Astra Princess Twilight Sparkle woke up, gently floating in an ocean of starlight.
“Well, well. Fashionably late, my dear princess?”
Rarity hovered before her, wearing nothing but a smile.
“Am I dead?” Twilight asked. It seemed like the most logical assumption.
Rarity laughed. With each note, a star in the infinite expanse around them pulsed musically. Nebulae of radiant violet, gray, purple and red spanned the blackness above them, the colors shifted with each tone, weaving into one another like threads in a tapestry.
“Hardly,” the virtrung replied. “You’re safe and sound within the Diamond Palace.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “So I’m dreaming, then.”
“After a fashion.”
“Which means, not only am I dreaming, but I’m delusional,” Twilight sighed as she rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “Because there’s no way a virtrung could be in my dreamscape unless I put her here. So, you’re just a figment of my imagination.”
“Is that so?” Stars glimmered with laughter all around them.
“Oh yes,” Twilight shook her head in annoyance at herself. “I find it hard to believe that any virtrung, even one as stunningly gorgeous as the one I based you on; who can conjure massive spheres of starsilver, weave intricately complex blades of crystalline gemstones and mystical metals, the champion chosen by the Council of the Woods to represent her kind, and who single-hoofedly saved Canterlot from destruction with her magic can dreamwalk as well. I must have taken a significant blow to the head to be conjuring up this fantasy. The sheer concept is ludicrous.”
Her dream version of Rarity had flushed red within the first few words of her description, which only confirmed her theory.
Please, Twilight thought. Praise like that wouldn’t phase the real Rarity. Not for a second.
“‘Stunningly gorgeous?’ Really?” she asked in a quiet little voice. She blinked a few times, not quite meeting Twilight’s gaze.
Twilight laughed, and entire galaxies blossomed into existence around them with flashes of ivory and lavender.
“I think the real Rarity is stunningly gorgeous. And outrageously flirtatious. And supremely confident, talented, gifted, and... simply everything I’m not.”
Twilight slumped to an invisible ground as the nebulae around them dimmed.
“She’s the real hero of that battle. Not me. She’s the one who saved the city. Saved me when I went in like an idiot trying to prove that I wasn’t just some stupid astronomer who accidentally became a commoner princess.”
The sound of hoofsteps on gemstone approached her, despite there being no surfaces in sight. Rarity sank to her knees before Twilight and lifted her head with a hoof. Once again, diamond shone in the doe’s eyes.
For a long time, the two of them sat there like that without a single word. Twilight waited, wondering what her version of Rarity would tell her.
“You don’t actually believe that,” her echo of Rarity finally said. “I can see it in your eyes. In your heart, my dear princess. Plenty around you hold you in high esteem. Trixie and Starlight nearly died several times defending you today. They did it without hesitation or remark. Yes, they did it out of duty, but also, more importantly, out of love.” Twilight watched the reflection of stars in Rarity’s enormous blue eyes. “You stood up to your own brother in the middle of a battle. You interrupted that horrid magic long enough to allow me to put the sphere around the waygate generator. Those are not the actions of a common filly playing make-believe. These are the actions of somepony with more courage than the whole of the Council of the Woods put together.”
“Right. Just what I’d tell myself. You really are just some ego-driven part of me.” Twilight muttered. “You’re not actually here. The real Rarity can’t actually dreamwalk.”
“You’re quite right, of course,” Rarity said with a nod. “I cannot dreamwalk. But I recently met somepony who can. You may have met her.”
In the distance behind Rarity, a few dozen stars shifted to form a very familiar face of the princess who once held Twilight’s power. She winked at Twilight, then vanished into stardust.
Twilight blinked a few times.
“She wouldn’t.”
“She would.”
“She couldn’t.”
“She did,” Rarity tittered.
Twilight blinked, watching her carefully proven logic dissolve into shards of wishful thinking. “But… why?”
“She’s actually quite proud of you.” Rarity smiled. “As is her sister and your sister. And your other sister. Princess Sunset thinks you were being quite foolish, but even as she ranted, I could see the pride in her eyes. She doesn’t hide it well. Ironic, as she first struck me as the jealous type. I saw a little of myself in her.”
“No, that’s not possible,” Twilight insisted. She shook her head. “You aren’t here.”
“Well, Princess Luna got rather tired of seeing me pace outside the doors to your charming Grand Master Healer’s office demanding updates, so she decided to do something about the matter. I must admit I simply jumped at the chance. Finding myself unable to tease you was akin to torture.”
“…You aren’t here,” Twilight repeated. Why is it so warm in here? Especially since this is a construct of my dreaming mind. “You. Aren’t. Here. This is just my mind playing tricks on me.”
“I daresay I find myself in a bit of a predicament,” Rarity continued idly, lowering her hoof and staring off into the distance as if pondering some great truth of the universe. “The sheer thrill I get upon seeing you blush may have turned into an addiction for me. I know, how silly for one to develop over such a short time. But that is the nature of such things. They happen when you least expect it.”
Twilight knew her face was bright crimson. “No. This is just my fantasy. Aren’t here. All in my head.”
“Oh, this is all in your head. That is quite accurate.” Rarity’s voice dropped into a purr. If dark chocolate had a voice, this was it. Her eyelashes danced as she peered into Twilight’s soul. “But just because it’s in your head doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”
With that, Rarity smiled, leaned forward… and before Twilight could react, she booped the Astra Princess on the nose.
Twilight’s face matched the color of several red giants in the distance.
“Oh my,” Rarity released an ecstatic, almost delirious sigh of pleasure. “That does it. I am shamelessly addicted to seeing you blush. The color is quite fetching. I think I have found my true calling in life.”
“You’re… you’re actually here?”
“It’ll be a hard life, perhaps,” Rarity mused. “I shall forever be seeking new ways to turn you shades of that color. Luckily, I happen to know a few ways that do not require…” She paused, rolling her tongue around each syllable. “…verbal teasing. Several actually.”
“You are here.”
Rarity’s eyes glittered, flashing through every flutter of the doe’s eyelashes. “Dozens, really. Not that I’ve had the chance to try most of them out, of course. But you have a reputation as an eager student. One who greatly enjoys field research.”
“I said all that to you and you’re actually here.”
“In fact, at least five of those ways indeed require a field, though a meadow would be preferable. There’s always room for flexibility. But don’t worry, I am absolutely positive you will turn the proper color. In fact, I look forward to documenting just how many different shades of red I can coax from you.”
Twilight was in a strange land beyond embarrassment, mortification and horror. It was oddly serene, like the eye of a hurricane.
“So, instead of dying to a shadowkin,” Twilight said slowly. “I’m going to die in my dreams to embarrassment.”
Rarity’s smile became positively malicious. “Don’t worry, my dear princess. You’re not going to die anytime soon. Not if I have anything to say about it. However, I make no promises about the possibility of you passing out. Due to words or… well…”
“Oh dear.” Twilight stared into those twin blue stars.
“Now you’re getting in the spirit of things!” Rarity cheered. “However, it does appear that our time is just about up. I would ask that you do me a favor: next time you say those two words, put a little more passion into it, darling.” She paused and her smirk grew. “Actually, now that I think of it… you’ll need some tutoring. Thankfully, I happen to be an excellent teacher.”
Rarity faded away until there was only her smile.
It suggested a great many things.
Then Twilight woke up.
The concerned face of Radiant Hope, Grand Master Healer, stared down at her. “Hm. Odd. The healing treatment should have banished any fever, yet I’m sensing a huge spike in temperature. How are you feeling, Princess?”
“Hot,” Twilight gasped. “Very… hot.”
“Would you like some water?”
“Yes, please,” she squeaked.
“—and once the master waygate disintegrated, the others just came apart! Our allies crushed the remaining shadowkin. Dragons and teams of pegasi took down the tarwhelps and the shadowfliers. Diamond dogs got pretty much everything north of the Harmony Gate. Buffalo and zebra forces tore up their army to the south and managed to get a huge section of the docks cleared too!” Sunset laughed, her red and gold mane dancing in the light of the rising dawn through the medical ward’s windows.
“It can’t have been that easy!” Twilight protested.
“Oh, Twi.” Sunset waved her hoof with another laugh. “You worry too much! Yeah, we found some things like lesser versions of those generators scattered throughout the outskirts, but we hunted every one of them down.”
Sunset’s eyes sparked with fire and her grin became almost transcendent. “The best part is, whatever was controlling these things apparently sent their full attack force into that single assault. When we broke their lines, we broke the whole dang army! There’s probably still some stragglers, and we haven’t found all of the infected yet, but Shiny is almost certain Canterlot won’t be seeing another shadowkin attack for months!” Sunset flipped her mane back and grinned. “By Mother’s Mane, sis, you and that doe of yours really know how to get stuff done!”
Twilight bit her lip. “How is Mother?”
Sunset leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. “Oh, she’s already up and about. Y’know, making proclamations, planning speeches, medals, awards, the whole shebang. Radiant Hope wasn’t really happy about it, but you know how she is. Always doing the whole ‘mother hen’ thing.”
“I’m right here, you know,” said the crystal unicorn mare from a few beds away, currently tending to a wounded soldier. She shot them both a stern glower, but there was no real heat behind it. “You could at least pretend you have some decorum, Princess.”
“You know I love you, Hope!”
“Princesses,” Hope sighed and trotted back down the ward. “They never change.”
“Why do you love to antagonize her?” Twilight glared at her sister. “You and her mother?”
“Oh, Countess Amore and I get along just fine. I just like teasing Hope. She’s fun. Definitely more fun than Cadance.”
“Not a good idea to annoy our best healers, Sunset.”
“Thanks for the tip, Twi.” Sunset stuck out her tongue at Twilight. “I’ll manage things. Though not nearly as well as you, apparently.”
Twilight blinked a few times. “You’ve lost me. How does that one work, Sunny?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Sunset waggled her eyebrows with a grin. “Maybe it has something to do with that doe who’s been nipping at your fetlocks. And, if I were to guess… at a few other things.”
“Sunset!”
“Am I wrong?” Sunset fluttered her eyelashes. Then she leaned forward, but all that did was emphasize her smirk.
“That…” Twilight stammered, face once again going hot. “That is… that’s none of your concern!”
“So… you’re telling me the answer to my question is definitely a...” Sunset tapped her hoof on her chin and waited for several long seconds. “‘Yes.’”
Twilight groaned and did her best to bury herself under the bedsheets. Sunset’s magic quickly removed that little obstacle. Twilight glared at her.
“You’re almost as bad as she is.”
“Twi, I love you, but not like that. That would just be… creepy. Even if we’re not technically related.”
“You do realize the pony in your chambers is a direct contradiction of that fact, right?”
“Details, details,” Sunset scoffed, waving a hoof. “She’s not related at all. She’s not even from this universe. Anyway, Moonie likes her. The three of us are good together.”
Twilight glowered at her sister. She put all the force she could muster into a single sustained burst of glowering.
Sunset laughed so hard she nearly fell out of her chair.
“Yeah, yeah.” Twilight crossed her forelegs. “Laugh it up.”
That’s exactly what Sunset did, before she finally managed to get herself under control.
“Oh come on, Twi,” Sunset smiled. “You can’t blame her. You're pretty much destined to be together. Have been for years.”
Twilight blinked a few times. “What now?”
Sunset peered at Twilight, cocking her head as if trying to figure out if Twilight was being serious or not.
“You… you mean you don’t know?” Sunset sounded incredulous. Her eyes went wide. “How could you not know?”
“Not know what?”
“Twi, she put your soul mark on your armor’s chestplate! Did the same thing for Trix and Star!”
“That’s because I was there. They were my bodyguards!” Twilight shook her head. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Yeah, so why is it emblazoned on the shield she made for your brother?” Sunset challenged with a raised eyebrow.
“Huh? It was? Why would she do that?”
“That little star pattern was also stamped on the hilt of each of the swords she made for the three of you.” Sunset laughed again, her eyes positively dancing with glee. “I seriously can’t believe you don’t know!”
“Don’t know what?” Twilight demanded. “Stop playing games, Sunny! Why would she put my soul mark on all of her weapons and armor?”
“Because she doesn’t even think about it! It’s instinctual. It’s like an artist’s signature mark.”
Twilight rubbed her temples with her forehooves. “If you get near a point, make it!”
Sunset sighed, and her horn ignited. There was a brief pop, and a large dusty tome appeared on Twilight’s lap.
“A In-Depth Study of the Magic of the Deerkin,” Twilight read aloud.
“Flip to the page about the virtrung’s bond-magic.”
Twilight shrugged and did as she was told, opening the book with a brush of her magic and flipping through the pages. Sunset had always been the one who knew more about the non-pony species than Twilight. After all, she was the diplomat, while Twilight was the scholar.
That was fine though. Twilight preferred the hard sciences. And while she could have just demanded the information she wanted, she’d happily do a little digging if it would get her answers without the teasing.
She’ll likely tease me anyway. Maybe this will result in a net loss of teasing.
“Bond-magic… bond-magic… okay… here it is…” Twilight ran a forehoof along the page. “‘Bond-magic is one of the few types of magic unique to the races of the deerkin. While all forms of deerkin posses this particular magic, it is most prominently seen in the virtrung. At a certain point in a virtrung’s life, it is common for he or she to suddenly become fixated on a symbol or sign. According to historical texts provided by virtrung scholars, this most often relates to their future… their future…’”
“Finish it,” Sunset said in a singsong voice.
“This can’t be right.”
“Finish it, Twilight.”
“‘…Their future mate,’” Twilight squeaked. “What… this is… not possible! This can’t—”
“Keep going!” Sunset sounded like she was seconds from bursting out laughing again. “I can’t wait to see your expression on the next part!”
“‘Though the symbol’s meaning may not become apparent for many years, it will weave itself into a virtrung’s everyday life.’” Twilight’s voice was all but a monotone at this point as she tried to process the words she was reading. “’This is most prominent in those virtrung who choose a crafting trade, as the mark will invariably end up in all finished products.’”
“Come on!” Sunset crowed. “Stop dragging your hooves! Get to the good part!”
Twilight forced herself to keep reading through only a supreme act of will… and not wanting to see the expression on Sunset’s face.
“‘The rarest example of bond-magic is called ‘mark mirroring.’ While it has no direct analogue in pony magic, the closest theory is the concept of ‘soul-mates.’” Twilight squeaked. She was reading on full automatic now. “In the extremely uncommon case of a virtrung becoming deeply involved—either as friend or mate—with any member of the pony races, a soul mark will appear on the virtrung’s flanks. It is almost invariably tied to the special talents and gifts possessed by the pony in question.’”
Twilight stared at the page. She stared at the words. At the imperfections in the copy. The creases in the parchment. The delicate filigree of the header. The—
“Yup!” Sunset cried with a laugh so loud she got shushed by Radiant Hope. “Don’t you get it, sis? Deerkin don’t normally have soul marks!”
“But… that… she has… the three… can’t be… that would…”
“Don’t forget to breathe there, Twi.”
Twilight tried. At least somewhat. A few gasps of oxygen were inhaled for the continued operation of her brain. A few more were then added for good measure.
“Deerkin… don’t have… they don’t have…”
“Not unless they’re bonded to a pony,” Sunset clapped her hooves with a completely inappropriate level of glee. “Personally, I think your little ambassador went a bit overboard. I mean, I get the whole soul-mate thing. That’s cool. But setting things up like this? Permanently bonding yourself with one of the members of the Royal Line? It seems excessive, but who am I to judge?”
“This… this is impossible. Nopony would get bonded with me—”
“I’m afraid your sister is quite right, my dear princess,” a silken voice purred.
Twilight tried to dive under the covers. Sunset’s teal magic and Rarity’s blue magic instantly pulled the covers away.
“You’re all evil!” Twilight grabbed her pillow and tried to hide again. Sunset’s magic flung that away from her. She hid under her hooves, but was lured out by the siren laugh of the doe, who now sat on the bed next to Twilight’s. She was positioned in just the right way to show off the three gemstone soul mark on her flank. And to show off the flank itself.
“Hiding won’t make me go away, my dear princess,” Rarity cooed. “It’ll only encourage me to come after you.”
Sunset let out a little squeal of inarticulate delight. She also showed no sign of leaving.
“Sunset!” Twilight groaned as she glared at her sister. “Go away.”
“But…”
“Get out!” Twilight snapped.
“But I wanna see how red she can make you!”
“I assure you,” Rarity declared with an utterly shameless smirk. “You may not want to see that. Adopted or not, she is your sister after all.”
Sunset jittered on her chair, unable to decide. Finally, Twilight had enough and vaporized Sunset’s chair with a flash of starfire. Her big sister dropped to the ground with a plop.
“Ow!” Sunset protested as she rubbed her flanks. “That hurt!”
“Did not,” Twilight said.
“Did so!” Sunset shot back.
“Did not!”
“Did so!”
“Did—” Twilight almost screamed. “Go away Sunset!”
“Fine,” Sunset pouted as she leapt into the air with a sweep of her phoenix wings. “But I want to compare notes later! If she qualifies, I might need to visit the Council of the Woods sometime soon for a…” Sunset coughed, “diplomatic exchange.”
This time, both Twilight and Rarity glared at her. But Sunset didn’t even look slightly abashed. She just laughed and teleported out with her customary golden flame.
“Don’t think this means you can start up again, Miss Rarity,” Radiant Hope said from somewhere behind them. “I’ll remind you two that you are in a medical ward. Don’t get any ideas.”
“Hope!” Twilight squeaked. “Not you too!”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Princess. I’ve had to deal with her moping around your bed ever since you were admitted. I’m surprised that doe there didn’t tackle you the moment she came in the door.”
“Everypony in this palace is crazy!” Twilight groaned as she flopped back onto the bed and tried to hide inside of her wings.
“Awww…” Rarity pouted from somewhere beyond the purple shield of feathers. “I thought for certain that I’d warrant inclusion in the crazy.”
Twilight peeked out to glare at the doe. “You’re the worst of the lot.”
“That’s better. I do so enjoy proper recognition for my efforts!” Rarity beamed with pride as she leapt off of her bed with the grace only a deerkin could possess. “I always try to excel in all that I do.”
To Twilight’s surprise, Rarity didn’t add anything else. She was just strangely silent for a bit before gently settling on the bed, Twilight peeked out from her wings, sat up and folded them.
Rarity was giving her plenty of space. If anything, she looked bashful, completely unable to meet Twilight’s eyes.
“I had hoped to tell you in a somewhat different fashion,” Rarity admitted. “For all the joy I get out of seeing you blush, my dear princess, I admit this moment has filled me with a great deal of trepidation. I’m not quite sure how you might react… so I may have spent a significant time distracting you.”
“Those things I saw… when you saved me from the Nightmare Pox…” Twilight mumbled, fiddling with her hooves. “Those memories were yours, weren’t they?”
“As I said at the time, I put too much into that spell. I… er… well, I panicked seeing you being… devoured like that. The shadowkin have not struck our Woods for a long, long while, but we have stories. Considering the nature of the enemy, I made sure to research our cure to the Pox before I left, just in case. I… didn’t expect to have to use it on you.”
“I’m glad you did. I don’t even want to think of what would have happened if it had taken me.”
“Nor do I,” Rarity replied. She twirled a bit of her purple mane with a hoof, and flicked it over her shoulder with a very ladylike sound of annoyance. “Perish the very idea of it.”
“That was a nice change in subject, by the way,” Twilight pointed out. “I almost pointed out how idiotic I was in rushing off to fight them without getting several bottles of the cure.”
“I wasn’t going to mention that little faux pas.” Rarity shrugged.
“And you’re still trying to change the subject. Almost doing a good job, too.”
“You think so?” Rarity commented, still not meeting Twilight’s gaze. “Nothing too overt, I hope?”
Twilight snorted at the sheer absurdity of the question coming from the doe who had been teasing her since they had first met. Her snort bubbled into laughter as she thought about the absurdity of her bonding with one of the nigh-mythic virtrung. At dealing a lasting defeat to the shadowlords. At… everything.
Rarity joined in, and their laughter echoed musically around the medical ward.
“Yes,” Rarity replied with a sigh. “They were indeed my memories. The deerkin cure to the Pox channels one’s inner light and connection to Harmony. Both the caster and the recipient always get flashes of memory. Usually, it’s only key moments of their own lives… but if one overcharges the spell…”
“…the thoughts become intertwined?”
“Our mages call it ‘The Interweaving of Colours.’” Rarity kicked her hindhooves a little. “We usually think of one’s inner self in terms of colors. The emotional wavelengths, you see, red for anger, yellow for fear, pink for love… And—"
“—And you’re trying to change the subject. Again.”
Rarity let out an exasperated sigh, and peered at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “Forgive me, my dear princess. Flirting is a great deal easier—and much more fun—than this sort of conversation.”
Twilight nodded absently, but the question rattling around inside of her mind refused to settle.
“Tell me when you got your soul mark.”
“You already know the details,” Rarity pointed out. “You saw it.”
“I know what I saw,” Twilight replied. “But I don’t have any context. Tell me about it. Please?”
Rarity was silent for a time, so long Twilight wasn’t sure she was going to answer. Finally, the doe began to speak.
“It was during the Three Long Nights. Despite the fear coursing through our glades, the Elders had consulted the Spirits of Branch, Leaf and Stone, but found no new dark presence hovering over the land.” Rarity smiled faintly. “To our surprise, they said that a new divinity had ascended. Of course, we knew of the High Divine Princesses, Solis and Selene. The newest pair we called the Daughter Divine Princesses, Auroae and Amoris. It didn’t take long to figure out the title of the latest one would be Astra.”
Twilight nodded. She remembered those days all too vividly. The confusion. The bewilderment. The sheer power. It had been overwhelming, even after her adopted family had come to save her from her newfound influence over the night sky.
It had been the worst and best night of her life.
All I ever wanted to be was an astronomer…
Twilight chewed her bottom lip, but didn’t interrupt.
“On the third night, I felt a strange pull through my magic. My hooves wouldn’t stop glowing. Something called me out of the forest. After a short while, I found myself upon a lonely hill above a waterfall. I looked up at the night sky, and wondered when the stars would reappear. I missed them. You see, my dear princess, I have always loved the stars. I remember thinking how lonely the moon must be without her friends.
“And then… the stars surged into the sky. It was… beautiful. Unlike anything I had ever seen. As if Harmony herself had taken a handful of gems and scattered them over the night. That night, I saw something unique. No other deerkin had witnessed what I had. Something I’d… well, I’d always doubted my recollection of that night, until I saw your soul mark.” A fire ignited inside Rarity’s eyes for a moment. “And what a canvas it rests on!”
“Enough about my flank,” Twilight shook her head, though she didn’t feel even a spark of real annoyance. “What did you see?”
“You’re no fun,” Rarity pouted. Then, like the sun bursting through clouds, she giggled and continued. “I saw a single, brilliant magenta star surrounded by five white stars burning like embers in the night.” Rarity stared at her hooves as if in shame. “And for a split second, I saw three stars shift in the sky. They stood in front of the magenta star and took on an azure radiance… becoming…”
Rarity’s eyes drifted to her own flank. “Well… they became those.”
“Then…” Twilight said as she studied Rarity’s soul mark. “They aren’t gemstones?”
“Gemstones of the night,” Rarity replied with a sigh. “My blessing… and my curse.”
Twilight reached out to run a hoof along her flank. Rarity’s coat was incredibly soft, beyond any fabric Twilight had ever felt. Rarity shivered at the contact and Twilight yanked her hoof back.
“Sorry!” she squeaked. “I didn’t mean—”
Rarity shivered one more time, a blush spreading across her muzzle. “No… no need to apologize, darling. After all, they are the reason I am here.”
Twilight paused, studying the doe. She could see that Rarity was still holding back. “But that’s not all there is to the story, is there?”
Rarity shook her head, her ears flat. “No. You have to understand… back then… well, among my kind, contact with outsiders was looked upon as being… uncouth, to say the least. And I was High Master Shaper in the Day Woods. For one in my position… for me to suddenly return with the mark of a pony upon my flank…” She sighed and frowned at the floor. “It was not well-received. I am only glad that the ire of the Council remained solely upon me. It did not impact my dear sister, nor my parents.” She let out a sigh and shifted her stare from her hooves to the ceiling. “Though, ironically, my sister ended up discovering her magic with a young griffon chick and an earth pony filly, so she had some small manner of social stigma anyway. Still, nothing approaching my own.”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, putting her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “I didn’t know.”
“How could you possibly know, darling?” Rarity said in a cheerful voice that didn’t fool Twilight for a second. “No reason you should. I confess…” Rarity swallowed. “Earlier, I made it sound as if my departure from the Day Woods was a great sacrifice by my people. Nothing could be further than the truth. When the call came to assist Canterlot, while there are those in the Council of the Woods who do indeed wish to speak to outsiders again… it was not their vote that sent me away.”
Twilight bit her lip. It sounded all too familiar and it hurt. Being alone in a crowd. Being forced into a change you weren't sure about. Being forced into a change you never wanted. Being subjected to the whims of something far greater than yourself.
“Do you miss her? Your sister?”
“Oh, quite terribly,” Rarity confessed. “But she’s on a different path than I. She is to be one of our greatest Songbirds. I couldn’t be prouder. Leaving her was hardest thing I’ve ever done. I do hope I’ll see her again soon.”
“I promise, you will.” Twilight replied. Twilight was only a little surprised that she meant every word.
Rarity looked up and Twilight caught a glimmer of liquid in the doe’s great blue eyes. “You can’t promise such a thing, my dear princess, though the thought is greatly appreciated.”
“I am the Astra Princess of the Equestrian Realms,” Twilight said, drawing herself up. “The Council of the Woods cannot deny an audience with one of the Royal Five. It would be the greatest of insults.”
Rarity’s great blue eyes softened and a tiny trickle fell down her cheek. There was no diamond in her gaze now. Only unabashed gratitude. Slowly, her hoof shaking, she reached out to touch Twilight’s forehoof. “You would really do that for me?”
“After all you’ve done for us?” Twilight almost laughed out loud. “It’s the least I could do! You’re a hero, Rarity.”
“No, I’m not.” Rarity said as another tear fell from her face. “I am no hero. My motives were not what they should have been.”
“What are you talking about?” It was Twilight’s turn to move her hoof over Rarity’s. “You charged into that battle without a single thought to your own well-being!”
“Not to save your people. Not to save your city. I did it because I wanted to make sure you were safe. Not because you were the Astra Princess. Because… because I felt the stars telling me that you had to be saved. Beyond that… nothing else mattered to me at that moment aside from the pony I had somehow become bound to. After I finally found you… after I finally found the reason… I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Twilight’s heart did several complicated acrobatic maneuvers that would require serious magic or an exceptional flying skill.
“That’s not—”
“Princess!” Rarity cut her off with a slash of her free hoof as tears fell from her eyes. “I am a selfish, vain creature. I did what I did out of self-interest and a desperate quest to find my purpose in life. Bond or no… one such as you deserves a creature who serves a greater purpose than her own desires.”
Rarity tried to get up. Maybe she was even trying to leave. Twilight couldn’t risk that. Not with answers so close. With a surge of magic, she shoved Rarity back down onto the bed. She probably let her emotions funnel through her magic a bit too much, because Rarity actually yelped and rubbed her flank.
“Sorry!” Twilight squeaked. “I didn’t… I mean… please don’t leave.”
“You deserve better.”
“No, I don’t!” Twilight snapped. “I teleported us into the middle of a warzone. I was nearly killed within the first three seconds of that fight! Then, I rushed that waygate with next to no actual combat experience. If I had done that against a trained enemy and not the mindless shadowkin, I would have been torn apart. And if you had been struck down by the Nightmare Pox, I couldn’t have done a star-forgotten thing to help you because I was too busy showing off!”
Rarity continued to shake her head. Twilight wasn’t sure the doe was even listening. “You deserve better than I, Astra Princess. I have done nothing but tease you and play with you since I first revealed myself. Not only that, but I—”
“And I liked it!” Twilight cried. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. Yet even with her eyes closed, she knew Rarity sat there stock-still. “I loved it, actually!”
“You… you did?” Rarity sounded completely incredulous. “But I…”
“For most of my life…” Twilight interrupted, still unable to open her eyes to look the doe in the face. “I have been terrified of other ponies. Of being seen. Even after ten years of being the Astra Princess, I’m still terrified. Everypony always stares at Sunset, Cadance, Aunt Luna or Mother. The only reason Sunset’s not constantly beating back suitors is because she’s got her eye on the Lady Archivist, Moon Dancer and an… understanding with somepony else. Cadance is safe because she’s married to my brother. And ponies are just too terrified of Mother and Aunt Luna to approach them.”
“I… I’m afraid I don’t follow, darling.”
Twilight finally opened her eyes, took a breath and grabbed both of Rarity’s hooves in her own.
“You’re the first one who ever made me feel like a mare… a pony others might like.” Twilight licked her lips. “I am always overshadowed. The strange one who plays with the stars. Who’s usually more comfortable in a library than at court. I never wanted to be a princess! I wanted nothing more than to be an astronomer! That’s it! I’ve been hiding from this role as best I could for a decade! It was working too! Everypony was just… ignoring me. And you trotted in, shattered all of that and flirted with me! Me!”
Some part of Twilight knew she was being a fool for shouting this in the middle of the medical ward, but she didn’t care. This had been bottled up for far too long. Now that Rarity had poked a hole in her shields… it wouldn’t stop. It couldn’t.
“That’s because you are a singularly radiant pony, Astra Princess,” Rarity replied, blushing even as she clutched at Twilight. “I admit, after I learned it was you who was responsible for the stars, I did all within my power to study you from afar… and became rather smitten as a result. No, you aren’t like your sisters or your aunt or your mother. You are you. And you’re perfect as you are, even with all your imperfections. Especially with all your imperfections.”
“You…” It was Twilight’s turn to flush red, but she couldn’t refute the comment without destroying her own argument. “Rarity, please don’t leave. Stay with me.”
Rarity blinked a few times, obviously trying to process what Twilight had just asked.
“Are you asking—”
“Yes,” Twilight answered immediately. Some part of her was screaming to stop, but she told that part of her to buck off. For the first time in her life, somepony other than her family cared for her as she was. “Every version of that question. Yes.”
“But… this is all rather sudden. We only met face-to-face for the first time two days ago!” Rarity balked. “I expected the flirting to be fun… not to actually… not to be welcomed.”
“You are welcome. Because… I… haven’t been honest with you, Rarity.” Twilight looked away, but didn’t let go of the doe’s hooves. “What you described on the third night? I saw that. I thought… I thought it was part of me that just wanted attention. I was ashamed of it. Even as Sunset whooped and cheered at the little display, I turned away.” Twilight took a deep breath before plunging onward. “But I did see the three blue gems. And some piece of me just knew that part didn’t come from me. It wasn’t even for me. It was for somepony else. Well, somedeer else, I guess.”
“You… you did?”
Twilight had to admit that some part of her enjoyed seeing Rarity on the defensive. Twilight also suspected she wouldn’t be seeing it very often in the future. If ever.
“I almost never talk about it,” Twilight said. “But… every night when I bring the stars out from their slumber, I can feel them. Sometimes, when I need it the most, I can find a star that fills me with courage or confidence. And for a split second when those three gems appeared in the night sky… I felt like I belonged. The only other time I’ve really felt that was back in the Golden Boughs. I’m so, so sorry. I had all but forgotten about it, until you mentioned it and I didn’t even make the connection when I saw your soul mark! That night was so crazy for me, and I can’t believe I forgot, and I feel like such an idiot when my soul mark is all over every piece of armor, and every single weapon you’ve made since that night, especially since that night was ten years ago, and I can’t understand why that happened, or why this is happening, or—”
A warm crystalline hoof pressed against Twilight’s muzzle, forcing her to stop. It was a gentle touch, insistent but kind. Every muscle in Twilight’s body stiffened. Her face exploded into a blush.
I can’t believe I just went into such a freaking ramble she’s going to think I’m such a crazypony and…
“Hush,” Rarity cooed. “Because if you continue ranting like that, I won’t be able to stop myself.”
How can a crystal hoof be so warm and so soft? Twilight could feel the potent magic in the virtrung. It swirled inside the doe, eager to be released in bouts of pure creativity. This deerkin held the very magic of creation within herself… and for some unfathomable reason, she said she was smitten with Twilight.
“Stop…” Twilight pulled away just far enough to be able to speak, even if she had to lick her lips a few times before she could say anything. It had absolutely nothing to do with faint taste of lavender and sugar that lingered there. “Stop you… stop you from doing what?”
Rarity took an enormous breath. Her brilliant blue undercoat swelled and lines of blue magic wove down the doe’s legs. Her ears flicked a few times. Her mane shone in the firefly lamps of the medical ward. Twilight’s breath caught in her throat as Rarity leaned forward.
“From doing… th—”
“And that’s enough of that!” barked a voice from no more than two feet away.
Twilight’s wings flared as she leapt into the air, her heart trying to explode from her chest. Rarity let out a squeal and jumped back with the inequine grace of a deerkin, soaring back half a dozen beds before landing bolt upright on one, a quarter of her mane suddenly frazzled beyond measure.
There was a flare of blue magic. Both Twilight and Rarity were yanked into the air by Radiant Hope’s vise-like telekinesis.
“I warned the two of you there will be none of that in my ward!” the healer snapped. “I have half a mind to teleport the both of you into the palace moat! But considering how the two of you have been going on, you might just boil it away!”
“Um…” Twilight said in her most diplomatic voice.
“Err…” Rarity declared in her whimsical and ethereal voice.
“Well, it seems you’ve healed enough to fly once again, Astra Princess,” Radiant Hope muttered with a shake of her head. She marched along the medical ward’s central walkway with Rarity and Twilight floating along behind her. “You can do that—and anything else—somewhere other than my ward! As for you, young deerkin…” She speared Rarity with her most stern glower. And coming from Radiant Hope, that was enough to melt gemstones. “You can find somewhere else to play. Now shoo! Both of you!”
At the door, Radiant Hope shoved both of them out. They landed with a thump on the marble floor outside the medical ward. Radiant Hope’s glower vanished and she smirked at both of them.
“Twilight, dearest?”
“Um… yes?” Twilight mumbled, unsure as to what had just happened.
“Be more subtle than your bodyguards, okay?”
The door closed with a soft click.
Rarity opened her mouth and raised a hoof as if to say something. Then she closed it and blinked a few times. She turned to Twilight. Twilight turned to her.
“So… um… that just happened,” Twilight commented.
“Indeed it did,” Rarity agreed.
They stared at each other for a few more seconds, leaning ever closer to each other.
They both fell over laughing.