Canterlot market was booming, mainly due to the weather. A very unannounced storm struck the town only an hour before, and the nobles and commonwealth were gathering their supplies. Among them was non other than the generous Rarity, who had just arrived to check on her shop, and she was very worried. Her sister was home alone, and her friends were probably worried sick. She was trying as much information as she could, but alas the ponies around her were too concentrated on staying warm to notice her pleas.
All the hope in her body drained as she realized that she had nowhere to go. She could go to her shop, but that didn’t have any bedding or the sort. Her eyes looked around, hoping to at least find a hotel. There were none close, and the hopelessness that she had felt earlier multiplied.
She then noticed somepony who she knew would help. Princess Celestia herself was talking with some pegasi, hoping to rectify the chilly situation. Seeing her chance, Rarity made her way over to the alicorn goddess slowly.
“E-Excuse me, Princess?”, Rarity asked.
Celestia looked down and saw the unicorn shivering very hard. Her face then bore a very concerned expression.
“Rarity? What in Equestria are you doing out here? Can’t you see that it’s freezing?”, The alicorn questioned.
“I can see that. I was checking my shop here and I got stuck. All the trains are shut down, so I’m pretty much stranded in Canterlot”, Rarity said.
Celestia turned to the pegasi and muttered something. They nodded and flew north, leaving the two white mares alone.
“That sure is tragic, Rarity. If you would like, I could offer you a room in the castle. Would that be ok?”, Celestia asked her faithful subject.
“Oh, yes that would be splendid! Thank you princess!”, Rarity said happily.
“You are quite welcome Rarity, now let us make haste to the castle”, Celestia said.
Rarity nodded and the two began to trot towards the large royal structure. The walk felt really, really long to Rarity. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold, though. As they inched closer to the palace, Rarity began to feel weak.
Celestia, upon seeing the state of the seamstress, stopped and turned towards Rarity.
“Rarity, get on my back”, the princess said.
“A-Are you sure? I mean, I can walk. I feel fine, honest”, Rarity said.
She tried to stand up straight, but ended up falling down in pain.
“Don’t worry, all will be fine soon. Just hang on”, Celestia said as she scooped Rarity on her back.
Celestia then took off into the misty sky, flying with speeds that not even Rainbow Dash could match. They reached the castle, and Celestia landed on her balcony. She trotted inside and put Rarity in her bed. She contemplated what to do next, but was interrupted by a soft knock on the door of her chamber.
“Sister, art thou ok?”, she heard a voice call.
Celestia opened the door and saw her sister Luna. Luna had been surprisingly awake all day, as she wanted help with the storm. Luna’s eyes then noticed the mass of white in Celestia’s bed.
“I’m just fine Lulu, I was just helping out a friend”, Celestia said while pointing out Rarity.
“So that is why Rarity is in your bed. I thought you hadn’t finally found a special somepony”, Luna teased.
Celestia’s massive blush was quite visible. Luna had always teased her sister about courting, but this time it just felt weird. Why would Luna say that about Rarity? Rarity was beautiful and nopony couldn’t say she wasn’t, but in a time like this? Luna should’ve known better.
“Luna, you should know better, you can see she’s not doing well. She came here to check on her shop, but got stuck here. I offered her a room, but she grew weak. That’s why she is unconscious and in my bed”, Celestia said with a hint of embarrassment.
“Oh sister, how you get flustered. I was just checking up on you. Unfortunately, we have a problem with her staying here”, Luna said.
“The problem being?”, Celestia asked.
“Well, the castle doesn’t have anymore open rooms, Tia. They are being occupied by the chefs and other such ponies. So there is only one place she can sleep”, Luna responded.
Celestia looked confused ast first, but soon caught on to what Luna meant. She blushed very hard, and her face was now exploding with redness.
“What’s the matter, Tia?”, Luna asked in a playful manner.
“Cut it out Luna! I’m in no mood to be teased!”, Celestia said before slamming the door shut.
“What’s wrong, Princess?”, said a very tired voice.
Celestia jumped and turned to find Rarity sitting up in bed. She was rubbing her temples slowly, and genuinely looked dazed.
“It’s nothing, Rarity. I was just having chat with my sister”, Celestia said.
“Oh, does she not want me to be here? I can understand if not”, Rarity said sadly.
“No! She was just checking up on me and noticed you. She’s a very nosy mare”, Celestia said.
Rarity chuckled at Celestia playful remark. Though she was a bit drowsy, she could still appreciate good humor.
“Ah, I get it. Anyway, where am I going to sleep? This is your bed, after all”, Rarity asked.
Celestia, again, began to blush furiously. She had hoped this wouldn’t come up so soon, but alas the luck had left her.
“Well, unfortunately we have no other rooms open at the moment. So, y-you’ll have to sleep with me”, Celestia said shyly.
Now it was Rarity’s turn to blush. She tried to come up with something to say, but just couldn’t muster up the courage to do so.
For awhile, the chamber was quiet. Neither mare could think of a thing to say, and believe me they tried. Eventually, it was Rarity who broke the seemingly endless silence.
“W-Well, that’s quite alright. I suppose we could just put some pillows between us, right?”, Rarity spurted out.
Princess Celestia’s demeanour changed a bit. She was still very embarrassed, but not as much as before the awkward revelation.
“I suppose that will do nicely. That’s not for a while, however”, Celestia responded.
Rarity was about to respond, but her stomach interrupted her. She blushed at this and tried to play it off. Celestia chuckled a bit at her friend’s stomachs plea for food. She had never seen this side of Rarity before.
“Would you perhaps like something to eat? We have cake”, Celestia offered her guest.
Rarity looked up the word “cake”. That was her FAVOURITE food. Preferably, she liked red velvet cake.
“Would you happen to have red velvet?”, Rarity hopefully asked.
“Why, Yes we do. It’s my favorite flavor”, Celestia happily said.
Raritys face lit up like a firework. Never in her life had she met someone who liked red velvet cake like her. Others just called it tangy and sour.
“Oh my gosh, it’s my favourite flavor too!”, Rarity said excitedly.
“Really?!”, Celestia said back ecstaticly.
Rarity nodded furiously. Celestia then picked Rarity up with her magic and brought her over beside her.
“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s eat some bucking cake!”, Celestia said.
The two galloped fast down the hall. Their cake conquest was almost complete
——————————————————————
The pair of cake lovers returned an hour later groaning in pain. They had eating 5 servings of extra layered red velvet cake, and their stomachs didn’t agree with the choice. They were pretty much stuffed pigs, but cake stuffed pigs at that.
“I’ll be right back”, Rarity said.
She then trotted to the bathroom. She locked the door and went to do her probably painful business.
Celestia watched her walk away and let out a smile. Nopony had ever eaten cake with her, let alone THAT much. She was honestly in awe of Rarity. How could one mare fit that much cake? It was a geniune mystery, probably up there with Pinkie Sense.
She heard a flush and her thought ended. Rarity walked out of the bathroom in a sweat, but to be fair she looked relieved.
Celestia, without asking, went in fast and shut the door. Rarity chuckled, she had never seen the princess in such a hurry before, let alone for THAT reason. It genuinely made her laugh. Rarity’s thoughts were interrupted when Celestia came out looking very relieved.
“I’m not going to ask how you did that so quick. Anyway, what should we do now?”, Rarity asked.
Celestia, choosing to avoid the first question, trotted over to her bookcase and began to browse for a book. She then came across a photo album that she had no recollection of ever owning.
“You want to see some memories?”, Celestia friendly asked.
“Certainly, darling”, Rarity replied.
They both sat down on Celestia’s bed and began to look at the old photo album. One of the more humorous photos was of Celestia and Luna in a bathtub, and they were much younger. Celestia was splashing water in Luna’s face, and she looked annoyed.
“Aww, you were adorable!”, Rarity cooed at the photo.
Celestia blushed and kept browsing through her memories. She then found a picture that stopped her dead in her tracks.
It was a young Celestia with a filly that Rarity obviously didn’t recognize. The filly was orange with a red mane. Her cutie mark was a heart with a smile. The look on Celestia’s face said it all. It was an expression of terror and thought.
“Darling, are you ok?”, Rarity asked.
Celestia didn’t respond. She just sat there emotionless. Suddenly, a tear ran down her right cheek. That’s when Celestia started to silently cry.
“Celestia, What’s wrong?”, Rarity asked in a concerned tone.
“N-N-Nothing. E-Excuse me!”, Celestia said.
She then galloped out of her room and down the hall. Rarity was honestly quite shocked. She had never seen the princess of the sun cry before. Those tears tugged at her heart strings, harder then they should have.
As she got up to go after her, she ran into Luna. Luna took one look at Rarity’s face and grew concerned.
“Rarity, what has happened? Is Sister upset?”, Luna asked.
Rarity nodded and looked over to the book on the bed. She then put two and two together and sighed.
“She saw the picture again, didn’t she?”, Luna asked sadly.
“Is that what she is crying about? She just looked at it and stormed out”, Rarity asked.
Luna sighed and trotted inside the room. Rarity moved aside and watched the night princess sit on the bed. She picked up the album and stared intently at it.
“Sit down and I shall explain everything to thou”, Luna requested.
Rarity obliged and sat beside Luna. Luna took a breath and began to explain.
“Long ago, before your time, Tia was in love with a mare named Light Heart. They were practically inseparable. Tia always gushed about her lover and the times that they would have. All was well, until I was banished. After my banishment, Light Heart was afraid of Tia and her power. Light Heart broke Tia’s heart, and left town. From what I was told, Tia spent an entire year silently sulking in her chamber. Though she got better in time, I believe she always held this deep burden within her, and tonight that burden was brought back”, Luna solemnly explained.
Rarity nodded silently, as she did not know how to react. This entire situation was like what happened with Blueblood, but not entirely. She was sure that there was no fear, she was just very pissed off.
“Is there anything I can do?”, Rarity asked.
“I’m afraid that I can’t think of anything”, Luna solemnly replied.
Rarity tried her darndest to think of a solution, but nothing sprung to mind. The look on Celestia’s face was etched in her mind, the empty and cold look that it was. Rarity’s heart ached hardly, never had she seen such a strong pony break down. She then thought back to the Gala, and the letdown that was Blueblood.
She was heartbroken, she felt like nothing could ever be the same again. That was until Pinkie Pie’s antics put the pep back in her step.
Then the realization hit her. If she was going to help the princess, she needed to tell her story. That way, they could relate.
“I think I know what to do, Luna. I’ll be on my way. Goodnight”, Rarity said. She then galloped away, leaving Luna to go about her dream business.
“Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll find you”, Rarity said to herself.
——————————————————————
Celestia silently wept in the garden of the castle. Seeing her once beloved had burned her heart like Sweetie Belle’s cooking. Nevertheless, she tried to keep quiet. Her crying was cancelled when she’s heard a delicate, yet elegant voice calling her name.
“Celestia?”, the voice said.
Then Rarity appeared from behind a hedge. She herself looked like she had been crying.
“Thank heavens I found you! What are doing out here?”, Rarity asked. She felt like she knew the answer, however.
“I’m just....thinking”, Celestia glumly said.
“Luna told me about her, Princess”, Rarity said.
Celestia slowly turned toward Rarity, and gave her a look Rarity had never seen. It seemed to be a look of both sadness and pain. The white seamstress tensed up.
“It’s ok, Princess. I know what it’s like”, Rarity said.
“Do you? Do you really know what it’s like? Have you ever woken up to nothing?”, Celeista asked.
Rarity, unsure of how to respond, remained silent.
“I didn’t think so”, Celestia said.
“Blueblood broke my heart. I thought nothing would be the same. Then my friends cheered my up. Why don’t you do the same?”, Rarity asked.
“Because I don’t have any friends”, Celestia said back.
“Of course you have friends! You’ve got Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, the other Elements, and me. I value you a lot, Princess Celestia”, Rarity generously said.
Celestia turned around and looked at Rarity. For some unknown reason, the young unicorn was radiant in her eyes. Her coat was like a white diamond, her mane like a purple crystal, and her blue eyes like a cyan sapphire. She was truly a gem.
Rarity then noticed the finer features of the sun goddess. She was classy, yet she knew how to have fun. Her pure white coat remind Rarity of a fine silk, and Celestia’s permenant floating mane was almost an illusion. Celestia was truly a perfect mare.
Both mares feelings felt weird, but not in the way that you would think. These feelings didn’t feel weird because they were both mares. The feelings they felt right then were stronger than any other feeling either one had ever felt. To them, something just felt right.
“Rarity, you don’t know how much that means to to me. Thank you”, Celestia said gratefully.
Celestia trotted over and embraced Rarity fully. Rarity, though shocked at first, returned the embrace. They stood like that for what seemed like forever. The warmness engulfed them fully, and that moment it was if they’d achieved physical nirvana.
Celestia then slight moved her head back and stared deep into Rarity’s eyes. Rarity did the same, and for a brief moment they stared intently at the other. Neither wanted the moment to end.
They moved their heads closer, and then their lips met. The kiss sent sent shivers down both of their spines. All doubt that had plagued them had now vanished, leaving two very full feeling mares. They pulled back and intently stared at each other once more.
“Wow”, Rarity said dreamily.
“I agree”, Celestia said.
“Celestia?”, Rarity asked.
“Yes?”, Celestia replied.
“I don’t want this feeling to end”, Rarity said.
“Neither do I”, Celestia said back.
“Why should it?”, Rarity questioned.
Celestia smiled brightly at that remark. Though they had only been friends for two years, now she truly felt a connection. She then spoke truly and purely form her heart.
“Your right. Rarity, tonight has been truly wonderful. I haven’t felt this full in a millennium, and your right, I don’t want this to end. I want you, Rarity. Hay, I need you. You are my shining diamond, because I can’t see without you”, Celestia said.
Rarity now had tears in her eyes. Celestia’s words had touched her deeply. She didn’t even need to think. She needed Celestia, and Celestia needed her right back.
“Of course I’ll be yours, Tia”, Rarity said.
Celestia’s grin grew to a smile. She hadn’t truly felt a feeling like this in a long time. It wasn’t quite a rare feeling. It was love.
“What do you say we get some sleep?”, Celestia asked.
“I won’t argue”, Rarity said with a chuckle.
Celestia laughed with and teleported them to her chamber.
They grew into Celestia’s bed and cuddled up to one another. Rarity snuggled Celestia’s side, and Celestia rested her head on top of Rarity.
“Goodnight, my diamond”, Celestia said.
“Goodnight, Tia. I’ll see you in the morning”, Rarity said.
Celestia smiled and kissed her love on the forehead. She then spoke words that changed both mares lives forever:
“Hey Rarity?”, Celestia quietly spoke.
“Yes Tia?”, Rarity dreamily spoke back.
“I love you”, Celestia purred.
Rarity looked up and met her lovers gaze.
“I love you too”, Rarity cooed back.
She then pecked Celestia on the lips and snuggled back into her side. Celestia then laid her head back on top of Rarity.
The two new lovers then slept the best sleep in their lives. Possibly due to the overwhelming joy that filled their beating hearts.
