//------------------------------// // A Change of Plans // Story: Perfect for Me // by The Equestrian Gentlecolt //------------------------------// Awakening to the feeling of a warm midriff pressed against her back and a foreleg draped over her barrel was certainly not a feeling that Twilight was used to, but she had to admit that it was one she rather enjoyed. Awakening to the feeling of someone having drooled into her mane was also a new experience, but she wasn’t quite so keen on repeating that one. Still, all in all, she had to rate this morning as a net positive. She snuggled back into the warm embrace of her bedmate, blinking sleepily at the sunlight filtering into the room through her closed blinds. She didn’t normally leave them shut, but last night she had felt the need for a bit of extra privacy. Last night. What a night! She had never realized how much fun it could be to have a reading partner. And of course, she was the perfect reading partner for herself. Who else had the same sense of humor, the same sarcastic wit, and of course the same razor-sharp intellect as she did? Twilight was modest, but she was realistic too. The other residents of Ponyville just weren’t at her level. It was no wonder she’d been having trouble finding love, really. Her companion, perhaps disturbed by Twilight’s own movements, shifted in her sleep, tightening the embrace and pulling her closer. Twilight smiled fondly—her twin was probably imagining that she was a stuffed toy, maybe her old Smarty Pants doll. She jumped slightly as she felt a warm muzzle against her neck. “Mphm fzl fmfrhm farfnartl,” the other mare mumbled into a faceful of mane. Twilight giggled and twisted around to face her bedmate. “Come on, sleepyhead,” she said quietly and with a smile, “time waits for no pony.” Her twin’s violet eyes opened halfway, her expression warmed into a matching smile, then she leaned in and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. A crash broke the silence of the early morning as Twilight rocketed out of her bed and to the other side of the room with a yelp of surprise. Her twin’s eyes flew fully open and her face reddened as the full reality of what she had just done hit her. “I didn’t mean to! I was still half asleep! I thought you were somepony else!” the other lavender unicorn explained frantically. “Y-y-you... you...” “I know! I’m sorry!” “You... kissed me!” “I’m sorry!” Twilight was silent for a long moment, staring at her twin. Finally, she mumbled, “Never speak of this again?” “Never speak of this again,” the other unicorn agreed with a nod. Satisfied that the matter was settled, the two mares went about Twilight’s daily routine. With a bit of modification... “You know, we’re each going to have to cut our shower time in half to keep our usual schedule.” ...and a couple of snags... “Hey, I was going to use the brush!” “Well yeah, so was I... uh... Hang on, we have an extra somewhere, where did I put it?” ...and a few compromises... “Let’s see if Spike will make us pancakes today.” “Actually, I’m in more of a waffle mood...” “I’m not. How about muffins?” “Too filling. Toast?” “Too plain. Eggs?” “Too... egg.” “...That’s not even an adjective.” “It is now.” “You know what? Let’s just have cereal.” “Yeah. Cereal sounds good.” Yet, through it all, Twilight never once thought of ending her spell. “So, what’s on the list for today?” It was a conversation that Twilight, often enough over a bowl of cereal like on this morning, had with herself almost ever day. It was just that, today, the “with herself” part was a bit more literal than usual. The mirror image across from her lifted up an unfurled scroll and inspected it, simultaneously raising a glass of apple juice to her lips and taking a sip before reciting from the parchment. “Let’s see. One, prune the upper branches of the house before the big storm next week. Two, reshelve all thirty-two volumes of the Encyclopedia Equestria.” “Reshelve... Oh, right. ‘Cutie Mark Crusader Encyclopedia Salesponies.’” “Mhmm. Three, write the first draft of a guest lecture on basic astrophysics for Miss Cheerilee’s class. Four—” BORP. All eyes went to Spike. The little dragon grinned sheepishly and held up a scroll. “Hmm, I haven’t sent Princess Celestia a letter recently.” Twilight frowned thoughtfully. “Go ahead, Spike.” Her assistant cleared his throat. “By order of Her Grand Royal Highness Princess Celestia of Equestriajeez, formal much?” “Just read it, Spike. It’s obviously from one of her aides.” “Alright, alright. By order of yadda yadda, on this day of etcetera, the Canterlot Archaeological Society shall begin an expedition to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest.” Both unicorns’ ears perked with interest, their breakfasts forgotten. “In the interests of efficiency, Her Grand Royal Highness has decreed that, before a team is selected for the expedition, an initial survey will be carried out by her local agent, Twilight Sparkle. Sufficient funds for required time and equipment, as well as appropriate hazard pay, will be provided by—uh, girls?” Some of the most devastating battles in Equestrian history have been between only two participants. When two powerful unicorns find themselves unable to settle their differences through peaceful means, the resulting conflict can quickly escalate to epic proportions, and the magical fallout can affect the land for generations afterward. Luckily, Twilight’s library was saved from a similar fate by the presence of her number one assistant. “Uh, Twi? Twilight...” Neither unicorn responded. A scroll, quill, and inkwell floated between them, a bright magenta glow surrounding them. The glow was quickly growing brighter, and beginning to crackle softly. Spike reached out carefully and tapped one of the unicorns on her side. Her concentration shattered and she started, turning to glare at the little dragon. The contested objects, released from her magic, floated over to her twin. The other unicorn smugly began writing as Spike shuffled nervously. After several seconds under Twilight’s baleful gaze, her assistant apparently caught the hint to make himself scarce. Twilight huffed and turned her attention back to the mare across the table. “We’ll need our compass.” “Got it.” “And notebooks.” “Mhmm.” “Measuring tape.” “Way ahead of you.” “And a map of—” Twilight was interrupted as her twin turned the scroll so that she could see it. The parchment contained a neatly-organized checklist of items, precautions, and preparation steps. Exactly how she would have written it. “Well... that looks... that looks good, then. I guess you’ve got that covered.” She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of admiration. A few hours later, her twin had left for the Everfree, and Twilight was left pruning branches. The young mare sighed heavily. It wasn’t that she was jealous exactly. Being jealous of yourself? That would be completely irrational. Twilight Sparkle was a very rational pony. Nor, certainly, did she miss the other unicorn. She still had herself, and that was basically the same thing. She was used to being alone at times. In fact, as often as not, she preferred it. It was difficult to study and entertain company at the same time, after all. Unless that company happened to be studying beside you, of course. Twilight had to admit, as irrational as it was, that she was starting to feel a bit lonely without her twin nearby. Like she was missing a part of herself. Which actually made sense, since she technically was. She felt a bit better at that thought. Still, something was bothering her. And it wasn’t just that she was on her upper balcony pruning loose branches instead of out digging up history in the Everfree Forest. At least Applejack was there. “Hey, Applejack?” she called out. The earth pony’s head poked out from the upper branches of the tree, a pair of clippers held in the side of her mouth. “Yeah, Twi?” Twilight continued to pull away twigs and small branches with her magic, not meeting her friend’s eyes. She scuffed a hoof against the wood floor. “Uh, nothing. I guess I just wanted to say thanks for coming over to help.” “Shucks, Twi.” Applejack hopped down to the balcony with a thump. “Ah’m always glad to help a friend. But we both know you didn’t invite me over just to take down a couple of branches.” Twilight started, looking over at her friend. “Wh-what do you mean, Applejack?” she asked warily. Applejack chuckled. “Twilight Sparkle, you’ve been lookin’ more nervous’n a sheep at shearin’ time. Ah know that look. What’s botherin’ you?” The earth pony trotted over and put a foreleg over Twilight’s withers. The scents of rich soil and hard work tickled Twilight’s nostrils, but she hardly noticed, distracted by her own thoughts. “Is it okay to love yourself?” the unicorn asked suddenly. Her friend looked at her askance. “Well, a’course it is, Twi. You gotta have a healthy sense of self-respectin’, else you can’t really respect nopony else properly. Leastwise, that’s what Ah’ve always figured.” Twilight scuffed a hoof again, sitting down and eyeing the wooden planks of the balcony. “That’s... not exactly what I mean,” she mumbled. “Well what do ya mean then?” Applejack asked gently, sitting down with her, keeping a foreleg around her. Twilight didn’t know what it was about the farm filly. She hadn’t initially intended to say anything, just take comfort in having somepony else around while she worked, but somehow Applejack always managed to draw the truth out of her. “I mean... really love,” she said quietly. “Like heart beating faster, can’t stand to be apart, blushing and shy glances kind of love.” “Shoot, Twi, are you talkin’ about that narsissin’ thing?” “Narcissism,” Twilight corrected absently. “And... I guess I am.” “Well, Ah reckon as long as it ain’t hurtin’ nopony, it’s yer own business what you do in front’a the mirror. But I never had you figured for the type, that’s more the kinda thing that Trixie gal woulda had a problem with. Why d’ya ask?” Twilight sighed. “I’ve just been confused lately, is all. About love and... all of it. I’m sorry, I know that’s vague.” “Naw, I know what you mean.” Her friend patted her firmly on the back and gave her a smile. “Well if you want my advice, Twi, yer the type’a pony who could do with a little more self confidence. If this narcissisin’ thing helps you look in the mirror and see the fine pony yer friends see you for, well, Ah say it ain’t such a bad thing.” Twilight returned the earth pony’s smile weakly. “Thanks, Applejack. I think that helps me a lot.” The whole day had gone, aside from the odd feeling of loneliness, quite well. Twilight whistled happily to herself as she drew a mark in the last empty checkbox on her list. It was just beginning to get dark outside, and that meant her twin should be returning any moment now. Just as the clock on the wall reached eight, a white flash lit the inside of the library briefly. Twilight smiled and turned around. Punctual, as always. Her twin was— Her twin was in rough shape. Her mane was a mess of twigs and leaves, and dirt caked her body. Several shallow scratches were visible on one side, reaching from barrel to flank. Thump. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as the other unicorn collapsed to the floor. She covered the distance in an instant. “Spike! Spike I need help!” “Coming, Twi! Wow, what happened to you?” The little dragon hurried to her side with a look of concern. “I don’t know. She just got back from the forest and collapsed.” Twilight started to brush away as much of the dirt as she could with her telekinesis, but her double’s eyes opened groggily. “I’m... I’m fine,” the unicorn insisted, struggling back onto her hooves. “I just teleported a little too far. There’s a family of rocs living in the ruins, though.” Twilight blinked and watched the other mare as she tried unsteadily to climb the stairs to the second floor. “Yes, you are that stubborn,” Spike assured her. “Shush, Spike,” Twilight said absently. She trotted quickly over to the stairs. “Hold on, I’ll help you to the bath.” Her twin let out a surprised yelp as she was lifted unceremoniously by a maroon aura of magic. Twilight trotted up the stairs and into the bathroom with her, ignoring her sounds of protest, and set her down inside. “There,” she said gently, locking the door behind them. “Let me get the water ready. You’ve obviously had a long day.” “Oh, fine,” the other unicorn conceded, sitting down heavily on her haunches. Her ears drooped, her earlier bravado evaporating in the privacy of the small room. “I didn’t even get to start taking soil samples.” “It certainly looks like you got some to me,” Twilight said with a giggle as she adjusted the bath’s knobs to what she knew was her ideal temperature. Her twin gave her a flat look. “Yeah, I guess—hey!” The dirt-caked unicorn flailed as she was lifted again, and set into the hot water. “Oohh... that’s... that’s amazing...” Her eyes closed and the tension disappeared from her limbs as the heat from the bath seeped into her. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “Just relax. All of our chores for the day are done, so we have the evening to ourselves.” “Mmm.” The two sat in silence for several minutes before the unicorn in the bath sat up and began the process of properly cleaning off. Twilight found herself watching the other mare, and blushed slightly, but didn’t avert her eyes. Eventually, her twin noticed her gaze. “Something on your mind?” she asked curiously. “Well, uh... yeah. Actually.” Twilight thought back to her conversation with Applejack. She still wasn’t sure about this self-loving thing, but... “You know that one... fantasy I’ve always had? The one that I could never really, er, act out alone?” The other mare tilted her head slightly. “The one with the ropes?” Twilight blushed. “Mhmm.” “What about it?” “Well, I was just thinking. If it was just you and me...” “...then nopony else would ever have to know.” Twilight smiled shyly at her twin and nodded. As the last knot pulled tight around her right foreleg, securing her belly-down on her bed, Twilight reflected that bondage required a great deal of trust. You had to trust your partner to treat you with respect, even when she was in complete control. You had to be sure she would follow proper safety precautions, even in the heat of the moment. And you needed to have faith that she would be acting as much out of a desire for your enjoyment as hers. Of course, all of those concerns were much less pressing when you were a unicorn. “Knots are secure?” Twilight levitated a short checklist and a pen in front of herself as she tugged lightly at each of the ropes holding her down. “Check. Emergency scissors?” Her partner floated a sharp pair of scissors into her field of vision in response. “Check. Safeword?” “Thaumaturgy,” the other mare said absently. “Thaumaturgy it is,” Twilight agreed. “Safeword, check.” She marked off the last item on her list, set it aside, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Okay. Let’s do this.” The light in the room dimmed as the larger lamp was extinguished. The lavender candle burned low on her bedside table, providing the only light besides the occasional soft glow as the free unicorn used telekinesis. Twilight shuddered with a sudden chill—it was definitely a chill, definitely not nerves at all—as her twin’s shadow moved across the headboard in front of her. “You’ve been a very bad filly, Twilight Sparkle,” her twin murmured. Her voice was thick with excitement, and Twilight found herself swallowing a lump in her throat before she trusted herself to respond. “Y-yes ma’am, I have...” “You know what this calls for, don't you?” Twilight could hear the smirk in her doppelganger’s voice. “Yes ma’am, I do,” she whispered softly. “Remedial lessons.” There was a soft rustle of paper next to her, then her partner coughed lightly to clear her throat. “Law One: Every body persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed.” Extra Content Remedial Lessons - Physics can be sexy. Want to hear more about Twilight's dirty, nerdy fantasy? Go here. Warnings: Lesbian horse sex; safe and consensual bondage; mild science.