Hug Time!

by CategoricalGrant

Rating: everyone
Tags: Royal Guard, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Second Person, Other
Length: 1971

All the Royal Guards know: Princess Celestia gives the best hugs.

You are a royal guard. You're having a particularly bad day, but the good news is that somepony is coming along today that might lift you out of your funk with some killer hugs.

The final installation in the trilogy which includes Cuddle Time and Cuddle Time...Again!

EDIT: Featured 8/1/17! Danke!

Published 2017-08-01 05:20:07 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-01 05:20:07 UTC

Thanks, Mo- I mean, Princess Celestia!

You shift from hoof to hoof anxiously as you steal glances up and down the long, carpeted hallway. Guarding the entrance to the royal throne room was a highly honorable duty, and breaking concentration like you were certainly was frowned upon.

You cast a sideways look toward your partner at the station. Even on duty, his eyes betrayed his disinterest in his work. He was wearing that dopey, dreamy smile he always wore after disappearing for a night each week.

Well, at least he wasn’t interested in your fidgeting at all. That was good.

You couldn’t help looking down the hallway once more, letting your gaze linger at the end of it as you sighed.

You are waiting for somepony, of course. Not just anypony, either; you were waiting for Princess Celestia to walk down the hallway towards you.

It was always an important moment in your job when Princess Celestia passed you to enter the throne room, but today was different: it was Tuesday. You loved Tuesdays.

Why on earth would anypony actually ‘like’ Tuesday, one might ask? It competes with Monday for the worst day of the week, one might say?

Every guard in the castle loved Tuesdays, because on Tuesdays (and the first Thursday of the month) Princess Celestia came by and made sure to hug each and every guard on duty.

Needless to say, she was a really, really good hugger. So fluffy and warm! Best of all, she knew exactly just how much pressure to use in the hug; it was almost as if she could read a pony’s emotions or something.

And today, of all days, you most definitely needed a hug.

Your ears perk up as you hear the faint clopping of hoofsteps in the distance down the hallway. Not a moment later, you hear the quiet vestiges of an angelic voice waft down the corridor, rebounding off of the high ceilings.

You smile and can’t help but hop from hoof to hoof as you hear the voice become louder and louder. Soon, you see Princess Celestia and her assistant Raven turn the corner. You do your best to pull yourself to attention as they approach, still chattering among themselves.

Raven continues past you, pushing open the ornate golden doors and trotting into the throne room. Celestia, on the other hoof, slows her gait and turns toward you, tilting her head and smiling warmly. “Why, hello there. Happy Tuesday!”

“H-happy Tuesday, Your Highness,” you stammer back, repressing the need to stuff your muzzle into her ample chest fluff.

“Would you like a hug this morning?” she asks softly, her shimmering pastel mane seemingly blocking out the portions of your field of vision that don’t include her elegant features.

You bite your lip and nod.

“Well, come on then,” she urges warmly, holding out a hoof to emphasize her point. “I’d like one too!”

You remove your helmet and place it on the ground. Then, you practically dart into Princess Celestia, wrapping your hooves tightly around her graceful neck and rubbing your muzzle into her soft coat.

Oh, great. You totally blew it! She’s definitely gonna figure out that something is wrong with you.

Or, maybe she wouldn’t. You shouldn’t worry until-

Oh, Now she’s wrapped her wings around you. Now she’s hugging you more firmly. And now, she’s nuzzling the top of your head sweetly. Guess the cat is out of the bag.

You break the hug and manage to smile weakly up at Princess Celestia, but her extended wing is still hovering behind your tail and prevents you from backing up all the way to your post.

Princess Celestia looks down at you, clearly concerned at your behavior. “Is everything okay, dear?”

You can already feel the tears welling up in your eyes, and you know that if you talk, you’re going to cry. You look down at the floor and nod.

Of course, your final attempt to maintain your dignity is a spectacular exercise in futility.

Princess Celestia frowns at you, although it’s not a frown of disapproval. More one of...sadness? Empathy, even? She sits down on her haunches on the adorned rug in front of your post and places one of her front hooves over yours. “Come on now dear,” she says softly. “Tell me what’s the matter.”

“I...Yesterday…” you choke out, immediately beginning to sob. “M-my special somepony broke up with me!” Tears stream down your cheeks as you pitifully rack your lungs for air. “I loved her lots and was gonna ask her to marry me this winter! A-a-a-and she j-just leaves me for another stall-ll-ion!”

“Oh, my poor dear,” Princess Celestia gasps, scooting towards you and pulling you into another hug. This time, she uses both of her front hooves and seals you in the fluffy cocoon with both of her wings.

Her new position means that your tummy can come in contact with hers as well, this time. You bury yourself in her soft coat again, letting yourself cry into her. You feel so pathetic, but Princess Celestia’s embrace is so warm, soft and caring that you don’t even care anymore.

Princess Celestia makes small shushing noises, but you get the feeling that these are to calm you more than they are to silence you. She rocks back and forth for a few minutes, and eventually you stop crying. Your breathing returns to regular too, and you find yourself pressing the side of your face into a tear-stained patch on Princess Celestia’s coat, inhaling her scent. It’s like that of sun-ripened raspberries and is very entrancing.

Princess Celestia’s muzzle nudges you. Without leaving the hug, you look up at her with eyes that are still a little bleary and sniffle once.

She looks at you lovingly with a quivering frown. You can almost swear that she’s fighting back tears of her own. “I’m so sorry, dear. Would you like to take the day off?”

You shake your head and slowly stand up. “N-no, Your Highness. I feel much b-better. I already made you stoop to sitting on the ground to take care of me; I-I must fulfill my duty in protecting you today.”

Princess Celestia follows you in standing. As you speak, she displays a beaming smile, full of pride. “Oh, my brave little pony! How noble of you!” She pulls you into another quick hug, which you aren’t prepared for. “Well, nopony is going to make you leave work. However, maybe you’d like to come into the throne room and guard me while I do my morning paperwork?”

Your ears perk up and you wipe your eyes with a hoof. “Y-you mean it?”

“Of course I do, sweetie. Just give me one moment to go and talk to your comrade, and then we can go.”

You smile widely, the heaviness in your heart replaced by a sweeter hopefulness, tinged only very slightly with melancholy. “Thank you, Princess Celestia!”

Princess Celestia warmly smiles at you once more before walking over to your colleague. “And how are you today? Would you like a hug?”

Your fellow guard is wearing that same goofy smirk as usual, gazing off listlessly. “How could I say no to that?” he asks rather listlessly.

Princess Celestia pulls him into a hug, which he returns. However, she pulls away only a few seconds later, looking at him curiously.

He just looks back blankly.

Princess Celestia leans in slightly towards him. Then, her muzzle scrunches up as she stares at him without emotion.

His muzzle scrunches up too as he continues to meet her gaze.

After a number of seconds (which are particularly awkward for you), Princess Celestia shakes her head as if to clear it and steps away from your brother-in-arms. “Alright dear,” she says to you, lighting up her horn. The doors swing open and you happily bound into the room after the pristine, white ruler.

You flip around and snap to attention at the bottom of the steps up to the throne, happy to be guarding Princess Celestia at such an honorable post.

“Why are you stopping there?” Princess Celestia asks quizzically. “I’m just doing some paperwork. Come and sit next to me on the throne.”

“R-really?”

Princess Celestia scoots over to the side of her imposing throne and pats the open half of the cushion beside her.

You bound quickly up the stairs and sit on the edge of the cushion next to her, careful to give her as much space as she needs as she began to write her edicts and sign paperwork. You keep your neck stick-straight, and your eyes are constantly scanning the room for potential threats to Princess Celestia.

It’s then that you feel a soft, warm pressure on the side of your body furthest from Princess Celestia. Before you can react, Celestia’s wing pulls you tightly against the side of her body.

“Erkk,” you squeak, your cheek smushed against her tender body.

“Mmmmm,” Princess Celestia begins, ignoring the sound you had made. “I feel much safer now.”

It’s not long before you snuggle into her again and begin to fall into a relaxed trance from the feeling of her warm coat against you.

You open your eyes a while later when Princess Celestia groans gently. Looking up, you perceive that she’s trying to stretch her neck out. The long hours of working on paperwork must be taking a toll on her.

Now is your chance to repay her kindness to you. “L-let me help, Your Highness.” Carefully, you weasel your way in front of Princess Celestia and back up carefully, seating yourself between her front hooves.

Princess Celestia shuffles in what you can only conjecture is a confused manner.

“Use me as a headrest, Your Majesty,” you explain softy.

A few seconds later, you feel Princess Celestia’s muzzle rest on top of your head. She lets out a content sigh and hums gently. “This is much better. Thank you so much, dear.”

“I live to serve.” In reality, you should be thanking her; this way, your whole body is overshadowed by hers. Her scent and warmth envelop you, and for a little while you forget about all your problems.

Princess Celestia sets her quill down on a side table and sighs. “Well, I suppose that is it for today.”

You reluctantly remove yourself from out under her and stand at attention. “I just wanted to give you my thanks for helping me feel better today, Princess Celestia.”

Her smile is contagious, and her hum of approval is like the singing of angels. “You are so welcome. I know that a stallion as dashing, brave, and sweet as you will find a mare to love him one day.”

You can’t help but blush as she nuzzles you, and you scuff a hoof against the ground in embarrassment.

“Are you sure you don’t need a day off?” she asks gently.

You shake your head emphatically. “No ma’am! A hug from you was all that I needed!”

Princess Celestia regards you more formally after your response, but a grin still plays at her lips. “Very well, then. Dismissed!”

You salute and turn tail, marching down the red carpet towards the exit of the throne room.

“Actually, I do need to ask one tiny favor of you,” she calls as an afterthought.

“Anything, your Highness!” You turn to reply, and are surprised to find that Princess Celestia’s muzzle is scrunched up in contemplation.

“Could you ask your fellow guard why he smells like my sister?”

Author's Note

Princess Celestia is everypony's Mom, but she's also not your real Mom so you can snuggle with her all you want without it becoming weird.

The ponies keep making me write cuddling stories, send help please

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Why am I so alone