Surface of the Sun, Part 7 (Champion of the Sun, Aaa-aah!)

>"Did you get all that?"
"Hflahksdfjkm."
>"...What?"
>You just start weeping.
>"...Anonymous."
>"Anonymous, will you please let me inside? P0nies are staring."
>Let them stare. You'd just started a war with EVERY OTHER THING ON THE PLANET.
>There is a blur of white in the corner of your eye, and you suddenly find yourself seated on your well-made-up, undisturbed, clean bed.
>You're also clothed.
>Celestia, in her boots and crown, pulls the door open, smiling brightly out into the sun.
>"Hello Sister. Anonymous is having a bit of a breakdown, do excuse him."
>Luna does not look amused.
>"May I come in?"
>"Of course you can, sister."
>Luna trots in past the still smiling Celestia.
>Your door closes.
>Celestia slumps, groaning and rubbing at her temples with her wingtips.
>"Why did I look RIGHT into the sun..."
>While her sister rubs her eyes, Luna rounds on you, her wings flaring as she approaches.
>"What did I specifically tell you not to do, Anonymous?"
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
>"What was the ONE thing I cautioned you about?"
"Really, Luna, this is obviously a huuuuuge misundersta-"
>"S̫̳̘͐̎̅̽ͨͯI̼͎̯̝͓ͦ̌͗ͤ͊L̡̻̲̳͈͍̅͆Ëͯ̍̍͞N̖̤̫͗̚͢C͋E̙̟̞̲̣̗̅̏̀ ̸͖̬̲̔̊ͅY̊ͧ̽O̲̤͊̊ͅU̩̳͓͓ͭ̆ͮŘ͚̣͈͖̙̭̊͜ͅ ̪̾̄̈ͬͥF̱͛I͈̲̼ͬ͂L͇͎̊ͪT̙̲͇͟ͅH̦͛ͭ͂ͩ̚͠Y̰̠̖̝͓̼̓͊ͩ̍̍̀ ͎̜̞̓̒M̳̩ͧO̭̠̯̣̰ͨ̔̑̈ͦ̚R̠̠̰̯̦̩̋ͮ͐TĂ̘͊ͯ̾͠L̪͙̱͇ ̤̈ͥ̽C͂̕AͮͧK͛E̩͉͇̫̲ͪ͌ͣͬͧ͌̚-̪̹̫̘̬H̺ͥ̎̔ͦͅO͚̟͈̰̖̔̊͂L̈́͐͌Ȅ̼̭̊̂̓ͮ͂!͔̪̗̜̩̤͙̒ͦ"


"Ow."
>You lay there, curled up on yourself, against the wall, trying to stop the tiny invisible gnomes in your head from shattering your skull.
>"I WARNED YOU! I TOLD YOU EXACTLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN!"
>A shadow darkens your vision, and you roll over to stare into the furious eyes of the Princess of the Night.
>"JUST ONE NIGHT OF FUN. ONE. DRY. NIGHT. CAN YOU NOT HAVE FUN WITHOUT INDULGING IN THAT PATHETIC POISON!? ARE YOU-"
>"Lulu, please stop shouting."
>Luna shuts up.
>Celestia stands a little taller, still wincing and rubbing at her forehead.
>"...Anonymous is not solely to blame for my actions last night. Although he -did- convince me to...partake, it was I who made the decision. With full, personal knowledge of the possible consequences."
>She gives Luna a piercing stare.
>"The responsibility is mine, sister. Not his."
>"He is-"
>"He is my ally and friend, not my keeper."
>Luna gives you an irritable glance, then throws her wings up in frustration.
>"Fine! Fine! That STILL leaves us with every other nation howling for our blood, not to mention the dra-"
"We'll handle them."
>"What."
>"What."
>Both Royal Sisters give you astonished stares, and you suddenly feel very, very small.
"I mean, I'm just suggesting..."
>Celestia eyes you oddly, then looks at Luna.
>"That...might not be a bad idea...yes, we will go forth and...make nice. Apologize officially for any offenses we caused. Establish a few diplomatic ties, save face from last night's escapades, avoid any pointless wars...I approve, Anonymous."
>She taps her chin with a hoof, while Luna glares at you.
>"It's decided, then. Anonymous and I will settle these disputes ourselves!"

ONE HOUR LATER.
>"Anonymous, this was a terrible idea."
"I know."
>"How did I let you talk me into this, again?"
"No idea, Princess."
>"I'm whining again, aren't I?"
"'Course not."
>Celestia lets out a long suffering sigh from behind her wings.
>She'd swiftly figured out that teleportation while hungover led only to pain and suffering.
>So instead, she'd tried to fly with you on her back.
>You got nauseous, she got an eyeful of her precious sun, and long story short, you were and her were on foot, trudging along a dreary mountain path to...
"...Where are we headed, anyway?"
>"The Minotaur Kingdom...they're quick to anger, but quick to forgive, as well. With any luck...they'll be the smallest of our problems."
"...Any idea what we did to them last night?"
>"None."
"Remember, ummm...anything -else- from last night?"
>She stiffens.
>"No. I do not."
>She's silent for a moment or two, before looking at you from the corner of one bloodshot eye.
>"...Do you? Remember anything, that is?"
"Me? Nope. Nu-uh."
>"Oh. Well then. Obviously nothing worth remembering occurred."
"...Ouch."
>"What do you mean ou-"
>She stiffens. Then begins to blush furiously, her face turning redder than an apple.
>"Oh, no, no! Anon, I didn't mean to imply that you were-"
"Princess! Calm down! It was a joke! I mean...a shitty one, considering what might have-"
>"Still, I shouldn't have-"
>You both break off, coughing awkwardly.
>The pair of you walk in silence for a time, looking at anything but each other.
>Eventually, you think of a question to kill the irritating silence.
"...So who's the boss?"
>"What?"
"The Minotaur in charge?"
>"Ah. King Asterion the Third. He's....well...you'll see."

"...What do you mean, I'll see?"
>"Anonymous, Asterion is a...very special ruler. And a very special being. He is...enthusiastic."
"About?"
>"Everything."
>You raise an eyebrow at Celestia as the pair of you stumble up the rocky cliffs that lead up to the palace of the Minotaur King.
>Celestia, thankfully, had managed to set you both down within walking distance before growing too sick to fly.
>Harsh winds stirred the dust of the mountainous passage, rocks rolling down the sides.
>Horned shadows watched the pair of you as you approach.
>It makes you more than a little uneasy.
>Celestia, meanwhile, has abandoned all pretense of not being hungover, letting her mane hang towards the ground as she groans in pain.
>The shadows seem to retreat as she does this, leaving you even more confused.
"...What?"
>She whispers to you, still carrying on with the groaning.
>"Minotaurs sympathize with very few things. Hangovers are one of them."
>You decide it's better not to ask and follow Celestia as she trots towards a large, ominous stone...structure.
>Calling it a castle would be generous.
>It might have been closer to a fortress...or perhaps a bunker...maybe a maze?
>It's a clusterfuck of architecture, that's the only way to describe it.
"What...the...hell..."
>"Every Minotaur Ruler adds a bit of personal touch to this place..."
>She smiles.
>"It hasn't changed since I saw it last. That's always nice."
>You glance at her, confused, and prepare a reply when the doors to the Minotaur 'structure' burst open.
>"YOU! THE PONY PRINCESS AND THE STRANGE MONKEY THING! I WAS WONDERING WHEN NEXT YOU'D GRACE MY HALLS!"
>HOLY SHIT THE MINOTAUR KING WAS BRIAN FUCKING BLESSED.

>You looked around in awe and stupor as you walk into the Hall of the Minotaur King.
>Food is piled high in front of you, great heaping slabs of meat and piles of fruits.
>Steaming seafood platters sit next to grilled vegetables, all circling giant puffy rolls of honeyed bread.
>You suddenly realize you haven't eaten in...forever.
>"I CAN HEAR YOUR STOMACH GRUMBLING FROM OVER HERE. SIT, EAT. BE MERRY! TOMORROW, WE FIGHT!"
>At the other end of the table is the largest living thing you've seen in Equestria.
>The fucker must be twelve feet tall, made of muscle, beard, and horns.
>Right now, he's got an entire loaf of bread in one hand and a gigantic mug of booze in the other.
>Celestia gives you a look, asking you silently to keep your mouth shut, as she takes a seat next to king MinoBlessed.
>"Asterion....there won't be a fight."
>"NO FIGHT? WHAT TREACHERY IS THIS!? YOU PROMISED ME A WAR, CELESTIA!"
>The princess looks embarrassed, her white face coloring red.
>"I was...ahem...not in poss-"
"She was drunk."
>Celestia shoots you a look, and you feel your insides withering up.
>But you keep talking.
"And she's got a huge hangover."
>Asterion seems to ponder this.
>"SO...NO WAR?"
"Nope. Drunken promises from a pair of crazy Equestrian politicians."
>"OH. WELL THEN. YOU THERE, FETCH PICKLES FOR MY GUESTS!"
"...Pickles?"
>"FOR THE HANGOVER."
"That works?"
>"IT'S WORKED ON MINOTAURS FOR CENTURIES!"
"Always thought that was a myth..."
>Celestia stops glaring at you and coughs, politely.
>"So...no war, then, Asterion?"
>He shrugs.
>"I SUPPOSE WE CAN ALWAYS GO KILL CHANGELINGS. COME BACK WHEN YOU WANT A PROPER FIGHT."
>Well...that was easy.

ONE HOUR LATER.
>"I can't believe you DID that! What is WRONG with you?"
"I really don't see why you're upset."
>"I've been negotiating with minotaurs for -CENTURIES-, and they JUST started taking me seriously! You just waltz in and start talking about....about..."
"Guy stuff?"
>She gives you a piercing purple glare, and you grin sheepishly.
>"...What -IS- MMA, anyway?"
"It's a...human fighting style. The minotaur guys reminded me of it."
>After Celestia had gotten an assurance of no war from the Minotaur King, shit had gotten pretty interesting.
>He'd brought in two massive jars of pickles, and let you and Celestia try them.
>To your surprise, the king knew his shit. Your hangover cleared up almost instantly.
>Then he'd called in a feast.
>And a pair of gladiators to entertain you.
>And food.
>More specifically, fucking meat.
>THEN he talked to you about how shitty Equestrian booze wa-
>Look, long story short, minotaurs are fucking awesome.
>"...Well if it was anything like what I just saw, it must be barbaric!"
"Oh, stop getting your feathers in a twist."
>She glares at you.
"...Sorry."
>She sighs in annoyance.
>"You have nothing to apologize for, Anonymous. I just don't get HOW you did that. It normally takes me DAYS to get the Minotaur King off the warpath."
"What do you usually try?"
>"...Appealing to his sense of common equine decency?"
"Does he fall asleep a lot when you try that?"
>"Well now that you mention it..."
>You snicker, and she shoots you another glare.
>"Laugh it up, Anonymous. I'd like to see you try the same tactic with the Dragons."
"Is that who we're going to see next?"
>You almost wish the muttered "I wish," before she teleports you both.

>You let out a short bark of surprise that almost becomes nauseated vomit as magic plucks you off your feet and transports you into...
>...To call it a forest would not be doing it justice.
>Great, soaring canopies cover your head, trees of white bark standing like silent sentinels above and around you.
>Gold filigree seems inlaid in the trees, tracing the whorls and cuts in the bark like delicate strands of amber.
>Structures, seemingly -grown- from the wood of the trees themselves, twine around them like nest-
"...Please don't tell me we are where we think we are."
>"Welcome to Rassil, Anon. Capital of the Griffon Kingdom."
"Aren't the griffons like universally haughty assholes?"
>Celestia sighs.
>"There are four of them behind us."
"Shit."
>You feel something very sharp prod your back.
"Coulda warned me, Celestia.."
>"Oh, be calm, Anonymous. They're here to escort us to their King. His name's...Grendel, I believe. Or is it Griswald? It's been a long time since I visited here last in peaceful conditions."
>One of the griffons snarls and pokes you, spitting at Celestia.
>"These are not -peaceful- conditions, Princess. You and this filthy APE have dared to strike His Majesty and rob him of his crown. You are enemies of the Kingdom, and will b-"
>Celestia yawns.
>"That's nice, dear. I'm sure you can tell us all about it while you take us to your King."
>The griffon bristles, but shuts up, walking on all fours to the front of you. Three more of them seem to fade into view, their claws twitching as they look at you.
"...What was that about?"
>"Griffons are...'haughty' as you put it...but...between you and I..."
>She leans in and winks at you.
>"They're afraid of me."

>The griffons lead you and the Princess up a set of carved pathways, near invisible next to the wood of the trees.
>The path curves up and around the trees, leading to a massive nest-like building at the top of the mammoth tree.
>Griffons fly through the canopies, glancing at you and Celestia as the both of you approach.
>A yawning black opening in the side of the tree is before you, and you gulp as you look at the griffon guards.
>A wing gently touches your back, and you glance at Celestia as she smiles.
>"Keep calm, Anonymous. I will protect you. Just...let me do the talking."
>You glance at the griffons around you, at their wicked claws and sharp beaks, and you do as commanded.
>You keep calm.
>They land on the trees around you, tails swishing, claws flexing. You can hear some of them behind you as the guards lead you into the darkness of the giant 'nest.'
>Celestia, head held high, walks into the dwelling, humming to herself, the very picture of holy grace.
>You stumble after her, struggling to keep from pissing yourself at the giant army of lion-eagle monsters that are all behind you and all very deadly.
>Celestia leads the way into the dwelling, her subtle radiance lighting a dark hall of carved wood.
>A long hall leads up to a throne carved with images of leaping birds.
>In that throne sits the largest, ugliest griffon you've seen yet.
>He's rubbing one talon on his head, and as he looks up at you, you see pure hate in his amber eyes.
>"...You."
>You choke back a smirk as you get a better look at his face.
>He's sporting a massive shiner about the size of your fist on his right eye.

>The griffin raises his head, staring at you and Celestia with hateful eyes.
>"You DARE to return here, animal? After the grievous insult you have payed me?"
>Celestia sighs to herself, quietly.
>"Ah. Yes. King Grendel."
>The Griffin's wings flex, and he clenches his talons on the seat of his throne.
>"Celestia. Come here to cause more chaos? Burn down a few homes, perhaps? Assault my children, this time?"
>"Grendel, I assure you that we did not mean any ha-"
"We were drunk."
>Celestia cranes her head to look at you so slowly you swear you hear it creak.
>You shrug.
>It worked with the minotaurs.
>Grendel is not amused.
>"...What did you say, creature?"
"We were drunk. Boozed up. Intoxicated. Hammered."
>There is silence in the hall.
>If stares could kill, Celestia would have vaporized you by now.
>Grendel shifts on his chair, leaning forward.
>"You mean to tell me...you broke into my home, stole my crown, and assaulted my person...under the influence of liquor?"
>Hushed whispers fill the hall behind you, and Celestia gives the vaguest of flinches.
>"I assure you, Grendel, we were not intoxicated! Not truly. Perhaps our faculties were a little lose, but we only meant to examine your crown up close. Anon's species, you see, can be unnaturally aggressive, and-"
"Uh...yeah?"
>Celestia stares at you again, and the griffons grow quiet.
>Grendel shifts off of his throne, slinking down onto all fours like a massive tiger.
>The King of Griffons eyes you with his good eye, talons flexing.
>"I demand satisfaction."

"...Say that again, Griffon Rickman?"
>Seriously, his voice was, well...Alan goddamn Rickman as a monstrous birdcat.
>That was one of the other things you loved about Equestria. The voi-
>"I. Demand. Satisfaction."
>You look at Celestia, who is facehoofing.
"What's that mean?"
>"A duel, you impudent little ape."
>You point at his black eye.
"Haven't I kicked your ass already?"
>A collective hiss comes from the griffon crowd.
>Grendel looks at his followers irritably.
>"...A lucky. Shot."
>You snort.
"Yeah, sure, whatever man. Why should I 'duel' you?"
>"My honor has been besmirched and my visage marred. I will take this disgrace out upon your hide."
>Celestia looks up suddenly.
>"...So if you duel Anonymous..."
>He grimaces at Celestia.
>"Then we shall have no quarrel."
>Celestia looks at you.
>"Duel him."
"But-"
>"You brought this on yourself, Anonymous. Duel him."
>You shrug. Like you said, you kicked this guy's ass before, apparently. Hell, you were drunk last time.
>You lazily roll up your sleeves and sigh.
"Well, if it's a whuppin' you're a wantin'..."
>He cocks his head to the side and flexes his talons.
>"Strange. That is not what champions of Equestria usually say to me when we engage in combat."
"What do they usually say, birdboy?"
>"They usually scream 'Oh Celestia help me, I'm being mauled to death by a griffon.'"
>You snort.
"Big talk from a guy whose ass I've already whupped."
>Grendel twitches, once.
>"We shall see. You may strike when ready."
>You pull back your arm and happily oblige him.

25 SECONDS LATER
"OH CELESTIA HELP ME I'M BEING MAULED TO DEATH BY A GRIFFON!"
>You scream as Grendel casually flicks a claw across your stomach hard enough to draw blood.
>The fucker was so FAST.
>You'd barely finished your punch when the Griffon King had gotten behind you and torn a whole bunch of shit out of the back of your legs.
>It HURT.
>You fell, and he just started cutting and biting.
>You were gonna die.
>Oh God you were gonna d-
>"THAT'S ENOUGH, GRENDEL."
>The griffon looks up from you, grimacing, red dripping from his beak.
>"I am not ye-"
>"I SAID THAT IS ENOUGH."
>The room, the tree, the forest, the whole goddamn WORLD trembled a the sound of her anger.
>Her eyes have become pools of solar fury, too bright and terrible to look upon.
>Grendel dares, for a moment, but only for a moment.
>The King grimaces and slinks away from you as Celestia trots closer.
>"..You did not have to hurt him so."
>"My honor demanded that I-"
>Whatever reply he was forming is cut off by Celestia's glare.
>"Is my business concluded then, o Mighty King? Or must we go to war?"
>She says the last almost eagerly, and Grendel shrinks.
>"I am...satisfied, Celestia. Take your best and go."
>She leans over and touches you with her horn.
>It feels like being bathed in cool, refreshing water in a hot Summer afternoon.
>Your wounds close, your pain eases, even your clothing re-stitches itself.
>You look into Celestia's eyes, shocked, confused, and more than a little uneasy.
>Before you can speak, white magic surrounds the both of you, and explodes in a flash.
>Leaving the hall of the Griffon King empty of all but the griffons.

>You gasp as Celestia takes you to a rocky clearing...somewhere, and moves a few feet to sit down.
>"Anon, I'm...sorry."
"What?"
>"I should not have let that duel happen at all, let alone let it continue as long as it did. I...I got frustrated, and I acted on that frustration. That is unbecoming of a Princess. You have my full, Royal apology for it."
"...So you almost let me get killed by the king of birdcats because I couldn't keep my mouth shut?"
>"I would never let you come to h-"
"Lesson learned, I guess."
>"...What?"
"Don't talk before the Princess in negotiations with monsters."
>She looks at you oddly for a moment, the corner of her mouth twitching.
>"But...Anon, I..."
"Yeah, that was fucked up, Princess. But it was my own dumb ass fault. It's in the past. Forget it and move on."
>"But the way I acted-"
"Celestia. To err is human. To forgive, divine."
>Her brow furrows as she ponders that.
>"...I'm not human."
"You know what I meant."
>She smirks, ever so softly.
>"Yes. I did. And...thank you."
"Don't mention it. Just don't let me get mauled again. What crowns do we have left to return?"
>Her horn glows, and she lifts a black, chitinous object into the light.
>It's...dripping.
>Green fluid drips from the rim of it, similar color to the green bulbs on the spikes of the crown.
>You both stare at it.
"...Changelings?"
>"Changelings."
>The crown drips. The both of you stare. It drips some more.
>"...How about we handle the dragons first?"
"Right. Dragons sounds like a great idea."

One hour later.
"DRAGONS WERE A TERRIBLE IDEA JESUS CHRIST!"
>You duck around a wall as a massive blast of fire rolls down the street towards you.
>Celestia pops up next to you, shaking soot off her hoof and blowing mane out of her eye.
>"Well. This is going no where."
"CAN YOU STOP TRYING TO DIPLOMANCE THEM AND JUST BLOW THEM UP ALREADY!?"
>"...Anon, please, lower the volume of your voice."
"Oh, sorry, excuse me, I'm just curious why you're trying to reason with them instead of turning them into little chunks of meat."
>"...There's seven of them."
>You raise an eyebrow.
"You have limits?"
>Celestia does something you've never seen her do before, a testament to her exhaustion.
>She rolls her eyes.
>"They're DRAGONS, Anonymous. If I blow them all up, their children will come to avenge the slight. Which means seven times seven dragons, ad infinitum, until we're overrun or I've layed waste to my own kingdom blowing them all up!"
"...You say that like you know it from experience."
>"I do. Ask my faithful student about the legend of Smaug sometime."
"...Smaug? Really?"
>"Such a silly name for a prideful beast."
>You give Celestia an incredulous stare.
>She only giggles quietly.
"...Sometimes, you scare me, Princess."
>She pouts at you.
"Stop that! How are we...okay, if you can't blow them up, what do we do?"
>"Well...intimidating them usually works."
"Intimidating. Dragons."
>"Well, yes. They're large, and powerful, but quite skittish when confronted with new things, as well as partial to song...we c-"
>You don't know what she was going to say next, because the wall behind you explodes as a massive black talon crashes through it, grabs you, and yanks you into the air.

>You certainly did not scream like a little girl as a massive winged reptilian the size of a three story building hefted you in the air.
>No, what you let loose was a loud, manly yawp of fury and surprise.
>The thing swooped high in the air, a black leviathan of scales, teeth, and sheer pants-shitting terror.
>It came to rest on a building, one of Trottingham's large, ugly business buildings, squatting there like a giant bird.
>Thank God Celestia had gotten everyone to evacuate before the attack.
>Then it held you up to it's face, bringing you level with an eye big enough for you to swim in.
>It did not speak.
"...Uh...hi?"
>Something rumbled.
>It took you a moment to realize it was the thing's voice and not a thunderstorm.
>"...What. Are. You?"
>You glanced around and saw the other dragons circling, red, white, green, blue, purple, and brown wyrms wheeling in the air around the black leviathan.
"Uh...I'm....uh...."
>"Have you. No Name? Creature? I. Am. Ancalagon. The Black. You are. Celestia's pet?"
"Uhhhhh..."
>The red crashes into another building next to Ancalagon, snarling and speaking rapidly.
>"Kill it! Burn it alive! The Sun Bitch cares for it! That is reason enough to end it's life!"
>"Calm. Yourself. Grougaloragran."
"Uh...you don't want to do that."
>They both look at you.
"In fact, you should leave."
>"Why?"
"Uh...cuz I...said so?"
>"And who. Are you. To order. Us?"
"I'm...uh...uh..."
>The other dragons land on rooftoops around you, peering intently at the creature holding you in its claw.
"I'm..."
>The dragons peer closer.
"I'm Day...Man. Day Man."
>And then you started doing what you did best. You sang.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0V784AiYtG8#t=15s
"Day man!"
>They look at each other.
"Fighter of the Night...mare!"
>You look down and see Celestia staring at you from the streets below.
"Champion of the..."
>You glance at Celestia again, and she points at her cutie mark.
"...Sun!"
"I'm a master of karate! And friendship...for everyone!"
>Celestia starts holding her hooves to her mouth and adding 'A-aaaaaa-aaaah's' to the end of your lyrics, mimicking your voice as best she can as you sing to seven very confused dragons.
"Dayman!"
>"A-aaaa-aaah!"
"Fighter of the Night mare!"
>"A-aaaa-aaah!"
"I'm a master of karate! And friendship for everyone!"
>"A-aaaa-aaaah!"
>The dragons blink, one at a time, and the big black one wordlessly sets you down on the ground.
>They continue to stare at you as you finish your song.
>"..What. Is. Karate?"
"...It's a human martial art. It lets us kill things. Uh...instantly. By poking them."
>You jab your fingers in the air.
>The dragons look at each other.
>Grougaloragran spreads his wings.
>"I'm...just gonna go."
>He takes off, and the rest follow him, one by one, leaving only Ancalagon.
>"...I'm...not quite. Sure. What I just. Heard. Just. Don't steal. From hoards. Again."
>You salute.
"You got it, mister terrifying elder dragon thing."
>He spreads wings large enough to block out the sun, snorts, and takes off.
>Celestia trots up next to you, and you both stare at the retreating dragons.
>Wordlessly, you lift your fist.
>Celestia bumps it.
>And then the both of you slump to the ground, mentally and physically exhausted.

>The pair of you stumble back to the Palace somewhere around sundown, to which Celestia gives a great sigh of relief.
>"I...honestly don't think I could have handled Day Court today."
"So how many wars did we even stop, today?"
>"...Four?"
"Awesome."
>She climbs into bed immediately, letting out a relieved sigh as her head hits the pillows.
>"Oh thank the Sun, I'm -exhausted-."
"You, getting tired?"
>You strike a stuffy pose.
"Isn't that conduct unbecoming of a Prince-"
>A pillow strikes you in the head.
>You turn to look at her as she whistles innocently and stares at her hooves.
"...Did you just..."
>"I have no idea what you're talking about."
>You glare at her as she gives you a small smile back.
>Eventually, you relent, sitting on the edge of her bed and sighing at the softness.
>You had to admit, the thing was damn comfortable.
>You lay back on the bed, looking up into a pair of purple eyes and a smiling white face.
>"I see I'm not the only one who's exhausted."
"I -did- almost die today. Like...twice. Pretty sure that wasn't in the job description when you hired me."
>She giggles. An honest to God giggle.
>"It wasn't, was it? We might have to update that moldy old thing."
"Yeah, add, -is likely to be eaten by dragons- under possible risks."
>She laughs softly, then leans her head back on a pillow.
>You sit up, and her head shifts to your shoulder.
"...Mind if I stay here tonight? I really don't feel like moving."
>"Feel *yawn* free to, Anonymous."
>The both of you slept like that, peaceful and content, her head on your shoulder.
>And somewhere, out there, a changeling queen is sporting a terrible comb-over to hide her now crown-less head.