//------------------------------// // A Smile as Warm as the Sun // Story: Just Like Old Times // by Krickis //------------------------------// Chapter One A Smile as Warm As the Sun ⠀ ⠀ “Then Twilight put on her most innocent smile, and said, ‘Of course I didn’t eat the cookies! I was just practicing using magic to make things disappear!’ ” “Oh dear…” Celestia held a hoof up to her mouth to conceal her smile. “I suppose it’s better than blaming it on Spike, at least.” Twilight Velvet laughed. “Thankfully, Twily adores Spike and would never blame him for something she did. Shiny on the other hoof…” “Sibling rivalry?” “Occasionally, although they’re not too bad. Really, nopony could ask for more well behaved kids. But Twily is dead set on protecting her baby brother, whereas her older brother can look out for himself.” Celestia chuckled. “She’s still young. They seem very close, judging from how she talks about him, and siblings often grow closer as they grow older. I’m certain Twilight is right when she says he’ll be her ‘best friend forever’.” “Of course. They really are very close, teasing and all.” Velvet paused to take a sip of tea before returning to her story. “Anyway, I told Twily that unless she could magically make the cookies reappear, then I would have to assume she’d eaten them after all, and would therefore have had her fill of dessert for the month.” Celestia grinned as she finally got her answer. She had asked Velvet if she knew why Twilight had been looking for a way to magically make cookies appear out of thin air. “Ah, that explains it then.” When they first started taking tea together, Twilight Velvet had been exceptionally nervous. Princess Celestia was, well, Princess Celestia. She was in a class of her own, the sole ruler of Equestria. But their worlds had connected on the day Twilight got her cutie mark, and so of course they wanted to get to know one another better. Twilight Velvet and Night Light had both met with her and they both found there was nothing to be concerned about. Celestia was charming, easily putting to rest any concerns they had about her title. Night Light’s and Celestia’s schedules rarely synced up, given the different hours they worked. They made a point of having their daughter’s teacher over for dinner at least once a month, but the early morning teatime proved too much for him. So once a week, while her husband was sleeping in through the morning, Velvet would head to the castle to meet with Celestia before the princess started her busy day, talking over tea in her solar. As time went on, Velvet felt silly for ever being worried about spending time with Celestia. Even aside from their mutual interest in Twilight’s future, the two of them got along wonderfully. Few ponies made her feel as comfortable, and, she suspected, the same could be said about her own effect on Celestia. She dropped her guard whenever the two of them were together, barely resembling the stoic ruler she was at other times. “You know,” Velvet said slyly, “magic or not, I could believe Twily learned how to make those cookies disappear from somepony close to her. I only know one pony with a large enough sweet tooth to devour a whole cookie jar, after all.” Celestia froze in place with her fork sticking out of her mouth. It had moments ago held the last piece of her second slice of cake. Blushing slightly, Celestia pulled the fork out of her mouth, set it on her now empty plate, politely chewed and swallowed her food, and then replied. “My dear Velvet, I’m sure I have no idea of whom you’re implying. But if I did, I would have to remind you that she certainly wouldn’t spoil your daughter with sweets.” “Really?” Velvet asked doubtfully. “Well, maybe I’ve spoiled her just a little.” They both laughed as Celestia set her empty teacup and plate aside. Velvet took her cue to finish the last of hers, as well. No matter how much they enjoyed their weekly chats, Celestia did have a job to do. Velvet didn’t envy her; it couldn’t be easy to have so much on her shoulders. But Celestia never once let on even the smallest amount of weariness, always shining brightly despite the pressure. It amazed Velvet, who was feeling her years at forty-four. Then again, Celestia did many things that amazed her. Once Velvet finished her tea, they rose from their seats. She smiled even though she was a little sad to see their meeting come to an end. “Thank you, as always, for the tea and the company.” “The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Velvet,” Celestia said with a smile of her own. Velvet raised an eyebrow. “Come on now, how many times have I asked you to just call me Velvet?” “Yes, of course. My apologies.” Celestia led them to the door, where they lingered a moment. Once they were through the door Celestia would go back to being the Solar Princess. “I’ll forgive you, but just this once.” To prove her point of how silly it was for Celestia to use her title, she added, “So then, Cellie, same time and place next week?” Velvet wasn’t sure where she’d picked up the name Cellie from. She didn’t think she made it up, yet few ponies would ever use such a formal nickname for their princess. But regardless of where it came from, it always made Celestia smile, just as it did this time. “Yes. I’m looking forward to it already.” Celestia encased the door handle with her magic, but stopped short of opening it. She turned to Velvet with a strange expression. “Actually, perhaps…” The tone of her voice caused Velvet’s ears to droop. “Too busy next week?” Celestia shook her head and her bright smile returned to its usual warmth. “Oh, it’s nothing like that. I was just wondering if you might be free tomorrow evening?” And just like that, Velvet perked up as her spirits lifted. “Oh, I think I could squeeze you in. What’s the occasion?” “I’ve been invited to watch the opening performance of ‘The Importance of Being Honest’. I know it’s short notice, but I would be delighted if you would come as my guest. And, of course, the invitation extends to Night Light as well.” An evening out with just Night Light and Celestia sounded perfect, but it was too good to be true. “Night Light’s working tomorrow night, I’m afraid.” She didn’t need to ask to know that he would pass on the play. He’d recently been promoted to senior astrologist, and he took his new position far too seriously to miss work on such short notice. Still, there was no need to let it get to her. The evening was sure to still be memorable. “I guess it will just be the two of us. I just hope Shiny doesn’t mind.” “If he has other plans already, then I think I know just the foal sitter to call.” Celestia finally opened the door and they walked out into the hall. Two guards immediately stepped to her side. Undeterred by their presence, Velvet still hugged her friend before parting ways. “So long as they don’t have plans together, that is.” “Ah, young love.” After returning her hug, Celestia took a step towards her public meeting hall, the opposite direction from where Velvet would be going. “You’ll work something out, I’m sure. If anypony can coordinate a family, it’s you.” After waving goodbye, Velvet set off for her house. She smiled merrily and greeted ponies as she went. She had been hoping to see ‘The Importance of Being Honest’ and would be seeing it in wonderful company, it seemed. It was just a shame Night Light probably wouldn’t be joining them. Of course, they would still have their monthly family dinner to look forward to, but the idea of a date with both of the ponies she lo– Velvet stopped in her place and shook her head. That wasn’t right. She was going to watch a play with a good friend, then she’d return home to her husband. Her husband that she loved with all her heart, the only pony she loved. Yes, that was how it was supposed to be. Her good mood faltered a bit, but it was nothing new to her. Unwanted thoughts like that had plagued her for years, and she knew how to handle them. She just had to not think about it. Shoving the thought as far from her mind as she could, Velvet soon found herself back in high spirits. The years had been kind to Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Sure, they each had gained some grey hairs and a few wrinkles, but those were just signs of the many years they’d lived to the fullest with their family. And much more important than any physical changes brought on by their years, that family had only grown larger. They had watched as their children grew, and no parent could ever be more proud than they were. Meanwhile, the two of them remained as close as ever, managing to avoid any kind of marital rut by making time for one another and communicating openly. Eventually, that included the one secret Velvet thought she would take to her grave: her feelings towards other ponies. Night Light was initially wary of the revelation, but once he came around it changed her world. The self-doubt that had followed all thirty-one years of her marriage wasn’t gone overnight, but the fact that her husband was still standing by her and helping her through it meant more to her than words could express. Little by little, it became normalized. They slowly began talking about Velvet’s feelings more and more, with both of them finding it less awkward as time went by. Still, it seemed there were some questions that would take her by surprise. “So, is there anypony you’ve got your eye on now?” Night Light asked her after dinner one evening while they were washing dishes. Although she was a bit taken aback by the question, Velvet wouldn’t let herself be caught off guard so easily. “Now that you mention it, there is somepony, yes.” “Oh? And who might that be?” Night Light’s tone was casual, but he proved unable to keep the smile from playing at the corner of his lips. Velvet smirked. “You might have heard about him. He’s retired now, but he used to be quite the hotshot back in the day.” Night Light’s open grin showed that he caught on, but he still played along. “Ah, an older stallion. Good thinking. Somepony who knows what he’s doing with himself.” “Oh no,” Velvet said, shaking her head. “He’s completely hopeless. But what can I say? He’s quite the looker.” “Hmm, I see.” Night Light set down the plate he had been scrubbing and moved closer to her. “Think he’s the real deal?” “Hmm…” Velvet tapped her chin, then smiled and nuzzled against him. “Yeah, I think he’s a keeper.” Night Light kissed her and leaned his head against hers. “He’s a very lucky stallion.” “And I’m a very lucky mare,” Velvet added. She had hoped that would be enough to distract him from his original question, but she had no such luck. “So then, is there anypony besides your husband you’ve got a thing for these days?” “I, uh, th-that is, I…” Velvet blushed and grinned sheepishly. “I love you?” “And I love you, too.” Night Light seemed to enjoy the fact that he was still finding ways to turn his wife into a stammering mess, even after so many years. “So are you going to tell me who the lucky stallion is?” Velvet stepped away towards the dishes. “We really ought to get these done!” Laughing, Night Light gently guided her away. “The dishes can wait, honey.” They sat down side by side at the kitchen table. Night Light placed his hoof on top of Velvet’s. “I certainly hope you’re not going to make me guess.” “I… You don’t want to hear about this,” Velvet said. She frowned and wouldn’t look into her husband’s eyes. “Besides, it doesn’t matter anyway. I love you, and nothing is going to change.” “You’re right about that part,” Night Light said, his tone remaining positive as if nothing was strange about their conversation. “Nothing will ever change what we have. And that includes how you feel towards this other stallion.” Velvet was uncertain. She was happy with her life, and didn’t want to risk changing anything. But Night Light’s soothing voice quieted the worst of her worries, so she decided to open up, at least a little. “It’s… well, she’s a mare for one thing.” “A mare?” Only a moment’s surprise before he returned to an encouraging smile. “So is she somepony I know?” At least he was okay with that part. Really, that wasn’t too surprising, though. No, the real test was yet to come. “You do, but she’s, well… it’s a bit strange.” “Hmm, well let’s see. A bit strange…” He grinned and arched an eyebrow. “Tell me it’s not one of Twilight’s friends, or something like that.” That managed to get her to laugh a little. “No, nothing like that. It’s, well… it’s Princess Celestia.” “Huh.” Night Light seemed to consider it for a moment. “Yeah, I guess that’s not too surprising.” “What?” Velvet shook her head in disbelief. “How is that not too surprising?” “Well, it would explain all those early morning trips for tea. You always hated being up in the mornings.” Velvet blushed, but turned to look at Night Light properly anyway. It was important he understand she was being sincere. “We really were just having tea.” “I know.” Night Light wore an easy smile as he used his magic to pull his wife’s chair closer. He removed his hoof from hers and placed it around her shoulders instead. “I just always wondered how you came back so peppy every time. Now I know.” Velvet didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. She leaned against Night Light and smiled to herself. Night Light eventually broke the silence. “After all these years, then. Guess it must be the real thing.” Her first instinct was to deny it. Velvet’s love for her husband was real, not her attraction towards anypony else. But that was the old way of thinking, the way that made her feel guilty for something she had no control over. “Maybe. But, well, we aren’t as close as we used to be, you know.” Night Light wrapped both forelegs around Velvet and kissed her forehead. “Maybe it’s time to finally talk to her.” Velvet just rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t talked in years. We still keep in touch and get along just fine, dear.” “That’s not what I meant. Maybe it’s time to finally tell her how you feel.” Velvet laughed. There was no way that was happening. “I’m not exactly in a hurry to complicate a friendship. Besides, what good could come from telling her? Best case scenario is that she won’t mind one way or another and we’ll continue as normal.” “Really? If you say so, but I remember whenever I told somepony I loved them, I was usually hoping to get a date out of it.” “What?” Velvet sat upright and turned to face Night Light again. He was just smiling reassuringly. “Nighty, we talked about that. You’re the pony I want to spend my life with, no matter what.” “Well, I certainly didn’t mean you should leave me to date her.” Night Light nudged her playfully. Between the two of them, he seemed to be taking the idea of his wife dating somepony else a lot better than she was. “I don’t know. Even if she’d want to date another mare, I don’t think Celestia is interested in dating somepony so… old.” “You know, she’s pretty old herself.” “It’s different with her. She’s more like… eternally young.” “All I’m saying is you won’t know if you don’t ask.” Finally giving into his positivity, Velvet broke into a smile. “You make it sound so easy! This is Princess Celestia we’re talking about, remember?” Night Light nodded. “I know what you mean. I can remember the last time I had to tell somepony I loved her. Somepony so amazing in every way that she couldn’t possibly want to be with somepony like me.” “And as I recall, she turned you down.” “Only at first. And now where would we be if I hadn’t taken the chance?” Velvet resumed resting on Night Light. “I don’t even want to think about it.” It was innocent enough. Velvet wrote to Celestia, suggesting they meet up for tea, just like old times. She thought Celestia would probably be far too busy, certainly not able to do anything in the immediate future, but her response came quickly and left Velvet smiling the whole day. ‘That sounds like a lovely idea. The usual time and place?’ Simple and to the point, yet even the small note made Velvet feel like a giddy school filly again. She was initially unsure if she would actually confess her feelings, but enough encouragement from Night Light had made up her mind. Since she was going through with it, she decided she might as well do it properly. So on the way to the castle, she stopped to pick up a bouquet of flowers. Yellow and red marigolds, the flowers of her sun. Walking through the castle brought back memories, reminding her of the times she would walk it every week. Those days were now more than a decade behind her, though she could remember them clearly. Even while she was still Twilight’s teacher, Celestia had grown more distant from Velvet. It was nopony’s fault, of course. Celestia was a princess, she had many royal duties that weighed on her time. But as she walked the familiar path, Velvet realized that she could have done more to keep in touch. At the time it had felt like some distance wouldn’t be the worst thing, although she scarcely wanted it. Her feelings for Celestia were growing to be overwhelming, to the point where she could no longer ignore them. True, Velvet never outright did anything to put distance between them, but she also hadn’t done anything to pull them closer together again once she noticed it was growing. As she walked down the final hallway leading to Celestia’s solar, Velvet found that all her worries had dissolved into excitement. She wasn’t even face to face with Celestia yet, and still she was feeling the peace that always came with being around her friend. She stopped just outside of the door to make sure her mane and tail were perfectly in place. She had considered trying to dye the grey out, but decided against it. She was a fifty-six year old grandmother, and if there was ever going to be anything in between Celestia and herself then she would just have to accept her age as part of it. Content with her appearance, Velvet knocked on the door. “Come in,” Celestia called through it. Velvet did what she could to contain her excitement as she opened the door, though she needn’t have bothered. Celestia’s smile lit up the room as she entered, making her look every bit as excited as Velvet was. “It’s so good to see you again, Mrs. Velvet. It’s been far too long since…” Celestia stopped short as she saw the bouquet. “Honestly now, Cellie, you ought to know better by now. Velvet will do just fine. And you’re right, we really should have gotten together like this sooner.” Velvet walked the rest of the distance to the blushing mare and presented the flowers. “I saw these on the way here and thought of you.” Celestia recomposed herself, although her blush didn’t entirely vanish. “Thank you, they’re lovely.” She levitated over a vase and placed the flowers in it, setting it down on the table that held their tea. Celestia took her seat and Velvet sat across from her. “I was delighted to receive your letter,” Celestia said as she poured their tea, sweetening both with honey. “I’ve missed our meetings.” “Me too.” Velvet took a sip of her tea. All these years later and Celestia still remembered exactly how she liked it. “So what’s new these days?” “Oh, I think you can guess my answer to that.” They grinned at each other and answered together. “Flurry Heart.” Both mares laughed. After, Velvet recounted what happened on their latest trip to the Crystal Empire, taking the chance to dote on her darling growing granddaughter. They shared stories about Cadance’s and Shining’s younger years, and spoke of their bright future together. Although the topic of the conversation was new, the feeling behind it wasn’t. Velvet hadn’t realized how much she’d missed their meetings, and the way she felt when she was with Celestia. It wasn’t dissimilar to how she felt when she was with Night Light, but it was still unique. And in some ways, the feeling was better than ever. She no longer had the measure of guilt holding her back from enjoying the other mare’s company to the fullest, and she took the time to notice every smile. Had Celestia always smiled so much when they were together before? Had Velvet? Any lingering doubt was lost in that smile. She no longer even worried about Celestia’s answer; Velvet would have been content to just be around that smile. But it warmed her heart and made her feel young again, and she wasn’t just going to let it slip past her again without at least taking the chance at something more. “Cellie…” Velvet blushed and looked down. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” “Oh? Something good, I hope?” Velvet gently chided herself for acting like a silly lovestruck filly and looked up into Celestia’s eyes like a silly lovestruck mare. She took just a few seconds to let that sense of peace once again wash over her. “I… yes, it is. I… well, I love you.” Celestia’s smile fell into disbelief. “You… what do you mean?” she asked, although her blush suggested she knew exactly what Velvet had meant. “I love you,” Velvet repeated. She let the confession work it’s way across her whole face, breaking into a radiant smile. “I’ve been in love with you for years.” “I see,” Celestia said. “I have to say, this is… unexpected.” Although Velvet had resolved to accept any answer, it seemed that didn’t work so well in practice. Celestia sounded so dispassionate, so much like her formal princess persona. She sounded nothing like the Cellie that Velvet had grown to love. “Yes, I…” Velvet tried to find it, that inner peace that had allowed her to confess in the first place. With that, she could say anything. Explain herself, so that Celestia would know that no matter whether she returned the feelings or not it was still okay. “I thought it was past time to tell you.” Finally, Celestia’s smile returned, although it was not her usual one. Or rather, it was her usual smile, but not the one normally showed to Velvet. “Velvet, I’m flattered. But you’re a married mare, not to mention the mother of my student and mother-in-law of my niece. I’m sorry, but this just couldn’t work.” Velvet nodded solemnly. “Yes, of course. I understand, I… I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.” “There’s no need to apologize.” There was a moment of awkward silence where neither pony knew what to say. A few times Velvet looked up to explain herself better, but the words always caught in her throat when she saw Celestia avoiding her eyes. It seemed there was nothing else for them to talk about. Velvet quickly finished her tea, which she no longer particularly wanted, and stood up. “I should go.” She tried to reclaim her friendly smile, to at least end their time together on a positive note. “You have a busy day ahead of you, I’m sure.” It took a moment for Celestia to answer her. Velvet half hoped that Celestia would stop her, insist that they still had time to enjoy one another’s company, but she knew it was too much to wish for. “Yes, I suppose I do. Thank you for coming by, it was nice.” Velvet walked to the door. She turned to ask Celestia if they could meet again the same time next week. She couldn’t manage the words. “Thank you for the tea and the company, as always.” Celestia did not stop her as she walked out the door, nor did she stand to offer a hug before they split ways. Velvet closed the door behind her and shuffled down the hall, head hung low.