Sleep, as always, left Princess Celestia like a lover slipping quietly away, her trip to wakefulness a slow and gentle journey. Awareness came to her in bits and pieces, fading in and out of her thoughts as they worked to come together into a coherent whole. She felt certain that there was something different about this morning, something her mind, still more asleep than awake, was having trouble grasping. She felt somewhat...off, discomforted in a way that nagged at her as she sought to find the clarity to make sense of it. The silken bed sheets around her felt dirty, which seemed an impossibility, seeing how they were freshly changed each and every day. They also seemed to be badly askew, which again felt very unlikely, as she was hardly prone to tossing and turning at night, and the palace servants who saw to the daily care of her living quarters had never once changed her sheets without fitting them perfectly and snugly to the mattress.
Realization that she was not alone in her bed helped fast track Celestia's wake up process, as well as provide the context for why things seemed off this particular morning as she started to remember the previous evening. The dirty feel of her sheets would be the result of dried sweat and other bodily fluids from the night before, a night that had subjected her bed to much more vigorous activity than it normally received, which also would explain why the usually snug linens were such a scattered mess.
Her eyes crept open, and filled Celestia's view with a multitude of colors. A slow pass with her wing got her mane out of her face, and she was able to look down at the stallion currently laying beside her, his features relaxed and peaceful in sleep. The sight of him started to play back events from the day before in her mind, of the long, slow build of romantic tension from the early morning on through to the evening, culminating in several long, glorious hours of impassioned love making, before the exhausted pair of them had finally given in to sleep. It had been a wonderful, fulfilling time, and a release that the hard working princess had badly needed.
And yet, now, in the twilight darkness before she would raise the sun, Celestia felt an all too familiar mix of emotions welling up inside her, pushing aside the warmth of the afterglow from her romantic and sexual excursion. There was a sense of shame, a guiltiness that she had, once more, given in to the temptation and ignored the promise she had made to herself the last time this had happened. An indignant annoyance tried to batter the guilt aside, tried to assure her that she had nothing to be ashamed of, but it was undermined by a gnawing uncertainty. A light, fluttering confusion joined the mix, as it always did, as she tried to reconcile the tangle of emotions with reason and logic, but despite the attempt to use simple facts to tell herself she was being foolish, she couldn't help the feelings that lurked within her heart for what she had done.
As her emotions clashed, Celestia considered her latest lover. Comet Burst was quite the good looking stallion, handsome in a beautiful fashion, masculine without being rugged or hard edged. He was kind, and thoughtful, but also confident and strong willed, yet without pride or ego. He was romantic and artful, without being pretentious. He had been an attentive and caring lover, yet still dominating and forceful when the mood had shifted from sweet comfort to lustful desire. He was, as far as Celestia judged such things for herself, the ideal stallion for her.
Just as his father Comet Shine had been.
And his grandfather Comet Streak had been.
And his great grandfather Comet Glow had been.
And his great-great...
Celestia cut off that line of thought, really not feeling up to taking that trip down memory lane and all thirty-three generations worth of the Comet family tree that she had thus slept with. Her sense of guilt and shame rose again all the same, as did her confusion and uncertainty. Every generation, it was the same. An accidental meeting, a flirty remark from the stallion that caught her attention for its perfect mix of sweetness and boldness. A playful series of conversations that just further proved the he was able to match her in wit and word, growing ever more flirty as it went on. She would see him around, would start to seek him out, each time their dialog growing more bold with implication and desire. Their courtship would be a matter of a few weeks, until at last she could resist no longer, until she invited him not to leave her as the evening came, but to stay with her through the night.
And yet for all the wonder and enjoyment of the slow seduction, of how perfectly they seemed to compliment each other on the journey to and within the bedroom, after a few glorious nights of passion, it would become obvious to both of them that what they had was not the foundation for a lasting relationship. Theirs was a passion that burned hot and bright and yet all so briefly. Talk of life together, as a couple, would always cool the fires of their lust, and show them to want things far too different from the other for them to become anything more serious than a fling of passion. And eventually the time came that they both knew he needed to leave her, and that she needed to let him go.
Every time she told herself it needed to end, that it would be the last time she let a Comet share her heart and her bed, that she knew as much as each and every last one of them had seemed ideal for her, in the end, they would always leave her, because they would both know it could never be more than just a fling. And yet, every time the latest of the family line idled their way into her life, she found her resolve unable to hold, her attempts to remain distant, or to even avoid them entirely, failing. Each time, her heart, and her libido, sabotaged her, nudging her back towards the stallion, craving the company she knew he would represent. It was lonely at times, being a princess, and there was a comfortable reassurance in knowing that she could find such companionship at least once a generation.
The sex was also always mind-blowing. She so rarely had the opportunity to get laid. Oh sure, there was always no shortage of stallions, or mares, or even non-ponies, who would gladly take to her bed if given the chance. But there were rarely those that Celestia felt she could trust to such intimacy. She had a reputation to maintain for one, and she had her own pride. She would never let herself be someone's conquest, to have bedding her be an achievement for them to brag about to their friends, or worse, to the press. She kept her sex life a closely guarded secret, to such a degree that the greater majority of the world was left to wonder if she even desired such a basic, primal need. It was a necessary evil of her position, but it did make for long stretches of lonely nights.
As always, her thoughts and emotions after her first night with the latest Comet left her with no answers, only a troubled heart and confused thoughts. Slipping from his sleeping embrace, she strode out upon the grand balcony that overlooked much of Canterlot, the cool pre-dawn air helping shake the last lingering threads of sleep. As she focused on the task of raising the sun, Celestia's mind cleared for a short while, lost in the deep and ancient magic, until the first light of the new day started to gleam over the horizon.
It was a brief respite at best, and her conflicted emotions were waiting for her as soon as she finished the task. She briefly considered returning to her bed, to the embrace of Comet Burst. There was quite the temptation to wake the stallion, and see if they could reignite some of the passion of the night before. As happy and sated as she had been by their activities, she still craved more. She often wondered if she could ever truly get enough sexual fulfillment, or if her seemingly endless desire was merely an illusion from how infrequently she allowed herself to indulge in carnal pleasure.
She fought down her libido, slipping quietly from her bedroom and leaving Comet behind to rest. It was only the first day after all, and if history repeated itself, as it seemed very likely to do, she would have plenty more opportunities to enjoy his companionship...and his prowess. For now though she made to leave her quarters, pausing only to run a few spells of cleaning through her coat and mane. They weren't as good as a proper bath, nor anywhere near as relaxing, but for efficiency of time, they were ideal, and had her presentable in short order.
Leaving behind her personal quarters, and her latest lover, but bringing with her all her jumbled thoughts and feelings, Celestia wandered her way through the palace halls. She could navigate the multitude of corridors and paths of the grand old building without need for but the smallest fraction of her attention and thought, the ways having become as familiar and well known to her as her own body over the centuries. She knew the most direct, quickest path to any location within the expansive, sprawling structure. That was simplicity itself. More so though, she could choose a path from any point in the palace to any other point and walk it such as to spend an exacting amount of time on the journey, with precision one could set a watch with. It was a very useful skill, one that had let her dictate the length of many a conversation to her needs.
At the moment though she had no destination, and no idea how long she wished to wander. She chose hallways at what could have been random, though even distracted as she was by her own thoughts, she started to realize she might actually have had a goal lurking somewhere in her mind as she came upon her sister, returning from her nightly duties. As was usual in the morning, Luna was looking a bit worn and tired, though at least she did not seem nearly as moody as she could often be, and as Celestia adjusted her pace to fall into step beside her slightly sleepy sibling, she was greeted with a small smile and nod. It was certainly better then the grunt and glare she sometimes received.
Luna must have had an easier night than most, as she seemed to actually pick up on her sister's distracted mood, frowning slightly as Celestia returned her greeting with a wordless murmur and a half-hearted smile.
"Tia, are you well?" the younger princess asked, her tone polite and curious as she eyed Celestia thoughtfully.
"I am fine, Luna," she answered, though her tone gave her away even before her expression could, and she could see her sister's eyes narrow out of the corner of her vision. "I am well enough, at any rate," she amended quickly, before Luna could speak. "Just a bit distracted this morning. I am...troubled I suppose."
"I am sorry to hear that," Luna replied earnestly. "I would have thought you in a better mood after being bedded. Tell me, was he truly so unsatisfactory? A pity, he was quite fetching, though perhaps he has been relying too much on his appearance?"
Celestia nearly choked on her surprise, and only managed to keep her shock under control as a result of the literal centuries of practice she possessed at maintaining her composure. She wasn't sure what had caught her more off guard, her sister even knowing she had taken a stallion to bed with her, or the bluntness of her commentary. Luna must have seen something of her feelings even through her self-control, as the alicorn of the night let out a little, dismissive huff.
"Please now sister, did you think I would not have noticed?" Luna asked, her lips turning into a smug little smile. "I am Princess of the Night! Mystery and romance and secretive meetings are all of my domain. I could hardly fail to but notice such activities playing out, especially with you, my dear sister, whom so rarely ever engages in such manner of frivolity. It saddens me to hear your evening was not pleasurable, for I was happy to see you taking care of your needs and desires. Perhaps I ought to seek council with Cadence? I think between the two of us, we could find a way to ensure you a night of passion and desire the likes of which..."
"That will not be necessary...ever," Celestia cut in, frowning in mild annoyance at the teasing smirk her sister gave her, and doing her best to ignore the feeling of warmth blossoming in her cheeks. Heavens above, she did not need Luna and Cadence plotting romantic outings for her, selecting potential suitors and doing who only knew what other mischief in the name of making her happy. "I am not displeased with...with last night," she went on, stumbling slightly in her words. "He was quite satisfactory."
Luna made a disbelieving, scoffing noise.
"Fine, he was marvelous, alright?" she amended testily, once more working to ignore what she feared was becoming a full and proper blush. "I am not disappointed in him, but in myself."
"...truly?" Luna asked, her smirk turning to a puzzled expression. "I know you do not fornicate often, but surly even one as prudish as you ought to have become at least passably proficient in the ways of sex with as much time as you've had to..."
"That is not what I meant!" Celestia snapped, glancing around to ensure nopony was nearby to overhear. The halls about them were empty enough for the moment, their walk winding around some of the lesser used portions of the palace as Luna let her big sister dictate their pace and direction. The younger alicorn raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing immediately, giving Celestia a chance to explain herself.
They walked in silence for a bit, and then, finally, she did explain. Everything. Hesitantly at first to be sure, and with embarrassment evident in her tone, but as she went on, it became easier and easier to continue. It was cathartic to actually speak to someone about her generations worth of lovers, to confess to the matter and finally get it out in the open, even if limited to just between herself and her sister. It was as if she was slowly releasing a great pressure that had built up within her, one she had gotten so accustomed with she no longer even noticed its presence, but could now appreciate its absence.
By the time she was done, Celestia found that she was feeling rather better about herself and the situation, even though her tangled knot of thoughts on the subject remained as twisted as ever. Still, it had helped just to talk about it, and perhaps Luna might have some useful insight to share. At the very least, having an outsider perspective could prove illuminating. She glanced at at her sister hopefully, and found Luna staring at her with a most peculiar expression, the nature of which she wasn't quite certain she could place.
Luna opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, as if reconsidering her initial response. She tried again after a moment, and again, seemed to rethink herself. On the third such false start, Celestia frowned uncertainly. It was not much like her sister to be at a loss for words.
"Sister, what is it?" she demanded, though gently. "Whatever is on your mind, speak it, I promise not to take offense."
"...Comet Burst you said his name was?" she asked, a bit tentatively, and red flags immediately went up in Celestia's mind at her sister's hesitant tone. "And every ancestor of his, was also named Comet? Do...do you recall the name of...of the very first?"
Celestia felt her mouth go dry, and she paused before answering. Not because she had forgotten the name, no. She would never forget that. But whatever it was that Luna seemed to suspect, what she was seeking confirmation of, had managed to put an uneasy weight into the pit of the sun princess's stomach. She found herself rather uncertain if she truly wished to know what it was that her sister might have to say.
"Comet Radiance," the words eventually slipped through her lips.
Luna was silent for a moment, her peculiar expression taking on a subtle, stunned quality that told Celestia all too well that her sister knew the name. She had met Comet, the first Comet, shortly after she had been forced to banish Luna, to banish Nightmare Moon, from Equestria. He had been a most welcome balm for her grief, temporary though it had been, and the time they had spent together had at first distracted her from her pain, and then shown her that she could move on from it, that there could still be light and hope and happiness in her life, even after the terrible thing she had been forced to do and endure and why was Luna laughing?
She blinked at the sight before her, watching as her sister's peculiar expression morphed into something much more easily identifiable as that of somepony struggling to keep their mirth from the their features, and failing utterly at it. The princess of the night was making soft, badly muffled chortling noises through her closed mouth, eventually having to cover her face with a wing as she finally broke out into open giggles. Celestia felt a brief stab of betrayal at that. She had just opened up her heart and feelings to her sister, and Luna was laughing at her? The feeling quickly turned to annoyance, and she fixed Luna with a flat glare that demanded that she explain herself, and swiftly.
"M-my apologizes T-tia, truly," Luna spoke through her laughter. "I am not trying to m-make fun of you, but you have no idea w-what..." she barely managed to get out, before devolving entirely into a fit of unrestrained mirth. Celestia ground her teeth, and her hoof against the tile floor, both producing ominous scraping noises as she forced herself to wait out her sister's amusement.
"Okay...okay...whew...okay..." Luna panted as she, with obvious effort, reined herself back in. "I must admit, this is a most glorious bit of news. I had long since given up wondering what must have happened to him..."
"So...so you knew Comet Radiance?" Celestia asked, her curiosity warring with her annoyance, and only barely winning out for the moment.
"Of course I did," Luna declared happily. "I made him."
A long, disbelieving silence filled the hallway.
"I...I beg your pardon?" Celestia demanded, her annoyance tripping on its face as disbelief and confusion shoved it over in the rush to take center stage of her thoughts.
"I made him," Luna repeated, her tone turning impish and proud as she beamed at her sister. "He was...excuse me, he is, a living golem. A true masterwork of spellcraft and enchantment, if I do say so myself."
"...is?" Celestia asked, feeling her stomach tighten, as if trying to keep the bottom from dropping out, as her sister made the obvious tense correction to her speech. She didn't know exactly where this was going yet, but she felt alarmingly certain that she was not going to like the destination once they got there.
"Is!" Luna chirped delightedly. "That Comet you slept with last night...I promise you, he is the same Comet who seduced you all those centuries ago. And every single Comet you've slept with since," she giggled with wicked delight.
"But...impossible!" Celestia declared, her voice taking on a slightly higher than normal pitch. "Even if this...this golem of yours could have survived for the last thousand years..."
"He could!" Luna informed her brightly, eyes shining with delight.
"...Comet Burst has only a passing family resemblance to Radiance, they couldn't possibly be the same..."
"He's a shapeshifter!"
Celestia felt her mental gears jam up with an awful mental grinding noise.
"Well, not a full on shapeshifter, not like the changelings, but within the confines of the pony form, he is able to adjust his appearance to a fairly remarkable degree," Luna elaborated.
"...but...but why?" Celestia asked, struggling to maintain her now rather fragile composure. "For what possible purpose did you make a nigh immortal, shapeshifting, anatomically accurate pony golem?"
Wait...spelling it out like that, a horrible realization started to form within Celestia’s thoughts.
At her question, Luna practically started vibrating with mirth. "Ah...well...I uh, intended to use him for much the same purpose as which you have been," she stated gleefully.
The gears in her brain cracked, and Celestia could feel the metaphorical nuts and bolts bounce their way on down through the mechanisms, to be forever lost.
"Luna...are you telling me that for the last thousand years, I have been being approached, wooed, and seduced by...by...by your overly elaborate sex toy!"
And at that, her sister completely lost it, falling over onto her back as the hallway echoed with gales of laughter, kicking her legs as she rocked back and forth in shameless glee.
Celestia blinked at the display of overwhelming mirth for a moment, before turning right around and heading back for her bedroom, leaving Luna behind to her amusement. She chose the quickest, most direct path back, with the intention of locking herself within her quarters, lowering the sun, and officially declaring the day to be over, to never be spoken of again, and to Tartarus, possibly literally, with anyone who dared to ask why. As for Comet...assuming he was still where she left him, the princess was of two minds how to handle the devious little love construct. How one hoof, screwing herself senseless until she either passed out or he broke had a certain appeal to it. On the other though, she couldn't quite discount the possibility that, upon seeing him, she might just launch him bodily into orbit from her bedroom window...
