Twilight flopped down on the couch, making a noise of exasperation.
That was horrible. Absolutely horrible.
Her parents had been supportive. Surprisingly so, in fact. They had apparently already went through this with her brother, who had dated some other stallion in the royal guard for a small period of time while she was away in Ponyville -- Something that he had forgot to mention to her, just like his eventual engagement to Cadence. Apparently, he was still a little embarrassed about it.
"You okay, Twi?" Celestia asked.
"Uhhhh...." Twilight groaned, still not really ready to talk.
They'd been supportive, yeah, but they were still kind of uncomfortable with the whole thing. After all, they had given her over to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns when she was a very small filly. She'd pretty much grown up at the palace. The fact that she was now dating somebody who was an adult that took care of her when she was being raised had, understandably, brought up all kinds of weird implications.
Implications that they weren't really afraid to question.
Twilight assured them that she had first realized that she liked Celestia after she left Canterlot for Ponyville. She had always looked up to her as a mentor and teacher, of course, but it became something deeper only after she had been separated from the Princess. The Princess, similarly, said that she had first began to like her sometime after the whole Changeling thing in Canterlot. She had also said something about "two dancers in a field," something Twilight didn't really understand.
Her parents found the explanations adequate, and assured them that any worries they had about the relationship were dispelled. Even so, it had still been the most stressful half-hour of Twilight's life.
"Twilight..." Celestia said, her voice full of concern.
"Celestia," Twilight began, rolling over to face her, "I need a minute here."
Celestia nodded, and time slowly passed.
"Well," Twilight muttered, "It went better than expected."
"I knew they would understand, Twi."
Celestia briefly considered snuggling up next to her on the couch, but there wasn't nearly enough room.
"I know your parents. They're wonderful ponies, and they love you very much. Of course they're understand."
Twilight nodded. "Doesn't make it any less nerve-wracking."
"True..."
Celestia sat on the floor next to Twilight. "Well, all that's left now is..."
Celestia's voice trailed off. Now it was her turn to be nervous to the point of panic."
"The public." Twilight stated, finishing Celestia's point for her.
"Yes. The public."
Silence dominated the room for a few minutes.
"That'll go just as smoothly, right?" Twilight said, trying to reassure the Princess.
"Yes." Celestia said, her diction terse. "Yes, I'm sure it will."
Twilight could tell she was lying.
* * *
Two weeks later, Celestia stood nervously in the foyer of her castle.
"You got this, Sis," Luna said, trying to be encouraging. "It's easy. They'll love it. No need to worry."
Celestia rolled her eyes. Luna had very obviously picked up some kind of entry-level book on motivational speech-giving. She appreciated her sister's effort, but she was kind of doing the exact opposite of helping.
"No sweat, Sis, no sweat!"
In the courtyard outside, reports from almost every news outfit in Equestria were gathered. The Princesses gave these conferences fairly often, but this was a special case. For one, it was on a Tuesday, not a Sunday. That alone was enough to get the rumor mill started. When the actual announcement letter came out, with "A very special announcement" as the only thing on the agenda, the media went absolutely insane. Theories ranged from new laws, to major new scientific discoveries, to an outbreak of war, to some kind of political scandal.
They were all wrong, of course. Or, at the very least, mostly wrong. Out of the very few predictions that the conference had to do with the Princesses' personal life, only a handful guessed that it had to do with romance. Of that handful, theories ranged from "Celestia is considering accepting suitors" to "Celestia has found a Stallion", with a couple of left-field predictions (including The Equestrian Inquierer's lovely headline "Princess Luna Pregnant After Night out on Town," which was a new low, even for them,) in the mix. Not a single one correctly guessed that Celestia was dating a mare.
Which meant that this would probably come as a shock.
Celestia took a deep breath.
"You go, girl!"
Well, at least facing the crowd would be easier than facing her sister's cheering.
Celestia took a step out the palace doors. A chorus of trumpets blew a single note, signaling the crowd to be quiet.
Celestia walked to the podium, placing her notes down upon it. There wasn't much jotted down, but Celestia felt better with an outline in front of her.
"A-hem."
Celestia took a deep breath. If Twilight could face her family, she could do this, right?
"People of Equestria. I am sure you are all wondering why I have gathered you here today."
The crowd leaned in slightly, pencils and cameras at the ready.
"I know that many of you are wondering why I called you here today. The circumstances are, uh, slightly different from the norm. But, then again, so is my announcement."
The sound of pencils furiously jotting down notes filled the air as Celestia took another breath.
"In the interest of royal transparency, I must reveal something to you, before rumors are started. Recently, I have..."
Celestia stared out at the crowd. God. This truly was the point of no return, wasn't it?
"...I have began a romantic relationship."
Cameras flashed, and a murmur ran through the crowd. Celestia gave them a bit of time to settle down.
"This relationship has been ongoing for a number of months, and has brought great joy to myself and the one I am dating. Rest assured, this has not effected my ability to rule. If anything, it has enhanced it. However, as this relationship -- and, indeed, all I do -- will, to some extant, have a reflection on Equestria's position in international politics, I felt that it would be best for me to fully reveal the details, as opposed to an investigative report from a journalist."
Celestia briefly closed her eyes, then continued.
"I am currently dating Twilight Sparkle, who has been a student of mine for several years. I realized that I was romantically interested in her after she left Canterlot to be the Ponyville librarian. While this is my private business, I felt the need to be open and honest with my citizens."
Celestia took another deep breath.
"I-- I love her very much, and I have never been happier. Thank you for you understanding. There will be no questions answered at this time. "
With that, Celestia turned around, and walked back in the palace.
It was almost possible to see the realization move through the crowd. The murmur quickly grew into open conversation.
She.. She had said she. The Princess-
The Princess was dating a mare!
The crowd of reporters stormed off, each desperate to be the first one who put the story in print.