"Twilight!"

Rarity's voice – the absolute last thing Twilight expected to hear. She drops her bags just inside the library's door.

"Hi? Uh...?" The library is empty and deserted, as usual, save for the white unicorn sitting at a book stand. And...

"Hey. Took you long enough," Rainbow Dash says, not looking up from her book.

"Hi," Twilight says back. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, it is a public library, is it not?" Rarity says.

"Rarity made Spike go clean up some garbage for her or something," Rainbow Dash says, still not looking up.

Rarity scoffs loudly, broadcasting exactly how offended she is. "That is a ruthless falsehood!" She turns to Twilight, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I have no idea –"

"So you just happened to come on by and then you just happened to keep talking about some mess that you just happened to need cleaned up?" Rainbow Dash snorts.

"We were merely making conversation, and Spikey-wikey, being the perfect gentledragon he is, took it upon himself to assist me."

"So... where is he?" Twilight asks.

"Oh, he'll be a while. I haven't had the boutique's chimney cleaned in quite some time," Rarity says with careless nonchalance.

Twilight rolls her eyes, just short of smiling. She leaves her bags where they are and sits near Rarity.

"So..." Rarity begins. She casts a very pointed glance at Rainbow Dash, who, Twilight notices, is now watching them intently, only barely still pretending to read.

"How was your trip?" the blue pegasus says.

"Yes, you'll have to regale us with all the details," Rarity adds. "How was it?"

Twilight smiles, all kind of rote pleasantries loaded and ready. "It was..."

Click. Dry fire. There's nothing in her mouth, all of a sudden. Twilight blinks a few times.

It was good. It was great. It was fun. Relaxing. Nice. Wonderful.

It wasn't any of those things, really. It was...

"Twilight?" Rarity says.

"Sorry." Twilight shakes her head quickly, jolting herself back into reality. But every time she goes to open her mouth, there's still nothing there.

Waking up. On her. WITH her. Surrounded by her warmth.

"Uh...?" Rainbow Dash cocks an eyebrow at the pause stretching out into the room.

"Relax," Rarity says at her. "Take your time, Twilight. We were just all wondering how you're..." Rarity falters, uncomfortably glancing around. "How you're doing."

That snaps Twilight out of it. She comes back to her friends, giving them a reassuring smile. "Better," she says. "I saw Princess Luna."

Both her friends perk up a little in surprise.

"I know," Twilight says. "She... we talked." She hedges on her words, wondering how exactly to sum up something that could never fully be explained. "I think she's going to okay."

"She?" Rainbow Dash finally tosses her book aside. "She's going to be okay?"

"I think so." Twilight gives her a sure look.

Rainbow Dash gives up and shrugs. "Okay, why not?"

"I was expecting you to come back and babble on and on about Celestia," Rarity says. "Like you always do."

"Oh, I talked with her, too. Of course," Twilight says fondly. "She was so... I don't know. She's always looked out for me, but this was different. Special. We even slept together."

Twilight had said it without thinking – just blurted it out. Recounting the details. Instantly, Rarity's jaw drops, and she makes a most unladylike "Buwhaaaaaa?" sound. Something similarly flabbergasted rings out from Rainbow's perch.

"Oh! Uh... not like that." Twilights ears slam down as she sheepishly backpedals. "Just, you know... slept. Like, literally."

"Oh," Dash says, sounding strangely disappointed.

"Aha, ha, of course," Rarity says, her pitch just an octave too high.

"Is that seriously the first thing you guys thought of?" Twilight asks.

"Well it is you," Rainbow Dash says.

"I was just going to say that it seemed a little... soon. After... uh," Rarity says.

"Soon?" Twilight glares at her. "Soon? After wh –"

Pink. Green. Lovely, lovely curls.

"After breaking up with Cheerilee. Duh," Rainbow Dash says.

"Dash!" Rarity says.

Twilight braces herself for a wave of pain at the mention of that name – for that sharp, piercing tug in her heart, for guilt to ache and throb within her.

Two weeks ago. A whole two weeks ago and you're forgetting about her. Moving on.

But it's not quite the same. There's some pain, sure, but it's... different. The dull ache of a dressed wound, settling to heal.

Moving on?

Her friends are staring at her. Waiting, and watching.

Twilight quietly clears her throat. "How is she?"

"...Cheerilee?" Rarity asks, more for effect than anything.

"She seems fine," Dash jumps in. "I've seen her around. I even had sex with her a few times."

"What?!" Twilight and Rarity yell in unison.

"Kidding!" Dash raises a hoof, grinning. "Point for The Dash. Too easy!"

Rarity loudly groans and shakes her head. "If we're being serious now?" she says, pointing a nasty glare at Rainbow Dash. Then she huddles up close to Twilight, whispering in hushed, conspiracy tones. "I've seen your ex around as well. She seems... well, she seems like she's putting on a brave face." A shadow of worry crosses the white unicorn's face. "I think doing all that hurt her almost as much as it hurt you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Twilight asks.

"I don't know," Rarity says, looking strangely contrite. "I'm just... I'm just trying to be honest."

Twilight tries to ponder this, to work it over in her head, but –

"...good morning..."

Celestia's golden voice, sleepily muttering. Right next to her ear.

Twilight startles and sits up, but it's a momentary panic. It's just a little light out – the pensive, pale blue of pre-dawn.

Of course it is. Because the sun is here with her.

"I'm just saying," Rainbow Dash continues, now eagerly sitting up. "She made her choice, and it's over, and that's cool."

"But it's so sad," Rarity whines.

Twilight looks back and forth between them – she missed something here. But that's not important. Is it?

"Of course it's sad!" Dash throws her hooves up. "What do you want her to do?"

"She doesn't have to do anything, I just thought we could acknowledge –" Rarity says.

Twilight clears her throat, loudly. Her friends stop on a dime.

"Did you guys really think... that... me, and Celestia...?" She lets that one hang in the air, trailing off intentionally for once.

"I did," Rainbow Dash raises a hoof again, waving it around. "And then you said you didn't, and I was like, 'aw, man!'"

"I'll admit, I was taken in for just a teensy, tiny second," Rarity says. "Wishful thinking, I suppose."

Wishful?

Twilight can't believe her ears. She thought her friends knew her, knew the Princess, better than that.

"It wasn't like that," Twilight says, something sharp creeping into her voice. Not anger. Disappointment. "It can't be like that. We're friends now. I'm her friend."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash cocks an eyebrow, half skeptical, half sexy. "Because we're your friends, and, uh..."

"No!" Twilight nearly recoils back from Rarity. "This is different. It's just... it's not like that."

"Oh, I see! Not to worry, Twilight, I understand completely," Rarity says.

Twilight breathes a sigh of relief.

"You're worried that you're projecting your attraction to Luna on your long–time mentor," Rarity says.

"What?!" Now Twilight does recoil, scooting away from her friend.

"Not to mention how vulnerable you are in the wake of your recent break up. You don't want to do anything rash, that's very smart," Rarity finishes, ignoring Twilight's look of horror.

"Wha – bu –" Twilight sputters.

"Yeah, I get it," Rainbow Dash says. "Celestia's like, the real deal. Don't wanna screw that up with some rebound nonsense."

"I am not rebounding!" Twilight yells.

"Exactly, you aren't, and that's very wise," Rarity says. "Please, calm down, Twilight."

"Calm?" Twilight barks. "Calm?!"

Calm. At peace. With everything.

She's just... here, with Celestia. Her head rises and falls, gently rocking on the alicorn's breath. She feels Celestia stir and shift, stretching. A long, slow and gentle movement, sticking her forelegs out like a cat in a patch of sunlight.

A great white wing flaps lazily above her, and then rests, again, over her shoulders.

Twilight smiles deeper, afloat in a sea of peace.

Twilight is calm. Instantly.

"Kinda too bad, though," Rainbow Dash says. "I mean, if Celestia wanted to... I'm not saying I'm into her like that, but man. The PRINCESS. Bragging rights."

Twilight's jaw drops silently.

"Please, Dash. That is very inappropriate," Rarity says. "If Twilight and the Princess were to move in that direction, I highly doubt Twilight would sully that by bragging about it."

"It's not like that!" Twilight repeats, feeling her calm rapidly slipping away.

"I say you should've just gone for it. Opportunity, right?" Rainbow Dash says.

"It's not like that either!" Twilight almost growls. "What, did you guys discuss this? Do you talk about me and the Princess?"

Rarity and Rainbow Dash hesitantly look at each other. Rarity looks like she's about to offer some kind of deflection, but even Twilight can see right through it. The white unicorn merely brings up a nervous grin.

"I can't believe this! That is so disrespectful! To the Princess!" Twilight grumbles. "And to me!" she adds.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," Rarity says, looking every inch like she means it. "But you can't deny that the two of you are... well... close."

"But she's the PRINCESS," Twilight says, as if it were obvious. "You can't just... she doesn't..."

"Yeah, I guess I used to think the same thing. Until Luna showed up and pulled this whole stunt with you," Rainbow Dash says.

"That's different!" Twilight says desperately. "She's different!"

"Alright, alright, we understand," Rarity says, gently, in her best calming Fluttershy voice. "Please forgive us, there's just so much we don't know about you and... you and her."

Part of Twilight wants to be mad at her friend, but Rarity has perfected the art of soothing looks. She reluctantly lets it go.

"How would you describe your relationship with the Princess?" Rarity asks.

Twilight blinks at her. There's no real motive in those words, no mean search for gossip. It's just an honest question.

"Yeah, you really don't like her like that?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Because the way you talk about her sometimes..."

"I respect her. And admire her," Twilight says instantly.

"That's all?" Rarity asks.

"...No," Twilight admits, staring down at her hooves. "I mean, I like her, but... it's just..."

Teacher and student?

No, not like that. Not anymore.

Colleagues?

That's not right, either. They have a connection – a personal connection. A friendly connection.

That's it. Friends. Right. Friends.

"It's..." Twilight stumbles on the word friend. It doesn't want to come out of her lips – it's the wrong shape, somehow. Her friends stare at her, on the edge of their seats.

"It's special."

"I feel... a lot better now," Twilight says, still nestled peacefully against her mentor. "Thank you."

"I think I should be thanking you," Celestia says. "It's been a long time since I... since someone was here with me."

Twilight lets the words pass right through her – being careful to not get too excited. She shifts her legs, starting to sit up a little, but Celestia's wing is wrapped tightly around her.

"Oh! Sorry," she says.

"No no, excuse me," Celestia says. She loosens the grip of her wing, just as Twilight settles back down. They look at each other, eyes meeting just long enough to jump in opposite directions.

"I'm so glad to see you smile again," she hears Celestia say.

"I really do feel better," Twilight says. "I think... I think I can go back to Ponyville today. Back to normal."

"Oh?" Celestia says. "Tired of Canterlot already?"

"You know what I mean," Twilight says, eyeing Celestia's mischievous smile.

"I do."

Twilight forces herself to look at the Princess, giving herself a moment to notice that she slept with her crown and jewelry still on – the same Princess as ever.

"I'm happy to hear that," Celestia says. "I really am."

Twilight smiles up at her, basking in the Princess' warm gaze, languishing in the warmth of her eyes. But...

There's something else there, hidden in the glare.

Something...

"Special?"

Twilight looks up at Rarity. The white unicorn is obviously waiting for more.

"Yes. Special," Twilight says, sticking her nose up in the air.

There. Answered. Solved. Done.

"That's it? Special?" Rainbow Dash says.

"Special." Twilight nods.

Rainbow Dash starts to protest, but Rarity raises a hoof at her.

"I think we have our answer. And I think we can respect Twilight's feelings on this matter," Rarity says.

Rainbow Dash shrugs, picking up her book again.

Rarity turns back to Twilight. "I must apologize. We had been discussing you and... you and the Princesses. Occasionally." She scoots over to Twilight and slides a hoof onto her shoulder. "It really only started after your... erm... correspondence with Luna began."

"I guess that makes sense," Twilight says, unable to stay offended.

Enough sense, anyway.

"Man, I still can't believe Celestia just let all that happen, though," Dash says.

"I don't think that's really fair to her," Rarity says.

"Wait! Wait, wait wait," Twilight says, perking up quite a bit. "What did you just say?"

"Celestia. You and Luna. She just watched all that," Rainbow Dash says from behind her book. "Crazy."

...crazy?

Twilight's eyes get huge – her recent life flashes before her eyes, a sped-up rewind of... everything. Everything since that night, on her balcony, surrounded by snow and moonlight.

"What was she supposed to do?" Rarity says. "Would you prefer it if Celestia came by to vet every potential partner you see?"

"No, but she had to know Luna was just screwing around. Right?"

Twilight doesn't hear them. At all. Her mind goes into overdrive, there's something here, right here, just at the tip of her hoof...

My sister is... discreet. As always, I am her opposite.

She tries to recall every single word of every single conversation of the last few days, but all she can think about is homework and letters and memories, distant memories, an image of a white goddess shining perfectly down upon her as far back as she can recall.

My smartest, most talented, most loyal student...

An embarrassing, cringe-worthy fantasy, a guilty little secret that's so beautiful but so bright it hurts to look at, no less so for how impossibly out of reach it is.

And alone in the sky.

Something is hidden back there, behind all this in her head, something huge and terrible and wonderful and willfully, thankfully forgotten.

And...

"I'm happy to hear that," Celestia says. "I really am."

Her wing still resting on Twilight's back. Her hooves right next to Twilight's, nestled together.

And her eyes, lovingly gazing down. Warm. Supportive. As they've always been.

Except...

Twilight shoots up onto her hooves, startling Rarity.

"I need to leave," she says.

"What?" Rarity says.

"I need to leave," Twilight repeats, dashing towards the door. "I think I just remembered something."

"Where are you going?" Rainbow Dash says.

"Canterlot!" Twilight yells back as she runs out the the library's front door. Her heart is pounding, adrenaline giddily flooding into her veins. There's something tangled up in her head, some great puzzle that she's still only barely beginning to put together.

But she has one small piece done, staring back at her. She had realized, just now, what she had seen in Celestia's eyes.

Sadness.

"Twilight!"

She ignores him. She stomps her way up the stairs, a mare on a mission. She hears her brother sigh loudly, barely winded even wearing all that armor.

"Twiley! He keeps catching up to her and then stopping, just at her side, striking a very stern pose.

But he doesn't block her way. She keeps going, slowly making her way up the spiral staircase leading up to the top of Canterlot's tallest tower.

There was a train. She remembers that.

Everything else is sort of a... haze. Throwing bits down for a ticket. Rushing down the platform. Throwing herself into a seat, no bags, no companions, no... anything.

She'd spent the whole ride staring out the window, watching the sun slowly descend behind the horizon.

Should've sent a letter.

No time. Too late.

Should've at least told her I was coming back.

By the time she thought of it, Ponyville was long behind her. She didn't dwell on it. Her mind was too busy, thinking and planning and drafting speech after long, winding speech, constructing every possible way this conversation might go, all of it hinging on one simple little question.

Shining Armor vaults a few steps ahead of her, pulling an about–face with perfect, practiced severity. "Twilight, I am ordering you to stop." He glances past her, boyishly confirming that they have, in fact, left the rest of the guards behind. "Seriously, you're making me look bad here," he says, smiling a little.

She does stop, just for a moment, glaring up at her brother with her nose furiously scrunched. "I need to see her," she says. "It's urgent."

"Some kind of emergency?" he says, morphing from stern guard to dutiful concern in an instant. "Is someone in danger?"

"...No." Twilight backs down for the first time since she arrived. "It's... uh... personal."

That's really the only word for it, isn't it? Personal. The kind of meeting you wouldn't put in an academic essay.

"If it's not an emergency, I'm afraid you'll have to wait." Shining Armor poses at attention, all soldier again. "She gave very specific orders. Not to be disturbed right now."

He stands before her, still not blocking her path, just standing there looking fairly satisfied.

"Now, if you want to come back downstairs, we can just... hey!"

Twilight trots right past him.

"What are you doing?" he says, clearly shocked.

She doesn't answer.

He doesn't understand. This is important.

And it's me. She... we...

We woke up together this morning, for her sake!

She'll understand. Twilight knows she'll understand. This is important. Special.

"Twilight, please!" Shining Armor says. "I'm warning you!"

"What are you gonna do, arrest me? Throw me in the dungeon?" Twilight rolls her eyes, not slowing down a bit.

"Don't make me!" he says. "Seriously, please don't make me do that."

She stops – at the top of the stairs, on a landing. In front of a set of double doors, a strangely unassuming, somewhat plain set of doors. Shining Armor catches up to her, and they hold where they are, side by side.

Twilight's chest is heaving a little more than she realized – it was a long way up, and it was all stairs.

"Can you at least tell me what's going on?" Shining Armor asks.

I'm not sure I even know what's going on.

She sits on her rump, expecting her pulse to slow down, for the lightness in her chest to fade as she catches her breath. She sits and stares at those doors, and she may as well be sprinting up another hundred steps.

"Come on, Sparky." She feels her brother's hoof rest on her shoulder. "Talk to me."

She takes a deep breath, a calming gulp of air. A little bit of her calms down, lowers its hooves and relaxes and remembers that this is... it's her brother, here. Her shoulders slump on their own.

"Sorry about that," she says. "Downstairs, I mean."

"It's okay. I guess you're not really used to being told you can't see the Princess, huh?"

She gives a rueful little snort, knowing she should go back downstairs and apologize to all the soldiers just doing their jobs. Soldiers that she would be glad to see doing their jobs, on any other day.

"It's never really happened before," she says. "I mean, it's always her calling me in. To see her."

Shining Armor's hoof falls away, and the two of them sit, staring at those double doors. A pair of statues guard them – two alicorns, of course, but plain stone. Just the outlines of alicorns, nothing to indicate if they even are supposed to represent the sisters.

"Can I... ask you something?" Twilight says.

"Only if it's, 'How can I apologize for scaring your elite guards into nearly soiling their armor?'" he says. His eyes tell her that he was pretty impressed to see it, actually.

She gives a sheepish little chuckle. "Heh, yeah, that... sorry."

"It's okay. It's not everyday my troops get to be chewed out by a real Equestrian hero." He thrusts out his chest with pride, and it takes Twilight a second to realize that he's not thinking of the soldiers under his command. "So what's wrong? You look awful."

"Did you ever feel weird around Cadance? I mean... before. You know."

"What?"

Twilight bounces on her hooves a little, full of nervous energy she wasn't aware she had. "Before the two of you... I don't know, fell in love. How did you think about her?"

"Uh...?" Shining Armor casts a cautious glance at those double doors and then back to his sister.

"Oh for the love of..."

Him too? Did everyone think this about me?

She grumbles a few choice words under her breath.

"Uh, Twilight? How personal is this... thing you need to talk to Celestia about?" Shining Armor says as carefully as a soldier can.

Twilight briefly rolls her eyes. "I just mean she's a Princess and I'm – I mean, you're not, and it must have been strange at first. When did you... I don't know, become friends?"

Her brother raises a skeptical eyebrow at her.

"Friends!" Twilight says with a very final glare, waving a hoof at the doors before them.

"Well... uh..." Shining Armor strokes his chin with a hoof, staring off into thin air. "It's kind of funny, actually. The first time I met her, she acted so... normal, I guess. I mean, I knew she was a Princess, and you could see right away she was an alicorn, of course."

Twilight carefully watches her brother dive back into memories. He keeps stroking his chin, his eyes wandering off on their own as his smile slowly grows.

"But she just wouldn't let me treat her like, I don't know... distant. She was your foalsitter, so that was pretty normal, and she always acted so friendly to me, always telling me not to bow or user her full title or any of that nonsense..."

His eyes keep drifting. Twilight waits, on the edges of her hooves.

Wait for it... and... he's gone.

There. Shining Armor is in full-on rambling mode. Twilight creeps towards the doors with a sly smile.

I hope he isn't this gullible when it isn't me.

She feels a little bad. Just a little. She's heard that story before, plenty of times by now. It's irrelevant to her situation, anyway. She rushes up to the doors.

Voices. More than one... and the tone is decidedly not pleasant.

Arguing?

She stops short, suddenly full of doubt. If the Princess said she wasn't to be disturbed...

No. This is important! I HAVE to talk to her!

She raises a hoof.

"What... hey, wait!" Shining Armor yells, far too late.

She knocks.

"Celestia!" She pounds on the door, yelling far more urgently than she meant to. She cringes, and her last knock whimpers out as a light tap instead. "I mean... Princess?" she says. quietly

"Twilight?" The Princess' voice drifts out to her.

Twilight pushes the doors open with a nudge of magic.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, and I know you're probably busy, but I –" Twilight says as she starts to step inside. Her hoof stops in mid-air, as frozen as her tongue.

There are two alicorns in the room.

"What a pleasant surprise!" Luna says, holding her hooves out in a mockery of a welcome. "We were just talking about you!"

It's the same room as the night before – same in so many ways. Soft, classy elegance. Moonlight pouring in the huge windows. A cozy fire raging.

And Celestia is there, before the fire, almost exactly where they slept together. But she's...

Naked?

Twilight's mouth hangs wide open, matching the shock on her mentor's face perfectly. Celestia is naked – no crown on her head, no gorget around her neck. Her long, elegant legs end in nothing but hooves, as pure white as her coat.

The only thing she's wearing are a pair of tiny, gold-rimmed spectacles, perched on the bridge of her muzzle. She's staring at Twilight, surrounded by a haphazard array of scrolls, strewn angrily about.

Why would she even need glasses?

Twilight shakes her head furiously, more to pull herself out of her stupor than anything.

"Uh... guh..." Shining Armor stammers from behind Twilight, in that special way possible by only a stallion who is certain that he's about to lose his job. "My apologies, Your Majesty – Majesties!"

"Relax, Captain," Luna says, smiling like she'd planned this all along. "I think my sister and I can handle the grave security threat of Twilight Sparkle. Leave us."

Twilight distantly, vaguely wonders about what her brother's face must look like after that. But she can't take her eyes off Celestia – the two of them sharing a perfect moment of surprise. The doors close behind her, and it's just her and the Princess and the Princess.

"Twilight, I –" Celestia starts to say, looking like she should be hurriedly hiding her scrolls. "What are you –?"

"An interesting question," Luna cuts in, smug with delight. "I myself am quite curious. What exactly are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Twilight snaps at her.

"Are you serious?" Luna glares at her, not pretending for once. "You barge into my sister's private chambers, and –"

"Luna, please!" Celestia scolds her. "Twilight, is something wrong?"

Twilight barely opens her mouth to reply.

"I should think something is wrong!" Luna says with a grin. "My sister has something so very important she hasn't told you."

"Luna!" Celestia yells, throwing her glasses aside. "Stop it!"

"What is she talking about?" Twilight says, casting wary glances at Luna.

"You really don't know?" the Night Goddess says, feigning boredom. "Not even the smallest inkling in that perfect, faithful little brain of yours?"

"You leave her alone." Celestia stands – the fireplace roars with her, flaring up and licking the stone above it. Twilight gasps silently, scooting back onto her rump.

"Oooh, sister!" Luna puts a hoof to her chest, feigning a swoon. "How you jump to defend your little..." her lips curl up into a cruel giggle, "...protege."

"Enough!" Celestia flares her wings out – the room is suddenly bright and full of sharp glare. Twilight squints and shields her eyes with a hoof. She barely makes out Celestia stomping over to her sister, glaring at her, snorting and stomping like a wild beast. "You've done enough! She is NOT yours to toy with!"

"Is she yours, then?" Luna says, still trying to look haughty and cringing back anyway.

The fire dies down to embers in an instant. The white light piercing the room vanishes, letting Twilight's eyes focus again to see just Celestia furling her wings back down. She's... frozen on her hooves. And her face – is she... ashamed?

"No, no, forgive me..." Luna purrs. "Let's see, how did you put it... hmm... ah! 'Twilight Sparkle is her own mare. I will not disrespect her, or her right to make her own decisions,'" she recites, looking deeply pleased with herself. "So strange that you choose now to intervene."

Twilight's ear ticks in the air.

Let all that happen.

Celestia takes a long pause, staring coldly at her sister. She turns her head to Twilight, not quite meeting her eyes, closing her own instead. She takes a breath, steeling herself up.

"Twilight... I apologize," she says.

It takes a moment for that to make its way past Twilight's ears.

"...What?!" Twilight says.

"I apologize," she says again. "My sister is right. You have proven, time and again, that you are capable of handling your own affairs." The corners of her mouth turn farther down with each word, worry creasing around her eyes. She bows her head like a scolded filly. "I should not intervene."

Twilight openly gawks at her, feeling five or even six different sets of words jumping up her throat.

Wrong apology!

"But – but...!" is all that manages to claw its way out.

Intervene! Please, intervene!

"Thank you, sister," Luna says, courtly and polite. Then she turns to Twilight with a playful little smirk. "A bit of a pity, though, isn't it Twilight? The heavenly sisters themselves, quarreling for your sake... you must be flattered."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Twilight growls, surprising herself – it must be left over from tearing into those guards. "I came here to talk to her."

"But of course!" Luna beams joyously. "And you two have so much to discuss, after all."

"Luna!" Celestia yells, but it's a desperate anger... almost begging. Celestia, the Princess, begging and pleading, reduced to a defenseless heap by...

By what? What IS it?

Twilight feels it gnawing at her mind, insistently tickling her head, as questions always have. But there's something else nagging at her, another train of thought handily winning the race to her mouth.

"Twilight, I..." Celestia stumbles on her own royal tongue. "You came back?"

"Oh, uh... yes. Yes, I did." Twilight takes a step closer to her, trying to sound casual. "I needed... I wanted to ask you something."

"Most interesting," Luna says, her haughty airs back in force. "Did you come to confess something as well?"

"To her. To talk to her. Not you." Twilight glares daggers at the darker alicorn. She turns back to who she really wants to look at. "And not to confess. To ask."

Celestia forces a warm smile for her, ignoring the living shadow at her side. "Anything, Twilight."

Twilight nods, ready to let the question, the big question, spill right out, not even caring that Luna is watching them. But...

Confess?

She opens her mouth to speak, and again there are too many words trying to rush out at once, a traffic jam of inquiries. Her florid, prepared statement is gone, suddenly replaced by...

Do you like me?

She makes a halted little choking noise, sitting there, her rump suddenly feeling numb against the stone of the floor.

Confess what?

Celestia and Luna lean closer, craning their necks, hanging on her lack of words. Twilight doesn't want to say that one, purely because Luna brought it up, but still...

Don't you...?

The words get coiled in her throat, poking and jabbing. Twilight just makes some quiet sputtering noises. Her legs are shaking, trembling.

"Twilight?" The Sun Princess tenses up, poised to move, every motion weighted with concern.

I just wanted to ask you something.

Twilight chokes. It burns in her throat, making her eyes water. She makes one last push, one determined, willful hurdle to force something out of her mouth.

"Why?"

Celestia actually startles back, her head jolting as her ears take it in. "Why?" she asks.

"Why?!" Twilight sobs as she says it – she's lost control, completely. Just watching herself move and act and say anything but what she planned out in her head. "Why did you let it happen?"

"Twilight, please –"

"You let her do that to me!" Twilight yells, choking through a steady stream of tears. "She broke me! Broken! And then she broke me again and then I lost her, the other her, and... and... and you did nothing!"

"No, no, Twilight, please!" Celestia rushes over to her, sounding broken herself, her eyes wide and plaintive. "Please, let me explain!"

"I can't – I don't – I can't..." Twilight trails off into nonsense, her lips quivering too much for coherence.

They pause, inches away from each other. Twilight's chest heaves, there's no air in here, just taking big gulps of stale nothing.

The Princess reaches a hoof out, and for just a second Twilight thinks that Celestia is about to take her into an embrace. But it falls dead. She may as well have hit Twilight – it hurts, a nasty ache of loneliness all through her chest.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," Celestia says instead, weak and hollowed. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I thought... I thought you cared about me," Twilight mutters.

"I do. More than I could ever tell you," Celestia says. "Please... forgive me..."

"Why?" Twilight says, sobbing and shaky. "I'll forgive you, anything, I swear I will, but... why?"

Celestia says nothing. She just winces and looks away.

Twilight sniffs, loudly, choking on a frankly unbelievable amount of snot. She tries to stare at Celestia, to read something, anything, but can she hardly see at all, just blurry, ivory shapes. And of course, a dark blue shape farther away. An awful, nasty blue shape, silently watching them. She narrows her waterlogged eyes at it.

"I suppose you're enjoying this?" Twilight says with a scowl.

"Far from it," Luna says, all her usual playfulness gone. "Sister. Tell her."

Twilight was about to yell something at her, something perfect and cutting, something that would finally, finally make her shut up – but that question. It doesn't matter who it's coming from now – Twilight never realized until this very day how badly she needed to know.

"Answer her question," Luna says.

Twilight chooses to ignore the support. "Please!" she says anyway, blinking her eyes back into usefulness.

Celestia reluctantly meets her eyes, looking pained by every effort. She grits her teeth, her lips warily refusing to move how they should.

"Sister, please!" Luna says, moving over to Twilight's side. "You owe her this much. You know that you do."

Twilight glares sideways at her unwelcome ally, trying to focus all her attention on the white alicorn. The good alicorn.

Well, except for...

This. Whatever it is. Why won't she say anything?

"Did I do something wrong?" Twilight wonders aloud.

"No!" Celestia says instantly. She shakes her head frantically. "No, Twilight, no. This... it's my fault."

"Just tell her!" Luna says.

"Stop it!" Twilight yells at her. "You're not helping!" She clambers, with great effort, up to Celestia, her mentor, her friend, and then... with every ounce of tenderness she has, summoning every bit of earnest need she has, she pleads. She doesn't beg, no throwing herself before her ruler, no wailing, no more crying even. Just a simple request.

"Please... tell me," she says.

Celestia looks like she's waiting patiently to be killed, resigned and trying to hold on to any dignity possible. She stares off past Twilight with glassy eyes, her chin quivering in protest.

Twilight looks up at her, holding her breath, this is it, the moment of truth –

"I cannot." Celestia chokes as she says it, croaking in a most un-godlike manner. "I will not."

Twilight's breath rushes out of her in one great, silent, betrayed gasp. "What?!" she yells.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Twilight."

"You abandoned me and now you won't even tell me why?!" Twilight says, far past thinking at all.

She glares up at her beloved mentor, shock mingling with heretofore unknown and untapped reserves of anger. Celestia can't even look at her, pitifully cringing in every way.

And then she leaves.

Twilight watches, unable to wrap her head around it – Celestia turns and leaves, her head hanging, her heavenly mane dragging on the floor.

She leaves, trudging across the room and out the other doors, out onto the balcony. Twilight watches, her jaw hanging almost to the ground. The sun itself, the light of the sky, turning her back, abandoning her to...

Twilight turns to her side, half–expecting to see Luna perched and cackling, rearing her front legs in triumph.

She's not – The Night Princess is staring after her sister, stone-faced, just shaking her head as if her heart is breaking a little at the sight of it.

But Twilight doesn't see that. Mostly what she sees is red.

Wrong Princess! What... what have I done?

A low growl starts in the back of her throat, taking its time, growing dark and ugly.

Luna sighs loudly. "I had really hoped she would –"

"YOU!"

Luna startles and blinks at her, looking genuinely surprised for once.

"You!" Twilight snarls, jumping to her hooves. "You...! You... this is all your fault!"

"Wait!" Luna holds her hooves up. "Twilight, wait! Listen to me!"

"No! NO!" Twilight advances on her, her horn glowing involuntarily. "You think I'm going to fall for that again?"

"I am not deceiving you! Please, listen!" Luna says, backing away just the slightest inch.

"That's what you said before!" Twilight stomps a hoof, echoing loudly through the room. "And you... and... I can't believe I actually felt bad for you for a second! You really are terrible!"

"You're right!"

"And then I actually started to think –" Twilight changes directions mid-word, the light of her horn dying out. "Wait, what?"

"You are right. I am terrible." Luna says it with a clever little grin, but... it fades quickly, slipping away into something much more heartbreaking. "This was, truly, all my fault. I have wronged you. And my sister," Luna says. "...Again."

Twilight stares up at her, fighting a smug little thrill of satisfaction at hearing those words – it could still be some kind of trap.

But she looks so... no! No no no don't you even dare!

Luna bows deeply, her nose grazing the smooth stone of the floor. She splays her wings out low around her, a perfect display of regal remorse. "I apologize, Twilight Sparkle."

From any other pony, it would seem too much. But now, somehow, even coming from the mouth of the great trickster goddess herself, Twilight can't detect the faintest trace of sarcasm.

But if she really is sorry, then...?

"Why?" Twilight says again, a more controlled version of the same song.

"Why?" Luna looks up at her, still locked in her bow.

"Why did you do this?" Twilight demands.

Luna stands up, looking like herself again – a sure, cocky glint shines in her eyes. "You really want to know?"

"Yes!" Twilight says with an angry pout. "Don't you even know who I am? Of course I want to know!"

"Hmm." Luna appraises her very seriously, her lips hinting at some kind of trick. "I suppose you do deserve to know. And it would probably help, at this point."

Twilight intensifies her pout, still on guard against trouble. Luna seems very amused by this, but unlike her sister, she does indeed speak.

"Of course, I've already told you why."

"Ugh!" Twilight groans loudly, rolling her eyes.

Luna ignores her. "When I first came to you, that night on your library's balcony. I never lied to you, Twilight. I was quite taken with you."

No... don't even. I'm done with this game.

Twilight gives her the very most studiously best glare of skepticism ever seen, its power so great that even Luna takes notice.

"No, really!" Luna says, very much like a normal pony. "Is it really so far-fetched? Savior of Equestria, savior of my own wretched self, the most magically-talented unicorn in the land... and not hard on the eyes, at all. You really are quite special."

Twilight is shocked to realize that she's feeling the heady thrill of being flattered, even if it's only barely leaking past her defenses. She glares harder, just to be safe.

"But more than that," Luna continues looking away for some reason, "I felt... I wanted..."

Twilight can't hold her anger – Luna is tracing her eyes around the floor, dark and lonely and vulnerable, almost the way she looked the first time Twilight ever saw her.

I'm so sorry, sister.

"You have a pure heart, Twilight," Luna says suddenly. "I know that you would be a true lover, to whomever was lucky enough to have you. And to think that I... me... to think that you might love me as much as you love her..."

Twilight follows her eyes to the balcony doors, one side open just enough to be unsettling.

"I knew it was rash. To go to you like that. To offer myself," Luna says. She picks up one hoof, tracing its blue crystal shoe over the stones of the floor. "...We do silly things when we have a crush, don't we?"

"A crush?" Twilight says with wide eyes.

"You taught me the word." Luna sighs and shakes her head, like there's nothing else for it. "Just as you taught me much of how Equestria has changed. How to win the hearts of my subjects. Yet more things I owe you."

"But you still...!" Twilight says, one last contrary flare of anger.

"I knew I wasn't right for you," Luna says. "Deep down, I knew. I thought to leave the choice in your hooves... and I hoped that you would find another. Find happiness, for yourself. And you did. I was happy, for a time."

They both bow their heads slightly – Twilight is still a little angry, but it has a different target – herself, for not being all that mad at Luna at the moment. Somehow.

"I tried to teach you," Luna says. "I tried. I wanted to repay you, I think. Some small portion of the debt owed."

Twilight is still looking down – she hears Luna's voice quaver, and doesn't want to see what that could look like.

"On that night, when I returned to you – I knew that was it, the crucial moment. I knew I might selfishly claim you for myself, but I hoped that I might drive you further into her arms than you had ever been. And you did not disappoint." Luna draws Twilight's eyes up with the growing strength of her voice, only to throw her down even further. "But then..."

She doesn't need to say anymore. There's still a part of Twilight that cringes in instinct at these thoughts, the memory like a steel wire being tightened around her heart.

You should go. I don't want to hurt you anymore.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I truly am."

Twilight squares up her stance, glad that she used up a few tears recently. That finely-dressed wound is threatening to split open again.

"I'm afraid I turned out to not be much of a teacher," Luna says. "I suppose there are some things that my sister really is just better at."

"Don't you dare..." Twilight starts to yell. It was a reflex, as natural a reaction to Luna's ploys as... as...

Oh, what's the point?

Twilight sighs loudly. There's just no fire there, no villain to cast out, no righteous cause to champion this time. It's just two ponies here, two silly ponies who made some grave mistakes and hurt each other's feelings.

She glances at the balcony doors.

Well... more than just each other.

"She was furious," Luna says, reading Twilight's thoughts. "When she found out about... you and I. We argued. Fought for days. Days, Twilight."

"What did you do?" Twilight asks. "You made her stay out of it. Somehow."

"Simple," Luna says with a very pleased smirk. "I accused her of wanting to keep you all for herself."

"What?!" Twilight feels the hairs of her neck bristle, that last ember of anger glowing back into life. "But... but that's... that is not –"

"I thought so too. At first," Luna says. "But my words cut her. Very deeply, in fact. Far more than I intended."

"You don't know anything about me and... about the two of us!" Twilight says.

Do you?

"Perhaps. But I know my sister. And there are things about her that you do not know." Luna looks again at those doors, free to show her sympathy from behind them. "I began to suspect something... and the signs were there, once I knew to look. More and more, I knew I was right."

Twilight has no words – she can feel herself being nudged, ever so carefully and gently, towards some kind of ledge, a balcony yawning out over unknown depths.

But... that balcony...

She looks at the doors, stray rays of starlight peeking through. There are wings on that balcony – beautiful wings, white light to lift her over anything. And if you have wings...

Then jumping off a ledge isn't so bad, is it?

"I have come between you," she hears Luna say. "But I am not sure it was a bad thing. She never would have told you otherwise."

"Told me what?" Twilight asks, not allowing herself to think the answer she knows. Her eyes never stray from those doors. "What is it?"

"I won't presume to speak for her," Luna says.

Twilight bites her lip – she never thought she would actually dread asking the Princess anything. "I don't even know what to say."

"You will find the words," Luna says. "You and her have so very much to talk about."

"Can't you just tell me?"

She hears Luna give a rueful little snort, and can guess the exact narrowing of her eyes.

"I will not," Luna says. "You have far surpassed my meager teachings. It is time for you to choose a path for yourself."

"Choose? But how can I –"

"Oh, stop mewling about, Twilight! Go to her and do what you want to do."

"What?!" Twilight turns to her, ready to demand answers.

But – of course – Luna is gone.

Twilight glances around, finding an old habit in warily checking the shadows in the room.

Did she really just... leave?

The shadows waver and fold in the weak light of the fire – if there ever was a darkness hiding fell creatures of the night, it would have to look like this. But Twilight can't feel it – that creeping tingle running up her spine that knows she's being watched.

She turns back to those doors – a twin set, still open just a crack. Leading out into all the world beyond.

Celestia is still out there. She knows, somehow, that the Princess wouldn't just fly away – even running away, even running away from Twilight, she wouldn't go too far.

I'll always be here for you.

She just wouldn't.

Twilight takes a step towards those doors, one slow, careful step. It's a familiar draw – the need to know has always been the happy burden of Twilight Sparkle. But she can't quite put her weight down on it.

Would she?

Does it matter? Whether she's there or not, whatever the question or the answer might really be, would Twilight Sparkle ever fail to follow after the Princess?

Never! Never, no matter what she's done to... to...

She draws her hoof back. Her thoughts are hollow with anger – a weird kind of heretical anger, so new that she has no idea what to do with it.

She's a little mad. At... Celestia? It's unfamiliar, but then again, who is this strange white alicorn, one that would leave Twilight to fend for herself?

I want to know.

She scowls at thin air, her eyes burning holes in those doors.

I need to know!

She puts a sure hoof down, heavy with purpose.

She has to tell me.

Twilight walks through the doors.

She's there, on the balcony. Of course. Sitting proud and tall, overlooking her kingdom as if she were a picture in a fairytale, save for the faint turn of her ear at the silent opening of the door.

It's a complete farce – Twilight has known the Princess almost her whole life, and she can see instantly the slight slump in her shoulders, the way her feathers are resting just off from how they should be, the solemn downturn just off the corner of her lip. It's wrong, all wrong, and...

Twilight was a little angry. But all she can summon of it now, once stepping through those doors, is an even more unfamiliar emotion. When it comes to the Princess, anyway.

"I suppose my sister has told you everything," Celestia says, not breaking her pose.

"Actually, no." Twilight joins her out on the balcony, keeping a polite distance. They survey the land together, peering out over the lights before them. Twilight barely sees any of the moonlit beauty below.

"Then you have come to ask me that question again," Celestia says.

"I came here to ask you about... us." Twilight cautiously looks at Celestia out of the corner of her eye. "They're both the same question, aren't they?"

Celestia closes her eyes, a penitent goddess full of remorse. "I am sorry, Twilight."

"What are you so sorry about?"

"I have wronged you. Betrayed you, in my own heart."

Twilight allows herself to stare at the Princess, unable to fathom what she could ever do that would be so bad.

"All this hurt, all your heartache. And I let it happen," Celestia says.

Oh. That.

But even that isn't...

She wasn't the one who did... that. She just...

Luna's voice plays in her head, a cruel mockery of her own sister.

I will not disrespect her, or her right to make her own decisions.

Twilight scoots a little closer to Celestia, putting on her best grown-up voice.

"Listen," she says. "I think I understand. What Luna said about... about why you stayed out of it."

Celestia side-eyes her cautiously, her wings drawing in with her breath.

"I've never really thought about... us. Not like we are now," Twilight says. "I guess that was kind of silly. I guess it was easy for me – you're still you, like you've always been. But I..." Twilight stumbles over it a bit, unable to bring herself to mouth the word student.

"I grew up, didn't I?" she says instead.

"I'm glad you've finally noticed," Celestia says, smiling a little.

"Even the really great things don't last forever, huh?" Twilight says, too light-hearted.

"Nothing does," Celestia says. She turns her eyes back to the horizon, and Twilight has to look away from them – a close brush with drowning. She forges on, determined to the end.

"I know you feel bad about it," Twilight says. "But thank you. I appreciate the intent, I really do." She almost places her hoof on Celestia, reaches out to touch her. But the Princess is cringing away preemptively.

Twilight falters, unsure of what to make of that. "Er... yes. I appreciate it. Knowing that you respect me, like that, as an adult. That we could be..."

Equals?

"...Friends," Twilight says.

Celestia is reacting to her words as oppositely as a pony ever could – wincing and grimacing, her eyes shut tight.

"Friends?" Twilight backpedals. "Is that...? Aren't we?"

"I would be honored if you thought of me that way, Twilight," Celestia says, breathing with relief.

"Oh." Twilight blinks a few times at that – then realizes she's set a trap without even thinking to.

Oh goddess I hope Luna didn't rub off on me at all.

Don't worry about that now. Answers!

"I'm happy to hear that," she says, winding up some tease in her tone. "But you aren't off the hook. If this is how we are now, then you need to tell me what Luna was talking about."

Celestia turns and gawks at her, a shocked open mouth that quickly recovers into a begrudging kind of pride. "You... you sly little unicorn! I'm starting to fear you really have learned something from my sister."

That playful jab only helps Twilight's showboat of a mean pout, one that won't leave without satisfaction.

Celestia sighs loudly. "You can be so stubborn when you want to know something."

"My friends all know that about me," Twilight says proudly.

That, of all things, hits Celestia the hardest. She turns away with a shameful flap of her wings, almost hiding behind them.

"I cannot be your friend, Twilight," she says.

"Why not?" Twilight says instantly.

"The sad truth is... I have betrayed you. First, as your teacher, and now as your friend. I am not worth your friendship," Celestia says.

"Is this seriously all about you letting Luna do that?" Twilight says, growing tired of this surprisingly quickly. "Because I already said, it's –"

"It's about why." Celestia peeks over her wing.

Twilight freezes in place. Why?

But I already figured that... no.

Words that cut her. More deeply than expected.

No Luna said that, it can't be true no no no

"I... Twilight, I..." Celestia strains at herself, her eyes glistening.

Twilight falls, right there on the balcony, still sitting, hanging from the edge of the next word.

"I wish I could tell you that the reason I stayed away was... because I respected you. As an adult," Celestia says, grim and resigned. "But that is not true. I feared... that I might act selfishly."

"You...?"

"I'm afraid I have fallen in love with you."

Twilight coughs, loudly, some kind of huge something stuck in her throat. "Wait, wait," she says, "I could've sworn you just said –"

Celestia continues without her, stuck on her own shameful walk. "I feared that if I intervened, I might..."

Twilight's eyes go wide, more willing than the rest of her to swallow those words. She scrambles back a few paces, suddenly stuck on a balcony with a beautiful stranger. "You... you what?! When...?"

"Please, Twilight!" Celestia begs. "I never thought of you like that before, I swear it! I would never demean myself, or my student, in such a manner. I hoped that I would not, at least."

Twilight swallows hard, stuck in a loop.

What...? HOW?

"She changed the way I looked at you, Twilight. I was forced to acknowledge, to see you. For what you really are – a grown mare. A lovely mare, intelligent and beautiful and deserving of so much happiness, all of that and a true and noble hero besides," Celestia explains, her tone rising with every word before coming to a bashful stop. "And... I confess, once I allowed myself to see you this way, even for a moment... I could not stop."

Twilight's face goes blank, unwilling to try to take this in. Too much, far too much, not possible. Celestia goes on, humbly sitting on her rump before Twilight, looking exactly like a nervous filly confessing a crush.

"I found myself wondering if... if we..." she trails off, taking a different tack. "But you found love. You rose above my sister's games, and you found love, and you were so, so happy. I hoped beyond hope that you would make a life with her. I would have blessed your union. I would have loved your wife as a dear friend."

"But at the same time, I only grew to love you more."

Love.

Twilight's chest drops out completely, just... gone, her breath non-existent.

The Princess... loves me? ME?

"Seeing you happy, reading your letters, catching glimpses of what a wonderful, caring mate you could be. I was happy for you, but... I would always remember that I had lost you. Lost what I may have had." Celestia's sad eyes narrow into a glare. "I never would have told you. I never wanted you to know."

That's it. Twilight scrambles to her hooves, not completely sure any of this is real. "Wait... you really... love... me?" she manages to say.

"I apologize if my actions last night made you uncomfortable. I know things are difficult for you now, and..." Celestia turns her head away, bowing before Twilight Sparkle. "I tried to merely comfort you. I did not mean to act... well, selfishly."

"You really want me?" Twilight asks.

"I want –" Celestia chokes on her words. "I am so, so sorry, Twilight. These are shameful wants, inappropriate and unbecoming of... of our relationship."

"I'm not worthy of you?" Twilight asks in horror.

"No! No, please, Twilight. It's never been about that," Celestia says.

"Then why...?"

"Ugh, my accursed mouth!" Celestia growls. "Forget I said anything. Please... it would be best."

"Why?!" Twilight yells in an urgent fit.

"I cannot allow myself to feel this way. It would not be fair. To you," Celestia says, shaking her head.

Twilight's ears shoot straight up.

Now where have I heard that before?

Now Twilight feels betrayed, a deep and special thing torn away from her just as she realized it was hers.

"Fair?" she says. "Fair? Fair to me?!" She tenses up on her legs, snorting and flaring her nostrils. "What, I'm a naive little filly who can't handle you?"

"No!" Celestia offers up desperately.

"Then I'm my own mare?"

"Ye –" Celestia almost says. She's ready for the trap this time. "Not like that. It would not be appropriate for me to look at you that way."

"Then what am I? What are we?"

They stare at each other, long and brutal, Twilight backing Celestia into a corner with nothing but her eyes.

"...Friends?" Celestia says hopefully.

Twilight should be happy but... it just isn't right. Celestia is cowering before her, ashamed of... of something that could be so...

"You asked me what I wanted. Before," Twilight says.

Celestia looks at her, like she knows what's coming and can't dread it enough.

"I want you to be happy," Twilight says. "And if I could..."

Twilight gulps loudly, seeing, really seeing, herself and Celestia curled up together, talking and smiling and discussing great thoughts and teachings, sharing weighty secrets. Soaring through the sky together, reading weighty tomes together, being so much more than teacher and student, and happy. Together.

She starts to wonder what it could even feel like to touch her tenderly, to roam freely in that otherworldly mane, to wake up next to her and chat idly about how to spend a day together. To press her lips against...

My smartest, most talented, most loyal student.

Her mind steps back from that edge, terrified by just how alluring and tempting and familiar it seems. She's stepped up here before, but... her heart pounds and lurches. Too much, too fast, this is too much.

One step at a time.

"I... I think..." Twilight begins, her lips quivering. She takes one step forward. "This is so big. So much, all at once. But..."

"Please! Do not force yourself on my account," Celestia says. "That is the one thing I feared most."

"Stop it!" Twilight yells, pulling an astonished look from Celestia. "Just stop! Let me at least think about it. I'm not forcing anything."

"And you are sure of that?" Celestia says ruefully.

"Don't you trust me?" Twilight glares at her. "After all this, after everything that's happened? What if I felt the same way? Were you just going to ignore me?"

Celestia gives her a deeply serious look, painfully unamused. "Twilight, you... please don't take this the wrong way, but I knew."

Twilight leans back, clambering onto her haunches. "Uh... what?"

"I saw how you looked at me. How you acted. I am not a fool, Twilight – many ponies have... admired me, in the past. In many ways."

That blushing, muttering, embarrassed panic starts to crawl up Twilight's throat, as it always does – but this time...

NO.

She narrows her eyes.

That... that was a thing.

A great breath rushes out of her, a weight lifting as she finally, finally acknowledges one of her world's most obvious truths.

I had a crush. Everyone was right.

I get that now.

I had a crush. On Princess Celestia. Had.

She takes a deep breath. She talks, clear and calm and hard.

"That was different," Twilight says.

Celestia raises an eyebrow.

"This is different," Twilight says. "I understand now. I'm not a lovestruck little filly anymore."

"Yes." Celestia solemnly closes her eyes. "That has been made painfully clear to me."

Twilight grimaces, almost insulted. So many feelings she never thought Celestia would bring her. Celestia just heaves a great sigh, her wings drooping.

"So what now?" Twilight asks.

"Now?" Celestia shrugs, a slow, shamed motion. The dance of a fallen angel. "Now – you will go back to Ponyville. I will stay here. As things should be. And I will hope and pray that you find it in your heart to forget my indiscretion here."

"No," Twilight says instantly.

"No?" Celestia blinks at her.

No? Did I just... say... no? To the PRINCESS?

"...No." Twilight grits her teeth, holding to an unknown course. "No... I don't want that."

She takes a step closer to the Princess. Celestia's eyes almost bug out, glancing down at Twilight's hooves and then up again, caught.

She takes another step. Closer, edging to within an arm's length of the goddess.

"Twilight, you – what are you doing?" Celestia says.

Twilight isn't sure of the answer, but she keeps going anyway, inching nearer and nearer. She's never seen the Princess act so silly, before, so obviously wrong... so...

She swallows, hard, dry throat grating against itself.

"I won't do that," Twilight says. "I just... I can't."

Celestia moves her lips wordlessly, staring cautiously at Twilight.

"I know what I want now." She can't inch closer, not without pressing up against Celestia. She raises up on her hind legs instead, resting her front hooves on Celestia's slim, bare chest.

Celestia's mouth hangs open, her eyes shimmering in the dim light.

"You said I could have anything," Twilight says, locking eyes with Celestia. "You said anything of yours is mine. You offered."

"That was wrong of me," Celestia says, shaking her head. "You deserve so much more than –"

Twilight interrupts her with the merest forward movement of her neck, her muzzle inches from her old mentor's. She can feel the glow radiating from Celestia's mane, the heady tingle of the air around her filtering up through Twilight's hooves and tickling along her legs.

The Princess stares down at her, nailed to the stone of the balcony, frozen in a shocked gasp. Twilight knows what to say, what she has to say, but even here and now it's hard to take that one last step, to leap off the balcony into the sky above.

She closes her eyes, feeling the seeds of tears squeeze out of the corners. The Princess is there, in front of her, with her, for her.

Always.

"I forgive you," Twilight says.

She leans forward, feeling Celestia's gasp against her lips in the split second before –

Light.

Silence. Pure, overwhelming silence, so quiet it rings in Twilight's ears. She sees nothing but bright white light, filled with one, only one, one complete and whole sensation – the feeling of Celestia's lips against her own. Her whole self wakes up, jolting awake, stretching and rising as light and life and love pulse through every cell.

It's over quickly. Maybe? Hours could have passed. Twilight leans forward, whimpering a little as those lips leave her. Her body is coursing, tingling, full of warmth in every fiber, like she's been gifted a new and fresh body.

"...Wow..." Twilight pants loudly. She doesn't even open her eyes.

"You... you..." Celestia stammers.

Twilight forces her eyes open. The Princess fills her sight, blushing and shocked and blinking in confusion.

"Wow!" Twilight says again, still tasting a fleeting kind of heaven on her lips. She pauses, leaning against Celestia, basking in the gentle warmth radiating from her mane.

"I... Twilight, I do not know what to say." The Princess coyly turns her head. "I will not deny that I want this from you... but..." She steels herself up, resting a nervous hoof against Twilight's shoulder. "Are you really certain you want this?"

Twilight doesn't hear any of it. She's staring at Celestia, deaf, her breath picking up as the paltry memories of kissing her ricochet through her body.

"Twilight?" the Princess pauses.

Twilight licks her lips – it wasn't enough. A few measly seconds could never be enough. She yelps a pathetic little bark of need and dives forward, throwing her arms around Celestia's neck and forcing her into another kiss.

It's absurd, how good it feels – Twilight feels herself crying and couldn't care less. She squeezes tighter with her forelegs. It's different now, the overwhelming novelty melting away into just a regular old kiss, the details starting to shine through.

Twilight knows the feeling by now, hundreds of times over. Hardly a connoisseur, but familiar enough to note how Celestia's long, elegant muzzle changes the character of the whole thing. The light that coursed through her before is gone, faded away, it's just her pressing her lips to another pony's. Just a kiss.

And it's even better than before.

Twilight's mind, as ever, hums and puzzles and muses, even over the roar of her heartbeat, trying to savor every detail with questions. It's just a normal kiss, just as she's kissed every other lover she's known – how could it get any better?

Then the Princess kisses her back.

The royal lips move, and push back against Twilight's own. She feels Celestia's hoof tense against her shoulder, sliding gently further against her coat. Twilight clings desperately to her neck, the only thing keeping her from melting into a puddle of nothing right there on the balcony.

She crams her muzzle against Celestia's, barely moving, just holding and touching and floating there against the Princess.

Again, Celestia breaks away, and Twilight is left hanging, her lips quivering for more.

She opens her eyes. The world is dark and muted, an old, dusty painting around a bright center. A blushing, ivory center, casting light out even as she flinches away.

"This is a little faster than I am used to," Celestia says, forcing her eyes anywhere but on Twilight.

Sorry?

Twilight barely hears herself, just a distant echo.

More. MORE.

That thought is loud enough. She nuzzles Celestia's neck, frantically kissing every inch of it that passes past her mouth. She feels Celestia tense up and shudder under her, feels the draft of her great wings fluttering about.

"Twilight... oh!" Celestia jolts as Twilight presses her body harder against her white coat. "Twilight... we should... we should talk."

"All we've ever done is talk," Twilight moans out. She stops her nuzzling and looks up, locking eyes with her Princess.

Celestia's lips move, trying and failing to utter any protest.

"Why won't you listen to me?" Twilight says. "I want this. I want you."

They stare at each other, Twilight panting, both of them teetering on hoof edge.

Then Celestia darts forward.

Twilight's eyes go wide, but she slams them shut, gleefully smiling at Celestia's tentative, cautious kiss. Their mouths part momentarily, just a quick peck. Without even thinking, Twilight returns it tenfold, pushy and moaning and needy.

"Mmmph... Twilight!" Celestia says, muffled between them.

YES?

Twilight knows she can't answer, it doesn't matter, nothing else matters – Celestia wants her. Celestia loves her. They have each other, finally, and nothing else...

Wait.

It doesn't matter?

What am I doing?

She freezes, her eyes eking open a bit, lips still locked with Celestia's. The Princess is embracing her, true. With one hoof. The other is... pressed against Twilight's chest, trembling, her last pathetic line of defense.

Twilight practically jumps back, pulling a gasp from the Princess.

"Sorry!" Twilight says breathlessly. "Gosh, I'm so sorry, you just... wow. Gosh." She pauses, still catching up with herself. "Wow."

"It's... it's alright." Celestia is panting a little herself, something that pleases Twilight in ways she didn't know could happen. "It's been a very long time for me."

"No, that's – I know. That's fine," Twilight says, wandering around the lust clawing at her brain.

"It's not that I don't want this," Celestia says. "This is a big step. For both of us."

"No, you're right. We should take this... slow."

"I think that would be best."

Twilight nods. Celestia nods back. Their eyes start to meet and they both look away. Twilight politely clears her throat.

"So... what do we do now?" Twilight asks.

"Now?" Celestia smiles at her, comely with a sheer veil of giddy excitement. "Anything we'd like, Twilight."

Twilight wills herself with quite a bit of her might to picture all the possibilities. So many possibilities. Certainly more than just one sweaty, moaning possibility.

"Have you eaten?" Celestia says.

"...Not really."

"Perhaps you would join me for a late meal?"

Yes PLEASE!

"Um..." Twilight says instead. "It's getting kind of late. Really late, actually."

"Are you worried about catching a train?" the Princess asks.

Twilight ponders this with a weird kind of surprise – she never even thought about going back to Ponyville, not now. Not yet.

"You... are more than welcome to stay here tonight," the Princess says sheepishly. "If you would like."

"Oh?" Twilight's ears perk up, standing at attention. "Like... here?"

Celestia responds with a coy, stately smile that sends Twilight's tail reeling all over again. "I'll have some food brought up. And then we can..." Celestia trails off, finishing her sentence with the rising eager smirk playing at her lips.

"Take things slow?" Twilight offers helpfully.

"Yes." Celestia nods, sliding a hoof against Twilight's and letting it rest there. "Take things slow."

Twilight smiles back at her. Whatever that means, whatever it could mean... it sounds just perfect.

Perfect.

Twilight keeps turning the word around in her head. It's funny – is this perfect?

Not strictly by the dictionary, that's for sure.

A perfect romance would've been by the book – two loves meeting and falling together and never letting go. This...

Stumbling? Roundabout? I never thought in a million years I would actually end up HERE.

Here is in a gigantic bed, wrapped up in Celestia's arms. Not Luna's. Not Cheerilee's. The chest her head is resting on, slowly rising and falling in peaceful sleep, is the same she's known since she was a little filly.

She can remember, now – she lets herself remember. All the times she'd dreamed, when she was young, about the goddess at her side. They seem so silly now. Every one of them a perfect fairytale.

Those were the days. Never slept with a guy just to impress her. Never hurt my friends without meaning to. Never found her and won her just to... just to lose...

Lose her. Say it, it's okay, it happened.

Lose her. Lost her. I lost her.

It hurt. Twilight can feel an old ache there, still. She vaguely worries she might always feel it.

But...

It's distant. Just an old wound. She snuggles closer into the warm body next to her. It barely stirs, a solid, warm mountain holding her close. She wonders what her young self would think of this long road she's been on. Probably speechless, probably wide-eyed in shock that her tarnished older self could ever be sleeping with a tarnished perfect Princess.

She sighs loudly.

I was such a stupid, silly little pony.

Was?

Hmph.

Whatever. I'm here, now, her with her and it's so... so... well.

Perfect enough, anyway.

As close as one might ever get. However tentatively the two of them had stepped up to this edge together, once they had jumped off? Relief. Blissful, pure relief. Both of them. Together.

She settles in, consciously willing herself to relax, to drift back into sleep with the goddess next to her. Her ears flick and twitch, her legs curling in against her body. It really is the only way to sleep, her favorite way to sleep since Rarity showed her so long ago why "sleeping together" means so much more than just sex.

It's just...

Perfect?

Her ear twitches again. That feeling – one she hasn't felt in a long time.

Why am I awake?

The feeling she used to get every night that she was being –

WATCHED.

Her eyes shoot open.

Luna is there, standing beside her sister's bed. Their eyes meet instantly, in that way that can only mean Luna was staring at her while she slept, and Twilight starts to tense up and gasp.

"Shh!" Luna whispers with a hoof to her mouth.

Twilight freezes. Celestia stirs, but only for a moment, never rising from her un-ladylike pose on the bed.

Close one. What? Why?

Twilight pushes the thought away, scowling at Luna instead. "What are you doing here?" she whispers.

"Just checking on you. Both of you," Luna says quietly, her smug smirk making up for her lack of volume. "You were dreaming of each other, you know."

"Well thanks for waking me up then," Twilight says, rolling her eyes.

"Did you two enjoy yourselves?"

"Very much," Twilight hugs Celestia's arm tighter. "But it was just a quiet dinner."

Luna gets a silly grin. "I am impressed by your restraint."

Twilight scowls again, almost sticking her tongue out.

"I'm so glad to see you two together," Luna says. "Outside of dreams, finally."

"You snuck in here just to tell me that?" Twilight says, edging just past a whisper.

"No." Luna sits on her rump, curling her wings around herself and glancing away. "I wish to... ahem." Luna keeps looking around the room, almost squirming on her hooves. "I am afraid I acted quite foolishly. Let my... emotions get the better of me. Again." She forces herself to look Twilight in the eye, saying more than sorry ever could. "I am happy that you have found your love despite that."

"Are you really apologizing again?" Twilight says. "None of this would have happened without you."

Luna cocks an eyebrow at her. "...And?"

"And what? Look! Look at this!" Twilight giddily hugs Celestia tighter, squirming her back against the white alicorn.

Luna comes close to sneering, raising her eyebrows far past being merely unimpressed. "Yes, you have defeated me and won your prize."

"She is NOT – you are NOT –" Twilight catches herself, cranking her voice back down to a whisper. "I learned, learned so much, because of you."

"Are you going to write me a report about it?" Luna says with a mean smirk.

Twilight blinks a few times.

Maybe I should.

She cautiously sits up, carefully moving the sleeping alicorn's arms out of the way. "Can I just tell you now?"

"Hmph. You're hardly my student anymore. As much as you are hers."

Twilight's eyes have adjusted, letting her see how eagerly Luna is waiting and listening. Twilight freezes up – she's always hated being on the spot like this, dictating a letter to the Princess on the fly, in front of her.

"Well?" Luna says. "What are your thrilling conclusions, then? Your final romance report?"

Luna's usual sarcasm bounces right off her. Twilight feels the words flow, like they do sometimes, coming to her full-formed and perfect.

"I know what love is now," she begins. "I understand."

Luna raises her eyebrows, much different from before.

"Love is... it's powerful. And dangerous," Twilight says. "It can cloud your judgement, or fool your senses. And when things go wrong, it can crush you harder than anything else in the world." She closes her eyes. Braeburn rages and Rarity sniffs and Applejack accuses and Cheerilee turns and walks away.

She bows her head, just slightly. But only for a moment.

"But it's not something outside you. Sometimes you can't control it, but... it's just a choice, in the end."

Luna raises her muzzle, looking like she wants to say something. Twilight pauses for her, but the Princess relents, nodding for Twilight to go on.

"A choice to reach out. Even if it is scary. Even if it does hurt sometimes. Even if it's not what you thought it would be. Because when you do have it..."

Twilight looks back, at the sleeping form next to her. She gently rests her hoof on Celestia's side, smiling at the blissful look of slumber on the alicorn's face.

"It can make up for anything else," Twilight says.

She lingers her gaze on Celestia – that same face that had stared down at her, heavy with hidden regret. Now peaceful. She loses whatever words she had left.

She pulls her eyes away and Luna is... smiling. Really smiling.

"I have known many poets, and sung many songs. Love is ever their favorite subject," the dark alicorn says. "And yet I think you understand better than any of them."

"Maybe you aren't such a bad teacher after all?"

"I would rather credit your talents as a student. You have learned your lesson well. And you have earned your reward."

Twilight narrows her eyes. "I didn't earn anything. We chose this."

Luna looks duly impressed. "Indeed. One can choose." She barely says it to Twilight – her eyes rest on her sister. "I... you have given me much to consider."

She gets up instantly, throwing her wings back flat against her body. Twilight watches, more than a little surprised, as Luna stalks with purpose towards the shadows, fading darker with each step.

"Luna?"

She stops, cautiously looking over her shoulder.

"I just have one question. One last question," Twilight says.

The Princess relaxes on her hooves.

"No games. No tricks," Twilight says.

"Just this once. For you," Luna says with a bit of sneaky charm.

Twilight bites her lip, throwing a quick glance at Celestia's sleeping form. "...Up the inside of her what, exactly?"

Luna's eyes go wide, and she lets out one delighted, disbelieving laugh. Twilight barely has time to enjoy it before a pillow slams her in the back of the head.

"Oof!" She looks up in time to see her assailant floating above her, suspended in a golden glow.

"You sneaky, sly little..." Celestia says, rising up from the mattress.

"Sneaky?!" Twilight gasps. "You were awake?!"

The pillow descends again, and Twilight is quickly lost in a flurry of feathers and giggles.

"What? I want to know!" Twilight yells.

"Well you shouldn't ask her," Celestia counters, smothering Twilight under a heavy, decadent blanket.

They tussle mindlessly, grinning and jabbing each other. Twilight is about to sneak a bedsheet over the Princess' head, sticking her tongue out with concentration, when Celestia looks up. Away.

"Sister?"

Twilight stops, on the edge of victory. She follows Celestia's eyes – Luna is almost gone, just a pair of eyes and an outline, melding into the shadows.

"Luna..." Celestia wrestles with words, her eyes watering over. "...Thank you."

The shadow's eyes soften, just two white lights growing round and plaintive.

"I love you, sister," Celestia says. "Always."

The shadow shrinks, fading farther away. "I..." She looks away, her eyes squinting at nothing. "I love you as well... sister."

She disappears, blinking out into nothingness. For one moment, just on the edge of sight, her eyes meet Twilight's.

Thank you.

Twilight starts a little, Luna's voice clear in her head.

No, thank you.

And then she's gone.

"Well," Celestia says, losing it in a most regal yawn. "If that's enough interruption, I would like to get some sleep at some point."

"Sleep?" Twilight says, as if it were the most pointless thing in the world.

Celestia stares at her, wondering. Twilight gives her a seductive look, mark four, now with improved naughtiness vectors. She sticks her tongue out, holding her question on the tip of it.

"Please," Celestia says. "A lady never tells."

Oh? Are we playing this game now?

"Besides," Celestia continues, reflecting the barest hint of Twilight's naughty look. "I'm sure an inquisitive young mind such as yours can divine the answer on its own."

"Hmm," Twilight says. "Doesn't sound like the kind of thing one could deduce. I believe experimentation might be in order. Field studies, even."

"Oh my!" Celestia bounces her eyebrows. "Perhaps I shan't be getting any sleep at all."

Not if I have anything to say about it.

Celestia leans down and gives Twilight a lick, right on her face, somehow being sloppy and prim about it at the same time. Twilight squints and then squeaks as the Princess' tongue trails off just shy of the base of her horn.

"Just remember," Celestia whispers into her ear, pressing her smile into it. "Take it slow."

Twilight shudders and grins. Oh yes – slow. Slow and careful, not a detail overlooked. "And if I go too fast?" she asks.

"Then I suppose I'll have to rein you in," Celestia says, still breathily whispering right into Twilight's ear.

"You sure I won't have to rein you in? You keep saying how long it's been."

"I suppose there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Twilight almost squeals, ready and eager to dive in, reined or not.

Celestia leans back, and they both pause – a quiet moment before the storm.

And then they kiss, and the world is theirs.