/ Ch.2 Tea Time And Stargazing / Story: Aero's Amorous Adventures / by StormHoof32 /-/
CHAPTER 2
Tea Time And Stargazing
When Celestia had finished her breakfast, some staff came out of the same door the cook had in order to gather the now empty plates. Dabbing her mouth with a small napkin, she stood. Smiling, she wrapped a wing around Aero and brought him out of the dining hall and into a hallway opposite the one he had come from.
"Shall we begin this tour?" She asked.
"But Celestia don't you have royal duties?" he asked in return.
"Normally I would." she replied, "But would you like to know a little secret?"
Aero looked up at her curiously, "Um, sure." he replied. Celestia looked around, as if making sure nopony was watching. It reminded Aero of his friends back home when they didn't want to get caught doing something bad. Slowly she leaned down and got really close to Aero's ear.
"I was planning on playing hooky today." She whispered, following it with a light giggle.
Aero was no stranger to the art of playing hooky. He himself had not wanted to go to school quite a few times, and he knew, that if playing hooky from school was tough, doing so with royal duties had to be even harder. Once more she wrapped her wing around him and lead him down the corridor, pointing out some of the stained glass windows in the hall. As she pointed each one out she would tell him how it came to be.
There were so many interesting stories she told him that keeping them all straight was a hassle for him. After a while though, they came upon the royal gardens, which as he could tell was only getting minor sprinkles. Looking up he could see what looked almost like a barrier above them, only allowing enough water through to keep the gardens alive. Something like that fascinated Aero.
"I normally would have my tea time in the gardens, its very relaxing." Celestia explained, "But because of today's storm I think we can just have tea in my study. It's where me and my old student would relax and talk about our day."
"Old student?" Aero inquired.
"Yes. Although you might know her name. My old student was Princess Twilight." She said, a smile adorning her face as memories of the past swirled within her mind.
"Oh! I've heard of her before." Aero replied. They had been taught in school about Princess Twilight and how her and her friends had saved Equestria so many times. Celestia smiled and began bringing him along once more into a different part of the castle.
For some reason, Aero could see her constantly looking down at him, as if mulling something over, something she wasn't quite sure how to say. Deciding for her, Aero spoke up.
"Princess? Um, I mean Celestia?" Aero asked, trying not to use her title was difficult for him, "You look like you have something on your mind."
"You are quite perceptive for one so young. Indeed I do." she replied. "But it will have to wait until we get to my study, can you wait until then?"
Aero nodded. He really wanted to know what was on her mind, but pushing for her to tell him might make her upset, and Aero did not want that. They continued on their tour as Celestia pointed out points of interest should he ever decide to explore the castle. Eventually they came to a crossroad. One hallway looked to be adorned in plenty of white and gold, with nice clear windows that normally allowed sunlight to shine brightly onto the woven tapestries that depicted Celestia's cutie mark. But because of the storm the hall was a lot darker. Although not as dark as the hallway opposite of this one. The other hallway had all the windows shuttered along with torches, ablaze with a soft blue light that cast flickering shadows along the wall. This hall had symbols of the moon everywhere.
"Aero, I'd like to welcome you to the Solar, and Lunar wings of the castle. My study is in the Solar Wing." She replied pointing a hoof down the brighter hallway.
"Is this hallway where Princess Luna lives?" he asked, turning his head to the Lunar Wing.
"Indeed it is. There will be time to introduce you two later." she explained, "I'm sure she is still asleep."
Deciding they had dawdled enough at the center of the two hallways, Celestia led the two of them down the Solar Wing towards her study. After having passed four wooden doors they came up to a large ornate wooden door. This one was carved quite intricately. Celestia's cutie mark was carved into each of the corners, surrounded by gold filigree. The entire door was carved with twists and turns, reminding Aero of calligraphy, only on a much larger scale that depicted leaves and flowers, each also surrounded by gold filigree. It had to be the most beautiful door he had ever seen in his life.
Celestia, noticing that he had been staring too long, opened the door and led him inside. The inside of her study was filled with tons and tons of shelves, all containing scrolls. The floor was covered in a plush red carpet that felt softer than satin against Aero's hooves. The room was slightly dark due to the storm. Upon noticing this, Celestia's horn lit up, lighting several lanterns around the room. As Aero looked around he noticed the desk in the center of the room. It looked like it was made of cherry wood, giving it a light reddish color. On top of the desk sat an open scroll and an inkwell with a single quill sticking out.
To the right of the desk was a large stone fireplace where a now crackling fire was spreading warmth throughout the room. To the left of the desk was a large cupboard that seemed to be made of the same cherry wood as the desk. After unlatching the cupboard, Celestia levitated a tea set, some tea leaves, and some cushions, all of which she placed in front of the fire, with exception of the tea kettle. She removed the top from the kettle, removed the strainer and lit her horn once more, filling the kettle with water. Once it was filled she placed the top back on and hung the kettle on a small hook over the fire.
"Now we must wait for the water to boil." Celestia explained, "Now, I believe you wanted to know what was on my mind?"
"Oh, Yeah." He replied.
"Aero, how much do you know of Alicorns?" she asked.
Aero thought back to what they had been taught in school. His teacher explained that Alicorns, unlike regular pony folk, had extremely long lives. According to his teacher they were immortal, although they could still be brought down by injury or sickness.
"Um, We were taught in school that Alicorns lived forever." Aero answered, glad that he had actually paid attention during that lesson.
"That is correct." she replied, "But there is a bit more to us than that. We Alicorns do live forever, but because of our longevity, finding a suitor was a hassle." She explained, "That is why when Alicorns choose a suitor, we always choose young colts, or fillies if we happen to feel so inclined. That way we can enjoy as much time as possible with our beloved before they pass on."
"Wow." Aero replied. He never knew that Alicorns would take such young suitors, but that still didn't answer his question.
"That's cool, but what does it have to do with me? You kept looking at me in the hallways." Aero asked. But before she could answer, the kettle began to whistle, meaning the water had come to a boil. Celestia levitated the kettle onto the tray with the rest of the set and pulled the lid off again, placing one tablespoon of tea leaves into the strainer before replacing it in the kettle and placing the lid back on. Aero wasn't much of a tea drinker, but he knew that it would take up to four minutes for the tea to steep. That gave her plenty of time to answer now.
"Celestia, you didn't answer my question." He said, "Why were you staring at me so much?"
"Aero, I was observing you. I have a...proposition to make, per se. Aero, I'd like to introduce you to my sister later. Unlike me, she hasn't had a proper suitor in a thousand years. I'd like to change that." she explained.
Aero's entire being stopped working for a few seconds as a single thought entered his head.
'She wants me to be a special somepony to Princess Luna?'
He couldn't believe it. Here he was, an average Pegasus, and Celestia, Princess of the sun, wanted him to date her sister. He didn't know whether to faint or shout with joy. After all, its not every day that a colt gets an opportunity like this.
"That's kind of a lot to take in. Is it ok if I think about it for a while?" He asked. He knew his mom would tell him that in a situation like this, it would be best to analyze every angle before making any hasty decisions.
"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else." She replied, once again smiling that smile that could put any stallion in a daze. After a bit she removed the lid. She emptied the strainer and stirred a little bit of honey into the tea before pouring it into two cups, placing one in front of Aero and taking a sip from her own. Aero, who was now sitting just on his haunches, placed both hooves on his cup and took a sip. He sighed as he felt the warmth go down his throat and into his stomach. It was quite relaxing. After taking few more sips to the sound of the crackling fire, he set his cup down.
"Celestia, I was wondering, what's with all the scrolls?" he asked, gesturing to the bookshelf upon bookshelf of scrolls that surrounded them.
"Ah, these scrolls are all friendship lessons sent to me by Princess Twilight when she was my student. She still sends them." She explained, allowing herself to bask in her memories. Aero however just looked around at them all. There were so many that he had to wonder how friendship could have so many lessons. Soon however Aero's cup was empty, prompting Celestia to refill it once more. As Aero took a sip, he couldn't help but start to feel a bit drowsy. The warmth of the fire mixed with the soothing effects of the tea were slowly but surely putting Aero to sleep.
By the time he had finished his second cup, he was already lying on his stomach, eye's starting to droop. After a few minutes however, his eye's finally closed, and Aero fell into the velvety embrace of sleep.
.When Aero woke up he noticed that the fire had gone out and all the tea supplies had been cleaned up and put away. He also noticed that Celestia was no longer in the room and it was beginning to get dark. Aero stood up from the cushion he had fallen asleep on and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. That was when he remembered what Celestia had told him. He was suppose to be Princess Luna's special somepony. That in and of itself was a daunting prospect. After all he had never met the lunar princess. Many what if's began to run through his mind, but before they could take hold he remembered his Mom's advice.
'If you spend your life on what if's, you will never get to what is.'
It was advice that he had completely forgotten about until now, and it was sound advice. Deciding to heed his Mom's words, he put all of his what if thoughts out of his mind, closed his eyes and focused on what was going on right in that moment. He was standing in the middle of Celestia's study. He could smell the scent left behind by the fire that no longer burned. He could smell the dust in the air and the smell of old parchment and new. And he could smell the scent that had been left behind by the tea. He allowed himself this moment to relax and gain control of his runaway thoughts.
When he was done he opened his eye's and took a deep breath. In that moment, he made his decision. He would ask Princess Luna on a date. Not because Celestia had asked him to, though it was part of it, but because in that moment, he wanted to. Looking out the window he could see that the sun had already made it's way down and the moon was just peeking above the horizon. That meant that Celestia was more than likely in the dining hall, and Princess Luna would probably be joining her. Her dinner and Princess Luna's breakfast would be the perfect time.
Aero left Celestia's study, greeting the guards nearby as he did so. Thinking hard he wondered, would she like flowers? After all the gardens were on the way to the dining hall, and he imagined it wouldn't take too long to step out and grab a few. Deciding on his plan of action he headed straight to where Celestia had showed him the door to the gardens.
When he got there however he found the door to the gardens already open. Curious he slowly walked through, wondering if maybe somepony was already out there. When he did he happened to look up at the night sky. Because the storm was over he had an unobstructed view as star after star winked into existence. Mesmerized in what he was watching, he didn't notice that somepony else was now next to him.
"It's beautiful isn't it." A voice said, startling Aero and causing him to let out a not at all girlish squeak. Turning to his left he found none other than Princess Luna as she gazed up at the night sky, a serine yet beautiful smile adorning her face. She seemed to be an angel as the moonlight shone down on her and the white lilies that where all around them. In that moment Aero was at a loss for words, his mouth hanging slightly open.
"Are you going to continue staring at me all night?" she asked as she turned her attention to him, causing him to blush furiously and immediately fall into a bow.
"I-I'm sorry Princess, I didn't mean to stare." He replied.
"You may rise Aero. My sister spoke of you, though she told me very little other than your name and that you were here. You may call me Luna if you so wish." She said, still smiling. "The stars really are quite a sight to behold aren't they."
"I-Yeah. They really are. A lot of times, when my mom isn't home I like to look at the stars. They always make me feel better." Aero said, a small smile making itself known as he turned and looked at the sky again.
"To hear one as young as yourself say that brings me much happiness." Luna said, "I'm glad to see these days that so many ponies enjoy my night."
"What's not to enjoy when it's beauty is only matched by yours." Aero replied. He had no idea why he said that in that moment, but it left his mouth before he could stop it. Looking over at Luna he could barely make out what looked like a ferocious blush.
"I thank you Aero for that compliment, for I do not get many." she said.
"Your welcome Luna. When I was having tea with Celestia this morning she told me something interesting. She told me that Alicorns, because of long life, took suitors who were very young in order to have as much time as possible with them. She told me that you hadn't had a suitor in a thousand years." Aero explained, "So after thinking about it, I made my decision. Luna, she wanted me to be your special somepony, your suitor."
Luna looked at Aero with shock, and her blush only grew. It was as he said, she had not in fact had a suitor for so long that she almost hadn't noticed just how lonely she truly was. She looked down at the colt who was now making direct eye contact with her. In the moonlight she could tell that Aero was a very handsome colt.
"And what was your decision young Aero?" she asked, the nervousness evident in her voice. Part of her was worried that he would ask her to be his special somepony. And she was worried because she didn't understand how courting worked nowadays. She had taken lessons on language and some on certain parts of culture that she would need, but she never took any on courting. However another part of her became excited at the prospect of having a special somepony after so long. She would no longer be lonely, and she would finally have somepony that could make her feel better if she was sad or calm her if she became irate. In that moment she both hoped and dreaded his answer.
"Luna, I decided that I'd give this a chance and get to know you more. Will you go on a date with me?" he asked.
Luna's breath hitched when he finally gave his answer. This was it. This was the moment that would make or break any relationship between them. All she had to say was-
"Yes, I will!" Luna blurted out, unable to contain her excitement, nor her nerves. She would have to ask her sister about dating in this day and age.
"Really?!" Aero exclaimed with shock. He hadn't expected her to say yes. His mom use to tell him to always hope for the best and expect the worst. But when he asked her on a date, he was somewhat expecting a no. He immediately felt himself become nervous. He didn't know what to say at the point.
After a few minutes spent in awkward silence, Luna manage to calm herself enough to speak again.
"I would love to Aero. Shall we set this date for two days from now?" she asked, her voice slightly shaking with her nervous excitement.
"Um, yeah. That works. I'll need to make sure my Mom knows I'm ok though. And I guess it'll give me time to plan something." He replied.
"Then I look forward to our date." Luna said as a large smile adorned her face, her blush now more evident than ever. Leaning down, she did something she hadn't done in over a millennia.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
He almost immediately locked up, after which he fainted. Leaving a giggling Luna to return him to his home and a very worried mother.