As she sat at the massive oak table, laden down with the kitchen staff’s interpretation of a grand breakfast, Princess Celestia found herself in the rather novel position, more than a touch dissatisfied with said staff’s choice in a particular matter.
This dissatisfaction was not, in and of itself, the unusual thing. As much as she appreciated the efforts of those ponies who dedicated their lives to her comfort, nopony was perfect, and even those with the best intentions sometimes went astray. Even then, it wasn’t precisely a common occurrence to find a staffing matter she needed to attend to personally. She had an entire branch of ponies in her service dedicated to ensuring that the other ponies in her service performed their tasks as was expected, along with another branch dedicated to ensuring the first branch did its job. After all, as much as she endeavored to seem approachable and motherly to her little ponies, there were only so many hours in a day, and far more matters requiring her attention than could be handled given that limitation. Given that her first, and only, attempt to add more hours to the day had resulted in panic in the streets and a demand from the court to end her ‘mad scheme of eternal day,’ she had decided that delegation was the better choice.
Even still, an issue would arise perhaps twice a decade which required her personal intervention. More often than not, a simple conversation was enough to correct the issue. Most ponies had the good sense not to argue when their employer told them, for instance, that she cared for neither avocados nor durians, and especially not both mixed together, and certainly not as a pie filling.
There were, of course, the rare occasions which necessitated more drastic measures. Sometime around the middle of the third century of Luna’s banishment, a particularly recalcitrant steward had endeavored to bar caffeine from the palace in the interest of ‘health concerns.’ Her initial argument, that an immortal goddess didn’t have ‘health concerns’ had proven less than effective. Unsurprisingly, a joking suggestion that a scalding vat of the decaffeinated abomination he claimed as coffee might ‘accidentally’ find itself poured into a funnel which was itself inserted into an orifice on his body in which neither funnels nor scalding liquids had any business had resolved the issue quite readily.
Or… mostly joking. The week leading to that particular conversation had been an especially stressful one for the princess, and it was possible that, in a state of sleep- and caffeine-depravation, she might have thought it wise to brandish a funnel during the conversation, and may have thought to tensely call for the threatened vat to be produced at some point. Until the event had thankfully passed out of living memory, she had insisted that she’d merely been proving her point.
That the legend of the incident had the unintended consequences of ensuring the castle larders hadn’t even come close to running out of coffee or tea in more than seven centuries was a happy coincidence.
There was, of course, one threat which she would act upon, a threat which was reserved for those select few who would stare back, unblinking, into the eyes of their princess, steadfast in their refusal to submit. It was the ultimate punishment for any member of her staff who found themselves the focus of the full ire of the Princess of the Day while still within the bounds of the law. A fate that the mere mention of could transform the proudest of ponies into a quivering mass of tears and apologies. A fate that was, to some, more cruel than exile, or perhaps even death itself.
She could just fire them.
And, having been involuntarily discharged from the service of the royal palace by Celestia herself, leave them anathema in the eyes of the upper echelons of society, effectively barred from using their talents and training in any meaningful way. There was a reason it was her last resort, and a reason she was glad she had never been forced to actually go through with it.
What was novel about her current situation, then, was not that she was unhappy with her servants. What was novel was that, for once, she was unable to do anything about it.
The first thing Celestia had noticed as she had entered the dining room was that it was that there were fewer ponies in the room than she had anticipated. Specifically, she was in the room, having entered first by virtue of her status as divine princess and, rather more significantly, elder sister, and Twilight was in the room, by virtue of the unicorn’s unspoken refusal to leave Celestia’s side. The serving staff, on the other hoof, was notably absent.
This absence was not the source of Celestia’s current displeasure. After all, it was a breakfast, and her rules regarding breakfasts were unambiguous. There was also no doubt in her mind that at least one member of the staff had appeared in the hall the moment it had been shut, and now waited amongst the guards outside in the event some aspect of the meal was found lacking.
The meal itself, as it happened, was also not the source of Celestia’s displeasure. The oak table had been piled high with an assortment of muffins and other pastries alongside serving bowls of oatmeal and several platters of fresh fruit, as well as a small bowl of jade and turquoise for Spike, with serving carts loaded with coffee, tea, and various juices had been set at each corner of the table. The coffee alone was enough to ensure her satisfaction, but the chefs had apparently decided, in their attempt to satisfy Luna’s unusual command that it be a ‘grand’ breakfast, to set each place with a stack of pancakes as tall as Celestia’s forelegs, accompanied by dishes with several different compotes and pitchers of syrup, to be added at each pony’s preference.
It was no secret that pancakes were Celestia’s favorite breakfast. They were, first and foremost, a form of cake, and therefore well loved by the solar diarch. It was a preference shared since her own youth with her younger sister, and she had ensured both her niece and student had come to share as well. It was also known among the kitchen staff that Shining Armor had a taste for them, though they were careful not to speculate why he often shared them with Princess Cadence in her chambers at an hour which would have been remarkably early for a stallion to be in a lady’s private quarters, had anypony been crass enough to remark upon it. Given that discretion was the first requirement for anypony applying for a position on the palace staff, valued even above the pony's ability to perform their duties, everypony had the good sense not to remark upon either it, or the large pitchers of various syrups which always accompanied the breakfast trays, and were invariably returned completely empty.
Regardless, the presence of pancakes was, in her current mindset, nothing short of a miracle, and enough to provide Celestia a temporary distraction from several concerns, including the fact that by that point a grey earth pony and white unicorn had been assigned a suite in the palace at Luna’s behest so that they might provide more uncomfortable lessons to the princesses as time allowed.
It was not, however, enough to distract her from the lingering sense of annoyance with whichever member of her staff had decided that, rather than reserving the ends of the table for the two princesses, it was wise to place a second setting at each end, immediately to the rights of the royal seats. The end result was that, as she began her second cup of coffee, Celestia found herself sitting with her right wing still draped gently around Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn still pressed up against her side, cuddling affectionately against Celestia in between dainty bites of syrup-soaked dough.
It wasn’t that Celestia found the sensation inherently unpleasant. Quite the contrary, the feeling of Twilight’s cheek rubbing against her side was delightful as ever, reminding the Princess of the Sun just how nice it was to be treated with something approaching normal affection. Even the small patches of matted fur, the result of syrup transferred from the corners of the affectionate mare’s mouth weren’t a particular bother to the princess.
What concerned her was that the feeling of Twilight's soft coat brushing against her side was causing Celestia to find it increasingly difficult to remember that a cessation of such affection was something she intended to pursue. Or to remember much else besides just how nice it felt.
“Celestia!” Luna not-quite shouted. The volume of her voice did nothing to mask the tinge of concern behind it as the distracted princess jumped slightly in her seat, snapped from her own musings to find several sets of eyes fixed on her. Apparently the attention from the mare at her side was having a greater effect on her than she’d initially realized, to the extent that she hadn’t even noticed that the silence that had persisted since the group left the courtyard had finally been broken. “My apologies for raising my voice, but you seemed somewhat lost in thought,” Luna continued, satisfied that she had Celestia’s attention. “Does something trouble you?”
“No, Luna, nothing troubles me,” she replied quickly; too quickly, she realized, her rush to downplay her own concern over her lapse in concentration provoking a knowing look from her sister. “I was simply a bit… distracted,” she explained, taking care to control the tempo and tone of her voice as she tilted her head down and to her right. Judging by the sudden, if slight, increase in heat against her side, Twilight had noticed the gesture, even from her awkward position, and was blushing, a sensation that quickly passed as she pulled away from Celestia’s side. “What were we talking about?” she asked gently, fighting the urge to flex her wing and restore the soft source of warmth to her side.
Luna smiled playfully, nodding at a point slightly above the elder alicorn’s head. “Nothing of particular import, sister. I was merely wondering if you might be willing to relinquish your hold on the caramel in the near future,” she repeated her earlier, unheeded request, concern replaced with unconcealed mirth as Celestia looked up, noticing that she still held a silver pitcher with her magic. Her eyes panned down, following the stream of thick brown liquid to her plate, which, at current, held a greater quantity of warm caramel than pancakes. The topping had nearly covered the fluffy discs, and was prevented from overflowing onto the table itself only by the enchantments placed on every plate in the castle to prevent accidental spills.
Celestia was beginning to wonder if Twilight had placed some form of enchantment on herself before arriving, something to make her harder to ignore, independent of any effect Cadence’s magic might be having.
Wordlessly, she brought the pitcher down to the level of her eyes, titling her head to the side, making a show of considering the caramel appraisingly, and finally nodded. “Yes,” she said thoughtfully, “that should be enough.” She smiled across the table at her sister, who shook with a suppressed chuckle. “Did you want some, Luna?”
“If any yet remains, Tia,” Luna answered cheekily, eliciting laughter from several of the others at the table and earning herself a playfully dirty look from her sister as Celestia levitated the pitcher across the table, relinquishing her hold on it at the halfway point as Luna’s own magic took hold to carry it to her own face. Looking over the lip, her smile growing into a full smirk as she tipped the upended the pitcher over her own plate, the last few drops of caramel raining down pitifully atop her food. “Well then, I suppose that butterscotch will act as a serviceable substitute,” she offered, sighing theatrically as she lifted a second pitcher with her magic and leveling a look of exaggerated exasperation at her sister as more laughter sounded from around the table.
“Other than the near-criminal underestimation of our caramel requirements, is everyone enjoying their meal?” Celestia asked, anxious that the company not lapse once more into silence, hopeful that having a conversation to focus on would help keep her mind from wandering back to certain less productive thoughts. ‘Besides,’ she thought, melancholy fighting back against the jocular atmosphere, ‘how often can I have a meal without needing to convince my little ponies they needn’t constantly grovel to Luna and I? There’s no reason not to enjoy it while I can.’ The corner of her mouth twitched up as she felt Twilight nuzzle up against her again. ‘Within reason, of course.’
****
Luna grinned happily as she tipped the full pitcher over her plate, glad both that the pall of formality had been dispelled from their breakfast by her sister’s lapse in attention, and that said lapse seemed to be proof that Celestia had moved beyond her earlier concerns, at least enough that she was able to lose herself in the pleasure of being once more in the company of her betrothed.
‘And part of the blame for their separation this past year lays ultimately at my hooves,’ she thought sadly, quickly banishing the grim thought before it could take root and spoil her own happiness. ‘Enough of that, Luna. ‘Tis a happy day, with happier days yet to come,’ she admonished herself, setting the butterscotch back on the table. ‘I must merely endeavor to ensure that the two of them are allowed as much bliss as is in my power to provide, and let that be my apology for my role in Twilight’s absence.’
Feeling a shiver against her side, Luna flexed her wing, gently pulling both it and Fluttershy closer to her body. Luna had noticed that she was trembling shortly after draping her wing over her, initially attributing it to nothing more than a slight chill in the air - autumn mornings were no more renowned for their warmth than mountain tops, and combining the two resulted in a reasonably brisk climate. Assuming that the gentle pegasus simply had a lower tolerance for the cold, Luna had pulled her in closer to her, thinking to insulate Fluttershy from the elements, and share her own warmth with the other mare.
When the shivering had failed to subside, in spite of both her efforts and the warmth within the castle’s halls, Luna had begun to wonder if it were not a physical affliction causing her friend’s discomfort, but a psychological one. She recalled how Fluttershy had reacted to her appearance the previous night. In particular, her repeated attempts to retreat back into her cottage.
She was long accustomed to being an object of fear, and the sight of ponies trembling before her was far from an unfamiliar one, even before her absence. ‘Especially before my absence,’ she corrected grimly. Neither was she unfamiliar with ponies fleeing from her. What had, and still did, strike her as odd, was Fluttershy's response to that fear. She was used ponies fleeing seeking to either distance themselves from her or, more rarely, flee towards a location they thought would be proof against her.
Fluttershy, conversely, had repeatedly attempted to hide behind a door which seemingly lacked a lock. She had also been audibly concerned that strange ponies – even foals – would be coming to her door. Cursing herself for her foolishness, Luna had shifted her wing, using it to shield Fluttershy from view of the guards following them. “I hope this is enough for the moment,” she whispered, leaning her head down so as to avoid embarrassing her timid friend. “We shall see if we can’t reach a more… satisfying solution, later.”
To her satisfaction, she had felt Fluttershy warm significantly, and the shivering at her side immediately stopped. A slight shift of her wing each time she felt Fluttershy begin to shiver again seemed to resolve the situation, leaving Luna with a temporary solution, and the guilty pleasure of being able to resolve to aid Fluttershy with her own social shortcomings as she had aided her the night before.
Not once did she realize that each time she shifted her wing the feathers at the tip brushed lightly against Fluttershy’s flank.
“Other than the near-criminal underestimation of our caramel requirements, is everyone enjoying their meal?” Celestia asked, drawing Luna from her introspection. Pleased with her own internal resolutions, the Princess of the Night looked to her left, down the side of the table at which sat four of her saviors. She was as anxious as her sister was that they were enjoying themselves, and felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn’t been paying as much attention to them as she had to Twilight and Fluttershy.
Rarity, seated to Luna’s left, nodded, looking between the two ruling princesses and flashing each a smile. “Oh, yes, Princess. Simply delightful,” she assured the royal hosts, her smile faltering when her gaze returned to her plate, and the bran muffin sitting untouched between her and her half-finished pancakes. She would have sworn it was taunting her. “Yes… delightful,” she repeated, her enthusiasm tempered by the realization that, somehow, the bran seemed to be resisting her attempt to soak it in the syrup on her plate. On further inspection, it somehow seemed to be actively repelling the liquid.
The laughter coming from her own left did little to improve her dampened mood. “Come on, Rarity; live a little,” Rainbow Dash goaded, gesturing at her own plate, loaded with decidedly higher-calorie items. “Anything that tastes this good is worth the extra effort it’ll take to burn ‘em off.”
“She’s really right, Rarity!” Pinkie agreed from next to Dash, an especially unhealthy looking item balanced on her up-turned hoof. “I mean these chocolate frosted, chocolate-chocolate chip muffins are even better than mine!” She punctuating her endorsement by swallowing the pastry in question whole.
Across the table, Cadence leaned to her left with as much subtlety as was possible among such a small group, eyes wide. “Did… did she just swallow a muffin whole?” she asked her coltfriend in a whisper, more than slightly unnerved by the sight, having attributed most of the bizarre stories surrounding the Element of Laughter to mere exaggeration.
“Apparently,” the stallion replied, trying to keep any hint of awe out of his own voice, lest his royal marefriend wonder what was so awesome about seeing a mare who could swallow a muffin whole.
“Just checking,” she said, and straightened back up, making a mental note to ask the other pink mare for tips at some point, and a second note to punish her stallion later. ‘Though he is adorable when he thinks he can hide when he’s impressed.’
Rarity, long past the point of being phased by Pinkie’s more curious behaviors, rolled her eyes at her two friends. “That high praise aside, Pinkie, I simply can’t risk it,” she explained, her gaze lingering on the fresh chocolate muffin that had appeared in her friend’s hoof, pondering precisely how bad such a thing had to be for a pony before it stopped qualifying as a muffin. “There’s little enough time already to make your gowns, and make the necessary thematic adjustments to mine, without having to worry about making sure mine still fits.” She shook her head, forcing herself to look away from what she’d concluded was, in truth, a poorly disguised dessert masquerading as breakfast.
“Not that I mind the effort, of course,” she added. “I simply have to keep my priorities in order.” She tapped her hoof to her chin thoughtfully and looked between the ruling princesses before nodding. “Actually, while I’m thinking about it, is there any possibility I might be able to see what you’ll both be wearing for the ceremony? Or the designs, at least? After breakfast, of course. I don’t mean to pull either of you away from anything pressing, I just want to make sure the designs I have in mind will mesh with whatever you’ll both be wearing.”
“I’ve nothing particular in mind, actually,” Luna replied casually, lifting a forkful of pancakes to her mouth. “I had planned to scrutinize my wardrobe later to find appropriate vestments for the occasion.” She placed the pancakes in her mouth, wondering once again if somepony had actually found a way to improve upon the taste of such a simple food over the past thousand years, or if the apparent improvement was merely because she still hadn’t reacclimated to them. She was focused so intently on the question that she failed to notice several sharp intakes of breath.
“You… don’t have a gown being prepared?” Rarity asked, her words and breathing carefully measured, a worrisome gleam in her eye as she looked at her betrothed.
Luna shook her head as she chewed and swallowed. “Nothing specifically for the occasion, no.” She took a sip of her tea, savoring the slightly bitter liquid. as she gradually become aware that Rarity was still staring at her. “Shall I gather that the current custom calls for a set of clothes made specifically for the event, then?” Rarity nodded slightly, and Luna clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “I hadn’t realized, or I should have already engaged somepony in that regard.”
It was at that point that Luna noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Rainbow Dash had begun to lean nervously away from the suddenly trembling unicorn. Flicking her eyes to the side, she saw that Pinkie Pie and Applejack were trying to subtly distance themselves from their friend, and that Twilight had retreated deeper into the protective embrace of Celestia’s wing. “Sister,” she began slowly, confused and, if she was honest with herself, slightly unnerved by the strange behavior she was observing, “perhaps you might be able to assist me in this regard, given that you’ve had more time to prepare than I – who produced your gown?”
There was a clatter of silverware against porcelain from her right, and she saw Cadence dive under the table. “Dropped my fork!” Cadence announced, an edge of panic in her voice.
“But… your fork is right…” Luna’s protest died in her throat as the utensil in question leapt from the table, surrounded by a purple glow, and flew beneath the table.
“I’ll help you look,” Shining Armor offered quickly, joining the princess beneath the table, as Celestia laid her head upon her up-turned hoof.
“No, Luna, I’m afraid I can’t,” she declared sullenly. “For a number of very good reasons which are, for a number of other very good reasons, best not discussed at the moment, I don’t have a gown prepared for the occasion, either.”
“Oh,” Luna replied simply, certain that she was missing something rather important, but unsure as to what. “Well, in that case…” Her voice trailed off, and she tapped her chin thoughtfully, still vaguely concerned by the sudden surge in strange behavior. “It strikes me as somewhat discourteous to suggest this, Rarity, considering all else that lays before you, but, given your apparent concern that our apparel coordinates, do you think it possible that you might be able to design gowns for both my sister and myself, in addi—”
“Yes!” Rarity cut the princess off with her acceptance, nearly shouting in her enthusiasm as she sprung from her seat, her eyes gleaming at the prospect. “Thank you!” She found herself throwing her forelegs around Luna’s neck in gratitude. “Thank you!” She unthinkingly pulled herself in close to Luna. “Thank you!” She impulsively pressed her face forward.
Several thoughts registered to Luna nearly simultaneously. First and foremost, of course, was that Rarity was, at present, kissing her. Not a gentle, chaste kiss, either. It was full on the lips, and the unicorn’s lips seemed to be parted slightly, invitingly. ‘Well,’ she thought, satisfied, ‘apparently that makes two of them who aren’t ‘straight,’ at least. No, wait, three,’ she corrected herself, remembering to count Twilight.
The second thought was less of a proper thought, and more an observation; despite the face obscuring most of her field of vision, she could still see enough of the other ponies at the table to tell that they were all staring at the pair in shock, while the lone dragon looked quite interested, as he popped a small emerald into his mouth, chewing slowly as he looked towards her.
The third though, arguably more of an addendum to the second, was the awareness of an anxious squeak from her right, accompanied by an almost violent shaking sensation. She shifted her wing again, only for the shaking to continue. Perplexed, she began rolling her wing gently, trying to find a position which would put Fluttershy at ease.
Fourth, she noted that Rarity smelt rather nice; a pleasing mixture of vanilla, avocado and rose, along with a few difficult to identify undertones. She curiously sniffed at the other mare, in the hopes that she might determine those other scents.
It was at that point that her thoughts were able to properly catch up to themselves, and she began to process the implications. Rarity’s thoughts seemed to be following a similar track, and her eyes sprung open in shock just as Luna’s drooped partially closed. ‘It would seem I have judged some dreams too harshly,’ Luna mused, lifting her own forelegs and draping them over the other mare’s shoulders, recalling both the nocturnal imaginings of her subjects and the waking demonstration she’d so recently seen for inspiration. ‘I should have imagined this was still an activity best kept private, but I should hate to appear rude when she is so open in her thanks.’ Her own lips parting slightly as her tongue slipped into Rarity’s mouth, enjoying the lingering taste of syrup on the other mare’s lips and tongue as she began to gently knead the trios of diamonds adorning her flanks.
‘I knew Tia was overreacting,’ she thought, her wing still flexing in a gentle circle over Fluttershy as she tongue and Rarity’s intertwined. ‘This is all going terribly well so far.’
****
‘This is all going terribly!’ Twilight concluded, peeking out hesitantly from beneath the safety of Celestia’s wing. Safety from what, of course, was another matter. ‘Of all the things for Rarity to not be exaggerating about, this is…’ She paused, her nascent panic stalling as it the potential irony of continuing that train of thought occurred to her. ‘No… no, it’s a valid statement, given the current circumstances.’ Satisfied that her reasoning was sound, she allowed her sense of dread to resume growing. ‘I’m reasonably certain that, of all the things that could have happened at breakfast, barring statistical outliers such as Discord reawakening, or the sun exploding, Rarity offering herself to Princess Luna in gratitude in front of all of us is, in fact, the worst. Possible. Thing.’
Twilight, still wary of Spike’s reaction to the entire affair, began to glance towards the dragon, her eyes instead locking onto Luna’s wing. Following it down, the swallowed hard, and corrected herself. ‘No, I was wrong – watching Luna massage Rarity’s flanks as she uses her wing to massage Fluttershy’s is, arguably, worse. Not by as great a degree as I would have thought before I saw it happening, but still worse.’
‘And to top it all off, Celestia is upset with me! Probably! And that’s before I tell her that neither I, nor two of my friends, are especially interested in marrying her sister, which, admittedly, I’m not sure how she’ll take that, but she might not like it either,’ Twilight lamented, recalling the rebuke after her part in the caramel incident in an attempt to distract herself. ‘I haven’t even been officially engaged to her for half a day yet, and she already thinks I’m… too clingy, or something! Unless… oh, no.’ Her eyes bulged as she an alternative occurred to her, any thought of Celestia’s reaction to her revelation of nuptial reluctance driven from her mind by the possibility, suddenly beyond grateful for the partial concealment. ‘Unless she wasn’t upset that I was being too physical…’
Hesitantly, eyes still fixed on the scene at the other end of the table, began to consider the alternate interpretation of Celestia’s earlier declaration of distraction. ‘Maybe… maybe she was distracted because I wasn’t being physical enough?’ she wondered, her ears twitching in an alternating rhythm. ‘With how long I’ve kept her waiting, could she have been thinking about just… taking me, right on the table? And the caramel… oh, oh no.’ She shivered, not entirely out of discomfort, at the conclusion she’d just reached. ‘Princess Celestia wants to cover me in caramel, throw me on the table, and take my virginity in front of everypony, right now.’ Her pupils shrank as that first realization was followed by another, equally worrisome one – she wasn’t entirely opposed to that particular scenario.
Twilight’s life hadn’t been what most ponies would consider normal for a very, very long time; it seemed a given that turning one’s parents into potted plants before entering kindergarten resulted in an immediate forfeiture of any claim to a normal life. For the most part, she hadn’t been particularly bothered by the course her life had taken. ‘Normal’ ponies didn’t get to be the personal student of the immortal ruler of Equestria, they didn’t have a dragon as an assistant, and they weren’t destined to find a group of amazing friends with whom they were capable of defeating ancient evils of unspeakable power. So all in all, things had turned out fairly well for her, as far as she was concerned.
The world seemed to demand balance, however, and balance it had had. For, as extraordinarily wonderful as Twilight’s life had been for the most part, there had been one aspect of it which had acted as the curse to balance her many, many blessings.
Puberty had been miserable.
Granted, she had been partially prepared for that. She’d been aware of puberty well in advance of her own experience with it, and had read enough about it to be aware of the baseline misery she could expect. The promised social awkwardness hadn’t been of particular concern to her as she was already so uncomfortable in social situations that she didn’t anticipate any increase having a noticeable impact on her. The physical changes had been marginally more worrisome, but having no means to avoid it, she hadn’t dwelt on it. It seemed that it would be one of the inconveniences she had come to tolerate, though a rather unpleasant one. Somewhere on the level of the lack of waterproofed books when she needed to take a shower: frustrating, but transient.
Celestia’s promise to marry her had increased her frustration considerably.
Twilight had loved the princess since before she’d been accepted as her student. It was an innocent, foalish devotion at first, and through a combination of time and proximity it grown into a rather severe crush. She had never truly imagined anything would come of it, but she’d allowed herself to enjoy it, to enjoy the certainly untenable dreams of a life with her princess. More to the point, she’d enjoyed the prepubescent dreams of a chaste life together, since for all her research into the physical and psychological effects of puberty, she’d yet to realize that sleeping with somepony wasn’t a literal description of the activity the phrase described.
By the time she had developed enough to both discover her error and wish to act upon that discovery, she’d had the misfortune to make another discovery: Celestia, while exempt from most of the rules governing her subjects, yet had certain laws that did apply to her. Of particular note to her loving student, the Princess of the Sun was not able to circumvent the age of consent, which presented an unpleasant paradox for the young Twilight. Specifically, she found that she certainly didn’t want to cause any trouble for Celestia, and yet, as she passed the threshold from child to physical adult, she found herself simultaneously wanting to cause quite a bit of trouble with Celestia. So very many kinds of trouble she wanted to cause with her.
In an unfortunate coincidence, Spike had by that point reached the age where dragons apparently began to devotedly follow their mothers, or at least quasi-maternal stand-ins, everywhere, to the extent that he had spent most nights curled up against Twilight’s stomach, despite all efforts on her part to secure some privacy for herself. Even when she finally broke him of that habit, he’d still refused to leave the room and thereby leave Twilight alone with her decidedly unchaste dreams and desires.
In that particular regard, the past decade of her life had been exceedingly frustrating.
She had, with considerable practice, worked through that frustration, channeling her energy more forcefully into her studies, scheduling out her life to such an extent that she had little time to for her baser fantasies. As time had gone by, the adolescent desires had cooled. By the time she’d reached her majority, she’d only been slightly disappointed when Celestia hadn’t invited her to share the royal bed, wistfully attributing it as gesture of respect, a sign that the princess valued Twilight on a much deeper level than mere physical concerns.
But now, with Celestia’s wing draped lovingly around her and images of herself drenched in dessert topping writhing through her head, she felt her hold on those suppressed desires begin to break down. ‘Okay… okay, say that was what she wanted,’ she thought, biting her lip. ‘We’re engaged now. Officially engaged. It was in the papers. Engaged ponies do that kind of thing, right? I mean, maybe not with the caramel, and probably not with an audience, but an engaged couple sharing an intimate experience isn’t anything most ponies would even think twice about.’ Her eyes were drawn to Celestia’s cutie mark, a nervous smile unconsciously forming on her lips. ‘So… what if she’s holding back because she doesn’t want to rush me? Should I give her a sign that I’m willing to go beyond just nuzzling her?’ Slowly, she lifted her left forehoof, shifting herself against the pillow. ‘Nothing too extreme,’ she assured herself, the hoof creeping forward until it hovered just above the sun mark. ‘I’m not going to throw myself at her. Just a touch. Maybe a little rub. Light pressure, circular motion, counter-clockwise. Enough to let her know that I’m not going to make her wait for the wedding night if she doesn’t want to.’ She took a deep breath, ready to close that last small gap.
A loud, panting gasp from the far end of the table forced her from her torrid imagining barely holding back a pained whine as her gaze shifted away from Celestia’s flank, her hoof slammed down on the pillow. ‘So close. So, so close,’ she mentally groused as she glared at the source of the disruptive sound.
****
‘Oh, my… she’s getting rather close, isn’t she?’ Rarity thought with no small concern as Luna’s hooves began to slide further back along her flanks.
In retrospect, kissing Luna as a way of showing her thanks may not have been one of Rarity’s more reasonable plans. Of course, in retrospect, she wasn’t entirely sure to what degree it truly counted as a ‘plan,’ in the sense that there hadn’t been an abundance of thought involved. She remembered Luna’s offer to design the royal wedding gowns, and remembered her acceptance of said offer. That was something she was unlikely to forget, given that it was one thing to design gowns that would be worn in a royal wedding, and quite another to design gowns worn by the Princesses themselves at their wedding.
And she remembered the kiss itself, though that was rather helped by the simple fact that it was still on-going. It was rather hard to forget something like that. ‘And frankly, Luna is a wonderful kisser,’ she acknowledged, despite her growing concern; she was finding it more than a touch difficult to keep from embarrassing herself. ‘Or at least, to keep from embarrassing myself as a poor kisser, I suppose. In other regards, I’m rather sure I’m past the point of embarrassment.’
It was the period linking the two events that was a bit hazy. It seemed to her that she’d gone directly from her seat at the table, to her legs draped around Luna’s neck and the alicorn’s tongue wrapped around her own. As gestures of thanks went, it was admittedly a fairly grand one. As gestures of thanks went, it was also admittedly a fairly unreasonable one.
Regardless, neither the kiss proper, nor the path to it, was what was currently fueling Rarity’s bout of panic. Kissing was something she could handle. There was nothing particularly worrisome about a kiss, even a rather passionate one, even in public. The circles Luna’s hooves were tracing against her flanks were another matter, especially since those circles were gradually leaving the flanks, heading someplace she’d rather not put on display over breakfast with her friends. Or not that particular breakfast, in any case. Upon considering the arrangement the six of them were soon going to be a part of, and Luna’s apparent lack of concern, it seemed unwise to discount it at some point in the future.
Her consideration of future affairs was cut short as one of Luna’s hooves slipped between their bodies, rubbing at the soft white fur of her stomach as it continued its slow descent, while the other brushed against the base of her tail and began to push up, starting to shift the curtain of concealing purple hair out of the way.
‘No, that’s quite enough,’ she finally decided. ‘Kissing is fine, flank rubbing is manageable, but I’m just going to have to draw the line here; fondling is most assuredly not on the table. In either sense of the phrase,’ She pulled her head back, her thoughts snapping back into focus as she released her grip on Luna’s neck and fell backwards, gasping for air as she did. She lay on her back, carefully flicking her tail to conceal what needed concealing, savoring the fresh oxygen, only then realizing that she’d been holding her breath throughout the kiss.
“You’re quite welcome,” Luna replied, leaning slightly so that she could look down into Rarity’s eyes, a large smile on her face.
‘Well, really now. Just because your technique was admittedly superb is no reason to bra… oh, that was probably in response to my gratitude about the gowns, isn’t it?’ Rarity thought, hoping that she hadn’t frowned in the brief span before she’d realized the princess wasn’t being narcissistic. “I… yes, thank you, truly.” She could feel her cheeks burning as she rolled to her hooves and carefully stood.
Nervously, she glanced around the table, worried at the possible reactions of the others at the table. Dash and Pinkie both seemed impressed, and, in Dash’s case, perhaps a bit jealous; presumably over Rarity having kissed Luna before the pegasus had had an opportunity. Applejack was obviously uncomfortable, though since she’d seemed uncomfortable the entire morning, and didn’t look any more uncomfortable now than she had a few moments earlier, Rarity didn’t think her actions had played a particular part in it. Twilight…
‘I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever seen Twilight look quite so angry, actually,’ she realized with a start; she could swear she saw smoke curling from the other unicorn’s horn. ‘I mean, I realize that wasn’t the most couth action, but that’s hardly a reason to get quite so upset over it. I did make it perfectly clear earlier that I was in favor of the marriages.’ She sighed inwardly. ‘I’ll have to talk to her later, in private.’
Looking up from Twilight, Rarity saw that Princess Celestia was, while not smiling, not visibly upset, either, and relaxed significantly. She’d been more than slightly concerned that the elder alicorn might not take kindly to seeing her younger sister behave in such a situation. True, she wasn’t privy to the particulars of their relationship, but she knew she wouldn’t have appreciated seeing Sweetie Belle being quite so enthusiastic with somepony she barely knew, and had worried Celestia might have taken out said displeasure on the pony who had initiated said situation, fabled benevolence notwithstanding.
Panning her vision further, she saw Twilight’s brother and Princess Cadence just climbing out from underneath the table, each of them casting a nervous glance towards Celestia as they sat back down. ‘Curious,’ she thought, not entirely sure what to make of the odd behavior. Another bit of odd behavior, conversely, she knew exactly what to make of, when she noticed that their hooves had lingered together just an instant longer than was strictly appropriate for a Captain of the Guard and a princess, along with the smiles on each of their faces. ‘My, my. It looks like Twilight’s been keeping secrets. Naughty girl, not mentioning that she isn’t the only one in her family with a royal romance.’ She allowed herself a sly smirk as she tucked the bit of information away for later.
That left only Fluttershy and Spike, both of whom were obscured by Luna. Still, she was certain that Fluttershy would be beet red and trembling in a mixture of embarrassment and fear. She really would have to do something to make it up to the poor dear for exposing her to that in such close proximity.
And Spike, given his poorly hidden feelings for her, was likely either heartbroken at seeing her kissing Luna, or, if his mind was in a less noble state and taking after several stallion she’d seen around Ponyville, was aroused at the sight of two mares gripped by passion. The former, she would deal with later, in private, to avoid making the poor dear any more uncomfortable than she had to. Either way, actually, she’d need to deal with that issue at some point. The latter, well, Twilight would have to handle that particular kettle of fish. There was no conversation she could foresee on that subject that didn’t end with both of them uncomfortable and sweaty.
“Were you not finished, Rarity?” Luna asked, and Rarity realized she’d been standing silently, looking around the table for several seconds, worried that Luna might have gotten the wrong impression.
“Oh… oh, no, I’m quite alright, thank you. I certainly enjoyed it, but…” She paused, finally noticing that Luna’s leg was raised, her hoof pointing at the unicorn’s forgotten plate. ‘You know, I normally have a better eye for detail than this,’ she mused, a tad annoyed. ‘I’ll just have to watch myself while I’m working on the gowns.’ She shook her head, fixing a smile to her face. “But, as I was saying earlier, I’ve so much to do on the gowns to make sure we all look our best, and now two more added on. Which I do gladly, of course.” She smiled wider, lest Luna, in an unwanted gesture of kindness retracted her earlier offer. “In fact, if you’ll forgive me, I should actually go get started on them…” She looked at Luna, who nodded, then turned to Celestia, who nodded as well.
“Raspy is in charge of your detail, miss,” Shining Armor spoke up, straightening in his seat as he did. “Just let her know what you need, and she’ll arrange it for you.”
“I’m sorry…‘Raspy,’ did you say?”
The stallion nodded. “It… I’m sorry, but it’s really hers to explain, miss. She knows you by sight, so don’t worry about that, and all you’ll need to do is ask her, and she’ll arrange for anything you might need.”
“I’m certain she shall,” she agreed magnanimously, trusting that the captain knew his guards well enough to trust his assessment. “Your Majesties.” She curtsied to each of the princesses in turn. “If you could send for me, when you’ve a moment, I’ll of course have to take your measurements. Or drop in… wherever it is ‘Raspy’ finds for me to work, at your discretion, of course. Whichever is more convenient for you.” She smiled at each of her friends. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me.” She trotted to the door quickly , anxious to get started on what was certain to be the defining project of her career. She just hoped that the strangely named guard who’d been assigned to her was as good as Shining Armor seemed to think. Given the addition of two additional, significantly larger gowns, she was no longer quite so certain she’d brought enough material with her, and the mare might well have her work cut out for her.
‘First, though, I’m going to need some water,’ Rarity thought as her magic enveloped the door handle, pulling it open wide enough for her to step through, the corners of her mouth turned up slyly. ‘Pleasant as it is, I’m distracted enough without having to worry about the lingering taste of… butterscotch.’
****
“Not to seem rude, Auntie Luna, everypony, but would you all mind if I excused myself, too?” Cadence asked as the door was pulled shut. “I didn’t know you had breakfast planned, so I had the kitchens send something up earlier, and there’s a lot of work to be done." She looked apologetically at Luna. “The food, and the decorating, and the entertainment, and the… ‘other’ entertainment.” She coughed meaningfully, turning to face her elder aunt.
‘Yes, Cadence, please leave. Please leave right now, and go far, far away, and take your magic and allusions to sex toys with you. Enjoy your penguins,’ Celestia thought uncomfortably; Twilight had vastly underestimated how warm her hoof was, and the Princess of the Sun was distinctly aware of how close it had been to her flank. It had taken more of an effort than she wanted to consider to keep from shifting herself up against that hoof before it was so swiftly removed.
“Of course, Cadence,” she said, carefully controlling both her voice and her hips. “Unless you object, sister?” Luna merely shook her head and placed another forkful of pancakes in her mouth, a satisfied grin still plastered on her face. “Then by all means, Cadence,” she continued, gesturing towards the door, intently ignoring her sister’s current amusement.
“I’m coming too, then!” Pinkie declared, springing up over the table, landing behind Cadence as the youngest princess finished standing, startling her rather badly. “Showers and rehearsals and receptions and the wedding itself? Yeah, I’ve got my work cut out for me, but this is going to be the best –” Her train of thought ground to a practically audible halt. “Is this going to be a six-, seven-, or eight-way wedding, actually? Eh, not important. What is important is that it’s going to be the best however-many-way wedding ever!”
Cadence smiled nervously as she turned to face the excited mare. “Um… yes, I’m sure it will be,” she said, beginning to give even more of the stories she’d heard credence. “So… I’d certainly welcome some help, Pinkie. Do you mind if I call you Pinkie?”
Celestia raised an eyebrow, certain that Pinkie’s mane had fallen slightly when Cadence had agreed to let her help, then shook her head; far more likely the morning had left her more frazzled than she’d realized.
“I’m… helping you?” Pinkie asked with an odd hitch to her voice, an odd twitch in her eye.
Cadence, already moving past her, had missed the twitch, and seemed not to notice the hitch, either. “Well, like you said, there’s a lot to get done, and I’d certainly appreciate it, if you don’t mind.” She turned, smiling sweetly at the other pink mare. “Follow me.”
“Okie dokie,” Pinkie agreed slowly, her eyes narrowing at the back of Cadence’s head before she began to follow her, the spring in her step slightly forced.
‘Actually, that isn’t a bad excuse,’ Celestia realized, trying to ignore the pang of guilt as she did. “I just realized how late it must be getting,” she said, feigning alarm as she stood, spreading her wings so as not to jostle Twilight. “I’m sorry, Twilight, everypony, but I’m meant to be holding court right now. There must be a line of petitioners already waiting, along with all the inevitable well-wishing nobles.” She smiled sadly at her suddenly crestfallen student. “I’d love to stay, but…” Her voice trailed off, the implication clear despite the unfinished thought.
A thought which Luna, unfortunately, took it upon herself to finish. “But nothing, Tia,” she cheerfully said, the wide grin still dominating her face. “I had the forethought to order all court functions, barring those of direst emergency, postponed until further notice, that we might not be spared the bother of trivial matters in the face of something so much grander.” Her happy smile morphed into a playful grin, accompanied by an altogether mischievous wink. “Besides, it has been too long, I should think, since you spent any significant amount of time with our dear Twilight when there was not some other matter to steal away your attention from her. 'Tis past time that was remedied.”
“Oh… thank you, Luna. That was a… wonderful idea you had,” Celestia replied carefully as she sat back down, draping her wing back around the unicorn at her side. “Well then, once we’re done eating, Twilight, Spike and I will just…”
“Oh, don’t worry about Spike, Princess,” Shining Armor interjected, and Celestia immediately began to regret the certain latitude she gave her Captain in private settings. “I was actually going to ask Twiley if I could borrow him for a bit.” He turned, giving the dragon a playful wink. “One of the patrols intercepted a group of smugglers a few weeks back, and captured a load of gemstones. The quality ones are going to the treasury, but a bunch of them were too flawed to be of much value. Was thinking that Spike here might have a few ideas what we could do with some of them.”
Spike looked at the small bowl of semi-precious stones still in front of him, smirking. “Oh, I suppose I could make a sacrifice, and help out the royal guard,” he agreed, doing his best to sound like it was a great burden being asked of him. “Much as I was looking forward to spending the day with the lovebirds over there, of course, I just wouldn’t feel right, leaving those hard-working mares and stallions in the lurch like that.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure Twiley’s really proud of your sense of civic duty,” Shining deadpanned, shaking his head at the dragon. “Princess, permission to leave?”
‘Thank you, Captain. I’m so glad you seem to have gotten over those concerns you had earlier about helping me bed your sister,’ Celestia thought, her left ear flicking in annoyance beneath her mane. “Thank you, Captain,” she said, deciding that adding anything else, even in the guise of a joke, could only make the situation worse. “Well then, Twilight, as soon as you’re done eating…”
“Oh, I’m ready whenever you are, Pri… Celestia,” Twilight immediately responded, setting her fork on her nearly empty plate. She poked her head out from beneath Celestia’s wing to look up at the alicorn, her face flush.
“Well then, perhaps a trip to the library?” Celestia suggested, noting that she wasn’t able to keep a certain desperation out of her voice as she tried to maintain some modicum of control. “Several ancient texts on magic have been restored since you left, perhaps we could peruse them?”
Twilight bit her lip, her eyes flicking towards the other end of the table. “I was actually wondering if we could maybe go someplace private, if you don’t mind?” she asked, her voice cracking as she did. “Maybe… your chambers?”
‘Of course you were. My chambers seem to be the favored location for awkward encounters today,’ Celestia mused despite her indulgent nod. “O-of course, Twilight. Privacy. Just the two of us.” Celestia stood, and Twilight stood with her. “Luna, see to the others, would you please?” she requested, inclining her head towards Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Luna nodding, giggling like a schoolfilly, and Celestia took a breath, steeling herself for what was to come, and she and Twilight vanished.
****
‘I was beginning to think everypony’d forgotten about me. Well us, I guess, but AJ’d probably prefer everypony forget about her.’ Dash rolled her eyes as Celestia and Twilight vanished, proud of the bookworm despite her own jealousy. ‘Gotta give Rares a little credit, didn’t think she was serious when she said she would’ve let Blueblood rut her in front of everypony, but she came pretty dang close with Luna. Almost makes up for her getting the first go at her. Almost.’
Dash had a reputation, both in Cloudsdale and Ponyville, for being fast in a way that had nothing to do with flying. More than a few ponies had told Dash, rather rudely, that being quick wasn’t necessarily a good thing to apply to every aspect of her life, and her default response was to agree with them. “That’s why I don’t go for stallions,” she’d always add as soon as they started to look smug, “Seems to me mares know how to take their time.” She didn’t particularly believe it, but it had struck her as clever the first time she’d heard it, saved her from having to think up a better response, and had always effectively ended the conversation. Truth was, she’d just never been interested in stallions, but saying that just got the competitive types she hung around with trying to convince her to let them, well, convince her.
The truth was, she didn’t think of herself as overly quick when it came to sex, either. She’d known some mares that even she thought moved too fast, usually at anything with a pulse. Even she didn’t much care for those mares, and made a point of avoiding them. Ponies like that – they were quick.
‘I mean, I’m fast, yeah,’ she thought. ‘But it isn’t just about getting them into bed fast; it’s about making sure that if I want to, I get to ‘em before somepony else sneaks in. Not my fault if all that momentum carries us to a bed, or a couch, or the floor just inside her door… or the field behind the club… or that one time in the club.’
She’d tried to explain that philosophy to Twilight once, but the unicorn hadn’t even listened; she’d just started droning on about something she called ‘rationalizing,’ and Dash had tuned her out.
And yet, she’d been beaten to Luna. Twice. She couldn’t blame Fluttershy for getting close to the alicorn, or for the flank rub she’d noticed her getting. ‘I mean, come on, most the time I just want to wrap her up and keep her safe, and I’ve seen her stare down a full grown dragon. And the rest… hey, there’s no harm in thinking that Shy’s just got a nice flank. It’s a compliment, and it’d just be weird for me to act on it.’
‘But Rarity! Little Miss Prissy-Faerie-Tale-Everything-Just-Perfect… she just threw herself at Luna. Not thought, just action! That just isn’t right! And to top it off, now I’m playing catch-up. I don’t like playing catch-up!’
A nudge to her left side snapped her out of her funk. Applejack had poked her. Hard. “Ah smelt smoke, figured you musta been thinkin’ pretty hard about something,” orange mare teased, grinning playfully, though the mood didn’t completely reach her eyes. Upon seeing the pegasus’ blank expression, the grin only grew. “Luna thought she’d take Fluttershy down to the gardens, and wanted to know if either of us wanted to go with,” she explained, gesturing towards the still amused – and still gently rubbing – princess, still seated at the table.
Dash’s eyes darted around the table, noting that there were only the four of them left in the room. Spike and Twilight’s brother must have left while she was fuming. “Oh, uh… actually, yeah. Yeah, that sounds kinda cool.” She nearly flinched at the look Applejack shot her, but the Element of Honesty seemed to be in an indulgent mood, though, and let the lie go unchallenged. ‘See the gardens, maybe check out the animals, spend some time with Luna… yeah.’ She nodded at the thought. Not only would it give her a chance to make up some lost ground, but she could keep an eye on Fluttershy while she did. Considering how freaked out she’d been before she started getting an extended massage from Luna, Dash could only assume her oldest friend would be thrilled to have somepony to distract the obviously frisky princess. “What do you think, AJ?”
Applejack shook her head warily. “Ah think Ah’ll take a pass, if nopony minds.” Her grin faded as she spoke, her temporary humor at Dash’s confusion draining as reality sank back in. “No offense, princess, but Ah… as much as Ah appreciate a working plant, Ah never had much patience for tending the decorative kind.”
It was Dash’s turn to grin. Her lie might not have been especially convincing to anypony who knew her, but Applejack’s had been downright awful. ‘Forget forgetting the cloudwalking spell – that right there is the reason AJ should never get anywhere close to Las Pegasus. They’d eat her alive with a tell that bad,’ Dash thought gleefully as she watched her friend’s face mouth twisted up, her eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling.
“As you prefer, dear Applejack,” Luna responded casually, and Dash barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes that the princess had bought it. “I’m unsure which guards the good captain assigned to you, but I’ve no doubt they’ll be capable of seeing to anything you require. Merely state your need, and they shall tend it.” An impish gleam shone in her eyes. “A privilege of your new position, and it is my hope you shall not hesitate to avail yourself of it.” She stood, taking the opportunity to stretch her wings briefly as she waited for Fluttershy to rise from her cushion. “If you’re both ready, then there seems little reason to delay…”
Dash was halfway to her hooves when a quiet voice stopped her. “Actually, Dash, I think maybe you should stay with Applejack. I mean, if you don’t mind, at least.”
She blinked, frozen halfway between sitting and standing, staring at the source of the suggestion. ‘Did… did Fluttershy just ask to be left alone with Luna?’ she asked herself. ‘I…no, that can’t be right. I mean, this is Fluttershy we’re talking about. She… that’s it. She must be worried about AJ being lonely, and she probably thinks I’m just watching out for her.’ Dash smiled, touched that Fluttershy was willing to go so far to sacrifice her own comfort just to spare her friends. “You sure, ‘Shy? I mean, sounds like there could be some awesome stuff in the gardens. All sorts of… rare royal trees and stuff.”
“And don’t worry ‘bout me, sugarcube,” Applejack added, obviously just as confused as Rainbow Dash by Fluttershy’s sudden willingness to be alone with Luna. “Ah’m sure there’s plenty for me to do ‘round the castle on my own.”
“No, really; I insist,” came the forceful, by Fluttershy’s standards, reply, a faint tinge of pink rising to her cheeks as she stood and Luna’s wing settled back over her. “I mean, unless you really wanted Rainbow to come with us, Luna?”
Luna merely smiled downed at the pony beneath her wing. “Whichever arrangement is most pleasing to the three of you is most acceptable to me.
‘O… kay. So… oh, wait, we have guards now, right. So obviously, she figures that Luna won’t do anything too extreme while the guards are with them, and…’
“Oh, and… maybe we could just have the guards Captain Armor arranged for me wait… someplace else? I don’t want them scaring any of the animals, and I’m sure you can handle anything that might happen?”
‘And Fluttershy can read minds now. That’s…’ Dash frowned. ‘Fluttershy, if you’re reading my thoughts right now, I’m sorry I complimented your flank, and could you stomp three times to let me know that’s what’s going on?’ She waited a second, then another; Fluttershy just stood there. No stamping at all. ‘Yeah, that was a stupid idea. Of course Fluttershy can’t read minds.’
“As you wish, Fluttershy. We shall send your guards to mind your quarters, as we send Twilight’s to await her emergence from my sister’s.” Luna continued to smile, oblivious to Dash’s silent attempt at conversation. “Rainbow Dash, Applejack, we shall look forward to seeing more of you both later.” The princess nodded at each of them in turn, pleased at their apparent silent agreement. “Come then, Fluttershy, and let us see if this excursion might end more fortuitously than your previous venture.” She turned slowly, allowing time for the smaller mare to match her movement, and the pair made slowly for the door, leaving the last two ponies to silently watch them go.
“AJ… not that I was watching, or anything, but…” She started once the door had clicked shut behind the couple. She shook her head, reviewing what she thought she’d just seen. “Did Fluttershy’s tail look… I mean, not raised, but… a little bit high to you?”
Applejack swallowed hard. She’d been silently praying that she’d only imagined that. “Little bit, Dash, little bit,” she agreed.
Dash nodded, confused. “Thought so. That’s…huh.”
“That about sums up my thoughts, too. Ah frankly thought I’d end up cozying up to Luna before ‘Shy did.”
Mentally, Dash considered the situation. ‘Rarity’s already kissed Luna, Fluttershy is going off to do who-knows-what with her, and I’m apparently spending at least part of the day with Applejack.’ Her head tilted to the side of its own accord. ‘I mean, I could probably go after them, but I know I’d be pretty upset if somepony did that to me.’ She sighed, and begrudgingly went with the only option available to her.
“So then, AJ… what were you doing checking out Fluttershy’s tail?” She smirked, having concluded that teasing Applejack was the best choice at the moment, and narrowly dodged the orange hoof that had been aimed at the back of her head.