Chapter 41: Confrontations
Sweet Apple Acres experienced a false dawn for a few moments as Celestia and Twilight arrived in the middle of the Zap Apple orchard.
This would have caused more of a disturbance if not for a timely light diffusion spell cast by Twilight.
Celestia blinked in the sudden darkness, letting her eyes regain their night vision. “Thank you, Twilight. I really should have thought better than that.”
Twilight’s smile could be heard in her voice. “I’m sure you would have in a moment, princess! I just didn’t want to wake the whole town. They panic easily... remember the bunny stampede incident?”
“Yes, so they do.” Celestia replied, wincing at her own thoughtlessness. “Now, which tree did you plant the seeds near?”
“The very tall one just west of here. Applejack called it ‘Alexander.’” Twilight cast a quick illusion spell, sending an arrow of light darting towards the tree in question. Twilight then went on to the farmhouse to fetch Pinkie while Celestia walked towards the large apple tree where the root had been planted.
Well, soon you’ll be able to return home having ensured your protege’s love life remains unchanged. That will be nice, won’t it?
“I hope I can do more than that.” Celestia muttered, feeling incredibly foolish for talking to herself. She eyed the large tree, knocking on it experimentally. She remembered these orchards being much more sparse. This tree in particular had been planted in her presence. She’d gifted it to the Apple family to commemorate some anniversary or other, likely the tenth.
Yes, hope is a good thing. Such as hoping that they’ll be fine after a little talk. After all, the princess is far too busy to be more involved. Too many meetings, too few hours sleep. There is no time for more than hope. It’s just as well you’re not going to even try to tell Twilight how you feel, you’d never have time to be a loving mate.
“I would have made time.” Celestia spat back to the empty darkness.
Oh? Well, now you won’t have to! Surely your student will be glad to know she’s not being a burden on you. You know how she frets about disappointing you.
The princess didn’t bother answering, choosing instead to scan the area around the base of the tree for the roots they would soon be casting on.
A bright flash from the entrance of the farmhouse caught her eye, and she turned to it in surprise.
Did she just teleport?
Celestia took flight, angling towards the farmhouse entrance. Within seconds she was there, and had confirmed that her protege was indeed gone.
Why would she leave like that? Perhaps she forgot something at the library?
She briefly contemplating going to the library herself, but decided to investigate further before rushing off. Surely one of Twilight’s friends—
At least you could start thinking of them by name, you do them a disservice.
Surely Applejack would know where her protege had spirited off to.
“Sugarcube? ‘Zat you? Come on back now and we can talk about this like adult ponies.”
Celestia’s ear turned towards the voice and she followed it to the open door of the master bedroom.
What she saw confused her, for a moment. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were in the same bed. Both of the earth ponies were holding the pegasus. Some very detached part of her mind congratulated herself on thinking of them by name.
Oh, look at that. Looks like Luna was right, Pinkie really doesn’t mind being with multiple ponies at once.
The princess shook her head in disbelief. There was no way this could possibly be what it looked like. She didn’t know much about Pinkie, but the mare had struck her as the earnest sort when it came to keeping her word, and she had given her word. Clearly she was misinterpreting—
“Hey, princess!” Pinkie called to her cheerfully, waving from the other side of Rainbow Dash.
Rather unabashedly calm about it, don’t you think? A pony caught in the act of adultery on a mate should not be so happy about it.
“Were you here with Twilight? She was just here then she went—” Pinkie’s face took on an expression of horrified surprise,” —and then she went away again! Did she forget something?”
Or... maybe she just doesn’t care. Perhaps you misjudged her?
Celestia's eyes turn grim. "I suspect it was more to do with your inability to keep your word, Pinkie Pie.”
"Now hol' on there, Princess, this ain't what you think—" Applejack interjected quickly.
"I don't care what it is!" Celestia, said, cutting Applejack off. "Two days ago I canceled court because my faithful student teleported onto my lap, breaking through three dozen enchantments merely because she was distraught! Do you know why she was distraught?”
“Well, I recko—”
“Because she was convinced that she,” Celestia continued, cutting Applejack off again while pointing towards Pinkie Pie. “Would have a better life without her!”
“I’m tellin’ ya, this ain’t wha—”
“And now, she has to discover that Pinkie really does have more fun when she is not around? I won’t stand for it. This time there will be no pink infiltrators to drag her back home to have her heart broken again!" Celestia leveled her gaze on Pinkie. "You gave me your word. I can see now that your word isn’t worth much.”
“Now hold on a goldang minute!”
“I think not. I have to go find and comfort Twilight. You three—” She swept her gaze over them, her eyes cold and dangerous. “—should stay away.”
Applejack scrambled up from the bed, stomping her way towards Celestia in exactly the way you don’t want to confront an enraged alicorn. “I said hush up and listen, you stubborn mule!”
Celestia regarded the earth pony in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me right, missy! You barge in here bad-mouthin’ my friend, and I won’t stand fer it! Now shut yer trap an’ lissen good before I wallop ya!” Applejack’s eyes were no less determined even in the face of certain destruction.
And this is why you trust these ponies when the world is doomed. They don’t back down.
Very slowly, Celestia nodded her head. “Very well, explain yourself. But this had better be good. I have some very comfortable cells which haven’t seen guests in ages. I’d be more than willing to see that change.”
Applejack held her gaze, not flinching for a moment. “I get it, you’re madder than a wet cat right now. But nopony here wants Twi happy more’n Pinkie. And Dashie and me want that for em too.”
She seems so very sure of herself. Maybe she’s telling the truth?
There was a very tense moment where anything could have happened. The next instant was confused, as Celestia found the pink pony attached to her leg, bawling her eyes out. "I didn't mean to hurt her! Tell me how I did it so I can make it better! Please tell me!"
"What do you mean, 'how?'" Celestia demanded, trying to shake Pinkie off. But the harder she tried to dislodge her, the harder Pinkie clung.
"She means she doesn't know how this would hurt Twilight." Applejack said, sighing in relief as their eye-contact was broken. "Pinkie ain't that great a judge on boundaries, case in point." She nodded to the pony wrapped firmly around Celestia's foreleg. "Thing is, she don't mean anything by it. Dashie's real sick right now and Pinkie jus' wanted to make her feel better. An' me... well I wanted to snuggle her too but Pinkie was already here. Wasn't gonna kick her out."
Celestia very slowly counted to herself, trying to quell the rage she felt. "Am I to understand that you three were not having... relations?"
"Well... not as such, yer princessness." Applejack said slowly, hoping not to draw Celestia's ire once more. "Hoof to the sun, I can tell you there was a bit of hugging involved, an a kiss or two, but it was all meant in comfort. When Twi left she was hurt real bad, and my Dashie wanted to see Pinkie happy. Things got a little muddled. But when push comes to shove, Pinkie loves Twi, and she’s as loyal as you could want. She’s just a little... confused about how that’s supposed to go sometimes."
She doesn’t deny there was something going on. Perhaps you’d better to put them all in cells, just to be sure. Then you can find Twilight, and spirit her away.
Celestia regarded the crying pony clinging to her foreleg, continuing to count to herself. She needed to get away from these ponies, far away, before she hurt one of them.
Or, perhaps you need to talk to one of them. The one crying on your leg. Either something is going on, in which case she needs to be held accountable; or Applejack is right, and Pinkie really has no idea what she has done. Twilight said she didn’t understand her. What if the reverse is true?
“Why don’t we just go ‘nd find Twi, and then we can si—” Applejack didn’t get any further in her suggestion before she and Rainbow Dash were blinded by an overload of magic which discharged itself as pure light. When Applejack dared open her eyes again, Celestia and Pinkie were gone.
The first thing Rarity saw when the darkness of Luna’s spell retreated was: slightly less darkness.
A moonlit night does have a certain amount of light, and the stars helped, but there was only so much such feeble light could do when filtered through a forest canopy.
As she spent more time in the dark, details made themselves known. This was a familiar locale to her. Which was not to say she’d been here often. In fact, she’d only been here once before. Luna had teleported them to the courtyard of the ancient castle in the Everfree.
“Luna, why am I not in the workroom?”
“I’m sorry, Rarity. This was the closest location I could teleport to with any real guarantee of safety for us all. I don’t know Ponyville well enough to get us there without possibly landing halfway inside a wall, or another pony.” Luna replied, glancing around. “Give me a moment to get my bearings and I’ll try to get us closer. Perhaps if we teleport to a location above the town? No, you don’t have wings...”
“I see. And why was it necessary to teleport to Ponyville? We had tickets for the train tomorrow morning.”
“Because I need to get you to Celestia as soon as possible.” Luna licked a hoof, judging wind direction. “I’m fairly certain I can carry you, Rarity. Fluttershy, do you think you can keep up?”
“Luna,” Fluttershy said, concern growing in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed, and nothing that will harm Rarity immediately, Fluttershy. But it’s important that we hurry.” Luna lifted Rarity bodily onto her own back. “Hang tight to my neck, Rarity. We’ll be in Ponyville in no time.”
Luna took flight, gaining altitude quickly, circling around until she could see the dim lights of Ponyville in the distance. She felt a horrible pressure around her neck, and glanced back to see Rarity clutching her for dear life. “Rarity, couldst thou please ease off a bit? I’m going to need to breathe to keep us both aloft.”
“S-sorry.” Rarity replied, lessening her grip slightly. “I-I just have this nasty habit of falling from great heights. Would you mind terribly not flying so high?”
“I’m afraid I must. We must make all haste, dropping altitude would only slow us down. Have no fear, Rarity. I will not let thee come to harm.” Luna angled her flight path downwards, aiming for Ponyville town center.
“Wait! Please wait!” Fluttershy called to them. “I can’t fly that fast—”
Luna whipped her head back, seeing Fluttershy falter in her flight. She was struggling mightily to keep pace, but it was more than apparent that she would be unable to do so. Luna looped around in her flight, intent on catching Fluttershy ere she fell.
The feeling of the hooves around her neck left, and instead she felt four hooves standing precariously on her back. Just as one of Fluttershy’s wings folded in on itself, causing the pegasus to cry out in pain, she was surrounded by an aura that buoyed her up, pulling her close to Rarity.
“There, there, love. I’ve got you.” Rarity cooed, her horn blazing brightly in the darkness.
Luna cursed herself for a fool. Fluttershy had told her that she’d strained her wings badly during her fight with her mother. Of course she would have trouble flying afterwards. More to the point, she should have thought of carrying both of them in her magic. “Rarity!” She called up, layering her own magic field around Fluttershy. “Stop casting this instant! I’ve got her!”
“No, it’s fine, Luna, I can carry her along—”
“It’s important that you trust me about this. Using your magic could worsen your condition. Now please, let me take care of her.” Luna said, firmly.
Rarity sounded ready to protest, but finally Luna felt the other mare’s magical pressure release it’s hold on Fluttershy. Luna looped back around, aiming for Ponyville once more.
Arriving at the library, Luna let both of her charges down to the ground. “Finally! I apologize to both of you, but all should be well shortly.” Luna opened the front door, certain she would find her sister inside with Twilight. What she found instead was a library in complete disarray, and a haggard looking owl slowly trying to put it back to rights.
A quick examination told her that Celestia had been here, at least. Two empty teacups sat on a table, and unless she was sorely mistaken, Pinkie was not much of a tea drinker. She slowly counted backwards from ten, trying to maintain her cool. Celestia was in Ponyville, that was a start.
“Luna?” Fluttershy asked. “Can you please tell us what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is my sister is not here, and I don’t know where to find her.” Luna said through gritted teeth. “But all will be well soon enough.”
“No, I mean what’s wrong with Rarity?” Fluttershy persisted.
“Nothing I can’t fix—”
“You said that before!” Fluttershy snapped back. “Then you rushed us to Ponyville so fast that we left all Rarity’s dresses behind. And just now you said she shouldn’t use magic! I know you’re trying to help, but you need to tell us what’s going on!”
“I don’t wish to worry you needlessly, Fluttershy—” Luna’s eyes flicked to watch as Rarity picked up the various tomes, reshelving them by hoof.
“I’m already worried!” Fluttershy said, cutting Luna off again. “Just tell us what happened.”
“Well... first of all, I want to say I never intended any harm, and would never have tampered with a spell in this way if I had known—” At Fluttershy’s warning look, she cleared her throat nervously. “Yes, well, out with it then. It seems that the structure of the spell has... well... changed, significantly. And while the effects seem to be very beneficial, it’s using up magic at a drastic rate.”
“Okay...” Fluttershy replied. “Now, I need you to please explain what that means.”
“Well, you remember I told you that the spell uses her natural magic to heal her?” Luna asked.
“Yes?”
“That’s precisely what it’s doing now. Except instead of focusing on a sole injury, it’s burning her magic for energy. She is hyper because the spell is drawing on my magic to make her so.” Luna replied, gesturing to Rarity, who had finished reshelving the books and was in the process of dusting the library. “And while it will last for some time... when it runs out, the spell will begin drawing on her life force instead.”
“And that’s bad?”
“Very bad.” Luna said, gravely. “So it’s very important that she not make matters worse by using even more magic than the spell is using already.”
“Can’t you just... make the spell... stop?” Fluttershy asked, her face screwing up as she tried to understand.
“I’ve already tried that. But it’s embedded in nearly every point in her body. I lack the knowledge to attempt it, and adding even more magic might make the problem worse.” The princess heaved a huge sigh. “I am so sorry, Fluttershy. I meant only well, but my efforts have done ill.”
Rarity trotted up next to Fluttershy holding a hammer in her mouth. She set it down on the table, nodding to Luna. “So, magic gone wrong, eh? Simple enough, then. I shall refrain from any more spell-casting for the duration, and we’ll just have to locate Twilight. I have every faith she can put it aright with relative ease.”
“Well...” Luna replied. “I suppose Twilight would be of aid as well, though I’d rather my sister.”
“You brought us here for a reason, though. I suspect it’s because Celestia has come here, and if she’s here, she’s is with Twilight. And since Twilight isn’t here, the most likely location for her to be is at Sugarcube corner, no?” Rarity smiled, winking at the princess. “She practically lives there. Just give me a moment or two to fix this floorboard and we’ll head right over.” Rarity picked up the hammer in her mouth, eyeing the nails on the table. She dropped the hammer, picking up the nails in the corner of her mouth, then picked up the hammer again, looking quite pleased with herself.
“Um... Rarity maybe we can let Twilight fix her... floorboards?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, we should find Celestia as soon as possible.”
“Irt wom’t tahke lomg” Rarity mumbled around her hammer.
Luna, meanwhile, was watching incredulously as Rarity tried to hold a nail with a hoof while angling the hammer to strike it. “Rarity, perhaps you had better let me,” she said, steadying the nail with her magic and grasping the hammer.
She looked down at the cracked floorboard, eyes widening. It looked as if somepony very heavy, or very strong, had stomped on it.
And it is doubtful that Twilight would have made a hole like that in her own library.
Rarity watched Luna curiously as she nailed down the cracked floorboard. “Something amiss?”
“Likely nothing.” Luna replied. But possibly everything. She had no idea what could have upset her sister so, but she hoped it had been only a momentary flash of anger.
Having nailed the offending board back down, Luna set the hammer down, nodding to Rarity and Fluttershy. “Let’s go, then.”
Arriving at Sugarcube Corner, they surprisingly found signs of life. At least one of the Cakes was up, preparing the baked goods for a new day of business.
Rarity trotted around to the kitchen entrance. “The front door will be locked this time of morning, but we can knock quietly on the kitchen door. I’d rather not wake the twins.” She knocked very lightly, waiting expectantly for an answer.
Momentarily, the top half of the door swung open.
“Oh, hello, Rarity.” Carrot Cake said, a slow smile growing on his lips. “What can I do you for? I’m afraid we don’t have anything ready quite yet—”
“Good Morning, Carrot!” Rarity replied. “Not here for that on this occasion, although I’ll likely be by later on. We’re just trying to track down Twilight and Pinkie. Are they here?”
Luna cleared her throat from behind Rarity, and the unicorn raised a hoof in warning not to interrupt.
“Well, no. They went to Sweet Apple Acres last night. Said they needed to help Applejack take care of Rainbow. Should I tell her you stopped by?”
“If you see her before I do, yes please. Thank you, Carrot.”
“No problem!” Carrot replied. His eyes widened when a kitchen timer went off. “That’s the muffins, I’ll talk to you again soon!” He closed the door, not waiting for a reply.
Rarity turned around, all smiles. “Well, now we know where they went, at least.”
“Well, yes.” Luna said. “Though I wondered why you asked for Twilight and Pinkie.”
“Oh, that’s simple enough.” Rarity replied. “If the princess wanted her presence known, she would have come by chariot. The fact that she didn’t bring an escort likely means she’d rather not be noticed. Plus where Pinkie is, Twilight is bound to be as well.” She trotted back up the path they’d come down. “Which means our next stop should be Sweet Apple Acres. Shall we?”
“Um... Rarity, aren’t you worried?” Fluttershy said, catching up to her quickly and matching pace. “I mean, you heard what Luna said...”
“Yes, I did, and perhaps it has me concerned, but I see little point in bemoaning my fate. It’s just a bit of a medical mishap, after all. And really, I am not displeased with the side-effects.” Rarity replied, smiling encouragingly. “If you had any idea what it’s like in my head right now. Ideas form and coalesce in seconds! If it weren’t for the whole dying thing, I’d say let’s just leave it alone.”
Fluttershy just stared at her, unsure what to say.
“Don’t misunderstand, Darling. I’m not saying I am content to burn through my life in exchange for a sharper mind. I intend to spend it with you, after all.” Rarity nuzzled Fluttershy affectionately as she walked.
The lack of reaction worried Fluttershy. Her Rarity would be complaining, at least. She’d be angry at Luna for doing what she did!
Well... maybe not. Rarity does use her magic a lot. And being without it was hard on her. She might have agreed if she hadn’t been passed out on the floor.
So, Rarity might not be mad, but Fluttershy was! She still didn’t know what to think of Luna. The princess just seemed so... selfish. Maybe... maybe that was too harsh. It was strange to think of somepony who had seen centuries more than she could even imagine, but Luna seemed... immature, somehow. She wondered just how that worked. Perhaps her time on the moon had done something to her?
She watched the road under her. They were moving too slowly. Rarity needed to be fixed faster than this.
It was probably due to these thoughts, and the lack of a simple illumination spell, that she crashed headlong into another pony charging headlong in their direction.
Fluttershy shook her head, squinting in the darkness. The moon and starlight was not quite enough to make out details, but the silhouette was familiar.
The other pony got up, spitting dust from its mouth. “I’m real sorry, whoever ya are. Didn’t expect nopony to be up and about these hours. You okay?”
Light flared in the darkness, and Rarity smiled in relief as she realized who Fluttershy had just run into. “Applejack! Just the pony we were looking for!”
Applejack just stared at her a moment, blinking in the sudden illumination. “Oh, hey! When’d you get back? No, nevermind, now ain’t the time. You seen Twilight or Pinkie?”
Rarity’s mouth snapped shut, frowning at the interruption, and even more so at the question. “You mean, they aren’t at the Acres?”
“Rarity!” Luna called out from behind her. “Please cease your casting!”
Rarity turned, her expression flashing annoyance. “Well it’s only a little magic, and it’s dark out! What did you expect?”
A spear of light came from Luna’s direction further down the road, coalescing into a ball of light that hung above them. Rarity sighed theatrically, dutifully extinguishing her own spell.
Applejack looked in surprise at the source of the spell. “Izzat Princess Luna? What in tarnation is goin’ on?”
“Well... you see...” Fluttershy began.
“Nothing tremendously exciting. I had my horn cracked while fighting to prove I was worthy of courting Fluttershy to her father. The doctors cast a nice healing spell on me, but that wasn’t quick enough for Princess Luna because she wanted to go to a party with us, you see? So she apparently gave me a small bit of her magic. I wasn’t awake at the time because I’d given myself a nice concussion walking into a door. Only it turns out the healing spell is slowly killing me and will do so quicker if I use magic.” Rarity smiled at her friend. “But enough about me, how are you, darling?”
Applejack blinked at her, silent for a few long seconds as she took that all in. “Uh... fine? I guess? Dashie kinda poisoned herself, Twi kinda freaked out when she saw me an’ Pinkie an’ Dash snuggled up in a bed, and I think Princess Celestia went nuts. She took Pinkie off somewhere.” Applejack shook her head. “I was kinda hopin’ she’d maybe taken her to Sugarcube Corner.”
Luna had caught up with the group by this point, and was thoroughly disheartened by this news. “What do you mean to say, exactly? My sister is not prone to insanity.”
“Beggin’ yer pardon, Princess Luna, but yer sister was mad.” Applejack replied, wincing as she recalled the look on Celestia’s face. “She kinda sorta threatened to throw us all in the dungeon. She calmed down a little bit when Pinkie started bawlin’ an’ huggin’ her leg but I gotta admit things looked a little tense up till then.”
“Oh... my...” Fluttershy said, concerned for Pinkie and Twilight.
“Wait... back up a tick.” Rarity said, holding up a hoof. “You and Pinkie and Rainbow?”
“Don’t you start too, dangit! Applejack responded, looking irritated. ”I know what it sounds like, but it ain’t like that!” She paused a moment, then rephrased. “I mean... well, not exactly like that. It’s a long story.”
“Fine.” Luna said, “Explain, but explain on the way to the farm.”
“Uh... all right, we can do that.” Applejack said. “But why the farm?”
Luna led the way, talking as she walked. “I wish to see if I can discern where Celestia went, and I cannot do that from here.”
Along the way, Applejack caught them up as best she could on events while they were gone.
Rarity wasn’t quite sure what to make of Rainbow and Pinkie’s interactions. “Well... that‘s... an interesting response to infidelity, I’ll admit.”
“It wasn’t like that!” Applejack said for the tenth time. “I just... I got all muddled up. Just seemed right at the time, you know? Like... if I did it too, I wouldn’t be bothered as much. And it worked... kinda. It really just made Pinkie even more snuggly with us. Not a bad thing, in itself. But we kinda freaked Twi out.”
“Yes... well it’s easy to misinterpret seeing your beloved in the arms of another pony. I have to admit I’d likely have done the same. Have done the same, if you recall.” Rarity’s eyes flashed to Fluttershy.
“Yeah, and it didn’t help when you went off half-cocked either!” Applejack spat back. “We’re all friends, we’re supposed to be able to talk about anything.”
Rarity nodded in understanding, feeling chagrined. “As you said... it seemed right at the time. Love makes fools of us all.”
“Did my sister say anything prior to leaving?” Luna asked Applejack as they entered the farmhouse. “Anything at all?”
“Not a danged thing, Princess. She just looked real upset, then poof, they were both gone.” Applejack gestured to the spot where Celestia had teleported from. “I’ll leave y'all to yer magic whatsits. I gotta check on Dashie.”
Luna lit up her horn, scanning the immediate vicinity. “Blast, there’s nary a sign of her for miles around. I had hoped I could find her from the epicenter of her departure, but wherever she went is far beyond the range I can scry.”
Rarity’s ears perked up. “Oh, would it help if you knew which direction she went?”
“Well, it would be a start...” Luna mused, looking in all directions.
Rarity’s horn flared up as she tried to remember the exact way to cast the spell Spike had shown her. It sprang immediately to mind, and in the next instant the world was awash with color.
The first thing she noted were the earthy brown tones of the magic that oozed from every inch of the farmhouse. Generations of Apples had walked these floors, each leaving a minute amount of magic in their wake. Outside the window, the land glowed with power, encouraging growth and dissuading all but the hardiest of insects from it.
But there were two pools of far greater magic still. One she recognized, it was Twilight’s magic. It pointed in the direction of the Everfree. Why would she go there of all places? The other was... difficult to describe. It was as if a pool of sunlight were shining on the floor, and then a spear of it arrowed upwards, for the most part, but also...
“Celestia seems to have gone far to the north. Her path points skywards, so she’s up high somewhere. Twilight is much closer, somewhere in the Everfree.” Her head swam, and she faltered on her hooves. “Why does everything taste yellow all of a sudden?”
A hoof touched her horn, and while she could still see the various colors of magic, the weakness that had passed over her was lessened once she stopped actively casting.
“Rarity, you must stop!” Luna said, real concern in her eyes.
“Sorry,” Rarity said, a shiver running through her form. “Does that help at all?”
“Without knowing the distance, there is no telling where Tia could have gone.” Luna replied. “But that’s not the point!” Luna wavered as well, shaking. “You... must stop casting, please.” Luna’s knees buckled, and she fell to the floor.
“Luna!” Fluttershy cried out, rushing to her side and hovering over her. “What happened?”
Luna looked up at her, smiling apologetically. “Forgive me for worrying you.” She said, slowly climbing back to her hooves. “Rarity’s spell just now was using her magic at an alarming rate. So... I gave her more.”
Fluttershy did he best to steady Luna, her eyes wide and panicky. “Will you be okay?”
“It’s a trifle, I assure you. I have—” Luna felt her knees getting ready to give once more. If not for Fluttershy’s hooves, she might have collapsed again. “I have plenty.”
Fluttershy rounded on Rarity, getting ready to scold her. But Rarity didn’t look very steady herself. “Um... you said Twilight was in the Everfree?”
Rarity nodded slowly, entranced by the various colors of magic around her. “She went that way,” she said, pointing in the direction of the magic trail.
“Right. We should find her.”
Fluttershy looked around for Applejack, finding her in her bedroom. She gasped in worry as she saw Rainbow sleeping on the bed. She seemed fitful, her face was flushed, and shone with sweat.
So much was going wrong right now, and the ponies they depended on to help fix it were not to be found.
Applejack waved from the bed. “Find out what you needed?”
“Um... yes.” Fluttershy said, glancing back in worry at the two mares in the other room. “We know where to find Twilight, at least. If Celestia comes back here, can you tell her Luna and Rarity need her?”
“You look a mite spooked, sug.” Applejack said, stroking Rainbow’s sodden mane. “Everything all right?”
“No,” Fluttershy said, simply. “I don’t think it is.”
High on a mountain top far from anywhere a pony would care to live, a bright flash and a whiff of ozone heralded the arrival of an alicorn princess and an earth pony.
Pinkie looked around in surprise, they were so high up! She could see for miles! She dropped down to the snow below her hooves, inspecting where they had landed.
After a few moments she remembered how she’d gotten here, and with whom. She turned, cocking her head curiously at the Princess. “Um... why are we here?”
“Because you and I need to talk, Pinkamena Diane Pie.” The princess replied.
There was still an edge in her voice. She sounded a lot like Twilight did when she was upset about something but trying not to be. But there was something else...
“Sure! But um... can we please talk about Twilight first? She kind of... freaked out and ran away again.” Pinkie brightened as she had a thought. “Oh! Is she up here? Is that why you took us here?”
“No, Twilight is not up here. But yes, we need to talk about her.” The princess replied.
“Oh.” Pinkie said. She sat down in the snow, making herself comfortable. The snow was soft, at least, although it was very cold. “Maybe we c-could talk somewhere a little warmer?”
There was no reply from the princess. She didn’t seem bothered by the cold.
After a long moment, she finally spoke. “Pinkie, what are your true feelings about my student?”
Thinking of Twilight warmed Pinkie up a little. “Twi-twi? She’s the bestest! I love her to pieces!”
Celestia just looked at her. It was hard to describe exactly. Maybe like when Mrs. Cake caught her sampling the cupcakes? When she finally looked away, it didn’t make Pinkie feel much better. “Then why would you do such a thing to her?”
Pinkie sneezed, letting out a little shiver. The princess was acting... well it was hard to say. Pinkie wanted to say strange, but maybe she hadn’t been around her enough to know what was strange and what wasn’t? But what she was saying made Pinkie worried about Twilight again. She’d walked into Applejack’s room, then left really quick. “You said that earlier! How did I hurt her? She just went away without saying anything!”
The princess just gave a frustrated little sigh. “You really have no idea. You truly are just a foolish child.”
There it was again. The princess was mad at her. But underneath that... she was sad. Really really sad. “Princess, please tell me what I did? I don’t want Twilight to be upset.”
“You were in bed with two of her best friends, Pinkie. Can you not see how that would upset her?” The princess asked.
“No!” Pinkie answered immediately, although the question did give her reason to think. This was like what Applejack had talked about... Her eyes widened when she put the pieces together. “Does Twilight think I don’t want to kiss her anymore? Applejack got all upset when Dashie kissed me, she said she thought maybe Dashie would want to kiss me and not her after that!”
Her response seemed to make the princess even more upset. “And why did Rainbow Dash kiss you?”
“I dunno!” Pinkie replied. “She came to talk to me after Twi left. She wanted to help me figure out how to get her back. Then she kissed me, and she ran away! Then Applejack came, and she kissed me too! She said...” Pinkie thought for a moment. “She said I stole something from her, and she wanted it back! Which is weird, because I never took anything, unless she meant the kiss, but I don’t know how you can steal one of those. You either give one or you get one. You can’t steal them.”
Another long silence followed, during which Pinkie grew ever colder. At least she could feel warmth coming from the princess. It was like being near the sun, except she guessed that would be a lot more hot. But she guessed the princess was still pretty warm. The snow around her hooves seemed to have melted away, leaving her standing in four holes. Pinkie found herself wondering if maybe the princess’s feet were wet.
Eventually, Pinkie could stand it no more. “Princess, did I make you sad too?”
The question stirred something in the princess, and she looked up in surprise. “I am upset on behalf of my student, Pinkie Pie. Nothing more.”
“I guess I understand...” Pinkie replied, sniffling. “But you just seem...” She floundered for a word. “Sad? Like maybe... you don’t know what to do?”
Celestia laughed bitterly. It was an ugly sound. Not mocking, Pinkie knew what mocking laughter sounded like. This was way worse. “Perhaps, Pinkie Pie. My student is in love with a fool who does not understand why she would be hurt to see her marefriend in bed with others, and for the first time in a long while I have no idea what to do.”
“Well I do!” Pinkie announced, standing up. “We need to go find her, so I can tell her I don’t want to stop kissing her! Can we please go do that?”
“And what do you plan to do when we find her, Pinkie? More empty promises? Perhaps have some fun in your jester’s outfit?”
“My promises are not empty! I promised you I wouldn’t hurt her, and I didn’t—” Pinkie paused, her eyes widening again. “I-I mean I didn’t mean to...” The princess got all blurry in front of Pinkie, and she had to sit down. “I...”
A warm wing covered her, and she looked up to see a concerned face peering down at her.
“I’m sorry, Pinkie. That was cruel of me. But do you see, now? Knowingly or not, you’ve hurt her. Just as I suspect that without even knowing how, she hurts you.”
“Twi? N-no she’s great! We... I love her... It doesn’t matter if things don’t quite go right. It’s more important that she’s happy, you know?” Pinkie smiled bravely at the blurry white face. “That’s why we have to find her, I think she might be crying. I don’t like it when she’s sad.”
Celestia settled down next to Pinkie, her body providing comfortable warmth in the cold.
“She feels much the same. When I arrived in Ponyville, I looked for her in the library. Do you know what I found on her chalkboard?”
Pinkie shook her head, waiting expectantly.
“She had observations on your mood, and various calculations on what affected it. That was why she left Ponyville, Pinkie. She decided her being nearby made you sad.”
“That’s silly! I like it when Twi-twi’s around! I just wish...” Pinkie stopped, not sure she wanted to say it.
“What is it you wish, Pinkie?” Celestia prompted.
“It’s just... when we... when we’re together, it’s never really us, you know? Like... it feels... like it doesn’t count!” Pinkie sniffled, shivering again even though the princess was warming her up.
“Yes... I am aware.” Celestia shivered herself, for some reason. “Twilight does care for you very much, however, even if she finds it difficult to be totally open with you. She was hurt once, you see. I think it affects her even now.”
Pinkie looked up at the princess. “Who hurt my Twi?” She demanded.
“Does it really matter so much?”
“Yes it does! I’m gonna bop ‘em in the nose for that!” Pinkie gave a low growl, her hackles raising.
“Would you? Regardless of whom had hurt her?” The princess asked.
“I don’t care if it’s a dragon! Anypony or anything that hurts my Twi is gonna get bopped in the nose!”
Celestia sighed heavily. She stood, circling around to face Pinkie, presenting her nose at eye level. “Do what you must, then.”
Pinkie looked at the princess, flummoxed. “Um... I don’t get it.”
“Pinkie Pie... I hurt her. And—” Celestia did not get to complete her sentence as Pinkie’s hoof connected with her muzzle rather violently. So much so, in fact, that she took a step back from the force of the blow.
“Why would you hurt Twilight, you meany?!” Pinkie all but yelled, looking nothing like her usually cheerful self.
Celestia merely shook her head and righted herself. “Peace, Pinkie Pie. Much like yourself, I never intended to. But that does not make the hurt less real, or important.”
Pinkie stopped growling, looking contrite for her reaction. “You should have said so! It’s different when you don’t mean to. Ponies aren’t perfect, not even princesseses.”
“Is it?” Celestia asked, holding Pinkie’s gaze. “Is it really different?”
“Yes.” Pinkie replied, her gaze never wavering from Celestia’s. “Because if you didn’t mean to, you can figure out what you did, and stop doing it. If you do something to somepony knowing that it’s going to hurt them, that’s just being a big meanypants! And that’s when you deserve to get bopped!” Pinkie walked forward, advancing on Celestia, only to nuzzle her nose gently. “How did you hurt her?”
Celestia hesitated, eventually turning from Pinkie’s gaze. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does!” Pinkie replied, circling around to face the princess again. “It matters because Twi is sad, and I think it’s making you sad too!”
Celestia chuckled in that same, bitter way that put Pinkie’s teeth on edge. “Yes, I suppose it does make me sad. But it is my burden to bear.”
“No, it’s not!” Pinkie lifted Celestia’s chin, her eyes focused on the princesses even when she tried to look away. “You don’t have to be sad all alone! That’s why friends are important! You said I was your friend, so let me be your friend!”
The eyes looked back at her in surprise. For a time, there was no answer. Finally, she spoke. “When Twilight was younger, just a few years after she became my student, she came to me.” Celestia hesitated again, looking into Pinkie’s eyes, and seemed to find the strength that she needed in them. “It was Hearts and Hooves day, and she brought me a gift of chocolates, and a card.”
Pinkie’s eyes widened, and she smiled happily. “Awww, that’s sweet! Did you like them?”
“I did... very much so.” Celestia admitted. “But, I thought it was nothing more than an adorable gesture from an adorable filly. Twilight... intended something much more. She just looked at me, much as you are now, expectantly, and... I panicked, because she was so young at the time, and... a romantic gesture from her would have been very... difficult to... I worried about how to tell her that nothing could happen between us. Then she said it was to thank me for being a wonderful teacher. I was so relieved! I laughed as if it was the best joke in the world, Pinkie.”
Pinkie sat down in the snow, not sure what to say at first. “Twi... asked you to be her special somepony?”
“Not directly... but yes. And I... whether I knew it or not... I rejected her in the worst way imaginable.”
Neither mare spoke for some time. Pinkie finally screwed up her courage, asking the question that she most feared the answer to. “Do... do you love her back?”
“That’s not important.” Celestia said, still not meeting Pinkie’s gaze. “It was years ago. The only reason I told you is that I want to help you understand her, and her to understand you.”
“Yeah, but you did that by accident. You didn’t know how she felt. But... how do you? Feel, I mean.” Pinkie asked.
“My feelings aren’t important. She’s my student, and your marefriend. Of course I care for her. I’ve spent nearly a decade teaching her, watching her become the wonderful pony you know now.” Celestia finally looked Pinkie in the eye. “I simply want her to be happy.”
Pinkie shivered again. The cold seemed to want to settle deep inside of her gut. “Would you do that? Make her happy, I mean?”
Celestia seemed confused by the question. “I am trying to help that along now. That’s why I came to talk to you two.”
“Then...” Pinkie swallowed reflexively, her throat feeling dry. “You should tell her how you feel. I’ll be okay if she wants to kiss you instead. Just make her happy.”
Oh my. Listen to that! She’s practically gift-wrapped Twilight and placed her on a silver platter! Why, you’d have to be a fool to decline such an offer!
Celestia stared incredulously at Pinkie, unsure she could believe what she’s just heard. “Pinkie, you can’t be serious! Why would you say such a thing?”
Pinkie just shook her head, sadly. “I... I just...” she gestured at Celestia. “How can I be better than... You’re the princess! You’ve got awesome magic, and you’re super smart, and not annoying and... I’m just...” Pinkie let out a sob.
So much for having to imprison her or strike her down. She’s ready to surrender without a fight!
Celestia walked forward and sat down next to the distraught mare, draping both a wing and a foreleg around Pinkie. “Don’t worry, Pinkie Pie, I will not come between you and her. Twilight’s infatuation with me was long ago. She loves you now, and she needs a pony, not perfection.”
Pinkie flung her hooves around Celestia, hugging her tightly. “I’m sorry! I said I’d be okay, it’s just hard. Don’t tell her I cried. It would make her sad again.”
Hmmm, you know... She’s rather like somepony else, isn’t she? Selfless to the point of stupidity. You’d almost think you two had something in common.
“Pinkie, I need you to listen to me, please. I won’t take her from you.”
Pinkie sniffled into Celestia’s shoulder. “But... you love her, don’t you?”
“I do.” Celestia admitted at last, feeling slightly better for it. “And I always will. Long after you’ve spent a long and happy life loving one another, I will love her. But that does not mean I would ever take her from you. Do you understand?”
“No!” Pinkie cried into Celestia’s shoulder. “I don’t! Ponies keep asking me that after they say crazy things. It happens so much I start thinking maybe I’m the crazy one! Why is that okay? Why do you have to love her and not get to tell her, or hold her?”
She has a point, you know. Silver platter offer? No?
“That’s not why I came here, Pinkie. I came to help you two get through your problems, not steal her away.”
You have to admit, the notion appeals.
“It’s okay, I’ll be fine!” Pinkie responded, sniffling. “Twi would be happy and you would be happy! That’s two smiles for the price of one.”
Quite the bargain.
“No.” Celestia said, both to herself and Pinkie. “The price is far too high. You’re allowed to be happy too, Pinkie.”
“But I don’t want you to be sad!” Pinkie protested. “I can be happy for you! Honest!” Pinkie pulled back, putting on her best smile, the one she saved for when she had none left. “See?”
Celestia would have laughed at the pathetic excuse for a smile if she had not understood the pain behind it. “Pinkie Pie... put your smile away, my little pony.”
When Pinkie stopped smiling, there was a brief flash of something else. Something else they apparently had in common: Pinkie Pie was very adept at hiding how she really felt.
“I came to Ponyville to help you understand my student, and in turn, try to help her understand you. That way, you can both be happy with one another once more, and she will not have to interrupt court every three months.”
It was an exaggeration, of course, but even through the pain she could see a hint of Pinkie’s real smile return.
“And what about you?” Pinkie asked, wiping a tear away with a hoof.
“I will cheer the both of you on before I go back to Canterlot. That is all there is for me,” Celestia said, hiding her pain much better than Pinkie had. Then again, she did have a lot more experience with it.
Judging from Pinkie’s expression, however, it wasn’t good enough.
“It’s not fair!” Pinkie protested, stomping a hoof in the snow.
“Life hardly ever is.” Celestia replied, allowing a small smile to grace her lips. Misguided as it was, it was touching to have somepony care about whether she was happy. It made her decision easier. Twilight would have a mate that cared far more about her happiness than anything else in the world. All she needed was a little help to understand what Twilight needed, and all would be well.
Pinkie considered that for a moment. “I still don’t like it. You should have a chance. Maybe we should flip a coin?” She pulled a bit from her mane. “Do you want heads or tails?”
The princess just stared at the coin, unsure what to think. She finally covered the coin on Pinkie’s hoof with her own. “No, Pinkie. Fate decided for us long ago and I won’t ask it to do so again. I am happy that Twilight found love in a mare such as you. She was very lucky.”
“She wasn’t though! With me she gets cranky, and sad, and... it’s like there’s a part of her I can’t reach. I just want to hold that part, and hug it until everything is okay.” Pinkie’s smile drooped a little and she shored it up quickly. “Maybe... maybe you can reach it. You should try.”
Celestia touched Pinkie's face with the hoof she’d placed over the coin. “Or, I can help you reach it. That is the entire point of my presence here.”
Pinkie looked at her, then at the hoof on her face. “Do... do you think you can? I just... I want her to be happy, and I keep messing that up! That should be easy, you know? Making the pony you love smile? But it’s not...”
“I understand more than you know, Pinkie.” Celestia replied, meaning every word. She’d never met a pony quite like this before, so determined to bring others happiness that she would willingly sacrifice her own. They were so different, and yet in this one respect, they were the same. It made her want to help all the more, not just for Twilight’s sake, but for Pinkie’s as well.
“Well, okay.” Pinkie said, feeling her whole body shudder. “So, can we... go someplace warmer, now? Pretty please?”
Celestia chuckled, lifting her wing and inviting Pinkie to shelter underneath it. “Momentarily. I need to discuss one other minor matter with you.”
“Okie-dokie! What did you need?” Pinkie asked, scrambling under the proffered wing and pulling it close, like a blanket.
“How did you get past my guards?”
Pinkie’s smile ratcheted up several notches. “Oh, that was easy! First I ducked into Joe’s delivery wagon...”
Celestia listened intently as Pinkie detailed her escapade, her eyes growing wider. She would be having a long talk with her captain of the guard very soon.
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So, Celestia and Pinkie finally had their first heart-to-heart talk. It was very nice to read, wonderful, truly. You captured both the desperation, the uncertainty and the longing, and the selflessness and desire for the other to be happy, perfectly. Pinkie Pie just wants everypony to be happy. Celestia loves Twilight, but is not willing to do so at the expense of Pinkie Pie, showing she is not selfish, but kind and selfless as well. It is a very good portrayal of Celestia you have here. I just hope for a happy ending for her, because if anypony deserves to be happy and to be loved, it is her.
Now, I'm crossing my fingers for a similar moment between Luna and Fluttershy! I think Fluttershy had it right when she thought that Luna felt somewhat immature. There is truth to that, but it is not by any fault of Luna's, but an unfortunate side effect of what happened to her in the past. She is, after all, a millenium displaced in time, having not interacted with anypony for a thousand years. She's made progress since her return, for sure, but a year or two is simply not enough to catch up with a millenium. In a way, I feel that Luna and Pinkie Pie are in a similar situation. I hope Luna and Fluttershy (and Rarity) can come to an understanding as well, and that there will be a happy ending for them, too.
Now, the bigger question is, why can I not click this thumbs-up button multiple times?
ah Computer issues hardware or software? Even though i know its not going to happen im rooting for a TwPielestia ship mostly because i don't like seeing these ponies unhappy. (and im a hopeless shipper)
5214091 Software, but also hardware. The hard drive crashed, and may need to be replaced.
Did... AJ just talk her way out of infidelity being something she deserves to be smacked for?
Just because it's only a little bit cheating doesn't change the fact that it's still cheating! You don't share your body with someone outside of your relationship in a romantic way! For that matter, judging Pinkie's understanding of what a relationship entails, I'm not sure she actually understands what's going on or what any of what she ever did with Dash and AJ means. Did they end up unknowingly taking advantage of her?
5214325 Well, it's as AJ said, things got muddled. Nopony intended any harm, but I suppose in a certain respect what you say is true. The intent was comfort, however. Pinkie just knows that she enjoys the things she does with Twilight, and has precisely zero hangups about doing fun things with anypony she loves. She loves all of her friends, after all, she just happens to love Twilight most. The idea that fun things are to be done with one pony is rather alien to her.
As for smacking AJ... That would be up to Dash, and since Dash committed the first error, I don't think she'd want to smack AJ for rebalancing the scales. Pinkie was for all intents and purposes single during the initial goings on, so I don't know that you can say she did anything wrong in that respect.
5214150 ah the lovely clicky noise of doom? i hope you could recover some stuff
Commence read.
Some crazy shenanigans on everyone.
5214397
Intention and hormones muddling things doesn't make the situation any better. AJ keeps more or less trying to make it sound like it was harmless, but just because it started out that way doesn't mean it is, not to mention this isn't even the first time. I am hoping she and Dash get a talking-to and an appreciation for keeping their hooves to themselves.
And Pinkie needs education that will get through to her. At the current stage she's too immature for a serious relationship, a romantic one at least. It's much more than just... smiles. Can get that at a birthday party. From what we've seen so far of her ability to reason within a relationship she feels more like a minor despite her age.
If you really love someone who found happiness then you must let him/her go.
5214701
"If you love something, let it go. If it doesn't return, hunt it down and kill it"
---Lucien LA Croix
Great chapter, but Pinkie and Twilight's shenanigans are starting to wear me down a bit. Let's get this resolved.
I was hoping for this moment!!!! Celes and Pinkie finally talk, and we only need to trow Twilight in here. And really Aj and Rainbow need to talk about what do they really want (and other things).
5214659 Perhaps, perhaps. She'd hardly be the first person to be too emotionally immature to get into a physical relationship. That doesn't mean she shouldn't be in one, just that as you said, somepony needs to talk her through what Twilight wants, and somepony needs to talk to Twilight about what Pinkie wants.
Pinkie is capable of understanding, but as evidenced in the show, what seems like common sense just does not register with her. Sometimes I wonder if she does all the things she's doing (floating, stretching her body into impossible contortions) because she does not get that she shouldn't be able to.
And as for AJ and Dash, that's something they'll have to work out, I imagine.
Wonderful chapter! I love your portray of Luna and Celestia. You show how both of them have lived much longer than, any other pony, and shows how it affects them emotionally. I do ever so hope the Fluttershy will forgive Luna, and over time accept her farther. Also I am excited to find out how Twilight will react, if Celestia tells her, that she loves her. I'll just have to wait for the next chapter. Loving the story I hope it doesn't end to soon.
I'm not super fond of Celestia in the beginning of this chapter. She felt more herself at the end of it.
It feels like the story is starting to make its way towards the conclusion, though, as you put down the plot bunnies.
5216542
but polyamory is fun
5216542 Well, not so much how monogamous relationships work. She's seen her parents, that was a one pony to one pony relationship. What she needs to understand is that certain acts of affection are to be reserved solely for the pony or ponies you are in a relationship with. Remember, they started off as a pair of friends who did fun things. Well, fun things can be done with others too, that just makes it more fun. You have to think like a Pinkie.
5215912
Well, it is your decision but it feels entirely out of place to me. Since it involves more than just themselves I can't see that as being something they alone should handle. Especially since the two of them already made the wrong call already and didn't seem too chuffed about it. Personally, even with an explanation from Celestia and Pinkie, I feel Twilight would have words them. Pinkie may have misunderstood what was going on with the three of them and her duties in respect to Twilight's feelings, but AJ and Dash knew what they were doing that first time and reasoned it away. I really don't feel like that's something you go, "Well, you two handle it by yourselves." after finding out how intimate they'd effectively (even if not maliciously) coerced your mate into being with them. That's definitely "We need to have a talk, I'm very disappointed in you two." in the land of sunshine and rainbows.
Fisticuffs in the real world, easy.
5217311 Don't misunderstand, there will be a resolution between those four, but my point is simply that yes, some inappropriate things happened due to hormones and misunderstandings. Actions were regretted after the fact but there really was no appropriate response for this beyond, as you said, fisticuffs. Twilight found out about it in the worst possible way.
Timely.
No other corrections, I just love these lines. I feel worst for Pinkie; darn ponies, making things so complicated with their jealousy. You should have named this story Gr... Oh! I think I just got it.
5217415 Hmmmm, autocorrect missed that. I blame the Doctor.
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I want to hear that story someday ^_^. Good chapter, and I have hope that Tia can be with Pinks and Twi.
5217321
Ah good. I am following another story that doesn't have proper resolutions at times, so I've been paying more attention to issues like this. Concerns withdrawn, and I await to see how things will be settled, the chastisement to come, and the repairing of friendships. And then the Celestia/Twi/Pinkie, Luna/Rarity/Shy, AJ/Dash groups making out together in their separate corners of the same room, because that's fun.
Pinkie is so frustratingly stupid in this chapter, and honestly speaking has been for most of the story. It doesn't matter how immature you are, if you can't figure out why your marefriend would be upset about seeing you in bed with two other ponies then you are an idiot.
And Pinkie isn't a dumb pony! Argh.
5219978 Not stupid, DJ. Naive. Being naive is how you can reconcile her normal behavior with moments like:
Telling Fluttershy in excruciating detail how horrible her experience singing in front of others will be, despite seeing how scared she is making her.
Chasing a donkey around Equestria just to get her apology accepted.
Telling everyone in the town that same donkey needs a wig.
... and that's just a few examples. The difference between stupid and naive is the person who is naive can eventually learn their behavior is hurting others and correct it. Others around them just assume they are cruel, or stupid. But sometimes a kind soul sits them down and explains the thing that everyone else assumes is just "common sense." Sometimes it takes a while, but learning does happen.
5220608 that level of naïveté in an adult would be classified as a mental disorder.
5221423 And yet some of us muddle through. Believe it or not, it is possible to bumble through life without much common sense. You learn the hard way.
The point is, the naive can be taught better. You can't fix stupid.
5220608 Fair enough, those are absolutely examples of Pinkie being an idiot in the show too. Apparently Pinkie is a dumb pony, especially since after all this time she is still hurting her friends. If the naive can be taught, she should have learned by now.
5221822 Well, unlike the show, I'm trying to help her grow and learn. She's not a joke character here, she's a loveable loon who needs a good set of life lessons. Both for her, and for Twi.
5221847 Any chance she could start growing really, really soon now? We're 230k words in and she apparently hasn't learned a thing yet.
5221870 actually, yes XD and she has learned some things, just not the right things.
Well at least SOMETHING went right, even though it was towards the end of the chapter. Now just to find Twi, save Rarity, make amends between Twi and Pinkie, and maybe for Tia to find at least some better form of happiness while doing that
Pinkie is so great in this chapter. I love the play between her and Celestia's ID throughout the last part. Also Fluttershy's reaction to Luna is just getting better and better as the tensions mount. It's so sad cause you can tell Luna just really wanted to have everything go perfect with them, and now it's all falling apart and Fluttershy is Flutterangry now.
I must admit that I fell in love with this story because of Fluttershy and Rarity.
But the whole Twilight-Pinkie-Celestia thing has really amped up the drama that we'd rather not see Fluttershy and Rarity undergo. 
This chapter though more than any other before I feel really shows us how much Pinkie and Twilight don't understand each other, and it kind of makes me hope that Twilight and Celestia will get together. Celestia even finally admitted that she loves Twilight, and Pinkie offered to let her have her. I still think Celestia made the right decision though. It's really up to Twilight, but she has to know how Celestia feels about her in order for her to decide. Anyway, I look forward to the next update in a month. Keep up the good work. 
I get that Pinkie's supposed to be clueless, but in this chapter you make her sound like a five year old child.
5228461 I've always had her use fairly innocent words like play and kiss. This is because she is rather innocent, and as such, tends to express her thoughts fairly simplistically. Sorry if it bothers you.
5228491
Well, it's you story, you can write it however you like. The way i see it, though, there's a difference between innocence and ignorance. I understand that she doesn't grasp the concept of chastity, because to her sex is just another way of having fun and showing affection, and to her you should be able to do that with all of the ponies you care for. I actually quite like that premise and the way you have portrayed Pinkie's perception of these concepts.
However, she is still an adult, and she literally just finished dealing with a huge issue with Twilight that had them both verging on the breaking point. I guess it bothers me a little bit that she shows no sign whatsoever of heaving learned from it. I mean, that's the purpose of a conflict, isn't it? Otherwise it would be impossible to ever reach the ending of a story. There's also that she didn't realize she had hurt Twilight (again), even after the fact. It took Celestia telling her before it registered.
(From here on i'm just being obnoxious because i'm on a roll
)
Then, if you wanna go real deep into the psychology textbook, not only is it somewhat childish of Pinkie to refer to their being together simply as "kissing her", but Pinkie is still referring to their relationship purely in the physical sense, that she, of her own admission, sees as just another way of shoving affection to a friend. I don't know if you did that on purpose, though, but it might be another issue to address in the story
Oh god, i just figured it out
Pinkie doesn't actually love Twilight romantically, she was just confused about her feelings. Pinkie then goes on a soul-searching journey to Zebrarica to discover herself, while Celestia and Twilight make out on the couch.
5229311 Well, she's slowly grasping the concepts as they are presented to her. Applejack literally explained it to her in terms of kissing, because that was the physical interaction that was going on: Rainbow kissed her, then Applejack kissed her. That's stage one of Pinkie coming to terms with the ideas of jealousy.
It's really not an easy concept for her, I mean, look how she dealt with Cheese sandwich. Her first reaction there wasn't jealousy, it was to give up and try to find another line of work. Celestia is the one getting through to her the fastest, mostly because she's used to dealing with a wide range of learning types, and while Pinkie is surprisingly naive, in the end, she's another student.
There is romantic love involved, but Pinkie's fundamental concepts of what that entails have always been a bit askew. She knows there is a certain way they are supposed to act, and tries to bring them to that point, but she's scared of pushing too hard lest Twi run away again,
5229754
For what it's worth, I kinda get Pinkie here. Not a jealous bone in her body on a physical level, and if she'd been in Twi's place she'd have just joined the snuggle pile.
She just doesn't grok jealousy, beyond the fear-level response that it is on a primal level, and so saying the fear is unfounded should fix it. She just lacks the empathy needed to see that not every pony defaults to that understanding of jealousy, and in a monogamous-default society tends to think she's the childish one for not seeing why three little words suddenly means that somepony now has an invisible flag declaring you their property.
She gets the idea of emotional infidelity, I think, but doesn't link sexual activity - and certainly not snuggling or cuddling - to presumed emotional tags.
Something Twi's emotional distance during their play has steadily reinforced as common ground that actually isn't. Pinkie detaches sex and emotion because the one doesn't harm the other for her. Twi does it because her emotions are still that heartbroken filly's.
Pinkie isn't the one who can't handle a relationship, she just needs to be told clearly what her boundaries are. "I don't like you making out with other people" gives her the expectation to follow, even if she thinks it's silly. Running away constantly doesn't tell her what's wrong.
Twi, on the other hand, is the one who needs some serious therapy before she's really able to cope with relationships.
5235211 That's precisely what I am going for. The way she thinks is just alien to everypony else. This jealousy thing is brand new to her, and you can see a confusion at the concept going all the way back to chapter 4, when Rarity was horribly upset at the idea that Fluttershy was hugging Applejack. To her, this was very easy to resolve: Did they look like they had an emotional connection? That and of course, she knew Dash and Applejack were already dating.
Take that, and add it to the fact that Pinkie knows Twilight is sleeping with a lot of different ponies, and while they are all Pinkie, it's likewise true that none of them are. Her first sexual experience has taught her that sex is sex, and love is love, and never the twain shall meet.
So you see, she's learned a lot from Twilight, and most of it is wrong...
5235548
Well, wrong from a certain point of view. Honestly, I'd say that last "never the twain shall meet" bit is the only part that's wrong, per se, but nopony else really gets that.
But then, I'm biased.
I'm seriously reading Celestia's inner monologue in Nightmare Moon's voice.
Ok who else thinks Green should be a radio play? Something similar to that of Bride of Discord? *gets all excited just thinking about it*
Oh dear, no wonder Luna couldn't find her sister, she was on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere! Lol I feel sad for Celestia and I really hope she can turn TwiPie into TwiLestiaPie
5239299 Perhaps Celestia is more like Luna than we know?
That was great
I honestly think you got Pinkie's personality perfectly 
Is it wrong of me that I would like to see a Pinkie x Celestia x Twilight relationship 
I hope they all can figure each other out and soon 
Though Applejack and Rainbow are being left out of a three way 
I know! Cloud Kicker could be the third on occasion 
I WANT MOAR NOW! 
If that is alright with you 
5315040 Hey, I like the thought of not getting an overly dramatic arc, at least not one that drags on. It was a huge relief to realize that it wasn't going to take 100K words for Flutters and Rares to spit it out.
And then I read the next chapter and Rarity herself acknowledges she shouldn't have said anything, but it's understandable in context.
5282445 Wrong?! You must be joking! It is the most right.
As others have said, I think you've nailed Pinkie's personality. Her lines are in her voice in my head, and the whole scene with her and Celestia played out in my mind-theater effortlessly. Extremely well done, and I'm super excited to see where this goes next! Oh poor Celly, what's the right decision? We'll just have to wait and see.
Please keep writing, I'll keep reading!
Will there be a short on how she got into the palace? That would be hilarious.
5646996 Some things are funnier when we imagine them ourselves.
Celly's breakdown gave me a breakdown too.
