Royal-Tea for Two

The atmosphere in the small, albeit cozy Canterlot Castle room was tense. At least, that's what it felt like to you. Your companion, meanwhile, was as hard to read as ever. A coy smile was plastered on her face as she sipped at her cup of tea, steam still gently rising from the fine china and curving delicately around her long horn before dissipating entirely. You attempt to do the same, but only manage to force a small grin and then burn your tongue on the tea that was frankly too bitter for your taste. You had thought this would be a great idea and you would finally have your chance to get this mare to open up to you, but now that you're here, you can't help feeling tongue-tied. How did you get into this situation?

You arrived in Equestria about eight months ago. This magical land of candy-colored equines and boundless friendship was extremely foreign to you when compared to your dreary, soul-stealing urban lifestyle back at home. One second you were grabbing your keys and about to head to your underpaying nine-to-five, the next you were face down in a fountain in what appeared to be a medieval-style village. A quick scan around the area showed many quadrupedal creatures of many shapes, sizes, and colors. They looked as shocked as you, as a combination of fear, confusion, and general disbelief left you paralyzed where you stood. Most of the creatures (who you would later find are apparently ponies) then ran off in all directions, save for a mint-green mare appearing more curious than afraid (though still keeping its distance). It wasn't long before you were accosted by a pair of white stallions in regal-looking armor. Over the next few hours, you would be tied up like a wild animal, thrown into a train car, shipped off into a grand city built into the side of a mountain, and locked in what appeared to be a cell built into what was once an admittedly beautiful mine.

Your salvation would finally come in the form of a mare with a snow-white coat. She had a much larger stature than that of the ponies you had seen thus far, and she wore regal-looking adornments on her hooves, around her neck, and upon her head. A long horn protruded from said head, and a pair of large feathered wings sprouted from her back. Her mane seemed to defy gravity, as many shades of blues, greens, and pinks endlessly flowed outward. You had learned by now that these ponies spoke the same language as you, though none seemed to want to listen to anything you had to say. She, however, greeted you with a kind smile, and you found the door keeping you imprisoned to be wide open.

"I am deeply sorry for the conduct of my people. I take full responsibility for how you have been treated, and I hope you can find it in you to forgive us."

She gave a deep bow and lowered her head, her horn nearly touching the ground. You told her that it was okay, but you had no idea where you were or what was going on. She raised herself back up to look at you. Despite being the largest pony in Equestria (as far as you know), her eyes are only up to your neck. Finally getting a chance to get a good look at one of these ponies, you have to admit that they are way cuter than they have any right to be.

"May I ask for your name, my little human?"

With those words, you were finally introduced into Equestria. You didn't know it at the time, but this land would be where you would spend the rest of your life. This mare, Princess Celestia, rules over the kingdom alongside her younger sister. With a combination of her calm demeanor, thousands of years of experience (you had a hard time believing that), and extreme magical prowess (you had a REALLY hard time believing that), she is able to ensure that this land exists in a state of relative peace. At first, the princess believed that you had been transported to this world accidentally by means of a magical mirror-portal. The princess was mistaken, as her theory (which explained how she was able to identify your species) brought to light the information that there is more than one world that contains humans, though you are fairly certain that the humans in yours don't come with candy-colored skin or sprout wings when playing particularly passionate music.

The princess would go on to summon another pony who you would come to know as Twilight Sparkle, your closest friend in this foreign world. Without any knowledge of your origins, it seemed that these ponies could do little to help you but make your stay in Equestria as comfortable as possible, at least until this Twilight Sparkle could determine the location of your home and the means of your sudden transport. With the help of her (and later your) friends, she would eventually reach the conclusion that you were dreading.

"I'm so, so sorry. The amount of magic necessary to send you home is greater than any feat known to ponykind. Even if all three princesses worked together, the best we could hope for would be to... well, not send you in one piece, that's for sure."

So you were stuck here. Apparently, some kind of "magic surge" occurred, and you just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thanks to that, everything you had ever known would be nothing more than a memory to you. Your family, friends, dreams, lifestyle, all gone in the blink of an eye. As much as you'd like to say that you took it well, the truth is that you panicked in the face of utter helplessness.

With no other options and nowhere to go, your temporary residence in what was once a storage room in the basement/laboratory of the Golden Oak Library of Ponyville became your new home, and your new housemates (treemates?) were a unicorn and a dragon. What a world.

Lo and behold though, these housemates and their friends made it their mission to become close to you, and they absolutely succeeded. Each took a different approach in getting you acquainted with your new life. The pink one helped you out of your dark mentality, as you found it impossible not to crack a smile at her boundless enthusiasm. The orange mare that apparently worked on a farm helped you to adjust your diet, as you couldn't bring yourself to eat meat after surrounding yourself with creatures that you previously believed to be food but here are capable of higher levels of thought. After learning of your discomfort in only having one outfit that got caked in dirt and sweat very quickly, one of the mares made it her mission to become intricately familiar with your physique in order to ensure that you had clothes on your back, and fashionable ones at that. All in all, these ponies didn't turn out to be so bad. In fact, you felt closer to them than you ever had to anyone back at home. Slowly but surely, you allowed yourself to be happy again.

Over time, you started to make a name for yourself in Ponyville. With the guidance of Twilight, you started to make friends with nearly everyone in town (which is much easier in a society without the screen-based technologies of home) and despite their initial hesitance, you found each other to be in good company. In the meantime, you assisted Twilight as much as you could with her research, of which you were often the subject. However, you started to catch on to the fact that her dragon assistant seemed to be a bit jealous of this, so you decided to find a job elsewhere. This was easier than you thought, as your thumbs proved to be quite useful in many places of employment and you eventually found yourself with a stable and comfortable job at "Quills and Sofas." All things considered, the life you had built for yourself in Equestria was a happy one, and your future started to look brighter than ever before.

However, throughout your life in Equestria, there was one occurrence that you never quite got used to. About once a month, the young dragon would hand you a piece of parchment sealed shut by a fancy seal. You would come to know this as the royal seal, for Princess Celestia herself sent you these letters. Contained within there was an invitation to Canterlot Castle, a request to speak with you privately right after the sun goes down. At first, this terrified you, and the train ride to Canterlot was arguably even more stressful than when you were brought there in chains. Why did the princess want to speak to you? Sure, she acted kind and released you upon your initial arrival to Equestria, but that did not make her any less imposing. She could banish you to the moon or lock you away in Tartarus for the rest of your days, and she wouldn't even need to break a sweat to do so. What business did she have with the furless alien?

As it turned out, not much. She was genuinely fascinated by the idea of you being so foreign to her lands, and she wanted to know everything she could about your previous life. You were both flattered and anxious, as you were more than happy to share what you knew but you weren't quite sure how to present the information. After all, your life wasn't particularly interesting. It didn't help that you were still intimidated by Her Majesty.

"Hmhm, please, call me Celestia. So long as we're behind closed doors there is no need for honorifics."

Perhaps she was just being humble or maybe she was well-practiced in getting others to open up to her, but either way, this did make you much more comfortable. You told her whatever came to mind and answered her questions as best as you could, telling stories of your family, the history of your home country, or modern scientific advances completely foreign to the comparatively simple Equestrian technological world. You wondered if your stories were even remotely interesting. You're a full-grown adult, and you don't think your life is much to talk about. However, as you spoke, she was hanging on your every word.

Such a meeting was never going to last. She was still the leader of a nation, and she had to be up first thing in the morning to raise the sun, apparently (seriously, how does that even work). On top of that, while you are no expert in reading the emotions of others, the dark circles around her eyes made it clear that she was exhausted. You dared to voice your concerns to the princess. A slight chuckle escaped her lips.

"I appreciate your concern, I truly do, but do not fret over me. I am sure you are aware that as a princess, I have many duties to attend to. Alicorn or otherwise, I still need rest like everypony else. I suppose I should take better care of myself, at least so that I may avoid worrying my friends, no?"

Friends. She saw you as a friend? You had only spoken twice! Sure, both meetings were quite pleasant, but you certainly didn't have the gall to make such presumptions. Still, it came from her mouth, not yours. Friends with royalty it is, then. Of course, this only made you more concerned for her well being, but you decided not to bring it up.

All in all, the meeting only lasted about an hour. You wished Celestia a nice evening, and she suggested that you meet again before retiring to her bedchambers. Feeling content, you left as well and spent the evening in the ornate castle guest room that she had prepared for you before your return trip to Ponyville in the morning. She made good on her suggestion, and you received another letter the following month. This became your usual routine, and you would come to consider Princess Celestia herself amongst your closest friends. You learned much about her, including her fondness for sweets and her "rocky" history with her sister. That said, you could never quite get her to open up about how she actually felt. Any time you began to breach the topic of her exhaustion, she would masterfully change the subject back to you again. However, even with her apparent control of your conversations, you were able to pick up one thing: Princess Celestia is overworked, and she refuses to admit it. Whether she is afraid of appearing weak, doesn't want to burden others, or any other number of reasons, you could only speculate. You knew she could take care of herself, but it still didn't feel very nice to be unable to help a friend in need. Maybe you've just been around Twilight too much. Regardless, you looked forward to your little meetings with the princess.

With your new friends and your new life filling you with a sense of happiness and fulfillment, it was only natural that something had to give. On what seemed to be an ordinary summer day, a stallion frantically knocked on the library door. Twilight greeted him and invited him inside, and you immediately recognized his armor as that of the Royal Guard. He explained to you that Equestria was in grave danger, and the Guard was quickly running out of options. With no one else to turn to, he hoped that the famed "Elements of Harmony" might be able to save the day. With only a moment's hesitation, Twilight grabbed you and scrambled to tell your friends about the situation.

Apparently, an ancient entity had escaped Tartarus. A being known only as Shadowmere, it had a body of pure shadow, with piercing red eyes terrifying those that saw it. As the stories went, it moved completely silently, and it never showed any emotion. Nobody knew what exactly it wanted, but if you saw it, you would have all the magic drained from your body. Twilight explained that this did not just apply to unicorns, as the pegasi's ability to fly and the innate strength of earth ponies were also derived from magic. Basically, seeing Shadowmere would incapacitate a pony indefinitely. It would have brought Equestria to its knees if it wasn't for some famed wizard hundreds of years ago. With a bit of time, perhaps you could have learned how exactly he was able to banish Shadowmere to Tartarus, but with the villain already within Canterlot, your motley crew didn't have the luxury of preparation. It was do or die.

After arriving in Canterlot, you found that all of its residents had either evacuated or were littering the streets, their bodies grey and filled with so much fatigue that they could hardly stand. Even the royal sisters had succumbed to the terrible shadow, and their desperate faces made the silent throne room even more eerie. The plan was simple. Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony would prepare some kind of magical friendship blast (you still cannot believe that's actually a thing) and lure Shadowmere to them, where the might of their friendship would overpower it. The bait worked for sure, but their plan fell apart immediately as they found that not even the Elements of Harmony could outpace whatever dark aura empowered Shadowmere.

Thus, you found yourself standing in the Canterlot Castle throne room, surrounded by the incapacitated forms of your friends, also known as the strongest ponies in Equestria. Oh dear. You were not delusional. You were never that brave to begin with, and you certainly are not some kind of hero. Still, you really didn't have a choice. Shadowmere was between you and the door, after all. Wait, what? Why weren't you on the ground with your allies?

Oh, duh. You aren't magic.

Without any idea of what to do and without any spells to speak of, a strange feeling began to well up within you, and you did the first thing that came to mind. Adrenaline carried you forward about ten steps, closing the gap between you and this terrifying creature as quickly as your legs could carry you, and you let loose the only thing at your disposal: a right hook. Turns out, Shadowmere had never considered basic violence a possibility, and after appearing dazed for just a second it fell to the ground. Endless color erupted from its body in an almost mist-like substance that ultimately found its way back to each and every pony that had their magic stolen from them. In an instant, you became a hero.

The next few days were dedicated to recovery. Following the conflict, an assembly of important-looking unicorns managed to banish Shadowmere to Tartarus once again, while you and your friends decided to assist in the reconstruction efforts. Or at least, that was the plan. Turns out Shadowmere itself didn't actually cause any damage, and any attempts at resistance ended about as soon as they began, so a small amount of disarray was the worst that had occurred in Canterlot. You figure that there's probably plenty of psychological damage done to the poor locals and therapy is all but guaranteed, but you can't exactly help much in that regard. Regardless, you all spent the next few days in Canterlot Castle.

Right as you started to believe that it was about time for you and your friends to catch a train back to Ponyville, you received a summons from Celestia herself. Apparently they were holding some sort of "unveiling" event and she insisted that you be present for it. Not wanting to disappoint your friend (and somewhat out of fear of disobeying an order from royalty), you got dressed for the event (by brushing your hair and nothing else, you didn't bring a change of clothes with you in the panic) and prepared for whatever Celestia had in store for you. For some reason, you felt a tinge of anxiety as you walked out the door.

The throne room was surprisingly crowded, with many high-class looking ponies of every size and color dotting the long corridor under the watchful eyes of the royal sisters. Your friends arrived a little before you, and greeted you with a smile. Some light chatter with them inevitably led to you questioning the purpose of the event, to which your apple-loving compatriot responded with a light chuckle.

"Oh yeah, this is your first time. Don't worry about it sugarcube, you're gonna love it."

At that moment, Celestia called for everyone's attention. She gave a long preamble about the "peace and prosperity of Equestria" and how protecting that was of "utmost importance to all of its citizens." Frankly, you were a bit distracted. She still had your full attention, but you didn't really comprehend the words coming out of her mouth so much as the manner in which they were said. It was extremely faint, and judging by the smiles across the room, you figured you were the only one who noticed, but there was that twinge of exhaustion in her voice, just as you had noticed during your meetings with her. In fact, if not for those meetings, you would have figured nothing was wrong.

"And once again, despite being sworn to protect Equestria and the creatures that live there, I have failed you. It is with a heavy heart that I offer my sincerest apologies."

She took a great bow before the crowd. You immediately felt empathetic to her. You are no stranger to failure, and it didn't occur to you until now that she might be facing backlash at her apparent helplessness days before. Of course she was fatigued. If she was overworked before, you cannot imagine the stress she must be under now. And you didn't fail to notice her emphasis on "once again." Your friends had told you about what had transpired in the months before your arrival in Equestria, including the battles against Nightmare Moon and Queen Chrysalis. The poor mare is on a losing streak, it seems, and you doubt the Canterlot nobles care how hard she is trying.

"However, once again others rose to the occasion where I could not. Although, it seems we as a whole have become a bit too reliant on the Elements of Harmony. It seems that the magic of friendship, although still Equestria's greatest weapon, is not all-powerful. No, today a hero stands before us. A hero so strange and unconventional, I am sure that many of you do not even know what species to call them."

Oh dear, she's talking about you. You're already getting quite a few glances, including the almost comically unsubtle stare of your party pony comrade. You were never good with attention.

"Yet, this hero did what nopony could, and risked their very life in an attempt to save us when all hope seemed lost. It seems that we, or at least I, have much to learn from you."

She looked directly at you. Everypony who did not already have their attention turned on you most certainly did now, and you could feel yourself getting sweaty and tense under their gaze. Thankfully, Celestia began to speak once again.

"And so, it is with great honor that I would like to unveil the newest piece of art in the Canterlot Castle throne room to commemorate such a momentous occasion."

With that, a set of large red curtains on the western wall that you had failed to notice before parted, revealing a beautiful stained-glass window underneath. The window depicted the faces of several grey and scared ponies along the bottom, looking upwards at a human boldly uppercutting a caricature of Shadowmere against a backdrop of the very throne Celestia was seated upon. The sun began to set, allowing the window to illuminate the chamber with dozens of gorgeous colors (dang it Celestia, you did that on purpose). Congratulations! In your desire to avoid being the center of attention, you are now permanently transfixed upon the wall of a freaking throne room.

"So, brave hero, please step forth and allow Equestria to see its savior."

Your body language must have been a sight to see, as all of your muscles stiffened up and you began to hesitate for a good twenty seconds before coming to terms with your situation. You slowly hobbled to the back of the room to place yourself before the throne, your still-energetic pink friend cheering for you all the while. Celestia looked down at you and smiled. Unlike before, you felt that you could read her well this time. It was a warm, inviting smile. She was really happy to see you, perhaps thankful that her "hero" was the human that she was coming to know personally? Yet, to you, that smile just made the rest of her features stand out more. Her eyes had the faintest wrinkle to them, her words the tiniest bit of weariness.

"I know that you are still relatively new to our realm, but we are truly thankful that this is the place you now call home. As you may not be aware, we celebrate many victories such as the one you just brought to us in this throne room, but being so alien to us, such a custom may not suit you. So, in return for restoring peace to Canterlot, I will allow you to ask any one request of me."

What, like a wish? What is she, a genie?

"I am no miracle worker, but I can promise you that I will do all that I can to see whatever you desire come to pass. Within reason, of course."

She gave you a sly wink at that remark. She was clearly trying to act confident and coy as usual, despite whatever might really be going through her head. As you thought this, the room grew silent. Celestia was waiting for a response, and you suddenly remembered the hundreds of eyes fixed upon you, eagerly anticipating your next few words.

Many thoughts and possibilities ran through your mind. What could she give you? Information? Power? She couldn't send you back home, at least you knew that. What could you possibly ask for? You were already getting into a perfectly happy routine with your new life here, what more could you need?

You looked back at her. She stared directly into your eyes expectantly, before she surprisingly blinked and looked away. From her body language, you could have swore you saw the tiniest sigh. You once again started to feel terrible. She was already overworked and possibly being blamed for her failure to stop Shadowmere, and now you had to ask her to do something for you?

A feeling began to well up within you, a feeling shockingly similar to what you felt as you stared down Shadowmere days prior. Before you stood a tired mare at the end of her rope, and you alone had the opportunity to say something. Without thinking, you dramatically raised your arm and pointed directly at Celestia, causing her eyes to widen a bit at the sudden burst of energy and meet your gaze once more. Not even you could fathom what you were about to say.

"Princess Celestia, I request a weekly Sunday tea with you!"

So now here you are, on your first tea for two with Princess Celestia, sitting in awkward silence across from the mare and sipping at tea that you're not a huge fan of. Your hope was that you would be able to get Celestia to open up to you, to have someone that she can treat as a true equal and share her burdens with. By having tea, you ensured that your meetings would be private and casual, though still befitting a mare of her standing. However, now that you're here, you don't really know what to say. You could easily continue where you left off with your prior meetings with the princess, but you considered those more formal meetings than this. You wanted this to be personal, cathartic, perhaps even fun for her. You need an icebreaker of some kind, something to get a royal interested in the conversation.

"So... wonderful weather today, huh?"

"Yes, the Canterlot Weather Team was handpicked by yours truly. They are excellent at what they do."

Aw shoot you forgot pegasi control the weather this is going terribly already oh no oh no oh n-

"I must ask, why make this your request?"

She gently places her tea back onto its saucer before looking to meet your gaze once more. Her expression seems curious and perhaps a bit serious, but behind that there is the same warmth you have grown familiar with. On top of that, she seems a bit more... rested. She continues to speak.

"I understand that you don't believe you did much to become a 'hero,' but you truly did do us a great service. Surely there is some sort of amenity or service that is missing from your previous life, something you want but are unable to acquire? We already meet regularly, why make this of all things your one request?"

Straight to the point, it seems. She has completely dropped her sly demeanor, her curiosity taking over entirely. You explain to her that you are happy already, and that there is nothing you particularly miss from your old home. You go silent for just a moment, thinking of the right words.

"This request isn't for me, actually. I wanted it to be for you."

She seemed surprised at that.

"You've just seemed so... tired, I guess. You never talk about it, and I know I haven't really known you for that long, but I worry about you. Especially after what happened the other day, I can't imagine what you must be going through."

She let out an empty chuckle at that, and looked at you with a smile. A tired smile. At once, her visage seemed to change completely. She was no longer making any effort to conceal her fatigue, and while you could notice it before, any given pony that saw her would realize something was wrong.

"As I have said before, it is nothing for you to worry about. The fact that you would go to such lengths for my well-being is extremely flattering, though. Not even Twilight has done something like this, though I imagine that's because she, like nearly everypony in Equestria, reveres me too much. Thank you, truly, but please do not concern yourself so."

She doesn't even realize it, but she's opening up to you already. Maybe it's just because you were listening for it, but you caught that quick slip of insecurity. Everypony in Equestria reveres her, huh? That makes sense, but you hadn't considered that it may cause her to be lonely. You know talking to her was the whole point of having tea in the first place, but does she really not have anyone to talk to personally? You decide to inquire.

"Nopony checks in on you? Not even Princess Luna?"

"My sister has duties of her own, and given the nature of our roles here in Equestria, I do not get to see her as much as I would like. Besides, such a confidant is unnecessary."

"Be that as it may, we all need a friend to rely on. Even if it's just someone to lend you their ear. Isn't that why you sent Twilight to Ponyville? I know you've been getting her letters, at the very least."

She looks down once more and absentmindedly pours herself another cup of tea. Your cup has long since been abandoned. Even if you wanted to take another drink to keep up the act of enjoying it, it has gotten cold. She takes a sip, but seems to be in thought. Her mouth opens to speak, then closes again. For the first time, she seems at a loss for words. You realize that at this point you're basically lecturing her, but you continue to speak anyway. Any anxiety or reservations you once had are long gone as you focus entirely on Celestia.

"I guess that's why I wanted to do this. I want to give you a break. I want to give you the opportunity to stop worrying about your duties, or your image, or the fate of Equestria. At least for a little while, I want you to be able to recuperate. I want to be that friend you can talk to. You have to deal with a lot, but you don't have to carry that burden alone."

You realize that you're starting to sound like a counselor, or more realistically a cheesy soap opera. Celestia is still looking at anything but you, and has fallen completely silent.

"I figured by making this my request, none of those nobles or naysayers could argue about you taking the time to do this. But, if you really don't think this is necessary or that you're better off without it, I have no qualms making this a one-time thing."

A very slight feeling of worry filled your heart when you said that. Maybe you want to be around the princess a bit more than you thought? You suppose it doesn't matter, as she clearly doesn't feel the same.

Moments begin to pass, your words hanging heavy in the air. The room begins to feel less cozy and more claustrophobic, and the seconds begin to feel like minutes. Maybe this was a terrible idea after all. You stare into your mostly full teacup and realize that now you're the one avoiding her gaze. Finally, she speaks.

"You ARE different, aren't you?"

You slowly work up the courage to raise your eyes once more. A very small smile rests upon her face. Still tired, but undoubtedly genuine. Her (admittedly adorable) fluffy ears are drooped to the sides of her head, and you may be imagining it, but it seems like her endlessly flowing mane is moving just a bit slower than usual. She was still avoiding eye contact.

"I never doubt that my little ponies of Equestria are wonderful, and sweet, and kind. They share their friendship so freely, and it's what makes this incredible kingdom of mine so happy. But, as its ruler, I have to embody those traits. I have to embody them knowing that those connections can never quite be reciprocated. It's a burden that I choose to bear so that my subjects do not have to."

You finally lock eyes once more.

"But you don't see me as a princess. At first I was an alien to you. You only referred to me as "princess" because you were told to. I could tell every time we spoke that the barrier between ruler and subject was nowhere to be found. You speak openly, and with no reservations. You've become my friend, through and through. I refer to many of my subjects as such. But I think you are the first in my thousands of years of ruling that has truly taken that title to heart."

You can't help but smile back at her. It seems your feelings really did get through to her. For the first time since meeting her, she seems more relieved than exhausted.

"Hmhm, the burdens I carry are quite heavy, dear 'hero.' Are you sure you don't want to back down from this?"

You laugh at that, and the tension in the room seems to melt away entirely. You assure her that you would love to hear about how she really feels.

"Very well, then. For now, I must return to my duties, but I am looking forward to these little dates of ours."

She walks around the table and wraps one of her forelegs around you, pulling you into the best hug she can muster around your human form. If it wasn't for the fact that you were sitting down this would probably be really uncomfortable for the both of you, but with the height at which you're sitting (chairs in Equestria are a bit short for human use) she manages to rest her head on top of yours. Beneath her regalia her chest floof pushes against your face, and it's shockingly soft and comfortable. You return the hug as best you can before she pulls away. You share a quick laugh before she excuses herself, leaving you alone with nothing but the tea and your thoughts. She seemed much more energetic as she walked out the door. Maybe this was a good idea after all.

Wait did she call it a date?