Twilight loved stargazing.
Those little sparks flickered like candles in the dark, using all their might to shine across galaxies to greet her when she felt loneliest. During many of her late study sessions, she had watched the moon arc through the glittering veil of night, her constant companion. Now, its off-white glow held no solace for her.
“Twilight?” Fluttershy’s voice drew her attention back down from the sky.
“Hey, Fluttershy. Everything ready?”
The pegasus nodded. The saddlebags on her back shook as she did.
“Are you sure you have everything? Did you get your gift from the kitchen staff?”
“Yes and yes. They made me some cupcakes. I was going to bring them back for the rest of the girls.” She poked at the box of sweets at the top of her pack.
“I’m sure they’ll love them.”
While Fluttershy secured her bags, Twilight climbed onto her hooves, wiping away some of the grass that clung to her fur. With a nod, she and Fluttershy set off through those golden gates, onto the main street that bisected Canterlot. The two guards outside bowed to the two mares as they passed.
“You know, my train doesn’t leave for a few more hours,” Fluttershy said. “I made sure to get the last one, so we could visit a little longer.”
“Well, was there anywhere you wanted to go in particular?” Twilight asked.
Fluttershy shrugged. “I haven’t been to the city too often. I don’t really know what’s around here.”
“See, in Ponyville, most of the shops would be closed by now.” Twilight smiled. “But this is Canterlot. It works by a different set of rules.” As they walked the length of the street, windows cast their warm glow out onto the sidewalk, offering shelter from the cold autumn air.
Fluttershy tapped her chin. “So, what do you suggest?.”
“I think I might know a place,” Twilight offered.
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Is it a library?”
“No,” Twilight cried defensively. “It’s a bookstore.”
Fluttershy giggled. The sweet sound drowned out Twilight’s uncertainty.
“It sounds like a plan.” Fluttershy hopped to Twilight’s side. “Lead the way.”
The two continued down the main road a short way. Dozens of small side streets broke away, stretching through the city like the branches of an ancient tree with the castle as its roots. The deeper into the tangle of cobblestone they went, the smaller the shops became.
Other ponies marveled at the princess as she passed. Twilight had seen a few of them around the city before, either from the parades or parties she sometimes attended.
The more familiar faces belonged to the nobles she often saw in royal court hearings. A few of them stopped to converse. Celestia had tried to teach her the important names, but Twilight found herself blanking on this particular blue stallion.
“Will you be attending the Gala this year?” he asked.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Twilight cooed.
“Everyone is clamoring to learn the theme for this year,” The mare beside him explained. “In fact, we’ve been meaning to speak with Celestia about our ideas, but she hasn’t held her court for a few days now.” The mare leaned in close, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Is she well?”
The finely dressed entourage was far too enamored with the princess’ answer to notice Fluttershy wince. Twilight didn’t have to see it; she could feel it.
“She’s been rather busy with her duties,” Twilight lied.
“I see. That’s certainly understandable.” The stallion nodded.
The mare giggled. “It can be a thankless job. Do give her our regards when you see her, would you?”
“Of course.” The two groups exchanged a low bow before being on their way. Once the other group walked out of sight, Fluttershy’s pace slowed dramatically.
“How do you do that?” Fluttershy asked, planting her hooves firmly on the ground.
“Do what?” Twilight made it a few feet further before realizing she didn’t hear a second set of steps beside hers on the empty avenue.
“Hide the truth like that.” Fluttershy examined her reflection in the glass of a nearby storefront.
Twilight shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s something you learn as a princess,”
“You make it look so easy.” She turned to face herself head-on.
“It’s not.” Twilight joined her in staring into the abyss. “It takes a lot of practice. Why do you ask?”
“What should I tell everyone else back home? I don’t know if I’ll be able to . . . hide the truth quite as well as you do.”
Twilight watched the mannequins in the window. Silk finery lined the shop’s window, each piece hoof-stitched and fitted with gemstones. A signature Twilight recognized. Suddenly, she understood Fluttershy’s sudden shift.
“I don’t know. Luna wants to keep this all hidden.”
“I think it’ll be a lot worse if everypony has to find out the hard way,” Fluttershy shifted her saddle to one side.
“Maybe.” Twilight took a deep breath.
“Your friends care about you. We wouldn’t want you to have to deal with all of this by yourself.” Fluttershy inched closer to Twilight.
“I know, but you all have your own worries.”
“Stop that. We’re your friends, Twilight. We’re always going to worry about you.” She wrapped a wing over the princess. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I do.” Twilight leaned on Fluttershy’s shoulder.
Fluttershy’s whole body shuddered as she sighed. “But I’ll do my best to keep it quiet if that’s what you really want.”
Twilight weighed her options. While she saw it more as an occupational hazard, she didn’t like lying to other ponies. That disdain increased a thousand-fold where her friends were involved. But stressing them out over something like this didn’t seem to be the best choice, either.
“I think, for now, that would be best. Thank you, Fluttershy.” Twilight pulled away. “Now, we should keep moving. I don’t want us to be late.”
“Alright.” Fluttershy perked up.
The road continued a little further before ending in a small court. Several of the buildings on the block had switched off their lights, leaving only the iron lamps lining the street to guide the way.
“Shoot,” Twilight frowned at the gate drawn over the bookstore’s front door as if it would spontaneously spring open at her spite. “The store is already closed for the night. I was hoping to send you back with the newest special edition copy of Daring Do for Rainbow. They’re only selling it here in Canterlot. Looks like that plan is shot.”
“You can always bring it when you come home,” Fluttershy suggested, secretly relieved.
“I guess so.” A startling thought gnawed at Twilight. How long would it be until she got to go home again? And when she did, how much would have changed? She pushed those thoughts away. “Well, we’ve still got time to waste. Any ideas?”
Fluttershy answered her question by pointing to a white brick building across the street from a short way back. A red-and-white striped awning above the door reminded Twilight of a circus tent. She didn’t have any better ideas. As they drew closer, she realized the strange décor of the building marked it as an ice cream vendor. Even the refrigerated air of the frozen goods shop felt warmer than it did outside.
The inside looked as stereotypical as Twilight could imagine an ice cream parlor: empty red booths lined two of the four walls. A small section of the back corner had been cordoned off by a countertop, complete with a glass display containing over a dozen multi-gallon cylinders, each filled with their own flavor of the icy delicacy. Behind the bar, an older green stallion waited. Lost within a thousand-yard stare, the worker wiped a wet rag lazily over a clean section of marble.
“Mister Swirl?” Twilight asked.
Pistachio Swirl, as the nametag on his collar displayed, snapped to attention. Noticing his new customers, he straightened himself, smoothing the wrinkles in his apron with a free hoof and shoving the rag into his pocket.
“Princess Twilight? Lady Fluttershy? What can I do for you fine young mares this evening?” He struggled to rise from a shallow bow.
“Lady Fluttershy?” The pegasus hid a nervous blush behind her wing. “I don’t think anypony’s ever called me that before.”
“Apologies, I didn’t mean to offend.” Swirl laughed nervously. “It’s just that you just caught me a little bit off guard.”
“No worries.” Twilight waved a hoof in his direction. “We just stopped by for a treat before Fluttershy went home.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got the best ice cream in Canterlot, all made right here in this shop,” He announced proudly, then quickly added, “No offense to your staff in the palace, of course.”
“It’s certainly an impressive array.” Twilight admired the rainbow of different colors stored behind the glass, almost identically to how she had when her mother would take her and her brother out for their birthday to a shop just like this one. “Our staff in the castle can’t compete.”
“So, what’ll it be?” Swirl retrieved a scoop from a bucket of fresh water.
Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “Do you know what you want?”
“I’ll just have a scoop of chocolate on a cone, please.”
Swirl nodded. “Right away.” He produced a waffle cone from one of the cupboards. The lump of chocolate fit snugly on top of it, sinking slowly down further toward the bottom point. “And you, Princess?”
“Vanilla. Two scoops in a bowl, if that’s alright.”
“Sure thing.” He rinsed the remaining chocolate off in the sink before adding the princess’ order to a clear plastic bowl. All three of the ponies made their way to the register at the end of the bar. The two mares accepted their respective desserts from the server.
“How much?” Twilight asked, fishing a coin purse from her bag while her dish floated nearby.
“Oh, Princess, you don’t have to . . .” He adjusted his hat.
“I insist.”
“Six bits,” He admitted, sounding ashamed.
Twilight deposited the small golden coins on the counter with a friendly, “Thank you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, Princess. You two enjoy your night.”
The two of them found a seat closer to the door. The small white table wobbled slightly, but not enough to endanger their meal. The two chairs tucked beneath it were little more than a red cushion framed with curly silver metal.
Twilight settled in her seat, shifting momentarily to find the most comfortable spot. As she shoveled the first bite into her mouth, tension shed from her like snakeskin. Relaxing for the first time since waking, Twilight finally recognized the beating inflicted on her from the day’s events. Her legs felt heavy, battered by this unrealized exhaustion.
“You look relaxed.” Fluttershy smiled.
“Can’t you at least try not to sound so surprised?” Twilight joked.
“I mean it. You’ve been on edge the whole time I’ve been here. Not that I blame you, of course. You’ve got a lot to deal with right now.” Fluttershy had chocolate stuck in the fur around her lips.
“Yeah.” Twilight sighed. “I feel like this is the first moment of normalcy I’ve had in days.”
“I’m happy I could help.”
Twilight didn’t feel like dwelling on recent events. “So, has anything happened in Ponyville while I’ve been gone?”
Fluttershy nibbled on her spoon, deep in thought. “Without you around to stir up trouble, there isn’t much to do.” Fluttershy laughed.
“I can’t even argue with that.” Twilight shook her head. “How’s Angel?”
“He’s doing well. He and Discord have been getting along.”
“Speaking of the chaos spirit . . .” Twilight interrupted herself with another spoonful.
“It’s been fun being with Discord. We’ve been getting along surprisingly well, so I don’t feel too nervous around him anymore. He’s doing his best to stay within the rules the princesses gave him. He hasn’t broken any of them yet.”
“Yet?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
Fluttershy didn’t seem to hear the last question.
“What else has been going on? Oh! Rarity has released some sketches for her Autumn Collection. She asked me to model a few of them for her.”
“Are you going to do it?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“I’m glad you’re comfortable enough to enjoy it now. I just know it’ll be fun.”
“I’m sure it will be.”
They lapsed in and out of conversation several times. Twilight expounded about a few new spells she’d been dying to try out. Fluttershy lamented the subtle downgrade in the types of birdseed the market had started selling. Neither of them realized how long their conversation had stretched until Mister Swirl started to close shop.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, I don’t mind.” He tried to tell them.
“Thanks for the offer, but we really need to be going anyway. We’ve got a train to catch.” Twilight said.
“The food was delicious.” Fluttershy praised.
“Come on back anytime, then.” Swirl waved them off as he closed up behind them.
Little more than an hour separated the two friends from the end of their time together. The rapidly dwindling number of open stores suggested they should start making their way towards the station. Twilight knew the tracks ran along the outer rim of Canterlot, meaning their destination waited at the distant edge of town. Bright enough to rival the stars, the castle shone like a beacon. The tall golden spires were visible for miles in every direction, dwarfed only by the mountains to the east.
The remainder of their journey happened in silence. Before long, they finally arrived at the train depot. The small brick building looked abandoned. This far from the busier roads, the only light fell from the brass lamps hanging on the platform. Metal shutters had been drawn over the ticket booth. Fluttershy slipped from her saddle and hovered up onto a wooden bench. Twilight joined her.
“It feels like it all went by so quickly,” Fluttershy said.
“Time flies when you’re with your friends.” Twilight shrugged.
“Time flies when you’re having fun, Twilight,” Fluttershy corrected.
“That’s what I said.”
“Is it?” Her voice sounded far away.
“What do you mean?” Twilight sounded a little sad, a little angry. “You don’t have fun hanging out with me?”
“It’s not that. It’s that I don’t know if you were having fun. Everything’s just a little crazy right now, is all.”
“You can say that again.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “But yes. I did enjoy your company, Fluttershy. It might be the only thing I’ve enjoyed the last few days.”
“If you say so.”
The sound of the approaching train sickened Twilight. The screech of brakes brought the locomotive gliding up to the platform.
“Are you ready?” Twilight asked. She used her magic to lift Fluttershy’s bags onto their owner’s back.
“As I’ll ever be.”
The doors opened, spilling luminance out onto the bare stone. The passenger section looked empty, save now for Fluttershy. The soft red seats and carpet brought a small sense of comfort to the car.
Twilight bid her friend goodbye, waving madly as the pegasus stepped up to the threshold. When Fluttershy didn’t step inside, Twilight’s smile faded. “Is something wrong?”
“You know,” Fluttershy’s voice sounded ready to break, but she held herself together. “I can stay a little longer if you need me.”
“That’s a kind offer.” Twilight forced herself to grin. “But I’ll be alright. You take care of yourself, okay?”
“I will.” She boarded the train.
“Fluttershy.” Twilight’s voice cracked. The other pony froze mid-step. “Tell the girls about this, if you think that’s best. If it comes to it, I’ll deal with Luna.”
“Alright, Twilight.” The doors closed. Fluttershy claimed a seat by the window, allowing one final wave to the princess. Twilight could see the tears start to flow as the metal carriage pulled away with a lonely whistle. Twilight continued waving far longer than Fluttershy could see.
Standing by herself on an empty platform, Twilight finally let her guard fall.
The moon and stars watched, an unforgiving audience to the actor playing Twilight Sparkle. She felt the burn of the spotlight on her fur as she dropped to her knees, the hostile gaze of the universe searing into her skin worse than any magic burn could hope to rival. Her lungs refused to drink the winter’s gale, crushed beneath an unknowable, invisible thing. She lowered her head between her legs, letting her horn rest against the concrete.
A princess doesn’t cry.
Like a parasite, Chrysalis’ voice infected Twilight’s thoughts. But now, as she sat alone on the empty streets of Canterlot, they felt a little more comforting than they had before. But they did nothing to ease the weight hanging over Twilight, threatening to crush her before long. Her chest tightened, causing her shudder.
Twilight didn’t cry. Twilight screamed.