I let out a loud burp and instantly cover my mouth with my right hoof, my face becoming hot. I look around to see the other ponies looking at me with somewhat disgusted looks. My face becomes hotter.
“Excuse me,” I say sheepishly. Twilight softly giggles from the other side of the table.
“You’re excused,” she replies between giggles. I giggle along with her before we both regain our composure.
Twilight and I are sitting at a place called the Hay Café, a massive two-story café that has both indoor and outdoor dining. At some point during our walk, I started becoming hungry, despite the fact that we ate breakfast like not even 2 hours prior. Twilight suggested that we stop here to get something to eat and I’m glad that I agreed because I have to say one thing; the food here is crazy delicious!!
“That really hit the spot,” I say with satisfaction. “Who would’ve thought all that walking can make a pony hungry.”
“I’m surprised you ate all of that food,” Twilight says. “You managed to eat 3 daffodil sandwiches, 2 vaseful of flowers, and 4 full baskets of hay fries. You ate like you haven’t eaten in days.”
“I guess I have a bigger appetite than most ponies,” I say jokingly. “The food here is delicious so that adds a bigger factor to all of this.”
A laugh escapes Twilight and I can’t help but laugh along with her. Once we regained our composure, we stare at each other and smile at each other. I feel the familiar warm feeling in my chest yet again, this time it is much stronger than ever before.
‘It’s growing,’ I think to myself. ‘It’s becoming stronger. I can feel it.’
The smile on my face grows and I see Twilight’s smile grow too. I know she’s misunderstanding why my smile grew, but I’m not going to say it to her. I will wait for the right time to tell her and right now is not the right time to tell her.
“So, what do you want to do now?” I ask. Twilight taps her lower lip with her right hoof, contemplating on what we can do next. I wait patiently for what she has in mind.
“Well, I do have to reorganize the library,” Twilight replies. I try my best not to frown at this, though I feel my smile weaken a bit.
‘Crap, I remember her telling me that last night,’ I think to myself. Then, an idea pops up in my head. ‘Maybe if I help her reorganize the library, we might have enough time to do more thing together. Plus, I can still be around her.’
I smile brightly at this idea. This will work perfectly. I’ll be able to spend more time with her, along with the fact that if I help her, the library will be reorganized in no time and we will be able to do more activities. In my eyes, I see this as an absolute win.
I lean closer to Twilight and she makes eye contact with me.
“Would it help if I leant you a hoof?” I ask, still smiling brightly. Twilight’s face changes into one of surprise.
“Really?” she asks in a shocked tone. I nod my head, keeping the smile on my face. “I don’t know what to say and I’m not saying that I’m not grateful at you wanting to lend a helping hoof and I don’t want to bore you and-”
I raise my right hoof in an attempt to get her to stop. Twilight stops talking and stares at me with that same shocked look.
“Twilight, I get what you’re trying to say,” I say. “I’m offering to help you since I figured that it will save you time if we do it together.”
Twilight’s eyes go wide as she proceeds to enter a mild stupor. I feel my heart begin to pick up. I really hope she agrees to me helping her since I want to be with her as much as possible. However, if Twilight does reject my help, then that’s okay as I can try asking her about it tomorrow.
Twilight snaps out of it and I see a smile spread across her face.
“Sure, I like that,” Twilight says. I feel my skip a beat with joy as we both hop off our respective hay piles and begin the walk back to the castle.
I place the last book in the 2nd highest shelf to my right and I smile pridefully at our work. It took longer than I expected, but if it meant being near Twilight, it was all worth it in the end.
“There we go, all done,” I say with pride. Twilight walks over by my right and I look down at her.
“Thank you so much for helping me with reorganizing all of the books,” Twilight says with gratitude.
“It was no trouble at all,” I say with the smile still on my face. It is true; I have no problem with helping Twilight with anything she needs help with. Being around Twilight makes anything much more bearable. I can’t imagine how long it would’ve taken Twilight to do this if she did it alone. Obviously, she has Spike and Starlight to help her with that, but still.
We stare at each other, our smiles still on our faces. Something clicks in my brain and I suddenly remember that I still known little to nothing about Twilight and her life story. All she ever told me back on the train were all mainly about the adventures she had with her friends and the countless times they have saved Equestria.
I mentally smack myself for forgetting that important part of the plan. What would be the whole purpose of spending time with Twilight and see if my feelings for her would grow if I didn’t try to get know some parts of her life? It just wouldn’t make any sense at all. I just can picture it; a romantic relationship between two ponies who love each other yet know nothing about their lives. That sounds kind of stupid and also weird at the same time.
I snap out of my thoughts and look Twilight in the eyes.
“You know what I just realized, Twilight?” I ask.
“What is it?” she asks.
“You know about some bits and pieces of my life and yet somehow, I know nothing about you,” I reply. “I know about your adventures, your heroic acts, and most importantly, how you first met Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy but I know nothing about you.”
Twilight blinks a few times, like she realized the same thing I did. The purple Alicorn chuckles lightly as she rubs the back of her neck with her left hoof.
“I guess you’re right,” Twilight says sheepishly. I chuckle.
“I bet your life story is better than mine,” I complement. “I love to hear all about it.”
Twilight stares at me for a moment before a smile spreads across her face.
“Well, if you insist,” Twilight says. I nod my head eagerly.
She giggles before she gestures to the couch in the middle with her right hoof. I walk over to the couch and hop onto it. I sit down as Twilight proceeds to do the same. She turns to face me and I wait patiently.
“If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask,” Twilight says. I nod my head as an acknowledgement.
‘Of course, I plan to ask her once she finishes telling me her life story,” I think to myself. Twilight clears her throat, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“This might come as a shock to you,” she begins to say. I listen intently, not wanting to miss one bit that she’s about to tell me.
Twilight finishes telling me about her life story and she looks at me with an anticipated expression. I stare at her with wide eyes, genuinely surprised with what she just told me.
Apparently, Twilight was born and raised in the city of Canterlot, the city I was in a few days prior, along with her brother, a stallion named Shining Armor. When she was a filly, she witnessed Celestia raised the Sun at some celebration called the ‘Summer Sun Celebration’, which she described as ‘the most amazing, most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen’. After witnessing the Princess raise the Sun, Twilight decided that she wanted to study as much as she possibly can about magic.
Then one day, her parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, enrolled her into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, a school mainly for Unicorns, so she can learn more about magic. In order to get in, Twilight had to complete an entrance exam; she had to hatch a dragon egg using her magic and she had to do in front of a few scrutiny judges. Because they were watching her so intently, Twilight became too stressed to perform a successful spell to hatch the egg.
Just as she gives up, she hears a loud boom come from outside. The boom startled Twilight so greatly that it inexplicitly triggered her magic and as a result, she successfully hatched the egg. However in the process, she had lost control of her magic and she ended turning her parents into plants and made Spike grow to gigantic size. This caught Celestia’s attention as a result and, seeing the potential she harbored, gave her the offer to be her personal student to teach Twilight how to control her magic. Overjoyed, Twilight accepted the offer and that was the day that she earned her cutie mark.
Since being Celestia’s student, Twilight resided within Canterlot Castle while also attending the School for Gifted Unicorns. However, as a result of studying under Princess Celestia, along with reading books about magic, Twilight Sparkle started rebuffing friendship, growing asocial as a result. Everywhere she went, she always brought a book with her so she can continue with her studies.
All of that changed when Celestia sent her to Ponyville where she met her best friends. After she and her friends saved Equestria for the first time, Celestia allowed her to stay in Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship.
It amazes me to learn that it took literally one day for Twilight’s views about friendship to change and to make friends while it took me at least three days to even consider Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie as my friends. The difference between Twilight and I is that she rejected and rebuffed friendship while her friends had to earn my trust in order for me to consider them my friends. It’s amazing that all it takes is just one push for the most magical thing to happen.
I continue to stare at Twilight with wide eyes as the purple Alicorn waits for me to say something. A strange new feeling forms in my heart and I feel myself… connect to her. I don’t know why, but I can relate to her. The way she described her views on friendship and how she acted… reminds me of something from a long time ago, though what?
I snap out of it and look Twilight in the eyes.
“Twilight,” I begin to say. “I just have to say one thing; that was interesting. I do have to ask one thing, though.”
“What is it?” she asks.
“What the heck is a cutie mark?” I ask. “Is it like some kind of tattoo that you get on your body or something?”
Twilight proceeds to stare at me with wide eyes. I don’t know why, but I feel like I just said something stupid. Just then, she suddenly bursts into laughter, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Yep, I definitely said something very stupid because she is now laughing at me.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
“Selina, a cutie mark is nothing like a tattoo,” Twilight says in between her fits of laughter. After a moment, she regains her composure and wipes the tears away from the corners of her eyes with her right hoof. “A cutie mark are these picture-like symbols that you obtain on your flank once you’ve discovered your special talent.”
Twilight turns her body and points to her flank. On her flank is a violet star with five small white stars surrounding it. Holy crow, how in the world did I notice that on her flank at all?
“I take it that our friends have one too?” I ask. Twilight turns her body back to me and smiles.
“Yep, they sure do,” Twilight replies. Well, if our friends have one, then it means I have one too.
I look down at my flank to see it… blank. I frown at this. If I don’t have my cutie mark, what does that mean for me? Am I going to be the only one who won’t get mine? As stupid as that sounds, something tells me that it might be a very big possibility.
“Twilight, how come I don’t have one?” I ask downheartedly. Twilight takes a peek and sees that I don’t have one like she does.
“Maybe it’s because you haven’t discovered your special talent,” Twilight says. That doesn’t bring any feeling of comfort.
What can my special talent possibly be? There are so many things I can try but something tells me that it won’t be that simple. I can’t just go try something and expect some picture to appear on my flank. Something clicks in my head and I realize something. Maybe those looks that the ponies have been giving me are a result of me not having a cutie mark, which would seem odd to them, considering the fact that every pony in this town probably has one. To top it off, I am a full grown pony so that would make them question why I don’t have one.
My frown grows slightly. I don’t know why me not having a cutie mark is becoming such bother to me. I don’t need to have a cutie mark to be special or something like that. So, why am I bothered and upset by this? I don’t like it.
“Selina?” I hear Twilight say. I snap out of it and shake my head to clear my thoughts.
“Sorry,” I say. “I got lost in my thoughts.”
“What were you thinking about?” Twilight asks. I stare at the purple Alicorn for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and look her in the eyes.
“It’s just…” I hesitate. “I really don’t like how me not having a cutie mark is beginning to upset and bother me. And more importantly, what can my special talent even be?”
Twilight proceeds to stare at me with a blank expression and looks to be going into deep thought. I really hope she isn’t thinking that I’m weird for becoming bothered and upset for not having a cutie mark. Gosh, I feel weird for thinking that way.
Twilight blinks a few times before a smile forms on her face.
“I find you to be lucky,” she simply says. I give her a curious look. How does that make me lucky?
“What makes you say that?” I ask curiously.
“Because you get to experience the thrill of discovering who you are, and what you are meant to be,” Twilight replies with the smile still plastered on her face. “It means that you’re full of potential and could be great at anything. Your cutie mark is what makes you unique from the rest. You don’t have to worry about it so much. You’ll get your cutie mark one day. I know you will.”
A feeling of comfort flows throughout my body and I allow myself to smile. She might be right. Maybe I’ll get my cutie mark one day and when I do, it will be the greatest moment of my life. I can just imagine myself with a cutie mark on my flank and being seen as a pony, not as some freak or anything negative.
“You think so?” I ask. Twilight nods her head.
“I do,” Twilight replies. I feel my heart melt at her reply. I wrap my forelegs around her and proceed to hug her.
“Thank you, Twilight,” I say in a soft tone as she proceeds to hug me back.
“You’re welcome, Selina,” Twilight replies in a soft tone of her own. I feel something odd in my heart; it’s a warm fuzzy feeling and it’s much more powerful than the warm feeling I’ve felt many times.
Am I… am I falling in love with Twilight? I shake that out of my head. No, I can’t be. It’s way too soon, but the feeling in my heart can’t be ignored. Maybe if I can keep a record of all the things I do with Twilight over the next few days, like writing a diary, I can keep track of how long this feeling lingers and how much it has grown over time?
I smile at the idea. This will definitely help, I’m sure of it.
I release Twilight from the hug and Twilight does the same. I try to keep from blushing at Twilight looks up at me with that cute smile of hers.
“Twilight, do you have something I can have to use as a diary?” I ask. Twilight gives me a curious look.
“Why?” she asks.
“I figured that if I use it to keep records of what’s going on, it might help me and I can look back at how much has changed,” I reply. It’s part of the truth so it’s something, at least. An understanding expression forms on her face.
“Oh, that makes sense,” Twilight says. Her horn lights up and a book pops into existence.
The book is pink with a dark pink heart in each corner with the words ‘Diary’ imprinted on it. As silly as the book looks, it will make do. I did ask for a diary, so it’s better than nothing.
Twilight levitates the diary over to me and I grasp it with my right hoof. I hold it to my side and I smile at her. I lower my head down and begin to nuzzle her neck softly, my black wings flapping slightly.
“Thanks, Twilight,” I say affectionately.
“Uh… no problem, Selina,” she replies sheepishly. I stop nuzzling her neck and I begin walking out of the library, smiling brightly.
I enter my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I bite my lip before I squeal with happiness, hopping up and down like a little pony. I really don’t care how childish it all feels; I’m just glad I got to spend the day with Twilight, as well as know her life story. My plan is going smoothly.
Once the happiness passes, I walk over to the night stand and place the diary next to my necklace. I smile sweetly at the diary. While it may seem like just an ordinary diary to any pony, I see it as very special. This was just given to me by Twilight and anything she gives me will always be special to me.
I turn my attention away from the diary and walk over to the bed. I climb onto it and lay down on my back while keeping that smile on my face. I think back to what Twilight said about cutie marks earlier. My smile weakens as the reminder of me being the only pony in this town that doesn’t have a cutie mark. Not only that, but the fact that I will earn my cutie mark is by finding out my special talent.
‘I wonder what my special talent is,’ I think to myself. ‘It can be anything. More importantly, if I do earn my cutie mark, what will it look like? Plus, can I earn my cutie mark from the connection to my supernatural gift alone or does it have to be something related to my immunity?’
A yawn escapes my throat and I begin to feel drowsy. I roll onto my right side and breath through my nose. I wish that Twilight is with me, though I know that she might think it weird if I walked out of my bedroom to come find her and ask her if she would like to sleep with me on my bed tonight. She slept with me on my bed last night, so that ought to count for something. I can’t ask Twilight to sleep with me every night as she might catch on that something is up and my plan will fall to pieces.
‘I can’t allow that to happen,’ I think to myself. ‘I can’t allow that…’
I slowly close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
*BACK AT THE THRONE ROOM SIMILAR TO THE ONE AT CANTERLOT CASTLE*
“Is everything set up for when I finally retrieve my sister?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We have her bedroom set up in the tallest tower, just like you asked.”
“Excellent.”
“Are you sure that you won’t be needing any help if something goes wrong?”
“Yes, I don’t need help. I can take care of myself.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
…
“Don’t worry, sister. You will be home, very soon.”