Twilight Sparkle
It’s a new day, and after your successful therapy session with Starlight Glimmer, the euphoria from that is still lingering. Even the sky seems to know how you’re feeling: a vast expanse of clear, untroubled blue, sprinkled here and there with fluffy clouds, the sun shining bright and warm. It’s the kind of day out where you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone feeling gloomy or glum. Unfortunately, ill feelings and sour emotions can occur anywhere and at any time, no matter how welcoming the skies look. Well, that’s what you were here for.
There’s still time before you have to meet with Twilight for her own session, so you decide to take your time walking to the castle. You still can’t quite believe it: Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, wants her own affection therapy session. Not even Princess Celestia or Princess Luna have requested your services since you were appointed, even though you never exactly expected them to. You’re not sure why, but it just feels like royalty wouldn’t be the first or most forward to asking for affection therapy, no matter how harmless and altruistic your intentions are. Besides, you’d never been on close personal terms with Their Majesties of the Sun and Moon. Oh, sure, you’d seen them before at public events, but you’d never had a one-on-one talk with either. You hardly feel qualified for that kind of honor, anyway.
Twilight, though, is a slightly different case. Princess though she may be, she’s still a very humble pony, just like when she was a unicorn. You remember seeing her in the newspapers and on TV in the past, before you’d moved to Ponyville, reading and hearing about her exploits ever since she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon. You couldn’t help marveling at the strength of the bond between those six mares, their dedication to each other and to Equestria. It was something you certainly hadn’t seen where you came from.
You do have to grin to yourself, however, when you recall how embarrassed Twilight was when she requested your services. She wanted to mask her wants under a need for research on what made your techniques tick. You can’t help wondering how long she can keep up such a front. Princess or not, she’s sure to be susceptible to the same affection weak spots as other ponies.
Hmm...actually, ‘weak spots’ didn’t sound like a very positive term. You’ll have to think on that.
You arrive at the castle, right on schedule and much less nervous than on the previous day, and knock. Once again, you can hear the knockings echo inside, even from out here.
“Must get pretty annoying every time someone comes to call,” you mutter to yourself.
Presently, the door’s opened, not by Twilight this time, but by Spike, the little dragon who acts as Twilight’s assistant. He reaches about the level of your knee in height, with purple scales, green eyes, green spines running down his head and back, and green frills where his ears would be. Despite being a dragon, a species usually known for being aggressive and greedy, Spike is a friendly little kid and a responsible assistant, though he can be a little clumsy at times, and hot water shortages in Ponyville can usually be attributed to his lengthy bubble baths.
“Hey, Spike,” you say.
“Hi!” he says, smiling up at you. “Are you here for Twilight?”
“Yep. She’s got an affection therapy appointment. For research purposes, of course,” you add, in a jokingly serious tone.
“I getcha,” says Spike, winking. “Come on in.”
You follow him inside, though you have to check your walking speed as you start down the hallway. Each single stride you take equals several for Spike at a jog, so you regulate yourself so that the two of you can walk more or less side by side.
“So, how was Starlight doing after I left yesterday?” you ask.
“Really well,” says Spike. “Happiest I’ve seen her in a long time, since before Trixie left, anyways. That affection therapy stuff must really work wonders.”
“Well, I’ve had two successes so far now,” you say, “but they’re the only two I’ve ever performed it on.”
Spike stays quiet for a moment or two, then he says, rather uncertainly,
“Uhh, I know this might sound like a weird question, but...do you think you could give it a try on me for a sec?”
You stop and look down at him in surprise. He’s holding his tail in his claws, looking awkward.
“What do you mean?” you ask.
“Nothing too fancy,” Spike says, hurriedly. “Just a scritch behind the frills? I, uh, kinda liked it when I was a dog for a little while, and, uh…I just figured if Twilight knew, she might kid me for it.”
Spike was a dog at one point? When did that happen? However, you decide not to question it. It was probably just the result of one of Twilight’s spells, either as a test, or by accident.
“Say no more,” you say, genially, before kneeling down. “Come here, little pal.”
Beaming, Spike scampers over to you, resting both claws on your knee. You reach behind his frills and start gently scratching. Spike’s expression melts into a slack smile, his eyes half-closed, and even his foot twitching. It really does remind you of a dog’s behavior.
“Ohhhh, yeah. Ohh, that feels good,” he murmurs. “That’s been bugging me for hours…”
An amused giggle makes you pause, and both of you look up. Starlight has just entered the hallway, a hoof covering her muzzle to stifle her laughter. Catching your eyes, she smiles warmly.
“Hi again,” she says.
“Hello, Starlight,” you say. “How are you?”
“Good, thanks,” she replies. “You’re here for Twilight, right?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“She’s in the library right now. I can take you there, if you’d like.”
“I was just leading him there,” says Spike, as though Starlight was doubting his reliability as a guide. “He was just, er, getting an itch I couldn’t scratch.”
“Of course, Spike,” says Starlight, rolling her eyes playfully. “Why don’t we lead him together, then?”
Spike makes a scoffing noise, but as you straighten up, you catch his eye, and he mouths ‘thanks’ with a smile. You smile back and nod. The two of you then follow Starlight down the hallway. She slows her pace a bit so that you’re more abreast of her on one side, Spike trotting along on the other. Looking at her, you can’t help but see that she really does seem to be carrying herself in a lighthearted, easygoing way today. It warms you to the core.
Looking about, you can’t help but notice the gleaming luster of the decor. Now, being made of crystal, this was to be expected, but something about it felt...even shinier than it ought to be. The crystalline walls, columns, and fixtures shone as though polished with an obsessive fervor. Had Twilight done this to make sure you didn’t feel yourself in the presence of a lazy slob? If you were to be perfectly honest, you couldn’t care less how the place looked. In your opinion, when you were royalty, you could leave the place however the heck you wanted it, without worrying about what the common folk thought of it.
Then again, you remind yourself, Twilight’s more humble than that, so she must still want to make a good impression. Very sweet of her, but you hate the thought of her going to so much trouble. That’s especially uppermost considering the fact that the hallways of this castle are very long and maze-like. Each door looks exactly the same, too. It would be very easy, you think, for someone to get lost in here.
“You haven’t been in the castle much, have you?’ Spike asks you.
“No, I haven’t,” you say. “I mean, I’ve had a few audiences with Twilight about getting my job squared away, and then Starlight’s appointment yesterday, but before that, I never had much to do with this place. I will, say, though, that this castle looked a lot smaller from the outside.”
Starlight and Spike both laugh.
“Trust me, I know what you mean,” Starlight says. “When I was first allowed to live here, it took me forever to find my way around.”
“You get used to it,” says Spike. “When you’re sent all over the place to do chores and errands for Twilight, you don’t wanna forget where everything is.”
“I’d imagine not,” you say.
At last, the three of you come to a stop in front of a particular set of double doors. It seems, for convenience’s sake, a small placard has been placed above them, reading, in bright, neat writing: ‘The Library’. Spike steps forward and knocks.
“Come in!” comes Twilight’s voice.
Spike nods to you, and you open the doors. You step into a very large, circular room, the walls of which are composed primarily of packed bookshelves. Books upon books fill every available space in them. A movable ladder leans against the wall to your right. The doors you’ve just walked through are set into a great archway of purple crystal, which gives it a nice aesthetic touch. A table sits at one end, covered in books and parchment. Another circular table sits in front of a comfortable-looking sofa. Sitting on this sofa, her face hidden behind a large volume floating before her, is Twilight, using her magic to both hold up the book and write with a quill on a piece of parchment on the table. You can hear her mumbling to herself.
“And if that were to be the case...but in the last passage, he clearly states…which would render his previous argument...unless, what he was really trying to convey was...”
You clear your throat. Twilight looks up. Something tells you she may have pulled an all-nighter. There are lines under her eyes, and her mane has a hair or two out of place. However, she still smiles at the sight of you.
“Hello!” she says. “So good to see you again!”
Her eyes stray to a clock on the wall, and they widen in surprise.
“Goodness, is it time already? I’d lost track!”
“It’s ok,” you say, smiling. “How are you, Twilight?”
“Oh, I’m doing well, thanks,” says Twilight, setting her work aside. “Please, have a seat.”
She pats the space beside her. You take her up on her offer and sit down, wherein she edges just a little closer to you. Starlight and Spike both take their leave, closing the door behind them. No sooner are they gone than Twilight heaves a huge yawn, her wings poofing out as she does, bumping you. She tucks them in hurriedly, looking shocked.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she says. “I’ve been kind of busy with what you saw me working on just now, and I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
She really didn’t need to apologize. You’d hardly felt anything, with only a soft wing tapping you in the side.
“It’s all right,” you say. “Were you doing some cleaning too, though? I thought the halls looked a bit, er, shinier today.”
“Oh, that?” Twilight asks, the smallest hint of pride in her voice. “Starlight and I were doing our usual morning spell practice, and on our list for the day was a scouring spell for quick, widespread cleaning. Between the two of us, we got the halls spic and span in no time! Spike was definitely happy for that, I can tell you.”
“Impressive!” you say, genuinely. “Are you still up for your session, though?”
“Of course!” says Twilight, brightly. “I could use a little relaxation more than ever. I’m well-prepared to take plenty of notes, too! I don’t want to miss a thing!”
So saying, she levitates a great stack of parchment paper and plunks it down on the table before her. You can’t help but stare, dumbfounded, at the size of it. Does she really expect to document that much on simple gestures of platonic affection?
“So, how do we start?” Twilight asks, with adorable, quite un-princess-like, eagerness.
“Er, well, where do you want to start?” you ask. To be honest, Twilight’s behavior is throwing you off a bit. “Ear scratches? Belly rubs?”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin in thought for a second or two.
“Let’s start with ear scratching. You mentioned that that’s what triggered what happened with your friend, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” you say. “Rose and her friends have been really good to me ever since I first moved to Ponyville, but she’s the one I’ve been on best terms with. She’s not as…”
You pause, waving your hand vaguely as you try to find the proper term, then finally say,
“...faint-hearted as Daisy or Lily.”
Twilight giggles.
“Trust me, I know full well what you mean. Well, whenever you’re ready, go right ahead!”
Her horn flares, and a quill, loaded with ink, poises itself over the topmost page. She then leans her head closer to you, smiling expectantly. Honestly, you’re torn between bewilderment and amusement at how far Twilight is taking this. You never considered anything deeply scientific or ground-breaking in what you did. It was all simple displays of affection. Still, Twilight’s a princess, and you don’t want to insult her by disagreeing with her, so what can you do?
You reach over and start gently scratching the base of her ear. She stiffens, her eyes going wide. Then, her eyelids start to droop, a dreamy smile on her face.
“Ooh...Ohh, wow...That feels...really good! I had no idea...Is it just a finger thing, or...Fascinating!”
The quill starts whizzing across the page, writing up a storm that you can barely make out. It reminded you of the ‘professional illegibility’ of doctors’ notes. The more you scratch, however, the slower the quill goes. You see a slight crease in Twilight’s brow. She's noticed, it seems. Again, the quill speeds up, and again, it slows down.
It seems that Twilight’s eagerness for note-taking is being tested by the pleasant sensation you’re administering to her, and she clearly doesn't like that. She even seems to be fighting to keep her eyes open so she can focus. This starts to concern you, so you pause. Twilight’s eyes fully open, and she looks puzzled.
“Why did you stop?” she asks.
“It just looked like you weren’t enjoying it anymore,” you say. “Do you still want me to keep going?”
Twilight opens her mouth, then looks at her paper, closes her mouth, then appears to think hard. She looks conflicted.
“Well, I can’t exactly expound upon the sensation if I’m not feeling it,” she muses. “But if I focus on the feeling, it’s harder to focus on writing.”
That definitely sounds like a conundrum. You would’ve liked to suggest that maybe she just forego the note-taking altogether, but she’s the princess, so she ought to decide. At last, she says,
“Let’s just move on to something else,” she says. “Chin scratching, maybe?”
“All right, then,” you say, shrugging.
You start scratching under her chin. Once again, her expression melts dreamily, but something’s still wrong. Even as she tilts her head up, she continues trying to write. Her face tenses up, as if she’s fighting the feeling to focus on her notes. She doesn’t look so relaxed anymore, and that troubles you.
“Twilight,” you say, unable to hide the concern in your voice, “just relax. This is a therapy session. You won’t feel better if you don’t relax.”
“But...I can’t...I have to...For posterity,” she says, in a strained voice.
Ok, this was getting ridiculous. Princess or not, you can’t stand seeing Twilight so conflicted. You have to say something!
“Twilight!” you say, firmly, getting her attention fully. “I’m sorry to speak up to a princess, but you can’t continue like this! How do you expect to fully appreciate affection therapy, the very practice you helped certify, if you keep fighting it? Please, just put down the quill, quit overthinking it, and enjoy it for what it is!”
Twilight looks at you, then at her paper, indecision etched all over her face. Her quill has come to a stop, dangling over the page, shaking as if about to explode. Twilight’s mouth scrunches up, her cheeks bulging slightly and going red. You’re quite troubled by this.
“Twilight?”
And then, Twilight suddenly blurts out,
“Oh, to hay with it!”
She magically slams the quill down with such force that it sends her stack of papers spilling to the floor, making an untidy heap. You draw your hand away, startled and a bit apprehensive. Twilight breathes deeply for several seconds, trying to compose herself. At last, she sighs, then looks at you with contrition in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I ought to have realized trying to balance affection therapy with note-taking wouldn’t work out. There’s just some things that can’t be mapped out or explained on paper. Now I’ve ruined the session.”
She turns her gaze away from you and looks down at the floor, her ears drooped. Just like with Starlight yesterday, it pains you to see Twilight so low in spirits. You reach out and start gently petting her silky mane, going from the back of her head down her neck. Her eyes close at your touch, and you take it as a good sign that she doesn't tell you to stop.
“You haven’t ruined anything, Twilight,” you say. “I’m not mad at you. I didn’t think it was my place to tell you how to conduct your own session. Besides, you’re a princess.”
Twilight chuckles slightly, and she leans over, nuzzling you.
“That’s sweet of you,” she says, “but just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I’m perfect, or that I automatically know best. I should’ve just left it to you. You’re the expert, after all.”
“Aw, shucks,” you say, modestly. “Do you like this, what I’m doing now?”
“Mm, yeah,” she says. “It feels really nice.”
Glad to see her spirits restored, you continue stroking her mane and back. Both the hair of her mane and the fur of her coat are really soft and smooth to the touch. You wonder if it's all-natural, or if she has some kind of ‘royal conditioner’ that she uses.
At one point, your hand brushes against her wing. Her eyes snap open, and she lets out a surprised ‘Eep!’ as both wings flare out to their full wingspan with startling swiftness, nearly giving you a heart attack.
“W-What?!” you stammer. “D-Did I do something wrong?”
Twilight folds her wings back up, looking flummoxed.
“N-No, no. It’s just...Of course you wouldn’t know. You see, pegasus (and, I suppose, in this case, alicorn) wings are a bit...sensitive. Most ponies don’t like them being touched, unless they’re preening themselves.”
“Oh, I-I see.” you say.
You feel your face go hot, and you can hardly even look at her now. You’d had no idea. No one had ever told you. Now you feel like you just intruded on something private and personal, and against a princess, no less!
“Sorry,” you mutter, still avoiding her eye.
You feel a hoof touch your shoulder. You look up at Twilight, and her expression is full of understanding.
“It’s all right,” she says. “You didn’t know, and now you do. Just, try to be more careful in future, all right?”
“Y-Yeah, of course,” you say, more than willing to agree, and glad that she's not angry with you.
The question is, where do you go from here now? How do you get back on track after that? However, after a little contemplation, you think you have the answer.
“Do you think we ought to just start over, Twilight? You know, beginning with the ear scratches?”
Twilight’s face lights up.
“That’s a good idea!” she says. “Let’s do that, then.”
“All righty!”
So, you begin where you'd started in the first place, scratching behind her ear. This time, Twilight yields to the sensation without resistance or bothering to take notes. Her whole self relaxes, and she lets out a contented sigh, nuzzling her cheek against your palm in a very cat-like way. That’s all right, as all you need is your index finger, anyway.
From there, you move on to chin scratches, without complications this time. Once again, you have the feeling that if ponies could purr, Twilight would be right now. She’s certainly not being very ‘princess-like’ right now, but you don’t care, and you can imagine she doesn’t, either.
After that, with Twilight draping herself across your lap, just like Starlight did yesterday, you move on to belly rubs. Though slimmer than her pupil, her belly is still warm, soft, and just a little bit doughy to the touch. You'd seen her compared to Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, and you couldn't help thinking how positively skinny they looked compared to her. There was nothing wrong with that, of course, but it did make you wonder if Twilight would soon be that thin when she was about Cadence’s age.
Speaking of age, Twilight’s behavior has reached positively filly-like levels at this point, nestling deeper against you in comfort and contentment, and giggling as you hit ticklish spots, as well as when you spice it up with a boop to the nose, or squeezing her cheeks. She, like Starlight, has a very cute giggle to listen to. You wonder if it’s just a common thing among Equestrian mares, since so many of them are adorable just to look at. She even adds to the silliness by bopping your nose or tickling you in the side with her hoof, so that the library rings with laughter from both of you.
Soon, however, once everything’s settled down, and you resume simply rubbing her belly, Twilight starts to drift off, and eventually, you can hear her snoring quietly, her stomach rising and falling with her breath. She looks so at peace, all her cares and worries wiped from her face, her hooves curled in front of her chest, one ear flicking from time to time. You feel as though your heart might burst from your ribcage from the overdose of adorableness you’ve been a part of up until now. Smiling, you softly pet her mane again, just once. Even in her sleep, you can see her smile as well, as she lets out a soft, peaceful ‘Mmm’ that would melt a heart of stone. After that, you just sit there and let her sleep, unwilling to disturb her repose.
At last, just when you’re feeling about ready to fall asleep yourself, Twilight’s eyes open. Yawning, she sits up, stretching her forelegs as she does so.
“Hey there, sleepyhead,” you say, genially, as she shifts back again to sit beside you. “How do you feel?”
“Fantastic,” says Twilight. “That’s the most relaxed I’ve been in a while. I never doubted that your techniques worked, but that was wonderful.”
“Well, I’m happy to help,” you say, putting a hand to your chest and half-bowing.
Twilight smiles warmly.
“Thank you so much,” she says. “I probably didn’t make things easy with the whole ‘research’ thing at first.”
“Think nothing of it,” you say, waving an airy hand. “I didn’t want to stand in the way, if that was how you wanted your session to go.”
“Well, I’m glad you helped me see sense. It was way better not trying to concentrate on note taking. I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”
And so saying, she puts her forelegs around you in a warm, tender hug.
Darn it, how much more cuteness can your heart take with these ponies!? Nevertheless, you return the hug, though you’re careful to keep clear of her wings this time. When you pull apart at last, Twilight says,
“Oh, that’s right! I nearly forgot!”
Her horn flares, and with a flash, two small but hefty-looking burlap sacks appear on the table. You stare at them in surprise.
“What are those for?” you ask.
“Your therapy dues, of course,” says Twilight. “One for Starlight’s, and one for mine. I’d forgotten to give you the first one yesterday. I just teleported them from my bedroom.”
Truth be told, you’d completely forgotten about pay as well. Then again, Twilight had helped set up your therapy fee when she arranged for your new job. Money just didn’t seem as important at the time.
“Well, thanks very much, Twilight,” you say, standing up and taking up the two bags. “I’m glad you reminded me, even though money wasn’t my foremost thought in this.”
“Oh, I know,” says Twilight, smiling, as she joins you. “It’s your heart that guides you, not your wallet.”
You can’t help but blush, though you’re more grateful than embarrassed for the compliment.
“Well, why don’t I walk you out?” asks Twilight. “I realize the hallways may seem a little labyrinthine.”
“I’d really appreciate that, thanks,” you say.
With that, the two of you head for the library doors, side by side. Once more, you can hardly believe your luck. You’ve now had two successful official therapy sessions, and one of them was with a princess. You can’t help but wonder what the future may hold out for you, if this was how you were kicking off your new career. Well, for now, all that matters is the fact that you were able to help Twilight relax, and, just like Starlight, the smile on her face was more than enough reward for you.
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You have no idea how much I want to do this. It sounds like pure heaven.
Just as wonderful and warm-hearted as the first chapter! Looking forward to more.
Just as therapeutic for the giver as the receiver, I imagine. Much like a dog... that could tell you where it wants petted.
Good chapter! Though I gotta say that 'labyrinth-like' is already a word: labyrinthine
7883914 Ah, right. Thanks
7883939
lol, no problem. I dont have a problem with the original at all, but Twilight (at least in my eyes) is one of those kind of people who reads dictionaries for fun and thesauruses before bedtime. She knows her vocab, lol.
It would be rather funny if Flutters arranged a session for Discord. XD
Welcome to Equestria
Do applejack next.
Ah, what a lovely chapter. And a great start to a morning as well
Nice, slow, uneventful (not a bad thing in this case) and just so, so sweet.
I wonder if our hero ever gets in over his head with more sessions scheduled than he can handle. Probably yes, once the word goes around.
Labyrinthine is not a word, could'ja change it to Labyrinth please?
Applejack might need the kinks worked out, too. She works so hard.
Fluttershy is going to make the heart of everyone commenting here turn to goo when you eventually do her chapter.
aahhh well, I can't help but wanting this to turn out a bit crazy in the end. I mean like one of the ponys, maybe one of the main six could think more of it than it is and actually getting a massive crush on him, what happens after that, I would expect to see in a sequel if you want to take this in a different direction. I mean I notice that this is probably meant to continue like this right now.
You have gotten me really close to squeeing out loud in class.
7907732
I'm imagining Fluttershy getting this "affection therapy" now, and my brain can't even wrap itself around all the cute.
I could imagine Applejack needing it on account of running a farm, too.
7907732
I'm guessing that Fluttershy's session might end up with a dead (but very happy) therapist... that level of pony adorbs was not meant for humankind.
7908253 Like The Boopening?
7906113
Just one google search... that's all it takes.
7907732
That gave me an amazing idea for a chapter...
Marble Pie!
7906113 Oh no, labyrinthine is very much a word. It's an adjective used to describe something that is like a labyrinth. I hoped I helped you.
Oh. Nice slipping in who the pony was
But I can't help it.
THE HORROR! THE HORROR!
Oh roseluck was the first! God I need more roseluck fics in my life!
D'awww!
8314669
8290203
He booped that mare on the nose! The monster!
Yep. Still adorable.
Twilight after the therapy can get her parchment and write her notes about it all!
Ah! Rose Luck I was wondering who.
Think you could do one for Sunset Shimmer, or maybe Sci-Twi that would be funny
This is making me realize that I really need to get back into hypnosis practice…
(It can elicit very similar sensations to those described here, for anypony unaware)