Shrill voices bounce off the walls of the library as Twilight shelves a book. She's tired, and her head hangs slightly as she levitates another book into yet another empty space on the shelf. Behind her, she can hear a crowd of fillies and colts driving Spike insane.

"Alright class!" The noise dies down just slightly as Cheerilee yells. "Five more minutes! Every one of you needs to check out a book for your report. You have five minutes left to choose your book!"

Twilight sighs in relief. Earlier, she'd been excited about actually acting as a librarian for once, helping all the young fillies exercise their minds. Now she just can't wait for them to leave. She turns around and checks on Spike. He's doing the same thing he's been doing for the last hour, furiously re-shelving and organizing books as young ponies discard them.

Spike slides a book onto the shelf in front of him, and in almost the same instant a small blue filly sees the title and snaps it up eagerly. Spike slaps his forehead. Twilight quietly giggles to herself. Spike gives her his best "overworked servant" glare.

"Miss Twilight?"

She feels a small hoof poking her foreleg and looks down.

"Hey, Apple Bloom. Have the Cutie Mark Crusaders found any good books today?" Twilight says. With the other two dozen or so students crowding the library, Twilight had barely gotten a word in with her favorite fillies.

"Miss Cheerilee said we couldn't all work on one book together," Sweetie Bell says.

"So we need two easy books to pretend to read, while all three of us study this one," Scootaloo pushes a huge book forward on the floor, a thick tome with a plain cover.

"Cutie Marks: An Academic Study of Flank Symbolism, Heraldry, Genealogy, and Manifestation Theory," Twilight reads. "With a Foreword by Professor... girls, are you sure this isn't a little... advanced?"

"But we gotta learn everything we can! We STILL don't have our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom says. Twilight's annoyance with young ponies in general is forgotten completely, and she scans the shelves. She levitates a much thinner book down to the trio.

"What's Happening to My Flank?" Apple Bloom reads.

"A Filly's Guide to –" Scootaloo continues.

"Cutie Marks!" Sweetie Bell finishes.

"That's the book I read when I was your age. I think it really helped me understand what it means to get a cutie mark," Twilight explains.

"Wow, thanks Twilight!" Apple Bloom says.

"But we still need two other books," Scootaloo says.

"There's some new release young fiction over there by the checkout counter. They're pretty light reading – you should be able to get through those quickly. Not that you should, of course." She winks at the three.

"Thanks Twilight!" the three say almost in unison, trotting off with boundless energy towards the checkout counter. Owloysius is on the counter, looking a little frazzled and sleepless, busily stamping books with checkout dates as students bring them up. Twilight turns back to the pile of unorganized books next to her. She's just about to start shelving them again when another voice interrupts her.

"Thanks again for helping out. It gets hard toward the end of winter – all the students are cooped up inside too much, and it really helps to get them out of the classroom for a bit," Cheerilee says, sitting down next to Twilight. She looks a little frazzled and tired as well.

"I can tell. And I'm happy to have visitors. The library doesn't see that much use, honestly," Twilight says.

"I know. It's a shame, really. The collection here is so extensive. When I was a filly I never realized, even though I came here all the time. My school's library in Fillydelphia wasn't half as well stocked," Cheerilee says.

"You used to come here all the time? How come I never see you here?" Twilight asks.

"Oh, I'm always busy. My job takes up all my time."

"Well that's too bad."

"I know. I should really try to swing by more often." Cheerilee looks her right in the eye, smiling.

Is she...? No, no way...

"Uhh... yeah, well, we're always happy to have customers."

Is that the right word?

"Visitors?" Twilight tries again.

"Guests?" Cheerilee says.

"Yes, guests. Right. Haha."

Smooth.

"Anyway, I have to corral these guests right now before they tear your library apart. More than they already have." Cheerilee frowns, looking at the mess all around them.

"Oh it's fine! Don't worry about it. That's why I have Spike!" Twilight looks around for her assistant. He's being buried under a pile of fillies grabbing for the books he was trying to organize. She could almost swear he screamed for help, but it's hard to hear over the students.

"Oh, well, sorry for the mess all the same. By the way, will you be Team Organizer again this year?" Cheerilee asks.

Twilight just stares dumbly at the teacher.

"For Winter Wrap Up?" Cheerilee says.

"Oh, yes! That. Yes. I'm doing that," Twilight says.

"Great. I'll see you then!" Cheerilee smiles. She trots away, yelling to her students to gather around and finish up.

Twilight watches her go, her curly pink mane and tail bobbing slightly as she walks. Was she really...? No, no that's silly.

Been thinking about all this romance stuff too much. It's just Cheerilee.

She had known the school teacher for a while now, and they had always been friendly, if not actually friends. Just good acquaintances.

The school fillies line up, and Cheerilee opens the door for them as they trot out in single file, each carrying one more book in their bag then before. The dark pink mare shoots Twilight another smile and a nod as she walks out, too occupied keeping the line orderly for much more.

Finally, the last of the students goes trotting out the door. The door closes. The library is quiet again.

"Look at this mess! We're gonna be cleaning this up all day!" Spike says, looking at Owloysius. The owl quickly flutters up to his perch near the ceiling, settling in to sleep. Spike frowns, turning to Twilight.

"Look at this mess! We're gonna be cleaning this up all day!" he says again, gathering up some books.

"Actually, you're gonna be cleaning this up all day. I have some studying I need to catch up on, and I lost a whole morning because of that field trip," Twilight says.

"What? They didn't even get here until noon!" Spike yells.

"Yes, well, that's true, I guess, but I'm sure my number one assistant can handle this all on his own," Twilight says. Spike grumbles something she can't hear and begins shelving books yet again.

"Good boy. I'll just be up in my room then," Twilight says, not moving.

Spike continues to grumble and organize books.

"Yes, to my room. I'm going now," she says, watching Spike. Her little dragon assistant is totally absorbed in his chore and his complaining, ignoring her completely. Satisfied, she trots to her private room and quickly shuts the door. She walks up the small staircase to her bedroom proper, a cozy enclosed balcony above a small sitting room. She sighs and collapses on her bed.

She rests for a few minutes, thinking about whether she should try to nap or not. Her eyes ache just the tiniest bit, but in the end she decides she's just not feeling it. She glances at the door to confirm that it is, indeed, closed, then warily looks over both shoulders. The room is empty. She is alone.

Carefully, she reaches under her bed and pulls out a small box. The box is crammed with the novels Rarity lent her, next to stacks of magazines that Rainbow Dash dropped off. Tucked into the side, next to the novels, a few pieces of paper stick out. Twilight levitates these papers out and looks over the top sheet. It is creased and covered in notes, scribbles, and writing crossed out and re-written several times over.

Twilight's Plan to GET LUNA
Phase One

1. Find nice stallion.
2. Flirt with him – learn how to flirt.
3. Go on some dates. (Requires more research conc. How to date? Where to go?)
4. Fall in love? (See notes page seven and eight)
5. Have sex? (NOTE really?)(ALSO NOTE seriously?)
6. End the relationship (Eye on the prize!)
7. Doesn't that sound a bit shallow? (That's not even a step what are you writing go to sleep)
8. Find statistics on average length of relationships, usual causes for breaking up
9. (Wordless scribbles, heart shape with "TS + L" written inside)
10. GO TO SLEEP CHEERILEE IS BRINGING THE FIELD TRIP TOMORROW

"Hmm," she says, reading the list over. She puts the papers back in the box and begins browsing the other contents, unable to settle on one to read. She's spent the last week reading them, studying, even taking notes.

It's not that she was completely ignorant of all of this. She's read of the biology and anatomy involved. She knows, in a very clinical way, that there are emotions that happen.

But to do... this? Herself? Not Twilight Sparkle. Certainly not smart, serious Twilight Sparkle. Why would such a studious pony waste her time with a bunch of emotional, irrational, sweaty, steamy...

She stops her thoughts short, an old habit. She has to force herself to pick them up again. It's not so hard, really. Ever since that night with Luna...

There it is. That's the feeling. She frantically digs through the books, anxious to ride this wave while it lasts. But which one? They're all terrible. The gulf between what she's been feeling and the sappy garbage she's been reading is huge.

She sighs and rolls over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. She's tried to puzzle it out every night.

Why can't I just do this like everypony else?

She puts herself in one of Rarity's stories, pictures herself with the models from Dash's magazines, feels herself getting worked up, tense, wound like a spring. But whenever she actually tries to alleviate the pressure, her imagination fades away and it's just her, sitting alone, feeling embarrassed and far from turned on.

How can this be so hard?

Apparently everypony does it. My friends probably all do it. Well, maybe not Fluttershy, but you never know. Just because it's hard to imagine doesn't mean she doesn't do it.

She pictures Fluttershy lying in a bed on her back, moaning and blushing, hooves reaching between her own legs, her cute little wings stretched out stiffly to her sides.

Twilight shakes her head and blushes a little herself. She feels a tiny bit of that delightful pressure in her loins.

"Huh," she says, trying to clear the image from her mind.

What's the secret?

Does everyone read books or look at magazines?

How do they buy all that stuff all the time, and I just never noticed it?

Do most ponies just use their imagination, or only some? What do they think of? Does Rainbow Dash think of the Wonderbolts? Did Rarity think of her prince, before the fiasco at the Gala?

She sees Rainbow Dash, lying next to Fluttershy on the bed. Dash is furiously rubbing herself, her wild mane bobbing around as she whips her head from side to side. Rarity is on Fluttershy's other side, caressing the yellow pegasus' wing, staring straight at Twilight.

Twilight shakes her head again, suddenly feeling very warm.

"Huh," she says again, trying to focus on her thoughts. She feels like she's getting close to puzzling out some answers.

Do her friends think about her? No, they couldn't possibly... how weird would that be? Do ponies picture their friends when they do this? They must, sometimes. Sometimes your friends are pretty, and it's just imagination. Right?

Pinkie Pie is riding on top of Fluttershy, her thick, curly mane bobbing up and down as she bounces on her friend.

"Wooo! Wooo! Wooo!" Pinkie yells.

Suddenly Applejack is right behind Pinkie, pulling Pinkie's mane roughly with her mouth while grinding her hips into the pink mare. She releases Pinkie's thick mop of hair and turns towards Twilight.

"You best get a taste of this! Nice and thick!" She winks at Twilight.

Twilight shakes her head furiously, seeing just her ceiling again. She's breathing a little quickly, and she feels heat along the back of her neck and between her legs.

"Huh," she says again.

This can't be right. Those are my friends.

She shifts her weight, and the feeling of her thighs sliding against each other makes her skin prickle up all over.

This can't be normal. If this were normal, her friends would have mentioned it to her.

No, that's stupid.

Oh hey, I imagined you having sex with our other friend last night. Great conversation starter.

Well then what else is there to think about? Other ponies you don't know that well?

She's still in her room, but it's darker here in her mind. Just a few lit candles lend their soft light to the room. Cheerilee is in bed next to her, lying on her side, her back facing Twilight. Cheerilee's round rump is rubbing up against Twilight's hip, and her curly mane is practically shoved up Twilight's nose. She breathes deep, but there's no smell. The soft curls cling to her snout.

"I know it isn't as thick as Pinkie Pie's." Cheerilee is looking at Twilight over her shoulder, eyes half-lidded. "But you think my color is much nicer."

Twilight's eyes almost roll back in her head – as Cheerilee turns, her rump slides against Twilight, pressing in closer. The curls of mane shove into her face, enveloping it.

"Ooooohhhhh," Twilight moans, her whole world light pink curls.

"Eeeeeeyup." Big Mac's deep voice comes from Twilight's other side. She turns to see the big red workhorse lying in bed with them, looking strangely serene.

Twilight shakes her head fiercely, and she is alone again, a sheen of sweat on her brow. She has a hoof crammed between her legs, tightly squeezing her thighs around it as she presses into her nethers. She feels slick wetness in her crotch and feels unbearable, awful, intolerable pressure, almost painful. There's tightness in her chest, and she realizes that she's panting short, shallow breaths. She feels a little dizzy.

"Huh. Wow," she says. Those thick pink curls had felt so real. She'd never even touched Cheerilee's mane in real life.

What does Luna's mane feel like?

It wouldn't be at all like Cheerilee or Pinkie, it must be...

...Smooth, silky hair plays over her snout as Luna turns on her side, looking over her shoulder at Twilight. One wing unfolds, tickling Twilight's belly.

Twilight presses down across the lips of her mound, parting them slightly. She gasps quietly. Her other hoof caresses her own belly, lazily moving in small circles.

The feathers caress her belly lightly. Luna nuzzles her neck, cool breath blowing onto her shoulders and chest. The side of Luna's long horn bumps into Twilight's face and snout, hard and warm.

She moves her hoof up across her slit, hitting a small hard bump at the top. Her body shakes at the touch, and she moans, biting her lip to keep it from being too loud. Her other hoof rubs her snout and neck.

Luna rolls over on top of Twilight and presses her body down on the small unicorn, kissing her neck harder. Her beautiful wings stretch out over the pair, strongly splayed out. Their coats are pressed together all over, sliding against each other.

Twilight is rubbing herself in a kind of slow rhythm, down and up, pausing for just a moment on each up stroke to press on that sensitive button.

Luna grinds her hips into Twilight's. Their nether lips rub together, hot and dripping wet, sliding across each other. She locks lips with Twilight, bucking her hips into her like a stallion, driving her down into the bed.

"Aaahh!" Twilight gasps, arching her back, driving her rump and hips into the mattress. Her free hoof is dug into the blanket at her side, her foreleg stiff and tense. She rubs herself harder, pressing down past her lips with each stroke, teasing her inner walls.

Luna is still grinding into her, running her tongue up and down her neck.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Twilight moans with each stroke of her own hoof, picking up speed, pressing harder. Her hoof is practically dripping with her own fluids. Her tail swishes back and forth, dragging along the sheets. She feels that pressure, that unbelievable pressure, building between her legs, in her chest, in her head, everywhere!

She's sweating all over, she can feel the warm dampness in her sheets every time she moves. Her rump is pressing down into a wet circle of her own juices soaked into the bed. Her hind legs are splayed up in the air, shaking slightly, she's not sure when that happened. She strokes harder, furiously, the hot pressure building, trying to push it down, make it go away, it feels incredible...

It's building, she can feel it building. In her mind Luna is picking up speed, bucking her hips into Twilight wildly, moaning. Their clitorises rub together roughly, and Twilight stops stroking her mound and focuses just on the button, cramming her free hoof into her mouth to keep from howling. Her chest soars and her body tingles all over, like falling.

She rubs herself in small circles, moans muffled by her hoof, breathing in ragged, choked gasps.

Suddenly, Luna is gone. Twilight feels large forelegs wrap around her and sees a white, gold-shod hoof reach between her legs.

"Prin-Princess?! Princess!" she says out loud, spitting her hoof out.

"Shh... hush, my most faithful student," a regal voice whispers past her ear. Twilight looks up and sees Celestia embracing her from behind. Celestia's hoof tenderly begins massaging Twilight's swollen clitoris, and her ecstasy is instant and complete.

"Wha? Ah! Ah! Aaaauuuughhhgh!" Twilight splutters nonsense, panting. She rubs her mound again, pressing as deep as she can into herself, bucking her hips up into it.

"My smartest, most talented, most loyal student..." she hears Celestia whisper.

Twilight's eyes roll back into her head. Her body spasms wildly, legs shaking in different directions. The pressure is incredible now, she feels insane, mind completely gone, nothing exists except the pressure and it's mounting and oh god oh god it feels so good.

This is it! This is it! I did it I'm doing it I'm gonna come oh my Princess Ohhhhhh...

The door slams open. Spike walks in holding two books.

"Hey Twilight, I can't figure out where these two go and..."

"AAAHHH!" Twilight dives under the sheets, panting.

"Geez, sorry, I just needed some help and –" Spike pauses. "What's that smell?"

"Get out get out get out!" Twilight yells, peeking out from under the covers.

"But what about these books?" Spike asks.

"NOW!" Twilight screams.

"Fine, sorry, sorry!" Spike leaves, shutting the door behind him.

Twilight waits a moment, frozen under her sheets. She notices the smell now too, her own thick, sweet scent. She throws the sheets off and rolls onto her back, practically slamming her hoof between her legs again.

Nothing.

She starts to press and gets only pain, her whole crotch sore to the touch now.

She tries to imagine...

Wow, was I really imagining... that? What is wrong with me?

Nothing comes. It's just her with herself, alone, in a damp bed growing colder by the second.

"Darn it!"

She pounds her hooves against the mattress.

"Darn it, darn it, darn it!"

I was so close...

She sighs, giving up.

Some time later, after calming down a bit, Twilight levitates a quill over a piece of paper.

Dearest Princess Luna, she writes.

She stops. Some weird emotion she can't quite identify washes over her. It's been at least a month since she wrote a report to Celestia. She feels bad sometimes, knowing that her reports have become less and less frequent over time.

It had even become her habit to open each letter with an apology, for taking so long between letters. But the Princess always replied that it was perfectly fine and Twilight should be out with her friends more, living her life.

Twilight ponders this. Should she tell Celestia about her and Luna? What would she say? Has Luna told her already?

She pushes this new train of thought away, continuing with her letter.

I learned today that with love, as in friendship, all the books in the world aren't enough sometimes. Just thinking about those you care about can be more wonderful than anything else. I'm learning a lot with my research so far, but I'm starting to see just how little I know. I can't wait to start trying out what I've learned with other ponies... or with you.

She smiles at that last line. Too much? No, it feels right. Luna doesn't seem to be modest about this kind of thing.

I'm learning about myself, too, I think. There's so much I don't understand about how I feel sometimes. Well... sometimes it feels really good, I understand that. But I still don't know exactly what makes me feel that way. I'm hoping that I can figure this all out once I really get started.

The Spring Festival is in just a week. I'll try to find some dates there, and try them out. And then we can be together. I can't wait!

How to sign it, she wonders. Love? Yours? With strong feelings? She shakes her head. Then inspiration strikes. She grins as she completes the letter.

Your Eager Student,
Twilight Sparkle

She wraps the letter in a plain envelope, then focuses her horn's energy on the paper. She concentrates, horn glowing, thinking of a teleportation spell. When the time comes to think of the destination, she closes her eyes and pictures Luna. Beautiful, dark, mysterious, standing by a hedge in the palace gardens of Canterlot, as she looked when Twilight met her at the Solstice.

She gasps as the spell connects with something. Somehow, she can't quite fathom how it's happening, she feels Luna around her, their minds touching for just a moment. When she opens her eyes, the letter is gone.