PBJFanFiction - Hey! Rockets are awesome! :P Rule of Funny, my friend, Rule of Funny. None except for 'fireowrks'.

PyraohXBlaxe - I'll tease you if I want to tease you... and you'll like it too :P It would be pretty hot if they had a night together, wouldn't it?

xel101 - No problem. I'm just sorry it was a day late. Lol maybe she is... and maybe she isn't... I guess you'll just have to read on to find out ;)

ShadowfireAngel - We can hope

centaurus2 - Which story is that? Oh, it'll happen eventually... but whether it's by choice or not is yet to be seen.

KillerWoW - Lol right? Damn planet and it's weird physics... You'd almost think it was a cartoon or something.

MortBlackthorn - Well, here's another for you :D

SquirtlePWN - That's because I'm evil! Mwahahaha! :D

shadows being - Yup, that's all it is. Well, why wouldn't they?

DragonLord RyuKizoku - But is it really random or illogical for her to visit her Knight-Defender right now? Especially considering that her adopted niece and her husband just left for the Crystal Empire.

coldshadow 92 - Oh, I won't be. Though this is probably going to become the permanent update schedule, at least for the foreseeable future.

Nothing.0 - Le gasp! Not Wrestling! Lol I admit; I never really was into wrestling. I have a buddy who eats, drinks and breathes the stuff though.

DragonLovingBrony - Lol you horndog! But, if she does not have de steek, she can't pal around with Jose Jalapeno...

Harmonia000 - Because I'm evil! That, and I love reading all of your ideas on what's going to happen next.

Kyguy - Oh, I'm sure it will. But, will it be what you're expecting?

Mikalzilla - Alright, I did it, see! I was the one that ate all the cookies, see!

Lord of darkness the 1st - We'll see har again, don't you worry. But will she reform? Who can say, really...

Arkraiththeepicbrony - You must learn patience, young Padawan.

A/N - Howdy there Everypony! I've gotta say, while I didn't really want to change my schedule after nearly two years, I'm finding that this new schedule affords me more time to do things with my own personal scheduling at the moment. I hope you all are as excited for chapter one hundred as I am! I never would have thought when I started this story that I'd reach double digits; it's crazy to think that it's gone that far already. As always, don't forget to follow/favorite, review, and most importantly; enjoy!

The Princess of the Sun was quick to explain her reason for visiting not only Ponyville, but my house in particular. It turned out that, little to my surprise, she had originally come into town to see Cadance and Shining Armor off. She confirmed that after they had left, Twilight had indeed gone to the library to reorganize things in her brother's wake.

Shimmer had been thoughtful enough to make extra tea for me in case I had wanted any, and so I made myself a cup and sat down on one of the couches so that the three of us were in a relatively triangular positioning from one another.

"So Celestia, I know why you came to Ponyville originally, but why come here after? I mean, not that I don't love having you as a houseguest; I'm just a little curious."

Celestia took a sip of her tea and set her cup down. I was silently sighing in relief that she hadn't seemed to change her mind about Shimmer, but I still noticed that there was something off about her movements. "Actually, I wanted to visit you, Blake. I spoke with my sister some days ago, and I learned something rather interesting from her."

I tried my best not to freeze in place as the implication struck me; it seemed that Luna had spilled the beans to her sister about how I felt. "Oh. So, um… what did she say?" I decided to play dumb, hoping that my aim was way off, and that she had said something else entirely.

My hopes were dashed quickly though, as the beautiful, pastel white mare turned to Shimmer. "May we have a moment of privacy please? I'm afraid this is for my Knight-Defender's ears only."

Shimmer nodded with a smile. "Of course, Your Highness." She stood and trotted out of the room and up the stairs without another word.

Celestia turned her magenta-tinted gaze back to me when she was sure the incognito changeling was gone. "Blake. I know that you know what I'm talking about." After a tense moment, I sighed and nodded, realizing that there was no reason to lie to her. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

I sighed again, and looked to the floor in front of me. "I… I didn't know how… I mean, with Luna and all the others, it was easy because there wasn't really anything to worry about. But with that damnable law in place… I was worried that saying anything to you would just make things worse." I looked up and into her soft eyes. "I do like you, Celestia, and it wasn't fear of rejection or anything like that that kept me from saying anything… I just didn't want you to feel trapped between that law and how we feel for each other. Luna talked about dating you in secret, but something tells me you wouldn't go for that."

A soft smile creased the Solar Diarch's lips, and she stood from her seat, moving over and sitting next to me on the couch. Her fur smelled faintly of cake and another pleasant scent that I couldn't quite place, and I couldn't help but lean in closer to her. "So, you do care for me." I nodded, my cheek lightly caressing the fur of her shoulder. "That alone is enough to make me a happy mare, Blake. But, you're right; I don't want to engage in any sort of secret courtship. Sister told me that you were willing to fight the very laws this land was based upon if it meant we could be together. I am willing to fight that fight with you, if it means that I can finally have my heart's desire." I felt her lean against me as she finished speaking.

I wrapped an arm around her, unsure of what I could say. She sighed next to me, and I felt her shift slightly. "Even if the council agrees, and the laws are remade, a courtship between us would not be easy; you know this, right? I can't leave the palace as freely as my sister can and so-" I placed my index and middle fingertips gently on her lips, silencing her.

"I don't care about that, Celestia; I don't care that we wouldn't get to see each other as often as the others, I don't care that ponies would probably still talk even after the laws were repealed. I don't care about any of that. What I do care about… is you."

A single tear rolled down her cheek at my words. I gently rested my hand on her warm cheek, wiping away the tear with my thumb. I felt the Solar Princess lean into my hand, gently nuzzling it with her cheek. "I have waited millennia to hear such sweet words… words spoken so truly that I could feel the love they carry."

Almost on instinct, I leaned in towards her, and she towards me, our eyes sliding shut as our lips met in a tender kiss. This time though, neither one of us had any regrets, nor any desire to pull away from the other. I felt her uncovered hoof gently touch my face, and I leaned further into the kiss, my own hand sliding down to her neck.

I felt Celestia lean back slightly, and I moved with her, the two of us tumbling onto the couch cushions with her underneath me, lips still locked in the tender, loving kiss. Her hooves slid around my neck, crossing behind my head as she pulled me down on top of her. My heart raced as I felt all of the love and care that Celestia had for me being put into this one, loving kiss, and I did my best to show her my own feelings for her.

Breathlessly and reluctantly, I pulled away from her, my lungs crying out for air. Celestia panted below me, twin tear-tracks staining the corners of her eyes and leading down the sides of her face, even though there was a loving smile plastered on her beautiful face. "I… that was…"

I leaned down and kissed her again, softly and sweetly. "Shh… you don't need to say anything… I felt it too… my love." I felt Celestia freeze below me as her eyes went wide.

Before my mind could question whether or not I had made a mistake, the Princess beneath me lunged forward, her lips pressing against mine once again as her hooves wrapped around my neck once more.

Celestia and I held the kiss for but a moment before she pulled away ever so slightly. "I… I understand now…"

I gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

She sighed and gave me a smile that was as bright as her own sun. "When my sister first started courting you, I saw a change in her; she was no longer the reserved, proper mare I had known almost my entire life. Instead, she had become… happier, more outspoken, jovial even, and I didn't know why. I thought I knew what love was, and from my understanding, those changes didn't make sense… but now that we have confessed our true feelings… and I know what it feels like to have someone love me in return… I understand. I know what it was that my sister felt to cause her transformation."

I returned her smile and rolled off of her, lying next to her on the overly large couch as we hugged one another close. "Celestia… these past three weeks, ever since your sister caused me to reevaluate how I felt about you…" I felt her soft, warm lips press lightly against mine as I searched for the right words.

"Shh… you don't need to say it. I already know exactly what you mean; I have been struggling with my own emotions for you, and I came to realize that trying to fight them only seemed to make them stronger. That is how I know that I truly do love you; the more I try to turn away from you, the louder my heart becomes, crying out and telling me just how much I need you."

I nodded. "That's exactly what I've been feeling." I noticed something as I spoke; a glint of metal atop her head, and around her breast.

Her eyes watched my hands as I reached up, and gently wrapped around her crown. "Blake? What are you…?" I slipped the crown gently from her head, and dropped it to the floor behind me, moving my hands back up and behind her neck to undo the thick metal chest piece that remained.

I smiled softly at her. "When you're safe in my arms, Celestia, you don't have to be a Princess; you can just be the mare underneath the jewelry and the pomp and the etiquette. You'll always that beautiful, wonderful mare in my eyes… the very one that has my heart."

Her eyes slowly looked back down until they locked onto mine, and I could see the flurry of emotion roiling around in her heart through those soft, magenta eyes. "You… I… Blake… there are no words for how happy you've made me…"

My hand reached back up after dropping her necklace to the floor behind me, stroking her cheek as she smiled at me. "No happier than you make me, Celestia."

She leaned in, and I felt her roll on top of me as our lips locked once again. My hand slid down her side, fingers slowly sliding between the delicate feathers of her strong wings. The two of us were so caught in the moment, that we almost didn't hear the door handle click as the door itself swung open.

"Blake, I'm home! I think I think I-" Twilight stopped dead in mid-sentence as she spotted us. She blinked several times as the two of us turned our heads to regard her. "I… I um… I think I'll go visit FlutterDash… I mean, Rainbow Jack… I mean… I have to go!"

Celestia and I looked back to one another after Twilight had dashed back out of the house, in such a hurry that her magic hadn't enveloped the door and closed it until several seconds after she'd gone though. We stared at one another for a brief moment, then burst out in laughter, the alabaster mare collapsing atop me as she let out one of the most genuine and musical laughs I'd ever heard from her.

After a moment, we collected ourselves, and sat up. "So… think we should go talk to her?" I asked, still chuckling slightly.

Celestia shook her head with a smile. "No, not just yet; Let's give her some time to calm down and process what she's just seen."

With a nod, I stood up from the couch and offered her a hand, which she gladly took. "Yeah, you're probably right. So, where do we go from here?"

The white mare before me sighed as she looked into my eyes, the only pony in Equestria that could do so while still having all four hooves in the ground." I suppose… for the time being, a secret courtship is the only option; it wouldn't be wise to call the council together so suddenly, and an open relationship is as yet out of the question… so I suppose that that's the only choice we have for the moment."

A small sigh escaped my lips, and I moved in closer to her, stroking her cheek. "I'm sorry Celestia… I know you don't like the idea, but like you said; what choice do we really have?"

Her hoof rested gently on the hand clasping her cheek. "Don't worry about it overmuch, my love, I will make due until the time is right. And then, Luna and I shall both proclaim our love for you to the world."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. "Oh really now? Are you two going to be singing it from the rafters?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, you scoundrel." Her face turned serious again. "I do mean it though, Blake; My heart yearns for the day when I can freely express my love for you without fear of what consequences it may have."

I leaned in, resting my forehead against hers with a smile on my lips. "So do I, Tia."

There was a long moment of silence before Celestia spoke again. "Blake… You've never called me 'Tia' before…" Her tone was one of curiosity.

I nodded gently against her. "Yeah. I just thought it was more… intimate than 'Celly'."

I felt her move forward and wrapped her long, soft neck around one of my shoulders as her hoof wrapped around the other. "You are such a sweet stallion, Blake. I can see why so many have given their hearts to you."

I encircled her neck and shoulders in kind, and sighed softly as I felt her strong heart beating in her chest. "I am who I am, Tia. It just so happens that I am apparently a likable guy." I sighed, and hugged her a little tighter. "As much as I hate to admit it, I suppose I have to thank my father for that… I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for what he did to me…"

I felt her hoof pull me in closer to her. "Blake, please… that life is far behind you now, so please don't do that to yourself."

With another sigh, I pulled back and looked her in her beautiful, pale magenta eyes. "I'm ok Tia, I'm not upset about what happened in my past anymore… but I also can't ignore the fact that it happened. I know that none of that technically happened in Earth's new timeline, but I still remember it. Besides, it's like I said; I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for all that." I gave her a warm smile, and a gentle kiss on the lips. "And if I weren't who I am, I probably wouldn't be where I am either."

She returned my smile and my kiss, and I took a step back from her. "What shall we do now, Love?" The Solar Princess asked me with a noticeably brighter tone in her voice.

I looked around for a moment, trying to come up with an answer for her. "Well, we could always cuddle up by the fire. Or, we could take a dip in the hot tub and stave off this cold with warm water and a few drinks." I paused and looked at the door. "Or, we could go find Twilight and have that talk with her."

The mare before me nodded. "Yes, I think she should have had enough time by now. Besides, we don't want her to think we simply brushed her off." With a small nod, I turned towards the door, but quickly stopped when I felt a hoof on my shoulder. "Blake… wait."

Her sudden change in mood caused me to look back to her. "Celestia? Is something wrong?"

She sighed as I turned to face her again. "Before this goes any further, there's something I need you to know." I watched as her hoof moved down from where my shoulder had been and came to rest against her abdomen. "I… I can't bear you any-"

I stopped her with a gentle, yet passionate kiss. "Celestia… I don't care about that." Her eyes widened at my forwardness and my statement. "I've known that you can't have foals for a long time, and I don't care. If your ability to have foals was all I cared about, then I shouldn't even have been worthy of your affection in the first place. The fact is, I love you just how you are now, and I don't care if we can have foals together or not."

Her beautiful face shifted as I spoke; the uncharacteristic vulnerability she had just shown me melted away into a grateful smile. "Thank you… when I first learned that I was no longer capable of bearing foals… I began to lose hope that there would ever be a stallion who desired me for anything more than power."

"And you know that I don't want power…"

She nodded. "Exactly. That's one of the ways I know that your feelings for me are as true as mine are for you." She leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Anyway, we shouldn't keep Twilight waiting any longer." I nodded silently and followed after her.

Knowing that she would likely need some sort of comforting after what she'd witnessed, Celestia and I decided that it would be best to ask around at her five closest friends' houses to see if she was there.

The first house that we stopped at, being the closest to my own, was Fluttershy's cottage. The timid yellow mare informed us that she hadn't even seen Twilight yet, and that she may have gone to Rarity's house instead.

We agreed that no stone should be left unturned, and so went to the next closest of her friends' houses; Applejack. My country marefriend also denied her presence at the quaint farmhouse, and was quick to suggest that we check at Fluttershy's house, until we informed her that we'd already been there, after which she suggested we pay Pinkie Pie a visit.

On our way to the pink party mare's home, which was really just a room rented to her by the Cake family in their sweet shop, we decided not to bother with Rainbow Dash, since Twilight couldn't fly, and her balloon would be too conspicuous if she used the 'walk on clouds' spell.

Pinkie Pie too was a dead end, and so we walked on to the final place she would likely be; Rarity's boutique. As we entered, the bell above the door jingled merrily, just as it always did. "Oh, hello and welcome to the Carousel Boutique! If you'll give me just a moment, I'll be right with you." Her voice floated in to us from one of the side rooms of the main floor.

Celestia and I looked to one another and shrugged, making ourselves as comfortable as possible as we waited for Rarity to finish whatever it was she was doing in the other room. Soon enough, the splendid white mare trotted out, eyes closed. "Hello Darlings! What can I get… for… you…?" She trailed off as she finally opened her sparkling sapphire eyes and realized who one of her guests was. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry your highness!" The normally refined mare rushed over and quickly prostrated herself before my newest marefriend.

"Please rise, Miss Rarity; this is a social call, nothing formal."

The ivory-coated mare rose to her hooves as instructed. "Oh, I see. Is there something I can help you with?"

Celestia nodded to her. "As a matter of fact, we were looking for my student, Twilight. We've been led to believe that she may have stopped by here recently."

We watched as Rarity's eyes shifted nervously. "Oh… I simply can't lie to royalty!" She held a hoof to her forehead dramatically. "She came over some time ago, shaken up about something, but she hasn't given me any details yet. I was actually making tea for the two of us when you two dropped by."

The two of us shared a small sigh and a quick glance before Celestia addressed Rarity again. "Yes… about that… It would seem that she inadvertently walked in on something she would rather not have seen." She glanced over to me. "You see… Blake and I have… developed feelings for one another over these past months, and poor Twilight walked into Blake's home and found us sharing those feelings for the first time."

A deep, crimson blush spread across Rarity's stark white face. I was quick to realize that she'd misunderstood Celestia's admittedly vague words. "Nothing like that, Rarity! She caught the two of us sharing our first kiss, that's all."

Rarity blinked several times and looked back and forth between the two of us. "Y-You mean…?" I nodded to her, and her eyes lit up. "Oh! That's so wonderful to hear! I just bet that everypony will- Eek!" She yelped as Celestia gently lifted her prancing form from the floor with her magic.

"Please, Miss Rarity; our courtship isn't exactly… within the bounds of the law as of yet. This needs to remain a private matter until that can be resolved."

As Celestia set her down, realization set in, and her brilliant blue eyes widened again. "Wha… But, who would want to keep you from your happiness?!"

Celestia let out a long sigh, and I placed a hand on her shoulder. "My own parents, it would seem. You see, there is an ancient law in place that states that my sister and I may not court the same stallion. This law is one of the Foundational Laws of Equestria, and it is not easily undone. Thus, this must remain a secret for the time being." She leaned in close, so that the two mares were eye-to-eye. "Can I trust you to keep this a secret?"

The poor fashionista gulped, and nodded slowly. "Y-yes Princess. Consider my lips sealed." She made a zipping motion with her hoof over her lips, and strangely enough, an actual zipping sound seemed to come from nowhere.

I'd lived in this land of magic and talking farm animals with Canadian accents long enough to know better than to question the strange phenomenon. "So, is Twilight here, Rarity?" I did my best to keep my tone light and friendly, but in truth, if she wasn't, then that was just that much more time she had to go who-knew-where.

A look of confusion spread over her face. "I don't understand, Darling; I told you I was just making tea for the two of us."

A quick glance to Celestia told me that she was thinking the same thing. "She was here, Rarity. But, if she heard us, she might not be anymore. I'm not blaming you; you were in the kitchen, so you wouldn't have been able to warn her that we were here." I explained in an even tone.

She looked away for a moment. "O-oh… I didn't even think of that… I actually don't know if she's still here or not, Darling."

I looked to the stairwell leading to the second floor, which was where she usually entertained our friends when they visited. I quickly decided against using my aurasight, since I already knew that she was sensitive to it, and it would alert her that we were here for sure if she somehow didn't already know. "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you mind seeing if she is, and if so, could you try to convince her to talk to us?"

Rarity nodded, her beautifully cared for indigo mane swaying gently. "Of course Dear. If she tries to leave another way, I won't stop her, but I'll let you know that she was here."

It was Celestia's turn to nod this time. "Thank you, Miss Rarity." Rarity smiled, and headed off up the stairs without another word.

I let out a sigh and turned to my new marefriend. "So… I guess we just wait here then?"

"That seems like the only option, at least until Rarity returns."

The two of us were only waiting for a short time before we heard what sounded like two sets of hooves descending the stairwell. We watched with bated breath as Rarity's shining white from emerged from the small hallway that shrouded the landing, followed by a duller, mulberry form.

I wanted to smile at her, but the way she looked, head hanging low, staring at the floor with a sad look in her eyes, her overall mood ended that desire fairly quickly.

Celestia took a step forward, and gently cupped my learned marefriend's chin with a hoof, raising her gaze up to meet that of her mentor. "Twilight? What is the matter? Please, you can tell me; you know I won't judge you."

She sighed, and looked away again. "You might, Princess…" I wanted to ask her what was wrong, to see if I could make it better, but something told me I needed to let whatever was happening between them play out on its own. Twilight looked back up to Celestia after a moment. "I… I don't think I can be in a herd with you, Princess…"

The Princess of the Sun's eyes went wide for a moment, but as usual, she recovered quickly. "Twilight… why do you think that?"

She sniffled, and hung her head again. "Ever since you took me on as your student… I've come to look up to you… you've become like a second mother to me Princess, and… if I'm in a herd with you… I know I'll start to fall in love with you…"