//------------------------------// // Feel the Noise // Story: Classic Love // by ArguingPizza //------------------------------// Twilight fled Canterlot–and the dance hall with it– as quickly as her wings, her hooves, and her magic could carry her. In a blur, she had made her way back to Ponyville and the imposing sanctuary that was her castle. She threw the doors to her home open and rushed past Spike in her haste to ensconce herself in the safety of her bedroom. She flung herself through the doorway, her tail barely clearing the threshold before her magic slammed the door shut behind her. The first night was painful, for both Twilight and Spike. Twilight’s sobs rang through the halls of her castle, its crystalline walls carrying the sound as well as any theater. Despite all his valiant efforts to sooth her, Spike could not even calm her enough to tell him what had happened. After a few hours of sitting against the door, Spike could no longer bear the sounds of Twilight’s heartbreak. He left the castle to search for anypony who could help. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all did their best to coax Twilight out, and each met nothing but failure. At best, their efforts garnered only cold silence. At worst, they would unintentionally spark a fresh outburst of crying. Twilight could not bring herself to explain what she had done, her crime too grave and her shame too great. Rainbow Dash earned herself a bruised snout when she tried to simply batter the door down. She came away the loser against a shimmering barrier of raspberry magic, as did Applejack's powerful bucks. When Fluttershy tried to reach out to her with gentle understanding, Twilight cast a silencing spell over the door. She could not bear to hear her friends earnest attempts at comfort. She had utterly and completely betrayed Princess Celestia. She did not deserve to be comforted. She deserved to be punished. By the second day, her tears had stopped. Her ducts had exhausted themselves, and not even the aching burn in Twilight’s chest could incite them further. The silencing spell allowed nothing through, and left only the sound of haggard breaths between bouts of dry sobbing. Twilight drifted in and out of consciousness, and as she lacked the willpower to move from her bed and the false security of her blankets, she was left only to stew in her thoughts. The image of Celestia backing away from her in shock and confusion replayed itself continuously. It haunted her, and with each repetition the scene grew darker. The crowd chanted insults, threw things, and hurled slurs. Rarity glared at her and turned up her nose. Pinkie Pie mimed the motions of a Pinkie Promise before turning and hopping away into the shadows. Celestia sneered at Twilight's feeble, clumsy pecking at her muzzle, always missing her target and making a fool of herself. She spat in disgust, as if Twilight’s presence was an insult in and of itself. Twilight’s tear ducts found the strength to work a little harder. Twilight woke fully on the third day, having succumbed at last to exhaustion sometime during the night. She found her shielding wards dispelled, and the ghostly shadow of Princess Luna looming over her. Twilight tried to force herself to return to the hollow depths of her restless sleep, but it was for naught. “She would like to see you.” Luna’s voice was calm, tranquil even. She carried with her no condemnation, in tone or in bearing. Twilight did not move at first. For a moment, she considered pretending to feign sleep, but even with her reduced faculties she knew trying to deceive the Mistress of Dreams was a fool’s errand. Sluggishly, she forced herself to stand and drop from the bed. Her joints creaked and popped, her muscles aching from lack of use. Twilight began to trudge towards the door, but a dark blue wing blocked her path. “Nay, Twilight Sparkle.” The wing lowered itself, and Princess Luna gestured to her side. “Come, I shall teleport us.” It was with no small hesitation that Twilight approached Luna, and she suddenly felt a great deal of sympathy for the field mice Owlowiscious preyed on. She could not even find the courage to look Luna in the eye. Luna was patient in waiting for Twilight to slowly trudge to her side. Luna extended a hoof to Twilight’s withers, and they were enveloped in a flash of deep cobalt. It had been years since Twilight had been teleported by another pony, though it was not an unpleasant experience. The sensation of being pulled through space, rather than forcing it to bend to her will, felt like a soothing ride on calm seas. In quite a bit less than an instant, the spell was completed. Twilight blinked her eyes quickly to clear away the field of stars clouding her vision. When Canterlot Castle came into focus once more, Twilight’s stomach dropped. In the haze of waking, the weight of her situation had taken the time to make itself fully known. With her mind cleared and focused, she understood the gravity of her situation, and how close she was to facing the consequences of her selfish impulse. “Come, my sister awaits us.” Without waiting for a response, Luna set off into the palace proper. Twilight followed her closely. She distracted herself by counting the floor tiles they passed. The counting kept only a small fraction of her mind busy, and left the impressive remainder free to roam and conjure a train of scenarios that ranged from Celestia banishing her and worse, to shameful ideas she brushed aside as quickly as she was able. She had already disgraced herself once, and she would not disrespect Celestia by even thinking such crude thoughts. Not in the Princess's own home, and certainly not when it had been made apparent that her feelings were not returned. When they reached tile nine-hundred and eighty, Princess Luna halted. Twilight only barely managed to avoid crashing into the Princess’s flank, and when she looked up she found that Luna had led them to a familiar set of double doors. The dark walnut had been freshly carved with Princess Cadence’s cutie mark, but Twilight recognized the palace wedding hall. It was the same hall that had hosted her brother's wedding, as well as the fight against Queen Chrysalis. Princess Luna began to light her horn, but stifled herself with a sigh. Slowly, Luna closed her eyes and massaged her forehead with a hoof before turning to Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, I feel I must apologize for what is about to transpire. You are a good pony, and have always been a good friend to me. You deserve better than this.” Luna glared at the doors –though it seemed more as if she were trying to glare through them– and lit her horn. “However, try as I might, my sister could not be dissuaded.” With a small application of Luna’s will, the doors were thrown open. Inside, instead of the well-lit wedding hall Twilight remembered, there was only a deep, inky darkness. The windows, which should have allowed in bright rays of daylight, were completely obscured. No torches burned, and even the light spilling in from the hall seemed to be consumed before it made more than a few inches inside. There was only a single shaft of light to be seen. It shined down in the center of the room to illuminate a small section of empty carpet. Luna nudged Twilight lightly forward before she strode ahead and disappeared into the shadows. Twilight gulped and forced herself, one hoof at a time, to walk towards the light. Each step echoed in the emptiness, and no matter how she squinted, the darkness refused to reveal its secrets to her. Her hooves were lead weights that threatened to drown her in the sea of black. She briefly entertained the notion of fleeing, and wondered why it hadn't occurred to her earlier, but the slamming of the doors squashed the possibility of escape. When Twilight reached the circle, she paused and waited. No sounds came to her, and nopony spoke. That was, if there was even anypony to speak. The silence pressed down heavily, conspiring with the surrounding darkness to smother her. Her chest shuddered, her lungs struggling to pull in the thick, stifling air. Twilight's fears ran unchecked, and her insecurities ruled with an iron hoof. Rested tear ducts began to marshal themselves once more to action. Four spotlights snapped to life, one after another, to illuminate the room's wide center stage. The first revealed Pinkie Pie on the stage’s left, and surrounding her was a veritable arsenal of a drum set. Pinkie was barely visible through the percussionist mountain. Opposite her, Shining Armor was standing in place with a bass guitar hovering in front of him. He shot Twilight a proud grin, and she furrowed her brow in confusion. Offset beside Pinkie, Princess Luna adjusted the guitar strap around her neck. All three left Twilight confused, but when the fourth light came to life, it left Twilight speechless. In the center of the stage, Princess Celestia stood illuminated under a column of heavenly sunlight. She wore a shirt of horizontal black and white stripes, and there was a microphone on a stand suspended in her shimmering golden magic. Her four long, slim legs were covered nearly to her withers with sleek, lustrous black socks. Horizontal slits had been haphazardly cut up the length of the socks –or rather stockings– and through each nick was a tantalizing glimpse of Celestia’s radiant white fur. And then the music started. It began when Pinkie’s drums came to life, and each beat of her sticks let loose a spray of confetti that quickly whipped itself into a whirlwind. Another battery of multicolored spotlights flashed to life, each pulse of their bulbs timed to match Pinkie’s drumming. The beams danced around the room before abruptly snapping back to focus on Celestia. “Come on, feel the noise. Girls, rock your boys! We’ll get wild, wild, wild.” Celestia sang staring unflinchingly at Twilight. Her voice –so different from her usual smooth, soothing alto– was a harsh, throaty tone. Twilight’s ears perked up, from as much surprise as curiosity. The other ponies quickly joined Celestia in singing, and Princess Luna’s magic started to dance across her guitar. “Wild, wild, wild!” Pyrotechnics placed behind the stage burst to life. A ring of fire expanded behind what Twilight could not help but call a band, strange as it was. Their signal apparently given, Shining Armor and Luna began to contribute to Pinkie’s drumming in earnest. “So you think I got an evil mind?” Celestia pointed her hoof accusingly at Twilight, who could not help but flinch and shrink away. Celestia waved her hoof aside dismissively. ”I’ll tell you honey, that I don’t know why. I don’t know why.” Twilight could not help but notice the touch of genuine hurt in Celestia’s eyes as she sang, one that went far deeper than she would have ever suspected. Her flinch at Celestia’s mere pointing felt to her both silly and inconsiderate in hindsight. ”So you think I got a pretty face?” Blood was not meant to move as hers was, of that Twilight was positive. How the capillaries in her face had not burst was a medical miracle, and she dropped her eyes in embarrassment and shame. ”You’ve got no worries.” One of Twilight's ears twitched. She raised her head slowly, and she was met with a sly wink from Celestia. "And you should know why. You should know why.” When Celestia spun around the stage, it was only the knowledge that her new biology excluded the possibility of a heart attack kept Twilight from clutching her chest. Common sense told her that the extra bounce in Celestia’s flank was imagined. After all, Princess Celestia did not just go around waving her flank at ponies. But Celestia’s playful smirk told Twilight that common sense had been temporarily relieved of command. ”Oh I’ve gotta sing with some disgrace. I’m in no hurry. And I don’t know why I don't know why Anymore.” No, no, no. Twilight could not accept that Celestia, Princess Celestia the Lightbringer and the Thousand Year Monarch, had just flicked her tail at her. No amount of suspended disbelief, mind magic, or alcohol could ever convince her of that fact. And yet it had still happened! To her! She had seen the Garden, and it was good. Twilight reached up to slap herself awake–her theories for what was happening being split between 'dream' and 'dark-magic induced hallucination'– only for a pink hoof to catch Twilight’s own mere inches from her face. Twilight whirled about to see Cadence and Rarity, who had taken advantage of her distraction to sneak up on her. Cadence nudged Twilight towards the stage wordlessly, unable to speak through the blaring music. When Twilight opened her mouth to ask what the hay was happening, Rarity delivered the fiercest glare Twilight had ever seen from her. There was quite a bit to be said for such a title, and she chose not to dawdle after that. Twilight approached the stage with the reverence of a monk. The closer she was to the stage, the more fierce the wind coming from the speakers. The sound could have painted her green and replaced her horn with a stick of gum for all it did to distract her. Twilight’s eyes were dedicated solely to Celestia, who had begun to dance around the stage with the microphone stand. ”Come on feel the noise! Girls, rock your boys! We’ll get wild, wild, wild! Wild, wild, wild!” Everypony joined in to repeat the chorus, and Twilight was forced to sit before her hind legs gave out. Between the blaring sound and Celestia’s uncontrolled, passionate display, Twilight was reduced to an awed spectator. She was a dog struggling to comprehend the beauty of a sunrise. Suddenly and without warning, Celestia levitated Luna onto her back and began to carry her around the stage. To her credit, Luna did not for a single moment let up in her guitar solo. Nor did she hesitate moments later when she was bucked off her sister and back to her original place. Through the experience, she wore a look of resentful resignation. She greatly resembled a cat being given an unwanted bath. For a moment, all the spotlights aside from Celestia’s and Pinkie Pie’s were cut off. Celestia stalked her way to the center of the stage, each step bringing her closer to Twilight. She repeated the chorus more calmly. In that moment, there was nothing but the two of them. Celestia exposed herself just as Twilight had done. "Come on, feel the noise. Girls, rock your boys. We’ll get wild, wild, wild. Wild, wild, wild. In love!” That she was hearing a confession of Celestia’s own had not occurred to Twilight before, and when the dots finally connected in her mind, the world exploded. A solid wall of blazing pyrotechnics ignited and shot into the air, brighter than any fireworks Twilight had ever seen. The spotlights returned to life with a zeal. Pinkie, Luna, and Shining Armor unleashed a fierce torrent of sound from their instruments. Celestia’s mane cast aside its petty restraints to join the burning lights behind her as she poured all her being into the song. "Come on, feel the noise! Girls, rock your boys! Let’s get wild, wild, wild! Wild! Wild! Wild!” The music built itself into a crescendo, a beast that fed upon itself only to grow ever stronger. Pinkie was pounding at the drums with all her reality-defying strength, and Shining Armor’s hooves were a blur on his bass guitar. Luna still wore a bored, half-lidded gaze, but her midnight blue magic shredded across the strings of her guitar and rent reality asunder. When Twilight thought she could take no more, Celestia arched her neck down and smashed their lips together. It was...well, to be perfectly honest, it could have gone better. Celestia's neck was strained from leaning down so far, and her aim was a little off target. Twilight was sluggish in responding, her mind still sorting through the array of stimuli that was assaulting her. Between the blaring music, the blinding fireworks, and the fact that her fellow Princess had latched herself onto Twilight's face, it was a lot to take in. And then everything clicked. Twilight threw herself forward, her teeth clacking against Celestia's. When at last the song had exhausted itself, and the band members stood panting in place under the warm illumination of the spotlights, only then did Celestia pull away from the kiss. She and Twilight stared at each other, each waiting for the other to speak, a line of shared saliva still connected between them. Celestia’s lungs heaved, and Twilight lost herself in her beauty. Celestia had cast her mask and all her reservations aside in favor of raw, hopeful urgency. Celestia had never looked old, but neither had she ever looked younger or more vibrant. She was a newly bloomed wildflower in a springtime field, her fragile petals open for the world to see. Faced with Twilight's continued silence, Celestia licked her lips and smiled bashfully. “I… I’m a hair metal mare, myself.” Twilight grinned wide and leaned in for another kiss, only for the moment to be interrupted by Rarity loudly clearing her throat. Their spellbound gaze broken, Celestia and Twilight looked around to find themselves surrounded by their friends. Rarity and Pinkie Pie wore wide, victorious grins. Cadence's smile was just as wide, but hers was more akin to that of a giddy filly, a comparison made more apt by her uncontrollable giggling. Shining Armor stood awkwardly beside her, unable to watch his sister and former boss enjoy their sloppy makeout session. Despite his uncomfortable demeanor, there was a proud smile only partially concealed behind his foreleg. Princess Luna stood off to the side, her sour demeanor somewhat spoiled by the fire-emblazoned guitar that still hung from her neck. "Well darling, I suppose congratulations are in order." Rarity's tone was unabashedly smug, but considering the circumstances, Twilight couldn't truly hold it against her. "Though, if you'd listened to me in the first place, they'd have been in order days ago." Twilight had no idea what Rarity was referring to, and a quick sideways glance told her that Celestia was equally clueless. "I don't follow." Her gloating over, Rarity's look sharpened. "Twilight," she began, "on the train ride to Canterlot, what did I say about making your confession in public?" "You said it would do nothing but put Princess Celestia on the spo—oh." Twilight's memory was one of the more powerful tools in her arsenal, but for once it had been turned against her. "Yes, 'oh' indeed." Huffing, Rarity flipped her mane like a whip. "Honestly, you have no clue how hard we worked to give you and Princess Celestia your privacy, only for you to make your confession quite literally in front of everypony." "Sorry about that, Rarity." Pinkie Pie burst out of Rarity's mane, covering her pointed annoyance with a spray of confetti. "Don't worry about her, Twilight! She's just jealous that I got to plan Princess Celestia's confession concert instead of her." Choosing to ignore Pinkie's unique appearance, Twilight raised an eyebrow at the still-smoking pyrotechnics. "Speaking of which, what was the point of all that?" "Well duh," Pinkie said, as if it were obvious, "this was the best way to make sure you didn't freak out when Celestia started shaking her groove thang around." In a rare moment of calm, Pinkie's bouncing stopped and she placed a hoof on Twilight's chest. "Don't take this the wrong way Twi, but being around the Princess tends to scramble your brambles." "...fair enough, I gue—URFGH" Twilight's words were abruptly smothered by Cadence's bone crushing hug, wings and all. Twilight's world was reduced to pink feathers and even pinker fur, and it was a world made the victim of tumultuous earthquakes. When Cadence's iron grip eventually slackened, Twilight sucked in a great gulp of air for her protesting lungs. The reprieve was a false one, and Twilight was reeled back in when Cadence grabbed her by the cheeks and squealed once more. "Oh! My little Twilight is all grown up and in love!" Cadence's head shot upwards and her eyes widened, only to suddenly return to within inches of Twilight's face. "You have to tell me everything. When did you first know? What did it feel like? When was the first time you thought about her while mas—" "Cadie!" Shining Armor's booming voice filled the hall with an authority that brooked no argument. Guards across Equestria spontaneously shot to attention, leaving only confusion and a few overturned tables. The surprise of her husband's shout was enough to derail Cadence's love-fueled inquisition. With the haze of blinding excitement cleared away, she noticed that Twilight's ears had nearly twisted themselves off to escape her deafening squeals. The strength of her forelegs failed, dumping Twilight back onto the floor without warning. "Heh, sorry about that Twilight." Cadence straightened her crown, which had come askew in her frenzy. "I got a little excited." She grinned again, but no longer was it the leer of a madmare. "I'm so proud of you." With his wife returned to her senses, Shining Armor put a hoof over Twilight's withers and pulled her against his chest. She put up a halfhearted struggle, but little sisters are rarely victorious in such struggles. "I'm proud of you too, Twily. My little sister's quite the romantic." "Somepony in this family has to be," Twilight said, blowing a raspberry at him. She teleported herself free and shook her mane back to its normal style. "Hay fries and syrup is not a proper Hearts and Hooves Day date meal." Coming to her husband's defense, Cadence snuggled up against his side, her tail tickling his flank. "I don't know, I'd say it worked out pretty well." Cadence stared at him hungrily, and Shining's white coat reddened. Twilight gagged, but nothing could keep her spirits down for more than a moment or two. She pressed herself to Celestia's side, and a great wing descended to keep her close. "Thank you, everypony. Truly." She made eye contact with all her friends in turn, and even Princess Luna returned her smile. "Now, how about we go get a round from Donut Joe's on me?" Her offer was met by a round of cheers, and the group quickly set off to gorge themselves on the tastiest treats on the mountain. Twilight and Celestia led them side by side, their sides pressed together and an extra bounce in their step. Everypony moved quickly, their appetites stoked from excitement and eager for quenching. Rarity and Princess Luna trailed just a bit behind the others. Just before the doors to the wedding hall shut behind them, they shared a wink.