//------------------------------// // Referendum // Story: Schoolhouse Library - Twilee Tales // by The1Ryu //------------------------------// Referendum Twilight jumped and her wings springing up in surprise at the echoing sound of a hoof beating against the front door of her castle, it was a sound she didn’t expect to hear for several more hours. The young princess crept towards the door with concern spread across her features, the isolation spell placed over the crystal structure should have kept away all reporters and other curious bodies until after the voting was finished. That thought and the sense that the spell was still active allowed Twilight to brush aside some of her fears. Perhaps it was just the mailmare, the vote would not stop the mail after all. The knock came again and Twilight called out that she was coming. There was no Spike to get the door for her today. He and all of her friends were still out campaigning on her behalf, down to the very last moment, even though Equestrian law had ended her own campaigning a week prior to the day of the vote. “Oh Cheerilee, hello.” A smile spread across Twilight’s face as she pulled open the door and saw the deep pink schoolteacher standing on her doorstep. The schools had been closed for the vote, not that the fillies and colts could participate in the voting of course, but it was deemed important enough for them to remain with their family for the day. “Hi, I…” Cheerilee started nervously and paused as if she had lost her words. She looked back to the street and Twilight followed her gaze, watching the ponies pass by not giving the crystal tree or the important figure that now peer out from its front door a single glance. Looking back to Twilight, Cheerilee continued. “Thought you could use some company, today.” Twilight smiled and gave Cheerilee an eager nod pushing the door open and stepping back to give the teacher room to enter. “Of course. I didn’t expect to see anyone until afterwards. I was trying to read but for the first time in my life I couldn’t concentrate.” Twilight gave a hollow chuckle knowing that would sound silly to anyone who knew her. “I wouldn’t be able to read with all this going on around me,” Cheerilee answered sympathetically. Stepping in she looked up at the wide cavernous entry hall, the shining crystal halls stinging her eyes until she had to look down. “Sorry that can take some getting used to,” Twilight apologized shutting the door and moving to her friend’s side. “This is the first time you’ve been in the castle isn’t it. Oh, I’m so sorry I can’t believe I’ve never invited you over.” Cheerilee blinked the spots out of her eyes and answered in a reassuring tone. “I’ve brought the children over for school tours before, Spike always does a great job as a tour guide, but I must have spent my time watching the children and not the walls.” “That’s hardly the same,” Twilight countered giving herself a disapproving frown. “Well as you can see there’s no Spike today so I’ll have to be your tour guide,” Twilight said her frown turning to a smile as she trotted down the hall Cheerilee in tow. “I guess you didn’t care too much about the vote hmm. I had to put up a spell so that any pony with the vote too much on their mind wouldn’t notice the castle, so you must not have been thinking of it.” Twilight said flashing Cheerilee a smile to show such a thing didn’t upset her. A guilty look spread over Cheerilee’s face anyway and she looked down unable to maintain eye contact with the alicorn, “No it’s not that.” “It’s ok I don’t mind.” Twilight stopping at the entrance to the throne room to reassure her. “I voted first thing, I even camped out to be first in line, it was so silly.” The guilty look on Cheerilee’s face deepened. “You worked so hard on your campaign.” Twilight stepped in to embrace her friend wrapping her hooves around her withers, “It’s really ok if you didn’t vote for me, I don’t care.” “Then why did you try so hard to stay!” Cheerilee suddenly pushed back from Twilight embrace and glared angrily at the alicorn with wet eyes. Twilight wings popped up in surprise at the outburst, Cheerilee hadn’t meant to shout, but now was forced to look at the offending limbs with blurry vision. “Like this.” Twilight’s eyes drooped to the floor as she neatly folded her wings back to her sides. There was silence for several seconds before words broke the air again. “Because I was expected to.” “You had to have some choice,” Cheerilee sniffed and wiped at the tears in her eyes. “About this, about us.” Twilight tongue died at the memories she shared with the deep pink mare. A friendship that had grown from a love of book, learning, and teaching. A friendship that had grown into a budding flower not yet ready to bloom. She looked up at the chandelier made from the roots of her library to the crystals that held memories of the Golden Oaks Library and saw none of those memories reflected in any. Her eyes paused on the image of her and her friends in a group hug after Celestia had given Twilight her friendship report assignment. “I had one.” Cheerilee eyes followed Twilight and she too saw the image held in the crystal. “It wasn’t said outright, but if I had made a different choice…” Their eyes met and Cheerilee knew what loss that different choice could have meant for them as well. She moved next to Twilight and sat down next to her pressing up against her side ignoring the feel of feather to fulfill her desire to be close to the former unicorn. “I guess we can’t go backward, no matter how much we may want to.” Twilight leaned against Cheerilee as well basking in her warmth. “No, but things can still change in the future.” “Will we be able to do what we want to or will we always have to do what others expect us to do?” Thoughts of never before consider large red stallion played through her mind. “I don’t know love, I don’t know,” Twilight answered, but, as ponies outside voted on whether the young unicorn turned alicorn would keep her station as princess, Twilight leaned down and place a gentle kiss on the side of Cheerilee’s mouth.