To Touch the Sun

by RoyalBardofCanterlot

Breakfast in Bed

Author's Note:

Hope I described making pancakes right.

Luna's moon was still in the sky, casting silvery light through Celestia's open bedroom window. A beloved ruler with a good reputation abroad, Celestia had never feared assassins and always enjoyed the cool night air. There were two occupants of the room this night when usually there would only be one.

Twilight Sparkle leaned against a wall, watching her mentor as her chest rose and fall. Even when completely asleep and drooling slightly on her pillow, Twilight found the princess beautiful. And why shouldn't she? She had admired Celestia all her life, constantly seeking her approval.

And now you've ruined it.

The self-inflicted accusation rose up from that pit of self-doubt Twilight had struggled with her entire life. She repressed a sob, but she couldn't hold it for long. Soon, she was quietly weeping against the wall, convincing herself that she had disgraced herself in the eyes of the Princess.

While Twilight cried, the Solar Princess was snuggled warmly inside of her covers with a smile across her face. Her dreams were happy and peaceful, filled with the sensation of being held by somepony that loved her. It made her happy on a soul-deep level. It had been a long time since she had shared a bed with anypony besides her sister and that was when she had just returned and hadn't wanted to be alone.

Deep in dreamland, she was laying in a peaceful meadow. Occasionally, a warm wind would blow through the tall grasses. Another mare was resting against her. She couldn't make out who the mare was, only that she was a violet unicorn and that she was very special to her. She didn't know who the unicorn was and it didn't matter. Celestia bent down her head and nuzzled her.

Back in the waking world, one of her alabaster wings was spread as if it had recently been holding someone. All should have been well and silence should have reigned throughout the castle. Two guards, as always, were stationed outside the Princess's chambers. The servants had all gone home for the evening. Princess Luna had closed Night Court and was taking a late night bath before bed. Then, a strange noise reverberated through the room.

Her eyes opened as her ears twitched, alerting her to a strange sound. Though her muscles protested, she forced herself awake by stretching her wings and forelegs. Then she focused on the strange noises. It was a series of low sniffles, like somepony with a cough or perhaps muffled crying. Celestia made out a shape in the darkness and stood from her bed, the shock of the cool stone floor against her warm hooves finally jolting her into full wakefulness.

"Who is it? Who's there?"

She was now wide awake and was certain that the sound was crying. It sounded almost familiar. When she didn't receive an answer to her question she cast a spell, lighting up the room with the glow of her horn. There was a purple unicorn by the balcony with a mussed up violet mane. Celestia knew this unicorn. It was her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. But Twilight should have been in Ponyville, asleep in her library. What was she doing in Celestia's chambers? And, most importantly, why was she crying?

Slowly, the memories returned to her. Celestia had been pouring over some documents when Twilight had teleported into her room smelling like whiskey and hard cider. Then she had kissed her. After that, Twilight had passed out in Celestia's arms. Celestia, like on many nights when Twilight was a filly and would stay over, had tucked her in to her own bed.

That still didn't answer why she was crying though.

"Twilight?"

She approached her and laid a hoof on her withers. Twilight wiped at her eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Celestia asked. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. Celestia had comforted her many times when Twilight had awoken from a bad dream.

"P-princess, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Celestia asked. She began to gently rub her withers and felt Twilight's muscles slowly relax beneath the comforting touch.

"I-I kissed you. I just barged in and started making out with you. That's not what I wanted to do. I wanted to send you flowers and write down my feelings in a love song that I was going to sing you on Hearts and Hooves Day, but I don't even know if you like mares and now you probably hate me-"

Celestia cut her off with a gentle stroke of her wing which she used to wipe away Twilight's tears. "I could never hate you. I was more...surprised than anything else. And there's no reason you can't send me flowers and make me a song. I quite like the idea myself."

Twilight shook her head. "I wanted it to be romantic. Loving. Not tawdry, not a cheap, drunken kiss. I don't want you to think I'm just lusting after you. I love you, Princess. This is so much more than lust. I love you because you're kind and loving and you inspire me to be a better pony."

"I understand, Twilight."

Twilight looked up at her. In the dim light of Celestia's magic and the silver light of the moon, Twilight's eyes were red from crying. Her ears were folded back and her lips jutted outward in a pout.

"Do you feel the same way?" Twilight asked. "Do you love me?"

Did she? Celestia hesitated before she answered. She had kissed Twilight back. She couldn't deny she enjoyed Twilight's company. One of the highlights of her week was when she and Twilight met in the gardens for tea. She had watched Twilight grow from a curious, eager filly into a mare that still held onto that fillyish eagerness and curiosity. She loved to hear Twilight speak excitedly of the things she had learned, the books she'd read, the things she'd experienced with her friends. All of the letters Twilight had written her were in a enchanted box on her dresser. On many nights she would read through them, marveling at how much her faithful student had learned. But was it love, the kind of love Twilight was speaking of? Or was it merely the love of a teacher for her beloved student?

Then, there was that dream. Celestia could not deny that the unicorn from the dream was Twilight. Still, that didn't answer the question. The dream had been perfectly chaste.

She placed a hoof on Twilight's cheek. "Twilight, I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. Wait for the morning. I need to think, alright?"

Twilight closed her eyes and leaned into her. Celestia wrapped her up in her wing. "I do love you, Twilight. I just don't know if it's the kind of love you mean."

"It's alright." Twilight murmured against the fur of her chest. "It's alright. I managed to tell you my feelings and the world didn't end. I'd count that as a good thing."

"Why don't we go back to bed? It's about an hour till sunrise."

"Sounds nice."

They trotted back to the bed, Celestia keeping Twilight sheltered in her wing. She pulled back the covers and they lay beneath them. Twilight cuddled closer to her.

"How long have you had these feelings, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"Since forever. When I first saw you raise the sun. I didn't have a word for what I felt back then. I guess I was around twelve when I finally realized it was love."

"You've been holding it in all these years?"

"Um-hmm. I was afraid of you rejecting me, banishing me from the castle, calling me a freak, putting me before a firing squad...you know how my mind works."

Celestia frowned. "Do I really strike you as such a tyrant?" She had always strived to be a benevolent ruler. The thought that others may see her as a tyrant troubled her.

Twilight, sensing her distress, nuzzled her. "No, you're perfect. Wonderful and kind and gentle. I've lived my entire life-everything I've done so far-trying to win your love. It's why I studied so hard. It's why I had the courage to stand against Nightmare Moon and Discord and Sombra. So that you would love me."

Celestia was tempted to tell Twilight that she did love her, that she'd always loved her, but she didn't know what kind of love it was she felt. There was no need to get the poor filly's hopes up though.

"If you love me then why are you afraid of me?" Celestia asked. "You thought I'd do something awful to you if you didn't send a friendship report every week."

Twilight squirmed. "I just...I'm afraid of disappointing you. When I was in the Crystal Empire I found a mirror that showed me my worst fear. It was you sending me away." Her voice shook.

Celestia stroked her mane. "It's no wonder you needed liquid courage to confess your feelings."

"If it wasn't for Applejack I'd have never told you."

"How do you feel now that you've confessed your feelings?"

Twilight didn't speak for a few moments. "Honestly? Relieved. I mean you might reject me and I'll be sad and probably cry for a while. But, we'll still be friends right? At least promise me we can always be friends."

Celestia nuzzled her. "I can promise you that."

They fell asleep in one another's embrace.

...
Twilight slipped from beneath her mentor's wing. She had not been able to get back to sleep. For years, she had carried her secret love and now she had revealed it. It had left her feeling relieved, but also anxious and worried. There was no way for her to go back to sleep. Besides, talking to Celestia had made Twilight realize something. Celestia had been her mentor, had inspired her to study magic, had been there for her countless times. And what had Twilight done for her?

Celestia had never asked for anything in return, but maybe Twilight should do something for her. She could remember her brother always telling her that love was something you had to make yourself worthy of. Every member of Clan Sparkle, her ancient clan of warrior-mages,had a story of doing great deeds to win the heart of their beloved. Fighting Discord, Sombra and Nightmare Moon didn't count. She had done that for Equestria and since she lived in Equestria the deed was tainted by self-interest.

No, she wanted to do something for Celestia, out of pure love for her. Like when her ancestor Prancelot cut his hooves going across a bridge of blades to rescue his beloved Eneign. Shining Armor himself had done one-thousand valiant deeds to win Cadence's heart. What could Celestia need? She had servants to cater to her every whim. Though, none of those servants were in love with her.

At least, Twilight didn't think any of them were. The palace was coming to life, guards changing their shifts as the Night Guard gave way to the Day Guard. Servants had entered the palace and were beginning to trot down the halls. She stopped one servant, a tawny earth stallion, whom she knew worked in the kitchen.

"Twilight Sparkle! How ya doin' Kiddo?" The stallion, Pepper, asked her before tousling her mane.

"I'm doing well. I know this is a strange question, but can I make something in the kitchen."

He paused. "Well, so long as you promise not to burn anything."

"I promise."

"I've heard that one before." He said, good-naturedly as Twilight followed him into the the kitchen. The cooking staff gave a few strange looks to this interloper, but soon accepted her presence and went back to their tasks.

While Twilight was not an expert on cooking, she had learned a few things. At the very least she could make pancakes. Knowing for a fact that Celestia loved pancakes she located the ingredients she needed in a cabinet. She melted the butter and mixed it all together into a bowl which she poured onto a pan. That done she retrieved some strawberries, Celestia's favorite fruit, and levitated over a knife.

The thought occurred to her that using her hooves to cut the strawberries would be much more personal. So she took the knife in her hooves and began to chop up the strawberries. Once she was done with that she put the strawberries in the batter and laid it atop a burner on the stove

...
Every morning Celestia would rise to raise the sun. As always, the familiar tug of the celestial body that was her charge woke her from her slumber. She stretched out on the bed and trotted out to the balcony. Before she even got there she noticed a wonderful scent. It was sweet and rich and getting closer. Choosing to ignore it for a moment she flew to the spot where she rose the sun. Luna was waiting for her. They nuzzled each other in greeting. Luna's horn glowed blue as she reached out and lowered the moon.

Then, Celestia closed her eyes and drew up her magic. The magic flowed upwards, spiraling into her horn. She directed its flow with an act of will and reached out for the sun. With the skill of an artist that had long been at her craft, she gently nudged the sun from its resting place. The sky was colored in shades of vibrant oranges and soft pinks as the sun began to rise upon the horizon. It's golden beams painted the eastern sky as it ascended above the verdant hills, rolling pastureland and gleaming cities of Equestria. Finished with her task, Celestia opened her eyes and let go of her magic

"I couldn't help but notice Twilight Sparkle's presence in the castle having sensed her dreams." Luna said. "How does she fare? I did not peer into her dreams."

"She confessed her love to me." Celestia answered.

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh? And what did you say?"

Celestia shook her head. "I didn't know what to say."

"Dost thou love-do you love Twilight Sparkle?"

Celestia was about to answer when the sound of hoofsteps interrupted her. Twilight was standing behind them. She was holding pancakes in her magic aura and blushing before the two sovereigns.

"Twilight? Is that for me?" Celestia asked.

Twilight nodded. "I wanted to make you breakfast in bed, but you weren't in bed so I went looking for you and teleported here because I know this is where you raise the sun."

Celestia took the pancakes in her magic. They had strawberries, her favorite fruit, cut up into them. Of course Twilight would know her favorite. They were covered in syrup and looked positively delicious.

"Normally, I eat with my sister, but this looks delicious. Thank you."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"'Tis a sweet gesture for one whom you are courting." Luna said. "It will not cause me offense if mine sister wishes to share a meal with thee. It has been far too long since she had a consort. As for me, I will go to the dining hall. Rule well, Sister."

With that she spread her wings and soared.

Twilight shuffled a hoof. "I should have known you and Luna had breakfast together. I would never mean to get between you two."

"I know Twilight. You did not do so. This was a very sweet gesture."

She levitated the pancakes as Twilight and her walked back towards the bedroom and curled up together on the bed. Celestia levitated a fork and began to take bites out of the pancakes. Twilight had a plate of pancakes and fork for herself on the nightstand. She levitated it over and began to eat. The tang of the fresh strawberries and sweetness of the syrup exploded on Celestia's tongue as she took delicate bites of the meal. Just as she was beginning to really enjoy the meal a letter appeared in a burst of magic. Celestia placed her fork down and took up the letter in her magic.

"Is it from Spike?"

"Um-hmm." Celestia red it. "He's wondering where you are."

"Let me write back to him."

She put her plate on the nightstand and trotted to the table. Getting a quill and letter she explained where she was and that there was no need for Spike to worry. Celestia put down her own plate to trot over to Twilight and send the letter.

"Thank you for the pancakes, Twilight."

"It was no trouble. I just wanted to do something nice for you."

Celestia laid a hoof on her shoulder. "It was still very sweet of you. I'll arrange a chariot for your departure."

"Thank you."

Hesitating for a second, Twilight wrapped her neck around Celestia's in a hug. Celestia hugged back.

"You never answered my question." Twilight said.

"Love can't be forced, Twilight. I certainly hope you weren't trying to bribe me into loving you with those pancakes."

Twilight was too embarrassed to admit that was part of the reason. "I should get back before Spike starts to worry anymore."

"Alright. Take care, Twilight."

A few minutes later Twilight was on a Pegasus drawn chariot flying over the Canterlot mountain ranges. In her mind she was thinking of other ways she could win Celestia's love. Just as the grey mist-shrouded mountains gave way to pleasant, rolling hills and Ponyville came into view Twilight had settled on a plan.

Comments

[Matrixpony]

A slightly rushed start, but the pace seems to be getting into a better groove towards the end of the chapter. An intersting idea, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

[nikolai60]

Weren't there two more chapters?

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

6862027 I'm currently editing them.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

6851278 I edited the first chapter to try to fill things out if you want to take a look.

[nikolai60]

6862051 Ah, gotcha. Thought I was imagining things.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

6816527 The reason I chose Latin is because the only named ponies involved with the Crystal Empire have Latin-based names. Sombra is Spanish for shadow and Mi Amore Cadenza is Italian. Italian is about as close as you can get to Latin. Besides Latin is the language of love to the point that ancient Latins considered themselves descendants of the Love Goddess.
Though, Russian or Polski would have worked.

[Hyperkirbytwo]

While it's a nice story and all (though it's not my favourite twi ship, which would be twiluna) i feel when making a loved one pancakes you wouldn't just take remade perfect batter from the kitchen and basically just heat it up. while it is a nice gesture, i feel it would be better making batter from scratch. it adds quite a bit of personality if you make the batter yourself.

wow i am nitpicky... i guess thats what i get when i'm learning to be a chef lol.

Great story, keep up the good work.

[Finders Keepers]

Pancakes are cooked in a pan, sorta fried in butter. You pour the batter into a greased pan and let it cook. The consistancy of the batter determines if you get thin or fluffy jacks. When the batter starts to turn firm you flip it and cook the other side.

I dunno if you can also bake them in the oven, it sounds possible with the right know how, but me and mine have always used the stovetop.

[Circut Breaker]

TF is this story? I like it, but still. Pacing, Twi.

[Stonecrop Sedum]

Celestia had been her mentor, had inspired her to study magic, had been there for her countless times. And what had Twilight done for her?

Saved Equestria? Saved her?

[Mythic Night]

You do realize that the reason they're called "pancakes" is because they're cooked on a frying pan atop a stove, right?

Might want to watch a video on YouTube about cooking pancakes if you're confused about it.

Otherwise, not a bad start.

[HeartfireFirebrand]

7927269
Yeah but that's like Donuts are named Donuts becasue they are made of dough and are shaped like a nut but I've seen donuts with no holes in them. The name has become so ingrained in the food item it no longer needs to define that food item.

[Ice Star]

This is a nice cuddly start, and I feel the promise of worldbuilding too. I like seeing Celestia talk about things with Luna in a way that feels more realistic instead of the way some writers have both the princesses fawning over Twilight or betting on who woos her, etc.