Slowly I open my eyes, my vision blurry. I can feel her holding me with hoof and wing, her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. My vision is dominated by her downy chest fluff; I feel her head resting on top of mine. My ears hear the sound of the rain, still not having ceased since last night. I yawn, nuzzling her fluff drowsily.
She realises that I have begun to stir. Slowly I feel her caress my backside, running her hooves down it affectionately. "Good morning, Twilight," she breathes into my ear. "Sleep well?"
"Mhm." In my mind I suddenly recall something so faint that I wonder if I dreamed it. It's within the realm of possibility, but I am not so sure that I did. "Celestia?" I whisper into her chest fluff. "Did you say you loved me?"
Quickly her wing snaps to her side, her hooves sitting me up, evoking a gasp. I turn to her; she looks away.
"What's wrong?" I ask, concerned.
She responds by rising from the bed, trotting over to the balcony. I follow her out into the pouring rain and howling wind, finding her on the far west corner of the wraparound balcony. The rain soaks my coat and makes the floor beneath my hooves slippery, but I continue nonetheless.
"Twilight," she begins as I trot up. "I think there's something you need to know."
I nod, watching her beautiful form intently. Though the rain has drenched her, her magical aurora-coloured mane still flows majestically. Her magenta eyes stare off into the horizon, at nothing in particular. She still looks overwhelmingly beautiful despite her dampened appearance.
"You need to know that yes, indeed, I told you I love you. And..." She's now in front of me, a hoof cupping my chin. "I meant it."
With that, she heads back inside without a word more. Too stunned even to think, I simply plop myself down in the corner of the balcony, letting the rain soak my mane even further. Soon it drops into my eyes, but I pay no heed. I'm lost in my own thoughts.
She loves me. I can't believe she loves me. All these years and she's never told me. A wave of emotion washes over me, going from surprise to ecstasy to eventually fizzling out to become a state of feeling hopelessly lost. Now I have no idea what to do. My mind is still worn out from being awake three straight days. So I settle for just sitting there and letting my eyes glaze over. I let my mind run. Maybe one day, I'll find a way to tell her how I really feel. Maybe she'll accept me.
Yet I cannot deny the fact that I love her too. I knew it ever since I began to feel a longing in my heart when she was away, several months ago. I would become anxious, irritable. All was well when she was around. She would be there to comfort me, to guide me. There was no doubt about my love for her, though I never could bring myself to confess it.
It took me a long time to notice that she was standing over my hunched form, looking down at me with a puzzled expression. "Twilight?" she asks. "Why are you still out here?"
I sigh heavily, as if the weight of the world had fallen on my shoulders. It sure felt like it had.
"Was it something I said?"
Suddenly I break down into a bout of hysterical crying. I'm too exhausted to do much more.
"Twilight, Twilight," the princess coos. "Shhhh..." She envelops me in a warm embrace, out in the cold, pouring rain.
"I love you," I say between gasps of breath. "I love you, okay?"
Her wings fold around my back. "I love you too, Twilight."
I sigh as I lean in to her, struggling to keep my head up. But through the tears, I manage a small smile.
"You still look exhausted, Twilight. I think you need some rest now." She lifts me in her aura, shielding my soaked self from the rain and wind as she carries me back into the room, setting me down on the bed. I cast a quick spell, drying myself off instantly. I take a few moments to pull my emotions together before allowing myself to lie back down on the bed, across from my mentor. She joins me on the bed, using her hooves to pull me into a soft embrace.
I nuzzle her, letting out a small squeak of satisfaction. She rubs my backside, evoking a purr. "I love you, Celestia..." I whisper softly. "I really do."
"I love you too, my dear Twilight. Get some rest."
A chill runs through me from being outside in the wind and rain. "I'm cold..."
She smiles at me. "You could just get under the covers, you know."
"I'd rather have you," I say softly, a shiver mixed with my words.
"D'awwww, come here, sweetie." She folds her wings around me, pulling me closer. Her warmth envelops me, comforts me. Silently she strokes my mane, only her relaxed breathing audible amongst the rain and wind. My shivering soon subsides, being replaced with a satisfying warmth. With a yawn, the thought crosses my mind that perhaps she is right. Maybe I should catch up on sleep after being awake for three straight days. Last night was rough; I woke up several times, not to mention this morning not starting off too well.
As she cuddles me, I let my mind wander, eventually giving in to drowsiness. Before I completely surrender to slumber, I manage to ask her a question that somehow found its way to the forefront of my mind. "Celestia, I'm scared..."
"Of what, my love?" she asks softly.
"Are you going to leave me?"
She kisses me directly behind my horn. "Never. I'll still be here when you wake up, I promise."
"Thank you," I say as I wrap my own wings around her. "I love you, Celestia."
"And I love you, Twilight..."