A few days after Cadance's visit, Shine was walking down the castle corridors, bored out of his mind. Iron Hooves had recently been transferred to the Crystal Empire, which meant fewer workout partners for Shine. He decided to visit Celestia in her room, hoping she wasn't too busy to spend some time with him.
He knocked on the door, which swung open. After a moment's trepidation, Shine went inside.
"Hello?" He called. "Celestia?"
Shine stepped forward cautiously, noting that he had never actually been inside Celestia's room before. As he gazed around, he accidentally bumped into a desk, spilling a pot of ink.
"Oh, no!" He gasped.
Shine looked desperately around for anything he could use to mop up the black mess. He opened a drawer which was revealed to be packed full of scrolls.
"Huh? What are-" Shine squinted.
"Shine?" Came Celestia's voice behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Celestia!" Shine turned around. "I was... I was just..."
"And what's this mess?" She pointed at the spilled ink.
"It was an accident, I swear!" Shine said (A little louder then he intended). "I was looking for you, and-"
"Calm down, Shine. It's okay." Celestia said calmly as she used her magic to put the ink back in the pot. "There, nice and clean."
"Phew." Shine sighed in relief.
As Celestia put the pot back in place, she noticed the open drawer.
"I was looking for something to clean up the ink." Shine gulped. "I didn't mean to pry..."
"I'm sure you didn't." Celestia smiled. "You seem to had stumbled upon my collection of friendship reports."
"Friendship reports?" Shine asked.
"They are lessons that my former student Twilight and her friends had learned and sent to me."
"Twilight? As in Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Shine gasped.
"That would be her." Celestia nodded. "Although before, she was just a humble student of mine. She has come such a long way from that over the last twenty years. At first, it was just Twilight that had sent the letters through her assistant, Spike."
"Spike… isn't that the little dragon that follows her around?" Shine questioned.
Celestia nodded.
"Yes." She replied. "However, after a small incident involving her doll and a rather potent 'want it need it' spell, her friends decided to help her with the letters. Since then, they too have sent me these letters telling me of the valuable lessons they have learned over the course of twenty years."
Shine did a double take.
"Wait, all these letters were from them? There must be hundreds of them!" He exclaimed.
"Indeed." Celestia nodded. "Would you like to hear some?"
"Oh, uh... if it's okay with you." Shine said nervously.
"Rest assured, it is." Celestia smiled. "Let's start at the beginning: The very first friendship report my former student ever sent me."
"What's it about?" Shine asked.
"It was sent in response to my sending two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala to Twilight." Celestia declared. "As I understand, she went through quite some trouble trying to decide which of her friends to give her extra ticket to. Eventually, she sent both back to me, with this very letter, writing on how she could not choose one friend over the over, knowing that the feelings of the others would be hurt."
"Wow." Shine whistled. "That's pretty deep."
"So I solved the problem by sending enough tickets for all of them." Celestia smiled.
"Smart thinking." Shine chuckled.
One by one, Celestia read out the contents of the friendship reports. Shine was impressed by how many good lessons lay within those inked words, and how the writers had grown as ponies. All too soon, the reports came to an end, and Celestia shared with Shine the letters she had received, while not having lessons that they learned etched in them, but rather the exploits, chronicling the life and times of Twilight Sparkle and friends over the course of twenty years.
"...And this the letter I received regarding Twilight's engagement to Flash Sentry." Celestia smiled. "And here's my invitation to the wedding, and the letter about the birth of their son, Dusk Glow, and another one regarding their daughter, Starlight Twinkle's, arrival."
"That must have been wonderful." Shine smiled.
"It was." Celestia nodded. "And yet..."
"What?" Shine asked.
"Hearing of their wonderful lives sometimes makes me wish my life was more like theirs." Celestia sighed. "To love, to marry, to raise a child... But I haven't done anything of these things. The price of being Princess of the Sun, I guess."
"And a great one at that." Shine smiled. "But I wouldn't give up hope. I'm sure the stallion for you is out there somewhere. For all we know, he could be nearby." Celestia glanced at him oddly, before Shine, realizing what he was implying, quickly changed the subject, "But for all it's worth…I think you'd make a wonderful mother."
"Thank you, Shine." Celestia beamed. "Now, I think there is one more letter."
Celestia reached for the next piece of parchment.
"Here, let me." Shine offered.
As they both reached for the letter at the same time, their hooves touched. Shine and Celesta's eyes met, and a blush crept onto both their faces.
"Oh, sorry." Shine blushed as he quickly drew his hoof away.
"That's okay." Celestia blushed also.
The rest of the letter reading was a little awkward, but they finished it together.
"Well, that was diverting." Shine noted. "Thanks, Celestia."
"it was my pleasure." Celestia smiled. "Truly."
"I'll see you at dinner?" Shine asked as he headed towards the doors.
"Of course. You take care." Celestia nodded.
"Thanks." Shine nodded as he walked out the doors and shut it behind him.
Celestia, confirming Shine's absence, simply looked at the hoof which had touched his. She let out a long sigh.
'I've never felt like this before… what I am feeling?' Celestia mused, as she felt her heart flutter.
Just outside Celestia's room, Shine leaned against the door, looking at the same hoof that contacted Celestia's, as he gave a small shudder.
'What is this feeling I am getting?' Shine thought to himself, as he put the same hoof to his locket.
Those questions plagued the two ponies throughout the entirety of that day. No matter how much they had tried to comprehend it, the answer to the question that the two asked themselves eluded them.
It seems like only time itself would be able to tell them…