Wandering through the pristine streets of Belltown, Twilight felt a little uneasy. In so many ways, the well-dressed ponies who walked down the spotless streets with their attendants in tow reminded her of a particular, dull party in Canterlot. In fact, it reminded her of a lot of dull parties in Canterlot way back, but one stood out among them. The very first one.
Princess Celestia had asked Twilight if she couldn't afford to let her books lie just for one day and let the princess show her star pupil to the nobility. Twilight, ever eager to please, had agreed in a heartbeat despite her reservations. Soon she was fitted with the finest dress she had ever worn, made just for the occasion. Twilight had never quite felt so pretty. Nor had she ever since felt so useless and forgotten.
Twilight could not even recall what the ball celebrated, only that it was very important, and that everypony was eager to have Princess Celestia's attention. The princess of course made a point of introducing them all to her protegé, Twilight Sparkle. Without fail, the nobles would nod at her as if she were a piece of furniture before promptly ignoring her for the rest of the evening. If she had ever before deluded herself into thinking she was even visible in the presence of the radiant sun princess, that party was when she learned different.
She had of course grown up since then. No longer was she saddled with the insecurities and worries of a little filly, concerned with the opinions of everypony to the point of paralysis and depression. It was just very hard not to think of that party now as Luna's presence eclipsed that of hers and the rest of her friends. Yet again did she walk among giants. The difference was, this time she didn't mind, nor was she alone.
"Look at them starin'," Applejack muttered, watching a monocled stallion arch a brow at their passing. "But no bowing this time, Ah can't help but notice."
"They would if I approached them, I suppose," Luna shrugged. "But most of them do not know what to think of me, considering I have yet to attend any of the soirées of the elite. Some of them may even feel insulted by my lack of interest and attention."
"Should they?" Rarity asked with genuine interest.
"No, they should not, but I do not fault them. It is not always easy to distinguish between a personal vendetta and something more delicate and complicated," Luna explained with a backward glance at Twilight that the purple unicorn almost wished she had not noticed.
"Eh, if they're all stuck-up idiots like Blueblood?" Rainbow Dash shot. "No big loss."
"They serve many purposes, Rainbow Dash, and I hope you will have the time to find out exactly how wrong such an unfair assumption can be." The princess shook her head. "Then again, my experience interacting with modern nobility as anything other than a princess is very limited, so I will not dismiss your words."
"Was that a yes or a no?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Neither or both," Luna chuckled. "Let us see what we can find out, here."
Their hoof-falls echoed weirdly as they stepped off the street and entered the currently desolated yard of the marbled half-circle amphitheatre they had spotted earlier. The stage area was as empty as the curve of seating that faced them, but even as they stood there contemplating their next move, a mare came into view from a tunnel built into the seating. The well-groomed silver earth pony mare raised a brow and approached at a brisk walk.
"The theater is currently closed, tonight's showing of The Ballad begins at-" she began, pausing when she actually looked at them, rather than through them, and spotted the princess. Her mouth hung open for a good five seconds.
"Ah. Your Majesty," she said, beginning anew. She’d put on the subtle and practiced frown of high society. "I am Lady Argent, and I oversee the operation of Belltown Theater. We were not informed of your coming. An honor, to be sure."
"Since when did the princess answer to you?" Rainbow Dash said with a snort, earning a nudge from Pinkie Pie. Lady Argent glanced at the brash pegasus, but offered her no more than that, brows arched in query at the princess still.
"We had not planned this, either. This is something of a private visit, I suppose. Call it leisure." Luna smiled pleasantly, and the sentiment was returned.
"We will of course be delighted to find you a seat in the Very Important Ponies area, your majesty," the silver mare said with a little bow, beaming. Pinkie Pie's eyes lit up.
"I hear it's very good. The Ballad is supposed to be so much fun! Ooh, and saucy, too!" the pink pony whispered, grinning.
"Ah, that will not be necessary, though the offer is most certainly appreciated. We were hoping you might be helpful in providing some information regarding a pony who would have performed here not long ago," Luna said affably.
Lady Argent's mood dropped a couple of notches, very neatly following her eyebrows. "I see. Well, I was simply hoping that the princess would attend, as it would be a huge boon for the popularity of the theater."
"She would have been called Phoenix," Twilight interjected, fueled by pure curiosity. "A red mare, telling the tale of-"
The silver earth pony gave Twilight a look of the rather displeased variety before she turned back to Luna. "Because, as I am certain you are aware, under the Artist Protection Act, we are not obliged to divulge any information unless it is deemed a matter of national security."
Luna was entirely still, unmoving. Fluttershy took a step forward, aghast. "You can’t mean that, somepony could be hurt-"
"Of course, if that is the case, I am very happy to be of service! Now, sadly, I do not have a copy of the general information release form handy, so you will have to supply that yourself..." The earth pony smiled.
"Can't we just ask somepony else in Belltown here?" Rarity asked, inspecting one of her forehooves. "I am not sure I can handle this magnitude of helpfulness for much longer."
"I am certain they would be happy to betray the integrity of the artists who perform here. It is considered very good form," Lady Argent said with a shrug.
"How's about Ah show you some 'good form' right here," Applejack snorted, bristling.
"We would of course be delighted to attend," Princess Luna finally said, all without smiling even a little bit. "Assuming you can find space for all seven of us, that is. And I do hope refreshments are part of the deal."
"Ah, all seven?" The theater manager's smile faltered a little bit. "I did not intend-"
"It would be very helpful, along with hearing what we want to hear right now, all in the interest of preventing an altercation, yes. I am sure that you are eager to sport a royal attendance, just as I am eager to hear what you can tell us about Phoenix," Luna said.
"Similarly, I am eager to avoid having anypony tell anypony else that this princess is anything but candid and sincere in her dealings with others." The princess allowed herself a small smile that slowly grew into an almost predatory grin. "I would of course hate to be thought of as anything but helpful. But at the same time, I am certain you are aware of exactly how much joy a thorough tax audit and a review of privileges can bring to somepony's life. All without stepping out of the comfort zone of that which we call law."
"Certainly," Lady Argent said with a painted smile.
"You've had your carrot. Phoenix. Speak," Luna snapped.
It looked as if though the silver mare would protest at the tone, but in the end, she maintained her unconvincing little smile and nodded. "That was the name of a mare who came into town a little over two weeks ago. She caught my eye because she looked like a traveller, yet, well. We get enough of those here, passers-through, but she was different. The way she carried herself, it was obvious she was something else."
"I found her at a café. I offered to pay for her, and she ate like she'd never seen food before." Lady Argent winced. "She didn’t look well at all, but she told me her plans. Her story, rather. I think she felt obliged because I was paying."
"Which weren't at all your plan, eh," Applejack said sourly.
"If you believe me incapable of empathy, that's your problem, young lady," the older mare said with a rather unladylike snort. "At any rate, she said she was telling the story of Trixie, a cheap little tart of a magician who tried convincing me to perform here once." She rolled her eyes at the thought of it. Twilight elected not to explain.
"She wanted to tell the fourth part of a story she said would have five or six parts. She wasn't certain whether or not there would be a sequel. I of course admitted I was less than enthused to hear it was an in-progress, advising her to start at the beginning with each show, but she was quite adamant." The theater manager grimaced. "Said it was start-‘til-end. I let myself be convinced when she explained the plot because I felt it could work on its own, and besides, we had a free time slot coming up next week due to a cancellation."
"I let her stay at my mansion, and she was no trouble, though my butler reported that she was a little, ah, erratic at nights. Hardly slept." The silver mare suddenly looked a little hesitant, as if though she was unsure if she wanted to say anything more. "Screamed at night. Could not hold her food. She... was troubled."
"And you've just let her go?" Fluttershy asked, her voice a mere whisper. The silver mare was quick to raise her snout back up skywards.
"We are not some charitable operation here, miss. If she had issues, then she could have reported them at the nearest hospital, and she would be well taken care of."
"Unless she was afraid to," Fluttershy muttered, but when the older earth pony glared at her, she looked away and offered no further comment. Lady Argent went on, marginally more subdued.
"She performed here early last week. It was quite the success. Big hit among the tragedy aficionados. You must understand, ponies travel from all the surrounding villages to attend, and I was fearing refund claims when Cadenza cancelled," Lady Argent shook her head. "I've since had ponies approach me and thank me personally for arranging Phoenix's performance."
"A story," Twilight said, trying to get the ball rolling, so to say. "I assume she told her story all sans magic, yes? What did she say?"
The silver mare silenced her with a hoof and began retelling the tale as well as she could after receiving reassurances that they would not relay it to anypony. They had the dubious pleasure of hearing Lady Argent describe "Phoenix"'s story of what had happened when Trixie came to Ponyville, featuring all of them in name. It was accurate down to the last word, as far as they could tell. Twilight felt a little unwell.
"Thank you," Luna said when the tale was over, leaving Trixie at the edge of the Everfree Forest. The princess had said nothing ever since Lady Argent had agreed to share her story. "We are greatly looking forward to watching the play this evening. Now, if you will excuse us, we should find a place to stay for the evening."
Without further ado, Luna led the party out of the theater area and down the street, and the ponies set about scanning the buildings around them looking for something that offered chairs, beds, food, or all of the three.
"So, that was awesome, but I still don't understand why you said yes to watching some boring old play," Rainbow Dash complained. Twilight was glad that Dash jumped at the questions she wanted to ask herself; she simply didn't feel like opening a channel with the princess.
"She should not have presumed to be able to browbeat me simply because she thinks I am a bit behind on the times," Luna explained. "I read a lot, and when I do, it is not fiction. I do not have time for that. Plus, I know the current laws. I could even have pointed out that where royalty is concerned, the forms are trivialities. She would have to answer if I asked."
"Uh, din' you just list three reasons why you could've skipped the stupid play?" Applejack asked.
"No, Applejack," Luna said, grinning. "I listed one very good reason why I want to see The Ballad. I hear it is really good, and I have not had the time to watch it yet."
Pinkie Pie bounced twice as high.
Given the rates that the Belltown Royal Hotel charged, Luna insisted that they let her pay for the stay. As it turned out, this was hardly much of an issue as the ponies they met in the lobby were very eager to have her patronage free of charge rather than let her suffer the care of the "uncultured, savage brutes" of the Belltown First Hotel across the street.
Applejack nearly bucked one of the bellboys who arrived to take their saddlebags, thinking him a thief, but they somehow managed to get up to the royal suite without incident. Given the small size of the town, and thus the hotel, too, the "royal" penthouse suite of the top floor was actually on the fourth floor from the ground. What it lacked for in size, however, it made up for in thorough dedication to decadence.
"There's a fountain room," Applejack said with abject disbelief as she entered the common room from a side door. "This place has a gosh darn fountain room. What the moon do you do with a fountain room?"
"I think you'll find it's called a 'meditation room', Applejack." Rarity chuckled. "It's supposedly very relaxing."
"Yeah, well, Ah can do that under any darn apple tree. Relax, I mean. Not ‘meditate’," Applejack snorted.
"I think the idea is that it's hard to find a nice spot to relax when you're in a busy city," Twilight suggested.
"Hate to break it to you, Twilight, but..." Rainbow Dash trailed off as she peered out one of the many large windows in the opulent maze of pillows and sofas that was the common room. Outside, they could see a few rows of beautiful white stone facades partially obscured by perfectly managed gardens.
Her point, however, was everything beyond the relatively small Belltown. It would take less than five minutes to step out onto the plains that surrounded them. Finding a lonely tree in the gently rolling hills and the tall grass would take you another two minutes, tops.
"Well, I never said I wanted a meditation room," Twilight said, her face flushing. She picked a spot on a pile of pillows and planted her rump with a sigh. "Anyway, I don't get it. Trixie is telling the tale of her life, probably entirely truthfully. To what end?"
"Consider her name," Luna suggested. "The phoenix is a creature that goes through cycles of rebirth. She may simply have changed the direction of her career."
Twilight nodded at the princess' words, still looking out the window. She still couldn't look at Luna. She still didn't understand what had happened that night in the mill, and it incensed her, which in turn frightened her.
"If she's not associated with the guild, and only performs for scraps, that's hardly what I'd call a 'career'," Rarity countered, pulling Twilight's brain back on track.
"Maybe she's just doing it for fun?" Pinkie asked.
"Yeah, because she was so much fun the first time around in Ponyville," Rainbow Dash snorted, nostrils flaring.
"Ooh, you're grumpy because she got you good!" Pinkie Pie giggled, earning a glare.
"Or she's sick and thinks she will be reborn. Like a phoenix," Fluttershy said from over by a glass table. A short silence followed.
"What exactly are you saying?" Twilight asked. "Reborn in a literal sense? She didn't strike me as the, ah, 'believing' type. Not exactly a cultmare."
"Philomena was really sick at first, remember?" Fluttershy said, rubbing her forehooves together and studiously avoiding her eyes. "She got worse and worse until she, um, kind of... turned to ash before she was okay again."
"Ponies don't turn to ash," Applejack said. "But Ah reckon' she does sound sick. Maybe she really can't use magic?"
Twilight blanched, trying to think what she would do if she couldn't use her magic any more. It wasn't just about the minor day-to-day things she did with magic where other ponies would use their hooves. That was just a perk. Magic was part of what made unicorns unicorns. Twice as much for Twilight, whose special talent was magic. What if that was the case for Trixie too?
"I haven't ever heard of something that can take a unicorn's magic away, those are just old ponies' tales," Rarity said, but she didn't sound entirely convinced. The white unicorn was looking at Twilight, and looked a further discomfited by her pensive silence.
Apparently, Twilight was not the only one who had been thinking. Luna shook her head very slowly. "I can think of a few things, but most of them are no longer of this world," she said. "But I suspect I know of a few exceptions. Relics, if you will."
"Trixie's last tale ended with her fleeing Ponyville heading for the Everfree Forest," Twilight said, her voice hollow to her own ears. Fluttershy, as the only other pony to know what they were speaking of, gasped. Luna pursed her lips.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked, her attention flitting between the three ponies who seemed to be in the know. "What?"
Luna did not look like she was about to explain, apparently deep in thought, and Fluttershy looked mortified. It would have been so easy, and it was all too tempting to egg Luna on, to point out that this was partially her fault. She could have asked again why Luna did not simply head into the Everfree and look into it. Twilight didn't even know why she felt so spiteful, but she was glad she had enough self-control that she could think before she spoke.
"Trixie may have headed to the old castle in the Everfree. She might have broken into an old study and touched something she shouldn't have," Twilight explained, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. "I... guess that could be really bad."
"We will head for Clayvale township tomorrow, and we can certainly set a higher pace, but we can do no more tonight. No need to panic until we know for sure, and I am loath to break my word to Lady Argent, however insignificant it may seem," Luna said, though Twilight got the distinct feeling she was only trying to be calm for the benefit of the other ponies in the room. "I am going to see if the mayor of this place has dragonfire. I will come by later before we head over to the theater."
"Is she going to be okay?" Fluttershy asked. "Trixie, I mean. The lady at the theater said she didn’t know if there would be 'sequel'.”
"I am not going to let her not be okay," Luna said, slipping out the door.
The very second she had left, Pinkie Pie started digging through her saddlebags. "I know I have a Monopony board in here somewhere!" the pink pony muttered before she triumphantly extracted exactly that.
"Oh, I'll be the hat," Rarity announced, taking a seat. "As glamorous as this town is, I don't think there's much point to trying to socialize when I left all my good clothes back at..." Rarity trailed off, looking very sour.
"S'pose we do need to figure out how to get our stuff back from the fort sometime, yeah. Ah don't think we'll pass by there going home," Applejack said, looking none too pleased with it either. “Ah’ll be the cart.”
"Welcome to the Pinkie Royal!" Pinkie Pie announced to Fluttershy. "That'll be forty bits!"
"Oh, um, okay," Fluttershy said with a smile and a sigh. Her token, the dog, stood on Canterlot Ave., which in turn had a bright red hotel on its square. "I'm sorry, but I don't have forty bits. And I don't..." the butter pegasus surveyed her title deeds, all flipped over. "I'm bankrupt, I’m really sorry Pinkie."
"Aww, no, that's okay, you can pay me later," Pinkie said with a giggle, leaning over to hug the pegasus sat next to her.
"As admirable as your generosity is, Pinkie, I think we all 'owe you' at this point. I concede," Rarity said, shaking her head and stacking her deeds.
"Well, that's okay, I had fun, and I hope you did too,” Pinkie chirped.
"I don't understand how you do it," Twilight huffed. "It's statistically improbable in the extreme to have this much luck." Pinkie had not yet lost a single game this evening. It took all her willpower to suspend her disbelief and not peek into the saddlebag from which she had pulled six separate board games. This level of luck was just uncanny, and it was impossible not to comment.
"Oh, I just play a lot of games," Pinkie said, smiling brightly.
"But-" Twilight sputtered as the others began clearing the game board. "They're games of luck as much as they are games of skill. Playing them a lot doesn't make you better at them unless your opponents are horrendously stupid!"
"Silly Twilight, there's no such thing as luck," the pink party pony giggled. "Or, well, sometimes ponies get lucky, but that's different! Maybe someday I'll tell you all about it."
Rainbow Dash snorted and giggled. "I'm sure there's a book for that. Egghead's guide to lo-"
"I get it," Twilight grumbled. "Thanks."
Spending the day in the hotel room hadn't been bad at all. In fact, it was exactly what Twilight had needed; a distraction. That the opulent chambers came with room service was just a plus. The real treat was being with her friends and having some time off from her own thoughts. They'd eaten and played games all day – they even had a pillow fight, though it was partially unintended and mostly a result of a misunderstanding between Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
The combination of pillow fights, food and carpeted floor had been particularly unfortunate, but they had cleaned up as best they could, and hoped the hotel staff wouldn’t find the stains buried under the pillows until they were long gone. The ponies had talked about Ponyville and what they missed the most; what they'd do when they got home. It was this thread of conversation that Fluttershy picked back up now that Pinkie was declared the winner of yet another game of Monopony.
"I just really miss my cottage," the yellow pegasus said. "I mean, this place is very nice, all the places we’ve visited have been really nice, too, but, you know..."
"Ah hear you," Applejack said, rolling her neck. "To say nothin' of the ponies themselves. Ah’m gonna ask if Apple Bloom wants to go camping when we get back, just ‘cause Ah can.”
"Oh, that reminds me, I think I saw a post office in town," Twilight added, her face lighting up. "I could finally send Spike that letter I wrote while I finished up my reports in Clawford."
"I'm sure he would love that," Fluttershy agreed just as the door opened, admitting Luna.
A quick glance out the window revealed that it was indeed getting darker outside, and it was probably time to go, but Twilight found that she was a little hesitant. She wished she could avoid having to deal with Luna for just five more minutes, as if she were trying to ignore the sun in the morning, wanting to sleep – or perhaps more appropriately, stave off sleep in the evening, she mused.
"The play is starting soon enough. I am certain it will be appreciated if we are not late," Luna said, smiling at the ponies who were surrounded by games and pillows. "I can see you have kept busy."
"If it is all the same to you, I was thinking of staying here," Twilight said, forcing herself to look at Luna despite the hammering of her heart in her chest. She really did not want another confrontation, but once she looked at her eyes, it was hard to look away.
"Are you unwell?" Luna asked. She raised a brow in genuine sympathy, and indeed, she sounded concerned.
The idea of lying to the princess was abhorrent to Twilight, but she could not think of her own words as a lie when she spoke them. "Sort of, yes. I'd just like to rest here, take an early night, if you don't mind."
Fluttershy immediately got up to feel Twilight’s forehead with a hoof. The pegasus mare was half-way to her saddlebags when Twilight stopped her. "Thank you, but it's not like that. I'd just like to rest, please," Twilight said, offering Fluttershy an apologetic smile. It looked as if she'd trigger a protest from the yellow pegasus, but Fluttershy merely nodded after a moment's hesitation, muttering an apology.
"Oh, I know, I'll stay with you! You can't be alone!" Pinkie Pie declared.
"You were dying to see the play, weren't you?" Twilight asked. She looked at Pinkie in surprise, but the earth pony was implacable.
"Nuh uh, I can't have fun if I know somepony's unhappy. Just doesn't work." Pinkie shook her head, and Twilight couldn't make herself object a second time for fear that she'd actually successfully convince Pinkie to go instead. She really didn't want to be alone.
"Well, if Pinkie's staying with Twilight, so am I," Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. "I mean, no offense, but, uh, I'm not exactly a big fan of... whatever that play is. It’s not my favorite. I’m pretty sure I don’t like it."
"It's a romantic comedy, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, frowning. "Are you certain, Twilight? Is something the matter?"
Luna looked a little confused as well. She looked at Twilight, her eyes betraying a little hurt as she asked, "Have I caused offense?"
It was an earnest question. Too earnest and too honest, and Twilight found that she didn’t even know the answer to it. Twice as problematic, Twilight realized she wanted to ask the very same question. She had hoped Luna had an answer.
"No, I'm sorry, I'm just really not feeling well," Twilight said, and it still didn't feel like a lie at all. She just needed time to think, and that was truly making her feel 'unwell'.
"You won't think less of me for wanting to see the play I hope, Twilight?" Rarity asked, and Twilight was quick to shake her head again. "If you need me-" the fashionista began.
"I'll be fine. If I have Rainbow and Pinkie here, I'll be more than fine, actually," Twilight said. "In fact, I may be too fine, and need rescuing." She added a little chuckle for good measure.
"Are you sure I can't make you some tea, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, biting her lower lip and casting a forlorn glance towards her saddlebags in the corner of the room..
"I'll be fine," Twilight reassured her. "Now go have fun!"
"Ah'd stay myself, but Ah reckon somepony's gotta make sure these here gals stay out of trouble," Applejack muttered.
"Go," Twilight repeated, laughing, and the four ponies finally relented and disappeared out the door. Luna cast her a glance as she left, but the princess was entirely unreadable.
Twilight let herself fall backwards into a mound of pillows the moment she heard the door shut. She stared up at the ceiling until Pinkie Pie's face appeared, peering down at her. Rainbow Dash soon hovered over her, too, the wing-beats of the pegasi rustling their manes.
"Okay, Auntie Pinkie is going to fix this," Pinkie said, her face steeled with determination.
The look in her eyes was fierce and very, very intimidating. Even Rainbow Dash backed off a little. "Uh, fix what?" Twilight asked as Pinkie sat down at her side.
"You, silly!" Pinkie said with a shrug, her mood picking up again with violent suddenness. "Isn't it obvious?"
Twilight had a terrible, terrible feeling about this. So much for a quiet evening of leisurely distractions and light contemplation. She groaned and rolled over on her side, closing her eyes.
"Oh come on Twilight, this is getting stupid," Rainbow Dash said. There was a muffled noise as she landed and sat down on the other side of Twilight, opposite of Pinkie. "Everypony else is gonna catch on soon enough anyways."
"Catch on to what?" Twilight asked, curling up into a ball. "If they haven't noticed that Luna and I are having some disagreements, then they're blind, but that's just because she's being stupid. And confusing."
"Uh-huh," was all Pinkie Pie said. When the silence stretched on, Twilight popped an eye open, coming snout to snout with an expectant Pinkie Pie. "Aaand?" the party pony asked.
"Stupid, confusing and, uh, irrational?" Twilight tried. She slowly got back up on all four legs, noting that Rainbow Dash was sitting on her haunches with her forelegs crossed. There was an almost palpable aura of expectation radiating from the two other ponies.
"Aaand?" Pinkie asked again, relentless.
"I don't know what you're getting at!" Twilight snapped. "And I'm tired of games! I don't need you being confusing and frustrating when I already have my hooves full trying to figure out what the hay I need to do to-" She stopped herself and sighed. Twilight had no idea how much her friends knew.
"It's about the dreams, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked. Unlike Pinkie Pie, the pegasus seemed utterly unfazed by Twilight's little outburst. The pegasus scratched the back of her own head. "Pinkie told me she heard you talking to Luna on the night we met back up with her, back in Scandineighvia."
"I'm sorry if it was meant to be a secret," Pinkie said, a little more subdued now.
"No," Twilight said, taking a deep breath. She actually felt a little relieved. It was bad enough that the memory was tearing Luna apart; it was ridiculous how it had managed to weigh Twilight down as well. "It's okay. How much did you hear anyway, Pinkie?"
"Uh. Only the bit between hi and bye, so, pretty much everything," Pinkie admitted. "Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep and I was bored, so I sort of lay there thinking about catapults, and then you started talking, and I was kind of waiting for a moment where I was gonna hop up and yell 'surprise, I'm awake', and then uh." Pinkie gave a sad half-smile. "It kind of got a bit late for that. And I couldn't fall asleep, because, um, well, you know. Arguing and yelling. And threats which I know Lunie didn’t mean anything with. And, um, her being hurt bad on the inside."
Twilight just nodded. There was very little else she could do.
"And then I just had to tell Dashie, because, well," Pinkie Pie hesitated, fidgeting.
"Because secrets suck, that's why," Rainbow Dash finished for her, the pegasus' cheeks tinged with red. "Pinks worries, and now I worry too. What the hay is your plan, anyway?" she asked. Twilight realized that the two ponies were looking at her in the exact manner they did when there was an obstacle to cross, and they needed Twilight to tell them what to do. How to get to the dragon at the top of the mountain. How to stop Nightmare Moon.
Was it really that simple this time, though? Twilight could recall with perfect clarity every conversation she'd had with Luna. They'd argued more than once, and Luna confused her. They'd share a happy moment, and Twilight would end up confusing herself. The princess tried to scare her away, and Twilight refused. Then there was whatever the hay happened in the mill back in Miller's Haven two days ago. She still remembered how she lay there shivering. Still remembered Luna’s breath on her face.
"I don't have a plan yet," Twilight finally said. She looked over at Pinkie who tried and failed to hide her disappointment. "And please, tell me what you getting at? 'And' what? What am I supposed to say? What is going on?"
"Well, I just thought maybe-" Pinkie began, steepling her hooves together and biting her lower lip.
"We just thought maybe you had a thing going on," Dash blurted.
Twilight's brain froze solid. The words lodged in her ear and were simply not admitted entry to her mind, instead jamming the cogs and whatever else was spinning in her head. "Buh?" she managed.
Pinkie Pie perked up a little, glancing over at Dash with renewed hope. Dash, for her part, shrugged and pointed at Twilight. They kept this up for almost a full minute, mimicking actions and making gestures that became more and more arcane until Twilight finally cut them off. "Okay! I get it! Wait, no, horseapples, I don't. What?!"
"Maybe I didn't fall asleep right away in the mill in Miller’s Haven, either," Pinkie said, looking decidedly sheepish. "I mean, I didn't mean to! But, um, well, I didn't. I was so busy thinking about things. I'm sure I'm really close to a working cupcake catapult design."
"Okay?" Twilight shrugged, refusing to think. She wasn't really listening or thinking any more. She was just conversing emptily, hoping that they'd end up anywhere else. Perhaps she could ask for details about the catapult? She was grasping for straws and failing.
Pinkie blinked. "Okay? I mean, you couldn't cut that tension with a spoon, knife, or any other kitchenware! I would have tried if I could, but that would be kind of mean because you're totally cute when you're stumped!"
Twilight exhaled, finally failing at ignoring the subject in front of her. "A thing," she began. "You're suggesting that I have a 'thing' for Luna. Princess Luna."
"Uh, nuh-uh and duh-" Pinkie chirped. "I'm pretty sure she's into you, too! I mean, gosh, did you see her? Um, not that I was looking. I had my eyes closed some of the time, maybe."
"And if it’s not obvious, maybe she's just afraid. Or... well, holding back for some other reason," Dash suggested, her smile wavering a bit as she glanced at Pinkie Pie. "I hear that's totally 'in' this year. All the cool fillies are doing it."
Pinkie Pie reached over the touched Rainbow Dash on the nose. "Silly filly."
"Yeah, no," Twilight said with all the empathy she could muster. "That's improbable and impossible and the whole list of synonyms from Mareiam-Websteed's for both words, all at once."
"So impossible, but you don't say you don't like the idea?" Pinkie said with a little grin.
Twilight threw up her hooves and groaned before walking over to the window, staring out at nothing at all. With the darkness being near absolute, she could only see her own reflection, but it was more the principle of the thing. "It's, I- I haven't even thought about, but if it's impossible, why should I?"
"Oh come on, you're not that stupid, Twilight. Nothing is impossible," Rainbow Dash said, flying over to sit next to the unicorn. "If you tell yourself that, you're never going to do anything cool in your entire life."
"Easy to say for somepony who's done the impossible," Twilight snorted.
“Uh, okay, yeah, the sonic rainboom was cool, but you know what’s even more awesome and impossible? Defeating Nightmare Moon? Sheesh!” Dash rolled her eyes. “Never thought I’d be the one telling you this, but think!”
"You're the smartest pony I know," Pinkie agreed, bouncing over to sit between Twilight and Dash, putting a hoof around each of them. "Brainiest pony ever! Come on, Twilight, you can do it!"
Twilight leaned back to stare at the roof, thinking as she spoke. "I don't know or care what I think about Luna right now. It's not half as important as making sure she stops suffering. I just want her to be happy, and apparently she doesn't want that. How is wanting to make somepony happy different from what I feel for you guys?" Twilight shook her head slowly, trying to make sense of it. "I am happy when Fluttershy is happy, too, and I want you all to be happy because you're my very best friends. What's the difference? I can’t rationalize it, sorry."
"Guess being an egghead doesn't help when it's not science or whatever," Dash said, grinning. Pinkie Pie jabbed her in the side with a hoof.
"Be nice, Dashie!" Pinkie told the unrepentant pegasus. "It's like the best thing in the world, Twilight! But if you don't know what it is, then I guess it's very confusing. And Auntie Pinkie can't help but notice that ‘confusing’ is one word you've used a lot! Like, more than I use sprinkles on my cupcakes!"
Noting that Pinkie was beginning to make sense, Twilight eagerly ignored her. "Besides, you heard her. She thinks I don't respect her and her wishes."
"Uh yeah, because she thinks you're getting close to actually helping her, and that silly princess doesn’t want that." Pinkie suggested as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, duh?"
Twilight drew a shuddering breath and let it out slowly, deflating until she lay flat on the ground like an empty plastic bag. "I just want to help her. I guess she's not some fragile thing, and it's not in my place to decide for her what she should do." She looked up at Pinkie and Dash as she went on, the duo listening intently.
"But at the same time, friends don't let friends suffer, and I know she's suffering, even though she won't tell me why she won’t try to stop it. If I have the power to change that, I don't see how I can justify sitting my flank doing nothing. After that, maybe I’ll consider your, um, suggestions."
"Sounds like plenty of respect to me," Dash said, nudging Twilight.
When the others returned, Twilight already lay in one of the many beds offered by the suite, thinking. She had been thinking a lot. In fact, she had excused herself from Dash and Pinkie's company a little earlier for this very purpose. They had been sad to see her go, but very sympathetic, and perhaps a little happy to get to have some time alone, too.
The more Twilight thought about it, the easier it all became. If she wasn't given cause to believe anything else, if she was intentionally kept in the dark by the princess, then it was simple. There was a dragon at the top of the mountain.
The door to the room creaked. At first it was only a crack admitting a thin shaft of light, but soon it opened enough to admit Luna. The princess looked a little tired, but smiled when Twilight looked up at her.
"There was a bit of a celebration afterwards, it turns out," Luna said, walking over to the bed. Her horn slowly took on that damnable glow once again. Twilight smiled still.
"That's okay," Twilight said. She closed her eyes as Luna leaned over her to join their horns for but a split-second, that exhilarating little spark igniting the tension between them in an instant before it was gone. She could still feel the princess’ warmth even as she drew back, but she refused to let her mind linger on it. Not now.
"Good night," Luna offered, turning to leave her.
"I'm sorry, Luna," Twilight said in a whisper. As with all the other nights, her magic felt muted and dull, but her mind was still clear.
The princess halted for a moment. "It's okay", she said before closing the door behind her, plunging the room into darkness once more. She did not ask why, for which Twilight was thankful. She still did not want to lie to Luna's face. She'd hoped the princess thought she was apologizing for earlier tonight, not for what she was about to do.