Last minute booking from Canterlot
Two weeks had passed since Anon had gone to Canterlot and taken Celestia out for a date. He thought the night had gone well, although two weeks on, Anon had started to worry she’d not enjoyed the night as much as she said. Still, life went on, and after a tedious workday, Anon was nearly at the end of it. With thirty minutes left in his shift, Anon looked around his workspace, a table with dozens of bottles of various scented oils and lotions, and the actual massage table took up most of the space.
“Anon,” Aloe said as she nudged open the door to Anon’s workspace. “There’s a last-minute booking for a princess package massage. We’ll give you overtime pay if it runs long, but you know what Canterlot elites are like.”
“Fucks sake, Aloe, really?” Anon growled. Back on earth, he wasn’t exactly very intimidating. However, in Equestria, his human stature seemed to scare ponies whenever he was frustrated. He was reminded of this as Aloe stumbled backwards, her ears folded against her head. With a heavy sigh, Anon tried to relax. “Sorry, sorry, I’m a little preoccupied. If you send them through when they get here, I’ll tidy up a little, so this place is presentable.”
As the pink and cyan mare left, Anon looked around him. Stray hair from ponies coats and even a few loose feathers were strewn on the floor. After a brief rummage, Anon had gotten out the small dustpan and brush and busied himself sweeping the floor clean. As he worked, his mind wandered back to the immortal mare he had fallen for. Maybe he’d overthought the date? By planning that custom menu, he could have seemed a little desperate?
Anon shook his head, trying to get his mind off Celestia. He could worry about their relationship once he was done with work. Minutes passed as he worked, clearing the floor, giving the massage table a wipe down, and finally sitting back to wait. Only moments later, his door swung open to reveal a slender pegasus mare, Aloe beside her. Anon’s eyes were drawn to the bright pink mane that almost shone in the light. “This is Anonymous, our masseuse. He’ll be taking care of you today, Mrs. Days.”
She smiled and stepped into the room, her white wings ruffled as she looked up at Anon. He sighed internally; this wasn’t the first time he’d had a last-minute booking from some rich Canterlot pony. Admittedly, they were normally unicorns, but they all tended to act the same. Hell, even the princess package had taken on a second meaning. She was here to be pampered and to hear every bit of gossip he had heard in the past few days. Thankfully, Rarity had been in that morning, so he had some rather juicy little rumours he could share if prompted.
“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Days. Feel free to call me Anon.” Anonymous said as he mustered up a customer service personality with practised ease. He knelt slightly to bring himself eye to eye with the white and pink mare. “If you’d like to get up on the table, we can start with a wing massage and feather preen. I’d imagine your trip from Canterlot must have been tiring.”
“No need to call me Mrs Days then Anon, call me Sunny.” She said with a smile as she climbed onto the massage table, lying down on her barrel. Anon stepped back to give her space as she spread her wings to their full extent. “Flew here from Canterlot; I should have taken the train. My wings ache right at the base.”
Anon gave a low whistle at that, running his fingers through Sunny Days’ feathers. They were a little abnormal compared to all the other Pegasi he’d worked on. Beneath her soft coat, her muscles were impressive. He’d given rainbow dash a wing massage a few days prior. Even compared to the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria, Sunny’s muscles were denser and held firm under his examination. “You do a lot of flying, Sunny?”
“A fair bi-i-it.” Sunny replied, her voice squeaking as Anon plucked a broken feather. He ran his fingers through her plumage again, searching for other broken feathers before he could start on a wing massage. “So, do you go up to Canterlot often?”
Anon chuckled. Sunny evidently was interested in getting to the gossip already. With a roll of his Eyes, Anon started to massage the muscles at the base of her left wing. Still shocked at how dense they were, more like an Earth Pony’s muscles than a Pegasus. “I went there a few weeks ago, although I’m guessing you heard about that through the grapevine?”
“Surely you can’t blame me for being curious? The grapevine is certainly fast, but sadly she lacks the detail to provide some truly juicy stories. I heard that Equestria’s resident human ventured up to the capitol. Still, the rumours were strangely sparse of details about why.” Anon raised an eyebrow at that; he was a little confused at why Celestia and his date wouldn’t be the talk of the nation. Although he supposed that if he was right and Celestia had only pretended to enjoy the evening, she might have suppressed that he had gone to Canterlot for her. Anon’s shoulders sagged as he continued to gently massage Sunny’s wing muscles, deliberating on how to answer her.
“Well, I was up there for a mare. I planned out a rather extensive night out for us, and at the time, it seemed like she enjoyed herself. Although, I’m second-guessing that now.” He admitted. He’d had to get used to his personal life being a fashionable topic of gossip. It was part and parcel of being the lone human, it seemed. Sunny remained silent as Anon moved on to her other wing; her ears flicked once before she spoke again.
“I’d love to know who she is Anon, the rumours were so devoid of details other than you were seen heading into a restaurant run by a former castle chef.” All Sunny heard in response was deep chuckling. Anon continued to work on her wings, chuckling at her question. He’d refused to give Rarity, a close friend, any details of his date. Sunny Days clearly wasn’t used to how gossip worked, it seemed.
“To quote a friend, A lady never kisses and tells. The same principle applies here, Sunny. What I will say is she’s a mare, unlike any other.” Anon stepped back to grab a bottle of product, Squeezing some into his hand before he spoke again. “She’s kind, patient and has a radiant smile. Also, this will be a little cold.”
Sunny opened her mouth to respond, any words she could have said being replaced by a yelp as Anon started to work the product into her feathers. It wasn’t too cold, but it was enough to startle her. As he worked, Anon tried to ignore the fact that Sunny’s wings gradually stiffened in their outstretched position. The first time one of his clients popped a wingboner during a massage, it was awkward. At this point, it was pretty routine. What Anon couldn’t see was that Sunny’s white cheeks had turned an impressive crimson as she blushed.
“Right, before I work on your shoulders, is there a scented oil you’d prefer? They’re all included as part of the package you chose.” Anon said, turning his back on Sunny as he looked over the dozens of scented oils on his table. They’d give her coat a healthy sheen, help insulate her from water, and the scent was a nice little bonus. He’d ended up having to get a fresh bottle of the one he’d used for Celestia because of how large she was.
It took a moment to find, but he spotted the bottle of daybreak. The label displaying a sun as it rose over a large pine forest. He’d not expected her to pick something so rustic, but in the end, it was endearing. The room itself was a little warm, Anon noticed as he continued to fetch the last few scented oils from a shelf below the table. He supposed it was probably just because it was near the end of a long day. He must have been more exhausted than he expected.
Anon was brought out of his thoughts by a soft but familiar giggle from behind him. “I’m sure you remember what I had last time, my dear Anon~”
Anon wheeled around to try and confirm if what he’d heard was true, rubbing at his eyes as he turned. It couldn’t have been her. Surely he had misheard something Sunny had said. Anon’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Celestia lying on the massage table, her size meaning her hind legs were resting against the floor, and she’d had to furl her wings. His attention was immediately pulled to Celestia’s face. The sun goddess displayed was undoubtedly the widest smile he’d ever seen on a pony. “Celestia?”
“Whatever could you mean? I’m Sunny days, although it has been a few millennia since I was known by that name.” Celestia quipped, her grin not even wavering for a moment. It took Anon several seconds to process what she’d just said.
Firstly she was evidently older than he’d speculated. Secondly, she’d come all this way for him. Finally, it would be a pain to give her a full massage with how small his room was. The two stood in silence as Anon’s brain continued to work through. After what felt like a small eternity to Celestia, the human moved.
In one fluid motion, Anon stepped forward and hugged Celestia’s neck, noting in the back of his mind that she was warm to the touch like a sweater fresh out of the dryer. Celestia wasted no time in unfurling a wing to embrace Anon in return. She tried to pretend she couldn’t hear it, but she could feel Anon’s heart as it thundered in his chest.
“So I’m guessing the first date was good then?” Anon ventured, his arms still wrapped around Celestia’s neck. In response, he heard a soft chuckle, unaware how the white alicorns plumage had muffled his voice to the point where Celestia almost couldn’t hear it. Instead, Celestia answered Anon, pulling her wing away and gently rubbing her muzzle against his cheek. At that moment, Anon wanted to hug Twilight. Her insistence that he learn pony body language and romantic gestures finally had paid off. Celestia pulled back from the pony equivalent of a kiss on the cheek. “It was lovely, although this is short notice, I must ask, When do you get off work tonight?”
The two shared another moment of silence before it was broken by Anon bursting into laughter. Celestia was startled by this sudden development, leaning back as Anon doubled over as he leaned against the massage table to stay standing. “P-please,” he sighed through intakes of air. “Tell me Luna gave you that line?”
Celestia nodded. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Anon chuckled as he could practically see the question as it formed on Celestia’s lips. “Luna came to me about a week ago and asked if I could remember any human romance movies. At the time, I thought she was investigating my idea of romance because I’d fucked something up on our date. Now I understand she was looking for some very human lines for you. Did she give you a few others?”
“Lulu gave me a few, but I don’t fully understand the context behind them.” Celestia paused for a moment as her confused expression melted away to be replaced by a slight smile. “Although you didn’t answer my question, Anon.~”
“I get off once I’m done with your massage, your highness,” He replied, looking over the alabaster alicorn. “Although if you are fine with just a wing package, we could call it a day. Sounds like you have something planned?”
The only answer Anon was given was a playful giggle before Celestia feigned innocence. She stepped off the massage table, her horn aglow with soft golden light. “A princess always has something planned. However, a wing package was more than enough. Meet me by Twilight’s library in, let’s say, five minutes.”
Anon was blinded by a flash of light, his vision covered with stars and the faint outline of a certain alicorn. Once he could see again, he caught a glimpse of Sunny Days’ pink tail as it disappeared around the corner towards the spa’s reception. It was probably the best motivation he’d ever had to clean his workstation. No offence to Big Macintosh, but a night out with the stallions didn’t really work when there were only the two of them, and they were being served cider by his sister.
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Still in her disguise, Celestia stood outside Twilight’s library. It was a rare chance for her to stand back and admire the land she ruled. Likewise, it was a long time since she had actually been the pegasus known as Sunny Days. Nopony knew this form, which made it perfect for the quiet evening she had planned. Even after revealing herself to Pinkie Pie to avoid a potentially disastrous derailment to her plans, nothing could harm Celestia’s mood right now.
She felt her heart skip a beat as Anon rounded the corner, crossing the small distance between them in a few long strides. Celestia still found the way that humans walked was bizarre, almost falling over only to catch themselves with the other leg before repeating the entire motion.
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Anon had finished clearing his workstation with barely a minute to spare before he was supposed to meet Celestia at Golden Oaks Library. He rounded the corner at what could generously be called a speed walk, although He realised that his sprint through town to make it might have made him seem a little desperate. His eyes were drawn to the basket perched on Cel...Sunny Days’ back, the aroma of freshly baked goods wafted towards his nose, making his stomach rumble.
“Something smells fantastic, Sunny,” Anon said, a broad smile adorned his face. The White pegasus blinked as if she’s been zoned out, her eyes refocused as she nodded. “So, I’m guessing you have somewhere picked out for us already?”
“Of course, I did some research before this, don’t worry,” Sunny replied before setting off at a gentle trot, allowing Anon to easily keep pace with her. The duo made for a slightly odd sight. Anon’s tanned skin, tailored shirt, and pants clashed slightly with Sunny days’ effortlessly elegant appearance. Although considering who she actually was, it made sense that Sunny just looked good as if it was her natural state. As they walked away from the library on a well-worn dirt path towards the edge of town, Anon reached down and scratched behind Sunny’s ear. The soft happy sigh he got in reply was all he needed to know about Sunny’s opinion on the gesture.
The soft evening breeze blew through town, carried on it the scent of pine trees from the Everfree. Anon’s mind wandered as they walked. He could guess a few locations where they might be going. Fluttershy had seemed rather cagey when she came in with Rarity earlier in the week, so potentially the hill near her house was where Celestia had picked. Anon’s musing stopped as he realised what stall they’d just passed. “Wait a second, Sunny.”
Roseluck looked a little shocked to see Anon as he stopped outside her stall, her sisters had already gone home for the day, and she was about to close up shop. Behind Anon, she spied a tall white pegasus mare and couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see ponyville’s resident human finally starting to socialise. “How can I help you, Anon?”
“Could you do a quick bouquet? I remember seeing your stock yesterday when I bought some basil.” Anon said as he fished out the cloth bag of bits from his pocket. It took a few moments to wrack his memory for the correct meanings. He had to resist the urge to swear. Why did he not bother reading up on horticulture before now? “If I remember correctly, you should have some yellow tulips and red Chrysanthemum in stock. Could I get a little bouquet of those?”
A knowing grin formed on Roseluck’s muzzle as she looked behind her into the stall, Yellow Tulips and Red Chrysanthemum? She definitely had those. She turned back to Anon and, with what she thought was a subtle wink, whispered, “I’ll knock up something for your special mare, don’t worry.”
Before Anon could protest, the earth pony had dashed into the back area of her stall, where a small flap curtain blocked her from view. Time ticked by slowly as he waited; Sunny patiently stood at the side of the road, and Anon could feel her eyes on him. Eventually, Roseluck called out from inside her stall, emerging from behind the flap with a large bouquet delicately held in her teeth. “That’ll be eight bits, Anon!”
As he counted out the coins onto the table, Roseluck placed the flowers onto the table with all the care of a sculptor with their masterpiece. “Alrighty, Yellow Tulip and Red Chrysanthemum as asked, I added in some Asters for colour, and finally Dill and Daffodil for seasoning. Good luck, Anon.”
He smiled, gently lifting the bouquet and smelling it before he rejoined Celestia. The bouquet was fragrant and smelt closer to a salad than a decoration of flowers. Which was great considering it was for Celestia as part of whatever dinner she had planned. Anon chuckled as he saw Celestia lick her lips as she eyed the flowers.
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Their walk only took a few more minutes. The quiet evening noise of Ponyville faded behind them as they skirted the edge of the Everfree. Each step away from the town seemed to bring more spring to Celestia’s trot. Anon was hard-pressed to think of a more beautiful early evening than this. The Sun was just getting near to the horizon, a warm breeze blew past them, and the calm of the evening had set in. Finally, they came to a lone tree atop a hill, almost the same size as Fluttershy’s house. Celestia placed the basket onto the ground. “If you’d give me a moment to change and lower the sun, Anon.”
Out of force of habit, Anon looked away at Celestia’s request. Some habits would never fade, and looking away when a woman said she was going to change was definitely one of them. The flash of white light emanated from Celestia as her shapeshifting spell elapsed faded quickly, only to be replaced by a gentle golden glow. “If you would like to, you can watch me lower the Sun, anon.”
At her request, Anon turned to watch. He’d not attended a summer sun celebration as the tickets were more than he made in a year. So this was the first time he’d actually have seen Celestia play with the big ball of fire in the sky. Still, he wasn’t sure what to expect, only to have his breath taken away by the sight.
Celestia’s horn was aglow with a shimmering golden light, the entire hilltop bathed in her radiant glow. Anon could only watch in awe as she raised her head to look at the Sun….Her Sun. Every time he’d heard a pony thank her for raising the Sun, or call it, Celestia’s Sun made perfect sense to him at that moment. With the grace of a ballet dancer, She lowered her head in a smooth, fluid motion. Above her, the Sun followed obediently towards the horizon. The sky was awash with oranges and yellows, the final coup de grace of her display of power.
The entire process took what felt like minutes, although Anon was confident it could only have been thirty seconds or so. Regardless, Anon was left in stunned silence as he desperately searched his vocabulary for something to describe the entire spectacle. Seemingly unaware of his shock, Celestia flashed a bright smile towards Anon. “So my dear human, your world’s sunsets, how do they compare to mine?~”
Anon remained silent; his brain had encountered a fatal error due at some point between the borderline divine spectacle of Celestia setting the Sun followed by her openly flirtatious remark. He opened his mouth only to close it, still at a loss for words, only to abandon his attempt to formulate a more advanced reply. “Yours are much, much better.”
She smiled at Anon before igniting her horn once more, diverting her attention to the basket on her back. As she lay out its contents after she had spread the large white and orange blanket out onto the grassy hill. Anon watch as Celestia laid out the contents of her basket, only to remember that he’d bought flowers for her. “It’s hardly a surprise, but these are for you, Tia.”
“I had guessed as much, but that doesn’t make it any less special, my dear human. A gift is about the meaning and intention behind it, not what you actually give.” She said with the voice of somepony used to always being the instructor. Anon couldn’t help but chuckle as the bouquet floated out of his grasp and over to the alicorn. The flowers’ delicate scent mixed with the dill garnish tickled Celestia’s muzzle as she smelled them. Before extending one of her large white wings in an unsubtle invitation for Anon.
Before long they were both sat on the blanket, a wide array of food spread in front of them as Anon took in the scene. He was on a second date with the most beautiful being he’d ever seen, it was hard to put into words but Celestia was miles ahead of any human or pony. The timeless grace she moved with, her radiant smile and an aura that just put him at ease, She really was incredible. Beside him, Celestia was preoccupied with eating the bouquet he’d bought her. The large wing draped over his shoulder gave him a slight squeeze. “Thank you, Anon. Your knowledge of the flavour profile of flowers is impressive.”
“Of course, as if I wouldn’t know what flowers taste like….” Anon retorted with as much mock confidence as he could muster. Silence hung between them for a moment, only to be broken by the pair as they burst into laughter. The human leant against his alicorn companion as they laughed hard enough his sides ached. As their laughter died down to be replaced with a comfortable silence broken occasionally by a hum of contentment from one of the two. Gradually they ate their way through the spread of food, Anon’s expectations were repeatedly blown apart. Whoever Celestia had in the kitchens was incredible. Every pastry was crisp and flaky despite having sat in a basket for nearly an hour.
“Anon?” Celestia probed, her white coat flushed with a subtle red blush. Anon’s heart skipped a beat as he realised what she may be about to say. “Would you perhaps want to make our relationship official?”
Anon’s mouth flapped open and closed once more as his brain had screeched to a halt. He wasn’t expecting her to ask him to marry her, not that he wasn’t opposed to the idea. The alabaster alicorn looked at Anon, her hooves raised in panic. “Wait, not like that. I meant would you be my special somepony.”
“You only had to ask Tia, I would be honoured.”
“I love you, Anon.”
“I love you too, Tia.”
Author's Note
After two rewrites I've finally got this finished, I'm rather happy with the outcome even if I couldn't find the right artwork to finish on. Might revisit this someday after commissioning the final scene just to tie a neat little bow on this two-parter.
Now that this is complete, would any of you be interested in a little side story focusing on Luna and her guard? I set that up in the original and didn't really get a chance to show it off in this version, as I cut a few sections involving Luna that just felt slow and clunky.
