Twilight had never willingly worn a dress in her life.
As a filly, she’d been required to wear dresses for special occasions. She had hated every single occasion without exception.
Not because of the occasions. But because of the dresses.
They were impractical. They were immodest. They were useless. How could a species as intelligent as ponies make such a fuss over external attire when most of the population went around without wearing anything for a vast majority of their lives?
It was madness. Total and complete madness.
Yet, here she was. Minuette was bustling around her with the frightening efficiency and precision Twilight had come to expect from the best clockmaker in Equestria. It was akin to being caught in a localized blue tornado, if she were feeling poetic.
Twilight had learned within one week of being introduced to—well, being reintroduced to—Minuette that the blue unicorn was quite possibly the most stubborn creature in all of Equestria. All Twilight’s attempts to refuse her ‘makeover’ had been pleasantly rebuffed and ignored.
How the mare could be so stubborn and so cheerful about it at the same time was yet another mystery Twilight was forced to chalk up to Minuette being Minuette. And that ‘explanation’ was still under review.
However, if she were to be entirely truthful, it was not Minuette who was responsible for Twilight being subjected to this lunacy. The only reason Twilight had let herself be ‘bullied’ into wearing the blasted thing was because of Cheerilee.
Cheerilee had asked nicely.
“You sure about this?” Twilight asked as she studied herself in the mirror. “I… I haven’t worn anything like this since I was a filly.”
“Yowza,” Minuette chirped as she adjusted the hemline of Twilight’s dress. “You really need to get out more, Twi.”
“Dresses make no logical sense.” Twilight frowned and swished her tail, hidden beneath the folds of fabric flowing over her flanks.
Cheerilee smiled from her spot on the couch. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but—despite what Coco says—fashion rarely makes sense. Well, at least not to me.”
“Oh, it doesn’t make any sense to me either!” Minuette replied in her eternally cheerful voice as she brushed Twilight’s mane with her magic. “But it doesn’t mean dresses don’t look pretty.”
“Well… yeah,” Twilight admitted. “I guess it does.”
Twilight tried to remain still, but her eyes were constantly drawn back to the strange-looking mare in the mirror. The mare who would never wear a medium violet dress with intricate lacework that vaguely resembled leaves along the neckline and the trim. The mare who didn’t find herself distracted by shimmering bits of fabric that looked like stars set into the night sky. The mare who looked… well…
Silly. I look silly. That’s it. Nothing else. Nothing else at all!
“Now, Coco said she had to throw this together from one of Rara’s outfits and you’re a bit smaller than Rara is,” Minuette continued. “But I think she did a pretty good job.”
“She has been designing clothes for most of her life,” Cheerilee pointed out. “It’s part of her talent, after all.”
“That’s true,” Minuette said with a shrug. “Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it! Now, about the front of your mane…”
“No!” Twilight squeaked, backing away even as her bangs bounced off her muzzle. “Not the bangs!”
Cheerilee smiled wanly. “You don’t want to do something special for your very first date?”
“I…. I wasn’t expecting to have a date!” Twilight wailed, throwing her hooves in the air. “This happened so fast. I don’t even really understand what’s going on! I… this… am I really… am I really about to go out with…” She swallowed hard. “Moon Dancer? On a date?”
Minuette and Cheerilee shared a look. Twilight went red and stared at her hooves. She’d refused to wear the matching shoes. It just didn’t feel like her. It didn’t feel right.
Most of this didn’t feel right. But, it didn’t really feel wrong either. She wanted to scream. Instead, she just buried her face in her hooves and groaned.
“You don’t have to do this, Twi,” Cheerilee said, her voice gentle. “If this makes you feel uncomfortable—”
“What makes this uncomfortable is that it’s happening so fast!” Twilight cried, flinging her hooves into the air again. “Did you know I was up most of Friday night pacing? Trying to figure out what I had done to Sunset and Moon Dancer to make them so mad at me? At least, I thought they were mad at me. Moon Dancer sure acted mad. Sunset… she was just confusing. But I spent the entire night pacing! And I couldn’t come up with a thing! No, that’s not true. I came up with a ton of hypotheses… including the one that ended up… that ended up being…” Twilight’s voice faded to a whisper. “...the right one.”
She heard one of them shuffle her hooves, but she couldn’t look at them to tell which.
“And then… last night…” Twilight slumped onto her flanks and stared at nothing. “Last night I just stared at the ceiling until sometime after three in the morning…”
Nopony said a word, but she could feel their eyes on her.
“What am I doing?” Twilight whispered, more to herself than anypony else.
Ever since yesterday, her thoughts had wandered back to that afternoon below the Royal Canterlot Archives. Again and again. It never stopped. The place where she’d seen Sunset’s whole life. The place where she made a connection with another pony for the first time in years. And that pony… that pony had feelings… for her.
A pony who’s the personal protege of Princess Celestia herself. She’s the daughter of two of the most powerful ponies in all of Canterlot! Her family is rich beyond imagination! And one day… she’ll be an alicorn.
One day, Sunset Shimmer will be a Princess.
And Sunset Shimmer had feelings for her.
Feelings that were in direct contradiction of a request by the ruler of Equestria. And national leaders didn’t give requests. Not as far as Twilight was concerned. Granted, she may have gotten to know the Princess a little better in the last couple of months, but she was still Princess Celestia for pony’s sake! She’d ruled Equestria for a thousand years. Her knowledge was unmatched. Her kindness. Her insight.
Her wisdom.
The Princess had said she had seen this sort of thing before. She had warned them that the connection might be false.
It was the ‘might be’ that befuddled and vexed Twilight to no end.
Movement caught her eye and she looked up to see Cheerilee sitting across from her, smiling patiently. Minuette was fiddling with something on the kitchen counter.
“Twilight, I know you’re scared. A lot’s changed for you in the last few months.”
“That’s an understatement,” Twilight muttered.
Cheerilee laughed lightly. “It probably is. Tell me something though… what exactly scares you?”
“Everything,” Twilight replied instantly.
Cheerilee’s green eyes didn’t shift in the slightest, but Twilight knew she wasn’t about to accept that as an answer.
“Fine!” Twilight said, throwing both hooves into the air for a third time. She almost sent her glasses flying. “I like Sunset.”
“Do you like Moon Dancer?”
“You’re not exactly being subtle tonight,” Twilight pointed out.
“You’re a grown mare, Twilight.” Cheerilee chuckled. “I don’t think you need me to treat you like a little filly. I’m pretty sure you can take it.”
Twilight swallowed. She didn’t need to think about it. Sunset’s words had made her think about it yesterday. And last night. And most of this morning.
“Yes,” she murmured.
“Why?”
“You did this with Sunset, didn’t you?” Twilight glared at her friend.
“Yes, I did.” Cheerilee admitted without looking even slightly repentant. “And I’m pretty sure Rara is doing it with Moon Dancer right now. Now, answer the question, young filly.”
Twilight didn’t argue with the ‘filly’ comment. After all, Cheerilee was the oldest of Sunset’s little group. A little group that had somehow grown to include Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies.
Twilight sighed and played with the lining of her dress. “She was the only pony who could keep up with me.”
Minuette suddenly stopped pretending to be busy and let out a short bark of a laugh.
“What?” Twilight demanded. Even Cheerilee looked vaguely annoyed.
“Sunset once told Moon Dancer the same thing. It was one of the reasons she started tutoring her.”
Twilight flushed. “Well… it’s still true. She’s the best librarian outside of the RCA. For pony’s sake, I know she could run circles around almost anypony in the RCA. But she works out in the Cosmo. She works with anypony. With everypony. She really cares about other ponies and helping them. She loves reading just as much as I do. She studies just because she loves studying. She was always like that… and… and… she kept trying…”
“Kept trying…?” Cheerilee trailed off, studying Twilight carefully. Twilight couldn’t hold the teacher’s gaze for long before once more her head dropped and she was staring at her hooves.
A few long moments passed before Cheerilee answered her own unspoken question. “She kept trying to reach out to you.”
Twilight nodded.
“When I saw her expression that night at Rosy Quartz? The restaurant we all went to?” Cheerilee had been in Ponyville at the time, but the teacher had heard the story so many times it was like she’d been there anyway. “I knew she hadn’t given up on me. Not all the way. Even though I deserved it.”
“You two are a pair…” Cheerilee mumbled.
“Who?” Twilight blinked a few times, confused. “Moon Dancer and me?”
Cheerilee shook her head. “Nothing, Twilight. Sorry. Got distracted for a second.”
Twilight wasn’t sure she believed her, but at this point, she was so desperate for help, she decided to let it pass. “So… yeah. That’s why.”
“It sounds like there could be something special there,” Cheerilee said. “You two are a lot alike.”
“You’re almost twins!” Minuette chirped from behind the teacher.
“Not helping, Minuette,” Cheerilee said with a suffering sigh.
“But… what about Sunset?” Twilight asked, tapping her hooves together.
Cheerilee took a deep breath as Twilight looked up. Now it was Cheerilee’s turn to stare at the floor of Twilight’s living room.
“Twilight…” Cheerilee paused for a moment before diving in. “Sunset’s in a strange place right now. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea to complicate things. I know you’ve got this magical connection with her, but she’s just not ready for anything. And believe me when I tell you it really isn’t you.”
Twilight swallowed as memories bubbled up to the surface. Only they weren’t hers. They were memories of Sunset’s failures, the times where she’d been berated and called a monster. The times when she hadn’t cared. And worse… the times when she had. Throughout it all, Twilight could feel Sunset’s guilt.
She saw herself a few times, too. She pushed those memories away. She’d already stolen these memories. They didn’t belong to her. She wished she could give them back.
She knew better.
I wonder if these will ever go away? I don’t like having another pony’s memories inside of me. I shouldn’t get to see inside Sunset like this. She paused. Then again… she got to see me like this, didn’t she?
That led Twilight to another hypothesis.
Maybe that’s what’s really going on here. Maybe more of those memories have come up in her head. Maybe she realized that she doesn’t want to have that connection with me and she’s just trying to spare my feelings.
Twilight nodded to herself. She wasn’t sure if that was sound logic, but considering how guilty Sunset felt all the time, it would be just like her to hide something like that. She did care about Twilight, even if she wasn’t interested in her. Maybe it had been an act to spare Twilight’s feelings.
But, all the looks I saw… all the blushes and awkward moments… those weren’t an act, were they? They couldn’t have been!
It still made more sense. Sunset was trying to spare Twilight the pain of rejection. Maybe something new had happened. Maybe Sunset had some sort of insight or revelation.
And she was being a good friend.
“Bit for your thoughts?” Cheerilee asked.
Twilight blinked and looked around. She’d been so lost inside of her own head she’d forgotten where she was. It had been a long time since that had happened.
Actually, no. That had last happened Tuesday.
She usually got lost in her own head on Tuesdays. Now that she thought about it, she usually tripped over her coffee table on Tuesdays too.
Twilight turned to glare at her coffee table. It hadn’t struck again yet, but she knew it was a matter of time.
“Is it strange to name a piece of furniture?” Twilight asked.
“Uh…” Cheerilee sounded totally befuddled. Which was fine. Twilight was in a similar state of mind. She didn’t object to having company there.
“Nope!” Minuette replied. “I have names for all my favorite clocks.”
The logic was Minuette logic, but at the moment, Twilight would take any logic she could get.
“I’m naming my coffee table Tuesday.”
“Uh… why?” Cheerilee asked.
“Because Tuesdays are trouble,” Twilight declared.
“It’s Sunday,” Cheerilee pointed out.
“Doesn’t matter. Tuesdays are still trouble. And that coffee table is trouble. Therefore, I’m naming my coffee table Tuesday.”
Twilight turned to look at Minuette and Cheerilee. Minuette still wore her eternal smile. Cheerilee now looked befuddled, where before she had only sounded befuddled.
“Sounds good to me!” Minuette chirped.
“If you say so,” Cheerilee said with a hesitant shrug. “But, somehow… I suspect you weren’t thinking about your coffee table.”
Twilight’s ears flattened and she shook her head.
“Twilight, please listen.” Cheerilee put a hoof out and touched her shoulder. “No matter where Sunset is right now, you have a choice. You don’t have to do this. Say the word and we’ll put a stop to it. I know Sunset doesn’t want to force you into this.”
Twilight glanced back at her lurking coffee table. She remembered all the pacing she’d done in the last two months. Confusion about who she was. About where she belonged. What she was doing with her life.
She’d never trade her life at the RCA for anything in the world. It was what she was meant to do. Her destiny, though she had somewhat mixed feelings on that particular concept.
But this new life that she had suddenly been thrust into? That was something else entirely.
So yes, she’d done a lot of pacing. A lot of thinking. A lot of pondering.
Because she’d been scared. She still was. She was scared every time she was in the presence of the Princess of the Sun. She was scared of making an idiot out of herself every time she was with one of her new friends. She was scared of Sunset and what she might actually think of Twilight… or what Sunset might actually be doing to herself. She was scared of trying to rebuild that special relationship she’d had with Moon Dancer.
She was scared of everything.
But she couldn’t just hide in the RCA anymore. Sunset Shimmer had ruined that option. Sunset Shimmer had reintroduced her to a thing called ‘friendship.’ She’d even started to teach her about it.
So maybe… this is another lesson. And I can always handle another lesson. I need all the lessons I can get.
Some part of her recognized the rationalizations for what they were. The rest of her told that part of her to shut up and go sit in a corner somewhere.
Tonight scared her. But, if there was one thing she’d learned from Sunset’s lessons, it was that sometimes you needed to do what scared you. In fact, that had been her very first lesson. One first taught by Sunset and reinforced by the Princess of the Sun.
It was time to put it into practice.
“Twilight?” Cheerilee asked, a faint frown on her face. “You’re spending a lot of time in your head today.”
“I know,” Twilight admitted. “I’m sorry. Just… working some stuff out.”
“There’s a lot to work out,” Minuette said. “Sunny’s a confusing pony. Moon Dancer is too, but she isn’t as bad.”
Twilight looked at the two of them. Cheerilee had only been her friend for about two months. Minuette had been her friend before Twilight had even understood the concept, but that had been a long time ago. Both had been completely accepting of her.
One was an old friend from back at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. One was entirely new. And both of them had come here to help make this evening happen.
To help her. And to help their other friend, Moon Dancer.
Twilight’s first friend.
And for the first time since yesterday, Twilight found herself able to think about the potential she had with Moon Dancer. What it might be like to actually go out with her. Not in an abstract manner like some sort of observing scientist… but what it would be like to look across a candle-lit table at Moon Dancer’s pretty eyes.
To Twilight’s surprise, she found herself wondering what the second date would be like.
That’s when she knew. It was simple.
“So, Sunset set all of this up, huh?” Twilight asked. It wasn’t the first time she’d asked it. But it was the first time she’d really wanted to know the answer.
“Yup!” Minuette replied. “Already got everything ready for you. Reservations, a private balcony, the whole nine yards.”
“Sunset really wants to make this happen.” This time, it wasn’t a question.
“She’s doing her best,” Cheerilee replied. “And so are we.”
Twilight slowly pulled herself to her hooves and took a deep breath. Then another. And one more for good measure.
She wondered if there were any spells that could help a racing heart. Maybe a potion? Alchemy wasn’t her strongest subject, but she knew her way around a mortar and pestle. It would be something she’d have to look into.
After tonight.
With one last deep breath, she nodded.
“I think I’m ready.”
Cheerilee and Minuette smiled. With a wave of Minuette’s magic, the door opened and the crisp evening air of Canterlot flooded into the somewhat stuffy living room.
“After you,” Cheerilee said.
Twilight nodded. It took a little effort to take the first step. But the second was easier.
After she got to the eighteenth, even she hardly noticed the hesitation.
That was kind of a depressing chapter.
Pretty much everything about this whole situation just makes me want to go after Celestia with a rolled up newspaper.
A pair indeed...
Also, Twilight, I ask again: Why do you even have that coffee table?
All in all, a nice check-in with the object of two mares' affections. I'm still wondering how, exactly, this is all gonna turn out.
Hello there again. All I can say is excellent job on this latest chapter. Once more, the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-ups are all well done in all the right places. I particularly liked Twi's reflections on the events of the past few months and struggling with Sunset's memories in her head . And I have to admit, the thoughts on the value of clothes in a society that, with rare exceptions, ONLY wears them for VERY special occasions and the coffee table argument DID provide a healthy amount of humor in addition to the serious stuff.
And, yeah, I can definitely understand how real life can make a delay on the next chapter necessary. That's more than fair enough. 1. Real life HAS TO take top priority and 2. Quality over speed.
Sooo it seems like despite the whole thinking about a second date thing, Twilight's still doing this for Sunset, not for herself or Moon Dancer.
I can't complain too much about her leaning towards SunLight (shocking as that is from Novel and all ), but still probably not healthy.
It feels like the best solution is for Twilight and Moony to have a nice few dates, before amicably deciding they're better as friends for whatever reason.
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I know right?
Twilight, you two really ARE a pair.
I know a lot of us are fuming at Celestia, and are of the opinion that she is neither helping the situation, nor actually thinking of the well-being of any of the three unicorns involved here by driving up their anxiety about everything. And you know what?
You’re all right; she’s not thinking of the well-being of all three unicorns involved here. She doesn’t care about their well-being. She can’t care about their well-being. Equestria must come first in all things she does, so no, she she doesn’t care about their well-being: She cares about Sunset Shimmer’s well-being. She must, absolutely, find some way to get Sunset to forgive herself, straighten up, and fly right, because the fate of the entire world hangs on that.
And if that requires her to drive a wedge in between Sunset and Twilight, she will do it, because that is why she exists: To do terrible things in order to spare others the same fate. She is the mother who goes to bed hungry, denies herself things that she wants, and works herself into an early grave so that her children don’t have to struggle the way that she does.
Well... that’s what I think, at any rate.
If I had a pillow wih me right now, I'd be screaming into it.
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That, of course, begs the question of how driving that wedge improves Sunset's well-being. The goal is clear, but even Celestia doesn't seem confident in how she's worked out the cold calculus of equine survival. I wish she'd show her work. Of course, there are several times when I could say the same of canon Celestia...
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Think back to the mirror: Sure, we saw Twilight, but she wasn’t a part of the group. She was off to the side.
She was separate from the whole.
She is a distraction.
Sunset’s well-being, if it requires a partner at all, will be best served with Moon Dancer. Celestia must assume this is a fact.
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Sunset isn't into Moon Dancer. And if the future of Equestria depends on Sunset, maybe Celestia shoud try to not break her. Unless Sunset and Twilight go against both Celestias wishes and their own guilt, they won't get together. Them getting together might not guarantee a better mental health, but compared to the current downward spiral it seems the more favourable option. I really want to know what exactly Celestia's motivations and goals are in this mess.
Did Cheerilee just completely avoid that not-a-question?
I see you referencing Albi's work!
Really though, this is great. And now I have to wait...
Now, to try to identify everyone's elements!
Sunny - Magic
Moony - Loyalty
Cheerilee - Honesty
Minuette - Laughter
Coco - Generosity
Rara - Kindness
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Have we two been reading the same story?
Rara has on multiple occasions been described as the brutally honest one and Cheerilee has gotten the kindness label more than once as well.
Even in this chapter Cheerilee gets an almost Fluttershy like moment:
And that's what got to Twilight. If that isn't kindness at work then what is?
The rest I agree with.
Twilight might still be the spark that makes the element of magic appear but I still believe Sunset gets it. But I wouldn't be too surprised if it turns out to be the other way around.
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Cheerilee looked like she had some Honesty moments, and was encouraging ponies to be honest with themselves, but I think you're right.
Also, Twilight was never the spark. Yes, spark might be in her name, but she herself is not the spark. The spark occurred within her. In watching the first episode, you can even see that a spark happens in her eyes. So, too, could the same spark happen in Sunny.
But, this is a Starlight Universe. Meaning, either 1) the Elements of Harmony failed, or 2) Twilight just appeared wrong place wrong time kind of deal, like Tirek had just destroyed that bit, and Sunset and her friends went all rainbow power right after she left, or there was just that one area being worked on by Flim and Flam.
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With that spark thing, I am looking too much at Fallout Equestria where Littlepip is the spark that finds the element bearers without being a bearer herself. That looked like a good idea for how to include an additional pony while keeping the number of elements the same.
If I went by that logic than Sunset would be the spark since she is the one who brought those ponies togetherin the first place.
About the Starlight-verse I thought the same. Most of the universes we only got a small glimpse of. Which means there is endless space for interpretation.
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If you've ever read Worst of All Possible Worlds, you can see someone's interpertation of how the worlds are.
Also, thank you for putting the spoiler tag on the F:E thing. I'm currently reading it for the first time. And loving it, I might add.
Novel...this story...whoa.
I need a minute.
❤❤❤❤
I just want to bury myself 6 ft below ground, thank you