An Immortal Life

Chapter 3: The Beginning - Part 2

~*~

Nine Hundred, Seventy-Eight Years After Nightmare Moon Incident

Celestia shot up in her bed and looked frantically around her room, breathing in quick, ragged breaths. As she began to realize that it was just a dream, she started to relax a little. 'It felt so real' Celestia shuddered as she laid back into the comfort of her warm bed. The moon was still hanging high in the sky, but the alicorn could tell that she would not be able to go back to sleep. She doesn't have nightmares often, but when she does, it is always the same one. It wasn't really a nightmare, but a memory. A memory that she wished that she could forget, along with the feelings that accompany it. The Princess thought that she should have gotten used to these feelings, but every time she had this nightmare, it feels just like it was the first time.

The white alicorn wearily got out of bed and went to her balcony to get some cool night air. She looked up to the moon and saw the silhouette of an alicorn on the face of the moon. She sighed as the thought of the fateful night of her sister's banishment, and the torment that followed with it. Celestia shook her head lightly at the flashback. She hung her head and closed her eyes. 'I just wish that somepony can make me happy. I am tired of being treated like a Princess all the time. I just want to... be myself for once,' Celestia thought longingly.

Celestia opened her eyes and stared at the ground far below, taking note of how beautiful the Royal Garden was under the moonlight. But this time, something was different about the open area. There was a pony standing there - watching her - as if it were a large rock. The Princess would have thought it to be a new addition to the Garden, until it trotted towards the edge of the trees. It stopped, turned its head, and stared at the Princess. She couldn't identify who it was, but could tell that it was a stallion by the body shape, and how tall the pony stood. Celestia stared at the stallion for about a half a minute, trying to identify what he was doing out so late. The stallion turned his gaze back upon the path ahead of him and trotted off towards the gate of the garden, and disappeared from sight.

Celestia continued to stare at the gate, wondering as to who the stallion could have been and, better yet, what he was doing out there so late at night. The Princess went deep in thought, making her lose track of time. The night breeze had rudely, but subtly, brought her back to reality, making her shiver as it passed over her body. The alicorn turned and trotted back into her room, plopped down on her bed and relaxed. 'I guess it doesn't matter. He was probably enjoying the night sky. I am sure that if Luna was here, she would have been excited to see that somepony enjoyed her work,' Celestia thought, making her questions stop before it drove her crazy and kept her up for the rest of the night.

Though there was particularly nothing special about the event, it at least kept her nightmare at bay in her mind. Celestia, though knowing as to what will happen, fell back to sleep.

'I was thinking... do the ponies enjoy my night sky? ~~~ Do not lie to me! ~~~ I am no longer Luna, sister... I am her jealousy... ~~~ Then they shall never have their sun, if they do not love the night!

'NO!'

Celestia snapped out of her slumber when she felt the sun and moon tugging at the opposite horizons. She stretched out her body and once more trotted out onto the balcony. Instead of directly attending to the lowering of the moon, the alicorn looked down at the Royal Garden to see if the stallion had come back. But there was nothing there. Frowning, she turned her focus towards the moon and lowered it. She went back inside when the sun had been risen and got prepared for the day.

Celestia breathed in deep, held it in, and let out a deep sigh as she stepped in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a long while, gazing into her own eyes. The nightmare nudged at her thoughts and caused a chain reaction. A tidal wave of thoughts rushed through her mind, though most were questions that can't be answered: What if Luna was never banished? What if she can't be saved? What if I can't find somepony to love? What if I can't find somepony that at least cares?

What if...?

Celestia shook her head to stop the never-ending thoughts. She levitated her golden tiara off the shelf and made it float down in front of her. The feeling of resentment slowly overcame her as she continued to stare at the piece, looking over the jewels embedded in the crown and the fine detail that blanketed the surface. The feeling was suppressed when Celestia thought of her duty as the Princess, and why she was still the ruler. She was the ruler because then she could help the land grow and prosper under her care. It was so that everypony would love her.

'Today is just another day,' Celestia thought grumpily as she rested her golden tiara upon her head.

~*~

Later That Evening

Not very many ponies had come to seek an audience with the Princess that day, which was good because it means that there was nothing to be worried about for once. What bothered Celestia, though, was that she once again felt alone. She turned her thoughts to think about last night and the stallion that was watching her from the Garden. 'I wonder if he just likes to be outside. But why would he choose to be at the Garden? Was he-?' her thoughts were cut short when a Royal Guard opened the door and stoically said, "Your Highness, a stallion by the name of Phoenix Writer wishes to speak with you. He says that he has something that he would like to bring to your attention."

"Please, send him in," Celestia said calmly, though she was slightly curious as to why a pony would want to meet her when Day Court was close to ending.

The Guard gave a slight nod and closed the door behind him. A couple of minutes passed until the doors opened to reveal the aforementioned stallion.

The stallion had a crimson colored coat with a yellow, red tipped mane and tail and had deep blue eyes. He was wearing a black cloak, which was covering his cutie mark, and the bottom of his hooves were a very light red. The stallion was a unicorn, and was fairly large for his size. He trotted up to the Princess and knelt down before her, saying, "Your Highness."

"Please, arise." Celestia smiled down at him as he rose back up onto his hooves. "So, what's your name and what is it that you needed to tell me?"

"My name is Phoenix Writer, Your Highness," Phoenix said, slightly bowing again. "What I have is actually nothing of great importance to Equestria or anywhere else."

This piqued Celestia's curiosity even more. "Well, then who, or what, is it for?"

"It's actually for you," Phoenix said as he stood back up to his full height.

Celestia, raising an eyebrow, asked, "Oh? So what is it that you have brought for me, Phoenix Writer?"

"Your Highness, I have brought myself to you," Phoenix smiled widely up at Celestia, though his eyes showed something different.

Celestia was taken aback. Then, as her curiosity was bursting, Celestia asked, "I do not believe I quite understand as to what you are getting at, Phoenix."

Phoenix's smile slightly lowered and responded, "You feel afraid that you will be alone for the rest of your life, since nopony truly cares for their own Princess, Your Highness."

Celestia nearly broke her composed state. Trying to keep her anger toned down, she seethed, "Now who do you think you are to assume these kind of things?"

"It's my profession, actually. I observe how other ponies are like when they’re alone. I know it sounds a little odd, but I do it so I can try to help them out with problems in their lives. I help them by, well, writing to them to address their issues. It's surprising, really, to see how a simple letter can change their attitude towards themselves and others. I think it might be that they know that somepony understands what they're going through. But, for you, I thought it would be better to physically talk to you about your fears in person, since I believe it would make it more... memorable, Your Highness," Phoenix said, never letting his smile falter.

There was a long pause between the two, until Celestia accidentally stammered, "H-how did you know?"

"This may sound a little debauch, but I have been watching you for a while now. I have seen how you long for somepony to be there for you," Phoenix said, finally breaking his constant smile into a look of pity.

Celestia looked to the ground as the familiar feeling of loneliness overcame her. Throughout the conversation, she was able to forget about her sorrow. "I am impressed. Your observations are correct." She looked up at Phoenix and stare at him until a thought came to the front of her mind. She asked, "Were you the pony in the Royal Garden last night?"

"Indeed I was, Your Highness."

"Why were you there? Was it so you could 'observe' me? The Garden is for Nobles and Royals, and I don't remember you asking for permission to be in there," Celestia said rather harshly, accidentally letting her controlled anger slip.

The alicorn closed her eyes and let her head sink to her chest. She wanted to scold him for reminding her that she was alone in this world, but a small part of her told her to stay quiet. Listening to the small voice, she decided to keep her mouth shut and tried to keep back the tears that were forming behind her eyelids. Celestia heard Phoenix slowly trot up to her and, to her surprise, felt him give her a hug. "What if I told you that I cared, Celestia?" He whispered in her ear.

Celestia finally broke. She had tears running down her cheeks as hugged Phoenix back, hiding her face in his shoulder. She cried for about thirty seconds, but to her, it felt like she had cried for a thousand years. Slowly regaining her breath, she almost whispered, "I am sorry you had to see this, Phoenix." Celestia pulled away, keeping her hooves on his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

Phoenix gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm sort of used to this kind of reaction, Your Highness."

Celestia returned his smile with her own. "Please, you don't have to use the formalities anymore. It's actual getting quite bothersome."

"Okay, but I do feel bad for, well, making you cry though," Phoenix said with a frown.

Celestia chuckled. "It's okay, Phoenix. Besides, I think I needed to let out my emotions to somepony, but there was nopony to let them out to. I hope you understand."

Phoenix waved a hoof at the statement and responded, "I understand completely. Believe it or not, that's how a lot of ponies feel."

"Thank you, Phoenix," Celestia smiled as she pulled Phoenix in for another hug, in which he returned without a second of hesitation.

"It was an honor. Well, kind of... Anyways, I think that I should be going now. You know, since it's almost time for Day Court to end." He let go of the alicorn and placed his hooves on the ground. "Goodbye, and good night, Celestia."

With that, Phoenix bowed turned to leave the Hall. Celestia sat there in her throne, the feeling of being alone starting to come back as she watched the stallion walk away. In fact, not just any stallion, this one has shown that he cares. One that actually cares for the Princess. For her. Then she heard her voice speak out, "Wait!"

Phoenix stopped in his tracks and turned to face Celestia, who had her hooves reaching out to him. "Yes?" he asked with a questioning tone.

Celestia looked down at her outstretched hoof and quickly brought it down, feeling a burning sensation in her cheeks. After contemplating what to say next, she heard her voice softly saying, "I was curious, do you have any plans for this evening?"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Well, would you mind staying for a while?" Celestia's voice asked with sincerity.

Phoenix gave a look of surprise as he thought of an answer. Finally, he smiled and said, "I don't see why not. It would be nice to get to know you better."

Celestia finally found control over her senses and smiled. "Thank you, Phoenix."

"The honor is all mine, Celestia," Phoenix replied, while giving another bow.

"So, what would you like to do for the evening?"

The stallion trotted up to Celestia and sat by her throne. He then answered, "Hmm... I do like spending time in the Royal Garden. But, now that I know that it's for the nobles, I guess that's not an option."

This made Celestia chuckle, one that was actually not forced, but had true feeling behind it. "Phoenix, I would love to be out in the Royal Garden. Besides that, anypony can be out there if they ask for permission. The nobles don't necessarily have to ask since they are well known amongst the others. But other than that, anypony is welcome there."

"Oh. Well, that's good to know. Shall we?" Phoenix asked, getting up to his hooves and gesturing towards the door of the hall.

Celestia stood up from her throne and began to trot down towards the oak doors with Phoenix by her side. She opened the oak doors with her magic and turned to Phoenix. She quickly poked him on the shoulder. "You're it."

The alicorn turned and galloped out of the castle, leaving Phoenix to stand there, wondering as to what had just happened. He turned and looked at one of the guards that was standing by the oak door who still held the same stoic look. The guard stared back and simply shrugged at the stallion, signifying that he was just as clueless as he was. The stallion shook his head and looked out of the castle. Celestia, with incredible speed, had already reached the gates to the garden. 'Might as well,' he thought.

The stallion raced towards the waiting alicorn, unbeknownst that this was what the Princess had wanted all these years. The one moment when she can finally let go and have fun.

When she can finally be herself.

~*~

One Week Later

Laughter.

Oh how Celestia had missed that feeling. After a thousand years of sorrow, she didn't realize at how good it felt to laugh again. Granted, she did laugh during other times when something was amusing, but she still didn't fully appreciate it. But this time, it was different. It was genuine.

Phoenix and Celestia were sitting at a table by themselves at a secluded area, enjoying each other’s company, while eating dinner. They were in a small room that consisted of a plain wooden table and two cushioned chairs placed in the middle. When Phoenix was about to lift his food, Celestia decided to ‘help’ him out, which, in turn, resulted in a disaster. Phoenix wiped off the contents of the sandwich with a napkin, and glared at the laughing alicorn. The glare on the stallion’s face made Celestia laugh even harder, making her lungs hurt. Then, after a while, his face finally grew soft and he started to laugh with Celestia. "You are a lot of fun to be with, Phoenix," Celestia gasped, catching her breath.

"I'm glad you think so," Phoenix replied with a smile.

Celestia chuckled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist doing it."

"Eh, no harm done. It just surprised me that you would do something like that," Phoenix said as he cleaned off the rest of the sandwich.

"Well, I do like to have fun with other ponies once in a while."

Phoenix laughed, "You do have an interesting way of having fun, Celestia."

"Everypony expects me to be serious all the time. It's nice to have a little bit of fun here and there."

"Good point." Phoenix then folded his arms and pouted. "Now I won't have anything to eat for dinner..."

"Oh, stop it," Celestia laughed. "I'll get the cook to make you another one."

Phoenix chuckled and unfolded his arms. "Thank you."

Celestia called in the servant and asked him to get another sandwich, to which he simply nodded and quickly left the room. In less than a minute, the servant came back with the sandwich and placed it on the table. Phoenix started to focus on his magic and abruptly stopped, giving a wary look towards Celestia. She laughed and said, "Don't worry. I've already had my little fun for today."

Satisfied with the answer, Phoenix began to eat. When he finished, he noticed that Celestia didn't even touch her food. In fact she was staring at him with a look that he didn't recognize. While visiting with the Princess during the evenings, he always observed what the Princess was doing, including her facial expressions. When he thought that he had seen practically all of the expressions, this one was different. In fact, nopony had ever looked at him like the way Celestia was. A little concerned, he asked, "Are you okay?"

The alicorn snapped out of the daze that she slipped into and looked away. "Yes, I am fine. I just got lost in my own thoughts, that’s all."

"Oh? Well, do you mind sharing?"

'What if I told you how happy you make me fe-?' Celestia shook her head to get the thought out, 'Ugh. Not now. Not ever. He's just a friend.' After a few minutes of silence, Celestia finally sighed he breath that she didn't realize that she was holding and said, "Well, I was just thinking... do you consider us as friends?" 'Wow. Good job.'

To her surprise, Phoenix chuckled. "I would like to think that we are. Besides, I did spend all of my evenings with you this past week."

Celestia smiled towards the red unicorn, though partly satisfied that he didn't see through her little lie. "Thank you, Phoenix. It is nice to know that I now have a friend."

"My pleasure. Now, are you going to eat or are you going to make yourself starve tonight?" Phoenix smirked while pointing a hoof at the sandwich.

Celestia, smiling, closed her eyes and shook her head at the crimson unicorn. She then ate her sandwich, which was delicious, and got up from her seat. She went around the table and gave her new friend a hug. "Thank you for giving me something that I thought I would never have again. It is, after all, the greatest gift that I have received in my life."

Smiling once again, Phoenix returned her hug and said, "That's what I'm here for. To make you happy."

~*~

One Month Later

Celestia was leaving the Royal Hall at a much later time than what she had expected. In fact, the whole evening was filled with unexpected surprises. A group of griffons came in to warn the Princess of an impending attack from the Griffon nation. They were all once part of the nation's military and they had received a notice saying that they needed all of the griffons in the military to take part in the assault. The rumor has it that the nation needed more land, but they believe that the real reason is simply a thirst for power. But since the group had actually been living in Equestria for quite some time now, they came to love the peaceful land and its residents and now want to try their best to protect it from a country which is even at war with itself. That is why they will try to convince the leader not to attack, and just talk to Celestia. But still the Princess should get ready in case they don't succeed.

Celestia had always thought that the griffons were a strange species. It seems that they are always trying to find reasons to fight other nations, whether it be a good reason or not. But the news was a little nerve wracking. The griffons are exceptionally strong for their size and have a natural sense of warfare. Traditionally, if they go to war with another nation, they won't stop until a complete conquest of the land. Since Equestria is mostly a land of peace, they will have a great chance of succeeding and make the ponies move to a different land. If that happens, it would mean she failed at her duty and nopony would ever trust her again. They would never love her again...

Celestia thanked them for the warning and told them that she will be ready for an assault, if there was to be one. Satisfied with the answer, the griffons left and were replaced with the captain of the Royal Guard. She told him about the situation and told him to train the Guards for the impending attack. The guard saluted the Princess and left the hall. 'This is going to be a long week.' Celestia thought as she trotted towards the Royal Garden, which has become their usual meeting place, to meet Phoenix. It seemed, though, that Phoenix was the one that was always waiting for the Princess in the evening.

The alicorn smiled as she spotted the crimson stallion waiting for her under a large tree. Phoenix was leaning against the trunk of the tree, eyes closed with a small smile creeping on his face when he heard the familiar hoofsteps nearing. He slightly cracked open his eyes and said, "Well, that took a while."

"I'm sorry Phoenix, but a group of griffons had come with some, well, unexpected news," Celestia said, sitting by the stallion.

"Oh?" Phoenix pushed himself off the tree and was now in a sitting position. "What happened?"

The white alicorn gazed off into the distance, contemplating if it would be wise to share what has happened. 'I guess it would not be too bad if I told him the truth. Besides, he's my friend,' Celestia thought. She then turned her gaze back to the waiting stallion, and sighed, "The griffon army is planning to attack Equestria. They say that they need more land, but I think that it's for something else."

Phoenix, was taken aback, but stood his ground, and gave a frown. "That's rather... unexpected, but why did they warn you about it? I thought that all of the griffons were pretty much the same, always wanting to fight something."

"These griffons that have warned me have been living in Equestria for some time now. They have grown to love this land. They have served in the griffon military in the past, because of that they have been notified, since they need all the troops they can get for the assault. I believe that the griffon military has been lacking in numbers for a multitude of reasons. They will try their best to make the leader see reason, but if they fail, the war will happen. I hope they succeed. I don't wish to see anypony, or griffon, harmed for something that we do not have to fight over."

Phoenix soaked in the information, giving a look that was both scared and amused. "That is rather stupid of them to think that they need to go to war for land that they can simply ask for. Knowing you, you would probably be willing to negotiate a good portion of it, too."

"That's the point. I do not mind if they have a place in Equestria. In fact, I was hoping that would happen. It's just that they are too prideful to live among other species. That is why nopony is allowed to live on their land unless they are just visiting or passing through. It's actually rare to see some griffons living in harmony with another species, so I was surprised to see the group of griffons warning me about the impending attack."

"True. I do hope that the griffons that came by talk some sense into their leader. I don't think I will be able to live with the fact that the ponies had gone through a war," Phoenix shuddered at the thought.

Celestia gave a sigh and said, "Now Phoenix, you do realize that most wars that occur do not affect the ponies. In fact, many do not realize that there is a war, unless it comes knocking at their front door. Besides, knowing the griffons, they will probably start at an unpopulated area so that they can build their own place. In fact, I don't see a reason for why they think the need to build an army for a place that is barren... unless they actually planned on taking over all of Equestria." 'Which is what they are probably planning to do.'

"I know, it is just the thought of the other ponies having to fight. I don't want to see them get hurt, or killed" Phoenix sighed gloomily.

Celestia turned her head towards the ground and closed her eyes. "You really do care about the other ponies. I understand how you feel, for I feel the same. War is never easy, Phoenix. I have been through too many in my lifetime. I have seen too much."

Phoenix got up and closed the distance between him and the alicorn, nuzzling her shoulder with his muzzle. "I think that, together, we could help avoid the unnecessary violence. I'm not sure how, but I think that it's possible."

"I think you are right, but it will be difficult."

Phoenix stepped back and gave a small smile. "You know, we can deal with this tomorrow. It's getting dark and I should probably head off to my house. I don't really want to be out after curfew."

Celestia looked up and saw that the sky was beginning to get darker and stars began to appear. "Do you mind staying for a little bit longer?" Celestia asked without thinking.

Phoenix slightly cocked his head to the side. "I don't mind staying... but may I ask why?"

Celestia thought for a moment before saying, "It's rather hard to cope with knowing that a possible war is looming in the future. I cannot explain why I feel this way, but for some reason I feel like I need somepony by my side. Maybe it's that I'm accustomed to having my sister help me through this kind of situation. But now that she's currently... not present... do you mind staying for the night?"

Phoenix shrugged. "Oh. In that case, I don't mind staying. I've always wondered what it was like to sleep in a castle."

"Thank you." Just as she said that, she felt the familiar tug from the moon and sun. "Hold on for a moment. I need to tend to the sun and moon."

Phoenix gave a quick nod and sat on his haunches. As he watched Celestia getting up he saw some things he never noticed before. He saw her coat emanating a soft, white glow while the light from the sun began to fade away in the distance and that her mane and tail began to have a more solid appearance, but somehow still waving as freely as before. But there was still another thing that he didn't notice about the Princess. She was lively, happy, as if she was missing a piece of her life and she found it. It made her beautiful. Perfect.

Celestia opened her eyes when she finished raising the moon and gave a confused look at the stallion while asking, "Are you alright?"

Phoenix was staring at her with a dumbfounded expression plastered on his face. He quickly came to and shook his head when he realized what he was doing. "Yeah, I'm fine. I... I didn't really think that your coat actually shined off its own light, that's all."

"Oh, well, now you know," Celestia said with a hint of a teasing tone.

"Heh, yeah..." Phoenix sighed with relief.

"Now that I am practically done for the day, what would you like to do?"

"Hmm..." Phoenix thought for a moment. "You know, I've always wanted to explore the castle, but I haven't been able to do it by myself since, well, I'm not a Noble or a Royal."

"Is that what you would like to do? If you insist, I could show you around."

"Really?"

"I will, only if you want to."

Phoenix gave the biggest grin he could muster, while screaming in his mind with excitement. "Great! I've always wanted to explore the castle. Even since I was a colt. I guess there are some things that you can't really grow out of."

Celestia gave a warm smile as she offered her hoof to Phoenix. He grabbed it with his own and got up from the ground. She asked him, "What, in particular, did you want to explore?"

He looked up to Celestia, happiness and nostalgia burning in his eyes as he gave his answer.

"Everything."

~*~

"Whew. This castle is bigger than I expected."

Phoenix and Celestia were in the alicorn's bedroom, Celestia laying on her bed as Phoenix was still looking around. Right when the pair had entered, Phoenix instantly spotted Celestia's pet phoenix, Philomena, and quickly trotted over to examine it. He joked that it reminded him of himself, except that the things being reborn were the other ponies. Celestia and Phoenix had explored everything, and that means almost every corner of every room in all of the halls that they walked through. Although they haven't been through the rest of the castle yet, even Celestia didn't realize at how many rooms there actually were. "That wasn't all of it. Those were only the places that any other noble ponies can visit. There's much more to this castle than that, you know," Celestia yawned, glad that they were at her room.

Phoenix stopped observing the bookcase and turned his head towards the resting alicorn, ears perked up. "Really? There's more?"

"Yes, we probably explored about a third of the castle."

"Interesting... It doesn't seem to be that big," Phoenix said as he trotted up to the side of Celestia's bed.

"That's because you have not been in the underground portion, nor in all of the towers."

"Huh, you have a point. But I don't think that I can do anymore exploring tonight. My hooves are sore from all the trotting we’ve done.”

"Then the rest of the exploring will wait until tomorrow. But for now, we should get some sleep. I still have my duties as the Princess."

"Okay then. That sounds fun. But... where should I sleep?"

Celestia's lonesome side of herself suddenly started to take control. 'Oh no, not now...' "I don't mind sharing my bed."

Phoenix gave a surprised look. "Um... I don't know. Isn't that a little bit weird?"

Celestia bit her lip. "I know it sounds strange, but my bed is fairly large. I promise that neither one of us will be uncomfortable."

Phoenix felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He stood there like a statue, as if a cocatrice had came out of nowhere and petrified him. Celestia started to wonder if she scared him and thought of ways to make it seem a little less obtrusive with his privacy, but before she could speak, Phoenix was the first to break the awkward silence. "Well, if you insist."

The alicorn gave a small smile, albeit she was shocked from the answer, and shifted her body to one side of the bed, leaving enough room for at least two ponies to be able to sleep comfortably. Phoenix climbed into the covers and made sure that his friend had enough room for herself, just in case she moves around a lot in her sleep. Celestia used her magic to shut off the lights, leaving them in almost complete darkness.

The moonlight slowly moved across the floor as the two were trying to sleep. After failing at that for what felt like an hour, Celestia finally broke the silence. "Are you awake?"

She heard a sigh emanating from the stallion, following with a response. "Yeah. I can't sleep."

"Do you think that this might be a little... awkward?"

Phoenix gave a small laugh. "Maybe a little, but it's alright. At least I'm okay with this." Phoenix then turned to face Celestia. "Is it awkward for you?"

"No, but I was just wondering why you wanted to help me back then. It didn't really bother me, but now the question keeps coming up in my head."

The unicorn brought a hoof up to is chin and rubbed it, considering what to tell the Princess. "Hm... Well, do you remember what I said when we first met?"

Celestia concentrated on her memories and focused on the day when they first met. Her memory was sharp, so she remembered exactly what happened and when it occurred. She remembered vividly at how the stallion gave her an unexpected hug and whispering the words in her ear, 'What if I told you I cared?' She stopped her focus and asked in a quiet voice, "Was it because you care about me?"

Though it is dark, the moonlight gave off enough light for the alicorn to see the stallion smiling. "Not 'was', I still care about you," he whispered back.

Celestia felt her eyes beginning to tear up a little, but it wasn't from feeling sadness. Phoenix watched as the alicorn's eyes began to reflect more moonlight and wondered if she might be crying. As he was about to ask if she was alright, something unexpected happened. Not in a million years did he think that this moment could even possibly be happening, but here it was, happening at this very moment.

Celestia was kissing him.

Even Celestia was surprised by her own actions. She quickly pulled away and gave a horrified look. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I don't know why I did that! Please forgive me!"

To her utter surprise, Phoenix was smiling. He kept on smiling for about a minute until Celestia worriedly asked, "Um, Phoenix? Are you okay?"

Phoenix came back to reality with a shake of his head and responded with, "Yeah... I'm fine. It was just... I don't know how to describe it, but it was... I don't know. Words can't really describe at how, well, amazing that was."

"You... You didn't mind?"

"Of course not!" Phoenix quickly exclaimed. He gave his head another shake and looked down, continuing hesitantly, "I mean... well... I have some... Heh, it's hard to explain."

"Please, just say it," Celestia urged.

"Okay," Phoenix sighed, "I... I have some, well... feelings for you."

"Really?" the alicorn asked, taken aback, "That is interesting..."

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked, looking back up to her eyes.

"How do I put this..." Celestia said, her cheeks beginning to get a tinge of red. "I... I believe I have some..." she trailed off.

"Feelings too?" Phoenix finished expectantly.

"Well, yes. These are feelings that I haven't felt towards anypony in a very, very long time."

"You know, I didn't think that I would ever... love somepony, let alone a Princess. Nor did I think that you would feel the same way."

Celestia chuckled, "Well, then the feelings are mutual. I never thought that I would love somepony again."

Phoenix gazed deeply into her eyes, letting the realization of what had been said between the two sink in. He finally asked in a small voice, "So, what now?"

"I know."

Celestia leaned in and kissed Phoenix, who then also returned her affection with his own. The two shared their love and passion to one another throughout the rest of the night until they both finally fell asleep, holding onto each other in their loving embrace. The two slept soundly throughout the rest of the night as the time slipped towards dawn. This was perhaps- no it was definitively- the greatest night that Celestia has had in her everlasting lifetime.

Little did she realize, though, that this night would also change her life forever.

~*~