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// Chapter 35 - The Answer 
// Story: Teatime - A Novel Of Twilight & Celestia 
// by bigbear 
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	Twilight made as if to step forward. The urge to embrace Celestia while calling out “Yes” as loud as she could was nearly irresistible.

At the same time, her brain raced and blocked her. Questions, complications, and fears exploded across her mind. Twilight settled back on her hooves and did not advance. The conflict between body and mind was so strong, she screwed her eyes closed and silently wept.

Celestia’s face fell. “Twilight, if this is too much… I’m sorry, we don’t have to deal with this now.”

“No, no…” Twilight said. “I want to.” She opened her eyes and gazed at Celestia through her tears. “I want to so badly.” Twilight shook her head. “Stupid brain.”

“Pull yourself together,” she thought. Twilight put a hoof to her chest and inhaled. She extended her hoof and blew out her tension along with her breath, as Cadance had taught her years ago. A measure of calm returned. She looked up at Celestia. “You’ve been thinking about courting me for a while,” Twilight said. “I only caught on a few days ago.”

“And you have questions?” Celestia asked.

“And concerns,”  Twilight replied. “What about ruling Equestria? Everypony’s going to know. There'll be questions.”

“Politics is an area where I have some expertise,” Celestia countered. She leaned in to make her point. “Cadance and Shining Armor show that a relationship is not a disadvantage in joint rulership. Equestria will not fall if we’re together. Neither of us would ever let that happen.”

Twilight nodded.

Celestia leaned back, satisfied. “What else is on your mind?”

“I don’t have any real romantic experience,” Twilight admitted.

“I’ve been ‘off the market’ for quite some time myself,” Celestia said. “Any experience I have is quite out of date. We can learn about modern relationships together.”

“I’m not sure I’ll even know where to start,” Twilight said.

“Have you never had romantic thoughts about another?” Celestia asked.

Saucy images of Cadance, her friends, and of Celestia herself popped into Twilight’s head in rapid succession. She shook them away.

“Thoughts? I’ve had lots of thoughts. Ooodles of thoughts. I’m the princess of thoughts.” Twilight blushed. “But I’ve never done anything about them. Isn’t this like trying to learn magic by starting with Advanced Thaumaturgy? Maybe I should have a simple relationship first and work my way up to the most beautiful pony in all creation.”

Celestia smiled and bobbed her head. “A compliment like that is a fine place to start.” Her gaze got more serious. “Don’t deceive yourself. No relationship is simple. All are uniquely complex.”

Twilight nodded but didn’t seem relieved.

“And as I remember, you jumped straight into Advanced Thaumaturgy when you joined the School for Gifted Unicorns.” Celestia winked. “You may be a prodigy in this realm as well.”

Twilight blushed again and ducked her head.

Celestia got serious once again. “Twilight, these are legitimate areas of concern. But you’re clever enough to have worked through them on your own. What’s really bothering you?”

Twilight closed her eyes. It was time to tell the truth. “I’m scared.”

“Do you know what you’re scared of?” Celestia asked softly.

Twilight nodded. “I’m scared of losing what we have.” She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. “Our time together has been amazing, the best time we’ve ever had. It’s even better than being your student. I’m so much more comfortable being with you… talking with you… even touching you. I learn from you and can help in ways I never could before.

“But if I say yes, if I let you court me, then you’ll see the real me. What if you find out who I really am and don’t care about me the same way anymore? What if you realize... I don’t deserve you?”

Twilight could feel her thoughts spinning out of control. Her head was creating ever more depressing and demeaning scenarios for how she could drive Celestia away. She was sure her clever mind could go on for hours, building a thicker and thicker wall between them.

But Celestia interrupted before her brain could continue. “Love is not a matter of deserving. I’ve always loved you - as a mentor, as a friend, and now possibly as a partner. Your choice is how you wish to accept that love.”

So this was it, the time of decision. And as it had done many times before, the crisis point stripped away all obfuscation and dissembling. It was time to decide if she believed in herself enough to admit her feelings. And none of her best choices had ever come from giving in to fear. “Please repeat your question,” Twilight asked softly.

Celestia leaned back, uncertain. “Do you wish me to court you?”

Twilight stepped forward and touched her lips upon Celestia’s with exquisite care. They were as soft as she could have possibly imagined.

If nothing else ever happened between them, if King Sombra returned from the aether and attacked in the next minute, Twilight would always have this moment. But she hoped the evil king stayed banished forever; she wanted this moment to last at least that long.

Twilight leaned back and sighed happily. She looked up at Celestia and wanted to be sure she hadn't been misunderstood. “Was that a clear enough answer?”

Celestia smiled and made a subtle nod.

“Would it be alright if I courted you as well?” Twilight asked.

Celestia leaned forward and touched her lips upon Twilight's with equal care. They were just as soft the second time.

“Was that answer clear?” Celestia whispered.

Twilight gulped and nodded her head. “I’ve loved you as long as I’ve know you, in many different ways. I’d like to see if we could love each other in this new way too.” She rubbed her cheek along the sleek fur of Celestia’s long white neck. Celestia stroked Twilight’s neck with her wing, running feathers from below her ear to the tip of her shoulder.

Twilight shuddered and made a quiet sigh. She buried her head in the fur on Celestia’s neck. “I love you, she whispered.

Celestia rubbed her cheek against Twilight’s soft mane. “I love you,” she whispered back.

Her smile was so wide, Twilight wasn’t sure she could speak. She raised her head to gaze into Celestia’s eyes. The emotion there nearly took her breath away.

Celestia gazed back. Her smile was different than any Twilight had ever seen before. It wasn’t her ‘just for Twilight’ smile. It was something much more. It was her ‘Celestia loves Twilight’ smile. Twilight decided then and there to do everything in her power to elicit that smile from Celestia as often as she could.

“I’ve never been in this situation before,” Twilight admitted. “What do we do now?”

“Now we court,” Celestia replied. “We’ll endeavor to make each other feel special, desired, and fulfilled.” Her smile widened and Twilight melted a little more.

“We’ll learn about each other and what we are when we’re a couple, Twilight replied. “We’ll discover what kind of relationship emerges from that together.”

Celestia brushed her lips against Twilight’s. “I’m looking forward to every moment of it.”

Twilight’s lips found Celestia’s and brushed back against them. “So am I.”

The first strains of The Lover’s Waltz, the traditional last song in a Hearts and Hooves day gathering, floated up from the ballroom. It was transmitted across the land through the magic of the Crystal Heart. Everypony in the Crystal Empire could hear the music with perfect clarity.

Celestia released her embrace and the two alicorns separated. She bowed to Twilight and extended a wingtip. “Will you join me in the sky for this dance?” Twilight’s heart raced. She bobbed her head in return and touched wingtip to wingtip.

The night over the Castle of the Crystal Empire was alight with colorful auroras, streaming from the tip of the castle’s spire and flowing to all corners of Equestria. The Crystal Heart, spinning in the monument at the base of the castle, gathered love from everypony in Equestria and shared it back across the land. Tonight, at the pinnacle of the celebration of this most romantic holiday, the rainbow of aurora’s were brighter than any had ever seen before.

Twilight and Celestia bound into the sky side-by-side, wings beating, mane and cape flowing, and magic streaming behind them. They spiraled up into the sky high above the castle, magenta and golden trails twisting among the streams of the brilliant auroras. The rainbows of light washed across Twilight and Celestia as they climbed, illuminating them for all to see.

For Twilight, the magic of the auroras washing across her was like being dunked in the mystical pool at the top of the Canterhorn over and over. Her body became saturated with magic. Every nerve ending was afire with sensation. Through her feathers, she perceived the intensity of the ravaging storms above the Frozen North, held away from the empire by the magic of the Crystal Heart. Through her hooves, she knew the exact count of the citizens celebrating in the streets of the city below her. And through her horn, she sensed the intricacies of the Crystal Heart itself.

Deep in her chest, Twilight perceived the bubbling warmth of the sun. Some part of the sun was with her always these days. But she’d been so focused on Celestia that it hadn’t impinged on her consciousness. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me and for Celestia,” she thought.

The warmth rushed through Twilight’s limbs urging her to reach out. She did and touched hooves with Celestia. Instantly, there was a feeling of joining. The sensations of sharing every move of the other’s body flooded both alicorns. Now united, Twilight and Celestia’s wing beats synchronized. They maintained their contact as they rose into the night sky.

The bubbling warmth seemed pleased. It retreated below the level of Twilight’s enhanced perception. It kept the two alicorns connected but left them the privacy of their innermost experiences.

High above the Castle Of The Crystal Empire, Twilight and Celestia halted their climb. Their rocketing ascent had taken them mere moments. Even at their great altitude, the magic of the Crystal Heart made the music from the ballroom perfectly clear. The first measure was just starting in earnest. They bowed to each other and assumed their positions for the waltz. Joined as one, they whirled about the sky, never a wing beat out of sync. Mane and tail, cape and train, flowed behind them. Golden and magenta magic traced their spiral track.

The music came to a crescendo. Twilight and Celestia whirled away from each other until they were touching only a single tip-hoof. As the music ended, they each bowed deeply to the other then rushed together into an airborne embrace and a deep, passionate kiss.

On the ground below, the citizens on the streets of the Crystal Empire finished their own dances. Their eyes were drawn to the sky. Through the magic of alicorns, all on the ground could see their two princesses as clearly as if they were standing in front of them. They cheered in appreciation and bowed to honor the love of their sovereigns.

On the balcony of the castle, ponies came out of the ballroom to see what was going on. All Twilight’s friends were there. Rarity and Applejack were hoof-in-hoof. Starlight and Sunburst came out with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. Ever faithful Spike waddled out, looked up, and grinned like a mad-dragon. The others followed his gaze. They spotted the two princesses in their embrace, and joined in the cheering. Princess Cadance turned to her husband. “That’s where all the extra love was coming from.” Through the magic of the Crystal Heart, Twilight and Celestia could hear her clearly.

The streets of the city glowed with azure magic in reaction to the love and devotion of the crystal ponies. The broad boulevards of the city formed a giant glowing six-pointed star. When the light from the citizens reached the castle in the middle of the city, the Crystal Heart at its base erupted. A wave of magic swept out from the heart, transforming all within the city into their crystalline forms. They cheered even louder from the sheer joy of the occasion.

High above, the two alicorns were the last to be transformed. Surrounded by the glowing auroras, they glittered like priceless gems in the night.

Twilight and Celestia didn’t even notice; for tonight, their only focus was each other.

< The End >