Hello everypony! I have lurked on this website for ages and I suppose it is about time I finally get around to contributing. I am in the early stages of planning my first FiM fanfic featuring the unparalleled pairing of Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia. It will also be my first fanfic period.

While I have years of experience writing academically, I have very little experience writing prose. I’m afraid of publishing something subpar, and living up to the fanfiction stereotype. Any advice on plotting, pacing, parlance, and pairing buildup for Twilestia writers would be deeply appreciated.

In particular, Celestia’s character seems somewhat daunting to approach. She is the very embodiment of perfection in FiM and that complicates shipping. I have seen stories try to make her approachable by filling her with inner demons and guilt over Luna’s banishment. Adding small elements that show that even though she is beautiful, kind, caring, and eternal, she still cries, loves, and is entirely capable of being in a relationship without our adorkable Twilight.

I don’t want to stray too far from the Celestia we know and love though. I would hate to be anywhere within a 49 1/2 inch pole range of a story featuring Celestia with a suspiciously full statue garden. Do any Twilestia writers have tips on approaching Celestia’s perfection? As readers how do you like to see this addressed?

Similarly, it seems for a good shipfic Twilight needs to move closer to Celestia’s level, but it is important to also preserve our timid, neurotic, and obsessive bookworm? I thought that Composure handled this well by presenting Twilight as a graduate rather than Celestia’s pupil. Replacing the teacher-student bond with a mentor-student bond worked well. The pairing felt more balanced. What are everyone's thoughts on addressing the student/teacher imbalance?

Finally, what do Twilestia readers enjoy in these fics? That's why we are all here after all. There are moments in Twilight and Celestia's relationship that seem fixed regardless of story. Twilight calling Celestia by her name for the first time, Celestia prying Twilight from her comfort zone, and finally their obliviousness to one another's feelings and/or their stubborn refusal to acknowledge their own. Thoughts on these fixtures?

Finally, what do Twilestia readers enjoy in these fics? That's why we are all here after all.

Haven't we all had a crush on a teacher at least once in our lives?

i like stories that highlight the imbalance between them
i.e. celestia is still portrayed as the omnipotent goddess
while twilight is completely awestruck by her power and beauty
and makes a fool of herself trying to impress celestia
until celestia tells her to stfu and kiss her

but i also like darker ones where celestia is manipulative and whatnot
to see how far twilight will go to please her
and twilight ends up either completely degrading herself or standing up
and saying lol fuck you and bend over bitch it's my turn

As parasprite said, and I like it if/when the Canterlot Elite/nobles/whatever are told to GTFO by Celestia when they voice their opinions about fillyfooling.
624339
I believe so, yes.

624335

The thing to show is that Celestia wasn't born perfect, her perfection comes from experiences, many lifetimes of it, and she can make mistakes.

A lot of people fill her with demons of the past, I for one think that it isn't the right way to go, yes she's going to have some lingering troubles with Luna's banishment (a thousand years without your sister will do that) but other than that she will have moved past most hurts she's experienced in her long lifetime.

Celestia is a... a very open character, since the show hasn't really defined her as much as it has the main six, there's a lot you can do, which, in my honest opinion is always the most interesting thing:
It's easy to make her out to be a tyrant or a molesting caricature of her show persona, but it's much much harder to portray her properly (the difference between writers being the interesting thing here)

As for the story as a whole, it is almost inevitable that Twilight is going to be learning from Celestia, again, thousand lifetimes of experience versus not even one. Moving them closer and eliminating the titles is a good thing to do, but you're never going to get away from the fact that Celestia simply knows more by virtue of time.

What readers enjoy... hmmm

I can't speak for others, but my enjoyment comes most from the mutual (or one sided, with the other being oblivious) unrequited love, mostly Twilight's fear/resignation that she'll never be good enough for Celestia, and then finding out that that isn't the case.

First off, I believe that making the transition to prose is much either than the other way, so I doubt that you will encounter too many issues when it comes to writing your story. You just have to remember that you're looking for something that is emotional rather than technical.

As far as Celestia's character, it really is still rather open ended. The fandom has cemented a few stereotypes, however there is so much play room it is basically up to your imagination as to how you execute her portrayal. For example, in one story that I am writing right now, I am painting her as the stoic guardian who held her ground for those thousand years, yet at the same time is emotional and in pain from more than just her failure with Luna. Really, I believe that if you approach it seriously, it truly won't matter how you portray her.

The pairing itself can come from a few things. You mentioned the student/teacher bond, and how it could possibly get in the way. You can either evolve that bond, and have it be the root of the start of the shipping, or have Twilight be done under her. Either way, I personally don't have a preference in this spot. It works well either way, and as long as there is no relation between the two, it doesn't get awkward.

And for what I like to see within a Twilestia story, emotion is probably the biggest thing. It is her 'biggest armor' if you would, and when that falls for Twilight, and only Twilight, it adds that much more emphasis to it. And oh, no bittersweet love. I'll admit it is cliche, but I would rather see Twilight have the opportunity to extend her life, whether you can come up with a plausible method not involving 'alicornification', or not, I like to see that happen. I'm a sucker for happy endings. Beyond that, just write what you want really.

I am now looking forward to seeing what it is you come up with!

624335 First fanfic ever huh? Exciting. Though difficult without having anything of yours to read as an example of your style. I trust in your academic experience to be able to write something readable. an not garbige liek dis!

The first thing I REALLY want to hammer home for you is this: If you take no other advice, do NOT be afraid to post something sub-par. Just be honest with yourself and with your readers/ reviewers. Do NOT talk down about your fic, "I know this fic is terrible, but...". Do try to be humble in accepting the criticism you receive though.
GET a good proof reader. Or just ANYone who isn't you to read it. Someone who didn't write it will be able to find flaws that you wouldn't. If you can't find anyone else, I'll read your rough drafts. PM me. The first story I published was loaded with grammatical errors. I changed tense at random, the pacing was skewed all over. But my readers have all been very supportive in helping me be a better writer. Yours will too, I promise.

So, onto the specifics. Personally, when I write Celestia romantically, I write her as a cougar. The older woman who has the experience of age and knows what she wants, and how to get it. Usually. The point of the Twilestia ship is that Twilight is something that she hasn't experienced before. "I've never seen a unicorn with your raw abilities." And THAT makes Celestia nervous. Twilight is a new experience for her. For a princess who has lived a 1000+ years, she thought she saw everything until Twilight. But her nervousness stems not from fear, but from her attraction. The same nervousness of working up the courage to talk to a cute person for a date.

Celestia wanting Twilight to 'be on her level' is not a mater of power, but maturity, and wisdom. She wants to be sure that when Twilight says "I love you" it isn't some sweet, puppy dog infatuation, or more simply, hot-for-teacher.

A good story NEEDS conflict or else it stagnates in lovey dovey all-is-well. Bridging the teacher-student issue is good. BUT you should also include the problems the arise with Twilight's friends as a result of (the possibility of) their relationship. And you need to include Luna IMO. The show makes her invisible enough as it is. She is Celestia's sister and her (possesive of her sister's attention) issues should not be ignored. etc etc. dealers choice for problems.

"Finally, what do Twilestia readers enjoy in these fics? That's why we are all here after all. There are moments in Twilight and Celestia's relationship that seem fixed regardless of story. Twilight calling Celestia by her name for the first time, Celestia prying Twilight from her comfort zone, and finally their obliviousness to one another's feelings and/or their refusal to acknowledge their own."

^ This. Pretty much all this. You seem to already have the key components in place.
In the words of Nike, Just Do It.

PS: For my piece of Twilestia, refer to the last chapter of this fic, about 3/4 of the way in. Their relationship here isn't romantic, but you can tell that it is definitely something by the way they act. Show, don't tell the scene. Don't say Celestia is protective, SHOW it by describing her protective actions.

624335 And there is just one other teeny tiny HUGE thing. Is it going to be a clopfic or not. I have no problem with them (see my stories) but you have to decide going in if you are going to write a light romance, hardcore sex, or something risque that just skirts the fringes of sex with clever innuendo.
My personal advice would be to NOT write clop for your first fic and focus more on the interpersonal relationship(s). You need to be able to write good love before you can write good sex.
There are exceptions of course, but I could probably count them all on one hand.

624335

No idea. I am writing a Twilestia fic myself, with another one-shot being planned. And then there's the human/Celestia romance fic that's my first real effort at character building.

That said, I'm looking forward to reading your work.

624356 You can always go back in and add intimate scenes later if that is your wish of course. But I agree, Don't write clop your first time.

624335

a story featuring Celestia with a suspiciously full statue garden

Tyrant Celestia is just a fandom joke. You'll never really see it in a serious fic, unless it's some kind of alternate universe.

Advice on Celestia? Play up the conflicts in her personality. Pick at those. It's always interesting and there's no shortage. There's certainly lots of hints to show her playing a pretty deep game. Which, I guess, one would expect from a ruler with over a thousand years of experience. She has a bit of the Chessmaster type in her. Yet, we also see lots of hints to show that Celestia is sort of 'soft', not cold and hard, like you'd expect from a manipulator, to the point of potentially causing herself trouble later. She imprisons existential threats to her country and the world in order to give chances at redemption. She clearly allows a rather ineffectual and horrid aristocracy to hold power.

She's also always struck me as a bit of... well... a sad character. She's clearly pretty lonely, with a deep desire to just be treated like a normal pony, instead of the Untouchable God-Princess. Yet, she plays her part anyway.

Also, she really likes cake. A lot. It might not seem important, but what kind of physical god stuffs her face with cake? A pretty human (pony) one. I think that's the important part. With a Twilestia story, you can't really have an untouchable, unapproachable goddess, in the end. Though you can play her struggling with the mask.

As for Twilight... make her Twilight. Even if you advance things a few years, she'll probably still mostly be the same. Maybe some of the worst of the rough edges will be polished off. Maybe she'll be a bit more in control. The reason the Mane 6 are great is that they're imperfect. Twi is diligent, but to the point of obsession. She's naive, but not stupid. She's geeky, but she isn't stuck up about it. (Don't fall into the all too common trap of making her sound like a robot. Ugh.) She's actually pretty lighthearted and kind, but she's also very sensitive, in both good and bad senses of that. After all, we've seen plenty of breakdown-mode-Twi, but she's also the glue that sticks the Mane 6 together.

What are everyone's thoughts on addressing the student/teacher imbalance?

Just that. Address it, in the story. Don't avoid it or ignore it. How you deal with that very real problem is literally everything with this particular ship. It's the primary point of conflict and tension in the relationship. It's what makes it interesting and fun. How does a relationship between an immortal sun-goddess and a naive bookworm work? How you answer that will essentially be your story.

It isn't really all that hard. It isn't something drawn from whole cloth like some ships. Celestia is the center of Twilight's universe, and 'Tia adores her faithful student. Personally, I wouldn't look too far from very human reasons for pursuing a relationship. It's okay for 'Tia to get a laugh at Twi's adorkability, even if she doesn't voice it. 'Tia can always admire Twi's inquisitiveness and intelligence. It's okay for Twi to crave the wisdom and safety Celestia represents. Those are fine enough reasons for a relationship in real life. No need to get exotic on justifications. Also, don't shy away from physical attraction, for heavens sakes. It's an important factor in any romantic relationship.

Okay, I think I'm done about Twilestia.

On the topic of general writing. As has been mentioned before moi, try to nab a pre-reader or proofreader. Getting an editor was the best thing I ever did.

Heck, I'll even happily pre-read just about any Twilestia, myself. I wouldn't count on me for any kind of proofing or general error correction, but I'll happily provide honest critique and impressions. I can even be cruel and picky, on demand. Keep my name aside, if you want. Your post was coherent and thoughtful. Doubt I'd be getting myself into a mess.

624345 We seriously need to sit down and talk about what kind of head canons we have of Celestia one of these days. I think it'd be rather interesting.

624335 Celestia has been in love before, married possibly. She does have a nephew, a unicorn meaning she has been with another unicorn in a past century. I'd get into a rant about Cadence, but that won't help you in the slightest. Celestia is a god, with a stereotypical type of immortality, the one where you cannot die of age, but in battle. The only thing holding her back is her own emotions, which as some would argue are her best traits as it tells that she is capable of mortal interest like love and companionship.

Being of a feminine god, she seeks adoration and love from her citizens as all gods do. This particular trait merits a hindrance in reactions to certain needs and problems. Like her sister. Celestia can be blindsided by worship that she will forget her own family when they are at their worst and need her the most. Another trait would be that she is immortal. How exactly does she let ponies into her heart if she has to watch them die while she remains in a constant youth? That would be a second big issue.

The big issue is Twilight. She's not immortal. She's not an alicorn. She doesn't have lifetimes of experience to look back on and act according. All she does have is a great knowledge of magic, and willing desire to please her mentor at any and all cost.

624404
Seeing as to how I have about a half dozen variants of Celestia in my head, which are mostly reliant upon whatever material I am reading at the time or writing towards, it could be interesting I suppose. I'm a very flexible and open minded person, especially when it comes to a character that has 99% of her as an unknown.

Only thing though? Might only have one concept where she is classified as a god.

624335
One thing I would suggest is to give the characters something to do and think about other than the romance itself. Not necessarily an epic, world-threatening crisis, but a plot of some sort that doesn't consist entirely of their thoughts and concerns about each other.

It may sound at first like this would be the harder route, but in fact it's a good deal easier to plan a basic, even trite storyline, and look for moments that show rather than tell the emotional side leading to the romance, than it is to follow a character's inner turmoil while nothing is actually happening and keep it interesting -- particularly when the genre of "A pony is in love and here's how that turned out" is such thoroughly well-trodden ground, riddled with its own jungle of overdone cliches.

Above all, there are simply too many stories already which start, in the first few paragraphs, with some variation on "Pony A realized one day that she really loved pony B, but she couldn't imagine telling her". The development of emotion and the realization of those feelings are the real meat of a good romantic story, and shouldn't be pushed off into the 'what has gone before'.

In regards to writing Celestia, it may be best first to work with the surface, and develop her deeper character after you've gotten a handle on writing her voice. Even if your conception of her is that of the immortal goddess with a deep core of tragedy inside, you'll make her more convincing if you can get the reader to hear her voice in your dialogue, to make her 'sound' like the same personality we've seen on screen.

In the show, her diction is precise and confident, but not overly formal except when she's wearing the Official Princess Hat. She isn't cold or distant, especially when talking to Twilight, and she gives every indication of being generally quite happy and optimistic, unless and until something serious goes down.

Even when she's angry, she doesn't lose control. With a genuine enemy, such as Discord and Chrysalis, she gets very formal and declares at them; with somepony she cares about, like Twilight, she clips her words and sticks to bare-minimum statements -- "You have a lot to think about" is probably one of the harshest things she's ever said to her student.

Overall, the best way to capture her voice is to think of her first and foremost as a teacher -- a good one, who cares deeply about her students and is more than willing to have some fun, but never forgets that she's setting an example by word and deed -- who just happens to also be the ruler of a kingdom and Mistress of the Sun.

Personally, I want to see you make a story where Celestia is equal in physical relationship experience as Twilight is.

i can't really give you any advice (without repeating others), but please add it to this group as soon as you post it!

624355

Personally, when I write Celestia romantically, I write her as a cougar. The older woman who has the experience of age and knows what she wants, and how to get it

GOOD SIR! Ah plead that you show me these wunda'ments!

624335
It's easier to say what is not enjoyable and overused: personally I agree with Parasprite("i like stories that highlight the imbalance between them") and dislike where Celestia goes "Oh Twi, I am so glad that you didn't used 'Princess' title that time[because as a princess I am too afraid to tell subjects how to address me and I hope that they will use psychic power to know what I really want], now slap my flank as I love being submissive"

Don't turn Luna into Magical Negro who goes around and explains feelings of characters to themselves(like in "Tia, you love her! Now I'm going to sleep.I'll explain you how much you love her later"). This is trope is seriously overused and it wasn't good even once.

Also AFAICT younger audience(18-) love stories where characters(Twi in this case) hesitate to admit their feelings to each other much, much more than older audience(18+), who is more interested in established relationship.

624335 If you need a prereader/editor, give me a ring.

624335

I think I should first of all claim that there's no one thing that makes a Twilestia story good, and in order to get a really popular/well received story you can't limit yourself to what's generally approved of, you must dare to do something New. Change something up. This goes for all genres of course, most widely popular stories combine good writing, with a new and (relatively) original idea.

Still, I agree with you that the characterization of Princess Celestia is the largest hurdle with all Twilestia stories. Here's the millenia old ruler of all ponydom falling in love with a barely out of her teens bookworm. That's a might large bridge to pass.

I can only speak from my personal opinion, but for me, it's important to take Celestias age seriously. She's had uncountable lifetimes to get used to how ponies work and act, she need something very special to shake her outside of her 'comfort zone'. There's plenty of stories where suddenly, this regal ruler starts acting like a teenager full of hormones, and that just doesn't work, at least not for me. Both Composure and Eternal handles these issues very well, the author "The Descendant" also writes his Celestia and Luna in a way that I adore, even if it's not Twilestia (or usually not a romance at all.)

What these stories have in common, is a Celestia that's Old. Old, reserved, and used to everything that life has to throw at her. But she still retains that glimmer of excitement, that spark of life that allows her to play a small practical joke, a way to stay tuned to the life of the regular pony. A good Twilestia story takes this spark, and feeds it new fuel. But, again, it's hard work and it's easy to overdo it.

What you've listed as "common features" are, however, common tropes for all kinds of romance stories. Far from limited to Twilestia. It's how you approach these tropes that are more important to me as a reader, avoiding or including them "just because".

Still, I'm no author myself, I just read a lot, but I think you'll just need to get started, write an outline and see where you go from there. Write a story that you have fun with, what the rest of us think when it's done isn't as important as having fun while writing it :).

Also: Nope, I can honestly say at least I've never had a crush on a teacher. Blah.

I hardly think Celestia is perfect. After all, she hadn't been powerful enough to destroy Nightmare Moon, Discord, or Sombra. Instead, she could only imprison them. And Chrysalis kicked her flank.

Plus, she doesn't really care to hide her positive emotions, like her amusement at the Cakes when they fell for her tea trick, and she rarely displays sadness, which I usually take to mean she bottles it up. I like playing with Celestia's inner demons, and having Twilight bring them to the surface with her actions (like depression at failure).

First of all, I was too planning on writing my first Twilestia fanfic, which would actually be my first fanfic at all. Many other have written extensive and helpful description and advices of what things a Twilestia fanfic should have in this post, and I'd really like to contribute.

One thing that I personally always look for in a shipping between Celestia and Twilight is the fact that Celestia is not perfect, even if she looks so. Just like Composure does. I feel that Celestia, being over a thousand years old, must have perfected her ability to maintain composure in front of other ponies. But at the same time she is still a pony, even if she is a powerful, ageless goddess, and as any other pony, she needs affection, even love. The problem is that probably Celestia has locked these feelings deep inside her, and then suddenly, Twilight appears to awaken them again. That is what I really like in a Twilestia.

I hope that this helped you, even if just a bit. And I'd like to offer you my help as a prereader. The truth is that I've never done it, and I'd like it very much if you would accept me as one of yours.

624355
I cannot thumb this up hard enough.

*edit*
I just realized what an innuendo that is.

624335

See 624415. I just have a particular suggestion for the something extra: make Twilight a Vampire.

Now you have lots of juicy stuff to cover that does not specifically been done in a Twilestia yet. Especially if sun light is harmful (though it need not cause instant disintegration, slow roasting would be fine).

Thank you everyone for your responses! It’s really helpful to get an outside perspective. Also apologies for the wall of text, but I wanted to make sure that I responded to everyone.

624339

Haven't we all had a crush on a teacher at least once in our lives?

Quite true!

624342

makes a fool of herself trying to impress celestia

I think this sums up a lot of Twilight’s quirks very well. We’ve seen what she will do merely to avoid being tardy. Celestia’s impression of Twilight was more or less her entire world before Ponyville, and she will go to ridiculous ends to impress the Princess.

624343

I also like it when Celestia prioritizes Twilight over the nobility.

624344

The thing to show is that Celestia wasn't born perfect, her perfection comes from experiences, many lifetimes of it, and she can make mistakes.

I do tend to like the idea of an fallible Celestia who comes off as perfect because of her relative experience. After all we do know that she made a mistake with allowing Luna to become Nightmare Moon and that was barely over a millennium ago. Heck, in theory it was even within the living memory of the crystal ponies.

624345

Possible spoilers for anything I might ever write. I’m also a sucker for happy endings. The world is cruel enough. To have Twilight break through Celestia’s facade of perfection and then leave her alone again just seems too cruel. Although I haven’t really made a decision on how I will address Twilight’s impermanence, it certainly is on my mind.

624355

Celestia wanting Twilight to 'be on her level' is not a mater of power, but maturity, and wisdom. She wants to be sure that when Twilight says "I love you" it isn't some sweet, puppy dog infatuation, or more simply, hot-for-teacher.

This is a great point. As obsessed with the princess as Twilight can be, it’s almost certain she was infatuated with her when she was younger. Twilight needs to show Celestia that she loves her in a way that isn’t just affection for her childhood idol.

On the other points: I am planning on including a major conflict in the story. I hope that doing so will allow feelings to develop naturally in the course of the action rather than seeming forced. Luna will definitely be included. I’m also not planning on writing a clopfic.

624377

I also see Celestia as somewhat lonely with a little bit of pinocchio complex. She doesn’t want to be untouchable and removed from society. She would love to fit in, and to be a real pony. If only she could convince her subjects that they won’t be placed in a dungeon in the place where she banishes them if they treat her normally. That said, she clearly isn’t a pony who allows sadness to become her. We’ve seen her prancing about the palace wishing ponies happy tuesdays and scarfing down cake like Luna is going to outlaw it. It’s a fairly unique balance for a character and one of the things I like about Twilestia stories is having Twilight tip that balance and give Celestia a sense of real belonging.

I’m hoping to write a slightly more mature Twilight, but one who is still prone to obsession, freakouts, and bouts of “YES.” I want to make her capable of fitting in to a proper relationship with Celestia as more than an adoring student without sacrificing the character we know and love.

Thank you for the pre-read offer! I’m sure I’ll need it to get the story in to shape once I finally have something tangible.

624404

Good point on Celestia’s past relationships. I like to think that she had a bout of relationships a while ago and that most of the nobility trace themselves to her in the same way that most European nobility try to trace themselves to Charlemagne. I like to think that Blueblood is fairly distantly related to the sisters, and I still haven’t decided where to put Cadence. I do like the Word of Faust on Blueblood.

I’m also not sure how I want to handle alicorn immortality. They can certainly be defeated as shown by Chrysalis. I even think they are capable of being killed by mortals. What I haven’t decided on is whether by virtue of embodying parts of the universe they would eventually come back to life after such a death, and if so how they could die permanently.

Celestia remaining ever young while her friends and consorts wither away and die brings Highlander to mind. I think it’s definitely one of the most important points to address in any ship involving Celestia.

624415

One thing I would suggest is to give the characters something to do and think about other than the romance itself. Not necessarily an epic, world-threatening crisis, but a plot of some sort that doesn't consist entirely of their thoughts and concerns about each other.

It’s funny you should mention that because I have been pondering the inclusion of an epic, world-threatening crisis. I would like to focus centrally on Twilight and Celestia, but I do have a wider-scale plot in mind as well.

Very good points about writing Celestia in her own voice. I’m not sure we’ve had more than 30 lines of dialogue from her the entire show, but I hope to do my best to fit that character, and to make people believe that they are reading that character. Otherwise, her part could be played by any generic-off-the-shelf immortal, and I’d like to avoid that. Great summary on how she speaks in different situations by the way, I’m positive that will be helpful once I finally get around to putting finger to keyboard.

624451

I’m planning on presenting Celestia as having been out of the dating game for a while. I do imagine that she’s had some experience in her untold centuries (including children at some point, in my headcanon the nobles are Celestia’s distant descendants), but I like to think she’s been alone for a while. In show we haven’t seen much evidence of her having a partner.

624504

Absolutely!

624523

I think that the imbalance really is vital to address. You’re right that it seems strange to have Celestia as passively submissive and waiting for somepony to guess what she wants.

I also plan to include Luna in a meaningful way. You’re dead on about the out of the shadows when convenient matchmaker role being overdone and awkward. The same thing holds true for Celestia in Twiluna fics. I think it’s fine for Luna to force Celestia to confront her feelings, or to point them out to her, but that cannot be her only role. Luna is her own pony with her own feelings and her own unique relationship to Twilight. To Luna, Twilight is her conquerer and her savior, as well as her gateway to understanding modern Equestrian culture. In short, I’m hoping to have Luna in the story and not merely a matchmaker who could be anyone.

624544

I will once I finally get around to writing!

624862

I’m hoping to do something fairly new with this story. I want to challenge Twilight and Celestia with an adversary they have never faced and in doing so drive them together.

I agree that Celestia’s age and experience are really important. I think Celestia has been on her own for a while, and may very well be just going through the motions. I like the idea that Twilight breaks that cycle. That Twilight really is unlike any other pony she has ever seen and that somehow she manages to exploit Celestia’s sparks of life to break down the wall that shields the ‘real’ Celestia from the world.

624870

Great points! I’ve often thought that Celestia has a mask of perfection that she hides behind, but you’re right, in many ways it is more of a filter. We often see her positive emotions, her upbeat comments, and her love for cake, but we never see her scars. We never saw her reaction to being publicly bested by an upstart love bug. She may very well repress those emotions while allowing the positive ones through. Even if she vents to Luna, that millennium alone with no one she felt she could talk to must have been trying.

624946

Awesome description of why Twilestia fics are amazing! I’d love to have you as a pre-reader once I finally get around to writing.

626961

I think the vampire angle is interesting. I’ve seen a handful of fics exploring such a transformation in Twiluna fics, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head on the Twilestia side.

It’s a great idea to explore, but I have another idea in mind for this fic. I’m planning on doing an adventure story with a new threat that will drive Celestia and Twilight together.

627268
Excellent! An epic seems, in many ways, rather like the optimal setting for a Twilestia story. From your responses -- not just to me but to everyone -- it really sounds like you've got your head in the right place to write something good, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

There's one thing that I'm just gonna toss out for the amusement & discussion value, not because I think it's needed for your story, nor do I think it's any better a concept than the more usual approach, but largely because I don't think I've seen this possibility explored or even mentioned anywhere in the fandom.

For my own part, contemplating this idea has led to a series of very sad scenes that hint at a really big story, but haven't quite gelled into one yet. Odd, because it seems like it should be the happier option, but somehow it creates a deep sense of tragedy, at least in my own thoughts.

Put simply: the show itself never said that the Princesses are immortal, nor that 1,000+ years is an unusually long life expectancy for a unicorn.

After all, these are magical beings; just as if a story featured, oh say, elves or air elementals, they could have humanlike lifespans but we couldn't assume so unless the author said. The only ponies we've seen who are visibly old are earth ponies, and if both "Winter Wrap-Up" and "Family Appreciation Day" are taken at face value, Granny Smith has lived some number of centuries. It doesn't seem all that unlikely that pegasi and unicorns might normally live much longer than that.

Again, because this is the internet, I really want to stress that I'm not saying that this is 'true' or the opposing view 'false' -- this is exactly the sort of thing where it's up to the author of an individual story -- just that it's food for thought. It remains true either way that Celestia is much older than Twilight, which is certainly not inconsequential in a relationship, but she doesn't necessarily expect to outlive her student.

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I look at the fic "Statistics" (Which is a 6-star look at Celestia, by the way, go check it out) on here, and I use most of the views there as a baseline for her time during Luna's banishment.
And no problem, man. It's always great to help the community.

627268 Don't ever apologize for being diligent to your readership . And thank you for choosing Knight of Cerebus editing services. I look forward to the first chapter should you choose to write it.

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>Similarly, it seems for a good shipfic Twilight needs to move closer to Celestia’s level, but it is important to also preserve our timid, neurotic, and obsessive bookworm? I
There's a number of ways to do it, and they don't all have to involve changes... You can just explore things more deeply.
It's been shown how powerful Twilight is (The Dam, the Ursa, etc), but never really any real reaction from 'regular' ponies. If you assume an average unicorn can lift half their body weight and learn two or three simple tricks, Twilight is so powerful compared to a normal unicorn that she'd be almost as scary as the princess...

I've only skimmed this thread, will certainly read it more in depth later, though.

I'm writing a Twilestia fic. I've only written a couple scenes, and they have to be edited at some point. I was getting too distracted by trying to get things "just right" right away, so I've adopted a "blind writing" approach, where I get my ideas down and then edit them for grammar and spelling later.

One idea that I want to explore (and a couple people have mentioned similar ideas above) is that Celestia is very inexperienced with love. I think that while she's the ruler of Equestria, and is very kind towards her subject, she might also fear the vulnerability that comes with letting someone get that close to you. I know that's been done before, but I think it's always something worth exploring. I'm kind of toying with the idea of Celestia, realising the feelings she's developed as Twilight's grown into the mare she is today, nervously approaches Twilight with her feelings.

I do have a weakness for "and they lived happily ever after" type of scenarios, but I also love when the author successfully builds tension in a "will she say yes or not?" scene. Exploring emotional conflict that the characters feel is a vital part of the story as well. When that aspect is written well, it reminds me of the times I've experienced those emotions and pulls me right into the story.