Twilight Sparkle has had a crush on Princess Celestia for a very long time. When Celestia's own advice prompts her to confess her attraction, Twilight discovers a secret that Celestia has hidden for hundreds of years. With the fires of the sun itself separating them, can Twilight find a way for them to come together?

Cover art by NadnerbD

Huge amounts of editing by Jordanis

It's springtime in Equestria and Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia find themselves out of sorts despite the gorgeous weather. Luna and Rarity both think they know the reason behind their moodiness and set out to make sure that true love blossoms - but will an unfortunate misunderstanding keep the two star-crossed lovers apart forever?

Illustration courtesy of nightmaremoonluna, adapted from a sketch by bri-sta.

Celestia had always thought she'd reached the pinnacle of fear when she fought against some of Equestria's greatest enemies.

As it turns out, however, nothing compares to explaining to Twilight's parents that she's in a relationship with their daughter.

Celestia was always a "family mare". She always held up families as one of the greatest social institutions in the country. She is famously good with children. All of Equestria looks to her almost like some great parental figure. But for some reason she has always been childless herself.

Perhaps it's time to change that. She is, after all, married to the most wonderful mare she had ever known.

Celestia's morning has been difficult enough, between hearing Twilight's confession of love, and then breaking her heart as gently as possible. Mere moments later, her private chambers are rocked by the shockwaves of a time-traveling spell. This marks the arrival of Celestia's alleged lover from five thousand years in the future, Princess Twilight Sparkle—or as she insists on Celestia referring to her, Glitter-Flanks.

Armed with thousands of years of knowledge of which buttons to push and how to make her squirm, Glitter-Flanks has traveled back to this date for one singular purpose: to establish the closed time loop that sets the two of them up as a couple.

Many years after sending her beloved protege to Ponyville, unease sits heavily on Princess Celestia's heart as her relationship with Twilight Sparkle seems to have cooled despite all they've accomplished together. On the advice of her sister, Celestia sets out to investigate and resolve the lost connection with her most faithful student. What does it mean to be a Faithful Student...or a Princess of the Sun?

Earned a six-star rating on Equestria Daily and featured on its very own TVTropes page!.

While sharing an intimate moment, Celestia and Twilight Sparkle have a little chat.

Cover art swiped from Longinius.

Dramatic reading by Monanniverse.

French translation courtesy of inglobwetrust.

Twilight is a princess, and traveling the land to meet ponies far and wide; an excellent opportunity to make more friends. So why is she so unhappy?

Celestia loves Twilight Sparkle. That is a fact, an indisputable constant of the universe. What that love means, however, is much less certain. The love of a teacher. The love of a friend. The love that Celestia dares not name. Every tick of the clock demands her answer, for while Celestia is timeless, Twilight is not.

Celestia has only a single lifetime to make her decision, but Twilight will wait. She always has, and she always will.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Editing performed by the very talented Knight of Cerebus

Winner of the Seventh Bimonthly Twilestia Contest