//------------------------------// // Epilogues // Story: Opening Twilight's Heart // by Knight of Cerebus //------------------------------// Rarity levitated the mail from the box to the slot in her front door, a yawn writ large across her face. She blinked the crust out of her eyes miserably. She recalled once again the feeling of emptiness that had settled in her chest once the date had been over. The feeling that no matter what she did, she was going to be alone for a very long time. She briefly entertained the notion that she might muster up the energy to gather her letters and interact with some of her neighbours, but she shot it down the moment she realized that it would necessitate her changing out of her favourite bathrobe and fluffy slippers so that she might look presentable to the rest of the world. The idea was swiftly rejected. After all, the day after Hearts and Hooves Day (may Celestia curse the pony who had invented the evil day) was one to be reserved for the finest of creature comforts. Magazines, romance novels, Fluttershy's tender shoulder to cry upon and all the chocolates Bon Bon could offer (purchased under an anonymous name, of course) awaited her later in the day. Or, at least, they would have, were it not for the seal on one of the letters that immediately caught her eye. The letter itself was a smooth, ivory-coloured and very simple affair. Rarity tilted her head to better inspect it. The seal that had given her pause bore an icon she had seen time and time again since she was a little filly. An icon that was on everything from Equestria's flag to its bits and was everywhere the government went. An icon she had not, in her wildest dreams, ever expected to appear on a letter for her. Once she had confirmed it was indeed what she thought it was, she tore open the letter as quickly as she could, taking care not to damage the wax rendering of Equestria's famous stylized sun. Her eyes ran over the letter. Then, because of its brevity, she read it over again. And then again. It was only on the fourth try that her brain could properly process what had just happened. Dear Rarity, I had a truly wonderful time last night, and hope that you likewise enjoyed our time together, brief thought it was. Would you be available for a visit to the spa next Wednesday? It would be my treat. Consider it a thank-you for all your support. Yours, C. Beside the initial stood the famous sun symbol once again. Rarity dropped the letter, squealing in delight and prancing in place. Once she had gotten a modicum of control over her inner filly's overwhelming excitement, she found a photo frame from amongst some of her photos of herself and her career progress, and quickly emptied out an old photo of some of the hideous abominations she had once called dresses in favour of the letter. She slid it gingerly into the frame, still beaming like a madmare. Once she had finished pressing the frames back together and floating the document to its new home on her wall, Rarity dashed upstairs with speed that Pinkie Pie would have envied. Her bath robe tore off her withers and floated itself onto her bed. Her slippers found themselves discarded at the doorway to the bathroom. Princess Celestia asked me to her private spa! Rarity's heart fluttered at the thought, her plans for a day spent weeping and lamenting her own romantic failures completely forgotten in favour of schemes on how to increase the fabulosity of Equestria's beloved ruler. Her spirits carried her all the way to the shower, where she soon washed away her concerns about her status as a spinster and her tormenting memories of the heartbreak she concluded every Hearts and Hooves Day with. So excited was she that she didn't even register the "thank you" in the last portion of the letter. Her thoughts of a day spent miserably floundering in romance novels, moments with a sympathetic old friend and bon bons could wait. She didn't have time to wallow in self-pity. She had dresses to make! Dresses for her new friend, Princess Celestia. ---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼--- Trixie woke up with a pillow under her head and a blanket around her barrel. She looked around at her surroundings in confusion. The repurposed travelling market stall she called home was nowhere in sight. Instead, she was in an oppressively fluffy bed, lying under a blue quilt dotted with cupcakes and balloons. The tears that had accompanied her to her troubled sleep were dried away, and her mane had been smoothed down in places with what looked like an expert's touch. She cast a glance around the room in confusion, hoping to investigate further. The presence of a pair gigantic ice cream cones terminating a nearby staircase's banister did not exactly aide in her understanding, though the balloons strapped to the bedposts, simple record player and flowers near said stairs did add something of a level of charm to the room. Trixie tried her best to relax. That was when Pinkie Pie popped out from beween the sheets, rising to loom over Trixie's face. "Hiyah!" Pinkie said. "Didja have a good sleep, haughty hijinks horsey?!" Trixie screamed. Pinkie Pie found herself being thrown across the room by telekinesis. "Wh--you--how?! Were you sleeping in Trixie's bed?!" Pinkie Pie produced a poofy pink pillow from within her mane, cushioning her impact with a "poomf". "Actually, it's the Giddy and Partyful Pinkie's bed, not the Great and Powerful Trixie's, but I let you have it anyway. I took the couch!" Pinkie struck a heroic pose, hoof extended outwards, before covering one side of her mouth with said hoof and leaning towards Trixie. "You know, couches are really cozy. You have to scrunch up, like a scrunchy. Scrunnnnnnnnch! It makes you feel all squishy and cozy!" Trixie blinked. "I looked all over Ponyville for you last night, because you seemed really sad when Twilight did that thing she does where she's a meanie-pants but she doesn't know it. The girls and I don't like to tell her always because when you do she gets really, really sad and tries to make it all better and she's a Princess now and even before she's always worried or sad about something so we usually just give her space." Trixie marvelled at how the pony in front of her was able to continue to throw syllables at her without so much as taking a breath. She suspected magic of a darker sort was involved. "I looked under bridges and up on big, lonely hills and in alleyways and fillies' bathrooms and near bars and I couldn't find you in any of the places sad ponies go when they're sad. So I checked your wagon-thingy and it was locked but it was okay because I keep skeleton keys all over Ponyville in case of spookiness emergencies!" Pinkie paused for emphasis. "And lock-picking. "So I checked everywhere and wouldn't y'know it you were all curled up on your bed and you looked even sadder then you had after Twilight was mean and so I scooped you up and found Rarity, who was also looking for you, and then we brought you here and made sure you had a nice sleep and that you felt loved, because it's really, really important to remind ponies there are ponies who care about them after Hearts and Hooves Day!" Pinkie nodded sagely. Once Trixie felt it was safe to speak again, she raised an eyebrow at the pony in front of her, shifting uncomfortably. "You...foalnapped Trixie from her bed?" "Yeppers!" Pinkie happily confirmed. "But we did it out of love!" Trixie looked concerned at this, her suspicion continuing to raise. "Where is your accomplice, then?" She made sure her horn was glowing a dim shimmer that would let her cast a spell if she needed. Pinkie Pie's smile vanished. "She had to go home after we'd fixed you up. You're not gonna run away again, are you?" "Why?" Trixie's accusation held the force of a mare that had been cornered for most of her life. "What will you do to Trixie if she does?" Pinkie Pie shook her head, giving Trixie a bittersweet little smile. "I'd be a little sad if you ran, because you seem like all you know how to do when you run is frown, but I wouldn't stop or force you to stay or anything. I know, sometimes I'm scary and weird and it can make frowns and not smiles." The bounce from her step vanished for a moment. The moment was gone as quickly as it had arrived. "But I also know that even if you think I'm scary or weird or annoying, I can still make a pony smile without them having to know. It's not about getting credit for the most smiles, though that is nice." Pinkie smiled a private smile of her own. "It's just about making a pony smile." Trixie looked uncomfortable at this, still not fully at ease. She placed her wizard's hat upon her head, suspicion writ large across her face. "Why do you want to make Trixie happy? She stole your mouth and turned your friends into her slaves. Even when you first met her she humiliated everypony you knew and lied to colts and fillies for bits." Trixie reeled back in surprise at Pinkie's response. "Is that what you're worried about? Plbbbbt." Pinkie blew a raspberry, not missing a beat. "I've wrecked a Gala and a barn and a conference with bison and I almost wrecked a marriage once and then I saved it!" Pinkie stopped her rambling, the cheer falling out of her voice once again for a moment. "But I was really sorry about it afterward and I did my best to make it all better, and that's all it takes here in Ponyville." Trixie rolled her eyes, a scoff escaping her lips. "Nopony forgives Trixie. She's been all over Equestria. Fake. Flop. Failure. Hack. Liar. She's not a good pony and she knows, and even if you and your friends say you'll forgive her, nopony else will." Pinkie Pie looked uncertain at this. "Mmm...'dunno about that. Princess Luna seems pretty darn forgiven, I'd say. So was Mr. Minotaur Monster. We even try to be nice to Discord...even when he isn't always so nice to us. It's a good thing, too, 'cause we all do bad things every day and we don't always realize it--I guess we're all kind of Twilight that way--and I'd hate to have a world where everypony stayed mad at everypony else forever even when they didn't even remember what bad things they'd done to make everypony else mad. Can you imagine that?! The parties would be terrible!" Pinkie stressed this point as if the world would end. Trixie still seemed hesitant, looking down at the sheets. Friendly balloons looked back up at her. "Even if you were her friends, wouldn't you be mad when Trixie left again?" She put a hoof to her chin. "And where would she work? Trixie cannot eat friendship, you know." "Pinkie Pie doesn't think so!" The pony in question produced a tray from behind her back, sliding it under Trixie's downturned nose. Trixie found herself staring at six lavish cupcakes, each one decorated with pink frosting and each baked into the shape of a heart. "You could work odd jobs around town, or even here at the bakery! Or! Oooh! Or or or we could get you a job doing advertisements for ponies with those fancy fireworks of yours! That would be so cool! We'd be all walking down the street, and then you'd be all 'pew pew!' and there would be a big sign showing off somepony's stuff they want ponies to buy. And even if none of that worked, the gals and I could give you a little extra when you needed it! No sense in turning away a pony when she's down. What do ya say? Would you like to try to be a friend, friend? Whoa!" Pinkie managed to save the cupcake tray with her back hoof, which was harder than she had imagined from between Trixie's two front hooves. The travelling showpony squeezed her with all of her might, a tremble running along her body. Pinkie Pie reached out her own front hooves, wrapping one around Trixie's shoulder and using the other to pat her mane. "It's okay." Pinkie promised. "It's gonna be okay now. Just gotta smile through it." "...Can I still be mad at Twilight?" The showmare asked at last. "We'll prank her for you later." Pinkie reassured. ---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼--- "H-have you ever seen her like this before?" A vibrantly brown colt in a fetching, polished suit ventured. He checked over one shoulder, darting, quivering little pupils confirming Celestia was still preparing herself for the morning court. This much managed to soothe his nerves regarding speaking out, but his nerves regarding his Princess's state of mind remained. "Seen her this, y'know, happy, I mean? I've never seen her smile so wide! I m-mean, she didn't even scold me for being at the palace early again. Heck, she thanked Blueblood for bringing something to her attention! Does it mean we should be on our hooftips? I-is she still making good judgements, is she okay?" "She got like this most recently at Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle's coronation--which you were there for, Finnick--though her niece's wedding announcement was the same, as was Her Majesty Princess Luna's return and Paige Spike's saving of the Crystal Empire." A wrinkly mare with a greying beehive nodded. "A special occasion, no doubt, but we will not likely hear about it from her until the mood has passed. But between you and me," She glanced around at the other advisers with a wink, "those are Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle's letters she was reading when she took attendance, no doubt. I imagine that mare's gone and done something to make her proud again. And believe me, Finnick, she's still sharp as ever. I mean, she still turned old Blueblood down, didn't she?" "Good to see Her Majesty feeling up either way, I say." Came a grunt from one of the guards next to the throne. "Means better for the rest of us, and it's nice to see her catch a break. Y'know sometimes she--" "Falls asleep on her hooves before she gets to her own bedroom?" A mare with sagging cheekbones and a fluffy, lively set of orange curls giggled at this. "Please, tell us again, Orbit." "'S not my fault you act like you aren't listening half the time I open my yap, Naggy Pie." The moody guard protested. "Oh, believe me, I hear every word the first three times. Say something else and I might pay more attention. But Fuss Budget's right, Finnick. It's nothing to twist your tie over. She'll be back to normal in a few days. Let her have a day to be cheery without the sky falling on us, for pity's sake. " The golden-coated mare's eyelid began to itch, and she knew that Celestia had wandered back into earshot. "Personally, I think she could stand to take more days to herself in any case. Rain or shine, a pony needs a break now and then to keep the pressure from boiling her head between her ears. Besides, she knows we'll pick up the slack for her either way. " Naggy gave Celestia a wry grin, smirking at her passing shape. "Shame the old workhorse is stubborn as a mule and sweet as my niece." "Perhaps this old horse has learned some new tricks." Celestia turned to face the courtroom, having reached her throne and seated herself upon it. The practiced diarch's smile shifted from her more inviting variation to a more mischievous one. "As it so happens, Naggy, I was waiting for the break to make an announcement on the subject." Celestia raised her voice to address the room. "From now on I will be taking a six hour-break from my duties weekly, typically on weekends and always in the evenings." She smiled around the room, making sure to look each member of her staff in the eye. "I will set the exact hours and day of the week once I have consulted Princess Twilight, who will be accompanying me in place of my entourage as my defense during this private time. To accommodate this, I will be relying on each of you to make temporary decisions in my place, decisions which I will review on my return." Naggy rolled her eyes at this, but still smiled an earnest smile back. Finnick gulped audibly, while the rest of the staff stared at Celestia as if she had declared she was taking maternity leave. "If you require further assistance," Naggy Pie blew a raspberry at this, snickering, "I will be happy to hire out of my own pocket should the need arise." Celestia glanced around the room, gauging reactions. She found two types of faces looking back at her. The first, like Naggy Pie and Fuss Budget, were looking at her with neutral smiles, nodding along at her words and taking in what she was saying. In the second set she saw wide eyes flicking between herself and the corners of the room, the faces they were set tense with concern. She knew immediately what to say. "I make this move not out of fear or as a test, but out of trust, and out of a hope that I might cultivate a happy development in the lives of myself and Princess Twilight. You each and every one of you are more than capable of handling this change. Because of this trust, I will be certain to tell each and every one of you the reason for this change. Out of respect for Princess Twilight's privacy, however, I will not be announcing the nature of this development until she feels comfortable sharing it, too." Again the sun regent cast her glance around the room, making sure to meet the eyes of all her staff, regardless of how long she had worked with them or how personally she knew them. "But you will know the reason, on that you have my word. "With that promise, I hope you will refrain from gossiping about she and I in the mean time, though I realize such things are sadly impossible." Her smile turned mischievous once again. "Though I can confirm right now that Twilight and I will sadly not be using the Power Possum and Wonder Wombat suits that were so thoughtfully--and anonymously--provided for us on the subject. And anypony I hear suggesting once again that she is my secret daughter will find themselves managing the Canterlot genealogy archives for the next month." The room filled with nervous laughter, and so Celestia offered a friendly "I kid, I kid" once the assembled ponies had calmed themselves. Since the crowd had fallen silent, Celestia found herself searching for expressions that held opposition. Finding none, she relaxed into the cozy smile of a pony who was at last in their element after a lengthy ordeal outside their comfort zone. "Now," she declared, "on that exciting note, let's meet our first wave of petitioners." ---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼--- Dawn broke over Twilight Sparkle's face, causing her to crack her eyes open and give a wide yawn. One hoof raised itself from underneath the bedsheets to cover her open mouth, while the other pushed away the same covers with a casual sweep. The sensation of sunlight over her body reminded her of everything that had happened last night. She let her hooves wrap the blankets back around her body, her brain still trying to process what had happened. She felt something not unlike her first day in Ponyville after Celestia had let her stay. Something big and new and completely unmanageable was taking over her life, and yet her animal fear was trumped by the knowledge that this big, new and unmanageable thing was wonderful in every way. There was only one problem with this big, new, unmanageable fear: Unlike her forays into friendship, she was almost completely alone. Worse, because this was the Princess she was dealing with, it was her and Celestia under the eyes of every single pony in the entire country. By that token, it wasn't that different from when she was Celestia's student, which hadn't been so bad once the jealous nobles had made their passes and snipes at her, most of which Celestia and her parents had deflected for her. This time, she would be standing beside Celestia taking the front and centre fire. And even then, when she became Celestia's student there were only five ponies (and one baby dragon) who mattered in her life: Celestia, Cadance, Her parents, Shining and Spike. The others weren't important, because the others were not like her and therefore could never understand. Or so she had thought back then, anyway. Her current self, on the other hoof, was interested in everybody's opinions and feelings. What if they hated her becoming closer to Celestia? What if she was deemed unfit to rule because of her and Celestia's conflict of interest? What if she ended up getting Celestia thrown out of office? Twilight shuddered. Her shuddering was met by the groan of the baby dragon awakening beside her. "Geeze, Twilight, what time is it? The sun's been up like ten minutes and you're already awake." Twilight blushed. "Sorry. I've been having trouble sleeping." Spike grunted, his eyes blinking slowly. The little dragon pulled off his covers and stumbled to his feet. He gave a huge stretch, paused, and then glanced down at his belly. Twilight made to ask him what he was doing, but she was cut off by him giving a fist pump. "Ha! No stomach ache! That topaz was totally worth it!" Twilight giggled. "I take it your night went well, then?" "As well as any night Rarity spends stallion-hunting can go." Spike gave a hefty sigh. "Hoity Toity was just as much of a bust as I predicted he'd be." Twilight reassured. "Great. She just has to keep getting turned down by every other stallion in the world. Once Discord turns her down I might actually have a shot." Spike slumped. "Spike..." Twilight reached out a hoof, moving it towards his shoulder. Spike pulled himself up out of his slump and out of reach. "So how did you figure out what happened last night anyway?" Twilight pursed her lips, weighing the benefits and repercussions of asking after what Spike had just said. She relinquished at last, vowing to talk about it later. "I asked Rarity for help in my date night." She let out some air through her nostrils, her lips still worrying one another. "Yeah, you didn't get back 'till late last night, didja?" Twilight nodded, her wings twitching at their sides. Spike rubbed his chin, one eyebrow raising. "So you got Rarity to help you and stayed up till way past my bedtime hunting stallions. Why, Twilight? It's not like you care that much about dating anyway." "I was going to give up, actually." Twilight pulled the covers closer around her body. "But then I hit a really rough patch, and I guess I needed a pick-me-up, y'know? I decided I might as well spend the time with my friends so it wouldn't be a total bust." "Makes sense." Spike nodded. "So you spent the rest of the day out with Rarity instead?" "Well..." Twilight looked very pointedly towards the window, where the rays of sun were still peeking over the horizon. "I just...I get lonely, Spike. I have you, and I have the girls, and I have Shiny and Cadance, but still sometimes I just wish there was someone who--" Twilight felt the sentence crash. The words "will always be there to love me, even when nobody else will" sprung into her mind in a nebulous soup, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. Celestia's words about the sunset came back to her, and she shook her head. "Y'know what, it's stupid. Never mind." "It doesn't sound like you think it's stupid." Twilight looked down, her body tensing under the sheets. She remembered her last night. She remembered how she hurt Trixe, how she almost didn't find what Celestia had to offer and how she let Flash walk all over her. At last she looked up, eyes locking in a firm forward gaze. "No, it is stupid, Spike. It's just another stupid worry. It's just a lesson I keep having to learn. I know my friends. I know they love me, and I should give them more credit than I do. I can trust them, and you, and I should trust them to be there for me. It's just my stupid brain being stupid." Spike opened his mouth to say something, but this time it was Twilight who cut him off. "And because I can trust you, I'm going to tell you something big. So big it scares me. Something I wouldn't normally, because--because I'm trying to learn--again--that being afraid of these big things is silly when I have friends like you and the girls." Twilight took a breath, staring into Spike's waiting eyes. "I went so late because I actually got a date I wanted to see through, and I did," Twilight clicked her tongue, silently preparing herself for her dropping of the other horseshoe, "and it went well. Really well." Spike tilted his head and splayed his hands, his gaze moving down the length of the sheets. Silence reigned in the room, and Twilight broke it with a sheepish smile. "So...what I'm trying to say is that I might be visiting this date a bit more in the future." "Visiting agai--you--you, Twi? You've--" Spike stared at his claws, brow furrowing. He then took a breath, shaking his head. "You've got, like, a special somepony?" "Yeah." Twilight smiled at Spike. "I do." "Yeah...that is big, alright." Spike looked down, scuffing one claw over the other. "It is." Twilight said, smiling a quiet smile. "But today doesn't have to be. Come on, I'll make breakfast with you and then we can go back to bed. I can explain as much as you need me to--what it means for me and the library, how it will change things for you, things like that. But one thing I can promise is that it's not as scary as I'd make it out to be." Spike tilted his head, looking up and down Twilight's form. "Scary as you would make it out to be?" He arched an eyebrow. "Part of that lesson I keep having to learn." Twilight confirmed. "But I think I'm starting to get on top of it. And I think I have somepony who will help me up if ever I'm not. So..." Twilight jumped out of bed, spreading her wings to stabilize her landing. The doors to Twilight's new, crystalline study flew open with a bang. "Shall we?" Spike cracked a grin, making ready to follow after the pony who had hatched him. "Sounds like a plan to me."