Thy Namesake

Deep from within the castle walls could be heard eleven symphonic chimes signaling the evening hour; yet from where Twilight currently sat in joyful bliss and surprising company, she had almost missed it.

As it were, she and Luna spent the better half of the evening preoccupied by the inviting lure of the Lunar Wing's open parlour. They were both dressed down in their fluffy pajamas just casually laughing about anything and everything they could possibly think of to pass the time. Considering the past few weeks of non-stop duty and the weight of her slightly problematic personal problems, this was a different type of solace for Twilight. She even let the Princess persuade her into trying a glass of wine!

"Are you sure about this, Luna?" She had asked in slight hesitation before sniffing the dark foreign substance straight from the bottle. As she watched the ruby liquid pour into a glass designated for herself, she thought it smelled innocent enough; like a child's mild fruit mix beverage. She could admit, it was enticing. From the smell alone she expected the taste of cultivated wild berries, but wasn't sure about the recoil. And so she turned her curious gaze to the smirking Princess that sat beside her. There was a hard to miss mischievous glint possessing those radiant eyes staring down on her.

"When have I ever led you astray, my Love?" Luna purred like a kitten laid lazily before a furnace.

And so Twilight plunged headfirst into the fire.

The burn from the first sip certainly caught her off guard, but under the assurance of the Lunar Princess, she kept sipping and sipping until her first glass was suddenly gone and left in its wake a warm, tingly sensation that slowly submerged her entire body. It started from her nose, as she was caught instinctively wiggling the appendage on occasion; spread down to her arms, which caused her to easily give into the comfort of the grand sofa where they were currently sat; flowed even into her wings, which felt like every single feather had been coaxed into relaxation; and ended in her stomach, which altogether was a different type of reaction that she couldn't quite put in words. It was like a kindling warmth awoke from a long slumber to become the source of her sudden looseness.

How wonderfully... Strange.. A feeling this was, she reflected as Luna poured a second glass. She accepted without hesitation, deciding she needed to further study this new profound effect. Her incisive mind quickly catalogued the change in taste from her first glass and now, from a tight acidic burn to a sweet fluidic equilibrium. She could even savor the uniqueness of the brew and its independent flavors. Wine, or rather alcohol itself, was an interesting mouthful to swallow; and even more captivating to fall under the influence of. After some time further collapsing into the feather-like pillows of softness, Twilight had to catch herself from almost allowing her eyes to drift closed. She didn't think that'd be polite company for Luna, who didn't seem to really mind at all; but she still didn't want to be rude.

Her sudden bliss was almost too enthralling to gather.

Twilight never felt this relaxed before, especially when just a few hours ago she had been so anxious she could barely sit still. Usually it took hours of back-and-fourth pacing, reading, needless arranging, or soaking in a steaming bubble bath to genuinely calm her nerves to this extent. What a strange phenomenon, that a tiny liquid perhaps had her more at ease than even one of her simplest, most favorite tasks of all- penning a detailed letter about her newest studies to Celest-

Ah, nevermind, she quickly corrected her thoughts as heat rose to her cheeks. That particular notion was not supposed to cross her mind tonight, as she had initially sought the Lunar Princess' company purposefully to forget those pesky- and somewhat nagging- troubles of hers. Tonight was a night for merriment, a night for letting go the feelings of doubt and shame she kept locked in her heart from that iconic scene played out weeks ago. If she were being honest, she would admit now she felt less significant more than ever. Deep in her mind's darkest reserves, the place where she couldn't help but venture as of late, reluctance stole her breath and questioned her every move. What purpose did she serve in becoming a Princess, anyway? Why was she doing any of this? Was her duty solely to the Kingdom? Or was what really drove her for something... Someone.. Else? And why was she feeling this way in the first place? Nothing mattered as much as the emptiness that now consumed her after a long day of fighting alongside her friends. Her castle and her heart now felt as barren as ever; like a part of herself was simply... Missing.

But, it seemed that wise Luna had an answer for her. Lately, Luna somehow always held an answer. She wasn't sure why, but Twilight knew Luna would understand without her having to say a single word otherwise. And honestly, Twilight made a mental note to consult the younger Princess more often. Officially this was the first of a handful of occasions spent alone with the darker Princess and, without an explanation, Twilight couldn't help but feel melancholic about that. Such was a woe of being the Princess of Friendship; one could befriend all of Equestria yet still not have the time to devote equally to everyone, and could still end up just as lonely in trying.

She huffed a ragged sigh. Geez, Princess life could be really trying on a young woman these days.

"Luna, may I as' you a q'shun?" Wait, that certainly didn't sound right. It seemed she was too relaxed to even speak properly, how odd. How many glasses of wine had she had now? Like, three, right? She wasn't completely sure about that, but then again, the room seemed to spin too and she was pretty sure rooms didn't spin. Normally, anyway.

Luna chuckled, "You certainly may, but my answer heavily depends on the coherence of your 'q'shun', my Love."

Twilight smiled playfully, "Shuddup, Loony, you knew what -ah meant."

"Hmm," Luna mused with a wicked grin, "If I’m Loony, does that make you Insane for asking my opinion?"

"Discord's Hell," Twilight whispered. A deep flush spread across her cheeks to Luna's enjoyment, and they both shared a lighthearted laugh.

Twilight more so enjoyed the light banter from Luna than she would readily admit, in fact it felt natural in a sort of way. Funny how both royal Sisters could be the only ones that ever made her feel like laughing at her own discretion. But Luna was different from Celest- The Other One, she mentally corrected- in that Luna's humor could often be missed to anyone else. To Twilight, however, she was damn hilarious.

"But yes, Love. Your question?"

Unfortunately, as the velvet-eyed beauty sat warily caressing her fourth glass of wine, Luna could see her request had fallen on deaf ears and Twilight managed to, once again, slip into the darker recesses of her mind. It was not hard to postulate her course of thought. She was probably, no, undoubtedly thinking of her older sister; and the Lunar Princess was not wrong. In fact, defying her self rule of not thinking about Celest- The Other One, dammit- Twilight found herself unable to resist comparing the two Sisters and their drastic differences.

"Just say it, Celestia’s on your mind, isn’t she?" Luna muttered, hoping to get her attention.

Twilight looked up in surprise, "Wha’ddya say?"

"I asked if there was something troubling you, Love?" Luna repeated, and Twilight shook her head to empty those damned thoughts from causing her trouble again. So adamant was her hidden battle in resisting the urge of thinking the very name that now her mind was playing tricks on her. She swore she just heard that name spoken out loud. Or maybe she really was drunk.

"No, iss’okay, Princess. I'd feel reeaally bad if I jus’ ‘rung all my problems on you," Twilight felt she was burning up, although she didn't particularly know why. Did it just get twenty degrees hotter in here or something? She hoped she wasn’t blushing.

"Hmm," Luna sat back and pursed her lips. That simply wouldn't do now, would it? "In case you may have forgotten, that is what I'm here for."

At this, Twilight did blush. She always found it hard to talk to other people about herself. Probably something to do with the attention being focused solely on herself, she mused. It was always hard to complain about life when you've known others who have been in situations that are far worse off.

"I get it, I get it," Luna put on a coy smile, "You would rather be talking to my sister about these types of things, right?"

Before she could stop herself and with heavy bitterness laced in her words, Twilight scoffed, "Celest- She hates me."

"Oh, come now, Twilight. Celestia doesn't-"

"It's just not th’ same anymore, izzn’it?" Twilight cut in. She really didn't want to be rationalized with. In fact, she didn't want to be talking about this at all. She hid her face behind her hands and mumbled, "She won' ever be able to f’rget wha’ I did. I won' be able to f’rget wha’ I said. Things... Things ‘tween us won' ever be th’ same. En’of story."
　
Luna somberly considered the gold ceiling tiles while gathering her thoughts. It was clear how the embarrassment left her suffering with feelings of isolation from Celstia, but.. This was not like Twilight at all. And frankly, Luna thought, there was no need for it. She knew too well that her sister did in fact return those feelings. The only problem was Celestia’s stubborn sense of self-denial. But her sister had one weakness, even when it came to this unyielding and incredibly iron-willed side to her; and that weakness was Twilight herself.

The only question was how to get them together? Luna already had a few solutions in mind.

"Well, you're right about one thing," The Lunar Princess finally replied with her eyes still turned to the ceiling, "Things won't be the same. But does that really have to be such an omen to you, Twilight?"

"I.. I don' unnerstand wha’you mean," Twilight replied after a moment of trying to concentrate. Which, in her defense, was a harder task than normal considering she downed the last of her glass the moment Luna started prodding her for answers.

A rumble from outside the parlour doors told Luna that they were not alone. She smirked as she picked up the familiar magic mingling in the air. A quick glance at Twilight told her she was none the wiser to their little intruder.

"Look at me," she moved closer to her friend and pulled her chin up tenderly, "Celestia may feel a mix of emotions towards you, my Love, but anger is not one of them." She stroked the younger's cheek and felt Twilight shiver to her touch. Perhaps her fingers had been a tad too cool in contrast to those rosy cheeks so plumply pouted in distress. As the rumbling outside grew louder, Luna couldn't help but smirk. It was like their little intruder wasn't even attempting to hide. Very sloppy, she thought. "It's quite the opposite, really. Why, just today she was-"

"LUNA!" Without further warning Celestia burst through the double doors with a fierce look that rivaled a dragon’s intimidation at its best. She wore her royal nightgown that flowed behind her in a flurry of pastel colors to match her glorious hair. She folded her arms and glared at her younger sister with the might of a thousand Lions.

Luna dropped her hand from Twilight's cheek but the smirk remained in tact. She did not bother to acknowledge their visitor. Instead she wrapped a friendly arm around Twilight, whose shocked expression mirrored that of one witnessing a ghost's reincarnation before their very eyes. Celestia dropped her glare for a softer, more urgent look upon closer inspection of Twilight.

"Why, speak of Chaos and he shall appear. Welcome, Sister. I do believe we were just in the middle of a marvelous conversation about-"

"Luna," She cut sharply, her eyes still locked with Twilight’s, "Could you give us a private moment?" The urgency in her voice was not missed.

"This is my Wine Parlour, Sister."

Celestia growled with a roll of her eyes so hard she was sure she caught a glimpse of her own horn’s base.

"What?! I will not allow you to kick me from my own quarters," The younger sister practically sang the last syllables with a satisfied smile and quirk of eyebrow to the older. All was going according to plan.

"Fine!" Celestia exasperatedly retorted, then calmed herself before proceeding, "Fine. Twilight, would you care to join me?"

"I-I was 'ere for Luna tonight," Twilight glanced between the pair of siblings. In that moment she felt as if they shared a hidden communication link, something that only the two of them knew, and she hesitated. Even under the influence, it made her nervous. But the way Celestia's eyes almost seemed to beg her... There was no way Twilight could say no to that, even if she had been sober. Luna then gave her a small knowing smile and nudged her head towards the hall.

"Go ahead, I don't mind," Came the Lunar Princess' reply. "Happy to help in any way I can." That was directed at her incredibly obstinate sister. Celestia fixed her with a glare so venomous that said you are most certainly not helping!

"Oookaaay, but I don' see how this's suppose to- woah," Twilight stood too fast, or maybe not fast enough, she wasn't sure, and the world came spinning on its heels. She found herself instantly caught by strong arms, however, and she was quick to reprimand her clumsiness. "Definitely not helping," she muttered.

"No, but a nice stroll will," came a familiar soothing tone too close for her own comfort.

Twilight let her eyes drift closed for a brief moment of weakness and inhaled deep her favorite scent of strawberry vanilla emanating from the sudden warmth that held her steady by the waist. No, no, this was not good, not good at all, her mind was screaming at her. But it seemed she didn’t have a choice as the same grip that supported her started moving in a direction that Twilight couldn’t really tell. In fact, she couldn’t even focus enough to look up without exposing the severity of her situation. She was hot all over, and not like a sweaty workout type of hot either. This was that kind of heat, not entirely unknown to her, but rather the type she felt only in the presence of a certain someone and whenever her mind drifted into that particular... Except this was not a dream, and she was actually...

"Tirek, be damned," She swore beneath her breath and felt rather than heard the responding light chuckle that answered from above.

After a while of silent walking that she managed to not think of as awkward, Twilight asked, "Princess, where are we going?"

"You'll find out when we get there," Celestia held a bit of humor in her tone, which, believe it or not, gave Twilight a bit of peace. Although if she were asked why, she wouldn’t be able to answer.

She caught glimpses of familiar castle statues along the journey, but for the majority of the walk her eyes stayed glued to the floor. However, as Celestia led them up a flight of stairs, Twilight started to clear up. She groaned, bringing a hand up to her forehead under her horn. Her body felt hot to the touch. She knew where this was headed.

Celestia's bedroom.

"Princess, I reeeaaally don't think this is a good idea, after all," she was at least happy to hear herself enunciate properly.

"Silly, the view from my balcony is unlike any other here in the castle. It’s the perfect place to sober you up," Celestia readjusted the grip on her waist as they ascended the last few steps, "I'd like for you to see it at least once, you know."

"I-I’m fine," Twilight pouted when they cleared the landing and, thinking she was finally able to stand on her own, pushed Celestia away, "I don’t need to sober up. I was enjoying it just fine, thank you very much."

Yet as she took her next step she stumbled right back into Celestia’s grasp. Celestia hummed to herself and resumed their pace. Yes, I’m sure you were, she thought.

"If you like, there are pillows over by the window that I could spell for us outside. We can sit and stargaze for a while," Celestia spoke as they entered, the light from her horn tip first illuminated the room as her magic lit the wall candles. "I love to watch the sky this time of night. Luna makes the stars shine their brightest around midnight or so."

"Wow," Twilight breathlessly replied as she managed to lean on the window sill on her own. Pure white light from the full moon above bathed the surrounding vista below and painted a brilliant portrait of something she could only think of as a dream.

And wow, what a view to behold.

Awe invaded her foremost thoughts as Twilight rushed through the French double doors to get a better look. She held tight to the railing as her eyes drank the sight before her. Positioned in what she presumed to be an opening in the middle of the castle itself, sat a huge garden full in abundance of lustrous green life. To the east of the garden sat a semi-large fountain of stone- stacked pillars that allowed a small stream of water to freely flow down into a small handmade pond. A large cove of burning red and orange leaves encased a lighted bridge expanse to the north and south parts. On the farthest point west from the pond sat an open area complete with a table and bench set that complimented nature's fall colors beautifully, even in the darkness of the night.

As Twilight stood completely absorbed by the scene, Celestia found herself leaning against the doorway, a glass of wine in one hand and water in the other, captivated not by the night sky nor the beautiful scenery she had already been accustomed to; but rather, the raw finesse in the form of one particularly fascinating woman. This Twilight was no longer just the bashful ex-student, highly introverted, untouchable Princess that she was used to; this Twilight had blossomed into much, much more. There was a bit of edge in the way she had come to conduct herself. Celestia would have missed it any other way had she not been thrown into the newest bit of her subconscious desires and forced to accept her feelings as an extension of herself. She was completely unaware, Twilight had been, of the way Celestia’s gaze was lovingly appraising her every worth in the soft glow of the moon. She wondered if her skin felt like the silk it resembled, if her wings would tremble to her touch, or if her ears, when bitten, were as tender as her own. Thank Luna for creating such a perfect night sky to properly appreciate her balcony’s newest addition, one she couldn't help but hope to make permanent.

"It really is a spectacle to see," Celestia spoke after a while of silent divulgence. She walked over to where Twilight stood and handed her the glass of water.

Twilight turned around to face her with a pout, "Hey, how come you get the alcohol and I don't? That's not fair, Princess."

Celestia smiled and took a deliberate sip of her own glass, "Because the entire reason for bringing you out here was to clear your mind, not cloud it further."

With a hint of annoyance Twilight huffed and returned to the garden below.

Another touch of magic whirled in the air as Celestia spelled pillows from the interior out into large piles on the open floor. Twilight’s wings flexed against the cool rush of air that greeted them and she was happy to feel the wind as it passed through her feathers. With her work done of arranging pillows in the order she liked, Celestia sat with her wine glass held primly in her grasp and called for Twilight to join her.

Twilight, still pouting, turned again with a retort on her lips and stopped mid sight, halted by the sight of Celestia’s smoldering magenta eyes placed directly on her. Such a look of intent caught her off guard for the second time tonight. Twilight forced herself to look away. There was something about that look that she just couldn’t place; yet in absence of will her own eyes had betrayed her. Or maybe she was just unable to resist. Instead of facing that reserved passion, she found herself gaping at the rest of the Supreme Goddess that sat before her as if wanting to be devoured, almost like she was expecting it. Her nightgown had been pulled in such a way that left her upper chest well exposed yet held still to the loose strands of multicolored mane. How could Twilight resist when her sternum was fully bare in all of its femininity? Sweet Merciful Celestia. What was she playing at? Was she purposefully tempting her? Did she know what she was doing to Twilight's sanity? Never had she seen anything close to being as perfect as Celestia.

And yet again she had been a fool for thinking it.

Possessed by a deeper need that she could not satisfy, Twilight averted her eyes with a shameful flush. Suddenly feeling winded, she decided sitting was much better than standing at this point, and so she took her seat among the fluff of pillows designated for her. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. What would Celestia say now that she had been caught red- handed? She mentally chastised herself and steadied her thoughts, sipping her water as a precautionary method to stop whatever unwarranted sentiment had been about to materialize from her lips. She inwardly cringed to the lack of burn in her throat; the water didn't taste nearly as sweet as the wine from earlier had been.

"Discord’s Hell," she absently muttered to herself.

"What a mouth you have on you when you’ve been drinking," Celestia remarked with an amused expression. There was this flutter inside of her that she knew was a bit of possessiveness; a spark of a catalyst between them that had to be addressed sooner or later.

"Oh, I’m sorry, Princess… Does it bother you?" Twilight asked seriously hoping she had not accidentally offended Celestia. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

"No, not at all," Celestia replied with an earnest smile. In fact, she rather liked it. But there was a problem that bothered her, one she needed Twilight to understand. She pondered ways of approaching the subject without causing any harm.

"Twilight, tonight I don't wish to speak to you as the Royal Princess Celestia, but rather your friend and closest confidant Celestia," She started, not meaning for her tone to sound as heavy as it did. But there was a bit of anticipation stirred in her heart by the way Twilight merely looked at her. It wasn't so much of a bother, in fact, it was the opposite; she found she quite liked the attention. The tension between them was enough to light an inferno of feelings she hadn’t allowed herself to feel over vast set of lifetimes. And it was all rather innocent on Twilight's behalf, as she was still considerate of the boundaries Celestia set. Twilight was indeed a different type of person, one that she held in high regard; but the thought of surrendering to the younger's ardor infiltrated her very being the more it was considered. "At least, I hope you still think of me no less as such."

Her tone was not lost on Twilight. Dreamy eyes finally found the will to confront that passionate stare head on.

"O-Of course, Prin-Celestia," Twilight amended nearly breathless, and Celestia's gaze flickered, enchanted by those trembling lips as they spoke. "I've always loved your name," Twilight divulged, yet soon wished her words back. "I'm sorry, I don't know what made me say that, Princess."

"Celestia," the Sun Princess corrected and smiled down at her protégé. The undoubtedly biased opinion was not unwelcomed. In fact, she idly pondered as she bit her lip, she wanted to hear more. "Don't apologize."

In an attempt to still her beating heart, Twilight looked down at where her thumbs had been absently twiddling over her glass. There was something in the Prin- Celestia's eyes that she just couldn't explain. It made her weak in a way. Here she was, looking like the biggest idiot ever, spewing nonsense all over the place. Celestia probably thought she was annoying. She hadn't the slightest clue what made her to give up such a big secret. She looked up again and was surprised to see the Sun Goddess still watching her. And there was that blazing look again. It was doing things to Twilight that had it not been for the numbness she still felt from earlier, she wasn't sure she could handle. She tried to remind herself to not get caught up in her selfish delusions. Celestia was not hers, she repeatedly reminded herself; but the longer she stared into those hypnotic depths reflecting in the moonlit glow, the more she began to lose herself in the feelings that surfaced.

"Tell me why you've always loved my name," Celestia broke the silence and Twilight couldn't resist saying no to anything she asked.

Heaving a heavy sigh and shifting her gaze to the stars, Twilight made an effort to collect her thoughts before speaking. Perhaps out of a nervous tick she took a heavy gulp of water to help her think.

"I love what the word itself represents," She started slowly. "It's a word of promise and fulfillment. Beauty and fire. Passion. Strength. Incredibility. Heaven," at this, Twilight's star- turned gaze softened, "The entire universe in one simple word. A contradiction. I love the way it rolls off the tongue, so I have a habit of saying it a lot when nobody's around," Twilight finally looked down with a faint blush, "I love that it's a beautiful word for a name, and the most important reason, because it's a name that perfectly describes you. I couldn't think of any other way to say it," She looked up with a satisfied smile, "And believe me, I have tried!"

Something much like fire flashed in Celestia's eyes as she listened. She turned away, not wanting to reveal too much, but her face was well flushed by the end of Twilight's spiel. She had been surprised by the amount of thought put into something as trivial as her namesake. Yet as she considered the smiling youth beside her from the curtain of hair fallen over her shoulder, she thought she really should have expected no less. Twilight had a way of continuously proving time and time again the extent of her love for the Solar Princess; even if it wasn't meant to be of the romantic genre, the effect it left on Celestia certainly demanded so.

"No one has ever said anything like that to me, Twilight," Celestia spoke while keeping her face hidden behind the pastel veil.

"Nobody has ever known you like I have, Celestia," Twilight answered with much determination. There was a point she wanted to prove behind those words.

"Oh?" Celestia challenged, shifting to sit up on one arm with a quirked eyebrow to match. "You think you know everything there is to know about me, do you?"

"I never said that," Twilight smiled and turned her nose up feigning disapproval.

"But according to you, nobody knows me like you do."

"That is true, yes," the younger nodded, fingers stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"Twilight," Celestia laughed at her old student's whims, "How is that so?"

"Ahem," Lecture- mode Twilight began, "One doesn't need to know your past to know you in the present. I know there are stories you haven't told me, secrets that even I have no right to; but I also know you as you are now. I know when you are happy, your eyes seem to glow-" Celestia couldn't help but chuckle lightly from behind her hand at this "-And I know when you are sad, you are quiet and reserved and you don't say much. You choose your words wisely when you are angry, and you try to escape the situation without causing harm to anyone unless absolutely necessary. And when you are confused, you always seem to need help in clearing up what bothers you."

Celestia no longer smiled, but considered Twilight with a serious look.

"Like tonight," Twilight brought her gaze to her former mentor's, "I know there is something you want to tell me, something that's bothering you. But-"

"You know, for one as concise as yourself, I don't understand how you get so swept away in those panics of yours," Celestia interrupted from around the rim of her glass, "Twilight, I told you. I don't hate you."

Twilight stiffened. She knew this was coming, she was just about to speak against it. She was sure the last time they had this discussion she told the Princess that they wouldn't have to talk about this again. Didn't she say they wouldn't have to talk about this again? So why were they talking about this again?

"We really don't have to talk about it, Princess."

"I think we do. In fact, this whole mess started because-"

"No, really, that's okay-"

"-I hesitated to speak properly to you about it. I mean, I guess just the fact that realizing-"

"P-Princess, please!"

"-My favorite student is human, after all, stumped me; but then again, walking in on anybody in that situation-"

With a groan Twilight hid her face behind her palms.

"-Would be a bit of a... Stunning sight to see."

Twilight recognized that change in tone. She peeked from her fingers to see Celestia smirking at her. The younger cursed her for all her worth.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"As I am entitled to do so, nothing will ever change that," The Sun Goddess spoke around another sip of wine. She was enjoying herself for the moment. That didn't mean Twilight was getting off easy, though. She watched as the younger groaned again, but could easily make out the hidden blush that crept across her features. "Are you that afraid of me?"

Twilight looked up in shock. "What? No, that's not... Why?"

The Sun Godess reached over to clasp Twilight's chin, luring the younger closer to her as she spoke, "Then why do you always insist that my reactions be so.. Grandeur? Don't you know by now that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that you could ever do to make me hate you?"

"I.. I know that, Princess," She shrugged out of Celestia's grip. The sudden closeness left her feeling lightheaded. "But sometimes I feel... Unworthy."

Celestia furrowed her brows but otherwise remained quiet, silently prodding an explanation from the younger. It was some time before Twilight could speak, however; as this was a side to herself that she absolutely despised talking about. Her gaze turned dark and melancholic, bitter, unforgiving, and cold as she reflected on how to say it, how to voice the darkness within her. Consumed by a moment of despair, she wrapped her free arm around her waist and drew herself in while her wings sheltered her body.

"I.. It's hard to explain, I guess.. It's like.. The way I strive for perfection all the time is because I-" feel the need to validate myself "-Don't want to let you down, I want to prove that I-" love you "-Can be someone you can trust, no matter what. So.. When I do fail... When I show you that side of myself that-" I loathe "-Isn't perfect.. I just feel like I'm-" imperfect, flawed, not good enough "-Not living up to your expectations, or my own expectations of myself; like I'm not worth your time."

"Oh, Twilight," She forced Twilight's face up until they were nose to nose with each other and, overcome with blinding emotions, she whispered on her lips, "You are always worth my time."

And with that, Celestia plunged forth into a kiss full of hunger, a kiss full of desire, a kiss that spoke for her the comfort she could not find the words for; a kiss that elicited a cry of want from both ends as they delved further into an uncharted territory. A kiss that Celestia controlled with a slow build and deep tenderness. A kiss that Twilight did not, could not, refuse to indulge in. A kiss that, once ended, left them both sharing heavy breaths with eyes half- lidded and glazed over with lust for the other.

"Princess?" Twilight asked after a moment of confused thought finally rushed back to her.

"You stopped calling me Celestia, I had to remind you somehow," She stroked the younger's cheek with fondness at the remaining heat.

"But, I don't understand," Her eyes widened, "I thought-"

"To err is to be human, Twilight," Celestia interrupted. She sat back into her cushion and brought her forgotten glass up to her lips.

Something was amiss and Twilight knew the answer was here somewhere, but her mind seemed to blank out before she could put it all together. They just shared a kiss, even though that was at the top of Twilight's list of totally impossible, not ever probably, absolutely-not-going-to-happen-no-matter-how-much-you-wish-for-it, things she expected out of tonight. What even just happened?! What was Celestia trying to say? Was she just teasing again? Why would she do something like- a kiss?! She was stunned. Twilight watched as her former mentor swirled her glass and brought it up to her lips- those same lips that had just been on her own, those same lips that tasted of cherry and deep passion and all things sinful in lust and-

"Celestia," Twilight spoke as she gripped the glass just before it met its destination. Her fingers overlapped the elder’s and stopped her from taking her next sip. Twilight instead brought the glass to her own lips, her intent clear as she held her Goddess’ gaze, and boldly took a sip.

There it was, that same spark was back with a vengeance. Twilight knew she hadn’t been wrong, that Celestia felt it, too. With unmistakable resolve she watched as that lustful gaze briefly fluttered downward. It was her pleasure in watching Celestia squirm while she made a show of licking the excess wine teasingly from her lips; and suddenly Celestia succumbed to the overwhelming enticement set before her and recaptured that tauntingly rebellious mouth for herself.

"Even I can be wrong too, you know,” Celestia managed to breathe out between the swirling tempest that enraptured them both.