//------------------------------// // Wherein Snuggles Lie // Story: Apprentice Ship // by Hyzaku //------------------------------// Cadance sat motionless behind the conveniently large potted shrubbery. Moments passed until she heard the telltale sound of a teleport. Next to her, was a surprisingly giddy princess. To Cadance’s astonishment, Luna suddenly leapt upward. A small squeeing noise escaped from the midnight princess as she danced in merriment, celebrating something that Cadance was utterly unaware of at the time. Shock made way for annoyance as Luna’s dance made no signs of coming to a conclusion after several minutes. “Luna, what are you so excited about?” Without missing a single step of her dance, Luna replied. “Sister has finally confessed her feelings! This is a moment worthy of celebration!” Annoyance slipped into frustration. “Luna, this was a complete disaster. Celestia made a total fool of herself. What’s more, she didn’t even stay long enough to try to explain her feelings!” The dance came to a close as Luna leveled a very serious gaze at her niece. “Clearly Celestia has gone ahead to prepare the whipped cream.” Frustration turned into shock, completing the circle of insanity. Once Cadance’s mind had gone back to actually processing information, she promptly dragged her aunt out of the restaurant. Twilight appeared with a flash of light. At the very least, Twilight was confident that Celestia was still in the city, and quite possibly somewhere near the castle. Now she just had to figure out where she’d ended up. In hindsight, aiming a teleport for ‘in Canterlot’ may not have been the best way to leave the restaurant. Twilight looked around to take stock of her surroundings. Greenery. Flora. Well, she’d at least landed somewhere in the Canterlot gardens. It was as good a place as any to start looking for Celestia. The princess had been known to take walks through the gardens after a stressful day. Today certainly counted as stressful. Twilight moved to and fro, walking, running, flying, and teleporting all over the gardens. No sign of Celestia in the hedge mazes. Nor was there a hint that she was admiring the flowers. Twilight even tried to ask the various animals that had taken up residence in the gardens if they had seen the Princess of the Sun. Sadly, being an alicorn did not give her Fluttershy’s ability to actually understand what animals say. It had taken far too long to search the gardens only to come up empty hooved. Twilight found herself growing more irritated at the situation. It was time to check somewhere else. Another flash, another destination. The castle was a lavishly decorated maze to most ponies. Thankfully, Twilight was exceedingly familiar with the castle’s layout; she’d memorized it before she was ten years old. The only question currently on her mind was where Celestia might be. Perhaps she had retreated to somewhere she would not normally go at this hour. Inspiration struck as Twilight began a mad dash down the hallways. Nopony would expect the princess to be in her office at this hour! It would be a great hiding spot. There were so many stacks of paper and various cabinets filled with even more papers in there that foals could easily play hide-and-seek there. Twilight couldn’t help but imagine Celestia crouched under her desk, fighting to keep her flowing mane from giving away her position to any seekers. It was certainly a testament to her current mood when Twilight noticed that even such a whimsical thought had failed to bring a smile to her face. Twilight rounded one last corner; her hooves skidded, dragging the carpet into a crumpled mess. A quick series of wing flaps kept her from tumbling into the wall. She shook her head, more as a way to give herself time to recover than to clear anything from her mind. Magic flicked the office door open, and Twilight trotted in. She checked every possible hiding spot, but there was no sign of Celestia. Twilight made certain that everything was back in its proper place before she left the office. That disappointment didn’t leave many other places that Celestia would logically have gone to. At this point, the obvious choice was to check Celestia's two private rooms; her study, and her bedroom. Since the the two were not far apart, and one was on the way to the other, Twilight set off down the halls once more. This time, she went a bit slower on her corners. Celestia stared up at the moon from the balcony. She had tried to retreat to her room to rest, but sleep would not find her. Though she wished it wouldn’t happen tonight, she knew in her heart that Twilight would find her. She had left the door to her room slightly ajar, and had dismissed the guards normally station there for the night. Now, all that was left was to wait. Celestia had not kept track of the time since she had returned to her room. She didn’t know how long she had been gazing up at the moon in some vain hope that it might share with her some of Luna’s wisdom for the trial ahead. The door to her room was suddenly flung open with great magical force. Had the door been of normal wood, it likely would have shattered against the wall, or at least have been ripped from its hinges. Celestia did not bat an eye. This was what she had been dreading. With a flick of golden magic, she closed the door behind the lavender mare who now stood in her room. “Princess!” Twilight shouted, her rapid exhalations indicated that she had been searching for her goal for some time. The only question, was why she was so dedicated to her task. Celestia stood in silence, not even turning to face the mare. She checked her thoughts, probing for any of that dastardly haze that had nearly ruined everything. When she was content that her mind was no longer clouded, she answered. “Twilight Sparkle, is there something you wish to discuss with me?” Silence. Either Twilight was offended or in shock. Celestia had no wager on either. She waited. “How could you just leave after saying something like that?” There was no malice in that voice. There was confusion and sorrow. Celestia would have preferred malice, it was easier to deal with. Still staring up at the moon, she answered, “Shame makes us do many things that we regret. It is ironic that we then become ashamed of those regrets, don’t you think?” The sound of hooffalls, Twilight was moving closer. “I’m not leaving until I hear the truth.” An even tone, difficult to read. Celestia felt a guilty smile creep its way onto her lips. “You sound just like Luna. Perhaps the moon is telling me something after all.” The solar mare turned from the moon, finally facing the hour between night and day. “I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle. I would like to say that I was deep in thought, but I was too busy being distracted. Even now as you stand there, I hesitate.” Celestia averted her gaze. “I have much to answer for, so ask away. You deserve to know the truth, so come and take it.” With that, she sat. Twilight began her inquisition with a firm and resolute tone. “Alright, you can start by telling me why you said that.” With no joy to be found in her heart, Celestia set to task on keeping her word. No matter where it might lead, Twilight deserved her honesty. “Alcohol has a way of making the truth come out. Sadly, its method always tends to be lacking in tact. I meant exactly what I said.” Celestia could not bear to face Twilight, she feared the expression of hurt and confusion that she knew had overtaken her student. Twilight’s tone wavered slightly. “So, you want to…” Celestia picked up where Twilight trailed off. “Have a deeper, more romantic relationship with you. I am a mare like any other. I am not above succumbing to baser desires now and then.” The next response came back sharp as knife. “Every night isn’t ‘now and then’.” “No, it isn’t. I’m afraid that my emotions, my desires, have grown into something that I should not have tried so hard to ignore.” The knife lashed out again. “Then why haven’t you said anything before now?” Celestia began with a contemplative hum, biding time to think without letting silence reign. “There are two answers to that question. The first, is that I thought that those dreams were nothing more than a passing fantasy. I expected them to disappear after a night or two. By the time that months had passed, I knew there was a deeper issue I had to address. I slowly began to piece together various thoughts I had felt were strange into a more complete picture. Eventually, I solved the puzzle; I realized that I had developed romantic feelings for you.” Celestia could feel heat rising in her cheeks. “The lustful dreams were merely a byproduct of an unfulfilled desire. Perhaps nothing more than my mind attempting to bait me in the direction that my heart desired, or perhaps it was simply the result of a long time spent without allowing myself to indulge in that kind of carnal release. To be fair, it’s probably more than a bit of both.” The knife’s edge dulled. “And the second reason?” There was no hiding it any longer. Celestia lifted her head, allowing her eyes to finally meet Twilight’s. It was little surprise that Celestia felt wet streaks across her cheeks. “Because I was afraid that I would hurt you. I always end up hurting the ponies I love, and sometimes others get caught up in my mistakes. I would rather go the rest of my life never knowing if there was even a chance that you might return these feelings, if it meant you wouldn’t have to get hurt by me.” She just stared. Twilight could do nothing but just stare at her. It hurt. Celestia closed her eyes. Her legs suddenly felt tired. Rest sounded perfect right now. Even though she was certain that she had fallen, Celestia never felt the ground. The ground wasn’t warm. The ground didn’t squeeze her so tightly. The ground didn’t cry. “Princess! Are you okay?” Panic. That was definitely what she heard. What a shame, it seemed that rest would have to wait. She couldn’t rest if Twilight was worried. Her eyes opened. “I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle. I can’t seem to stop making you worry tonight.” Violet eyes, wet and red-rimmed, stared back at her. “Princess, you fell. Are you really okay?” A smile. Even when she was being a fool, Twilight still cared. That was enough to smile about. “Yes, I’m just a bit tired. Nothing to worry about.” Celestia moved, finding her footing. She decided that standing could wait. She slipped out of Twilight’s grasp and laid down. Once she was certain that the position was comfortable, she returned her gaze to Twilight. “I’m sure you have some other questions for me,” she stated plainly. Twilight backed up a few steps, putting a comfortable distance between them. Without hesitation, she continued her questioning. “Why me?” Celestia sighed lightly. Leave it to Twilight to ask the hardest questions. “To be honest, I don’t think I can pinpoint any specific set of reasons. I was far too oblivious to my own feelings as they were developing to really know exactly what tipped the scales, so to speak.” Gently, Celestia smiled. She continued, her voice a bit warmer than before. “However, I can absolutely answer what I don’t find appealing about you.” Twilight frowned. “And what’s that?” she asked with a voice that nearly quavered with every word. The smile grew. “Nothing.” Celestia was positive she’d never seen Twilight’s face that particular shade of red before. For the second time that night, she was happy. Wisely, she also decided not to ruin the moment with anything else. Celestia waited patiently for Twilight to respond. After a mountain of silence, and no small amount of fidgeting, Twilight spoke. “So,” she paused almost immediately. It was clear to Celestia that Twilight had not taken any time to gather her thoughts yet. Twilight continued, her voice more confident this time. “So, what are you going to do?” Finally, Celestia felt no hesitation. “Nothing.” The single word cast another spell of silence on the room. The response was obviously not what Twilight had expected. Once more, Celestia waited for Twilight. Surprisingly, Celestia heard her student’s normal voice return. “What do you mean, nothing?” The elder alicorn had to suppress a small giggle. Twilight sounded like she was scolding Spike, rather than discussing her future. It was a good sign that most of the tension had left the room. “I mean, nothing.” Celestia gave a solid emphasis on that last word. It was a point she intended to drive home. “I tried not to hurt you, but I did so with dishonesty. I lied to myself about how I felt. I lied to you. I lied to everyone. All I’ve managed to do, is show that I’m still terrible at romance after more than a thousand years.” Celestia let a small laugh escape. If she couldn’t laugh at her mistakes, then she hadn’t learned anything from them. “I don’t think I deserve to be the one who makes this decision. I’m certain that I’d just find a way to mess everything up if I tried to ask.” Twilight’s expression fell slightly. It was that familiar little slip that she tended to do when she thought somepony was speaking nonsense. “So, after all this, you aren’t even going to ask me anything?” Celestia found her normal tone. “I believe I have said all that I can say about this subject. I’ll be happy to clarify anything you want, but I’ll leave all the decision making in more capable hooves than mine.” Nervousness infiltrated Twilight’s expression. She didn’t reply. “I will accept whatever you decide, Twilight. Take as much time as you need to make up your mind. Believe me, this isn’t a decision you should rush into.” Celestia tested her legs. Finding their strength had returned, she stood. Twilight stood to meet her as she approached. Violet eyes gazed up at her. “I’ll do my best to sort this out, Princess.” There she went, treating it like an assignment. Celestia was glad she held her laughter inside. “All I want, Twilight, is for you to listen to your heart. This isn’t a test. Perhaps it would help you if you returned to Ponyville for a while. Talk with with your friends and see what they have to say.” Twilight sighed. “Don’t worry, Princess. I just need some time to think.” Twilight beamed a smile. “I promise I won’t make you wait too long.” Twilight nodded confidently before turning to return to her room for the night. Celestia tried her best, honestly she did, but was unable to keep her eyes from taking in every happy step Twilight made on her way out. Twilight stepped out of Celestia’s room and into the hallway. The door closed softly behind her. For a moment, she simply stood there, allowing herself time to decompress. It had been a stressful night for Twilight, and one thing that always helped her relax, was silence. Sadly, there was no quiet to be found in the dark, empty hall. A pair of voices pierced the veil of silence. They were not loud voices, but it quickly became apparent that there was an argument taking place nearby. Twilight looked around, trying to follow her ears to the source of the noise. It didn’t take long to figure out what was happening. Not far away from where she stood, Twilight spotted a surprisingly familiar pink rump sticking out from behind a large potted plant. The mark of the Crystal Heart that adorned said rump was all the confirmation she required. Now, it was time to sate her curiosity. “What are you doing? Get back back behind the plant!” “I can’t! This thing isn’t large enough to hide both of us and your blasted mane!” “My mane has no blasts.” “Well turn it off.” “Turn what off?” “The cursed flowy-thing it keeps doing. It’s going to give us away.” “My mane is no such traitor, it would never betray me like that. Apologize this instant.” Twilight cleared her throat, loudly. The bickering stopped. “Alright, what are you two doing?” “There are no ponies here, Twilight Sparkle, only I, the talking plant!” Twilight gave the plant an incredulous look. “I recognize your voice, Luna. I know you and Cadance are back there.” Two very embarrassed alicorns emerged from their poorly chosen hiding spot. Twilight adjusted her glare to meet the skulkers. “So, would you care to explain why you two were trying to hide outside of Celestia’s room?” The guilty pair exchanged nervous glances. Luna spoke first. “I will now exercise the power given to me by the Articles of Canterlot, section twelve, subsection ‘c’. I hereby delegate the answering of any incriminating questions to one whose station is lower than mine.” Luna promptly turned and hugged Cadance. “I know you will not fail me in this endeavour.” Then, Luna bolted off down the hall, escaping into the darkness of the castle. Once the confusion had passed, Twilight and Cadance met their gazes. Twilight sighed. She really wasn’t in the mood for, well, whatever the heck was going on. “Cadance, can we skip the theatrics?” Twilight pleaded. “I think that would be best, given the circumstances.” “What’s going on with you two?” Cadance’s expression was quick to give up her guilt. “We’ve been spying on you since the dinner at Placeholder.” “Why?” “It was all Luna’s fault! I swear!” Cadance’ shifted her forelegs nervously. “She sent me a letter claiming there was some national crisis about to take place, and when I showed up all she did was talk about trying to get Celestia to admit her secret feelings for you. Of course, I got dragged into her mess, and by that point I figured I might as well see it all through to the end.” – She flashed a smile. – “Admittedly, I was worried that I might be needed for some emotional counseling if things fell apart between you and Celestia. You know, the kind of counseling that involves tubs of ice cream, crying, and lots of trashy novels.” Twilight didn’t respond right away. Her gaze slipped into the distance, looking past Cadance, even as she stood in front of her. Once Twilight was comfortable that her thoughts had been sorted properly, she spoke. “Actually, I could use that other kind of counseling. You know, the one where you share some nugget of wisdom that will fix all my problems.” “I think I left all my nuggets back home with Shiny.” The two mares giggled. A tentative smile sneaked onto Twilight’s face. “I’m guessing you overheard everything?” “Yes.” Twilight lowered her head to stare at her front hooves. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment. Once her eyes opened, she returned her gaze to Cadance. “What should I do? How do I know if I’m actually listening to my heart, and not something else?” Twilight let out a small gasp as Cadance drew her into a warm hug. “I can’t tell you what to do, Twilight. But I can tell you that love isn’t simple.” Cadance pulled back, releasing Twilight from her embrace. “Love isn’t binary, it has many, many shades; maybe even more than all the colors of the world. Love is something that can grow if nurtured, but just because you stop paying attention to it doesn’t mean it will wither. But, more than anything else, love is about sharing. You cannot truly love someone, unless you can share in their happiness, and in their sorrow. What you need to ask your heart, is whether or not it is willing to share itself, and all its emotions, with Celestia. That is the answer you seek.” Twilight simply nodded. After a moment of silence, the two mares embraced in a hug once more. “Thanks, Cadance. That’s an answer I know I can find.” “I’m happy to help, Twilight.” The embrace faded and the two just gazed at each other, contented smiles conveying what mere words could not. Suddenly, their eyes lit up in unison. They both spoke at the same time. A silly dance accompanied the rhythmic chant. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Afterwards, the hall was filled with happy laughter. Celestia released a heavy sigh as the massive, ornate doors to the throne room closed behind her. Finally, at long last, court was adjourned for the day. The thought immediately brought a smile to her face. Two stone-faced guards stood in front of her. They waited patiently for her, as they did every day,  to choose a destination so that they might accompany their ruler. Celestia acknowledged them with the usual soft nod of her head, prompting them to fall in line on either side of her as she set forth down the hallway. From the outside, one might assume that Celestia always wore the same mood. That eternally soft expression that could fill a room with warmth if gentleness could actually produce heat. However, anypony that spent a regular amount of time with her could talk for hours of the countless little nuances and details that served to express her true mood. It wasn’t the kind of thing one might learn in a week, or even a month, but Celestia had a certain tell for every single activity that she would partake in with any sense of regularity. Today’s expression was noticeably brighter than days past. It wasn’t the happiest the guards had ever seen her, but there was definitely an air of anticipation about her.The trio made their way through the maze-like halls of the castle until their destination had been reached. Awaiting their arrival, in front of the ornate door that marked the threshold to Celestia’s private quarters, was a certain lavender alicorn. “Princess!” Twilight exclaimed. The guards nodded to each other and silently took their posts on either side of Celestia’s bedroom door. Ears were at full attention, and eyes were taking in every important detail. It was a well-known fact around the castle that certain staff members loved to gossip. It was a less well-known fact that those staff members paid quite well for juicy details to use in their ‘meetings’. Anything involving a princess was always worth passing on. That there may or may not have been several betting pools going around was also something the guards tended to keep in mind. “Twilight, to what do I owe this surprise visit?” Celestia asked playfully. A slight fidgeting of lavender hooves did not go unnoticed. “Well, I’ve given a lot of thought to what we talked about recently.” “And you have come to a decision?” Twilight nodded happily. “I think that if it’s you, I’m willing to give it a try.” Celestia’s heart swelled with emotion. She opened her mouth to respond, but she was suddenly interrupted by a shout from behind her. “Huzzah!” Luna exclaimed as she popped out from behind a potted plant, all her limbs extended in excitement. “I have won! I have won!” Celestia’s ear twitched as a whisper from near her bedroom door made its way to her. “Great, there goes a week’s pay.” Another whisper swiftly followed the first. “Last time I bet against a princess.” Celestia’s head turned with a slow, methodical purpose towards her sister. Luna would later recount the spine chilling terror of Celestia’s evil glare, though most just assumed it was an exaggeration. It was not. A blue foreleg lifted limply into the air. “Huzzah?” It was later communicated to the castle staff that Luna had decided to take an unexpected vacation to the Crystal Empire for an unplanned amount of time. Celestia was warm. It was a pleasant feeling that was made all the better by the even warmer spot nestled under her wing. The warmth moved. A cute little groan accompanied the movement. Celestia wanted nothing more than to hunker down, pull the covers a little tighter, and to fall back asleep. Sadly, duty awaited. Celestia had long since become accustomed to her unique internal clock. Without fail, she always found herself awake a precious few minutes before it was time to raise the sun. Twilight, however, was still adjusting. Lavender hooves wrapped around Celestia’s neck as she tried to slip out of the bed. Twilight buried her muzzle into Celestia’s side. It was almost convincing enough to make the sunrise late. Almost. Twilight groaned as the lack of warmth next to her stirred her mind to consciousness. A pillow found its way over her face as she grumbled a pointless request for a few more minutes of sleep. Years of staying up late into the night had not prepared the young alicorn for a schedule that was quite so strict with its timing. By the time the sun was up, Twilight had finally relented to the fact that her day was starting whether she liked it or not. It was much to her surprise when Celestia climbed back onto the bed with her. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, passing a wordless message between them. Lips met in a gentle embrace. Wings twitched in anticipation as the kiss ended. The two promptly laid back down, pulling the covers back over them. White legs surrounded lavender. Twilight wiggled around to worm herself as close to Celestia as she could get. Once more Twilight buried her muzzle into that soft field of white. If there was one thing Celestia had learned in all her years, it was that she didn’t have to be anywhere for at least another hour.