• Published 2nd May 2012
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A Warm Summer's Evening - TAW



Twilestia shipping

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Chapter 2

The following day, Twilight Sparkle set foot on Canterlot's train station a little later than planned, but still within acceptable tolerances. She had left that morning, after dragging Pinkie Pie back to her library to take care of Spike, who had taken "don't forget" to mean "eat this muffin that's larger than your stomach so quickly it makes you ill." Twilight wasn't sure whether assigning Pinkie the job of making him better was to punish her, or him, but either way it had delayed her plans considerably, and the sun was already beginning to sag in the sky.

It would be a rush, but she could make it on time; she had met Celestia in 'the usual place' more times than she could count and could reach there from any places in Canterlot in under fifteen minutes. She'd counted.

Sixteen minutes later, Twilight Sparkle arrived at Doughnut Joe's Doughnut House puffing and out of breath. Celestia was already waiting for her, sipping a coffee at one of the tables and impatiently tapping her hoof.

"Princess! I'm so sorry! Ponyville... smaller than Canterlot... less exercise, overestimated self," Twilight gasped, falling onto the side of the table and lying there panting. "Just... moment..."

Celestia looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind the exhausted purple mare. "Twilight, it's four thirty." Celestia laughed, setting her coffee down on the table and dipping the tip of a doughnut in its black depths before nibbling the side of it.

"No, it's four thirty one, and I'm always half an hour early!" Twilight insisted, pulling herself around the table to sit on the opposite seat before apologising again.

Celestia shook her head. "Twilight Sparkle, you have nothing to apologise for. Seeing as you're so early, perhaps you would like a drink before we begin? We have much to catch up on," she suggested, letting her easy tone and regal smile wash Twilight's worries away. Twilight liked it when she did that, and nodded in response.

Soon, Twilight Sparkle was taking sips of her coffee in-between sentences as she described her progress in more detail than she could with a mere letter. From her main project of researching the different magic that could be produced from Friendship, to her pet projects like "Getting Applejack to let her mane down" and "Teaching Dash how to take a compliment without driving everypony mad", to the pipe dreams like "A comprehensive Equestrian to Pinkie Pie phrase book", Twilight had plenty of progress to report on.


"So Rainbow was in the middle of this dive, with her mane flying around in the air, when of a sudden," Twilight Sparkle continued a few minutes later, midway through regaling Celestia with a tale of how exciting life with her friends could be. "...Pinkie Pie jumped out of a tree as Dash passed it and landed on her back! The best part is, before Dash could throw her off, Pinkie pulled some reins around her head and took her for a ride. Oh, you should have seen it, Dash was so mad!" Twilight giggled, letting her cold coffee rest on the table.

"Twilight, that sounds delightful, I'm so glad you're fitting in. It must be wonderful to have friends," Celestia said, smiling and rested back on her seat. The clock had passed 5pm quite some time before, but Twilight couldn't see it and Celestia was enjoying the conversation too much to interrupt her. She had missed their talks more than she'd realised, and it was a shame that Twilight would have to return to Ponyville so soon.

"Oh, you have friends, princess! Everypony wants to be your friend, I only have a few!" Twilight smiled, almost-but-not-quite picking up on the lonely undertones of Celestia's voice. How could a princess, who spent all her days among other ponies, ever feel lonely?

"Not true friends, Twilight, not like yours. Not anymore. Anyway, it's getting late, we shou-"

"Late?!" Twilight interrupted, before spinning around to view the clock. "Oh Celestia! It is late! How am I meant to learn about love now?!"

"Well, Twilight, while it is quite late, it isn't too late to begin a date, which is where many ponies look for love. Dating is like a 'try before you buy' counter at a market stall. Nopony can ever really know whether two ponies are right for each other, but the only way to find out is to try it," Celestia explained, trying to salvage at least some education from the night so her student could feel a little more fulfilled.

"But why, princess? Can't they just wait until somebody that feels... right comes by?" Twilight asked, cocking her head and eagerly awaiting the answer.

"They could, I suppose. One can never be sure that will work, though, and it may leave one waiting for a long time. A very, very long time," Celestia sighed, closing her eyes as she finished the last sentence. It had been so very long since Celestia had last felt love; what position was she in to tutor on it?

"Princess?"

"Oh, Twilight. I'm sorry, I don't know what I can teach you about love. Why ponies look for it is not something that can be taught, only felt. Until you have that deep longing within your heart that yearns for another to fill it, I don't think you'll understand. Maybe it would be better if you never understood." Celestia sighed. She hadn't counted on the old memories that trying to lecture on love would conjure up. A terrible shame, given how well the start of the night had gone, but now all that just reminded her of her loneliness.

"Oh," Twilight quietly said as her face fell and her ears flattened in disappointment. If Celestia couldn't teach her about love, then what hope did any other teacher have? "Perhaps we should just continue catching up?" she hopefully asked, not wanting the night to be ruined. She too had forgotten how much she enjoyed their talks.

Celestia smiled. "Perhaps. For now, though, I fear I must retire. It is getting late and I have many things to do before I lower the sun. We could reschedule our chat in a few weeks, perhaps?"

"Oh, I... Oh, okay, Princess. I look forward to it," Twilight replied with as much enthusiasm in her voice as she always had. The disappointment in her eyes, however, was heartbreaking. Celestia wasn't lying, she had many things she needed to do, but she longed for the times when she felt able to brush them aside just to speak with her favourite student. No more, not since she moved away. She was a grown mare now, and didn't need Celestia mothering her.

Celestia left the coffee shop quickly and without looking back, bidding a hasty goodbye and leaving for her work. That, at least, she could lose herself in, as she had for a thousand years. That at least wouldn't remind her of all the things an immortal had to lose.

"Going somewhere, sister?" Luna asked, gliding down to trot alongside her. "You usually linger a little longer with your student. Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, Luna, I just have a lot to do," Celestia curtly replied, speeding up and leaving Luna behind.

"Well, I do hope Spike enjoyed his muffin," Luna called towards Celestia as she metaphorically ran away. Though her pace was still a calm and measured trot, she would stop for nopony.

Except... how had Luna known of the muffin? Spike often accidentally wrote things into his letters that he shouldn't, but only Celestia read those.

"Luna," Celestia asked, after turning to face her sister. She was in public, and so chose her next words very carefully. "Have you been reading my mail?"

"Only the interesting ones, sister," Luna innocently replied, as if she had committed no crime. "And I say go for it."

"I don't know what you mean, Luna, but please, give me some privacy, at least. Every part of my life is observed and documented, and now you too? Please, for once, just give me some space," Celestia snapped, before turning and running for the safety of her chambers.


Celestia slammed the door shut, closed the blinds, and instructed her aide to deny any audience requests. The princess was, as her population would put it, "not in the mood" at the present moment.

Celestia was older than any creature had a right to be and she felt even older than that. A thousand years of uninterrupted stress would do that to a pony, and yet she had managed. So why did she now feel as if the world was finally caving in on her? Why now, after so many millennia alone, would being reminded of that fact get under her skin so effectively?

"Sister, I only want to help," Luna said, stepping from the shadows at the far side of the room. Celestia should have known that simply locking the door would not stop her sister from entering.

"I do not require help, Luna. I am perfectly fine, I simply require rest. You too, should be resting. The sun is not due to set for hours yet, and you need your sleep," Celestia replied, easily switching back to her default mode of always thinking of others.

"Oh, sister. You are sitting in a darkened room, alone, while ambassadors stand behind your locked door and your most faithful student boards a lonely train home with sadness in her heart. Is that 'fine'?" Luna asked, pushing all of the right buttons in the most irritating way possible. Even when she was trying to help, Celestia found that Luna could be so very annoyingly correct.

"Yes." Celestia lied.

Luna shook her head and smiled. "Celestia, go to sleep. I'll send somebody to wake you in a few hours so you can set the sun, but until then I'll deal with your dignitaries and sign your contracts. You need your rest, and you need time to yourself. Most importantly, I think, I need less time to myself. The night is a lonely place," she calmly instructed. She knew Celestia wouldn't turn her down if she managed to twist it into something that could be construed as Celestia helping another.

"Very well, Luna. Wake me in a few hours," Celestia agreed, unable to find the strength to fight any longer. Luna simply smiled and faded back into the shadows, leaving Celestia quite alone to hopefully find a few hours of rest in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar bed.


Celestia awoke many hours later to a thin silver streak of light as the angle between the moon and her bedroom became just right and the gap in her blinds was exploited. She felt refreshed, having slept longer than she had in a very long time. That feeling didn't last. Luna had lied to her, she hadn't been woken up at all.

"LUNA!" she yelled, opening her window and shouting into the night where her sister was certain to hear her.

"Yes, sister?" Luna replied, appearing behind her. Celestia hated it when she did that.

"You said you'd wake me. You lied to me," Celestia accused, pointing her hoof at her sister, wondering if her heart was as black as her coat.

"You said you were okay."

Celestia fell silent, and her hoof slowly lowered to the floor. "I... am okay, Luna."

"No, sister, you aren't. Don't think that just because you spent a thousand years without me that I can't read you like a book. You're still open to me. You didn't change that much," Luna calmly replied, speaking quietly and elegantly, "and that means you're still a hypocrite."

"What?!" Celestia snapped. If she was supposedly 'not okay', how was insulting her meant to help?

"You heard me, Celestia. Hypocrite," Luna half-snarled, staring at Celestia with half-closed eyes. "You turn down praise, or worship, or gifts because you want to just be one of them," she continued, "and yet you hold yourself to impossible standards that you wouldn't think of imposing on anyone else. Not even me, and you know I can take it."

"Those are my burdens to bear, Luna, and mine alone. I cannot ask anypony else to wear them," Celestia countered, almost unaware she was reinforcing Luna's point rather than refuting it.

"No, sister, you cannot accept help when it is offered. You think you're better than us," Luna spat.

"I think no such thing! You are an amazing person, Luna, as is every single one of my subjects. So many shame me with their strength of character and resolve," Celestia objected, being careful not to raise her voice so loud the guards outside would hear her.

Luna smiled. She could twist her big sister around her hoof any night she chose if she played smart. "Prove it, then. Tomorrow night, do something for yourself. Let the rest of us handle the kingdom for a few hours, unless you don't think we're able," she said, with a smirk, not even bothering to hide her amusement because she knew she'd already won.

"I... Fine, Luna. Fine, you win, I shall take some time for... myself." Celestia sighed, as if the very concept were abhorrent. She was silent for a few moments, lost in thought, until she realised that she had absolutely no idea what ponies did 'for themselves', and asked "Any suggestions?"

Luna shrugged. "Read a book? Take a long bath, go on a walk, I don't care!" she elaborated, ending on a light laugh. "Find a nice stallion and go on a date?" she teased, knowing full well that Celestia hadn't partaken in romance for a thousand years. A thousand years before Luna's banishment.

Celestia snorted in exasperation. She could do many things; she had centuries of practise at calming hostile situations without violence, she could negotiate a treaty faster than most leaders could get the disagreeing parties into the room, and her smile could disarm even the most staunch of opposition, but taking time for herself?

Celestia help her, she had no idea. Her mind kept wandering towards the last thing Luna had said: a date. Not for herself, but for her young student. Would it count as "time for herself" if she simply enjoyed helping another? Celestia didn't bother to ask, her mind was set. She was going to take Twilight Sparkle out on a date and try to teach her how it was meant to be done, and then she could get back to the important things, like ruling the entire kingdom single handedly.


Dear Twilight,

I apologise about last night, I was not feeling myself.

If you still wish to continue your education, meet me in our usual place at seven thirty tonight. Come alone, and bring some bits.

Yours, Celestia

Twilight stared at the letter in confusion. It wasn't like Celestia to forget her 'Princess', nor her 'My Faithful Student'; The letter seemed almost naked without them. Regardless, Twilight didn't have long to reflect on that. In order to arrive at Canterlot for seven thirty she would have to leave that minute, and there wasn't going to be a train for ten. She was going to be late, and she knew it.

"Oh, hay. Spike, I'm going out. I'll be back tomorrow! No time to explain, just... don't break anything!" Twilight yelled as she ran out of the door, hoping that she could reach the train station on time.

She couldn't, and she arrived on the platform to the sound of the train leaving. Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for the train, it found it rather difficult to escape from her as it hovered a foot off of the ground in a powerful magic hold. Twilight did not do being late.


The train rolled into Canterlot station, and Twilight checked the nearest clock. Seven twenty eight. It took her sixteen minutes to reach the usual spot. A quick calculation told her that seven forty four would leave her late.

Twilight did not do being late.


Celestia rested back on her chair and took another drink of her coffee. She held the day's newspaper in front of her, and began reading it for the second time. She had been taking time for herself for almost an hour now, and she was bored out of her mind.

Bored with one exception, though. She wanted to know why nobody had ever told her of the astrology section, where ponies with degrees—not that it was a recognised course at any of her schools—in astrology would try and ascertain the meaning behind Luna's star patterns and what they meant for the population. Apparently, last night there had been a rather wonderful flower shape across the skies, which clearly meant that all the ponies born in that month would be wed before the end of the year.

Luna, of course, had put it there because it was pretty, as she did with all her star patterns. Too much spare time combined with total control over the night lead to some rather interesting and artistic skies, and while Celestia hoped that there would never be a repeat of the night where Luna had decided to create a rather too realistic representation of her own behind, her skies were met with praise and appreciation by the populace.

The edges of the newspaper rustled and curved as the wind began to rise. Celestia smiled. The winds around Canterlot were tightly controlled by the best trained weather squad in the kingdom. There were never any unplanned storms, ever. Thus, the wind could only mean one thing: Twilight Sparkle knew she was going to be late.

The second hand on the clock ticked forward, every time taking another step towards seven thirty, and Twilight being tardy. A ball of light rose up from around the area of Canterlot rail station and shot towards the café with alarming speed, as if it were racing against the clock.

"Fifty nine," Celestia whispered, taking a sip of her coffee, "Sixty, one, two... Oh my, Twilight, aren't you late." She giggled, satisfied that her plan had gone according to, well, plan. As it almost always did.

"OH CELESTIA I'M SO SORRY," the burning white sphere shouted as it coasted to a halt in front of the amused sun goddess, "I TRIED MY BEST BUT YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME ENOUGH TIME NOT THAT IT'S YOUR FAULT IT'S MY FAULT I SHOULD HAVE... MADE THE TRAIN GO FASTER."

"Twilight, sit down." Celestia laughed, pulling the seat opposite her out and offering it to Twilight. The glowing ball began to fade as Twilight calmed down, and the winds began to die out as Twilight's hooves touched the floor.

"You aren't mad?" she asked. "Even though I'm late?"

"Of course not, my dear. One day, you'll learn that I could never be mad at you. Until then, I'll just keep making my deadlines more and more impossible until even you can't keep to them," Celestia replied. She had made it a game to see what absurdities she could demand from the young unicorn, but the purple mare continually outclassed her by meeting them all. Even this one was within a small enough margin of error that even the strictest lecturer at one of her collages would accept it as being "on time". As for the extreme disruption to local weather, and terrified train staff... Well, Celestia wasn't in charge of the cleanup there right now. Let Luna deal with it. She deserved it.

"Oh, well, I'll still try and be on time next time, princess," Twilight assured her. Celestia almost laughed, but stifled it. Her student was incredible, but she had such a tendency to overreact. Laughing at her was never a good idea.

"Of course you will, Twilight, I wouldn't expect anything less," Celestia smiled, wondering if Twilight would ever catch on to the times when she was being made fun of. "But perhaps we should begin. You asked me yesterday about love, and I told you that there was nothing I could teach. However, I think I may be able to teach you how to go on a date, and from there you can teach yourself love."

"A date, princess? With whom?" Twilight enquired, cocking her head questioningly.

"Myself, of course."

"A date... with you, princess?" Twilight gasped.

"Indeed, but please, call me Celestia," Celestia instructed. "Maybe even Cel if we get on really well" she added as a joke. While Twilight would not, of course, actually be dating her, Celestia knew that teaching from experience was the best way, and she was the perfect example to use.

"Oh... okay, Celestia! What do we do first?" Twilight asked, sitting up on her chair and listening attentively.

"You stop treating me like a teacher or a princess, Twilight, and start treating me like an equal. You cannot date if you think somebody is above you, and I am most certainly not," Celestia continued. "And then, you drink your coffee. We're not staying."

Twilight hastily drunk her coffee, cooling it down with a tiny bit of magic so she didn't scald her own throat as she gulped. A few moments later, she wiped her muzzle clean and looked back up at her 'date'.

"No, Twilight, that was too fast. Waiter? Another, please. Twilight, don't rush this, it is of the utmost importance that a date feel natural. I know your notebook is under the table, write that down. Double-underline it. You go on dates to find out if your two personalities go well together, or if they clash. Being natural is the only way to truly decide that," Celestia scolded, stirring her own coffee with a spoon.

Twilight blushed and accepted a second coffee, taking a shy sip of it and staring at Celestia. From what Twilight had been able to ascertain from her reading, a large part of the dating process was based upon physical traits, as well as mental ones. Celestia had physical traits; Twilight had admired them for a long time, in the same way a pony might admire a piece of art, or enjoy fine literature. Celestia was a work of art, as far as Twilight was concerned. Physical traits could be checked off of her internal "Date-able?" checklist.

"Now what?" she whispered, almost hiding behind the steaming cup of coffee.

"We talk, just like normal, like any of our meetings. Well, I suppose in most of our meetings it's you talking and me listening, but it's much the same. I'll start, I suppose," Celestia said, trying to think of a tale that would keep the young mare's attention. Twilight certainly wouldn't be interested in esoteric politics, but she might be interested in the magical advancements of other cultures, which included many spells that wouldn't be included in the royal archives for various reasons.

Twilight sat in rapt attention as Celestia began to talk. Her head nodded in all the right places as Celestia described the inner workings of the latest Zebra advancement in potion making. Twilight was even taking notes, though the topic at hand was unrelated to dating. Eventually, Celestia finished off her tale by mentioning how the Zebra ambassador had been forced to leave after some diplomatic squabbles.

"Oh?" Twilight asked, her ears perking up as if she was legitimately interested. "How did you handle that?" she asked just as enthusiastically as she'd asked "So how did they fix the boil-cyclone issue?" a minute before. Celestia was surprised, she hadn't expected Twilight to show interest that far outside of her domain.

Regardless, she continued her tale. It was a lot drier, focussing on a minor land dispute on the Zebra/Griffon border, but she had managed to act as a mediator and resolve the conflict before it devolved into pointless bloodshed. She knew some of her people assumed that she used "I control the sun" as a bargaining chip, but she felt it important to stress to Twilight that she would never stoop to threats to achieve her aims. The solution really was in everybody's best interests.

Twilight took a sip from her coffee, only to find that it was gone. Somebody had stolen her coffee! "Prin- Celestia, where did my coffee go?" she asked, knowing Celestia would have seen what had happened to it.

"You drank it, Twilight. See, acting natural. It's easy. Many dates could quite comfortably end now, we've been talking for several hours and most ponies would be quite tired. I chose coffee to drink for a good reason, however. I wish to show you another method of dating." Celestia smiled, taking the role of teacher once more, though she hadn't quite realised she'd dropped it.

Her destination was a small bar on the outskirts of what Luna would no doubt call the "lower class area." Celestia had always preferred the "practical people" moniker, but different ponies used different words. The Bar was a very different place to Joe's café, which defined itself on the peace, tranquillity, and doughnuts.

"Welcome to The Bar, Twilight," Celestia shouted over the loud music, "Fancy something to lick?"

The Bar was, though nobody present remembered, a very very old establishment. So old, in fact, that it wasn't Celestia's first visit, though it was the first time she'd been there in longer than she cared to remember. The people inside the bar grew quiet as Celestia walked through, turning to bow in reverent awe.

"Barkeep?" she shouted, staring at the young stallion behind the counter. "Will you tell everypony that I shall buy them a fresh salt lick if they stop bowing and pretend I'm not here?"

Within minutes, the bar returned to its usual state of ponies in various stages of dehydration becoming progressively less watered, and Twilight and Celestia found a nice seat in a darkened corner.

"Pri- Celestia, why are we here?" Twilight yelled, covering her ears against the music.

"To lick the night away, Twilight!" Celestia replied. If she was to take time for herself she was going to do it the way all the young mares of Canterlot were apparently doing it. Celestia had no intention of becoming one of those storybook princesses who grew distant from her people.


An hour later, Celestia had moved around the table to rest against Twilight's shoulder. Twilight, to her credit, was halfway through her first salt lick. Celestia was on her fifth.

"Flowers! That's another thing, Twily, a mare like me loves her flowers. Nopony ever brings me flowers," Celestia hissed through a dry throat and cracked lips. "Y'know, all I wanna be is normal, why's everypony gotta be bowing to me, can't I go out for a lick like anypony else?"

Twilight squirmed a little. She was holding Celestia up mostly through magic, the princess being far too large for her to physically bear the weight of. The night had become far more awkward over the past hour as Celestia had grown more and more dehydrated, but far from becoming less educational, Celestia had suddenly turned into the font of all knowledge when it came to dating advice.

"Oh! And be late! Not too late, just a little," she slurred, holding the block of salt in her hoof as she waved it around, spreading grains over the table, "I don't wanna feel like a princess, I get that all day long. Make me wait, it'll be sweeter when it comes! Oh yeah, never ever call me princess, I want you to make me feel special because of ME, not who I am... or, because of who I am, not because of what I'm called, or... I dunno," she admitted. Celestia was less hydrated than she'd been in a thousand years, she felt she should be forgiven for a little difficulty expressing herself.

"Celestia, I think we should be getting you home," Twilight hopefully suggested. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with Celestia, it was that she didn't want to spend time with Celestia when she was like this.

"Yes! Home! To bed, I want somebody to take me to bed! Do you know, Twily, how long it has been since somebody took me to bed?" Celestia asked. Twilight had cringed at 'Twily'. She had hoped that awful habit would have stuck with her brother and her brother alone, but Celestia forbid it actually appeared to be spreading. Nonetheless, Celestia's question terrified her and she did not want to hear the answer.

"Celestia, you need a drink. Come on, I'll walk you home," Twilight suggested, pulling Celestia out of her seat and dropping her on the floor. In her current state, Twilight found the princess quite easy to lead. A little tug on the neck here, a little yank of her mane there, and she was quickly walking alongside Twilight.

"TWO THOUSAND YEARS, TWILIGHT."

Twilight Sparkle died a little inside. There was 'too much information', and there was that. "Come on, Celestia, I'm taking you home." She sighed, and tugged on her mane a little harder.

Too long later, Twilight found herself trying to silence a giggling Celestia as the two sneaked through the castle, trying to avoid the guards, and Celestia's inevitable shame if she was caught in such a state.

"Now, Twilight, go go go go go!" Celestia laughed, running across the corridor towards her bedroom door. Twilight galloped behind, just hoping that a guard wasn't about to turn the corner. She hadn't had chance to learn this route yet, it wasn't safe.

Luckily, they made it, and Celestia collapsed laughing onto her bed. Twilight quickly made her way into the en-suite bathroom and poured several glasses of water, handing them to Celestia and demanding that she drink.

After a few minutes, Celestia stopped giggling quite so much and began to yawn. "Oh, Twilight, that was quite a night. You should lighten up, have some fun!" Celestia advised, lying back in bed and letting her mane spread across the bed. "Luna knows I won't be having any for a while. Politics this, treaties that, blah blah bla..." Celestia moaned, before falling asleep mid sentence. A fitting end to the night, Twilight thought. At very least, she had several dozen pages of notes on how to date, and perhaps she could finally get some answers on what exactly it meant to love.


"You should have seen her, Spike," Twilight laughed, fondly remembering the night before as she retold the adventures she'd had at Celestia's side. "her mane was all over the place, she could barely stand, and there she was running across the corridor to her bedroom. Oh, it'd have been a scandal if she'd been caught." She sighed, still smiling as she thought of the pri- of Celestia's escapades.

Spike burped. A letter! It was past mid-day, so it made sense that Celestia might be awakening around about now. Twilight grinned as she imagined how Celestia might try to explain her way out of that one. Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled the uncurled the scroll and began to read.


A week later, Celestia burst into Luna's bedroom in the late evening, carrying behind her a small chest. "Luna, I'm in trouble," she stated, closing the door behind her.

"Is this about that ambassador you made lewd comments to last week? Because I've told you, I've got that one under control."

"No, not that, look at this letter!"

Luna took the pink envelope from Celestia's magic grip and opened it. Immediately she gagged, holding the paper away from her in the hopes it would lower its repulsive effects. "She dotted the i in Celestia with a heart? Really? Oh, that's just barbaric," Luna commented, before continuing.

Dear Celestia,

Thanks so much for your previous letter, I loved reading it. I couldn't stop thinking about you today, so I haven't gotten much done. I hope you enjoy the flowers.

Yours, Twily.

"Flowers?" Luna asked, slightly concerned.

Celestia sheepishly pulled a bouquet out of the chest and set them down on the table. It was a large bunch of roses. Celestia's favourite.

"Celestia, that's adorable. What are you doing to the poor girl?" Luna laughed.

"No, no, it's worse. Look at these other letters, too," Celestia added, before pulling out a dozen other letters. Half of them were from her, and that was why she had taken so long before bringing the situation to Luna's attention.

"Oh, Celestia. You dotted the i in 'Twily' with a heart? I may actually require a break to be violently sick," Luna said, laughing uproariously as she continued reading the letter. The trail of letters told an embarrassing tale.

Dear Twilight,

I cannot apologise enough for last night's behaviour. It was very unprincesslike of me, and has certainly put undue strain on our relationship. I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive me.

Yours, Princess Celestia

was quickly followed by:

Dear Princess Celestia,

Of course I forgive you, Princess. Though the situation quickly got out of hoof for both of us, you taught me an invaluable lesson, and one I hope to put into practice as soon as I find somepony special to attempt with.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

The letters should have stopped there, but unfortunately they did not. Whether Celestia was still mildly dehydrated at the time or not, she had replied:

Dear Twilight,

You don't need to be so formal with me, Twilight, really. I don't mind if you just call me Celestia. I really enjoyed last night, even if I did overestimate my own tolerance to salt.

Yours, Celestia

Luna shook her head in disappointment as she opened the next letter in the chain:

Dear Celestia,

Oh, thank goodness. I really enjoyed last night too, at least the first half. It was wonderful to speak with you again, I had so missed it since coming to live here in Ponyville. Our letters are lovely, but even they had been growing more sparse.

If you're not completely adverse to the idea, perhaps we should schedule another meeting. Just the coffee, this time, though. I don't think that ambassador will take another jab like that without causing an international incident

Yours, Twilight

"This is the point where you cut her off and told her 'Sorry, I'm not interested', right?" Luna asked, knowing full well it wasn't going to be. Celestia shamefully handed her the next letter.

Dear Twilight,

I would love to! Unfortunately my duties are currently overwhelming. Luna's enthusiasm for overtaking my rule is not matched by her capability for doing so. However, as soon as I am free I would love to have another meeting with you, I'm sure we could find plenty to talk about :)

Yours, Celestia

Luna ignored the jab at her performance. As far as she was concerned, she did fine for the first time in over a thousand years. It wasn't her fault the winds had upset the weather and caused a minor rainstorm over the wedding reception of one of Canterlot's more influential—or as Celestia would have put it, "irritating"—couples. "A smiley face, sister? Really? Were you trying to lead the poor mare on?"

Dear Celestia,

Ouch! Sorry about all the mess I made, I just didn't want to be late. I can be a little late for our next meeting though, if you'd like ;)

Yours, Twilight

"A wink? Oh my, Celestia, you really do know how to show a mare a good time," Luna laughed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Twilight,

I think I might like that, yes.

Celestia

"Oh, this is sickening, sister. Must I really read on, hoping that you came to your senses at some point?" Luna groaned.

"As I'm sure you can tell from the end result, I... did not," Celestia admitted. The letters had quickly spiralled out of control as Twilight apparently began to understand that there was a pony she wanted to date, and Celestia was powerless to stop her.

"So, do you wish my assistance in explaining to her the scale of your error?" Luna asked, readying her quill.

"I... am not sure I do, Luna. Twilight has grown into an incredible young mare, and much as it shames me to admit it, I am not disinterested."

"That much has been obvious for a long time, sister," Luna snarked, "But do you really have time to be pursuing these things right now?"

"If not now, then when, sister? Twilight isn't getting any younger."

"Yes, that would be difficult."

"Quiet. She's very mature for her age. Wait, what did you mean 'for a long time'?" Celestia asked, wondering about Luna's wording. Since Celestia had shown her the letters did not count as "a long time."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Sister, you do not allow yourself a moment's rest for anything, and yet you immediately make time to read her letters?"

"She is my student, I am obliged to take notice of her!" Celestia exclaimed.

"What of the way your eyes glaze over when you start to speak of her, and the sheer length of time you can talk if nobody is brave enough to interrupt?"

"I'm very proud of my student!"

"The wistful staring towards Ponyville, as if hoping to catch a glimpse?"

"I like the view," Celestia retorted.

"The way your first thought when I told you to enjoy yourself was to take her on a date?" Luna asked, grinning as she knew her victory was assured.

Celestia stood in silence. Her more romantic feelings towards the purple mare were apparently new only to herself and the mare in question, and Luna had already known. Her silence was clearly telling.

"Don't worry, she feels the same way," Luna assured her.

"How can you tell?"

"The way she looks at you, mostly. That kind of awe that ponies only use when they're looking at something beautiful, with a tinge of hunger and a slight shortness of breath. And, ah, I see a lot of things at night," Luna explained, leaving the last point hanging.

"I don't think I can say no to her, Luna," Celestia admitted, her face slightly contorted with worry. "She knows all my secrets. She has pages and pages of notes on everything I like. I don't think she'd take no for an answer, Luna, and she'd win me over, I know it."

Luna shook her head. "You can only blame yourself for this, sister. Had you paid more attention you could have stopped this many moons ago."

"Should I have? Is enjoying another's company another thing I must deny myself, sister?" Celestia asked, sighing as she considered the possibility that her and her student may have to become even further distant.

Luna shrugged. "You once told me that for us to love was selfish, for we could not ever hope to love all our subjects equally if one of them slept in our bed. Those are your words, sister, not mine."

"That was a long time ago, Luna. I have been wrong in the past, occasionally."

"Then I say go for it, sister. The break shall do you good, and perhaps having to think of one other than yourself shall force you to stop putting yourself under such strain. I, of course, shall watch over the evening and ensure that you are not interrupted with petty squabbles or meaningless politics. Now go, make your arrangements, I have a night to weave," Luna replied, waving Celestia out of the door. Luna kept the chest, she felt sure the letters would keep her entertained throughout the cold night.


Dear my most faithful student, and close friend, Twilight Sparkle

Our relationship has become more complicated as of late, and I feel we need to clear the air and ensure a mutual understanding. Romance is a difficult subject for me to consider, and perhaps I have acted a little rashly in writing, where it is easier to say things that perhaps you would not say face to face.

With that said, I shall be arriving in Ponyville at 7pm tonight and hope you are able to provide sufficient entertainment for the night.

Yours, Celestia

Twilight dropped the letter and looked at the clock. Five thirty. That wasn't enough time to make any complex plans, but Twilight felt sure that she could get a seat at Rarity's favourite restaurant, especially if she dropped the right names.

The letter itself, though, was worrying. Had Celestia perhaps misinterpreted her language practise as something else? Surely Celestia wouldn't accuse her of non-ironically hearting an i? Spike had required a bowl of ice cream both before and after sending it just to convince him not to throw up. He had, of course, thrown up later, but that was due to the ice cream, not the letter.

Of course, Twilight wondered, perhaps it was her who was losing her nerve, and Celestia was just taking their dating practise more seriously than her. That seemed more likely.

"What would somepony like her even see in somepony like me?" Twilight asked nobody in particular as she was struck down by an unexpected sadness. It was just practise, going through the motions, not the e-motions.

"Somepony like her?" Spike asked.

"Somepony that graceful, that kind. Somepony who can bring a smile to my face just from entering the room, and somepony who can light up my day just from sending a letter. Somepony I miss more than anything, and somepony whose presence I look forward to every day just to talk. Why would somepony that perfect even pretend to like me?" Twilight sighed. She hadn't been entirely honest with herself when she'd said she didn't know the feeling of longing in her heart, but that wasn't love, it was just admiration and respect. She admired and respected Celestia more than anything else she'd ever known.

"Twilight, you're sure you're just pretending to be dating her, right?" Spike questioned.

"Of course, Spike. I've always deeply respected Celestia, our fake date didn't change anything there."

"If you say so, Twilight."

"I do. Would you mind going and booking a table at The Trotting Mare, Spike?" Twilight sternly replied. She wasn't in love with the princess. "I have a date!" she giggled. Not that she was excited for the date, it would be a wonderful learning experience and nothing more.

Spike shook his head and left.


"Spike, how wonderful to see you again!" Celestia exclaimed, smiling wide as Spike opened the library door to allow her inside. "Is Twilight here?"

The library was somewhat of a mess. At such short notice Twilight had been unable to order Spike to clean it fast enough for Celestia's arrival, and as such had told him to simply disallow her entry. That was of course impossible for him but Twilight didn't see why that should stop her from commanding it.

Twilight had left shortly before to do some last minute planning and organisation, leaving Spike with the important task of redirecting Celestia to the restaurant.

"No, princess, she's busy. She said that you should go to The Trotting Mare, the reservation is under her name," Spike explained, knowing Twilight would probably murder him if he got a single word out of place. Unable to stop himself, he looked from side to side conspiratorially before waving Celestia closer. Such secrets as he had to impart were not ones to be spoken loudly, lest unworthy ears learn of them. "I think Twilight has a crush on you," he whispered, expecting the revelation to rock through Celestia's body like particularly bad food cramps.

Celestia laughed. "And I, her, dear Spike," she replied, ruffling the young dragon's scales with a hoof before leaving. Spike stood there quite confused. Had Celestia just admitted... oh dear.

Oh dear.


Celestia sat at a darkened table, in the corner of the room, behind a wooden separator that hid her from view. Twilight had thought of everything, she supposed, and the privacy was appreciated. The flickering candle at the centre of the table was the only light source, and the calm violin music from the nearby band permeated the air. It was, all in all, a very classy restaurant.

Celestia hated it. She had hoped to escape from the pomp and circumstance of Canterlot royalty by venturing out into the less civilised parts of her country, but apparently even here the draw of cheese and wine could not be escaped.

"Do you desire a drink, Ma'am?" the waiter asked, cutting through Celestia's thoughts as if he had appeared from nowhere. He held his notepad in an impatient magical grip, as if his time was so much more valuable than it was. Celestia did not feel superior to many ponies, but snooty waiters were among the unlucky few.

"You wouldn't, I suppose, have any salt?" Celestia hopefully asked, knowing full well they would not. The waiter shook his head, raising his nose another few degrees to look down on her even further. Celestia supposed she was lucky that the dim lighting hid her wings, and that her usual flowing mane was tonight replaced by something rather more sedate. "A glass of water then."

"As you wish, Ma'am," the waiter curtly replied. Celestia hated waiters. When Twilight got here, she was ordering.

When was Twilight getting here? It was already seven fifteen. Twilight was late, Twilight was never late.

"Waiter?" Celestia called, internally giggling as she looked upon the stallion's face of complete disdain. "Make that two glasses of water. And some complimentary oats, if you wouldn't mind."

He turned once again and left. Celestia assumed that meant he'd accepted her change in order, but one could never quite tell with waiters. Where was Twilight?


Celestia tapped her golden horseshoe adorned hoof on the thick wooden table and sighed. It was now seven thirty, and she had drunk one and a half glasses of water, and Twilight still wasn't here. The anticipation was almost palpable, and at very least it seemed to be keeping the waiters at bay. Celestia still hadn't gotten her oats, she noted. Perhaps she could write a negative review of this establishment in one of the local papers. That would show them.

"Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed, sitting opposite her and smiling as if she weren't half an hour late. "How are you?"

"Fine. I've been waiting for- Oh gosh Twilight are those roses?" Celestia replied, drawn completely off track by Twilight's sudden proffering of pretty petals. Twilight smiled and let Celestia take them, watching as she breathed deeply and absorbed their scent. Twilight had chosen them especially, after sampling every bouquet of roses that the local florists had to offer and determining those to be the most fragrant.

"Do you like them?" she asked.

"Oh, Twilight, they're gorgeous. Thank you so much. Now, where was I?"

"We were about to order," Twilight suggested, nimbly sidestepping any possible repercussions of her tardiness. Twilight knew exactly how to be late, she simply chose not to be. Usually.

Celestia nodded and turned to her menu. "I was thinking of having the hay fries and battered potato, do you have any recommendations?"

Twilight had not, in fact, ever been to this establishment before, and thus had none. However, she had spent the past several hours pouring over her notes on 'What Celestia Likes In A Date' and thus knew that Celestia never ever suggested her favourite thing first. She wanted somebody to correct her, just so she knew that whoever she was with wasn't a "spineless yes-mare".

"You could, I suppose, but personally I've always preferred the fried carrot roulade. If you like, I could get the fries and potato and we could share?" Twilight suggested, working another Thing Celestia Likes into her words, admitting she could potentially be wrong. Celestia wanted somebody with complete confidence in themselves even less than somebody with no confidence.

Celestia smiled and nodded, and Twilight swore she could almost see a blush, though that could have been the way the candlelight reflected off of her gorgeous face. Twilight freely admitted she could have been distracted by the twinkling of Celestia's eyes, or the way that her mane, even while pink and solid seemed to flow through the air and over her body in a beautiful display of elegance.

Celestia could have sworn she could see a blush.

Step Two, Twilight thought. Celestia hated waiters. She hadn't told Twilight this one explicitly, but the waiters in this particular restaurant were all terrified of her. They hid it well, but not well enough for a pony brought up around royalty to not spot.

"Waiter?" she called, "We're ready to order now."

Twilight ordered the food, even insisting on receiving their complimentary oats, without consulting Celestia. Just how Celestia would have asked her to, had Twilight stopped to ask her opinion. Finally, the waiter left, assuring them their food would be ready as soon as possible.

"How do you not hate them, Twilight?" Celestia asked, marvelling at the way her student had handled the irritating foal.

"They're just doing their job," Twilight shrugged, "and it helps if you state your order with no ambiguity, so they can't get it wrong."

"You really are amazing, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia sighed. It was now or never, she supposed. Once the food arrived there would be more eating than talking, so now was her chance to say all the things she couldn't say in a letter. "You asked me what love was not too long ago. I couldn't answer you then, because it brought up too many bad memories, but..."

Celestia sighed. This was harder in person than it was in letters. All she wanted to do was heart the dots on her is, but she had to make do with the spoken word. "Twilight, when I look at you I feel something I'd almost forgotten. So now, maybe, I think I can describe to you what love feels like. You bring a smile to my face just from entering the room, and you're somepony who can light up my day just from sending a letter. I miss you more than anything, and I look forward to your visits every day, just so we can talk. You're full of potential, Twilight Sparkle, and you're the most amazing young mare I've ever known," Celestia gushed, keeping her voice barely above a whisper to ensure nobody overheard. It took all of her effort just to come clean, she could not handle the political repercussions of this tonight.

Twilight's breath froze. The world around her ground to a halt, and the walls surrounding her collapsed to the ground. The very sky vanished, and Equestria itself faded into the dark. Twilight sat in a void of complete nothingness, and one phrase kept running through her head. "That wasn't love, it was just admiration and respect."

Celestia's words had cut deep into her being, conveying the feeling of "love" more potently than any of the literature Twilight had read, and it matched her own feelings perfectly. Her own feelings, dating back to... forever. Ever since Twilight had started to become closer to Celestia than having her as just another teacher, Twilight had respected her above all else.

Twilight's silent void of nothingness muffled her every thought as she began to punish herself. Had she never looked up "respect" in a dictionary? How had she not noticed how fundamentally different her "respect" for Celestia was compared to her respect for anybody else. How could she be so... foalish?

Twilight Sparkle loved Celestia. "Celestia" and "Love" fitted together perfectly in Twilight's mind, and suddenly, everything made sense. Handing her homework in late to another professor was unfortunate, but to Celestia? It was world shattering. Forgetting a letter to her brother? She would start her next letter with an apology. To Celestia? Stop the clocks, break out the scrolls, there wasn't a force in Equestria that could prevent that letter from being written. Twilight knew, half of the evils that lurked the land had tried and failed.

"I..." Twilight gasped. "Can I have that water?" she croaked, finding that her throat had suddenly become very dry, and her hooves had suddenly become very sweaty.

"Of course," Celestia whispered, floating it over to her. Twilight grasped it in her own magic field, but Celestia did not release. Twilight tugged at it a few times, but Celestia held steady. Twilight didn't know if she could overpower Celestia, but she did know the restaurant wouldn't survive the attempt. "Here, let me," Celestia continued, hovering the water over to Twilight's lips and tipping the glass, letting a slow stream of liquid pour into her mouth.

Twilight gratefully drank. Her horn was shaking too much for her to do much of use with it at the moment anyway, her body was still in shock from her revelation. She couldn't even note down her findings, as much as she wanted to, because her quill simply produced a meaningless scribble.

"Pri- Celestia, I- That was beautiful, thank you. Everything you say is so beautiful. You are so beautiful. Oh, what am I doing here, I'm sorry, Celestia, I shouldn't be wasting your time," Twilight gasped, standing up and trying to run.

"Twilight, sit down," Celestia commanded, blocking her escape with a hoof. She was blushing all the same. "I have watched you grow from an amazing young filly, to an incredible young mare. It pains me more than anything to see you slip out of my hooves a little more each day. I want to be a part of your life, if you'll let me. I want to be a big part."

"I want that too, princess," Twilight agreed, her sentence screaming that there was a "but", though she didn't say it.

"Twilight, call me Celestia. Or Celly, if you'd like. I'm not your princess here, I consider you my equal in so many ways, and my better in so many more," Celestia replied, not commanding but asking. As one final hammer blow, assuring her victory here, she added "And if you must call me Princess, then I must call you Twily."

Twilight winced. That word was so much more tolerable in writing. "Celestia, then. I didn't really know what love was, until today. I'm don't know if I'm ready for this."

"Nopony ever does, Twilight. That's what dating is for, to let you find out whether the person you're dating is worth the stress of dating them."

Twilight smiled. "Celestia, I studied under you for years. I already know you're worth it."

"Your meal, ladies," the waiter interrupted, dropping two plates in front of them. Celestia glared at him with the full force of the sun and over two thousand years of practice, stress, and repressed hatred.

The waiter left without a word. Not even a snark.

"I," Twilight said in a completely flat tone, "never want to be on your bad side. Want a fry?"


Thirty five minutes later, Twilight and Celestia were running through the fields outside of Ponyville, laughing and giggling as they struggled to flee just a little bit faster. Not for fun, to escape from the waiters.

"Celestia, you know I could have paid!" Twilight panted breathlessly as they rested behind a tree, listening intently for any signs that they'd been followed this far out. "They know who I am, too. Oh, Rarity will never let me live this one down."

"Oh, Twilight, live a little!" Celestia laughed. She too had more bits on her person than the restaurant would have made in a month, but she wanted to get Twilight running. She wanted to try and show her that you could have fun by not following all the rules, even if the rules were there for good reason. She had left the entire bill on her chair before the two bolted, making enough noise to ensure they would be followed before they actually checked to see if they'd been paid, but it was the principle that mattered. "Breaking the rules can be fun! I don't suppose there's anywhere that sells good salt around here?"

"No! Celestia, I am not allowing you to get dehydrated in front of all my friends, you'll embarrass us both."

Celestia snorted. She'd bring Twilight around eventually.

"You can have fun following the rules too, you know?" Twilight pointed out, wondering if it had really been so long since Celestia had truly let her hair down that she'd forgotten.

"Twilight, I made most of those rules. I can't enjoy them, it's like casting your own spell. You just see all the imperfections, it ruins it," Celestia explained. "Well, you probably don't know that feeling, but not all of us are lucky enough to still be bearers of harmony."

Twilight shook her head and started to jab Celestia with the end of her horn. "Come on, I have something to show you." When Celestia refused to move, Twilight picked her up and carried her in an intense magical glow. Twilight did not get turned down often.

"You put me down." Celestia playfully pouted as Twilight carried her across to the open field, away from the canopy of trees, where they could see the stars.

"You didn't make them, Celestia. The night sky is beautiful. And I-" Twilight said, closing her eyes and letting her horn flare as she cast her very own teleportation spell- "have a telescope."

Celestia seemed unimpressed, so Twilight set the telescope down, pushing the tripod into the ground with enough force to anchor it there and raising it to a level that both her and Celestia would be able to enjoy. She then immediately sat and began calibrating it, hoping that perhaps seeing a few of Twilight's favourite star patterns would convince Celestia her sister's art had merit.

After a few moments of turning dials and adjusting levers, Twilight felt Celestia's muzzle begin to nuzzle against her neck. She ignored it, and continued spinning her dials and pushing her buttons. Celestia's nuzzling continued, moving down Twilight's body until it ended with a quick, sharp lick on Twilight's cutie mark.

"Celestia!" she exclaimed, "You stop that this instant. Come on, look through this," she commanded, pointing towards the eyepiece. It was currently focussed on the horsehead nebula, an impossibly large gas cloud far away from Equestria lit by a thousand suns. That was sure to impress Celestia, who only commanded the one.

"Oh Twilight, it's beautiful." Celestia gasped, right on cue. Celestia immediately began to regret her policy of "early to bed, early to rise" which had stopped her from ever really taking in her sister's night. Her own night had been a far less artistic affair, with enough stars to guide the way for travellers and explorers and little else. Certainly never such detail.

Twilight began to reel off everything she knew about the horsehead nebula. It was 1500 light years away, was shaped like a head, played a large part in the Orion constellation, and oh gosh Celestia was kissing her.

Twilight's mind locked up as she felt Celestia's lips brush against her own, so close that their breaths intermingled and the hair on their coats bowed to each other. Celestia pressed forward, pushing her lips onto Twilight's, and Twilight didn't resist. She held still, letting Celestia's embrace take her.

"Can't something simply be beautiful, Twilight?" Celestia whispered, still so close that every word impacted against Twilight's face. Without a pause Celestia raised a hoof to her face and lightly brushed against her cheek, sending a shiver of emotion through Twilight's body. "Must you always analyse it so?"

"Yes, Celestia, it's how I appreciate the beauty in life." Twilight attempted to say. The moment she opened her mouth to reply, though, Celestia cut in, pushing forward and again pressing their lips together in a soft embrace. Her tongue slowly teased its way along Twilight's teeth until they opened to allow her inside, and they kissed. Harder than Twilight had ever kissed before, and harder than Celestia had kissed in two millennia.

A minute—or ten, for neither of them were counting—later, Celestia broke away. For a moment the gap between their mouths was bridged by a thin strip of saliva, but that soon broke. Their deep breaths froze in the night air, crystallising in front of their eyes. "What else is there in the sky, Twilight?" Celestia whispered, looking back towards the telescope.

"Why don't we go find out?" she replied, pushing herself closer to Celestia and looking through the eyepiece while Celestia rested the side of her face against Twilight's, waiting for her chance to have another peek. After a moment, she felt Twilight shivering in the cold air, and draped a wing over her purple friend. Not just for warmth, but for companionship, too.


"I'm going to kill her," Celestia flatly stated three hours later, as the telescope finally scrolled over Luna's prank for the night. In a lonely, distant section of the sky, where nobody would think to look unless they were simply searching the skies, the stars formed a message. A message created from rearranging hundreds of massive balls of fire in the most disgusting abuse of power imaginable.

"I think it's cute!" Twilight protested, pushing her muzzle into Celestia's neck and laughing at how irritated a simple message could make her.

"I hate that name," Celestia stated, with a murderous intent in her eyes.

"It looks much better in writing." Twilight laughed, tickling the underside of Celestia's chin with her horn. That was enough to distract the angry goddess, and soon the full force of her rage was directed at Twilight. Instead of the burning power of the sun, Celestia's chosen murder method that night was relentless tickling. Twilight's laughter filled the night and echoed off into the distance, for the entire town to hear.

Yet a trillion miles away the message still burned in the night.

'Tia and Twily,

Sitting in a tree,

...