"And this is your salad fork." Luna aimed her horn at the fork to the left of Twilight's plate.
Twilight gulped and nodded, hoping her nervousness and frustration weren't showing on her face. "All right...So it goes 'salad fork, main course fork, plate, knife, soup spoon,' then?"
Luna shook her head gently. "No, Dearheart; knife, then coffee spoon, then soup spoon."
Twilight sighed. "Oh, I'm never going to get this right." Reading up on royal etiquette was one thing; actually putting that knowledge to use was another, entirely.
Luna gave her a soft smile. "Of course you will, Twilight. It'll take some time, that's all; it's why we're doing a practice dinner. You very well cannot be good at something unless you practice first, right?"
Twilight smiled, feeling a little better. "You're right, Luna." Twilight counted from left to right, correcting herself as she named each piece of silverware. "Thank you for doing this with me, by the way."
"Of course, My Love. I'm only happy to help." Luna's cool green eyes were filled with what Twilight could only call 'fondness.' "Besides, you know I will never turn down an opportunity to spend time with you."
Twilight smiled down at the plate, trying to ignore the sudden burning in her cheeks. "I agree. It has been a while since we've had any time together, just the two of us." Twilight had logically known that her new role as royalty was going to be filled with responsibilities, but she was still surprised by the sudden lack of time she had for herself or her loved ones; most of it was now dedicated to her princessly duties.
She supposed this was one such princessly duty, as would any fancy feasts she would be throwing or attending in the future, but at least her marefriend was here.
"Indeed. It is." Twilight felt a familiar tug of magic. She realized that Luna had just used her magic to push a lock of her purple hair away from her face. "I apologize...I simply hate to see your mane hid that pretty face of yours."
Twilight was certain that the lavender fur on her face had just given way to bright red. She mentally scolded herself; it was a compliment, and here she was, acting like a lovestruck young yearling! In front of a princess, at that.
Luna's soft chuckle made her feel a bit better. "You really are too adorable, Twilight."
Luna had been complimenting her this entire outing, all the while looking like a literal goddess; her deep blue coat shined in the candlelight, her eyes glittering with light mirth. Like her sister, her pure power manifested in her mane; though there was no wind in the small room, it billowed majestically to the side, a cloudy mist that glittered with a reflection of the stars in the sky.
"And you look beautiful." For once, Twilight hadn't really thought about what she would say. She cleared her throat. "Which...you know, not surprising. You always look beautiful." Right then she couldn't think of another word.
"Well...thank you." Luna's smile looked oddly bashful. If Twilight didn't know any better, she might have thought the other princess didn't hear this often. "Back to the lesson, though...Repeat the proper placement of silverware, if you please."
Now prepared, Twilight lowered her head, pointing out each item with her horn. "Salad fork, main course fork, plate, knife, coffee spoon, soup spoon. This exact placement is what makes up the five-piece setting."
"Very good! You see? You've got it!" With her magic, Luna lifted the placement from the table. "Now then...are you ready for something a bit more difficult?"
Twilight nodded, suddenly determined. "Yes. Now I think I'm ready to learn about the six-piece setting."
It was always an exciting time whenever Twilight Sparkle or any of her friends came to Canterlot.
Celestia couldn't help smiling as her student bowed before her. Despite her recent rise to royalty, Twilight was still as humble as ever. "Come now, Twilight...I sent the guards away for a reason."
Immediately perking up--literally, her wings immediately rose to each of her sides--her prized pupil came towards her at a full gallop, practically throwing herself at her.
Naturally, she arranged for Twilight to stay in her own room in the castle. As far as she was concerned, she and the other Elements of Harmony were welcome to stay here for as long as they liked or needed.
Or at least, she tried to, but was cut off by Luna. "Nonsense, Sister," she said, waving a glass-covered hoof. "Why not allow her to stay in my quarters?"
Celestia frowned. "Are you sure, Luna? We've got plenty of room." That was an understatement. Truth be told, the only reason Celestia knew her way around the castle was because she was over a millennium and a half old and had dedicated a lot of that time to map out every room, every hall, every nook and cranny within her immortal mind.
"Of course!" Luna beamed up at her sister. "I insist." She turned her gaze to Twilight, who, right then, seemed to find her purple hooves particularly interesting.
She almost managed to hide the bashful smile on her warm velvety muzzle. Almost.
"Well, all right. If you're certain."
That might have been the end of it, but some time after Luna had raised the moon and most ponies had gone to bed, Celestia stayed up a bit later than she usually did. Curious about her sister and her prized pupil, she made her way through the castle's elegant hallways and to her sister's room. Once there, she used her magic to open the doorway.
They hadn't spoken about it since Luna's return, but she'd ordered the castle maids and custodians to keep Luna's room tidy, but to always return everything to its rightful place after their cleaning was done. Even all those centuries ago, she'd wanted her sister to come home to find her room left exactly the way it was.
Celestia's lilac eyes widened as she took in the one difference. Luna and Twilight had already retired for the night; Celestia could see that almost as clearly as if the scene before her were illuminated by sunlight. They hadn't bothered with the dark blue bedspread on Luna's bed; their wings were draped over each other, lavender shining brightly against deep blue. Twilight's head was tucked beneath Luna's, having shifted her horn underneath Luna's jaw. Luna's head, meanwhile, rested against Twilight's neck. Celestia couldn't recall a time when her sister had ever smiled in her sleep, let alone one that was so contented.
Celestia backed away, taking care to place her golden horseshoes so they wouldn't clink too loudly against the floor, and slowly shut the door before her.
She trotted down the hallway to her own room. That certainly explains a lot, she thought with a smile. She decided right then and there that they would tell her when they were well and truly ready.
Twilight bit back a smile. She knew what it was like, searching for words that were honest without being rude. It was a skill she'd had plenty of practice developing since her rise to royalty, and Luna had been using it centuries before Twilight had even been born. "I know, Luna."
Even acknowledging what living in palaces must have done for the princesses' standards of living, the cabin was a wreck. There really was no two ways about it; there was only bits of glass in the frames of the windows and the wallpaper had begun peeling from the wooden walls probably decades ago. A thick layer of dirt and grim coated everything within; the sunlight shining through a hole in the shabby roof illuminated hundreds of dust particles floating lazily through the air.
"It is quite the...how do you say it? The 'Fixer-upper?'"
Twilight giggled. Luna had come a long way from the fish out of water she'd been her first Nightmare Night back in Ponyville; she'd taken to modern phrases and slang like a newly-hatched sea serpent to water. "Exactly."
Absently, Twilight heard the sound of tiny claws skittering on the wooden planks that made up the cabin's floor, many of which felt quite loose beneath her hooves. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Luna startle, lifting up a foreleg and staring wide-eyed to her right. Twilight wasn't quite certain what it was that had scurried past them, and she didn't want to waste time worrying about it. At this point in her life, she'd been the Princess of Friendship for two years; she'd faced much more frightening, dangerous threats, before.
"So, er...exactly how much did you spend on this place, Dearheart?"
"Please; Dearheart Velvet was my great aunt. Call me Twilight!" Twilight didn't have to look at Luna to know that her fillyfriend had just rolled her eyes. After all, she'd heard that stupid joke no fewer than twenty-five times in the time they'd become an item. Even so, Twilight's pricked ears could pick out the sound of Luna's heart rate slowing, so that stupid joke must have done something to lighten the air and help her calm down. "Would you believe I only spent one thousand and two hundred fifty bits for this place?"
"Honestly? Yes. Even more honestly, I think you spent too much for it." Luna frowned at one of the upper corners of the small building. Squinting, Twilight could make out glimmering silver threads. She shuddered; though she'd braved so much in her short life, she still didn't care much for creepy-crawlies like spiders or snakes. She made a mental note to contact Fluttershy as soon as she could; perhaps her animal sanctuary would have the extra room.
She forced a smile upon her face, determined to make Luna see the bright side of this whole thing. "Even if it's not much, it's ours. I bought it for us."
Luna's ears flicked forward, her aqua eyes widening in understanding. "For...us?" she repeated, voice soft.
Twilight nodded. "Just for us. A place we can get away from being princesses and heroes; a place far away." Twilight nudged Luna's nose with her own. "Not for long; just when we need a break for a day or two. Together."
"Oh, Twilight..." Luna took their closeness as an opportunity to kiss her, hard and deep. Twilight's eyelids fluttered shut, temporarily lost in the bliss of it all.
It came to a crashing halt when something flew by her head, shrieking its little head off. With a squeak, she stumbled forward, discovering that it was, in fact, possible to accidentally hug another pony. "We will get to fix it up and decorate it, though, right?"
Heart still pounding in her ears, Twilight laughed against Luna's withers. "Well, yes; obviously. That was actually what appealed to me most about it." Ponyville's palace of friendship had come pre-decorated; Twilight had only had to make a few adjustments there, with the generous help of her friends. Luna and Celestia's castle in Canterlot was older than the two of them; its very walls practically had all its history written right there on them. And the Castle of the Two Sisters was, unfortunately, a ruin of its former self. But this place could be an equal balance between her and Luna; all theirs, every little bit.
"The rules of this game have changed quite a bit since I was gone."
Twilight glanced over at Luna. "You had Buckball over a thousand years ago?"
Luna nodded. Her billowing mane caught the sunlight from the clear sky; perfect weather for a Buckball game in Appleoosa. "Indeed! It didn't have a name by that point." She frowned thoughtfully as the ball neatly landed in one of the goals. "Also it was more violent...far, far more violent."
Twilight frowned as the scoreboard changed. "How so?" she asked, uncertain if she truly wanted the answer.
"Ponies who played it used to be allowed to tackle each other." Luna chuckled. "Not just allowed, but encouraged."
Twilight winced. "Goodness! That sounds awful...why would anypony play something like that?"
"Why do ponies do anything?" Luna shrugged her wings. "The further back in history you go, the fewer things you'll find there were to do. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of those ponies were simply bored."
"I guess that makes sense..." Personally, Twilight enjoyed reading and organizing books to stave off boredom, as Spike would gladly second. But then again, not everypony was her. "Thanks for coming out with me, by the way."
Luna settled a wing over Twilight's back. "Thank you for inviting me. It's nice to get away from the castle every once in a while."
Twilight's cheeks grew hot as she snuggled into Luna's side. "It is."
It was an unfortunate truth; some types of ponies simply lived longer than others.
The thought had occurred to Twilight several times once she met her Ponyville friends; Applejack was the first to develop wrinkles around her eyes and muzzle, the first to lose weight and eat less. One day, which came sooner than Twilight thought (hoped) it would, she bucked her last tree.
She never did fully recover from that injury; by this point, her youthful ability to bounce back from whatever hit her had gone decades ago. The thing that made it all better was Rainbow Dash, who was even more restless than her on a good day; years of being a Wonderbolt had made her familiar with many different injuries, and she seemed to know just what to do for the Earth pony to keep her from being bored to tears.
Even more time passed. Cadance had had her second foal, a unicorn filly with a pale blue coat, magenta and purple streaked mane, and bright golden eyes. "Dad's eyes!" Shining had said proudly. "We're thinking of naming her Sunlight Sparkle."
It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, and for the most part Twilight had a wonderful time, but she couldn't ignore how much older her brother was already looking than Cadance, who looked the same as she always had.
The day finally came when Spike, now a leggy, lanky adolescent who looked too small for his wings, breathed a scroll into his claws. Twilight's heart nearly stopped as she laid her eyes on it. "Oh no..." she whispered.
The scroll was tied shut with a single, simple white ribbon. Somepony she knew had died.
Her large purple eyes filled with tears as they ran over and down the length of the scroll. Her magic faltered, making the scroll shake as she rolled it back up. Her eyelids fluttered shut.
"Twilight?" Spike's warm claws against her wing were what made her tears fall.
"Dad's...he's..." She couldn't continue. Spike, now taller than her, gently pulled her into his arms, where she buried her face against his shoulder and broke down into quiet sobs.
She was the one who organized the funeral. Shining Armor, bless him, wasn't much use; her poor brother was a sobbing, sniffling mess through the whole ordeal.
Cadance more than pulled her weight. She was the one who offered emotional support to Night Light's friends and family. She was the one lead the funeral ceremony and oversaw the will reading.
Princess Celestia helped Twilight decide where the funeral would be held; a big, beautiful temple just outside of Canterlot's borders, which oversaw a peaceful old cemetery. Her family hadn't been wealthy enough to afford a family mausoleum or plot of land; Celestia was the one who assured her that her father's remains would be buried near his own parents. She helped Twilight Velvet, quietly, gently bringing up the topic of her own death; she was the one who gently coaxed out the fact that, when she finally went, she would like to be buried next to her husband.
Twilight had unending gratitude for the both of them. But it was her Luna, her wife of ten years by that point, who was truly there for her.
She was the one who would drape a wing over Twilight's back, reassuring her in whatever decision she made for the funeral, what time it would be, who would speak when, what food and drinks to serve at the wake afterwards. She was the one who stood next to Twilight, hoof gently brushing hers, as Candance spoke, strong and clear, before the audience of crying ponies. Because Twilight knew she was there, she was able to speak about her late father without sobbing. When Twilight's jaw dropped as she learned that Night Light had left her his entire collection of books, Luna nuzzled her behind one of her ears, a tiny, quiet gesture that spoke loudly.
At the end of the day, once the two retired to Luna's quarters in the castle, it was Luna's arms that Twilight fell into, finally letting herself cry in full. Not the quiet, shocked sobs Spike had seen; not the mild tearing up ponies had seen up to and during the funeral. Luna was the one who saw the Princess of Friendship dissolve into a teary, snotty mess against the black satin of her mourning dress.
"I'm so sorry, My Love," Luna murmured, rubbing her back with a hoof she'd just freed from one of her silver horseshoes.
"Does..." Twilight's words caught in her throat, interrupted by an onslaught of hiccups. "Does it...ever stop hurting?"
Luna sighed, rustling some of the blue and purple hairs of her wife's mane. "No," she said simply. "My own mother and father have been gone for...a long time now. The pain never really does go away, but I promise...it will become easier to live with."
As Twilight hid her face beneath Luna's glittering mane, she continued. "But for now, allow yourself to feel that pain. Cry as often as you need to, for as long as you need to. Know that you are not alone; we are all here for you now." She pressed a gentle kiss to Twilight's neck. "I am here for you now."
And even through all the hurt and sorrow, that was what Princess Twilight Sparkle wound up needing to hear. It was exactly what she needed.
The throne felt too big, Twilight thought. The tiara was heavy on her forelock.
Celestia had assured her that she would grow into them. There'd been a time not too long ago when she didn't believe her, but with Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow now safely encased in stone, Twilight was beginning to understand just what her now retired teacher saw in her.
The princess of Equestria was a title she was slowly but surely getting used to.
Underneath it all, though, she was still Twilight Sparkle. She couldn't stop herself from gleefully smiling as the doors to the throne room opened, revealing two tall, elegant ponies. They no longer bore tiaras, but they still carried themselves with grace and dignity.
"Celestia! Luna!"
The ponies in question both bowed before her. The strange thing was that it no longer felt strange.
Twilight galloped to them at full speed, wrapping her forelegs as tightly as she could around Celestia's neck. "You're back! I didn't think you were coming until tomorrow!"
"We decided to come home early." Celestia's voice rang musically in her ear.
"It was a...spur of the moment decision." Twilight gave Luna a much gentler hug. She looked cute with her glittering mane pulled back, she thought.
"How was your vacation in Somnambula?" The two former princesses had continued to travel after retiring. With its warm sunny days and short cool nights, the village Somnambula was high on their list of must-sees.
"Oh, it was wonderful! The pyramids are breath-taking up close." Twilight could hear the next words out of Luna's mouth even before they were said. "Though not as breath-taking as you."
Twilight giggled. "Oh, you." The honeymoon period of their relationship was over; Luna's generous compliments no longer made her blush like a lovesick school filly.
Celestia cleared her throat. "I'll, uh...give you two some privacy." She gave the two a knowing look before turning on her hoof and leaving the throne room, magically closing the doors behind her.
Now alone, Twilight and Luna shared a kiss. "I did miss you, though." A warm smile met Luna's ice green eyes.
"I missed you, too." Twilight nuzzled the place where Luna's jaw met her neck.
"We did have a wonderful time, but I couldn't stand to be away from you any longer."
"You could have stayed longer, Luna; I'd understand." Twilight gently stroked Luna's cheek with her hoof. "It doesn't matter where you go; I know you'll always come back to me."
Luna pressed her nose to Twilight's. "Of course I will, My Love," she murmured. "Of course I will."
