//------------------------------// // 304. My First Kiss by Misago // Story: The Sun and the Stars: A Twilestia Prompt Collab // by Fuzzyfurvert //------------------------------// by Misago *** “My first kiss?” It was not often that a question took Celestia by surprise, although if she was keeping score, her beloved certainly was getting quite good at it. In the three months they’d been dating, Twilight’s innocent concern and honesty had started to take it’s toll on her armor. They were lying together on the balcony of Celestia’s room, quietly enjoying the evening basking in each other’s warmth. Twilight had been nuzzling into her side. The question had come out of nowhere. Celestia was still not sure how someone who had once been the least social pony she’d known over all her years was the one that made it past her mask and armor. Twilight looked at her like she always did, honest curiosity sparkling in her eyes. Out of old habit, Celestia considered playing it off, throwing out a joke to distract Twilight, from bringing to surface memories she had suppressed for a long time. Just delay the inevitable for a few more days, weeks, months… But Twilight, out of all ponies, deserved to know the truth. Celestia took a deep breath to calm herself. “It… it was a long time ago, like you can probably imagine.” She unfurled her wing, hugging Twilight tightly to her side. “Equestria was in its infancy, and I just had become its princess. Large stretches of land were still ruled by more-or-less self-proclaimed kings and queens. ” She expected Twilight to ask, could practically feel the questions coming off the ever learn-hungry young princess. But Twilight kept silent, just looking at her with a mixture of attentiveness and… compassion? “She was a daughter of one of the more powerful unicorn kings, and she was a true noblemare. Beautiful, courteous, refined...and very ambitious.” Celestia cursed alicorns and their excellent memory internally, when honeyed words and little caresses long suppressed bubbled up from the deepest recesses of her mind. “I was inexperienced. Few subjects dared to approach me over the years; I do not know why she was not scared. Over years, she… got close to me.” She felt Twilight tense a bit in her embrace, so she leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I think it was two years after we had met that she came to me in the night. She told me how her father was getting weaker in his old years, and how she could soon replace him. She told me about her vision of uniting my domain with hers, and bringing all the smaller factions under our control. I suppose she was too impatient to wait for the onset of harmony.” It took Celestia some willpower to not just duck down and bury herself into Twilight’s mane, to reassure herself that she was with her now, a mare who loved Celestia not for her power and status, but for who she was. To just forget the mistakes she’d made. “So, what happened?” Twilight asked, her silence broken for the first time since the question. “How did you react to her plot?” The specific choice of word had Celestia blush slightly. “I...I hesitated, of course. I wanted to wait, rely on diplomacy and demonstrations of good will to unite the land. But I was also young and… hormonal. So, when she saw my indecision, she went ahead and kissed me. She told me that I was wonderful, and everyone would recognize my power and gladly come under my rule. “They did not. Most territories refused our offer. I was too blinded by… her to accept negotiations, and I wanted them to accept my power.” Her vision blurred, and she wiped a foreleg over her eyes. “There was war.” Celestia closed her eyes. There was one part of this particular story she always reminded herself of. The elation felt when someone was willing to stand by her side. The unexpected fire from compliments, from a lover’s caress. The feeling of heavy armor and weaponry carried into battle, the screams of soldiers fighting for their lives. “In the end, even she betrayed me when she noticed her control over me was wavering. To this day, I am not sure why, after all her talking about my power, she still thought she had a chance.” Warm blood spilling over her hooves. A last weak grin of contempt. “Celestia”, Twilight whispered lovingly. She craned her neck upwards, bumping Celestia’s muzzle with her own. When Celestia looked at her, Twilight gave her a comforting smile. It took a while for Celestia to regain her composure, even with the assistance her lover provided. A wound that had festered deep inside for thousands of years was not easily healed in one night, after all. Yet, after entrusting her secret to someone for the first time, Celestia knew that, with time, she would recover. “My mother was old-fashioned.” The relief drew the words out. She had thought about it many times, but she wanted to vocalize them. At this point, Celestia felt Twilight might explode from the conflict between care and curiosity. The young alicorn actually flinched at hearing this first bit of information about the mother of the Royal Sisters. To help her young lover with her self-imposed restraint, Celestia planted a quick kiss on her lips. Twilight squeaked in surprise, but it distracted her long enough. Celestia sighed. “She always told us to be wary of ambitious princes coming and using their charms to try and influence us. I took her lesson to heart, but it was never difficult for me to stay above them. In my case, she should have probably warned me of princesses.” “About me, too?” Celestia turned downwards again, only to face her worst enemy. The famous Twilight Pout, that had so often foiled her plans for student and lover alike. “Not about you. Never”, she quickly reassured. It felt good to smile, and when Twilight’s triumphant grin answered her, she knew that she could conquer her past. “So”, she began, wearing a mischievous smile on your own. “What was your first kiss like?” Twilight quickly darted forward, bringing their lips together. “Silly. You probably remember it yourself.”