One Night with Celestia

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 6.5
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Lavender Bloom was your typical earth pony who worked at the Canterlot castle as a groundskeeper. He briefly saw Celestia in person a few times during his shift. She would always smile at him whenever he passed her by, but she always looked like she was busy with something to really stop and talk. He knew he didn’t have a chance with her. She was way out of his league, and could probably have any stallion in Equestria if she wanted. It would most likely be someone of royalty like a prince or a king, however, that didn’t stop him from fantasizing.

One day like any other day, he was working his usual graveyard shift at the castle. He liked that shift since the majority of the other staff had left for the day, leaving just him and a handful of other workers as a skeleton crew for the night. He liked the peace and quiet.

Celestia was almost finished for the day. She was in the middle of a rather dull meeting with a stallion that she really could not stand. He was one of the delegates from a land beyond the borders of Equestria. Most delegates like him were fine, but he had this pretentious attitude that rubbed Celestia the wrong way. She hated dealing with him, but tolerated him because she wanted to be professional and courteous.

The meeting was finally over; Celestia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She put on a forced smile as she escorted the stallion and his cohorts out the door so they could be on their way. Once the last of his minions was out of her office, she shut the door a little harder than she intended.

“Asshole,” she muttered to herself in a rather annoyed tone.

She was glad to have that over with; dealing with someone like him was not how she wanted to close out her day. The only thing she had left to do now was lower the sun for the day, and then she could retire to her bedroom for some much needed rest. She barely got to the middle of her office before a knock came out her office door.

She inhaled sharply through her nose, a bit of rage welling up inside her. It never failed, always when she was about leave.

“Come in,” she slowly exhaled.

A dark green mare opened the door and stuck her head in. Celestia knew what she was going to say and interrupted the mare before she had a chance to speak.

“Okay, he has been bugging me about that all week. Tell him I don’t care how he handles it, just handle it!” Celestia ordered. “That is why he is in charge of that town, not me.”

“Yes, ma’am, anything else you want me to tell him?” the mare asked.

Celestia resisted the urge to say ‘yeah, tell him to go fuck himself’.

“No,” Celestia answered.

The mare departed, closing the door behind her. Celestia went out to the balcony where Luna was waiting for her to lower the sun. Luna opened her mouth to say something, more than likely some sarcastic remark, but Celestia cut her off.

“Luna, don’t start with me,” she said, brashly.

Luna didn’t say anything, instead, just grinned at her sister. She could tell Celestia was having a bad day.

A golden aura surrounded Celestia’s horn as she began casting the spell to lower the sun so Luna may raise the moon for the night. Slowly, the giant ball of light disappeared behind the horizon. Seeing that her task was done, she spun around and went back into the office without saying another word to Luna. There was one last thing she needed to look up before calling it a day. She rummaged through the filing cabinet that held all of the personnel documents for everyone employed in the castle. She was looking for a certain pony and wanted to see if he was working tonight.

Lavender was heading down a hallway to take care of another one his tasks. He didn’t really pay attention too much when he walked around the castle at this time of night since he expected almost everyone to be gone by now. As he rounded a corner, he had to quickly come to a stop to avoid face planting into the white horse that stood mere inches in front of him.

“Your highness!” he said as a quickly bowed his head.

“It’s quite alright,” Celestia smiled. “I was actually looking for you.”

Lavender raised his head, a bit perplexed as to why she was looking for him.

“I hear you have some massage experience,” she said.

“Yes, a fair bit, ma’am,” he still wondered what she was getting at.

“Good. I am in need of your services,” she said. “Follow me.”

She began to walk back to her private quarters escorting Lavender along the way. In his mind he was analyzing what had just happened. Why him? She had to have her own personal masseuse on hoof.

They entered her private quarters; a grand spectacle to behold. A giant bed sat at the far end of the room, which was adorned with white sheets with gold trim. Translucent white curtains hung from the bed posts that almost seemed to reach all the way to the ceiling. Two giant windows flanked the bed, both with curtains that matched the bed sheets. Mahogany bookcases that were filled to the brim with books occupied the remaining walls. Off to the right was the door to Celestia’s master bathroom. To top it all off, a crystal and golden chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room.
“I apologize for the short notice, but I could really use a massage right now,” she said as she lied down on a small couch at the foot of her bed. It felt good to finally be off her hooves.

“I don’t mind at all ma’am,” he replied.

“You don’t have to be so formal,” she took off her necklace and crown, then levitated them over to the nightstand next to the bed. Her four horseshoes followed next.

“Okay. Nothing to this. It’s just a massage. She’s just another client just like back when I worked at the spa,” he thought as he took up his position next to her.

He started with her upper back, gently working out the knots she had in her muscles, which she had plenty of. Life of the Equestrian ruler was very stressful. She rarely ever had any free time to herself. In addition to raising the sun every morning, her typical day was filled with various important meetings and events that all required her presence. These busy days took their toll on her.

He slowly worked his way down her back, being careful not to go too far down. That was the last thing he needed, for her to think he’s taking advantage of this situation to live out some lustful fantasy.

“Don’t be afraid to go lower,” she said, almost reading his mind. “That’s where a lot of the stress is.”

Upon hearing the okay from the princess, he began to massage her lower back and the area around where her cutie mark was.

“Oh, that feels so good,” her body relaxed.

He was careful to avoid where his eyes landed since he was working around her private area, but some slip-ups still occurred. He thought he had spotted a bead of clear liquid running down the inside of her thigh.

“What?” he thought, a little confused. “Is my massage turning her on?” he quickly snapped his eyes back up. “No! Stop thinking like that! She’s not that kind of mare.”

Once he was finished, she flipped over onto her back. The awkwardness level went up a little since she was now able to look right at him.

“You did so well with my back, let’s see how you do with the front,” she said, laying her head back.

As he started massaging her upper chest, she closed her eyes. This made his awkward feelings subside, but only by a bit. Just like with her back, he massaged the knots out of her muscles. It seemed there were just as many on the front as on the back. He thought back to what he saw before and tried to keep his eyes off her private area, especially now since she could open her eyes at any moment and catch him staring. It still perplexed him though; his massaging was okay, but he didn’t know it was that good. It confounded him a little more while he was working on her lower abdomen; he thought he heard her let out a soft moan. Maybe she was enjoying this more than he thought.

Even though he berated himself for it earlier, his eyes wandered down toward her lower reaches once again. It was hard to avoid not looking down there since he was working on her lower abdomen. What had started off as a single bead of liquid had now made the entire area damp with moisture. It almost looked like she wet herself, but Lavender knew that wasn’t the cause.

“Dammit, Lavender, get your fuckin’ eyes off her!” he thought, berating himself once more.

Staring at her private area was the least of his worries right now as her scent began wafting up toward his nostrils, a scent similar to a mare in heat. It invoked primal thoughts of lust. He now focused all of his willpower on one thing, not getting an erection. If that happened, there was no way he would live that down. If she caught him, he could probably make it to the door before she threw something at him or used her magic to immobilize him. Even if he did get away, she would probably file sexual harassment charges against him, but that would be the worst case scenario he hoped. It still would be an embarrassing mark on his reputation: got an erection while giving Princess Celestia a massage. He could never show his face in Canterlot ever again if word of that got out.

He was worrying about these worst case scenarios too much; right now, he just focused on finishing the massage so he could quickly leave. His battle with the lustful thoughts in his head proved victorious; at least now it wasn’t going to be his penis that embarrassed him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he finished with the massage. Celestia’s eyes were still closed; so, he wondered if she had relaxed enough to fall asleep. If that were the case, he would quietly show himself out and continue on with his tasks for the night. A hoof touched him on the shoulder as he started to leave. His heart sank as it did; the worst case scenarios flooded back into his mind.

“Wait, I’m not finished with you yet,” she said, opening her eyes. “The massage was great, but I still need you for one more thing,” she flashed a bit of grin as she pulled herself off the couch, almost as if she had something sinister planned.

“Now,” she said, her muzzle just inches away from his. “Make love to me.”

Chapter 2

Lavender’s eyes went wide, his pupils shrank to the size of peas, his heart felt like it skipped a beat or two, and his hooves felt like lead weights. Was she serious, or was this an elaborate joke on her part? He almost expected her to start laughing and say something like ‘You should see the look on your face’. No, her expression did not change. She really wanted to do this.

“What? I’ve seen the way you look at me,” she said. “You just lie back and I’ll take care of everything,” she led him over to the bed.

This wasn’t a joke; it was real. Lavender knew this as he climbed into the bed and lied on his back. She followed in his wake, straddling over top of him. Quick as a bolt of lightning, she locked him into a deep, passionate kiss, her tongue finding its way into his mouth. She pulled away and began kissing a trail down his body starting with his neck, then onto his chest, and then finally stopping at his midsection. She snuck a peek at his lower reaches and gave him an ‘oh my’ look. Before Lavender could react, the mare retraced the same path down but this time using her tongue. His whole body shuddered at the feeling of her wet tongue as she dragged it across his body, eventually finding its way back up to his mouth in another passionate kiss. Any nervousness or stress he was feeling quickly disappeared.

As the kiss went on, one of her hooves made its way down between her hind legs in an effort to warm herself up a bit. She moaned a bit as her hoof caressed her sweet spot. Pausing for a moment, she let her hoof run along his length which was now fully unsheathed. A tingling sensation radiated through Lavender’s body as her now wet hoof touched him.

Celestia repositioned herself into a more comfortable position. She let out a small gasp as the familiar feeling of a stallion inside her took over.

She used her legs and hips in unison to rock herself back and forth in an undulating motion. She made sure no movement was wasted. After being alive for over a thousand years, she learned a thing or two about pleasing a stallion. She bent down and locked him in yet another passionate kiss as she started moving her a hips a little faster.

She ran the same hoof that she used to service herself earlier through his dark brown mane. Normally something like that would have been a bit gross, but Lavender didn’t care at this point. It didn’t matter if his whole body was covered in her sex juices. He was more focused on the mare that was pleasuring him at the moment.

She took his forelegs with hers and placed his hooves on her hips. Once he had a firm grip, she leaned back, almost horizontal, while supporting herself with her forelegs, and still grinding her hips back and forth. This caused her engorged clitoris to peak out from her labial folds. It sent shudders throughout her body whenever something stimulated it which caused her to let out a few sharp moans. Her clitoris seemed to beckon Lavender to touch it, which he complied seeing as how she was already supporting her body weight with her forelegs. He took one hoof, keeping the other firmly planted on her hips, and started gently massaging her clitoris in a circular motion. The direct stimulation caused the shudders through Celestia’s body to become much more violent. She pushed her hips forward in an attempt to get more pleasure from his hoof. Lavender didn’t let up; he kept working her clit, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. It wasn’t long before she cried out in ecstasy as the stimulation sent her over the top.

Lavender didn’t need to hear her cry out to know she had gotten off; he felt it as her pelvic muscles contracted around his penis. It was a feeling he rather enjoyed, and always tried to make sure that the mare came first.

Celestia slowly brought herself back to an upright position. Her eyes locked with Lavender’s like a predator eying its prey; her long mane hung sensually around her body. It seemed to move with a mind of its own, no doubt from her magic. Her first orgasm had barely subsided before she wanted another one, and she wanted it now. She started grinding her hips back and forth at a much faster pace to coax out one more orgasm. Both of Lavender’s forelegs had returned to her hips as if he was holding on for dear life.

He felt a pressure begin to build in his lower region. It would be any second now. His breathing intensified. Celestia sensed this and thrust her hips downward, driving him deeper inside her. This sent him over the edge. He released. Waves of pleasure coursed through his body; he felt that usual warm feeling as his seed worked its way into her womb. Celestia moaned in ecstasy as she climaxed for the second time shortly afterwards. Her horn lit up and sparks shot from it almost like fireworks going off at the Summer Sun Celebration. She savored every last moment of her orgasm before collapsing down on top of him, her breathing, heavy.

“That was amazing,” Lavender exclaimed after catching his breath.

“I know,” Celestia replied as she kissed him one last time.

After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly rolled over, wincing a bit as his penis slid out of her sensitive marehood. With a happy sigh, she came to a rest next to him. Using her magic, she levitated a pack of cigarettes and a lighter off the nightstand. She already had a massage and some spontaneous sex, she figured she may as well have a celebratory cigarette to top it all off. She lit the cigarette and took a short drag on it.

“Cigarette?” she offered one to Lavender.

“Sure,” he said. He’d indulge a bit for one night.

Still using her magic, she lit one and offered it to him. He took a drag on it, savoring the flavor. These weren’t the cheap ones that you got at the general store for only a few bits. Only the best for Celestia.

“So,” he started, trying to make some small talk. “What’s it like being the ruler of Equestria?”

She took a long drag on her cigarette while she pondered his question.

“Long days and barely any free time,” she exhaled the smoke up toward the ceiling.

“I can imagine.”

“Well, it’s actually a little better since Luna came back,” she explained “but after doing the job by myself for so long, ponies still look to me for guidance. Some days it gets a little overwhelming,” she took another drag of her cigarette. “What about you? What’s your story?”

Lavender thought for a bit.
“About the same as any other pony. All throughout school I struggled to find what I was good at,” he recalled. “I tried different things, all with varying results. I even applied for the royal guard, if you can believe that. Didn’t get in because my aptitude scores weren’t that great. Turns out I was good at being a masseuse, and then this baby appeared,” he pointed to his cutie mark, a golden colored lotus. “After a couple of years, I quit working at the spa because I felt that job was more of a hobby, plus the pay wasn’t all that good. I applied here as a groundskeeper because the pay was a little better, and I’ve been doing this ever since.”

“I think being a masseuse suits you,” she said, recalling her earlier massage.

“Thanks.”

“What kind of name is Lavender Bloom for a stallion?” she took a drag of her cigarette.

“Parents wanted a filly,” Lavender chuckled a bit. “Instead, they got a colt, and they just kept the name they already had picked out. I took a lot of shit for it when I was in school.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It was fine,” he said. “As I got older, that whole joke about my name eventually died out.”

She took one last drag on her cigarette, then dashed it out in the ashtray on the nightstand.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she shot him a sly wink as she got out of the bed. “Feel free to join me if you want,” she sauntered off toward the bathroom.

Smiling, Lavender dashed out his cigarette and followed suit. The bathroom was just as grand as the bedroom. White and gold seemed to be the general color scheme. Two sinks in a white marble counter lined the wall on the right. On the left was the shower which was as large as a walk-in closet and had shower heads coming out of every possible spot in the walls and ceiling.

Celestia had already begun to bathe herself using her magic to work a soapy brush around her body. Lavender felt like a pervert watching her bathe as he stepped in. Despite those feelings, he used a spare brush to wash himself. Nothing of any significance happened while the two were in the shower, much to Lavender’s disappointment.

Feeling better after that long, hot shower, Lavender figured he’d help clean up since the bed was a mess and the sheets had a few stains on them. No one ever said sex was clean. He was barely able to touch the bed before Celestia levitated the sheets, pillows, and blanket up into the air. Just as soon as the contents were a clear of the bed, a fresh set of sheets floated in and expertly assembled themselves on the bed.

“Well, okay then,” Lavender said. Unicorn magic never ceased to amaze him.

Now, he figured he could at least help carry the soiled sheets to the laundry room to be washed. Again, just as he was about to pick them up, Celestia grabbed them with her magic.

“It’s okay, I’ll take care of the laundry,” Celestia said. “If anyone sees you leaving my bedroom holding a load of soiled sheets, questions will be asked.”

She had a point.

“Just wait here, I’ll be right back,” she added.

“Okay. I’ll just…be right here.”

Chapter 3

The sound of crackling magic filled the air around Celestia as she was walking to the laundry room, like a unicorn using a teleportation spell.
“So, what’s his name?” a voice behind her asked.

Celestia turned her head to see her younger sister, Luna, standing behind her holding a mug of coffee with her magic and flashing a big shit eating grin on her face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Celestia deadpanned, continuing on her way.

“Oh okay, maybe I should go to your bedroom and ask him myself?” Luna said, innocently, as she followed along.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I?” Luna replied, still keeping her innocent composure. “Maybe I’ll also see if he can handle another princess.”

Celestia let out an annoyed sigh, “His name is Lavender Bloom, alright?”

“Ooh, Lavender Bloom huh?” Luna stepped in closer to her sister “So tell me, did he go down on you?” she whispered.

“Wha…that’s none of your business!” Celestia gasped.

“What? Come on,” Luna feigned being hurt. “I can’t check in with my big sister every now and then?” she noted the sheets being carried by Celestia’s magic. “Just decided to randomly wash your bed sheets right now? Was the sex that good?”

Luna wasn’t trying to be mean; it was just some playful ribbing between sisters. Something she did more often than Celestia cared for.

Celestia just kept walking and didn’t reply right away. She hoped Luna would go away, but the younger sister wasn’t going to let up that easy.

“He just gave me a massage, that’s it,” Celestia said, half-truthfully.

“Oh, a massage? Sure,” Luna said, sarcastically. “I guess it was his ‘massage’ is what ended up all over your bed sheets.”

After another sigh, “If it’ll get you to go away, yes, we fooled around a bit,” Celestia admitted.

“Only a bit?” Luna chuckled. “Now you have me curious. Maybe I should get me a massage of my own. Do you think he’ll be available tomorrow...”

Splash.
Celestia cut Luna off mid-sentence by grabbing the coffee mug with her magic and dumping it on her head. The younger mare glared at her sister.

“Really?” she said, dryly. “Why’d you have to go and do that? It’s just a little harmless mare talk.”

“Shouldn’t you be watching over the night right now?” Celestia asked, trying to change the subject.

“Eh, I’ll get back to it in a second. Your sex life is much more entertaining,” Luna wiped some of the coffee off her face. “And besides, I think a stallion-friend will do you some good. It’ll get you to lighten up a bit.”

“Luna, I’m really not in the mood right now,” Celestia said, a hint of sternness in her voice.

“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone,” Luna surrendered. “At least for tonight.”

Zap.
Luna teleported away to continue her watch.

Celestia dropped off the soiled linens in the laundry room to be washed. The room wasn’t manned at night, so it wouldn’t be until the morning before her bed sheets were washed, but she didn’t mind since she didn’t need her laundry done right away. While she walked back to her bedroom, what Luna had said was still on her mind. A stallion-friend? She didn’t know if anything serious would come out of this. For all she knew this could just be a one night stand and she probably wouldn’t see Lavender ever again. He seemed like a really nice pony with a good head on his shoulders, but she didn’t know much else about him other than what she read in the personnel file and what he told her tonight. She bounced a couple of ideas around in her head, all different scenarios involving Lavender and how this whole thing could possibly play out.

Celestia returned to her room to find Lavender had occupied himself by checking out some of the books in one of her many bookcases.

“See anything you like?” she asked.

“Oh, no, just admiring your collection,” he hesitated a bit. “I was curious, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful or anything, but why did you come to me of all ponies?”

Why did she come to him personally? Yeah, the sex was amazing, but he didn’t understand why she chose him when she could have went to any other stallion in Canterlot, or at the very least her personal masseuse, if she had one. He didn’t think he had a unique gift or anything.

Celestia pondered his question. It was a fair question and he was only curious after all.

“Well,” she used her magic to open one of the window’s curtains and gazed outward at the nighttime landscape. “Sometimes it’s nice to just let your hair down and have some fun. I can’t remember the last time I did anything like that. These days, they take their toll. I may be the ruler of Equestria and the most powerful alicorn in existence, but I’m not invincible,” she looked at Lavender. “What about you? When was the last time you took a break?”

He joined her by the window as she spoke, but stopped mid-stride when she asked her question. He didn’t expect her to reply with a question of her own, but it did make him think. When was the last time he took some time off and did something fun?

“I suppose it’s been awhile for me too,” he finally answered.

“I guess that didn’t really answer your initial question,” she added. “It was luck, I suppose, that you had some massage experience on the one night that I really needed one. Which was amazing by the way.”

It was the half-truth, she did have some advance knowledge of him with her access to the personnel files. However, she didn’t want to admit that to him and have him think she tricked him. The only luck involved was that he happened to be working tonight.

“But, as I was lying there, I was reminded of my younger days, and I’ll admit, I was a little turned on.”

Lavender’s mind flashed back to what he had observed earlier during the massage.

“So, I thought ‘What the heck? It won’t hurt to spend one night like a young mare again.’ That’s why I suddenly wanted to make love to you,” her mind lingered on that thought before she snapped back to reality.

“Oh, I hope you don’t think I just used you for sex,” she quickly added after realizing what she said. She wasn’t really trying to imply that even though the massage did lead up to it, and she didn’t want to come off as nymphomaniac.

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” he said “I enjoyed it as much as you did. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

She gave him a smile; she didn’t think he would have a problem with it, most stallions didn’t. They weren’t the only ones in Equestria that did it, many stallions and mares had one night stands all the time.

“Anyway, I suppose I should let you get back to work, and I need to get some sleep,” she escorted him over to the bedroom door.

“Goodbye, and thank you for the massage,” she said.

“You’re very welcome.”

He gave her a respectful bow before departing down the hallway to continue on with his shift. Celestia watched him until he vanished from her sight. She closed the door then went to her bed for some much needed sleep. She knew she was going to pay for this late night tomorrow morning, but it wasn’t something that a few cups of hot coffee wouldn’t fix.

What Celestia had said to him was still on his mind. He never thought of it like that; they both needed to blow off some steam. Was this all just a mere coincidence or did Celestia plan this whole thing out? Did Lavender happen to be at the right place at the right time and with the right set of skills? He didn’t know; it could have been either. Celestia did have the power find out everything there was to know about him, and then come up with this elaborate plan to happen to run into him one night. He was thinking about this too much; he convinced himself it was just a coincidence, a happy accident.

The rest of the night was rather uneventful, although Lavender was distracted from time to time. His mind kept wandering back to his time with Celestia earlier in the evening. Before he knew it, the morning crew had already started to come in and it was time for him to go home. He passed down anything of relevance to the ponies coming in to take over for him. It wasn’t long after that, he was back in his apartment, ready to get some sleep himself.

Chapter 4

Celestia slept peacefully that night, probably the best night’s sleep she had in a while. She dreamt about Lavender and the time she spent with him. Maybe she should do something like that more often, the thought lingered. Realistically, she couldn’t, all those late nights would eventually start to add up and affect her work throughout the day. Still, she could dream.

“Rise and shine,” a voice said as a large volume of cold water dumped all over Celestia.

She let out a sudden scream as the shock of the cold water woke her from her slumber. Luna was standing next to the bed holding an empty bucket with her magic and, again, flashing that big shit eating grin.

“You bitch,” Celestia cursed as she shot a mean glare at her sister.

“That’s for dumping coffee on my head last night,” Luna retorted.

“Yeah, well, the coffee wasn’t freezing cold,” Celestia pulled herself out of the bed, shivering a bit as she did. “Now I have to change the sheets again.”

Using her magic, she started to pull the wet sheets off of the bed. Luckily for Celestia, the blanket managed to deflect or absorb most of the water, and only her head and upper chest got soaked.

“Get out of my room, Luna!”

Luna departed, snickering a bit as she did.

That was one way to wake up in the morning even though it wasn’t Celestia’s preferred method. She made short work of removing anything that was wet, which was just about everything on the bed. She loved Luna, but sometimes she really pushed it as a sibling. This wasn’t the first prank that Luna had played on Celestia, nor would it be the last. Celestia grumbled to herself at the thought of that. Now that everything was off the bed so it could dry, and after she dried herself off, it was time for some coffee, breakfast, and her normal morning routine before getting started for the day.

Later in the day, Lavender roused himself from his slumber. Because of his late shift he normally slept until sometime after noon, and today was no different. He went about his normal routine before his shift later tonight which included taking a shower, making lunch, checking his mail, and running any errands he needed to before the shops closed for the day. He browsed through his mail while he ate his lunch for the day, nothing too out of the ordinary until a letter written on royal letterhead caught his eye. ‘From the office of Princess Celestia’ it read across the top. Since paper mail was the primary form of communication in Equestria, great advancements had been made in mail delivery. Mail was usually sorted and delivered several times a day by a large team of pegasi since they could fly and move a lot faster than an Earth pony could. Lavender opened the letter and started reading:

Lavender Bloom,

I am in need of a full time masseuse. I know you have the qualifications. If you’re interested, stop by my office at 4:30 p.m. today. Present this letter to my secretary and the guards will let you in.

Sincerely,
Celestia

Lavender smirked to himself; even though the letter didn’t mention it, he knew it was in response to last night. Guess he had made that much of an impression for Celestia to give him a job offering.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall, which shown about two hours before he had to meet with Celestia. He quickly finished his meal and focused on getting his errands out of the way now so he wouldn’t be late for the meeting. A meeting with the Princess demanded punctuality and he didn’t want to make a bad first impression by showing up late now that a job offer was on the table. The letter reminded him of what he thought about last night during his shift. Was this all just a coincidence or did Celestia want this to happen? Again, he convinced himself that it was just a coincidence.

Celestia was in her office sending out various important memos to ponies that covered a wide range of responsibilities. It was one of the more boring aspects of her job, but at least she didn’t have to deal with any annoying delegates like she did yesterday. A sharp knock came at her office door, followed by a member of the royal guard poking his head in.

“Your four thirty appointment is here, ma’am,” he spoke.

“Send him in,” Celestia replied without looking up from her paperwork. She sent off one last letter and looked up to see Lavender standing at the other end of the room.

“Ah, I see you got my letter,” she explained. “Long story short, I had to let go of my previous masseuse, and after last night you proved that you are more than qualified for the position. Its full time pay plus benefits. Interested?”

“Absolutely,” he answered.

“Good,” Celestia said “I hate to cut this short, but I need to take care of a few more things. Could you wait out in the lobby? I’ll come get you when I’m finished.”

Lavender gave a quick nod, then exited the office. Celestia wasn’t trying to be short with him; when she was in her office, it was all business. She was used to speaking quickly so she could finish up one task and go on to the next one without much lag time.

Lavender sat out in the lobby where Celestia had instructed him to. The professional setting made him feel like a colt sitting outside of the principal’s office in elementary school, waiting for the principal to call him inside to lecture him about something he did wrong. The lobby was alive with activity with various administrative staff buzzing around going about their business, royal guards doing their normal patrols, and everypony in between carrying out their normal day to day routine inside the castle. It all made him feel a little intimidated. Mainly it was the guards; they all looked like they took their job very seriously, which they did since they were all sworn to protect Celestia with their life. So, it was best not to get on their bad side. Not wanting to dwell on that thought any longer, Lavender tried his best to focus his mind on other things and not seem overly nervous around the guards.

Lavender’s train of thought was interrupted when Celestia’s office doors swung open. The two guards flanking either side of the door snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute as their leader walked past.

“Lavender, come, walk with me,” she spoke, approaching him.

He obliged by quickly jumping to his feet and joining by her side.

“Daisy? Hold my calls, I’ll be back in a couple of minutes,” she ordered her secretary.

“Yes ma’am,” replied the mare sitting behind the front desk.

Celestia then turned her attention back to Lavender as the two walked down one of the many long hallways in the castle.

“I already talked with your supervisor about you taking over this new position. It’s a day shift position so we’ll give you some time to get used to working days again,” she explained.

“I never got a chance to say thank you, so, yeah, thank you,” Lavender said.

“Don’t mention it. Like I said in the letter, you proved your worth,” Celestia admitted. “My last masseuse was…dealing with some issues that started to affect her work, so I had to let her go.”

“I see,” Lavender said, not knowing what else to say.

Approaching them from the opposite end of the hall was none other than, Princess Luna. Celestia let out a quiet groan of frustration at Luna’s sudden arrival. How did she keep showing up at the worst possible moments?

“So, this must be Lavender?” Luna spoke in a friendly tone, her eyes giving him the once over.

Celestia gave her a ‘if you say anything, I’ll kill you’ look, which Luna promptly ignored.

“Yes ma’am,” he replied, being respectful to the princess.

“Yes, Luna, this is Lavender Bloom, my new masseuse,” Celestia said through almost gritted teeth.

“Oh, your new masseuse?” Luna took a step closer to Lavender. “So, tell me Lavender, when will I get a taste?” she nuzzled his neck. “It was so lonely being locked away in the moon for a thousand years. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt the warm embrace of a stallion.”

No, she fucking didn’t. Celestia was now in pure horror; her mouth hung open like she was unable to close it. First the rude awakening this morning and now this? Celestia was fine with Luna doing something like this when the two of them were alone, much like her playful ribbing last night, but to do it front of another pony was completely uncalled for.

“Wha…I…,” Lavender stammered. He didn’t know what to say; he was just as shocked as Celestia was. Did Luna know what they did last night? His mind was in a panic; he didn’t know what Luna would do with that information if she did indeed know what happened.

Luna pulled away from Lavender knowing the poor stallion was probably frozen in horror, which he was. She shot a glance over at Celestia.

“Oh, by the way, I’m a little more open-minded than my sister,” Luna added. “Come by my bedroom whenever you want to fool around with a real princess.”

Celestia’s expression now morphed to one of pure rage. Her eyes were like daggers and pierced through Luna like a hot knife through butter. It was like she was saying ‘I’m going to kick your ass later’, and she felt like blurting it out loud.

“Well, you two have fun,” Luna continued down the hallway, snickering to herself.

“Well, now that I’m thoroughly embarrassed,” Celestia finally mustered the strength to speak. She used a bit of humor to try and lighten this embarrassing situation, although it didn’t work too well.

It took a beat, but Lavender finally managed to speak again.

“Was…sh...she being serious?” he stammered.

“Don’t worry about it; she’s just all talk. She’s like that one sibling that always has to embarrass you. I plan on talking to her later about this,” Celestia explained. “So, anyway, where were we…”

The two conversed for a bit longer, mainly Celestia trying to put Lavender at ease about what had just happened with Luna. In the back of Celestia’s mind she wanted to give Luna a talking to about that. There was no way she was going to let Luna get away with this. Celestia bid farewell to Lavender so she could get back to her responsibilities for the day, and so Lavender could deal with any errands that was necessary for the job change over.

Celestia didn’t see Luna the rest of the day which was probably a good thing since she was going to let her have it. She still could not believe Luna did that in front of Lavender. What was she thinking? Eventually Celestia and Luna would have to meet for when the sun was lowered for the day. Celestia kept her emotions in check for when she next saw Luna; she didn’t want to lose her temper and do something she might regret.

The day had finally drew to a close. Celestia took her position on her office balcony with Luna, who was oddly quiet, standing there nearby to take over for the night. Once the last sliver of light from the sun disappeared behind the horizon, Celestia quickly focused her attention on her sister.

“What was that earlier today!?” Celestia demanded, giving her sister a furious look.

“What?” Luna replied with a bit of innocence in her voice.

“You know damn well what! You also should know that I like to keep a professional atmosphere around here,” Celestia lectured. “I thought you were more mature than this and wouldn’t pull a stunt like that. You embarrassed me in front of Lavander, and you probably embarrassed him too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even show up to work anymore,” she slowly shook her head. “I am very disappointed in you, Luna.”

Luna was caught off guard by her sister’s scolding. Normally Celestia handled things in a calm, collected manner. Only very rarely would she get angry like this.

“But I…,” Luna started.

“You know what? No, I don’t want to hear it,” Celestia interrupted. “I’m going to bed.”

Celestia turned to leave; she didn’t want to deal with this anymore right now. It was fine with Luna joking around with just Celestia, but not whenever it was in front of a pony that she barely knew and a potential new employee.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Luna uttered.

Celestia came to a stop when she heard her sister apologize. A part of her felt bad for yelling at Luna like that, but she had to follow the rules like everypony else.

“I know I took that joke a little too far, and for that I apologize. I should have been more mature, but I wasn’t. If you want me to, I will apologize to Lavender at the first opportunity tomorrow,” Luna added.

By now, Celestia had turned to face Luna while she spoke. She wasn’t expecting an apology like that so soon.

“It’s just that…,” Luna nervously pawed the ground. “Never mind,” she pushed the thought away.

“No, go ahead, you can tell me,” Celestia said. She was curious about what was bothering Luna; a bit of concern welled up inside her.

“It’s just that, when I found out about you and Lavender…I got a little jealous,” Luna admitted. “You know it’s been awhile since I was last with a stallion.”

“Oh, Luna, you know how these things work, they just happen,” Celestia reassured. “I wasn’t trying to rub it in your face. You’ll find a nice stallion someday.”

“What if that day never comes? They aren’t exactly lining up to go out with me,” Luna said with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I guess they’re all afraid I’m going to turn into Nightmare Moon again.”

Celestia knew there was a chance it could happen, but only if Luna let those dark forces take her over like she did that first time. She hoped and prayed that it never happened because she could not bear to banish her sister a second time.

“That is the one thing that I can’t help you with,” Celestia said. “Only time will heal a wound like that.”

Celestia comforted her sister the best she could. It was all she could really do right now. Her mind flashed back to the time she had to banish Luna to the moon. It was a decision that weighed heavily on her heart.

“If you’re ever dealing with anything like this and need someone to talk to, you can come to me and I will make the time to talk to my little sister,” Celestia said.

Luna smiled as she nuzzled Celestia’s neck as a sign of sisterly affection. She was glad to have such a nice, caring sister like Celestia. This whole situation could have gone a lot worse. Celestia could have just scolded Luna, then left without hearing what she had to say.

“I love you, Celestia.”

“I love you too, Luna.”

As the two shared a tender moment, Celestia thought for a bit of something nice that she could do for Luna.

“If you’re up for it, I’ll talk to Lavender tomorrow and see if I can get him to give you a massage.” Celestia offered. “I know it won’t help you find a stallion, but it might make you feel better.”

Luna pulled away from Celestia, a bit surprised that she offered this, but then a small smile crept on her face.

“Thanks.”

“However, no funny stuff,” Celestia added.

“I promise,” Luna chuckled.

“I mean it, Luna.”

“I give you my word that I won’t try anything,” Luna promised. She wasn’t planning on doing anything, at least not so soon after the tongue lashing Celestia gave her.

On that note, Luna raised the moon so that she could start her nightly watch, and Celestia retired to her bedroom for the night. She was glad that she and Luna resolved this issue.

Chapter 5

For Celestia, the next day started off like any other day with the obvious exception of being woken up by having a bucket of cold water dumped on her head. She did feel a bit paranoid that Luna might do it again, even though she had no reason to. After the scolding last night, she figured Luna was going to stay on Celestia’s good side for a while. That was normally how it went; Luna would wait until Celestia relaxed enough to let her guard down, and then she would pull another prank. It was a vicious cycle that Celestia figured she’d be used to by now. Rather than dwell on the inevitable prank that Luna was sure to do sometime in the future, Celestia reluctantly released her warm blanket’s grip on her body to get ready for the day. She made a mental note to call Lavender in at some point to talk to him about scheduling Luna for a massage later that day. It would take some convincing since Luna did make him feel incredibly uncomfortable yesterday. Even then, she didn’t know if he would agree to it. Luna did promise that she wouldn’t try anything and would apologize to Lavender for how she acted yesterday. Celestia pondered if Luna would indeed stay true to what she said. For now, she chose to worry about that later.

After her morning routine and raising the sun for the day, Celestia sent off a letter to Lavender asking if it was possible for him to come in around lunchtime to discuss Luna’s massage appointment. She also added that she would treat him to lunch for his trouble since she knew he might be hesitant with taking on this task. It did seem like she was bribing him, but it was hard to avoid coming off like that. Once that was all out of the way, it was time for Celestia to address her less than exciting tasks for the day.

The day dragged on and lunchtime finally came around. Just like yesterday, Lavender spoke with the secretary about his meeting with Celestia, and was eventually let in Celestia’s office by one of the guards.

“Good morning,” Celestia greeted as she poked her head up from a paper she was reading.

“Mornin’,” Lavender replied.

“I trust you read my letter so I’ll get straight to it, because Luna felt bad for the way she acted yesterday, I was wondering if you would be available today around four p.m. to give her a massage,” Celestia explained. “I know this is an odd request, but I think she could really use it. I’m leaving this decision up to you, and if you don’t want to do it, I completely understand.”

Lavender mulled over Celestia’s request. He had been thinking about it ever since he received the letter. Yeah, it was just a massage, but so was the massage he gave Celestia a few nights ago and that ended with them two bumping uglies. He knew the massage with Luna probably wouldn’t go that far, but that didn’t put him completely at ease. What happened yesterday was still fresh on his mind, and he didn’t know if Luna would try coming on to him since the two were going to be alone. He pushed those thoughts aside for now since Celestia did say that Luna felt bad for what she did.

“If you want, I can be there with you to make sure she doesn’t try anything,” Celestia added.

“No, it’s fine; I’ll do it,” Lavender answered. “It keeps me busy.”

“Thanks,” Celestia smiled. “I’ve been wanting to do something nice for her for a while. It’s a shame that it had to take me scolding her for she did yesterday in order for me to realize it,” her thoughts lingered on Luna for a bit. “Also, she’s wanting to apologize to you personally, so expect that later today.”

“Duly noted, and you’re welcome,” Lavender nodded.

Celestia finished up with the paper she was reading before adding her stamp of approval to it and sending it on its way using her magic. She turned her attention back to Lavender now that her task was complete.

“Alright, I did promise you lunch. So, if you’re ready, then I’m ready.”

“Are you sure it’s no trouble? I don’t want to impose,” Lavender asked, modestly. Being a stallion, he didn’t feel right with having a mare pay for his food when they went out to eat. He felt, as a gentlecolt, it was his duty to be the one who paid.

“It’s no trouble at all. You’ve more than earned it,” she answered. “Besides, I wanted to repay you for the massage.”

Lavender blushed slightly at the mention of her massage, which he remembered in vivid detail. Seeing as how he wasn’t going to talk her out of paying, he nodded in agreement.

The two departed the castle and headed off toward one of Celestia’s favorite restaurants. It resided one of the more expensive parts of the city, a neighborhood where most of the high society ponies lived. Lavender had never been to this area since he knew for a fact that he didn’t make enough to afford a house or an apartment out here, plus all the restaurants and shops were too expensive for his taste. He spent the majority of the time looking on in awe at how nice and clean everything was as he rode with Celestia in her personal stagecoach. The rich and famous really prided themselves on cleanliness.

They arrived at a rather large café; the décor alone looked like it cost more than what Lavender made in a year. The general color scheme was a conglomeration of whites, blues, and greens, the shades of which were all expertly chosen to set the appropriate mood. Two large patios sat out in front of the café with a walkway in between that led toward the main entrance. The threshold between the patios and interior of the café was maintained by several large doors which consisted mostly of windows. The doors could be slid open to reveal the interior of the café to the outdoors if the weather outside was nice, which it was on this day. Whoever was the pony who designed this building was an architectural genius.

After transiting through the main door, the maître d immediately led the two to a large table out on one of the patios that was cordoned off and marked with a ‘Reserved’ sign. Lavender figured this was a table reserved specifically for important guests like Celestia. It made him feel rather important getting to sit at a table like this.

Shortly after the two took their seats, the waiter pony arrived to take their drink order and to present the list of seasonal wines that they offered. Celestia would have indulged in some wine, but couldn’t since she had to go back to work afterwards. She normally saved the drinking until after she was done for the day. Since this was all foreign to Lavender, he asked Celestia for her recommendations on what was good to order. She was more experienced with these high class places than he was, so he’d let the expert do her thing. The fancy setting did make him feel a bit nervous, like all the other ponies were silently judging him. Since he was in the company of Celestia, they all kept their comments and snide remarks to themselves. He did, however, manage to get a few sideways glances here and there.

The two spent the time waiting for their food engaging in some idle chit chat the covered a range of topics. It was mainly to avoid sitting in an awkward silence. Lavender didn’t have to come up with many topics since Celestia had seen or heard practically everything; she had no shortage of things to talk about. He loved hearing the stories she had about times way before he was born, or about how Equestria was way back when.

Before they knew it, their food had arrived. In traditional high society fashion, it was all plated neatly, making it look as good as it tasted. The taste was something else as Lavender took his first bite. It was like a home cooked meal taken to another level and, if he did say so, it put his mother’s cooking to shame. Celestia was just happy that Lavender could join her for this lunch date; it sure beat eating alone.

Once the two finished their meals, Lavender was reminded again that he couldn’t afford to eat at a place like this when the one hundred and fifty bit bill arrived. He had to force his jaw not to hang open when he first saw the price. Luckily for him, Celestia had the money to spare.

The two lingered for a bit, finishing up their drinks before heading back to the castle.

“Well, I need to get back to work,” Celestia said as the two stopped at her office door “Thanks for joining me for lunch.”

“Not a problem, and thanks again for treating me to a nice lunch like that,” Lavender replied.

“Anytime.”

“Well, I have to get back to packing up the rest of my stuff to move into my new apartment,” Lavender admitted, after a beat.

Since he was working at Celestia’s personal masseuse now, he was allowed to live in the staff housing within the castle. This was mainly so he could be close by in case Celestia needed him on short notice.

“And I still haven’t forgotten Luna’s appointment at four,” he added. “Where is she wanting to do this?”

“Her bedroom, if you’re okay with it,” Celestia answered. “Just come back here a couple of minutes before and I’ll show you where it is.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s fine,” he figured that might be where Luna wanted to do it since she would want some privacy, much like Celestia when he gave her a massage.

Celestia nodded, then bid him farewell.

Lavender departed to resume moving some more of his belongings into his new apartment since he had a few hours before he had to address Luna’s massage appointment. Luckily for him, he didn’t own very much, which saved his aching hooves from walking back and forth so many times. He had gotten a few of his friends to help him out with the bigger items, such as his couch and bed, the first thing this morning so it would be done and out of the way. Now all that was left was some small items that he could carry over by himself.

As Luna’s appointment deadline drew near, Lavender finished up with what he could do right now. All that remained was a few things that he could take care of either tonight or tomorrow morning depending on how long Luna’s massage went. Earlier when he had stopped to take a break, he put a little massage kit together in his saddle bags which mainly consisted of different scented oils.

Securing his bag around his midsection, he was out the door, heading toward Celestia’s office so she could direct him to Luna’s bedroom. Celestia gave a quick knock at Luna’s bedroom door then, after hearing no objection from the other side, opened the door for Lavender.

Inside, the room seemed dark when compared to the rest of the castle, primarily because of the blue and black color scheme that Luna had went with. It was of a similar layout to Celestia’s room with the obvious exception of the color. Luna stood next to a small, black couch that sat at the foot of her bed.

Lavender took a slightly nervous gulp as Celestia closed the door behind him, leaving him in here alone with Luna. He silently prayed to whoever would listen that this would only be a massage and nothing more.

“I promised Celestia that I would behave myself,” Luna spoke. “Also, before we get started, I wanted to apologize for what I did yesterday. That was very foalish of me to do that to you.”

Her tone of voice sounded sincere which made Lavender relax a little bit.

“It’s okay. I like a good joke as much as the next pony. Just…warn me next time,” Lavender admitted, although he only half believed it when it came to a joke like that.

“Deal,” Luna smiled. “Shall we get started?” she laid down on the couch and readied herself for the massage.

Lavender set his saddle bag on the floor next to the couch for easy access to the contents. He squirted some hoof sanitizer on his front hooves to clean off any dirt and germs. Once his hooves were clean, he rummaged through the saddle bag and took out a small bottle of purple colored massage oil. He put a generous amount on one of his hooves and then used the other hoof to rub it around to warm up the oil so it wasn’t ice cold when it touched Luna’s skin. Since Luna was already lying on her stomach, it silently indicated that she wanted him to do her back first.

“Don’t worry about the oil, it’ll wash right out,” he reassured as he started with the massage.

“Good to know.”

He slowly made his way down her back, gently massaging her muscles in a circular pattern, working out any knots that he came across. The scent of the oil radiated around the two and smelled like a field of flowers during the springtime.

“How long have you…oh, fu…yes!” Luna exclaimed as he worked out a particularly large knot on her back; her body quivered a bit in response. She had to stop herself at the last second from cursing.

She didn’t know what he did, but an almost orgasmic feeling spiked through her body. Lavender paused briefly at this outburst.

“Pardon me, but that felt amazing,” she added, sounding like a mare who had just come down from cloud nine. “It’s like years’ worth of stress is leaving my body all at once.”

“Glad you like it,” he smirked to himself as he continued working his way down the remainder of her back. Not once of his years of working as a masseuse had he ever gotten a response like that.

He finished up with her back and gave her the indication to flip over so he could do her front side. Refilling with some more oil, he started with her upper chest. The relaxing scent of the oil wafted up toward Luna’s nose and helped melt away any stress that was still present in her body.

“So, who was the lucky mare who popped your cherry?” she asked, giving a bit of a mischievous smile.

Lavender hesitated as a bit of nervousness began to well back up inside him. He didn’t know if she was serious with her inquiry or just joking around again.

“Fine, I’ll go first. Mine was this handsome unicorn stallion named Dark Night,” she recalled. “He had a gray coat, jet black mane and tail, the deepest golden colored eyes I’ve ever seen, and a cutie mark of a cluster of stars. He was captain of the royal guard at the time, which meant I got to see him a lot. He would always stare at me every time I walked by. Finally, I went and talked to him. I wasn’t blind; I saw how he looked at me.”

Luna paused for a moment to take a sip of a drink she had sitting nearby.

“After we had been seeing each other for a while, I invited him to my room just to see where it would end up. We fooled around for a bit at first, and then before I knew it, our bodies were intertwined in the most passionate love making I’ve ever experienced,” she continued. “I remember telling Celestia that I loved him and wanted to spend my life with him. She scolded me for being naïve and giving my heart away so easily. Like a typical young mare, I didn’t listen. It’s just such a shame that shortly after that, we had to deal with Sombra in the Crystal Empire, and then that whole Nightmare Moon thing happened. I just…wish I could have said goodbye to him.”

She paused for a bit as her happy emotions gave way to sad ones.

“I never knew what happened to him after that. I’m guessing he moved on with his life. I still have dreams about that stallion who took my virginity on that one perfect night.”

She shifted her eyes to Lavender who had been listening intently to her story.

“So, who was your first? And don’t say Celestia because I know that’s a lie. A strapping young stallion like you, I bet you had the mares just lining up.”

Lavender, a bit more relaxed now, searched his memories until he found the one of his first sexual encounter.

“Sunflower Fields,” he started. “She was this pegasi mare I was dating in college. Cute little thing: had a blue coat, light green mane and tail, dark blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a sunflower. She was young so she still lived with her parents, and they forbade her to bring any stallion-friends over. However, they were both away on some family business this one weekend, and naturally, Sunflower invited me over.”

By now, Lavender had finished with the massage and took a seat next to the couch to give his hind legs a chance to rest.

“When I got there, we started making out, just exploring each other’s bodies,” he continued. “Once we were both thoroughly turned on, she led me up to her bedroom and then…she presented herself to me. I didn’t hesitate; I embraced her and we just went at it. This wasn’t her first time, but it was mine. Like most stallions my age, I was trying to go as fast as possible, but she urged me to take it slow and steady. It was good she did that since I probably would have ended up coming too early and making an ass of myself.”

He let his thoughts linger on the mare that claimed his virginity.

“I didn’t last as long as I liked with it being my first time, but she didn’t complain,” he explained. “We stayed together until she graduated college, but then she moved back to Cloudsdale, and we started seeing less and less of each other. The long distance eventually proved too much and we just called it off since our relationship wasn’t going anywhere. The last I heard from her she met this pegasi stallion, got married, and had a couple of foals. I still try to keep in touch with her every now and then,” he chuckled a bit as he thought of a particular time they were catching up. “This one time we got together, I made a crack about her and him. I said ‘When you’re having sex with him, you’re thinking about me, right?’ I got punched in the shoulder for that.”

Luna let out a hearty giggle.

“Interesting,” Luna said. “Thanks for sharing that with me.”

“Likewise, I enjoyed your story too,” he stood back up. “I’m sorry to hear about Dark Night.”

Luna smiled as her way of saying thanks. She didn’t mean for her story to end on a sad note, but sometimes those things happen.

Taking this as his cue to leave, Lavender gathered up his belongings into his saddle bag.

“Hey, wait,” Luna stopped him. “Where’s my happy ending?”

Lavender froze; there was no way she was being serious. This was what he dreaded, Luna using this opportunity to try and seduce him.

“Ah, I’m just messing with you,” Luna snickered. “The massage was amazing. I’ll have to talk to Celestia about making this a regular thing because, you sir, are a magician with those hooves.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you liked it,” he breathed a small sigh of relief.

He let himself out of the room since he figured Luna was going to stay on the couch for a while to savor her body’s relaxed state as much as she could. Her eyes followed him as he marched toward the door, lingering for a bit on his rear end as he left.

Lavender would have breathed a large sigh of relief now that he was finished with Luna’s massage, but he didn’t. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be, and Luna did stay true to her word and behaved herself. Checking a nearby clock, he still had plenty of time left in the day to complete his move to his new apartment. He was in high spirits right now due to the combination of getting a new job as Celestia’s masseuse and getting a new apartment out of it, having a nice lunch with Celestia, and getting some quality bonding time with Luna, which he completely didn’t expect. He was going to like his new job here.

Chapter 6

It had been some time since Lavender accepted his new position as Celestia’s personal masseuse. Days turned into weeks, which then turned into months. He enjoyed his new job and being with Celestia whenever she needed a massage, it even went as far as to say he was developing feelings for her. However, he kept those feelings to himself since he thought he should keep a professional relationship with Celestia. From time to time he entertained thoughts of spending the rest of his life with her, or possibly even marriage. Normally, he pushed those thoughts aside as being too unrealistic a dream to pursue. There was no way Celestia would want to settle down with a pony like him was what usually crept into his mind whenever he thought about that. However, it didn’t stop him from dreaming. Luna, on the other hoof, he saw her as just a friend, someone he could hang out with and shoot the shit. Although both mares were attractive, Lavender felt more of a connection with Celestia than he did with Luna.

Celestia normally only scheduled massage appointments for once a week, as did Luna after she had worked out a deal with Celestia and Lavender about having a regular massage appointment of her own. Celestia’s massages normally didn’t end with sex like the first one did, but Lavender was fine with that. He wrote that first massage off as a one-time thing and didn’t let himself get used to it. A few of them, however, ended with something as tame as some cuddling or making out. Since Celestia and Luna only scheduled a massage once a week, it gave Lavender plenty of free time to pursue some hobbies that he didn’t have time for in the past. Life was going good for Lavender.

Today was like one of his usual days off, sitting in his apartment working on a fictional story he had been thinking about for quite some time, but never had the time to really sit down and write it. His concentration was broken by an urgent knock at the front door. He got up to see who it was, thinking it was probably nothing more than one of his neighbors, but soon realized it wasn’t when he opened the door. Standing in front of him were two royal guard members, one unicorn and one pegasus, clad in their normal imperial regalia. Both had their usual serious facial expressions. These stallions rarely ever smiled.

“You need to come with us. Princess Celestia needs to see you immediately,” one barked before Lavender could say anything.

Lavender obliged, not wanting to say anything or cause any trouble. He figured if two guards were sent to fetch him, it must be for something serious. But what? He didn’t recall doing anything wrong or breaking the law. Frantically, he racked his brain trying to remember the events of the last couple of months, any minor infraction that he could think of.

The guards, one on either side of Lavender, escorted him through the castle, almost like they were escorting a prisoner somewhere. Neither of them spoke, which made Lavender feel even more nervous.

As they approached Celestia’s office, one of the guards nodded to the door guard, who responded by using his magic to open the door. Once Lavender was inside, the door slammed shut behind him, almost catching him right in the flank.

Celestia stood next to her desk with an older looking unicorn stallion wearing a white lab coat standing next to her. Obviously, he looked like somepony who worked in the medical field, probably Celestia’s personal physician. Both had dead serious expressions on their faces. It seemed to be the general theme today, first the two royal guard stallions, and now Celestia and this doctor.

“What’s going on?” Lavender finally mustered the strength to ask.

“You must be Lavender Bloom,” the unicorn doctor approached Lavender. “Look, I’ve gone over the tests several times already. It’s conclusive, she’s…,” he stopped himself, then looked over at Celestia. “I think you should be the one to tell him.”

“Tell me what?” Lavender asked, a hint of panic started to well up inside him.

Celestia’s expression didn’t change, but she was worried herself, worried about how Lavender would react to what she was about to tell him. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Celestia spoke.

“I’m pregnant.”

It was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water and a blacksmith’s anvil on his head. Celestia? Pregnant? He didn’t need to do the math; he knew he was the father.

“Wha…,” he stammered, not able to form a coherent sentence before everything went black.

Lavender woke to find himself lying on a couch in Celestia’s office with Celestia and the doctor looking down at him. A dull pain was present in his muzzle, most likely from when his face hit the floor.

“We didn’t expect you to faint like that,” the doctor said.

It was only a short moment before the realization of what Celestia had said cascaded back onto him. He pulled himself up to a sitting position.

“I’m sorry about that, I wasn’t expecting news like that today,” he said once his brain was ready process coherent sentences again. He tried to force a smile at his bad attempt at humor.

He worried about how Celestia would react to him fainting like that. He didn’t mean to do it. This was the first time in his life that he ever fainted. Him? A father? Lavender had never given much thought to starting a family of his own, but now it was thrust upon him.

“I’m going to be honest,” he started. “This is all very sudden for me. I don’t know the first thing about being a father,” he paused for a moment. “However, I’m going to do my best and be here for you every step of the way,” he looked Celestia dead in her eyes when he said that.

He meant it. He wasn’t going to skip out on Celestia because of one night of poor judgment.

“Thank you, that’s all I wanted to hear,” Celestia pulled him in close for a hug. A few tears welled up in eyes.

“I’ll give you two some space. I’ll be in my office if you need anything,” the doctor broke the silence, taking this as his cue to exit.

“Okay, thank you,” Celestia replied.

Once the doctor was gone, Celestia pulled away from Lavender. A hint of worry began to creep back into her.

“I…have a confession I need to make,” she started. “That night when we first made love and I told you it was a spur the moment kind of thing; that was only the half-truth. The whole truth was that evening…it was my time of the season. I’m sure you probably sensed it when we were in the room together.”

Lavender’s mind flashed back to the first massage and that feeling he had that every stallion gets when they sense a mare in heat.

“Normally, it doesn’t hit me that hard. I can usually keep my pheromones and urges in check with my magic, but it was exceptionally bad this year. I knew you were working that night and that you had massage experience. Thinking that having a massage might help with my urges, I came up with a plan to ‘accidentally’ run into you that night,” she continued. “That plan backfired, and the massage just made it worse. I just wanted those lustful feelings satisfied, even if it meant having sex with a stallion a barely knew. I hoped and prayed that maybe I would get lucky and wouldn’t get pregnant, but, as you can see, that didn’t happen.”

Lavender silently processed the information he just received. He remembered thinking that maybe Celestia planned that whole thing out, and now she just admitted it to him. He didn’t know if he should feel betrayed by her deceit or that she used him to satisfy a sexual urge, almost like a sex toy.

“Oh, Lavender, I hope you don’t think any less of me for this,” a few tears streaked down her face.

“Oh, no, I don’t,” he reassured. Seeing her crying over this made him realize that she felt awful for deceiving him like that. It was hard for him to get angry at her because she held a special place in his heart.

“A similar thing happened with my parents,” he continued. “They got caught up in it while they were dating, and the next thing they know, my mom was pregnant with my older sister. Like I said before, I will be here for you every step of the way. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

Celestia smiled, pulling him into another hug. That was exactly what she wanted to hear and then some. She had heard horror stories about stallions and mares having unprotected sex, the mare got pregnant, then the stallion didn’t want anything more to do with her. So, the mare was left to give birth to the foal and raise it by herself. It was sad, but it happened more often than naught.

“I love you, Lavender,” she spoke.

“I love you too,” came his reply. He was caught off guard by that statement, but a wave of calmness rushed over his body at the mention of those three words. I love you. He knew how he felt about Celestia, he cared a lot about her, but he didn’t know if she felt the same way. Now he knew.

The held their position for what seemed like forever. Something magical happened to them and they wanted to savor it. However, as much as she wanted to stand there holding her lover the rest of the day, she couldn’t; she still had responsibilities to take care of.

“I have to get back to work,” she brushed some of the tears out of her eyes. “Meet me here tonight after I lower the sun so we can talk about this some more,” her tone grew serious “I hate to swear you to secrecy, but whatever we discuss in here never leaves this room, understand?”

“I understand,” he replied.

She knew he wouldn’t go spreading this news around to everypony, but it didn’t hurt to make sure he knew of the gravity of this situation. The doctor couldn’t legally say anything either because he was bound by the doctor-patient confidentiality clause, not that he was interested in talking about Celestia’s personal life anyway. Lavender headed back to his apartment at a slow pace as his mind was still spinning from his conversation with Celestia. Right now, all he wanted to do was sit down and calm his mind.

Lavender spent the remainder of the day sitting in his apartment in a daze of what he had just learned. He was going to be a father! He couldn’t believe it. The thought terrified him more than any haunted house he had ever been to, but he knew he was going to have to stallion-up and deal with it. He and Celestia would need to have a long talk about this to figure out what should be there next course of action. This was something that had to be handled carefully; she was a public figure after all.

The only remaining task that Lavender had to do before he met with Celestia was Luna’s massage appointment. He had thought about cancelling it since he didn’t know if he’d be up for it after the news he just received. However, he decided against it; he needed something, anything, to take his mind off things right now.

The time drew near for Luna’s appointment and, as with her previous massage appointments, Lavender headed to Luna’s bedroom. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door then let himself in after hearing the okay from Luna. It took almost all of his willpower, but he was able to force himself to seem like everything was normal.

To Luna, it was the same old Lavender that she had been seeing for her past few appointments. Lavender thought this would just be a regular massage with Luna being her usual self, however, he sensed something different about her this time. She was being really friendly for some reason. Her massage appointments over the last couple of months had been rather uneventful, and therefore, Lavender let himself relax a lot when he was around her.

Once Lavender finished with the massage and started to leave, Luna stopped him by placing herself between him and the door.

“Hey, I still have a couple of hours free,” she sauntered toward him. “Do you want to fool around?”

Lavender barely had any time to register the shock of her question before she ran her tongue across one of his ears. He felt her hot breath on the side of his face, hotter than a blazing inferno. He knew what she was doing, but couldn’t do anything since his body seemed frozen in place from the shock. Luna had been wanting to do this for a while. Just like with Celestia, she had certain urges that needed to be satisfied as well. They were in the privacy of her bedroom, what harm is there with having a little fun? She figured he was like most stallions, and would jump on the opportunity to get his dick wet with no strings attached.

“You like it when I do that?” she whispered.

One of her hooves began to snake its way underneath him, heading toward his hind legs. As her hoof touched its intended target, he finally snapped back to reality.

“No…we can’t do this!” he finally regained control of his legs and took a few steps back from her.

“What? We’re just having a little fun,” she playfully said.

“Celestia will kill both me and you if she finds out.”

“Well then, she doesn’t need to know. This’ll be our little secret,” she took a step closer. “I can satisfy you just as well as she can.”

“No, I’d rather not take that chance with her,” he tried to be emotionless with that statement, but his eyes betrayed him.

“Why? Why are you so concerned about what she thinks?” her voice took on a more accusatory tone. “Are you two hiding something from me?”

“N…no,” he nervously replied, trying to avoid eye contact.

“You’re a terrible liar! What are you hiding from me!?”

“It’s nothing, I swear,” he began to grow more nervous.

“I don’t believe you,” by now she had advanced on Lavender, backing him into a bookcase. “What are you not telling me? Why are you so concerned about what she thinks?”

“Because she’s carrying my foal,” he finally admitted.

The shock of this new information caused Luna to back off. Her sister was pregnant? Even worse, she didn’t say anything to Luna?

“I’m…sorry, I thought you knew,” Lavender noted Luna’s surprised look. “I’ll…show myself out.”

Not knowing what else to do, Lavender left, wanting to put as much distance between himself and Luna as he could. He feared that this was going to cause a shit storm of drama since it seemed Celestia didn’t mention any of this to Luna yet. Whatever the reason, he was going to let Luna and Celestia deal with it. A part of him was worried that he just blurted all that out for Luna when Celestia specifically told him that to keep it between themselves. Not wanting to think about the scolding he would probably get from Celestia, he trekked toward the Canterlot shopping district to clear his head and to pick up something before his meeting with Celestia. He did wonder if this was the right time to do this given what just happened with Luna. No. It was now and never.

Luna, on the other hoof, had just finished processing the bombshell that Lavender just dropped on her. Her feelings were hurt that Celestia didn’t say anything to her about this. Celestia! Her own sister. With a furious scowl on her face, she stormed out of her bedroom, heading toward one destination, Celestia’s office. She wanted some answers.

Celestia was in her office going over some administrative documents when Luna barged in.

“Can I help…,” Celestia started, confused as to why Luna came in unexpectedly and interrupted what she was doing.

“When were you going to tell me you were pregnant?” Luna demanded after slamming the door behind her, her voice a little louder than she intended.

Celestia was surprised by that question and by the fact that Luna already found out about this. She knew the only pony that probably told her was Lavender.

“Don’t you think that’s something your little sister ought to know about?” Luna asked in a more normal tone of voice. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Look, Luna, I was going to tell you, I swear, but I wanted to wait until the right moment. I just found out myself this morning,” Celestia finally explained.

She wasn’t trying to purposely keep this information from Luna. It was complicated, and she and Lavender needed to figure it all out. That thought dominated her mind until another crept in.

“Wait, how did you find out about this?”

Luna didn’t respond right away. She knew what she tried to do with Lavender after her massage earlier, and knew that Celestia would probably be furious about it. Especially now that she was pregnant with his foal.

“Luna. How did you find out about this?” Celestia asked once more, her voice taking on a more stern tone.

“Lavender told me,” Luna admitted while trying to avoid eye contact with her sister.

“What do you mean, Lavender told you?”

“Well…,” Luna started after taking a nervous gulp. “After my massage appointment earlier, I…tried coming on to him. I swear, nothing happened!” she quickly added. “When Lavender refused my advances, I pushed him, then he got real nervous about something. I pushed him some more, and then he finally just blurted it out,” she braced herself for the verbal onslaught that was sure to follow.

Normally Celestia would have been furious about this, but something held back her emotions.

“If you want, I’ll cancel any future appointments I have with him,” Luna said, beginning to worry why her sister hadn’t started yelling at her yet.

“No, Luna. It’s fine,” Celestia finally said in a quiet tone of voice. “You said nothing happened, so I believe you, nothing happened,” after a beat. “Well, I guess you know now.”

Luna took this moment to breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

“How far are you along?” Luna asked, curiously.

“About three months,” Celestia replied.

“How’s Lavender taking this?”

“He’s scared,” she said with a chuckle. “Believe it or not, he actually fainted when I first told him,” she let out another laugh before becoming serious again. “But, I think he really wants to be a father.”

“Oh…well, congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Celestia smiled. “He’s going to stop by after I lower the sun to discuss this some more. You’re more the welcome to be here when he does.”

Luna gave a half-hearted smile. Her failed attempt at seducing Lavender was still on her mind and she didn’t know how he would react to seeing her again so soon.

Eventually Celestia would start showing that she was carrying a foal. She could keep the pregnancy hidden with dresses and gowns, but she wouldn’t be able to keep that charade up forever. Plus, with her having pre-marital sex and getting pregnant, it would reflect poorly on her since she was a role model for many ponies.

The time eventually came around for Lavender to meet up with Celestia. He set out toward Celestia’s office shortly after the sun had set. Upon arriving in the lobby, Lavender waited patiently for Celestia. She no doubt wanted some privacy for what she was going to discuss with him.

Celestia appeared in the lobby once all of her business for the day was concluded.

“Lavender, we can talk in my office,” she spoke.

With a nod, Lavender followed Celestia into her office.

“As you know, this is something that we need to handle very carefully,” she spoke once the doors were closed.

Lavender noted Luna standing over on one side of the office; he avoided eye contact with her as much as possible. A feeling of nervousness shot through him like bolts of electricity as he pondered if Celestia should know about what happened between him and Luna earlier, even though nothing really happened.

“I can’t keep this pregnancy hidden forever. Once I get past the eight month mark it will start to be fairly obvious that I’m carrying a foal.”

“I know,” Lavender replied.

Celestia noted the odd behavior between Luna and Lavender, no doubt from what happened earlier.

“To address the proverbial elephant in the room, Luna already fessed up to what happened earlier after her massage. You don’t have to worry about it, she won’t be doing anything like that anymore. Right, Luna?” she shot a stern glance over at Luna.

“Yes,” Luna quickly replied.

“Right,” Lavender breathed a sigh of relief, then took a deep breath. “I wanted to say something to you before we got started,” he took another deep breath. “Princess Celestia, you mean a great deal to me. I know this started off as a one night stand, and most mares or stallions would have moved on by now, but not me. I know I am not of noble birth and I do not have vast riches to shower you with, but I do know one thing…my love for you is unconditional. I am thankful for the day I met you and that one perfect night we spent together.”

Now was his chance. Nervousness welled back up inside him as he wondered how she would react to what he was about to say next. A whole colony of butterflies formed in his stomach. He took a few steps, then knelt down in front of Celestia. One of Luna’s hooves shot up to her mouth as she realized what he was doing.

“Will you do the honor of giving me your hoof in marriage?” he presented a ring to her with his left hoof.

It was a decent ring for something he was able to pick up at the last minute and afford on his salary. Not too flashy, but it got its point across.

Celestia had to stop herself from gasping when he asked her to marry him. She had considered that as an option, but wasn’t sure if he was ready for that kind of commitment and if he was stallion enough to actually ask her. However, her surprised feelings soon gave way for happy ones.

“I will,” she smiled.

The butterflies in his stomach soon disappeared at Celestia’s acceptance of his marriage proposal. He let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. She lowered her head so that he could place the engagement ring on her horn. Carefully, he slid it into position and took a moment to admire how it looked on her. Once it was all said and done, Celestia planted a passionate kiss on his lips, catching him completely off guard.

“Congratulations…again,” Luna said, once the kiss ended.

“Thanks, Luna,” Celestia said before turning her attention back to Lavender. “So, when do you want to do this?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Lavender replied.

Celestia pondered over her schedule for the next couple of months.

“How does September sound?” she asked.

“That’s perfect.”

It was four months away; short enough that they could pull it off without too many ponies questioning the pregnancy, although it would be inevitable that some would raise their eyebrows at it. Especially since a couple of months after the wedding, Celestia would be giving birth. It was also long enough away that they could plan a decent wedding, nothing too extravagant, and to give family members and friend’s enough time to RSVP.

“Good,” Celestia said. “I’ll let it through my normal channels so only the appropriate ponies know what’s going on,” her tone grew serious. “Again, I must ask that you not to go spreading this around. At least not until we’ve finalized a specific wedding date.”

“I know,” Lavender replied, planting another kiss on his soon to be wife.

In just four little months, they would be mare and colt, joined in holy matrimony. Celestia and Lavender retired for the night, and Luna began her nightly watch. Luna was happy for her sister; she needed to find a nice stallion to settle down with. This made Luna think about herself and the possibility of her getting married. Over the past couple of months, she had been eyeing a couple of cute stallion bachelors, although nothing serious has happened yet. Lavender was one of those stallions, but now that he is off limits, she still had a few others to choose from. She was going to keep trying, and wasn’t going to let the whole Nightmare Moon issue hold her back any longer.

Lavender opted to stay the night in Celestia’s room. It was something they had to get used to since they would be married soon. He had no problem sharing a bed with Celestia, and neither did Celestia; she wanted some intimate time with him anyway. They cuddled while discussing her pregnancy and some wedding details, before finally drifting off into a restful sleep.

Chapter 6.5

Author's Note

This was originally supposed to be a part of chapter 6, but since chapter 6 was getting a bit out of control, I took this part and put it into its own mini chapter.

Chapter 6.5

It was a couple of weeks after the marriage proposal. Normally Lavender would have been busy with the wedding preparation tasks, but today was a special day, his birthday. The one day out of the year he didn’t want to feel obligated to do anything and to spend the whole day being lazy. He planned on taking it easy the whole day and then spending his evening with a night out on the town, celebrating his birthday like most stallions his age did, with copious amounts of alcohol.

Checking his notifications for the day, he spotted one from Celestia. In it she had requested him for a massage later that evening. It was a last minute request since today wasn’t when her regular massage appointments were. It was also rather vague on the details, just a time and location, eight p.m. in her bedroom. A part of him was kind of disappointed because that would cut into his celebrating time. However, the disappointment was short lived since the massages normally didn’t take no more than an hour, so he would have plenty of time to indulge in drunken shenanigans.

As the day drew on, Lavender enjoyed his birthday. As usual, he received letters from his mother and father, and other family members wishing him a happy birthday. He treated himself to a nice breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a few of the fine restaurants that Canterlot had to offer. Before long, the time had finally come; Lavender arrived at Celestia’s room at eight p.m. on the dot.

He let himself in which was normally what he did when Celestia requested a massage and her bedroom was the regular place that they did it. Inside the room the lights were dim, the curtains on the windows were drawn closed, and a few candles were scattered about casting a faint, flickering light around the room. Lavender was a little confused as to why the mood was different this time.

“Hey, birthday colt,” a voice in the room spoke, startling Lavender a bit.

He shot a glance over at the bed to see Celestia laying in a rather seductive pose and wearing a dark purple silk nightgown.

“Why don’t you come unwrap your birthday present?” she playfully tugged at the sash around her midsection.

A few more tugs unraveled the knot in the sash causing it to fall to the bed beside Celestia, and loosened the nightgown’s grip around her body.

“Oops, looks like I already unwrapped it for you.”

By now, Lavender had shut the bedroom door, locked it, and made his way over to the side of the bed. Although, he had to be careful with walking because of the massive erection that was started to form between his legs. He didn’t say anything, but he knew what was going on. This was going to be way better than going out and getting drunk. Celestia rolled onto her back, letting the nightgown fall to her sides and spreading her hind legs as she did. Nothing was left to the imagination. Her scent flooded his nostrils and invoked thoughts of lust.

“I know you wanted to go out and celebrate tonight, but I wanted you all to myself,” she gave him a ‘come hither’ look.

Heeding her look, Lavender climbed into the bed, straddling over top of Celestia. She pulled him down into a kiss before rolling over with him in her forelegs. Now, he was lying on the bed and she was straddling over top. Like there first time, she started kissing a trail down his body, but this time she decided to go a little lower. Down at his lower reaches she ran her tongue along his length starting from the base and ending at the tip. Lavender gasped slightly as she enclosed her mouth on his tip, taking her time to suckle on it. Slowly, but surely she went deeper as she got a feel for his penis in her mouth. She paused for a moment to catch her breath before she sank down once more, this time taking his entire length down her throat. A tingling sensation shot through Lavender’s body as she did this. No other mare he’s been with has ever gone that deep on him, and most mares didn’t like giving blow jobs since they were afraid the stallion would ejaculate in their mouth. Celestia, however, didn’t hesitate. She held this position for what seemed like an eternity before slowly rising back up, letting his penis flop out of her mouth. Just because she was the ruler of Equestria, didn’t mean she couldn’t be a whore in the bedroom. It was one of her guilty pleasures; something she occasionally liked to do after a long day of being prim and proper. Although, she rarely got to do this with a stallion since she’s only had a few stallion-friends in her lifetime. Most of the time it was spent by herself using either her hoof or some toys to achieve an orgasm. A stallion just provided a more “real” experience. She wasn’t trying to get him off just yet; she just wanted to warm him up first with a little foreplay.

She took his penis in her mouth once more and began sucking, although a little harder this time. A stronger tingling sensation went through Lavender’s body. Her head bobbed up and down as the blow job continued, her tongue undulating along his member as she did. Taking one hoof, she started working his shaft in an effort to make this more pleasurable for Lavender. Using her remaining hoof, she snaked it between her legs and started rubbing her now thoroughly wet marehood. She let out a muffled moan as her hoof made contact.

She moved faster and faster bringing him closer to the edge, but not quite there yet. Lavender began to feel he was close to coming.

“I…I’m about to come,” he said between breaths, feeling if a mare is giving him a blow job, he should at least warn her before he came.

Taking this as her cue, she took his entire length down her throat again.

Lavender let out a few loud moans as he began pumping his warm seed inside her. The sheer volume of cum would have been too much for some mares, but Celestia knew what she was doing. It also helped that his cock was buried halfway down her throat, so all she had to focus on was swallowing. The muscle contractions as she swallowed, stimulated his penis, coaxing out even more of his seed. Once his orgasm had finally subsided, she slowly rose her head, still suckling a bit as she did to make sure she got every last drop. As she came to the tip, she paused for a second to give one last suckle before reluctantly letting go of her prize. She licked her lips ensuring that she got the little bit that had dribbled out the sides of her mouth, almost like a young filly enjoying an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.

Celestia wasn’t finished yet; Lavender had gotten off, but she hadn’t yet. She maneuvered herself so that she could grind her swollen nethers on one of his hind legs. Seeing what she was trying to do, Lavender planted his leg more sturdily so she could get a better angle on it. Back and forth at a moderate pace, she stimulated her burning sex, soaking his leg with her juices in the process. It wasn’t long before an explosive orgasm rocked through her body.

Celestia collapsed by his side, finally coming down from her orgasm high.

“You never cease to amaze me,” he finally said. “I have never had a blow job like that before.”

“I take it you liked your birthday present?” she smiled.

“Most definitely,” he answered. “I’ll have to return the favor someday.”

The two spent the remainder of the evening cuddling together. The only thought on Lavender’s mind was: Best. Birthday. Ever.

Chapter 7

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 8

The two remaining months flew by; Lavender and Celestia finished up the last bit of wedding planning with some time to spare. Although, since Celestia couldn’t help out too much with the wedding planning, she offered her input from time to time on the various decorative details that she wanted. She hated that Lavender had to take on the brunt of the work by himself, but duty called and she couldn’t really throw herself one hundred percent at the wedding planning. Lavender was fine with it since it wasn’t the hardest thing he’s ever done. It wasn’t like they were having a big, fancy wedding anyway. He had sent out invitations to his parents and various other family members and friends who would be able to make the trip to Canterlot for the wedding. Surprisingly, more ponies than he thought would be able to attend the wedding. The majority were members of his family; the rest were some old college friends, some foalhood friends, and even one of his old marefriends, Sunflower Fields, was able to make it. Celestia wasn’t too distraught with Lavender inviting an old marefriend since Sunflower was already married, and wasn’t going to try to steal Lavender away from her. Lavender knew how jealous some mares could get, but he didn’t expect Celestia to be that way since she was better than that, or at least he hoped. Some friends of Celestia’s were able to attend, the majority of them being political and business ponies that she had befriended over the years. A few distant family members of Celestia’s were also able to attend, although it was nowhere near the number that Lavender was expecting with his family. He figured she just had a small family and didn’t think too much of it. Obviously, Luna was going to be there, being Celestia’s sister and all. Everything was in order regarding the wedding and now it was just a waiting game.

The big day had finally arrived. As with any wedding involving royalty, security was beefed up to discourage any malicious acts. Guards were stationed at every possible entrance and exit to the building, as well as a few patrolling the hallways. They kept a watchful eye over anything and everything that went on. It would be a foolish endeavor for anypony to try to attack Celestia now with the high concentration of guards and the fact that Celestia could hold her own in a battle.

The cathedral was fully decorated; white cloths and flowers hung from just about every square inch of the walls and ceiling. Light from the sun shone in through the colorful stained glass windows and cast a brilliant rainbow of colors across the floor. Lit candles hung on the walls in between the windows, adding to the colorful sunlight. The altar was the main focal point and was decorated with flowers that hit every colorful note of the rainbow. A vibrant crimson colored carpet ran the pathway down the middle of the cathedral all the way to the altar. The guests had all arrived and were waiting patiently for the wedding to start.

Lavender was in the back room with Princess Cadence, who was the pony presiding over the wedding ceremony. Since a member of royalty was being wed, only a royal pony could officially marry the mare and stallion. Luna would have been Celestia’s first choice, but since Luna was in the ceremony as Celestia’s mare of honor, she couldn’t. So, this job went to Cadence, who didn’t mind doing it and wanted a reason to get away from the Crystal Empire for a day. It also seemed fitting for Cadence to marry the two since she was the princess of love. Lavender’s best mare, his oldest sister, also accompanied him in the room.

Lavender checked himself over for what seemed like the thousandth time; he made sure his suit still looked immaculate, and his mane and tail were still combed the way he wanted. Naturally, he was nervous with all those ponies that were going to be watching him when he was up on the altar. They had rehearsed the ceremony several times the day before to get the time of events down perfect. It didn’t seem as bad when they had no one watching, but that was how it always was. Anyone could get stage fright at a big event like this, but Lavender wasn’t going to wimp out now. He did not want to think of the horrors that Celestia could unleash upon him if he chose to ditch her at the altar. Publically, she wouldn’t say too much about it, but privately, she would probably have him chained up in a dungeon somewhere. He shook those thoughts from his head; he was letting his imagination get away from him.

“You look fine,” his sister reassured as she used her magic to run a brush through his mane.

Lavender was the odd one out of his siblings with both his sisters being unicorns.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” he smiled. “Thanks again for being here.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss my little brother’s wedding for anything.”

He smiled once more, glad that she and his other family members were able to make it. It really meant a lot to him.

“Everything will be fine,” Cadence chimed in, offering her own words of encouragement. “This is your and Celestia’s special day; a day that you will never forget.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Lavender replied, respectfully.

The cue was given for Cadence, Lavender, and the best mare to take their positions at the altar. Lavender took a deep breath and exhaled slowly in an attempt to stave off some of his nervousness. They joined Luna, Celestia’s bridesmaids, and Lavender’s groomscolts to await Celestia’s grand entrance. Cadence went through the initial part of the ceremony before pausing to call everyone to their hooves as Celestia entered.

Using their magic, two unicorn guards opened the doors at the end of the cathedral. Celestia began her slow walk down the aisle with three little fillies skipping ahead of her spreading flower petals in their wake. Lavender couldn’t help but smile at how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a flowing white and gold trimmed dress. An orange sun, similar to her cutie mark, adorned either side of the dress. Her mane was styled in a different way than how she normally wore it; it was a special occasion after all. She held her wings out as she walked, showing off her massive wingspan to everyone. It didn’t matter all that much to Lavender; she could have walked down the aisle in her birthday suit and she still would have been beautiful.

Once she reached Lavender, the ceremony continued. He took this moment to gaze into her gorgeous violet colored eyes.

“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Princess Celestia and Lavender Bloom,” Cadence started.

Time seemed to blur for the two as Cadence continued on with the ceremony, running through everything they had rehearsed the day before. Before they knew it, it was over. They were officially mare and colt. They kissed as newly married couples do, although Celestia slipped in a little tongue which caught Lavender by surprise. When she pulled away, she flashed a wicked grin his way.

“You dirty mare,” he muttered.

Once the wedding ceremony had concluded, they retreated to the reception hall. It was a giant white room with violet colored tables scattered about. A long table ran the length of one wall and was covered with various foods and drinks from all over Equestria, many of which Lavender had never even seen before. Celestia spared no expense on the catering. They spent the time here enjoying a few drinks and snacks, and having the various friends and family members take turns congratulating them. Most gave words of encouragement and marriage advice, others such as Luna and Lavender’s father gave some playful ribbing. Despite that, this was the happiest day of their life.

Lavender and Celestia sat at the table at the head of the room which was tradition for the newly married couple at the reception. This was their day to be important.

Once everyone had said their congratulations, Luna trotted up to the table that Lavender and Celestia were sitting at.

“Enjoying yourself?” Celestia asked.

“Oh yeah,” Luna replied. “Been eying a couple of the bachelors here. Like that dark brown pegasus sitting over there by himself,” she motioned her head over to a table with a brown pegasus stallion sipping his drink. “Thinking about seeing if he’s doing anything later.”

She gave a seductive grin to accentuate her point, while Celestia just rolled her eyes.

“You know, you’re supposed to be working after this,” Celestia reminded.

“I know. We won’t take too long,” Luna flashed another grin.

“If you say so,” Celestia rolled her eyes once more.

“I’ll talk to you two later,” Luna said as she cast her gaze back over at the pegasus.

She trotted over to the pegasus and began conversing with him. Neither Celestia, nor Lavender could hear the conversation, not that they wanted to eavesdrop anyway. Celestia was just happy that Luna was trying to get the attention of other stallions and not trying to seduce Lavender anymore. Even though this pegasus stallion was sure to be just a one night stand so to speak, it was a start.

A couple of minutes later, Luna and her new stallion friend left, most likely to go someplace where they could have some privacy. Luna cast a victorious grin back at Celestia as she walked away, almost like a mare who had just claimed her prize. Celestia couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle.

“Guess we know what she’s going to do,” she said to Lavender before shifting the focus of the conversation. “So, anyway, was this everything you expected it to be?”

“Oh yes, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he replied. It was the truth. Despite the nervousness, he enjoyed every minute of the ceremony.

“That’s good; I’m glad to hear that,” she said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

She was happy, both herself and that Lavender was happy. She tried not to think too much about the bittersweet thought that lingered in the back of her mind. The fact that most ponies lived, grew old, and eventually passed away when she didn’t seem to age a day. It no doubt would happen to Lavender, leaving Celestia sad and alone if she was a normal mare, but she was anything but. Rather than dwell on the inevitable sadness that was sure to come on his death, she would celebrate his life and the time they spent together. It was how she coped with the many friends she made over the years and having to watch every single one of them die. Sorrow like that could have broken her if she let it. She pushed those thoughts from her head and focused on enjoying the reception.

For their honeymoon afterwards, they chose to stay in the Canterlot castle rather than go somewhere else. This was mainly because Celestia had to resume her normal duties the next day. She was able to work out a deal with Luna so Celestia could have the rest of this day off to do whatever, even though they were more than likely going to spend the entire time in her bedroom.

The reception drew to a close; Celestia and Lavender said their goodbyes to their friends and family members before retreating to Celestia’s bedroom. There was barely any time for the bedroom door to close before they started heading toward the bed, stripping off articles of clothing as they went. They both knew what newly married couples did on their honeymoon, and they would be no different.

Celestia was the first in the bed, lying on her back. Lavender locked her in a kiss as he crawled over top of her.

“This time; you lie back and I will take care of everything,” Lavender spoke.

He began by planting small kisses on her as he worked his way down her body, only stopping to playfully nibble at her skin. It was just enough to be pleasurable, but not painful. Any area that he did nibble at, he made sure to follow it up with a massage from his tongue just in case he did bite down a little too hard. No objections came from Celestia during his foreplay, instead, she just moaned in agreement. He went further down, coming to a stop just shy of the area where newborn foals received their meals. The area was slightly enlarged since Celestia was with foal, her mammary glands were starting to produce the milk necessary for a nursing foal to get its nutrients until it was old enough to eat solid food. He ran his tongue around one of the nipples, getting the area thoroughly wet with his saliva, and producing another accepting moan from Celestia. Once he felt he worked the area enough with his tongue, he took the nipple in his mouth and began suckling on it. The motion of his lips coaxed out some of the warm fluid. He savored the milk as it hit his palette; it tasted better than he thought it would, and if he dared say, he enjoyed it. Releasing the nipple from his lips, he shifted his focus to the second nipple which had gone neglected until now. Just like with the first one, he suckled at the second nipple, again, coaxing out some milk. He felt like a foal getting his meal for the day from his mother.

Once finished with her nipples, he started working his way downward again, this time coming to a stop between her hind legs. Her clitoris begged for attention as the foreplay caused it to almost double in size. Lavender gave in to its cries for attention as he let his tongue go to work. Celestia let out a soft ‘ooh’ as his tongue started caressing her sweet spot. Using his hoof, he began slowly rubbing her marehood, which was almost soaking wet now. He spread her labial folds apart as he inserted his hoof just enough to find and stimulate her g-spot. A sharp moan from Celestia indicated that he found his target. At the same time his tongue didn’t let up on her clitoris, which he alternated between massaging and suckling on it. In response to this, she arched her back slightly as pleasure shot up her spine like bolts of electricity. The double pronged attack on her g-spot and clitoris sent her into sensory overload. He brought her closer and closer to ecstasy, increasing the frequency of his movements and suckling when he knew she was getting close. In one final push, he stimulated both her pleasure centers as fast as he could. Her back arched violently as the most intense orgasm she’s ever felt tore through her body like a rampaging bull through a fragile fence. Lavender felt a pressure on his hoof as her pelvic muscles clamped down on it.

“Oh, fuck me!” she cursed, not giving two damns that she did.

Smirking at Celestia’s outburst, Lavender stopped momentarily to let her ride it out. Once her body returned to the normal laying down position, he slowly withdrew his hoof from her marehood. She let out a few moans as the friction generated a few spurts of pleasure. His hoof was completely soaked with sex juices and burning hot, like he just dunked his hoof in a pot of boiling water. The muscles in her abdomen quivered at the slightest touch due to the hypersensitivity of her nethers.

“I love you, Lavender,” she exclaimed between breaths.

“I love you, too.”

Now, it was Lavender’s turn. Using one of his hooves, he guided his member into position for penetration into Celestia’s swollen marehood. She let out gasp as he slid inside her; her nether region was still sensitive from her earlier orgasm. He slid himself inside as far as he could go, his tip stopping just shy of her cervix. Inside her, it was warmer than usual due to the increased blood flow to the area brought on by that intense orgasm just moments earlier. It was another feeling that Lavender quite enjoyed, the damp, warmness that surrounded his member. Using long strokes, he rocked his hips back and forth in a slow, but steady rate. He didn’t want to come too early, and wanted to see if he could give Celestia another orgasm. The look on her face revealed that she would love another orgasm. Lavender was happy to fulfill that wish. As he continued with his thrusting, her breathing quickened as a telltale sign that she was getting ready to come again. He increased the frequency of his thrusting, bringing both himself and her closer to cloud nine. Celestia let out a loud moan as a second, but less intense orgasm rocked through her body. Lavender thrust into her as far as he could as he came. Pleasure surged through his body as his hot seed buried itself deep inside her. He held his position, riding out his orgasm to the bitter end. Once it was evident that he couldn’t get any more pleasure out of this position, he slowly withdrew his penis, savoring the feeling as the inside of Celestia’s marehood rubbed against it. Both of their minds and bodies were swimming in the endorphin rush that was brought on after passionate sex such as this.

Once finished, he rolled over, coming to rest by Celestia’s side. He didn’t know what it was about this mare, but sex with her blew his mind.

“I know I said this last time, but that was amazing,” he said.

“You were amazing,” Celestia replied. “I never had a stallion go down on me before, nor have I had one suck on my nipples like that.”

“I’m glad you liked it. That was my first time doing it as well, and I said I would repay the favor for what you did for me for my birthday.”

Celestia smiled, remembering the birthday present she gave to him a few months back. She extended out her hoof and pulled him in close to her.

They would have shared a cigarette like their first time but since Celestia was pregnant, she couldn’t really have one. So, Lavender just decided against it. Instead, they just spent this time cuddling together. Lavender rested his head on Celestia’s chest, listening to her heartbeat, which was now returning to its normal rate.

“So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Lavender Bloom?” he repositioned his head so he could look directly at her face.

“Hey, that’s Princess Celestia to you,” she playfully shot back.

“Oh, well then my princess, what is thy command?”

“I command you…,” she played along. “To tell me the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you.”

Lavender blushed as he remembered a particularly embarrassing moment of his life.

“My mom caught me jacking off one time,” he admitted.

“Oh…do tell.”

“It was back when I was a young colt; puberty hit me hard,” he recalled. “A friend of mine at school gave me a dirty magazine to use for…you know. So, when school let out, I ran straight home, went up to my room, pulled out that magazine, and just started going at it. In my hurry, I forgot to lock my bedroom door.”

“Oh no,” Celestia brought a hoof up to her mouth in horror.

“Of course, my mom walks in and I just freeze. There was no way I was talking my way out of this since I was sitting there with an erect cock in my hoof,” he continued. “Luckily, she didn’t stand there and make it awkward. She turned around and left. After that, I put the magazine away and just sat there in a daze. You could guess later that evening she sat me down and gave me the ‘birds and the bees’ talk. She assured me that it was perfectly natural, and that she even used to do it when she was a filly my age.”

He paused for a moment to chuckle at that whole situation.

“So, if I wanted to do it any time after that, I did it at night when everyone was asleep, and I made absolutely sure to lock my door.”

“Wow. I guess everyone gets caught at some point,” she chuckled. “Well, I think I’m going to hop in the shower,” she said, casting a look over at her bathroom door. “You’re more than welcome to join me.”

She gently pulled herself from the bed and trotted over to the bathroom. Lavender instinctively followed her. A nice hot shower was the perfect way to cap off this already perfect day. This time during their shower Celestia used her magic to bathe both herself and Lavender. It was relaxing to Lavender having the hot water trickle down his body and the shower brush levitated by Celestia’s magic working its way around every crevice of his body. She seemed to linger the brush a little longer than necessary around his private area while flashing him a playful grin. He didn’t mind one bit and loved it when she did little playful things like that.

They finished their lengthy shower after it seemed like they used up all the hot water in the castle. Celestia levitated two large bath towels, one for herself and one for Lavender to dry off with. As she was drying off her wet coat and mane, the same thought she was thinking about during the wedding reception crept back into her mind. Any time she let her mind sit idle, thoughts and feelings such as this found their way back in.

“You feeling alright?” Lavender broke her train of thought as he spied her staring off at nothing.

She snapped back to reality at the sound of his voice. Two answers went through her head; either she can say it was nothing and go on with her life, or she could admit what was actually on her mind. This was her burden and she didn’t want him to worry about it. On the other hoof, she wanted to be completely truthful with him. They were married after all, and keeping secrets from each other was not a healthy way to continue this relationship.

“I was thinking about something that I was reminded of earlier…my immortality,” she spoke in a somber tone. That word felt foreign to her when she said it aloud. “I know you will eventually grow old and pass away while I keep on living. I…I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want you to concern yourself with it.”

Lavender wasn’t expecting anything like this after the wedding, the passionate honeymoon sex, and this relaxing shower. He could tell that this really bothered Celestia, and he hated seeing her like this.

“I know,” he finally spoke. “I’ve known ever since things started getting serious between us. I will eventually die, but I try not to worry about it. The thought of it scares me. That’s why I focus on the present and make the most out of every moment,” he took a step towards her and locked his eyes with hers. “Celestia, know this. When I’m gone, I will always be with you…right here,” he placed a hoof on her chest right over her heart.

Smiling, she nuzzled his cheek as she felt a single tear escape her eye. She was thankful for the day she met him and that she chose to take the risk of becoming close with him. Stallions like him were one in a million.

Once they both finished drying off, they crawled back into Celestia’s cozy bed together. As they snuggled up for the night, Celestia held him extra close. She loved this stallion with all of her heart and wanted to savor every moment she had with him. It wasn’t long after that, the two drifted off into a deep, restful sleep.

Chapter 9

Two months had passed since the wedding; Celestia and Lavender were enjoying their newly married life. It seemed like only yesterday Celestia approached him for a sudden massage which led to a surprising conclusion for Lavender. Most would have viewed that as just a one night stand, a quick romp in the bed to satisfy a sexual urge, but instead it grew into something more. A serious relationship formed which eventually led to marriage. Although Celestia was worried about having to watch Lavender grow old and die when the time came, she relished her decision to marry him. He was special and really meant a great deal to her.

Lavender, on the other hoof, was savoring the fact that he was married to a princess, but was still getting used to Celestia’s lifestyle. On more than one occasion, he accompanied her to one of Canterlot’s high society parties for the rich and famous. It wasn’t like a party he was used to back when he was a bachelor, which usually consisted of loud music, plenty of alcohol, awkward dancing, and then capping off the night with some drunken sex with a random mare he met at the party. Instead, he and Celestia had to dress up in formal attire and mingle with the many guests, who all seemed more than happy to get a chance to converse with Celestia. It reminded him of that lunch date he went on with Celestia a couple of months back and the uncomfortable feeling he had like the other ponies there were judging him, but didn’t have the gall to say anything in front of Celestia. He didn’t really like those parties, but went anyway just so Celestia wouldn’t have to go by herself. She knew he didn’t really like those formal parties, but was too modest to say anything about it. Normally, she tried to do something nice for him every time he went with her, which of course seemed like she was bribing him. Lavender didn’t mind, and despite that fact, it sure beat sitting in the castle all day doing nothing. All in all, everything was going good for the newlywed couple.

Celestia was now beginning to show the physical signs that she was carrying a foal. Soon, their new colt or filly would be born, making Lavender and Celestia parents officially. Since Celestia was entering the final stages of her pregnancy, she had to take on lighter work and couldn’t travel long distances as much. Odds are no harm would come of it if she did; she was a tough old mare, but she wanted to be safe rather than sorry. It was an easy transition since her job mainly consisted of meetings and clerical work anyway. Lavender also helped out where he could; although, with him being an Earth pony, he couldn’t do much when it came to tasks that required magic. Since they were officially married now, Lavender moved into Celestia’s suite in the castle. It was a nice upgrade to his staff housing apartment, and snuggling up next to Celestia’s warm body every night was a nice bonus. He couldn’t be happier with where he was in his life.

Today was a day like any other day, but also different at the same time. Lavender had some business to take care of at the Canterlot Tax Office which he had been putting off for quite some time now. Normally, he had breakfast with Celestia every morning after she raised the sun for the day, but on this particular day he had to pass on it to get to the tax office early so he could get this over with as pain-free as possible.

This morning, however, Celestia wasn’t feeling too well, which came as a surprise to Lavender because he never once witnessed her being sick. Naturally, he was concerned, but she assured him that it was probably nothing more than just a stomachache and that he shouldn’t worry about it. Of course, when she told him not to worry about something, it made him worry even more. Again, she assured him that she was fine, and that he needed to take care of that tax related business before it was too late.

Forcing that worried feeling to the back of his mind, he kissed Celestia goodbye and grabbed something quick to eat as he headed out. Something was indeed different about today as he stepped outside; the wind sounded different, the birds chirped differently, almost as if nature herself knew something that Lavender did not. Something was definitely off about today, but he couldn’t put a hoof on it. His mind wandered back to Celestia. No, she said it just a stomachache; if it was anything serious, she would know since she knew her body better than he did. Again, he forced those bad feelings aside to focus on the business he needed to take care of.

The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, casting its brilliant, golden light over the city of Canterlot. There was a slight nip to the air as the autumn season nearing its end. Soon, the unicorn ponies would use their magic to officially change the season to winter, turning Canterlot into a winter wonderland of sorts. Lavender trotted along one of the many streets of this grand city at a brisk pace. He arrived at his destination, a rather dull looking building that housed everything tax and financial related for this city. After a deep breath, he pushed open the front door to address his task at hoof.

It had barely been an hour; Lavender sat in a small office going over some tax related documents with the lawyer pony. It was boring, menial paperwork, but he had been putting this off for too long now. He needed to take care of it now so it didn’t come back and bite him in the flank. His train of thought was broken when sharp knock came at the office door followed by a lone royal guard entering the office.

“I have a message for you, from Princess Luna,” the guard spoke rather urgently. “She requests your presence immediately at Canterlot Hospital.”

At the mention of the word ‘hospital’, Lavender took off at full gallop, almost knocking the guard down as he went.

Lavender knew that if Luna had requested his presence this more than likely had something to do with Celestia. He didn’t know what had happened and that’s what worried him the most, not knowing. His mind wandered back to the bad feeling he felt earlier this morning. Could it be? Mother Nature was trying to tell him something was going to happen to Celestia? Worry turned to panic as he pushed his legs to run faster.

“I knew it! I knew it wasn’t just a stomachache,” he mentally berated himself. “I should’ve suggested that she go to the doctor to get checked out. Why didn’t I say anything!?”

Lavender arrived at the front desk of the hospital almost out of breath from sprinting the entire way.

“Princess Luna requested my presence here; I’m Lavender Bloom,” he spoke to the secretary pony after catching his breath.

“Luna’s talking with the doctor right now. Please wait in the lobby; she will be out shortly,” the pony replied in a calm tone.

Without a reply, Lavender turned and trotted to the lobby which was nearby. He hated waiting, and that’s exactly what he was doing right now. It wasn’t making him feel any better, nor was it quelling his imagination as disaster scenarios ran through his head. Each scenario that entered his mind, he quickly thought of a reason to dismiss it, until he thought of the foal she was carrying. His heart sank at the thought of anything happening to his foal. He hoped and prayed that Celestia and his unborn foal were alright. They meant everything to him.

In the lobby, a few other ponies were scattered about, most likely also waiting on news of loved ones who were in the hospital. It was quiet, so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop. Nopony was talking or even whispering. Everyone was in the same boat as Lavender, waiting on some news, any news. Every so often the occasional doctor or nurse trotted by, or an announcement over the building’s PA system would break the silence of the room.

His focused thoughts were broken when he saw Luna slowly walk into the lobby. Hope welled up inside him at the sight of her until he saw the expression on her face. She wasn’t in her usual happy-go-lucky, joking around mood. She seemed sad about something.

That brief feeling of hope soon ebbed away as Lavender slowly approached Luna. The look on her face was heart wrenching.

“It’s about your foal,” Luna fought her back emotions for what she was about to say next. “Celestia’s in the emergency room. I’m sorry, your foal is…,” she didn’t want to say it; she couldn’t say it.

Lavender already deduced what Luna was trying to tell him; his worst fears were confirmed. It felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart and left him to bleed to death. All the emotions and energy was sucked out of his body leaving nothing but a hollow shell. His whole body felt paralyzed. He couldn’t move; he couldn’t speak; he couldn’t even breathe. His and Celestia’s foal, no more? He didn’t even want to think about it. This didn’t seem real. Like a bad dream he wished he could wake up from.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Luna broke the silence, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “The doctor will be here shortly; he can explain everything.”

Lavender finally regained the strength to move even though he was still in shock. His head was spinning with the numerous questions that were bouncing around inside of it. Luna explained what had happened in as much detail as she could, but she was no medical expert, and was only repeating what she was told by the doctor earlier. Lavender had to fight back the emotional battle that was going on inside of him. He didn’t want to break down right there in the hospital lobby, in front of all those other ponies, not until he knew exactly what happened to Celestia and that she was alright.

After what seemed like an eternity, an older looking unicorn stallion entered the lobby, the same one from when Celestia broke the news of her pregnancy to Lavender. His look mirrored Luna’s; this wasn’t a good sign. He motioned for the two to follow him to his office where they could have some privacy.

The three entered an office room that was like a typical office in the hospital. A large desk sat at the far end of the room, shelves filled with books lined the walls on the left and right sides, and a single window adorned the far wall. The doctor suspected Luna already broke the worst of the news to Lavender. He spoke as soon as the door was closed.

“It happened earlier this morning,” the doctor explained. “Probably shortly after you left,” he looked over at Lavender. “She teleported to the emergency room so we could assess her as quickly as possible. Celestia is fine; we just moved her to a recovery room. However, her foal was…,” he paused for a moment for what he had to say next. He wished he didn’t have to. “The foal was already dead before she got here. There was nothing we could do. I’m sorry.”

Lavender still didn’t want to believe it. This all felt like a cruel joke. Who would play a joke like this on him? Luna? No, she wouldn’t dare joke around about something as serious as this. Great advances have been made in the field of using unicorn magic for medicine, but it wasn’t perfect. It was just the way the world of magic worked; it couldn’t be used to heal everything.

“Was it a colt or a filly?” Lavender asked, finally breaking his silence.

“I’m sorry?” the doctor asked.

“The foal, was it a colt or a filly?”

“A filly.”
A daughter. He would’ve had a daughter. His mind flashed to how his life would have been having a daughter of his own to raise. He and Celestia, a family. They would have watched their daughter grow up into a fine, young mare, and then eventually go off to start a family of her own, making Celestia and Lavender proud parents and grandparents. The images dissolved back to the harsh reality.

“I want to see her.”

The doctor looked down slightly. He knew Lavender was her father and he couldn’t deny him that.
“Are you sure? The foal is…,” the doctor asked, looking at Lavender.

“I think I should see my daughter at least once,” Lavender interrupted, meeting the doctor’s gaze with a look of determination.

“Okay. Follow me,” the doctor surrendered. Lavender shared a sad look with Luna as he followed the doctor. He didn’t want to imagine what Luna was going through right now with Celestia being her sister.

“Celestia’s in recovery room seventy-seven if you want to see her,” the doctor said to Luna as he stopped himself at the office door.

Luna nodded her head in acknowledgment. She wanted to head there immediately to make sure that Celestia was alright. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the doctor, she just wanted to see her sister with her own two eyes.

Lavender and the doctor left the office and came to an elevator at the end of the hallway. The doctor punched the button for the floor that was simply labeled, ‘Morgue’. It only served as a bitter reminder of the whole situation. The elevator ride down was in complete silence, neither of them wanted to talk.

Down in the morgue, metal doors lined the wall all the way to the end of the room. Fluorescent lights lit the room and gave it a sterile look. The whole room smelled of death, a smell that Lavender would never forget, and it was cold, the type of cold that chilled you all the way to the bone. It was like death itself was waiting here to ferry the souls of the dead off to the afterlife. The doctor stopped in front of one of the metal doors. He hesitated for a moment before using his magic to open the door and pull the metal tray out.

On the tray was a white sheet covering up a small bulge in the middle. Hesitating once more, the doctor pulled back the sheet. Lavender flinched as he gazed down at the lifeless foal on the metal slab. A few more weeks and she would have been born into this world, instead her life was cut short, too short. He spotted a small horn beginning to form on her forehead which meant she would have been born a unicorn. A few tears escaped his eyes. What did he do to deserve this?

Without warning, he collapsed to the floor; his legs could no longer bear the weight of his body. He finally broke down; his emotional barriers shattered. The doctor instinctively thought something was wrong. Lavender was fine, at least physically; his emotional state was another story. Tears were now streaming down his face as he slammed one of his hooves into the concrete floor. The impact cracked his hoof; the pain of which was blocked out by the emotional surge welling up inside him. It didn’t matter; a cracked hoof was nothing compared to the crushing sadness he was feeling right now.

The doctor couldn’t help but feel sad for Lavender. This was the part of the job that he hated, seeing ponies react to losing a loved one. It was never easy watching someone break down like this, and it even made him a little teary eyed as well. He helped Lavender up to his hooves, comforting him in what ways he could. Rather than try to do anything else, the doctor offered Lavender a shoulder to cry on and waited for him to let it all out. It was the only thing he could really do right now.

After a couple of minutes, Lavender regained his composure. His face was soaking wet from all the tears, his eyes hurt from all the crying, and a pounding headache was beginning to form.

“Thank you,” he muttered to the doctor.

“Anytime,” the doctor comforted. “I know this is hard and I am truly sorry for your loss.”

Lavender responded with a small smile. He was glad that there was such a nice, caring doctor looking after Celestia. As Lavender brushed some of the tears out of his eyes, the doctor slid the tray back in and shut the door; he figured they were done here. As the two began to leave, Lavender cast one final look back at the metal door that his daughter’s corpse was behind.

“Goodbye. You’re in a better place now,” he whispered.

At slow pace, the two walked toward the recovery ward section of the hospital. The doctor figured that’s where Lavender would want to go next. Two guards stood watch outside the room that Celestia was inside. They looked oddly like the same two who came to get Lavender when Celestia revealed to him that she was pregnant. Although, it was hard to tell; they all looked alike to Lavender.

After a quick once over by the guards, the unicorn of the duo used his magic to open the door for Lavender and the doctor. Luna was already in the room, not really to Lavender’s surprise since he figured she would want to check up on her sister. Upon entering, Lavender shared another sad look with Luna. It pulled on Luna’s heartstrings when she noticed that it looked like Lavender had been crying.

Inside the room, Celestia lay in a lone bed on one side of the room. Flanking the left side of the bed was a heart rate and a blood pressure monitor keeping steady watch on Celestia’s vitals. On the right, was an IV bag steadily feeding its nourishing liquid into Celestia’s bloodstream to prevent her from becoming dehydrated. Two windows sat at the far wall letting in the brilliant sunlight.

Once Lavender was close enough, Luna suddenly threw her forelegs around him, pulling him into a hug. It was the least she could do right now to comfort him. She didn’t want to let him go and was fighting the urge to break down herself. Lavender didn’t want to let go either; he knew this was hard on Luna to see her sister go through this. Despite Luna’s best efforts, a few tears managed to escape her eyes.

“Thank you for being here,” Lavender uttered. “We’re going to get through this.”

Luna released him from the hug, wiping her tears as she did.

“You are most welcome,” she spoke. “I don’t think Celestia could have asked for a better stallion than you.”

Lavender smiled, happy that Luna thought so highly of him.

“Are you going to stay here with her?” Luna asked.

“Yeah,” he cast a gaze over at Celestia. He was going to stay by her side until she woke up; he felt he needed to since this was going to hit her as hard as it hit him.

“As much as I hate to, I need to get back to the castle,” Luna admitted.

“Okay, I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

Luna took one last look at her sister before walking out the door to attend to any royal duties in Celestia’s absence.

“If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check up on her,” the doctor said.

Lavender nodded in acknowledgment as the doctor left to attend to the other patients that were under his care.

A few hours had passed since Luna went back to the castle. The room was quiet save for the beeping heart monitor, the ticking clock on the wall, and Celestia’s gentle breathing. Lavender opened one of the windows to let some fresh air in the room. The cool autumn breeze brushed passed his mane. He gazed out the window which looked out over the vast wilderness that was Equestria. The sun was setting, no doubt Luna’s doing, and the night was beginning to take hold. Lavender occasionally glanced over at Celestia to check if she was still asleep.

A million and a half things were going through his head; all of them centered on the question: why? Why did this happen? Why do bad things happen to good ponies? He was far from a saint, but at least he tried to do some good with his life. He thought back to his first night with Celestia; how he thought if it was a dream he didn’t want to wake up. Now, he wished this was all just a dream, a nightmare, which he could wake up from. It wasn’t; this was all real and he had to deal with it. Beating himself up over this wasn’t going to make him feel better, nor was it going to bring his foal back. Nothing would. He had to be strong for both Celestia and himself.

Wanting to get his mind off things, he took a moment to examine his hoof that he slammed into the floor earlier. It had a visible crack and stung a bit, but hardly unbearable. He cleaned the wound in the sink in the bathroom and applied some antiseptic ointment that he found in one of the room’s cabinets. It was enough to stave off an infection, and could be completely remedied with a simple unicorn healing spell.

Once that was out of the way, his mind wandered back to Celestia; the sad thoughts crept back in. He couldn’t help it.

As the hours went on, tiredness eventually began to take over. He pulled a chair up close to the bed in an attempt to get some sleep. He maneuvered around trying to get into a semi comfortable position. Slowly but surely he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note

Originally, I didn’t want to take the story in this direction. It was going to be a “and they lived happily ever after” story. The idea of Celestia losing the foal crept into my mind one day. At first, I thought, “No, I can’t do that to them”, but as I thought more about it, I realized that it would make a good story, even though it would be a sad one.

The part about Lavender wanting to see his foal, I modeled that off of something similar that happened to a guy that I knew in the Navy. He was telling me about one time he was stationed on a ship that was out on deployment, leaving his pregnant wife at home. While he was gone, she gave birth, but the baby died in childbirth. Because the ship was out on deployment, there was nothing he could do. The thing that I will always remember from that story was he said “I never even got to hold my daughter”.

I don’t have children of my own, but I can’t imagine a worse kind of pain for someone to go through.

Chapter 10

Early the next morning, the sun was beginning its slow ascension over the horizon. Its golden brilliance was starting to peer through the window and illuminate the hospital room that Celestia and Lavender were in. Celestia slowly opened her eyes; the sedatives she was given the day before had finally wore off. She batted her eyes in an attempt to shake off the grogginess that she was feeling. That was the one bad thing about having to go to the hospital to have anything major done, the amount of sedatives and pain medication the doctors had to give you to make this as comfortable as possible. It was a minor inconvenience, but it sure beat having to deal with the agony that was the day before.

She looked over to see Lavender sitting in a chair with his head and forelegs lying on the bed next to her, asleep. He looked so cute when he was asleep like this.

She gently ran a hoof across her abdomen, reminding herself why she was here. She didn’t know exactly what happened after she teleported to the hospital, only that the preliminary diagnosis by the doctor was that something was wrong with her foal. Judging that her foal was nowhere in sight, she feared that the worst had happened. However, she wanted to hold on to the small sliver of hope that something miraculous happened and her foal was perfectly fine. She was asleep throughout the entire ordeal, it being the standard procedure for a pony to be put under during something like this, but she knew that Lavender and Luna already knew what had happened. They were her next of kin after all. She trusted Lavender would break the news to her, good or bad.

“Lavender,” she whispered, a bit reluctant to wake her sleeping husband.

Lavender roused from his slumber at the sound of her voice. Once he realized whose it was his head shot up almost instantly.

“You’re awake,” he said, beaming with happiness that she was awake.

She smiled, happy that he was here and that it seemed like he stayed by her side the entire night.

“Are you in any pain? Should I get the nurse?” he asked, almost like a worried mother fussing over her colt or filly.

“No,” she responded, softly. “Have you talked to the doctor?” she asked, no since in beating around the bush.

“Yeah,” he responded as the icy pain of this situation took a hold of his heart once more.

“The last thing I remember was getting ready after you had left to go to the tax office,” she recalled.

“No, you don’t need to do this,” Lavender interrupted. “Just focus on resting.”

He knew her bringing this up would cause nothing but pain. However, he knew she would want to know what happened and he couldn’t deny her the truth, even though the truth would hurt more than being kicked by an Earth pony.

“Then, our foal?” she asked, point blank, hoping Lavender would give it to her straight.

“I’m sorry,” Lavender uttered. His lips quivered as he spoke; he couldn’t physically say the words that their foal was dead.

Without warning, Celestia threw herself at Lavender, embracing him in a hearty hug. He had to stand on the chair to avoid losing his balance as Celestia pulled him closer to her. Much like Lavender the day before, she finally broke down. She had to let it out; she couldn’t keep this bottled up anymore. Even though Lavender didn’t explicitly say it, Celestia’s motherly intuition knew what happened to their foal. She felt it in her heart. It was a pain that she hadn’t felt since the day she had to banish her own sister. Lavender comforted her how he could. It tore his heart out to see her like this, and he cried a little himself. He wished this never happened.

“There, there, just let it all out,” he comforted.

A nurse on her regular morning rounds entered the room to check on Celestia. Lavender gave the nurse a ‘not right now’ look. A bit embarrassed, the mare turned and left, making a mental note to give the two some privacy.

Celestia wailed in pain as she held Lavender even tighter. She didn’t want to let him go; she couldn’t. Time stood still as the two embraced each other while Celestia was crying her eyes out. Why did this happen to her? This was the only time she showed this amount of emotion to anyone other than Luna. Normally she kept her emotions hidden from the general public, and only shared her most intimate feelings with Luna, and now more recently, Lavender. It seemed cold for her to keep her emotions a secret from most ponies, but it was something she had to do. She had to be a strong leader for her subjects.

After several minutes, Celestia regained her composure. Lavender wiped the tears from his wife’s glistening eyes. He thought back to the events of yesterday and how he requested to see their foal; the image was still fresh in his mind. He pondered mentioning it to Celestia. However, it could go one of two ways: either he could tell her and have her get upset again, or he could play it safe and not say anything. He didn’t want her to get upset again, but he also didn’t want to not say anything either. It was a hard decision; the hardest decision he’s ever had to make.

Taking a nervous gulp in an attempt to quell the butterflies in his stomach, he opened his mouth to speak.

“I got to see her,” Lavender said.

“Who?”

“Our daughter,” his eyes glistened. “She was a beautiful filly unicorn, just as beautiful as you are.”

Celestia smiled despite the sadness of the situation, but a few tears managed to escape her eyes. Normally that would have upset her, but something inside her prevented it. A feeling of happiness washed over her at the fact that Lavender got to see their daughter. It was bittersweet however, she would have loved having a daughter of her own to raise, watching her grow into a fine, young mare.

“Luna…if it was a filly, I was wanting to name her, Luna,” Celestia admitted.

“I’m sure your sister would have gotten a kick out of that,” Lavender replied with a small chuckle.

Celestia met his chuckle with one of her own. It felt odd to laugh at a time like this, but she was alright with it. A little humor helped lighten the mood.

“Thank you, for everything,” she said as she gazed into her husband’s eyes. “I knew I sensed something special in you from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

Lavender couldn’t help but blush at that statement. The only other mare that said he was special was his mother, but then she said that about all her foals.

“I meant it when I said I loved you and that I would be here every step of the way,” he admitted. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know this is a day we should be sad, but I’m happy. Happy to be here with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with the mare I love.”

Celestia didn’t say anything; she didn’t need to. Lavender summed up everything perfectly. Instead, she placed a hoof around Lavender and pulled him into a hug. She was happy and knew everything was going to be okay. It was times like this that made her wish she could rid herself of her immortality so she could grow old with Lavender. However, she couldn’t; she was destined for this role as Equestria’s leader. Lavender would hold a special place in her heart as someone she would never forget when he eventually passed on.

The tender moment between the two was interrupted by the door suddenly opening. Lavender craned his neck to see who it was while silently hoping it wasn’t that same nurse from earlier. In the doorway stood Luna, not much to Lavender or Celestia’s surprise since one of the guards must have notified Luna when the nurse stopped by earlier.

Lavender released Celestia and stepped down off of the chair to make way for Luna. Quickly closing the distance, Luna embraced her sister in a nice, sisterly hug. Lavender took this moment to put the chair back in its rightful spot while Luna went to her sister’s side.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Luna uttered as she held on to her sister for as long as she could. “And…I’m so sorry about your foal.”

“Thank you, Luna. It’s okay; we’re going to get through this,” Celestia replied. She didn’t expect this to be so hard on Luna.

“If there’s anything you need from me, you let me know,” Luna offered.

“Thanks, but you don’t need to do anything for me.”

“Yes, I do,” Luna said as she finally let go of her sister. “You have done so much for me, and it’s only right that I return the favor.”

“Okay, Luna, if you insist,” Celestia surrendered. There was no talking Luna out of this. “By the way, I was telling Lavender that if it was a filly, we were going to name her after you.”

Luna tried to stifle a laugh, but couldn’t help blurting it out instead. It was a funny statement after all.

“Really? Are you sure you could have handled two Lunas?” Luna asked, grinning.

“If she took too much after you, probably not,” Celestia mentioned. “Oh, and it was a filly, a filly unicorn. Lavender told me that he got to see her.”

She looked over at Lavender when she spoke, who just responded with a small smile. His time down in the morgue and his subsequent break down crept back into his mind.

Luna didn’t know how to react as she traded looks between Celestia and Lavender. Should she feel sad or happy about this? Happy that Lavender got to physically see their daughter, or sad that her life was cut short before it even started. Judging by Celestia bringing this up, it was an attempt at a happy memory.

“I’m sure she would have grown into a fine mare, just like her mother,” Luna finally said.

“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia said.

The three enjoyed the remainder of this morning together. Celestia felt better to have such caring ponies like Lavender and Luna here to help her through this. It was tough, but she was going to get through it.

Celestia had to stay at the hospital for several more days under the doctor’s order to ensure that their weren’t any complications. Luna and Lavender visited regularly when they had the time. The doctor said that no permanent damage was done, but he advised against Celestia trying to have another foal since the next time she might not be so lucky. True, she was immortal and wasn’t affected by age like other ponies were, but she wasn’t invincible. She could still succumb to major trauma if she wasn’t careful. She trusted what the doctor said and wasn’t about to defy his professional opinion, but she was still sad that she wouldn’t be able to have a foal of her own. Some options were available for Celestia and Lavender to have a foal, such as adoption or a willing volunteer to act as a surrogate mother to carry their foal to term. However, it was too soon for them to be thinking about this, right now was time for grieving.

The few days spent in the hospital also gave Celestia and Lavender time to attend to the grim task of their daughter’s funeral arrangement. It was something neither of them wanted to do, but it had to be done. Celestia wanted to have the funeral as soon as the doctor gave his stamp of approval for her to return to her normal duties. She already had a location in mind for the burial site; a secluded corner of the Canterlot garden that had very little hoof traffic through it. This particular spot was special to Celestia because it had a lone tree that she sat under every so often to look up at the moon during Luna’s banishment. It reminded herself of the heavy toll it took on her heart with having to banish her own sister, but also to admire the beautiful night, something she took for granted while Luna was by her side. Right under that tree was the perfect place to bury her daughter. Lavender agreed, and he even took a moment while Celestia was still in the hospital to check out the location she specified. Yes, they couldn’t have picked a more perfect place.

The days dragged on and Celestia was finally discharged from the hospital. The swelling in her abdomen from once being pregnant was beginning to shrink down to her normal, slim physique. She still suffered some discomfort, but the doctor assured her that it just from the shock that her body went through and it will subside in time.

This gloomy day reflected everyone’s feelings. Dark, gray clouds hung low in the air; the chilly air kicked up every so often, rustling up some loose leaves. The Canterlot garden was alive with activity. Ponies from all corners of Equestria had gathered to grieve alongside Celestia and Lavender. Luna and Cadence were present, along with many of Celestia’s friends and colleagues. Lavender’s mother, father, and two sisters were there, along with many other family members. It was a huge turnout, almost the same turnout as their wedding.

Under the tree where Celestia had specified was a fresh mound of dirt which, just feet below it, lay the body of their daughter. On top of the grave, small white pebbles covered the majority of the brown dirt. Flowers of every hue lay on top of or around the sides of the grave. A white marble tombstone with gold inscriptions sat at the head of the grave; it was a burial fit for a princess.

Luna, Cadence, and a few other ponies said some nice words and offered their condolences. The garden was quiet save for the pony who was talking at the time and a few sounds of sniffling from ponies who were crying. Once the last of the ponies had spoken, Celestia opted out of saying anything to the crowd because she felt she would get emotional if she did. Instead, she turned it over to Lavender so he could say a few final words. She couldn’t hide the tears that were beginning to build up in her eyes.

Lavender stepped up to speak even though it killed him to see Celestia starting to cry again. Speaking in front of a large crowd didn’t much bother him, especially given that this crowd was grieving the loss of his daughter. He felt a sense of calmness as he took a deep breath and started to speak.

“I just wanted to thank you all for coming out for this. It means a great deal to Celestia and me that we have such good friends and families to help us get through this dark day. As some of you may know, I never given much thought to starting a family of my own. This whole thing was just dropped on me. I could have run away to some far corner of Equestria when I first found out that Celestia was pregnant, but I didn’t. I couldn’t do that to her,” he looked over at Celestia. She smiled as her eyes glistened with tears.

“I just…didn’t expect anything like this to happen. You can’t prepare for something like this; I don’t think anypony can,” he had to take a moment to regain his composure as some tears started to well up in his eyes. “Again, I can’t thank you enough for helping us get through this.”

With Lavender’s eulogy finished, he walked over to the grave and placed a single hoof on the tombstone.

“Goodbye my sweet little filly,” he bowed his head as a sign of respect for the deceased.

Once he rejoined Celestia by her side, she threw a hoof around him and pulled him close to her. It really meant a lot to her that Lavender cared so much about their daughter. He would have made a great father. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd at this display of affection. Lavender’s mother was bawling her eyes out; his dad, a lifelong military stallion, shed a few tears himself. Time seemed to stand still as Celestia held her husband there in that garden. She was thankful for the moment she met him and the time they spent together. He was definitely one of a kind and she couldn’t find another stallion like him if she tried. She was glad that he got a chance to see their daughter so, to Celestia, it felt like a part of her would live on in Lavender.

Celestia’s horn came alive with her magical aura. The dark clouds above parted to allow the sun to cast its golden light on the garden below. The tombstone seemed to glow in the brilliant sunlight. That marked the end of the funeral.

The crowd dispersed, some leaving to get back to their lives, others placing some last minute flowers on the grave before departing themselves. A few ponies stuck around to chat with Celestia and Lavender, mainly Lavender’s parents, his two sisters, Luna, and Cadence. They each re-offered their condolences and asked if the two were going to be alright. They would be, in time; new parents losing a foal was never easy. Eventually the pain would subside, however not completely; a small portion would stick with Celestia and Lavender for the remainder of their lives. It would be something they would never forget.

“That was beautiful,” Lavender’s mother said, levitating a tissue with her magic as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. His father and two sisters nodded in unison as they silently agreed with his mother.

“I hate that you two had to go through that,” his father mentioned. “I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

“I know. Thank you for being here,” Lavender said.

Hugs were shared all around with this small group of ponies. It was the least they could do. After this last bit of affection, the group all went their separate ways as the day was drawing to a close. Lavender’s parents and two sisters returned to their respective places of residence, Cadence returned to her duties in the Crystal Empire, and Luna prepared herself for her upcoming nightly watch.

This time, Celestia wanted to do something different when she lowered the sun for the day. She sat on the balcony adjacent to her bedroom with Lavender next to her as she began lowering the sun, a little slower than she normally did it. They watched the sunset together; Celestia felt it was a fitting way to end this day. Watching the sunset was something they hadn’t really done together because they didn’t think too much about it. Much like how Celestia didn’t admire how beautiful the night was until after Luna was gone. A warm feeling came over the two, the feeling that this would be the first day of the rest of their lives. A life that will be lived to the fullest.

The End

Author's Note

Okay, after a long delay this chapter is finally done. Since this college semester started up recently, it didn't really leave me a lot of time to work on this story. However, I finally got this chapter finished; I hope you enjoy it.

Also, I wanted to take the moment to thank you for reading my story all the way to the end. It really means a lot to me that you took the time out of your day to read my story.