//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: To Be A Princess // by WellKPony //------------------------------// Chapter Two “Hold still, darling, please! This will only take longer if you don’t let me just...” Rarity repositioned Twilight’s haunch brusquely, treating her as though she were no different from one of the many dress forms dotted around the room. Twilight seethed. She felt like her muscles would give out at any moment. Although she did appreciated Rarity’s offer to make her dress for the coronation, she hadn’t anticipated that it would require quite as much effort on her own part. Finishing touches, Rarity had said. A few small alterations, she had said, it won’t take long. Two hours later and Twilight was still stood statuesquely on a dais while Rarity pinned back fabric here and there, fixing the most minor of minor flaws. In fact, Twilight doubted whether anypony would even notice if these alterations remained undone. As Rarity continued to work, Twilight looked at her reflection in the mirrors surrounding her. Impatient though she was, she truly admired the dress. It was probably the most beautiful and the most intricate article of clothing she had ever worn. A bodice of vibrant fuchsia charmeuse flowed across her back, falling gracefully over her tail where it was met by a train of pure white chiffon. This extended a few feet behind her and was attached to the dress with a series of unobtrusive stitches hidden beneath some carefully placed white bows. The sleeves were capped just below her shoulders with cuffs of pale yellow satin. These cuffs were shaped to match a sash which ran loosely across the length of her body from her neck, around her hind quarters and back to her neck. To set the whole thing off, a single teardrop pearl hung from an ornately patterned pink clasp midway down her chest. The overall effect was quite enchanting. “There we are. That’s the last one,” Rarity said, taking one final walk around Twilight to check her handiwork. Twilight sighed in relief. At last. Rarity unfastened the clasp with her magic and lifted the dress over Twilight's head. With the dress hovering in front of her, she trotted off towards her workroom. Twilight sat back on her haunches and stretched out her shoulders. It was good to be able to move again. Yet strangely, she now felt a little disappointed to have her dress taken away from her. Having satisfied her need to relax her muscles, she got to her feet and cantered off in search of it. When she arrived at its location, she spotted Rarity sat at a workbench with a pair of red spectacles balanced primly on her muzzle. She was carefully hoof stitching a small area of the dress, tugging daintily at the material to straighten out any creases as she did so. Twilight joined her, sitting on a nearby stool. She watched as Rarity used her magic to pull pins out of the dress and stitch the fabric into the shapes she had decided upon during the fitting. This process always fascinated Twilight; she knew how the spell worked but the level of control Rarity exhibited over that needle was incredible. Watching the regular motion of it was thoroughly entrancing, almost therapeutic. By the time Twilight realised what she was doing, she had been silently staring at the other pony for a good few minutes. Coming to her senses, she finally broke the silence. “Thank you for making this dress for me, Rarity,” she said, smiling broadly at her friend. “And I’m sorry for being so fidgety. It’s just that it was an awfully long time to be standing still...” Rarity finished of one of the alterations before turning to face Twilight, her features resplendent with a mixture of accomplishment and satisfaction. “Not at all, darling. It has been an absolute honour to work on this. It’s not every day you get to design a coronation gown for a princess, now is it?” she said warmly. Twilight blushed at the remark. “I suppose not…” she answered distantly. Of course Rarity would think of this as an honour. For as long as Twilight had known her, it had been the unicorn’s dream to design for royalty. This was a momentous occasion for her. It was little wonder then, that she had agreed to do it at such short notice. It also explained her desire to make the dress absolutely perfect. It wasn’t just for her friend, but for a princess, for herself and for every pony in Equestria. Twilight paled as she thought about this. Thousands of eyes would be watching her every move for the entire day and probably for the years to follow too. “Whatever’s the matter, dear?” Rarity asked, noticing Twilight’s sudden lack of colour. “Nothing. I’m alright,” Twilight lied. Rarity raised her eyebrow, rightly unwilling to believe this. “Something is clearly the matter. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong and I’ll see if I can help?” Rarity insisted. Twilight looked away from Rarity. She didn’t imagine that the other pony could even begin to understand how she felt. She was terrified of being the centre of attention. She was afraid that she would put one hoof wrong and everypony in Equestria would see it. Rarity, on the other hoof, would be in her element. She would simply adore the attention, the grandeur and the occasion. “It’s just, what if something goes wrong? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I trip over my dress? What if, after the ceremony, I’m expected to make a speech? What if I say something stupid? What if Celestia decides that somepony who says something that stupid isn’t fit to be a princess? What if she’s right? What if I’m not fit to be a princess? What if this was all some big mistake?” Twilight exploded. Rarity's eyes widened as she listened to Twilight's list of concerns. However, her expression quickly turned from shock to amusement and she went back to her sewing. “Don’t be so ridiculous, Twilight. Of course you’re fit to be a princess. I don’t see how anypony could think otherwise,” Rarity said as she knotted her thread, and began working on another area of the dress. “As for making speeches, you should find that easy. You have a real way with words. All you have to do is say whatever comes into your head. I’m sure that on the day, you’ll be hit by some incredible inspiration. That usually works for me. And you can’t trip over your dress, it doesn’t even come near your hooves. You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Twilight forced herself to smile when Rarity eventually looked back across at her. She had known the unicorn would feel this way. She was the epitome of poise and social grace. There was no conceivable situation in which she would be anything other than confident and comfortable. Twilight, on the other hoof, felt completely ill at ease at even the most intimate of social gatherings. She remembered how uncomfortable she had felt at her big brother’s wedding and she hadn’t even been expected to do anything other than stand next to him. The same was true of the Grand Galloping Gala, when she had merely had to shake hooves with a line of guests and introduce herself as Celestia’s protegée. Neither of those roles had been particularly strenuous and yet she had felt incredibly nervous about them. On top of that, she had managed to make a complete fool out of herself at both of those events. And this was bigger. There was more that could go wrong and there was far more focus on her than she had ever experienced before. “There, all done, would you like to try it on for me?” Rarity said, lifting the dress up magically. Twilight nodded her assent, allowing Rarity to slip the dress back over her neck and fasten it. When she was done, Twilight walked carefully over to a mirror which stood in a far corner of the room. When she saw her reflection, she couldn't help but smile at Rarity. “It’s perfect, thank you," she said. Rarity glanced bashfully at the floor, while Twilight continued to admire herself. It was a beautiful dress. When she had finished checking herself out from every available angle, Twilight turned back to Rarity who was looking at her proudly. At that moment, the unicorn let out soft gasp, her eyes shimmering. “Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I have one more surprise for you, but I’m afraid it won’t be ready until we arrive in Canterlot. I’m sure you’ll love it, though!” Rarity exclaimed, thoroughly excited. “What is it?” Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued by the unicorn’s tone. “I can’t tell you, that would ruin the surprise,” Rarity smiled, mischievously tapping her nose. Twilight dearly wanted to argue, but that would just be playing into Rarity’s hoof. "Okay, okay. Keep your secrets," Twilight laughed. Sobering up, she turning back to the mirror and imagined herself stepping into the great hall at Canterlot Castle wearing this dress and walking towards her destiny. She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t excited by the prospect. When she was younger, she – like every other filly the length and breadth of the land – had often dreamt of being a princess. “So this is it?” she said thoughtfully as her vision dissipated. Rarity stepped forward, resting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and giving her a small squeeze. Twilight swallowed hard. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Rarity said firmly. Twilight looked into Rarity’s eyes, reflected in the mirror. She wished she could believe that. Her flying practice with Rainbow had been coming on a lot better since she had started reading Fluttershy’s book, but that was just about the only solace she had. Time was marching on, drawing her coronation closer and closer and still she didn’t feel any more ready than she had on the day she had become an alicorn. She smiled weakly at Rarity, but couldn't hide her fear. The other pony furrowed her brow in consideration. All of a sudden her eyes lit up. “You know, if you need a little help relaxing, I’m meeting Fluttershy at the spa this afternoon. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you joined us. It really is a wonderful day out. You can have a hooficure, a cornicure, a seaweed wrap and a nice relaxing massage to get rid of all that tension. My treat. What do you say?” Rarity asked, imploringly. Twilight pondered the invitation. She still had a lot more reading to get through and she had already fallen behind her schedule with the dress fitting. Then again, she hadn’t allowed herself to relax at all in over a week. Perhaps this would do her some good. Besides, Rarity didn’t look like she would take no for an answer. “Thank you. Yes, I’d love to,” she replied. “Excellent!” Rarity cried. “I’m due there in just over an hour. That’ll give me time to iron out the creases on this dress then we’ll leave.” Twilight bowed her head in deference. Perhaps this would do her some good. * * * * * A small bell tinkled as Rarity pushed open the door to the spa. Twilight followed the unicorn into the waiting room and was immediately overpowered by a heady mixture of strong perfumes and humid air. She looked around the small room, quickly spotting Fluttershy who was sat comfortably on a green sofa not too far from the vacant reception desk. Twilight waited awkwardly by the door while Rarity ventured further into the room and made her way towards Fluttershy. The to greeted one another by way of a brief hug. “Hello, Fluttershy. It’s good to see you again. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve brought Twilight along with me. She’s feeling a little stressed and I thought she could do with a little pampering,” Rarity explained. Twilight smiled sheepishly and waved. “Of course I don’t mind,” Fluttershy said softly, returning the wave. “The more, the merrier.” Twilight walked over to join the other two as they spoke about their respective days. A few minutes passed like this before one of the spa’s proprietors, a stunning blue mare with a slick pink mane, came into the room. She looked at them all expectantly. “The usual!” Rarity proclaimed. The spa pony clapped her hooves together twice in quick succession and almost instantly, the three mares were being dressed in bathrobes and whisked off towards the sauna. That one small room appeared to be the source of all of the humidity Twilight had noticed upon entering the building. The heat inside was almost unbearable. Twilight sat down on a wooden bench which ran around the perimeter of the room. Fluttershy sat next to her and Rarity opposite. Once they had settled in, Rarity nodded at their hostess who ladled a small quantity of water onto a pile of hot coals in the centre of the room. A hot plume of steam erupted into being and enveloped them in its misty depths. Twilight couldn't help but close her eyes and drift away amidst the heat. She allowed herself to stretch out comfortably on the bench. Her mind was completely blank. It was an interesting feeling, one to which she was not accustomed. Rarity had been right, though. This truly was a fantastic way to release your tension. It felt wonderful. Through her blissful dégagé, she overheard snippets of the other ponies’ conversation which had carried over from the waiting room. Most of what was being said washed over her until she heard her own name being mentioned. “And then Twilight came by so that I could put the finishing touches to her dress,” Rarity was saying. “Wow. So is it finished then?” Fluttershy asked. “At last, I think it is. And she looks absolutely fabulous in it if I do say so myself.” “Oh my. That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to see it. How long is it now?” “One week and three days,” Twilight answered abruptly, opening her eyes. Fluttershy flinched as Twilight spoke, her pale yellow cheeks filling with colour. She looked to have forgotten that Twilight was in the room. Rarity, on the other hoof, was splayed out on the opposite bench, her eyes still closed, looking very serene. "Oh. Is that all?" the pegasus asked delicately. "Yes, ten days. And we leave for Canterlot in six. And we get to stay at the castle!" Rarity interjected. Twilight looked at Fluttershy, rolling her eyes and bobbing her head in the unicorn's direction. Fluttershy's eyes sparkled with mirth. She raised a hoof to cover her mouth, her shoulders shaking gently with silent laughter. That was just like Rarity. Designing a dress for royalty and a stay at Canterlot Castle: Twilight's coronation was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Of course she wouldn't be confined to the castle grounds for four days straight. She would be able to visit Canterlot like any other time they had been there. Twilight, on the other hoof, would not be extended this privilege. She wasn't entirely sure what the reasons behind the restriction were. All she knew was that Celestia had insisted she not leave the castle. She was suddenly reminded of Rarity's words when they had arrived for her brother's wedding. These types of things do bring out the strangest ponies. Twilight had never felt unsafe in Canterlot. It was her home town, after all. She knew everything and everypony in it. Celestia was just being cautious, she supposed. Then again, Celestia never left the castle herself without an escort of at least two royal guard. Nor did Luna for that matter. And Cadence had Shining Armour with her much of the time. Was this what awaited her too? This thought plagued her as she lay down on a cushioned table to receive the hooficure Rarity had promised. Two ponies applied a facemask to her and positioned a pair of lush pillows under her legs before beginning to file her hooves. Days like this one would become a non-starter if she was forced to go everywhere with a host of guards in tow. She watched the reposed forms of Rarity and Fluttershy as they enjoyed the attentions of the spa ponies. As she did so, she realised that she was already somewhat jealous of the simplicity of their lives. She forced these thoughts out of her mind, silently reprimanding herself for feeling that way. Once her hooficure was complete, a young mare approached her with a larger file and began moving it towards her horn. Twilight flinched and put her hoofs up, shaking her head vigorously. She didn’t like other ponies touching her horn. It made her feel uncomfortable. “Sorry. No, thank you. I’d rather not,” she said. The mare retreated and Twilight looked over at Rarity who had accepted the treatment. The alicorn shuddered: she couldn’t watch. Even the thought of it gave her the willies. She turned round to face Fluttershy instead and found that the other mare was already looking at her. Fluttershy blushed and looked away as Twilight met her eyes. Why would she be embarrassed? Perhaps she wanted to move on to the next treatment, but didn’t want to upset Rarity. Neither she nor Twilight was having a cornicure. When the pegasus eventually looked back up, Twilight flashed her a broad smile and nodded her head towards the door. Fluttershy glanced at the door, then at Rarity, then back at Twilight, clearly torn between wanting to go with Twilight and not wanting to leave Rarity on her own. Taking one last look at Rarity, the pegasus bit her lip and nodded at Twilight. “Um, Rarity? Do you mind if Twilight and I head off to the mud baths?” she asked nervously. Twilight looked at Rarity, awaiting her reaction. The unicorn opened her eyes and looked questioningly at Fluttershy. Twilight looked back at the pegasus whose eyes were wide. She appeared to have just finished shaking her head. Twilight looked back at Rarity who had her eyebrow raised but when she spotted Twilight looking at her, she quickly rearranged her features. “Of course you can. There’s no point in you staying when you’re not having anything done,” she said. Twilight looked back and forth between the two mares, utterly bereft. She had no idea what to make of this exchange but she suddenly felt as though she were intruding; as though she were an interloper, trying to impose her own wishes upon a long standing tradition. If Fluttershy usually stayed while Rarity had her horn filed, Twilight decided that she had better not leave. She was only there as a guest. It wasn’t her place to try to force her own agenda. “Are you sure? I mean, we can stay if you want,” Twilight said, hoping to avoid causing any friction. “No, no. Don’t be silly. You girls go on. I’ll catch up to you,” Rarity insisted, bowing her head magnanimously. Twilight shrugged her shoulders. Perhaps she had been reading too much in to it. Rarity didn't look remotely concerned. In fact, if anything, she looked like she wanted them to go. Twilight stood up to leave and Fluttershy followed her lead, springing from the table and trotting over to her side. The spa pony led them from the room and along a lushly decorated corridor to another room in which there were a half dozen baths filled with viscous ‘mud’. She and Fluttershy disrobed, immersing themselves in the warm, dark water of two of the baths and Twilight let out a soft sigh. Physically, this felt even better than the sauna, though she couldn’t quite relax here as she had there. Her mind was still fixed on the exchange between Fluttershy and Rarity. “I'm sorry if you wanted to stay,” Twilight said, trying to make it clear that she hadn't intended to make her move if she hadn't wanted to. “Huh?” Fluttershy asked dreamily. “I was just saying, I'm sorry for getting you to leave if you would have preferred to stay with Rarity,” Twilight repeated. The pegasus looked at her, confused. “Oh, no. I wanted to go. Between the two if us, the sight of somepony getting their horn filed makes me squeamish,” Fluttershy said. Twilight giggled. “Yeah, it is a bit…” she gave a little shudder in place of the last word, being unable to find one which adequately described her feelings. The two shared a laugh before a silence descended between them and they were left staring wordlessly at one another. Twilight enjoyed spending time with Fluttershy. It was amazing how much they had in common, even silly little things like their opinions on a certain beauty treatment. After a while, though, the silence became increasingly awkward. At long last, Fluttershy leaned forward as though she wanted to say something and eventually, she did. “So, um, how do you like your dress?” the pegasus asked, a touch of excitement in her voice. “Oh, it’s nice. It’s a little too grand for me, but then it is for a big occasion. I suppose I had best look the part. She really has outdone herself. It is beautiful. It’s just, when I think about what it’s for…” Twilight mused. “So, do you feel like a princess in it, then?” said Fluttershy, letting out a little squeal. “I suppose, maybe. I guess I look like a princess, I don’t know that I’ll ever feel like one. Rarity is good with a sewing machine and all, but I doubt if any amount of fancy needlework could change that,” Twilight said. Fluttershy looked at her searchingly. “Well, not that it makes any difference, but you’ve always felt like a princess to me,” the pegasus said, after some consideration. Twilight blushed, looking away from her friend. “Thank you, Fluttershy. That means a lot to me,” she said quietly. It did mean a lot to her. It was good to know that somepony had confidence in her, but even if what Fluttershy was saying was true, Twilight still didn’t feel much better about the things. In fact, knowing that somepony so close to her had so much faith in her almost made her feel worse. She didn’t want to disappoint anypony, much less her friends. “What’s wrong, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, clearly sensing that something was up. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about a conversation I had with Rarity earlier,” Twilight said. She told Fluttershy the same things she had told Rarity earlier. How she thought that maybe somepony had made a mistake somewhere along the line. That perhaps this wasn’t what she was meant to do. She told the pegasus about her fears of making a speech and what Rarity had said. That she would be fine; that things would work out. “Whether I have a way with words or not, I’m still terrified that I’ll mess up,” Twilight finished, barely able to stop herself from shaking. “Oh, I see,” said Fluttershy, once again looking at Twilight with that searching gaze. “Well, I mean, if you ask me, you’re already pretty brave for going through with it. I could never stand up to speak in front of that many ponies,” Fluttershy said, cowering as though even the thought of it was too much. “I’m sure you could if you put your mind to it,” Twilight replied. Fluttershy shook her head. “No. I know you might not notice it, but I’m really rather shy. If you want my opinion, though, I think you’ll do a wonderful job. Just go up there and speak from your heart and you’ll be fine. I mean, I know I couldn’t do it, but you… you’ll be fine,” Fluttershy said with a reassuring smile. Twilight looked at her skeptically, still not convinced. Fluttershy bit her lip and swallowed heavily. “I’ll tell you what, if it comes down to it and you absolutely can’t go through with it, I’ll give you a helping hoof, okay?” she added nervously. Twilight raised her eyebrow at the pegasus. Surely not. “I’m serious. I promise,” Fluttershy said, crossing her heart, flapping her arms and putting her hoof over her eye. “A Pinkie promise? I might hold you to that,” Twilight said with a mischievous grin. The pegasus looked both terrified and amused in equal measure. She probably understood that Twilight was just kidding around, but she also seemed fairly resolute and Twilight got the impression that if she did ask, Fluttershy would keep her promise. She wouldn’t ask, of course, but she suddenly felt that with Fluttershy in her corner, she could take on the world. For all the pegasus could be very introspective and demure, she was also incredibly strong and insightful. Somehow she always knew just what to say. If Fluttershy could swallow her fear and offer to do something she was frightened of just to help out a friend, Twilight was sure that she could swallow her own fear too. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” she said warmly. “No problem,” the pegasus replied. The mares smiled at one another for a while, though this time the silence was anything but awkward. Twilight felt incredibly touched by Fluttershy’s gesture. She was so lucky to have a friend like her. Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from somewhere in the room. Startled, Twilight almost jumped out of her bath. Her head snapped round to find the source of the ruckus and she saw that Rarity had just arrived. At once, two spa ponies began wrapping her in seaweed. “So sorry it took me so long girls. I hope I didn’t miss anything,” Rarity said, casting her gaze over them both. “No, you didn’t, we were just talking about Twilight’s dress,” Fluttershy responded softly. Now thoroughly ensconced in the seaweed, Rarity leapt into another one of the mud baths and began pontificating about her fabric choices and the influences on her design. Twilight was only half listening, nodding along and pretending she understood what the unicorn was talking about. In truth, though, she was still thinking about what Fluttershy had said. She took one last glance over at the pegasus who appeared to be captivated by Rarity’s discourse. For the first time in weeks, Twilight felt calm and carefree. First the book and now this. If it wasn’t for Fluttershy, Twilight wasn’t sure how she would have made it through the last couple of weeks. She closed her eyes and sank a little further into her bath, letting the warm water surround her. She was so lucky to have a friend like her.