Fizzlepop and Twilight were on the train to Canterlot. Starlight had left for the Crystal Empire a bit earlier, to allow Cadance and Shining Armor to get there in time. The ponies were nervous to tell the princesses about their secret, but excited at the same time. Fizzlepop was wearing her white armor with magenta trim to represent Twilight. Twilight’s Cutie Mark was on the flank of the armor, and on the chest piece. Once they arrived in Canterlot, they tried to act natural, with Twilight being relaxed, yet royal, and Fizzlepop being more tense and guard-like, marching next to Twilight, still giving her the occasional smile. She referred to Twilight as ‘Princess’. Well, most of the time. She would sneak in a ‘Twilight’ or a ‘Twi’ every now and then. Twilight also tried to refrain from calling Fizzlepop ‘Fizzle’ or ‘Fizz’. Once they got into the castle, they sighed in relief, not realizing how hard it would be to keep things low-key. They walked to the throne room in silence, and paused right outside of the door. The guards were about to open the doors for them, when Twilight gave them a “hold” signal. She looked at Fizzlepop.
“Are you ready for this? This is going to be hard for both of us, but it’s too late to back out now,” Twilight asked. Fizzlepop nodded. Twilight nodded to the guards, and they opened the doors. They walked in formally, towards the three princesses and the prince. Fizzlepop bowed, and the princesses laughed.
“You don’t need to bow, you’re Twilight’s personal guard,” Cadance explained. Fizzlepop abruptly stood back up.
“Now, Twilight and Captain Berrytwist, why is it that you have requested to meet with us?” Celestia asked. Just before Twilight could start explaining, Celestia interrupted. “And...did you bring me cake like my letter suggested?”
“Uhm……” Twilight nervously giggled. She used her magic to make a cake appear. Celestia seemed pleased. “But, this is for after. First, we have something to say.…..me and Fizzle..pop are...” Twilight took a breath. “Together...”
“Like, together together..” Fizzlepop added, the same way she had told her friends. They were both blushing, and so were the princesses. Shining Armor started tearing up. They all smiled.
“I must say, I was not expecting this, however I am very pleased to see you both so happy together. I am so proud of both of you, and the amazing ponies you’ve become, and I’m eager to see how much you will continue to grow together,” Celestia explained.
“What she said. I am so proud of you both as well, and just know that if you ever need any guidance, all you need to do is go to sleep,” Luna winked.
“I am just so happy for you! Congratulations, you two! We wish you the best of luck,” Cadance cheered. Shining Armor was crying.
“BEFORE YOU ASK, ITS LIQUID PRIIIIDE” Shining sobbed, and hugged Twilight. “I love you, Twily,” Shining mustered, before sobbing again. Twilight stroked Shining’s back, with an “aww”. She used her magic to give him a tissue, and he proceeded to sob into it.
“So...you’re all okay with this? Really?” Fizzlepop asked.
“Of course we are, we wouldn’t have put you two together in the first place if we weren’t,” Celestia answered. Shining finally calmed down to a sniffle, and Twilight brought the cake back over.
“How about we cut this cake?”
“That would be amazing,” Celestia replied. Celestia gestured to keep making her slice bigger until it was almost half of the cake. Twilight playfully rolled her eyes, and levitated the plate of cake over to Celestia. She ate the massive piece within 3 minutes. Once the ponies had all finished enjoying their cake, Twilight and Fizzlepop had decided it was time to leave.
“I think it’s time we go now, we want to take some time to go around Canterlot,” Twilight mentioned.
“It was wonderful having you both back here, and I am just so proud of you both again. Have fun,” Celestia replied before they left. Twilight turned around and ran over to hug Shining Armor once more.
“I love you, Twily. I’m so proud of you,” Shining said as more tears rolled down his face. Twilight backed away, and looked at everypony.
“Remember, don’t tell anypony about the two of us. We’re not ready to let anypony else besides you and our close friends know,”
“Your secret is safe with us,” Celestia responded. The others nodded in agreement. Twilight and Fizzlepop walked out, and the guards closed the doors. After they walked away from the corridor, the princesses giggled in excitement about this new romance.
“So, what do you want to do now that we got that over with?” Fizzlepop asked.
“I was thinking we could stop by Rarity’s boutique, and if we’re hungry, Rarity suggested a good restaurant, and there’s always the library! There’s a ton of other shops and events, too! This is Canterlot after all!”
“I know, Twi, and I’m up for anything, but,” Fizzlepop sighed. “Just remember, we have to things low-key,” Fizzlepop placed her arm on Twilight’s shoulder.
“I know, and although it’s hard, we’ll do our best. And if we’re having trouble and need to relax, we can always sneak aside and I can put the invisibility spell on us again, or if we’re close by, we can always sneak back into the castle,” Twilight reassured Fizzlepop, and they hugged once they reached the doors. They repositioned themselves regally, and left the castle, followed by Shining Armor and Cadance not long after. They waved to ponies as they walked towards the higher class fashion community. They entered Canterlot Carousel, and walked up to Sassy Saddles at the checkout counter.
“Why hello, Princess, Captain Berrytwist! Rarity didn’t tell me you were coming, I would’ve helped make something special,” Sassy said, disappointed.
“It was kind of a last minute thing,” Twilight responded. “And please, call us Twilight and Fizzlepop.”
“What brings you to Canterlot on such short notice?” Sassy asked.
“Just a day trip, wanted a quick break from royal duties and all,” Twilight nervously giggled. She wasn’t too great at lying, but she wasn’t positive that she could trust Sassy with their secret. “Just figured we’d stop by, see what new fashions Rarity has come up with here,”
“Well, if you need anything at all, please let me know! I am always willing to help a princess and her royal guard!” Sassy cheered. The two fake grinned, and walked towards the dresses. Clothing of all different colors, patterns, styles, and fabrics hung around the store, the sparkles of some fabrics glistened in the afternoon light. The two happily grabbed dresses and accessories, trying things on, and having fun. They bought a few outfits, and said goodbye to Sassy. Next, the two decided to head to the Canterlot Library, since Fizzlepop had never been, and Twilight has always loved it. Since they wanted some peace, they instead chose the castle library. They carefully made their way to the castle, and once they walked in, they sighed, and slumped. They had underestimated how hard it would be to stay low-key.
“I didn’t realize how hard that would be,” Twilight mentioned.
“Yeah, especially since we’ve only been together for a few days,” Fizzlepop agreed. They walked towards the library, more comfortably since they didn’t have to worry about anypony seeing them. They started in the Starswirl the Bearded wing, reading the ancient spells and stories. Next, they went into the general area, and read through the classics, and spellbooks. Even though she couldn’t cast spells, Fizzlepop had always been interested in magic. After, they grabbed a good storybook, and cuddled up on one of the sofas, as Twilight read aloud. Fizzlepop loved how Twilight had given the characters different voices and quirks as she read. After all, a bookworm is a great storyteller. Eventually, Fizzlepop fell asleep on Twilight, and she paused reading to embrace it. She snuggled up to her more, and kissed the top of her head. She thought Fizzle was adorable as she slept. She used her magic to tap the guard who was standing at the library entrance, pretending not to see what was happening. His face had a slight pink to it. He turned to Twilight, and she motioned for him to come over.
“Y-yes, Princess? Do you need anything?” He whispered, as not to wake Fizzlepop. He was still not used to this new romance.
“Can you please get me a camera? Quickly, before she wakes up,” Twilight whispered back.
“Of course, Princess,” the guard replied before saluting and running off to fulfill the princess’ request. She softly nuzzled Fizzlepop, and then she realized something. There was no longer a guard, so anypony could come in and see them. Twilight used her magic to create an invisibility spell until he came back, just in case. Luckily, she never had to use it, as the guard soon returned with the camera, as requested. He ran up to Twilight.
“Here you go, princess,” He said as he bowed, and gave the camera to Twilight. Twilight used her magic to levitate the camera to the perfect angle, and she took a cute picture of her and Fizzle snuggling in the library. Once the picture printed out, and she had examined it to make sure that it was perfect, she gave the camera back to the guard.
“Thank you, for the camera, and for understanding,”
“It is my pleasure and my duty, princess,” the guard replied as he bowed, and teleported the camera back to its original location.
“Need anything else?”
“Just a little bit of quiet time, but thank you,” Twilight responded. The guard nodded and smiled at her, then returned to his post. She placed the picture neatly in her saddlebag.
~a little while later~
Fizzlepop woke up slowly, and rubbed her eyes a bit. Then, her eyes grew wide as she realized where she was. She turned red again.
“Did I...fall asleep while you were reading?”
“Mmhmm,” Twilight replied. “And it was great,”. Fizzlepop nervously giggled, and rubbed her arm, her face still red. After an awkward silence, Twilight finally spoke.
“It’s getting pretty late, Twilight said as she glanced at the clock, which read ‘5:34’. “We should probably head back,”
“Yeah, unless you wanted to have a romantic dinner here instead of at the castle...” Fizzle suggested.
“As amazing as that sounds, Rarity and Pinkie Pie said that all of the fancy restaurants here weren’t very good, and the few that they suggested weren’t very classy. Besides, that leaves us more time to snuggle later, and tell Starlight and Spike about our day. I also have to work at the school in the morning, since it is a school night. But.... I suppose I could go in later, and just have Spike take care of things until I get there..” Twilight thought aloud.
“That does sound like a better plan. It’s a shame that the restaurants don’t live up to their reviews, but your plan sounds more enjoyable anyways,” Fizzlepop replied. Just then, they were approached by two guards, one of which was the guard who was stationed at the library.
“Hello, Princess, Captain. We would like to accompany you in the train back to Ponyville, to give you a private part of the train, so you can relax without worrying about anypony,” The library guard explained.
“Oh, that’s very sweet, but you don’t have to do tha-“ Twilight was interrupted by the guard.
“No, we insist, we could use some fresh air anyways, and making royalty feel comfortable is our duty,” he insisted.
“You can accompany us, if you insist,” Twilight responded. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being treated so highly, but she was relieved that she could get quality time with Fizzlepop on the train. The two gathered their belongings, returning books to their rightful locations, and following the guards out of the castle. A few ponies looked confused as to why Twilight had two Celestial Guards with her, along with Fizzlepop. Once they arrived at the train station, the ponies boarded the Friendship Express, and Twilight and Fizzle chose a car.
“Alright, we’re going to leave you two be, enjoy your private train ride,” The library guard mentioned, before he and the other guard went to either door, blocking anypony from entering the car. Twilight and Fizzlepop chose a bench, and sat close together.
“Oh come on, we can get cozier than this! We’re alone, you don’t have to worry, Twi,” Fizzle mentioned. They repositioned so that they were snuggling more, and sighed. They were both mostly laying in the seat, and Twilight was leaning on Fizzlepop. One of the guards looked through the window on the door and smiled. He hadn’t seen anything so pure in so long, as the princesses weren’t ever really interesting in romance, nor did they really have time for it. Twilight nuzzled closer, and Fizzlepop gently kissed Twilight’s head. Twilight blushed lightly.
“Fizz, your armor is too bulky and not nearly cuddly enough. As your princess, I believe your armor should be fluffy and snuggly,” Twilight said, nearly entranced in sleep. She did sound like she was half asleep, most likely from the warmth of the setting sun, the motion of the train, and the snuggles from Fizzlepop. Fizzle giggled.
“But If It were plush, I wouldn’t be able to protect us, so really, it’s for the best,”
“But what about for when you want to snuggle with your marefriend?” Twilight whispered.
“I’ll have to consult Celestia in that matter, we’ll see,” Fizzlepop wasn’t surprised when a few minutes later, Twilight was fully snoozing on her shoulder. So this is what it must’ve felt like to Twilight earlier, Fizzlepop thought. About 15 minutes later, the train hit a bump in the tracks and Twilight abruptly woke up.
“mmm..Fizzy?” Twilight moaned awake, jolted by the sudden movement of the train. She blinked a bit, then looked up at Fizzlepop, realizing where she was, rather than sleeping in her own bed. She turned red, looking suddenly embarrassed and nervous. Fizzlepop smiled back at her.
“Oh, this is so embarrassing,” Twilight tried to hide her red face with her hoof. Fizzlepop wasn’t sure why Twilight felt so embarrassed.
“Why are you so embarrassed? The guards aren’t watching, and besides, even princesses need sleep. And earlier, I fell asleep on you, and that was fine, right? This all started because we napped together! There’s no reason to feel ashamed,” Fizzlepop explained.
“Oh, no, it’s not that. It’s just,” Twilight sighed. “Very few ponies know this about me, because very few ponies have seen me sleep. And by that, I mean not even all of my friends know this. Only Starlight, Spike, Princess Cadance, and strangely Fluttershy, but that was when Zecora was sick, and she pulled that research all-nighter, and she woke me up, but- anyways, I get a little loopy when I’m tired, and sometimes I sleep-talk. Or if I’m sleep-deprived, I say some weird things, and I can tell when I sleep a certain way that is more likely to produce these results, and..... I may have dreamt about us.... and I may have said something... I’m not sure, but can you please tell me if I did? It’s just really embarrassing for me to know that I may have said something and I have no clue what it could’ve been,” Twilight confessed.
“Aww, that’s adorable- uh, I mean- let me think,” Fizzle blushed too. “Before you fell fully asleep, and you were half asleep, you recommended that I get plush armor for snuggling and cuddling my princess, and that my armor wasn’t comfy enough. I mentioned how it was this way for our protection, and you responded with something about how I should have separate armor for snuggling my marefriend.” Fizzlepop blushed as she said that. She still wasn’t fully comfortable with the word ‘marefriend’, neither was Twilight, and she blushed too. “After that, you fell asleep, and stayed asleep until we hit a bump. When you woke up, you moaned and grumbled a bit, all cute and and lovable, and I heard the word ‘Fizzy’ in there too. That’s it, though, nothing terrible, just adorable,” Fizzlepop explained to Twilight, still red.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I hate acting like that, it’s so embarrassing, and I’m sorry you had to see me like that, and-“ Fizzlepop put her hoof on Twilight’s muzzle.
“No, it was amazing. I love every side of you, Twi, and a few sleepy phrases won’t change anything. I honestly think it’s super cute,” Fizzle admitted. Twilight smiled, and perked.
“Thanks, Fizz, you’re the best. Oh! That reminds me!” Twilight sat up, and reached into her saddlebag on the floor. She grabbed the picture from earlier, and showed it to Fizzlepop, who turned red when she saw it. “This is from earlier, when you fell asleep on me,” Twilight said. You were so adorable, and I had the chance to have a guard get a camera without me moving you, so... I took the opportunity. I hope you don’t mind- Oh, who am I kidding? It’s definitely going on my mirror!” Twilight giggled. Fizzlepop was still red and smiling. She giggled. Then, the train slowed down, and the guards looked into the windows on the doors. They both walked in, and towards the two ponies. The library guard extended his hoof to help them get up from their comfortable positions. Once they got off of the train, the guard motioned for the conductor to wait outside for a second.
“This train’s heading back to Canterlot, right?” One of the guards asked the conductor. He nodded in affirmation, and the guards stood tall.
“We should head back to Canterlot, our stations won’t guard themselves. Is that okay, Princess?” the other guard asked the princess. Twilight nodded, and the guards saluted before re-entering the train. The conductor made his final boarding call, as Twilight and Fizzlepop started walking home.
“Y’know, I could get us home much faster, so we don’t have to walk through Ponyville,” Twilight mentioned. Fizzlepop looked confused.
“You’re seriously gonna try flying with me on your back? I don’t think that’s gonna work,” Fizzle responded. Twilight giggled.
“No, silly! Magic!”
“Oh, right,” Fizzlepop wondered why that wasn’t her first thought. “Why didn’t you just use magic to get us from Canterlot?”
“I’ll answer that in a second,” Twilight responded, then her horn started to glow. She tilted her head towards Fizzlepop, and in a flash of magenta light, they were alone in the castle’s main area. Twilight stepped towards Fizzlepop. “I didn’t teleport us from Canterlot because I wanted snuggles from my marefriend,” Twilight continued. She hugged Fizzlepop, and their hug remained for a few seconds. Twilight seemed to be getting used to that word, but Fizzlepop was still nervous about it. “We should find Starlight and Spike,” Twilight mentioned as the two ponies started walking towards the dining hall area, after peeking into the throne room. They weren’t in the dining hall. Twilight called for them, and she heard Starlight respond from the living area. They walked in, and Starlight and Spike were sitting on the couches facing each other.
“I didn’t realize you were home, I didn’t hear you come in,” Starlight said, looking up at the two ponies as they walked in. “How was your trip? How did the princesses react? Did you have fun? Did you do anything romantic?” Starlight excitedly asked.
“Yes, Starlight, we did have fun. First, we told the princesses. They were very happy for us. My brother was sobbing, he always cries at emotional events, and he was very proud. We ate cake with the princesses, even though Celestia took like half of the cake! Well, after that, we decided to go to Canterlot Carousel, and got some dresses. We didn’t tell Sassy Saddles, though. After that, we were exhausted from keeping things secret, so we went to the library at the castle so we could relax. I think this part is better told by Fizzle,” Twilight explained.
“Uh...well....we chose a story, and cuddled up on a couch. Twilight’s voice was so sweet and soothing, and....... I fell asleep leaning on her.... and little did I know that Twilight had one of the guards get her a camera, and she took a picture....” Fizzlepop blushed as Twilight took the picture out of her saddlebag, and showed it to Starlight. Starlight giggled.
“Awwww,” Starlight responded. Fizzlepop blushed more.
“.....Anyways, after that, it had gotten pretty late, so that’s when we decided to head home. The library guard and another guard insisted that they accompany us in the train ride, so we could have a private train area. We snuggled up again, and Twilight was feeling a little sleepy. She was very cute and loopy,” Fizzlepop giggled. Now Twilight blushed. “She ended up falling asleep, and then she woke up a bit later and showed me the picture she took. By then, we were back in Ponyville, so we said goodbye to the guards, then teleported here,”
“Awww, sounds like you had fun! No romantic dinner?” Starlight asked.
“No, we figured it was too risky,” Twilight answered.
“Well....we could always give you a romantic dinner at the castle....” Spike offered.
“But what about you guys? Wouldn’t you be eating late, then?”
Twilight asked, concerned.
“Don’t worry about us, we’re good. Just go get yourselves fancier, and meet us in the dining hall in half an hour,” Starlight announced. The two went off to their rooms to prepare for the night ahead.