//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: The Study of a Winning Pony 
// by Ponibius 
//------------------------------//


The Study of a Winning Pony


Epilogue


The next day saw me in a pretty good mood. While I still had some unresolved feelings and questions about my encounter with her, things felt ... settled, I guess was the word for it. In any event, I had time to think over my relationship with Cloud. She certainly didn't seem to be in a rush to change the new status quo.

I was in the middle of some of the books in the library when there was a knock on the door. “Coming!” I trotted to the door and opened it. “How can I hel—AAH! Princess Luna!”

Her Highness smiled down at me. “Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. It is good to see you again.”

“Y-you too, Princess.” I laughed nervously. What was she doing at my home? Again? Unannounced? “Who is here. At my library. Again. Why does this still make me nervous? You'd think I would be used to it by now.” I laughed again.

Princess Luna’s smile took on a wolfish gleam. “In my experience, nopony quite gets used to royalty suddenly showing up at their door. In any event, may I come in? There is some business I wish to discuss with you.”

“Yes! Of course!” I stepped out of the doorway to let her in. It wasn't like I was going to tell her that she couldn't come in. She was a princess, after all.

She nodded to her guards, who took up positions on either side of the door outside, and she entered. “I trust you that this day finds you well?”

I tried to slow down the beating of my heart as I answered her. “Yes. I'm ... pretty great, actually.”

Princess Luna quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? Why is that, if I may inquire?”

“Well, um ... something really good happened last night.” My cheeks flushed as I realized where this conversation was heading.

She waved for me to continue. “Go on.”

“Um ... well ... I uh...” My words devolved into a mumble as I blushed. Was a princess really asking me about something like that?

“Ah.” Princess Luna nodded in understanding. “It's that sort of thing, is it?”

“It was ... some sort of thing, yes.” I cleared my throat.  “Events occurred.”

“Illicit things, I take it?” she asked.

“Um ... maybe?” I squeaked out.

Princess Luna seemed to consider me for a long moment before speaking again. “Either way, you seem quite happy with it. I do not suppose Cloud Kicker was involved, was she?”

“Actually, she was...” And how had she known about that? Well, Cloud was Cloud, and I had been spending time with her. That much wasn't a secret.

She nodded. “I guessed as much.”

I hunched my shoulders and lowered my head as I looked up at her. “That obvious?”

“I have been lead to believe she has that effect on ponies,” she said.

I couldn't help but chuckle at that statement of the obvious. “I guess so.”

“Hopefully you took a few things away from your time with Cloud,” Princess Luna said. “It was my hope that you would.”

“Er ... yes.” I felt myself returning to more familiar territory, or at least country that looked like it was in the right hemisphere. “More than a few things. It was ... well, odd at first. But nice.”

Princess Luna smile warmly. “Good. Even if it did not seem easy for you to start with...”

“I stuck with it,” I finished.

“That is not always easy,” she said. “Especially with a difficult assignment.”

I shook my head, remembering the difficulties I had with the assignment studying Cloud Kicker and my interactions with her. “No, it wasn't easy. But I think ... I'm glad I did it.”

“Oh? Why is that?” she asked.

After considering the question, I said, “It was ... new. And good.”

Princess Luna hummed in agreement. “Often new experiences can be, when you give them the chance.”

I nodded. “Just like friendship was. So ... I'm glad I did it.”

“As long as it was your decision and it made you happy.” To my surprise, Princess Luna actually nuzzled me. “That is what is most important.”

I blushed nervously at the Royal Nuzzle. “Um ... yes.”

Her Highness grinned, looking pleased with herself. “Pray tell, I am not embarrassing you too much, now am I?”

“Um ... not too much.” I managed to say.

Princess Luna leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to me. “Well, a little bit of embarrassment caused by your princess would not be too bad, aye?”

“Wh-what?!” I blurted out.

Princess Luna covered her mouth as she chuckled at my outburst. “I can see why my sister likes you.”

“Because I try to be a good student?” I asked, really hoping that was the reason.

She stood straighter as she smiled invitingly. “Among other reasons, and I find I do enjoy your company too. Though in the future I would hope it be for more than just business.”

I tilted my head at that. “Like ... another teacher?”

Princess Luna hummed mysteriously. “Mayhaps. I would not be adverse to the idea.”

“That ... sounds fine.” That didn't sound so bad at all. At least it was something I was familiar with. For a moment I thought she might have meant something else, one of the perils of knowing Cloud Kicker. And really, having Princess Luna as a teacher would be really interesting.

“Of course, if you wish to be more than merely a student and a teacher...” A mischievous grin slowly creased her face. “I am sure you know how relationships between patron and their protégée used to work a millennium ago.”

Oh, it seemed I hadn't misinterpreted her meaning. I had read about in my history books where an influential, powerful, or wealthy patron might take on a promising student, and as part of that mentorship, they sometimes had ... relations.

“MEEP!” The only appropriate response.

Princess Luna’s smile became positively evil. “Oh good, you do know the old ways.” I looked around desperately to try and find some sort of inspiration on what to say, how to react, a way out of this trap. I was in the middle of considering the option of teleporting and then running away when Princess Luna broke out in a hearty laugh. “My, you are easy to fluster.”

“I ... uh...” I blinked in a stupefied manner as I tried to process the un-princessly behavior I was now seeing. “Oh, you really are Celestia's sister!”

Her smile lost none of its luster at my declaration. “We are of the same blood, I admit. And really, once you live as long as we do, you find what humor you can. Being a princess can be quite dull most days.”

“That wasn't funny,” I grumbled.

“Of course it was.” Princess Luna waved dismissively. “It is not as though I pulled that prank on you while in public where it would humiliate you. Really, learn not to take yourself too seriously. At least in private. You will learn to enjoy life much more.” 

My mouth worked soundlessly for a few seconds. “Maybe...” I relented.

She pressed her lips together in thought. “In fact, I think you taking everything too seriously was what made some of your encounters with Cloud so difficult.”

Dealing with Cloud had become a lot easier when I started to relax around her. At the very least, we only started connecting after I did. Thinking over my encounters over, I sighed and nodded. “Probably, yes.”

Princess Luna tipped my chin up and met my gaze with a serious look. “Trust me, I know how hard that lesson can be. When one wears a crown, it is an easy thing to take everything very seriously. Too easy, sometimes.”

Considering how solemnly she had said that, I couldn’t help but think of her falling to become Nightmare Moon. She had become ... less than pleasant due to her jealousy of her sister. It wasn’t hard to see what she was getting at by taking everything too seriously when she had taken everything that far. “I'll keep that in mind. I don't want to make any mistakes.”

“See that you do,” Princess Luna said. “So please do not take offense if I had a little fun at your expense. It was only intended in good humor.”

I smiled at her to assure her everything was alright. As long as she wasn’t trying to be mean, I could forgive her for a little bit of teasing. “None taken.”

That bit of seriousness done, Princess Luna’s grin returned to her face. “Though I will say, you are most comely. That much I stand by.”

The sudden compliment caused my cheeks to burn. “Er ... um ... thanks?”

“You are welcome. A comely mare should be declared as such now and again.”

“I ... guess?” I mumbled out.

“But in any event, 'tis good to hear you are doing better now,” Princess Luna said, thankfully letting the topic drop.

I nodded. “It's good to be doing better. It felt like the whole world was going crazy there for a while.”

“I would think so,” Princess Luna agreed. “Especially where your family is concerned. I know well how difficult family troubles can be.”

“Yeah, I guess you would,” I said.

Princess Luna grunted unhappily. Her fight with her sister was probably a small sore spot for her. “And it is good to see that you have resolved those issues, if your letter to my sister is any indicator.”

It figures Princess Celestia would have shared that rather long letter with her sister. They had mentioned to me that they were doing that. “Yeah. I think studying Cloud has been for the best, even if it was a bit of a pain at times.”

“Good to hear,” she said. “It had been my hope that you would learn more than just what I had assigned you to study.”

“Well ... mission accomplished?” I hazarded.

Princess Luna nodded. “Aye, mission accomplished. As long as you are happy?”

“I am,” I assured her. At the very least, I was happy where my relationship stood with Cloud.

“Then it is good,” Her Highness said. “If you can go through a time of adversity and come out the other side satisfied with life, then you cannot have done too badly.”

“That makes sense,” I said.

Princess Luna wrapped a wing around my back. “I know that this has not been easy for you, but it seems this has turned out for the best. That makes me happy.”

“Me as well.” I smiled up at her. “Obviously, I'm happy that I'm happy.” I shuffled in place as a concern came to the surface. “Um ... can I ask you something?”

“But of course.” Princess Luna waved for me to continue. “Go ahead and ask.”

“Do you think sleeping with Cloud was the right thing to do?” I asked. “I mean, we both really enjoyed it, but...”

Her Highness tilted her head in contemplation. “You hold reservations about the act?”

“Not exactly.” I struggled as I tried to put vague feelings into meaningful words. “Just ... I guess it's the afterglow fading and...”

“And you wonder where to go from here?” she finished.

I nodded.

“A natural question after what you have experienced.” Princess Luna hummed as she rubbed her chin. “I believe the answer to that is for you to decide where you wish to go from here. At the end of the day, only you can determine what makes you happy. If there is something you wish for, strive for it.”

“That makes sense,” I said, not being able to fault her logic. “Okay.”

Princess Luna squeezed me with a wing. “Aye, do not feel forced to do anything. Trust me, that path only leads to misery.”

“So just live in the moment for a bit?” I asked.

“I have found it best to remember the past, live for the present, and keep an eye on the future,” she advised. “But yes, there are times where living for the moment is best. If an opportunity presents itself, do not let indecisiveness thwart you.”

I giggled, feeling silly for bringing up such mundane and personal problems with a princess. “I feel like I should be writing this down.”

“There will be plenty of time for that later, I am sure,” Princess Luna said. “Though I am flattered you think my words are worth writing down.”

“Well you are a princess,” I pointed out.

“So I am.” She smiled down at me. “But for now, how about we concentrate on living in the moment?”

“That sounds good,” I said. “Um ... did you have something in mind?”

Princess Luna grinned mischievously. “I can think of a few things we could do together.” She ran the tip of her wing along my spine.

I resisted the shiver that wanted to run up my spine, and instead rolled my eyes. “Nice try, but the same trick won't work twice. Especially not after Cloud thickened my skin.”

“That is not a dare to escalate, now is it?” she teased.

“No. Just ... no.” I looked down at the floor, trying to look sad. “That wouldn't end well.”

“Oh?” Princess Luna pouted. “A pity then.”

I moved in for the kill. “Sorry, but I like your sister more.”

Princess Luna took a step back. “My sister?!”

“Yes. Celestia. Princess of the Sun.” I said gravely. “I ... might have had a bit of a crush on my teacher.”

“Oh-hoho.” Princess Luna covered her mouth with a hoof, as though hearing something scandalous. It seemed she had recovered quickly from my attempt to throw her off. “Is that the way of it?”

“It is,” I affirmed.

“Now I am of two minds to either try and surpass my sister, or to give you recommendations for how to gain her attentions,” Princess Luna said.

“Um, how about neither for now?” I requested. “It was a silly foalhood crush. I'll always love and respect her, but ... I just don't think it would really be a good idea to take it beyond that.” It hurt a little bit to say that, but not as much before.

“Mmm, a pity then.” Princess Luna let out an annoyed huff. “My sister really could use a romantic liason now and again. Really, I do not understand her insistence on remaining chaste.”

“She's been fine without one for ... well, you'd know how long better than I would,” I said. “And to be honest, that's part of the issue. Cloud came with a ton of baggage, and she's only as old as I am.” I sighed and ran a hoof through my mane. “It's ... it was just a silly crush.”

Princess Luna examined me with a serious look before nodding. “Then it seems to me that you have a couple different choices. You can either seek to pursue my sister for a serious relationship, or you move on and find something that will make you happy, be it seeking a relationship with another pony or be like my sister and be unconcerned with romance.”

“And I've decided to move on.” The Princess was right; if I wasn't going to try to pursue my filly old crush on Princess Celestia, then I needed to put it aside. The same went for my feelings for Fluttershy. I wasn't going to do myself any favors by pining after ponies I would never have. It certainly hadn't made me happy to stay in that rut I had found myself in. Certainly what I had experienced with Cloud had been much more fulfilling.

Princess Luna nodded. “Then move forward without regrets. Seek to be happy, Twilight Sparkle. Be the master of your own destiny.”

I puffed out my chest. “I will. I promise.”

I didn't have an exact plan for what I was going to do yet, but I did at least have a idea of what I wanted. What I currently had with Cloud might only end up only being temporary, but as I thought about it, that was fine. As long as we enjoyed the time we had together, then there wasn't any harm in it. Who knew? I might find that special somepony someday, or maybe I would find something else I would like. There were plenty of examples in my history books where ponies had come up with atypical relationship structures to find contentment in their lives.

What was important was that I had options, and I could pick the one that would make me happy. I didn't know what that was yet, but I didn't have to. I still had a lot of my life to live, and there wasn't any reason I had to push myself into a box at this point.

I smiled at Princess Luna. “Thanks for this talk, Princess. It really helped.”

She returned my smile. “It is good to hear that. Any day where I help one of my subjects is one well spent.”

After considering an idea that popped into my head, I said, “Say, if you’re not busy, would you like to go someplace to eat? I know a place that makes some great sandwiches. We could talk and catch up with one another.”

Her Highness smiled graciously. “I would love to. I regretted we could not spend more time together due to the wedding and the changeling invasion. I would have shown you the head of Queen Chrysalis sooner, but circumstances made that difficult.” She narrowed her eyes. “Especially after my sister had gotten rid of it. And here I had planned on mounting it on my wall, but apparently that’s ‘macabre’ and ‘barbaric’ now.” Her lungs heaved with an annoyed huff.

“Um, is that so?” I knew that Princess Luna had killed Chrysalis, or at least the body she had possessed at the time, but I didn’t realized she had taken her head. That wasn't something I particularly wanted to see. Best to try and move the conversation forward. “How about we get going then?”

“An excellent idea.” Princess Luna waved at the door. “Lead the way, and I will tell you how I bested that fiend who accosted your family.”

I tried to smile as naturally as I could. “That sounds great. Just great. Perfect even.” I lead the way out of the library, hoping the Princess’s story wouldn’t be too ... explicit.

Still, overall after everything that had happened, it seemed like everything was going to be just fine.


The End