Twilight couldn't breathe.
She tried to inhale, to get some air, but her efforts went to waste. There was definitely something wrong. Something in her throat, constricting her diaphragm and depriving her brain of precious oxygen. Maybe the weight of the situation had actually crushed her ribcage.
Celestia nudged her. "You okay?"
Twilight shook her head, a breath coming at last. "Fine. Just- Just nervous."
Celestia nodded and turned back to the road. Both of them were in Ponyville, trying to remain inconspicuous as they trotted down Main Street. This was no easy task for the ruler of the country, but Celestia had been in town before. Most ponies assumed it was just part of Twilight's training. Certainly, nobody knew the true purpose of the visit.
Both mares walked without conversing, mentally preparing themselves for what was about to come. Twilight knew her friends would probably be supportive, but ponies reacted weirdly to... This kind of stuff. Things could go out of hand.
Beyond the nerves, there was some pangs of guilt. She really should have told her parents first. Her brother had already married an Alicorn, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for her to be in a relationship with one. Then again, Cadence was the opposite sex of her brother, not the same, which really was the linchpin of the situation. Her friends had at least shown some signs that they were okay with it - Dash had mentioned that one of the other mares on the flight team wasn't straight in passing once, and hadn't seemed to think anything of it - and there was no way she'd be able to tell anybody else if her parents took things poorly. Hopefully, they would be fine with it, which would give her friends strength to face her parents, since their reaction was still up in the air.
Finally, they were at the door to the library. Twilight was pretty sure her blood pressure was high enough that her arteries were in danger of popping.
Celestia made a small gulping noise. "You want me to go first?"
"Uh... Together?"
"I don't think we'd fit in the door."
"That's true. Uh..."
Twilight took a step forward, trying to seem confident. It wasn't fooling anybody, but it helped her a little.
"Well. Nothing to lose, right?"
Except my closest friends and my dignity and Celestia's popularity with the masses and-
Twilight, again, shook her head. No. She couldn't think that now.
As she opened the door, she glanced at Celestia, who nodded slightly. At least, if they got screamed at, they would be screamed at together.
The door creaked as it slowly opened, like some kind of movie prop. Twilight took a few steps inside, Celestia behind her.
Her friends immediately bowed. Luna had set up everything perfectly - Her friends all received letters, alerting them to be in the library at this exact time, for an important meeting with the Princess. Twilight originally planned to tell them in person, and had even gotten halfway to Applejack's farm before losing her nerve. When she asked Celestia for assistance, her princess consulted her sister (after getting Twilight's permission to do so, of course), and Luna came up with the letter plan. In fact, Luna even wrote the carefully-worded letters herself, in a suspiciously small amount of time - almost as if they were pre-written. Twilight had tried not to think too much about it.
Celestia motioned for her friends to rise as Twilight trotted in the middle of the room. Both of the mares had earlier agreed that Twilight would be the one to speak. She felt like she had to. Celestia promised that she would only talk after Twilight had told them.
"I'm... Sure you're all wondering why you needed to be here," she began, trying to stay calm.
"Monsters? Invasion? Something we need to mop up with the elements of harmony?" Rainbow asked, interrupting her.
"Uh, no, nothing like that," Twilight responded, causing Fluttershy to visibly sigh in relief. "In fact, it's, uh, well, I guess you could call it good news."
After seeing Celestia glance at her, she clarified "I mean, I- I certainly think it's good news."
"Oh, darling, are you getting promoted? Going to live in the castle?" Rarity asked, visions of balls and frequent visits no doubt already dancing in her head.
"No, not- Not really that, either." Twilight said.
"Oo! Are we going to a party?" Pinkie began, "The Grand Galloping Gala wasn't much of a party but I'd love to go to another one, I hear that there's this place called 'Club ViQuo Dis' in Canterlot that plays this really fast music and ponies dance and there's not cake but there's all sorts of weird drinks and that sounds like it would be--"
Mercifully, Applejack covered her mouth before she could continue rambling. "C'mon y'all. Let Twi finish what she's tryin' to say!"
"Thanks, Applejack," Twilight said. "I- Uh- Well, you probably noticed that I've recently spending a lot of time away from the library. Most of the time, when I left, I went to Canterlot, which you probably have already guessed."
"Were you working with Celestia on a secret, super-cool research project?" Rainbow asked, adding "Sorry" when she noticed Applejack glaring at her.
"No, I wasn't." Twilight answered. "I was actually... Uh... Well, I was with Celestia for pretty much that entire time. And I've been... Well, we have..."
She couldn't breathe again. No matter how hard she tried to inhale, she didn't seem to get any oxygen. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should have just kept it a secret. It certainly would have been easier.
"We've- Y'know, in Canterlot, me and Celestia have been-"
Suddenly, Twilight felt Celestia's hoof on her shoulder. She turned to face her former teacher and current girlfriend, which was still a concept her brain was getting used to. Celestia gave her a small smile, and a smaller nod. Twilight could tell that she, too, was nervous. Probably more nervous than she was. But she was still trying to help Twilight through, even if she wasn't any more confident about the situation.
That was all the motivation Twilight needed. She turned back to her friends.
"Me and Celestia have been dating."
The room suddenly went completely silent, as if her voice had sent a shockwave through it. All of her friends stared at her, their eyes showing a complex mix of a thousand emotions.
They stood, silent in the library, for an eternity. Twilight swallowed, trying but failing to keep eye contact. In a way, this shock was worse than yelling.
"Uh... You mean, like, date dates?" Applejack finally asked, her jaw still slightly agape.
"Yes." Celestia was the one to speak this time, her soft voice still containing a tinge of fear.
"Romantic dates?" Rarity asked, still in disbelief.
"Yes." Twilight responded.
Rarity blinked a few times, then turned and stared at the floor. Most of her other friends did the same.
"...Are you guys pranking us?" Pinkie asked, eyes narrow.
"No." Celestia replied, her hoof still resting on Twilight's shoulder. "We have been romantically involved for a few months now. We- We thought we should tell you."
For an agonizing minute, her friends considered the development. Surprisingly, Fluttershy was the first to speak up.
"Well, I, uh..." she began, "I think that's very sweet."
"And a bit shocking," Rainbow muttered. "I mean, I didn't even know either of you were-- uh- into that, y'know, that kinda thing. Mares."
Twilight clenched her jaw. This was agony.
"I mean... I guess I just expected you to tell us that kind of thing, darling," Rarity said, slowly turning to face them. "You didn't keep secrets before."
"Well, she sure had a good reason tah," Applejack said, "I mean, that's mighty big news, right? It's hard for a mare to-- y'know, come out."
"Especially when you're dating a Princess," Fluttershy mumbled.
"I mean, it's- It's a bit, well, strange," Applejack said, her face beginning to turn red, "Not- Not bad strange, mind, but still hard ta wrap my head around."
"I mean, I don't-- I don't have a problem with it, or anything, but it's still kinda weird for me to think that you're dating the Princess." Rainbow said, quickly adding "No offense, of course. It's not bad weird, just... Weird."
"I..." Pinkie muttered, then shut her mouth.
"Just-- Look, Twi. This is a lot to drop on us." Applejack said. "Right, y'all?"
Her friends nodded.
"So, I think that, and I'm sure they'll all agree," she continued, obviously trying very hard to keep her voice level, "We need a bit'a time alone, to just, well, think it over. Maybe talk it out a bit, too. Just- Fifteen minutes?"
"I- I understand," Twilight said. She didn't really know if she should be happy or crying, and her head was filled with a strange numbness instead of any strong emotion. In a way, that was worse. "Should we just- Step out, or...?"
"That'd be mighty fine." Applejack responded.
Twilight turned to Celestia, who remained silent. Slowly, they walked out of the room.
Outside, Twilight and Celestia found a bench and sat down. Ponies milled around them, trying not to stare at the Princess.
Twilight slowly moved her hoof towards Celestia's. They only slightly touched, careful to be unnocitable to the passerby. But it was enough to bring some warmth back to Twilight's chest.
Now all they could do was wait.