Author's Note

This is what happens when I write from 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM. I am so sorry for you poor souls for reading this. I send my regards.

III

I awoke as the sun shone on my eyelids, and someone working their way into my arms, sorry, somepony, not someone. I raised my left arm to allow her entrance, bringing the familiar warmth from last night. I released a moan, making her jump.

"I'm sorry, Thaddeus, I didn't mean to wake you." Celestia said.

I opened my eyes and closed them again, groaning, remembering the sun was in my eyes.

"Don't worry about it, I had to wake up sometime." I replied, opening one eye and squinting at the sun.

I snapped both my eyes open, realizing where I was. I was in Princess Celestia's bedroom. I shouldn't be here, never mind waking up here. I'd only been here one day, but I knew that I shouldn't be in here. I tried to wriggle my arm out from under Celestia, falling off the bed in the process. I quickly picked myself up, looking down I realized I wasn't wearing a shirt, the missing article of clothing sitting on the floor. I bent down and snapped my shirt up, rapidly pulling it on. My mind was running at a mile a minute, trying to remember last night. I looked up at Celestia.

"I-I'm so so so so--" She cut me off.

"Do not worry, Thaddeus, I invited you here last night, although it wasn't my intent for you to sleep here, I am grateful for it. It has been too long since I have shared a bed with someone, and that was one of the best sleeps I have had in a while."

I tried to calm myself, "We... We d-didn't do anything last night, right?" I placed my hand on my heart, attempting to slow it.

She looked at me, still lying on the bed, chuckling at me, "Thaddeus, do not worry, nothing happened last night, unless snuggling counts." She pats the bed with her wing, "Now come, please lie down, there's still a couple hours until I have to go to morning court, and I presume you have nothing better to do."

I think about it, I mean, I could go back to my room, but I'd sit there and do what? Stare at the walls? I decided to crawl onto the bed, going back to where I once was. Celestia flips over, returning to the position she was trying to squirm herself into when I woke up, raising her barrel to allow my arm to return to its original position. I wrapped my left arm back around her, meeting up with my right. I squeezed, silently attempting to say thanks. Unfortunately, my attempts fell on deaf ears.

"What was that for?" Celestia questioned.

I sighed "I was attempting to say thanks for letting me stay, I slept much better than I usually did on Earth."

"Oh."

We returned to the silence, the only sounds were breathing and sighs of content, before Celestia piped up.

"Today is Wednesday, so I have early morning court from half-past 7 to 8. Then we have breakfast from eight to nine, then I must return to morning court from 9 until 12. At 12, we have lunch for an hour, returning to afternoon court at 1 until 6, when we have dinner. Then we have court for 2 more hours, paving the way for Luna to take over for the night. Then we will return here annnnnnnnnnn--"

I began scratching her ear, for reasons unbeknownst to me. It just felt like something to do, and the way Celestia stopped, I imagined she was enjoying herself. I chuckled at her new found weakness, but also at my new found forwardness. I stopped scratching, returning my arm to its original position.

She rolls herself over in my arms, facing me.

"What was that?" She asks, flustered.

"What?"

"What were you doing?"

"You mean this?" I moved my arm and began scratching behind her ear again

"Y-y-es" She stammers.

"That's called scratching behind your ear." I replied sarcastically, "It's a common thing that horse, dog, cat, and other animal owners used to reward their animal. Positive reinforcement, more or less." I finished, removing my hand from her ear.

"That felt good... your fingers could earn you a fortune in massaging" She replies, smiling.

"Not for me, I'm not a gentle person, and I'd probably do more damage than help." I reply.

She clears her throat, rolling back over and continuing to read the schedule, grabbing a marker and writing something on. She brings the schedule in front of me, tapping with the end of the marker at where she had wrote. I looked closer, attempting to read the hastily scrawled sub-note.

"Get massage from Thaddeus." I read aloud, looking at Celestia, "I never agreed to that."

She turns her head, looking at me as best she can, "Are you really going to say no though?"

I nod my head, "Yes, yes I am going to say no." sticking my tongue out at her.

She rolls back over for the fourth time. "Are you though, are you really going to say no?" She replies, giving me the same eyes from last night, pouty lip and all.

I sat there struggling to say yes, I was going to deny her a massage. Finally I caved, "Alright!" I exclaimed, gasping as she pulled me in for a hug. "Just don't get your hopes up, it's not going to be that great."

"Underselling yourself?" She replied, clicking her tongue.

"Truthful advertising, rather."

We silently decided that we were going to stay facing each other, so that we could hold a conversation face to face, rather than Celestia rolling over every time she had something to say. Honestly, I felt weird, cuddling someone that I wasn't in a relationship with. I must have had an odd look on my face, because Celestia raised her eyebrow.

"What's on your mind?" She questioned.

"Nothing." I replied simply.

"Don't lie to me Thaddeus, I've run a court for over a thousand years, I know when someone is lying. It's also written all over your face, now tell me what's on your mind." She replied, looking me in the windows of my soul.

"Fine, I feel weird, cuddling with someone I only met yesterday, and also someone I'm not in a relationship with."

"Oh..." She replied, looking crestfallen.

I pulled her closer, making sure I didn't stab myself with her horn.

"I didn't mean it like that, it's just a new experience for me is all."

Good job, you dingus, you upset the princess. I hope you brought your space suit, dick head, because you're not long for planet pony. You're about to be the new face on the moon.

Celestia looks up, still looking upset, but not as much as moments ago.

"I'm sorry, Celestia." I pulled her even closer, squeezing her in a hug.

"It's all right, Thaddeus, I understand that it's a large change, being ripped from your planet to a planet that probably has different ethics than what you're used to." She explains, smiling.

"I'm glad"

I glance at my watch over Celestia, shocked by the time.

"Princ--" Cut off, yet again.

"Please, Thaddeus, no formalities in private. In private, I am a normal pony." She states.

"Alright, Celestia, it's 7 o'clock." I say.

"Is it really? I must have lost track of the time." She untangles her fore hooves from my arms, jumping up. "I'm going to shower, feel free to acquaint yourself with the room." She replies as she opens the door to what I assume is the bathroom.

"All right." I reply.

The door closes, and I look around the room that I had been sleeping in for the past hours. It was well furnished, having a white couch with golden trim, along with a matching recliner. Both of the seats were facing a fireplace, which was nice. I always loved fire, not necessarily a pyromaniac, because I didn't want to set things on fire, I just enjoyed the warmth, the soft glow it creates. I also enjoyed playing with it, just to watch it flicker. I stood up and walked to the door. It was time to see if anything else of mine had made it.

I grabbed the door handle, turning it and pulling. It moved surprisingly easy for a door that big.

This is a nice door, well oiled, and light.

I stopped admiring the door, walking out and closing it behind me. I walked across the hall toward the room I was originally in. I opened the door on the other side of the hallway, swinging it inwards.

These doors are really quiet, I like them. Need to compliment whoever made these doors.

I stepped inside, glancing around the room, this one was furnished, but not as greatly as Celestia's. I glanced towards the dresser, where I had found my clothes. I noticed a couple of items sitting there. I jumped, excited as I made my way towards the 5 items on the dresser, I squealed a bit when I found out what they were. I grabbed my 3 pens, blue, black, and red, and hung them on the rim of my pocket. These were my favourite pens, they never failed me when I needed them, and falling from orbit was no exception, as I tested them on my hand I had found they worked, and were not melted or bent. The next was my phone, which I pressed the power button, and to my surprise the phone actually started.

What the hell is this, if what Luna said about me being charred and crashing into the mountain, none of these should be in one piece, never mind working...

The final item was my wallet, which had my drivers license, my bank card, my gift cards, and 20 dollars. Great, just what I needed, 20 dollars on a new world, let me just walk into a store and buy some food with a piece of green plastic with a 20 on it that smells like maple syrup. There's no way they use a floppy green plastic paper thing as our currency, and honestly, I'm not certain why Canada did. Either way, it smelt of maple, which reminded me of home so I stuck it back in my wallet and slid it into my left front pocket. With my phone and pens in my right pocket, and my wallet in the left, I walked back out the door, towards Celestia's room. I looked at the ceilings and noticed something above Celestia's door. A rectangular hole about a metre and a half long. I shrugged and walked into the room, returning to the same scents. I hadn't noticed that it smelt different then the rest of the rooms. The same three smells, Cake, freshly cleaned blankets, and that last smell that I couldn't identify.

Those are some strong smelling blankets if I can smell them from here.

I sniffed the air again, smelling the smell of the blankets.

Yep, definitely the blankets, but it doesn't smell any stronger on the bed. That third smell is annoying me now, it smells so familiar, yet so odd. I'll have to ask Celly when she gets out of the shower.

I recoiled, where had Celly come from? I'd never called her anything but Celestia or Princess Celestia. Eh, whatever. I sat down on the bed and swung my feet onto the bed, pulling out my phone. I started playing a stupid side-scrolling driving game, just to pass the time. It had only been 10 minutes since Celestia had gotten in the shower, so I waited a little longer.

Finally she emerged from the shower, her hair not so flowy, and instead up in a towel. I glanced up from my phone, and dropped it to cover my eyes. Natural reaction I guess. Celestia laughed at the display. I remembered that they didn't usually wear clothes. I took my hands away from my face, blushing.

"Sorry, I'm used to either not being in the room when someone comes out of the shower, or not being allowed to look while they dress, now that I think about it, females were weird in relationships." I stroked the stubble on my chin, and stopped as I realized I had no way of shaving. I shrugged, maybe I'll try and grow it out for a change, now that no one was nagging me to shave.

Celestia removed the towel from her hair and discarded it into a hamper on the other side of the room. I'd never have made that shot, since I'm white.

"Hey, Celestia?" I said

"Yes, Thaddeus?" she replied

"I have 2 questions for you. First, what is that smell? I can smell cake, blankets, but I can smell another that I can't identify. Any ideas?"

I swear I could see her blush, but I left it alone

"I'm not certain, Thaddeus. Your other question?"

I looked at her suspiciously, "What is that hol--" Something came flying in the very hole I spoke of and perched on Celestia's back. "Oh."

It was a red, yellow, and orange bird. I don't know why, but my brain screamed at me to get away. I tried to focus on something else, other than the alarms blaring in my head.

"I guess that answered my question." I said.

"I guess it slipped my mind, this is Philomena, my pet phoenix." She said.

That's why my brain was on DEFCON 1. It's a phoenix.

Celestia levitated a brush through her hair, while simultaneously levitating a bowl of food across the room, balancing it on her withers. Philomena began eating, occasionally stopping to look at me. Celestia turned to me.

"When was the last time you showered?" she asked.

"Iunno, the day before I woke up here?" She scrunched her nose. "Are you saying I stink?"

"I'm not saying you stink, I'm implying it. Now get in there, and put your clothes outside the door, I'll get them cleaned quickly." She responded.

"Fine, fine." I took my pens and my wallet back out of my pocket and placed them on the night stand, getting up and walking into the bathroom. I undressed quickly, opening the door just enough to throw them out the door. I turned on the water, testing it with my hand before hopping in. I looked at my selection of shampoos and "coat" washes, which I presumed was the equivalent of body wash. They were all cake. Every single one of them was cake scented. I cut a large chunk of my dignity and threw it in a blender as I used them. I smelt like cake. It is not right for a man to smell like cake.

I hopped out of the shower, grabbing a towel, I began drying myself off. Just as I was finishing up, Celestia walked in with my clothes, forcing me to clamp my hand over my mouth, which in turn made me drop the towel. I scrambled to grab the towel as Celestia backed up.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" she repeated as she backed up.

I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around myself.

"It's all right, Celestia, you can come in now."

She opened her eyes, looking back in the doorway to see me with a towel around my midriff. She walked back in and levitated me my clothes, blushing heavily. She closes the door as she backs out, allowing me to change into my clothes.

I walked out of the bathroom, glancing around the room. Celestia was lying on the couch, waiting for me to come out. With me out of the bathroom, we both start out the door towards the throne room.