//------------------------------// // Phase Eight // Story: Between Day and Night // by Davesknd //------------------------------// Twilight was a mare of the present and the future. She lived in the now and she planned for tomorrow. As such, she always had an easy time forgiving and moving on. And while Twilight was not aware of it yet, it was one of the traits that endeared her so much to Princess Celestia. But right now, she was cursing her inability to properly hold a grudge. She wanted to be angry and careful and vigilant, but those states were difficult to achieve when your brain was filled with cotton candy and even the marble walkways felt like clouds because you were so darn happy! How could she not be happy beyond belief? She had spent the last hour and a half cuddled against Celestia. After the princess had managed to calm her raging feathers, the two mares had decided that they had discussed enough grave matters of responsibility for the moment and simply enjoyed each other’s presence and closeness. Twilight had shied away from any bold moves for the moment; she spent most of the time rubbing her temple against the much bigger princess' neck and stealing the occasional kiss. Celestia had been a bit more active, nuzzling the smaller unicorn, draping a wing over her, and once, to Twilight's momentary shock, nibbling gently on her ear. For the most part, they enjoyed each other's warmth and comfort in silence. Twilight had only commented once, to mention how difficult it was for her to kiss the princess. Celestia had responded that "Princesses are not supposed to be easy to kiss.", before giving Twilight several gentle pecks on the cheek. For the little pony, it was incredible how safe and protected she felt when engulfed in Celestia’s plumes. Beneath the soft feathers were muscles that could probably snap logs of wood in half, yet the princess used them to blanket Twilight with such care and gentleness that she felt herself relax, forgetting all about the dangerous world outside those wings. But now she had to be vigilant and prepared, for she was about to face Luna and her minions! Luna, who had gathered sinister followers, sent agents to spy on her friends in Ponyville and probably had her hooves in the mystery of the disappearing shampoo bottle as well! Ok, that last one was a really lame reason to be vigilant, but Twilight had to find out the truth, even if she had to search through every cupboard in every bathroom in the whole castle! Maybe she could thank mirror Twilight while she was there. No, focus! This wasn’t just about Luna being evil, thought. Twilight needed to know if Luna had manipulated Celestia and her relationship in any way. She had acted rather suspicious lately. How could she enjoy the embrace of her princess, kiss the royal lips and cuddle against that strong chest, if she hadn’t earned it herself? Twilight looked up the amazing alicorn that walked next to her. Yes, she had to be sure. And if she was wrong and everything was in order, she could really enjoy this. She could hardly wait until they could spend more time together. Hopefully she could come up with some activities this time. Maybe they could read to... NO! Stop that Twi! Vigilance! Use the force! Focus! The unicorn turned her attention back to the corridor in front of her. They were close to the throne room now. “Are you well, my dear?” a gentle voice asked suddenly. “Oh, yes, of course!” Twilight answered with a sheepish smile. “It is just that you constantly change from smiling to scowling to looking thoughtful,” Celestia said a bit nervously, earning a groan from Twilight. “I sometimes forget how bad I am at keeping my thoughts to myself,” the unicorn admitted, “I’m almost as bad as Applejack.” “There is nothing wrong with honesty, Twilight,” the sun princess stressed, “I can't deny that there is much going on in my mind as well. But I will feel better too, once I have revealed the truth to Luna. While the way my sister expressed her... suspicions did irk me a little, I do want to thank her for the concern she has for my happiness and share some of my joy with her.” Celestia looked around quickly and leaned down to Twilight. “Unlike you, whom I shall not share with anypony.” A blush and a faint smile came over the unicorn's features. Again, she was losing to the feeling of joy and happiness. She had to keep her mind on the subject: Danger, conspiracy, lies, Rarity! Rarity? “RARITY!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise, not expecting the alabaster unicorn. Rarity, who had just been walking through the castle’s corridors, turned towards the sudden outburst. A smile went onto her lips as she saw both Twilight and the princess approach. A very broad smile... maybe a little too broad. “What are you doing here?” Twilight asked happily, giving her friend a very quick nuzzle. Usually, Rarity was not very touchy, but Twilight was just too happy to see a friendly face. “I had some official business with the princess.” the fashionista answered carefully and moved her shoulders to adjust her saddlebags. For a moment, Twilight could have sworn she saw something orange inside. “But that is done now. All done. Done...” She blinked once. “OH, Princess!” she suddenly jumped towards Celestia, sliding the last few inches on her belly, so she lay prostrate before the ruler “Did you see my design? Did you like them? At all? I tried so hard! PLEASE! DID YOU LIKE THEM?” “They were magnificent.” Celestia answered gently, with a hint of awkwardness. Rarity’s manners did borrow a bit too much from the dark ages. “OH! THANK YOU!” Rairity proclaimed loudly. “THANK YOU THANK YOU! I was so worried!” She kissed the alicorn’s shoes. “Thank Y-OH” the fashionista had been about to repeat the kiss (several times in fact), as Twilight’s magic grabbed her tail and roughly pulled her away to put her on her hooves. The purple unicorn harrumphed. “I’m sure the princess is fully aware of your gratitude!” she said calmly, forcing down a slight hint of jealousy. That was HER princess now! Celestia, well aware of her lover’s feelings, couldn’t help but let out a giggle. “I have to be grateful, Rarity. Your designs were not only amazing to look at and wear, they might also have given a certain push to something very important. Could you spare a moment? Twilight and I have something to tell you.” Twilight looked up to Celestia and the princess gave her a small nod. “Of course, Princess!” Rarity answered with a smile “I can always share a moment for you!” she looked over at Twilight. “And for you, darling, of course!” Celestia stepped between the two ponies and light engulfed them. A flash later, they reappeared in the royal study. Besides being the place where the princess decided the fate of the country when she was not in the throne room, it was also soundproof and only the princess knew the spell to teleport in here. Rarity looked at the two ponies. “So, what is it that you want me to know?” she asked. “Rarity!” Twilight said seriously “It is very important that you keep whatever you hear in here a secret! Nopony, no! No creature alive, dead, undead, planeshifted, viral, unborn, immortal, dimensionally challenged, based on non-Euclidean rules or transc-“ “Twilight, I think she understands it!” Celestia interjected. “Actually, I didn’t understand half of what she said.” Rarity admitted. “Just don’t tell anybody!” the purple unicorn stressed “Only Celestia and I are allowed to share this secret, and it has to stay between the Elements of Harmony, my close family, Spike and Luna! I know you love gossip, but it has to stay between those few!” “That sounds awfully important!” the alabaster unicorn commented. “But I shall not betray your trust! You are my friend and very important to me. I would never gossip about something entrusted to me by a friend!” “Pinkie promise!” Twilight demanded. “Must I? It is so undignified...” Rarity commented. “Cross my heart and hope to fly!” Celestia suddenly chanted and happily flapped her hooves “Stick a cupcake in my eye!” she finished by happily jamming her hoof in her eye. The alabaster unicorn froze in shock. She managed to compose herself and followed with her own proclaiming of the rhyme. Twilight let out a sigh and looked up to her princess. The alicorn gave a gentle nod and the smaller pony crept closer until they were touching. “Rarity...” she started slowly “Celestia and I... we are in love.” “ah... aha....” Rarity stuttered about as loud as Fluttershy, and Twilight could swear she heard a fuse blow. The alabaster unicorn relaxed completely, her mouth hanging open and her pupils as small as pinheads. “Rarity?” the purple mare asked carefully. “I don’t think she can hear you...” Celestia commented gently “I did not expect this...” It took roughly a minute of awkward waiting for Rarity’s brain to reboot and send an automatic message to tech support. Slowly she shook her head and looked around. “Yes, Spikey-Wikey, just put it there to the others, I’ll call mother soon and have the pumpkin tamed!” she said incoherently, just before she managed to focus again. “WAIT!” she exclaimed “You and... and... Princess CELESTIA!” “Yes, Rarity.” Celestia answered softly “Twilight has overcome her worries and fears and confessed her love to me. And the only answer in my heart was yes.” “I’m truly glad that you are the first to hear it, Rarity!” Twilight added happily “If it wasn’t for you giving Spike a chance, I would have never admitted it. But after you saying that nothing but your heart mattered and seeing Celestia in your dresses, I managed to confess!” the unicorn rubbed her temple against the alicorns leg “I am very happy now!” “We both are.” The alicorn added nuzzled Twilight gently. “Oh, Twilight, Princess!” Rarity exclaimed happily. “This is so wonderful! I was worried when you spoke of secrecy, but this is such a happy occurrence!” Suddenly a thought entered her mind. “Wait! Secrecy! Intrigue! Hidden courtship! AFFAIR!” she said with her usual drama filled voice (loud, raspy and trembling). “Lovers kept apart by standing, by morals, by the world!” she continued almost madly, her inner drama cooking over. “Only able to express their love in secret! Only able to love behind the curtains! OHHHHHH!” the unicorn toppled over, her eyes glazing over and her horn shining. . Somewhere in Ponyville, a well known couch broke through a door and flew through half of the town before it suddenly stopped and fell to the ground. “Looks like Rarity is out of town...” Rainbow Dash, who was currently bucking clouds away, commented as she saw the piece of furniture. “Hmm... why waste it?” she pondered and seconds later, the fainting couch was abused for naptime. . “I was not aware that the Element of Generosity had such affection for the dramatic.” Celestia commented carefully as Twilight held a hoofful of smelling salts under Rarity’s nose. “You have no idea...” Twilight commented flatly. Finally, the alabaster unicorn returned to the world of the waking. “Sorry.” She said rather embarrassed. “Don’t mention it.” Celestia offered softly. “I got used to it.” Twilight added. “I don’t know what overcame me, but I can only wish you a very happy future.” Rarity stressed after collecting her thoughts “I am happy that you found each other.” She gave Twilight a big hug and turned to Celestia “Princess, I want you to gift you with a dress for this occasion! Please, just tell me which one and I will make it for you!” “Oh, there is one dress that I would like to have. For certain occasions...” Celestia said very slowly. Twilight nodded gladly. Surely the white one. “Page 42, that is.” A furious blush invaded the purple mare’s features. The black one? THAT one! She looked up to Celestia and the princess gave her a knowing wink. *Wonderful, Twilight* the unicorn thought to herself *She not only loves you back, she is also a huge tease!* “I’m not sure I remember the design off the top of my head, but as soon as I’m back home, I will start! Oh, Twilight, Princess! Pinkie will love to throw a party for you two! And I will, of course, keep my lips sealed! Only you will share your feelings with whoever you deem fitting!” Rarity promised happily. “Thank you, Rarity!” Twilight said softly “You are a great friend.” “Anything for you, darling!” Rarity answered “Just promise me to be happy.” “A promise I will gladly obey.” Celestia added. “Well, I should be on my way then.” The white unicorn finally said “Your dress won’t sew itself.” Twilight stepped forward and gave Rarity another quick hug. To the surprise of both unicorns, Celestia did the same and embraced the fashionista. “Twilight’s friends are my friends.” She said gently. “Thank you, princess.” Rarity said “And goodbye for now.” Slowly, Rarity left the two other mares alone. “I wonder what she was doing here...” Twilight said after a few moments. “We can ask Luna.” Celestia offered and stretched her wings. The unicorn nodded gladly. “If I remember correctly, court should be on break now. Let’s go see her.” The sun princess nodded and a hint of mischief appeared on her face. “You were rather rough with poor Rarity...” she teased. “Do I sense a hint of jealousy?” Twilight suddenly blushed crimson. “Erm... maybe...” she admitted shyly. “I know she was just being formal and grateful and... you know: Rarity.” The unicorn moved closer and gently nuzzled up to Celestia’s leg “But... you know... those are supposed to hold me. I don’t want another mare’s lipstick on them.” “Then I promise I’ll wear my greaves whenever Rarity is grateful.” The alicorn giggled and gently kissed Twilight on the forehead. “Jealousy doesn't suit a dazzling heroine like you.” “I think it’s just because it is so fresh.” Twilight admitted, but couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “You can trust one thing, my dearest; I have only eyes for you.” Celestia answered and removed one of her shoes to run a hoof through Twilight’s hair. “While we are here, why don’t you write a letter to your parents? We can give it to a guard to have it delivered on the way.” Twilight nodded gladly and quickly wrote up a letter, asking her parents if they could spare some time for a meal together. The two ponies left the study and made their way over to the throne room. On the way, they gave the letter to a guard, who gladly went to deliver it and wait for a response. Twilight felt her worries lift a little. It was impossible that Luna had planned the conversation with Rarity and the dresses. Maybe this was not her doing after all and these were just coincidences. Maybe she had been overly paranoid this time. As they reached the throne room, she looked up to her princess again and smiled. Yes, it had to be. Celestia focused her magic on the large doors and opened them. Twilight froze. The room was drenched in darkness and filled with sinister figures! Rows upon rows of darkly armoured night-ponies on one side and robe clad cultists on the other stood before the dark throne. Their respective leaders knelt just beneath the seat of power, waiting for their dark orders. Orders from Nightmare Moon herself, who was standing on the throne, dressed in darkest armour and loudly proclaiming her dark will! “EEEEEEEVUUUUUUUL!” Twilight yelled loudly and pointed at the dark princess. “Luna?” Celestia asked in deep surprise “Are you...?” “SISTER!” the princess of the night exclaimed roughly “You are not supposed to be here!” This was the move! Twilight was sure! Nightmare Moon was back and she was back with a vengeance! She focused and got ready to defend herself. Suddenly, Celestia started to giggle. “Oh my!” she giggled “Are you really rehearsing?” With a flicker of Luna’s horn, the darkness disappeared, the figures melted into nothing and the princess returned to normal. “It has been a while, Celestia!” the dark princess admitted “And this wedding is important! “ “So they finally decided to get hitched...” the sun princess mused. “What strange times we live in.” “WHAT IN THE NAME OF DISCORD’S SCALY BUTT IS GOING ON!?” Twilight yelled in complete and utter confusion. “This was a wedding ceremony in the dark ways.” Celestia explained happily “Rare occasions when Luna was asked to tie the knot between two lovers.” “Few ponies would ask to be wed by me.” Luna added “So I am worried that I might be a bit rusty.” “They are conducted at midnight, when the moon is half full, to demonstrate the importance of two halves for the whole. And since mostly honour guards would be wed this way, it is traditional for the participants to appear in armour or working garb. Even the princess is expected to come in war gear.” Celestia finished. “You were rehearsing for a wedding, princess?” Twilight asked in confusion. “Diamond Shadow recently proposed marriage to Autumn, and I accepted the duty of wedding them!” Luna explained. “She proposed to him?” Twilight asked. “Am I the only one who finds it alarming that that is the least weird thing about them?” “Indeed, she did.” Luna said with a gladness that surprised the unicorn a little “But what brings you here, sister? You are supposed to enjoy your free day and recover. “ “Oh, I do!” the sun princess stressed. “I am not here to try and do politics, I promise.” “Good!” the moon princess answered calmly. “Say, princess Luna.” Twilight suddenly said. The view had reawakened her suspicions. “Could I ask a few questions?” “Of course, Twilight!” Luna said in a friendly manner. “What exactly did you ask Autumn to do here? Twilight asked innocently “I don’t remember him serving an official function.” “He serves as a personal consultant in common affairs.” Luna answered as natural as possible; she had to be careful now. “Since most consultants have a noble upbringing and education, a commoner like him helps me understand the concerns of my less privileged subjects better. The followers are a diverse pool of ponies with less than desired experiences and therefore, he can bring unique insights into the progress of government!” The moon princess congratulated herself mentally. That was complete garbage and still sounded plausible. She still WAS a politician! “I see.” Twilight said slowly. That sounded realistic, but why did she say it like it was a Lexicon entry? “Say, have you heard that Red Devil Apple is visiting Ponyville? I heard he is a follower too.” Luna forced a poker face onto herself. Sadly, for Twilight, Nightmare Moon knew all the secrets of deception. And the best deception was truth. “Indeed. Since Celestia and I talk about your adventures regularly, I worried that Ponyville might be in peril, with its defender visiting here. So, when I heard that Red was going to have a surprise visit, I asked him to keep contact, in order to react to any trouble. He was kind enough to agree.” “Oh, very smart!” Twilight answered nicely. This was off. It had been clear from their conversation that Red had been sent there. Luna was hiding something! But the unicorn had no proof! She was playing with a master of her craft after all. “Twilight, I thought we wanted to tell Luna something, not ask her about her followers.” Celestia interfered. “Oh? What is it, sister?” the moon princess asked with a smile. The unicorn was on to something, but so far, Luna hoped she had covered her trails. Celestia took a look around. Luna had placed several spells to secure the room for her rehearsals and there were no guards around. With a flicker of her magic, she added one layer of safety and turned to her sister. “I have to admit defeat, sister. Your insight has proven superior.” She started and stepped a bit closer to Twilight “I have been running from my feelings and it was up to my most faithful student to stop me and force me to face them. Twilight has found the admirable courage to confess her loving affection to me. And I have found the same in my heart. I love Twilight Sparkle. And I owe you an apology for not listening to you!” Twilight nuzzled up to Celestia as the alicorn spoke and added. “If you had any influence, I guess I owe you my gratitude. I love Celestia.” Luna looked at the two first in surprise. Slowly a grin snuck unto her lips. “OH! That is so wonderful!” she giggled and embraced her sister hard. “I am so happy for you!” She turned to Twilight and hugged the smaller pony as well. “And the pony who freed me from Nightmare Moon deserves nothing but the best. And Tia is truly the best!” Celestia giggled soflty and Twilight blushed a bit. “And you know what comes now, my beloved sister!” the moon princess said with an evil grin. “Oh, please...” the sun princess sighed “Do you have to?” “Indeed!” Luna answered. “VICTORY DANCE!” Twilight’s mouth dropped to the ground as the princess of the Moon, the ferrymare of dreams, and the former Nightmare Moon started to dance around her sister in a very VERY silly manner. It was not exactly choreographed, and about as dignified as her YES-fits, but as a fellow younger sibling, Twilight knew how rare such victories were. Or at least, she used to know. Lately she had been saving her brother so often, she was close to getting enough stamps for a free coffee. “Luna, I get it, you are happy, can you stop now?” Celestia asked with a hint of tension in her voice. The moon princess was currently forming the letters “L-U-N-A! L-U-N-AAAAAA!” with her forehoofs. “You bitterness only sweetens this victory for me!” Luna added and finished with a twirl that landed standing on one hoof. She was grinning broadly. “I just don’t think it is an appropriate way to behave in the throne room,” Celestia said, slightly annoyed. “Twilight is as good as family, sister.” Luna stressed “She earned and claimed that title.” She turned towards the unicorn “Just be careful! She gets really snuggly when she is asleep. Had to pry myself out of a lot of embraces back when we shared a bed!” “Luna! That was aeons ago!” “So was your sweet tooth! Some things don’t change!” she leaned closer to Twilight “Or rather: Sweet full-prosthesis.” Twilight couldn't help but laugh at the exchange. She had seen many new faces of Celestia lately. This reminded her so much of her relationship with her brother, it made her feel nostalgic. “As much as I enjoy rubbing it into your face, sister, I have to open court again.” Luna said with a big smile. “Why don’t you two go and enjoy your holiday. I will keep my grip on the reins and you... well, have fun and be merry!” “We will.” Twilight said. Her mind was still on the case, but she knew, she would not get anything out of Luna. “Indeed!” Celestia added “Thank you sister.” The two lovers smiled at each other and left the throne room. Luna was alone. She added a layer of magic to the security spells. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” Outside, Twilight looked up to her Princess. “I am glad that those two took it so well.” She said softly. “You call that good?” Celestia asked with a wink. “Fine, statistically, each of them fainted, freaked out and mocked you for a minute.” Twilight commented. “And this shows yet again that the mean is not a good statistical indicator!” “You magical science teacher would be proud.” The sun princess giggled. “Oh, who cares about that old hag?” the unicorn laughed. “I heard she dates her students!” “I would take this to the headmistress, but she is even worse!” the alicorn added merrily. They walked a bit further, but suddenly, something hit Twilight. “Where are we going?” she asked, slightly confused. “I thought we could go outside and enjoy the weather a bit,” Celestia suggested. The unicorn nodded softly. “That sounds nice.” The two continued quietly towards the private gardens. Both mares had slight issues though. Both felt the urge to just walk closer and cuddle against each other, but there were just too many ponies around. Twilight sighed. Every guard, maid and butler was a possible danger. She didn't like this. Still, trying to be inconspicuous, she looked up to Celestia. On their way, the princess greeted several guards and maids by their first names and even asked one Pegasus guard named Stormbreak how his boyfriend “Lore” was. The unicorn couldn’t help but sigh. That was her marefriend over there. No longer a foolish, distant fantasy, no, her actual lover! Smiling softly, she held back and basked in Celestia’s kindness. They finally reached the private gardens, abandoned by gardeners, hidden from direct view and, best of all, filled with the colours of fall. Twilight smiled broadly at the beauty and took a deep breath of fresh air. Celestia meanwhile, was walking ahead and slowly took off her shoes. “What are you doing?” the unicorn asked, walking over to her lover. “Nobody is here to watch. At least nobody who might think less of me if I get some dirt on my hooves, right?” Celestia asked gently, removing the greaves with her magic. “And sully my picture of the perfect Celestia?” Twilight answered sarcastically and channeled Rarity “DIRT ON YOUR HOOVES? I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE!” The sun princess let out a loud laugh and embraced the unicorn happily. “Now I know where Spike gets some of his sarcasm from.” She whispered gently. Twilight leaned into the embrace and sighed happily. After a short time, they let go. “So, what do you want to do?” she asked eagerly. “I would suggest a little exercise.” Celestia answered and flexed her wings “Your adventures have kept you in shape, my dear, but I think we both could use some time outside.” “The palace food is delicious,” The unicorn admitted sheepishly. “I see where Spike gets his cooking skills from.” She shook her legs and looked at the princess expectantly. “So, what do we do?” “Well… “ the alicorn began innocently, “we could warm up carefully, have a short break, run four laps around the gardens, rest, run some more laps, bask in the sun and enjoy the colours OR...” She levitated her crown off her head and quickly put it on Twilight’s head “The evil usurper, Queen Blinding Dusk, could chase the fallen princess through the gardens, hungry to claim her virtue!” A smirk appeared on Twilight’s face. “WE SHALL GIVE THEE A TEN SECOND HEAD START!” she proclaimed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “IT MAKES THE CHASE MORE INTERESTING AND THE PRICE SO MUCH SWEETER!” “Woe is me!” Celestia proclaimed desperately and began to run, soon followed by a maniacally laughing Twilight. And laughing was easy for her. The sun, the grass, the warm sun and especially the beautiful alicorn ahead of her let Twilight’s spirits fly high. Ever the tease, the sun princess ran exactly so fast to allow Twilight a difficult, yet manageable chase, slowing down when the unicorn seemed tired and speeding up just long enough to make her sweat. Their play went on for quite a while, until suddenly, the evil queen decided to change the rules. Quickly, she turned around and jumped, followed by the usual blink of a teleporting spell. Celestia was suddenly tackled from the front and both mares rolled through the grass laughing and hugging each other happily. “We *pant* have captured *pant* you *pant* Princess!” Twilight wheezed. “We shall *pant* claim thy *pant* virtue *pant* once the world stops spinning.” “Say what you want about evil rulers, but back in my days, they didn’t cheat!” Celestia giggled and gave the unicorn a gentle kiss on the cheek. The smaller pony giggled at the kiss. “Aren’t you supposed to desperately plea for your innocence?” “Aren’t you supposed to claim it already?” A blush spread over Twilight’s face, and it was not due to exhaustion. She averted her gaze slightly. The princess only nuzzled her gently. “I understand,” She said softly. “We have all the time you want. No need to rush anything.” The smaller mare looked up lovingly. “Thank you.” “I think we gloriously missed lunch. How would you like some afternoon tea?” Celestia asked and gently hugged the other pony once more, before getting up. “Sounds Tea-licious!” “Love?” “Yes?” “You spend too much time with Pinkie Pie!”