Celestia's New World

September 12

Week three of Celestia's stay. By the end of the second week, Celestia and I were deeply in love. Spending this extra time together only strengthened our feelings.

I loved her and she loved me. She was my girlfriend. She loved hearing the word, a great, big smile forming across her face every time I said it. With the way my heart fluttered as I met her eyes, I knew that 'girlfriend' did not represent how much I loved her.

The love we shared was more than a connection between us. It was an active, physical relationship. To put it bluntly, we fucked. A lot. My Princess the sweetest little nymphomaniac I've ever met.

Before, Celestia had begged me to show her the town. Now, her idea of a perfect evening is staying home and cuddling. It seems she had lost interest in this little town of mine. Instead, her interest lied with me. She always wore a beautiful smile whenever she was with me. I had my own smile from being with her.

Tonight, the two of us were up late. It was just another monday night. Celestia and I were sitting on the basement couch. She was watching the screen intently as I played a game for her. In my hands was a gamecube controller to use with an emulator.

Celestia was lying against me, her eyes fixed on the screen. Today, I was playing Twilight Princess. Throughout the night, she asked me questions about it. Thankfully, Zelda games were one of my areas of expertise, so I was able to answer her.

I can't say that what I was doing mattered. The game was simply background noise. To me, the only thing that mattered was that I could spend time with her.

I played well into the night. It was nearly three in the morning by the time I shut down the game. Celestia's eyes were drooping. I was having trouble keeping my own open. I yawned. I was done. Tired.

"I think it's time to call it quits." I said aloud, looking to her.

"So early?" she joked, followed by a short chuckle, "I don't suppose you have any other plans, do you? Maybe we could stay awake all night."

"Hey, I still have work, you know. So unless there's something you want to do, I wanna go to bed."

She blinked before briefly looking away, thinking. "Well... There is something I'd like to ask you."

"Oh... Well, what is it?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while, Phil." She let out a short sigh. "Do you remember what we said... about when I would leave? When I... could leave."

My heart dropped in my chest. "I've never really stopped thinking about it." I solemnly replied.

"When my time here is up... When I finally go back home to Equestria... What will happen to us? To... you?"

"I don't know. That's not something I have an answer for."

"What... do you want to happen?" she asked. I noticed a shift in her voice. She was getting upset. "What do you... want?"

"What I want..." I shook my head. "I already know what I want. I want you to stay with me. I want to stay with you. I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave me. That's what I want."

She looked away as she murmured a quiet, "I knew you were going to say that. I didn't need to ask, but I did anyways..." She seemed even more upset.

I turned to her and placed a hand on her leg. I looked to her eyes as I asked, "So what do you want, Celestia?"

Half of me knew what she was going to say. The other half was scared. Scared that she would say something different.

"I want to stay here." she replied softly, placing a hand over mine. "I love this world. I love being here with you. I... I love you."

I smiled at her. I knew how she felt. It was plain as day that Celestia loved me. Her feelings had always been genuine. I didn't need to hear her say it, but I'm glad I did. Even so... "We can't stay together like this. You'll have to go home. There's a chance we'll never see each other again."

"There's also a chance that it won't happen." she said, her voice briefly quivering, "I could end up trapped here forever. Or... I may choose to stay."

"Celestia... you can't do that."

"And why not? Am I not allowed to enjoy my love?"

"You have a lot of ponies counting on you, Princess. You can't just abandon them."

"This is between you and me. Leave them..." Her voice cracked. "Leave them out of this."

I think she was lying to herself. "But... We can't leave them out of this... can we, Celestia? All of the ponies in Equestria... not to mention your family. Your sister, your niece, your nephew... Your student, Twilight. You can't leave them like this."

Her head slowly bobbed in a nod. "I know..."

I placed my second hand over hers, grabbing her hand with both of mine.

"Do I... have to go home?" she asked me, looking into my eyes, "If I stay in this world, can I stay with you?"

"Of course you can, Celestia. You're my girlfriend, aren't you?"

She smiled. "Thank you, Phil." Her voice was still sad.

"Celestia?"

Her eyes wandered upwards and began gazing at the ceiling. "Sometimes... I would dream of a life like this. I would be a normal mare, in a normal house, with a normal husband. I would live a normal life."

What was that third thing?

"But I can't have it. I can't have... any of it. It isn't fair." Tears began to drip down her face. She looked back to me as she cried. "I've lived like this for thousands of years. I've seen so many happy families come and go. Everypony else could live a normal life. But I..." She sniffled. "But I never could. I could never be normal. Not until I came here. Not until I met you. I'm not a Princess to you. You've never treated me differently because of who I was. You've always treated me like I was normal. Like I was... just another human. I don't want to leave this, Phil. I don't want to go. I..." Her voice went silent, aside from a short shuddering sob.

Instead of her usual joy and curiosity, nothing but pain and sorrow filled her eyes. She didn't know what to do.

I wasn't going to try to change her mind and I wasn't going to try to convince her to do anything. As much as I wanted to be with her, this was something that I could not change. Something deep inside wanted her to be normal. I wanted to feel like she truly depended on me. At least at times like these, when she showed her weak and helpless side. It makes me feel... wanted. This was just something that that I had no control over.

Or maybe... it was something I didn't want control over. I couldn't bring myself to say anything on the matter. I felt like a coward.

She already knew she had to go back. I think what she needs right now is just someone to help her through it. Someone to be there for her in this trying time.

I leaned forward and took her into my arms. Her hands rested on my back as she returned my embrace.

"It'll be alright, Princess... You'll see." My hand rubbed her back. I held myself back, not wanting to upset her any further. She already knew how I felt.

As much as I hated the thought, I knew she couldn't promise that she would stay. That was ok with me. It had to be. For her. I wanted to be strong for her. I wanted to prove that I was something I wasn't to someone I cared for. Just for a little while longer.

"Do you really think that?" she asked, her voice full of sorrow. Her fingers tightly gripped the back of my shirt.

"I do, Celestia." I affectionately told her, "It will be alright."

No, I didn't believe it. How could I? My heart was aching at the sound of her voice. If she left, I wouldn't know what to do. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. It was even more heartbreaking to know that she had to leave. I couldn't say anything. If I said anything that would make her regret leaving, it would just hurt her more.

"Phil... I'm scared."

"I am too, Celestia."

"Don't let go."

"I won't."

Her chin nestled against my shoulder, her grip on me tightening. It felt nice to hold her in my arms. Her body was so warm. It put me at ease.

The rise and fall of her chest steadied as she calmed down. She had stopped sniffling and her grip on me had loosened somewhat. I smiled to myself, proud that I could at least help her with this.

"I have to go back to Equestria... don't I?"

I wasn't going to answer that.

"I'll have to say goodbye to this life. Goodbye to you. I'll have to return to my life as a Princess."

I had nothing to respond with. Nothing that would help her.

She took in a deep breath and let out a long, sad sigh. "My only chance of staying here with you is if I really were trapped in this world. I shouldn't be hopeful for something so selfish, but deep down, I wish for it to be true. It would be out of my control. I would have no guilt."

"There's a lot that can happen, Celestia. We didn't manage to find the crystal mirror when we looked. Maybe we won't find it next time."

"Maybe we won't find it the time after that. Maybe... I secretly wasn't looking. Maybe I didn't want to go back."

"Celestia."

She sighed again. "Discord seems to be the only one that knows how to move us between these worlds, but if I were to say that I trust him to bring us back, I would be lying. I'm afraid that he's more powerful than my sister. Thankfully, we have the Elements of Harmony to persuade him, but even so, he may still weasel his way out of it."

I reached up and began stroking her hair.

She looked up at me. "If I go home, I'd still like to see you again, but I don't know if that would be possible. Maybe I could come back somehow. But to do that, I'd need to find a way back. I don't know how I even got here in the first place. If I stay here, there may not ever be a chance to go back. If I can't go back, Phil... Well... That'd be alright with me."

"Celestia..."

There was a mutual silence between us for a long while. I spent this time gently stroking her long hair. I was happy that she had stopped crying, but the thought of her leaving was still there.

I pulled away from her. She looked up into my eyes, her expression one of sadness. I gave her a kind smile before asking, "Want me to get you a snack?"

A smile slowly crept across her face. "Yes, please." she replied in a cute, childlike tone.

I rubbed her shoulder and kissed her forehead before getting off the couch. I returned to her with a plate of sweets and a glass of milk. As I grabbed them, I thought about how much I had spent on food alone. I didn't care. As long as she was happy. As long as I could make her happy for a little while longer...

Soulfire was sleeping on the couch, but Shining was nowhere to be found. He may have taken my room. Or he was in the bathroom. I didn't check. I didn't care.

I set the plate onto her lap before sitting next to her. She leaned against my shoulder again. I set my hand on her leg, then reached to her hand as I looked to her eyes. "I love you, Celestia." I said. This went against what I knew I shouldn't do. I needed to say it. I needed to tell her. "No matter what happens, I'm never going to forget the time we spent together."

"Thank you, Phil." she quietly let out, "I love you, too."

We stared at each other for a long while. Eventually, she reached for her first treat.

"You're never going to get to sleep after that." I said, yawning afterwards.

"I'll be fine."

"Mmm-hmm..."

After she had finished her first snack, she looked to me. "I hope I do the right thing."

"Yeah... Me too." I softly replied.

More silence. Celestia didn't make much noise as she ate, but the food had helped cheer her up.

Eventually, I broke the silence with a short sigh. "Hey miss, you look kind of sad. Give me just a moment I'll make you glad."

"Hmm?"

"If you don't want any help, just you say."

"What?" She looked to me with a slightly confused expression.

"You know, I've got a PHD in brightening days."

"Are you... Is that... a song?"

"You may not see what I see in you, but let me tell you what I see is true. My eyesight's fine and I'm rather in my mind. I've got you in my thoughts all the time."

I could see her smile again. I smiled back at her.

"If I could take your hand and kiss you. If I could hold you close and love you. And love you..."

She leaned against me like she usually does. Whatever I was doing was relaxing her.

"The summer breeze or the winter frost. Not a season's moment will be lost, for sadness is just a... waste of your days. I could cheer you up in a million ways."

She stared at me. Her eyes were so relaxed. Almost sleepy.

"If I could... take your hand and kiss you. If I could... hold you close and love you..."

I stared right into her eyes with a small smile on my face.

"That was cute." she said before planting a kiss on my cheek.

We smiled at each other. My hand lifted to her face. She briefly looked to it as I caressed her cheek. We closed our eyes and pushed our lips together. She seemed... reluctant.

We pulled apart. She smiled, even through her sadness. I smiled back.

The two of us laid together on the basement couch that night. It wasn't the most accommodating couch in the world, but it was good enough. She needed to be held. Celestia was hurting and I could do little to comfort her. While she was in my arms though, nothing else mattered. As we snuggled together to go to sleep that night, she was peaceful.

Celestia didn't brush her teeth.

September 13

I awoke to the gentle stirrings of my Princess, still in my arms. She let out a quiet sigh as I held her closer. My Princess was sandwiched between the couch and I while my back faced the edge.

Even though we were both awake, we said nothing. Instead, we cuddled against each other, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies. Then, Celestia's stomach growled, followed by a cheerful giggle.

"Are you up?" she asked me.

I lifted my head and kissed her cheek. She looked at me, a smile on her face.

"Hungry?" I asked her.

"Mmm... A little..."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Just... stay here. With me... Don't leave. Not yet."

"Alright, Celestia..."

I snuggled up against her back. She pushed against my body.

"Phil... about... about what I said last night... I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to apologize, Celestia. It's alright."

"I don't know if I can believe that..."

"You don't have to believe it, Celestia. Believe in me. Believe in me when I say that it will be alright."

She sighed, then let out a short chuckle. "You're weird..."

"You're weird." I decisively rebutted.

She chuckled once more. Shortly after, she began humming to herself, not moving from her spot on the couch. It was a long while before either of us really moved. We could lay like this all day.

Celestia gently tapped my wrist, signaling me to let her up. I slowly got off the couch first before helping her to her feet. She smiled at me as we hugged, enjoying each other's warm embrace for just a little while longer.

We pulled away from each other. She straightened her long hair with her hands before turning to the stairway. She glanced back, waving at me to follow her as she walked upstairs. On her face was the same beautiful smile she always wore. My favorite smile.

Celestia sat at the kitchen table and yawned. Shining and Soulfire were both awake, though they weren't with us. It felt like we chased them out of every room they were in.

A sudden notification from my phone surprised me. I got it out and looked at it. It was a message from Timmy. Odd, he didn't message me often. We usually just talked at work. I replied as I made her something to eat.

-You still on?- he asked me.

-What?-

-on steam-
-it says you're on-

-oh-
-No, someone must be using my laptop.-

-Oh ok.-

-what up?-

-I'm on this new Minecraft server. Wanna join in?-

-Maybe later.-
-Too busy now.-

-No you're not.-

-Yes I am.-
-Besides, you know I'd just get banned again-

-Stop hacking asshole.-

-gotta git gud somehow-

-hacking is not gitting gud.-

-it is when you just don't give a shit.-

-Git gud, kid.- he said to me.

I chuckled to myself.
-Hey, look-
-I'm busy wallowing in self-pity right now. I'll get back to you on this, alright?-

-What-

-Celestia and I gotta deal with some stuff.-
-I'll probably take some more days off work because of it.-

-I was wondering what was bugging you recently.-
-You aint been the same since she showed up-

-I know-
-I can't stop thinking about her-

-Why not?-
-Are you two really together?-
-Trevor said you were-

-yeah well trevor's a cunt-

-Irrelevant-
-Answer the question-

I stared at the screen for a short while, not typing anything. Finally, I decided that it didn't matter if anyone knew.

-yep-
-We're in a relationship-

-eyy took ya fuckin long enough-

-unfortunately though she might leave soon-

-Leave?-

-Like, go back home.-
-To her home.-

-oh-
-That sucks.-

-Yeah-

-That's rough buddy-
-She is way out of your league, I'm surprised she even likes you-
-I don't even like you-

-Yeah well you're a cunt-

-so?-

-She's out of everybody's league, man. Nobody deserves her.-

-Especially you-

-Exactly-

There was a long pause of him writing and deleting his message.
-well I hope everything turns out alright-

-Yeah-
-me too-
-I'll see ya later-

-Alright, see ya.-

I sighed to myself, then presented Celestia with a meal, a bowl of cereal with buttered toast on the side. She smiled and thanked me. I liked her smile.

September 13

In the meantime, it was just me and my Princess. And her guards. And... her guards. Guards...

The two of us were sitting on the front room couch. I had gotten home from work not too long ago. She laid against me, her soft breathing the only sound she made. My arm was wrapped around her. It was a nice change from crying in my arms.

The guards were in the kitchen, away from us. We were as alone as we could be. I didn't feel alone. If I didn't, I knew she didn't. The keys in my pocket gave me an idea.

I leaned in and gave her a soft, "Hey."

"Hmm?" Her eyes focused on me.

"Let's go for a ride." I whispered.

"Where are we going? I'll fetch my guards."

"Fuck 'em."

Her big, beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-What?"

"Fuck 'em. Let's just go."

"Oh! Ok!" A sly smile spread across her face. "They're going to be mad at you."

"Fuck 'em. Now..." I lifted my finger with the idea of putting it over my lips, but decided that instead doing it to her lips would be more fun. She smiled behind my finger before nodding.

I got up from the couch, extending a hand to her. She eagerly took it, grabbing my hand so I could pull her to her feet. Her hand was so soft. Just holding it warmed my body. Looking at her beautiful smile reminded me of how much I loved her.

Celestia couldn't help but to giggle as we put our shoes on. She looked to me for support, but I could do nothing to quell her joy. Without a word to the guards, we were out the door. They no doubt heard us leave, so we both rushed to the car.

"It feels like I'm sneaking out behind my parents' backs." she giggled, getting in, "Just like my teenage years."

"What would you know about teenage years?" I jokingly asked.

"You may be surprised to hear this, but I was a teenager once."

By the time we had pulled out of the driveway, the house door opened. There was nothing they could do as their Princess was driven away.

"Bullshit." I said.

"It's true! Not very long after my twelfth birthday, I had a thirteenth. And it may be hard to believe, but I had six more birthdays right after. All of them teen birthdays."

"That's a scary thought, Celestia."

The two of us went silent for a few moments before we both burst out laughing. Her laugh was so cute...

"Oh, what are we even saying?" she asked between laughs.

"I have no idea." I responded, still giggling.

"So where are we going, Phil? What will we be doing away from my guards?"

"I'm sure something will come to me."

She let out a short chuckle. "That's just like you, isn't it... I should have known you didn't think this through. Well, if you don't know where we will go, then tell me what you're doing."

"Hmm?"

"When you drive this car. Teach me about driving. I've looked it up myself but what better teacher is there than someone who already knows?"

"Oh... Well alright. Um... Where to start... Uh... Th... Right."

"You get in, you turn the key, then it turns on. Then what happens?"

"Well... Actually, in that case, you're not entirely correct."

"Oh?"

"For cars with a manual transmission... uh... For cars that... have three pedals, you need to push down the leftmost pedal to turn it on."

"Oh, yes! I remember pressing it when I helped you."

"Yeah, exactly."

No matter what, Celestia's attention was trained directly on me, listening closely to every single word I said. I went on and on, noting many of the major functions of a car and my understanding of how they worked. I also made sure that she knew that I didn't know everything about it, because I'm sure I was wrong on many points.

"Now, do you see that sign?" I pointed to a speed limit sign.

"Yes. 25 miles-per-hour. I know what it means, too. It is a 'speed limit'. That is the legal maximum speed in this area."

"That's right. Now, look here." I pointed to the dash of my car.

She leaned to me and looked at the dash. After a few moments, she took in a quick gasp. "Phil! You're going too fast!"

"Correct."

"You're breaking the law."

"I am."

She crossed her arms. "It must not be a very important law if you would so casually break it."

"Look behind us."

She turned her head and looked out the back window.

"That car is also breaking the law. I know that because I am. We are both going over the speed limit. That car over there." I didn't point this time. "That car is going over the speed limit. You see Celestia, everybody is going over. You're expected to drive over the speed limit. In fact, if you drive the speed limit or below, as you legally should, you will annoy the people behind you."

"Why even have a speed limit, then?"

"Speed limits give a general speed that you should be near. Personally, if I could always follow the speed limit, I'd like to. However, being a safe driver is not always possible. In some instances, driving the speed limit or below will back up traffic behind you and can lead to the police giving you a ticket for disrupting traffic."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Exactly. Now, if you don't feel safe driving a certain speed, then just don't do it. Being nervous behind the wheel isn't safe."

"You make it sound as if you expect me to drive."

"Oh you'd be a great driver."

"I think I'll leave the driving to you... You've given me a lot to think about. Perhaps I could implement such a machine in Equestria."

"Celestia, you could build a fully functioning car from instructions you can search on a computer."

"I wasn't aware such instructions existed."

"There's a lot here that you still don't know. You're in the middle of a technological wonderland."

"I'm in an incredible new world and all I want to do is laze the day away with you. Day after day, we're on the couch or in the bed cuddling. It's such a relief to me that I can simply sleep all day."

"It's nice, isn't it..."

"It is. I love this world, Phil. I can finally relax and be myself. Shining and Soulfire will be very upset with us when we get back."

"Let's make the most of it then. Are you hungry?"

She let out a short giggle. "I could eat."

"Good. I was getting sick of driving."

It didn't take long to find a restaurant she would like. Since we were in the area, I took her to a pleasant little Italian restaurant. I found a place to park and the two of us got out of the car. Celestia stopped before we reached the door and looked to the name of the restaurant on the building. She smiled to herself.

I opened the door and stood to the side, holding it for her. The smell of the food wafted out to us.

She chuckled. "My, what a polite young man you are."

"Ladies first."

"Oh please, you just want to stand behind me."

"So?"

She chuckled once more before walking in.

The two of us were led by the friendly greeter to a table near one of the walls. Celestia's eyes were scanning the restaurant, taking in the decorum of a proper human eatery. After we sat, she immediately picked up the menu she had been given.

"Oh, there are so many delicious-looking dishes to choose from." she said with a sigh, "Spaghetti, lasagna, mostaccioli, rigatoni, tortellini, fettuccini alfredo... pizza and calzones... Oh! They even have a vegetarian section!"

"Careful, you'll start to drool."

"We don't even have some of these in Equestria!"

A waiter joined us as she flipped through her menu. After his introduction, we ordered drinks to start us off, which came out promptly. After he got back, he asked if we were ready to order.

I looked to Celestia. She was still fumbling through the pages.

"Oh, I don't know..." she nervously let out, "There are so many options to choose from... What are you getting, Phil?"

"I'm getting the lasagna." I replied, pointing to it.

"Mmm... I love lasagna... Maybe... Hmm... Oh, this sounds good. And it's vegetarian! I'll have the eggplant parmigiana with mostaccioli.

"Very good. Anything else you'd like to add?" he asked us.

"No, that's it for me. Celestia?"

"I don't need anything else. Thank you."

He took the menus from us and let us know how long it would be before our food was ready before leaving.

"This restaurant is so beautiful. It looks nothing like the rest of the town." Celestia said as she took in the nearby details.

"This place has Italian heritage. So I've heard, at least."

"So this restaurant is styled after those of a different country. That's another thing about this world that I wanted to see."

"Hmm?"

"Different countries. I've only seen this small town and yet I can already tell that this world is so diverse. I could only imagine what I might see if I were to visit other countries. Even this country, I'd like to explore. It's far larger than Equestria. But... I can't. I won't get the chance." She sighed.

I frowned at her. "Celestia."

"I know, I'm sorry."

No matter what happened, Celestia was still thinking about leaving. I suppose I was, too. That's why we were here. That's why we left without the guards.

I placed my hand over hers on the table. Her eyes brightened as she looked to me. With just a gentle touch of her hand, she was happy again.

We said nothing as we met each other's eyes. There was no sorrow behind her big, beautiful eyes. Magenta... Such a strange eye color for us, but for her, it could be no other.

She placed her other hand over mine, holding me. I did the same. She looked down at our hands before giggling. Her bottom hand slid out from underneath mine and moved to the top.

I glared at her as I did the same. Again, she moved her bottom hand to the top, giggling as she did.

At this point, our little joke devolved into something much more playful. For the next few minutes, we fought over top position, speeding up our movements to get an edge over the other. The slapping sounds of our hands against each other and Celestia's constant giggling quickly filled the air. I couldn't help but to smile when I heard her laugh.

Eventually, we calmed down, but not before we received some looks from the tables around us. I didn't mind that they were looking. After all, I wasn't alone in this. My Princess was the one giggling.

It seems she took longer to notice the others than I did. She stopped moving her hands, allowing me to stay on top. Her giggling slowly quieted, though didn't stop for another minute or so. Her cheeks had a soft redness to them.

I moved my top hand away from our pile. She did the same with hers. Before she could take her second hand away, I maneuvered my fingers between hers, intertwining our fingers. Her hand felt so warm...

"I love you, Celestia."

"I love you too, Phil."

I didn't feel the slightest twitch that indicated that she wanted her hand back until our food arrived.

As the waiter placed our food onto the table, Celestia's eyes lit up once more. She looked between my and her meals before taking in a deep breath through her nose.

"Ahh... It all smells so good..." she let out with a sigh.

"It looks amazing." I said, picking up my fork, "I can't wait."

She took a bite of her meal, letting out a soft sigh as she chewed. Her fork lowered to her plate. She swallowed. "It's delicious! Human food is so good!"

I took a bite of mine. Very good. Beats frozen lasagna by miles.

I reached my hand across the table, spreading my fingers. She looked to it, more curiosity on her face. I tilted my head to it. Seems she got the message. She smiled another cute smile as her hand returned to mine. I held her gently as our eyes met once more.

I broke eye contact as I began eating again. My plan was a simple one, yet I knew it would be effective. She began eating as well, unaware of my scheme.

I tightened my fingers as I felt her pull away. She stopped almost immediately before smiling at me. With no hesitation, Celestia simply used her other hand to pick up her drink. Mission accomplished: Hold my girlfriend's hand.

"I can't believe how I've been acting recently." she said, "I felt so nervous when we ordered that I couldn't choose anything. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I felt nervousness like that? My giggling must have been so obnoxious to the other people here." She chuckled. "But I just kept giggling. I didn't care. I'm not in Equestria anymore. I'm not a Princess. I don't have to be a beacon of social grace and etiquette. Far from it, it seems. I've been nothing but a nuisance since I got here."

"Oh, you're not a nuisance."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I must admit though... I kind of like being a nuisance."

I sighed. "You're the best kind of nuisance."

"Why, thank you." she replied with a smile, "This food is wonderful. I'm so glad you brought me here."

"Yeah... Me too. I'm not looking forward to going home."

"Neither am I. Though, I suppose my reasons are a little different than yours."

"That so?"

"Mmm-hmm..."

"Why don't you want to go home?"

"I want to be alone with you for as long as I can."

"You're such a sweetie."

Her smile widened. "How about you, Phil?"

"I just don't want the guards to yell at me."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

"They're probably so worried about you."

She lowered her head in a single nod. "Impulsiveness is not a good trait for a Princess."

"Maybe not. I guess we just gotta get this over with."

"I still need to finish eating."

"Me too."

True to my word, I refused to let go of her hand for the rest of the meal. She never seemed to pull it away. Even while I was signing my name on the check, her hand was in my grasp. I pulled her to the car with me as we walked out. She placed our leftovers inside as she got in. Sadly, it would seem that we could not get into the car while holding hands.

Celestia laughed as she saw me look to our hands. "Looks like you'll have to let go, Phil."

"I don't wanna."

"How will we get home?"

"I'm sure we'll find a way."

She wore a playful smile. "I don't think so. Come on. Let's go... honey."

"Honey."

Celestia giggled. "Well, you're my... honey."

"Then you're mine."

"I think I can live with that. Now get in, would you?"

"Alright, fine."

I finally released her hand. To my surprise, a deep chill covered my hand without her touch. I already missed holding her hand.

The drive home was calming. Celestia held our leftover boxes on her lap, watching me intently as I drove. She was smiling. That's all I really wanted. If I could keep her smile up for a little while longer, I'd be satisfied.

Shining and Soulfire weren't happy at us. I ignored their complaints. I'm sure Celestia listened but I couldn't be mithered.

Though Celestia and I shared a touching moment, the days that followed weren't much different than before. We did as we usually did, which wasn't much.

Even after our little moment together, my Princess never lost touch with her cheerful side. As we spent more time together, she became more honest with me. Nothing made her happier than when she could truly be herself. Though her guards were always nearby, she allowed her emotions to run free.

At the start, she hid herself, even from me. She kept her negative emotions bottled up inside. Eventually, the feeling overwhelmed her and for the first time in many years, she cried in the arms of her lover. Hearing this from her helped me understand more about her. Seeing how she truly felt has made me love her even more.

In the back of our minds, we dreaded the days to come. Celestia avoided the subject, but I couldn't forget what she said. All we could do was push past the pain into each other's arms. We would face this together.

When the time came, Celestia and I were prepared to search the town for the crystal mirror. Though I could not force her to search for it, I trusted that she would make the right decision.

As the month came closer and closer to its end though, Celestia's smile began to fade. It seemed that no matter what I did, she would only get more despondent. Even her libido had been affected. We both knew what had to be done. As far as we knew, she had one choice.

After a point, she stopped trying to hide her misery. It seemed that her only comfort was resting with me. I began taking days off from work just to be with her. Unlike before, she didn't mention my absences.

At the end of it all, there was still one question that stuck with me... Was I doing enough for her?