Twilight closed her eyes as she lifted a cup of warm chamomile tea to her lips. She smiled as the slightly floral-tasting tea rolled over her tongue, leaving a little tingle on her lips from the heat. For a moment, she simply held the warm tea in her mouth, satisfied with enjoying both the taste and warmth, then finally she swallowed and set the teacup back down on the floor in front of her.
Still smiling, she opened her eyes and let her gaze wander around aimlessly. Though her personal study couldn't compare to any of the libraries she had stocked when she was younger, the books contained amongst the shelves in her room were far more valuable: other ponies might regard some of the books with disdain or uncertainty, questioning why the book had a special place in her study rather than in the Royal Library, but to her, each book held a special place in her heart.
And yet those books simply couldn't compare to her eight companions, sitting and resting on plush cushions that formed a circle around the room so that they were all close together. Most books could be replaced, and even the ones that couldn't be replaced didn't hold as much value as the lives of her friends. For how could she hold anything higher in value than life, even more so the lives of those closest to her?
Her gaze drifted away from her bookshelves and fell upon the forms of her friends: at her immediate right, Spike lounged on his cushion, propping his head up as he looked across at Rarity; at her immediate left, Celestia followed by Luna, both laying with their chests propped up on the cushions. At Luna's left, Fluttershy sat on her cushion, then Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and finally Applejack and Rainbow Dash completed the circle.
Enjoying the quiet evening, she reflected on the day they had spent together: it had been one where they had all managed to arrive on time, with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie having come by train, Fluttershy via Discord, and Celestia and Luna having flown. Her smile grew warmer as she thought back fondly on the day. While there had been problems that she needed to discuss with them, it did not weigh her down. Seeing her friends was something that always refreshed her, and seeing them all together at once nearly made her grin.
Seeing them individually from time to time wasn't the same as their monthly get-togethers. And that Celestia and Luna had finally joined them after pestering them for decades made it all the better!
And now that evening had come, the day was winding down. She lifted her cup of tea to her lips again and closed her eyes as she drank from it. As before, the warm tea made her lips tingle, but this time she swallowed immediately and set the cup back down. Yes, sharing in a quiet moment with all of them was relaxing and refreshing, something she always looked forward to.
As she opened her eyes, she looked across at Pinkie Pie and scrutinized the mess that was her mane. At one time, the mess would have brought Rarity to cringe as she tried to fix it, and yet now Rarity mostly ignored it. At one time, Pinkie Pie would have been bouncing up and down where she sat, yet motherhood had, in a way, calmed her down. Though not entirely; her foal was quite the hooffull. Even for the Royal Guard.
She stifled a giggle as a dozen fond memories played through her mind.
And Rarity? The mare was quite content where she sat. It was a sharp contrast with how busy Rarity normally was, traveling from city to city as she managed her fashion empire. All of the traveling, stress, and time showed on her features: streaks of gray ran through her mane and tail, and yet the gray didn't detract from the lustrous shine of the rest of her mane and tail.
Where the years hadn't been kind to Rarity, they had welcomed Fluttershy like a friend: the pegasus had her mane tied back, boldly displaying her confidence, for she could not hide behind her mane if she wanted to. And thinking back on it, she couldn't help but marvel at the change, that Fluttershy had grown into her confidence. At one time, Fluttershy was so soft-spoken that she couldn't hear her half the time. Right alongside Pinkie Pie being a mother, that had to be the most amazing change she had witnessed.
Neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash had changed all that much, though Applejack seemed to grow more like Granny Smith each passing year, but her familiar warmth never faded. Rainbow Dash was, in her own way, a bit like herself: a leader and teacher, as she was the Captain of the Wonderbolts. And like her and Rarity, ponies across Equestria looked up to Rainbow Dash. And Twilight had to admit that even she did. Rainbow had put a lot of effort into getting where she was; she had fought for it and won.
And Spike had grown, though he was still young. His sharp, muscular body made a lot of ponies mistake him as her bodyguard on more than one occasion. She still hadn't managed to stop herself from giggling at Spike's distress whenever that happened.
Where the rest of her friends looked older, it seemed that time had the opposite effect on Celestia and Luna: both looked far more youthful than she could recall seeing them when they ruled together. Neither frown nor wrinkle marred either's face; they had a youthful air about them, and their movements were eager yet calm. Neither looked like princesses anymore, and for their lack of regalia and tiaras, they looked free.
"Okay, I'm bored," Rainbow declared.
Pinkie's gaze snapped onto Rainbow as the pegasus stood from her cushion and stretched out. "Hi, bored!"
Twilight smirked and rolled her eyes as Rainbow scoffed.
"Ya pick that up from Cheese?" Applejack drawled.
"Mhm!" Pinkie agreed, nodding eagerly. "He absolutely loves doing that!"
"So, shall we get to it, then?" Rarity asked, turning to face Twilight with a pointed, knowing smile.
And just like that, all eyes fell on her. Sure, she was the Princess of Equestria, and yes, that meant she was used to crowds having all eyes on her, but that her friends were all looking at her and why they were looking at her brought her to squirm in discomfort as anxiety tickled her chest. "W-well, I-"
"Oh dear, she stuttered," Rarity murmured. The unicorn sighed at Twilight's expensive. "I can't recall the last time you were caught off-guard like that, dear." Rarity's smile grew into a smirk as she asked, "Something, in particular, you're hoping for?"
Pinkie giggled, Rainbow snickered, and Luna hummed.
She coughed into her hoof. "That's not it, I just..." she trailed off, cringing as she turned to face Spike. "Why did I agree to this?"
Spike merely shrugged. "Don't look at me."
"Oh come now, Twilight. You never know. Maybe you'll enjoy it," Rarity teased.
Twilight scowled at Rarity. "Perhaps there's something you'd like to say?"
Rarity lifted her head into the air indignantly and closed her eyes. "A lady does not kiss and tell, Twilight. Nor should a Princess," her friend admonished.
Tossing her head back, Twilight groaned, then shook her head and glanced around at everypony. "You never did tell me whose idea this was."
"Of course not," Rarity answered. "It would ruin the surprise."
Twilight squinted at Rarity. "So this is a setup."
In response, Rarity merely hummed sweetly. It wasn't quite an acknowledgment, but anypony would have said it was.
'So, one of my friends wants to kiss me,' she thought as she looked around the room, 'but who?' None of them wilted under her gaze, nor did any of them squirm uncomfortably. There were no easy tells for her to spot, and she both knew her friends well and had experience with spotting those little gives that ponies had when they were nervous. So either whoever it was simply wasn't nervous, it was just a game and she was thinking about it too much, or they hid it well.
Still, she knew enough to immediately rule out both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, since both of them were taken. 'Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Rarity?' she wondered. But none of them had any tells that they were anxious. It probably wasn't Spike, since Spike was her brother.
Or at least she hoped it wasn't Spike.
She was certain nopony would let her live that down. Though at the very least, she knew nopony outside of her closest friends would ever find out about it.
"Not going to give me any hints?" she mumbled.
"Of course not, dear. That defeats the purpose of the game, does it not?" Rarity murmured.
Twilight sighed as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Fine. But can you at least tell me if one of you has a crush on me?"
As an afterthought, it occurred to her that she never expected to ask that question.
"You'll find out soon enough," Rarity teased.
Twilight grimaced and swept her head right, then left. She glanced between Celestia and Luna, halfway dreading the prospect that they were both in on it. "Shall we begin?" Luna asked.
She breathed in deep, then simply said, "I don't have to do this, you know. I could just... teleport away. I could just... pretend this never happened. I could have you all thrown out of here and-"
Rainbow burst out laughing. "As if!"
Twilight glared at Rainbow, not that Rainbow cared. She summarized her thoughts with a quick huff. "Fine, fine," she mumbled, "ignore the fact that I throw the sun and moon around on a daily basis..."
She forced herself to stand up and fluffed her wings when her friends all arose as well. They walked over into a line facing her. That way it would be harder for her to tell who it was based on how long it took for them to approach her. 'Of course, they could just delay...'
Luna approached her, and in a flash of light, a black blindfold and ring appeared. She scowled at the ring, but nonetheless bowed her head. The cold metal ring slipped onto her horn and fell into place at the base, cutting off her magic so she couldn't 'cheat' as they said. Next, Luna wrapped the blindfold over her eyes. And following that, she felt Luna's magic muffle her senses. The lingering taste of chamomile on her tongue faded, and the scent of books drifted away. Another wave of magic washed over her body, but with her own magic sealed off and her senses other than touch dulled, she couldn't tell what it was, although her peytral felt larger and looser.
"Oh, my, it's been a few years since you were that small," somepony said.
Luna made her the same size as the rest of her friends? She frowned at that. 'Why would she do that? They're all the same height! That wouldn't be cheating!' Or maybe it was just so that it would be easier for whoever it was to kiss her. Yes, that was probably why.
"How is that?" somepony asked, their voice coming nondescript yet calm.
'Probably Luna,' she thought, if only because Luna was the one responsible for dull her senses. She reluctantly nodded her head and answered, "I can't say I ever expected to be in this position... I can't smell anything, taste anything, see anything- which is a given- or make out who said that."
As an afterthought, she bobbed her head to the right and ventured, "Though I'm assuming Luna asked that-"
"Indeed," a voice answered.
She let herself smile a bit.
She heard steps. She couldn't tell if it was from hooves or claws. Was it Luna? Somepony else? She couldn't tell. Was the pony walking back to the rest of her friends? Was somepony approaching her? She couldn't tell.
She heard a chime of magic, then that fell silent, and the room was quiet. "Hello?" she asked, just to be certain she could still hear, and she was relieved that she could hear her own voice.
A few seconds passed by in silence following her question. She almost thought that she was alone, and the wait made her anxious. Had they simply left? Was it some prank they were playing on her? 'No, they wouldn't do that,' she thought, 'But I can't imagine that any of them want to kiss me either!'
She felt somepony's breath tickle the fur on her muzzle. She wasn't alone, and it wasn't a prank. She felt a bit of cool air rush over her fur, then the warmth returned as the pony exhaled again. Anxiety welled up inside of her. 'One of my friends is going to kiss me!?' Not that she was opposed to the idea, but she was surprised. None of them had ever shown any interest, and in truth, she wasn't really interested in any of them that way either. Though, with that said, she was willing to at least give it a chance since it wasn't likely she would get many other chances for a relationship in the future.
But could it work out? She was the Princess of Equestria! She was very busy and had a lot on her plate!
She felt somepony rub their nose up against her nose. It was a familiar, loving nuzzle, one that seemed intent on coaxing her to calm down. Was she really that visibly nervous? To her relief, 'Not Spike, then.' Next, she felt the pony run their nose along the side of her nose, and then she felt another muzzle rubbing against hers: a sign of tender affection, perhaps? Or was it simply meant to help her relax and let down her guard.
Regardless, she thought, 'She wants me to enjoy it.'
She gradually leaned into the nuzzle and returned it. She couldn't tell who was nuzzling her, though. Her fur was soft, but the same could be said of most of her friends. It probably wasn't Applejack, though. 'Rainbow Dash? Rarity?' she wondered. Rarity didn't nuzzle all that much, though, so perhaps it wasn't her. And while Rainbow was affectionate, if it was Rainbow, she would have been surprised.
Perhaps she had ruled out Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie too easily? Surely it wasn't Pinkie Pie; Pinkie was married!
Fluttershy, then?
The nuzzling came to an end as the pony broke contact. She felt the pony's nose brush against her own again, and it made her shiver. Her gut twisted, why couldn't they hurry up! The anxiety was getting to her! Her hooves felt cold! The nose left her.
A little jolt raced through her body as she felt a pair of lips press against her own. Soft, wet, and warm, embracing her more like a lover than a friend. Being her first kiss, she didn't know what to expect out of it. The gentle embrace was tender and loving, and the twist in her gut eased as those lips pressed against her own. She felt them part and twist as whoever it was tilted their head, and then she felt somepony's tongue gently tease against her lower lip, asking permission to deepen the kiss.
Deciding to take a chance, she relaxed into the kiss and parted her jaw. A little shiver of pleasure slid down Twilight's body as her lover's tongue gradually pressed deep into her mouth: it came testingly and cautiously; she could tell that whoever it was didn't want to make her uncomfortable, presume, or take more than she was willing to give. And for a few seconds, the weight of her lover's tongue simply rested atop her own tongue. The warmth was a new, unusual feeling, so different from the warmth of tea, for tea did not have the same weight to it, nor the same love in it.
Gradually, her lover's tongue moved to the left and traced over her teeth as if taking the time to learn every crevice and nook in her teeth, then her lover's tongue pressed against her own and slid beneath hers to prod at her tongue from the underside.
Her lover's head twisted to the other side, making their lips rub against one another again, and her lover pressed more firmly against her, savoring the moment. She tried to make out any sounds, but everypony was silent.
Her lover's tongue pulled out from under her own tongue and caressed the insides of her cheeks, then ran between her teeth and lips, searching out her mouth to become familiar with her, then the tip of her lover's tongue teased against the tip of her own tongue and pulled back.
'An invitation.'
And again came the anxiety, twisting in her core. Her stomach fluttered with unease. Did she accept the offer? With trepidation, she lifted her tongue and brought it to her lips and felt her lover's tongue pull back at the touch.
She followed, cautiously sliding her tongue out over her lover's lips, then following into her lover's mouth. Mimicking what her lover had done, she studiously examined her lover's mouth with her tongue, feeling out her lover's teeth, cheeks, and supple skin.
She almost jerked when she felt her lover's teeth press down on her tongue, locking it in place. As soon as it happened, her lover's tongue met her own, flicking against the tip of her tongue and curling around the length to playfully embrace her. She felt her lover's lips press down on her tongue, then her teeth let up.
Her lover pulled back. She felt and heard whoever it was exhale, and felt the chill of the air against her tongue.
For a few seconds, she contemplated the memory of the feeling. But who could it have been? Whoever it was nipped at her tongue, reminding her that her tongue was still hanging out. Her cheeks felt warm. She brought her tongue back into her mouth, then testingly ran the tip of her tongue over her wet lips.
"I've wanted to say this for quite some time..." somepony said. "I love you."
"W-who?" Twilight murmured.
"If you want to find out, you'll have to agree to go on a date with me," her lover teased.
"W-well-" she stuttered, only to stop when her lover nosed her cheek, nudging her head to the right. She felt somepony's nose run down her neck to her collarbone, then back up. Twilight's lover gently pressed her lips where Twilight's jaw and neck met, then followed it up with a quick, playful nip and nibble.
'Augh! Who is it!?' her mind demanded, because even she couldn't miss that whoever it was loved her.
And maybe that was a bad thing. Maybe she would regret finding out because maybe it wouldn't be who she hoped it was. 'Who do I want it to be?' she wondered but had no answer. "I-I think-" she stuttered, only for her lover to nibble on her neck again, this time lower. She felt her tail twitch and heard somepony giggle.
Once the nibble ended, she recollected herself, then said, "O-okay, I-" only for another nibble, this time between her collarbone and neck to make her bite her lip as she shivered.
"Hmm?"
"I'll go on a date with... you," Twilight said.
Her lover kissed her on the lips again, but before she could part her lips, the pony pulled back, leaving her wanting for more. "Rarity has the details already planned out."
"So you did plan this," Twilight surmized.
"Somepony was dying for help with this, Twilight. I simply couldn't say no! Just think about it! You-! And... I suppose I can say no more on that topic."
"Who?" she pressed again.
"You tell us," somepony said.
"You'll have to wait for our date to find out," her lover teased, followed up with a quick nibble on her ear that made her shiver and blush.
The nibble ended, and she thought she heard somepony prance away from her. Several seconds passed before she felt magic wash over her, returning her senses and body to normal. She fluffed her wings as the ring was lifted from her horn, then blinked and quickly surveyed her friends as soon as the blindfold was gone.
Luna regarded her contemplatively, and the rest of her friends looked at her with smirks, grins, and smiles. None of them had any tells that gave it away. She ran her tongue over her lips, remembering the feeling of her lover's tongue and lips against her own. She tried to catch any lingering taste from whoever it had been, but only tasted chamomile.
"Now, Twilight, I have the details all worked out..."
The next day passed by surprisingly quickly for Twilight since she was looking forward to finding out who kissed her. She had planned to figure out who it was before the date, since she had expected some of her friends to leave, but instead, they had all stayed, so she couldn't rule anypony out.
Whoever it was certainly wanted it to be a surprise.
She looked forward to it.
And so as she walked towards the dining room that had been set aside for the date, she found herself filled with anxiety and anticipation. Who could it be? "She's already waiting?" she asked.
And Rarity answered with an affirmative hum and nod. "Of course. As she said, she's been waiting for this for quite some time."
"How long?" she asked, but Rarity didn't answer.
As they rounded the corner and stepped into the next hallway, Luna stood beside the door to the dining room. No sooner had they turned than Luna smiled, levitating that same blindfold out from under her right wing. Twilight slowed as they approached. "Again?"
"She wants it to be a surprise," Luna answered.
"It already is a surprise," Twilight countered.
"Oh come now, dear, we had this all planned out," Rarity murmured. Her voice had a hint of a plea mixed in with it, and as Twilight looked at Rarity, she found herself sighing.
Twilight looked back at Luna and nodded. "Okay. But I'm still finding out, right?"
"Of course," Luna said with a nod.
Twilight closed her eyes and Luna tied the blindfold in place over her eyes once more. Once in place, she felt Luna stand at her left, and Rarity at her right. She heard a chime of magic at her left, and then the two of them led her forward into the dining room.
Once clear of the door, she heard Luna's magic again, and then heard the door click closed.
"Do you have any guesses, dear?" Rarity asked.
Twilight thought for a few seconds, then shook her head. She simply didn't know enough to make a guess and admitted such, "I don't know."
"Shame," Luna murmured, then led Twilight further into the room. Twilight counted five paces, though couldn't be certain where the table was, and that was assuming they hadn't swapped the table out for something smaller and more romantic without her knowledge.
When they came to a stop, both Rarity and Luna stepped aside. "Do enjoy yourselves tonight," Luna commented.
"I expect to hear all about it!" Rarity nearly sang.
She smiled a bit and listened to their hoofsteps as they left her alone with, presumably, her lover. 'They expect it to work out, or at least Rarity does.' She didn't know if she should worry more or less because of that. Rarity, despite her love for romance and romance novels, had very limited personal experience with the matter. Perhaps Cadance was in on it too? She doubted it, even more so since Cadance wasn't there. But if Cadance was in on it, then maybe she shouldn't have worried about it.
The door finally clicked as it closed, and again she felt anxiety tickling her core. A few seconds passed in utter silence, leaving her to worry that she was alone and that it was a prank.
Then, she heard a chair quietly scrape against the floor. A pair of hooves clicking against the floor, followed by another pair. The pony gradually approached her, walking at a calm stride. She listened to the sound of her hooves striking the floor and tried to place it, tried to remember whose steps they sounded like. Her gait was slow, either calm or practiced, lacking any sort of jump to it that she would have expected from Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. The steps were light, careful, and precise, more befitting of Rarity or perhaps Fluttershy than Applejack.
Rarity had left, hadn't she? 'No, it's not Rarity. She wouldn't have said what she did if it was her.' Fluttershy, then? She didn't hear any wingbeats, but that didn't help anything since Fluttershy rarely flew, although perhaps that ruled out Rainbow Dash, since she flew almost everywhere.
But for Fluttershy to have kissed her like that, the pegasus was far more confident and outgoing that she could have dreamed!
If not Fluttershy, then who? What was she missing?
The pony came to a stop in front of her, and for a few seconds, nothing happened aside from the feeling of fluttering anxiety swelling up inside her stomach. She felt her lover's breath against her nose, which caught her by surprise. Had Luna made her smaller again without her realizing it? She didn't remember feeling Luna cast any spells on her. 'She's just looking up at me,' she decided.
So she bowed her head, expecting her lover to be waiting for her below. Instead, her head came to rest against another pony's head. She felt her horn cross with another horn, and the feeling of anxiety inside her stomach ballooned. She felt the gentle caress of her lover's magic racing up and down her horn, familiar from all of the years they had been close, and familiar from wielding such magic on a daily basis.
As familiar as the rise and fall of the sun.
She breathed in and caught her scent, and her breath caught in her throat. "C-Celestia?" she barely whispered.
"Hello, Twilight," came Celestia's soft, melodious voice. The gentle motherly tone she had known her mentor for was still there, but there was something else in it, more familiar, more intimate. The churning in her stomach grew worse.
'Celestia...' echoed in her mind. Out of all of her friends, she hadn't considered her. That must have been why Luna made her shorter: so that it wasn't immediately obvious. And her friends? They all knew! They all saw it happen, they all saw Celestia kissing her. 'Celestia kissed me...'
And at that thought, the phantom, tingling sensation of Celestia's lips against her own played through her mind, and she felt it on her lips as if it were still happening. Her cheeks felt heated and her heart stuttered at the memory! Finally remembering to breathe, she exhaled and inhaled again and found Celestia's scent soothing the anxiety that plagued her. It was such a calm, relaxing scent, one so familiar from having studied under her for the better part of a decade.
She remembered the love and the fondness that came with the kiss, the way they shared in an embrace, the way her lover's tongue- Celestia's tongue- was so careful and gentle.
She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had felt half as nervous as now.
"I.... hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable," Celestia murmured. Her gentle voice came as sweet music to Twilight's ears, even after so long. And to comfort her, she felt Celestia rub her nose up and down against her own.
Celestia pulled back from her, giving her a moment to recollect her thoughts. 'Celestia kissed me,' played through her mind again, and the phantom sensation grew stronger. But she hadn't seen it. She had been blindfolded. Perhaps it was some elaborate trick?
She could almost believe that, up until she felt Celestia's lips touch her own in the same tender way as last night. Her heart fluttered and almost shot into her throat at the sensation. A jolt of surprise raced down her spine, but was forgotten as Celestia's lips parted slightly. Her heart hammered in her chest as she felt Celestia's tongue gently tease against her lips, and for a moment, her lips quivered, unsure as to whether to accept or not since the shock had yet to wear off.
She breathed in deeply of Celestia's wonderful scent, and a bit of the hammering of her heart calmed. She parted her lips, and as tenderly as before, Celestia slipped her tongue into her mouth. The feeling was just the same as before, yet now she knew. 'Celestia kissed me. Celestia is kissing me.'
A feather just barely touched the left side of her neck, then she felt the feather trace down to her shoulder, leaving a little tingling trail in its wake, slightly cooler than the rest of her neck. She shivered as Celestia's tongue gradually explored her mouth, then met her own tongue, gently teasing against the tip of her tongue before pulling back into Celestia's mouth.
An invitation. A question.
For a few seconds, Twilight hesitated. 'She loves me...' But did she love Celestia? That the question even needed to be asked made her want to roll her eyes. Of course she loved Celestia! But she had never considered it like that.
Perhaps it was worth taking a chance and finding out.
She gradually pressed her tongue up against her own lips, then tentatively traced her tongue over Celestia's lips as they parted, inviting her further. 'I'm kissing Celestia...' And oh! How it made the fluttering feeling in her stomach return, how it made her heart jump!
How it made her want to giggle like a little filly having just found her cutie mark!
How it made her cheeks burn as memories of being Celestia's student fluttered through her mind.
At one time, it had been unthinkable: she slipped her tongue into Celestia's mouth and gradually searched out Celestia's tongue, then pressed against it, drawing a faint hum from the older alicorn. Celestia drew her in further, then gently pinned her tongue in place with her teeth and lips before bowing her head against Twilight's and crossing their horns.
And almost quickly as it started, it ended. Celestia released her tongue and broke the kiss, though kept their horns locked together in an intimate embrace. Twilight breathed out of her mouth, then inhaled through her nose, taking in more of Celestia's scent. Her lips felt slick but cold now that Celestia had left.
She felt Celestia's magic trace along her horn where they crossed, then felt the blindfold pull away. She opened her eyes and found Celestia staring into them, and she stared back. She couldn't stop herself from blushing more, and though she broke eye contact by looking at the floor, she still saw Celestia staring into her eyes with longing and love. There was a little sparkle, a little glimmer, in Celestia's eyes that spoke of a foal-like hope, wanting for her to return Celestia's feelings. Gradually, the light from Celestia's horn dimmed, then Celestia nudged her gently and pulled back.
She lifted her head back up as Celestia stepped away, finally letting her look around the room. It was dimly lit, with the only light coming from a pair of flickering candles. Where the normal table had been, there was now a small table set for the two of them, covered in a glossy white tablecloth. Two silver platters sat on it: one for each of them. Between the candles was a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.
Celestia sauntered over to her chair, pulled it out, and sat down, then looked back at Twilight with a radiant, hopeful, and still foal-like smile.
"I didn't..." she trailed off, blinked once, then walked over to her seat and sat down across from Celestia. "I wasn't expecting this."
Celestia's brow twitched, just enough to betray a hint of pain. "I hope I didn't disappoint..."
"No!" Twilight countered. Celestia's smile grew a little warmer, then cooled. "I just... I didn't think it would be you or Luna... I was expecting one of the others. N-not that I'm disappointed, just... surprised."
Celestia giggled as she lit her horn, the prior worry forgotten. In a quick flourish of magic, both lids were removed from the platters. "I've wanted to do this for some time, Twilight." The alicorn shyly ducked her head and looked off to the left. "Though... I must admit I wasn't going to do this, but Luna... well, Luna was... convincing."
"I..." Twilight trailed off and bit her lip. In an effort to avoid Celestia's gaze, she looked down at the platter before her: a mix of steamed broccoli, grapes, and fresh salad. She surveyed her meal for a few seconds longer than necessary, then finally lifted her gaze back to see Celestia's fond smile gradually fade away. She felt her ears pull back.
"This is... okay, right?" Celestia asked, her tone soft and meek. "I... don't want to make you uncomfortable, and... I suppose if you don't want to try this, I should-"
"No!" Twilight countered, and Celestia fell silent. "I... it's..." she trailed off again and bit her lip. "I just hadn't expected this. I... I'm willing to give it a chance."
A small glimpse of Celestia's smile returned. "I'd... like that, Twilight."
Twilight offered a weak, slightly forced smile.
Celestia levitated the wine bottle up and uncapped it. "I hope that this isn't too presumptuous of me, either. I know that I don't really have any right to-"
Twilight quickly shook her head. "It's fine. The castle always was yours and-"
Celestia bowed her head. "It's yours now, Twilight. All of it."
For a few seconds, Twilight just stared at Celestia, then she nodded. "You're welcome here anytime, Celestia. Don't forget that."
A playful smirk crossed Celestia's lips as she hummed in thought. "Is that an invitation?" was her tease.
Twilight shifted her weight in her seat. "Maybe..." she squeaked.
Celestia's smile returned in full force. A moment later, she poured two glasses of wine and levitated one over to Twilight.
"Thank you," Twilight said as she retrieved her own glass of wine. She set it down at the left of her plate, though noticed Celestia still holding onto her wine glass while watching her contemplatively. "Yes?"
A grimace dimmed Celestia's smile. "I... really did want to wait, Twilight. At least a few more decades. Maybe a century or more."
Twilight winced and looked aside at the wall. "Ah, right... casually throwing around decades and centuries..." When she looked back at Celestia, the alicorn smiled sheepishly. Twilight breathed in, then exhaled. "So... is it because of how recent the transition of power was, or because you were my teacher?"
Celestia bobbed her head to the right. "A little of both, but mostly the latter. I don't want you to feel obligated to accept my advances, nor do I want to step on your hooves. You're Equestria's ruler now, not me."
Twilight smiled sheepishly. "You can always help, you know."
"I've had enough of that for my lifetime, Twilight, so I think I'll leave that to you for the time being," Celestia countered.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she levitated her fork over to start eating. She watched Celestia stab a few pieces of broccoli and levitate it up, only to hesitate before saying, "Though if you want, I suppose I could help you from time to time if..."
Twilight finished chewing her food, then swallowed and waited another few seconds. Instead of continuing, Celestia took her bite of food and chewed it up. "If?" she pressed.
Celestia watched her while she chewed, and then once she had swallowed, she answered, "If we were to... court. I suppose the modern term is dating, but I'm a bit fonder of the older term."
'Courting Celestia... Dating Celestia... Celestia wants to date me...' ran through her mind. At one time, she never would have been able to think that, let alone consider it. At one time, she was fairly certain she would have frozen in place had somepony said that to her.
Now? It didn't paralyze her as it would have so long ago, but it did leave her feeling anxious. Was she worried? Why was she worried?
'Why now?' Had she done something wrong? Celestia and Luna both said that she was ready to rule Equestria, but that was such a long time ago. Had they seen her do something and they changed their minds?
Or perhaps she was overthinking it. Maybe Celestia just wanted back, or maybe even that was overthinking it.
She remembered the kiss. There was no way it could have been forced, no way it was a lie. It was too gentle. Too caring. 'I'm overthinking this,' she decided. 'Relax. Maybe I'll enjoy this more than I think.' But she still had questions! "Why now? Other than Luna encouraging you to."
Celestia levitated her wine glass up, took a barely noticeable sip from it, then cleaned her lips with her napkin. "Luna was tired of hearing me talk about it and not act on it for the past decade." Rolling her eyes, Celestia added, "I specifically recall her saying something along the lines of, 'Stop procrastinating and go talk to her, Tia, or I'll tell her myself.'"
Twilight hummed. "A decade?"
It was Celestia's turn to blush and bow her head. "More than a decade, really. Closer to two..."
"And whose idea was it to..." Twilight trailed off as she thought about it. 'How do I word this, exactly?' she wondered, because outright asking, 'Whose idea was it to blindfold me and have me guess who was kissing me?' wasn't something she wanted to do. "Whose idea was the game, anyway?"
Celestia smiled sheepishly. "I asked your friends for advice. I wanted to sweep you off your hooves, but I was worried that would make you uncomfortable and that I'd end up embarrassing us both. There's also the little detail that I was concerned you would feel pressed to accept my advances when you don't want to because of our history..." Celestia paused and frowned. "You're... you're not just doing this because of our history right?"
Twilight frowned and shook her head. "No. I'm... interested in seeing where this goes." She smiled sheepishly and tossed her head to the side. "Still surprised though."
A bit of a smile pulled at Celestia's lips, reminding her of the knowing smiles she had seen when she was young. "Hmm. Maybe I should have swept you off your hooves, then." Celestia leaned forward over the platter and set her elbows on the table so that she rested her head in her hooves. "You're adorable when you're flustered. I have to admit I halfway miss that. It was quite endearing..."
Celestia's fond smile and glossy eyes made Twilight squirm as a dozen memories came to the forefront of her mind.
"Just like that," Celestia stated, her smile growing even warmer.
"A-anyway, you were saying?"
Celestia giggled sweetly and sat up straight in her chair. "It was mostly Rarity and Rainbow Dash's idea."
"Huh." It halfway made sense, in its own way. Outright kissing her might have been either of their ideas. Making it a game could have been Rainbow's idea. But the blindfold? "Who suggested what?"
Instead of answering, Celestia just smiled and took another bite of broccoli.
Twilight leaned back and levitated her fork back over to get another bite, then followed it with a small sip of wine. She pondered the taste for a few seconds before swallowing. "This is good," she commented.
Celestia hummed but otherwise said nothing.
"I forgot how vague you could be," Twilight noted.
Celestia giggled sweetly. "Sorry. Old habits."
Twilight lowered her head in a bow, saying, "Of course, Your Highness." Celestia rolled her eyes as Twilight lifted her head back up. "So... how has retirement been?"
The smile on Celestia's lips vanished as she groaned and drooped. "It's so boring..."
Twilight giggled. "And ruling wasn't?"
Celestia sucked in a breath and straightened her body. "At least dealing with everything kept me busy."
Twilight hummed. "Should have organized better."
Celestia huffed. "Show off."
Twilight closed her eyes and smiled brightly. When she opened her eyes, Celestia rolled hers. "Could always leave Equestria. Maybe travel the world, visit other countries? Meet new creatures?"
Celestia smiled sadly. "But then it'd be harder to keep in touch and see how Equestria's doing."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "So you're keeping an eye on me, then?"
"Of course not," Celestia countered, "But it is nice to see how well you're doing. I'm quite confident in your abilities to rule. Everypony is, from what I've seen."
Twilight gave Celestia a quick smile, then took another bite of her food.
"But I suppose traveling the world is an option," Celestia murmured, "since traveling Equestria has been quite enjoyable. Though as I said, it would be harder to keep in touch."
Twilight hummed in thought. "And I suppose that would be a bad thing since we're dating." Celestia smiled fondly. "I suppose we could send letters-"
Celestia rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Why yes, I can picture it now: My Most Faithful Lover-" Twilight's cheeks felt hot as she stared into Celestia's eyes, her mind racing back decades ago to when Celestia would call her by a similar title, "-today I-"
"Okay, okay," Twilight hastily relented. "No letters. Teleporting, then?"
Celestia pursed her lips and tilted her head. "Yes, I suppose that would be doable." Leveling her head again, Celestia frowned. "You act like you want me to leave."
Twilight cringed. "No, I just think that... you should enjoy your retirement. It gives you a way to enjoy traveling the world while we can keep in touch and... and still date."
Celestia leaned forward, humming. "And if we decide to... do something more than date?"
The ravenous glint in Celestia's eyes made Twilight's mind stutter. Never in one thousand years could she have pictured Celestia having that look in her eyes, and never in ten thousand years could she have imagined it directed at her. "W-well, I'd be happy if you'd stay..." she stumbled out.
Celestia pointedly levitated a grape into her mouth, her smirk growing.
Twilight giggled as Celestia's shoulder bumped into her shoulder. The playful glint in the elder alicorn's eyes and the coy smile on her lips gave away that it was intentional. "Stop it, you're going to make the guards nervous."
Instead, Celestia bumped shoulders with her again and teased her feathers along Twilight's side, then wing. "Mmm... Most of them aren't that young that they wouldn't remember me. I think you're worrying too much."
Twilight rolled her eyes, though still smiling. "I never could have pictured you drunk before."
"Tipsy," Celestia clarified. "Just tipsy. Like you."
Twilight hummed, then gasped as Celestia nibbled on her neck, well within sight of a pair of guards walking towards them. The guards ignored both the nibble and the rapidly growing blush on her cheeks. As they walked past the guards, Celestia nosed where she nipped, then kissed it, and then licked it before exhaling over it. The cooling sensation of Celestia's breath against her slick fur made her shiver, and her tail twitched behind her. "I-I think maybe we should... wait until we're... somewhere, um, else, before we-eep!"
Another nibble, followed by a gentle tug on her neck. She made the mistake of looking at Celestia, and Celestia grinned when she let go. "You're so adorable when you're nervous. Mmm..." Celestia lifted her wing, then draped it over Twilight's back, closed her eyes, and leaned against Twilight.
A little too much. Twilight tried to steady herself, but it proved too much. She didn't move her legs fast enough, and it ended with both of them in a pile in the middle of the hallway, Celestia's musical giggling filling her ears. She groaned out, "Tipsy."
"Mhm..." Celestia murmured.
Twilight felt Celestia nip at the edge of her ear, and in response flicked her ear. With Celestia's weight on her side, she couldn't really get up. Though she had to admit, if they weren't in the middle of a hallway, if she wasn't laying on the floor, and if her side didn't hurt from the fall, the combination of warmth and reassuring weight would be pleasant. Celestia rested her head on Twilight's neck, and Twilight wiggled her wing out from under Celestia's weight. "I'm going to ask Luna what you're like when you're drunk if this is how you act when tipsy."
Celestia blushed. The rosy color dotting her cheeks was adorable. "A princess never gets drunk, Twilight."
"You're retired," Twilight countered with a smirk. She leaned over and nosed Celestia's muzzle, then nudged her head off her neck. "Come on."
"But you make such a good pillow!" Celestia whined.
"The floor isn't a very good bed," Twilight countered.
Celestia started giggling for some reason. "Why didn't you just teleport us there? You're good at magic."
It hadn't occurred to her. Yes, that would have been easier. "Oh yeah." She closed her eyes and lit her horn, then teleported the two of them to her study. She half expected to see the rest of her friends there, grinning at the two of them in a pile on the floor, but as she looked around, she realized that the two of them were alone.
"Though the walk was nice," Celestia murmured.
"You mean teasing me was nice," Twilight corrected.
"Mhm," came Celestia's musical agreement. "But you," Celestia declared, "need to relax a little." The elder alicorn gradually shifted her weight off Twilight, then stood up, letting Twilight rise back to her own hooves, only for Celestia's magic to wrap around her and lift her off the floor. Celestia pranced to the bedroom, carrying Twilight in her magic the whole way.
Before Twilight could offer any objection, she found herself on the bed with Celestia jumping on top of her and snuggling up with her chest. It took her a few seconds to process it all, how Celestia's head rested on her chest, how her hind legs were spread around Celestia's body so that her lover's chest was on her abdomen, how Celestia stared into her eyes with a goofy smile.
The warmth of Celestia's weight resting on her, the subtle pulse of Celestia's heart, the graceful shimmer of Celestia's mane, and the gentle rise and fall of Celestia's chest.
Twilight gradually relaxed, though the fluttering in her stomach refused to fade away. If anything, the passing seconds made it worse. Fluffing her wings at her sides, she ventured, "So... I guess we're dating now..."
"Mhm..." Celestia murmured. "Though if this is too fast-"
Twilight embraced Celestia's body with her magic, then lifted her up so that they were chest to chest. She tried to ignore the part of her mind that found Celestia laying on her unbelievable, but it still made her consider the past few decades, and more specifically, her mentorship under Celestia. Celestia's nose touching her own broke her thoughts.
"Relax, Twilight," Celestia whispered, then rubbed her nose against Twilight.
"I am relaxed," Twilight replied.
Celestia quicked an eyebrow, extended her wings, and gently brushed the tips of her feathers over Twilight's sides. "It doesn't seem like it to me."
Twilight squirmed at the tickling feeling from Celestia's wingtips. "I-I just..." she trailed off and winced, then inhaled. "Where is this... going?"
Celestia paused for a moment, then folded her wings. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, and I don't want to do anything we could regret."
"Oh." Twilight felt relieved to hear that, and some of the fluttering in her stomach faded away at that.
"I won't make any further advances than this for a while, I promise," Celestia said. The alicorn leaned down, then dotted Twilight's cheek with quick kisses followed up with a gentle nuzzle.
"I... appreciate that. I just, it's sudden and-"
Celestia nodded. "I know..."
Twilight watched her for a few seconds, "How long is a while?"
Celestia lifted her head up, humming as she set it an angle. "Until we're both ready. A few years." Celestia looked back down at her, meeting her gaze. "Maybe a couple of decades tops."
Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well... I suppose that's something to look forward to, then?"
Celestia hummed thoughtfully. She opened her mouth to say something, only for Twilight to quickly meet her lips with a kiss.
Author's Note
Never written Twilestia before, and I must admit I can't recall reading it before either. Originally inspired by a certain picture on derpibooru. I didn't quite have a plan outside of that, so this is what ended up happening.
I ended up sitting on this story for a while because: I had a second story I wanted to write to publish alongside it, but I keep drawing a blank on that story, and because after writing it and rereading it, it felt pointless. I finally reread it after letting it sit for a while and thought it was pretty cute.