To Touch the Sun

Chapters

What is Love?
Morning Interlude
A Day Together
Divine Intervention
Bathed In The Dragon's Flame
Vigil
Teach My Heart To Love
Breakfast in Bed
From One Book Lover to Another

What is Love?

It was in the late afternoon when Celestia entered a pegasii drawn chariot headed to Ponyville. Ever since having received Twilight's letter yesterday, the Sun Princess had been feeling distracted. She had just barely paid attention in Parliament. Several stacks of paperwork laid upon her desk, not even looked at. In order to clear her head she had taken several walks in the rose garden. The sweet perfume rising from the flowers and their red, pink and yellow petals were usually enough to calm her mind. And for a time her mind was calmed. Still, all she could think about was her student, far away in Ponyville and the book that she had found. Silver Shield had been one of many poets popular in that era. He was one of many, but he had been her favorite.

As the chariot soared over the spired city of Canterlot, Celestia couldn't help but recall those distant days. The battles she had fought, when royalty was expected to know how to wield a weapon and know combat magic. Her name had made her enemies tremble! The wine that had flowed like rivers in her and her sister's gilded hall! It was a more vicious age, a hard and brutal age.

Yet, Celestia reflected, in some ways it had been a nobler age. Ponies had been stronger back then, hadn't they? The deeds of bravery, of raw courage, were still remembered. And she and her sister had been so close that it seemed as if no force in all the world could tear them apart. They had been the pillars of Equestria, holding up the nation upon their withers. The nation built upon harmony, the land of three tribes united, forged in an unbreakable bond.

Her reverie was distracted by a pegasus stallion flying by, an earth pony mare riding on his back and holding on tight. The two were clearly a romantic couple and the scene was so sweet that it brought a smile to Celestia's face. There had been a time when such a mixed couple would have been frowned upon, even legally prohibited in some provinces that only nominally recognized Celestia's authority.

Yes, during the age that you were just fondly remembering. Remember the bloodbath of the First Civil War? You're getting forgetful, old mare.

Celestia shook her head. That age hadn't been perfect, but it was when her nation had been young. It was when she had been young. Though she was millennia old, physically and mentally she was stuck in her early twenties. The ages rolled by and she remained, like a rock beaten by the waves yet never moving. How many generations had passed? She remained to remember them all.

She felt herself growing somber from such thoughts. They often troubled her. Striving to find a happier line of thought her mind turned to Twilight Sparkle and her extraordinary discovery. Though, in truth, thinking of Twilight always improved her mood.

...
The purple unicorn in question was running around in a panic while her dragon assistant tried to convince her to calm down.

"This quadrant looks clean. I think it's clean enough. Do you think it's clean enough?"

"Yes, Twilight." He deadpanned. "It's clean."

Since waking up that morning Twilight had been dusting and straightening up. All the books had been rearranged, each book on each shelf checked to make sure everything was straight according to arcane principles of organization only Twilight could understand (Spike was but a novice at the art.) Everything had been dusted. The floors had been mopped so that they shone. In order to make cleaning easier the whole library had been divided into seven quadrants. They had just finished cleaning the final quadrant and Spike was ready to call it a day. He might also call on Rarity and see what she was up to.

Twilight looked back over it. "Everything has to be perfect for her arrival."

Every time Celestia came over Twilight cleaned up the whole library. Spike often wondered what would happen if Celestia ever showed up unannounced.

Just as Spike was about to head out, Celestia's chariot landed at the library. She dismissed her guards who unhitched themselves and posted themselves at the front door. Celestia went to knock on the door, but before she could Twilight bounded out.

"You're here!" She exclaimed, just barely stopping herself from hugging her. Celestia opened her forelegs and Twilight embraced her. She held on for a while as Celestia returned the hug. Celestia was the one to let go.

"So, you finally found it. I have so many questions, but let's go inside."

Twilight followed her as they walked into the library. Sitting atop the table in the center of the room was a leather bound volume. Celestia approached it. Age had taken its toll on the book. Cracks and tears ran up and down its surface. The binding was torn, the pages yellowed. It reeked of ancientness. Emblazoned on the cover in Ancient Crystalish were the words "Songs of Love." With a trembling hoof she reached out and touched the book. It was Silver Shield's work. That was unmistakable.

She levitated the book over to herself. There were poems in this book that had been lost for over one-thousand years. Her mind was overcome with memories of a world only she and Luna could remember. She could almost hear the echoes of time-lost bards reciting his poetry in her halls. Back then she had not been so distant from her subjects. She was a blood-stained warrior princess who loved battle, mead and song. Many a guard and many a serving-maid had been invited to her bedchambers. She had loved back then because she still remembered how and so many lovers had whispered these poems into her ear. Her armor had been unworn for generations and her bed had laid cold and empty for just as long.

"Princess are you alright? Aren't...aren't you happy that I found it?" Twilight asked, a slight pout to her voice.

Celestia laid the book back on the table. "You have given me a great gift, Twilight."

"I just...I just wanted to give you something to show you how much you mean to me."

Twilight suddenly found herself wrapped up in Celestia's feathery embrace. She hesitated for a moment before wrapping her own hooves around her.

"Thank you, Twilight. If there is anything I can do to ever repay you-"

"No." Twilight said. "You've given me enough. I wanted to give you something in return."

"In any case, it was very sweet." She released Twilight from the embrace. "Why don't we work on translating this?"

There was nothing like academic discovery to excite Twilight. While Celestia carried the book in her magic, Twilight hopped towards her basement which had been turned into her personal study. Twilight used her magic to light some candles. There were two cushions in the center of the room and a stack of scrolls. Several books on Crystalish had been carefully selected and placed on a neat stack by the cushions. Twilight and Celestia lay next to each other and settled on the cushions. Celestia lay the book down in front of them. Twilight levitated over several scrolls and showed them to her.

"I couldn't help myself so I translated some already." She explained.

Celestia looked them over and then back at her student, who was biting her lip as if expecting to be graded on her work.

"You have a very good grasp on Crystalish. I'd have to look it over, but all these translations seem accurate." She read over one while Twilight beamed at the praise just as she always did. "They're not just accurate. You've captured the spirit of the verses. You've copied the first four poems. De Cantos de Adulescentia. Songs of Youth. The first poems he ever wrote. They were about his more youthful exploits."

She flipped through the pages until she got to the fifth poem. This began De Cantos De Bella. It was the longest section, dedicated entirely to his on-again off-again lover Bella. They had been married and divorced five times and died in one another's forehooves. At first she whispered the poem, trying to remember the exact cadence of it. Poems back then were intended to be sung. Twilight listened as she prepared a scroll and a quill. After a few tries she remembered the rhythm of the verses and began to sing them.

She sang it a few times in Crystalish. Twilight only listened and read over the text. Once she was satisfied she had gotten the meaning she wrote the poem down in Modern Equestrian. Celestia checked her work, but it was always perfect. They moved onto the next poem and then the next. Celestia grew more comfortable as they moved through the poems. Twilight continued to write down the translations. Once they got to the tenth poem she stopped. Celestia continued to sing, but the scratching of Twilight's quill had grown still.

"What's wrong, Twilight?"

Twilight stared at the text. "What in the world does this mean? 'The world says my love is not good to enter, but I have shut out the world, you my love are the world now.' Good to enter?" Twilight blushed. "Rather explicit."

Celestia giggled at Twilight's adorably scandalized and befuddled expression. "A very old idiom. It means 'it is not proper.' Bella was a commoner. He belonged to a noble caste." She frowned. "But translating it would ruin the poetic use of opposites, "enter" and "shut out."

"I'll just add a translator's note." Twilight said, scribbling it in.

They went back to the work of translating. There were a few more idioms that threw Twilight off. Celestia was there to help her through them. One poem frustrated both of them till Twilight realized the whole thing was based off an obscure myth. What myth they weren't sure of, but it had something to do with an apparent love affair between two of Megan's companions Surprise and Wind Whistler. Neither Twilight nor Celestia had ever heard of them having a love affair.

As the hours passed, Celestia felt a tug on her horn. It was the familiar pull of the sun. It had been at its duty for twelve hours and now desired rest.

"Excuse me, Twilight. I must set the sun."

Twilight nodded then jumped up to follow her. It reminded Celestia of when Twilight had been living at the castle and always wanted to watch her raise and set the sun. It never got old for her even if it had become routine to Celestia. The Solar Princess stood outside Twilight's library. She needed to be out in the open air to do this. Focusing on her horn, she reached out with her magic and took hold of the sun. The sun's energy was surprisingly gentle and it was easy for her to guide it below the horizon. A few moments later her sister raised the moon as evening blanketed Equestria. Her duty completed, she turned to go back into the library. Twilight was gazing at her with a look of awe that strongly bordered on worship. Celestia frowned. Twilight put her on a very high pedestal. Celestia, despite her position, didn't like pedestals very much. She had learned a long time ago that the higher up a pedestal was the more it hurt when you fell.

"Let's go back inside, Twilight."

Twilight gladly followed her. They walked back to the basement and settled onto the cushions.

"You really admire me, don't you?" Celestia asked.

"Of course." Twilight answered.

"What if I told you I'm not the pony you think I am?"

Twilight cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think I'm perfect? Infallible?"

Twilight hesitated before answering."Yes. You're kind and gentle and you have so much wisdom."

"And that's why you've fallen in love with me? While I'm fine in the mornings I tend to go to bed early. Late nights make me grumpy and I can be a prankster at times and sometimes-regrettably-I've gone too far."

"We all have flaws, Princess."

"Call me Celestia."

"Celestia." Twilight said slowly, stretching out each syllable as if it were a new word that she had never heard before.

"I'm pretty certain I'm the reason Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. I put duty before family one too many times."

Twilight shook her head. "You can't possibly blame yourself for that!"

"I do. I should have...no. There is no need to go down that path for the umpteenth time. Oh and here's a story that shows just what a wonderful big sister I am." The words were tinged with bitterness, a tone Twilight had never heard come from Celestia's lips. "I hadn't had Luna back three months when she took a slice of cake I'd intended for myself. She didn't know this however. She only saw a piece of cake in the royal pantry. I was late getting out of Parliament which Luna hadn't attended as she didn't feel comfortable resuming her duties until she studied up on modern Equestrian politics. It had been a particularly stressful session as a fight broke out between the Conservatives and Liberals over taxes. And I mean an actual, physical fight. When I got out I really wanted that flipping piece of cake. When I saw Luna eating it I snapped and yelled at her. I made her cry." Celestia hung her head in shame. "Such a minor thing. Comical from a certain perspective. Couldn't I have forgiven her? There were so many better ways I could have handled the situation. We started arguing and she said some things she didn't mean and left the castle." Celestia held back tears. "I thought I'd lost her again. For three days she stayed away from the castle. I went to look for her and found her in her old stomping grounds, a now abandoned cloud city. After a very long talk we hugged and she forgave me. But that's not the first time I've let my temper get the best of me though I'm trying to get better. I'm not a perfect pony."

Unexpectedly, Celestia felt Twilight's comforting touch as the smaller pony wrapped her in a hug.

"Pr-Celestia. We all make mistakes. That's what forgiveness is for."

Celestia nestled into the hug and wrapped her wing around Twilight, instinctively attracted to the warm touch. "I'm just afraid if you knew the real me, you wouldn't really love me."

"I've known you since I was a filly. I should hope I know the real you by now."

"But the relationship you want with me is quite a bit more intimate than the teacher-student relationship. Even more intimate than friendship." Celestia told her. "It is the most intimate relationship two ponies could ever have. Maybe you'll see the real me and...and not like what you see."

Twilight nuzzled her. "I couldn't even imagine that."

"You're a good friend, Twilight. I wouldn't want to lose you."

"That's alright. I've decided it doesn't matter if you never love me in the same way I love you."

"Oh?"

"I'm still going to love you. And I'll still spend time with you and I'll still...I'll still be your friend."

"That's a very mature thing to say, Twilight."

Twilight stayed nestled against her for a while. Celestia took comfort in her warmth. Whether as student, friend or something more Twilight had always been a comfort to her.

"We should probably go back to translating the text."

"Probably." Celestia answered. Neither of them made to move away from the other. "I'm actually getting a little hungry." She said. "Do you have anything here?"

"I don't feel like cooking and Spike's been so busy I'm giving him the rest of the day off." Twilight said. "But there's this really nice restaurant around. They have a great lily sandwich. N-not like a date or anything of course."

"Of course, Twilight." Celestia said as she stood up. "However, I may draw too much attention to myself and I would like it to be an occasion between just me and you not me, you and somepony trying to petition me. Let me change."

She closed her eyes and focused on her magic. A soft golden glow surrounded her and in her place appeared a pink-maned, medium-sized unicorn. Twilight gawked.

"How did you do that?" Twilight asked, touching her side and trying to feel for her wings. "This is no ordinary illusion spell."

"This is what I looked like before I became an alicorn. It took centuries for me to perfect this spell. Sometimes when I want to take a walk unencumbered I cast this spell." She explained, making her way up the stairs.

Twilight followed her. "Next time in Canterlot I'll be looking for a pink-maned unicorn." She hesitated. "Unless that would bother you."

"I would never object to your company." Celestia told her as they walked from the basement. Twilight opened the door for Celestia as they walked out.

They headed for the restaurant which laid at the end of a dirt road, away from the market . The restaurant was small, a humble wooden building with a thatched roof. It appeared to have had a former existence as a personal cottage before having been turned into a place of business.

The savory scent of frying flowers made its way from the building before they had even gotten within a few feet of it. Celestia could make out the smell of frying lilies and roses, roasted petunias and sweetgrass. The smells reached her stomach and made her aware of how hungry she was. Twilight walked ahead and opened the door for her. Celestia stepped through. There was a row of booths and a sign telling the to sit anywhere. It was crowded this evening and most of the tables and booths were filled. The sound of loud chatter filled the restaurant. Waiters and waitresses hurried to and fro as they both took and delivered orders. A bored, listless, stallion that was nearly a colt rested his head on his hoof as he stood at the cash register.

Young couples whispered sweet nothings to one another in darkened corners, families with foals chatted happily, the foals dug into their burgers with wild abandon as their parents smiled tolerantly at their lack of table manners. Some ponies were all alone, eating in silence. After searching for several minutes, Celestia chose a booth in the left of the room and she and Twilight sat down.

"Is it always this crowded?" Celestia asked as she settled into the booth.

"Not always, but they are popular." Twilight answered.

A blue pegasus with a blonde mane and tail trotted up to their table. "I'm Sky Soarer and I'll be your waitress this evening. What will you have to drink."

"Sweet tea." Twilight answered.

"Do you have hot tea?" Celestia asked.

"Yes."

"Jasmine?"

"Um, no I think it's just regular tea."

"Oh. Er, I'll just have water." Celestia said. Twilight stifled a giggle.

The waitress wrote down the order and left.

Twilight picked up a menu. Celestia read through hers, not completely familiar with the choices. She had eaten fancy, royal fare for centuries. She hadn't tried "commoner" food as the nobles would put it. In fact, she couldn't quite remember the last time she had tried any. After looking over it for a while she finally decided on the flower salad.

She turned her attention to Twilight who had set aside the menu. "Three." She said.

Twilight's ears perked up. "Three what?"

"The third noble deed." Celestia cracked a grin, something Twilight had never seen on her face. She had seen her gentle smiles full of love and wisdom, but never a full on grin. "I've known your family a long time. I knew Sir Prancealot personally. He was a lot like you. Smart and clever. You're doing noble deeds to try to win my heart right?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"Hmm, yes."

Twilight thought for a minute. "What was the third noble deed? Other than getting you that book I haven't done anything particular."

Celestia motioned to an older couple that was coming in. Both were earth ponies, both wrinkled and graying. The mare was shuffling and leaning against the stallion. The stallion pushed against her, holding her up.

"That's love right there." Celestia said. "Like when you comforted me after I told you that story. What do you think love is, Twilight?"

Twilight perked up at the prospect of a lesson. Celestia may not be her teacher any longer, but Twilight was still a student at heart.

"Love is something ponies feel for each other." Twilight said. "It's a bond that is often lifelong."

"A feeling, Twilight? No, I think that's only part of it."

Twilight slumped down. "Oh. Then love is...love is when you care about somepony else."

"Getting closer. But what about doctors and nurses? Do they love their patients?"

"I guess they have a general love for all ponykind."

"That's not the kind of love we're talking about."

Celestia looked around for more examples. If one knew where to look, love was all around them. There were plenty of couples around. One couple, two unicorns, were giggling about some private joke. Another couple was talking in hushed whispers, gazing into one another's eyes. Another couple was leaving. They nuzzled each other as they walked out.

"You know what I think, Twilight?" Celestia asked as she lowered her voice to a whisper. Twilight leaned close. "Nobody really knows what love is. Ponies, Zebras, Griffons, philosophers and poets of every race and tribe have tried to define it. None of them have agreed with each other."

"So, what is love?" Twilight asked. She was so close that her breath tickled Celestia's lips. From this close she smelt of strawberry shampoo. The smell of old books and soap clang to her fur.

"Love is in the simple things. A comforting touch. A kind word. Spending time with someone. That's love."

"But, what is it?" Twilight asked, almost desperate in her insistence.

"Here's the secret." Celestia said as she leaned closer to Twilight. Her breath tickled Twilight's ear. "Love is the great mystery. It binds together lovers, friends, families, entire nations, an entire empire. But no one actually knows what it is."

She leaned back into her own booth. Twilight leaned back into hers.

"Maybe love is like magic." Twilight said. "Nopony really knows what it is. But it is a fundamental part of our world."

"That's a very...unicornish way to define it. A pegasus may define it as being like the sky or an earth pony may describe it as like the land."

"I'm a unicorn. That's the way I understand the world."

"True enough."

Their waitress returned. Twilight ordered the lily sandwich and Celestia ordered the flower salad.

"So, if you had to define it, what would you say it was?" Twilight asked.

"Like I said. It's the mystery."

"Then maybe it's something two ponies-two beings-have to explore together? Like a group research project."

Celestia drank her water to hide the laugh building up in her throat. Leave it to Twilight to use an academic analogy to explain one of the great mysteries of life. If anything, Twilight had grown more adorable since her filly years. "Yes, Twilight. In many ways that is what it is like. Something two beings have to explore together."

Twilight thought to herself that the only one she'd want to explore love with would be the alicorn sitting across from her. That seemed like an inappropriate thing to say though so she kept it to herself.

They lapsed into a companionable silence until the waitress brought them their food. If nothing else, the salad looked delicious. It was an arrangement of rose petals, daisy petals, thistles and marigolds, a medley of many colors and scents. As a garnish, sweetgrass had been sprinkled all over it. Twilight's lily sandwich looked equally delicious. Celestia bit into the salad. The flavors nearly danced on her tongue.

"Oh, wow. This is good. This is really good." Celestia said.

Twilight appeared to be lost in some rapture of her own as she bit into the sandwich, but she nodded in agreement. They dug into their meals until there was nothing left. Celestia stared in disappointment at the empty bowl.

"They have dessert too."

"Oh, by all means."

They ordered ice cream sundaes. Both looked like little fillies as they ate the fudge covered treats. When they were done Twilight ordered the check. They walked up to the counter and Twilight took out her bits to pay. Celestia put her hoof on Twilight's.

"I'll pay, Twilight."

"No, I can pay."

"I want to. You treated me to a very lovely time. It's the least I can do."

Twilight nodded and Celestia put the bits on the counter. On the walk back to the library they made small talk, sharing stories of what had happened to them during the week. Dash was preparing for a race and Luna had discovered movies. Celestia was worried that she was going to exhaust her personal expenses watching every romantic comedy she could find.

"Have you introduced her to vhs tapes yet?" Twilight asked as they walked into the library.

"Oh, that is a wonderful idea." Celestia said. "I'll take her by Blockbuster."

They walked into the basement. Twilight used her magic to light some candles, giving the room a soft glow. Celestia retrieved the scrolls and the ancient book. They settled back onto the cushions and soon the room was once more filled with Celestia's chanting and Twilight's pen scratching on the scrolls.

The soft, gentle tongue of Crystallish wrapped around Twilight as Celestia chanted it. Twilight wrote down Celestia's words, wanting to wrap herself up in the Princess's voice as if it were a blanket. Without thinking about it she moved closer to Celestia. Celestia did not notice, lost in the chant. Hours passed as they read through the book. Twilight was not sure when she fell asleep only that Celestia's side was very comfortable.

Celestia stopped chanting and wrapped a wing around her former student. Sleep soon caught up with her as well.

Morning Interlude

Twilight Sparkle was swimming among the stars. Above her, below her, surrounding her was the embrace of the Heavens. She wasn't sure how long she had been floating in the void. Usually her dreams took her to libraries or a peaceful meadow like the ones her primitive ancestors had frolicked in during the long distant age of Dream Valley.

Sometimes she dreamed of being a filly again, but her friends were all fillies too. Across the great plains the filly versions of her friends and herself would chase each other and play. In still others, she was with Princess Celestia. This dream was different. For one, in those dreams she did not know she was dreaming. This time she did. Somehow, she knew she was in the dream realm. Endless, rolling galaxies floated by or maybe she was the one floating. She did not recognize the stars that rolled by. That alarmed her. She had studied astronomy and knew every part of the night sky.

She looked around, searching for familiar land marks. She thought she saw Regulus, then she made out the constellation known as Hurricane's Arrow. That landmark (skymark?) told her she was three-million light years away from Equestria. If this wasn't so very clearly a dream the fact would have alarmed her.

So, instead of hyperventilating or cursing the fact that she had never thought of making a checklist for what to do if she got lost in space she simply took a few moments to enjoy the feeling of weightlessness. A flash of whimsy struck her and she flailed her hooves as if she were swimming. A giggle escaped her lips and she continued swimming through the great emptiness. Reaching out a hoof, she touched a rainbow-colored nebula. It was warm and pulsing like a heartbeat.

The warmth attracted her and she pulled closer to it. The warmth of the nebulae wrapped around her like a blanket and she snuggled closer to it, sighing.

The nebulae was a rainbow of pastel colors, warm pink and cool blues and greens. Twilight couldn't remember why, but for some reason the nebulae felt familiar. It made her feel safe, like nothing could ever hurt her. Curling into it she let the strands flow all around her. It was impossible to fall asleep in a dream, of course, but she didn't want to leave this spot. She closed her eyes and realized she had been in here before, somewhere, a long time ago.

It probably wasn't important. Though she had stopped moving, the stars continued to move past her. The cosmos rolled past her, like some vast, living thing.

To amuse herself, she tried to find more constellations. The three stars of Daniel's Belt shone together. There was the stinging tail of the Manticore, Faust's Crown, the Sword of Bellephron, the Horns of the Minotaur and the Jewels of Princess Platinum.

There were more star patterns she didn't recognize. The nebulae continued flowing around her. It suddenly jerked away, sending Twilight adrift. Cold struck her unprotected fur. She whined and reached for the warmth, managing to pull it back to her and wrap back up in it.

Back in the waking world, Celestia stared down at her sleeping former student and now suitor. She had fallen asleep against her side while they were translating a poem about a night time rendezvous which used a great deal of star-based imagery. Celestia had fallen asleep afterwards. A sharp jolt against her skull had awoken her from a peaceful slumber.

Twilight had snuggled into her mane and was now cheerfully babbling nonsense while using Celestia's mane as a substitute blanket. Celestia had tried to pull her off, but Twilight had grabbed back onto it. She could just wake Twilight up, but the younger mare just looked so cute and filly-like.

When Twilight had first moved into the castle she was a confident, eager nine-year old (almost ten, she would boast.) That didn't stop her from occasionally having nightmares and on those nights Celestia had let her sleep with her. On many of those night Twilight had used her mane as a substitute blanket.

The thought troubled Celestia. Had Twilight conceived her attraction to the Princess on those nights? It had seemed so innocent back then. Twilight would appear in her pajamas at Celestia's door. Celestia would lift her wing and Twilight would dart under it, curling up to her. By all rights, Twilight should see her as a second mother rather than as a potential romantic partner.

It was too much to think about at this hour. Her internal clock told her that it was three in the morning. Even Luna would be asleep at this point if she wasn't frequenting a night club (she considered it her duty to make an occasional appearance at one. After all, they were in honor of her night.) Nobody wanted to see a cranky Princess Celestia so she needed to get back to sleep.

The Sun Princess laid down her head, wrapped a wing around Twilight nearly on instinct and tried to go back to sleep.

Deep in dreamland, Twilight was swimming through a rainbow river.

...
The call of the sun started out gently. As the moon began to lower it became an insistent tug that let Celestia know it was time to rise and begin the day. She opened her eyes. No light came down here in the basement. The fact that it was cool and dry made it perfect for storing and preserving ancient manuscripts, but was not a good place to raise the sun from.

Celestia rose, withdrawing both her wing and Twilight's favorite blanket. Twilight whined and kicked her hooves trying to reach for it. Celestia thought about waking her up, but didn't have the heart. After walking up the steps, she stepped outside to a world that was hinged in that place between day and night.

The moon had been lowered and the sky was a deep, dusky shade of blue. Celestia closed her eyes and focused. The sun ascended from its resting place, filling the sky with its golden light.

"No matter how many times I see it, that never gets less amazing." A familiar voice said from behind her.

Celestia turned. Twilight was standing behind her.

"Thank you." Celestia said. "Sleep well?"

"Wonderfully."

"You should have. You had my mane as a blanket."

Twilight blushed. "Oh my goodness! I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?"

Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder to cut off the coming panic attack. "It would take more than somepony tugging on my mane to seriously hurt me. You did it all the time when you were a filly."

"I did?"

Celestia nodded. "I was always able to wake up before you and ease my mane out of your grip."

The morning light shone on Twilight, highlighting her violet fur and the pink streak running through her purple mane and tail. The light also highlighted her horn, her well-developed muscles, her shapely rump and graceful legs leading down to her elegant hooves. The light of the dawn highlighted that Twilight was no longer a filly, but a grown mare.

"Twilight, have you been working out?" Celestia asked, not sure why she was just now noticing. She'd been visiting Celestia once a week, but they hadn't spent this much time together in a while.

"Physical exercise is good for the mental concentration required for higher magic."

"Ah, of course. I remember teaching you that, but you were never interested in it."

"I got interested when I realized I couldn't focus long enough to use a quadruple-corona spell. I got Rainbow Dash to teach me martial arts. She's an expert in five different disciplines."

"Impressive. I'm rusty, but I know some martial arts myself."

"Really?"

"Yep. Royalty had to know how to fight back in the day."

She struck a fighting pose, rearing up and positioning her arms in a guard position. Twilight looked it over with a critical eye.

"Let's go get breakfast. I can make it myself, let Spike sleep in." She announced abruptly.

"Twilight? Is something wrong?" Celestia asked, going down on all fours again.

"No, nothing. I'm probably wrong anyway."

"Wrong about what?"

Twilight bit her lip. "I'm...I'm not an expert and, um, I'm sure you know more about it than me-"

"Twilight, if you want to be my suitor don't treat me like your sovereign or your teacher. What's wrong?"

"Your stance looked off. I might be wrong though."

Celestia reared up again and got into the same stance. They circled each other before the princess threw a right jab. Twilight parried it and Celestia nearly lost her balance, but recovered quickly. A second jab from Twilight broke through guard and lightly tapped her chest.

"I've been afraid of this since Chrysalis." Celestia said, getting back down. "I've forgotten how to fight."

Twilight shrugged. "You don't need to know how to fight, you've got guards."

"True, but I don't want to lose all my skills."

Twilight straightened up. "First off, you need to keep your guard lower. Like this."

She reared up and demonstrated the proper stance. Celestia reared as well and they circled around each other. Celestia threw a jab. Twilight dodged it and threw a right hook that Celestia just barely blocked. They went several rounds, throwing light kicks and punches. Twilight, like everything she did, threw herself into it with eagerness. Celestia could just barely block her blows.

"I never expected you to take to martial arts, Twilight." Celestia said, blocking a roundhouse kick.

"I never did either. Dash got me hooked. It takes total concentration to do it well." She threw another kick which harmlessly bounced off Celestia's side. "It's helped me with my magic a lot!"

"Hmm, very interesting. You've lost weight too."

"Really? Wait, what do you mean by th-whoa!"

Celestia grabbed Twilight's hoof and pulled then pivoted. Twilight found herself hurtling towards the ground before being stopped by golden magic.

"Like you said, total concentration. Gotcha." Celestia giggled.

"Hay, no fair." Twilight said, although she was grinning.

Celestia released her from her magical grip. "All's fair in love and war. Want to go get some pancakes?"

Twilight eagerly agreed to this idea and they went back inside where Twilight got the ingredients to make pancakes, a bowl and a griddle. Spike was still asleep in his little basket.

"I really enjoyed that supper we had last night." Twilight said as she sifted together the flour, baking soda,, salt and sugar.

"As did I, Twilight."

Twilight nervously shuffled a hoof as she used her magic to pour the batter. "It's been a while since we spent a whole day spending time together like we used to. I've been busy and you've been busy."

The batter, heated by the stove, began to turn a crispy golden-brown. Twilight started flipping them.

"It has been a while hasn't it? You've grown so much."

"Would you like to...I mean...could you..." Twilight stuttered. "Would you like it if we spent the day together?"

"I'd love to, but Parliament's holding a debate."

Celestia instantly regretted her words when she saw Twilight's crestfallen look.

"Oh, that's okay." Twilight said, forcing a smile as she used her magic to lay the pancakes on a plate.

"Although I suppose I could send a message telling Luna to handle it."

"Really?" Twilight squealed, jumping around the kitchen. "Oh, I'm so happy! I'll show you around Ponyville and there's a nature documentary I know we'll both love playing at the movies and-and..." She trailed off and stopped jumping. "I mean, I'm glad." She took the pancakes, laid them on the table and sat down.

"It sounds like you have a lovely day planned out." Celestia said, taking a bite of the pancakes.

Author's Note

In RL, many Witches and Wiccans practice martial arts.

A Day Together

Celestia and Twilight sat at the table, eating up the pancakes. While these pancakes were regular, boring pancakes instead of the ones with fruit the Sun Princess so adored, they were still delicious. Twilight picked up a bottle of syrup in her field and poured them on her stack before digging into them. A yawning, sleepy looking dragon waddled inside and sat down at the table.

"Make any for me?" He asked.

Twilight had already prepared a third plate. She scooped the pancakes onto the plate and hoofed it to Spike who gratefully dug in.

"So, what were you thinking about doing first today?" Celestia asked Twilight as she finished off her pancakes, setting the plate aside.

"Well, we could just take a walk. That's what I like doing in the mornings. I know it sounds kind of simple, but..."

"Twilight, when you live as long as I have you learn to appreciate the simple things. Of course, I know you're going to take me by the town bookstore."

Twilight nearly choked as she swallowed the last piece of pancake. "You know me, Princess."

"I should hope so considering how long we've known each other." Celestia stood and stretched. She took the plate in her golden glow and took it to the sink.

"You don't have to clean it, I can do that." Spike said, swallowing a piece of pancake.

"Thank you, Spike." Celestia said, returning to the kitchen. Spike collected Twilight's plate and went off to the kitchen. Celestia stopped him and handed him a letter that explained to Luna the reason for her absence in court today. Spike sent it before heading off to his duties.

"Twilight, may I make a request?"

"Anything, Pr-Celestia."

"No grand gestures. I know you're trying to win my heart." That shade of red on her students cheeks just flat out didn't look healthy. "But today, I just want to spend time with my favorite student. No, my friend Twilight."

"You think of me as a friend?" Twilight asked.

"Of course."

"I had no idea. I thought you just saw me as your student."

"I haven't seen you as just a student in quite some time, Twilight."

A smile spread across Twilight's face. "I...I think of you as a friend too."

Celestia responded to Twilight's smile with a gentle one of her own. "Why don't we take a walk together, friend?"

Twilight practically bounced out the door, Celestia keeping pace beside her as they stepped into town. In order to avoid attention, Celestia cast her disguise spell.

By this time most ponies had had their breakfast. The light of late morning shined down on Ponyville as mares and stallions trotted to work. The birds were singing a chorus from their place among the branches of the trees. Twilight trotted alongside Celestia pointing out several businesses and sights. There was a series of stores outside of the library, including one that sold quills and sofas. For the life of her Celestia couldn't figure out how those things were related, but the shop did good business judging by the constant stream of customers. Twilight explained that they had the best quills in town and it was where she bought her quills from.

The marketplace was in full swing, the enticing scents of fresh fruit filling the air. Merchants called out their wares as customers wandered around the stalls. An orange earth pony, Celestia recognized her as Applejack the bearer of the Element of Honesty, waved to them from her apple stall and they waved back.

"Who's your friend, Twi?"

Twilight and Celestia stopped at the stall and Twilight gave a cautious glance at Celestia. Clearly, Celestia didn't want anypony to recognize her otherwise she wouldn't have disguised herself. She wondered if it would be alright to tell Applejack.

"I'm Aurora. I'm visiting from out of town." Celestia answered.

"Are ya now?" Applejack asked. "I reckon your special talent has somethin' to do with our fair kingdom considering your cutie mark?" This was said with a wry grin.

"Fire magic, actually." Celestia responded, cursing the fact that it was nearly impossible to lie to the bearer of the Element of Honesty. Luna had borne it long ago and it was impossible to keep a secret from her. Many nobles and petitioners had discovered that the hard way as had Celestia.

"Would you like some apples?"

"I'll take a few, I'm running out." Twilight answered. She picked up four of them, and put them in her saddlebag before giving Applejack a few bits.

"You know I don't charge my friends full price, Twi." Applejack said, only accepting half the price of the apples. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "So anything I need to worry about?"

"No. She's just visiting from out of town."

"I see. Well, take care."

Twilight said goodbye to her friend then Twilight and Celestia returned to their walk. While they strolled through town Twilight was making plans in her head. While Celestia had told her not to make any grand gestures, Twilight still wanted her to have a good time. She seemed to be enjoying the walk and kept looking around at the shops and houses. Twilight formed a mental checklist based upon her extensive knowledge of the princess and her habits. After their walk, they could go to a movie or maybe a bookstore would be better. Celestia would surely enjoy that nature documentary.

"This town has grown so much in the past century." Celestia told her, breaking her thoughts. "This all used to be meadows and farmland."

"More earth pony families started moving in around fifty years ago, attracted by the wealth of the Apple family. Then unicorns and pegasii started settling here from Cloudsdale and Canterlot. Still, thirty-five percent of the town's families claim membership in the Apple family-and it's a big family. There was some tension between the old stock families and the newcomers, but that was smoothed out."

"You've studied up on the history?"

"It's what I do."

"Did you know the Apples tried to secede and declare Ponyville an independent nation just to avoid letting in unicorns and pegasii? They wanted to be an independent crown territory like Cloudsdale."

"You managed to convince them otherwise after several rounds of peaceful negotiation."

"Sure did."

They passed a dress shop shaped like a carousel.

"Oh, that's the Carousel Boutique." Twilight pointed out.

"An appropriate name." Celestia noted. "Your friend Rarity works there correct?"

"Yep. She's the best seamstress in town."

The unicorn in question stepped outside of her shop. "Twilight! I've been meaning to speak with you! Come in and bring your friend there."

Twilight stepped inside. The boutique was filled with brightly colored dresses and well-crafted leather saddles set on ponykins. There was a large section of tuxedos and light blue and grey business suits as Rarity had been trying to branch out and expand her clientele to include stallions.

"So, what'd you wanna speak to me about?"

"I heard the most interesting rumor. That last night Celestia came by your house and did not leave and that you two were seen frolicking in the early morning hours. In fact, some suggest it may have been a rendezvous of a romantic nature."

Twilight wondered if it was possible to die from blushing. "We were not frolicking I was showing her how to fight."

"Yes. I'm certain our millenia old princess who's fought more wars than years either of us have been alive needs to learn how to fight." Rarity replied dryly. "Anyway, ponies get ideas in their heads. Ideas supported by you gallivanting off to the Crystal Empire simply to get our dear princess a book of love poems. Did she like the gift, by the way?"

"She loved it."

"Wonderful." Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Darling, I don't know how much romantic expertise you have, but if you need any advice on courtship just come to me. I'll make you a dress of such stunning beauty to accentuate your already lovely features. It will sweep her right off her hooves and straight into yours." She clapped her own hooves together. "Oh, it'll be lovely I assure you!"

"Thanks, Rarity. I'll keep that in mind."

"What are friends for, Darling. As for you..." She went to Celestia and began whispering in her ear. "If you need any help seducing Twilight, I will make you a dress that will sweep her right off her hooves not that you need the help, your highness."

"You know it's me?" Celestia asked.

Rarity gestured to her cutie mark. "Nopony else has that mark. When we see you in, um, disguise we simply assume you don't wish to be bothered and respect that."

"That's very considerate of you."

"If you ever do want a disguise I can make you a dress for you."

"I might take you up on that."

A green pegasus stallion walked in.

"Apologies, I must get back to work." She pranced back to the cash register. Twilight and Celestia said goodbye to her and walked back out of the store.

"You know we ought to round things out and I could introduce you to the rest of my friends." Twilight suggested.

"Perhaps we could go by Sugarcube Corner and visit your amusing pink friend? They have a lovely chai tea."

"I could go for some coffee myself."

"I've never understood how you and Cadence could drink that stuff." Celestia said, trotting alongside Twilight as they walked in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. It was crowded as many ponies were there for a morning snack. Twilight and Celestia made their way through the crowd.

"Hiya Twilight! Hiya Twilight's new friend who I don't think I know!" Pinkie said, bouncing and enthusiastically greeting the pair.

"Hi, Pinkie. This is Aurora. She's from out-of-town."

"Hiya, Aurora! Twilight, I already have your morning coffee." She jumped into the back and came back with the steaming beverage.

"How did you...no. It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it."

"And what do you want, Aurora from out of town?"

"A cup of chai tea."

"Hay, since you're new here do you wanna party? Everypony that's new in Ponyville gets a Pinkie party."

"While that does sound lovely I want be here that long."

"Gotcha." She poured a cup of chai tea. "I also got your chai tea."

"Thank you."

They took their cups and sat at a table near a window. The wisps of steam coming from their tea and coffee shimmered in the sunlight. Twilight sipped the coffee, the rich and bitter beverage warming her. Celestia sipped her own tea enjoying the spicy flavor of the chai. For a time they sat in companionable silence. A question had been gnawing at the back of Celestia's mind and she decided now was as good a time as any to ask it.

"Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"I've known you for a long time. Ever since you were a little filly.I was and am your teacher. I am so much older than you. Wouldn't it be strange to have such an older lover?"

Twilight was deep in thought for a moment as she drank of her coffee. She laid it down on the table. "Might I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"How old are you? There's no mentions of you before Unification so I'd assume less than four-thousand years old."

"I am four-thousand and five hundred years old."

"The average pony lives just under one-hundred years. Rarely, particularly magically strong ponies can live a few centuries, but no longer. You are old enough to be my grandmother's mother several times over."

"Exactly my point."

"So, anypony you know..." Twilight trailed off as she realized how many Celestia must have lost throughout the ages. "My gods, that must be horrible."

"It is." Celestia whispered.

"If you chose not to associate with anypony below your age you'd be alone forever, you and Luna. Nopony deserves to be alone." Twilight said, lifting a hoof to Celestia's cheek. Celestia instinctively nuzzled her hoof.

"No. You're right. It's just...it's been so long." Celestia looked away from her. "So long. I've been alone."

Twilight withdrew her hoof and took another sip of her coffee. "You don't have to be."

Celestia sipped her tea and Twilight sipped her coffee.

"So, there's a movie playing." Twilight finally said. "It's about the social behavior of timber wolves."

"Sounds fascinating."

...
The theater wasn't very crowded, only a few elderly ponies and what appeared to be some college students. Twilight and Celestia chose two red, velvety seats in the front of the darkened theater and sat down. They had gotten there just as it was about to start. Twilight had calculated that advertisements took about ten minutes. Since nopony actually liked advertisements and they were a waste of her hard earned bits Twilight had found the perfect calculation to get to the movies just as the movie itself actually started.

The only problem was that with popular movies the seats were filled long before the advertisements began. Fortunately, this movie was not popular. A voice over began as the camera zoomed in on a panoramic view of a forest. A haunting howl echoed through the trees that raised the fur on Twilight's withers. She sunk down in her seat and inched closer to Celestia.

"The timberwolf is a rarely studied creature." The voice over continued. "What are their origins? Are they natural or the product of some dark magic?"

A pack of timberwolves walked into a clearing. One, much larger than the others, was at the head.

"Each pack of timberwolves is led by the alpha male and his mate. We named this alpha Bobby."

At that point Twilight began wondering if the ones filming this were slightly insane.

"Bobby has just spotted dinner."

There were low growls and snarls as the timberwolf pack circled a frightened but strong buck. The buck darted off and the timber wolves ran off in pursuit. They ran so fast they were just a brown blur against the green of the forest. The buck managed to keep a few inches ahead from the snapping jaws of the slobbering beasts just behind it.

Twilight inched even closer to Celestia who wrapped a wing around her. "Frightened, my faithful student?"

"W-what? No of course not!" Twilight confidently replied, wondering why she thought seeing this movie was a good idea. Last month she had gotten fascinated by zoology after some talks with Fluttershy. That's why she'd wanted to see this movie.

The timberwolves finally caught up to the buck. The alpha crushed its middle with its terrible jaws. The buck crashed to the forest floor, its death throes echoing through the trees. Twilight turned away, grateful for Celestia's comforting wing. The deer did not go down easily. It thrashed and bucked. The alpha yelped as the deer's hind legs connected with its jaws. The other timberwolves dug into its flesh.

Twilight watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the buck continued its hopeless struggle. With a sweep of its great horns it stunned one of the wolves. Until its death throes ceased it continued to struggle.

"Bobby was injured in this hunt." The voiceover said as the camera panned away. Time elapsed and the wolves began to return to their lair. "Will the pack turn against him?"

The next two hours was a tangled up soap opera as the alpha was nearly betrayed and replaced by his eldest son. The alpha was able to reassert its dominance, but only after much bloodshed and the eldest son running away with a female to presumably start his own pack. Timberwolves didn't actually bleed, but they did excrete a sticky substance when injured.

At the end, the alpha and his pack journeyed south, following a herd of bison. The credits rolled by and Twilight stood to stretch.

"That was certainly an interesting movie." Celestia commented.

"It was. I think I'll go for a documentary about butterflies next time."

Celestia laughed, a warm, gentle sound that brightened up the darkened theater. "I would like that. So, what'd you have planned next?"

"Wanna hang out at the bookstore?"

"Sure."

They walked from the theater. Twilight spent a few minutes adjusting to the blinding noon light. Celestia followed her as they strolled towards the bookstore. Suddenly, Twilight stopped. A thought had been worming itself into her brain, that familiar tug of anxiety. Celestia laid a hoof on her shoulder. She had known Twilight long enough to see those familiar signs. Stopping suddenly. A furrowed brow. An ear flick.

"Twilight?"

Twilight turned to her. "It's just, I've been dragging you around all morning, wanting you to have a good time. But, this movie or going to the bookstore are things I wanted to do. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

Celestia raised a hoof to her chin in thought. "Twilight, I like books as much as you do. The movie, however, was much to graphic for my tastes."

Twilight's ears wilted. "You should have said something."

Celestia nuzzled her. "I was having too much fun cuddling you. You know, cuddling in the dark is the reason so many dates happen at scary movies."

Twilight's cheeks turned red. "So, is this a date?"

"Perhaps. In my time, they didn't have dates. Cadence introduced me to the concept. But this would seem to fit the definition of one."

They started walking again, Twilight nearly hopping. In her head she was chanting, 'I'm on a date with Princess Celestia, I'm on a date with Princess Celestia, I'm on a date with Princess Celestia!' Then she stopped again, this time at the doors to the bookstore.

"Hay, you never answered me. Is there anything you'd like to do for this date?" She pulled open the door for Celestia.

Celestia paused. "I told you no grand gestures."

"I'm just opening the door for you."

"Everypony always opens doors for me. For a change, I'll open it for you." She took the door in the glow of her magic.

Twilight's horn lit up and she took the door from Celestia's magic. "Age and beauty before neurosis."

"Nice twist on an old classic. Beauty before age." She took the door in her aura once more.

"Sorry, Princess." Twilight whispered. "I won't let you hold the door open for me."

"And I won't let you open the door for me."

"It's simple courtesy." Twilight insisted.

"That's just it. Everypony is always giving me special privileges and courtesies. I wish somepony would treat me as an equal, a friend."

"I open doors for my friends all the time."

"Since you are my friend, Twilight, then I will open the door for you."

"Why don't we just open the door at the same time?"

"Deal."

Twilight and Celestia's auras mixed as they opened the door together and strode in at the same time. Rows and rows of books greeted the pair. A cart at the front of the store was filled with new books. The rich scent of coffee wafted from the cafe. Twilight looked through the new books along with Celestia.

Twilight levitated a thick tome with her magic. "Oh, Iris Maredoch came out with something new."

"Maredoch? I've never heard of her."

"She's from Haybernia."

"Ah. That island has always produced the most talented writers." Celestia took the book in her own magic and flipped through it. "It does sound interesting. Could you tell me about her work?"

"One of my favorites is 'The Sea, the Sea' about this old stallion that kidnaps a childhood crush..." She trailed off.

A grin tugged at Celestia's lips. "I do hope you don't take your romantic advice from her."

Twilight gave Celestia a flat look. "There would be several strategic problems with kidnapping an alicorn. Your absence would cause some notice for one."

Celestia spent a few seconds trying to decide if she was serious or not before they both burst out laughing.

"To tell you the truth I wouldn't really mind being kidnapped. On some days I just need a break. Oh, look this book has your name on it!"

Celestia picked up a book titled 'Twilight' featuring an anemic looking pale stallion and an apathetic looking mare who appeared to be trying to look sexy and failing.

"Oh. Oh Gods, please put that down." Twilight said covering her face with her hooves.

"Why, it appears to be a romance novel. I enjoy the occasional romance novel." She opened it up and flipped through it. Then she put it down. "When I get back, I'm going to suggest that Parliament do an investigation into bribery in the publishing industry."

"That would explain how it got published. Wait you like romance novels?"

Celestia nodded as they walked from the front and browsed the shelves. "A bit of a vice of mine. There's nothing like a romance novel and a slice of chocolate cake."

The thought of cake reminded her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. A growl came from Twilight's stomach.

"Would you like to try that cafe?"

Twilight nodded. "You ought to try their apple casserole, it's delicious."

A few minutes later, Twilight and Celestia were seated on a cozy couch in a nook by the window. The brown paneled floors and scents of sweets, coffee and tea all mixing together gave the cafe a homey feeling.

Celestia had ordered the apple casserole as had Twilight. While Celestia had ordered chamomile tea, Twilight had gone with black coffee. It was her own personal vice, something of an addiction she'd developed during her heady graduate student days (which weren't so long ago.) It was almost certain that she was now immune to caffeine.

She raised the paper cup to her lips and sipped it. Her mind, as always, was analyzing everything around her from the other customers milling about to a stack of comic books and graphic novels waiting to be sorted. The main center of her attention was Princess Celestia. Twilight glanced over at her. The Sun Princess's posture was relaxed as she sank into the couch. Her ears were perk, alert. She made occasional sighs of pleasure as she bit into the casserole.

Twilight had thought that the princess had wanted grand deeds and noble gestures in order to win her heart. The brief semi-argument at the door had shaken the foundations of that hypothesis. It seemed to Twilight that what Celestia really wanted was a friend and that was exactly what she considered Twilight. But Twilight wanted something more.

"Bit for you thoughts, Twilight?"

Twilight glanced over at her. At this time of day, the sun shone upon her dazzlingly alabaster fur. She was beautiful. That awe of her was something Twilight had never been able to get over.

"Oh, it's nothing. So, any favorite romance novels?" Twilight asked.

"Hmm, I'm partial to the Heart and Soul series."

"Oh, I love that series! Aren't Prism and Stone just adorable together?"

Celestia took a bite from her casserole and waited to swallow it before answering. "I suppose. But I think Stone and Flame belong together."

"Buh-what?" Twilight sputtered. "I respect your opinion, but I don't think so. Flame might have been her old high school lover, but she's moved on."

"And he still loves her. I admire that kind of faithfulness. Call me old fashioned. Besides, he was there for her when Prism decided his career was more im-"

"You can't blame him for-" She stopped and realized she was shouting at her former mentor and current sovereign. "Oh, excuse me, I mean, with all due respect, Prism's father blackmailed him into taking that job on the Hayman Islands. He wanted to split them apart."

"There would have been nothing to blackmail him with if Prism hadn't hidden his past from Stone."

"Okay, it's true he used to be addicted to drugs, but he's changed. Wait a minute." Twilight laid down her plate and coffee then vanished in a flash of teleportation magic. She reappeared holding, the seventh book in the Heart and Soul series and found the page she was looking for. "Okay. On page two-hundred and seventy he's offered heroin by his former dealer and he walks away. He's changed."

"I'm not denying that." Celestia said. She took the book in her magic and flipped through it finding page one-hundred and thirty. "He blatantly lied to her. Stone asked him if he had ever kept a secret from her and he said no."

"She only asked him that because she found out that Flame had cheated on her when they were first dating."

"True, but he was young and admits he made a mistake. At least he's being honest." Celestia hoofed the book back to her.

They went back and forth, fervently debating which stallion belonged with Stone more. A few times one of them raised their voice and eventually they moved their conversation to the romance books section so they could pull out all the support they needed to bolster their arguments. Twilight forgot that Celestia was Celestia and argued with her as she would any other friend.

Celestia deliberately drew it out. It was fun, debating with her former student even if it was over something so flippant and silly. Besides, Stone and Flame really did belong together. They had gone through so much.

"Furthermore, Prism is more of her type. They both have similar personalities." Twilight finished what had become a dissertation.

"Opposites do attract." Celestia pointed out. "Stone's calm intellectualism is balanced out by Flame's energy and visa versa."

"Alright that's kind of a good point, but...is that clock right?"

"It appears to be."

They were surrounded by a stack of books and had been having their friendly argument for nearly three hours.

"No need to stop now." Celestia said.

Twilight began putting the books back with her magic. "Nah. I think we both have valid ideas. The author will decide. You know you never answered me about whether there's anything special you would like to do today."

"To be honest, I really have been enjoying myself." She stretched out. "I've missed these talks of ours."

"So have I." Twilight admitted.

"However, perhaps a walk in the park would be nice."

"I would like some fresh air."

Walking out, they opened the door together like they had before.

...
The heat of a late afternoon was coming on. Twilight and Celestia slowly trotted, relishing the cool of the grass beneath their hooves and the shade of the maple trees that towered above them. They were walking in a deep, quiet part of the woods. Occasionally, a bird would call out from among the branches.

"Twilight?"

"Yes?"

A cool wind blew past, lifting the strands of their manes. The sun was traveling farther west, waiting for Celestia to lower it. The shadows had grown long, shrouding both Celestia and Twilight.

"I don't think I've enjoyed myself like this in quite some time. I suppose we can count this as one of the noble deeds to win my heart."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "It wasn't really noble. I just showed you around town."

"Still, it..."

It felt right. The moment was right and it had been so long. Too long. She leaned down and at the very last second pressed her lips to her student's forehead, just beneath her horn. A hot rush colored her cheeks scarlet.

"Wow." Twilight whispered.

"It's been a long time since I've done anything like this. Can you promise me something?"

"Anything, Princess. Celestia."

"Will we always be friends? Even if I can't return your feelings?" The mask was falling away. This was who she really was underneath, the pony she had been scared to reveal. Lonely and vulnerable.

Twilight leaned into her, nuzzled her chest. "Of course we will."

...
It was night before Celestia returned to the castle. She soared through the night air, the moonlight and starlight making a silhouette of her figure against the darkness. After leaving the park, Celestia had left Ponyville and spent several hours just flying. Flying always helped her think. Luna was standing on the balcony, waiting for her. Celestia landed.

"Enjoy your day?"

"I kissed Twilight. On the forehead, but still. I kissed her."

Luna's eyes widened. "Shalt I be sending out wedding invitations soon?"

Celestia shuffled her hoof. "I don't know. I'm more confused now than I've ever been."

Luna strode close to her sister. "What is confusing you, Sister?"

"I wasn't sure how I felt about her. After spending the day with her I realized a few things. First off, Twilight is not the little filly I remember her being. She's a full grown mare."

"And how do you feel about that mare?"

"She's sweet and adorable. Intelligent. One of the few beings in the world that can match me in a verbal duel."

"That is impressive."

"I might love her. She brings out feelings I thought I had long buried. And there was a reason I buried those feelings. Every time I lost somepony, they carried a part of my heart off into the Shadowlands." She did not tell Luna that losing her had been the loss that had convinced her that love was just too painful.

"So, you have chosen to be alone for one-thousand years?"

Celestia did not mention that Luna hadn't exactly been a social butterfly since her return. "I suppose so. I couldn't imagine losing Twilight. I love her, yes. So, I can't love her. Does that make sense?"

"It makes no sense."

"I'm going to have to distance myself from her. I've led her on long enough as is."

Luna stomped her hoof. "You will do no such thing!"

"It is painful, but my mind is made up." Celestia said, trotting towards her bedchamber. Luna sighed. Now, she knew what she had to do.

Author's Note

Her name's Iris Murdoch and she is a very talented writer.

Divine Intervention

There were three tribes in Equestria. Each tribe had its own culture though the lines had blended over the centuries. To each tribe, Celestia had a different relationship. To the Unicorn Kingdoms, she was high queen. Among the Unicorns, she projected an air of regality, an aura of majesty without distance. Her every movement was filled with grace and her serene smile was never lost no matter the situation. The seat of her power was in the Kingdom of Canterlot so it was the role of high queen that she was most comfortable with.

To the Pegasus city-states she was Supreme Commander. Among the Pegasii she projected an air of strength and power. When she visited one of the city-states, she came decorated in her full battle armor. She carried a spear and shot whiskey while accepting the occasional challenge to a race or a fight (always winning, of course.) After being defeated by the Changeling Queen it had taken several months before she had regained the trust of the Pegasii tribe, who had seriously considered secession from Equestria. A Supreme Commander who could not protect them was of no use. She had had to challenge the Chief of the Pegasii to single combat and defeat him before they had re-accepted her.

Celestia tried not to pick favorites, but she did spend a lot of time near Earth Pony settlements. They were a hearty, no-nonsense folk. To them, she was a chieftain like any other, though a first among equals. Earth Ponies had never lost their democratic roots. They revered her, to be sure, but they treated her with the same reverence they treated any other Clan Matriarch. Among the Earth Ponies, she was leader of the Clans and expected to project an air of wisdom and to partake of banquets with the rest of the tribe. So many banquets, all in her honor. How could she possibly be expected to keep to a diet when her Earth Pony subjects kept making such scrumptious banquets for her? Luna pointed out that she could simply stop visiting so much, but that could be interpreted as a deliberate slight.

High Queen. Supreme Commander. Chieftain of the Clans. Each mask was a part of who she was. There was no deception involved. She was a warrior, a leader, an occasional prankster. Still, there were other aspects to her. There were parts of her that no one knew about. There was a very short list of those she could drop her guard around. At the top of that list was her sister and fellow alicorn, Princess Luna. So, when Princess Luna had come into her chambers at eight o'clock and demanded that they go out together, Celestia said yes. On the other hoof, Luna had nearly dragged her by the ear, so she wasn't sure if she had a choice in the matter.

The two sisters had traveled in disguise through the streets of Canterlot till they came to an out-of-the-way tavern. It was run down, paint peeling away from the walls. It smelled of beer and piss. Lively folk music emanated from inside. Luna nearly shoved Celestia through the door. Moonlight filtered through red-glass windows and illuminated brown, mahogany tables. Despite the outward run down appearance, the tavern felt cozy and inviting. A few mares playing pool raised their glasses to Luna. Luna smiled at them and trotted up to the bar. Celestia followed. Her sister had been uncharacteristically quiet on their walk. Luna ordered a cup of mead and Celestia ordered a glass of red wine. A brown unicorn stallion sang and strummed on his lute. The music added to the cozy feeling. They sat down and Luna sipped her mead.

Celestia sipped the wine, enjoying the rich flavor. "What's this all about, Lulu?"

Luna took a swig from her mead. It was rare she was in a position to lecture her elder sister. She was going to savor this moment. "Are you happy, Tia?"

Celestia relaxed in her chair. "Happy? Yes, I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

"Because, I don't think you are."

Celestia snorted. "Of course I am. This is good wine, I like the music, I'm speaking with my dear sister, I couldn't be happier."

"I've seen you happier." Luna stuck a hoof at Celestia. "When Twilight Sparkle's letters come. Your eyes twinkle, I've seen it."

Celestia sighed and took a long, slow sip of wine. "This again. Of course, Twilight's letters make me happy. It is deeply gratifying to watch a pupil grow. She always has such wonderful insights. Her intellect, her thirst for knowledge, it is so incredible to see it in action."

"It is painfully obvious you are in love with her."

Celestia took one long, slow, shuddering breath. She took some more breaths and a swig of wine. "Let's lay this matter to rest and speak no more of it. Is this why you drug me out tonight? So you could interrogate me?"

Luna drummed her hoof on the table. "I just want you to be happy and I know Twilight makes you happy."

"By the Sun and Moon, I am happy!" She slammed her cup on the table, causing the red liquid to splatter. Luna drew back. "I am happy with things as they are! I am happy with Twilight as my friend! I am happy with you being back at my side! Damn it Luna I have never been this Stars damned happy!" She screamed.

Luna held back a whimper. "You, um, don't look very happy to me."

Celestia settled back in her chair. Throughout the outburst, her mane had gone wild, thrashing through the air like a whip. Celestia smoothed it down and laid a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "I'm very sorry, Luna. That was deeply inappropriate of me."

Luna grasped the hoof. "I heard you say you had closed your heart. Sometimes, your smile looks fake. I remember that you used to laugh more."

"I've changed, Luna."

Luna nuzzled her. "Because of me. Because of what I did, you stopped being able to love."

Celestia bit her lip and returned the nuzzle. "That isn't true."

Luna shook her head. "I know it is. There is no need to lie to me. You can not add to the guilt I feel from becoming Nightmare Moon by telling me what I already know."

Celestia drew back. "Is that what this is about? You feel if you get me and Twilight together, then it'll...atone for your misdeeds?"

"Misdeeds. There's the understatement of the millennium. Yes, Tia, that is how I feel."

"Let's say I do begin a relationship with Twilight. She is mortal. I am not. One day..." Celestia choked up. "One day, I will have to say good-bye to her."

"All the more reason to seize the moment! You will have a few decades of happiness together." Luna swept her foreleg out. "Seize happiness Tia!"

A wicked grin spread across Celestia's muzzle. "You know, you are one to talk."

Luna lowered her cup just as she raised it to her lips. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I do not see you with a consort."

Luna blushed. "This is about you, not me."

"Um-hmm. If I begin a relationship with Twilight, I'll have to find a consort for you. Perhaps your night guard would be interested in the task-"

"You wouldn't dare."

The grin spread. "I'm just being a good sister."

"Ugh. If I told you not to, I'd be being a hypocrite. Very well, if you start a relationship with Twilight, I'll let you set me up with a night guard. Or find one myself. Silver Lightning is single..."

Celestia sipped more of the wine and started humming along as the singer began to strum a few chords of an epic song about Princess Platinum.

...
Twilight put up the book she had been reading before bed and lay on the mattress in a meditation pose. She breathed deeply, feeling the energy of her magic flowing through her body. She harmlessly channeled the excess energy into the earth just as she did every night. it had been a long, wonderful, exhausting day. She wasn't sure if she was any closer to winning Celestia's heart, but part of her had stopped caring. She still wanted to do more deeds of love for her Princess.

'Whether she ever loves me like I love her...I'll still love her.' She opened her eyes once she felt her magic was properly grounded. She had a great deal of magic and what she didn't use throughout the day was channeled into the earth as a safety precaution in case she lost control of it while sleeping. She nestled into her blanket, rested her head on her pillow and was soon off to dream land.

...
A rolling meadow spread below Twilight's hooves. The grasses seemed to stretch endlessly. The vibrant, green mountains rose up to scrape the Heavens. Twilight was running for the pure joy of running, her hooves pounding against the earth, sweat falling on her brow. The Sun was at her zenith in the sky. Twilight kept running, running, chasing the sun. She lept upon the mountains and crawled on the rocks. The sun seemed to move. She could feel its life-giving warmth and climbed still higher. At last, she stood atop the mountain. Its warm light shone down upon her. Twilight looked down. The meadows stretched, endless, infinite. She could not make out the horizon. The Sun embraced Her in its warmth. She lifted up her hooves, striving to reach it. It was so high, beyond her reach, but she longed to feel Her warmth against her fur.

She stood there, soaking up the rays. The warmth caressed her fur, soaked into her skin. The rays of light filled her, eased her soul. Each ray was like the feathers of a wing wrapping around her, soothing her. She sighed in pleasure as the light fell onto the sensitive parts of her neck, lightly tickling her nape. She curled up on the mountaintop, longing to eternally rest in the sun's embrace.

That's when the world shifted. Twilight spun around as the land shifted all around. The sky opened and a dark blue alicorn appeared. Twilight bowed low as the Princess of the Night came to stand before her.

"Good evening, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said, nodding her head.

"Princess Luna, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked in surprise. Then realizing that that sounded rude she hastily added, "Not that I don't like seeing you, but you've never appeared in my dreams before."

"It's about my sister and your attempts to court her."

Twilight's ears drooped. "You don't think I'm worthy of her do you?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Lady Twilight Sparkle. You are the personal student of the Sun Princess, Bearer of the Element of Magic, recognized as a Master Mage in good standing with the Mage's Guild, noted scholar, Champion of the Crystal Empire, twice Savior of Equestria and, by marriage, related to the Princess of the Crystal Empire whom you are personal friends with. How are you not worthy of my sister?"

Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it as she realized how much she had accomplished in her young life. "I guess I feel like if I was worthy of her, she'd have said so already."

Luna shook her head. "Tis not your worth, but my sister's heart that stops her. She is afraid Twilight. Afraid to open herself to love because she has been hurt before."

"Hurt? By who?" Twilight asked, unconsciously moving closer to the night princess.

"By me. I betrayed her, there is no other word for it. By lovers that have died and left her alone. Immortality is a double-edged sword."

Twilight shuffled a hoof. "I don't know what more to do. I want her to love me like I love her. Is that selfish? I mean, I don't want to force her to love me, but maybe I can do something to win her heart."

Luna pressed a hoof to her lips. "I understand, Twilight Sparkle. And I believe there is a way."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You would help me?"

"Indeed. I wish to see my sister happy. You can do it. Did you know that the last thing our mother gave Celestia before her death was her necklace? A beautiful amethyst cut into her cutie mark on a golden chain. Celestia treasured it. Unfortunately, she had to give it up."

"Why?"

"Because a terrible dragon came to take it. The dragon lord of the east rained down fire and death upon Equestria during the Dragon Wars. We retaliated in an...overzealous fashion. War crime would be the current parlance, but such was war in those days." Luna closed her eyes, shuddering as old memories came to her. "In order to restore peace, both sides made an exchange. They ceded to us the East. Celestia ceded the necklace, which the Dragon Lord demanded. She was devastated, but did it for the sake of peace. I heard her crying in her chambers afterward."

Twilight's ears perked up as she understood Luna's suggestion. "If I could get it back..."

Luna smiled. "Right. Surely, such a deed would win Celestia's heart. The Lord of the East gave it to the Lord of the North to settle an ancient dispute among them, wherein it remains unguarded in his old palace. You will find a map to it in an old book I will be sending you if you choose to accept this quest." She laid a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Dost thou...do you accept?"

Twilight knelt and bowed her head. "I accept this quest."

"Rise, Lady Twilight. Morning breaks and you have need to leave my domain."

...
The morning light tickled Twilight's face and she opened her eyes. The scratch of a dragon's claws going against the floor came to her ears.

She yawned and stretched. "Spike?"

He stopped. "Yes, Twilight?"

She rubbed at her eyes. "Clear my schedule for the day."

"Huh? What's going on?"

"I'll explain over breakfast." She rose from the bed and went to get a shower. As the warm water fell over her she debated if she should take Spike or leave him. He would probably be okay at the library by himself and she wasn't sure how long she would be gone. She also decided to buy some fire-proof armor just in case another dragon had taken up residence in the palace. She could get that at Canterlot. Rarity had made her a jacket that she would need in the North.

After drying off, she went down to breakfast. Spike had prepared pancakes for her, which were sitting on the table. He was munching on a sapphire and greeted her as she sat down.

"So, what's going on?" He asked.

She swallowed a bite of pancake. "I've decided to go north."

Spike crossed his arms. "Again? Let me guess. Another gift for the Princess."

Twilight nodded. "A necklace from a dragon's palace."

Spike gaped. "Um, don't know if you've noticed, but we dragons can get a little possessive."

"It's unguarded and the palace is abandoned I assume. I'm going to get some fireproof armor. Actually, could you prepare me a checklist?"

"Um, no. Not until you give me an explanation."

It was Twilight's turn to gape. Spike had always been faithful to her every command, never questioning them.

"I'm sorry," He continued, "But this sounds dangerous and I need an explanation before I can go along with it. I know dragons. I AM a dragon. If that palace isn't unguarded...at the very least take the other girls."

Twilight put a hoof on Spike's shoulder. "Spike, the truth is I'm in love with Princess Celestia. I want to win her heart. What I'm going to get is a special necklace she lost long ago."

Spike nodded. "I knew you were in love with the Princess-"

"Wait, what?"

"You didn't hide it very well, sorry. You say her name at night. I know what being in love is like, I'll get you that checklist." He finished up the sapphire and jumped from his chair. He returned a few moments later, quill and scroll in claw.

"The first thing I'm going to need is fireproof armor. I can get that from Chain Mail's Imperorium. Then I'll bring along a jacket. And Princess Luna should be sending me the book with the map I need."

Spike wrote down the items. After breakfast, there was a knock on the door. Twilight went to answer it and was greeted by a batpony dressed in violet armor. He was carrying an ancient book which he handed to her. She took it and thanked him. He left and she went and got her travelling bag. She packed the book and a black jacket into the bag.

Spike hopped on Twilight's back as they headed out the door. "Shouldn't you tell the girls where you're going? They'll be worried."

"That's what I was about to do." Twilight answered, heading towards Sugarcube Corner. She knew Applejack and Rarity went there every morning. Walking into the crowded shop which smelled strongly of sugar, she searched for them. They were seated in a back corner, talking over two cups. As Twilight got closer, she detected the hint of mint and chamomile. She smiled. Rarity had finally gotten Applejack to try some tea. She greeted them.

"Good morning, Twi, Spike." Applejack tipped her hat to them.

"Is that a travelling bag, Darling?" Rarity gestured to the pack she was carrying. "Are you going somewhere again?"

"I am. I have something to tell you. I'm courting Princess Celestia and I'm going to retrieve a necklace that she lost." The only way she could think to say it was to just come out with it.

Rarity gasped. "That is so romantic!"

"Where is this necklace? Can we help?" Applejack asked.

Twilight shuffled a hoof. "I'd prefer doing it alone."

"Don't be silly." Applejack raised her cup and blew away some steam rising from it. "We're your friends. Now, where is it?"

Twilight hesitated. "An abandoned dragon's palace."

Applejack nearly choked. "Okay, romantic or not, we're goin' with you."

"But-"

"No buts. We're goin' with you."

"Quite so." Rarity added.

Twilight smiled and shook her head, accepting that there would be no talking them out of this. "Okay, okay. But I want to be the only one to touch the necklace."

"Sure thing."

"Very well." Rarity giggled. "Oh, this is so romantic! For your first date I'm making you a white dress! With purple highlights! No wait, maybe various shades of purple...hmm, I'll have to think about this..."

Twilight scratched the back of her head. "Um, we sort of already went on our first date. Sort of."

Rarity nearly choked this time. "Well, for your second date then!"

Applejack sipped her tea. "This will be a right fun adventure, I reckon. Been a while since we had an adventure together."

That's when Pinkie bounced over. "Did I hear something about an adventure?"

A yawning Dash appeared at the bottom of the stairs and trotted over, placing a hoof around Pinkie's shoulder. "Why'd you let me sleep in for?"

Pinkie booped her nose. "Cause you're cute when you're asleep. And when you're awake. And all the time."

Dash yawned again. "Well, luckily, I don't have work today. Oh, hey Twilight."

"Twilight's going on an adventure." Pinkie chirped up.

"An adventure? Whatever it is, count me in."

Twilight pulled up a chair and sat down. "Might as well bring Fluttershy along too at this point. If there are any new dragons that have moved in her talent with animals should help."

Dash sat down. "Whoa, what? Dragons?"

Twilight explained her courtship of the princess and her quest to retrieve the necklace. Dash had to convince Pinkie not to throw a "Twilight is Courting the Princess Party." Dash went to go find Fluttershy and returned with the timid, yellow pegasus several minutes later.

"Dash said you're going on a quest for Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy asked, joining the others at the table.

"That's right." Twilight answered. She gave Fluttershy a reassuring nuzzle. "I'm going to get a necklace that once belonged to Celestia from a dragon's cave. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but since everypony else was going we thought we'd include you to. And your skills with animals should help."

"I'll go. I've been feeling very confident since we helped out at the Crystal Empire."

"Alright, if we're all going, we're going to need to prepare." Twilight took the book from her saddlebag and opened it to a map of the North. They gathered around it. "The necklace is in the former palace of the Dragon Lord, about seven miles north of the Crystal Empire's capital city. Everypony have jackets?"

They nodded.

"We also might want to invest in fireproof armor. I know a place in Canterlot." She looked up from the book. "And girls? Thanks for the support."

They all shared a group nuzzle before heading home to retrieve jackets. Ten minutes later they met again at the train station and boarded the train to Canterlot.

Author's Note

Yes, Dash was over at Pinkie's. They were having sleepover party

Bathed In The Dragon's Flame

Twilight stood at the train station, looking over her checklist which she held in her magic. Her five faithful friends stood in a semi-circle around her. Twilight's saddle bags were full. She didn't have a brother in the guard an an ex-general for a father for nothing. "Ever prepared" had been a motto drilled into her from childhood on innumerable camping trips. In addition to a warm jacket, socks, and bits she had a horn blade. Shining Armor had shown her how to use it long ago and she still practiced with it. It was certainly strong enough to slice through dragon flesh.

Their first stop was Canterlot to get some fire-proof armor. The magic words "mission from the princess" and the royal seal Luna had been so kind to leave her with would ensure that the armor would be free. Spike was excluded from this mission as Twilight had judged it to dangerous for him to go along. Spike had grumbled, but Twilight was practically his mother. She worried. That's just what she did. She scanned the checklist one more time. "So, everyone's packed warmly? Everyone's packed enough bits, just in case? Fluttershy, you brought along your first aid kit?"

There was a collective eye roll and a groan from Dash. "Yes!"

Applejack laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Sugarcube, I know you're nervous about this. We all are. And I know it's important to you. But we've been over the list five times. We're ready."

A train whistle rang out, piercing the air. Twilight sighed and nuzzled the farmer who nuzzled her in turn. "I know, Applejack. I know. But this is dangerous and maybe a little crazy. Maybe a lot crazy. I just...I want to be prepared."

Dash leapt up into the air. "I'm prepared! We're all prepared! Let's go already!"

Fluttershy shuffled a hoof. "I do hope we don't have to do anything violent."

Twilight placed the checklist in her saddlebag. "I hope not. Hopefully, the dragon won't be there or be willing to negotiate with us. If worse comes to worse we aim to stun not maim or kill."

There were nods of agreement. Twilight went up to the ticket counter and purchased six tickets from the young unicorn colt working there. Then they trotted onto the train and found their compartment. It was roomy and spacious, lined with a red velvet carpet which Rarity gushed over. Twilight sat and looked out the window. Rarity and Applejack sat together and began discussing how their businesses were going. Fluttershy noticed some errant feathers on Dash's wings and, almost in the manner of a scolding mother, ushered her over. Dash sat down next to her and Fluttershy began preening her wing.

Pinkie hopped over and sat next to her, staring out the window. The train took off and the colorful buildings of Ponyville receded behind them, replaced by rolling, grassy fields and soft, sloping hills. An expanse of grasslands went past them in a rushing blur of green and blue, open sky. Pinkie began humming a tune. Twilight glanced from her to Dash who had begun to preen Fluttershy, gently twisting out a broken feather from her left wing. When Twilight had first seen them preening she had mistaken them for lovers. "Say, Pinkie?"

"Hm?" Pinkie turned to her. "What's up Twilight?"

Twilight looked out the window. Rows of green and fruitful hills, some covered in forests of oak and holly, rose up on either side of the train. "What's it like, being in a relationship? I've had a few, but I don't think I've ever been in one where I was really in love, not like with you and Dash. Like, does it bother you how close she and Fluttershy are?" She winced as she realized how that question could be interpreted as rudeness. Her natural curiosity often had that effect.

Pinkie chewed on some of her pink, curly mane and then spat it out. "It used to. But then Dash explained that she and Fluttershy are blood sisters. And preening is just something Pegasii have to do and like to do with their family."

The green hills gave way to jagged, grey mountains that rose up to scrape the clear, blue sky. Pinkie stared out at them. "I've preened Dash before. For them, it's more intimate than...anything. Even sex. Something you do only with a loved one. She let's me do it with her so it must mean she really loves me." She paused. "Love is weird. I love my mama and papa and sisters and my clan and my friends and I love Dashie in a super-special way." She touched her chest and dreamily smiled. "She makes me happy in here. Even happier than chocolate cake-eep!" She squealed as the pegasus in question walked up and slapped her rear. "Glad to hear I make you happy. It's what I try to do, Pinks."

She placed a possessive wing over Pinkie's back, drawing her into an embrace. Pinkie pressed her lips to Dash's in an enthusiastic kiss. Dash responded in kind, kissing back. Twilight smiled at the happy couple. She wondered if she and Celestia would ever be able to enjoy that sort of relationship. She suddenly wondered if Celestia's lips tasted like mint.

She wanted to share her love with Celestia, to make her as happy as Pinkie and Dash made each other. The train made its way along a dusty, narrow path. Mountains rose up on either side. A few windswept trees trees hung on, growing from the crevices. Canterlot was a city built on a mountain and it was a wonder to behold.

The first thing that caught the eye were the alabaster spires, trimmed with gold, that rose up from the city. The heart banners, symbols of the love that bound the tribes of the Empire of Equestria, fluttered from the towers of the palace. When the sky was cloudless and the sun shone down in its full glory the entire city shone.

Today was one of those days. The train entered the city. The royal banner of the Two Sisters fluttered in the breeze, lifting every patriot's heart. This was Twilight's hometown and even she was sometimes awed at the beauty of it. The train stopped at the station. Twilight and the Element Bearers walked from the train and into the city.

Multicolored flowers hung from baskets and window boxes, sending a pleasant scent through the streets of the city. Twilight led them through the pristine, well-maintained streets to the shopping district. A humble, wooden building with a thatched roof declared "Iron Blade's Armory." Twilight opened the wooden door and her friends followed her.

The shop was filled with spears, swords, shields that took up an entire wall and suits of armor. Some of the weaponry was tribe specific. One section of the store had horn blades, another wing blades and a third section had specially weighted horse shoes to increase an earth pony's natural strength. Dash flew over to the wing-blades and began to examine them.

A few guards and civilians were shopping, browsing among the weaponry. One waved to Twilight. Twilight waved back, recognizing him from her time at the castle. The owner of the store, a burly, grey, Unicorn stallion strode up to her and saluted. "Twilight Sparkle? I'm former Colonel Iron Blade. Her Highness, Princess Luna, told me you would be here. Your suits of armor have been prepared."

Twilight saluted back and called her wandering friends over. Iron Blade led the way to the back of the store. Six suits of armor were waiting for them, covering six ponyquins. Iron Blade showed them how to put on the suits of armor. The armor was lightweight, made of silver silk which was known for its many magical properties. Most significantly it was known for its ability to resist dragon fire. Rarity had to pull her mane back into a ponytail in order to make the helmet fit. She had enough mane ties for everypony and now knew why Twilight had requested she bring some.

She struck a pose, watching herself in the mirror. "This silver is rather flattering. Guard chic. I could make it work."

Iron Blade playfully slapped her on the withers. "You could market it to some young stallions I know."

She rubbed her chin. "Hmm..."

Like Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie had been forced to tie their manes back in order to make the helmets fit. The helmets included visors since they were potentially going up against a dragon. Dash had bought the wing blades and attached them to the side of her wings. She slashed the air a few times, acclimating to the feeling of them.

Twilight glanced at her as she went through the movements of a wing kata. "I didn't know you could use wing blades."

Dash gave a vicious forward slash. "I've mastered literally every Pegasus fighting form. Well, except one."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"Crescent knives. Fluttershy has though."

Fluttershy frantically shook her head. "You know full well I've vowed to never pick up another weapon, Dash! Not after what I did to those poor bullies...I just thank Poseidon I used a wooden training blade."

Dash shrugged. "Ah, they were fine. Eventually. Anyway, all Pegasii are taught how to fight."

Twilight retrieved her horn blade. She moved around in her armor, performing a drill her brother had taught her. She swung her horn in a wide arc, getting used to being in the armor. She stepped back and charged, then did two quick slashes against the air. "Feels good."

Once she felt comfortable she thanked Iron Blade and left the shop with her friends. There was time before the next train. Twilight led them through the streets of Canterlot and through the throngs of well-dressed, elite Unicorns that dominated the great city. The narrow street she trotted on alongside her friends led into a courtyard and a row of businesses, mostly restaurants.

The rich smells of roasting hay and fresh cut dandelions rose in the air. It practically made Twilight's mouth water. A series of white chairs and tables were seated in a stone pavilion. Daisies decorated the tables. They took their seats around a table. A waiter came out and handed them menus.

Dash perused it and quickly decided on a fried hay sandwich. Rarity shuddered at the thought Canterlot would serve such commoner fare then ordered the fresh daisy sandwich.

Applejack chuckled. "We all know you want the greasy hay fries."

Rarity harumphed. "I am a lady. A lady on a diet."

Twilight looked up from her menu. "Actually, cheat days on a diet are good for you."

Rarity's ears perked up. "Really?"

Applejack patted her shoulder. "Go on, Rares. Get the hay fries. You know you want to."

"You little orange temptress."

Nonetheless, she ordered the hayfries and enjoyed them immensely. Twilight pulled out a map from her saddlebag. "So, after this we go to the Crystal Empire." She looked up at the sky. It was nearly past noon. "I figure we'll stay the night and then we can head out in the morning."

...
It was afternoon by the time they reached the Crystal Empire. Beyond the Empire were the Great Northern Wastes, the seemingly endless plains of frost, ice and snow. Luckily for them it was summer so the Wastes would not be quite as cold. In winter, it would be unbearable. Ponies were built for cold weather, but that would challenge even the heartiest member of their race. The central (and only surviving) city of the Empire was quickly coming into view as the train sped through the barren, snow tipped mountains.

Twilight looked out the window. The city, once the jewel of a vast Empire that spread throughout the city-states of the North, was laid out in the pattern of a snowflake, growing in increasingly complex patterns as it spread out from the center. The city was built out of multicolored crystals which glimmered and sparkled in pastel shades.

Princess Cadence was waiting for them as they disembarked. Twilight pranced over to her. "Cadence!" They crouched down and went through the moves of their greeting dance, bouncing their rumps together.

"Sunshine, sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

They collapsed into giggles and embraced each other. Cadence broke away though she kept a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I'm a little miffed at you, Ladybug. Going on a romantic quest and not telling me, the Princess of Love, a thing about it? What do you have to say for yourself, Young Filly?"

Twilight blushed. "Well, you had a library reorganized and you didn't tell me a thing about it."

"I thought you'd be too busy though I suppose I should have told you. I will next time."

"Next time I need romantic advice I'll tell you."

They hugged again. "So, how did you know I was here?"

"Auntie Luna. She wanted to know if their was a quick way into and out of the cave network."

"Is there?"

"Not sure. The guards haven't returned yet. Why don't you wait until they do? Enjoy yourselves. The shopping district has been restored to its pre-Sombra state. Sort of proud of that one."

"First I want to get to a hotel and take off this armor."

Cadence scoffed. "Not gonna happen. No little sister of mine is paying to stay in a hotel when my palace has empty guest rooms."

...
Twilight stretched out on the bed, reading a book of Crystalish history as she drew the pink blankets around her. After travelling through the shopping district and browsing at the stores they had decided to return to the palace. Rarity was still shopping. The last she had seen of her fellow unicorn she had been gushing over a store full of dresses embedded with crystals. Twilight smiled. At least Rarity would get some new ideas out of this trip.

Her room in the palace was airy and spacious. The crystal walls sparkled and glinted in soft shades of orange and pink as the sun bounced off of them. As the sun set it would get cold. Even now the temperature was getting cool. It would be chilly at night. Twilight had planned on staying overnight at the Empire which is why she had brought along pajamas and socks.

There was a knock on the door and Cadence entered. Twilight put down the book and hopped off the bed. "Have you heard back from the guards?"

Cadence frowned. "Yes. They brought back a map from a brief survey of the caverns." She handed it to Twilight who took it in her magical aura and examined it.

Twilight looked up. "I see the exit."

"There's a dragon back there too. My guards barely escaped with their lives."

Twilight floated the map over to the night stand. "Good thing I brought armor and a horn blade along."

"I know you're prepared. But I didn't even realize a dragon was living in there. The last survey of the area was a month ago. It must have moved in recently. It's an old one too."

Twilight bit her lip. "So it'll be more aggressive." The dragon that the Element Bearers had convinced to move out of Ponyville had been fairly young (from the perspective of creatures that could live for millennia.) The young ones were a bit more malleable. The older they got, the more wealth and power they amassed, the more aggressive they got.

"Are you still sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." Her voice did not waver as she looked in Cadence's eyes. "I'm doing this for Celestia. Because I love her and I want to show her that."

Cadence ran a hoof through her mane. "I'm sure she knows that already. I remember all the things your brother did to win my heart-even after already winning it with that goofy grin of his. He got into fights for me." She chuckled and shook her head. "I still love him for that. But seeing him hurt hurt me."

Shining Armor strode into the room. "I think what my wife is trying to say is don't be stupid like me."

Twilight glanced from her sister-in-law to her brother. "Judging from you two, I think the method has been proven effective by empirical testing."

It took the two a moment to decipher what she'd just said and a mischievous smirk from Twilight before the two burst into giggles.

Shining Armor wrapped a hoof around his wife who wrapped a hoof around him. "Okay, Twily. I get it, trust me. I remember when me and Cadence were just starting out. You still remember how to do a shield spell?"

"Yes. I've been practicing it."

"Cast it."

Twilight lit up her horn and a bubble of shimmering, lavender energy surrounded her. It was clearly based off of her brother's spell. Shining carefully examined it, giving it a few jabs with his horn. He winced at the contact, the pulsating energy stinging him every time he got close to it. "You modified the spell somewhat. The rebound will make it uncomfortable for anything to get to close. Well done. Now, this spell imitates dragon fire. Same strength, but it won't burn if the shield breaks. We use it as practice. Ready?"

Twilight nodded. Shining lit up his horn and a wave of fire burst from his horn. It struck Twily's shield. The force knocked Twilight away a few inches, but the shield held. The false flames wreathed around the shield before dissipating entirely. The glow around Twilight's horn faded as she let down the shield.

Shining patted her head. "Damn, Twily. I'm impressed."

"I've been practicing that one since the wedding."

"I think you're more than prepared."

"I also have dragon proof armor. But if the armor cracks, I have the shield."

"Ever prepared, I see. Why don't you come down for supper?"

...
Twilight woke up just before the sun began to rise. It was still dark. She shook off the blankets, shivering at the chill in the air. She rubbed her hooves together, enjoying the warm feeling of the socks. Her flannel pajamas had been enough to ward off the wintry weather that descended on the Empire at night, even in the middle of summer.

She stood, stretching out her tired muscles and walked over to the window. The sky was beginning to lighten. The morning star cast its light down upon the sleeping city. Dawn was fast approaching. She closed her eyes and breathed as she went through her morning meditation. She felt the early morning magic wrap around her, the swirling lines of power and energy that connected all things as the Cosmos shifted.

The sun was distant, a warm and powerful presence. All was still. Soon, Twilight's beloved mentor would raise up the sun. The sweet song of a bird rang out. The melody was joined by a symphony of the bird's feathered kin, the melody filling the streets. Twilight focused on the singing, letting the sound calm her mind.

She was going to do it. She was really going to do it. She trotted on the cold, crystal floor and opened the door. Perhaps it was the curse that came with being the Sun Princess's student that she always woke up at dawn, unless of course she was too busy studying to go to bed at a decent hour. Now that she thought about it, this was her first time waking up early since moving to Ponyville and beginning her study of friendship and anything else that caught her attention.

They had headed off to bed around nine after finishing an exquisite supper of roast alfalfa. Twilight had wanted to get an early start, but she wasn't sure when everypony else had gone to bed. Dash was a notorious late-riser, but Pinkie should wake up early enough to wake her up.

The halls were empty except for two guards posted at the end of the hall. One appeared to be about to fall asleep, but received a sharp jab that woke him up. They nodded to Twilight as she strode down the hall. A few servants were out, cleaning and hurrying to their various tasks. Twilight smiled to them. She was walking without any definite plan.

"Shoot, Twi. You an early riser too?"

Twilight turned and smiled at Applejack who stood at the entrance to the pool. Pinkie Pie strode up beside her fellow Earth Pony, stretching and yawning.

"I'm the student of the Sun Princess, comes with the territory."

Applejack chuckled. "Me and Pinkie were raised on farms. Sun's up and so are we."

Pinkie stretched. "My big sister wakes up even earlier. I don't know if she sleeps." Her eyes widened. "I've never actually seen her sleep."

"The chef should be up." Twilight motioned for them to follow her. "Come on. We can get an early breakfast."

Pinkie bounced alongside them as Applejack and Twilight strolled towards the kitchen. Like Twilight had predicted the chef, a heavy set blue crystal stallion was busy setting up the kitchen and was happy to make some breakfast for the three. Attracted by the smell of roasting oats and buttery pancakes, the other Element Bearers trickled into the kitchen.

Twilight wiped at her mouth as she leaned back in her seat. The others sat in a circle around her, the remains of breakfast scattered on the table. "Everypony ready for this?"

There was no hesitation. Each pony nodded.

Twilight. "Great. Let's suit up and move out."

...
A train had been prepared for them, the rails leading deep into the heart of the frozen north. The rails had been built over the now defunct Friendship Roads that had once connected all the provinces of the long fallen Caribou Empire. Beneath the Antler Banner the Caribou had once unified the entirety of the North before meeting their match in the form of the Crystal Empire.

The Friendship Roads and the many elaborate, golden temples that rose up along the road were the only remains of that ancient, fallen glory. The rails were lined with barren mountains. It was summer, but up here the ground was still covered in ice and frost. There was no snow, but the frozen mountains glistened in the sunlight.

The train ascended the mountain passes, curling further and further into the Great Northern Wastes. Even the sky looked frozen, like a dome of sapphire ice. Twilight shivered. Her friends were bunched together. Metal, even silver silk, got cold in temperature like this. That's why she'd brought a jacket and told the others to do so. The armor fit right over the jacket. The cold seeped into their armor. Back at the Empire the weather was temperate, pleasant even. Here, one could not escape the chill in the air. They were huddled up together, instinctively seeking defense from the cold in the warmth and safety of the herd.

The cold was made worse by the fact that they had already shed their winter coats and their summer coats was of no help this far north. The mountains grew higher and higher. The peaks became more jagged and rugged as they went along. Twilight held up the map in her magic, her and her friends examining it. "We'll need to go into the caverns. There's a side entrance. We can get to the hoard from there. Luna told the guards what the necklace looks like. It's shaped into the Princess's cutie mark. The dragon has it kept in a case, probably where the former Northern Lord kept it. The dragon leaves the cave to hunt every noon, if his behavior is consistent with most adult dragons."

Fluttershy peaked out from behind Dash. "It normally takes a dragon thirty minutes to locate prey. They carry their prey back to their caves to...you know."

Twilight glanced out the window. They were coming closer. "Right. Lots of variables going on here. The way we've planned it, we should be able to get to the cave by noon." She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. "It's eleven now. We'll be there soon. We should be able to locate the necklace."

"Ain't good at that fancy mathematics, but that's an awful lot of shoulds."

Twilight bit her lips. "Yeah, Applejack. Yeah, it is."

The high peaks and barren, rocky valleys swept past them as the train curled around narrow paths, kicking up frost and dust in its wake. With a sudden lurch it stopped. Twilight gave the map one more look over before looking up. "And girls? Thanks for coming with me."

Dash gave her a hearty slap on the withers. "We're your friends, Sugarcube. There's no way we'd let you do this by yourself."

Twilight nuzzled her and received a nuzzle from her in turn before she put the map back in her saddlebag and they trotted off the train. They trudged across the frosty plain. Dash and even Fluttershy took to the sky to avoid the uncomfortably cold ground. Before them was a vast expanse of white with only a few shoots of grass poking out from the blanket of snow.

The warmth of the sun rarely reached this place. Rising up before them was a wide, yawning, stone mouth of a large cave. It rose up before them, an arch of brown rock leading down to an infinite darkness. Twilight looked back. None of her friends wavered as they walked forward into the darkness with her.

Twilight and Rarity lit up their horns, violet and blue light piercing the inky blackness of the cavern. Twilight led them into a long tunnel. Somewhere in the distance a river trickled away into the abyss. The rush of waters beneath the earth was the only sound that could be heard as they trekked further into the cave. They came to a tunnel where several tunnels branched off.

Twilight consulted the map, whispered a quick prayer to Epona, and led the others through a tunnel. The tunnel widened the farther they went along. The light from her and Rarity's horn illuminated inscription, sharp lines cut into the rock. They were in the Draconic alphabet which hadn't changed much in three-thousand years.

The inscriptions were warnings, threats of a slow and painful death for any who dared trespass upon the domain of the Dragon Lord. For once in her life, she decided not to read something. She kept walking, her eyes forward. Something flashed in the illumination of her magic. At the very end of the tunnel there was a wide clearing. She heard Rarity gasp beside her and then she gasped herself.

There were piles and piles of gold, sapphire, rubies, amethysts, diamonds and pearls nearly stacked all the way to the ceiling and completely filling the cavern. Rarity leapt forward, being barely restrained by Applejack chomping down on her tail. Applejack spat out the appendage. "We gotta be careful, Rares!"

Twilight stepped forward. The others timidly followed. There was no dragon to be found only the piles and piles of jewels and coins that filled the cavern. She searched the darkness, looking for the reason she had come. There, in a glass case, was a magnificent amethyst the deep, rich purple of crushed amethyst. It had been cut into the shape of a stylized sun, leaving no doubt as to who its true owner was. Twilight took several hesitant steps towards it.

That's when she heard something very large step into the cavern. The ground shook and the piles of jewels scattered. Twilight and the Element Bearers whirled around.

The dragon was large, taking up the cavern. It swished its tail, bared its fangs. "What are you doing here?"

The ponies took several steps backwards, reminded suddenly of their place in the natural order. They were prey and this was a predator. Twilight breathed, steeled herself. The dragon scraped scraped one tree-sized claw across the floor. "What are you doing here?" It repeated in a voice like stones rubbing together.

Twilight prepared a spell just in case things went wrong. "You are in possession of stolen property."

He narrowed his eyes into slits. "I have stolen nothing." Its scales were red as blood. Twilight could see them as the dragon moved further into the cavern. He towered over the ponies.

"N-no of course not. B-but, this necklace is the rightful property of-"

The wave of fire cut her off. She quickly activated a shield spell, but the force of the dragon's flames still sent her sprawling backwards into the hard wall. She heard a crunch as she slammed into the solid rock and a crack split open in her horn. Agonizing pain shot down her skull. The others were also sent flying backwards. The waves of flame may have been repelled by their armor, but the sheer force still sent them into the wall.

Dash was the first to recover while Twilight attempted to get her bearings. The Pegasus shot into air and rocketed towards the dragon, slashing wildly into its side. The dragon roared in outrage and shot out a burst of fire. Dash deftly dodged the flames and sent another slash into the dragon's neck.

The dragon lashed at the Pegasus with its tail and struck her in the stomach. Dash gasped as she was sent hurtling through the air. Rarity caught her in her magic, gently laying her down. Dash got to her feet just as the dragon shot out another burst of flames. Impervious to the blazing heat, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie charged the beast. Rarity slashed at it while Applejack and Pinkie head butted into its ribs.

With one massive swipe of its claw it sent all three spinning through the air. Twilight caught all three of them, then cursed as pain coursed through her head and through her entire body. She charged the dragon, thrusting her horn blade where two of its ribs met and then teleported out of range of its claw.

She focused and a shield of lavender energy shot up. The dragon powerlessly slashed at the shield and roared. Fluttershy, not a combatant by nature or training, hopped out from where she had taken cover. She hurriedly cantered over to Twilight. "Oh my, your horn."

The crack was clearly visible. Blood wreathed around the horn. Twilight stumbled. "It'll be fine."

Fluttershy took out some ointment from her saddle bag and rubbed Twilight's horn with it. "It'll soothe away the pain and make it easier for you to cast."

A crack appeared in the shield as the dragon crashed his tail against it. Twilight turned her attention to Rarity as her fellow Unicorn groaned. She was slightly limping. "You okay, Rarity?"

Rarity looked up at her, her face a mask of pain. "I think I broke my leg where the dragon struck it, Darling."

Twilight lit up her horn. Fluttershy laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Twilight, I wouldn't recommend casting right now. Wait a minute or two."

Twilight moved out from under Fluttershy's hoof. "I'll be fine."

She went to Rarity, a healing spell prepared, and touched her horn to Rarity's leg. Cooling waves of lavender energy coursed through Rarity's leg and body as Twilight's magic stitched the bones of her leg back together. After a few seconds, the pain had vanished. Rarity took an experimental leap. "Oh, thank you, Darling!" Rarity pranced in place and hugged Twilight. Twilight hugged back.

Unfortunately, the healing magic Twilight used took magic away from the shield. The dragon body-slammed through it, the shield dissipating.

"Get out of here, I'll hold it off! Twilight, we've come this far, get that necklace!" Dash shot into the air.

Twilight felt a surge of guilt as she watched Dash slice her wing blades up against the dragon, purple blood spraying everywhere. I...I dragged them into this...and they could die...dear Gods what have I DONE?!

Twilight rushed to the case, lifted it open and grabbed hold of the necklace, wrapping it around her neck. Dash led the dragon further into the cavern, unblocking the exit. The other Element Bearers rushed towards the exit. Twilight turned around. "Dash come on!"

Dash shot away and out of the cavern. The dragon stormed after them, but they were smaller and quicker. Together they ran back towards where they had come, desperately trying to reach the exit. The dragon charged them, taking to the air and shooting out waves of fire. The fire propelled them forward and sent them flying into a pile, dropping finally onto the frozen ground of the Wastes.

The dragon burst from the cave.

"Everyone put a hoof one me! I'll teleport us out of here!"

The others put their hooves on Twilight. Her horn lit up as she teleported. Then she fell into the abyss and everything went dark.

...
Celestia sat on her throne, looking over a bill that had been pushed through Parliament. It was a rather dull, ordinance to increase the speed limit of carriages by five miles an hour. Celestia shrugged as she wondered about giving royal assent to it. She hadn't realized the speed limit was a problem.

Luna peered over her shoulder. "What about the speed of those, what are they called, trains?"

"What about trains?"

Suddenly, a unicorn guard rushed inside. Celestia and Luna looked up. The guard stopped and panted. Hanging in his aura was a necklace. Celestia's eyes widened. Millennia was not long enough to dull her memory of the last gift of her mother. Slowly, deliberately, she walked towards the guard and took the necklace into her trembling hooves. Tears filled her eyes as she recalled her mother placing it around her neck. A sudden fit of sentiment seized her and she held the necklace to her chest, as if hugging her mother. "Mama..." She whispered.

Then she turned her attention to the guard. "Guard, what is the meaning of this? How do you have this necklace?"

The guard looked up. "Your Highness, the Element Bearers retrieved that necklace from a dragon's cave. Apparently, Twilight Sparkle wished to give it to you."

Luna grinned and trotted over to her sister. "It's as beautiful as I remember it being. I still have the sapphire necklace she gave me."

A wide smile broke out across Celestia's face as she wrapped the necklace around her neck. "It is beautiful." Then, the smile became a frown. "If Twilight got this, she would wish to give it to me in person. Where is she?"

A sudden chill overcame Luna as she realized she may have made a mistake.

"Lady Sparkle is in the hospital, recovering from magical fatigue."

Luna brought a hoof to her lips. "N-no! I never meant for that to happen!"

Celestia whirled around to face her. "Never meant for WHAT to happen, Sister?"

Luna stepped back. Celestia stared her down. "I..I told Twilight about the necklace." Tears welled over and spilled down the Night Princess's muzzle. "I...Oh Gods Above and Below I never meant to KILL her!"

She prostrated herself, slamming her head on the floor and starting to weep. "I'm so sorry!"

"For Gods' sake Luna, you're a princess, act like it!" Celestia snapped. "Stand up! The guard says she's recovering! Magical fatigue is no longer the killer it once was. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go see my student!"

She turned and ran from the room. She only had one thought in mind-get to Twilight and make sure she was receiving the best medical care possible.

Author's Note

kata=martial arts form

Vigil

Celestia's hooves pounded on the cold, marble stone of the hall. Her golden shod hooves slammed into the floor as she galloped, both of her alabaster wings spread wide. Maids, butlers and nobles cleared out of her way. Duchess Blueblood stumbled as Celestia rushed past her. Just behind her, Luna struggled to keep up. She was smaller than her sister and a full gallop was not enough to keep up with her. Celestia lifted into the air, soaring toward the exit. Luna spread her own dark, blue wings soaring after the older princess.

"Sister, sister please wait up!"

Celestia did not even deign to respond to her. She knocked open the doors of Canterlot Castle and soared upward into the turquoise sky. Her sun shone in a cloudless sky. It was afternoon and the sun was past its brightest point. Beneath her the towered city shone in the golden sunlight. Her wings spread out against the blue sky. Behind her, Luna still struggled to keep up.

"Sister, please!"

Celestia found it remarkably easy to ignore her sister's voice as she scanned the city beneath her. Too late she realized Canterlot was home to a number of hospitals and the guard hadn't specified. She closed her eyes, searching for one unicorn's aura in a city of half-a-million unicorns, many of them extraordinarily powerful. She glided, allowing the currents of air to carry her along. She felt the ancient, pulsating lines of spiritual energy that had built up here over the centuries. The mountain itself already hummed with primordial power. Generations of unicorns living and dying here, having their children here, being buried here had made Canterlot a hub of spiritual power. The city being host to two physical goddesses in everything but name had added to the power of the place.

Celestia focused as the magic of this city even scrambled her senses. She searched for one particular aura, a powerful aura. At last, she found it. Her eyes widened. Twilight was powerful, among the strongest of her particular generation. Yet, her aura was faint. Her impressive stores of magical energy had been exhausted. Tears welled up in the Sun Princess's eyes.

"Sister-"

"Not now, Luna."

A whimper escaped Luna's throat at the coldness in Celestia's voice.

"Tia, I'm sorry."

Celestia glared at her. "Of course you're sorry. You're always sorry."

She shot off like a rocket before Luna could respond. Luna fought back tears of her own and took off after her. Celestia remembered suddenly that she could simply teleport. Closing her eyes, she drew up magic from her core and vanished in a burst of golden light. Luna vanished in a burst of blue light, following her sister's trail.

They reappeared in a grassy meadow. Two live oaks spread their branches above a small stream. For a moment, Luna thought there had been some mistake. Then she saw a white building rising up before them.

Celestia turned to her. A coldness was still in her voice and tears were welling up in her eyes. "This hospital was built in the 700's. It was believed that nature had a healing effect so many hospitals were built outside the city limits in meadows like this one."

Luna nodded, avoiding her sister's gaze. "I see. Tia, I just want to say-"

Celestia put a hoof to her lips. "Not right now, Luna." She turned away.

It would have been better if Celestia had yelled at her or or even if she had struck her. It would have been something. What Luna couldn't stand was the silence. Celestia opened the white doors and Luna trudged in after her into a sterile waiting room painted the same white as the outside. A coffee table was stacked with magazines. Ponies, many with visible afflictions such as runny noses, sat around on the hard wooden chairs with red cushions. All bowed, or attempted to, when they saw Celestia and Luna. Celestia raised a hoof. "No need for that, My Little Ponies. As you were."

A white coated, golden maned unicorn nurse rushed up to the Princesses and hurriedly bowed. "May I help you, Your Highnesses?"

"Take us to Twilight Sparkle."

The nurse shuffled a hoof. "Are you blood relatives?"

Celestia gave her a glare that made Luna grateful she was not currently on the receiving end of Celestia's ire, since that ire was now deflected on the poor nurse. The nurse gulped. "R-right this way, Your Highness."

The nurse led them down the hallway and then to an elevator. Luna stood back as the unfamiliar device opened. The nurse and Celestia walked onto it. Luna hesitated. Celestia extended a wing and ushered Luna inside. Luna took some comfort in the feeling of Celestia's feathers on her withers. That small gesture of kindness didn't change how angry Celestia was at her nor how much Luna deserved every bit of that anger. Luna nearly jumped as the elevator began its ascent.

"The Element Bearers brought Miss Sparkle in earlier this afternoon. She was in a pretty bad shape, but she's since been stabilized. She's still comatose."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Luna looked at the nurse. "What is the treatment for magical exhaustion in this day and age?" In her time, the treatment had been a casket and a head stone.

"Generally, Phoenix Tears Elixir, rest and after they come out of the coma plenty of fluids."

The nurse led them down another hall. "The reason it was so deadly in your time was that no one had realized how magic can be restored through certain potions. Had Phoenix Tears Elixir even been created yet?"

"No, it had not. Not as I know in any case, healing was never my strong suit with magic."

The nurse stopped at a door. "Listen. You need to prepare yourselves. Miss Sparkle is still in a very bad way. It's going to look much worse than it actually is."

Luna and Celestia shared a look. Celestia took several deep breaths. "We're ready."

The nurse nodded. "Alright, then."

She opened the door and the princesses stepped inside. Celestia gasped and then Luna did. Twilight was lying in the bed, covered in bandages. Her horn had cracked and the bandage around it had a dark red spot. She was covered in scratches and bruises. The only sign that she was still clinging to life were the periodic shallow, ragged breaths that shuddered out of her.

Twilight's friends were on either side of her, Spike curled up on her chest as if asleep. Celestia knew he had entered into a state of a dragon guarding something very precious. Rarity was between Applejack and Fluttershy, both of whom had their forelegs wrapped around her. Twilight Velvet and Night Light were holding their daughter's hooves. Shining was sitting on a chair, holding a crying Cadence.

Rarity looked up as Celestia went up to the bed. She wiped away the ruined mascara trailing down her face. "It was for me, Princess."

Celestia looked to her. "What was for you?"

"She sacrificed the last bit of magic she had...oh Gods. To heal me." She broke off into sobbing, Applejack holding her and Fluttershy running a hoof through her mane.

Celestia looked down at her student, feeling a spark of pride at what Rarity told her. Twilight, nearly exhausted, bordering very close to death, sacrificed the last bit of magic-the last bit of life force she had in order to heal a friend.

Celestia reached out and stroked Twilight's face, remembering a very young purple unicorn filly that she'd taken on as her student. When she'd first seen Twilight, the filly had lost control of her own magic. Celestia had laid a hoof on her shoulder and looked into those eyes, full of fear, and felt a desire to protect her from whatever fears were in her heart.

After the magic surge passed and Celestia took her on as a student, Twilight had spent several minutes bouncing around her shouting yes. Unlike many students who eventually lost their enthusiasm, Twilight never had. She was full of life, bouncing ahead of Celestia as she had shown her the castle, running from shelf to shelf in the library, picking up any book that even remotely caught her interest. She was filled with life, filled with perpetual amazement at the world and all its wonders.

From the time Celestia's sun rose to the time it set, Twilight had studied, pouring over ancient tomes at Celestia's side or alone, enjoying the solitude of studying in her room or (when Celestia could convince her to) outside beneath a tree or in the garden. Many a time, Celestia had had to take her books away so Twilight wouldn't spend all night studying. Even as an adult mare, Celestia would often find her passed out over a book in the library.

Whenever Twilight, as a teenager, stayed out past curfew on the weekends and her parents couldn't find her they never feared. Velvet or Night Light would tell Celestia and Celestia would find her in some dusty corner of the library that only high mages were allowed access to due to the dangerous nature of the spell books there. At the age of fourteen, Twilight had sent an article to the Mages Guild revolutionizing the study of water magic. They hadn't believed she'd written it. After examining her, they had declared her a high mage. At eighteen, she'd been declared an archmage, the youngest archmage to ever achieve the title. Somehow, Twilight had not grown arrogant as so many others had. She remained, and considered herself, merely a humble scholar, nopony special.

Teaching her had been a joy, Celestia reflected. Every morning Twilight would greet her with a smile as their lesson began. She'd ask Celestia rapid fire questions, taking joy in simply learning. That joy had brought joy to Celestia's own heart as they explored side by side the deepest mysteries of magic. Twilight had grown and their lessons had slowly become collaborations as they debated each other, studied together and learned from each other.

When Twilight had moved to Ponyville, those daily lessons had stopped. That first morning Celestia had Luna back and her attention had been focused on her. Those days had turned to weeks and Celestia had felt a certain sadness slipping over her. Twilight was gone, moved on with her own life, making friends, growing and exploring apart from Celestia.

Luna herself had noticed that sadness and asked her what had caused it. Celestia hadn't known, hadn't been willing to admit just how much her student had come to mean to her. The sadness lifted each week when a letter from Twilight arrived. It didn't matter if she was in the middle of court or even a session of Parliament. She would excuse herself, suspend the meeting and go to pour over the letter, marveling at how much her student had grown, her heart swelling with both pride, and yes, love.

Slowly, rhythmically, Celestia stroked Twilight's face. Night Light gave his daughter's hoof a squeeze. "It doesn't look natural, does it? Her being so still."

Finally, Celestia's tears escaped, falling on the fur of Twilight's chest. "She'll be okay." Even she could tell it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. Cadence left Shining's embrace and trotted over to Celestia, looking down at Twilight. "I should never have let her go."

Celestia looked up at Cadence. "You knew?"

Cadence nodded. "She stayed over at the palace."

Celestia grit her teeth. "And you let her go?"

Cadence squeezed shut her eyes, fighting back another crying fit. "I tried to convince her against it."

"You should have tried harder." Celestia winced at the harshness of her tone and the way Cadence flinched. She spread a wing over her niece and Cadence leaned against her. "I'm sorry, my dear niece. I know when Twilight gets an idea in her head, it's nearly impossible to stop her."

Cadence nuzzled against her. "She will be alright, won't she?"

"Yes. Yes, I know she will."

From behind her, she heard Luna sniffling. She turned and wrapped her sister up in her wings. Luna collapsed into her, crying. Celestia wiped away her tears with a feather as she felt her anger at Luna dissolving.

"I'm so sorry, Sister, so sorry, please forgive me."

Celestia went through a mental catalog of misdeeds her sister had committed, realized this one wasn't even in the top ten and decided she could forgive this. She kissed her beneath her horn. "I forgive you, Luna. I know you had good intentions."

Velvet was not nearly as forgiving. She had been listening to the sisters and let go of Twilight's hoof. "Forgive her for what, Your Highness? Exactly what does Princess Luna have to do with my daughter being at death's doorstep?"

Luna stepped out from behind Celestia's wing. "Lady Velvet, please accept my apologies-"

"What are you apologizing for?"

Luna shrunk back slightly as Velvet managed to stare her down, the first mortal in many a year to manage that. "I...I'm the one that gave Twilight the idea of getting the necklace." She hung her head. "I didn't realize a dragon would be there."

Velvet narrowed her eyes. "I always thought you were too easily forgiven for the whole Nightmare Moon business. Personally, I thought you should have been tossed in a dungeon-"

Celestia flared her wings in anger. "Hey! That is my sister you're talking to!"

"But I didn't realize you were stupid as well!" Velvet marched closer to her. "What the actual buck were you thinking?! Were you thinking?!"

Luna shrunk back from the shouting, suddenly feeling more like a chastised foal than a princess. "I...Twilight...I thought...I just wanted them to be happy!"

Celestia laid a hoof on Velvet's shoulder. "Velvet, we've been friends for a long time. I'm asking you as a friend to calm yourself."

Velvet knocked away her hoof. "I get a call from the hospital telling me my daughter was nearly killed on some sort of suicide mission and I'm supposed to be calm! Please tell me that necklace can slay some sort of ancient evil! Somepony please tell me what's going on!"

"Twilight is courting me."

Velvet's jaw worked up and down as did Night Light's.

Celestia continued. "It was a gift for me."

Velvet sighed. "I see. I've known for a long time that Twilight's had a crush on you. But I don't want her in a relationship with you."

"Is it because I was her teacher?"

"I had a crush on my teacher, I understand that. Twilight is a bright, intelligent girl. But when it comes to you, she loses her mind. I don't think I need many examples of that. I can't imagine how much of a disaster a relationship between you two would be."

"Trust me, Velvet, I've considered the exact same thing." She reached down to grasp Twilight's hoof, needing to feel her pulse. Needing to know she was still alive. "Me and Twilight are going to have a long talk when she comes to."

The sun continued its trek towards the west, Celestia feeling it as a distant pulse. The Element Bearers talked among themselves, reminiscing about Twilight and the joy and companionship she had brought into their lives. The time she had hosted a sleepover for Rarity and Applejack. The time she had followed around Pinkie, studying her unusual gifts. The time she had given Dash her Daring Do novel when Dash was in the hospital and all the discussions Dash and Twilight had since then about their mutual favorite series.

Twilight had grown so much, learned so much, blossomed into a brilliant and beautiful marehood. They reminisced about adventures they'd gone on, evils that they had faced. Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra. All had been faced by the Bearers and leading the charge was always Twilight Sparkle. She had inspired her friends, comforted them, aided them in times of trouble and shared their joys. In turn, they had given her aid and comfort and shared her joys.

Their bond had been forged in fire and was as strong as steel. When Celestia had sent Twilight off to Ponyville, she had expected her to make friends. She just hadn't realized how those friendships would bring out the wonderful qualities she'd always known were in her student. Cadence leaned into her side, looking down at her sister-in-law. "Do you really think she'll be alright? I know I just asked that, but she just looks so...weak."

The sun crested below the horizon. Celestia laid a hoof on Cadence's shoulder. "I know she will. Have faith, Cadence."

The rite was as old as the Reign of the Two Sisters. The sun's red and golden rays spilled through the windows, bouncing off the sterile white walls and illuminating the room in a crimson glow. Celestia lit her horn and and the sun sank to its western rest. Luna lit her own horn and the silver moon rose as the sky darkened and the stars twinkled in the velvet abyss of the night.

Nopony made any move to leave. Applejack sighed. "I'd best be gettin' home. It's my turn to read Apple Bloom a bedtime story and if I don't show up that little filly will be crushed." She gave Twilight a nuzzle. "Hang in there, Sugarcube."

Rarity had orders to get started on, Dash needed to get up early for her job as did Pinkie and Fluttershy had her animals to tend to. Each one left, giving Twilight a nuzzle and well-wishes. At last there was only Twilight's family, Celestia and Luna.

Velvet shook her head. "She hasn't moved. She's still breathing. That's the only way..." She choked back a sob. "That's the only way I can tell she's still alive."

Luna hid her face behind a wing, a fresh geyser of shame welling up in her. Night Light patted his wife's shoulder. "Our daughter's strong, Honey. She'll get through this."

Velvet leaned into him. "I know. She's gotten through worse with all those magical experiments she used to get into and being an Element Bearer. But it's just had to see her like this."

Night Light sighed, looking down at Twilight's unnaturally still form. Her chest rose up and down in a faint, but steady rhythm. "I know. It is hard." He pressed a hoof to his daughter's chest, feeling her heart beat. "She's strong, she'll get through this."

Everyone in the room knew he was trying to convince himself just as Celestia had been. Celestia felt a sudden urge to leave the room, dragging her sister along with her. This was a family moment, a private moment, they had no right to be here. Night Light glanced over at her and surprised her by smiling. "Y'know, Velvet, Twilight could do worse than the Princess. I think they'd make a good couple."

Velvet opened her mouth as if to argue, then closed it, sighing. "She's a grown mare, it's not up to us. I still say it's a terrible idea though."

At last, visiting hours came to a close. Unwillingly, Twilight's family said goodbye, nuzzling her as her friend's had. Velvet nudged Spike who looked as if he was going to protest, but just couldn't find it in him to argue with his grandmother. He climbed up on Velvet's back and left with them.

Luna laid a hoof on her shoulder. "I believe it is time for us to leave, Sister. We shall return on the morrow."

Celestia shook her head. "I'm not leaving. I intend to stay with Twilight."

A red-coated unicorn wearing the uniform of a nurse trotted in and dipped into a bow. "Your Highnesses, I'm afraid visiting hours are over."

Celestia stared her down, lifting her head, throwing out her chest. "I'm not leaving."

"You're highness-"

Her voice rang out with the authority of centuries. "I will not leave her."

The nurse dropped into a bow. "As you wish, Your Highness. But, please, I ask you not to disturb the other patients." That said, she hurried from the room. Celestia inwardly winced, hating throwing around her power like that. She was not an absolute ruler, ancient law did limit her authority, but in practice she was so respected that few disobeyed her.

She tried not to take advantage of that fact, but sometimes it was too tempting to resist. Luna stood beside her. "I will stay with her as well, Sister."

Celestia stared at Twilight. "No Luna. I need to be alone with her."

Luna looked down at the ground, her ears drooping. "Oh, okay."

Celestia wrapped a wing around her. "Luna, I forgive you for this one. You didn't intend for this to happen."

Luna rested against her chest. "I just...wanted you to be happy. I never wanted this. Twilight was the first friend I made when I returned. I'd never wish to hurt her, never."

Celestia tightened the wing around Luna's shoulders. "I know, Sis, I know."

After a few moments, Luna left the embrace, squeezed Twilight's hoof and walked from the room. Celestia turned to her student, grasping her hoof. The sharp beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. One by one the lights in the hospital went out and soon the heart monitor's eerie green glow and the silver of her sister's moonlight spilling through the curtains were the only sources of light in the room. Celestia lit up her horn and pulled the sheets up over Twilight, the way she had so many times before when Twilight had been her student and had fallen asleep over a book.

Celestia held Twilight's hoof. "I know you can't hear me, Twilight, But I wanted you to know that that was a brave, foolish, idiotic, noble thing you did." She leaned down and pressed her lips to Twilight's own, possessed by some sort of fairy tale logic that the gesture would magically awaken her. "We all love you. Please come back to us, Twilight."

Tears escaped her eyes and splashed the pillow Twilight's head was resting on. "I love you." The realization struck her with the clarity of a thunderbolt. What she felt deep in her heart for her former student was love. "I love you, Twilight. I love you."

How long had it been since she had said those words? More tears splashed on the pillow as the Sun Princess unabashedly wept by her student's bedside, her shoulders shaking. She had lost so many and finally, after losing even her own sister, she had closed her heart to love, not allowing herself to feel even friendship nonetheless romantic love.

It had been Twilight. Celestia had shared no motherly bond with any other student, keeping a distance from them in a way some might call cold. Twilight's eagerness, her awe at the world, her longing to learn all that could be learned, her moments of vulnerability when she showed up at Celestia's bedchamber after a nightmare or wept after a spell went wrong. All of it had begun to melt the ice of a millennium from Celestia's heart.

Side by side they had studied ancient tomes and fallen asleep over the same book. They had spoken of magic's deepest secrets while walking among the roses and while sipping tea.

When had it happened? When had Twilight begun to love her not as a mentor or a friend, but in a more passionate way? Had it been those nights when Celestia had protected her from her fears beneath her wing or wiped away her tears when her insecurities had clawed at her heart? Had it been when they had begun to speak of magic as equals, two fellow companions on the road to understanding the Cosmos?

Finally, her heart melted, the last jagged spikes of frost melting away like snow when spring has come. She wept like she hadn't since her sister returned and laid down on the bed, curling around Twilight, wrapping her up in the embrace of her wings and forelegs.

...
Just as it always did, the distant pulse of the sun awakened Celestia. She was still wrapped around Twilight who hadn't moved during the night. The sky outside was a dark blue, a few stars still shining. The morning star shone from its place in the sky, telling her it was time for her to raise the sun. She stretched and disentangled herself from her former student. Her hooves landed on the cold, linoleum floor. She lit her horn and the sun peaked above the horizon, the rosy and orange light of the morning filling the sky as the golden disk began its ascent in the east.

Her daily task complete, she began to stretch, spreading her wings and crouching, stretching her back. She rose and turned to her student. She still had that air of unnatural stillness surrounding her. Celestia walked over and laid a hoof on her heart, feeling the rise and fall of her chest. There was a morning session of Parliament that Luna could handle. She would not leave Twilight.

The same nurse from yesterday walked inside and blinked. "Oh, you're still here." She hastily bowed. "We're going to be operating, Your Highness. More Phoenix Tears Elixir injections."

Celestia idly grasped the necklace that Twilight had returned to her after so many centuries. "I see."

The nurse hesitated. "Princess, if I may. I would advise not staying here. Making yourself sick with worry is not going to help her. Take a walk around the grounds if you wish or try to find something to take your mind off things."

Celestia let go of the necklace. "I need to be here when she wakes up."

The nurse hesitated again before reaching out as if to lay a hoof on her shoulder. She stopped the affectionate gesture at the last moment placing her hoof back on the floor. "I understand, Princess."

Celestia shuffled awkwardly, saddened by her subject's timidity towards her. "Nurse, how good is the recovery for magical fatigue? I'm afraid I'm not up on the medical advancements lately, but as I understand it won't there be lingering effects? Loss of magical strength for example?"

The nurse glanced down at the ground."Yes. Miss Sparkle is an alpha-level unicorn, but she'll have to relearn everything about magic."

Celestia closed her eyes, sighing inwardly. Twilight had beaten the odds before. This time the nurse put aside her hesitation and laid a hoof on her shoulder though it was tentative. "The outlook is good-very good. She'll survive and she'll beat this."

Celestia looked back at Twilight. "I suppose all I can do now is wait."

"I know this must be difficult for you, to not be in control."

"More so than you can imagine."

"I promise you, Princess, she will be alright."

Celestia smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Taking time to reassure me. I needed that."

The nurse smiled back at her. "It's almost my job. When a loved one is sick, their family and friends suffer too. Why don't you get some breakfast? She's going to be in good hooves."

Celestia nodded. "I'll do that." She patted the nurse on the shoulder and rewarded her with that gentle smile that'd become her trademark before exiting the room. She really was hungry and made her way down the halls and turns of the hospital, letting her nose be her guide. She knew there were cinnamon rolls around, she could smell them. Following a few other sickly looking ponies, she made her way to a large cafeteria.

The cafeteria was filled with white, wooden benches. Celestia maneuvered around the benches. The cafeteria was filled with the chattering of ponies, contrasting with the peaceful breakfasts she shared in private with her sister. Thoughts of Luna sprang into her mind as she made her way to the line in front of the counter and she pushed them away. She would deal with worrying about that when she was done worrying about Twilight.

I'm still angry with her. Yes, I forgive her and I still love her, but part of me just wants to choke her! The thought made her stomp her hoof to the general alarm of her subjects.

A trembling, yellow Unicorn colt gulped and knelt. "Y-you can cut in line, Your Highness!"

Celestia cursed herself. "No need, My Little Pony. I apologize for the outburst, I'm just a bit...tense."

"Oh, I understand perfectly, my grandma is in the hospital and I just feel like crying and screaming at the same time. You see she took care of me from the time I was a colt, well, a smaller colt." He chuckled as he continued rambling, his eyes darting back and forth.

The line moved. The colt continued talking, out of fear or nervousness about his grandmother, Celestia couldn't tell. Many of her subjects feared her, not because she was a tyrant (she hoped she wasn't), but because of her sheer age and power. There were even times when she felt that Twilight feared her. Velvet's warning popped back into her mind. If Twilight held a twinge of fear for her their relationship could be doomed before it started.

The line moved up till it was the colt's turn to order. He ordered waffles and moved on, saying goodbye to Celestia. She gave him her sympathies regarding his grandmother and ordered cinnamon rolls from the uniformed, green unicorn at the cash register. Levitating her paper plate she walked from the cafeteria and located the exit out of the hospital.

She stepped into an expanse of grassland, the dew of the tall grasses tickling her pasterns. She trotted in the meadow and sat on a stone bench beneath the shade of a spreading oak tree.

Gee Celestia, maybe if you didn't isolate yourself so much everypony wouldn't be afraid of you.

Celestia groaned at the mental self-deprecation. After so many centuries of loneliness she had began having conversations with herself. When she was in a bad mood they turned into arguments with herself. The noise in the cafeteria had been too much and she needed quiet to think. Besides, her subjects weren't afraid of her.

She bit into the cinnamon roll, the sweet flavors filling her mouth. What about Twilight? You've screwed that filly up so much, she thinks she nearly has to kill herself to win your love.

Celestia closed her eyes and held back tears. She couldn't start crying, if she did that she'd never stop.

...
The first thing Twilight became aware of was absence. Something was missing, something extremely important. She groaned and felt somepony's hoof on her. This made her squirm, trying to get away from whoever was holding her down. She ached in every part of her body from her horn to her hooves. Her eyes sprang open. Her horn! Something was wrong with her horn! She tried to reach up to it, but found her hooves restrained by something.

She was hooked up to wires that were pouring some sort of orange liquid into her. A cursory review of her possible condition and her knowledge of potions cued her into the fact that the liquid was most likely...her mind drew a blank.

A splitting headache radiating from her horn was making it nearly impossible to think. Stallions and mares in white coats were all around her.

One stallion was looking over her and occasionally glancing at some sort of instrument that the wires were connected to. A thaumameter, reading how much magic she had.

Twilight blinked and tried to speak. The stallion signaled a nurse who brought her some water. She sipped it, the cool water refreshing against her parched throat. "Your thaumameter is broken."

The doctor looked away from the instrument. "I'm afraid it's correct, Miss Sparkle."

Twilight coughed. "Can't be. Not even a Delta level Unicorn would have readings that low...I'm Alpha..."

The doctor suddenly looked profoundly uncomfortable. "Your horn was severely damaged, yet you teleported. I'm sorry, very sorry...you should know this, but casting a spell while the horn is cracked is extremely dangerous. Magic exists as energy at a unicorn's very core, the core being connected to the horn with a series of energy vessels, chakras. With the horn cracked, magic was already bleeding out of you-"

Twilight tried to lift up on the bed, but the wires restrained her. She was getting very annoyed with the doctor's condescending tone. "What are you trying to say?"

The doctor looked back at the machine. Twilight realized he was deliberately avoiding looking her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle. That teleport completely drained you of magic. Your friend had to transfer energy to you."

Twilight laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. This could not be happening.

"It will take a long time, months possibly years, before you recover your strength. And when you do, your skills will have atrophied-you'll have forgotten how to do them."

The tears refused to leave her eyes, because there was nothing to cry about. This was all a dream, a terrible dream. If she went back to sleep, surely she'd wake up.

...
Celestia sat on the cool stone bench, her back hooves deep in the grass of the meadow. A light breeze swayed the oak branches. She had removed her golden shoes, needing to feel the grass. It soothed her, calmed her. Or that was the theory anyway. The four shoes were on the bench beside her. Giving up on her attempt at meditation she put her shoes back on and began to pace through the grasslands.

Leaning down, she nibbled on some of the grass. It was sweet and the cinnamon rolls had not filled her, but she soon lifted her head away from the grass. She was hungry, but couldn't eat.

A nurse rushed into the meadow and bowed. "Your Highness, Lady Twilight is awake."

Celestia didn't even hesitate, following the nurse back towards the hospital. They hurried through the twists and turns of the hallway, the nurse leading her to the elevator. The elevator stopped at the intensive care unit. Celestia followed the nurse to the room Twilight had been in yesterday.

Celestia walked inside it. Twilight sat on the edge of the bed, still wrapped in bandages. She stared blankly, uncomprehendingly, at the wall. Every now and then she'd light her horn, little sparks coming from it. A tissue lifted from the kleenex box, caught up in her aura. Celestia could see the strain on her face. The nurse wisely excused herself.

Saying nothing, Celestia went and sat down beside her. She laid a hoof on Twilight's back and her concentration was broken. The tissue fell and a curse escaped her lips. She laid her face in her hooves. Celestia began rubbing soothing circles into her withers.

Twilight lifted her face back up."I'm stupid. Everypony always tells me I'm smart. I have several pieces of paper assuring me I'm smart, but it was all a lie. I'm stupid."

Celestia continued rubbing her back. "Why would you say that about yourself? It isn't true."

"It is. It really is. I've been trying to, I don't know, win your heart. Trying to make myself worthy of your love when I'm clearly not and never will be-"

Celestia pressed a hoof to her lips. "I have never once deemed you unworthy of my affections. Indeed, there is no one in my whole kingdom, in the whole world, I would deem more worthy. I've just, I've been scared. Scared to open my heart again, scared to love."

Twilight rested a hoof in Celestia's hoof. Celestia squeezed it. "Princess, right now I'm scared too."

They sat there in silence, holding each other's hooves.

Author's Note

I edited this to explain Twilight's condition.
It's basically like losing blood and breaking a bone at the same time.

Teach My Heart To Love

Twilight strolled slowly through the walled garden of Canterlot Castle. That morning she had been released from the hospital. Her back legs still ached somewhat, but she was trying to walk off the pain. Years of mental discipline allowed her to ignore bodily aches. The azure, afternoon sky was dotted with puffy, white clouds that floated by the sun. On either side of her rows of verdant, green bushes rose up. They gave way to pink roses blossoms that spread their fragrance over the grounds. Twilight paused and buried her muzzle into the flowers, inhaling their sweet scent. She sighed in pleasure then began to nibble the petals.

She had almost died. The truth of that fact had hit her during her morning meditations. She wasn't even sure why she had risked her life. It had seemed so noble at the time, going out on a quest to win Celestia's heart. Then she had seen the devastation on Celestia's face, the way she had looked at her. She had been so terrified that she had nearly lost Twilight. Then there was the way her mother had given her a crushing embrace and cried over her when she had gone home after being let out of the hospital. Her dad had hugged her as well and even he had looked misty-eyed. If their was one thing nearly dying had taught Twilight, it was how many ponies cared about her. She had gone back to Ponyville and Pinkie had thrown her a party. Next week, Twilight had planned on helping Pinkie throw a party. It was sure to put her organizational skills to the test and she'd get to spend time with her bubbly, pink friend.

In fact, she decided as she nibbled on the rose petals, she was going to make plans to spend one-on-one time with each one of her friends. It was something she had started neglecting, content with weekly sleepovers or other get-togethers. And she could probably spend more time with her family, including her brother and sister-in-law.

Twilight spent a few more moments nibbling on the petals. She took her muzzle from the bushes and returned to trotting along the cobblestone path, the stone rough against her hooves. She paused to enjoy the cool wind tossing her mane and sunlight warming her back. In the distance a bird sang and a yellow butterfly danced on the breeze.

Twilight blinked. Has the world always been so beautiful?

She closed her eyes, reaching out to the world with her magic, trying to feel those lines of swirling mystic energies that coursed through the world. Rather than the thrumming pulse her senses once picked up there was nothing but the faintest hum. It was like being half-blind. After a while her horn began to hurt and with it her head.

Sighing, she reached up and massaged her horn. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fought to hold them back. "Nothing I can do about that." A feeling of powerlessness nearly overwhelmed her. She forced it away. Celestia had invited her for tea beneath the oak tree. It was where they normally took tea together ever since she'd been a filly.

Twilight continued to trot along the cobblestone path. Rows of rose bushes gave way to a rolling meadow filled with yellow and orange marigolds, yellow, trumpet shaped daffodils, yellow daisies, golden rods, all waving in a delicate wind. The cobblestone path ended and Twilight stepped into the meadow and the soft grass.

The flowers of the Sun Garden waved and brushed along her hooves as she made her way through the flowers. Beside it was the Moon Garden. The two were separated by a fountain. Cool water ran down into a large, alabaster basin. Recently, statues of the Two Sisters had been added to the fountain. Pale wisteria hung from the branches of the elm trees which were also in bloom, ivory blossoms against the sky. Rows and rows of white petunias, white roses, calla lilies and hydrangeas filled the garden which had been planted millenia ago in honor of the Moon Princess, just now recently returned.

Both gardens shone in the sun light. Twilight glanced over at the Moon Garden. She genuinely hoped that Celestia wasn't still angry, or worse, punishing Luna. It was Twilight's own fault that she had gotten injured, not Luna's. That was something she should bring up with Celestia. She trekked through the garden and at last reached a wooden arch covered in jasmine. The rich, sweet scent of the jasmine intoxicated her. Like with the roses, she buried her muzzle into the flowers. After a few seconds she moved on, walking past the arch. Hydrangea bushes, blue petals spreading between green leaves rose up on either side of her.

She took a moment to appreciate their beauty. A swarm of monarch butterflies danced and floated around the flowers. Yellow-and-black striped bees buzzed around the blossoms. In the distance were willow trees, swaying, light green leaves dragging on the ground. When she had been a filly she had scampered and played beneath them. Twilight strode past the willow branches. There was a lake and over the lake a pony made forest.

Twilight stepped onto the red, Nekonese-style foot bridge and strolled over to the other side. An orange fish jumped up and hit the water. Droplets sprung up, splashing her fur. She shivered. The water felt cool, refreshing against her fur. After stepping back on land she made her way into the woods. Shafts of light pierced through the pine branches. Her hooves crunched pine needles and maple leaves left behind by generations of autumns though it was now summer. She made her way through a grove of maple trees which led into a clearing surrounded by pine trees. Even here the forest floor was covered by leaves.

She stepped out of the woods and into a rolling grassland. There was a vast oak tree that spread its branches over nearly the whole meadow as if he longed to take the meadow into his embrace. Twilight always thought of the oak as male. Ivy covered its branches and moss fell down its arms, like a sorcerer's beard.

Standing beneath the oak was Princess Celestia. She was laying in the grass, her coat radiant, the rivers of her rainbow mane spilling down her back, caught in its eternal, cosmic breeze. Her mother's necklace was still around her neck.

Twilight gazed at her former mentor. Has Princess Celestia always been this beautiful?

A blue gingham picnic blanket was spread out below the princess. Several sandwiches and a pot of tea were laid on it. Twilight hurried over and sat beside her. Celestia nuzzled her in greeting. "Hello, my faithful student."

Twilight nuzzled her back. "Princess."

Celestia poured her a cup of tea, then poured one for herself. Wisps of steam rose up from Twilight's tea cup. She lifted it with her hooves, the steam carrying the spicy tang of mint. She sipped it, enjoying the refreshing flavor. Celestia sipped her own tea. For a few seconds, they sat by each other in silence. It was nice, Twilight reflected. Sitting beside Celestia, drinking tea. It was something they had done once a day after her lessons back when she'd been in Canterlot. Now it was once every two weeks if that.

It was something she had missed. Twilight laid down her tea cup. "Princess-"

Celestia placed a hoof to her muzzle. "Please. Call me Celestia. I think we've gone beyond titles."

Twilight smiled. "Celestia. How is Luna? I hope you're not angry with her. I accept full responsibility for what happened. It was my decision and mine alone."

Celestia blew on her tea before raising the porcelain cup to her lips. "Yet, did she not give you the information you needed to go off on your mission of self-destruction?"

"Well..."

"Then I think a spanking will be in order at the very least."

Twilight gawked. "I, um, well she's your sister and you're the Princess and it's your decision, but I ask that you reconsider."

Celestia's lips twitched into a grin before she raised a cucumber sandwich to her lips and nibbled on it. "Very well. I will have mercy on my sister's backside."

Twilight got the distinct impression that Celestia had just played a trick on her. The grin on her muzzle confirmed this suspicion. Celestia took another bite out of the cucumber sandwich, swallowed it. "I was kidding, Twilight. Luna might submit to such a punishment considering how guilty she feels, but she's far too old for one." She nuzzled Twilight's ear. "That's so you. You're only a day out of the hospital and your first concern is for the welfare of another. Rarity told me what you did, sacrificing your magic to heal her."

Twilight blushed though the praise made her heart swell. "Rarity's my friend. What's magic for if it's not for helping others?"

Celestia laid a wing on her back. Twilight moved closer to the warmth, pressing herself to her side. "You've learned so much, Twilight. Have you tried using magic today?"

Twilight sighed. "Yeah, but I'm still too weak."

Celestia gestured with a hoof to a daisy sandwich. "I made you your favorite. Daisy sandwich. There's a catch though."

Twilight looked from the sandwich to Celestia. "What?"

"Well, remember how when you were my student and I'd set up a reward for you if you did particularly well?"

Twilight nodded.

"I want you to levitate the sandwich and if you do well you get a reward."

Twilight looked at the sandwich. "What's the reward? A cookie?" That's what it had usually been. A cookie or a new book.

Celestia smiled that kind smile of hers that always made Twilight's heart skip a beat. "You get to choose where we have our first date as a couple."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"Yes, Twilight. I am officially accepting your courtship. I want you to be my very special somepony."

Twilight captured her lips in a kiss. Celestia kissed back, pressing her lips to the lips of her former student. They drank each other in, Celestia's lips tasting of sugar and lemon and spring grass, Twilight tasting of lavender and mint tea. Twilight's lips were soft, so soft. Celestia hadn't been kissed in a long time, but she pressed into her student, letting go of her last few inhibitions. They kissed again and again before finally drawing away.

Twilight flung her hooves around Celestia and Celestia drew her close with a wing, snuggling her to her side. Twilight cuddled into her, her favorite place to be in the whole wide world.

"Now, let's see you lift that sandwich."

Twilight, still comfortably snuggled into Celestia's side, lit up her horn. There was a sharp, shooting pain through her forehead and she winced. Celestia stroked her back with her wing. "Shh. Keep going. You can do it."

Emboldened by her words, Twilight lit her horn back up. The pain was still there, but she pushed through it. She tentatively reached out with her aura, trying to take hold of the sandwich. Slowly, it began to lift a half-inch into the air. It rose so slowly as to be nearly imperceptible. Twilight grit her teeth as she strained to bring the sandwich over to her.

A bead of sweat broke out on her forehead and the sandwich wavered before it fell back to the plate. Twilight let out a loud curse. Celestia ran a soothing hoof through her mane. "Keep trying, Twilight. You'll get it."

Twilight focused on the sandwich and tried not to be distracted by the lovely warmth of Celestia's wing wrapped around her withers, her hot breath on her neck. She shivered.

"Remember Twilight. You get to choose where we go for our first date. That's what I call motivation."

The princess's breath tickled her ear. Twilight moved closer to her, almost desperate for that warmth and affection. She closed her eyes, blocking out the warmth of wing and sunlight, the chanting of the birds, the softness of the sweet-smelling grass, drawing up power from the earth and the sun and the reserve of magic deep within the core of her soul.

The mystic energy flowed through her chakras and up to her horn, manifesting as a violet glow. Twilight latched onto the energy she had left and directed it towards the sandwich. It flowed, at the command of her Will, towards the plate. Finally, the aura wrapped around the sandwich. More beads of sweat broke out on her face, sliding down to her muzzle.

The sandwich lifted, secure in Twilight's aura. She slid it off the plate, dragging it just about half-an-inch over the picnic blanket.

Celestia stroked her mane. "You're doing it, Twilight."

Twilight's heart swelled from the praise and she put a bit more power into the spell. A sharp pain went through her head and a light whimper escaped her lips.

"If you really have to, use your hoof."

Twilight shook her head. "No. I'm going to do this."

"Very well."

Twilight lifted the sandwich from the picnic blanket as she gritted her teeth from the strain and the burgeoning migraine, guiding it towards her lips.

Pain ripped through her horn and it fell to the ground. Celestia ran her feathers along her back, attempting to soothe her. "Better than most, as always. Just use your hooves."

Twilight opened her eyes. "I used to be able to levitate a library's worth of books. It was easy. It was fun."

"I know, Twilight."

"When Spike was sleepy, I'd carry him up to his basket. I'd keep him safe in my aura."

"You'll get there again." Celestia moved her hoof down from stroking Twilight's mane to laying it on her shoulder. "You are still that brilliantly talented unicorn I took under my wing all those years ago. It's going to take time, but you'll get your powers back."

Twilight rested her head on Celestia's shoulder. "When?"

Celestia didn't answer for a few moments. "I don't know, Twilight. The doctor said up to six months for an Alpha Level unicorn. But you're the same unicorn that beat up the God of Chaos so who knows?"

Twilight's lips twitched up into a slight grin. "You have more faith in me than I have faith in myself."

"You should have more faith in yourself, my faithful...well I suppose you're not my student anymore are you?"

Twilight nuzzled her. "I don't mind you calling me that."

Celestia nuzzled her back. "So, where do we go from here? It has been an exceedingly long time since I've been in a relationship."

Twilight shrugged from her place beneath Celestia's wing. "I'm not sure myself. I think a date would be a nice place to start." She picked up the sandwich and took several bites out of it. It was delicious, the tang of the daisies delighting her taste buds. As Celestia had said, daisies were her favorite. She finished the sandwich up in a few bites.

Celestia lit her horn and re-heated Twilight's tea. Twilight leaned against her and sipped the tea. "I kind of like this as our first date. Tea, daisy sandwiches and kisses. Sounds good to me."

Celestia planted a kiss just beneath Twilight's horn. "Y'know what? It sounds good to me too."

So they laid side by side, eating sandwiches and sipping tea, occasionally nuzzling or sharing kisses. The sun went on its westward trek and they stayed curled up on the picnic blanket even as Celestia lowered the sun.

Twilight nuzzled Celestia's neck, running little kisses down it. Celestia sighed in pleasure and felt a burst of happiness. A broad smile covered her face as she returned the kisses, running them down Twilight's own neck.

I'm happy, so happy. Have I ever been this happy? Twilight...you make my heart young again.

Luna raised the moon and the orb shone its silvery light over the gardens and the pair of lovers in its depths. They curled around each other, delighting in a too-long denied intimacy.

Twilight wrapped her hooves around Celestia's neck, Celestia wrapping her wings around the unicorn, smiling down at her. "This has been a wonderful first date Twilight."

Twilight returned the smile, planting a kiss on her shoulder. "Only because you were here with me."

Celestia kissed her nose. "Ah, when will you learn to stop underestimating yourself? It was you that made this date so wonderful."

Twilight giggled at the touch of Celestia's lips. "Let's just say it was both of us. We just...work. Like two puzzle pieces."

Celestia nuzzled the unicorn's neck, eliciting more giggles as her muzzle brushed up against a ticklish spot. The stars had come out, their lights shining in the ebony cloak of night. Twilight looked up at them. "It's getting late, but I don't want to go."

"You don't have to. I don't want you to go either."

So, they lay side-by-side until dreams took them. Perhaps it was not the most dignified spot for a Princess to sleep, but with her beloved held secure in her wings, Celestia couldn't find it in her to care.

Celestia was awoken by the flap of wings. She looked up. Her sister stood there, smiling down at the pair. Celestia smiled up at her. Luna winked and took once more to the air. Twilight mumbled in her sleep and Celestia stroked her face with a wing, planting a kiss on her lips.

Le Fin

Author's Note

Well, now she's got the girl. Can she keep her? Find out in the upcoming sequel, Seasons of the Heart.

Breakfast in Bed

Author's Note

Hope I described making pancakes right.

Breakfast in Bed

Luna's moon was still in the sky, casting silvery light through Celestia's open bedroom window. A beloved ruler with a good reputation abroad, Celestia had never feared assassins and always enjoyed the cool night air. There were two occupants of the room this night when usually there would only be one.

Twilight Sparkle leaned against a wall, watching her mentor as her chest rose and fall. Even when completely asleep and drooling slightly on her pillow, Twilight found the princess beautiful. And why shouldn't she? She had admired Celestia all her life, constantly seeking her approval.

And now you've ruined it.

The self-inflicted accusation rose up from that pit of self-doubt Twilight had struggled with her entire life. She repressed a sob, but she couldn't hold it for long. Soon, she was quietly weeping against the wall, convincing herself that she had disgraced herself in the eyes of the Princess.

While Twilight cried, the Solar Princess was snuggled warmly inside of her covers with a smile across her face. Her dreams were happy and peaceful, filled with the sensation of being held by somepony that loved her. It made her happy on a soul-deep level. It had been a long time since she had shared a bed with anypony besides her sister and that was when she had just returned and hadn't wanted to be alone.

Deep in dreamland, she was laying in a peaceful meadow. Occasionally, a warm wind would blow through the tall grasses. Another mare was resting against her. She couldn't make out who the mare was, only that she was a violet unicorn and that she was very special to her. She didn't know who the unicorn was and it didn't matter. Celestia bent down her head and nuzzled her.

Back in the waking world, one of her alabaster wings was spread as if it had recently been holding someone. All should have been well and silence should have reigned throughout the castle. Two guards, as always, were stationed outside the Princess's chambers. The servants had all gone home for the evening. Princess Luna had closed Night Court and was taking a late night bath before bed. Then, a strange noise reverberated through the room.

Her eyes opened as her ears twitched, alerting her to a strange sound. Though her muscles protested, she forced herself awake by stretching her wings and forelegs. Then she focused on the strange noises. It was a series of low sniffles, like somepony with a cough or perhaps muffled crying. Celestia made out a shape in the darkness and stood from her bed, the shock of the cool stone floor against her warm hooves finally jolting her into full wakefulness.

"Who is it? Who's there?"

She was now wide awake and was certain that the sound was crying. It sounded almost familiar. When she didn't receive an answer to her question she cast a spell, lighting up the room with the glow of her horn. There was a purple unicorn by the balcony with a mussed up violet mane. Celestia knew this unicorn. It was her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. But Twilight should have been in Ponyville, asleep in her library. What was she doing in Celestia's chambers? And, most importantly, why was she crying?

Slowly, the memories returned to her. Celestia had been pouring over some documents when Twilight had teleported into her room smelling like whiskey and hard cider. Then she had kissed her. After that, Twilight had passed out in Celestia's arms. Celestia, like on many nights when Twilight was a filly and would stay over, had tucked her in to her own bed.

That still didn't answer why she was crying though.

"Twilight?"

She approached her and laid a hoof on her withers. Twilight wiped at her eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Celestia asked. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. Celestia had comforted her many times when Twilight had awoken from a bad dream.

"P-princess, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Celestia asked. She began to gently rub her withers and felt Twilight's muscles slowly relax beneath the comforting touch.

"I-I kissed you. I just barged in and started making out with you. That's not what I wanted to do. I wanted to send you flowers and write down my feelings in a love song that I was going to sing you on Hearts and Hooves Day, but I don't even know if you like mares and now you probably hate me-"

Celestia cut her off with a gentle stroke of her wing which she used to wipe away Twilight's tears. "I could never hate you. I was more...surprised than anything else. And there's no reason you can't send me flowers and make me a song. I quite like the idea myself."

Twilight shook her head. "I wanted it to be romantic. Loving. Not tawdry, not a cheap, drunken kiss. I don't want you to think I'm just lusting after you. I love you, Princess. This is so much more than lust. I love you because you're kind and loving and you inspire me to be a better pony."

"I understand, Twilight."

Twilight looked up at her. In the dim light of Celestia's magic and the silver light of the moon, Twilight's eyes were red from crying. Her ears were folded back and her lips jutted outward in a pout.

"Do you feel the same way?" Twilight asked. "Do you love me?"

Did she? Celestia hesitated before she answered. She had kissed Twilight back. She couldn't deny she enjoyed Twilight's company. One of the highlights of her week was when she and Twilight met in the gardens for tea. She had watched Twilight grow from a curious, eager filly into a mare that still held onto that fillyish eagerness and curiosity. She loved to hear Twilight speak excitedly of the things she had learned, the books she'd read, the things she'd experienced with her friends. All of the letters Twilight had written her were in a enchanted box on her dresser. On many nights she would read through them, marveling at how much her faithful student had learned. But was it love, the kind of love Twilight was speaking of? Or was it merely the love of a teacher for her beloved student?

Then, there was that dream. Celestia could not deny that the unicorn from the dream was Twilight. Still, that didn't answer the question. The dream had been perfectly chaste.

She placed a hoof on Twilight's cheek. "Twilight, I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. Wait for the morning. I need to think, alright?"

Twilight closed her eyes and leaned into her. Celestia wrapped her up in her wing. "I do love you, Twilight. I just don't know if it's the kind of love you mean."

"It's alright." Twilight murmured against the fur of her chest. "It's alright. I managed to tell you my feelings and the world didn't end. I'd count that as a good thing."

"Why don't we go back to bed? It's about an hour till sunrise."

"Sounds nice."

They trotted back to the bed, Celestia keeping Twilight sheltered in her wing. She pulled back the covers and they lay beneath them. Twilight cuddled closer to her.

"How long have you had these feelings, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"Since forever. When I first saw you raise the sun. I didn't have a word for what I felt back then. I guess I was around twelve when I finally realized it was love."

"You've been holding it in all these years?"

"Um-hmm. I was afraid of you rejecting me, banishing me from the castle, calling me a freak, putting me before a firing squad...you know how my mind works."

Celestia frowned. "Do I really strike you as such a tyrant?" She had always strived to be a benevolent ruler. The thought that others may see her as a tyrant troubled her.

Twilight, sensing her distress, nuzzled her. "No, you're perfect. Wonderful and kind and gentle. I've lived my entire life-everything I've done so far-trying to win your love. It's why I studied so hard. It's why I had the courage to stand against Nightmare Moon and Discord and Sombra. So that you would love me."

Celestia was tempted to tell Twilight that she did love her, that she'd always loved her, but she didn't know what kind of love it was she felt. There was no need to get the poor filly's hopes up though.

"If you love me then why are you afraid of me?" Celestia asked. "You thought I'd do something awful to you if you didn't send a friendship report every week."

Twilight squirmed. "I just...I'm afraid of disappointing you. When I was in the Crystal Empire I found a mirror that showed me my worst fear. It was you sending me away." Her voice shook.

Celestia stroked her mane. "It's no wonder you needed liquid courage to confess your feelings."

"If it wasn't for Applejack I'd have never told you."

"How do you feel now that you've confessed your feelings?"

Twilight didn't speak for a few moments. "Honestly? Relieved. I mean you might reject me and I'll be sad and probably cry for a while. But, we'll still be friends right? At least promise me we can always be friends."

Celestia nuzzled her. "I can promise you that."

They fell asleep in one another's embrace.

...
Twilight slipped from beneath her mentor's wing. She had not been able to get back to sleep. For years, she had carried her secret love and now she had revealed it. It had left her feeling relieved, but also anxious and worried. There was no way for her to go back to sleep. Besides, talking to Celestia had made Twilight realize something. Celestia had been her mentor, had inspired her to study magic, had been there for her countless times. And what had Twilight done for her?

Celestia had never asked for anything in return, but maybe Twilight should do something for her. She could remember her brother always telling her that love was something you had to make yourself worthy of. Every member of Clan Sparkle, her ancient clan of warrior-mages,had a story of doing great deeds to win the heart of their beloved. Fighting Discord, Sombra and Nightmare Moon didn't count. She had done that for Equestria and since she lived in Equestria the deed was tainted by self-interest.

No, she wanted to do something for Celestia, out of pure love for her. Like when her ancestor Prancelot cut his hooves going across a bridge of blades to rescue his beloved Eneign. Shining Armor himself had done one-thousand valiant deeds to win Cadence's heart. What could Celestia need? She had servants to cater to her every whim. Though, none of those servants were in love with her.

At least, Twilight didn't think any of them were. The palace was coming to life, guards changing their shifts as the Night Guard gave way to the Day Guard. Servants had entered the palace and were beginning to trot down the halls. She stopped one servant, a tawny earth stallion, whom she knew worked in the kitchen.

"Twilight Sparkle! How ya doin' Kiddo?" The stallion, Pepper, asked her before tousling her mane.

"I'm doing well. I know this is a strange question, but can I make something in the kitchen."

He paused. "Well, so long as you promise not to burn anything."

"I promise."

"I've heard that one before." He said, good-naturedly as Twilight followed him into the the kitchen. The cooking staff gave a few strange looks to this interloper, but soon accepted her presence and went back to their tasks.

While Twilight was not an expert on cooking, she had learned a few things. At the very least she could make pancakes. Knowing for a fact that Celestia loved pancakes she located the ingredients she needed in a cabinet. She melted the butter and mixed it all together into a bowl which she poured onto a pan. That done she retrieved some strawberries, Celestia's favorite fruit, and levitated over a knife.

The thought occurred to her that using her hooves to cut the strawberries would be much more personal. So she took the knife in her hooves and began to chop up the strawberries. Once she was done with that she put the strawberries in the batter and laid it atop a burner on the stove

...
Every morning Celestia would rise to raise the sun. As always, the familiar tug of the celestial body that was her charge woke her from her slumber. She stretched out on the bed and trotted out to the balcony. Before she even got there she noticed a wonderful scent. It was sweet and rich and getting closer. Choosing to ignore it for a moment she flew to the spot where she rose the sun. Luna was waiting for her. They nuzzled each other in greeting. Luna's horn glowed blue as she reached out and lowered the moon.

Then, Celestia closed her eyes and drew up her magic. The magic flowed upwards, spiraling into her horn. She directed its flow with an act of will and reached out for the sun. With the skill of an artist that had long been at her craft, she gently nudged the sun from its resting place. The sky was colored in shades of vibrant oranges and soft pinks as the sun began to rise upon the horizon. It's golden beams painted the eastern sky as it ascended above the verdant hills, rolling pastureland and gleaming cities of Equestria. Finished with her task, Celestia opened her eyes and let go of her magic

"I couldn't help but notice Twilight Sparkle's presence in the castle having sensed her dreams." Luna said. "How does she fare? I did not peer into her dreams."

"She confessed her love to me." Celestia answered.

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh? And what did you say?"

Celestia shook her head. "I didn't know what to say."

"Dost thou love-do you love Twilight Sparkle?"

Celestia was about to answer when the sound of hoofsteps interrupted her. Twilight was standing behind them. She was holding pancakes in her magic aura and blushing before the two sovereigns.

"Twilight? Is that for me?" Celestia asked.

Twilight nodded. "I wanted to make you breakfast in bed, but you weren't in bed so I went looking for you and teleported here because I know this is where you raise the sun."

Celestia took the pancakes in her magic. They had strawberries, her favorite fruit, cut up into them. Of course Twilight would know her favorite. They were covered in syrup and looked positively delicious.

"Normally, I eat with my sister, but this looks delicious. Thank you."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"'Tis a sweet gesture for one whom you are courting." Luna said. "It will not cause me offense if mine sister wishes to share a meal with thee. It has been far too long since she had a consort. As for me, I will go to the dining hall. Rule well, Sister."

With that she spread her wings and soared.

Twilight shuffled a hoof. "I should have known you and Luna had breakfast together. I would never mean to get between you two."

"I know Twilight. You did not do so. This was a very sweet gesture."

She levitated the pancakes as Twilight and her walked back towards the bedroom and curled up together on the bed. Celestia levitated a fork and began to take bites out of the pancakes. Twilight had a plate of pancakes and fork for herself on the nightstand. She levitated it over and began to eat. The tang of the fresh strawberries and sweetness of the syrup exploded on Celestia's tongue as she took delicate bites of the meal. Just as she was beginning to really enjoy the meal a letter appeared in a burst of magic. Celestia placed her fork down and took up the letter in her magic.

"Is it from Spike?"

"Um-hmm." Celestia red it. "He's wondering where you are."

"Let me write back to him."

She put her plate on the nightstand and trotted to the table. Getting a quill and letter she explained where she was and that there was no need for Spike to worry. Celestia put down her own plate to trot over to Twilight and send the letter.

"Thank you for the pancakes, Twilight."

"It was no trouble. I just wanted to do something nice for you."

Celestia laid a hoof on her shoulder. "It was still very sweet of you. I'll arrange a chariot for your departure."

"Thank you."

Hesitating for a second, Twilight wrapped her neck around Celestia's in a hug. Celestia hugged back.

"You never answered my question." Twilight said.

"Love can't be forced, Twilight. I certainly hope you weren't trying to bribe me into loving you with those pancakes."

Twilight was too embarrassed to admit that was part of the reason. "I should get back before Spike starts to worry anymore."

"Alright. Take care, Twilight."

A few minutes later Twilight was on a Pegasus drawn chariot flying over the Canterlot mountain ranges. In her mind she was thinking of other ways she could win Celestia's love. Just as the grey mist-shrouded mountains gave way to pleasant, rolling hills and Ponyville came into view Twilight had settled on a plan.

From One Book Lover to Another

When Spike woke up that morning he had gone about his usual routine of stretching, making his bed and going into the kitchen to make breakfast. This morning, however, something was off. Twilight hadn't come home last night and she was not in the kitchen like she usually was. At first, the baby dragon thought she might have stayed over at a friend's house. He went to Rarity's who hadn't seen her. The rest of her friends made vague insinuation that Celestia would know where she was. He had returned home and written a letter to Celestia. His worries were assuaged when Twilight herself wrote back telling her everything was fine. What the letter didn't say was why Twilight was over at Celestia's or what she was doing there. Was there some sort of emergency? Had Discord returned? Sombra? Had the dark crystals left over by Sombra obtained sentience? Had some new foe been let loose?

To calm himself, he had taken a nice, soothing bath. Life was hard for a baby dragon. By the time his bath was done he heard Twilight trotting inside.

"Spike! I'm home!" She called.

Spike dried himself off and had to stop himself from running into her arms. He still ran to the living room though.

"I'm sorry I worried you." She offered.

"Where have you been?" He responded, like a worried mother. The role reversal must have amused Twilight because she had to hold back a giggle. The unicorn took her number one assistant into her arms. Spike gratefully returned the hug.

"Me and Celestia were just talking about a few things." Twilight said.

"Do you want me to make breakfast?" Spike asked. "I mean, I did make breakfast, but it got late and I was worried and when I'm worried I eat so I ate it. Sorry."

"No, I had breakfast with the Princess." Twilight said. She wandered over to the library shelves and began to browse them. She paused at one familiar work, the Diamond Dog epic entitled The Song of Ruffland. A few weeks ago she and Celestia had worked together on translating the ancient text. She had gone to the castle or Celestia had come to the library and they had worked together long into the night.

They had worked together on several projects throughout the years, sometimes as mentor and student, other times as equals. They shared a love for ancient epics. Celestia, for her part, actually remembered the times that the texts were written and the exact cadence that the long-lost verses would have been spoken or sung in. By candlelight she had recited lost poetry to Twilight while Twilight had only listened in awe. They had translated Beewolf, the Odyssey, the Tales of the Knights of the Round Stable. All of the epics were on a shelf while the copies translated into modern Equestrian were gathering dust in her drawers, their copies having been published throughout Equestria. It had been about a month since their last joint venture to translate an ancient work. Perhaps they could translate something new. Surely, the Crystal Library held some work unknown or lost to modern Equestrian scholars.

She could imagine it. Late night, the princess and herself reading over an ancient texts, their tails slowly twining together as they forgot about whatever old saga they were supposed to be translating. Suddenly, there lips would meet...

"Um, Twi? You okay there?"

Spike's voice jolted her from her less-than-academic fantasy.

"Oh! Yes, I'm fine. I'm looking for books for..."

"For what?"

For courting a Princess. "Oh, just books about...the Gryphon-Minotaur War."

"But the history section is on another book case."

"No, I'm looking for one of the epics about the war...here it is." She pulled off an actual epic written by a Minotaur about the conflict (heavily biased, in Twilight's opinion), then another one called 'The Art of Love.' Spike had gone onto his chores. She took the two books and went up to her room. She put the Minotaur epic to the side to read later and sat down at her study. It wouldn't be right to bribe Celestia into loving her, but Twilight thought it might be possible to impress her enough that it would sway her heart. Several generations of her ancestors had won love that way. The first chapter of the book covered basic stuff, the philosophy of love, the holiness of love...how one must be worthy of one's love.

Twilight gulped. Was she worthy of Celestia's love? She was of noble blood, true. Her ancestors had been aristocrats, but their power had dwindled over the centuries. Their domain now barely stretched as far as her mother's kitchen. Besides, Twilight was only a librarian. A wielder of the Element of Magic, sure, but what right had she to court the God-Princess of Ponykind? Celestia was a goddess-there was no denying it. Twilight was a mere mortal and not a very important one at that. That was why Celestia was hesitating, that had to be it. Twilight simply wasn't worthy of her love, but Celestia didn't know how to tell her that.

'Then, I will make myself worthy. But how do I make myself worthy of a Goddess's love?'

She continued reading. A very large chapter was dedicated to giving gifts to woo the beloved.

'I thought of sending her flowers or making her a song...those are good ideas, but a little cliche. Besides, how many admirers send her flowers and around a thousand songs have been written in praise of her.'

That was another problem that had begun to worry Twilight. She had rivals. Unnamed rivals with rank and power that Twilight could never hope to match. Her only advantage? She knew the princess. She knew her better than anypony else besides Princess Luna. Celestia loved tulips, cakes and Jasmine tea, she loved books both new and old.

Books...

Twilight thought back to that shelf of books they had translated together. The happiest Twilight had ever seen the Princess was when they were bent over an old manuscript and Celestia was reliving the vigorous days of her youth. The princess would let down her guard and tell Twilight of battles won and lost, of friends fondly remembered, of old lovers that secretly made Twilight jealous.

The more Twilight thought about it the more convinced she became that the best gift she could give Celestia was another old book that they could work on together. They had already worked on so much together. What could they do next? Then, a fragment of a memory came unbidden to her mind. On one of those late night sessions Celestia had mentioned something. A companion piece to Solid Shield's "Songs of Venus." It was a book of love poetry now lost to the ages. A crystal pony poet had written it and Celestia had sought for it in the Crystal Library when the Empire had been restored, but had not been able to find it.

What if I could find it? It would make her so happy! Twilight smiled at the thought of bringing a smile to her beloved's face. But, how could she find it? If even Celestia couldn't, it was hopeless. Still, at the very least she could try. Maybe she could get her friends to help her? She bit her lip. If they helped then it really wouldn't have been her finding it. The sooner she got started the better.

"Spike!" She called.

The little dragon ran up the stairs and into her room. "What's up, Twilight?"

"Clear my schedule. We're going to the Crystal Empire."

Spike's eyes widened. "We're going where?"

...
Twilight sat around the table in Rarity's kitchen. Her friends and Spike were sitting with her. After making her decision, she'd realized just disappearing without a word would worry her friends so she had decided to round them up and tell them.

"You're going to the Crystal Empire? What for?" Applejack asked.

"And why aren't you bringing us?" Dash asked. "I'd love to get a chance to joust again. There was this crystal pony guard who kept offering to show me his moves."

"Well, you see...I've decided to get a gift for the Princess. A book of love poems. It's been lost for centuries, but I think I can find it."

"Oh my." Rarity said. "That sounds lovely. Do you need our help?"

"I'm afraid not. This is one of those things I have to do myself."

"Good luck, Darling."

The sentiment was repeated by all her friends. Pinkie promised to throw her a party when she returned. After talking for a while longer Twilight decided it was time to go. She bid them all farewell and then left.

...
It took three hours to get from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire. While the hills and valleys went by in a blur of green, Twilight stared out the window and sat. Spike was beside her flipping through a comic book.

"So, how long do you think this will take?" He asked when he finished the comic book and placed it down.

"I'm not sure, Spike. Celestia herself was unable to find it."

"Then what makes you think you can?"

She bit her lip. "I'm not sure I can."

The green gave way to white as the snow-peaked mountains of the North slowly came into view. The Crystal Empire was getting closer. The train crested several hills before entering into the territory of the Empire. The crystal towers of the great city that had once served as capital to a much larger territory rose up from a valley between the snowy mountains.

The train came to a stop, letting the passengers off. Twilight and Spike walked into the city. Things had changed since their last visit. The city was still as vast as ever. The sun shone upon the multicolored crystals of which the city was built giving the whole city a rainbow hue. The crystal ponies were going about their daily business. A market had been set up in the city square. The air was filled with laughter and talking and merchants calling out their wares. There was an atmosphere of an ordinary day unlike the sinister atmosphere that had been present last time she had visited. Twilight and Spike walked through it on their way to the library.

When they entered the library they found it to be in a state of pandemonium. Ponies were carrying boxes full of books. Other ponies were sifting through them and handing them to others who were placing them on shelves. The bookshelves nearly scraped the ceiling they were so high, but most were only half-full. She accosted a librarian who was hurriedly trotting.

"Hello, Sir. What's going on?"

"We're reorganizing the library. We found vaults and catacombs filled with books. Some of them date back to the Republic. Some sort of magical enchantments on them keep them preserved. It's not the...er...former emperor's doing. Empress Cadence has ordered us to do a full reorganization of the library."

Cadence is having a library reorganized and didn't tell me? We're going to have to have words about that."I'm a librarian. Can I help?"

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

...
Celestia walked among the roses of her garden, what remained of the morning dew tickling her bare hooves. The co-ruler of Equestria was having a brief respite from the duties of her office. Her crown and rainment had been set aside. In an hour she would have to speak with the Caribou king, Dainn. She was looking forward to it. Caribou were known for their manners, their high regard for gender equality and general respect for others. King Dainn was the last in a line of philosopher-kings who shunned war and violence unless it was a last resort. Still, her mind had been troubled since this morning and it had nothing to do with Equestria and the Caribou Tribe's trade alliance. A certain purple unicorn was haunting her thoughts. The minute she resolved to tell Twilight that her feelings were purely platonic she began to doubt if that was really true. Then, she decided to tell Twilight she genuinely returned her feelings. But was that the truth?

How long had it been since she had opened her heart to love? How many had she lost? It had been a thousand years.

"One-thousand years..." She whispered. One-thousand years of loneliness. She did not wish to blame her sister, but after that loss she had made no friends nor had she taken a single lover. She avoided learning the names of her servants or guards and when time took them she did not mourn their passing. "I have closed my heart for one-thousand years."

"I am sorry, Sister, for all the good it does."

The Night Princess trotted up to her sister. She had entered the garden so quietly the elder hadn't noticed her.

Celestia turned to face her. "Sister I...I didn't mean for you to hear that. You know I have forgiven you."

"I haven't forgiven myself. And if you have closed your heart to love because of what I did I could never forgive myself."

Celestia raised a hoof and stroked Luna's cheek. "Oh, Luna. We will both heal in time."

"I know, Sis." Luna said. "I want you to be happy. I want you to love. Tell me, do you love Twilight Sparkle?"

"Of course. I just don't know what kind of love I feel for her." Celestia looked away. "But I did kiss her back."

Luna blinked. "She kissed you?"

Celestia nodded. "Last night, Twilight teleported into my room and she kissed me. I was confused at first, but I kissed back." She paused. "Twilight is attractive, I can't deny that. And she is intelligent. And brave. And she is so eager, always willing to please."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Sister. You're in love."

...
Twilight sighed as she looked through the pile of books. She took the current one, a history of the Crystal tribes, and placed it on a stack of history books. She was in the basement surrounded by seemingly endless piles of books. The shelves continued far into what appeared to be catacombs. The high ceiling of the chamber sparkled with the gems that covered it. The gems provided an ambient light that Twilight could read by.

Crystal ponies were trotting to and fro, carrying stacks of books to organize. Twilight had decided to make things easier for herself and had made several stacks that now surrounded her like the book forts of her childhood. In one stack were several volumes of history she would come back for when she wasn't so focused on her mission. Beside that stack were books of poems.

None of them were the book of poems she was looking for. There was a stack for epics, a stack for mathematics, a stack for sciences, a stack for philosophy (including a particularly bleak political textbook written by Sombra) and a stack for miscellaneous books. Spike was seated on a table as well, but she'd instructed him not to help. The only reason Twilight had brought him was that she just didn't feel comfortable leaving him at the library by himself. It was different when he went away on royal business, but even then she worried over him. Though next year he would be able to be left by himself more.

"Why can't I help?" Spike asked, breaking her from her reverie.

"I have to do this myself." Twilight answered, engrossed in a book of poems.

"Why? What's so special about this?"

"It's very important. I need to find this book."

"The Princess didn't ask you to find it though. Why put yourself through all this trouble? You've been at it for hours!"

Twilight looked up at a clock. For three hours she had done nothing but search for the book she wanted to give as a gift to Celestia. Every time she thought of giving up and going home she thought of Celestia's smile. Bringing a smile to that radiant face would make all of this worth it.

"Because I want to show the Princess how special she is to me." Twilight answered.

...
Celestia and Luna trotted through the alabaster halls of her palace. They shone pink and orange in the light of the afternoon sun that filtered in from the high windows on either side. Down this hall were the chambers where guests were received. As was traditional, the chamber had been decorated in the style of the visitor's culture.

Soft brown tapestries portraying the heroes and folktales of the Caribou. Her particular favorite was the one that showed Great Mother Who Gives Birth To the World. The image of Mother Goddess was one shared by both Caribou and Ponies. Celestia had met Her once and been mentored by her as well, long ago when she was preparing to fight Discord. The tapestry was vibrant, shades of shimmering blue framing the white-winged, silver-maned alicorn.

The Caribou King was seated at the table. He rose and knelt his head at them. They knelt back, all three brushing their horns together as was customary.

There had always been a quiet dignity to the Caribou royal family and Dainn was no different. His antlers were covered in golden rings and his muscles were well-developed, showing military training. It was military matters he wished to speak of. They got down to business. The Flutter Valley Republic had assaulted the Caribou's eastern frontiers with the intent of reclaiming lost territory and to spread their fanatical brand of Mooism. Dainn didn't have the military force to repel them and needed aid. Celestia and Luna listened with interest. In the end they offered the services of their elite 107th Unicorn Battalion just as the Caribou had aided them in the Roan War. Then they moved onto trade and a few other issues. Dainn and Luna kept giving Celestia strange looks.

"Princess Celestia, are you alright?" Dainn finally asked around the seventh time Celestia's eyes wandered to the window.

"Yes, Sister. You seem distracted." Luna said.

Celestia returned her attention to the conversation It was something about preventing the distribution of certain obscene and speciesist comics portraying the Caribou in an extremely lewd light. "I'm sorry, your Highness. I find my attention slipping."

"Have I bored you?" The king asked.

"Not at all. I'm dealing with personal issues."

"We've known each other a long time." Dainn said. "And I'd even go so far as to call you a friend. Tell me what troubles you. Perhaps, I can help."

"Sister is in love." Luna announced, earning a glare from Celestia.

"I see. And who is the object of your affections?"

Celestia sighed. "It is my student. And I'm not in love with her. Or, I don't think I'm in love with her."

Luna patted her back. "Sister." She said in a nearly pleading tone. "Can you not allow yourself to be happy?"

Dainn looked from one sister to the other. "What are your feelings for this student?"

"I don't know, that's the problem. It has been a long time-centuries-since I've been in love. I feel like I've forgotten how."

Dainn smiled sadly. "Love is a scary thing. You remember when I lost my wife don't you?"

"I do."

"I vowed I would never love again. I thought there could never be another like her in all this world.Then, I met a noblecow from another Caribou tribe. Oh my, Princess! How I denied my feelings for her. I felt like loving her would be a betrayal of my wife. Then, she confessed her feelings to me. She asked me if I thought my wife would want me to be alone and unhappy.No, of course she wouldn't have. She helped me to remember how to love."

Celestia could almost have sworn she saw tears in the old stag's eyes. "I understand what you're saying Thank you, both of you, but this is something I need to work out on my own."

"Of course."

There being no further business they knelt to one another once more and Dainn left.

...
Twilight leaned back onto a pile of books and sighed. It had now been four hours since she'd began her search. It wasn't there. It simply wasn't. Spike had fallen asleep. Loyal as he was, he wasn't inexhaustible. She closed her eyes and began to weave a spell. This was her last attempt. If this failed, she'd have to find some other way of proving herself in Celestia's eyes. Magic flowed from her horn and searched the vast catacombs. As she scanned the library with her spell she realized there were more catacombs just beneath this level.

She scooped up Spike in her magic and laid him on her back. He wrapped his arms around her and they set off. She lit her horn, illuminating the darkness. A row of stone stairs, cracked and decaying, led into darkness. She gulped and began her descent. The light of her horn revealed chamber filled with more books. She picked one up in her magic. It was a book of love poems. She began her search once more, sometimes picking up several books in her magic.

"Solid...Spear? No, not spear." She murmured to herself as she sorted through the books. "This is Old Crystalish...not very good at it...Shield! This is Soldid Shield's work! I found it!"

Twilight began to prance around the room shouting yes. Spike woke up and held on tight.

"So, you found it?"

"Yes! Yes, I did!"

...
Celestia was out walking in the garden, this time among the gardenias. They smelled sweet this time of year. Her student was still on her mind. Or was Twilight still her student? At some point, Celestia couldn't quite recall when, her faithful student had become her beloved friend. Her meditation was interrupted by a puff of smoke. A letter appeared before her. She held it in her magic and unrolled it. Tears sprang to her eyes as she read it.

'Dear, Princess Celestia,
I have been searching for the words to say to you. I have found a book of poems and this poem expresses the words I've always wanted to say.

‘You are the goddess of my heart,
at secret altars I have knelt to you,
I long to drink with you
the wine of desire,
oh how shall I quench this thirst
in my soul,
this longing for your touch?
My soul is parched and dry without you!
Kiss me
and quench my soul’s thirst.’,
I found a copy of Solid Shield’s work. If you’d like we could work on translating it together.
Yours Forever, Twilight.’

"My gods..." Celestia breathed. “Solid Shield. She actually found Solid Shield’s work.”
Grinning a bit, she teleported into her chambers. There, she found a scroll and a quill.
‘My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,
How on Equestria did you find Solid Shield’s work? I searched for it, myself. The poem is very beautiful. I’m touched that you feel that way about me. If you’d like, we can certainly work on it together."

With a flash from her horn, the letter was sent off.