Per Constellatum

“Vita dulcedo et spes nostra salve,”

August, 17th, 2555…

Unknown System…

Equestria...

Ponyville, Twilight's Castle…

Personal Study/ Sleeping Chambers...

Princess Twilight Sparkle…

2134 hours…

The bright and flickering light from the candle that lay in its metal tray on my desk, illuminated my working space. The golden light that was warm and comforting to be around, shown down brightly to the many somewhat neatly stacked papers and empty inkwells on my desk and onto the dim sparkling crystal walls and window sill of the room I sit in. The window that connected to the sill was open, the window panes being pushed out into the open night air, as cool breezes came in once and awhile, ruffling my fur gently like a cool windy hand running its fingers over my exposed body. It felt lovely, almost like a temporary rest from the candle that glowed brightly in front of me, just enough to make the warmth feel recognized, reminding me that it’s there,as I sat quietly, alone.

These feelings and the current time, was practically ushering me into a sense of fatigue, as if the wind and the warmth was pushing me towards the bed that lay in the middle of my room, the head backed up against the wall to my right, the mattress begging to wrap its warm blanket arms around me, and cuddle my frame into a well needed rest.

Something I needed now, more than ever…

Fighting the temptation to give into my body's need to sleep, I pushed on. My left hand held a single piece of lined paper in place as my horn made a white feathered pen dance across the lines like a elegant ballerina of cursive handwriting, it’s tip scribbling along leading black type across the page. The white feather jerked about at snout level, once and awhile wiping by my nose, tickling it slightly, keeping me awake as more of a physical reminder of my obligations on the table top in front of me. My right hand was just, balled up into a fist and pushed up against my right cheek, squishing my face up as my elbow rested heavily on the desk. It supported my heavy head, which grew heavier as minutes pass me by.

My eyes were heavy as they looked over the paper on the desk, as the words just poured out of me in a consistent line of elegantly constructed sentences, all upbeat and cheerful in nature. My lips mouthed silently as each word was formed on the page, spell checking myself, as if reading directly behind my hand, reading what my half awake brain was telling me to write down. I was trying my hardest trying to hide my obviously tired nature in my writing, making me sound overly happy. When in reality I felt as if I could be slapped across the face and wouldn’t even feel it in the slightest. I blinked quicker then normal, as if rubbing my eyes with my heavy lids, not feeling like moving my hands to rub them, or at least I didn’t think to do so at the time.

“And furthermore I believe that the annual Fall Festival should be pushed back into late September, instead of its regular time, due to the fact that we have not been able to keep Timberwolves from leaving the Everfree Forest and causing a panic on the outskirts of town. I know that I said I would personally deal with the situation, and the promise still stands, but I and the rest of my friends and associates have not been able to locate the origin of the timberwolves. Therefore we have not been able to put an end to their…’

My horn stopped writing, I stopped writing. My mind was drawing a blank. The words that so easily flow from my brain into my horn were gone, I was losing my touch.

I took a deep breath and sighed as I placed the quil down into a halfway filled inkwell, right next to three empty ones that I had not thrown away yet. I look around aimlessly at my desk, looking or nothing, as I brush my hair away from my face. I then looked down at myself, again not looking for anything in particular, as I stared down between my breasts and into my light pink nightgown. It was nice to just let my head rest for a moment.

I’m tempted to fall asleep right here in my seat, I can feel my eyelids beginning to tilt down until I jolt myself awake.

“Ugh…” I groan to myself as I look up amongst the finished and stacked papers of legislation that I have already written up into formal documents, and signed. Every single one of them detailing information of some sorts, all vastly different in nature, but all pertaining to Ponyville or Canterlot.

So many things were happening in the coming weeks. Dignitaries from other nations were coming to visit Canterlot to have a formal meeting that would determine alliances between the dozens of independent states that covered the globe. The annual Fall Festival in Ponyville would also be coming up so we needed to prepare for that. And to top it all off, the local residents are being harassed by Timberwolves that are now prowling outside their natural habitat. All that and many other things were all happening at once, to say I was stressed was an understatement.

“I… I need, I need some tea,” I spoke to myself quietly, stuttering a bit.

My horn picked up the candle that lay on my desk and brought it over near my face as I pulled myself up out of the chair, pushing it in slightly. I straightened out my back for I had been hunched over for quite some time, and made my way across the chamber to the door. As I moved from my desk to the door my eyes cased my bed, as if it were calling to me, begging for me to come and lay on its soft pillowy mattress, and dig deeply into its velvety covers. I almost followed the call, but my mind pulled hard on my reins as I forced my attention back to the door.

“Tea, must get tea, now,” I said to myself in an almost zombie like tone.

I gripped the door handle and turned it slowly, opening it, having my last lingering thoughts of sleep, being pushed out of my mind. It swung inward slowly, my body almost getting pulled with its weight. I walked out into the pitch black hallway, the eerie nature of a quiet and slumbering castle, as I had come to first think of it as, was all but lost to me to me now. Since I had been living here for quite some time I had grown used to the nature of the castles vast openness and almost endless amount of rooms.

It wasn’t really that bad seeings how I knew where everything was now. And plus I was too tired to care if somepony was watching me from the shadows or something equally creepy like that. Soon I was navigating the halls normally, my loud hoofsteps echoing throughout the halls. The crystal walls illuminated brightly once the candle hit them which made things seem less dead then they really were as the shadows of passing objects jumped against the walls.

After about a few minutes of navigation and walking, I made my way into the kitchen. Luckily for me, the kitchen had some more modern lighting. I flicked a light switch on the wall directly to the right of me, and a single white light in the center of the rooms ceiling immediately came to life. The room before me was built to the same code as the rest of the palace, same colored walls, brown square tiled floors, wooden furniture, pans and pots hanging from hooks in the ceiling. But, I ignored its beauty for I did not come in here to marvel at the elegance of the trimming along the walls, I came in here for tea, only tea.

“Mmm.. Where did Spike put the tea kettle?” I ask myself as I walk around to each of the closed cupboards looking for the piece of chinaware that I needed to brew the drink I required to keep myself awake for, at least another three hours.

“At least three, if I work fast I can probably squeeze more work in for the School of Friendship as well, requisitioning supplies for the art classes Rarity is having next week,” I talked to myself as my hands continued to rummage around the kitchen, searching for the teapot. Finally my eyes were met with the object I had been looking for. I threw open a cabinet and there it was, on the top shelf, it’s white porcelain body with purple flowers and green vines painted on it shone brightly in the light of the kitchen.

“Oh thank Celestia…” I said to myself as my horn took it off the shelf along with a single cup and resting plate. I hoist the pot over to the sink, and lift off the cover, while turning the tap on with my hand. The water came quickly as it poured into the sink below, the sound of running water the only thing that could be heard that that point, the rushing water killing the deafening silence.

It was nice to hear something other then distant crickets through the window. I placed the pot under the faucet and let the water pour into it. I waited patiently, watching the water, as if I was mesmerized by it, hypnotised by it. But as the water neared the top, I quickly shut off the tap and placed the lid back onto the pot, taking it over to the stove.

I place the pot on the stove as I turn the fire on. The igniter clicked a few times as gas induced flames shot up from the heater. I settled it on medium high. I let go of the pot and let it sit there for a while, letting the water inside heat up. I look around the kitchen again, this time in search for a box of teabags. I looked around the room, as if I were a detective on a crime scene looking for evidence of a stolen priceless jem, or something equally bad. Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted it, a yellow and green box on top of the refrigerator. My magic took it in its grasp as it floated over to my face. I read the white text on the side.

“Rise and Shine Tea. Drink it in the morning for a good start to your day,” I said as I spoke to myself. I rolled my eyes at the upbeat and happy sounding text on the box.

“Pfffft, I’m not going to bed yet, and you can’t make me, tea box,” I said staring back at the yellow and green temptress.

“You’d like me to have a good morning wouldn’t you?” I ask poking and prodding at the box for weaknesses, as if I were playing bad cop in a suspects interrogation.

“Well guess what? I will have a good morning! I will when, I! Me! Twilight Sparkle decides to do so! How do you like them Apples tea box??” I said as I angrily yelled at the box of teabags. It was mocking me wasn't it? That box didn’t run my life, I wouldn’t let it! I run my life, I decide when I go to bed! Not some stupid Cardboard Box!

I was nearly seconds away from throwing the box on the ground and stomping on it, destroying it’s innocent nature until a voice caught me off guard. It sounded small, tired, and child like.

“Twilight? Why are you yelling at a bunch of tea bags?” I whip my head around, the voice nearly forcing me to throw the box out the nearest window in fright. It was Spike, dressed in his blue pajamas, his left eye being rubbed by his fist as he walked calmly into the room.

“Oh! Spike! I, uh… was just, uhm… uh,” I sputtered to create an answer, to formulate a quick lie as to justify me shouting at a inanimate object. Luckily Spike beat me to the punch as he jumped up onto the table, and sat on the edge closest to me, a worried but mostly confused look on his face. Spike had gotten a bit taller in the past couple years, his height increasing just enough to make him slightly taller than the average filly, but still small enough for him to do this.

“Making tea?” He asked pointing to the box in my hand. I looked quickly down at it, then back up to him embarrassed. Hearing his voice, nearly made me break down in front of him, somepony to talk to that wasn't just a box. But I held my composure enough to move over to the counter and place the horrible box on it. I sighed as I made my way back over to the table, my arms collapsing onto it, my hands folding over my head, my snout slamming into the table as well as I rested next to spike.

“Oh Spike, I’ve just been so busy lately, I have barely any time to myself. Being the principal of a school, the Princess of Friendship, having an overly active social life, and trying to save Equestria from sudden doom, is driving me insane,” I lift my head and push myself up, my arms stiff as I rest my jaw in the palm of both my hands, my elbows on the table top, my breasts squishing into the edge of the counter, as I talk to a listening Spike, my head craning slightly to meet his eyes.

“I have the dignitaries meeting that I need to make sure goes off without any problems, I have the Ponyville Fall Festival coming up, I have Timberwolves to deal with. Dear Celestia Spike I… I think I need a break…” I say finally giving in to what my brain, and body have wanted me to say for such a long time.

Finally saying it and talking to somepony about it, made me feel good, made me feel happy, knowing that somepony was listening to me.

“Aww jeez Twilight, C’mere,” He opened his arms with a comforting smile, implying he wanted to give me a hug.

I smile warmly as I move to him, and return the gesture quickly. He and I lock arms together, mine and his arms swinging around each other in a warm, and well needed embrace. God I needed this more than the tea... I just needed a good hug. That and sleep, okay maybe just sleep but, hugs were nice too. I sighed in to it out of exhaustion it as Spike began to talk.

“Listen Twilight, I know things are really hectic right now, but these things will pass. The dignitaries visit and the festival will be over before you know it, and the Timberwolves… Well… They can be dealt with, we’ve dealt with them before, we can do it again, okay?” His words spoke softly and truly into my ear.

He knew just what to say, and how to say it. Even if he made it sound so simple and easy, it was nice to hear coming from him. All the things I knew deep down already, coming from somepony else just made me feel really good. Knowing that somepony else felt the same way, and understood how I felt. I smiled a long and bright smile as I leaned out of the hug, looking at Spike.

“Thanks Spike, you know just what to say,” Spike pulled out of the hug and smiled back, his left claw coming up and poking my snout playfully, speaking softly before he giggles.

“I have my moments,”

He says that, just before the tea kettle on the stove began to whistle away, drawing my attention away from Spike. I turn away from him, and walk over to it and took it off the burner, before looking back at him.

“Would you like some tea?” I ask as I lifted up the dreaded tea box again. Spike nods a few times.

“Yeah, I think I do,”