Chapter Four: Sibling Rivalry
Celestia popped back into existence, hitting the cobblestones and skidding, throwing up a trail of sparks so large it threatened to set the nearby shrubbery on fire. She turned the skid into a charging gallop, racing up the stairs to Twilight's castle and crashing through the doors.
"TWILIGHT! LUNA!" she bellowed, entering the castle's main hall at full speed. "YOU—"
She stopped in place instantly, the crystal under her hooves momentarily igniting from the friction, as she realized both Princesses were right there and only just starting to climb the main staircase.
"Oh."
"Princess Celestia! You made it after all!" came Twilight's happy response. "Luna told me you couldn't be here for this visit."
"That's because she told me she couldn't." Luna's response was less welcoming, and Twilight pulled back as the Night Princess brushed past her to stand in front of Celestia. "In fact, she made it very clear that she had no interest whatsoever."
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I just needed to think about what it would mean not to be here. Maybe I needed a bit more time than just a few minutes to think it over."
The two began circling each other warily, eyes locked.
"You have no right, you know. To get my hopes up like that, after everything you said, and then just change your mind?" said Luna, almost casually.
"Um..."
"This, coming from the mare who practically insisted I do this?" Celestia moved lithely as she circled, hooves lifting high, muscles tensed. "All of this is your doing, sister. Had you kept quiet, I wouldn't even be here right now."
"UM."
Twilight sounded nearly frantic now. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, Celestia turned to face the smaller alicorn, deliberately turning her back to her sister.
"I'm sorry, Twilight, I shouldn't have been ignoring you," she said, a warm smile on her face. "It's just that Luna's been up all day and she's a bit grumpy." A snort of anger came from behind her, and Celestia's smile curled upwards a bit more. One point for her.
"Oh. Y-you're not fighting, are you? I mean, that doesn't usually end well..."
"No, it's not a fight at all, dear Twilight," said Luna, moving forward to stand next to Celestia. "Just an argument. You see, we both wish to have the same piece of... delicious pie."
Twilight tilted her head curiously. "Really? I mean, I could understand if it was cake, but I've never seen Celestia—or you, for that matter, Luna—get so worked up about pie."
Celestia puffed her cheeks out angrily while Luna giggled, but then she shook herself and regained her composure.
"Yes, well, it's a very special piece of pie," said Celestia, leaning over to glare directly into the face of her sister, who just stuck out her tongue. "It's a piece of pie I've known for a very long time and it means a lot to me."
"Ooookay," said Twilight slowly. "Well, while you two are having a rational argument that totally isn't a fight, how would you like me to show you around the castle? I know you've both been here before, but I never got to give you the full tour, and I've been doing some remodeling lately so there's new stuff to see."
"That sounds absolutely lovely," declared Luna, breaking off her glare to trot up and stand far too close to Twilight. "I'm always excited to learn more about you."
"And I'd love to see what you've done with your home," said Celestia, flanking Twilight from the other side, "I'm sure it will be astounding."
"Wonderful!" said Twilight excitedly, starting to trot down the hall as the two sisters locked horns and glared at each other behind her. "Oh, are you two hungry at all? I can have Spike put something together for when we finish the tour."
She looked back at the other Princesses, who were smiling pleasantly.
"I could eat."
"A snack sounds perfect."
"Great!" Twilight moved on, followed by two sisters exchanging furious glares and bumping each other with their shoulders.
"And this is the other other library," declared Twilight happily, leading them into yet another room lined with book-filled shelves.
"How... spectacular," said a bored, tired-sounding Luna.
Celestia, on the other hoof, bounded around almost as enthusiastically as Twilight. That was another point on her side; Luna had little interest in literature, but Twilight and Celestia had always shared predilection for the scholarly. She hardly even noticed the minor victory as she scanned the shelves.
"These books seem awfully familiar," she mused slyly, casting a glance at Twilight as she ran a hoof along a row of books. "Fantastic Abjurations, 101 Useful (and poisonous) Herbs, Pentagrams and You, Changeling Courtship Rituals, the fifth edition of Starswirl's Treatise on Harmony... This library is filled with all the books I lent you when you first got the castle, isn't it?"
Twilight flushed slightly, avoiding the Princess's eyes. "I just wanted to make sure I could give them all back to you when you asked for them."
Celestia chuckled, moving a few steps closer to the smaller Princess. "I told you, Twilight, they're yours for as long as you need. I'm not lacking in books; you know what the Royal Library is like. And besides, I'm always just a teleport away..."
Luna narrowed her eyes at the two ponies gazing at each other. "You have so many books in this castle, I'm surprised there's room for anything else," she said stiffly. "I know how much you enjoy reading, but surely you have some other hobbies?"
"Well, maybe," said Twilight, moving away from Celestia, who threw a glare at her sister.
Twilight cocked an eyebrow upwards. "Would you be surprised to hear I'm interested in things like, say, stargazing?"
"Not surprised, no, but... are thou truly interested in our stars?"
"Take a look at the balcony over there", said Twilight smugly, indicating one side of the room with a toss of her head.
Luna turned, and her mouth fell open as she caught sight of the enormous telescope sitting in front of the open balcony doors. It gleamed in the evening sun, brass trimming and gears throwing spots of light in all directions, dark blue casing polished to a bright metallic shine.
"Most impressive," said Luna, trotting up to the eyepiece. "Is this a sixteen inch?"
"Eighteen!" replied Twilight happily. "I had to upgrade it because I wasn't getting the resolution I wanted."
"And you polish the mirrors with magic, of course..." Luna glanced back over her shoulder, a small smile on her face.
"Please," sneered Twilight, smiling as well. "And potentially introduce arcane artifacts into the optics? I hoof polish them with a fresh cotton cloth every week."
"Your interest in my night skies is most flattering," said Luna, walking back over to Twilight. "Perhaps I shall create a special sky some night soon. One just for you..."
"Oh Twilight," interrupted Celestia, voice strained. "Why don't you come sit over here?" She indicated a reading couch across from the one she was sitting in. "Now that the tour is done, we can talk while we wait."
"Okay, Princess Celestia!" Twilight trotted over happily and settled herself into the seat, unaware of the pout on Luna's face.
"Oh no, Luna," said Celestia, putting a wing over her mouth in mock horror. "It looks like there aren't any seats left for you!"
"That's okay," replied Luna smugly, trotting over to Twilight's couch. "I can just sit next to Twilight. It looks very comfy there."
She settled onto the cushions, snuggling up tight against Twilight, enjoying the glare on Celestia's red face. Biting her lower lip suggestively, she raised one wing, stretching it out over Twilight and slowly lowering it down. Just before she was able to embrace Twilight, a bell rang.
"Ah, that's Spike!" cried Twilight, springing from the couch. "The snacks must be done. I'll be right back!" With that, she trotted from the room.
As the door closed behind Twilight, Luna turned slowly to face Celestia. "And just what do you think you are doing here?" she asked in a low voice.
"Exactly what you advised me to, sister," replied Celestia smugly. "You said I should follow my heart, that I should let Twilight know of my feelings for her and attempt to pursue a relationship. I thought about it after you left and decided you were right, so here.. I... am."
"You just can't stand to see me have anything you don't have, can you?" said Luna after a moment. "You were all ready to throw everything you felt away, but the moment I said I wanted the same thing, you went running to steal it from me as soon as possible."
"W-what?" Celestia's mouth fell open in shock. "Luna, no, I'd never—"
"Then you think I don't deserve her?" Luna shot back. "I'm not good enough for your Twilight?"
"Luna, no... I..." Celestia hung her head. "You're right. It was foolish and selfish of me to come after you like this, especially after I had made it clear I had no interest. I'll leave now, and I won't interfere anymore."
She got up and made to leave, only to be stopped by the look of sheer incredulity on her sister's face.
"No," said Luna, shaking her head, voice sounding nearly stunned. "No."
"I-I don't understand, Luna. I'm doing what you want—"
"No you're not!" cried Luna, leaping to her hooves as well. "You're doing the same thing you always do!"
"Luna, what—"
"Stop trying to be perfect. This is what you always do. You think you have to handle everything yourself, that any bit of work or responsibility has to be on you. You make all the sacrifices; I hate watching you do that."
Luna leaned forward on the table in between the two seats, and Celestia's eyes widened in alarm. Luna's mane was whipping around wildly, the way it had when she was Nightmare Moon.
"And you still aren't treating me as your equal! I'm glad you aren't ignoring me anymore, but that doesn't mean I want you to just give me everything I ask for!"
"Luna, I... I don't..." Celestia scraped a hoof on the floor. "Tell me what to do?" she asked in a small voice.
Luna glowered back. "Do something that's good for yourself for once! Be selfish, do what you want to do. And treat me as your equal! I'm not just your sister; I'm a rival suitor, here to steal the heart of your beloved! How are you going to respond to that?"
Celestia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She thought of her dream, how she had felt when Twilight said she was in love with another... the way her heart had seemed to break into pieces. Then she tried to imagine that same feeling, except this time Twilight wasn't just with any pony, but Celestia's own sister. Seeing the two of them, right there in her castle, every single day for the rest of eternity…
But I love them both, part of her spoke up. I should be happy to see them together.
She struggled with that thought for a moment, then ruthlessly quashed it. How long had she unknowingly carried this torch for Twilight? How many years had it been? And how long had Luna felt the same—mere hours. She'd said she had considered it before, but this was clearly the first time she ever did so seriously. At best it was an infatuation, another one of Luna's whims. There would be no guilt on Celestia's head if she were to win Twilight's heart.
And besides, another part of her, deep inside, snarled, I deserve something in my life besides just ruling over Equestria.
She opened her eyes again, and Luna flinched as a small piece of the sun blazed out at her.
"I was once known as Sol Invicta; The Unconquered Sun. I may rule my kingdom in harmony and peace, but as you well know, it was not formed that way. In all the battles, in all the court intrigues, in all the assassination attempts, but one pony emerged victorious: myself. And now you truly wish to test yourself against that force? You may make that mistake if you wish, dear sister, but know that it is Sol Invicta herself you will be facing. And you shall not triumph."
Celestia suddenly stopped, putting a hoof to her mouth in shock. "Oh my. Luna, I'm sorry–"
"Bravo, sister," said Luna quietly. She clapped her hooves, then bowed. "I yield."
"W-what?!"
"Twilight is yours. Or at least, the first attempt is. Just know that if you mess this up somehow, I'll be waiting to jump on her like a changeling at a wedding reception."
"What about all that talk about treating each other as equals?!" cried Celestia.
Luna let out a chuckle. "I said I wanted you to treat me as your equal. As I am the best Princess, I have no need to treat you as my equal."
"But–"
"And your passion moved me, sister." Luna moved out from behind the table, standing closer to Celestia. "It was good to see you so animated about something for once. I have hardly seen you so since my return; I was starting to think you'd lost that fire within yourself during the years I was away."
She shrugged, turning and moving away again. "Besides, I am well aware that my romantic interests tend to be rather... fickle. Any relationship between Twilight and myself would be fairly fleeting, I fear. The citizenry may not enjoy it if two of their Princesses were to have a simple dalliance, or 'fling', as they call it in their new modern parlance."
"Luna, were you..." Celestia scowled at Luna. "Was this just all a trick? Just a way to force me to confront Twilight and confess my feelings?!"
"Of course not, sister!" replied Luna, laughing. "Or at least, not solely that. I fully intended to woo Twilight when I arrived here. Had you truly given in, I would have wrecked that mare like Tirek."
"Luna, for Heaven's sake—"
Celestia clamped her mouth shut as the door opened and Twilight trotted in, a tray of muffins held in her magical grasp. "Snacks are here!" she announced cheerfully.
"I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, "but I must depart now before tasting your delightful-smelling baked goods. Well..." A muffin separated itself from the tray, enveloped in the glow of Luna's magic, and stuffed itself into the Princess's mouth.
"Delicious," she declared with a spray of crumbs.
"Do you really have to go now?" Twilight asked in a disappointed tone.
"Regrettably, I am afraid I must," replied Luna, head down as she moved away.
"Luna, wait," said Celestia, moving over for a quick nuzzle with her sister. "Thank you. For forcing me to recognize my own blindness and folly, and for being so gracious in defeat."
"Think nothing of it. While I had my interests, they were clearly no match for your passion. Although..." The look Luna gave Twilight was so intense that the small alicorn blushed without quite knowing why. "I will admit to being a bit... disappointed."
With a sigh, she moved towards the balcony. "In any case, it is late and I have much to do this night. I shall see you both some other time."
"Goodbye, sister," said Celestia, walking with her as she exited. "And again, thank you."
"Just do one thing for me," said Luna, turning to give her sister one of the dirtiest, most lustful winks Celestia had ever seen. "Give her hell."
The Lunar Princess leapt up and into the sky, and disappeared a moment later.
"Excuse me, Princess, but what exactly is going on here?" asked a confused Twilight as she climbed back onto the couch across from Celestia. "I mean, you two show up out of nowhere, then spend the whole night arguing about... something while I show you around the castle. Then once we're finally getting ready to settle down and talk, Luna leaves, just like that? What is going on here?"
Celestia munched on a muffin to smother her giggle at Twilight's reaction. She was so adorable. "I'm sorry, Twilight. This night was sort of spur-of-the-moment. But don't worry, I'll be staying. I have no plans to leave until morning."
"Okay! It would have been nice to have Luna here too, but I always like to spend time with you."
Celestia felt her cheeks heat up at the compliment. "Thank you, Twilight. I enjoy spending time with you as well."
They sat there, smiling at each other across the table, until Twilight began to grow restless.
"Um, Princess—"
"Oh my!" Celestia put a hoof to her mouth, and gave her head a shake, trying to clear it. "I-I'm sorry, my mind must be wandering. Do you want to, um, talk about... something?"
"Sure!"
Once again, silence reigned in the crystalline library.
"Um—"
"Oh! I suppose I should, um, bring up something to talk about, yes? Since it was me who suggested it and all, hahahahaha!" Celestia's eyes began to dart around the room, searching frantically for a topic. "So you sure have a, um, nice castle here? Very... pretty."
Like you, she desperately wanted to add.
"Yes, I'm really starting to appreciate it," said Twilight, a wave of her indicating the castle as a whole. "I still miss the old library, but I'm sure I'll make some good memories here as well."
Celestia didn't reply, enraptured by Twilight's appearance. Her eyes, always so bright and interested. The stripes in her mane, adding a bit of color to what could otherwise have been a mane that was too dark. Celestia's gaze moved down and back. Her wings, once so stiff and clumsy were now finally beginning to move naturally. Celestia's eyes moved further back. Her cutie mark, the same symbol Celestia had seen centuries ago upon the Tree of Harmony, now upon Twilight's flank.
Celestia's eyes moved back along Twilight's body once again—
"Um, hello, Equestria to Princess Celestia?" Twilight waved a hoof at the monarch, a puzzled look on her face. "Are you alright? You're looking a bit flushed."
Celestia suddenly jerked back to reality, face red and feeling like it was burning hotter than her sun. "Ah! Twilight! I, uh, I just, uh... Ineedtodosomethingbye!" With a flash of light, she was gone.
Twilight stared at the spot on the couch where her Princess had been, mouth agape. Finally, she just shook her head. "That was weird. Is it a full moon out tonight or something? Well, that would explain Luna, but not Celestia. I should check the spectroscopes, see if they've picked up any sunspots lately..."
Celestia appeared back in her bedroom, and with a sigh collapsed onto her bed. "I am a coward," she said, to no one in particular.
"And a fool, and perhaps a bit too fond of cake, and many other things," came a voice from behind her. She jerked around, then relaxed as she realized her sister was on her room's balcony.
"Luna? What are you...?"
"I was waiting for the foolish, cowardly pony," replied Luna, strolling into the room and alongside the bed. "I teleported right here. I figured if you didn't arrive within ten minutes or so, I'd be good to leave you."
"I couldn't do it," said Celestia, head flopping back down. "I just... she was right there in front of me, and all my nerve just evaporated."
"It's okay, dear sister. It's been many centuries since you last attempted a relationship, after all. Well, aside from one with that thing I found in the bottom drawer of your dresser—"
"LUNA!"
"But have no fear! We shall give you all the assistance you require in making Twilight Sparkle your own! The letter has been sent, and on the morrow your education in the ways of romance shall begin. We will not rest until you have become a siege engine of seduction, aimed squarely at your love!"
"Luna, what do you mean by 'the letter'—wait, that wasn't the Royal We, was it? Oh Goddess, who did you call?" Celestia tried to get up, but suddenly found herself being pushed back down and maneuvered onto the pillows by her sister.
"Shh, Celestia, rest," said Luna,her horn glowing faintly. "You have had a busy day, and you will need your strength for tomorrow."
Celestia recognized the effects of her sister's power over sleep, and for a moment tried to resist. Especially after how ominous that last sentence was. But she had had a long day, and knowing she would have nothing but peaceful dreams made her decide to give in. She watched her sister gently close the door behind herself, and drifted off to sleep.
Twilight grumbled as she descended the steps.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," she snarled as the knocking at the door boomed throughout her castle once again. "What do you—Princess Celestia?!"
"Hello, Twilight," said the Monarch of the Sun, smiling and tilting her head slightly. "How are you doing this night?"
"Uh, fine, Princess. But what are you doing here?"
"Why, do I need a reason to visit my most faithful student?"
The mild admonishment made Twilight flush and look away. "N-no, of course not. But... you just left, and now you're back a few minutes later."
For a moment there was an expression of utter panic on the older alicorn's face, but it disappeared quickly. "I thought I had to go but, as it turns out, I do not. I would much rather be here with you than do... whatever it was I was going to do instead."
"Well, I'm happy to hear that, I guess. I really had been looking forward to spending more time with you."
"And I with you." Celestia sat back, spreading her wings and extending her forelegs. There was no need to say anything, and Twilight moved eagerly forward to hug her Princess.
"I'm really glad to see you," she said quietly, nuzzling up against Celestia's chest as the alabaster alicorn's forelegs and wings embraced her.
"Me too, Twilight," said Celestia, eyes flashing green for a moment as she looked down at the smaller Princess.
"Me too."
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Oh boy... Chrysalis. Luna, oh you are good...
Luna is freaking amazing. Love it!
Is it the type that involves copious amounts of cream? Because I hear a lot of people are very fond of those. I personally am not, but I do not judge.
Celestia is secret dude, historical confirmation.
Sol Invicta. Invictus is specifically male declension.
Ooh, twist!
I like where this is going...
7241470 As an Exalted 1e/2e player, seeing those thrown around (I know, I know, same original source) always makes me giggle, especially since Celestia's cutie mark is basically the Dawn Caste Mark.
7241518
Discord vs. Sidereal Exalted. Who wins?
Oh wow, this just keeps getting better.
7241542 If Equestria is a broken and ruined Creation that has to be hand-held together, probably the Siddies. If it's a Wyld pocket, Freehold, Unshaped/etc., Discord, probably, depending on Essence.
I kinda view the Six as being Siddies with one of them being the Lost Maiden. The colors are all wrong and it's hard to pick a single quality-- You can play Twi as Secrets straight, Endings with the whole MA is the Ultimate Power, or either serving or BEING the lost maiden by apotheosis; Dash is blue but should be Journeys, sure, but unless you say Rarity's hoof fu and thread/cut symbolism make her Endings, you have Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rares duking it out for different aspects of Serenity (and Flutters can actually work as what she's colored in, survival/ride for creatures, after all). AJ kindasorta fits Battle, or at least fits it enough.
Of course, while in any "fractured Creation" or "colony in the Wyld" scenario, the Fivescore (or perhaps Sixscore) fellowship might just have to take what they can get, I think you _can_ make a coherent Mercury-Dash, Venus-Flutters, Mars-AJ, Jupiter-Twilight, Saturn-Rarity, Lost-Pinkie group with some possibility for jumble as per above. My spouse pointed out that the basic powers of the various ponies would make for a decent "this world is held together by the symbolic efforts of the dragonblooded" nation, with bitter mortals/wyld mutants off the Blessed Isle, I mean Equestria.
Or I could be reading too much into it. I was sort of sad to see like... only one, I think it was, Exalted crossover fic here.
7241602
...holy crap, dude. Gotta hand it to you, you completely out-nerded me there just now. I'm tipping my intangible fedora to you. I was just gonna go with "they punch him in the destiny until the chaos comes out of his ears."
I caught Changeling Courtship Rituals, you sly author.
Ohhh shit.
7241429 I think the letter was sent to Cadence... I don't think Chrysalis was in the plan.
Well one important book is obvious, or at least looks like it is, I'm going with Fantastic Abjurations as the 2nd.
And I died laughing at this point.
Is it weird that I thought that Celestia would banish Luna to the moon?
7242084 you know what, I wouldn't discount it. This stories been a fun wild ride so far,heck I wouldn't be surprised if luna had a tryst with Chrysalis before(or even after) her banishment.
Oh dear, I should have known you would find a way to make things really awkward.
...Of course, master of expedience that I am, my initial impulse was "why not have both?"
7241640 I as well!
7241602 considering 3e, I'd say it would not be harmonious for them all to be siddies. I'd put pinkie as one for her pinkiness, but she'd likely be the only one... which kind I don't know though.
AJ would be a Dawn caste Solar with aweteness as her supernal, for her uncanny hability to know the truth and willingness to put herself into the front.
Rarity as a Twilight caste with craft, for she is above all a creator of beauty.
Flutters is another problem... what makes her special is her kindness that gives effectively unparalleled power over the wild. But her personality would not make for a good solar... maybe a lunar would be most appropriate. Rainbow's or Rarity's mate, at that.
Said Dash has most certainly a Dawn personality, and her mastery of athletics put her in the domain of the solars indeed. Athletics not being "supernable" by Dawns is merely a setback
She still could be a second sideral, though. Her act of destiny uniting the six of them so strongly, intertwining their destinies? That screams sideral alright. But as a sideral she'd never reach that pinnacle of being the fastest flyer alive... being "the best" is the domain of the solars.
Now, Twilight Sparkle, scholar extraordinare, master of organization and magic would be... the Zenith! At first glance she does seem to be the perfect Twilight, not only for her name but for everything she was raised to be. But what does truly make her legend? Her hability to make friends. She became the Princess of it, for Luna' sake!
she is, above and before all the bookiness, a leader. She unites the ponies in times of peril and makes them pull through. Her Presence is indeed great and powerful (
), wouldn't you say?
It does seem like a player that made the character to be the quintessential twilight... but when they began as mortals she forgot about that and played a Zenith instead
On the story, I can barely wait to find what shenanigans will ensue!
Good God, what have I started?
7242084 Well, when I read green eyes that's where my mind went to.
So twisty.
There are an upsetting amount of princess romance fics where changelings are the villains. It just gets old after a while, you know? Other than that this is pretty good.
It'll be interesting to see what role Chrysalis plays in all of this. Still loving the story.
pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw4563_small.jpg
hooooo boy well i that wasnt my guess for who luna was calling in i still dont think luna called in crysalis
So... Either Chrysalis is up to no good, or Celestia just got a competitor.
I'm hardly the best Latin scholar, but I think Celestia's title should be "Sol Invicta." She is female, after all. Of course, someone better versed in the language can probably explain both how wrong I am and why.
In any case, very interesting chapter. The thing about being unconquered is that you're automatically your own worst enemy, especially since the clashes keep ending up stalemates.
Also, I really like the idea of sunspot cycles and lunar phases impacting the mental states of the diarchs... as long as it isn't too severe. The last thing you want is the ruler of the country going totally loopy every eleven years, much less every month.
7241470
7246303
Yes, I almost need a latin editor if I'm going to keep putting semi-fake latin in. Actually doing some research proved that 'Invicta' is indeed the way to go, and I've updated the chapter.
7242959
I mean, no spoilers, but if you've read my other stories, you should know villainous changelings aren't really my thing :P
7247307
I would've recommended an alternative for "sol," too, since it's intrinsically male (it's a Latin thing), but since there is kind of no female word for "sun," it's probably the best you can go with. My latin powers have never been strong, but being German - everything has a gender in German - I'm really good at that part, if nothing else. I'll chime in if I notice anything else.
7228701
"Stuffed crust, Princess Celestia! You can eat it in reverse!"
(Yes, I know, wrong part. But a funnier line, and the same basic situation)
7247314 If that's not spoilers then that means I'm right, HA!
7222906
Oh man, that would actually be kind of dark, in a way. If I was going to do something like that, it would have to be a one chapter kind of thing. Building a story up over multiple chapters to end it with nothing would be kind of depressing. Instead, I'll end it with something much worse.
And besides, this is the My Little Pony fandom. All characters are assumed to be bi-sexual.
Now, I'm not sure which caught me more. The ultra meta joke (which did make me chuckle mind you) or the fact Celestia lent her a book titled Changeling Courtship Rituals.
7247351 do i detect a third suitor.....Chrysalis?
Green? O.O green usually means good, but in this case it's not green good...green bad! I sense the queen of bug ponies!
7241640 Funny how that was there, and Queen swiss leg has appeared.
Come on ROYAL HAREM! Luna and Celestia didn't share once already, and look how that turned out...(we really need a Nightmare Moon emoticon)
No...you should be happy that Luna is willing to share her with you! I mean...she's done so much for the both of you, Celestia!
heh. It would be funny if she actually ended up with somepony other than one of them, in an effort to make sure that they didn't turn into Nightmare Moon and the Solar Empress respectively...maybe Rainbow Dash?
Says the princess that tried to kill everypony on Equestria one time...
Dat book title reference.
And the best pony bug horse thing arrives!
7325723
Oh my god, it was ONE TIME! Would you just let it go already? Geez.
Or that's what I expect Luna would say if she saw this.
pre08.deviantart.net/1cdd/th/pre/f/2012/150/a/1/sw_g_by_miketheuser-d51o17d.png
"I would have wrecked that mare like Tirek."
This needs to be a T-shirt.
"Changeling courtship rituals"
Lol, i just finished reading that story!
"Oh, well there's an easy solution - bake another one!" And thus was the Twilight Escort Service (A Twilight For Every Mare) founded.
I hope the answer is "Seduce you both." It probably isn't, but I'm hoping anyway.
Meanwhile, in the Crystal Empire, Cadence experienced a flashback.
I feel sorry for Tia's maids.
Small problem: Cadance is a monarch of the Crystal Empire, assuming her husband isn't just as politically powerful herself, and if he is then they are both diarchs. Celestia is called a monarch twice in this chapter, but she's actually a triarch, since Equestria has three ruling princesses currently.
I'm glad this story is already finished so I can enjoy the rest immediately.
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I actually had a small
argumentfriendly discussion with my proofer about this exact issue!Basically, a diarchy is a form of government. It simply refers to a monarchy (in this situation) with corulers. The rulers can be kings, queens, princesses, whatever you want, as long as both wield roughly equal powers. 'Diarch' is, in fact, not even a word (actually it is a botanical term meaning 'having two strands of xylem', but that's not applicable in this situation).
I didn't know this either at the time, and ended up spending a while looking into all of it. Hooray for vocabulary lessons!