The wedding reception had gone off without a hitch, thankfully. Parties are the one thing Pinkie Pie can organise without anything going terribly wrong. Mostly because the occasional random explosion of cupcakes and glitter can only really add to the atmosphere.
I wasn't that interested in the festivities, just not in the mood. Not that I wasn't pleased for Cadence and Shining. It's just that almost losing the kingdom you swore an oath to protect puts one off the idea of spending the same evening singing, dancing and having a few ciders.
However the show must go on. Twilight managed to arrange a real wedding within hours of the "incident", which I found myself officiating. As much as I wished to sneak off to my chambers rather than endure the reception, I owe cadence and shining so much, missing half their wedding would be no way to begin to repay them.
Much to pinkie pie's credit, it is difficult to wallow in self pity for terribly long whilst covered in streamers, so after a while I was starting to approach enjoying myself, but I was still anxious about what to say when I encountered Twilight. With the arrangements for the second wedding we hadn't had a chance to talk properly about what happened
What could I possibly say?
"Sorry I brushed you aside, ignoring you as nothing but "The jealous sister at a wedding", let you get captured by the queen of the changelings, let myself be defeated by said changeling queen, sent you on a practically suicidal attempt to recover the elements of harmony from a literal army of the aforementioned changelings, and came disastrously close to dooming the whole kingdom by refusing to believe my most faithful student, personal protégée, and confidant on a matter of national security, without taking a second to double check, despite the fact that the advice is coming from someone who has already saved the kingdom from near-omnipotent forces of evil TWICE!".
Wow. That really hits home when I see it written down.
I still can't express my gratitude, and my apologies in a way that seems fitting...
At the time however "Sorry I didn't trust you when you needed me to." had to do.
I eventually found Twilight off to the side of the dance floor. She had been enjoying the party whenever I had seen her earlier. When I came to her, however, she was slumped over a table, half hidden under the mass of curls and flowery fascinator of Her bridesmaid's outfit.. I usually see Twilight full of energy. She is enthusiastic about anything we do together. Even when she is driven to a nervous wreck she is energetic about it, usually in a "magically brainwashing a whole town" kind of way, but no-one's perfect.
Here she just looked worn out. I wanted to comfort her. To tell her how sorry I was, how sorry her friends were, that we were there for her. She has been through so much in the past few days. Planning a wedding would be stressful enough for most people. Twilight's almost supernatural talents for organisation make it seem effortless for her. On top of that she has to witness an impostor brainwash her brother, have her trusted friends and family ignore her warning them, get trapped in the caves under the castle, break out, foil the scheme to usurp the royal family, then plan the wedding again.
The conversation was going to be hard. I've negotiated International peace treaties less touchy than this. I wrote her concerns off as jealousy. I should have known she would know better than that. She sent me formal reports documenting that she knew better than that.
"It's a good idea to stop and listen to your friends' opinions and perspectives... Even when they don't always seem to make sense...",
" I learned that being jealous, and telling lies, gets you nowhere in friendship.",
"never lose faith in your friends",
All there. On paper. Checked for spelling and signed in triplicate. This was going to be awkward.
I tentatively laid a hoof on her shoulder, not exactly sure how she would react. No objections, or sudden outbursts, magical or otherwise. Considering she had every right to be furious with me this was a good start. I forced out the first words I had spoken to her since the ceremony.
"I know you must be angry with me, I've let you down so badly. I'm so, so sorry for not trusting you in the way you deserve....How are you coping with all this?"
No reply
"Twilight?"
The music briefly stopped, the gap between two songs, and I heard Twilight's reply, a faint snore.
Not so much depressed as exhausted it would seem. She mustn't have slept for a couple of days now that I think about it.
After a few seconds of gently shaking Twilight's shoulder and repeating her name in the "trying to see if someone is asleep without completely waking them up" routine, it was clear that my beloved protégée was out for the count.
This is hardly unusual, Twilight has never been one for a consistent sleep pattern. When she lived in Canterlot I would find her face down in a book at least once a month. In those situations, as this one, Taking her to bed is the easiest option.
This was far easier when she was a filly. As it turned out, apart from her being a little heavier the procedure was much the same. After mentioning to Spike that I was taking Twilight to their old quarters in the west tower, I levitated her on to my back. Her forehooves rested across my shoulders and she unconsciously clung to my neck and muzzled in, just like when she was a filly.
It's been a long time since I put Twilight to bed, not that I ever had to. Not too often at least. So long as she made it to her lessons each morning it was never deemed necessary to give her a set lights out while she stayed at the Palace. The only times her habit of late nights became a problem was when she lost track of time studying and fell asleep at her desk. Hence the relatively common occasions when I, or one of the other tutors, would put her to bed.
As I wandered to Twilight's room, and reminisced about her fillyhood, I came to think about how I acquired my most faithful student.
I have taken personal students before, over the years I have had the pleasure of working with many hugely talented ponies, who went on to be great scholars, politicians and leaders in their own careers. But I always took graduates of the school for gifted unicorns. Grown colts and mares.
Twilight was young enough to be in elementary school when I accepted her as my student. That she was even considered for the entrance exam at her age was astonishing. Merely passing the test would have been unbelievable. In a moment of high stress she had demonstrated enough raw magical power to hatch Spike's egg.
From a scientific point of view, it wasn't proven to be impossible. As a student's entrance exam it was supposed to be.
The "Egg test" was an exercise in analysis and logical problem solving in the face of an apparently impossible task. Even the current school headmaster has never hatched a dragon egg. I've never hatched a dragon's egg. The PHD students would occasionally write a thesis speculating on the details of dragon reproduction. I have seen the best and brightest of Equestria research the subject over the years. I have researched the subject myself and to this day have no idea how she managed it.
This kind of power should never be left untutored. There also seemed to be .... Something. A feeling. A hint of, well... Something.
Intuition isn't the best reason to choose a student, but I had a hunch that I would do well by training Twilight.
My gut instinct rewarded me with a faithful student, who has been directly involved in saving the kingdom on three occasions. But at what cost to Twilight?
I forget she is barely more than a filly herself. Still a student, and yet she is flung headlong into perilous situations on a regular basis. I have an army at my command and yet a child is forced to deal with a changeling invasion force? Or with Discord or Nightmare Moon?
My most faithful student is exceptional yet she is mortal. She wields the power of the elements of harmony and collects first edition Daring Do . She has power beyond words and she has a plush toy named "Smarty-Pants".
She has only just begun to see the world beyond the library, and has made friends, all loyal and brave themselves. Willing to risk their lives in my name.
My actions have made soldiers of an academic, a dressmaker, a baker, a farmer, a stunt flyer and an animal lover. Twilight and her friends give me loyalty I have never deserved.
As I neared Twilight's chambers I hoped she might find a way to forgive my folly. She always worries about disappointing me, or failing me. She never quite realises that exam results only matter so much when the kingdom is in mortal peril.
I had worked myself into even lower spirits, wandering the palace with, only accompanied by the clip-clop of my hooves on the marble floor and the dainty snores, and heartbeat of my student as she clung to my neck.
We reached Twilights chambers, and made our way to her old bed, which the castle staff had prepared for her arrival a couple of days ago, or was it years ago? It's been a hectic weekend, what with the wedding and coup d'etat.
The bed was still made, with the chintzy foil wrapped chocolate on the pillow. Her saddlebags lay in a heap next to it. I folded back the sheets (and moved the chocolate to the night stand.), sidled alongside and tried to gently tip Twilight onto the bed without waking her. She slid somewhat gently into bed, flopping face down, as I nudged her onto her side and pulled the sheets over her she began to stir slightly. I reached down and removed her flowered headband, gently stroked her mane, and whispered "good night Twilight, I'm so sorry.".
As I turned to leave, a quiet voice broke the quiet of the room.
"Princess?" yawned Twilight, opening her eyes a crack. "What are you sorry abo... WHERE THE HAY ARE WE!?." she screamed and shot bolt upright in bed, eyes and horn suddenly glowing. Every corner of the room was illuminated for a few seconds before her magic audibly sputtered out. As she was panting and straining to charge another spell I reached out and drew my scared student into a hug. I haven't done anything like that since she was a filly, but it always seemed to calm her down then. "Twilight, it's ok, we're safe, everything is fine.". I held her close as she collapsed into my arms She gasped a reply, "But... Where's the wedding.".
"Still going strong in the ballroom twilight, You had fallen asleep, so I brought you to your chambers. That's all."
We sat silently clutching each other in the dark,Twilight started to relax once more, taking a few deep breaths, her thundering pulse slowly fading to normal. Once she stopped hyperventilating she began to assess her situation. "Okay , I'm in my old room, not whisked away from the wedding in some terrible scheme. That's why I'm wearing a dress in bed." she became progressively calmer as she took stock of her surroundings.
She breathed a long sigh and continued, "Right. Sorry for freaking out there. It's been a long day. What were you apologising for before I flew off the handle and burnt myself out trying to cast a shield spell?".
I found myself nuzzling into her mane as we talked, but broke away slightly,to look her in the eyes , taking a deep breath then answering her.
"I wanted to apologise for not giving you the trust you deserve. You warned us all that there was something wrong and I ignored you. And put you in mortal peril again because of it. You have every right to be a little paranoid. Not that I suppose it counts as paranoia under the circumstances. I'm so, so sorry Twilight Sparkle."
I was petrified to see her reaction. I must surely have let my most faithful student down for the last time. But those big bleary eyes looked up at mine, she pulled be back into the hug and said simply, " It's okay" yawned, then murmured "I forgive you.".
I couldn't believe it."it's that easy? I failed you. I failed my kingdom." I blinked back the tears as I exposited the catalogue of my shame. "I've put you through so much for a mare your age. Just as you find friends in Ponyville and begin to make a life for yourself outside an academic cloister, you and your friends are forced to risk everything in my name time and again." I was sobbing by this point, tears running down my coat and onto twilight's as she held me. "How can you just forgive all that?".
How I must have looked, the princess in all her finery breaking down in front of my sleepy student, the very person I am sworn to nurture and protect. Twilight lay back, pulling me onto the bed , held me close to her breast, stroking my mane.
"Dear Princess Celestia."
She began, adopting a deliberate recital tone, as if she was giving a presentation.
"The magic of friendship is never simple. It may seem easy at times. Principles such as loyalty, kindness and generosity are easily understood. But in practice even the best of friends make mistakes. Nopony is perfect, nor should total perfection be perfected of anypony. Regardless of their position or title.
What is important is a ponies actions when it matters most. Once you were aware of the threat to your subjects, you were the first to stand and fight the changeling queen. When you needed our help, The Elements of Harmony did the best we could, not just out of loyalty as subjects, but loyalty as friends and loved ones. Just as you fought to protect the wedding party, we fought to protect each other. For you, me, the girls, cadence, shining armour... Everyone. Whether it's the love of the newly-wed couple, between friends, or between family. Auntie Celestia.
I am proud to be your student, and you have never forced me into danger against my will. The Elements of Harmony chose my friends and I, and we are more than willing to wield them to protect the people we love.
You haven't failed your people, and you certainly haven't horribly traumatised me by heaping all the evils of the world on my pretty little head. You support and protect me by teaching me, more than just magic. You show me the strength to do the right thing, even in difficult circumstances.
Love and kindness can get us through the worst days of our lives. As the Elements of Harmony represent, love and friendship give us strength when we need it most. You haven't failed by making one bad judgement, it's not like bursting into the wedding rehearsal dramatically was the most sensible and well reasoned way to put my point across. You haven't failed by having the elements of harmony do their duty to protect the kingdom when necessary.
The weight of a nation rested on your shoulders. But you have friends to help bear the burden. Luna and Cadence help rule this land. And just as you help me reach my full potential, I will be here for you. Whether as the element of magic, or as Twilight Sparkle the student and librarian.
You are always there for me when I need you and I am always here when you need me.
Because that's what friends are for."
As I lay in her arms, hanging off the edges of her single bed on three sides, all I could say was "Thank you Twilight." as we both drifted off.