While living in an apartment was hardly ideal, it did have the occasional perk, especially when one had a roommate who happened to be one’s sister and coworker. Of course, picking a place in the “nice” part of town (not quite in the Crystal Estates neighborhood of Canterlot City, but if you threw a horseshoe you’d likely hit the front gate) meant that the amenities were darn near palatial without being ostentatious.
Clearly her temporary houseguest agreed, the visiting Princess Twilight Sparkle sighing happily as she sank into the hot tub across from Principal Celestia. “Oh, yes! It’s not the Ponyville Spa, but ooooooh, I needed this!”
Celestia quietly reflected the satisfied sigh of the younger woman as she allowed the hot water to ease some of the knots in her back. “Rough day?”
Twilight draped her arms up on the rim of the tub and let her head roll back, “Not rough, really. The Zebras are wonderful. It was just long.”
The administrator chuckled, “I know the feeling well. My mother could tell you how poorly I handled any sort of leadership position when I was your age.”
Twilight looked up in surprise, then chuckled.
Celestia tilted her head slightly, puzzled, “What was the look for?”
“Hmm?”
“The surprised look, just then.”
“Oh! I just don’t think of you, well, having a mother. My world’s Celestia is a millennia old alicorn, remember. And she never talks about her and Luna’s parents, so it was just a little surprising, that’s all.”
Celestia nodded her head in understanding. “You can imagine how I felt when my world’s Twilight signed up for classes at CHS, then.”
They both giggled at that before settling into a few moments of relaxed and companionable silence.
Twilight interrupted the silence first, “What were you doing?”
“Hmm?”
“When you were my age, what were you doing that showed you had problems with leadership?”
Celestia blinked, clearing the fog of relaxation from her mind and digging up old memories. “Oh! Goodness, that was…I was just a teenager then, so I would have been…on the Cheer squad. Yes, I wanted to be captain, but when I finally got the position because Sparkleworks transferred to Breezy Valley High…well, the team nearly fell apart by the third practice. It was quite the learning experience in how to lead…what?” The older woman stopped when she realized the princess wasn’t quite glaring in confusion.
“How old do you think I am?” queried Twilight.
“Well, you look to be about sixteen or seventeen. Certainly an appropriate age for High School.”
The confusion on the younger woman’s face only grew worse. “I’m twenty-three years old. What, you think they let teenagers be princesses in Equestria?”
“What?!” Logically, Celestia knew her alarm was very much ex-post facto. “I had a twenty-three year old woman wandering around my school pretending to be a student?!”
“Hey, it wasn’t like I had much choice!” defended Twilight, “Besides, in Equestria ponies are students until they leave the school, not based on any particular age. It’s not uncommon for ponies to stay in school studying higher and higher forms of learning until they’re in their twenties. Some ponies who go for Doctorates or Sorcerates stay in school until their thirties!”
Celestia deadpanned, “We have schools for people in their twenties and thirties, too. They’re called ‘colleges.’” There was another pause in the conversation as they both realized that, as similar as their worlds were, there were some unexpected differences they were going to be tripping over. “Wait!” gasped Celestia, “Aren’t you and Sunset Shimmer the same age?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” chuckled Twilight.
Celestia groaned out a relieved sigh, “Thank goodness…”
“…she’s thirty-five. She was Princess Celestia’s student before I was, and came to this world before I even became a full time student as a filly.”
Celestia’s heart clenched up again, “…the school board is going to have my head! I’ve let a thirty year old wander amongst my teenage students unchecked for nearly four years now!”
Twilight herself made a mental connection just then, “Wait, all your students are teenagers?”
Celestia nodded her head, “They enter high school around age fourteen and graduate around age eighteen.”
“Even,” Twilight’s voice was tremulous, “Even Flash Sentry?”
“He’s seventeen, actually.”
It was Twilight’s turn to have a heart attack, “Oh-NO!” she groaned, “I have a crush on a teenage boy! I’m a dirty old nag!” she grasped her head, fingers twining and tangling in her multi-hued strands. She felt Celestia’s arms surround her, trying to comfort the younger woman.
A few moments of much needed commiseration later, they pulled back and looked into each other’s eyes. As much as worlds and duties and age separated them, it was moments like this that brought them closer together as friends. They gave each other watery smiles, the sounds of city nights providing background to their quiet moment of bonding.
Suddenly, Celestia giggled, “’Dirty old nag’?”
Twilight giggled in reply, and suddenly they were both seized with a fit of laughter at the absurdity of their respective situations.