10. Breakfast
Sunlight flooded into Twilight’s suite, spilling onto the floor and running up the leg of her bed as it slowly creeped toward her. Warmth touched her mane, like her mother’s soft hooves running through her mane to coax her to wake up.
Twilight stirred, then winced as pain pounded at the center of her forehead, bringing with it a wave of nausea.
A low moan sounded from the back of her throat. She buried her muzzle in her pillow and clenched her eyes shut, trying to hide from the sun’s light. “G’way, sun,” she mumbled, waving a clumsy hoof in the general direction of her window. “It’s sleepy time now, not awake time.”
Despite her pleas, the sun’s light crept closer and closer to her face, drawing a high-pitched whine from her. Twilight grumbled under her breath and made to cast a levitation spell to pull her blanket over her head.
The instant her horn lit up, the dull, pounding of her hangover headache became a hot lance of pain. Her hooves leapt to her temples, Twilight writhed and curled herself into a tight ball. Whimpering as her body burned and tried to sweat out alcohol she’d drunk the night before.
There was a steady cadence of hooves on carpeted floor, each driving the pain deeper into her skull.
“Well, well! Look who woke up after her first hangover!” Rainbow Dash’s voice seemed as though it came through a megaphone, drawing a strangled cry from Twilight as she tried to nose her way beneath her pillows.
“Rainbow!” she whined piteously. “Too loud!” Her ears flicked at the sound of Rainbow snickering at her misfortune. She gave another whine and aimlessly flailed a hoof. “Just—Just leave me alone to die, or something.”
“Oh, what was that? I mean, I did bring you one of the Apple family’s cure-alls, even though you went and had your first drunken rave without your best friends!”
Wincing at the light scolding tone, Twilight dared to peek out from under her pillow, a move she regretted when sunlight burned her eyes. “I’m sorry!” she replied, her voice muffled. “Soarin’s the one who offered!”
“And how many times have I offered you shots? Or rainbow mixers?” She gave a mock gasp. “I-I’m just so hurt, Twi!” she said, her voice tinged with poorly faked grief. “To think the girls and I wouldn’t get to share in the joys of your first drunken night together! The memories of helping you to the bathroom and holding your mane while you prayed to the porcelain goddess for the first time, all gone! They all belong to that other mare now!”
There was a heavy sigh and stern tutting. “Honestly, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said. “Just give the poor mare her medicine and stop teasing her!“
Rainbow scoffed. “You’re just mad I got to the dramatic whining act before you pulled out your fainting—Yeowch!”
The bell-like tinkle of magic and telltale rustle of feathers told her all she needed to know, but she snuck a peek, despite the sun’s torturous light, and allowed herself a small smile at the sight of Rarity twisting Rainbow’s ear, the latter struggled with all she could to wrench herself free.
Rarity let her go just as she gave a sharp tug, giving a self-satisfied smirk at Rainbow stumbling a couple steps, then trotted toward Twilight’s bed. “Rainbow’s antics aside, I must agree with her.” Her horn lit up in a soft blue aura as she floated a small cup containing a bit of pale green slush over to the nightstand. “Drink that, you’ll feel much better.”
“Then can we pester her?” Rainbow asked, waggling her ears.
With a roll of her eyes, Rarity nodded. “After breakfast, yes. As long as she doesn’t feel like she’s going to be ill, in which case—” with another flash of magic, she levitated a bucket over to the side of the bed “—I’m afraid my own experience compels me to offer this, dear. I imagine it’ll be preferable to—”
Twilight felt her stomach churn, the nausea hit her full force. She leaned over the side of her bed and took the bucket in her hooves, holding her head over it while she gave a few deep, panting breaths. Her throat clenched, though nothing came up.
“I hate dry heaving,” she said, groaning as she held the bucket close, as if it were a security blanket. “Can’t tell if I’m going to throw up or not.”
Rarity floated the cup over to hover by her muzzle. “Drink that, then. It’ll settle your stomach.”
Eager to be rid of her ailment, Twilight took hold of the cup with unsteady hooves. She drew in a deep breath through her nose and blanched at the scent. “Are you sure this is supposed to help?”
“Oh, you haven’t needed it before, I always forget.” Rarity smiled and gave a nod. “She makes some for Rainbow, Pinkie, and I when we go out on Friday nights. You and Fluttershy don’t usually need any because both of you prefer to drink cider than any of the liquors or mixed drinks Berry makes.”
Wrinkling her snout, she regarded the foreign slush with a critical eye, the temptation to cast a quick spell to scan the strange substance was overridden only by her want to avoid aggravating her headache.
Rainbow prodded her shoulder. “Word of advice: down it as quick as you can. It tastes weird, but it’s better than puking. Or that hangover headache.” She pinned her ears back and shuddered. “Not a good time.”
Twilight fixed Applejack’s concoction with one last baleful look, then took a deep breath through her nose, and drank it. She sputtered and gagged as the taste hit her—like sweaty workout gear, a clove of garlic, and sour apples.
Nevertheless, she tilted her head back. Her face screwed up as she swallowed the last drop. Twilight gasped in relief, savoring the sweet taste of fresh air. “That was terrible!”
“Oh, yeah, forgot about that!” Rainbow said with a hint of a smirk. “Complained to Granny Smith about it once. She got all huffy about it.” She screwed up her muzzle and squinted her eyes, then pulled her best mockery of the elderly mare’s voice. “It ain’t s’posed to taste good, ya feathery varmint! It does its job and teaches the little seedlings who keep repeatin’ the same mistake a little lesson each time they have to drink it!”
She blew a raspberry as if Granny was standing before them, then cast Twilight a wink. “Doesn’t stop me, though. Little bit of bitter stuff is better than being sick.”
Rarity coughed. “It does make getting up in the morning easier, especially when Sweetie has her little friends over.” With a shake of her head, she took the empty cup in her magic and floated it over to the nightstand. “Now that we have that out of the way, it’s almost time for breakfast, and you, Twilight Sparkle, are getting the royal treatment before you go down.”
Blinking, Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Er, do I get to know why I have to? Or are you just going to drag me through it either way?”
Both her friends shared a look, then smirked in almost perfect unison. “Rainbow,” Rarity began, “do you mind if I tell her?”
“Oh, no, please!” Rainbow took a step back and waved a hoof toward the bed. “This was your find, I know better than to steal thunder as big as this!”
“Why, thank you! I appreciate that!”
Twilight’s ears twitched. Even with a hangover hitting her harder than a rampaging hydra, she was well enough aware of what it meant when her friends started playing off one another like Rarity and Rainbow were. “Alright, I’ll bite.” She pushed herself up into a seated position, fixing the pair with a narrow-eyed stare. “What do you two know?”
Rarity tossed her mane and gave a tiny smile. “Now, as you well know, aside from Princess Cadence and your brother, it’s only us, Spike, and the girls staying here. Nopony else on the guest list was invited to stay over, correct?” At Twilight’s nod, she continued, “Well, while Applejack and I were trotting to the fillies’ room to check on them, we happened upon a new visitor stepping out of her room.”
“What?” Twilight leapt to her hooves, nearly toppling over in her haste and muddled state. She managed to catch herself, her mind raced to think of any important visitors that might’ve been scheduled for a post Gala meeting. A cold sensation seemed to grip her chest, her breaths came in short gasps as she conjured the worst possible scenarios.
“Whoa! Settle down, Twi!” Rainbow hopped onto the bed, giving a couple quick flaps of her wings to steady herself as she laid her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders. “Hear out the rest before you go into panic mode! It isn’t that bad!”
She blinked. “It’s not?”
“No.” Rainbow’s smirk grew into a sharklike grin. “It’s way worse.” She turned to Rarity and gave a single nod. “Tell her who it was.”
Biting her lip, Twilight glanced toward Rarity, who simply smiled in return and said one word.
“Spitfire.”
The wheels in her head whirred into gear, turning at full speed as she tried to make sense of the information. Spitfire couldn’t be staying in the castle, she had her own penthouse suite in the Royal Canterlot Hotel—the same place the Prime Minister of Saddle Arabia and his wife stayed during diplomatic meetings.
Given Rainbow’s involvement, it could be a joke at her expense to get her moving, but Rarity wasn’t the type to join in on such a thing.
Of course, that begged a much more interesting question. If it were true, why had Spitfire stayed in the castle?
And why didn’t she just stay in my room again? Twilight bit her lip and opted to tuck that away until she had a chance to talk to the mare herself. “Did she say why?”
“Funny you should ask. Spitfire was a bit hesitant to give us the full story—honestly, Twilight, couldn’t you at least pick a mare who likes to gossip!” Rarity sighed and flicked her tail. “That aside, she mentioned a nighttime talk with Princess Luna that ended a bit late.”
“Yeah, like, way late!” Rainbow nickered. “She was already on her second coffee when we bumped into her. Apparently, Princess Luna offered her a room when she realized it was too late to have Cap fly back to her hotel, then invited her to breakfast with all of us!”
Twilight thought a moment, then nodded in assent. That makes a lot of sense, actually. If Luna offered her a room, she couldn’t just sleep in mine without letting Luna know or seeming rude. A smile made its way across her muzzle. I’ll have to remember to thank Luna for putting her up for the night. I wonder if she’d like—
Her thoughts ground to a screeching halt as Rainbow’s words fully registered. Twilight’s eyes went wide, her tail tucked between her legs. “R-Rainbow?” she asked, her voice coming out in a squeak.
“Yeeeeees?” Rainbow drawled in return.
Twilight’s ears pinned back. “Did you just say Spitfire was joining us for breakfast?”
“I did.”
“As in—” she swallowed a lump “—all of our friends—”
“Uh huh.”
“—The fillies and Spike—”
“Nah, we gave you a break on them.”
“—Party, Diamond, Sugar, and Night—”
“Actually, they’re not gonna be here today either. They wanted to check out Canterlot.” Rainbow brought a hoof to her chin. “Pinkie was gonna join them, but when she heard Spitfire was here, she asked Party if he minded if she stuck around.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up, full of hope. “And?”
Rainbow shook her head, her grin seemed to grow even wider. “He was all for it.”
Dang it, Party! You had one job! “O-Oh, goodie.” She chewed on her bottom lip, dread filled her chest as the remaining members’ names came to mind. “The, uh, other princesses and my brother, too?”
Closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath, Rainbow gripped her shoulders. “Yeah, now you’ve got it.” She leaned in, pulling Twilight into a tight hug. Then, she whispered, “Y’know, I was mad you got a girlfriend like Spitfire before I could for about a second. Now? Well, now I get to tell all of those great stories we have. So, thanks, Twi! This is gonna be so much fun!”
She bit back a curse at Luna for unwittingly casting her organization asunder. This was far too soon! She hadn’t planned for any of this to come up until well after they’d gone home to Cloudsdale and Ponyville, at least then they could have it on their terms!
Then, a pathetic whimper escaped her lips.The memory of Spitfire’s vow when she laughed at all of Fleetfoot’s stories still fresh in her mind—that smirk, the way those brilliant orange eyes lit up and shone with mischief and a poorly hidden promise to tease her silly.
Twilight’s ears drooped low, her eyes flitted to Rarity, desperate for help.
Instead, she was met with a tiny smile and a joyful gleam in Rarity’s blue eyes—she was just as excited as Rainbow. Though for entirely different reasons.
Horror gripped her chest. Twilight made to step back from Rainbow, but found the grip on her shoulders too strong. “N-Now, girls,” she began, licking her dried lips to wet them. “Let’s just slow down. We can talk this out like rational, civilized adults.”
“Oh, I quite agree with you, darling,” Rarity replied, her tone taking an edge. She stepped closer to the bed, pausing to examine a hoof as if checking for dirt. “Which is exactly what I had in mind!”
Twilight blinked. “It is?”
“Of course! Don’t you see? Your girlfriend making a surprise appearance at breakfast with all of us after a late night discussion with Princess Luna, and right after escorting you home from your date.” She beamed and gave her tail a merry swish. “This is the perfect opportunity for all of us to get to know the mare that stole your heart away at the Gala! Why, it’s almost like a fairytale!”
Oh, horseapples. She’s gone full romantic on me. Twilight tried once more to pull away, to no avail.
Rainbow nimbly stepped around to her side, locking her hooves around Twilight’s neck and shoulder like she was putting on a wrestling hold. “Nuh uh, Twi! You’re not going anywhere!”
“I’ll get you any number of autographs you want,” Twilight offered.
Thinking a moment, Rainbow hummed to herself. “Tempting. But nah.” She shook her head, instead tightening her grip. “I kinda wanna know how last night went. And Rarity’s got a point, so double nah.”
Her shoulders sagged. She was sunk.
Rarity tutted. “Oh, don’t be such a filly! It’ll be fine!” With a little toss of her mane, she turned and trotted around the bed, nodding to the bathroom. “Now, come along, dear. We don’t have much time, but I’m confident we can have you ready to strut your stuff and dazzle your mare!”
“And before you think about teleporting you and Cap out,” Rainbow added, “Shining told me to let you know he and Princess Cadence already had a spell up. He also says—and I quote—‘no getting out of this one, Twily! Big brother’s right to tease and embarrass goes in effect’.” Waggling her ears, she gave Twilight a little shove toward the bathroom. “Now get your rear in gear! Rarity, get her makeup thingy and let’s get this show on the road!”
With a roll of her eyes, Rarity nodded and followed along. “Of course, of course. It’ll also give us a little time to hear every little detail about our dear friend’s date nights.”
As soon as she took note of the wicked grins and the gleaming in their eyes, Twilight knew she didn’t have a chance.
A pathetic whimper slipped through her lips as Rainbow pushed her into the bathroom, then waited for Rarity to join them before kicking the door shut with a hind hoof. With a playful inclining of her brows, she began, “So, Twi, I get the drinking last night, can’t argue with that since the Bolts are the epitome of cool outside, well, me.” She unfurled a wing and wrapped it tight around Twilight’s withers. “But what I really wanna know is where you slept the night before. So, spill, filly—did one of you two get couch duty, or did you snuggle up with Captain Spitfire?”
Oh, Celestia, have mercy.
Her cheeks burned as she trotted briskly down the corridor, her ears pinned flat against her scalp in vain hope of blocking out Rainbow’s sniggering. “You can stop laughing anytime!” she shot, quickening her pace as she rounded the corner.
“Aw, come on, Twi!” Rainbow called back, galloping along to catch up with her. With a playful grin, she bumped her hip against Twilight’s and waggled her eyebrows. “You can’t gimme that when you tell me Spitfire practically made you melt with the first kiss!”
Twilight ducked her head and stole a quick look around to check for anypony who might overhear. Fortunately, they were alone, save for the castle guards, who seemed to making it a point to look anywhere but her.
Satisfied, she turned to fix Rainbow Dash with a frosty glare. “That doesn’t mean you get to giggle and tell the whole city about it!” she hissed.
“Hmm, you may have a point, lemme think on that for a sec.” Rainbow reared back on her hind legs, flaring out her wings for balance as she crossed her forelegs over her chest and hummed in thought. After a moment, she grinned and shook her head. “Nah! It totally does!” Quick as a flash, she swept Twilight up in a tight embrace and gave her a rough noogie. “Since Shining and Princess Cadence get to invoke big sibling rights, I hereby invoke best friend right to tease!”
Wrinkling her snout, Twilight tried to push Rainbow off, but found her friend’s grip quite fast. She grit her teeth, straining against the leg thrown around her shoulders.
There was a telltale tinkling of bells and a flash of shimmering blue, Rainbow let out a yelp and shot into the air, her hooves clutching her backside. “Dang it, Rarity! What the hay’d you pinch me for?”
Breathing a bit heavy from chasing them down the hallway, Rarity leveled a stern glare at both. “After all the trouble I went to make sure Twilight’s mane was shampooed, conditioned, and brushed to perfection, I find you two roughhousing in the middle of the hallway?” Flicking her tail in agitation, she approached. She took Twilight’s cheeks in her hooves and gently turned her head, tutting as she used her magic to nudge a few strands back into place.
Twilight kept as still as she could, fighting back a fit of giggles. Her eyes flitted to Rainbow and found her friend had sucked in her lips, her cheeks puffed up with barely restrained laughter.
Their eyes met. Rainbow turned away and covered her mouth with her hooves, giving a rather poor attempt to disguise her mirth as a coughing fit.
“There!” Rarity said, nodding her approval. “Everything back in place. Now, just the final touch remains.” Her horn flashed blue and a familiar tiara, encased in her magic, floated into view. “If you wouldn’t mind, dear.”
“My tiara?” Twilight furrowed her brows. “Rarity, I hardly think I need to put this on to impress Spitfire.”
“It’s not about impressing her, Twilight, you’ve already caught her eye.” Rarity gave a coy smile, raising a hoof to fluff her mane a little. “It’s about your image! She’s about to have her first meal with all of us girls and the Royal Family, which you, darling, are a part of.”
Eying the tiara floating before her, Twilight cringed. “I don’t know. She’s already pretty aware that I’m a princess now, and I really don’t like the idea of waving it in under her nose.”
“I think you misunderstand, I’m not saying you should flaunt it! Just show her that you belong! You’re a grown mare with status, just like she has her status with the Wonderbolts!” With a little raise of her brow, Rarity tilted her head forward. “She wore her uniform the first night, didn’t she?”
Of course she had. All military officers wore their formal attire at the Gala, and Rarity knew that full well. “Yes,” Twilight admitted.
“And what did you wear?” Rarity asked.
“The dress you made.” Seeing Rarity’s brow arch higher, she sighed and added, “And my tiara.”
“Didn’t wear that on your date!” Rainbow put in as she landed. “Then again, you never really wear it unless we’re at a formal thing.”
“Indeed,” Rarity said. “And while this isn’t formal, it would go well to put you alongside your fellow princesses in her mind. Think of it as you showing Spitfire that you sit at the big ponies’ table, too, and you’re not just a filly wearing a mare’s coat.”
With another sigh, Twilight glanced toward one of the castle’s many stained glass windows. Loathe though she was to admit it, Rarity did have a point. She didn’t wear her tiara very often, even though she did enjoy her new duties as Princess of Friendship. It just felt so out of place on her head.
If Spitfire can wear her uniform and have me sit with her teammates, then maybe I should show that I’m comfortable with this aspect of my life. Almost tentatively, she took the tiara in her magic and floated it to hover over her head. If things worked out, Spitfire would have to get used to it anyway.
Twilight placed the tiara on her head. Adjusting it until it felt comfortable, she gave her friends a shy smile. “How do I look?”
Rainbow and Rarity shared matching smiles. “Twi,” Rainbow began, “you look good enough that I’d recite poetry if I knew it. Like a million bits, easy.”
“For once, I agree with Rainbow. As she might say, you’re going to knock the good Captain dead, Twilight.” Rarity cast a quick wink. “Figuratively speaking.”
Beaming, Twilight darted forward to catch them both in a hug. “Thanks, girls,” she whispered, holding them tight a moment before letting go. “I guess we’d better get moving before Shining Armor starts grilling her too badly.”
Rainbow scoffed. “Cap won’t back down from your brother! I bet he’s a big pushover!”
Twilight shook her head, allowing herself a small smile as she trotted down the hall toward the last corridor. “You’d lose that bet. Badly.”
She hung a left and looked to the door, her eyes lit up at the sight of a familiar mare standing just out of view of the open door, rubbing a hoof against her shin. Fixing a coy smile on her muzzle, she held a hoof to her lips to quiet Rarity and Rainbow, then crept closer. As she came within hoof’s reach of Spitfire, she leaned in to whisper, “My, my! Is the famed Captain Spitfire nervous?”
Spitfire gave a little flinch at her voice, turning in place to meet her gaze. Snorting playfully, she tossed her mane and gave a cocky smirk that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Yeah right, hon! Breakfast with a few friends? It’ll be easier than pulling a Hellfire Dive with Fleet and Soar!” Glancing over Twilight’s shoulder, she nodded. “Miss Rarity, Rainbow Dash.”
“Good morning, Captain.”
“Hey, Cap.”
Easy? Is that so? “Oh, good!” Feeling a bit mischievous, Twilight stole a quick kiss and nuzzled Spitfire’s cheek, right along the spot beneath her ear that always made the breath hitch in her throat. In silent victory, she smirked and whispered, “Because my brother’s not gonna be so playful when you chat with him this time. You get him, the girls, and three princesses all in one shot.”
A shiver ran through her body, bringing a full grin to Twilight’s muzzle. “Oh? What’s this?” she asked with feigned innocence, pulling back to delight in the rosy blush that colored Spitfire’s cheeks, before leveling her with a look of mock surprise. “A little crack in the armor?”
Wrinkling her snout, Spitfire turned and flicked a tail across her nose, then walked toward the open door. “Funny,” she replied, a smirk playing upon her lips. “I’ll remember that when the foal pictures come out.”
Twilight’s smile fell, her ears burned at the sound of Rainbow and Rarity giggling just behind her. Oh, horseapples. With a tiny squeak of dismay, she bounded after her girlfriend and walked side-by-side with her into the dining room.
Everypony was already there waiting for them, each seated before empty plates and silverware, with covered food dishes and muffin baskets lining the middle of the table.
Celestia and Luna sat at either end of the table, a clear show of who the ‘heads’ of the house were; Cadence and Shining Armor were together, naturally; Pinkie was next to Fluttershy, giggling over a joke while the latter tried to hide her laughter, while Applejack just chuckled and shook her head.
There were four places empty. Two on either side of Applejack, which Rainbow and Rarity moved to occupy, leaving a pair of empty seats in the middle, directly across from Shining and Cadence, arranged, no doubt, so everypony could give their full, undivided attention to the newest couple.
Luna looked up, waggling her ears merrily. “Ah! There you are!” she said. With a wave of her hoof to the empty seats, she offered a smile. “Please, join us, ladies. We’re all very eager to begin.”
Twilight shared an uneasy smile with Spitfire, then trotted over to her place at the table. As she reached for her chair, Spitfire stepped forward and pulled it out.
“Thank you,” Twilight said softly, nuzzling her nose as she sat in the offered seat.
Spitfire smiled and returned the nuzzle before taking her own seat on Twilight’s left, mumbling a quick, “Anytime, hon.”
With her girlfriend at her side, Twilight looked to her right at Celestia, who met her gaze with a neutral expression and a calculating look in her eye. After a moment, she gave a small smile and turned to the staff. “I do believe we’re ready,” she said.
The staff ponies bowed, then stepped forward to remove the gleaming metal covers. Twilight’s tail swished at the scents of countless dishes wafted to her nose.
Licking her lips, she took a blueberry muffin in her magic and floated it over to her plate, along with the butter dish. Just as she made to butter her muffin, Shining spoke up, “So, Spitfire, what’re your intentions toward my little sister?”
Twilight froze with her knife hovering over the butter dish. “Shiny!” she hissed, pinning her ears back. “Really?”
He looked back at her and fixed her with a stern look. “Don’t you ‘Shiny’ me, Twily!” he scolded. “Dad’s not here, so I get to ask questions.” Turning his attention to Spitfire, who had paused with a muffin in hoof, Shining tapped on the tabletop. “Well?”
Spitfire smiled, ducking her head beneath the full force of his attention. “Uh, well, right now we’re in a bit of a figuring each other out stage. First couple dates are always like that.” Her eyes flitted to Twilight, then back to him. “I suppose my intentions at the moment are to make sure we both enjoy our time together, then see where that takes us.”
“Fair enough, I can respect that.” Shining hummed as he floated a plate of pancakes over and picked a couple off the top of the stack, then lathered them with syrup. He folded his hooves one over the other, raising a brow as he passed the dish and syrup to Cadence. The corners of his mouth tugged into a small smirk, the very same one he always wore when he teased Twilight as a filly. “Still, I must admit that I’m a bit impressed you knew to take Twily to Don Contorno’s. Bet that scored you some major points.”
Twilight felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle as Spitfire turned to fix her with a half-lidded look. “Really?” Her cheeks burned at the playful edge in that raspy voice she’d come to love. “I had no idea she’d ever been there before!”
Cadence giggled. “Well, that’s a happy coincidence, then! What gave you the idea to take her there?”
“Fleetfoot and Soarin ate there the night before the Gala, actually. When Soarin recommends food, it’s usually a sure bet for a good meal.”
“And here I was hoping it would be like one of my old novels!” Cadence gave a wistful sigh, fluffing her feathers as she finished dishing up her plate. “Oh well! I suppose there’s plenty of time for little Twily to dig up my old lessons and romance you like a proper mare!”
A low whine escaped her lips. Twilight brought her hooves up to cover her face, her wings itched to wrap around her barrel. “Cady!” she pleaded piteously. “Not the lessons!”
“Yes, the lessons, young mare! Speaking of which, what did we teach you about slouching at the table?” Tutting, Cadence tapped a hoof on the table. “Sit up straight and uncover your face! Come, come, don’t be rude!”
Slowly, Twilight dragged her hooves down her face to fix Cadence with a glare. She gritted her teeth at the way her former foalsitter’s eyes seemed to dance with mirth and the smug smile upon her muzzle. “I thought we were grilling my girlfriend,” she mumbled.
Cadence simply grinned as if to ask “why not both?” before turning her attention to Spitfire again. “I have to wonder about how you two will be able to overcome your differing interests.”
“We’ve already found common ground,” Twilight said, eager to take control. “We both like old legends, we actually read one together the other night.”
“Whirlwind and Maple,” Spitfire added with a grin. “Gotta love the classics.”
“Heck yeah! Whirlwind rocked in that one!” Rainbow cheered, raising a glass of milk in salute. Across from her, Fluttershy gave a little smile and raise of her glass as well, far more sedate in her gesture.
Across the table, Shining chuckled, drawing attention to himself again. “Well, I guess the quickest way to Twilight’s heart is through her book list,” he quipped, fixing Twilight with a sidelong smirk. “Good to know you picked a mare who knows her literature, though.”
Twilight did her best to fight back a shaky smile, looking down at her plate to focus her gaze on the scrumptious muffin before her. “She likes more than just that,” she mumbled as she began plucking more food off their serving dishes. Soon, her plate began to fill with pancakes, generously lathered in syrup. “And I do like that she’s passionate about her own interests!”
“Of course, I don’t doubt that. But you’ll understand that I’m interested in what she likes about you.” Twilight froze. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, a shiver ran down her spine as she noted the gleam in his eyes.
Shining turned to Spitfire, raising an eyebrow. “So? Care to enlighten us?”
Her mind raced, Twilight chewed on her bottom lip as she looked to Spitfire. A part of her wanted to shift closer, her hoof twitched as if to reach out to her, stopping just halfway.
Fortunately, Spitfire was of like mind. She took Twilight’s hoof in hers and gave a comforting squeeze, a small smile playing upon her lips. “Well, you were right there when Princess Celestia asked Twilight to accompany me to the Gala,” she began, sparing a nod to Celestia at the far end of the table. A gesture Celestia returned after a second’s hesitation. “But for the benefit of others present, the short version is that I really don’t like being crowded. Like, I love performing, I can deal with fans, but when it comes to parties, I just wanna hang out with a pony and talk without having to worry about my image.”
“Real talk,” Twilight supplied.
Spitfire grinned and gave her hoof another squeeze. “Yes, that. Thanks, hon.” She returned her attention to Shining and continued, “We had a nice little chat together, and I found myself liking a lot about her: smart, funny, not to mention incredibly adorable when she gets all flustered!”
A squeak slipped through Twilight’s lips before she could cover her mouth with her free hoof. She pinned back her ears, blushing as her friends giggled at her. “Am not,” she mumbled.
An amused hum was the only warning she had before a pair of soft lips pressed against her cheek, just beneath her ear. Twilight gave a shuddering gasp, her eyelids fluttered shut as her mouth dropped open just slightly, a smile spread across her muzzle.
“Ahem,” Luna coughed. “Loathe though I am to interrupt,” she began, a hint of scolding in her tone, “perhaps we might refrain from too much affection at the table, Captain.”
Spitfire gave a sheepish chuckle. “Sorry, Princess.” The telltale rustle of her wings made Twilight’s ears flick, she cracked open an eye just in time to catch a glimpse of her girlfriend reaching up to rub at the back of her head. “I’m still kinda in that giddy, playful stage of the whole thing.”
Twilight sighed in relief, sending silent praise to her fellow princess and savior. At least there was one pony at the table who didn’t deign to see her reduced to a blushing, stammering mess.
Luna’s teal eyes narrowed into a stern glare, the effect ruined by the smile tugging at her lips. “Understandable. However, I believe you are fully capable of confining your kisses to the cheek region. Or, if you must, a quick peck on the lips will suffice.”
Relief turned to dismay, and then a warm fuzziness that flooded her being as vibrant orange eyes flitted to meet her own, shining with glee before she was caught in a kiss that seemed all too brief.
She blinked. Her ears swiveled back to lay flat against her scalp. Twilight took in a deep breath, her cheeks puffed up as she snatched her muffin off her plate and took an angry bite.
The sweet taste of muffiny goodness and blueberries brought her peace. Delicious as always.
“Well, I for one think your tale is rather sweet,” Rarity put in, giving a wistful sigh. “Finding love at the Gala among all the style and glamour, it was but a dream to me only a few short years ago!”
Applejack sniggered. “You mean ‘till you tried gettin’ flirty with that namby-pamby prince you had your eye on?” At Celestia’s polite cough, she ducked her head. “Sorry, Princess. Forgot he was your kin for a spell. He just ain’t all that like you or Luna, so it ain’t easy to see.”
Celestia waved her off with a hoof. “I understand entirely, Applejack. Though my nephew has his … less than stellar qualities,” she said slowly, the corners of her mouth twitching, “he is still family. There is frightfully little I wouldn’t do for my family.” Her gaze flitted over to Twilight’s direction, but just a bit passed her. The serene smile faltered.
There was silence for a moment, weighing down upon them as if the entire mass of the ocean’s waters fell upon their shoulders.
“Sister,” Luna said, frowning as she tapped a hoof against the table to break the tension. “You’re going to pierce a hole through their young heads if you keep staring like that.”
“Oh, thank you, Luna. I was just thinking. My apologies, ladies.” Pursing her lips, Celestia lit her horn, holding a glass of orange juice aloft in the brilliant golden glow of her magic. She took a sip, eying the glass as if she were judging wine. “When you reach my age, you’ll find that your mind works in funny ways. Why, all this talk about classical tales and family just reminded me of another Post Unification tale. One that involved Hurricane himself, actually.”
She looked up, staring straight at Spitfire once again. “Have you heard the one about Hurricane, Clover the Clever, and Cold Front?”
Twilight watched as the color seemed to drain from Spitfire’s face. The mare gave an awkward chuckle, rustling her wings. “I—er—well, it’s been a while since I read that one. But, if I recall, it involved Hurricane being mad at one of his legionnaires for making a pass at Clover.”
“Hmm, close. But not quite.” Celestia turned her attention to Twilight, sparing a small smile as she asked, “What about you, Twilight? I know you read that one as part of your Old Equestrian Literature courses when you attended my school. Do you remember?”
“Yes,” she said slowly, confusion tinging her voice. Twilight glanced between Celestia and Spitfire, her tail flicked as she noted the almost calculating gleam in her old teacher’s eyes.
A stark contrast to the way Spitfire sat bolt upright, her eyes wide as though she were faced with a rampaging hydra. Twilight felt Spitfire’s grip on her hoof tighten, all the muscles in her leg seemed to tense up.
Twilight blinked a couple times, giving Spitfire’s hoof a squeeze, returning the gesture. “If I recall correctly,” she began as she turned her attention to Celestia again, “Cold Front was an officer in the old pegasus legion and had a bit of a supremacist attitude. He, among others, held onto the belief that pegasi were a class above and that unicorns and earth ponies should feel honored to even receive their attention. He made a pass at Clover, who by then had become one of Hurricane’s closest friends, and laid his wing upon her in a way that signified possession.”
“Cold Front made it a point to trail his feathers in a most inappropriate area,” Celestia corrected. “He foolishly chose to tease near her tail.”
Gasps of shock and indignation went up around the table. Fluttershy ducked her head, shivering as she wrapped her hooves around her barrel. “How awful!”
Coughing, Twilight glanced away. “Yes. And Clover wasn’t too happy to receive such attention, but he kept flirting and flicking her horn whenever she tried to cast a spell. Well, he made the mistake of doing so in front of Private Pansy, who went to tell Commander Hurricane. She interrupted his meeting with Princess Platinum and Chancellor Puddinghead, much to his irritation. But when she told him what happened … well, the story says he flew into a rage and immediately left the meeting to go discipline Cold Front.”
“Hope he gave that pervert a good wallop!” Applejack grumbled. “T’ain’t right, touchin’ a mare like that!”
“Oh, believe me, he got more than a wallop!” Rainbow crowed, flaring her wings. She hopped up onto her seat and reared back, punching her hooves like she were going after the stallion herself. “Ol’ Hurricane tackled Cold Front offa Clover and beat him senseless! Then, he called a big meeting of all the old pegasus legion and the new Equestrian Guard, and invited the rest of the founders and whoever they wanted to bring. He made right sure that everypony who thought like Cold Front was in the front row.”
With a smirk, she sat back down in her seat and leaned back. “Then, Hurricane dragged that sorry sack of horseapples up on stage and told them all what he’d done. Said that treating another pony like they were property and touching them like that were against all the Unification meant. So, for that, he had six guards hold Cold Front’s limbs, two from each race, and used the shaft of a spear to break his wing joints!” Rainbow stopped just long enough to cringe and fold her wings against her sides. “Major pain, believe me. And he told all the medics not to treat Cold Front or they’d answer to him.”
“My word!” Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof. “That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“That’s just one version of the story,” Luna cut in. “There’s several different tellings, all of which have Cold Front getting too fresh with Clover and Hurricane’s fury. But that is the most graphic of the bunch.” She paused to take a sip of her juice, then added, “There’s another where Hurricane simply had Cold Front’s wings bound and forced him to act as Clover’s attendant until he humbled himself and begged her forgiveness.”
Celestia hummed in agreement. “True, true. And another where he bound Cold Front’s wings in chains and banished him from Cloudsdale, forcing him to live out his days among earth ponies and unicorns.”
“Hurricane did love to discipline using a pony’s own hubris against them,” Cadence noted.
It hit Twilight like a ton of bricks. The way Spitfire was gripping her hoof, how she trembled in the face of Celestia’s stare, and the choice of story.
Her talk with Fleetfoot and Soarin leapt to the forefront of her mind. Their worry for Spitfire’s career, how ponies might react if she and Twilight parted on unfavorable terms.
All of it was on display before her, a scene crafted by Celestia herself.
Frowning, Twilight released Spitfire’s hoof in favor of wrapping her wing around the mare’s shoulders. “You’ll have to forgive me if I seem a bit obtuse,” she began, narrowing her eyes in challenge, “but I don’t see why that, of all things, would come to mind at present time.”
Silence fell over the table. Twilight set her jaw and met her former teacher’s gaze with confidence, tightening her wing around Spitfire.
Celestia blinked twice, then gave a tight-lipped smile. “Oh, just my old mind being silly, dear!” she said, chuckling as she took a sip of her juice. “Old age is strange in that regard. Perhaps we might discuss another tale—or would the rest of you prefer to move along with a few more questions?”
As if on cue, Fluttershy raised a hoof, ducking her head with a tiny squeak when the attention turned to her. “I, um, I have one for Twilight. If that’s okay, I mean.” She looked down at her hooves and shifted in her seat. “I don’t really know Spitfire well enough …”
“Go right ahead, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, happy for the change. Though she still kept watch over her old teacher out of the corner of her eye.
“Oh, well, I was just wondering if you’d both thought about how to make things work between you since Captain Spitfire lives in Cloudsdale and you live with us in Ponyville.”
Making to reply, Twilight found herself lacking an answer. She furrowed her brows, down at the table and bringing a hoof to her chin as she wracked her brain for a solution.
She didn’t have one. In all their talk of code red and what interests they shared or didn’t, the long distance relationship dynamic hadn’t come up.
“Uh,” Spitfire began, giving an awkward cough. “We haven’t really talked about that yet. We’ve kinda been in the—er—excited new couple stage.”
Fluttershy cringed and brought her hooves to her mouth. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you both! It’s just—”
“It’s fine, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “It’s just something we’ll have to work through before we go home. Together,” she added, turning to nuzzle Spitfire’s cheek and stealing a glance at Celestia.
Her teacher’s eyes held that calculating gleam again. The tiniest of smiles played upon her lips.
“Well,” Celestia said, “I’m sure you two will be able to figure something out.” Raising her glass, she looked around the table. “Here’s to our newest couple! May they both share in the joys of finding love and happiness together, and show one another the respect they are due!”
Spitfire flinched at her side. Twilight thought to turn and ask what was amiss, but stopped herself. She pasted a smile on her muzzle and nodded in thanks as her friends and family took up the gesture.
She’d have to figure out why Spitfire flinched like that later.
When they were well away from Celestia’s watchful eyes.
Spitfire liked to think herself a rather confident mare. She had the admiration of ponies all across Equestria, the respect of her peers both at home and abroad, a loyal group of family and friends, good standing with her fellow officers and the rulers of her country, and—her most recent accolade—a girlfriend whose looks were beaten out only by her brains and a rather endearing personality.
That said, it had been quite some time before she’d felt so nervous in Princess Celestia’s presence—or Princess Cadence’s, for that matter.
Princess Luna was another story entirely. She didn’t have the same rapport with the younger sister that she did with the elder, and years of reading The Legend of the Mare in the Moon with her ma and pa every Nightmare Night didn’t exactly help in that regard.
Talking with Princess Celestia at meetings had always been easy. She was always so warm and welcoming, a lot like Spitfire’s own ma, in that regard. Her hospitality rivaled that of even those old mares in Mustangia who embodied the “down to earth old biddy” stereotype.
The way Princess Celestia’s eyes had bored into her at breakfast, how they seemed to pierce through to her very soul, made her coat stand on end and her ears droop. It took all her self-control not to let her wings unfurl, either to hide her face or ready to take flight and flee from Princess Celestia’s presence.
As she half-listened to the conversation, Spitfire kept her smile as best as she could. Putting Princess Celestia aside for a moment—something she never thought she’d say about her of all ponies—those at the table was important to Twilight in some way. Whether through the friendships she shared or bonds of family, these ponies meant the most to Twilight. Only her parents were absent.
The urge to hide behind her wings seemed almost impossible to resist. Spitfire could only grit her teeth through it all and force a smile, all while trying her best to ignore that Princess Celestia’s eyes stayed locked on her for the bulk of the meal.
Pull yourself together, girl! Spitfire flicked her tail as she watched Twilight poke at the last of her pancakes. You don’t get this wound up in front of crowds of thousands, what’s a dozen or so ponies at breakfast?
A dozen or so ponies who had Twilight’s ear and could give tacit blessing or bring their relationship to ruin with a few words.
Her ears began to droop. Spitfire ducked her head between her shoulders and took hold of a mug of coffee, staring at her reflection in the warm liquid within. She’d never gotten to the whole “sit down with family and friends to be judged fitting or not for your partner” point with any of her previous girlfriends. Aside from her, Spitfire’s relationships didn’t last long enough to even bother bringing that up.
Thankfully, Twilight’s friends and brother seemed more interested in bringing up each and every embarrassing story they could to make her blush, squirm, and bury her face in her hooves, grumbling near incomprehensible promises of revenge that only spurred them onward.
Now, if Princess Celestia could just join in the fun and stop boring a hole in the side of her head, that would be great.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Twilight bringing a napkin up to wipe a bit of syrup off her lips. Spitfire had to bite her own to hold back an easy quip about a far better way to take care of the issue.
She couldn’t, however, fight back the urge to let her tongue dart out and run along her bottom lip. A kiss like that right now would go against the rules they’d so painstakingly laid out to one another, but it would be so very sweet.
Spitfire shook her head. She was a Wonderbolt officer, a mare of discipline. She could hold back the urge to lean in, lick Twilight’s lips clean of that sweet syrup, and then kiss her until her eyes crossed and those beautiful feathers fluffed.
Drawing in a sharp breath through her nose, she closed her eyes and gave herself a scolding. Definitely a bad idea in front of three other princesses.
Especially Princess Celestia.
Suddenly, the conversation stopped. Spitfire’s ears twitched, she blinked owlishly, her eyes flitted to each pony at the table, seeing each of them reclining or stretching as they made to rise. She turned to Twilight and found herself met with an expectant look and an amused smile.
“Uh …” She gave a crooked smile. “Did I tune out or something?”
Twilight burst into a fit of giggles. “I think we lost you somewhere around Rainbow trying to tell you about the time she found me asleep and buried under a tower of collapsed books.”
“I missed what?” Spitfire’s jaw dropped. She whipped her head around to look at Rainbow, ready to demand a repeat of the story.
As soon as she did, her star prospect laughed and shook her head. “Sorry, Cap! Only one telling per meal! Next one’s gonna cost you a barrel of Sweet Apple Acres’ finest, I’m afraid!”
“Goin’ for a bit o’ extortion, eh?” Applejack quipped, nudging her in the ribs.
“Can you blame me? It’s the only flipping way to make sure I get some without Pinkie guzzling, like, eight of them before I can even try buying one!”
Grumbling under her breath, Spitfire glanced at Twilight, wrinkling her snout at the smug smirk gracing her girlfriend’s muzzle. “You’re going to do everything to make sure I never hear that story, aren’t you?”
Twilight waggled her ears, then leaned in to nuzzle Spitfire’s nose. “You don’t have a snowball’s chance on a summer day!”
Spitfire flicked her tail. She’d just have to see about that. “Don’t count your chickens just yet, hon. I’ve got plenty of money for several barrels of cider.”
“And I can easily slip a law in that makes it illegal to use cider for bribery.” Twilight poked her in the snout. “You’re playing against a princess. I can cheat the rules of the game and make it not cheating.”
Cursing, Spitfire tapped a hoof against her chair. She wasn’t going to win this particular battle.
Best to just let Twilight think she had the upper hoof for now.
Her comeuppance would happen later.
And it would be quite delicious.
Oh yes.
Twilight stood, giving her feathers a little fluff. She leaned forward and nuzzled Spitfire’s cheek. “Ready to go?”
“Go?” Spitfire drew back. “Go where?”
“I don’t know. Canterlot’s a big city, I’m sure we can find something to do.”
Spitfire hummed. There were plenty of places they could go to get away from everything for a while. It didn’t have to be a club or a fancy restaurant, maybe just one of the ice cream parlors or libraries.
When did I go sappy? She flicked her ear. And why is that not a problem?
A polite cough made Spitfire flick her ear. She turned slowly, her heart leapt into her throat as she found herself face to face with Princesses Celestia and Luna, with Princess Cadence standing just to the side.
Princess Celestia gave a small smile in her direction before looking just passed her. “I hope to spend more time with you later then, dear,” she said to Twilight. “Perhaps you and I might have dinner together this evening?”
Out of the corner of her eye. Spitfire watched Twilight perk up. “I’d like that!” she said, beaming at her old teacher.
“Splendid. I’ll look forward to it.”
“You hog her to yourself every chance you get, sister,” Princess Luna said teasingly. She glanced toward Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. “Young Shining might think you mean to steal her from his family!”
One cue, Shining’s ears twitched. “I’d have to steal her back,” he replied, quirking a brow. “I’m sure her friends would help.”
Chuckling to herself, Princess Celestia nodded. “Perhaps you’re both right. A compromise, then: Twilight will join Cadence, Shining, and I for dinner.” She held up a hoof to Princess Luna’s mouth. “And before you start, I was going to say you could dine with Spitfire.”
Spitfire felt her blood run cold, her dream conversation with Princess Luna still quite fresh in her mind.
Princess Luna’s ears perked up. She brushed Princess Celestia’s hoof aside. “That would be most agreeable!” she said, turning her attention on Spitfire. Her smile faltered just a bit. “Er, if you approve, of course.”
All eyes fell upon Spitfire. She ducked her head between her shoulders and let her ears lay flat as she gave a crooked smile.
There really wasn’t a choice. Guess I’ll need to pick up my uniform and get cleaned up.
“S-Sure,” she replied. “Just, um, pick a place and I’d be happy to join you.”
“Excellent!” Princess Celestia walked past her, glancing out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, be sure to pester her all you can tonight, Luna.” She cast a wink at Spitfire. “If she’s to date Twilight, we want to make sure she’s the right sort of mare.”
Twilight squeaked. “P-Princess!”
“Celestia, dear. We’ve talked about this. I’ll see you at dinner. Fair warning, though …” Her smile morphed into a wicked smirk. “I haven’t begun my interrogation yet.” Without another word, she left the dining room, with Luna trailing in her wake.
Spitfire felt her knee shake. She swallowed a lump, turning to give Twilight an uneasy grin. “So …”
Twilight ducked her head to hide a blush. “We’re doomed.”
“I figured. Nice knowing you, hon.”
“Likewise. Lunch before we meet our end?”
“Uh, actually …” Rainbow stepped forward, her ears splayed back against her scalp and the cocky grin she always wore nowhere to be found. “Do you, uh, mind if I borrow Cap—uh, Spitfire for a little bit?” She stood just out of hoof’s reach of Spitfire, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof, her wings rustled as she seemed to try to steel herself for something.
Spitfire frowned. Curious. Rainbow was rarely quiet unless she’d just got done being screamed at—usually by Spitfire herself. “Something wrong, Dash?”
Rainbow’s ears drooped slightly, then perked back up. She bit her lip, drawing in a deep breath through her nose.
She exhaled and met Spitfire’s eyes.
“I need to talk to you. Mare to mare.”
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You literal scoundrel.
I went to press the 'Next Chapter' button, and BAM! I realised it was a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger! How could you do this to my poor, poor anticipation!?
DAMN YOU, CARAPACE!
When Twilight replies to Celestia's implication, you can just hear her own implication at the end: "Care to explain, you tubby bitch?"
I mean, this is Twilight, so she'd never say anything even remotely that mean, but the implication was there. Ponycat's got ponyclaws.
Brilliant chapter, although all the "making sure she is a good mare" stuff really ticked me off. The perfect romance stuff from Rarity and Cadence was annoying too. I love the fact that you made negative characters out off positive ones.
Celestia's has moved from being petty and obnoxious to being outright destructive toward Twilight's relationship. And there is a limit to the number of veiled threats that I expect a person to put up with.
Does she have any idea how incredibly rude it is to threaten a guest that she invited? Spitfire would have been entirely justified telling her to fuck off, except of course Celestia is flaunting her power to destroy Spitfire's career if she does.
Honestly I was surprised neither Luna nor Cadance had any pointed words for Celestia after that treatment. I don't really care for any of Twilight's friends treatment of the issue - this teasing stuff wouldn't fly very far in any group I have ever known, maybe the author has different friends - but Celestia's treatment is beyond insulting to both Twilight and Spitfire.
Why do I feel like Dash is going to do or say something stupid?
8064117
Well it is Rainbow Dash, so that's a given.
8063535 someone mention ponecat?
derpicdn.net/img/2016/11/29/1306003/large.png
I had to skim most of this chapter for the point when Twilight figures out what Celestia was doing and puts her in her place, sadly it never came. What a shame.
8055241 Interesting. So does that mean that Fleetfoot is walking, flying and doing her Wonderbolt routine with the help of some supreme pony echolocation? Now I have the strangest headcanon that one of her parents was a fuzzy white batpony.
I think Celestia really needs to lay off the overprotective mother hen thing a bit. I mean, Jesus, Twilight's a grown mare with a crown and castle of her own. I can understand, like, a dad giving 'break her heart and I'll break your spine' threats to the boyfriend of his teenage daughter, but this is a veteran Wonderbolt whom she's known for years with her adult former student.
8064117 I got the feeling that twilight initially wanted to date rainbow but got turned down she may be letting spitfire know so she doesn't feel like a replacement
8064548 If I was Twilight I would tell Celestia "You are not my mother so stop acting like it." I mean really... lay off the attitude. Is Celestia so up in hooves because Spitfire slept with Twilight? What is she jealous or something?
Why hasn't Twilight stood up to Celestia? Twilight is a grown mare? But I get it since we both know Celestia's and Twilight like mother and daughter relationship. Great story!
Ugh, I can hardly stand any of the involvement from a third party in this story anymore. Shining Armor's shield bullshit especially needs to stop, and Celestia's behavior is absolutely horrible. If I was in Spitfire's or Twilight's shoes, I'd have probably told everyone to eat a dick if they're going to do nothing but be invasive and threatening, since apparently all that any of them, save the rest of the Mane Six, want is to break the two of them up. If their lot can't afford Twilight and Spitfire any sense of privacy or relaxation, then they really just need to fuck off and get out of the pair's lives.
8064548 Well said.
8064325 Ya. like what everyone else is saying, Celestia needs to stop being an overprotective mom (and a bitch while she's at it. Like I'm sorry, but if you invite someone, and want them to start a romantic relationship, and they sleep with each other, don't act like "holy shit how did this happen OMG." Maybe you make a few pointed comments about going too fast or making sure you respect them, but you don't act like sleeping with Twilight on the first date is way beyond Spitfire's rights.
I do not think Celestia's attitude is justifiable, or fun to read about. However, I understand that this is most likely the point, and so will shut up about this.
It does not seem within the character of the Twilight Sparkle in this fic to run away from her problems, so it seems implausible that anti-teleportation wards need to be such a present thing.
Congrats on 500 up votes!
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills reading these comments.
Everyone's taking the shield thing that's just a gag about embarrassing the crap outta Twilight way way way too seriously. Then most of them, in the same sentence/paragraph, downplay to the point of completely trivializing the feelings of Celestia, Twilight's mentor, one of her oldest friends, and practically her second mother, not to mention one of the rulers of Equestria and Spitfire's superior.
Celestia should respect Twilight's privacy/her ability to make her own choices, y'all are saying? You should learn to respect someone wanting to protect one they love from pain. Some of the worst emotional pain one can go through, at that.
That's some ironic, downright stupid if I'm being brutally honest, Grade A crap right there. Kind of disappointing since some of the worst offenders are authors themselves and should be able to empathize with clear character motivations and be able to tell when something's a running gag.
8527202
That's just what happens. People don't understand what it's like, going through all the stories like this, watching everyone shit-talk a perfectly reasonable Celestia who's been written TOO forceful, or too spiteful, or too hateful. For the last five-six years, Celestia has always always been the 'villain' in this sort of shipfic, that has to be 'put in her place'.
In the immensely rare case Luna's the one due to coming from a far more conservative age, the audience tends to get mad that Luna's being written this way. But when it's Celestia everyone accepts that she's just a heinous bitch. The amount of bias and bias-pandering over the years has been more than intolerable. Celestia is over a thousand, possibly several thousand years old. Why would she ever be like this? She's had to have had others as close as Twilight before, perhaps even real daughters. It's ridiculous to think she's never been through this song and dance at least a hundred times. We're supposed to be seeing a woman who is the product of centuries-to-thousands-of-years of experiences. Yet somehow she always holds the idiot ball when compared to people who are like... fucking twenty.
I noticed that many people are getting over the top about Celestia. It seems to be Celestial should this and Celestia shouldn't that. I personally think that yes Celestia has gone to far here but that is understandable. It is easy to be blinded by your love of family and that is what Twilight is to Celestia family.