The Party
by
FuzzyFurvert
Celestia wandered away from the murmur of adult conversation and the peal of foals’ laughter from the party in the courtyard. She tread slowly into one of the marble lined galleries that flanked the gardens. The noise quieted and the lights dimmed considerably here, away from everypony. She didn’t need to go far to be alone.
Not that she wanted to be alone. Celestia merely liked the illusion.
In the darkness that surrounded her, Celestia could feel her shadow edging closer, waiting patiently at a polite distance. Celestia looked out over the garden and took a seat by one of the marble columns that supported the vaulted gallery ceiling. She leaned against its base to shield herself a little more from the near-by party. Her shadow would need a stronger illusion of solitude than she did.
“Join me,” Celestia turned her head and looked over her shoulder and added, “please?”
Her shadow, her Most Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle, stepped forward, her hooves making tiny ‘clop’ noises on the marble. She bowed formally when she got a few strides away from Celestia. The monarch could smell the alcohol coming off her from there.
Not that Twilight reeked of it. She’d always been a very light drinker, even socially. It put her to sleep after only a couple of glasses, depending on the quality of the booze consumed. If Celestia’s nose was to be trusted, she could just pick up a hint of mint schnapps on Twilight’s breath. Twilight drank schnapps for two reasons: whenever a theoretical physics equation that spanned two chalkboards needed to be stared into submission, or she needed to overcome a potentially embarrassing and unavoidable social situation where she had already exhausted every other option to avoid it.
Contrary to rumor, Celestia knew her ass wasn’t as wide as two chalkboards or covered in math, so it must be the later reason that her shadow chose to drink.
“How are you this beautiful night, Twilight?” Celestia smiled. “My sister knows how to hold an impressive party, wouldn’t you agree?”
Twilight closed the distance between them and took a seat next to her. She grinned at Celestia, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked a little nervous. Celestia supposed that the alcohol was to thank for keeping the little unicorn from being in full on manic mode. Something was bothering Twilight.
“Oh yes! I agree, Princess. Princess Luna does put on a good party. I should know, I helped her plan it after all.” Twilight giggled, her nervousness leaking away slightly. Celestia watched the muscles in Twilight’s back relax a bit more.
“Did you? I didn’t know. Lulu wanted to take care of everything so that I might enjoy the party as much as all the other guests.” Celestia chuckled as she remembered her exchange with Luna a month previously. “You should have seen her face when she put in the request. She thought I would refuse her. How could I, when this night is hers above all other nights?”
“I can imagine.” Twilight lowered her voice and looked away and out into the moonlit gardens beyond the darkened gallery. “Are you having fun? Mingling with us morta - er, common - ponies?”
“Of course I am having fun.” Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “It has been far too long since I was able to put aside the crown and just be myself. It is an opportunity that I wouldn’t pass up for the world.”
Celestia chuckled again, deep and melodic.
“Even if I was in disguise most of the night.”
“In your defense, it was a very good Rarity costume.” Twilight giggled again and looked back at Celestia, her smile bright in the dim light. “She will never let you forget it, of course!”
“Of course.”
Celestia had thought of the costume herself after much hemming and hawing over what seemed like thousands of choices. It came down to elegant simplicity at the end. Her coat nearly matched Rarity’s. A couple of bottles of temporary coat dye fixed that. A commercially available wet application temporary cutie mark over her sunburst and a purple wig - both of which had to be enlarged - covered the rest of the details. The only magic Celestia needed to employ was hiding her wings.
With the physical costume complete, she just needed to project the mare’s personality. For two hours Celestia pranced as she mingled with guests, adding just a hint of extra sashaying to put it over the top. She vogued whenever she wasn’t moving. She called everypony ‘darling!’ and slipped a little snooty giggle into her speech every now and then. She commented on everypony’s mane styling and costumes, making sure to apply her more generous compliments to those industry and social leaders that would be best able to further the true Rarity’s fashion business in Canterlot and beyond.
“I…” Twilight started, but her voice faded out and she remained facing the garden instead of looking at Celestia.
She let Twilight think about whatever it was she wanted to say in silence. Celestia knew ponies and how they worked. She sat quietly, absorbing the cool breeze and dulled sounds of the party the way a plant drew in water and sunlight, letting it seep into her at a comfortably slow and steady rate. Twilight would spit it out in due time.
Eventually, Twilight turned her head and regarded Celestia. “I was wondering… er, if you… er, Princess. If you ever thought about being with a common pony?” Twilight shook her head violently. “Ahem! Hahaehehe...heh… I meant to say: ‘about being a common pony.’ You know, because you’re not a common pony. Not that that is bad! Nononono! I mean, you’re perfection in pony form! How could you not being a common pony be wrong?! Heheheeee…”
Celestia blinked. She hadn’t expected that line of questions from her shadow.
“That is an unusual question, even from you, my Faithful Student.” Celestia chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, thinking about which answer to use this time.
“I would have to say,” Celestia started slowly, “that the short answer is: yes. I have thought about it from time to time. Putting aside my crown and all its responsibilities has been a temptation I have battled before. There are a great deal of complications with the ruler of a nation just quitting her day job. Even if only for a short while.”
Celestia smiled and nuzzled Twilight’s chest, making the unicorn gasp and swell. “We’ve discussed those most obvious problems before. Though, with Luna returned and the populace accepting her back into their hearts, most of the basics of rulership and the running of the kingdom are actually covered. As this Nightmare Night party demonstrates rather aptly. If I chose, I could be Celestia and not Princess Celestia, for a short time. But, I fear, a long term stay among the ‘common pony’ folk, as you refer to them, would be painful for me.”
Celestia watched Twilight’s face become carefully guarded. “What do you mean by that?”
“I am an alicorn. My physical stature alone sets me apart in a sea of ponies. I am of all the tribes while being a member of none of them. My magical prowess is second to none. I control the sun. I am effectively immortal. These differences might be ignored for a while, but they could not be ignored forever, Twilight.”
She watched Twilight’s face fall. Twilight’s lips went limp, her ears drooped and her eyebrows slowly lowered. Celestia could hear the slow release of breath from her student. She knew the real answer Twilight was searching for. She could lie. Twilight never doubted anything Celestia said to her. She had told far greater lies for less. She had stood by, confident in the truth while every pony around her wallowed in an untruth and made it a part of the very culture she shepherded. Those few ponies that asked her these very questions with the own hearts on display however, they deserved better than a lie.
In truth, Celestia did not know how she felt about it. Friendship was a great and powerful thing that could be cultivated with many and stretched across time and even beyond the grave. Love, on the other hoof, was destructive in both the best and worst possible ways. It could give a pony purpose greater than their cutie mark. Or it could destroy them. Love was solely responsible for taking more than a few of her former lovers away from her.
She thought about the young unicorn at her side. Another shadow in a very very long line of shadows. Twilight was special. They had each been special, in their own ways, but Twilight stood out even among the elite company she had no idea that she kept. Twilight’s mastery of Friendship was incredible. She was the savior of Equestria thrice over. Twilight was smart, honest, earnest, funny and capable. She certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes either. She was everything a pony could wish for.
But whenever Celestia looked at Twilight, she still saw that awkward foal that came to her all those years ago and caused such a commotion. A starstruck Twilight Sparkle, barely taller than Celestia’s ankles, gazing up at her in complete reverence was the image in her mind when she thought about the mare.
Mare.
Celestia let her eyes trail slowly over Twilight. She’d become fully grown and well formed in what seemed the blink of an eye. Twilight’s costume was a simple robe styled after Clover the Clever’s, during her archmagus years. It clung to her body along her flanks and dock, outlining her figure just as much as it concealed it. Twilight had a body much like her ancestor’s, with wider hips and delicate features. Her evenly styled mane framed a cute face and a surprisingly girthy horn.
Celestia felt a blush start and flicked her eyes away. She cursed silently as her imagination supplied a vision of Twilight twisted up in the bedsheets in Celestia’s personal chambers. Celestia blinked. Her mind defied her attempt to shake the image loose by replacing the sheets with straps and Neighponese style rope bindings.
Celestia willed those thoughts away. She could admit Twilight was attractive and no longer a filly by any stretch of the imagination. She focused on her heart, listening to it beat ever so slightly quicker. Perhaps she could love again. Perhaps she could let another pony, another shadow, close to her inner self.
“Twilight,” Celestia tilted her head against the pillar at her side, “I know that isn’t the answer you are looking for. You wonder if I ever think about being with a common pony.”
Twilight jerked her head up and swallowed nervously. “I...I-I don’t know what you m-mean, Princess!”
Celestia smiled gently. “The short answer is the same. Yes, I have thought that. I am thinking about it now, honestly.”
Twilight sputtered something that might have been recognizable language at some point. Now that she’d allowed her mind to think of Twilight as a grown mare worthy of admiration, Celestia couldn’t help but see her fluster as adorable.
“The long answer is… complicated. It would have to be with somepony very special and of course, very important to me. Somepony I could trust. Somepony that would be able to put aside all the things that set me apart from other mares. Somepony that could accept me as just Celestia.”
Celestia sighed and looked down at a furiously blushing Twilight. “There are far too few ponies in this world that could do all that and be who I need, as well as deal with the pressures of being my royal consort. They would need a good bit of stamina too. They would also need to like taller mares.”
Celestia giggled, her smile brightening as Twilight joined her. Her shadow leaned in closer as a light breeze picked up in the garden, scooped up fallen leaves and swirled them about. There came a loud shout from the party followed by a dull roar of a cheer from the crowd. Under all that noise, Celestia barely heard Twilight’s whisper.
“Do you know… who… who you want to be with?”
Celestia stretched a wing out, the magic hiding them dissipating as she did so, and laid it across Twilight’s back, blocking the wind. She lowered her head and enclosed her shadow, her Faithful Student, inside a circle of herself. Celestia brought her muzzle up to Twilight’s ear and whispered back to her.
“I know now.”
It was simple and sweet. Also the image of Celestia putting on a Rarity was awesome.
Aptly.
Other than that, cute, but short.
But I suppose we can put its length aside when judging. For science. You monster.
3380526
That's what I was aiming for. Glad you enjoyed it!
3380605
Fixed.
I hope the cake isn't a lie this time.
Very sweet and sentimental. Good job, Fuzzy.
3380650 the grief counselling was, I know that.
Is the cover image supposed to be creepy? Because the cover image is creepy.
3380938
Honestly, I couldn't find a sweet Twilestia pic that fit. So, I thought about Nightmare Night, did a serch and came up with bupkis. Then I thought, Hey! Nightmare Night is supposed to have a creepy vibe. Let's do creepy!
A little photoshop later and bam! Creepy cover!
3380807
Thanks!
3380859
Sad. But don't fret, more Twilestia will come your way.
Haha adorable. Very well done! Great job.
3381079
Thanks!
3381076
The story doesn't seem to be intended to be creepy, though. Unless there's some subtext I missed, the cover image is disconnected from the content of the story.
3381183
I realize that. Hopefully it won't throw too many readers off.
I'll put a note in the description.
Hmmm,interesting.
I've seen a Celestia acting self -conscious about having a big behind in a couple of fanworks before,but this is the first time I see her self-conscious of her physical stature,if only a little bit.
This one-shot was cute! You've done well
So sweet but Too SHORT I need more gods how I love good written Twilestia love story's. But seriously why there aren't any new long twilestia stories.
3380650
Not only is the cake a lie, the pie is a statistic!
Exactly what I've been in the mood for, and here it is, on schedule and under budget. Nicely done! Flustered adorkable Twilight is great, but I really like seeing Celestia get distracted on her own. She's the chessmaster, sure; still, it's delicious to see her back up and say, "Wow! Never saw that coming," even if it's just to herself.
Should be peal.
And yeah, needs a good, sweet, daaawww-inducing title pic. That it's set during a Nightmare Night party doesn't mean it merits a creepypic.
3381311
Thanks! I tried for something a little different. If you're three times the size of everyone around you, you're butt is going to be big. I would think that her over all size difference would be the first smack in the face of interacting with Celestia.
3381324
Because Varanus and Device Heritic beat us to it.
3381336
The cupcakes are Boolean variables!
3381420
Fixed.
Ok, geez, I'll find a cute pic! *grumble* Kids these days...
Soooo Cute!!!
3381569
Thank you!
Now with a d'awwww inspiring pic, as opposed to a creepy one.
Which is good. I guess.
If you like that sorta thing.
3381588 Um... while that is cute, my mind wonders why we can't see Twilight's horn, then points out Celestia has a long muzzle. So now I can't help but see Celly deep-throating Twi's horn. Still, cutest hornjob pic ever.
3381836
Not to spoil your fun (I laughed), but there are a few pixels of Twilight's horn visible just under Celestia's chin.
Gotta lova me some Twilestia. I have to admit, the old picture was... interesting (but good!)
Minor immersion-breaking: It's hard to picture Celestia even thinking the word "ass" to herself. She strikes me as the type who'd be refined even when thinking naughty thoughts. Perhaps "...her hindquarters weren't... ...covered in formulae" might work better in that passage?
The joke itself was amusing, it's just the presentation that was jarring.
As for the fic as a whole, bonus points for cuteness, and for having Celestia at least think carefully about it before committing. You have several elements in here that were both new and funny (the Rarity costume in particular stands up well in that respect).
3381836
*snerk* Maybe that's why I saved that picture?
Never saw that before, but now that you've mentioned it, I will see 'adorable hornjob' instead of 'cute forehead kiss'. Thanks.
3381908
Thank you. I see your point on the terminology, but I offer a rebuttal:
Celestia(to me, anyway), is a serious character. She also comes across as mysterious by having more information than everypony around her and only letting out little bits and pieces so that they can put it together themselves.
That said, her behavior, right down to her speech and body language is tightly controlled and purposeful. I tried to convey that with her mimicking Rarity while still promoting Rarity to potential contacts and business partners and her sifting through old answers that she's given many times before to similar questions. Celestia's inner dialogue(such as it is here), isn't sculpted like her speech to convey any greater meaning than it has. She doesn't bother with "big words" or 'flowery speech" when she's talking to herself.
3381962
The difficulty with that approach is that, by and large, our external and internal dialogues/monologues tend to match. That's why "affirmations" are used as a psychological tool, and why social conformity pressures are so powerful, and where (in part) the concept of "cognitive dissonance" comes from. In situations where our external and internal dialogues don't match, we tend to either change our external actions or what we think/believe until they do match again.
Or, if you want a simpler criticism, it just comes across as being very out-of-character (for readers who expect such a match).
That said, it's your fic.
3381558
No, the cupcakes are merely damned lies. Thus you have cakes, cupcakes, and pies!
A little fast I think. There are a couple jumps you make in the train of logic Celestia worked herself through, and I don't think you really sold us on how nervous Twilight would feel about this... but I appreciate the sentiment.
fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/366/d/8/team_fortress_2___not_bad_by_tadeu_costa-d5hm3ub.jpg
3382036
Curses! Broiled again!
*curbstomped by feels*
3382174
That's a fair assessment. It is a short fic.
3382330
At least it's with a very soft boot!
3382341 And it leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy.
3382009
I could argue for compartmentalization on the part of an ancient and powerful alicorn...
But let's just leave it at that and say we amicably disagree.
Aaaaaannnnddd... Featured! Deservedly so. Nice job on the revised cover art, too.
I like the writing style in this one a lot. Celestia's good too.
3382509
I'm almost inappropriately giddy about that. It's my first Feature!
Wonderful, I was captivated through the whole thing. I also like your use of words, you truly are a credit to the craft by not only being able to create such a vivid scene but also add a touch of realism by not completely omitting the noises and voices of the other party guests.
How could Celestia possibly pose as Rarity? She's twice her height!
If you'd have simply said 'magic' it would have been a much more satisfying - and shorter - explanation.
3382593
In my mind, she only changed her coloration slightly, added a wig and a fake cutie mark. She would obviously still be recognizable as the Princess by her height. It's a costume that is meant to evoke Rarity, not mimic her perfectly.
She is a guest at the party just as much as any other pony. She's not there incognito.
D'aaaawwww. Cute.
that was so precious
well written. elegantly styled and fulfilling in its short length. i say good job.
Adorable!!
Alright, yeah. That was rather cute. Very cute, actually.
As a full supporter of Student Shipping, I found this to very effective in such a small amount of words without being rushed or contrived. Good show.
The current cover looks like Celestia is sucking off Twilight's horn...
3383845
Good comment; Made me laugh :']
.
My thought process after reading that.
4.bp.blogspot.com/_jKnx5k1Fa0Y/TBvZRhHkmdI/AAAAAAAAAB4/i2nagsigqx0/s1600/cromartie+GLORIOUS.jpg
gifs.gifbin.com/012010/1264091579_kirk_rofl.gif
great now i have to upvote a story. that contains my least favorite shipping pair.
DAMNIT TWILY GO BACK TO LUNA!!!
great story.