Chapter 9
On the fourth and final day of the fair, Ponyville was fuller than ever. Apparently most ponies decided that the final day would be the day to come. As a sort of highlight of the whole thing, Twilight had planned it so that every attraction, singer, performer and show (including the ones run by ponies she knew) were played in succession. Basically only one event would run at a time with enough of a gap between them for the masses to get to each event. When things were kicking off Twilight decided to get a better view. She had been so busy for three days she hadn’t had time to just watch this massive event.
The unicorn climbed a hill not too far from it all. She had timed it just right so that an event would end just as she reached the top. When the final cheers from the crowd at the flying range erupted across the fair Twilight was amazed by the mass of ponies swarming towards the next place. It was like a flood, covering the entire field. She marveled at all the ponies and thought about tonight.
As the fair ended, so did her friend’s beloved reunion. Rainbow Dash’s team was located in Fillydelphia. Rarity’s business was located in Manehattan. Spike’s home was in the mountains. In the end, they had to return there. Tonight however, before the fair was complete, they would all gather together for a dinner. They were going to share memories, stories and become reacquainted. Twilight couldn’t express how much she was looking forward to it...and how much she was dreading it. It would mark the end of this wonderful time. Everypony would have to leave again, returning to their own lives. It created a confusing and irritating mix of emotions inside of her.
“Why so glum Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight raised her head and her eyes widened to their largest possible extent. A massive smile spread across the unicorn’s face. Even as she turned around, she already shouted out the name of who stood behind her.
“Princess Celestia!” Once the unicorn spotted her she bounded over, quickly rubbing one of her legs affectionately.
“My faithful student,” Celestia began with a smile. “it is good to see you.”
“What are you doing here your majesty?” Twilight asked, still grinning widely.
“You didn’t think I’d miss the party of the century planned by my best student did you?” Celestia asked. Twilight could feel pride swelling in her chest. Both Princess Luna and Celestia apparently thought very highly of her. “I was looking for a way to get away from the castle since this thing started. The opportunity only presented itself when they needed me to fill the orders here.”
“Fill the orders?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. “What about Princess Luna?”
“Well,” Celestia began, chuckling slightly. “They couldn’t wake her up this morning. She was so exhausted after three days of this that she’s still snoring away.” Princess Luna must have been working harder than she thought. Twilight knew she had been successfully filling all the orders, which exhausted her, but to also appear at most of the events must have been too much. “Not that I mind, as I said I wanted to come.” The princess began walking towards the edge of the hill and gazed out at the fair. Twilight eagerly followed, happy to see her mentor. The alicorn whistled, apparently impressed by all the ponies that showed up. “You’ve done an amazing job. You could probably make a business out of planning events.”
“No thanks.” Twilight said firmly. “I’ll stick to studying any day.”
“Have all the events gone well?” The princess asked. “I heard about the fashion show, the concert and the scooter show, but I haven’t a report on the state dinner yet.” Twilight’s neck went a little rigid. How could she respond to that? She could lie, but no doubt the princess would eventually see the report. The unicorn didn’t want to make sound like the event didn’t go well, but...
“Y-You see...” Twilight began nervously. Princess Celestia turned her head, giving her student a curious expression. “There was...an uninvited guest.”
“Oh? Who might that be?”
“It...uh...it was...King Aecor.” Princess Celestia flinched and her face fell. For a few moments, her expression was inscrutable. Then she shook her head and sighed.
“I suppose Luna and he got into a tiff again, didn’t they?”
“Y-yeah...” Twilight said, slightly relieved that the princess understood. “King Aecor was baiting her, so I told everypony the dinner was over. When I tried to tell the king this he struck me and threw me against a wall.”
“You weren’t hurt were you?” Princess Celestia asked, her voice abruptly angry.
“No! No, I think he was just trying to irritate Luna. He almost made her...transform. After he left I calmed her down.”
“It’s a good thing you’re around.” Princess Celestia said, a thin smile on her face. “You seem to be a calming influence on my beloved sister.” The alicorn then sighed and turned back to the fair. “He just couldn’t let things lie.”
“Who is he?” Twilight said. “I mean, who is he really, not just the king of Oceania. Why did he try to make Luna angry? Why do they hate each other so much?” Celestia gave Twilight a gaze that only a mother could give a child when they didn’t understand something.
“Twilight,” The princess began. “the affairs of alicorns are long and complicated. We have histories that stretch back before even your great-great-great-grandparents were born.”
“I just...” Twilight began, trying not to sound like a petulant child. “I just...I want to understand Luna. I want to know more about her...but she’s so...”
“Mysterious?” Celestia finished.
“Yes, that.” The princess chuckled again.
“She isn’t so mysterious to me. I’ve known her my whole life. She isn’t that complicated my little pony. She just thinks too hard about things.”
“But...!!” Now Twilight knew she was acting like a petulant child. She still wanted to know however. “I want to know! She’s my friend...my...my...” Twilight paused, trying to think. Her mind drifted to the previous night. She could still remember how beautiful Luna looked in the starlight, how her hair glowed and her eyes sparkled. Something swelled up in Twilight’s heart then...but what was it? “I...I just want to know. I have to know more about her. I have to.” Princess Celestia stared at her student for the longest time, not saying anything. She seemed to be studying the unicorn’s face. Twilight kept up the strongest expression she could, trying not to become emotional. Finally, the princess sighed.
“Twilight,” She began, still sounding like a mother. “what happened between Luna, Aecor and myself started before Equestria existed as a country. They’ve been angry with each other since they were children, which for ponies like you was an eternity ago. They’re feuding over things now that happened before I was even a monarch. If you want to know Luna better then talk to her, spend time with her, have fun with her. Don’t dwell on her sad past. She has had a rough time for so long that she needs some happy memories. If anypony can give her some, it’s you.” Twilight smiled, but just a little. She would have to live with that answer. If Celestia didn’t want to talk about it...she wasn’t going to.
“Alright.” Twilight said, sounding disappointed. “Guess I should wake her up so she can enjoy her free day.”
“You should.” Celestia replied, spreading her wings, preparing to fly. “She fell asleep in Fluttershy’s house, to get away from the crowds.”
“You saw her today?”
“No.”
“Uh...somepony told you?”
“No.”
“Then how...?” Celestia winked and smiled.
“My little secret.” The princess took off, flying towards the next event at the fair. Twilight stared after her mentor for several moments, blinking rapidly. How did she know? Then the unicorn remembered what Luna told her. Each alicorn had a special ability. Luna could sense emotions and Luna thought that Celestia’s was to be able to know where ponies were, no matter where. Looks like the princess just confirmed it. Twilight wondered what Aecor’s was.
“I’ll wonder later.” Twilight said. She turned and began trotting away from the fair.
“Princess Luna?” Twilight asked, tentatively entering Fluttershy’s house. She gazed around, searching for the alicorn. Since she didn’t see her, the unicorn trotted up the stairs. Twilight tentatively knocked on the door to the bedroom before opening the door with a slight creak. “Princess?” It was kind of hard to miss her. Luna was considerably larger than Fluttershy and her hair was so full that it flowed over the edges. She was comfortably sprawled out on the bed, quietly snoring. Twilight chuckled a little and trotted over. The beautiful and regal pony looked just as helpless and cute as anypony else when she slept. The way she was laying reminded Twilight of filly that couldn’t get comfortable. The unicorn was feeling a little...whimsical.
The lavender pony reached up with both of her hooves and covered Luna’s nostrils. For a few moments the princess fidgeted uncomfortably. Then her mouth popped open and she let out a loud snore. Twilight chortled to herself, oddly pleased. She removed her hooves and began tickling the end of Luna’s nose. The alicorn fidgeted again. She began flaring her nostrils and twitching her nose. Finally, she snorted and swatted up with her hoof, trying to clear away what was teasing her. Twilight giggled again, holding her hoof in front of her mouth to muffle herself. Luna could be cute if she wanted to.
The unicorn took a brief pause to think. What was that feeling last night? It was as if her whole body suddenly went haywire, just from admiring Luna’s beauty. She had always been beautiful, but somehow that moment in time, at that place...it was like it was too much. Out of curiosity, and to see if it could happen again, Twilight leaned in close, examining her princess much more closely. At such a close distance, the unicorn could see subtle things she couldn’t before. Luna’s coat had a beautiful glossy sheen up close. Her face shape was perfect, like a model’s. The bones in her face had just the right proportions. When looking even closer Twilight saw something else, something hidden by the coat. The princess had a scar and it was a long one. Through her coat it looked like a thin line that began at the top of her nose and stretched below her eye. It made Twilight infinitely curious. What could possibly have hurt an alicorn?
Twilight gulped abruptly. She was close enough now that she could feel the heat from Luna’s body and smell the scent from her mane. She smelled like lilacs, even though she wasn’t wearing perfume. For a brief moment, the unicorn lost her senses. It was like Luna was sucking her in. With jagged breaths Twilight pressed her nose against Luna’s face. She gently began nuzzling against her fur, as if intoxicated.
Twilight was suddenly brought out of her stupor. The princess grunted and twitched. The unicorn jumped back, blushing furiously. Fortunately, it took a few moments for Luna to wake up. The alicorn groaned, apparently begrudged to awake. She sat up, her eyes appearing glassy. Twilight couldn’t help but admit that she still looked awfully cute being so scruffy and disorganized right now. Luna wiped drool from her mouth and gazed around the room.
“’Mornin’ Twilight.” She said, her mouth sounding full.
“Good morning Princess.” Twilight said, quickly trying to hide her embarrassment. “Although it’s almost afternoon.”
“What?” Luna asked, abruptly surprised. She turned and gazed out the window to see how high the sun was. “Good grief, I can only imagine the orders...”
“It’s okay, Princess Celestia is filling in for you.” Twilight replied.
“Did she?” Luna didn’t sound pleased.
“She wanted to come to the fair.” Twilight said. “She wanted you to enjoy it too, without being distracted by orders.” Luna groaned again. The unicorn almost chuckled. She looked like a spoiled child, being so petty.
“Well, nothing I can do about it now.” Luna said. She began trying to sooth her hair, which was flowing in all directions.
“I’ll help you.” Twilight said, almost eagerly. She wanted to see what Luna’s hair really felt like. She bounded over to Fluttershy’s dresser, grabbed a brush, removed the pegasus’s pink hair and ran back. Luna sat calmly and periodically yawned as Twilight went to work on her hair. It was a bit unusual in texture, but it went into place with the brush. It was constantly moving and flowing, but seemed to have a strange cohesion to it. Twilight allowed her hoof to move through it. It felt like water, flowing over her. Instinctively, the unicorn leaned forward and took another deep breath of the scent.
“It does that naturally you know.” Luna said.
“H-Huh!?” Twilight said, shocked and blushing.
“My hair. It smells like that on its own.” Luna finished. “Celestia’s smells like roses if you ever get that close.”
“O-Oh...” Twilight said. She then resumed her earlier work. “Why does it flow like that?”
“No idea. It’s always done that.” The rest of the brushing took place in awkward silence, at least for Twilight.
As they casually trotted towards the fair Luna continued to yawn and rub her eyes. She was apparently slow to wake. Meanwhile, Twilight couldn’t help but feel awkward. She was having these strange emotions around the princess. They were overpowering, confusing and just...weird. The unicorn decided not to dwell on them and just let them be for now.
“So,” Twilight began, trying to get her mind off of her emotions. “how long have you had that scar?”
“You noticed that did you?” Luna said, sounding passive. “That’s an old scar.”
“Old?” Twilight asked.
“Really, really, really old.” Luna added. “Older than you, older than Equestria, older than...well...pretty much everything.”
“How did you get it?” Twilight asked.
“Celestia gave me a dare. I was dumb enough to do it.”
“A dare? Celestia?” Twilight sounded shocked.
“She wasn’t always a fully grown mare you know.” Luna said with a laugh. “We were both fillies. I can still remember it, second most terrible day of my life.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, what was the worst day?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh...” Now Twilight felt awkward. She wanted to know more about Luna, but was getting stonewalled. There were several moments of silence.
“You seem surprised.”
“Huh?”
“Celestia. She wasn’t always a princess.”
“I know...it’s just...” Twilight gazed at the ground, thinking. “She’s been the princess for so long and for all of recorded history. It’s hard to imagine her any way else.”
“We’re just coming out of another empty age, so there isn’t much information left of what’s before that.”
“Huh?” Twilight had an incredibly blank look on her face.
“History goes through ages of highs and lows. We’re just entering a high. During the lows we lose most, if not all, records.”
“Is...there a reason for that?”
“Well, yes.”
“What is it?”
“I’d have to explain things that I’m actually not allowed to.”
“Not allowed?”
“It’s a...alicorn thing.”
“Oh.” There was more silence. Once again Twilight hit a wall. She tried to dig deeper and only found more mystery. She didn’t want the conversation to end however. “What else can you tell me about Celestia?” It was a desperate question, but it made Luna smile...a mischievous and gleeful one.
“Oh the things I could tell you.” She said happily. “She forbid me from telling things about her past, to maintain her image.”
“Oh...” Twilight said. “I see...” She felt like she hit another wall.
“...So here’s some stuff!” Luna said, grinning ear to ear. Twilight gave her a surprised look, but then realized the alicorn delighted to spill the beans. “Bet you didn’t know your dear princess used to be a big heartbreaker.”
“Heartbreaker? You mean...?” Twilight said, in disbelief.
“She flew from stallion to stallion, one after another.” Luna said, amused by Twilight’s apparent shock. “She got bored quickly and dumped them for another that entertained her...or was attractive.”
“Really?” Twilight still looked to be in shock.
“She always needed to be in a relationship and was horribly depressed when she wasn’t.”
“And you?”
“Me? Well...I got around a bit.” Luna chuckled to herself. “All that was a long, long time ago, before either of us were princesses. You have to admit, Celestia is drop-dead gorgeous. Nopony ever turned her down for a date...or a night.”
“She...?” Twilight’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened.
“What? How do you think we were conceived, with sunshine, rainbows and sugar? We can have our fun too.”
“Did...you do a lot of that?” Twilight felt something cold prick inside of her heart. How many other ponies had Luna been with? The unicorn didn’t want to think about some random stallions laying their hooves on the wonderful and beautiful Luna.
“No, not a lot.” Luna replied. “I didn’t have near as many clamoring fans as Celestia. I’m not nearly as flashy.”
“But you’re just as beautiful.” Twilight said it as a knee-jerk reaction, but blushed the instant it came out of her mouth. Luna only smiled as a reaction.
“Thank you, I’m glad somepony thinks so.” Twilight wanted to respond, but couldn’t think of anything to say. They walked the rest of the way to the fair in silence.
Luna left Twilight at the entrance, stating that she was going to join her sister at the events. Twilight gave a nod and a goodbye as the alicorn left. She missed Luna the instant the princess left, but the unicorn needed to think. She walked through the rather empty fair, most of the ponies attending the series of events today. Twilight strolled through the stalls like a zombie, mulling over her thoughts. Never in her life had Twilight had these emotions. When Luna was around there was this overwhelming rushing mix of nervousness, happiness and disorientation. Twilight would consult a book or two, but she didn’t feel it was appropriate to leave the fair. Besides, what was she supposed to look up, “bizarre reactions to alicorns?” Despite the fact that all of this was strange and quite jarring...the unicorn didn’t want Luna to leave. She didn’t want them to be apart. Even if the feelings were uncomfortable...they were pleasant somehow. She wanted them to stay. She wanted to feel them again. How could something be unpleasant yet desirable at the same time? All Twilight could do was make herself more confused than she was before.
“Come on! You want me to pay seven bits for that tiny bowl!!” Twilight jerked her head towards a familiar voice. Rainbow Dash was sitting at a booth, haggling with the pony serving her. She was attempting to order a bowl of noodles and vegetables.
“Everypony for four days has paid the same price!” The pony working the booth retorted. “I’m not going to change it now.”
“That’ll barely even wet my appetite!” Rainbow Dash complained. “I’m an athlete! I need more!”
“Then buy more than one.”
“That’s highway robbery!”
“Either pay for it or don’t.” The pegasus grumbled but laid out the bits. She got her bowl and instantly began eating up her meal. Twilight smiled and trotted over. She sat on the seat beside her friend.
“Hey Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said. The pegasus turned her head.
“Hey Twilight!” She said, launching a few noodles from her mouth. “Don’t buy from this place, they rip you off.” The pony running the booth sneered at her, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m not hungry.” Twilight replied. “Why aren’t you showing off at the stunt field?”
“On a break.” Rainbow Dash said between bites. “I need to eat at some point.”
“How are you and Applejack getting along?” Twilight asked. The pegasus flinched and took another bite of her food before continuing.
“It’s...uh...going okay.” Rainbow said uncomfortably. “Just...a step at a time. I’m actually more uncomfortable around her than her husband.”
“Apple Tree?” Twilight asked. “He seems like the type not to be bothered by anything.”
“He’s not. I just have to get over this whole nervous, dizzy thing I have when I’m around her.” Twilight froze. Her eyes stared off at nothing as her mind seemed to ground to a halt. For a few seconds, she thought that she heard Rainbow wrong.
“Wh-What?” Twilight asked.
“Oh you know, the whole “love” thing.” Rainbow Dash spoke as if it was a casual, everyday thing. Twilight still felt like she was in shock. “Even after all this time it’s hard to not think about it.”
“Wh-wh-what do you mean?”
“Well, you know. Your heart pounds in your chest. Your head spins. You can’t think of anypony else. You miss them even when they’ve only been gone a few minutes. When you see them you feel terribly nervous, thinking they’ll find you out or that you’ll say something that will make them hate you or make them angry because you know that them thinking something bad about you will break your heart...oh I’m sorry...” Rainbow Dash blushed, realizing that she was prattling and not sounding like her usual confident and arrogant self. “I got a little carried away.” Abruptly, Twilight fell out of her chair, her legs sticking up straight into the air. “Tw-Twilight!” Rainbow Dash jumped off her chair and kneeled next to her friend. “Twilight! Are you okay!? Twilight!!”
“Huh?” The unicorn asked, as if Rainbow Dash had interrupted her thoughts.
“You fell over.” Rainbow replied.
“I...I did?” Twilight sat up, gazing around dumbly. “Oh, I guess I did.”
“Are you okay?” The pegasus asked, sounding very worried.
“Oh I’m...it’s...does it always feel like that?”
“Huh?”
“When you’re in love, do you always feel overwhelmed like that?”
“Oh, that. No, it’s just that I haven’t seen her in a while so it’s like the first time I guess.”
“Does it...get better?”
“I don’t know about better...” Rainbow Dash began staring off into the distance. She seemed to instantly become lost in her own thoughts. “These feelings dissolve into a warmth in your heart, but it hurts just to have it there, knowing they don’t feel the same. At the same time...you love it. You want that pain to be there, because that means they are close. It’s like a war in your heart, a mix of joy and sadness, but you’ll go through any pain, physical or emotional, just to be around them. Pain is just a minor inconvenience. You’re willing to go through your whole life by their side, even if you can never get close enough to put the flames in your soul out. That is, until they give their heart to somepony else...” For a brief moment both of them were silent. Suddenly, as if returning to her senses, Rainbow Dash flinched and smiled nervously. Her face blushed even deeper red. “I’m sorry, I keep rambling. Guess I don’t need to think so hard about things.”
“No it’s been...enlightening.” Twilight said. She rose from the ground, dusting herself off. “You should try your hand at poetry Dash.”
“Oh, I’ll just stick to reading Daring-Do.” Rainbow Dash said, blushing and waving her hoof back and forth.
“I think,” Twilight began. “I’m going to go find Luna. I’ve got to talk to her about things.”
“What things?”
“Well...I...”
“Is she leaving after the fair?” Twilight twitched and instantly went pale. Her eyes widened and she abruptly felt weak in the knees.
“What are you talking about?” The unicorn asked, her voice four octaves too high.
“She couldn’t do anything at Canterlot because she was feared right? You told me that she threw this fair to improve her image. I think it worked wonders. All I hear everypony talking about is how good of a job she did and how generous she is. I figured now that the problem is fixed, she would go back to Canterlot and rule with Princess Celestia.” Twilight felt something icy pierce her heart. It was like a ton of bricks fell onto her body and every good feeling she ever had in her life was squashed. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look awfully pale.”
“I...uh...” The unicorn hadn’t even considered any of that. Now that Rainbow Dash laid it out like that it made sense. “I have to...talk to somepony.”
“Alright, but if you get too tired be sure to rest.”
Twilight now walked through the fair like an even deader zombie. Things were echoing around in her head, louder than anything she had ever heard before. It felt like these nagging questions were eating away at her soul. Was she in love with Princess Luna? Was Luna going to leave? Would Luna even be interested in common ponies? Would Luna even be interested in mares for that matter? Was there anything Twilight could even do about any of this? For the first time, in a very long time, Twilight felt completely helpless. There wasn’t a book on alicorn dating, how to keep a princess from returning to a castle or what to do when the one you love is thousands of years old. She would have to deal with these issues one at a time, starting with the one that was most pressing.
Twilight arrived at the concert stage when the event ended. Just as she was about to enter the structure a torrent of ponies exited out of it. Each of them was buzzing excitedly about the princesses being right behind them. Twilight attempted to slip through them, but they were like a giant mass, pushing her back. In a matter of moments she was shoved behind waves of ponies who made an empty column in front of the entrance. Twilight tried to say something, but all of them were talking so loudly she wasn’t heard. The royal guards emerged and the crowd erupted, cheering like maniacs. The two princesses emerged, flanked by a line of guards on either side. Flash bulbs and screaming fans rained down as they trotted by, smiling and nodding. Twilight tried to jump up and get Luna’s attention, but the alicorn was practically being blinded and deafened. They went past her, completely oblivious to everything around them. Twilight instantly felt a terrible emptiness enter her. What if Luna was leaving? Would she even get to see the princess before she left? What if...she never saw Luna again? Something painful and all-consuming entered Twilight’s heart. It was cold and terrible. It was the same feeling she had only a few months ago, forever stuck in a rut...all alone. This time...it was so much worse.
Luna stopped dead in her tracks, alarming her sister. Celestia turned her head to her sister, instantly worried. Luna raised her head, a quizzical expression on her face. She turned her head in one particular direction. Twilight’s mood instantly lightened when the princess spotted her. Luna’s eyes lifted and she smiled lightly. She turned back to her sister and they spoke for a few moments. Then the alicorn whirled around and began marching towards Twilight. The press instantly mobbed her however, assuming she was now taking questions. For a few moments Luna stared at the flash bulbs and microphones dumbly. Then she grimaced and her horn glowed. She disappeared in a flash. The press stared around in circles, trying to see where she went. Celestia giggled, as if amused. She resumed trotting, causing the mass of ponies to follow. The press instantly lost interest and continued to pursue Celestia. Twilight however, stayed where she was, staring around and around. She couldn’t see Luna either. For a few moments, the unicorn was confused. The princess obviously saw her, where did she go? There was a flash beside Twilight.
“Are they gone?” Luna asked. She had a cloak around her body again. For a brief moment Twilight was stunned by her sudden appearance. She quickly recovered however.
“Yeah, they followed Princess Celestia.” Twilight stated.
“Oh good. I suddenly remembered something while hobnobbing with all the masses.” Luna said.
“What’s that?”
“I hate hobnobbing.” Twilight could help but chuckle a little. The princess certainly didn’t seem fond of crowds. “I haven’t eaten yet, have they started packing up the stands yet?”
“They have, but I’m sure there are many still left.”
“I know of a good one, let’s hope it’s still open.”
Fortunately, it was. It was a wonderfully decorated stand selling spiced bread and sandwiches. They arrived as the stall was closing, but they were more than happy to fill one last order for royalty. Luna and Twilight resigned themselves to a quiet corner of the ending fair, eating the spicy bread and sweet fruit sandwiches. Twilight remained quiet, afraid to open her mouth. She had a million questions swimming around in her head. She was terrified that the wrong one would come flying out. When the crowds across the fair cheered again Luna lifted her head. She munched on a fruit sandwich for a moment.
“They’re easily amused.” Luna said. “You put this thing together amazingly well. It ends with the fireworks tonight, right?” Twilight nodded, still afraid to speak. “I know I started all this, but I’ll be happy when it’s all over. I could use some good rest.”
“What are you doing,” Twilight began, sounding awkward. “after the fair?”
“Hm?” Luna cocked an eyebrow, intrigued by the question. “Well, I was thinking of going home and getting some sleep.”
“By home do you mean...?”
“The...library?”
“And after that?”
“What are you trying to ask Twilight?”
“Are you,” Twilight stared at the ground, a familiar loneliness crawling into her heart. Luna sensed this, and instantly became concerned. “going back to the castle?”
“What? Why would I go back?”
“Everypony likes you now, no pony is afraid of you and everypony has accepted you as a princess. Isn’t that why you threw this fair? Don’t you...want to go back and rule at Canterlot?” Luna let loose a rather abrupt and high-pitched laugh.
“Is that what you’re so worried about?” Luna asked. “That I’m going to go back to hobnobbing at the castle? Please!”
“But...don’t you want to rule Equestria beside Princess Celestia?”
“No! Well...yes...well...”
“Well?” Luna took a deep breath and sighed.
“We tried ruling together...I ended up on the moon.”
“Oh.” Twilight was finally beginning to calm down. “So, you’re not leaving?”
“No Twilight, I’m not leaving. I mean, after the fair I have to go to Canterlot to smooth over some...frayed nerves I might have created at the dinner, but rest assured I’ll be back in a few days. Where would you even get an idea like that?”
“Oh just...talking to ponies.”
“Well, talk to me before you start freaking out, I felt you across a crowd without even trying.”
“Sorry I...guess I panic too easily.”
“That you do.” Luna reached up and roughed Twilight’s mane on her head. “Learn to relax a bit.” Twilight felt her heart briefly flutter at the alicorn’s touch. Luna wasn’t leaving...but there was one other thing on Twilight’s mind. This one was much more embarrassing. Twilight had never asked any other pony about love before, let alone if they loved her back. The unicorn tried to control her emotions, trying to ensure that Luna couldn’t sense them.
“Listen,” Twilight began. “There’s something I want to ask you...”
“Hey Twilight!” A vivacious and overexcited voice shouted. Twilight and Luna turned their heads, but already knew who it was.
“Oh, hi Pinkie.” Twilight said, trying to veil her annoyance and disappointment.
“Guess what! Guess what! Guess what!” The pink pony shouted, hopping up and down in the same place.
“What?” Twilight asked, not sounding at all excited.
“Big Macintosh and Fluttershy are dating!” Twilight and Luna’s faces melted into shock, but both of the other ponies failed to notice that the princess was being facetious.
“Really?” Twilight asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
“No way!” Luna echoed, her voice clearly fake.
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie Pie said in her usual over-excited manner. “Applejack caught them kissing behind a tree!”
“Oh my gosh!” Twilight shrieked.
“I am completely stunned by this turn of events!” Luna shouted, both other ponies still oblivious to her sarcasm.
“Did you come here just to tell me that?” Twilight asked.
“No! I...wait...uh...” Pinkie stopped bouncing and put her hoof to her chin. “I was supposed to...uh...wait a minute, I can get it.”
“Can you speed this up?” Twilight whispered to Luna.
“I’m not a mind reader, I’m an emotion reader.” Luna replied, equally as quiet. “But I can try.” As Pinkie tapped her chin, Luna stared at her. After a few moments, the princess’s brow wrinkled and she frowned.
“Oh yeah!” Pinkie Pie said. “Applejack has started cooking for our dinner tonight! She needed help setting it up!”
“We’ll head that way then.” Pinkie Pie instantly began leaping away, humming blissfully. “Oh well, I guess she remembered. Shall we go?” Princess Luna blinked a few times.
“Twilight,” Luna began. “She remembered the whole time.”
“Huh?” The unicorn asked.
“I couldn’t dig very far, but I think she’s a lot smarter than she lets on. The only reason I even knew anything is because she was happy that you think of her as a happy-go-lucky pony. She was only pretending to be an airhead, although I don’t know why.”
“You mean...Pinkie Pie has been lying to us for years?” Twilight asked.
“No, not exactly.” Luna said. “She just wants everypony around her to be happy, that’s the only thing I could glean, but I didn’t get the feeling that what she is, is a lie.”
“I don’t understand.” Twilight said.
“Neither do I.” Luna replied. She turned to Twilight. “I think maybe you should talk to her about being more real with you. There’s something interesting about her, but I can’t quite figure it out.”
“Huh.” Twilight said. She began trotting away, the princess quickly following her. “You know, when I found out Zecora was leaving I went to see Pinkie Pie.”
“Did you?”
“I kind of...flew into a tirade. I had always thought she was just an air-headed pony who didn’t think about anything but cotton candy and cupcakes. I found out she’s much more aware than I suspected. She actually gave me a very logical and reasonable response.”
“Hmm...” Luna gazed up at the sky as she walked, pondering her thoughts. “What an interesting pony. Maybe I should get to know her better.” Twilight gazed at the princess and saw that the alicorn had her head in same position it was last night when the unicorn’s heart pounded. Twilight felt a brief skip in her heart before jerking her head back to staring out in front. She had to control herself, otherwise Luna would feel her emotions, even if she wasn’t trying.
“Pretty wild about Macintosh and Fluttershy huh?” Twilight asked.
“Totally unexpected.” Luna stated. Twilight still didn’t catch the sarcastic tone in the princess’s voice.
“They’ll be great together probably.”
“Most likely.” Twilight gulped, easily getting nervous before she steered the conversation down the path she wanted it to go.
“I imagine you have a lot of relationship experience.” Twilight said, trying to control the tone of her voice.
“A bit.” Luna said, a slight smile on her face.
“Compared to Princess Celestia or the rest of us?” Twilight meant it as an honest question, but Luna thought it was sarcastic. It made the alicorn laugh through her grinning teeth.
“Compared to her, none.” Luna finally said. “Compared to everypony else I guess more.”
“You guess?”
“I’d say that the amount of ponies I’ve dated is less than the average pony, taking into account my age, but it’s much more than everypony else just by numbers.”
“I see...” There were a few moments of silence, as they approached the stand Applejack was using to set up the dinner. Many of the other vendors were doing the same, celebrating their good fortune. “Were there any...mares?” Luna turned her head and gave Twilight a curious expression. Twilight kept her face as straight as she could, as if it were an honest question. She could feel her face burn and blush, but she tried not to attract any attention towards it. They were only a stone-throw’s distance from the stall.
“A few.” Luna said.
“What were they like?” Luna chuckled a bit. They stopped at the threshold of the door to the inside. Luna gave Twilight a somber expression.
“Twilight,” Luna began. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I do believe me, but I don’t like talking about my past before...I went away, not even with Celestia.”
“O-Oh.” Twilight said. She abruptly felt very guilty. She had been making the princess relive something she didn’t want to.
“Hey, don’t feel bad.” Luna stated, giving Twilight a brief pat on the shoulder. “It’s not that it’s painful it was just...a long time ago.”
“Okay.” Twilight said.
“Besides, if you want love advice I’d talk to Celestia. She’s way more experienced than I am.”
“Love...advice!?” Twilight abruptly blushed. That wasn’t her intention at all, but apparently the princess thought so.
“Oh? That’s not it?” Luna asked playfully. She leaned in close and gave Twilight a wink and a smile. “I’m not going to read too much into your emotions, but it’s hard not to feel them when they’re pouring out of you. So, who’s the lucky mare? It is a mare, isn’t it? Otherwise why would you ask?”
“Uh...uh...duh...” Twilight was at a loss for words.
“Good luck!” Luna said. “Hope it isn’t Applejack, that ship has sailed.” Luna trotted inside, smiling to herself. Twilight gulped, feeling more nervous than she had been in her entire life. Not even facing down Nightmare Moon, dragons or Discord had gotten her this riled up. Luna hadn’t delved into Twilight emotions, so she didn’t know who the unicorn was pining after, but it proved one thing, one thing that terrified Twilight above all things. Twilight Sparkle was in love...with a princess.
“What do I do?” Twilight whispered to herself. “Who do I talk to?” The pony sighed and trotted inside, trying to control the storm building inside of her.
What followed was actually a lovely dinner. After assisting Applejack, Twilight tried to enjoy the occasion between her friends. All five of them were there, along with Spike who had to peek his head through the stall’s front, Apple Tree, Apple Core, Macintosh and Princess Luna. Pinkie Pie’s line of conversation was hard to follow, but Twilight listened more closely than she did before. What did Luna mean that Pinkie Pie was lying and she wasn’t? It made the unicorn more curious than ever. Twilight was happy to see that any awkwardness between Rainbow Dash and Applejack seemed to be gone. Rainbow Dash went on for hours about how their season was going, how great her teams were, their strategies against other competitors and what each individual member’s strong and weak spots were. She spent the longest time talking about a mare named Sun Flash. The more she went on about her, the more Applejack smiled.
“Sounds like you and Sun Flash spend a lot of time together.” Applejack said. Rainbow chuckled nervously and blushed. Applejack gave her mischievous grin. The rest of the table gave both of them confused looks. Apple Tree just munched on an apple pie, his expression flat.
“So what’s new on the farm?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to change the subject.
“Oh you know...just...” Applejack paused, actually thinking. It took her a few moments to process her thoughts. “Apples...I guess...” Applejack really couldn’t seem to think of anything.
“Well, you had a foal while I was gone.” Rainbow Dash said, her eyes half closed.
“Oh yeah,” Applejack said, looking off in her daughter’s direction. She was sitting grumpily at the edge of the stall, a leash around her neck that was tied to a support beam. She couldn’t run away and steal things now. “She’s certainly a handful.” Rainbow Dash put her arm on the table and supported her head.
“What was it like being pregnant?” The pegasus pony actually sounded interested.
“It was...mostly unpleasant.” Applejack admitted. “I was fat, moody and my hooves hurt far too often from walking around. Of course when I actually had her I was kickin’ screamin’ and blamin’ Apple Tree for doing this to me, didn’t I?” She elbowed her husband, who briefly lifted his face from his eating.
“She did.” He echoed.
“So after all that are you going to do it again?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well sure. It was worth it in the end. You know, when she not stealin’ somethin’.” Applejack threw a glance at her daughter who only made a “humph” sound.
“Sounds like fun. Invite me when it happens.” Both Apple Tree and Applejack gave her an odd glance. “Oh, the birth not the...other part.” Rainbow Dash blushed, but all Applejack did was laugh.
Another line of conversation that caught Twilight’s ear was between Rarity and Spike. The fashion pony took a break from describing her various clothing lines and shows to talk to the dragon leaning his head into the building.
“So Spike, have you been?” The unicorn asked.
“Me?” The dragon asked, surprised that Rarity was asking him a question. “Oh, fine I guess. Just doing...dragon things.”
“I bet you have a hoard of jewels.” Rarity said, leaning towards him and smiling dreamily. Spike actually blushed and scratched his chin.
“Oh it’s...pretty big....” He said nervously.
‘I wonder if Rarity even knows if she’s doing that.’ Twilight thought, referring to the flirting.
“Any female dragons catch your eye?”
“What?” Spike’s voice raised a few octaves, almost sounding like his young self again. He blushed even redder this time. “Oh...I...I’m still too young to even think about tangling with the other males for that sort of thing.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t look.” Rarity said. “I’m married, but it certainly doesn’t stop me from ogling those stallion models and their perfectly chiseled muscles.” Everypony who heard her turned in her direction, a rather stunned look on their face.
“Rarity!” Twilight said, shocked by the statement that came out of her mouth.
“What?” Rarity asked, as if she said nothing wrong. That was when, abruptly, Apple Core began pulling on her leash. She seemed to be leaning as hard as she could to gaze outside.
“What do you think you’re doin’?” Applejack asked. The little foal pointed at the outside, waving her arms around. “What do you wanna steal now?” That when they all heard a loud pop.
“Fireworks.” Twilight said, sounding solemn. “The fair is over.”
“Let’s go watch!” Rainbow Dash said, trying to keep the mood up. She darted outside. Every other pony followed, except for Applejack who briefly untied her from her post and pulled her by the leash outside, albeit grudgingly.
All of the ponies outside stood and watched the colorful display all across the sky. Fireworks shot up from the center square in what seemed like an endless show. Everypony was mesmerized by the explosions of color filling their vision. They could hear the faint roar of the crowds from the square as they cheered each and every explosion. Twilight briefly tore her gaze away to see Fluttershy and Macintosh. They weren’t even paying attention. Fluttershy’s head was under Macintosh’s chin. The red stallion had his nose buried in her hair, apparently playfully snorting on it. They were a couple now. Apparently that was what lovers did. The unicorn turned her head and gazed at Princess Luna. The bright explosions of color in the sky were reflecting off her face. Each time a new ray of light came in at a different angle Twilight saw a new slice of her beauty. Even more, her mane glimmered in the light of the fireworks, like the shimmering of stars. A brief image of Macintosh’s nose in Fluttershy’s hair came into Twilight’s mind. The unicorn had an overwhelming urge to smell the princess’s hair again. The lavender pony started to lean over to do that, but stopped herself halfway. She gulped and turned away. It was so easy to get lost in the moment. Twilight faced straight ahead.
“Princess Luna?” Twilight began.
“Yes?” The alicorn replied. Twilight’s mouth moved for several moments fruitlessly. She wanted to say everything, everything that was bottled up inside of her and causing her to be so overwhelmed. Yet there was fear, apprehension...and they weren’t alone. Whenever she was around the princess now, the world seemed to stop and she forgot everything else. Finally, Twilight sighed.
“Thank you.” Twilight said. Luna gazed down at the ground and blinked a few times rapidly. She lowered her head.
“Don’t thank me Twilight.” The princess said.
“Huh?” Twilight turned to her. “Why?”
“Just...just don’t.” It looked as if Luna had something weighing her down. Twilight was about to question it further, but then something happened that gave her pang of fear.
The fireworks stopped. The fair was over. There were a series of stomping hooves around the square, then utter silence. Macintosh and Fluttershy separated, the pegasus pony gazing around awkwardly. All of them were very quiet.
“So...” Rainbow Dash began. “I guess...uh...that’s it.”
“Y-yeah...” Rarity added in. There was more silence.
“The Lightning Wings are going to have a meeting...before we leave.” Rainbow Dash said uneasily. Spike himself gulped, not knowing what to say either. There was even more silence. That was when Twilight turned and trotted over to Rainbow Dash. She quickly wrapped her friend in an embrace.
“I’m going to miss you.” Twilight said. As if it were a sign, all of them quickly drew together. They all began wrapping their hooves around one another. Twilight felt her eyes burn as tears began to flow out.
“Don’t cry Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ll visit, I promise.”
“Darn tootin’ you will.” Applejack said, not-so-stealthily sniffing back tears. “Or we’ll send the princess to bring you back.” The country pony turned to Rarity. “You better as well, or I’ll find that old dress I designed that you made and crash a party.”
“I promise.” Rarity said with a small giggle. Spike had been trying to get in on the hugging, but was too big. Now, instead, he wrapped his entire long body around the lot of them. It was now like a hugging sandwich. Twilight continued to cry profusely as Spike nuzzled her with his snout, Rarity gave her a farewell kiss on the cheek and Rainbow Dash gave another hug. Eventually they all began crying. Pinkie Pie promised everypony a party on their return. Fluttershy swore that she would be stronger from now on and would never let somepony use her again. Rarity swore that she would take time off from her work to bring them all personally-made dresses. Applejack said that they would all have to come and try out the zap apple jam, which would be coming next year. Rainbow Dash said that when (not if) the Lightning Wings won the championship she would move the party to Ponyville. Spike promised to visit at least once a month, now that his den was safe. All Twilight could do was cry. She knew that it wasn’t like before. They weren’t running away, but merely moving in different directions. She had no doubt they would come back. Still things could never be the way they were. They could never be the little ponies that were back then, all together and happy. Twilight wished, with every fiber of her body, that they could all come home one day.
Luna had backed away from all of it, giving them all some space. The princess sighed, feeling sad that Twilight was hurt. Macintosh had his head turned away from everypony, trying to hide the fact that was getting emotional. Apple Tree had his daughter in a choke-hold under his arm, preventing her from escaping. She appeared annoyed, her father merely sporting his usual passive face in return. Luna smiled solemnly and stared up at the sky. She studied at the stars for a moment, seeing that Betelgeuse and Altair were shining brightly. It was a sign of prophecy. Luna squinted for a moment, wondering what that meant. Then a shooting star streaked across the sky, a sign of wishing. The alicorn gazed down at the group of friends, back up at the sky and then back at them. Her eyes focused on Twilight, who was crying. The princess thought for a moment, then smiled, a true smile. She gazed back up at the sky.
“Well played fates.” She said. “Well played.” The alicorn then sighed. Her eyes narrowed and a very dark expression crossed her face. “Now why can’t you tell me if I’m doing the right thing?” Luna closed her eyes and shook her head. She shouldn’t be thanked. Not by Twilight, not by the ponies at the fair...not by anypony.
A large distance from ponyville, halfway to Retussia, two unicorns were walking along an Equestrian road. The bigger one stopped. He turned and briefly lifted his hood. He stared at the sky a moment. It was a little habit he had. Once he was lost behind enemy lines. He did not know where he was, where he could go or when the enemy would find him. It was then that he remembered the old lessons of his father. The stars would guide him home. In the end, he used what he had learned so long ago about their positions to find his way back to friendly territory. It had saved his life. Now he gazed up at them as if it were a matter of respect. The other pony with him finally noticed that his uncle had stopped. He turned around and approached the older unicorn. He said something in his native tongue.
“Speak in zis country’s language.” Coltov stated.
“Pochemu?” Herzkoof asked.
“Ve are ze ambassadors of zis country now.” The captain explained. “If you speak in our tongue around zem, zey become distrustful. Practice speaking ze language when in ze country.” Herzkoof appeared annoyed, grimacing a bit more than usual.
“Vhat vill...Tsar pick?” He asked.
“Vat vill ze Tsar pick.” Coltov corrected. “To answer, I do not know. It vill depend.”
“On?” Herzkoof retorted.
“Whether he vants to be in safe position and get less or be in dangerous one and get more.” Coltov lowered his hood and continued marching into the night, his nephew right behind him.
“Tsarina Luna is dangerous pony, no?” Herzkoof asked.
“Dangerous or clever, I cannot tell. In ze end, ze Tsar will decide.”
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Been waiting for this! I feel like shit, but your story cheered me up!
Even more foreshadowing...
I am really liking the way Twilight is freaking out trying to figure out what to say to Luna. Should be good when they finally work that out!
But what is the EVIL Luna planning!?
did Celestia swich places with luna or was it a typo?
anyway good job with the story and i wonder what luna's reaction to the mare twi picked will be? i bet it'll be something like this
... o crap call off all the shitstorm fighting 
. either way we'll see now wont we? till next chapter cheers.
or maybe
This story is like a delicious multi-layered cake(Twiluna romance, separation issues, sneaky luna plotting, ect). Each layer is different in a way that makes them enjoyable as separate items, but they come together in such a way that enhances everything. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Twilight_Sparkle.png
and i think you're just about caught up to the original story? Good job even if not!
812278 lol, I gues that got missed this time around too.
And now we're into the unknown...I can't wait!
this is awesome, where most of the authors would be satisfied with just pulling off something as huge as the fair, you planned this to be only the start of "something" even bigger
really looking forward to it!
its about time you finished ch9, i've read ch1-8 on fanfiction before you removed it, so now i finally can get back into reading this story.
816185
I NEVER write anything short. I don't know how.
omg, i was expecting the male alicorn to have something to do with luna's plan...now im nervous again...
1. luna is planning something with another country that no one but her knows about (as far as we know at least)
2. it's going to be something that affects twilight and every pony in equestria in a bad way
3. the country luna is collaborating with has two options: more safety, less gain or more gain and less safety. we don't know what this gain is.
That basically screams coup d'etat to me...but that is what you want us to believe (and damn you're good at it), so im mostly certain that a coup is not luna's goal, but even so; my mind won't stop screaming "coup d'etat or similar" to my face, which is my it's so damn stressing...the suspense alone has me screaming for moar!
So it only took 9 (fantastic and beautiful and the best ever, mind you) chapters, and we are finally are the real shipping!
I think Luna also has feelings for Twilight, maybe not as much, it could be feelings for a friend and not a lover but Luna hates it when Twilight cries, she doesn't have that same reaction to anyone else.