by JKinsley
***
“No!”
“It’s fine, trust me.”
“It’s not! It doesn’t fit.”
“Twilight, please, it’s lovely!”
“It still doesn’t fit!”
Celestia hung her head low and took a deep breath. “Twilight, you know I love you, but you’ve never exactly had the best... aesthetic sense.”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
“Touché.” Celestia chuckled. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re getting hung up on what’s a lovely gift.”
“Ugh!” Twilight groaned. “I’m not saying it’s not pretty, I’m saying it doesn’t fit!”
“It does! It’s not in the way!”
“No... It’s...” Twilight sighed. “It’s not me.”
“You think it’s gaudy.” Celestia wrapped Twilight into a tight hug. She held Twilight against her chest and gently rubbed her back. “It’s not. It’s a marvelous work of craftsponyship. And you have to admit, the way the sunset makes it... It’s gorgeous. I think it’s a gift for both of us, to be honest.”
Twilight finally smiled and turned her to look at the pillars of multicolored light dancing around the room. “Fine, I’ll keep it,” she said.
***
Twilight opened the door to her new home and greeted her friends. “Come on upstairs, girls, there’s something you have to see.”
Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all followed Twilight up the spiral staircase to their throne room.
All five mares gasped when they entered the room.
“Twilight, why is yer cutie mark hangin’ from the ceilin’?” asked Applejack with her head tilted to the side. “And why’re the colors all wrong?”
“Honestly, Applejack. Orange, blue, white, pink, and yellow? I wonder why,” Rarity replied and rolled her eyes. Applejack shot her a dirty look.
“It’s lovely, Twilight. Where did you get it?” Fluttershy gingerly approached the center of the room, trying to get a good look at all of its angles.
“A gift, actually. Officially from the Crystal Empire, but Cadance said she did a lot to help put it together.”
“It. Is. Awesome!” Rainbow said, now hovering off to the side. “And this is a big bunch of crystal. How’d they get all of this?”
Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ll have to talk with Cadance more.”
“Twilight, I know it’s super duper fun to be with friends, but why are we here so late?” Pinkie asked, stopped mid-bounce.
Twilight chuckled. “You’ll see.”
She kept her friends occupied with a lecture on the various trace minerals that gave each crystal its particular color. Pinkie Pie quickly lost interest and glanced around the room. She watched the sun setting in the large window behind them. The sunlight filtering into the room turned from yellow to orange and lit up the chandelier hanging in the room. It cast its brilliant rainbow across the gathered ponies.
“Twilight! This what we’re supposed to see! Isn’t it?” shouted Pinkie.
Twilight nodded.
Applejack raised a hoof and an eyebrow. “Hold up, you said this was a gift. What for?”
“Well.” Twilight giggled. “You know how Celestia and I celebrated our one year anniversary together back in Canterlot?”
Everypony nodded.
“She, uh...” Twilight bit her lip and smiled brightly. She parted her bangs around her horn, revealing a white gold band inlaid with amethysts. “Let’s just say there’s going to be another royal wedding.”
She was quickly tackled by her friends and they all laughed and hugged.