The snow had finally stopped. Rainbow Dash had been kind enough to pull some strings and create for them a clear night in the middle of the snowiest parts of winter. The weather patrol liked getting ahead on their snow quota, but Dash had more than enough clout with them to arrange for a cloud-free night; the real challenge had been finding enough pegasi to clear the sky.
Thankfully, Rainbow Dash had a solution for that, too. For the last half hour, all the youngest and freshest wings in Ponyville had zipped across the sky tearing into the offending clouds, every single one of them marked with awesome warpaint, courtesy of the Dash.
Twilight would have been cold if not for the blanket she shared with Luna. The couple sat on a bench they had dragged onto the biggest of the balconies the library sported, looking up at the night sky. It was an absurd sight. The sky-dome was an entirely black and lightless void, not a single star visible.
"Are you sure nopony will mind?" Twilight asked, glancing over at the princess. She knew the princess didn't really need her share of the blanket. She also knew neither of them liked getting bogged down with such minutinae. Twilight scooted a little closer.
"Oh, I am certain they will," Luna said, grinning. "But tonight is ours. Celly thought this was a good idea, too. Being thorough the first time and all, I mean. Ready?"
"Mhm!" Twilight nodded, levitating up her notepad and her quill. She could hear her friends back inside the library, catching a snippet of some argument between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Some things would never change. Twilight closed the balcony door with a telekinetic nudge.
“Let us see if I remember this, then,” Luna muttered whilst her horn took on a soft glow. It looked like any other magic, any other simple spell cast by a unicorn, but the soft and invisible tug inside of Twilight told her it was different. The unicorn mare barely managed to tear her eyes off the princess in time to watch the sky. She looked lovely when the silver light illuminated her mane. More than this, the princess seemed content, and that made her beautiful beyond compare.
Far above, the inky blackness gained its first lights as seven stars lit up all at once. They did little to brighten the unnaturally dark night by themselves, but they provided a contrast and a beginning. "The Progenitor, first, marking the beginning," Luna narrated. "First to form and the first to fall, aeons later."
"What do I call it? The first era?" Twilight asked, staring at the blank paper that begged her to fill it. It wasn't so simple as trying to start a story, this. She was about to comment on the beginnings of history itself.
"It is your book," Luna said with a smile, leaning on Twilight. The affectionate gesture made Twilight close her eyes, the better to enjoy Luna's warmth. She would never tire of the way their coats brushed against eachother, and judging by Luna's contented sigh, Twilight knew she felt the same. "You label it as you see fit. Now, next after came Sagittarius..." the princess murmured.
"Well, sorry, if that's all there's to it," Applejack admitted, nudging her hat further back on her head in a subconscious gesture of embarrassment. She had gotten a little carried away. "Ah don't mind, of course. Didn' mean ta yell. Just thought you were gonna ask for a pot of gold or whatever."
Rainbow Dash nodded gruffly. Either the flush of her anger hadn't quite left her, or she was blushing. Perhaps both. To everypony's relief, the tension in the room dispersed as quickly as it had mounted. Spike came creeping back out of the kitchen into the common room of the library.
"Yeah, well," Dash muttered. "We're cool. So, uh, wanna get right on that, Pinks? I hate waiting around."
"Okie-dokie-lokie, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie chirped, following the rainbow-maned pegasus up the stairs, glowing a brighter pink than ever before. She was almost painfully cheerful. In fact, she had been aglow for the entire night as they celebrated the three-month anniversary of Twilight and Luna getting together.
Of course, Applejack thought, every party Pinkie threw was the best party ever, but there was something special about tonight for sure. Now she knew why and what, and it was really quite surprising she hadn't figured it out before.
"If that's all there's to it?" Rarity repeated from over by the punch bowl. "Where is your sense of romance, Applejack? I swear."
Applejack's cheeks tingled as she nodded. “Yeah, well, t’aint a done thing yet, gotta start thinkin’ about the gift, anyhows.”
Rarity's complaint didn’t bother her much, and any pain she might have felt at having misjudged one of her friends was quickly replaced by a solid and pleasant feeling of contentment. They were all past petty quarrels and misunderstandings. If her friends had been trees, they would hardly even have swayed in the wind any longer, and it made her both happy and proud. They had weathered the storm.
Besides, she wasn’t often wrong. Today, they celebrated that it was three months since she had been proven right about Luna, and that knowledge was precious. To her, to Twilight, and to all of them. Applejack glanced up at Pinkie and Dash as they disappeared from view.
Rarity refilled her glass and sipped it daintily before putting it down on the table. Pinkie Pie really had outdone herself this time in the sense that for once, she had listened to reason and gone light on the streamers and banners. It was possible to describe the room as a festive library rather than a catastrophic combination of colors and cuisine. Applejack looked deep in thought, so she instead elected to approach Fluttershy.
The yellow pegasus had hid during the brief argument between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and was only just now crawling back out from under the table. Rarity offered her a hoof, which Fluttershy gratefully accepted. In her defense, Fluttershy was smiling lopsidedly, presumably at herself.
"Are you quite alright, dear?" Rarity asked.
"Oh, thank you Rarity, I'm fine," Fluttershy said, hesitating only a little. They hadn't had the time to talk much so far this evening. "Um, how are you? I'm so sorry I missed our last spa date."
"Well, Rainbow Dash told me you were busy with the animals, so I got the message. You've nothing to worry about," Rarity said, dismissing the issue before grinning hugely. "I do have big news, though! Turns out that the winter cloak collection is selling very well. The cloak designs are popular enough in the northern parts of Equestria that I am getting requests for versions in other fabrics for casual wear in the bigger cities. I think it might be the next big thing!"
"Oh Rarity," Fluttershy smiled. "That sounds really wonderful. You must be very happy."
Rarity smiled back, nodding at her friend. "I am," she said. It wasn't so simple as being back home in Ponyville with Sweetie Belle and all her friends. It wasn't just the beauty of getting results for all her creative efforts. It was the immense feeling of freedom. The knowledge that her dreams were her own, whatever she chose to dream of.
"I am," Rarity repeated, sincerely.
Fluttershy smiled as she listened to Rarity speak. She was happy for her friend, and it felt like her heart might just leap out of her chest. She glanced about trying to find Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie, seized by an impulse to share her happiness with them, but they had left. It explained the hoofsteps she'd heard moments ago.
Months ago, she would have panicked. Weeks ago, she would've at the very least been scared, but today, she only felt a little sad that two of her friends were missing. They had always been so very understanding and nice to her, and Rainbow Dash had taken great care to be patient with her when she needed them the most.
For the first month, she had stayed with Rainbow Dash in her cloud home, but she felt better now. Stronger. The pair had told her what they planned today well in advance, of course, and perhaps they had waited until now because they thought she was ready. She did not know how she could ever repay them.
The truth was, Fluttershy didn't need them any longer. She loved them both with all of her heart, just as she did Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Luna and all her other friends, but her bed no longer felt so cold and lonely any more. The thought of going home alone no longer frightened her as much. She knew that she would never lose Rainbow Dash or any of the others, ever again. Fluttershy knew that they would still be there when she woke up, and she knew that she had a place in their hearts.
The next obstacle was overcoming the guilt of having ever doubted them. That one, she could manage on her own. She knew she would win the battle - and if she didn't, they would catch her if she fell.
"Me too," Fluttershy said.
Pinkie Pie bounced up the stairs, but the spring in her step was nothing compared to the leaps her heart was making. She felt more alive than she ever had before. The colors were more vivid and the sounds sharper, more clear. She nipped at Rainbow Dash's mane as they made for the balcony door. It looked so tasty, it was impossible not to.
"Augh, hey, Pinkie!" Dash cried, laughing. The pegasus tried to affect Rarity's speech, grinning back at the pink pony. "You are messing up my concours!"
"I think it's 'coiffure', you silly filly," Pinkie Pie giggled and stole another nip.
Dash snorted and shrugged, tentatively approaching the balcony door. "I hope they're not doing something, uh, private out there now," she said. It sounded like it was exactly what she was hoping for.
"Nuh-uh," Pinkie said. "My shoulder isn't wobbly. It's safe."
Rainbow Dash stopped, staring at her with a mixture of awe and fear - and perhaps a little bit of hope. "Tell me you're joking. There's not a Pinkie sense for that, is there?"
Pinkie just smirked.
Fluttershy was okay. Rainbow Dash was okay. Rarity, Applejack, Twilight and Luna; everypony was okay. She loved Dashie, and Dashie loved her. It almost hurt to think about how happy she was. Only almost. Nothing hurt in her heart any more. The party was just getting started, and tonight, they were kicking it up a notch.
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She hoped nopony noticed how nervous she was. Of course, she was Rainbow Dash; she didn't actually get nervous, and if she did, Pinkie Pie usually squashed those worries with a glance. The problem right now was that it was in part because of Pinkie that she was nervous in the first place. Theoretically, of course. She wasn't really nervous.
She nudged the door open, trying to look nonchalant and cool. The effect was somewhat ruined by Pinkie's continued nipping at her mane, but she would never complain about that. Twilight and Luna both turned to look at the pair as she and Pinkie stepped onto the balcony. Snow crunched underhoof, and the clear air stung deliciously in her nose. She would have to go for a flight later. Perhaps she'd take Pinkie with her again. Pinkie loved that. She loved the way she could make Pinkie happy.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Twilight asked. She was wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by papers and inks. If she minded the interruption, she gave no indication. The princess said nothing, smiling at Rainbow Dash.
"I know you said you were busy, but, uh," Dash began, scratching the back of her head. "I kinda came to collect on a promise, and since tonight is, uh, special, we thought why the hay not?"
"What promise?" Twilight asked, a little confused. For the first time, Rainbow Dash noticed the almost featureless sky above them, lit up by only a handful of stars. It looked really creepy.
"I believe she refers to before we left on our journey this fall," Luna said with a hum. The princess wore an unnerving, puzzled frown, and Twilight looked a little uncomfortable now, too. "I will make good on my word, but I am not certain I can promise I will not think less of you for this," she added.
"Come on, come on, ask her!" Pinkie whined, nudging Dash on the rump with her snout. Twilight and Luna both looked severely nonplussed.
"Fine!" Dash groaned. "Me and Pinks, we kind of- weddings are super lame, but you're a princess, so... Can't you like, make it official somehow?"
Twilight gasped and grinned hugely. She shot out of the blanket like an arrow to hug the two of them. Rainbow Dash struggled to elaborate, eyes still on the princess even as she put a foreleg around Twilight. "Like, I don't know, write it on a piece of paper and hide it in an office or whatever it is you do?"
"We're totally having a party though!" Pinkie clarified, giggling and hugging her two friends. "But you can't dance in a wedding dress, and besides, Rarity would probably get angry if we tried to make a rave wedding or something."
The princess smiled serenely and nodded. "I will be more than happy to oblige, no matter what you decide on, even if it is a 'rave wedding' in Castle Canterlot itself."
When the door had closed, Twilight quickly slipped back in under the blanket. Rainbow and Pinkie Pie had assured them that they should go back to 'whatever they were doing' since the others already knew.
"You have no idea what a rave really is, do you?" Twilight asked, giggling.
"Oh," Luna said, brow furrowed. "Did I just say yes to something very, ah, inconvenient?"
Twilight laughed and shook her head, gathering up all the notes she had taken on the constellations and their history. "Never mind. Probably not," she said, trying to get back into it. "Where were we? Vulpecula, was it?"
The princess said nothing, looking up at the partially lit sky, lost in thought. It happened sometimes, but less often with each passing week. Twilight knew better than to let the princess drift off like this, though. She leaned over ever so slowly and rubbed her snout against the goddess' neck. Luna responded immediately by craning over her to kiss the back of Twilight’s head and nose her mane.
"Sorry," Luna muttered. "Would you like to continue this some other day?"
Twilight took a deep breath, relishing Luna's presence. It didn't really matter what the question was at this point. She would have said yes to anything. "Sure, but won't it be a little inconvenient? I thought tonight was a one-time thing."
"We have all the time in the world, Twilight," Luna murmured into Twilight's mane.
They sat like that for long minutes, no words passing between them, neither of them willing to break the contact. Twilight thought she heard the balcony door go up once, but it quickly shut again. The smell and feel of Luna became her world.
At length, Luna drew back, giving Twilight an odd look. "At least, we may have all the time in the world," she said. It took Twilight a second to realize what the princess referred to. The unicorn shrugged, snuggling closer to Luna again.
"You will have to decide at some point," the princess said. "Eternal life, I mean. Perhaps the six of you are qualified to decide, after all you have seen and learned. I think, were you to ask me and Celestia now, we would tell you how. Grant it."
Twilight shrugged again, smiling.
"Or perhaps not?" the princess asked. "You confuse me. I would think you, of all ponies, would appreciate what a barbed collar immortality is."
"I don't see how having the option can ever be worse than not having the option," Twilight said, following a simple logic. "Unless you are, as Pinkie Pie would say, a total grumpypants."
The princess looked about to protest, but paused, letting out the breath she’d drawn unused.
"Besides, it's not like we have to decide tonight," Twilight concluded, bunching all her notes into a single sheaf which she bundled with her books. She left the comforting warmth of the blanket and made for the door, holding it open for the princess.
"You are, once again, correct," Luna admitted, unable to keep from smiling.
"Did you ever hear from Trixie again?" Twilight asked once they were well inside their bedroom, the cold of the winter left behind. "I've been meaning to ask."
Luna grinned. "I suppose I can let it slip, even though the announcement is due in a few days, yes. Rumor has it that Lady Argent of Belltown is organizing a series of plays based on a story by a certain unicorn showmare become playwright," she said.
"Trixie? A playwright?" Twilight raised a brow.
"Oh no. Not Trixie. The Great and Powerful Trixie," Luna corrected her, deadpan.
"Oh wow," Twilight giggled. "That's great though!"
"Mm," Luna agreed. "I was toying with the idea of asking Celly whether or not we could make another exception for her, but I have changed my mind. Lady Argent tells me that she seems happy without her magic. From what I hear, Trixie stays in touch with Winter Sun, too. I suspect all is well with her."
Twilight nodded, halting at the top of the stairs. She could hear her friends talking down in the main room, but there was one more question that she had avoided asking. The princess seemed in a good enough mood, so she risked it.
"The old insignia," she said. "I found something down in the ruins-"
"I took it," Luna said. "And I sent it, along with a letter, to the Hollows. I do not think I am quite ready to go back there, yet."
"All the time in the world," Twilight said with a chipper smile as she repeated the princess' own words.
“-rave wedding in Canterlot!” came Pinkie Pie’s voice from below. “We should totally invite Princess Longleap too! Three princesses, guys!”
The End