To Touch the Sun

by RoyalBardofCanterlot

What is Love?

It was in the late afternoon when Celestia entered a pegasii drawn chariot headed to Ponyville. Ever since having received Twilight's letter yesterday, the Sun Princess had been feeling distracted. She had just barely paid attention in Parliament. Several stacks of paperwork laid upon her desk, not even looked at. In order to clear her head she had taken several walks in the rose garden. The sweet perfume rising from the flowers and their red, pink and yellow petals were usually enough to calm her mind. And for a time her mind was calmed. Still, all she could think about was her student, far away in Ponyville and the book that she had found. Silver Shield had been one of many poets popular in that era. He was one of many, but he had been her favorite.

As the chariot soared over the spired city of Canterlot, Celestia couldn't help but recall those distant days. The battles she had fought, when royalty was expected to know how to wield a weapon and know combat magic. Her name had made her enemies tremble! The wine that had flowed like rivers in her and her sister's gilded hall! It was a more vicious age, a hard and brutal age.

Yet, Celestia reflected, in some ways it had been a nobler age. Ponies had been stronger back then, hadn't they? The deeds of bravery, of raw courage, were still remembered. And she and her sister had been so close that it seemed as if no force in all the world could tear them apart. They had been the pillars of Equestria, holding up the nation upon their withers. The nation built upon harmony, the land of three tribes united, forged in an unbreakable bond.

Her reverie was distracted by a pegasus stallion flying by, an earth pony mare riding on his back and holding on tight. The two were clearly a romantic couple and the scene was so sweet that it brought a smile to Celestia's face. There had been a time when such a mixed couple would have been frowned upon, even legally prohibited in some provinces that only nominally recognized Celestia's authority.

Yes, during the age that you were just fondly remembering. Remember the bloodbath of the First Civil War? You're getting forgetful, old mare.

Celestia shook her head. That age hadn't been perfect, but it was when her nation had been young. It was when she had been young. Though she was millennia old, physically and mentally she was stuck in her early twenties. The ages rolled by and she remained, like a rock beaten by the waves yet never moving. How many generations had passed? She remained to remember them all.

She felt herself growing somber from such thoughts. They often troubled her. Striving to find a happier line of thought her mind turned to Twilight Sparkle and her extraordinary discovery. Though, in truth, thinking of Twilight always improved her mood.

...
The purple unicorn in question was running around in a panic while her dragon assistant tried to convince her to calm down.

"This quadrant looks clean. I think it's clean enough. Do you think it's clean enough?"

"Yes, Twilight." He deadpanned. "It's clean."

Since waking up that morning Twilight had been dusting and straightening up. All the books had been rearranged, each book on each shelf checked to make sure everything was straight according to arcane principles of organization only Twilight could understand (Spike was but a novice at the art.) Everything had been dusted. The floors had been mopped so that they shone. In order to make cleaning easier the whole library had been divided into seven quadrants. They had just finished cleaning the final quadrant and Spike was ready to call it a day. He might also call on Rarity and see what she was up to.

Twilight looked back over it. "Everything has to be perfect for her arrival."

Every time Celestia came over Twilight cleaned up the whole library. Spike often wondered what would happen if Celestia ever showed up unannounced.

Just as Spike was about to head out, Celestia's chariot landed at the library. She dismissed her guards who unhitched themselves and posted themselves at the front door. Celestia went to knock on the door, but before she could Twilight bounded out.

"You're here!" She exclaimed, just barely stopping herself from hugging her. Celestia opened her forelegs and Twilight embraced her. She held on for a while as Celestia returned the hug. Celestia was the one to let go.

"So, you finally found it. I have so many questions, but let's go inside."

Twilight followed her as they walked into the library. Sitting atop the table in the center of the room was a leather bound volume. Celestia approached it. Age had taken its toll on the book. Cracks and tears ran up and down its surface. The binding was torn, the pages yellowed. It reeked of ancientness. Emblazoned on the cover in Ancient Crystalish were the words "Songs of Love." With a trembling hoof she reached out and touched the book. It was Silver Shield's work. That was unmistakable.

She levitated the book over to herself. There were poems in this book that had been lost for over one-thousand years. Her mind was overcome with memories of a world only she and Luna could remember. She could almost hear the echoes of time-lost bards reciting his poetry in her halls. Back then she had not been so distant from her subjects. She was a blood-stained warrior princess who loved battle, mead and song. Many a guard and many a serving-maid had been invited to her bedchambers. She had loved back then because she still remembered how and so many lovers had whispered these poems into her ear. Her armor had been unworn for generations and her bed had laid cold and empty for just as long.

"Princess are you alright? Aren't...aren't you happy that I found it?" Twilight asked, a slight pout to her voice.

Celestia laid the book back on the table. "You have given me a great gift, Twilight."

"I just...I just wanted to give you something to show you how much you mean to me."

Twilight suddenly found herself wrapped up in Celestia's feathery embrace. She hesitated for a moment before wrapping her own hooves around her.

"Thank you, Twilight. If there is anything I can do to ever repay you-"

"No." Twilight said. "You've given me enough. I wanted to give you something in return."

"In any case, it was very sweet." She released Twilight from the embrace. "Why don't we work on translating this?"

There was nothing like academic discovery to excite Twilight. While Celestia carried the book in her magic, Twilight hopped towards her basement which had been turned into her personal study. Twilight used her magic to light some candles. There were two cushions in the center of the room and a stack of scrolls. Several books on Crystalish had been carefully selected and placed on a neat stack by the cushions. Twilight and Celestia lay next to each other and settled on the cushions. Celestia lay the book down in front of them. Twilight levitated over several scrolls and showed them to her.

"I couldn't help myself so I translated some already." She explained.

Celestia looked them over and then back at her student, who was biting her lip as if expecting to be graded on her work.

"You have a very good grasp on Crystalish. I'd have to look it over, but all these translations seem accurate." She read over one while Twilight beamed at the praise just as she always did. "They're not just accurate. You've captured the spirit of the verses. You've copied the first four poems. De Cantos de Adulescentia. Songs of Youth. The first poems he ever wrote. They were about his more youthful exploits."

She flipped through the pages until she got to the fifth poem. This began De Cantos De Bella. It was the longest section, dedicated entirely to his on-again off-again lover Bella. They had been married and divorced five times and died in one another's forehooves. At first she whispered the poem, trying to remember the exact cadence of it. Poems back then were intended to be sung. Twilight listened as she prepared a scroll and a quill. After a few tries she remembered the rhythm of the verses and began to sing them.

She sang it a few times in Crystalish. Twilight only listened and read over the text. Once she was satisfied she had gotten the meaning she wrote the poem down in Modern Equestrian. Celestia checked her work, but it was always perfect. They moved onto the next poem and then the next. Celestia grew more comfortable as they moved through the poems. Twilight continued to write down the translations. Once they got to the tenth poem she stopped. Celestia continued to sing, but the scratching of Twilight's quill had grown still.

"What's wrong, Twilight?"

Twilight stared at the text. "What in the world does this mean? 'The world says my love is not good to enter, but I have shut out the world, you my love are the world now.' Good to enter?" Twilight blushed. "Rather explicit."

Celestia giggled at Twilight's adorably scandalized and befuddled expression. "A very old idiom. It means 'it is not proper.' Bella was a commoner. He belonged to a noble caste." She frowned. "But translating it would ruin the poetic use of opposites, "enter" and "shut out."

"I'll just add a translator's note." Twilight said, scribbling it in.

They went back to the work of translating. There were a few more idioms that threw Twilight off. Celestia was there to help her through them. One poem frustrated both of them till Twilight realized the whole thing was based off an obscure myth. What myth they weren't sure of, but it had something to do with an apparent love affair between two of Megan's companions Surprise and Wind Whistler. Neither Twilight nor Celestia had ever heard of them having a love affair.

As the hours passed, Celestia felt a tug on her horn. It was the familiar pull of the sun. It had been at its duty for twelve hours and now desired rest.

"Excuse me, Twilight. I must set the sun."

Twilight nodded then jumped up to follow her. It reminded Celestia of when Twilight had been living at the castle and always wanted to watch her raise and set the sun. It never got old for her even if it had become routine to Celestia. The Solar Princess stood outside Twilight's library. She needed to be out in the open air to do this. Focusing on her horn, she reached out with her magic and took hold of the sun. The sun's energy was surprisingly gentle and it was easy for her to guide it below the horizon. A few moments later her sister raised the moon as evening blanketed Equestria. Her duty completed, she turned to go back into the library. Twilight was gazing at her with a look of awe that strongly bordered on worship. Celestia frowned. Twilight put her on a very high pedestal. Celestia, despite her position, didn't like pedestals very much. She had learned a long time ago that the higher up a pedestal was the more it hurt when you fell.

"Let's go back inside, Twilight."

Twilight gladly followed her. They walked back to the basement and settled onto the cushions.

"You really admire me, don't you?" Celestia asked.

"Of course." Twilight answered.

"What if I told you I'm not the pony you think I am?"

Twilight cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think I'm perfect? Infallible?"

Twilight hesitated before answering."Yes. You're kind and gentle and you have so much wisdom."

"And that's why you've fallen in love with me? While I'm fine in the mornings I tend to go to bed early. Late nights make me grumpy and I can be a prankster at times and sometimes-regrettably-I've gone too far."

"We all have flaws, Princess."

"Call me Celestia."

"Celestia." Twilight said slowly, stretching out each syllable as if it were a new word that she had never heard before.

"I'm pretty certain I'm the reason Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. I put duty before family one too many times."

Twilight shook her head. "You can't possibly blame yourself for that!"

"I do. I should have...no. There is no need to go down that path for the umpteenth time. Oh and here's a story that shows just what a wonderful big sister I am." The words were tinged with bitterness, a tone Twilight had never heard come from Celestia's lips. "I hadn't had Luna back three months when she took a slice of cake I'd intended for myself. She didn't know this however. She only saw a piece of cake in the royal pantry. I was late getting out of Parliament which Luna hadn't attended as she didn't feel comfortable resuming her duties until she studied up on modern Equestrian politics. It had been a particularly stressful session as a fight broke out between the Conservatives and Liberals over taxes. And I mean an actual, physical fight. When I got out I really wanted that flipping piece of cake. When I saw Luna eating it I snapped and yelled at her. I made her cry." Celestia hung her head in shame. "Such a minor thing. Comical from a certain perspective. Couldn't I have forgiven her? There were so many better ways I could have handled the situation. We started arguing and she said some things she didn't mean and left the castle." Celestia held back tears. "I thought I'd lost her again. For three days she stayed away from the castle. I went to look for her and found her in her old stomping grounds, a now abandoned cloud city. After a very long talk we hugged and she forgave me. But that's not the first time I've let my temper get the best of me though I'm trying to get better. I'm not a perfect pony."

Unexpectedly, Celestia felt Twilight's comforting touch as the smaller pony wrapped her in a hug.

"Pr-Celestia. We all make mistakes. That's what forgiveness is for."

Celestia nestled into the hug and wrapped her wing around Twilight, instinctively attracted to the warm touch. "I'm just afraid if you knew the real me, you wouldn't really love me."

"I've known you since I was a filly. I should hope I know the real you by now."

"But the relationship you want with me is quite a bit more intimate than the teacher-student relationship. Even more intimate than friendship." Celestia told her. "It is the most intimate relationship two ponies could ever have. Maybe you'll see the real me and...and not like what you see."

Twilight nuzzled her. "I couldn't even imagine that."

"You're a good friend, Twilight. I wouldn't want to lose you."

"That's alright. I've decided it doesn't matter if you never love me in the same way I love you."

"Oh?"

"I'm still going to love you. And I'll still spend time with you and I'll still...I'll still be your friend."

"That's a very mature thing to say, Twilight."

Twilight stayed nestled against her for a while. Celestia took comfort in her warmth. Whether as student, friend or something more Twilight had always been a comfort to her.

"We should probably go back to translating the text."

"Probably." Celestia answered. Neither of them made to move away from the other. "I'm actually getting a little hungry." She said. "Do you have anything here?"

"I don't feel like cooking and Spike's been so busy I'm giving him the rest of the day off." Twilight said. "But there's this really nice restaurant around. They have a great lily sandwich. N-not like a date or anything of course."

"Of course, Twilight." Celestia said as she stood up. "However, I may draw too much attention to myself and I would like it to be an occasion between just me and you not me, you and somepony trying to petition me. Let me change."

She closed her eyes and focused on her magic. A soft golden glow surrounded her and in her place appeared a pink-maned, medium-sized unicorn. Twilight gawked.

"How did you do that?" Twilight asked, touching her side and trying to feel for her wings. "This is no ordinary illusion spell."

"This is what I looked like before I became an alicorn. It took centuries for me to perfect this spell. Sometimes when I want to take a walk unencumbered I cast this spell." She explained, making her way up the stairs.

Twilight followed her. "Next time in Canterlot I'll be looking for a pink-maned unicorn." She hesitated. "Unless that would bother you."

"I would never object to your company." Celestia told her as they walked from the basement. Twilight opened the door for Celestia as they walked out.

They headed for the restaurant which laid at the end of a dirt road, away from the market . The restaurant was small, a humble wooden building with a thatched roof. It appeared to have had a former existence as a personal cottage before having been turned into a place of business.

The savory scent of frying flowers made its way from the building before they had even gotten within a few feet of it. Celestia could make out the smell of frying lilies and roses, roasted petunias and sweetgrass. The smells reached her stomach and made her aware of how hungry she was. Twilight walked ahead and opened the door for her. Celestia stepped through. There was a row of booths and a sign telling the to sit anywhere. It was crowded this evening and most of the tables and booths were filled. The sound of loud chatter filled the restaurant. Waiters and waitresses hurried to and fro as they both took and delivered orders. A bored, listless, stallion that was nearly a colt rested his head on his hoof as he stood at the cash register.

Young couples whispered sweet nothings to one another in darkened corners, families with foals chatted happily, the foals dug into their burgers with wild abandon as their parents smiled tolerantly at their lack of table manners. Some ponies were all alone, eating in silence. After searching for several minutes, Celestia chose a booth in the left of the room and she and Twilight sat down.

"Is it always this crowded?" Celestia asked as she settled into the booth.

"Not always, but they are popular." Twilight answered.

A blue pegasus with a blonde mane and tail trotted up to their table. "I'm Sky Soarer and I'll be your waitress this evening. What will you have to drink."

"Sweet tea." Twilight answered.

"Do you have hot tea?" Celestia asked.

"Yes."

"Jasmine?"

"Um, no I think it's just regular tea."

"Oh. Er, I'll just have water." Celestia said. Twilight stifled a giggle.

The waitress wrote down the order and left.

Twilight picked up a menu. Celestia read through hers, not completely familiar with the choices. She had eaten fancy, royal fare for centuries. She hadn't tried "commoner" food as the nobles would put it. In fact, she couldn't quite remember the last time she had tried any. After looking over it for a while she finally decided on the flower salad.

She turned her attention to Twilight who had set aside the menu. "Three." She said.

Twilight's ears perked up. "Three what?"

"The third noble deed." Celestia cracked a grin, something Twilight had never seen on her face. She had seen her gentle smiles full of love and wisdom, but never a full on grin. "I've known your family a long time. I knew Sir Prancealot personally. He was a lot like you. Smart and clever. You're doing noble deeds to try to win my heart right?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"Hmm, yes."

Twilight thought for a minute. "What was the third noble deed? Other than getting you that book I haven't done anything particular."

Celestia motioned to an older couple that was coming in. Both were earth ponies, both wrinkled and graying. The mare was shuffling and leaning against the stallion. The stallion pushed against her, holding her up.

"That's love right there." Celestia said. "Like when you comforted me after I told you that story. What do you think love is, Twilight?"

Twilight perked up at the prospect of a lesson. Celestia may not be her teacher any longer, but Twilight was still a student at heart.

"Love is something ponies feel for each other." Twilight said. "It's a bond that is often lifelong."

"A feeling, Twilight? No, I think that's only part of it."

Twilight slumped down. "Oh. Then love is...love is when you care about somepony else."

"Getting closer. But what about doctors and nurses? Do they love their patients?"

"I guess they have a general love for all ponykind."

"That's not the kind of love we're talking about."

Celestia looked around for more examples. If one knew where to look, love was all around them. There were plenty of couples around. One couple, two unicorns, were giggling about some private joke. Another couple was talking in hushed whispers, gazing into one another's eyes. Another couple was leaving. They nuzzled each other as they walked out.

"You know what I think, Twilight?" Celestia asked as she lowered her voice to a whisper. Twilight leaned close. "Nobody really knows what love is. Ponies, Zebras, Griffons, philosophers and poets of every race and tribe have tried to define it. None of them have agreed with each other."

"So, what is love?" Twilight asked. She was so close that her breath tickled Celestia's lips. From this close she smelt of strawberry shampoo. The smell of old books and soap clang to her fur.

"Love is in the simple things. A comforting touch. A kind word. Spending time with someone. That's love."

"But, what is it?" Twilight asked, almost desperate in her insistence.

"Here's the secret." Celestia said as she leaned closer to Twilight. Her breath tickled Twilight's ear. "Love is the great mystery. It binds together lovers, friends, families, entire nations, an entire empire. But no one actually knows what it is."

She leaned back into her own booth. Twilight leaned back into hers.

"Maybe love is like magic." Twilight said. "Nopony really knows what it is. But it is a fundamental part of our world."

"That's a very...unicornish way to define it. A pegasus may define it as being like the sky or an earth pony may describe it as like the land."

"I'm a unicorn. That's the way I understand the world."

"True enough."

Their waitress returned. Twilight ordered the lily sandwich and Celestia ordered the flower salad.

"So, if you had to define it, what would you say it was?" Twilight asked.

"Like I said. It's the mystery."

"Then maybe it's something two ponies-two beings-have to explore together? Like a group research project."

Celestia drank her water to hide the laugh building up in her throat. Leave it to Twilight to use an academic analogy to explain one of the great mysteries of life. If anything, Twilight had grown more adorable since her filly years. "Yes, Twilight. In many ways that is what it is like. Something two beings have to explore together."

Twilight thought to herself that the only one she'd want to explore love with would be the alicorn sitting across from her. That seemed like an inappropriate thing to say though so she kept it to herself.

They lapsed into a companionable silence until the waitress brought them their food. If nothing else, the salad looked delicious. It was an arrangement of rose petals, daisy petals, thistles and marigolds, a medley of many colors and scents. As a garnish, sweetgrass had been sprinkled all over it. Twilight's lily sandwich looked equally delicious. Celestia bit into the salad. The flavors nearly danced on her tongue.

"Oh, wow. This is good. This is really good." Celestia said.

Twilight appeared to be lost in some rapture of her own as she bit into the sandwich, but she nodded in agreement. They dug into their meals until there was nothing left. Celestia stared in disappointment at the empty bowl.

"They have dessert too."

"Oh, by all means."

They ordered ice cream sundaes. Both looked like little fillies as they ate the fudge covered treats. When they were done Twilight ordered the check. They walked up to the counter and Twilight took out her bits to pay. Celestia put her hoof on Twilight's.

"I'll pay, Twilight."

"No, I can pay."

"I want to. You treated me to a very lovely time. It's the least I can do."

Twilight nodded and Celestia put the bits on the counter. On the walk back to the library they made small talk, sharing stories of what had happened to them during the week. Dash was preparing for a race and Luna had discovered movies. Celestia was worried that she was going to exhaust her personal expenses watching every romantic comedy she could find.

"Have you introduced her to vhs tapes yet?" Twilight asked as they walked into the library.

"Oh, that is a wonderful idea." Celestia said. "I'll take her by Blockbuster."

They walked into the basement. Twilight used her magic to light some candles, giving the room a soft glow. Celestia retrieved the scrolls and the ancient book. They settled back onto the cushions and soon the room was once more filled with Celestia's chanting and Twilight's pen scratching on the scrolls.

The soft, gentle tongue of Crystallish wrapped around Twilight as Celestia chanted it. Twilight wrote down Celestia's words, wanting to wrap herself up in the Princess's voice as if it were a blanket. Without thinking about it she moved closer to Celestia. Celestia did not notice, lost in the chant. Hours passed as they read through the book. Twilight was not sure when she fell asleep only that Celestia's side was very comfortable.

Celestia stopped chanting and wrapped a wing around her former student. Sleep soon caught up with her as well.

Comments

[Xaldon Ajide]

Honestly for Crystalish I would have recommended, Russian, or Polsky.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

6852614 I could only hope to be like the writer of Eternal. That's one of my favorite fics.

[Diamond Sparkle]

Nice. This story is original and fun and lol at the drunk Twilight kissing Celestia.

[Fallen Knight]

With a trembling hoof she reached out and touched the book. It was Silver Shield's work. That was unmistakable.

Its Solid Shield back at the start of the chapter. (and not sure but past chapter maybe used stout shield? xD )

[Wahtiff]

7564011 He's so ancient, no one can get his name right. XD.

[HeartfireFirebrand]

6875585
Yep.

[HeartfireFirebrand]

8069116
LOL

[OlDreaddy]

Baby don't hurt me.

[Ice Star]

The idea of ponies having VHS tapes felt very jarring and inappropriate in terms of world-building. If you needed the ponies to view movies, I would suggest referring to film reels, since those exist in canon. Modern/modern-ish theaters aren't a particularly pony thing to have. However, I did enjoy the focus around Princess Celestia have to sort out something as personal as romantic love and how much it differs from the kinds of love she is used to, and their public aspects being very different to the new relationship she's trying to build with Twilight. It makes so much sense for that to be a common struggle for her.