Midnight Confession

Celestia had expected many different things when Twilight came to her room the previous night. A question about alicorns, about princesses, perhaps a request for flying lessons.

She hadn't expected a love confession. That had thrown Celestia for a loop, destabilizing her usual confidence more than she wanted to admit. Twilight seemed to have a knack for finding Celestia’s weak points. She always had, even as a filly. Always asking questions that she was too young to really understand. Celestia had been more embarrassed the first year she had been Twilight’s teacher than she had since Luna had been a teasing teenager.

Celestia rose from her bed with a slight groan, rolling her shoulders to remove a knot that had formed overnight. She wouldn’t be getting back to sleep any time soon, that was certain. Her jaw popped painfully as she yawned. Age caught up with her, just as it did with anypony else.

The sun was tugging at her mind, insisting it be allowed to rise. It had always been a demanding little thing, throwing its weight around wherever it pleased. Celestia gathered magic in her horn, sending out tendrils of arcane might to touch its essence. It seemed to wobble in joy, like a child that wanted to be picked up.

At the same time Celestia raised the sun, she could feel Luna touching the moon, putting it to sleep carefully, tenderly. Celestia was glad that Luna held no ill will to the celestial charge that had been her prison for a thousand years. It wasn't the moon’s fault, after all.

It was Celestia’s.

Celestia shook her head, clearing cobwebs as best she could. She stepped around to the front of her bed and looked down at Twilight’s sleeping form, wondering what she should say, what she should do. She had never been in a situation like this one, dating a former student… She didn’t know. It had seemed like a good idea last night, but now…

Well, it still seemed like a good idea, but she was a worrier. Serious and stern. She had tried so hard not to become her mother that she had become her father instead. Oh well.

Twilight turned in her sleep, mumbling, “Celestia…” as she did so.

Celestia hummed happily to herself. That had sounded like sweet music to her ears. Now, then. How to best wake Twilight? Should she use a pet name? Darling, perhaps? No, wait. That wouldn’t work. Twilight’s friend, Rarity, used that one all the time. It would sound confusing. Sweetheart? No, Rarity’s sister was named Sweetie. That might end up sounding somewhat bizarre.

Celestia shook her head. She was overthinking this and she knew it. Twilight wouldn’t care what Celestia called her, what would matter was that she had the desire to use those terms.

Something about her own actions last night still tugged at her, though. Celestia couldn’t help but feel she’d done something… wrong. Or, if not wrong, at the very least, not right. She couldn’t place a hoof on it, though. It kept flitting away, dodging just out of sight. She needed to talk to Luna. She had always been a good place to look for an alternative viewpoint. But Luna was later, and Twilight was now.

Celestia rested a hoof lightly against Twilight’s side, shaking her as gently as she could. Beginning their first day as a couple by scaring her awake wouldn’t do.

...A couple. Was that what they were now? Special somepony was such a vague term...

“It’s time to wake up, Twilight,” Celestia said, keeping her voice as gentle as possible. She actually had to control her volume more often than she wanted to admit. The royal voice was rather hard to stop using.

Twilight groaned and rolled over, consciousness returning slowly. Her eyes opened and locked with Celestia’s. She looked confused for a moment, then awed. “Celestia? I’m… really in your room?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, Twilight. You are.” The grin that split Twilight’s face was one of the most genuine she had ever seen. “And before you ask, yes, the events of last night actually happened.”

Twilight’s smile was, impressively, getting larger. “Oh, good. For a second there, I was afraid I’d wasted all of my bravery on a dream.”

Celestia laughed heartily, the feeling rumbling pleasantly in her chest. “You dream about me?”

After several seconds, Twilight said, “Yes, I do.” She paused and giggled. “A lot, actually.” Her face began turning a rather fetching shade of crimson. “Every night, really.” Twilight looked down, trailing a circle in the top of her comforter with a hoof.

Celestia almost cooed. She was so cute! Celestia nuzzled Twilight, putting as much reassurance into the gesture as she could. “It’s perfectly natural to have dreams about the pony you care for.”

Twilight fidgeted, twiddling her hooves. “I… I know that. It’s just… Well, it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“There’s no need for you to feel embarrassed, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I actually find it rather flattering!”

“You… you do?” Twilight asked. She didn't sound like she believed Celestia that much.

Time for some truth.

“Yes, Twilight, I do,” Celestia said. “It’s been a long time since anypony admitted that they were attracted to me. Well, admitted it and actually meant it.”

Twilight looked indignant. “Somepony lied to you about that?!”

Celestia nodded. Ah, court politics. How dreadful. “Unfortunately, yes. Politicians are many things, but honest isn’t one of them. There are certain ponies who believe that they can slip lies by me, but I’m a rather experienced hoof at dealing with deception.” She could feel her countenance darkening.

“At least when I’m not being love sapped by a parasite.”

“Love sapped?” Twilight asked. “Are… are you talking about the Changeling Queen?”

“Yes, I am,” Celestia said. “Do you remember how uncaring we all were that day?”

Twilight stiffened. She probably didn’t like thinking about those events. “Yes.”

“Caring is a facet of love, Twilight.”

Twilight made an ‘oh’ shape with her mouth. “So, that’s why all that stuff happened?”

“Yes, I think so. I can’t prove this, of course, but it fits with what little I was able to gather from the Queen while I was trapped in that cocoon.”

Twilight threw her forelegs around Celestia’s neck, hugging for all she was worth. “I’m so, so sorry that happened to you. I really wish I had jumped in when you were in trouble.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. As you yourself said, the only one to blame for that entire day is the Changeling Queen."

“Right,” Twilight said, leaping from her bed, covers tossed aside carelessly. She stomped a hoof, snorting angrily. “Now, back to the liars.

"Who were they, where are they, and will anypony miss them when I’m done with them?!”

Celestia quickly pulled Twilight into a hug, rubbing small circles on her back. It wasn’t the first time Twilight had had a knee-jerk reaction and jumped to Celestia’s defense, and it clearly wouldn’t be the last. But Twilight couldn’t be allowed to go around beating up ponies who insulted Celestia.

It would leave Canterlot almost completely empty.

Twilight’s anger was actually making her shake, her body rocking slightly against Celestia’s. This was a fire that needed to be put out. If it was allowed to burn, it would become unstoppable by ordinary means.

Celestia had made that mistake with Twilight once. She wouldn’t do it again.

“Please try not to dwell on it,” Celestia said. “Yes, there are some less than noble ponies in the world. But that doesn’t give us a right to attack them, no matter how they may act towards us.”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… It’s hard, hearing what some ponies say about you. Or, in this case, to you.” She looked up at Celestia, voice thick with emotion. “They don’t even know you, but they still treat you so badly. I don’t know how you can take it.” She pulled lightly at her hair, grunting in frustration.

“I can barely take it!” Twilight’s bangs fell into her eyes, obscuring them from view.

Celestia brushed them away, smoothing Twilight’s hair down as she did so. She’d always had such terrible bedmane when she woke up, and being an alicorn didn’t seem to have changed that.

“I deal with it by reminding myself that there are good, decent ponies out there. Like you, and your friends,” Celestia said.

Twilight sniffled softly. “I guess that’s a pretty good way of thinking.” She pushed away from Celestia and rubbed at her eyes with a hoof. “I’m just not sure if I can do it.”

“I’ll admit, it takes some practice,” Celestia said. She laughed softly. “As well as a great deal of tea.”

Twilight giggled. “And we’re back to tea.”

Celestia poked Twilight’s chest lightly. “Everything returns to tea. I thought you’d figured that out by now?”

“Ah, of course. How silly of me to forget,” Twilight said. She and Celestia gazed seriously at one another for several seconds before they both broke down into uncontrolled giggles.

Until that moment, Celestia hadn’t realized how much she’d missed speaking with Twilight without there being some national emergency around. They’d always had so much fun together, learning and laughing. Celestia had truly missed her when she’d moved.

With practiced ease, Celestia regained control of herself. A deep, measured breath, a demand for her nerves to calm themselves. They did. She was in control. She was always in control. Always confident.

Unless she was around Twilight. Her old student was such a joy to be around, she had a way of pulling out the best parts of Celestia, the parts she’d thought lost. Unfortunately, those were the parts that weren’t nearly as controlled as she needed them to be.

Twilight seemed to have calmed down significantly by now, her shaking subsided. Celestia was rather impressed. Not even half a year ago, an event like the one they were about to undertake would have sent her completely over the edge, straight into panic. Sometimes, Celestia wondered if Twilight’s true talent, rather than magic, was panicking. She was rather good at it.

“Twilight,” Celestia said, “I think it’s time for us to talk about what we’re going to do today.”

Twilight inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. “Yeah, this is… Well, this is going to be big, isn't? Not every day you tell your family and friends that you’re going to start dating your old teacher.” She giggled nervously. “Today’s probably going to be a fairly long one.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, most likely.” She could see the cogs turning in Twilight’s head, her thoughts most likely being slowly and carefully organized into different steps. Categories. Twilight loved categories.

“We should make a plan,” Twilight said. There was a flash of magic from her horn, and a chalkboard appeared next to Celestia. It was one of the ones they had used years ago, back during Twilight’s elementary school days.

That feeling of things being slightly off was back again, but Celestia still couldn't place it.

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Celestia said. With her own magic, she summoned a box of chalk as well as an eraser. She stepped in front of the board, levitating a piece of chalk out of the box. Celestia gave it a long, hard look. It was lavender. She hadn't intended to grab one that color. Had she done it subconsciously?

Twilight took her own piece of chalk, white, and drew a line down the center of the board. At the top-right of the board, she wrote ‘Twilight’s List’. At the top left, Celestia wrote ‘Celestia’s List’."

"Alright,” Twilight said. “Who do we need to tell?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “My friends, obviously.” She wrote their names on the board in alphabetical order.

“Luna and Cadance,” Celestia said. She wrote their names down on her side, not bothering with any particular order.

“My parents and my brother,” Twilight said. She wrote ‘Mom’, ‘Dad’, and ‘Shiney’ right below her friends’ names. Twilight hummed thoughtfully, then picked up the eraser, removed the names she’d written on her side of the board, and wrote them down again in the correct order.

“Don’t forget Spike,” Celestia said.

Twilight groaned in frustration, erasing and rewriting.

Celestia tilted her head slightly to the left, thinking hard, various connecting lines being created in her mind.

Talking to Spike could prove to be challenging. While incredibly intelligent for his age, the fact was, he was a dragon, and dragons aged much slower than ponies. He had been hatched the day Twilight had had her entrance exam fifteen years ago, so, by pony standards, he was almost an adult. By dragon standards, however, he was still an infant. Dragons grew at a hundredth the rate ponies did, and lived just as long. Celestia wasn’t sure how much they could tell him and have him understand. Twilight had told Celestia of Spike’s crush on Rarity, of course, but from what she said, it seemed to be rather innocent, like young children sometimes got. Mostly based on appearances, rather than emotions and thoughts. She wasn’t sure just how much he knew about adult relationships.

Twilight bit her lip. She looked concerned. “... I think I want to talk to him before anypony else."

Celestia smiled lightly. “Yes, I think we owe him that much.” She wrote Spike’s name under both her own list as well as Twilight’s. “He’s always been there for us when we needed him, so I feel it’s only fair."

Twilight was gnawing at her lip by this point.

Celestia hoped she didn’t draw blood; She had in the past. She’d even had to have a doctor stitch it up when she was a teenager. Twilight had always had a bad habit of being overly worried, even at times when worry was called for. Celestia had always wished she could figure out a way to help Twilight get past those fears, but so far, she’d failed.

"Should we do it together?” Twilight asked. “Or should we speak with him, and everypony else, separately?”

“I think you should speak with him on your own first,” Celestia said. “While you’re doing that, I’ll speak with Luna and Cadance. Then, I’ll talk with Spike while you talk to your friends. After that, we’ll both talk to your parents and brother.”

“Okay,” Twilight said. She paused. “Do you really want to do it together? I mean, this is… Well, I don’t know how they’re going to react. I want to trust them, but at the same time, I can understand why they wouldn’t want us to be together. I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to choose between the two of you.”

“I don’t think it will come to that, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I may not be as close to them as I’d like, but I’ve spoken with your parents a number of times over the years. They’ll support you, no matter what.”

Twilight gave a deep, shuddering sigh. “Okay. Okay, I can do this. I can do this.” She paused, ears flicking rhythmically.

Celestia began vocalizing the theme for a game-show she used to watch.

Twilight giggled for a second, but her mood lowered quickly.

Still worried. Drat. Celestia had hoped that one would have gotten her.

“Is it really okay for me to talk to my friends before my family?” Twilight asked.

“Friends are family, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Family that you choose.” Celestia wrapped her wings around Twilight, pulling her to her chest tightly. “And those five mares, as well as that baby dragon, have saved us all more times than any of the masses realize. They deserve to know before anypony else.”

Twilight hugged back, sighing in contentment. She was always so soft and huggable...

Celestia couldn’t keep the dopey smile off of her face. She’d been without physical affection for such a long time, she’d almost forgotten how nice it was to touch another pony. She’d almost forgotten a great number of feelings over the years, it would seem. Celestia shook her head, trying to clear some of the thoughts away. Being distracted by Twilight wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

It sure was fun, though.

“How much should we tell them?” Twilight asked. “About us, and how this happened?”

Celestia frowned. That was a good question. How much was enough? How much was too much? “Hard to say. I don’t want to reveal too much, but at the same time, I don’t want to lie.” She looked down at Twilight, who gazed back so earnestly Celestia could feel it. “The truth is most likely our best bet. I think our loved ones can be trusted with it.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “Lies have never really helped any of us. I think I’d rather just talk to them honestly".

Celestia nuzzled Twilight’s neck, sighing happily. That had been nice to hear. Twilight had always had so much trouble connecting with ponies in the past. The difference that Ponyville and its populace had made inside Twilight pleased Celestia greatly. The old Twilight would have never had the courage to speak honestly about events like this, and she certainly never would have confessed her feelings to Celestia.

Celestia hadn't been kidding when she said she’d thought of Twilight in a romantic light before. Day Court wasn't nearly as busy as some ponies seemed to think. If she was lucky, she’d get one petitioner an hour, and they’d stay for less than five minutes. It left a lot of time for Celestia to daydream, and more and more, those dreams were featuring Twilight.

The dreams hadn't started as romantic. It had been incredibly innocent at first. She had been dozing in the hedge maze, head resting on the smooth glass of the garden table, when she’d had the first one.

Celestia had looked up across the table, head rolling, and Twilight had been there, books at the ready, quill and inkwell set out. She’d asked Celestia what the lessons were going to be, what they were doing for lunch, how Luna was handling life back in Canterlot. And then it had begun to rain, the dream had ended, and Celestia was alone in the garden, dripping wet and depressed. It hadn't been until the Grand Galloping Gala that those innocent thoughts turned less innocent.

The dress. It had been that dress. Celestia had invited her Faithful Student to the ball, but instead, the pony that had arrived was a gorgeous mare.

The next few daydreams were far more adult in nature.

Celestia wasn’t so arrogant as to deny how much physical appearance could affect a relationship, and, while Twilight would deny it vehemently, she was incredibly beautiful. While Celestia’s own feelings for Twilight were not quite as strong as Twilight would like, there was still something there. Something small that, with enough care and guidance, could blossom into love.

Twilight’s new alicorn status seemed to have given her a serious confidence boost, as well. Celestia had always been attracted to more confident ponies. Oh, they all worried at times, of course. To fear was normal. It kept you alive. But the ones who could work past those fears, could defeat their doubts and find their confidence on the other side, were the ponies Celestia liked the most.

Ponies like Twilight.

Celestia shook her head again, trying to return herself to her normal serene state. Her mind always seemed to drift when she was with Twilight, no matter the subject or activity they were engaged in.

“Alright,” Twilight said. She clapped her hooves together, knocking away imaginary chalk dust. “I think we have a pretty good plan.” Twilight said. She turned to face Celestia. “Unless you’ve thought of somepony else we need to tell?”

Celestia frowned. “The only other family I have in the castle is Blueblood, and I don’t think including him in these discussions will help.”

Twilight laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, he did seem pretty… overbearing, back at the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“Overbearing’ is a good word for him, Twilight,” Celestia said. She sighed. Her wayward nephew was a source of some severe annoyance. “I’ve tried to help him for a long time, but Canterlot just seems to have an unfortunate effect on certain ponies.”

Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Celestia’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Celestia. One of the things I’ve learned from my studies is the fact that, to help a pony, they have to want to be helped. It’s not something you can force.”

“True,” Celestia said, “but that doesn’t make it easier to see my nephew clinging to outdated thinking and classism.”

Twilight took a deep breath, working through the relaxation exercise that Cadance had taught her. “I think it’s time to go talk to everypony,” she said. As she did so, her stomach grumbled loudly. Twilight blushed.

“Perhaps we should get something to eat for breakfast first?” Celestia asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep anything down; My stomach feels like it’s full of butterflies.”

“Nervous?” Celestia asked.

“Very,” Twilight said. “But I think it’s also from excitement.” She ruffled her wings together, the sound of feathers touching feathers filling the room in the early morning silence. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“We’ll make it through this, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Together."

Twilight caught sight of the guards a second before Celestia did, freezing and bumping into the taller pony. The four that had already been stationed in front of Celestia’s door had been replaced with fresh ones. The guards that Twilight had brought with her, however, had not.

They’d been there all night.

Twilight gaped. “You… you actually stayed!”

One of the two saluted and yawned at the same time. “It is our duty.”

Twilight groaned. “Duty or not, you need sleep! You should have been replaced by somepony else hours ago!”

“We were ordered not to allow ourselves to be dismissed or replaced,” one of the guards said.

Twilight groaned. “Who gave that order?”

“I did, actually,” Celestia said.

Twilight gave her a questioning look.

“I thought you would probably try to get rid of them as soon as you could, and I wanted you protected last night.”

“Protected?” Twilight asked. “From what?”

“Anything, really,” Celestia said. “It was a preventive safety measure. It’s not every day that a pony becomes an alicorn, and certain parties probably aren’t happy with me making you a princess. It’s also the reason I wanted you in the observatory last night. Your old room has far more protection than even the best guest room.”

Twilight sighed. “I get it. It’s better to have something and not need it, rather than need something and not have it.” She pointed a hoof at the guards.

“Now make them go to bed!”

“You’re dismissed, both of you. In fact, why don’t the two of you take the day off? You’ve certainly earned a break,” Celestia said.

Both guards saluted and tiredly stumbled down the hallway, one leaning on the other for stability. They turned a corner, disappearing from sight.

“Oh, shoot!” Twilight said. “I forgot to ask them for their names!” She stomped in frustration. “Some princess I am.”

“It’s quite alright, Twilight. Nopony expects you to be perfect at this,” Celestia said.

Twilight grunted in annoyance. She couldn’t keep herself from wondering how many more mistakes she’d make before this day was over. Some ponies thrived under pressure, but Twilight wasn’t one of them. She was almost always on the edge of a panic attack, her fears getting the better of her more often than not. She’d improved since moving to Ponyville, but she’d also had several fairly bad backslides.

Smarty Pants would never look the same.

Twilight shivered. She didn’t like remembering that day. Celestia had been so… disappointed. So angry.

Twilight had been horrified with herself; Her actions had been inexcusable. Worse than that, however, was the thought that she may have broken her relationship with Celestia beyond repair. Twilight had never been so happy to be wrong.

“I know, but it still feels awful when I make mistakes like that,” Twilight said. She paused. “Speaking of mistakes…” She gave the four guards still outside Celestia’s room a glance. “Is it okay for them to see me coming out of your room? Or to hear us talking about this stuff?” The guards continued to stare into the distance, saying nothing.

“Yes, actually,” Celestia said. “I’ve hoofpicked the majority of the guards in the castle myself. They can be trusted to keep silent.” Celestia grinned. “If they know what’s good for them, anyway.”

Several of the guards swallowed audibly.

Twilight shrugged. “Okay, if you think it’s alright.” She stretched and her back popped. “It’s probably time for us to get started.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, I think so, too.” She nuzzled Twilight gently, who couldn’t stop herself from humming happily. “Let’s go find Spike.”

Twilight had never realized how intimidating a solid oak door could be. It seemed to stare balefully at her, judging her silently.  But Spike was on the other side, and she wanted, needed, to see him.

“Are you sure you want to do this alone? I could come with you,” Celestia said.

Twilight shifted nervously on her hooves, rejecting the offer with a shake of her head. “No, I think this is something I need to do by myself.”

Celestia nodded. “I understand. Then, if I’m not needed here, I’m going to go talk to Luna.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said. She turned and pushed the door open.

The room was comfortably furnished, a dozen plush full size beds set far enough apart so as not to seem crowded. Celestia had really went all out making her friends comfortable. Spike was snoring softly from his place in a small basket set at the foot of Rarity’s bed. The girls were all still asleep.

Twilight made note of several empty cider bottles laying on the ground in between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s beds. It looked like at least those two had continued the celebrations up until they went to sleep. And if they were as full of as much cider as it seemed, they wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. Good. Twilight wanted to do this slowly.

She nudged Spike gently with a hoof in an attempt to wake him.

Spike groaned and turned over, but didn’t rouse. Why did he always have to be so hard to get up?

Twilight shook him slightly harder. This time, he opened an eye, looking groggily up at her.

“Mrm. Morning already?” Spike mumbled, voice scratchy from lack of water.

“Yeah, it is,” Twilight said.

“Does it have to be?” Spike whined. “It’s way too early.”

Twilight shrugged. “Okay, you can go back to bed. I’ll just eat all the pancakes myself."

That got him out of bed. He sprang up, suddenly wide awake. “No!”

Twilight tried not to laugh, but failed.

Spike glared at her. “That’s cheating, Twilight." He crossed his arms over his chest, indignant.

“Yeah, but it worked, didn’t it?” Twilight said.

Twilight’s thoughts turned to the sleeping arrangements from the previous night, and how much she’d missed having him sleeping near her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay here with you last night.” Twilight meant it, too.

Spike began rubbing the crust from his eyes, flakes of dried saline getting stuck to his claws. With a look of disgust, he wiped his hands on his bedsheets. “It’s fine, Twilight. I get why Princess Celestia wanted you in the old tower: It’s got better defenses than a guest room.” He began stretching his arms behind his back, cracking his knuckles as he did so.

Twilight really wished he wouldn’t do that. It was such a horrible noise.

While Spike did morning stretches, Twilight gave him a long, measuring look. She always seemed to underestimate just how intelligent he was. The amount of times he’d given her advice, good advice, surprised her. He was actually rather mature.

But even so, Twilight wasn’t quite sure how to bring up the topic of her and Celestia. Should she just launch into it and wait for Spike to catch up? No, that wasn’t right. She had already decided on going slow, and it would probably hurt him to be treated that way. This was a situation that called for finesse. She needed to ease him into it.

“Spike, there are some things I need to talk to you about,” Twilight said.

He turned to look at her curiously. “Things? What things?”

“Things about… me. And also Celestia.”

Spike tilted his head, confused. “Since when are you comfortable using Celestia’s name without adding ‘Princess’ to it?

Twilight was about to try and answer him when her stomach growled. She could feel her face warming. She began giggling nervously. It seemed that, even with the butterflies, she couldn’t stop her body’s biology from functioning. “Um, maybe we could talk over breakfast?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, sure! Let me just wake the girls up and—”

Twilight cut him off. “Actually, I want to talk to you in private.”

Spike blinked owlishly. “In private?” He frowned. “Twilight, what’s going on? Why don’t you want to talk to your friends?”

“I do want to talk to them,” Twilight said. She let her eyes wander around the room, her gaze drifting over the others.

Rainbow Dash was drooling on her pillow, mumbling in her sleep. Probably something Wonderbolts related. On the bed next to hers, a lump that was completely covered by blankets shifted slightly. Fluttershy, no doubt. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. All bundled up like that, she looked like a cocooned caterpillar. Rarity was, as always, sleeping in the primmest way possible, her hair immaculate even in slumber. Twilight wondered how she did it. She’d never seen Rarity use hairspray of any sort, yet it never seemed to get any stray hairs or split ends. Pinkie appeared to be having a pleasant dream about some kind of food, which was probably normal for her. Applejack was snoring. Loudly.

Twilight's face broke into a gentle smile. “I just want to speak with you first,” she said.

“Oh,” Spike said. “Um, okay. I guess…”

Twilight nuzzled him affectionately.

Spike huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, but he still nuzzled back.

Twilight couldn’t stop the motherly smile from finding its way onto her face. As much as Spike complained about touchy-feely moments and so called ‘girly’ events, he truly enjoyed them. Twilight wished Spike was more honest with himself. He’d probably be happier if he was.

She quickly wrote a note to each of the girls, telling them to meet her in the dining room when they woke up. After that, she motioned for Spike, who clambered onto Twilight’s back, taking his usual riding position. “Let’s go,” Twilight said. She trotted over to the room’s exit, looking over her shoulder at her friends.

She hoped they’d understand, once she told them. Twilight didn’t know what to do if one of the girls rejected her choice, or, even worse, hated her for it.

They wouldn’t, of course. Twilight knew in her heart that they loved and accepted her, no matter what. But that didn't mean that primal fear of rejection, of isolation, wasn’t there. Celestia had been right. Fear was natural. Twilight would work through it, like she had so many times before. The door shut behind her, the hinges thankfully silent.

“Who is it?” Luna asked from behind her room’s door.

“It’s me, Luna,” Celestia said. There was a slight pause, the rustling sound of papers, and the door opened a crack.

Luna stuck her head out of the edge of the doorway, giving Celestia an interested look. “Sister? Should you not be resting? You expended a great deal of energy the other day.”

“I know, but something’s happened, and I need to speak with you,” Celestia said.

Luna pulled back into her room, the door swinging open.

Celestia took it for the invitation it was and entered.

Luna’s room was a rather dark shade of blue, its walls covered with constellation diagrams and pictures of various celestial objects. Other than those few things, it was rather spartan. She’d always been like that, never requiring more than what she would actually use.

Luna sat on the side of her bed, several papers floating in the air in front of her.

Celestia couldn’t stop her smile from forming. “I see you’ve finally discovered newspapers.”

Luna nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes! They are a wonderful invention! In the old days, this level of information would have taken days, if not weeks, to gather! Our Little Ponies are truly a remarkable lot, are they not, sister?”

Celestia giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” She shifted slightly, stance barely changing.

Luna still caught the gesture. She frowned. “You are nervous about something.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

Luna closed the various papers, setting them down on the bed next to her in a little pile. “I take it this is because of the ‘something’ you mentioned?”

“It is,” Celestia said.

“Well, out with it, then,” Luna said.

Celestia gathered her thoughts, picking and choosing her words carefully. This was a delicate situation, one that needed to be handled with care.

Luna could be touchy sometimes.

“Twilight Sparkle came to speak with me last night, around midnight, regarding a question she had. It was preventing her from getting to sleep," Celestia said.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Indeed? And what was the question?”

Celestia’s shoulders pulled back slightly, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Luna caught it. “I take it that it was a fairly large question?”

“...She wanted to know why I sang to her,” Celestia said.

Luna gaped. “Sang? You?” She raised her eyes to the ceiling, face blank. “When was this?”

“When Twilight finished Starswirl’s spell, she ended up in the Astral Realm. While we were there, I sang as we walked through her memories, and at the end of my song, I turned her into an alicorn.”

Luna took a deep, shuddering breath. “I knew that the two of you were close, but I had no idea just how deep your feelings were...” She pointed a hoof at Celestia.

“But this is not what you wished to tell me, is it?”

“No,” Celestia said, “it’s not.” She couldn’t believe how dry her mouth was. Celestia didn’t remember the last time she had been this nervous when she wasn’t in combat. She couldn’t afford to hesitate here. Not now.

“Twilight told me she that she thinks she’s in love with me.”

Luna’s eyes were wide, her mouth slightly ajar. “...And what did you say?”

“I said that I wasn’t in love with her,” Celestia said. Luna looked like she was about to say something, but Celestia cut her off before she could start. “But that I would like to try to be.”

Luna appeared to be too stunned to move.

Celestia couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t something a pony woke up expecting to hear.

“You… are going to engage in a romantic relationship with your student?” Luna asked.

“She’s not my student anymore; Those wings are proof of that,” Celestia said.

“She is but a child!”

“She’s an adult, both in mind and body, as well as by law.”

“I…” Luna started, but no other words seemed to come to her.

Celestia waited as patiently as she could, but the longer that Luna failed to say something, the more nervous Celestia became. That thought she’d been having, that tugging, nagging thought, was back. It was so close...

It was several minutes before Luna said, “I am not sure this is the wisest course of action, sister.” She frowned. “For you or Twilight Sparkle.”

“Perhaps it isn't,” Celestia admitted, “but I still wish to proceed.”

“Explain to me exactly what happened, and what you said to Twilight,” Luna said.

Celestia gave Luna a complete synopsis of the events up until Twilight went to bed.

Luna stopped her there.

“Celestia…”

“Yes, Luna?”

There was a glow of night magic on one of the newspapers, which rolled itself into a tube, levitated itself through the air, and smacked Celestia on the nose.

Celestia jumped. “Ouch!”

It hadn't hurt physically, but that blow had done some serious damage to her pride. What had she done wrong?

“Tucking her in and reading her a bedtime story are not the actions of a potential lover,” Luna said. “They are the actions of a mother.”

Celestia could feel her mood darken immediately. She glared at Luna, who wilted under the look. “I am not her mother.”

“Sister…”

“And she is not my daughter.”

“...No. No, she is not," Luna conceded. "The actions of a foalsitter, then.”

Celestia fidgeted. “And what’s wrong with that?”

Even to Celestia, her voice sounded like a whine. That probably wasn’t a good sign.

“Sister… Is this truly what you want?” Luna asked.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“Why?”

“You know why.”

Their eyes locked. Celestia willed as much honesty into her eyes as she could, trying to speak without speaking.

Luna sighed and nodded. “Then I will support you in your endeavors. However, if you wish to take Twilight as your lover, you cannot treat her like a foal.”

Celestia sighed. That had been it. She had been treating Twilight the same as always, even after her love confession. The same way she had since she was a foal.

That was what had been bugging her since she'd woken up. She was too close to the situation, to Twilight, to view it properly.

“It’s hard to let go of old habits, Luna,” Celestia said. “I’ve been by Twilight’s side for a long time, and over the years, we’ve developed our own little rituals. Reading to her and tucking her in are some of those habits.” Celestia lowered herself onto the floor, folding her long legs under her body carefully.

Luna’s room was carpeted with incredibly soft and comfortable fabric, the feeling cool and smooth. It was rather soothing. Celestia looked up at Luna, whose position on the bed set her several inches high than Celestia herself. With a sigh, Celestia said, “I suppose it’s time to put an end to those rituals.”

“If you wish to be with her in the way you say, then yes. You must. This will be a confusing enough experience for all of those involved, and you must let go of your old habits if you wish to proceed," Luna said.

Celestia knew, deep down, that Luna was right. It was time to put away the actions of Twilight’s foalhood. That didn't stop the pain she felt inside. “You know," she said, "there was a part of me that wanted Twilight to stay a foal forever. It was always fun, teaching her. She was one of those rare students that actually wanted to learn, to know, to expand her horizons."

“But she cannot,” Luna said. “Especially not now, not in this situation. You must treat her as the adult you say she is. There can be no true equality in your relationship until you manage to do so.”

Celestia sighed and rested her head against the side of Luna’s bed. This was beginning to be a great deal more challenging than she’d thought it would be the previous night.

Luna ran a hoof through Celestia’s mane soothingly. “I do not think you have done anything too inappropriate, sister. So long as this is the last time.”

Celestia leaned into Luna’s hoof, the gentle caress helping her thoughts clear themselves. “If this is what I have to give up in order to attain what I want, then I’ll do it.”

Luna pulled Celestia into a comforting hug. “I think that is for the best.” Luna yawned loudly. “I wish I could continue this conversation, Celestia, but sleep is calling. I must bid you good morning.”

Celestia stood up, letting Luna’s legs slip from around her neck. She could see Luna’s dark mane lightening, the stars receding. The moon had set, and with it went a majority of Luna’s powers. “I’ll let you get to sleep,” Celestia said. She turned to go, but turned back almost immediately. “Luna…”

"Yes?”

“...Can I tuck you in?”

Luna ran a hoof down her face in exasperation. “Truly, sister?”

Celestia raised and lowered one of her front hooves, trying to grasp for an explanation. She gave Luna a wry grin. “It’s what I do, have done, for years. It’s not like I can just stop having that habit whenever I choose.”

Luna groaned in frustration. “Do you believe this will help you be more willing to accept Twilight Sparkle as a grown mare?”

“Maybe,” Celestia said. “I can’t see the future, Luna, no matter what anypony thinks. If I could, I certainly would have seen this coming.”

“Oh, very well. Do what you must,” Luna said. “It is certainly not the first time I have given in to your oddities.”

Celestia grinned and lit her horn, pulling back Luna’s bed covers. Her sister climbed under them, and Celestia brought them up under Luna’s chin. With another flash of magic, Celestia summoned a storybook. “Which one do you want to hear? Perhaps a tale of redemption?” Celestia asked.

Luna shook her head in disbelief. “Sister… you have issues.”

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Spike asked, chomping at a rather sizable ruby. He sat directly across from Twilight at the dining table, swinging his little legs merrily under the table.

Twilight was always somewhat confused when dealing with Spike. Sometimes, he seemed older than her. Others, like right now, he seemed to be younger than even the Crusaders. And he was so small...

Twilight shifted in her seat at the dining table, her nerves starting to get to her. Cadance’s breathing exercise wasn’t helping anymore. She’d overused it, and the actions had lost all meaning. “It’s… Well, it’s about me and Celestia,” Twilight began. “And, um, something that happened last night.”

Spike looked up from his breakfast plate, concerned. “You aren’t in trouble, are you?”

“What?” Twilight said. “Oh, no. It’s… well, it’s something good. Or, at least, I think it’s something good. And I think Celestia thinks it’s something good, too. She certainly seemed to think it was good. Yep, all real good.” She was babbling and she knew it.

So did Spike.

“Are you sure?” Spike asked. “Because you just said ‘good’ a bunch of times, and when you do things like that, you’re usually the opposite of ‘good’.”

Twilight laughed nervously, poking at her plate with a fork. “Yeah, I guess so. Ha. Ha ha. Ha.”

Spike set the ruby down. “You’re worried about something. Something big.”

Twilight considered telling him a lie, avoiding the issue altogether. But no, this was the time for honesty, not deception.

“Yes, I am,” Twilight said. “It’s… well, it’s actually a little beyond big.” Her heart was hammering so hard, she wondered if Spike could hear it all the way across the table. How to tell him?

“What do you know about romantic relationships, Spike?”

“Erm, what do you mean? Like, kissing and hugging and stuff? Or are you asking about, like, what goes on in them, or something?”

Twilight almost nodded, but shook her head. “No, not exactly.” She stared down at her plate, pancakes barely touched, the syrup she’d poured on them slowly turning them to mush. “What… what do you know about same-sex relationships, Spike?”

“More than I’d like to,” Spike grumbled. “More than half of Ponyville forgets to close their curtains before they, uh… What was it that Rainbow Dash said? Oh, right. ‘Get busy’.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. Rainbow was in for it later, that was for sure. She was already corrupting Scootaloo, she couldn’t be allowed to do the same to Spike.

“I don’t know what that has to do with anything, though,” Spike said. “Unless…” He gave Twilight a long look. She blushed under the scrutiny, and he smirked. “Ha, Rarity owes me ten bits! So, which one of the girls is it?”

Twilight blinked. “Huh?”

Spike shrugged. “What? It’s not like it’s that big of a stretch. You and those girls are all super close, it’s only natural that it’d turn into something else after enough time.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Unless it’s Rarity. If it is, I don’t wanna know.”

Twilight sighed. “No, it’s not Rarity.” She swallowed, trying to remove the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. “It’s not any of the girls.”

“It’s not? Who else is there?”

“Celestia,” Twilight said. There. It was out.

Spike’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Whoa.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “‘Whoa’ is pretty accurate.”

Spike’s mouth moved silently for several seconds, words escaping him. Finally, he said, “So, Princess Celestia. That’s… well, different. Gotta admit, I didn’t see this one coming.”

“Neither did I,” Twilight said. “It’s certainly not something I planned.”

“So, like, are you two together now, or what?” Spike asked.

“Um, maybe?” Twilight said. “We haven’t really talked about it in detail, but Celestia seemed to think it was okay for me to call myself her special somepony, so I think so.” She gave Spike a sympathetic look. “This must seem really weird to you.”

“Huh. You know, you’d think it would be, but it’s not.”

Twilight blinked. “It’s not? Isn’t it like finding out that your sister is dating your mother?”

Spike shrugged. “No, it’s closer to one of my moms dating my other mom, so it’s pretty normal.”

Twilight felt like crying. Once again, she’d underestimated him. “Oh, Spike!” She teleported across the room and pulled Spike into a bone-crushing hug, ignoring his protests as she did so. Okay, Twilight could deal with this. She’d told a loved one and been accepted. That was going to be a real confidence booster in the future. Twilight had a feeling that she was going to need that confidence sooner rather than later.

Cadance’s room was pink. Her floor was pink, her walls were pink, her bed and bedding were pink. It was as though a paint shop that only sold pink had exploded, painting everything in reach with pinkness.

Celestia wasn’t going to be able to escape wearing the color herself, it would seem.

“So, who was on top?” Cadance asked.

Celestia choked on her tea. “What!” She could feel her face heating up. What kind of question was that!

"What?” Cadance said innocently. “It’s a perfectly legitimate question. I mean, the sheer mechanics of Twilight being the dominant one in the relationship are astounding. With your height difference, she’d probably have to use a step-stool to get even with your—”

"Finish that sentence and you’re grounded,” Celestia said.

Cadance giggled. “Can’t ground me, I’m a princess~!”

“I’m Princess Celestia; I can ground anypony!”

“So, does she like it slow and gentle or hard and fast?”

Celestia sputtered. Cadance had a very bad habit of poking her nose where it didn’t belong.

“We didn’t have sex!”

Cadance tilted her head in confusion. “You didn’t?”

“No!”

“Why not?”

Celestia growled. “Not everypony wants to jump straight into another’s bed, Cadenza.”

“Oh? That’s too bad. I was hoping for some juicy details!”

Celestia was beginning to feel sick. Her niece being this interested in her sex life wasn’t something she’d expected. “There aren’t any ‘juicy details’. We haven’t even kissed yet!”

“You’d better get a move on, Auntie! If you take too long, somepony else will swoop in and snatch her away, and then who’s going to scratch that itch?”

“Grounded!” Celestia shouted. “Two weeks!”

Cadance stuck her tongue out. “It was totally worth it.”

Twilight finished her plate of food just as her friends entered the room. They all looked fairly tired, bags under some of their eyes. The five mares took places around the table, chatting amiably with one another as maids brought them their own breakfasts.

“Yesterday was awesome!” Pinkie Pie said. “There were so many ponies partying, I could barely keep track of all of them!”

“Yeah, it was a pretty big shindig, alright,” Applejack said. “My ears are still ringin’.”

Twilight could sympathise with her, her own ears having taken quite a pounding from all of the applauding and cheering. Luckily for her, alicorns seemed to have innate healing properties, and her hearing had returned to normal after a few hours.

Rarity huffed. “Calling Twilight’s coronation a ‘shindig’ is insulting, Applejack. It was an event, darling.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Rares.”

Twilight heard a small voice from the other end of the table, but it was so quiet that she couldn’t make out the words.

“Nopony can hear you, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’ll have to talk louder if you want us to hear you.”

“Um, I said, ‘Good morning’,” Fluttershy mumbled. Immediately after she did so, she clutched at her head, swaying in her chair slightly.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “You look kind of sick.” She had a feeling she knew what it was that was wrong, the memory of those cider bottles coming back up.

“We got into AJ’s cider last night,” Rainbow Dash said. “‘Shy had way too much to drink.”

Twilight sighed. Yeah, she’d been right.

“How much is too much?” Spike asked, idly munching on a basket of hay fries, extra crispy, that the maids had brought in for him.

Pinkie giggled. “Half a glass!”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “What, really? That’s… kind of weak.”

Fluttershy squeaked, burying her head in her hooves.

“That was rude, Spike,” Rarity said.

Spike blanched, face downcast.

“I suggest you apologize.”

Spike nodded. “Sorry, Fluttershy. That came out— well, it didn’t come out wrong, but I really didn’t mean anything by it.”

Fluttershy nodded, or at least Twilight thought she had. The way she had her head on the table, she was almost completely hidden under her long mane, her face obscured by pink hair.

“I forgive you, Spike,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight was starting to relax. Her friends were her friends, no matter what. She had to believe that. To think otherwise would just invite disaster.

“So, Twilight” Applejack said, “Your notes said ya need to talk to us ‘bout somethin’ important?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I do.” She looked over at Spike, who gave her an encouraging thumbs up. Twilight gave him a grateful smile. “And yeah, it’s really important.”

Pinkie bounced in her seat, raising her hoof in the air like a schoolfilly answering a question. “I know what this is about!”

Twilight’s eyebrows shot up. “You do?”

“Yeah! You’re mad at us for drinking all the cider!”

Twilight laughed in disbelief. Only Pinkie. “No, Pinkie. I honestly don’t care about that.”

Rainbow Dash gasped in mock horror. “Don’t care? Don’t care! How can you not care! It’s cider!”

“Cider, while delicious, isn’t important right now. I have something pretty serious to talk about,” Twilight said. Her left back hoof began tapping against the ground; Twilight’s nerves were starting to get the best of her. She wasn’t sure how long she could maintain any semblance of composure. Telling Spike had been hard enough.

“So, what’s this important thing ya need to tell us?” Applejack asked.

Twilight swallowed her fears, trying to cram them as far down into her stomach as she possibly could. Her guts clenched painfully as she did so. This was already a lot harder than she’d thought it was going to be, and she hadn’t even started talking yet. She was in so far over her head right now.

“Something happened last night,” Twilight said. She tried to make her voice sound as steady and even as she possibly could. “Something really, really big.”

Every head in the room turned to look at her. Twilight squirmed uncomfortably. How pathetic. She’d been in the middle of a ten thousand pony party yesterday and hadn't batted an eye, but a talk with her friends was close to doing her in. Nopony said anything, all of them waiting for Twilight to speak.

"Alright. So, last night, I couldn’t sleep. I had a question on my mind, and my wings kept getting in the way. Since I wasn’t getting any sleep, I figured I’d go ask Celestia if she had an answer to my question. Well, she had an answer, and, uh…” Twilight trailed off.

“Yes, darling? We’re all ears,” Rarity said. “Please continue.”

Twilight began twiddling her hooves in front of her, eyes downcast. She could feel their eyes watching her, questioning her. Judging her. Why did life have to be so darn complicated?

Twilight decided, then and there, that it was probably best to take the band-aid approach. It was easier to just do it quickly, before the pain had a chance to set in.

“I told Celestia I’m in love with her,” Twilight said. “And, while she doesn't have quite the same feelings for me that I have for her, she still wants to try. At a relationship, I mean.”

Utensils were dropped, clattering onto plates. Chairs were shifted, turned to face Twilight. And Twilight’s friends stared.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said.

“What she said,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Make that a third ‘oh my’,” Pinkie said. “And add a ‘whoa’.”

Spike grinned. “Yeah, that’s what I said!”

Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She looked to be stricken speechless.

“Well… that ain’t what I thought you were gonna tell us, that’s for sure, “ Applejack said.

Twilight shrunk into herself, crossing her forelegs over her chest protectively. She trusted her friends. She trusted her friends. She trusted her friends.

Maybe if she thought it hard enough, she’d begin to believe it.

“Are you sure this is something that actually happened, and not just a dream you had?” Dash asked. “‘Cause this sounds like the kind of thing you’d dream up.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s not a dream. Celestia’s off talking with Luna and Cadance about it, and after I’m done talking with you girls, we’re going to go speak with Shining Armor and my parents.”

The girls all shifted nervously in their seats.

Twilight wasn’t sure what to think of their facial expressions: they were all rather blank, controlled.

“I’m… I’m not quite sure what to say, Twilight,” Rarity said. “It’s not every day that you hear news like this.”

“I know,” Twilight said. “It’s… well, I guess it’s kind of weird, right?” There was a round of nods from the ponies at the table, Spike was the only exception.

“Ain’t she like a mom to ya?” Applejack asked.

“No, not really,” Twilight said. “I mean, I have a mother. A really good mother. She’s… always supported me in everything I’ve done.” She could feel herself tearing up, memories and regrets shoving themselves to the forefront of her mind. “We were actually really close, when I was little.” Twilight couldn’t keep a few tears from leaking out. She rubbed one foreleg against the other self-consciously. The guilt was almost palpable. “I should really spend more time with her…”

Applejack leaned back in her seat, rocking slowly back and forth. “Why now, Twi’? Ya’ll just became a princess. Don’t you wanna deal with that, before ya’ll go looking for romance? ‘Specially with the Princess?”

Twilight tried to organize her thoughts, tried to find a way to explain. Everything she could think of quickly slipped through her hooves. “I’m sorry, Applejack. I honestly can’t explain it. I wish I could, but some feelings just… don’t have the words.”

Rarity sighed dreamily. “Now that I think about it, it’s kind of romantic. Star crossed lovers, a student and teacher separated by societal decrees and laws, fighting for the right to be together.” She idly stabbed a fork at a piece of haycon, staring into the distance and muttering to herself.

“And we’ve lost Rarity,” Rainbow Dash said. She took a swig of orange juice, tapping a hoof on the table as she did so. “Well, you don’t gotta worry about me, Twilight. Element of Loyalty, remember? I’ve got your back. Princess Celestia’s, too. You guys need anything, just ask.”

Twilight gave Rainbow a grateful smile. For all of her faults, Dash was still a dependable pony. Twilight turned to the girls that hadn’t said anything yet, wondering what they had to say. “Pinkie?”

“Can I plan your wedding!”

Twilight began choking on air, gasping. “W-w-w-wedding?! There’s no… we haven’t… there isn’t…” She was beginning to hyperventilate. She summoned a paper bag and began breathing into it, trying to calm her excited emotions. Why did Pinkie have to be so… Pinkie!

“Mebbe we should wait until they actually, y’know, date first, Pinks?” Applejack said. “Assuming that the two of ya are gonna date, I mean.”

Twilight nodded around the paper bag, her breaths still coming heavy and fast.

“Will you please tell us how you decided on this, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked softly. “It seems rather sudden, is all, and, um…”.

Twilight’s breathing finally slowed to acceptable levels. She placed the paper bag on the table, just in case she needed it again. Preventive measures, as Celestia had said. “Do you remember when I vanished the other day, after I finished Starswirl’s spell?”

“Kind of hard to forget that,” Rainbow Dash said. “We were worried we might have, you know, exploded you.”

Twilight hadn’t thought about that. “I’m sorry, girls. I didn’t realize I’d scared you all so much.”

“It’s okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “Really.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy. But we’re getting off topic, and I really need to stick with one train of thought right now.”

More nods and a few sympathetic looks. The girls were being awfully quiet today...

“Alright, so, after I got hit with the Elements, I ended up in the Astral Realm—”

“What’s the Astral Realm?” Rainbow Dash asked, interrupting Twilight.

“Yes, this is the first time I’ve heard of it myself,” Rarity said. “Whatever does it look like?”

Twilight ran through what she could remember having seen while she was there. “Um, it’s like a road made of stars, leading into the distance. There are galaxies and things there, too. It’s kind of like walking through outer space.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty cool sounding,” Dash said. “But what is it?”

“As far as I can tell, it’s basically a safe place for high level spells. There’s nothing around for miles and miles, so no matter how much energy a spell puts out, there’s nothing damaged.”

“Damaged? What could have been damaged?” Pinkie asked.

“A lot of Equestria, I think,” Twilight said.

They all gawked.

“I don’t think any of you realize just how much power it took Celestia to make me an alicorn. She was literally glowing with power when she did it.”

“How much power we talkin’, Twi’?” Applejack asked

“At the very least, Canterlot and Ponyville would have melted.”

Applejack let out an impressed whistle. “Yeah, that’s a lot of power. Golly.”

Twilight shook her head rapidly. She couldn’t get distracted. Not now. “Celestia was there, in the Astral Realm. Waiting for me. She’d been expecting me to succeed.” Twilight could feel her face heating up, the memories flooding back so quickly she felt dizzy. “And, while we were there… She sang to me.”

Pinkie mouth dropped open in shock. “Princess Celestia can sing!”

“Yes,” Twilight said. “Wonderfully.” She sighed, the notes for the song running through her head. She found herself humming Celestia’s ballad.

“...That the song she sang, Twi’?” Applejack asked. At Twilight’s nod, she continued. “Sure is pretty soundin’. Don’t suppose you wanna give us the lyrics?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but ended up closing it without saying anything. She couldn’t talk. The words wouldn’t come. She couldn’t tell them. Oh, no.

“You don’t want to share it,” Fluttershy stated.

“I… I didn’t even really want to tell you about the fact that it had happened,” Twilight admitted.

“Whyever not, darling?” Rarity asked, concern clear on her face.

Twilight couldn’t blame her. She was concerned, too. Something else she’d been keeping inside was bubbling it’s way to the top, an old hurt that she’d thought she’d gotten over. It would seem she hadn't.

“Because I… I don’t want to share it with anypony. I want to keep it for myself.” Twilight could feel herself tearing up. Not the tears of fear or doubt, but of genuine pain.

“I… I don’t want to have to share her with you.”

“Um, I’m not sure I get it, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight began to sob, tears, fat and wet, cascading down her face in a torrent. “Do… do you girls remember, when I enchanted my Smarty Pants doll?”

Everypony in the room looked away, suddenly very interested in the dining room’s wallpaper.

“I know you do. I certainly do. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life.” Twilight was close to hysterical, and she knew it. But she couldn’t help it. It had been sitting there for months, now, eating at her like a parasite. She looked up at the girls, at Spike. Pinkie and Fluttershy were tearing up, while the others looked incredibly concerned for her.

“...Do you remember what happened after that?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said, “Princess Celestia showed up and was all ‘Twilight Sparkle! Meet me at the Library!’, and you were all like, ‘I’ll write you from Magic Kindergarten’, and then we went to the Library, and Celestia was there, and she told us she wasn’t going to punish you so long as we all wrote her letters!”

Twilight whispered, “That last part is the one I’m upset about.” She ran one front hoof through her hair, resting her head on the other one. Her chest was burning. It was getting harder to breath. The sobbing was back, as well.

“You all… you just… accepted it, were happy with it. And I know… that I was at the time. That it was... such a relief... that Celestia wasn’t… didn’t… hate me.” Twilight’s voice was barely loud enough to be heard.

Rarity looked like she wanted to get up and come over to comfort Twilight, but Applejack lay a restraining leg over her shoulders.

Twilight looked at Applejack. Just looked. Eventually, she gave Applejack an appreciative nod, who nodded back.

“To you all, it must have seemed so… wonderful, to have a direct connection to Princess Celestia, to be one of those chosen few.

“But those letters were the only contact I still had with her on a regular basis. And my friendship reports… they were… they were…”

“Were what, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“They were all I had left of her!” Twilight shrieked.

Unnoticed by all, the door to the dining room opened. It closed quietly, and the soft sound of hoofsteps, light and measured, filled the room.

“I am so sorry, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I had no idea my decision that day had hurt you this badly.”

Twilight looked up at Celestia, tears and mucus clearly running down her face. She felt like a scared child, the little filly that had been afraid of the dark because she hated being alone so very badly.

Celestia knelt, wrapping Twilight in a hug as she did so.

Twilight sobbed into Celestia's chest, clinging to the smooth, vanilla scented coat. She could feel Celestia rubbing her back, hooves smoothing and ruffling Twilight’s coat hairs pleasantly. She murmured happily into Celestia’s chest, grief and joy intermixing in confusing, painful ways.

Life. Complicated. Why?

“I never meant to hurt you, Twilight. It is never my intent to hurt you, or anypony else,” Celestia said.

Twilight rubbed her face against Celestia’s chest, letting the smooth, silken hairs run up and down her cheek. Celestia was always so warm, so soft…

“I saw how overworked you had gotten, how manic you were becoming. Even from your letters, I could tell you were approaching a breaking point. I had meant to intervene before then, but I was more distracted by Luna’s return than I realized. I was too late, and when you fell, I failed to catch you.”

“It isn’t your fault, Celestia,” Twilight said. “I’m the one that made the mistake, not you.”

“No, Twilight,” Celestia said. “The failure of the student is also the failure of the teacher. That is simply the way it is. Your mistakes are my mistakes, as, had I taught you the correct way, you would not have made that mistake in the first place.”

“Celestia…” Twilight murmured. “That… that isn’t a view I can agree with. How can I? You’re… such a wonderful teacher, and you’ve taught me so many things, and I owe you so much…

“But I see how disappointed you are, were, whenever I make a serious mistake.” Twilight raised her wings, looking over her shoulder at them spitefully. “The only reason I have these wings… is due to the fact that I made a huge mistake, once again. And again, my friends are the ones that paid the price.

“I… I destroyed their lives, completely and utterly. And they still forgave me. They forgive me for… for everything. And how do I repay them? By telling them I don’t think I can trust them with a song!”

“It’s okay, Twi’,” Applejack said. She pushed back from her chair and got up, letting her hoof fall from where it had been on Rarity. The others all got up as well, walking around the table to stand around Twilight and Celestia. As a single group, the five mares and one baby dragon piled on the two of them in a group hug.

“Nopony’s perfect, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “Not us, not you, and not even Princess Celestia. Everypony makes mistakes. We learn from them and grow. So long as you remember that, things will work out.”

Twilight shook, sobbing uncontrollably. Why did they always have to be so understanding of her flaws? This would be so much easier if there was an enemy to fight. Twilight waited hopefully for something to crash into the room. A giant dragon, perhaps?

…Nothing. Didn’t look like anything was coming this time. Dang.

There were a great number of tissues passed around, the sound of blowing noses filling the room. After several minutes, everypony seemed to calm down, and they went back to sitting around the table.

Celestia sat next to Twilight, draping a wing over her shoulders. “I’ve spoken with Luna and Cadance.”

“And?” Twilight asked. She could feel her heart pounding rapidly. She hoped for good news.

Celestia delivered.

“Luna is wary, but supportive. Cadance seemed to be a bit too enthusiastic for her own good.”

Twilight snickered. “She always has been when it comes to things like this.” She let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, that’s almost everypony. All that’s left are my parents and brother. Oh, and you wanted to talk to Spike!”

Celestia looked over at Spike, who waved back enthusiastically. “I don’t think I need to, actually. He seems to be quite alright with this.”

Spike nodded. “Yep. I don’t get it completely, but I get it enough, I think.” He squinted at Celestia. “Just don’t hurt her.”

Celestia paused, taking several moments to herself.

Twilight watched her face, her eyes, for any sign of what she was thinking.

“I can’t promise that, Spike,” Celestia said. “It’s impossible for me to know what’s going to happen in the future, and I can’t predict what arguments Twilight and I may or may not have. All I can promise is this: Whatever pain I might inflict, it is not my intent to hurt others. Not now, not ever.”

Spike seemed to accept that, as he went back to eating after giving Celestia a nod.

“So, it’s just my family left, then,” Twilight muttered, playing with a napkin. She folded it and unfolded it several times, considering the situation.

‘Intense’’ wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the feelings that would be involved.

“No matter how much I trust them, I can’t help but feel we’re going to have a fight.”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, there’s always that possibility. However, worrying yourself sick before we actually speak with them isn’t going to do anypony any good.” She brushed her wing down Twilight’s back in a gentle caress.

Twilight was a puddle of contentment. That had felt so nice, so soothing…

“Thank you, Celestia,” Twilight said, she and Celestia standing up at the same time. “And thank you all, too.” She looked around the room, making eye contact with each of her friends. “For everything.

"Now, let’s go talk to my family.”

Shining Armor had been easy enough to track down, soldier of habit that he was. He never skipped a day of training, and could almost always be found working out in the guards’ barracks. Twilight had been been a common sight there since she was little. Once Shining Armor had gotten transferred to castle duty, he and Twilight had taken every opportunity they could to spend time together, ignoring normal protocol. Sometimes, being the student of Princess Celestia had nice perks. Not always, though.

“You wanted to talk to me, Twylie?” Shining asked. He was in the middle of a rep of push-ups, head down in concentration, back perfectly aligned.

“Yeah, I did.” Twilight bit her lip. She tasted copper. Probably not a good sign.

Celestia stepped forward to stand next to Twilight. “Actually, we both need to talk to you.”

That seemed to get Shining Armor’s attention more than anything. He bolted upright, saluting. “Princess Celestia, ma’am! Is this a matter of national emergency?”

Celestia chuckled. “Some politicians will think so, no doubt. But no, it’s a more personal matter.” She turned around, waving with a wing for Twilight and Shining Armor to follow her.

Shining tapped Twilight on the shoulder, catching her attention. “Twylie, what’s going on?”

“Um… before I tell you, I want to go get mom and dad.”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “What could you need all three of us for?” He grinned, poking Twilight in the chest. “Oh, I know! You’ve got a hot date you want us to meet!”

Twilight’s face was never going to stop being red, was it? She was going to have to get used to being the color of overly ripe tomatoes for the rest of her life. “Not… exactly.”

Shining Armor raised both eyebrows this time. “Wait, you mean I’m right? You have a special somepony?”

Celestia turned back to look at Twilight, giving her an encouraging grin as she did so.

Twilight swallowed and nodded. “Kind of?”

"Wow. Did not see that one coming.”

“Do you know where mom and dad are?” Twilight said, trying to change the subject while she could.

“Yeah, they said they were going to go check out the eastern library.”

“Okay. Eastern library it is.”

The three of them walked in silence, their hooves echoing in the empty halls. Considering how many ponies had been in Canterlot yesterday, Twilight was rather amazed to see the castle so empty. There was little more than a few guards placed around each doorway and a couple of maids or serving girls walking here or there. “It’s pretty quiet,” Twilight said.

For some reason, the castle had always seemed much busier when Twilight was younger. Looking at it now, as an adult, it was all rather barren. And somewhat cold.

“The castle usually is,” Celestia said. “It’s Canterlot proper that has the most hoof traffic. Very few ponies seem to realize the castle is open to the public. They see a giant, intimidating castle and immediately think ‘royals only’.”

Twilight flared her wings slightly. There was a knot in her back that just wouldn’t go away.

Celestia, seeing this, turned to Twilight. “It’s not a knot.”

“Huh?” How had Celestia known what she was feeling?

“That tension in your back? It’s not a knot. It’s a muscle group. You didn’t have it before, so your body isn’t used to having it. It’s why you feel uncomfortable right now.”

“Oh... It’s connected to my wings, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

Twilight groaned. “So it’s not just going to go away with enough rest, then.”

“No, Twilight. I’m afraid it’s there to stay.”

Well, there were worse things she could have to deal with. One of the rumors that had been spread about the Princess over the years involved her having something rather different as an extra feature.

‘Embodying all the attributes of ponies’, indeed.

“How’d you know what I was thinking?” Twilight asked, genuinely curious.

Celestia smiled. “I was a brand new alicorn once myself, Twilight. I remember some of the odder feelings associated with the transformation. Suddenly having muscles where I didn’t before is a hard thing to forget.”

Twilight wasn’t surprised. It was certainly a feeling she wasn’t going to forget anytime soon, and probably not ever.

“Give it some time. Once you start using your wings more regularly, it’ll begin to feel natural.”

Twilight made a mental note to get some books on flying while they were in the library. Just because they were going there for a different reason didn’t mean she couldn’t multitask. The rest of the walk was completely uneventful, hallways leading to hallways, stairs leading to stairs.

Twilight remembered, now, why she had originally wanted to learn how to teleport. The castle was large, boring, and empty. Unfortunately, Shining Armor had never been able to master the skill. His magical talents were almost all defensive. For now, they would just have to walk.

The eastern library was a large, ornate room, filled with magical tomes. A velvet rope was in front of the door, a sign reading ‘For Office Use Only’ dangling from it.

“I don’t know why they even bother with these things,” Shining said, hopping over the rope. “Nopony pays any attention to them.”

Twilight couldn’t help but agree. If they—whoever ‘they’ were—really wanted to keep ponies away, they should put up a sign saying something more intimidating. Something like ‘Beware, knowledge!’. That would certainly scare off some of the ponies who were just rope jumping to rope jump.

Celestia laughed and hopped over the rope herself. “Oh, I know. But some of the castle staff are set in their ways, and think that knowledge is something to be kept secret. As if these books were unique.”

Twilight agreed with that wholeheartedly. She wished that more ponies in Ponyville would stop by the Golden Oak Library. Learning was always more fun when done with another by your side.

Celestia had taught her that.

Twilight Velvet and Nightlight, Twilight’s parents, were at the very back of the room. They had several stacks of books on each side of a table the two were sharing.

“Good morning, mom. Morning, dad,” Twilight said, drawing her parents’ attention.

“Oh, sweetie! Good morning!” Velvet said. She stood up, dusting herself off. “And Princess Celestia is here, too! And… Shining Armor.” Her face paled.

“Oh, no. Something’s exploding again, isn’t it?”

Shining shrugged. “Doesn’t look like it, but I’m not really sure what’s going on. Twilight just told me that she, and Princess Celestia, needed to talk to us.” He gave Twilight a look. “Something about a special somepony?”

Nightlight looked up, curious. “A special somepony?” At Twilight's confirming nod, he said, “Okay. Let me finish reading this page, and then we can talk.”

Twilight waited, impatient and nervous. This was so much more difficult than talking to her friends had been. She tasted bile. That couldn’t be good.

Nightlight finished his page and stood, as did Velvet, who gathered up the books that were on the table, levitating one of them over to Twilight.

“Here, sweetie," Velvet said, "This is a book on flying I thought you might enjoy. It’s got a lot of diagrams of muscle groups, and some advice from old Wonderbolts members for beginning flyers.”

Twilight took the book, beaming at her mother. “I was going to look for something like this while I was here. Thanks for finding it for me.”

Velvet moved over to Twilight and nuzzled her. “You’re very welcome.”

“So, where should we talk?” Nightlight asked.

Shining Armor pointed over to a secluded corner. It was at the very back left of the room, the shades over the windows drawn. There was a small table, large enough for only a few ponies, surrounded by cushions. It looked rather private. Probably as good a place as any other. The five of them made their way over to it and sat down, books set down on the tabletop. Twilight and Celestia sat on the far side, her family across from them.

Nightlight cleared his throat. “So, a special somepony, huh? I guess you’re about that age, aren’t you?”

“That age?” Twilight asked.

“When romance starts to matter more,” Nightlight said. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t said anything about it before now. Considering you’ve inherited your mother’s looks, I would have thought you would be beating suitors off with a stick.”

Twilight gulped. The image that statement had brought to mind wasn’t one that she wanted to have around her parents. Really, she didn’t even want Celestia to know about this one. She’d die from embarrassment.

“Um, this is actually the first time I’ve ever had a special somepony,” Twilight admitted.

Velvet looked surprised. “Really? With how experimental teenagers are nowadays, I’m rather surprised.” She smiled genially. “But now that I think about it, you’ve always done things at your own speed. I guess this is just another one of those things.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Twilight said.

This would be a lot easier if she didn’t have such good, understanding parents. Were they worse ponies, she could just be out with it and not care how they reacted. They weren’t, though, and Twilight felt horrible for wishing they were, even if it was only for a second.

“So,” Shining Armor said. “Who’s the lucky pony?”

Twilight looked at Celestia, hoping for some kind of guidance.

Celestia smiled at her, put a wing on Twilight’s shoulder, and pulled her into hug. “I am."

“...I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right,” Velvet said. She pointed at the two of them. “Are you saying you’re dating?”

“Yes. Twilight and I have decided to pursue a romantic relationship.”

Velvet rocked back on her haunches, stunned.

Nightlight said nothing, just stared at them.

Shining Armor laughed. “Hah! I guess it does run in the family! I owe Cadance ten bits!”

Another pony betting on her love life? Wonderful. Twilight was confused about what he’d said, though. “What runs in the family?”

“We appear to have a princess fetish!”

Twilight sputtered; Celestia laughed. That hadn't been what she had been expecting him to say at all.

“So… I guess that means you’re okay with it, Shiney?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. I think it’s great, actually! You two are good for each other!” He shrugged. “And it’s not like I have any room to judge. I married a mare that was like a sister to me.”

Twilight felt herself tearing up. If she cried much more today, she was going to die of dehydration. She threw her forelegs around him in a crushing hug. “Thanks, Shiney. I think I needed to hear that.”

“So long as I get to be best stallion at your wedding!”

Twilight’s head slammed into the table with such force that several books were knocked onto the ground. “You and Pinkie should hang out some time. You’re both equally insane.” She turned to look at her father.

“Dad?”

He set a foreleg on the table, resting his head on it. He stared at them for several long, agonizing seconds. At last, he said, “Use a condom.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to call the sound she made. It wasn’t like any sound she’d ever made, or heard, before. “We’re both mares!”

“Incredibly powerful alicorn mares that live in a world where gender swapping spells exist. So, again, use a condom.”

Twilight wanted to sink into a hole and die, forgotten forever. It would be the only way to get away from the embarrassment.

“... Sweetie,” Velvet said.

Twilight looked at her, fearful. She’d had a feeling the last pony they spoke with would be the most difficult.

“Would you please step out of the room?”

Twilight paled. “Why!”

“I need to speak with the Princess.” Velvet crossed her forehooves over each other and rested them on the table. “Alone.”

“I… I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Twilight said. This had the potential to be explosive.

“I’ll speak with her,” Celestia said.

Twilight looked sadly at Celestia. They were supposed to be doing this together. “Are you sure?”

“I am.”

Twilight got up, her brother and her father joining her. The three of them turned to leave, but Twilight couldn’t help but turn back, trying to see what expressions Celestia and her mother were making. She couldn’t catch them.

A second later, they were outside, and Celestia was alone with Velvet.

For the first minute that the two of them sat there, Velvet said nothing. She simply glared at Celestia.

Celestia wasn’t quite sure what to say. She knew Velvet, had known her for years. But every time they had spoken, it had been with Celestia as Twilight’s teacher, not a romantic partner.

“Is this why you made Twilight an alicorn?” Velvet asked.

“No, it’s not,” Celestia said. “I swear to you, Velvet, I had no idea this was going to happen. I was perfectly content being Twilight’s teacher, her friend. But when she came to me last night, told me of her feelings…”

“You decided, what, to humor her?’

Celestia was glaring now. “No.”

“Then why? Why Twilight? Why now?”

Celestia tried to gather her thoughts, but found that she couldn’t articulate the exact nature of her decision.

“Well?” Velvet prompted.

Perhaps plain, honest truth would work.

“I’m very old, Velvet. Old and tired,” Celestia said. In that instant, for just a moment, she felt the weight of her many years laying upon her back. She let her guards, her controls, slip for a moment, and made eye contact with Velvet. “And I am very, very lonely.”

“Lonely?” Velvet asked. “How can you be lonely? You’re surrounded by ponies every day, aren’t you?”

“Have you ever heard the expression ‘alone in a crowded room’?” Celestia asked.

“No, I haven’t.”

“How about ‘it’s lonely at the top’?”

“Yes.”

Celestia waved a hoof helplessly in the air. “I’m surrounded by blank faces, Velvet. I try to remember everypony’s name, their looks, how they’re connected to each other. But I can’t. I’m not infallible, and I don’t have an eidetic memory. I wish I did, but I don’t.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Family and friends fill a great number of the holes in my heart… But they don’t fill all of them.”

“And you think Twilight is the pony that can fill those holes?”

“...I believe she has the potential to, yes.”

Velvet frowned. “Are you in love with my daughter?”

Celestia, sadly, had to shake her head ‘no’. “At this time, I’m not. I’m attracted to her, both physically and mentally, but no, I’m not in love with her.”

Velvet rocked on her cushion, tapping a back hoof. She said nothing for several seconds, just rocked.

Celestia waited patiently. This was a difficult situation, and rushing Velvet would end badly.

“...If you had lied, said you were in love with Twilight… I would have taken my daughter and left, even if it was against her wishes,” Velvet said.

“I would never lie about something this important,” Celestia said.

“No, you wouldn’t, would you?” Velvet murmured. She began chewing on her bottom lip.

Celestia smiled at the sight. That was probably where Twilight had gotten the habit.

“...I can’t say I approve,” Velvet said. “It’s very… odd. Uncomfortable, even.” She looked up at Celestia, wariness plain on her face. “The way you spoke of Twilight all these years… I had thought you saw her as a daughter.”

And, once again, somepony thought of Celestia as Twilight’s mother. It was worse this time, however. It was Twilight’s actual mother saying the words. Celestia was tired of hearing it. It kept bringing up old wounds, digging at one of her most vulnerable spots. A spot that, even thousands of years later, hurt just as much as the day it was formed. But Celestia had decided on the truth, and after Twilight’s bravery while talking to her friends and family, Celestia couldn’t be anything but honest.

“I don’t see Twilight as a daughter…” Celestia began, trailing off. There was a catch in her breath, and she could feel her eyes tearing up with grief. “...because my daughter died a very long time ago.”

Velvet sucked in sharply, her eyes going wide. “What?”

“You heard me, Velvet. Please don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I… Uh…” Velvet stuttered. “I had… no idea.”

“Nopony alive today, save Luna, knows of this,” Celestia said. “Please don’t tell Twilight.”

“Don’t you think this is something she should know?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, she should. But telling her right now, on this day, isn’t a good idea. She’s highly emotional, and, if the conversation she just had with her friends is anything to go by, she’s incredibly worried about both being a princess and about our relationship.”

This appeared to be news to Velvet. “Worried? I don’t understand. She just became an alicorn, then became a princess. She seemed so… happy.”

“Twilight doesn’t believe she deserves her wings.”

“What!”

“Twilight… She blames herself for a lot of the problems that happen, whether it’s her fault or not. And just because she’s happy for one moment doesn’t mean she’s always happy.”

Velvet ran a hoof through her mane, subdued. “I didn’t realize…”

“Neither did I,” Celestia said. “And neither did her friends. To be honest, I don’t think even Twilight knew how much pain she was in.” One of her front hooves began tapping against the tabletop. “I believe that, with time, Twilight can be healed, can be convinced that she deserves her status. But it will be slow, and it will be difficult. And it will most likely be painful.”

Celestia and Velvet sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, both lost in their own worlds.

Celestia could feel the wheels turning in Velvet’s mind as she tried to grasp some kind of hoofhold.

“...I believe you want the best for my daughter, and that you would never mean to hurt her,” Velvet said, her voice low and dark. “But if you hurt her, truly hurt her… I’ll destroy you.”

“Velvet…” Celestia said. “If there ever comes a time that I hurt Twilight so badly you believe I need to be destroyed… I will let you.”

Velvet let out a shuddering breath. “Alright. I can’t say I approve, or that I like this. But this is Twilight’s decision, not mine.” She gave Celestia a watery smile. “She’s an adult now, and her decisions are her decisions. Just don’t do anything coupley around me.”

Celestia grinned. “Okay, that’s easy enough to promise." That hadn’t gone nearly as badly as Celestia had expected.

She’d thought there would be more magic blasts.

Twilight and Celestia sat at a small glass-top garden table set slightly outside of the entrance to the castle. The two had shared tea at that same spot for years, the ground below the table still containing the impressions of small hoofsteps.

“I’ve always loved this table,” Twilight said. She really did. It was simple but elegant, trimmed with gold and silver, the glass sparkling in the sunlight.

Celestia looked up from her tea preparations, grinning. “I’m rather fond of it, myself.”

Twilight waited calmly for Celestia to finish making the tea. It was one of those actions that required time and care. The difference between a good cup of tea and a bad one was small, and a simple mistake during brewing could ruin an entire pot.

Celestia finally finished, looking rather proud of herself. “It’s ready, Twilight.” She levitated Twilight’s cup over, filled it with piping hot liquid, and sent it back.

Twilight blew on the tea, taking a small sip. It was hot but not scalding, slightly bitter but also sweet. She could feel the warmth from the drink spreading throughout her body, relaxing her muscles.

“How is it?” Celestia asked.

Twilight’s answer was a content smile.

“I’m glad you like it,” Celestia said. She sighed. “Luna doesn't care much for tea, and Cadance is off in the Crystal Empire most of the time. I don’t get much chance to brew these days.”

“You’ll probably have plenty of chances, now,” Twilight said. She really liked having tea with Celestia. It was always so calm, peaceful. Loving.

“So, we've talked to everypony. And pretty much all of them are okay with this.” Her face fell a little. “Everypony but mom…”

Celestia reached across the table with a long leg, brushing Twilight’s hair out of her eyes. “It’s alright, Twilight. I didn’t expect everypony to be happy with this. The fact that she’s even willing to try means a lot.”

"I know, it’s just… hard to hear.”

Her mother had looked so… worried, hurt. Angry. Twilight had never wanted to cause anypony pain, and certainly not her mother.

“Twilight,” Celestia said. “We need to talk about something.”

“Yes?”

Celestia took a sip of her own tea, savoring the flavor. “It’s about last night. Before you went to sleep.”

Twilight thought back to that moment, trying to figure out what Celestia meant. “Are… are you talking about reading to me?”

Celestia nodded, eyes downcast. “Yes.” She looked up, face unreadable. “Twilight, that last bedtime story I read to you… Is going to be the last bedtime story I read you.”

“What? Why?” Twilight asked.

Had she done something wrong? Had Celestia been insulted that she’d asked for it?

“When I spoke to Luna, she pointed something out to me. Something that I didn’t want to acknowledge.” Celestia made eye contact, her look one of determination. “If I want to see you as an adult, I cannot treat you like a child. The actions I took when you were a foal… are not ones I can continue doing.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I know this must be painful for you. We’ve spent a long time together, and we’ve found habits and rituals that we enjoy.

“But those are habits and rituals of childhood, and continuing them as an adult would be… Well, I won’t say wrong, but they certainly aren't right. Sometimes, for a new life to be born, an old one has to end.”

Twilight wiped her eyes with the back of a hoof. “You’re… you’re probably right.” She looked down at her cup. “...Can we still have tea?”

“Of course!" Celestia said. "Tea is a socially acceptable pastime for both children and adults of all ages!”

Twilight smiled, scuffing a back hoof against the ground. “So, if we can’t do the things we used to do… What can we do?”

Celestia lay a front hoof over Twilight’s. “We can do couple things.”

“Couple things?”

“Dating, Twilight. Dinner, dancing, a show. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out of the castle for entertainment. I’m usually rushing to and fro for some large event, ribbon cutting ceremonies and the like. I haven’t been to see a play since you and your friends performed the Hearths Warming Eve one.”

“...What about learning?”

“So long as we do it together, as equals. I really don’t have anything left to teach you, Twilight. When it comes to magical ability, you’ve surpassed me.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “Surpassed…?”

Celestia sighed happily. “Yes, Twilight. You lack the experience I have, but that’s due to how old I am. Once you’re my age, you’ll blow me out of the water.”

“As old as you are…?” Twilight said. “I… I thought you said I wasn’t immortal.”

“You aren't, and neither am I. Immortality doesn’t exist, Twilight. Everything dies, even alicorns.”

"But, you’re… so old…”

“Alicorns possess eternal life, Twilight. We don’t age or get sick, but we can still be killed. It just takes a great deal more force than it takes for everypony else.”

        “Huh. That… Actually, that’s nice to hear. I was kind of worried that I’d, like, get my head chopped off and thrown into the ocean, but still be alive.”

“That’s morbid, Twilight.”

“It’s a perfectly legitimate fear,” Twilight said. “Haven’t you ever heard the tale of the Headless Horse?”

Celestia covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled.

“What?” Twilight asked, confused.

“I’ve certainly heard the tale, yes,” Celestia said. “After all, I’m the one who wrote it.”

Twilight felt like her head was going to explode. “You’re Starshine Smile?!

“Guilty as charged!”

“Wow! That’s… wow.”

“Yes, I think ‘wow’ is a good word for it.”

Twilight finished her tea and got a refill. This cup wasn’t as hot as the last one, but it still had that pleasant warming feeling to it. “That’s… that’s actually pretty nice to know.”

“Try not to spread it around too much, would you?" Celestia said. "One of the reasons some of those stories are so well loved is due to the fact that their original writer is gone, and it allows the reader to connect with the past. If word got out that the author was still alive, I don’t believe they would be as popular.”

“My lips are sealed,” Twilight said, making the gestures for a Pinkie Promise. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

“That sounds like it would hurt.”

“Not as much as the time I jammed a hoof into one of them!”

Celestia rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Honestly, Twilight. Sometimes, I wonder how you and your friends are still alive. The damage you do to yourselves is rather impressive.”

Twilight laughed. “I said it the first night I was there, and I’ll say it again now. Everypony in Ponyville is crazy! And yes, that includes me.”

Celestia smirked. “Oh, I know you’re crazy, Twilight. I think it’s one of the reasons I like spending time with you. I’m never quite sure what to expect!”

Twilight was sure her blush was visible from space. Celestia was the only one she would ever let get away with saying that.

“There’s one more thing, Twilight,” Celestia said.

“What?”

“The next time you spend the night in my chambers…” Celestia took a sip of tea.

Twilight swallowed.

“It will be in my bed.”

Twilight erupted into a fit of nervous giggling. “Oh. Okay. Yeah. Okay. That’s… yeah, that sounds okay. Good, even. Really good. Ha. Is it… is it really warm out? It feels really warm out.”

Celestia laughed, long and hard.