomplishments had a price.

Celestia eventually realized her loneliness when Twilight decided to move to Ponyville. The Solar Regent, for all her power, would not stop another following their heart for the sake of her own. In that loneliness, she realized that her sister, while being as close as family could be, was not an adequate replacement for Twilight. Not in the sense of completion that the alicorn was left without. As time passed, the journal entries became more melancholic as if a reflection of the alicorn's heart. The only time they found any upswing was when alicorn spent time with her student. Celestia's life was blessed in many ways, but such things hardly mattered when heartache obscured those realities.

The alicorn's hearing caught the chiming of the clock on the far wall of her room. She turned her head, where the time was half past time to depart.

"Buck."

Celestia quickly rose and grabbed her bags with her magic. She bolted to the door in a rush. However, the awkward position of her rear hoof ensured it didn't quite clear the desk in her dash. Celestia lost control of her magic as she fell forward. The Solar Regent landed hard as paper rained down around her. It didn't slip passed the alicorn that the spill was a perfect metaphor for her day.

~(o)~

Silverhawk, a Lieutenant by rank and head of the Lunar Guard, was going over some final details in Luna's spacious office before the diarch left on vacation. Storm Wind was in attendance as well. A Sergeant Major within the Lunar Guard and the unit's second-in-command in practice, he was the silent barbarian behind Silverhawk's throne. At least that's how the perpetually silent pegasus pictured himself.

"So unless Discord himself comes back looking for revenge, Celestia and I are not to be bothered while we are away," Luna instructed. She usually spoke to the head of her beloved guards as an associate. But she wanted to be sure there were no misunderstandings. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Silverhawk said quickly. The grizzled Lieutenant moved to speak further, but held himself in check.

"If you have something to say, do say it." Luna said after she noted the guardspony's look.

"It's just, Your Highness, I feel it would be better to have a guard or two keep an eye on you," Silverhawk mentioned at length. "Discreetly, of course. Ponyville is hardly mentioned as the safest place in Equestria and should trouble arise..."

"This is a vacation," Luna said as she was shook her head. She always appreciated his initiative, but it was hardly an official visit. "As such, we do not wish to be disturbed. Such things hardly require the trappings of our station and neither Celestia nor myself will be 'discovered' in any case."

"But..."

"Let me put it this way," Luna said as she attempted to appease the devoted pegasus. "Between me, my sister, and the Elements of Harmony, do you really believe something will happen that we cannot address?"

"As you wish, Your Highness," the leader of the Lunar Guard said. He bowed deeply as he conceded the point. "Safe journeys."

Silverhawk and Storm Wind moved out of the room in short order. Several cover stories for the sisters' absence were devised. Such hardly seemed necessary given the government itself practically ran itself. The diarchs rightfully thought that a week being incognito would hardly lead to Equestria's destruction. At least Luna worked hard to convince Celestia of those facts. Given the Lunar Regent hadn't had a rightful vacation with her remaining family in millenia, it was a good a chance as any.

After Luna's office cleared, she allowed herself a smile. It wasn't long before the alicorn trotted towards a bookcase and willed her magic into being. The entire bookshelf glowed as Luna grasped it with her Telekinesis spell. Moving it aside revealed a large steel safe within the wall. A massive combination lock and handle were set within the door.

Luna beamed with anticipation as she switched the focus of her magical grasp to the dial. The safe was meant to be nearly impossible to crack. Constructed of the highest grade of steel that Equestria's metallurgists could concoct and warded against all magic save for that of alicorns, the enclosure was the object of speculation and conspiracy within the halls of Canterlot Castle. Some speculated that it contained powerful magical artifacts from the time of the Lunar and Solar Regent's parents. Others believed it contained war plans for each of Equestria's neighbors. Still others believed it held proof of an ancient conspiracy to hide the existence of humans.

Luna moved the dial in precise fashion. She waited for the telltale click of each tumbler before she turned dial in the opposite direction. After seven rotations had passed, the final tumbler clicked into place and Luna pulled the door open. Where most ponies had expected jewels or details of military timetables, Luna kept her most prized possessions within its confines. She reached in with her hoofs and pulled out an old wooden gramophone. The wooden box was intricately inlaid with pyrite. The turntable and horn were just as fancy, even if worn of use and time. Though the diarch could have had anything the sisters' limitless wealth could attain, the alicorn would not trade it for anything. Except for perhaps Applejack's.

Luna set the box down upon her desk and reached back into the safe. She sorted through the vinyl albums stacked inside until she found the one she wanted. After the Lunar Regent pulled it out, she slid the record from the dust jacket. The alicorn had promised to forever praise Applejack's name for showing her the wonderful device and introducing her to Calypso, if for no other reason.

The farmer was, of course, unwilling to relinquish her Harry Belatrote records or gramophone. After all, they were Apple family heirlooms. Being a slave to her whims, Luna had spent months scouring the shops and classifieds in the National Equestrian. It wasn't long before she procured another gramophone and the various Calypso records she possessed. Luna had gone on to buy many records that represented different musical genres. But her preference remained for the particular single she was about to play entitled "Jump In The Line".

Luna gave the crank a few revolutions before she set the needle on the edge of the record. The gramophone's horn emitted its characteristic hiss before the music started. Eventually, as the twang of the stringed instruments and beat of the bongos began, Luna closed her eyes. Though the crooner's voice was near perfection and the words were eternally etched in her mind, she'd created her own lyrics. She bellowed as she tapped out the beat.

Shake, shake, shake, My Apple, shake your body line.

Shake, shake, shake, My Apple, shake it all the time.

Work, work, work, My Apple, work your body line.

Work, work, work, My Apple, work it all the time.

Luna sang as if she were auditioning for a talent show while her body shook and moved with practiced ease. The Lunar Regent's hoofs skipped and crossed, causing her to spin a few times as the song progressed. She continued to croon her improvised lyrics.

My mare's name is Applejack-a.

I tell you friends, I adore that flank-a.

And when she dances, oh brother!

She's a hurricane in all kinds of weather!

Luna closed her eyes as she lost herself in the trumpets and bongos. Truly, though there were advances in the delivery of music and a myriad of different genres, from Dubtrot to Rockafilly, there really was no comparison to her beloved Calypso. As the musical escapade continued, a pair of magenta eyes watched from behind the slightly nudged door. Luna, in her excitement, had forgotten to lock it.

You can talk about Cha Cha,

Tango, Waltz, or the Rumba.

Applejack's dance has no title.

She jumps in the saddle

Holding on to the bridle!

Celestia quietly closed the door behind her as Luna convulsed about in her ecstasy. The Solar Regent took care to stifle her laughter as her sister moved about the room. The fact she hadn't knocked over the desk or otherwise caused harm to the furniture seemed proof enough of Luna's repeated indulgence. Of course Celestia knew, but she had never caught her sister in the midst of this particular antic—of which the Lunar Regent was prone to many.

My Apple, she's a sensation!

The reason for my elation.

And fillies, you got to watch it.

When she wind up, she bottom,

She go like a rocket!

Luna was fully immersed in her own world. So immersed that she breezed past Celestia a few times without stopping. Celestia watched Luna's horn flare to life then. The Lunar Regent's large office waved and shifted into an old style night club. The gramophone was replaced with a live band, complete with horns, strings and a conductor. Of course, all the musicians wore the flamboyant, frilly shirts typical of the genre. Luna was fully involved in her chorus by then as she crooned like nopony was watching.

Jump in the line, rock your body in time.

OK, I believe you!

Jump in the line, rock your body in time.

Somepony, help me!

Jump in the line, rock your body in time.

OK, I believe you!

Jump in the line, rock your body in time.

Whooooa!

Despite Luna's rather emphatic whoop, Celestia was actually impressed with her sister's feat. Illusions were never the forte of the Solar Regent, while her sister always proved apt in that particular area of the arcane arts. While Celestia could conjure fake fruit with the best of ponies, Luna managed to create even the cigar smoke and heavy moist smell of whiskey.

My Apple dances Calypso,

Left to right is the tempo.

And when she gets the sensation,

She go up in the air, come down in slow motion.

Luna conjured a long red silk dress for herself, one that flowed easily and complimented the Lunar Regent's angled features. A few times during her show, Luna flapped her wings for a little extra lift when she leapt into the air. She turned full circles as the illusionary band played on. Even as late as they were, Celestia simply didn't have the heart to interrupt her sister during her big finish.

Shake, shake, shake, My Apple,

shake your body line.

Shake, shake, shake, My Apple,

shake it all the time.

Work, work, work, My Apple!

Luna finished with a forehoof out perpendicular to the floor and her head arched back as if presenting her long horn in a salute. The Lunar Regent heard clapping and knew she didn't will that as part of her illusionary indulgence. She let the intricate illusion drop. The office quickly resumed its normal decor as the spell winked out. The alicorn opened her eyes to see her sister clapping slowly with a cheesy smile across her face.

"How much did you see?" Luna asked.

"Enough to feed the National Equestrian's gossip columnist for months," Celestia grinned as she spoke, "Should the need arise, of course."

"Perhaps we can compromise?" the Lunar Regent asked sheepishly.

"Perhaps we might."

~(o)~

After she checked to make sure the guest room was ready and stowed away the evidence of her poetical endeavors, Twilight hopped into the shower. Though she had time before her guests arrived, it felt like there never was enough of it. Thankfully, Applejack was bringing over some of her family's "special recipe" cider, which was held in reserve for such occasions or when any of the elder Apple's felt the need. Between the dinner, the cider, and her guests, the evening promised to be splendid. The fact that Celestia was staying over was a glorious bonus.

If that was the case, then why, Twilight wondered, were the butterflies in her stomach rioting. While the water cascaded off her two-toned mane and washed the shampoo down her body, the unicorn wasn't having the same luck with her anxiety. Twilight had long ago given up on how to tell Celestia the truth of things. As she calculated it, any scenario she ran through ended in either a gentle let down or maniacal laughter—neither of which was acceptable.

Twilight appreciated the irony of her situation. She had figured out many new variations of time tested spells and even invented a few new ones. She could research any subject within 48 hours and become an expert. She had time and again bested those that could be rightfully called gods. But for the life of her, she could not figure out how to tell Celestia that she loved her.

Twilight continued to stumbled through her memories as she ran the conditioner through her mane. She wasn't exactly sure when she first realized her feelings for the Solar Regent, but such things hardly seemed to matter in the face of nearly certain let down. She had decided to run through a few more scenarios in her head, just in case she missed some variable that would change the prospective results. Each one ended much the same as before. She shook her head, as much in frustration as to clear the water from her mane.

Just as she realized the water was running cold, the door creaked opened. The librarian wasn't sure how long she was in the shower, but for once, it didn't matter.

"Twi?" Applejack called out as she stepped into the bathroom. "Ya decent?"

"Hey A.J.," Twilight answered as she shut the water off. She looked up to see a towel flung over the shower rod courtesy of the farmer. "Yeah. I just needed to freshen up."

"Ya hopin' to smell like daisies or somethin'?"

"Doubt that'd help," the librarian muttered.

"Beg pardon?"

"Nothing," Twilight answered more harshly than she intended. The curtains thrust open just then. Applejack, her face full of concern, looked to the librarian Twilight buried her face in the folds of the towel. as much to dry off as to hide from the farmer.

"What's wrong, sugarcube?" the farmer asked.

"Nothing," Twilight's answered, her voice muffled by the towel.

"Twi, ya've been like this for weeks," Applejack said. The farmer paused for a second as an idea struck her. "Ya in love or somethin'?"

"NO!" Twilight bellowed from the folds of her towel.

Applejack felt those telltale signs of a falsehood. Being the Element of Honesty wasn't without its benefits. The farmer broke into a grin as she continued. "Who is it?"

"Who's what?"

"Is it Rarity? Dash? Pinkie Pie?"

"No!"

"Twi."

"What!?"

"It ain't me, is it?" Applejack blanched for just a second as she spoke the words.

"No!" Twilight said again, peering through the folds of the towel.

"Then who?"

Twilight weighed her options. She knew getting into a discussion with the Element of Honesty had its pitfalls. Regardless, Applejack would pester her to the end of time until she confessed.

"Celestia," Twilight said as she withdrew back into the folds of the towel.

Applejack smiled sweetly as she waited for Twilight to come out from the fabric bastion. Many minutes passed before the librarian peeked out, seeing only the farmer's genuine expression. Where Twilight somehow expected ridicule, she only found honest curiosity.

"How long?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," Twilight responded as she moved the towel from her head.

"Ya told her yet?"

"No."

"When are ya?" the farmer pressed.

"Probably never," Twilight sighed.

"Ya gotta tell her sometime," Applejack said, happy she surmised the source of the unicorn's recent attitude.

"Like you did with Luna?" Twilight said.

"Sometimes Ah wish Ah didn't," the farmer muttered. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Didn't happen exactly like that, but Ah think ya get the point."

"All too well," Twilight responded,. She tamped her body dry with the towel suspended in her magical grasp. "I don't think it would work."

"What's the worst she'll say? No?"

"Yes!" Twilight nearly yelled. She glared at her friend as if the consequences were obvious.

"So what? It ain't like she'll put you in 'Magical Kindergarten' or whatever."

"Preschool actually," Twilight corrected. The unicorn figured the consequences for any confession was worse than being tardy.

"Look," Applejack said after she shook her head. "Celestia's staying with ya for a while, right?"

"Yeah," Twilight looked to her friend while she put the towel back on the rack.

"Ya gotta come clean sometime, sugarcube," the farmer explained gently. She kept a compassionate look on her face. "Ya can't keep goin' through this funk."

"But. How. Do. I. Tell. Her?" Twilight said in staccato to spell out her frustrations.

"Ah don't know," the farmer replied honestly. "Ah figure it's different for everypony. Regardless, the seed's already been planted. Now ya gotta water it or else it won't grow."

"Look A.J., I know that," Twilight stepped out of shower and towards the wash basin. The librarian paused for a moment as she looked in the mirror. She grabbed a brush with her telekinetic grip and ran it through her mane. "But it's just not that easy. Every time I think that it's the right moment, something always comes up. And this isn't something you can just write in a letter or put at the end of an essay."

"Why not?" Applejack said with a shrug. "It's how ya talk to her, ain't it?"

Twilight cleared her throat as she moved to her tail. She raised her usual pitch an octave. "Dear Princess Celestia. I've loved you since who knows when. Do you want to go on a date? Please check yes or no," the unicorn made a few square outlines with her hoofs before she resumed work on her tale. "Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. P.S. Applejack put me up to this."

"Ah see your point," the farmer conceded. "Ya might have to do that though. Ya can't keep goin' on like this."

"We all have our secrets, A.J.," Twilight said with remarkable nonchalance, "Maybe I will just keep this one."

"Uh uh," Applejack emphatically said. "Ya can't let this sit."

Twilight absently kept brushing her tail, apparently oblivious to the farmer's words. The brush moved gently as if the librarian were running it through her Smarty Pants doll. The two held their silence for a moment. Applejack, though patient in many respects, had decided enough was enough.

"Look Twi, you're my friend and Ah can't see stand to see ya this way," the farmer said as she put a hoof to the unicorn's shoulder. "Ah'll help ya anyway ya need, but you gotta come clean. Ah figure ya got a week to figure it out."

"Or else what?" Twilight said evenly as she slowly turned to her friend. The brush stopped in mid stroke.

"Ah'm gonna tell her for you," the farmer finished with a grin.

3. Zen and The Art of Soda

3. Zen and The Art of Soda

Loved By The Sun
By: TCSNxs

Chapter Three
Zen and The Art of Soda

Most would have expected the sisters’ secret exit from Canterlot to have involved a number of hidden tunnels through the mountain of the same name, going underneath the waterfall that cascaded from the top of the rocky peak, the dismissal of various powerful magical wards, and sneaking past an ancient dragon that guarded an antechamber at the behest of the equally ancient diarchs.

In truth, such an exit was as easy as a simple illusionary spell and the employee’s entrance.

Celestia and Luna maintained their disguises easily enough as they trotted through to the streets. Though they could not outright change their cutie marks; they could, and did, use the magically concocted disguises to mask them with less elaborate designs. The two “unicorns” left nothing to chance.

As the sisters trotted through the capital city’s thoroughfares, their saddlebags nearly bursting at the seams. While Celestia neatly packaged various papers and a few books, Luna crammed refreshments and snacks. As much as the Solar Regent marveled as her sister’s zest for all things unhealthy, time was pressing.

The disguised Princesses arrived at Canterlot’s train station without hassle. The incognito Lunar Regent, who took the name Eclipse, sauntered easily upon the platform beside her sister, who adopted Flare as her moniker. Despite the delay leaving the castle, they managed to make the station just before the train arrived.

“One would think we kept a list of names to choose from whenever the mood suits us,” Luna noted absently as they waited for the 4:05 to Ponyville. “But why did you insist we choose something related to our cutie marks?”

“Because, Eclipse,” the cream colored unicorn turned to her sister as she spoke. “You have a habit of forgetting the most trivial of details.”

“I do not,” the disguised Lunar Regent whined.

“Sister,” Celestia deadpanned. ”Need I remind you of when you thought a plowshare was a rental agreement?”

“Details, details,” Luna dismissed with a click of her tongue. “In that case, it’s a wonder we are related at all, Flare.”

“I have often said the same thing,” the cream colored unicorn lamented as train approached to the platform.

Despite the insult, Luna’s eyes sparkled beneath her pink sunglasses. She and her sister rarely had rarely bantered outside the formal trappings of their station. Indeed, it was a good start to the day. After the train came a stop, the duo climbed aboard with a few other ponies to a mostly vacant passenger car. The spacious wooden benches were a little more uncomfortable than the sisters were accustomed to, but everypony had to make sacrifices.

The engine grunted and belched smoke as it built up steam. It wasn’t long before it gained enough speed that the imagery of the capital city blurred to the open fields and forests that were more signature of Equestria.

The hours passed without event. Celestia watched out the window as the world passed in its own way. Luna studied her sister between sips of the soda produced from her saddlebags. Indeed, though a small part of Luna wanted to let her sister have her peace, the Lunar Regent was in a rather ebullient mood and felt the need to express it.

“Sister,” Luna said with a tap to her sister’s shoulder. “A question if I might.”

“I’m listening,” Celestia remarked as she kept staring outside.

“Well, two questions actually.”

“Why does that not surprise me,” Celestia chided, finally turning to look into her sister’s gaudy pink sunglasses. “Do you annoy Applejack like this?”

“Every chance I get,” Luna said with a smirk. “But now can I ask my questions, or are you still plotting to banish me to some asteroid?”

Celestia answered with a slight groan, which Luna took as her cue to continue. “Why do you always drink tea when there is this wonderful soda available? It seems much more flavorful to me.”

“Because it will rot your teeth,” the Solar Regent explained. “And the carbonation will eat away your stomach lining.”

“That’s an old mare’s tale,” Luna dismissed. “Besides, we are ‘immortal, all powerful aspects of nature’, aren’t we? I think Star Swirl said as such anyway.”

“We are still ponies as well,” Celestia said with a shrug as if it were obvious. “Last I remembered, you hate going to the dentist.”

Luna involuntarily shuddered. During one such cleaning, she required enough nitrous oxide to level a city-sized population. Perhaps it was something about drills or the soft, sterile decor? Regardless, Luna would continue to partake of the fizzy drink. It was simply part of who she was and they both accepted it.

“Indeed,” Luna said as she decided to move to the latter question. “Why was I blackmailed into secrecy regarding your affections? Surely I could assist you in that particular area.”

“I do not blackmail,” Celestia tacitly corrected.

“Pardon my clumsy wording,” Luna said with a roll of her eyes. “Does ‘extortion’ or ‘shadowy exaction’ sit better with you?”

“Because I do not wish to complicate things with Twilight before its time. This is something I will have to do on my own.” Celestia answered.

“But she is your student, and more than that, she is your friend. Is she not open to the possibilities of life?” Luna paused to take a pointed sip of her soda. “Having the affections of the most powerful being in Equestria and, perhaps, the world? That’s quite an honor.”

“Were you always prone to dissertation?” Celestia asked. “Or is my imagination projecting itself?”

“It wouldn’t be a first.”

“Has anypony else told you how much of a pest you are?” Celestia said as she glare to her sister.

“Applejack, all the time,” Luna snapped back. “And I don’t listen to her either.”

Celestia shook her head before she spoke, “What am I supposed to tell her? ‘Hello, my most faithful student. I’ve loved you since who knows when and, well, I hope you are okay with that. Do you want to go to the prom?’ Don’t you think that would be a bit awkward?”

“Aside from the fact that neither of you really went to high school,” Luna snarked. “It might just be that simple.”

“Luna...,” Celestia began, but the words died in her throat.

“You have to tell her sometime,” Luna said with sudden softness. She willed her magic into being and removed her sunglasses. Luna decided to work a different tactic. “This is not some ‘state secret’ that nopony else can know about. Matters of the heart do not work like that. It will eat at you from the inside unless you do something about it. Even you, dear sister, are not immune.”

“Like that soda?”

“But with much more flavor!” Luna said with a flourish. “I would not deign to lecture you on matters of philosophy or poetry, but I will tell you this: A pony’s life is not meant to be solitary. We are not accorded a choice of who we love. Simply put; you can either celebrate it while it fizzes or let it go flat because you didn’t drink it when there was time. It is your choice, sister.”

“When did you learn to wax philosophical?” the disguised Celestia queried as she looked on.

“The night is ever the time for lovers, poets, dreamers, and caffeine addicts, is it not?” Luna remarked with the same soft grin.

Celestia said nothing as she studied her sister’s face. Luna was ever prone to her emotional side versus the Solar Regent’s more austere demeanor. That said, there was nothing but the honest compassion only siblings are capable of expressing.

“Perhaps you are right,” Celestia conceded.

“I bet that hurt to say,” Luna said with a grin, “When was the last time you said that anyway?”

“I think when you called Sombra a ‘vile machination of Discord’, assuming memory serves.”

“Nopony said I knew how to pick students.”

“Anyway,” Celestia said as the train passed along the outskirts of the Whitetail Woods. “How would I go about telling Twilight? It’s not like how you fell for Applejack.”

“Unless you temporarily make her part of the celestial body you control, mess up with the harmonics therein, talk at great length about rabbits, half heartedly threaten a lot of physical violence, and confess your soul while dreamwalking,” Luna prattled. “I’m inclined to agree.”

The Lunar Regent paused for a moment as she considered her words and just shook her head. Sometimes life required a pony to bow to the absurd. While Celestia silently agreed with that point, she was still left at square one with her own dilemma.

“Perhaps you should write her a poem that basically asks her on a date?” Luna offered as she snapped her pink rims back into place. “I’ve heard that worked well for Big Macintosh and Fluttershy.”

“Really? She wrote him a poem?” Celestia asked in honest curiosity.

“Well, actually he wrote her the poem,” Luna corrected. “Applejack said it was...cute.”

“Define ‘cute’.”

Luna cleared her throat before doing her best Apple impersonation: “Roses are red, apples are too. Hey Miss Fluttershy, Ah’d like to have dinner with you.”

“That’s...sweet,” Celestia remarked. “Though I don’t believe that will work with Twilight.”

“It worked for them apparently. They’ve been seeing each other for a few months and neither has apparently been happier.”

“It’s not a wonder,” Celestia said as her trademark placid smile returned. “They are meant for each other.”

“You could say that,” Luna said as she wiggled her eyebrows beneath her sunglasses. “Do you want to know what she dreams about? Some of it is rather...unexpectedly saucy.”

“Lu...Eclipse!” Celesta fumbled as she glared at her sister.

“And I’m prone to missing trivial details?” Luna teased. “Regardless, I am only joking. You know that I would not do that to anypony unless there was a need. Applejack being the exception, of course.”

After a silent moment, Celestia continued, “I...shall figure this out later. I simply wish to enjoy myself while we’re in Ponyville.”

“As you wish, sister,” Luna said as she eased into a smile. “But my offer still stands if you require help.”

Celestia’s shifted her gaze back to the blurry world outside. Luna’s smile remained as she finished off her soda. Where the Solar Regent had blackmailed her into silence towards the student, the wording was vague about conferring with outside parties regarding the issue. The Lunar Regent, for all her prowess in matters of law and magic, knew a loophole when she saw it. As the train approached Ponyville, Luna had figured out exactly how to exploit it.

~(o)~

Applejack poked the catatonic Twilight once more. Though the farmer didn’t use anything electrical, Applejack understood her words had the same effect as the unicorn’s mane and tail frazzled. Her face had convulsed wildly for a full minute before it locked into place. The farmer blew a low whistle while Twilight stood just before the sink and stared into the mirror. Celestia was about the only pony that ever caused the unicorn to slip a gear.

A squeak from the door stole the attention of the farmer a moment later. The door creaked open wider as Spike peaked his head in. Upon seeing Twilight frozen in place, the baby dragon shrugged. He wasted little time as he clambered onto the sink. They kept smelling salts around for a reason.

“What did you tell her?” Spike asked nonchalantly as he sorted through the top shelf of the medicine cabinet.

“Ah told her that she’s got heart problems,” the farmer cryptically replied.

“The kind that involves a horn and wings?” Spike answered as he seized the economy-sized bottle.

“For her, Ah don’t think there’s any other kind,” Applejack answered. She took some relief in the fact somepony else knew. The farmer wanted Twilight to do it her own way. But if the deadline passed, then she at least had her way of informing Celestia. Blackmail was a tricky game.

The baby dragon popped the cork off the large bottle and waved it under the frozen unicorn’s nostrils. It took a few whiffs, but Twilight managed to return to reality. As the librarian shook her head to work loose the cobwebs, Spike hopped off the sink and moved back towards the door. He gave the farmer the bottle as a precaution.

“Thanks Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. She shifted to a glare as she looked to the farmer.

“No problem,” Spike said as he wiped his claws on his apron. “But I came to tell you that the gals, Celestia, and Luna are here.”

“Come on, Twi,” Applejack said as Spike closed the door behind him. She glanced at the door as if measuring her course. For all the love she had for the Lunar Regent, it was always a chore to calm Luna down. Still, it was a labor of love. The farmer paused for a moment as she waited for a response. With no response forthcoming, she looked back to the unicorn. “Twi?”

The farmer sighed again as she turned to see that Twilight’s brain apparently slipped another gear at the mere mention of the Solar Regent. Applejack moved the smelling salts under Twilight’s nostrils and wondered, not for the first time, if the librarian had a voided warranty.

~(o)~

The food was as good as anypony could expect. Dinner featured mounds of pasta and hearty marinara prepared by Spike. Dessert was covered by the surprisingly sweet— and pink—lemon meringue pie created by Pinkie. The barrel of “special recipe” cider and bottles of Damner Doux Merlot, thanks to Rarity, simply added to the evening. Indeed, it was turning into a splendid affair. Luna aided the atmosphere with some conjured violin music. Celestia worked her own magic with an illusionary fireplace, complete with roaring flames. The round central desk worked surprisingly well as a dining table when decorated with a dinner cloth and lit candelabra.

The diarchs dropped their disguises when they set hoof into the Golden Oak Library and any formal pretense with the Elements of Harmony. Celestia and Luna, in their ancient age, missed informality dearly and wished to have more. However, protocol was ever as eternal as they were. After the obligatory round of hugs and hellos, they sat to dinner and talked. Luna was supremely in her element while Celestia injected now and then. But she concentrated more on her silent and slightly frazzled student. Applejack did much the same when not fending off a wandering hoof from Luna.

“So Fluttershy, Applejack says you and Macintosh are seeing each other,” Luna remarked before a sip of her cider.

“Oh yes,” Fluttershy said, the empty plate and half empty glass of Merlot eased her inhibitions. “He’s quite...wonderful actually.”

“Oh do tell,” Luna encouraged through a smile, which drew a glare from Celestia before she elaborated. “I mean, is he a good stallion?”

“The kindest, most gentlecoltly stallion in Equestria,” Fluttershy replied with a far off look in her eye.

“She’s in love,” Rainbow remarked.

“Not to mention that flank,” Rarity interjected with a suggestive grin, which drew a look from Applejack. The normally fashionable mare decided a simple gold neckerchief was better suited for the evening. The fashionista raised her glass in a toast towards the shy pegasus as she continued, “Quite a catch, darling.”

“That’s my brother, ya know,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. “Ah could do without the images in mah head.”

“Oh darling, I’m happy for Fluttershy,” the fashionista remarked with a tart look. “But let’s be honest. Nearly every mare in Ponyville wouldn’t mind a bite of that Apple. I’m just saying it.”

“Meh,” Rainbow said as she worked through the last strings of pasta on her plate. “He’s alright, but I’ve seen better.”

“Name one,” Rarity challenged. Luna slipped a hoof under the makeshift table to Applejack’s haunch and goosed the farmer. The farmer glared at Luna, to which Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Caramel,” Rainbow absently said. “Don’t get me wrong, Mac is alright. But those eyes on Caramel? Does it for me every time.”

“This is where I go,” Spike muttered as he excused himself from the table. He took his mug of cider with him into the kitchen.

“What about Time Turner?” Pinkie said after a large gulp of cider. She hiccuped once before continuing. To the surprise of nopony, streamers accompanied it. “That mane make me feel so warm and fuzzy. Or maybe it’s the cider? Hey Applejack, where’d you this cider from. It’s goooooood.”

“Time Turner?” Luna asked. “Is he the one that says ‘allons-y!’ for no reason?”

“Yup,” Pinkie answered. “That mane and attitude? It makes me go ‘WEEEEEE!’

“Pinkie,” Applejack interjected. “A cupcake makes you ‘weee’.”

“And? Oooo, I almost forgot. Time for dessert!” The party pony blurted before she disappeared in a pink blur.

“Allons-y,” Celestia finally said after a while of secretly studying her student. “That’s Prench, isn’t it?”

“I believe so,” Luna answered. “I believe if stallions are your thing, you can’t go wrong with a...Continental flavor.”

“Mmm. Quite right dear,” Rarity said. She reclined as her wine glass was suspended by her magic. “Perhaps I should look into him. A cultured stallion? He sounds delightful. What do you think Twilight?”

“Huh, what?” Twilight spoke after a long while. The plate of food in front of her was barely touched, though the wine was nearly emptied.

“Welcome back darling,” Rarity remarked to the distracted librarian.

“Thanks!” Pinkie answered as she pronked her way back from the kitchen with a slice of pie.

Twilight forced a chuckle when she realized she was on the spot. She cleared her throat, “I’m sorry Rarity. What did you say?”

“What do you think of Time Turner?” Rarity asked again. Celestia studied her student as Pinkie reseated herself. Fluttershy finally rejoined the conversation as she looked to the unicorn as well.

“Oh...um...he’s alright I guess,” Twilight answered. “Though he’s not really my type.”

Luna glanced to Celestia, who stealthily kept an eye on Twilight, looking for clues. Applejack emptied her mug of cider; a sentiment Dash decided to joined in.

“Pray tell, my faithful student,” Celestia asked. Her face was a mask with its trademark smile. “What sort of pony ‘does it’ for you?”

“Heh heh,” Twilight muttered as she ran a hoof through her mane. “Well, I guess they’d have to be intelligent and sure of themselves. They would have to be kind and considerate of others. They’d have to be courageous and always there for me.”

“Dear, you’re quoting a list of ‘turn ons’ from the centerfold of Playmare,” Rarity remarked. “Really, what stallion does it for you?”

Applejack leaned back in her chair, trying to keep a neutral perspective in the conversation. The rest of the cadre turned an interested eye towards the unicorn, Celestia’s the most interested of all.

“Well...no stallions in Ponyville,” Twilight said in an attempted dodge. The Solar Regent raised an eyebrow that Luna did not miss.

“‘No stallions in Ponyville?’” Rainbow mimicked. “Egghead?”

“What?” the flustered unicorn rebutted.

“You like mares?” the always blunt Rainbow asked innocently.

Twilight had begun to feel very small and exposed. Alarms rang in the farmer’s head. Seeing the logical course of the conversation would get to “who” and knowing Twilight’s position, Applejack jumped in to deflect the conversation. She wanted the librarian to come clean, but not that way.

“Do ya like mares?” Applejack shouted at the pegasus, a false anger in her voice. “That supposed to mean somethin’?”

“What? No, I was just asking a question,” the stunned Rainbow shot back. “I mean, everypony here knows you’re with Luna. So why are you so defensive?

“Nothin’,” Applejack grumbled. She paused for a second to enhance the act. “Ah’m...Ah’m just tired.”

“Uh huh,” the pegasus said as she looked to Applejack. In the bluster, the pegasus, and the rest of the group, either forgot the question or decided against pressing further. Rarity watched it all with some fascination.

Twilight blew a silent sigh of relief. Celestia sipped on her wine as her smile shifted from its usual placidity to something a bit smaller. Luna recognized the nuances in that look: Disappointment. Apparently, the Solar Regent’s answers had to wait for later.

The dinner party continued on for awhile. Applejack drew a few looks from the rest of the group as time wore on. Luna suspected Applejack’s bluster was not genuine. That said, the cider and pie brightened the mood a bit sometime after the outburst. Luna would get her own answers later.

The party broke a while later with the usual goodbyes and hugs. As the group departed for the evening, Luna donned her disguise and left with Applejack for Sweet Apple Acres. As Spike chose to read a few comic books upstairs, the teacher and student were left to their own devices.

Twilight had a chance to be out of the spotlight. Celestia maintained the illusionary fireplace as she figured it would put her student more comforting. She even conjured a long lounge rug, similar to what she had in her private abode in Canterlot Castle. The two nursed some cider purposely left over. Twilight laid on her back next to her mentor. As always, that proximity put the flustered unicorn at ease. For Celestia, the reverse was certainly true enough.

“So tell me, Twilight,” Celestia asked. “What did you think of tonight?”

“Honestly?” Twilight replied as she rolled her head toward the alicorn. “It was a disaster.”

“Do you really think so?” Celestia asked, her usual smile returned some time ago.

“Of course!” Twilight said as she rolled onto her stomach, her forehooves splayed out across the rug. “Between Applejack’s outburst and Rainbow asking me if I liked mares, I think it could have gone better.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia said as she sipped her mug of cider. “Consider Rarity’s words. Were you just reading from some ‘Playmare of the Month’ article?”

Twilight groaned before answering, “No, I wasn’t.”

“Indeed,” Celestia mused as she put a wing over her rattled student. “Then you have quite the generic checklist.”

“Generic checklist?” Twilight spouted as she looked up from under the folds of the ivory wing. “Isn’t that what every mare wants?”

“I’m sure they do,” Celestia remarked. “But if that’s the case, why don’t you put a want ad in the paper?”

“What makes you think I want somepony right now anyway?” Twilight answered, feeling quite safe within her feathered bastion; her core warmed by the feathered touch. “Love just complicates things.”

“Perhaps it might,” Celestia smiled as she spoke. “But some things are worth risking the comfort of routine over, are they not?”

“Maybe. What about you?” the unicorn asked as she fished for details. “When was the last time you loved somepony like that?”

Celestia answered after a moment, “It has been a long time. Centuries in fact.”

“What was his name?”

“Her name,” Celestia corrected as she nursed her cider again. She wanted Twilight to take her words in. If she could trust nopony else, she could confide in her student. In her mind, a plan had begun to form.

“Her name?” Twilight remarked. Somehow, she grew even more attentive.

“Does that bother you, Twilight?”

“No!” the unicorn blurted before she corrected herself. “I mean, of course not.”

After she got the response she wanted, Celestia gave a throaty chuckle before she continued, “Her name was Amber Rain. She was some lowly secretary for the Ministry of Defense around the time Canterlot was founded. But she could absolutely level the world with her eyes. She came along at one of the more...morbid times in my life and eased me through it.”

“We arranged to meet in the middle of the night away from prying eyes of the Royal Court,” Celestia lamented. ”Amber would listen intently about whatever happened across my mind at the moment and she would rant and rave about her boss. But whenever she happened to come along, nothing else mattered. Even if it didn’t last forever, I would not trade that time for any treasure.”

“What happened?” Twilight asked.

“Equestria was not as...accepting of such things as it is now. Her family pressured her to marry. She eventually did with an officer within the Royal Guard and had a foal of her own. We remained friends, but it was difficult, to say the least. When she passed, the secret was even more difficult to keep. But those are experiences I shall always cherish.”

“Why did you let her go?” the unicorn asked, “You had the power to change all that, didn’t you?”

“I am just a spoke on the wheel,” the alicorn continued. “And the wheel keeps turning. To change the direction of a society, that society has to want to change first. But that’s another discussion, my faithful student. What’s important is that you must seize that time when it comes and not run from it.”

The unicorn sipped what was left of her cider, which had made them both a little heady. Celestia sifted through her memories. As another, more recent memory, came to light, the Solar Regent adjusted her course. She shifted her look to something a bit more gentle and her voice that much softer.

“Twilight, I would not deign to lecture you on matters of philosophy or the heart, but I will tell you this: A pony’s life is not meant to be solitary,” the alicorn spoke softly to her student. “We are not accorded a choice of who we love. Simply put, you can either celebrate it while it fizzes or let it go flat because you didn’t drink it when there was time. It is your choice, my faithful student. Mare or stallion is just a personal preference.”

“Fizzes? Flat?” Twilight said through her first smirk that night. “Love is like soda?”

“You could say that, yes,” Celestia grinned back as she continued. She adjusted her wing for effect. “But the point remains. You may not believe it, but you are the light of your generation, Twilight. Your modesty does you credit, but it’s no bluff when I say that I have been honored to call you my faithful student and, more so, my dearest friend. When the time comes, whomever you hold that affection for should call themselves the happiest pony in all the world.”

Twilight didn’t dare hide her smile as her heart pounded at every word. Celestia kept her gentle gaze as the unicorn’s eyes twinkled in the conjured firelight. As the moonlight streamed through the windows while the unicorn’s courage grew. Her heart and mind agreed it was now or never.

It had become the latter when Spike clambered down the stairs just in time to interrupt them. Twilight and Celestia simultaneously glared at the baby dragon as he yawned.

“Hey guys,” Spike said as much as yawned as he moved towards the kitchen. “I just wanted some more pasta. What time is it anyway?”

“Half-past midnight,” Celestia said, glancing to the timepiece on the wall.

Twilight groaned as she silently promised Spike would see a never ending list of books that needed dusting. The unicorn got up from under the folds of the wing and muttered to herself; her courage shattered against the rocks of sundered moments.

~(o)~

Luna and Applejack meandered slowly towards Sweet Apple Acres. As the moon moved along its eternal course, Luna continued to sport her pink sunglasses as part of her magical disguise, much to the farmer’s consternation.

“Ah still think you look like Lady BaaBaa,” Applejack remarked.

“Does it bother you that I value these as much as you do your hat?”

“The only thing that bothers me is that rabbit in your head thinkin’ it’s a good idea.”

“Even rodents need flair,” Luna said as she smiled.

“Just keep tellin’ yourself that,” Applejack said while she subconsciously adjusted her Stetson.

“Speaking of telling, what was with the outburst earlier tonight.”

“Ah can’t say,” Applejack said as she shook her head.

“Oh ho,” Luna said through a smirk. “Somepony has a secret!”

“Eeyup.”

‘’And I assume you won’t be forthcoming with it?”

“Nope,” Applejack deadpanned.

“Is it us? Do you regret our relationship, fair Applejack?” Luna asked with a dramatic hoof above her eye.

“Are ya that stupid?” Applejack said as she refused to bite.

“I supposed I could save myself time and just accept that, even under the threat of torture and various other pleasant pursuits, you won’t be forthcoming?”

“Eeyup.”

“And that’s why I love you,” Luna said.

“Mah steadfast courage?”

“Your patent statements of the obvious,” Luna remarked dryly as the moon glinted off her eye.

“Every insult duly noted, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a smile.

“Regardless, I do have pressing business and, fair Applejack, I need your help.”

“What’s up?” Applejack asked, though she never equated Luna with serious.

“To be succinct, my sister is in love with somepony you know well.”

“Let me guess,” the farmer snarked, “Me?”

“Well yes,” Luna spoke in nonchalance. “My sister and I do have a habit of swapping lovers when the mood suits us. Typically we imprison them in bowels of the castle and chain them against the wall, where we ravish them at our leisure. At least that’s how it works if you read 50 Shades of Neigh anyway.”

“Kinky,” Applejack said as she decided to steer the conversation back on course lest they lose hours to distraction. “Who is it?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna practically squealed.

The farmer waged an instant and titanic battle to keep any laughter from bursting forth. It never ceased to amaze the farmer how life, in its jocularity, twisted her awkward position that much more.

“Twilight?” The farmer remarked after a moment, “Huh.”

“What do you think?”

“Aside from ‘do rabbits run in your family?’ Ah guess it’s fittin’.”

“Just fitting? But my fair Applejack, what is more worthy of a storied romance than that? A lonely Princess locked away in her storybook tower longing for emotional deliverance!” Luna narrated in grandiose tones. She moved in front of the farmer and into a backwards walk. “The sheltered student, learning her final lessons in a faraway land, growing stronger with each passing day and more distant from the one she is meant to save! Surely you can see the romance in that!”

“Ah can see you’ve been reading those clop books again.”

“You are the one who sent them,” Luna retorted before she came to a stop. “But I am serious. I must know if Twilight would be...receptive to the idea.”

Applejack took a moment to parse her words. “Ah think she would listen, but Ah can’t say more than that.” Luna caught he farmer’s undertones enough that she smiled.

“One thing sugarcube.” Applejack interjected. “Before ya start usin’ the stars to draw those two kissin’.”

“Yes?” Luna said as she blinked.

“In those stories, what’s the best plot device?”

“A pair of mares on a sandy beach with a fifth of vodka and a mutual lifelong crush?” the Lunar Regent innocently asked.

“Realization,” the farmer corrected. “Ya know, epiphany and the like.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Celestia probably wants to do it her way, right?” Applejack guessed. After Luna nodded, she continued. “Give her time to do it on her own. Eventually, Ah’m sure Twi will come around and might even realize she loved Celestia since who knows when. Or somethin’ like that.”

“And say if Celestia does not come clean?”

“Ya’ve got a sky full of stars and a mind full of dirty limericks. Ah’m sure ya’ll figure out somethin’.”

Luna dropped her head down and gave a soft chuckle. Mission accomplished. Applejack’s eyes sparkled as moved toward the Lunar Regent. Applejack put her hoof on the alicorn’s chin and raised it until their eyes were level. Luna, though she was nearly as powerful as her sister, could not break away from the farmer’s emerald gaze.

“Just one thing.”

“Name it,” Luna whispered.

“Can ya wait till mornin’ before ya start doodlin’?”

Luna gave a nod, after which Applejack closed the remaining distance between them. As the farmer’s lips pressed gently, Luna dismissed her disguise. In her full glory, the Lunar Regent’s wingspan surrounded the two as the moon kept its silent, eternal vigil.

~(o)~

“What the hay was Applejack’s problem?” Rainbow fumed as she escorted Rarity on their way home. The pegasus hovered slightly above the ground as Rarity strutted with all the swagger and pomp befitting a lady. Though the moon was full, the unicorn tried to work an air of mystery in her saunter. Practice made perfect.

“I can’t really say, Rainbow,” the fashionista remarked. “But there was something that obviously set her off. You know she’s not normally like that.”

“Except around you,” the pegasus pointed out, referencing some of the legendary rows between the farmer and the fashionista.

“Well that much is obvious,” the unicorn said.

“And why was Twilight so quiet tonight?” the unusually astute pegasus asked.

“Again, I cannot say,” Rarity said. In truth, she was thinking along the same lines.

As they approached the Carousel Boutique, the two bid farewell before Rarity moved inside. Sweetie Belle was with their parents, so the fashionista wasn’t worried about making a ruckus. That said, she didn’t want to clean up any spills before opening her shop so she moved gingerly about the main floor shop. She made the stairs in short order.

Rarity’s horn blazed with its characteristic blue aura as she worked her way up the stairs. It wasn’t long before she managed her way to her large bedroom. The events of the evening played through her mind as worked herself free of the latest demonstration of her talent and into her silk pajamas. Even as she worked the final buttons closed, a single thought dominated her mind: Why did Applejack blow up?

The farmer’s arguments with the fashionista were the stuff of local gossip, but that was just the nature of their relationship. They were still longtime friends, even if they didn’t see eye to eye. Otherwise the farmer was as not overly vocal with anypony else. Even snapping at Rainbow outside of their occasional athletic jousts wasn’t like her. Rarity also didn’t miss the glare that Applejack gave to Luna during dinner. None of it sat right with the fashionista.

Rarity slipped into her plush bed and donned her eye mask. As an astute study of pony behavior in social situations and possessed of a hyperactive sense of the romantically possible, the unicorn’s mind refused to settle. Why did the farmer act out of sorts?

And why was Twilight overly quiet for that matter? The unicorn rolled to her side. Normally the librarian glossed at length about magic or something she learned that was over everypony’s head. Rarity honestly had not expected to get a word in edgewise with Celestia in town.

The Solar Regent was usually in on her student’s most intimate secrets. Did she know something was amiss? The occasional glances from the farmer to the librarian wasn’t beyond her as well. Were they looks of concern? Perhaps apologetic? Did they maybe have a fight about something that drove Twilight crazy? Was Applejack terse because Rainbow hit on something that was meant to be secret? Was Twilight hiding something that pertained to the farmer?

Then it hit her when the last thought clicked into place. She was in need of more information to confirm her suspicions, but it all made perfect sense.

“Oh Applejack, you sly wolf,” Rarity muttered before falling asleep.

1. Serendipity

Loved By The Sun
By: TCSNxs

Chapter One
Serendipity

Twilight tapped a hoof on the circular central desk of Golden Oaks library while her violet eyes stared off at nothing in particular. She’d been stuck on the same line for the last few hours. Normally, the unicorn wasn’t at a loss for words, which only heightened her frustration.

A strand from her two-toned mane used that moment to dangle in front of her vision. Without bothering to decide it it were metaphorical or not, she moved her tapping hoof off the desk and brushed it aside. Afterwards, she attempted to work through her stuck supposition. Twilight looked down at her words to judge them with her own critical eye if they were worthy.

Speak to me words of the Acrostic
form that I see more in your will.
A bastion braced of a simple word;
basking in the glow of act, the art.

The librarian shook her head while she struggled to find the right wording. She’d been stuck on these particular problems more often than not as of late. Along the way, she'd come to the conclusion that life of a "starving artist" would leave her perpetually hungry.

“What are the words,” the unicorn mumbled slowly. Seeing no immediate answer and the frustration building, her head surrendered to gravity and dropped with a resounding thump. She moved to raise her head, but found more resistance than she anticipated. She struggled for another moment before she let out a groan.

“Twilight?” Spike asked as sauntered out of the kitchen. His normally clean apron was spattered with splotches of a Marinara sauce. “Are you okay?

“Yeslth,” the librarian answered, her mouth muffled by paper and wood.

“Did you get your horn stuck again?” Spike asked as his clawed foot tapped the ground. He watched as Twilight’s neck pulled against the weight of her head, but no upward movement was forthcoming.

“....Yes,” she finally answered. At least she managed to free her mouth of the paper.

Spike sighed. The baby dragon moved quickly towards the stuck and frustrated unicorn. When he climbed up the stool she sat on, he balanced himself on what space was left on top of it. Taking up two clawfuls of Twilight’s mane, he gave a tremendous yank. Between the two, they finally managed to free the magical mare’s horn free of the desk.

Both fell back off the stool, where Spike had hit the floor first, followed by Twilight. Twilight struggled to regain her hoofing and her dignity while Spike just bounced up. Something about the resilience of the young left many a philosopher and doctor baffled, as demonstrated by the baby dragon.

As Twilight rubbed her horn, Spike set the stool vertical again and climbed atop, surveying the damage done to the central desk. Aside from where Twilight’s horn had cleanly punctured the desk next to the previous two spots, he saw a pile of books and many crumpled pieces of parchment.

“Love Poems for the Lonely Mare, Serenades: Wooing Your Object Of Love, Eroticism For Morons.” Spike read off the spines of the pile of books as he tapped his chin. He looked down and saw the wording on the librarian’s latest frustration. Where he expected some vague equations or a long dissertation on some magical phenomenon, he found a simple grouping of words. He mumbled while reading, “Speak to me words of the Cinquain; in those five line, syllabic kisses. Let's measure in beats of two between thy legs and thy...”

The paper quickly glowed in a raspberry color and rolled up tightly, courtesy of Twilight’s magical grasp. Spike turned to watch the paper float past the Unicorn’s perturbed face.

“Spike, you breath a word of this to anypony...” Twilight growled as much as spoke.

“Twilight, what gives?” Spike asked before it hit him. His face broke into a smile. “You’re in love.”

Discovered, Twilight dropped her head as she quietly berated herself for not having used a more secluded location. Indeed, the object of her affections was coming soon and she desperately wanted to finish the "research" she was doing. She reminded herself that personal collection of books was lacking the relevant information. Hence, she brought her papers down as she was sure there would be time to stash the evidence. Such was the price of not taking precautions.

Something about the way Twilight moped shattered the baby dragon's heart. He climbed down from the stool and moved slowly towards his friend's side. Spike gently put a claw on her shoulder. The two held the pose like a painting of surrogate siblings.

“Who is it?” Spike asked. He layered his voice with as much gentleness as he could muster.

~(o)~

Luna galloped down the marbled hall as fast as her hooves would carry her. Normally, she'd taken her time with all the visage and pomp due of her station. But when the guard that fetched her expressed the urgency with which Celestia spoke and forbade the door be opened, she dropped all notions of pretense.

Luna arrived at the double doors that marked the entrance to Celestia’s private abode. The guards didn't bother with any salutes and hurriedly pushed the doors open. Otherwise, the marauding Lunar Regent would have barreled her way through both the guards and the door. The Royal Guard understood one thing: There was no reasoning with Luna where Celestia was concerned.

“Tia!” Luna bellowed, her breathing was hardly labored. The doors quickly closed behind her as she finally found her sister. The Solar Regent's head laid very still on her rolltop desk. Luna's didn't dare blink as she put her hoofs to her sister's body. She rocked Celestia gently while panic continued to well up within her. “Tia! Wake up! Tia? Somepony fetch the...”

“Lulu, I’m fine,” Celestia finally spoke up in an even voice; the words reverberated off the inside the walls of the desk.

“Then why did you send for me?” Luna asked as she calmed down a bit. The Lunar Regent leaned in and examined the desk. Aside from her sister’s head took up a fair amount of space, there didn't seem anything out of place. As she pulled back, something below the desk had caught her eye. Curiosity drove Luna as she craned her neck down for a better angle. When she finally saw Celestia’s problem, she cackled.

“Sister, in the name of our mother and father, how did you put your horn through the desk?” Luna teased as she fought not laugh again. A bemused smile creased her face.

“When a pony thunders their head against wood while having a rather sharp horn attached above their brow, what do you think happens?” Celestia deadpanned, her head remaining still.

“And you cannot remove yourself for fear of injury,” Luna finished for her sister. Her brain was worked on ways to torment Celestia about the silly scene later.

“....yes,” Celesia confirmed.

Luna, an ear-to-ear grin splayed on her face, quickly figured the angle for her sister’s extraction. After she willed her magic into being, she seized Celestia within the confines of a Telekinesis spell. After she slowly moved her sister's bulk, Luna managed to extricate the Solar Regent from the compromising position. Once Celestia was free, Luna set her sister down and dismissed her magic.

Celestia sat herself upon the edge of the bed and quickly felt her horn up and down with her forehooves. As the Solar Regent called forth a magical spell to ensure that her horn wasn’t compromised, Luna glanced to the desk. Celestia’s favorite quill sat comfortably in its inkwell, which somehow withstood the impact made by her cranium. A parchment, below the newly formed hole in the desk, had scribbled words on the otherwise blank page.

I always did love the sunsets seen from
this window. It seems like a view only I
am privy to, though I have no qualms
sharing it with you, dear one. Will you
wait with me? The dawn comes soon.

“Tia?” Luna asked as she turned a suspicious eye towards her sister. Her grin grew even larger, if such things were possible.

“Hmm?” Celestia answered absently as she looked up as she dropped the Telekinesis spell she worked on a pillow.

“Who’s the stallion?”

Celestia gave Luna a blank look before she finally realized her incriminating words were found. She grasped the parchment with her magic and rolled it up. After opening a drawer with the same magical grip, she dropped the rolled paper into the drawer and shoved it closed with a thud. The desk rocked under the force of the drawer’s closure. In bitter irony, the top heavy inkwell to finally spilt over.

The Solar Regent watched in thorough frustration. Between the discovery that her sister would no doubt pester her to the end of time about, the compromised position in which she was found, the sore horn, and now the spilled ink, she had had enough. Her hooves met her head as it dropped down. For one of the few times in her life, the alicorn felt the bitter taste of embarrassment.

Luna watched her sister’s reaction. Despite the fact Celestia had banished her for a thousand years, she couldn’t help but feel sympathy. Everypony had those days. Luna seated herself next to her sister on the bed and wrapped a wing about her in the process.

“My apologies Tia,” Luna said softly. “I did not wish to upset you so.”

Celestia wasn’t saddened as much as frustrated. She sighed heavily and leaned in, where she found the wing-held embrace of some comfort. The two held the pose for a moment as if they were in a painting.

“Still though, the secret is out,” Luna said gently as curiosity drove her onward. “Who’s the lucky stallion?”

Celestia didn't answer right away. Rather, she judged her options. At length, she decided it would eventually come out due to her sister's continued prodding or investigations to the same.

"...Mare," She eventually spoke from behind her hooves.

“You writing prose? Must be a worthy mare.” Luna said, not surprised in the least. She put aside the obvious verbal tortures she could inflict for the moment. This was her sister. Given the fact Luna was sure Celestia’s horn had a splinter in it, she decided to be delicate.

"Who is it, Tia?”