Being a Princess

by PonyTom

The Moon in Twilit Dreams

The night sky was dressed in stars as a mare who was ready to attend the Grand Galloping Gala. Standing out, however, was not the stars glittering the darkness, but the massive, pale, rounded body that was the moon that seemed to forever rule it.

Standing on a balcony, staring into the sky, ever vigilant as she guarded her little ponies through the darkness, Princess Luna's gaze drifted across the land, keeping an open eye and an open mind for those little ponies whose sleep was restless, and whose dreams were bathed in darkness and uncertainty.

Her gaze stopped upon Ponyville and she noticed a disturbance; one pony this night was not having a peaceful sleep. Closing her eyes, Luna's horn burned with eldritch power, and she let her consciousness plunge into the ether...

*******************************

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, good to see you!"

Twilight trotted through the town as any normal day. Everypony greeted her with gentle waves, with smiles, and with kind words; but something felt off. They were very forced, very artificial. Ponies that she used to barely know feared her, and ponies she had known better were even a little tense around her. It stung, but this was her life now.

Eventually, she reached Applejack's apple stand. Everypony who had been waiting there quickly drew their distance, allowing the princess a great berth. Twilight sighed and stepped up to the cart and looked to her friend; they had known each other a few years now, and she considered Applejack one of her closest friends.

"Oh! H-hi Twilight! Ah mean, Princess Twilight! Ah mean, Princess Twilight Sparkle... ma'am...? Heheh..."

She was also the worst at lying or concealing anything.

"Hi Applejack... you know you can just call me Twilight, right?"

Applejack laughed nervously. "Uh, y-yeah... uh... thanks... T..... Twi.... Princess Twilight..." Twilight wanted to roll her eyes, to groan, to respond in some way to show her displeasure, but she knew if she did, her friend would fear for her life.

"... Can I please purchase some apple fritters?"

Applejack nodded nervously and enthusiastically, reaching into her cart and pulling from it several apple fritters and putting them on the cart. These were special; they had Twilight's cutie-mark branded into them... how she did that, Twilight didn't know. She knew how it COULD be done, mind you, but rather it was burned in there or food coloring or--

"There y'all go..."

"Why do these have my cutie-mark..?"

Applejack's eyes widened and she began to sweat horribly. "Ah, we.. ah, we at Sweet Apple Acres jus' wanted t' be sure that... that if'n we were graced with yer presence that... uh... we'd... be prepared is all, Yer Majesty...." She grinned a big, nervous grin.

Twilight stared at her friend with sad, heart-broken eyes. "... Applejack... why can't we be like we used to be? We were friends... we went on adventures together... we talked, we joked, we shared secrets, we had slumber parties..."

Applejack bit her lip and looked around. "Ah, yeah, an' we still are friends! Those were right great times, Ah jus'... uh... well, Ah... er...."

Twilight hung her head in defeat. "It's okay Applejack..." She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out some bits, setting them on the cart before the orange farm pony.

"Wha? You d-don't have t' pay fer those! They're on th' house!"

Twilight glared at Applejack, whose response was to fall over herself in fear. If she was going to become somepony everypony feared, she would still do what was right. Taking the fritters that she had, proudly she would add, paid for, Twilight turned to head home.

And then, the skies turned black as clouds formed above them.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground a short distance before Twilight, causing ponies to run away screaming in terror, and even Applejack ducked behind her cart. Twilight stared in awe as the smoke churned and twisted, before a random wind seemed to come from nowhere, blowing the smoke away, revealing none other than the lunar princess herself.

"Princess Luna...?"

Luna simply gave a nod. "Princess Twilight." She looked around at all the ponies who trembled and ran away, keeping an even greater distance from Luna than they had been Twilight. Luna's brow furrowed, a scowl on her face. "This was an experience I was none-too upset to be past..."

Twilight looked around at everypony. "I think you just scared them... "

Luna shook her head. "No, I did not scare them. They've been made to be scared by the world in which they inhabit." Twilight was obviously confused.

"Are you saying we live in a scary world? I mean, I'll give Equestria isn't all sunshine and rainbows... or... is it..?"

Luna shook her head and looked to Twilight, a smile on her face. "No, it is not that... of course you wouldn't know."

Twilight was more confused now than before. "Wouldn't know what...? Has something gone wrong? Is there another ancient evil on the loose that the elements will have to deal with..?" Twilight looked back at the apple cart, a frown on her face. "If so... I have to warn you... I don't think we're quite... in tune as we used to be to do the job..."

Luna looked to the apple cart. "Yes... it would seem that way..." She then looked upon Twilight. "But that is not why I am here. I am here to speak to you." Twilight sighed and looked at all the ponies. "Maybe we should go somewhere less... crowded. These ponies won't return to their daily lives until we're out of here."

Luna shook her head, then trotted towards a bush. Reaching a hoof in, she pulled a random pony out, whose eyes were wide open with fear. Looking to Twilight with a deadpan expression, Luna, out of nowhere, slams a hoof into the face of the pony, who was rendered unconscious as a result. Twilight let out a gasp, putting her hooves to her mouth.

"Princess Luna! What are you doing!?"

Luna dropped the pony in the bush and bit her lip, stifling a laugh. Twilight's expression was nothing short of horrified as the lunar diarch fell to her back and rolled around laughing. "What's so funny!? You just hurt that pony!"

Luna finally sat up, wiping tears from her eyes, trying to regain her composure. "Oh.. T... Twilight... it's... it's just a dream! They're not real! They're figments!"

Twilight shook her head. "What!? That's not true! If it was, then Applejack would have the head of an--"

Just as Twilight turned around, Applejack's head had been replaced with an apple and started talking - the upper half of the apple moving up and down, and the only words coming out being muffled gibberish as she spat apple juice all over the place.

Twilight turned back to Luna. "Alright, so, Applejack's head is an apple. This is a dream. So what?"

Luna, finally letting the last bit of her laughter roll away (although admittedly Twilight's disturbing figment of Applejack with an apple head helped), stood to her hooves. She looked around at all the horrified ponies. "Sister didn't lie... you truly are bothered by your new status, are you not?"

Twilight sighed, hanging her head. "Yes... " She gasped, holding up her hooves. "It's not that I don't appreciate it... it's just... it..."

Luna smiled. "You feel unsure. You don't know what to expect. Even attempts to consol you seem like just that."

Twilight nodded, before she realized something. "Wait, how do you know that?"

Luna waved her hoof around. "Please, Twilight Sparkle... what is it the youth are saying these days...? Ah yes! Calm thy tits!"

Twilight blushed. "Luna!"

Luna, however, ignored Twilight's voice. "I have been through this myself, upon my return to Equestria as one of its glorious rulers! It took much getting used to the nobility, to the scheduling, and to the parliament..." She shook her head. "When last I was here, parliament only had three members, one from each tribe... how things change..."

Twilight nodded, forgetting that Equestria had evolved a lot since Luna had been there last. She sat on the ground, sighing. "... I've talked to Celestia and Cadence... and I've gotten a lot of answers and help... but at the same time, I worry. I feel like it means nothing..."

Luna sighed and looked about. She was not sure what to say.

"... Twilight... I will be the first to admit something my sister might never be able to bring herself to say..."

Twilight leaned forward, wondering if she was about to receive a great deal of insight. Some advice from Luna that Princess Celestia might not admit? Was this going to be top secret type stuff? Something to solve all of her problems?

"... as the young ponies say... I know not what the buck you are talking about."

"Luna! Language!"

Luna shook her head. "Twilight, the first thing that you should know is that Celestia and I are... unique."

Twilight quirked her brow, confused. Luna sighed.

"Celestia may not have explained it to you, but there is a difference between us and Cadence and yourself." Luna turned to trot down the street. "Celestia and I... our princess hood... no... our alicornhood... we were particularly... groomed... to be as we are." This ushered another confused stare from Twilight, understandable.

Luna sighed. "I... cannot go into explanation about what I mean, as I have promised my sister that I should not... but for now, let's just say our alicorn nature is different from yours." She trotted to Twilight and focused, her horn glowing. Suddenly, Twilight's body was enveloped in a magenta glow... wait... that wasn't Luna's magic...

"Yours and Cadence's alicornhood was born from your own innate magic, expanded and reconfigured... in a sense, it does little more than imitate what Celestia and I are."

Twilight looked at her hooves. "Imitate...?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. Celestia and I are connected to stronger forces than yourself. Truth be told, while Celestia may make claim to have turned you into an Alicorn... but you became one under your own power."

Twilight paused, gears turning in her head once more. "Wait... under my own power? I thought Celestia turned me into an Alicorn...?"

Luna hummed and tapped her chin. "Well... yes and no... it's quite complicated to explain..." Luna cast a spell on the ground, lifting a chunk of dirt into the air, and then transforming it into clay. "Magic is like clay... it is shifted, it is twisted, and it takes new shapes..."

As she explained, the clay did indeed change; first into a bunny, then into a bear, and then a parasprite. Twilight tilted her head, taking in all the information.

"In essence, she did cast a spell... but she did so by coaxing your own magic out, and reshaping it." The clay shifted to a unicorn, and then, wings were added to it. "Celestia, bless her soul, has always felt that change must come from within, not from without. Change from without is perversion, invasion, unnatural... but change from within is beautiful, natural, and elegant..."

Twilight put a hoof to her chest, staring at it. "So... I was changed... by my own magic?"

Luna gave a soft nod. "Think of it as a spell she cast on you to change you from within... adapting your magic to pegasus and earth pony gifts..." Twilight hummed, gears spinning in her head once more. Luna knew that look. "Uh... Twilight... for the record, I don't think it's a spell you can pull off. It takes magic on par with my sister or I to manage... besides, even if you could manage it, it would be very irresponsible and disrespectful to my sister and I to go turning ponies into princesses without our permission."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Right, I get it... not anypony can become an alicorn, otherwise it cheapens the title."

Luna nodded. "Indeed..." The moon princess chuckled. "From what I've been told, this is a fact that has left mine and Celestia's nephew... by a long line of descent anyway... Blue Blood very distraught... supposedly, he has begged my sister on many occasions to make him into an Alicorn."

Twilight giggled a bit, shaking her head. "That sounds like something he'd do."

It became silent and Twilight hummed.

"Say... if this is a dream, does that mean I could do anything I wanted?"

Luna nodded. "Uh... yes... yes, I do believe it would. Why?"

Twilight blinked and then grinned.

Suddenly, in a loud poof, everything changed.

Into a giant laboratory.

Luna quirked a brow. "Really...? Twilight... I have seen enough ponies' dreams to know this is not what ponies usually do when they realize they're dreaming..."

Twilight quirked a brow, wearing a lab coat and a pair of goggles. "What do most ponies do?"

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. "... You know what? This is a very good dream, yes. Certainly a nice dream. You enjoy your science Twilight!"

With that, Luna faded from view.

"What was that all about...?"

Twilight turned to face several stallions (some of which she knew in the waking world) who also wore lab coats and similar goggles.

"I have no idea! Now!" Her grin turned almost seductive, and her tone as she spoke matched. "Who wants to study biology?"

************************

Celestia looked at the cake before her, mouth watering. "... I promised on my new year's resolution I would cut down on the snacks... it's so unbecoming of a princess to gorge herself..." She traced a hoof over the icing, bringing it back to her own muzzle and licking it off. "Mmm... so tasty... Oh I just can't!"

She leaned down, very close to the cake. "But... it's so tantalizing... maybe... maybe nopony has to know?" A grin formed on her face.

Celestia looked left. Nopony there.

She looked right. Nopony there either.

The door swung wide open, the younger of the two sisters entering the room and trotting forward, amused concern etched on her face. "Sister, I think we need to talk about your student, Twilight Sparkle, I do believe she--"

Luna stared at Celestia, who stared back, mouth wide open, an entire cake levitating before her, as if she were a snake readying to eat it's prey whole. There was naught but awkward silence for what seemed an eternity as neither sister said anything, content to only stare at what lay before them. Luna, without a word, slowly backed out of the room, her magic enveloping the door and then slowly pulling it shut, the sound of a click indicating the latch had sealed.

------------------------------------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note:

Hmm... I wonder if a few simple words would mean I should change this to a 'Teen' rating... What do you guys think?

Comments

[hamcon]

Why are they're so many sad Twilicorn fics? Come on, try to be cheerful.

[oaxaca]

2153935

Well, supposedly Alicornhood brings eternal life, which in turn brings a lot of sadness to the pony who has to watch everyone die. Now that i think about it, Spike will have more or less the same destiny.

[PonyTom]

2154089
The whole 'alicorns being eternal' thing is a fan assumption based on the fact that Celestia and Luna are at least 1000 years old with no basis on anything actually released by the creators. No one seems to notice that even among the alicorns, Celestia and Luna are unique. Who knows; maybe their alicorn-ness has nothing to do with their long life spans? Maybe they're just so powerful magically that they don't age like other ponies? Maybe they're not immortal but are extremely long lived? Until I see some official post declaring all alicorns immortal (and I mean official, not some guy on reddit or someone who popped up on the internet and said it was so) I'll just assume it's whatever the fans want it to be.

[oaxaca]

2154179

And the reason of your comment is?

[PonyTom]

2154380

Reason for posting it? Or reason behind it?

Reason behind it is simple:
Here are the only things we know for certain. Princess Celestia is extremely long-lived, Luna was sealed in the moon for one thousand years (so fans can speculate if she shares Celestia's anti-aging powers or if she was simply... 'frozen.') Princess Celestia and Luna control the sun and moon respectively (then again, so did unicorns at one time) and there have been other alicorn princesses (assuming Celestia or Luna arent the princess mentioned in the book where the Cutie-Mark Crusaders discovered love poison.) Of the alicorns, only the regal sisters possess ethereal, flowing manes (although Luna was free of this after she was changed back to normal, which leaves room to further theory potential - plus, this is admittedly flimsy and could just be cosmetic, but still, throwing it out there!) and the alicorn sisters are considerably larger than regular ponies (Twilight and Cadence are bigger than their fellow mares, but not by much. Once more, could just be cosmetic!) Also, consider we're led to believe that other alicorns do exist (unless those royal guards with horns and wings are an animation error)

Here are the things that have been tacked on by fans:
Celestia and Luna have been around a long time - they simply must be immortal (screw simply being long-lived.) By this logic, all other existing alicorns must, too, be immortal. Celestia and Luna are extremely powerful, so by this logic, so too must be all other alicorns (though Cadence was mysteriously overpowered by Chrysalis, assumingly before she actually replaced her, and then imprisoned for who knows how long.) Celestia and Luna control the sun and moon, thus, must be living deities (nevermind that with enough love, Chrysalis overpowered Celestia, and, once again, unicorns used to do the same thing. And no, it's never explained just how many it took to do it.)

Bare in mind, I am not saying that the fan speculation stuff isn't true - just that we don't have enough evidence to draw a final conclusion.

If you mean "why did I post the comment" well, that's simple too!

I was bored!

[Magatsu Orpheus]

2154478
There was a tweet from Meghan McCarthy (Think it was her?) saying that Twilight will not outlive her friends. Now, whether that means Twilight isn't immortal, or that her friends will become Alicorns (which would, while stupid, be admittedly very clever wordplay), we don't know.
But seeing as both the show (flashbacks) and comics have shown Cadence aging normally, it seems that Ascended Alicorns age the same way a normal pony does.