//------------------------------//
// Act 1, Chapter 2 
// Story: S3TT 
// by xzillerationer 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2:


1.
“I’ve found myself oftentimes not able to sleep at night without the aid of severe magics. This has Luna worried very much, sometimes offering to take over raising the sun every morning for a few days so I can get a vacation. She’s become a lot nicer in the 10 years she’s been back ruling at my side, my guess is she’s had influence from Twilight and her friends. I wonder why Luna suddenly offered to raise the sun for a little while? Perhaps she was just being nice, maybe she saw how stressful my job has been getting.
I’ve also been hearing voices. They’ve been nagging me, shouting at me. I’ve for the most part ignored them, but they’re starting to get to me. Maybe I will take that vacation after all...”
~The Life and Times of Princess Celestia,
Circa. 1037 AP

“Twilight? Twilight, are you home?” Princess Celestia asked through the door.
Twilight Sparkle stood in front of the doorway, her mane a mess, her home even more so. The mare was frantically picking things up, and tossing them over to various piles. She then draped sheets over those piles to hide the mess. 
Twilight sticks her head through the door, “I’m so sorry, Princess, but if you could just give me one more moment...” and ducks back in.
With a spark of magic, Twilight begins clearing up her library. Spark, and the streamers are gone. Spark, now the trash is gone. A few more sparks, and the entire library is cleaned. On the other side of town Applejack grows in fury at Twilight’s ‘accident’.
“I’m so terribly sorry for that, Princess,” Twilight says as she opens the door, “I hope I can make it up to you somehow...” she lets off a nervous frown  before letting the Princess speak.
“Oh, my...Twilight...you didn’t have to clean your entire library for me...” Celestia says, at awe of the pure cleanliness of the library, “This must’ve cost a fortune, let me reimburse you, at once!” Princess Celestia smiles at the newly graduated pony.
“No, no, it’s okay. It didn’t cost me anything, I just used the magic you taught me, and well, it hardly took any effort at all. I usually keep it this clean anyways...” Twilight starts to boast with a smile towards the end.
“Oh, well in that case, alright. But, I suppose you know why I came here, right?” Celestia says in a more stern, official sounding voice, teetering on the edge of the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. 
Twilight almost looses all the color in her coat, and replies, “To...reassign me out of Ponyville?” and swallows nervously.
Celestia’s tone and expression instantly change from that of an official, serious manner, to one that would befit staring at a potential loved one, concerned, “No, to celebrate my prized student graduating Magic School, and to have fun! I haven’t had fun in so long...”
“Wait....you’re not making me leave?” Twilight’s spirits improve visibly.
“No, why would I? You’ve made so many wonderful friend here, how could I ever make you move away?”
“Thank you so much, Princess!” Twilight smiles with glee, now that she won’t have to move away.
“It’s no problem, really. Speaking of friends, where’s your friend, Spike?” the Princess asks.
“Well, he’s off with his mare-err, his girl? Well, she’s technically a marefriend, except she’s a dragon like him.”
“Ah, I understand what you mean, Twilight. Well, actually,” Celestia takes a deep breath, and sighs, “there is something I have to talk to you about...”
Twilight’s expression sinks, “Oh no...is it about Spike?”
Celestia nods, “No, it’s about...us.”
“Us? What do you mean, us? Can you not talk to me anymore now that I’m not a student?!” Twilight begins to tear up.
“No, it’s nothing bad, don’t worry, my little pony.” Celestia nervously smiles and shushes Twilight.
“So, it’s a good thing...?” Twilight nervously asks.
“Well...I’m not sure,” Celestia appears more nervous by the moment, “I think...I think I’m, well, at least somewhat, in love with you, Twilight.”
Twilight sits wide eyed and stunned.
“Twilight? Twilight? Hello?” Celestia’s nervous happiness appears to be seeping out of her.
Twilight peers around the room, trying to avoid awkward eye contact, before it starts spinning. Soon the floor rises and fills her entire vision, ending in darkness.


2. 
*****************************************************************
“Twilight?! Twilight, please wake up!” A familiar white alicorn cries, “Oh, Celestia, please wake up!” Her cries echo with gradually growing concern. 
Twilight starts stirring, signalling growing optimism from Celestia, “Are you-Fluttershy, I think she’s waking up!” 
“Huh? Wha-what happened?” Twilight groans she wakes up.
Celestia nearly tackle hugs her, smiling with the force of a thousand white hot burning suns, “You passed out! I was afraid, I didn’t know what to do, so I moved you to your bed, and I called for Fluttershy, since she knows more about this sort of stuff than I....”
“Oh, it was no problem, Princess, I’m always glad to help my friends. Although, my specialty is in animals, not ponies.” Fluttershy says with an unusually confident smile. 
“Well, I wasn’t exactly sure....I didn’t know any of the hospital ponies, so...” Celestia says nervous.
“Oh, that’s okay, I did my best, and she’s better now.”
“Thank you so much, Fluttershy, and...Celestia...about earlier...” Twilight grows a frown on her face, “I think...I think I-”
Fluttershy, cutting off Twilight, says with a sudden burst of attentiveness, “Oh, yeah, I gotta go, I’m late for a date with Pinkie...err, I mean, I’m late for...oh, I gotta go!” with each phrase growing more and more nervous and discontent, before suddenly bolting out the door, surprising the Royal Guards standing guard outside.
“Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with Fluttershy, but...” Twilight looks confused for a moment before growing nervous once more, completely disregarding her friend’s sudden departure aside from the offhand comment, “I...I love you too, Princess...” she somehow manages a smile.
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to be calling me Princess anymore, Twilight.” Celestia smiles glowingly, while chuckling.
Twilight, realizing Celestia is still holding her, but hugging even tighter, starts to hug back, “I’ve waited for this for so long!” before starting to tear up in joy.
“Me too, me too...” Celestia lets go of her grasp, and lets Twilight down.
Twilight gives Celestia an oddly nervous look, “What is it, Twilight?” Celestia asks.
“Well, I don’t exactly have much to do here....books aren’t a very social activity...” Twilight chuckles, “Although, I think I do have a board game...” 
Seeing the lavender mare smile made Celestia smile all the same, “That sounds like fun.”
Twilight smiles, and takes out a simple board game. Two hours pass, as the two ponies talk and play, before Twilight starts yawning. Celestia notices this, and allows Twilight to rest if she so pleases. The excitement of the day tiring her, Twilight takes her lover’s suggestion, and falls asleep on Celestia’s body. Twilight dreams of days to come. She dreams of a simple first date, a grand anniversary party. Twilight sees visions of fun and love, visions of hope and merriness. Twilight starts to shift in the night, her euphoric dream shifting to that of pure terror. Visions of happiness and heart are changed to horror and death. Twilight sees pure chaos, a reckoning. 

Surrounded on all sides by woodlands, Twilight looks through the veil of the forest. On one side, she sees Applejack crying next to fresh graves, and Rainbow Dash flying away. On another, she sees Pinkie, her filly, and an unknown, but very familiar stallion. In a third direction, Twilight glares at a sight uncertain. She sees Rarity behind bars, in a prison of her own free will, for an unknown error. Looking forward, she spies a river, and trots towards it. Upon reaching the bank, she sees what concerns her the most. She sees pain, a daring menace, disturbing fantasies, and familiar voices laughing all around.



3. 
****************************************************************************
Twilight awakes the next morning in shock to an empty bed, growing scared before finding a note, “Dear My Darling Twilight, 
I regrettably had to travel back to Canterlot on extremely short notice due to disorder running in the castle. I initially protested, saying Luna could take care of it, however, the Guards told me that it was Luna that was the problem. I wish to spend as much time as I can with you, but unfortunately I cannot abandon my Princess duties on such short notice. However, I plan on returning as soon as possible, and if that isn’t possible, I’ll arrange an escort for you to the Castle. Go about your day as normal, however, keep us hidden for now, I wish not to have rumors spread just yet.
Your marefriend, Celestia”
Twilight looks over the note, and smiles. “How can I keep this to myself?” She thought, confused on the great secret she now has. 
Twilight puts a look of seriousness on her face, determined to not let anypony find out about this. That is, until, a rainbow colored blur bursts through her window, and crashes down into the library, sending the note from Celestia with her. “Holy shit! Rainbow Dash?!” Twilight screams, “Are you okay!?”
“Uhg, uh, yeah, I’m fine. Nothing can hurt me!” The proud pony exclaims, with an obvious hint of pain in her, “Perfectly, okay...” she manages before collapsing.
“Rainbow!” Twilight jumps down from her loft and lands next to Rainbow Dash.
“Huh? What’s this? A note...from Celestia...?!”
Twilight’s eyes shrink, “Give it here! It’s a secret!” before lunging at the injured pony, disregarding her pain.
Twilight lands on Rainbow Dash, who emits a loud scream until the magic pony steps off, “Luna! Twilight, be more careful!” Rainbow Dash screams, in obvious agony.
Twilight jumps at Rainbow’s screech, “I thought you said you were fine!” Twilight yells, distraught at her accident.
Rainbow Dash starts to tear up, realizing she’ll probably have to divulge her secret to Twilight, “I’m fine!”
Twilight’s expression turns from that of fear, to that of worry, “What’s wrong, Rainbow Dash, you never cry!” she lets out before moving to hug her injured friend. 
Rainbow Dash blocks the hug, “It’s...I came to get a book...I don’t wanna talk about it right now...I...just wanna know if you have any books about romance...or, rather, how to fix it....”
“What do you mean? I have plenty of those, but they’re not something you can just read and suddenly know everything!” Twilight takes a more concerned tone,  “You have to give it time! You have to talk about it, or it won’t go away! Now, what happened!” Twilight demands, compassionately, from her cyan colored friend.
Rainbow Dash barely holds back from openly crying on Twilight’s shoulder, “It’s with Jet Fire....I...I just don’t want to talk about it!” she manages before losing control, and openly weeping on Twilight’s shoulder, every few sobs, stopping to cringe with pain, before continuing the waterworks.
“Rainbow...”, Twilight says, descending her voice with every syllable, “I’m sorry...” before regaining her confidence, “But no one ever got through something like this without talking through it! You’re too strong to be like this, Dashie.”
Upon hearing her name called as ‘Dashie’, Rainbow starts crying a little more, “Don’t call me Dashie!” Rainbow Dash yells with a sudden moment of daft fury, “And, I already told you, I don’t want to talk about it!”
Twilight changes her careful expression to one of disbelief and disappointment , before telling Dashie, “Rainbow Dash! Get a hold of yourself!” Twilight slaps Rainbow Dash a few times, “You’re too strong for this!”
Rainbow Dash stops her tears for a moment, “Th-thank you, Twilight...”, before smiling, and letting go of the lavender colored unicorn, “It’s...well it’s with Jet Fire...I think he might break up with me soon!” with those last words, Rainbow Dash starts tearing up again.
“What makes you say that?” Twilight asks, while dabbing a tissue at Rainbow’s tears, “You two seem so perfect together!” 
“Well, he’s been spending less and less time around me, and more and more around this mare named...Hairspray!” Dash grows visibly angry when uttering the name, “I mean, she doesn’t even have wings!” 
“You really think the only reason you two are together is because you have wings?” Twilight sighs an exasperated sigh.
“No! We’re together because he loves me! Or, at least he did...I still do...” Rainbow Dash puts her frown back on and looks down to the ground.
Twilight fakes a smile, “Oh, Rainbow, maybe you two just weren’t meant to be together? Ever consider that?” Twilight says as she picks up Rainbow’s quivering head, and puts on a sincere smile.
“Well...but he’s perfect! He’s fast, not as fast as me, obviously,” Rainbow boasts, “He’s smart, he loves reading to some extent, he’s a blast!” Rainbow smiles at the happy memories those words brought back. 
“Well, obviously, he isn’t! If he was, you two wouldn’t be like this!” Twilight says, trying to carve some sense into her weeping companion.
“I-I suppose...now that I think about it, he wasn’t really that good...” Rainbow says, adding slight sarcasm towards the end.
Helping her up, Twilight notices the cyan pony cringe in pain, and clutch her stomach falling over again. Twilight gasps, then realizes that Rainbow Dash is probably much more injured than she would let on. Having an extremely worried look on her face, Twilight lets out, “Rainbow Dash! Why didn’t you tell me you were so badly hurt!” 
“Because I’m not.” Rainbow Dash states bruntly, stands up on her own will, and promptly passes out from the pain.
Twilight shrieks and calls an ambulance. 

During the ride, Twilight grows more and more nervous as Rainbow Dash fades in and out of consciousness. Twilight almost gets to the point of tears as they approach the hospital, only being held back by a nurse pony. Once they arrive, Rainbow Dash is quickly escorted to the Urgent Care Ward, where she’ll be taken care of immediately. However, Twilight is stopped at the counter, “What do mean no visitors!? We’re practically family!” she shouts, “Please? I have to be sure my friend is alright!” 
“No, no visitors in the Urgent Care Ward. Period.” the receptionist remarked.
“Perhaps I could get you in?” A familiar, regal sounding voice echoed.
“Pr-Princess Celestia!?” the receptionist pony spilled out, while bowing down.
“Yes, my friend, Rainbow Dash, was just admitted, am I correct?” Celestia asks, with a vague hint of worriedness, “Would you allow me, and my ma-err, my friend, Twilight, into there to see her when she’s stable?”
“Uh....yes Celestia, right away!” The receptionist pony darts out of the room, leaving Twilight and Celestia in an awkward silence.
“So...Twilight...how’s your day been so far...” Celestia says, nonchalantly. 
“Well, aside from waking up, finding your note, comforting Rainbow Dash, and bringing her to the hospital?” Twilight says, with obviously played out fake confidence, “It’s been wonderful!” she says so smooth.
“Comforting Rainbow Dash? From her crash?” Celestia asks inquisitively, slightly curious.
“No, it’s her coltfriend, Jetset.  He’s been spending less and less time with her lately...I think. Well, that’s what she told me...I’m not sure if it’s true, or it’s just Rainbow being...” Twilight trails off her sentence.
“What’s the matter?” Celestia inquires.
“I think I may of accidentally made it so that Rainbow Dash breaks up with Jetset...” Twilight says, color seeping from her face.
“What? Why would you do such a thing?” Celestia looks slightly offended.
“Well, I didn’t mean to, I was trying to comfort Rainbow Dash...” Twilight frowns, and starts to quiver at her sudden realization.
Celestia leans down, and puts a wing around Twilight, comforting her, “Well, from what I know of Rainbow Dash, and her coltfriend Jet Fire, I’d say they’d be better off apart anyway.”
“Well...I do hear that somepony has a crush on Rainbow Dash, actually.” Twilight giggles.
“Well, I wonder who that could possibly be?” Celestia chuckles back. 

4.
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“Alright, she’s stable, you two can come in and see her.” Nurse Redheart says, “And, Twilight, have you been taking your medication?” 
Twilight’s expression drops, and she puts on a fake, nervous, smile, “Of course, Nurse Redheart, why wouldn’t I?” 
“Well, you haven’t been refilling it? You’re supposed to refill it every 2 weeks, and you haven’t refilled it for 3 years!” Redheart says, seeing through Twilight’s weak guise.
Celestia shoots a look of disappointment towards Twilight, “You’re supposed to be taking medicine, and you haven’t taken it for 3 years?” she says with a mix of subtle anger and concern, “Nurse, what was the medication for, if I may ask?”
“It’s for anxiety.” the medical mare says with a look of subtle rage on her face, “I’ll let you two love birds sort it out later.” Both Twilight and Celestia grow visibly nervous with that end statement.
Celestia grows from nervous to angry, and stamps her hoof on the ground, “Excuse me?! That’s not the way you refer to a Princess!” She yells, as Twilight cowers behind her.
“Oh! Uh, erm, sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect, Princess Celestia!” Nurse Redheart almost cries as she bows down at the Royalty in the room, “I won’t do it again, I promise!” 
Celestia goes from fury to a light hearted smile, “Okay! Just be sure not to accuse ponies of things that like out of the blue.” 
Nurse Redheart appears confused, before saying, “Okay...but Rainbow Dash is stable now.” She tries to fake a smile, but is met with little success.
“Excellent, Twilight, shall we go see her now?”
“Yes, Princess, let’s.” Twilight says as the new couple trots into Rainbow Dash’s room.  
Rainbow Dash appears discontent at being back in the hospital, “So, Twilight, what books did you bring this time?”
Twilight nervously grins, “Uh, what do you mean...” she says as she starts to step backwards, faking a smile before Celestia stops her.
“Twilight...” Rainbow says as she puts on a look of discontent.
Twilight sighs, and, using her magic, pulls out the latest book in the Daring Doo series, signed by by the author no less, and gives it to Rainbow Dash. Upon receiving the book, Rainbow changes from a semi-neutral expression to one of happiness. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It’s signed!”  Rainbow Dash smiles, and reaches out as though to hug Twilight.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Rainbow Dash...” Twilight says before she starts nervously walking backwards, before being stopped again by Celestia, who glared at Twilight. The lavender mare puts on a large, fake smile, and hugs Rainbow Dash back, “Really...nothing...”
“Twilight?! Nothing?! This is amazing! This series is 20 percent cooler than anything else!” Rainbow says she excitedly looks over her book, “I love Daring Doo! I even hear they’re making a movie out of this one too!”
‘Oh? I thought the last few bombed.” 
“Yeah, but the author wants to do this, and she’s funding it out of pocket, so it’s gonna be made!” Rainbow Dash squeals.
Rainbow Dash, noticing Celestia standing quietly in the back, asks her, “Hey, Princess, you ever read this series?”
“Wha-” Celestia says, caught off guard, “Oh, uh, no. I don’t get a lot of time to myself, my princess duties and, err,” Celestia shows a bout of uncharacteristic nervousness.
“Relax, Princess, I know about you and Twilight.” Rainbow Dash states, offhandedly, catching both of the new couple completely off guard, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” She says before shooting them a sly gaze.
Twilight and Celestia both prepare to speak, but are intterupted by a loud bang on the door, “Hello? Dashie?! Hello?” 
“Oh, Luna, it’s him!” Rainbow Dash says. “Stall him, please?!” she pleads as she closes the curtains.
“Rainbow Dash?! Rainbow Dash!?” the cries grow more frantic, “Please open up, I need to know you’re okay!” 
Twilight, noticing the curtains covering Rainbow Dash are completely closed, opens the door, letting the frantic pegasus fall in, “Rainbow...dash...?” Jetset says as he looks around, not seeing his beloved Dashie, “Where is she!?” He stands erect, vigilantly scanning the room to no avail.
“Rainbow...Rainbow Dash is currently sleeping, she’ll be up later! You have to go now!” Twilight says as she pushes Jetset out the door.
Through the curtains, Rainbow Dash says, “Wait, no, I just had to get ready!” Rainbow Dash throws open the curtains, takes one look of Jetset, and smiles, “Jetset!”
The stallion’s eyes light up, as he rushes over towards Rainbow Dash, but slowing enough to that when he hits her, it won’t hurt her, “I’m so glad you’re okay!” He says before he places a kiss on Rainbow’s lips.
“I think that’s our cue to leave, Twilight.” Celestia grins, as she nudges Twilight out the door.