Rediscovering The Sun

Chapters

RTS Ch. 1
RTS Ch. 2
RTS Ch. 3
RTS Ch. 4

RTS Ch. 1

Chapter One

It was not unusual to have a visitor at Silver Shoals’ community. After all, a retirement community was meant to have ponies coming by to check in with loved ones and old associates who’d taken to the quiet life after a long spell otherwise. The fresh faces helped to keep the air around the community from feeling stagnant, a new smile and appearance giving everypony something or somepony new to interact with. They’d often take to the lake to ride out on the boats, or wander about to other locales about the area, all while updating their retired fellow pony of the world going on beyond Silver Shoals.

Having the Royal Crystaller from the Crystal Empire show up at the door of two retired Alicorn rulers did command a bit more curiosity, though.

“No, no, there’s no dire emergency. No event. No return of old villains. It’s just a friend visiting! Please be on your way, thank you!” Celestia called out to the small gathered populace before forcing her door closed and sighing. “If it was an emergency, would I still be in my bathrobe?” she added aloud before turning to her guest. “I apologize, Sunburst. Even with Luna and I being outside of politics and rulership, old habits of the ponies still remain.”

“I-It’s quite alright, your majes...I mean. Um. Miss Celestia. Princess.” Sunburst stammered out before adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat. “I never did ask Cadance how I should address you now.”

“Just Celestia. The old titles and honors are all Twilight’s now.” The white alicorn said before trotting back to her living room. Their house was magically adjusted for the taller alicorns’ size, given the average pony like Sunburst was quite smaller. Thus, while the sofa she chose to lounge upon suited the alicorn’s size quite well, Sunburst looked rather meek in the nearby armchair that could double as a bed for him with ease. “Now, what brings you to our humble abode? I didn’t lie just now to the populace of Silver Shoals, did I?”

“No, no! Rest assured, there’s no emergency.” He told her, waving a hoof before reaching into his saddlebag and pulling out an aged textbook, it’s green cover worn and faded with old glyphs etched into the front and spine. “I found something of the utmost curiosity, but I needed to seek out somepony such as you, Luna, Cadance ,or Twilight to show. As it turns out, only you and Luna are available. Twilight is busy with her work, and Princess Cadance and her husband are off on vacation.” He paused, then flailed a hoof. “N-not that you two are lesser now! Just... you’re retired, I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“Oh, hardly, Sunburst. If anything, it’s been a little while since Luna or I had something unplanned happen. Luna may be enjoying the calm and quiet aplenty, but I do still enjoy the occasional surprise.” Celestia reassured him before waving the book over for him to give. Her own magic overtook his and brought the book forward for her to open. Inside, the faded Olde Ponish text stared back at her, the lettering a little hard to read but still somewhat presentable before her. “Another ancient journal?”

“Not quite. From the translations I’ve been able to make, this is a documented listing of ancient magics particularly involving alicorns like yourself. Old magics that can only be tapped into by a being like yourself or your fellow kin.” He explained to her. “Being a researcher of magic, such a find is magnificent! A branch of magic thought to be lost to time still preserved!”

Celestia flipped through the pages of the book as he spoke, raising an elegant eyebrow at some of the words she could translate. “Yes, well. I certainly hope you don’t mean to try Abyssal Sancticus.”

Sunburst blinked. “Is that a dangerous spell? Can you read it?”

Celestia gave a small chuckle. “I suppose common sense would call conjuring an all-consuming black hole to be dangerous, yes.” Sunburst’s face paled, making the alicorn giggle. “Relax! You would need far too much to try and do it. Even with mine and Luna’s help. I don’t quite see you trying to conquer the world.”

“No, no. This humble Crystaller just wants to learn about magic.” He replied, taking off his glasses to wipe them clean. Celestia just maintained her smile at her smaller guest. The short time since Twilight’s coronation had allowed for many changes, but some things still stayed the same. Sunburst still wore the same cape he always wore, his mane a little unkempt and his glasses having trouble staying on his nose. He even still had the tiny tuft of chin hair one could call the start of a beard, but a full one wouldn’t really suit him in her eyes. Still the same bookish, but charming magic learner as he was back when she had him in her school.

“The reason I brought it to you, however, is to help with practical application in my research. Of course, we don’t want to try and summon black holes.” He told her. “I’d only want to try spells of good, safe magic, not harmful combat magic.”

“And am I right to presume such spells require an alicorn’s unique magic to make them work?”

“Quite.” Sunburst said. “There’s just not enough prime magic within the average unicorn to try and wield such power. I’ve run some basic calculations, but it would take an ensemble the size of Ponyville with my magic level to even make an attempt. But with one singular alicorn, one gets free reign to try them out!”

His enthusiasm was endearing to the alicorn, a smile forming on her muzzle without thinking. “Well, I suppose one alicorn would do well enough. And wouldn’t you know it, but her schedule for the day allows for a little free time. Though you’d have to come back around about...two o’clock, I’m afraid.” Her teasing tone was lost at first on the smaller unicorn, the stallion fumbling for his pockets to find maybe a timepiece or a scheduling book like her dearest student. “I’m kidding! Relax, Sunburst, please. I have all the time in the world now with Twilight on the throne.”

Sunburst looked relieved, prompting another titter of laughter from the mare before she got up from her seat. “First, we will obviously need space to work…” she noted aloud, horn beginning to glow as her magic reached out to the various pieces of furniture surrounding them. A moment of focus had much of the room rearranged in a heartbeat, some pieces shrunken and stacked on top of one another to allow more maneuverability. Sunburst was left to stare in awe as she worked, her magic also cleaning the immediate area for any contaminants and cleansing it of any residual magics.

“...wow.” He muttered, making her look to him and raise an elegant eyebrow. “I-I can scarcely manage a cleansing spell alone. You’re fantastic!” He declared before catching himself and giving a bashful smile, “y-your majesty. Ma’am.”

“Thank you.” She replied. Even after all these years, it was pleasant to have ponies appreciate the little things and not needing the grandest of gestures to be noticed. “Now, what did we intend to try first?” She levitated the book over to herself, flipping through its pages. “We can skip past the combat and environmental magics. The last time we tried to fiddle with changing the world, we made a whole new ocean. I don’t think the community would like that.”

“N-no, perhaps not. Maybe something...smaller in focus?” He offered. “I-I took the liberty of reading through some of the spells on the train ride here. There is one that seems to be a healing magic. It...it seems to read as ‘body invigoration’ from what I can translate. If only we had more preservation spells in the olden times.” Another lift of his glasses onto his nose was needed before he continued. “It makes mention of rejuvenation, like some sort of advanced restoration magic. No reagents are needed, nor outside elements. It appears to rely solely upon the alicorn themselves and focusing their magic in the right manner.”

Celestia hummed in thought, rubbing her chin with a forehoof. “Rejuvenation...well. That sounds safe enough, all things considered. Perhaps I could do with a touch of that after a millennia of the same old face?”

“B-but you don’t look old at all, Celestia. Hardly so.” Sunburst replied.

“Really? No crow’s feet or wrinkles, you say?” She questioned. “You would think after so many events, I’d have at least something. Still, it’s actually a safer spell to try. I vaguely recall it.” She turned the pages of the book until she found the spell he was referring to, titled “Restitutio in Omnes”. It featured a diagram of an alicorn, looking very withered at the top of the diagram before elaborate runic symbols were positioned under the picture, then leading to the image of a presumably healed and ready alicorn. It humored Celestia that the picture was not of either her or Luna, but just a pony with a horn and wings attached altogether in a plain fashion.

“I will need a little assistance with the runic markings. If you would please, Sunburst?” she questioned.

The smaller unicorn jumped up and nodded. “It’d be an honor, ma’am!” He said. Taking the book, he went to work on tracing out the precise markings needed for the spell, to serve as a conduit of the magic and to direct it towards Celestia as both source and recipient. Taking her half of the circle, Celestia was careful in following the precise trail and path needed. Her breath did hitch when she felt something prod her flank, and looked up to see Sunburst flailing backwards, falling on his behind and stuttering.

“I-I’m so sorry! I lost track of where I was going! I didn’t mean to do that!”

Celestia laughed and turned about, reaching to Sunburst and resting a hoof on his shoulder. “Sunburst, please. You’re hardly the first to accidentally bump into me. I’m a larger mare than most, it tends to follow me. Imagine trying to fit all of this,” she gestured at herself with a foreleg, “into a narrow doorway. There’s a reason I built Canterlot Castle with such wide archways, you know.”

“Oh. I-I thought it was just...part of the grandeur?”

“Well, yes, there’s that. But in my younger years, I did at times feel a touch self-conscious. It happens to all of us.” With that, she resumed her work, Sunburst following suit and checking each marking with the tome’s page for referral. It took only a few more minutes before the job was complete and the pair stood outside the circle to admire their hoofwork. “There we are. Now I just channel my magic into the runes, and we see how it goes.”

“U-uh yes, b-but Celestia?”

The alicorn looked to her guest and saw Sunburst rubbing the back of his head. “Yes, Sunburst?”

“I...please understand I mean no slight to you, Luna, or any of the Royal monarchs. But I have learned a few cautionary practices in studying these magics. There should be a safety of some kind here in case of danger. We could be totally misinterpreting the spellwork, and frankly, I’d like to not be known as ‘Sunburst, Ender of Princesses’.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“There’s a basic spell I’ve thought to use. It will connect me to you briefly while we channel this spell. Or, you channel this spell I mean. But it will also allow me to intervene if something goes wrong during the process. If you feel something is wrong, then I will also sense it, and I can just,” he gestured at one of the nearby markings, “interrupt the process to end it prematurely. The magic will dissolve and disperse through the rest of the matrix and into the ground, instead of harming you or anypony else.”

“That is very astute, Sunburst.” She appraised, smiling at him. “Safety is always a priority in the realm of experiments, you’re right. Though do you speak from forethought, or previous experience?”

“Let’s just say that there’s reasons we don’t try to magically grow crops in the Crystal Empire anymore after the day of Rampaging Rabbits.”

“I feel this is a story worth hearing. But perhaps after we attempt this magic of yours. Or is it technically mine?”

Sunburst didn’t reply, his face scrunched up to focus as his magic flared up. Standing still, the alicorn looked on as his magic took the form of an ethereal cord, running from his chest and extending out in a winding loop to her own. Once it reached her, Celestia was greeted by a gentle, but curious sensation of warmth from the contact. It made the hairs on the back of her neck raise, her wings giving a light flap of surprise before settling again.

“There. Now it’s established, we’re good to go.” Sunburst said when he opened his eyes again.

“An interesting magic. I’d be interested to hear how you came up with it once we’re done. For now, however, stand back outside of the circle. I can recall such spells require only one body within the circle’s confines.” Celestia told him, getting a nod from the Crystaller before he stepped back and away enough to be in no risk.

“Here we go…” Celestia’s magic flared to life and flowed into the runes surrounding her. They assumed a similar glow akin to her magic aura, the room growing brighter by the second. Sunburst covered his eyes from his vantage point, while Celestia allowed herself to be bathed in it. She could still see clear as day despite the vast brightness surrounding her. After all, one didn’t control the sun for over a millenia and not get used to lights in one’s eyes.

The more curious sensation was spreading over her form, starting at her horn and carrying down her neck and torso. It felt like a sort of gel or liquid was being poured over her, but seeped into her very being beyond just her skin and fur. It encompassed her, swirling around her before the magic came to a sudden stop and then burst, particles of magic flashing away from her.

By the time the bright aura had died down, only a minute or two had passed. Celestia looked to Sunburst, who was rubbing at his eyes to try and clear his vision. As he recovered, Celestia looked at her form, trying to detect any type of mistake or error in the spell’s magic. As far as she could sense, however, nothing had changed. Was it a flawed spell?

“Sunburst? Are you ok?”

“I should be asking you that, I think,” He replied, “after that much light I thought we’d been teleported into the sun!”

“Not quite, I’m afraid.” She replied. “I must confess, I do not feel much different at all. There was an...odd sensation during the spell, but I felt no pain or harm. Did you sense any problems?”

“No, no I didn’t.” Sunburst adjusted his glasses, looking the princess over once before frowning. “No change at all?”

The solar princess shook her head, mane shifting with her motions before stopping. “I’m sorry, but it would seem so. Did we perhaps misread the diagram?”

Sunburst pulled the book to him and inspected the sigils still in place on the floor. “As far as I can surmise, no, we didn’t do that incorrectly. If we had, truly, something would’ve no doubt exploded or caught fire or been turned inside out.” He listed off before sighing. “Perhaps I’m the buffoon. Even in the ancient times, they had their practical jokers. It just took a millenia to get to the punchline.”

Celestia felt a pang of sympathy towards the defeated looking unicorn, and came up beside him. A gentle pat of her wing to his back got his attention, and she smiled down at him.

“I recognize that frown. It was the same one I saw when a similar unicorn tried to take his exams and had trouble scoring the high grade he’d studied day and night for. But, look at him now: a holder of high authority in the Crystal Empire, confidant of the Princess of Love and her husband, the Prince; there is no buffoon in my eyes.”

Sunburst blushed under her appraisal, ducking his head. “Y-you’re too kind, mil...Celestia. I just was kinda hoping for more to show than a bright light.”

“Don’t fault yourself. Ancient magics become ancient because their methods are lost to time and progress. There are countless spells beyond even my memory or Luna’s that have gone to the wayside. Who knows? It could’ve been a magic that works its way in a method neither of us can see.” Sunburst nodded but she could tell he still felt somewhat defeated. A lightbulb clicked in her mind, prompting the alicorn to clap her hooves together. “I’ve got it!”

“What is it?”

“Well, Sunburst. We’ve only attempted one of these magics from this book; why not try others within it? It would give you a project to continue studying, and myself something to occupy me for a time. You could even procure a place here nearby, so we can continue without losing progress. What do you say?”

“Really? You think there’s some legitimacy to this book after all?” He asked.

“In truth, we cannot know without further study. But instinct after these past few years tells me there may be more to this tome than we’re able to see on the surface. We once considered Starswirl’s journal as no more than a recalling of his journeys, and look now: we have not only him among us again, but the Pillars of Equestria as well, all because it took a different perspective to better study the text.” She told him. “But would you like to know the deeper reasoning for it?”

Sunburst nodded slowly, listening to the alicorn before blinking as she leaned in close to whisper.

“It breaks the boredom of being retired.” she giggled when she pulled back, prompting a huff of laughter out of the unicorn before her.

“W-well, I suppose I could take a few days here. The school is fine right now anyway, as it’s summer vacation for all involved. Trixie and Starlight can run things fine on their own. And it has been some time since I actually did take a vacation.”

“Then it’s settled!” Celestia declared. “And I know the best way to celebrate. There’s a small cafe that overlooks the bay nearby. We can grab a small bite there, and you can tell me all about this Rampaging Rabbits day.”

Sunburst’s spirit looked lifted, if his smile was any indicator, as the pair exited the house and walked down the street together. It brought warmth to Celestia in seeing the bookish pony be given the opportunity to talk and just be free to act on his own whim. She knew all too well of his type: the kind of pony to work on a never-ending list of tasks, forever corralled by duty and an unyielding work ethic. She’d seen it too many times in her own self over the years, and was happy to provide relief to another.

Besides, now Luna couldn’t whine at her about socializing with more ponies!

RTS Ch. 2

Chapter Two

It took a day’s time for any change to really be recognized by the pair of them. Celestia was the one to comprehend it first the next day when she sensed a change in her magic. A practiced user such as herself was experienced enough to know how her magic would feel when used: refined, precise, with an ease of use like a secondary limb. But that morning had her feeling as if her magic had suddenly become much more than before. There was a strength present that had long since been gone in her memory, only now coming back as she attempted a simple test of levitating one of the chairs in the backyard. As it turns out, wooden chairs are not meant to exceed velocities beyond Wonderbolt speeds.

Conferring with Sunburst led to further testing of her physical self while he looked on, and they discovered the change was well beyond her magic. Celestia’s physical might was more than the average pony, but when one buck kick of a tree at the outer limits of Silver Shoals’ territory sent said tree flying through the forest and taking several others with it, it stood to reason that she was stronger now than before as well. Sunburst deduced that the magic ritual from the previous day merely needed time to kick in, perhaps due in part to Celestia’s long lifespan and the accumulation of magic needed to fully activate the spell. Vast as her power was, it seemed tenfold now. It felt quite humorous for the mare to see Sunburst so delighted that he didn’t make a mistake.

The second day was when the more personal changes started taking place.

“Sunburst, what do you think? Perhaps too small for me?” Celestia’s question pertained to a small hat she’d found at one of the vendor stands in town. The marketplace was akin to Ponyville’s, if perhaps a little more winding to navigate the hilly landscape throughout. On a whim, she chose to peruse through the stands for the fun of it, to enjoy the aspect of getting to find things on her own rather than having a whole ensemble already selected for her. Some appreciated being spoiled, but Celestia enjoyed the independence.

Sunburst turned away from an array of reading glasses to look up at the alicorn. He gave a sheepish grin at what she’d picked. It was a small black bowler hat, comedic on top of somepony’s head like Celestia. Yet she felt it was humorous and that merit alone earned it some attention.

“I halfway imagine it’d get lost in your mane, Celestia. I never took you much for hats anyway.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of things I always wanted to try. And please, don’t even get me started on the trend of ‘sun hats’. That was all because I once commented on how I may have moved the sun a little too close one day, and wanted better shade to look about before adjusting it. Somepony overheard me, and the next thing you know, I’ve caused a fashion sensation with one comment.” She told him, swapping the bowler hat for a straw hat. It fit a little better, being slightly bigger, but could hardly rest amidst the pool of color atop her head. “Oh, fiddlesticks.”

“I-I’m so sorry, your majesty. I-I can find more if you’d like!” The vendor, a willowy looking mare of sea green and a mane of chocolate, looked very nervous before the pair. Sunburst was quick to rescue her, waving a hoof in Celestia’s direction and getting the alicorn’s attention.

“I think you do great without a hat, sincerely. But maybe if you style your mane back out of the way, you’d have better success?” He offered. “I’m hardly a beautician, but logically if the mane is the issue, change up the mane?”

“Hmm.” Celestia pondered this and used her magic to perform a quick binding motion with her elegant locks being moved back and away, forming a long braid that fell down the front of her shoulder and chest. With the extra mass bundled aside, she tried the straw hat once more and felt it fitting much better than before. “Ooh! That works!”

“There you go.” Sunburst affirmed, making the vendor breathe a sigh of relief at being free of her imagined slight against the former ruler. “It looks nice on you, with that mane style. If you don’t mind me saying so.”

Ba-bump. Her heartbeat quickened for a moment at the appraisal from the unicorn before settling.

“Not at all. I’ll take it.” Celestia’s hoof twitched and fumbled for her coin purse, fishing out the needed bits to pay her, plus extra for her time spent. “Have a wonderful day!” Celestia gave a small wave behind her, leaving behind an ecstatic hat vendor as she and Sunburst made their way along. She kept the hat on her head, giving another glance to her company and seeing Sunburst smile at her when she looked. The corners of her lips lifted without a prompt, as her heartbeat picked up again.

Ba-bump.

“Well now, where shall we explore next? I haven’t seen much of the seaside way of things. Maybe we could arrange a beach visit?” Sunburst asked, unfolding a small map of the area he’d acquired earlier in the day. “It’d certainly get mom off my back about getting out and getting color on my flanks. Honestly, I’m already orange!”

“Of all the mares to ask about being in the sun, I imagine I might be the expert,” Celestia quipped to him, “do what you feel is best for you. Truthfully, I’m only so used to being under the sunlight for rather obvious reasons. If I wasn’t, I might be more of a beachgoer myself!”

Sunburst chuckled, and she beamed at this. His laugh was so...endearing, when he wasn’t nervous or careful around her. He was loosening up some around her now, his stutter gone for the most part. All his time spent around Cadance and Shining may have helped in that regard, and seeing her without all the royal adornments and titles would help as well. She was now just another mare, enjoying a day free of worry alongside a cuuuu-Cultured! Cultured. She meant cultured, stallion.

“Hm? Princess Luna!”

Sunburst’s declaration brought the alicorn out of her mental stutter-stepping and focused on the arrival of her sister. Luna, like herself, was without any of the royal adornments they’d been wearing for so long. In fact, Luna seemed to be easing into the vacation mindset easier than she had, if the sky blue floral shirt and sunglasses told her anything. Her vibrant, dark blue mane was pulled back into a loose ponytail, though it still twinkled even in the bright daytime. She smiled at the pair of them and walked up, prompting many a curious onlooker at the gathered trio of political figures.

“Sister. I didn’t know you’d be back so fast. Weren’t you down at the southern coast?” Celestia asked.

“It was a nice visit there. The locals were quite taken with a visiting royal.” She replied, lifting her sunglasses up and glancing around, seeing the other ponies around them. “Quite like how you two are here. Master Sunburst, a pleasure to see you here.”

“Y-you don’t need to add a title to me, your majesty.” He assured her. “Just Sunburst is fine.”

“I see you’re keeping my dear sister company. What might be the occasion? Comparing crystal empire fashions with that of the seaward inclined?”

“We were actually working together on something.” Sunburst explained, going over the details of the ritual that Celestia had taken part in. With how animated he was explaining it to the other alicorn, Celestia pondered if he even needed a breath of air. The way his eyes lit up when discussing the new discovery of the tome and her willingness to help made her stare linger, even when Luna turned to address her.

“You always do find yourself up to something, don’t you dear sister?” Luna quipped, making Celestia’s head snap back to her. She stared owlishly before clearing her throat.

“W-well, it’s just. Something to do when we’re here. It’s nice to change things up. And I get to socialize like you suggested!” Unprompted, Celestia’s foreleg rose up and over Sunburst’s shoulder to pull him closer to her. His mane tickled against her chest. “Like with Sunburst here!”

“We see.” Luna’s raised eyebrow spoke where words did not, before she looked to the unicorn and adopted a polite smile again. “Sunburst, might I chat with my sister for a few moments alone? There was something that came to mind while I was away.”

“Oh, it’s fine! Sister talk. That’s important. Tell you what, you two catch up, and I’ll go exploring some. I’ll meet you back at the house?” He asked Celestia, making her nod before he turned to depart. She watched him go, her stare lingering in his direction before she looked at Luna.

“So what was it that you thought of?”

“You like him.”

The squawk of denial that left Celestia’s throat was most unladylike, enough to make Luna laugh into her hoof.

“L-Luna!”

“Oh yes. Come, sister. I want to hear more about this ritual.”

“So...there it is. I feel almost like an entirely new mare altogether. That ritual Sunburst discovered is the cause of it. I’ve gone from feeling like an aging husk paused in time to how you and I were in our prime, when we’d finished our tutelage under Starswirl.” Celestia finished her explanation of the past two days to her sister, who had listened with a pensive expression and forehooves pressed together. When she’d finished, Luna finally moved, picking up the book that Sunburst had left in their house and flipping through the pages.

“We recall an ancient magic of that type. Beyond the superficial works the mortal folk employ now for beauty and appearance. Although I hear they try to introduce some sort of foreign material called ‘silicone’ perhaps,” Luna remarked, “we were so ambitious in those early days. Never did we imagine an entire kingdom would come forth from a smattering of tiny villages.”

“They do tend to surprise us, our little ponies.” Celestia agreed. Her hoof came up to fiddle with the loose braid she’d retained after parting from Sunburst. “In all sorts of ways.”

“Indeed. Like charming an alicorn with their adorable nature.”

Celestia pouted. “I am not charmed. He is polite! And courteous! He even liked my hat.”

“Tis a nice hat.”

“Thank you, that’s what I thought too.”

Luna closed the book and smiled at her sibling. Celestia knew that smile. It was a very troublesome smile.

“Did anything else transpire during this ritual? Any odd interactions, perhaps a mistake in the runes?”

“I would imagine we’d have known if there was. Sunburst’s connector spell never went off, so we didn’t...why are you laughing?” Luna’s muzzle was scrunched up as she muffled herself with a hoof, further frustrating the white alicorn. “Luna!”

“Oh, sister. Thine intentions were honorable and fair, but magic does as magic will. Tell us; how long ago was the last time you sought a suitor?”

Celestia frowned in thought before answering her. “Far too long to try and recall. I...grew past such things, with the weight of the crown and kingdom on me. Even after your return, such pursuits just...never came to me.”

“You were never short pursuers, if the dreams of the realm tell me anything.” Luna assured her. “Many a pony rather relished the idea of an evening in the arms of Princess Celestia.”

“Luna, please don’t walk me down the dream escapades again. I still shudder at the darker avenues some wander.”

“Then let me bring light, oh sister of mine. The magic you subjected yourself to has done as it was told: to renew and refresh all within you. Your might, your magic, all coalesced and reborn like a new star in the sky,” Luna explained, continuing on after a breath, “but you neglect to remember that the natural order of things would resume as well. To possess a body of youth like the days of yore, means thine body is subjected to the whims and wants of the physical realm.”

Celestia sat still for a moment, trying to process what she was saying. “Luna, are you seriously suggesting that my biological clock is suddenly kicking into overdrive?”

“Perhaps not overdrive, but more like a chalice being filled under a powerful waterfall.” Luna offered. “And the heavier with water it grows, the greater its weight. But in a more common, perhaps raunchier wording: your body yearns for a mate, sister. And it’s yearning will be mighty.”

“B-but…” Celestia felt her cheeks darken at her sister’s suggestion. “Oh you’re just pulling my fetlock! There’s no way that could be what’s happening.”

“Tis nothing to be shamed by, dear sister. And it may not even happen, but I suspect more at play than this, from our innocent third party.” Luna’s smile never left her lips. She seemed so certain of the facts that it was equal parts frustrating as it was confusing. “Sunburst may have had nothing but innocent intentions, but what he did has put him right in your crosshairs.”

“How do you mean? He didn’t attempt anything forward or unbecoming. He has been the perfect gentlecolt!”

“And for that I am most glad. You could not have asked for a better return to the realm of carnal pleasures than with a stallion receptive to you and mindful of your well-being.” Luna opened the book again and held up the diagram to let Celestia see it as it hovered between them. “His spell, for the good it meant to do, has tampered with the magical intent of the spell. For not only are you restored to your prime, dear sister, but your body’s yearnings are being guided to him. It starts small, of course; you’ll feel radiant around him, happy and delighted in his company. He would speak well of you, and you’d consider him a kind soul, if genuine.”

Luna’s smile turned devious. “But time stops for nopony, and thine clock ticks ever onwards to a want for a warm body at your bedside. Your magic calls to reach for him, linking you to him without a single true binding of physical engagement.”

“You’re surely not suggesting I’m...going into estrus because of this?” Celestia questioned, thoughts racing a mile a minute. “How do you even know all this?”

“To the first question: no, tis not that. If it were, we’d hardly be having this conversation. No, this is the accumulation of years upon years of time you’ve kept your lusts, your desires locked away. Only now the doors have been undone and they are free to grow and breathe again. A mare in heat you won’t be, but a mare full of yearning and hunger you will. As for how we know? Consider all I have seen and witnessed, sister, in our time together. I have studied magic and its behavior to great extents; only you and I know each other’s magic so well. It’s just going to be a matter of time before you succumb. How you do so can still be up to you.”

“...you’re actually serious.” Celestia said.

“Quite. Some matters are worth a jest; this is rather personal, and to be fair, the first of April has long since passed. Elaborate jokes afterwards are best reserved for lady Pinkie Pie.”

Celestia sank into her seat and stayed quiet for a few moments, letting her thoughts swirl about her mind to ponder her alleged impending fate. “How do we know for sure? What if you’re wrong?”

If Luna was bothered by the questioning of her knowledge, it didn’t show. A patient nod was all she gave. “Then I’m wrong and we are fortunate to have your good health. But, and I do believe it’s a worthwhile butt since it’s yours in question,” Luna got up and nodded at the door, “let us test it.”

“How can we possibly test it?”

“Worry not; my methods are not as socially inept as I was some years ago.”

A few minutes later found the pair coming upon Sunburst once more, albeit slightly lost as he had his head covered by the unfolded map he’d purchased of the general area. Celestia lifted the map off his head and the unicorn smiled at her before explaining he’d gotten a little lost without her to guide him. The white alicorn’s wings had given a small fluff before she assured she’d help him out, with Luna smiling to herself all the while. Celestia saw this and schooled her features, intending on proving her sister wrong.

Luna then departed, leaving Celestia confused but suspicious at the excuse of needing to visit Twilight at the castle in Canterlot. The smile she was showing had no innocent intentions to it, but the alicorn couldn’t call her out on it there in front of Sunburst. Admittedly, without the teasing presence of her sister around, she could relax better around Sunburst. “What did Luna want to talk to you about?”

“Oh, it was nothing important really. Just a check-in to see how I was doing. I told her about the ritual we performed. She seemed quite intrigued.” Celestia told him.

“Maybe she would want to perform it as well?”

“No, no, no,” Celestia was quick to shut down that avenue of thought, “Lulu is actually happy with how she is. After the Nightmare Moon incident and Twilight restoring her, she seems to feel quite settled as how she is now. Disrupting that would upset her further, I feel.” She led him back towards the bay area; he’d mentioned wanting to see the harbor and where the ships sailed, she recalled.

“I see,” Sunburst noted before looking up to her, “Lulu, huh? What does she call you?”

Celestia chuckled. “Usually she’s so formal, she just says ‘sister’. Old habits of hers are hard to break, even after all this time in the modern age.” She looked down to him, eyes meeting his intrigued own. “What do you suppose would work?”

“Well, Sunny would probably be a little redundant. Or Sunshine.” He murmured out loud, “and saying CeCe just sounds...off. Your name’s quite tricky!”

Another giggle escaped the alicorn’s lips at Sunburst’s pondering, but before she could retort, they were interrupted by a pony racing up to them from up ahead. The mare’s appearance was quite...loud. Her mane was a yellow blonde cut short, a styled curl resting on the left side of her head. Green eyes peered through bedazzled red glasses that looked almost a size too large for her face, though they managed to stay on despite her gallop. A pen and pad hovered by her head as she came to them, her brown saddlebag jostling against her pink furred side.

“Oh my gosh, Sunburst! Mister Sunburst!” She called before stopping in front of them. Celestia raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet to observe as the mare drew in close. “I’m Sweet Strawberry, it’s so nice to meet you!”

Sunburst was polite and smiled, taking her offered hoof and shaking it. “It’s a pleasure, Miss Strawberry.” Sunburst turned to the alicorn beside him. “And of course, you know Princess Celestia.”

“Yes I sure do, your majesty!” She replied, before focusing her attention again on Sunburst. The slight was small, but Celestia felt a nerve tick in the back of her head. “But Mister Sunburst, the Crystaller of the Crystal Empire, you’re who I’m really here for! I write articles for travel magazines; we never get to hear much out of the Crystal Empire though!”

“W-well, there’s plenty to be told by anypony you ask there. Really,” Sunburst told her, adjusting his glasses, “I’m hardly an expert for travel commentary though.”

“Nonsense! A strapping, clever stallion like you could tell me plenty!” The mare’s pen was already writing, even without him having answered one question yet. “Wandering the seaside haunts of the Shoals for a breath of air, maybe?”

“U-uh, well…”

The muscles in the back of Celestia’s neck twitched.

“Or maybe there’s secrets hidden in Silver Shoals we don’t know of. Perhaps a handsome fella like you could walk me around and show me?” The mare was leaning in closer now, her glasses sliding down a little as she eyed him up. Her lips were curled in a smile that spoke of nothing involving a mere interview, and Sunburst’s nervous smile persisted at her questioning.

Now that was quite enough.

“Excuse me.” Celestia stepped closer, her full height evident as she placed herself beside Sunburst. The alicorn’s wing extended over Sunburst’s shoulders, staying overtop them as she peered down at the overly talkative mare. She held her look, unblinking even as a polite smile stayed fixed on Celestia’s lips. “But Sunburst here is already on a vacation away from work. If you truly wish to interview him, perhaps try at a time when he’s not trying to relax. If your interest is sincere, I can certainly guide you to the right ponies.” The calm on the outside helped contain her irritation within, even as the mare before the two backed up a couple steps.

“After all, being a monarch for a few lifetimes let’s one know plenty of ponies and experiences. But for right now, the two of us are just trying to relax. Just us two.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed a little at Strawberry. “So if you don’t mind...please allow us to carry on. And convene with us another time.”

“Y-yes ma’am. Of course. Right.” The mare’s pen and pad vanished into her saddlebag and she gave a light nod of her head before scampering off. Celestia stared at her retreating form, relaxing only once the paparazzi was gone.

“I apologize, Sunburst. I usually don’t cut in like that, but I can only endure so much from a nosy press pony.” She told him, looking down to the stallion. He was still within her grasp, but he made no move to leave her wing’s grasp. Being this close to her let her feel him rub against her wing, a pleasant sensation.

“It’s quite alright. I’m...I’m not the best under scrutiny like that. Reminds me too much of mom back home,” he explained to her, “always pushing for her schedule and ideas.”

She hadn’t meant to. She didn’t know what pushed her to do it. But Celestia leaned in and gave the stallion a gentle nuzzle with her cheek, making him pause from his rumination and stay still. A brief pang of worry struck her before he returned the notion, making Celestia smile down at him. The alicorn stayed close, glad her mane was still in it’s braid to keep it out of his face.

“You do a terrific job, Sunburst. Don’t let the pressures of the world enclose on you; take a breath and keep your head held high. Many times, I’ve thought I fell short. And yet somehow, I’m still seen as a great Princess. Even though I know my time has been riddled with mistakes and slipups.”

“Not at all!” Sunburst’s insistent reply made her eyebrows raise before he continued, “I-I just mean. You do a great job. I’ve seen how Shining and Cadance handled it themselves, and they had rough spots. And you did it on your own. Nopony can judge you on that merit. Least of all me. I...I think you’re fantastic.” His words caught up with his brain and he stammered. “Y-your work ethic. Your time as ruler, I meant. B-But you are too! Oh, balderdash.”

Celestia laughed, but embraced Sunburst to her side with her wing, to which the unicorn bore no resistance. “Oh, Sunburst. If only I had more sincere stallions around like you. Come. Let’s try to get to the bay before another burst of paparazzi tries to ambush us, hm?” She suggested. Sunburst nodded, more at ease alongside her. Only after a few steps did Celestia realize her wing was still on him, and she pulled it back, pushing down the reluctant feeling opposing the decision.

“Celly.” Sunburst declared, making her look to him from the path ahead. “That’s your nickname. Celly.”

The pink in her cheeks stayed as she beamed at the unicorn. Yes. A sincere stallion indeed.

RTS Ch. 3

Chapter Three

The day following their excursion to the bay found Celestia alone in her house, doing a bit of tidying on her own behalf. She knew she could do it via magic, as Luna often reminded her, but the idea of doing it with her own two hooves rather than just magical will felt more fulfilling. The dusting rag followed along the windowsill, moved by her magic, the alicorn humming an idle tune to herself. The sunlight outside peeked through the blinds, letting her see the neighborhood outside. It was quiet, and Celestia felt a pang go through her form from head to hind leg that had echoed since that morning.

It was quiet because he wasn’t in the room.

Luna’s teasing hadn’t ceased with her leaving; instead, she’d been cheeky enough to drop an envelope by the house while Celestia had still been sleeping. Somehow, she’d gotten a few photographs of the two walking together, one of the photos being with her wing around him as they went. Celestia’s cheeks had burned from the photo proof, as well as Luna’s scribble under the photo, reading: ‘Tis a nice photo of a lovely couple, is it not?’

Burning the photograph would only have given Luna more credit, she felt. So she instead stuck it on the mantle and did her best to ignore it.

The subject continued to trail after Celestia’s thoughts as she continued, stopping at the small wood-carved table that sat under the window to sit down for a moment. She let her stare wander upon the tiny grooves and nicks of the carved wood while her horn lit up, the photograph hovering back into view for her to look upon. Sunburst’s smiling face, looking up to her while she was looking back at him, the pair talking about Sunburst’s time while helping at the school in Ponyville. They could’ve been honestly discussing anything, she reasoned, and she’d have still looked that happy in his presence.

Lowering the photo and resting her head in her forehooves, Celestia felt her body give off a cross between a shiver and a pulse centered in her barrel and spreading throughout her, all from the thought of the unicorn. Did it make her strange, to feel attraction towards the stallion? Would it not be strange for anypony like her to be suddenly so struck with such a fixation? She was a Princess, a pillar of history and society who’d seen the development of the kingdom from scattered tribes to a united population. Such figures tended to be without such wants. But did those titles hold true any longer, now that the crown was no longer upon her head?

She looked at the photo again.

‘Tis nothing to be shamed by, dear sister.’

“Would there be anything without the magic’s influence?” She murmured aloud. “Or would I be left alone to wonder?”

“To wonder what?”

Celestia jumped in her seat, turning to the doorway. Her heart leapt as the very subject of her thinking was standing there at the doorway, closing the front door behind him and bearing a small brown bag. The alicorn could make out the tips of carrots peeking out from the top of the bag, shuffling as he walked in.

“S-Sunburst. I thought you’d said you were going to be away today, checking in on Ponyville and the Empire.”

“Oh, that was the plan. But then I remembered: I’m a unicorn!” He said with a chuckle as he set the bag down on the side of the table opposite her. “So instead of needing to physically go there, I just made use of a long-distance contact spell to reach them. Twilight showed it to me once where she projected herself onto a smaller object to communicate. Of course, I didn’t want to be a pirouetting pony, myself. Starlight was pretty surprised when her paperweight started talking to her.”

Celestia nodded before looking at the bag. “And what might this be?”

“This,” Sunburst gave the bag a small tap, causing an onion to roll out over the top before he caught it with a sheepish look and put it back, “is some ingredients for a lunch. I thought maybe it’d be nice to eat in and cook for you.”

“I was unaware you could cook, Sunburst. You surely don’t have to, if you feel obligated or-”

Sunburst’s raised hoof cut off her train of words, the unicorn only offering a confident smile. She only hoped she wasn’t blushing. “It’s not an obligation or anything. I wanted to do something nice for you. You’ve been treating me out all this time; what kind of guest would I be if I didn’t repay my host somehow?”

Celestia would have been more insistent, but curiosity and...other emotions, kept her from doing so. “Only if you’re wishing to. I’m hardly going to complain about somepony offering to cook for me.”

“Well, I wish to. So, there’s that.” Sunburst declared before chuckling, drawing another smile out of the alicorn. “If you’re hungry now, I could get started?”

“Certainly. I was just tidying up.” She replied before her eyes shifted to see the face up photo of the two resting on the table. A quick glance back to Sunburst saw that he hadn’t noticed it, prompting her to slip it under the flower vase on the table with her magic when he looked about the room. “Lunch sounds delightful.”

“Great! I’ll get started. You can come with me and watch if you want, or relax here. Either way’s fine.” He told her before going into her kitchen. A moment’s pondering kept Celestia seated until she chose to follow him, curiosity itching to see what he had in mind to make.

The kitchen wasn’t an overly large room, altogether, but there was enough space to let Sunburst work while she sat to one side near the window. The view of the town beyond the house added to the charm of the house, the lifted blinds allowing sunlight to pour in over the tiled floor and whitewood countertop. Sunburst undid his cape, letting it hang on a nearby rack by the door before slipping on a nearby apron. Well, he attempted to; he neglected to account for it being Celestia’s size and was left with the front trailing against the floor even after tying it twice.

The alicorn couldn’t help a small giggle at the sight, before Sunburst joined her in laughing and undid the apron. Without that or his cape to cover him, Celestia could better look upon his form. In her experience, unicorns typically favored a body type that echoed their habits of using magic over physical might. There would be small bits of fat that would cling to one’s barrel, neck, face, even the flanks. But Sunburst was a stark contrast. Celestia’s trained eye could see muscle, firm but not unyielding along his barrel and legs. Did he exercise?

“So you were wondering something, you said?” Sunburst asked. His back was to her now, a knife moving beside him to work at chopping up an arranged tray of carrots into neat little slices. “What was it?”

Celestia was unsure how exactly to politely explain to the unicorn it was him she was pondering on. It wasn’t rude, but still…

“O-oh. Well. Just...a personal thought or two, really.” She replied, keeping it vague for the time being. “Sometimes I lose my focus amongst my thoughts.”

“I can understand that. One moment, I’m studying the dialect of a forgotten civilization, trying to understand how to make their sentences work like ours. Then I’m wondering if they had sentences at all. Then I’m asking about grammar, and who came up with it, and why.” Sunburst spoke as he finished chopping the carrots up and moved on to the onions. “By the time the train’s stopped, I’m asking how I got to a debate on a teacher’s salary being a basket of apples versus oranges, and why they didn’t arrange for a substitute.”

Celestia let her imagination wander to the image of a studious Sunburst hard at work, and found it fit him entirely. “You’re quite the learner, are you not? You must be in your position.”

“I like to think that I just try to learn as much as I can as best I’m able. Some days I only get to really learn a little, but it’s that crucial little that can make a whole lot of things click together.” He replied.

Celestia rested her chin on her forehooves, the two pressed together to cradle her as she observed him. She let him work in peace for a few moments, his words floating through her mind and shuffling her thoughts around until she spoke before she could stop herself.

“Sunburst, do you think I can ever be like a normal mare?”

The query made the unicorn’s chopping motions slow, and he cast a look over his shoulder to the alicorn.

“How do you mean?”

“It’s...hard to explain,” she told him, “but it’s something that’s been itching at my mind of late.”

The tap of metal on wood persisted, staying consistently slow while Sunburst listened. Not hearing him reply prompted her to continue. “I’ve been a Princess for so long, ruling over the kingdom. Watching for threats past the horizon, trying to keep so many on a course of fortune and wellness. But it made me into this...well. This.” She gestured at herself with a forehoof before sighing. “And sometimes I think to myself that it’s all I’ll ever be. The Princess. The Ruler. But not...a mare.”

“Sounds like it’s a heavy thought for you.”

“As one who lifted and lowered the sun and moon for a thousand years, I certainly can agree to that assessment.”

Sunburst nodded. “And now that you’re here, the crown behind you, you’re thinking you’re still stuck with it on sometimes, right? Like you might wake up and suddenly, there it is.”

Celestia’s gaze settled on the back of Sunburst’s head as he spoke. “...yes. That’s surprisingly close.”

“Class dunce.”

The phrase was from so far out of left field, Celestia had to ask. “Come again?”

“That was me. Way back when I was a teen colt.” He told her, sliding the now sliced onions aside with the carrots. He turned the sink on with his magic and began washing the green vegetables he was going to work with next. “We had a lot of nicknames on the playgrounds and the hallways for everypony. Some of them were funny. Some were nice. And some, not so nice. I was the class dunce, because I could never get my magic to work the right way I wanted. I could study the spell, figure out the theoretical work, solve its inner workings and know it inside out. But performing was where I always stumbled.”

He turned the sink off and sat the greens in the large bowl he’d plucked from under the counter earlier. He could’ve used his magic, but instead used his knife to make sure they all got in the bowl properly. Celestia continued to listen.

“It stuck with me a lot. Harsh words and nicknames stick with a teen a lot more than we think. As adults we always say to the youths that ‘words can’t hurt you’ or any variant of that little nugget. But words can hurt. We see it as adults as much as we did while we were all kids and wondering who could swing the highest on the swing set, or run the fastest. Or in my case, who could perform magic properly and who couldn’t, for whatever reason. Fast forward to now, and I can still hear it clear as day.”

“But you’ve come so far since then. Look at you now! The you that you were then is not the you that you are now!” Celestia said.

“You’re exactly right. Royal Crystaller, Vice Headpony of the School of Friendship. And still a class dunce,” He told her, “in some ponies’ eyes. But they don’t get to decide what or who I am. I decide that. So I can’t perform magic the likes of which Starlight or Trixie or Twilight can do. That’s just one avenue of my life that I have to accept as part of me. I still decide who I am and what I am. Not anypony else.” Sunburst turned away from the counter finally and looked at the attentive alicorn with a smile.

“You get to decide how and who you want to be, Celly. It’s your choice. If you want to be a mare like anypony else who enjoys the little things, things like gardening or traveling or whatever appeals to you, then I say go for it. Be a mare. Heck, be the best mare you can be. You’ve got the brains, the ability, the looks. You know tons of mares see you as the pinnacle of beauty, right?”

“Do you?”

“Well. I’m not exactly a mare you know.” he replied, chuckling as he turned back to the vegetables. There was a tear of plastic, and he poured some croutons out into the building salad.

Celestia persisted. “...but do you think I am?”

The question gave Sunburst pause, and Celestia feared she’d pushed it too far. She shouldn’t have exposed her lack of confidence before him like that. It was too personal.

“Are you sure my opinion’s the one that matters?”

“It...it does to me. Right now.”

There was calm for a few more elongated moments before Sunburst looked back at her again. In his expression, his shyness showed in the color rising in his cheeks. But when she met his gaze, he didn’t look away.

“W-well. In for a bit, out for a bag they say.” he muttered before clearing his throat. “Yes. To answer your question. I think you’re...you’re very beautiful.”

Celestia’s heartbeat quickened, but she steadied herself. “Is it the Princess who is beautiful? The one in the stained glass windows, and the history books?”

“Yes and no.” He scrunched his muzzle in thought before speaking slowly. “Yes, because...that’s still you. But no, because that’s not the you that you are right now.” He paused and rubbed his cheek. “...that came out weird. Look, what I mean is,” he stepped over to the table next to her, and looked up at her again, “you being you right now, just Celestia. Celly. That’s somepony I think is very lovely.”

“Why?”

“Wh...why?” Sunburst almost scoffed, “You’re...you’re amazing! You’re radiant. Your smile can light up a whole room. You laugh and the world seems brighter for it. T-there’s all kinds of reasons.” He sputtered for a second before finding himself. “I-I’m not the best with this kind of thing. I’m not...I’m not a smooth charmer. But if you’re asking for a judgment call on your looks, trust me; you’ve got nothing to worry for. You just have to be you; that’s all you need.”

The smile upon her muzzle was ever-growing the longer Sunburst went on, taking delight in his mixed reaction of earnest sincerity and bashful awareness of who he was talking to. But through all of it, she knew he was speaking from his heart. His appraisal hummed in her ears, and she sighed as the tension of her worries left her, like a weight from her shoulders.

“Thank you, Sunburst. Truly.”

“Y-you’re welcome. Just uh...you know. Very lovely. All of you.” He mumbled out before returning to the countertop. “There was...some old term I remembered. Ancient texts of flattery and praise for you and Luna I found once.”

Celestia tilted her head while listening. “Oh? Do tell.”

“It said...oh, what was it?” He muttered under his breath, reciting ancient ponish while she waited. “...Callipygous. That’s what it was. You’re callipygous.”

It took all of three seconds before Celestia started laughing, making Sunburst almost drop his knife before setting it on the counter. “W-what? Oh, don’t tell me I actually just insulted you in the old tongue.” He asked.

“No, no,” she reassured him, “but I’m very flattered you think I have a generous and healthy backside.”

Sunburst’s entire face lit up like a lit ember, and she laughed once more as he stammered through numerous apologies. She, of course, reassured him that he caused no offense, and the atmosphere of the kitchen stayed light for the rest of the lunch. Sunburst was still a touch sheepish as he joined her for the salad he’d created, but she enjoyed his presence no less, his words still rolling around in her mind. Two things did stay more prominent than the rest though.

He had meant every word he said to encourage her. Which means he really did think of and see her as not just a Princess, but as a mare and a living breathing being like he was. And he didn’t deny that he liked her rump.

After lunch, Celestia had continued to chat with Sunburst in the living room, discussing more of the findings he had of the tome he’d brought to her. As it turned out, the book was one of several different tomes that each involved magics particularly keyed to a species of pony. Unicorns and Alicorns were obvious enough, but magic designed specifically for Pegasi and even Earth ponies was fascinating to consider. They stopped their discussion when Celestia noted the time, as the sun was lowering on the horizon thanks to Twilight’s guidance. The small wobble it still gave as it sank down only made her feel humored by her student’s learning.

With Sunburst away, the house was quiet again, leaving Celestia to ponder on what to do with her evening. Her wandering hoofsteps brought her back to the kitchen, the memory of their earlier discussion making her smile. Turning about the room, she paused at seeing a spot of color she didn’t recognize amongst the wood colored furniture, only to realize it was Sunburst’s cloak that he’d left behind by accident.

“Silly me. We were so busy talking, I forgot he left this up here.” She told herself before plucking it down and holding it up with her hoof. The material was incredibly soft, surprising the alicorn given how much he wore it to just about anywhere he went. She moved back to the living room, still holding onto the cape and debating on how to return it to him. Absent-minded, she lifted the cape up and nuzzled it against her cheek, making herself stop when she realized what she was doing.

Idle curiosity tugged at Celestia’s mind, and she looked about the room before her horn glowed and the door to the house was locked shut. The blinds were drawn as well, leaving her in a darker living room that was shifting from the ambient glow of the sunset to the luminescent shine of the rising moon. Nopony could see her right now. It was just her, alone. She lifted the cape up and sniffed it, taking a deep breath of the cloth where it would clip around his neck.

She shivered. Amongst the smell of parchment and ink was the hint of cologne, a subtle fragrance intermixed with the smell of stallion on the cloth. Her whole body trembled, and she took another breath in. Her body fell back against the sofa cushions as it washed over her, a sensation of want growing within her. A feeling of desire.

Lust.

Warmth surged in her middle, spreading down to her nethers as well as up through her chest as she continued to inhale Sunburst’s scent left on his cloak. Each inhale was like oil upon a growing fire that was burning within her, making her breathe deeper of Sunburst’s scent as her hoof wandered aimlessly along her prone form. Her mind’s addled imagination saw the hoof as Sunburst’s hoof, exploring the curves of the alicorn’s body. He’d slip through the fur of her chest, the fluff and softness giving way to her barrel, a slow circle forming at her midriff and making her whine. Her wings were twitching behind her, yearning to reach out to an invisible lover to pull them closer. Celestia’s eyes closed as she nuzzled the cloak again, thinking for a moment of it being Sunburst’s chest, small but firm against her cheek.

Her hoof’s contact with her teat made her shudder and her eyes opened again, gazing down her barrel to her wandering touch. This was so...so...dirty, to be doing this in reaction to merely Sunburst’s scent upon his cape. But she couldn’t stop herself; a shuddered moan escaping her as her hooftip circled around a hardening nipple, a tease but also more fuel to the flames. Would Sunburst like her teats? They were fitting to her larger form, more ample than a normal mare’s. She prodded and even tugged a little at them, thinking of him nipping at her buds like a thirsty colt for a mother’s milk.

Another deep breath. Sweat was forming at her brow and running down her neck as she worked herself up. The heat was throughout her now, making everything feel almost sluggish, languid. Her hoof circled the other teat before it slipped down, coming across wet, soaked fur. Further exploration had her gasping as she came into contact with her swollen, needy marehood. Her gaze stared down to where she could see herself touching her nethers, heat rising in her cheeks. This was dirty, for a princess to be doing this.

But...if it was Sunburst doing it…

Her hoof carried on with the idea, tugging at her mound and pawing at it to bring more sparks of pleasure. Thinking of it being him touching her, exploring her, made her throw her head back and allow the cape to rest under her chin and on her neck. She rolled onto her back, hind legs spreading as her second hoof, now freed, came to join its sibling and worked at pleasuring her. The pair worked in tandem, leaving Celestia to bask in the ecstasy of such efforts upon her form. Luna’s teasings before came to mind: stallions galore all had dreams of a night of debauchery with her. Could Sunburst be one of them?

Her hooves dug in deeper, reaching into her entrance and prodding at her folds enough to make a moan escape her lips. The alicorn’s hips wiggled, trying to beg for a deeper touch from the image of Sunburst in her mind. He’d oblige, and she moaned again as her hooves reached deeper still. She was flowing down there, she imagined, no doubt staining the couch with her sexual essence. Sunburst could wash his hooves in it, it felt like, or maybe he’d want a closer look. He could lick her clean and drink straight from the tap, a thought that made her back arch a little as her pussy winked from the thought. Her scent would be all he’d breathe in, the lustful arousal flooding his senses as much as hers.

Her hooves let go of her marehood as her horn glowed, magic working to form a long, smooth tube at her nethers. And when he was aroused enough, unsheathed and throbbing in need, he’d...he’d…

Celestia cried out as the magically formed dildo penetrated her, sliding into her with ease as she clamped down on it. Her breathing was ragged, catching in her throat before she exhaled as the dildo withdrew, then started to pump in and out of her. For all her renewed might, Celestia was powerless in denying the carnal delight of her actions, envisioning a lustful Sunburst taking out all of his wants, his yearnings upon her hungry snatch. Another dose of magic added to the scene, a faux pair of balls attaching themselves to the base of the magic toy stimulating her. The air was soon mixed with the audible slap of balls against ass as the pace quickened.

“S-Sunburst...oh, Sunburst, claim me! Take me!” She whimpered to the ceiling, eyes closed as she rode out every thrust her imagination saw him give. He worked himself into a frenzy, huffing and groaning above her as he laid claim to her marehood’s depths. It was too much to handle for Celestia. She cried out again, and her whole body seemed to tighten before stars exploded behind her eyes, a wail of ecstasy leaving her muzzle as her orgasm crashed into her. She drove the toy into her and held it there, thinking of him flooding her with his seed as he clung to her. Her juices squirted out onto the sofa around the toy, dots of moisture left on the fabric and darkening where they fell.

The orgasm left her mind numb, the alicorn all but collapsing against the sofa as her magic ceased. The only sound in the room now was her gasping breaths, Celestia’s eyes opening finally to look up at the ceiling. She envisioned that she looked a mess now, and would surely need a bath to freshen herself before bed. But more prominent than that was the still smoldering need for the stallion that she’d been thinking of, the one who’s cloak she picked up and held against her cheek, breathing in his smell again. Her hoof traveled down to her nethers again, a slow and loving stroke caressing her folds.

“Sunburst…”

RTS Ch. 4

It was clear by the next day that something would have to be done about this. Celestia could feel the want for more beyond what three sessions with a magic dildo - once more on the sofa and once in the shower - could do. She needed the real thing, beyond what her imagination could create. While her sleep had been deep and restful, it had done nothing to ease her desires; it was an effort to keep her tail from flagging or her wings from spreading just while daydreaming of the youthful stallion. But daydreams would not quench the awakened lust within her. Only the true stallion could do that.

The question now was how to approach him without scaring him away.

Celestia could tell he did find her attractive, or at least that she had attractive qualities. Whether her large size intimidated him or appealed to him was a little uncertain, yet she never really seemed to feel a nervous air around the charming Crystaller. So perhaps that concern was for naught. The only fear was about coming on too strong, that she’d scare him away by being too forceful or demanding. She would need composure and grace, control for just long enough to warm him up.

Then she could ravish him.

It was this mindset that brought the alicorn to a plan of action. She would just have to get him to come to her home and then she could act. Sunburst had a few key interests, she knew, but a persistent one was his love of studying ancient artifacts and history. Of course, a museum visit would be rather contrary to her plan for seduction. But who said she couldn’t bring the museum itself home? A quick teleport to the castle for a few unique artifacts she knew of and back solved that dilemma quite well. She could always write it off later as “an archaeological study” or something to satisfy Twilight’s curiosity.

“I must admit, I’m really surprised you’d let me see such artifacts. Are you sure it’s not going to get you in trouble?” Sunburst questioned. The pair were standing in the living room, the gathered artifacts resting nearby the cleared off coffee table for Celestia to use. The biggest of the three artifacts she’d picked had a cloth drape over it, keeping it a surprise for now while the other two were kept in small boxes. Why not let the unicorn unpack his surprise himself, she reasoned.

Celestia had to smile at his concern for her but waved it off with a hoof. “Not at all. After all, I’m the very mare that received these as gifts in the times before society as we know it today. In reality, they really do quite belong to me more than just to the display hall in Canterlot. Some of these have actually not ever been shown.”

“Wow.” Sunburst sighed, tapping his forehooves together. He had his cape back again, clipped around his neck, and completely cleaned of any evidence that she’d made use of it beforehand. His eagerness was endearing, and enthralling, to the large mare. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s my pleasure.” She told him, keeping her calm smile despite her hind legs’ twitch at the word ‘pleasure’. “Please, open one. I trust you to handle it safely, you’re quite careful with delicate things.”

Sunburst accepted the invitation, undoing the box lid and levitating out a vase that came to rest on the coffee table. The crafted decoration was made from skilled artisans of ages past, evident from the porcelain that made it up and created a unique picture across its surface. Sunburst leaned in closer, eyes squinting as he inspected the artwork.

“This is indeed older work. The coloring is a little faded, but...this is you here,” he stated, gesturing to one figure poised with several ponies bowing before her, “you can tell from the alicorn shape, but most especially because they managed to capture your mane color in the filaments. I’m surprised the color is still visible after so long.”

Celestia nodded and stepped a little closer to the unicorn, staying on his left side. “Care to wager a guess to what you’re viewing?”

Sunburst rubbed his chin, hooftip scratching the tip of his beard as he thought. Turning the vase a little, he stepped back and gave a small gasp before pointing at the half-visible sun at the top border of the vase. “...the first Summer Solstice festival?”

“Very impressive, Sunny.” It’d left her lips before she thought of it, but if he was bothered by the nickname, it didn’t show. The unicorn only smiled wider and turned the vase more, showing an artist’s rendering of a building behind the bowing ponies. “It’s one of the few pieces I have that’s not locked away in a museum from that era. Such a long time ago; little remains of the era save for myself and Luna.”

“Still. It’s magnificent. I can scarcely imagine the process used to make it retain its coloring after so long. Other artifacts made from stone or ceramics fade due to age, but this is like it was made just yesterday!” He remarked before setting the vase down and looking at the alicorn. “Thank you. Such history is amazing to see in person.”

“Oh, you’ve seen nothing yet,” Celestia promised before nudging the next box forward. Sunburst opened it with his magic and pulled out a statue this time, a figurine that was able to fit in Sunburst’s hooves with ease. It looked to be chiseled from marble, the weight making him hum before he settled it on the table to inspect it. This one wasn’t colored but cut to the finest detail to depict Celestia. The pose was a unique one: the alicorn’s mane billowed around her head, framing it and giving a true depiction of it’s rumored ‘ethereal’ status. She was seated on a cushioned seat, one hoof raised in greeting while the other forehoof rested with the others.

“Curious. Where did this one come from?” Sunburst asked.

“If my memory is correct, this one was made during an era a century or two after the vase. Keeping track of society’s progress back then was almost always a blur.” Celestia admitted. “See here? The marble is cracking along my flank and wing.” She gestured with her hoof for Sunburst to see, the unicorn nodding. “I suppose you could say even marble could not contain my size.”

“Or the crafter thought he was committing some heinous offense, working on your flank.” Sunburst said before he paused and a bashful smile crossed his lips, “uh...t-that came out wrong.”

Celestia giggled at his wording before giving his side a light tap with her hip. “No, you’re quite right. Some ponies just couldn’t quite get past the idea that I was untouchable. But I suppose when you do raise and lower the sun and moon, one does get elevated a little above the normal pony.”

Sunburst nodded before his eyebrows furrowed. “So what you’re saying is...they literally made your flanks divine.”

“There’s a section of the archives with ancient sonnets and poetry dedicated to me. You’d be surprised how creative one gets trying to describe my body and not come off as a suitor with wandering eyes.”

Sunburst chuckled. “Well...in all fairness; it is you. You do kinda stand-in for the idea of ‘divine beauty’.” Celestia’s cheeks colored and Sunburst stammered when he saw the effect of his words. “I-I meant in a historical sense! Cuz, you know! The whole role in the history of the kingdom, and such. Y-yeah. That’s it.”

‘So adorable. And so delectable.’ Celestia’s thoughts wavered between the dividing line of decent and indecent before she spoke again. “I’m hardly going to be offended by somepony calling me beautiful, Sunburst. Thank you.”

“Y-you’re welcome.” He cleared his throat, the orange in his cheeks mixed with red. The unicorn’s gaze fell to the third object, resting against the side of the sofa. “Let’s...see about this one.”

“Please, allow me.” Celestia insisted, stepping forward for the unicorn and levitating the larger square object, letting it sit up against the sofa’s backrest. This one was the one she’d been anticipating most, her tail giving a swish of excitement and nervousness. “This one’s actually a portrait done of me. I also realize each of these things so far has involved me to some degree; but...in a way, it feels nice to share tidbits of my history with another. One who listens and pays attention. Whether it’s to my words, my thoughts, or my flanks.”

“Ehehe.” Sunburst tittered, fiddling with his forehooves.

“But I think that opinion matters, in this case.” Celestia flicked her tail out to get Sunburst to look up, keeping his chin up and eyes forward as the alicorn watched him over her shoulder. She maintained her confidence, despite her inner turmoil, and tugged the cloth cover over the portrait down with her magic. “What do you think?”

Sunburst’s cheeks were aflame at the image presented to him. It was a large enough portrait to occupy a wall by itself, but the image would definitely command attention from anypony in the room. Celestia was posed against a wall, forehooves up to hold her up while her wings were spread around her barrel, the wingtips coming to rest on either side of her flanks at her cutie marks. Her gaze was staring back at him, over her shoulder, and past her mane that fell down her shoulders and back in a loosely tied braid. Her rump, fully on display in all it’s hefty glory, stood in plain sight with her tail flagged to the side. The only attire she had on at all in the portrait was the tiara atop her head and the dots of jewelry woven into her mane’s braid to help it keep together.

“...” Sunburst’s silence at first worried the alicorn, but she followed his gaze as it traversed all over the portrait, not just the obvious fixed point of her rear end on display. “U-um.”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

“Y-your tiara. It’s...different from modern designs done now. The j-jeweled braid too. T-they were in fashion some four hundred years ago,” He remarked, “before you...changed things.”

His eyes were drifting here and there, but she could see him continuing to look to her rump. She grinned and scooted closer, placing her muzzle near his ear. “I lost a little weight before this was done, but the artist felt a need to...embellish a little.”

“E-embellish. Right. That...uh. Wow.”

“Maybe you should compare it to the present day?”

This made the unicorn jump a little, but to his credit, he didn’t flail away or at her. He turned a nervous gaze up to her, only then seeming to realize how close she was.

“C-compare it. Your…”

“The back porch, as some ponies tend to say,” She whispered in his ear as she continued, “or perhaps you’d enjoy a full examination. Up close. Personal.”

“C-Celly?”

“Yes, Sunny?”

Sunburst swallowed and held the retired ruler’s gaze as he spoke. “...a-are you suggesting t-that I should...uh...y-you’re inviting me to…”

She could tell the right words were evading him. His being flustered wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no yet either. Bringing a forehoof forward, she ran it along his chest, up and then down in a tender, slow motion.

“Maybe I am. Maybe this mare’s found a curiosity in her newfound friend. Her honest, caring, and attentive friend.” He kept listening as she spoke. She could feel his heartbeat racing against her hoof as she crossed over it. “Maybe this renewed body of mine’s been yearning for a stallion to warm it in the way only a stallion can.”

“M-me? Not...not like...a-anypony else?”

“There is nopony else like you, Sunburst,” She assured him as she nuzzled his cheek slowly, letting her mane tickle his cheek before she kissed his earlobe, making it flick. “Just like there’s nopony else like me.” Her hind legs were twitching again, a heat forming in her nethers as she was working herself up as much as him. “Would you be here alone with me, do you believe, if I desired others?”

“N-no. I...suppose not.” Sunburst let out before a shaky hoof touched his spectacles. He was trying to adjust them, but she saw he was having trouble. Instead, her hoof left his chest and claimed the glasses for him, pulling them off and levitating them to rest on the table. “...C-Celestia.”

“Yes, my dear Sunburst?”

“I-I’m...I-I’m a virgin.” He confessed. “I’ve never...n-never quite had the grace or fortune t-to uh...enamor a mare enough. Like that.”

Celestia’s excitement rose with this new fact, her pink cheeks retaining their color while she listened to him before speaking. “Then I have plenty I can teach you. All you have to do,” she paused to lean in close, her lips hovering before his as her eyes stared into his very soul, “is say yes. Consider it...extra-curricular learning with your wide-rumped teacher.”

He didn’t vocalize it, but Celestia could hear his desire in the small fleshy slap that came from under Sunburst. His face was brick red, but he didn’t dare look down or try to hide from her. He continued to hold her stare, as she only smiled.

“Is that a yes?”

“........yes. I...I want...you.”

Celestia replied with a deep kiss, one that she knew would no doubt overwhelm the nervous stallion. She could feel him trying to kiss back a little, but his distraction was helpful as she simply lifted him with her magic, moving him with her to her bedroom nearby. Though not nearly as massive or decorated as her old quarters in Canterlot, the large bed was more than enough space to place Sunburst upon his back as she climbed up to join him. His reddish-orange mane stood out against the white sheets, his cock - an oak brown with dots of pink along with it - throbbed against his barrel.

“T-this is...this is real, isn’t it?” Sunburst questioned. “I’m not...dreaming?”

“Have you dreamt of this before?” His guilty glance aside made her marehood clench in want, and she soon was grinding herself against his cock. “Dreams of sleeping with a princess. You naughty colt.”

As Sunburst could only moan from the sensation, Celestia felt a burning within her as well. They were finally here, she could finally satisfy her body’s yearnings! Yearnings for him, for the cute stallion beneath her. She leaned down and kissed him again, his moans muffled as she held him there while continuing to rub against him. The feeling of his throbbing mass against her, hot and thick, brought out a moan from her throat as well.

“Oh, Sunburst…” she whispered when she broke off, the stallion panting for air under her. She adjusted her stance, her larger size making her scoot forward a little until she felt his thickness rub against her soaked lips. The alicorn used her magic to adjust his length, moving it under her hind leg to swing it about against her rump, finding purchase in the valley of her ass. “Oooh...that feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Y-yes!” he yelped out, and Celestia felt herself gush at the desperation in his tone. She thought to tease him some more and pressed her rump around him to encapsulate his cock between the massive cheeks. The warmth coming off his cock was delightful, making her smile as she worked him over with her rump, hotdogging him with slow, deliberate strokes. Her tail was flagged high, eager for what was coming soon. She lowered her head and kissed at his cheek, then his neck. Her mane fell about their heads, muffling Sunburst for a moment and making her lift back up.

“C-celly!”

She was about to ask what he needed, or perhaps to tease further, when she felt a splash of hot and wet liquid fall against the top of her ass. A touch of confusion ran through her senses, leaving the alicorn to look back behind her and seeing Sunburst’s length spurting cum out against her rump and onto her tail, staining the hairs white before the flow slowed and Sunburst went slack under her.

“...whoopsie,” She muttered to herself before looking down at Sunburst. “I might have gotten a little too carried away...Sunny?”

The stallion had his forehooves over his face, covering his eyes as she watched him. There was a tremble in his form that felt improper for what the mood had been moments before, leaving Celestia to realize what had happened. The roaring flames within her were quelled as concern overtook her, and she brought herself off of him to lay at his side. With a simple motion of her foreleg and wing, she brought him in close, keeping the shaking stallion against her.

“Sunburst. Please look at me.”

“I-I’m s-so sorry. It felt so good! I-I...I-I got too excited!” He pleaded with her, “P-please don’t be upset!”

Shushing sounds came from the alicorn as she embraced him, running a hoof along his mane. “You don’t have to apologize to me, Sunburst. It’s I who owes you an apology.” She told him. “Don’t be scared.”

“I-I should’ve...s-said something. Or tried to hold off. I-I’m just...just a hopeless virgin.”

Celestia shook her head and leaned down to nuzzle the top of his as he buried his face in her chest fur. “You are not hopeless. And a virgin only for now.” Her coaxing helped to ease him a little, and she continued. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. I…” she thought for a moment on what could comfort somepony in a moment like this, and let instinct guide her. “I’m not going to leave you. I’m staying.”

This seemed to ease the shaking stallion somewhat, making him relax more in her grasp. Sensing this, she pressed her lips to the top of his head and kissed the spot gently before speaking again. “I would not be cruel to you like that. Not to my Sunburst.”

“...b-but I didn’t even...I need to...I-I’m supposed to…”

“And we can. If you’re still willing, as I certainly am. There’s no need for us to rush things.” She whispered to him. “Why rush that which we both desire?”

“...r-right...you’re right…” the stallion’s composure was slowly returning as she comforted him, and before too long, he lifted his head up to look at the watchful alicorn. His small smile warmed her spirit, and she gave a small nod of affirmation. “You’re just...you’re too amazing. I feel like at any moment, I’ll wake up and be alone in my bed. Again.”

“You’ll never have to endure that again, Sunburst. Not with me.” She told him. “Here...touch me. Hold me.” she reached for his foreleg, and brought his hoof up to her cheek, letting him caress her there. He moved slowly, letting certainty and ease of mind come to him little by little. “Do you see? I’m real. As are you. As is this moment we’re sharing. And we can share...other moments. If you still wish.”

“I do. T-that is,” he said quickly, making her smile before he caught himself, “I...I-I do want that. Wish that. I just...I-I don’t want to disappoint the most amazing mare I’ve met in my life.”

Her heart fluttered from the sincere admission and compliment, and his reward was a loving kiss on his forehead. “Then let’s start slow and easy. Let’s try...kissing. Hmm?” At his slow nod, she lowered her muzzle to meet him, planting her lips on his with a gentle touch that was soothing as much as enticing to the older mare. He was still a little overwhelmed, she felt, as it took him time to try and return her efforts. The first kiss ended with him looking dazed before she dove in again to give him another round.

The second try brought him to life, the stallion kissing back and sinking into her velvet soft touch. His hoof left her cheek and came to run along her long neck, a soothing touch that she enjoyed as he dug into his courage to return her affections. It was working, as she gave out a quiet moan into his muzzle before he withdrew. He was panting for air, making the older mare giggle at his flustered expression.

“Try breathing through your nose, dear.” She offered, coaxing a nod from him. The third kiss showed he was listening, as he was able to hold it much longer that time. Being a little daring with her, Celestia’s eyes widened as she felt his tongue probe at her mouth before she let him in. His smaller tongue was shy but gentle as it greeted her own. His courage was rewarded with a loving stroke of her own tongue on his, reaching along its length before circling around it, Sunburst only able to release a muffled groan from the amorous effort.

On breaking apart, Celestia felt a small drop of saliva in the corner of her muzzle and licked it back, taking delight in Sunburst’s dopey grin on his face. She leaned down and nuzzled him, whispering, “You’re not bad at all, mister virgin.”

“I have a fantastic teacher?”

“Indeed.” She purred down at him before bringing a hoof down to rub at his chest, holding his stare as it moved to his barrel. The lightest of touches on his belly made him quiver, causing her to giggle again. “Ticklish?”

“A little. I um-oh!” He squeaked as the tip of her hoof brushed the renewed tip of his cock. “I-I...um…”

“Yes, my dear?”

“...I-I’m not trying to delay you. B-but...m-my understanding of...s-sex, tells me I should do for my mare, n-not just for myself.” He told her, evoking a curious look from the alicorn. “C-could I...godownonyoupleaseifthat’snottoomuchfuss?”

Oh, he was just precious.

“I welcome any gentlecolt willing to please me.” She told him before scooting away enough to roll herself onto her back. A sweep of her hoof moved her mane back, letting it pool about her head as her wings splayed out on either side of her body while Sunburst moved. Heat rose in her cheeks as she held her hind legs splayed apart, her wanting marehood on display for the curious and eager stallion. Sunburst’s eyes trailed over her form, the stare making her marehood wink in want when he looked to it.

“...I surely died and went to heaven. Had to.” he muttered.

“Heaven’s right here and waiting,” she quipped back, her tail giving a light flick against his foreleg as she laid there.

The touch prompted Sunburst to move, and Celestia awaited the telltale pounce of a stallion on his wanting mare. But he surprised her when he knelt down first and planted a tender kiss first on her right thigh, then her left. The tuft of his beard tickled against her skin as he kissed a trail up along said thigh to her middle, skirting just over where her nethers awaited to nuzzle the fur of her underside. It was delicate, and surprisingly loving for a stallion only now getting to bed his first mare. The quickening pulse in her body testified to his efforts, Sunburst nuzzling against one of her teats to give it a soft kiss before doing the same to its twin. The contact of his lips near the hardened nub urged her to speak.

“S-sunburst. Please.”

“Just savoring a work of art.” He appraised, making her blush darken before she quivered as his breath washed over her marehood. There was no doubt in her mind that he could smell her arousal that close, craning her neck to look down and see his eyes entirely fixated on her pink walls that awaited his touch. “...u-um. How do I…?”

“Start...with whatever comes to mind.” She replied.

He nodded, and Celestia laid her head back on the pillow before her calm was fractured as his tongue came into contact with her walls. He just dove straight in, and she barely stopped the yelp leaving her throat as her sensitive walls sparked to life from the contact. His tongue was hot, a sliding mass that caressed around her inner depths with curious caution and left her moaning from the contact. It took a great deal of will to not squeeze his head between her thighs, though she was sure he wouldn’t object.

Too soon, in her opinion, did he pull back. She looked down at him to see his pink tongue licking at his lips, where her essence stained his muzzle. His own face was a flushed red like hers, but she was the one left panting as he looked up at her.

“...I-I like it.”

“Then dip in for a second helping, dear. Or even a third.”

And he did, without another moment’s pause. Celestia threw her head back and sighed in glee as she felt his tongue resume its diving into her pussy. He lacked practice, she knew, but the sheer delight of him enjoying her taste fueled her ecstasy as much as his probing tongue did. He’d jerk it left and right, pressing against her marehood’s walls and coaxing approval from her in moans and jerks of her outstretched hind legs. Her hoof resting on her barrel gave up its resistance and ran along with Sunburst’s head, caressing him and pushing him into her entrance enough to make him stop before resuming his efforts. His virgin tongue would need to stop every few moments to recover, no doubt unprepared for the likes he was putting it through. But every second was pure pleasure for the alicorn, enough so that she could barely string together her thoughts.

But for all his work, the yearning in her still craved more, something proper and stiff and bumping against her leg every time he shifted position. With a gentle tap, the alicorn got her lover’s attention and let him raise his head up to regard her. Dear heavens, her essence was dripping from his chin. ‘Such a thirsty stallion’.

“I’m ready for you to carry forward, dear Sunburst.” She beckoned, bringing a hoof down to tug at her marehood’s swollen lips. “More than prepared, thanks to your efforts.”

“Y-yes. Right. T-the main attraction.” He rose up, hind legs giving a small tremble despite the throbbing mass that hung under his barrel, a clear display of his lust for her. It took a great deal of will on her part to not pin the adorkable stallion down and claim him herself if she were honest. But one look at his nervous expression, at the very threshold of manhood as it were, kept those thoughts simmering on the backburner for now. “I just...have to go for it.”

She nodded when he glanced at her, keeping quiet for the moment before he moved to position himself at her entrance. From this angle, she could actually better see his cock than just feeling it as before. He had nothing to be ashamed of in that department: his oak shaft looked thick, well-equipped to spread her and fill her. The length was not bad either, certainly no adonis but fitting for somepony like Sunburst. Liquid dripped from the flattened cockhead as he used a foreleg to position himself, prodding at her entrance.

“I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.” He chanted under his breath. His nerves would undo his arousal if she didn’t say something, she feared. The alicorn reached out to her lover with a hoof, holding his chin and getting his attention off of their rubbing privates to look at her.

“You’re exactly right. You can do this,” She told him, smiling as she spoke, “just breathe, and go with the flow. Trust me.”

Celestia’s words washed over Sunburst as he listened, and calm came to him after a few seconds. “...Celly.” He whispered finally before nodding and pushing forward, his tip penetrating her with little work due to how wet she already was. He kept going even as he moaned aloud, pushing forward until he was wholly hilted within her.

Celestia’s eyes rolled back as a feeling of completion ran through her, starting from where Sunburst’s cock throbbed within her clenching pussy and sharing its ecstasy through every nerve inside her. “Yessss…” she moaned aloud, gasping as she felt Sunburst give a twitch, every little shift and throb like a spark of life made new. “Sunburst!”

Sunburst was not nearly as coherent, his eyes almost crossed as he laid himself atop her barrel, keeping himself sheathed and nearly gasping for breath as if he had ran a marathon before penetrating her. They laid there together, joined as one, for several moments before he started to pull back. Well, he tried; Celestia couldn’t stop herself from clenching down and making the stallion’s hips stop from moving as he was squeezed from every direction on his cock. “H-holy Sun...t-this is…”

“This,” Celestia cut in, “is the pussy of a mare in need. Your mare, in need.” She breathed out before lifting her head to look at the brick-red faced stallion. “She wants your cock. Your seed. Everything of yours.”

Sunburst looked star-struck before he was finally allowed to move as she relaxed her marehood enough for him to act. He pulled back, only able to manage a few inches before he slid back in, moaning along with her. The wet Schlick of his cock moving was an undercurrent to their shared sounds, slow but steady as Sunburst experienced her entirely. He started to find his groove, enough to make a rhythm of his thrusts that she could lay back and enjoy.

And enjoy she did.

How she’d gone so long without the carnal delight of a lover to fulfill her like Sunburst was mystified Celestia. And he was a virgin! His first experience was with her, and even if his movements could be called amateurish, there was a tenderness in them that was doing wonders for her. Her wings were twitching beside her while she held onto Sunburst’s shoulder with one forehoof, the other resting on her barrel as Sunburst rutted her. He could’ve tried going deeper, or making longer thrusts, but at that moment all was well.

“C-Celly. I’m...I-It’s happening again.” He called to her. “W-what should I-”

Instinct worked before thoughts could be processed. A simple motion of her hind legs hooking behind his rump said plenty before she opened her lips to speak.

“Seed me.” She beckoned.

That command, both sultry in tone and powerful in authority, broke Sunburst’s control. With a mighty cry, he hilted himself inside of the larger mare and let his seed flood her womb. A blissful sigh escaped her lips as the flash of heat grew, surging from her core as his cum flooded her depths. Clenching around him to squeeze every drop he could produce, she only relented her hold when she felt him go slack in her grasp, the stallion laying atop her barrel while his shaft softened within her depths. The sensation was a slow trickle against her pussy’s walls, but she didn’t make him move. She was too busy basking in the warmth of his climax within her before finally opening her eyes to regard him.

“And that,” she said, “is your virginity truly claimed, dear Sunburst.”

Sunburst panted for breath, winded from the experience before trying to answer her. “I’ve not...felt anything like that before. Ever. No magic can top...that. You.” He stumbled for words, humoring the alicorn.

“Come here to me, Sunburst.” she urged, patting the spot next to her. He moved with a little effort, shaky limbs carrying him beside her until he found rest with his head on the pillow beside her, gazing up at her face. “Tell me; what do you suppose happens now?”

“Um.” He took a second to think before attempting an answer. “Well. I-I’m not...100% sure. Because…”

“Because?”

“...you haven’t been satisfied yet.” He told her, looking bashful, “I-I haven’t...done enough yet.”

“It does not mean you’re lacking,” She told him, reaching with a hoof to pet his cheek as they laid there, “not every time spent with a mare ends like the seedy films and dirty books would lead you to believe.”

“It...it doesn’t?”

“True satisfaction rests in the joy of the time spent together.” Celestia’s wing came around, moving him closer so she could embrace him with her foreleg. The added bonus of getting to use one of her hind legs to caress his own was a nice afterthought as well. “You’re doing a great deal to accomplish that, with a mare who hasn’t shared her bed in quite some time.”

“Yes, but…” he trailed off before his brow furrowed and he looked at her again, “...it matters to me that I at least try with all I can. I-Inexperienced as I am, I still...I want…”

“Yes?” Her tail curled as she could see where his thoughts were going, but waited to hear him say it himself.

“I want to pleasure you more. M-maybe I’m lost in the hormones and adrenaline. But...r-right now, if my body was willing, I’d give and give until I knew you were truly satisfied.”

Her marehood pulsed, a smudge of his cum dripping along the folds and out onto her thigh. She shivered from the sensation and his earnest attitude. “And if I helped you with that small problem, do you think you’d fulfill that earnest wish, Sunburst?” Her husky tone wasn’t lost on the unicorn. The look in his eyes spurned her on, her lust burning as he answered her.

“I’d be all yours.”

Celestia’s horn pointed towards Sunburst as a tendril of magic extended from it to his chest, making him look down to watch. Concentration kept her still for a moment as she felt out Sunburst’s magic within him, and finding what she was seeking, gave a small jerk of her head down towards his groin. He groaned but stayed put until she was done, her magic aura fading and he opened his eyes to look at her. “W-what did you do?”

“Well...let’s make it simple, for both our sakes,” she explained as she rolled him onto his back, “I linked your magic from its usual pathing to focus on your groin. Think of it as...magic enhancement. The one you can take without needing to call a doctor later.” She kissed him afterwards, slow enough to leave him trying to follow her before their lips parted and he was left to watch as she kissed a trail down his chest. Her nose poked into his barrel, letting her smell of his scent of sweat and desire and causing her body to shudder.

“S-sounds...very useful. Another spell to study?” he mumbled out.

“Oh, we’re studying it.” She replied in a distracted fashion as she went further south. “But allow your partner to take her turn. This is a shared project, and I prefer to be more hooves-on than others.”

If Sunburst had any reason to attempt objecting, it was lost when her tongue reached out to lick around his sheath as his half-flaccid member twitched from the contact. She gave it a tender tongue-lap as well, the taste of stallion, earthen and bold, intermixed with the sweetness of her own essence that remained on his shaft. “Oh, Sunburst…” she sighed out as she went lower and kissed along its base.

“S-should I...d-do something?” He asked her.

“Just lay back and enjoy.” She cooed before dipping down to his resting balls. The pair were still well-burdened with seed, it seemed, despite having climaxed twice already. ‘The poor boy is so pent-up,’ she thought before kissing both orbs like they were newfound treasures for her. His moans coaxed her on, adding another kiss to the right ball before licking at it, letting the taste of him run over her tongue. Every inhale she took fanned the flames with his musk, arousal directed solely at her, for her. Saliva drenched his sensitive flesh before she turned to its brother and lavished it with her attention.

Sunburst’s sounds drove her on, every little nibble or loving caress coaxing more noises of want from the unicorn. His length soon had its strength again, hardened and batting against her head as it fell amidst her mane. Feeling it throb against the top of her head, the alicorn extended her magic to her long locks of rich, full hair, enveloping his length in its mass and stroking him slowly as her worship of his balls continued. Her maw opened and allowed one of his balls to fall into her mouth, enclosing her lips around it to suckle and bat it with her tongue.

“C-Celestia!” He cried out, and her pussy clenched from the call. It was a call for her, the pleasure she was giving him, enjoying because of her. Her mane stroked him in a slow, deliberate pace that made him throb as she slurped on his ballsack. The alicorn’s hoof slipped down underneath her, pawing at her nethers as she let herself be lost amidst the lustful worship. Her hooftip was soaked in seconds, cum and her juices falling onto it as she toyed with herself.

Her maw opened, letting his ball fall against his groin before she turned her efforts to its twin. The taste of him was renewed, the heat of his groin reaching from his base and the bits that brushed her forehead to the mass lost in the pool of her mane still tugging at him. She knew that his cock would be leaking into her mane, staining each hair with his essence. It didn’t disgust her in the slightest; a surge of desire burned in her at the idea of basking in his seed, if he braved a wish to climax on her face and body instead of within. She had no doubt she could get him off with almost any part of herself, a fact that boosted her confidence.

Celestia finally released his ball from her oral grasp, the wet plop of it joining its twin satisfying to hear as she also released his cock from her mane’s grasp. She rose up, letting Sunburst look to her as she peered down back at him, an almost smug smile on her lips.

“You seem ready for another round. The only question is how to indulge this time.”

“...I did have...one thought.” He confessed.

“Share with the class, my dear Sunburst.”

“...I envied the artist who did your portrait. From before. The view he had must’ve been...well. He’s a lucky man.”

“Perhaps he was. But he’s not the one in this room, is he? Just me...and you.” She said, knowing what he was getting at. Taking a moment to orient herself, Celestia brought herself around to present her rear before Sunburst’s view, her rump planting itself square in his lap. His shaft was pinned against his barrel, wedged between her ass cheeks much like when they first fell into bed together. Only this time, there was more control, as Sunburst’s hooves came up to rest on her sizable cheeks. “Finally getting to feel the real deal?”

“...you’re so...plush,” he said, making her give a quiet laugh as he squeezed what he could grasp in his hooves. “...I love it.”

“You’ll get to love it more in just a moment. Allow me to just...shift things,” she told him before raising up, his grip relenting as she guided his tip to point back at her entrance once more. Her cheeks burned as a moment’s thought of awareness illustrated for her just how lewd she was being with the unicorn, before caving to lust once more and sinking down on his cock as he penetrated her with ease. “Mmm...such a lovely fit…”

“I-I’m glad I...o-oh fuck!” He cursed as she bottomed out, her round rump making a light smacking sound once she fell down. His hooves fell upon her ass, kneading at her bountiful cheeks. “Celestia!”

“Oh, Sunburst!” She echoed his lust, and rose up again, starting the lustful cycle anew between them. She slammed back down, the bed giving a thump from the impact. Sunburst bore no pain from it, a momentary worry banished when she felt his hips raise up to thrust into her as he tried to solve her rhythm for himself to follow. “Yes! Yes, give it to me. Give me your...cock!”

It took a few attempts by Sunburst to try and match up with her, the larger mare’s motions overwhelming his smaller form with ease. But she soaked up his want for her and soon found a pace they could both bask in. When she’d come down to slide him inside her, he’d thrust up, hilting himself and evoking a cry of desire from the alicorn. Her wings would flap and help her lift up, only to come back down to repeat the cycle again and again.

The hefty slap of her rump against his lap was an undercurrent to their shared moans, her largest asset bouncing before Sunburst’s view. A look over her shoulder at the stallion showed his brick-red face wound up between desire and exertion, focused entirely on watching her through awestruck blue eyes. Sunburst’s desire centered on her and her bouncing rump as she rode him. Her tail rose up and over his shoulder, a splash of green and blue and pink against his rusty orange coat that cushioned his head and even caressed him as they carried on. He was holding on for much longer, she knew, even as he throbbed inside her clinging tight walls.

“Sunburst...Sunburst!” she chanted his name between gasps of air, sweat starting to pour down her neck as the heat bore down on her. Her muscles ached from the rough pace, but lust tampered that ache with ease to keep her going. It was pushing her forwards, her climax growing closer with each stroke. His throbbing stallionhood was brushing against yet untouched spots she couldn’t reach before, the new angle working in both their favors. Gasps left her lips as the very air she tried to inhale came in as heated as she was feeling. “Oh, yes!”

“Celly!” he cried back, his weary body pumping up and into her as best he could manage. She had to give him credit: despite his small frame compared to hers, he was giving his all to please her. It was not the practiced motion of an experienced lover, but the feverish desire of one wanting to make their partner be fulfilled. Celestia felt her eyes roll back as her hoof came down to reach her clit, the swollen nub pulsing every second. Her touch shot a blast of pure ecstasy throughout her form, her wings stiffening as she stretched them outwards.

“S-Sunburst, it’s coming. Oh! Oh, it’s coming! I’m so close!” She beckoned to him.

“Me too. I can...b-barely hold on. Cum! Cum, Celly!”

His call to her tipped the scales just enough. An overwhelming sensation tore through Celestia’s body as she threw her head back, riding with no rhythm or pace but pure lust as she slammed down onto his cock, letting Sunburst fulfill his role as she tightened around his member. The strangled cry that left her filled the room, her torso trembling as her long-awaited orgasm exploded. Her marehood couldn’t contain her juices, the force of her climax squirting her femcum around Sunburst’s shaft, his lap, and onto the sheets, staining them all in turn.
The stallion under her could only hold out a little longer into her climax’s beginning before he too caved into pleasure. A cry of her name was all he gave before he hilted into her and let his seed splash into her depths once more. The hot blasts of cum upon her walls extended her pleasure, making both of them cling to the other as they rode it out. Even as Sunburst’s cum was squeezed out around the seal her pussy made on his cock, Celestia could feel every drop of him within her, and the feeling of completion overwhelmed her.

The alicorn fell back, body slack and weakened as Sunburst’s cock slipped out of her, falling to his lap. He was buried between her and the bed, something she could barely think about in time to roll off of him to gasp for air beside the stallion who was just as winded. The pair laid there, the only communication between heavy breaths being a hoof outstretched from Sunburst to Celestia’s foreleg, lifting it up to let it rest over his shoulder as he moved in closer to snuggle with her. She welcomed his warm body against hers, nuzzling into his mane and simply basking in the shared comfort they had.

“...amazing,” he mumbled out into her neck, making Celestia smile. She was still getting her breath back, but her body wholeheartedly agreed, if her trembling hind legs had anything to say.

“Oh, Sunburst...thank you,” she whispered to him. She expected him to mumble back, to offer some kind of affectionate reply. When nothing came, she opened her eyes to look down and see the weary stallion was entirely knocked out, spent from their lovemaking but wholly embracing her. The smile on her lips widened, and she simply pulled him closer to let him rest against her while they basked in the other’s embrace, sleep taking Celestia soon as well.

The next morning

It took a long shower and a good spot of coffee to bring Celestia out of the low-energy buzz that she woke up to. She was weary, needing to work a little to extract herself from the grasp of Sunburst’s hooves. His sleeping form looked to stir when she rose from the bed, before settling when his muzzle found her pillow and nuzzled into it, her smell assuaging his sleeping worries enough to settle again.

Standing at the kitchen counter, the alicorn gazed out at the neighborhood past her window and saw the world similarly raising itself up to life as she had. Her bathrobe hung loosely around her shoulders, untied but a comfort no less. Her thoughts darted from here to there, but in the end, they all cycled back around to the unicorn sleeping upstairs and a solitary fact that could not be argued away.

Celestia was...fulfilled.

The fact that it had taken a pony like Sunburst to finally bring such a feeling to her after so long spoke to how long she’d needed that feeling back in her life. It breathed confidence, grace, self-esteem back into her soul, from a night of lovemaking with a pony turned friend turned lover over the course of a week. The burning sensation that emanated from his presence didn’t quite fade but fell more into a warm glow that rose in her every time she thought of him. She was prepared for things to fade once they finally shared a bed together, and yet here she was, unable to shake the feeling that had been nipping at her hooves.

Was it love? Not quite yet. Was there interest? He certainly intrigued her, and she knew she was appealing to him. There was potential. Where once sat distant teacher and foregone student now rested a much closer, much more intimate relationship. But it felt...right. Like a lost art piece found after being shoved to the back of the closet for years at a time. Maybe...maybe things could unfold in such a way.

“Celly?”

Sunburst’s voice brought the mare out from her thoughts, turning to see the groggy stallion stumble into the room. He was squinting a little, lacking his glasses at the moment. It was a thought corrected by her magic as she summoned the forgotten spectacles over to him, which he took and slid into place with ease. “G-good morning.” He greeted her. Bashful. Sheepish. Even with the genuine claim to fame now of being bedder of the fabled Solar Princess.

Yes. He’s worth more than just one lesson.

“Good morning, Sunburst.”

Author's Note

Behold! A new ship! Celestaburst! Sunlestia! Names are hard.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed it :twilightsmile: feel free to leave a comment or critique below! As for what’s up next, we’ll just have to see what happens!

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