Confessions From the Heart
inappropriate,
in·ap·pro·pri·ate
Adjective
Not fitting; unsuitable or untimely. Lacking harmony with social standards.
Princess Celestia stood in the middle the castle garden, methodically taking in its vast beauty. With her eyes closed, she could feel the summer breeze running its bristles through her rainbow mane and gently stroking her white coat. The tall grass kissed her ankles and knees as if she were standing in a field of feathers. With each breath, the smell of pine tickled her nose and danced across her lips. There was even a faint scent of lavender that hid in the fresh mountain air. A scent that reminded her that she had a more important agenda than frolicking in the foliage. It reminded her of the hunt. The princess had promised not to use her wings, nor any kind of spells, but it didn't stop her from using her basic senses. The faint breath of lavender grew stronger, overpowering the other scents around her. She could almost taste her. With every inhale, the trail of her prey began to take form leaving behind hoofprints in the grass, conjuring up a vivid aural apparition of what the the sun goddess had sought out. Even though her eyes where still shut, she could almost feel her, running off, searching, deciding. The trail led towards a row of statues in the distance. Without wings or magic, this would prove to be an easy task.
"28... 29... 30! Ready or not here I come!" the princess called out, opening her eyes with a warm smile. "Now where could she be?"
With each step, the aroma grew stronger until the alicorn could practically see her prey hiding behind a statue of Starswirl the Bearded, sitting on her haunches. She could sense the scented phantom taunting her, tiny hooves to her mouth in an attempt to suppress a giggle. Despite her overwhelming frame and unique appearance the sun princess was more than capable of going around unnoticed. If need be, she could travel from one end of Equestria to the next without anypony ever noticing. Something she was quite proud of in her younger, more adventurous years. But due to obligations she would have to settle for using this skill to sneak treats late at night. Or in this case, a chance to hone such talents like a fine blade. A blade that could easily go dull in such peaceful times..
"You can run, but you can't hide." the princess whispered behind a gentle exhale. "Prepare yourself, because now I've..."
"Gotcha!" Princess Celestia shouted as she leaped around the corner. However, there was nothing there. Just as she had arrived, her prey had already vanished as if it was never there to begin with. But just as the sun goddess had turned around to get another scent, she had been given another sign. It wasn't that easy to hear, but it was there. The short breaths of childish laughter barely tickled Celestia's ears with the turn of her head. It was close, very close, but she couldn't quite get a fix on it. The princess had all but given up, but another sign made things more clear. In the space she had initially thought was her bounty's hiding place, there was a faint trail of energy. Not strong enough to carry her prey, but still strong enough to move it.
The sun goddess approached a large tree on the apposing end of the garden's beaten path. Her pale magenta eyes scanned each branch, each leaf of the mighty tree, until..
"There you are Twilight!" the princess laughed. "That was a sneaky little trick you pulled."
High up in the tree was a purple filly. Her fore legs and rear legs hugged a long branch tightly as she hung upside down letting her violet, rose streaked mane flow wildly. Her horn still glistened with the haze of magical discharge from a recently cast teleportation spell.
"Princess, how do you find me so quick?" The filly wined. "You didn't even use your magic this time." Princess Celestia simply smiled at the young Twilight Sparkle before raising a hoof up to her muzzle.
"The nose knows."
"The nose? ...what?"
Celestia looked up at the confused filly letting out a light chuckle at her expense. But before she could fully explain herself, the castle bells rang off in the distance, singing their tale of the day's end. To the Princess, it was a grim reminder of an important task that needed to be performed soon. A reminder of days past that will never be returned, no matter the effort. Letting out a dejected sigh, the sun goddess turned her attention back to the filly with a warm smile returning to her face.
"Come my little pony, it's time to go back inside for the day."
Twilight clenched her eyes shut and let a surge of mana rise to the tip of her horn. She gritted her teeth for a few moments groaning in frustration before the gathering of energy fizzled out. She reopened her eyes and looked down at her mentor with fear in her eyes.
"I-I can't!"
"What do you mean you can't?" Celesta asked with a raised eyebrow. "You got yourself up in there, and you can get yourself down just as easily."
"No really, I can't." Twilight cried out with moisture forming in the corners of her eyes. "I think I'm out of mana."
"Okay, then let go." Celestia suggested, setting her own horn aglow. "I'll catch you."
"I-It's too high, I-I'm scared." Twilight sobbed, hugged the branch even tighter. Celestia let out a frustrated snort and turned towards the castle. "Princess? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find another number one student, one that would trust me enough to catch them." Celestia taunted, looking over her shoulder with a smirk.
Twilight's eyes narrowed with determination at her teacher's harsh words. Clenching her eyes shut again, a powerful surge of energy formed at the tip of her horn and she vanished in a violet flash. The filly reopened her eyes to see that she was lying across the back of the sun goddess. A wide smile of satisfaction formed across her face as she realized what just happened.
"Celestia! Did you see that? I did it!"
"Did what? I wasn't paying attention." the royal alicorn teased, rolling her eyes. "Maybe you should get back up there and do it again."
"You're so mean!" Twilight lamented, sliding down the back of the sun goddess' flank. She trotted a few steps ahead of her teacher with her nose raised up defiantly. Celestia couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the filly's discontent.
"If I was so mean, I would do something like..." Celestia trailed off, creeping closely behind her student. "This!" The sun goddess pounced, flipping Twilight over and tickling her tummy. She did her best to maintain her composure, but it was no use. Twilight's childish giggles carried through the courtyard and into the spring air.
"Next stop, Canterlot Castle!"
The voice was abrasive and loud, startling Twilight Sparkle into trying to sit up and bumping her muzzle against something hard. Rubbing her face, the young librarian managed to regain her senses, realizing what was going on. She was on a train heading for Canterlot Castle to spend the entire holiday week with Princess Celestia. No monsters, no god of chaos, no evil alicorn goddess threatening to bring eternal night, just her and the princess. Twilight sent a spark of energy to the tip of her horn, retrieving a small notebook and quill in a haze of lavender energy from her saddlebag across train car. Sitting up in her upper bunk bed, being careful to avoid the overhead luggage compartment, Twilight opened the notebook causing a small photo fall out. She picked it up to see a picture of her and the princess in a loving embrace, looking off into the sunset. Twilight smiled as she began writing in her notebook with a steady blush forming on her cheeks.
~~~Sunday~~~
Canterlot castle was as peaceful as it was quiet. Being that spring was Princess Celestia's favorite time of year, it became a tradition that the majority of the palace staff would be allowed paid leave during spring break so they could share the sun princess' joy of the new season. It would always draw objections from the royal guards, but they quickly became the vocal minority as the servants rejoiced. Though they were outnumbered by the guards, the palace staff negotiated with the sun princess to keep a skeleton crew that would take care of daily tasks. Not to be shown up, the guards did the same.
Without day court or audiences to attend to, Princess Celestia had made her way to the castle's outer courtyard prematurely as Twilight wasn't expected until that evening. Over the hours, she took the time to admire the gardens within the walls. Every year she would have the same musings as to how she never had a chance to thank the groundskeepers for all their hard work. This time however, Celestia made a mental note to at least give them her personal appreciation. Two pegasus bodyguards accompanied the sun goddess outside. She asked them to join her but they swiftly declined, insistent on taking their posts at the palace's double doors.
"This stinks, how'd I get pulled into this, Coat?" One of the guards whispered. The other exhaled in agitation.
"Not now, Arms. Not here, and most certainly, not around the princess." Coat said curtly through gritted teeth.
"So can we talk about this after spring break? Ya know, the one ya volunteered both of us to work on? We should be in Las Pegasus right now, tossin' back cheap booze and blowin' our bonus checks at the craps table!" Arms huffed in annoyance. Coat exhaled again and clenched his eyes closed tightly in an attempt to fight off a growing headache.
"Forgive me for having a bit of ambition. Good deeds always go rewarded."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. One minute you're packin' your bags along with me. Then the next, you were begged the sarge for us to stay behind." Arms snapped back, with a skeptical raised eyebrow.
'Are you suggesting-' Coat's raised voice earned a wayward glance from Princess Celestia, but both guards snapped back to attention before she noticed. Shrugging her wings dismissively, the princess turned her attention back to the rose she was sniffing. "Are you suggesting that I have some kind of ulterior motive?"
"If the horseshoe fits..." Arms quipped, mockingly.
Colt furrowed his brow in anger and began grinding his teeth. "I'll have you know that I only wish to take my position seriously. Something you should consider."
Suddenly, one of the large doors pulled open, forcing the two brothers to return to their posts. One of the maids, a unicorn with a gold coat that almost glistened under the sunlight passed between them. Stopping to look behind her, the maid ran a hoof through her glossy black mane and stared at Coat as if she wanted to say something. She did her best to work her mouth, but abruptly decided to walk away breaking out into a full gallop as she turned the corner. Arms glanced at Coat, noticing that his brother was blushing with his wings slowly rising from his sides.
"Oh-ho-ho! I see the position you want to take seriously. I shoulda' known from the start." Arms snorted with laughter.
"Of all the- My motivation of forfeiting an entire week of paid vacation is not centered around the possible interaction of an attractive maid!" Coat snarled with his face growing redder. Arms' mouth slowly curled into a wide grin.
"So, what's her name?"
Coat's posture slumped in defeat. "...I don't know yet."
Just outside the palace's exterior walls, a loud whistle echoed followed by a pillar of smoke erupting from the nearby train station. When the air cleared, the rhythmic screeching of metal upon metal rose in tempo before fading off into the mountains. Coat and Arms returned back to their stances as the castle drawbridge opened, revealing an unassuming purple unicorn, levitating several bags at her side. Princess Celestia quickly trotted in the direction of the main gate with a warm smile on her face.
"Twilight Sparkle, I'm so glad you made it!" Princess Celestia called out. Twilight was so startled, she almost dropped the assortment of bags. Regaining her control of the luggage, She looked on at Princess Celestia's majestic form and couldn't help but drop the bags and run to the sun goddess, wrapping her fore legs around her neck.
"Oh Princess, It's been such a long time. Did you miss me?"
"More than ever, it's felt like ages since we've last spent time together." Celestia assured her student, returning the embrace. "Come, let me show you to your quarters."
"Right, anything you say Princess Celestia." Twilight sang, following her mentor into the castle.
"So, how was your trip?"
"Nothing special, I slept most of the way."
"That's good. If you're up for it, we could get a study session in tonight."
"Really?" Twilight asked, trying to contain her excitement.
"Oh yes, we could relax in my chambers. I just happen to have an exclusive release of 'A Guide to Ancient Canterlot Language - Volume LXIX' by Cunning Linguist. We could look over it just like old times." The princess added. "Come to think of it, I may a have bottle of wine we could share for the occasion."
Twilight Sparkle's eyes lit up like a filly on Hearth's Warming Morning waiting to open presents. Celestia couldn't help but smile to herself at her protege's reaction. Twilight had grown up to be a beautiful mare. But deep down inside she was still that exuberant, eager to learn filly she took under her wing from what felt like a lifetime ago. The overwhelming feeling of nostalgia nearly shattered the mask of stoicism she wore dutifully as a sign of leadership. With trained focus, Celestia maintained her composure. There was plenty of time to be oneself from behind closed doors.
"Here's your room Twilight, right down the hall from mine. If you need anything, my door is always open."
Celestia opened the door to revealing open bedroom peering over the castle's eastern walls. Sunbeams peeked through the curtains, adding a glorious flourish to a rainbowed fountain in the center of the room. Various plants and vines decorated the walls in its symbiotic beauty. Birds chirped and whistled as they passed through the windowless balcony as if they too were a part of the suite. It was as if the room was alive, welcoming its guest into its everlasting organic paradise.
"It's.. amazing..." Twilight gawked with wide eyes that tried to drink in the exquisiteness. "But... You don't have to go all out just for me. A simple apartment would have sufficed."
Celestia gave Twilight a light push in the flank with her muzzle, forcing her into the suite. "Now, now, don't be so modest. For so much you have done for Equestria, the least I could do is give you a decent room. Especially one with a fountain built in." The princess paused to chuckle to herself for the amusing anecdote she was about to tell. "Now, don't tell anypony what I'm about to tell you, but the hardest part about getting a rainbow fountain was-"
The princess was interrupted by the chiming of bells that rang through the castle corridors. It was time for the royal princesses to change places on their eternal rotation.
"Sorry Twilight, but as they say, duty calls." Celestia announced turning to head down the castle corridor.
"Um, are we still on for... tonight?" Twilight asked with steepled hooves. The sun goddess broke out of her stride and turned her gaze to her protege.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"C'mon bro, you can talk to me." Arms said with a forced smile. His brother sat across the mess hall table, taking more interest in poking a fork at his plate of cucumber salad. "So you can't talk to her and pop a pinion whenever she's around. No biggie."
Still staring at his food, coat let out a heaving sigh as his wings unfurled. "...You wouldn't understand."
"The hay I wouldn't, I... I..." Arms had passionately risen from his seat with purpose but paused, double blinking to a realization that washed over him. "Heh, guess you're right. I never did have much trouble with the ladies. Hey, ya gonna' eat that?"
Coat let out another heavier sigh before resting his head on the table and running a hoof through his slicked black mane. Grumbling in self loathing, he slid the plate across the table. Arms took a greedy bite and gave a grunt in appreciation behind gulps and smacks.
Next to the mess hall's entrance, the castle maid in question had been leaning against the wall listening in on the brothers having their discussion. Working up enough courage, she peeked around the doorway in enough time to see Arms leaving out the opposite archway, taking flight in the direction of the castle barracks. She took a deep breath and adjusted her mane, considering this the opportunity to make her move. But, just as a shaky hoof attempted to step forward, the sound of rattling metal from behind shattered any concentration. Turning around slowly, the maid locked eyes with the castle's dishwasher, holding out a tray of freshly washed utensils waiting to be shined. The maid lowered her head, taking the tray with her magic and sadly walked in the direction of the kitchen.
It was a night of reminiscing days past and lessons learned as Twilight and Princess Celestia laid on a bed in the sun princess' bedchambers. A lone wine bottle rested on the nightstand half empty, feeding its flow of inhibitions to the pair. Their relationship had been rocky over the years, but Celestia knew that she could confide in her student and she would be able to do the same. Other ponies worshiped the princess that started their day, some even feared her. Twilight was different, they were teacher and student, friends, and even beyond prying eyes; equals.
Celestia relished these moments no matter how brief they were. Even though she wouldn't admit it, she envied Twilight. Having so much to look forward to, and despite her mortality, so much time to do things that the sun goddess would never have the opportunity for, no matter how long she lived. Adventures, friends, love, self discovery, these were things that the princess spent her immeasurable lifetime hungering for, but her appetite would never be satisfied. The only consolation she had were Twilight's letters she vicariously through. But at times it wasn't enough. In an attempt to take her mind off of such a saddening realization, the princess decided to bring up a lighter subject.
"Twilight? Can I... ask you something?"
"Sure, anything for you Celestia." The unicorn replied looking up from the book she was reading.
"You've been in Ponyville for quite a while now and I was wondering if..." The princess stopped herself and glanced over at the wine bottle. With an effortless focus, the bottle floated to the bed in a golden aura.
Twilight tilted her head inquisitively. "Wondering if what?" She watched as the princess took a deep swig of wine straight from the bottle before offering it to her. Twilight obliged by throwing her head back and consuming a few gulps.
"I was wondering if..." Celestia stopped again with a knot in her throat. Taking a deep breath, she decided to quickly blurt her inquiry out. "I was wondering if you found a special somepony."
Twilight nearly choking on her wine. Two patches of crimson began to grow across her cheeks as she grabbed a pillow to huddle behind. "Princess! That's none of your business!"
"Judging by how defensive you became, you did find somepony special... hmmm?" Celestia pressured, drawing closer.
The blush on Twilight's cheeks quickly spread engulfing the rest of her face. She smiled nervously while looking away in an attempt to avoid eye contact. "N-Not really. I... I've been way too focused on... my... studies! Yes! I've been studying so much I haven't had time think about that stuff."
"Really, then why are you blushing? You're such a terrible liar." Celestia teased, with a growing smile.
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at the princess' questioning. She buried her face deeper into the pillow. Determined to hold her ground.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, Twilight. We're both adults here. Is it that rainbow maned pegasus?" Celestia teased, edging even closer to the bashful unicorn. "I can't deny that I've heard rumors and she is quite... aerodynamic."
"She's not like that..." Trailing off for a moment, Twilight twisted her mouth in deep though. "At least... I don't think so."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, such a shame. I know of somepony that would be disappointed if it weren't true." Celestia laughed to herself. "Maybe it's that red stallion from the farm." The sun alicorn suggested leaning in with a sinister grin accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "I always wondered if that was his real name or something different altogether."
Twilight's eyes widened in shock as her face grew apple red.
The princess perked up, giggling behind her fore hooves. "I knew it! It's always the quiet ones! Mmmm, I bet he smells like apples and hard work!"
"No, no, no" Twilight finally answered in a voice muffled by the cushion. "He's nice, but way too shy. Not that I'm implying that I did have any interest in him."
"Then who is it?" Celestia renewed her teasing with threatening undertones accompanied with a sly grin. "If you don't tell me, I have ways of finding out, my little pony... Ways that are as embarrassing as they are intrusive."
"Okay, okay, okay, sheesh. There's one pony I have in mind." Twilight finally confessed, peeking up from behind the pillow. "But, I don't think they know."
Celestia rose up from looming over Twilight, wringing her hooves with interest. "Oooh! secret, but fun. This could be quite interesting. But, now you have to do something about it."
"What's that?"
Celestia edged closer, resting her head on the pillow until she was almost touching muzzles with Twilight. "You need to come out and express your feelings of course. Imagine the tragedy of discovering you were too late because of simple hesitation. Time is of the essence, my faithful student."
Letting out a sigh Twilight drew back, cutting her eyes away from the princess. "I-I'm planning on doing it... but..."
Lost in amusement to Twilight's innermost confessions, Celestia leaned in closer with her chin rested on upraised hooves. She gave an encouraging push to the socially awkward unicorn. "Go on, there's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I need to get a nosy princess out of my face!"
Letting out a hearty chuckle, Twilight flipped the pillow into the princess' muzzle and grabbed another cushion to throw at her face. Celestia laughed before returning the gesture with a few playful smacks from her own pillow she was resting on. The pair shared a laugh, not as teacher and student, but as close friends engaged in a light pillow fight. These were the honest moments the sun goddess cherished most and it's what she would always look forward to whenever her faithful student came to visit.
By the time the moon had risen to its peak in the night sky, Twilight had drifted off to sleep. The wine bottle from earlier laid lazily across the nightstand, empty, and with an almost equally depleted companion standing next to it in defeat. Celestia sat on the edge of the bed, eyes glancing over a few paragraphs of a trashy romance novel she read ritualistically every night before going to sleep. Finally reaching a good stopping point, she closed the book shut and looked back at her fast asleep student stretched out across the sheets. Deciding against disturbing her, the princess carefully slid into the bed and pulled the covers over the both of them and brought herself behind Twilight's warm body, draping a wing over her. Instinctively, Twilight jarred slightly and rolled over, burying her face into the sun goddess' chest. Celestia felt a warm glow of magic which prevented her from drifting off to sleep. She opened her eyes to see Twilight's horn was illuminating the bedroom with a pinkish glow. These type of nocturnal magic surges were quite common for unicorns coming of age, but Twilight was fully grown. Dismissing any concern, at least until morning, Celestia wrapped her legs around Twilight, resting her muzzle into her mane, drawing in the familiar scent of lavender that seemed to naturally emanate from the unicorn.
"Good night, my faithful student." Celestia whispered, hugging her tightly.
Twilight stretched, letting out a heavy yawn that ended with a squeak. "Good night princess..." she replied back in a breathy sigh.
"...I love you..."
The three words rang in Princess Celestia's ears. Never, in the time she's spent with Twilight Sparkle had those words ever been used. They felt like the first sunbeams of a spring morning that banished the harsh winds that lingered past the chilly night. The sensation warmed the princess' heart to it's very core and quickly spread across the rest of her body as the princess found the courage to respond.
"I love you too..."
Upon those direly important words reciprocated by the sun princess, Twilight let out a whispering moan in satisfaction. Still somewhere between inebriation and a sleepy haze, she ran a hoof up the princess' neck and through her glistening mane. Twilight breathed out a soft sigh, drawing in close and pressed her lips against the mouth of the royal alicorn. Princess Celestia could feel her heart racing as Twilight's soft, warm tongue snaked its way past her lips, gently swirling around her own. The gesture was as gentle, but had a forceful passion to it that sent conflicting feelings swirling around dizzily in the head. Satisfied, Twilight lowered her head back down, burying her muzzle into the princess' mane, drawing in a deep breath and returning to her listless slumber. The princess, however, laid her head against the pillow, eyes widened from feelings of shock, alarm, and most important of all... confusion.
"Good evening, old friend. We have long since forgiven thee for being instrumental in halting our rebellion." Princess Luna said gazing at the moon hiding behind clouds. She stood proudly atop her tower's balcony. Though she smiled, the night princess had a tinge of remorse in her eyes.
Luna reached a hoof out addressing the celestial body under her control. "But, dost thou forgive us? During our imprisonment, we felt thy pain and sadness. Sister did what was best. But the true crime was her ignorance toward thee. Her nights left little to the imagination. She had little patience for thy subtle beauty." Dramatically withdrawing her hoof as if pricked with pain, the moon princess recoiled looking away with her eyes clenched shut.
"A century of under appreciation shant be so easily forgiven. We are one. We know thy desires. Our sister only brings the dawn of a new day, one which our shared subjects revel in. Whilst we slumber, they choose to be most active out of necessity."
"They truly do not appreciate sister's efforts."
The moon alicorn raised a hoof to a cocked ear and leaned over the stone railing. Pounding music from Canterlot's growing bar district and nightclubs rang in her ears which made the night princess swell with pride. "Dost thou hear it? The sweet sounds of thy subjects joining in worship? We hath witnessed it with thine own eyes, heard with thine own ears, our night has gained a life of its own in these new times. Yes, we are now what is important and we shall reflect that in the subtle elegance we bring this night. Matter not if warmer seasons shorten our cycle."
Ascending from her balcony, Princess Luna held out her forehooves pressed together. Slowly, she parted them and the clouds blocking the night sky responded to her will. As the curtain of nightly haze rolled back, stars in the sky glistened, giving their thanks. Luna lowered back down on all fours and gave a celebratory swirl of her mane that sent further balls of light sailing into the air to join their companions. As the princess left the balcony, the shadows from her dark chambers swallowed her whole only leaving her glowing eyes visible.
"Yes, we are what is important. Let the fools have their day."
"Luna? Are you in there?" A familiar voice called out, followed by a knock at her the door.
Pausing in a moment of hesitation, Luna searched her mind for a proper response. Since her return, Celestia had scheduled speech therapy to help her sister fit inter modern society. Progress had been made, but the grammar still felt foreign to the night alicorn at times. "You know you never need to knock, dear sister."
The tall, spike rimmed chamber doors creaked open and Princess Celestia wearily entered, wearing nothing but a pink robe. Her face still held some semblance of worry to the incident that occurred moments ago. Luna tried to meet her sister's gaze, but the anxious Celestia intentionally turned her head to avoid eye contact.
"Sister! What troubles you so?" Luna called out, taking a step closer.
Princess Celestia turned away, finding more interest her sister's bedchambers than explaining what was on her mind. She knew Luna had opposing tastes compared to her own preference of bright colors, but it became more apparent as she looked around.
The walls themselves were a simple brick, painted a deep, dark blue that consumed outside light that creeped in from a single barred window. Decorating the open space further were various shackles that hung from the ceilings and barbaric torture devices around the far wall. Most likely keepsakes from the Eques Inquisition a near century ago. Nopony expected Luna to save them however. On the opposing side sat a throne, chipped away by age. A large intimidating skull statue spewed weather beaten blood red drapery from its mouth which ran down the wall behind the throne and unfurled into a carpet rolling down several steps, just stopping in front of an open coffin, lined with cushions and blankets. Letting out a sigh, Celestia approached an iron mare in the room's far corner and wiped the dust from its 'muzzle' which revealed a garish dark scowl that boasted ruby encrusted eyes. As she traced a hoof on the monstrosity's inner workings, she tested a spike. To her surprise, it was sharpened to deadly precision.
Princess Celestia looked over her shoulder, giving the moon princess a disappointing glare. "Lulu, I hope this is only for decoration." Luna scoffed and waved a dismissive hoof.
"Don't be silly, we- I only wish to add comforting decor to my dwellings." She gave her wings a strong flap, and took a soaring leap across the room, taking a seated position atop her throne. "But you did not come all this way to critique my aesthetic preferences. Why are you- what is the term? -beating around the bush?"
Celestia took a deep breath to bolster her courage as she slowly approached her sister. As she drew close, large candles within the skull statue's eyes ignited, earning a flinch from the sun alicorn.
Luna always had a taste for the dramatics.
Still nervous about how exactly to describe what happened, Princess Celestia looked up at her sister. But just to stall a bit further she looked around for a place to sit. Luna noticed quickly and lit her horn with magic, summoning a rickety old electric chair that traveled along the ground with a loud screech. Against better judgment, Celestia sat down, making it a point to avoid the strapped helm that ominously hung from above. Wringing her hooves in worry, the sun princess spoke in a sheepish tone.
"It's... It's... Twilight Sparkle..."
The princess of the night's eyes widened to hear the familiar name. Twilight was responsible for so much in such a short amount of time. She Gathered the Elements of Harmony to strip away Luna dark powers saving Equestria from eternal night. Upon Discord's return she was the last to fall victim to his trickery and the first to see through his treacherous way. She even taught Luna herself how to speak softly and cope with her thousand year absence from her subjects. Twilight Sparkle was known for so much, and yet she was troubling her sister in the middle of the night.
"Tell us- me Tia, what has Twilight done?" Luna asked, remembering her speech lessons.
"I-I think she might be... in love with me." Celestia whispered, looking away blushing.
Luna reared back in complete awe of her sisters words. Judging by her body language, Princess Celestia could sense that Luna truly realized the gravity of the situation. At least she assumed so. Instead she found Luna rolled over laying her head against an arm of her throne with a foreleg draped over her eyes.
"L-Lulu?"
"Gh-gh-ghe-hee-heeee..."
Unable to contain herself any further, Luna erupted into a roar of villainous laughter. As a sign of losing all control she broke out into the Royal Canterlot Voice which began to rumble the walls. Celestia cleared her throat loudly, unamused as she waited for the night princess to finish.
Breathless from laughter, Luna wiped a tear from her eye as she sat up. "Is that all Tia? By the look on your face, I had thought Lord Tirek had returned."
"Luna!"
Luna rose from her throne, ascending down the red carpeted stairs, shaking her head. "Put your mind at ease Tia. It is probably just a phase. The way she hangs on your every word, the way she lights up at the mention of your name, the way she strives to please you. I find it- drat! what's the word? -cute."
"There's more to it than that Lulu." Celestia said putting a hoof to her face. "We were in my room, ready to go to sleep and she.. she... kissed me."
A smile quickly grew on Luna's face which she quickly buried into the crook of her wing to suppress further laughter. Unamused by her sister's display, Celestia breathed out a sigh of discontent and retreated from the room.
"Tia! Wait!" Luna cried out out, peeking her head out in the hallway. "I didn't mean to laugh, honest. It's just so-"
"Leave me alone!" Princess Celestia hissed, stomping down the hallway. Before she could get any further, a swarm of bats blew past her and blocked her path. The creatures flapped before merging together and in a brilliant flash, taking the form of Princess Luna, standing defiantly before her sister. Grabbing a mouthful of flowing rainbow mane, Luna led her sister through the hallway with a sense of purpose behind each hoofstep.
"L-Luna! Where are we going?"
"Fear not sister! I'm going to put your worries to rest, once and for all!"
The two royal princesses arrived at the doors leading to Twilight's guest room. Princess Celestia looked on in bewilderment as Luna pointed her horn at the door, shooting a fine beam of energy into the knob. Within seconds, the lock clicked and Luna gently pushed the door open creeping inside. The princess of the night scanned the beautiful wilderness themed room and looked back at Celestia.
"You know, a simple apartment would have sufficed."
As Celestia put a hoof to her face, dragging it down her muzzle as Princess Luna scampered over to Twilight's bags, rummaging through them without hesitation.
"Luna, stop that. This isn't right." Princess Celestia whispered. "It's not right to invade her privacy like this."
"Trust me, this is the only way to get to truly understand your student's feelings." Luna answered back, too focused on nosing through Twilight's personal affects. "What have we here?"
Spreading the bag open, an unusual totem floated out within the Luna's dark magical grasp. The mysterious effigy was long, dark, and slender, boasting beaded ridges all across its smooth surface. Curious, Luna shook the phallic object, causing it to vibrate with echoes of a faint hum filling the room.
"Tell me, sister ... what, pray tell, is this?"
Princess Celestia looked on at her sister, who had began to giggle, using the vibrating phallus to massage the nape of her neck. Completely embarrassed, she cleared her throat dejectedly. "Luna, that's a resonance stone. You're supposed to gently levitate it with your magic so it doesn't vibrate. It's a tool used to teach young unicorns how to manipulate fragile items without breaking them."
With a nervous grin, Luna quickly replaced the effigy and moved on to another one of Twilight's bags.
"What are you looking for anyway?"
"I'll know it when I see it." The moon goddess replied vaguely, sifting though the new bag's contents. "Huzzah! I knew she would have one!" Luna declared, pulling out a small black book with a locking mechanism securing it shut.
"Is that... Twilight's diary?" Celestia looked on in shock. Luna managed to unlock the notebook with her magic and eagerly began looking through pages. "No, this isn't right. I can't invade Twilight's privacy like this, put it back!"
"I just found an interesting en~try, and it's about you." Luna called to her sister in a singing tone. Without warning, the sun princess sat at Luna's side, peering over her shoulder.
"Read it!"
...ever since I watched the princess raise the sun, I knew I wanted to study magic...
...Princess Celestia is the most kindest, nicest, prettiest teacher I have ever had...
...When I grow up, I want to be a princess just like Celestia...
"Awwwww! Tia, she was so adorable!"
Princess Celestia couldn't help but smile reading the scribbles of her student in her foalhood days.
"Read some more Luna." Celestia beckoned.
Luna turned a large gathering of pages at once and skimmed the book until she found something to her liking.
...sometimes I feel like I'll never have full control over my magic. If it wasn't for the princess' encouragement and saint like patience I would have given up years ago. One day, I hope to get it right and make her proud...
...I finally did it! I finally cast a spell and it did what I intended for it to do. Princess Celestia was so happy for me that she took me to a Neighpanese restaurant for dinner. The food wasn't that good though. But that didn't matter, spending time with the princess was the best gift I could ask for...
...today, the princess gave me access to the Canterlot Archives. I'm going to study every day and make sure that I don't do anything to betray her trust...
...almost to the castle. It's been so long since I've last seen the princess. We're going to have so much fun together this week...
"If something was amiss, it would be in here. Do you feel better Tia? ... Tia?"
Hearing no response, Luna looked behind her to see her sister smiling with tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. The flow of emotion seemed to be too much for the usually stoic sun princess. She now realized that Twilight Sparkle thought the world of her and felt a bit guilty jumping to such conclusions.
"Thank you Lulu. I think I'm going to go back to bed now."
Luna smiled, watching her sister trot out into the hallway. Breathing a sigh of relief, she closed the black book. But before she could return it to Twilight's bag, she noticed a disheveled page hanging out. Luna reopened the book from an opposing side and her jaw loosened at what she had seen. "Tia... I think you should see this..."
In the other side of the diary, written back to front, there were a series of nonsensical ramblings. Many of which were accompanied by little hearts with T+C written inside them. It was as if these were the writings of a completely different pony. The series of pages were confusing to say the least and read out like somepony having a discussion... with themselves. Other entries included erotic poetry, and even short stories some of which included rather graphic illustrations of Princess Celestia's more... intimate parts of her anatomy.
...the princess hugged me today. It felt so good and warm... I should do more things to make her want to hug me... Her mane smelled like sunbeams on a summer morning... do sunbeams have a smell? Well if they did... I think they would smell like the princess' mane...
...I couldn't stop looking at the princess' flank today. I think she noticed me staring and turned away... Does she not know about her beautiful flank? Oooh! I bet her cutie mark is warm like the sun... wait.. the sun's hot... I'll have to touch it one day and find out... wait? Are we saying the Princess has a hot flank? ...I don't know anymore...
....I can't take it! She's such a tease. Such, beautiful, rainbow maned, never-need-wind-to-flow-majestically-through-the-air... wait, I'm getting off topic... But she is a tease...
...This is it Twilight! One.. whole.. week with the princess! Are you excited? ...But I have to do something to show how much I love her... Does she love you back? I don't know.. Then go and find out... I should make her love me... No! not yet... let's take a more gentle approach... maybe you should give her a...
"Kiss?!" Princess Celestia drew back at the last word. Little hints of Twilight's feelings for her rapidly came to light within her mind. It was never a secret she was smitten with the princess, but those inner thoughts were obviously unhealthy if she harbored them. But as she thought about the admiration from some of her student's more descriptive logs depicting what she would do to her in great detail, something awoken within the princess. As if a small part of herself enjoyed the attention.
"Sister, I had no idea..."
Conjuring up a spark of energy at the tip of her horn, Celestia snatched the diary from Luna and returned it back into her student's bag. She sat down and lowered her head to address her sister.
"Luna, Listen to me. This is a very, very delicate situation."
"Delicate?! A flower is delicate, snowflakes are delicate, this, sister, is madness!" Luna bellowed, her irises being swallowed into her glowing white eyes.
"You think I don't know that? Just give me time to think of something. Twilight is... special to me. Those diary entries, those... illustrations they were a look inside her mind. Uninhibited, deep seated desires for something just beyond her reach. If we don't take a gentle approach to this, it would shatter her. There's no telling how she might-"
"You're always so indecisive sister!" Luna interrupted in frustration.
"Luna, listen to me! I've seen what Twilight is capable of!" Celestia tried to reason with her sister. But it was already too late. Howling winds swirled about the room which carried the night princess above her sister. Blinding flashes of lightning crashed from the balcony and thunder rumbled as Luna spoke in her Royal Canterlot Voice, forgetting her speech lessons in her excited state.
"FEAR NOT, FOR WE SHALL GIVE THEE A DECISION! THOU HAST A FORTNIGHT'S HALF TO HALT TWILIGHT SPARKLE'S FOOLISHNESS! IF WE FIND THAT THOU HAST TAKEN NO ACTION, THEN WE SHALL INTERVENE! AND TRUST US, OUR METHODS SHALL BE SWIFT AND MERCILESS!"
Another bolt of lightning clapped in a flash so brilliant, Princess Celestia had to cover her eyes for protection. When she looked back to her sister, Luna had dispersed into a flock of bats that swirled around her threateningly before flying off into the night sky which carried ominous laughter laced with evil undertones.
Sighing in defeat Princess Celestia walked to room's exit. As she magically opened the door, she looked up at the full moon which she could swear was mocking her.
"This is going to be a long week..."