Author's Note

Nothing crazy in this one; budding friendships and relationships, clandestine agreements, a threesome, and light incest. Mostly wholesome, but no less lewd than I usually aim for.

Oh, and Happy Easter!

Cleaning up and dirtying down

Aerial Ace's eyes flicked between the clipboard cradled in his grey wing and the catastrophic scene before him. Sections of pillars and columns lay strewn about, broken and chipped. A statue had shattered, laying in sharp fragments among the bulk of marble and stone. Grime, dust, and dirt coated the floor. If he were a detective, he'd have guessed that there was a riot or a burglary. If he were a good detective, he'd have just asked the ponies present. Thankfully, he was a contractor, and so he was far more to the point.

"Could you tell me again exactly how this happened, your majesty?" he asked, turning his attention to the grand white alicorn next to him. She was a full foot taller than him - and proportionately far more broad - and he had to look up to catch sight of her face. She was observing the scene with a stoic resignation.

"I was reliably informed that a pony tripped into the statue," the princess replied, looking down at him. "An attempt was made to save the statue, but that resulted in the toppling of the columns. It was at that point that I entered the room, and can attest for the stampede."

"Stampede, your highness?"

"A stampede," she confirmed. "There was..." She paused as she sought the words. "...an incident involving the castle's garden, and the panicked animals fled inside. The result was rather chaotic, and highly disruptive."

"So it would seem," Ace agreed, writing down notes on the state of the room before tucking the pencil and clipboard into his utility belt. "Fortunately, this is rather an easy fix. All it requires is a team of stonemasons and two days to set the room back to its prior state. If you can spare the room being marked as out of bounds to the rest of the staff and guests for that time, I promise you we'll have it back to normal in no time."

"It serves as a function room - it won't be needed for some time."

"Excellent. With that being the case, I believe I can pledge to you that the damage will be fixed in a week, depending on how quickly the masons reply."

"I'm pleased to hear." The regal mare smiled down at him, a trace of unexpected approval underpinning her words. "I was assured you were a stallion of utmost talent, and it would seem that the recommendation wasn't in the slightest exaggerated."

"A humble pony cannot comment on the quality of his own work," Ace laughed, smiling good naturedly at her. "But I do take pride in being able to live up to my promises. If you don't mind me asking, who recommended me?" He thought about previous clients of his and tried to figure who would've offered his services to the Crown, but none came to mind.

"A mare named Applejack pointed me to you."

"Applejack?" he repeated, the name catching him off guard. Of all the ponies to have passed on his name to the princess, the farmer was the last he would've figured.

"She vouched for you personally," Celestia told him. "I was promised that you would be able to put everything to rights quicker and better than anypony I could hope to meet. I thought she might be singing your praises in order to better market you, but the estimations you gave me tell me otherwise."

"She's always completely truthful," the stallion reminded the winged mare. "She doesn't do hyperbole. At least, none that I can actually understand." He chuckled at the memory of some of her more enthusiastic idioms. "If you suspected she was inflating my abilities, why did you contact me? You could've chosen somepony else."

"I didn't doubt that you were skilled, and I trust Applejack's integrity and opinion in these matters. I wasn't taking a risk in asking for your services, and if you were everything she claimed you to be, it would be a good choice. I merely believed that she let her guilt persuade her that she needed to offer the best way to mend the situation."

"Her guilt?" Ace queried, glancing to the mess in the room. "Did she have anything to do with this?"

"She was present, with friends," the princess informed him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I don't lay any of the blame at her hooves, but I believe she feels some lingering remorse for being at the epicentre of this event."

"She's certainly an interesting mare," the stallion acknowledged. "I admire her sense of right and wrong. It's unique." He checked the watch on his foreleg, noting the time, and turned back to the princess. "I should go and write up this information over lunch. I'll send off the letters to the masons, and hopefully I'll hear back from within a day or two. It shouldn't take long."

"If you're going to be writing them over lunch, perhaps you'd wish to join me?" Celestia suggested. "I was planning to eat after you left, but some company would be greatly appreciated." The offer surprised the pegasus, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I wouldn't want to impose, and I'm not sure I'd be the most interesting conversationalist. I'll be writing for most of lunch."

"It really is no trouble. I'll be eating alone anyway if not for your acceptance. Conversation or not, it isn't often that I spend my lunch with somepony other than a dignitary or a party of officials." A warm, motherly smile spread across her muzzle. "If you need more assurance, then think of it as a prepayment for your work." Her words earned a half-smile from the stallion, and he nodded in acceptance.

"If you truly don't mind, then it'd be rude to refuse my princess' offer," he relented, turning towards the door. "Please, lead on, your majesty." He bowed his head respectfully, and she walked ahead, leaving him room to follow her. As he raised his head again, he did his utmost to avoid looking for too long at her shapely rear, her majestic and ethereal tail flowing behind her. Instead, he focused on her slender legs, adorned with muscle, but lithe and toned. It took him a few seconds longer to scold himself for that, and he tried to turn his attention back to the mare herself. It was hard work - the powerful ripples of her muscle working as she walked was mesmerising - but he eventually dragged his gaze away from her legs and barrel.

The hallways of Canterlot castle were wide enough for them to walk two abreast, and he swiftly caught up to her. She maintained a slow walk, allowing for the comparatively shorter stallion to make up the distance. Normally, he was the one who had to moderate his pace for the benefit of others, and it was a new experience to have to extend his legs further just to match her natural speed. He was grateful that she gave him the opportunity to walk normally, something that his stature normally prevented as a possibility.

Their journey from the ballroom to the dining hall was filled with a comfortable back and forth, the mare asking about his work and his opinion about the job he was to undertake, and the stallion replying candidly. He tried not to bore her with the details, but it became apparent that the regal mare held a competent level of knowledge both on architecture and stonecraft. She explained that over the course of her life - multiple millennia - she had had ample opportunity to study and learn, sometimes under the tutorship of talented and skilled ponies, and sometimes of her own volition. Not merely content to busy herself on the study of statecraft, diplomacy, and the matters of ruling, she had delved into what some saw as mundane - horticulture, agriculture, carpentry, mining, and even stoneworking.

"Something I've truly come to miss sitting on my throne is my attachment to the world and its societies," she revealed as the two of them stepped into the lavish dining room, their hoofsteps echoing off the marble floor. Banners and standards were hung from the ceiling, and brackets containing flowers gave the walls a pleasant frame. Light streamed in from the tall windows, illuminating the white stone and the dark, oak table running like a spine down the room's middle. "Cooped up here with all my responsibilities, I don't have the opportunity to travel the world and indulge in its basic enjoyments. I can't remember the last time I simply sat down to talk to somepony without the royal expectations and requirements placed upon me."

"Is that why you invited me to dine with you, your majesty?" Ace asked, cautiously approaching a seat and waiting for her to take hers before he sat down. "Meaning no offence."

"None taken." She settled down onto her chair with a practiced ease, deftly manipulating the wooden furniture almost subconsciously with her magic. "You are correct; it's something of a novelty for me to be able to enjoy something as normal as a meal with another pony. My sister is usually preoccupied and my staff are professionals who never allow themselves to be normal ponies whenever they're around me. The nobility conducts themselves with a practiced pomp, and my subjects respect me too much to act naturally. For once, I'd like to be able to share a meal with somepony just as a fellow pony."

"If that's what you want, I can do that," the stallion told her. "I'm a lot better at having lunch with someone than I am dining with royalty. I've never actually had the pleasure of dining with royalty, or the aristocracy, before." He rubbed the back of his head, self-conscious of where he was and who he was with. "I've not actually been the the Grand Galloping Gala before, so this is as close as I've ever come."

"Is that so?" Celestia asked, observing him with a gentleness that seemed to act like a balm to any nerves he had. "That hardly seems appropriate given the service for which you've been contracted. If you do provide the quality and speediness of work that you've promised, I think it's in good order to have a ticket arranged for next year's gala to be sent to you."

"That would be an honour, your majesty."

"Please," she interrupted, raising a hoof gently. "Dispense with the titles, at least for lunch. Just call me Celestia, and treat me as you would any other mare."

"It would be...kind of you, Celestia," Ace corrected himself, trying to realign his thinking on the fly. It was hard to see literal royalty as just another pony, but it was her wish, and he aimed to be polite and decent. "But above all, I'd be happy to have further and continuous employment. If you have any matters around the castle, or in Canterlot generally, I would like to be the first port of call. I just want to do my part for society and be able to support myself doing it."

"How humble of you," she noted, intrigue sparkling in her eyes. "Very well. If upon completing this assignment your work is the level of quality required of the castle, you shall be appointed as the Royal Contractor for Reconstruction. I shall see to it personally."

"As a princess or as normal mare?" Ace asked, smirking cheekily at her. The alicorn let out a laugh, the soft, feminine sound playing over his ears like a harp's sweet song.

"There are certain benefits to being ruler of a kingdom," she reminded him, the room in which they were currently sat not escaping her notice. Her horn glowed golden as she channeled her magic, an identical aura forming around the bell in the centre of the table. Shaking it softly, the ringing tones passed through the room, and she'd barely set it back down before servants hastened into the room, throwing tablecloth over the wood and swiftly placing down an assortment of plates and cutlery, along with serving dishes of all sorts of cold food. The entire process took half a minute, the ponies leaving as silently as swiftly as they'd entered. "And some such things are necessary. Take, for instance, securing an ordinary stallion's continued tenure."

"Touché," he conceded. "Though I suppose I won't be an ordinary stallion afterwards. At least, not if I have a title or anything." He grinned at the thought. "I imagine that'll get old real quick, huh?"

"Remarkably," Celestia informed him, levitating triangular sandwiches onto her personal plate. "If you want some friendly advice, I would recommend that you keep the title only for professional use. There are ponies who look only to someone's title to determine how they should be valued, and it's difficult to shake their false affection afterwards."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ace replied, frowning. "You're the best mare I could've heard that advice from, I suppose. This interaction is the result of that mindset, after all." She nodded at his observation, and the stallion selected some sandwiches from the assortment to pull onto his plate. "Do you mind if I write out those letters? I should-" He paused as he realised that he had no paper on him. "Well, never mind. I suppose that'll have to wait."

The white mare paused in her eating and rang the bell with her magic again, this time summoning in a single unicorn, who trotted over to her side. She whispered something to her servant, who nodded and left the room in a determined, purposeful stride. The interaction held Ace's attention until the third party had left the room, at which point he quirked an eyebrow at the alicorn and tilted his head.

"What was that about?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. Realising how hungry he'd grown, he swallowed as quickly as he could and took another large bite, demolishing the stack of sandwiches on his plate. The mare didn't answer, smiling mischievously at him as if to say you'll see. Left with little choice, the pegasus continued his crusade against his plate, tearing into the food as though it had gravely insulted him.

Ace had started on a fruit tart before the servant returned, floating along with her sheaves of paper, layers stacked atop one another, a number of envelopes, and an inkpot and quill. Setting them aside the pegasus, the servant bowed to the princess and left silently, not saying a word to the pegasus guest as she closed the door behind her. The stallion once again turned his gaze to the mare opposite him.

"Another example of you being an 'ordinary mare'?" he suggested playfully, a smirk tugging at his lips. Pushing his plate aside, he plucked the quill from the ink, drew the sheaves towards him, and realised that they were connected. He'd be able to write all of his letters in one sitting - the top layer would transfer the imprint of his writing to the paper below, and so forth.

"Ordinary mares aren't so generous as to help their friends?" Celestia asked, her own playfulness lacing her tone. That wasn't common from her, at least not in public, and the stallion took a second to roll the experience of it around in his mind. "Or do you question all mares who offer you help?"

"I'm just teasing," he assured her, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he looked up to her. "And don't worry - I only tease the mares I like." With a small smirk, he got to work, writing out the body of his letter. The scratching of his quill tip against parchment filled the momentary silence of the room, the sounds sharp and precise.

"Is that so?" the alicorn asked, sounding amused. "Am I to believe you're like this to every mare, or are you just making excuses for you behaviour?"

He looked up at her, concerned that he'd overstepped the line, but her smirk put his concerns to ease, and he grinned back. "Of course not. It's not every mare who invites me to lunch and gives me gifts. How could I say that I see every mare the same? Some are just more generous, lovely, radiant, kind, and wonderful than others." His words pulled a genuine smile from her, one that broke through her smirk.

"And teasing such mares is the appropriate response?"

"It's universally recognised as the sign of mutual appreciation. Besides, have you seen a cute mare pout? One of life's greatest and most simple pleasures, I swear to you." Pulling his clipboard from his utility belt, Ace checked over it, inserting some of the specific elements from his notes into the letter. "Actually, most of life's simple and purest pleasures come from something a mare does - pouting, smiling, cheering, beaming, blushing..."

"You seem to know a lot about mares, Aerial Ace."

"I wouldn't go that far," he countered, stowing the clipboard back away and signing his name at the bottom of the letter. Pulling the sheets away from one another, he saw that the words - and the ink - had pressed through to produce several identical copies. Now all he had to do was add the names and addresses. "I just enjoy the simple things in life, and one of the most common is interaction with other ponies. All I do is notice the patterns." His smirk strengthened. "And act upon them."

Celestia's silence persisted as he inserted the names of his contacts at the head of each letter and wrote a corresponding address on each of the envelopes. When he looked up, the white mare was looking at him pensively. "Is everything okay?" Her expression brightened at his question, and she nodded.

"I was just thinking," she informed him. "My old mind is wandering."

"You're not old." The stallion's statement made her laugh.

"I'm over two thousand years old, Ace. I'm afraid I no longer qualify as a spritely young filly."

"Well, no, not by age," the stallion agreed. "But you're active, you're healthy, and you're beautiful. Most mares can't say that by the time they reach seventy, not to mention one hundred. How many mares even live past a hundred years? And here you are, two thousand and something, and you don't look a day over thirty. Imagine how most of us would look if we had to run a kingdom, alone, for even ten years. We'd be emotional and physical wrecks. Don't be so hard on yourself."

The princess' countenance turned surprised, and then thoughtful. It seemed his words presented her with ideas she hadn't entertained before, or if she had, that she'd long abandoned. There was simple truth to what he was saying, and more importantly, it was someone else saying it to her, someone who wasn't family or a doting subject, but someone she'd expressly asked to treat her as an ordinary mare. As far as it seemed, he'd done just that.

"Are you saying that to a princess, or to a mare?" she inquired, curious to hear his response. The stallion replaced the quill in the inkpot before responding.

"To a friend, I hope," he answered, her cheeks gathering a rosy tint to them. "But a mare, predominantly. I mean, princess is just a title. It's the mare underneath that matters, right? Princess Platinum was just a unicorn, and she wasn't the wisest of all ponies. Who I'm addressing isn't really important, so much as how I'm addressing them."

The white mare across from him watched him for a little while, observing his expression. He didn't look deceitful, or insincere, or even cheekily sarcastic. Centuries of leadership had honed Celestia's judgement, particularly when it came to the judgement of somepony's character, and as far as she could see, he wasn't lying. He wasn't trying to fool or deceive her, or to win her favour. She'd spent enough time around the aristocrats and minor nobles to know what shallow flattery looked like, and even charismatic wooing. She couldn't see any of it in Ace, which meant that he had to mean what he was saying.

"A friend?" she said, finally, smiling at him. "You appear to befriend ponies rather quickly."

"I don't get invited to lunch by anyone who isn't my friend," he pointed out. "Especially not by royalty. Is this how all workers are treated in Canterlot? I might have to move here permanently if this is the treatment I can expect." They shared a small laugh at that.

"I'm sure we could come to an arrangement."

"Contingent on my performance?"

"Contingent on your continuing performance."

"Shrewd negotiator," the pegasus noted, smirking at her.

"Experienced ruler," she reminded him, her warm smile carrying a subtle mischief in it. "You aren't the first pony with whom I've had to discuss trade and arrange mutually satisfactory deals."

"Neither am I," the stallion replied. "But you are both the most polite and the most well-versed. Most ponies have a very set style, usually with some gruff grunting thrown in if I throw them a curveball."

"I can grunt if you'd feel more familiar and comfortable," Celestia offered, impishness seeping more freely into her tone and expression. Ace laughed at her suggestion.

"I didn't know you could grunt," he teased. She quirked an eyebrow at him, her face taking on a mask of eager competitiveness, and she scrunched her muzzle, producing a throaty huff at him. He burst out into laughter at her antics, and she soon followed, her mask breaking into something lighter and far more familiarly feminine. Even after their cheer lapsed into silence, the smiles didn't abandon them, and they continued to eat and talk. Celestia poured him tea, and he gratefully accepted, finding the whole ordeal pleasant. Tranquil, even. Relaxing.

It felt like only twenty minutes, but the pegasus glanced at his watch and noticed the time, his eyes widening. He looked up at Celestia, who was dabbing her muzzle with a napkin, and cleared his throat to get her attention.

"As much as I've enjoyed lunch, it is quarter past one in the afternoon," he informed her, seeing the flash of surprise in her eyes. It was gone as quickly as it had arrived, however, and she immediately resumed her regal posture.

"Of course," she agreed, grabbing the petite bell on the table and ringing it to signal to the servants the end of lunch. Without delay, they entered the room and cleaned the table, leaving Celestia and Ace to stand and allow them access. The duo made their way to the hallway as the staff continued cleaning, exiting the room together. "May I thank you again for your company, Ace."

"Think nothing of it," the pegasus replied. "I should be thanking you, your majesty."

"You don't need to resume with the titles just yet," the white mare informed him. "You may dispense with any formalities when we're not in public."

"Thank you, your- I mean, thank you, Celestia." He licked his lips and blinked, pleasantly surprised by the fast-growing closeness between them. He'd expected the end of lunch to signal a return to their professional engagements, but it seemed that she was happy to continue their more amicable dynamic. "Thank you for inviting me to lunch anyway. It was just as enjoyable for me as I hope it was for you. A break between your duties."

"While I would normally agree with you, I'm pleased to say that you were my only duty for today."

"Really?"

"Aside from the raising of the sun and the contracting for the repair of the ballroom, all royal business has been concluded. Normally I would've retired to the study to read, or otherwise occupied myself doing something alone, but after the delightful lunch, I was hoping I could continue to accompany you, assuming you aren't too busy."

"Not at all. My last job is actually to deliver the letters, and then I'm done for the day. I'll be free - and happy - to spend as much time with you as you want."

"Splendid. Shall we?"

Once more, Celestia led the pegasus through the halls of the castle, seeming to not even have to look to find her way. Ace was glad she was here, knowing that, without her, he'd be lost for sure. Aside from the occasional guard, the passages were largely empty, with everypony inside presumably hard at work in whichever room contained the materials for their task. As they walked, the princess asked about his life, his hobbies and family, peeling away the unknown from the pony with whom she'd found herself connecting on a more personal level.

By the time they emerged into the afternoon sun, the pegasus had provided for her a brief summary of his life and his current situation. He didn't think it'd be much of note - it was his life and he enjoyed what he did, but he wouldn't say he was exceptionally interesting - but the princess drank down the details like it were a freshly made batch of lemonade, every word a refreshing zest to her.

"She only mentioned knowing you personally and heartily vouched for your skills. I didn't realise she was that significant in your life."

"She didn't mention you. Well, I haven't spoken to her in some time, admittedly, but, well, it's funny how life works out, isn't it?" He glanced back to his cutie mark; a mallet emblazoned on his grey coat. "If I hadn't helped out on her farm, I would never have built that barn, and if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have earned this, or learned my place in life." He looked to the alicorn. "Almost sounds like fate, doesn't it?"

"Almost," she agreed. "There's a place for every creature in our world, and I believe that all are drawn to their calling in life. I can't say that you were fated to meet her or that if you had never met her you would never have found your place in the world. You deserve the credit for the work that earned you your Mark."

"I suppose so," he conceded. "We all earn our Mark, I suppose, one way or another. Maybe somepony needs to conduct a study into Cutie Marks and how they work. It sounds like there's a lot to learn about them."

"There have been attempts," Celestia informed him. "We have a good understanding on the subject so far. But perhaps there are ponies who will manage to shed new light on the nature of Cutie Marks."

"You think so?"

"There's always more to learn, and all the different ponies out there have something to contribute. I have faith that there will be somepony who will expand our understanding of Cutie Marks."

The pegasus pondered the idea momentarily, briefly considering it before realising the true scope of the subject. He decided to let the matter go, having neither the capacity to comprehend it nor the will to try. He was content to simply defer to the princess' judgment as they arrived at the post office. The delivery of the letters was a swift business, the mare behind the counter accepting the envelopes and accepting payment without question. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the large alicorn behind him, but didn't bring that up. Why question a good thing? When he gave his thanks, the mare bowed and gave a parting farewell of 'your majesty' as the regal alicorn and the pegasus left the building.

"And now I'm officially done for the day," he announced as he stepped into the sun, stretching his wings out. "I'm free to engage in whatever wild partying you have planned." He caught sight of a couple of ponies turning into the street. "Your majesty."

Taking notice of the ponies walking towards her, Celestia began her walk towards the castle, Ace following alongside her. "I'm not sure if you'll be overly interested in the parties I usually host," she told him. "Perhaps a walk in the castle gardens would be a safer bet."

"I'm willing to give it a go."

"I'm not used to hosting ponies in a personal capacity."

"Just treat me as you would any other stallion," Ace suggested cheekily, smirking as he repeated her earlier words back to her. "Or any other pony you usually host or entertain."

"Are you asking for me to treat you as a dignitary?" the princess asked, a smile making its way across her lips. The stallion shrugged noncommittally, his smirk fixed on his muzzle. "It would require a formal ceremony and much waiting."

"On second thoughts, a tour of the gardens sounds lovely this time of year."

"It rather does, doesn't it?"

As it turned out, he was right. The gardens were open and had a pleasant warmth to them that might've been entirely natural, the result of hard work from the attentive gardeners, or magic. In Canterlot, it could've been any of the three, or a combination. Whatever the case, Ace couldn't fault the environment; the precision with which the layout had been construed and its enactment was unimpeachable, as if it had been machined, and yet the stone, the gravel, the hedges, the grass and the flowers, all of it blended together wonderfully. Not a single aspect of it was out of place. It was clear that whoever was in charge and all the workers under them were the best.

"Did you have a hoof in this?" the stallion asked, his eyes flicking from feature to feature, enthralled by the design.

"At one point," she revealed. "Years and years ago, when the area originally designed. Every now and then, proposals are brought to my attention, wherever my approval is required. Sometimes I make amendments and ask that something be added if it suits my fancy. For the most part, though, I entrust its care and upkeep to the ponies who know best what works."

"Which parts are your doing?"

"The conifers were the first." She looked towards the tallest organic parts of the garden, standing tall and imposing like green sentinels at the garden's edges and corners. "The fact that they never lost their coat through the year, no matter how bitterly cold it became, nor how deep the snow settled, inspired me. I believed that the ponies of the realm could be inspired by the resilience the of the trees and take heart from the display of fortitude that could be found within nature. It's something I look to every time I venture out here.

"The next item I required to be added to the garden was the Returns Daylilies. I had learned of them and knew immediately that they would be a perfect addition to the gardens, and I forwarded the mention of them to the gardening team as soon as the opportunity arose. It would be truly remiss of me to not include in the garden flowers which bloomed daily, rising with the sun like the ponies over whom I watch."

"Rising with the sun daily? Sounds like a certain alicorn princess, huh?"

"I would be lying if I said I didn't see something of myself in them, and knowing that every day my rising of the sun sustains them serves as much as motivation and reassurance as I hope it serves as a source of beauty to the ponies who come here."

"You really put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"

"When you've spent as much time on the throne as I have, you find your mind wandering to a lot of subjects." She smiled at him as she spoke, though he suspected it was as much a smile for herself. "Most of the business becomes routine, and with that comes both the desire to engage in something else and the mental capacity to do it. Beautifying the garden was a silent pleasure of mine for years, though I could only occasionally indulge in making any actual changes. The realm required my constant attention, and aesthetic matters always had to come second to finance, budgets, royal decrees, ceremonial appearances and performances, and answering petitions to the court."

The pegasus felt a shudder run through him at the thought of the constant workload. "It sounds...hectic." He frowned. "And generally unpleasant." The white mare let out a little chuckle.

"On the contrary," she assured him. "It's endearing and fulfilling to know that I'm helping all the ponies across the land, near and far. I can't think of any better way to live my life. A wise pony once said that In nothing do ponies approach godhood than in giving health to other ponies, and I am inclined to agree. If I am blessed with the abilities that I am, I cannot turn away from the responsibility of using them to help others. I consider it a gift rather than a curse."

"I've heard enough ponies ramble to know when a 'but' is coming."

Celestia's mouth twitched into a gracious smile, though she didn't answer for a few seconds. "As fulfilling as my duties are, they are repetitive, and all-encompassing. There isn't much time for me to escape from them. I don't begrudge my responsibilities, but even alicorns will be worn down by the work demanded from a ruler. You saw today, in the post office, the reaction of the cashier. She bowed. To her, as I am to all ponies, I am the Princess of the Sun, Ruler of Equestria and Protector of the Realm, Defender of Ponykind."

"Are they all really your official titles?" Ace interrupted, unable to help himself. The mare's expression transitioned to a smirk.

"There is a reason I am usually referred to as 'Princess Celestia', rather than the full list. It would be quite a mouthful. I am sure most don't even realise the full list of accolades, but it doesn't matter. To all ponies at all times, I am one of two things; either a venerated goddess or an embodiment of my office. Both perceptions look to my powers and duties. To no one am I Celestia, a pony mare who enjoys far too much cake, a cup of tea at three o'clock, and free fall flying."

"It's not exactly the image you present." In truth, Ace struggled to imagine the regal, refined mare as boisterous and unruly, but he supposed that was exactly her point.

"It's one I cannot present," she told him. "I must always be the figure Equestria needs me to be, whether I am sitting on my throne, visiting my subjects, or walking the halls of the castle; whether I am giving audience or attending to matters privately, whether I am actively serving the kingdom or resting. There must always be the calm, confident, attentive ruler, ready to leap into action at any moment. You saw for yourself today at the post office the reaction I receive. It must seem trivial, or even envious to you, but it becomes trite after millennia. You realise that you are not a pony within society any more. You are not treated as one, or even recognised as one. You aren't just a pony occupying a role. The role has consumed you entirely."

"This is rather deep, prin- I mean, Celestia," Ace spoke up, correcting himself mid-sentence. "I'm just a contractor, so don't quote me, but I think you might need to speak to somepony. Perhaps a specialist can help you?" She remained silent, her mouth tugging into a subtle frown. It took a few seconds for him to realise why. "You've tried?" he guessed. "You ran into the same problems?"

"The image of a saintly princess is hard to shake," she lamented in a quiet chuckle. "Even among professionals and impeccably competent staff. As for talking to my subjects about my feelings, I'm afraid that I can't do that, either. As I've said; they need their princess, ever reliable and ever ready to provide for them."

"Do you have any trusted friends? Your sister, perhaps?"

"Luna is..." There was a brief pause, and several important decisions visibly played across her countenance. "Luna is oftentimes busy. She and I have different schedules, and we are both too preoccupied to deal with such matters. Perhaps when she has better adjusted, I can speak to her more candidly. As for close friends, I am afraid that my closest student is rather starstruck with me, even after all these years. In addition, she approaches social problems with a large degree of difficulty, and I don't wish to put her through the trouble of listening to me."

"I see," Ace mused. "That does sound like a heavy burden to carry alone. I'm sorry that you don't have anypony to turn to." He winced at his wording. "Except me, it seems. Which, obviously, isn't to say that I'm assuming you've come to me for that reason, it's just that you did tell me all about this, and I'm a stranger you've met today, and..." He trailed off, groaning and blushing red. "Yeah, forget I said anything."

"I find it endearing," the alicorn admitted, chuckling at his awkwardness. "You're very pleasant company, Aerial Ace. I owe Applejack a great thanks for introducing me to you."

"Likewise," he responded. "On all counts." They continued to walk in silence for a minute or two, the crunching of their hooves on gravel a soft accompaniment to their stroll. "If I may ask a question? What's brought this on now? From the sounds if it, this has been weighing on you for a while."

The query gave the tall mare pause, and she looked up to collect her thoughts. "That is a pertinent question, but not necessarily an easy one to answer." She came to a halt at the entrance to the hedge maze, and subtly glanced around. Determining that they were alone, she continued. "Even before I ascended to the throne, Luna and I functioned as two halves of one whole. We were mentored together under a wise unicorn, we learned and grew, and we were coronated side by side. We ruled the land, we fought Equestria's enemies, and we watched over our subjects, both of us sharing the responsibilities of the realm. All the troubles we faced, we faced together. And then one day, that changed."

"You had to take her power away from her, didn't you?"

"It was a lot more complicated than that," Celestia insisted, her tone still gentle. "Some still think that my sister tried her hoof at power, but that is overly simplified, a foal's tale for parents to read to their children at night. Her envy and resentment were components, but the blackness in her heart was not natural. It was an ancient enemy of life that twisted and corrupted her, and it fed off her desire. Once it had hold of her, she could not fight it, and I was forced to banish it - and her - to maintain life, peace, and prosperity in Equestria. I wasn't strong enough without her to wield the magic necessary to vanquish the darkness inside her.

"My burden didn't begin when Luna was banished. I had long since before had to bear the burden of losing her, day by day. I had long had to take on her duties where she neglected them. I had lost my sister well before she was seduced by the evil that made her Nightmare Moon. That didn't make the actions I took any easier, or the absence of her any more comforting. The official transfer of power to me was a harsh reminder of what I'd done, and I couldn't share any of that with the ponies around me, who needed me to be both the Lunar and Solar Princess. For a thousand years, peace reigned, and the wheel of life and administration turned onward. For a thousand years, I fell into a stasis of governing and acting the part that I needed to be. For a thousand years, I embraced the role of Equestria's sole monarch, and it became my life.

"The stars aligned several months ago, and she returned. I had planned - and I had planned meticulously - for this eventuality. My student, skilled, talented, brave, knowledgeable, and worthy, was equipped with all she would need to defeat Nightmare Moon once and for all. I made sure that she was able to harness the magic I was unable to, and I made sure that my sister would be saved. After a millennia, the peace of Equestria was shaken, and the stasis of life was rattled as progress forced its way into our society. My sister was saved, and the duties I had taken from her were gradually reintroduced. Life became less of a necessary burden, and more of a worthwhile endeavour. I was no longer existing for the benefit of my subjects, but for my beloved sister, and perhaps for myself as well.

"The months passed, and I found that individual meaning, once something for other ponies to possess and enjoy, crept its way into my life. My student wrote to me, informing me of the lessons she was learning, the state of affairs of Ponyville, and the adventures upon which she embarked. It filled me with pride and hope, and I began to realise more of the extent of life beyond tending to gardens and reading books. All of it came to a head when we held the Grand Galloping Gala, when she and her five friends attended. The event that had been a formality for me, one which I had hosted a thousand times without my sister, one which I forced myself to present with decorum and restraint, fell into chaos."

"That sounds like the straw that would break the camel's back," Ace posited, wincing. "After all that, you had your student, one of the ponies you cared for most in all of Equestria, ruin something that you'd managed to keep running for a thousand years by yourself? Something you didn't want to do?" He whistled. "You must be furious at her."

The laugh shocked the pegasus, and he blinked several times. The mare raised a hoof to her mouth to stifle the outburst, and slowly reined in her vocals. Clearing her throat, she fixed him with a wide, beaming grin.

"I was thrilled!"

"Ugh...what?"

"A millennium of pomp and ostentatious flattery, of formality and rigidness, of expectations and insincere platitudes; the introduction of a group of five earnest friends washed all of that away. It was exhilarating! It was an explosion of excitement and carnage in a world that had grown stale and atrophied from years of stagnation and poorly-coated neglect. For the first time in centuries, I left the event feeling joyous and energetic, not fatigued and worn down. I felt alive.

"Lifetimes of duty and service restrained by necessity and loss had taught me to constrain my emotions, to shut myself off from my own self-satisfaction and enjoyment, but last night revealed to me how wrong I had been. I can't let my duties to my subjects restrict me from letting my mane down, so to speak. I have to indulge myself every now and then, and if that means sharing lunch with a friendly and charming contractor, then so be it. If it means enjoying my spare time with others and engaging in regular conversation, or chatting about the mundane and the silly, then I most certainly shall." She breathed in deeply, exhaling softly, and when she spoke again, her voice carried its usual regal elegance.

"I know how I am perceived by ponies, and I owed you an explanation as to why I was so eager to pass the day with you. Quite simply, you interest me, and I will not put aside my curiosity without good reason. If my duties forbid it, then I shall set aside my own needs for that of my subjects and my realm, but they do not. I am here to enjoy my day, and you are, as I have already said, pleasant company. There is nothing more complicated to it than that, other than that I am perhaps long overdue for a day of..." She tapped her chin in thought, seeking out the words. "...'hanging out' with a friend."

Aerial Ace wasn't overly dramatic. He liked to think he had a decent poker face, and he'd had his fair share of conflicts to grow accommodated to outbursts and other exciting events. This, however, had veritably stunned him. Her reasoning was, as far as he could tell, solid. She was a mare who had for far too long been consumed by duty and had fallen far from self-indulgence, perhaps even going as far as neglecting her own needs. Would he be able to work twelve hour days, every day of the week, every week of the month? Would he be able to accept becoming a public service, as opposed to an individual pony? Would he be able to operate like that for his entire life? Somehow, he doubted it.

"I apologise if I've overburdened you," the mare chuckled. "It has been many, many years since I have been able to candidly express myself to another pony."

"I did gather," the pegasus noted. "Thanks for trusting me with your inner thoughts? I'm guessing it wasn't easy to do."

"Initially, it wasn't," she answered. "But I found that telling you was far easier than I had feared it would be. I don't believe that I've come across anypony with whom I felt I could share that information. Even when it became tempting, I reeled myself in. Perhaps it was the events of last night which convinced me to change my approach. Perhaps it's how trustworthy you seem."

"Perhaps it's a bit of both?" he ventured, receiving a nod from the princess.

"I would hazard that it was a bit of both."

Ace rubbed his foreleg with a hoof, feeling compelled to do something more for the alicorn. She'd placed all her trust in him, after all, and the least he could do was help her feel normal. The question was, what would be appealing to an emotionally reclusive alicorn princess? Glancing around, he visually picked through the garden's many features for something less rigid than her regular routine. They seemed to be alone, and there wasn't a great deal of things they could do in the garden, other than wander the maze or have a picnic.

He blinked, then grinned. "Have you visited the maze often?" he asked, turning to face the mare. The idea might actually be novel enough for her to work.

"Over my reign, many times," she answered, looking over his head to the dirt path beset either side by tall hedgerows. "Not in recent years, however. Why do you-" She was cut off as she felt a something boop against her barrel, and, looking down, saw that the pegasus had a hoof held against her chest. He was grinning widely at her, childish glee plastered over his face.

"Tag," he announced, stepping back. "Close your eyes, count to thirty, come into the maze to find me. No magic and no flying." And then he was cantering down the path, heading into the labyrinth. Before she had a chance to process what had happened, he looked back over his shoulder, waved, and then disappeared around a corner. The princess felt a laugh bubble up from her throat, and she closed her eyes as he'd instructed, counting out loud.

He was doing it for her, the pegasus assured himself, even as the excitement took over his body. He twisted and turned through the paths of the maze, willingly trying to get lost. Sure, he may have been eager, but that was just because he was eager to help out the princess, not because he was re-engaging in a joy he hadn't participated in since his childhood. He snorted as he flattened himself behind a bust, breathing in to better hide his profile. Who was he kidding? He was loving this, and not just because it was a favour for somepony else.

The rapid thump of approaching hoofsteps reached his ears, and he held his breath, the beat of his heart growing stronger. Nervous, excited energy coursed through him, and he had to fight hard to hold back the giggle that was pushing its way to escape from his mouth. Steeling himself, Ace forced back the rising outburst, itching with the desire to move or run. He resisted, stubbornly refusing to listen to the electric tingle that prickled through his limbs, the anxious vigour gnawing at him futilely. The drum of hooves became deafening, until he heard the mare burst from the path and scamper away, heading deeper into the winding maze. Ace felt himself shaking, his body caught between locking in place and instinctively bolting.

He waited until the hoofsteps faded away to peak out from behind the pedestal, looking down the lane to check that the coast was clear. There was nopony there, and he allowed himself a chuckle at his masterful deceit. He swore he'd heard her giggling as she'd ran by him, the unmistakable sounds of somepony having fun. He wondered if she was reliving the times she'd done this before, in her childhood, or whether this was an entirely new experience for her. He'd ask her afterwards. For now, he had to keep ahead of the alicorn, and that meant staying on the move.

Creeping back the way he came, the pegasus trotted back down the path he and Celestia had taken, retracing his steps to lead him somewhere else. He didn't really have a long-term plan, but that wasn't the point. In fact, if he had a long-term plan, that'd ruin the entire game. The point was to live moment to moment, enjoying the thrill of the chase, the uncertainty and the skill involved in the hunt, the tingling, encroaching fear of being caught, or the rushing, bristling excitement of hunting and catching. He felt a shiver run through him. Why was it so exhilarating? Was it because it was something he'd abstained from for so long? Or was it because he was playing a foal's game with the ruler of the realm?

So caught up in his thoughts was the stallion that he didn't realise he'd taken a wrong turn until he turned a corner and came face-to-face with an impassable hedge wall. Stopping dead in his tracks, he glanced back, wondering where he'd gone wrong. Was it meant to be a third left, or a third right? Had he remembered to reverse the turns when backtracking? He chewed on his lip, trying to unravel the mystery of the maze in his mind. Humming to himself, he started to walk back the way he had come.

The steady clop of hooves soon stopped him.

It had to be her, he realised, swallowing and reversing his walk, retreating back towards the dead end. He'd barely turned the corner before the wavering, silky, cerulean mane that was indicative of the princess fluttered its way into the avenue, heralding her arrival. He cursed to himself, scrunching back. He was trapped. There was no way he could hide from her here, not with nothing to hide behind, and there was nowhere else to go. If she came down to the very end, she'd spot him. He briefly considered flying, but quickly decided against it. A trapped animal he may be, but a cheater he was not. He had his dignity.

In truth, his dignity wasn't doing too much for him. The telltale sounds of her hooves thudding against the dirt marked her approach, and he realised how specific to her they were. There was an elegance even to the way she walked, the gentle rise and fall of her movements underlain with a thud that humbly boasted of her strength and size. It was unmistakably her, and he was unmistakably screwed.

He began to sweat as the sound stopped, the mare remaining still just around the corner. She wasn't moving. She wasn't peeking round to check if there was anypony there. She wasn't doing anything at all, and that was, without a doubt, the worst part about it. The anticipation of the inevitable. He was powerless to stop her. There was no way he could prevent her from seeing him or escape from her. All he could do was wait, having accepted his fate. He swallowed again, the wet contractions and the rise and fall of his throat muscles sounding as loud as the reckless crumpling of a crisp packet to him. He licked his lips, and he may as well have pulled apart velcro for the noise he made.

Her hoofsteps started up again, and his heart rate increased again, the heavy thump almost rivaling that of the mare's hoofsteps. The moment seemed to last forever, each second stretching out into five, and still her head didn't appear around the neatly trimmed wall. He didn't know why he could still hear her walking if she wasn't appearing in his vision. Unless, of course she...was she? He listened more closely, noticing that they were growing softer and more distant. Almost like they were receding.

Cautiously, Ace edged towards the corner, wondering if it was some ploy to lure him out. He wasn't sure how, but she was a princess, after all, and he decided to not put her ability to fool him past her. Creeping closer to the rim of the hedge, he leaned his head out inch by inch, sliding just far enough until his vision passed the block that was the greenery. A clear path lay ahead, absent of ponies, and he waited to see if she might return. She didn't, to both his surprise and delight. Letting out a sigh, he stood up fully and stepped out from the dead-end, beginning his walk towards - hopefully - the exit. Or whatever hiding place he could find next. Whichever came first.

Even now that she was gone, the stallion moved carefully, conscious of how loud his movement could be. He tried to soften every step he took, still tense and ready to break into a run at a moment's notice. Even if he didn't have a reason to believe she was nearby, his body refused to relax, remaining in its alert, jumpy state. He peeked out into the branching path again, looking towards the centre of the maze, where Celestia had likely gone. She wasn't there, and so he turned the other way to-

"Tag."

A hoof booped his nose, and Ace blinked, too surprised to even be startled. He had no idea how the princess had managed to position herself to be out of his immediate sight when he'd looked, or how long she'd been there, silent and still, just waiting for him to expose himself. He'd just turned his head and suddenly there was a large white alicorn a couple of feet away, her foreleg extending to tap his muzzle. She was grinning, too, though that was unsurprising, and he found himself without any idea of how to react. Something crossed his mind, and he acted on instinct.

"Tag," he replied, tapping her foreleg with his own hoof. The alicorn tilted her head at him.

"Are you allowed to do that?" she asked, skepticism creeping into her voice. The stallion felt a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I never said we couldn't," he answered back, feeling a chuckle forming deep in his throat. The mare's eyes narrowed, and she smirked at him in kind.

"Tag," she announced, nudging his shoulder.

"Tag," he retaliated, brushing against her elbow.

"Tag."

"Tag."

"Tag!"

"Tag!"

"Tag!"

They fell into a cycle, their efforts growing more rowdy and boisterous. Ace ducked back, but Celestia leaned in and touched him with her superior reach. The pegasus leaped forwards and managed to catch her hoof, but she swiftly changed direction and managed to make contact with his chest. With every successful connection, their behaviour became less restrained and far more active, chuckles, giggles, and laughs breaking from their lips as they danced around one another, each one attempting to outmaneuver the other. The game had changed, and the slow, encroaching excitement that Ace had felt when he was hiding had been replaced by a loud, excited, uncontrolled passion. He buzzed with energy, and it was clear that the alicorn felt the same, perhaps for the first time in decades, if not centuries.

Jumping back, Celestia managed to avoid the pegasus' hoof, and followed up her success by turning and galloping away from him. The sweeps that Ace made failed to connect, and, cursing, he chased after his long-legged quarry. She had the means to get away from him, he knew, but he had the advantage of the maze. In an open field, there was no doubt that she could outpace him several times over, and he would be powerless to close the gap. In the tight confines of the hedge-enclosed labyrinth, however, her intrinsic advantage had been nullified.

He sped after her, barely slowing down to take the corners. He made sure to stay in sight of the white mare, though her laughter could've guided him to her even if she'd managed to twist and turn away from his view. Between the rows and rows of green walls, her size was a disadvantage, and he capitalised on that, keeping himself streamlined on the long stretches and maintaining his speed in sharp turns.

On one such turn, the princess barreled straight into a hedge, the dead-end coming suddenly. She pushed a little way into it before her body came to a startling halt, and she stumbled backwards. Up until that point, Ace had been gaining on her, and he'd nearly been close enough to bat at her tail. When she thumped heavily into the hedge, he had no way to reduce him momentum, and with a grunt and an oof he collided with the alicorn. The two of them tripped, landing in a heap on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Celestia asked, her mirthful tone swept away. In its place, concern reigned supreme. Ace groaned, arching his back, and her frown deepened.

"I think I landed on something," he complained. "I think...I think I broke my Hu Zit!"

"Hu Zit?" Celestia repeated, caught off guard. Upon asking, she immediately regretted it - she felt the coarse firmness of a hoof against her barrel, and Ace grinned.

"You," he spoke up, his voice more flamboyant and chirpy now. "You're it."

Relief washed over Celestia's face, and she giggled at his mischievous wit. "No, you are," she responded, tapping his chest.

"No, you."

"No, you."

Ace wrapped his forelegs around her body, and grinned at her. "And now my hooves are always touching you, so you're always it." He stuck his tongue out and wiggled his face back and forth childishly. "What you gonna do now, huh?" A couple of seconds later, his cocksure expression dropped and he began wiggling violently.

It was Celestia turn to hold him in her forelimbs as he struggled against her, the golden glow of her magic trailing up and down his belly, more packets seeking out any other spot where he might be ticklish. The pegasus' wings flared and flapped, and he howled and writhed.

"Stopstopstop!" he pleaded, unable to escape her grasp.

"That doesn't sound like 'I forfeit the game, you win' to me," Celestia sing-songed, persisting in her quest to discover his most ticklish areas.

"Y-you win!" he managed to breathe out. "You win! Just stop!"

"Do you forfeit?"

"Yes!"

"Say it."

"I forfeit! You win!"

The princess ceased her magic instantly, the aura fading from her horn and dissipating from his body. Ace fell limp in her embrace, panting and letting out small puffs and bursts of laughter, errant giggles left over from the stimulation. His breath brushed hotly against her coat, ruffling the fur and reaching the skin beneath, and when he let his muzzle rest against her, that only intensified. It was oddly intimate, a soft, tender connection between them, and the mare allowed it. She ducked her head and let him nestle against her, holding onto him as he recovered. It took a while, and she was okay with that. Judging from the way his limbs ensconced her, winding around her barrel, so was he.

A gentle calm fell over them, simultaneously fragile and delicate, and deep and all-encompassing. It was the sort that came with sleepiness and ease, and made the moment comfortable, no matter what. It was a warm and loving presence, like a thick duvet on a cold night, and both of them were too drawn in by the temptation to do anything but indulge themselves. Minutes passed by, and time stopped even being relevant.

"Let's call it a draw," Ace murmured, pulling his head back from the princess. The mare let the whisper of a smile part her lips, and she nodded.

"I agree to your terms," she replied, slowly removing her limbs from around him. He did the same, and the two of them stood up, dusting themselves down. "Perhaps we ought to retire to the castle for now. I can arrange for tea to be brought to my chambers."

"I'm more of a hot cocoa guy myself."

"I can arrange for anything to be brought to my chambers, Ace. Hot cocoa for two it shall be."

Brushing their coats with hooves and sweeping down what they could with tails and wings, the pair walked side by side back down the path they'd run. Celestia briefly took to the sky to check where they were in relation to the exit before returning to the ground, and led them towards their goal. It had taken her no more than five seconds to determine the route, a feat that made Ace realise just how much she probably had to rely on her memory. He hoped he was half as cognizant at her age.

"It's fitting that you're a cuddler," he commented, casually dropping a hook for their next line of conversation. "It works with your whole motherly persona. You know, Princess of the Sun, warm and endearing, watching over us all and generally being a pleasant pony. Cuddling goes well with that."

"You seem to be quite the cuddler yourself," Celestia responded. "The 'motherly' element does seem to elude you, however."

"I won't argue with that assessment," the pegasus concurred. "It's nice to know you are a cuddler, though. It isn't one of the more widely reported things about you."

"It's not one of my more widely indulged activities," she commented as they exited the maze. "A princess has to act professionally, and has to know how to behave in all manner of circumstances. There are few situations which present themselves where prolonged cuddling is a viable or acceptable option."

"That makes it sound like you're a bit cuddle-starved."

The alicorn pursed her lips and glanced at him. "It may have been a number of years since I last participated."

"That doesn't sound very healthy."

"It was never about my health. My subjects always had to come first, even at the cost of my own social or private life." She smiled warmly down at the stallion. "Perhaps now I can take some time to care for myself."

"That sounds like a healthy idea. Cocoa and cuddles." They chuckled together, and the stallion briefly brushed her cannon with his tail. She inhaled suddenly, indicating that she hadn't been expecting it, and he winced, wondering if he'd made a wrong move.

The walk to the princess' chambers was dominated by silence, their hooves echoing through the mostly silent hallways and passages. They exchanged a few words, but kept the chatter friendly and as professional as they could, unwilling to risk their interactions becoming apparent to anypony else. It was only when they reached the mare's chambers and the alicorn gave her guards orders to not be disturbed that the two were able to talk more freely. Ace watched the armoured ponies march away down the hall before he stepped into the princess' room, the mare closing the door behind him.

Ace wasn't sure what he'd expected from the bedchamber of royalty, but he probably would've said plush carpets and thick curtains. Instead, the floor and walls were polished and smooth, without a hint of jaggedness on their surfaces. It was neat and showy, but also plain and simple. There was an elegance to its austerity, he supposed, but he never would've guessed it was where Celestia slept. The bed was about the right size, however, and it look every bit as comfortable as he'd have wanted if he had any royal sway. A thick, cushiony duvet and what looked like silk sheets? Who would say no to that?

To his surprise, the oak table at one side of the room already supported a tray with two steaming cups of hot cocoa. Seeing his surprise, the princess chuckled softly and beckoned him over, sitting down delicately. Accepting that Celestia simply had the authority to ask for something and expect it to be done as and when, he took his place opposite her, sniffing at the cocoa. Hot, rich, and dark. Better than he wanted. As much as Celestia had let him know about the downsides of being a princess, it seemed like there were at least a few trivial perks to being in her position.

"I know that what you say goes around here," Ace spoke up, blowing on his cocoa to cool it. "But won't the guards and the kitchen staff get suspicious that you've brought a stallion into your chambers? And I know they're probably vetted for trustworthiness and loyalty and chosen for being the best, but will that stop them thinking too hard?"

"If they suspect anything, they'll take that secret with them to their graves," Celestia informed him, sipping daintily from her cup. She made barely a sound, having mastered the etiquette years ago. "I trust them as much for their discretion and discipline as I do their dedication to keeping me safe, if not more."

"I know," the pegasus answered, painfully aware of how loud his sips sounded in comparison to hers. "But this must be the first time in a long while that you've brought a stallion into your bedroom alone and ordered hot cocoa for two." He coughed as he realised how blunt he'd been. "No offence."

"None taken," she responded easily, though she didn't smile. "You do have a point there. It has been a while." Now she smiled, locking eyes with the stallion. "I do trust that you'll keep that information to yourself?"

"Of course."

She nodded her appreciation. "I'd rather not have the realm know too much information about my private life. As much as I love my ponies, I'm not sure how they might react if they knew I hadn't been familiar with a stallion in over three hundred years."

Ace coughed, choking on his drink. "S-sorry," he apologised, wiping his muzzle with a hoof. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to say three hundred. As in, a hundred years, three times over. As in, three hundred individual years." He shook his head. "Sorry."

"You have no need to be sorry. Your discretion is enough." She sipped her cocoa again. "It's new to be able to be so open about it. Most ponies wouldn't be able to comprehend such a length of time to abstain from something they're undoubtedly used to."

"I'm finding it hard to wrap my head around myself," he admitted. "How do you cope with it?"

"Focus," she told him. "I have more important things to consider, such as the wellbeing of my subjects. Or rather, I - up until rather very recently - didn't stop to consider my own needs or desires. As for how I might address that issue now..." She took a moment to drink, gently tipping the cup higher and higher. After several long seconds, she levitated the cup back down to the saucer. "I don't have a clear idea on that matter, I'm afraid. I might need some advice."

"Advice?" The pegasus blinked, and cleared his throat. "Well, you...you want to be..." He circled a hoof in front of him. "Um...you wish to...be with...a stallion, right? You could-"

"I cannot simply proposition a subject of mine."

"Yeah...that's true." He furrowed his brow in thought. "Are there any specialist-?"

"There was once the suggestion of an institution for such an occurrence, but the funding required for it was deemed too wasteful. Finding the right ponies for the job was not cheap, and they often possessed the same doting from which I wished to escape. I have had perhaps three partners in the thousand years I ruled alone, and they were all dedicated, but secret. I haven't found anypony for whom I have felt that special way since Summer Blaze."

"I'm sorry." He sighed and rubbed his face. "If I'm going to be honest with you, the best thing you can do is find somepony you trust, somepony you have a connection with, and come to an arrangement. If not, then there's not much else to do. Maybe a solution will present itself, but I can't be of much more help than that." He shrugged sympathetically. "I wish I could help more."

The alicorn nodded in appreciative understanding, and a couple of minutes passed as they sipped their cocoa. Celestia finished hers, swirling the last of the liquid around the bottom of her cup to collect the dregs, and then drank them down. Placing her cup to the saucer one last time, she looked over Ace, her eyes capturing his shape and aura as he finished his own drink. Pursing her lips slightly, she waited until he was finished.

"Forgive me for probing further," she spoke up, drawing his attention. "But you did say you wished you could be of more help. Your advice regarding a trusted stallion - you said it should be somepony I trust, and somepony with whom I had a good connection. If I find such a stallion - somepony for whom I have both a rich fondness and the faith that they will not only care about me and my pleasure, but will also remain discrete and subtle about our affair - how would you recommend I approach him?"

"Well, breaking out the easy questions, I see," Ace laughed, his kind, masculine voice flowing like a sweet, dark chocolate into the room. "I'm not quite in your position, so take what I say with a pinch of salt, but I'd say that the guy would probably like to be approached directly. He'd like to be told that you want him, that you'd be interested in starting something special, and that you'd expect him to be secretive about it whether he accepts or rejects you. At least, that's what I'd want if I were the stallion." He smiled at the princess brightly. "Does that help?"

"It does," the alicorn confirmed. "Aerial Ace?"

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the use of his full name.

"I've known you by reputation for a short time, and as a pony for even shorter. There has not been a second of today that I regret, and I cannot think of the last time I felt so free or so filled with joy, or the last time I felt relaxed in the presence of somepony so willing to see me as a pony, and as a friend, rather than a superior. You are something truly special, and you deserve to know that."

"Oh, well, thank you. I-"

"It's because I've only known you for such a short time that you're special to me," she interrupted, a half-smirk cracking across her muzzle. She didn't sound rude or domineering, just assertive, and he stopped to let her continue. "You've managed to rouse my spirit and awaken my imagination all within a day, and that is something truly wonderful. If I let you continue, you may well capture my heart, too. To stay ahead of the curve, I feel like I should take a leap of faith and offer you more. I want to start something special with you, and I hope you do too. Would you like to be something more than a friend to me? A lover, perhaps?"

The stallion's heart was struggling to decide if it wanted to punch its way out of his chest or to halt entirely, and for several long seconds his pulse raced erratically between alarmingly slow and terrifyingly fast in a display that would've panicked any cardiologist that'd have taken that moment to observe him. It wasn't that he didn't know how to react - there was only one response to such a proposal - but that he hadn't expected to receive such an opportunity in the first place, and part of him was wondering how he'd found himself in a position where a princess was offering him companionship.

"Yes, a hundred times over," he spoke up at last, still processing the situation but well aware that he needed to respond. "I'm saying yes, of course. It's a yes, but...you're asking me to be your...partner? Your-"

"Paramour," Celestia helped. "I'm asking you if you would like to be my lover. Of course, it would have to be secret, but you've shown that you understand that, so I'm confident that you won't find that to be a problem."

"Not at all," he replied. "I'm honestly flattered. I expected cocoa and maybe some cuddles when I came up here. This is something else. I'd still be interested in those cuddles, though."

"Just cuddles?" the mare asked, the barest hint of a mischief crossing her face. The pegasus laughed, blushing like a virgin colt and rubbing his head nervously.

"Well...more would be nice, of course, but I'm not going to rush what we have. That'd be pushing it, wouldn't it?"

"I didn't ask for you to be my covert lover to simply hold my hoof," the alicorn remarked. "You have available to you the wonders of a princess, a royal mare who wishes to give you access to her body; do you not wish to experience all that can be offered?"

"Of course!" Ace said, hastily. "I just didn't think it'd be...ah, what am I saying? Yes, I want you, Celestia. I want to spend the entire night showing you how beautiful you are. I want to feel you and love you." He stood up, feeling his confidence returning. She said she wanted to be treated like any other mare, so why stop when it came to the more intimate forms of relationship? "Ready to feel the wonders of a stallion again, Celly?"

"Celly?" the princess asked, standing up. "We're onto pet names already, are we?" She smirked and stepped slowly towards him. "Confident, smug, and forward...how delightfully decadent. I haven't had a stallion talk to me like that in years." Her voice grew huskier, more breathy and lower in volume as she drew near to him. "You certainly sound like you know your way around mares, Ace."

"Maybe I do," the pegasus boasted, deepening his own voice, brushing his cheek against hers. He felt her breath against his neck, and softly touched his lips to her ear, kissing tenderly. The soft hitch in her breathing sent a trill of satisfaction through his body. "You're going to find out." His lips traced their way down her neck, the barest brushes against her skin that trailed up and down, pressing-

The weightlessness was new. Jerked from his concentration, the stallion's eyes shot open as he was lifted, the panoptic tingle around his body letting him know that he was enclosed in the alicorn's magical aura, if the golden light surrounding him wasn't already enough of an indication. Lifted from the ground, the pegasus flailed, his wings useless to change his course as he was effortlessly hovered over to the bed and placed down onto the duvet. When the magic dropped, he sank a little into its feathery embrace. It was impossibly soft, almost like resting on a wings of a pegasi, and he shuffled a little, feeling like he hadn't regained some of his body weight since Celestia had let him go.

"I've missed doing this so much," Celestia commented hungrily, using her magic and her forehooves to pull the stallion to the edge of the bed. She spread his hind legs, leaving him to prop himself up on his knees and canon, looking down his body as the mare's hooves trailed along his inner thighs, rubbing in circles while her eyes fixated on what lay between his legs. "So very, very much." She licked her lips, bringing herself nearer to the objects of her affection.

Ace licked his lips needily, holding back the urge to buck his hips towards her face as her muzzle came closer, so close that he could feel her warm breath teasing his sack hotly. It was tantalising, every little puff driving hot pangs of desire through him, his nuts shifting slightly in response to her approach. Even the barest touch from her was enough to earn a reaction, and she hadn't even actually touched him yet!

Smooch

Ace couldn't hold in the whimper as the princess made contact with one of his spheres, letting out a throaty murmur as the snow white mare gracefully introduced herself to his sizable gonads. She took her time, letting the first, brief contact linger before planting a second kiss just to the side of her first.

Smooch

He felt himself stirring already, the tension and subtle movement in his sheath heralding his inevitable reaction to her expert teasing. The mare let out a soft breath, blowing cool air over his scrotum followed by a hot huff, the contrast pulling a hiss from the stallion. His twins pulled upward towards his body, the large, heavy orbs unable to escape her welcome harassment.

Smooch

"You smell so good," Celestia purred, her nose brushing delicately against his smooth sack and the sensitive jewels within. "So strong and powerful and virile..." Her muzzle rubbed lovingly against him, the mare inhaling his thick scent deeply. Her soft sigh rolled across his crotch, warming his nads and sending a shiver of delight through him, both from the knowledge that she was enraptured with him and the simple sensation it produced.

A wet tickle ran up his scrotum, a light, slow swipe that Ace soon realised was Celestia's tongue; the very tip, applied softly and with a consistent pressure, slowly slipping upwards. She eased her way between his nuts, tracing upwards until she'd reached his sheath, and then reversed her direction and moved downward again, leaving a trail of tingling pleasure that she revisited over and over, keeping the line of her treatment buzzing with an increasing bliss and desire for more. Where she'd touched, her breath ran across him hotter and cooled quicker, intensifying the simple and repetitive joy he was experiencing.

Nuzzling closer to his balls, the mare huffed and hummed, singing his praises without needing to use any words, always trying to draw closer to him. She buried her muzzle between his hefty gems, sandwiching herself so that she was surrounding by his heat, his musk, the scent and presence of him bearing down on her, filling her nostrils until she felt saturated with his overbearing delight. If she'd been a lesser mare, somepony who hadn't had centuries of experience perfecting etiquette, respectability, and restraint, she'd have drooled and thrown all discipline to the wind. Instead, she breathed in deeply, permeating her lungs with the mouth-watering wonder that was his odour, and dragged her tongue flatly up his nutsack. She reveled in the low groan he gave as she moved higher, and her warm, prehensile muscle moved his balls to the side, savouring the raw, unrefined taste of him.

As the alicorn moved to run her tongue over the curve of his bloated balls, Ace's cock emerged from its cover, swiftly growing to its full and proper size. He was already leaking, thin, watery strings oozing from his pinhole, each pulse of his member squeezing out some more to slicken his coat. He didn't care that he was leaving a trail, smearing his own juice across his belly as his cock reached upwards; he was far too preoccupied by the thorough tongue-bath he was receiving down below, every wrinkle and fold of his ballsack explored, tasted, and studied. Nothing stopped the advance of her tongue, its surface reaching around his circumference to touch every part of him.

The smooth glide of her lips around one of his nuts was both welcomed and disappointing. It did mean that she wasn't sweeping her tongue across his voluminous plums, sending pulses of pleasure through his lower half with every swipe, but having her take him into her mouth was a worthy trade. The gentle flicks of her tongue against his surface, the subtle shifts of her luscious lips sealed around him as she suckled, the slickness and the heat - all of it coalesced to create a heavenly massage far more balanced and perfectly proportioned than he'd ever received before. There was the perfect pressure, the perfect amount of movement, the perfect balance of tongue and soft vibrations to stimulate his captured nut.

The mare didn't move on until she was utterly satisfied, polishing and praising his laden sphere before pulling back with a soft, lewd pop as she let him drop from her maw and licked her lips, relishing the taste of him on her. She kept her rest brief, moving to his unattended sphere and opening her mouth just a little, sealing her lips around a few square inches and suckling lightly. Slowly, she opened up, increasing the amount of him that she was pleasuring, introducing more and more of him to the sublime attention of her oral skills. Sucking his dumpling into her mouth as she opened up wide enough, she lavished him with the tender tracing of her tongue over his smooth, leathery skin, tasting him from every angle. When she pulled away again, leaving the stallion's stones shiny and spit-polished, her cheeks were pink, the most moderate flush making itself visible.

"To your liking?" Ace panted, finding his vocabulary limited from the unexpected bliss she was capable of giving. Unlike her, his flush was in full force, his entire face lit up like a fireplace, with even his dark coat unable to hide it. The response he received was another nuzzle at his pouch, her snuffling muzzle working its way up from between his two pendulums to his furry sheath, where his scent clung thicker and more stubbornly. She drank it in like it was the finest wine, her head hazier and more dazed than it had been from any amount of wine she'd ever drank.

Celestia extended her tongue as she came to the end of his sheath, running her tongue a little way along the fuzz of his scabbard before meeting the steady, powerful hotness of his staff. His erection stirred at her touch, throbbing in response to the firm, deliberate drag of her drawing herself up his underside, gliding smoothly over his unyielding stiffness. Passing over his ridge and upwards, she reached the rim of his cockhead, flicking her tongue as she ran out of cock to taste, sweeping over the plateau of his dick with the underside of her tongue, tasting the stringy leakage he'd percolated during her languid appraisal of his male pride. Returning her attention to his pole, she touched her lips against his dick, kissing her way back down the way she'd came, hopping her way down inch by inch back to his sheath, where she started the whole process over again.

The pegasus' burgeoning shaft may have been smoldering, inflamed by his lust and the bloodflow thrumming through his mighty member, but the alicorn's focused, even glide left a trail of fire in its wake. It was like every movement she made, everything she was doing, was dedicated to raising his temperature and frazzling his nerves. Her tongue was firm against his pride, pressing against the quarter-inch of sponginess offered by his cockflesh and curving to his shape as it met the underlying turgidity. She conformed to the contours of his prick, her tongue sailing over his medial ring easily without altering her touch in the slightest, keeping consistent contact. Up she trailed with her tongue, down she smooched. Up. Down. Up. Down.

Ace wasn't prepared for when she continued past his precipice, her long lick moving down his glans and collecting the pre that had seeped from him as a result of her skilled ministrations. Broadening her tongue, she swept through his matted coat, tasting and swallowing down what she could from the stains in his fur and the excess that lay in shallow pools in the parts where his coat had become saturated by the constant dribble. Lapping pervasively at his stomach and chest, she cleaned him of the effluence she'd coaxed out of him, leaving him panting and no less wet.

"Looks like I still have it," the princess declared, smug pride lining her words. She smirked up at the pegasus, her eyes half-lidded and her countenance unbridled anticipation. "There's something so special about a stallion reacting to something so simple and delicate, and getting to see how each one reacts is positively thrilling. There are plenty of similarities, of course, but the tenor of their voice, how well they can stifle their outbursts, how much they twitch and writhe, how messy they become...it's always beautiful to see how each pony reacts to being toyed with."

"I aim to please," Ace huffed happily, smirking down at her. "From the way you're treating me, I'd say you're happy with how I turned out."

"More than happy," Celestia confirmed. "Your voice, your length, your smell and your taste...I've needed it for so long, and it's delectable." She licked her lips again. "Either you've been pent up a long time, or you've got a very gifted pair between your legs." One of her hooves dipped down to cradle his nuts, her touch tender and caring. With the dexterity of a juggler and the affection of a new mother, she cupped his testicles in her grasp, rolling them back and forth to feel their weight and fullness, practically hearing them slosh and gurgle.

"I'm, uh, pretty productive," the stallion informed her, confirming her earlier suspicion. "I leak a lot, but I've gotten used to controlling myself outside of the bedroom. It's a pretty big surprise for whoever I take home, though. Some mares like it, some don't."

"Everypony has their preferences," the alicorn commented sagely. "In my case, I have a weakness for potent stallions. There's nothing better than a thick, sticky, steaming hot load pouring into you." She dragged her tongue along his belly again, mopping up the few drops and strands that had oozed onto his coat from her ball fondling and provocative words. "I want a huge load today. I need one to satiate this ravenous appetite I've built up. You've awakened it today, so now you're going to feed it." Sinking down, she locked eyes with him, exuding authority and a deliberately constrained impatience. "That's a command from your princess."

"Yes, your highness," the pegasus answered, his wings twitching in unexpected arousal. "I'll make sure you receive the perfect filling. You'll be absolutely overflowing with-"

"Shush, now," she told him quietly, maintaining an authoritative demeanour without raising or harshening her voice. Her volume stayed moderate as she took charge of the situation. "Don't talk. There are much better uses for your voice."

With her free hoof, she lifted his staff up, raising its tip to her maw, followed by a quick sweep of her tongue around his plateau to clean it of its sheen of excitement. He was as prepared as he was going to be, and she'd taken what enjoyment she'd wanted from the tepid tonguing. Taking it slow and steady was all well and good, and teasing and slowly building somepony up was great, but she'd had centuries of waiting and patience, and her deep, yearning hunger wasn't going to be placated by some light foreplay. Outlining the ridge of his flare a few times, the mare finally descended down onto her prize, sinking several inches onto the meaty monument and sealing her lips around her progress.

The satin slide of the mare's lips down his swollen pole was far more heavenly than Ace had been expecting, and he let out a breathy sigh, watching her swiftly swallow down his length. Her journey was smooth and consistent, her pace and rhythm doing as much to do excite him as the gentle oral grip and the suction. It wasn't fair to say she rushed; her technique was careful and measured, but she moved down his shaft without any difficulty, easily advancing her nirvanic embrace to encapsulate more and more of his length. Inch after inch passed between her lips, his rigidity receiving its complimentary caress, unable to escape her dedicated, loving touch. It was impossible to escape or avoid, and there was absolutely no reason to want to; his surface buzzed hotly as it came into contact with her, the slight movements from her pursing and adjusting to better seal herself around him leaving his rod tingling, shot through with burning need.

It was an endeavour just to come to the end of her guzzling. It had taken seconds for her to engulf the entirety of his length, but it the intensity that had been crammed into those few seconds was immense. It normally took mares a while to relax and adjust to his size, attempting over the course of several sets of dips and ducks, deepening each time, to bob their way down to the very bottom of his shaft. Most gave up before they managed it, their mouths and throats not up for such treatment, and for the ones who did reach the end, it was a mark of effort, and never smooth or easy. Celestia had swallowed him down to the very base of his cock in a single dive, and she'd done so without choking, gagging, or jerking back. Her grip hadn't changed on the way down, nor had her speed. She'd even accepted his sheath into her maw, her lips kissing his pelvis. Now that was new, and he felt his entire frame shudder at the novel sensation of being that little bit deeper in somepony. His cock contracted and throbbed, pushing out a thick dollop of pre-cum into her hungry throat, and she hummed approvingly.

For several long seconds - longer than it had taken for her to consume his stallionhood in the first place - she remained in place, basking in the simple but exhilarating joy of being filled. He was so thick, leaving barely enough room for her tongue to dab at his tumescence as it lay in her mouth and throbbed, and his tip reached down her gullet. His musk practically rolled off him, and she sniffed at his coat while she had the chance, drawing in even more of his scent, so thick that she swore it was going to clog her nose. Firm, heavy, heady, and rich. It was everything she needed, and still she wanted more. Drawing back, if only to better suckle at his pipe and drink the drooling pre from his bellend, she felt the immediate urge to slam herself back down. Every part of her that he touched with that wonderful tool of his immediately became addicted to him, yowling whenever contact was broken. If she pulled back an inch, she wanted two more to make up for it. Still, she was a princess, and she had enough discipline to control her primal, pernicious desires.

Ace had never had to put so much effort into breathing before. There wasn't a single part of his rod that wasn't tended to, the heat and wetness trapped with him in her confines rolling over and around his shaft. Her presence lingered as he exited her maw, the sensations remaining even as the cool air brushed over his spit-slathered pole, her smooth retreat leaving more of him exposed to be cradled by the open air around him. While she couldn't be said to be travelling slowly before, it was clear that the mare had been taking her time, enjoying the moment and letting the experience wash over her, as now she accelerated her pace to properly fellate her stallion. Drawing herself up to his crown, imperceptibly slowing down as she approached the end of his member without diminishing the delightful glide of her lips over his shaft, Celestia changed direction, sailing downwards with the same grace and precision that had initially left him stunned, but quicker.

It was hard to quantify what exactly the alicorn was doing; her actions were deft and deliberate, but nopony could see - or feel - what she was doing and claim that there was pause or caution prior to her carrying out every dip and slight rise or fall of her head. The way she extended her neck or twisted slightly to the side, either to fit more of him in or to add that extra pique of unexpected bliss to his already divine servicing, showed that she was putting all her effort into maximising his enjoyment, but it was so spontaneous and flawless, exceeding Ace's best expectations, never mind previous experiences. No mare before had managed to consistently consistently bump her lips against the rim of his sheath with the same amount of pressure each time, nor rise and fall in an unbroken sway that almost seemed hypontising as he watched on. Even the way she sounded was beautifully unexpected - she didn't gag or slobber, or give him a crude and provocative aural performance as she forced herself roughly down on him. His glans barely bumped against the back of her throat, sliding down her gullet with ease, and her descent was never jerky, keeping an even pace on the way down and the way up, the softest slurp accompanying her majestic worship.

Between the hums sending vibrations through his staff and the measured contractions of the princess' throat as she swallowed around him, Ace couldn't be expected to last for long. He'd already managed to retain a decent level of dignity by keeping his whimpers, groans, gasps, and moans down to an acceptable minimum as she'd blown his expectations of a blowjob apart by revealing to him just how talented a mare could truly be with enough study and dedication. She knew when to murmur to send tingling reverberations through his cock, she knew when to purse her lips or draw them in to snuggle against his flesh, she knew how to work her muscles to take him deep and grip him with the perfect amount of tension, and how to flex and fluctuate to provide the little extra modicum of pleasure that pushed the experience from mind-blowing to mind-shattering. Most importantly, she knew how to do all of that in tandem with keeping a smooth, consistent flow, her pace as unfaltering as a metronome.

"Somepony's getting close," Celestia's melodic voice sang, mirth and lust mixing together to create a teasing, moderately more husky tone than her usual regal tenor. The wet schlick of her bobbing had ceased as she withdrew from his glistening shaft, flicking her tongue over his glans once more before fixating him with a smoldering gaze, half-smirking at him like he were her prize.

"S-sorry," he chuckled, panting with exertion. "You're just too good."

"Don't be sorry," she assured him, gripping his slippery shaft in a hoof and pumping up and down casually while she addressed him. "I'm pleased to know that my skills haven't dulled since my last attempt." She licked her lips again, nuzzling his pride and huffing against it, breathing in his delicious scent. "You've been pouring so much into me, and it tastes and feels so good. I don't want you to hold back. I want everything you can give me. I want you to empty these huge, overloaded, heavy testes straight into my stomach. You promised me you'd flood me, after all."

"I did," he agreed, hissing a breath in through his teeth as her other hoof delved down, toying with his aforementioned nads. "I won't disappoint."

"I know you won't." She leaned in close and began to decorate his shaft with her slow, angelic kisses. "I want-"

Smooch

"-a hot-"

Smooch

"-steaming-"

Smooch

"-massive-"

Smooch

"-load-"

Smooch

"-dumped right down my throat-"

Smooch, smooch

"-until I'm bloated-"

Slurp

"-and unable to walk." Ducking down, she curled her tongue around one of his jewels and hungrily toyed with the overflowing cum-tank, sweeping and swiping across its surface before lifting her lips to the underside of his pole and placing her lips either side of his girth, trailing up and down like she was demolishing a particularly delicious ice lolly.

"M-my p-pleasure," the pegasus wheezed, his limbs tensing as she drove him ever closer to the edge. Flaring, the stallion's cock throbbed and swelled, his medial ring thickening as the bubbling, boiling pressure in his nuts and gut grew ever more intense.

Suddenly, the princess wasn't suckling and lapping at him, cradling the fruit between his legs and tongue-bathing his schlong. She had hefted his crown past her lips and into her mouth, her tongue brushing back and forth against his plateau and the underside of his flare. Pulling him further into her maw until she rested against the ridge that marked his haflway point, she ignited her horn, her golden aura encompassing the half of him not in her lewd embrace, and suckled.

And then she jacked him furiously.

The shimmering haze of magic enrapturing his shaft moved across him so quickly that it was just a powerful buzz to him, leaving him a mess of sensations. His pleasure peaked and he rocketed past the terminus of his endurance, the rising tide of his climax rolling over him in a sweeping roar. Unable to hold back, he bellowed and tensed, arching his back while his nuts pulled closer to his groin, the boiling heat and pressure in them surging up his cumvein and spurting out of him like water from a firehose. The frantic contractions and pulsing wracked his body, his mind overcome by the pulses of bliss and euphoria, his senses battered from both sides by the endorphins and hormones. All he could do was cry out and loudly grunt while he rode out the storm.

Ace might've been too preoccupied to feel just how much he was ejaculating, but Celestia could feel everything, and that's how she liked it. He'd already flared, but his shaft pulsed as his body worked to eject the viscous, voluminous cream into the alicorn's welcoming maw. The first jet was so thick it might as well have been a cable, splattering heavily against the back of the pony princess' throat and running down into her stomach, painting every inch of her pipe on the way down. The second was equally plentiful, coating her tongue and pouring down her esophagus to flood her. Pushing herself forward, the alicorn took his flaring, flexing cock deeper, letting the torrent shoot directly into her stomach, persisting her incessant magical milking, draining every drop of his bountiful ball-batter down her greedy gullet.

Sparks and jolts stuttered across Ace's body, hot pangs from his his nerves and receptors igniting, all springing from and disappearing into the maelstrom rushing and howling through his frazzled nervous system. He writhed and squirmed as though being thrown from side to side by the pleasure battering him, like a ship helplessly being tossed around in a stormy sea. Lighting coursed through him, cracking and booming inside his mind. He tried to reach out to the mare's mane, struggling to grasp at her head and pull her down further, instinctively wanting to be as deep in her as he could physically be, but his forelimbs refused to comply.

Tens of seconds - or minutes, hours, or even years - passed before Ace's mind put itself back together. His cock ran hot, a tingle here and there lingering from the milking he'd just received, his immovably firm shaft now feeling a lot more fluid, the errant but slight pulses and flutters of his veins and attentively served meat making distinguishing whether he was slick with fluids or as dry as a bone simply impossible. Well, unless he looked, but that was a struggle in itself. His limbs were heavy and numbed from the redirection of bloodflow, and the rest of his body was struggling to recover from the overexertion. With a few deep breaths, Ace lifted his head and looked down his body.

Celestia was looking back at him, smiling softly. She waited until she'd caught his eye, the stallion picking up that her cheeks were puffed out, and that she wasn't saying anything, before she tilted her head back a little. Her throat flexed, her muscles relaxing and contracting visibly. Looking back at her suitor, she licked her lips in unspoken approval of her meal and smirked lightly, innocently, and blew him a kiss. The sight sent a lustful surge through the stallion, and his cock pulsed weakly, too drained to actually squeeze out even another drop from his siphoned sack.

"What a delightful treat," the princess commented lightly, taking the tone of someone who'd indulged in a smoothie, and not wrung his cock dry. "The perfect starter for what I hope will be an absolutely ravishing main course." Daintily, the mare hopped up onto the bed properly, sitting down beside the pegasus and stroking his hindleg softly, her hoof brushing the sweet spot of his thigh between being too close to his groin to be platonic and too far away to be satisfactory. "That is, if you're up for another round?" She didn't sound condescending asking that, but rather caring. Doting, maybe.

"Always," he answered, his breathing finally having returned to normal. With a deep inhale, he grinned at her. "Want a load inside your womb too, Celly?"

"What a confident stallion you are," she purred, biting a lip in decadent interest. "When you've recovered, let's see if you've got enough left inside those gorgeous stones of yours to fill me up again, you magnificent stud."

"I'll probably be repleted by the time it comes to that," Ace informed her. "And, I'm recovered. I can go right now."

"You don't have to push yourself to please me. I already think you're amazing."

"No, really," he insisted, pointing down to his tumescence. Still rock-hard, the shimmer of her saliva having dried off, his pride shifted subtly in time with his heartbeat. The frazzle had faded, resetting his nerves back to their default state, and he was, very obviously, ready to go again. "Not only do I produce a lot, I also have a really short refractory period. Couple that with a high sex drive, and...well, I've scared a few mares away from a second date."

The princess blinked, her face a stoic mask, but from the way her eyes travelled along his length, it was clear she was processing what he'd said. Chewing her bottom lip in mounting interest, the white mare lidded her eyes, locking her gaze with the stallion. Letting her muzzle form into a half-smirk, she lazily fired up her horn, her magic wrapping itself around his hindlegs once again and dragging him into the middle of the bed. Adjusting his posture so that he was squarely centre, the mare slung a hindleg over his body, looking back over her shoulder as she flagged her tail, gradually lifting the ethereal, mystifying stripe of colours up her legs and buttocks, tantalisingly unveiling her legs, thighs, and then-

Magnificent. That was the first thought that came to the grey pegasus' mind as her tail was flicked to the side and over her hindquarters, exposing her rear to him. Her legs straddled his body, spread far enough apart to reveal the swell of her breasts and their pert nipples, and far more noticeably, the thick, dark, meaty lips of her marehood, framing the flushed flesh of her interior. Beads and strings of nectar clung to her walls, bridging her parted canal, her passage ready and waiting, practically goading him to fill her.

A tug from her magic hoisted his staff vertical, holding it in place while the mare carefully maneuvered herself back and down, lowering her hips to meet his stiffness. His plateau grazed her labia, drifting up the teardrop shape of her elastic frame, the head dipping just barely into her. Adjusting the angle of her body and his pillar, the alicorn realigned the two of them, letting the crown run down her snatch until it pressed between her thick lips and nestled against her radiant entrance. He could feel it trying to draw him in, the lack of resistance ahead making it so easy for him to just thrust and sink himself inside her. Enough time passed that he considered doing just that, the steady heat emanating from her estuary caressing his corona delicately, warming and teasing him, but before the urge became too much for him to refuse, Celestia acted, pushing back and granting him the plunge he wanted to take.

Penetration was easy. His tip was readily welcomed by her silken insides, the swift entry not really needing to part much at all. His presence seemed to awaken her, though, if the velveteen squeeze was anything to go by. As her buttocks met his waist, compressing against the comparative solidness of his body, her tunnel closed in around him, hugging him wantonly, the temperature seeming to rise in intensity now that he was firmly grasped inside her. The stallion was given a few seconds to revel in the sinfully satisfying embrace of the princess before she lifted her loins back up, sliding gracefully up his pole with a slickness that pulled a staggered sigh from the pegasus. As she raised up, he noticed the sheen she'd left behind, his member drenched thickly in her arousal.

As with her blowjob, the mare knew exactly when and how to move, lifting up until an inch or two remained inside her, and then dropping her hips down, engulfing the entirety of his turgid prick in a single fell swoop. For how smooth and gentle it had been, the drop pushed the air from Ace's lungs, and he realised just how wet the mare was; every movement was an easy glide, and he could feel the squelch as he was driven deep into her, his mass drifting effortlessly through her saturated delta, even with the friction from how her body clamped around him. Droplets of her excitement dripped onto his pelvis, the fur around her inner thighs becoming darker as the juices stuck and stained them.

Imperceptibly, but surely, she sped up, accelerating her pace incrementally, until she was riding him passionately, the clap of her cheeks against his waist and stomach providing the beat to their erotic dance. Each time she thrust down, he sank a little into the bed, bouncing back up as she rose again, the cycle leaving him giddy with amorous enjoyment. Her supple cushions slapping painlessly against him, her weight settling against his hindlegs and pushing him down, the skill she exhibited as she rode him with such grace, all of it was as powerful an aphrodisiac as he could've ever wanted, and he couldn't refrain from grasping her ass, his hooves roaming over her bouncing, jiggling globes as she rode him.

"You didn't ask for permission to touch," Celestia teased, her rhythm remaining unbroken by his groping. The fact that she spoke so easily, not a trace of effort in her tone, sounded smug to the stallion, and he felt another surge of arousal and the sheer confidence and competence of the beauty.

"Do I need to?" he retorted, his voice nowhere near her level of collected and calm. "You're mine and I'm yours. You can use me however you want, and I plan on using you very thoroughly."

"Is that so?" Her countenance was broken for the briefest of moments as his hoof smacked her bouncing booty lightly, just enough to make it wobble from his impact. "Oh, I see." She bit her lip and squeezed her pelvic muscles, focusing on tightening around his girth while she rode him. The mare swivelled her hips, gyrating and lifting her rump while her undulating walls gripped his tool in intermittent bursts. He spanked her again, and she began to ride him in earnest, slamming her rear down with a thunderous clap, the weighty walloping of skin against skin filling the room.

As boisterous as their competition was, and as engrossed as they were, it still wasn't enough to cover the sound of the door clattering open or slamming shut. All noise in the room ceased as their activities ground to a halt, and both alicorn and pegasus looked over to the intruder, startled by the sudden and violent entry. To their shock, a pair of furious eyes glared back at them.

"Art thou serious, sister?!

"Is there a problem, Luna?" Celestia retorted laconically, narrowing her eyes.

"A problem?" the other alicorn asked, disbelief dripping from her words. "A problem? We return to Equestria after a millennia, absent of any companionship, and mere months pass before we find that our dearest sister is neglecting her duty in favour of consorting with consorts?!"

"What business is it of yours who I choose to spend my time with?" the white mare asked, testily. "Or how I spend it? I am currently in my bedchambers, which are supposed to remain private."

"What use is the privacy of a bedchamber when near half the castle hearest thou? We were supposed to be resting for our royal duties tonight, but instead our ears have been beset with the cacophony of canoodling!"

"Can I-?" Ace attempted, trying to tentatively ease his voice into the heated conversation. Princess Luna's scowl shot to him, and he quickly shut up.

"Silence, rascal!" she seethed. "The vile voice of rapscallions have no place affronting our ears!" She turned back to Celestia, apparently having dealt with him. "Art thou so desperate that thou purchased the empty virtue of somepony so common? Hath so much changed that the agreements we decided upon carry water no more?"

"I did not pay for him, Luna. I do not hire stallions to service me."

"I'm not a giggilo, I'm actually your sister's-"

"Remain silent, servant!"

"Sorry."

"Thou meanst to say that thou has allowed him to sully you for no charge? Thou value thyself so lowly as to be worth nothing?"

"He is not sullying me, Luna! I invited him to my bed because we have a...connection."

The younger alicorn's eyes drifted to her sister's rump, sat squarely on the reclined pegasus' groin. "Unfortunately, your connection is beyond dispute," she observed flatly. Celestia's face soured, and Ace swallowed nervously, trying to sink as far as he could into the bedsheets. "How long hast thou loved this stallion?" She didn't received a reply, but a glare. "Consort? How long hast she loved you?"

"You mean me?" Ace asked, peeking at her anxiously.

"We are not a consort, nor is our sister," Luna quipped. "There is nopony else but us three in this room. Yes, you."

"Well...um...love is a strong word, but we're very close. Emotionally, I mean. I can't speak for her, but-"

"When was your first meeting?"

"...this morning."

"Then thou art a consort, or our sister a harlot."

"That is enough!" Celestia snapped, glarring daggers at the blue mare. "You have the gall to come into my chambers and berate me for the relations I choose to have?"

"Lascivious relations with our subjects!"

"Relations to which I am entitled! I did not trick or cajole him! I ensured our relationship would not present a problem, and I went through a painstaking amount of effort to ensure that everything would work out!" She drew herself up to a fuller height, her wings flaring out. "I have deprived myself for hundreds of years, Luna, and I shall not be denied my own fulfillment by somepony else!"

"We have been deprived tenfold whatever thou hast endured!" Luna bellowed, flaring her own wings out. "A thousand years, sister? Hast thou forgotten already? Ten hundred! Alone! Generations of lovers we might've had, born and withered in the time that we were away!"

"Princesses!"

The stallion's voice caused both mares to halt and look around, the pegasus waving his hooves to catch their attention. "Stop! Whatever this is, it isn't worth fighting over! When Princess Luna returned, Equestria vowed to welcome her back! What is the point of all of society accepting and embracing her if there isn't harmony between her own family?" Silence settled across the room, and the two alicorns shrunk somewhat, their tempers cooling. Casting glances at one another, shame set in, and their wings retracted.

"We are...we are sorry," the blue alicorn murmured. "Envy is not an easy sentiment to shake. We have been very lonely for a very long time, and to see our sister being...successful, as she always has been..." She sighed. "We shall not bother you any further. Make sure she is treated well, consort."

"I'm not a-"

"Wait," Celestia interrupted, regret tempering her usually collected tone. "You needn't go. This is not a reason for us to fight, and I am truly sorry to have taken so much from you with so little thought. I haven't been cognizant of your needs, Luna, and you're right that you've been alone far longer than I have. It isn't right that I should indulge my desires and leave you alone to sate yourself on hope and discipline. We were meant to rule and live together. Perhaps we should share more than just the seat of power."

A stunned silence rippled through the room. Ace didn't try to say anything, knowing that he wouldn't be able to formulate a proper sentence anyway. He didn't even have his thoughts formatted in his head, and so he was grateful that Luna took the lead.

"I...I shouldn't." She shuffled nervously in place, an anxious warble to her voice. "I'm not in the right state to entertain such an idea...though I desperately want to...and need to..." She shook her head. "I cannot. Not until my cycle has passed." Stopping momentarily, she tilted her head at Celestia. "Art thou not also in season?"

"I...I don't think so," Celestia murmured, her thoughts ticking across her face with startling clarity. "I don't feel too different. I've been more energetic recently, and...and..." She winced. "Oh."

"Sister..."

"There's no reason to be concerned," the white mare spoke up, seeming to address everyone in the room. "In all the years we've ruled, have you encountered even one successful alicorn pregnancy?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Alicorn what?" Ace cut in, sweat beading on his brow. "Should I be using protection right now, or something?"

"Should thou not have thought of such necessities prior to the joining?"

"You needn't worry," Celestia assured her partner. "It is quite safe. Believe me, I have been thorough in my investigations over the centuries."

The blue mare squinted uncertainly, casting her gaze to Ace. "Hast thou...deposited...inside her?"

"Luna, what we're doing is perfectly fine," the older sibling cut in, putting the conversation back on track. Ace was grateful for her intervention. "You have nothing to fear. You need relief, and it's clear that this is weighing on your mind and soul. Let go of your concerns and allow him to please you."

"Now?" The suggestion caught the lunar princess off guard, and she looked between the white mare and the stallion in question. "But thou art already occupied, and-"

"Of all the things we've experienced together, would this truly be crossing a line?" Celestia asked, subtly clenching around Ace to keep him erect, unbeknownst to the undecided observer. The clandestine nature of her teasing did more to reinvigorate the pegasus' ardour than the pressure itself.

"If I may, princess, your deepest desire is to be loved and admired by your subjects, isn't?" At the sound of Ace's voice, the younger alicorn's attention turned once more to the stallion. She nodded slowly to his question, affirming his suspicion. "I'm just an ordinary pony. I'm here now because I spent time getting to know your sister, the real her, as a subject of hers, and we created something special. You're every bit as worthy as her, so let me show you that. Let me love and admire you, Princess Luna."

The flutter of emotions over Luna's countenance indicated that she was nearly convinced. "I crave it, but...to share a stallion with my sister? Art that not too indecent for thou?"

"I won't tell a soul," Ace promised. "Not that you need to worry anyway. Sibling threesomes are all the rage today." She tilted her head, and he rephrased hurriedly. "Uh, that means that it's okay for two sisters to share a stallion, or two brothers to share a mare, or...well, whatever, really. It's okay so long as there's an odd number of ponies involved."

"Truly?"

"...yeah, sure."

With a sigh and a flutter of her wings, the smaller alicorn stepped closer, catching Celestia's eye and receiving an encouraging nod and smile. Ace found that adorable, and throbbed inside her again. "Very well," she relented, climbing onto the bed, a nervousness shimmering from her even as she traced a hoof experimentally over his torso, reintroducing herself to touching a stallion. "We shall allow you to pleasure us, consort."

"I'm not a-"

"Stallion of carnal services," the princess finished. "We know. And that is best, for we did not intend to pay." Ace was stunned into silence, until he saw the sliver of a smirk on her muzzle, an all too familiar sight. Was she as mischievous as her sister? "What is your name, doting subject?"

"Ace."

"Ace?" the mare repeated, pursing her lips as though tasting the word. "A suitable name. Hopefully thou shalt meet the expectations that such a name provides." With a careful step, the mare's soft, fluffy underbelly travelled over the stallion's face, the faint smell of scented soap tickling his nostrils, though it was soon overpowered by the heavy, cloying, unmistakable odour of a mare in heat.

"We'll both know I've lived up to my name when you're screaming it later." Maybe it was her pheromones heightening his arousal, maybe it was just his natural sex drive and perversion, or maybe it was that his cock had been basting in Celestia's honeypot for the duration of a conversation he'd never expected to have, but suddenly, he didn't care that she was a princess, that he'd just snarked royalty. All he new was that he had his dick buried in one willing mare and another's pungent pussy within reach. He didn't wait for Luna to reply to his comment; he brought his muzzle to one of her pert teats and sealed his lips around the soft flesh, sucking hungrily.

The gasp from above him as his tongue lashed at her nipple was background noise to him, his focus entirely on exploring the sensitive little blossom he'd taken into his mouth. His teeth grazed at it, pressing down enough to clamp on and pull lightly, asserting his presence and dominance over her, and feeling her pull and push into him, her coat smooshing against his nose. Massaging her supple flesh with insistent strokes of his tongue, rolling and flicking against her nipple, the stallion hungrily suckled and slurped, foregoing decorum or restraint in his pursuit of taking what he wanted, switching to the other on a whim to explore her pliant flesh there. He moved without forethought or consideration, switching back and forth between her mammaries whenever his interest nudged him to do so.

Out of his sight, Celestia resumed her movements, the soft, slippery drag against his pride indicating that she'd began to roll her hips once more. Even with the majority of his attention centered on toying with the titty in his mouth, Ace couldn't ignore the pressure surrounding his shaft, nor the weight that settled on his legs before rising again. He lifted his hips up, wanting tunnel deeper into her inviting passage, and she increased her speed, riding him with the steady confidence that fueled the fire inside him.

It didn't take long for his nose to drag his attention to the more pertinent part of the princess straddling his face, and he followed it willingly to its source. Breathing in the heady scent she was exuding, Ace drew closer, pushing the mare atop him up and back until the sweltering, rolling heat from her snatch assailed his muzzle, her musk prickling his nasal passage as he inhaled. Luna shifted her posture, sitting more upright to grant him better access to her nethers, inadvertently smearing him with her need as she did. Feeling her fluids marking his muzzle, his tongue flicked out to clean it from his fur, sampling her tangy taste. It did nothing to quench his thirst, and with a parched snarl in the back of his throat, the stallion dove in.

Like a dog lapping from a bowl, he delved deep and moved with a swift firmness, thick strings of the mare's femlube bridging his muzzle, vibrating from the emphatic working of his jaw. The more of her essence he tasted, the more of her thick zest he drank down, the more he needed her, and the deeper his hunger became. He wriggled his muzzle to bring himself closer, the movement grating his lips and nose firmly against her lips and her exposed clitty. The sharp whimper the contact evoked was accompanied by a shudder, emboldening the stallion to brush his upper lip against the compact bundle of nerves and trying to stay on target as she jerked at his touch and ground herself against him.

Wrapping his forelimbs around her thighs, Ace impatiently pulled the blue princess closer, worming his muscle ever deeper into her cavern, slithering through the velvet embrace that squeezed and cradled him from every side. The taste of her was stronger, and he strained to push even further inside, extending his tongue until his jaw and throat ached from the effort. Settling for the depth he'd achieved, Ace flexed his appendage and explored her, touching at every inch of her sinfully soft insides and pulling back to work her vulva with wide strokes and slurps, breaking the strings of her excitement and swallowing them down. His lips sealed around her throbbing pleasure buzzer, suckling and tonguing it needily, before his impatience drove him to attack her mound again, ravenously feasting on her quim and pulling squeals and groans from the pent-up princess that made it past even the fuzzy earmuffs that were her stained thighs.

The Princess of the Night was so wet already, producing so much that she was practically dripping, that her orgasm didn't change much. She clenched, her grip become demanding and unyielding, and her box spasmed in slow, irregular pulses, but otherwise the stallion was too coated in her effluence to notice the brief splash that resulted. If anything, her climax was thinner than the congealed strands of her excitement, more watery than her blatant need. It was the pressure around his head and the broken rhythm of her movements that gave away her situation. Ace noticed it more the second time, her wails confirming his suspicion as she pushed pleadingly against his muzzle, roughly riding him as her body shook. It was the third time that she called his name, spluttering as he suckled mercilessly on her nub, his own grunts undoubtedly adding to the stimulation as his cock swelled and pulsed, pushing a pint of his cream into the waiting womb of his white alicorn lover.

In short order, the two mares were off him, the youngest trembling as she recovered from the mind-melting experiences of three back-to-back climaxes. Ace immediately shifted his position and kissed her, excitement rolling through him at the knowledge that the flavour of her still lingered on his lips, and that she'd be tasting herself. Her breath puffed against him as their lips locked and their tongues danced, their arousal already revitalised by their embrace.

"On your back," the pegasus instructed, breaking their connection to mutter the words to her. "Be a good girl for me and spread your legs."

"We are not 'your good girl'," Luna replied, frowning at the dynamic he was offering.

"You are tonight," Ace parried, kissing her softly, punctuating every compliment with a smooch. "You're my beautiful, shimmering, wondrous mare, a gem shining brighter than the moon itself, and you're going to be treated like the good girl that you are." He pulled back to witness her reaction, the confused battle between flattered and flustered playing across her features, until she blushed and rolled onto her back without a word, spreading her legs for him as he'd requested. Smirking, he shimmied between her hindquarters, sliding easily into her drenched box and sealing away her gasp with a demanding kiss.

Ace lead their coital waltz, moving in long strokes and smooth rotations, his cock probing her depths with a careful curiosity, their tongues intertwining and wrapping around one another. The princess' rising lust urged her to increase the tempo, petulantly demanding that he match her immediate demands and rut her furiously. The stallion refused to let her set the pace, keeping her lust bubbling and simmering as he explored her confines, picking up the pace as he saw fit. Slowly increasing his speed, the stallion was rewarded with a whining whimper, the mare gripping him in her forelimbs and pawing at his body with her hooves, an adorable display that would've made him grin if he wasn't preoccupied using his mouth for other purposes.

The firm drag against his cheek alerted him to Celestia's presence, the white mare having agilely maneuvered herself to get involved in the passion. Her appendage swept up his soiled coat, cleaning the clinging strands of Luna's excitement from his muzzle and her residue from his fur. Ace exhaled as she traced along his jawline, pressing wetly and firmly against the sharp edge of his masculine features. Breaking from his lip-lock with Luna, the pegasus turned his head to the other mare, ensnaring her in a greedy grapple, the soft, irregular mash of their lips parting contrasting with the fleshy clapping of his loins against the younger alicorn's. The rapid plap-plap-plap was underlaid with wet splats and squelches as his crotch thumped into her sopping snatch, soaking his sheath and the coat of his groin and stretching drooping strings between his hindlegs and her nethers.

She was more pent up than he was, having had centuries to stew in her unquenchable desire, and even after three releases, it wasn't enough to make up for the lifetimes of denial. The tension built within her in no small part simply to the repetitive thrusts into her, the presence of his schlong probing her depths and igniting her nerves, her canal blazing from the indulgence after such a long involuntary abstinence. Her shortening, sharpened breathing reached a crescendo, and she pulled the stallion close as she peaked, her limbs tightening as she trembled and jerked her hips into his. The gentle cradle of her quim became a vice, contracting maddeningly around his tool as she tried to milk him, to no avail. Before she'd fully finished, he'd already resumed his previous pace, continuing as though she hadn't just been catapulted into a turbulent tempest of sensations.

In spite of his efforts, she didn't peak again before he reached the apex of his endurance. She was getting close, he knew, with her kisses becoming more desperate and her hold growing tighter around his body once more, but she wasn't close enough to beat him over the finish line. With a growl, he flared, his jewels clenched, and he hilted deep inside her, pressing his crotch to hers as his cock throbbed and pulsed, firing creamy volleys of ejaculate into her thirsty womb. The hot, heavy splash against her walls triggered an immediate reaction from Luna, who was already on the verge, and she came with a squeal, the wave of her orgasm surging through her body and doubling back, frazzling her mind her several time as she was flooded. The inferno of her heat was doused spurt by spurt, the gush causing her inconsolable libido to sizzle into a contented smoldering.

The Princess of the Sun nudged the stallion away from her sister, eager for her turn again. Being a close witness to the two of them rut - hearing the noises they made and drinking in the sight and the reek of their debauchery - had stoked her needs once again. Directing him away, the white mare dipped head down to Luna's gaped, winking pussy and pressed her muzzle against the other mare's lips, lapping in consistent moderate strokes. Luna issued some weak complaints, citing the scandal of what they were doing and public expectation in between huffs and stuttered eeps, but after several passings of her sister's talented tongue, the will to resist fell away, and she welcomed the tender care. Having pacified the other alicorn, Celestia flagged her tail, presenting her own flushed marehood and, with the slightest shake of her derriere, wordlessly invited Ace to do what nature intended.

Throughout Ace's pounding, Celestia remained unmoved from her task, cleaning Luna's ravished box of the seed that oozed from her, even as the pegasus' cock plunged into her own depths, slick with the last batch of seed he'd deposited. Her white buttocks glowed red by the time he came again, spilling another hot dose into her and replenishing the thinning reservoir with a thicker, gooier batch. Of course, that left Luna worked up once more, so he ravaged her again, ramming into her from behind as they spooned, the blue mare returning the gracious attention her sister had given her, cleaning the freshest creamy load from the Princess of the Sun's delta. When he'd finished in her again, to avoid favourtism, he took them both, having them lay belly-to-belly, switching between their proffered pussies until his cockslime dripped down their groins, leaving them soiled so that he could bask in his conquest.

The three of them, slathered and glazed in fluids of all descriptions, called an end to their activities when Ace's reserves ran dry. Gasping for air and soaked in sweat, they lay side by side on the bed, manes ruffled and untidy. At first, none of them broke the silence, remaining quiet as their hooves moved to touch and stroke at one another. As they cooled, they drew closer, taking comfort in each other's warmth. Ace sighed as he was sandwiched between the two beautiful alicorns, a grin plastered on his face. The afterglow was positively levitating, and he nuzzled and kissed affectionately at his partners' damp coats, feeling an urge to curl up with them and drift off to sleep peacefully. That or to share doting words. Either would do nicely.

"While we do not try to make demands, we shall insist on one here," Luna spoke up at last. "You are not to lay claim to this one, sister. He is to be property of the Crown, and he shall be accessible to both you and I as circumstance dictates." The three of them chuckled. Ace nuzzled the blue mare, kissing her under the chin to her audible approval, and when he looked back to Celestia, he saw a twinkle in her eye that hinted that she was pondering something.

"He shall certainly be open for both our use, if he wishes that," the Princess of the Sun agreed, eyeing the stallion knowingly. "I suspect he shall also wish to serve the Crown, if he is explained the nature of his duties." The comment drew the attention of both pegasus and alicorn.

"Serve the Crown?"

"In addition to the agreement we previously came to regarding your employment, an appointment to further extend your duties and privileges, if you so wish."

"As much as I want to say yes, I'm not sure I c-can..." His response was cut off by a hefty yawn. "I might not be in the right frame of mind to consider it right now."

"I understand. It can wait until we've all rested." Glancing at a clock in the room, she noted the time and shifted. "I must lower the sun. It is getting late."

"We hope you do not mind us remaining here tonight?"

"We've just shared a stallion, Luna. Sharing a bed is no matter." The eldest alicorn shifted herself out of the bed and stepped gingerly onto the floor, rotating her shoulders and stretching. She looked a mess; her coat was matted and drizzled with sweat, her mane waved weakly, and her step was wobbly, albeit imperceptibly. It was truly a beautiful sight.

"We shall have to raise the moon," Luna sighed, getting ready to leave the bed too. "But this is something that is difficult to surrender in exchange for something as petty as duty." She whinnied in displeasure. "Still, there is a certain satisfaction that comes with performing one's duty, we suppose." As she made to leave, she paused, turning back to the pegasus for a moment. Slowly, she lay back down, locking eyes with the stallion.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Ace asked, smiling softly. The blue mare bit her lip, clearly considering something. Seconds passed, and she came to a decision.

"Before we go," she began, stroking a hoof down his side. "Cans't thou...call us a shimmering gem again?" She blushed, her cheeks reddening adorably. "Whisper in our ear that we are your good girl?" She swallowed nervously, and the grin that stretched across Ace's muzzle could've eclipsed canyons. Slowly, he leaned in, letting his breath flutter hotly across her skin, until he reached her ear, and spoke the words she longed to hear, revelling in her delighted shiver.

If this was the bonus contractors could expect at the palace, he'd have to find some stuff to break in the near future. He wondered, as Luna pressed her lips to his, when the next disaster would be. He hoped it'd be soon, and carry lots of collateral.

What did a guy have to do to provoke an invasion around here?