1234andynguyen - It most certainly would

The it - They have both certainly been looking forward to it. And it would likely be a bad time for all if that magic were ever to go awry.

kr0n0s00 - Patience, young padawan~

Guest - Assuming this is the same person who posted the last review... Last time, you said he lacked emotion, and now he is too emotional. Your reviews give me the feeling that, assuming you're being serious, there simply is no pleasing you.

A/N - Hey there, everycreature! I hope all is well with you! I've been keeping busy as per usual and continuing to learn new skills. Fortunately, nothing overly eventful happening this time, so I hope you enjoy this latest installment, and as always; be kind!

After my little 'close encounter' with the ground, Celestia and I flew higher, working off of an unspoken agreement not to fly that low again as we enjoyed ourselves, playing tag and performing higher altitude feats of aerial acrobatics. Eventually, I felt a chill starting to take hold of me, though Tia spoke before I could voice my concerns. "My Fair Thee Weather spell should be wearing off soon, if it hasn't already started to." She gestured toward the castle. "We should make our way back now, so you don't catch a cold."

With a nod, I angled toward the mountaintop city and Celestia followed suit with a twirl and a flourish. Together we flew back to Canterlot castle and the wing of guest rooms that faced the sheer side of the mountain, where we had initially taken off from. I could feel the full bite of the frigid wind upon my barely protected body well before we alighted on the balcony, and was shivering from the added chill of our flying through the icy air and falling snow. "Hoo… It's a lot colder now that your spell is gone." I commented as we made our way inside, patting my arms to try to warm up and keep my teeth from chattering.

Celestia trotted next to me, and rubbed my arm lightly with her oddly warm snout. "You poor dear, you're positively frigid!" Her horn lit, and I was hit with a wave of disorientation as a flash of light engulfed the two of us. In the brief instant the light had filled my vision, we'd gone from the empty guest bedroom to Celestia's own bedroom suite. "Come, take off your clothes and lie on the bed, I will warm you up." Teleportation wasn't fun when I knew it was coming, and was doubly bad when I wasn't ready for the sickening lurch of the transit.

A part of me was worried about being naked with Celestia so soon after our relationship had begun, though something told me there would be no sexy shenanigans at this point in time. Not that I would mind if there were, nor would she if my guess were correct. With that thought in mind, I stripped out of my cold clothing, now damp from the falling snow, and slipped into bed, snuggling beneath the covers while still trying to stop shivering. Then, I felt the bed behind me shift. I had expected my Solar Lover to get in front of me, but she hadn't. Before I even had time to properly process what was happening, I felt her snuggle up against my back, wrapping both fore and hind legs around me. Her wing followed, and I was cocooned in a heavenly blanket of pastel white warmth.

With Celestia's comforting warmth came the sense that I was being protected, a feeling like I was being safeguarded from the world and all its troubles. I couldn't help the welling up of emotion in my chest, and my eyes began to sting as tears threatened to spill. "Blake, my dear? Are you alright?" Celestia's soft, melodic voice sounded slightly worried.

I took in a slow breath and let it out as a shuddering sigh. "I um… I've never actually been the little spoon before." I admitted softly. "I'm just so used to being the one doing the sheltering, I don't think I've ever been the one who was sheltered before…" I found myself almost subconsciously snuggling into her loving embrace as I felt long-buried emotions rising to the surface like poison being drawn from my veins. "It feels nice to be the one being protected for once…" I couldn't help the soft sob that escaped me as tears began to fall, and Celestia began to gently stroke my side with her soft wing to soothe the roiling of complex emotions that made their way to the forefront of my mind from someplace deep and nearly forgotten.

"Hush now, my dear human." The strong mare whispered gently into my ear. "You are cherished, my beloved Blake. Despite what you may think, despite the mistakes you've made and the wrong choices in your life, you are a good man who has tried to do the best he could, and you are both worthy and deserving of love, friendship, kindness and protection, just as much as any pony or other creature. Just because you are the Knight-Defender, that doesn't mean you have to face the world alone, nor does it mean you must shoulder these burdens unaided. We are here, all of us who love you and care for you, we who adore you and cherish you. We are here to protect you just as you protect us, and we will do all we can to see you though even your darkest times, no matter what those may be. We are here to help you ease your burdens, just as you have helped so many others ease their own."

As much as I loved this land and all the ponies in it who made my life more worthwhile than I ever could have hoped for or even imagined, I still had thoughts, doubts, worries and even fears that weighed on me every day. Here though, in the soft, caring embrace of my newest love, a mare whose tender affection was as warm and radiant as the very sun she held dominion over, I felt all that weight upon my psyche melting away. Her gentle words seemed to flow over me, and the sheer relief brought fresh tears to my eyes, the mare behind me granting me the safest place I had ever known in either of my lives to softly weep and give wordless voice to the many burdens weighing on my heart.

It hadn't dawned on me until this very moment how much of my own emotions I had been reflexively bottling up, hiding it all away where no one could see them, and no one could help me work through them. Without consciously realizing it, I'd been trying to carry this burden all on my own, even though I knew I wasn't alone, and I didn't have to hide these feelings from anyone and everyone. But now, in this safest of places, I was gifted the clarity and the wisdom to see just what I had been doing to myself, and how deeply it was affecting me.

I didn't know how long I simply lay there in Celestia's warm embrace, but eventually my emotions calmed, and I was able to take a few, deep breaths to calm and center myself. "Thank you, Tia." I said, turning the best I could to kiss her on the tip of her snout. "I know this wasn't exactly the kind of time you were hoping to spend with me, but-"

I was cut off by the tip of a soft, yet surprisingly firm feather against my lips. "Shh… none of that now, my dear. I told you I am more than happy to help you when you need me. All of us will do what we can to help you, whenever you need it." She craned her elegant neck and kissed me tenderly. "I am happy to give you this gift, my beloved. Seeing you in pain cuts me to my core, and the sight of your happiness brings a glow of love to my heart, so I am more than content to take some of that world-weariness from you, and shower you with affection."

After a few more of those slow, deep breaths, I felt better, and gently rolled over properly in Celestia's grasp. "Thank you, Tia." I repeated, stroking her cheek softly. "I… didn't realize how much I needed that. Both the venting, and those lovely affirmations. Thanks to… well, my previous life, I'm so used to bottling up my feelings that I didn't even realize I was doing it. I didn't realize I was stressing myself out by not being open with how I felt because I didn't fully understand how I felt."

Celestia gave me a smile that was both genuine and filled with love, somehow both romantic and motherly at the same time. It was such a radiant smile that it made my heart melt and I relaxed in her embrace. "Then I am all the more glad my sister and I brought you here from your home, to let-"

It was my turn to cut Celestia off with two fingers pressed against her lips. "Earth was not my home." I said gently, but firmly. "It was where I was born, and where I lived, but it was not my home. This is my home." I took a brief moment to take a breath and calm my emotions again. "I think it always has been, and… it's comforting to think that Earth's Veil knew it too. I like to think that was the real reason it shifted the way it did, because it knew I belonged here, and not there, so it made sure I would be able to stay where I belong… with all of you."

I could see tears forming in Celestia's beautiful, magenta eyes as I said that, though she continued to smile. "That is a lovely thought, Blake. I had never thought of it like that before, but it makes sense, and it sounds like a pleasant way to see the things that have happened to you."

Another, softer sigh escaped me and I nodded. "Yeah. It also helps me to remember that, thanks to what the Veil did, all those terrible things in my life never actually happened… as weird of a thought as that is. Some of my worst memories even seem to be fading. I still remember them, but they're starting to feel more like foggy after-images of nightmares than things that actually happened to me."

The lovely mare cuddled against me wiped the tears away from her own eyes and sniffled softly. "Yes, I can see how that would be helpful, and difficult to fully comprehend at the same time. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad it helps you to think like that, and I do hope you're right, both about the Veil and your fading memories." I felt her soft cheek rubbing against mine as she nuzzled against me gently. "I have come to care a lot about you in the time you've been here, my dear human. I am very happy we may be together, even if it must be in secret for the time being." She perked up at that thought, and smiled at me. "And speaking of which, I will tell you that I have a few ideas for how we may remedy that, though all of them are still fledgling, and I'll need time to work them through more completely before I share them with you. Some may not pan out, and others are… less desirable. So I will take more time to sift through them before I tell you which plan I feel is best." I could tell she was trying to pull my attention to something happier, so I didn't get myself caught in a loop of melancholy feelings.

The fact she'd already come up with plans for us to be together openly told me Celestia was serious about this relationship, and that made me very happy. That fact alone helped chase away the last of the dark thoughts her warm, protective embrace had brought to light and helped to banish. "Thanks for doing that, Tia. Whatever you decide the best plan will be, I'll trust you on it, and do what I can to help you." The lovely mare smiled down at me, and I continued. "And thank you again for this. I didn't realize just how much I was holding inside until I felt protected and safe enough to let it out." With that, I leaned up and kissed her, a kiss that started off sweet and innocent but transformed into something more as time went on.

When we eventually broke, both of us softly panting, Celestia looked at me with a loving gaze, though I could tell there was more there. "Blake… I must confess something to you. When we were flying earlier, when I dove down toward the ground and…" I had a good idea of what she was going to say, and placed a finger to her lips briefly, shaking my head to indicate she didn't need to say it. "Thank you. Anyway, when I did that, it's because my life… Well, to be completely honest, it has become rather dull. Monotonous, even. A thousand years of being on the throne, of delegating event planning, of settling disputes and entertaining snooty, insufferable dignitaries among other duties. It's all started to blur together, and I find my life… lacking excitement."

I took in her words as she spoke them, smiling as I wrapped myself around her much the same way she had to me minutes ago, including summoning my ethereal wings and wrapping them around her. "So you do what you can, when you can to seek out a little excitement, to bring a spark of the old thrill your life once had back to you." She nodded, giving me a smile that told of a mare who was glad I seemed to understand. "And you're telling me this, at least in part, to warn me in advance of what I'm planning tomorrow."

She nodded again. "That's part of it. But I also wished to tell you that because I want to make a request of you." She leaned in close as I held her. "When we become intimate, I want you to take me." The force with which she stated her desire made me shiver. "I know you and I trust you, more than nearly anypony save for my sister, perhaps even more than Twilight Sparkle. So I trust you to grant this desire for me, to be rough with me when you make love to me without going beyond what either of us wants. I trust you with my body, and with my heart. I trust you to show me that I am yours in all things, and make me feel alive again."

Her words made me shiver with delight and arousal, and I wanted badly to do exactly that to her right this moment. But as much as I wanted to grant her wish and simply ravage the beautiful mare who had shared her bed with me, I recognized she didn't mean it to be right now, and while I doubted she would object, I also genuinely wanted to spend time with her. And so I ignored the throbbing between my legs for the time being.

Instead, I leaned in and pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss. "When the time is right, I will absolutely make you mine, and make sure you won't be quick to forget the fact~" Unlike Twilight and Derpy, who seemed to be simply experimenting with the rougher side of sex, Celestia already seemed to know what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to express it.

The beautiful mare smiled at my words, and I watched as that smile morphed from innocent and happy to mischievous and even lustful. "Only when the time is right, hmm?" I felt her hoof slip down, and rub lightly at my stiff erection as I lay naked beneath the sheets. "It seems to me the time is very right as it is~"

I shivered as I felt the soft touch to my needy shaft, and grinned at her. "I mean, I didn't want you to think I was only doing it because you asked me. I wanted you to know it was because I wanted it too… Though with an amazing mare like you in my arms, how could I not?" Her hoof continued to stroke me gently as I spoke, and I let out a soft moan of pleasure.

After a moment, the stroking stopped, and Celestia's hoof moved away from my stiff, needy cock. "With sweet words like those, I may just have to throw myself into your arms… If I were not already there~" She giggled and kissed the tip of my nose. "It's too bad you aren't feeling ready yet. Though I suppose it can't be helped."

I could tell what she was doing. She was trying to tease me, to goad me into giving her what she wanted. I had to fight the urge to give in, knowing it was what she was looking for, and I knew if I gave her the satisfaction now, she would continue this behavior. I had seen it before; those in the fetish lifestyle called it 'being a brat', and while I loved the idea, I wanted to make her squirm a bit. "No, I suppose it can't~" I remarked with a grin just before grabbing the alabaster mare and flipping us over so she was across my lap, using my augmented strength consciously for the first time.

The move surprised Celestia enough that, for a moment, all she could do was blink in surprise. That was, until my hand came down firmly on that plush rump of hers. This earned me a surprised gasp and a look of clearly fake indignation. "Y-you brute! How dare you- Ahh!~"

She was cut off by another swat to her flank, and another after that, keeping her from speaking again. "I dare because it's what sassy little sluts like you need to keep them in line~" A fourth swat joined its brethren, then a fifth. If her goal was to distract me and lighten the mood, this was certainly a good way to do so.

Celestia let out a soft moan of pleasure after each gasp as her ass was spanked. "Mmm… You truly are a brute then~" She practically purred, clearly loving the feeling of my hand against her backside. "Spanking a poor, defenseless mare like me for no- Ahn!~" Her sass was once again cut off by a spank as I punished her for her transgressions, though I knew full well she was loving the thrill of not only being spanked, but just being treated like a normal mare, with no crown or title attached.

By the time I finished with the naughty mare, her now-reddened ass cheeks had each received ten swats, leaving her twitching and panting lightly. "I do hope you know I won't be able to leave this room again tonight~" She said, groaning softly in pleasure as she lay across my lap still.

Her comment earned another swat to that reddened flesh, followed by a firm grope, causing her to moan. "You say that like you have somewhere to be~" I replied, enjoying this little exchange. I knew it wasn't fully what she wanted, but both of us clearly enjoyed it, and I wasn't about to complain. "Now, have you learned your lesson, or do you need another twenty to each of these lovely cheeks?~"

A soft moan escaped those soft, pastel white lips as she thought about that. "I… I'll be a good girl for you~" She said softly, her reddened ass twitching. "And thank you for this. It… felt just amazing to be able to let go, and have you be in charge." I could tell even before we started that she would want something like this, and it seemed I was correct. "Having ruled for as long as I have, the constant state of authority I've had to maintain has worn on me. So thank you, for letting me have this little moment. For taking control away from me and letting me simply exist as a mare, and nothing more."

It was clear to me that, despite her earlier statement of desire for us to be sexually intimate, this was just as good for her, if not better, and I was more than happy to provide. "I enjoyed this too, Tia." I admitted, moving my hand from her ass to her back, stroking it softly, earning a quiet coo from the mare in my lap. "It wasn't the kind of 'intimacy' you were talking about, I imagine, but I'm not in any way disappointed. Seeing you like you were just now, able to take off the mental crown as well as the physical one, was every bit as good for me. I don't think I've ever seen that blissful look in your eyes before, and I want to be able to make you look like that more often." Seeing Celestia that genuinely happy, able to so completely let go of her role as Princess had felt amazing, and I loved being a part of it just as much as I did when Luna had that same expression.

Celestia took her time in responding to my statement, and it seemed to me to be because she was simply enjoying the moment, letting herself bask in the simple pleasures of what we had just done. "It makes me so happy to hear that, Blake." She shifted and craned her neck back, kissing me and smiling, her cheeks dusted with a rosy blush. "When we're behind closed doors like this, you can take control away from me any time you want. I give you my full permission to remind me what it means to be yours." I knew she meant she wanted me to remind her what it meant to be a mare, and nothing more than a mare, for that was what she was in my eyes.

As the mare, no longer Princess, lay there across my lap, looking me in the eye with those expressive, magenta orbs, I reached up with the hand that had been on her back, and began gently stroking her cheek. "It would be my pleasure to do that for you, Tia." I said softly. "And you can cuddle me and make me feel safe any time you want as well… I honestly really needed that." It was strange to think that letting myself be vulnerable like that could feel so good and relieve so many of the dark emotions building up inside my heart.

Celestia nodded lightly and nuzzled into my hand. "It sounds like we have a deal then, my dear Blake." She said, sighing softly in contentment. "It would be my pleasure to offer you a safe place to release those negative emotions that build up inside your soul."

As she finished speaking, I gently shifted the alabaster mare, who was a fair bit lighter than she looked, and lay down on the bed with her once more, cuddling front to front with her. "So, now that we're both feeling better… how did it feel to touch my dick for the first time?" I asked with a cheeky grin.

The sudden, lewd change in topic caused the mare in my embrace to blush and look away, letting out a soft giggle as she did so. "I umm… It was very nice, if I'm to be honest. It was oddly enjoyable just to touch you there with a hoof like I did. I… look forward to the next time I get to feel you… preferably inside of me. I understand why it's a good idea to wait though, it does make sense. So I don't blame you for that." As she spoke, the Princess of the Sun lit her horn, sighing softly. "It's time for me to lower the sun so Luna can raise the Moon." She explained, though I'd already guessed that part.

When the glow of Celestia's horn died down, she leaned her head down and rested her forehead on mine. "I have had a very pleasant day together with you, dearest." She said in a quiet voice, her tone an honest one.

Before I could reply, both of our stomachs voiced their protests at being neglected for so long, and I watched the rosy pink dusting of a blush appear on Celestia's pale, white cheeks once more. "Oh dear… it seems in all our enjoyment, we've both forgotten to eat. Would you… mind terribly, going to the kitchens and bringing us something back to eat?" She shifted in the bed and looked at her reddened rump. "I'm afraid my backside would be quite… conspicuous."

With a light nod and a smile, I kissed the lovely mare and stood from the bed, my manhood mostly deflated by this point. "What would you like to eat, love?" As I spoke, I began to dress myself, noticing that my clothes seemed to have been mysteriously dried off.

I caught Celestia watching me out of the corner of my eye, and it wasn't hard to tell that those expressive eyes liked what they saw. "I would simply like a club sandwich, please. The kitchen staff should know how I like it already, as that's what I usually order when I either don't have time to eat in the dining hall, or simply prefer to eat in the sitting room."

Once I was dressed, I gave her another quick kiss on the lips and left the room, making a beeline for the kitchens, as I was also quite hungry, and wanted something tasty to eat. Along the way I decided that something would be a replica of the sandwich Celestia herself was going to have, to see what my lovely marefriend liked in a sandwich.

The trip to the kitchens was fairly uneventful, and the sandwiches were prepared quickly and without incident, which relieved me, as I fully expected something to happen.

"Sir Marshall!" I heard a vaguely familiar voice call out as I walked back down the hallway with a pair of sandwiches in hand. Turning, I saw it was Miss Iron Heart. "I apologize, I happened to see you, and I have something for you. I was just on my way to have it mailed to you, but since you're here, I can give it to you directly." The mare reached into a saddle bag with her teeth, and handed me an envelope closed with a wax seal. "I'm very sorry to have to give you this before Hearth's Warming, Sir Marshall. I hope you understand." Before I could do or say anything, the Foal's Services Representative turned and trotted away.