The neon lights of Canterlot’s moonlit streets cast a heavenly glow over Twilight and Rarity as they headed for the Gala. Though Twilight mused that perhaps it was just Rarity who was glowing; she certainly stole all of Twilight’s attention away from everything else, Twilight just watching her in awe as they walked hand-in-hand down the snowy streets, the dozens of ponies passing them by not even registering to a smitten Twilight Sparkle.
“So how do you feel about Canterlot’s Sun District, my love?” Rarity asked, enchanting smile aimed right at Twilight’s heart like a deadly laser.
“I…” Twilight tried to think of something intellectual to say, but her inner monologue was just Rarity’s name repeated on an infinite loop. “…I’ll let you know once I can focus on something that isn’t you.”
“That may take quite some time,” Rarity chuckled and traced a finger under Twilight’s chin, guiding Twilight close and then pressing her lips against Twilight’s, who melted with a soft, pleased moan as Rarity put her arms around her and kissed her.
“I love you,” Twilight whispered.
“I love you too,” Rarity smiled and looked up and down Twilight’s body. “And the sooner we get to the Gala, the sooner we can meet Luna and Fleur, we can mingle, we can blow everypony away with what an amazing power couple we are, then we can get right back to the inn and I can rip this beautiful dress right off your beautiful body.”
“That sounds great,” Twilight beamed, her body already tingling in anticipation of Rarity’s touch.
The Canterlot castle ballroom was… cramped.
No, that wasn’t quite right, was it? It was spacious and vast and terrifyingly, overwhelmingly massive. Twilight Sparkle felt like a coin left on the side of the road as she was smothered half to death in the noise and smells and sights of partying noble ponies, and their chatter and diplomacy and all this other stuff she didn’t understand.
She was in the corner, thumbs beating against each other as she scanned the crowd for Rarity. She would be with Luna, of course, who didn’t exactly blend into the environment, so it’s not like Twilight could miss her, but she did miss her. As in, she wished Rarity was with her right now, rubbing her back and gently teasing her about how she was freaking out over nothing.
It was just a room full of ponies.
Who would kill her if they knew the truth about her.
No big deal.
Twilight’s eyes honed in like a predator eyeing its prey on Princess Luna making her way through the crowd, politely waving and saying words to ponies who would greet her or stop her. Twilight was gritting her teeth, her hoof tapping against the purple carpeted marble floor cuz she just wanted Luna, and more importantly Rarity, next to her right now and all these ponies were holding her up!
Though as Luna got closer, and Twilight got sweatier and clammier, all she could think was that she wished the ponies could hold Luna up forever. She was massive and imposing, with muscles that almost looked like they could rip her perfectly tailored suit to shreds with a single flex. Even seeing Rarity by Luna’s side didn’t quell Twilight’s nerves.
Okay it did a little; Twilight definitely was starting to feel more butterflies in her stomach and less ‘I’m about to vomit from fear’.
“Darlingdarlingdarling! I’m so sorry to keep you waiting!” Rarity apologized frantically as she ran to Twilight’s side, peppering Twilight’s fingers with kisses. Twilight had planned on scolding Rarity for leaving her alone so long, or at least informing her that it made Twilight anxious and she’d prefer if Rarity didn’t do it again, but being doted on like this was well worth the wait.
“Well, it was an awfully long time,” Twilight said playfully, Rarity’s kisses going up the length of Twilight’s arm as she tried not to moan too loudly, “and I di—I did miss you-” Twilight was gasping for breath all of a sudden as Rarity had her pushed against a marble column and was sucking on her neck “-an awful—an awful lot.”
“I’ll never leave your side again,” Rarity whispered, and then kissed Twilight on the lips, doing things to Twilight with her tongue that Twilight didn’t realize a pony tongue was dexterous enough to do, and Twilight couldn’t help but think that she would need to research this extensively. Perhaps put together a light 800 page essay on the dexterity of pony tongues.
As Rarity pulled away, a string of drool connecting the two women’s lips, Twilight wondered if perhaps 800 pages might not be enough for even just Rarity’s tongue, let alone other ponies. This would definitely require much deliberation.
“Ahem,” Luna cleared her throat as she stood over the two passionate women making out in the corner of the ballroom, Rarity immediately separating from Twilight with an embarrassed blush across her face. “No, please, don’t stop on my account. Do you two need a minute?”
“Oh don’t give me that,” Rarity puffed up her cheeks, “I’m sure you and Fleur were the exact same way when you first started dating.”
“Er, perhaps,” Luna tugged at her collar and Rarity nodded victoriously, and then Luna turned her attention to Twilight Sparkle, her eyes burning into Twilight’s in a way that only an alicorn’s could, and Twilight shrunk into herself. “Long time no see, Twilight Sparkle. It’s a pleasure to meet with you again.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Twilight asked, the words coming out of her mouth unbidden, and she almost wanted to retract them, but she decided she cared more for an answer than for decorum. “Why didn’t you just tell me that you knew what I am, and that you hadn’t any plans to hurt me?”
“I—” Luna paused, her eyes scanning the space in front of her. However she expected this conversation to go, this surely wasn’t it. Twilight looked over at Rarity, who had her hands clasped in front of her, and smiled at Twilight; she wasn’t going to interject, she was going to let Twilight say what she needed to, knowing that Rarity had her back no matter what.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight took a deep breath. “It just—I don’t know what could’ve happened differently if you had been honest with me then, but… I still wish you had been. I wish you hadn't entered my home under a ruse, pretending not to know what you so obviously did, and we both knew that you knew, and I was sweating BUCKETS! Cuz I didn’t know that you weren’t going to try to hurt me! To hurt my son!”
Twilight was shaking now, her body trembling as Rarity removed her shawl and wrapped it around Twilight’s shoulders, standing behind Twilight and wrapping her arms around her waist, leaning her head on Twilight’s shoulder. It helped a lot. Twilight could breathe easily with Rarity by her side.
“I’m sorry,” Luna said coldly. “I’ll tell you the truth to sate your curiosity, but I won’t make excuses for myself. You are the only—”
Luna paused, her eyes darting to her sides. She was a Princess, so chances are high that there was someone listening in on her conversations basically at all times, so it was smart of her to take precautions when dealing with such a dangerous subject.
“You’re the first I’ve met,” Luna explained, “aside from Fleur. I still didn’t know whether to trust her, or to trust the voice of my sister ringing inside my head. That’s why I didn’t tell you, because I was scared that my sister would be the one who was right.
“But she wasn’t, and I knew she wasn’t before our conversation had ended, and I still chose not to tell you because of my own fear, and for that I make no excuse. I should have put my faith in my love, and I should have put my faith in you, and I chose not to.
“So for that,” Luna got on her knee and bowed before Twilight, whose face turned bright red as she detected steadily more and more eyes burning through her from the other ponies, “I apologize.”
Luna didn’t need Twilight to tell her to stand, and a single frigid glare from Luna is all it took to avert the eyes of the nearby ponies, allowing Twilight to focus on the Princess once again.
“Thank you,” Twilight bowed her head. “I appreciate your honesty, and your, um, your, your willingness to make up for your mistakes, and stuff. I’m sorry, I’m a mess tonight I can’t talk.”
“It’s quite alright,” Luna softly reassured Twilight, a pleasant smile on her face. “Frankly, if I could rip my own intestines out of my stomach in front of all these ponies for them to see, I would do it in a heartbeat, that’s how nervous I am tonight.”
Luna turned her head to see that several ponies were now staring at her, and she dug her nails into her stomach, the other ponies darting their heads away from her so quickly Twilight almost worried they were gonna get whiplash.
“So that’s that on that then,” Luna said. “Amends have been made, I suppose, and um…”
“Darling,” Rarity smirked coyly, “are you anxious about talking to Twilight Sparkle?”
“A tad,” Luna sighed. “Twilight, it was lovely meeting you, and apologizing to you, but I would like to formally meet you and have a conversation with you some other time. Tonight I have a Gala to worry about, and two women I love very much to entertain.”
“That’s quite alright,” Twilight said with a smile. “I wanna get back to making out with Rarity.”
“A woman of simple pleasures,” Luna laughed, a bright smile on her lips. “I can respect that.”