Oh gods. thought Celestia. It's today. Today's the day.
She had been laying in her bed all night, only sporadically catching sleep. She felt like her stomach was full of boiling mercury as she played all the ways the day could go wrong in her head. The fact that the air conditioning in the palace had broken the night before, causing her sleep to be fitful at best, didn't help her nerves much.
She sat up, gazing at the sky. It was about two hours before when she was scheduled to raise the sun, which means that she had four until she had to meet Twilight. Her stomach churned with a strange combination of glee and terror. She was finally-
Of course, it was going to go wrong, and Twilight would never talk to her again, and-
No, that wasn't going to happen. Twilight would scream yes and they-
No, no, no. Twilight was going to be deeply disturbed by the notion, and-
Celestia shook her head. She had to stop over-thinking this. She had to just go with the flow, stop overthinking things.
She slowly climbed out of her bed. It must have been a good ninety degrees last night, and both her forehead and her sheets were soaked with sweat. She'd have to shampoo twice if her main was going to look even remotely presentable.
The princess of the sun made her way to the bathroom and turned on a sink. She poured herself a glass of cold water and drank it.
Two glasses later, she gave up and dunked her head under the stream of water. She loved Canterlot, but the summers could be unbearable.
An hour and a half of shower and frantic mane-fixing later, Celestia stepped out of her bedroom and walked downstairs. Her sister was in the small dining room, eating a bowl of Daring Doo's Chocolate-Frosted Sugar Bombs. Celestia smiled, amused at the disconnect between the cereal and the personality of the pony eating it.
"Ah, sister!" Luna exclaimed, putting down her spoon. "You're up!"
She glanced at the clock behind her.
"And just in time, to! You only have a half hour to raise the sun, and after that, well..."
Celestia took a few steps towards the table, moving a chair aside with magic. "Sister, I know that I promised to tell her this morning, but maybe I should postpone my meeting. I'm tired, after all. I could tell her tonight inst-"
Her sister cut her off. "Nonsense! You are going to admit your feelings this morning after a lovely private brunch, like you promised."
Celestia's voice became slightly higher as her stomach, impossibly, sunk even lower. "But- I don't think I can do it today, what with the air conditioning breaking. I barely got any sleep, and-"
Luna, again, cut her off. While she was getting better at using non-Victorian pronouns and a reasonable volume, she was still pushy in conversations. "Come now, Sister. I know as well as you that we do not need sleep like normal ponies, and you slept two nights ago. Besides..."
Luna turned around her box of cereal, revealing a pot of coffee so black that Celestia could have sworn some kind of magic was involved in brewing it.
"...You're not going to be tired. Come, now! The hour is at hand!"
***
Celestia couldn't breathe. Her chest felt constricted by some unseen force. She was- She was actually going to-
She shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind.
"Something wrong, Princess?"
The sound of the purple unicorn's voice sent fresh waves of terror up Celestia's neck. In only a few minutes, she...
"No, Twilight. Everything is fine."
Celestia was surprised that her voice came out as steady as it did.
"Are you sure? Because if I haven't turned something in, I'll be sure to fix that right away! It's been a busy week and I might have-"
Celestia cut her off. She knew how Twilight could work herself up into a fit. Honestly, she found it rather... cute?
Oh gods. What the hell was she doing?
"No, Twilight, everything is fine. I just felt like having breakfast with you."
Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. Twilight was going to be nervous and then when Celestia told her she would react badly and-
"Really?"
Celestia's train of thought was shattered by Twilight's tone. There was something in it...
"Yes. I do enjoy your company."
A few moments of silence lingered in the air.
"So, where are we eating?"
"I suppose it doesn't really matter. We can go where you feel."
"Ah. Well, in that case..."
Twilight gestured to a Doughnut Shop across the way. Celestia vaguely recognized it as the shop she had went to after the Grand Galloping Gala last year.
"It's not very fancy, but the doughnuts are very good..."
Celestia smiled. "I'd love to eat there."
They walked inside. Over breakfast, they made smalltalk. Celestia tried to keep herself as calm as possible, but her brain was working overtime to over-analyze the situation. She just wanted to scream... Well, what did she want to scream? This had all happened so suddenly...
Or maybe it hadn't. Those mares in the flowers hadn't created these feelings, just brought them to light. Celestia had known Twilight for so long. She was the first pony Celestia could really connect with. Yes, there was Luna, but that was different. Twilight was more...
Celestia shook her head again, an action which Twilight, mercifully, decided not to comment on.
When they were finished, Twilight looked up, gazing into Celestia's eyes. "So... What do you want to do now?"
"Well, I guess... I dunno, I guess I just want to walk around with you."
Oh gods no, too much, too much, too much!
"I need to stretch my legs, and walking around Canterlot is always nice. I know of a river, just outside of town. It's a beautiful view, and not too far. There's a path right to it."
Celestia's save did not come out as steady as she intended it. It was a bit too shaky. She could only hope Twilight wouldn't notice-
"Oh... Kay, princess. I'd be glad to walk with you."
She'd noticed. She'd-
While her heart desperately tried to go careening out of her chest cavity and across the restaurant, Celestia tried to keep a straight face. Twilight knew something was up. Celestia didn't know what Twilight thought it was, but she couldn't imagine it would be anything good. Or, worst of all, Twilight knew exactly what Celestia was feeling and didn't like it. Or maybe she did. Or maybe-
"Shall we be going?"
Twilight's words acted as a retardant to the flames of panic. "Yes, I think we shall."
Celestia walked out of the restaurant, gesturing for Twilight to follow. She did so, maintaining her pace at Celestia's side. They continued to make idle chitchat as the hustle and bustle of Canterlot slowly faded into the sounds of the river. Loosely inspired by a similar walkway the Reindeer had built in San Antlernio, the river had a sidewalk next to it and a few buildings. The project had been completed some two hundred years ago, and it hadn't became as popular as Celestia expected. Most of the restaurants and shops had closed down, and the buildings were decaying. Fortunately, the marble edifices were decaying in a charming rather than creepy way, and the place had become a popular destination for urban explorers and hikers alike. Celestia had often spent alone time there when she needed to think. There was something relaxing about the place. . .
"Wow. This place is really nice."
Celestia nodded. She was still nervous, but less so now.
"Yeah... It is..."
They continued to walk in silence for another few minutes, the sights and smells of Canterlot long behind them. Celestia remained mostly calm on the outside, but her stomach churned on the inside. Maybe she shouldn't. Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe...
Celestia's eyes caught on a flower, hanging from a wall. Her mind was instantly flooded with the image of the dancer.
No. She had to do this.
"Twilight..."
"Yes, Princess?"
"Twilight, I've been thinking."
"...Yes?"
Twilight's hesitation almost killed Celestia's nerve, but she pushed on.
"I... I've known you for so long, and, well, I-" Celestia's voice was uneven, but she couldn't stop now. She swallowed, then continued. "Our- Our relationship has always been fairly close, but I have been distant sometimes, with my royal duties, and I..."
Twilight was just staring at her, blank-faced. And she was rambling. And this wasn't going well.
And stopping now could only make it worse.
"I don't like that distance. I really do enjoy your company, and I was wondering if you would like to spend more time together."
Twilight took a few seconds to respond.
"In what... way?" She asked, sounding extremely uncertain about the whole thing. Celestia's heart, which had previously been racing faster then it ever had before, seemed to stop working as she continued, "In a friendly way, or..."
She stopped herself, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. Celestia was pretty sure that her entire body had turned to stone, and was unable to breath, much less speak. After a few seconds, Twilight continued.
"Are you asking me if... I want to start... Dating you?"
With an effort greater than lifting the sun, greater than defeating Discord, and almost as great as banishing her sister, Celestia managed to respond with four words: "I- I think so, yes."
Twilight's jaw trembled as she stared at Celestia. Apparently she was under stress right now as well.
"I... Uh..."
Twilight looked around, as if trying to find an escape. "I mean, I would- But-"
Twilight looked like she had just missed a very important assignment. "I mean- I- I just- Need to think about it?"
Celestia remained silent, staring at Twilight as if frozen in time.
"I just- There's-"
Twilight's voice was shaky. "I- I have to go-"
And with that, her horn lit up and she teleported away, leaving Celestia alone as the feeling slowly drained out of her chest.