Author's Note
I’ll be honest, I kinda feel like this story is all over the place—but I’ll allow you to be the judge! Any constructive feedback is welcome!
I hope you enjoy! ^w^
The Morning After
You were pressed against something warm.
Warm. Fluffy. Kind of like how you pictured clouds would feel back when you were little, and didn’t yet know that they were made of water vapor (and you still hadn’t quite recovered from that revelation, truly). What was more was that the warm, fluffy sensation was also one that seemed to be pulling you in tighter; every little movement you made seemed to cause its grip to strengthen, almost like some exceptionally strange quicksand. With a muffled murble, you blink your eyes open momentarily, peering and squinting to try and get any kind of an idea of what had ahold of you.
Then, the strange fluffy quicksand moved. It shuffled in place, emitting a feminine hum before blowing out a breath. You paused, stopping all movement in an effort to concentrate every little bit of your waking energy to trying to recall where you were—and what this stuff was.
Let’s see… there was the little gala in the castle… Twilight made a speech where she forgot to bring the last of her prompt cards for… the punch Pinkie had brought was way too sweet…
You thought, and thought, and thought, but for some reason, your brain was refusing to cooperate in fully recalling what happened. With an annoyed huff, you scrunched up your face before burying it back into the substance in front of you, mumbling something about mornings being an evil that had been created for the express purpose of punishing you.
Then, suddenly, the fluffy quicksand giggled.
“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” a soft, dulcet, familiar tone cooed.
Your eyes shot open. Was that… Princess Celestia?
You froze in place. Suddenly, your mind became a lot more active, quickly taking stock of the situation. You were lying down in a bed that wasn’t quite familiar; you could not yet see very much (which wasn’t helped by your glasses being rather rudely absent), but the feel wasn’t… right. It was far too soft and comfortable to be your bed. Similarly, the pillow upon which your head was resting was too perfect—it was nice and silken and cool, a far cry from the lumpy mass you traditionally used each night. Then, there was of course the fact that a voice that sounded remarkably like that of Princess Celestia had just spoken in your ear—not to mention the fact that you were snuggling a very warm, very fluffy substance that had been holding you right back…
…Oh god.
Were you… in Celestia’s bed??
Your pupils shrank as you hurriedly looked around, trying to get at least something of an indication to confirm or deny where you were. And, sure enough, the ethereal, pastel rainbow-colored waves of an extraordinarily long mane flowing from an alabaster head that had a veritable spear of a horn protruding from it confirmed your fears. “…Princess?”
“That’s me!” Celestia replied with a mirthful titter. “I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up.”
So many questions were scurrying through your head. How did you get here? Why did you get here? What in all of the world had happened last night? Did Pinkie spike the punch? Had someone hit you with a magic spell? You felt like blurting all of them out at once, but for whatever reason, your brain and your mouth were completely disconnected. All you could do was simply just lay there—staring in disbelief at the fuzzy, blurry image of the Princess before you.
Celestia smiled, raising her head from her pillow, and adjusting her posture. “There’s no need to worry, Anon,” she giggled. “You drank… a truly impressive amount of punch last night. To be true, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone consume quite that much all in one night. You’re lucky that I happen to know a few healing spells—you would probably be in the throes of a screaming headache by now if I didn’t.”
“…Wait,” you murmured, raising your head from your pillow in tandem. “…The punch was alcoholic?”
Celestia tittered again. “Not alcoholic, but very similar.”
“…Similar? How can…” you shook your head, sitting up and hunching over before putting your hands to your temples. “…What do you mean ‘similar?’”
The princess only smiled, rolling into her back before laying her head back down onto her pillow. “The punch was made with an elixir called ‘Partium.’ It has similar effects to alcohol, but is entirely magical in its nature—and, importantly, it cannot damage your liver like alcohol can. It is completely tasteless, odorless, and colorless, and can be added to almost any food or drink. Aaaaand… it was in the punch.”
You leveled a look at the princess. “…And none of you thought that it might be a good idea to warn me?”
The smuggest, most cocksure grin settled onto Celestia’s face. “We did. You didn’t listen, little missy.”
You tilted your head in confusion. “I do not remember that.”
“I figured not,” Celestia answered, that same insufferable grin staring right at you. “Just like you probably don’t remember the little serenade you sang.”
Your eyes widened. “T-The… the what?”
“Oh yes, it was magnificent,” she laughed. “I think that’s the first time in a while I’ve seen Cadence blush quite as much as she was…”
You smacked a palm against your face, pinching the bridge of your nose thereafter as a small cringe escaped you. “I… I don’t even want to know. But that still doesn’t explain how I got here—wait. Did… did we…”
You hurriedly turned your gaze down to your body, lifting the covers to see the rest of it. Mercifully, however, you were still clothed—something which elicited an enormous sigh of relief as you placed a hand over your heart.
Celestia laughed aloud. “No, Anon, we did not—though I do find it… interesting, that that is where your mind went.”
“Shut it,” you growled with a blush, looking away. “You’re the one who… who…” You sighed. You really had nothing for this one—all of this was absolutely on you.
Another giggle escaped the alicorn princess as she raised her head from the pillow again, giving you a sympathetic look as the smugness disappeared from her gaze. “No, you’re right—I should probably have handled things differently. The only reason you’re here in this bed at all is because you had rather vigorously insisted that we snuggle together… and I must admit that the prospect… enticed me, shall we say.”
You looked over to the princess, chuckling somewhat as you raised an eyebrow. “So a drunk girl asks you to snuggle, and you take her up on it, even though she can’t consent? What an absolute monster you are…”
Celestia rolled her eyes, batting you with a wing. “I’m not the one who complimented a married mare’s figure in front of the whole crowd.”
“THAT… okay, yes, that was bad, but still! You literally brought me back to your room—do you know how much of a no-no that would’ve been if we weren’t good friends?” You giggled.
“Buuuut… you said it yourself. We are good friends,” Celestia replied, that smug grin of hers creeping back onto her lips.
You chuckled again, leeeeaaaning back before flopping back down onto the mattress. The velveteen sheets quickly embraced your form, and your head was met with the pleasant coolness of that wonderful pillow. “Yes… yes we are. Even if we’ve never, ya’ know… done this kind of thing before.”
“Do you not like it?”
You paused. Celestia’s question caught you somewhat off-guard. You… hadn’t really given it any thought beyond the initial panic you felt when you realized you were in someone else’s bed. Turning your head to meet Celestia’s gaze, you looked up, then down, and then back at the mare before you. “I… I think I do, actually,” you replied. “I mean, I… I’m not trying to imply anything with that, but… it was kind of, nice. Waking up with… you, in my arms.”
Celestia’s smile broadened a touch at those words. Her eyes were filled with a particular glow you couldn’t quite place, and a strange, nameless warmth began to emanate from her being. “I’m… happy, to hear that, Anon,” she murmured. “I enjoyed it too.”
An awkward pause settled between the two of you for a couple of moments thereafter. You felt like you may have just opened a Pandora’s box—but, you also couldn’t help but smile at how much Celestia was smiling right now. “Soooo,” you eventually broke the ice, shuffling in place a bit as you settled into a comfortable position. “Did you… want to do it again?”
“Yes,” Celestia blurted out before covering her mouth with a hoof, and then summarily giggling. “I… I apologize, Anon, I suppose I’m a bit excited. I would love to snuggle with you some more.”
“Well good!” You declared with a smile. “Because I’m tired, and my brain is still suffering from a… party-um, or whatever you called it, hangover. And, quite frankly, I don’t really want to get up right now.”
Before you could speak another word, you felt one hoof snake underneath your figure while another made its way over top of you, pulling you into the princess in what rapidly became a very warm, very comfortable hug. “Neither do I,” Celestia smiled at you.
With a happy hum, and maaaaybe a bit of a chuckle, you wrapped your arms around the Sun Princess in turn. Suddenly, that same familiar sensation of being embraced by warm, fluffy quicksand returned—for thereafter, every movement you made only caused her to squeeze you just that little bit tighter.
This was a strange way to start the day. But, you didn’t really mind it too much. The warm embrace of Princess Celestia was something that you didn’t think you could complain about even if you tried—and as you pressed in closer, a part of you hoped that she felt the same way. With a long exhale, you closed your eyes—the day could wait a little bit longer.
