Nostalgia

The Luncheon

Twilight galloped through the University of Canterlot campus, making her way toward the square where she was to meet her parents for Lunch. She passed by the clock tower near the northern part of the campus and saw that she wasn't running as late as she thought she was. She therefore slowed to a comfortable trot and began to catch her breath. At this slower pace she was able to enjoy all the familiar sites of the university campus. While she had spent her foalhood learning almost exclusively from Princess Celestia she did take some supplementary magic lessons at the university's department of magic, at her mentors urging. Besides that the university had an extensive library which held some items which were not even available at the Royal Library in the palace. Not to mention that her father was a professor of astronomy and astrophysics there and the chance to bum a lunch off of him never hurt.

She arrived at the square and saw that it was, as always, a blur of activity. Ponies of all shapes, sizes and colors were eating lunch, just hanging out, or, as most seemed to be doing, rushing to and from classes. Twilight use to enjoy guessing what sort of classes any given student at the university was taking by looking at their cutie mark. For some it was very easy but there was always plenty of cutie marks with an abstract meaning behind it which made for a much greater challenge.

"Twilight, over here." called out the voice of Twilight's mother. Twilight looked around to see both her mother and father sitting at a table in front of the bistro she was to meet them at.

"Hello," she said as she approached. "Hey, where's Spike at," she asked as she looked around for him.

"He was still feeling sleepy this morning so he decided to stay at the house."

Twilight sighed. She knew that was exactly what was going to happen, but she held her tongue. "So, how's your morning been Daddy?"

"Can't complain I suppose." said Nightlight taking a drink of water. Although today is the due date for some research papers I assigned some of my classes and I'll have to get all of those graded in the next day or two so I'm certain to be miserable all night tonight," he added with a chuckle.

"You shouldn't set so many projects to be due all at once," Twilight Velvet chided. "It would make it much easier on you to space these things out more."

"I give all of those classes the same amount of time to complete a project, and besides that I would rather do it all at once and be done with it instead of dragging it out. That's how I am."

"Yes dear, I'm very familiar with your quirks after all this time," she replied shaking her head.

"I could help you grade them," offered Twilight Sparkle excitedly.

"That would be nice, but aren't you going to be busy enough yourself? Your mother tells me that you've gotten yourself involved with that business up at the palace."

"Yes, but I could still help."

"Thank you, but let's not think about work right now. Do you know what you want Twilight?"

"Yes, I'll have what I always get here." replied Twilight.

"No surprise there. Let's order then."

They placed their orders and proceeded with small talk while they waited for their food.

"So tell me Twilight," said Twilight Velvet at last. "What exactly is your involvement with the party? All I heard from Cadance was that you were going to be doing some sort of prep work with Princess Luna."

"That's right, I'm just helping the princess organize and prepare for everything."

"Hmm, I would have thought something like this would have had plenty of planning and organizing already."

"They thought that it would be good to have somepony who knows the princess on a personal level involved with the preparations."

"Oh, and the princess doesn't know anypony but you as of now?"

"Well, it's just that I have experience working with Princess Luna when it comes to such things," said Twilight as she thought of a way to change the subject. "So Mom, what did you do this morning after Cadance and I left?"

"Just a bit of writing, brainstorming, nothing really worth talking about, so what do you mean by experience? If you're referring to that one Nightmare Night you told us about one time that's not really much like planning a party is it?"

"Uh, brainstorming huh, are you working on a new Daring Do story?"

"Twilight, you know I don't like talking about a story before it's finished, and also hush I use a pen name for a reason. Now come on Twilight, quit dodging the question and tell us."

"Dear, why not just leave it alone," interrupted Nightlight.

"Oh, come on Nightlight I know you're just as curious as I am."

"Look, all I'm doing is working with Comet to help with the preparations, nothing all that interesting," said Twilight hoping end the subject of the party.

"Comet, who's Comet?"

"He's Princess Luna's aide."

"Really, that’s odd isn't it? An aide to one of the Princesses is usually a mare."

"Usually," said Nightlight shrugging his shoulders "but it's not like he's the first stallion to have the position."

"Well yes but it's still unusual. So you're working as his assistant will you? Helping out an old fellow who’s not quite as spray as he used to be?"

"What? Oh no, he's not old," replied Twilight, "maybe a little older than I am but he's still fairly young."

"Really? Now that really is unusual. The royal aides are almost always older ponies."

"Very odd indeed," said Nightlight in agreement. "Well I'm sure the Princess has her reasons for such an unusual pick."

"He must be new," said Twilight Velvet as she continued to think aloud. "I haven't heard of him before, he must have some impressive talents to have gained such a position at such a young age."

"I wouldn't know," said Twilight. "Today is the first time I've met him, and I only talked with him for a few minutes."

Twilight Velvet nodded as she took a sip of water from her glass. She lowered her glass and with a sly grin asked "is he handsome?"

Twilight glared at her for a moment before replying "yes Mother, he'd be considered to be quite handsome."

"Hmm, a good job and good looks to boot. I wonder if he has a very special somepony," pondered Twilight Velvet while glancing at her daughter with those scheming eyes.

"Maybe he does, I didn't probe him about his personal life" said Twilight quit irritably.

"If I had to guess I'd say he was probably already spoken for," said Nightlight hoping to change to a less bothersome subject.

"Why do you day that," asked Twilight Velvet.

Well, it's not the first time in history that one of the princesses has appointed a young, good looking stallion to a position that put him at her side as well as giving him complete access to her private chambers, if you take my meaning."

"Oh hush you," laughed Twilight Velvet. "Come on Nightlight, an aide de champ to one of the princesses does everything from managing their personal finances to deciding what they’re going to eat for their next meal. Do you honestly think Princess Luna would appoint somepony to a position like that just so she's have an opportunity to get him in bed?"

"Look, I'm sure the boy is perfectly qualified for his job. I'm just saying there are other factors which might have helped him along."

Twilight Velvet shook her head and then, looking over at her daughter, said "sometimes I think I married a gossipy, old mare with too much free time."

At that point the waiter arrived with their food. Twilight was glad to end the discussion for the moment. Sometimes it seemed that conversations with her parents, especially her mother, would always veer toward the most uncomfortable of subjects. She had of course heard all kinds of stories of the princesses occasionally taking lovers over the years and she knew that at least some of those stories were bound to be true. Even so that particular aspect of the princesses' lives were none of her nor anypony else's business. "I don't really think it's fair to either of them to say such things behind their backs."

Twilight Velvet sighed then said "yes I suppose you're right".  "So Twilight, I thought that maybe the three of us should have a talk about your father and me moving to a new house."

Twilight had not been looking forward to this inevitable conversation, but knew very well that it was bound to come up eventually. "Like I said last night, there isn't really anything to talk about. Shining already told me all about it."

Nightlight cleared his throat and said "Even so this is the sort of thing which we should discuss".

"But I already understand that you had to leave because you were being harassed by royal chasers. I perfectly understand, and I would have done the same under those circumstances."

"But," Nightlight goaded.

Twilight hesitated for a long moment before saying "but I still don't like that you had to leave, and that I won't be going back to that house anymore. I know that it's silly to think this way, but that house is an important part of my life and I feel sad that it won't be a part of it any longer."

As the conversation progressed it became clear to Twilight that her parents really had nothing to say other than what she had already learned from her brother. Still she endured it. She could see that they both did feel badly about not making certain that she knew about the move and so felt the need to explain themselves even if there was nothing to explain. Twilight all the while smiled and gave them both assurances that all was well and that she would soon adjust.

Behind this facade of good feeling though there was a great deal of anger and resentment. 'Why am I feeling like this,' Twilight wondered to herself as continued smiling and nodding along with a conversation she was no longer paying attention to. 'It's not fair to feel this way towards them. I know they didn't mean to keep me in the dark,' she said over and over again to herself in an attempt to shake off the sensation of betrayal.

As they were all finishing their food Nightlight glanced at a nearby clock and said "I need to get back to work, thank you for the company. I'll see you both tonight," he said giving them each a kiss.

"See you later," said Twilight accepting hers on the cheek.

As Nightlight trotted away Twilight Velvet turned to her daughter and asked "Are you going back to the palace dear".

"Yes, I still want to discuss some things with Comet and Princess Luna."

"I think I'll walk with you for a while," she said joining her daughter's side. "It's not that far out of my way."

"Sure, I'll be glad for the company," said Twilight as she continued to maintain an appearance of agreeableness, though she was simultaneously trying to make sense of her sudden descent into emotional confusion. There was a sensation of some creature in her head lashing out in murderous rage against what it perceived to be insincere affection coming from her parents. It was a disturbing feeling which Twilight could scarcely understand.

"Is something wrong dear," asked Twilight Velvet.

"It's nothing Mom; I just have some things on my mind."

"I'll bet, working with royals is never a simple matter is it?"

"That's an understatement to be sure," replied Twilight recalling some of the more interesting lessons she learned under Celestia's tutelage.

"Well, just be careful not to overwork yourself. You and your father both are apt to do that and it makes me worry."

"You shouldn't, Daddy and I know how to handle heavy workloads."

"Oh I know you can Twilight; I just don't think it's healthy. I've already noticed a few grey hairs popping up in your father's mane and you'll be turning grey before your time as well if you keep pushing yourself the way you do."

"I'm fine Mom, I can handle my work," said Twilight reassuringly. "And Daddy looks just fine to me," she quickly added.

Twilight Velvet glanced toward her with an understanding look. "I know he's fine dear, I didn't mean it like that. I just don't think that your father handles the stress from his work as well as he says so I worry about him and about you as well. But if you say that you're handling yourself well I believe you. Princess Celestia tells me that you seem to be doing much better about such things since she had that discussion with you, you know after you had that little nervous breakdown and bewitched all those ponies."

Twilight recalled with embarrassment the time her mentor personally came to Ponyville to correct her ideas about deadlines. "H-how did you know about that?"

"Twilight you're my child and the princess respects that, and keeps your father and I updated about how you're doing."

"Oh." Twilight would have liked that to be an incident which would stay an unspoken secret among those who were present.

Twilight Velvet began to laugh as she recalled Princess Celestia's account of the incident. "I still can't believe that you seriously thought she'd send you back to magic kindergarten for not sending her a letter."

"Could we please not talk about that,"  said Twilight as her face began to turn red.

"Alright, alright." said Twilight Velvet. She took a moment to regain her composure before saying "At any rate I don't think I have to worry about something like that happening to you anymore."

"What do you mean anymore? You expect me to make a fool of myself like that?"

Twilight Velvet shrugged and replied "well you are your father's daughter aren't you".  Twilight groaned in annoyance and began to walk away. "I'm joking Twilight," her mother said wrapping a hoof around her neck and pulling her back. "You shouldn't take things so personally."  Twilight acknowledged her mother with an uninterpretable grunt but was no longer trying to walk in a different direction. "If you'll listen you'll see that I'm trying to give you a vote of confidence dear."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I was going to say that I think you'll do a fine job working on whatever it is you're doing at the palace."

"I already said that I'm just help to prepare for the party."

"And I say that's a lot of malarkey. Any preparation and planning that needs to be done for an event like this has already been done five times over. So I know that they must be having you do something else. But I trust that you have good reasons for not telling your father and me so I won't press the issue."

Twilight groaned again. Her mother had always been able to read her like a book. She had thought that as she had gotten older that she had gotten better at concealing her inner thoughts and feelings. Apparently this was not the case. "Well, thank you for understanding."

"You're welcome, but as I was saying I'm sure you'll do a great job, especially with that Comet fellow giving you hoof. He sounds like he would be very helpful."

"Why do you say that? I didn't tell that much about him."

"Yes, but I noticed how your face seemed to light up when you mentioned him."

"What do you mean by that" Twilight asked suspiciously.

"Just that he seems to have made a good impression on you. You've always had good instincts, that's one thing you got from me at least, so it tells me that he must be something to look at. In a professional sense I mean," she added quickly when she saw her daughter's glare.  "Seriously Twilight why must you get so angry whenever I talk about young men around you," asked Twilight Velvet.

"Because I don't like you trying to play matchmaker with me."

"Who said anything about matchmaking? I'm just curious about some of the stallions you associate with. Wait, does this mean you're interested in this boy?"

"That's what I'm talking about. 'Do you have a special sompony Twilight? When are you getting married Twilight?' That's all I ever hear from you anymore," Twilight said with a clear tone of aggravation.

The elder Twilight looked startled and confused by this sudden accusation from her daughter. "But Twilight, I don't understand why such questions upset you, I only ask because I want to keep in touch."

"What does keeping in touch have to do with telling me to hurry up and find a husband?"

"Wha...Twilight I'm joking with you when I talk in such a way, you should know that. I understand very well that you're still young and have other concerns at this point in your life. I'm certainly not trying to force you into anything you're not ready for."

However Twilight was done listening. She marched away and paid no heed to her mother's call's. When the elder twilight gave chase she teleported herself to the next block and was alone again.

Twilight expelled a deep, contented sigh. Her mother had been mocking her under the guise of 'joking' for what seemed like and eternity. It felt magnificent to finally call her out on it. However a dark cloud hung over her small victory that gave the atmosphere a bitter taste.