The First Day, and the Morning After.
To My Dear Friend Princess Twilight,
Before I begin, I would like to state that this missive has been doubly enchanted, by myself and by my sister, to ensure that its sensitive contents can be read by nopony but the intended recipient. Others will see only blank parchment.
I hope this letter finds you well. Unfortunately, however, that is not its purpose. I, Princess Celestia, Diarch of Equestria, am going to take my first vacation in a little over a millenium. Though, perhaps that is the wrong word. Sabbatical would be more suited to a full quarter of a year, I believe. But I digress. It is my hope that you will be willing to afford me a guest room in your palace for the duration. Of course, you are under no obligation to do so.
Should you agree to this, you will not play host to Celestia. It is hard to take time away from one's station if everypony constantly reminds you of it, after all. When I am off my throne, I wish to be seen as neither a princess, nor an alicorn, but simply as a pony. As such, Luna and I have long since taken to using our magic to disguise ourselves. I trust you with this information not only for your more recently acquired station, but because I simply feel that you are worthy of the trust.
That said, even if you decline my request to stay with you, I must beg that you tell nopony, not even Spike, of our means of attaining down time. Luna, in her eccentricity, has insisted that, despite my protests, she will tell the public that I have flown into the center of the sun to regenerate my powers with a three month sleep. As ridiculous as this is, I feel it would be best to have corroboration with anything she claims regarding my leisure time. The first word said on the matter is the one most ponies will trust, and I will not be present to dispute it.
This secret is very important to both of us, Twilight. I cannot overemphasize how much we need the ability to take time off from our stations.
Should you agree to host me for even just the beginning of my three months, a pale pink unicorn with a dim orange mane will arrive by train from Canterlot in one week. Her cutie mark is an arc of flame. While her eyes share my color, they do not have my shape. Her name is Prominence, and should you need any form of explanation for why she is staying with you, simply claim that she is a servant of mine who organizes and facilitates the daily matters of my life, and that I have asked you to keep her company whilst I, regrettably, slumber in the center of the sun.
I should warn you that, if other ponies are present, I will under no circumstances break my charade. If we are in a private, secure location, you may have the opportunity to speak with Celestia, but that aside, you will be spending this time with Prominence.
I hope you will not feel overly pressured to say yes to this. If you do not wish to host me, or find yourself otherwise unable to do so, I can find another town to stay in with no trouble, but you are most certainly my first choice. I eagerly await your reply.
Tuum In Aeternum In Calore Solis,
Princess Celestia
Twilight read the letter again for the fourteenth time in half as many days. Of course, she'd quickly replied with an emphatic “yes,” but it wouldn't hurt to go over the information again at least one more time before she had to go to the station to meet her guest. Once finished, she rolled and bound the scroll, setting it in a desk drawer and sliding it closed.
“SPIKE! It's time to go pick up our guest!” She called, as she headed out of her bedroom to find the baby dragon standing before her, waiting to do just that. “Oh good! You're ready!”
The pair departed from Twilight's castle and easily made their way to the train station. The air was warm and clear, the birds were singing, and the platform was full of ponies waiting on friends and loved ones. She couldn't wait until Celestia arrived. She took a seat on a bench, but quickly found her legs too restless to sit still. On her hooves once more, she trotted in place, anxiously watching for the train's approach. It finally became visible in the distance, but she didn't stop her trotting until it had, at long last, slowed to a stop alongside the platform.
This week had been agony, but now the wait was over. She'd have three full months to spend with her teacher, even if she wasn't quite herself. She could show her everything wonderful about Ponyville, and her friends.
Her eyes darted from pony to pony as she searched for the traits Celestia spoke of. Finally, she managed to pick out a pink face with an orange mane among the throng of disembarking passengers.
The first thing Twilight noticed about Prominence was how incredibly plain she was, which, as Twilight considered it, made more and more sense. This way, even if ponies found out what was going on, she'd be one of the last suspects. If you have a chance at a different body, most ponies would make the choice of one that's as attractive as possible, after all. Not that there's anything unattractive about her. Wait, am I shallow?...Oh, darn it, focus, Twilight!
The second thing she noticed was her posture. Celestia stood tall, strong, and proud against all things. Prominence was slightly hunched, with the definite look of a fish out of water, sans the gasping mouth. She stood there awkwardly, just outside the train, looking around from pony to pony, trying to find who she was supposed to meet in the crowd.
Twilight moved forward, and carefully ensured that she would not repeat the mistake made with Miss Harshwhinny, the Equestria Games director, when she came to the Crystal Empire. “Prominence?” She called. The pony glanced at Twilight, and hurried toward her, suitcase in tow. She dropped her bag with an unceremonious thud before throwing herself at the hooves of the princess.
Twilight stood there, staring, jaw on the floor. Disguise or no, this was Princess Celestia, prostrating herself before her, not daring to even risk a glance up at her!
“No, no, um, no, please, please don't, uh, don't do that. At all. Ever.” She stammered, trying to regain her composure. Prominence rose, slowly and uncertainly.
“Y-yes, Princess Twilight.” The voice held a tinge of familiarity, but it wasn't the voice Twilight knew should come from Celestia's mouth.
Twilight shook her head to clear it. She could focus on the differences between Celestia and Prominence later. She had other worries. She needed to nip this 'princess' thing in the bud before it became a real issue. “It's just Twilight, OK? We're all friends here, right Spike?”
“Right!” Spike affirmed, making everypony everywhere jealous as he showed off with a thumbs-up.
Prominence swallowed audibly, shaking slightly as she looked between them, her head low. “Greeted by the princess herself, and by the hero of the Crystal Empire? I'd have thought you would simply send some servants to fetch me.”
Twilight stared for a moment, while Spike glowed with pride. “Oh, uh, I don't really have any. It's just me and Spike.” She patted the dragon on the head as she spoke. “Anyway, um, there's something we have to get to.” She told her. “Spike, could you do me a favor and take her bag back home for me?”
Spike nodded, hefting the suitcase over his head and running off. He had to hurry. He didn't want to miss a single bit of the fun.
“Something we have to get to?” Prominence asked nervously.
“It's a bit of an initiation rite for anypony who comes here. I went through it, Princess Celestia had a bit of a light version of it once. But you're going to get the full treatment.” Twilight led her off the train platform and into the streets of Ponyville. She watched curiously as her guest took in every last detail, analyzing the town, trying to size it up.
Twilight realized something as she watched her. She was right. I never even realized it before, but even I just saw her as a princess, and a teacher... Twilight was caught staring by somepony that she now realized she saw as an actual pony for the first time.
“I-is something the matter?” Prominence asked nervously.
“No, nothing, I...” She took a moment before her response came to her. “I was just remembering something Celestia told me about you in her letter.” Prominence nodded.
“I...I hope she spoke well of me?”
Twilight's mind stumbled a bit. The letter had actually only detailed Prominence's pallet and Cutie Mark. “Well, she didn't have anything bad to say...” She admitted. “But she didn't actually say much about you at all. I guess I'll have to just get to know you on my own.”
“I...I think I would like that.” Prominence glanced about at all the simple little buildings, broken up by a few extravagant ones here and there. “Um. Where are we going, exactly?”
“We're going to—” Twilight paused and got her bearings. She realized she had been far too focused on observing Prominence. Her hoof came upon her forehead with a heavy SMACK! as she turned around. “We passed it. Come on.” Prominence followed behind her as she approached one of the most pronounced buildings in this simple village, with its exterior designed to evoke a gingerbread house with a pair of cupcakes stacked on its roof.
Twilight stepped back and her magic took the handle of the door. “After you.” As Prominence stepped forward, Twilight pushed the door open.
Pinkie Pie filled Prominence's field of vision, her hooves thrown up in the air. “SURPRISE!!! WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, PROVIDENCE!”
Rarity tapped Pinkie on the shoulder. Once she had her attention, she indicated the banner behind her.
“...WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, PROMINENCE!” Pinkie corrected.
Prominence stared in awe at all the ponies who had shown up to meet her, greet her, and enjoy a party at Sugar Cube Corner. She hadn't expected this. In the back of her mind, she knew she should have, but she hadn't. This wasn't the first party she'd experienced at this establishment, and last time, she had, in fact, been the guest of honor as well, but this party was another creature altogether. As she listened to the relaxed dance music permeating the establishment, her eyes darted from games, to snacks, to cakes, to ponies actually relaxing instead of trying to make a good impression on her, to—hang on. “Is that...Is that a feeding trough filled with nachos?”
Pinkie nodded with an expression so gleeful it made one's cheeks hurt to look at it. “Do you like it!?”
She just kept staring at the trough. Nachos. The princess of the sun couldn't enjoy nachos. They were so messy, even when she tried to eat them with her horn. And with her perfect alabaster coat, even after she'd cleaned herself up, the discoloration from drops of melted cheese could linger, yellow against a sea of white, for days on end. Oh, it was good to be on vacation! She rushed forward and began consuming the nachos with the fervor of a half-starved parasprite, her horn marching them swiftly into her mouth in four separate straight, orderly lines. She felt like she could go on in this moment of rampant consumption for the rest of her life, until she was broken from her trance by the sound of somepony else snacking on corn chips. A little further down the trough, Pinkie Pie was jamming her entire face into the mass of nachos, producing loud crunching sounds.
Realizing how rude she'd been in disregarding her hosts, Prominence backed away from the nachos, and reached up to feel her muzzle. She knew she must be a mess. “Um, are there any nap-” before she could finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie, face completely covered with cheese and hair decorated with chips and peppers, wiped the guest of honor clean with a napkin. Her own face got a much more intimate treatment as her tongue slurped the remnants of her nacho dive away with disturbing reach and flexibility.
“I reckon there ain't a lot of chances for nachos in the palace,” chuckled an all too familiar earth pony as she approached Prominence, offering her hoof. “I'm Applejack. Nice to meet you.” Prominence bowed her head low to her, which garnered a reaction not unlike Twilight's.
“It's an honor.” She said, before standing back up.
“Uh.......Why?” Applejack asked, oblivious.
“Why what?” Came the equally oblivious response from Prominence.
“Why's it an honor?” Rainbow finished for Applejack, moving forward. The rest of the six were closing in, while dozens of other ponies continued to party throughout the room.
“It's an honor to meet ANY of you.” She told them. Most of them either stared blankly or shifted uncomfortably. Rainbow Dash just nodded. “...You recovered the Elements. You freed Princess Luna from her prison of hatred and jealousy. You turned Discord to stone, then you turned him to good! You stopped the plunder vines and rescued both princesses. You restored all of the magic that Tirek had stolen. You are all heroes!” She looked from face to face, and realized that most of them seemed bashful at this appraisal. Not Rainbow Dash, of course. She was posing as if she expected to be on a magazine cover. And Pinkie's reply was to shrug and stuff a cupcake into her mouth. But the rest were definitely shockingly modest about all they'd done.
“...I'm sorry...Princess Celestia will sometimes speak of your exploits. I suppose I've become a bit of a fan...I'd even hoped...” She cut herself off, looking down and scuffing her hoof against the floor.
“Hoped what?” Fluttershy prodded gently.
“Well, that, when I return to Canterlot in three months...I had hoped I'd go back with all of your autographs...”
“Well, that's enough talking about how great we are,” Pinkie began, only to be interrupted by Rainbow.
“I could hear a little more.”
“But we're in the middle of a party, Dashie,” Pinkie whined, “And we're missing it!” She darted off and began dancing with a few of the other guests, and moments later she was playing games with others still.
“Well,” Twilight began, “This is a party to welcome you to Ponyville. You've heard a lot about the six of us, but this is a good opportunity to get to know some other ponies from town, wouldn't you say?”
Prominence nodded, and went off to mingle, noting that Spike had shown up while she'd met with the Element bearers.
Twilight stayed back from the bulk of the party, opting to observe, and try to catalog some of the differences between her mentor and the pony she now pretended to be.
Given one word to describe Celestia, Twilight would say that she was sure. Always sure, always confident in her every action. Prominence acted more with cautious optimism, with a pretty clear-cut ratio of two parts optimism for every part caution.
Another difference seemed to be her desire for snacks. Each time she finished introducing herself to a pony, she doubled back to the nachos before moving on to the next. Twilight began to worry about the specifics of her change in form. Could the magically shifted form of Prominence's change, the way it would naturally based on the activities of the pony's life? If a pony ate that much and stayed thin, that would draw a massive amount of attention. Or it would just be Pinkie.
Twilight's observations were put on hold while she once more panicked over the possibility of herself being shallow, having begun to focus so much thought on whether or not Prominence would end up with a slightly protruding gut and a soft layer of fat across her body. As she envisioned it, she came to find nothing disagreeable about a pony of that body shape, but then, she was working in the confines of her own imagination, so why wouldn't it remain within confines that she still found attractive? Wait, not attractive. 'Appealing' would be a word much better suited to this. After all, despite what rumors she'd once overheard being whispered in the palace while it was still her home, she couldn't possibly have those feelings for Celestia.
Realizing just how far off track her mind had gotten, Twilight gave up on trying to observe and study Prominence, and opted to get some punch. Pinkie Parties were meant to be enjoyed, not observed.
The party ran throughout the entire rest of the day. Over the course of the party, guests left to tend to responsibilities, and others, who had just finished their own important tasks, arrived. Prominence lost track of how many new names and faces she'd met once she got past twenty and no longer felt the need to force another hoof-full of nachos into her body between each meeting.
Unfortunately, even though the party was in full swing, it had to be cut short when night fell. After all, Sugar Cube Corner was a business, one that had to be clean and ready to be open in the morning. As such, ponies filtered out the door, heading back to their homes. New friends and acquaintances bade Prominence a good night.
Twilight lead Prominence to the castle, Spike fast asleep on her back. Truth be told, however, her leadership wasn't needed. The structure, set atop some sort of crystalline tree, towered over the rest of the town, looking almost offensively out of place. Prominence wouldn't have been able to miss it if she'd tried.
“So, here it is. Your home for the next three months. I realize it's not as big as you're used to, and we don't have any staff here, but Spike and I will do our best to make sure you're comfortable. Oh, speaking of, do you mind if I drop him off in his room before I show you yours? They're actually right by each other, but...”
“Not at all, Twilight.” Prominence bowed her head in deference to the princess, working a blush and a few nervous fidgets out of her.
“I, uh...Great!” Twilight wanted to smack herself in the forehead for being able to be made a foal of just by a nod of another pony's head, especially when that pony was the one she always held a desire to make proud. She decided, however, that given the circumstances, smacking her own face would only further the foalish impression she was giving off, and wordlessly lead her up into the castle, through the halls, and to Spike's door. She opened it just wide enough for him to pass through, and levitated him into his bed.
“Alright. Your room is right down here...” She walked two doors over, passing a massive one with her cutie mark on it. “Bet you can guess which one I sleep in.” She said with a wry smirk. Prominence gave a soft chuckle in reply.
The guest room's door opened. It wasn't heavily furnished, but it was definitely cozy. And there, in the middle of the room, sat Prominence's luggage. They stood at the door for a short while, an uncomfortable silence falling over the both of them. Prominence nodded toward the suitcase a few times.
“Do you need any help unpacking?” Twilight finally offered.
“If, if you don't mind, Twilight.” She replied, looking like there was something she was trying to hold back. As soon as both ponies were in the room, she closed the door. A golden flash from Prominence's horn extended out along the walls. She raised up off of her front hooves as she spun on her rear hooves, giggling in a much more familiar voice.
“Oh, Twilight!” Celestia's unmistakable voice came from Prominence. “This has been an amazing first day. I always thought that how you described the nigh-mystical way Pinkie Parties worked was mere hyperbole! And the food! Twilight, I haven't had nachos in decades!”
Twilight just stared at the sudden shift as Celestia had dropped her character all at once. She watched as her spinning ended with an indelicate flop onto the bed. “Wh--What was that spell you cast?” She asked, desperate to say anything at this point.
“I'm in disguise, Twilight.” She said as she shifted upon the bed, now laying across its width with her hooves folded under her chin. “I can't drop character without at least having ensured my room was soundproofed.”
“Oh. Right. But...It's just us, and Spike, and he's asleep...”
“And I'd hate to wake him.” Celestia said warmly as her horn lit once more. “Even when we're alone, when I've taken another body, I usually prefer to keep in character.” Her bag unzipped and her belongings floated out in golden auras, unpacking themselves. “I realize we've already discussed some details in the past week through our letters, but now that you've had a chance to see Prominence first hand, newer questions may have arisen. And perhaps there are questions you wished to ask sooner, but were more suited to a face-to-face discussion. This would be an ideal time to ask them.”
Twilight pondered for a moment, formulating her thoughts. “Well, for one thing, if it's supposed to be more inconspicuous, why did you pick a name for this pony as ironic as Prominence? Especially with her personality? I'd expected something...flashy.”
Celestia let forth a light, airy chuckle.“I've three such personae, Twilight. The first two I'd created were named Sunspot and Corona. I felt Prominence, if, as you said, a bit ironic, was thematically appropriate.”
“Sunspot and Corona?” Twilight prodded, smiling a little.
“Sunspot has been known to appear in any given town for a day and no longer, spending time among its ponies, and simply enjoy a peaceful day out and about. She is how I manage to keep in touch with the common pony, and understand their wants and needs when I make decisions that will effect their lives. And Corona...” Her face flushed.
“Go on?”
“Corona is something of a failed experiment, that I have since repurposed. Her current use is simply recreation. A princess doesn't have the luxury of going out, imbibing grossly inappropriate quantities of alcohol, and dancing the night away, after all. I suppose I could do the same with Sunspot, but I've always envisioned her as...somehow innocent.”
“What was Corona's original purpose?” Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.
“...Casual, clandestine encounters.” Celestia's blush redoubled as she spoke the words, and Twilight's face gained a similar shade of red. “Everypony has...Desires. Even a princess, as I'm sure you know. I tried many times, but I never managed to work up the nerve to go through with one such interaction. Honestly, I can only really stomach the looks I get when in her form for so long without alcohol, so it's a good thing I use her for just that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Corona was designed from the ground up to be incredibly sexually attractive. Smoldering eyes, swaying hips, sultry voice...” She lifted her hoof and rolled it in the air. “Etcetera. I expected stares, but the leers she earned me were disquieting. That's largely why I chose to make Prominence so...” She searched for the word, but found her lexicon to be withholding it.
“Bland?” Twilight helpfully supplied.
“Exactly. Nopony leers at me like this. Now, I feel we've gotten off on a tangent. Are there any other questions you wish to ask?”
Twilight thought for a moment. “How did this first come about? Where did you get the idea of making whole ponies up to suit your needs?”
“Over a thousand years ago, before...certain events transpired, Luna came up with this brilliant idea, though I have no idea where she found the inspiration, and created Selene. I've often envied her ability to predict everything she'd need an alternate persona for, and condense it all into a single package with a tenable personality.”
“And how does it work? The magic that lets you do this? Is it anything like a changeling's shape shifting?”
“It is, in fact, nothing like a changeling's magic at all, except in its result. After all, we are not changelings. The magic behind this transformation requires nearly a full three hours of preparation and execution, and it will take the same amount of time to return to my true form.”
“Th-Three hours?” Twilight asked, eyes wide. It wasn't unheard of, but the degree of complexity that would cause a spell to require that much time and effort was staggering.
Celestia gave a knowing smile. “Yes, yes. I know, it seems extreme. Cadance had the same reaction when I first told her. But in exchange for...hm...” She paused for a second to calculate. “Approximately two thousand one hundred sixty hours, six hours comes out as a rather paltry sum.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Twilight took a moment to check the math. “Next month has thirty one days.” She corrected.
Celestia raised an eyebrow, smiling at her.
“What?” She felt herself blushing, shrinking back a bit.
“No, no, don't be ashamed. That...I was amused. You've never been so blunt in correcting me before. You're usually so timid about it. This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping I'd find when I left for my sabbatical: Ponies treating me as an equal.” She paused in thought, then followed up with, “And an equal is all I want to be. If we're spending time with your friends, I want no preferential treatment, Twilight.” The alicorn blanched at the stern tone Celestia used.
“I hadn't even thought of that.” Her voice came out small, and a little panicked.
Celestia's eyes stared into her own for a moment, as if looking for something, before she cracked a smile. “I believe you. Now, do you have any more questions?”
Twilight thought for a moment. In fact, she likely thought for too long, if Celestia's expression was anything to go by. “I can't think of any right now.”
“Then, I hate to be an ungrateful guest, but last night, I lost three hours of sleep to the exercise of changing my physical form, and I spent all day partying, after a long train ride. So...” She looked over at her pillow, then back at Twilight.
“Right, Prom-Cel-...uh, night.” Twilight stepped out of the room, noting a brief shimmer of a gold aura along the walls and floor as she opened the door, as she inadvertently but necessarily broke the integrity of Celestia's soundproofing spell.
She stared at her door. It was huge. And heavy. She really didn't feel like dealing with it, especially after Celestia reminded her of just how exhausted she should have been feeling from the party. With a flash of light, she vanished from the hall and appeared in her own bed. With a quick flick of her magic, her blanket was upon her as her head came upon her pillow.
Warm blanket. Cool pillow. Quiet Night. Happiness. There was nothing in Equestria quite like it. Twilight liked to learn. She liked to spend time with her friends. She liked a good pastry now and then. But love? True love? That could only belong to her bed after a long day spent doing the things she liked.
Still, there was something that bothered her about this new bed, sometimes. It was so very big. And empty. She rolled over curiously when she heard a click come from her door. She watched as it slowly opened. Prominence entered, closing the door behind her. The unicorn was slowly closing the distance between the two of them.
Twilight sat up in her bed, confused. “Prin—Prominence? What are you doing here? Were you having trouble sleMMF!” Twilight's questions were cut off as a pair of soft lips closed over her own. Her eyes shot wide open as she grunted in surprise, but at the soft ministrations of Prominence's lips, she began to moan quietly. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hooves found themselves wrapping around the intruder's shoulders, pulling her closer.
Twilight surprised herself as her mouth opened on its own, and was even more surprised to feel Prominence taking advantage of the opening. Hooves wandered, trailing over bodies, running through fur. One hoof in particular gently traced it's way over Twilight's belly, moving lower and lower, slowly getting closer to its destination. The room was filled with gasps and moans and murmurs of pleasure and...Crunching? Continuous crunching pervaded the room. Twilight's ears flicked as if she was trying to shake away the offending sound. Finally, she broke the kiss, and began looking around her room for the source.
There, standing at the foot of her bed with a bag of popcorn, was Princess Luna. Twilight stared, horrified.
“I-I, P-Princess Luna! You--”
“If you need to tell anypony about this, any letter Spike sends will be forwarded to me. Although I'm sure your friends would be just as willing to support you, we cannot give them the entire truth.”
Twilight shot up in bed, gasping for air, morning light streaming in the window. Her whole body was damp with sweat, and a fair portion of it was also damp with what was very distinctly not sweat. Rigid wings ached at any and all attempts at motion. Never had Twilight been more happy that her new bedroom had an adjoining bathroom.
Twilight emerged from the bathroom feeling rather cranky. She felt she'd needed a cold shower, but now, instead of feeling aroused, she just felt angry at the world she lived in for allowing cold showers to be a thing that existed. She gathered up her sheets and blanket and put them in a laundry basket to be washed, replaced them with a spare set, and took some deep breaths to try and calm herself down before she opened the door.
She exited her chambers and made her way to Spike's door. A few knocks and a quick peek inside assured her that he was already downstairs, working on breakfast. She went over and knocked on Prominence's door.
The pale unicorn opened the door, peeking out at her. “Twilight! You look, um...Did you not sleep well?” She said as pleasantly as she could, though it was clear in her voice she was afraid of offending her host.
“Not exactly. Really weird dream. Luna showed up before it got any weirder. Going to need to write her a letter later.” She spoke loud and clear, though her tone and inflection seemed to be more suited for mumbling to oneself, as did the posture of staring at the floor at an odd angle as she spoke.
“I'm sorry to hear that.” Prominence replied cautiously. “If, um, if I may change the subject, Twilight, when is breakfast?”
This seemed to snap Twilight back to her senses. “Oh, it should be ready soon,” She replied with a forced smile.
“I see. And, ah, where is breakfast?” This time, the question was punctuated by a gurgling groan in Prominence's abdomen.
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle, shower-rage aside. “Come on. This way.” She lead her through the castle to the dining area. A massive, ornate white table stood, a dragon having just finished setting three plates around its head. Spike was just about to climb into a chair when Prominence spoke up.
“No, Spike!” Her two hosts both stared at her. “You can't sit there!”
“What? Why not?” He felt like he'd just been caught sticking his claw in the jewel jar. Luckily he had not been caught and this morning had, until now, been a very good one as a result.
“You are Princess Twilight's personal assistant. You are her friend, her attendant, her confidant. Your duty is to execute her will, and it is one that, as I have often heard, you perform admirably. Your place, a place you have earned, should be at her RIGHT hoof, not her left.”
“We don't really worry about that here, Prominence.” Twilight told her, frowning.
“Unfortunately, I do. And only three places at the table are set. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I took the place that he has earned.”
Twilight and Spike shared a long look, and Spike moved over to the appropriate seat while giving Prominence a glance that conveyed doubts about her sanity. Twilight sat down at the head of the table, and Prominence sat to her left. Consumption and conversation ensued.
“So, are we working on anything today, Twilight?” Spike asked between hefty mouthfuls of toast, fruit salad, and waffles.
“I've got a letter to write to Luna, but after that, I was thinking I'd go for a walk with Prominence,” She paused, wiping toast crumbs from her muzzle and turning toward her guest. “It would help you get a little better idea of the town's layout. If you're up for it. We can put it off if you'd rather rest up a bit.”
Prominence looked up at her, and the moment their eyes met, Twilight felt her cheeks heat up. Before, she was in a state of shower-induced Omniloathing in regards to the world around her. Now, there was nothing keeping Prominence's face from conjuring vivid memories of her dream last night.
“If possible, I'd like to wait until this afternoon.” She replied, trying her best not to notice Twilight's blush. “For now, I think I'd prefer to familiarize myself with the castle, if it's alright with you.”
“Absolutely!” Twilight replied, and a horrified expression fell over her face as she realized just how loud she'd spoken that word. “I should really get started on that letter. This correspondence will be private, Spike.” She levitated quill, ink, and parchment over to the table, writing, rather than dictating, as she ate. Then she paused and looked up at them, a little anxious at how intently they seemed to be watching her. “Feel free to talk amongst yourselves,” She instructed, waving them off with one hoof.
Dear Princess Luna,
I have no excuse for the dream you witnessed last night. Nor do I have any reason for why it happened. If you have any light to shed on the subject, I would very much appreciate it. As it stands, I'm sorry you had to see what you did.
Ponies have often assumed I must have feelings for Celestia, but I swear, I never believed I did. I'm not after your sister. I hope you're not angry with me over that.
Please write back when you have a free moment. I'm really not sure how to feel and you're the only pony I could talk to about why this is so confusing.
Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle
Spike sent off the letter when Twilight was finished, and the princess tuned back into the conversation already taking place.
“Actually, my special talent is fire magic. That's why it's an arcing gout of flame. There's not a lot of job opportunities in that field, unfortunately. Luckily, Princess Celestia wound up hiring me to take care of little things.”
“Like what kind of little things?” Spike asked, looking interested. “I mean, I never really saw you around the palace.”
“Little things like what shampoo she'd use each day, which salts to put in her baths, what her meals would consist of, which sheets would be placed on her bed by the maids each day. Things like that. I don't really get to spend much time with her during the day, but she'll always review my choices before bed to help me get an even better idea of how to handle things for her, and then we take a few minutes to talk. But, it's not unlike how you had freely decided upon what Twilight would be eating this morning.”
Spike Sighed. “I didn't. There's a whole chart of what I should make for breakfast everyday in the kitchen. It's a miracle I can even understand it.”
Twilight blushed softly. “I suppose the algorithm is a little complex, but it offers a way to be sure we're staying balanced.”
“Balanced? According to that thing, tomorrow morning I'm making each of us three bowls of raw brussels sprouts.”
The conversation paused. There was a gurgling sound. Then a belch. Then a scroll went flying through the air. It was caught in an aura of golden magic just after it passed the lip of Prominence's glass, and just before it made contact with the orange juice within. She let out a loud sigh of relief as she levitated it over to Twilight.
“That was quick!” Spike commented, smiling. “Must be important.”
Twilight unrolled the scroll, and began reading the contents.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
As I'm sure you expect, due to the contents of this letter, I have enchanted it against all eyes but your own. In this, secrets shall remain with those to whom they have been entrusted.
First, allow me to allay your concerns vis-a-vis my emotional response to the events I have been witness to in your dreams. I am not angry. You've no idea the kind of things I've seen my sister do in dreams with countless other ponies. That you personally know and care about Celestia, by my thinking, gives you more right to have those dreams than most.
For my second point, you claim to have no such feelings for my sister. This may still hold true, after a fashion, for it was not my sister I saw thrusting her tongue into your mouth with tender elegance and passion.
Twilight felt herself glowing bright red. “I think I need to read the rest of this in private!” She shouted, before teleporting out of the dining room and onto her own bed, leaving Spike and Prominence to eat in confused silence until they managed to pick up with their small talk.
Rather, it was Prominence, was it not, whose hooves ran so delicately through your fur? You know in your mind that one is a mask for the other. This does not change the perceptions of the heart. While you know they are one and the same, you may not feel for them in the same way.
Of course, it is also possible that you simply have a predisposition towards ponies with her friendly yet cautious attitude, and, knowing Prominence, her tendency to constantly show you deference and respect. In which case I may have a suggestion to give to ponies who hope for guidance in seeking your hoof (they are many).
“What.” Twilight stared at the parenthetical for a moment, before shaking her head and going back to reading.
And of course, it is possible that this is merely a fluke of the mind, that this is a unique occurrence, and that it will not be repeated. This could have simply been a random effect of your mind analyzing and reviewing the day's events and it may indeed mean nothing whatsoever.
I hope this letter has, in some way, set your mind at ease, but I have one question. My presence in dreams is a foregone conclusion. I can always see them, and, should I wish, intervene. As such, I've grown accustomed to dreams such as yours last night. In fact, your dream was quite tame compared to some of those I've encountered, and I would not deign to judge my subjects or my peers for the independent actions of their subconscious. My question is this: If this should be a repeating occurrence, would you rather I interrupt as I did last night, or simply stay silent and let the dream run its course?
Tuum In Aeternum In Luce Lune,
Princess Luna
Twilight stared at the end of the letter. Over and over, she read that final question, biting her lip. Finally, she levitated her supplies to her side and quickly penned a short response before hurrying back down to the dining room, handing it off to Spike, and watching it vanish in a wisp of smoke.
Luna paused in her stride as the letter arrived, now standing in the hallway of Canterlot Castle. She unrolled it, and began reading.
Dear Princess Luna,
Please let the dreams run their course.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle.
P.S. What do you mean, ponies who seek my hoof? You said “they are many,” but who are they? How do you know they're interested? Is this just from dreams, or did somepony actually approach you?
Luna let out a soft chuckle as she tucked the scroll beneath her wing. “Enjoy your vacation, dearest sister.” She muttered as she paused by a window to look out toward Ponyville.
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Not your usual TwiLestia
Beautifully constructed and written
I know talent when I read it
Continue
4718785 I'm 3710 words deep into chapter 2 according to my word processor.
I actually wanted to wait to publish until both the first two chapters were done, but I saw another story in the popular box on the front page that had some similarities (including the deal being 3 months), and panicked. I think I saw a comment from you on that one, actually, when I went in to read the full summary.
anywho, tangents aside, thanks very much for the kind words. they really do mean a lot to me.
Yes, More please! Oh this is sooooo good!
Upvoted. faved, watched!
4718813 and thank you for all three!
4718802 There was another story of a similar line, but it is nowhere near as well written.
Very impressive, and I look forward to the rest of it!
Don't make us wait too long!
4718919 I'll do my best, but it takes a lot of time for me to edit everything. I must've re-read that first chapter over a dozen times. But, if you're doing something you love, and you want to show people, there's no reason not to take the time to do it right, right?
If this first chapter is any indication, I can tell that this story is going to be an AWESOME read! As with any good fic, I cannot wait for the next chapter! Instant upvote, favorite, and watch for me as well. /)^3^(\
Oh, I like this twist. Please, do continue!
So here are my current thoughts on the story:
I like it. The story has a good premise. While we have seen the 'Celestia-goes-incognito' story before, this one has a bit of a fresh take on it. I don't think I've read a story where she gets quite this in-character with it. The story flows very well, and I never found myself being drawn out of it by bad dialogue or sub-par descriptions. All of the characters have also remained fairly in-character to my eyes, which I feel is very important for this kind of fic. Your chapter length is good. Punctuation, grammar, and spelling didn't have any issues that I saw.
Overall, very happy with this. Please continue, I look forward to the next chapter. Have a fav, like, and a
.
Could be entertaining
Great story so far. Really looking forward to later chapters!
Shipper on deck, Lunar shipper on deck!
"This could have simply been a random effect of your mind analyzing and reviewing the day's events and it may indeed mean nothing whatsoever."
You have no idea how happy I am to see Luna giving an actually accurate account of dreams and their meaning.
4720098 wait...feature. what.
4720100
i.imgur.com/k0YXmuE.png
It's only a matter of time before it hit's mature on my friend!
(Edit) In the time it took to get this screen shot for you... You made it! Congrats on the feature!
4720127
I admit: I had my doubts (the 'sex' tag had me fearing it'd turn out to be nothing more than a clop fic). I'm glad I went ahead and gave it a chance - looks like I've a new story to watch for updates.
4720334 oh, no, that's just because of the dream and the...well, when she wakes up....um. anyway. it's just there because of sexualy suggestive material, not sexually explicit material.
4720127 How the heck does some one get 850 unread favorites? I won't clear 80 even if I AFK for a month.
Also, this story entertains me.
4721424
I don't like the read later box *shrug*
4721488 I can kind of see why you might just fav instead of read latering. I'd prefer that read later would let you know when those fics got updated if you're trying to track an incomplete that you're not sure if you wanna fav yet. that's the big difference between the two.
This looks really promising. Have a like and a favorite. I look forward to more.
4721658 and I look forward to writing more!
4721506
Exactly ^^
Hm, my first impression of Celestia as Prominence was something akin to Celestia's "true" personality who she was before she became a princess so to say. That her regal face is just an
Something that she shows to other ponies because that is how they see her and she has to try and fit the role, but still deep inside she is the humble and almost reverent pony that Prominence is. While it's revealed that this is not the case here when she and Twilight had their private conversation, I still think that my observation might still hold some weight as this story moves forward. Anyway a good start to a story, will be following.
I suppose I should write something here rather than just silently following it. :)
I love the idea of Celestia and Luna inventing personas to take on when trying to be 'normal' for the sake of relaxation. It's a wonderful idea, and it's not something I've seen done before. Usually it's just Celestia in disguise, BEING Celestia in disguise. Bravo!
I particularly liked the character touch of Celestia devising a 'sexy' persona and then being uncomfortable with the attention it attracted. Adds a little depth to Celestia's character... she liked the concept but didn't feel right in practice.
I'm really liking how this started, hence the fav. :) I don't hand out likes until a story proves consistently good (several fics in the past started out strong then went downhill fast), but a few more chapters like this and you'll have earned it!
I was laughing the whole time! And I expect more of it!
Dude, this is too fun! Please, have a thumb and a fave
!
sorry...
So, what do we call this ship? Promilight? Twilinence?
Keep it coming! Please?
You wrote a Twilestia, silly. You shouldn't act so surprised. Congrats nonetheless
Looks good so far. You have my attention.
4723400 surprised? I'm not surprised. baffled seems more accurate. I woke up this morning to find I had broken 200 favs for something I wrote, possibly for the first time ever in 11 years of writing stuff! and it still hasn't even been up a full 24 hours!
4722698 ....maybe just wedge part of prominence in the middle of twilight, make it twiminight? and don't worry. I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I'm done writing and editing it. it may take a while but it's coming.
4723562 Welcome to the Twilestia fans. All very supportive of any author wanting to be part of the community, no matter how or what they write. We look forward to the next chapter!
(Also, as a suggestion, you would rake in even more faves if you used a cover picture).
4723560 uh...dude...don't wanna alarm you or nothin'....but you appear to be under attack by a ponyswarm.
4723570 I know...and, believe me, if I had any visual artistic ability, or any artist friends that I wouldn't feel guilty asking for a favor, or extra money that I wouldn't feel bad about spending on commissioning it, you can bet there'd be a picture of a smiling Prominence overshadowed by a ghostly semi-transparent Celestia, standing over the much smaller form and also smiling. and maybe they're smiling at Twilight. I dunno.
sadly, circumstances are as they are.
4723572 'Dem ponies, they won't leave me alone!
At least they're cute and fluffy.
4723601 fair enough. I suppose there's far less pleasant swarms of things to be attacked by.
4723606 One word: Zerg.
4723816 I was thinkin' it. I wasn't sayin' it, but I was thinkin' it.
4723818 Amongst other things, I wager.
4723820 Tyranids?
4723585 Hmm. You do know you can ask people on DA or Derpibooru, right? That's how most of us Twilestians do it.
Interesting idea, but I find Prominence to meek and deferential personally. The Mane 6 know Celestia well enough to know Celestia wouldn't demand excessive deference so that attitude would neither be forced in or encouraged, and by working with Celestia Prominence would have met enough powerful she might not be quick to be impressed. I think a sort of a "I'm not used to all this attention" shyness would make do a better job of it. I'd say a skill at blending into the background, so she could do her duties without interrupting important things but that would interfere with meeting ponies which I'm sure she wants to do
4724022 Or Tyranids. Tyranids are basically nightmare fuel Zerg.
This is so far excellent, and I'm damn picky. For both those reasons, I'll offer the one correction I found. It's "one and the same"--an intentional redundancy--not "one in the same", which is pretty much meaningless. Other than that, good glory, faved and upped.
4724022 ...but then I'd have to approach strangers about stuff to request they do things for me and that's where it gets problematic.
4724798 I was tempted to keep it in and claim it was an error on luna's part, but I opted to fix it instead. thanks for pointing it out.
When I first saw this, I thought, "Oh boy, a story in which Celestia pretends to be a commoner!" I love those kinds of stories.
Then I saw the "Romance" tag.
Sure enough, after reading this first chapter, the story has all the signs of being yet another Twilestia fic. That's disappointing. Don't get me wrong-- this is a great story that shows a lot of promise. It just isn't what I was hoping for and is not something that appeals to my particular interests (which rarely involve shipping as a primary story element).
4725629 ...not committing to anything, but maybe I'll do a oneshot about sunspot having a day out at some point... or, heaven forbid, corona.
4725706 Sunspot sounds like fun. Corona sounds like it would be hilarious. If you do decide to do one in the future and I stumble upon it, I'll be sure to check it out.
4724351
^This
4725379 It's only asking them for permission to use their art. They have to do nothing but say "yes" or "no". Heck, I know a great Twilestia artist. Lemme ring her up for you and see if she'll make you a cover picture.
Great story. I look forward to how it progresses. I also look forward to the internal conflicts Twilight will have dealing with the whole Prominence/Celestia thing. I really liked Luna's letter and appearance in the dream.
Have a fav and upvote! 