Teatime - A Novel Of Twilight & Celestia

by bigbear

Chapter 7 - Breakdown And Recovery

The first sounds from within the chambers that Twilight heard were choking hearty sobs. But there was no one in the sitting room.

There was a loud gulp, a long shuddering breath, then Celestia’s hesitant voice, just above a whisper. “Gentlecolts... I do not wish... to be disturbed.”

“Celestia?” Twilight looked about, trying to zero in on the voice. She decided it came from the bedroom and inched toward the closed door.

“Twilight? Please go away.” Celestia was sobbing again. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”

Twilight stopped in mid-step, one hoof in the air. She couldn’t force herself on Celestia, but she also couldn't live with herself if she did as Celestia requested. “Can you be strong for her?” Luna had asked.

She advanced to the bedroom door but didn’t open it. “When have you known me to abandon a friend?”

Celestia gulped again. “Never,” she whispered.

“And do you think I’m going to leave you now?”

“No,” Celestia whispered.

“May I come in?”

“Yes,” Celestia cried, then resumed sobbing, as if that one word were the last thing she was ever going to be able to say.

Twilight cast open the door and started.

Celestia lay on the floor of the bedroom, her white form splayed across a large crimson throw rug, her legs and wings akimbo. Celestia’s eyes were bloodshot, her face wet with tears and snot. Her ever flowing pastel mane and tail, the most visible sign of her immense magical nature, was gone; in its place, were great lengths of matted pink hair. Her regalia were nowhere to be found. Celestia was naked, in every sense of the word.

Twilight edged forward, and lay down on the carpet beside her, but not touching. She wanted to be at eye level. She reached a hoof out but stopped when she saw her golden boot covered it. This was not a time for anything that would get between her and Celestia. Twilight pulled her boots and crown off with her magic, and floated them over to the top of the dresser, out of sight from the floor. Atop the dresser, she spotted a pile of silk handkerchiefs and floated them down in front of Celestia.

Celestia lay, head down in crossed hooves, still sniffling and sobbing. Occasionally a shudder would wrack her body.

Twilight tried to think of the things her old foalsitter Cadance had done when Twilight had, ‘an episode.’ Twilight’s episodes were more about panic than weeping, but the same techniques might apply.

“It’s OK, I’m here. You’re safe now,” Twilight whispered. It was like a mantra, the same phrases over and over again, in different orders, “It’s OK,” “You’re safe,” “I’m here.” She also reached out and touched Celestia. When she didn’t pull away, Twilight began making small circles on the back of her leg, just above her hoof. Miti had said Celestia was especially sensitive there.

Slowly, the shuddering faded. Twilight raised a handkerchief. “Blow,” she suggested. Celestia did with a loud, honk. “Now breathe.” Celestia took in a great breath, and then let it out. She swallowed hard once and then continued to breathe deeply. Her eyes still rained tears, but her body was now limp rather than rigid.

Sensing an opening, Twilight gently scooted over and put herself alongside Celestia. Though she was the much larger pony, Celestia seemed almost small beside her. Twilight put her wing over Celestia’s withers and pulled her close. Celestia exposed her neck, and Twilight laid her head upon it, so they were touching from neck to dock. The two lay silently intertwined for a long time.

When Celestia started to stir, Twilight took the initiative again. She lit her horn and reached out with her magic through the open door and into the grand bathroom. She couldn’t see what she was doing, and blind levitation was challenging, but Twilight knew where things were kept in the bathroom. With consummate skill, she levitated a glass, filled it from the small cold-water waterfall that fed the nearest washbasin, and then floated the full glass into the bedroom. She presented the glass and a fresh handkerchief to Celestia.

“Thank you,” she said, her first words since inviting Twilight in. Celestia blew her nose again, wiped her snout, and sipped the water. After a great breath, she seemed more… present, though still a bit dazed.

“May I make a suggestion?” Twilight asked.

Celestia only mumbled in reply. “She’s out of it,” Twilight thought. Out loud she said, “Getting cleaned up might help. A warm bath always makes me feel better.”

“I’m... not sure I can.”

“You don’t have to.” Twilight had already reached blindly into the bathroom with her magic. She opened the gates on the waterfalls that filled the great bathtub. Celestia looked to the door, eyes drawn by the sound of water splashing.

When Celestia didn’t object, Twilight rose. She slipped a wing under Celestia’s barrel, and then with a combination of wing muscle and magenta magic, lifted the bigger pony off the floor. Twilight was careful to support Celestia’s outstretched wings, and gather up her stringy pink mane and tail. Twilight’s magic could lift creatures bigger than a house; lifting Celestia was not difficult.

The gesture was hard on Celestia though. She ducked her head and shuddered. Not from pain. It seemed that doing anything was hard for her right now.

By the time Twilight carried Celestia into the bathroom, the fast running waterfalls had already half filled the great tub. Twilight didn’t hesitate but walked into the warm, rising water and gently set Celestia onto on a bench formed from the side of the tub. Social bathing was an old pony tradition, even if Twilight had never done it with Celestia.

Celestia shifted a bit and laid her head on the cool tile that surrounded the bath. Yards of stringy pink hair swirled around her as the bath filled. She didn’t try to adjust it; she didn’t seem to be able to do much of anything for herself right now.

Twilight ran the water as hot as she could stand, thinking the Princess of the Sun had a high tolerance for heat. It seemed like a good choice, as Celestia let out a deep shuddering sigh as the hot water ran over her. She let her bloodshot eyes half close.

Twilight gated the waterfall, so a trickle of warm water ran over Celestia’s exposed back to keep her and the bath warm. She magicked over several half moon sponges and large washcloths, along with an alicorn sized bottle of shampoo and another of conditioner. Twilight considered using her magic but decided she was in no hurry. Aloe and Lotus Blossom at the Ponyville Day Spa were earth ponies who provided Twilight and her friends a luxurious experience using only touch. Twilight decided to apply what she’d learned from the spa ponies. Bathing Celestia was something better done by hoof.

She began by wetting and soaping a washcloth and gently washing Celestia’s face and horn. Twilight knew few things made you feel worse than a mucky snout. Celestia closed her eyes and turned her head so Twilight could clean it all. When all the gunk on her face was gone, Twilight used an un-soaped washcloth to make sure everything was clean, then warm water from the waterfall to complete the rinsing. Celestia closed her eyes as the warm water rolled over them.

Twilight slipped her hoof into the strap on a half moon sponge and squirted a generous dollop of shampoo on it. She moved the sponge in a circle, both with and against the fall of Celestia’s coat, to get soap all the way down to the skin. Twilight directed the warm waterfall to rinse off all the soap, then repeated the process with conditioner, and rinsed again. She wanted to do the best possible job for Celestia, and Rarity had taught Twilight conditioner helped keep a coat silky and tangle free.

Twilight started with Celestia’s neck and then proceeded to wash her forelegs and chest. Next, she cleaned Celestia’s back and wings, and then her flanks, barrel, and hind legs. Finally, she switched to a specially marked sponge that by tradition was reserved for cleaning the rump. Each time she moved to wash a new area, Celestia stretched so Twilight could have unimpeded access to it.

The more Twilight bathed Celestia, the more the smell of herbs and flowers from the shampoo filled the bathroom and the more bubbles filled the giant bath.

Now Twilight focused on Celestia’s mane and tail. Normally they were an ever-flowing mass, a pastel rainbow of arcane power in physical form. But now Celestia’s mane and tail were just yards and yards of dirty pink hair. They were wet, tangled, and looked like they hadn’t been cared for in quite a while.

The process here was similar: shampoo, rinse, conditioner, and rinse again. Twilight started at the base of Celestia’s tail and worked it with her hooves to clean it all the way to the roots. She splashed the tail to keep it wet and sudsy. Twilight moved down the tail a few hoof-lengths at a time until she washed it all the way to the end. That left only Celestia’s mane.

“Finish what you started,” Twilight thought. “I’m not sure how this is going, but I need to finish what I started. For her. And for me.” She raised the bottle of shampoo and glanced at the scraggly pink mass of Celestia’s mane. Celestia rolled her neck to provide Twilight access but kept her council. Cleaning the mane went much like the tail. Twilight started from the roots, and worked her way to the end, with shampoo and then conditioner.

Finally, Celestia was clean from horn to tail. Twilight was wet and covered in soap herself. She levitated the stopper from the giant tub, and the water and suds swiftly drained. Twilight nudged Celestia to get her to stand, then ungated the warm overhead waterfall and directed the water to give both of them a whole body rinse. She levitated over a rubber mitt and put it over her hoof. She went over Celestia’s whole body again in the same order with the mitt, keeping it wet and scrubbing to make sure to get rid of any loose hair. She knew from experience that it stimulated circulation and felt good. When the scrubbing was done she rinsed Celestia one final time, taking special care to be sure her mane and tail were clear.

Twilight levitated a dozen giant fluffy towels out of the cabinet with her magenta magic. She draped a pair of them over her own back for later, then sent the other ten roiling around Celestia to dry her off. At first, Twilight thought Celestia fidgeted under the buffing but then realized that she was bending and turning so Twilight could get the towels to every part of her body.

Even after her body was dry, Celestia’s yards long mane and tail were still damp. This was a common occurrence among Twilight and her friends when they went to the Ponyville Day Spa. Fluttershy’s own extravagant pink tresses took especially long to dry. Twilight used the same solution here that the Spa Sisters used. She levitated Celestia’s giant fluffy white robe out of the cabinet and draped it over her. While Celestia put her forelegs through the sleeves, Twilight wound up her mane and tail until each was encased within their own fresh towel.

Within the cabinet, Twilight also found robes set aside for other ponies. There was an extra large midnight blue robe, clearly for Luna, and several other cream-colored ones in more normal pony sizes. Twilight dried herself off, wound fresh towels around her still damp mane and tail, and put on a robe.

Celestia watched with interest but remained silent.

“Would you like to go sit by the fire?” Twilight asked.

“I’d like that.“ Celestia smiled weakly.

Twilight lead Celestia into the sitting room. She lit the fire with a spark from her horn. Celestia settled on a great crimson cushion in front of the fireplace. She took in a great breath, and blew it out with a sigh.

Inside the front doors, Twilight spotted a wheeled trolley with Celestia’s favorite tea set on the top and several covered dishes on the lower shelf. “I see Luna is thinking of us,” Twilight gestured at the trolley. “Tea?”

“Please,” was all Celestia said.

Twilight had seen Celestia brew the best cup of tea in Equestria by hoof many times. She’d even brewed tea by hoof herself at home a few times, just for the practice. But she’d never done it in front of Celestia. And she couldn't do it as a conjurer's trick and divide her focus. She needed that focus to do the job right.

Twilight gathered her mental checklist and set to work. Pour water into the kettle. Open the firebox. Let the water boil. Warm the teapot and cups with the water, then pour them out. Seven teaspoons of tea in the pot, six for the cups and one for the pot. Pour the hot water over the leaves and let it brew. Begin the count. Pour the last of the hot water into a second teapot to warm it then pour it out too. Keep counting to yourself so you know how long the tea has been brewing. When the count is done, put the strainer on the second teapot and pour from the first teapot into the second. Put the strainer aside and pour from the second teapot into the cups. Hope for the best.

She levitated the cups and saucers, moved over to sit on the cushion next to Celestia, and placed the teacup and saucer before her. Celestia didn’t pick it up with hooves or magic, but dipped her head down and slurped directly out of the cup. The resulting ‘tea smile’ was weak but genuine.

Celestia turned back to look at the fire. It crackled and popped and danced in the hearth. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Twilight leaned her body against Celestia’s. “Of course.”

Celestia turned to look Twilight in the eye next to her. When their eyes met, she grimaced, as if in pain, and shut them tight. “You’ve become such an amazing mare. I was a lonely, blubbering, mess on the floor. Now I’m clean, calm, wrapped in a soft robe before a crackling fire, and sipping marvelous tea made by one I care deeply for. You are so much more than I deserve.”

Knowing Celestia’s distress was caused by the symphony she brought her to, and based on the book she provided the composers, the praise felt ashen in Twilight’s mouth. “You deserve somepony who won’t cause such problems in the first place.”

“None of that, young lady.” Celestia’s looked Twilight in the eyes and tried to speak up, but her voice was halting. “You did nothing wrong. I owe you an explanation so that your fears and guilt do not run away with you.” While Celestia talked, tears formed at the corners of her eyes. “It may take a while, as I appear to still be a bit fragile.”

Twilight didn’t want to argue with Celestia, but she didn’t want her pushing herself to explain things at this moment. Celestia clearly needed more time to recover. “Explanations can wait. I’m not in any hurry.”

Twilight looked around for something, anything, which might distract Celestia. “What helps ponies feel better?” she thought. “Books?” her inner voice suggested. “Reading takes too much focus,” she replied internally. “Music?” came the inner suggestion. “Music is what got us into this mess!” Twilight’s eyes lit on the covered dished on the lower shelf of the tea trolley. “Food!” her inner voice and she cried internally together.

“Maybe there’s something on that trolley to go with the tea?” Twilight suggested out loud. She levitated a quartet of covered trays over and set them between the tea and the fireplace. The half dome covers and trays were made with polished silver and engraved with intricate scenes of all three tribes of ponies. Twilight sneaked each dome up to glance inside and make sure nothing was going to upset Celestia, and when they were OK, revealed them with an attempt at a flourish.

The first tray had baby carrots, celery, apple slices, and a daisy garnish. They were arrayed on a bed of crushed ice like a sunset, with the daisy as the sun. Two small bowls of creamy dipping sauce flanked the sun. The next tray had a tureen filled with steaming broth, chunks of vegetables, and small curly noodles. Two bowls, a ladle, and two soup spoons were set to the side. The third tray had a selection of scones, tea cookies, and sliced sweet breads arranged like a sunflower. The final tray had several generous slices of multi-layer yellow cake, with shiny chocolate icing and topped with crimson cherry halves. Two forks with long tines, a cake server, and two plates were set to the side.

Twilight licked her lips. “After so much drama, maybe something fortifying, like the soup?”

Celestia finally looked at Twilight without blanching or tears. “Have your forgotten the first lesson I ever taught you? Whenever you have the opportunity…”

“Eat dessert first!” they finished together.

Their mutual smiles were warm and genuine. Twilight leaned into Celestia and nuzzled neck to neck. For a moment, they each closed their eyes, their hearts were light, and the issues of the evening were set aside.

When the moment was done, Twilight levitated a slice of cake onto a plate. Celestia looked at the plate, then at Twilight. She flicked her eyes at the serving tray, then back at Twilight. “Oh!” Twilight exclaimed, and levitated a second piece of cake on the plate, before setting it in front of Celestia.

Twilight levitated a pair of scones from the tray, one for her plate, and one to nibble on. Celestia dispensed with levitation, dipped her head, and nibbled directly from the plate. With a millennium of cake eating skill, she avoided getting one speck of chocolate frosting on her pristine white coat.

While Celestia was eating her cake, Twilight had a few moments to breathe. It looked like she would be here a while. She summoned parchment and quill, and tossed off a quick note to Spike and Starlight, telling them she was helping Celestia and would be staying the night in Canterlot. She rolled it up and applied her seal.

“I’ll just be a moment,” she told Celestia. Twilight opened the door, stepped into the corridor, and spoke to the guards. “Please be sure this message is delivered to the Dragon Spike at my castle in Ponyville tonight.” One bowed and trotted off. Twilight returned to the sitting room.

“What’s another distraction?” Twilight thought as she entered. She had an idea, reached her magic into the bathroom, and levitated several bottles and brushes out into the sitting room. She knelt back beside Celestia and slipped the strap of a soft body brush over one hoof, then asked, “May I finish the job?” Celestia rolled to present her side to Twilight while keeping her muzzle free to take nips from the cake.

Twilight levitated Celestia’s robe off, then used the brush in long soft strokes. She started from the neck, just under the mane, and worked down and back. Celestia was a big pony and Twilight could make continuous strokes as long as her foreleg, without running out of coat to brush. With each stroke, Celestia’s coat glistened.

Comments

[Betshet]

This is so cute!

[TheLastBrunnenG]

“I’ll just be a moment,” she told Celestia. Twilight opened the door, stepped into the corridor, and spoke to the guards. “Please be sure this message is delivered to the Dragon Spike at my castle in Ponyville tonight.” One bowed and trotted off. Twilight returned to the sitting room.

Twilight has got to learn that dragon-mail spell.

Also, this has been a fantastic story. I ship these two, to be certain, but even as friendshipping this is lovely.

[bigbear]

Thank you to everyone for the kind words and suggestions.

8089945 Title dropping Eternal brought back wonderful memories. While this story is very different from Eternal, I consider that story a true pony fanfic classic and am honored to be mentioned in the same comment.

8117680 I wonder if dragon-mail messages can only go to and from a dragon, or if they can go between any two ponies who know the magical technique? If you have to have a dragon in the loop, would it be considered rude for one princess to send a message to Spike via dragon-mail, with the express intent of him sending it on to the other princess without reading it? Or would that be just an extension of how Spike handles dragon-mail messages now?

[Meridian Prime]

...Okay I know I commented just last chapter but goddamn, this is good. How the hell have I not come across you before?