It had been a long and tiring day, but at long last, she could relax. Princess Celestia, co-ruler of the land of Equestria and mistress of the sun, would appear to many of her subjects as being utterly tireless, attending to her duties and wearing a smile throughout the day, as though she was above mortal concerns like fatigue or weariness. The truth of the matter was that she could get just as exhausted as anypony else, and today was no exception. She'd spent all day about Canterlot, dealing with many of the duties expected of her, not the least of which was trying to mediate concerns between bickering nobles. A part of her wanted to just complain about how only she knew what this was like, but she knew that was not true.
For it was not long ago that her beloved sister, Princess Luna, had also taken up such responsibilities, adamant that such duties of the daytime could never compare to what she did during the night shift. Celestia had allowed her to indulge herself however, knowing just how difficult it could be for her, instead opting to take the day off. Although Luna had excelled at Celestia's duties in that time, she nevertheless returned the reigns of the day back to her. The elder sister did not resent this, as she had been used to such work for many centuries. Still, it was hard not to lament being free of that kind of responsibility, even if it was only for a day.
And speaking of Luna, it was only now, as Celestia was walking towards her chambers, when she caught sight of her younger sibling. The two smiled at each other with knowing looks. On most days, today included, the passing over of one duty to the next was the only time they really saw one another. But even so, it was a time they cherished. Today though, seeing her elder sister's rather tired expression, Luna said nothing, merely nodding as she walked by. Celestia, grateful at the chance to just retire for the evening, smiled and nodded back, watching closely as Luna passed her by and walked back down the hall, no doubt to attend to her duties of raising the moon.
With that out of the way, Celestia entered her chambers, sighing with contentment at the warm glow of her large fireplace, which had been made ready for her. Entering, she began her usual evening rituals of preparing herself some warm herbal tea before dispensing with her usual royal attire. Her necklace, golden shoes and even her crown were all removed from her by way of her magic before being carefully placed on a nearby set of purple cushions, there to wait for the dawn when Celestia would wear them again. She sat comfortably on a much larger cushion, situated near the fireplace, before levitating her tea towards her and taking a sip.
It was not long after that though when there was a knocking on her door, a sound which brought a small smile to her.
"Ah, tis some visitor," she muttered "tapping at my chamber door".
Using her magic once more, she turned the knob of her door before opening it, revealing who it was that stood on the other side. It was one of her royal guard. A pegasi stallion, perhaps a little taller than most, but aside from that was, to the naked eye, otherwise indistinguishable from the legions of other such guards she and Luna had at their disposal. White in his fur and clad in the traditional golden armour of the guard, the stallion stepped inside and gave a traditional salute. With a silent nod, Celestia gave him permission to stand at ease, which he did before speaking.
"Guard-pony Solar Streak, reporting for duty, your Highness!"
Celestia gave a little nod to him, as well as a private chuckle to herself, before replying.
"Carry on, Sir Solar. What news to report?"
The guard took a step closer before removing his helmet and holding it at his side. Now at ease, he looked down at the still-sitting Princess before carrying out his orders.
"All's quiet in the palace so far as the guards can tell. There have been no disturbances to speak of for many weeks now and all-in-all it seems as though we'll have an uneventful night".
Celestia raised an eyebrow at that, complete with a small smirk.
"Oh, I'm sure it won't be entirely uneventful".
The guard merely stood there, as expressionless as a statue, leading to Celestia merely waiting for him to respond. Much to her chagrin however, he merely maintained his disciplined stance for several minutes. Finally, after sheer impatience got the better of her, she sighed and spoke again.
"Solar. Just how long were you going to keep up the act?"
The guard, contrary to his previous stern face, broke into a small smile as his eyes locked with Celestia's.
"As long as I could."
The two broke into laughter together, though for obvious reasons they kept it as hushed as they could. Celestia, having calmed down, gestured to the new arrival, the latter understanding and giving a nod in response. He turned and closed the door behind him before walking beside Celestia and kneeling down on her cushion beside her. For a long while, the two simple stared in an affectionate manner in each other's eyes before the silence was eventually broken by Solar.
"Do you think...anypony suspects?"
Celestia, still smiling, shook her head.
"I don't think so. You don't get to be royalty without learning how to keep your privacy. Not even my sister knows about this".
Solar nodded at that, and Celestia knew what he was thinking. In truth what the two of them had been doing had not been going on for very long, but even so it was something she'd enjoyed. It was comforting to know that, even at her rather advanced age, she was still capable of catching a stallion's eye from time to time. And Solar was no exception. Over the years, Celestia had learned well how to see the signs of an attraction, and this guy had been brimming with them. The way he'd try and catch a glance at her when he though she didn't notice, the way he'd sound nervous whenever she spoke to him. All signs pointed in one direction, and all it took was her asking him for him to just spit it out.
Even so, neither wanted this to be a big thing for others. Both had agreed that, for the time being, what they had would be kept between them. For others to know that Equestria's monarch was having relations of any sort would have been the story of the year, if not century, and the thought of having their private lives on display like that was not a thought that endeared itself to her. She put that aside for the time being and simple enjoyed this moment, the two of them close together and enjoying the warmth of each other's company.
Eventually though, both of them broke away from this calm and content silence between them and stared into each other's eyes once more. Solar looked on as the expression on Celestia's face changed to one that he'd become quite familiar with by this point. Her smile was warm, and her eyes bore a half-lidded look. They both knew that if anypony knew what happened when these two met up for their regular evenings together, there'd be no end of embarrassment for all concerned. But they didn't care. All they wanted in this moment was to know that closeness that both had given the other, and both knew they would want again. Her head drew closer to his and she nuzzled the side of his face before whispering in his ear.
"Sir Solar...would you be so kind as to lay with me this night?"
Solar looked on as Celestia's face withdrew from his, giving him a chance to smile back at her before bowing in a faux manner, something he knew she liked.
"Princess. It would be my honour".
And with that, the two secret lovers moved closer and joined their lips in a tender kiss. Whether what they had would last or not, they did not know. And in each other's presence, they did not care to think of it. All they cared for was each other, and in the dead of night, far from the prying eyes of the ponies of Equestria, they expressed that affection for one another in that special way that only privacy such as this could make possible for them. As the night passed them by, and their union complete, one thought above all filled Celestia's mind. A thought which she couldn't help but chuckle at.
"If I wasn't tired before...I am now".
