"So... I'm dating Rarity, as well. No. Uh. And Rarity is one of them. Uh. I know you really like Rarity, but it's kind of - Rarity and I are... look, it's really complicated, and... magic?"

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. This, without doubt, was going to be a disaster.

She was sat in a small room, a sunny balcony outside, the desk before her strewn with parchment bearing crossed out words. She'd set aside time to write out a perfectly cogent and coherent explanation that Spike would find acceptable. Really, she had. But then she'd gotten carried away with Celestia, and then she'd had the lunch with Rainbow and the others, and she hadn't really wanted to lock herself away to figure out how to word things, and when she had sat down to write everything down, she'd found, to her horror, she had no explanation to give.

The train was probably in the station by now! The only reason she wasn't down there to meet Spike was that if she was seen in public, even after all the rumours, she was probably going to get mobbed by excited ponies. She was confined to the castle until the official coronation, something that her guards gently reminded her of every time she seemed about to 'forget'.

She had guards. In purple armour! Deep violet, if she was going to be specific, and she was always specific. It was so embarrassing, too, to see the giant banners bearing her cutie mark being hung up around the corridors near her bedroom - all technically within her remodelled Princess's quarters, she supposed, but it was going to take a while before she thought of all that space as actually hers.

How was she going to explain any of this?

Out in the corridor, alarmingly nearby, a door banged open. The noise of rapid footfalls sounded, growing louder by the second.

Twilight jerked to her feet, stepping out from behind the desk, then hurriedly swept the abortive attempts at explanation under the stack of blank parchment. Surely, they couldn't be here already, could they? She braced herself, with a look of nervous determination.

The handle twisted, and the door was yanked wide. For just an instant, Applejack was framed in the doorway, sweat glistening on her skin, her white and red checked shirt tied under her breasts, worn above long, tatty blue jeans and stout brown boots. Before Twilight could react, the farm pony crossed the room in two swift strides and grabbed hold of her, her firmly muscled body slamming into Twilight hard enough to take her breath away.

Applejack's hat, already askew, slid to the floor. She didn't seem to notice. "Twilight," she breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Ah missed you so darn much."

The first thing Twilight was truly aware of was her scent. Applejack smelled faintly of apples, and sweat, and mare. She was so warm. The other pony's muscled arms held on incredibly tightly, and for the first time since her transformation, Twilight felt small, and safe. Burying her head in her lover's blonde mane, Twilight clung to her in return, feeling a surge of emotion that brought tears to her eyes. "Oh, Applejack. I missed you too. I'm so glad you're here."

Their lips met, and for a long, blissful moment, Twilight stopped thinking about anything at all. When Applejack finally drew back, she found herself a little wobbly on her feet, and glad of the other pony's strong embrace. "So - um. How's Ponyville? Is Big Mac okay, did you talk to him?" she asked, suddenly awkward, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, Ah talked to him. Seems like he's been pretty worked up. He's real glad to hear you're alright, and Ah'm alright too. Ah didn't know what to say, rilly, when he asked me who'd done all this. Ah mean, Celestia? Ah told him we'd come to Canterlot, had a big fight in the castle, and it was all over. Don't think he'll be properly settled until he hears from you that it's all straightened out, now, mind."

Guilt nibbled at Twilight's conscience. Of course Big Mac wouldn't be able to fully relax when it was Applejack telling him it was over, not after he'd been told Applejack's mind was being manipulated by somepony else. Especially when he could tell that Applejack wasn't telling him everything; it was no surprise the Element of Honesty was lousy at hiding things. It should have been Twilight that told him the truth, long before she'd left to face Celestia, and not pretended she was too busy to risk it because she didn't want to have the conversation. That had been cruel.

"I'm sorry, Applejack. I should never have put you in that position; I feel terrible that I've let him worry for so long." Twilight's head lowered, and she looked down at the floor. "I'll speak to him as soon as I come back to Ponyville."

"Or sooner," Applejack offered. "He's coming here for the coronation. Lots of ponies are, come to that."

"...he knows? I suppose Pinkie has told everypony," Twilight murmured. She'd really wanted to see Spike's face for herself when he found out, but it was always unlikely to have stayed a secret long enough.

"Nope, she hasn't," Applejack declared with satisfaction. "Ah've been actin'."

Twilight blinked, drawing back slightly to look at Applejack searchingly.

"Every day, one of us has gone into Sugarcube Corner, and been all, 'Why Pinkie, you're acting like you know something? What could it be?' and pretending not to know about you, and then she gets to tell us everything, and we're all, 'Mah stars, Pinkie, Ah just can't believe it' and then she's good for about a day or so before she has to tell someone all over again. Fluttershy's idea. It's not like Pinkie doesn't know we know, but it's working."

Applejack grinned. "Ah'm not sure how much longer it would've held, but your secret's safe. All Ponyville folk know is there's going to be this big announcement about you, from the Princess. Ah might have elbowed a few folk, told them to get their asses up here."

"...that's brilliant. That's such a good idea! I mean - thank you, so much, for going through all that effort for me. I really appreciate it." Twilight squeezed Applejack's callused hand in both of hers. "I've been worrying about what to tell Spike. Actually, before you came in, literally all I could think of was 'What do I tell Spike' and I still don't have an answer. Where is he? Didn't he come with you?"

"He's coming. Rarity's promenading up from the station, and Spike's carrying her bags. You know how he is with her. Me? Ah galloped." Applejack grinned sheepishly. "Couldn't hang around when Ah knew you were waiting up here."

"I'm really glad you did," Twilight said softly. Wrapping her arms more tightly around her slave, she squeezed as tightly as she could.

"Hey now. You're getting stronger, you know that?" Applejack tousled Twilight's mane. "Still weird that Ah have to look up at you, now. So how's being a Princess?"

There was definitely a little touch of trepidation in Applejack's voice, under the casual-sounding question. "Um. Kind of... terrifying, actually. There are all these ponies that turned up wanting to guard me, and I wanted to say I didn't need guards, but actually, they really, sincerely want to spend all their time thinking about protecting me, and I have no idea how to cope with that, and I still get frustrated with them sometimes and then I feel bad," Twilight poured out in a rush, glancing around to make sure no purple-armoured ponies were in earshot.

"...huh. Wouldn't have thought of that. But, all the being waited on hand and foot. That's nice, right?" Applejack gazed up into her eyes, searchingly.

"It makes me feel really awkward! They won't stop calling me Princess, even when I ask, and... it really bothers me, having ponies look at me like I'm, I'm so different from them that I just deserve that sort of thing, automatically. I... it's different, with you. With the other ponies. I really feel like we share an incredibly special bond, that you love me and I love you, and I feel so close to you. I, I do like ordering you around. A lot. But with them, it doesn't feel like that, at all. It feels like they're further away from me than ever. A bit scared, even."

Twilight closed her eyes and pressed the side of her head against Applejack's. "I really don't want you to think that I'm the sort of pony that wants this. I'm really scared that when the coronation happens and everypony sees what's happened, none of them will ever treat me like just Twilight ever again."

Applejack's broad hand came to rest against the back of Twilight's neck, and her accented words came soft and sympathetic. "Sugarcube, Ah reckon Ah should know better than to worry all this would go to your head." She hesitated, then forged on, "Ah did worry, a little bit. Ah'm real sorry about that. But you're wrong. There'll be ponies that treat you different, but once they get to know you, most of them, they'll treat you just the way they did before. The ones that don't, the real status-obsessed ones, well. Ah don't reckon they were ever worth getting to know anyway."

Twilight really, really wanted to believe Applejack was right. Maybe she could believe it, just for a little while. Her eyes teared up again. "You really are the smartest pony I know," she murmured.

"Heck of a thing to hear from you." Applejack leant her head against Twilight, then sought her lips again in a gentle, warm kiss.

Lost in the warmth and reassuring solidity of her lover, it was only when Applejack drew back that Twilight registered the sound of more approaching ponies.

"Ah'll go stall them. They want to see you, real bad, but Ah'll send Spike in first, okay? Don't worry none. It'll be fine." Bending to scoop up her hat, Applejack set it back on her head, then resolutely marched out into the hallway. With a final, "Love yah," she was gone.

Twilight braced herself.

A medley of overlapping voices reached her twitching ears from outside. Then, Spike pushed open the door and stepped inside, kicking it shut behind him. He was wearing exactly the same clothes as he had been when she'd left for Canterlot - he had washed them, surely. A green jacket fell loose around his skinny purple chest, and black pants that were just a little too long on him flapped as he moved. His soft green head spikes had been fussed into a semblance of neatness, at least.

"Twilight! How did the test go? Everypony's been acting weird, they wouldn't tell me anything, other than... uh." The sentence ground to a stop as his bag slipped from his fingers, and hit the ground with a soft thud. His eyes widened, almost comically.

Twilight glanced to one side, an awkward blush on her cheeks, and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "So... hi, Spike. How was the train?"

"How was the train? Twilight! What happened? You're so tall! You have wings! You have- uh." He stopped suddenly, then mumbled, "You're different."

Dear Celestia, tell me he wasn't just noticing my... enhancements. "Yes. I am, it's true, but Spike, I'm still me." Twilight approached cautiously, trying not to spook the young dragon. "I promise, it's nothing to be scared of-"

"This is awesome!" Spike burst out, and flung himself at her, hugging her tightly.

"Whuff!" Twilight reeled, trying not to be knocked off her feet by the sudden embrace. "Spike!"

"You have wings! They didn't tell me you had wings! ...no wonder they haven't let me speak to Pinkie lately. This is what the crazy test was about, to see if they'd make you an alicorn? I didn't know the Princesses could even do this!" Spike gazed up at her with shock and delight, his eyes shining brightly.

"They - well, it was more something I did myself. There was a big fight, but Celestia had helped me prepare for it, and she knew it was coming. I absorbed a great deal of magical power from Princess Luna, too, and I think it helped trigger my transformation."

"But this is what Princess Celestia was guiding you to do, right?"

"Oh, yes. I think she's been planning for this for a very long time, actually. So I'm... um. A Princess, too." Twilight's blush grew deeper as she was gripped by an obscure embarrassment, and she held the young dragon more tightly against her.

"You're a Princess?" Spike looked up at her with a confused look, before his gaze moved from her wings, to her horn, and back to her face. "Huh. You are a Princess. You're a Princess!"

Twilight twirled a lock of her mane around her finger, both embarrassed, and a little proud. "Yes. I'm the Princess of Magic."

"That's so awesome! Did you decide you were the Princess of Magic? How did you pick what to be Princess of?" Spike tugged at her dress with both hands, entirely carried away.

"Spike! Um, please don't tug at that. It's kind of pinned in place, it's a bit fragile."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it is. But couldn't you just get somepony to measure you, and get some new clothes?"

"I... I feel a bit self conscious about my body, right now. It's so different. I kind of wanted Rarity to make my first dress, now I'm a whole new shape." And I love wearing Celestia's dresses. It was probably her imagination that gave each a faint, lingering hint of the Princess's scent, but even so, it made her feel happier. Like she was being held gently. Twilight couldn't help blushing. "And I didn't choose what to be Princess of. It kind of... chose me. I was shown how magic shaped my life. Now it's... it's what I am."

"So, what can you do?" Spike's eyes were enormously round. "Princess Celestia can raise the sun, and Princess Luna can raise the moon, and Cadance can sense true love, and everything, so what new powers did you get? Are they a secret?" He rearranged his expression into one of sober responsibility. "You can trust me with it. I am an adult, you know."

Twilight would have laughed at the pose, had she not been trapped by the innocently asked question that had preceded it. Of course, she'd thought about it, but she'd been so busy thinking about the coronation, and telling everypony she loved about what had happened, and maybe living forever (no, no, that was a freak-out she was saving for later) and... well, having incredible amounts of complicated sex, that she'd not really pinned down what it might mean.

"I don't really know," she said slowly. "I think that if it brings some kind of special power with it, I might not have it yet. Maybe it will develop in time? I mean - what kind of power could 'magic' be? I'm already a unicorn."

"You're actually not," Spike pointed out helpfully.

"...no, I suppose I'm not. I have wings, Spike. I don't even know how to use them yet! I keep knocking things over when I turn around, and it's not always easy to get them to fold flat, and I've got stuck in doorways-" She paused as Spike broke into disbelieving sniggers, and quickly resumed, "-I've been pretty distracted. Maybe it will just make my magic stronger?"

"Hey, given what you could do before this, I'm really excited to find out what you can do now! Of course, you can rely on me to help you figure it out." Spike buffed his green claws against his jacket with faux modesty. "I am your number one assistant, after all."

"You are. I'm very grateful for your help with the rune circle, Spike, it was really important. I wouldn't have become an alicorn if it hadn't been for you."

Spike swelled up so much with pride, it seemed as though his feet might leave the ground. "I wish I'd been there to see it! I bet I could have helped."

Twilight squeezed him tightly against her again. It was so, so tempting to just not tell him about Rarity. He was really happy, wasn't it best for him if she didn't spoil this special moment? There would be another time. Any other time, really. Or never. Did she really have to?

Spike's expression of gleeful enthusiasm diminished, and he frowned. "Twilight? I really could have helped. Why are you looking like that?"

Placing her hand on his shoulder, Twilight glanced back at her writing desk, then shook her head and led him over to a couch by the window. He let himself be tugged along by her hand, looking confused and suddenly uncertain.

Twilight sat, and arranged her dress neatly around her. It was easier to let her eyes linger on the sunlit landscape outside, and she didn't try to fight the impulse. "Spike, there's something else that's happened, that I hope you won't be upset about, but I need you to know."

"...you're getting rid of me, aren't you! Now you're a Princess, you don't need me!" he exclaimed, pointing a claw at her.

Twilight's head jerked around to face him. "What? No! Spike, I would never! This isn't like that at all!" Hugging him around the shoulders, she added with panicked earnestness, "Of course I wouldn't!"

Leaning into her, tangibly still a little unsettled and upset at the idea, he mumbled, "Well, what is it, then?"

"I'm..." she began, then hesitated. Her eyes squeezed shut as she rummaged for the right words. There was no more time to practice. This was it. "You remember that I was dating several ponies? Before? Now there are... more."

Spike blinked, pulling back slightly. Clearly, this wasn't going the direction he'd expected. "You are? But - why? Who else is it?"

"There's kind of... magic involved. It made a connection between ponies that wouldn't normally have made that kind of connection. Which we have, now." She was babbling. Worse, she was skirting the edge of lying to him, and she was certainly giving him the wrong impression, on purpose. Better to blame 'magic' than say it was all her hunger for enthralled, obedient mares to get on their knees before her.

She sighed. "It's... look, you have to keep this a secret, okay? If everypony knew, I think they'd cause a lot of fuss, and I don't think any of us are ready for that. It's..." Well, she was out of ways to stall. "Princess Celestia. And Princess Luna. Zecora, and Trixie, you knew that, and... and, well... the other Elements of Harmony. All of them."

She risked a glance at Spike. His mouth was hanging open, blank disbelief on his face.

"Buh - but you can't be dating the Princess! She's the Princess! And she and Luna are sisters! And - and she's practically your mum!" he spluttered.

"Wh- she is not my mother!" Twilight replied indignantly, feeling her face go crimson. "It's nothing like that! Just because Princess Celestia has a motherly air- that's not important! She and Luna have no problems dating me at the same time."

"But that's ridiculous! And you really are dating Applejack now? You said that would never happen! Not to mention-" he faltered in midsentence, a look of realisation coming over his face.

Twilight winced, bracing herself internally. Here it was.

"All the Elements? But - you don't need that many ponies! No one needs that many ponies!"

"It's more complicated than that, Spike. We're all - connected, and-"

"You can't possibly be able to love all those ponies as much as someone else could! You're - you're stopping all of them from finding someone who really loves them, and would spend all their time with them, and - and it's not fair!" Anger and frustration rode his words, a despairing resentment growing on his face.

"Spike-"

"What do you mean, it's complicated? What magic? Undo it! If it was some stupid magic accident, that's not real love anyway, and you have to undo it, before somepony gets hurt. They could - they could be about to meet their special somepony, and then you swoop in and ruin everything, and now they'll never be together!" His face was becoming flushed in his agitation, growing more resentful by the second.

"Spike. It's not like that! I know it's hard for you to understand, but please, you need to calm down." Twilight reached out towards him, only for the young dragon to push her hand to one side.

"I can't believe you're being this selfish!" he burst out, his eyes reddened and watery at the edges. Pushing himself off the couch, he stormed across the room and yanked the door open, slamming it behind him.

Twilight flinched. The moment was far too reminiscent of the time Rarity had left her, and the echoes of that guilt left her pinned to the couch, unable to chase after him. What else could she say, anyway? From outside, she heard a medley of familiar voices, fading as they followed the angry dragon away from her little breakfast room.

Settling her head in her hands, she rubbed her face. "Haystacks," she whispered, in tired resignation.

Behind her, she heard the door open. Twilight sighed, wondering who'd doubled back to comfort her. "That didn't go very well, did it," she murmured without turning.

"Hello, Twilight," replied a gentle voice. "Are you alright?"

Twilight twisted on the spot. Cadance stood in the doorway, a look of warm sympathy on her face. A simple pink gown outlined her figure, belted at the waist with gold, and twin heart-shaped cut-outs bared the similarly shaped cutie-mark on each thigh.

"Cadance!" stammered Twilight. Jerking off the couch, she tugged her dress a little straighter, and hurried over to the doorway. "I - um, I - sunshine, sunshine..." she began half-heartedly.

Cadance's arms wrapped around her, her wings enclosing them both. "Twilight, what's the matter?"

Twilight rested her head against Cadance's shoulder. What was the matter? What could she possibly tell Cadance? "I... upset Spike. I didn't want to, but I knew he'd get upset when he found out."

Squeezing Twilight more tightly, Cadance murmured, "Is he finding it hard to adjust? It must be so difficult for you, right now. Everything has changed."

"Uh - no, actually. That wasn't it at all. He was..." Twilight found herself giggling shakily. "He was so excited. I really couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. I think some of my friends might be a little worried that this is going to go to my head, but that didn't occur to him for an instant. I don't think it ever would."

Cadance tilted her head slightly, a questioning look on her face. "I'm really glad to hear that, Twilight. Shining Armor can't wait to tell you how proud he is of you, and how happy he is that you've achieved something so incredible. But if that wasn't what upset Spike, then what was it?"

Decision time. Here and now, she had to make a choice.

First option. Tell Cadance everything. She really, really, wanted to do that. Just lay it all out; her sadnesses, her joys. Her new life. But... if she did that, Cadance couldn't ignore it. Especially not if she really understood that Twilight had gotten carried away with her power before, and enslaved Zecora just because it turned her on to do it. Twilight could barely force herself to imagine Cadance's disappointment at learning that her little sister had fallen so far. It would end up like fighting Celestia all over again, except even worse, because Cadance wouldn't be playing a game that she was happy to lose.

Second option. Charm Cadance, then tell her the truth. She wouldn't have to worry about any of the Princesses ever turning against her, she'd be safe. The charm wasn't tuned for Cadance, but if she got Celestia to help fuel her spell, she could probably make it stick. Except, every time she tried to picture herself making Celestia help her, about surprising Cadance and blasting her without warning with a spell that would dominate her mind forever, she felt... sick. It was wrong.

"Twilight?" Cadance asked softly, as the silence stretched.

Third option. Lie.

"Things got complicated," murmured Twilight finally. "I'm not sure where to even begin."

"Let's sit by the window. You can tell me all about it. I want you to know that I'm here for you, Twilight. You're in a really scary place in your life, everything is changing. I want you to rely on me."

Twilight followed Cadance, letting herself be shepherded back to the seat she'd been resting on, and stared at the floor as she began to speak. "It's a long story. I... found a charm, in an old book. I thought I knew what it did, but I wasn't sure, and I... cast it on Applejack. I asked her first, I mean. It... it sort of..." She felt her cheeks beginning to burn with embarrassment, as she tried to force out the words. "...makes... it... really, um, intense."

"What do you mean by 'it', Twilight?" asked Cadance, a touch of concern on her face.

Oh, spirits and rivers, even trying to get across this much was going to make her melt into a little puddle of embarrassment. How could she be so bold with Celestia, and her friends, but so unable to get a word out in front of Cadance?

Because Cadance isn't under your control. That's why.

"I... it's... you know, when ponies... get really close?" she mumbled, completely unable to look up at the other pony.

Cadance blinked. "You're talking about a charm for making love?"

Twilight cringed slightly. "...yes," she lied. "But it didn't stop there. Once Applejack and I... we'd been... I kind of got out of hand. I found out that Rainbow really liked Applejack, and she was kind of attracted to me, and it seemed like we could... that it didn't have to be that one of us lost out. So I offered it to Rainbow."

"The three of you are dating? I see. I'm sure you must be worrying about how this will work, but-"

"That... wasn't all. Rarity walked in on me and Applejack, and I showed her, and then she wanted to be involved too. So, she was."

"Oh. Rarity? Is that why-"

"Then I offered it to Fluttershy, and Pinkie too. I kind of... seduced them." She poured out the names in a rush, trying to get through all of them before she lost her nerve.

"You seduced them?" Cadance looked at Twilight in surprise.

"Then I got Zecora mixed up in everything. She and Rarity decided they didn't want to be part of it for a while, and we had a fight, but after a while they missed the feeling of us being all together, so they got involved with me again."

"Zecora? The zebra in the Everfree forest? Twilight, what kind of fight-"

"Trixie, too. She actually agreed to it thinking she was going to learn what magic I knew and then run off, but that didn't work out. I think she's really much happier, actually."

"The one you wrote me the letter about, with the amulet? Twilight-"

"There's also, um. Luna. She and I are together. ...and I'm dating Celestia, too."

"...Aunt Celestia? And Aunt Luna, too? Twilight, surely-"

"It's fine! They were cuddling me together earlier, there's no jealousy, I don't think, I was worried about that - I mean, there's a history there, but - I trust Luna and Celestia, and I love both of them, and I think they love me, and so it's fine, it's completely fine."

"They - you-"

"But - but that isn't everything." Yes! Just keep telling Cadance new things, and never let her get a word in. That was definitely a sustainable strategy with no downsides!

"There's more?" Cadance's expression had escalated to full-on disbelief.

"Well - I kind of - there's this angle - I mean, it's sort of like a game, but - more serious - but really, there's so much love in it, it's so nice, but - you know, when two ponies kind of - one pony gets kind of demanding, and the other pony likes that, and - only with - more ponies?" Twilight's massive smile was glassy.

Silence fell. Then, Cadance rested her hand on Twilight's and spoke carefully. "Twilight, am I right in thinking that you hadn't dated anyone before you began dating Applejack?"

"Um. Yes. That's right. I always thought I was waiting for the right colt, but actually, it seems like I was waiting for the right mare. Surprise! I was surprised."

"And now you are dating-" Cadance paused fractionally to count, then resumed, "nine ponies at the same time, is that right? Are you still involved with all of the ponies you described?"

"Oh, yes. I, um. Didn't mention a couple of others that were just once." Twilight's words came quickly, accompanied by hurried little nods.

Cadance caught the corner of her lower lip between her teeth, in a momentarily thoughtful expression, then spread one wing around Twilight, curling it around the younger pony.

Oh, gosh, that little bite of Cadance's lip was so cute. Twilight let the familiar warmth of her sister-in-law's feathers settle around her, before murmuring with a high blush, "I... hope that you don't think badly of me."

"Of course not. I'm a little worried for you, though." Cadance rested her hand atop Twilight's, and gazed at her with gentle concern. "I'm really happy that you found ponies that you care about, and that care about you back. Being in love is a wonderful feeling. Being intimate with ponies that you care about is wonderful, too. I'd never think badly of you for exploring your feelings for the ponies around you, in any way you want to.

"If I'm worried, it's because this has come on so quickly for you. I know how tempting it is to rush into love, but if you go too fast, you could get hurt." She hesitated, then forged on, "Twilight... I have to wonder if the charm you talked about is pushing you to do things you might not have chosen, otherwise. Are you using it each time you're together with somepony you're intimate with?"

"Oh, no. Not every time. I know you're worried that I'm addicted to it, like a want-it-need-it spell" - which was nothing compared to the power, sophistication and subtlety of the true charm - "but I use it a lot less than that. It's more that it... let me come to terms with what I really wanted. Once I'd been intimate with my friends, I realised how much I really, truly love them. I think it's the same for them, too. When Rarity and Zecora came back to be with me, it wasn't so I could cast the charm on them again. It was because they missed... being with me. With all of us, together. It's such a warm feeling to be cuddled up with them all, in a big heap. I feel so much love. The charm doesn't come into that."

Twilight gazed at Cadance as the other alicorn paused again, thinking.

Was what she'd said true? Leaving out the massive lies of omission... then yes, mostly. She didn't need the charm to get off. She certainly wasn't addicted to it. She was really enjoying all the wonderful things it let her experience, but that wasn't the same as being addicted. She was showing restraint, too, wasn't she?

...at least, she was far more restrained than she had been with Zecora. Fine; she'd worried Zecora was going to figure out what was happening, but that was a very tiny part of it. All the rest had just been lust, and power, and a hunger to experiment that had completely bypassed her morals. That couldn't happen again. Every pony had to have a choice.

"...there's a lot I'd like to talk to you about, Twilight. Let me ask you this. Are the ponies that you're close to dating each other as well, or is it all revolving around you?"

Naturally, it all revolved around her. They were hers. "...there's some connections between ponies, I think. Everypony is exploring what this means to them," she said slowly, pushing herself to overcome her instinctive reaction. "Rainbow was always more attracted to Applejack than me, I think, and even if that might have changed, she still loves her very much. I don't know if Applejack feels the same way about Rainbow, but she's much happier to be intimate with her. I hope that's enough to make them both happy. Fluttershy is attracted to Rarity, and it's only since all of this started that she could say so. I think Rarity and Zecora have something, but I'm not sure they're in love. It feels more like - they're supporting and looking after each other. They kind of found a bond when it went wrong between us. Pinkie is just really happy to be able to kiss everypony, she's really taken to all this well."

"How are they taking to Trixie as one of your lovers?"

"...I'm the most worried about her, actually. She really cares about me, and I think it's really easy for her to get caught up in thinking about the way things used to be, between us, and get afraid that no pony will ever really like her. I'm trying to encourage everypony to be nice to her."

"Being nice for your sake won't make them like her, Twilight. And she'll sense that they aren't being sincere."

"I... maybe. But it's somewhere to start, isn't it? If they can talk to her a little, see past the bluster and the way she speaks, maybe they'll see how sweet she can be. She's really devoted, and I don't think I deserve that, but I'm going to look after her, and teach her. She could be a very skilled apprentice, if she still wants that."

"I think you'd be a wonderful teacher, Twilight, but please be careful with her. If she's opening up to you, and she feels judged, it would be very easy to really hurt her. Be gentle, okay?" Cadance gazed at Twilight for a moment, before adding with non-committal softness, "There's two ponies you haven't talked about yet."

"Celestia and Luna... it's complicated. Luna fell in love with me hard, and I don't think she expected that to happen. It's... because I don't think about Nightmare Moon when I look at her. That's what I think. As for Celestia, it's been kind of hard to really get to grips with the truth. Since I became a Princess, she's told me a lot of things that she hid from me, for my whole life. She was always trying for this. I feel like I should be unhappy at the way she's always been manipulating me, and maybe a little bit of me is, but mostly, I'm just overwhelmed by the idea that she's wanted me for a really long time."

"Celestia told you all of those things?" The pink alicorn hesitated, before squeezing Twilight's hand again. "I wish she hadn't. I'm worried that you're going to be too overwhelmed by everything that's changed in your life."

"I did ask, but she kind of gave it away without meaning to. She was so surprised and delighted when it happened, I think her guard was kind of down." Was that ever the understatement of the year.

"When it-? Oh, your ascension! Twilight, I'm sorry I'm so distracted by all the changes in your life. I'm so proud of you. How did it happen? Aunt Celestia didn't tell me anything. How are you finding being the Princess of Friendship?"

So Celestia had mentioned what she was trying to achieve, sometime in the past. "I... I'm not the Princess of Friendship, actually. I know that Celestia was hoping for that, but, well, that isn't what happened."

Cadance blinked. "But - what is your element, Twilight? If not friendship, then..."

"It's magic," Twilight confirmed. "I don't know what that means for me yet, though. I'm still getting used to having wings and things, and the changes in my body. I might feel different, but it's kind of hard to tell."

Cadance chewed the corner of her lip again, before hugging Twilight's shoulders with one arm. "You're going to be capable of incredible things, Twi, even more than you are already. I don't think Equestria has ever seen somepony with a gift like yours. I can't tell you how happy I am. How did it happen?"

"Well... Celestia had been expecting a fight for a little while, I think." Softly, softly, tread as close to the truth as possible... "She gave me a message to prepare myself for something big, but I didn't realise just how prepared she was, until she sent a train to Ponyville to collect all of us. The six of us, I mean, though Zecora and Trixie got involved too. I thought we'd use the Elements of Harmony, but Celestia said she'd sent one away to you for safekeeping. Thank you, so much, for keeping that safe."

That thank-you was not totally sincere. The distinct memory of the trap in Rainbow's fake element tickled at the back of Twilight's mind, a short, sharp explosion within her shield that she most assuredly had not enjoyed. She firmly put the memory aside. As much as she didn't want to lie to Cadance, she had to, and it had to be completely convincing.

"I think you're going to hear about it from the other ponies that were there; shadow ponies coming out of a rift in the air. It wasn't looking good. I thought I knew how to end the fight, but I couldn't get my spell to strike, it just kept bouncing off. But I was ready for that, too. I didn't have the power, but Luna did, and she gave me everything I needed. It was incredible." She didn't need to feign the hushed awe in her voice at the memory of Luna's overwhelming power striking her.

"Luna gave you her power? How?"

"I kind of... turned myself into a storage matrix for magical power, actually." Twilight's expression conveyed her slightly guilty satisfaction at her success, tempered by disbelief she'd ever tried something so reckless.

Again, Cadance's mouth dropped open, and it took her a few seconds to find the words. "Twi, that's so dangerous! I'm amazed Luna agreed to it! You could have crystallised! Or just exploded! Normal ponies aren't meant to contain that much power. How did you do it? That kind of magical power storage is mostly a lost art, and even when it was used, it wasn't using a living pony as the medium."

Twilight's heartbeat suddenly accelerated as she realised Cadance was giving her a perfect excuse to do something she'd always wanted to. Her mouth dry, she murmured, "Well, I researched a power conversion pattern. It's rune magic, the ur-sorcery structures that underlie the modern constructs. And then I... well... look." It was an excuse, and she knew it was an excuse, but she couldn't ignore the thrill the idea gave her. Grabbing hold of her loose bodice, before she could lose her nerve, she pulled it down sharply. Her lavender breasts spilled free, unconstrained by underwear, coated in the spidery black lines of the power conversion rune circle.

Straightening up, Twilight entwined her fingers behind her back, gently pushing out her tattooed breasts for Cadance's inspection. Her treacherous nipples started to stiffen, and she tried to think calm thoughts as her former foalsitter stared at her revealed body. "Um, so. That's how. I can absorb raw magical energy, and restructure it. So, what do you think?"

"You did this?" Cadance's eyes flicked to Twilight's, then back to her chest, tracing the lines with her gaze. "I don't know what to say. I'm impressed, and I'm worried, too. This is dangerous magic, Twilight, and it's not like you to take risks like this." Her hand reached out towards Twilight's chest, but stopped just before she stroked along the curve of the circle. "When Luna gave you her magic, is that when you ascended?"

"Almost. I remember converting the power into the spell, and then - well." A strange reluctance seized Twilight, one that had nothing to do with preserving her secret. That time in the starlit void, when she'd truly believed she was dead, was something that was only for her. "Then the floor was a little bit on fire, and I was... like this. And I knew what I was."

She was topless in front of Cadance. All she had to do was lean forwards a little, let the other mare's hand brush her bare breasts. Her fingers would be so warm, and soft.

"You keep surprising all of us, Twilight. Even when we thought we knew how special you were, I would never have expected this. You deserve it, you truly do." Cadence gently took hold of the sides of Twilight's dress, and tugged the fabric back into place. "Shining and I are so happy, we can hardly believe it. Will you have dinner with us later? You can tell him all about it, then."

Twilight became aware that her heart was hammering with excitement and cheated arousal. "Of... of course! It would be wonderful to see my big brother again."

"He feels the same, I know it." Cadance's smile radiated affection, and she squeezed Twilight again. "So Spike is upset because of Rarity? Give him a little time, and he'll get over it. Having somepony to talk it over with, a pony that isn't you or Rarity, will help. Applejack might be best. But in the end, he loves you, Twilight, and this will pass."

The feeling of relief blindsided Twilight, distracting her from the tangle of emotions that had been building up around and inside her. "You think so? I really didn't want to hurt Spike, but... I don't want to pretend I'm not with Rarity, either."

"Of course not. Lies are really bad for relationships, Twi. Try to stay honest with the ponies around you." Cadance gently withdrew her wing from Twilight and stood up. "Please lean on me, whenever you need somepony to talk to. We're family, and you're my really precious little sister."

Well, Cadance could definitely give her sound advice. Advice like lies are bad. The truth of that was going to be hard to ignore. Twilight looked up at her, and couldn't suppress a pang of sadness for that small distance she was feeling between them that hadn't been there before. "You know how, when you were foal-sitting me, I wasn't allowed cake? Princesses get cake. So, when we have dinner - cake for dessert?"

Cadance broke into a wide smile. "You're right, Princesses do get cake. I can't wait."

Twilight sat quietly in a corner. She was thinking.

The castle had a lot of very large rooms, very wide-open spaces. Balconies, galleries, atriums. All far bigger than her little oak-tree home in Ponyville. She didn't need space, right then. She needed to be somewhere small, and reassuring. So, she was tucked into a corner, in a disused walk-in wardrobe. The empty brass rail stretched overhead, and above, a little skylight let light pour into the narrow space. No pony was likely to find her here, at least not for a while.

She was upset. So. Who did she want to talk to about this?

Applejack was her first love. That could never change. ...even though Applejack hadn't even been allowed to remember that full-time until after Twilight had begun to sleep with other ponies as well. ...no, she couldn't talk about this burden with the Element of Honesty. Either she'd just say to tell Cadance the truth, and Twilight knew she couldn't do that, or she'd feel pressured by Twilight's reluctance, and end up not saying what she really felt. It was bad enough Applejack had had to sort-of lie to her brother. Twilight didn't want Applejack to have to lie to her as well.

Oh, haystacks. She'd been so irresponsible, so casual with the ponies around her.

She didn't really want to have a breakdown in front of the others, either. Rarity and Zecora needed to be reassured it was going to be okay, after they'd left and come back, and she'd promised the others freedom from worrying or unhappiness when she'd seduced them. Of course they'd be there for her if she needed them, they always had been, but...

She definitely wasn't ready to confide in Trixie, either. Trixie looked up to her, thought she was the one who had her life completely together. She couldn't put the weight of her fears and upset on a pony that was so reliant on her right then.

That left the Princesses. The idea of confiding in Luna was appealing. She had set herself the role of Twilight's conscience, after all. But she was very forthright in her feelings, and might not really understand Twilight's hesitation to speak. In some ways, she was just as forthright as Applejack.

...she was going to argue herself out of talking to anypony, wasn't she. She curled her arms around her knees, and hugged them more tightly against her chest.

She looked up quickly as the far wardrobe door slid back.

Celestia stepped in, and slid the door shut behind her again. Ducking her head so as not to hit the clothes rail, she padded quietly over to Twilight and sank down beside her. Her finger brushed Twilight's cheek, wiping away a tear, and Twilight realised with a start that she'd been quietly crying.

"You and I are very similar, sometimes," Celestia murmured.

"How did you find me?" Twilight asked, with a small hiccup in her wavering voice.

"The same way as with the ice water. I knew where I would be." Celestia leaned back against the wall, and sighed. "A little corner in an out-of-the-way room, that no pony ever seems to stay in. I've cried alone here before."

"You - you did?" Twilight stared at her in shock. The idea of Princess Celestia crying in a corner - she just couldn't fit it into her head. It didn't make sense. It was impossible.

"I ruled alone for a thousand years," Celestia said simply. "I've found, as you're finding, that there isn't always a good answer. Sometimes, there isn't an answer that doesn't hurt you. So you do what you can, and when you are finished doing what you have to do... here we are." She glanced up. "I had a skylight installed after a while. Either I had to leave the door open, which defeated the point, or I sat in darkness, and I didn't always want that."

Twilight felt her eyes fill with fresh tears, and this time, they weren't for herself. "Princess- Celestia. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't realise you felt so alone. Please, won't you lean on me when you feel that way? I'm here for you. If the only thing I did with my new life was always be there for you when you needed me, it would be enough."

"I intend to. It's one of the rewards that come from losing to you. You need to do the same, or the burdens of your new role will be overwhelming. You found speaking to Cadance difficult."

It wasn't phrased as a question, but it was an invitation to speak, all the same. "I... I didn't know what to do. Spike is upset about Rarity, and I wasn't ready to have the conversation with Cadance, either. I wanted to be truthful, I really did! She's my friend, and my big sister now, and... I wasn't. I didn't want to charm her, and if I told her about everything I've done, she'd have to do something, or at least watch me constantly. I would, if the positions were reversed."

"What did you tell her instead?" Celestia gently stroked her fingers up and down Twilight's bare arm soothingly.

"Bits of things. I told her I'd found a charm that made sex really good, and then ended up seducing my friends one after another. I told her I was even dating you and Luna, I told her about all the ponies I'm with, but I didn't say how we'd ended up together. I kind of suggested about the whole thing with me in charge, and other ponies doing what I say, but I didn't get specific and she hasn't asked. I went with the story that we gave to the guards and Wonderbolts; some sort of shadowy thing that you knew was coming, and got me prepared for. I'm going to have to tell everypony what to say to her, so they won't accidentally mess up any of the things I told her. More lies! I never used to lie to ponies, Celestia!"

"I'm truly sorry, Twilight. Your life has changed very quickly. I will speak with your ponies if you wish, so that you do not have to. Did Cadance ask you to teach her this pleasure-enhancing charm?"

Twilight blinked, then looked abruptly up at Celestia. "She didn't. Does she suspect already?"

"Perhaps she senses that you're covering something. I will find a suitable charm for you to show to her, if she asks. I know it hurts you, Twilight, and I'm sorry." Celestia shook her head slightly. "I have had to lie to ponies I cared about, many times. Sometimes for the realm. Sometimes for their own good, or their feelings. And yes, at times, simply for my own sake. You know well that I've guided you for a long time, and I haven't always been truthful with you. It still makes me smile that after all my careful work, you found your own path."

"You know that..." Twilight paused, as it occurred to her that maybe, Celestia really didn't know, and continued, "you know I forgive you for that, don't you? You can be infuriating, but in a way that kind of makes me want to kiss you. I'm not unhappy about what you were trying to do. I do love you."

Celestia's shoulders slumped slightly. She hesitated, then resumed gently stroking Twilight's arm. "It means very much to hear you say that, Twilight. I've dwelled on it."

"Although..." Twilight murmured. It was so easy, too easy, to just stop there. She didn't want to upset Celestia. All of their struggle was in the past. She watched Celestia tense again.

"Yes, Twilight?"

Oh, dear. That was the voice of the Princess, the one that was as calm as an underground lake, and revealed nothing. Twilight hesitated again, then finally spoke softly. "I wish you hadn't toyed with me, the way you did. I know it felt fun, like we were having a battle of wits, and you didn't mean any harm by it. But it was scary.

"I was scared out of my wits when I first received my letter saying that someone was controlling my mind and altering my memories. I know you never intended for that to happen. But when you left that message for me, in all my friends? Celestia, I wasn't just scared, I was... angry. Really angry. Upset, too. Because I had all these feelings, and the ponies around me were blocked from feeling them back. I remember asking you to leave Applejack and I feeling something for each other, but you took that away. It... wasn't a game, for me. Not like it was for you."

Celestia nodded once. "I apologise, Twilight. Unreservedly."

A sharp spike of frustration rose in Twilight, and she pushed herself closer. "No. Celestia, you're putting on your Princess face, hiding everything. I'm not - I'm not a diplomat from another country! I'm not some indignant noble complaining he didn't get a ticket to the ball! Talk to me."

There was a pause, and then Celestia's composure crumpled. A wounded look came over her, and her voice deepened and softened with emotion. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I truly am. When you came before me, I was so upset, I could barely think straight. I was remembering everything I'd done to my dear sister, and how I'd hidden it from myself so I didn't have to feel guilty about it. I justified it at the time as hiding the charm from myself and removing temptation, but I could have hidden the charm's workings without making myself forget what I'd done. More than anything, I wanted to not have found out any of it, make it never have happened. And there you were.

"Because of my carelessness, you'd found the charm, and been seduced by it, as I had. Perhaps ruined every intention I'd ever had for you to ascend and live side by side with me. I desperately didn't want to have made that mistake, Twilight, and so I tried my best to erase it, in the hope you'd carry on as before. So you could be untainted by my failures. I never imagined that you'd been so thorough, so prepared. I should have known that if any pony could overcome the charm, it would be you. It must have been horrible, when you found out. The uncertainty."

Biting her lip, Celestia looked aside from Twilight, unable to meet her eyes. "Then, the old temptations were too much for me. I couldn't stop thinking about the things I remembered. I explained it away for a while, that I was just checking things were back to the way they should be, but I became selfish. I wanted to know what it felt like for you to love me. That was foolish of me as well. You cannot command love. Only obsession. But I tried. Then, you reminded me that you were not an alicorn, that you would probably never be one, thanks to my failures, and I couldn't bear to pretend that it was going to be okay.

"...then you stood up to me. Or I suspected you were doing so. I was so intrigued and delighted that you could face me at that level, I didn't stop to think how my moves against you would make you feel." She sighed deeply. "Oh, Twilight. I've made such a mess of things."

Twilight listened quietly, trying not to look as unsettled as she felt by witnessing Celestia's guilt and remorse. Crawling closer in the cramped space, she leant her head on the Princess's shoulder and closed her eyes. "I feel the same way. When I was talking to Cadance - lying to Cadance - I couldn't help thinking about all of the times I was selfish, all the ways I abused the trust of those around me. I never thought I'd do that. I've never wanted something that would hurt the ponies I cared about. But it turns out that, when I did, I wasn't the good pony I thought I was. I've thought and thought about Rarity and Zecora, but all I can do for them is forcibly remove the feelings they have for me, which isn't any more natural than leaving them the way they are. And... and I don't want to. I really don't want them to stop wanting to be near me." Twilight hid her face in Celestia's mane.

Celestia's hand curled around the back of her head, stroking her mane softly. "I understand. Sometimes, the stories we tell about ourselves are put to the test, and we find out we're just ponies after all, with all the frailties and foolishness that go with that. But you and I have powers that allow us to do a great deal of harm if we forget that we have a responsibility. Still. Don't let that paralyse you, Twilight. Remember that there are ponies that willingly chose this, with you, as well. Not everything that has come from the charm is tainted."

"...I don't want to keep lying to Cadance," Twilight whispered.

"I know. Show restraint, be patient, and prove that you are worthy to wield this power. There will come a time when you can tell her the truth without bringing down disaster. But for now, you should give it time."

Twilight lifted her head, unable to hide the rush of guilty relief that flowed through her. "Do you really think so?"

"Be patient, Twilight. Cadance cares about you, as do many ponies that are precious to you. As do I. It will be alright in the end."

"...I like this closet." Leaning up, Twilight angled her head towards Celestia. The other pony's soft lips met hers.

Night draped the countryside in a blanket of deep blue darkness, softened by the silver light of the crescent moon above. Broad, arched windows looked out over it, offering a perfect view of the far-off forests and plains. Within the room, the lanterns were turned down low, so faint that their delicate golden glow barely gave shape to the dimness around them.

Twilight lay nude among the sprawled out, naked bodies of seven ponies, arranged around her on a massive four-poster bed.

The sound of their breathing was comforting, even if their combined warmth had driven her to open the windows slightly and let in the ghostly touch of the night breeze. Each of them had drifted off to sleep hours ago, and she'd pretended to do the same, but as much as she'd urged sleep to come, she'd found herself stubbornly awake. Tired out, but not sleepy.

She sighed, very softly.

It wasn't the sleeping bodies of her friends and lovers that were keeping her awake. It was different to be surrounded by them like this, but a different she could definitely get used to. Her gaze passed over their faces, one after another, taking in their peaceful expressions. It soothed her, deep inside, to see them looking so content after everything that had happened.

She'd asked Rarity to make her some new dresses. Specifically, she'd told Rarity that she'd been refusing to get dresses made for her new body until Rarity herself could make them because she treasured her friend's work so much, and could Rarity please make her outfit for the coronation which was happening... well, tomorrow.

Rarity had almost passed out with delight and adoration, before the word 'tomorrow' had really sunk in. Then she'd panicked, in a very dignified, fashion-conscious way. A room in the palace had been annexed for her to work in, and Canterlot had been scoured for the right fabrics and materials by Rarity, Fluttershy, and a couple of well dressed ponies Celestia had thoughtfully supplied to help.

She'd worked right through dinner and well into the evening, and only Twilight's insistence had finally forced the bedraggled (gracefully bedraggled) mare to finally come to bed. Apparently, the dress was almost done, and it was going to be the most marvellous thing anyone in Canterlot had ever seen, as soon as she finished the stitching and edging, and couldn't she just please spend a few more hours working on it before bedtime, after all, you never knew when you might hit an unexpected snag. Rarity had been firmly ushered into bed.

Spike had missed dinner, too. Apparently not even the presence of Cadance, who he very much liked spending time with, was enough to tempt him to show his face in front of Twilight again.

At Twilight's request, Applejack had gone to speak to him. She'd come back, saying only that he was upset, but she reckoned it'd helped pouring his feelings out into the open to her, and of course he still loved Twilight. He ought to be okay once he'd slept it off. Twilight hoped so, fervently. She couldn't imagine being crowned while knowing Spike was off somewhere, refusing to see her. It would be too sad.

She had to talk to her parents in the morning, too; there was no putting it off any longer. She was probably going to leave out the part about dating all her friends, and both Princesses, though. Shining Armor had handled it pretty well, and having his approval meant so much to Twilight, but he'd no doubt been told beforehand by Cadance roughly what Twilight was going to say.

...she was going to have to speak to Big Mac, too. She had to let him know that all the fear and uncertainty he'd stoically suffered through was, in some ways, more her own fault than anypony else's. He deserved to know that much. And he wasn't the only pony she had to apologise to, either.

"Applejack?" whispered Twilight, reaching out to touch the other pony's blonde mane. Her fingers stroked down the farm pony's smooth cheek. "Applejack, are you awake?"

Green eyes flicked open in the dimness, and Applejack shifted slightly towards Twilight. "Hmm?" she murmured.

Twilight stroked her fingers over Applejack's lips, then slowly pulled back her hand. Letting her gaze shift towards the ceiling, she said softly, "I'm sorry for waking you. There was something I wanted to say."

"Don't you worry none. What's on your mind?" Applejack carefully rolled onto her stomach without disturbing Rainbow and Zecora either side of her, and propped herself up on her elbows.

"I... messed up. Pretty badly."

The worst thing was, she knew Applejack was going to forgive her. It didn't feel deserved. "I've been thinking a lot today about how I got here. I had to talk to Cadance around it, and there was so much I couldn't tell her. Because I was ashamed of it, and it would make her look at me like a different pony, like... a stranger. Because the Twilight she knows would never do those things. So I wanted to say sorry.

"You were the first mare I was ever... intimate with. The first I really wanted to be with me, for always, and I didn't even let you remember that it was happening. I thought I was a good pony, and then, when I had the chance, I changed you and touched you without ever asking what you wanted. I'm so sorry, Applejack." Her voice was low, and she felt a weight on her chest that made it hard to breathe.

"Yeah, you did screw that up pretty badly."

Twilight's head snapped around, and she looked straight at Applejack, caught by surprise.

Applejack's lips spread into a wry grin. "What, do you think Ah'm the Element of Soothing Your Feelings? You messed up hard, Twi. Ah'm happy with where we ended up, and real grateful it worked out this way, but you did things you shouldn't have. Didn't let us protest about it, either, couldn't even put together the idea that maybe you were doing something you shouldn't be. Seems like you've learned better; that's a good thing. You keep on listening to us, because if you don't, don't reckon there's anypony that can stop you, now."

...that's probably true. With Celestia and Luna under her control, and the Elements of Harmony too, and whatever powers she gained from becoming the embodiment of magic, it would take an incredible, Equestria-threatening event to even slow her down.

She frowned. That wasn't necessarily as comforting as she'd once thought it would be. Again, as it had before, the notion occurred to her of using the charm on herself, to shore up her willpower against abusing it, or going crazy with power. But each time, she'd backed off from the idea. Mental alterations often had unexpected consequences - she'd seen that - and altering her own mind was a really scary proposition.

...and yes, she didn't entirely want to stop herself using the charm for her own pleasure again. She should probably keep an eye on that feeling.

"I'm glad that I asked Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie. At least I don't have to feel bad about them. But I do still feel such an awful guilt about the way I took Zecora, and I let myself believe Rarity wanted to be with me when I'd already messed up her thoughts. Trixie wouldn't have agreed to this either, if she hadn't been planning to betray me anyway. I don't know how I should feel about that."

"Don't reckon Ah can talk for them. It's tough, sugarcube, Ah do get that. Don't rightly know what the right thing to do there is. But Ah'll say this. Spike had a bit of a point, maybe. Ah can't picture myself ever loving someone like Ah love you, but mayhaps one of the others will, one day. You haven't ever talked about whether one of yours can go off and have a lover of their own, or if you'd let them go if they asked. There's foals to think about, you know?"

Twilight tried not to look like Applejack's words had driven a spike through her heart. Foals? Well, of course some of her lovers would want foals of their own, one day. And that wasn't something she could give them. There was adoption, of course, or finding somepony they liked to donate the proceeds necessary, but...

Applejack was right. She couldn't satisfy all of them, not all the time, and sooner or later, one of them would want to be loved by somepony that could give them their all. A pony that would grow up with them, the way that Twilight wouldn't. It hadn't even happened yet, and already, she could picture herself releasing them one by one, carefully easing their feelings into loving acceptance of all they'd shared without needing more, and watching them go.

It hurt.

Her voice was thin, and strained. "I'd let anypony go that wanted to. I understand that they might want to be with somepony else. I do. I just... I don't want them to go. Not even Trixie, and I promised her I'd let her go in a few months from now. She's special, too." She sniffled. "I know it's selfish, but I don't want to lose you, or any of them. I'm so stupid, Applejack. I shouldn't have let myself feel like this."

Applejack crawled up the bed a little more, wrapping her arm around Twilight's stomach and looking up at her with gentle reassurance. "Ah know it hurts. But knowing they can go, Ah reckon that might make them more likely to stay, in the end. You're doing right by us, now. Ah'm real proud of you. And Ma'am, Ah'm not going anywhere. You've got my word on that."

Comforted by Applejack's touch and warmth, Twilight sighed, and nodded. "I should make sure the others understand that they're allowed to fall in love, and even leave if they want to. I'll tell them in the morning."

"Reckon you don't have to worry about that. Stop pretending to sleep, darnit. You're terrible at this."

Twilight blinked, and looked around herself. One by one, the ponies around her opened their eyes, with various expressions of sheepishness at being found out.

"Well, you have been talking a rather long time," offered Rarity.

"See?" asked Applejack with satisfaction, "Not a one of these darn ponies was really sleeping."

Rainbow, eyes still closed, chose that moment to roll over. A long, loud snore sounded before her breathing steadied again. The others looked askance at her.

"...well, nearly all of them weren't," Applejack conceded.

"It is good that you feel the weight of the things you have done, but that deed is not your only one. We will speak again in day's full light, but lay aside your burden for this night." Zecora tilted her head back to address Twilight, reaching out to smooth her hand down Twilight's thigh.

Trixie didn't say anything, but curled herself more insistently around Twilight's lower leg.

Well, she wasn't getting that leg back for the rest of the night. "...thank you. I'm sorry that I disturbed you. I guess... I was thinking about a lot of things. Please, go back to sleep if you can. I'm going to try my best to do the same."

Fluttershy kissed her hand, and murmured for all of them, "Okay." There were a few moments of shuffling about as the ponies around her made themselves comfortable again, and silence fell once more.

Twilight closed her eyes, and listened to the breathing of the ponies around her. None of them were asleep though, were they? It wasn't like they could just fall back asleep like turning off a switch. Was there such a thing as a 'going straight to sleep without worrying' spell? Maybe, though that didn't sound completely safe... Zecora could have probably put together something for her that would do the trick. Though it wasn't as though Zecora had access to all her ingredients in Canterlot. Maybe she could buy them at the market, though? Were there any ingredients that could only be gotten from the Everfree forest? ...probably. Maybe that was why she lived there.

Without really noticing, lulled by the sound of the others breathing steadily, she fell asleep.

By the time she woke up, Rarity and Fluttershy had gone - no doubt to continue working on her coronation dress. Nervous, unable to keep her mind off the coming ceremony at midday, she ate a hasty breakfast in the company of the others. Trixie in particular struggled with Applejack for the right to help serve her, and was even trying to take over cutting Twilight's food and lifting it to her owner's mouth before Twilight put her foot down. She didn't need her slaves to do everything for her. Gently, but firmly, she'd dismissed them to go and get ready, while she did the same.

She had to speak to her parents, and Big Mac, and then get dressed for the ceremony. Her stomach churned uneasily at the thought, and there was a prickly hotness to her skin that she'd learned to associate with the edge of panic.

Breathing deeply helped.

"Good morning, Twilight."

Celestia's voice. It seemed like there really was no escaping her slaves today. Well, she had no one to blame for that but herself. "Good morning, Celest-" she began, turning around, then froze. Celestia's lip was a little swollen, with a small cut at one end. "Princess! I - I mean, Celestia, what happened? Are you alright?"

The Princess's hand rose to her lip and stroked along it, with a wry smile. "Don't worry, Twilight. I will have this seen to by the castle healers before the ceremony."

"What happened?" Twilight demanded, stepping towards her. All of her own concerns were completely forgotten, effortlessly pushed aside by the sight of Celestia hurt.

"I changed the time of your appointment with Big Mac," Celestia told her calmly. "I chose to speak to him instead. I made it clear that you had discovered a dangerous piece of magic around the time you began dating his sister, and I had judged it too dangerous for you to keep. So I had blocked your memory of the entire time, and did the same to Applejack, including your entire relationship."

Twilight froze. Big Mac? But he wouldn't...

"I told him I'd underestimated your resourcefulness in trying to retrieve those memories, and in trying to regain your feelings for his sister. You have since proved yourself capable of handling the magic which you'd discovered, and so, I have allowed you to keep your memories, this time." Celestia paused, then added, "He has been under a great deal of stress, which has had no outlet. It was difficult for him to accept that I was responsible. He told me that had I been a colt, he would have taught me a lesson for what I did."

Her smile widened slightly. "I told him that as an alicorn that raises and lowers the sun, I was not in need of delicate handling, and insisted he not spare my feelings out of misplaced concern for my gender or rank. So he punched me in the mouth, and told me not to ever mess with his sister again. Or you, for that matter."

"But- it's my fault-"

"No, it isn't. I was the one who took away your relationship, even when I did not have to, and that was my mistake to have made." She prodded her swollen lip thoughtfully. "It's been a very long time since any pony has been so forthright to me. He's quite admirable."

Twilight paused, as the presence of a certain tone in Celestia's voice threatened to derail her train of thought entirely, then shook it off. "...Celestia, I-"

"I'm not going to sleep with him, Empress. But I may think about him more fondly when I entertain myself." She laughed softly at the way Twilight's mouth hung open, lost for words, and told her, "You had better run along, Twilight. I will see you at your coronation."

"I - yes! Yes. I had better go and get ready. Thank you, Celestia. I really didn't know what I could say to him. Thank you."

Celestia's lips curved into a fond smile. "I would do anything for you, for many reasons. One of which is this: if it were not for you, I would not be so familiar with the sound of my sister's footsteps."

Twilight blinked, and looked around. Luna was advancing down the corridor like the tide of history, an immaculate tunic of dark blue and silver hugging her tall figure, her cloak billowing out behind her.

"Luna! Good mor-"

Without even slowing, Luna scooped Twilight off her feet, effortlessly lifting her up into the air, and kissed her firmly on the mouth.

Twilight felt the world spin around her as the Princess's lips pressed against hers, tasting and caressing. Her hand lifted into the air, though she couldn't have said whether in feeble protest or to reach for a caress, and her eyes slid closed. The end of the kiss caught her by surprise, and she realised all at once how her entire focus had narrowed to the delicious feeling of Luna's tongue exploring her mouth. Breathless, she looked up at the taller mare.

"Good morning, my sister," Luna greeted Celestia cordially, as though she wasn't currently holding Twilight against her, a good six inches off the ground. "Was thy rest pleasant?"

"It was. Thank you for the lovely night."

"You are kind to say so. I see that thy talk with Applejack's brother went well."

"He was expressive of his feelings. I appreciated that."

"I am proud of thy honesty." Luna's gaze shifted to Twilight, held captive in her arms, and she smiled. "Make me proud to be thy possession, Mistress."

"I will!" Twilight squeaked.

Luna leaned her head a little closer, and kissed the end of Twilight's nose, then set her down on the ground. "See that you do." Her cape billowed around her as she strode off purposefully, and swiftly disappeared around the corner.

Mouth open, Twilight stared after her. Heart hammering in her chest, at that moment she yearned for nothing more than to be pulled against that magnificent midnight-blue body once more and lose herself entirely. After a second, she managed, "What."

Celestia smiled widely, then winced fractionally at the tug on her cut lip. "She truly likes you, Twilight. It's been a very long time since I saw her so proud. It's wonderful to see."

"...she's kind of amazing, isn't she." Twilight glanced back towards the corridor Luna had left down, some part of her hoping to catch a glimpse of her again, before looking back up at Celestia.

"She always has been. Now go, Twilight. Your parents are waiting, and Rarity will be chewing her lovely mane if you don't arrive to be fitted soon."

"I will, I will. But - thank you. I know I just said that, but thank you, so much. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Big Mac now, and dreading talking to him was really... sad. Thank you."

Celestia leant down, and for a moment, nuzzled her smooth cheek against Twilight's in a tenderly affectionate gesture. Her skin was soft, and warm. "You can be very silly sometimes, Twilight. Stop taking everything on yourself. You don't have to do this alone."

The words lingered in Twilight's ears, as she sheepishly endured her parent's half-bewildered, half-joyous shock at her transformation, and echoed in her thoughts as Rarity painstakingly garbed her in an incredibly lovely gown of indigo and gold. The smile on her lips betrayed the quiet warmth in her heart.

I think she's right. I don't have to do this alone.

Author's Notes:

Some kudos to Nafiruy White this time, who sent me a suggestion that affected the course of the chapter as I'd planned it.

Next time: Twilight gets crowned! New powers! Other things!

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Proofing suggestions by Djmill.