No Sun-Queen Shall Rend Asunder

by Plough and Stars Pony

Immortality Blues

Javelin Prick strolls in to the fountain pavilion.

A long rectangle of closely-mowed grass bordered by topiary bushes, coruscant in bright blooms.

A huge fountain sat and rose at the middle. The pouring water seemed especially bright in the gloaming. Four tiers and basins of stone.

The highest and smallest was the brightest white marble, held up by carvings of the Royal Pony Sisters. The water spurts out of a gem pipe carved in to the shape of an alicorn’s horn, Faust’s horn.

The second-highest was highly-polished ivory, to represent the wide and varied unicorn family. Bas-reliefs of historical unicorns, such as Starswirl the Bearded and Mistmane, Lydian and Dorian Mode decorate this tier.

Below that a basin of mixed chalcedon and tourquoise flecked with quartz, to represent the wide open sky and the clouds, therefore, the Pegasi tribe. Select Pegasi, like Flash Magnus streaking flat, the Netitus held out in front of him, Somnambula, and the first Wonderbolts were here wings and arms outspread, hoofs pushing away curly fluffy clouds. There were Mr. and Mrs. Shift, the first weather pioneers. Behind the Pegasi and the clouds were the symbols of the varied weather.

The bottom one was jasper and tourmaline, carved with famous Earth ponies: Rockhoof rearing – shovel in mouth, Mage Meadowbrook, open tome in one hoof and glass flask in the other. A braid of flowers curl through her mane and tail. Followed by famous farmers, scientists, painters, musicians, poets, novelists and all sorts else.

Eight parkbenches sat round the circular basin. All for ponies, or other creatures to sit at…

Jav saunters up to the basin. Looking down, he could see his dark face reflected in the water, and below him the innumerable discs, dark and white gleaming together. He shakes his head, how adorable of foals, and grown mares and stallions to believe that by thinking intently on a desire and throwing a bit in to the water, that desire would come true.

He had certainly done that when he had been younger, he couldn’t deny.

Jav lifts his head to take in again the columns and tiers of marble, the pouring fonts of spuming water.

The water did have a slight blue shine.

In the bottom cascade as the water sloshes in to the basin…

But not up at the top cascade…

What was going on?

Curious, eyes on the water, he walks counter-clockwise round the basin. The direction of the light leaves the water. Jav follows it…

sees over the bench on the far side under a glowing cyan blue dome…

sees the two ponies underneath it…

recognises the midnight blue and magenta striped mane and lavender fur and wings…and the six-pointed star cutie mark.

Javelin had seen it around the Palace and policies on shields and banners…

It was Princess Twilight!

Javelin steps further to the side silently, taking in his Sovereign and her companion.

Princess Twilight sits hunching forwards towards her companion, a golden-tinged Pegasus stallion with a dark blue stiff wave of mane. Javelin could swear he had seen him before, in the Palace.

A sniff, a shake, and a sob?

Lines of fur on her cheeks and his cheeks were matted, glistening…

She was crying. Her friend was crying too. Heads together, eyes closed.

Javelin now feels the strain of his wide-open jaws.

Princess Twilight was crying.

Javelin stares. And stares. All a sudden, gasping soundlessly, he closes his tired dry mouth.

Princess Twilight was crying!

He had never seen this, hadn’t imagined, couldn’t imagined any of the Princesses would ever weep. They were always so strong, reserved, dignified, powerfull.

The Pegasus stallion ducked his head. His nostrils flare, sniffling.

What could they possibly be crying about?

Javelin has the feeling that he shouldn’t be here, watching a Princess and a stallion cry their eyes out.

But on the other hoof, he was sworn to aid and serve the Princesses any way he could.

Thus, he steps forward. Walk up…tap on the force field…and find out what’s wrong…yeah…that won’t go wrong.

The Pegasus straightens up, holding the alicorn’s hoofs in his own, back quivering, wings drooping down at his sides. He says something, words muted by the force field. Tears drip one-by-one off his jaw-bone. If Javelin didn’t know any better, he could say the colt was begging her.

Princess Twilight sniffs too, draws a long breath, fresh tears trickling down her face, speaks in return, words also muted by the spell.

She pulls her hoofs free from the stallion’s hold, a frog pressing momentarily to his chest, before her arms loop round his shoulders. Princess Twilight tightens the hug, dragging the Pegasus closer to her, bringing her mouth right next to his ear.

Javelin sees her lips move again.

Javelin had never seen a Princess hug a pony before, not a unicorn or Earth pony or Pegasus. That was another thing. This all seemed quite…intimate.

Up close to the field, Javelin hesitates, taking in the hugging and crying one last time. But resolved, he lifts a sabot-clad hoof and taps against the thaumo-electric membrane

The tiny kaleidoscope of snowflakes drifting on the surface shudder to a halt, only briefly, before resuming their courses. Ripples ooze across the face lit by the smallest sparks of static.

Princess Twilight jolts upright, eyes snapping open, tugging her arms loose from her friend’s neck. In the same twirl, she faces Javelin Prick. The stallion slips a little on to her side as she turns to face the other Guardspony. Frowning, he opens his eyes, and he too saw Javelin. Eyes widening, he shoves himself back to the end of the bench, leaving several inches of space between himself and the Princess. Yeah, if your tryna hide somethin’, it’s too late, buddy.

Twilight’s horn glows and the shield winks away. Her face of shock is giving away to an angry scowl.

“Who are you? What do you want?” the alicorn snaps ferocious, just as her friend (Princess Twilight’s coltfriend…or special somepony?) shouts “Oi, what do you think you’re doing?”

Javelin feels himself shudder under this, ears momentarily folding in to his poll, before laying back against his neck. “Javelin Prick, Your Highness. I came by here and I saw you…and…your friend. Is anything wrong, Your Highness?”

Princess Twilight pauses, glances at the young stallion beside her on the bench, before turning to face Javelin again. An arm comes up, bending to her streaming eyes. The lavender alicorn wipes her cheek and eye with her knee, sniffing. Twilight puts the arm down, coughing.

“No,” she says, crisp and tightly. “Nothing is wrong, Javelin Prick. I was a little upset and Flash here got a little upset too. We’re fine now, aren’t we Flash, dear?”

Twilight jumped a little then, guiltily. To cover it up, she plasters a beaming smile over her face. She turns the lamplight smile on Flash, who slowly smiles back.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re totally fine,” the Pegasus says, waving a hoof.

Twilight gives a tiny nod of her head, still smiling.

Javelin Prick looks unconvinced. Nodding his head uncertainly, he glances at the entrance to the lawn. “Well…,” he says, “if that’s the case…good evening, Your Highness…Flash,” acknowledging both ponies. Javelin bows low to the ground.

“You may rise,” Twilight orders after a beat, flicking a fetlock.

Javelin rises, turns to go.

“Oh, and Javelin?”

The Guardspony snaps his eyes back to the young alicorn.

She levels a hard stare in to his eyes. “You never saw us two here, you never saw what we did here, do you understand?”

“Your Highness?” The stallion looks confused. Eyebrows bunching together as his forehead furrows. “Why?”

Princess Twilight purses her lavender lips, rustles her wings tight to her barrel, straightens to her full sitting height.

“Javelin Prick of the Canterlot Palace Guards, are you questioning my orders, the diktat of a Princess?” the alicorn demands severely, jabbing a toe and frog at the stallion.

“No no no, no, Princess Twilight,” the stallion says, shaking his head, eyes wide, mouth gaping in provoked panic.

Princess Twilight leaves him silent, squirming, hanging on her words. She speaks in a lower, firmer tone.

“Do you realise that one short meeting with Princess Celestia could demote you or cancel your leave, you understand?”

Gasping, the pony cringes, pinheads of sweat cropping up on his forehead, Javelin sinks to the grass, virtually kowtowing.

“Yes yes, yesyes, Your Highness, I know, I know, I understand,” he blabbers muzzle jabbing the earth as he nods.

Twilight keeps her knee-bent arm lifted quite Princess-like, as she looks down at the pony, holding him down under her words.

Finally, she decides he has had enough, Twilight relents. “You may rise, Javelin Prick of the Canterlot Palace Guards. I require you to think deeply on what I said. Ensure you do not make such a mistake a second time.”

Shivering, Javelin Prick jerkily stands. A proper drop of sweat dribbles down between his eyes and muzzle. He is panting in fright, eyes wide and iris-pupils drawn to peppercorn-size. Twilight meets his gaze cooly, expressionlessly. Javelin Prick notices that the Pegasus Flash beside the Princess. The stallion is staring at the mare, dumbstruck, mouth hanging open, eyes wide, wings wrapped tight round his barrel and chest. Even his tail was tucked over one of his pasterns. As Javelin continues to watch, Flash steadily shuffles his way backwards to the very edge of the bench, until his haunch hangs off the bench.

“Final question, Javelin Prick.”

Javelin’s attention darts to the severe lavender alicorn.

“Your Highness?” he inquires.

“Did you see or hear anypony in this place to-night?” Twilight clops her frog on her folded hindhoof.

Javelin is silent, eyes passing from Twilight to Flash back to Twilight again. He

Seconds pass, tension trickles and heightens.

Javelin clears his throat, “I saw nothing and nopony, your Highness.” He shivers one last time.

Twilight’s grin, splitting her sombre and haughty expression, makes it a little creepy. “Goood!” she chirps, clopping her forefrogs together. “I’m glad you learned your lesson, Javelin Prick. Never question a Princess’ orders. Good night and see you soon.”

“Good night, Your Highness.” Javelin Prick says. Turning, he walks slowly out of the fountain garden. He only makes it a short way past the entrance, when his legs give out under him. His back sags gratefully against the hedge. His hoofs cup his cheeks then cover his face. Unsteady breaths deafen him. A minute, then two pass. Javelin lowers his hoofs to the ground next to his cannons, staring at the garden around him.

“Buck, he whispers. “Buck. Bucking buck, that was so close.”

Twilight lets out a long sigh. She turns to Flash, only to see him staring at her in amazement and horror.

“What?” Twilight asks.

“Who are you and what did you do to my cute precious Twilight Sparkle?” the stallion asks.

Twilight stares curiously, before chuckling. “Oh, Flash, Flash, my dear. I’m a Princess, I have to keep our little thing secret and how else do I do that without making sure the Guard toe the line?

Flash breathed out a long sigh.

“It sure spooked me, babe.”

Twilight smiles sympathetically. An idea appears to strike her.

“Watch this, Flash.” She covers her face with her arms folded at her knees, wings wrapping her chest and barrel. Silence stretches.

“Uhhh…Twilight?”

“BETTER NOW!” Twilight cries, flinging out her arms and wings, mouth open in a toothy dazzling grin.

Flash stiffens, before relaxing.

Mare and stallion both laugh.

“Did you see that stare I gave him? Heh, if I work on it, I could give Fluttershy a run for her money.”

Mare and stallion laugh again.

Twilight beckons him. Flash dutifully shuffles closer to her once more.

Sitting there, croups touching, listening to the plinkle and plosh of the fountain-water. Their conversation of earlier floats through their heads…

“Have Cadance and Shining Armour done this? Had this talk?…

Silence…

“They know it is a risk to take. They have made their peace with it.”…

“Don’t end it. Please don’t end it. I don’t want it to end, Twilight darling”…holding Twilight’s hoofs in his own…

“Flash, Flash, we’ll think of something, my dear”…sob… “Let’s just take one day at a time. One day another after another, okay”…her arms over his shoulders, holding him so close…

Their heads dip…and rest on the other.

Pretty sure our tails have braided again.

“It’s been a fruitfull discussion tonight, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah, it has been…Sad, though.”

“I knoowww,” a wing unfurls to wrap a back in a wing-hug.

“We have each other.”
Until we don’t…

Twilight leans in to Flash’s crest, nuzzling him.

Flash smiles at the pleasant contact.

"Heeeeyyyy,” Twilight murmurs, perking up, leaning out. “That’s the spirit. Face me.”

Flash does so.

Twilight wipes away the last of his drying tears from his red puffy eyes with a frog as a primary covert wipes away the residue of her own.

“All better now,” she says, smiling a true smile, both frogs resting on his jaw, cupping his cheeks, drinking in his face.

“And even better, you know what makes everything alright?” the mare asks, voice dropping to a throaty whisper.
Flash, her golden paramour, picks up on it.

“No, what makes everything alright?” one corner of his mouth smirking.

“Close your eyes,” the Princess whispers under her breath to her stallion; pink rising to her cheeks, her ears involuntarily perking up at the front.

Her Knight and stallion seemed to guess what was coming. His cheeks darken too, his ears also perk up. His small smirk widens to a furtive yet smug smile. His wings, drooping at his sides, shiver up to a slight lift.

This does not escape the mare. “Hehhehheh, gotcha,” she pants, chuckling, wings, twitching upwards.

And with that, the mare guides her stallion’s mouth to her own. To an observer, it appeared to pass over an age, but it couldn’t have been more than two heartbeats of the two lover’s hearts. As their open hot panting mouths near, her, then his eyes, drift shut, preferring the blindness, knowing that they would not be needing eyes to know love.

The mare, the Princess, takes the lead at first, sensuously dancing on her stallion’s, her faithfull Knight. Her two hooves still hold his face. Long and wide lavender wings rise and stiffen to a feathery concave. So too do the Pegasus’ wings. The golden stallion shuffles an inch forward, primaries of his wings lightly touching hers, folding over the tips of her wings. A hoof raised to her chest – over her heart. Its companion goes to caress and stroke the down of the lesser coverts and then the axillaries of Twilight’s right wing. The Knight’s lips begin to dance too, head dipping to the side.

Instant upon instant succeeds instant, they break apart.

Air mists in fog above them, both mare and colt pant. Both pairs of limpid eyes wingding in mutual adoration.

Twilight leans in this time, bumping and resting her snout against his.

“Do you feel better?” she asks her lover.

Flash grins confidently, “Hey yeah, I feel better now, Twily. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Flashie. I love you.”

“I love you too, Twi.”

How many millions of kisses shall we share, until we part?

“As nice as this is, shall we get going?”

“Yeah.”

Author's Note:

This was going to be a sneak preview 'blog post, but the story grew in the telling. More than two thousand and three hundred words in one day at my computer. it was both written down and keyed up.

A romantic relationship with an immortal has its tragically sad pitfalls.