So many scrolls. So many ponies with this request and that. While Luna took her post atop the castle, Princess Celestia took some time before bed to go through her endless pile of work. The last few days had proved difficult for any progress in the kingdom. With Celestia’s attention elsewhere, all of Equestria seemed on hold. There were very few occasions during her rule where Celestia had shirked her duties thusly, but she had made it her priority to see the upcoming event through to perfection.
The candles around the chamber burned with a purple hue from the effect of Celestia’s illumination magic, and a quill floated before her face. Scroll after scroll was marked for approval or denial, and yet the stack of work never seemed to shrink. Celestia had lost count of how many she had done tonight, and contemplated letting the rest wait until the morning. The quill dipped into the inkwell and came out dry, and she took this as a sign that she had done enough for one night.
One by one, the candles had begun to flicker out when something caught Celestia’s attention, and the candles all illuminated in unison. There was a rapping on the other side of the door to her bedchambers. The sound of the heavy doors echoed across the room. With her horn aglow in a soft aquamarine hue, she granted entry. As the doors separated, her visitor was revealed, and a violet unicorn entered.
Many times before, Celestia had received late night visits from her favorite student, but on this night, the unicorn was hardly recognizable. Twilight’s entire day had been spent being preyed upon by her friend Rarity, who had styled and teased Twilight’s mane and tail all afternoon in preparation for tomorrow’s festivities.
“Twilight?” Celestia inquired towards her visitor’s intent, “You should have been asleep hours ago.” A smile graced Celestia’s face as she spoke, “Tomorrow is a big day, and you won’t be able to enjoy the festivities if you don’t get some rest.”
Twilight fidgeted her hooves as she stood before the grand pony. “That’s kind of why I’m here. I’ve been thinking so much about the wedding that I couldn’t sleep.”
Celestia did her best to reassure Twilight that she need not worry. “Now Twilight, I know how much you obsess over organization and planning, but I told you to leave every detail in my hooves. It’s the least I can do for somepony who’s helped save my kingdom as many times as you have.”
“That’s not it. I’m sure after the rehearsal that everything will be beautiful.” Twilight searched her teacher’s eyes for answers. “It’s just that I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.”
Celestia sighed heavily and lifted one of her wings high above her head. She gestured Twilight to her side as she tried to comfort her. Not as her teacher or ruler, but as a friend, she spoke to her, “Twilight, I have seen many a pony find love during the eons that I’ve served this land, and in all that time I’ve learned one thing about marriage.” She turned to face Twilight as she continued, “Nopony is ever ready. A wedding is not the last goal of a pony, but the beginning of a long journey that will test your love and the strength of your bond for each other. Marriage is but a mystery to me, but I feel that over the years, I’ve been able to gather this much.”
“But how do I know if I’m actually ready for this journey?”
“Well,” Celestia had coy smile as she questioned Twilight, “do you love her?”
Twilight found the question absurd and answered with confidence, “Yes, of course I do.”
“And how do you know that?”
Twilight’s eyes widened with shock and she found herself unable to find a quick reply. Despite her best efforts, the only way that Twilight had ever found to quantify the theory of love was whatever she read in books, and there was not much good reading on the subject matter. “I-,” she staggered with her thought, “I’m content when I’m around her.”
“Is that all?” Celestia pondered with a teasing tone. “You don’t feel like your heart is going to leap out of your chest?”
“Not really,” Twilight responded sheepishly, embarrassed that she didn’t have more expressive ways to put her feelings into words. “I mean, there were times that being around her did that to me, but now, being around her just makes me calm.”
Celestia pushed her teasing a little further. “Anything else?”
“I can’t-,” Twilight broke her eye contact with Celestia as she gained her composure, “I can’t imagine not being around her. I feel like all these years I’ve been learning just so I can share it with her. Instead of wanting to leap out of my chest, I’m afraid my heart will stop if she’s not there.”
“Twilight, she sounds like a very lucky mare,” Celestia reassured her pupil. “Love means different things for different ponies, and you sound rather confident in what you feel. Just remember the way you feel right now, and you can make it through anything. I don’t think you have anything to be afraid of.”
Tears began to form in Twilight’s eyes. She held her hooves to her chest and wondered if she was truly worthy of what she was feeling at this moment. The only answer she could settle on was that time would tell. She could only give it her all.
One of Celestia’s powerful, yet tender hooves brushed away the tears on Twilight’s face. “Is there anything else bothering you?”
Twilight sniffled, but still answered with confidence, “No, I think I’ll be ok.” She still lay next to her teacher for a few quiet moments, wondering how much she would see of her after tomorrow. “Princess?”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“I’m kind of curious,” the bride-to-be queried, “have you ever been in love?”
Celestia didn’t seem to waver as Twilight asked, but instead smiled softly. “I’ve been far to busy these several centuries to have the time to take romantic interests above my work.”
“Oh,” Twilight responded disappointingly.
Celestia’s gaze wandered towards the corner of the room, as though she was looking at a pony only she could see. “But I did once- many, many years ago.”
Intrigued by her mentor’s past, Twilight prodded her for answers. “What were they like?”
“He was unlike anypony Equestria has ever seen. This was long before we discovered the Elements of Harmony, but he could easily have been every single one.” Celestia’s horn emanated with lavender light, and a book floated over from one of the shelves lining the walls. The book opened wide and flipped through its pages full of Equestrian history, finally settling on an illustrated page. The book showed its age in the primitive style of the art, but Twilight could make out the image of a strong pegasus holding what appeared to be a musical instrument, although it was unlike any she had ever seen before.
“Did he love you too?” Twilight inquired.
“Yes. Very much.” Celestia smiled as she recalled images of her former love. “You’ll learn as time goes on that love cannot exist as a one-sided emotion, my student. It is always a delicate balance of give and take.”
“So does that mean you two got married? What was the wedding like?” Twilight’s voice clamored with excitement at the thought of Celestia in a gown and veil.
Celestia giggled at Twilight’s eagerness, but when she spoke, it came out rather solemn. “No, young one. Marriage wasn’t an option for us. I never had the opportunity to enjoy the ripened fruits of love. Equestria was but a fledgling nation, and I, their only light in a world of darkness. I needed him, but this land needed me more.”
Twilight felt ashamed at her rash assumptions, and apologized to her majesty. Celestia only smiled and told her all was fine, but Twilight still had curiosities burning inside her. “What happened to him?” she stammered as she asked.
“Our time together was short, but happy. To this day, I count my time with him as some of the best of my long life. Equestria was at risk of being torn apart, but he was always there to reassure me that I could unite this land.” Celestia shuddered slightly as she remembered her last moments with her love, and some of the candles around the room flickered and died with her action. “It was a time of war. Many ponies shed their lives to protect their homes. He was a brilliant tactician, and led a battalion in a horrid battle. That was the last I saw of him.”
“Did they win?”
“The war indeed went in our favor, but that battle was a terrible sacrifice. I don’t know what occurred that day, but I won’t forget the last time I saw him march out of the castle, leading his herd. I think he knew what was awaiting him across those mountains.”
Celestia had little else to say on the subject, but hoped there was a lesson in it somewhere for Twilight. “Now, it has grown late, and you need to rest for tomorrow. I hope you have no further concerns about what awaits you.”
Twilight arose from her place on the pad beside Celestia. “No, Princess. Thanks for the time, and I think I’m more than ready now. I’m still not sure if I’ll fall asleep though.” As she finished her sentence, a yawn forced its way past her jaws, and Twilight blushed slightly. “Then again, it is late.”
As Twilight opened the massive doors to leave, Celestia beckoned her to stop. “Twilight?” The unicorn paused and turned towards the regal pony. “Tomorrow, everypony attending will be coming to you with all sorts of advice about what the rest of your life holds in store, but let me give you a bit now. That statement you made about how happy she makes you? Make sure you tell her that every day. Nopony ever grows tired of that.”
Twilight smiled, and tears began to well in her eyes again. She brushed one away as she told Celestia, “Thank you. I’ll make sure to add that to my list.”
“And Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”
Twilight’s tears were unable to contain themselves any longer, and with a bow, she excused herself from Celestia’s chambers. Celestia felt exhausted by this point, and extinguished all but the candles closest to her. The book remained open, and Celestia floated it before her, admiring the depiction of the brave pegasus within. The last candle flickered out, leaving only the tender glow of the moon, and the dim light of Celestia’s horn, which faded as the book shut itself. As she lay her head down, she spoke to the pony in the pages, “I wish you could see the kingdom you helped me create, and all the wonderful ponies that inhabit it. She reminds me so much of you, my darling.”