Taking Heat and Blurring Lines

Julie always covered her mouth when she laughed.

The motion was something that Mary noticed again and again about Lt. Kurosawa’s only daughter as she’d gotten to know her that morning. She thought it was kind of a shame, because she had a brilliant smile, but that was one of those habits she probably didn’t even notice anymore. It also must have skipped a generation, because the few times they’d seen her mother laugh, it was uproarious, with no attempt at modesty whatsoever. It was far from the only thing the two diverged on.

Mary had seen her do it for the first time when they met for breakfast at one of the little outdoor bistros near the base, while they watched the owner move a few tables together to fit Princess Celestia’s sizable self. The demure gesture of amusement contrasted with her dress style, which was a bit more gothy than either of them had expected: a black knee-length skirt was draped over leather boots, with a black zip-up hoodie over a vintage Megadeth tee. Mary was surprised she hadn’t seen any piercings, but it seemed like that might have been a bridge too far for Linda. Mary supposed that was fine; she was still only a sophomore. The girl had her whole college career and beyond for those small rebellions.

There was something about human society’s attempts to cater to Celestia that Julie found endlessly amusing, and after their breakfast, they’d taken a walk down the beachfront, the Princess and Mary regaling her with stories of well-meaning people trying to figure out how best to deal with the interdimensional visitor in their midst. Mary’s light-colored floral sundress rustled gently in the breeze coming of the ocean, and she breathed deeply of the salty air as she listened to the Princess talk about her first encounters with the xenobiologist.

“Oh, it took a while for her to stop seeing me as a winged horse, I think,” Celestia said with a laugh. “I could tell from the way she spoke to me. Even for her, it was hard for her to understand that I was as intelligent as any human. At least, at first.”

“You’ve got to give me a little credit,” Mary said as she nudged the Princess in the side. “I adapted quick enough. It’s a very human thing to not take intelligence from other species seriously, especially when it rivals our own. We’ve been on top of the food chain for so long, it’s hard to grasp that there’s a whole other parallel chain that rises far, far above us.”

Julie pulled her hood down to take in the refreshing sea air. “That’s kinda cool, you know? I mean, even if humanity screws up and we kill each other off, we’re not the only species with smarts in the cosmos. It’s…a refreshing thought, I guess? Takes some of the stress off of us.”

“Well,” Celestia said, “part of why I’m here is to try to keep that from happening. With mutual sharing of technology and culture, both of our species can face the future together, hand in hand.”

Julie kicked a lump of sand in her path. “Yeah, that sounds nice, but you know…you’re bringing us magic. For real, straight-up, messing with the fabric of the universe, magic. You think that’s pushing the clock forward or back on our self-destruction?”

Mary and Celestia gave each other a look. Magic was always a touchy subject, and one often brought up when dealing with the leaders of other countries. It represented un-heard of power, and though it was in Celestia’s nature to be optimistic about humankind, Mary had always been more attuned to Julie’s viewpoint.

“That’s a good question,” Celestia said, “and one I don’t have the answer to. I will say that there’s no way we can let magic run rampant on this side without supervision. I’m afraid you’re not nearly ready yet as a species for that kind of responsibility, but I believe you can be.”

Julie ran a hand through her long straight hair, lustrously black like her mother’s. “I dunno. Maybe if we need ‘supervision’ anyway, you should just go all the way. You’re a higher species, you’ve gone through all the stuff we’ve gone through already and come out the other side. Forget about the hand-holding crap and drag us into the future kicking and screaming if you need to.”

Mary arched an eyebrow as she listened. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard such opinions, but she never thought she’d hear such from Julie. This was a line of thought that the Princess desperately tried to minimize; the last thing she needed was to be seen as some sort of conqueror.

“Julie, look at me for a second.” The three stopped, and Julie turned to stare into the Princess’s big, bright eyes.

“We’re not a ‘higher species.’ You shouldn’t think of higher or lower, just more or less experienced. Humanity has its own history and struggles, and I’d never disparage that.”

Julie nodded, swallowing heavily as Mary looked on. Celestia didn’t normally get in someone’s face like this unless she had something important to say. She feared coming off as too imperious, which was not at all difficult, but now Mary was really seeing the reason why.

Julie was flushed, mouth agape, breathing slowly, and giving her full, undivided attention. She was so completely open, so accepting of whatever the Princess might say that it was uncanny. That kind of intimidation was almost a type of magic in a way, based on different foundations but no less effective.

Celestia wet her lips with her long tongue as she continued, holding Julie’s gaze. “That said, there is merit in the idea of taking a more…direct role in humankind’s development. If we ever decided that you really might destroy yourselves, we wouldn’t just leave you to your fate. However, we might integrate ourselves more forcefully into your societies, molding them into the proper shapes without bothering to ask permission. That’s the prerogative of the stronger species, you see. We may not be ‘higher’ but power demands respect, and though people might tell you otherwise, respect tends to flow in one direction. Do you understand?”

Julie blinked, then nodded slowly as she stared up into the Sun. “I…I think so. I guess I should be thankful that you won’t leave us when…if the worst happens.”

Celestia smiled. “Our friendship is a gift freely given, but it is a gift. In that case, what does a good pony say?”

Julie’s brows furrowed. “Uh…thanks?”

The wattage of Celestia’s smile went down noticeably. “Is that how you speak to the potential savior of your species? Try again, little pony.”

“Oh, shit…damn, sorry! I mean…” She stopped and took a deep breath, calming herself. “Thank you.” She hesitated, then, in a rush: “Thank you, Princess.”

Celestia’s welcoming grin was dazzling, even to Mary. “Very good, little pony. Now, before we have lunch, why don’t you tell me about your studies? Your mother says you’re into ancient history, and I’d like to hear more about that while we head down to the beach.”

“Of course, Princess.” Her voice was still a little jittery, but her enthusiasm for Meso-American architecture seemed to smooth out any lingering nervousness as they continued down the beachfront.

Mary only half-listened to the academic conversation as she tried to work out what Celestia was thinking. Almost everything she’d just told Julie had been an extreme twisting of her true values at best, and an outright lie at worst. What she’d just said amounted to a de-facto takeover of humankind by Canterlot if things didn’t go the right way, which was a scenario both Mary and Celestia had spent much of their time trying to deny when speaking to the leaders of nations.

If the Lieutenant heard about this, she wouldn’t be as kind as she had been yesterday. More than that, though, what Celestia had said went against Mary’s training and instincts both as a bridge between two peoples, and as a human being. She should have been appalled.

Instead, she kept walking, wondering if Celestia had figured out what kind of underwear Julie was wearing. She thought the chances were at ninety percent by now.

The group picked up their lunch on the way to the waterfront: a picnic set full of good red wine, pasta, breads and sausages. They found a spot with soft sand, somewhat secluded from the rest of the beach, and as they lay out the picnic cloth with the food and drink, Mary made Celestia promise not to “adulterate” the wine any further. Celestia sniffed haughtily as she levitated the plates and silverware, arguing that the people of this dimension simply weren’t ready for liquor of such divine quality, while Mary explained to Julie the extreme effects. Of course, they both left out the most immediate aftermath.

Julie laughed at their antics, cupping her palm over her mouth as she tittered. Seeing this, Celestia dropped the silverware she was floating, letting the forks and knives hit the blanket with a clatter. The girl jumped at the sudden noise.

“Julie. You don’t have to do that.” Celestia reached out and pushed the girl’s hand away from her face, causing her to take a step back in surprise.”

“What? What do you…oh, you mean…”

“You’re a Reiwa girl,” Celestia said, invoking the current Japanese era. “You don’t have to worry about showing your teeth anymore. Every part of you is beautiful, and I won’t hear otherwise. Okay?”

Mary watched Julie fight the urge to look away from Celestia’s gaze, knowing that it would displease the alicorn. “Okay. It’s just that, my mother says it…fits my personality. She says it puts people off their guard, and I should use that against them.”

Even with her own daughter, Lt. Kurosawa didn’t miss a trick. Mary didn’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed, but the Princess had no such ambivalence.

“Your mother is a short-sighted fool,” Celestia said without hesitation. “Anyone who would be swayed by such cheap tactics is not someone to be taken seriously. Since I certainly don’t fit that category, I won’t have you do it in front of me.” She lay down, patting a spot next to her. “Come. Let’s eat, before the food gets cold. I’m told the spaghetti and meatballs are to die for.”

Mary wasn’t sure she’d go that far, but they were very good. Julie was surprised that Celestia was an omnivore, which caused the biologist to remind her that she was still looking at their guest as a horse, and not as the alien species she was. The girl listened raptly as Celestia told her about the strange foods she’d had to put up with in other worlds. Her alicorn biology made her stomach into a blast forge, allowing her to process just about any material and turn it into energy, but she didn’t always have the luxury of enjoying the taste. The variety of good food in the human world was something she greatly appreciated.

Julie had to catch herself a few times, but she never covered her mouth again, laughing openly and happily as they chatted. Mary was once again astounded at the Sun Princess’s ability to get so deeply into someone’s head. There was a time when she wondered if she herself was being so manipulated, but she came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter. In a sense, all personal interaction was a sort of manipulation. At least Celestia’s intentions were pure, in their own twisted way.

That was what Mary told herself, anyway.

After lunch, Celestia bundled the scraps and plates back into the basket, then she lay curled up cozily with the two humans at her feet. Julie asked a question about the everyday schedule that Celestia was more or less forced into, and Mary tried to answer as best she could without revealing anything classified.

“We’re basically seeing a new head of state every day,” Mary said, already dreading the next day’s packed timetable. “Everyone wants something, whether it’s magic or alien technology, or even a pass to visit Canterlot itself. The portal is especially of interest, for obvious reasons. It’ll be a long process to figure out how to teach all this while keeping it safe, but there are a few ponies from Celestia’s world that will assist with that. We’ll need all the help we can…”

Mary stopped. Julie wasn’t listening. Her eyes were firmly on Celestia’s wide, white flank.

Before Mary could react, Celestia spoke up. “Is there something wrong, little pony?” She was observing Julie intently.

The girl’s head jerked as she finally noticed the two watching her, and she went red as a tomato as she stuttered. “Oh, fuck…I mean, damn…I mean…I’m sorry, Princess, I swear I wasn’t…”

“It’s all right,” Celestia said in a soothing tone. “I don’t mind. I’ve received my share of stares, believe me. Is there something you’re particularly interested in?”

Julie licked her lips. “It’s your…cutie mark, I think it’s called? It’s beautiful, Princess. Like…I can’t believe the pattern’s natural. It’s like a painting.”

Celestia beamed, genuinely pleased at the girl’s admiration. “I appreciate that, Julie. You might actually be surprised at how controversial cutie marks are in our world. Even I don’t know how or why they appear. Look up debates on Calvinism if you want some ideas on current thinking, although I keep my own counsel on the subject.” Celestia prodded the vibrant sun mark with a hoof, causing the bouncy flesh to ripple. “All I know is that, if you were to look at the deepest part of my soul, you’d see this symbol staring back at you. A pony is defined by their mark, for better or for worse.”

“That’s so neat,” Julie said, her face filled with wonder. “Bet a lot of people wish they had a cutie mark, so they’d know exactly what to do with their lives. It’d be nice to have some…direction, I guess. A clear purpose.” She went silent, still examining the beautiful sun insignia.

Celestia allowed the moment to breathe. Finally she said, “Why don’t you take a closer look?”

Julie gasped. “Is…is that all right?”

“Of course. Here, touch it.” She gave a gentle magical prod to Julie’s right hand, placing it onto the marked white flank. ”Satisfy your curiosity. You may never get another chance.”

Mary could hear the girl’s breath coming faster. “Yeah…yeah, you’re right. Okay, then.”

She put her face right against Celestia’s flank, examining the way the fur lay against the Princess’s hide as she stroked gently, touching the design all over and following its outline with her fingertips. She pressed deeply into the fat buttock, feeling the strange play of steel-cord musculature underneath pleasing softness.

Mary held her breath, and she could sense Celestia doing the same as they both watched Julie explore.

With a sigh, Julie crossed the last centimeter between herself and Celestia’s inviting butt, kissing the cutie mark in its center. She planted kisses all over the insignia, touching each point, then she licked the inside of the mark as if it were the tastiest ice cream, following the gentle gradations of color as they swirled across Celestia’s fat flank. The alicorn murmured, her mouth open and her tongue lolling as she enjoyed the delicate sensations.

Mary slipped her hand into her own panties, glad of her sundress choice. She resisted the natural urge to keep a look out for people watching. Just as yesterday in the alley, she was more or less sure that Celestia had cast some sort of spell to ensure their privacy…but not entirely. That faint uncertainty made the heat in her seeping cunt flare up dramatically. How could they possibly explain what was happening?

Julie raised her lips from Celestia’s rear. A strand of saliva stretched and broke against the pale fur as she looked around, shaking her head as if waking from a dream. She made a choking sound deep in her throat as she met Celestia’s sensual gaze.

“I…I don’t know why I did that. I’m sorry, I…”

“No need to apologize. I said to do what comes naturally, and you did. You don’t have to keep saying you’re sorry for following your instincts…or for doing exactly what I tell you.”

Julie nodded, absorbing every word.

“All right. Now, there’s one more thing I want you to do for me, little pony. Something very important. Are you listening?”

Julie’s eyes went wide. “Of course, Princess.”

Mary just barely heard the hitch in Celestia’s voice as she spoke. “I want you to eat my ass.”