Affame d’Amour
Chapter 3- A Night Lit by Evening Snow
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Twilight Sparkle was eagerly looking into a mirror trying to calm her fluttering heart as she used her unicorn magic to apply her makeup for the evening. A letter had arrived mid-day when she was busy putting away all the medical equipment that she had taken out for Fleur’s visit via carrier pony. The letter had the location of tonight’s show as well as its theme “Snow and Ice”.
Applying a small amount of rosy blush to try and hide the magenta of her cheeks Twilight pushed her magic out to her wardrobe; thankfully taking Rarity’s advice and packing for all manner of occasions. Throwing on her winter cloak that Rarity had made for her Twilight paused for a moment to look herself down in the mirror. She had always considered herself rather homely and plain, never attracting too much attention to herself but even Twilight had to admit that she was looking spectacular today.
The blush on her cheeks mixed with the discolouration caused by her blood in a very unique way that Twilight had never quite experienced before. Her cloak glistened with a small amount of glitter that Rarity had snuck into its inner pocket (a thing that Twilight would have to thank her for later) to give it that “snowy, and sparkly” look all day long.
A hard knock on the door pulled Twilight from her stupor. The courier pony had already delivered the location so she had absolutely no idea who would be knocking on her door so soon before the second night was supposed to begin.
“Come in!” she called, too focused to worry about it as she magiced a brush through her hair trying to get each strand perfect; happy that she had spent so much time around a beautiful fashionesta’s like Rarity.
“Good to see you up and about Twilight Sparkle.” Came the familiar and powerful voice of Princess Celestia, a voice which was most unexpected.
“Princess!” Twilight yelped, dropping her brush and turning in surprise. The Princess was equally surprised to see the young unicorn so done up before her.
“I must say I’m rather pleased to find you up and about.” Celestia said making her way into the room, spreading her wings in the cleared out tower. “After how you ran out on the show last night I was afraid that some of the hors d’oeuvres had not settled well with you.”
Twilight could not meet the Princess’s eyes, she had completely forgotten about her teacher the night before and how she had run out on the fashion show before the after party. No part of her regretted her actions, especially since she was able to ensure that Fleur had made it through the night, but that did not in any way prevent her from feeling guilty.
“Ah…well no nothing like that, I noticed…that…um… one of the models didn’t appear too healthy and I was worried for her wellbeing…. So I took after her to make sure she was umm… safe.” Twilight babbled on almost incoherently, the words seemed to melt together save for the occasional gap. She was trying to be as honest as she could without revealing how she really felt, unaware of how her Teacher would take her new found attraction.
“Oh I see, one of those calls hmmm.” Celestia mused knowingly causing Twilight to look further away her cheeks almost burning off the carefully layered makeup. “Don’t be so embarrassed Twilight.” The Princess chided her student, her tone teasing openly. “We all are struck at some time or another.”
Twilight looked up a little, embarrassed still. “You sure you don’t mind?” she asked quietly, knowing she would be unable to ignore Fleur next time they were to see each other regardless of the situation.
Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight’s back bringing her in for a close hug. “It’s quite alright; you are at that age…” she chuckled moving them towards the door. “Just remember your social obligations next time that it happens first, alright?” she laughed heartily pushing open the door with her unicorn magic. “Like now we must go or we’ll be late.” Twilight nodded and followed her teacher who chuckled and added knowingly.
“We don’t want to keep Madame Dis Lis waiting do we?”
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Twilight anxiously sat beside the Princess in a luxurious chair the likes of which she had never seen before; the colour of which was the richest black that Twilight had ever seen. The décor was fantastic on this evening, the entire side of the castle on which the stage was backed up was draped in the most gentle of snow which Twilight had ever witnessed the royal weather brigade having spent all of the day altering the local climate to treat such an amazing feat. It was still snowing as everypony took their seats, the kind of light snow which falls only on a day with no wind; the massive stage and rows of seats being lit by floating candles being levitated by scores of unicorns who stood off behind the bleachers.
It was like a scene from a perfect winter wonderland for Twilight who was nestled into her throne looking out over the stage which was being gently painted with the light snow; an occasional earth pony running up it with a small plough to make sure it was not overly slippery. Luna’s moon was brilliant in the sky as it was haunting; with the sudden drop in temperature and the silver thaw all over the castle walls and nearby trees it gave the entire section of the castle the most mythic glow. Twilight was blushing a beautiful pink under her magenta blush for the eyes of many a stallion and many a mare had their eyes on the beautiful apprentice this night, but young Sparkle could barely notice them.
As the candles dimmed magically and lights lining the catwalk flared to brilliant light casting shadows of white in the gloomy forecast which was releasing its snow onto the ground did Twilight take a sharp breath of expectation.
The first model to come out onto the catwalk was a beautiful Pegasus sporting a wintery looking bikini; the brilliant blur fabric was trimmed with a thick white fur; reminiscent of a bear’s. The next, a powerful looking stallion, was wearing a long robe thick with fur and a unique snow flake pattern that made many in the audience swoon. Twilight would admit that the plethora of models being paraded in front of her was impressive, and at times exceptionally beautiful, but it wasn’t Fleur. The one pony that Twilight was waiting for would most likely be last same as before.
Mounting anxiety filled Twilight to the brim as she eagerly watched the fashionesta’s coming out with their models and taking a bow before the special finale. There was a general murmur and applause as the designers and models took their bows followed by a respectful silence as the dull background music, something that had been almost invisible throughout the performance, began to rise in volume.
Then she was there.
Twilight could feel her heart skip a beat when the lights dimmed and focused on a single point, Fleur de Lis. There was a stallion beside her, a massive pony with a brilliant snow mane and frosty blue hair who was garbed in a white flawless tux inlaid with alternating pearls and diamonds, though Twilight could barely notice him. Fleur was, to put it in words that Twilight’s mind could currently comprehend, magnificent. There was not one thing out of place on her as she made her way down the catwalk, the stallion in tow. The untainted white coat covered by a beautiful robe of the milkiest white and trimmed with a royal blur fur that covered most of her long body, her hair done ever so perfectly no strand out of place, resting on Fleur’s forehead was a pristine tiara that sparkled and reflected the glistening moonlight all throughout the snow casting the entire hall in a disco ball effect.
Halfway down the walk there was a dramatic pause and the stallion almost tore the cloak from Fleur’s back revealing the outfit hidden within.
Twilight swooned audibly at what was revealed underneath. An ungodly white saddle was resting on Fleur’s back, littered with diamonds of the purest white and the softest Baby-blue Sapphires that anypony could ever have imagined. Twilight knew at that moment as Fleur continued to walk down the stage the lights bouncing off her gems to cover her marble coat in delicious spots of pure white and blue that this was a pony that she had to be closer to. In that one moment Twilight was completely and open heartedly aware of her raw love for Fleur.
It was at that moment that Fleur stumbled, eyes meeting the star trapped eyes off Twilight with a look of untamed panic as she fell off the vaulted six foot high platform into the crowd bellow.
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Fleur de Lis steadied herself on the other side of the curtain waiting for the moment where the show would truly begin for her. Tonight she would be accompanied by the most stunning of Stallions, wearing the most stunning of outfits and all of this seemed shadowed by the thoughts of the lavender unicorn that had helped her in her time of need. Fleur tried to push Twilight Sparkle from her mind, someone of such a low class, regardless of how they had risen in the political ladders was worth her focus… alas Fleur found she could think of little else though.
Twilight had been exceptionally kind when there was no cause to, something that Fleur found was sadly lacking in all of Equestria. Beyond that she had taken care of her… something that had only ever been done by servants to the stunning mare… not somepony of equal or greater standing, and though Fleur would hate to admit it the sandwich that Twilight had made for her had been one of the most delicious and rejuvenating things she had eaten in a long time. It had completely bounced her back from her anorexic black out and the model found herself feeling stronger then she had in a long time.
The signal went off.
“Push it from your mind, focus…” Fleur thought viciously as she stepped out from the off-stage area, her mind going into the ‘zone’.
Walk forward, keep eyes out on the crowd but don’t see, shut down all the senses but movement and your sense of time, allow the ticking of your inner clock move your body, every tick a well calculate flex of muscles and look for the eyes; for every step an equal un-step. Don’t focus on the crowd, that will only bring you panic; remember the clock focus in on your timing and never miss a beat. Fleur sacrificed her mind to the clockwork that had been drilled into her mind since she had been discovered as a model, throw all emotion outward, never see the response; time, always time. The half-way point of the walk, pose. Allow the stallion to remove the cloak; they’re all looking at you now, no messing up.
Fleur released all of her emotions and moved with the time and grace that had been her birth-right as if it was the easiest thing in the world; the air around her, hot with the light of the lamps would have stifled a normal pony but not Fleur, there was no light.
Until that little twinkle broke into her mind.
There, beside the Princess was Twilight Sparkle and for one moment their eyes met. Fleur took all of Twilight in; her beautifully done hair seemed to glisten with a light glaze of snow, her eyes which had a liner used just gently around them to bring it out in the candle’s soft glow. The blush on her cheeks mixing with a light make-up cover which seemed to glow against her coat, and that cape; a brilliant royal blue with a collar as white as the snow dabbled with three large silver stars made of the finest thread, it seemed to sparkle in the candle light as if there was an aura of Sparkles all around it.
At that moment when Twilight completely invaded her world Fleur felt her heart tug in a way that she had never known the organ to act before. Her timing became upset, she lost all sense of that inner clock, of direction and motion, there was only Twilight and that look of awed epiphany on her face.
Hoof fell on nothing though and broke the dream like trance the two had sunken into as Fleur walked straight towards Twilight and off the side of the raised stage to the unlit blackness bellow.