A massive table just beneath the stage was set with a dozen settings, and then one further- Celestia and a dozen guests of honor. The other tables were not far, and Twilight looked at the odd shape of the table for a moment before nodding in pleasure. A gigantic ellipse: Anypony in the ballroom could come up to the head table and speak without taking up room or disrupting anypony. Very nice, and she had no doubt it was Celestia’s idea. Speaking of which...

Her nervousness could not be tracked on any chart. Celestia was seated next to her, a very nice-seeming and vaguely familiar gentlepony to her opposite side. An entire room full of ponies were seated as well, and regardless of where they sat, she could feel their stares. Even with her lower half covered by a table she still felt acutely embarrassed, and would not be surprised if her cheeks were entirely red- Not just blushing, but blushing so hard her coat ceased to matter. And it got even worse when she nearly jumped out of her seat in shock at a voice next to her.

“My word... Twilight Sparkle?”

The pony next to her had a very well-kept blue mane, an alabaster-white coat, and a monocle. He looked extremely familiar... and then she remembered him.
“Oh! You’re Fancy Pants, right? I met you a while back in...”
And then she remembered how she had been acting at that party. Certainly, he had been the one to stand up for their group, and sure, it was her own birthday, but... She had quickly learned, after that day, to never even hypothetically consider dancing. And here was one of the few who had seen her do it. Her blush quickly shifted from one of awkward arousal to way more awkward embarrassment.

“Here in Canterlot, yes! I realized after the event why you had all seemed so familiar- It was absolutely ridiculous of us not to recognize you and your friends. I have actually been hoping to see you all again sometime- What brings you here tonight?”

“Oh, well, I’m here with Princess Celestia.”

“Ah, yes! I had heard you were her pupil. And a very skilled one, at that.”

“Why thank you! But... I’m not here as her student. I’m here, uhm, with her.”

She could have sworn she heard a record scratch... Even though the music was being played live on the stage behind her. Fancy Pants stared, and she was positive everypony who heard did the same. She looked from side to side nervously until the silence was broken by a heavily-accented voice.
“And are you skilled at that, as well?”
From behind Fancy, his guest-- Another white pony, a mare of stunning beauty-- had spoken. The tension was shattered, some ponies laughing, Twilight blushing furiously, and Fancy shooting a look at his apparent marefriend.

“Now Fleur! That was entirely out of line. My apologies, Ms. Sparkle: My dear Fleur is known for her rather abrupt wit.”

She laughed at that, relaxing. While the other reason for her constant blush wasn’t gone, the nerves were receding bit by bit. Here was somepony mildly familiar she could converse with, pass away the time for a bit.
“It’s no problem. And it was pretty funny. But... Well, yes, I am here as Celestia’s date.”

He seemed to re-appraise her, eventually smiling and nodding at some private conclusion.
“Well then! I am quite glad to see her bringing somepony to this event- There had been some talk around town that she would seem quite alone at an event with such a concept behind it. But apparently we were all in the wrong.”

“We... That is to say, it...”

Celestia leaned against her, speaking over her shoulder to Fancy. Twilight couldn’t help but lean back into the Princess’ warm coat as she spoke, feeling the thrum of her voice vibrating through her.
“It is a very recent development, Fancy Pants. But I assure you, not one of desperation, as some will likely be saying. I have hosted events like this without a ‘companion’ for hundreds of years, after all.”

Twilight went stock still when she heard that. Hundreds... No wonder everypony reacted like that. Was she really, truly the first one the Princess had been with in all that time? How much differently would everypony act because of that fact, not to mention everything else about them?

Thankfully, her worries were cut off by the arrival of food-- Gently levitated to each individual, an opening dish that surprised her: She had heard from Applejack and Rarity both, after all, that meals in high society were often sparse. But here was a thick and vibrant stew, a bright red in the pale green bowls. As the servers and sommeliers came around with drinks and various spirits, she followed Celestia’s lead: Rose water. Cold, refreshing, bright, and most importantly, not likely to lead her down the road of intoxication. Given the standing challenge, that would have been the same as giving up.

The soup was delicious, and quickly followed with other courses- Some heavy, some light. Startlingly fragile sculptures of crystalline sugar and flower petals were followed with braised eggplants in rich sauces. Everything from bright and refreshing wood sorrel bouquets to finely-chopped and iced walnuts... She paused. Reviewed. Her mind traced back across everything that had been served so far, and everything she saw at other tables. It only took some mental calculation, and a few quotes from Super Naturals and the KaMare Sutra to realize the truth:
Every single ingredient she could recognize was, to some extent, an aphrodisiac. Some of them chemically, some of them only in romantic imagery and concept, but the intent was undeniable. A moment later, Celestia traded a sultry glance with her, and she realized this was, if not intentionally a test, then it certainly was one now.

Twilight spent the next little while matching her teacher dish for dish, never once turning down an offered piece of food. The two of them ended their meals with wide, slightly shaky grins and deep-seated blushes.

--------

During the meal, the music had been purely a soft and unobtrusive classical piece, performed by a group of mares and stallions she recognized from the Grand Galloping Gala. Their work was fantastic, and occasionally a particularly stirring piece led to her leaning towards Celestia. They shared the occasional kiss, stars bursting in her head, and the occasional nuzzle, heat burning in her haunches. But then the final dishes were cleared away and the music shifted, subtly: A strong and pulsing tempo began to build behind the light strings. The occasional sound of percussion joined in with the piano, and an unmistakable electronic pitch began to weave in. The change was slow and she couldn’t quite track where the original piece ended and the new one began. On stage, behind the cellist, a white mare with a shockingly-bright blue-on-blue mane was now visible behind a pair of turntables. She recognized her as well-- She had been the DJ for their failed fashion show the previous year, and was one of Rainbow Dash (and oddly, Pinkie)’s favorite musicians.

The other musicians began to leave the stage one at a time, leaving behind the DJ and the cellist- A brown-coated mare with a serious look and wise eyes. The music, as well, left until only the sharp and high notes of the cello and the thump and slide of the electronic instruments were left. It was still subtle, and elegant, but there was a kind of energy behind it now, something undefinable and beautiful at the same time. The two musical mares locked eyes and smiled at one another before returning to their work. Twilight saw tables in the ballroom being pulled aside by magic, mares and stallions beginning to mingle on the outskirts of what was now, very obviously, a dance floor. She caught Fancy Pants looking in her direction nervously, and she looked to Celestia.

“I... think I would rather talk with the guests than dance tonight.”

“And I could not agree with you more- I was never the dancer of my family.”

They smiled, and laughed, and Fancy Pants sighed in relief. The two of them left the table then, separating with a wink and a nod, and began to roam.

--------

She was far, far too long out of practice, and entirely too... enthusiastic? Well, that should not be a fault, honestly, especially given her previous mistakes. But said enthusiasm was still at the root of her current problem-- A problem located a scant few inches beneath the root of her tail. Of course, her mind and her heart were equally inflamed, but neither of them was currently engaged in a contest of endurance with a vibrant and inexperienced young mare whose visage...

Celestia shook her head and moved away from that train of thought. Focusing on Twilight, her coat or her mane or her plot... Back on track. Focusing on Twilight in general would only spell a loss. Her long absence from the romantic scene had left her with a bit of a hair-trigger, it seemed. Maintaining a normal conversation with the perfectly nice mare in front of her-- An ambassador to the Griffons, if she remembered correctly (and she always did)-- was nearly impossible with the purple mare dancing in her mind. Not literally dancing- She had heard far too many whispered horror stories, and read a rather depressing letter when Twilight had realized she had four left hooves. Not that there was any problem with that-- It had been thousands of years, and Luna could still dance circles around her older sister.

Speaking of dancing, she saw several couples coming together in close embraces, some on all fours and others standing on their hind legs. They moved to the music, which in her experience was easier said than done- Especially to such an eclectic beat as this. But their enthusiasm in many cases made up for their difficulties, and she occasionally stopped between discussions to simply pony-watch for a while. Her eyes kept wandering back to a particularly amorous couple, eventually following the two of them as they left the ballroom. She had gone out of her way to set up private bedrooms for each of the groups who arrived, for just such a situation- It was good to see them getting use.

Eventually she ran out of guests she had not at least held a brief conversation with, and reached the back of the room, where Twilight was just arriving from the other side. They met with a brief kiss, and smiled as they separated.
“And how are you enjoying yourself?”

“Quite a bit, Celestia! I’ve met some fascinating ponies, quite a few scholars and history experts. How are you... holding up?”

Twilight’s ability to be surprisingly daring kept her guessing, and this was a moment that got an honest laugh from her.
“Mmmh, I think I can continue to hold out for quite some time. And you?”
She followed up her question by leaning in and gently kissing and nibbling along the edge of Twilight’s ear, pleased to hear the low groan that it brought out.

“Aaah... I... I’ve still got some will left to restrain myself with, as well.”
Twilight looked a bit sheepish as she backed away, a question clearly waiting to be asked. Celestia nodded to her, implicitly asking her to go on.
“But... Aren’t we going a bit fast? Not that I mind! I just... I’m new to this.”

“I know. And I am certainly freshly returned to the field myself. When it comes to speed... Well, I have two responses, I suppose.”

“I’m all ears-eep!”
She couldn’t help herself- The phrase was obvious bait for another ear-nibbling, which interrupted Twilight quite nicely. She chuckled and relented.

“Twilight, we are both adult mares. There’s nothing wrong with how fast or slow we choose to pace ourselves- And if you have a problem with it, you need only to tell me. And if I, for some reason, were to have a problem, I would tell you. But the second point... I love you, Twilight. And I have for a long time. Maybe not a physical romantic love, but we have known each other for a long time- Student and teacher, even as friends and study companions. Just because the kind of love has changed does not mean we’re suddenly a “new” couple. We’ve been together most of your life.”

She winced at the blatant harshness of the final words, but she had said it before she could think about changing to something less... bleak. But Twilight was smiling, a tear shining at the corner of one eye as she leaned in to kiss her again. They took their time with this one, moving closer as they did. Eventually they separated, both short of breath, her wings almost managing to leave her strict control.
“Thank you, Celestia. And I... I am definitely alright with the speed we’re going at.”

“Does that mean you’re calling it in, giving up on the challenge?”

“Nope! I just wanted to make sure ahead of time. Still waiting on you.”
Twilight winked at that, and Celestia stifled a laugh. Her student was clearly trying her hardest, and even when it was forced or awkward, it was still endearing. They walked off to opposite sections of the ballroom again, taking a chance to cool down. She would not lose... although at this rate, her confidence in that statement was slipping. Watching Twilight walk away certainly had not helped any- She would have to find an opportunity to thank Rarity for her choice in dresses.

--------

It had been almost a half of an hour since her last conversation with Celestia, and Twilight was at her wit’s end. Conversations about the most stiflingly mundane topics she could imagine, no help. Riveting discourse on the cultures of the world, counterproductive. Watching other couples dance, kiss, embrace, and leave for their rooms? Left her mind and heart racing. So now she was slowly trudging across the dance floor, walking awkwardly so as not to expose herself in any way, prepared to concede. Celestia was talking to Fancy Pants, the two of them speaking animatedly, and her teacher clearly in control of her desires. Twilight was, after all, the novice of them, and should never have expected to win in a battle of endurance.

She raised a hoof to get Celestia’s attention, and then heard the actual discussion.
“Well, it will be a shame to have you go, Princess- It is always a phenomenal conversation when you are involved.”

“Yes, well... I do believe I need to go to the gardens. Get some fresh air.”

What?

“...After all, it’s been a long evening, and I haven’t, ahem, stretched my wings in quite a bit.”

“Not enough clearance in here, eh?”

The two of them shared a laugh, and Fancy trotted off, Celestia turning back to Twilight with a smile. But above her grin, her eyes looked almost desperately desirous, and she nodded, just once, before walking towards the side door of the ballroom. Stunned silent, Twilight followed her, heart full of joy and brain full of fu... Distractions. Yes, distractions.