Author's note: Twilestia time! Just a contemplative, fluffy, slightly (but not really) angsty, friendship piece that I had fun with. Things in italics are Twilight's memories. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Twilight, Princess Celestia, or My Littly Pony: Friendship is Magic.
The recently poured black coffee that sat in the library had lost its bitterness. Twilight took a sip and instantly relaxed. The little purple pony recalled the first time she had coffee: the taste had been so intense that she almost couldn't finish it. Now, if she didn't have that black nectar of the goddesses she would feel like death. It had such a unique scen that it could be mistaken for nothing else in the world. Lost in thought, Twilight remembered that of the five senses, smell is most closely related to memory. Sometimes she wished she could forget. Forget the lost remnants of introverted dwelling that she still clung to like a young filly clings to her mother's teat.
She took another sip.
The first time she had had coffee was with Princess Celestia. It had been a lovely spring morning and, as always, Twilight was waiting outside of the sun princess's chambers for her to emerge. Princess Celestia, effervescently gorgeous as ever, stepped slowly from behind the door that separated her from her student.
"Good morning Twilight Sparkle," the princess greeted.
"Good morning Princess," Twilight returned with a slight blush. She had already been under the tutelage of Equestria's ruler for a year now, but she was still awed in her presence.
"I believe we shall being today in the garden," Celestia stated.
"The garden, Princess?" Twilight question. They usually started with theory in the Great Library on Mondays. This was not what they usually did. Twilight liked routine.
"Yes," the princess responded simply, then added, "I think it will be a nice change. It is such a lovely day."
"Yes, lovely indeed!" Twilight said with far too much enthusiasm. Twilight liked routine, but the one thing she liked better than routine was Princess Celestia.
The princess led her to a table in the royal gardens. It was already set for two: two napkins, two light pastries, two seats, and two cups of coffee. Twilight inquisitively tilted her head to the side as she sat down and smelled the coffee. It smelled lovely, like a muggy summer morning with a hint of freshly ground hazelnuts. Twilight took a moment to appreciate the scent wafting from her steaming cup. Surely, something that smells this good will also taste this good! Princess Celestia watched in silent humor as her student examined the novel beverage.
To indicate that it was alright to begin breakfast, Celestia took a sip of her coffee. A good subject waits out of courtesy for her princess to take the first bite or sip before consuming anything. There was cream, sugar, and milk on the table, but following Celestia, Twilight put nothing in her coffee. The sun princess watched without watching as Twilight took the first sip of coffee. Its bitterness far exceeded the young filly's expectation and it was all she could do not to spit it out.
"How are you enjoying the coffee?" Asked Princess Celestia as she took another sip of her own.
"Oh, it's… great! I, uh, it is something different!" Twilight awkwardly responded.
Princess Celestia smiled coyly. "I'm glad you like it. It was a gift from… a dear friend of mine." The elegant mare seemed to linger in that last sentence, as if she were contemplating something. Twilight noticed the slight bags under her eyes, but she let it go. Everypony has trouble sleeping sometimes, even if that pony is an immortal sun goddess.
Twilight shook her head. She hadn't realized it, but she had been daydreaming about that memory for almost ten minutes! She magicked her cup of coffee up to her lips.
"Gahh!" She spit it out. Ice cold. "Spike!" She called.
Her faithful dragon assistant ran to the library. "Yeah Twilight?"
"Could you heat this up for me? It's cold."
"Of course!" Spike grabbed the mug and heated it with his fire breath. Handing it back to her, Spike noticed large bags under Twilight's eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well. "Are you alright, Twi?"
"Yes!" She snapped, then, seeing her friend flinch she softened her tone. "Yes Spike, I'm fine, just a little sleepy. I could really use this coffee!" She laughed it off.
"Okay…" said Spike, not entirely convinced, but he left to finish his morning chores.
Twilight took the first sip of her recently-warmed coffee. Heaven! Nothing could top the feeling of smooth black coffee warming her belly. It was such a simple, mundane thing, but she wouldn't be able to start her day without it. Speaking of starting her day…
Twilight pulled a book of the shelf: "Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Life of Young Foals". She had started a new project on friendship for the princess. Celestia had asked her to study how friendship begins and grows in foals. So much about friendship is about the foundation laid is foalhood.
Twilight launched herself into her work. She had remembered to drink her coffee while she was reading so it wouldn't get cold again. By midday she had books strewn about the library accompanied by broken quills and balled up pieces of parchment. She had a neat stack of papers on her desk; those were her compiled notes from all the books she had gotten through. The stack grew ever-higher as Celestia's sun sunk below the horizon.
Finally, at 2 o'clock in the morning, Twilight succumbed to sleep. She didn't have enough energy to make it to her bed, so she just slept on the floor of the library. Surrounded by books and a warm summer breeze, Twilight drifted into a restless sleep.
6 am came far too early for the sleepy unicorn. Twilight rose slowly, her muscles reminding her that she had slept on the floor. She groggily made her way to her beloved coffee maker and put it to work. She stretched gently to even out her tight muscles while she waited for the coffee to brew. Soon, the tree-house was filled with the lovely aroma of a blonde roast.
Back to the library to start her work.
Spike watched her nervously from the other room. Twilight had been acting a little off for the past three weeks. She was always working hard, harder than usual. She was distant and hadn't been making time for her friends. She just drowned herself in her studies and her spells. It was the same routine day in and day out: 6 am rise, coffee, library, maybe eat something if Spike forced her, fall asleep around 2-3 am when she was too exhausted to stay awake. "There's only one pony who can fix this…" Spike thought to himself.
Around 2:30pm that same day, Twilight smelled something familiar. It was a scent she had almost forgotten, but it was tied to a precious memory. Muggy summer morning, freshly ground hazelnuts… "It can't be," Twilight said to herself aloud. She shook her head and returned to her studies. The warm, comforting scent wafted to her nostrils and teased her with its alluring fragrance. After five minutes of the smell growing stronger in her library she gave up trying to ignore it and pursued the scent to its location. Leaving her books and papers, she travelled from the library to the common room. Nothing there. She traveled up the stairs to her bedroom. Still nothing. She searched for ten minutes in vain until she saw that the window to the outside loft was open.
Walking over to the window, she muttered, "I could have sworn I closed-" she stopped mid-speech. She had been completely awe struck by the being on the loft. Soft, glowing mane, lily-white coat, shinning gold adorned by the finest jewels, and those spectacular, piercing light magenta eyes... "P-Princess Celestia!" Twilight greeted, still slightly shocked at her mentor's presence.
"My dear Twilight Sparkle," the princess greeted. "Nothing relaxes the soul like a nice cup of coffee with a friend, hmm?"
After Twilight got over the shock of seeing Princess Celestia, she noticed the beautiful spread in front of her: there was a lovely glass-top table set squarely in the center of her loft. Its legs were made of the finest silver, and hoof crafted with intricate designs of ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. A wide variety of the finest pastries were placed on a lovely porcelain plate in the middle of the table; everything from petit choux to chocolate and cream biscuits. Although all of those things were beautiful, what caught Twilight's eye was the coffee pot: it was pure white, crafted out of porcelain, set in rose gold. It was simple, but so elegant. In a quaint way, it reminded her of the princess. Inside the coffee pot was the very same roast that they had shared the first time Twilight had ever tried coffee.
"Please Twilight, have a seat," Princess Celestia gently coaxed.
Twilight quietly complied.
Princess Celestia poured the hot ebony liquid from the pot into her cup and Twilight's cup. Instantly Twilight was filled with memories of that day, the very first day when they were in the garden. It had been so pleasant and unexpected long ago, much as it was when the princess showed up at the library without warning. Twilight waited for her mentor to take a sip before she indulged herself. They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the hot beverage and each other's company.
Twilight remembered her first impression of coffee, of this coffee. She thought to herself how much had changed in the years that had passed. It truly was a delicious roast; one which she had not fully appreciated the first time she tasted it. She was so happy being with Princess Celestia and enjoying the beautiful spread that the white alicorn had brought with her.
"This is very lovely, Princess," said Twilight. "But I must ask: why are you here? Is there some crisis looming that you want to tell me about? Are you okay? Is Princess Luna okay?"
The sun princess chuckled softly. "Are you not pleased to see me, my faithful student?"
Twilight's cheeks took on a ruddy hue. "O-of course not, Princess! It's always wonderful to see you! I just, it's just you never come by for no reason."
"My reason, dear Twilight, is to see you," said the princess with a loving smile. "I had a feeling you could use a break from your studies." The elegant mare winked at Spike, who had alerted her that Twilight might be overworking herself.
"Thank you, Princess. I just want you to be happy with my studies and my work on the magic of friendship." Twilight paused in contemplation for a moment. "I've missed you, Princess."
"I've missed you too, my dear faithful student. I have never been prouder of you or your studies."
Twilight sighed contentedly and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. She longed for the approval of her mentor and friend and it felt good to hear it straight from her that she was happy. Twilight loved her friends and she loved Ponyville, but Celestia was the one she loved the most.
The coffee pot was all but drained as the sun sunk below the horizon line. The mentor and her student, two friends, talked long into the evening. They shared theories of magic, new spells they had learned, and spoke of their hopes for the future of Equestria. It had been a perfect evening, but it had to come to an end.
Princess Celestia prepared herself to leave and bid farewell to the little purple pony. "It has been great to see you, my dear Twilight."
"It was great to see you too, Princess," Twilight said as she hugged her mentor. She buried her nose in the soft white coat. The Princess smelled of warm summer evenings. It was such a comforting, familiar smell. "I love you, Princess," she mumbled into Celestia's milk-white fur.
"I love you too, dear Twilight," the Princess whispered back.
The immortal goddess of the sun never felt happier than when she had her little pony pressed closely to her heart. The little purple unicorn never felt happier than when she could hear her Princess' heart beating close to her ear.